2015-03-12

As developers for tablets and smartphones we like to keep abreast of the latest mobile technology developments . This is a daily digest of mobile development and related technology news gathered from the BBC, the New York Times, New Scientist and the Globe and Mail to name a few. We scour the web for articles concerning, iPhone, iPad and android development, iOS and android operating systems as well as general articles on advances in mobile technology. We hope you find this useful and that it helps to keep you up to date with the latest technology developments.

Access to blocked news sites restored

Reporters Without Borders has set up mirrors of websites that are banned in various countries, making them visible once more.

American Millennials Are Some Of The World's Least Skilled People, Study Finds

We American Millennials are really, really good at using today’s technology.

That’s probably because we’ve forced companies to make technology that’s extremely easy to use, and that’s better at doing our day-to-day tasks than we are. But with easy power comes no responsibility, it seems. According to a new study, we’re some of the least skilled people in the world.

Fortune reports that Generation Y Americans (those born after 1980) lag behind their overseas peers in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. Researchers at the Princeton-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), who conducted the study, administered a test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, to measure the job skills of adults in 23 countries.

Here’s how we fared, according to ABC Chicago:

Top 5 scores in literacy:

1) Japan

2) Finland

3) Netherlands

4) Australia

5) Sweden

The United States placed at #17 out of 23.

Top 5 scores in numeracy:

1) Japan

2) Finland

3) Flanders (Belgium)

4) Netherlands

5) Sweden

The United States placed at #21 out of 23.

Top 5 scores in PS-TRE:

1) Japan

2) Finland

3) Australia

4) Sweden

5) Norway

The United States placed #18 out of 20.

The results were shocking to researchers as American millennials were found to be the most educated generation ever, according to the study.

“We really thought [U.S.] Millennials would do better than the general adult population, either compared to older coworkers in the U.S. or to the same age group in other countries,” Madeline Goodman, an ETS researcher who worked on the study, told Fortune. “But they didn’t. In fact, their scores were abysmal.”

The study concludes that a more expensive and expansive education “may not hold all the answers.”

Wondering how you’d fare on the test? Click here to try a few sample questions or take the entire thing.

Cards Against Humanity Finally Goes Online; Expect Full Work Stoppage

Cards Against Humanity enthusiasts, rejoice! You can now play the cheeky card game anytime, anywhere — and you don’t need to keep a stack of game cards in your pocket.

That’s because Canada-based designer Dawson Whitfield has, in a stroke of pure genius, created a free online version of the game. (Cards Against Humanity, which was released under a Creative Commons license, can be used, shared and repurposed by anyone for free.)



The online version, dubbed “Cards Against Originality,” is played just like the card game, only without physical cards. Instead, players can access the online version with their phone, tablet or computer.

All participants still need to be within earshot to play, but if you want to be really fancy, we’re sure a Cards Against Humanity: Conference Call Edition could be arranged.

Play “Cards Against Originality” here.

H/T Toyland

Teaching Tech to the Elderly Helps Kids See the Magic

When my own kids used to misbehave on the Internet — be it foul language, plagiarism or porn — I would take their privileges away chiding, “Remember you weren’t born with a silver URL in your mouth.”

But, in fact, most of today’s kids are born digital natives. Screens dominate their landscape. Social media is like oxygen and life without a selfie to document the moment barely happened.

To them the high tech world is not magic. It is just the way it is.

Contrast that, to the world of the aging population. Often their world shrinks in size because of the difficulties of mobility. Engagement with everyday life, connections to friends and a validation of each day, gets more difficult when movement is limited.

Brenda Rusnak, a tech savvy Canadian mother of four saw a connection. When one of her kids had to complete her public service requirement for school (Oh, Canada!), Brenda thought it might be interesting to team her daughter and peers with senior citizens to help the seniors get up to tech speed.

What happened is documented in Cyber-Seniors (pictured below), a charming movie where old folks nod when asked if they’ve ever heard of YouTube and kids try to get them to understand the notion of finding a friend on Facebook. Hilarious moments abound, like the YouTube contest featuring a winning granny rapper and a grandma who is visibly shocked when her young tutor has never heard of the Hallelujah Chorus.



Rusnak made the movie to empower seniors and she gets her point across. Clearly, the cast of characters, all well into their eighties, learn to reap the benefits a connected world. They find friends, search the Internet and have doors opened to keep them engaged and occupied for a long time to come.

