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PSA: Update your Windows machine now to fix 29 Critical security vulnerabilities

Aug14
by on August 14, 2019 at 11:35 am
Posted In: Around the Web


Microsoft has patched four serious vulnerabilities that could allow a malicious actor to remotely take control of Windows computers. The four remote code execution flaws — addressed as part of the company’s monthly Patch Tuesday updates — affect all in-support versions of Windows and concern the Windows Remote Desktop Services (RDS) component, enabling attackers to take over a computer and then propagate malware to other computers without any user intervention. “An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could execute arbitrary code on the target system,” Microsoft noted in its security bulletin. “An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or…

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Humans have been listening to our ‘AI-transcribed’ conversations for over a decade

Aug14
by on August 14, 2019 at 11:18 am
Posted In: Around the Web, artificial intelligence, Opinion


It was a scandal. Third-party contractors, many working from places where data protection legislation is lax (or even non-existent), were listening and transcribing recordings of conversations from people who unwittingly believed robots were doing all the work. Conversations about work, finance, and romance were snooped upon, analyzed, and then typed up. I’m not talking about Facebook, or Apple, or Microsoft, or Google, or Amazon. In fact, I’m not talking about any of the big tech companies, all of whom are currently under scrutiny over their use of humans in AI transcription. Instead I’m talking about Spinvox. You might not be…

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What Slack and Fortnite can teach your business about freemium pricing

Aug14
by on August 14, 2019 at 9:20 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Podium


The phenomenal success of Fortnite and IPO of Slack has me thinking of all the freemium unicorns that have gotten their wings over the last years. Box, DropBox, and Evernote all come to mind, but there are many more. Their success can inspire others to try the freemium model, but it’s not for everyone. What makes for a successful freemium model? Fortnite gained massive popularity and is making billions of dollars, but it is completely free to play. Unlike typical freemium games, where you pay to improve performance, the premium purchases are only cosmetic. This has fostered a sense of…

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Over 50% of Google searches result in no clicks, data shows

Aug14
by on August 14, 2019 at 8:58 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web


Google is hungry for your clicks. But it turns out that more than half of all Google Search queries now result in no clicks. As of June 2019, 50.3 percent of Google searches received zero clicks. By contrast, searches with organic clicks to non-Google websites now make up only 45 percent of all traffic. That is according to data from marketing analytics firm Jumpshot based on 40 million browser-based searches on desktop and mobile in the US. The data was crunched by Rand Fishkin, founder of audience intelligence search engine SparkToro. Even worse, it seems this trend towards zero-click searches has…

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Coinbase and Barclays split up – but the cryptocurrency exchange already has a new banking bae

Aug14
by on August 14, 2019 at 8:39 am
Posted In: Around the Web, blockchain, cryptocurrency, Hard Fork


Just days after Coinbase announced the removal of support for Zcash for UK customers, reports suggest the cryptocurrency exchange is parting ways with banking mainstay Barclays. Sources familiar with the matter told CoinDesk that Barclays is no longer working with Coinbase. It’s unclear if the sources are representatives from either of the companies mentioned, or are independent. The news has caused undue disruption, and Coinbase users have reportedly been indirectly affected. Coinbase‘s relationship with Barclays gave its UK customers access to the Faster Payments Scheme which allowed users to directly deposit and withdraw sterling into their exchange accounts. Coinbase has…

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