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Fri 04/01 – Is E3 Dead? Or Just Resting? Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

E3 is officially cancelled this year, which is making people wonder if it’s officially dead and we just don’t know it yet. More signs of serious trouble in the food delivery space. Facebook has fixed a bug that let harmful content into the news feed for six months. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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E3 2022 - Digital and Physical - Has Officially Been Canceled (IGN)
Food Delivery Stocks Lose $24 Billion in Just Three Months (Bloomberg)
A FACEBOOK BUG LED TO INCREASED VIEWS OF HARMFUL CONTENT OVER SIX MONTHS (The Verge)
Apple emergency update fixes zero-days used to hack iPhones, Macs (BleepingComputer)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Online shopping in the middle of the ocean (RestOfWorld)
Want to See the Weirdest of Wikipedia? Look No Further. (NYTimes)
Why Moderating Content Actually Does More To Support The Principles Of Free Speech (TechDirt)
A History of Hup, the Jump Sound of Shooting Games (Wired)
In the Shadow of the Star Wars Kid (Waxy.org)

Thu. 03/31 – Hackers Forging Emergency Data Requests Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

Another day of all the hacking news. Now the hackers are forging Emergency Data Requests. Apparently there have been vulnerabilities in Wyze security cameras that no one bothered to fix. TSMC warns of a tech slowdown. Masa Son orders his lieutenants to slow down investing just a bit. And yes, burrito delivery by drone, but probably more impressive is FedEx getting into the drone game.

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Links:

Apple and Meta Gave User Data to Hackers Who Used Forged Legal Requests (Bloomberg)
Wyze Cam flaw lets hackers remotely access your saved videos (BleepingComputer)
Google Search’s new highly cited label helps you get to the source of a story (The Verge)
TSMC says demand for smartphones, PCs starting to slow (Nikkei Asia)
SoftBank to slow investments following crash in tech holdings (FT)
Look up: Your burrito is arriving by drone (Axios)
FedEx will test autonomous cargo flights next year (Engadget)

Wed. 03/30 – The Axie Infinity Hack Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

I explain the (latest) biggest crypto hack of all time, this time affecting Axie Infinity. Meta is paying to dish dirt on TikTok. Changes to Google Calendar could kneecap a bunch of startups, while the DOJ is investigating Google Maps. And signs of difficulty in two red-hot startup sectors, the instant delivery sector, and the fast checkout sector.

Sponsors:

AltoIRA.com/techmeme

Links:

Axie Infinity’s Ronin Network Suffers $625M Exploit (CoinDesk)
Axie Infinity Owner ‘Fully Committed’ to Reimbursing Players After Hack (Bloomberg)
Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok (Washington Post)
Messenger gets new shortcuts that let you send silent replies (The Verge)
New Google Calendar feature takes the back-and-forth out of scheduling (Ars Technica)
EXCLUSIVE-U.S. probe of Google Maps picks up speed -sources (Reuters)
Gopuff Plans Hundreds of Layoffs to Cut $40 Million in Costs (The Information)
Why Stripe’s ‘Fast’ Horse Is Losing the One-Click Checkout Race (The Information)

Tue. 03/29 – And Now NFL+ ? Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Sony’s answer to Xbox Game Pass is here. Spotify wants to TikTok-up your podcast listening. Have you ever gotten a spam text from your own phone number? Okta still has some ‘splaining to do. And forget AppleTV+, Disney+, I dunno… BobRoss+, how about NFL+? Isn’t it inevitable?

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Sony merges PS Now and PS Plus to create three-tier subscription service (GamesIndustry.biz)
Sony announces new PlayStation Plus subscriptions, its answer to Xbox Game Pass (The Verge)
Spotify puts its Podz acquisition to use with test of new podcast discovery feature (TechCrunch)
My own phone number is now spam texting me (The Verge)
Leaked Details of the Lapsus$ Hack Make Okta’s Slow Response Look More Bizarre (Wired)
NFL considers creating a streaming service of its own (The Athletic)

Mon. 03/28 – Apple Wins Best Picture Oscar Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

Apple wins a best picture Oscar. Bigger camaras mean bigger bumps in upcoming iPhones. Urgent Chrome update you need to be aware of. You probably guessed that that person bugging you on LinkedIn might be faked. And Fashion Week, but in the Metaverse.

