Episode 314 Smut Block

Porn Block

UK Government Porn Block : Update

Porn Blocks, who woulda thought eh?

Way back in 2015 the UK government were looking to restrict access to porn. A porn block if you will. However, they can’t just block it, there needs to be some legal measures first. Firstly, the changes introduced in the Digital Economy Act 2017, states that commercial providers of porn should have age checks on them to stop children from seeing explicit images and videos.

The government planned to introduce age verification (not of the honor system kind, the give us your credit card info kind. Digital ID’s are also said to be used also.) in April 2018. Sites such as RedTube, Pornhub and xHamster have all said that they will comply with the changes. Yet, there were some technical challenges of implementing the law across thousands of websites. Subsequently, the law was postponed. However, a year later, April 2019, the age checks are said to appear online. Wired are reporting that this is yet to be confirmed however.

Websites that operate under a commercial basis will have to comply with this new law.  The Online Pornography (Commercial Basis) Regulations 2018 sets out stipulations as to what counts as commercial pornographic content and it’s not only cash which classes as ‘commercial’ either. If the person making the content receives some kind of benefit, cash or not, then it will be classed as commercial.

There are a range of age verification systems that a website can use, each with different methods of confirming ages. Five comapanies are said to be creating different age verifcation systems: Yoti, Verime, GBG, AV Secure and AgeID.

Work Arounds

It can be quite easy to get around this block, for anyone with a bit of technical know how. Which won’t be too surprising as kids these days are growing up with computers and by their late teens know a lot more about computers than 90’s babies. VPN’s would be able to be used to circumvent these checks, by connecting to servers in other countries.

Privacy Worries

Unless you’re Google or Facebook, you wouldn’t be able to match up someones real identity with their online behaviour. It’ll be nigh on impossible. However, if people are using their real names, real emails and real credit card details, you’ll be able to to find out everyone’s taste in porn. A HUGE privacy concern.

Checks

Even though the government want to implement the porn block, it’s leaving it up the to the industry to fix the issue. One small problem is one company called MindGeek, they are developing AgeID, MindGeek own a LOT OF PORN SITES. Such as PornHub, YouPorn and RedTube.

So by giving MindGeek, via the AgeID system, everyones information, you’re letting your card company know that you’re looking at porn. Wired are reporting that AgeID’s privacy policy is limited to an email address and password, which is protected. However, a previous privacy policy stated that company could collect names, addresses, date of birth and browsing data. Furthermore MindGeek also state that the policy can be updated at any time!

Is there a good reason for a Porn Block?

Wired are reporting that the policy was launched off from the results of an NSPCC report. Which claimed that more than half of children and teenagers who accessed porn ‘stumbled’ across it. Wired quite rightly note that if children do come across porn, then it will most likely be on social media. But the legislation doesn’t cover social media.

According to Wired, the same report states that almost a tenth of 12-13yr olds were ‘addicted’ to porn. Which is shocking, which of course caught a lot of media attention. However it turns out that the research was all a bit silly. The NSPCC research was from a group called OnePoll. OnePoll are a survey firm which pays people to fill in online questionnaires. Questionnaires which pulled results like  “German men are the world’s worst lovers” and “Fifty percent of British adults think Mount Everest is in the UK”. The porn related questionnaire had a total of 11 questions, which users were told to hand over to a child. If one was available.

(WIRED 1 / 2)

For a more extensive look at how the government are looking to block porn to the UK please check out two of WIRED’s great articles here and here.

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IKEA Smart Home Invasion

When we think of smart home tech we think of the Apple’s, the Amazon’s, the Phillips’ of the world. When we say to you flat packed furniture the company that springs to mind is IKEA. IKEA smart home invasion is coming your way in 2019.

However, that soon may change in 2019, with IKEA set to become a major player in the smart home market. Wired are reporting that by playing to it’s strengths, not only in brick and mortar stores. One can assume that their displays is the perfect opportunity to show off how the tech works, before a customer buys it. But, furthermore by building inline sales and partnerships with the big boys in Sonos, Apple and Xiaomi.

Weapons in their arsenal

IKEA already have smart home kit in their Arsenal, with smart home light bulbs (TRÅDFRI) and smart electrical outlets (KADRILJ and FYRTUR) both systems are low cost and near invisible tech. They both work manually as you’d expect and automated controls. Not only that, but they also work within the main ecosystems of the three big players within this market. The Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s HomeKit. If IKEA are smart enough they could put smart home tech into all aspects of the home, be that kitchen gadgets, home entertainment or garden accessories.

