People have a general idea of how much a rocket-propelled grenade costs. What about a cyber weapon? (Baz Ratner/Reuters), Max Smeets is a D.Phil candidate and research affiliate of the Cyber Studies Programme at the University of Oxford. His work analyzes the proliferation of cyber weapons. Can a non-state actor take down critical infrastructure with a cyberattack? If it is not possible today, will it be possible […]
Techies would probably recall Kevo Convert for its notable debut at CES this year with its smart lock solution that features electronic keys. Now its maker has made the device available for preorder. Smart Lock Kit Once installed, the Kevo Convert can automatically lock your door after 30 seconds. It can also be locked and unlocked via Bluetooth. To extend the range for users to control their door […]
By Maher Chmaytelli and Ulf Laessing | BAGHDAD/MOSUL, Iraq BAGHDAD/MOSUL, Iraq A full siege is developing in Mosul as poor families struggle to feed themselves after prices rose sharply following the U.S.-backed offensive on the Islamic State-held city in northern Iraq, humanitarian workers said on Tuesday. Some of the poorest families are finding it hard to feed themselves while others are hoarding and hiding food as they […]
The Lego-compatible, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled SBricks Plus have four ports that are inputs and outputs, so you can attach sensors, motors, and lights. Image: Vengit Remember those colored bricks you used to play with as a child, or possibly much more recently? They were great, and still are, for building anything from bridges to trains. But in hindsight they lacked one thing: interactivity. Things started to change […]
The smart home is gaining ground, but it’s still a muddle of confusing standards, competing platforms, and gadgets that don’t do what you might expect. But the promise of products that can make your life a little easier is hard to resist, so I’m here to answer the inevitable questions that arise. Whether it’s figuring out the best connected door lock to assembling the right […]
The coolest vehicle I saw at AutoMobilityLA (aka, the LA Auto Show) this week wasn’t even real, at least initially. To debut its new I-PACE all-electric crossover, Jaguar herded media into a Hollywood studio with a dozen or so tables in a large room, each topped with HTC Vive VR headsets, Dell Precision workstations, stereo headphones, and a joystick controller. Keep in mind that automotive […]
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has demonstrated its memory-driven computing architecture The Machine, bringing its vision for the future of computing closer to fruition. The idea behind the project, which has been running for five years, is to combine memory-driven computing, photonics, and a new fabric that can together deal with vast amounts of data. The working components that HPE showcased included compute nodes that share a pool […]
Although women comprise a small fraction of tech professionals—just one in four, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology—several nonprofits and startups are working to jumpstart women’s participation in computer science. In a previous column, I considered Grace Hopper Academy, a New York City coding bootcamp designed explicitly for women. GHA’s sister school, Fullstack Academy, takes that program online with a Remote […]
Over the years, I have often written about Silicon Valley’s desire for Washington to stay out of its hair. Except for lucrative defense contracts, the tech industry would prefer to work unrestrained by politics and government regulations. That trend lasted well into the early 1990s, but when Bill Clinton was running for president, John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins and then-CEO of Cisco, John Chambers, figured […]
Vocus Communications has said it will be investing more in data analytics and digitising its customer service processes over the next year in order to continue competing in the telecommunications landscape. “This year, we have decided to invest in our data analytics capability, taking advantage of the forced shift from copper to fibre occurring over the next few years in both Australia and New Zealand,” Vocus chair […]
Two weeks before the election, I traveled to Maine for a conference and drove through Massachusetts and New Hampshire on my way. In Silicon Valley, which was mostly Clinton country, I’d seen very few signs or bumper stickers promoting any candidates. But as I drove through the northeast, plenty of Trump signs were displayed on people’s lawns, fences, and car bumpers. I did see a […]
The Asus ROG GT51 ($4,999) combines a powerful aesthetic with equally strong internal components, resulting in a distinctive looking and high-performing gaming desktop. Design-wise, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely a conversation piece—if you want your rig to look like the gaming system it is, it’ll probably work for you. With dual Pascal graphics cards, a ton of RAM, and a useful […]
