Kickstarter, Indiegogo pull plug on adoption app campaign Adoptly

Why it matters to you

Adoptly satirized the idea of making everything faster and easier. It turns out not everyone agreed, but the result is a stronger discussion on the child adoption process.

It turns out that Adoptly, a Kickstarter- and Indiegogo-suspended campaign that aimed to raise money for a child adoption app in the style of Tinder, is fake. The project came from a duo who previously fooled the media with an app called Pooper, which allowed people to scoop up dog poop for money.

Ben Becker and Elliot Glass said Pooper took “aim at the gig economy” and questioned where people would draw the line. Adoptly, on the other hand, satirized “our tech-obsessed world and our cultural desire to make everything faster, easier, more convenient, and instantly gratifying.” Becker is a creative director in advertising and Glass is a web developer.

More: Tinder pranks CES with its multi-user VR headset for couples

“While Adoptly certainly treads into darker, more personal territory than Pooper, our goal was similar: Spark a conversation about the nature of instantaneous judgement, gratification, and the way technology is training our brains to like or dislike based on fragments and surface level information — photos, headlines, tweets, and soundbites — and make decisions, both big and small, based on superficial biases,” Becker and Glass told Digital Trends in an email.

“People, almost universally, had a gut reaction that swiping left and right to adopt a child didn’t feel quite right.

Adoptly was a Kickstarter for an app that promised an easy and faster way to adopt children — but the app used a Tinder-like swipe left and right gesture to help potential parents choose which child they wanted to adopt. This drew immediate skepticism and backlash from the media and other internet forums. Becker and Glass said the goal was never to “belittle” people in the adoption industry.

“The decision to present adoption in a Tinder-like format was purely meant as a jarring affront to everyday tech users, and not as an assault on the adoption industry itself,” the pair said in the email. “Of the few positive reactions to the app, we did hear that although Adoptly may not be an elegant solution, the goal of modernizing and networking more agencies to improve adoption rates is a good one. Some folks also mentioned that anything that gets people talking about adoption and thinking about its issues is ultimately helpful, as it shines a light on an area that doesn’t get nearly enough attention and support.”

Becker and Glass hired actors for the launch film, built a website, made a branding package, and designed the user interface of the app to make Adoptly seem as real as possible — it’s also why the app was on Kickstarter first, as the duo thought it would be more realistic.

Reception was skeptical

Kickstarter kicked Adoptly off its platform a few days after the campaign kicked off. When the team moved to Indiegogo, it was suspended again pending a review. Becker and Glass said neither crowdfunding service contacted their team before suspending the campaign. The Adoptly team intended to suspend the campaign early and refund all donations.

While they said initial reception from the media was more skeptical than with Pooper, public reaction “was far more divisive.” A lot of the negative feedback specifically mentioned how the app dehumanized and gamified the process of child adoption.

More: The Madrisa ski lift uses lasers to assist small children and the handicapped

“People, almost universally, had a gut reaction that swiping left and right to adopt a child didn’t feel quite right,” Becker and Glass said. “On the flip side, some felt that the notion didn’t feel too far-fetched. While others questioned why swiping is okay when searching for a partner in a relationship, and potential lifelong companion, but not in the case of adoption.”

But much of Adoptly’s user interface is based on already-existing standards in the child adoption process — you can, for example, filter children through gender, age, and ethnicity.

“Many thoughtful, well-intentioned and credible people came forward, from both the adoption sector and other areas, as well as prospective investors, to voice their genuine ideas for how to improve adoption, via email, which we really appreciated,” the duo said.

As a result, the team is setting up an email to take in ideas on how adoption can be improved, and they will connect people with ideas to “thinkers, innovators, and possible investors.” You can email contact@adoptlyapp.com if you want to suggest an idea.

Article originally published in January 2017. Updated on 01-31-2017 by Julian Chokkattu: Added news that the Adoptly campaign was a hoax.

Programmable cells may be the next step toward making us real-life cyborgs

Why it matters to you

Researchers have taken another step toward creating real-life cyborgs by demonstrating how biological cells can be electronically programmed to behave in different ways.

With high-tech implants, mind-controlled prostheses, and even head-up displays like Google Glass, it’s pretty clear that the cyborg dream of machine-augmented humans is no longer limited to science fiction.

Researchers from the University of Maryland have taken that dream to the next level, courtesy of new research showing how the “gene expression” of biological cells can be controlled electronically and even “programmed” to behave in different ways.