As you would expect IKEA are implementing the same DIY aspect of their furniture into their smart home tech.

“It is as simple to install KADRILJ and FYRTUR as all our other blinds….You can even change from an old HOPPVALS or SKOGSKLÖVER to this one, using the same bracket. This means that the customers can easily install the smart blinds themselves, a unique IKEA property.” Lena Engman, business leader home textiles at IKEA

Wired are reporting that Björn Block, business leader of IKEA Home Smart confirms that we will see more smart products in 2019. This smart home push begins with the smart blinds that are releasing in ‘some markets’. The highest profile product will be a smart speaker: SYMFONISK, this will be in collaboration with Sonos. Which, consequently, is part of a long-term Future Home Sound Project.

SYMFONISK was first teased in June last year and is expected to hit stores ‘mid to end of the year’. The smart speaker was designed to fit in to various pieces of IKEA furniture. Which not only makes sense in the home of customers but even easier for the retail powerhouse to show off it within their stores.

(WIRED)

An outlook…

Will this foray into the Smart Home market dent the grip that the big boys have on it? Will people take IKEA seriously in the tech world? Only time will tell, but if done right IKEA have a great outlook on things, after all, we all buy our flat packed furniture from there, why not our smart home tech if it were integrated perfectly?

For a more extensive look at how IKEA are taking on the smart home market please click here to check out WIRED’s deep dive look at IKEA’s Smart Home Invasion.

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Toyota GT86

Toyota Gt86

Toyota GT86

February is the Month of Cars for #HowToKillAnHour – 'Pure Driving Pleasure' is what Toyota UK promised with the GT86 Club Series: Blue Edition – does it deliver? Find out with our full review by clicking here: http://www.howtokillanhour.com/gadgets-tech/toyota-gt86Keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter by clicking here: http://www.howtokillanhour.com/newsOur website is here http://www.howtokillanhour.comOur podcast is here http://www.howtokillanhour.com/showsTwitter: https://twitter.com/HowTokillAnHourFacebook: https://facebook.com/HowTokillAnHourInstagram: https://instagram.com/HowToKillAnHour

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Tuesday, 12 February 2019

We here at How To Kill An Hour are also reviewing CARS! We like cars, people kill a lot of time driving their cars in the most luxurious of places, and the Toyota GT86 is no different.

GT86

The Club versions of the Toyota GT86 focus on the coupe’s style and performance, with the new GT86 Blue Edition offers an option of a performance pack for even sharper handling!

The car is a beautiful blue, with an Electric Blue Bodywork contrasting black styling details and including front grille, rear spoiler and diffuser, door mirror housings and front fog light surrounds. Inside, the cabin is finished in sporting black leather and Alcantara.

If a customer was to go for the optional Performance Pack, the car will deliver a more focused drive. Consequently due to the introduction of a Sachs-tuned suspension upgrade. It includes Sachs Performance dampers, larger Brembo brakes which provide a supreme stopping ability and an improved pedal feel. The car has some incredible, beautiful large 17 inch black alloy wheels, which compliment the large red Brembo callipers wonderfully.

The Toyota GT86 Blue Edition has a poised and balanced chassis with a low centre of gravity and low set driving position. It has a front engine – a 197bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer unit – and rear-wheel drive.

The car comes in either manual or automatic transmission, both options come with a total of 6 speeds, the Toyota GT86 has a top speed of 140mph while the automatic is 130mph. It can hit 62mph in 7.6seconds of acceleration, while automatic will take a little slower at 8.2seconds. Yet, it is still really quick!

Tech

TECH! We love tech, we are a tech brand after all and the GT86 doesn’t let us down. It comes with a Toyota Touch 2 Multimedia system, dual zone climate control, dusk sensing headlights, heated front seats and cruise control!

(Toyota)

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Hollywood remakes: No new ideas?

We love movies here at How To Kill An Hour, we love enjoying them, we enjoy debating about them, we like to discuss what would make a good movie. But are we running out of original ideas? Hollywood remakes seem to happen each year and MusicMagpie took a deep dive into the history of cinema.

How many of the films that we have seen are remakes? How many of the films that you thought were originals but in fact were remakes. Which begs the question, is Hollywood becoming lazier and looking for a quick bit of cash? Is coming up with new and original ideas that difficult?

