It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S.A., which means it’s time to slow down for a beat and remember those who sacrificed. It’s also the unofficial beginning of summer and a Monday and a day for family barbecues. So, if you need something to stare at on your phone to avoid talking to your uncle Larry who has strong political opinions and a shocking amount of potato salad stuck in his goatee, you can hang out right here with us. Here’s a rundown of the biggest tech stories you missed last week.
Catch up on the Last Week in Tech podcast
There is no new episode of LWIT this week, which makes this a great time to dig into the backlog. Go back to last week or dig back several months and remember a time before Elon Musk went totally bonkers. You can follow us on SoundCloud, subscribe on iTunes, or add us on Stitcher.
The great Alexa butt dial freak out of 2018
Last week, a Portland woman claimed that her Amazon Echo Dot device started secretly recording her private conversation—without prompting—and then sent a clip of it to one of her husband’s co-workers. While there were plenty of theories online as to how it happened, an Amazon representative told me that it was basically a butt dial. The Echo Dot heard what it thought was a wake word (like Alexa), and then it interpreted pieces of the conversations as commands once it was listening. The whole thing seems very unlikely, but it’s not the first issue Amazon has had with its voice recognition tech—Alexa was randomly laughing earlier this year and it was really freaking people out.
GDPR happened! The inbox onslaught is finally over
GDPR Inbox syndrome
E-mail sure is fun.
Stan Horaczek
Right before the long weekend, your inbox probably endured a bombardment of privacy policy emails pertaining to the new General Data Protection Regulation that went into effect on May 25th. If you’re curious about what exactly this means for your web surfing experience, you can check out this summary here.
The Essential Phone 2 isn’t happening—at least for now
The Essential Phone
The ambitious project from one of Android’s creators just never caught on.
Essential
On paper, Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone seemed like a promising and ambitious device. It had an edge-to-edge display with a notch cut out, which has since become the standard. It used a clean version of Android free of the bloat that comes with an LG or Samsung phone. And the magnetic port on the back for easily attaching and swapping accessories was truly impressive. Unfortunately, consumers just weren’t buying the $700 device. Now, the Essential Phone 2, which was originally slated for 2019 release, is officially on hold. The future of the company is uncertain at the moment, but it reportedly still has plans for more products down the road.
Take a Twitter time machine back to 2008
Using a specific set of search terms, you can look at your Twitter feed as it would have appeared a decade ago. The filter shows you an ordered stream of everything your pals tweeted in 2008. It’s fun, and probably a little awkward.
The NTSB released its initial report about the fatal Uber crash
The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating the fatal self-driving Uber crash that happened back in March and now it has issued its initial report. It appears Uber’s system saw the pedestrian, but had difficulty classifying her as a person. The car realized emergency braking was necessary, but doesn’t have the capacity to do it on its own, and has no way to alert the driver that they should start braking.
Disney’s Stickman is not quite ready for Cirque Du Soleil
Eventually, Disney World will be rife with robots like a cheerful Westworld. Right now, however, the bots are still learning to perform. Disney Research showed off this stick-style robot that’s built to do backflips from a trapeze. It’s not as impressive as the Boston Dynamics bots that can now go for a casual job, but it’s fun to watch this stick-shaped bot flop onto those mats.
Razer has a new gaming laptop and external GPU enclosure to help you wreck people at Fortnite
The Razer Blade is a top-tier gaming laptop, and now Razer has refreshed the line with some promising updates, including slimmer bezels and eighth generation Core i7 processors. In addition to the new computers, Razer introduced the Core X external GPU, which would otherwise be too wimpy to get optimal in-game performance. The Core X isn’t as powerful as the $500 Core V2, but at $300, it’s a lot cheaper than a full-fledged gaming PC.
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Tech
Drones over 250g must be registered with government
By James Pepper, news reporter
Drones weighing over 250g will have to be registered with the government as part of a new crackdown launched today.
The new laws will also ban drones from flying above 400ft, less than 150ft from people or buildings or within 1,000 metres of airport boundaries.
It follows several near misses with aircraft.
People who flout the new rules could face an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison.
