Security Now 973: Not So Fast

Welcome to the Big Glass Wars! That's right, just when you thought you'd heard it all, turns out there's hot competition among a few countries to stay on the cutting edge of optical astronomy, and to do that, you need a great big hunk of glass to gather light from distant galaxies and stellar systems. Enter the Carnegie Observatories and their partners on the Thirty Meter Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope. Both are currently under construction, and both are threatened by budget parsimony from the U.S. Congress. Dr. John Mulchaey, Director of the Carnegie Observatories, joins us to discuss what's happening, why it matters, and what you can do to help maintain U.S. leadership in astronomy, cosmology, and other STEM-related fields. Headlines: Boeing's Starliner launch to the ISS delayed again, this time due to a helium leak in the service module. The launch is now targeted for no earlier than May 21st. Blue Origin plans to conduct its first crewed suborbital flight since August 2022 on May 19th, carrying six passengers including the first Black astronaut candidate Ed Dwight. A massive sunspot caused spectacular auroras visible as far south as Alabama and turned skies purple and orange. More solar activity is expected as another large sunspot emerges. Main Topic: The Big Glass Wars with Dr. John Mulchaey Dr. Mulchaey provides an overview of the Carnegie Observatories, founded in 1904, and their historic telescopes at Mount Wilson that helped launch modern astronomy. He discusses the need for extremely large next-generation ground-based telescopes, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), to study earth-like exoplanets and the early universe. These ambitious segmented mirror telescopes will be 5-10 times larger than today's biggest telescopes and cost billions of dollars to construct. While substantial private funding has been raised, the projects need investment from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. government to be completed. However, the NSF has proposed only partial funding. Dr. Mulchaey emphasizes the importance of the U.S. having both telescope projects to provide full-sky coverage, double the observation time, and maintain the nation's leadership in astronomy research or risk losing top talent to competing projects in Europe and China. He notes that delaying a decision on full funding is causing the estimated costs to escalate as the projects are forced to wait. Dr. Mulchaey argues passionately that inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers by investing in these telescopes is critical for the country's future productivity and innovation. Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. John Mulchaey Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: wix.com/studio

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week! Jennifer talks about Matter 1.3 being released by the Connectivity Standards Alliance. Mikah is excited by the new accessibility features Apple recently announced. What Google announced at its Google I/O 2024 event. And finally, OpenAI announces GPT-4o. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy talks about Matter 1.3 being released, which brings further support to smart appliances and new features, but laments the fact that most major platforms have yet to adopt even Matter 1.2. Mikah Sargent is ecstatic about Apple's new accessible features, including Eye Tracking and Vehicle Motion Cues. Jason Howell attended Google I/O 2024 this past week and gives his recap and thoughts on what was announced at the event. Finally, Pranav Dixit of Engadget stops by to talk about OpenAI's announcement of the next iteration of its generative AI model, GPT-4o, and how it differs from the previous model. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guests: Jason Howell and Pranav Dixit Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT - code TWIT30 YahooFinance.com cachefly.com/twit

Microsoft Edge is the default web browser and PDF reader in Windows 11, and a modern and capable successor to the Internet Explorer browser of yesteryear. It's built on the same Chromium web platform that Google uses for Chrome, and it integrates more deeply with Windows and Microsoft online services–most notably Copilot–than other browsers. But Microsoft Edge is also a vector for some of the worst behaviors in Windows 11. For this reason, it's important to configure Microsoft Edge correctly, whether you expect to use it regularly or not. Host: Paul Thurrott Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Time Machine is a built-in back up tool for macOS that keeps multiple, browsable versions of your Mac as you make changes over time. Mikah Sargent walks you through the process of setting up, managing, and accessing your macOS Time Machine backups. Back up your Mac with Time Machine - https://support.apple.com/en-us/104984 Host: Mikah Sargent Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Listener Eric is moving his old AVR into the workout room, and he'd like to install some in-ceiling speakers to avoid taking up floor space. Scott Wilkinson has some recommendations. Polk Audio RC80i: https://amzn.to/44HU4ll Klipsch CDT-5650-C II: https://amzn.to/4bjkOet Klipsch CDT-5800-C II: https://amzn.to/3K3QGYl Yamaha NSIC800WH: https://amzn.to/3K0Qyce Acoustic Audio by Goldwood CS-IC83: https://amzn.to/3K4xaej Host: Scott Wilkinson Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

