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New documents from Edward Snowden published by The Intercept expose the details of yet another NSA program designed to slurp up gargantuan amounts of information.This project, codenamed IRRITANT HORN, was designed to hijack a phone’s connection to the Google or Samsung app store, and then inject spyware onto targets’ phones. According to the leaked documents, the plan was to use a man-in-the-middle attack to deliver malicious “implants” to certain devices. In essence, the NSA was exploring ways it could situate itself between you and the app store, passing along not only the apps you want, but an extra hit of malware as well....

When the electric car really goes mainstream, it won’t look like a Jetsons cruiser or a hot rod from the year 2050. You’ll know EVs have made it when plain old family cars are running on batteries. That future could look a lot like the Hyundai Kona Electric, revealed today at the 2018 New York Auto Show.Hyundai is in the midst of rolling out a slew of new and redesigned crossovers and SUVs—no surprise, now that these rides have supplanted minivans and sedans as America’s family car of choice....

Media Platforms Design TeamRob Stothard/Getty Images NewsA protestor uses a laptop behind a barricade on Grushevskogo Street in Kiev.As of today, protestors in Venezuela are no longer able to access Zello, a messaging app that serves as a makeshift walkie-talkie for organizers.Protestors in Kiev are using the same app, plus even simpler tech that you’re probably already using to organize parties or talk about the news. Facebook groups have been a godsend for the revolution, helping get medicine and medics where they need to be....

Robotics nerd Simone Giertz is at it again. This time, she brings her friend in to help modify her tiny yellow electric car, which of course is named Cheese Louise. William Osman, another YouTube inventor, is there to turn this adorable automobile into a working computer mouse. View full post on YoutubeThe inventors don’t really delve into how they made this work, other than showing the sensor they’ve placed on the front of the car....

LAS VEGAS – At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, a Panasonic-led group of gadget giants that includes Toshiba and Sharp announced the formation of an electronics recycling coalition (given the very catchy name of Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC) that will offer its services to governments and manufacturers. The fact is, the tech industry is more concerned (or at least more concerned with the appearance of) eco-friendliness than ever before, and CES was full of companies touting their commitment to the reduction of energy usage and waste....

In the past two weeks, scientists like myself have been gripped by news of the theft and online release of more than a decade of e-mails from one of the world’s leading centers for climate-change research, the Hadley Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at Britain’s University of East Anglia. During these same weeks, world political leaders have been preparing for a climate summit in Copenhagen and a new study has indicated that a major ice sheet in eastern Antarctica, previously thought to be stable, is in fact losing mass....

Something flew over the west coast in late October, that much we know. But the mystery plane disappeared before anyone could figure out what it was and has defied all attempts at identification since. Was it a classified U.S. government aircraft, a flying saucer, or something else?The War Zone reports that in the afternoon of October 25, air traffic controllers started querying commercial airline pilots flying between Portland and Seattle, asking if they could help identify a mystery object....

Media Platforms Design TeamPrice: $160 to $170Price Difference Relative to Similar Products: $20 to $60 moreDescription: Those of us who don’t weld every day need all the help we can get to have any hope of making neat, structurally sound welds. That’s where this welding helmet comes into play. It’s known as an auto-darkening type, which means its lens darkens automatically when it senses the light from a welding arc. Twist the helmet’s exterior knob to change its shade setting, making it as dark or as light as required depending on the brightness of the welding process....

Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design Team(Photograph by Michael Nagle/Getty Images) Independent geneticist J. Craig Venter raced an international consortium of scientists to map the human genome in the 1990s. Now he’s putting the same cutting-edge science to work on today’s energy crisis, engineering a whole new generation of biofuels. In a rare in-depth interview, we talked to Venter recently about his latest project to save the world, as well as historical flubs, today’s presidential candidates and the future of genetics....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe slickest kitty in Jaguar’s stable this year is sure to be the new XF. The stunning four-door, which replaces the aging S-Type in the middle of Jag’s sedan lineup, will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Penned by Jag design boss Ian Callum, the XF does away with nearly every traditional Jaguar styling cue and replaces them all with a sleek profile that’s aggressive and handsome....

