Weekly Rewind: Cyber Monday deals, Uber’s massive hack, Amazon Key’s competitor
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from Cyber Monday deals to the history of killer robots — it’s all here.
The best Cyber Monday tech deals
Black Friday sales are everywhere. Whether you’re listening to the radio, watching television, or just casually walking down the street, you can expect to be bombarded with advertisements for the annual event. Which is why it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon that follows: Cyber Monday.
The deals don’t have to end with the passing of the weekend, and neither does your excitement for them. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, sans the lines and negative social implications that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do your shopping online this year, make sure to check back here for the latest offers. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best Cyber Monday deals as they go live.
Read: The best Cyber Monday tech deals
Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters
There comes a point in every millionaire’s life when they need a change of perspective. After building your own island fortress and breeding a frenzy of mutant sharks, it becomes difficult to view the world the same way most people do. Even driving in a supercar may leave you feeling blasé. The average person sees the world from ground level, but wouldn’t it be grand to get the view from Mount Olympus?
Thankfully, through the power of engineering, you can cast side earthly tethers and survey the world from on high. All you need is enough money to buy your own private helicopter. Check out the list below for a closer look at some of the most expensive helicopters available for private use. If you need to save up for a few more years before buying one, might we recommend a drone instead?
Read: Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters
Move over, Amazon Key — BoxLock Home protects the packages left at your door
Are you worried about “porch pirates” stealing packages that get left outside your door? BoxLock Home could come in handy. It’s the first internet-connected smart security padlock that caters specifically to residential customers looking to protect their packages. While Amazon Key allows delivery drivers access to a user’s front door, BoxLock offers a more nonintrusive solution.
BoxLock Home only opens when an “out for delivery” package is scanned. Setup is quick, with users simply downloading the mobile app and locking the BoxLock around the preferred delivery receptacle (anything that comes with a hasp for use of a padlock). The box can only be opened when a delivery shows up. The delivery driver will scan the package and follow a two-step verification process to unlock the box and leave the package inside. Once all this happens, the user gets an automatic notification that the package is waiting for them safely in the box.
Read: Move over, Amazon Key — BoxLock Home protects the packages left at your door
Inside the hack Uber didn’t want 57 million users to know about
Another day, another massive data breach. This time around, Uber was the target, but unlike other hacks, it took the company more than a year to disclose the hack to its customers.
According to a blog post from Uber, hackers managed to steal the personal data of a whopping 57 million Uber users in a data breach. Among those compromised, according to a Bloomberg report, were 7 million drivers, of which around 600,000 had their drivers license numbers stolen. Uber says that the information did not include things like Social Security numbers or credit cards.
Read: Inside the hack Uber didn’t want 57 million users to know about
Google finally breaks ground on its impressive ‘landscraper’ campus in London
Heatherwick Studio
For years, the plans for Google’s London campus were just that: plans. The ambitious project stayed stuck on the drawing board, with the web giant abandoning parts of the original plan and then swapping architecture firms as it dithered over the final look.
Having finally settled on a striking design that’s become known as the “landscraper” — for being much longer than it is tall — the company’s CFO Ruth Porat and its U.K. managing director Ronan Harris on Tuesday broke ground at the site in the city’s vibrant King’s Cross district.
Read: Google finally breaks ground on its impressive ‘landscraper’ campus in London
How did we get here? 9 major milestones in the history of killer robots
The idea of robotic warfare has been a sci-fi staple for ages. Decades before Terminator invoked a hellish world pitting man against machine, the 1920s play which introduced us to the word “robot” predicted the end of humanity at the metallic hands of murderous bots.
Lately, however, the topic has became a much bigger issue as science fiction has become science reality. The likes of Elon Musk of Tesla and Mustafa Suleyman of Google have written to the United Nations urging a ban on the development and use of autonomous “killer robots” such as drones, tanks, and machine guns.
But while the pace of this “third revolution in warfare” is speeding up, interest in similar weapons dates back years. Here are nine important milestones that set us on the path to where we are here in 2017.
