Silent horror classic Nosferatu celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, but it will have another reason to return to the spotlight in 2024, when genre craftsman Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) releases his long-awaited remake. Today, we know a bit more about what to expect from the vampire…
Source: Gizmodo – The Witch Director Teases His ‘Scary’ Nosferatu Remake
The James Webb telescope is back with some more gorgeous images. This time, the telescope eyed the center of the Milky Way galaxy, shining a light on the densest part of our surrounding environs in “unprecedented detail.” Specifically, the images are sourced from a star-forming region called Sagittarius C, or Sgr C for short.
This area is about 300 light-years from the galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A, and over 25,000 light-years from a little blue rock called Earth. All told, the region boasts over 500,000 stars and various clusters of protostars, which are stars that are still forming and gaining mass. The end result? A stunning cloud of chaos, especially when compared to our region of space, which is decidedly sparse in comparison.
As a matter of fact, the galactic center is “the most extreme environment” in the Milky Way, as stated by University of Virginia professor Jonathan Tan, who assisted the observation team. There has never been any data on this region with this “level of resolution and sensitivity”, until now, thanks to the power of the Webb telescope.
At the center of everything is a massive protostar that weighs more than 30 times our sun. This actually makes the area seem less populated than it actually is, as this solar object blocks light from behind it, so not even Webb can see all of the stars in the region. So what you’re looking at is a conservative estimate of just how crowded the area is. It’s like the Times Square of space, only without a Guy Fieri restaurant (for now.)
The data provided by these images will allow researchers to put current theories of star formation to “their most rigorous test.” To that end, Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument captured large-scale emission imagery from ionized hydrogen, the blue on the lower side of the image. This is likely the result of young and massive stars releasing energetic photons, but the vast size of the region came as a surprise to researchers, warranting further study.
The observation team’s principal investigator, Samuel Crowe, said that the research enabled by these and forthcoming images will allow scientists to understand the nature of massive stars which is akin to “learning the origin story of much of the universe.”
This is obviously not the first interesting image produced by the James Webb telescope. We’ve seen stars born in the Virgo constellation, water around a comet in the main asteroid belt and a fairly offputting view of the Pillars of Creation, among others. It’s seen things you people wouldn’t believe and, luckily, it won’t all be gone like tears in the rain because of the internet and because Webb’s still out there.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/webb-telescope-images-show-an-unprecedented-and-chaotic-view-of-the-center-of-our-galaxy-185912370.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Webb telescope images show an unprecedented and ‘chaotic’ view of the center of our galaxy
Amazon has cut Ember smart mug prices to record lows for Black Friday. The high-tech mugs have built-in heating that can keep your coffee, tea or other hot drink at your ideal preset temperature, allowing you to take your time sipping it without worrying about a lukewarm beverage. Usually $130, you can pick up the 10 oz Ember Smart Mug 2 starting at $90.
One of Engadget’s recommended gifts for teachers, the Ember Smart Mug 2 can keep your mug heated to anywhere between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you find your perfect temp, you can set the mug’s companion app (available for iOS and Android) to it and forget about it. The mug will remember your setting, automatically heat when it detects liquid and stop when it’s empty. The mug lasts up to 80 minutes on a full charge, and if you leave it on its bundled charging coaster (except, of course, when picking it up to sip), it essentially lasts all day.
At the time of publication, the white, black and red variants of the 10 oz. Mug 2 are available and marked down on Amazon. However, the black and red options cost a (still heavily discounted) $100, requiring an extra $10 over the white model.
Amazon also has the standard 14 oz. Ember Smart Mug 2 for $40 off. The larger model includes the same features, temperature controls and estimated battery life as the 10 oz. one. This variant ships in white and black for $109.46 (usually $150) and you can grab the copper version for $130 (typically $180).
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ember-smart-mugs-are-at-record-low-prices-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-185030627.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Ember Smart Mugs are at record-low prices in Amazon’s Black Friday sale
Starship pierced through clear south Texas skies on Saturday morning, for what turned out to be an eight-minute-long mission. The megarocket failed once again, but SpaceX achieved significant progress in various critical mission objectives.
Source: Gizmodo – 16 Takeaways From the Explosive Second Test of SpaceX’s Starship Megarocket
Here’s a new look at Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the final feature from Warner Bros.’ last era of DC films before we turn over to James Gunn’s new DC Studios franchise world.
Source: Gizmodo – Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Latest Trailer Prepares the Underwater Royal Family for War
The Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum and mop combo machine is on sale for $400 via Amazon as part of a Black Friday deal. This is a discount of $300, or 43 percent, and is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this particular model. This is a well-regarded midrange unit with plenty of functionality, including the ability to both vacuum and mop.
