Skip to main content

The Morning After: North Korean workers got remote IT jobs to help finance weapons programs

The United States Justice Department says North Korean nationals have been working remotely for US companies, using fake IDs. The money they make is apparently being funneled to fund weapons of mass destruction programs. At a news conference in St. Louis, Missouri, the FBI alleged that thousands of individuals have moved to countries such as Russia and China and posed as freelance IT workers living in the US.

They used false information for emails, payment platforms and websites — sometimes even paying Americans to use their Wi-Fi and setting up proxy computers from those connections. The money being made here was substantial, too. The FBI has apparently collected around $1.5 million in money earned by these workers during previously sealed seizures in October 2022 and January 2023.

– Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Instagram's latest test feature turns users' photos into stickers for Reels and Stories

Twitch will allow simulcasting to competitor streaming platforms

Universal Audio's SC-1 condenser microphone comes with new modeling software

NVIDIA's latest AI model helps robots perform pen spinning tricks as well as humans

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

Engadget Podcast: Breaking down Andreessen’s “Techno-Optimist Manifesto”

Also, we discuss why Spider-Man 2 on the PS5 is a worthy sequel.

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has wrapped up his pro-tech worldview in a massive tome, the Techno-Optimist Manifesto. Andreessen claims, “technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential,” and he goes on to vilify anyone who dares to step in the way of “progress.” To break down this document, we’re joined by tech critic Paris Marx. We also dive into Spider-Man 2 on PS5.

Continue reading.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder review

The joy of pure imagination.

TMA
Nintendo

So Mario has always consumed mushrooms, but in the latest Mario game on Nintendo Switch, it seriously feels like the plumber (and his friends) are dabbling in hallucinogens. This has opened the creative floodgates for level design and gameplay dynamics, twisting the usual 2D platform game in weird and wonderful ways. The game also marks the first Mario title with a new voice actor for the protagonist.

Continue reading.

Jon Stewart's Apple TV+ show reportedly ends following clash over AI and China

The show was abruptly canceled.

The Problem With Jon Stewart isn't returning for a third season at Apple TV+. It was supposed to begin filming for another eight episodes within the next couple of weeks, but Apple and Stewart reportedly decided to part ways before it could start. According to The New York Times, the publications said the parties didn't see eye to eye, with Stewart apparently telling production staff that Apple executives had raised concerns about certain subjects they planned to cover, particularly China and artificial intelligence. Neither party has issued a statement.

Continue reading.

Blizzard plans to raffle off a human-blood-infused PC

Diablo IV players have to donate to make it happen.

TMA
Blizzard

To celebrate the release of Diablo IV’s new season, Season of Blood, Blizzard has launched a month-long blood drive in the US that’ll unlock in-game rewards. Once donations reach 666 quarts altogether, players will be able to enter sweepstakes for “a custom liquid-cooled PC infused with real human blood.” A typical blood donation is 1 pint, so it’ll take a little over 1,300 donations to hit the final goal. Get giving, you creeps.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/xPQvsyA

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/xPQvsyA
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Instagram accidentally reinstated Pornhub’s banned account

After years of on-and-off temporary suspensions, Instagram permanently banned Pornhub’s account in September. Then, for a short period of time this weekend, the account was reinstated. By Tuesday, it was permanently banned again. “This was done in error,” an Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch. “As we’ve said previously, we permanently disabled this Instagram account for repeatedly violating our policies.” Instagram’s content guidelines prohibit  nudity and sexual solicitation . A Pornhub spokesperson told TechCrunch, though, that they believe the adult streaming platform’s account did not violate any guidelines. Instagram has not commented on the exact reasoning for the ban, or which policies the account violated. It’s worrying from a moderation perspective if a permanently banned Instagram account can accidentally get switched back on. Pornhub told TechCrunch that its account even received a notice from Instagram, stating that its ban had been a mistake (that message itself w

Colorado police identified the serial killer who murdered 4 women 40 years ago after exhuming his body to analyze a DNA sample

A scientist examines computer images of DNA models. Getty Images Police in Colorado have cracked the cold cases of four women killed 40 years ago. Denver PD said genetic genealogy and DNA analysis helped them identify the serial killer. He had died by suicide in jail in 1981. DNA from his exhumed body matched evidence from the murders. Police in Colorado have cracked the code on four murder cases that went unsolved for 40 years, using DNA from the killer's exhumed body. The cases pertain to four women killed in the Denver metro area between 1978 and 1981. They were 33-year-old Madeleine Furey-Livaudais, 53-year-old Dolores Barajas, 27-year-old Gwendolyn Harris, and 17-year-old Antoinette Parks. The four women were stabbed to death. Denver Police Commander Matt Clark said in a press conference Friday that there was an "underlying sexual component" to the murders but didn't elaborate further. In 2009, a detective reviewed Parks' case and picked several p

Axeleo Capital raises $51 million fund

Axeleo Capital has raised a $51 million fund (€45 million). Axeleo first started with an accelerator focused on enterprise startups. The firm is now all grown up with an acceleration program and a full-fledged VC fund. The accelerator is now called Axeleo Scale , while the fund is called Axeleo Capital . And it’s important to mention both parts of the business as they work hand in hand. Axeleo picks up around 10 startups per year and help them reach the Series A stage. If they’re doing well over the 12 to 18 months of the program, Axeleo funds those startups using its VC fund. Limited partners behind the company’s first fund include Bpifrance through the French Tech Accélération program, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Vinci Energies, Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Caisse d’Épargne Rhône-Alpes as well as various business angels and family offices. The firm is also partnering with Hi Inov, the holding company of the Dentressangle family. Axeleo will take care of the early stage in