Here’s why your iPhone may have received strange texts last night
By Malcolm Owen Thursday, November 07, 2019, 10:56 am PT (01:56 pm ET)
A batch of text messages sent months ago were delivered to iPhones and other mobile devices in the United States early in the morning of November 7, with the mysterious message delivery most likely linked to the rollout of the recently-launched Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, a number of US mobile users discovered they were receiving text messages at an unusual time of day. The messages, which included both texts from companies and from people the recipients know, all appear to have been originally sent around the time of Valentine’s Day in February.
The messages were not limited by mobile device producer or operating system, which effectively rules out services like Apple’s iMessage that are limited to iOS devices like the iPhone. The affected users were also not limited to a specific carrier, with customers of all the major mobile networks in the US seemingly falling victim to the problem.
The out-of-context nature of the messages led to posts on Twitter and Reddit complaining about their occurrence, reportsPopular Mechanics. As the messages seemed like they were legitimately sent by the sender, this caused some confusion between the two parties, and with many not necessarily keeping messaging logs that go as far back as February, many are left without the ability to check if the messages were originally received correctly.
While there is no official statement from any of the carriers explaining why the event took place, radio station 92 Mooseadvises U.S. Cellular confirmed there was an issue with an update to the Cross-Carrier Messaging System. According to the representative, the glitch affected several carriers, and is unlikely to result in any more messages from Valentine’s Day reappearing.
Some customers have also reported similar responses from the support teams of other carriers via social media.
Officially announced in October, the Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative is based on GSMA’s Rich Communications Service industry standard to improve messages between customers on the different carriers. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all signed up for the venture, which aims to develop and deploy the interoperable messaging service in 2020, initially to Android devices.
CCMI is expected to enable an enhanced experience to privately send individual or group chats across carriers with high-quality pictures and videos, as well as to help customers interact with brands and perform transactions, such as paying bills or scheduling appointments. Most importantly, it aims to create a “single seamless, interoperable RCS experience across carriers, both in the US and globally.”
Given the large number of people who would be affected by the system’s implementation, it seems likely Apple would have to include support for it in Messages in the future.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 11-07-2019, 07:43 PM - Forum: Windows
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En garde! Wearable IoT and AI keep fencers on point
“I can immediately address weaknesses I didn’t even know that I had. I’m feeling more confident about performing my best.”
RaceFit’s solution has also been extended to other sports like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) training, cycling and tennis. Soon, RaceFit plans to expand the usability of its app to team sports, like football.
Beyond fencing
The technology is not just for coaches and high-end competitors. Anyone can use RaceFit in their regular lives. It comes with an exercise app with customizable routines. The app lets you know immediately if any of your movements need improvement, like if your hip position is too high while planking. It can keep track of your progress over time and prescribe new exercises to help you reach your fitness goals.
Additional sports, like cycling and running, are supported by downloadable modules.And more sports and exercises are being added to the list.
RaceFit co-founder and CEO Graham Mak says, “We are not limited to those exercises. We are only limited to human motion. If a customer says, ‘I’m in a canoe club and I want a canoe program,’ then we can do something like that.”
When a problem is identified, coaches can develop a training regimen to address it. They can also monitor an athlete’s progress remotely.
Mak also has plans to aid physical therapists. Wearing a simpler version of the sensor contained in a single band, patients can perform exercises as instructed by the therapists. The device will help the physical therapist determine if they do it correctly. “This will save a lot of time and it can be done with multiple patients at the same time.”
Dennis Poon, the company’s Chief Experience Officer, says physiotherapists who use the RaceFit system “can definitely take care of more patients and, more importantly, they will be able to monitor their recovery.”
A similar use is applicable to older people, especially those who live alone. According to the Hong Kong government, around 20% of adults over 65 have a fall at least once a year. Most of those report some kind of injury and nearly 10% break a bone. Since the RaceFit sensors give a complete picture of human movement, the system would know, for example, if a person has fallen down and needs assistance.
