Someone has been impersonating networking equipment giant TP-Link, pretending to have built a Wi-Fi router capable of mining cryptocurrencies with super high efficiency levels.
Among those that fell for the obvious scam was news wire service providers Accesswire, who published a press release from the alleged company, announcing the product.
In the press release, published in early March this year, the company says interested parties would now be able to order its “revolutionary” Mining Router, the NX31. The device, being advertised for $1,440, comes “loaded with features and perks that make it superior to competing miners”, and is “undoubtedly the greatest of its kind and will change the mining industry.”
TP-Link's comments
If these words weren’t enough of a red flag to the readers, then there’s one even better - in two parts of the press release, the company has a different name. In the first sentence, it’s called “TP-Link ASIC”, while further below, it refers to itself as just “TP-Link”.
At the bottom of the press release is a website inviting interested parties to learn more about the product which, yet again, shows the company as “tplinkasic”.
Finally, representatives of the actual TP-Link responded to queries from Tom’s Hardware and confirmed that it’s not, in any way, affiliated with this product or has anything to do with it. The company is currently investigating the matter and looking to remove the fraudulent press release from newswire websites.
At the same time, looking at the frauders’ websites, besides the NX31 there is another “miner” they’re selling - the D11 Doge miner (Doge is a joke cryptocurrency and a fork of Bitcoin, often being promoted by Elon Musk), which is being advertised for $570.
The website does have a shopping cart, but at this time it’s impossible to know how many (if any) victims decided to try and purchase the devices.
It seems that Spotify, the music streaming service giant, is planning on changing up its user interface in a bold and exciting new way.
Ahead of Spotify’s ‘Stream On’ event in Los Angeles (the last one in 2021), Bloomberg reported on a leak that the event would launch a brand new homepage feed redesign. “Instead of selecting from a long list of carousels featuring static cover art, the interface allows listeners to swipe vertically through content recommendations that play automatically.” This can include video content or looping GIFs.
And with the announcement finally elaborated on during the ‘Steam On’ event, we have a more complete understanding of how this change will work. According to Musically, Spotify’s mobile app will replace “its existing carousels of music, podcast, and playlist suggestions with a TikTok-style vertical feed of recommendations.”
Below is a video clip from Stuart Dredge showcasing said new homepage feed design.
So anyway this new Spotify vertical discovery feed that’s being announced tomorrow has… already appeared on my phone 👀 pic.twitter.com/CbGoiIplvkMarch 7, 2023
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But unlike TikTok, Spotify doesn’t need to use an algorithm to keep your eyes on the feed, as its ultimate goal is to get you away from the feed and listening to an artist’s song in full. So it seems that Spotify is mixing some of TikTok’s laser targeted algorithm techniques with Netflix’s usage of video clips in order to entice users to click on songs. This could be interesting to see in practice.
Spotify revealed a host of other features it would be adding to the service including an AI DJ that helps create a personalized playlist for listeners, Smart Shuffle, Marquee which is a full-screen and sponsored recommendation of a new release, the tool Discovery Mode that lets artists flag songs that are then added to the algorithm, and Showcase which will introduce an artist’s music to likely listeners.
There are also Spotify Clips and Countdown Pages that allow for artists to customize their pages with video. Finally, Spotify will also offer concerts and merchandise for the first time, creating a new way for artists (and the service) to earn revenue.
This complete overhaul of its entire feed, as well as the addition of so many new features, could be the result of lost revenue and consequential layoff. As well as a way to justify the service’s impending price hike despite said layoffs.
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Microsoft has made an important change to its Excel spreadsheet software which should make it more secure for users worldwide.
In the summer of 2022, Microsoft decided to finally put a stop to the abuse of macros in Office files, which were widely used to deploy malware to target endpoints, prompting Microsoft to block all macros in Office files downloaded from the internet.
Since then, hackers started experimenting with alternative methods to deliver various malware payloads, and one methodology grew popular - XLL add-ins.
Rolling out the feature
XLL files are essentially DLLs Excel users can add to expand the program’s functionalities with things like dialog boxes, custom functions, or toolbars. As such, they presented the next best way to deploy malware, after macros.
Now, in a new announcement, Microsoft said Excel is blocking all untrusted XLL add-ins by default in Microsoft 365 tenants worldwide.
The change was first announced in early January this year, when the company added it to the Microsoft 365 roadmap and rolled it out to Insiders for testing.
Today, two months later, it’s rolling the feature out to all other users. By late March, all desktop users in the Current, Monthly Enterprise, and Semi-Annual Enterprise channels, should get this extra layer of protection.
