WEBVTT - Tech News: Reading Unopened Letters Using AI

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>You're welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio, and I

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<v Speaker 1>love all things tech. And it is time for the

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<v Speaker 1>tech News for Thursday, March fourth one. And before I begin,

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<v Speaker 1>I want to address something from the news episode I

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<v Speaker 1>published earlier this week. I talked about how the social

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<v Speaker 1>network Gab, known for housing a lot of far right users,

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<v Speaker 1>became the target of hackers. But one thing I did

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<v Speaker 1>not mention this was a failing on my part is

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<v Speaker 1>that while I don't agree at all philosophically with the

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<v Speaker 1>average Gab users, I also condemn hacking in an effort

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<v Speaker 1>to gain access to systems and steal, you know, people's data.

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<v Speaker 1>I think intrusion experts are important. They can help companies

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<v Speaker 1>discover and patch security vulnerabilities, and sometimes folks will do

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<v Speaker 1>that all on their own. They'll product systems to see

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<v Speaker 1>if they're really secure, and typically they'll reach out and

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<v Speaker 1>tell a company if they found a vulnerability, unless, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>they're going all black hat with the hacker route. But

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<v Speaker 1>this was a case of someone scraping data off of

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<v Speaker 1>gabs systems and then sharing that data externally. And while

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<v Speaker 1>I might vehemently disagree with the general political viewpoint over

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<v Speaker 1>at GAB, I also don't condone stealing data anyway. No

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<v Speaker 1>one told me to say any of that. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>no one's even brought it up. Maybe I'm just being

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<v Speaker 1>you know, overreactive or whatever, but it occurred to me

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<v Speaker 1>after that show went live that I really should say

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<v Speaker 1>something about it, as I think it's really the ethical

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<v Speaker 1>thing to do. Okay, let's get onto the news. Our

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<v Speaker 1>first story falls into the category of irony. The US

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<v Speaker 1>of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has found in favor,

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<v Speaker 1>at least partly of a German company called bit Management,

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<v Speaker 1>regarding the company's claim that the U. S. Navy copied

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<v Speaker 1>software from bit Management without permission. So this is a

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<v Speaker 1>copyright case. But another way to say it is that

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<v Speaker 1>the US Navy has been found guilty of piracy, which,

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<v Speaker 1>as I understand it, is the opposite of what navies

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<v Speaker 1>are supposed to do. All goofs aside, this is just

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<v Speaker 1>the latest development and a problem that started a decade ago.

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<v Speaker 1>The U. S. Navy purchased software called BS Contact, which

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<v Speaker 1>is a virtual reality suite from Bit Management Actually they

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<v Speaker 1>went through a third party company and then the Navy

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<v Speaker 1>copied that software onto its internal network. But according to

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<v Speaker 1>Bit Management, the purchase of the software did not include

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<v Speaker 1>a license for the Navy to do that. The Navy

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<v Speaker 1>ended up installing the software more than half a million computers.

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<v Speaker 1>The company filed suit against the Navy in twenty sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>on the matter, demanding that the Navy pay for all

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<v Speaker 1>those copies, which amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars.

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<v Speaker 1>So why did it take so long for the case

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<v Speaker 1>to reach its current status? While a big part of

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<v Speaker 1>the problem is that the Navy was working with a

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<v Speaker 1>third party retailer that acted kind of like a go between,

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<v Speaker 1>and it meant that Navy officials actually believed that they

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<v Speaker 1>did have the permission to copy the software, while Bit

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<v Speaker 1>Management maintains the Navy did not in fact have that permission. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>the initial court case found in favor of the U. S.

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<v Speaker 1>Navy against Bit Management, but then Bit Management appealed the matter.

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<v Speaker 1>The Court of Appeals partly upheld the earlier ruling in

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<v Speaker 1>favor of the Navy, but it did say that while

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<v Speaker 1>there was an implied license between bit Management and the Navy.

