Wednesday, February 07, 2024

Technology News and More-Wednesday Edition...

Technology News and More...






Elon Musk Is Helping Gina Carano Sue Lucasfilm Over Mandalorian Firing
1KGizmodo / 12h
This is a lot so, sit down and take a deep breath. Gina Carano, the actress who was fired from The Mandalorian for “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities” is now suing Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination. And, because the comments were made on X,… Read more...


NASA rover finds damaged helicopter in the middle of Mars desert
200+Mashable / 21h
After a recent rough landing, the damaged Ingenuity helicopter can't fly again. Now, NASA's Perseverance rover has spotted the grounded extraterrestrial chopper sitting alone in a valley on Mars . The NASA imagery below, processed and enhanced by the geovisual designer Simeon Schmauß , underscores the desolation of profoundly arid Mars, a desert planet that's largely lost its insulating atmospher


Bluesky is now open for anyone to join
300+TechCrunch / 18h
After almost a year as an invite-only app, Bluesky is now open to the public. Funded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky is one of the more promising micro-blogging platforms that could provide an alternative to Elon Musk’s X. Before opening to the public, the platform had about 3 million sign-ups. Now that anyone can […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.



UK AI startup Greyparrot bags strategic tie-up with recycling giant Bollegraaf
TechCrunch / 8min
In another sign of the scramble to accelerate the uptake and transformative potential of artificial intelligence, Dutch recycling giant Bollegraaf Group is making a strategic investment in UK AI startup Greyparrot, which uses computer vision for waste analytics. The veteran manufacturer of MRFs (Material Recovery Facilities) and “turnkey” recycling systems — which was originally founded as […] ©



ESPN, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to launch a giant sports streaming service
Mashable / 39min
ESPN , FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to create one giant sports streaming service, helping to consolidate your 50 billion different subscriptions. Set to launch near the end of this year, the as of yet unnamed service will provide subscribers access to an entire slew of linear sports networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, t


Microsoft CEO Nadella on AI LLM race: ‘We are waiting for competition to arrive’
TechCrunch / 58min
Microsoft’s prescient bets and aggressive investments in AI have propelled the software giant to become the world’s most valuable company. Yet Satya Nadella, its typically reserved chief executive, couldn’t resist landing a gloved jab at the rest of the industry. “We have the best model today … even with all the hoopla, one year after, […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use


Disney+ has started cracking down on password sharing in the US
Engadget / 1h
Disney+ started getting strict about password sharing in Canada last year , and now it's expanding the restriction to the US. According to The Verge , the streaming service has been sending out emails to its subscribers in the country, notifying them about a change in its terms of service. Its service agreement now states that users may not share their passwords outside of their household "unless


Guided Energy helps EV fleet managers optimize battery charging
TechCrunch / 2h
Imagine you work for a car rental agency or a package delivery company and you’re in charge of a fleet of vehicles. If you’re switching to EV vehicles, it becomes more complex to manage your vehicles due to long charging time and limited charging point availabilities. Guided Energy, a French startup that raised $5.2 million […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Save 80% on MS Office 2019 and Windows 11 Pro
Mashable / 2h
TL;DR: The Microsoft Office Pro 2019 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro Bundle is on sale for £39.50, saving you 80% on list price. It can be frustrating if you have a computer that's not running smoothly, doesn't have the productivity apps you need for work or home, or both. If you're considering buying a new one, you might want to hold off. Instead of sinking hundreds of pounds or more into a new c


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Wednesday, February 7, 2024
LifeHacker / 4h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for February 7, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium; I got it in four. Beware, there are spoilers below for February 7, Wordle #963! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game. How to play Wordle Wordle lives here on the New York Times website


Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for February 7
Mashable / 4h
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle . As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for Feb. 7's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle com


How crowdfunding actually works in 2024, and whether you should use it to raise money
TechCrunch / 5h
Crowdfunding is to financing what Uber is to taxis or what Airbnb is to hotels: Using the wisdom and resources of the crowd to raise money. Usually, crowdfunding brings many smaller investors or donors together to fund a business, startup or personal initiative. The concept is based on the collective effort of a large number […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for February 7
Mashable / 5h
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the e


Critical vulnerability affecting most Linux distros allows for bootkits
2 TTPs•
44Ars Technica - All content / 6h
Enlarge Linux developers are in the process of patching a high-severity vulnerability that, in certain cases, allows the installation of malware that runs at the firmware level, giving infections access to the deepest parts of a device where they’re hard to detect or remove. The vulnerability resides in shim, which in the context of Linux is a small component that runs in the firmware early in th


Ex-Tesla exec leading Ford skunkworks project to develop low-cost EV
54TechCrunch / 6h
Ex-Tesla and Ford Advanced EV development boss Alan Clarke is leading a Ford skunkworks project to develop a low-cost electric vehicle, TechCrunch has learned. Ford CEO Jim Farley made a brief reference Tuesday during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call that a “skunkworks” team had been created to create a “low-cost” EV platform. TechCrunch has since […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reser


ESPN, Fox and Warner in US sports streaming tie-up
BBC News / 6h
They own a range of sports rights including FIFA World Cup, NBA, Formula 1 and NFL.


