At CES, companies slowly start to realize that privacy matters

Every year, Consumer Electronics Show attendees receive a branded backpack, but this year’s edition was special; made out of transparent plastic, the bag’s contents were visible without the wearer needing to unzip. It isn’t just a fashion decision. Over the years, security has become more intense and cumbersome, but attendees with transparent backpacks didn’t have to open their bags when entering.

That cheap backpack is a metaphor for an ongoing debate — how many of us are willing to exchange privacy for convenience?

Privacy was on everyone’s mind at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, from CEOs to policymakers, PR agencies and people in charge of programming the panels. For the first time in decades, Apple had a formal presence at the event; Senior Director of Global Privacy Jane Horvath spoke on a panel focused on privacy with other privacy leaders.

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5 Apps to Find the Best Color Schemes, Matches, and Palettes

Color is all around us, but not everyone is born with a sense of how to match different hues. But don’t worry, there’s an app for that. In fact, there are several to suggest color schemes, matches, and entire palettes.

You’ll need to match colors for different things in life, from your clothes to designs for a house or a presentation. Choosing the right colors can have a major impact on the viewer, as our brain is attuned to match certain colors with certain feelings.

Whether you want to learn the basics of color theory or simply find the best color for your current needs, here are a few apps that make it happen.

1. Adobe Color (Web): Find a Matching Color and Extract From Images

It would be impossible to have an article about color apps without mentioning Adobe Color. After its recent makeover, it has become one of the easiest online tools to find the perfect color for your needs.

There are two ways to use Adobe Color. You can use the standard color wheel and set a color mode between RGB, CMYZ, HSV, and LAB. Click anywhere on the wheel to choose a color. Then you can find matches based on the scheme: analogous, monochromatic, complementary, triad, compound, and shades.

If you like the colors in an image, you can upload a picture to Adobe Color. By default, it will pick out some striking hues, but you can click around on the image for the colors you really want to replicate or find matches for.

Adobe Color also has two other tabs worth checking out: Explore and Trends. In these, you’ll find recommendations for color schemes based on what other Adobe Color users are liking these days, which you can replicate or simply use as inspiration.

2. Colorsinspo (Web): Collection of Free Palettes, Gradients, and Brand Colors

They say good artists copy, great artists steal. You have probably seen a brand whose color scheme you think would be perfect for your project. Well, head to Colorsinspo to get the exact colors to use in your project or use them as inspiration for new schemes.

Colorsinspo is a large repository of free color palettes, gradients, brand colors, solid colors, and other color tools. It’s especially awesome for brands because large corporations put a lot of thought and effort into finding the right color schemes.

If you’re doing a small project that targets a similar audience, you have a readymade template to use. Search for a brand and you’ll get the precise colors it uses, or browse all the brands.

The web app also gives free gradients and palettes. The color tools section includes a color wheel, color swatch, and a gradient palette, with easy instructions on how to use it to pinpoint which color is right for your project.

3. Picular (Web): What’s the Color of Laughter?

Picular calls itself the Google for colors. While that’s a great marketing pitch, it’s not far off from the truth. This web app is a search engine for colors based on any word you type. Have you ever wondered what’s the color of laughter?

Let’s say you are looking for the closest hue to a real-life banana. Simply type “banana” in the search field. Picular will return with a bunch of colors that fit what a banana looks like. But it gets more interesting for abstract words, like love, anxiety, or laughter.

Behind the scenes, Picular uses the top 20 Google Image Search results for the desired keyword. It analyzes all colors and finds the most dominant hues, displaying them in a grid.

Not only does this make it easy to find the perfect color of an object you’re describing, like a banana or a strawberry, but it’s super cool to try and find the best color for inanimate words.

4. Happy Hues (Web): Suggestions for Palettes and Live Web Demo

Happy Hues is a really cool implementation of websites that suggest color palettes. Usually, you will only get a list of several recommended palettes, which you can then play around with in your project. But Happy Hues shows you a live demo of their own website by updating it to a new palette every time you choose it.

