- NYC migrant shelter neighbor says he’s ‘a prisoner in my own neighborhood,’ after cops install surveillance cameras outside his house New York Post
- NYC migrant crisis: ‘They’re coming at a rate of 3,000 a week’ FOX 5 New York
- Furious Staten Island resident vows community will stop migrant shelter in its tracks: ‘This is ground zero’ Fox News
- Mayor Adams calls out ‘racist comments’ at migrant shelter protests SILive.com
- Protests continue outside former school housing migrants on Staten Island Eyewitness News ABC7NY
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Tag Archives: install
Twitter exec quit when told to install illegal locks that risked lives – Business Insider
- Twitter exec quit when told to install illegal locks that risked lives Business Insider
- Elon Musk wanted to build a bathroom next to his office at Twitter so he didn’t have to wake up his bodyguards when he needed to pee in the night, lawsuit says Yahoo Finance
- San Francisco officials are investigating if Elon Musk’s “Twitter Hotel” plan broke laws The Associated Press
- Elon Musk told advisor Twitter would only pay rent over his ‘dead body’: lawsuit Business Insider
- Elon Musk told a Twitter advisor at 4 a.m. that the company would only pay rent over his ‘dead body,’ lawsuit says Yahoo Finance
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Android apps: Install these on your new smartphone
Just got a new Android smartphone for the holidays? If it’s your first one it could be a little intimidating so, to get you started, here are a few apps you should immediately install or set up on a new Android device. Alternatively, if you’re not already using these apps, it might be time to give them a shot!
Up your messaging game
Google Messages (RCS)
In the US at least, messaging has traditionally been a sore point of Android smartphones. Thankfully, Google has been hard at work trying to fix that in recent months and now, the solution known as RCS (Rich Communication Services) is available to every Android smartphone in the world at this point.
How can you get RCS on your device and, more importantly, what’s the benefit? The benefit, firstly, is that RCS is much more capable than SMS/MMS. Pictures can be sent in higher quality, typing indicators, and more all arrive with RCS. Group chats also get a huge upgrade too. On top of that, RCS chats are now encrypted to offer better security.
Basically, RCS is like Apple’s iMessage, but for Android phones.
To get RCS on your Android phone, all you need to do is download Google Messages. The free app is an SMS app at heart, but in select countries including the US, it can also enable RCS messaging on any carrier and any Android smartphone too. Simply download, set it as your default SMS app, and wait for the prompt to turn on RCS. We’ve got a more detailed tutorial on the process as well, and some tips and tricks on the best features you should turn on.
As of 2022, Google Messages RCS has rolled out end-to-end encryption, as well as finishing up support for encryption in group chats.
Telegram, Signal, & other messaging apps
If you want an app for even better messaging, you can go beyond the RCS and typical SMS, Telegram is one of our favorite messaging apps and it works a lot like the super popular WhatsApp. Unlike that app, though, Telegram works easily on multiple smartphones or tablets at one time and backs up all of your messages automatically. Plus, everything is still encrypted end-to-end and you have both voice and video calls available.The app is always getting better through updates and has improved its messaging experience greatly alongside adding a more robust video call app too.
Discord is another great messaging alternative, offering private messages as well as “servers” to host a few friends or hundreds, all with rooms and chat admins. It’s a great experience, and one that’s especially excellent for gamers.
Meanwhile Signal is an even-more privacy-focused messaging app that became especially popular when the Facebook-owned WhatsApp was under fire for new privacy policies. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the populairty of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger both globally and in the US. While many are uncomfortable with Facebook, these apps are still far better than the usual SMS you’d otherwise be using.
Staying connected
Google Meet
Video calling is a great way to keep up with friends and family beyond just texts and audio calls, and there are some great services to do it.
Google Duo was always one of the best video calling apps on Android, but in 2022, Google consolidated some of its services which saw Google Duo fall under the Google Meet brand. Previously aimed just as business matters, Google Meet now has a free experience that works a lot like Duo did. The change has been relatively seamless, but it’s worth knowing that Meet is your new home for video calls on Android.
Using Google Meet for calling friends and family is completely free, and it works across a ton of devices. Android phones and tablets. Chromebooks. Windows and macOS. It even works on iOS!
Think of it as Apple’s Facetime, but not locked down to one ecosystem.
The app works with your email address and features fun filters and even screen sharing on some devices. Its best feature though, might just be how well it works on less-than-ideal connections.
Zoom and more
One of the most popular video calling/conferencing tools during the pandemic so far has been Zoom. By its popularity alone, this is an app you should have installed. The service offers meetings that you can connect to with just a link or a password, easily connecting with loved ones, friends, or using it for business meetings. Many schools are also using Zoom for remote learning. It’s a powerful app, and one that’s not going to cost you anything unless you’re the one hosting, and even then it’s got a free offering.
Other great video calling apps include:
- Skype, one of the original video calling apps that still works great especially for friends and family.
- Facebook Messenger, a service that lots of people in the US currently use and has an excellent video calling option alongside its messaging features.
Back up your pictures and videos
Google Photos
One of the first things you should install on a new Android smartphone – or an iPhone for that matter – is Google Photos. For the vast majority of Android users, the app will be pre-installed on your device, but you’ll still need to get things set up.
To do that, simply open the app, sign in with your preferred Google account, and decide on backup options. Photos will automatically backup your pictures and videos in the background, but you’ll need to tell it if you want that done over Wi-Fi only or on cellular data as well.
From there, you’ll just need to decide on quality. Google offers full resolution backup as well as a slightly compressed, data-saving option that will lose a bit of quality, but you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the different.
