Snapchat 2.0
The makers of popular social media app Snapchat have rolled out a big update, with an eye towards separating the social from the media, so they say. According to CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel, who took to Axios to pen an explanation of the redesign, Snapchat will now give users two types of newsfeeds, one consisting of posts from friends, and another made up of all the other stuff: professional publishers, news sources and so on.
Spiegel touched on the topic of “fake news” and their new algorithm, which he says will parse Snapchat content based on your interests, and not those of your friends, if that’s how you want it to work. He also says they based their news aggregation after Netflix’s model, which gives you suggestions based on what you watched, not what your friends watched. All of the fun Snapchat features remain of course, and we’re taking a close look at all the changes.
The problem of the root
Quick note for users of Apple’s popular Macintosh computers running High Sierra: A simple hack that lets pretty much anyone sign into your Mac – whether it’s a laptop, MacPro desktop or an iMac – is for real. News of of the issue swept through the internet yesterday after Lemi Ergin first posted about it on Twitter, and the security problem was quickly confirmed by numerous other users.
Apple has posted instructions for a stopgap measure to protect your Mac, and a security update to fix the issue also posted up this morning. It’s a rare misstep for Apple, which usually has security problems buttoned up, but, no one is perfect. Read about more details and steps to take to keep your Mac secure.
Neat car, but Crozz off that name, please
The 2017 L.A. Auto Show is in full swing and we’re getting our first look at an interesting new model line from Volkswagen. They’ve already teased us with this concept neo-minibus called the I.D. Buzz, and now they’ve rolled out the I.D. Crozz. Yes, that’s “cross as in crossover but with two Z’z.” Volkswagen says the sleek all-electric people mover is coming out in 2020, which will give them some time to rename it, hopefully.
Anyway, the Crozz will run on electrons only, with motors front and rear, and VW says it’ll go over 300 miles on a charge with an 80-percent recharge taking only 30 minutes. It’ll also have self-driving tech of course, but the exterior lighting will change so everyone on the road will know that a robot has taken the wheel. Oh, and while it’s parked, delivery services will be able to access the trunk. Jeff Bezos is smiling over that bit we suspect.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
