Pinterest’s new tab will only show pins from people you follow

Pinterest’s home page is mostly about discovering pins relevant to your interests, with all its recommendations from various users on the platform. Well, Pinterest must have realized that some might prefer to see pins from specific users, so the virtual corkboard has launched a new tab that only shows pins from people you follow. Also, it shows pins in the order those users save them.

The new “Following” section has a plus (+) icon on top that shows who’s on your list, so you can remove them if their pins don’t seem relevant anymore. You can quickly replace the people you unfollow, though, because it also recommends users you can add based on your interests.

This new feature sounds especially useful if you couldn’t be bothered to organize your boards — the website recently rolled out a collection of useful organizational tools — but can’t bear to see all the clutter. You’ll start seeing it today, no matter what device you’re using, since it’s rolling out on Android, iOS and the web.

US soccer stars to play with GPS performance trackers

FIFA has been vocal about its ideas for the future of wearable tech in soccer, and now its vision is coming to life. Statsports is set to become the official on-field performance monitoring device of US soccer, and in the biggest partnership of its kind, will distribute 6,500 Apex GPS devices to players across the men’s, women’s, youth, Paralympic and Beach National Teams, Development Academy clubs and NWSL.

The Apex unit is worn by a players under a vest, at the base of the neck and alongside a heart monitor across the chest. It measures the usual physical metrics, such as distance, speed, load and heart rate, but instead of storing the data somewhere for future examination, it feeds the information live to smart watches, tablets and smartphones. This means decisions can be made on the field and in real time about training, game strategy and player performance. The devices will also help to develop a huge bank of performance data based on age groups, genders and skill levels.

GPS performance trackers are already being used elsewhere around the world, including soccer federations in Belgium, Brazil, England, Germany and Portugal, the English Premier League, NFL, NBA and Rugby Union. But it remains a relatively new technology, and it’s certainly a big deal for US soccer. There are over four million registered soccer players in the US, so there’s huge potential for expanding Statsports’ program, which could be the catalyst for bringing US soccer into the modern age.

Windows chief out as Microsoft reorganizes its business

Microsoft is reorganizing itself to be better-equipped for the future, according to an email sent to employees by CEO Satya Nadella. One casualty of the change is Terry Myerson, who has headed up the company’s Windows business for the last five years. His team, the Windows and Devices Group, is essentially being cleaved in two, with hardware and software now handled by different teams.

An Experiences and Devices division, led by Rajesh Jha, will concentrate on Microsoft’s products, with Panos Panay put in charge of all hardware. Panay’s role makes sense, since he has already had broad involvement with products like Xbox, HoloLens and Surface. Windows, meanwhile, will continue to be led by Joe Belfiore, but with the added responsibility of products like Edge.

Other parts of the team will be moved over to a Cloud and AI team, which will be led by current Azure chief Scott Guthrie. Unsurprisingly, that group will be responsible for building servers and artificial intelligence products for Microsoft’s clients. It may also be a sign that MS is taking Amazon Web Services, which offers a competing product, very seriously.

Mary-Jo Foley at ZDNet believes that the motives behind the reorganization are to do what Nadella has done to Office to the rest of Microsoft. Turning Office, a staid software package for desktops, into a subscription service, has become something of a runaway success. By adopting a similar approach to Windows, Servers, AI and Hardware, Nadella is hoping to build an even bigger business on subscription revenue.

Nadella’s email makes it clear that Myerson’s departure isn’t acrimonious, and that the 21-year company veteran will stick around to advise on the transition. It doesn’t appear that the reorganization will do much to the company’s Xbox division, led by Phil Spencer, which was already pretty distant from Microsoft’s core structure.

Source: Microsoft

Facebook may have kept the videos you recorded but never pubished

Mark Zuckerberg’s terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad 2018 keeps getting worse. As people have begun downloading their Facebook data, they’ve found something unsettling: videos they recorded, but never published on the site. Recently, a Select/All writer’s sister was sifting through her data and found clips of her playing a scale on a flute, all without comments, and then one video with comments. The former were “takes” with mistakes that weren’t published.

One of the writer’s colleagues noticed similar, with unpublished videos in their data pack dating back to 2008. A Facebook representative told Select/All that it was investigating the reason the old videos were resurfacing.

At the time, it seemed as if using Facebook’s webcam recorder and discarding the videos that didn’t pass muster would delete them. That certainly doesn’t seem the case anymore. Problem is, if you recorded a video and didn’t publish it, there’s probably a good reason for it. That’s to say nothing of videos (and photos) being far more intimate than the other forms of data Facebook sells to its advertisers. The videos are stored in the ancient .FLV format, which you need to use a media player like VLC to view.

