Tangle Tech

A major Brazilian driving school appears to have exposed the sensitive information of up to 400,000 individuals after failing to properly secure a cloud database . Researchers from Cybernews claim to have found an unprotected Google Cloud Storage bucket containing information about Brazilian Learner’s Driving permits - Licença De Aprendizagem De Direção Veicular. The learner permit is a document that the Brazilian government issues to people currently attending driving lessons, allowing them to drive a vehicle during lessons. Cybernews says the archive is most likely owned by a driving school from Sao Paulo, called Centro de Formação de Condutores Free Alda. Still available Most of the exposed data carries a Detran insignia - which stands for State Department of Traffic (Departamento Estadual de Trânsito). The researchers believe that up to 400,000 individuals have had sensitive data exposed this way, including full names, photographs, postal addresses, government ID numbers, t...

Bandwidth limitations have become a significant bottleneck in AI and high-performance computing (HPC), as GPUs are underutilized due to bandwidth constraints, with nearly half of their computational power going to waste. Nvidia is not expected to release optical interconnects for its NVLink protocol until the "Rubin Ultra" GPU compute engine launches in 2027. This delay has led hyperscalers and cloud builders to explore ways to leapfrog Nvidia’s technology by adopting optical interconnects earlier. Introducing ChromX Xscape Photonics , an optical interconnect company spun out of research at Columbia University, is using photonics to realize scalable, high-bandwidth, energy-sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to enable the next generation of AI, ML, and simulation hardware. This could help the AI industry save billions of dollars in wasted GPU capacity while also offering a path to greener, more sustainable AI infrastructures. The Next Platform recently took a cl...

Nvidia has released a new patch for its GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux to fix a handful of rather serious vulnerabilities. If exploited, the vulnerabilities mostly lead to code execution, denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering, which means they are rather serious. Among them is CVE‑2024‑0126, which has a severity score of 8.2 (high severity). Another six vulnerabilities are scored 7.8, while the final one is scored 7.1. Of the total eight flaws, five affect the Windows ecosystem. They are all user mode layer exploits, in which threat actors could initiate out-of-bound reads and thus execute code remotely. One exploit was for both Windows and Linux. Smash and grab The details about the vulnerabilities and how they can be exploited can be found on Nvidia’s security bulletin, here . There was no word of in-the-wild abuse, so we’re guessing crooks haven’t abused these bugs just yet. However, with Nvidia’s popularity and preva...

A leading expert has raised critical questions about the validity of claims surrounding "Zettascale" and "Exascale-class" AI supercomputers. In an article that delves deep into the technical intricacies of these terms, Doug Eadline from HPCWire explains how terms like exascale, which traditionally denote computers achieving one quintillion floating-point operations per second (FLOPS), are often misused or misrepresented, especially in the context of AI workloads. Eadline points out that many of the recent announcements touting "exascale" or even "zettascale" performance are based on speculative metrics, rather than tested results. He writes, "How do these 'snort your coffee' numbers arise from unbuilt systems?" - a question that highlights the gap between theoretical peak performance and actual measured results in the field of high-performance computing. The term exascale has historically been reserved for systems that achie...

Turtle Beach has announced the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot, a brand-new wireless smart controller that features unique rotating button modules. Launching on November 26, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot will cost $129.99 / £119.99 and, while the smart controller works both wirelessly and in wired mode for Windows PCs, it's designed specifically for Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , and Xbox One . Pre-orders for the controller are now open. The standout feature of the Stealth Pivot is its unique, rotating thumbstick and button control modules. They offer precise and enhanced control that can be switched depending on the game, whether it's first-person shooters, action, or racing games. According to Turtle Beach, one layout provides traditional PC and Xbox pad controls, and the modules can be easily rotated and locked back into place to produce a stick-and-button layout more suitable for fighting games. Crafted from premium materials, including built-in Hall effect sensors in th...

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #240) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands? • Today's NYT Strands theme is… You and me NYT Strands today (game #240) - hint #2 - clue words Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system. NAME MESS SITE BIKE DINE FINE NYT Strands today (game #240) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram? • Just the two of us NYT Strands today (game #240) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that tod...

The specifications for AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 7 9800X3D have leaked ahead of its scheduled release on November 7 - and it’s good news for gamers. The leak remains consistent with the previous marketing description leak regarding a performance boost over its predecessor, the 7800X3D . As spotted by VideoCardz , the leak originates from Geizhals, a price comparison tool used by retailers in Europe. While the veracity of the information can’t be fully determined at this point, it’s likely to be accurate; leaks that stem from retailers tend to be more reliable than anonymous claims made on social media, after all. AMD’s upcoming CPU will reportedly utilize eight Zen 5 cores with a 4.70GHz base clock speed, which can be boosted up to 5.20GHz - a 0.20GHz jump over the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D , and with the CPU multiplier unlocked, users will be able to manually overclock this new processor. This wasn’t possible with previous AMD CPUs that utilized 3D V-Cache, which could be a significant boon f...

