All posts tagged: idea

I had no idea Android’s navigation buttons could do all this

I had no idea Android’s navigation buttons could do all this

Published by Miika Tikkanen

If you use an Android phone, you probably tap the same three icons at the bottom of the screen. The triangle takes you back; the square shows your open apps; and the circle takes you to the home screen. This is the mindless way you’re accustomed to. Those three buttons are far more functional than you’ve ever imagined. The standard navigation only scratched the surface. I transformed them from the boring navigation options you know into a powerhouse command center. I configured these on my Samsung Galaxy A72 running One UI, but the underlying mechanics are universally built into Android. The instant app switcher Double-tap the square Typically, when I tap the Recents button, I wait for the animation to appear, then scroll through the cards to find the app I need. However, within that same button is a faster shortcut I had not noticed. Double-tapping Android’s square button on the 3-button navigation bar toggles between the two most recently used apps. It’s very similar to the Windows Alt + Tab function. In daily life, …

MFA verifies who logged in. It has no idea what they do next.

MFA verifies who logged in. It has no idea what they do next.

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Every MFA check passed. Every login was legitimate. The compliance dashboard was green across every identity control. And the attacker was already inside, moving laterally through Active Directory with a valid session token, escalating privileges on a trajectory toward the domain controller. This is the scenario playing out inside enterprises that invested heavily in authentication and assumed the job was done. The credential was real. The multi-factor challenge was answered correctly. The system performed exactly as designed. It authenticated the user at the front door and never looked again. The breach didn’t bypass MFA. It started after MFA succeeded. Authentication proves identity at a single point in time. Then it goes blind. Everything that follows, the lateral movement, the privilege escalation, the quiet exfiltration through Active Directory, falls outside what MFA was ever designed to see. A CIO found the gap in production Alex Philips, CIO at NOV, identified the gap through operational testing. “We found a gap in our ability to revoke legitimate identity session tokens at the resource level. Resetting a password isn’t …

Why fans obsess over the idea of a third park at Disneyland

Why fans obsess over the idea of a third park at Disneyland

Published by Sam Flores

Last week, news organizations and Disney bloggers learned that the Mouse House had filed building permits with the city of Anaheim related to a parking structure at Disneyland Resort. That immediately sparked rumors about a third park — a long-held dream of Walt Disney Co. fans who want to see more rides, themed areas and Mickey-related shopping destinations. But that will remain a dream — at least for the foreseeable future. Anaheim city officials confirmed as much in an internal email about one of the news articles, noting to City Council members and the mayor that the permits were, in fact, for minor parking lot improvements within the existing Toy Story parking structure off Harbor Boulevard. The email, which was reviewed by The Times, said the improvements were not related to an already-approved expansion of Disneyland Resort, or “what could ultimately be developed on the property in the future.” A Disneyland spokesperson told me the permits are related to painting and striping at the Toy Story parking structure. So much for a third theme park. …

OLED banding is worse than burn-in, and most TV shoppers have no idea it exists

OLED banding is worse than burn-in, and most TV shoppers have no idea it exists

Published by Miika Tikkanen

I worry way too much about display defects on modern TVs. Up until recently, I was terrified of OLED burn-in until I found these 3 settings. Y’know what has troubled me even more since I picked up my first “Organic Light Emitting Diode” screen back in 2015? OLED banding. Unless you’re a massive AV-obsessed nerd like myself, you may not know what banding actually is. In short, it typically manifests as a series of thin vertical lines across a screen (though they can also appear horizontally). It’s a subtle issue that, once you notice it, though, can prove incredibly tough to unsee. Let me explain exactly what display banding is, and provide tips on how to alleviate this issue. Related Don’t buy a cheap OLED TV before checking these 5 specific specs It might not be worth it without them. What is OLED banding? Breaking down this annoying screen issue Credit: Dave Meikleham \ MakeUseOf OLED banding is a type of display defect that is caused during the manufacturing process. Because not all TVs are created …

The Allbirds Pivot Is a Terrible Idea … Right?

The Allbirds Pivot Is a Terrible Idea … Right?

