Today’s roundup is a mix of Instagram WTFs, Twitter mistakes and more tech-world news.
Instagram Hearts Comic Sans
Engadget recently reported that Instagram added several new font options to its Stories feature. One of the social site’s additions — it looks like Comic Sans cousin — is giving everyone uncomfortable PowerPoint presentation flashbacks.
Instagram is testing the text options, which include a stencil and serif options, as well as “that other one,” with a small group of people.
While a lot of internet denizens are having a blast tearing apart the social site’s Comic Sans-like option, a Mashable piece points out that “Comic Sans is considered one of the easier fonts for people with dyslexia to read. The irregularity of each individual letter makes words easier to parse. Anytime a developer can make their product more accessible, that’s a good thing.”
Ｕ𝓟ｄ𝓪𝓉𝔢:
ℕεฬ ғ𝐎ｎ𝐭𝔰 ｉｎ ⓢŤό𝓡เєｓ
ţ𝓇ㄚ 𝓣ℍ𝔢м ｎ𝕆w https://t.co/XqrnTRiJRV
— Instagram (@instagram) August 3, 2020
Twitter Made a Mistake
Engadget also reported that, although Twitter is testing a new feature that would allow users to limit the number of replies left on a Tweet, the feature is currently unavailable to all users.
“Twitter has been experimenting with this feature since May, and yesterday pushed an update to the iPhone version of its mobile app suggesting the feature would be more widely rolling out,” The Verge reported. “A Twitter spokesperson now tells The Verge it accidentally pushed incorrect release notes; the feature is not, in fact, more widely rolling out, for now.”
The possibly new feature sounds interesting and would most likely be a welcome addition to anyone looking to silence trolls.
Use the Echo Flex to Keep Time
Amazon’s Echo Flex, the company’s “plug-in smart speaker,” can keep time.
According to Engadget, it’s a “Third Reality-made Smart Clock add-on for the Flex.” The add-on “brings connected timekeeping to the Alexa device.”
The clock is a USB accessory that can show time and has a timer feature. The accessory is getting marketed as a cooking aid, but it could come in handy throughout the home (timing shows, etc.).
“You can also use Alexa to switch between 12- and 24-hour formats, or manually adjust the brightness when the automatic settings aren’t enough,” Engadget added. “It doesn’t need any additional power, although the Flex’s limitation to one add-on at a time will force you to choose this over another device like a motion sensor.”
Canon is Having a Week
Canon users and supporters take note: Canon domains were attacked by ransomware and the company’s image.canon cloud photo storage site also encountered a severe glitch.
According to Engadget, “more than 20 Canon domains, including its main US site, are affected or down, and attackers may have stolen up to 10TB of data.”
Although Canon hasn’t “confirmed the ransomware attempt,” the company has released a statement saying the company is “currently investigating the situation.”
However, a leaked email to employees says otherwise. The message stated that “the company’s IT department said that it was experiencing a ‘widespread system issues affecting multiple applications, [so] Teams, email, and other systems may not be available at this time.’”
The other issue, which affected image.canon cloud photo storage involved lost data. According to Engadget, the site’s home page featured the following statement: “some of the photo and video image files saved in the 10GB long-term storage prior to June 16, 2020, 9:00 AM (JST) were lost;” and that “there was no leak of image data.” The site’s functionality was restored on August 4th.
Maze confirmed the first attack but denied the other.
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Abbie Stutzer is a queer, non-binary writer living in Kansas City, MO. You can find them doing witchy stuff at home with their numerous pets or at the local animal shelter saving lives. Contact Stutzer via abbie@ynotcam.com.
Background header image via Unsplash here.