The single web page will change its background colors, buttons, panes, and fonts. In fact, each section gets a new look, so that you can check all variants in a palette.

The live demo helps you visualize how any project, especially a website, would actually look if you used the palette.

Plus, Happy Hues makes its entire web page more informative to help you pick. In simple English, it teaches the basic difference between hue, tint, shade, tone, value, and saturation. It also talks about color psychology, explaining the feelings that any hue evokes.

5. EVA Design System (Web): AI Suggests Best Color Combos

Apparently, you don’t need a human eye and a design-oriented mind to figure out color palettes. Artificial intelligence is taking human jobs, and the EVA Design System might be the latest example of this. Put in a color, and it will generate a color scheme for four emotional responses.

EVA Design System uses GAN (Generative Adversarial Network) to train its artificial intelligence on a large number of colors found on the internet. It’s the basis for a lot of the amazing things that AI can do now. With GAN, the AI learns the best possible color matches for any hue.

So give it your brand’s base color, and in no time, EVA will tell you four colors that match it for four different emotions: success, information, warning, and danger.

If you like them, great, otherwise you can generate four new colors based on the same original. You can then copy the hexadecimal or export the whole scheme as JPEG or JSON.

Learn the Basics of Color Theory

With a few simple apps like these, you can always have a handle on how to choose the perfect color combination for anything. From matching the right socks with your attire to creating a stunning website without any design knowledge, you can get a lot done.

But even though technology helps, it’s best to learn the basics of the color wheel. Colors are all around us, after all, so why not figure out what makes us find some combinations aesthetically appealing, while others look garish and off-putting.

In fact, you can learn the basics of color theory in less than one hour. Give it a go, it’s a life skill.

Read the full article: 5 Apps to Find the Best Color Schemes, Matches, and Palettes

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Update Firefox Now to Fix a Critical Flaw

You need to update your Firefox right now. This is to patch a zero-day vulnerability that could allow hackers to access your computer. So, if you’re a Firefox user, please update Firefox to the latest available version in order to safeguard your system.

Why Do I Need to Update Firefox?

Just two days after releasing Firefox 72, which introduced the option to delete your telemetry data, Mozilla released Firefox v72.0.1. This updated version fixes a critical security flaw which Mozilla admits is already being abused in the wild.

Mozilla describes the issue as an “IonMonkey type confusion with StoreElementHole and FallibleStoreElement.” It goes on to say that “Incorrect alias information in IonMonkey JIT compiler for setting array elements could lead to a type confusion.”

The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) further claims that “An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to take control of an affected system.” Therefore, it’s crucial that you update Firefox.

How to Update Firefox to the Latest Version

If you have the correct settings enabled, there’s a good chance Firefox will have updated itself already. However, to make absolutely sure, you need to check the version you’re currently running on your computer, and, if necessary, update Firefox manually.

Firefox is the best browser change my mind https://t.co/kWb7UAdMQj

— Josh Evenson (@joshin_my_tots) January 8, 2020

To update Firefox, do the following:

1. Click the hamburger menu in the Firefox menu bar.
2. Click Help > About Firefox (or Firefox > About Firefox on a Mac).
3. You’ll see your current version of Firefox, and any available updates.
4. If there’s an update, click “Restart to update Firefox” to apply it.

At the end of the process, you should have 72.0.1 (or later) installed. And that patches this particular zero-day vulnerability. While zero-day vulnerabilities are scary, at least Mozilla acted quickly to limit the potential damage of this one.

How to Protect Yourself from Zero-Day Exploits

Zero-day vulnerabilities and critical flaws are an unfortunate reality in this day and age. However, there are things you can do to help safeguard your security. So, here are several ways to protect yourself from zero-day exploits.

Read the full article: Update Firefox Now to Fix a Critical Flaw

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Waymo’s Anca Dragan and Ike Robotics CTO Jur van den Berg are coming to TC Sessions: Robotics + AI

The road to “solving” self-driving cars is riddled with challenges from perception and decision making to figuring out the interaction between human and robots.