More: Ready to become a cyborg? This dermal implant will give you a sixth sense

“Electronics has changed our lives when it intersects with biology,” Dr. William Bentley, one of the authors of the paper, told Digital Trends. “Things which come to mind immediately are EKG, EEG, defibrillators and the like. This was discovered a long time ago, with people zapping neurons and cardiomyocytes with current and realizing that they could achieve amazing things by doing that. But for most of the molecules in the body — hormones, proteins or cholesterol — there’s no way of transferring information between biology and electronics. What we’re trying to do is to open up a dialogue.”

In the team’s latest paper, published in the journal Nature, the researchers describe an electrogenetic “switching” system within bacterial cells that lets them behave in ways nature never intended. This bioelectric hybrid system, controllable by applying voltage, enabled the team to create bacterial cells that would, for instance, light up with a green glow when switched on.

Another similar demonstration involved a bacterial cell that was able to move forward when turned on, and stop moving when turned off.

Bentley said that the work could lead to innovations like smart devices that are able to record the presence of particular pathogens and deliver drugs to specific sites in the body.

“People are really interested in wearable devices like the Fitbit,” he continued. “Maybe it would be possible to have a Fitbit equivalent that actually makes an antibiotic or insulin and delivers it through the skin. Or a smart bandage that can be put on the wound and can then detect the necessary biomarkers that are there.”

At what point do we sign up to get our Borg Collective membership cards?

Buy a GTX 1070/1080 card, get a code for ‘Ghost Recon Wildlands’ or ‘For Honor’

Why it matters to you

This is Nvidia’s attempt to lure customers away from AMD when they are considering a new graphics card or gaming-focused desktop or laptop.

On Tuesday, Nvidia launched its latest game bundle offer for the GeForce GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 graphics cards: The “Prepare For Battle” giveaway. Customers who purchase one of these cards or a pre-built desktop or laptop with the graphics chip inside can receive Ubisoft’s For Honor or Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands for free.

To grab the free game, customers must first purchase a qualifying product on or after January 31 and then register the product with its manufacturer. For example, EVGA customers must create an account, register their new hardware, and then request a code for one of the free games. Once approved, that code will show up on EVGA’s promotional page under the “Collect Your Code” section.

More: Nvidia is rolling out Software Upgrade v5 to its Shield TV 2015 set-top box

However, EVGA’s method only applies to hardware purchased through its online store. Customers who purchase qualifying products from third-party sites like Amazon and Newegg will receive a game code through those outlets. If they don’t, customers are encouraged to contact the seller for more information about obtaining the free code.

With a code in hand, PC gamers must then visit Nvidia’s GeForce website to redeem it for the free game. Nvidia said on Tuesday that it revamped the process of redeeming codes so customers aren’t enduring through long sign-up pages. Instead, they can load up the GeForce Experience desktop client and enter the code inside. There the chosen game can be automatically added to the customer’s Uplay account as well.

For those who haven’t seen these yet, here are the system requirements and release dates for both PC games:

For HonorFebruary 14

Minimum
Recommended
Operating system:
Windows 7/8.1/10 64-bit
Windows 7/8.1/10 64-bit
Processor:
Intel Core i3-550
AMD Phenom II X4 955
Intel Core i5-2500K
AMD FX-6350
Memory:
4GB
8GB
Graphics (Nvidia):
GeForce GTX 660
GeForce GTX 750 Ti
GeForce GTX 950
GeForce GTX 1050
*2GB VRAM minimum
GeForce GTX 680
GeForce GTX 760
GeForce GTX 970
GeForce GTX 1060
*2GB VRAM minimum
Graphics (AMD):
Radeon HD 6970
Radeon HD 7870
Radeon R9 270
Radeon R9 370
Radeon RX 460
*2GB VRAM minimum
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 380
Radeon RX 470
*2GB VRAM minimum
Storage:
40GB
40GB
Network:
Broadband
Broadband

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon WildlandsMarch 7

Minimum
Recommended
Operating system:
Windows 7 SP1/8.1/10 64-bit
Windows 7 SP1/8.1/10 64-bit
Processor:
Intel Core i5-2400S (2.5GHz)
AMD FX-4320 (4.0GHz)
Intel Core i7-3770 (3.5GHz)
AMD FX-8350 (4.0GHz)
Memory:
6GB
8GB
Graphics (Nvidia):
GeForce GTX 660
GeForce GTX 1060
*2GB VRAM minimum
Graphics (AMD):
Radeon R7 270X
Radeon R7 270X
*2GB VRAM minimum
Storage:
50GB
50GB
DirectX:
DirectX 11
DirectX 11

Now here are the participants in Nvidia’s Prepare For Battle bundle program:

Etail/Retail
System Builders
Platform Partners
Amazon
CyberPower PC
EVGA
Canada Computers
Digital Storm
MSI
Fry’s Electronics
iBuyPower
PNY
Memory Express
Falcon Northwest
Zotac
Micro Center
Velocity Micro

NCIX
Steiger Dynamics

Newegg
Xotic PC

Sager Notebook Computers

Keep in mind that purchasing qualifying hardware doesn’t guarantee a free game code. The full Terms and Conditions can be read here.

