Friday, January 14, 2022

Technology News and More for a Friday

Technology News and More...




Ukraine Russia Ukrainian•
Government and embassy websites are targeted but Ukraine says no personal data is leaked.



North Korea 2021 Last Year•
TechCrunch / 36min
North Korean hackers launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms last year to steal almost $400 million worth of digital assets, according to a report by blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. “From 2020 to 2021, the number of North Korean-linked hacks jumped from four to seven, and the value extracted from these hacks grew by 40%,” the report said. The attacks primarily targeted i



Steam Deck February•
Valve has offered up another assurance that the Steam Deck is set to ship on time, by the end of next month. The company wrote a January update which stated : “First and foremost, we’re on track to ship Steam Deck on time. Global pandemic, supply issues, and shipping issues notwithstanding, it looks like we’ll be able to start getting these out the door by the end of February.” Valve also noted t




Enlarge / SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is seen returning to Earth after its 10th flight to space. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann / Ars Technica ) Welcome to Edition 4.28 of the Rocket Report! As I write this introduction, I'm watching Virgin Orbit's livestream for its "Above the Clouds" mission, and the company's LauncherOne vehicle has successfully reached orbit. All systems appeared to be nominal through



Microsoft was forced to pull the patches for multiple versions of Windows Server , after they ended up breaking broke multiple key features. The January Windows Server cumulative updates that addressed numerous critical bugs, security vulnerabilities and different flaws, have had to be recalled as they introduced bugs that forced domain controllers to reboot endlessly, broke Hyper-V, rendered ReF



I’ve been a massive fan of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller since its release; I adore the chunky face buttons and the exceptional battery life, and Nintendo absolutely nailed the ergonomics. The fact that it has asymmetrical analog sticks is also another huge win in my book. However, after almost five years the Switch Pro Controller is starting to feel noticeably outdated, and it’s about time



LJ Rich looks at the best of the week's technology news stories.



Wired / 23min
After falling in love with an obscure anime rhythm game, I became obsessed with obtaining a machine of my own—or finding the people who could.



Battery Electric Batteries•
Wired / 23min
Consumer electronics companies are boasting about unprecedented leaps in battery tech. How legit are the claims?



Wired / 23min
From New York to Moab, Utah, bicyclists and municipal officials are divided over whether ebikes should be permitted on bicycle trails.



Wired / 23min
Misinformation and muddled public health messaging have failed expectant parents. Now Omicron's surge is putting both carriers and babies at risk.



Wired / 23min
Can the top-end, tech-heavy electric Merc rival the likes of the Audi e-tron GT, Tesla Model S, and Porsche Taycan?



OLED displays will continue their rise as the go-to premium option according to a leading market research firm who predicts OLED laptops will exceed 10% market share by 2027. Omdia believes (via OLED-Info ) that OLED screens are now ready to take the computing world by storm following an impressive surge in 2021. This past year OLED TVs were predicted to reach 10% market share of global TV sales



How-To Geek / 30min
If you’re having trouble connecting or charging your iPhone using its Lightning port, it might be time to clean it out. We’ll show you how to do it safely—and to troubleshoot other possible issues. Read This Article on How-To Geek ›



A new welcome bonus has just been introduced on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® , and for many this could prove to be valuable, especially for a no annual fee card. Earn an extra 1.5x points with Freedom Unlimited bonus The Chase Freedom Unlimited is offering a new welcome bonus that’s a bit different than the ones we typically see. With this bonus, you can earn an additional 1.5x points (or 1.5% ca



Dorsey Block Bitcoin•
Engadget / 44min
Block founder Jack Dorsey has announced on Twitter that the company is officially building an open bitcoin mining system. Dorsey first announced in October last year that the digital payments provider, then known as Square, was considering working on the project even before it rebranded itself. If you'll recall, Square changed its name to Block to tie its services together and to better represent



Canalys 2021 Quarter•
The troubled PC market may be set for a strong showing in 2022 after shipments saw a significant rise last year, new figures have shown. Gartner's latest results show that worldwide PC shipments grew nearly 10% last year compared to 2020, reaching 339.8 million units in 2021 as businesses across the world upgraded their hardware to deal with the rise of hybrid working due to the ongoing pandemic.