Read: How did we get here? 9 major milestones in the history of killer robots
Alternate-dimension adventure ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ gets a trippy new trailer
Walt Disney Pictures released a new trailer for A Wrinkle in Time, and if the film does indeed live up to the promise of the latest preview, the live-action adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel is going to be one truly trippy, reality-bending cinematic spectacle.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay (Selma) from a script penned by Jennifer Lee (Frozen), A Wrinkle in Time follows a young girl who’s recruited by a trio of eccentric interdimensional travelers to rescue her father, an astrophysicist trapped on a far-off planet. She’s joined on her adventure by her genius younger brother and her high-school classmate, and the three set off on a fantastic quest that spans planets and alternate dimensions and tests with the foundations of reality as we know it.
Read: Alternate-dimension adventure ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ gets a trippy new trailer
Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots
Bossanova Robotics
Cleaning the floors at Walmart isn’t exactly an enviable job, and now it’s becoming one that humans no longer have to do. The world’s largest retailer is applying some high-tech to a generally low-paying task. Walmart now has self-driving machines of its own, but you won’t see any of them on highways. Rather, these bristle-wielding devices, designed by Brain Corp. are autonomously rolling themselves around Walmart stores, cleaning up after customers and employees.
The autonomous floor cleaner is currently being tested in five stores in the vicinity of company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. With its sensors, cameras, and even Lidar, the floor scrubber features all the bells and whistles of a self-driving car, though for different purposes. The machine exists somewhere between a Roomba and a Tesla. And while a human is needed to first show the scrubber the ropes (guiding it on its path, alerting it as to when the store is busiest and emptiest), the autonomous vacuum otherwise works on its own.
Read: Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots
Facebook applies new authenticity tools and expose Russian-controlled pages
What do you get when you mash up a pedal-free exercise bike, a rowing machine, and a balance board? Quite possibly something like the RipRow, the mountain biking training tool you never knew you wanted, but now may find yourself desperately keen to get hold of.
Now that we’re firmly out of summer and veering rapidly in the direction of winter, the thought of using your cold and wet weekends to go mountain biking suddenly becomes a lot whole lot less appealing for most of us. It’s also important to hold onto your core strength, coordination, balance, and sense of confidence on a bike during the off-season months. This is where the rugged-sounding RipRow comes into play. While stationary gym bikes have been around for a long time, a machine that’s built specifically with mountain biking in mind has been in much shorter supply. Until now, at least.
Read: Facebook applies new authenticity tools and expose Russian-controlled pages
Weekly Rewind: Cyber Monday deals, Uber’s massive hack, Amazon Key’s competitor
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from Cyber Monday deals to the history of killer robots — it’s all here.
The best Cyber Monday tech deals
Black Friday sales are everywhere. Whether you’re listening to the radio, watching television, or just casually walking down the street, you can expect to be bombarded with advertisements for the annual event. Which is why it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon that follows: Cyber Monday.
The deals don’t have to end with the passing of the weekend, and neither does your excitement for them. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, sans the lines and negative social implications that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do your shopping online this year, make sure to check back here for the latest offers. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best Cyber Monday deals as they go live.
Read: The best Cyber Monday tech deals
Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters
There comes a point in every millionaire’s life when they need a change of perspective. After building your own island fortress and breeding a frenzy of mutant sharks, it becomes difficult to view the world the same way most people do. Even driving in a supercar may leave you feeling blasé. The average person sees the world from ground level, but wouldn’t it be grand to get the view from Mount Olympus?
Thankfully, through the power of engineering, you can cast side earthly tethers and survey the world from on high. All you need is enough money to buy your own private helicopter. Check out the list below for a closer look at some of the most expensive helicopters available for private use. If you need to save up for a few more years before buying one, might we recommend a drone instead?
Read: Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters
Move over, Amazon Key — BoxLock Home protects the packages left at your door
Are you worried about “porch pirates” stealing packages that get left outside your door? BoxLock Home could come in handy. It’s the first internet-connected smart security padlock that caters specifically to residential customers looking to protect their packages. While Amazon Key allows delivery drivers access to a user’s front door, BoxLock offers a more nonintrusive solution.
BoxLock Home only opens when an “out for delivery” package is scanned. Setup is quick, with users simply downloading the mobile app and locking the BoxLock around the preferred delivery receptacle (anything that comes with a hasp for use of a padlock). The box can only be opened when a delivery shows up. The delivery driver will scan the package and follow a two-step verification process to unlock the box and leave the package inside. Once all this happens, the user gets an automatic notification that the package is waiting for them safely in the box.