In 2021, Google changed its storage policy with Photos, taking away the “free forever” offer that was attractive to so many, and instead pushing customers to use only the 15GB of free storage included with their account, or paid upgrades. You can still get fully unlimited photo storage through a special offer with T-Mobile, though.
Amazon Photos and more
Outside of Google, there are some other solid options for storing your photos. Amazon Photos has one of the best values, with unlimited photo storage for Prime customers, while OneDrive has affordable rates and a robust setup for both photos and files alike.
Upgrade your keyboard
Gboard
The keyboards pre-installed on a lot of today’s most popular Android smartphones are, well, not great. We have particular qualms about LG’s in particular, but in any case, you can get more features and in many cases better functionality out of a different keyboard.
Our top pick? Google’s own Gboard. This keyboard has a great layout that’s comfortable for typers of all styles and supports features such as gesture/swipe typing, GIF search and input, and so much more. There are even unique features such as the “Emoji Kitchen” which can create some wacky emoji stickers on the fly. You can also theme Gboard to your heart’s desire.
Put simply, it’s an excellent keyboard that’s totally free and, if it wasn’t already on your phone, it’s one you should absolutely try.
SwiftKey and more
If Gboard isn’t quite your style, there’s another great option on the Play Store inthe Microsoft-owned SwiftKey. This keyboard has been one of the most popular Android apps since the platform’s app store existed. Recently acquired by Microsoft, the app offers excellent gesture typing and features the neat trick of learning and adapting to your typing style and your spelling mistakes too. SwiftKey supports over 400 languages and is free. It even supports syncing your clipboard with Windows PCs.
Some other popular Android keyboards include:
- Grammarly was popularized as a Chrome extension, but works great on Android too. The Grammarly keyboard for Android goes beyond basic spell check to offer grammar fixes and alternate phrasing to improve how you send texts and emails.
- Fleksy is designed for speed typing with some excellent auto-correct. The keyboard is also adding support for “glide” typing and supports over 80 languages.
Use a password manager!!
We all have a ton of online accounts, and the best way to both manage and protect that data is with a password manager. Password managers usually work by encrypting your data behind a “Master Password” or some other means, while allowing you to organize that data by the site it works with or in folders.
One of our favorite password managers is 1Password, with affordable pricing, excellent security that uses both a master password and a “Secret Key,” and an easy-to-use app.
DashLane works similarly, but also has an option to automatically change your passwords for you and some free functionality too. If you really need a completely free option, though, Bitwarden is a great option.
The only password manager we currently don’t recommend is LastPass. While it has a solid free tier, the company has had several notable security breaches, including one just recently where password vaults from customers were stolen.
Don’t lose your phone or your data
Find My Device
Here’s another app that should already be installed on any new Android smartphone. “Find my Device” is a Google app designed to help you keep track of your smartphone should it be misplaced. If the app isn’t installed on your device for some reason, Find My Device available via the Play Store.
When you open up Find My Device, you’ll be prompted to sign in with a Google account and enter your password as well. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to see your device as well as any others attached to your account. You can then ring, lock, or wipe any device on your account. The same applies for your new phone as well from any other Android device you own, a friend’s Android phone, or even just a web browser. As a side note, the core functionality of actually finding your phone with this app is on by default in Google Play Services, but using the app you’ll get a bit more control as well as being able to find your other Android devices through the app as well as helping friends to find their phones.
Google One
If you do lose or break your phone, you don’t have to lose your data. That’s where Google One comes in handy. With any Google One storage plan (starting at just $2/month), you’ll get improved backups of your phone. By default, Android already backs up core data for free to your Google account, but the One app can back up SMS messages and MMS messages along with your photos and videos.
Manage your money
Google Wallet – Tap to pay and more
Mobile NFC payments are super conveinent, and setting them up on Android is easier than ever. Google Wallet is a free and quite simple app that lets you add credit/debit cards to your phone for NFC payments, as well as holding your loyalty cards, gift cards, COVID-19 vaccination data, airline passes, and so much more. The app is even working on support for holding your driver’s license.
Cash App, GPay, and more
Sending money has gotten a whole lot easier with apps, and there are some excellent choices to do so. Here are a few popular options.
- Google Pay: Google’s money-sharing app “GPay” makes it easy to send funds to friends or family with no added fees, and the app also holds hundreds of discounts, cashback options, and can even help you with your budget.
- PayPal: The classic, PayPal is a great way to send money to your friends and family, but is also super useful for online shopping as well as selling.
- Venmo & Cash App: Both using the same basic model, Venmo and Cash App are excellent apps for sending money between friends and family with usernames for sharing and easy linking to your bank. Plus, since they’re widely used, most folks are usually going to have at least one of these two.
Boost your savings and your security
To help you hit new goals in the new year, as well as up your security, there are two other money-related apps we’d recommend trying out.
Privacy is a virtual card service. After linking it to your bank account, the app can create virtual card numbers that are attached to a single online retailer, or even turn off after a single use. It’s a great way to ensure that some retailer’s security breach doesn’t affect your finances later on. Digit.co is a money-saving app. It links to your bank account and automatically saves funds here or there to help you establish some emergency savings or a rainy day fund. You can also set up manual goals to help you put away money for a vacation, special event, or big purchase.
Keep track of your Digital Wellbeing
ActionDash
Finally, let’s talk about smartphone habits. For many, smartphone addiction is a real problem and going into a new decade, there are ways to help curb that – Digital Wellbeing apps. There might already be one installed on your device but, if not, ActionDash is a free Digital Wellbeing app for Android smartphones that works on almost any device. The app tracks how you use your phone through the day including which apps are used, how many times you’ve unlocked your device, and even how many notifications you get.
