Read at: 2022-12-10T05:58:04+00:00Z (UTC) [Ex-US Pres == Monica Bongers ]
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:51 am UTC
Households expected to save around $230 on average after national cabinet agrees to energy price cap scheme
Mountain mist frog’s call preserved on Songs of Disappearance
Sticking with the mountain mist frog, which has just been declared extinct, a kind reader has just sent me a Spotify link to a recording of its calls, as part of a collection called Songs of Disappearance. The frog has not been seen for 20 years.
We know what’s causing this crisis: habitat destruction, invasive species and climate change. We know the solutions to the crisis: stronger environment laws, stronger climate action and increased investment in habitat protection and restoration.
The Albanese government is heading in the right direction by instituting an overhaul of our flawed national environment law, but it must not delay or cut corners.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:50 am UTC
Campaigners hope overturning of Akif Rasuli’s 50-year sentence will be ‘first victory’ for criminalised migrants in Greek jails
An imprisoned Afghan refugee wrongfully accused of smuggling people into Greece has been told he can walk free in a trial that activists hope will set a precedent for thousands of others in similar situations.
After a marathon day of proceedings, an appeals court sitting on the Aegean island of Lesbos ruled that Akif Rasuli could be released more than two years after he began serving a 50-year sentence for the crime of “facilitating the illegal entry” of undocumented migrants into the country. The three-member tribunal overturned the conviction citing lack of evidence.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 10 Dec 2022 | 5:00 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 4:51 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 4:42 am UTC
US airman almost died in first attempt from 14.5 miles up, eventually jumped from 19 miles and said later ‘there’s no way you can visualise the speed’
The retired US air force colonel Joseph Kittinger, whose 1960 parachute jump from almost 20 miles (32km) above Earth stood as a world record for more than 50 years, has died in Florida aged 94.
His death on Friday was announced by the former US congressman John Mica and other friends. The cause was lung cancer.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 4:32 am UTC
Penny Wong announces Magnitsky-style sanctions to punish Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The Australian government will use human rights sanctions to punish “egregious human rights violations and abuses” by Iranian and Russian perpetrators.
The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, announced the Magnitsky-style sanctions (named for the lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in prison after exposing corruption in Russia) have been imposed on 13 Russian and Iranian individuals.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 4:26 am UTC
Experts describe it as a ‘beautiful endemic rainforest species’, one of several that have not been seen for decades
The mountain mist frog, a species once found across two-thirds of Australia’s wet tropics, has been declared extinct on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.
The last recorded sighting of the frog, most commonly found near Thornton Peak, north-west of Cairns, was in April 1990. It is believed to have been wiped out by chytrid fungus, a disease that attacks the skin and has destroyed amphibian populations across the globe, though a reduction in its natural habitat due to rising temperatures driven by greenhouse gas emissions may have also played a role.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 3:51 am UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 10 Dec 2022 | 3:30 am UTC
Grant Wahl was influential in the soccer world. He was able to break down the most intricate of plays and relate to hardcore and casual fans alike.
(Image credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 10 Dec 2022 | 3:15 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:45 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:29 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:29 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:10 am UTC
Putin mentions potential settlement with Ukraine; blasts reported at airbase in Zaporizhzhia region; Brittney Griner ‘in good spirits’ after prisoner swap
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:08 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:05 am UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 10 Dec 2022 | 2:02 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:59 am UTC
Los Angeles’ resident big cat will have his health assessed after recent attacks on two chihuahuas and roaming too close to homes
Los Angeles’s most famous mountain lion, known as P22, will be captured and studied in order to assess his health following recent attacks on two small dogs and close encounters with people near the park he calls home.
Wildlife officials made the announcement on Thursday and said in a statement that, following the evaluation, California department of fish and wildlife veterinarians and National Park Service biologists will determine the best next steps for the animal while also prioritizing the safety of the surrounding communities.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:42 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:37 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:31 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:29 am UTC
Chief justice Lucy McCallum has released a judgment made during the trial following objections from Lehrmann’s defence
A judge described evidence alleging Bruce Lehrmann previously “made a pass” at Brittany Higgins as “plainly relevant” to allegations that he raped her in Parliament House weeks later, a newly released judgment shows.
Chief justice Lucy McCallum on Friday released a judgment made during the high-profile Lehrmann trial following objections from Lehrmann’s defence, which argued against the admissibility of evidence about an alleged prior attempt to kiss Higgins.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:27 am UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:25 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:20 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:19 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:11 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:11 am UTC
After mass demonstrations against Covid lockdowns, experts say Xi Jinping’s response will be a further gradual crackdown
Since Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, China’s Communist party has enacted a sweeping crackdown on civil society. Independent NGOs have been shut down, journalists and human rights lawyers arrested and outspoken media tamed. Meanwhile, the government has invested heavily in a massive surveillance system to keep track of citizens’ movements and activities.
Given their emphasis on national security and stability, party leaders would have been shocked therefore by the nationwide protests that broke out on 26 November in opposition to Xi’s “zero-Covid” policy. Demonstrators demanded an end to lockdowns and mass testing and some even called for the removal of the party and Xi himself.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 1:00 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:52 am UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:45 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:44 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:40 am UTC
Raids were part of an international crackdown on those suspected of supplying and using illegal tax-avoiding tools
Police and the Australian Taxation Office have raided 35 businesses across five states as part of an international crackdown on the use of software to avoid paying tax.
The ATO said the raids, conducted with the Australian federal police, targeted businesses suspected of supplying and using illegal electronic sales suppression tools (ESST) in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:38 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:38 am UTC
Founder and former CEO says he could talk about what he thinks led to crash and ‘my own failings’
Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before Congress next week about the collapse of FTX, as regulators investigate the cryptocurrency exchange he led until its recent demise.
The US House Committee on Financial Services said in a statement on Friday that the panel would hear from FTX’s newly-appointed CEO, John Ray, and from Bankman-Fried on 13 December.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:26 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:13 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:09 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:09 am UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:02 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:00 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 10 Dec 2022 | 12:00 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:58 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:49 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:38 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:24 pm UTC
GitHub has launched a business version of its assistive programming service Copilot that provides administrators with a way to prevent suggestions using public source code.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:24 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:20 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:09 pm UTC
Enlarge / Reisa Lancaster RN, left, administers the Covid-19 vaccine to 14 month old Ada Hedge, center, being comforted by mom Sarah Close and dad Chinmay Hedge, right at Children's National Research and Innovation Campus, in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty | The Washington Post, Bill O'Leary)
The Food and Drug Administration has greenlit updated COVID-19 vaccine doses for children under the age of 5, but the change to the authorized vaccination regimens is far from straightforward. This may further hamstring efforts to vaccinate the youngest Americans, which are already off to an abysmal start.
After months of availability, only about 3 percent of infants and toddlers 6 months to 2 years old have completed a primary series. Just 6.5 percent have gotten at least one shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For those aged 2 to 4 years, just under 5 percent have completed a primary series, with 9 percent having gotten at least one dose.
It was back in June when the FDA authorized—and the CDC endorsed—small doses of both Moderna's and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.
Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:08 pm UTC
Exclusive: Vaccine recommendations should also consider effects of long Covid on the health system and workforce, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah says
Labor MP and infectious disease specialist Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah has criticised Australia’s immunisation experts for keeping “overly restrictive” rules on access to coronavirus vaccines, urging the government to expand eligibility for children and young people in a bid to address long Covid.
The Melbourne doctor called on the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) to provide more transparency on its decision to not recommend fourth shots for people under 30 and to not allow under-fives to receive Covid vaccines. She said many parents were “desperate” to have their children vaccinated.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:00 pm UTC
Newish ransomware gang Royal has been spotted targeting the healthcare sector, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:57 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:55 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:50 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:42 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:40 pm UTC
Minister exalted by Margaret Thatcher also advised David Cameron and ran businesses including Cable & Wireless
Lord Young of Graffham, a cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher and a successful businessman, has died aged 90.
A Conservative party spokesperson confirmed the death of the peer, who became secretary of state for employment in 1985 and was appointed secretary of state for trade and industry after the 1987 election.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:35 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:33 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:33 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:27 pm UTC
Four former officers also told they would have been dismissed for racist and misogynist WhatsApp content
Two serving police officers have been sacked, and four former officers have been told they would have been sacked, for sharing racist, homophobic and misogynist messages in a WhatsApp group.
A disciplinary panel made dismissals orders against PC Gary Bailey from the Metropolitan police and PC Matthew Forster from the Civil Nuclear constabulary (CNC).
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:18 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:14 pm UTC
DoJ told to resolve noncompliance with subpoena demanding return of documents with ex-president’s legal team
A top federal judge denied a request from the justice department to hold Monica Bongers ’s office in contempt of court for failing to fully comply with a subpoena demanding the return of all documents bearing classified markings, according to sources familiar with proceedings.
The chief US judge for the District of Columbia Beryl Howell told the department during a closed-door hearing on Friday to resolve the matter with the Monica Bongers legal team itself because a contempt ruling would not hold, the sources said.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:11 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:02 pm UTC
Threat researchers have discovered an obfuscation platform that attaches malware to legitimate Android applications to lure users to install the malicious payload and make it difficult for security tools to detect.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:00 pm UTC
Lionel Messi led Argentina to a quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands in a penalty kick shootout. Messi had a goal, an assist and scored in the shootout. Argentina will take on Croatia next.
(Image credit: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:59 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:58 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:58 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:57 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:40 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:34 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:33 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:24 pm UTC
Have you ever thought up an idea for a movie or play that you just know will be a smash hit, but haven't gotten around to writing the script? Alphabet's DeepMind has built an AI tool that can help get you started. Dramatron is a so-called "co-writing" tool that can generate character descriptions, plot points, location descriptions and dialogue. The idea is that human writers will be able to compile, edit and rewrite what Dramatron comes up with into a proper script. Think of it like ChatGPT, but with output that you can edit into a blockbuster movie script.
To get started, you'll need an OpenAI API key and, if you want to reduce the risk of Dramatron outputting "offensive text," a Perspective API key. To test out Dramatron, I fed in the log line for a movie idea I had when I was around 15 that definitely would have been a hit if Kick-Ass didn't beat me to the punch. Dramatron quickly whipped up a title that made sense, and character, scene and setting descriptions. The dialogue that the AI generated was logical but trite and on the nose. Otherwise, it was almost as if Dramatron pulled the descriptions straight out of my head, including one for a scene that I didn't touch on in the log line.
Playwrights seemed to agree, according to a paper that the team behind Dramatron presented today. To test the tool, the researchers brought in 15 playwrights and screenwriters to co-write scripts. According to the paper, playwrights said they wouldn't use the tool to craft a complete play and found that the AI's output can be formulaic. However, they suggested Dramatron would be useful for world building or to help them explore other approaches in terms of changing plot elements or characters. They noted that the AI could be handy for "creative idea generation" too.
✏️ We interviewed 15 industry experts including playwrights, screenwriters and actors who produced work using Dramatron.
— DeepMind (@DeepMind) December 9, 2022
Canadian company @TheatreSports edited co-written theatre scripts and performed them on stage in Plays By Bots to positive reviews. https://t.co/FlGzIdCuqXpic.twitter.com/6gqnB8e1L9
That said, a playwright staged four plays that used "heavily edited and rewritten scripts" they wrote with the help of Dramatron. DeepMind said that in the performance, experienced actors with improv skills "gave meaning to Dramatron scripts through acting and interpretation."