Published by Daniella Wilson

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Walk into any Silicon Valley office in the late 2010s, and you’d probably see at least one pair of Allbirds. Woolly and eco-friendly, the sneakers once epitomized a certain kind of corporate culture (even Barack Obama was a fan), and the company behind them was valued at roughly $4 billion at its peak, in 2021. But for several years, sales have flagged. Attempts to replicate the success of its signature product—see: wool leggings and wool underwear—didn’t do much to keep the business afloat. Earlier this year, Allbirds sold most of its holdings for pennies and closed its remaining retail stores. Now it has a last-ditch idea: a hard pivot to AI. The plan, announced yesterday, is to change its name to NewBird AI and spend $50 million from an unnamed investor on specialized chips called GPUs, which it will …

This is how we do it: ‘I love the idea of only knowing one person intimately for the rest of my life’

This is how we do it: ‘I love the idea of only knowing one person intimately for the rest of my life’

Published by Sam Flores

Veronika, 18 double quotation markThere have been days when we’ve been on the phone for 10 hours at a stretch Part of me always hoped I’d have a love story like my parents, who were college sweethearts and are still crazy about each other 30 years later. Maybe that’s why it felt so natural to me that Fabio and I were serious about our future together from the moment he asked me out two years ago. We were just 16 and 17 at that point, and still dealing with the madness of A-levels (not to mention applying to universities on different sides of the Atlantic), but while most of our friends split up after sixth form, we never even considered it, though admittedly long-distance has been way harder than I expected. Before Fabio and I started dating, I’d only ever been kissed once – badly – so he’s the first person I’ve shared my body with in any real way. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hook-up culture, but I’ve always been clear that …

OpenAI Says Not to Worry About UBI, Because It Has Another Idea

OpenAI Says Not to Worry About UBI, Because It Has Another Idea

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech As AI companies warn of mass automation and the end of work as we know it, ChatGPT maker OpenAI has published a sweeping policy paper outlining its vision of who should call the shots once “superintelligent AI” goes online. Beneath the paper’s flowery rhetoric is something familiar: a powerful corporation arguing that the best way to provide for the poorest people in the world is to let the richest do whatever they want. The paper starts off by warning — ironically — that superintelligent AI could concentrate wealth among a small number of companies. Its solution to this problem, at a time when nearly 48 million Americans already struggle with hunger, is a “public wealth fund,” which would be a program that provides “every citizen” with a “stake in AI-driven economic growth.” Instead of expanding tested programs like a universal basic income or unemployment insurance, in other words, OpenAI’s proposal is to hitch the public’s wellbeing to the …

I had no idea 5G was actually slowing my phone down

I had no idea 5G was actually slowing my phone down

Published by Miika Tikkanen

5G was hailed as the transformative change in cellular internet connectivity. Gigabit speeds, near-zero latency, and instant downloads were all parts of the pitch. I’ve been on a 5G phone for years now, and network coverage has spread far and wide. Despite that, something feels off. Pages load at the same speed, if not slower. Videos can sometimes buffer, and internet speed tests don’t really show much of a difference. If anything, my 5G network seems to be delivering worse speeds than good old LTE somehow. 5G isn’t always the upgrade you think it is Why some “5G” connections are barely better than 4G 5G is not a single technology. Instead, it’s a range of frequencies grouped into three different tiers: low-band, mid-band, and high-band (also called mmWave). Each one of these behaves differently, almost like a completely different network. The mmWave 5G you commonly see in advertisements runs at frequencies above 24 GHz and can theoretically achieve speeds over 1 Gbps. But it comes with a major catch: terrible range. It can’t penetrate walls, …

The Rejected Idea For Daniel Pemberton’s Score

The Rejected Idea For Daniel Pemberton’s Score

Published by Daniella Wilson

When filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller first called Daniel Pemberton about Project Hail Mary, the conversation started with wood blocks. Not metaphorically — literally. The directing duo had an idea that the entire film could be scored on a single percussion instrument. Pemberton loved the spirit of it. He also told them, with his characteristic directness, that it probably wouldn’t sustain a two-and-a-half-hour film. That exchange says something about how this particular creative partnership works. And why it keeps producing results. Andy Weir had already proven that his brand of rigorously researched, deeply human science fiction could fill a movie theater. The Martian, his debut novel adapted by director Ridley Scott in 2015 with Matt Damon, grossed over $630 million worldwide and earned seven Academy Award nominations. When Project Hail Mary was still in manuscript form, Ryan Gosling moved quickly, acquiring the rights from Weir to star in and produce the sci-fi adaptation. Lord and Miller, the creative duo behind The Lego Movie, the Jump Street franchise and the Spider-Verse films, came aboard to …