Jeff Bezos has plans for the moon, and they involve Blue Origin, Amazon-like service

Why it matters to you

It’s been awhile since humans have gone to the moon, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has plans for how we’re going to get there.

No one will ever be able to accuse Jeff Bezos of lacking vision. If the Amazon CEO is anything at all, it’s ambitious. Want proof? His latest endeavor aims to take two of his companies to the moon.

According to a new report from the Washington Post, Bezos and his space company, Blue Origin, has been passing around a white paper that “urges [NASA] to back an Amazon-like shipment service for the moon.” Such a service would bring experiment-related gear, cargo, and humans to the moon by the middle of the next decade, allowing for the “future human settlement” of our natural satellite.

More: Meet Moondrop: A gravity-defying fidget toy that leverages a fascinating quirk of physics

“It is time for America to return to the moon — this time to stay,” Bezos said in an email interview with The Post. “A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this.”

The proposal from January 4 is centered around cargo missions, which will help ultimately establish the aforementioned lunar settlement. And it’s really not outside the realm of possibility. NASA has already demonstrated its openness to working with commercial companies — after all, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been awarded many a contract to fly off into space, most recently to Mars.

And Bezos is seizing upon that opportunity, it would seem. During Thursday’s Aviation Week awards ceremony, Bezos noted, “I think that if you go to the moon first, and make the moon your home, then you can get to Mars more easily.”

The executive said that Blue Origin could be headed to the moon as soon as in July of 2020, but such a mission could “only be done in partnership with NASA. Our liquid hydrogen expertise and experience with precision vertical landing offer the fastest path to a lunar lander mission. I’m excited about this and am ready to invest my own money alongside NASA to make it happen.”

“Blue Moon is all about cost-effective delivery of mass to the surface of the Moon,” Bezos wrote. “Any credible first lunar settlement will require that capability.”

Here’s how Windows 10 Game Mode is going to make your PC games run more smoothly

Why it matters to you

Windows 10 Game Mode is coming soon in Creators Update, and Microsoft has provided more detail on how it works.

One of the more interesting features coming in the impending Creators Update is Game Mode, which aims to improve gaming performance in Windows 10. Gaming remains important to Microsoft, and Game Mode could help solidify Windows 10’s status as the PC gaming platform of choice.

Creators Update should arrive in April, and that could be good timing. Windows 10 just recently dropped below 50 percent of the Steam gaming market, a potential indication that its adoption rate has slowed. Microsoft provided some details at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) on just how Game Mode should improve Windows 10 gaming, as Ars Technica reports.

More: Snake oil, or black magic? Windows’ new game mode is a bit of both

Eric Walston, a member of Microsoft’s Xbox Advanced Computing Group, provided a few more tidbits about how Game Mode will “focus the existing hardware on providing the best possible gaming experience.” As suspected, the essence of Game Mode is that it allocates hardware resources to a running game when it’s turned on.

Basically, Game Mode devotes most of a system’s processor cores to whichever game the user identifies as most important. Processing threads from other applications and system functions are divvied up to the remaining cores, which has the additional benefit of taking away thread contention that can also kill performance.

Game Mode also improves on Windows 10’s tendency to allocate processing time to the focused window, devoting GPU processing cycles to a game that’s currently running and taking away GPU cycles from everything else. GPU memory is also optimized for the target game, which should bring even more processing benefits.

According to our own testing, Game Mode has the most impact on game performance when things start going south. It smooths out a game’s performance at the low end, while contributing only minor improvements to maximum framerates.

Our conclusion was that, so far at least, Game Mode makes for a subtle improvement in the overall experience of playing a game, but it isn’t going to turn your low-end gaming system into a PC gamer’s dream machine. We’ll find out more when Creators Update makes its way to production machines in April and more users — and game developers — have a chance to get their hands on it.

20 tips and tricks to make your Netflix streaming experience even better

It doesn’t take an engineering degree to use Netflix for its intended purpose. You navigate to the user-friendly website, choose what you want to watch, and in no time flat, you’ve got season 3 of Friends streaming on your computer or TV. Easy said, and even easier done.

Netflix has reaped massive rewards from this tried-and-true formula, and the need to improve it is scarce. The old adage says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but we believe even Netflix’s excellence can use some enhancing, and we’ve got 20 ways to prove it. From taking advantage of in-depth algorithms to improving the browsing experience, these tips will help you get the most out of your Netflix subscription.

