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January 13, 2019, 9:45 AM
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Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Lulu Yilun Chen / Bloomberg: |
Tencent previews Xiaowei, an AI voice assistant for WeChat that will integrate with Tencent's own services and apps by third-parties such as Meituan or Didi — - WeChat's assistant can help connect users with mini apps — WeChat mini programs will focus on monetisation with ads
More:
TechCrunch, South China Morning Post, and Tech in Asia
| Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: |
Researchers: a hacking group made ~$3.7M in Bitcoin since Aug. with Ryuk ransomware, which only targets firms with huge resources and can lay dormant for a year — Ryuk lies in wait for as long as a year, then pounces on only the biggest prey. — A recently discovered ransomware group …
More:
crowdstrike.com/blog, BleepingComputer, and ZDNet
| Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat: |
Intel's Nervana, a neural network chip for inference-based workloads, will lack a standard cache hierarchy, and software will directly manage on-chip memory — At a press event at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, Intel announced the Nervana Neural Network Processor (NNP-I) …
More:
The Register, Wccftech, SDxCentral, NDTV Gadgets 360, PCWorld, Fortune, MIT Technology Review, and Engadget
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Plex is in talks to offer ad-supported movies and more premium subscriptions as soon as this year, taking on Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video Channels — Media software maker Plex is preparing to take on The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video Channels, possibly as soon as this year.
More:
TechSpot, MacRumors, The Mac Observer, Tom's Guide, and Engadget
| Sidney Fussell / The Atlantic: |
Automation may not completely replace service workers, but will likely reduce hours, lower pay, and conceal intense demands on labor and poor working conditions — Workers may not be replaced by robots anytime soon, but they'll likely face shorter hours, lower pay, and stolen time.
Tweets: @bjm262run, @hash_tigre, and @pdorfman
| Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch: |
Research shows self-reported heavy Facebook users make impaired decisions, like drug addicts, on a classic test of maximizing rewards — Researchers at Michigan State University are exploring the idea that there's more to “social media addiction” than casual joking about being too online might suggest.
Tweets: @jdprater
| David Pierce / Wall Street Journal: |
How MicroLED display technology, demoed by Samsung at CES, may let customers assemble their own TVs to the exact size and shape they want, like LEGO bricks — MicroLED is better looking, more efficient and more versatile than any previous display tech. Now all Samsung, Sony … | Emilie Filou / Quartz: |
Madagascar's data processing and call centers for international clients flourished after it built out cable internet in 2009 with speeds exceeding those of UK — In a large, open-space office, employees are busy processing promotional coupons for a well-known supermarket chain …
Tweets: @ryanlenorabrown, @qzafrica, @qzafrica, @projectcounsel, @clairescowie, @karolletiana, and @eocdesign
| Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: |
Spanish on-demand laundry and dry cleaning startup Mr Jeff raises $12M Series A led by All Iron Ventures with plans to expand to 30 countries by end of 2019 — If you thought the on-demand laundry space had run out of startup steam, here's a bit of a conditioner: Spanish startup Mr Jeff …
More:
Tech.eu, Novobrief, VatorNews, and EU-Startups
| Sarah Sluis / AdExchanger: |
Piano, a SaaS platform for digital publishers including 1,300 media brands, raises $22M Series B to help publishers bring in non-ad revenue — Piano, whose tech and services gives digital publishers a way to supplement their ad revenue, raised $22 million in Series B funding Thursday to expand …
More:
FinSMEs and PR Newswire
| Rita Katz / Wired: |
How ISIS is changing how it uses tech to recruit and coordinate, by moving to free public chat apps and services like RocketChat, Yahoo Together, Viber, Discord — HEADS UP, TECH companies: If your product appeals to the masses, it likely also holds allure for terrorist groups like ISIS.| Emma Best / Gizmodo: |
An overview of internal WikiLeaks data the US government collected from 2009 through at least 2017, including chats with identifying details on some sources — Late last year, the U.S. government accidentally revealed that a sealed complaint had been filed against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
More:
WikiLeaks
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