Hashtag Trends Aug 22 – Tesla Raises FSD Cost. AC without electricity.Hackers Want Your Cookies More Than Santa

Tesla is raising the cost of its fully self-driving (FSD) features, new types of air conditioners cool without electricity, and hackers are targeting cookie sessions to trick multi-factor authentication.

Welcome to hashtag trending. Monday, August 22nd, this is Tom Li, your host.

Tesla has increased the initial cost of full self-driving capabilities to $15,000, $3,000 more than the previous price. The news came after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced it on his Twitter account, with Musk still embroiled in legal troubles over his media acquisition of his platform. As Engadget pointed out, the company will honor the current $12,000 price if an order has already been placed. Features such as Assistance are unlocked. It is not yet clear whether fully self-driving subscriptions will also increase proportionally.

sauce: Engadget

A company has created an air conditioner that does not use electricity. Developed and patented in Israel, Kensho uses liquid nitrogen to keep rooms cool. Delivers a gentle breeze without using a fan even at -10°C. Instead, it relies on the pressure created when nitrogen changes from liquid to gaseous state. Not only does Kensho reduce energy usage, the only by-product is nitrogen, which makes up about 70% of outdoor air. It is also completely silent as it has no electrical components. However, there are pitfalls. Nitrogen needs to be replaced every 7-10 days and is essentially a subscription. Kensho will debut at his six restaurants in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is expected to be priced the same as his conventional AC units.

sauce: no camels

In the latest development in the cat-and-mouse cybersecurity game, hackers steal cookie sessions to bypass multi-factor authentication. The market for web session cloning and login spoofing is growing and attracting malicious actors. Since popular browsers store cookie settings in specific file locations on the user’s device, attacks can be scripted to extract them. Then there are the proven phishing attacks that are still prevalent in the industry. To protect yourself, the tech publication eSecurity Planet recommends disabling the built-in password storage feature without a master password. Deleting cookies frequently can also help.

sauce: eSecurity Planet

A startup is turning recycled plastic into homes. Los Angeles-based startup Azure uses recycled plastic to 3D print prefabricated homes. By using discarded plastic, Azure says it can build homes 30% cheaper and 70% faster than traditional methods. The demo unit looks much more lively and modern than its concrete counterpart, with clear side walls and multi-tone sleek panels. Azure currently sources only industrial waste plastics, but hopes to integrate consumer waste plastics into future homes.

sauce: business insider

That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or Google Home Daily Briefing. Sign up for the Daily IT Wire newsletter and get all the important news straight to your inbox every day. Also, check out the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which airs every Thursday morning. If you have any suggestions or tips, let us know in the comments or email us. Thanks for listening, I’m Tom Lee.