Still on a high from launching back-to-back missions to the Moon and Sun, India is now ready to test its ability to send astronauts to space.
Source: Gizmodo – India Eyes a New Spaceflight Age as Gaganyaan Countdown Begins
Monthly Archives: October 2023
President Biden Trolls Trump on Truth Social
President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign launched its account on former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform on Monday. The reason? They thought it would be funny, according to an X post.
Source: Gizmodo – President Biden Trolls Trump on Truth Social
Why the Dyson Gen5Detect Is the Best Stick Vacuum
I’ve long maintained a bias against expensive appliances. Could a pricey vacuum really be $500 better than a basic one? It is, I admit, why I never succumbed to buying a Dyson product, no matter how wooed I was by the gentle British accent in the commercials. Welp, I was wrong. I have been using the Dyson Gen5 Detect…
Source: LifeHacker – Why the Dyson Gen5Detect Is the Best Stick Vacuum
Netflix Wants A Grand Theft Auto Game To Compete With PlayStation And Xbox
Remember when Netflix was a DVD-by-mail subscription service? It recently shipped its last DVD after successfully pivoting into a streaming juggernaut, and for its next trick, Netflix has set its sights set on getting into gaming in a big way. Efforts are already underway, though Netflix is apparently wanting to make a splash by securing a
Source: Hot Hardware – Netflix Wants A Grand Theft Auto Game To Compete With PlayStation And Xbox
The new $79 Apple Pencil has a USB-C charging port
Apple has unveiled a new Apple Pencil. The latest model costs $79 ($69 for education) and it pairs and charges via a USB-C cable. It’ll be available in early November and it’s compatible with every iPad that has a USB-C port.
This is the company’s most budget-friendly Apple Pencil yet. It’s $20 less than the original model and $40 cheaper than the second-gen Apple Pencil. Apple says features of the new version include pixel-perfect accuracy, low latency and tilt sensitivity.
There’s no pressure sensitivity this time around, though, so if you want that feature, you’ll need to stick with either of the previous iterations. While you can attach the USB-C Apple Pencil magnetically to the side of your iPad for storage (in which case it will go into a sleep state to prolong the battery life), there’s no wireless charging support either. To top up the Pencil’s battery, you’ll need to slide back a cap to expose a USB-C port and plug in a charging cable.
Apple
Unlike the second-gen Pencil, you won’t be able to double tap the latest version to change drawing tools. Apple has also declined to offer free engraving this time around. However, if you have an M2-powered iPad, you’ll be able to take advantage of the hover feature that’s supported on the second-gen Pencil. That enables you to preview any mark you intend to make before it’s actually applied to your note, sketch, annotation and so on.
This is Apple’s latest step in its transition away from the Lightning port, which was largely prompted by European Union rules. The company started embracing USB-C on iPads several years ago, while it ditched the Lightning port in all iPhone 15 models. It’ll take Apple a while longer to move away from Lightning entirely. Several devices it sells — such as older iPhones, AirPods Max, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and the first-gen Apple Pencil — still use that charging port. But this is another step toward an all-USB-C future, and one fewer charging cable you’ll need to carry around.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-new-79-apple-pencil-has-a-usb-c-charging-port-141732710.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – The new Apple Pencil has a USB-C charging port
Citing slow Starship reviews, SpaceX urges FAA to double licensing staff
Enlarge / SpaceX said this week that Starship is stacked and ready to fly its second test flight. (credit: SpaceX)
In a remarkably frank discussion this week, several senior SpaceX officials spoke with Ars Technica on background about how working with the Federal Aviation Administration has slowed down the company’s progress not just on development of the Starship program, but on innovations with the Falcon 9 and Dragon programs as well.
The SpaceX officials said they want to be clear that the FAA is doing a reasonably good job with the resources it has, and that everyone supports the mission of safe spaceflight. However, they said, the FAA needs significantly more people working in its licensing department and should be encouraged to prioritize missions of national importance.
In recent months, according to SpaceX, its programs have had to compete with one another for reviews at the FAA. This has significantly slowed down the Starship program and put development of a Human Landing System for NASA’s Artemis program at risk. Inefficient regulation, the officials said, is decreasing American competitiveness as space programs in China and elsewhere around the world rise.
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Source: Ars Technica – Citing slow Starship reviews, SpaceX urges FAA to double licensing staff
Apple Announces New Apple Pencil 3 With Hidden USB-C Port
Apple’s Newsroom announced the new Apple Pencil on Tuesday. It’s more affordable than its predecessors and offers some new features.
Source: Gizmodo – Apple Announces New Apple Pencil 3 With Hidden USB-C Port
How to Create Symbolic Links in Ubuntu 22.04
This tutorial explains how to create Symbolic Links in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish with examples and explanations.
The post How to Create Symbolic Links in Ubuntu 22.04 appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – How to Create Symbolic Links in Ubuntu 22.04
Baidu Says Its AI as Good as ChatGPT in Big Claim for China
Baidu’s founder Robin Li declared his company’s large language model has finally caught up with OpenAI’s advanced GPT-4, claiming the lead in his country’s race to develop AI that can rival the US. From a report: The billionaire took the stage in Beijing Tuesday to run Ernie 4.0 through a Q&A designed to showcase its ability to provide answers and solve complicated puzzles on the fly. Ernie has matched OpenAI’s seminal product in terms of sophistication and general capabilities, Li told a packed house at a converted steel mill that now serves as an auditorium. The marquee Ernie chatbot now surpassed 45 million users — a milestone that still lags ChatGPT’s estimated 180 million, though the US bot launched months earlier. China’s search leader, often referred to as a homegrown equivalent to Google, is pinning its hopes on AI to help it surpass rivals from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to Tencent that control the rest of the internet.
