I spent a day on the Dark Web [Part 1]
When I say Dark Web, what comes to mind? A hacker in a hoodie? Digital drug deals and hitmen for hire? Usually what our imagination cooks up is a lot more dramatic than reality. But when it comes to the Dark Web, not so much.
Smart Alexa: Might be coming soon to an Echo near you. Today, Amazon is dropping all the details on the next version of Alexa that can actually hold a conversation (not holding my breath). No livestream, but I’ll share all the intel here Thursday. I bet there’s a pay version.
NASA’s new mission to deal with space junk is Apollo G: Over 11,000 satellites orbit Earth. When they crash into each other, it creates junk. (We’re talking 40K pieces of debris in low orbit.) The fix: ELROI (Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier). In you and me terms, it’s a solar powered, stamp-sized device that’s a license plate for space identification and communication.
🇨🇳 Communist China’s at it again: Now, China’s sending hackers after Microsoft 365 accounts, mostly in the financial services and insurance biz. Their method of choice is password spraying, aka attempting to log in to accounts with all the most common, weakest passwords. This is your friendly reminder to use a complex password for every single account.
🤖 Rosie from the Jetsons is here: How’d you like to have your own 5’5” robot to make your coffee, vacuum and put away the groceries? Meet NEO Gamma. No price yet. Check out the video. Would you want one in your house? Let me know when you rate today’s newsletter at the bottom.
Don’t look up: Chinese scientists built a surveillance camera that can see your face from space. In a ground test, it locked onto a target 62 miles away and picked up tiny details with scary accuracy. It’s supposedly “100 times” better than today’s top spy cameras and lens-based telescopes.
I’d tell you a joke about unemployment, but it doesn’t work: To get attention on LinkedIn, post a funny video about working. Video content is up 36% this year on the platform and comedians are going viral on the site. Hiring? Use my link to post a job free.
🙏🏻 Not tech, but wow: A toddler diagnosed with autism was unable to speak. A doctor suggested leucovorin, a cheap drug derived from folic acid that eases chemo side effects. The theory? Folic acid is essential for brain development, but it couldn’t be absorbed properly. Leucovorin bypasses this. Three days later, he started speaking. Amazing.