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Apple Is First Streamer to Win Best Picture Oscar for ‘CODA’ (Variety)
Kuo: iPhone 14 Pro's Larger Camera Bump Due to New 48MP Camera System (MacRumors)
Apple to cut iPhone, AirPods output amid Ukraine war uncertainty (NikkeiAsia)
HP buys Poly for $3.3 billion to ride hybrid work boom (TechStartups)
Emergency Google Chrome update fixes zero-day used in attacks (BleepingComputer)
That smiling LinkedIn profile face might be a computer-generated fake (WNYC/NPR)
NFT Collection Failures Begin to Mount in Flashback to ICO Bust (Bloomberg)
Metaverse Fashion Week Draws Big Brands, Startups (WSJ)

(TWTR SPC) Mark Gurman On Apple Mar 26, 2022

Show notes

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman comes on to dissuade us of our Apple delusions.

Profile Of Ukrainian Startup Lemon.io Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Listeners from Ukraine got in touch to tell us what it has been like for one particular tech startup in Ukraine these last few weeks. From the founder of the company: Lemon.io, Alekskandr Volodarsky, @volodarik these are the charities he recommends:

https://bank.gov.ua/en/about/support-the-armed-forces
https://www.1kproject.org/
https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/ (including crypto donations)
https://koloua.com/
https://novaukraine.org/donate/

Fri. 03/25 – Will Europe’s DMA Force AIM And MSN Messenger To Talk To Each Other? Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Will the new EU Digital Markets Act mean that all messaging could soon become as interoperable as email? Some serious smoke around the whole grand unifying Apple subscription fire. Why Instacart is voluntarily lowing its valuation. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Sponsors:

Codecademy.com promocode ride

Links:

EU negotiators agree new rules to rein in tech giants (Politico)
Apple Is Working on a Hardware Subscription Service for iPhones (Bloomberg)
Lapsus$: Oxford teen accused of being multi-millionaire cyber-criminal (BBC News)
Instacart Slashes Its Valuation by Almost 40% to $24 Billion (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

LAPSUS$: How a Sloppy Extortion Gang Became One of the Most Prolific Hacking Groups (Motherboard/Vice)
The Man Behind Ethereum Is Worried About Crypto's Future (Time)
There's something off about ApeCoin (Platformer)
Of Course We’re Living in a Simulation (Wired)
Nicolas Cage Can Explain It All (GQ)

Thu. 03/24 – Is A 16-Year-Old Behind Lapsus$? Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Have we uncovered the hackers behind Lapsus$, that crazy new hacker group? Another crack in the App Store wall as Google unilaterally decides to test alternative payment systems? Uber is actually teaming up with the Taxi drivers here in New York City. And would you buy a 15 inch MacBook Air?

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Links:

Teen Suspected by Cyber Researchers of Being Lapsus$ Mastermind (Bloomberg)
A Closer Look at the LAPSUS$ Data Extortion Group (KrebsonSecurity)
Google Play to pilot third-party billing option, starting with Spotify (TechCrunch)
Twitter’s DM search will finally actually help you find conversations (The Verge)
Uber Reaches Deal to List All New York City Taxis on Its App (WSJ)
Report: Apple developing new 15-inch MacBook Air that could come in 2023 (9to5Mac)
YouTube is taking on over-the-air TV with nearly 4,000 free episodes of TV (The Verge)

Wed. 03/23 – Maybe Apple Should Just Start A Bank Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

Customers are getting frustrated with Okta over that potential Lapsus$ hack. Apple’s acquisition of an open banking startup is interesting. Yuga Labs is the (forgive me) 800lb gorilla of the NFT space. And why Zuckerberg’s personal remote work regimen might explain why he’s so obsessed with having meetings in VR.

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