8kun Made an AI Chatbot and It Totally Sucks
Gizmodo / 6h
Every website on the internet is currently trying to stick an AI-powered chatbot on its homepage, a trend that extends even to 8kun—the far-right image board website that is known for being a toxic cess pool of depraved and immoral content. Read more...


Useful Siri Commands You Might Not Know About
LifeHacker / 7h
Using Siri, your iPhone's voice assistant, can be a quick and easy way to accomplish a variety of tasks—if you know how to use it. Many Siri features aren't as well-known as they should be, which gives me the chance to tell you about some of the more useful commands you probably haven't used yet. There's a more exhaustive list of Siri commands over on GitHub , but I've highlighted a few of the mo


A Study at the Center of the Abortion Pill Battle Was Just Retracted
47Wired / 7h
A scientific publisher found serious flaws in a paper that links the medication mifepristone to more emergency room visits.


Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's card game isn't just fun, it's also everywhere if our hands-on preview is anything to go by
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
While we already know that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will include a brand new in-universe card game called Queen's Blood, it looks as though the game is prolific, with opponents all over the game world. In our hands-on with a preview build of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, we got to experience the Grasslands Area, the action RPG's first open-world zone. In addition to trying out the card game for ourselv


Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's skill trees are full of promising decisions and flashy moves
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth less than a month away, we were invited to try out a preview build of the role-playing game (RPG) for ourselves. This included a look at character customization for the upcoming game which included Rebirth 's new skill trees. Not much has been known about how these trees would work - until now, that is. TechRadar Gaming (TRG) is happy to report that the new 'Folio' sy


Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, February 7 (game #744)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around two years after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's fun, but also difficult. What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keep


Anti-abortion group’s studies retracted before Supreme Court mifepristone case
26Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge / Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, are seen at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. (credit: Getty | Robyn Beck ) Scientific journal publisher Sage has retracted key abortion studies cited by anti-abortion groups in a legal case aiming to revok


Four bolts were missing from Boeing 737 before door plug blew off, NTSB says
30Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge / Rows 25 and 26 in the Boeing plane that lost a door plug during flight. (credit: NTSB) Four important bolts were missing from a Boeing 737 Max 9 that lost a passenger door plug during flight, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in its investigation. The NTSB's preliminary report issued today is consistent with earlier news reports stating that investigators believed the b


Robo-dinosaur scares grasshoppers to shed light on why dinos evolved feathers
Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge / Grasshoppers, beware! Robopteryx is here to flush you from your hiding place. (credit: Jinseok Park, Piotr Jablonski et al., 2024) Scientists in South Korea built a robotic dinosaur and used it to startle grasshoppers to learn more about why dinosaurs evolved feathers, according to a recent paper published in the journal Scientific Reports. The results suggest that certain dinosaurs may


Bluesky finally gets rid of invite codes, lets everyone join
Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge (credit: Darrell Gulin | The Image Bank ) After more than a year as an exclusive invite-only social media platform, Bluesky is now open to the public, so anyone can join without needing a once-coveted invite code. In a blog , Bluesky said that requiring invite codes helped Bluesky "manage growth" while building features that allow users to control what content they see on the social platf


Humanity’s most distant space probe jeopardized by computer glitch
52Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge / An annotated image showing the various parts and instruments of NASA's Voyager spacecraft design. (credit: NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images ) Voyager 1 is still alive out there, barreling into the cosmos more than 15 billion miles away. However, a computer problem has kept the mission's loyal support team in Southern California from knowing much more about the status of one of NASA's lo


‘Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth adds an addictive card game and some familiar social mechanics
Engadget / 8h
Just one more hand. Just one more attempt to win at the card game, Queen’s Blood. In my limited preview time with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth , weeks before the game is due to be released, I may have spent a little too long learning the rules of this companion card game, introduced relatively early into the game. And I regret nothing. (For one, because I previewed most of the changes to the battle sy


All Apple AirPods Are on Sale Right Now
LifeHacker / 8h
All three models of Apple's AirPods are discounted on Amazon right now, with two of them matching the lowest price they've ever been. The 2nd Generation AirPods Pro are $189.99 (originally $249), which is the lowest I've ever seen them. The 3rd Generation AirPods are $139.99 (originally $169) and are also matching the lowest price I've ever seen after looking at price comparison tools. 2nd Genera


Embattled Sheriff Caught Posting AI-Generated Headlines About How She’s Awesome
Futurism / 8h
Campaign Crazies After successfully winning reelection last November, Philadelphia's controversial sheriff has been forced to admit that several articles cited as positive press for her campaign were cooked up with AI. As the Philadelphia Inquirer reports , a spokesperson for Sheriff Rochelle Bilal's reelection effort confirmed that the dozens of articles found on the campaign's website had been


The Console Wars Are Over. Some Influencers Won’t Let Them Go
67Wired / 8h
New rumors that Microsoft may turn its exclusive games into multiplatform titles have infuriated fans: “F Xbox.”