Humble Mac Linux G. Pass•
Enlarge / Mac, Linux nostalgia will soon be a thing for Humble Choice subscribers. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images ) Humble, the bundle-centric games retailer that launched with expansive Mac and Linux support in 2010 , will soon shift a major component of its business to Windows-only gaming. The retailer's monthly subscription service, Humble Choice, previously offered a number of price ti



Chase and United Airlines have had a close relationship for years. As part of that, they have several co-branded credit cards , and you can also transfer points from Ultimate Rewards to MileagePlus. The United SM Business Card is a popular business credit card and can prove to be an excellent value for many small businesses, so in this post I wanted to take a closer look at the card. There has ne



It'll take about one minute to figure out whether you'll be into Landscapers: a director yells "Action, rain!" while the words "This is a true story," appear onscreen as the fake rain falls over London. A collaboration between Sky and HBO, the four-part series is inevitably polarising, as an overtly theatrical interpretation of a true-crime police procedural. But if you're into pulverizing that f



2022 Scream Woodsboro•
There's no topping the original Scream . And that's because there's no beating the sublime surprise of its ending. Sure, the sequels gave us the gleefully deranged performances of Timothy Olyphant, Laurie Metcalf, and Emma Roberts. Yes, they offer fun kills, suspenseful showdowns, and deliciously menacing monologues. But Stu and Billy were a double act that can't really be repeated, no matter how



Musk Tesla Dogecoin•
Tesla is allowing customers to buy select merchandise items using Dogecoin, according to the website and a tweet from CEO Elon Musk. You can now pick up the Cyberwhistle for 300 doge ($58), Giga Texas Belt Buckle for 835 doge ($161) and the Cyberquad for Kids at 12,020 doge or $2,320. According to the store, Dogecoin is now the only way to buy those items as a cash option is no longer showing. Te




The Steam Hardware and Software Survey for December 2021 has been released, and this monthly tally of the hardware running in Steam users’ rigs shows an increase in use of both Intel CPUs, and the Windows 11 operating system. For Intel, this is certainly good news. Although the bump in Intel use in December’s survey may seem modest (a growth of 0.82%), it comes after a period where its chief riva



The boombox was instrumental in the rise of hip-hop culture in the 1980s - but it's now been re-imagined for the modern age, with audio brand Monster releasing a Bluetooth speaker that harks back to the golden age of the so-called 'ghetto blaster'. The Monster Blaster 3.0 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that comes with 12 hours of playtime, and IPX4 water-resistance rating, and doubles up as a US



Happy Valentine's season, lovebirds. Here's how to impress your wife, fiancé, girlfriend, or that cute girl you've been flirting with for months: Don't get her standard chocolates or that gaudy diamond necklace that jewellery stores are shoving down your throat. That's it, that's the gift guide. OK, maybe it's not quite that simple, but finding a romantic Valentine's Day gift that's not a complet



Elizabeth Holmes defrauded investors, but could the scandal usher in a change to Silicon Valley?



Amazon has slashed 27% off the price of the Arlo Pro 4 home security camera , reducing it from £219.99 to just £159.99 – that’s almost the same price we saw on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. (Not in the UK? Scroll down for the best home security camera deals in your region.) The best home security cameras ensure you can keep an eye on your property when you’re not around. However, they can be a p



Google London UK CSG•
Google is seriously expanding its presence in London, snapping up the Central Saint Giles development next to Tottenham Court Road station for $1 billion as part of a plan to expand its UK workforce to 10,000 people. Google already rents office space in the development, which was designed by architect Renzo Piano. The building comes with distinctive outside colouring, 38,000 square metres of offi



Bugatti Electric Scooter•
Bugatti, best known for its supercars, has unveiled its first electric scooter , and its specs are surprisingly pedestrian. The scooter was built in collaboration with Bytech International – a company better known for its gaming headsets and true wireless earbuds – and was quietly unveiled at CES 2022 . Taking a look at the scooter's stats, it's no surprise that it didn't make waves on the show f



