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Daily Tech News 16 October 2021

Top Story

  • From the What Were They Thinking Files: 7-Eleven decided to build a biometric database of their customers without actually bothering to tell anyone. (ZDNet)

    7-Eleven - apparently this was just in Australia - was conducting an in-store survey using a tablet interface that took your photo while you were filling it out. The photos were then analysed as faceprints and uploaded to the cloud.

    7-Eleven claims that the survey takers consented to this because they have terms somewhere on their website that say they can take your photo if you are in one of their stores. But there's a big difference between incidentally appearing on security footage which is erased after a period of time, and a company amassing a biometric database of a significant percentage of a country's population.

    Australia's Privacy Commissioner was unimpressed with the company's arguments and they have been ordered to stop doing this and to destroy all data collected.

    But the investigation started in July last year - a month after the survey started - and 7-Eleven carried on doing this until August of this year.

    The kicker is that 7-Eleven was conducting this survey to gather demographic information on its customer base - already heading into questionable territory - and built the biometric database so they could filter out inaccurate responses.

    Yes, online and automated surveys return trash results. Half the userbase on Steam was born on January 1. Tough shit, be happy they even deign to answer the question.



Tech News

  • Pine64 has announced a new phone that isn't a completely antiquated pile of junk. (Tom's Hardware)

    The new PinePhone Pro has dual A72 cores as well as the inescapable cluster of A53 cores. That should make it about twice as fast as the old model.

    The specs generally are mediocre by 2021 standards, but it should function well enough. My own phone has an A73, barely faster than the A72, and it runs fine for my needs.

    The distinction of the PinePhone is that it runs standard Linux. It's not locked down at all, unless you pop the cover and flip some dip switches to make it so. You own it, and it does what you tell it to.


  • The latest Windows 11 beta has a fix for the Ryzen cache bug. (Tom's Hardware)

    Still no explanation of what the bug actually is.


  • Time to bust some trusts. (LA Review of Books)

    I saw a link to this today. It's a couple of years old but hasn't lost any of its relevance. It covers the ignorance and arrogance endemic within the West Coast tech startup and VC culture, and suggests that the appropriate and necessary remedy is to start breaking them up. Or throwing them into a volcano, whatever works.


  • Apple has fired a leader of the "AppleToo" activist movement. (Apple Insider)

    Apple says for deleting files and impeding an internal investigation. Now-former employee Janneke Parrish says for publishing stories critical of Apple.

    It's probably both.


  • Tether has paid a $41 million settlement to the CFTC for lying about being, well, tethered. (Bloomberg)

    This follows an $18 million settlement by Tether and other companies to the state of New York.

    Which makes me wonder, if they don't have the funds to back their stablecoin, where are they getting the funds to pay these fines?

    In a long list of blockchain trends to be avoided, Tether seems to be fast approaching the top.


  • Valve has banned games that use the blockchain from Steam. (The Verge)

    Valve bans games that allow in-game items to be traded for real money - except when it's them doing it. The advantage of NFTs is that they create an instant marketplace separate from the game itself. The disadvantage of NFTs is they create an instant marketplace separate from the game itself... And also cost a few cents per transaction.

    Unless you're using Ethereum, in which case it's tens of dollars.


  • An experimental patch for Python removes the GIL without affecting single-threaded performance. (Python.org)

    In fact, it's 10% faster than the standard release on single-threaded code while scaling almost perfectly on multi-threaded code, something the stock Python interpreter cannot do.

    The problem is, Python extensions written in C generally assume there's no multi-threaded weirdness going on inside Python, and many of them are going to break horribly with this patch.


  • A drone has been used to deliver human lungs for transplant. (ExtremeTech)

    The flight took the human body parts from Toronto Western Hospital to Toronto General... Which is only a mile and a half and they could have just packed them in ice and walked, but that wouldn't have made much of a headline.


  • They're putting guns on robot dogs now. (The Verge)

    The gun in question ins a SWORD Systems SPUR, available in 6.5mm and NATO 7.62x51, with a 10-round magazine and a 30x optical zoom coupled with a Teledyne FLIR thermal camera.

