Not just Microsoft: software failures are everywhere

THE world’s most popular three-key combination was revealed as a mistake last week; the result of a miscommunication between creator and programmer.

A software mistake has left worldwide web addresses with one two many slashes.

But this mistake, admitted by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is hardly the only one to afflict those at the end of the technology manufacturing line.

Intellect Motion starts Kickstarter for iMotion virtual hand controls

Intellect Motion starts Kickstarter for iMotion virtual hand controls 

Intellect Motion has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for its iMotion advanced motion-control device that makes you feel like you’re using your hand in a virtual space. The device started life in the medical world, but Intellect Motion is adapting it for use in motion-sensing video games with touch feedback.

Apple reportedly cutting Samsung's share of next iPhone chip production

Apple reportedly cutting Samsung's share of next iPhone chip production 

Like every iPhone processor before it, the A8 chip in Apple's next flagship phone will still be made by Samsung, but according to Korean daily Hankyung, the majority of the manufacturing will be handled by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Citing industry sources, the newspaper reported Sunday that TSMC will be responsible for 60 to 70 percent of the manufacturing of the A8 processor, with the remainder going to Samsung. The South Korea-based company has reportedly signed a deal to manufacture the chip, though it the contract is estimated to cover just 30 to 40 percent of total production for the A8.

A report published last week revealed that Samsung manufactured the A7 processor in the recently released iPhone 5S, though recent reports have indicated that Apple is looking to lessen its dependence upon its rival amid ongoing legal battles and the race for smartphone supremacy. The company signed a deal with TSMC in June to begin chip production in 2014, though Apple was expected to rely on Samsung for the majority of manufacturing through next year. Today's report suggests that within Apple's supply chain, the transition is already underway.

Credit: Jeff Blagdon contributed to this report.

Source: http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4782726/apple-reportedly-cutting-samsungs-share-of-next-iphone-a8-chip-production

Your VB Kid

Psypher

Blackberry Q2 Results Slightly Less Awful Than Expected

Blackberry Q2 Results Slightly Less Awful Than Expected 

No huge surprises here: BlackBerry’s second-quarter fiscal 2014 earnings report is in, and it’s just about as bad as BlackBerry warned last week, when it announced preliminary results and layoffs for 4,500 employees.

Bad Apple: iOS 7 causing motion sickness

APPLE's latest iPhone and iPad operating system, iOS 7, has been the focus of many complaints since it was released on September 18.

Apple's new iOS7 operating system

One of the strangest yet: the operating system is giving some users motion sickness.

I HAVE A TUMBLR!

So I now have a Tumblr Blog. Some of you might have already seen it. It's the link at the bottom of this page under the About Me gadget...

My Tumblr Blog

Click that to check it out or go here:

VB Kid on Tumblr

Your VB Kid
Psypher

10 000 BLOG VIEWS!

Many said it could not be done, But I have done it!

VB Kid now has 10 000 BLOG VIEWS!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT!

VB Kid - The Code Lives...

And now it is... STRONGER!!!!!!

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Flipboard reaches $800m valuation after new investment

Digital magazine app with 85 million users plans greater international growth, a Windows 8 app and more sales staff.

Digital magazine app Flipboard has raised another $50m in funding

Flipboard, the digital magazine app, has raised another $50m (£31m) in funding from investors, valuing the Silicon Valley company at $800m.

Popular Science website shuts down comments

A SCIENCE news website has told its internet commenters that they are no longer welcome on the site.

Comment trolls are ruining science and one publication won’t stand for it anymore.

Popular Science published an editorial yesterday explaining that it didn’t take the decision to shut down its comments lightly.

YouTube enlists Google+ to fix the world's worst comments

Can social networking and machine learning make comments worth reading?

YouTube’s comments section, that notorious bastion of hostility toward women, people of color, rational thought, empathy, and the English language, is finally getting a makeover. In a series of sweeping changes that begin rolling out today, the space below YouTube videos will transform to what Google is calling "conversations that matter to you." But they will also be tied to the commenter’s Google+ account — a step that could alienate users even as it promises to supply the social network with timely new content.

