Tag Archives: interesting features

Why putting a script in /etc/cron.hourly is not working?

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As you’ve probably seen in the comments to your question, the cronjobs in /etc/cron.hourly (and the other, similar directories) are executed by run-parts. run-parts is a little picky about filenames. By default it doesn’t execute files whose filenames contain anything other than (all of those from ASCII)

  • uppercase letters
  • lowercase letters
  • digits
  • underscores
  • dashes (“minus signs”)

So if your script has a filename of for example “myscript.sh”, it just is ignored, because run-parts does not like the dot.

Source: Why putting a script in /etc/cron.hourly is not working? – Ask Ubuntu

LOL!

Facebook (FB) Paid Contractors to Transcribe User Audio Files

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In follow-up answers for Congress, the company said it “only accesses users’ microphone if the user has given our app permission and if they are actively using a specific feature that requires audio (like voice messaging features.)” The Menlo Park, California-based company doesn’t address what happens to the audio afterward.

Source: Facebook (FB) Paid Contractors to Transcribe User Audio Files – Bloomberg

Facebook first started allowing Messenger users to have their audio transcribed in 2015. “We’re always working on ways to make Messenger more useful,” David Marcus, the executive in charge of the service at the time, said in a Facebook post.

Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Resolve

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Beauty Box is simple and automatic to use. This video plugin automatically identifies skin tones and creates a mask that limits the smoothing effect to just the skin areas. Just apply the filter, let it analyze the video, set a few Smoothing options, and let the plugin render to make skin retouching incredibly easy. That’s it!

Source: Plugins & Filters for Video: Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Resolve : Digital Anarchy

J.C. Penney’s troubles are reflected in satellite images of its parking lots

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Orbital Insight, a venture capital-funded satellite intelligence startup based in Palo Alto, tracks 250,000 parking lots for 96 retail chains across the U.S.

Source: J.C. Penney’s troubles are reflected in satellite images of its parking lots | The Outline

Orbital Insight’s parking lot figures track pretty closely with J.C. Penney’s stock price.

Your Samsung SmartTV Is Spying on You, Basically

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A single sentence buried in a dense “privacy policy” for Samsung’s Internet-connected SmartTV advises users that its nifty voice command feature might capture more than just your request to play the latest episode of Downton Abbey.

“Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party,” the policy reads.

via Your Samsung SmartTV Is Spying on You, Basically – The Daily Beast.

Slack now letting employers tap workers’ private chats

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The data collection does not happen automatically. There is a several-step process for team owners to request access, which includes sending a signed letter on company letterhead to Slack stating that the company’s policies allow that kind of access. Each request is reviewed by Slack for approval, the company says.

Once granted, workers on the team are notified of the data access, which includes all messages from that point forward. The feature is not retroactive.

via Slack now letting employers tap workers’ private chats | ITworld.

From: Slack: Be less busy.

Slack is a platform for team communication: everything in one place, instantly searchable, available wherever you go.

The oRouter Is A Tor-Powered Linux Box That Secures Your Internet Connection

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As an end user, the process of using the oRouter is designed to be exceedingly simple. It’s zero configuration, meaning that you plug it in and then connect to the Wi-Fi network it provides. Unlike the Tor download, it requires no additional software in order to work. Once connected, as you browse the web and use online services, you’re actually using Tor (via Wi-Fi), thereby securing your communications from eavesdropping. In addition, for an extra layer of security, the oRouter’s MAC address (hardware address) changes every 10 minutes.

via The oRouter Is A Tor-Powered Linux Box That Secures Your Internet Connection | TechCrunch.

Dropbox’s Next Chapter: Corporate Customers, IPO, Condi Rice, and Eddie Vedder

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Many corporations altogether forbid the use of Dropbox (including Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg Businessweek). Security software maker Symantec (SYMC) posts online instructions on how clients can block Dropbox, while Citrix (CTXS), which provides a competing product, found Dropbox to be one of the most blacklisted applications by companies in a 2012 report. Even businesses that use Dropbox often do so with caution. “It’s extremely convenient to share marketing materials,” says Markus Ament, chief product officer of Taulia, a five-year old cloud-computing startup. “We try to avoid using Dropbox for sensitive data. Right now, we’re not taking any chances.”

via Dropbox’s Next Chapter: Corporate Customers, IPO, Condi Rice, and Eddie Vedder – Businessweek.

Renault’s Off-Roader Concept Launches a Drone Out of Its Roof

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Forget taco-copters or same-day shipping — drones are the perfect companion for off-roaders. They can scout locations, keep tabs on terrain, and when you’re back on paved roads, give you a heads up about that tool that flipped his pickup on your morning commute. And that’s exactly what the Renault Kwid concept is promising.

The French automaker is looking to get back into the Indian market, where high-riding compact crossovers are the norm, and the Kwid is Renault’s attempt at getting up-and-coming younger buyers into the fold.

via Renault’s Off-Roader Concept Launches a Drone Out of Its Roof | Autopia | Wired.com.