Star Trek’s big new break into kid-focused animation with Prodigy has already given us a motley crew of alien teens, a Starfleet legend to guide them, and even a glimpse of their slick new ship. But now we know what they’re going to be up against, and it’s already sounding very good.
Source: Gizmodo – Star Trek: Prodigy Beams Up Some Bad Guys
An anonymous reader shares a report: Some of the most popular subreddits are protesting the proliferation of COVID-19 disinformation and conspiracy theories on the platform. Moderators from several high profile subreddits, including r/awww, r/showerthoughts, and r/pics, are now calling on the site to do a better job of curbing the spread of disinformation. “It is clear that even after promising to tackle the problem of misinformation on this site, nothing of substance has been done aside from quarantining a medium sized subreddit, which barely reduces traffic and does little to stop misinformation,” user N8theGr8 posted said in a post announcing the protests, which lists dozens of subreddits who had signed on in solidarity.
Reddit pushed back 8 hours later with a post from CEO Steve Huffman in r/announcements. It didn’t mention the thread specifically, but there’s little doubt it was a response to calls to ban subreddits that spread disinformation. Huffman began by saying the CDC was the best source of up to date information about the pandemic and urged people to get vaccinated. “We appreciate that not everyone agrees with the current approach to getting us all through the pandemic, and some are still wary of vaccinations,” Huffman said. “Dissent is a part of Reddit and the foundation of democracy. Reddit is a place for open and authentic discussion and debate. This includes conversations that question or disagree with popular consensus. This includes conversations that criticize those that disagree with the majority opinion. This includes protests that criticize or object to our decisions on which communities to ban from the platform.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Reddit Responds To Calls From Moderators To Fight Disinformation
Pokémon Unite, the Nintendo Switch’s pocket monster-themed MOBA, is still going strong over a month since its release. But for some reason, lots of players seem to get cold feet right before joining a match.
Source: Kotaku – Pokémon Unite Players, For The Love Of God, Please Ready Up
Listen, we’re not here to judge or ask questions. You need to clear your recent browsing history—and fast. Lucky for you, we can help. Whether you use Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Brave, there’s a keyboard shortcut to help you delete your most recent web history as fast as possible, should you need to do so for reasons…
Source: LifeHacker – The Fastest Way to Clear Your Recent Browsing History in Every Browser
Pokémon fans now have even more ways to enjoy the sprawling franchise’s offerings on Nintendo Switch. The Pokémon TV app has, at long last, hit the console. It includes hundreds of episodes of the Pokémon anime series, including some full seasons, as well as animated specials.
Attention all Trainers! #PokemonTV is now available on #NintendoSwitch, featuring full episodes of #PokemonTheSeries, exciting matches from the world of @PlayPokemon, new Junior content for tiny Trainers, and more! https://t.co/LPK7APMqPKpic.twitter.com/5odHmNa2uI
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 26, 2021
Kids (and adults, if we’re being honest) can also kick back and stream Pokémon Trading Card Game and video game competitions. They can pick up some training tips too. There’s plenty for the youngest Pokémon fans as well. The Junior category includes sing-along songs, nursery rhymes and more. Content in the free app is refreshed periodically.
Pokémon TV emerged in 2010 on the brand’s official website. Android and iOS apps followed in 2013.
Though the Switch eShop has hundreds and hundreds of games, there are precious few media apps. You can fire up YouTube, Hulu and Funimation but Netflix and Prime Video are nowhere to be seen (unless you jailbreak your Switch). Another streaming app from a brand that’s so entwined with Nintendo’s DNA could keep people hooked on their Switch for even longer. Still, it feels like the Pokémon TV app should have been on the console long before now.
Source: Engadget – The Pokémon TV app finally lands on Nintendo Switch
Snapchat is upgrading its visual search features, and putting them at the center of its app. The app is now rolling out changes it announced back in May during its Partner Summit event. The updates include more prominent placement of the “scan” feature — now located directly under the camera’s shutter button — and new capabilities that will suggest lenses and music based on your surroundings.
Snap has been experimenting with visual search, called “scan” since 2019. The feature allows Snapchat users to identify plants and music, solve math problems, and scan food and wine labels with the in-app camera. But up until now, much of this functionality was easily overlooked as it required a few extra taps to access. With the update now rolling out, “scan” visible whenever the camera is open.