"We are introducing a default change for Excel Windows desktop apps that run XLL add-ins: XLL add-ins from untrusted locations will now be blocked by default," Microsoft said. "We have already completed rolling out to Insiders preview. We will begin rolling out early March and expect to complete by late March."
Once the change is complete, users will be notified when trying to run XLL-powered content coming in from an untrusted location. The notification will explain what the potential risks are, and share more information on how to make sure users stay safe.
Once the update rolls out, it’s safe to assume that delivering malware with shortcut files (.LNK) will become even more popular.
YouTube is finally getting rid of a “legacy” feature that has most likely been annoying users for quite some time now.
According to the official YouTube forum post and reported on by Ars Technica, YouTube will finally be retiring the overlay ad starting on April 6, 2023. The overlay ads, or ‘legacy ad format’ as the post refers to the feature as, “will no longer appear on YouTube videos or as an available ad format when you turn on ads in YouTube Studio.”
The post details that the banner ads were only available on desktop mode and that they were “disruptive for viewers.” YouTube believes that this removal will have a limited impact on most Creators as “engagement shifts to other ad formats.” This makes sense since Creators only make money off overlay ads if the viewer clicks on them, and most likely a very small percentage actually did so.
Why this is a great thing
This is a great move from YouTube, not only because these ads are in fact disruptive since they blocked a portion of the screen but also because this marks the first time YouTube actually removed a type of ad.
It shows that the media giant is willing to pay attention to what viewers want and preemptively act on that. And this leaves it open for YouTube to reevaluate other ad types or even ad length and decide whether to pull back on those as well. For example, it could analyze what kinds of ads viewers tend to hit the Skip button on – which is an important metric since Creators don’t get paid for ads on their videos if the viewer skips it – and then do away with that ad type.
Regardless, aggressively anti-consumer features should always be retired. It would be nice if they weren’t introduced in the first place, but might be too much to ask of a corporation.
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I'm a little disappointed that Apple didn't give a name to the yellow it splashed on its iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. It's just yellow, or Yellow iPhone 14. At least the really deep blue got 'Midnight' but Apple clearly had no interest in something like "Banana Yellow," "Sunflower Yellow," or "Merengue Yellow."
Look, it's not just me. After I unboxed the gleaming yellow handset and showed it to coworkers and colleagues, more than one asked about the name. They, too, were sad that Apple didn't go the Samsung route and name it, say, "Lemon Yellow" like Samsung's "Bora Purple," which when translated out of Korean means "Purple Purple."
Apple iPhone 14 Yellow in the sunlight.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The new color variant, which takes the total of iPhone 14 color options to six, was unveiled without fanfare on Tuesday (March 7). It brings a glossy yellow back, a burnished yellow tinted metal band, and new pale yellow wallpaper to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. They go on pre-order on March 10, 2023, and ship on March 14.
Aside from the cheery new finish, there is nothing different about this iPhone 14 (the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max do not get the new hue). there's the same dual 12MP rear camera system and front-facing, 12MP TrueDepth camera; the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display; and the same last-gen A15 Bionic CPU. It's just as good an iPhone now as it was when I reviewed it in a different color.
Apple iPhone 14 Yellow edge.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
My take
When I was in kindergarten, the teacher asked us all our favorite color. In a panic, and because I had not once in my five years considered this question, I blurted out "yellow." Before long I had yellow shirts, hats, and a yellow placemat with my name on it. The color has stuck with me for decades. Even now, if you were to ask me my favorite color, I'd say, " yellow," while secretly still having no idea.
Now, as I stare at this lovely and quite cheerful 6.1-inch smartphone, I'm confronted again with the question of color preference. This is a gorgeous smartphone. As always, Apple puts the color under the rear panel glass and basically embeds it in the metal band surrounding the phone. This enhances the premium look and feel. But how do I feel about the color?
Image 1 of 4
More yellow than this truck.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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A lot more yellow than a yellow cab.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 3 of 4
More yellow than this bus.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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The closes yellow I could find are those park employees in the background.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Unlike the Purple iPhone 14 or my Space Black iPhone 14 Pro, the yellow iPhone 14 almost shouts, "look at me!" There is no way to hide this handset when you take it out of your pocket. And don't think the yellow MagSafe case will save you from looks. It's an even brighter shade of yellow.
As for the new yellow theme wallpaper, which will launch soon in an iOS update, it's the picture of subtlety. You might not even realize it has a yellow tint.
I took the phone outside and held it in front of a yellow truck, a yellow bus, and a New York City yellow taxi cab. Guess what? None of those things are truly yellow. They're all various shades of orange. The yellow iPhone is true yellow, my friends.
After I'd had my fill of the yellow submarine iPhone experience, I started asking for more third-party input.
