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Cloudflare is providing free anti-DDoS services to US political campaigns

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“This is our way of providing best practices and no-brainer solutions to not only large campaigns, but also smaller, but equally important campaigns that may have limited resources,” said Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince.

To provide the service, Cloudflare is working with Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC), a non-partisan nonprofit organization that connects US election candidates with cybersecurity companies. In 2019, the Federal Elections Commission gave the DDC a special exemption to offer free or discounted cybersecurity services to political campaigns. As part of the agreement, the organization will publish a list on its website where you’ll be able to see which campaigns it helped with cybersecurity services, as well as the value of those services. Besides Cloudflare, the group is also working with companies like Lookout to help secure their mobile devices.

While the tools the DDC makes available to campaigns likely won’t completely protect the 2020 election from the type of interference we saw in 2016, it’s a needed step in the right direction. It’s likely many election campaigns, both in the US and elsewhere, will have to contend with interference from state-sponsored actors.

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Google makes it easier to sign up for advanced hacking protection

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As before, the sign-in requires a Bluetooth connection between the ‘key’ and sign-in device in order to thwart remote account hijacks. You can register a backup key as a safeguard in case you lose your phone.

Advanced Protection was primarily designed for political figures, celebrities, journalists and others who are more likely to be targets of hacking attempts. Google is rolling this out with those users in mind, especially with the 2020 US presidential election on the horizon. However, the company makes clear that this is available to anyone. If you’re concerned enough about your account that ordinary two-factor authentication isn’t enough, you’re encouraged to sign up.

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Microsoft’s Chromium Edge browser is here

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As we’ve covered in earlier previews of the next-generation Edge browser, you can look forward to significantly faster browsing performance, better overall security, and a slew of helpful new features, like an Internet Explorer mode for compatibility with older web apps. Collections, a feature that lets you gather information from web pages and organize them into easily shareable documents, unfortunately won’t be available for the Edge relaunch, but the company says it’ll likely be ready in six to eight weeks. (You can still test that out in the Edge beta channel.)

Edge Chromium

When Microsoft initially launched Edge with Windows 10, it poured plenty of resources into building up its own EdgeHTML browser framework. But the company simply couldn’t compete with Google Chrome’s dominance, and in 2018 it announced a move towards the open source Chromium engine. From Microsoft’s viewpoint, it makes sense, since a better core engine means it can devote more time to unique features. And of course, having a fast and stable browser built into Windows means fewer people would immediately jump to Chrome. Naturally, Mozilla, the organization behind the Firefox browser (and the only other mainstream Chrome competitor) was disappointed by Microsoft’s decision.

“I think we took an opportunity to take a step back to say, how is our compatibility being achieved? How many resources are being spent on that, versus the resources being invested to make the web itself better?,” Kevin Gallo, corporate vice president of the Windows Development Platform, told Engadget during last year’s Build conference. “We felt at some point it was a better investment for us to contribute to one engine, in the open… And then the value proposition is that all the browsers on Windows get better.”

Edge Chromium

I’ve been using the new Edge browser since last April, and while I’m also disappointed to see Microsoft cede more control of the web to Google, I can’t deny that it’s a far better experience than before. The revamped browser is fast and easy to use; I rarely run into compatibility issues with websites (since everyone tends to build for Chrome); and I found its privacy settings to be a big step forward for average consumers. It was also surprisingly easy to set up the final Chromium Edge build — after it installed, it simply carried over my existing bookmarks and settings, and then it asked me to choose a homepage style. (You can opt from something simple with a bare Bing search engine; a more stylish view with photos; or a page filled with news.)

As someone who’s wrestled with Microsoft browsers after a decade in IT, it’s a bit odd to see the company release something that’s genuinely great on every level. For once, I don’t have to tell Windows users to immediately upgrade to Chrome or Firefox.

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Google can point you toward the popular clothes in many stores

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Online clothes shopping is still something of a pain. You might not always realize what choices you have, let alone which places have the best prices. Google is trying to help, at least. It’s introducing a search feature on mobile that piles results for popular clothes, accessories and shoes into one section. You could find the ideal floral dress or puffer jacket with just a few keywords. You can filter results by department, size and style, and other tools help you quickly find buyer reviews and flip through photos.

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Scientists created living robots out of stem cells

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“These are novel living machines,” says Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at UVM who co-led the new research. “They’re neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal. It’s a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism.”

To determine the best design for this new life form, researchers from UVM ran an evolutionary algorithm through a supercomputer. Then, the Tufts team assembled and tested the design using stem cells from the African frog species Xenopus laevis — the xenobot name comes from this frog, not the Greek prefix meaning other or stranger.

What the team created is a body form never seen in nature. The cells work together, allowing the robots to move on their own in watery environments. They even spontaneously cooperated to move around in circles, pushing pellets into a central location.

The researchers point to the advantages of these “biological machines.” Unlike robots made with steel or plastic, these would simply decompose after use. When sliced, they are able to regenerate and stitch themselves back together, something few other robots can do, and in addition to medical purposes, they could be put to use cleaning up radioactive waste or microplastics.

If you’re starting to panic at the idea of supercomputers designing living robots, you’re not alone. “That fear is not unreasonable,” Levin says. “When we start to mess around with complex systems that we don’t understand, we’re going to get unintended consequences.”

The researchers hope that the more we understand this technology and capability, the better off we’ll be. Plus, the xenobots come preloaded with their own food source, which should run out in about a week, unless they’re in a nutrient-rich environment. Don’t worry though, these little guys can’t reproduce or evolve — at least not yet.