Facebook is working on ‘deep learning’ neural networks to learn even more about your personal life

Facebook is beginning to take a new approach to the task of digitizing our personalities and spinning them into nicely saleable little packages. After all, posting and updating an exhaustive list of your favorite bands tends to lose its appeal around the end of adolescence; if Facebook wants to truly understand our material wants and needs, it will have to look into our much more personal, much less intelligible communications. This week, Facebook’s chief technology officer said the company’s newly formed AI team has its sights set on building neural networks to learn about your personality in a new and remarkably human way.

Valve announces SteamOS, a free Linux-based OS for your Steam Box

Last week, Valve teased an official announcement regarding its plan to bring Steam to the living room. We all presumed this would be the Steam Box we heard so much in the past year. It turns out Valve broke the announcement into three parts. The company didn’t announce the console, but did announce the console’s operating system, SteamOS.

Hackers claim to have defeated Apple's Touch ID print sensor (with Video)

Hackers in Germany say they bypassed the biometric security system by making a copy of a fingerprint photographed on a glass surface.

The iPhone 5S's "Touch ID"

Blackberry Messenger rolling out to iOS over the next day, coming soon to Android

Consumers may be bidding farewell to Blackberry, but the Blackberry Messenger service is sticking around. BBM for iPhone is currently rolling out around the world in the App Store, though you'll need to wait until September 22nd in your country before it will launch.. The Android app is reportedly arriving this weekend, although it has yet to be spotted in the Play Store. Instead, Android users searching for "BBM" will be met with more than a dozen fakes. The official link should be available soon.

Update: This article originally stated that BBM for iOS was now available; its official launch date is September 22nd, which means it is now available in some regions including Australia and New Zealand. It should be available in the US by tomorrow. We apologize for the error.

Credit to the The Verge.

Your VB Kid
Psypher

BlackBerry postpones launch of BBM for iOS and Android

BlackBerry's big rollout of BBM for iOS and Android was due to start yesterday, with the Android version planned to be available earlier this morning. Unfortunately, the app never made it to the Google Play Store, leaving those who've been waiting for it to arrive in the dark as to where it might be. The company has now announced that it is pausing the launch of both the Android and iOS versions of the app (the iOS app was scheduled to come tomorrow, and has already been available in some regions), as it sorts out issues caused by a leaked version of the Android app.

BlackBerry says that it has tried to address the problems caused by the leaked app throughout the day, but to no avail (allegedly, more than 1.1 million users have already downloaded it), requiring it to halt its launch plans. The company says that those that have already downloaded the iOS version of the app will still be able to use it, but it will not be releasing it to any new markets at this time. The leaked version of the Android app will be disabled.

NO WORD ON WHEN THE ROLLOUT WILL RESTART

The next step in BlackBerry's plans for BBM is to stage a "staggered country roll-out" for BBM for Android and restart the rollout for iOS. BlackBerry did not give a timeline for this new rollout, only saying "our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM."

BBM for iOS and Android was announced back in May at the BlackBerry Live conference, and the company had committed to a launch before the end of this summer. Its original plan to deploy the app this weekend just barely made that timeframe, but thanks to the problems that have come up, it doesn't look like it will be able to fulfil its original promise. With news of massive losses, major layoffs, and a refocus of the company's efforts on enterprise business instead of consumers hitting just this week, today's events are just another blow to an already battered company.

Thanks to The Verge for this update.

Your VB Kid

Psypher

BlackBerry to fire 4,500 employees as sales of new device plummet

The news comes as Apple released two new iPhones on Friday which analysts predict will sell 5 million in the opening weekend...

The struggling smartphone firm said it expects to lose nearly $1bn on disappointing sales of a new device.

BlackBerry confirmed it was firing 4,500 of its staff on Friday as the struggling smartphone firm said it expects to lose nearly $1 billion in the three months to August on disappointing sales of new phones.

GTA 5 Review

The game everyone is hyped over right now. And who better to give us a review than Machinima...

Check It Out:

Thanks Machinima!

