Dinosaurs have been extinct for over 65 million years, but scientists just can’t let them rest in their colossal graves. Instead, they’re digging up fossils, conducting research, and otherwise changing our understanding of dinosaur biology and culture. Please enjoy these ten newly discovered facts and theories about…
Source: LifeHacker – There Were Billions of T-rexes, and 9 Other Things You Never Knew About Dinosaurs
The Department of Defense isn’t ready to give up on UFOs just yet. This week, the Pentagon announced the formation of the new organization called the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group,(AOIMSG) tasked with investigating reports of UFOs (or as the Pentagon prefers to call them, UAPs) in…
Source: Gizmodo – Pentagon Forms New UFO Investigation Group to Figure Out What the Hell Just Whizzed By
Enlarge / The galactic setting of Mass Effect, as seen in the teaser trailer for the next game in the series. (credit: EA)
Amazon is nearing a deal with Electronic Arts to develop a TV series for the Prime Video streaming service based on the beloved Mass Effect video game franchise.
The revelation can be found buried midway through a recent Deadline article about the performance of the recent Wheel of Time series premiere on Prime Video and Amazon’s overall programming strategy.
Specifically, the piece dives into Amazon’s focus on genres like fantasy to drive viewers and says that will be a focus for Prime Video moving forward. “You will see us continuing to invest in fantasy genre of all kinds, we have a genre-focused team on the ground in Studios who work tirelessly with our creative partners on those slates, and you can look forward to more,” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told Deadline.
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Source: Ars Technica – Amazon is nearing a deal to make a Mass Effect TV series
This Thanksgiving weekend, there’s a ton of brand new content you can watch with your family, but how much of it is actually about family? One title in particular stands out and that’s Encanto, the latest film from Disney Animation.
Source: Gizmodo – This Encanto Song Will Be Stuck in Your Head All Day
The Battlefield series is one of the most venerated names in military shooters. Starting with the legendary Battlefield 1942, the series has typically been a somewhat-realistic military combat simulator, with huge conflicts and a wide array of military hardware, including vehicles.
The series has fallen slightly on hard times lately, though.
Source: Hot Hardware – DICE Promises A Boatload Of Battlefield 2042 Fixes And Here’s What You Need To Know
The US has placed a dozen Chinese groups involved in quantum computing and other advanced technologies on an export blacklist, saying they pose a risk of gaining access to critical American technologies for the People’s Liberation Army. From a report: The move, which makes it almost impossible for US companies to sell technologies to the listed companies, targeted a total of 27 entities, including 12 in China and two affiliated firms in Japan and Singapore. In addition to quantum computing, the list included companies in the semiconductor and aerospace industries. Eight of the Chinese groups were specifically targeted to prevent them from accessing sensitive quantum-related technology, the US commerce department said, arguing they could help the PLA improve counter-stealth and counter-submarine applications and facilitate efforts to break US encryption.
The actions mark the latest effort by the Biden administration to make it more difficult for China to secure cutting-edge technologies with military applications. Last month, US intelligence officials warned American companies about Chinese efforts to access technology in areas including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. “This is a sensible move and an important reminder of the scope and scale of China’s efforts to achieve technological breakthroughs that erode US national security,” said Martijn Rasser, a former CIA official who heads the technology and national security programme at the Center for a New American Security think-tank. In addition to the Chinese groups targeted, Washington put 13 Pakistani firms on the “entity list” for activities related to nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. It added the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology to a “military end-user” list that makes it more difficult to sell technology with military applications.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – US Blacklists Chinese Quantum Computing Companies
Samsung is putting on its cowboy hat and heading to the great state of Texas to build a massive $17 billion chip factory.
Source: Gizmodo – Samsung Is Building a Billion Chip Plant in Texas to Fix This Whole Supply Chain Thing
The Pentagon has established a new group to investigate UFO sightings. The Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) will succeed the US Navy’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. According to the Defense Department, “AOIMSG will synchronize efforts across the Department and the broader US government to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in Special Use Airspace (SUA), and to assess and mitigate any associated threats to safety of flight and national security.”
The formation of the task force follows the release of a report in June in which the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) examined 144 sightings of “unidentified aerial phenomenon.” Only in one instance were officials able to determine what caused a sighting. For every other incident detailed in that report, ODNI said there was too little data for it to conclude what happened. If the US government were to have any chance at better understanding UFOs, ODNI said it would need to deploy more resources and a standardized approach across various agencies. It would appear the Defense Department has taken that recommendation to heart.
Source: Engadget – Pentagon forms new task force to investigate UFO sightings
The word “affair” makes us think of fiery, passionate, physical flings, but not every affair is an in-person tryst. Some are emotional affairs and, unlike their physical counterparts, they can be trickier to identify. Are you getting way too personal with a colleague? Are you making up excuses to see your kid’s cute…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Recognize When You’re in An Emotional Affair (and What to Do About It)
Roblox is finally taking notorious YouTuber Benjamin “Ruben Sim” Simon to court over his alleged attacks on the gaming social media platform and its young fans. A lawsuit filed in California court on Tuesday wants the longtime banned player to pay $1.6 million in damages and stop harassing Roblox employees and players.