More: The best media streaming device you can buy

Additionally, take a look at our picks for the best Netflix instant movies and the best Netflix instant TV shows.

Rate everything you watch

Every time you finish a television or movie stream, Netflix asks you to give the content a 1-5 star rating. While most people tend to blow past any sort of survey, it greatly benefits you to take the time to rate your Netflix activity.

The streaming service’s in-depth algorithm takes note of your ratings and tailors its suggested titles based upon those ratings. By using the rating system, you can save yourself from spending 30 minutes browsing titles in the back corners of Netflix’s catalog. This spot-on algorithm can cut out search time by suggesting selections related to what you’ve rated highly.

Conversely, the system also takes note of shows and movies you’ve rated low, and will avoid making similar suggestions in the future. Consistently rating what you watch helps fine-tune Netflix in the best way possible.

Set up multiple profiles

If more than just one person uses your Netflix account, setting up other profiles helps keep everyone’s preferences separate. Netflix allows for up to five different profiles, and keeps everyone’s taste preferences and ratings specific to their profile. This is a particularly handy feature for those who have kids. The last thing you need is a row full of Dora the Explorer-related suggestions when what you really want is good sci-fi.

Add Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB rankings

If you’re a fan of combing through reviews before deciding on a movie, then adding both the Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB ratings to your Netflix profile is crucial. Google Chrome users can download the Netflix Enhancer extension to have both ratings show up when browsing through Netflix selections.

The extension also adds the ability to view trailers of any movie selections, but these features are only accessible via the PC/Mac browser version of Netflix and not on the mobile, over-the-top (Roku/Apple TV) mobile app, or game system versions.

Stay on top of what’s new

Each month, we publish an updated list of what’s new on Netflix and what’s going away, so you can easily keep your finger on the pulse of the latest TV shows and films, as well as old favorites you want to catch before they leave the streaming universe.

Sort your queue

The algorithm-created recommendations provided by Netflix in the My List section of your library can be helpful, but those who wish to take a more hand-curated approach can easily do so. Simply go to the My Account tab in the upper-right hand-corner, then scroll down to My Profile, and select the Order In My List link. From there, you can choose whether My List is curated by the computer, or hand sorted by you.

Search hidden subgenres

As it turns out, the streamer has assigned codes to each genre and subgenre, and you can access the full list of movies or programs manually.

In order to do so, you must type the following URL into your Internet browser: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/INSERTNUMBER. After that, just swap out the “INSERTNUMBER” component with the code that corresponds to the genre you hope to browse, and you’ll get to see all of the options available.

The categories range from fairly general (i.e., anime, drama, and TV series) to extremely specific (i.e., movies for ages 5 to 7, teen comedies, and werewolf horror movies). With how quickly and easily they can be popped into a browser, they serve as a useful tool — in addition to Netflix’s home page and existing browsing options — for finding exactly what you want to stream.

Instead of manually inputting links, Google Chrome users can also install the helpful FindFlix extension to easily search these lesser-known genres. For an in in-depth list of codes, and to learn more about how this feature works, check out our article on the subject.

Get recommendations

Don’t know what to watch? There are a lot of dedicated viewers who offer helpful recommendations for people with a bad case of watcher’s block. We publish two lists, one of our favorite TV shows, and another of our favorite movies on Netflix, and Reddit even has an entire subreddit dedicated to the cause. 

Shuffle play

If you’re feeling lucky, there is a way to randomly choose a film or TV show to watch. Netflix Roulette is a stand-alone site that allows you to pick whether you want to randomly watch a movie or TV show. Those not looking for something completely random can tighten up their options by only watching films with a certain rating window, director or actor’s name, or keyword. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Download movies to watch offline

For years, Netflix subscribers dreamed of the ability to download movies or episodes of their favorite TV shows to accompany them on a long trip off the grid. The dream has finally arrived, and we’re here to help you make that transition go as smoothly as possible, so you can sit back and enjoy the disconnected life.

A couple things to know: You can only download on mobile devices, and the files are only playable through the Netflix app. Want to know more? We’ve written a step-by-step guide to teach you how to save your favorite content for offline viewing.