Your VB Kid
Psypher

TEKKEN TAG 2 - Kazuya & Heihachi Session by TheMainMan

I am Mishima player, and I get hyped over videos like this one. Just TheMainMan giving us Tekken Tag 2, Mishima style!

A Kazuya & Heihachi Session:

Pure Nostalgia!

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Queues as Apple’s new iPhone goes on sale

Début for iPhone 5C, 5S in Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Germany, France, UK and US.

The first man in queue for the iPhone 5S, poses for photos at Apple Store in Ginza district in Tokyo, Japan. 

Apple attracted long lines of shoppers at its retail stores today for the global début of its latest iPhones, in the company’s biggest move this year to stoke new growth.

BlackBerry confirms BBM on Android Saturday, iOS Sunday

BlackBerry's messaging service finally gets on multiple platforms.

BlackBerry confirmed on Wednesday that its messenger service would come to Android and iOS this weekend.

At its annual conference in May, BlackBerry announced that BBM would go cross-platform.

Zuckerberg: Thanks NSA, now people trust Facebook even less

It's not just Facebook. The trust metrics for all major Internet companies have gone down since the NSA scandal broke, says the social network's CEO.

Mark Zuckerberg

Taiwan Chip Industry Powers the Tech World, but Struggles for Status

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Tien Wu, chief operating officer of Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, has a problem: the brightest young people in Taiwan do not want to work in the island’s signature business, chip making.

Has the Big Bang Theory been busted?

WHAT if I told you the Big Bang was a myth?

That's right. Everything we know about the universe may be wrong.

Cosmologists have speculated that the universe was created after a star collapsed into a black hole - a theory that helps to explain why it seems to be expanding in all directions.

PS4 is ’50% faster’ than Xbox One, report game developers

Countless tomes worth of commentary have already been written about the horsepower of the PS4 and Xbox One, and we still have two months to go before launch. To curb speculation, Microsoft has gone out of its way to dismiss the PS4′s perceived superiority, but recent reports indicate that Redmond might be in more trouble than it is letting on. If these rumors are to be believed, the PS4 is actually upwards of 50% more powerful than the Xbox One.

PS4 Bundle

Researchers find new, ultra-low-level method of hacking CPUs – and there’s no way to detect it

Researchers with the University of Massachusetts have devised a method of breaking a CPU’s internal cryptographic mechanisms in ways that are undetectable by current search methods, including close examination of the processor with high powered microscopes.

TEKKEN - Movement Guide

For my 150th post, I thought I would bring it back to one of my passions. 

Here is a Tekken Movement Guide by TheMainMan:

Your VB Kid

Psypher

Samsung will misguidedly release 64-bit SoC and Android, to combat iPhone 5S

Samsung, which was undoubtedly surprised by the usually-slow-to-market Apple announcing that the iPhone 5S would be the first 64-bit smartphone on the market, has announced that its “next smartphones” will also have “64-bit processing functionality.” This presumably means that the Galaxy S5, or perhaps the phone after that, will have a 64-bit SoC — and, perhaps more importantly, that Android will make the leap to 64-bit, too. Whether smartphones actually gain anything from 64-bit processing, or whether this is merely a 3D TV-like marketing ploy, is another question entirely.

Voyager 1 Makes Historic Leap Into Interstellar Space

NASA'S Voyager 1 has now officially reached interstellar space after 36 years, the first human-made object to do so.

Internet Connection Problem

A good day to you all. I am currently experiencing difficulties with my internet.connection on PC therefore I am unable to post from my computer.

This problem, I am told is  worldwide and they should have it  rectified by the end of the day.

Please bear with me while I wait.

Your VB Kid
Psypher

A Problem With the Chrome StumbleUpon Bar Extension

If you are like me, and you run a Blog then you know you have to submit those posts to StumbleUpon, I also believe you think it's way easier to use Blogger on a Chrome Browser.

But earlier today I came across a problem with one of the Chrome Extensions; The StumbleUpon Bar Extension.

I was trying to make a new post after having installed StumbleUpon Bar but to my shock and horror I had no options on my Dashboard

Look at my Blogger Dashboard with the StumbleUpon Bar Extension Enabled:

A shocking sight as you can do absolutely nothing.

