THEGAYUK

Day: 6 February 2019

  • What data has been compromised by the Jack’d bug?

    What data has been compromised by the Jack’d bug?

    According to sources, the gay dating and hook up app, Jack’d has got a bug which is allowing people to access private data. Here’s what is at risk.

    What data has been stolen on JAck'd
    Pexels / Pixabay

    As the Register announced on Tuesday, anybody with an internet browser can get access to Jack’d’s user’s photographs, regardless of whether they are set to private or whether they have been shared or not.

    The app, which has been downloaded over 100,000 times and boasts hundreds of thousands of users, gives gay and bi men a chance to talk each other up, trade private and open pics, and orchestrate meetings.

    “Known about the security concerns for several months”

    The Register says that the app’s creators have known about the security concerns for several months.

    There is no requirement for users looking to get access to private data to prove their right to access or even agree to accept the application’s terms of use.

    Jack’d says the application has five million customers in nations around the globe.

    Mark Girolamo, chief executive of Jack’d parent company Online Buddies said, “Our tech team is aware of the photo vulnerability and has already programmed the changes for this fix.

    “They will deploy the fix this Thursday, February 7.”

    Users at risk

    when will the jack'd bug fix be delivered
    rawpixel / Pixabay

    Users who may not be out to their families or co-workers chance having their sexuality uncovered, while the bug puts users in danger of torment or blackmail by potential abusers.

    Delete data until the fix

    San Francisco-based reporter Sean Nichols writes: “The app should place strict access restrictions on which images should be viewable so that if one user allows another user to see a [picture], only the receiver should be allowed to see it.”

    Nichols recommends users may want to remove their private photos until the fix has been implemented.

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  • Michelle Visage is recovering from surgery

    Michelle Visage is recovering from surgery

    Drag Race queen Michelle Visage is recovering from breast surgery after after complaining about “breast implant illness”.

    The Drag Race judge, Michelle Visage is in recovery after a successful operation to remove her breast implants. The star has long-complained about breast implant illness and has talked about toxins from the implants making her ill.

    Taking to social media the singer and presenter said that her fans were her angels and thanked them for their love and prayers during her hospitalisation.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The singer has talked previously on her podcast with RuPaul, about getting her implants removed after saying that she felt ill from toxins released by the implants.

    She reiterated this in an Instagram post where she said, “Now on to the heal. The toxins are gone. Breast implant illness is real. Don’t listen to anyone saying it isn’t”.

    Speaking about her boobs and why gay men seem to love them, the queen of camp told THEGAYUK, “Gay boys love my boobs.  I think it’s a mother thing, I think with gay men and breasts, their mother’s or their best friends’… “I think it’s a comfort (thing)!”

    Embed from Getty Images

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  • Amazon slashes the price of the amazing Echo and Alexa in time for Valentine’s Day

    Amazon slashes the price of the amazing Echo and Alexa in time for Valentine’s Day

    The amazing Amazon Echo is on offer, but you’ll have to act quick to benefit!

    how to get Alexa or Echo cheap

    Amazon has slashed the price of most of its Alexa and Echo devices meaning you can now get an Echo Spot (3rd Generation) for under £100 while you can get an Echo Dot for just £29.99 – that’s an incredible saving of £20.00 – all, except the Spot in time for Valentine’s Day.

    You could even get the Echo Smart speaker in Charcoal Fabric with £20.00 off – meaning you can snap it up for £69.99 and get with free delivery before Valentine’s Day.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The Echo devices are Amazon’s popular voice-controlled speakers or TV screens, with improved sound and audio detection over the previous versions of the device. They allow you to stream music, tv shows and even call, for free, anyone else with another Echo device. 

    You can even use the clever Echo system to turn on and off lights,adjust thermostats, lock doors, find TV shows, and more with compatible connected devices.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Unfortunately the Echo Spot won’t be available until March, with the earliest shipping date slated for the 9th March. However you can order it now and benefit from the lower price.

     

     

     

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  • Sex Education on Netflix: When is series 2 of Sex Education coming to Netflix?

    Sex Education on Netflix: When is series 2 of Sex Education coming to Netflix?

    Sex Education dropped on Netflix in January and fans are already looking forward to season two, but when is it likely to stream?

    Sex Education is Netflix‘s popular comedy/drama about the son of a sex therapist who becomes incredibly popular at school when he starts dispensing sex advice to his classmate. The show was originally released on the platform in January and stars the likes of Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa.

    Netflix recently announced that it had ordered a second season of the popular series and it is expected that many of the original cast members will return for the second instalment. Netflix made the announcement on the 1st Feb, just weeks after the show’s debut on the streaming service.