Yellow phone Reactions
I just held the yellow iPhone 14 up in front of people and waited for reactions. It never took long. Yellow smacks you in the face. Most people I spoke to seemed pleased, or at least intrigued, by the new DayGlo finish.
One guy pointed out that yellow is coded "neither masculine nor feminine," which is a pretty astute observation. This is a springtime (if you live in the northern hemisphere) color that could appeal to all. Perhaps Apple is releasing it now and in this color to propel iPhone sales (I have no information that they're slow at all) with a hue that anyone can carry.
Now here's something I hadn't considered: changing tastes. I recently redid my kitchen and instead of muted tones, we went with bold, deep blue cabinets. It's lovely. I don't think we would've considered yellow but then we're probably not that on-trend.
I also think Michelle nailed it on the color: Frozen mango sorbet.
Okay, John's issues seem to go beyond the yellow, but I've heard this sentiment elsewhere. Yellow is not groundbreaking and, as others pointed out, we'd be more excited if Apple paired this announcement with the introduction of yellow AirPods.
Instead, Apple seems to want credit for introducing a yellow iPhone 14 as if it's some kind of innovation. It's not, clearly.
A rather unscientific Twitter poll seemed more in line with John's sentiment, with most people saying they didn't like it very much. On the bright yellow side, more than a third said they love it.
John's frustration was an outlier among the insta-reactions I got. Most people seemed either enchanted by the new color or at least willing to admit that it will get noticed.
I wonder who might feel torn between buying the yellow iPhone 14 they want and a high-performance iPhone 14 Pro, which is not available in yellow.
Michelle, though, countered with the notion that "regular people" (meaning people who haven't dedicated their lives to geeky pursuits) will probably choose this Yellow iPhone 14 over an iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Maybe so.
At the very least, I have to agree with one colleague who told me that when you take it out of your pocket, "people are gonna go 'wow.'"
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Twitter thrives on shares, not just within the social media platform but from partner links all over the Internet. Except on Monday, most of those links stopped working.
For approximately an hour, anyone trying to share recently published articles on Twitter was met with an error message clearly intended for developers:
(Image credit: Future)
It was almost as if Twitter was informing publishers that they didn't pay their water bill and, as such, couldn't publish links on the social network.
What went wrong?
We didn't have to wait too long for Twitter CEO Elon Musk to explain. In response to a tweet from former Netscape founder and well-known venture capitalist Marc Andreessen pointing out how four of the five top Twitter trends were about Twitter, Musk tweeted, "A small API change had massive ramifications. The code stack is extremely brittle for no good reason. Will ultimately need a complete rewrite."
A small API change had massive ramifications. The code stack is extremely brittle for no good reason. Will ultimately need a complete rewrite.March 6, 2023
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This seemingly clear-headed tweet though should be cause for alarm. Musk claims the code stack (basically a massive stack of programs that all work together to create the Twitter whole) is brittle and needs a rewrite. What he fails to mention is that among the thousands of Twitter employees he laid off since November, a good number of them were engineers and, it's safe to assume, some were in what's known as QA or quality assurance.
Typically if you plan on making any kind of code change to a website, online service, or app, QA tests it on an offline copy of the platform. In this way, they ensure that the updates, no matter how small, won't adversely impact the live environment.
The concept is known as "production," the live site or service, versus "staging," an environment that's identical to live but can not be seen or touched by users. You run your new code or feature through staging, a group of QA testers applies a set of known scenarios (maybe they throw in an edge case or two) and as long as there are no red flags, the update gets pushed from Staging to Production.
Twitter, which has seen its overall reliability drop (from going offline to having features appear and disappear unexpectedly) since Musk took over, may be getting its updates in a different way.
There is some disagreement on whether or not there is a Twitter QA team.
Some argue one exists but Musk grows impatient and then pushes untested code live.
Others insist that Elon Musk arrived at Twitter and discovered that Twitter had no QA team and it was long in the practice of pushing untested code live. That though seems highly unlikely.
The assumption he made here, that a small API change would have little impact on the site was a poor one. And, yet, Musk still doesn't understand that he's doing it wrong.
Testing features of any kind on a live version of a complex platform like Twitter will inevitably result in bugs and crashes.
Will rewriting the code stack solve all this? Maybe, but very few platforms stay as clean as they were on launch and even if the rewrite is robust and perfect, frequent updates and fresh features will test that stability.
As long as Musk refuses to fully test what he launches before he launches it, there is no scenario in which Twitter escapes regular downtime.
This is a simple fix, Elon, make QA an inescapable part of the development pipeline and save yourself and us a lot of headaches. Or keep doing it your way because that's working out so, so well.
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