As a matter of fact, the Shark AI Ultra topped our list of the best robot vacuums in 2023. We admired its reliable cleaning performance, the intuitive mobile app that produces accurate home maps and the inclusion of Alexa/Google Assistant voice control options. We took a look at a slightly older model that didn’t yet include the sonic mop feature, so this refresh is likely even better than the one that topped that list.
It’s got all of the features you expect from a decent robovac, including obstacle avoidance, LiDAR navigation and, of course, a self-emptying base. The base is also bagless, so you won’t have to constantly dole out cash for new bags every few months. As a matter of fact, the only bad thing you can say about this thing is that it’s too expensive at its original price of $700. Well, that’s definitely been handled.
This is the week of Black Friday, so Shark’s combination unit isn’t the only robovac on sale. You can spend even less on a combo machine, as the TP-Link Tapo vacuum/mop hybrid device is on sale for $250 instead of $400. This is another fantastic unit and tops our list of the best budget robot vacuums.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-shark-robot-vacuum-and-mop-combo-machine-is-300-off-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-180041559.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – This Shark robot vacuum and mop combo machine is 0 off in an Amazon Black Friday deal
Enlarge / Then-Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt speaks at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 on September 20, 2023, in San Francisco. (credit: Getty Images | Kimberly White )
The CEO of self-driving car firm Cruise resigned yesterday following an accident in which a Cruise robotaxi dragged a pedestrian 20 feet. California officials accused Cruise of withholding key information and video after the accident, and the company’s self-driving operations are on hold while federal authorities investigate.
“Today I resigned from my position as CEO of Cruise,” co-founder Kyle Vogt wrote in a post on twitter.com. “The startup I launched in my garage has given over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities, with each ride inspiring people with a small taste of the future,” he also wrote.
Cruise is owned by General Motors, which bought the company in 2016. Vogt expressed optimism about Cruise’s future without him, saying the team is “executing on a solid, multi-year roadmap and an exciting product vision.”
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Source: Ars Technica – After robotaxi dragged pedestrian 20 feet, Cruise founder and CEO resigns
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on online child sexual exploitation on December 6 and the CEOs of major tech companies are set to testify. The committee expects Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his counterpart at TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, to testify voluntarily. It also wants to hear from the CEOs of X (formerly Twitter), Discord and Snap, and it has issued subpoenas to them.
“Big Tech’s failure to police itself at the expense of our kids cannot go unanswered,” committee chair Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said in a joint statement, as Reuters reports. “I’m hauling in Big Tech CEOs before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify on their failure to protect kids online,” Durbin wrote on X.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Senate Judiciary Committee will press Big Tech CEOs on their failures to protect kids at hearing on Dec 6.
Subpoenas issued to CEOs of Discord, Snap, & X. Committee remains in discussion w/ Meta, TikTok—expects their CEOs will agree to testify voluntarily.
— Senate Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryDems) November 20, 2023
According to the committee, X and Discord refused to accept service of the subpoenas on their CEO’s behalf, “requiring the committee to enlist the assistance of the US Marshals Service” to serve them personally. “We have been working in good faith to participate in the Judiciary committee’s hearing on child protection online as safety is our top priority at X,” Wifredo Fernandez, head of US and Canada government affairs at X, told Engadget in a statement. “Today we are communicating our updated availability to participate in a hearing on this important issue.” Engadget has also contacted Discord for comment.
The issue of tech platforms allegedly facilitating harms against kids has become an increasingly pressing issue. Earlier this month, former Meta executive Arturo Béjar testified that Zuckerberg failed to respond to his email detailing concerns about harms facing children on the company’s platforms. Senators then demanded documents from the company’s CEO “related to senior executives’ knowledge of the mental and physical health harms associated with its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tech-ceos-are-set-to-testify-in-a-senate-online-child-sexual-exploitation-hearing-in-december-180206072.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Tech CEOs are set to testify in a Senate online child sexual exploitation hearing in December
The US Justice Department is seeking more than $4 billion from Binance as part of a proposed resolution of a years-long investigation into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. From a report: Negotiations between the Justice Department and Binance include the possibility that its founder Changpeng Zhao would face criminal charges in the US under an agreement to resolve the probe into alleged money laundering, bank fraud and sanctions violations, according to people familiar with the discussions. Zhao, also known as “CZ,” is residing in the United Arab Emirates, which doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US, but that doesn’t prevent him from coming voluntarily. An announcement could come as soon as the end of the month, though the situation remains fluid, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing a confidential matter.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – US Seeks More than Billion From Binance To End Criminal Case
It seems that these days, every other company wants to try its hand at releasing handheld gaming PCs. The Ayaneo Slide is joining the surprisingly crowded battlefield to compete with the likes of the recently released Steam Deck OLED and Lenovo Legion Go for portable gaming dominance.