Global hotel industry bigwigs convened last month. Here’s how that impacts your next trip
The Points Guy / 8h
The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, a major hotel conference held each January in Los Angeles, is an industry star-studded, three-day affair that usually points to where the hotel sector is heading for the rest of the year. The CEOs of major companies like Marriott , Hyatt and Wyndham all convene here as well as their leadership teams and company analysts. ALIS is a great chance at the start


Southwest Rapid Rewards: Complete guide to earning, redeeming and maximizing points
400+The Points Guy / 8h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. Southwest Airlines prides itself on its “transfarency” philosophy — low fares and no change fees, hidden fees or unexpected bag fees. Regardless of your fare type, each passenger can check two bags for free, and Rapid Rewards points are some of the most easily redeemable compared to other loyalty programs. Therefore,


Why you shouldn’t transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG, even with the 60% transfer bonus


The Points Guy / 8h
If you have one of Chase’s cobranded credit cards , such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card , Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred Credit Card or Chase Freedom Flex , you will be able to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points , which you can redeem through the Chase travel portal or by transferring them to airline and hotel partner programs. Chase points can typically be transferred at a


Scoop: American AAdvantage Expands Access To Alaska Airlines Award Space, But At What Cost?
View from the Wing / 8h
American AAdvantage has expanded access to Alaska Airlines award space in and out of California with new booking classes at higher mileage prices, but this change poses questions about the potential impact on the value of AAdvantage miles and the program's overall benefits. Continue reading ...


Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer have an awkward reunion in Uber Eats Super Bowl ad
Mashable / 8h
What's more important, remembering a coworker of 10 years, or remembering that Uber Eats can deliver everything from flowers to alcohol? That's the conceit for Uber Eats' Super Bowl commercial, which sees celebrities forgetting key parts of their public persona in order to make room for Uber Eats knowledge. The main example here is Jennifer Aniston forgetting David Schwimmer — or even Friends alt


How to Choose Between Alexa and Google Home
LifeHacker / 8h
If you have yet to wade into the smart home world, or if you're simply considering the best voice assistant and speaker combination to add to your space, you're probably looking at an Amazon Alexa vs. Google Home showdown. Both ecosystems integrate with thousands of smart home devices, from video doorbells to lightbulbs, and both smart assistants can perform basic functions like playing music, sc


Immersive gaming and fitness apps are the key to Vision Pro’s consumer appeal
45TechCrunch / 8h
The foundational vocabulary of any new medium is inherited from that of its predecessor. Take, for instance, the early days of television, when so many shows were effectively radio programs caught on film. The new medium’s success is dependent on the development of its own vocabulary, distinguishing itself from earlier paradigms. In the case of […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For pers


Mozilla Monitor Will Get Your Stolen Data Off the Internet, for a Price
LifeHacker / 8h
Mozilla has a solid reputation for preserving user privacy and security on the internet, starting with Firefox, which is all about offering a useful web browser that also block trackers from following you, especially after you start adjusting its settings . It's fitting the company has a service like Mozilla Monitor (formerly Firefox Monitor) to help find and secure your stolen data. Mozilla Moni


Bluesky officially opens to everyone, no invite code needed
Mashable / 9h
Still looking for somewhere to take your short, text-based social media posts now that Elon Musk has sculpted the platform formerly known as Twitter in his own image? Well, if the only thing holding you back from the X-competitor Bluesky was the lack of an invite code, you are in luck. On Tuesday, social media platform Bluesky finally ditched the invite-only system and opened registration to ever


ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are launching a streaming service just for sports this fall
22Engadget / 9h
Three of the biggest sports TV companies in the US — ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery — will launch a streaming sports service in the fall of 2024, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday. It will stream sporting events from networks that all three companies own, including games from the NFL, MLB, NHL, and the NBA. Importantly, subscribers will also be able to stream linear channe


Scientists Find Magnetic Anomaly in Lake Over Dormant Volcano
26Futurism / 9h
Magnetic Anomaly Today a serene and picturesque locale on New Zealand's North Island, scientists believe Lake Rotorua was formed in the aftermath of an Earth-shattering eruption some 220,000 years ago. The volcano responsible, now dormant, lies beneath the lake. Its hydrothermal systems live on, but the extent of their involvement in the lake's ecosystem was long unclear. Now, researchers at New


The OnePlus Buds 3 Sound Great, for the Price
LifeHacker / 9h
Finding a good pair of headphones or earbuds used to mean turning to the big players, like Bose or Sony. Now, though, many phone companies have surprisingly solid earbuds of their own. One such example is OnePlus, which recently revealed the OnePlus Buds 3 . Building off what the company learned with the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 last year, the OnePlus Buds 3 sit right between the company's cheaper Nord


Yeah, You Can Totally Make Doughnuts Out of Bisquick
23LifeHacker / 9h
At the time, I didn’t realize what door I had kicked down when I made surprisingly sensational apple fritters from boxed pancake mix. I can see now, that door was doughnut-shaped. Thanks to you, readers, with your thoughtful inquiries and shared excitement for fried dough, I chased one of your leads to another tasty morsel. While I was scooping boxed complete pancake mix, a few folks out there pu


Cake sought deals with Harley-Davidson, automakers before bankruptcy
TechCrunch / 9h
Electric motorcycle company Cake held talks with Harley-Davidson and other automakers in 2023 as it fought to stay alive, founder and CEO Stefan Ytterborn told TechCrunch in an interview Tuesday. The talks, which have not been previously reported, ultimately did not pan out for the Swedish startup, which slid into bankruptcy last week. Still, Ytterborn […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved.