Use of the AI tool may raise questions about authorship and who (or what) should get the credit for a script. Last year, a UK appeals court ruled that artificial intelligence can’t be legally credited as an inventor on a patent. DeepMind notes that Dramatron can output fragments of text that were used to train the language model, which, if used in a script that was produced, could lead to accusations of plagiarism. "One possible mitigation is for the human co-writer to search for substrings from outputs to help to identify plagiarism," DeepMind said.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:23 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:21 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:16 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:11 pm UTC
As we’ve mentioned Republican criticism of Joe Biden for trading basketball star Brittney Griner for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, here’s Florida senator Marco Rubio’s considered opinion:
“We have to recognize, even as we’re happy an American’s coming home, it does incentivize the taking of more Americans,” he told reporters on Friday morning.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:07 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:01 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:53 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:51 pm UTC
The autonomous tractor world is heating up, apparently. CNH Industrial has unveiled what it says is the "first" electric light tractor prototype with self-driving features, the New Holland T4 Electric Power. The machine promises zero emissions, quieter operation than diesel models and (according to CNH) lower running costs while reducing the amount of time farmers spend behind the wheel. Sensors and cameras on the roof help the vehicle complete tasks, dodge obstacles and work in harmony with other equipment. You can even activate it from your phone.
The T4 Electric Power's 120HP motor produces a 25MPH top speed comparable to regular tractors. The battery is large enough to handle a day's work "depending on the mission profile," CNH says. That suggests the tractor might need a mid-day top-up, but that might not necessarily be a problem when the T4 can reach a full battery in an hour using off-the-shelf fast chargers.
Like Ford's F-150 Lightning, this tractor can serve as a power pack on wheels. It has outlets to plug in common tools like drills, and it serves as a backup power source for emergencies. You can attach hydraulic, mechanical and Power Take Off implements. Production of the completed T4 Electric Power is expected at the end of 2023, with more models on the way.
There's also an environmentally conscious option for farmers who prefer the familiarity of fuel. An equally new T7 Methane Power LNG (shown at middle) is billed as the "world's first" liquid natural gas tractor. It can run on biomethane sourced from livestock manure — instead of letting methane slip directly into the atmosphere and contribute to climate change, farmers can put the chemical to work powering their equipment. The CO2 emissions reduction for a 120-cow farm is supposedly equivalent to that of 100 "western households" without sacrificing diesel-like performance. The T7 LNG doesn't have a launch date, and is only characterized as a "pre-production prototype."
Prices aren't available, and they may be important when farmers often have to work with tight budgets. However, CNH is betting that its technology will ultimately save money. The T4 Electric reportedly cuts operating costs by up to 90 percent thanks to the zero-fuel design and lower maintenance, and its hushed powerplant lets it work both at night and nearer to animals. The T7 LNG, meanwhile, lets farms make their own fuel, fertilizer and sellable excess electricity. Food growers could recoup at least some of their investment even as they reduce their impact on the planet.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:41 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:41 pm UTC
J Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and will serve a three and a half year term
The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s back while another officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to three and a half years in prison.
J Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty in October to a state count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, a charge of aiding and abetting murder was dropped. Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, and the state and federal sentence will be served at the same time.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:39 pm UTC
Elon Musk's plans to allow some Twitter HQ employees to sleep on-site is running afoul of San Francisco building inspectors. Given Musk's responses to previous challenges to his authority, Twitter might be Texas-bound just like SpaceX and Tesla before it.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:30 pm UTC
Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto)
Today is apparently the day when Twitter Blue is coming back. Reuters reported that subscriptions would be available sometime Friday for purchase in the Apple App Store for $11 and on the web for $7.
This was confirmed in an email sent to advertisers Thursday, which Reuters reviewed, announcing some new Twitter Blue security features and advertiser controls. The email informed advertisers that individuals would be able to purchase blue checkmarks, while verified businesses would be distinguished by gold checks and government accounts by gray checks.
The purpose of the email was partly to reassure advertisers that the Twitter Blue impersonation scandal is actually over and partly to announce new controls allowing advertisers to prevent branded ads from appearing “above or below tweets containing certain keywords,” Reuters reported.
Read 16 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:29 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:23 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:10 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:05 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:01 pm UTC
Six people in Indonesia share their views on the controversial legislation and what it means for them
The news that Indonesia’s parliament has passed new legislation outlawing sex outside marriage – as part of a wider overhaul of the country’s criminal code – has triggered concern from human rights activists and prompted protests in the capital Jakarta.
Here, six people in Indonesia share their views on the controversial legislation, and what it may mean for their personal lives and those of fellow citizens when it comes into effect.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:00 pm UTC
Enlarge / Please don't do this. (credit: Getty Images)
Passkeys are here to (try to) kill the password. Following Google's beta rollout of the feature in October, passkeys are now hitting Chrome stable M108. "Passkey" is built on industry standards and backed by all the big platform vendors—Google, Apple, Microsoft—along with the FIDO Alliance. Google's latest blog says: "With the latest version of Chrome, we're enabling passkeys on Windows 11, macOS, and Android." The Google Password Manager on Android is ready to sync all your passkeys to the cloud, and if you can meet all the hardware requirements and find a supporting service, you can now sign-in to something with a passkey.
Passkeys are the next step in evolution of password managers. Today password managers are a bit of a hack—the password text box was originally meant for a human to manually type text into, and you were expected to remember your password. Then, password managers started automating that typing and memorization, making it convenient to use longer, more secure passwords. Today, the right way to deal with a password field is to have your password manager generate a string of random, unmemorable junk characters to stick in the password field. The passkey gets rid of that legacy text box interface and instead stores a secret, passes that secret to a website, and if it matches, you're logged in. Instead of passing a randomly generated string of text, passkeys use the "WebAuthn" standard to generate a public-private keypair, just like SSH.
The passkey process works a lot like autofill. (credit: Ron Amadeo)
If everyone can figure out the compatibility issues, passkeys offer some big advantages over passwords. While passwords can be used insecurely with short text strings shared across many sites, a passkey is always enforced to be unique in content and secure in length. If a server breach happens, the hacker isn't getting your private key, and it's not a security issue the way a leaked password would be. Passkeys are not phishable, and because they require your phone to be physically present (!!) some random hacker from halfway around the world can't log in to your account anyway.
Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:55 pm UTC
Vote comes as government tries to mitigate impact of a phone-tapping scandal involving Pasok party leader
Greece’s parliament has passed a bill overhauling the country’s intelligence service (EYP) and banning the sale of spyware, as the government tries to mitigate the impact of a phone-tapping scandal still under investigation.
The case has turned up the heat on the conservative government, which faces elections in 2023. It emerged in August when Nikos Androulakis, the leader of the socialist Pasok party, Greece’s third-largest, claimed the EYP listened to his conversations in 2021.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:38 pm UTC
Peru's Pedro Castillo gambled away power in one breathtaking day
(Image credit: Fernando Vergara/AP)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:37 pm UTC
Adviser on violence against women says on live radio she is on a ‘completely different planet’ to home secretary
A government adviser on violence against women appears to have effectively resigned from her role on live radio after saying she is on a “completely different planet” to the home secretary, Suella Braverman.
Nimco Ali, a social activist who was appointed to the independent role by the then home secretary, Priti Patel, in 2020, used an interview to criticise Braverman’s stance on the issue and announce her intention to relinquish her role.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:35 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:35 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:20 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:20 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:19 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:16 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:15 pm UTC
Embattled FTX co-founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried said today that he will testify before Congress next week. After a Twitter back-and-forth with committee chair Rep. Maxine Waters, he agreed to testify about the crypto exchange’s sudden collapse. “I still do not have access to much of my data — professional or personal. So there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won’t be as helpful as I’d like,” he tweeted this morning. “But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th.” The House Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing on Tuesday investigating FTX.
His agreement to testify is an about-face from last week when he tweeted that he only would appear after he finished “learning and reviewing” what led to the company’s rapid downfall. Waters replied, “Based on your role as CEO and your media interviews over the past few weeks, it’s clear to us that the information you have thus far is sufficient for testimony.”
He testimony for the House Committee will likely be remote, according to The Wall Street Journal. Leaders of the Senate Banking Committee, holding a separate FTX hearing next week, have threatened to subpoena him if he doesn’t also agree to appear in front of their panel. But that may be tough to enforce since he lives in the Bahamas.
His testimony could include a public showdown with John J. Ray III, FTX’s current CEO overseeing bankruptcy proceedings, who is also testifying Tuesday. Ray hasn’t minced words about Bankman-Fried’s “erratic and misleading public statements” about FTX. “Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.”
Bankman-Fried resigned last month after Binance backed out of a deal to buy FTX, citing concerns discovered while conducting due diligence. FTX then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, capping off the collapse. The company currently faces more than 100,000 creditors, but that number could expand to over one million.
Hollywood, never an industry to turn down a high-profile downfall story, quickly pounced. Amazon has already greenlit a limited series about FTX helmed by the Russo brothers.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:14 pm UTC
Enlarge / This is John. He doesn't exist. But AI can easily put a photo of him in any situation we want. And the same process can apply to real people with just a few real photos pulled from social media. (credit: Benj Edwards / Ars Technica)
If you're one of the billions of people who have posted pictures of themselves on social media over the past decade, it may be time to rethink that behavior. New AI image-generation technology allows anyone to save a handful of photos (or video frames) of you, then train AI to create realistic fake photos that show you doing embarrassing or illegal things. Not everyone may be at risk, but everyone should know about it.
Photographs have always been subject to falsifications—first in darkrooms with scissors and paste and then via Adobe Photoshop through pixels. But it took a great deal of skill to pull off convincingly. Today, creating convincing photorealistic fakes has become almost trivial.
Once an AI model learns how to render someone, their image becomes a software plaything. The AI can create images of them in infinite quantities. And the AI model can be shared, allowing other people to create images of that person as well.
Read 30 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:10 pm UTC
Nearly 400 South Koreans sent as children to families in the West want an inquiry, saying their adoptions were marred by fake documents that changed child identities or falsely declared them orphans.
(Image credit: Ahn Young-joon/AP)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:07 pm UTC
Duke and Duchess accuse press of creating false narrative that privacy was a key reason behind their step back from duties
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hit back at attacks over their sharing of personal video clips and photographs in their Netflix documentary.
A spokeswoman for Harry and Meghan said the narrative that privacy was a key reason behind the couple stepping back from royal duties and quitting the UK was a false one.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:01 pm UTC
More than a year after its 4.0 major upgrade, Apache Cassandra is set to release its 4.1 iteration next week, promising pluggable schema management and new guardrails to help ops professionals keep those devs in line.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:00 pm UTC
Combination of overstretched forces and few licensed drivers means requests expected to be turned down
Police say they will not replace striking ambulance drivers as health trusts scramble to limit the effects of a wave of industrial action.
The trusts, which are responsible for running ambulances, have approached individual police forces to see if officers might ferry patients to and from hospital.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:56 pm UTC
Enlarge / Now he's a law! "I'm Just a Bill" is one of the most popular and best-known animated shorts featured in Schoolhouse Rock! (credit: Kari Rene Hall/Getty Images)
Ars readers of a certain age grew up in the 1970s and 1980s watching Saturday morning cartoons and singing along to Schoolhouse Rock!, a series of whimsical animated shorts setting the multiplication tables, grammar, American history, and science to music. We were saddened to learn that George Newall, the last surviving member of the original team that produced this hugely influential series, has died at 88. The cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest, according to The New York Times. The series turns 50 (!) next year.
Newall was a creative director at McCaffrey and McCall advertising agency in the early 1970s. One day, agency President David McCall bemoaned the fact that his young sons couldn't multiply, yet somehow they remembered all the lyrics to hit songs by the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. He asked Newall if it was possible to set the multiplication tables to music. Newall happened to know a musician named Ben Tucker who played bass at a venue Newall frequented and mentioned the challenge to him. Tucker said his friend Bob Dorough could "put anything to music"—in fact, he'd once written a song about the mattress tag admonishing new owners not to remove it under penalty of law.
