A recent and “widespread” API outage had left Discord unusable for some people for part of the day. After reports of the problem started to surface online, Discord began investigating at approximately 2:49PM ET. Minutes later, it said it had identified the underlying issue causing the outage, but noted it was also dealing with a secondary problem related to one of its database clusters. “We have our entire on-call response team online and responding to the issue,” the company said at the time. 

At 3:07PM ET, the company implemented a login limit to manage its traffic load, a measure it’s now slowly easing as things return to normal. If you can’t access your Discord account yet, wait a bit and try again in the next 30 minutes to an hour. 

Source: Engadget – Discord is recovering from a brief but widespread outage

If you loved/hated Twitter’s new NFT user profile pictures, get ready to feel excited/ambivalent about Reddit’s offering. TechCrunch reports that Reddit is now testing an NFT profile picture implementation, though it’s unclear how it’ll actually look to end users. Twitter’s hexagonal icons separate NFT owners from lowly round-icon proles, so we’d wager Reddit would also want some way to make crypto fans feel special.

“We’re always exploring ways to provide value for users and communities on Reddit. At the moment we’re testing the ability to use NFTs as profile pictures (avatars) and verify ownership,” Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt told TechCrunch. “It’s a small, internal test and no decisions have been made about expanding or rolling out the capability.”

Notably, TechCrunch also says Reddit isn’t limiting its exclusive profile pics to owners of its own NFT project, CryptoSnoos. If the feature actually gets implemented (and given the current wave of crypto-hype, why wouldn’t it?), you’ll be able to display whatever NFT you’d like as you browse r/gonewild.

Source: Engadget – Reddit tests NFT user profile pictures, just like Twitter

It’s a big day for security updates in Apple-land. The company has rolled out software fixes for just about all of its platforms, including iOS 15.3 and macOS 12.2, 9to5Mac reports. Notably, they fix the Safari vulnerability that could potentially leak your browser history, as well as your Google account information. WatchOS 8.4 and tvOS 15.2, meanwhile, add some performance improvements. And even though the company isn’t paying as much attention to its smart speakers these days, it launched HomePod 15.3, which adds Siri support for up to six users speaking English in India, or Italian in Italy. (That’s a feature Apple started offering in the US back in 2019.)

While we normally wouldn’t stress minor software updates much, iOS and macOS users should deal with that Safari vulnerability as soon as they can. Sure, there aren’t any major threats taking advantage of that now, but who knows what malware could pop up in the next month or two. 

Source: Engadget – Apple rolls out iOS 15.3 and macOS 12.2 to fix a major Safari exploit

Transporation startup Boom is one step closer to bringing back supersonic passenger flight. On Wednesday, the company announced plans to build a manufacturing facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina. Once complete, “The Overture Superfactory” will employ approximately 1,750 workers by 2030 and produce the company’s upcoming Overture supersonic jet, which Boom hopes will start flying passengers in 2029. Construction on the facility is expected to start later this year, with production to follow in 2024. The first jet will roll out in 2025 and then fly in 2026. 

The 400,000 square foot facility will eventually produce aircraft for carriers like Japan Airlines and United Airlines. In 2021, the latter announced it would purchase 15 Overture jets once the plane met its safety and operating requirements. The agreement includes an option for United to buy an additional 35 aircraft, for a total of 50 jets.

Boom claims Overture will revolutionize commercial aviation. It envisions the Mach 1.7 jet flying from San Francisco to Toyko in approximately six hours. On a modern jet plane, you can expect a flight like that to take about 11 hours. What’s more, Bloom claims Overture will be “net-zero carbon” aircraft thanks to its ability to fly on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuels.

The news is another major win for the state of North Carolina. At the end of December, Toyota announced it would build a $1.29 billion battery plant on the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, a tract of land located in Randolph County. Once complete sometime in 2025, the facility will consist of four production lines capable of producing batteries for approximately 200,000 vehicles per year. 

Source: Engadget – Boom will build a supersonic jet factory in North Carolina