Read: Move over, Amazon Key — BoxLock Home protects the packages left at your door
Inside the hack Uber didn’t want 57 million users to know about
Another day, another massive data breach. This time around, Uber was the target, but unlike other hacks, it took the company more than a year to disclose the hack to its customers.
According to a blog post from Uber, hackers managed to steal the personal data of a whopping 57 million Uber users in a data breach. Among those compromised, according to a Bloomberg report, were 7 million drivers, of which around 600,000 had their drivers license numbers stolen. Uber says that the information did not include things like Social Security numbers or credit cards.
Read: Inside the hack Uber didn’t want 57 million users to know about
Google finally breaks ground on its impressive ‘landscraper’ campus in London
Heatherwick Studio
For years, the plans for Google’s London campus were just that: plans. The ambitious project stayed stuck on the drawing board, with the web giant abandoning parts of the original plan and then swapping architecture firms as it dithered over the final look.
Having finally settled on a striking design that’s become known as the “landscraper” — for being much longer than it is tall — the company’s CFO Ruth Porat and its U.K. managing director Ronan Harris on Tuesday broke ground at the site in the city’s vibrant King’s Cross district.
Read: Google finally breaks ground on its impressive ‘landscraper’ campus in London
How did we get here? 9 major milestones in the history of killer robots
The idea of robotic warfare has been a sci-fi staple for ages. Decades before Terminator invoked a hellish world pitting man against machine, the 1920s play which introduced us to the word “robot” predicted the end of humanity at the metallic hands of murderous bots.
Lately, however, the topic has became a much bigger issue as science fiction has become science reality. The likes of Elon Musk of Tesla and Mustafa Suleyman of Google have written to the United Nations urging a ban on the development and use of autonomous “killer robots” such as drones, tanks, and machine guns.
But while the pace of this “third revolution in warfare” is speeding up, interest in similar weapons dates back years. Here are nine important milestones that set us on the path to where we are here in 2017.
Read: How did we get here? 9 major milestones in the history of killer robots
Alternate-dimension adventure ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ gets a trippy new trailer
Walt Disney Pictures released a new trailer for A Wrinkle in Time, and if the film does indeed live up to the promise of the latest preview, the live-action adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel is going to be one truly trippy, reality-bending cinematic spectacle.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay (Selma) from a script penned by Jennifer Lee (Frozen), A Wrinkle in Time follows a young girl who’s recruited by a trio of eccentric interdimensional travelers to rescue her father, an astrophysicist trapped on a far-off planet. She’s joined on her adventure by her genius younger brother and her high-school classmate, and the three set off on a fantastic quest that spans planets and alternate dimensions and tests with the foundations of reality as we know it.
Read: Alternate-dimension adventure ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ gets a trippy new trailer
Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots
Bossanova Robotics
Cleaning the floors at Walmart isn’t exactly an enviable job, and now it’s becoming one that humans no longer have to do. The world’s largest retailer is applying some high-tech to a generally low-paying task. Walmart now has self-driving machines of its own, but you won’t see any of them on highways. Rather, these bristle-wielding devices, designed by Brain Corp. are autonomously rolling themselves around Walmart stores, cleaning up after customers and employees.
The autonomous floor cleaner is currently being tested in five stores in the vicinity of company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. With its sensors, cameras, and even Lidar, the floor scrubber features all the bells and whistles of a self-driving car, though for different purposes. The machine exists somewhere between a Roomba and a Tesla. And while a human is needed to first show the scrubber the ropes (guiding it on its path, alerting it as to when the store is busiest and emptiest), the autonomous vacuum otherwise works on its own.
Read: Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots
Facebook applies new authenticity tools and expose Russian-controlled pages
What do you get when you mash up a pedal-free exercise bike, a rowing machine, and a balance board? Quite possibly something like the RipRow, the mountain biking training tool you never knew you wanted, but now may find yourself desperately keen to get hold of.