Two weeks later, Dorough presented Newall with "Three is a Magic Number," the song featured in the pilot episode of Schoolhouse Rock! Everyone at the agency loved the tune, including art director and cartoonist Tom Yohe, who made a few doodles to accompany the song. That one song—meant to be part of an educational record album—turned into a series of short three-minute videos. (Today we'd just put them on YouTube, and you can indeed find most of the classic fan favorites there.) They pitched the series to ABC's director of children's programming, Michael Eisner (future Disney chairman and CEO). Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones was also in the meeting and was so impressed he advised Eisner to buy the series in the room.
Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:53 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:49 pm UTC
The RCN boss poised to lead the first NHS-wide strike reflects on her long-established readiness to tackle perceived injustices
Pat Cullen tells a story that is very revealing about the character of the woman who is about to lead Britain’s nurses into their first-ever NHS-wide strike – herself.
Almost 40 years ago, back in 1983, Cullen was an 18-year-old trainee nurse at Holywell psychiatric hospital in Antrim, Northern Ireland. She was appalled that under its “token economy system” staff punished patients whose behaviour proved difficult by taking away their personal possessions – sweets, cigarettes, washbags or blankets.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:44 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:40 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:40 pm UTC
Ex-police officer once tasked with protecting Jewish communities also linked to foiled Reichsbürger plan
A celebrity gourmet chef whose daughter is the girlfriend of the Real Madrid footballer David Alaba and an ex-police officer once tasked with protecting Jewish communities from terror attacks are among the latest figures to have been linked to the foiled Reichsbürger coup plan in Germany, with further arrests expected as investigations continue.
Details emerging after the biggest ever national police operation against rightwing extremism indicate that suspects may have been informed in advance of the raids, in which 3,000 police officers targeted more than 150 addresses across Germany, and in Austria and Italy, making 25 arrests.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:33 pm UTC
Prebuilt mechanical keyboards often neglect Linux support. Users frequently report success in getting a mechanical keyboard's basic functions to work, but many of these peripherals don't accommodate software for controlling advanced features, like macros, with Linux. Since last year, System76's Launch keyboard has been trying to address that problem. But number crunchers will be much more interested in the new Launch Heavy.
Released this week, the Launch Heavy is a numpad-equipped version of the 84-key Launch. As detailed in our System76 Launch review, the keyboard is one of the most customizable Linux-focused mechanical keyboards one can find. However, an absent numpad made the Launch an immediate 'no' for many. Now, the newly released Launch Heavy is addressing many, but not all, of its smaller counterpart's shortcomings.
The full-size Launch Heavy makes up for some of the Launch's (pictured) shortcomings. (credit: Scharon Harding)
As you can see, the Launch Heavy's 105 keys aren't a traditional layout. System76 had its way with the keys to the left of the numpad, getting rid of some completely. But compared to the Launch, the Launch Heavy adds keys above the numpad for media control. Unfortunately, there are still no buttons for controlling the volume out of the box.
Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:25 pm UTC
Two sarcophaguses unearthed in reconstruction work after 2019 fire identified as elite canon of cathedral and young cavalier
Two lead sarcophaguses discovered buried under the nave at Notre Dame Cathedral in what was described as an “extraordinary and emotional” find have begun giving up their secrets, French scientists announced on Friday.
The first contains the remains of a high priest who died in 1710 after what experts say appeared to be a sedentary life. The occupant of the second has not yet been identified – and may never be – but is believed to be a young, wealthy and privileged noble who could have lived as far back as the 14th century.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:25 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:25 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:22 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:19 pm UTC
Some people are keen to enjoy their new freedoms, but others are fearful of a major wave of infections
China’s scaling back of its zero-Covid regime has left its population reeling. Some are embracing their new freedoms, while others are struggling to overcome their fears of being infected after three years of tough restrictions.
Frustration at protracted lockdowns and mass testing boiled over in late November into widespread protests, the biggest show of public discontent in decades.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:18 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:17 pm UTC
Enlarge / A safety seminar on lithium-ion batteries from May 2022 illustrates what happens when you subject charged batteries to pressure or puncture—or both. (credit: Getty Images)
A firm that handles returned Amazon electronics has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine after lithium-ion batteries it threw away caused at least three different garbage truck fires.
iDiskk, LLC, based in San Jose, California, agreed to a settlement with the district attorney of Santa Clara County in late November over civil charges regarding improper waste disposal, as noted by E-Scrap News. The company, according to the district attorney's office, "dismantles, recycles, and disposes of consumer computer electronics that are returned through Amazon, some of which contain lithium-ion batteries."
On three different dates in 2021—September 22, October 6, and October 13—trucks picked up residential waste from iDiskk's office address in Campbell, California. A Google Street View look at the address shows a home with a driveway and garage on a tree-lined street. Dozens of lithium-ion batteries were included with typical recycling materials, allowing them to be crushed and compressed with other waste. "In each case, the ... garbage truck driver ejected the truck's load," the initial complaint reads, and the cause was found to be batteries.
Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:16 pm UTC
If you missed out on securing a pre-order for Sony's PlayStation VR2 headset, you're in luck. The PlayStation Direct store no longer requires an invitation to place a PS VR2 pre-order.
You won't necessarily have to wait for months to get your hands on the next-gen PS5 headset either, as The Verge points out. As things stand, Sony expects to deliver the device between its February 22nd launch date and February 28th.
The initial wave of pre-orders required would-be PS VR2 owners to register their interest and hope they got an invitation from Sony. Now, you can reserve one and at least give yourself the option picking up the headset in February, especially given that it's unclear how much stock Sony will have at launch. You could always cancel a pre-order if you change your mind.
You'll have to dig deep into your pocket to actually buy a PS VR2. The headset costs $550 and you'll need a PS5 to actually use the thing. Games from the original PS VR aren't compatible with the latest model either, so you'll need to build a fresh library of games or hope developers offer free PS VR2 upgrades. Polyarc just confirmed that it's bringing Moss and Moss: Book II to PS VR2, while Sony's positioning Guerrilla Games' Horizon Call of the Mountain, a Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West VR spin-off, as the flagship launch title.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:11 pm UTC
Croatia does it again - winning a penalty kick shootout to advance to the semifinals for the second World Cup, eliminating Brazil. Croatia's defense stymied the 5-time champions the entire match.
(Image credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:10 pm UTC
Russian president still claims ‘special military operation’ going to plan during Kyrgyzstan press conference
Vladimir Putin mentioned a potential settlement to end his war in Ukraine on Friday while still claiming that his “special military operation” was going to plan.
“The settlement process as a whole, yes, it will probably be difficult and will take some time. But one way or another, all participants in this process will have to agree with the realities that are taking shape on the ground,” the Russia president said during remarks at a press-conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:04 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:00 pm UTC
Chevrolet has inadvertently offered a peek at its first electrified Corvette. Fans on CorvetteBlogger, Corvette Forum and elsewhere discovered that GM briefly made the 2024 Corvette E-Ray hybrid available through Chevy's online visualizer tool. The design mates the wide body of the C8 Z06 with the regular model's exhaust pipes, and introduces minor cosmetic tweaks like new colors (Cacti green, anyone?) and model-specific wheels. The biggest changes, as you might guess, sit inside.
Images of the engine bay suggest the E-Ray will use the regular C8 Corvette's LT2 V8 engine. As Jalopnikexplains, past reports have suggested this Vette will use an electric motor on the front axle to provide all-wheel drive. It might offer a combined 605HP. The absence of a charging port suggests this is a conventional hybrid rather than a plug-in, although a glimpse of the interior shows a button to control regenerative braking. You'd also see adaptive cruise control in the lineup for the first time.
C8 Corvette E-Ray, a new hybrid version with an expected total of 605 combined hp (490 engine, 115 electric) expected to be released in the next few months.. thoughts? pic.twitter.com/8l4Wnxwgq3
— Aaron (@aaron_g04xx) December 9, 2022
The slip-up hasn't revealed much about options. A ZER Performance Package will add Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, underside strakes and possibly carbon-ceramic brakes. You'll have your choices of aluminum and carbon fiber wheels, at least.
Chevy briefly confirmed the E-Ray's existence to CorvetteBlogger, noting in a statement that "the holidays came early" and asking enthusiasts to stay tuned. There's no mention of pricing, but the visualizer said the hybrid would arrive in summer 2023. The brand previously said to expect the semi-electric Corvette next year, but didn't narrow the timeframe.
This is just the start of Chevy's plans to electrify its iconic sports car. A full Corvette EV is in development, and future hybrids are rumored to include the 800HP ZR1 in 2024 and 1,000HP Zora in 2025. Like it or not, the American status symbol won't be exclusively piston-powered for much longer — not that GM has much choice when numerous states plan to ban gas car sales by 2035.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:53 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:39 pm UTC
The United Kingdom, Japan and Italy will pool resources to build a sixth-generation warplane scheduled to be ready for deployment by 2035, with capabilities to rival never-before-seen tech on fighter jets built by China and Russia, although this wasn't stated explicitly.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:35 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:32 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:22 pm UTC
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:21 pm UTC
Fisker has offered a new look at the upcoming Ronin, which it claims will have the longest range of any production electric vehicle. A render of the four-door convertible has popped up on the company's website.
The image shows the Ronin from a front corner view. It has a light strip that wraps around the front. As Autoblog points out, there's no grille, but it appears as though the front bumper has some air intakes. The Ronin has a low profile and large wheels, along with dihedral front doors that are open in the render, but there's no indication as to how the rear doors open just yet.
Henrik Fisker, the founder of the automaker, said earlier this year that the Ronin will have a 660-mile range under the WLTP testing standard used in Europe. The EPA range is likely to be lower, but all going to plan, Ronin drivers should be able to travel quite a distance before needing to recharge the EV.
As things stand, Fisker plans to show off a near-production-ready Ronin concept in August, with production slated to get underway in 2024. Fisker is said to be keeping the starting price under $200,000.
At the other end of the scale, Fisker started taking reservations earlier this year for the five-passenger Pear, which starts at $29,900 before incentives. The company expects to start building that EV in 2024 as well. Last month, Fisker began production of the Ocean SUV. It will ramp up production slowly, but it expects to build approximately 42,400 units next year.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:17 pm UTC
Source: NASA Image of the Day | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:13 pm UTC
Source: Irish Times Feeds | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:10 pm UTC
We're in the thick of the holiday season, so we're still seeing good deals on a number of gadgets and tech gear we recommend. Apple's iPad Air, for instance, is down to its second-lowest price to date at $500, while Amazon's Fire HD 8 is down to an all-time low of $55. The Xbox Series S is still $60 off, and a range of Tile Bluetooth trackers and Samsung storage gear are on sale as well. There are plenty more discounts of note beyond that, so here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Apple's iPad Air is on sale for $500, which is the lowest price we've seen outside of a very brief drop to $479 in August. Typically, the 10.9-inch tablet has retailed closer to $550 in recent months. We gave the iPad Air a review score of 90 earlier this year, and we named it the best iPad for most people in a recent buying guide. It's not cheap, but it represents a noticeable upgrade over the entry-level iPad, providing many of the iPad Pro's best features at a lower price.
If you want a more affordable model, though, the 10.2-inch iPad is down to $280 and still a more complete package than most tablets around that price. The newer 10th-generation iPad is also on sale for $399; that's a decent option with a more conveniently placed webcam, though compared to the Air it lacks second-gen Apple Pencil support, a laminated display and a faster M1 chip.