Manually adjust streaming settings

Those with slower connections can sometimes struggle with constant buffer times — the spinning icon always interrupting whatever you’re trying to watch is bothersome. Sometimes, manually adjusting the streaming bit rate of what you’re watching to a lower setting can help alleviate these issues. Simply press ctrl-shift-alt-s on Windows, or ctrl-shift-option-s on a Mac, and choose a lower number from the middle section of the pop-up menu that appears. Problem solved.

Dad who 3D-printed prosthesis for his son wants to share the technology

Why it matters to you

A 3D-printed hydraulic arm for can help children across the globe. Here is how you can help.

As much as we love writing about crazy Nerf dart-firing air cannons and 3D-printed lightsabers, sometimes you come across a use of modern technology that makes you grateful to be living when we are.

The story of baby Sol Ryan is one example. Soon after being born, Sol had to have his lower left arm amputated due to complications. While he could have waited to have a prosthetic fitted on the freely available National Health Service in the U.K., this would have involved a three-year wait and, even then, it would be a nonfunctional prosthesis for cosmetic purposes.

More: Team uses 3D printing to save the life of injured goose named Victoria

Fortunately, Sol’s father Ben Ryan decided to pick up the slack. After plenty of research, Ben Ryan developed a design for a 3D-printable hydraulic prosthetic arm. Far from simply cosmetic, the arm — complete with movable thumb — is able to operate both manually and with assistance from a compressed air-hydraulic pump.

Now that his son has been given a new arm (seriously, how many dad brownie points do you get for that?), Ben Ryan wants to take his invention to the next level, to help even more kids around the world. To do this he has started up a company called Ambionics, which designs and 3D prints similar hydraulic prosthetics for youngsters.

“At any one stage, there are around 4,000 children in the United States alone who would benefit from one of these devices,” he told Digital Trends. “In developing countries, particularly in war-torn countries, those numbers can be much higher. We need to raise funds and investments so we can bring in the expertise to really help make a difference.”

The result is an Indiegogo campaign, which aims to raise 150,000 pounds ($185,000) over the next month. This money will go on continuing research and prototyping, patents, and Food and Drug Administration approval.

There are signed photos, T-shirts and hoodies available to backers in exchange for their pledges, but ultimately this is about something a lot bigger than just crowdfunding rewards: It’s about making a difference to people’s lives.

Facebook’s new Messenger menus could mean the end of chatting with chatbots

Why it matters to you

Facebook is giving bot makers the ability to ditch the chat element from chatbots by replacing the text input field in Messenger with a new menu filled with responses. But where’s the fun in that?

When’s the last time you had a conversation with a Facebook chatbot? If you had to take a moment to think of an answer, it probably wasn’t recently or, maybe, ever.

Facebook is coming to the realization that despite Messenger bots having been around for almost a year, people may still be ignoring them.

In an effort to change how users approach bots, the company has announced a bunch of new developer features. Chief among the updates for bot-makers is the “persistent menu” function, which essentially presents all of a bot’s features instantaneously before the conversation begins. Developers even have the option to ditch the composer field for text inputs altogether, replacing it with the new menu.

Facebook describes the chatbots update as “a simple Messenger experience without conversational capabilities.” What this basically means is that chatting and responding to bots (in the way you would to a friend on Messenger) could soon be a thing of the past. Instead, the experience will be akin to browsing a website (clicking on links to find relevant items and info). In fact, the new menu interactions that involve users tapping on a series of options, eventually lead to an in-app web page.

That begs the question: what did chatbots get wrong about chatting? After all, the idea behind chatbots has a lot of potential: a conversational user interface that can help with everything from booking flights, to buying clothes, and checking the news and weather. The execution, however, has been far from perfect.

Let’s face it, having a conversation with a chatbot never really felt similar to chatting with a person. Some bombard you with messages, when you’re not really even sure what they do. Others can’t deal with the simplest of responses, forcing you to revert to the automated inputs they understand.

This isn’t a new criticism either. Since their launch, chatbots have been greeted with a mixed reception, mainly due to their lack of conversational abilities. In the words of Digital Trends writer Justin Pot: “humans shouldn’t have to learn to speak with bots. Bots should learn to speak with humans. Until that happens, apps and websites don’t have a lot to worry about.”

The latest Messenger Platform update could mean that users won’t have to learn how to speak with chatbots. That could streamline the experience, making it easier but hardly exciting. Let’s hope there’s still room for playful experimentation when it comes to our automated friends. Otherwise we may have to start referring to them as bots rather than chatbots.