In December, researchers reported that huge and growing cracks have formed in the eastern ice shelf of the Thwaites Glacier, a Florida-size mass of ice that stretches 75 miles across western Antarctica. They warned that the floating tongue of the glacier—which acts as a brace to prop up the Thwaites—could snap off into the ocean in as little as five years. That could trigger a chain reaction as m



Shadow SB Bone Season 2•
Shadow and Bone season 2 has officially entered production – and, after almost a year of waiting, we finally know who'll play fan favorite characters in Nikolai and Wylan. Announced in a video before filming on Shadow and Bone season 2 begun, the Netflix show 's cast confirmed that the cameras had started rolling once more on location in Budapest. But that's not the only news that'll make Shadow



Motorola 30 Ultra Galaxy•
If you're still mourning the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Note 21 never ended up launching, and want an alternative stylus-toting premium phone in your life, Motorola might be gearing up to launch a device for you. This is because it seems the rumored Motorola Edge 30 Ultra might be compatible with styli from the company. XDA Developers has received information on two accessories for the unannoun



Facebook Meta UK Action•
A legal expert has teamed with a litigation firm to sue Meta on behalf of 44 million Facebook users in the UK, claiming that they had their data exploited in violation of competition laws, TechCrunch has reported. The firm is seeking £2.3 billion ($3.1 billion) in damages for UK Facebook users. The lawsuit was filed by competition law specialist Dr. Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, and is being funded by In



TL;DR: As of Jan. 14, you can take 66% off a 3-month subscription to CodeSpark Academy (worth $29), and get it for just $9.99. Parents know that a tablet can help almost any parenting situation, whether it's a stressful dining experience, a too-long road trip, or taking an important work call. But if you're like most parents, you probably worry about what all the screen time is doing to your chil



TL;DR: The Icy Bev Cooler 2.0 is just $26.99 at the Mashable Shop as of Jan. 14. A water bottle that can simply hold water is so last year. The year 2022 is all about innovation, and everything should have more than one function if you're going to give it precious cabinet space in your kitchen. With the new Icy Bev Cooler 2.0, you'll get three functions in one bottle — and even better, it'll cost



TL;DR: The 3-in-1 Fast Wireless USB Charging Station is just $54.99 at the Mashable Shop as of Jan. 14. If one of your resolutions is to be on-time more often, you need to start by getting organized. Nothing keeps you indoors for longer like a phone or Apple Watch that's on its last leg of battery life. If you want to make sure your devices are as ready as you are to hit the ground running at the



If last year's Uber Eats or Seamless summary is any indication, you may need to wind down a bit on ordering takeout. Haven't you heard? Cooking at home is the cool thing to do now. And not only does it help you save money, it can also make a tremendous difference in your diet and cooking skills . Rekindle your relationship with your kitchen this 2022 by upgrading your cooking tools — and, you kno



FinDev Canada has injected $13 million into Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund ( EEGF ), which invests in early and growth-stage energy startups in sub-Saharan Africa. Part of the funding that will go towards increasing access to clean energy for off-grid households and businesses in the region. The $120 million EEGF, which was founded in 2019 by the Shell Foundation — and co-funded by UKaid and th



The tech giant is expanding UK staff capacity by 50% and wants to "reinvigorate" the work environment.



Ukraine Cyberattack Russia•
Gizmodo / 2h
Government websites in Ukraine were hit with a cyberattack early Friday, with some domains defaced to tell users their information had been compromised. The attack comes as Russia continues a military build-up along its border with Ukraine and talks between Russian and U.S. leaders over a potential invasion of the… Read more...




Facebook Meta UK Action•
Facebook's 44 million UK users could share £2.3bn in damages, a competition expert intending to sue Meta says



Tesla Cybertruck 2022•
23Mashable / 4h
Tesla's Cybertruck is going to be late. Yes, even more late than you thought. According to Reuters , the company has delayed initial production of its futuristic SUV to early 2023. The report cites one person familiar with Tesla's plans. Reuters' source claims the delay is happening as Tesla is changing "features and functions" of the Cybertruck to better compete with other SUVs in the electric v
YESTERDAY



26Engadget / 4h
Three PayPal users who've allegedly had their accounts frozen and funds taken by the company without explanation have filed a federal lawsuit against the online payment service. The plaintiffs — two users from California and one from Chicago — are accusing the company of unlawfully seizing their personal property and violating racketeering laws. They're now proposing a class-action lawsuit on beh



