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Maserati may unveil its first hybrid car on April 21st

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The company hasn’t confirmed anything at this stage. However, it might represent a prime opportunity. Maserati has been struggling in China, with sales dipping 27 percent in 2019. This could spice things up by supporting the Chinese government’s push for more EVs and hybrids. As it stands, Fiat Chrysler plans to at least partly electrify over 30 vehicles by 2022, and faces pressure from regulators to shift away from combustion engines on top of that If Fiat Chrysler is going to meet those goals, it has to get started quickly and make changes across all its brands.

You may have to wait slightly longer for pure electric models. It’s expected to unveil an electric sports car in May, while the GranTurismo and GranCabrio will return as EV-only models in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Whatever your preferences, there’s little doubt that Maserati’s lineup is poised to change drastically — gas-powered vehicles won’t be the stars of the show for much longer.

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Fiat Chrysler’s Android-based Uconnect 5 supports Alexa and wireless CarPlay

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For one, you can expect over-the-air firmware updates to provide a steady stream of improvements. As with an increasing number of rival brands, you won’t have to struggle to keep your car current. The underlying architecture is also billed as five times faster than before, and can handle screens up to 12.3 inches across at up to 15 megapixels (greater than 4K). And if you like voice control, there’s a new recognition engine that supports natural voice commands with a “hey Chrysler” keyword.

You can expect wider support for many creature comforts. It brings built-in Alexa support, support for pairing two phones at once and wider compatibility with wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (100 percent of North American cars). Navigation will come from TomTom, which will supply traffic data, EV charger features and other services in an upgraded system that offers easier search, last-mile walking directions and over-the-air map updates.

Uconnect 5 will show up in vehicles later in 2020, although Fiat Chrysler hasn’t said which ones will get first dibs. This will be a crucial improvement wherever it shows up, at least. In addition to acknowledging that cars are increasingly connected, the Android platform should help Fiat Chrysler transition to electric and hybrid cars, where this kind of modern interface is absolutely vital.

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Russian hacker behind an elite crime forum pleads guilty to multiple charges

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Burkov was arrested in 2015 at an airport near Tel Aviv. In 2017, an Israeli district court approved his extradition to the US, but Russia fought that decision for years. As Krebs on Security points out, the Russian government may be concerned that Burkov knows too much.

In late 2019, Burkov was extradited to the US, and according to the US Attorney’s Office, he pleaded guilty to access device fraud and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, identity theft, wire and access device fraud and money laundering. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced on May 8th.

Burkov ran a website called Cardplanet, which sold card data, much of which belonged to US citizens. He also ran DirectConnection, an invitation-only website, where elite cybercriminals could advertise stolen goods, like personally identifying information and malicious software, as well as services, like money laundering and hacking. According to the US Attorney’s Office, members had to be vouched for by three existing members and provide a sum of money, normally $5,000, as insurance.

Other DirectConnection members included Maksim Yakubets of Moscow and Russian national Peter Levashov. In December, the FBI offered a $5 million reward for info leading Yakubets’ arrest, and as you may remember, Levashov ran the notorious global spam botnet Kelihos. Burkov’s plea represents another symbolic victory for American law enforcement’s fight against international cybercriminals.

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NASA picks space tourism outfit for its first commercial ISS module

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Axiom won the nod as part of a competition that offered private outfits access to station facilities and a port of their own. It’s now negotiating a contract that will include a five-year “base performance” period and a two-year option.

It’s not certain when Axiom’s module will be ready, although it’s aiming to offer trips in 2021. It doesn’t have much wiggle room, as NASA wants to transition to a more privatized ISS after 2024. It’s safe to say this will mark a departure from the ‘classic’ research-oriented days of the ISS, especially when the Russians are selling their own trips.

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Billie Eilish proved anyone can access Grammy-winning gear

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The singer went on to sweep up four of the biggest awards that night, making her the first female artist to do so. Her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was crowned Best Album of the Year, while the song Bad Guy won Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Eilish, at 18, had achieved something more prolific performers armed with top notch studios, dedicated teams of sound engineers and high end equipment had not. The capper? She had done so by working with her older brother Finneas O’Connell, out of a small bedroom studio in their parents’ home.

O’Connell, also known by his stage name FINNEAS, said he preferred recording in that space because it offered more natural light than recording studios. He told NME that “they tend to be lifeless and without any natural light, so I wanted to record wherever we lived.” Cost was also a factor. “We just don’t want to be bound to a studio to who we’d have to pay untold sums to.”