Confirmed: Entrust is buying AI-based ID verification startup Onfido, sources say for more than $400M
TechCrunch / 9h
Onfido, an early mover in the world of identity verification using computer vision and other AI tools, is getting acquired, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed. Entrust — the privately held company that provides a range of certification and verification services around payment cards, passwords, network and website access, device access and more — is buying […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reser


Stop Wearing Vision Pro Goggles While Driving Your Tesla, U.S. Says
77NYT > Technology / 9h
Videos, many of them stunts or jokes, of people wearing Apple’s new virtual reality headset while driving Teslas in Autopilot mode prompted officials to issue warnings.


This Super Bowl Will Feature ‘Doink’ Cameras. I’m Sorry, What?
Gizmodo / 9h
Ready to see your favorite team’s field goal fail from up close ? This year’s Super Bowl LVIII is adding a swathe of new tech to the proceedings, but first up on the list is a set of all-new “doink” cams centered on the uprights of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. CBS, which is in charge of broadcasting this year’s big… Read more...


Following this week’s layoffs, Snap’s stock tanks 30% on Q4 revenue
TechCrunch / 10h
Snap is not having a good quarter. Following this week’s news that the company was laying off 10% of its workforce, amounting to hundreds of employees, the company’s stock is now crashing after reporting a fourth-quarter earnings miss. The Snapchat maker’s stock dropped by over 30% in after-hours trading as investors reacted to Snap’s underwhelming […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For


Something Is Messing With a Ring System Between Saturn and Uranus
22Gizmodo / 10h
A previously unknown satellite may be shaping the rings of Chariklo, a petite body that orbits the Sun between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus, according to a team of astronomers that recently simulated the rings’ dynamics. Read more...


Thinking of a cruise for spring or summer? We’ve got some bad news
100+The Points Guy / 10h
Are you looking to book a cruise departing in the next few months? Here’s the bad news: You might have trouble finding a cabin — at least if you’re picky about the type of room you get. With demand for cruises running at sky-high levels, bookings are soaring. As a result, many cruise departures in the next few months are already nearly completely sold out. Space is disappearing fast on sailings f


Ford Reports Quarterly Loss but Says Sales Grew
NYT > Technology / 10h
Ford Motor attributed the loss in the fourth quarter to charges related to pension plans and a restructuring of overseas operations.


Mozilla Firefox Is Adding Hover Tab Previews
How-To Geek / 10h
Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other web browsers have offered the ability to preview tabs with a mouse hover for years. Mozilla is now testing a similar feature in Firefox, and it could roll out to everyone soon.


Former Mandalorian actor Gina Carano sues Disney — with X’s help
200+Engadget / 10h
Four days after the death of former costar Carl Weathers , onetime The Mandalorian actor Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm for her departure from the series — with Elon Musk’s help. Carano, whose post-Disney credits include a film produced by conspiracy theorist Ben Shapiro, posted Tuesday on X, “The truth is I was being hunted down from everything I posted to every post I liked bec


TikTok's Newest Trend: Cross The Southern Border With Me
22Gizmodo / 10h
TikTok is allegedly being used by Chinese migrants to cross the United States’ southern border, first reported by 60 Minutes on Sunday. In interviews at the border of the U.S. and Mexico, Chinese migrants said they were able to discover weak points in America’s border wall through TikTok . Read more...


“Don’t let them drop us!” Landline users protest AT&T copper retirement plan
23Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | CalypsoArt ) AT&T's application to end its landline phone obligations in California is drawing protest from residents as state officials consider whether to let AT&T off the hook. AT&T filed an application to end its Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation in March 2023. The first of several public hearings on the application is being held today by the California


American Airlines buy-up status offers: What we’ve seen and how to check yours
56The Points Guy / 10h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. If you haven’t reached your desired American Airlines AAdvantage elite status yet, the qualification deadline of Feb. 29 is rapidly approaching. Although you still have the rest of February to earn Loyalty Points toward your desired status, American AAdvantage is already sending out opportunities to use mi


Adam Neumann is trying to buy back WeWork
22TechCrunch / 10h
Adam Neumann, who co-founded flexible workspace provider WeWork in 2010 and notoriously stepped down nine years later, is attempting to buy the company out of bankruptcy, according to multiple reports. In a letter published by The New York Times today, lawyers for Neumann, his latest startup Flow Global Holdings LLC, and “their affiliates” wrote that […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. Fo


Nicki Minaj, Who's Used AI, Decries Use of AI
58Futurism / 10h
In the midst of her bizarre beef with Megan "Megan Thee Stallion" Pete , award-winning rapper Onika "Nicki Minaj" Maraj-Petty has signed on with fellow artists to support artificial intelligence regulation — despite leaning way into the tech herself. Minaj signed an open letter — including signatories as diverse as singer and actress Bette Midler, singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, heavy metal band


PS5 DualSense: 3 new features coming to your controller, including better audio
Mashable / 10h
Your PS5 controller is about to get a little bit better. Sony updated the PlayStation Blog on Tuesday with a post about the newest beta update, which is only available for select, invited users. However, the post clarified that update will roll out globally in the near future. 3 new features headed to PS5 DualSense Starting with audio improvements, the DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers hav