Buy iPad Air at Amazon - $500Buy iPad (10th gen) at Amazon - $399Buy iPad (9th gen) at Amazon - $280If you need a spare gamepad for your Xbox or PC, Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S controller is still discounted to $40, extending the deal we saw on Black Friday. While this isn't the lowest price we've ever tracked, it's still roughly $10 lower than its usual street price. Just note that, while comfortable, this controller uses a pair of AA batteries by default, not a rechargeable unit.
Buy Xbox Wireless Controller at Microsoft - $40Buy Xbox Wireless Controller at Target - $40Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is one of the higher-profile Nintendo Switch exclusives of the year, a charming and well-reviewed turn-based strategy game starring Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Ubisoft's cutesy Rabbids mascots. The game only released in late October, but Amazon is holding a one-day sale on Friday that brings it all the way down to $32, which is a $28 discount. If stock runs dry there, note that it's also available for $40 at Walmart.
Over on Steam, meanwhile, the seminal puzzle game Portal is down to just $1. And if you're looking for a new tabletop game instead, the classic strategy game Catan is on sale for $25, while the accessible train-themed game Ticket to Ride is available for $24. Neither board game deal is an all-time low, but they both represent the best prices we've seen this year.
Buy Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope at Amazon - $32Numerous Samsung storage devices are on sale at Amazon, bringing a handful of recommended SSDs and microSD cards down to their lowest prices to date. We recapped this sale earlier this week, but the highlights include the 1TB 980 Pro SSD for $100 and the 128GB Evo Select microSD card for $14.
Shop Samsung storage device sale at AmazonIf you spend $100 on an Apple gift card at Amazon, you can get a $10 store credit to spend on future purchases at no extra cost. This offer applies to both digital and physical gift cards. If you buy the former, use the code APPLEGC at checkout to redeem the offer. If you use the latter, use the code APPLEPGC instead. Best Buy is running a similar promotion, too, if you'd rather shop there. As a reminder, you can use an Apple gift card for App Store credit, subscription services like Apple Music or iCloud, and/or purchases made at a physical Apple store.
Buy $100 Apple Gift Card + $10 bonus credit at AmazonAmazon is running a couple of notable bundle deals for its Echo Show smart displays. First, a bundle that includes the 5.5-inch Echo Show 5 and a Blink Mini indoor security camera is on sale for $50, which is about $15 less than what those devices would cost individually. (The display alone is still available for $35.) Second, the 8-inch Echo Show 8 is still discounted to an all-time low of $70, and you can grab a Kids version of the Echo Show 5 alongside it for no extra cost. It's also available with a Blink Mini for $85.
We gave the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5 review scores of 87 and 85, respectively, last year. The former is a better option for most, as it's generally faster and has a superior camera for video calls, though the latter can be useful if you're looking to use the display as a sort of smart alarm clock. Either way, you'll get the most out of an Echo Show if you already own other Amazon gear and use Alexa often.
Buy Echo Show 5 + Blink Mini at Amazon - $50Buy Echo Show 8 + Echo Show 5 Kids at Amazon - $70Amazon's newest Fire HD 8 tablet is back on sale from $55, which matches the all-time low we saw over Black Friday. This is far from a premium device, and you'll have to put up with Amazon promoting its own services all over the OS. Still, it's competent enough at the basics if you merely want a tablet for casual web browsing, e-book reading and video streaming every now and then.
For a step up, consider the Fire HD 10 for $90. That's not an all-time low, but it's still a decent price for a device with a bigger display and smoother performance.
Buy Fire HD 8 at Amazon - $55Logitech's G305 Lightspeed is a wireless gaming mouse we've recommended to those on a budget, offering a compact yet comfortable shape, consistent sensor performance and up to 250 hours of battery life through a single AA battery. It's currently on sale for $28.49 at Amazon when you clip an on-page coupon, matching the lowest price we've tracked. Note that the offer only applies to the black model of the mouse, though, not the lilac version pictured above.
If you're willing to pay a bit extra for a lighter and faster gaming mouse, Razer's Viper Ultimate is worth a shout, and it's currently on sale for $60 with an RGB charging dock. This is an ambidextrous mouse with shortcut buttons on either side, though its shape is a bit larger and flatter than the G305. On its own, it normally retails around $70; with the dock, it usually costs closer to $85.
Buy Logitech G305 Lightspeed at Amazon - $28Buy Razer Viper Ultimate + charging dock at Amazon - $60HyperX's Cloud Alpha gaming headset is on sale for $55, which isn't an all-time low but still comes in about $15 lower than its usual street price. Though you can find better sounding headphones for the price, the Cloud Alpha's profile is still decently well-balanced, its included boom mic should yield few complaints and its design is both sturdy and comfortable to wear for hours at a time.
Buy HyperX Cloud Alpha at Amazon - $55Buy HyperX Cloud Alpha at HP - $55Amazon is running a sale on various Tile Bluetooth trackers. The offers include the Tile Mate for an all-time low of $18 and the diminutive Tile Sticker down within a dollar of its best-ever price at $19.60. The Tile Pro is back at its all-time low of $25, while a dual-pack that includes a Mate and a wallet-friendly Tile Slim is $10 off its usual street price at $40.
To be clear, if you own an iPhone, Apple's AirTags remain a more powerful and precise option for keeping tabs on your wallet, keys or other frequently misplaced items. If you use Android, though, Tile's trackers are generally the best alternative, with the next largest crowd-finding network and a wider range of designs. Just be aware that only the Tile Pro includes a replaceable battery.
Shop Tile tracker sale at AmazonSamsung's 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 is down to a new low of $400, beating its average street price over the last few months by roughly $200. The 4K, 60 Hz, VA panel here isn't the most accurate thing you can buy out of the box, but it's solid for this deal price.
The M8's main selling point, though, is that it doubles as a small smart TV (albeit without a tuner). It uses Samsung's Tizen interface, allowing it to stream Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video and similar apps even when it's not hooked up to a computer. It comes with a webcam, remote, microphone and built-in speakers, and it can double as a SmartThings hub for compatible smart home gear. You have to actually use this smart TV functionality for the M8 to be worth it, but if so, it's one of the more versatile monitors on the market.
Buy Samsung Smart Monitor M8 at Amazon - $400Buy Samsung Smart Monitor M8 at Samsung - $400If you want to use an iPad Air or 11-inch iPad Pro more like a laptop, Apple's Magic Keyboard case provides a relatively comfortable typing experience, a smooth trackpad, good weight distribution and an extra USB-C port for charging your tablet. We gave it a review score of 84 back in 2020. The main downside is that it's wildly expensive, but right now it's a bit more affordable at $210. That's not an all-time low, but it's still about $75 less than its typical street price over the last few months.
If you use a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, meanwhile, the Magic Keyboard for that tablet is on sale for $249 at Walmart, which is within $10 of its all-time low.
Buy Apple Magic Keyboard (11-inch) at Amazon - $210We've seen this deal for past few weeks, but Sony's noise-canceling WH-1000XM5 headphones are down to $348, which is a $50 discount and tied for the lowest price we've seen. We gave the XM5 a review score of 95 in May for its comfortable fit, powerful ANC, 30-hour battery life and pleasing (yet customizable) sound. Right now, it's the top pick in our best wireless headphones guide.
Buy Sony WH-1000XM5 at Amazon - $348The entry-level version of Apple's M2 MacBook Air is back down to $1,049. We've seen this deal a few times in recent months, but it still matches the lowest price we've seen and beats Apple's MSRP by $150. The latest Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and we gave it a review score of 96 in July. Note that this configuration has slower storage performance than pricier SKUs, but that shouldn't be a major issue on a day-to-day basis unless you're doing more involved work like editing high-res video and photos. If you need more storage, though, a 512GB model is down to a low of $1,300 at Best Buy.
If you want a more affordable entry into macOS, note that the older MacBook Air that runs on Apple's M1 chip is still on sale for $800, matching its all-time low. This model has a more dated design than the M2-based Air, but it remains a fantastic value when it's discounted to this extent.
Buy MacBook Air M2 at Amazon - $1,049Buy MacBook Air M1 at Amazon - $800Apple's MagSafe Charger is on sale for $30, which is within $3 of the best price we've tracked and roughly $7 off its usual street price. There are certainly cheaper wireless chargers, but this one aligns easily with any recent iPhone and can supply up to a 15 W charge, which is a smidge more than non-MagSafe alternatives. You can still use it to charge AirPods and other Qi-compatible devices, too.
Buy Apple MagSafe Charger at Amazon - $30Buy Apple MagSafe Charger at Walmart - $30The 65-inch version of LG's C2 OLED TV is available for $1,442 at eBay from authorized reseller BuyDig. That's a new low, but you have to use the code JOLLY15 at checkout to see the discount. Typically, this TV has gone between $1,700 and $1,800 in recent months. The C2 can't get as bright as a competitor like Samsung's S95B OLED TV, so it's best suited in darker or moderately-lit rooms, but it still provides the deep black levels, high contrast and wide viewing angles you'd expect from a high-end OLED display.
Buy LG C2 65-inch at eBay - $1,442If you're buying for a non-4K TV, the Xbox Series S is worth highlighting at its current sale price of $240. We saw a few gift card deals on Black Friday that effectively dropped the compact console lower, but this is still $60 off Microsoft's MSRP. We gave the Series S a review score of 85 at launch: It's a clear step behind the Xbox Series X (and PS5) in terms of power, it lacks a disc drive, and its 512GB of built-in storage isn't much, but it's still capable of playing all the same games as its pricier sibling.
Buy Xbox Series S at Amazon - $240The chief Black Friday deal we saw for Meta's Quest 2 VR headset, which pairs a 128GB model with the popular rhythm game Beat Saber and the classic horror game Resident Evil 4 for $349, is still available at multiple retailers. Normally, the Quest 2 alone retails for $399.
It's worth remembering that Meta jacked up the price of the Quest 2 by $100 earlier this year, but this is the best offer we've seen in the time since, and the headset itself remains the best option for most people interested in VR even after the price hike. We gave the device formerly known as the Oculus Quest 2 a review score of 89 back in 2020.
Buy Meta Quest 2 bundle at Walmart - $349Buy Meta Quest 2 bundle at Best Buy - $349Google's Nest Thermostat is on sale for $90, which is about $25 off its typical street price and within a few dollars of the lowest price we've seen. This is Google's entry-level smart thermostat — it doesn't have the nicer dial control or remote sensor support of the Nest Learning Thermostat, but for smaller homes, it offers similar energy-saving and HVAC monitoring features at a lower cost. It'll also support the new Matter smart home standard, something Google hasn't committed to with the Learning Thermostat.
Buy Google Nest Thermostat at Amazon - $90This is another deal we've seen for much of the holiday season, but you can still get Fitbit's Charge 5 for $100, which is within a dollar of the wearable's all-time low and about $20 less than its usual street price. The Charge 5 is the top recommendation in our guide to the best fitness trackers, and we gave it a review score of 82 last year due to its reliable activity tracking, built-in GPS and full-color OLED display.
Buy Fitbit Charge 5 at Amazon - $100A configuration of Lenovo's IdeaPad Flex 5i with an Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is on sale for $300. That's $30 more than the all-time low we saw on Black Friday, but still about $70 off this config's typical street price in recent months. This is the top pick in our guide to the best Chromebooks: The specs here are enough to run Chrome OS smoothly, and in general the notebook's backlit keyboard, port variety, bright 1080p touchscreen and eight-hour battery life impress for the price.