But as I watched, it became clear to me that the kids benefit equally. In a world where so much of teen’s online behavior is seen as narcissistic and self-consumed, they were forced to see their world from a different perspective.

The simplest things they take for granted, chatting with a friend, watching a kitten frolic on YouTube, looking up a good recipe, were seen as nothing short of magic through the eyes of the seniors.

The documentary was made to show the benefits that seniors got when young mentors guided them through the wacky world of the web. But, IMHO, the biggest winners were the kids. They’re so used to the connected world that watching someone who’d never grown up with it make those connections let them see, with eyes wide open, the power of the tool they so often take for granted.

See the Cyber-Seniors trailer: http://cyberseniorsdocumentary.com

Brenda Rusnak talks about making the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhI3y8-tKDk&feature=player_embedded

Robin Raskin is founder of Living in Digital Times (LIDT), a team of technophiles who bring together top experts and the latest innovations that intersect lifestyle and technology. LIDT produces conferences and expos at CES and throughout the year focusing on how technology enhances every aspect of our lives through the eyes of today’s digital consumer.

As a Father and as a Man, I Am Disgusted by Curt Schilling's Twitter Trolls

Mike Kasdan pauses The Good Men Project’s weekly Sports Explained column to go off on the disgusting trolls who went after Curt Schilling’s daughter.

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The single most disturbing story coming out of the media and sports world last week was the horrific online abuse levied at Gabby Schilling, daughter of former Red Sox pitcher, Curt Schilling.

The story was first reported by Schilling on his 38 Pitches Blog.

Curt’s daughter Gabby is also a pitcher, and they found out last week that she was accepted to Salve Regina University, where she will play softball.

Proud father Curt, who is active on social media and particularly on Twitter (@gehrig38) posted a Tweet that read “Congrats to Gabby Schilling who will pitch for the Salve Regina Seahawks next year!!”

Mixed in with the congratulations were some initial not-too-unexpected immature and jerky responses (“Can’t wait to date her!,” “Looking forward to partying with her,” “I’ll take care of her.”).

But what followed was startlingly disgusting. Now, to be sure, Curt Schilling, now an ESPN analyst, is a polarizing figure and a bit of a loud-mouth. He is a staunch and vocal Republican and a symbol of the Boston Red Sox. He is a public figure and he has his detractors.

None of that matters, even a little bit.

Because what followed were Tweets like this:



♦◊♦

I post those Tweets here not to be sensationalistic, but because they have to be seen to understand how deeply and viscerally disturbing they are.

Curt Schilling did the same thing on his blog. He also collected information as to each persons real name, contact information, and school. According to Schilling, at least seven of the offenders are athletes playing college sports. Here are some others:

The Sports Guru”? Ya he’s a DJ named Adam Nagel (DJ is a bit strong since he’s on the air for 1 hour a week) on Brookdale Student Radio at Brookdale Community College. How do you think that place feels about this stud representing their school? You don’t think this isn’t going to be a nice compilation that will show up every single time this idiot is googled the rest of his life? What happens when a potential woman he’s after googles and reads this?

The other clown? He’s VP of the Theta Xi fraternity at Montclair State University. I gotta believe if Theta Xi is cool with a VP of one of their chapters acting like this I’d prefer to have no one I know in it. Also, does anyone attending Montclair State University have a student handbook? If so can you pass it along because I am pretty sure there are about 90 violations in this idiots tweets.

Unfortunately, I have no “explanation” for this kind of behavior. There isn’t any. So there is no “Explained” part of this column today.

As a father and as a man, I am disgusted. It makes me tremble with rage.

So I’m just going to say this:

First, Schilling — not usually known for getting his words just right — got this one damned near perfect:

These boys have yet to understand one of life’s most important lessons. In the real world you get held accountable for the things you say and if you are not careful that can mean some different things… This is a generation of kids who have grown up behind the monitor and keyboard. The real world has consequences when you do and say things about others.

And he has indicated that he is seeking consequences, including legal action.

Good.

Some of the offenders have already been suspended, fired, or kicked out of their schools, fraternities, jobs, and sports teams.

Good.

Let these cowards know that you don’t get to sit behind your computer and hurl abuse at the world with impunity.

Second, there is nothing funny or cool or manly about this type of behavior. Not remotely. And if you are friends with or know one of these people — or people that behave this way, in real life or online — let’s make sure they know that.

This type of behavior happens because there are no perceived consequences and because there is some bizarre group mentality social reward to it that I confess to not understanding completely. Let’s cut that all off at the knees.