A weather service might not seem like the most important iPhone app, but consider how big an impact the state of the sky has on your daily life. The Weather Underground app does an excellent job of giving you the most important information about the weather right now and in the immediate future, and lets you drill down for more information, too. It remains my Editors’ Choice […]
The Surface Phone is probably closer than most people think, at least according to a report by Chinese financial publication Commercial Times, who claims that Pegatron, a main supplier for Apple, is reportedly working with Microsoft and is already administering production trials of the enigmatic Surface Phone. Surface Phone Rumors The Surface-branded phone has enjoyed its wealth of rumors in recent months. Others predict it as a high-end […]
Opec’s most powerful members were rushing on Tuesday to rescue a supply deal designed to end the longest oil price crash in a generation. Saudi Arabia, Opec’s largest producer, and its arch rival Iran have both set out their positions ahead of Wednesday’s ministerial meeting in Vienna, with the kingdom hinting it could walk away from a deal if its conditions are not met and Tehran publicly […]
Qatar’s foreign trade surplus shrank by 34 percent from a year earlier to QR7.7 billion ($2.11 billion) in October, according to data from the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. The surplus slumped from more than QR11.6 billion in the year-earlier period because of low natural gas and oil prices. Exports of petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons fell 19.8 percent to QR11 billion, according to the […]
By Joseph Sipalan | KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia’s prime minister has expressed support for strict Islamic laws as he seeks to consolidate support of ethnic Malay Muslims at a party meeting this week, as frustration over graft and the economy cloud prospects for the next election. Prime Minister Najib Razak has battled calls to resign over the last 18 months, as a scandal at his pet […]
OPEC was trying on Monday to rescue a deal to limit oil output as tensions grew among the producer group and non-OPEC member Russia, with top exporter Saudi Arabia saying markets would rebalance even without an agreement. OPEC experts started a meeting in Vienna at 0900 GMT and were due to make recommendations to their ministers on how exactly the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries should […]
Tuesday 06:00 GMT Overview Markets across Asia were trading cautiously as Wall Street and the US dollar weakened overnight and the price of oil has pulled back. European bourses are expected to open a touch weaker, with spreadbetters predicting the UK’s FTSE 100 will slip about 10 points to 6,790 and Germany’s Dax to drop 20 points to 10,562. US index futures suggest the S&P 500 will […]
SEOUL South Korean President Park Geun-hye is expected to offer to relinquish some of her power when she addresses the nation on Tuesday but is not expected to announce her immediate resignation, Yonhap news agency quoted a presidential official as saying. Park’s announcement comes as her administration tries to weather an influence-peddling scandal amid growing calls for her to step down. Yonhap cited a presidential official as […]
BANGKOK Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday acknowledged the appointment of a new king, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said, more than one month after the death of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The death of the much loved King Bhumibol on Oct. 13 plunged the Southeast Asian nation into mourning. Most Thais have known no other monarch. According to procedure, the cabinet will ask the president of parliament to invite […]
By Anthony Boadle | BRASILIA BRASILIA Leftist opponents of Brazil’s President Michel Temer sought on Monday to have him investigated and impeached for his alleged role in pressuring a former culture minister to approve a property development. While the impeachment bid is not expected to gain sufficient backing, Brazil’s public prosecutor is already studying whether to investigate the charge by the former minister, Marcelo Calero, that Temer […]
The persistent notion that Mr. Castro’s fastball had made him a potential big league prospect has long been debunked by historians. By many accounts, his primary sport as a schoolboy was basketball. He was tall, at 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3, and he told the biographer Tad Szulc that the anticipation, speed and dexterity required for basketball most approximated the skills needed for revolution. Yet it was primarily baseball, […]
SYDNEY Three of Australia’s four biggest banks will be barred from collectively bargaining with Apple Inc (AAPL.O) in relation to its mobile digital payments system, under a draft decision released by the antitrust regulator on Tuesday. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said letting banks collectively offer their own integrated digital wallets in Apple iPhones, in competition with Apple’s Apple Pay system, would reduce each bank’s ability […]