    No date has been given for the start date of the second series, however, it is most likely to drop in 2020.  Netflix tends to work in yearly cycles so it’s likely that the new series will be ready in January 2020.

    How many episodes will the second series of Sex Education have?

    The first series had eight episodes of the hit show, so the second series is likely to have the same amount of episodes, however, it’s not unexpected for Netflix to fluctuate the number of shows, with a usual minimum of eight episodes – so we could end up with a 10 or even 12 episode season of Sex Education.

    Laurie wrote six of the eight episodes of the first series of Sex Education.

    The episodes’ timing range from 46 minutes to 52 minutes long and all of them are available to binge on the streaming platform.

     

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  • Sex Education on Netflix: How many episodes are there of Sex Education on Netflix?

    Sex Education on Netflix: How many episodes are there of Sex Education on Netflix?

    Sex Education dropped on Netflix in January and has already won a flurry of support from viewers and critics alike.

    Sex Education is Netflix‘s popular comedy/drama about the son of a sex therapist who becomes incredibly popular at school when he starts dispensing sex advice to his classmate. The show was released on the platform in January and stars the likes of Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa.

    There are eight episodes of the hit show, which was created by Laurie Nunn, who has also written a number of shorts, namely, Pregnant Pause, Radiance, and Gone To Earth.

    Laurie wrote six of the eight episodes of the TV Series Sex Education.

    The episodes’ timing range from 46 minutes to 52 minutes long and all of them are available to binge on the streaming platform. Netflix recently announced that it had commissioned a second series of the show.

     

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  • Austin Armacost reveals what he wears when getting busy in the bedroom

    Austin Armacost reveals what he wears when getting busy in the bedroom

    Cheeky chappy, Austin Armacost has revealed what undies he wears when he’s planning to get naughty with his BF, Darren.

    CREDIT: Channel 5

    In a saucy Instagram post, Celebrity Big Brother star, Austin Armacost revealed that he wears nothing but a jockstrap when he wants to get a little bit “naughty” with his boyfriend, Darren, in the bedroom.

    The star, who has 104,000 fans on Instagram wore nothing but a grey Surge Jockstrap, which currently retails for £11.99 as he talked about the different types of underwear the brand creates.

    He told his audience, “when we want to get naughty, we stick on the jockstrap” before re-arranging his tackle in the tiny underwear. He also revealed that he sometimes wears the undies to the gym when he works out. Although according to experts jockstraps aren’t the best workout clothing.

    Austin recently saved the day when he stepped into the boots of Scotty T, who pulled out of an adult panto in Wrexham. Speaking to THEGAYUK, Austin said, “I got a call at 3 on Saturday from the producer and by 4 I was running lines at home. Sunday morning I was in rehearsals.”

    Want to see the pictures? Click here

  • Prostate Cancer: Researchers are reinventing the PSA test using nanotechnology

    Prostate Cancer: Researchers are reinventing the PSA test using nanotechnology

    The current test for Prostate Cancer is known to be unreliable, so researchers are using nanotech to make detection “much more accurate”.

    marijana1 / Pixabay

    According to charity Prostate Cancer UK the current PSA test, a blood test that measures the amount of prostate-specific antigens in the blood, can be inaccurate, which is concerning when nearly 12,000 men (and trans women who have a prostate) a year die from prostate cancer.

    It can, according to the charity, give false readings and miss some cancer signs.

    But Professor Paula Mendes’ research has identified over 50 forms of PSA, all with the same protein but with different sugars attached to it.

    Importantly, different types of sugars are linked to different problems with the prostate, including cancer.

    “The current test for prostate cancer scans the body for all types of PSAs, but we now know that only four of these forms of PSA are linked to prostate cancer,” she explains.

    However nanoparticles can detect the right type of PSA.

    jarmoluk / Pixabay

    According to Prostate Cancer UK, Mendes’ plan is to take advantage of this, and create a test where the type of PSA, rather than the amount, is detected. It uses tiny, coloured nanoparticles, which contain a ‘pocket’ that specifically binds the PSA sugars associated with prostate cancer, like a lock and key. The more such sugars it detects, the higher a man’s chance of having aggressive prostate cancer that needs urgent treatment.

    “At the end of two years, we want to demonstrate that our technology can detect high- or low-risk prostate cancer with high accuracy,” says Professor Mendes.

    She then hopes to run a larger clinical trial and ultimately make the test part of a future screening programme for prostate cancer.

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  • If sex isn’t your thing, here are 5 things that science says is better than a bonk

    If sex isn’t your thing, here are 5 things that science says is better than a bonk

    In a study conducted by Bloom & Wild chocolate, flowers and even booking a holiday were all found to be “better than sex” why? Because they all cause Oxytocin, the “love hormone” to be released into your system.

    The study was conducted by scientists at London Metropolitan University by measuring how the brain reacts to receiving certain gifts. The results found were really interesting.

    Oxytocin is naturally produced by the body and is found when people are in happy loving relationships and also from when they have sex. The hormone is very powerful and even has an anti-stress effect.

    Couples who are in the first 6 to 12 months of their relationship are said to have the highest doses of the hormone in their system, but it can be replicated by a few other activities.

    Researchers reported that subjects showed an average increase of 73pg/ml in the hormone oxytocin (in saliva) after receiving chocolate and 62pg/ml after receiving flowers, proving there are other ways to feel loved, according to Bloom and Wild.

    So what are the other five activities that produce a sexy level of Oxytocin?

    Chocolate

    via GIPHY

    The study shows that even receiving chocolate creates a high increase in oxytocin the same rise in oxytocin comes from sex meaning that if your partner or even you buy a chocolatey treat it can give you the same feeling as a roll in the hay! (73pg/ml increase)

    Flowers

    Buying your partner or yourself flowers can also spark the same feeling as love, sex and relationships (our study revealed an increase of 62pg/ml in Oxytocin) and the best bit these are more likely to last longer.

    Food

    A study by Havas Worldwide revealed 57% of millennials think that food is better than sex the study backs this up by showing chocolate increases oxytocin. This means going for food with your friend won’t ruin your relationship.

    Shopping

    Retail therapy is even more apparent, the idea of shopping as entertainment or a hobby is a relatively new one — and a lot of the way in which we think about buying products as a pleasurable experience is rooted in the history of retail. This is rooted in the industrial revolution where shopping became more of an event and entertainment. The neurologist David Linden, in his 2011 book The Compass Of Pleasure, explains that the experience of shopping triggers dopamine circuitry in the brain’s mesolimbic pathway, which is a key part of how we experience entertainment and happiness.

    Booking a Holiday

    According to research, 16% of Brits think that booking a holiday is better than sex, meaning everyone who has booked a holiday in the January sales will get that same euphoric feeling as sex itself!

    A feeling of wellbeing increases oxytocin after receipt of any gift.

    Dr Una Fairbrother, Head of Biosciences at London Metropolitan University said, “Participants in the study were selected randomly and only their age, gender, and date of birth was recorded, in order to maintain anonymity in compliance with data protection and the Human Tissue Authority.

    “Interestingly, the results show that there was a significant increase in oxytocin after receipt of any gift. Furthermore, within this small cohort, the effect of the more desirable gifts, such as chocolate and flowers, was more pronounced, with chocolate being marginally on top.

    “Chocolate induces feelings of wellbeing, including an oxytocin response when eaten, thus anticipation is likely to provoke a similar response.”

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  • FILM REVIEW | Can You Ever Forgive Me?

    FILM REVIEW | Can You Ever Forgive Me?

    ★★★★ | Can You Ever Forgive Me?

    Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant both play gay characters in the fantastic Can You Ever Forgive Me?

    Based on the life of book author, and Lesbian, Lee Israel, and fluidly directed by Marielle Heller, Can You Ever Forgive Me? based on the late Israel’s memoir, tells about the misadventures of Israel’s life. She was a Manhattanite who didn’t have much money to rub together, so she starts forging signatures of famous people and then sells them to collectors, raking in big money.

    Questions start arising about her charade, and soon enough she has to pull back, and then enlists her gay best friend Jack (Richard E. Grant – in his best performance ever) to take over her sales duties to pawn more fakes to the collectors. It’s early 1990’s New York City, and one gets the feeling that anything can happen then (‘if you can make it there you can make it anywhere’), and that Israel will rise above it all, but in the end, we know what is coming. But before, director Heller (working from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty) perfectly sets the mood and vibe of New York, with bookshops almost at every corner (long gone now no thanks to the internet) and quite a few of the scenes in the film were shot in the West Village’s classic gay bar Julius.

    Can We Ever Forgive Israel? Yes, we can definitely forgive Israel for what she’s done because it has brought us this fine movie. McCarthy and Grant have been nominated for Oscars, let’s hope that if anyone of them wins, it will be Grant. He is just superb in his role, debonair, chilled, and like a fine wine, getting better with age.

    Order Can You Ever Forgive Me on DVD