Archive for August, 2017

[Update: It’s really live now] Alexa devices can now control your Fire TV – Android Police

One of the Google Home's best features is the ability to control playback of a Chromecast with voice commands. For example, you can ask "OK Google, play Gravity Falls on the living room TV" to start playing content without having another device nearby. Now the Fire TV can do that, but with Alexa devices.

Amazon's Fire TV and Fire TV stick already have an Alexa button on the remote, which you can use to control media playback and open apps. A software update is rolling out to all Fire TV models that allows you to use all the same commands, but from another Alexa device (like an Echo or Echo Dot). You can use phrases like pause, play, resume, fast forward, and next episode.

If your Fire TV finds that the update is available, it will install automatically when you reboot it (or after it is idle for 30 minutes). You can find more information at the source link below.

It looks like someone at Amazon jumped the gun a little and released the firmware changelog three weeks earlier before the feature was live. Now it's really official. Amazon says that the feature is rolling today in the US for all generations of Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, whereas smart TVs withFire TV Edition will have it within the week. There's also a promised support for viewing smart home camera feeds on the Fire TV and 2nd gen Fire TV Stick, but that's said to be "coming soon."

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[Update: It's really live now] Alexa devices can now control your Fire TV - Android Police

A hacker gained control of this central Cardiff billboard and posted a swastika and messages mocking Islam – WalesOnline

A big screen in Cardiffs main shopping street was reportedly hacked with images of swastikas and messages about Shariah appearing.

The giant billboard in Queen Street was allegedly hacked on Tuesday night by a group who claimed on social media that they had a little fun.

A poster on the thread Politically Incorrect, on internet site 4chan, wrote on Twitter: Some Anons from /pol/ were able to hack into a billboard in Cardiff, Wales.

As you can see, they had a little fun.

Images of a swastika and a message that read Warning. This is a Shariah controlled zone. No alcohol. No gambling. No porn were projected onto the board above the Superdrug store in the busy street in the heart of the capital just as thousands of children are off school during the summer holidays.

There were also images of memes and a poster which read Big Brother is watching you, according to the social media account.

A South Wales Police spokesman said they were investigating the incident after receiving a number of calls from concerned bypassers.

In a statement they said: On Tuesday evening South Wales Police received a number of calls relating to concerns regarding messages being displayed on the screens in Queen Street, Cardiff.

We alerted the city council and will investigate any crimes which may have been committed.

The billboard is operated by blowUP media, who have been contacted for comment.

A spokesman Cardiff council said: The council has contacted the company that own and operate the advertising screen. The screen was switched off at midnight on Tuesday night.

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A hacker gained control of this central Cardiff billboard and posted a swastika and messages mocking Islam - WalesOnline

Chinese state media: Trump is ‘wrong’ when he says we can fix the North Korea problem – CNBC

President Donald Trump is "wrong" when he says China can resolve the ongoing North Korea nuclear crisis on its own, Chinese state media said on Wednesday morning.

"Trump is wrong in his assumption that Beijing can single-handedly handle the matter. As Beijing has said, repeatedly, it does not have the kind of 'control' over Pyongyang that the U.S. president believes it does," said English-language newspaper China Daily in an unsigned editorial.

The editorial appeared to be responding to Trump's accusations on Twitter that China was doing "nothing for us with North Korea, just talk." The president made that claim following the reclusive nation's firing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say has the potential to reach the U.S. mainland.

In its editorial, China Daily said Pyongyang's constant saber-rattling is a threat to China too, as the world's second largest economy "feels threatened by the damage Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions may inflict on its immediate neighborhood."

"For that reason, although U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration at what he considers Beijing's failure to dissuade Pyongyang from its nuclear adventure, Beijing has every reason to feel unfairly burdened with a task that is obviously beyond it, especially as it has been working diligently to broker a peaceful resolution to the crisis," it added.

"Nor will Beijing accept Trump's allegation that it has done nothing. From Beijing's perspective, it has significantly increased the pressure on Pyongyang by doing everything the strengthened UN sanctions regime requires of it."

The editorial said a peaceful consensus is best, although that "appears increasingly distant and unachievable."

Commentaries in state media offer additional insight into government thinking.

In China's latest official response on the crisis, foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Saturday that China "opposes" North Korea's launch activities, which violate UN Security Council resolutions and "run counter to the collective will of the international community."