To help curb your smartphone use, ActionDash offers tools such as pausing apps to keep you from using them, limiting how long an app can be used each day and more. Everything is done on-device and isn’t uploaded to the cloud and, better yet, the app is free and won’t hurt your battery either. ActionDash is available on Google Play.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing experiments
If you really have a smartphone addiction and you want to find a way to guilt yourself into stopping, Google’s collection of Digital Wellbeing experiments might be able to help. These include:
- Screen Stopwatch, a wallpaper that constantly updates with the amount of time you’ve been using your phone that day.
- Activity Bubbles, a wallpaper that shows how many times you unlock your phone in a day and how long each “session” lasts.
- Unlock Clock, a wallpaper that counts how many times you’ve opened up your phone each day.
The best note-taking Android apps
Google Keep Notes
Keeping track of reminders, lists, and more can be made much easier by using a note-taking app. Personally, my favorite note-taking app on Android is Google Keep Notes and it’s something that just seems to keep getting better over time.
Google Keep is completely free and lets you store notes, lists, and even drawings in the app. Those notes are also synced to your Google account which means you can access them on any other device including computers. With a quick setup, you can even use Google Assistant speakers such as the Nest Mini to manage a shopping list!
Microsoft OneNote
If you want something that’s not from Google and has a few more advanced features, Microsoft OneNote is an excellent option. The app is completely free, though works better with other Microsoft apps using a Microsoft 365 subscription. You can back up notes, drawings, and insert pictures in the app and, like Google’s app, they’ll sync across devices with your Microsoft account.
Keep connected to your computer
Link to Windows
If you spend all day at a desk, it can be super conveinent to keep your Android phone connected to your PC. With the Link to Windows app, that’s super easy.
After connecting, Link to Windows allows Android users to take phone calls on their PC, use messages, bring their notifications to their computer, and even access of their photos and videos without hooking up any wires. You can even mirror Android apps from your phone up to your computer.
How to set up Chromebook Phone Hub
Alternatively if you have a Chromebook, you can set up “Phone Hub.” This offers most of the same features as Link to Windows, but further building on it with support for setting up a hotspot and also using your phone as a “key” to unlock your ChromeOS device. You don’t have to download anything to set up Phone Hub either, just follow the instructions below.
A few more noteworthy apps:
- Waze: While Google Maps will do the trick for many, Waze offers crowdsourced live traffic data and reports for speed traps and more.
- Google News: Especially in these times, keeping up with the latest news is important, and using personalized data, Google News will bring you top stories in a slick app that’s really easy to use.
- Feedly: Want to keep track of the news using personalized RSS feeds? Feedly is one of the best apps for the job, and it’s free!
- Google Home/Amazon Alexa: Got some smart home speakers or displays? You’ll want to have the Google Home or Amazon Alexa apps installed depending on what devices you own.
- Get a 3rd-party launcher: Installing a new launcher is a great way to fully customize the homescreen on your new Android phone. Nova Launcher and Action Launcher are great options for this.
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China races to install hospital beds as COVID surge sparks concern abroad
BEIJING/WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Cities across China scrambled to install hospital beds and build fever screening clinics on Tuesday as the United States said Beijing’s surprise decision to let the virus run free was a concern for the world.
China this month began dismantling its stringent “zero-COVID” regime of mass lockdowns after protests against curbs that had largely kept the virus at bay for three years but at significant costs to society and the world’s second-largest economy.
Now, as the virus sweeps through a country of 1.4 billion people who lack natural immunity having been shielded for so long, there is growing concern about possible deaths, virus mutations and the impact on the economy and trade.
“We know that any time the virus is spreading, that it is in the wild, that it has the potential to mutate and to pose a threat to people everywhere,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday, adding that the virus outbreak in China was also a concern for global growth.
Beijing reported five COVID-related deaths on Tuesday, following two on Monday, which were the first fatalities reported in weeks. In total, China has reported just 5,242 COVID deaths since the pandemic emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, a very low toll by global standards.
But there are rising doubts that the statistics are capturing the full impact of a disease ripping through cities after China dropped curbs including most mandatory testing on Dec. 7.
Since then, some hospitals have become inundated, pharmacies emptied of medicines, while many people have gone into self-imposed lockdowns, straining delivery services.
“It’s a bit of a burden to suddenly reopen when the supply of medications was not sufficiently prepared,” said Zhang, a 31-year-old delivery worker in Beijing who declined to give his full name. “But I support the reopening.”
Some health experts estimate 60% of people in China – equivalent to 10% of the world’s population – could be infected over coming months, and that more than 2 million could die.
In the capital, Beijing, security guards patrolled the entrance of a designated COVID-19 crematorium where Reuters journalists on Saturday saw a long line of hearses and workers in hazmat suits carrying the dead inside. Reuters could not establish if the deaths were due to COVID.
‘GETTING SICK’
In Beijing, which has emerged as the main infection hot spot, commuters, many coughing into their masks, were back on the trains to work and streets were coming back to life after being largely deserted last week.
Streets in Shanghai, where COVID transmission rates are catching up with Beijing’s, were emptier, and subway trains were only half-full.
“People are staying away because they are sick or they are scared of getting sick, but mostly now, I think it’s because they are actually sick,” said Yang, a trainer at a nearly empty Shanghai gym.
Top health officials have softened their tone on the threat posed by the disease in recent weeks, a U-turn from previous messaging that the virus had to be eradicated to save lives even as the rest of the world opened up.
They have also been playing down the possibility that the now predominant Omicron strain could become more virulent.
“The probability of a sudden large mutation … is very low,” Zhang Wenhong, a prominent infectious disease specialist, told a forum on Sunday in comments reported by state media.