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<v Speaker 1>The Navy failed to track usage of the software across

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<v Speaker 1>its network, which would have been part of the terms

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<v Speaker 1>of this implied license. As such, the Navy is liable

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<v Speaker 1>for copyright infringement. Now the case will go back to

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<v Speaker 1>Federal Claims Court to decide what damages should be paid

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<v Speaker 1>to bit Management, and first part bit Management says those

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<v Speaker 1>damages should be somewhere in the neighborhood of half a

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<v Speaker 1>billion dollars yikes. At Microsoft's virtual event Ignite, the company

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<v Speaker 1>unveiled a cloud based platform for software developers interested in

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<v Speaker 1>making applications that incorporate mixed reality. And just in case

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<v Speaker 1>that phrase doesn't mean anything to you, mixed reality is

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<v Speaker 1>sort of a spectrum of experiences that includes stuff like

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<v Speaker 1>virtual reality, where the majority of what a user experiences

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<v Speaker 1>through their senses comes courtesy of a computer, so the

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<v Speaker 1>stuff you see and hear are all computer generated, to

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<v Speaker 1>augmented reality, which involves enhancing our perception of the world

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<v Speaker 1>around us by incorporating digital experience adians is on top of,

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<v Speaker 1>or integrated with that world around us. So while MESH

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<v Speaker 1>sounds promising and it could lead to some really interesting

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<v Speaker 1>implementations of mixed reality, software, engineer and technical fellow. That's,

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, a title, not a description. Alex Kitman

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<v Speaker 1>said that the hollow lens that's the mixed reality headset

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<v Speaker 1>from Microsoft, won't be hitting consumer shelves any time in

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<v Speaker 1>the immediate future. Kitman said that the hollow lens has

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<v Speaker 1>a way to go before it is in a form

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<v Speaker 1>factor that consumers will really appreciate and enjoy. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that's actually a really refreshing thing to hear. I've never

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<v Speaker 1>used a hollow lens myself, I understand the experience is

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<v Speaker 1>really compelling. It's really interesting. However, the headsets right now

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<v Speaker 1>are a little bulky. They can become uncomfortable after you

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<v Speaker 1>wear them for a bit. And Kipman's point is that

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<v Speaker 1>a consumer product really needs to be quote comfortable enough

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<v Speaker 1>and immersive enough and socially acceptable enough end quote, and

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<v Speaker 1>that the hollow lens just isn't there yet. For that reason,

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<v Speaker 1>the hollow lens market is still aimed at businesses rather

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<v Speaker 1>than you know, the general consumer. The company Brave, which

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<v Speaker 1>makes a web browser that focuses on user privacy, has

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<v Speaker 1>announced that it has acquired a search engine. That search

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<v Speaker 1>engine is called tail Cat, which in itself is the

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<v Speaker 1>product of a similarly privacy focused company called Clicks, but

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<v Speaker 1>Clicks actually called it quits in April of last year

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<v Speaker 1>in the wake of the pandemic, citing fundraising problems as

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<v Speaker 1>being one of the big reasons the company had to

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<v Speaker 1>shut down. Tail Cat will transform into Brave Search, and

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<v Speaker 1>it will be the default search engine for the Brave browser. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I have to admit I had not heard of Brave

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<v Speaker 1>before reading up on the news this week, but there

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<v Speaker 1>are around twenty five million active Brave users according to

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<v Speaker 1>the Register. Brave blocks website trackers and ads, but it

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<v Speaker 1>also has its own an ad network, which has prompted

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<v Speaker 1>some critics to question the ethics behind the company's revenue model.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna have to look into this in a more

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<v Speaker 1>thorough manner and do maybe a full episode about Brave,

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<v Speaker 1>because I find it interesting and their approach does seem

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<v Speaker 1>to be a bit complicated. Now, it wouldn't be a

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<v Speaker 1>news episode in one if we didn't spend a little

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<v Speaker 1>time talking about social networking platforms and their contribution to

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<v Speaker 1>misinformation and radicalization. So first up is YouTube, which has

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<v Speaker 1>once again suspended lawyer and former politician Rudy Giuliani's account.

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<v Speaker 1>This makes it suspension number two and as many months.

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<v Speaker 1>The band will last for two weeks, during which time

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<v Speaker 1>Giuliani will not be allowed to upload new videos to

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<v Speaker 1>his channel. And you might ask what was the reasoning

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<v Speaker 1>behind this band, Well, it was technically twofold. According to

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<v Speaker 1>a YouTube spokesperson, quote, we removed content from Rudy W.

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<v Speaker 1>Giuliani che and All for violating our Sale of Regulated

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<v Speaker 1>Goods policy, which prohibits content facilitating the use of nicotine,

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<v Speaker 1>and our presidential election integrity policy. End quote. Now, if

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<v Speaker 1>Giuliani gets a third strike within ninety days of this

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<v Speaker 1>band being lifted, his channel will get a permanent ban.