Apple Vision Pro-wearing Tesla driver sparks this government warning
Mashable / 10h
Since the Apple Vision Pro launched on Friday, some who shelled out $3,500 to be among the first with the pricey AR/VR headset have been sharing videos of themselves doing something truly, well, stupid . These early adopters users have been uploading videos on social media where they are driving while wearing the Apple Vision Pro. A warning for Apple Vision Pro drivers The Apple Vision Pro-wearin


How to Spot a 'Catfish House' (Before You Buy One)
LifeHacker / 10h
House-hunting has always been stressful and exhausting. In recent years there’s a whole new layer of difficulty being added to the process as, once again, technology that’s supposed to make our lives easier instead betrays us—because now we have to deal with “catfish” homes. The phrase is a riff on the term “ catfish ,” which describes a scam where people use fake social media profiles to establi


NTSB Report Confirms The Unraveling of Boeing: Missing Bolts and a Quality Control Crisis
View from the Wing / 10h
The Boeing 737 MAX 9 was temporarily grounded - and tremendous faith was lost in Boeing - after a the left mid exit door plug detached from Alaska Airlines aircraft N704AL while performing flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California. The NTSB has now issued a report on what happened, and it tracks what readers of View From The Wing already know: the plane left the factory missing bol


These VCs think the Vision Pro has a shot in the enterprise
28TechCrunch / 10h
The Vision Pro, Apple’s first mixed-reality headset, is undeniably impressive from a technical perspective. It reflects a carefully considered, thoughtful (albeit pricey) approach to AR/VR, while its operating system — visionOS — delivers genuine innovations in the areas of input and interactions. But apps make or break hardware, regardless of how compelling the base experience […] © 2024 TechCru


Perseverance Rover Spots NASA's Busted Helicopter at Its Final Resting Place
42Gizmodo / 10h
NASA’s iconic Martian duo have officially parted ways, with the Perseverance rover capturing a lonely view of its helicopter friend, which recently suffered a fatal blow that left it unable to fly. Read more...


Diablo Cody and Zelda Williams Bonded Over Teen Rage for Lisa Frankenstein
Gizmodo / 10h
Teen romance isn’t dead anymore in Zelda Williams’ Lisa Frankenstein , the first-time feature filmmaker’s dark horror comedy. Written by Diablo Cody , it stars Kathryn Newton (Freaky) as a high schooler who spends her time hanging with the dead in a local cemetery. When lightning strikes the tomb of her favorite… Read more...


Virgin Galactic investigating anomaly discovered after last crewed suborbital mission
22TechCrunch / 10h
Virgin Galactic is working with regulators to investigate an issue with an alignment pin that was discovered after the last crewed suborbital flight in January. During post-flight reviews, Virgin said it discovered that an alignment pin had detached from VMS Eve, the aircraft that carries the suborbital space plane to altitude. The company notified the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved.


How Beatrice Dixon bootstrapped until The Honey Pot found a home
20TechCrunch / 10h
This week Becca and Dom are joined by Beatrice Dixon, the CEO and co-founder of The Honey Pot. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Snap Shares Plummet After Q4 Earnings Report
NYT > Technology / 10h
The Snapchat parent company’s revenue for the fourth quarter was up from a year ago, but it had missed Wall Street’s expectations.


Vaccine Life Hack: Use Both Arms
40Gizmodo / 10h
Here’s one weird trick for making the most out of your next two-dose vaccine: get a shot in both arms. A recent study found evidence that a two-arm approach can noticeably, if modestly, improve the body’s immune response to covid-19 compared to two shots in the same arm. More research will be needed to confirm whether… Read more...


The Best Gadgets to Make Your Home Super Bowl Central
Gizmodo / 10h
When the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs square off at the Super Bowl LVIII set for Feb. 11 at 6:30 ET, you’ll be able to watch it on CBS and even Nickelodeon if you’re really in demand of a kid-friendly, slime-covered Bubble Bowl, of sorts. However, if you’re the type who wants to make the day as… Read more...


Just a sprinkle of some fantastic monsters from our 1658 History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents….
Music, Arts & Literature / 10h
othmeralia : Just a sprinkle of some fantastic monsters from our 1658 History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents .


Last chance to get a free Disney dining plan, plus more Disney World discounts
60The Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Like most things we’ll spend money on in 2024, Disney World vacations continue to increase in price . A one-day ticket for the Magic Kingdom can cost as much as $189 (though purchasing multiday tickets does bring the per-day cost down), and even the cheapest on-site hotel options average around $150 per ni


Decentralized social network Farcaster is trying to reach mass adoption through Web 2.0 techniques
TechCrunch / 11h
More often than not, it’s rare for crypto-native users to have an easy, quick onboarding experience. Farcaster wants to change that. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Actually, it’s good for Spotify that Joe Rogan’s podcast is no longer exclusive
TechCrunch / 11h
Spotify renewed its contract with podcaster Joe Rogan this weekend, but with a twist. After almost four years, “The Joe Rogan Experience” is no longer a Spotify-exclusive podcast. This might seem like a concession on Spotify’s part, as exclusive deals have long been a part of the company’s strategy. Early on in Spotify’s quest to […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Phony AI Biden robocalls reached up to 25,000 voters, says New Hampshire AG
27Engadget / 11h
Two companies based in Texas have been linked to a spate of robocalls that used artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden . The audio deepfake was used to urge New Hampshire voters not to participate in the state's presidential primary. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said as many as 25,000 of the calls were made to residents of the state in January. Formella says an inves