Nevertheless, there are mounting signs the virus is buffeting China’s fragile health system.
Cities are ramping up efforts to expand intensive care units and other facilities for severe COVID cases, the state-run Global Times reported on Monday.
Authorities have also been racing to build so-called fever clinics, facilities where medical staff check patients’ symptoms and administer medication. Often attached to hospitals, the clinics are common in mainland China and are designed to prevent the wider spread of contagious disease in hospitals.
In the past week, major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wenzhou announced they had added hundreds of fever clinics, some in converted sports facilities.
The virus is also hammering China’s economy, expected to grow 3% this year, its worst performance in nearly half a century. Workers and truck drivers falling ill are slowing down output and disrupting logistics, economists say.
A World Economics survey showed on Monday China’s business confidence fell in December to its lowest since January 2013.
Weaker industrial activity in the world’s top oil importer has capped gains for crude prices and driven copper lower.
China kept benchmark lending interest rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive month on Tuesday.
Reporting by Bernard Orr and Xiaoyu Yin in Beijing, David Stanway in Shanghai and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Writing by John Geddie and Marius Zaharia; Editing by Robert Birsel
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Germany arrests 25 suspected of violent far-right plot to install prince
BERLIN, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Germany on Wednesday detained 25 members and supporters of a far-right group that prosecutors said were preparing a violent overthrow of the state, with some members suspected of plotting an armed attack on the parliament.
Prosecutors said the group was inspired by the deep state conspiracy theories of QAnon and the Reichsbuerger, who do not recognise the legitimacy of modern Germany, insisting the far larger “Deutsche Reich” still existed despite the Nazis’ defeat in World War Two.
The plot envisaged a former member of a German royal family, identified as Heinrich XIII P. R. under Germany’s privacy law, as the leader in a future state while another suspect, Ruediger v. P., was the head of the military arm, the prosecutors’ office said.
It said Heinrich, who uses the title prince and comes from the royal House of Reuss, which had ruled over parts of eastern Germany, had reached out to representatives of Russia, whom the group saw as its central contact for establishing its new order. It said there was no evidence the representatives had reacted positively to the request.
Russia’s embassy in Germany was quoted by RIA news agency as saying Russian diplomatic and consular institutions in Germany do not maintain contacts with representatives of terrorist groups and other illegal groups.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the government would respond with the full force of the law against such endeavours against the state and said further investigations would reveal how far the group’s coup plans had progressed.
“The investigations provide a glimpse into the abyss of a terrorist threat from the Reichsbuerger milieu,” said Faeser in a statement, adding that the constitutional state knew how to defend itself against “the enemies of democracy”.
One active soldier and several reservists were also among those being investigated, a spokesperson for the military intelligence service told Reuters. The active soldier is a member of the Bundeswehr’s KSK elite force, which has been overhauled in recent years due to a number of far-right incidents.
Investigators suspect individual members of the group had concrete plans to storm the Bundestag lower house of parliament in Berlin with a small armed group, the prosecutor’s office said.
In August 2020, protesters stormed the steps of Germany’s Reichstag parliament building, some of them holding far-right flags, during mass marches against coronavirus curbs.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency attributes some 21,000 people to the Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, with around 5% of them seen as far-right extremists.
Some 2,100 Reichsbuerger are prepared to use violence to reach their goals, according to the 2021 annual report of the agency.
HOUSE OF REUSS
The House of Reuss had previously distanced itself from Heinrich, calling him a confused man who pursued conspiracy theories, according to local media. The house did not immediately respond to request for comment.
In a speech in 2019 denouncing modern political structures, Heinrich Reuss said his family dynasty could be traced back to 900 AD. He said that in the former principality of Reuss, people led “happy lives” because the administrative structures were “straightforward and transparent”.
“If things didn’t work well you just went to the prince,” he said. “Who are you supposed to turn to today?”
Germany had been a vassal state since World War Two, he said, governed by the Western allies.
Germany’s monarchy was abolished a century ago. When the Weimar Constitution entered into force on Aug. 14, 1919, the legal privileges and titles of German nobility were abolished. Therefore, officially, there are no princes and princesses in Germany.
Prosecutors said the raids were conducted by more than 3,000 police officials and security forces across 11 German federal states. Suspects were arrested in the German states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Thuringia as well as in Austria and Italy, said the office.
The suspects are accused of preparing, since the end of November 2021 at the latest, to carry out actions based on their ideology, according to the office. These actions include procuring equipment, recruiting new members and holding shooting lessons, it added.
The focus of the recruitment efforts were primarily members of the military and police officers, the office said.
The group was aware its plan would involve deaths, the office said, adding that its members considered this scenario to be a “necessary intermediate step” towards overarching system change.
The military intelligence service said it had worked with the prosecutors on their investigation and shared information with the domestic intelligence service and federal criminal investigators in the run up to Wednesday’s raids.
The detained suspects will appear before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice on Wednesday and Thursday who will issue the arrest warrants and decide on their pre-trial detention.
Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Sarah Marsh and Kirsti Knolle; Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Miranda Murray and Rachel More; Editing by Paul Carrel and Alison Williams
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Astronauts install new solar array outside International Space Station – Spaceflight Now
NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio headed outside the International Space Station Saturday for a seven-hour spacewalk to install and unfurl a new roll-out solar array recently delivered by a SpaceX cargo ship.
Cassada and Rubio, both on their first flights to space, began the spacewalk at 7:16 a.m. EST (1216 GMT) Saturday. The start of the excursion was officially marked when the astronauts switch their spacesuits to battery power.