Today we’re announcing that joining us at TC Sessions: Robotics+AI on March 3 at UC Berkeley are two experts who play important roles in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology: Anca Dragan and Jur van den Berg.

Dragan is assistant professor at UC Berkeley’s electrical engineering and computer sciences department as well as a senior research scientist and consultant for Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that is now a business under Alphabet. She runs the InterACT Lab at UC-Berkeley, which focuses on on algorithms for human-robot interaction. Dragan also helped found and serve on the steering committee for the Berkeley AI Research Lab, and is co-PI of the Center for Human-Compatible AI.

Last year, Dragan was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Van den Berg is the co-founder and CTO of Ike Robotics, a self-driving truck startup that last year raised $52 million in a Series A funding round led by Bain Capital  Ventures. Van den Berg has been part of the most important, secretive and even controversial companies in the autonomous vehicle technology industry. He was a senior researcher and developer in Apple’s special projects group, before jumping to self-driving trucks startup Otto. He became a senior autonomy engineer at Uber after the ride-hailing company acquired Otto.

All of this led to Ike, which was founded in 2018 with Nancy Sun and Alden Woodrow, who were also veterans of Apple, Google and Uber Advanced Technologies Group’s self-driving truck program

TC Sessions: Robotics+AI returns to Berkeley on March 3. Make sure to grab your early-bird tickets today for $275 before prices go up by $100. Students, grab your tickets for just $50 here.

Startups, book a demo table right here and get in front of 1,000+ of Robotics/AI’s best and brightest — each table comes with four attendee tickets.

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Instagram’s Boomerang evolves with SloMo, Echo, & Duo effects

Nearly five years after launching, Instagram’s back-and-forth video loop maker Boomerang is finally getting a big update. Users around the globe can now  add SlowMo, “Echo” blurring, and “Duo” rapid rewind special effects to their Boomerangs, as well as trim their length. This is the biggest creative upgrade yet for one of mobile’s most popular content creation tools.

The effects could help keep Instagram interesting. After so many years of Boomerangs, many viewers simply skip past them in Stories after the first loop since they’re so consistent. The extra visual flare of the new effects could keep people’s attention for a few more seconds and unlock new forms of comedy. That’s critical as Instagram tries to compete with TikTok, which has tons of special effects that have spawned their own meme formats.

“Starting today, people on Instagram will be able to share new SloMo, Echo and Duo Boomerang modes on Instagram” a Facebook company spokesperson tells TechCrunch. “Your Instagram camera gives you ways to express yourself and easily share what you’re doing, thinking or feeling with your friends. Boomerang is one of the most beloved camera formats and we’re excited to expand the creative ways that you can use Boomerang to turn everyday moments into something fun and unexpected.”

The new Boomerang tools can be found by swiping right on Instagram to open the Stories composer, and then swiping left at the bottom of the screen’s shutter selector. After shooting a Boomerang, an infinity symbol button atop the screen reveals the alternate effects and video trimmer.

Typically, Boomerang captures one second of silent video which is then played forward and then in reverse three times to create a six second loop that can be shared or downloaded as a video. Here are the new effects you can add plus how Instagram described them to me in a statement:

• SlowMo – Reduces Boomerangs to half-speed so they play for two seconds in each direction instead of one second. “Slows down your Boomerang to capture each detail”
• Echo – Adds a motion blur effect so a translucent trail appears behind anything moving, almost like you’re drunk or tripping. “Creates a double vision effect.”
• Duo – Rapidly rewinds the clip to the beginning with a glitchy, digitized look. “Both speeds up and slows down your Boomerang, adding a texturized effect.”
• Trimming – Shorten your Boomerang with similar controls to iPhone’s camera roll or the Instagram feed video composer. “Edit the length of your Boomerang, and when it starts or ends.”

The effects aren’t entirely original. Snapchat has offered slow-motion and fast-foward video effects since just days after the original launch of Boomerang back in 2015. TikTok meanwhile provides several motion blur filters and glitchy digital transitions. But since these are all available with traditional video, unlike on Instagram where they’re confined to Boomerangs, there’s more creative flexibility to use the effects to hide cuts between takes or play with people’s voices.

