POP | TECH | JAM

June is Internet Safety Month, but it hasn’t been very safe for the personal information of 198 million people, which got exposed by sloppy data handling. The notoriously private Apple got trolled as well when a top-secret meeting about stopping data leaks got, er, leaked. After wading through the tech headlines of the week,  El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the merits of RAID, as well as how to turn your smartphone into a handy magnifier for those annoying moments when you actually have to read the fine print. Episode 239 of Pop Tech Jam awaits you. Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * GOP data firm accidentally leaks personal details of nearly 200 million American voters (Gizmodo) * UpGuard welcomes security expert Chris Vickery (UpGuard) * Leaked recording: Inside Apple’s global war on leakers (The Outline) * Apple’s Tim Cook asked President Trump for coding requirement at US schools (Apple Insider) * Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion (Business Insider) * Amazon plans cuts to shed Whole Foods’ pricey image (Bloomberg) * Time Warner just handed Snapchat a $100 million lifeline (CNBC) * FTC and two state attorneys general challenge proposed merger of the two largest daily fantasy sports sites, DraftKings and FanDuel (FTC.gov) * Evolution of Dropbox’s Edge Network (Dropbox blog) * Connecting more Americans with jobs (Google blog) * You asked, and we’re answering (Uber blog) * Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg joining Apple to lead video programming (Apple Newsroom) * Google launches exclusive Play Music feature for Galaxy S8 (Android Authority) * Atari CEO confirms the company is working on a new game console

Geek hearts around the globe were broken this past week with the passing of Adam West, the actor who created the iconic interpretation of Batman on the eponymous mid-1960’s television show. Dan Greenfield, editor of the 13th Dimension website devoted to comics, joins El Kaiser and J.D. for a discussion about West’s impact as a performer, role model and pop-culture stalwart. One the tech side of the news this week: Big changes at Uber, big announcements from the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and big bucks for the Drone Racing League. Join on in — and let’s all pour out a Bat-40 for Mr. Adam West. Links to Stories on This Week’s Show * Russia’s cyber attack on 39 states could jeopardize future US elections (CNBC) * The malware used against the Ukrainian power grid is more dangerous than anyone thought (Motherboard) * Uber CEO to take leave, diminished role after workplace scandals (Bloomberg) * Uber’s Michael is said to blame board, not behavior, for ouster (Bloomberg) * E3 2017: all the announcements from gaming’s biggest show (TechRadar) * The original Age of Empires is being remade for the PC (TechRadar) * Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a cult classic 15 years in the making (TechRadar) * E3 2017 News (GameSpot) * Facebook reportedly adding publisher subscription feature (Axios) * Amazon rolls out contact blocking for Alexa voice-calling feature (GeekWire) * Andy Rubin’s Essential phone announces carrier availability and it’s… Sprint (Ars Technica) * Essential Phone (Essential) * Drone racing league raises $20 million from Sky, Liberty Media, WWE (Variety) * Adam West, straight-faced star of TV’s ‘Batman,’ dies at 88 (Hollywood Reporter) * Adam West Saved My Life (About Men Radio) *

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference opened this week, bringing a ton of announcements and new-product demos to the faithful. Don Donofrio drops by to sort it all out with El Kaiser and JD. Meanwhile, governments fight with the Internet on multiple fronts and a certain Amazon Princess conquers the worldwide box office. All this and more on Episode 237! Links to Stories in This Week’s Episode * Top-secret NSA report details Russian hacking effort days before 2016 election (The Intercept) * Contractor charged with the first leak under Trump (The New York Times) * London attack: Tech firms fight back in extremism row (BBC) * Uber fires more than 20 employees in harassment probe (Bloomberg) * Major web companies and public interest groups announce Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality (Fight for the Future) * July 12th: Internet-wide day of action to save Net Neutrality (Battle for the Net) * IDC: Wearables grew 17.9% in Q1 2017, Xiaomi and Apple overtake Fitbit (VentureBeat) * SteamVR is coming to Mac—and Apple says it will actually work (Ars Technica) * (9to5Mac) * Microsoft leak reveals new Windows 10 Workstation edition for power users (The Verge) * Wonder Woman sets a record opening for a female-directed feature (BoxOfficeMojo.com)  Apple Stuff * Apple previews iOS 11 * Apple introduced the new iPad Pro * Apple refreshes the iMac * Apple updates the MacBook and MacBook Pro * Apple gives a sneak peak at the new iMac Pro * Apple demos macOS High Sierra *