They investigated this and analysed over 100 years of movie remakes. Consequently this is a total of 1,438 films. Dating all the way back to 1902, they wanted to find out if Hollywood really are leaning on the remake market.

Factors

The factors that they researched are:

  • Which movie has been remade the most?
  • What other movies have been remade multiple times
  • How long we are waiting before remaking movies

Their analysis discovered that an average time between the original release of a film and a remake is 23 years. Whilst subsequent remakes having a shorter and shorter time frame between releases.

The longest time between remakes was 85 years. It’s a film called The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari, the original released in 1920 and the remake in 2005. Dumbo was released in 2941 and a remake is due this year in 2019. Therefore marking a 78 year gap between releases.

Are remakes better? Find out the extensive list and rather interesting piece from MusicMagpie here. It’s an interesting read, some movies have been remade a total of 5 times! Such as Robin Hood, Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre and Brewster’s Millions.

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Shure MV88+, THE tool for vloggers

MV88+ and Lexus RX F 450h Sport!

The Lexus UK RX 450h F Sport is a fantastic car, a real powerful SUV. It's the 4th generation of Lexus' range of the Lexus RX Luxury SUV. We captured it using the incredible Shure UK MV88+ Vlogging kit!

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Thursday, 16 January 2020

We’ve been testing the Shure MV88 microphone for a while now and have used it on a number of projects. We recently got a chance to give it’s big brother a spin. The MV88+. An upgrade on the MV88 as the + has a whole host of kit which is perfect for the vlogger!

It’s a portable audio and video recording kit, which is just the right size and weight for all vloggers. It gives you all the tools you need right out of the box. Including a really sturdy and easy to hold tripod. The Manfrotto Pixi Tripood. A phone clamp and mount to securely hold your smartphone. iOS and USB-C cables for compatibility and connectivity. It really is as simple as plug and play. Plus, we cannot forget the incredible MV88+ microphone! You’ll be capturing content as quickly as we were!

We’re not kidding when we say that the audio on this device is incredible. It really is. Creates high quality crisp audio and it’s all connected to a smartphone! Furthermore the Shure Motiv Video App, allows you to change video settings right from within the app. You can also check and monitor your audio right in front of you on the app!

Shure MV88+ Features:

  • Includes industry leading Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod, phone clamp & shoe-mount, USB-C & lightning cables
  • Includes neoprene roll-up bag to keep all your accessories in one place
  • Built-In Headphone Output for real-time monitoring
  • Pristine audio for multiple set ups
  • Included phone mount is also compatible with any tripod with a ¼” connector
  • All metal construction
  • Detailed stereo capture, five DSP preset modes
  • Shure MOTIV Audio App for pro-level recording
  • Shure MOTIV Video for onscreen control
  • Allows for phone charging while mic is in use (requires USB-A cable and Apple USB3 camera adapter)- iOS users only

Download:

Motiv Video App – Apple / Android

Motiv Audio App – Apple / Android

(Shure)

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Marcus Bronzy

FORD EDGE: Ice Driving

 

Ice Driving with the Ford Edge ST Line

Well Feburary is the month of love for some…..but for #HowToKillAnHour it is the month of CARS!As well as our usual talk around the world of tech we will be looking at a few whips that are packed full of tech….Kicking off with the new Edge ST Line from Ford UK which we took for an icy spin in temperatures as cold as minus 15! See the lin in the comments for more info!

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Saturday, 9 February 2019

Recently, thanks to the lovely guys over at Ford, Marcus wrapped up warm and traveled to the Icy heights of Northern Sweden to experience ice driving to test their brand new motor, the Ford Edge.

Tech Heavy

The Ford Edge not only looks amazing, but it drives wonderfully well too! Not only that but it’s packed with tons of amazing tech! Just what we love here at How To Kill An Hour! For example, the Ford Edge comes with adaptive cruise control, radar sensors which help you see your blind spots, lane centering and Ford Co-Pilot 360, a driving assistant.

Plus, what’s really cool, the Ford Edge has Ford’s FordPass Connect. Which allows for everyone in the car to stay connected through it’s in-car Wifi hotspot that connects to 4G! Therefore saving all that precious phone data! FordPass Connect also gives drivers up to date live traffic information and the chance to make an eCall if you were ever to get in danger. In the case of a serious accident FordPass will automatically make a call to the emergency services and ping them your location! However, the Edge will also do it’s best to avoid situations like this, as the Edge has a Pre-Collison assist. The Ford Edge keeps everyone safe and sound by anticipating your next move and the cars around you. Intelligent and impressive stuff!

