June's Digital Life from Lökwest - we're back in person, plus news, scam updates, and more!
We're coming to you a bit later this June, but thanks for tuning in anyway to catch up on some of the best-curated tech news around!
This month, we're announcing the return of in-person appointments and reminding you of our new online school. Then, catch up on the latest technology news, an update on digital crime, and more! Finally, listen for yourself to see if we've found the real Alexa, and hear Robert DiNiro speak flawless German.
There's exciting technology to read about every month, so we hope you enjoy this issue.
Onsite appointments available
I have been fully vaccinated for COVID since May 23rd. After a long hiatus, I am now accepting in-person appointments again. If you have technology items on your list that you put off during the pandemic, now's the time to catch up! For availability and pricing, just contact us or visit bookings.lokwest.com. As always, remote support appointments are available with a wider range of time slots.
Note: A travel surcharge will apply to appointments outside of San Clemente.
Come back to school with us
The Common Sense Digital Academy is here! Based on our popular tech talks, you can walk through these courses at your own pace. The best part is, our school will work in a web browser or on your phone via the Gurucan app!
Take Get Your Inbox to Zero or Manage Your Passwords Like a Boss! for only $29 per course. This includes lifetime course access, access to our curated link list, and special discounts on future services.
We’ll see you in school! 🙂
Digital crime update
RockYou 2021 Breach Exposes 8.4 Billion Passwords: Check Now If Your Data Have Been Leaked! — www.itechpost.com
In the words of DJ Khalid - ANOTHER ONE! A password leak called the RockYou 2021 breach has been recently reported, and yours might be one of the 8.4 billion entries leaked on the internet. Now's the time to review your password policy (and maybe take our online course while you're at it?) 🙂
Beware: Walmart phishing attack says your package was not delivered — www.bleepingcomputer.com
Here's one in a long line of post-pandemic phishing scams we've seen. This e-mail looks like a notification from Walmart about a delivery problem. In reality, the scammers are grabbing your personal info and verifying you have a good address to attack further. If you're having an issue with an order, go directly to the company's website to check!
Anom app designed by FBI ensnares alleged criminals as police make more than 800 arrests — www.washingtonpost.com
How do you catch a criminal? Setup your own encrypted chat app and phone, sell it to the underground, sit back and listen. For nearly three years, law enforcement has been sitting in alleged crime figures’ back pockets.
Technology news
IBM’s Revolutionary 2nm Chip Uses Components Smaller Than a Strand of DNA — www.reviewgeek.com
As phones and computers grow more demanding, manufacturers are searching for powerful chips that use less energy. Now, IBM is giving us a glimpse of the future with the world’s first 2nm chip. That figure doesn't mean much unless you consider that each transistor in this chip is smaller than a strand of human DNA (at 2.5 nanometers).
Cerebras launches new AI supercomputing processor with 2.6 trillion transistors — venturebeat.com
On the other end of the spectrum, here's another chip announcement. Cerebras Systems has unveiled its new Wafer Scale Engine 2 processor with a record-setting 2.6 trillion transistors and 850,000 AI cores. Yep, that's almost a million processors on this one slice of silicon!
Google I/O 2021: the biggest announcements — www.theverge.com
Google just finished its I/O 2021 keynote, where it announced updates coming to Android, Workspace, and more. Check out some of the biggest updates to the Google ecosystem right here. The most "sci-fi" application announced was Project Starline - check it out in this video:
In the voice department
Meet the real Alexa: voice actor reportedly responsible for Amazon’s AI assistant revealed — www.theverge.com
Even synthetic voices like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri have a human origin. Nina Rolle, a voiceover actor, and singer from Colorado is reportedly the voice of Alexa. Amazon hasn’t confirmed this, but Rolle’s voice makes a compelling case on its own. Listen to the audio clips and judge for yourself - did we just find Alexa?
This AI makes Robert De Niro perform lines in flawless German — arstechnica.com
In the near future, you won't be daunted by the task of reading subtitles in foreign films. Technology related to deepfakes helps match facial movements to dialogue, and it's being developed to provide seamless overdubbing in multiple languages. You have to watch De Niro speaking German to believe it!
In tech history...10 Mhz is top of the line
June 8, 1978 - Intel introduced the 16-bit 8086 processor with clock speeds of 10, 8, and 5 MHz. The 8086 would become the basis for the series of processors used in “IBM Compatible” PCs and the x86 family (later marketed under the name “Pentium”) would dominate the market in the PC era.
Ironically, however, it was the modified 8-bit 8088 processor that was used in the original IBM PC, primarily due to factors that would reduce overall cost. The current line of Intel “Core” processors are still based on the same architecture that was introduced with the 8086.
Let's compare to 2021. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 - today's flagship mobile phone processor, has eight CPU's. One runs at 2840 MHZ, three more at 2420 Mhz, and 4 more at 1800 Mhz.
In closing
It's finally summer. We'll see you out there!