The Human Screenome Project wants to record everything we do on our smartphones

The Human Screenome Project wants to record everything we do on our smartphones

Is constant smartphone surveillance still terrifying if it’s for science?

Three Stanford University professors announced in Nature Wednesday that they had undertaken an intensive new study of the way humans interact with our devices. They call it the Human Screenome Project, a name that nods to the famous Human Genome Project, a 13-year-long international scientific undertaking that successfully mapped human DNA.

Their proposal for a Human Screenome Project endeavors to make a similarly granular measure of smartphone use (rather than human genetics). And like human DNA, researchers say the data they’ll collect — rapid, constant screenshots of real-time smartphone activity, called “screenomes” — would be primed for big data analysis and more in-depth research on the societal impact of smartphones. The idea is that, collectively, our screenomes could shed light on what our smartphone usage looks in a more meaningful way than current measures. Read more…

More about Screen Time, Tech, Smartphones, and Health

Robert Downey Jr. dishes on the end of Iron Man and leaving the door open for more

Robert Downey Jr. dishes on the end of Iron Man and leaving the door open for more

All things end, but when it comes to Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s extra hard to let go. 

Robert Downey Jr. visited Today on Wednesday to talk about his upcoming turn in Dolittle, and host Hoda Kotb had to ask — is he sad about Iron Man’s end?

“Now that I’m middle-aged, to be honest, you start looking at the back nine and you go, ‘Oh, this is part of the journey as you…that things end.’ You know, everyone is going somewhere,” Downey replied.

That may be true as of Avengers: Endgame (and the sadder parts of Spider-Man: Far From Home), but Kotb pointed out that things — movie franchises in particular — rarely end these days. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Movies, Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr., and Avengers Endgame

NASA’s new video is grim

NASA's new video is grim

NASA has some unsettling news. 

In 140 years of modern record-keeping, 2019 was the second hottest year on record, which means that 19 of the last 20 years are now the warmest in recorded history.

In a video just over one-minute long, NASA gives a succinct rundown of climate trends since 1880. In 2019, Earth, relentlessly warming, was more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit (just over 1 degree Celsius) warmer than it was in the late 1800s. As the space agency pointed out, this warming resulted in 2019’s unprecedented fires and the ramped-up melting of Greenland’s vast ice sheet.

“We crossed over into more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit warming territory in 2015 and we are unlikely to go back,” Gavin Schmidt, the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said in a statement. “This shows that what’s happening is persistent, not a fluke due to some weather phenomenon: We know that the long-term trends are being driven by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Read more…

More about Nasa, Science, Global Warming, Climate Change, and Science

Why fitness trackers may not give you all the ‘credit’ you hoped for

Why fitness trackers may not give you all the ‘credit’ you hoped for

January is a time when many people make resolutions – and then break themAlmost 60% of Americans will resolve to exercise more, but fewer than 10% will stick with their resolution. A key to keeping resolutions is ensuring they are measurable, and a simple way to track activity is through a wearable smartwatch or fitness tracker. Indeed, almost one in five adults has used a fitness tracker.

Wearable fitness trackers can also help improve medical care by providing insights into physical activity, heart rate, location and sleep patterns. My research team uses wearable fitness tracker data with smart home sensors to help older adults live safely and independently. We also study wearable fitness tracker data along with electronic medical records and genomic data to investigate the causes of gestational diabetes. Many other researchers utilize wearable fitness trackers to better understand how lifestyles can impact health. Read more…

More about Wearables, Fitness Tracker, Tech, and Consumer Tech

17 Android Apps Caught Hiding and Displaying Aggressive Ads

17 Android Apps Caught Hiding and Displaying Aggressive Ads

We all rely on Apple and Google to keep malicious software out of its app stores, but the vetting system Google uses for Android apps is in desperate need of review. 17 vetted and popular apps have been hiding their presence on devices and showing aggressive ads to users.

The apps in question are listed below and in total have been downloaded over 550,000 times:

  • Car Racing 2019

  • 4K Wallpaper (Background 4K Full HD)

  • Backgrounds 4K HD

  • QR Code Reader & Barcode Scanner Pro

  • File Manager Pro – Manager SD Card/Explorer

  • VMOWO City: Speed Racing 3D

  • Barcode Scanner

  • Screen Stream Mirroring

  • QR Code – Scan & Read a Barcode

  • Period Tracker – Cycle Ovulation Women’s

  • QR & Barcode Scan Reader

  • Wallpapers 4K, Backgrounds HD

  • Transfer Data Smart

  • Explorer File Manager

  • Today Weather Radar

  • Mobnet.io: Big Fish Frenzy

  • Clock LED Read more…

More about Android, Ads, Google Play, Tech, and Big Tech Companies

Google will ‘phase out’ cookies in Chrome — just not anytime soon

Google will 'phase out' cookies in Chrome — just not anytime soon

Google says it will “phase out” one of the main tools that allows companies to track you across the web.

The company plans to eliminate support for third-party cookies in Chrome over the next two years. Google’s announcement, which comes well after Chrome’s main competitors have made similar updates, could be a major win for privacy advocates who have long decried the use of cookies for enabling companies to surreptitiously track users’ browsing habits. 

But, as we’ve previously noted, Google’s attempts to limit cookies could also give the company a major leg up on advertising competitors, as it would reduce third-parties’ ability to keep tabs on users. Read more…

More about Tech, Google, Privacy, Chrome, and Tech

Trump stumbles into encryption debate, tells Apple to unlock iPhones

Trump stumbles into encryption debate, tells Apple to unlock iPhones

Donald Trump has some words for his old pal, Tim Apple. 

The President of the United States once again lost his cool Tuesday afternoon, tweeting that Apple must assist authorities in their efforts to unlock iPhones. In other words, Trump finally got on the encryption-backdoor train. 

“We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers  and other violent criminal elements,” wrote Trump. “They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2020 Read more…

More about Privacy, Donald Trump, Encryption, Iphones, and Tech