The astronauts moved from the space station’s Quest airlock to the starboard, or right, side of the lab’s solar power truss, where the station’s robotic arm placed two new ISS Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, units earlier this week after extracting them from the trunk of a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule. The Dragon spacecraft delivered the solar arrays to the space station Nov. 27, along with several tons of supplies and experiments.
The new solar array blankets were wrapped around spools and unrolled like a yoga mat once installed onto a mounting bracket on the starboard 4, or S4, section of the space station’s power truss, which measures more than the length of a football field from end-to-end.
The astronauts initially worked to remove one of the two newly-delivered iROSA units from its carrier by releasing bolts and launch restraints. Cassada took position on a foot restraint on the end of the Canadian-built robotic arm, and held the solar array spools by hand while the arm moved him to the S4 truss.
The two spacewalkers positioned the iROSA unit onto a mounting bracket pre-positioned during a previous spacewalk. They unfolded the iROSA unit on its hinge, then installed bolts to secure it into place. Cassada and Rubio mated electrical connectors to link the new iROSA unit to the space station’s electrical system. Then they put in a Y cable to route power generated by both the new roll-out solar array and the original S4 solar panel into the lab’s power grid.
The mounting bracket plugs the new arrays into the station’s power channels and rotary joints, which keep the solar wings pointed at the sun as the spacecraft races around Earth at more than 17,000 mph.
The International Space Station has eight power channels, each fed with electrical power generated from one solar array wing extending from the station’s truss backbone. The new solar array deployed Saturday will produce electricity for the space station’s 3A power channel.
The original solar panels launched on four space shuttle missions from 2000 to 2009. As expected, the efficiency of the station’s original solar arrays has degraded over time. NASA is upgrading the space station’s power system with the new roll-out solar arrays — at a cost of $103 million — which will partially cover six of the station’s eight original solar panels.
When all six iROSA units are deployed on the station, the power system will be capable of generating 215 kilowatts of electricity to support at least another decade of science operations. The enhancement will also accommodate new commercial modules planned to launch to the space station.
The first pair of new roll-out solar arrays launched to the space station last year, and were installed over the station’s oldest set of original solar panels on the P6 truss section, located on the far left end of the outpost’s power truss. Two more iROSA units are slated to launch on a SpaceX resupply mission next year.
The new solar arrays were supplied to NASA by Boeing, Redwire, and a team of subcontractors.
Once the new iROSA unit was mechanical and electrically integrated onto the station’s S4 truss, the astronauts released clamps keeping the roll-out solar array spooled in its launch configuration. That allowed the blankets to gradually unroll using strain energy in the composite booms supporting the solar blanket. The design of the deployment mechanism eliminates the need for motors to drive the solar array.
“It’s starting to move,” one of the astronauts radioed mission control, prompting applause among the support team in Houston.
“That is incredible,” Cassada said. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Rubio chimed in.
The carbon fiber support booms were rolled back against their natural shape for storage during launch.
It took about 10 minutes for the solar array to unroll to its fully extended configuration, stretching about 63 feet long and 20 feet wide (19-by-6 meters). That’s about half the length and half the width of the station’s current solar arrays. Despite their smaller size, each of the new arrays generate about the same amount of electricity as each of the station’s existing solar panels.
Once the blanket unfurled, the astronauts adjusted tensioning bolts to secure the iROSA blanket in place.
Then the astronauts headed back in-board on the space station’s truss to prep another iROSA unit, which will be installed on the left-side P4 truss section on a spacewalk tentatively scheduled for Dec. 19.
With their tasks complete, Cassada and Rubio made their way back to the Quest airlock and closed the hatch. They started repressurizing the airlolk compartment at 2:21 p.m. EST (1921 GMT), completing the 7-hour, 5-minute spacewalk.
The spacewalk Saturday was the second in the careers of Cassada and Rubio, and the 256th spacewalk since 1998 in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance.
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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.
VMware bug with 9.8 severity rating exploited to install witch’s brew of malware
Hackers have been exploiting a now-patched vulnerability in VMware Workspace ONE Access in campaigns to install various ransomware and cryptocurrency miners, a researcher at security firm Fortinet said on Thursday.
CVE-2022-22954 is a remote code execution vulnerability in VMware Workspace ONE Access that carries a severity rating of 9.8 out of a possible 10. VMware disclosed and patched the vulnerability on April 6. Within 48 hours, hackers reverse-engineered the update and developed a working exploit that they then used to compromise servers that had yet to install the fix. VMware Workspace ONE access helps administrators configure a suite of apps employees need in their work environments.
In August, researchers at Fortiguard Labs saw a sudden spike in exploit attempts and a major shift in tactics. Whereas before the hackers installed payloads that harvested passwords and collected other data, the new surge brought something else—specifically, ransomware known as RAR1ransom, a cryptocurrency miner known as GuardMiner, and Mirai, software that corrals Linux devices into a massive botnet for use in distributed denial-of-service attacks.
FortiGuard
“Although the critical vulnerability CVE-2022-22954 is already patched in April, there are still multiple malware campaigns trying to exploit it,” Fortiguard Labs researcher Cara Lin wrote. Attackers, she added, were using it to inject a payload and achieve remote code execution on servers running the product.