If you want to buy a MacBook Air but your budget won’t quite stretch, Infinix has launched a lightweight, highly-affordable Windows 11 alternative which brings an impressive array of features promising to rival higher-end competitors. The Inbook Air Pro+ weighs only 1kg, placing it firmly in the thin and light category - ideal for everyday use, performance, processing, and multitasking. Equipped with Intel’s 13th Gen Core i5 processor (1334U), featuring 10 cores, a 4.6GHz turbo boost, and integrated Iris Xe graphics, the laptop comes with 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB of M.2 NVMe SSD storage - doubling the memory and storage capacity of the entry-level MacBook Air. An advanced cooling system with 79 precision-designed 0.2mm S-shaped fan blades prevents the device from overheating when under load. Short battery life One of the highlights of the Air Pro+ is its 14-inch OLED 2.8K (2880 x 1800) display. It’s rare to see an OLED panel at this price, so that alone is a great selling po...

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #239) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands? • Today's NYT Strands theme is… Fall fun NYT Strands today (game #239) - hint #2 - clue words Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system. PUMP PLUS AIDE PAID DIRE CHAMP NYT Strands today (game #239) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram? • Pick your own NYT Strands today (game #239) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today...

Japan is often seen as a global leader in cutting-edge technology, known for innovations in robotics, electronics, and high-speed trains - however, the country is also known for its tendency to hold onto older technology long after it has been abandoned elsewhere. Only recently has Japan begun to phase out floppy disks in government offices, and far too many of its laptops and devices still come equipped with legacy features like VGA connectors . Most recently, we covered a PCI Express adapter that adds a parallel port to modern PCs , allowing buyers to connect long-forgotten devices like HP LaserJet or dot matrix printers. For bonus nostalgia points, the driver for it comes on a CD, and it’s compatible with Windows XP and newer. But now, Planex Communications has embraced Japan’s unwillingness to fully move on with the release of its PL-US56K2(A) USB-connected 56K modem, ideal for anyone who still needs to dial into the internet like it’s 1999. BEEEEEE-DEEEE-DEEEEEE-KEEEEEE-SHHH...

Having tested ereaders for about seven years now, it's fair to say I've tried most models from the mainstream brands – Amazon Kindle, Kobo, reMarkable, Onyx Boox and PocketBook. These companies make some of the best ereaders and writing tablets, but I am partial to a Kobo because of the user interface and the fact that I can borrow ebooks from public libraries in Sydney, Australia (where I am based). I also have a Kobo Plus subscription. At present, my daily e-ink device is the Kobo Elipsa 2E – I prefer the writing features over the Kindle Scribe and its interface is far more streamlined than any Onyx Boox device I've tested. It also gets me a screen light that the reMarkable 2 doesn't, so I can read in bed at night or jot down an idea at 2am without turning on the lights. However, if you were to ask me for a recommendation for an e-paper writing tablet, I'd probably suggest anything but the Elipsa 2E for one simple reason – how the Kobo Stylus 2 feels on th...

The recent RISC-V Summit in Santa Clara, California, saw major industry players like Nvidia, Qualcomm, Google, and Samsung deliver presentations focused on AI and the expanding role of the RISC-V architecture. The involvement of such big name players put a spotlight on the growing momentum behind RISC-V, which is increasingly being seen as viable challenger to proprietary architectures like Arm and x86. Nvidia, which has used RISC-V in its GPU microcontrollers for nearly a decade, presented a 20-minute keynote titled “One Architecture, Dozens of Applications, Billions of Processors,” presented by its VP of Multimedia Architecture/ASIC, Frans Sijstermans exploring the company has used RISC-V to improve its products, highlighting the architecture’s growing influence in GPU design. Building new AI accelerators Having previously announced its long-term commitment to RISC-V, Qualcomm also took to the stage to discuss Sail and other alternative approaches to providing a single source o...

Western Digital recently split its business into two divisions : The WD brand, which now focuses exclusively on hard drives, and SanDisk, which manages the flash side, including SSDs, memory cards, and USB flash drives. While browsing SanDisk’s site, I noticed the Extreme Pro SDHC and SDXC UHS-I card is now available in a 2TB capacity, expanding the existing range, which previously topped out at 1TB. This is great news for content creators and professionals, as the doubled capacity provides plenty of space for thousands of RAW photos or hours of 4K UHD video, and the card is fast too, making it ideal for demanding tasks like continuous burst photography and slow-motion video capture. SanDisk claims the card offers read speeds of up to 250MB/s and write speeds of up to 150MB/s when used with the SanDisk QuickFlow SD UHS-I Card USB-A Reader (sold separately). QuickFlow first exceeded the UHS-I 104MB/s speed barrier in 2018, and SanDisk made further improvements to its technology in 20...

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #236) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands? • Today's NYT Strands theme is… Make some noise! NYT Strands today (game #236) - hint #2 - clue words Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system. META QUEUE BARN BRUNT TOUR STEP NYT Strands today (game #236) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram? • Woofers and tweeters NYT Strands today (game #236) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the boar...

