plasticsurgerybeforeandafter

A thread surfaced on Reddit today that contained links to files containing hundreds of usernames and passwords for Dropbox accounts in plain text, but it’s unclear where they were obtained from.

In four Pastebin files linked to from the site, a few hundred username and password pairs were listed in plain text as “teases” for a full leak from an anonymous user, who asked for Bitcoin donations for continued leaks.

A message annotated at the top of the leaks said:

Here is another batch of Hacked Dropbox accounts from the massive hack of 7,000,000 accounts To see plenty more, just search on [redacted] for the term Dropbox hack.

More to come, keep showing your support

Users in the Reddit thread allegedly confirmed the credentials in the spreadsheet worked at time of writing on multiple accounts listed, however it’s not clear where these credentials actually came from nor how many users were affected.

Dropbox, however, said in a statement to The Next Web that it is not to blame for the leaked passwords and that these were stolen from other, third party services:

Dropbox has not been hacked. These usernames and passwords were unfortunately stolen from other services and used in attempts to log in to Dropbox accounts. We’d previously detected these attacks and the vast majority of the passwords posted have been expired for some time now. All other remaining passwords have been expired as well.

Dropbox says it performed password resets when it detected ‘suspicious activity’ on these accounts a few months ago.

Last month, Blackmagic Design released a firmware update for their Production Camera 4K, which included the ability to format SSDs internally. It was only a matter of time before that oft-requested feature was added to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera. Today Blackmagic Design announced firmware version 1.9.7, which adds the ability to internally format media in both cameras, as well as a spiffy new menu system, which makes it easier to reach the most needed menu functions.

Here's an excerpt from the press release that explains how the internal formatting works, and elaborates on which media formats the cameras now support:

This new disk formatting feature is unique because unlike computers that format disks for general storage use, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera can format disks optimized for high performance video use. When formatting the camera confirms the brand of disk and other disks parameters and then formats for highest speed video data recording and playback for that specific type of disk. This also means that as new disks are released in the future, new software can be released to take advantage of unique features of disks for maximum performance when recording high data rate RAW 4K images.

Customers also get the opportunity to choose between two disk formats, ExFAT and HFS+. The ExFAT is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X so is a good choice when customers are working on Windows or working between Windows and Mac OS X platforms as both platforms natively will read the disk. When customers are working on Mac OS X exclusively, the HFS+ format is the native Mac OS format and this allows higher performance for Mac users as well as better error protection because HFS+ supports journaling.

The updated firmware also includes an updated user interface, including what Blackmagic is calling the dashboard menu (which can be seen in the photo above). The dashboard menu provides easy access to the most used camera settings, such as enabling focus peaking, turning on frame guides, and formatting media.

Firmware version 1.9.7 is available to download now. Here are the links for the Mac version and the Windows version.

Apple has patented a way for a computing device to pick up input when a flexible display is bent or reshaped in some way, according to a new filing published by the USPTO today (via AppleInsider). The patent details a process by which new flexible displays can receive input triggers via bending, allowing it to send an MMS message specifically upon receiving a bending cue.

The system details other kinds of triggers, too, including resizing and reconfiguring the display of the device to fit the new proportions of the system after its bending. The patent also talks about pairing multiple flexible displays, storing them in containers including tubes, and using them in combination with GPS triggers to activate location-based advertisements.

The technology sounds like it could be used to create digital magazines and periodicals, and in fact the patent refers to it repeatedly as a “digital periodical” and even specifically as an “advertising device.” The patent originally belonged to a company called HJ Laboratories, however, and Apple seems to have acquired its IP before the company dissolved, as both inventors listed have now moved on to separate positions over the past few years, not at Apple.

Apple’s acquisition of this patent might mean it’s looking at ways to shore up its own flexible display research and development efforts, or that it’s just hedging its bets against future developments. Either way, we’ll probably see something a little more sophisticated should Apple enter the flexible display device market.

The announcement of the HERO4 Black, Silver, and lower-priced HERO might have leaked a few days early, but now we've got the official launch today.

GoPro often goes big launch videos, and its no different with the HERO4:

Intro video for the HERO4 Black:

Here are the full specs for the HERO4 Black:

Supports 4K30, 2.7K50, and 1080p Video

Capture 12MP Photos at 30 fps

Ultra Wide, Medium, and Narrow Field of View Settings: These help you choose the preferred perspective, be it wide-angle and inclusive, medium for a bit of focus, or close-up

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connectivity: Pair it with a mobile device or the separately available Smart Remote, Control of up to 50 cameras from distances of up to 600'line-of-sight

Protune for Photo and Video: Gives you manual control over color, ISO limit, exposure, and more

QuikCapture: Power the camera on and start recording automatically with the press of a single button

HiLight Tag: Tag the highlights in your videos during recording for easy retrieval and playback later

Interval Capture for Time Lapse

Auto Low Light and Night Photo Modes: Take photos at user-defined intervals to use in time-lapse videos — .5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, 60 sec