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell Talked Awards, Fans, and What's Next Right After They Swept the Grammys

The production setup was relatively simple, too. According to a Pro Sound Network interview with O’Connell, all there was in this bedroom was a pair of $200 Yamaha HS5 nearfield monitors with an H8S subwoofer ($450), a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface and Apple’s Logic Pro X. Oh, and a bed, of course, against one of the walls, on which Eilish sat to record with an Audio Technica AT2020 mic (at least, in the early days). As an amateur mixer myself, it was exciting to know that the duo use the exact same mic I own to record my vocals.

The tight, closed setting lent the album an intimate vibe that made it feel like Eilish’s at-times breathy, feathery vocals were being whispered right into your ears. The stems (that is, individual layers of instruments and music) were then sent to mix engineer Rob Kinelski to compile.

All that is the work that resulted in When We Fall Asleep… winning the coveted Album of the Year title at this year’s Grammys, as well as the award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. O’Connell himself earned the Producer of the Year nod and altogether the album’s impact is monumental. Now, more than ever, anyone could be an EGOT. Thanks to the democratization of music and video recording equipment, not to mention the high-powered software needed to create intricate pop productions, the barriers to entry into the world of awards ceremonies and red carpet shows have all but crumbled. Not that long ago, Pro Tools was the audio editing software du jour, and required specialized hardware. These days, every Mac or iPhone ships with GarageBand, and you can get Logic Pro for about $200.

Apple Logic Pro X and Mac Pro

“This is for all the kids who make music in their bedrooms,” O’Connell said while accepting the Song of the Year award, reminding the world not only of the pair’s brand of relatability but also of how big dreams of winning a Grammy could be within reach.

It’s not just in the world of music-making that the proliferation of high-quality, relatively affordable equipment and software has made it easier to produce award-winning material. The Ringer’s “NBA Desktop” won a Sports Emmy in May for Outstanding Digital Innovation. That show is shot entirely on a single-camera, single-frame setup, cutting in captures from host Jason Concepcion’s computer desktop. It’s a simple production process with basic equipment. While I hesitate to liken an established outlet like The Ringer to some random person in a bedroom, the achievement goes to show that you don’t need an elaborate set, massive budgets or frenzied entourages to produce award-winning content.

In recent years, it’s become much easier to reach a large audience. YouTube, SoundCloud and even Amazon’s Kindle self-publishing platform have pulled some of that power out of the clutches of old-school production houses and broadcast networks, placing it in the hands of anyone with an email address. The rise of Instagram and Twitter culture gave any individual with a decent camera and a good joke the ability to market themselves and control their own message, eliminating the need for pesky agents and publicists.

Behringer CAT synth

Now, as cameras, microphones, mixers and editing software get better and more affordable, pretty much anyone can create top-notch material. Audio engineer Matt Jordan, Pro Audio category manager for music gear marketplace Reverb, told Engadget that “the barrier of entry to becoming a great engineer or producer is lower than ever.” Second-hand gear through outlets like Reverb also help put pro-level equipment within reach by offering them for fractions of retail prices.

That’s not to say that we’ve reached a point where anyone who wants to make a high-quality podcast or YouTube show can afford to do so. You’d still need access to a relatively powerful computer and some gear, which would cost at least a few hundred dollars. But in just the last five years, the creative landscape has changed significantly. It won’t be long before the next Billie Eilish stuns the world with a unique work of art produced in a noisy dorm room or musty garage.

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Netflix widens deal with ‘Big Mouth’ animation studio

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Netflix is showering more affection on the teams involved with Big Mouth. The service has signed a “multi-year” deal with animation studio Titmouse to both create multiple adult animated shows and get a a first crack at any similar series the studio produces. The two didn’t hint at what would come next, but it’s a big deal when Titmouse has also been involved with well-known productions like Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse.

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Intel is patching its Zombieload CPU security flaw for the third time

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Compared to the MDS flaws Intel addressed in those two previous patches, these latest ones have a couple of limitations. To start, one of the vulnerabilities, L1DES, doesn’t work on Intel’s more recent chips. Moreover, a hacker can’t execute the attack using a web browser. Intel also says it’s “not aware” of anyone taking advantage of the flaws outside of the lab.

