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The FCC blew past a deadline to respond to questions brought by two U.S. senators over dubious “cyberattack” claims made by agency officials. In a June letter, Senators Ron Wyden and Brian Schatz questioned FCC Chairman Ajit Pai over issues undermining the integrity of the FCC’s comment system, which, in June 2014 and May 2017,…
Competitors at this year’s World Human Powered Speed Challenge are going to have to contend with this—a bullet-shaped bike designed by an artificially intelligent software program. In 2012, a bicycle screamed across a flat, open road of the Nevada Desert at an astounding 88.13 miles per hour, or 133.78 km/hr. This record, established by a…
The FCC knows that Americans hate telecoms, and it’s doing everything it can to give us reason to hate them more. On Tuesday, a proposal to kneecap the informal complaint process at the agency sparked cries of anti-consumerism. Now, the rule changes have been approved—and formal complaints will still cost you $225. We know that…
It took a mini circular saw to hack off the keratin talons that had been growing on Shridhar Chillal’s left hand for the last 66 years. The 82-year-old Indian man told Sky News he started growing out his nails when he was 14. According to Chillal, it all began with a grudge. After Chillal accidentally…
It’s taken ages, but Microsoft is finally updating Notepad, its barebones text editor. This is the next in a recent series of updates to software that’s been floating around the Windows operating system since the ‘80s. The first update was to Microsoft Paint last year. That update was so expansive people worried Paint itself was…
Stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of Apple products didn’t call for an Oceans Eleven-style elaborate heist. No, it simply required less than thirty seconds and moving with a sense of purpose. On July 7, four thieves reportedly nabbed over $27,000 in iPhones and MacBooks from the Fashion Fair Apple Store in Fresno, California.…
Nikon 1, the camera company’s line of mirrorless cameras, is on its way out. The 1 series cameras are no longer available on Nikon Japan’s site and are listed as discontinued. Major photography retailer B&H also lists the mirrorless cameras as currently unavailable, according to a report from Nikon Rumors. Nikon confirmed the discontinuation in…
We’re still waiting on our flying cars. But back in 1923, the magazine Science and Invention assured readers they were just around the corner. And to top it off, the buildings of tomorrow would be built to “solve” the traffic problem. An article in the July 1923 issue of Science and Invention highlighted the ideas…
Apple has just updated its line of MacBook Pro laptops, putting in new, current-generation CPUs and a new key switch mechanism that might have fixed the laptop’s most consistently annoying problem. If you’re like me, you’ve grown used to the awful keyboard on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. It wasn’t deliberate—it just happened. I…
The first “civilian-registered” remotely piloted drone to ever make a flight across the Atlantic landed at 6:43pm local time (1:45pm ET) in RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire on Wednesday after taking off from Grand Forks, North Dakota on Tuesday, the BBC reported, after traveling nearly 3,800 miles. The BBC writes that, having completed its historic voyage, the…
Bitcoin has lost most of its (likely inflated) value in the last few months, but it still has plenty of value for law enforcement agencies looking for financial crimes to punish. The latest cryptocurrency criminal to get the book thrown at them is “Bitcoin Maven,” a 50-year-old woman who ran a bitcoin-for-cash exchange operation. The…
Still reeling (at least in reputation, but certainly not in financial success) from the 2016 US presidential election, Facebook is launching its own slate of news shows produced and funded by the social network in partnership with “trustworthy” news organizations. The lineup, which launches next week, features a whole lot of Fox News. Not all…
Facebook is apologizing after its algorithms tagged 65,000 Russian users as “interested in treason.” Facebook algorithmically tags users based on their behavior, making it easier for advertisers to target people interested in specific topics. In this case, however, the tag “treason” may have put users under the threat of government intervention. Facebook says it has…
Elon Musk has been taking a good bit of criticism lately, much of it deserved. After enduring quite a bit of roasting over his ineffective efforts to help kids trapped in a cave in Thailand, he’s now pledged to help every single person in Flint, Michigan, who is still affected by the water crisis. It’s…
Between 2013 and 2015, the FCC reportedly spent close to $3 million overhauling its comment system. But after being flooded with millions of fake comments during a docket to overturn net neutrality last summer, the agency is now planning another total makeover. In a letter to two U.S. senators, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed a…
Smack in the middle of the World Cup semi-finals, YouTube TV totally fucked over fans of England and Croatia alike. The live TV streaming service, Google’s big solution for people tired of paying for cable, offered its “sincere apologies” on Twitter after its World Cup stream got borked: “The timing is horrible but we’re working…
On Tuesday, the remaining five boys were rescued from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex where 12 members of a soccer team and their coach were trapped for more than two weeks. The rescue mission spanned three days, and, according to new details, involved drugging the boys prior to the extraction. The news comes…
ARM, the incredibly successful developer of CPU designs, appears to be getting a little nervous about an open-source rival that’s gaining traction. At the end of June, ARM launched a website outlining why it’s better than its competitor’s offerings and it quickly blew up in its face. Realizing the site was a bad look, ARM…
After its somewhat premature announcement of Airplay 2 support, Sonos is finally updating a few of its speakers to actually support Airplay 2. That means your iOS device can now bring the music management and multi-room audio feature to a few more of its smart speakers, including its newest Beam soundbar. With Airplay 2 on…
Security researchers discovered that, for just $10 on the dark web, it appears someone could essentially buy their way into an international airport’s security system. This finding from McAfee’s team of researchers signals how a weak link can undermine systems that may otherwise seem thoroughly secured, even as billions of dollars are put towards locking…