Flat and Curved Adhesive Mounts Included

Built-in Mic, HDMI, USB, MicroSD

Waterproof Housing Depth: 131.0' / 40.0 m

Availability: October 5th 2014

Price: $500

Intro video for the HERO4 Silver:

Full specs for the HERO4 Silver:

Supports 4K15, 2.7K50, 1080p60 Video

Capture 12MP Photos at 30 fps

Built-In Touchscreen Display

Protune for Photo and Video: Gives you manual control over color, ISO limit, exposure, and more

QuikCapture: Power the camera on and start recording automatically with the press of a single button

Ultra Wide, Medium, and Narrow Field of View Settings: These help you choose the preferred perspective, be it wide-angle and inclusive, medium for a bit of focus, or close-up

Camera Housing Waterproof to 131'

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connectivity: Pair it with a mobile device or the separately available Smart Remote, Control of up to 50 cameras from distances of up to 600'line-of-sight

Interval Capture for Time Lapse

HiLight Tag: Tag the highlights in your videos during recording for easy retrieval and playback later

Auto Low Light and Night Photo Modes: Take photos at user-defined intervals to use in time-lapse videos — .5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, 60 sec

Works with Optional Smart Remote

Flat and Curved Adhesive Mounts Included

Built-in Mic, HDMI, USB, MicroSD

Waterproof Housing Depth: 131.0' / 40.0 m

Availability: October 5th 2014

Price: $400

 

And specs for the HERO:

Supports 1080p30 and 720p60 Video

Captures 5MP Photos at 5 fps

Ultra Wide Angle Glass Lens

Camera Waterproof to 131'

Interval Capture for Time Lapse

Auto Low Light

QuickCapture 1-Button Power/Record

Built-In Microphone

Skeleton Backdoor for Better Audio

Flat and Curved Adhesive Mounts Included

Waterproof: 131.0' / 40.0 m (Camera)

Availability: October 5th 2014

Price: $130

The biggest difference between the two HERO4 models that we've seen so far are the higher frame rates on the Black edition, and the touchscreen display only on the Silver edition. It's unclear why the Black model wouldn't also get the touchscreen since it seems to be their flagship, but it's possible that they wanted a more significant way to differentiate the two products more than just specs. As we said before, the HERO is very similar to the HERO3 White, but is coming in much cheaper at $130. We've also heard that the ProTune is capable of up to 60mbps, so it's possible we may see recording quality improvements depending on the frame rate. All three cameras will be available in the first week of October.

In spite of the earth-shattering scandal that is "Bend-gate," early adopters of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have already shot some outstanding footage with the improved cameras on the new devices, most notably some first-person perspective hyperlapses as well as some stunning 240fps slow motion.

Of the many features added to the iPhone camera in the latest hardware/software update (timelapse and super slow motion being among the most notable and flashy of them), there's one feature in particular that might put the iPhone 6 Plus is a class all its own in terms of video capture. I'm talking of course about optical image stabilization. Lack of stabilization of any kind has always one been one of the biggest issues and dead giveaways smartphone video. Hopefully a well-implemented OIS technology could begin bridging the gap between phones and dedicated cameras, and making smartphone video more palatable.

A recent video from Uncage the Soul Productions shows off all of the new features of the iPhone 6 Pus and then some.

Here's what they had to say about the footage and the capabilities of the phone in this short video.

Is the iPhone 6+ amazing? YES. Would I bring it to a job shooting for a client? No. It will shoot 240fps, but it degrades and is not what you’d want full size in a polished video. The in-camera stabilizer in the Instagram Hyperlapse app is AMAZING, but it exports final video in 720 not 1080. Timelapse looks great when the conditions are stable, but changing light has the phone struggling to smoothly change exposures following the light.

Nature footage is all well and good, but how does a wine pour look at 240fps, you ask? The folks at Osbourne Images have you covered.

And a little bit of footage from the Apple folks themselves:

As much as I'm not fond of the idea of using a phone as a primary camera for making films (unless there really is no other option), it's getting harder and harder to deny that the technology has progressed to a point where many phones are more capable image capture devices than the professional digital cameras of 10 years ago. When combined with apps that ostensibly make the most of those hardware advances, like the hotly-debated $1,000 4K video app Vizzywig 4K, it's clear that smartphone filmmaking is not a passing fad, as many have claimed, but instead an extension of the democratization of filmmaking technology that was spurred by cameras like the Panasonic HVX and the DSRLs that would follow.

As much as we may not like it, smartphone filmmaking is here to stay. The technology will continue to progress and the image quality will continue to inch closer to the cameras that we consider suitable for professional video production work.

Candy Crush Saga - the "match-three" mobile game - was the highest grossing app on both iPhone and iPad in 2013. How did millions of commuters become entranced by a grid of brightly coloured sweets, asks Chris Stokel-Walker.