You can learn all about the new features Facebook announced as part of its Messenger Platform 1.4 update here.

Amazon’s next Alexa device might offer phone calls, intercom tech

Amazon is reportedly working on a home security camera, but now we’re wondering if it’s more of a device that lets you place calls.

According to Recode, Amazon is working on one or more Alexa devices that will allow you to initiate phone calls by voice. AFTVnews also recently discovered an image on Amazon’s own web servers, and that image appears to be of a security camera. The camera has a white exterior design, black central area, pivoting base, and a little blue glow circling the lens. It basically looks very reminiscent of Alexa.

• Best of CES 2017: Alexa everywhere

Alexa has proven to be very popular, and at CES 2017, several companies announced they would be releasing products with built-in Alexa. Some smartphone makers, such as Lenovo and Huawei, are even adding a version of it to their handsets. It’s therefore not out of the realm of possibilities that Amazon wants there to be more Alexa gadgets that could maybe watch your home or let you place phone calls.

It’s not clear if the security camera is the same device that Recode is talking about. But just imagine this security camera offering the ability to make audio or video calls to other Echo and Fire users. Recode said Amazon’s upcoming device, or devices, will also let you to talk with others on the opposite end of another Alexa device via a feature that acts like an intercom system. Amazon is now testing this tech, too.

• Amazon Echo: First 7 things you should do to get Alexa started

Amazon has also internally mulled making an Alexa device with a video camera – again, sort of like the leaked security camera. The Wall Street Journal even previously reported that Amazon was considering adding phone call functionality to its existing voice assistant gadgets. Honestly, there’s so many unconfirmed bits. For instance, can you sync your own number and contacts with this voice-calling device?

Amazon is expected to make an announcement in the coming months.

The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games

Hey, game developers: William Gibson called. He wants his dystopian sci-fi future back.

The annual Game Developers Conference showcases the latest projects from studios around the world, offering a first-hand look at the themes and trends driving the industry forward. And this year, it’s all about cyberpunk. Walking among the flashy, flickering and noisy booths of the GDC show floor and its surrounding events, the pattern becomes clear — a significant portion of these games have a strong sci-fi vibe, many of them dealing with the idea of futuristic corporate overreach and gritty technological espionage.

Take the ID@Xbox showcase for example. Of the 20 games on display, at least half are set in sci-fi worlds or feature dystopian themes (or both), including Tacoma, Tokyo 42, Tower 57, Songbringer and Aven Colony. However, two titles in particular encapsulate the raw, gritty future that’s a staple of the cyberpunk genre: Ruiner by Polish studio Reikon and >observer_ by Bloober Team.

Ruiner is basically Hotline Miami in a 3D, Ghost in the Shell-style world. It’s the year 2091; corrupt corporations and government officials rule a cold, technologically advanced society. In the introductory tutorial, the screen glitches out at odd intervals as instructions flood the environment, instructing players to “Kill Boss” while they run down metal hallways filled with hostile security forces. It’s heart-pounding, rapid-fire gameplay in a distinctly cyberpunk setting, with incredibly satisfying shooting mechanics.

Meanwhile, >observer_ takes a more psychological approach to the sci-fi genre, throwing players in a horrific world where corporations control everything and advanced technology is reserved only for the elite. Ordinary citizens live in squalor, while government agents patrol the streets, able to hack people’s minds as they see fit. This is full-on dystopian cyberpunk.

The Indie Megabooth also showcased a disproportionate amount of sci-fi. Six of the 12 games feature cosmic or cyberpunk-inspired settings, including _transfer, a dark, text-based adventure where players type commands into a program as they attempt to figure out why the world is ending, and Rogue Process, a sci-fi platformer about a hacker on the hunt for corporate secrets.

The video game industry’s renewed push for cyberpunk is not only exciting — it makes sense. The past few years of mainstream gaming have been dominated by fantasy franchises including Skyrim, Diablo, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dragon Age and The Witcher, and it’s about time the pendulum swung in the other, more futuristic direction. Recent big-name games like Halo Wars 2, Horizon Zero Dawn and the coming release of Mass Effect: Andromeda signal the beginning of this new sci-fi, cyberpunk cycle.