August 2018: Ford has finally released basic pricing information for the long-awaited 2019 Ranger. The sticker starts at $24,300 for a two-wheel drive XL SuperCab model. On the higher end, the base price reaches up to $38,385 for the top-spec four-wheel drive Lariat SuperCrew.Road & Track reports:The Ranger will be available with two cab configurations, SuperCab and SuperCrew, and with three trim levels, XL, XLT, and Lariat. Stepping up to SuperCrew for the XL costs $2200, while it’s $2175 more for both the XLT and top-level Lariat....

View full post on YoutubePrice: Free-$25There is truly one thing that unites us all: traffic, and how we all loathe being its victim. Enter INRIX, a recently updated app that seeks to save us all from road rage, and from wasting precious moments (and gas money) on a clogged freeway.The free version of the app allows you to store up to two destinations (we chose work and home) with two route options, and calculates the amount of time it will take you to get there from your current location based on current traffic conditions and predictions for congestion along the way....

You know black holes: huge, inescapable. Other than Ellen, there is probably no force more powerful in the universe. According to a new study from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, black holes could possess the most unholy of powers. They might be able to bring the dead back to life—as long as the dead in question is a white dwarf.White dwarfs are extremely dense stellar core remnants, the last evolutionary stage for smaller stars that cannot become neutrons as they die....

Modern mechanical watches are an engineering marvel. The intricate components work flawlessly to keep perfect time, and some of the parts are so small that they’re almost microscopic. One of the more complex parts of a high-end watch is the tourbillon, and now there’s a version that you can 3D-print yourself.A tourbillon is a high-end watch component that rotates the escapement (i.e., the ticking part) to improve accuracy by minimizing the effects of gravity....

Some engineers have created an interactive map to navigate the overwhelming amount of data created by the Paleobiology Database, a massive collection of information about fossils and related research. The map essentially plots the location of every fossil ever found by scientists, from early mammals to dinosaurs. To search the map, you can click on different geologic eras, the strata that the organism was found in, or search the specific taxonomy you’re looking for....

Did you know that if you manipulate a laser pointer fast enough, you’ll be able to see the image that the laser trail leaves behind? That means that with a little bit of mechanical ingenuity, you can have all the fun of a laser light show in your own home for the price of about $10.This video from Yertly Vert shows you how to create your own mechanical laser show right inside of your house....

Imagine a clandestine organization whose members can complete any assignment, whether it requires a deadly assassin or an adept hostage negotiator. Imagine that afterwards, the members of the organization will have no memory of what they’ve done, who they’ve done it with, or even who they were before joined the secret club. Welcome to the Dollhouse, where Actives–people who have had their personalities wholly erased and are, essentially, human embodiments of tabula rasa–are implanted with memories and personalities that allow them to become anything a client desires....

California officials cite a high price as the reason they turned down the first all-electric fire truck.The truck is made by global industry leader Rosenbauer, which promises power, flexibility, and innovation beyond just the electric.The high cost of gas-powered fire trucks has discouraged departments from updating for a long time.Business Insider reports that tech economy hub Menlo Park, California has balked on plans to order a revolutionary electric fire truck. The fire district’s board of directors said their “no” vote came down to the cost: over $1....

Polling in a Post-Landline AmericaReports of the death of the landline have been greatly exaggerated: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 84 percent of United States households still pay for traditional, nonmobile phone service. The long-term diagnosis is not as promising, though, with landline use declining every year, and more potential poll-takers screening incoming calls. Chasing the move toward cellphones might seem like the obvious strategy, unless you’ve ever participated in an over-the-phone political poll....

Media Platforms Design TeamWhen I moved a few years ago, I parted ways with my 15-year-old table saw. I planned to replace it once I settled into my new house, but when the time came to build a room divider/bookshelf unit, I decided to build a couple of my own makeshift circular saw guides instead. The guides are compact and store easily. More important, they can also help you work more accurately and safely in the shop....