Now that we’re firmly out of summer and veering rapidly in the direction of winter, the thought of using your cold and wet weekends to go mountain biking suddenly becomes a lot whole lot less appealing for most of us. It’s also important to hold onto your core strength, coordination, balance, and sense of confidence on a bike during the off-season months. This is where the rugged-sounding RipRow comes into play. While stationary gym bikes have been around for a long time, a machine that’s built specifically with mountain biking in mind has been in much shorter supply. Until now, at least.
Read: Facebook applies new authenticity tools and expose Russian-controlled pages
Weekly Rewind: Cyber Monday deals, Uber’s massive hack, Amazon Key’s competitor
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from Cyber Monday deals to the history of killer robots — it’s all here.
The best Cyber Monday tech deals
Black Friday sales are everywhere. Whether you’re listening to the radio, watching television, or just casually walking down the street, you can expect to be bombarded with advertisements for the annual event. Which is why it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon that follows: Cyber Monday.
The deals don’t have to end with the passing of the weekend, and neither does your excitement for them. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, sans the lines and negative social implications that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do your shopping online this year, make sure to check back here for the latest offers. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best Cyber Monday deals as they go live.
Read: The best Cyber Monday tech deals
Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters
There comes a point in every millionaire’s life when they need a change of perspective. After building your own island fortress and breeding a frenzy of mutant sharks, it becomes difficult to view the world the same way most people do. Even driving in a supercar may leave you feeling blasé. The average person sees the world from ground level, but wouldn’t it be grand to get the view from Mount Olympus?
Thankfully, through the power of engineering, you can cast side earthly tethers and survey the world from on high. All you need is enough money to buy your own private helicopter. Check out the list below for a closer look at some of the most expensive helicopters available for private use. If you need to save up for a few more years before buying one, might we recommend a drone instead?
Read: Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters
Move over, Amazon Key — BoxLock Home protects the packages left at your door
Are you worried about “porch pirates” stealing packages that get left outside your door? BoxLock Home could come in handy. It’s the first internet-connected smart security padlock that caters specifically to residential customers looking to protect their packages. While Amazon Key allows delivery drivers access to a user’s front door, BoxLock offers a more nonintrusive solution.
BoxLock Home only opens when an “out for delivery” package is scanned. Setup is quick, with users simply downloading the mobile app and locking the BoxLock around the preferred delivery receptacle (anything that comes with a hasp for use of a padlock). The box can only be opened when a delivery shows up. The delivery driver will scan the package and follow a two-step verification process to unlock the box and leave the package inside. Once all this happens, the user gets an automatic notification that the package is waiting for them safely in the box.
Read: Move over, Amazon Key — BoxLock Home protects the packages left at your door
Inside the hack Uber didn’t want 57 million users to know about
Another day, another massive data breach. This time around, Uber was the target, but unlike other hacks, it took the company more than a year to disclose the hack to its customers.
According to a blog post from Uber, hackers managed to steal the personal data of a whopping 57 million Uber users in a data breach. Among those compromised, according to a Bloomberg report, were 7 million drivers, of which around 600,000 had their drivers license numbers stolen. Uber says that the information did not include things like Social Security numbers or credit cards.
Read: Inside the hack Uber didn’t want 57 million users to know about
Google finally breaks ground on its impressive ‘landscraper’ campus in London
Heatherwick Studio
For years, the plans for Google’s London campus were just that: plans. The ambitious project stayed stuck on the drawing board, with the web giant abandoning parts of the original plan and then swapping architecture firms as it dithered over the final look.
Having finally settled on a striking design that’s become known as the “landscraper” — for being much longer than it is tall — the company’s CFO Ruth Porat and its U.K. managing director Ronan Harris on Tuesday broke ground at the site in the city’s vibrant King’s Cross district.
Read: Google finally breaks ground on its impressive ‘landscraper’ campus in London
How did we get here? 9 major milestones in the history of killer robots
The idea of robotic warfare has been a sci-fi staple for ages. Decades before Terminator invoked a hellish world pitting man against machine, the 1920s play which introduced us to the word “robot” predicted the end of humanity at the metallic hands of murderous bots.
Lately, however, the topic has became a much bigger issue as science fiction has become science reality. The likes of Elon Musk of Tesla and Mustafa Suleyman of Google have written to the United Nations urging a ban on the development and use of autonomous “killer robots” such as drones, tanks, and machine guns.