The company has been able to change its business model by being nimble as it embraces new technologies.
“What is the active and inactive times in a day? And, what about the time walking or sitting or lying on the bed? What does it represent? And, how can it affect health outcomes?” Mak says.
A long way from the garment industry
RaceFit’s journey to understanding human movement began with a much more pedestrian goal. According to Mak, his team just wanted to make a smart garment to revitalize the traditional apparel industry.
After three years of R&D, they decided to change direction and were inspired by the kind of motion-capture suits you see used in a Hollywood special effects production.
That led Mak to ask: “What if we understand motion and make recommendations afterwards?” They realized that by using Microsoft Azure cloud, they could build their own AI solution to focus on fitness ability management. “For example, when you do a push-up, did you do it correctly or incorrectly?”
By being nimble, changing direction, and embracing new technologies, Mak and his team have created new business models that have transformed the company.
Poon sums it up this way, “We started our company focusing on Sports and Fitness, but we’ve gone way beyond that already.”
Tuning your bash or zsh shell on Fedora Workstation and Silverblue
This article shows you how to set up some powerful tools in your command line interpreter (CLI) shell on Fedora. If you use bash (the default) or zsh, Fedora lets you easily setup these tools.
Requirements
Some installed packages are required. On Workstation, run the following command:
On Workstation, install using the following command:
sudo dnf install fontawesome-fonts
On Silverblue, type:
sudo rpm-ostree install fontawesome-fonts
Powerline
Powerline is a statusline plugin for vim, and provides statuslines and prompts for several other applications, including bash, zsh, tmus, i3, Awesome, IPython and Qtile. You can find more information about powerline on the official documentation site.
Installation
To install powerline utility on Fedora Workstation, open a new terminal and run:
Note: On Silverblue, before proceeding you need restart.
Activating powerline
To make the powerline active by default, place the code below at the end of your ~/.bashrc file
if [ -f `which powerline-daemon` ]; then powerline-daemon -q POWERLINE_BASH_CONTINUATION=1 POWERLINE_BASH_SELECT=1 . /usr/share/powerline/bash/powerline.sh
fi
Finally, close the terminal and open a new one. It will look like this:
Oh-My-Zsh
Oh-My-Zsh is a framework for managing your Zsh configuration. It comes bundled with helpful functions, plugins, and themes. To learn how set Zsh as your default shell this article.
Once installed, you can select your theme. I prefer to use the Powerlevel10k. One advantage is that it is 100 times faster than powerlevel9k theme. To install run this line:
Close the terminal. When you open the terminal again, the Powerlevel10k configuration wizard will ask you a few questions to configure your prompt properly.
After finish Powerline10k configuration wizard, your prompt will look like this:
If you don’t like it. You can run the powerline10k wizard any time with the command p10k configure.
Enable plug-ins
Plug-ins are stored in .oh-my-zsh/plugins folder. You can visit this site for more information. To activate a plug-in, you need edit your ~/.zshrc file. Install plug-ins means that you are going create a series of aliases or shortcuts that execute a specific function.
For example, to enable the firewalld and git plugins, first edit ~/.zshrc:
plugins=(firewalld git)
Note: use a blank space to separate the plug-ins names list.
Then reload the configuration
source ~/.zshrc
To see the created aliases, use the command:
alias | grep firewall
Additional configuration
I suggest the install syntax-highlighting and syntax-autosuggestions plug-ins.
Colorls is a Ruby gem that beautifies the terminal’s ls command, with colors and font-awesome icons. You can visit the official site for more information.
Because it’s a ruby gem, just follow this simple step:
sudo gem install colorls
To keep up to date, just do:
sudo gem update colorls
To prevent type colorls everytime you can make aliases in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc.
alias ll='colorls -lA --sd --gs --group-directories-first'
alias ls='colorls --group-directories-first'
Also, you can enable tab completion for colorls flags, just entering following line at end of your shell configuration:
source $(dirname ($gem which colorls))/tab_complete.sh
New Game-Changing Features Revealed For Pokémon Sword And Shield
Several new details have been revealed for Pokémon Sword and Shield today, all of which showcase new features that will have a rather significant impact on the way players train.
