Category Archives: Technology

Butch Wilmore says Elon Musk is “absolutely factual” on Dragon’s delayed return

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Three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut are due to return home on a Crew Dragon spacecraft in a couple of weeks. For two of the crew members, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, it has been a long, strange trip.

To recap:

  • Wilmore and Williams launch on the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024
  • During Starliner’s flight to the International Space Station, the vehicle has thruster issues and helium leaks
  • In August, NASA announces Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed due to unresolved technical issues
  • Crew 9 mission launches with just two astronauts, NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Aleksandr Gorbunov, in late September
  • Wilmore and Williams join Crew 9, extending their flight from eight days to more than eight months
  • After SpaceX experiences a development issue with a Crew Dragon, Crew 9’s return is delayed a month more, to March
  • In February 2025, Elon Musk and Donald Trump politicize Wilmore and Williams’ long-duration stay
  • When a European astronaut calls Musk out for his “lie” about this, Musk replies, “You are fully retarded.”
  • Musk recommends space station be deorbited as soon as 2027, three years ahead of schedule.

On Tuesday Wilmore, Williams, and Hague participated from orbit in a news conference with reporters. What is notable about the news conference is that it marks the first time any NASA official—a handful of previously scheduled media availabilities have been canceled—has been on the record with media since the politicization of Crew 9’s return and Musk’s call to deorbit the space station early.

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Australia, With No Auto Industry To Protect, is Awash With Chinese EVs

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Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is rapidly gaining market share in Australia, with sales rising 65% last year as nearly one in four EVs sold in the country was a BYD, according to EVDirect CEO David Smitherman. Chinese EVs now comprise roughly one-third of electric vehicles sold in Australia, which has no domestic auto industry to protect with tariffs, unlike the United States where both Trump and Biden administrations have effectively blocked Chinese EV imports.

The Biden administration imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs to shield U.S. automakers from what it termed unfair competition. U.S. officials also blocked Chinese vehicle software over security concerns that Beijing could use internet-connected cars for surveillance. Australian authorities are monitoring U.S. developments but remain noncommittal despite security experts urging restrictions on Chinese connected car technology.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Trump’s 25% tariffs take effect; Canadian PM calls it “a very dumb thing”

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President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico took effect today, and the White House increased a tariff on China from 10 to 20 percent in an executive order. Canada, Mexico, and China announced retaliatory moves, and stock markets sank globally.

Industry groups and companies have warned the Trump tariffs will raise prices for cars, groceries, consumer technology, and other products.

Canada was hit with a 10 percent tariff on energy exports to the US, while other Canadian exports are subject to the 25 percent tariff. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would impose 25 percent tariffs on over $100 billion worth of US goods.

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The dev behind TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is making an original beat-’em-up

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Dotemu, the developer behind beat-’em-ups like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Streets of Rage 4, is back with another slice of side-scrolling retro goodness. This time, however, the company’s eschewing a tried-and-true franchise in favor of an original IP. Absolum is a fantasy beat-’em-up that’s being co-developed by Guard Crush Games and Supamonk.

The game looks to retain the core beat-’em-up mechanics the developer has become known for, but with some flourishes. Dotemu boasts of “branching paths to explore,” which is giving me Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse vibes. The developer has also implemented roguelike mechanics of some kind, with it going so far as to describe the game as a “rogue-‘em-up.” We don’t know the details of these mechanics just yet.

We do know that Absolum will be playable as a solo campaign or in a co-op mode, offering both local and online play. Gamers will be able to choose from four different fantasy-themed characters. Also, the animation looks pretty dang gorgeous. It’ll be available for Switch, PlayStation and PC later this year.

Just because Absolum is a brand-new IP, doesn’t mean that Dotemu has given up on reviving classics for modern audiences. The company is also publishing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a game that’s actually set during the events of the NES original.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-dev-behind-tmnt-shredders-revenge-is-making-an-original-beat-em-up-180518331.html?src=rss

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 arrives on July 11

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After weeks of teasers from Activision and Tony Hawk, the video game publisher has officially announced that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will be available on July 11. Iron Galaxy Studios remade the old skateboarding games from the ground up to create an updated version of the classics. The remake includes the original games’ content, along with cross-platform online multiplayer for up to eight skaters. Activision says it picks up from where Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 left off, but it didn’t mention whether the new title would also come with local multiplayer like its predecessor does. 