But while the pace of this “third revolution in warfare” is speeding up, interest in similar weapons dates back years. Here are nine important milestones that set us on the path to where we are here in 2017.
Read: How did we get here? 9 major milestones in the history of killer robots
Alternate-dimension adventure ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ gets a trippy new trailer
Walt Disney Pictures released a new trailer for A Wrinkle in Time, and if the film does indeed live up to the promise of the latest preview, the live-action adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel is going to be one truly trippy, reality-bending cinematic spectacle.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay (Selma) from a script penned by Jennifer Lee (Frozen), A Wrinkle in Time follows a young girl who’s recruited by a trio of eccentric interdimensional travelers to rescue her father, an astrophysicist trapped on a far-off planet. She’s joined on her adventure by her genius younger brother and her high-school classmate, and the three set off on a fantastic quest that spans planets and alternate dimensions and tests with the foundations of reality as we know it.
Read: Alternate-dimension adventure ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ gets a trippy new trailer
Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots
Bossanova Robotics
Cleaning the floors at Walmart isn’t exactly an enviable job, and now it’s becoming one that humans no longer have to do. The world’s largest retailer is applying some high-tech to a generally low-paying task. Walmart now has self-driving machines of its own, but you won’t see any of them on highways. Rather, these bristle-wielding devices, designed by Brain Corp. are autonomously rolling themselves around Walmart stores, cleaning up after customers and employees.
The autonomous floor cleaner is currently being tested in five stores in the vicinity of company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. With its sensors, cameras, and even Lidar, the floor scrubber features all the bells and whistles of a self-driving car, though for different purposes. The machine exists somewhere between a Roomba and a Tesla. And while a human is needed to first show the scrubber the ropes (guiding it on its path, alerting it as to when the store is busiest and emptiest), the autonomous vacuum otherwise works on its own.
Read: Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots
Facebook applies new authenticity tools and expose Russian-controlled pages
What do you get when you mash up a pedal-free exercise bike, a rowing machine, and a balance board? Quite possibly something like the RipRow, the mountain biking training tool you never knew you wanted, but now may find yourself desperately keen to get hold of.
Now that we’re firmly out of summer and veering rapidly in the direction of winter, the thought of using your cold and wet weekends to go mountain biking suddenly becomes a lot whole lot less appealing for most of us. It’s also important to hold onto your core strength, coordination, balance, and sense of confidence on a bike during the off-season months. This is where the rugged-sounding RipRow comes into play. While stationary gym bikes have been around for a long time, a machine that’s built specifically with mountain biking in mind has been in much shorter supply. Until now, at least.
Read: Facebook applies new authenticity tools and expose Russian-controlled pages
Museum of African American History is freely digitizing home movies
Humanity has access to more data than ever before, but there’s still so much media scattered around the world that might rot away before it can be preserved. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is launching an initiative to save some of the most precious — home movies — by digitizing, for free, any and all films that folks want to bring in to the Washington, DC institution.
The Great Migration home movie project will set up service on the museum’s second floor, and visitors can make an appointment to have their media safely stored in digital form. The team can digitize a range of formats, from 16mm and 8mm home video to obsolete tape-based mediums like MiniDV, Betacam and VHS to audio recordings.
Home movies offer real insight into the lives of African Americans that popular films and television from the day don’t offer, the museum wrote in its post on the project:
“While major motion picture film and television historically lacked diverse representation, black history was instinctively being preserved in everyday home movies. Today, these personal narratives serve as an invaluable tool for understanding and re-framing black moving image history, and provide a much needed visualization of African American history and culture. Just as the museum explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resiliency, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture; these films are a moving image record of these values in practice.”
Via: Blavity
Source: The National Museum of African American History and Culture
Steam Autumn Sale cuts prices on ‘Shadow of War’ and ‘Evil Within 2’
It’s time for Steam’s annual Autumn Sale — and as is often the case, there are deals on major games you might have missed earlier in the year. Most notably, the promo (which runs until November 28th) cuts the price of the relatively fresh Middle-earth: Shadow of War by 40 percent to $36. If you weren’t thrilled at paying full price for the sequel, this might be more palpable. Bethesda’s recent horror title The Evil Within 2 is half off at $30, while the brutal hack-and-slash Dark Souls 3 is down 60 percent to $24.
