Feature: In-car computing, smartphones, and the future of cars
Over the course of our series on the Future of Cars, a clear picture has emerged of where traffic flow is headed in the next few years. If today's traffic is like a bloom of bacteria that responds collectively to changes in the environment, then tomorrow's networked traffic, where all the cars are linked to the road, to the cloud, and to one another by a wireless nervous system, will be more like a fully formed, adaptive and evolving organism. In addition to the existing network of sensors already embedded in roads and highways, the cars themselves will become collections of sensors enmeshed in a peer-to-peer wireless network, with some master nodes on that network connected to the cloud via 4G. But while picture of the evolution of traffic over the next decade has started to take shape, what isn't yet so clear is the future of the actual car that will take part in this next-generation traffic flow. Specifically, one question remains unanswered: will the silicon brain of a future car be built-in, or will we plug our smartphones into the vehicle and use the smaller devices' processors, wireless radios, and displays?
I put this question to our OpenForum participants, and the discussion that ensued was very, very good. But before I summarize what the OpenForum agreed on as a long-term solution (there was a surprising amount of consensus about how things should go), I'll first present a summary of both sides of the issue.
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ICANN approves .XXX red-light district for the Internet
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has given the .XXX top-level domain (TLD) its final seal of approval. The TLD is meant to give pornographic websites a clearly marked home on the Internet, but it has gone through so many ups and downs over the last 11 years that it's almost a shock that it has finally gone through. Still, the measure didn't pass without opposition—nine ICANN board members voted in favor of .XXX, while three opposed and four abstained—and the vote went against the recommendation of ICANN's Government Advisory Committee.The .XXX TLD was initially proposed by ICM Registry in 2000 and resubmitted in 2004, but it faced strong opposition from politicians and conservative groups. After the second .XXX proposal was approved in 2005, the Family Research Council (FRC) launched a campaign arguing that the TLD would allow pornographers to "expand their evil empires on the Internet." The porn industry opposed the TLD as well, arguing that it would lead to censorship and promote legislation harmful to the industry.
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RSA says hack won't allow "direct attack" on SecureID tokens
Security firm RSA has been the victim of an "extremely sophisticated" attack that has resulted in exfiltration of certain private information, announced Executive Chairman Art Coviello in an open letter published yesterday. The company also filed a note with the SEC, warning of possible risks due to the attack. Since 2006, RSA has been part of EMC.Read the comments on this post
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Ars helps bring scientific communications to SONYC
Yesterday, Ars was in on the announcement of a new science discussion series, Science Online NYC. We're working with Nature.com and partnering with people at Rockefeller University to create a monthly series of discussions for anyone who's interested in how online tools have transformed the processes of doing and communicating science. There are already two annual Science Online conferences, one in London and one in North Carolina; we're not affiliated with those (we do have one of the London meeting's organizers on board), but we are taking a somewhat different approach. By having a monthly meeting, we're hoping to be able to evaluate events and trends as they're happening, rather than waiting until a meeting comes around. We're also hoping to avoid the problems with divided attention that occur at a large meeting with multiple concurrent sessions.
Why focus on online science communications? Like all other areas, science journalism has been transformed by the rise of online media, with the shrinking of traditional outlets and the growth of blogs and other formats that let scientists reach the public directly. More generally, the science communicators seem to have always been prone to self examination. We try to act as a bridge to a public that often doesn't get the subject we know and love, and that has prompted ongoing discussion and debate about how we could do better.
Our first panel should tackle this question directly, because it focuses on areas where some portion of the public has doubts about our best scientific understanding. Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist who blogs at RealClimate; and Ken Bromberg, who runs a vaccine research center, will discuss how their fields have become swamped in public skepticism and confusion. David Ropeik will be on hand to discuss risk perception and management, which links those two fields, and ties them in to other areas of public concern, such as the recent events in Japan.
Why is Ars supporting this event? It has had a commitment to bringing detailed and accurate scientific information to its readers for many years, and all our staff—not just its science writers—really care about making sure we have some of the best science coverage out there. We're hoping to learn how to do better, and maybe help others do the same.
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Netflix locks down House of Cards exclusive for late 2012
Netflix has won the exclusive rights to stream 26 episodes of the original series House of Cards. The company announced that it got the show on Friday after rumors spread earlier in the week that the deal was nearing completion, thereby making Netflix more into a premium entertainment offering instead of just a "dumb" video delivery service.Netflix says that House of Cards would be coming to Netflix customers in the US and Canada in late 2012. The show is based on the 1990 BBC miniseries of the same name that explored the "ruthless underside of British politics." The modern version of the show will be based on US electoral politics, with Kevin Spacey starring as an "ambitious politician."
On the company blog, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos explained why House of Cards differs from previous licensing deals. "Typically, we license TV shows the season after they run on a broadcast network or cable channel, and occasionally we have episodes from a current season, as is the case with 'Saturday Night Live' from NBC, 'Spartacus' from Starzplay and 'Wizards of Waverly Place' from Disney Channel," Sarandos wrote.
"In all of these cases, the shows are produced before we bring them to Netflix. 'House of Cards' represents a slightly more risky approach; while we aren’t producing the show and don’t own it, we are agreeing to license it before it is successfully produced."
As we wrote earlier this week, Netflix is wise to look for new ways to stay ahead of the competition. Netflix currently delivers 61 percent of all digital video to US viewers, but Amazon recently introduced its own Instant Video service. Amazon's offering only costs $79 per year (compared to Netflix's $95.88 per year on the streaming-only plan) and is constantly adding new content to its library. By signing on House of Cards, Netflix has something that no one else has, and the company says it "may" sign on more exclusive series' in the future, too.
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NFC-equipped iPhone could power mobile Mac OS X accounts
Rumors have sprung up recently suggesting Apple is planning to incorporate near field communications technology into its mobile devices. While NFC certainly didn't materialize in the new iPad 2, there's still potential for it to pop up in the next iPhone hardware. Aside from the expected e-wallet functionality, Apple may have more ambitious plans in mind for leveraging NFC capabilities, like allowing an iPhone to function as a secure mobile user account you could use with any Mac.The NFC rumors began in early February when Envisioneering Group director Richard Doherty said he believed Apple would add NFC technology to both the iPhone and iPad in 2011. A source for iLounge suggested that Apple would use the NFC technology in the upcoming iPad to enable "smart accessories," though it was later revealed that the iPad 2's Smart Cover actually uses simple magnets.
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