You can see a brief summary of the features in the video above, but we also have the full rundown for you below, directly from The Pokémon Company. The list includes new items – such as the Mint – which can help a Pokémon’s stats to grow quickly, and changes in the way that Egg moves work.
New Items and Features for Training Pokémon New items that will help Trainers raise their Pokémon will be introduced in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.
Each Pokémon has a Nature that can impact which of its stats are likely to grow faster or slower than average. Using a Mint on a Pokémon seems to change these stat-growth patterns and will impact which stats of a Pokémon are likely to grow faster than usual. Mints will not change a Pokémon’s Nature.
Special supplements Nutritious drinks like Protein and Iron raise a Pokémon’s base points, which in turn help raise that Pokémon’s stats. If two Pokémon are of the same species but one has more base points, the Pokémon with more base points will grow stronger. Until now, there has been a limit on how many special supplements could be used on a Pokémon. In Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, Trainers will be able to max out a Pokémon’s base points using only these supplements. Normally, Pokémon earn Exp. Points through battling. If a Trainer uses an Exp. Candy, they will be able to give their Pokémon Exp. Points directly. Exp. Candy can be earned in Max Raid Battles. Changes to Egg Moves Sometimes, a Pokémon hatched from an Egg will know unusual moves called Egg Moves. Egg Moves are moves that a Pokémon normally wouldn’t be able to learn through more common means, like leveling up or using TMs. In Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, if two Pokémon of the same species are placed at a Pokémon Nursery together, an Egg Move that one them knows can be passed on to the other Pokémon. A Pokémon can only learn an Egg Move in this way when it knows three or fewer moves.
The announcement also includes a couple of welcome tweaks to the norm:
Pokémon Boxes Pokémon that aren’t on a Trainer’s team can be deposited into Pokémon Boxes. In these games, Trainers will not only be able to access their Pokémon Boxes in various towns and facilities but also while they’re on the road or even when exploring tall grass. Pokémon can be swapped in and out of a Trainer’s team whenever the Trainer wants, though there are a few places, such as mission areas where a Trainer takes on a Pokémon Gym, where Trainers won’t be able to access their Pokémon Boxes. Nicknames If a Pokémon that has been received in a trade doesn’t have a nickname, Trainers will now have the chance to give it a nickname—but only once. This can be achieved by speaking to the man standing behind the left-hand counter in any Galar region Pokémon Center. Like previous Pokémon video games, the name of a traded Pokémon that already has a nickname cannot be changed.
That’s not all, either, as it has also been revealed that from launch day – Friday, 15th November – until early January 2020, players will be more likely to encounter Gigantamax Butterfree in Max Raid Battles. Presumably, this signifies that other Gigantamax Pokémon may also receive similar ‘boosted’ periods where you’ll be more likely to encounter them.
Earlier today, it was also revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will host their first online battle competition this December.
Hardware Review: Go-tcha Evolve – The Pokémon GO Plus Killer
Accessory maker Datel has had two attempts at making the ultimate Pokémon GO companion device: the Go-tcha and the Go-tcha Ranger. Both mimic the functionality of the Pokémon GO Plus (and the later Pokéball Plus) but with one massive advantage – they automate functions such as swiping nearby Pokéstops and catching ‘mon, so you don’t have to interact with the device at all; it does all of the busy work for you.
We really like both of the previous Go-tcha devices, but with one huge caveat – both of our review units completely failed after a few months (we actually had two of the original Go-tcha units die on us). Reliability is clearly a big problem with these devices, which makes reviewing the Go-tcha Evolve a little tricky; as much as we like it (and believe us, we do), we can’t be entirely sure it will still be ticking over in six months. But for the time being, let’s approach this latest accessory with a fairly open mind.
