It has become the Internet’s defining business model: free online
services make their money by feeding on all the personal data generated
by their users. Think Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn, and how they serve
targeted ads based on your preferences and interests, or make deals to
share collected data with other companies (see “What Facebook Knows”).
Before
the end of this year, Web users should be able to take a more active
role in monetizing their personal data. Michael Fertik, cofounder and
CEO of startup Reputation.com,
says his company will launch a feature that lets users share certain
personal information with other companies in return for discounts or
other perks. Allowing airlines access to information about your income,
for example, might lead to offers of loyalty points or an upgrade on
your next flight.
Hacker and computer security researcher Barnaby Jack died last week.
I was lucky enough to meet him in 2010 to film footage for the video
below explaining his most famous hack, which made ATMs spit out money
like jackpotting slot machines. The demonstration took place in Jack’s
home at the time, in San Jose. When he opened the door I saw the man
himself, friendly and laid back, and the two ATMs he had installed in
his kitchen.
Researchers reverse-engineered a list of keywords blacklisted on various messaging platforms.
Party line: A screenshot of Sina Weibo shows messages posted by a member of the Jiu San Society, a Chinese political party.
China’s surveillance of its citizens’ digital activities is common
knowledge. However, questions remain concerning what content is
targeted by government censors and how these blacklists change in
response to current events.
New software tracks a person’s facial expressions and maps
it—in real-time—onto a digital character, whether that might be an alien
or an ape. The technology could make it easier to create computer
animated characters that closely match the expressions of an actor.
To get started, just shake your head once in front of the
Kinect sensor the software uses so it can capture an impression of the
shape of your face. The mapping gets better over time, because as a
person moves his or her face, the system works to learn its shape
better, producing a more accurate mimic. The software was created by Hao
Li, Jihun Yu, Yuting Ye, and Chris Bregler of Industrial Light and
Magic.
When it comes to gesture-control systems like Microsoft’s Kinect,
some applications—like gaming—are obvious. Others—like controlling your
window blinds—are less so.
Yet that’s the kind of functionality Waterloo, Ontario-based startup
Thalmic Labs is hoping will be possible with its first product, an
armband called Myo that’s slated to start shipping late this year to
some of the company’s earliest customers.