Now look at the same page after I Disabled the Extension and reloaded the page:

Now that's a whole lot better

I would not advise you not to install the StumbleUpon Bar Extension as you can see what it does to your Dashboard.

StumbleUpon Bar for Chrome is a No-No!

Google, you really need to fix this issue. We really need an easier way to Stumble our posts because working with scripts can be tricky.

Your VB Kid
Psypheer

Microsoft Readying Siri-Like 'Cortana' App

Apple's iOS has Siri and Google's Android has Google Now, but what about Microsoft's Windows Phone? According to new reports, Redmond is pursuing its own digital assistant, which will be based on a character from the Halo video game series.

Why Twitter's IPO filing was 'confidential'

By taking advantage of a provision of the JOBS Act available to companies with less than $1 billion in sales, Twitter can keep details about its business secret for a few more weeks.

Twitter's Going Public, Files Confidential IPO Docs

Twitter will be the next big Internet firm to go public. The micro-blogging site today quietly filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and later announced the move - of course - on Twitter.

"We've confidentially submitted an S-1 to the SEC for a planned IPO. This Tweet does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale," the company tweeted from its @Twitter feed this afternoon.

The confidential nature of the filing means details about Twitter's plans are scant. As noted by Bloomberg, though, companies that make less than $1 billion in annual revenue can file confidentially under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act.

The move comes shortly after Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg was quizzed at this week's TechCrunch Disrupt about his company's lackluster IPO. The social network filed for an IPO in Jan. 2012 and went public in May 2012, but hasn't exactly taken Wall Street by storm.

Facebook had an "extremely turbulent" first year as a public company, Zuckerberg said at Disrupt, though it made the company "a lot stronger."

"We run our company a lot better now," he said. "In retrospect, I think I was too afraid of going public."

Thank you Chloe Albanesius for this story

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Chrome for iOS learns pronouns

Google updates Chrome for iOS with better voice-activated searches, faster returns to search results, and bandwidth savings tracker.

Google's latest version of Chrome for iOS boosts the iPad and iPhone version of the browser with several small feature tweaks.

iPhone Transforms Security With Fingerprint Reader

With the swipe of a finger, Apple could jumpstart a new era of smartphone security and strip away fear of tending to banking or other business on mobile devices.

Obama makes case for military strike against Syria, while offering hope for diplomacy

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama used a nationally televised address to make his case for military action against Syria, even as he recognized that diplomatic steps could render attacks unnecessary. He told war-weary Americans that the use of chemical weapons poses a threat to U.S. security and that America, with modest effort, "can stop children from being gassed to death."

President Barack Obama addresses the nation in a live televised speech from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013. President Obama blended the threat of military action with the hope of a diplomatic solution as he works to strip Syria of its chemical weapons.

Privacy Policy Tab Added

A new improvement to the layout of VB Kid. I just added my Privacy Policy as a Tab. I believe this is a better and easier way to view my Privacy Policy.

I hope you like this new layout.

VB Kid - The Code Lives...

Your VB Kid
Psypher

The New iPhones: Should You Upgrade?

With the new iPhones on the way, the big question is: Should you get one? Is it really worth it to ghet one or both of these new iPhones

Check out this article: The New iPhones: Should You Upgrade?

Your VB Kid
Psypher

iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C launch to 'brighten everyone's day', says Apple

Apple will launch top-end iPhone 5S and cheaper iPhone 5C in an event to be shown to a select group in China

This will be the first time Apple has introduced more than one phone at a time. 

TechCrunch apologises for Aussie's 'misogynist' Titstare app

TECHNOLOGY website Tech Crunch has apologised for an embarrassing, "mysoginistic" presentation by two Aussie developers at its "Disrupt 2013" hackathon over the weekend.

One of the first presentations of the day featured an app called Titstare which is exactly what it sounds like: an app that features photos of people "staring at tits".