Entire franchises are on sale as well. The Fallout series is seeing price cuts of 50 to 75 percent, while Resident Evil prices have dropped as sharply as 87 percent.
The sale is notable for more than just the savings: this also marks the return of the Steam Awards. Like last year, you’re not nominating titles along the usual genre divisions. You can pick the best non-violent game (because “the world is grim enough”), the game you like in spite of its flaws (“no apologies”) and the game that still gets some TLC years after release (“labor of love”). Nominations are open until November 28th at 1PM Eastern, with voting and results due by December. Yes, it’s ultimately Valve’s bid to spur sales, but the oddball categories promise to highlight titles you might have overlooked.
Via: Polygon
Source: Steam, Steam Awards
Watch NASA’s A.I. race a pro drone pilot — you’ll never guess who wins
Artificial intelligence can beat us at chess, Go, the game show Jeopardy, and a growing number of different occupations in the workplace. But how does it fare against human pilots when it comes to challenging them at the exhilarating new sport of drone racing? Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, recently decided to find out — by pitting a professional human drone pilot against racing drones controlled by cutting-edge A.I. machine intelligence.
Held on October 12, the Google-funded race involved a timed trial between A.I. drones named Batman, Joker, and Nightwing, powered by Google’s Tango technology. Against them — serving as the representative of non-Google, non-NASA humanity — was world-class drone pilot Ken Loo.
“We pitted our algorithms against a human, who flies a lot more by feel,” Rob Reid, of the Jet Propulsion Lab, said in a statement. “You can actually see that the A.I. flies the drone smoothly around the course, whereas human pilots tend to accelerate aggressively, so their path is jerkier.”
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Loo described the obstacle course as, “definitely the densest track I’ve ever flown.” He was able to reach the higher speeds during the race and pulled off more impressive acrobatics. Ultimately, he averaged 11.1 seconds for his official laps. However, he also admitted to getting “mentally fatigued” by the demanding course and flew less consistently than the computer-controlled drones, which averaged 13.9 seconds.
In other words, humanity came out of the competition as messier, but more creative, whereas the A.I.-powered bot exhibited machine-like precision and consistency.
The results of the October 22 race put humans in the winning position for now, although the A.I. drones still performed impressively well. In fact, NASA seems unwilling to cede victory to us fleshy humans for long, since Reid insists that, “Our autonomous drones can fly much faster. One day you might see them racing professionally!”
Looking forward, NASA hopes that the camera-based localization and mapping technologies involved in the research could be used for a variety of applications — such as checking inventory in warehouses, performing search and rescue missions at disaster sites, or even helping robots navigate through space stations.
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No matter where you stand, this is what you need to know about net neutrality
It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and politics may be banned from the dinner table, but there’s one topic that needs to be discussed — the future of the internet.
You may have increasingly heard of the term Net Neutrality over the past few months. Maybe you rolled your eyes and clicked away, or maybe you thought it doesn’t affect your everyday life. Think again. If the Federal Communications Commission gets its way this December, the open internet we’ve come to know will disappear.
Here’s what Net Neutrality is, and what the FCC’s proposal means for it.
What is Net Neutrality?
Net Neutrality means treating everything on the internet equally; it’s a guiding principle that preserves an open internet. You get the same connection speeds, as well as the same access to sites like YouTube and Netflix, with no preferential treatment shown to a specific service by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). That means Verizon or AT&T can’t block, or slow access to, a site because they don’t like its content, or because it competes with their services.
Strong guidelines were adopted by the FCC in 2015 when it reclassified broadband internet access service as a utility under Title II of the Communications Act, classifying ISPs as “common carriers.” While the FCC did not enforce “utility-style regulations” like pricing regulations or network sharing requirements, it does place ISPs under close governmental oversight to prevent unfair internet practices.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Major telecom and broadband companies like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast have strongly opposed this, saying the rules “undermined innovation and investment” — as Kathy Grillo, Verizon’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel, told Digital Trends.