When is your phone getting Android 7.0 Nougat? We asked every major manufacturer

Android 7.1.1 Nougat has been out for some time, but manufacturers and carriers are still lagging behind in pushing updates to devices. Now we’re on 7.1.2, but it’s still in beta and only offers bug fixes and optimizations.

The Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus Player, and Pixel C devices, as well as the General Mobile 4G, an Android One smartphone, should have the 7.1.1 update. The beta for 7.1.2 is gradually rolling out to the following enrolled devices: Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, and Pixel C. Android 7.1.1 will be the last version update for the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9, but the devices will continue receiving security updates.

More: Hands on with Nougat: Android 7.0 is Google’s sweetest update yet

Most manufacturers and carriers are still only rolling out Android 7.0, so don’t expect to see 7.1.1 or 7.1.2 any time soon. Android is notorious for its fragmentation — even if Google pushes an update, manufacturers and carriers test and roll it out separately, and the process usually takes months. It’s why several handsets like BlackBerry’s Priv and the OnePlus 2 received the Android Marshmallow update more than 6 months after Marshmallow launched.

So we put the question directly to the phone makers: “What’s your schedule for updates?” A lot of smartphone manufacturers declined to explicitly name a date or time range for Nougat updates, and only a few mentioned specific devices that will certainly be getting it. If a device has received Android 7.0 Nougat, it’s unlikely your carrier has pushed the update through yet unless it’s

We learned which devices are expected to get Android 7.0 Nougat and when to expect to see the update arrive. We will continue to update this article as we learn more.

Pixel, Nexus, Pixel C, and Android One devices

Google’s Nexus devices are almost always the first smartphones and tablets to receive version updates, and that hasn’t changed with Nougat. There were some delays for certain devices, but the Android 7.1.1 update should already be available to install for most Google devices.

As for 7.1.2, the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 will not receive the update,, a Google spokesperson confirmed wto Ars Technica. The devices are past their 2-year version support window, but they will continue to get security updates for at least another year.

Pixel and Nexus devices with Nougat:

• Pixel and Pixel XL
• Google Nexus 6
• Google Nexus 5X
• Google Nexus 6P
• Google Nexus 9
• Google Nexus Player
• Google Pixel C
• General Mobile 4G (Android One)

Just head over to the “About Phone” section in your device’s Settings app. Tap on System updates and then Check for update. You should get a notification saying there’s an update ready to install. Older Nexus devices like the Nexus 5 and the Nexus 7 (2013) are not receiving the Nougat update.

More: Google marks concrete dates for Nexus device update life cycle

RAM prices are on the increase, with no relief in sight until later in 2017

Why it matters to you

If you’re buying a new machine or upgrading the one you already have, you’ll need to set aside some additional cash for RAM as prices continue to increase.

Recent increases in demand along with supply constraints have driven up solid-state disk (SSD) prices over the last several months, which has put pressure on system and storage accessory pricing. Now, it looks like anyone in the market for a new machine, or for the parts to upgrade their existing machine, is going to face higher prices on other components as well.

This time around, it’s RAM that’s on the way up. While prices started rising sometime in the middle part of 2016, it looks like things aren’t likely to improve anytime soon, PCWorld reports.

More: SSD prices rise as NAND flash supply fails to keep pace with demand

Newegg’s Business blog first reported the beginning of an upward trend in a post on August 31. At that point, the price of a 16GB kit of DDR4 RAM had risen from close to $52 in June to $64 at the end of August. That was the first sign that the previous trend of lower prices was starting to reverse itself.

The reason for the increase in RAM prices is similar to the reason it affects SSD prices — issues such as power outages affecting DRAM manufacturer Samsung have decreased RAM supply at the same time that demand continues to go up. Servers and mobile RAM are the primary drivers of the increased demand, particularly as Android smartphones continue to increase the amount of installed memory.

On Tuesday, according to DigiTimes, demand remains strong and supply hasn’t yet caught up. As Pei-ing Lee, President of RAM manufacturer Nanya Technology, puts it, “The global DRAM supply will continue to fall slightly short of demand in the second quarter,” and therefore that company’s prices will continue to increase accordingly.