Angry Miao only goes slightly over the top with the Relic 80 TKL keyboard
TechCrunch / 11h
To write about an Angry Miao keyboard always means to write about the design as much as the actual typing experience. Just look at the AM AFA or AM Hatsu. For the longest time, I’ve wondered what a more restrained offering from the company would look like. The AM 65 Less came close, but the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Hackers Steal $25 Million by Deepfaking Finance Boss
46Futurism / 11h
Deepfake Scam A multinational company was scammed out of $25.6 million by hackers who fooled employees at the company's Hong Kong branch into believing their digital recreation of its chief financial officer — as well as several other video conference participants — were real. The hack, believed to be the first of its kind, highlights just how far deepfake technology has progressed. As the South


Meta's Plans to Label AI-Generated Content Are a Sad Fart
Futurism / 11h
Meta Morphosis Meta is promising to roll out auto-labeling for AI-generated images — as soon as it figures out how, that is. Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said in a policy update that the company is currently working with "industry partners" to formulate criteria that will help identify AI content. Once those criteria are determined, Meta will begin automatically labeling posts


This Lightweight Android Tablet Is 49% Off Right Now
LifeHacker / 11h
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite was originally released in 2020, but it was revamped in 2022 with a better processor and battery life, among other improvements. Right now, you can get that newer 2022 model with 128GB of storage for $219.99 (originally $429.99) after a 49% discount. After looking at price comparison tools, I can say this is the lowest price this product has ever been. The 64GB mode


Pilot’s Passive Aggressiveness On Display In Phoenix ATC Clash
View from the Wing / 11h
An American Airlines pilot operating flight 1479 from El Paso to Phoenix exhibited grumpy and passive-aggressive behavior, failing to correctly read back ATC instructions and engaging in a contentious exchange with controllers over communication issues. Continue reading ...


Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card review: A worthy business card contender
100+The Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card Overview The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card is a worthy card contender for frequent flyers of Delta. While its bonus categories of three miles per dollar are valid only for hotels and Delta purchases, this card offers a suite


Boston Dynamics’ Atlas tries out inventory work, gets better at lifting
35Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Boston Dynamics' Atlas research robot. [credit: Boston Dynamics ] The world's most advanced humanoid robot, Boston Dynamics' Atlas, is back , and it's moving some medium-weight car parts. While the robot has mastered a lot of bipedal tricks like walking, running, jumping, and even backflips, it's still in the early days of picking stuff up. When we last saw the robot, it had sprouted a set of rud


Data broker allegedly selling de-anonymized info to face FTC lawsuit after all
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge (credit: Malte Mueller | fStop ) The Federal Trade Commission has succeeded in keeping alive its first federal court case against a geolocation data broker that's allegedly unfairly selling large quantities of data in violation of the FTC Act. On Saturday, US District Judge Lynn Winmill denied Kochava's motion to dismiss an amended FTC complaint , which he said plausibly argued that "Koch


Virgin Galactic and the FAA are investigating a dropped pin on last spaceflight
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
White Knight Two carries the first SpaceShipTwo during a glide test. (credit: Virgin Galactic) Virgin Galactic reported an anomaly on its most recent flight, Galactic 06 , which took place 12 days ago from a spaceport in New Mexico. In a statement released Monday, the company said it discovered a dropped pin during a post-flight review of the mission, which carried two pilots and four passengers


Marvel Is Doing a Mega Infinity Saga Live Concert Event
Gizmodo / 11h
Fans of Marvel Studios better start looking at flights because a can’t-miss mega event is coming to life this August: “Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience” at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. It’s a night of music celebrating the saga—spanning 23 films and 11 years —that started with 2008's Iron Man… Read more...


Palworld reveals enormous dedicated server costs — $6 million annual fees could bankrupt the studio, CEO quips and it will go higher
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
The CEO of Pocketpair, the studio behind hit game Palworld, has revealed that the cost of running the gaming company’s servers is becoming a major concern for the company amid soaring costs. Pocketpair is behind many popular games, including Palworld, Craftopia, and Overdungeon, which are available on Steam, a popular video game distribution service and storefront. In a post to X , Takuro Mizobe


Facebook and Instagram will label fake AI images to stop misinfo from spreading
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Meta will begin flagging AI-generated images on Facebook , Instagram, and Threads in an effort to uphold online transparency. The tech giant already labels content made by its Imagine AI engine with a visible watermark. Moving forward, it’s going to do something similar for pictures coming from third-party sources like OpenAI, Google, and Midjourney just to name a few. It’s unknown exactly what t


A Time Crystal Survived a Whopping 40 Minutes
100+Gizmodo / 11h
A team of physicists in Germany managed to create a time crystal that demonstrably lasts 40 minutes—10 million times longer than other known crystals—and could persist for even longer. Read more...


