Offices Resort To Sensors In Futile Attempts To Keep Workers Apart

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Millions of workers in recent months have returned to offices outfitted with new pandemic protocols meant to keep them healthy and safe. But temperature checks and plexiglass barriers between desks can’t prevent one of the most dangerous workplace behaviors for the spread of Covid-19 — the irresistible desire to mingle. “If you have…

Meet the Man Being Sued By the FTC Over His Kickstarter Campaign for a High-Tech Backpack

The Verge takes a 5,000-word look at a Kickstarter campaign “that raised more than half a million dollars, only to never ship and leave behind thousands of angry backers.” “The difference in this story, however, is that for only the second time, the Federal Trade Commission is coming for the creator.”
The agency claims Doug Monahan took his backpack funds and spent…

New $300 Kitchen Playset For Children Includes Amazon’s Alexa

“Kids can play with Alexa in their very own $300 pretend kitchen and grocery store,” CNET reports, “with the Amazon voice assistant dishing out cooking advice, shopping help and plenty of goofy toddler humor.”
The Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen and Market, from toymaker KidKraft, is making its debut at this weekend’s New York Toy Fair… It uses a mix of RFID sensors and…

GE Fridges Won’t Dispense Ice Or Water Unless Your Water Filter ‘Authenticates’ Via RFID Chip

JustAnotherOldGuy writes: Count GE in on the “screw your customers” bandwagon. Twitter user @ShaneMorris tweeted: “My fridge has an RFID chip in the water filter, which means the generic water filter I ordered for $19 doesn’t work. My fridge will literally not dispense ice, or water. I have to pay General Electric $55 for a water filter from them.” Fortunately, there…

Secretive Surveillance Company Is Selling Cops Cameras Hidden In Gravestones

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: A surveillance vendor that works with U.S. government agencies, such as the FBI, DEA, and ICE, is marketing spying capabilities to local police departments, including cameras that are hidden inside a tombstone, a baby car seat, and a vacuum cleaner. The brochure highlights some of the capabilities on offer to law enforcement agencies,…

Open-Source Security Nonprofit Tries Raising Money With ‘Hacker-Themed’ T-Shirts

The nonprofit Open Source Technology Improvement Fund connects open-source security projects with funding and logistical support. (Launched in 2015, the Illinois-based group includes on its advisory council representatives from DuckDuckGo and the OpenVPN Project.) To raise more money, they’re now planning to offer “hacker-themed swag” and apparel created with a state-of-the art direct-to-garment printer — and they’re using Kickstarter to help…

Did a Poker Pro Use RFID Tags To Cheat?

CNBC reports that a popular Twitch poker star has been accused of cheating: Stones Gambling Hall in Sacramento, California says it will not livestream poker games pending an investigation into cheating allegations made against one of the game’s players, Mike Postle… The original accusations were made by Veronica Brill, another poker player who has played with Postle on “Stones Live.” Since…