Right now, in the state of rage that I’m in about this, I’m thinking we need to do even more. Is it rational? I’m not sure. But I want billboards with these guys’ pictures and tweets on it. I want each of their mothers and families to be contacted and shown what their sons are doing. I have a hard time thinking that these…. cyber-bullies — I can’t even call them “men” — would have been saying those things, if they thought their mom was watching. Or anyone they personal knew and respected or loved, for that matter.

Is that naïve? I hope not. But I don’t know.

When this types of misogynistic bullying awfulness occurs — as in Gamergate – the familiar refrain is: remember, men, you all have mothers, sisters, girlfriend. Do unto others as you would do unto them. But that’s not even it. It’s really just time to act human towards other humans. To stop spewing bile and hate to make yourselves feel bigger.

♦◊♦

As to what we tell our daughters about all this, Schilling’s closing paragraph to his daughter again says it perfectly:

P.S. Gabby I know you’re likely embarrassed and for that I apologize. But as we have talked about, there is no situation ever in your life, where it’s ok for any ‘man’ to talk about you, or any other woman this way (and truth be told no real man would ever talk this way anyway). It truly is time this stopped. I don’t know where it started because it sure as hell didn’t happen much when we were growing up. Like any dad reading this the only thing I need you to leave this home with when you head to college is the knowledge that I love you more than life itself and there is NOTHING I would not do to protect you. And while it may sound corny, it’s nothing I’d ever be shy about saying in public, ever.

All of this is inexplicable. And it’s long past time this stopped.



By: Michael Kasdan, Lead Editor and Sr. Sports Editor, The Good Men Project

This post originally appeared on The Good Men Project.

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Photo: AP/Tony Gutierrez

New generation of digital makers

Schoolchildren are making apps, building robots and programming Raspberry Pi computers

Twitter bans 'revenge porn'

Posting intimate photos or videos of someone without their consent is now against the social network’s policy.

Why You Probably Won't Finish Reading This Article

American attention spans are next to none. As in we don’t have any.

This isn’t an accusation against Americans or their intelligence, especially considering that I fall within that category. No, this is just a valid observation I’ve had from studying abroad in London.

In addition to the minimal homework assignments and stronger emphasis on weekly readings, a recognizable feature of British classrooms is that British students have more focus than American ones. In my classes at City University in London, I am one of the few students who always has a laptop out, surfing the net during lecture. The other students who keep their eyes glued to their laptop screens also tend to be American. Compare this to my lecture halls at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles — where every student has their Mac out with various windows open for notes, emails and online shopping — you would think it was a different world.

I can’t wrap my head around how my British counterparts are diligently writing down notes and listening completely to what the lecturer has to say. I haven’t been able to do that since before — well, I can’t actually remember.

Before you read any further, I should confess that it took me way longer to write this than it needed too. I kept getting distracted by all the other things available to me on my computer and iPhone. I’ve clicked through the countless tabs on my Firefox browser, liked some photos on Facebook, I’m eyeing the latest Netflix episode of “The Good Wife” that’s open in another browser, and I’m contemplating re-arranging the playlists on my iTunes.

This problem isn’t just mine. According to a 2014 study on attention spans, researchers concluded that Americans can’t stay focused on one thing for too long. And it’s only getting worse. In 2000, before personal electronics really started to boom, the average person could focus on one task without being distracted for about 12 seconds. Fifteen years later, that number has dropped to 8 seconds. The study also concluded that we switch browsers rather quickly, we are obsessed with logging into our email and, best but not least, goldfish have a longer attention span than us.

It might be because U.S. college students are increasingly overworked, and many of our obsessive Internet habits are tied to our converging work and school lives. Furthermore, in my experience, British classes are shorter than American ones. This term my five classes add up to 10 hours spent at school each week. Last semester in the U.S., five classes accounted for 18 hours in the classroom. This means that ideally less time spent in class equals less time being tempted by all the distractions. But this still fact from across the pond doesn’t help American students take more notes in class.

Our lack of focus, particularly among us digital natives, is making some U.S. colleges invest in lengthening our attention spans. California State University recently embraced an app that encourages students to keep their phones out of sight by incentivizing them with food. We know college students love free food, but it’s still to be determined if they love it more than scrolling through their Instagram feed during the GE lecture.

