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We’re all familiar with the scene, either straight from the source or through one of thousands of parodies: Lassie bounds up to the farmhand and starts yipping; the farmhand says, “What is it, Lassie?”; Lassie keeps yipping; and eventually the farmhand deciphers, from this undifferentiated noise, some extremely specific message re: someone being trapped in…
Intel revealed new additions to its 11th-gen mobile processor lineup as part of this year’s virtual Computex show. The processors are based on Intel’s Evo platform and feature integrated Iris Xe graphics and WiFi 6. The company also announced a 5G modem for connectivity on future Windows machines. The new Core i7-1195G7 and Core i5-1155G7…
It goes without saying that the pandemic has been hard on travel and human connection. While things are looking up, we are far from back to normal yet. That’s one of the reasons behind the Stargate-esque portals unveiled by two cities in Lithuania and Poland, which are hoping to give their residents access to these…
A “lethal” weaponized drone “hunted down” and “remotely engaged” human targets without its handlers’ say-so during a conflict in Libya last year, according to a United Nations report first covered by New Scientist this week. Whether there were any casualties remains unclear, but if confirmed, it would likely be the first recorded death carried out…
Two weeks after Buzzfeed News purportedly found President Joe Biden’s Venmo account using the app’s search tool and public friends feature, promptly setting off cybersecurity and national security alarm bells, Venmo has given users the ability to make their friends list private. The change to one of Venmo’s most criticized features over the years, which…
Apple’s pushing back the launch of its podcast subscription marketplace until June to ensure it’s “delivering the best experience for creator and listeners,” according to a company email to podcasters first spotted by 9to5Mac. Apparently, its new service still needs a few tweaks before it’s ready to see the light of day. Unveiled in April,…
WhatsApp initially threatened to revoke core functions for users that refused to accept its controversial new privacy policy, only to walk back the severity of those consequences earlier this month amid international backlash, and now, it’s doing away with them altogether (for the time being, at least). In a reversal, the company clarified on Friday…
Well, that was fun while it lasted. Just a little over a week after reviving its public verification process for the first time in almost four years, Twitter has already pulled the plug. On Friday, the company announced that it won’t be accepting any more requests for that coveted blue checkmark until it’s tackled the…
U.S. soldiers stationed at various bases in Europe accidentally exposed sensitive data related to America’s nuclear weapons stockpile via poorly secured flashcard apps they were using to memorize said secrets, according to a stunning new report. In what seems like a mind-boggling mishandling of America’s most sensitive national security information, the soldiers accidentally revealed “not…
On Thursday, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes filed a 112-question survey for potential jurors for her fraud trial, which is set to begin in August. Presumably, it seeks to weed out people who would love to take time off work to watch this thing. As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the often multi-part questions probe…
Have I Been Pwned, or HIBP, a website that allows users to check if their passwords have been compromised, is about to get a powerful new partner—the Feds. On Friday, the site’s founder Troy Hunt announced that the FBI will be getting a direct line to feed their own intel about any breaches into the site.…
Members of the media are sarcastically complaining about a sarcasm detector developed by researchers partnering with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Using sarcastic language, they indicate that it is a stupid killjoy only useful to GOP politicians. Before eye-rolling on Twitter, hear me out. An optional sarcasm detection tool could do a profound…
There are increasing signs that Matt Gaetz’s future prospects aren’t great. The GOP congressman’s ex-girlfriend is cooperating with the feds, his former “wingman,” the one who accused him of sex trafficking a minor, is cooperating with the feds, and now there are stories about planes of young women in the Bahamas. Conspicuously, there’s no phalanx…
In an effort to assuage fears about the dangers inherent in its autopilot system, Tesla has announced that the in-cabin cameras in its Model 3 and Y vehicles will now monitor drivers for “attentiveness” while the feature is turned on, TechCrunch reports. The cameras in question are located above the rearview mirror and, when engaged,…
A group of UK officers who thought they were going to bust up a massive cannabis farm found something completely different behind the doors of a local warehouse: a regular, legal, bitcoin mine. Law enforcement in West Midlands put out a statement about the case late Thursday explaining how—at least from the outside—the mining operation…
Fitbit has been in the sleep tracking game longer than most, and it now appears the company is preparing a new snore and noise detection feature for its smartwatches. Matter-of-factly dubbed “Snore & Noise Detect”, the feature was spotted in today’s Fitbit 3.42 update by 9to5 Google. Once enabled, Fitbit smartwatches with built-in microphones—such as…
There are few ways to better spend a hot summer afternoon than with a water gun fight, and the creators of one the most advanced water blaster ever developed—one that shoots liquid bullets—is back with an upgraded version that’s quieter, faster, more powerful, and is less likely to leave the shooter soaking wet. If the…
As rumors had suggested earlier this spring, Samsung announced this week two brand new tablets in the Galaxy Tab S7 FE and the Galaxy Tab a7 Lite. Similar to other FE branded devices from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE looks to be a slightly stripped down but more affordable version of its flagship Galaxy…
For the past few months, rumors about the next-gen AirPods have been pretty consistent—they’re going to have shorter stems and crib some design elements from the AirPods Pro. But a new Bloomberg report is finally giving us something fresh to chew on. When the next-gen AirPods Pro arrive sometime in 2022, they’ll reportedly have fitness…
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