Baidu is leading a wave of aggressive investment across China after ChatGPT demonstrated the disruptive potential of generative AI — which can craft video and content from simple commands. It’s regarded as a leader in a race with local big tech firms and scores of startups to create a next-generation platform for the world’s biggest internet market. They’re trying to compete with American names from Microsoft to Google to create services like ChatGPT and Dall-E, but US sanctions on Chinese access to the most advanced chips to train and run AI models, coupled with Beijing’s stringent censorship, could cloud their prospects. Washington is tightening curbs on shipments of AI chips to the country, stoking that uncertainty. “Ernie is not inferior in any respect to GPT-4,” Li told the audience.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Baidu Says Its AI as Good as ChatGPT in Big Claim for China
Updates From Rick and Morty, and More
Get another new look at The Boy and The Heron. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters teases Godzilla’s return in a new poster. Plus, American Horror Stories returns in a new teaser for its four-part event series. Spoilers now!
Source: Gizmodo – Updates From Rick and Morty, and More
The Coolest Merch We Saw At New York Comic Con 2023
New York Comic Con is many things: long lines, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, panels, cosplay, and, of course, merch…so much merch. Eric and I took a few trips around the floor this year to get a load of all the random knick-knacks, art, statues, and cosplay items that were proudly on display, and Comic Con 2023 did…
Source: Kotaku – The Coolest Merch We Saw At New York Comic Con 2023
How to Grow (Good) Weed Indoors
If you don’t live in a sunny climate where cannabis grows well without much intervention—in other words, if you live in most of the country—you can be forgiven for not trying to grow your own weed.
Source: LifeHacker – How to Grow (Good) Weed Indoors
Blizzard Deletes Error-Filled Diablo IV Trailer
Diablo IV’s vampire-infested new Season of Blood goes live on October 17. In addition to new quests and gear, season 2 also promises a big overhaul of how XP and damage are calculated. The math can get pretty complicated. Even Blizzard’s own trailer got it wrong, which the studio ended up pulling after it was roundly…
Source: Kotaku – Blizzard Deletes Error-Filled Diablo IV Trailer
U.S. Investigating GM's Cruise Over Reported Pedestrian Injuries
General Motors’ autonomous vehicle company Cruise can’t shake the safety scrutiny over its driverless robotaxis. Now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is digging into whether or not these AVs are safe for the pedestrians being forced to live with them.
Source: Gizmodo – U.S. Investigating GM’s Cruise Over Reported Pedestrian Injuries
This Awesome Diablo IV Xbox Series X Console Could Be Yours Without Selling Your Soul
Now that Microsoft has cleared all the regulatory hurdles that stood in the way of its Activision-Blizzard acquisition, it can focus on how best to put its newly-acquired IP to good use. One of those IPs is Diablo and as such, it’s offering up a custom Diablo IV-themed Xbox Series X console that it designed in collaboration with the game’s
Source: Hot Hardware – This Awesome Diablo IV Xbox Series X Console Could Be Yours Without Selling Your Soul
“Netflix effect” is back as studios license old shows to competitors again
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Rene Wassenbergh | EyeEm)
Some of Netflix’s competitors are reversing a streaming war tactic by licensing their old TV shows and movies to the streamer—boosting its programming offerings but also potentially squeezing its profit margins, analysts say.
Netflix relied heavily on programming that it licensed from other companies when it launched its streaming service in 2007. But after Walt Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and the then-Time Warner launched their own streaming services, they pulled many of their shows from Netflix to avoid feeding a company that had grown into an arch-competitor.
With legacy media groups under pressure to produce streaming profits, however, licensing revenue is looking attractive again—even if it comes from Netflix. This summer, Warner Bros Discovery’s HBO network began licensing a handful of older shows to Netflix, including Insecure, Six Feet Under, Ballers, and Band of Brothers.
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Source: Ars Technica – “Netflix effect” is back as studios license old shows to competitors again
A 4K Nintendo 64 Console Is Coming To Relive Your Retro N64 Games In High Resolution
We’re big fans of retro gaming here in these parts. Whether it’s 8-bit and 16-bit classic recreations of our childhood favorites in the Sega Genesis 2 Mini or playing on original retro consoles with fancy upscalers, we just can’t go wrong with revisiting the classics. In recent years, the cutting edge of retro emulation has been found in field-programmable
Source: Hot Hardware – A 4K Nintendo 64 Console Is Coming To Relive Your Retro N64 Games In High Resolution
Four Things to Do When You Move Plants Indoors for Winter
Right about now is a good time to appreciate your house plants. They help satisfy your green thumb throughout the fall and winter months, they break up the hard spaces in our homes, and they remind us to care for something other than ourselves. With fall solidly here, it’s time to give our houseplants the love and…
Source: LifeHacker – Four Things to Do When You Move Plants Indoors for Winter
NVIDIA R545 Linux Beta Driver Brings HDMI Deep Color, Night Color & FB Consoles
NVIDIA today published their first R545 Linux driver beta series with a number of shiny new features…
Source: Phoronix – NVIDIA R545 Linux Beta Driver Brings HDMI Deep Color, Night Color & FB Consoles
Final Fantasy VII’s Most Iconic Flashback Is Better Than Ever
The church in the slums, the Gold Saucer date, the slap-fest atop Junon’s Sister Ray cannon—Final Fantasy VII has a heaping helping of memorable setpieces. And few among them are more iconic than Square Enix’s own Rashomon—the Nibelheim Incident.
Source: Kotaku – Final Fantasy VII’s Most Iconic Flashback Is Better Than Ever