So if you’re still reading this, it’s not too late. This article is my SOS. Please send help. But not just for me, but also send help for the thousands of other U.S. students dealing with impaired attention spans. It’s been proven that students of other cultures are able to get through midterms, exams and the routine 50-minute lecture without all these distractions impeding their progress. Maybe we start by choosing to hone in on one task at a time, instead of switching around and not completing anything at all. Maybe we need to fully log-out of our Twitter and Netflix accounts while we write our papers.

Whatever the solution, something needs to happen. Because while you’re reading your friend’s latest punny Facebook status, some student next to you in your study abroad class is actually learning what’s going to be on the final. In spite of everything else, that should be a worthwhile incentive in and of itself.

How Retailers Can Make Ethical Use of Customer Data

Retailers are constantly on the hunt for their customers’ data, but all too often, the technology they choose collects information solely for the benefit of the business. Instead, retailers should use technology that provides customers with clear benefits in exchange for handing over their personal data and gives them the choice to opt in versus having their data captured and used without their permission. Below, find some helpful lessons to help you stay on the correct side of the customer privacy line.

Give the Customer Clear Benefits for Opting In

Consumers are getting “opt-in fatigue,” as they are bombarded with opt-in tracking requests all the time. Checkout clerks now routinely ask for contact information, Amazon requests permission of payment information to enable its one-click ordering option, and retailers ask for permission for SMS notifications. However, in each of these examples, the customer is being offered a clear benefit. They ultimately retain control, and can make the choice as to whether or not to participate.

Loyalty programs are ideal for retailers, because they give consumers discounts and exclusive offers that are truly tailored to their preferences and behaviors. In return, retailers get detailed data and better customer retention. Transparent systems such as these have an obvious quid pro quo nature and consumers are often willing to hand over some private data in exchange for clear, immediate benefits.

Never, Ever Penalize the Customer for Not Participating

Recently, AT&T’s GigaPower service created quite a bit of buzz due to customer data and privacy issues. One tier of the service tracks subscribers’ online activities in order to better tailor ads for them, and another does not — but costs $29 more. Conflicting reports are now surfacing that argue that the private tier will cost in excess of $40 or even $60 to maintain the secure, high-speed service.

In contrast to programs that offer customers a positive benefit, the GigaPower service forces customers to opt into a data-sharing program in order to avoid paying an extra fee every month. This negative tactic has rubbed many customers the wrong way. Customers don’t want to feel that they will be penalized for not sharing their own data. This puts the customer in a position of weakness instead of empowerment, and can generate distrust toward the brand.

Avoid Designing Selfish, Retailer-Centric Systems

If you install the Apple store app on your iPhone and hand over your credit card number, Apple will let you walk into one of their stores, scan product barcodes, check out on your phone and walk out the door with your new purchases, without ever talking to an associate. Customers without the app don’t have the same privilege — they have to find someone to help them check out. Meanwhile, satisfied customers with the app will have already left the store.

Obviously, Apple benefits tremendously from this system as well, but the customer has a better in-store experience too. When a company designs a “selfish system” where all of the benefits go to the retailer, the relationship between the brand and the customer isn’t strengthened. Before implementing any system in which businesses are considering using a customer’s data, they should ask these questions: “What benefit will the customer receive?” “Will this increase customer satisfaction?” “Will this lead to a better experience for the customer?”

Focus on Improving the Overall Customer Experience

TimeTrade recently published Retail Reality Check, a study based on a survey of 1,000 consumers about their experience with retailers. The findings of the study reveal that there are plenty of opportunities for retailers to make better use of customer data to drive a better overall experience. For example:

93 percent of customers can’t find the right person to help them when they walk into a store

90 percent leave without making a purchase when they can’t find the right person

85 percent buy more when a knowledgeable associate helps them

75 percent of customers would book a personal appointment in advance of walking into a store if given the chance to do so

In other words, retailers have only just begun to do all that is possible to leverage customer data in ways that will truly benefit the customers and solve their problems. Imagine if retailers were to harvest the power of customer data in ways that would help an associate and customer quickly find each other so they could make their purchase and have a much more positive, personalized shopping experience.

Retailers are always trying to find new ways to get more data, and in today’s digital and mobile age, developers are constantly coming up with new ways to enable them to do so. Offer customers something of real and tangible value, safeguard their data, and make sure that they give you permission to use it. Focus on solving your customers’ problems first. If you do that, the benefits to your business — in the form of increased sales and customer loyalty – will naturally follow.