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Ninja is getting his own skin in ‘Fortnite’

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Along with the skin, there’s a Ninja-themed pickaxe which comprises a pair of katanas, a back bling and an emote for his awful dance. Epic Games said the addition of Ninja is the “beginning of gaming, music, film and fashion colliding in Fortnite” under its new Icon Series.

You can probably expect more familiar faces to turn up in Fortnite, which is incorporating “the artistic vision, personality and attitude of our top creators.” There have been many promotional tie-ins in Fortnite, including the likes of Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Stranger Things. Bringing some of Fortnite‘s best-known players into the fray is a logical extension of that.

Elsewhere, the latest Fortnite update also bumps up the maximum refresh rate on the 2018 iPad Pro to a whopping 120 frames per second. That far outstrips the game’s console refresh rates, even on the top-end Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, which max out at 60FPS. There’s also now support for clickable thumbsticks if you use a controller to play on iOS.



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Jack Dorsey says Twitter ‘probably’ won’t get an edit button

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Dorsey himself has gone back and forth on the idea, saying in 2016 that “a form of edit is definitely needed” and spelling out last March how such an option might work. But in a Wired Q&A, he said the door’s shut on the notion, at least for now.

He referenced Twitter’s origins as an SMS-like service as the company’s reason for declining to include an edit option at the outset. “When you send a text, you can’t really take it back,” he pointed out. “We wanted to preserve that vibe, that feeling, in the early days.” That’s not entirely true, since you can of course delete tweets, but alas.

The spread of misinformation is a big enough problem already on platforms like Twitter, but an edit button could make the issue more complex. “You might send a tweet and the someone might retweet that, and then an hour later you completely change the content of that tweet,” Dorsey suggested. “The person that retweeted the original tweet is now retweeting and rebroadcasting something completely different.”

He also cited issues with having a short window to fix typos or broken links. Twitter has mulled a short timeframe of up to a minute where you could make tweaks. “But that also means that we have to delay sending that tweet out, because once it’s out, people see it,” Dorsey noted.

Dorsey tackled several other topics in the Q&A, including how the character limit came about, regulation, decentralization and how many meals he eats per week (seven). It’s a solid watch, especially for his sarcastic responses to questions on a dislike button and how to get verified.

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Android devices stop alerting users to completed app updates

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As Android Police reports, users first noticed the missing notifications in early November. Then followed a period of back-and-forth when some users would receive the notifications, then they wouldn’t, then they came back, and so on, leading some to believe there was a bug at hand. However, a Google spokesperson has confirmed to Android Police that the now largely absent notifications are an intended feature.

As it turns out, muting completed update alerts has always been an option within notification settings, but Google is now taking action to make it the default behavior, presumably because most users regard them as notification spam and simply swipe them away. If you want to keep on top of what’s been updated, you’ll now have to open the Play Store to see what’s what. Alternatively, turn off auto-updates and set a reminder to manually update your apps from time to time.

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Lucid Motors to unveil a production model of its electric sedan in April

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Lucid Air was introduced back in 2016 and was expected to start production in 2018, but the Tesla rival struggled with financial issues that put its future in question. In late 2018, however, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund invested $1 billion in the company, giving it the funds to push through with its plans to build a factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Currently, Lucid Motors is manufacturing 80 beta prototypes of the Air at its Silicon Valley headquarters. Those prototypes, which are “highly representative of the production” version, will be used for exhaustive testing. Lucid Motors says the construction of its Casa Grande factory “is well underway.” It expects to finish building its first pre-production cars in early Q4 2020 and to start full production by the end of the year.

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The Morning After: Here’s why Sony will skip E3 (again)

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Update ASAP.Microsoft is patching a major Windows 10 flaw discovered by the NSA

Yesterday, Microsoft issued patches for Windows 10 as well as Windows Server 2016 and 2019. However, it wasn’t a normal Patch Tuesday, because this time it addressed a flaw that had been uncovered by the NSA and could be used to exploit computers remotely or spy on and manipulate encrypted internet traffic. Disclosing the vulnerability so it can be fixed will hopefully stop it from leaking out, which is what happened in 2017 with the EternalBlue exploit.

No need to share the spotlight.Why Sony is skipping E3 (again)

With a brand new console to pitch, why is the PlayStation brand sitting out the biggest video game event of the year? Nick Summers explains why Sony might prefer its own showcase for the PS5, and what it means for gamers this year.

It will help enforce the five-kilometer drone no-fly zone around the airport.Heathrow Airport installs anti-drone system that can locate UAV pilots

The UK’s biggest airport now has its own Counter Drone system that can detect and track unauthorized drones as well as locate the drone pilots, who face up to five years in prison for flying in a UK Flight Restriction Zone without permission.

According to Bloomberg, the Counter Drone technology uses a holographic radar system, the same used at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. It’s unclear, though, if Heathrow’s system includes a way to disable drones once they’ve been identified.

You won’t play this in March.Square Enix delays ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ until April 10th

“Ha, ha, ha. Stop acting as if you’re sad.”
“And there’s no need to act as if you’re angry either.”

Sony added buttons to its DualShock 4 and little else.PlayStation’s new Back Button accessory is a wasted opportunity

Sony’s DualShock is a good controller. Its Emmy award-winning design has hardly changed over the last couple of decades. But in 2020, things are different. PlayStation’s biggest rival, Xbox, has a high-end controller for top-level gamers, while expensive third-party options from SCUFF and Hori have proved there are better ways to play PS4.

Enter the unimaginatively named Back Button Attachment, aimed at giving your six-year-old DualShock 4 a few new tricks. It’s aimed at high-level gamers that need more sensitive controls and the ability to remap buttons to more handy locations. There is also an accessibility boon, which could help even more people play the games they want to play. It’s just a shame the accessory doesn’t go further.

But wait, there’s more…

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