Taylor Swift threatens legal action against student's celebrity jet tracker
67Mashable / 11h
Taylor Swift , who famously sang, "My baby is fly like a jet stream," threatened legal action against Jack Sweeney, the Florida college student who runs social media accounts dedicated to tracking celebrities' private jet movements, according to The Washington Post . SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift drops 'The Tortured Poets Department' tracklist and Swifties are theorizing Sweeney uses publicly available


Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman ride dragons in Mountain Dew's Super Bowl ad
Mashable / 11h
Parks and Recreation and The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza is having a blast in Mountain Dew's latest Super Bowl ad. Sorry, I meant to say she's having a Baja Blast. The ad sees the famously deadpan Plaza having a (Mountain Dew Baja) Blast in a variety of situations, including a birthday party, getting stuck in an elevator, and getting body slammed at a pro wrestling event. Best of all is the ad'


Love and Rockets: A Valentine’s Day Launch Aims to Break Moon Landing Jinx
Gizmodo / 12h
This Valentine’s Day, there will be more than love in the air, with SpaceX scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Moon lander. Should Odysseus successfully touch down on the lunar surface eight days later,Intuitive Machines will achieve a first in commercial space travel—a a feat that… Read more...


You Can Join Bluesky Without an Invite Now
59Gizmodo / 12h
Bluesky, the decentralized microblogging platform launched by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has finally opened its doors to the public. Read more...


Last-minute deal: Tokyo in business class for 60,000 AAdvantage miles
31The Points Guy / 12h
There’s spontaneous, and then there’s booking-a-last-minute-flight-to-Tokyo spontaneous. If you’re willing to do the latter and leave in the coming days, you could score a serious deal on a round-trip business-class fare. American Airlines is offering round-trip February business-class tickets to Tokyo for as low as 120,000 AAdvantage miles — or 60,000 miles each way. In many cases, you’ll actual


Meet the only line that cruises from Washington, DC. Here’s where it’ll take you
The Points Guy / 12h
Picture cruises from Washington, D.C., and you’ll likely envision a behemoth like Royal Caribbean ’s Icon of the Seas clogging up the Potomac River. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the only ship to sail voyages from the U.S. capital. American Cruise Lines — a small-ship and catamaran brand that primarily operates voyages on U.S. rivers and lakes — has positioned two of its vessels, fittingl


PGE and the Lawyers Won While Victims and Customers Lose
Next Big Future / 12h
There have been two movies about the harm caused by the northern california electrical utility, PG&E. There is the Erin Brokovich in 2000 with Julia Roberts. There is Ron Howard’s documentary, Rebuilding Paradise. The Victims or their heirs got some money. However, the bad guys won. PG&E lost the lawsuits but they just increase the ... Read more


High Power Bills in California, Unreliable Service and Poor Maintenance
Next Big Future / 12h
Winter storms in California knocked out power for more than 890,000 customers on Sunday—with more than half a million still without electricity on Monday. There are still about 140,000 without power today on Tuesday. As of January 2024, the average monthly electric bill in California is $190–$210, which is a 20% increase from 2023. The ... Read more


Ordinary Households Getting $700 Electricity Bills in California
Next Big Future / 12h
A senior citizen with a two bedroom home in Santa Rosa is paying almost $357 in January, 2024. This is up from $195 in December, 2023. There is a new rate increase coming from PG&E. The average residential PG&E customer is expected to pay about $34.50 more each month – a boost of about $400 ... Read more


Three Completed SpaceX Super Heavy Starships
Next Big Future / 12h
SpaceX showed off three fully complete Super Heavy Booster and Starships. They each have double the thrust of the Saturn V. There is a fourth Super Heavy Starship that is nearing completion. They are all standing in the Starbase Megabay. Super Heavy boosters for the next three flights, with a fourth ready to stack, in ... Read more


Mars Express Found a Sea of Water Ice Buried Under 300 Meters of Dust at the Equator
Next Big Future / 12h
ESA’s (European Space Agency) Mars Express has found layers of water ice stretching several kilometers below ground – the most water ever found in this part of the planet. f melted, the ice locked up in the MFF would cover the entire planet in a layer of water 1.5 to 2.7 m deep: the most ... Read more


Bladder Tissue Grown Successfully from Bone Marrow
Next Big Future / 12h
Bladder tissue was successfully grown from baboon bone marrow. It was kept functional for two years. This success is promising for success with human tissue over the next few years. Scientists from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University have succeeded in regenerating fully ... Read more


Bluesky Is No Longer Invite Only, If Anyone Cares
LifeHacker / 12h
When Twitter started to really fall apart in late 2022, everyone still subjecting themselves to the hellsite was looking for a viable alternative. At the time, options were few and far between, and one of them was Bluesky, an exclusive, invite-only social media platform that actually looked and felt a lot like Twitter. Now, nearly a year later, Bluesky is out of beta and anyone can join it. Does


Mystery Company Linked to Biden Robocall Identified by New Hampshire Attorney General
73Wired / 12h
The FCC has issued a cease and desist and is working on a new proposal banning AI-generated robocalls.