Source: Kotaku – Roblox Sues YouTuber For .6 Million Over Terrorizing Kids Platform
The Russian government has told 13 mostly U.S.-based tech firms that they need to set up local offices in Russia by next year or maybe just get the hell out, according to Reuters.
Source: Gizmodo – Moscow Warns Google, Apple, TikTok, and More to Set Up Offices in Russia
Buying a graphics card at a fair price might have to wait until next year, but that’s not the case for other gaming gear. Black Friday and Cyber Monday typically bring a whole bunch of discounts on PC gaming items, and this year is no exception. While Black Friday has not technically arrived, the deals have, including savings on a wide range
Source: Hot Hardware – Black Friday PC Gaming Deals: Save Up To 0 On G-Sync Monitors, RGB Keyboards And More
Enlarge / Acer Swift 5. (credit: Scharon Harding)
Acer chose the Swift 5 as its vehicle for ushering in Windows 11, and that was a safe choice. With a starting MSRP of $1,100, up to 1TB of storage, a good port selection, and a more standout keyboard and webcam, it will suit many laptop needs just fine.
But “just fine” feels less fine when looking at alternatives that go the extra mile. With similarly priced options offering a bit more CPU, graphics, and even SSD performance than the Swift 5, the eye can easily start to wander.
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Source: Ars Technica – Acer Swift 5 review: The grass is always greener
In yet another example of virtual goods selling for sky-high prices for no discernible reason, an investment firm just dumped roughly $2.4 million on a giant plot of… virtual land. Isn’t the future great?!
Source: Gizmodo – Someone Just Bought a Strip of Virtual ‘Land’ for Over .4 Million
Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are two distinct products, but it’s easy to get them confused. They’re both milk that comes in cans, and they’re usually stocked right next to each other, often with the same cute little cow on the label. Grabbing one when you meant to grab the other is not outside of the…
Source: LifeHacker – So You Bought the Wrong Milk for Your Pumpkin Pie
Cosplayers who look forward to comics conventions have had it rough during the pandemic, but the community’s spirit is still thriving. A new book, written by io9 alumni Andrew Liptak, spotlights the creative, awesomely nerdy folks who make dressing up an art form. Cosplay: A History: The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who…
Source: Gizmodo – A New Book Digs Into Cosplay’s History—and the Fan Spirit That Keeps It Thriving
Sysadmins modify lots of files. Sometimes they’re code. Other times they’re configuration files, YAML playbooks, XML, policy documents, kickstart files, and probably a few takeaway lunch orders, too. It’s important to track what you’ve changed and share your changes with others who may need to adjust their local copies of files.
Source: LXer – Merge changes with git diff and patch
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, is set to testify before a Senate panel in December. He’ll appear at a series of hearings on online protections for kids that a consumer protection subcommittee is holding during the week of December 6th.
“He’s the top guy at Instagram, and the whole nation is asking about why Instagram and other tech platforms have created so much danger and damage by driving toxic content to children with these immensely powerful algorithms,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who is chair of the subcommittee, told The New York Times.
Mosseri will testify in the wake of revelations by whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager. Haugen told a panel last month that research conducted by Facebook determined “engagement-based ranking on Instagram can lead children from very innocuous topics like healthy recipes… to anorexia-promoting content over a very short period of time.” The previous month, Antigone Davis, the global head of safety for Instagram parent company Meta, downplayed recent reports based on internal Facebook documents, which indicated that Instagram can negatively affect the mental health of teenagers and young girls.
After Davis testified, Blumenthal wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking either him or Mosseri to testify. Blumenthal suggested in his letter to Zuckerberg that the company “provided false or inaccurate testimony to me regarding attempts to internally conceal its research.”
This will mark the first time Mosseri has testified before Congress. Blumenthal plans to ask Mosseri to commit to making Instagram’s ranking and recommendation algorithms transparent, partly so experts can look into if and how the platform promotes potentially harmful content. The senator noted that Snap, TikTok and YouTube leaders made similar commitments after they testified at a prior hearing. Blumenthal also said he will ask Mosseri about Instagram’s recommendation systems and how they may lead children “into dangerous rabbit holes.”
A group of state attorneys general are also investigating how Instagram impacts teenagers. Meta Global Affairs VP Nick Clegg recently announced that Instagram will encourage teens to “take a break” from the app and try to divert them away from harmful content.
Source: Engadget – Instagram head Adam Mosseri agrees to testify before the Senate
The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City uses roughly 400,000 cubic feet of helium gas in total to inflate its iconic giant balloons. Besides being lighter than air and nonflammable—hence its practicality for balloons—helium is incredibly useful as a superconducting agent, making it crucial to many…
Source: Gizmodo – The Helium in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Could Power Some Sweet Science
It could be a rough Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, as parts of Southern California are facing “critical fire weather conditions” over the next few days. The National Weather Service is warning Santa Ana winds will kick up in full force in the Los Angeles area, bringing high fire risk, possible power shutoffs, and risky…
Source: Gizmodo – Southern California May Spend Thanksgiving on Fire, in the Dark