The Mirai sample Lin saw getting installed was downloaded from http[:]//107[.]189[.]8[.]21/pedalcheta/cutie[.]x86_64 and relied on a command and control server at “cnc[.]goodpackets[.]cc. Besides delivering junk traffic used in DDoSes, the sample also attempted to infect other devices by guessing the administrative password they used. After decoding strings in the code, Lin found the following list of credentials the malware used:
|
hikvision |
1234 |
win1dows |
S2fGqNFs |
|
root |
tsgoingon |
newsheen |
12345 |
|
default |
solokey |
neworange88888888 |
guest |
|
bin |
user |
neworang |
system |
|
059AnkJ |
telnetadmin |
tlJwpbo6 |
iwkb |
|
141388 |
123456 |
20150602 |
00000000 |
|
adaptec |
20080826 |
vstarcam2015 |
v2mprt |
|
Administrator |
1001chin |
vhd1206 |
support |
|
NULL |
xc3511 |
QwestM0dem |
7ujMko0admin |
|
bbsd-client |
vizxv |
fidel123 |
dvr2580222 |
|
par0t |
hg2x0 |
samsung |
t0talc0ntr0l4! |
|
cablecom |
hunt5759 |
epicrouter |
zlxx |
|
pointofsale |
nflection |
admin@mimifi |
xmhdipc |
|
icatch99 |
password |
daemon |
netopia |
|
3com |
DOCSIS_APP |
hagpolm1 |
klv123 |
|
OxhlwSG8 |
In what appears to be a separate campaign, attackers also exploited CVE-2022-22954 to download a payload from 67[.]205[.]145[.]142. The payload included seven files:
- phpupdate.exe: Xmrig Monero mining software
- config.json: Configuration file for mining pools
- networkmanager.exe: Executable used to scan and spread infection
- phpguard.exe: Executable used for guardian Xmrig miner to keep running
- init.ps1: Script file itself to sustain persistence via creating scheduled task
- clean.bat: Script file to remove other cryptominers on the compromised host
- encrypt.exe: RAR1 ransomware
In the event RAR1ransom has never been installed before, the payload would first run the encrypt.exe executable file. The file drops the legitimate WinRAR data compression executable in a temporary Windows folder. The ransomware then uses WinRAR to compress user data into password-protected files.
The payload would then start the GuardMiner attack. GuardMiner is a cross-platform mining Trojan for the Monero currency. It has been active since 2020.
The attacks underscore the importance of installing security updates in a timely manner. Anyone who has yet to install VMware’s April 6 patch should do so at once.
Download iOS 16 Beta on Your iPhone: What to Know Before You Install
The iOS 16 public beta is here, and now anyone with a compatible iPhone can now download it and try it out on their iPhone. It’s fairly simple to install it, and it’s free, too. If you’re excited to try out any of iOS 16’s new features (like Lockdown Mode or customizable lock screens), your wait is over.
In June, Apple released the iOS 16 developer beta around its developer conference, but not many people were eligible to download and install the software. Developer betas require an Apple Developer Program membership, which is $100 a year, and they’re also not recommended for everyday use, unless you’re a developer testing out software, because developer betas can be super buggy, and make your phone more difficult to use.
Apple has now released the public beta for iOS 16, which should be a little more stable. All you need to do is sign up for the Apple Beta Software program, enroll your device and install a config profile to get iOS 16 beta on your device. Here’s how.
For more, here’s a look at the redesigned and customizable lock screen on iOS 16, and a couple of the new Apple Maps features.
Before you start, back up your iPhone
Getting your hands on prereleased software can be exciting, but there are precautions you should take before updating. All prereleased software like iOS 16 beta may contain bugs and other issues that can make your device more difficult to use, which is why you should back up your device in case you want to revert back to iOS 15.
By default, your iPhone should back itself up every time it’s connected to power and Wi-Fi during your regular sleep hours. However, if this backup feature is disabled, you can go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup and then hit Back Up Now to back up your device.
You can (and should) also back up your iPhone on your Mac.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Additionally, you can back up your iPhone via Finder on your Mac. Simply connect your device to your computer, open Finder, choose your device and then create a backup. Apple also recommends archiving your backup, so that it’s not overwritten by other backups.
Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program
Once your device is backed up, it’s time to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program, which allows anyone to try out prereleased software for free, to provide feedback to Apple on quality, usability and issues. Currently, you can test out iOS 16 beta on any compatible Apple device (iPhone 8 and later).
To enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program:
1. Go to the Apple Beta Software Program website on your iPhone.
2. Tap the blue Sign Up button at the bottom of the page.
3. Use Face ID or Touch ID to log in to the Apple ID that is attached to your iPhone.
4. Read and accept the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement.
On the page that appears next, scroll down to Get Started and tap enroll your iOS device, which should be hyperlinked in the paragraph that appears. That will take you to another page, where Apple will lay out everything you need to do to download and install iOS 16 beta on your iPhone.
Signing up for the Apple Beta Software Program is free.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Install the iOS 16 beta configuration profile
If you scroll down this page, you’ll see a section called Install Profile. To download and install the iOS 16 beta on your device, you must now install a configuration profile on your iPhone.
Essentially, a config profile allows a third party to manage your device; in this case, Apple. You may have concerns whether or not this is a privacy breach, but rest assured that this config profile simply allows Apple to deliver and manage the iOS 16 beta on your device.
To install the config profile, hit the blue Download profile button and then tap Allow in the pop-up that appears. Next, exit your web browser, launch the Settings app and tap Profile Download at the top of the page. It should then show you a window for the iOS 16 public beta config profile. Tap Install, enter your passcode and then hit Install two more times. Finally, tap Restart to get the over-the-air iOS 16 beta update.
You must first download a config profile from Apple’s website before you can update to iOS 16 beta.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Download and install iOS 16 beta
Once your iPhone boots back up, go to Settings > General > Software Update, hit Download and Install and enter your passcode to begin the process of updating to iOS 16 beta.
Once the config profile is downloaded and your phone reboots, you can download and install the iOS 16 public beta.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
If for some reason you don’t see the Download and Install option, you may need to either wait a few minutes or clear your memory to make space. If you don’t have enough space, you won’t be able to download iOS 16, so clear your memory by deleting large files and offloading hefty apps.
