today's leftovers
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USB4 leaps ahead of Thunderbolt with 80Gbps standard
The USB Promoter Group announced USB4 Version 2.0 on Thursday, a specification that will allow for up to 80Gbps to be transferred over the USB-C connector that is commonly in use on PCs and smartphones. The standard will be backwards compatible with USB4 Version 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3 — but not USB 1.0 or Thunderbolt 4.
The USB Promoter Group said that the new standard will be published in November, meaning the first products should debut sometime thereafter.
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Microsoft Blames Ubuntu Update DNS Problems for Azure Services Outage
The problem specifically affected customers "running Ubuntu 18.04 (bionic) VMs [that were] recently upgraded to systemd version 237-3ubuntu10.54," Microsoft's alert indicated. Microsoft also confirmed the problem in this Azure Support Twitter post.
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Android TV boxes feature Amlogic SoCs and support Android 11.0
The Tanix X4 and the TX8 Pro are two TV Box devices powered by Amlogic’s SoCs recently launched in the market. Both devices offer similar features including 4K resolution, ethernet and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity.
The Tanix X4 TV Box features the Amlogic S905X4 SoC which combines an ARM-G31 MP2 GPU and a quad-core ARM-A55 processor (up to 2.0GHz). Similarly, the TX8 Pro accommodates the Amlogic S905W2 chipset featuring the same GPU (Mali-G31 MP2) along with a quad-core Cortex-A35 processor (up to 1.8GHz).
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Google removes malicious Chrome extensions with 1.4 million users
Extensions hijacking browsers in order to plaster the web with even more ads is nothing new. It’s the fact that these extensions appeared on the Chrome Web Store, ostensibly with Google’s seal of approval, that allowed them to affect such a wide array of users. You can admonish users for being careless all you want, but if Google hosts the extensions and presents them directly to users, the company bears some of the responsibility. But initial testing and scans can only do so much, especially when popular extensions can be sold to less-scrupulous new owners.
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Violence-as-a-Service: Brickings, Firebombings & Shootings for Hire
A 21-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with stalking in connection with a federal investigation into groups of cybercriminals who are settling scores by hiring people to carry out physical attacks on their rivals. Prosecutors say the defendant recently participated in several of these schemes — including firing a handgun into a Pennsylvania home and torching a residence in another part of the state with a Molotov Cocktail.