    Slightly disappointing; when I first saw the photo I was hoping for some kind of minigun, but the robot dog in question is quite small.


  • It's a tough life for Minecraft pets. Baelz managed to smuggle two parrots from the Hololive Japan resource server to the Hololive Japan main server and then all the way back to the Hololive EN server - and then promptly got blown up by a creeper.


Disclaimer: Our gun-toting robot dog is perfect for guarding your next human body part delivery! Or obtaining it, as the case may be.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:31 AM




Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good morning morons

Is Melbourne Burning?

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 16, 2021 03:34 AM (EZebt)

2 I haven't looked today. Hang on...

Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 16, 2021 03:36 AM (MqQvv)

3 It sounds like they passed a law banning fire.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 16, 2021 03:38 AM (MqQvv)

4 hiya

Posted by: JT at October 16, 2021 03:40 AM (arJlL)

5 I thought the Tech would be up

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 03:41 AM (2JoB8)

6 >>>Or obtaining it, as the case may be.

Yikes.

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 03:42 AM (nzEdf)

7 Are 7/11 in Australia all personalize by Indians?

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 03:42 AM (2JoB8)

8 @TimSmithMP
Oct 15
From next week you can come from 900km away (Sydney) but Melburnians won't be able to travel more than 25km from their home.

From 1 November people in NSW will be able to travel around the world and back without quarantine.

Melbournians will only be able to travel 25km.

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 03:54 AM (nzEdf)

9 Yep. Sydney is opening up - too slowly, but moving in the right direction at least. Melbourne is fucked.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 16, 2021 03:58 AM (MqQvv)

10 update
@TimSmithMP
Oct 15
I'm wrong it's only 15 km. . .

!!!

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 03:59 AM (nzEdf)

11 Mornin', all

Posted by: My Life is Insanity at October 16, 2021 04:14 AM (Z/jzm)

12 Hiya MLiiGRAM !

Posted by: JT at October 16, 2021 04:16 AM (arJlL)

13 When 5 eyes got their copy, 7/11 trashed theirs.

Posted by: Jamaica Queens at October 16, 2021 04:21 AM (b+v9B)

14 "Change in Jamaica for Far Rockaway, Long Beach, or Port Jeff. Er. Son!"

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 16, 2021 04:24 AM (EZebt)

15 What was that linux that ran on phones? I really liked it. Then they just went away. Sapphire??

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:30 AM (yrol0)

16 I hope the Australian people have accepted the demonstration made by their police and are making the necessary adjustments.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 16, 2021 04:30 AM (EZebt)

17 I'm wrong it's only 15 km. . .

!!!
Posted by: m

Wow, that's almost 112 Parsecs or 33 Doodle Weavers.

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:30 AM (5rNf1)

18 I want one of those robot dogs for home defense.

Bark Bark BANG

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:32 AM (5rNf1)

19 https://tinyurl.com/hryvku5m
20 Tweets from Bad Blue

On McCabe like Tallyrand is treason only a matter of dates?

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 04:32 AM (2JoB8)

20 18 I want one of those robot dogs for home defense.

Bark Bark BANG
Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:32 AM (5rNf1)

ha

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:37 AM (nzEdf)

21
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at October 16, 2021 04:37 AM (DUIap)

22 Valve bans games that allow in-game items to be traded for real money - except when it's them doing it.

They really don't have a choice. There are all sorts of "Know Your Customer" laws they would have to comply with otherwise. It's a nightmare of regulation.

Posted by: Ace's liver at October 16, 2021 04:38 AM (wGeit)

23 The rule of "speaking well of the dead" might be in play, to some extent, but by all reports, the Conservative MP Sir David Amess who was stabbed to death was about the nicest guy on the planet.

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:40 AM (nzEdf)

24 Pete Buttigieg hasnt worked in 8 weeks due to paternity leave

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:40 AM (yrol0)

25 The Independent is reporting a 25 year old Somali immigrant has been arrested, and the killing of Sir David Amess is being treated as an Islamist terror attack.