You should see a loading bar, along with a rough estimate of how long the download process will take. Once the download is complete, reboot your device and wait for iOS 16 beta to install. When your iPhone boots up, you should see iOS 16 beta downloaded on your device.
Watch this:
Apple Previews iOS 16 and a Bunch of New iPhone Features
6:22
Skyrim Together Reborn mod: How to play, download, install, and make a server
The highly anticipated remake of the Skyrim Together multiplayer mod is finally here, dubbed “Skyrim Together Reborn” with code rewritten from the ground up. With this mod, you and several of your friends — the mod authors recommend 2-8 players — can adventure through the Nordic lands of Skyrim together. Whether you want to work together to take down the great dragon Alduin, join factions and complete quests together, or simply explore Skyrim’s various regions and holds as a team, it’s possible with this revolutionary mod.
If you’re concerned about the mod being complicated to use, don’t be. Installing and playing Skyrim Together Reborn is easier and simpler than ever before, and in this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know. This includes the mod’s requirements and how to install them, how to download and install the mod itself, how to create a server, and how to play once everything is up and running.
Skyrim Together Reborn: Requirements and what you’ll need
Before you can download, install, and play Skyrim Together, there are a few things you’ll need for the mod to work properly (as well as for the installation to be as easy as possible). Firstly, you need to make sure that you’re using the latest version of Skyrim Special Edition or Skyrim Anniversary Edition on Steam, as these are the only versions of Skyrim that the mod works with. You can check whether your currently installed version of Skyrim Special Edition is compatible by following these steps (all Anniversary Edition versions will work):
- Navigate to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in your Steam Library.
- Right-click the game’s title.
- In the menu that opens, select Manage.
- Select Browse local files.
- In the File Explorer window that appears, right-click the SkyrimSE.exe file.
- In the menu that opens, select Properties.
- In the window that opens, select the Details tab.
- In the description, look for version number 1.6.x in the Product version row.
If your version number is 1.6.x, your installation of Skyrim Special Edition is compatible with Skyrim Together Reborn. If it’s a variation of 1.5.x, you’ll need to update your game. The easiest way to do this is to do the following:
- Navigate to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in your Steam Library.
- Right-click the game’s title.
- In the menu that opens, select Properties…
- In the Steam window that opens, select the Updates tab.
- Ensure that the “Always keep this game updated” option is checked.
- Select the Local Files tab.
- Select Verify integrity of game files…
- Let the verification process complete, then select OK when Steam says it will download missing files.
Next up, you’ll need an account on the Nexus Mods website, which is where most Skyrim mods — including Skyrim Together Reborn — are hosted. Note that you can’t download mods from the site without making one, so don’t skip this step.
While you don’t technically need one, we also strongly recommend downloading and installing a mod manager. Compared to the process of installing mods manually by decompressing the files with a program like 7-Zip and then dragging and dropping them into your Skyrim game folder, using a mod manager makes the process incredibly easy and user-friendly. Our mod manager of choice is Vortex, as it has a clean and simple interface that’s easy to learn, and also offers several advanced functions you can use if you decide to mod Skyrim more heavily in the future.
Finally, there’s one mod you need to install that Skyrim Together Reborn requires: Address Library for SKSE Plugins (note that you don’t need the SKSE mod for Address Library and Skyrim Together). Here’s how to download and install it:
- Open Vortex.
- Navigate to the Files tab of the Address Library for SKSE Plugins mod page.
- Select the Mod Manager Download button under the “All in One (Anniversary Edition)” listing.
- In Vortex, select Install.
- When prompted, select Enable.
How to download and install Skyrim Together Reborn
Downloading and installing Skyrim Together Reborn works just like installing Address Library for SKSE Plugins did, although there are some extra steps you’ll need to follow. Here’s what to do:
- Open Vortex.
- Navigate to the Files tab of the Skyrim Together Reborn mod page.
- Select the Mod Manager Download button under the “Skyrim Together Reborn” listing.
- In Vortex, select Install.
- When prompted, select Enable.
The mod is now installed, though for it to work properly, you can’t launch Skyrim through Steam like you normally would. Instead, you’ll need to use the executable included in the mod. Here’s how to access it:
- Navigate to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in your Steam Library.
- Right-click the game’s title.
- In the menu that opens, select Manage.
- Select Browse local files.
- In the File Explorer window that appears, open the Data folder.
- Open the SkyrimTogetherReborn folder.
- Select the SkyrimTogether.exe file.
- In the window that opens, select your SkyrimSE.exe file from your Skyrim installation folder (this allows SkyrimTogether.exe to hook into the regular Skyrim executable).
- Select the SkyrimTogether.exe file again to launch Skyrim with the mod.
From here on out, you’ll need to use the SkyrimTogether.exe file whenever you want to play Skyrim Together. We recommend making a shortcut by right-clicking the executable, selecting “Show more options,” and then selecting “Create shortcut” from the list of options. You can then drag this shortcut to your desktop, allowing you to launch Skyrim Together from it.
How to make a Skyrim Together Reborn server
Once you and your friends have the mod installed, one of you will need to create a server for everyone to play on. Skyrim Together originally required you to host a server by using your PC and port forwarding, but now, a special third-party service called PlayTogether has been developed that allows you to set up a free Skyrim Together Reborn server without hassle.