Apple hit by online service faults

Apple resolves an internal fault that prevented several of its online services from working.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Raps As Cinderella, Takes On Belle In 'Princess Rap Battle'

We all know that “Buffy” star Sarah Michelle Gellar can slay when given a wooden stake (or pretty much any other weapon), but now the actress is demonstrating just how words can hurt in the latest episode of YouTuber Whitney Avalon’s “Princess Rap Battle.”

Gellar plays Cinderella in the new clip (with Avalon starring as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”), and basically now you don’t have to bother seeing the millionth remake of the Disney classic that no one asked for.

Avalon is fierce but Gellar spits out lines like:

“Of course you’re bitter, I’m the number one star/Pumpkin carriage, perfect marriage, no one cares who you are.”

And:

“You followed in my footsteps, without me there’s no you/Disney built an empire on these tiny glass shoes.”

Whose team are you on? #CinderellaVsBelle #PrincessRapBattle @whitneyavalon pic.twitter.com/EIE18zsb69

— Sarah Michelle (@SarahMGellar) January 26, 2015

This Is 2014's 'GIF Of The Year,' As Determined By The Gifys

Forget the Emmys, the Grammys and all the other painfully long, drawn out awards shows.

For the Gifys, you only have to commit a couple seconds per award, and — bonus! — there’s no self-congratulatory acceptance speech after.

This year’s winners, announced March 5, honor the best GIFs from 2014 as determined by public submissions, voting, and a panel of GIF luminaries. In addition to a “GIF of the Year,” winners were also announced in 11 other categories, including “Cats,” “Film and TV,” “News and Politics,” and more.

The contest was sponsored in part by Giphy.com, a GIF-hosting site, and CP+B Los Angeles.

And the winners are…
Art + Design:

Can’t Look Away:

Cats:

Film + TV:

Music:

Sports:

Throwback:

Weird:

And drumroll please…

Here’s your 2014 GIF of the year:

People reports this GIF of President Obama “skateboarding” originated from an episode of “The Tonight Show.”

Want to see more GIFs? Review last year’s winners here.

H/T People

Living With: Apple Maps (OS X, iOS)

Well, this is awkward: I’m about to enthuse at you about how and why Apple Maps is very good, but the impetus came when my wife Angela offered to pick me up from a meeting in Kings Heath, Birmingham (in England, for those not familiar with the place). I shared my location with her over Messages and was just thinking how handy this was, how straightforward and easy it was — when she texted back “why are you in Stechford?”

Melinda Gates Shares Personal Reason She Wants All Women To Have Access To Birth Control

Melinda Gates understands why contraceptives are vital to the health and well-being of women in the developing world. Her own life would be different if she hadn’t had access to them.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair opened up to AOL Build on Tuesday about the role birth control can play in empowering women, particularly in the developing world.

“I used contraceptives,” Gates said. “I have three children, they’re all three years apart … I’ve used contraceptives. It allowed me to space their births so I could work, which I wanted to do.”

Melinda Gates (L) speaks with Dylan McGee at AOL BUILD Speaker Series on March 10 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/FilmMagic)

The appearance came after the philanthropist was featured in a Makers interview in which she discussed her start in computer science, and how being a mother influenced her to become a more visible leader.

“[Birth control] is too important to let it be a politicized issue, when in fact, we use contraceptives in the United States,” she told AOL Build on how the lack of constituent support for birth control in the U.S. has slowed progress in poor countries. “Even Catholic women, more than 90 percent, report using contraceptives. And we sort of take them for granted, but why should we have them and other women not?”

She also noted her religious faith hasn’t stopped her from doing what she believes is right: “Just because I’m Catholic doesn’t mean I shouldn’t speak out on what I believe in.”

Gates has been a vocal advocate for women’s reproductive rights for years. In 2012, she led a global summit in London focused on making contraceptive accessibility a core component of health and development aid projects in poor countries, as Reuters reported.

The Gates Foundation allocated $560 million of the $2.6 billion pledged toward the cause. The nonprofit aims to bring contraceptive information, services and supplies to an additional 120 million women and girls in the developing world by 2020.

When asked at the AOL Build event what issue particularly upsets her, Gates said the worldwide work gap between men and women is especially troubling.

A recent report released by the U.N.’s International Labor Organization found that just 50 percent of women globally work, compared to 77 percent of men.

In an article Gates wrote in Fortune on Monday, the philanthropist explained why hiring more women is not only the right thing to do, but also better for the bottom line.