Just how bad is RAM pricing? A 16GB RAM kit that could be purchased from Newegg in November for $75 now costs $92. Another 16GB kit that cost $80 in December runs $100 or more. According to industry sources, it could be the third quarter of 2017 before prices stabilize.

It’s therefore not a great time to buy more RAM or a new SSD for your machine or to buy a new machine for that matter. However, unless you’re willing to wait more than just a few months to upgrade, then you might as well bite the bullet and pull out your credit card. Just be prepared to adjust your budget accordingly.

HTC loses another key executive as global vice president leaves after 12 years

Why it matters to you

Another top-ranking executive has left HTC as the company fights to stay relevant by innovating in new areas like virtual reality

Another top-ranking figure has left HTC as Global Executive Vice President Jason Mackenzie announced the end of his run with the Taiwanese consumer electronics firm via Twitter, saying Monday was his final day.

Previously employed at Siemens, he moved to HTC in 2005, right before the company emerged as a global player in the burgeoning smartphone market with its TouchFLO-powered Windows Mobile devices. Mackenzie rose through the ranks to eventually become president of HTC America in 2013. He was promoted to his EVP just about a year ago.

More: HTC smartwatch rumors and news

The intervening 12 years have been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for Mackenzie and the company. The rise of Android in the early days of the platform mirrored HTC’s own, and the company quickly came to be known as one of Google’s most innovative and valuable partners. Recent years, however, haven’t been nearly as kind, and though HTC continues to produce quality devices, it has struggled to regain the foothold it once claimed in the smartphone business.

Mackenzie’s departure comes mere days after news broke that Claude Zellweger, HTC’s vice president of design, left the company. Zellweger was instrumental in defining the aesthetic of HTC’s products, and most recently was heading up the team responsible for developing the Vive virtual reality headset. He’s since moved to Google to focus his efforts on Daydream VR. Engadget reports the designer actually left in July.

HTC is trying to stay relevant with expansion into new industries and revenue streams. The company has become a major player in the nascent virtual reality space with the Vive, which it co-developed with video game developer and distribution giant Valve. Meanwhile, it has assumed manufacturing duties for Google’s flagship Pixel smartphone. That particular agreement appears to have been a smart one for HTC, as it allows the company to focus on its strength — namely, building quality smartphones — while leaving the dilemma of marketing to a media powerhouse.

Cotton candy and jello could be secret ingredient for growing new organs

Why it matters to you

Dreaming of artificial organs? Researchers may have found a way to make it possible by growing blood vessels.

The regenerative medicine dream of being able to build new human organs from scratch — thereby bringing an end to transplant waiting lists — is serious, life-changing stuff.

So why are researchers from Vanderbilt University spending their time messing about with cotton candy and jello molds? Because, as it turns out, these tools may be our best shot at solving the problem.

One of the bottlenecks that exist with building functioning organs is that cells need to be roughly within a hair’s thickness of a blood vessel to get the nutrients that they need. Put them too far away from a supply of oxygenated blood and they will die. What this means is that if you want to build tissue that is thicker than a human hair, you need to build in artificial vasculature which can provide all the cells in a tissue with the nutrients and oxygen that they need.

The smallest blood vessels are called capillaries, fine branching blood vessels which make up a complex network between arterioles and venules. The size of a capillary? Around 10 times smaller than a human hair.

More: Amazing new 3D printed skin is authentic enough to be used for transplants and scientific testing

That is no good for 3D printing, which is often considered the answer for regenerative medicine thanks to the enormous possibilities of bioprinting. “3D printing certainly has its place for larger features, but I’m not aware of a 3D printing approach that’s able to produce features on the capillary scale in 3D,” Dr. Leon Bellan told Digital Trends.

What he and colleague Hak-Joon Sung have come up with is a novel method of “spinning” capillary-sized polymer fibers using a regular cotton candy machine.

“It turns out that if you take a cotton candy machine and spin fibers from it, that fibrous mesh contains three-dimensional fibers which are roughly 10 times thinner than a human hair,” Bellan continued. “It’s very hard to pattern something at that scale and with that complexity using a 3D printer.”

In terms of where the jello mold comes into play, Bellan said that the polymer fibers are next hardened in a jelly-like material called hydrogel and then dissolved away, leaving just the capillary-style chambers themselves for cells to grow around.

“Getting cotton candy inside hydrogel is somewhat difficult, but it’s important because it’s most similar to the natural cellular matrix that cells like to live in,” he said. “We’ve spent a lot of time working out how to put cotton candy inside of a jello mold. To do this, we now don’t make the cotton candy from sugar, but instead materials that don’t dissolve in hot water but only in cold water. By playing games with the temperature we were able to achieve our goal.”

