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What we’re listening to: Brass Against and ‘Gastropod’

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Brass Against

Kris Holt

Kris Holt
Contributing Writer

YouTube gets a lot of flak over its recommendation algorithm, but it got one suggestion absolutely spot on for me recently with a video from Brass Against. The collective aims to create “brass protest music that calls fans to action.” So far, that equates to brass-heavy arrangements of well-known rock, metal and hip-hop tunes.

I’m a firm believer that every song is vastly better with brass instruments in the mix. So, having grown up on the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Deftones and Beastie Boys, Brass Against is extremely my jam. The repertoire runs through cuts from those artists, along with Tool, Royal Blood, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé and many others. You can expect a few mashups, including one especially delicious blend of “Bullet in the Head” and DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak.”

As much as I love the additional depth and textures that Brass Against’s saxophones, trumpets, trombones and sousaphones bring to songs that are so ingrained in me, none of it would work as well without capable vocals to hang it all on. Doing justice to the potent lyrics of Zack de la Rocha in particular is no easy task, but the singers are up to the challenge. Sophia Urista is a standout, but all of the vocalists Brass Against ropes in do a stellar job.

The group is definitely worth checking out if you’ve ever screamed along to that “Killing in the Name” refrain or if brass instruments tickle your mind in the best way. The only real drawback for me is that the Brass Against catalog isn’t far, far larger.

Gastropod

Ian Levenstein

Ian Levenstein
Database Editor

Ever since I was a kid, I would be happy to try pretty much any food you put in front of me at least once, including vegetables. Even if it wasn’t appetizing, I still gave it a go. With my willingness to try new things also came a willingness to learn about my food, both from a preparation and consumption standpoint. In that spirit I attended a performance of the Masters of Social Gastronomy last year. Over the course of the night, hosts Jonathan Soma and Sarah Lohman went through the history of bodegas, including what they sell and how they became a thing in the first place. They cited their research from a variety of sources, including a podcast that focuses entirely on the science and history of food. I immediately subscribed and became addicted to Gastropod.

I feel like Gastropod was literally made for me, and I wish I had found it sooner. It was started in 2014 by co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, after the two met in UC Berkeley’s 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship. Their background in journalism is key to the success of Gastropod. Each episode of the podcast is meticulously researched with interviews and input from actual scientists, food scholars, baristas, bartenders, brewers — you name it.

The amount of knowledge I have gained from the show is almost impossible for me to track. Did you know that vitamin D isn’t technically a vitamin, because our body can naturally produce it (unlike other vitamins)? Olive oil isn’t really an oil — it’s actually a juice. And David Fairchild, America’s first ‘food spy’? America may not have the citrus industry in California we have today without him.

One of their most recent episodes focuses on the history of tiki bars and paints a picture of how the phenomenon took off here in the United States post-Prohibition, led by the combined might of Donn Beach’s Don the Beachcomber and Victor Jules Bergeron Jr., aka Trader Vic. It also delves into how the phenomenon mostly died off in the 1980s when our collective desire for sweet products began to increase and is now making a bit of a comeback in a world of froufrou cocktails.

What is even more phenomenal is that Cynthia and Nicola aren’t doing this with the help of NPR or any other large podcasting network. The bulk of the show is produced by just the two of them, with the help of sponsors and Patreon. Their sound quality is consistently excellent and gives me something to aspire to as a podcaster.

If you’re looking to get into the show and don’t want to immediately jump to the first episode, I’d point you to their fifth-anniversary special, which includes moments from their favorite episodes. Or just go with their one on sourdough bread and their journey to the world’s first (and only) sourdough starter library. Before you know it you’ll be hooked like me, getting hungrier and thirstier as you listen on your daily commute. So yeah, maybe pack a snack.

“IRL” is a recurring column in which the Engadget staff run down what they’re buying, using, playing and streaming.

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Proposed CO2 capture system could reduce truck emissions by 90 percent

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In a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Energy Research, the researchers propose capturing carbon dioxide from a truck’s exhaust pipe and turning it liquid, which is stored in a tank on the vehicle’s roof. This liquid carbon dioxide can then be delivered to a service station where it can be reused in various ways, including being turned into conventional fuel.

The carbon dioxide capture works by first cooling the gases which are emitted from the exhaust pipe. Special absorbent materials developed at EPFL could separate the carbon dioxide from other gases like nitrogen and oxygen. When it is full, the absorbent material is then heated to extract the carbon dioxide, and heat from the vehicle’s engine is used to compress the carbon dioxide and turn it into liquid. That liquid can then be stored in a box attached to the vehicle’s roof until it can be deposited at a service station when the truck refuels.