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<v Speaker 1>Giuliani has spent a lot of time undermining the results

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<v Speaker 1>of the twenty u S election, saying repeatedly that there

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<v Speaker 1>was widespread fraud without you know, providing any actual evidence

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<v Speaker 1>that such fraud happened. In fact, he's been reprimanded for

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<v Speaker 1>that very thing multiple times in multiple courts. And in

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<v Speaker 1>semi related news, Wired ran a story titled TikTok played

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<v Speaker 1>a key role in MAGA radicalization, MAGA being make America

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<v Speaker 1>great Again, and they pointed out that while a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of the public's focus on the subject of radicalization and

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<v Speaker 1>extremism has been on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Parlor

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<v Speaker 1>or la if you prefer, TikTok has mostly been overlooked,

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<v Speaker 1>and Cameron Hickey, the author of the piece, makes the

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<v Speaker 1>point that TikTok has way more active users than Parlor

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<v Speaker 1>ever did, and that radicalizing content on TikTok often falls

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<v Speaker 1>into a categorization that makes it tricky for TikTok to

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<v Speaker 1>actually moderate the content simply because TikTok hasn't really formulated

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<v Speaker 1>policies that really cover that type of messaging, and the

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<v Speaker 1>meme generating culture at TikTok also means that these types

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<v Speaker 1>of messages get augmented as more and more people interact

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<v Speaker 1>with them and add to them and share them. It's

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<v Speaker 1>also a reminder that in a world where people are

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<v Speaker 1>more isolated than they usually are, technological radicalization is playing

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<v Speaker 1>a much larger role than it previously did. And since

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<v Speaker 1>I mentioned Parlor last month, the company filed an antitrust

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<v Speaker 1>lawsuit against Amazon after Amazon Web Services or a WS,

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<v Speaker 1>gave Parlor the boot kicked him off the servers. This

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<v Speaker 1>made the website homeless for a short time until it

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<v Speaker 1>found new hosting services. The court ruled that Parlor needed

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<v Speaker 1>to file an amended complaint by February sixteenth, which Parlor

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<v Speaker 1>failed to do. It got a deadline extension, which ended

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<v Speaker 1>on Tuesday, March second, and they still didn't have an

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<v Speaker 1>amended complaint. Instead, they withdrew the lawsuit, though they did

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<v Speaker 1>file a different lawsuit against Amazon in the state of Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>claiming defamation and breach of contract. Whether this suit will

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<v Speaker 1>fare better remains to be seen. In the meantime, Parlor

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<v Speaker 1>is still banned from both the iOS and Android app stores,

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<v Speaker 1>so there's no Parlor app for those platforms, though users

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<v Speaker 1>can still visit the web based version of the site.

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<v Speaker 1>The iOS app version of Netflix now has a feature

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<v Speaker 1>called Fast Laughs, and as the name suggests, this feature

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<v Speaker 1>delivers short videos of comedic content to the viewer, with

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<v Speaker 1>some lasting as little as fifteen seconds, so you get in,

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<v Speaker 1>you get your joke, and you get out, as they say,

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<v Speaker 1>clips come from movies, television series, and comedy specials, and

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<v Speaker 1>it includes a way for users to share their favorites

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<v Speaker 1>with their friends, assuming their friends are also Netflix subscribers,

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<v Speaker 1>and the company plans to deliver around one hundred clips

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<v Speaker 1>each day for people to kind of sift through. The

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<v Speaker 1>feature also offers a way for users to navigate straight

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<v Speaker 1>to the source of where the clip came from if

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<v Speaker 1>they want to watch the whole thing, which is really

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<v Speaker 1>the whole reason for this feature to exist in the

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<v Speaker 1>first place. I don't have an iPhone, so I have

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<v Speaker 1>not had a chance to test this out myself, which

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<v Speaker 1>is really too bad, as I could use a good laugh.

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<v Speaker 1>And our final story, and one that I'm really excited

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<v Speaker 1>about because I'm a nerd, is that researchers, including some

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<v Speaker 1>at M I. T. Libraries, have created a pretty nifty

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<v Speaker 1>way to read unopened letters from hundreds of years ago.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, first, let's present what the problem actually is.

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<v Speaker 1>So back before there were envelopes, before you could get

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<v Speaker 1>an envelope, put a letter in it, and seal it,

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<v Speaker 1>there were just a couple of different ways that you

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<v Speaker 1>could send a written message to someone that included some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of protection against tampering. So one of those ways

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<v Speaker 1>was that you could seal the message with a wax seal.