On this week’s show. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss Google and Twitter’s current wave of privacy-policy changes and data-sharing with advertisers (all taking place before Facebook’s latest flap). Also in the news this week: patent trolls, resolution motion-sensor camera, Russian hackers actually hacking Russians and Iris, the data-sniffing dog. Buffer up and have a listen to Episode 236 of Pop Tech Jam! Links to Stories in This Week’s Episode * Revealed: Facebook’s internal rulebook on sex, terrorism and violence (The Guardian) * U.S. top court tightens patent suit rules in blow to ‘patent trolls’ (Reuters) * Apple and Nokia settle patent dispute with new licensing agreement (MacRumors) * Nokia and Apple sign patent license and business cooperation agreement, settle all litigation (Apple Newsroom) * Google now knows when its users go to the store and buy stuff (The Washington Post) * The most important announcements from Google I/O 2017! (Android Central) * Exclusive: Nest is working on a 4K camera with advanced smart features (Android Police) * Hackers hit Russian bank customers, planned international cyber raids (Reuters) * DISH Debuts Hands-Free TV on Hopper DVR with Amazon Alexa (About DISH) * Meet the new Surface Pro (Windows Blog) * Hackers defeat Samsung Galaxy S8 iris scanner (Security Week) * Meet Iris of the FBI’s canine force who has a nose for data (NBC News) * Building new data controls and updating our privacy policy (Twitter blog) * Twitter’s updated privacy policy, effective June 18th, 2017 (Twitter)

Journalist Laura M. Holson is back in the house this week with a discussion of how the cosmetics superstore Sephora is using technology and social interaction to sell beauty products. On the opposite side beauty, though, is the ugly — and last week’s massive global ransomware outbreak even got into fugly territory. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the attack and the other notable news bits of recent days in this jam-packed episode of Pop Tech Jam. Links to Stories Mentioned on This Week’s Show * In computer attacks, clues point to frequent culprit: North Korea (The New York Times) * Ransomware’s aftershocks feared as U.S. warns of complexity (The New York Times) * ‘Accidental hero’ halts ransomware attack and warns: this is not over (The Guardian) * The WannaCry ransomware hackers made some real amateur mistakes (Wired) * The need for urgent collective action to keep people safe online: Lessons from last week’s cyberattack (Microsoft on the Issues) * HTC wants you to squeeze its new phone (The Verge) * Snap unveils new camera ads trying to stay ahead of Facebook (Bloomberg) * Instagram launches selfie filters, copying the last big Snapchat feature (TechCrunch) * Nintendo developing ‘The Legend of Zelda’ smartphone game (The Wall Street Journal) * Latest update brings new features to Google Home (AndroidHeadlines) * Apple plans laptop upgrades to take on Microsoft (Bloomberg) * The MP3 is officially dead, according to its creators (The Record : NPR) * Your MP3s are going to be just fine (The Washington Post) *

Facebook scrambles to blunt the effects of fake news on the United Kingdom’s upcoming election, John Oliver and his fans have suggestions for the Federal Communications Commission, Amazon’s been busy and could a fried-chicken sandwich be headed for space? El Kaiser and J.D. chew through this week’s headlines and Don Donofrio drops by with an Apple status update. All this and more on Episode 234 of Pop Tech Jam! Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * Facebook aims to tackle fake news ahead of U.K. election (The New York Times) * Facebook publishes fake news ads in UK papers (BBC News) * Austrian court rules Facebook must delete ‘hate postings’ (Reuters) * John Oliver just crashed the FCC’s website over Net Neutrality—again (Motherboard) * The FCC says an attack — not John Oliver — hampered its website (The Washington Post) * You can now upload Instagram photos from its mobile website (The Verge) * Limitless Snaps (Snapchat blog) * Amazon unveils the $230 Echo Show, with a screen for calls, shipping June 28 (TechCrunch) * Amazon to control 70 percent of the voice-controlled speaker market this year (TechCrunch) * Amazon’s Echo family can now make calls and send messages (Engadget) * Alexa Calling (Amazon) * Harman Kardon Invoke featuring Cortana (Windows Experience) * HARMAN Reveals the Harman Kardon Invoke™ Intelligent Speaker with Cortana from Microsoft (Harman Kardon pressroom) * Tender Wings of Desire (Amazon ebook) * As KFC promises to launch sandwich into space,