Go-tcha Evolve Review: Design And Functions
Like the original Go-tcha, the Go-tcha Evolve resembles a fitness tracker. It’s a much larger unit than the original, but its design is arguably less obnoxious, so you don’t need to feel self-conscious about wearing it in public (it’s certainly a lot less obvious than the Pokémon GO Plus with its flashing multicolour LED). The strap is available in four colours – Dynamic Grey, Trailblazer Blue, Globetrotter Green and Daredevil Red – and is pretty comfortable. The main unit has a reasonably bright colour screen which displays information and cute little animations, and can be interacted with via a single touch-sensitive button.
Charging is handled by a full-size USB port which is accessed by removing the upper part of the strap. This is quite a tough process (so much so that the unit comes with an instruction sheet focused purely on how to charge the device) and it often feels like you’re going to break something; Datel recommends that you remove it by pulling it at a 45-degree angle. This connection also means that the Go-tcha Evolve isn’t water-resistant, so you’ll want to make sure you remember to take it off before having a bath or shower. The unit takes about 1 and-a-half hours to fully charge, and a charge lasts a fair few days, depending on how much you use the device. For example, after a week of fairly casual use, our unit still has a single bar of battery remaining.
Tapping the single button on the front of the unit wakes it from sleep, and subsequent taps move you through the menu system one option at a time. You can choose to toggle things like auto-catching (of both known and unknown monsters – you can choose to ignore ones you already have in your Pokédex) and auto-swiping of Pokéstops, as well as vibration alerts. The unit will also show if your Go-tcha Evolve is currently connected to your phone, and you can choose to have it display the time and date when it wakes from sleep, instead of the standard startup animation. You can choose to turn off the automatic processes if you so wish, and manually tap the device to execute a catch or Pokéstop swipe.
But that’s not all! There’s a pedometer that tracks how many steps you’ve taken, and it’s pretty accurate from what we can ascertain – it kept pace with our Apple Watch, at least. You can also choose to totally silence the device so no alerts come through, which is handy when you’re in a quiet environment and don’t want it constantly flashing and vibrating. Speaking of the latter, the motor inside the Go-tcha Evolve is a little bit feeble and unless you’re standing totally still, you often can’t feel when it’s vibrating.
The Go-tcha Evolve is listed as being compatible with the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR devices with iOS 10.0 or later installed. We’d also assume that the latest iPhone 11 models are supported. On the Android side of things, the requirement is a device with 2 GB RAM or more, Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth Ver. 4.0 or higher) capability, and Android 5.0 or higher. There’s a dedicated app available for both iOS and Android which allows you to toggle various settings more easily, as well as download firmware updates for the device itself. To connect the Go-tcha Evolve to the app, you’ll need to make sure it’s not currently connected to Pokémon GO itself.
As you might expect, the Go-tcha Evolve behaves very much like a Pokémon GO Plus, albeit with the ability to automate functions. Pokémon GO sees the device as a Pokémon GO Plus, so there’s no way that Niantic can ‘disable’ it from the app (it’s worth stressing that this product is 100% unofficial and not sanctioned by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company or Niantic). However, it also means that the Go-tcha Evolve is subject to the same limitations as the Pokémon GO – namely, it won’t stay connected forever and often disconnects at seemingly random times. We assume this has much to do with how your phone handles RAM management (we were using an iPhone XR, which has a rather pathetic 3GB of memory), but it’s hardly a deal-breaker; when it happens, you just open the app, tap the Pokémon GO Plus icon, wake the Go-tcha Evolve and the connection is re-established.
Go-tcha Evolve Review: The Verdict
Right now, we can’t fault the Go-tcha Evolve. It improves on the original model and the full-colour screen is a real bonus. It’s slightly larger, but it’s not what we’d call an ugly product – so there’s no real shame in being seen wearing it when you’re out and about. Battery life is good, and the fact that it tracks your steps as well as helps your monster hunting makes it even more appealing (especially as the process of playing Pokémon GO is sure to boost your daily step count).