“When you invest in women, you invest in the people who invest in everybody else,” she wrote. “And if you gradually start to take action, it won’t be long before you realize that investing in women is good for your mind, good for your soul and good for your business.”

To take action on pressing health issues, check out the Global Citizen widget below.

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Talking Barbie Could Eavesdrop On Kids, Critics Warn

Mattel has plans to release a tech-savvy, wifi-connected doll called “Hello Barbie.”

And, apparently, she can have whole conversations with you.

Here’s how Hello Barbie works: Kids press a button on the doll, and “Hello Barbie” asks them questions. An embedded microphone records the children’s responses and sends them to ToyTalk, a San Francisco-based startup. ToyTalk records the information and responds.

The point, it seems, is for kids to form an actual relationship with their doll.

But not everyone’s a fan.

On Wednesday, advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood launched a petition to stop “Hello Barbie” from hitting shelves. It reads, in part:

Kids using ‘Hello Barbie’ won’t only be talking to a doll, they’ll be talking directly to a toy conglomerate whose only interest in them is financial. It’s creepy — and creates a host of dangers for children and families. Children naturally reveal a lot about themselves when they play. In Mattel’s demo, Barbie asks many questions that encourage kids to share information about their interests, their families, and more — information advertisers can use to market unfairly to children.

The petition had garnered about 830 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

ToyTalk chief executive Oren Jacob insists that audio files are “never used for anything to do with marketing or publicity or any of that stuff,” according to The Washington Post. Still, CCFC isn’t convinced “Hello Barbie” will do kids any good.

“By modifying what the doll says based on children’s conversation, kids become sitting ducks for all kinds of sneaky advertising,” CCFC Director Susan Linn told The Huffington Post. “Also, children engaged in dramatic play naturally use that play for honest self-expression.”

Mattel, however, believes they’re giving kids what they want and insists privacy will be protected.

“Mattel has always been at the forefront of inspiring conversations between girls and their dolls beginning with Chatty Cathy in the late 1950’s. The number one request we receive from girls globally is to have a conversation with Barbie, and with Hello Barbie we are making that request a reality,” Stephanie Cota, SVP, Global Communications told HuffPost.

“Mattel is committed to safety and security, and Hello Barbie conforms to applicable government standards, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Additionally, Hello Barbie’s technology features a number of safeguards to ensure that stored data is secure and can’t be accessed by unauthorized users,” she continued.

The toy is scheduled to hit shelves in the fall.

H/T The Washington Post

Chameleons Change Color By 'Tuning' Tiny Crystals In Their Skin, Scientists Say

Everyone knows that chameleons are the kings of camouflage. But as to the exact process by which these familiar lizards change color to match their environment, no one knew.

Until now.

Previous research suggested that the color change resulted from shifting skin pigments. That’s something known to occur in many species of fish, amphibians, and reptiles.

But new research conducted at the University of Geneva in Switzerland suggests that this isn’t quite right. When researchers there studied the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), they discovered that the color change is the result of light reflecting off microscopic crystals moving around in the animals’ skin. As the crystals change their orientation, so do the wavelengths of light they reflect.

(Story continues below images).

Color change in an adult male panther chameleon resulting from excitation caused by the presentation of another adult male in its field of vision. (Credit: EpiPhysX science channel/Youtube/Nature Communications)

Color change is fully reversible, as seen here when an adult male panther chameleon relaxes after combat with another male. (Credit: EpiPhysX science channel/Youtube/Nature Communications)

Color change of an adult male panther chameleon’s white skin sample. The inset shows a 10-times magnification of a single cell. (Credit: EpiPhysX science channel/Youtube/Nature Communications)

“We discovered that the animal changes its colors via the active tuning of a lattice of nanocrystals,” the study’s co-authors, physicist Dr. Jérémie Teyssier and biologist Dr. Suzanne Saenko, said in a written statement. “When the chameleon is calm, the latter are organized into a dense network and reflect the blue wavelengths. In contrast, when excited, it loosens its lattice of nanocrystals, which allows the reflection of other colors, such as yellows or reds.”

Next, the researchers hope to study the mechanism that underlies the movement of the nanocrystals. They say this line of research could help engineers develop color-changing materials that could be used for camouflage, Newsweek reported.

The study was published online Mar. 10 in the journal Nature Communications.

Cyber Attack Hits Madison, Wisconsin, After Police Shooting Of Tony Robinson

(Reuters) – Cyber attackers are targeting city and county computer systems in Madison, Wisconsin, in retaliation for the shooting death of a 19-year-old unarmed black man by police in the Wisconsin capital, city officials said on Tuesday.