Source: Gizmodo – The Ayaneo Slide Makes Me Want a New Nokia Sidekick
Enlarge / The Steam Deck OLED (bottom) sunbathing with its older brother. (credit: Kyle Orland)
In our review of the Steam Deck OLED last week, we noted that the upgraded 90 Hz screen “has a pretty direct impact on how it feels to play reflex-heavy games.” Now, Digital Foundry has used input lag-testing hardware to quantify the precise size of that amorphous feeling, which it found is significant even in games running at 60 fps and below.
Digital Foundry’s testing used Nvidia’s Latency and Display Analysis Tools running on two reflex-heavy games: Doom Eternal and Crysis 3 Remastered. The tool measures the total time between a mouse click and the flash of an on-screen muzzle that indicates a shot being fired—the lower, the better for the game’s responsiveness.
Unsurprisingly, the best improvements in input lag were measured when the Steam Deck OLED was running at a full 90 fps. Compared to the 60 fps LCD Steam Deck, input lag was reduced by an average of 26.1 ms for Doom Eternal and 32.5 ms for Crysis 3. While some of that reduction can be attributed to the shorter time between frame refreshes on the OLED (11.11 ms on the OLED at 90 fps versus 16.66 ms on the LCD at 60 fps), the size of the reduction here amounts to multiple 90 fps frames.
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Source: Ars Technica – Measured: Steam Deck OLED’s major input lag improvements
Fans have been trained to expect the worst from Hollywood adaptations. Anytime something you love is announced as the next mega blockbuster, your heart sinks. Surely, they’re going to screw it up and ruin your childhood. Which is what happens 90% of the time.
Source: Gizmodo – Make Dungeons and Dragons 2, You Cowards
If you’re looking for a VPN with robust cross-platform software support, CyberGhost’s Black Friday sale gives you four extra months when you buy a two-year plan. Combined with the typical savings from committing to two years, it adds up to 84 percent off the security company’s standard monthly pricing over the same period.
When you buy two years of CyberGhost access for $56.94, the VPN provider will throw in four months for free. The deal is live now and runs through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, wrapping up on December 7.
CyberGhost is Engadget’s pick for the best VPN for cross-platform access. It offers simultaneous connections on up to seven devices while supporting devices like computers, phones, routers, smart TVs and more. CyberGhost has Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux apps, and it even offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Ensuring its status as our favorite cross-platform VPN is the company’s detailed instructions on setting up its various apps, helping to enhance its all-around user-friendliness.
The company recently expanded its server network from 91 to 100 countries, adding Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic to its available locations. CyberGhost committed to an independent audit with Deloitte earlier this year. It also runs a vulnerability disclosure program and recently published an updated transparency report.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cyberghost-black-friday-deal-includes-four-extra-months-with-two-year-plans-174248901.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – CyberGhost Black Friday deal includes four extra months with two-year plans
Amazon is starting to offer free educational courses on generative AI with an aim to extend “critical skills” to adults and young learners everywhere. From a report: The company’s initiative, called “AI Ready,” is an extension of current AWS-based AI skills training programs offered by Amazon but now includes eight free courses that cover AI project management and development. Amazon says 21 million people have already trained on AWS cloud computing skills through its programs, and it hopes 2 million will use its AI courses by 2025. Amazon says that demand for talent for AI jobs is increasing, and companies are willing to pay higher salaries for those with the skills, but the courses are also geared toward promoting Amazon’s own AI products.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Amazon’s Offering Free Courses on Generative AI
Maybe I’m falling for all the fear-mongering lately—I did grow up watching Lifetime—but I’m keen on the satellite safety features bundled in the iPhone 14 and 15. The built-in connectivity offers as much peace of mind as the pepper spray in my bag. I’m miffed Android makers have yet to come on board with similar…
Source: Gizmodo – What It’s Like to Request Roadside Assistance via Satellite with Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro
Today Wizards of the Coast is celebrating the 2023 “Secretversary,” the anniversary of its Magic: The Gathering limited promo store Secret Lair—and it’s doing so in style with an honestly distressing amount of Jeff Goldblum.
Source: Gizmodo – Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair Anniversary Is Full of Sexy Ian Malcolm
Misplaced concern about existential risk is impeding the opportunity to expand human potential, writes venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. From his op-ed: I was the first venture investor in OpenAI. The weekend drama illustrated my contention that the wrong boards can damage companies. Fancy titles like “Director of Strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology” can lead to a false sense of understanding of the complex process of entrepreneurial innovation. OpenAI’s board members’ religion of “effective altruism” and its misapplication could have set back the world’s path to the tremendous benefits of artificial intelligence. Imagine free doctors for everyone and near free tutors for every child on the planet. That’s what’s at stake with the promise of AI.