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:41 AM (yrol0)

26 23 The rule of "speaking well of the dead" might be in play, to some extent, but by all reports, the Conservative MP Sir David Amess who was stabbed to death was about the nicest guy on the planet.
Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:40 AM (nzEdf)

Seems the Mohammedans has issues with him!

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:42 AM (yrol0)

27 Matt Walsh nails this one:

@MattWalshBlog
18h
The thing about paternity leave is there isn't much for dad to do when the baby is a newborn, especially if mom is breastfeeding. His main role is to take care of mom as she recovers but of course that doesn't apply to Buttigieg so I'm not sure why he needs paternity leave at all.

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:43 AM (nzEdf)

28
The upside to any legal action against 7-Eleven that the company might lose?

Every member of the suing legal class will be offered three (3) free choices of mystery meats from the rolling grills / heaters at their own local 7-Eleven!

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 16, 2021 04:46 AM (pNxlR)

29 The thing about paternity leave is there isn't much for dad to do when the baby is a newborn, especially if mom is breastfeeding. His main role is to take care of mom as she recovers but of course that doesn't apply to Buttigieg so I'm not sure why he needs paternity leave at all.
Posted by: m

Looking at the tweets that Skip posted of Bootygig and his partner, who birthed what?
Someone took a good crap after being constipated for a week?

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:47 AM (5rNf1)

30 It's not like Buttplug has skills that could be used to fix the problems.

Posted by: Been Lurking at October 16, 2021 04:47 AM (xopIz)

31 m - shut up h8er

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 04:48 AM (2JoB8)

32 Every member of the suing legal class will be offered three (3) free choices of mystery meats from the rolling grills / heaters at their own local 7-Eleven!
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot

MMmmmm... Crunchy roller dogs.

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:48 AM (5rNf1)

33 23 The rule of "speaking well of the dead" might be in play, to some extent, but by all reports, the Conservative MP Sir David Amess who was stabbed to death was about the nicest guy on the planet.
Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:40 AM (nzEdf)


That's an American thing. Brits will rip into dead people with abandon. If they really are saying complementary things he was probably a decent guy.

Posted by: Ace's liver at October 16, 2021 04:48 AM (wGeit)

34 31 m - shut up h8er
Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 04:48 AM (2JoB

!!!

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:48 AM (nzEdf)

35 Judge Refuses to Dismiss Jussie Smollett Criminal Case

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:49 AM (yrol0)

36 Hinderaker at Powerline did say if Buttaguy was working nothing would be different.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 04:49 AM (2JoB8)

37 It's not like Buttplug has skills that could be used to fix the problems.

Posted by: Been Lurking

From what I've read, he can ride a bicycle better than Obama.

But then again, so can a circus monkey

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:49 AM (5rNf1)

38
Pete Buttigieg hasn't accomplished a single worthwhile thing in his life -- he's just one placeholder out of many in the gallery of openly gay "firsts" worked in 8 weeks due to paternity leave
Posted by: rhennigantx

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 16, 2021 04:50 AM (pNxlR)

39 Hinderaker at Powerline did say if Buttaguy was working nothing would be different.
Posted by: Skip

So that's why the "paternity" leave.
They didn't want anyone to find out he was a worthless corksoaker

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:50 AM (5rNf1)

40 Still wondering if 7/11 in Australia are all run by Indians still.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 04:50 AM (2JoB8)

41 Forty Percent of TSA Employees Not Vaccine Compliant

About the same percent that have IQ around 90 and BMI 35.