Stand on a crowded commuter train in New York, Paris, London, Tokyo, or Berlin and you will see a multitude of people. Goldfish-mouthed, eyes glazed, deeply breathing, fixated on one thing only.

Getting rows of red jelly beans or orange lozenges to disappear.

The game is also immensely popular on Facebook, with the site hosting support groups for self-confessed addicts.

Worldwide, Candy Crush Saga is estimated to make £610,000 ($1,000,000) per day from its users, according to Appdata. It is one of a growing number that is free to download but generates extraordinary revenues by nudging addicted players into paying more to get gizmos that help them progress through difficulty levels.

hey buy add-ons, extra lives and access to higher levels. These microtransactions have been criticised, but its British-based developer King is quick to point out that more than half of players who reach the last level in Candy Crush Saga have done so without any financial outlay.

The hefty revenues have led to speculation that King, which has its HQ at London's Kings Cross, is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) of shares in the US.

King has taken advantage of a change in the way people play video games. There was a time when a particular demographic was overrepresented among gamers - young men at home, using consoles. The advent of smartphones and tablets has changed gaming - so much so that the typical Candy Crush Saga player is a woman aged 25-45.

Some people's devotion to the game leads to them changing their smartphone's internal clock so that they get more lives, an all-important (and scarce) commodity doled out at regular intervals.

One gamer, Laura Wilson, travelling on a Friday afternoon train from Kings Cross to Newcastle, played for only a few minutes before her lives ran out. With a small sigh she closed the app on her iPad and opened up an e-book. For her the e-book was scant consolation. "You get addicted," she explains matter-of-factly. She isn't alone.

An afternoon Tube journey across London saw a carriage full of players hunched over their phones. Two men, one in his 40s, one in his 20s, were sitting across from each other manipulating sweets into patterns, their lives measured out in cascading bon-bons and exploding chocolate buttons. Six in ten UK players while away their journey to work like this, though most are progressing through the hundreds of levels in the midevening, between 6pm and 9pm.

"It's a good stress relief," says Amy Bolton, a 21-year old student at Newcastle University.

Gamers like Bolton drop in and out during the course of the day, according to internal usage figures described by King. A quick session snatched here and there helps people progress through the hundreds of levels in the game. Some of the most eager gamers are keeping pace with King's coders, who have released more than 500 levels to date, snaking up a path that King readily admits owes a debt to the layout of popular board games.

They can start a game over breakfast on their laptop while scrolling through Facebook. They can then play it on their phone on the train to work, where they can switch on their iPad and continue their game where they left off. This smooth continuity of gameplay is something King believe is part of their success.

Candy Crush is not so much a new type of game as an incredibly well-researched and careful fine-tuning of existing concepts.

There have been plenty of games that follow the same basic format as King's creation. Candy Crush Saga owes a debt to the likes of Tetris and Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move, both of which captivated audiences of yesteryear.

Candy Crush Saga displaced Bejeweled, a similar matching game originally developed 12 years ago, from the Facebook gaming charts earlier this year. Now other games aim to replicate Candy Crush's success with minor tweaks.

Sebastian Knutsson, chief creative officer and co-founder of King, says that none of his team foresaw Candy Crush Saga's success when developing the game, initially for the company's website.

Knutsson was and remains an avid gamer, and was especially enamoured of the early 1990s arcade games and their bright, brash colours. Working with artists and designers from a small office, he produced a game that stood out from the other "match-three" games that were on the market. Sweets were chosen, he reveals, to appeal to their core audience, which is far from the stereotypical gamer.

Not that Candy Crush Saga was perfect from the first iteration. "We had an early theme based around the French Art Deco style," Knutsson explains. That included an over-the-top French voice egging on players when they made good moves. "It didn't work out," Knutsson says. People hated the accent, finding it too jokey. It was replaced with a smooth, deep male voice whispering encouragement.

The function of the game, and the way it rations lives, has been carefully crafted by King to provide maximum enjoyment, and to keep people coming back for more. Players regularly check the countdown until their next life is released and they can play on. It's precision-engineered addiction, and it has resonated with the public.

"They give you unlimited lives, or the levels don't get more challenging in the same way," says Bolton, explaining why she prefers Candy Crush to its competitors.

Though Knutsson says that "we don't want to be a Candy Crush company", the game is far and away King's largest property. It makes up the lion's share of the company's 225 million unique monthly users. Appdata, an analyst of iOS and Facebook applications, estimates that Candy Crush Saga has 137 million active monthly users alone, topping charts.

There has been criticism of the revenue structure around the game - free to download but delicately engineered to get users spending money.

A recent Candy Crush expansion pack has had a 40-strong team of developers working on it, four times the number of programmers and artists who brought the original Facebook version of the game into existence.

Knutsson says that King will keep adding levels to the regular Candy Crush. The addiction will continue.

Nervously, Bolton admits that before she goes to sleep, she'll often fit in a game.

"And when I close my eyes to go to sleep, I can see all the shapes still, like a virtual Candy Crush in my head."