Tesla Accepting Dogecoin•
35Mashable / 6h
Last month, Elon Musk revealed that Tesla would start accepting Dogecoin for some Tesla merch. That day has come, with Doge now being the only accepted currency for a few products on the Tesla store. Tweet may have been deleted Both the Gigi Texas Belt Buckle and the Cyberquad for Kids are solely available to purchase with Doge, and will set buyers back 835 and 12,020 Doge respectively — or aroun



SAVE 86%: ZenMate VPN provides access to secure servers in 79 countries from around the world, making it one of the best options for streaming. A three-year subscription to ZenMate VPN is on sale for £1.33 per month, and includes an extra three months for free. ZenMate VPN has joined a host of other top services by extending its best Christmas deal into the new year, which is great news for anyon



TL;DR: The Ultimate Amazon FBA and Dropship Master Class Bundle is on sale for £14.68, saving you 98% on list price. We all know Amazon is a giant company with giant profits, but did you know that more than half of its revenue is fuelled by third-party sellers known as Amazon FBA partners? If you have your own business, you can join in on the lucrative opportunity of selling on Amazon. With this



TL;DR: The Fundamental Drawing Bundle for Beginners is on sale for £29.35, saving you 96% on list price. While drawing is an excellent skill to pick up anytime, it's even more appropriate during these days. Why? Because it can help you enter a state of flow. Or, in other words, it can make the outside world (and all the chaos that comes with it) fall away, and heighten your imagination, mindfulne



EVage Raises India RC•
28TechCrunch / 6h
A congruence of factors in India — notably, climate change policies, fuel costs and skyrocketing demand for e-commerce — has set up ideal conditions for startups like all-electric commercial vehicle startup EVage. The startup already has five EV trucks on the road for a range of e-commerce customers including Amazon India’s Delivery Service Partner, with plans to provide “in the thousands” more t



With so many shows and movies to choose from on Australia's major streaming services, it can often be difficult to find the best new stuff to entertain yourself with each end of week. In an effort to make things easier, we've hand-picked the best new shows and movies to watch on Aussie streaming platforms this weekend, covering the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, Binge, Foxtel Now, Stan, Apple TV



North Korea 2021 Last Year•
Blockchain research firm Chainalysis says the value extracted from the hacks grew by 40% year-on-year.



21Mashable / 8h
The first action-packed trailer for South Korean zombie series All of Us Are Dead has arrived, showcasing brutal action, terrifyingly fast zombies, and one more reason to be afraid of crowds. Based on the 2009 webtoon of the same name, Netflix's All of Us Are Dead follows a group of teenagers forced to fight for their lives after their high school becomes the site of a horrific virus outbreak. Th



26Gizmodo / 10h
For years, developers of free, open-source software have been telling anyone who will listen that their projects needs better financial assistance and more oversight. Now, after a number of disastrous incidents involving open-source code, the federal government and Silicon Valley may finally be listening. Read more...



Fortnite GeForce Now•
SlashGear / 10h
Image Credit: NVIDIA Although Epic Games has long bemoaned the state of affairs on app stores, particularly the Apple App Store, it was Fortnite‘s banishment from iOS that became the metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back. This event gave rise to a number of lawsuits not just in the US but also around the world, challenging the legality of Apple’s App Store … Continue reading



Gizmodo / 10h
It’s no secret that Google’s been vying for a space in your living room for years. Google TV has undergone quite a few branding changes since it first launched in 2010, but it’s still managed to become one of the top streaming platforms. And it’s not stopping: Google has its sights set beyond just casting your… Read more...



Nigeria Twitter Ban•
The social media site had been blocked after it deleted a post from President Muhammadu Buhari about secessionist groups that was widely seen as threatening.



SlashGear / 11h
Smartphones and tablets are an incredible way to stay in touch with others and access the world’s knowledge. They’re also, at times, an annoying distraction that may break your concentration at the worst possible time or wake you up in the middle of the night with an ill-timed notification. Fortunately, there’s one feature that addresses all of these issues: Do … Continue reading



Twitter Reddit Capitol•
The panel investigating the attack on the Capitol is demanding information from Alphabet, Meta, Reddit and Twitter.