However, like when the company issued its second MDS patch in November, security researchers are criticizing Intel for its piecemeal approach. “We spent months trying to convince Intel that leaks from L1D evictions were possible and needed to be addressed,” the international team of computer scientists that discovered the flaw wrote on their website. In an addendum to their original paper, there’s a sense of exasperation with the company. “We reiterate that RIDL-class vulnerabilities are non-trivial to fix or mitigate, and current ‘spot’ mitigation strategies for resolving these issues are questionable,” the researchers write. “Moreover, we question the effectiveness of yearlong disclosure processes and also raise concerns on their disruptive impact on the academic process.”

Intel downplayed the criticism, saying that it has taken significant steps to reduce the danger the flaws represent to its processors. “Since May 2019, starting with Microarchitectural Data Sampling (MDS), and then in November with TAA, we and our system software partners have released mitigations that have cumulatively and substantially reduced the overall attack surface for these types of issues,” a spokesperson for the company said. “We continue to conduct research in this area – internally, and in conjunction with the external research community.”

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FCC gives Google and Sony permission to dole out 3.5GHz spectrum

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The FCC named Google, Sony, CommScope and Federated Wireless, Inc. Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators. They’re now authorized to make a slice of the 3.5GHz band available for commercial purposes, meaning the private sector should finally have access to the mid-range spectrum for 5G networks.

“The FCC has made it a priority to free up mid-band spectrum for advanced wireless services like 5G. And today, I’m pleased to announce the latest step to achieve that priority: the approval of four systems that will enable the 3.5GHz band to be put to use for the benefit of American consumers and businesses,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

This has been a longtime coming. The FCC voted to free up a piece of the 3.5GHz spectrum in 2015, but multiple disputes delayed the effort. Previously, the band was used by the US Navy’s naval radar system. The Navy didn’t use the entire spectrum at all times, but the FCC had to sort out how to make room for both the Navy and commercial players.

At this point, most people see opening the 3.5GHz spectrum as overdue. 5G networks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia already have access to the mid-range band. Hopefully, with these four companies freed to move forward as SAS Administrators, we’ll see the 3.5GHz spectrum put to use in the US soon.



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Atari-themed gaming hotels are coming to eight US cities

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The main draw of the Atari hotels will likely be their esports studios. There are no details about what these will include, but each hotel will also have an “Atari gaming playground.” Assuming the esports studios are venues where pros compete, the “playgrounds” could be lounges for guests that are equipped with gaming PCs. The hotels will have a few accoutrements outside of the standard pool and gym — restaurants, bars, bakeries and movie theaters will also be part of each building.

Since this is a licensing deal, Atari likely won’t have any direct hand in the design or features of these hotels, but it does stand to make some money — the company will receive five percent of the hotels’ revenue. Atari has also received an advance of $600,000 for licensing the brand to the developer, which seems paltry for such a large project.

It seems like the most noteworthy accomplishment Atari has had in the recent past is having its logo featured in Blade Runner 2049, so hopefully this admittedly odd strategy works out for the legendary company. The contract states that Atari retains the rights to develop similar properties, so if these hotels are a success, we could see more establishments in the future.

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The company behind the Eve V laptop is back with crowd-developed monitors

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The most affordable Spectrum monitor ($349) has a resolution of 2560x1440p and a refresh rate of 165Hz — smooth enough for most gamers. The mid-tier option ($489) has the same resolution but an even faster refresh rate, and the high-end Spectrum ($589) runs at 4K but has a slower refresh rate of 144Hz. All three have a 16×9 aspect ratio, 27-inch LG HDR display panels and a staggering amount of ports — two USB-C, three USB-A, one USB-B, two DisplayPort, one HDMI and one 3.5mm audio jack.

None of the monitors comes with a stand — Eve says that 47 percent of the community preferred to buy a Spectrum without one. The company will sell a $99 stand separately, though, which features height adjustment, a quick release switch and portrait orientation — great for coders and shmup players who prefer to game in tate mode.

Going by the specs (and the impressive performance of the Eve V) these could become go-to displays — if Eve doesn’t run into production problems like it did with its previous hardware, that is. The Eve V shipped to many backers months — and even a year for some — after promised delivery dates. According to The Verge, Eve’s CEO says that won’t happen again. Barring such hiccups, the company expects to ship the 1440p model in Q3 with the other two launching in Q4.

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