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Mon. 06/21 – Can Facebook Win Audio? Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Facebook’s Clubhouse clone rolls out. Here’s how it works. China really does seem to be cracking down on Bitcoin mining. Here’s why that could be important. Some power companies in Texas are remotely adjusting the smart thermostats of users. Here’s why that’s likely the future of things. And had you heard of cyclic propulsion aircraft before? I hadn’t. Let me tell you about it.

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Facebook officially launches Live Audio Rooms and podcasts in the US (Tech Crunch)
China to shut down over 90% of its Bitcoin mining capacity after local bans (Global Times)
Digital euro will protect consumer privacy, ECB executive pledges (Financial Times)
'Woke up sweating': Some Texans shocked to find their smart thermostats were raised remotely (KHOU)
Apple Watch accessory maker Wristcam raises $25M (Tech Crunch)
Russia has flown prototypes of its six-seat hybrid VTOL Cyclocar (New Atlas)

Fri. 06/18 – Cell Networks Security Deliberately Nerfed? Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

Were some of the base encryption algorithms on cell networks deliberately nerfed? The first ever mass arrest of a ransomware gang? Proof that Google is working on a FindMy network rival? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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Bombshell Report Finds Phone Network Encryption Was Deliberately Weakened (Vice)
Ukraine arrests ransomware gang in global cyber criminal crackdown (Financial Times)
Google may be working on an Android version of Apple’s “Find My” network (XDA Developers)
Gopuff to Buy Siemens-Backed RideOS in $100 Million-Plus Deal (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Ransomware claims are roiling an entire segment of the insurance industry (Washington Post)
THE RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN TECH GIANT (The Atlantic)
Anatomy of a Seed Round During COVID-19 (Fresh Paint)
Meet Wu Dao 2.0, the Chinese AI model making the West sweat (Politico)
Tech Companies Are Training AI to Read Your Lips (Vice)
How governments and spies text each other (Wired)
Airbnb Is Spending Millions of Dollars to Make Nightmares Go Away (Bloomberg)

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Thu. 06/17 – How About Some Ads On Your Oculus? Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Facebook is bringing ads to Virtual Reality cause, why not, right? Stories are coming to the Xbox. Why is Google downsizing it’s healthcare team? Why are music artists flooding to Twitch? And is Facebook cornering the VR market like it cornered social media?

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Facebook to begin testing ads inside Oculus virtual reality headsets (CNBC)
Xbox’s June update adds speech-to-text chat feature (Engadget)
Podcasts start coming to Facebook next week (The Verge)
Amazon Appstore will reduce developer revenue cut from 30% to 20% and give 10% in Free AWS Credit (AFTV News)
EXCLUSIVE: Google is downsizing its health team and moving employees to Fitbit as part of a major reorganization (Insider)
Can Streaming Pay? Musicians Are Pinning Fresh Hopes on Twitch. (New York Times)
Is Facebook cornering the VR market? (Platformer)

Wed. 06/16 – A Nightmare FTC Chair For Big Tech? Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Lina Khan has not only been confirmed as FTC commissioner, she’s also been named FTC chair. Waymo raises a big new round, which is soops interesting. Spotify joins the audio rooms sweepstakes. A Windows 11 build leaks. And forget Apple Stores, would you visit an actual Apple Health Clinic?

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Biden Names Lina Khan, a Big-Tech Critic, as F.T.C. Chair (New York Times)
Alphabet’s self-driving car company Waymo announces $2.5 billion investment round (CNBC)
GM ups spending on EVs and autonomous vehicles by 30% to $35 billion by 2025 on higher profits (CNBC)
Spotify launches its live audio app and Clubhouse rival, Spotify Greenroom (Tech Crunch)
Windows 11 leak reveals new UI, Start menu, and more (The Verge)
Apple Struggles in Push to Make Healthcare Its Greatest Legacy (Wall Street Journal)

Tue. 06/15 – Automattic Acquires Day One Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Automattic acquires the popular iOS and iPad OS journaling app, Day One. Everybody wants a piece of Stripe. Stripe wants to be the “Stripe for Identity” all by itself. With HBO vanquished, now Netflix wants to become Disney faster than Disney can become Netflix. And could I interest you in an NFT of the entire World Wide Web?

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WordPress.com owner Automattic acquires journaling app Day One (Tech Crunch)
U.S. Supreme Court revives LinkedIn bid to shield personal data (Reuters)
Investors Clamor for a Bigger Piece of Payments Company Stripe (Wall Street Journal)
Stripe goes beyond payments with Stripe Identity to provide AI-based ID verification for transactions and much more (Tech Crunch)
Amazon brings cashierless tech to full-size grocery store for first time at new Seattle-area location (Geek Wire)
Netflix Has a Plan to Sell You Toys, T-Shirts and Concert Tickets (Bloomberg)
Web inventor Berners-Lee to auction original code as NFT (Financial Times)

Mon. 06/14 – An “Extreme” Apple Watch? Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

Could we get an extreme sports Apple Watch soon? Google makes Workspace and Chat available to all. Bitcoin’s first major overhaul in four years is a go. TikTok has quickly become an advertising Monster. And I try to explain to you why everyone is suddenly so hype on Miami as a tech hub.