Before there were planets around the Sun, there were rings. Much like the way material orbiting Saturn is flattened by centrifugal forces into a tight, neat disk, the same happened with the Sun in the earliest days of the solar system – and the way those rings were composed explains how Earth grew from those rings into a manageable size and not into a so-called "Super-Earth." Super-Earths are roc



Gizmodo / 11h
There’s a reason that nobody reads the little terms of service tabs tucked away at the bottom of any website: They’re too long, too full of jargon, and too impenetrable for anyone without a law degree to bother trying to understand. Read more...



Engadget / 12h
It’s no secret Meta employs contract laborers to do much of the hard work of enforcing its content moderation policies on Facebook. And despite assisting one of the most valuable companies in the world, those workers have frequently complained of their jobs involving poor compensation and anxiety-inducing work. Some are now also saying they’re being treated worse than other workers. According to




The UK's wood-burning Drax power plant hopes to expand but faces questions on its green credentials.



Alaska Airlines is making some big changes to the upgrade process. Specifically, the Seattle-based carrier is rolling out three tweaks to the upgrade waitlist, as confirmed by a carrier spokesperson. While the majority of the changes are good news across the board, one is sure to be controversial. The airline confirmed that the following changes apply to both first-class and Premium Class (extra-



2021 Season Adobe 2020•
Despite supply chain issues and product shortages, consumers in the US still managed to spend a record $204bn this holiday shopping season. As part of its Adobe Digital Economy Index , Adobe ,which is known for its Creative Cloud software suite, provides a comprehensive view into the ecommerce market in the US by analyzing direct consumer transactions online. To do so, it uses Adobe Analytics dat



Twitter Reddit Capitol•
25TechCrunch / 12h
The House committee leading the investigation into the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol issued subpoenas to four major tech companies Thursday. January 6 select committee chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) sent letters to YouTube parent company Alphabet, Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, Reddit and Twitter demanding for those companies to provide additional information o



Facebook UK Class Meta•
100+TechCrunch / 12h
A competition legal expert, backed by a powerful litigation fund, is set to mount a multibillion-dollar class action suit against Facebook/Meta for breach of competition law on the basis that it abused its dominance of social networking in the U.K. for several years. If successful, the action would see Facebook having to pay $3.1 billion (£2.3 billion) in damages to Facebook U.K. users. The class



400+Gizmodo / 12h
The fate of time-traveling doctor Dr. Sam Beckett may finally be revealed. NBC has ordered a pilot for a new version of Quantum Leap that’ll take place 30 years after the original TV show ended . It’ll follow a new team who has been put together to bring back the Quantum Leap project and hopefully figure out what… Read more...



Fortnite GeForce Now•
Apple kicked Fortnite off the App Store over a year ago, due to ongoing court proceedings, it probably won’t return anytime soon. But NVIDIA is giving gamers a new way to play Fortnite on iOS. Beginning next week, NVIDIA GeForce Now will launch a closed beta that lets you play Fortnite and other games through the mobile Safari browser. Read This Article on Review Geek ›



Mashable / 12h
For nearly two-thirds of American high schoolers Naviance software is an integral and nearly unavoidable part of the college research and application process. For colleges and universities, it’s also a targeted advertising platform with a captive audience of millions of students looking to make one of the largest financial investments of their lives. The Markup examined the Naviance accounts of s



One of the country’s best-known health experts had some good news Thursday for travelers and the travel industry: The wave of omicron cases in the U.S. that has disrupted everything from flights to cruises over the past month is likely to fade fast in the coming weeks. “It’s peaking right now,” former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told travel agents during a conference call to discuss the futur



Vangst $19M Cannabis•
62TechCrunch / 12h
In a tight labor market, so-called vertical labor marketplaces that zoom in on one industry, like nursing or hospitality, are drawing funding. Trusted Health, a healthcare staffing platform, raised $149 million in funding in November, for example. Seasoned, a hiring platform for restaurant workers, closed on nearly $19 million at roughly the same time. Investors are similarly betting there is ple

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