It's time to give Firefox another chance If you're like me, you switched your default browser over to Chrome years ago and never looked back. Chances are, before you made the switch, you used Firefox or --- God forbid --- Internet Explorer. What made Chrome stand out back then was its speed and simplicity, especially at a time when Firefox felt like it was getting slower and heavier with every update. But times have changed. It's now time to give Firefox another chance. TechCrunch
In context: Mozilla looks to challenge Chrome with Firefox Quantum
Download: Firefox 56, Firefox 57 Beta 4
A "right to repair" movement tools up As devices go, smartphones and tractors are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. And an owner of a chain of mobile-device repair shops and a farmer of corn and soyabeans do not usually have much in common. But Jason DeWater and Guy Mills are upset for the same reason. "Even we can no longer fix the home button of an iPhone," says Mr DeWater, a former musician who has turned his hobby of tinkering into a business based in Omaha, Nebraska. The Economist
The people who still compete in Super Mario Kart, 25 years later Here are three reasons Sami Cetin, 35, is still playing Nintendo's 1992 racer Super Mario Kart competitively. The lack of boost mushrooms in the solo Time Trial mode limits the number of game-breaking skips available on each course. The lack of blue shells in the GP mode means that a first place finish can't be robbed by a inescapable heat-seeking missile from the poor soul in eighth. Polygon
Five ways to get CRISPR into the body The gene-editing technology CRISPR has the potential to treat---and possibly cure---any number of diseases. But in order for the DNA editing to happen inside you, CRISPR needs to find its way to the right part of the body. That mostly means getting a DNA-cutting protein called Cas9, normally found in bacteria, to work in your cells. To do that, researchers are trying out some surprising delivery techniques. MIT (also, CRISPR gene editing can cause hundreds of unintended mutations)
This interactive map visualizes the market value of every cryptocurrency Whether you think cryptocurrency is merely a passing fad or a phenomenon still maturing into mainstream legitimacy, keeping an eye out on the market is certainly an engaging activity. But it could be quite the hassle to keep up with every alternative out there - unless you use this tool. The Next Web
This is the vintage technology some companies are using to store your data To stay up-to-date in the battle against hackers, some companies are turning to a 1950s technology. Storing data on tape seems impossibly inconvenient in an age of easy-access cloud computing. But that is the big security advantage of this vintage technology, since hackers have no way to get at the information. MarketWatch
The electronics markets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam When we think about world-famous electronics markets in Asia, usually Shenzhen, Tokyo's Akihabara, or Shanghai's Beijing Road come to mind. There's another market that I've had my eye on for a few years: Nhật Tảo market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It might not be as large or accessible as the more well-known markets, but it's very much worth a visit if you're in the area. Hackaday
Dumb things the camera companies are still doing As much as we talk about the lack of true innovation in the camera market, particularly when it comes to integration with the Internet and social media, every day I keep encountering cameras that have the same "hey this is the way it used to be" design philosophies underlying them. I call it "lazy engineering." DSLR Bodies
Internet Explorer bug leaks whatever you type in the address bar There's a bug in the latest version of Internet Explorer that leaks the addresses, search terms, or any other text typed into the address bar. The bug allows any currently visited website to view any text entered into the address bar as soon as the user hits enter. The technique can expose sensitive information a user didn't intend to be viewed by remote websites... Ars Technica
Bug-repair system learns from example Anyone who's downloaded an update to a computer program or phone app knows that most commercial software has bugs and security holes that require regular "patching." Often, those bugs are simple oversights. For example, the program tries to read data that have already been deleted. The patches, too, are often simple --- such as a single line of code that verifies that a data object still exists. MIT
Starfox 2: The SFX chip strikes back After completing Starfox 2, there was a strange moment. The credits began to roll and, because this is a Nintendo game from the 90s, the first name was the game's executive producer: Hiroshi Yamauchi. The title is honorific, really, because Yamauchi wasn't involved in the day-to-day development of Nintendo's software. But I can't tell you how many times I saw that job title combined with that name as a kid. Kotaku
Fourth industrial revolution, a golden opportunity for Samsung Businesses around the world are facing a paradigm shift in electronics devices and information technology. And Samsung Electronics, whose operating profit is forecast to reach a record 15.5 trillion won ($13.6 billion) in the fourth quarter, has built its strategy around the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and automotive components, to maintain growth and its leading position in technology. Korea Herald
A brain built from atomic switches can learn Brains, beyond their signature achievements in thinking and problem solving, are paragons of energy efficiency. The human brain's power consumption resembles that of a 20-watt incandescent lightbulb. In contrast, one of the world's largest and fastest supercomputers, the K computer in Kobe, Japan, consumes as much as 9.89 megawatts of energy... Quanta Magazine
Tesla shifts to Intel from Nvidia for infotainment The giant information and entertainment screens in Tesla Inc.'s cars will be powered by new components from Intel Corp. after the automaker replaced chip supplier Nvidia Corp. for that function, according to people familiar with its plans. Bloomberg