Anyone who wants to use a drone will also have to take an online safety test under the new legislation, which has taken the CAA’s Drone Code and put it into law from 30 May.
Owners who fail to register their technology or sit the competency tests could be fined up to £1,000.
Image: Drone pilots will have to sit a safety test under new rules.
Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg said: “We are seeing fast growth in the numbers of drones being used, both commercially and for fun.
“Whilst we want this industry to innovate and grow, we need to protect planes, helicopters and their passengers from the increasing numbers of drones in our skies.”
The number of incidents involving drones and aircraft has risen from six in 2014 to 93 last year.
Gatwick Airport chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe said: “We welcome the clarity that today’s announcement provides as it leaves no doubt that anyone flying a drone must stay well away from aircraft, airports and airfields.
0:26 Video: New laws introduced to restrict drone use
“Drones open up some exciting possibilities but must be used responsibly. These clear regulations, combined with new surveillance technology, will help the police apprehend and prosecute anyone endangering the travelling public.”
The government says that ensuring drones are being used safely paves the way for the devices to play an increasingly important role in society.
They are already being used to save money in the nuclear and other power industries, to monitor the rail transport network and by the media.
In addition to the new measures, a draft Drones Bill will be published this summer, which will give police more on-the-spot powers if drones are being used inappropriately.
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Image: Gatwick Airport chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe has welcomed to clarity on the issue of drones.
Drone operators will eventually be required to use apps so they can access information to ensure planned flights can be made safely and legally.
The Department for Transport says model aircraft flying associations are working with the CAA to make sure drone regulations do not impact their activity.
Tech
Scientists create hair dye from Ribena blackcurrants
By Lucia Binding, news reporter
Blackcurrant skins left over in the production of Ribena have been used to create a new type of hair dye.
Scientists at the University of Leeds developed the new technique by extracting natural colouring from the waste skins.
Colour chemist Richard Blackburn said the aim was to create a more natural alternative to existing products.
“Because of issues and concerns around conventional dyes, we wanted to develop biodegradable alternatives that minimise potential risks to health and offer consumers a different option,” he said.
Blackcurrant skins contain high concentrations of anthocyanins – pigments that provide colour to many berries, flowers, fruits and vegetables.
“They are non-toxic, water soluble and responsible for pink, red, purple, violet and blue colours, and are widely used as natural food colourants all over the world,” Dr Blackburn said.
“We knew they bound strongly with proteins – hair is a protein – so we thought if we could find an appropriate source of these natural colours, we might be able to dye hair.”
Patented technology developed by the scientists enables the pigment to be extracted from the fruit to provide intense red, purple and blue colours on hair.
Further colours can be created – including brown tones – by mixing the blackcurrant pigment with natural yellow.
The colours are expected to last for at least 12 washes, similar to other semi-permanent dyes on the market, according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Dr Blackburn said the berries “represent a sustainable supply of raw material because of how much blackcurrant cordial we drink”.
Researchers are commercialising the groundbreaking technology through a University of Leeds spin-out company, Keracol Limited, under the brand Dr Craft.
There have been concerns over whether ingredients in common synthetic hair dyes can cause cancer, and their effects on the environment are unknown.
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Line 18: ‘Staggering’ figures lay bare deadly divide between North and South
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Some ingredients found in conventional dyes, such as paraphenylenediamine (PPD), are known irritants that can trigger allergic reactions.
The new blackcurrant hair dyes are expected to go on sale by the summer.
Tech
Here’s what kind of data genetics testing companies can share
Technology
And how to delete your account if you want.
It’s natural to want to scratch at the itch of identity—and these days you can, for about $99. But what do the companies do with your genetic information?
Tech
iOS 11.4 finally cleans up text conversations with Messages in iCloud
Gadgets
Text message slobs rejoice.
Deleting a message on your iPhone will now finally delete it across the rest of your devices.
Tech
How to start composting at home
Environment
Organic waste doesn’t belong in a landfill. Use this kit to turn it into mulch your plants will devour.
Leftover salad and the pear you forgot about in the back of the fridge don’t belong in a landfill. Use this kit to turn it into mulch your plants will devour.