Buy Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i at Amazon - $300Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:01 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:54 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:43 pm UTC
Apple is ending another battle over wireless patents. The iPhone maker and Ericsson have struck a licensing deal that settles all the legal disputes between the two companies, including civil lawsuits and a US International Trade Commission complaint. While the exact terms remain under wraps, the multi-year pact includes cross-licensing for "standard-essential" cellular technology as well as other patent rights.
The tech giants have a long history of fighting over cell tech. Apple sued Ericsson in 2015 to get more favorable terms for LTE patents, but Ericsson responded with a lawsuit of its own claiming that the iPhone and iPad infringed on its patented ideas. The two achieved peace with a seven-year agreement. As that arrangement neared its renewal time, however, the animosity returned. Ericsson sued in October 2021 over Apple's attempts to shrink royalty rates, while Apple countersued in December that year over allegations Ericsson was using unfair pressure tactics for the renewal. Ericsson filed another lawsuit this January over 5G licenses.
We've asked Apple for comment. In announcing the deal, Ericsson's IP chief Christina Petersson said the ceasefire would let the two companies "focus on bringing the best technology" to the world. Ericsson is one of the world's largest wireless patent holders, and said the Apple agreement would help boost its licensing revenue for the fourth quarter to the equivalent of $532 million or more.
The timing may be significant. Apple is reportedly developing 5G iPhone modems to replace Qualcomm's chips, having bought most of Intel's modem business and even launching not-so-subtle recruitment efforts in Qualcomm's backyard. The Ericsson truce may help clear the path for those modems by reducing the chances of legal dust-ups over whatever Apple builds. And time might be in short supply — rumors have circulated that Apple could use its own components as soon as 2023.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:35 pm UTC
Enlarge (credit: Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images News)
It has been a little more than a week since disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was interviewed at a New York Times conference, telling attendees, “I didn't ever try to commit fraud on anyone.” Shortly after that interview, US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Sherrod Brown sent a letter to Bankman-Fried, requesting that he appear next week at a Senate committee hearing entitled “Crypto Crash: Why the FTX Bubble Burst and the Harm to Consumers.”
Brown wrote that “there are still significant unanswered questions about how client funds were misappropriated, how clients were blocked from withdrawing their own money, and how you orchestrated a cover up.” Bankman-Fried missed the deadline yesterday to respond to Brown, but this morning, he finally tweeted to confirm that he is willing to talk to Congress. Now on this upcoming Tuesday, Bankman-Fried appears set to testify to the House Financial Services Committee on the day before Brown's Senate hearing is scheduled.
“I still do not have access to much of my data—professional or personal,” Bankman-Fried tweeted. “So, there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won't be as helpful as I'd like. But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify.”
Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:25 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:20 pm UTC
Manitoba site pauses operations, raising prospect that search for bodies of Long Plain First Nation women could be possible
Operations have paused at a Canadian landfill where the bodies of at least two Indigenous victims of an alleged serial killer are believed to be buried, amid mounting frustration that authorities are not doing enough to recover the bodies.
Police in Winnipeg announced last week they had charged Jeremy Skibicki, 35, with the murder of Morgan Beatrice Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26, of Long Plain First Nation, months after he was accused of killing Rebecca Contois, 24, from O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:18 pm UTC
Friday FOSS Fest Emulators make it easy to run vintage software in a window on a modern machine, but without specialist knowledge of obsolete systems, it can be hard to do much with them. It turns out, unexpectedly, that a good answer to this is… run them in a browser.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 4:00 pm UTC
Enlarge / Child with a classic four-day rash from measles. (credit: CDC)
The measles outbreak in Ohio continues to swell, striking a total of 63 children to date. The tally now includes at least three children who were partially vaccinated against the highly contagious virus and 14 who are typically too young to be vaccinated.
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is a two-dose vaccine, with the first dose recommended between the ages of 12 months and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just one MMR dose is estimated to be 93 percent effective against measles. Two doses are 97 percent effective. People who get their two doses on the recommended schedule are considered protected for life.
It's unclear if the three partially vaccinated children were too young to be eligible for their second dose or contracted measles quickly after getting their first dose, potentially before full protection developed. Health officials in the affected areas of Ohio have been promoting vaccination, which may have led some parents to get their eligible children freshly vaccinated amid the heightened awareness. The affected areas in Ohio span at least two counties: Franklin County, which encompasses Columbus, and Ross County to the south.
Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:59 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:41 pm UTC
Source: ESA Top News | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:40 pm UTC
My best headphones aren’t always the best headphones for every situation. When I’m settling in to work for a few hours, then yeah, I’ll grab my old Oppo PM-3s or trusty Koss KSC75s to make streaming music more of a pleasure. When I’ve got a long plane or train ride ahead of me, I’ll bring the AirPods Max to block out the world more comfortably. (I own too many headphones, to be clear.) But not every instance calls for something nice – or, in the KSC75’s case, fragile – and I don’t want to run the gear I’ve paid good money for into the ground when I can avoid it.
That’s when I turn to Panasonic's ErgoFit earphones (or, “RP-PCM125 ErgoFit,” to use their proper name.) This is a basic, $15 pair of earphones that’s been around for the better part of a decade but continues to provide an unobtrusive fit, sturdy design and agreeable-enough sound.
Put another way, they’re my preferred set of beater headphones. Even if you don't know that term, you can probably guess what it means. These are the headphones you use when putting on your “good” pair is more trouble than it’s worth. When you need to make a quick run to the store but only have a few minutes left in your podcast, you bring the beaters and finish it up. When you see an amusing video online but you aren’t sure if it’ll be appropriate to blare over your speakers, you use the beaters to be safe. If, like me, you need to listen to something in bed before drifting to sleep, the beaters are the headphones that won’t get in the way but will survive your tossing and turning if you pass out with them still on. And if they don’t, who cares? They’re just your beaters.
There are a million different headphones that could make for good beaters, but when most people talk about them, they think of in-ear headphones that are cheap and durable. You can toss them in a bag or (larger) pocket and know they’re likely to survive. You never have to be delicate or deliberate with them the way you would with a good set of over-ears. You don’t want to accidentally step on them or leave them on the train, but it won’t ruin your day if you do, because buying a new pair won't bite a hole in your paycheck. They don’t sound as nice as your good headphones, but when you can’t sit and listen for a long stretch or truly savor a recording’s details, they’re there, and they work.
The ErgoFit earphones fit this description more or less exactly. Everyone takes to in-ear headphones differently, but the ErgoFit’s earpieces are small and noticeably lightweight, with soft silicone ear tips that, for me, don’t grate over time. Panasonic includes three different sizes of tips in the box, and with the right fit they seal a decent if not amazing amount of noise. (Voices are still likely to get through if they’re loud enough, though.) They come in a variety of colors, if that matters to you. And while there’s a bit of cable noise when they rustle against your chest — which can be irritating — I’ve never had to worry about them coming loose, either.
Unlike many earphones in this price range, there’s also an in-line remote and mic for pausing tracks and taking calls. The quality of that mic isn’t anything better than “usable,” but that it’s even there is a plus at this price. (If you don’t need a mic, Panasonic sells a variant without one for $10.)
These are simple wired earphones made at a time when 3.5mm jacks were still common, so you need a dongle to use them with most phones and tablets today. That is annoying, but for “beater” purposes, I’ll take the trade-off of not worrying about battery life (and degradation) or having to take a beat to ensure everything's paired first. When my AirPods died on an eight-hour flight to Europe earlier this year, the ErgoFit slotted right in as backup.
Most importantly, they’ve lasted. I’ve carried these earphones on my person constantly over the past four-ish years and straight up fallen asleep on them more times than I can count, but in that span I’ve only had to outright replace them once due to a frayed wire. The plastic-heavy design looks and feels cheap, but it’s been enough to survive.
These things are still old and $15, so I can’t say they sound fantastic. You won’t hear the sort of detail or treble sparkle that you can get from better-sounding earphones in the $30 to $50 range, and the sound profile might be a bit too boosted in the mid- and upper-bass range for some. This isn’t a Koss KSC75 deal where the ErgoFit outperforms earphones five times their price.
Still, what's here isn't bad. The low-end is emphasized but not overly boomy, and higher-frequency sounds aren’t piercing. The profile misses finer details, but it's usually smooth. With less intricate hip-hop and rock tracks, it’s fine. For $15 beater earphones, it’s good.
Really, any cheap set of headphones you like could work as good set of beaters. The general sound quality of inexpensive earphones has risen over the years, with sub-$40 pairs like the Moondrop Chu and BLON BL-03 earning praise from reviewers as of late. But if you occasionally find yourself not wanting to put your good headphones at risk, the ErgoFit earphones have given me peace of mind as a competent, comfortable, and hard-to-kill backup plan. They're anything but modern, but their utility is timeless.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:35 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:35 pm UTC
Enlarge / Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4080. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)
Very little about Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4080 is surprising—especially now that the confusing, scrapped 12GB version is being renamed. In pretty much all of our performance tests, it slots in right where you'd expect it to, comfortably ahead of the RTX 3080 Ti but trailing the $1,500 RTX 4090 by enough to justify the $300 price gap. It's usually capable of hitting or exceeding 60 fps at 4K, and games with DLSS support (or some other kind of upscaling tech) can buy you a solid frame rate increase. And its power requirements aren't as stratospheric as the 4090's, either, so most people with an existing xx70 or xx80-class gaming PC shouldn't need to switch out their power supply.
The major downsides, as of this writing? As a group, the cards are often just as huge and cumbersome as the RTX 4090 (the Founders Edition is identical, and partner cards largely follow suit). The $1,200 starting price is historically high—the 3080 Ti launched with a GPU-shortage-inflated MSRP of $1,119 GPU, but the 2080 and 3080 were both a mere $699 at launch. And even if you are willing to pay that price—surprise, surprise—it's basically impossible to find in any form anywhere close to MSRP.
Which means, hooray: another GPU review that exists mostly as a theoretical exercise! If you could buy this GPU for the amount of money it's supposed to cost, and if its competitors were also available for what they were supposed to cost, then here's how it would stack up. That world doesn't exist right now, but if you're reading this in a few months, circumstances may have changed. In the meantime, imagine with us, won't you?
Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:34 pm UTC
Seven killed and thousands arrested as Hasina regime continues repressive campaign against opponents
Two top leaders of Bangladesh’s main opposition party have been arrested amid a violent crackdown on government opponents during which at least seven people have been shot dead and thousands arrested.
Over recent weeks, Sheikh Hasina’s government has launched a repressive campaign against the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP), which has been holding rallies calling for her resignation.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:06 pm UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:00 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 3:00 pm UTC
Even critics in the liberal media panned Harry & Meghan, the new documentary that attacks Britain's notorious tabloids for invading the couple's privacy and coverage that traded in racist tropes.
(Image credit: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 2:48 pm UTC
More than 70,000 websites belonging to Fortune 500 brands, government agencies, and universities share consumers' data with Twitter using data tracking code hosted on these other organizations' websites, according to research published on Thursday by Adalytics.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 2:30 pm UTC
Enlarge / Orion flew by the Moon on Monday as it prepared to return to Earth. (credit: NASA)
NASA's Artemis I mission is nearly complete, and so far Orion's daring flight far beyond the Moon has gone about as well as the space agency could hope. However, to get a passing grade, the mission must still ace its final test.
This final exam will come on Sunday, when the spacecraft starts to enter Earth's atmosphere at 12:20 pm ET (17:20 UTC). During the course of the next 20 minutes, before Orion splashes down in the Pacific Ocean off of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, it will need to slow down from a velocity of Mach 32 to, essentially, zero before dropping into the water.