The web version of Google Calendar has been given an official dark mode The feature is rolling out globally this week to all Calendar users Google has also given Calendar a "refreshed user interface" If you've been patiently waiting years for Google Calendar to deliver an official dark mode, today is your day – the web version of the app has finally been given a darker optional color scheme, along with a mild redesign. The news came in a Google Workspace blog post where Google said that it's introducing the ability to switch between light mode, dark mode, and default themes. As previous reports have noted , dark modes can give you a small battery life saving, particularly if you're using a device with an OLED screen. (Image credit: Future) The update is rolling out now, though it's also become available to a few members of the TechRadar team so far. To see if you have it, head to the settings cog at the top right of the page, then in the new...

A new leak claims AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor will see an 8% performance boost over the Ryzen 9 7800X3D — in other words, the chip that is regarded as one of the best gaming CPUs on the market now looks set to be dethroned. This could stand as a significant boost for PC gamers, especially considering the improvement in 3D V-Cache, which was a downside in our AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review . The leak from VideoCardz contains a marketing description of the 9800X3D, revealing ‘Next-Gen 3D V-Cache’ which points towards better thermal performance when operating at higher clock speeds. VideoCardz also reports that it’s expected to have a 15% enhancement over the 7800X3D in multi-threaded workloads, ideal for multi-tasking duties and video editing, using 8 cores and 16 threads — this strikes a balance for both content creators and gamers, along with the aforementioned 3D V-Cache improvements. These pivotal enhancements being leaked ahead of the 9800X3D’s confirmed November 7th ...

Qualcomm has historically been quiet about its automotive aspirations, preferring to focus attention on its Snapdragon mobile and laptop processor offerings. That might be changing. The company flew me to its Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit on Maui to see its latest Snapdragon Elite chips , and this year it's all about automotive. The Snapdragon Digital Chassis has been powering cars for a couple of years, but now Qualcomm is honking its Elite horn with Snapdragon Ride Elite and Snapdragon Cockpit Elite systems on a chip. And when Qualcomm says ‘Elite,’ it means power and AI. AI is coming to cars in a big way. I don’t just mean self-driving AI, though that's certainly a big part of Qualcomm’s technology. The new Snapdragon Ride Elite chipset can manage up to 40 different sensors at once. These might include radar, LiDAR, cameras, microphones, and infrared. It will use AI to manage all of that data and assist with driving. Qualcomm suggests the Ride Elite will be able to handle Le...

Back in March 2024, we reported how British AI startup Literal Labs was working to make GPU-based training obsolete with its Tseltin Machine, a machine learning model that uses logic-based learning to classify data. It operates through Tsetlin automata, which establish logical connections between features in input data and classification rules. Based on whether decisions are correct or incorrect, the machine adjusts these connections using rewards or penalties. Developed by Soviet mathematician Mikhail Tsetlin in the 1960s, this approach contrasts with neural networks by focusing on learning automata, rather than modeling biological neurons, to perform tasks like classification and pattern recognition. Energy-efficient design Now, Literal Labs, backed by Arm, has developed a model using Tsetlin Machines that despite its compact size of just 7.29KB, delivers high accuracy and dramatically improves anomaly detection tasks for edge AI and IoT deployments. The model was benchmarked ...

Known in China as the grandfather of domestic CPUs , Loongson develops processors and chips in a bid to reduce the country's reliance on foreign technology, particularly from companies such as Intel and AMD. Although probably best-known for its Loongson series of processors (originally based on MIPS architecture), the company is branching out and has unveiled its first self-developed GPGPU (General-Purpose GPU), the Loongson 9A1000. Announced at the recent Loongson Industrial Ecosystem Conference, and reported by Fast Technology , the 9A1000 aims to deliver competitive performance for AI computing in edge devices and unmanned systems. Tech giants like Nvidia can breathe easy for now, however, as the Loongson 9A1000’s performance is projected to match the AMD RX 550, a graphics card best known for its efficient 50W power consumption and PCIe 3.0 interface, which originally launched in 2017. Arriving next year The new Loongson chip isn’t quite as dated as AMD’s card. It supports...

It’s that time of year again: Qualcomm has debuted its new-and-improved flagship mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, at its annual Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. Essentially a renamed version of the much rumored Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (though Qualcomm isn’t ready to confirm as much just yet), the 8 Elite is a de facto successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and will likely power the Samsung Galaxy S25 , OnePlus 13, and many more of the best phones we expect to see released in 2025. “Our flagship mobile platforms are now taking on the Elite name, showcasing the remarkable progress it represents for the industry,” Qualcomm said in a statement announcing the launch, which comes just a month after Apple and Meditek unveiled their latest flagship chipsets – the A18 Pro and Dimensity 9400, respectively. The 8 Elite is the first Snapdragon mobile chipset to feature Qualcomm’s second-generation Oryon CPU, and has been designed to “handle the complexities of multi-modal AI” better than any mob...