To use it, go to the PlayTogether homepage and select the options you’d like for your server. These include the server’s region, password, and difficulty settings, as well as a toggle for PvP and an option that causes players to lose a percentage of their carried gold on death. Then, select the Launch Instance button. Afterwards, your server’s IP address and password will be displayed, which you can then use to connect to the server while playing Skyrim Together Reborn (the below section goes over how to do that). Note that the server will automatically close after 10 minutes if nobody is connected to it and actively playing.
Depending on how many players are trying to set up a server at the same time you are, your server request may be placed into a queue. If you’d like to avoid this queue and get server priority, you can do so by subscribing to the $5 “Thane” tier on the PlayTogether Patreon page. Becoming a PlayTogether Patron also unlocks access to premium servers that have a higher tickrate, as well as guaranteed access to technical support from the PlayTogether creator through Discord.
In situations where the PlayTogether service is unavailable, you can also host a server yourself. This can be done by port forwarding or by using the Hamachi virtual networking service and then running the SkyrimTogetherServer.exe file located in the SkyrimTogetherReborn folder. Check out the official Skyrim Together Reborn server guide as well as this quick port forwarding tutorial video for more details about the process of hosting a server on your own PC.
Skyrim Together Reborn: How to play and get started
With the mod installed and a server ready, you and your friends now have everything you need to experience one of the best PC games ever made together. Here’s how you can all connect to the server and begin playing:
- Launch Skyrim with the mod by activating the SkyrimTogether.exe file.
- At the main menu, create a new character and play through the Helgen intro.
- Once you escape from Helgen, press the right Control key.
- In the menu that pops up, select Connect.
- In the window that pops up, enter your server’s full IP address and password.
- Select Connect.
After connecting, you and your friends should all be able to see and interact with one another in your server. However, before you start questing and exploring, you should party up so that everybody shares the same quest log. Here’s how to do that:
- Press the right Control key.
- In the menu that pops up, select Player Manager.
- In the window that pops up, select the Party Menu tab.
- Select the Launch Party button.
- Select the Player List tab.
- Select the Invite button next to the players you want to invite to your party.
- Have your friends accept the invite.
And with that, you and your friends are officially ready to begin your Skyrim Together Reborn adventure! We recommend reading the official Skyrim Together Playguide for the best experience, as it includes some helpful tips and information that will help you avoid issues. You and your friends should also save often, as this will help mitigate lost progress if a player (or the server) experiences a crash.
Something worth noting is that Skyrim Together Reborn also features an in-game server browser that you can access if you’d like to connect to public servers. The “Public Servers” button that lets you browse available servers is located at the bottom of the window that pops up when you select “Connect.”
Is Skyrim Together Reborn compatible with other mods?
If you’ve modded Skyrim before and are wondering whether or not Skyrim Together Reborn is compatible with other mods, the answer is that it’s complicated. All graphics mods like texture replacers, new types of grass, lighting overhauls, and ENB post-processing effects will work fine while using Skyrim Together Reborn, as these mods don’t affect gameplay systems at all.
However, mods that do affect gameplay, such as mods that alter AI behavior, add in new types of items or animations, or add, remove, or change the location of game world objects, can cause serious issues and break Skyrim Together Reborn’s functionality. Therefore, we recommend only installing graphics mods while using Skyrim Together Reborn, and ideally, you probably shouldn’t install any other mods at all just to be safe. It’s tempting to use some of the best Skyrim Special Edition PC mods in multiplayer, but it’s very risky.
There are a handful of mods and programs that are completely incompatible with Skyrim Together Reborn. These include the following:
- Engine Fixes
- Skyrim Souls RE
- Fraps
If you must use gameplay mods, the safest way to do so is to ensure that everyone planning to connect to your server installs them as well. By doing this, you’ll significantly reduce the chances that these mods will cause problems.
SwitchBot announces a new $99 smart door lock that doesn’t need any tools to install
SwitchBot, the company that makes tiny robotic fingers to press your switches for you, is branching further into the smart home. The new SwitchBot Lock ($99.99) sticks to your door and turns the thumb turn automatically to lock and unlock it. This is the simplest retrofit smart lock solution I’ve ever seen. SwitchBot says it can be installed in seconds since there’s no need to remove any part of your existing door lock. But it does look a bit odd.
The SwitchBot Lock will be available starting June 20th at Amazon and the SwitchBot store along with two compatible keypads — the SwitchBot KeyPad ($29.99) and the SwitchBot KeyPad Touch with a fingerprint reader ($59.99).
As a Bluetooth lock, you can control the SwitchBot Lock with your smartphone or Apple Watch when you’re near the door. It also has an auto-lock feature. To add voice control through Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa and control the lock when you’re away from home using the SwitchBot app, you’ll need to pick up a SwitchBot Hub Mini ($39) and plug that into a USB outlet near the lock.
The company says the lock is compatible with most deadbolt locks, and it comes with three different-sized thumb turns to fit a variety of designs. SwitchBot is also working on additional accessories for more compatibility. The thumb turns pop into the SwitchBot Lock to “grasp” and then turn the lock’s thumb turn automatically. You can also control it manually.
The simplicity of installation makes this a good option for renters. The SwitchBot Lock uses 3M VHB to stick to the door, and you don’t need to screw anything to the door or touch your existing lock. It’s powered by two CR123A 3V batteries that promise six months of battery life.
In addition to app control, voice control, and the keypads, you can continue to unlock your door with your existing key, and there’s the option of pairing one of SwitchBot’s NFC tags with the lock.
There aren’t a lot of retrofit door lock options on the market (where you don’t have to replace your entire door lock). The leader is the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which is much more expensive at $230 but doesn’t require a separate hub, and there’s also the $125 Wyze Lock. However, both of these require removing some of your existing lock. The SwitchBot Lock is a unique and innovative approach to creating a smart door lock, if not the most elegant option out there.