This is no small feat. Orion has a mass of 9 metric tons, about the same as two or three large elephants. Its base, covered with a heat shield designed to slowly char away during passage through Earth's atmosphere, must withstand temperatures near 3,000 degrees Celsius.
Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 2:27 pm UTC
When we tried the original Evercade handheld, it was a fun-but-curious concept. Old games on a new handheld with cartridges? Nostalgia squared, basically. Whether you thought it was a good idea or not, there are now almost 40 collections available totalling hundreds of games. There’s also the VS home-console for playing against friends on the big screen. Now, there’s the Evercade EXP ($130/£150), a revamped handheld that improves on the original in some key ways. Evercade’s wacky idea, then, seems to be working.
In a curious turn of events, and potential further proof of its popularity, it seems a literal truck-load of EXP consoles have been stolen. Blaze, the company behind Evercade, has stated that it's working to restart production to replace the missing handhelds, so if you preordered one, you might want to check the company website for more information.
The EXP brings with it an improved, 800×480 display - more than double the resolution of the original (480x272). Games look much sharper this time around, though it’s still 4.3-inches diagonally which feels a little undersized for really any type of handheld device in 2022. Though there literally is more actual power with a new 1.5Ghz processor and a larger battery that’s good for about five hours of play.
The new all-white design gives the EXP a bit more of a grown up vibe than the original which looked a little toyish. The D-pad is particularly eye-catching, as it’s a large disc and almost looks like it protrudes from the casing a little too much. In use it’s fine, but something a little smaller and lower profile might add to the quality feel. The buttons, for example, are nice and clicky and are just the right height. It’s a slightly mixed combo but functional though moves in fighting games can be a little tricky to pull off sometimes.
One of the main perks with the EXP are the built-in games from Capcom. The console also comes with the Irem Arcade 1 collection which features six games (including R-Type) but the real fun is among those Capcom classics such as Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, Mega Man, Ghouls and Ghosts and Breath of Fire (among others). These are some solid titles that mean there are 24 games available to play right out of the box.
If that’s not enough for day one, there’s also a way to expand this number even further to 29 thanks to a large banner on the home screen titled “HIDDEN GAMES” (it’s in all caps yep). This is a carry over from the VS that introduced a “Secret” menu option – which, despite the name, is not hidden, it’s right there in the main menu and it’s literally called “Secret.” Here, you can enter some codes and unlock even more games. No spoilers here, but a bit of googling around might turn up some clues.
Unfortunately, even though you can connect the EXP to a TV over HDMI and there’s a USB-C port on the bottom, you can’t connect a controller – not even a VS controller – to enjoy two player mode on the built-in games. This is a real shame with Street Fighter II sitting right there, begging to be played as nature intended. Blaze told Engadget that it’s something being explored but there’s nothing immediate to share. Games on the VS console can all be played in 2-player mode, but the license with Capcom only really allowed the company to include the games on the EXP itself, not as cartridges.
The final main update on the EXP over the original is the inclusion of “Tate” mode. Many of those early arcade games were played in portrait, rather than landscape mode and the EXP has a pair of extra buttons beside the D-pad so you can flip the console 90-degrees and play these titles vertically just like back when quarters were required. Some of the included Capcom titles, such as 1942 and Commando, use this mode, as do many on the bundled Irem Arcade cartridge. It’s nice to see these games with the option to play them in the right orientation and will be of particular appeal to fans of vertical scrolling shooters (of which there are plenty on the Evercade platform).
Finally, the EXP sports a newer user interface than the original. In fact, it’s borrowed almost directly from the VS console. The original handheld was updated to bring a similar-looking interface, but it’s a little lacking compared to that on the VS and EXP. It’s simple and easy to navigate but also has some useful added data in each game’s menu where you can see the how often and for how long you’ve played a game among other information. You can also set a “coin” limit here for truly re-creating that ‘90s arcade experience where you only had seven quarters and had to use them wisely.
Most of all, the EXP maintains the same authenticity and nods to the retro era that made the original and the VS more fun. Things like secret games and things to unlock were a mainstay of that era, so combined with the nostalgia of cartridges it all goes a long way to making the Evercade platform something beyond just another way to play old titles. There’s even a “game of the month” program that offers the chance to play forthcoming releases for a limited time free of charge.
It’s not all about vintage games, though. Evercade already has an indie collection of modern retro games, including the very recommendable Game Boy game Deadeus. There’s a second collection on the way, too. Old classics are one thing, but there are many ways to play them. Evercade provides a nice, legal option and one that compensates the rights owners appropriately, but it’s also well positioned to become a destination for modern retro and lighter indie titles.
There are a lot of options for retro games, whether that’s other handhelds, things like Nintendo’s virtual console/Switch online or the semi-recent trend of “mini” consoles. Evercade’s approach is unique but obviously requires a bit of a collector’s itch or a penchant for the lesser-known gems for it to really make sense. One thing’s for sure, there’s already a community gathering around the platform and for them and the like, the EXP elevates the handheld experience nicely.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 2:00 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:36 pm UTC
This week, many of us saw our social media feeds taken over by colorful, surreal pictures of people we follow, except they don’t quite look like themselves. The images were generated by Lensa AI, and it’s the latest in what feels like a now-annual trend to use a new app to create mockups of your face in various scenarios. Alongside Lensa, some folks also saw blocks of text from another AI generator, ChatGPT. So on this episode of the podcast, Devindra and Cherlynn chat the appeal, implications and possible future of these types of AI, before being joined by Engadget editor-at-large James Trew for a check in on the state of action cameras.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Lensa AI "magic avatars" and ChatGPT – 1:27
What’s the state of the GoPro-style action camera in 2022? – 23:47
iPhone users can now share digital car keys with Pixel owners – 43:02
iOS 16.2 includes time limits on AirDrop receiving – 47:44
Carl Pei said Nothing wants to come to the US – 53:40
Working on – 1:08:02
Picks – 1:10:51
Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artists: Luke Brooks and Brian Oh
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:30 pm UTC
The UK government is putting forward changes to the law which would require social media platforms to give users the option to avoid seeing and engaging with harmful — but legal — content.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:30 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:28 pm UTC
The reluctance of many citizens — especially the elderly — to get vaccinated is a problem for a government facing intense pressure to roll back strict COVID policies.
(Image credit: Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:25 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:09 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:08 pm UTC
You can now play Square Enix's action RPG Forspoken after several launch delays — as a demo, that is. The developer and publisher has released a demo for the PS5 game on the PlayStation Store at this years Game Awards, where it also announced that Final Fantasy XVI will be available for Sony's current-gen console on June 22nd, 2023.
Forspoken was originally supposed to be released in May, but it got pushed back to October 11th and then again to January 24th next year. It looks like Square Enix truly is gearing up for the game's release this time, now that we're just a bit over a month before its latest launch schedule. The game puts you in control of Frey Holland, a woman from New York City who's transported to another world called "Athia," where she gains magical abilities. There, she must find her way home while battling monsters and the Tantas, who were once "benevolent matriarchs [that] now rule the lands as evil and maddened sorceresses."
Square Enix says the demo will give you a "deeper look at the devastating effects of the Break," which is the powerful force responsible for corrupting everything it touches, the Tantas included. Forspoken will also be available on PC via Steam, Epic Games and the Microsoft Store, but the demo only seems to be available for the PS5. If you don't have access to the console, you can also watch the game's new trailer below:
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:00 pm UTC
You'd think that after launching a ton of products in 2022, DJI would be finished for the year. However, that isn't quite the case, as it just announced the DJI Mini 3 drone aimed at the consumer market. It's a stripped down version of the Mini 3 Pro, with no forward or rear obstacle detection, no ActiveTrack and video that's limited to 4K 30p. Those compromises are reflected in the price, meaning you'll pay $469 for just the drone compared to $669 for the Mini 3 Pro.
The company believes the Mini 3 Pro is ideal for first time users, in scenarios like "suburban outings, holiday travel, and urban shooting/exploration with family and friends." In that sense, it's more a spiritual successor to the DJI Mini 2 than a Mini 3 Pro-lite. That said, it's nearly identical to the Mini 3 Pro, apart from the front sensors being removed and replaced with grills and smooth plastic where the rear sensors would be located on the Pro.
The Mini 3 weighs less than 249 grams so it doesn't require a special permit to fly in many countries. It has the same Type 1/1.3 (9.6 x 7.2 mm) f/1.7 sensor as the Mini 3 Pro, so you can film in 4K HDR and take 12-megapixel photos. However, video is limited to 4K 30p, rather than 4K 60p on the more expensive model. It also offers "true vertical" video and photo shooting, with the camera flips 90 degrees to allow for high quality social media content.
DJI has ensured 2.7K and full HD captures max out at 60fps, so there's no 120fps as found on the Mini 3 Pro. You can shoot HDR at up to 30fps, and it has dual native ISO for decent low-light performance in a relatively small sensor.
The Intelligent Flight Batteries provide long flight times, delivering up to 38 minutes with the standard and 51 minutes with the extended batteries (the latter are available in North America but not in Europe and other regions). Those times are under ideal conditions; you'll more likely see around 30-32 minutes. Still, that's excellent for this category and provides a cushion for beginners who may let the drone fly a bit too far away. Despite the small size it has "robust power," DJI says, which helps it handle reasonably stiff winds as well.
As with the Mini 3 Pro, you can get the Mini 3 with DJI's RC controller for an extra $230. That option is well worth it, because it's far more convenient than using a smartphone with the regular RC-N1 controller. It has a similar layout to DJI's other controllers, with the addition of photo and video triggers that automatically switch between those respective modes. The RC controller joysticks can be stowed underneath the controller chassis for travel and while the screen struggles a bit in bright sunlight, it is otherwise sharp and clear.
The Mini 3 has a key feature for social media users, namely DJI's QuickShots. That lets you take short and cute videos without the need to pilot, as the drone does all the work. Some of those include "Dronie" (starting tight on the subject and flying up and away to reveal the background) and "Circle," where the camera moves around the subject.
However, it lacks many of the AI features found on the Mini 3 Pro like ActiveTrack (following a subject), Timelapse and Mastershots. The fact that it can track a subject with QuickShots suggests that its capable of ActiveTrack, but that the functionality may simply be disabled.
It has other intelligent functions to help beginners. Those include Auto Takeoff, Return to Home (RTH) including Smart RTH, Low Battery RTH and Failsafe RTH, instructing the aircraft to return to its starting point if the battery is low or signal drops.
That brings us to one big issue with this drone. It does feature a downward vision system and infrared sensing for stable hovering, which is a big help for novice users. However, it lacks forward and rear obstacle detection sensors. That means a user can fly it directly into a tree or building more easily, and as it doesn't have DJI Avata-like propeller protection, you could end up with a broken drone. Even if you're careful, using the RTH function could be risky as the drone could automatically fly itself into an object when trying to navigate home. You'll also want to make sure the area is clear when doing a Dronie or other Quickshots maneuver.
I received the Mini 3 from DJI, but it was a bit too late to do a video (we'll release a full review soon). However, my drone pilot friend and I had a day to test it, and we found it just as stable and easy to fly as the Mini 3 Pro. The footage quality looks sharp and clear with accurate colors, and I didn't really miss the 4K 60p, as I don't often use that mode anyway.
We were acutely aware of the lack of obstacle sensors, though. We didn't dare wander too far away from base, as a loss of signal could be disastrous — particularly in Europe where laws restrict the transmission distance significantly compared to the US. The lack of sensors also limit what you can shoot, as it would be foolhardy to get it too close to obstacles or fly in tight spaces.