The system is more appropriate for large vehicles like trucks or buses than for cars as it is rather bulky, requiring a 2-meter-long capsule and weighing 7 percent of the total payload of a truck. However, the researchers calculate that 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions could be recycled in this way.

The system is only a concept at the moment, and the researchers estimate that it will take several years to realize the system in the real world. The next step is to develop a prototype of the system to test out the experimental elements in practice.

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The Morning After: ‘Cats’ gets a digital effects update

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More than expected.Pixel 4 gets improved Face Unlock and other surprise updates

Now the Pixel 4 Feature Drop for December has arrived, owners have noticed a couple of new features Google neglected to mention in its blog post. While Face Unlock still doesn’t check to see if your eyes are open, it has been upgraded to get better at recognizing your face over time. Post update, the Pixel 4 also has dual-frequency GNSS for better location tracking and the ability to activate its eSIM on T-Mobile.

Just in case you’re not done shopping.Engadget’s 2019 holiday gift guide is here!

After months of thinking, curating, photographing and more thinking, we’ve come up with a holiday gift guide that covers all the bases (and budgets), from laptops and mobile devices, to toys, to the smart home, to book and media recommendations (only on nerdy subjects, of course). All told, there are more than 150 items in our guide, spanning 13 categories, with advice from 25 of our writers and editors. You know, the people testing and reviewing this stuff all year long.

Theaters can download a new version via satellite or wait for a delivery.‘Cats’ is getting new special effects while it’s still in theaters

In a world full of constant software updates and day-one patches for blockbuster games, we probably should’ve expected movies would be next. According to a memo seen by The Hollywood Reporter, Universal is sending a new version of Cats to cinemas with “improved visual effects.” Apparently the rush to get it out on time meant first-week viewers caught a glimpse of some unfinished shots — Judi Dench still had her human hands — that will presumably never be seen again.

(Almost) there and back again.Boeing Starliner is the first US-made crew capsule to land on the ground

Boeing’s spacecraft landed safely at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range at 7:58AM Eastern, making it the first US-made, crew-ready capsule to touch down on solid ground. Previous capsules from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs all landed in the sea. During a briefing, NASA and Boeing said they still expected a crewed flight in 2020, but that they wanted to review data before deciding the next course of action.

Not TikTok, ToTok.Messaging app ToTok is reportedly a spying tool for the UAE

Unnamed US officials speaking to the New York Times say that the chat app ToTok is believed to be a surveillance tool for the United Arab Emirates. According to a classified intelligence report, the UAE uses ToTok to follow users’ conversations, track locations (under the guise of weather), determine social connections and look at media. Both Apple and Google have pulled the app from their stores.

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Pixel 4 gets improved Face Unlock and other surprise updates

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First off, Face Unlock can now account for changes to your look like a new hair style or beard. “When it’s on, face unlock images are occasionally used to create improved face models,” Google’s update states. “This helps recognize you better over time.” The update also points out that these models are stored on the Pixel 4’s secure Titan chip and never online.

As expected, the update also brings T-Mobile eSim support to Pixel 4 devices. That means you can activate your device immediately without waiting for the physical delivery of a SIM card, and also use the eSim in conjunction with a physical SIM to receive calls and texts from two numbers. Finally, the Pixel 4 now supports dual-frequency GNSS so it can track two satellite signals at once, either from GPS or Galileo satellites. That in turn will deliver more accurate location tracking.

You can likely expect more such improvements via future Pixel 4 drops. With the new update stream, Google is clearly trying to differentiate its flagship devices from others in the Android ecosystem.

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Richie Hawtin wants you to explore his DJ sets through a mobile app

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As Hawtin explained to The Verge, the app is the result of a years-long process that culminated in the 2017 debut of his CLOSE show, which uses overhead cameras to record Hawtin’s mixers and modules. That results in massive downloads (you’re grabbing multiple video feeds and layered audio tracks), but it also lets you dissect live electronic music in a way that just isn’t feasible with your typical video.

The aim is both to shake up the definition of a concert video and, more importantly, to shed light on what DJing is like for a hands-on artist like Hawtin. Closer turns a seemingly mysterious process into something very transparent, where you know the knobs he turned and faders he pushed. While it probably won’t inspire you to become a DJ, it could give you a better appreciation for dance music than you’d get by standing in the crowd.