AT&T says the rules created “regulatory uncertainty,” but reaffirmed that “all major ISPs have publicly committed to preserving an open internet, and the proposed transparency rules will require that all ISPs clearly and publicly articulate their internet practices. Any ISP that is so foolish as to seek to engage in gatekeeping will be quickly and decisively called out.”
Technology companies, meanwhile, have largely come out in support of Net Neutrality rules, as have privacy watchdogs and public-interest groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Who is Ajit Pai, and why does the FCC want to remove these regulations?
Ajit Pai, the current chairman of the FCC, was appointed by President Donald Trump, and is a strong proponent of deregulation. On November 21, Chairman Pai laid out plans to repeal the Obama-era FCC net neutrality rules.
“In 2015, the prior FCC bowed to pressure from President Obama,” Pai said. “On a party-line vote, it imposed heavy-handed, utility-style regulations upon the Internet. That decision was a mistake. It’s depressed investment in building and expanding broadband networks, and deterred innovation.”
It’s all a part of Pai’s plan to have the federal government “stop micromanaging the internet.”
Pai’s proposal, which you can read here, will only require ISPs to be “transparent about their practices.” For example, a provider can slow down or block access to a streaming service like Spotify for any reason — as long as they notify you. It’s all a part of Pai’s plan to have the federal government “stop micromanaging the internet.”
Pai isn’t just looking for a repeal, though. The FCC will also tell state and local governments they cannot create laws regulating broadband service, or craft their own net neutrality laws similar to the 2015 FCC regulations.
“We conclude that regulation of broadband Internet access service should be governed principally by a uniform set of federal regulations, rather than by a patchwork of separate state and local requirements,” according to the proposal. “Allowing state and local governments to adopt their own separate requirements, which could impose far greater burdens than the federal regulatory regime, could significantly disrupt the balance we strike here.”
The proposal returns the mantle of protecting online privacy back to the Federal Trade Commission. Your online data and privacy has long been protected by the FTC, but the FCC’s 2015 reclassification of ISPs stripped the FTC from ensuring privacy and security practices.
In 2016, the FCC stepped up to protect consumer online privacy, proposing strong rules requiring ISPs to offer opt-in/opt-out options for selling customer data to third-party services, and requiring ISPs to be more transparent and notify customers in the events of data breaches, and more. Congress voted against these rules before they went into effect, so neither the FCC or FTC can create privacy rules for ISPs. Pai’s proposal to repeal the 2015 regulations would remove the Title II classification of ISPs as “common carriers,” returning the role back to the FTC.
How does this affect you?
Repealing the 2015 FCC regulations would make ISPs powerful gatekeepers of the internet. Critics of the repeal fear that ISPs will block services that compete with their own. For example, Comcast owns many media brands such as NBC and Universal. Without regulation, it could potentially block or slow services that offer its competitor’s TV shows, movies, and other content.
Paid Prioritization might also begin. ISPs may ask Google and Facebook to pay more money to have their sites and services load faster than others. This would chip away at their profits, and would be detrimental to smaller companies that can’t afford to pay ISPs to enter the “fast lane.”
Everyone – consumers, rural Americans, small businesses – except Big Cable LOSES with this proposal. Americans deserve a free and open internet. #NetNeutrality
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) November 21, 2017
Despite this, AT&T says it’s committed to offering an open internet. As we mentioned earlier, the company believes “any ISP that is so foolish as to seek to engage in gatekeeping will be quickly and decisively called out.” ISPs say they simply don’t want to be classified as “common carriers” under Title II, so they are not subjected to price regulation.
“At Verizon, we continue to strongly support net neutrality and the open internet,” Grillo told Digital Trends. “Our company operates in virtually every segment of the internet. We continue to believe that users should be able to access the internet when, where, and how they choose, and our customers will continue to do so.”
Charter echoed those sentiments in a report from Fierce Cable. “Charter has had a longstanding commitment to an open internet, which is why we don’t block, throttle or interfere with the lawful activities of our customers,” the company said.
Even Comcast jumped in to reassure customers. Comcast CEO Dave Watson said that “Comcast does not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content,” according to the Fierce Cable report.
