Archive for November 8, 2022

Soccer Commentator Voice Available On Waze

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 8, 2022 by itnerd

Soccer (or football) is a global sensation and the most widely viewed sport in the world. For the first time, Waze is giving drivers a way to represent their favourite team and country. 

Available now, drivers using Waze can activate a soccer experience in the app:

* Soccer-inspired voice navigation available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese

* Your car icon on the Waze map can be changed to the Automoball, a car outfitted for the ultimate soccer fans

* Drivers can set a Mood representing their favourite country 

Samples of the on-road commentary experience include: 

ENGLISH:

Take the first exit! Then it’s onward to glory!

Hazard reported ahead. Getting through that defence could prove tricky.

FRENCH:

Nous sommes tous prêts à vous supporter. Ramenez-nous le trophée à la maison !

Bravooooo, vous l’avez fait : Vous avez ramené le trophée à la maison ! On se retrouve demain pour la parade en bus ?

Quel match ! Quel parcours sans faute ! Quel pied ! Merci de nous avoir suivi !

Danger signalé devant. On la joue simple.

SPANISH:

El árbitro está a punto de dar el pitazo inicial. Sabemos que este equipo tiende a arrancar a gran velocidad, pero no sabemos cuál será la estrategia de hoy… 

Todo listo. El jugador sale a la cancha con actitud ganadora.

El jugador ha llegado a su destino. Ha sido un partido extraordinario con lo mejor del fútbol. 

Accidente reportado más adelante. El jugador pisa la pelota y avanza con calma.

PORTUGUESE:

Pegue a primeira saída

Eita! Acidente reportado à frente.

Vai começar! O melhor do mundo não esquece o cinto.

Receeeba esse destino, véi! Chegou! Graças ao Waze

To activate the soccer experience, tap “My Waze” and “Drive with a commentator.” Users in Brazil can select “Drive with Luva de Pedreiro” and hear navigation directions from the fan-favourite influencer in that country. 

A blog post with details can be found here:

https://blog.google/waze/goal-take-your-next-drive-with-a-soccer-commentator/

Leave a comment »

Guest Post: US military veterans lost over $560 million to scams in the last 5 years

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 8, 2022 by itnerd

Military veterans and their families have special government resources available to them. Unfortunately, scammers perceive these benefits as easy prey.

According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, US army veterans lost $563 million to scams in the last 5 years. In total, military retirees reported 556,807 cases of fraud.

Miscellaneous investment scams have cost veterans $105.5 million since 2018. Former military members reported a total of 4,206 instances of scammers offering fake investments.

Business impostors stole $71.2 million from veterans in the last 5 years. Military retirees reported 49,617 cases of scammers impersonating businesses. Fake prizes, sweepstakes, and lotteries resulted in $62.1 million in losses to veterans. FTC received 11,635 reports of such scams taking place.

Government impostors scammed $60.9 million out of veterans in the last 5 years. These types of scams were the most popular among fraudsters, as FTC received 55,449 reports of fraud.

Romance scams have cost $53.5 million to veterans since 2018. Military retirees reported 3,766 instances of such fraud. Furthermore, tech support scams cost veterans $41.7 million. In total, the FTC received 15,726 reports about romance scams.

To read the full article, head over to:

https://atlasvpn.com/blog/us-military-veterans-lost-over-560-million-to-scams-in-the-last-5-years

Leave a comment »

Cradlepoint Announces Availability Of 5G-Optimized SD-WAN That Is Network Slicing-Ready

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 8, 2022 by itnerd

Cradlepoint today announced the availability of the first 5G-optimized SD-WAN solution, designed to close the gap between enterprises and network operators to make network slicing a reality. The solution is part of NetCloud Exchange (NCX), an extension of Cradlepoint’s NetCloud solution that integrates security, SD-WAN, and Zero Trust into a single Wireless WAN architecture.  

5G is quickly emerging as essential WAN infrastructure, enabling agile connectivity for vehicles, IoT devices, remote workers, and more. One of the most anticipated 5G features across enterprises is network slicing, offering organizations distinctive levels of end-to-end performance across cellular networks. With mass 5G deployments on the horizon, SD-WAN plays a critical part in the successful rollout and adoption of 5G Standalone networks with network slicing, the availability of which will accelerate through 2023. 

Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Exchange allows organizations to create multiple modem WAN interfaces aligned to slice instances defined by 5G SA networks. Organizations can then apply application-based policies to steer traffic to unique network slices, whether it is a type of ultra-reliable low latency slice, an enhanced mobile broadband slice, a machine-to-machine slice, or a custom slice defined by the operator. 

Cradlepoint has also made some critical adaptations to traditional SD-WAN technology so that it performs effectively across 5G WANs. Key enhancements include:

  • Consideration of cellular-specific attributes when steering traffic: NCX’s SD-WAN solution considers cellular-centric attributes such as available bandwidth and data usage when steering traffic, enabling more cost-effective and reliable 5G networking. 
  • Preservation of bandwidth across metered links: The solution uses in-line traffic to calculate WAN performance metrics, preventing impacts on data plans and eliminating the administrative burden of manually scheduling measurements.
  • Integration of Cradlepoint Cellular Intelligence to provide better insights and visibility of 5G networks: Incorporates comprehensive cellular insights that include cellular service provider visibility, the ability to view cellular signal strength and the ability to plot the location of both SD-WAN routers and the serving cell towers on a map for optimal placement of devices. 

NetCloud Exchange’s SD-WAN solution leverages the NetCloud Exchange Service Gateway, the Secure Connect solution, and select Cradlepoint routers for deployment. It is fully managed through NetCloud Manager, Cradlepoint’s comprehensive cloud management and orchestration platform, and is generally available this month.  

For more information on Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Exchange SD-WAN solution, including details on availability, please visit the following: https://cradlepoint.com/products/sd-wan/. 

Leave a comment »

Sobeys Appears To Have Been Pwned In A Cyberattack

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 8, 2022 by itnerd

Yesterday I spoke of Canadian packaged meat producer Maple Leaf Foods getting pwned in a cyberattack. They didn’t have a lot of details, but it was clearly bad enough that they had to admit that it happened. Now BlogTO is reporting that Canadian grocery store chain Sobeys appears to have also been pwned as well:

A Sobeys employee who wishes to remain anonymous tells blogTO that the company was indeed “hit with a ransomware attack,” adding that “all our computers were down with a message on screen demanding payment or else files were going to be uploaded online.”

“Along with our computers being down, our smart carts and self-checkouts were also down. Today, November 5, when I came into work, I found out that all Sobeys stores, including other stores under the Sobeys umbrella, are affected by this attack.”

BlogTO isn’t the only ones reporting on this. A YouTuber named “Pupsker” is reporting the same thing:

Assuming that this is accurate, and I have no reason to believe that this isn’t accurate, 1500 stores were affected. Making this a non-trivial event. Given how big this potentially is, Sobeys will have to comment at some point. And it will be interesting to see what they say.

2 Comments »