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Three people sentenced for running $100 million malware crime network

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The network operated for years, using GozNym to compromise over 41,000 computers and swipe money from targets’ bank accounts. It started falling apart when Nikolov was caught and extradited to the US in December 2016, although he didn’t plead guilty until April 2019.

The FBI said these sentences showed that it wouldn’t let online criminals “operate with impunity.” While that’s true, it’s not certain this will dissuade internet gangsters. The GozNym busts were successful thanks to cooperation between friendly countries, but many cybercrooks operate out of Russia and other countries that don’t have extradition treaties with the US and may be reluctant to arrest hackers that target the West. These are important sentences, but they’re not likely to change the digital landscape.

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China internet rules call for algorithms that recommend ‘positive’ content

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The new rules are due to take effect on March 1st, and also call for tighter management of accounts, sign-ups, moderation and “rumors.”

Governments have lately stepped up attempts to regulate algorithms, although China’s approach is very different than that from other countries. A recent US Senate bill aimed to eliminate bias in algorithms, but China is explicitly advocating bias — it sees this automated code as a vehicle for the party agenda. The country is clearly concerned that recommendation engines could suggest ‘dangerous’ material that censors might otherwise catch, and it doesn’t want to take any chances.

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Messaging app ToTok is reportedly a spying tool for the UAE

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There appear to have been attempts to cover up ToTok’s roots. It’s officially developed by Breej Holding, but that’s believed to be a front for DarkMatter, a cyberintelligence company run by UAE intelligence officials and former operatives from the NSA and Israeli military intelligence. The software is also linked to Pax AI, a data mining company linked to DarkMatter that operates from the same building as the UAE’s signals intelligence agency (shown above) — and a place DarkMatter called home until recently. the software itself is believed to be a lightly modified clone of a Chinese app, YeeCall.

Breej, the UAE and the CIA have declined to comment. The FBI said it wouldn’t comment on a particular app, but stressed that it wants users to be conscious of the “potential risks and vulnerabilities” they can pose.

Both Apple and Google have pulled ToTok from their respective app stores. Google said the app violated unnamed policies, while Apple explained that it was still researching the chat client. However, the damage might already be done when hordes of people already have the app. The tactic is also disconcerting by its very nature. If this is accurate, the UAE effectively convinced millions of people to hand over their information to spies without a fight. It underscores the importance of using encrypted apps — they not only keep outside intruders away, they often prevent developers themselves from tracking your activity.

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San Francisco loosens facial recognition ban to allow newer iPhones

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The change is mirrored in smaller towns. Wired noted that Brookline, Massachussetts recently passed a ban that exempted personal devices, while the Bay Area town of Alameda is considering similar legislation.

These loosened rules recognize a common problem: it’s difficult to completely avoid facial recognition technology in the modern era. While you don’t always have to use the tech when it’s available, even lower-priced phones and computers may come with it as an option. Cities either have to find workarounds or treat certain kinds of facial recognition as different. Face ID, for instance, is a strictly on-device security measure where the ban is primarily targeted at surveillance.

As it is, the city’s ban might have come just in time to avoid serious privacy headaches. The SFPD confirmed to Wired that it had started a 90-day test of a facial recognition-based mugshot search system in January 2019, or right when politicians were proposing a ban. The department disabled access once the trial expired, but it only “dismantled” the servers for it once the facial recognition ban took effect in July. Police officers could have been using facial recognition tech extensively without the public even knowing about it — that alone could justify the ban for critics, even if some tweaks are necessary.

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‘Cats’ is getting new special effects while it’s still in theaters

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Reportedly, the updated movie is available for theaters to download today (December 22nd) from a satellite server, while those theaters that can’t download it will get a hard drive by December 24th. Universal declined to comment.

The tweaks aren’t likely to change the general outlook on the movie, which has been… less than favorable. Many viewers are still likely to experience the uncanny valley as they watch anthropomorphized felines dance on screen. However, the edits do ensure that what you see on screen is (probably) Hooper’s definitive take on the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical without having to wait months for downloads, streams or Blu-ray discs.

The question is whether or not you’ll see this happen going forward. Like game developers (who all too often release day one patches), movie studios are under pressure to release major titles before the holidays and other key moments. It may be tempting to rush out a holiday movie or summer blockbuster knowing that it can be fixed later. However, many people will only see a movie in theaters once — a flawed special effect could sour crowds on a given title and reduce the chances they’ll watch at home.

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