The cyber attack was hitting the police department as well as other city and county websites with varying levels of intensity, blocking legitimate Internet traffic to and from the governmental agencies, officials said.

Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were working to trace and apprehend the culprits, said Paul Kronberger, Madison’s chief information officer.

“They’re preventing us from utilizing the Internet. That’s a huge thing,” Kronberger said. “There is not a lot we can do about it. The people who do this kind of attack are very skilled.”

The attack, which began Monday afternoon, was thought to be initiated by Anonymous, an international network of activist computer hackers, in response to the fatal shooting of Tony Robinson by a white Madison police officer on Friday.

Robinson’s death has sparked outrage and protests reminiscent of those seen in Ferguson, Missouri, and other U.S. cities after the August police shooting of Michael Brown, 18, an unarmed African-American, by a white Ferguson police officer.

“We do know that Anonymous has claimed responsibility for this and there are people actively working to prevent it from damaging our ability to take care of business here,” Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.

The attack was discovered around 4:30 p.m. Monday when police officers found “intermittent connectivity issues” that escalated to complete outages with their computer systems, DeSpain said.

Robinson was shot Friday evening after Officer Matt Kenny responded to calls about a man dodging cars in traffic who had allegedly battered another person, according to police officials.

Kenny is on paid administrative leave while the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigates the shooting.

Police shootings and police tactics were the subject of scrutiny in Washington as more than a dozen protesters critical of police attended a District of Columbia Council meeting on Tuesday.

The protesters were critical of what they called racially biased policing, including “jump outs,” or the stopping of citizens by plainclothes officers in unmarked cars, which they said are disproportionately used in black neighborhoods in the U.S. capital.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier said “jump outs” were not official policy.

(Reporting by Carey Gillam; Additional reporting by Lacey Johnson in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott, Jonathan Oatis and Eric Beech)

Change In Google Search Puts Company Statements Above News Stories

By Tom Bergin
LONDON (Reuters) – A little-noticed change in the way Google selects search results has allowed company statements to top the list of news links shown when users search for information on businesses.
The measure may cost news publishers web traffic and risks misleading users, analysts said.
A Google spokeswoman said that in September the search giant widened the number of sources from which it drew the entries that appear in the “in the news” section of its search results page.
Previously, only links to stories on approved news sites such as those of newspapers and TV stations appeared in this section of the main search page.
“The goal of search is to get users the right answer at any one time as quickly as possible — that may mean returning an article from an established publisher or from a smaller niche publisher or indeed it might be a press release,” the Google spokeswoman said.
She added Google, which did not announce the September change, does not get paid for including press releases on the lists.
Recent examples of companies whose announcements topped the “in the news” section include Franco-Dutch SIM card maker Gemalto.
Last month, Gemalto confirmed reports it had likely been the victim of hacking by U.S. and British spies. The story garnered wide media attention but when users did a Google search for the word “Gemalto”, the first “in the news” listing was a Gemalto statement, which played down the impact of the hacking.
Earlier this week, on the day Apple launched its new watch, a link to a promotional site for the product topped the “in the news” selection.
Gemalto and Apple were not available for comment.
Josh Schwartz, chief data scientist at Chartbeat, which tracks web traffic for news publishers and others, said it was likely that companies could use search engine optimization techniques to lift their rankings in the news listings.
He said the new system could confuse readers, directing them towards public relations material and away from news reports.
That also poses a risk to news organizations that rely on Google and other search engines to direct readers to their websites.
“The ‘in the news’ modules are potentially an extremely powerful driver of traffic,” Schwartz said. “It could cost news sites traffic.”

(Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Mark Potter)

Playing Quicken Chicken: How I Got a Free Quicken Upgrade

If you’re a Quicken user, you probably know that unless you upgrade at least once every three years, you’ll be cut off from all online services — such as bill paying, and downloading banking or credit card transactions — by April 30 of the third year. If you didn’t already know, welcome to the club.

Quicken calls this its Discontinuation Policy. Angry users have called it plenty of other things that are unprintable here.

To upgrade or not to upgrade

Why wouldn’t you upgrade Quicken every year?

As a longtime Quicken user, I used to do that. But a few years ago, I began to question whether each new version’s bells and whistles, many of which I didn’t need, were worth the price. Then there were the changes Intuit had made to the program’s user interface over the years that forced me to change my habits every 12 months. (I hate changing my habits.) Not to mention the possibility — often a reality — of bugs cropping up in each new version.