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Apple Plans Faster Watch, Future Temperature and Glucose Sensors (Bloomberg)
Google Workspace and Google Chat are officially available to everybody (The Verge)
Amazon’s game streaming service Luna is opening access to all Prime members June 21 and 22 (The Verge)
Bitcoin just got its first makeover in four years (CNBC)
TikTok Charges Up to $2 Million a Day for Top Advertising Spots (Bloomberg)
Austin Is Biggest Winner From Tech Migration, LinkedIn Data Show (Bloomberg)

Fri. 06/11 – Now The Hackers Have Come For Our Hamburgers Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

Moar… hacking news. McDonalds. Electronic Arts. Le sigh. Apple wants to do away with passwords too. Elon Musk unveils the Model S Plaid. An interesting Apple Car hire. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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McDonald’s Hit by Data Breach (Wall Street Journal)
Hackers Steal Wealth of Data from Game Giant EA (Vice)
Apple says its new logon tech is as easy as passwords but far more secure (Cnet)
Tesla begins deliveries of its new Model S Plaid (CNBC)
Apple Hires Former BMW Executive for Its Rebooted Car Project (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

The hard truth about ransomware: we aren’t prepared, it’s a battle with new rules, and it hasn’t near reached peak impact. (Double Pulsar)
When ransomware strikes, this company helps victims make bitcoin payments (CNBC)
APPLE ISN’T JUST A WALLED GARDEN, IT’S A CARRIER (The Verge)
THE APP THAT MONETIZED DOING NOTHING (The Atlantic)
Marcus Graham: Looking back on 10 years of Twitch’s experiment with livestreaming (Venture Beat)

Thu. 06/10 – Another Payoff To Ransomware Hackers Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

Another payoff to Ransomware hackers. Facebook to launch a smartwatch? Microsoft to launch a dedicated game streaming device? Samsung unveils a tiny, tiny camera sensor. Stripe wants to handle your sales tax headache. And can the creator economy take off in a world of App Stores with 30% rakes?

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JBS Paid $11 Million to Resolve Ransomware Attack (Wall Street Journal)
Facebook plans first smartwatch for next summer with two cameras, heart rate monitor (The Verge)
Microsoft is building its own streaming devices as part of a major Xbox Game Pass expansion (Protocol)
Samsung pushes pixel size even further with new camera sensor (The Verge)
Payments giant Stripe launches Stripe Tax to integrate sales tax calculations for 30+ countries (Tech Crunch)
The creator economy is running into the Apple Tax — this startup is fighting back (The Verge)

Wed. 06/09 – The First Country To Adopt Bitcoin As Legal Tender Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

El Salvador becomes the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender. Biden reverses the TikTok and WeChat bans. Did one single customer cause that Fastly internet outage? Interesting raise for a faster Ethereum. Interesting new browser option. And maybe my favorite honey pot operation of all time.

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Tue. 06/08 – Fastly Takes Down The Internet Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

Fastly takes down the internet, highlighting how the internet is still really centralized. The US seized most of the bitcoins those hackers got from the Colonial Pipeline hack, highlighting how Bitcoin is actually eminently traceable. Facebook pokes Apple in the eye on WWDC day, and I give you a wrap-up of the bits a pieces we missed from WWDC yesterday.

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Kraken.com/techmeme or search "Kraken" in the app store
Cybereason.com

Links:

Twitch, Pinterest, Reddit and more go down in Fastly CDN outage (Tech Crunch)
U.S. Retrieves Millions in Ransom Paid to Colonial Pipeline Hackers (Wall Street Journal)
Facebook will show creators how much money Apple and Google take from them (The Verge)
EXCLUSIVE Apple in talks with CATL, BYD over battery supplies for its electric car (Reuters)
Adobe launches M1 Mac-native versions of Lightroom Classic and more (The Verge)
iOS 15: Find My network can still find your iPhone when it is powered off, or factory reset (9to5 Mac)
Apple adds digital legacy service so users can prepare for the inevitable (Cnet)
Apple will let users stay on iOS 14 and receive security updates, even after iOS 15 is released (9to5 Mac)
Apple’s iCloud Plus bundles a VPN, private email, and HomeKit camera storage (The Verge)

Book Recommendation: Network Effect by Martha Wells

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