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Mobile Syrup

McDonald’s Canada to introduce the first EV to its distribution fleet

McDonald’s Canada will kickstart a trial run of integrating electric vehicles (EV) into its distribution fleet.

Working with supply chain distribution partner, Martin Brower, McDonald’s Canada will begin using the new Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 tractor in Montreal.

McDonald’s Canada aims to lower the emissions of its supply chain fleet through a transition period by using EVs. The fleet of McDonald’s Canada serves 1,400 restaurants across Canada, and a pivot to using the zero-tailpipe emission Volvo tractor is the first major step in the plan.

“This trial has the potential to influence a major shift in the way we approach supply chain distribution that will bring us closer to reaching McDonald’s net zero emissions goals,” said Jacques Mignault, President and CEO, McDonald’s Canada. “Considering the potential impact the trial could have on our business and our reduction commitments, this is an extremely significant moment for the company. We’re grateful to collaborate with partners like Martin Brower and Volvo Trucks North America who share our vision, and acknowledge the support from the Québec government on this initiative.”

Martin Brower will be leasing the Volve VNR and be based in Montréal’s Baie d’Urfé area. The tractor will pull McDonald’s trailers to various branded restaurants within a range of 150km. On top of the Montreal trial, McDonald’s Canada will run a similar test in Brampton, Ontario later in 2022.

The outcome of the trials will determine whether McDonald’s Canada pursues the use of additional EVs. This provides an alternative to the current diesel-powered vehicles used.

McDonald’s says its goal is to achieve zero emissions across its operations by 2050.

McDonald’s Canada isn’t the only one making investments in EVs. This week, Hertz announced plans to purchase up to 65,000 Polestar 2 vehicles for its rental fleet. Additionally, Canada is making its own strides to invest in the production of EVs as well.

Image credit: McDonald’s Canada

Source: McDonald’s Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Developer finds a way to extract TouchID from the Magic Keyboard and use it independently

Mac users that would love TouchID support without having to use the Magic Keyboard are in for a treat. Well, only if you have engineering prowess.

Although using the Magic Keyboard with TouchID is the most convenient way to unlock your Mac, the keyboard’s Chiclet design isn’t for everyone. To solve the issue, some have even purchased an extra Magic Keyboard with TouchID just to tape it to the underside of their desk for easy TouchID accessibility. While it surely is an ingenious trick, it’s not optimal.

Now, developer Khaos Tian has found a solution, as shared by 9to5Mac, though it’s unlikely that someone without hardware engineering experience would be able to take advantage of it.

Tian found a way to detach the TouchID hardware from inside a Magic Keyboard and use it as a standalone unit just for authentication.

According to Tian, the standalone TouchID connects to the Mac with the default Lighting connector

Since you need to open up a Magic Keyboard with TouchID to take out the necessary hardware, it goes without saying that the experiment is an expensive one — you’ll have to shell out $179 for a Magic Keyboard in Canada to get TouchID access for your Mac. That is if you can perform the keyboard surgery without messing the internals up.

I’m sure there’s a lot of cool customization that can make the standalone TouchID button stand out, like a custom case for it, or building it into your desk.

Image credit: @KhaosT

Source: @KhaosT Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

OpenAI’s new DALL-E 2 system creates realistic images from descriptions

Artificial intelligence research lab OpenAI has announced its brand new system focused on the creation of images and art using AI. DALL-E 2 is said to be able to create original pieces through the use of text descriptions.

OpenAI published a video detailing how the DALL-E 2 system functions. By reading and recognizing text, DALL-E 2 can combine “concepts, attributes, and styles” to create new works of art.

On the company’s website, OpenAI shared an example of an astronaut riding a horse in a photorealistic style. DALL-E 2 then rendered a photo of just that. Though, when toggling through the variations of styles and settings, you can get a sense of how different the images can be.

Another fascinating example shows the AI altering existing images. Once again, using text and captions, the system is able to add or remove elements from a photo. It can even go as far as altering shadows, reflections and textures.

OpenAI claims that the system has closed the gap between images and text. Using a process dubbed diffusion, DALLE-2 “starts with a pattern of random dots and gradually alters that pattern towards an image when it recognizes specific aspects of that image.”

As one may tell, DALL-E 2 is the new iteration of the DALL-E system OpenAI created in early 2021. While working off the same fundamentals, DALL-E 2 can generate and render images with four times the resolution. OpenAI has monitored DALL-E’s capabilities to prevent it from creating hateful images and other misuses.

Through the use of DALL-E 2, OpenAI hopes creators find new ways to express themselves.

For professional artists, creators, researchers, and developers, OpenAI have a waitlist in order to gain access to DALL-E 2. Those interested can sign up here.

Image credit: OpenAI

Source: OpenAI

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Mobile Syrup

Twitter changes how deleted Tweets appear on external websites

News about Elon Musk purchasing a majority stake in Twitter seems to have overshadowed a monumental change in how the platform handles embedded Tweets. Embedded Tweets that have since been deleted, to be specific.

First reported on by TheVerge, Tweets embedded in stories externally that have been deleted used to show up as unformatted text, in contrast to now, when they appear as a blank box, leaving a vast gap in older stories from publications.

According to Twitter senior product manager Eleanor Harding, the change is primarily due to Twitter trying to “better respect when people have chosen to delete their Tweets.”

While that sure does make sense, it erases documentation of history, especially when the deleted Tweet belongs to a public figure. The change not only affects manually deleted Tweets but also accounts that have been suspended. For example, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s embedded Tweets are now just a blank void in older stories.

While deleted Tweets show up as a blank white box for TheVerge, old MobileSyrup stories with deleted Tweets show up with just the link to the Tweet. No blank box, no unformatted text. Just the link to the Tweet, visiting which shows that the Tweet has been deleted. Check the screenshots below for reference:

Harding also mentioned in her statement that blank embedded Tweets will have “better messaging that explains why the content is no longer available.”

In other Twitter-related news, the platform is finally adding an edit button after multi-year deliberation.

Via: TheVerge

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Mobile Syrup

Netflix adds official ‘Short-Ass Movie’ category following Pete Davidson bit

In the latest episode of Saturday Night Live, comedian Pete Davidson took part in a faux music video about wanting to stream “short-ass movies.”

Now, Netflix has responded to the skit by making ‘Short-Ass Movies’ an official category on its service. In it, you’ll find movies that are 90 minutes or less, including The Mummy, Rambo: First Blood, Happy Gilmore and Friday. These are organized by genre, including ‘Scary Movies,’ ‘Late Night Comedies,’ ‘Action Movies’ and ‘Crime Movies.’

In a statement to The Verge, Netflix confirmed that ‘Short-Ass Movies’ is now available on all of its supported devices. It should be noted, however, that the ‘Short-Ass Movies’ category isn’t really new for Netflix, as the streamer already has one for 90-minute films. As such, both highlight the same movies. Instead, this seems to just be a fun way to tie into a prominent comedian’s sketch.

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Apple hasn’t patched two zero-day vulnerabilities in macOS Big Sur, Catalina

Apple still hasn’t rolled out patches for two zero-day exploits found in macOS to devices running Big Sur and Catalina.

As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple previously released patches for the exploits in macOS Monterey version 12.3.1. However, similar patches were not made available to the older macOS variants, despite that Apple still supports them.

One of the exploits allowed malicious apps to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, while the other was an exploit found in the Intel Graphics drivers, which could lead to the disclosure of kernel memory.

Apple typically releases security patches for the current version of macOS and the last two versions of the operating system. Largely, that’s because some users can’t upgrade right away due to software compatibility. People with older Macs may not be able to upgrade to newer versions of macOS if the hardware isn’t supported.

By supported older versions of macOS with security updates, Apple effectively protects users who can’t upgrade to the newest version of macOS right away. However, the company’s failure to push out a patch for these active zero-day exploits is concerning.

Hopefully, those updates come soon, although Intego notes Apple hasn’t given any indication it will provide those updates.

Source: 9to5Mac, Intego

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Mobile Syrup

42 new EV chargers to land on the streets of Durham, Ontario by November

Natural Resources Canada has announced a new $201,499 investment that will enable the installation of 42 EV chargers across the Regional Municipality of Durham in Southern Ontario.

The investment, which was funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, was supported by The Regional Municipality of Durham, Municipality of Clarington, Township of Scugog, Town of Whitby and Trent University Durham, bringing the total investment to $541,736.

This follows a recent $2 million investment by the Ontario Department of Natural Resources that aims to add 340 new EV chargers across the province.

According to Natural Resources Canada’s news release, the 42 new EV chargers should be available and functioning by November 2022. “We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in Durham, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, in a press statement.

The power output of these chargers is currently unknown. A $540,000 investment for 42 chargers comes out to be about 12,800 per charger, so the chargers will likely be L2 (Level 2) ones that operate at 208-240 V and supply 3 kW to 19 kW of AC power.

Source: Natural Resources Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Google to build cable across Pacific Ocean to connect Canada and Asia

Google has introduced a new cable that will connect Canada with the continent of Asia.

Topaz is a subsea cable that will run through Vancouver and Port Alberni B.C. to Mie and Ibaraki in Japan.

The company says the cable will go into service in 2023, delivering low-latency access to various functions and increasing network providers in both regions.

The cable is as wide as a garden hose and will have 16 fiber pairs to deliver a capacity of 240 Terabits a second. Google will include support for Wavelength Selective Switch  (WWS).

This is the first trans-Pacific cable on the West Coast. Google has consulted and partnered with various Indigenous groups as the cable will be built alongside traditional territories.

Google has invested in several subsea cable projects, including one connecting the U.S and France.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon Music for Prime members will be a little more expensive starting May 5

Amazon is set to increase the cost of its Music streaming service in Canada for Prime members, and the changes go into effect on May 5th.

Revealed in an updated FAQ page, Amazon says it is increasing the Amazon Music subscription cost to be able to bring its users more “content and features.”

The Amazon Music single-device plan is changing from $3.99 to $4.99 per month while the Amazon Music Unlimited individual plan is changing from $7.99 to $8.99 per month, or from $79 to $89 annually.

The Amazon Music single-device plan gives you access to Amazon Music Unlimited on one eligible Echo or Fire TV device, whereas the Unlimited individual plan allows you to listen to Amazon Music Unlimited on all your compatible devices, though one device at a time.

Any bills after May 5th will show the updated pricing. If you’re on a trial or promotional offer, you’ll get the lower rate for the rest of your trial or promotional offer time.

It’s worth noting that Amazon Prime Music, the company’s version of the music streaming service with fewer features and a smaller catalogue of two million songs, is still included for free with a Prime membership.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Amazon

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Mobile Syrup

Hacker hijacks YouTube accounts of Justin Bieber, Drake, and more

Several of the biggest names in music — including multiple Canadian artists — were targets of a massive hack that saw a bunch of odd videos uploaded to YouTube accounts.

The YouTube accounts hit include Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Drake, Lil Nas X, Harry Styles, Michael Jackson, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, and Eminem. According to Gizmodo, the hacker uploaded a video titled “Justin bieber – Free Paco Sanz (ft. Will Smith, Chris Rock, Skinny flex & Los Pelaos)” to Bieber’s channel.

Paco Sanz is a Spanish conman who was sentenced to two years in jail a few months ago for fraud. Sanz reportedly lied about having terminal cancer and defrauded large sums of money between 2010 and 2017.

A Twitter account under the name of ‘Los Pelaos‘ claimed responsibility for the hack and asked for suggestions on who to target next from followers. The account reportedly offered to sell security to celebrities who didn’t want to be hacked. It’s not clear who controls the account, but the profile picture appears to show Sanz.

The video uploaded in the hack shows Sanz holding a guitar the wrong way while singing along to a Spanish trap song remixed by ‘La Mafia Del Edit.’ Gizmodo notes that that’s an Instagram meme account that previously defended Sanz when he was convicted.

Although the videos have been taken down now, they racked up thousands of views first. Moreover, YouTube hasn’t acknowledged the incident yet, while a representative for music video network Vevo did address the incident in a statement to the New York Post:

“Some videos were directly uploaded to a small number of Vevo artist channels earlier today by an unauthorized source. All of those improperly uploaded videos have since been deleted by Vevo. No pre-existing content was accessible to the source. While the artist channels have been secured and the incident has been resolved, as a best practice Vevo will be conducting a review of our security systems.”

As Gizmodo explains, artists’ record labels upload music videos to Vevo through a separate, verified channel. Then, YouTube merges that content with the artists’ YouTube channels.

YouTube has been dealing with a wave of attacks recently. Some reportedly targeted high-profile content creators, publishing cryptocurrency scams or auctioning off access to the YouTube accounts. YouTube has since required popular pages to enable two-step verification.

Source: Gizmodo, New York Post