Plus, the world’s eyes are on the video game industry as virtual reality hardware enters the homes of everyday consumers worldwide. For decades, VR has represented “the future” of video games — and the vision of a technologically advanced society in general — and, suddenly, it’s here. The future is now. It isn’t surprising that developers across the globe are thinking about “the future” within games themselves, inspired by the virtual environments now at our fingertips.

Advances in technology feed the video game creation process just as innovative games fuel the production of new hardware. The shift toward a more gritty, cyberpunk trend in the video game industry makes perfect sense given the current political, social and technological climate in the world today. These themes of corporate cruelty and tense class disparities reflect conversations happening in cities and towns everywhere, every day. Cyberpunk is a reflection of society’s deepest fears and its greatest hopes for the future; in a time of rapid technological advancement and political upheaval, people — including game developers — are looking for the best way forward while imagining the dire consequences of choosing the wrong path.

Cyberpunk is back, baby.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from GDC 2017!

New Alexa devices could get speakerphone, intercom features

Amazon plans to reveal new voice-controlled devices this year that will let you make phone calls, according to a report today from Recode. These gadgets might also allow you to “call” a buddy who has another Alexa-powered speaker, making for a sort of intercom system. Just last month, both Google and Amazon started looking at adding telephony to their respective digital assistants, but it looks like Amazon has taken the first step. Recode‘s sources say that we might see an official announcement in the coming months.

The company’s voice-controlled Echo and Dot devices have generated a lot of buzz, but still have some growing pains, including out-of-control shopping sprees. In addition, Amazon is having a tougher time than expected getting users to stick with its app-like skills. Communication features like these, then, could be the first killer app for this type of device.

While privacy concerns continue to be an important issue, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon may have found a way to address them by only recording call metadata like phone numbers or call durations. Details like how the devices will handle phone numbers and contacts remain to be discovered, but this is a promising move for Amazon’s customers.

Source: Recode

Nintendo Switch locks eShop games to your ‘active’ console

Nintendo’s excellent but imperfect Switch console is hitting stores and shipping out to homes today, but there’s still a few odd details sprouting up. It appears that the Nintendo Account, which replaces the Nintendo Network ID, ties itself to whichever Switch you’re playing on when you sign in. If you want to play games on a different console, you’ll have manually disengage your account from the first one before signing in on another machine.

It’s an awkward move that’s oddly out of step with how Xbox and PlayStation have operated for years, which let users designate a ‘home’ or ‘primary’ consoles, respectively, and download games onto multiple machines. But this restriction is even worse for a console like the Switch. Sure, users might not run into more issues if their new Nintendo console sits firmly nestled in their entertainment center.

But should you heed its hybrid call and pluck it from out of the cradle for a worldly adventure, danger calls. If you absentmindedly leave it on the bus seat, you’re leaving all your eShop-bought games locked into the Switch with it. At this time, you can’t detach your Nintendo Account from your console remotely — you would have to contact Nintendo’s help like and hope they let you in.

Xbox, PlayStation and Steam store their game permissions in the cloud, letting you download the content you own simply after signing in on a new machine. Some of these also let you migrate save data. But Nintendo doesn’t currently offer cloud storage for saved games. That means, if your Switch gets stolen, you’ll have to contact the company and bargain for access to your Nintendo Account, assign it to a new machine, and download your titles anew — but you’ll have to start all your games from scratch. Keep your consoles close, Switchers.

Source: Polygon

Google Photos automatically fixes your pictures’ white balance

Google Photos is one of the more hidden jewels of the company’s software family — especially if you snagged a Pixel phone and unlimited storage. A way of storing all your photos online (and making them delightfully searchable thanks to machine learning), the service is getting smarter, yet again. The latest addition to auto-correcting exposure and color saturation is white balance. Select a ‘look’ when editing photos through the web or on the Android app, and Google’s magic will ensure your whites are naturally whiter, whether that means removing some yellow or adjusting the blues. (That’s what we mean by white balance. See scientific corgi example above.) For those that like to be in control, you can still tweak the balance manually with some sliding controls in the Color subsection, under Warmth and Tint.

Auto white balance is rolling out this week on Android and web, and according to Google’s blog, it’ll be coming to iOS soon as well. (And if you’re new to Google Photos, the company added a quick-and-dirty guide alongside this auto white balance update. Read up on those right here.)

Via: The Verge

Source: Google Blog