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<v Speaker 1>You've probably seen TV shows or movies where this happens,

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<v Speaker 1>where you put a blob of wax down to seal

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<v Speaker 1>a letter. Shut and then you use like a signet

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<v Speaker 1>ring or something to stamp it so that you know

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<v Speaker 1>that the message you get is legitimate and that no

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<v Speaker 1>one has opened it. If the seal is broken when

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<v Speaker 1>the message arrives, you know that somebody somewhere has opened

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<v Speaker 1>the darn thing, and that could mean not just that

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<v Speaker 1>the message had been compromised and potentially read, but it

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<v Speaker 1>also opens up the possibility that someone altered the message.

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<v Speaker 1>But another way to send a letter and try to

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<v Speaker 1>keep it being snooped on was a practice called letter locking,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's actually a pretty simple idea. So you write

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<v Speaker 1>your letter on paper, you know, one side of each

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<v Speaker 1>piece of paper, put your stacks of paper together, and

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<v Speaker 1>then you would fold your paper in such a way

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<v Speaker 1>that to unfold it you would have to tear the

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<v Speaker 1>paper a little bit in the process. There'd be no

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<v Speaker 1>way to unfold the letter without tearing the paper a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit. Not tear it enough to rip the letter

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<v Speaker 1>in half or anything, but there would be a tear

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<v Speaker 1>in the paper. So if you got a letter and

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<v Speaker 1>you saw that there was already a tear in the

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<v Speaker 1>paper before you could even unfold it, you would know

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<v Speaker 1>someone else had opened it. Before you got it and

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<v Speaker 1>then intrigue. Now flash forward a few hundred years. There

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<v Speaker 1>are a lot of unopened letters from ages ago. And

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<v Speaker 1>while we could open these letters in the intended way,

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<v Speaker 1>it would actually cause damage to the documents. And arguably

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<v Speaker 1>the actual folding method itself is part of the information

0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:03.160
<v Speaker 1>we to preserve. So how else are we supposed to

0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:07.600
<v Speaker 1>get our beady little eyes on the contents of these letters. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>these researchers used some really cool technology to read the

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<v Speaker 1>letters without opening them. First, they used an X ray

0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:19.280
<v Speaker 1>scanner to thoroughly scan an unopened letter, and the scanner,

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<v Speaker 1>which was designed to be used in dentistry, would create

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<v Speaker 1>a three dimensional X ray scan of the letter, which

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<v Speaker 1>included where ink was on the surface of the paper

0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:34.520
<v Speaker 1>and where the folds were. Then, using a custom built algorithm,

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<v Speaker 1>the team had a computer virtually unfold this three dimensional

0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:43.640
<v Speaker 1>model into a two dimensional reconstruction of the original letter.

0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:47.680
<v Speaker 1>They were virtually unfolding the scan of the letter, at

0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:49.720
<v Speaker 1>which point they could actually read it. And that whole

0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:53.360
<v Speaker 1>process is so amazingly cool to me. It's a really

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<v Speaker 1>nifty way to engineer around a tricky problem. Now beyond that,

0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.600
<v Speaker 1>I could see this general sort of appro being used

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<v Speaker 1>to develop strategies for other types of machine learning and

0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:07.400
<v Speaker 1>automated systems. Creating sets of rules so that machines like

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<v Speaker 1>computers and robots can achieve a task is a big

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<v Speaker 1>part of artificial intelligence, and while this application might have

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<v Speaker 1>limited uses in its current form, you could see how

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<v Speaker 1>a similar approach might be used to create a rule

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<v Speaker 1>set for a robot when, say, it encounters a door.

0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.040
<v Speaker 1>We humans typically know how to open doors, though I

0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:29.280
<v Speaker 1>have to admit I'm pretty good at pushing on poll

0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.640
<v Speaker 1>doors and vice versa, but robots find it all much

0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.560
<v Speaker 1>more tricky, particularly because we have a lot of different

0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:39.240
<v Speaker 1>kinds of doors with different ways to open them. Anyway,

0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:42.200
<v Speaker 1>I thought the story was particularly interesting, and besides, I'm

0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:44.440
<v Speaker 1>a medievalist at heart, so it had to go in.

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<v Speaker 1>And that wraps up the news for Thursday, March fourth,

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand twenty one. If you have suggestions for topics

0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:54.520
<v Speaker 1>I should cover on tech Stuff, please let me know.

0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:58.400
<v Speaker 1>Reach out on Twitter to handle It's text stuff hsw

0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:06.720
<v Speaker 1>and I'll talk to you again release soon. Y Text

0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:10.200
<v Speaker 1>Stuff is an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts

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