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:51 AM (yrol0)

42 Still wondering if 7/11 in Australia are all run by Indians still.
Posted by: Skip

Must be. They're the only ones with the knowledge on how to clean Slurpee machines on that strict yearly schedule

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:52 AM (5rNf1)

43 Forty Percent of TSA Employees Not Vaccine Compliant

About the same percent that have IQ around 90 and BMI 35.
Posted by: rhennigantx

No worries, I'll wear a mask while I grope your junk

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:53 AM (5rNf1)

44 Miss those fifty cent WaWa roller dogs

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 16, 2021 04:53 AM (EZebt)

45
From what I've read, he can ride a bicycle better than Obama.

But then again, so can a circus monkey
Posted by: Bruce


That's only because he's perfected the strategy of using an internal combustion engine to carry him and his bicycle over the majority of his route to and from work prior to donning the bicycle for yet another cheesy photo op.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 16, 2021 04:54 AM (pNxlR)

46 Bill Clinton, 75, will spend a fourth night in hospital with sepsis: Ex-president is continuing to receive IV antibiotics but is in 'great spirits' as Hillary visits him in medical center and Biden says he 'seems to be doing well'

Bet they removed all the pillow and lamps from the room.

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:54 AM (yrol0)

47 44 Miss those fifty cent WaWa roller dogs
Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 16, 2021 04:53 AM (EZebt)

SHEETZ!

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:54 AM (yrol0)

48 SHEETZ!
Posted by: rhennigantx

Is that the name of Bootygigs twins?

Posted by: Bruce at October 16, 2021 04:55 AM (5rNf1)

49
Must be. They're the only ones with the knowledge on how to clean Slurpee machines on that strict yearly schedule
Posted by: Bruce


You have no idea how big a strain that places on their efforts to plan for effective workforce utilization. No joke!

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 16, 2021 04:57 AM (pNxlR)

50 Woke Loudoun County schools $275K-a-year superintendent APOLOGIZES for 'failing to protect' female student, 15, from rape by 'boy in a skirt' in the girls' bathroom: He refuses to quit but board member resigns

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:57 AM (yrol0)

51 46 Bill Clinton, 75, will spend a fourth night in hospital with sepsis: Ex-president is continuing to receive IV antibiotics but is in 'great spirits' as Hillary visits him in medical center and Biden says he 'seems to be doing well'

Bet they removed all the pillow and lamps from the room.
Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 04:54 AM (yrol0)

hahahaha

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:58 AM (nzEdf)

52 Kinda volunteered/ half to fix a screw up back in city today.
Heard at beginning of this job a homeless guy was living around a partially enclosed around the job dumpster. Yesterday he was still there. Was going to get a picture but the dumpster got puller wrecking his little home.
Will see if they replaced the dumpster or not.
No doubt he is still there.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 04:59 AM (2JoB8)

53 thx for the Pinephone tip, Pixy !

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (jDHSU) at October 16, 2021 04:59 AM (jDHSU)

54 Mornin', all,

From what I understand, volcanoes are not hard to reach on the West Coast. Should some of the Big Tech people need a little sacrificin'.

Slept solidly for a change. The so-called "cooler" weather has not arrived yet, and as a long time dweller in these nasty climes, I'm cynical that it ain't gonna. Far too often "cold" fronts run aground 100 miles north of here; they get the cooler and drier air, the city here continues to swelter. The weather mavens have said it's supposed to show around 6 am. We'll see.

Chekov the Ailing Codger Cat is slated to go to the new vet this morning. He's eating, but less enthusiastically, and not spending any time sitting out with us. Maybe they can find out what's wrong with him. . . .

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at October 16, 2021 05:01 AM (c6xtn)

55 KRAK OF DAWN IS UP

Posted by: Skip guy who says NOOD at October 16, 2021 05:02 AM (2JoB8)

56 well duh!
Adding up the cost of Zoom school: Math and reading test scores for America's 13-year-olds drop to lowest level for a decade

Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 05:05 AM (yrol0)

57 I really would like to try that pinephone. I trade heavily and they outright say it's not for me, though. It's a shame.

I love that they have switches for the cameras and microphones. People don't want to think too hard about it and will justify it away when they accidentally *start* thinking about it because it's too terrible to ponder, but that's a fantastic feature.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - you want to listen to this SC doctor tell you about ivermectin at October 16, 2021 05:07 AM (em09h)

58 56 well duh!
Adding up the cost of Zoom school: Math and reading test scores for America's 13-year-olds drop to lowest level for a decade
Posted by: rhennigantx at October 16, 2021 05:05 AM (yrol0)

I guess "well duh," but since these kids were raised online, Zoom could conceivably have worked well for them--or, better for them than for us.