Even if the companies uphold their promise, deregulation will give ISPs the power to decide. The fate of the open internet will be entirely dependent on the business decisions of large companies.
When is the vote?
The FCC will decide on Chairman Pai’s proposal on December 14. It’s expected to pass 3-2, with the two Republican commissioners siding with Pai, and the two Democratic commissioners rejecting it.
After initially announcing plans to repeal Net Neutrality regulations earlier this year, the FCC encouraged the public to voice their opinion on the issue by filing comments on the Commission’s website. 22 million people filed a response, with an overwhelming majority in favor of net neutrality. However, a senior FCC official said these comments didn’t have any bearing on the Commission’s decision unless they introduced serious legal arguments, according to The Verge.
Public-interest groups, privacy advocates, and technology companies are encouraging people to reach out to their representatives to voice support for Net Neutrality. Protests are slated to take place on December 7 outside Verizon stores across the country, largely because Big Red is Pai’s former employer. The protest is being organized by Fight For The Future, FreePress Action Fund, and Demand Progress.
‘CoD: WWII’ Thanksgiving double XP event started early
It’s that time of the year when those of us in the US start thinking about what we’re thankful for, and game developers are no exception. Starting today (one day early) at 10 AM PT (1 PM ET), Call of Duty: WWII gamers will receive Double XP for all MP modes as a thank you for fans’ support of the game. It will continue through 10 AM PT (1 PM ET) on Monday, November 27th.
In a blog post, Call of Duty: WWII developers also outlined feature updates and community events that are in the works. On Friday, December 8th, the first seasonal community event called “Winter Siege” kicks off at 1 PM ET. It will set the popular Call of Duty map Carentan during the winter of 1944, and be free to play for everyone for a limited time.
Gamers can also participate in the first season of Ranked Play to earn rewards based on their ranking, which kicks off on December 1st. Additionally, the development team is continuing to make improvements to HQ, turning it into a space where players can earn rewards, socialize, compete and even show off a little.
Next week, there will be a game update that fixes bugs and issues within Call of Duty: WWII. It will include UI improvements, map exploit fixes and changes to gameplay based on user feedback and global match data, such as increased recoil. For a more complete list of the changes to come, check out the development team’s update post.
Source: Sledgehammer Games
Tesla opens Model 3 order process to non-employees
Tesla’s Model 3 has technically been on the market since July, but only to employees, their family members or people who are tight with the EV maker. Your pre-order hasn’t been very useful if you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of regular would-be owners. However, Tesla is finally, slowly opening things up. The company has confirmed that it’s now inviting everyday buyers to complete their orders. Only a handful of customers are likely to get one when Tesla is still struggling to ramp up production, and you still have to order a high-spec model with the long-range battery and premium interior. However, you might not have to wait long — at least some of those who’ve received an invitation are hearing that they’ll get receive cars before the end of 2017, as promised.
Whether or not you’re included in this first wave depends on a few factors. When you pre-ordered makes the biggest difference (you need to have put money down on day one), but you also stand a much better chance if you live in California and already own a Tesla car.
At this point, the real mystery is when Tesla will truly open the taps and fulfill regular orders en masse. The company recently pushed its 5,000-cars-per-week manufacturing goal back to the end of the first quarter of 2018, and there’s no guarantee that production will scale as gracefully as you might like. It may be well into 2018 before many of the early buyers get their Model 3 rides, especially those who ordered a car at the vaunted $35,000 starting price.
Via: CNET
Source: Electrek
Amazon’s party-ready Echo Buttons are available to pre-order
The holidays are almost here, and that means you may end up playing a lot of party games with visiting friends and relatives. Amazon might spare you from having to break out yet another board game, though: it just put its Echo Button accessory up for pre-order. Pay $20 and you’ll get two of the super-simple controllers for Alexa-driven entertainment like Beat the Intro (a name-that-song title) or Fourth Down Football Trivia. They should be released on December 19th, or just soon enough that they could accompany an Echo speaker you’re gifting to a special someone.
The buttons work with every Echo model to date and run on (thankfully included) AAA batteries. You won’t have a wide variety of compatible titles to play out of the gate, but that might change once the buttons are available and creators can make Alexa games that rely on more than just your voice.
Via: AFTVnews
Source: Amazon
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