Twitter continues its experiments with live streaming video, Facebook is handing out coupons, there’s a new flavor of Windows 10 coming to town — and also maybe an Apple-branded talking Siri speaker on the way. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all on this week’s episode, while throwing a Tech Term and a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint into this week’s mix as well. Join us! Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * New premium video content coming to Twitter (Twitter Blogs) * Twitter still thinks it’s a TV platform — and here are its dozen new shows (Recode) * Social media companies “shamefully far” from tackling illegal and dangerous content (UK Parliament) * Facebook Promoted Alex Hardiman to Lead Its News Products (Adweek) * ‘Facebook Rewards’ QR codes dangle discounts for offline purchases (TechCrunch) * Presidential Executive Order on the Establishment of the American Technology Council (The White House) * Try out a fresh look for YouTube (YouTube blog) * Windows 10 S is Microsoft’s answer to Chrome OS (The Verge) * Intel patches remote code-execution bug that lurked in chips for 10 years (Ars Technica) * Major apps abandoning Apple Watch, including Google Maps, Amazon & eBay (Apple Insider) * Fitbit’s first post-Pebble smartwatch leaks with a mostly familiar design (9to5Google) * IAC to Buy Angie’s List in deal valued at over $500 million (Bloomberg) * Herrera repels legal challenge to short-term rental law, secures settlement with Airbnb and HomeAway (City Attorney of San Francisco) * Amid brick-and-mortar travails, a tipping point for Amazon in apparel (The New York Times)

Love is all around as the unofficial 2017 Geek Summer Movie Season gets ready to roll next week with the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in theaters ‚ with Wonder Woman, King Arthur, and another Spider-Man right behind.  After a stomp through the week’s tech headlines (including the hunt to shoot down fake news and drones you can fly with your head) El Kaiser and J.D. discuss some of the most anticipated films on the way over the next few months. Ooga-chaka-ooga-ooga! Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launches Wikitribune, a large-scale attempt to combat fake news (Nieman Lab) * Wikipedia founder to fight fake news with new Wikitribune site (The Guardian) * Our latest quality improvements for Search (Google blog) * Uber’s C.E.O. plays with fire (The New York Times) * Tim Cook reportedly threatened to pull Uber from App Store (CNet) * We can do better (Unroll.me) * HipChat security notice (HipChat blog) * YouTube restores ‘wrongly blocked’ LGBT videos (BBC News) * (YouTube Creators blog) * DJI’s new FPV goggles let you control your drone with head movements (TechCrunch) * Cassini completes final — and fateful — Titan flyby (NASA) * The power of LinkedIn’s 500 million member community (LinkedIn blog) * Popular antivirus program mistakenly IDs Windows as threat, creating chaos (NBC News) * Marissa Mayer will make $186 Million on Yahoo’s sale to Verizon (The New York Times) * Computer pioneer Harry Huskey dies aged 101 (BBC News) *

Are we ready for the vending machines to silently judge us based on our snack habits? Some New Yorkers will find out soon as new models equipped with artificial intelligence are making their way to town. Meanwhile the disruptors are getting some disruption themselves, Facebook’s F8 conference brings new announcements, there’s a new Star Wars trailer out and El Kaiser and J.D. wonder if it’s time for iTunes to retire. Grab a bag of chips or your favorite meat-stick product and settle in for a listen here on Episode 231! Links to Stories in This Week’s Show * Inside the hotel industry’s plan to combat Airbnb (The New York Times) * New York moves to require Uber to provide tipping option in its app (The New York Times) * Facebook Spaces: A new way to connect with friends in VR (Facebook) * The 4 most important things Facebook just announced (Time) * Manhunt in Cleveland after video of killing posted to Facebook (NBC News) * Community Standards and Reporting (Facebook Newsroom) * Netflix falls short on users without a ‘House of Cards’-size hit (Bloomberg) * Apple readies iPhone overhaul for smartphone’s 10th anniversary (Bloomberg) * Apple is having trouble getting the iPhone 8’s signature feature to actually work (BGR.com) * Comment: Rumored Apple TV account switching in tvOS 11 may suggest multi-users for iPad with iOS 11 (9to5Mac) * Samsung says Bixby voice assistant won’t ship with Galaxy S8 (Axios) * PayPal teams up with Android Pay for mobile payments (TechCrunch) * Steve Ballmer serves up a fascinating data trove (The New York Times) * Introducing new ways to organize your saved posts (Instagram blog) * Introducing New World Lenses (Snap blog) * Artificially intelligent vending machines are coming to NYC (Time Out New York) *