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 05:10 AM (nzEdf)

59 One of the things that is most refreshing is statements like this in regards to a "will production be effected by all this intentional global bullsh*t?"

"It is highly likely that production will be affected by global component shortages at some stage, but it is very difficult for us to determine the degree, given how hard it is to foresee how the situation will unfold in the coming months."

THAT is how you answer those questions. None of this "our synergy is in place to leverage our share of worldwide diversity so that our customers aren't inconvenienced by minor things like shipping bans in California"

Posted by: Moron Robbie - you want to listen to this SC doctor tell you about ivermectin at October 16, 2021 05:12 AM (em09h)

60 Robbie - this is the developer version, alpha test might be close, give it a year ? until release of something with mostly-working software.
I have had the previous version for over a year and like it, overall ... lacks some of the snazzy urban bells & whistles, but will phone, text, take a picture; all with open-source software under my control.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (jDHSU) at October 16, 2021 05:14 AM (jDHSU)

61 Bill Clinton, 75, will spend a fourth night in hospital with sepsis: Ex-president is continuing to receive IV antibiotics but is in 'great spirits' as Hillary visits him in medical center and Biden says he 'seems to be doing well'

Juanita Broaddrick said he probably actually has syphilis, not sepsis. LOL.

Posted by: Ian S. at October 16, 2021 07:01 AM (Fp5al)

62 so I'm not sure why he needs paternity leave at all.
Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:43 AM (nzEdf)

Because "Equality!" that's why.

Posted by: GWB at October 16, 2021 07:37 AM (+Lvag)

63 I got news for ya - 7-11 was gathering all that data for someone else's database.

Posted by: drjimi at October 16, 2021 07:45 AM (DNG9x)

64 Bill Clinton, 75, will spend a fourth night in hospital with sepsis: Ex-president is continuing to receive IV antibiotics but is in 'great spirits' as Hillary visits him in medical center and Biden says he 'seems to be doing well'

Juanita Broaddrick said he probably actually has syphilis, not sepsis. LOL.

Posted by: Ian S. at October 16, 2021 07:01 AM (Fp5al)


Soon.

Posted by: Stan at October 16, 2021 08:15 AM (KnJdm)

65 "Which is only a mile and a half and they could have just packed them in ice and walked,"

Assuming no roving mobs of "peaceful Islamists", SturmAntifa, or BurnLootMurder got in the way....

Posted by: SDN at October 16, 2021 09:03 AM (K9d/B)

66 Nice to see that pixy can talk about security... and keep you from using a VPN to post here.

Posted by: SDN at October 16, 2021 09:05 AM (K9d/B)

67 I recently had the money I paid for a brew taken from my atm card at 7-Eleven, but was refused the beer on grounds that the transaction was in error. Last straw for me, since I have more atm hassles at 7-Eleven than everywhere else put together. Still waiting for my refund from these sorry so-and-so's.

Posted by: FatAlbert at October 16, 2021 09:08 AM (uEauf)

68 "t's a tough life for Minecraft pets. Baelz managed to smuggle two parrots from the Hololive Japan resource server to the Hololive Japan main server and then all the way back to the Hololive EN server - and then promptly got blown up by a creeper."

I know that is english. But... WTAF?

Posted by: Darth Chipmunk at October 16, 2021 10:03 AM (+S1Fy)

69 Cool news links. Thanks for telling us about the lung delivery drone and steam games.

Posted by: Draki at October 16, 2021 10:12 AM (JxiZo)

70 Surprised the Ozzy Nazi's did not license the technology...

Posted by: Big JiLm at October 16, 2021 11:39 AM (4N8U+)

71 62 so I'm not sure why he needs paternity leave at all.
Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 04:43 AM (nzEdf)

Because "Equality!" that's why.
Posted by: GWB at October 16, 2021 07:37 AM (+Lvag)

LOL your hash.

Posted by: m at October 16, 2021 12:17 PM (6dJKT)

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