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Running Into The Woods Will No Longer Save You From Drones

Andrew Orr ·

Researchers at the University of Zurich have developed [PDF] an AI system that can help drones fly through complex environments at up to 40kmph.

An algorithm first piloted a computer-generated drone through a simulated environment that contained complex obstacles. This data was used to train the drone’s neural network to predict a flight path based on information from onboard sensors. The system was then tested in various real-world environments, such as forests, collapsed buildings, and derailed trains.

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Dutch Regulator Demands Apple Makes Changes to In-app Purchases

Charlotte Henry ·

Regulators in the Netherlands have found that Apple’s rules around its in-app payment system are anti-competitive. It has ordered the company to make changes, Reuters reported.

The Dutch investigation into whether Apple’s practices amounted to an abuse of a dominant market position was launched in 2019 but later reduced in scope to focus primarily on dating market apps. They included a complaint from Match Group, owner of the popular dating service Tinder, which said Apple’s rules were hindering it from direct communications with its customers about payments. The Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) last month informed the U.S. technology giant of its decision, making it the first antitrust regulator to make a finding the company has abused market power in the app store, though Apple is facing challenges in multiple countries. ACM has not levied a fine against Apple, but demanded changes to the in-app payment system, the people said.

‘GRID Autosport’ Gets More Game Controls in New Update
Cool Stuff Found

'GRID Autosport' Gets More Game Controls in New Update

Andrew Orr ·

Feral Interactive has released a new update for GRID Autosport on iOS and Android, with a focus on further refining the game’s control options. Leading the pack is Arrow Touch Pro – a much-requested alternative layout for Arrow Touch steering that enables the use of manual acceleration. Following close behind is the brand new, fully-customisable Throttle Slider, allowing players to set their acceleration with pinpoint precision. This patch also adds full support for the latest DualSense and Xbox Series X|S wireless controllers, as well as language support for Traditional Chinese.

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YouTube Rewind Scrapped Permanently

Charlotte Henry ·

YouTube is to stop making its annual ‘Rewind’ videos. The look-back clip was scrapped in 2020 because…2020, but the move has now been made permanent, TubeFilter reported.

The decision was made on what would be the 10th anniversary of Rewind. YouTube says it is not abandoning the project because of the widespread criticism it has received on more recent efforts, but because its platform has become so massive that it is impossible to encapsulate its vastness and diversity within a minutes-long compilation. Accordingly, YouTube says it will be passing the baton to creators, who have increasingly been producing their own homespun versions of YouTube Rewind in recent years. “Since Rewind started in 2011, we have seen creators from MrBeast [54 million views], elrubiusOMG, and Slayy Point, to so many more, create their own end-of-year videos, uniquely capturing the year from each of their perspectives,” a YouTube spokesperson tells Tubefilter.

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iMessages are End-To-End Encrypted But iCloud Backups Are Not

Andrew Orr ·

For Lifehacker, Jake Peterson wrote a reminder that under certain circumstances, Apple can theoretically access your iMessages.

Here’s the tricky thing; Messages in iCloud is end-to-end encrypted, just as you’d expect—that’s why there’s no way to access your messages on the web, such as by logging in to icloud.com. There’s one big problem, though: your iCloud Backup isn’t end-to-end encrypted—and Apple stores the key to unlock your encrypted messages within that backup.

Messages in iCloud has been a thing for a few years now, but you can turn it off.

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Where are the Billions That Supposedly Back the Tether Stablecoin?

Andrew Orr ·

Tether is a cryptocurrency pegged to the U.S. dollar, but regulators and prosecutors are closing in on the company, questioning the amount of Tether’s reserves.

As far as the regulators are concerned, the size of Tether’s supposed dollar holdings is so big that it would be dangerous even assuming the dollars are real. If enough traders asked for their dollars back at once, the company could have to liquidate its assets at a loss, setting off a run on the not-bank. The losses could cascade into the regulated financial system by crashing credit markets. If the trolls are right, and Tether is a Ponzi scheme, it would be larger than Bernie Madoff’s.