Things got loud last week down in Dallas, but it wasn’t just at a Mavericks game as hackers managed to set off every public-safety alarm in the city and freak out a lot of people. Meanwhile, a Russian spam king got collared, a new version of Windows 10 rolled out and Google confronted accusations about a gender pay gap at the company. This week’s episode also features the welcome return of journalist Laura M. Holson to the Pop Tech Jam recording table as she offers insight on her recent story about John Dean, the White House counsel back in Richard Nixon’s Watergate days — and a discussion on how some things never change. Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * Spain arrests Russian thought to be kingpin of computer spam (The New York Times) * Alleged spam king Pyotr Levashov arrested (Krebs on Security) * Hacking attack woke up Dallas with emergency sirens, officials say (The New York Times) * That Dallas siren hack wasn’t novel—it was just really loud (Wired) * Aviation officials warn: Don’t fly drones over US military bases (Ars Technica) * Airplane cell phone calls won’t be allowed in US any time soon (Ars Technica) * Microsoft’s Minecraft set to launch its own currency (Bloomberg) * Comcast is planning a Netflix rival using NBC shows (Bloomberg) * Introducing the New Instagram Direct (Instagram blog) * Google accused of ‘extreme’ gender pay discrimination by US labor department (The Guardian) * Our focus on pay equity (Google) * Similar items: Rich products feature on Google Image Search (Google Webmaster blog) * Microsoft finally says goodbye to Windows Vista (The Verge) *

Protections for consumer privacy and data collection took a hit this past week, as regulations were rolled back into nonexistence — sending some concerned Netizens to software they hope will help shield their online activity.  The big question: Does it work? Meanwhile, Yahoo and AOL take an Oath, Samsung’s Galaxy S8 reveals some enviable features, Amazon finds yet another way to get your cash and Google tries to make sure perfectly nice advertisements don’t end up on hateful YouTube videos.  Join El Kaiser and J.D. as they discuss it all in Episode 229! Links to Stories in This Week’s Show * Amazon launches Amazon Cash, a way to shop its site without a bank card (TechCrunch) * Amazon Cash (Amazon) * 5 Samsung Galaxy S8 features Apple should steal for iPhone 8 (Macworld) * Microsoft touts Microsoft-customized edition of Samsung Galaxy S8 (ZDNet) * Apple Mac Pro design was a bad bet, admits firm (BBC) * Facebook rocket: what is the new icon? (Wired UK) * Artificial intelligence is key to defeating future hackers (The Hill) * Google training ad placement computers to be offended (The New York Times) * Spotify Premium users will get some albums two weeks before free users (TechCrunch) * Verizon announces new name brand for AOL and Yahoo: Oath (The New York Times) * Marissa Mayer will not be part of the new AOL-Yahoo combined company called Oath (Recode) * FCC limits order on Charter extending broadband service (Reuters) * ACA pleased FCC eliminated broadband overbuild mandate in Charter-TWC-BHN merger order (American Cable Association) * New bill would crack down on border phone searches without warrants (The Verge) * The Protecting Data at the Border Act (United States Senate) * Trump signs bill to roll back privacy rules into law (Electronic Frontier Foundat...

It’s not been a great week for the algorithms:  Elon Musk downloaded a few concerned thoughts on the state of artificial intelligence to Vanity Fair, the F.B.I.’s facial recognition database has some glitches and Amazon’s shopper-tracking software gets confused when you put something back on the wrong shelf. But on the bright side, Hidden Figures,  story about real human intelligence, arrived as a digital home-video download, so the week wasn’t all bad. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all — and a bunch of other tech news in between — on this week’s handcrafted episode of Pop Tech Jam. Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * Introducing Live Location in Messenger (Facebook Newsroom) * More ways to share with the Facebook Camera (Facebook Newsroom) * Samsung to set the principles to recycle of returned Galaxy Note7 devices in an environmentally friendly way (Samsung Newsroom) * Facial recognition database used by FBI is out of control, House committee hears (Guardian) * Elon Musk takes on the “A.I. apocalypse” (Axios) * Elon Musk’s billion-dollar crusade to stop the A.I. apocalypse (Vanity Fair) * Elon Musk forming company dedicated to merging humans with machines (Consumerist) * Apple releases iOS 10.3 with Find My AirPods, Apple File System, CarPlay updates, more (9to5Mac) * Pages, Numbers, & Keynote for Mac and iOS add editing features & Touch ID for password protected docs (9to5Mac) * Download iOS 10.0 – iOS 10.3 information (Apple) * Security Update for the LastPass Extension (Last Pass blog) * Amazon’s store of the future is delayed. Insert ‘Told ya so’ from skeptical retail execs (Recode) * Amazon unveils 2 grocery pickup locations in Seattle (Seattle Times) * Expanding pre-roll ads to Periscope video (Twitter blog) * Comcast plans to launch low-cost broadband skinny TV bundles across U.S.