Snapchat’s also adding a few new features it previewed earlier this year, like the ability to shop for outfits by pointing the camera at articles of clothing. It’s also adding Camera Shortcuts, which will suggest a combination of augmented reality lenses and music based on your surroundings. For example, pointing the camera at your pet may suggest AR lenses meant to work with dogs and music to go with your clip.
Though Snap has been working on its “scan” capabilities for some time, the fact that it’s now making the feature much more prominent underscores how big a priority it is for the company. Snap has also integrated scanning abilities into its latest AR Spectacles, which can similarly suggest lenses based on what’s around you (unlike previous versions of Spectacles, the newest ones aren’t for sale just yet). Visual search also help Snap compete for creative talent with rivals like TikTok and Instagram (which also happens to be working on its own visual search feature). The company told The Verge that it’s working on adding camera shortcuts to Spotlight to make it easier for people to riff on other users’ clips.
Source: Engadget – Snapchat upgrades its camera to highlight visual search
When you think of the online video game Fortnite, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? If you answered “the late Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.,” then there’s good news for you: a new virtual in-game exhibit will pay tribute to the slain leader by exposing players to his speeches and crusade…
Source: Gizmodo – MLK Is Coming to Battle Royale Video Game Fortnite
YouTube is making good on its promise to bring picture-in-picture viewing to iOS users. TechCrunchreports that YouTube is promising PiP viewing to all iPhone and iPad users in the US, starting with volunteers using Premium. You’ll have to opt into the test through the experiments website on your computer, but you’re all set after that — you can watch clips in a floating window while you check your social networks or otherwise get things done.
Premium testing ends on October 31st. You might have to reinstall the YouTube app if the feature isn’t available right away.
The company hasn’t said when it plans to enable PiP for non-Premium subscribers. This is still a step forward, mind you. YouTube’s web-only support was limited at best — this should expand the audience and put YouTube’s app more on par with competing video services.
Source: Engadget – YouTube will finally roll out picture-in-picture mode to all iOS users
The last time I left my apartment with a wallet in my pocket was March 11, 2020 (guess why). I don’t carry one anymore, because wallets are bullshit, and you should stop using one, too. (If you are someone who prefers to carry a purse, this same advice probably broadly applies—unless you have kids, in which case you…
Source: LifeHacker – The Time for Carrying a Wallet Is Over
What the F is going on over at Intel? Well, if this latest leak is any indication, the chip company is ready to unleash a new series of F SKUs for its upcoming Alder Lake-S desktop processors. For those that aren’t familiar with the intricacies of Intel’s processor nomenclature, the F designation at the end of the model number signifies that
Source: Hot Hardware – What The F? Intel Alder Lake Leak Confirms Special ‘F’ SKU Chips
Right now, the latest Stranger Things video game is available exclusively on Android handsets in Poland, and the below article walks you through how access currently works. [credit:
Netflix ]
One month after its vague announcement of a new gaming-centric strategy, Netflix has explained how it will “publish” video games in the foreseeable future: as downloadable smartphone apps, available exclusively for paying video-streaming subscribers.
The news coincides with the company’s public launch of Netflix Gaming on Thursday as part of the service’s smartphone app… but only in Poland—and only on Android. The company’s American Twitter translated Thursday’s Polish announcement, which explains how the service works. It also announced the two games launching as part of the service today: Stranger Things 3, a 16-bit beat-’em-up that was previously available as a standalone Google Play purchase (and is still live on PC and consoles); and Stranger Things: 1984, a brand-new, smartphone-exclusive game that seems to revolve around slow, puzzle-solving movement through pixelated TV-series environments. (Both games, coincidentally, were made by the same indie game studio, BonusXP, which is based in Texas, not Poland.)
To access this content, you’ll need to log in to Netflix’s Android app while using a Polish IP address, then open the region’s new “N Gaming” tab. From there, pick either of those games, and the app will direct you to their Google Play download listings. Once downloaded, go back into the Netflix app and boot the game of your choice from there.
Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – As it turns out, “Netflix Gaming” isn’t a streaming service
Blizzard announced today on Twitter that it will be renaming Jesse McCree and delaying the start of Overwatch’s next story arc. The change comes after the real-life developer the cowboy character was named after was let go from the company during the course of the ongoing fallout around a California lawsuit accusing…
Source: Kotaku – Blizzard Is Changing McCree’s Name In Overwatch Amid Lawsuit
Academics have put GitHub’s Copilot to the test on the security front, and said they found that roughly 40 per cent of the time, code generated by the programming assistant is, at best, buggy, and at worst, potentially vulnerable to attack.
Source: LXer – GitHub’s Copilot may steer you into dangerous waters about 40% of the time – study
Much like the Fast and Furious movies, the Mission: Impossible movies are always raising the bar. First Tom Cruise climbs up the Burj Khalifa, then hangs off the side of an airplane, then dives out of an airplane higher than should be humanly possible. And that trend will continue with Mission: Impossible 7, currently…
Source: Gizmodo – Mission: Impossible 7 Will Have Maybe the Biggest Stunt in Movie History
Contract chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing told has told that it plans to raise prices on products by as much as 20%, in what would be the company’s steepest single increase. From a report: The price increases and the time frames for the hikes differ depending on the client, according to reports by Taiwan’s Liberty Times newspaper and other media outlets. For some companies that received TSMC’s notice, the hikes took effect immediately. TSMC and other Taiwanese semiconductor companies raised chip prices by more than 10% between last fall and this spring. But with strong demand continuing to outstrip supply, TSMC decided to sharply increase prices again. The increased costs tied to ramping up production are being passed downstream, with the company enjoying better bargaining power amid the global chip crunch as well. This move likely will impact the sticker prices of end products. A TSMC spokesperson declined to comment to Nikkei about the higher chip prices. Concerns over lower profitability are another reason behind the price hikes. The company has said it will make $100 billion in capital investments over three years through 2023. That commitment has fueled qualms about a potential decline in profits as TSMC prepares to boost its overseas expansion.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – TSMC Hikes Chip Prices Up To 20% Amid Supply Shortage
Twenty years since it was found in Argentina, a fossil of a 231.4-million-year-old lepidosaur has been described in detail by paleontologists. This animal has features place it before the split between lizards, snakes, and sphenodonts (a branch of reptiles that today only includes the strange tuatara). The fossilized…
Source: Gizmodo – Intriguing Fossil Reptile Offers Clues to the Origin of Snakes and Lizards
Started back in 2018 was an effort by the NetBSD project to update their operating system WiFi drivers by re-syncing more code from FreeBSD and making various improvements. Three years later the work has yet to be merged but after stalling for some time is back to being worked on by interested developers…
Source: Phoronix – NetBSD Continues Long Overdue Push To Modernize Their WiFi Drivers
Ubisoft’s big new extreme sports game Riders Republic isn’t out yet. But yesterday, Ubisoft opened the beta up to everyone. So I was able to jump in and experience some of its open-world multiplayer action before its release later this year. I went in expecting big jumps and cool tricks. Instead, I found a terrible…
Source: Kotaku – Upcoming Ubisoft Game Unleashes Awful Cover Of ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ On Unsuspecting Ears
If you’ve ever called 911, you know that one of the first things they ask you—often before you’ve even said why you’re calling—is your location. So when you’re teaching your kids how to dial emergency numbers on your phone, make sure they know their address, too. A sticker can help.
Source: LifeHacker – How to Help Your Kids Find Their Address In an Emergency
Enlarge / Facebook’s voter information center for the 2020 election in the US. (credit: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg)
Facebook may finally be acknowledging that it’s handling of elections around the world has been less than stellar. And this time, its response may amount to more than just another apology from Mark Zuckerberg.
The social media company is considering creating an “election commission” that would guide it on election-related issues around the world, according to a report in The New York Times. The commission would advise Facebook on everything from disinformation to political advertising, and if implemented, it could be a boon for the company’s public relations. The commission would ideally also take some heat off CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who reportedly doesn’t want to be the “sole decision maker on political content,” the Times reports.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on this story when contacted by Ars.
Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Facebook eyes “Election Commission” in possible bid to shed political scrutiny