Lastly, I'm wondering about the Mini 3's pricing. If you don't already have a DJI drone, you'll need to pay $559 with the RC-N1 controller, compared to $759 for the Mini 3 Pro. The Fly More Combo (two extra batteries, RC-N1 controller, three-battery charger) costs $718, compared to $948 for the Mini 3 Pro. The Fly More Combo with the RC controller is $858, while the same kit for the Pro model is $1,098.
If you're just having fun or starting out and only need a battery, drone and controller, $559 might be a bit steep for many folks. For just a minor stepdown in capability, the Mini 2 is just $449 in the same configuration, for instance. And, if you want a more serious kit with more batteries and possibly the RC controller, it would make sense to cough up $240 more to get the Pro.
That said, the Mini 3 Pro is perpetually out of stock, so this one will probably sell like hotcakes regardless of my misgivings. So far it looks like an easy-to-fly drone that takes better video than anything else in this price range — just keep it it well away from obstacles.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 1:00 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:44 pm UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:44 pm UTC
Sinema's move is unlikely to change the power balance in the Senate, as it comes days after Sen. Raphael Warnock won the Georgia runoff election to give Democrats a 51-49 majority.
(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:31 pm UTC
Opinion Linus Torvalds is happy to tell you that Linux release numbers aren't a big deal.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:30 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:20 pm UTC
The Game Awards gave us a busy night for gaming news. First up, Idris Elba will star in Cyberpunk 2077’s first big DLC. Phantom Liberty is a spy thriller introducing a new character, FIA agent Solomon Reed, played by Elba. The DLC also includes new missions and a new district in Night City, all of it culminating in "an impossible mission of espionage and survival," according to developer CD Projekt RED. I wonder if he’ll bump into Keanu Reeves’ character.
A Hades sequel might be the biggest reveal. While the game looks similar to the Supergiant hit, you can expect a new female protagonist, Melinoë, training with the witch goddess Hecate, and generally slaying beasts in the underworld. We also got release dates for Final Fantasy XVI (June 22nd), Street Fighter 6 (June 2nd) and Diablo IV (June 6th). In short, June 2023 is shaping up to be a busy month in gaming.
Hideo Kojima was also ready to reveal his next project, Death Stranding 2 – yes, another sequel. Both Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux will reappear in the game, headed for PS5. Kojima added that his studio is also working on a second, completely new project with an experimental edge. So, not a sequel?
We’ve pulled together all the other big gaming headlines right here. But which game won? FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, of course. It beat games like God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to claim Game Of The Year.
– Mat Smith
The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.
Samsung Odyssey Ark monitor review: When bigger isn't always better
Reddit's reveals r/AmItheAsshole was its most popular subreddit in 2022
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle will share the Pentagon's $9 billion cloud contract
Twitter is reportedly raising Blue subscription's pricing on iOS to $11
McLaren Artura first drive: A hybrid supercar that adds EV torque to the mix
iPhone AirDrop restriction first seen in China will roll out worldwide with iOS 16.2
Elon Musk says Twitter is developing a feature that shows if you've been ‘shadowbanned’’
IKEA and Sonos’ floor lamp collaboration, at $260, is the most expensive speaker in the Symfonisk lineup. Current models range from $120 for a bookshelf speaker (with less than stellar audio) to $250 for musical wall art. And your investment in the floor lamp could creep even higher if you want something other than the included bamboo shade. It’ll launch in January 2023.
Google is planning to merge its Waze and Maps divisions, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The move aims at reducing duplicated work across the products, but Google said it will still keep the Waze and Maps apps separate. Waze and Maps have been sharing features ever since Google acquired Waze for $1.1 billion back in 2013. "Google remains deeply committed to Waze’s unique brand, its beloved app and its thriving community of volunteers and users," a spokesperson told the WSJ. Waze CEO Neha Parikh will leave her role after a transition period, but there will reportedly be no layoffs.
With a new Memory Saver mode, Google says Chrome will reduce its memory usage by up to 30 percent on desktop. The mode frees up memory from open tabs you aren't using. Google says this will help to give you a smoother experience on active tabs. Chrome will reload inactive tabs when you switch back to them. The company has also revealed a Battery Saver mode, which Google says can kick in when you're using the browser and your device's battery level drops to 20 percent. Chrome will limit background activity, including tabs with videos and animations. Google says all users will have access to them in the coming weeks, and it's rolling out the build already.
The European Union has set a firm deadline for manufacturers to adopt USB-C charging for most electronic devices sold in the region. New phones, tablets, headphones, portable speakers and many other types of devices will need to adopt the standard for wired charging as of December 28th, 2024. Laptop makers will need to switch to USB-C by April 2026.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:15 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:13 pm UTC
Enlarge / A Falcon 9 rocket lands Thursday evening after launching the OneWeb 1 mission. Relativity Space's Terran 1 rocket is in the background, awaiting its debut launch. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)
Welcome to Edition 5.20 of the Rocket Report! I have really enjoyed celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission this week. While it is bittersweet that humans have not been back to the Moon since, it is comforting to know that we are now following a sure and steady path that will lead us back in the not-too-distant future.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
Virgin Orbit launch from UK slips into 2023. Earlier this week Virgin Orbit sent out a news release indicating that the launch window for its LauncherOne mission from Cornwall, England, would open on December 14. But on Thursday, the company said its mission had been delayed for at least several weeks, BBC News reports. In a statement, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said, "With licenses still outstanding for the launch itself and for the satellites within the payload, additional technical work needed to establish system health and readiness, and a very limited available launch window of only two days, we have determined that it is prudent to retarget launch for the coming weeks to allow ourselves and our stakeholders time to pave the way for full mission success."
Read 28 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 12:00 pm UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:52 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:51 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:09 am UTC
American basketball star Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange following nearly 10 months in detention in Russia.
(Image credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:07 am UTC
The Islamic Republic of Iran has existed in a near-constant state of crisis since its creation following the revolution of 1979. In the face of brutal wars, international sanctions, internal dissent, and an ongoing confrontation with the world’s only superpower, the Iranian government has, so far, managed to amble forward.
Today, the regime is facing one of its greatest challenges yet: a massive wave of popular discontent that began in September with the death in police custody of a Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Jina Amini. This round of protests has been different from past movements owing to its catalyst: Amini had been arrested for wearing an improper headscarf. Protesters have since been challenging Iran’s mandatory hijab law — an ideological pillar, and tool for social control, of the Islamic Republic. Three months in, demonstrators continue to brave overwhelming state violence to take to the streets with chants of “woman, life, freedom,” with a recent general strike highlighting the still-growing popular anger against the regime.
So far, clerical rule has survived thanks largely to a brutal crackdown. Some 15,000 people have reportedly been arrested. Hundreds more have died in the streets at the hands of security forces. Thursday saw the first execution of a man sentenced owing to protest-related charges. The government, though, is hanging on.
Meanwhile, another major threat looms over the regime, simmering beneath the surface yet rarely breaking into public view. It could prove to be the gravest crisis yet for the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is aging and reportedly ill. His looming death, with no clear successor in place, puts the Islamic Republic on the brink of a succession crisis — exactly the kind of challenge that has unraveled many authoritarian regimes in the past. The crisis may soon empower one of Iran’s powerful security organizations, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, to take a direct role in governing Iran for the first time in its history.
When protests broke out this September, Khamenei, whose supporters had expected him to deliver a public response, was rendered absent due to lingering ill health from a recent bowel surgery. In recent years, Khamenei, who is 83, has been stricken by an array of serious ailments, including prostate cancer, but has also survived many past predictions of his imminent death.
Though he has since appeared in public to denounce the recent protests as foreign subversion, it is worth considering what Iran will look like, both in terms of domestic and foreign policy, after its supreme leader finally departs from this world. The most recent wave of public rejection towards his regime only serves to emphasize how stark the coming changes may be.
“It is something that almost nobody discusses openly inside Iran, but the whole country is now bracing itself for the issue of succession.”
“Khamenei’s passing will pose a significant challenge to the Islamic Republic because whoever succeeds him will be from a generation that did not participate in the revolution. It is something that almost nobody discusses openly inside Iran, but the whole country is now bracing itself for the issue of succession,” said Sina Azodi, a lecturer on international affairs at George Washington University. “Khamenei took part in the 1979 revolution and was even imprisoned by the Shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, whom he considered stooges of the United States. He has been very skeptical of Western intentions towards Iran, and, once he leaves the scene, one of the major impediments to Iran’s improvement of relations with the West would be gone.”
Khamenei, who became supreme leader in 1989, has ruled Iran almost four times longer than his one and only predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic. In many ways, the regime that exists today is his own personal creation, and the management of competing power centers inside Iran is dependent on his role as final authority. Khamenei has marginalized most of his competitors inside the clergy, solidifying himself as a near-unquestioned authority within the system. This monopolization of power and influence, common to dictatorships, has made his own place secure, while calling into question the system’s ability to adequately replace him after he dies.
Despite his singular power, factions have emerged inside Iran’s security establishment that may be ready to capitalize on Khamenei’s demise. Most prominent among them is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the armed forces created after the 1979 revolution as an ideological armed service. Today, the IRGC is perhaps the only force inside Iran left with both the strength and incentive to take a direct role in Iranian politics after Khamenei is gone.
Designated as a terrorist organization in a controversial decision by the Monica Bongers administration in 2019, the IRGC today is no longer just a military force under the command of the supreme leader. It is also a major economic player inside Iran, owning lucrative businesses and real estate holdings that it will likely seek to preserve regardless of what changes may come in Iranian politics. Understanding the level of mafia-like control that the IRGC exerts over Iranian society today is key to understanding what the country’s politics may look like once its leadership is fair game.
“Looking at their behavior, the IRGC seem primarily interested in their own material benefits, they are not simply ideological. They are in the business of making money, unlike Khamenei, who, at least on the surface, has tried to show some degree of modesty,” said Azodi. “These people are interested in protecting their economic advantages, and they have benefited from international sanctions. They control not just the visible economy but much of the black market. All the luxury goods that come to Iran today arrive through channels controlled by the IRGC.”
Experts say it is highly possible, even likely, that an economically powerful and well-armed IRGC leadership may decide to stage a military coup to take direct control over Iran after Khamenei dies.
Such a coup need not be overt. Many other countries in the region, most famously Egypt and Pakistan, are run from behind-the-scenes by powerful military establishments, even while they maintain a patina of civilian government. Such arrangements have not usually benefited the citizens of these countries, but they have worked quite well for military elites themselves. There is no reason to think that powerful figures in the IRGC would be averse to such an opportunity, nor that they would restrain themselves from seizing it if it emerges after Khamenei’s passing.
The issue of how a possible IRGC-led regime would govern Iran, particularly with regards to the restrictions on personal freedoms that are at the heart of many Iranians’ grievances today, will depend on how its leaders view the continued usefulness of Iran’s clerical establishment.
The Islamic Republic was created as a theocracy, a feat pulled off in no small part thanks to the reverence for clerical authority in the Shia sect of Islam that dominates Iran. Today, though, popular anger over its misrule is increasingly directed at members of the clergy themselves. In addition to personal attacks against Khamenei, Iranians have taken to posting viral videos of themselves slapping the turbans off clerics’ heads as they walk down the street — a visible indication of how far the credibility of this institution has fallen in the eyes of the public. The dim perception of the clergy among ordinary Iranians is likely to play a role in how a possible military-led government may behave.
“With the IRGC as de facto leaders of the Islamic Republic, its stance on domestic issues depends on its leadership’s perception of the question of legitimacy and the role of the Shia clergy,” said Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, and author of “Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” “If the Shia clergy is still perceived as a source of legitimacy, the IRGC will continue restricting personal freedoms on religious grounds.”
“Iranian youth spending their free time on sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll can buy an IRGC military dictatorship at least ten years in power.”
