Lead Hacker

Today, I’m talking with Matt Strauss, who is now chairman of the NBCUniversal Media Group. This is Matt’s second time joining me on the show, and there’s been a whole lot of organizational and structural change at NBCU since the last time he and I spoke just two years ago — pure Decoder bait. First, about a month after Matt was on the show, Comcast spun off most of the NBCU cable channels into something called Versant. That’s when Matt’s title changed from heading up just the direct-to-consumer offering — meaning Peacock, plus some other streaming services — to heading up the whole thing, across all distribution. And now, Comcast is spinning off the NBCU business entirely into a whole new standalone company. Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free  Decoder  wherever you get your podcasts. Head here . Not a subscriber? You can sign up here . That’s a lot to have going on all at once! And meanwhile, it’s only ...

Gravity is a cruel mistress, slowly dragging the famed telescope ever closer to its ultimate demise with every day. Hubble is in no immediate danger of burning up in the Earth's atmosphere, but its time will run out in the early to mid 2030s unless its orbit is boosted. So NASA is taking proposals from the private sector to see if anyone can save it. In a post on NASA's site , Administrator Jared Isaacman said: "Hubble still has important science ahead of it, and we should be looking at every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering for as long as possible … If there are innovative and cost-effective ways to extend the life of an asset … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/science/1024239/nasa-commercial-space-save-hubble

While more cities are canceling their contracts with Flock Safety, just as many are discovering how difficult that can be in some instances. Plymouth, Minnesota's city council voted to terminate its contract with Flock in September, but failed to respond to the city's request. For over a month, the cameras remained up, and the city had received no acknowledgment from the company. So, Police Chief Eric Fadden took matters into his own hands and physically disconnected the cameras. "After hearing nothing for more than a week, I directed our staff to disconnect the power cords from the cameras in order to be sure that they are not functioning … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/1024232/flock-ignoring-cancel-contracts

Reddit user pdfu found hints hidden in the HomeView 27.2 code that Apple could be adding security camera features to its smart home hub. The strings describe a security camera mode with motion detection, live streaming, and recording options, as well as privacy functions. According to pdfu, there is a setup page that even explicitly reads: "Your HomeView can be used as a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video." Supposedly, the video feeds will only be visible to members of the home, and will both show an indicator light and play a sound when either someone is watching the camera feed or when it starts to record. Home members will also ge … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/1024219/apples-homeview-could-add-security-camera-features

Leakers have pieced together a playable version of the canceled Portal prequel F-Stop . Most of the assets came from the massive 12-terabyte leak that dropped this August. That didn't include the game's source code or map data, but those final pieces apparently hit the Valve Cut Content Discord this week, allowing a nearly complete version to be pieced together. Some dialog and elements of F-Stop eventually found their way into Portal 2 . But it differs dramatically from the mainline Portal games in that it's built around a camera mechanic that lets you capture an item by taking its picture and place it elsewhere using the resulting Polaroid … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/games/1024206/playable-portal-prequel-f-stop-leak

What is a keyboard if not the original brain-computer interface? You can tap on a touchscreen or talk to the computer, but if your work involves getting information out of your head and into the computer, you're probably spending a lot of time using a keyboard. We've written about many keyboards over the years, from the legendary Optimus Maximus to the ultra-luxe Seneca to even stranger fare . But I wanted to know what my coworkers actually use. As I'd hoped, there's a wide range. Some of us are strictly utilitarian, optimizing for ergonomics or functionality. Others obsess over every detail of feel, sound, layout, and looks. Still oth … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/1017979/keyboards-of-the-verge-staff-picks