The real question is: how long will this thing last? Datel’s track record in this regard leaves something to be desired, and while we can’t say for sure that the Go-tcha Evolve will suffer the same fate as its flaky predecessors, we can only offer a cautious recommendation at present. We’ll update this review if the situation changes over the next few months, but for the time being, this appears to be the dream device for dedicated Pokémon GO players.
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4K Gaming Is "Useless," Says Former Limbo And Inside Dev
Dino Patti thinks that 4K gaming is of little consequence to developers, and is just yet another PC and console upgrade being advertised to help sell hardware. Patti is the co-founder and former CEO of Playdead--the developer behind Limbo and Inside--who left the studio in 2016 and went on to start new companies.
"I think [4K gaming] is useless," Patti said at Reboot Develop, according to VG247. "It's something that's being pushed by tech vendors to push the next console." Both Microsoft and Sony's next-gen consoles--Project Scorpio and PS5 respectively--will support 4K and have a max output resolution of 8K.
"[Manufacturers] don't respect the natural evolution of games and you force technology," he added. "Microsoft with Kinect, they paid studios to make a lot of s***ty games."
After leaving Playdead, Patti went on to be the co-founder for both Coherence and Jumpship. Coherence is working to create a cloud-based, open-source development platform. Jumpship is in the midst of developing its first game, Somerville, which tells a science fiction story about the lives of people who survive a global catastrophe. In terms of both tone and graphics, it looks a lot like Limbo and Inside--games that don't necessarily require 4K graphics to convey their unsettlingly eerie atmosphere.
"I want to select a path by myself and not be drawn in by money from tech vendors," Patti said. "There's a lot of people that see something shiny and follow that. You can definitely see all the herd walking one way and falling."
Back at Playdead, the studio is currently in the midst of developing its third game, which is still unannounced. Playdead has been teasing the project since January 2017, when the studio tweeted an image from the new game. Since then, Playdead has included additional images and concept art in tweets and job postings for the new game--the latter of which have also implied that this third title will take place in a 3D space as opposed to the 2D side-scroller format seen in Limbo and Inside.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 11-07-2019, 08:41 AM - Forum: Lounge
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On the Power Climb
Since the release of Shadowkeep, we’ve been watching the community climb in Power as they’ve embraced the Seasonal Artifact to take on the Nightmares of the Moon. The Gate Lord’s Eye provides not only unique perks for players to earn, but additional Power to give Guardians an edge when taking on pinnacle content.
A few among you have been hard on the grind, looking to reach heights in Power that some may only dream of achieving. [I am Savathûn, ravenous!] Last night, Bagel4k was the first to reach Power level 999. [I have set the snare and baited the trap] Following the guidance of a lore piece, they’ve also taken on the Shattered Throne dungeon, solo, in hopes of breaking the curse of the Dreaming City. [Is victory so easy, hero?] The claims made in the “Truth to Power” lore book were ambiguous. Now that they have been put to the test, the curse has yet to be broken… [I am the finality, the reward—I am the true ending]
To our friend Bagel4k,
[This is another gift]
You’ve spent countless hours defeating the enemies of the Last City, steadily increasing your Power to challenge the darkness that is consuming the Dreaming City. [Your strength is my strength] We’ve been watching, alongside the community, as you’ve come to the doorstep of being the first Guardian in Destiny history to have a four-digit Power level. [Your victory is my victory] We are humbled by your dedication, and while this may not have broken the curse… we can say without question that you have become Legend. [My jaws are wide and I am waiting]
Thank you for playing, and we can’t wait to see how high you climb each season.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 11-07-2019, 08:40 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Video: Game preservation lessons learned on EA’s biggest sports games
In this 2019 GDC talk Electronic Arts’ Garrett Fredley discusses the struggles and challenges of his work preserving releases for multiple big-budget sports franchises, sharing lessons learned that nearly every team can benefit from.