Read China Daily's editorial for response to the North Korean issue.

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Chinese state media: Trump is 'wrong' when he says we can fix the North Korea problem - CNBC

Donald Trump: Only ‘Fake News Media’ and ‘Trump Enemies’ Want Me Off Social Media – TIME

(WASHINGTON) President Donald Trump may be trying for a reset in the West Wing, but he is making clear that he is not changing his Twitter habit.

On Twitter Tuesday, Trump said: "Only the Fake News Media and Trump enemies want me to stop using Social Media (110 million people). Only way for me to get the truth out!"

The tweet came one day after retired Gen. John Kelly took over as Trump's new chief of staff. Tapped to bring order to the chaotic West Wing, Kelly quickly made his presence known on Monday ousting newly appointed communications director Anthony Scaramucci and revising the command structure so that all senior staffers report to him.

Those moves were praised Monday by Trump allies and lawmakers, who expressed hope that Kelly would help stem internal conflicts and advance a policy agenda after six months of tumult. But less clear is how much control Kelly will have over Trump's predilection for sowing conflict and making off-the-cuff comments on social media.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeated on Tuesday that Kelly had full control over the staff. Asked at a press briefing if senior advisers Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and others would be able to drop in to see the president, she said: "I don't think anyone just wanders into the Oval Office."

Sanders added that "Gen. Kelly is going to work with the entire team as he has been doing over the last couple of days."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, speaking on NBC's "Today Show," said he was encouraged by Kelly's new role, but stressed that he was looking for "discipline" from Trump in order to move forward with issues like health care and tax reform.

"He has an obligation to be president for all of us and stop the chaos. Most of the chaos is generated by him and no one else," Graham said.

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Donald Trump: Only 'Fake News Media' and 'Trump Enemies' Want Me Off Social Media - TIME

TAKING AIM: Castle Doctrine and stand-your -ground laws – Stillwater News Press

I begin this column with a caveat: I am not, nor do I pretend to be an attorney familiar with gun laws. Im not even an authority on the subject, but I can push buttons on a keyboard and do a bit of research.

So here goes:

Most people I have asked are not aware Oklahoma has a Castle Doctrine.

Some are aware of stand-your-ground laws.

The two are close in what they outline, though many folks think they simply refer to the right of an individual to protect their own life, their family or their property.

The Castle Doctrine is a common law recognized by 46 states. It designates a persons abode or any place legally occupied, ie., workplace, automobile, etc. as ones castle.

Further, it says an individual has no duty to retreat from such place when confronted with threat of life or bodily harm or loss of property. An individual may use reasonable force, including deadly force, for protection.

Compare this with stand-your-ground laws, recognized by 24 states. Essentially, it indicates that an individual may confront the above threats with deadly force without the obligation to retreat, if 1) the person has a legal right to be at the location, and 2) if the person is not engaged in illegal activity.

Being aware of such laws and going down a checklist prior to shooting an armed intruder are two different animals. One should be aware, and one should think ahead. At the same time, we shouldnt have to live in paranoia. It boils down to the fact that we should all be good citizens and we should be able to trust our state laws.

A young woman defending her home and babies from two intruders a few years ago in rural Oklahoma didnt care about fool laws. She wanted to live unharmed and she wanted her children unharmed. She left one dead, draped over the couch she used to barricade the door. The other was arrested while seeking medical attention for gunshot wounds. Good for her.

No matter what you believe about the case, George Zimmerman would likely have been worse off if he had killed Trayvon Martin in Oklahoma. That is because our stand-your-ground law is not as permissive as that in Florida.

Conversely, Oklahoma City pharmacist Jerome Ersland very likely would have fared better in Florida for the same reason. Here, Ersland was considered a hero for stopping a robbery, until he returned and killed a helpless robber lying wounded on the floor. He received a life sentence for doing that.

You are probably more confused now than when you began this column. The important thing to remember is: Be a good citizen.

In an emergency, fight to control decisions fueled by adrenaline.

Remember, you cant use deadly force unless you have reason to believe your life is threatened or that you may suffer great bodily harm.

You cannot unring a bell. And you cannot unpull a trigger.

Fred Causley is a former OSU Agriculture Communications employee and a longtime Stillwater resident and NRA member. Send him questions or feedback to papacausley@gmail.com.

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TAKING AIM: Castle Doctrine and stand-your -ground laws - Stillwater News Press