Bolts were missing on the Boeing 737 MAX in last month’s Alaska Airlines accident, NTSB finds
The Points Guy / 12h
Four bolts that secure a piece of the fuselage on certain Boeing planes were missing on the Alaska Airlines jet that suffered a mid-air decompression during a flight last month, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Tuesday. In a preliminary report for its investigation into the accident, the NTSB confirmed that the four bolts, which secure a “door plug” on the fuselage of some 737 M


'Drive-Away Dolls' trailer: Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan go on one wild road trip
Mashable / 12h
Ethan Coen, of Coen Brothers fame, and Tricia Cooke, a film editor and his wife, have cooked up an offbeat road trip comedy with Drive-Away Dolls . Our road trippers in question are Jamie ( Sanctuary 's Margaret Qualley), a free spirit reeling from a breakup with her latest girlfriend, and Marian ( Miracle Workers ' Geraldine Viswanathan), Jamie's demure bestie who could stand to loosen up. The t


Imaginary's New Trailer Emphasizes Its Teddy-Bear Terror
Gizmodo / 12h
As John Krasinski’s Ryan Reynolds comedy IF prepares for a big new trailer during the Super Bowl, another movie exploring the world of childhood imaginary friends is also stepping up its marketing. The latest look at Imaginary —the freaky teddy bear movie—is here, and it cleverly leans into similarities with… Read more...


Mistake fares: Everything you should know
The Points Guy / 12h
“Mistake fares.” These two words make my heart beat quicker but also leave me with mixed feelings. I’ve been lucky enough to travel on several mistake fares, including Cathay Pacific’s New Year’s “special” in 2019 . But, my husband and I have also spent significant time booking potential mistake fares on many occasions, only to have the airline cancel our booking days or weeks later. That’s right


The Ultimate Travel Deal: Southwest Cards Offer Companion Pass & 30K Points
View from the Wing / 12h
When Chase and Southwest offered a companion pass as part of their co-brand card initial bonus it was restricted to California residents. Many people not living in California were jealous, but it was still a good sign. The Companion Pass is a powerful marketing tool, and Southwest saw it that way. That reduced the usual concern that an offer which is 'too good' won't last. Indeed, it's become eve


Sample From Distant Asteroid Shows Signs of Originating on Ocean World
100+Futurism / 12h
Water World Ever since NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully dropped off samples taken from the asteroid Bennu in September, scientists have been poring over results from the precious cargo, the largest cache of its kind ever returned to Earth. Preliminary results released in October suggested the samples contained both carbon and water, the "building blocks of life on Earth," as NASA put it


As Bluesky opens to the public, CEO Jay Graber faces her biggest challenge yet
TechCrunch / 12h
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says that her job is like being a substitute teacher. It’s not what you’d expect from the head of an experimental, up-and-coming social platform, but it makes sense: there’s a lot of pressure, and a mischievous audience is eager to poke and prod at any crack in your armor until you […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Elden Ring is Tencent’s next target for mobile loot boxes and microtransactions
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / Artist's rendition of two Elden Ring teams, The Medium and The Message, battling it out in a colosseum constructed from micro-transactions and overseen by mystical creatures known as Whales. (credit: Bandai Namco) To its fans, Elden Ring is a noble struggle, where the effort you put into memorizing boss patterns, improving your build, and fine-tuning your reactions offsets your near-con


Searching in infrared finds a big collection of black hole star destruction
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge (credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF/NASA ) Virtually anything in space could be a potential meal for a supermassive black hole , and that includes entire stars. Even stars much bigger than our Sun can fall victim to the black hole’s extreme gravity and be pulled in toward its gaping maw. It is a terrifying phenomenon, but how often does it really happen? Tidal disruption events (TDEs)—when the tidal fo


ASUS' Best Gaming Laptop Just Got a Major Redesign
How-To Geek / 12h
There's a ton of gaming laptops out there, but the ROG Zephyrus series are some of the best out there—more specifically, the 14-inch model. It's compact, thin, incredibly powerful, and more importantly, it's not even that expensive. It's the perfect laptop for those who want a versatile machine, and now ASUS has released a revamped model with a new, sleeker design.


Akai adds a 37-key standalone workstation to its MPC lineup
Engadget / 12h
Akai just officially announced the MPC Key 37, a standalone workstation and groovebox. This is the latest standalone MPC device, following last year’s larger Key 61. The Key 37 has everything you need to make a beat or song from scratch without having to use an actual computer and DAW, with some limitations. There are 37 full-size keys, complete with aftertouch. There aren’t that many standal


Avelo announces four new routes from New Haven base, including Atlanta
38The Points Guy / 12h
Fast-growing budget airline Avelo is out with its latest route expansion, and it includes flights to both the world’s busiest airport, and one of the nation’s smallest. In all, the Houston-based ultra-low-cost carrier announced four new nonstop routes Tuesday, each of which will launch from its crew base in New Haven, Connecticut. Avelo will fly from Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) to Hartsfield-Ja


Credit card debt hits new record of over $1 trillion — here’s how to consolidate and pay off your debt
The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. Credit card debt in the U.S. has reached another all-time high. It passed the $1 trillion mark for the first time in the middle of last year — and it’s still climbing. According to the New York Federal Reserve ‘s latest report on household debt and credit, credit card balances increased by $50 billion (a 4.6% quarter


Two men in corridor of Mineral Bath House, Ypsilanti, Michigan, ca 1900
Music, Arts & Literature / 12h
lovelyangryheart :