Considering all that, a few years ago I started upgrading every other year. Last year, after checking out the new features and the user reviews for Quicken 2014 on Amazon (users gave it roughly three stars out of five), I decided to hold out for a third and final year. When Quicken 2015 was introduced last fall, there were the usual improvements to the Windows version, while the user reviews on Amazon seemed, on the whole, similar to the previous year’s. Had it not been for the Discontinuation Policy, I would have passed on this version and waited for Quicken 2016.

Since I rarely buy a new version of any software until it has been on the market for a few months (enough time for the most serious bugs to have been fixed), I bided my time by checking into the remaining alternatives to Quicken. (The product’s biggest competitor, Microsoft Money, had been discontinued in 2009).

My interest was mainly in paying bills, budgeting, and preparing for tax time. No product that I found on my own seemed to suit my needs. You may find one you like, though: For detailed reviews of some major alternatives to Quicken, see TopTenReviews

Meanwhile, the clock had continued ticking.

Soon I began receiving emails like this one from Quicken’s maker, Intuit, warning me of the impending doom awaiting the online capability of my copy of Quicken 2012. (To be fair, Quicken does not totally disable old versions. Even if I didn’t upgrade, I would still be able to continue using Quicken 2012 indefinitely to balance my checkbook, budget, etc. However, my version would be cut off from all online services and support).

Intuit sent this postcard to my house in early 2015, offering a $10 discount. I didn’t bite. As in earlier years, I had found lower prices for Quicken at retailers — even allowing for the $10 discount — than if I bought directly from Intuit. For example, as I write this, Amazon is offering Quicken 2015 Deluxe for $42.41 and Staples for $44.99, while the Quicken site lists its discounted price at $64.99.

Quicken yields

Despite all my reservations, I was planning to upgrade to Quicken 2015 before April 30. But I had decided to hold out until late March, so that I could first finish preparing my taxes using Quicken 2012. It’s never a good idea to upgrade a piece of software just before using it for an important job.

But then a funny thing happened.
Quicken blinked.

On February 26 — two months before the cutoff — I received this email in which Intuit offered a free upgrade to Quicken Premier 2015, a “$104.99 value.” The reason for Intuit’s cave is right there in the first paragraph: “Because you are a dedicated Quicken Bill Pay customer.”

Of course I was a dedicated Quicken Bill Pay customer! For who-knows-how-long I had paid Intuit nearly $120 per year to pay my bills online. Intuit’s new offer made perfect sense: The company so dreaded losing my business as a Bill Pay customer — which would happen if it cut off my online services — that it was willing to offer the upgrade free.

This answered a question about Intuit’s business practices that had bugged me: Why would any company bite the hand that feeds it by cutting off a customer from a lucrative online service? Now I had my answer: They wouldn’t.

Playing Quicken Chicken

It also helped me realize that I had been unwittingly playing a game that I now call Quicken Chicken. If you’d like to avoid losing your online services without having to pony up for a Quicken upgrade after three years, you should try playing it, too.

As with the classic game of chicken, in Quicken Chicken both contestants must be at risk. You’re already at risk. The trick is to put Intuit at enough risk that it will fold before you do. First, you need to be, or become, a Quicken Bill Pay customer. Then hold off on buying a third-year upgrade for as long as you can, certainly long enough to have prepared your taxes for the new year. (This also gives Intuit time to fix bugs in the new version.)

In my case, I believe, Intuit was itself holding out so as to get as many paid upgrades as possible before it caved by offering the freebie. Apparently the company had figured that by late February, the risk of losing Bill Pay income finally outweighed any benefit from further pressuring the remaining holdouts to pay.

Challenging Intuit to a game of Quicken Chicken may not work for you. But it’s worth a try. Once this report is published and the word is out, Intuit may change its strategy. But I still think that the longer you hold out — even until early April if you can — the better your chances of being offered a free upgrade.

If Intuit wants to spare its Bill Pay customers this triennial headache, it ought to eliminate the annual upgrade fee altogether for them.

Quicken’s Discontinuation Policy is just one more example of the tech industry’s disrespect for consumers that I cover regularly on my blog. If you’ve been offered the same free upgrade that I was, or even if you haven’t, let other users know by posting a comment below. The more that consumers know about the tech industry’s practices, the better.

Thanks for reading our digest. Opinions in the articles above are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Digital Workshed ltd.

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