Gadgets & Tech – Spoken Edition

Microsoft said on Monday that it has discovered a flaw in Windows 10 and other versions of the operating system that has already resulted in “limited targeted attacks.” There is as of yet no patch for the vulnerability, though Microsoft ranks it as a “critical” flaw.

Per TechCrunch, Microsoft’s security team said a bug in its Adobe Type Manager Library (atmfd.dll), which handles rendering of some fonts, allows attackers to remotely execute malicious code by tricking a user into opening or previewing a malware-infected document. The company did not disclose who it believes is already exploiting the vulnerability in the wild, the nature of the attacks it has detected so far, or where they occurred.

Despite the title of the DLL, the bug is Microsoft’s responsibility, not Adobe’s. As Ars Technica noted, security systems built into Windows often interfere with exploits working as well in the field than they do on paper, though “limited targeted attacks” is often used as shorthand for the handiwork of state-backed hackers.

“Two remote code execution vulnerabilities exist in Microsoft Windows when the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library improperly handles a specially-crafted multi-master font - Adobe Type 1 PostScript format,” Microsoft wrote in the advisory. “There are multiple ways an attacker could exploit the vulnerability, such as convincing a user to open a specially crafted document or viewing it in the Windows Preview pane.”

Microsoft added in the advisory that it was working on a patch and that updates are usually released on the second Tuesday of a month (the next of which would be April 14).

In the meantime, Microsoft recommended a number of steps to mitigate the vulnerability. Users can disable preview and details panes in Windows Explorer, disable the WebClient service, or rename a DLL file found in versions prior to Windows 10 1709. As always, don’t download or open suspicious documents from untrusted sources.

Jeffrey Sprecher, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, sold $3.5 million in stock on February 26, a month after his wife, Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, received a closed-door briefing about the covid-19 threat. According to SEC filings, Sprecher sold $15.3 million more in stock on March 11, at the beginning of the crash that has seen trillions of dollars wiped from the financial markets.

After just a week of quarantine, you’re probably already on the verge of running out of activities in your home. Anything and everything will be a welcome distraction moving forward, such as easily turning every floor of your home into a miniature golf course—minus water hazards and those frustrating spinning windmills. The Puttacup is designed to replace the vents and grates covering the floor ducts in a home with central heating and air conditioning.

While this covid-19 pandemic has more of us working from home, some of us might still be getting used to video conferencing, or at least talking into a headset or our laptop with a built-in microphone. The sound of our teeth grinding down pretzels, chips, or anything else that goes ‘crunch,’ when made directly into a microphone, can sound like you are chewing right next to someone’s ear.

As the world social distances to reduce the spread of covid-19, many people are turning to Amazon Prime to help deliver products to their homes. However, due to Amazon’s recent announcement that it would start prioritizing delivery of essential items, many less-critical Amazon Prime orders are now seeing shipping delays of up to a month.

Summer is still a few months away, but for many of us lacking upper body strength, installing a window AC unit is righteous torture. There’s installing brackets, sealing your window, and if you’re in an apartment, doing all that while praying your noodle arms don’t give out and crush pedestrians below. That’s why Midea’s U-Shaped AC’s design actually looks kinda neat.

Basically, it sort of looks like it has a half-pipe in the middle—so instead of your window sill sitting on top of the AC unit, it goes all the way down. Based on promotional images, it kinda looks like the AC unit is floating in the middle of your window. You still have to install a bracket and sidearms, but you also... get to keep using your window. If you’re in a cramped apartment with a single-window in some living areas or bedrooms, that’s actually kind of godsend. I now have central AC but back when I did have window AC units, I sort of resigned myself to losing that particular window year-round. (I did not have the arm strength or confidence to uninstall that thing myself in the winter.)

Midea claims that the U-shape is also up to 9 times less noisy because the design blocks the sound of the compressor. It says the unit’s noise levels are just 42dB, which when you consider outside ambient noise is around 60-80dB, that’s impressive if true. Midea also claims that the unit’s Full DC Inverter translates to 35 percent energy savings and says the U-shaped AC is the “first window AC to obtain the Energy Star Most Efficient 2020 certification.” As to how that translates on an energy bill, Midea claims you’d only end up spending $58 extra a year. Which sounds too good to be true.

The big thing here, of course, is cost. Right now, this thing is a fully-funded Indiegogo campaign with over $1.1 million from 2,867 backers. (The company says it’s in production and expects to ship in April and May.) But if you look at the cost for just one of these, it’s a whopping $360 with a 28 percent discount. Considering you can get a basic window AC for about $150, that’s a lot to swallow—especially if you’re looking to have multiple units in your home. That said, it does come with wifi connectivity and is voice-assistant compatible. Connected ACs are more expensive—and easier to program—but you can still find some on sale for under $300.

Is this a necessary appliance? Probably not. That said, the U-shape is a smart design that could make life easier for those with weak arms or limited mobility. Here’s to hoping more AC manufacturers take a cue going forward.

NASA and SpaceX are still planning on conducting the first manned commercial crew program launch to space as early as May, indicating that the timetable for the mission has not shifted despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Movie theaters worldwide have been shuttering in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak since there—understandably—aren’t a lot of butts in seats between limitations on public gatherings, mandatory quarantines, and widespread adoption of social distancing practices.

The handheld laser pointers you can buy at office supplies stores are legally required to be no powerful than 0.005-watts, and most fall well below that threshold so they’re relatively safe to use. With that as a reference, you have a better understanding of just how terrifying this 100-watt handheld laser pointer really is.

The Mouse might have had a rocky start with its foray into the streaming world, but bringing Frozen 2 to Disney+ earlyamid a national health emergency that has tons of people across the country cooped up inside is one hell of a power move. In a press release Friday, Disney announced that as a happy surprise “during this challenging period,” U.S.