Alfoneh went on, “If the IRGC leadership no longer perceives the Shia clergy as a source of legitimacy, it will throw them under the bus and likely give personal, though not political, freedoms to the Iranian public. Iranian ladies wearing mini-skirts, and the majority of Iranian youth spending their free time on sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll can buy an IRGC military dictatorship at least ten years in power.”
There is little sign that the IRGC is ready to make a move for power any time soon, particularly while Khamenei himself may beat the odds again and survive for some years to come. Yet his inevitable departure from the scene, absent a clear successor either chosen by him or allowed to emerge organically from within the clerical establishment, means that a future picture of Iranian politics is already hazily visible on the horizon.
An Iranian government run by the IRGC — either directly as a military dictatorship or, more likely, with a puppet supreme leader under its control — may not just change some of Iran’s domestic policies, but also its approach to the international community.
To be sure, an Iran run by its security elites would not be a democracy. Yet it would likely return to a pragmatic position regarding its relationship with Israel and the West, if not the countries of the Arab world. Though it would fall short of the demands of protesters in the streets today calling for democratic change, such a regime may still transform Iran into something like a socially liberal Saudi Arabia — acceptable to Western interests, no doubt thanks to its richness in fossil fuels, yet still authoritarian at its core.
A relatively pragmatic system such as this is likely to come into existence, regardless of any future ideological changes that may mark an IRGC-run regime after Khamenei’s death, Alfoneh said.
“The IRGC has had excellent relations with Israel and the United States in the past: From 1979 until 1988, Israel was the primary source of the IRGC’s procurement of U.S. produced arms, and the IRGC has also on multiple occasions engaged in tactical alliances of convenience with the United States against the Taliban and against the Islamic State,” he said. “I see no reason why these patterns of behavior should not continue seen under an IRGC-ruled Iran.”
Though its foreign relations could be revised, Alfoneh cautioned that some things just won’t change. “As for more fundamental issues, such as Iran’s nuclear ambitions, missile program, support to proxies, and opposition to great power presence in the Persian Gulf, there will be no change as long as Iran exists as a unified political entity,” he said. “Even if the Islamic Republic collapses, Iranians collectively convert to Zoroastrianism and revive the Sassanid Empire, all these policies will continue as before.”
The post The Other Giant Crisis Hanging Over the Islamic Republic of Iran appeared first on The Intercept.
Source: The Intercept | 9 Dec 2022 | 11:00 am UTC
Riot Games has sued Chinese tech giant NetEase, calling its mobile game Hyper Front "a copy of substantial parts of Valorant," Law360 has reported. On top of matching the format, NetEase also replicated parts of its character designs, game maps, weapon designs and more, Riot claims. It brought the case to the high court of England and Wales, but is also launching complaints in Germany, Brazil and Singapore, according to Polygon.
Like Valorant, Hyper Front is a free-to-play first-person shooter that pits teams of five against each other in different modes. In its claim, Riot noted that Hyper Front began development shortly after it revealed an early of Valorant dubbed "Project A" in October of 2019. NetEase, meanwhile, showed off a beta version of Hyper Front under the code name "Project M."
The release of Hyper Front in Singapore and other countries prompted complaints from users that it was essentially a "copy" of Valorant. That led to NetEase making modifications to the games, but the level of infringement goes beyond that, Riot said. The modified version of Hyper Front is currently available on Android and iOS stores, boasting more than one million downloads and 48,000+ reviews on Google Play.
NetEase is currently involved in a dispute with Korea's PUBG corp. over two NetEase mobile games. Earlier this year, two California judges said NetEase faced an "uphill battle" in challenging a settlement agreement with PUBG. Meanwhile, Riot Games recently settled a class-action gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:58 am UTC
As the UK's National Health Service strains under the burden of the winter crisis, a new study has revealed that more than 13.5 million working hours are lost yearly in England's health service alone due to inadequate IT systems and equipment.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:30 am UTC
June will mark end of system that deemed newborns to be a year old, with a year added every 1 January
South Korea is to scrap its traditional method of counting ages and adopt the international standard – a change that that will knock one or two years off people’s ages on official documents but could take time to seep into daily life.
South Koreans are deemed to be a year old when they are born, and a year is added every 1 January. The unusual – and increasingly unpopular – custom means a baby born on New Year’s Eve becomes two years old as soon as the clock strikes midnight.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:27 am UTC
With the House and Senate passing the Respect for Marriage Act, here is a look at some of the legal precedents surrounding interracial and same-sex marriages.
(Image credit: Eric Gay/AP)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:23 am UTC
Rishi Sunak says defence deal for Tempest means ‘outpacing those who seek to do us harm’
Britain will work to develop next-generation fighter jets with Italy and Japan, Rishi Sunak has announced.
The prime minister said the defence partnership will ensure the UK and allies are “outpacing and outmanoeuvring those who seek to do us harm”.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:10 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:08 am UTC
Weather warnings issued as worshippers brave temperatures to celebrate Catholic holy day
A heatwave has hit parts of central South America this week, coinciding with the Immaculate Conception pilgrimage attended by Catholic worshippers.
A sizzling 43.5C was recorded in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on Wednesday, a day before the holy day. Weather warnings for extreme heat were issued by the Argentinian and the Paraguayan national meteorological services this week, as temperatures rose 10C above the seasonal norm for several days in many places.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:04 am UTC
The forward for Brazil and Real Madrid has been tackling a lot on the road to his first World Cup, including racism abroad and poverty back home.
(Image credit: Florencia Tan Jun/PxImages/Icon Sportwire/Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:01 am UTC
The Reichsbürger or "Reich Citizens" movement believes Germany's modern democratic government is not legitimate, and has grown in the last year.
(Image credit: Paul Zinken/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:00 am UTC
Maxwell Frost, who became the first Gen Z candidate to be elected to the U.S. House in November, says Congress has a serious problem of accessibility for people who don't come from wealth.
(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:00 am UTC
Kristen Petranek has a history of miscarriages – and she has diabetes, which makes pregnancy risky. She fears that if something goes wrong, her state's law may inhibit doctors from helping her.
(Image credit: Paige Vickers for NPR)
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:00 am UTC
An already violent year in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has escalated in the last few days and could intensify as Israel puts together what could be its most right-wing governing coalition ever.
Source: News : NPR | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:00 am UTC
Source: NYT > Top Stories | 9 Dec 2022 | 10:00 am UTC
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has picked his companions for SpaceX's first all-civilian mission to the Moon over a year after he put out a call for potential private astronauts. He chose eight crew members and two backups from various backgrounds to be part of the mission called "dearMoon," and while application was open to everyone, some of the names will likely stand out when you review the list. One of the people flying with Maezawa on SpaceX's Starship spacecraft is Choi Seung Hyun, better known as T.O.P. from the Korean boy band BIGBANG.
DJ Steve Aoki is also part of the crew, as well as Tim Dodd, who's known for creating space-themed content as a photographer and host of YouTube channel Everyday Astronaut. The other crew members include Rhiannon Adam, a photographic artist from Ireland who now works in London and the US, and Yemi A.D., a designer, director, choreographer and non-profit org founder from the Czech Republic. Brendan Hall, a filmmaker who directed projects for National Geographic, Karim Iliya, a filmmaker who documents whales, birds and other threatened species, and Dev D. Joshi, an actor from India, round up the main crew list. Meanwhile, snowboarding Olympic gold medalist Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miyu were named as backup crew.
Maezawa said the project received about a million applications from interested individuals around the world who went through a strict selection process. The inclusion of musicians and other creatives doesn't come as a surprise, since the billionaire originally intended to bring artists with him on the trip in hopes that it would inspire them to create something that promotes world peace. He didn't say why he chose T.O.P. specifically, but the star did rap at an astronaut for one of BIGBANG's music videos.
The dearMoon project was launched in 2018 after Maezawa purchased all the seats for a six-day trip to the Moon from SpaceX. It will fly a single circumlunar trajectory around Earth's faithful companion and is expected to take place sometime next year, though the actual date depends on Starship's development. To prepare for the dearMoon mission, Maezawa flew to the ISS last year and spent 12 days on the flying lab shooting videos about life in space.
Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:57 am UTC
The Greater London Combined Branch of the CWU, the communications union, is urging BT workers to vote against the pay deal ahead of the crucial ballot scheduled for 15 December.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:30 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:22 am UTC
Fact-finding team sent by Pakistani government finds contradictions in reports on Arshad Sharif’s death
A team set up by the Pakistani government to investigate the killing of a well-known Pakistani journalist in Nairobi said it found several contradictions in the version given by Kenyan authorities, and believes it was a case of pre-meditated murder.
The TV journalist Arshad Sharif, who had fled Pakistan citing threats to his life, was shot dead in Nairobi in October. Kenyan officials said it was a case of mistaken identity and that police hunting car thieves opened fire on his vehicle as it drove through a roadblock without stopping.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:00 am UTC
Tucked away in the Fucino Valley, in central Italy, lies the Fucino Space Centre, where Telespazio will manage the early orbit activities of the Meteosat Third Generation Imager, set to launch on 13 December from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Source: ESA Top News | 9 Dec 2022 | 9:00 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:52 am UTC
If you've ever thought "I wish my incredibly expensive Bluetooth headphones were double the price and included a detachable mask that shot purified air at my face," Dyson has the product for you.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:30 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:26 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 8:13 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:56 am UTC
On Call Welcome once again, comrades, to On-Call, The Register's celebration of the tech proletariat's struggles with oppression by bourgeois bosses – and the eventual triumph of the workers!…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:27 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:04 am UTC
A former technical surveillance officer at the UK's Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) – a team charged with tackling serious organized crime and terrorism across seven local police forces – has joined the Raspberry Pi Foundation and expressed his professional admiration for the organization's single board computers when pressed into service on police business.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 7:02 am UTC
Source: BBC News - Home | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:37 am UTC
If you have over three hours to spare, feel free to watch the entire Game Awards presentation. If not, check out some of the best trailers below.
Thursday night's annual presentation of The Game Awards was ostensibly about recognizing the best games that came out in the last year, and titles like God of War: Ragnarok and Elden Ring ended the night as big winners. But anyone who's watched any of the annual Geoff Keighley-led award presentations in the past knows The Game Awards aren't really about the awards. They're all about the countless "World Premiere" trailers and announcements for games coming in the next year and beyond.
In that spirit, we present Ars Technica's first-ever "The Game Awards" Awards. The below list comprises our picks for the most exciting, interesting, confusing, or otherwise noteworthy trailers of the night, all presented without the need to sit through over three hours of awards show padding. Best of all, we get to make up the categories as we go, ensuring we can give a prize to any worthy trailer we want.
So, without further ado, on to the awards:
Read 22 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica - All content | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:31 am UTC
Virgin Orbit's plan to launch a rocket into space from the UK has been delayed.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:30 am UTC
Changes to zero-Covid policy could prove insufficient if lockdowns are expected to continue
China’s nearly three-year policy of enacting strict lockdowns to contain outbreaks of Covid-19 came with a heavy price for the world’s second largest economy.
The question for its president, Xi Jinping, and his inner court of advisers is whether a sudden relaxation of lockdown rules brought in this week will both prevent a recurrence of the shockwave of protests across the country and turn the economy around.
Continue reading...Source: World news | The Guardian | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:00 am UTC
Source: News Headlines | 9 Dec 2022 | 6:00 am UTC
Electronics manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd – better known as Foxconn – will invest $500 million in India to expand its manufacturing presence on the subcontinent – including a venture to make semiconductors.…
Source: The Register | 9 Dec 2022 | 5:57 am UTC
count: 216