This is a great talk to watch, even if you aren’t deeply invested in game preservation, because it sheds light on the rarely-discussed challenges of archiving and preserving big-budget games within large companies.
Along the way, Fredley touches on everything from creating guidelines for how preserved work that correlates with several teams (engineering, content, marketing, web and mobile companion apps, etc) should be handled to convincing teams to follow protocols that best support future re-mastering (convincing them to keep documentation, utilizing version control solutions, etc).
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 11-07-2019, 04:58 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Norman Reedus Is Happy Silent Hills Didn't Get Made
Despite the attention Hideo Kojima's ill-fated Silent Hills grabbed, Norman Reedus, the star of Kojima Productions' first title, is glad the project fell through because Death Stranding is "way better."
Reedus, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, was asked if there were any similarities between Death Stranding and Silent Hills. He said the two are invariably different and is happy Silent Hills didn't work out. "When that went away, I was bummed, but when Hideo described what we were doing next, I completely forgot about it. I was like, thank god that didn't work, because this is way better. This is a completely different thing."
Reedus also discussed how he came into contact with Kojima, stating director Guillermo del Toro told him to say yes to a guy who called about doing a video game. This conversation, according to Reedus, happened roughly three years ago, when the two began working on Silent Hills. After Silent Hills' cancellation in 2015, Reedus said he was contacted to do a brand-new game--Death Stranding.
"So Hideo, Guillermo, and I were going to do another game, a Silent Hills game, but Konami and Kojima had a falling out, so it went radio silence for a minute," Reedus said. "Then they came back and said Sony's back in with Hideo and we're going to make a brand-new game. I was more excited about that, to be honest, because Hideo came down to San Diego Comic-Con and had an iPad and was showing me some of the graphics he was working on, which were just mind-blowing. I knew it was going to be a home run right from the get-go."
While we're a couple of days away from Death Stranding's November 8 launch on PlayStation 4, reviews have begun publishing online. The genre-blending exploration title has received generally favorable reviews, with our own review awarding it a 9/10. Editor Kallie Plagge wrote of her experience with Death Stranding: "It's positive without ignoring pain; in fact, it argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living. It's a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it's also one we really need right now."
Apple’s ‘See’ director clears up rumors about show’s budget
By Amber Neely Wednesday, November 06, 2019, 11:24 am PT (02:24 pm ET)
Executive producer and director, Francis Lawrence, discusses the making of “See,” and clears the record on how much the series cost to produce.
“See” takes place 600 years in the future, after a viral apocalypse had eradicated much of the world’s population. The humans who survived were rendered blind, reverting to a primitive, tribal-like culture.
Jason Momoa (“Aquaman”, “Conan the Barbarian”) plays series lead Baba Voss. Voss’ wife gives birth to twins, the first humans in six centuries who are born sighted. He must protect his children and tribe against a powerful queen who believes the children will herald in the destruction of their world.
As it turns out, a post-apocalyptic world takes a fair amount of planning. According to Lawrence, they had to think critically about all of the show’s intricacies.
“We had a think tank with blind consultants and an evolutionary biologist and a survivalist and all these different people come in to brainstorm ideas,” Lawrence said.
It had been reported that the show would cost $240 million for two seasons, or roughly $15 million per episode. In an interview with Business Insider, Lawrence said that while the series is expensive, the budget had gotten blown out of proportion.
“It’s an expensive show,” he said. “People have thrown around that it’s the most expensive show. I can guarantee you it’s not.”
In the interview, Lawrence goes on to talk about how it was important to the creators to incorporate blind and low-vision actors into the show. While the cast is primarily sighted, they plan on scouting additional actors for future seasons.
Apple TV+ is priced at $4.99 a month, though if you buy new hardware, such as a new Apple TV,iPhone, or Mac, you’ll get a year for free. Additionally, even if you don’t own any Apple devices, you will be able to watch Apple TV+ from your favorite browser at tv.apple.com.