It seems like everybody’s got something on the way this week: Samsung’s new phone waits in the wings, Amazon’s Alexa is calling in for a six pack, robots are rolling out with restaurant orders and Apple even quietly slipped a few new products into the retail channel. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all — including that very special package sent down from the International Space Station. Links to This Week’s News Stories * Bixby: A new way to interact with your phone (Samsung Mobile Press) * Galaxy S8 leaks: The 10 biggest leaks you missed over the weekend (BGR) * Alexa, order from Prime Now! (BusinessNews) * eBay to roll out guaranteed delivery for 20 million items (PR Newswire) * DoorDash will start delivering food via robots in California this Thursday (BuzzFeed News) * O-MG, the Developer Preview of Android O is here! (Android Developers Blog) * With Project Torino, Microsoft creates a physical programming language inclusive of visually impaired children (Microsoft blog) * Apple’s next big thing: Augmented reality (Bloomberg) * Apple introduces Clips: The fun, new way to create expressive videos on iOS (Apple) * New 9.7-inch iPad features stunning Retina display & incredible performance (Apple) * Apple introduces iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED special edition (Apple) * US to ban laptops and tablets on flights from eight countries (BBC News) * Q&A: Aviation security enhancements for select last point of departure airports with commercial flights to the United States (Department of Homeland Security) * A simple command allows the CIA to commandeer 318 models of Cisco switches (Ars Technica) *

The Pi Day Northeast Blizzard of 2017 may have blown through, but El Kaiser is still powering through a nasty winter cold to get to this week’s tech and science news with J.D. — which features quite a bit of hacker activity, as well as an update on our old friend Boaty McBoatface. Episode 226 here also takes a look at public beta programs you can join to see the latest software first. Interested? Just push play to find out more! Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment * SXSW Interactive is still the most valuable business weekend of the year (Mashable) * Microsoft quietly delivers two Windows Update surprises (ZDnet) * Almost 48 million Twitter accounts are bots (Axios) * Sonic cyber attack shows security holes in ubiquitous sensors (University of Michigan) * Now you can navigate in Waze within Spotify; play Spotify music within Waze (9to5Google.com) * Pandora Premium will change the way you listen to Music (Pandora blog) * Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer could get $23 million severance package after Verizon deal closes (Variety) * U.S. charges Russian FSB officers and their criminal conspirators for hacking Yahoo and millions of email accounts (US Department of Justice) * Russian agents were behind Yahoo hack, U.S. says (The New York Times) * Verizon sought $925 million penalty for Yahoo’s lax security (Associated Press) * Send and request money in your Gmail app on Android (Google blog) * Introducing the Family Link app: Helping families navigate technology together (Google blog) * Get started with Family Link (Google) * PlayStation Now: Stream PS4 games in 2017 (PlayStation blog) *

The hills are alive with the sound of buzzing drones, leaking data and the thwack of fake news getting smacked down. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all, as well as Shazam’s jump into augmented reality, smaller Windows 10 updates and Consumer Reports stepping it up to evaluate the security of new smart-home devices. Just press Play to get a fresh helping of the week’s news, a Tech Term and a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint — all in one episode! * WikiLeaks releases trove of alleged C.I.A. hacking documents (The New York Times) * Consumer Reports to begin evaluating products, services for privacy and data security (Consumer Reports) * ‘Spammers’ exposed in data back-up slip-up (BBC News) * Future Windows 10 updates will require 35-65% less space, offer better Windows Update controls (Extreme Tech) * Snapchat’s parent craters for the first time, drops more than 12% (CNBC) * Facebook begins flagging ‘disputed’ (fake) news (USAToday) * Facebook failed to remove sexualised images of children (BBC News) * Suspect OKs Amazon to hand over Echo recordings in murder case (CNN) * Oops! Google caught spreading fake news over the weekend (CNET) * How is news marked as disputed on Facebook? (Facebook) * The Switch is the fastest-selling console in Nintendo history (Engadget) * How does Nintendo Switch actually stack up at a party? (Ars Technica) * Pulse: Let’s share, emote, and discover more together (Twitch blog) * Shazam launches first scaled augmented reality solution for brands worldwide (Shazam)