The Morning After: Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Amazon's next Echo and Super Mario World IRL
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Take a trip to Super Mario World on MDMA while touching an Echo. It's Wednesday, where hackers are the ones getting hacked and the Internet Archive needs a Canadian backup copy.
Amazon's next Echo could include a touchscreen
In case you were wondering what's next for Amazon's Alexa-connected devices, a Bloomberg rumor suggests the answer is a 7-inch embedded touchscreen. The rumor points to a "premium" device with the display built-in, running (of course) a version of its Android-based FireOS, optimized to show info like forecasts, calendar events and news.
Facebook Messenger supports 17 multiplayer games
Facebook's Instant Articles have been joined by Instant Games, a suite of experiences built into its Messenger app and web experience that lets friends play together without installing anything extra. "Pac-Man," "Words with Friends," "Galaga," "Arkanoid" and more are available, complete with leaderboards for maximum competition over bragging rights.
In a turn of events, Brian Krebs reports that the hacker who attempted to ransom the SFMTA's computers had their systems hacked, revealing quite a bit about how their business works. The data exposed indicates the individual has pulled this scheme on other companies running vulnerable Oracle server products. The transit agency told its attacker to kick rocks, however, restoring the systems from a backup instead of paying up. The lesson here? Back up everything regularly, and don't use easily-guessed password reset questions.
Dinosaurs are a perfect fit for VR
Since we're still in the early days of VR, everyone is trying to get a handle on what experiences work best. Plop on a headset, and you'll quickly notice that many developers have picked an element straight from our kindergarten favorites list: dinosaurs. As Oculus artist Derrick Hammond explains, they "have an epic sense of scale that immediately makes you appreciate the potential of VR."
Universal Osaka, Orlando and Hollywood are getting Nintendo video game areas
Now we know a bit more about the team-up between Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo, like where the integrated experiences will appear. According to execs, visiting the themed areas will make tourists feel like "they've walked into their favorite gaming platform." Most of the details are still fuzzy but expect to see the new areas open up separately at each park over the next few years.
The FDA just approved large-scale trials using ecstasy to treat PTSD
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has gained approval to expand its studies using MDMA as part of a treatment for people suffering from PTSD. They're trying to find out if drug-assisted sessions combined with therapy can help patients when currently approved methods don't work. If it's approved, the "club drug" could be available for use in treatment by 2021.
Extremely competitive work-visa programs face an uncertain future under President Trump
The president-elect recently released his 100-day plan that says he will call upon the Department of Labor to investigate visa programs, but not much is clear beyond that. Cherlynn Low interviewed several lawyers about the future of H-1B visas as well as other programs tech companies rely on for hiring.
