These Robotic Objects Are Designed to Be Stabbed and Beaten to Help You Feel Better

Cathartic objects help users physically express strong emotional statesAt a human-computer interaction conference this week in Glasgow, U.K., Carnegie Mellon University researcher Michal Luria is presenting a paper on “Challenges of Designing HCI for Negative Emotions.” The discussion includes a case study involving what Luria calls “cathartic objects”: robotic contraptions that you can beat,…

Kickstarter Workers Kick Off a Union Organizing Drive; NPM Allegedly Fires Engineers for Organizing Efforts

Just a year after Lanetix fired 14 engineers for union organizing, tech workers lead two more unionization effortsIn January of 2018, Lanetix, a company that creates cloud-based tools for the shipping and transportation industry, fired 14 engineers shortly after they petitioned to be represented by the Communications Workers of America…

Operation ShadowHammer Exploited Weaknesses in the Software Pipeline

Kaspersky security researchers described how hackers used software updates to push malware onto victims’ computersWhen security researchers at Kaspersky Lab  disclosed Operation ShadowHammer in March, they described how attackers tampered with software updates from PC-maker ASUSTeK Computer to install malware on victims’ computers. Now, new details revealed last week indicate…