Hopefully we’ll see these features brought over to Instagram’s main Stories and video composers. Video trimming would be especially helpful since a boring start to a Story can quickly lead viewers to skip it.

Instagram has had years of domination in the social video space. But with Snapchat finally growing again and TikTok becoming a global phenomenon, Instagram must once again fight to maintain its superiority. Now approaching 10 years old, it’s at risk of becoming stale if it can’t keep giving people ways to make hastily shot phone content compelling.

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Instagram’s Boomerang evolves with SloMo, Echo, & Duo effects

Nearly five years after launching, Instagram’s back-and-forth video loop maker Boomerang is finally getting a big update. Users around the globe can now  add SlowMo, “Echo” blurring, and “Duo” rapid rewind special effects to their Boomerangs, as well as trim their length. This is the biggest creative upgrade yet for one of mobile’s most popular content creation tools.

The effects could help keep Instagram interesting. After so many years of Boomerangs, many viewers simply skip past them in Stories after the first loop since they’re so consistent. The extra visual flare of the new effects could keep people’s attention for a few more seconds and unlock new forms of comedy. That’s critical as Instagram tries to compete with TikTok, which has tons of special effects that have spawned their own meme formats.

“Starting today, people on Instagram will be able to share new SloMo, Echo and Duo Boomerang modes on Instagram” a Facebook company spokesperson tells TechCrunch. “Your Instagram camera gives you ways to express yourself and easily share what you’re doing, thinking or feeling with your friends. Boomerang is one of the most beloved camera formats and we’re excited to expand the creative ways that you can use Boomerang to turn everyday moments into something fun and unexpected.”

The new Boomerang tools can be found by swiping right on Instagram to open the Stories composer, and then swiping left at the bottom of the screen’s shutter selector. After shooting a Boomerang, an infinity symbol button atop the screen reveals the alternate effects and video trimmer.

Typically, Boomerang captures one second of silent video which is then played forward and then in reverse three times to create a six second loop that can be shared or downloaded as a video. Here are the new effects you can add plus how Instagram described them to me in a statement:

• SlowMo – Reduces Boomerangs to half-speed so they play for two seconds in each direction instead of one second. “Slows down your Boomerang to capture each detail”
• Echo – Adds a motion blur effect so a translucent trail appears behind anything moving, almost like you’re drunk or tripping. “Creates a double vision effect.”
• Duo – Rapidly rewinds the clip to the beginning with a glitchy, digitized look. “Both speeds up and slows down your Boomerang, adding a texturized effect.”
• Trimming – Shorten your Boomerang with similar controls to iPhone’s camera roll or the Instagram feed video composer. “Edit the length of your Boomerang, and when it starts or ends.”

The effects aren’t entirely original. Snapchat has offered slow-motion and fast-foward video effects since just days after the original launch of Boomerang back in 2015. TikTok meanwhile provides several motion blur filters and glitchy digital transitions. But since these are all available with traditional video, unlike on Instagram where they’re confined to Boomerangs, there’s more creative flexibility to use the effects to hide cuts between takes or play with people’s voices.

Hopefully we’ll see these features brought over to Instagram’s main Stories and video composers. Video trimming would be especially helpful since a boring start to a Story can quickly lead viewers to skip it.

Instagram has had years of domination in the social video space. But with Snapchat finally growing again and TikTok becoming a global phenomenon, Instagram must once again fight to maintain its superiority. Now approaching 10 years old, it’s at risk of becoming stale if it can’t keep giving people ways to make hastily shot phone content compelling.

Read Full Article

A swarm of mini drones makes ... magic! | Marco Tempest

A swarm of mini drones makes ... magic! | Marco Tempest

Leading a swarm of small, buzzing flying machines, techno-magician Marco Tempest orchestrates a "cyber illusion" that will have you asking yourself: Was that science or magic?

Click the above link to download the TED talk.