The big story this morning is all about how Facebook is fighting back against the war on internet ads. Facebook today announced it has tweaked its desktop platform so that ad-blocking software will have difficulty distinguishing a status update from an ad for razors or hotels.
To be clear, Facebook’s mobile app already rejects any kind of ad-blocking control, but this change will make desktop browser extensions pretty much useless. You might think this is a cash grab move, but most of Facebook’s users come to the social media site through their mobile devices, making this announcement more or less symbolic. It’s more than a symbolic gesture for smaller internet companies, though, which have to rely on ads or subscriptions to generate revenue.
At the very least Facebook does have a tool which allows you to customize your ad preferences. Click the little ‘x’ or down arrow in the corner of the ad, then click “Why am I seeing this” and from there you navigate to controls which disable ads from certain advertisers, as well as disable Facebook from tracking what you do on the internet when you’re not on Facebook.
Quadrooter? Not to worry, says Google
You may have heard about a serious Android OS vulnerability in the news over the past few days, one which would rightfully have Android phone and tablet users concerned. Some 900 million Android devices were revealed to be vulnerable to what has become known as Quadrooter, a combination of four security hole exploits identified by a security expert at the Def Con Hacking convention in Las Vegas this past Sunday.
But Google says it really shouldn’t be a problem. First off, Google’s August update covers three of the four issues, and the fourth should be closed up in a September update. That’s fine for a small selection of phone users, but what about everyone else who might never see these udpates. Google says it’s all going to be ok, really, because of its ‘Verify Apps’ feature, which is turned on by default in any device running Jelly Bean OS or later.
The feature scans apps before they are installed to detect any security threats and prevents them from running if there’s trouble. If you have an Android running an OS version earlier than Jelly Bean you can enable the Verify Apps feature manually, but, again, as Android Headlines points out, 90% of devices are running Jelly Bean or later. All of this to say: Calm down everyone, you’re probably going to be fine. Just keep your phone as updated as you can.
Amiga madness
Many of us, shall we say, more seasoned computer users, remember the Commodore Amiga fondly, if we remember it at all. The Amiga was a big deal back in its day, as it offered what were, back then, advanced graphics and ton of game titles to play – way more than IBM machines, and Apple? Pffft Apple was just getting started with games when the Amiga came out. Remember The Oregon Trail. Of course you do.
Anwyay, if you’re one of those who get bitten by the nostalgia bug when they hear the name Amiga, we have some killer news for you. The Internet Archive just dumped some 10,000 titles, ranging from full games to demos, on the Internet, all available to experience, for free, from the comfort of your desktop browser. Just hit the link below to get going on Bubble Bobble, Budokan, King’s Quest, and many, many more.
If you’re looking for The Secret of Monkey Island, however, you’re out of luck. At least for now. Several favorites from that era are just not available. And some of the titles available will be glitchy, so be forewarned. Still, I don’t know about you, but I know exactly how much time I am going to waste at work today.