In this episode of iOS Today, Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard dive into the world of Safari extensions, discussing a variety of handy tools that can enhance your browsing experience on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. From content blockers to custom search engines, the duo explores the benefits and potential drawbacks of these powerful add-ons. Additionally, Rosemary tackles a Shortcuts Corner question about switching Apple Watch faces using Siri. Safari Extensions: Browser Note: A simple extension that allows you to stick virtual post-it notes on websites, reminding you of important information when you revisit the page. Keyword Search: An extension that enables custom search engines for various websites, allowing you to quickly search Amazon, DuckDuckGo, and even TWiT.tv right from Safari's address bar. 1Blocker: A powerful content blocker that prevents ads and trackers from loading on web pages, potentially speeding up your browsing experience and protecting your privacy. Redirect Web for Safari: An extension that lets you create custom redirect rules for websites, ensuring you always end up on the correct version of a site (e.g., old.reddit.com instead of www.reddit.com). PayPal Honey: A controversial but money-saving extension that automatically finds and applies coupons and deals as you shop online. Vinegar and Baking Soda: Two extensions that work together to improve your video watching experience by replacing the native video player controls on YouTube and other video sites with iOS's native controls. Opener: While not technically a Safari extension, this app allows you to choose which app opens when you click on a link, giving you more control over your browsing experience. Shortcuts Corner: Doug asks how to switch Apple Watch faces using Siri without having to confirm the action on his watch when his iPhone is locked. Rosemary walks through the process of ensuring the shortcut has the necessary permissions to run when the device is locked and troubleshoots potential issues Doug may be facing. If the "Allow Running When Locked" option is missing, Rosemary suggests resetting the shortcut's privacy settings or recreating the shortcut from scratch. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord. You can also contribute to iOS Today by sending an email to [email protected].

Lisa Laporte pulls back the curtain on why ad tech's flashy numbers and algorithms can lead brands astray if they're not paired with a deeper understanding of a podcast's unique audience and content. Host: Lisa Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

The new iPad Pros are here! Jason Snell shares his thoughts on the iPad Pro, and Mikah unboxes his iPad Pro as Leo and Andy watch with excitement. Logic Pro gets updated for the Mac and iPad with new AI features: is this a prelude to this year's WWDC? Apple is working on revamping Siri to catch up to its competitors' offerings in generative AI. And people are mad at Apple's 'Crush' iPad Pro ad. M4 iPad Pro review: here we go again. Breaking down the iPad Hype: M4 and Tandem OLED! Apple releases Logic Pro for Mac and iPad updates with new AI features. Daring Fireball: The M4 iPad Pros. Apple will revamp Siri to catch up to its chatbot competitors. Apple working to fix iPhone alarm problem. Apple releases iOS 17.5 with cross-platform tracking detection, EU app downloads from websites and more. VMware Fusion Pro 13 goes free for personal use, here's how to get it. Hydraulic Press Channel reproduces the iPad ad for real. Apple apologizes for 'Crush' iPad Pro ad that sparked controversy. Apple still isn't done building its dream iPad Picks of the Week: Andy's Pick: Not Boring Habits Mikah's Pick: Morpholio Trace Jason's Pick: Ferrite Recording Studio Hosts: Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Guest: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit wix.com/studio

Windows 11 Patch Tuesday Windows 11 gets those stupid lock screen widgets Snipping Tool is being updated with emojis and QR code scanning Microsoft is testing widgets in the Windows 11 Start menu New Dev and Beta builds Dell PCs based on Snapdragon X leak Microsoft 365 Microsoft Word gets a long-overdue overhaul to default paste AI OpenAI kicks off the week with its Spring Update Google I/O follows up with a Microsoft-style keynote Xbox Microsoft to launch Xbox mobile games store in July Xbox consoles will support game update pre-loads, finally Microsoft discounts Xbox 360 titles ahead of Store closure We have another round of Game Pass titles and you're never going to believe what we didn't get, again Starfield May Update is here with 60 fps support on Series X Xbox Cloud Gaming supports keyboard and mouse with 26 games Xbox app gets more improvements tied to handheld gaming PCs Sony has now sold almost 60 million PS5s, roughly even with PS4 at this point in time Tips and picks Tip of the week: Remote Desktop is another feature semi-broken by MSA sign-ins App pick of the week: VMWare Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro are free RunAs Radio this week: MLOps + DevOps + Kubernetes with Annie Talvasto Brown liquor pick of the week: Lagavulin 16 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Sponsors: HP.com - WW - https://bit.ly/4adilko Melissa.com/twit GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT - code TWIT30

Picture of the Week. Most to least common 4-digit pins. Enhanced LORAN. Passkeys. Microsoft's Head in the Clouds. Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-974-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Sponsors: 1bigthink.com zscaler.com/zerotrustAI kolide.com/securitynow joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT