用 USB 供電的 CR2032/CR2016

在「USB board emulates CR2032 or CR2016 coin cell battery」這邊看到的有趣東西,用 USB 供 5V 電進來,然後轉成 3V 透過 CR2032 或是 CR2016 的鈕扣電池形式提供電源:

看說明是可以拿來開發測試用:

You can now develop CR2032 or CR2016 powered devices without having to use an actual coin cell thanks to Peter Misenko’s (Bobricius) “coin cell battery emulator CR2016/CR2032”.

看起來只要旁邊的延伸段不要卡住就可以這樣玩,不過一般開發測試板應該是有 pin 腳可以灌 3V 進去啦,算是蠻有趣的東西就是了...

就算關掉 Google 的定位服務也還是會蒐集位置資訊...

就如標題所寫的,Quartz 獨家刊出來的新聞,即使你關掉 Google 的定位服務,Google 還是會蒐集你的位置 (而且跟 Google 發言人確認後也證實):「Google collects Android users’ locations even when location services are disabled」。

而且是全背景作業,在你沒有開定位服務,沒有插 SIM 卡,也沒有跑任何 app,他就會將定位資訊傳出去:

Many people realize that smartphones track their locations. But what if you actively turn off location services, haven’t used any apps, and haven’t even inserted a carrier SIM card?

從今年年初開始這樣搞的,Google 發言人只宣稱這個資料並沒有被用來整合到「network sync system」,並且會立即丟掉 (所以你還是不知道被用到什麼地方):

“In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivery,” the Google spokesperson said in an email. “However, we never incorporated Cell ID into our network sync system, so that data was immediately discarded, and we updated it to no longer request Cell ID.”

這句話的意思其實代表著是丟掉 raw data,改以統計的方式轉移存到其他系統。

另外 John Gruber 在「Google Collects Android Users' Locations Even When Location Services Are Disabled」其實寫的更直接:

If they were “never used or stored”, why did they start collecting them in the first place? This is like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar saying they weren’t going to eat any cookies. Sure.

白話一點就是「你當我傻逼啊」。

應該會促進 microG 的發展... (參考「microG 的進展...」)

Alphabet (Google) 的 Project Loon 拿到授權,支援波多黎各的救災計畫

Project LoonAlphabet (Google 的母公司) 透過熱氣球建立網路的計畫。

這次波多黎各災後已經好幾個禮拜了,但還是有大量的基地台還是不通。於是 Project Loon 從 FCC 得到實驗性的執照,建立行動網路:「Alphabet’s Internet balloons will try to restore cell service in Puerto Rico」。

Nearly 82 percent of cell sites in Puerto Rico and 57 percent in the US Virgin Islands are out of service, the FCC said in its daily damage report yesterday. In nearly all counties in Puerto Rico, more than 75 percent of cell sites are not working, and "22 out of the 78 counties in Puerto Rico have 100 percent of their cell sites out of service." Large percentages of residents are also without cable or wireline service.

在 FCC 的公告裡提到授權了 900Mhz 頻段:「FCC GRANTS EXPERIMENTAL LICENSE FOR PROJECT LOON TO OPERATE IN PUERTO RICO」(PDF 檔但是標題是「Microsoft Word」...)。

Project Loon obtained consent agreements to use land mobile radio (LMR) radio spectrum in the 900 MHz band from existing carriers operating within Puerto Rico.

不過由於要讓使用者可以使用現有的 SIM 卡連上網,需要當地電信業者的合作,Google 目前還沒完全確認:

Alphabet hasn't announced a schedule for providing service in Puerto Rico, and the company says it is still determining whether it will be able to help.

Project Loon must be integrated with the network of a cellular company in order to provide service, and Alphabet is “making solid progress on this next step," the spokesperson said. Project Loon is part of Alphabet's X division, formerly known as "Google X."

是一戰成名的機會...

NSA 每天從全世界的基地台蒐集行動電話資料,所以全民公敵裡演的都是真的嘛...

雖然也不怎麼意外了,不過看到還是想要碎碎唸一下...

NSA 每天從「全世界的」基地台蒐集五十億筆資料:「NSA Tracking Cellphone Locations Worldwide」。

全世界啊... 感覺 Hadoop 之類的 big data 技術論壇找 NSA 很有看頭啊 @_@

Update:有人給了模擬案例了「Meet Jack. Or, What The Government Could Do With All That Location Data」: