Tuesday, March 31, 2020

TPS Consulting Daily


TECHNOLOGY AND MORE!




D-Wave gives anyone working on responses to the COVID-19 free cloud access to its quantum computers

200+TechCrunch / 10min
D-Wave , the Canadian quantum computing company, today announced that it is giving anyone who is working on responses to the COVID-19 free access to its Leap 2 quantum computing cloud service. The offer isn’t only valid to those focusing on new drugs but open to any research or team working on any aspect of how to solve the current crisis, be that logistics, modeling the spread of the virus or wo

Apple's iPhone 9 will likely launch in the next five days, report says

Apple iPhone 9 5 1293Mashable / 34min
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Apple certainly won't have any sort of physical launch event for the rumored iPhone 9. But there's pretty good indication that the phone is coming — and soon. 9to5Mac has received a photo from a tipster at Best Buy, showing a case for a "new iPhone 4.7-inch, 2020," which fits the description of the rumored new phone, which will probably be called either iPhone 9 o

Joe Wicks' PE lesson March 31 - how to re-watch right now

56TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
We're well into the week now, and if you're one of the millions of people suddenly aware they want to get fit, a man named Joe Wicks is trying to be the PE teacher for the UK (and increasingly, the entire world). The online phenomenon is seeing hundreds of thousands of people crowding around their TVs, iPads, smartphones and more and flinging their limbs around in new and strength-giving ways at


We truly needed this emotional home performance from the 'Dear Evan Hansen' cast

Mashable / 9min
It's an emotional time right now for many, whether you're social distancing , self-isolating, under government lockdown, or right on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic . So, you might need a little reminder that while things are pretty strange, scary, and unprecedented at the moment, you'll get through it. Calling in from home for James Corden's Late Late Show Homefest special, the cast o

Uber co-founder Garrett Camp steps back from board director role

TechCrunch / 10min
Uber co-founder Garrett Camp is relinquishing his role as a board director and switching to board observer — where he says he’ll focus on product strategy for the ride hailing giant. Camp made the announcement in a short Medium post in which he writes of his decade at Uber: “I’ve learned a lot, and realized that I’m most helpful when focused on product strategy & design, and this is where I’d lik

Microsoft 365 is about to get a lot more personal - here's all you need to know

Office Microsoft 36520TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11min
Microsoft has unveiled major changes to its software offerings by rebranding existing consumer-facing Office 365 subscriptions with an all-new offering under the Microsoft 365 brand. The new Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans will be available on April 21, with users automatically carried over. So far there's only US pricing available, with a single-user Personal account priced at $6.99 per

Upgrade to Business Class with HP, AMD and Microsoft - the perfect team

28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 18min
The HP Probook range packs some great design and features at an attractive price point. And that’s more true than ever in the ProBook 445r G6 which packs the latest Ryzen 5 3500U APU with Microsoft Windows 10 Pro. Available for preorder from Ebuyer from only £458 excluding VAT , this is a laptop made for SMB, providing business-class features that will boost productivity and efficiency, while kee

How to downgrade a Chase credit card

The Points Guy / 25min
It’s easy to justify paying hundreds of dollars in credit card annual fees when you can fully use card benefits like travel credits , dining credits , shopping credits , and airport lounge access . But it’s harder to keep paying those fees when you’re cooped up at home and tightening up on expenses. If you’re not getting enough value from a credit card to offset its annual fee, you can downgrade

'90s and '00s period dramas are the most soothing form of escapism I've ever known

Mashable / 27min
Welcome to Cozy Week , where we'll curl up by the glow of our screens to celebrate all that's soft in entertainment. Pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa and sit by us as we coo over the cutest games, cry over the tenderest movie moments, and drift off to the most comforting shows. Because it can be a cold world out there, and we need something to keep us warm. It all started with a video borrowed fr

Jack Ma makes huge donation to African countries

Popular Mechanics / 28min
The post appeared first on Popular Mechanics .

Google has discontinued the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

Google Pixel 3 XL 3A58Engadget / 32min
Google is no longer selling its landmark Pixel 3 and 3 XL phones, the company confirmed with Android Police . If you enter the old Pixel 3 listing you'll get the home page instead and it no longer appears in the product carousel. Meanwhile, the carrier/configuration section shows the devices as "out of stock." A Google spokesperson confirmed the changes with Android Police , saying its online sto

Windows 10 bug that broke internet connectivity gets patched – here’s how to install the fix

28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 32min
Windows 10 has got a fix for the nasty bug that’s disrupting the internet connection of some folks trying to work from home, which is obviously less than ideal given the Covid-19 outbreak, and the large numbers of people trying to do just that because they’re on lockdown. As we recently reported, this problem was caused by a previous cumulative update for Windows 10 , which broke internet connect

Huawei P40 contains some US components

Honor 30S Kirin Huawei28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 32min
The recently-launched Huawei P40 smartphone is powered by a number of US components despite a government ban on companies from the country doing business with the Chinese mobile giant. Last year, the US Department of Commerce effectively blacklisted Huawei on national security grounds. Huawei has denied any allegations of wrongdoing but nonetheless was barred from access to important technologies

Apple Watch 6 looks set to track sleep, but watchOS 7 may not work with your watch

14 iPhone Apple Watch 728TechRadar - All the latest technology ne.../ 39min
Consistent leaks and rumors have suggested the Apple Watch 6 is set to come with sleep tracking and blood oxygen monitoring features, and it seems those two features may come to other smartwatches too. According to trusted sources speaking to The Verifier , watchOS 7 and the Apple Watch 6 is where we'll see the new features debut. That means these features may also be available on your current Ap

HomePod 2 and new Apple TV on course for 2020 release date

Apple 2020 iPhone 536TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 53min
The world may be coming to terms with new social isolation orders to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but some companies are taking to it like ducks to water – iPhone maker Apple among them. According to a new report from Bloomberg , Apple employees, despite now working remotely, are going full steam ahead to get the company's 2020 slate of products into the hands of consumers, despite th

Why I am volunteering to get the coronavirus vaccine

24New on MIT Technology Review / 55min
We spoke to Ian Haydon, who will soon be one of 45 people who will get an experimental covid-19 vaccine in Seattle.

Sharpen your Microsoft Excel skills from home with this online course

Microsoft Excel Today60Mashable / 57min
TL;DR: Learn the ins and outs of Excel with the Premium A to Z Microsoft Excel Bundle for just $49.99, a 97% savings as of March 31. Now that you've watched all of Tiger King , it's time to switch gears to something more productive. You could exercise, read a book, learn a new skill, or strengthen your existing skills. For instance, take Excel. Could your Excel skills use some work? If you answer

Bored? Learning Photoshop is the perfect activity to keep you sane.

56Mashable / 57min
TL;DR: Become a retouching pro with this Adobe Photoshop course for just $24.99, a 98% savings as of March 31. All this downtime and nothing to do? Then perhaps its time you learn a brand new skill or strengthen one that's falling behind. If you like taking photos, then you have probably ventured into the world of Photoshop once or twice. And if you have ever opened up the program without a prope

SEO works — learn how you can utilize it to grow your brand

24Mashable / 57min
TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to Brand Overflow's SEO Rank and Keyword Tool for just $39.99, a 92% savings as of March 31. Now, more than ever, a powerful online presence is vital. With stores closing their doors due to social distancing efforts and everything moving online, it's going to be even harder to stand out amongst the crowd. Sigh. Unfortunately, there aren't really any magic pills

14 unexpected ways to spruce up your WFH space

20Mashable / 57min
For those of us with the privilege to do so, working from home is no longer a fun perk offered by your company on the occasional Friday. The truth is that we don't know how long we'll be operating out of a home office, so it may be time to start thinking long and hard about making your space more hospitable. Sure, using the ironing board as a desk was "cute" for a week, but how it will feel on yo

Get a good night’s sleep and $399 worth of gifts with a Nectar mattress purchase

Mashable / 57min
TL;DR: Receive $399 worth of free swag when you purchase a Nectar mattress. Getting enough sleep is important for your mental and physical health. Understandably, there are a few challenges that could be throwing off your snooze schedule right now. When you’re tossing and turning, Insomnia Twitter might be a good outlet for knowing you’re not alone, ASMR vids (like this one unboxing a mattress )

Dua Lipa belts out pitch perfect song over video chat from her London home

30Mashable / 1h
One of the world's biggest pop stars right now, Dua Lipa is social distancing like most of us at present. But that doesn't mean she can't smash out one heck of a performance of her enormous single "Don't Start Now" from new album Future Nostalgia with her entire crew — band, dancers, everyone — from her flat in London. Performing on a socially distanced home version of James Corden's Late Late Sh

One of the anticipated OnePlus 8 phones might be absent at the launch event

OnePlus 8 April 1436TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
The OnePlus 8 series launch event is happening on April 14 , and while we were expecting three phones to be launched (the base handset with a Lite and Pro variant), it seems that may not be the case. No, according to multiple reliable leakers the OnePlus 8 Lite isn't to be unveiled on April 14. Instead it will apparently land later, and with a different name. Firstly, Max Weinbach stated that the

iPhone 9 launch date might be soon as cases are seemingly being sent to stores

Apple 2020 iPhone 548TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
A number of rumors had suggested the iPhone 9 might land soon, and it’s now looking very likely that they were right, as cases for the phone are reportedly being sent out to major retailers in the US, such as Best Buy. This claim, along with a photograph of one of the cases, comes from a tipster speaking to 9to5Mac , and if true this would likely mean the iPhone 9 could launch imminently, since p

Will Ferrell's musical hand-washing tutorial is full of intensity and passion

65Mashable / 1h
You may know the theory behind washing your hands for 20 seconds , and you may know that there are many songs you can sing to fill the time . But what if you're still lacking in motivation? Well, Will Ferrell is here to change that. In the clip above from James Corden's Late Late Show Homefest special, the actor delivers a tutorial from his very own kitchen. "I have been washing my hands obsessiv

Lucid Motors pushes back the unveiling of its long-awaited electric sedan

74Engadget / 1h
Back in January, Lucid Motors announced that it's finally unveiling the production model of its electric sedan in April three years after it was first revealed. The company was supposed to launch the car next week at the New York Auto Show, but the event was postponed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now company CEO and former Tesla chief engineer Peter Rawlinson has confirmed to Silico

China’s Pinduoduo raises $1.1 billion in private share placement

76TechCrunch / 1h
Chinese e-commerce firm Pinduoduo said on Tuesday it had raised $1.1 billion in a private share placement that will enable its further expansion and capture “additional opportunities” during the times of uncertainty. The Nasdaq-listed firm said some of its long-term investors financed the deal. The investors were granted newly issued Class A ordinary shares of Pinduoduo representing approximately

Qarnot raises $6.5 million for its computer servers that heat buildings

200+TechCrunch / 1h
French startup Qarnot has raised a $6.5 million (€6 million) funding round. The company manufactures heaters and boilers with a special trick — they pack computers as computers tend to generate a lot of heat. Qarnot then lets companies leverage that computing power by running tasks on those unusual servers. Banque des Territoires, Caisse des Dépôts, Engie Rassembleur d'Énergies, A/O PropTech and

Samsung Display to discontinue LCD panel production by the end of this year

Samsung LCD End 202036TechRadar - All the latest technology ne.../ 1h
Samsung Display is the global leader when it comes to panels, not just limited to smartphones. A significant but expected change is reported to go in place later this year when it will end all LCD production. Samsung Display has been the supplier of choice for most smartphone and television brands across the world, with customers spanning from Apple to OnePlus and everything in between. LG happen

The 6 essential elements of smart document capture technology

36TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
It's no secret that businesses are creating more and more data today as their work becomes increasingly digital. But with so much information being generated, sometimes it can be hard to track where your key data lies. This "trapped data" can often be locked away either online or in physical documents, meaning your business could be losing out on vital insights or information. There's no need to

What mass COVID-19 screening means for SA

Popular Mechanics / 2h
The post appeared first on Popular Mechanics .

UCSF app wants to use your biometric data to track the spread of coronavirus

55Engadget / 2h
A new UC San Francisco initiative will give you a way to help advance our understanding of the coronavirus pandemic, even if you're not a scientist or a medical professional. The COVID-19 Citizen Science project welcomes contributions from anyone over 18, so long as they have a phone and can download its app. To participate and download the app, you'll have to sign up for the project through UCSF

No honour among thieves - how cybercriminals are exploiting the ongoing pandemic

VPN 10 One Synology48TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
We are, as I’m sure you’re well aware, in the midst of a global health crisis. As governments and health organisations around the world work to stem the spread of the virus and ease the anxiety and panic within society, there are those who are maliciously turning this crisis into opportunity. Our security research teams have identified a number of instances where bad actors are preying on the wor
YESTERDAY

Video chat app Houseparty blames 'smear campaign' for hacking controversy, offers $1 million bounty

App Houseparty Account56Mashable / 3h
You've heard a lot about Zoom in recent weeks as people work out how to video chat with as many people as possible while social distancing. Plenty of folks are opting for its more "fun" competitor Houseparty instead, especially as Zoom's faced criticism over privacy concerns , from it corporate policies to new users' increased vulnerability to phishing attacks (not to mention careless Star Trek c

Too good to be true: Save AU$500 on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10!

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook36TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
Get your wallet out and your card ready, because the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 has been discounted by an astonishing AU$500! This is an amazing deal for one of the best smartphones Samsung has produced that will leave you in awe after every use. The Note 10 has a stunning 6.3-inch screen and bezel-free design – this combined with an AMOLED display produces immaculate detail in pictures and videos gi

Food delivery: which online grocery services have new delivery slots this week?

40TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
Update 31/03/20: Limited food delivery slots are becoming available throughout the day at Tesco, Sainsbury's and more, but they're filling up quickly. Supermarkets ask you to visit a store in person, if you can, to help them prioritise food delivery slots for elderly or vulnerable customers. If you need to order food online, keep checking your local online supermarket throughout the day. A number

Best home printer in Australia 2020: top versatile printers for use at home

1KTechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
As many of us get used to working from home for the foreseeable future, it's more important than ever to have one of the best home printers in your house. Just like in the office, you need a printer in your household that can handle printing without a snag. After all, your time at home is now just as important as your time at work ever was, especially given the current situation and compulsory wo

'You got this': Stephen Colbert's perfect coronavirus pep talk for Americans stuck at home

82Mashable / 3h
Americans are going stir crazy cooped up at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, especially because nobody knows when it might end. Studio production for the Late Show also remains shut down indefinitely. Still, host Stephen Colbert remains optimistic, relaying a message of hope and resilience from his home on Monday. "I have a simple message for all of you: America, you got this," said Colbert.

Asics finally releases its first carbon plate running shoe to take on Nike's VaporFlys

48TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
Asics has released a trio of new sports shoes in a VR showroom, including its first pair of running shoes with a carbon fiber plate. Following the success of Nike's VaporFly running shoe, and the decision not to ban such designs at the (now delayed) Tokyo 2020 Olympics , it was only a matter of time before Asics followed suit with its own carbon plate design. The best running watches : perfect GP

I went to a sneaker launch in VR because of the coronavirus

100+Engadget / 4h
If you're launching a new product, you normally want to put on a show with a sprinkling of razzle and plenty of dazzle. That means getting journalists and fans into a big room, trotting out your wares and letting everyone play with the new toys. Unfortunately, the world is currently on lockdown to deal with COVID-19, and large groups in auditoriums is a big no-no right now . Asics , the Japanese

Watch BTS perform in sweatpants on James Corden, deliver sweet message to fans

87Mashable / 5h
South Korean boy group and unstoppable force BTS joined Papa Mochi James Corden via video on Monday, performing hit song 'Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)' from their shared social distance. The coronavirus pandemic may have suspended studio production, but the Late Late Show must go on. "I think it's quite a difficult time for everyone in the world right now," leader RM told Corden from Big Hit Enter

Low-cost iPhone case shows up at retailers hinting at imminent launch

Apple 2020 iPhone 5SlashGear / 5h
Despite all the events unfolding around the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has been expected to still push through with its new product launches. It did so almost two weeks ago with the new iPad Pros but curiously missing was the low-cost iPhone that was also expected to debut at the end of the month. Apple probably just wanted to give the … Continue reading

Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are no longer available from Google

Google Pixel 3 XL 3ASlashGear / 6h
Smartphones come and go but more often than not you can expect them to be available for more than a year. That’s not the case with Google’s Pixel phones, however, as these seem to have a shelf life of one year, at least as far as Google’s own store goes. Just like its predecessor, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 … Continue reading

NBA reportedly plans 'players-only' 2K tournament that will air on ESPN

300+Engadget / 6h
The NBA already has an official esports league with various teams represented, but with the live basketball season on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's reportedly about to put real NBA players on the sticks. Yahoo Sports reporter Chris Haynes cites league sources indicating that a 16-player NBA 2K tournament lasting 10 days will begin on Friday, with ESPN set to broadcast it. With spor

This is the cheapest AMD Ryzen PC workstation on the market

52TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
At less than $300, including delivery from Aliexpress (which delivers globally), this desktop PC from Chinese manufacturer Ipason is probably the most affordable AMD Ryzen-based workstation on the market - and it can double as a gaming PC too. Based on the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G APU, it can trounce Intel Core i3-800T CPUs usually found in devices at around this price. Its CPU benchmark (6840 points) i

LG V60 ThinQ 5G and its Dual Screen apparently work with Active Styluses

20SlashGear / 7h
When it comes to phones with styluses, Samsung’s Galaxy Note is pretty much the only serious game in town. Yes, there are some that hide a stylus inside, like LG’s Stylo/Stylus line, but these are pretty much just glorified sticks that are not exactly that different from the cheap ones you can buy with rubber or plastic tips. There have … Continue reading

Secretlab's excellent Omega gaming chair is massively discounted

40TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Governments around the world are asking everyone to stay indoors to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, and Australia is no different. With lockdown laws in place, and many of us now either working from home, or having more time on our hands indoors, we find ourselves in need of a good home office setup or a more comfortable gaming arena. Secretlab, the maker behind our favourite gamin

Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Morbius Among the Latest Films Delayed by Coronavirus

200+Gizmodo / 7h
Sorry, but you won’t be vamping out with Jared Leto or busting ghosts with Paul Rudd this year. Sony Pictures just announced a major shake-up to its theatrical release schedule, bumping most of its biggest 2020 releases back to 2021. Read more...

Facebook, Instagram download data now include how they personalize experiences

SlashGear / 7h
It shouldn’t really be a surprise these days that Internet services accumulate a wealth of data from each and every user, especially those that offer said services for free. More often than not, this data collection activity is explained as a way to improve the user experience, mostly by personalizing what users see to match what they might be interested … Continue reading

Harley Quinn's Season 2 Premiere Is a No Man's Land of Fucked-Up Fun

31Gizmodo / 8h
The first season of DC Universe’s animated Harley Quinn series split the difference between Batman: The Animated Series and the grimdark Warner Bros. cinematic universe, telling a surprisingly earnest, foul-mouthed story of self-actualization. By breaking free of the Joker and stepping outside of his shadow, Harley… Read more...

AT&T will give users an extra 15GB of mobile hotspot data

200+Engadget / 8h
AT&T is still expanding its offerings to keep people online during the COVID-19 outbreak. Between April 2nd and May 13t, it's adding an extra 15GB of mobile hotspot data to every line on unlimited plans that have a monthly tethering allowance. If you have the Unlimited Extra plan, for instance, that will effectively double the amount of data you get. That's still not enough data to completely rel

Apple Watch kid mode will include modified Activity tracking rings

14 iPhone Apple Watch 727SlashGear / 8h
For all the Apple Watch’s popularity, the company hasn’t made any effort to appeal to a wider audience, specifically kids. That doesn’t stop the young ones from wanting an Apple Watch, of course, but the systems Apple has built up around the wearable aren’t exactly conducive to that use case. That may finally be changing when iOS 14 comes around … Continue reading

Los Angeles-based challenger bank HMBradley officially opens its virtual doors

68TechCrunch / 8h
The Los Angeles-based digital challenger bank, HMBradley , opened its virtual doors to the public today, allowing the thousands of waitlisted would-be users to set up direct deposits and collect their sign-up bonuses. The company is offering banking customers an up to 3% return on their savings based on the percentage they save of their quarterly deposits. HMBradley also set up a new feature whic

Jonathan Frakes, please don't tweet LeVar Burton's Zoom Meeting ID

Zoom Facebook L. Burton72Mashable / 8h
The stars really are just people. Well, at least when it comes to videoconferencing screw-ups, that is. With the world socially distancing in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the former cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation decided to celebrate Marina Sirtis's March 29 birthday in a responsible manner — i.e., a Zoom videoconference party. There's just one problem: Jonathan Frakes tweeted Le

Coronavirus Prompts Instacart and Amazon Strikes Over Health Concerns

Amazon One Staten Island500+NYT > Technology / 8h
The two companies are the latest targets of labor action by groups fearing virus exposure on the job.

Galaxy Tab S6 Lite launch date and price accidentally revealed by Amazon

SlashGear / 8h
When it comes to less premium devices, Samsung doesn’t often make a lot of noise when they launch in select markets. Often we have to keep our eyes peeled for press releases, presuming there is even one, or product pages that suddenly pop up out of the blue. Sometimes, however, retailers are also “generous” enough to give us an accidental … Continue reading

Canon EOS R5 likely to launch April 20

Canon April53TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
Canon fans have a lot to look forward to in April, with the camera maker announcing a major live stream event to be held on April 20 at 1pm EDT (that would be 6pm on the same date in the UK and April 21 at 3am AEST in Australia). There's no mention of what the event is for exactly, except to say it's to "[introduce] new products and technologies". We're hoping that would include the highly antici

Telegram update adds chat folders, archiving, and coronavirus emoji

SlashGear / 9h
Popular messaging service Telegram has been updated with new features that’ll be particularly useful for users and groups that have experienced an uptick in messaging frequency. As of Monday, March 30, Telegram now supports Chat Folders, which is exactly what it sounds like — a new feature that enables users to better separate the different types of chats that take … Continue reading

Spirit Airlines suspends New York-area flights following CDC warning

500+The Points Guy / 9h
Spirit Airlines will be the first mainland U.S. carrier to suspend flights completely to the New York area as it heeds a warning against traveling to the populous region by public health officials amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The South Florida-based carrier will end service to five airports in three states: Hartford (BDL) in Connecticut; Newark Liberty (EWR) in New Jersey; and New York La

Apple Music's Come Together space puts its upbeat playlists in one place

100+Engadget / 9h
Building on the AI-generated Get Up! Mix the company unveiled last week , Apple is now adding a new section to Apple Music called Come Together that features a variety of playlists designed to help you get through long days stuck inside. In all, there are seven new playlists to check out. And as you might imagine, they cover the gamut of genres and moods. For instance, the Isolation Icebreakers p

AA’s website now shows you if your flight will have seatback entertainment

The Points Guy / 9h
While American Airlines has the largest fleet of aircraft in the world, it also has one of the most inconsistent . Thanks to the airline taking delivery of new aircraft and getting a large chunk of jets came from its merger with US Airways , many plane types don’t share the same interiors or number of seats. For instance, American has four types of A321s in its fleet. Some offer power outlets, se

New Research Exposes Horrific Conditions at Britain's Forgotten Nazi Concentration Camp

100+Gizmodo / 9h
An archaeological survey of a former Nazi concentration camp on the British island of Alderney has revealed the frightful conditions endured by forced laborers and political prisoners during the Second World War. Read more...

Johnson & Johnson partners with BARDA to fund $1 billion in COVID-19 vaccine research

& Johnson Vaccine500+TechCrunch / 9h
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is partnering with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund over $1 billion in COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral treatment research and development , the company said on Monday. The partnership is an expansion of an existing agreement between BARDA and J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Com

Buy Committee: Should I Even Bother Buying The Rise of Skywalker?

Star Wars Jedi AcademyGizmodo / 10h
Buy Committee, I am conflicted. Read more...

Microsoft disables custom Xbox gamerpics amid record numbers

Microsoft Xbox LiveSlashGear / 10h
In a brief notice today, Microsoft revealed that it has temporarily disabled the ability to upload customer club pics, gamerpics, and club backgrounds. The company cites its ‘record numbers’ as the reason for the temporary change, specifically the way this aids moderators in evaluating and removing offensive images. It’s unclear how long this change will remain in place. As many … Continue readin

No gym, no problem: How to use Chase Freedom’s 5x bonus

The Points Guy / 10h
The newest 5x bonus category on the Chase Freedom card is for gym memberships and fitness clubs — something that may be out of step in an time of social distancing. But you can still take advantage of the perk without setting foot in a gym. For a limited time, some virtual exercise programs livestreamed into your living room also will earn the points. You’ll need to use the Chase Freedom and its

American Airlines Now Offering Employees Leave At 25% Pay And Full Benefits Or Early Retirement

28View from the Wing / 10h
Two weeks ago American was asking flight attendants to take leave with no pay . Unsurprisingly they didn't have enough takers. Pilots, however, could take leave or early retirement at about two-thirds pay. American is now offering paid early retirement and paid leave across the company, not just for pilots, though of course the leave options aren't as generous as what pilots receive. Continue rea

We must consider secure online voting

300+TechCrunch / 10h
Amelia Powers-Gardner Contributor Amelia Powers-Gardner is county clerk of Utah County in Utah and was sworn into office in January 2019. Chris Walker Contributor Chris Walker is county clerk of Jackson County in Oregon. First appointed in 2008, Chris was re-elected in 2010 and 2014. The list of states delaying primaries and elections is quickly increasing, with New Jersey adding local elections

Pilots beware: some runways are now parking lots

The Points Guy / 10h
Sometime, usually in elementary school, kids will try to stump their friends with the question: Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? Now, commercial pilots can add a new layer to the rhetoric: What happens when you have to park your jets on a runway? Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more airline news. As airlines increasingly scale back their operations in response t

LEGO Goes Fast and Furious With Dom's Dodge Charger

Lego Dodge Charger40How-To Geek / 10h
Thanks to its Technic series, LEGO offers some of the best and most beautiful vehicles you can build in your living room. Whether it’s the best Batmobile or a Land Rover, it’s easy to fall in love with the vehicle series. Now, for $99, the company is ready to thrill Fast and Furious fans with Dom’s Dodge Charger from the movie that started an empire. Read This Article on Review Geek ›

Facebook Could Help Journalism by Making News Easier to Find

100+Wired / 10h
The social media giant gave $100 million to help local news during the pandemic, but it still makes you hunt for trusted sources.

'The phone slipped into the bath': Conference call tales

500+BBC News - Technology / 10h
How to avoid some of the pitfalls of teleconferencing and how it is changing the way we meet and do business.

Star Trek: Voyager fan taps AI for unofficial 4K remaster

SlashGear / 10h
A number of beloved older shows are doomed to languish in low-resolution quality due to costs associated with properly remastering them for modern displays. In addition to reprocessing raw footage from these shows, many would require entirely new computer graphics for an official remaster, making the cost astronomical for lengthy series. That hasn’t stopped a number of fans from using … Continue

Steam limits game auto-updates to manage peak demand

Valve Steam Artifact100+Engadget / 11h
Console makers aren't the only ones managing game service bandwidth to keep traffic flowing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Valve is scaling back game auto-updates in Steam to "spread out" the load and prevent its servers from buckling under the strain. As of this week, only games you've played in the past three days will get immediate updates. Everything else will be updated over the course of "se

New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom’s Privacy Practices

Zoom One Facebook ID500+NYT > Technology / 11h
As the videoconferencing platform’s popularity has surged, Zoom has scrambled to address a series of data privacy and security problems.

Hackers are exploiting Zoom’s newfound popularity amid coronavirus pandemic

Zoom Facebook L. Burton100+Mashable / 11h
With so many people working from home or looking to connect with family and friends amid the coronavirus pandemic, video conferencing platform Zoom is having a big moment. So of course, this makes Zoom a prime target for hackers looking to take advantage of the service's newfound popularity. Researchers at cybersecurity firm Check Point have noticed a sharp uptick in “Zoom” domain name registrati

Neural implants plus AI turns sentence-length thoughts to text

300+Ars Technica / 11h
Enlarge / Several generations of neural implants from Neuralink. (credit: Neuralink ) For people with limited use of their limbs, speech recognition can be critical for their ability to operate a computer. But for many, the same problems that limit limb motion affect the muscles that allow speech. That had made any form of communication a challenge, as physicist Stephen Hawking famously demonstra

You can earn bonus points or miles supporting coronavirus relief efforts

The Points Guy / 11h
The coronavirus pandemic has rattled the world, with flights grounded, borders closed and hundreds of thousands who have fallen ill. From people hand-sewing masks for medical personnel to first responders jumping on planes to combat the virus in New York, we’ve seen some of the best humanity has to offer in recent weeks — and there are ways for you to get involved too . Sign-up for TPG’s daily ne

Despite pandemic, gaming is well-positioned to withstand recession

100+TechCrunch / 11h
Efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 have led to a global economic downturn, but the gaming industry is booming. With hundreds of millions of people sequestered in their homes, game usage has spiked. And while the economic repercussions will persist after people cease physical distancing, gaming is positioned to fare well during a recession. Video game usage increased 75% during peak hours Vide

Airbnb will pay hosts $250 million to help cover cancellations due to COVID-19

Airbnb Hurricane Maria2KTechCrunch / 11h
Airbnb is committing $250 million to put toward hosts who have been impacted by COVID-19. That means if a guest cancels a reservation for check-in between March 14 and May 31 due to a COVID-19-related reason, Airbnb will pay the host 25% of what they would normally receive through their cancellation policy. Airbnb says this policy will apply retroactively to all cancellations during that period.

Star Trek: Picard Didn't Know How It Felt About Jean-Luc Until It Was Too Late

100+Gizmodo / 11h
Star Trek: Picard kicked off its season with a lot of ideas about its titular hero. What did it mean that a man like Jean-Luc Picard had not just retired, but quit the utopian organization he’d dedicated his life to? How did he feel about its decline? Is there space for a man like him in a modern interpretation of … Read more...

FDA approves Battelle tech for decontaminating N95 respirators

FDA Battelle Daily N9542SlashGear / 11h
An important type of face mask called an N95 respirator is in critically short supply at the moment, putting medical workers in many countries at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. Unlike surgical masks and ordinary paper masks, an N95 respirator features a tight fit and can filter out the majority of particles in the air. In light of the … Continue reading

Delta Sky Magazine Lays Off Its Entire Staff

300+View from the Wing / 11h
Delta’s current inflight magazine Delta Sky launched in 2009. The magazine was outsourced, published by MSP Communications. It used Delta’s brand, was distributed on Delta aircraft, and Delta’s media team promotes it on the Delta.com website. It’s always been presented as Delta’s. However writers were not Delta employees. Now they’ve lost their jobs. Continue reading ...

iPad Pro teardown basically finds 2018’s iPad Pro with a lidar sensor

83Ars Technica / 11h
The full teardown of the 2020 iPad Pro. [credit: iFixit ] As expected, iFixit has published a teardown of the 12.9-inch, 2020 iPad Pro, assessing both what's new in the device compared to 2018 and how straightforward the device is to open up and repair. It turns out not too much has changed (which we already knew), and the Pro remains quite difficult to service. In the video (sorry, no blog post

World traveler Sam Chui is grounded: here are his 5 big takeaways

The Points Guy / 11h
Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing one of my favorite world travelers in an Instagram Live chat over at @ thepointsguy . Hopping from flight to flight, Sam Chui seems to spend more time on the road than any of us here at TPG. Like the rest of us, however, he’s grounded for the time being — in Sam’s case, with his parents in Las Vegas, far from his home in Dubai. Sam and I covered a va

Facebook is working on a coronavirus... reaction button?

100+Mashable / 12h
When Facebook introduced reaction buttons in 2015 that let you respond to a post with a heart or a sad face instead of just a "like," it was a huge improvement. Now, Facebook is working on a puzzling reaction button for the coronavirus era: a Covid-19 themed button. Researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who frequently uncovers social media features in development, first spotted the new feature. Facebook

The World's First Servers with Vertically Scalable CPUs Hit the Market

40TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
When Intel first introduced its Xeon Scalable processor family back in 2017, the data center industry welcomed it excitement. This was the company’s “biggest data center advancement in a decade,” which promised to lay “the new foundation for secure, agile, multi-cloud data centers.” Two years later, Intel rolled out 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor platform that provides even greater

Saudi Arabia reportedly tracked phones by using industry-wide carrier weakness

Saudi Arabia US Aramco100+Ars Technica / 12h
Enlarge (credit: Gary Lerude / Flickr ) The Guardian says it has evidence that Saudi Arabia is exploiting a decades-old weakness in the global telecoms network to track the kingdom’s citizens as they travel in the United States. The publication cited data provided by a whistleblower that suggests Saudi Arabia is engaged in systematic spying by abusing Signalling System No. 7 . Better known as SS7

Niantic is doing more to help 'Pokémon Go' gamers play at home

Niantic Pokémon Go100+Engadget / 12h
Niantic isn't done making it easier to play its location-based games while you're staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The developer has outlined some of its future plans for titles like Pokémon Go , Ingress and Harry Potter:


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