Technology

Nanoéruptions tout autour du Soleil. Vue prise par le satellite d’observation Solar Orbiter de l’Agence spatiale européenne (ESA), le 29 janvier 2024.  AIA/EVE/HMI/NASA/SDO Il a fallu attendre les derniers instants de 2023 pour la détecter. Le 31 décembre, à 22 h 55 (heure de Paris), a eu lieu, comme un feu d’artifice de la Saint-Sylvestre, la plus grosse éruption solaire de l’année. Il s’agissait aussi du plus violent événement de ce type depuis 2017. A le voir de loin – 150 millions de kilomètres, tout de même –, le Soleil semble un modèle d’équanimité, mais il n’en a pas moins ses humeurs, qui suivent un cycle de dix à treize ans. Depuis plusieurs mois, notre étoile multiplie les bouffées de chaleur, s’approchant du pic d’activité de...

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation where we urgently need an internet connection, but we are not at home or at work. We might want to do some online tasks, such as checking our email, browsing social media, or streaming our favorite show. However, what if the only available option is a public Wi-Fi network that we are not familiar with? How can we use it safely without exposing our privacy and security?CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER Free Wi-Fi sign (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)This is a dilemma that many people face, even those who are experts in cybersecurity. Case in point, Blackhat, the world’s largest hacker conference held annually in Las Vegas, brings together thousand...

Alors que le tribunal correctionnel de Paris a invalidé le 19 mai 2023 la demande faite par 1 800 victimes pour obtenir la tenue d’un procès pénal permettant d’identifier et de condamner les coupables de l’amiante, l’autorisation du glyphosate vient d’être prolongée de dix ans par l’Union européenne (UE). Entre le drame sanitaire de l’amiante et celui des pesticides, les points communs sont nombreux. Nous, responsables de mutuelles de santé, appelons à agir avec détermination pour le droit à la santé et la préservation de notre système de protection sociale. Nous, mutualistes, avons agi au XXe siècle pour faire cesser l’empoisonnement des travailleurs exposés à l’amiante. Nous avons défendu les victimes pour qu’elles obtiennent réparation. La toxicité de l’amiante ...

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a hell of a phone. As always, Samsung has jammed it full of more high-end hardware than you can shake an S Pen at, and this year it’s also packed with cutting-edge AI features. But it’s expensive, and most of my favorite things about it have very little to do with the AI parts, which aren’t even exclusive to the Ultra.It comes with a display that’s so easy to use outside in bright light that I want every other manufacturer to copy it. Its camera system is one of the best in the game and comes with a fantastic portrait mode. The built-in stylus remains one of the nicest and fanciest ways to make a grocery list.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1299The GoodScreen is bright and anti-glare keeps it easy to use outdoorsCircle to Search and call translation are really handyCame...

Zoom’s Vision Pro app will launch alongside Apple’s new headset on February 2nd and let wearers use its “persona” (a digital avatar based on their face scans) during video calls. Whoever they’re calling will see their facial expressions and hand movements as if they’re not wearing a headset, much like Apple’s FaceTime app for the Vision Pro.The upcoming Zoom app will also take advantage of the Vision Pro’s augmented reality capabilities, allowing it to blend in with users’ physical environments while surfacing as a floating window. These features will be available when the app launches with the headset on Friday, February 2nd.However, Zoom says it plans on bringing more features to the app later this spring, including something called “real-world pinning.” This is supposed to make calls...

Amazon’s deal to buy Roomba maker iRobot is off, the companies announced today, after iRobot said the deal has “no path to regulatory approval in the European Union.” iRobot is also announcing that it’s laying off around 350 employees, or around 31 percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring. It expects to notify the majority of affected employees by the end of March.As part of the announcement, iRobot chair and CEO Colin Angle, who co-founded the company in 1990, is stepping down. iRobot’s current executive vice president and chief legal officer, Glen Weinstein, will serve as interim CEO, and Andrew Miller, formerly lead independent director of the board, will become chair. iRobot says it hopes to return to profitability by focusing on its “most profitable customers, geographie...

Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has been resurrected, over a week after the probe ran out of electricity following its troubled lunar touchdown on January 20th, leaving it upside-down and its solar panels pointing in the wrong direction. On Monday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that communication with the SLIM spacecraft had been re-established, and operations to hunt for clues about the Moon’s origins had resumed.JAXA had predicted that a change in sunlight direction could allow the probe’s battery to be recharged from its awkwardly angled solar panels. It’s unclear how long this power will last — the agency previously said that SLIM was not designed to survive a lunar night, which will next occur on Thursday. Images of the lunar surface tak...

In a bold move championing individual privacy, Amazon Ring has announced a significant policy shift. Starting February 2024, Ring will no longer facilitate police requests for home security footage through its Neighbors app. This decision marks a pivotal change in the balance between security and privacy.Ring, a household name in home security, has faced criticism for its past practices of sharing security videos with police without user consent. The company's latest software update, detailed in a recent blog post by Eric Kuhn, head of the Neighbors platform, highlights the removal of the "Request for Assistance" tool. This tool previously allowed law enforcement to request user footage directly via the app.CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO ...

Qi2 (properly Qi v2.0 MPP, for Magnetic Power Profile) is a new magnetic wireless charging standard that can charge compatible devices at up to 15W. Like Apple’s MagSafe, it uses rings of magnets in both device and charger to ensure proper alignment of the charging coils, and it’s based on the Qi wireless charging standard that’s used by nearly every device that offers wireless charging. In fact, Apple contributed the magnetic power profile technology to the new standard. Unlike MagSafe, Qi2 isn’t proprietary. It’s administered by the Wireless Power Consortium, and although devices need to be Qi2-certified, they don’t require special Apple hardware or MFi certification, which means they’re less expensive to produce. As of iOS 17.2, the iPhone 13, 14, and 15 are Qi2-certified and can cha...

Contact rétabli ! Le module lunaire japonais SLIM a « repris ses opérations », a annoncé, lundi 29 janvier, l’agence spatiale nippone (JAXA), suggérant que le courant avait pu être rétabli à bord. « Hier soir, nous avons réussi à établir la communication avec SLIM et avons repris les opérations », a déclaré la JAXA sur le réseau social X. « Nous avons immédiatement commencé les observations scientifiques » avec la caméra embarquée, a précisé l’agence qui a également posté une photographie prise par le module montrant le rocher baptisé « Toy Poodle », sur le sol lunaire. Le module SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) avait réussi le 20 janvier un alunissage historique à 55 mètres de sa cible initiale, soit un très haut degré de préci...