Syrian Electronic Army's war on the web: interactive timeline

The Syrian Electronic Army's successful hack of the US Marines recruitment site this week marks the latest in a long line of attacks by this pro-Assad group. We've looked at the victims, the type of attack and their timings to produce this interactive timeline of the SEA's attacks so far.

What emerges is a picture of concerted campaign that has gathered pace in 2013 - but also a surprising lack of repeat attacks. That may suggest that their intention is to cause nuisance and remind international groups of their presence - or it may show that organisations have been quick to fortify their online defences.

Syrian Electronic Army's war on the web: interactive timeline

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Elon Musk is building an Iron Man-like lab to create spacecraft with his bare hands

Elon Musk and his fellow engineers at SpaceX have combined the Leap Motion gesture-sensing controller, the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, and a metal-printing 3D printer to create “the future of design.” The video, published by SpaceX (embedded below) and starring Musk, shows what it might be like if engineers could create and manipulate designs with just their hands, like Tony Stark in Iron Man.

The Xbox One will feel more powerful in practice than it seems on paper

Against my better judgement, it's Sunday and I am posting. But I am only giving you a link.

The Xbox One will feel more powerful in practice than it seems on paper

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Sony’s next Xbox-killing move: Developing a PS4 virtual reality headset

The Oculus Rift, though still only a development kit and full of half-working tech demos, is something of a cult phenomenon. For just $300, you can experience the closest thing the consumer market has had to in-home virtual reality. Sony appears to have to caught on to the Rift’s hype, and is reportedly working on its own VR headset for the PS4.

Sony QX ‘lens-style’ cameras for your smartphone: Is this the future of point-and-shoots?

With this new piece of accessory for your Smartphone, conventional cameras could be going out of business....

Xbox One release date confirmed for November 22, a week after the PS4

Microsoft confirmed yesterday that the Xbox One will indeed launch on November 22 in thirteen markets around the world — a mere seven days before Black Friday in the US.

SNES emulator slips onto App Store, shoots straight to No. 1

A storage app that also happens to run Super Nintendo games by emulation has managed to get on the App Store and is the top-selling app.

Super Mario Bros 3, running on the emulator.

A storage app that also happens to work as a Super Nintendo emulator has managed to slip by Apple's reviewers and has shot to the top of all paid applications.

The 99-cent app, called Remote File Manager, can link up to both FTP and Dropbox accounts and open numerous file types. That includes ROM files for Super Nintendo games, which open up in an emulator with on-screen touch controls.

It's unclear exactly when the feature was added to the software, which has been on the App Store since last November. It's only received two updates since then, the most recent of which was in July.

None of this seems to concern shoppers on the App Store, which have made it the top paid app, and the 26th highest grossing.

Apple is expected to pull down the app, which was spotted by TouchArcade on Wednesday. It has done that with just about every other piece of software that's slipped an emulator past its defences.

And here I thought there was hope yet for Apple. Get it now while you can!

Thanks to Josh Lowensohn.

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Facebook hashtags said to have zero viral impact

While Twitter hashtags help drive exposure on the social network, new data shows that Facebook hashtags have the opposite effect.

My Apologies

As you all know, my schedule states that I will always post on every working day (Monday - Friday). Something I did not live up to yesterday, for this, I am sincerely sorry.

I, like you, also have a life out of VB Kid and yesterday this life called. I had a lot of errands I had to attend to.

Je suis désolé.

Yoiur VB Kid
Psypher

How to Lock Google Chrome With a Password

If you are like me then you have several browsers installed on your PC. Google Chrome for yourself and multiple others for anyone who asks to use your internet. But for some reason, no one ever leaves your Chrome alone. 

Anyone who uses it can see your saved passwords and access all your accounts. I will show you how to restrict access to your Google Chrome.

100 Facebook Likes!

I now have 100 likes on Facebook.

If you're part of the 100 thank you! If you haven't, I trust you will soon.
(Link on right side of page)

VB Kid - The Code Lives...

Your VB Kid
Psypher

Syrian Electronic Army hackers say 'many surprises' planned

The Masters are at it again....

Syrian hackers behind recent attacks on the New York Times and Twitter have warned media companies to "expect us".