The best companies are those whose visions are led and executed by their founding entrepreneurs, the people who put everything on the line to challenge the status quo — founders like Sam Altman — who face risk head on, and who are focused — so totally — on making the world a better place. Things can go wrong, and abuse happens, but the benefits of good founders far outweigh the risks of bad ones. […] Large, world-changing vision is axiomatically risky. It can even be scary. But it is the sole lever by which the human condition has improved throughout history. And we could destroy that potential with academic talk of nonsensical existential risk in my view.
There is a lot of benefit on the upside, with a minuscule chance of existential risk. In that regard, it is more similar to what the steam engine and internal combustion engine did to human muscle power. Before the engines, we had passive devices — levers and pulleys. We ate food for energy and expended it for function. Now we could feed these engines oil, steam and coal, reducing human exertion and increasing output to improve the human condition. AI is the intellectual analog of these engines. Its multiplicative power on expertise and knowledge means we can supersede the current confines of human brain capacity, bringing great upside for the human race.
I understand that AI is not without its risks. But humanity faces many small risks. They range from vanishingly small like sentient AI destroying the world or an asteroid hitting the earth, to medium risks like global biowarfare from our adversaries, to large and looming risks like a technologically superior China, cyberwars and persuasive AI manipulating users in a democracy, likely starting with the U.S.’s 2024 elections.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – OpenAI’s Board Set Back the Promise of AI, Early Backer Vinod Khosla Says
These days, it’s perhaps more difficult than ever to buy someone a video game as a gift. Not only are there thousands of options, your intended recipient may already have access to a given game on another platform or it may already be included in a subscription service they pay for. A gift card is likely a safer bet. To that end, you can save 10 percent on Xbox and PlayStation gift cards for Black Friday. At both Amazon and Target, you can snap up a $50 Xbox gift card for $45.
That’s almost enough to cover three months of access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which now costs $17 per month. Alternatively, that’s enough to pay for four months of Xbox Game Pass access (at $11 per month) or five months of PC Game Pass ($10 per month). Should your recipient choose to pay for Game Pass with their gift card, they’ll have access to a library of hundreds of games. They could always just buy games outright, of course.
PlayStation Plus gift cards are also 10 percent off at Amazon. A $70 gift card is down to $63, while a $30 option is on sale for $27. The former will cover five months of PlayStation Plus Extra access. Similar to Game Pass, that tier of Sony’s subscription service includes access to hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games. PS Plus Extra costs $15 per month, $40 per quarter or $135 per year.
Last but not least, a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online Family membership is available for $32 (usually $35) at Amazon. This is a solid gift for a household that has at least two Nintendo Switches — a family membership lets up to eight people use Nintendo Switch Online. The service includes access to online multiplayer, as well as a library of NES and SNES classics and a few battle royale-type exclusives from Nintendo, such as Tetris 99 and F-Zero 99.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-50-xbox-gift-card-is-5-off-in-this-black-friday-deal-164130270.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – A Xbox gift card is off in this Black Friday deal
The co-founder of Cruise, Kyle Vogt, resigned from his duties as CEO, CTO, and President on Sunday night, following a month of turbulence for General Motors’ self-driving car subsidiary. Vogt exits the startup he launched in his garage 10 years ago, just weeks after Cruise recalled 950 robotaxis after one of them dragg…
Source: Gizmodo – Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt Resigns After Vehicles Deemed Public Safety Hazard
Enlarge / Starship launched on Saturday with all 33 Raptor engines burning nominally. (credit: SpaceX)
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas—Starship launches are clarifying events. Pretty quickly after liftoff you find out who understands the rocket business, and who are the casual observers bereft of a clue.
Before I had even left the launch viewing area in South Padre Island on Saturday morning headlines started to fill my news feed. The Wall Street Journal led with, “SpaceX second Starship test flight ends in another explosion.” Bloomberg was still more dour, “SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy Booster Launch and Failure.” Perhaps, after consultation with their beat reporters, editors subsequently changed these online headlines. And the stories themselves better reflected the reality. Nevertheless, much of the media coverage of the launch delivered a harsh verdict: Another failure for Elon Musk and SpaceX.
I mean, yes. The first stage of the Starship rocket, Super Heavy, did explode. And the upper stage, Starship, had a failure that caused its flight termination system—explosives on board in case a vehicle begins flying off course—to detonate. But that was to be expected on such an experimental, boundary-pushing test flight.
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Source: Ars Technica – Sorry doubters, Starship actually had a remarkably successful flight