New sponsored workshops aim to give photojournalists (drone) wings

Why it matters to you

These actions should accelerate the use of drone photography in journalism, giving the public a better view from the skies.

The FAA’s latest round of drone laws means even photojournalists need to be certified before they fly — and now a partnership between several groups from Google News Lab to DJI is going to help photojournalists get their drone wings.

The Poynter Institute, Google News Lab, the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska, the National Press Photographers Association, and DJI unveiled on Monday a new training program designed to provide journalists the tools they need to safely use drones in their reporting. The Drone Journalism School will be held as a three-day, hands-on workshop, with four locations across the U.S., as well as online availability later this year through Poytner’s News University.

More: What aerial photographers need to know about FAA’s new drone laws

“Drones are purpose-built context machines. They can, in less time and at vastly reduced costs, give a viewer an understanding of the scale and scope of a story unlike anything else journalists have in the toolbox,” Drone Journalism Lab’s Matt Waite said. “Just getting a drone straight up 100 feet in the air has the power to change our understanding of how big, how far, how wide, how massive something is. And it can be done safely and for very little cost.”

Along with covering topics such as drone safety, the workshops will also provide journalists with the information to study for the FAA exam in order to obtain a permit to operate a UAV commercially. “As a certified drone pilot myself, I know how difficult the exam can be for people who have no other pilot training,” said Al Tompkins, the Poynter organizer for the workshops. “Our goal is not to make you ‘test ready’ but to show you what will be on the exam and to give you the fundamental knowledge you will need to study for the test.”

Hands-on flight training will also be a part of the workshop, sponsored by drone manufacturer DJI. A National Press Association Lawyer, Mickey H. Osterreicher, will also be on hand to discuss the legal side of drone flight, helping potential pilots to navigate not only federal drone regulations, but local ordinances as well.

The workshops will be held at the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication from March 17 to March 19, Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications from April 21 to April 23, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication from June 16 to June 18, and the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication in Portland from August 18 to August 20. The workshop registration is $295, with scholarships available to members of a number of different journalism organizations.

Snapchat now lets businesses create custom Snapcodes that launch their websites

Why it matters to you

Are you a website owner? Snapchat is now letting businesses create custom Snapcodes that launch their website within the Snapchat app.

Snapchat is making its quick response (QR) codes for businesses a little more personal. The company is updating its app to allow websites to have their own QR code. Once scanned, the code will automatically launch the linked website inside the Snapchat app, making it easy for businesses to send users to their website.

An employee of a business looking to use the new feature can simply head to Settings, then select Snapcodes, then hit Create Snapcode. They can then enter the URL for their website, as well as an image that can be pulled from their website or phone, and that image will sit within the Snapchat ghost logo. They can then use the Snapchat QR code wherever they want.

More: Facebook clones another Snapchat feature with the debut of Stories

Individual profiles have had Snapcodes since January 2015. The feature was implemented using technology Snapchat picked up when it acquired Scan.me. What was the point? Well, the codes basically made it easier for users to follow each other without having to type in usernames or search through contacts.

The move makes sense for Snapchat as a way to entice businesses to use Snapchat a little more regularly, and it could help make Snapchat a lot more useful in general for businesses. After all, the easier it is to follow a business and get to its website, the more likely it is that someone will follow that business on Snapchat. Instagram, which is increasingly becoming a competitor to Snapchat, lets verified accounts share URLs within stories, a feature that Snapchat doesn’t currently have — Snapcodes for businesses could be Snapchat’s answer to that.

The new feature comes shortly after Snapchat launched a redesign for its app, which basically made the app far easier to navigate for both iOS and Android users. The Android version of that app was launched early in January, while the iOS version began rolling out on January 23.

Google has open-sourced Chrome for iOS

Welcome to the club, iOS.

After years of being completely separated from the rest of the Chromium project, Google has merged Chrome for iOS into the open-source repository it uses for Chrome on other platforms. The move comes with quite a bit of work on the backend as Apple’s constraints on the iOS platform require Chrome for iOS to be built on WebKit rather than Google’s own Blink rendering engine.

Thanks to a bunch of hard work, all of those hurdles have been overcome and there’s a full upstream flow of the Chrome for iOS code into Chromium. Google says that development speed will also improve now that all of the tests done on Chrome for iOS will simply be part of the larger Chromium community.

If you’re the sort of person who likes to check out the open-source code for massive projects like Chromium, you can do so now and see the inclusion of the iOS code as well. You can even compile the iOS version of Chromium on your own.