Each Ford Edge also comes equipped with B&O tailor made speaker systems. Now B&O are a huge name in the audio industry and they bring 1000 watts of power to the car’s speaker system. Don’t turn it up too loud will you!

When is it available?

The Ford Edge is available in 8 colours: Oxford White, Ingot Silver, Magnetic, Chrome Blue, Shadow Black, Ruby Red, White Platinum and Burgundy Velvet. It comes with a 4 cyclinder 2.0L diesel EcoBlue engine and is available in both manual and automatic transmission. Furthermore the Ford Edge also comes in 3 different models: Titanium, ST-Line and Vignale & is available now!

Please see our gallery of our amazing time in Sweden below!

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Chrome DARK MODE

In what seems to be another program/OS adopting the beautiful dark mode phenomenon. Let’s be honest it does look GOOD! Apparently there will be a Google Chrome Dark Mode!

According to 9to5Google reports there will be a dark mode for everyone’s favourite browser. Allegedly macOS and Windows10 will get this feature and is currently in the testing phase in the Canary development builds of the latest build of Chrome. Furthermore the dark mode is said to be enabled by default, as part of your system settings on either OS. Though this is not entirely clear, with the Verge reporting that on some of thier builds it respected the dark mode on the system and others it did not. (Click the featured image above to get a good view of it!)

This new dark mode looks glorious and enables a dark default page for brand new tabs, introduces darker chrome borders and context menus. According to the Verge, the dark mode version of Chrome is said to be rolled out in April. We shall soon see! However, we for one are very excited!

(The Verge)

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Devil May Cry 5 – Fast Paced. High Octane. A LOT OF FUN!

We recently got our hands on an exclusive play through of Devil May Cry 5 and let us tell you now, that it is absolutely amazing! What a great start to the year in the gaming world?! If you have ever played Devil May Cry series before, the game play of Devil May Cry 5 will come as no surprise to you. The game is very easy to play, very easy to pick up. Exactly how you’d expect a hack and slasher like the Devil May Cry series to be like.  The brand new character V is an incredible addition to the franchise too, bringing a breath of fresh air to an already great series. Furthermore there an additional 2 other brand new characters, each with their own set of play style.

The over the top style of play is something that we love and it’s fast paced, high octane gameplay style that what everyone loved, is what draws people to the latest instalment and undoubtedly the reason as to why this game is highly anticipated from a lot of the gaming community. You will not be disappointed by this game. Whether you are a fan of the series or not.

Features

  • The 16 million unit selling series is back with original Director Hideaki Itsuno at the helm of development.
  • A demonic invasion begins with the seeds of a “demon tree” taking root in Red Grave City.
  • Featuring three playable characters each with a radically different stylish combat play style.
  • Developed with Capcom’s in-house proprietary RE engine, the series continues to achieve new heights in fidelity with graphics that utilize photorealistic character designs and stunning lighting and environmental effects.
  • Battle against epic bosses in adrenaline fueled fights across the over-run Red Grave City.
  • Nero, one of the series main protagonists and a young demon hunter who has the blood of Sparda, heads to Red Grave City to face the hellish onslaught of demons, with weapons craftswoman and new partner-in-crime, Nico

(Amazon)

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ESkate Hub

ESkate Hub

Eskate Hub

Eskate Hub

We’re big fans of electronic skateboards here at How To Kill An Hour! We’ve been informed about an incredible website dedicated to one of our favourite ways of getting around. It’s called Eskate Hub. Eskate Hub has got a LOT of information on Electronic Skateboards.

For example, it details what exactly an E-Skateboard is. Plus it has a ton of reviews on the latest and greatest E-Skateboards that are available to buy today. Furthermore there’s a section dedicated to the best E-Skateboards available on the market! Not entirely sure which one to buy? Look at the handy comparison table to peruse over before you go ahead and make a purchase.

We especially love the guide! It’s very interactive and gives anyone, especially an absolute novice to the E-Skateboard community what the different parts of an E-Skateboard does. It’s definitely a website that we will be taking a look at when looking for our next E-Skateboard to review on the show!

So, why not head on over to Eskate Hub by clicking here!

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