The new game was developed by a different studio than the one that remade the first two games even though Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was pretty well-received. Hawk previously revealed that Vicarious Visions, the studio that developed the first remake, was supposed to work on the third and fourth installments, as well. However, that plan was scrapped after the studio got absorbed into Blizzard. The new game will feature new skaters, tricks and brand-new parks. Its skater selection will include legends in the sport — though Bam Margera was notably absent in the roster we were given — as well as newer names, like two-time Olympics champion Yuto Horigome.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will be available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. For the PC, it can be purchased through Steam, Battle.net and Microsoft Store. Finally, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers will be able to play it at launch through the game streaming service. Pre-orders will be available starting today, and those who do purchase in advance will be able to access the Foundry Demo in June. Those willing to pay extra and pre-order the Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Editions will be able to access the game earlier on July 8. The Digital Deluxe Edition comes with extra content, while the Collector’s Edition comes with a full-size Birdhouse skateboard deck and a printed Tony Hawk autograph.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/tony-hawks-pro-skater-3–4-arrives-on-july-11-180029571.html?src=rss

Apple Launches Legal Challenge To UK ‘Back Door’ Order

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Apple is stepping up its fight with the British government over a demand to create a “back door” in its most secure cloud storage systems, by filing a legal complaint that it hopes will overturn the order. Financial Times: The iPhone maker has made its appeal to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent judicial body that examines complaints against the UK security services, according to people familiar with the matter. The Silicon Valley company’s legal challenge is believed to be the first time that provisions in the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act allowing UK authorities to break encryption have been tested before the court.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal will consider whether the UK’s notice to Apple was lawful and, if not, could order it to be quashed. The case could be heard as soon as this month, although it is unclear whether there will be any public disclosure of the hearing. The government is likely to argue the case should be restricted on national security grounds. Apple received a “technical capability notice” under the act in January.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

After Exam Fiasco, California State Bar Staff Recommend Reverting To In-person Exams

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After California’s bar exams were plagued last week with technical problems, the State Bar of California is recommending that the agency return to in-person tests as it scrutinizes whether the vendor behind the new testing system met the obligations of its contract. From a report: “Based on the administration of the February Bar Exam, staff cannot recommend going forward with Meazure Learning,” Donna Hershkowitz, chief of admissions for the State Bar, wrote to the agency’s Board of Trustees in a staff memo, referring to the vendor. Instead, she wrote, staff recommend reverting to in-person testing for the next round of exams in July.

The State Bar’s 13-member board, which is scheduled to meet March 5, will ultimately decide on plans for the July bar exam and remedies for test takers who faced problems. In a statement Monday, the State Bar said it is “closely scrutinizing whether Meazure Learning met its contractual obligations” in administering the February State Bar exam and will be “actively working with its psychometrician and other stakeholders to determine the full scope of necessary remediation measures for February 2025 bar exam test takers.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Google’s March Pixel Drop is here with a ton of Android upgrades

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It’s time for Google’s newest Pixel Drop update, which will deliver a batch of enhancements to the company’s smartphones. Pixel Drops, which arrive quarterly, refine and expand the features on Pixel phones. This probably won’t come as a surprise, but AI plays a big role in the changes rolling out to Pixels this time around. There are also some new connectivity and photography options.

A long-overdue update is coming to Google’s Pixel Studio app, which is preinstalled on the Pixel 9 series. The app lets you generate AI images, but person generation was not available at launch because of well-documented problems with the Imagen 3 model’s penchant for diversity. Google re-enabled person generation on the web about six months ago, but Pixel Studio is just now gaining this ability.

Google’s AI will also begin butting in if it suspects a caller or message is attempting to scam you. Google says this feature (previously available as a limited beta) is not foolproof, as scammers often change up their tactics. However, it may help catch some of the less sophisticated scams that regularly ensnare your less technologically literate family and friends. This feature will be available in Google Messages with the Pixel 6 and later, but the phone call scam detection will require a Pixel 9 because it uses on-device AI features that only exist on Google’s latest phones. That makes it a little less creepy.

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Acclaim is back from the ashes to support indie games and revive its own classic franchises

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Acclaim was one of the biggest gaming brands in the ’80s and ’90s, but the company ran into trouble in the the early 2000s. It filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and it was sold off in parts. Now, more than twenty years later, a group of industry veterans has revived the publisher with the aim of supporting indie developers and revitalizing its own gaming franchises.

The company will help indie studios on the funding, marketing and PR fronts. That’s very welcome news, especially at a time when funding is tougher to come by.

Acclaim’s plan to revive its own catalog of gaming IP is pretty exciting too. The company, which was founded in 1987, published the console and PC versions of the NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat series, as well as a string of licensed games, including WWF titles, The Simpsons: Bart’s Nightmare, Spider-Man games, Alien 3, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Space Jam and many more. Acclaim also published the first games in the Burnout and Turok franchises.

CEO Alex Josef said in a press release that Acclaim has already signed some indie games and it plans to reveal those soon. But here’s hoping the publisher gives the people what they really want: a modern take on NBA Jam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/acclaim-is-back-from-the-ashes-to-support-indie-games-and-revive-its-own-classic-franchises-165005620.html?src=rss