How widespread this was, and if certain aspects of the practice are still in place isn’t clear. We’ve reached out to the social network for additional information and will update this post should it arrive.

Source: Select/All

Google’s piracy filter nixes ‘Kodi’ from autocomplete search results

Google has made an effort in recent years to bury any content that might infringe upon copyrights or promote piracy. Now, according to TorrentFreak, the company has banned “Kodi” from its autocomplete feature. Now, if users type “Kodi” into a Google search box when looking for the media player software, it won’t come up as a suggestion.

We tested this in Google and indeed, we found that Google did not autocomplete or suggest the term. “Since 2011, we have been filtering certain terms closely associated with copyright infringement from Google Autocomplete,” a company spokesperson told TorrentFreak. “This action is consistent with that long-standing strategy.” It’s important to note that if you actually type in the term manually and search for it, the results you’d expect will still come up. Google just won’t help you by autocompleting the term.

What’s really interesting here is Google’s phrasing “terms closely associated with copyright infringement.” While many people use a Kodi add-on to illegally stream media, the application itself is perfectly legal to use. The company has made efforts to distance itself from the idea that the platform is used solely for pirated content; this move from Google doesn’t help their case very much.

Source: TorrentFreak

‘Not Tonight’ makes you a bouncer in post-Brexit Britain

In exactly 12 months, Britain will leave the European Union. It’s a troubling time for the island state as politicians squabble over exit conditions and citizens grapple with a deep divide in their economic, societal and cultural values. For many, the future seems bleak, but it shouldn’t compare to the one found in Not Tonight, an upcoming video game by Tiki Taka Soccer developer Panic Barn. In this alternate version of Britain, one ruled by an extreme right-wing government, you’re forced to work as a bouncer that gets paid for identifying and turning away European citizens. It’s a horrific job, but one that’s necessary to pay the bills and keep your British citizenship.

The core gameplay is similar to the 2013 indie hit Papers, Please. Instead of a border crossing, though, you’re stationed outside pubs and night clubs in chilly rural England. At first, the job is simple — just look at everyone’s IDs and make sure they’re over 18 — but it soon grows into a complex and morally heartbreaking affair. “You’re asked to essentially sift through and distinguish whether someone is European or not,” Panic Barn founder Tim Constant said. Do this while checking tickets, removing contraband and managing VIP queues, and you’ll walk home with a respectable paycheck.

Constant, however, doesn’t want you to do that. “Even if you’re in a shit place, and you’re being persecuted, the overall tone of the game is just… be nice,” he said. “Try to be nice, whatever your situation.” Early in the game, for instance, you’ll be introduced to a resistance group that wants to overthrow the government and its “right-wing awfulness.” To help them, however, you’ll have to disobey your employer and promote a diverse, multicultural society. “Instead of spotting French people walking into a pub, you might be asked to let all the French people in,” Constant added.

Supporting the rebels will improve your standing inside their organisation. You will, however, lose pay and the chance to improve your living standards. Just to make things interesting, there will also be a health meter that depletes if you overwork yourself. By the end of the game, every job or “mission” should feel like a big decision. “Do I feel right about implementing all of this anti-European legislation? I can do something about it, but I might not get the money I need to pay the bills this week.”

Your flat is where you pick and choose jobs.

No More Robots

The game’s grim world is paired with a dark and typically British sense of humor. There’s a pub, for instance, that deteriorates to the point where it’s just a car park in an empty field. “He’s still holding a party there and you can still go and work for him,” Constant said. The zany tone was inspired by the “crappy clubs” he was desperate to get into as a teenager in Somerset. “The bouncer made that decision and if you didn’t get in, your whole weekend, actually your whole week was basically ruined,” he added.

“This game is anti-Brexit, absolutely.”

Constant hopes that players will laugh and contemplate in equal measure. Not Tonight is a commentary on Brexit, but its exploration of poverty, immigration and social diversity goes beyond Britain’s borders. “It’s not necessarily Brexit itself,” he said, “but anything that’s used to divide us. Anything that divides us into categories is bad in my opinion.” The game will launch “soon” on PC followed by the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch later this year. Mike Rose, the founder of British publisher No More Robots, hinted that a mobile version could be possible in the future too.

Source: Panic Barn

‘Westworld’ season two trailer offers our first glimpse of Shogunworld

Fans have been theorizing where Westworld would go after the shocking finale to its first season. Now we have a longer look at what will go down starting April 22nd. The latest trailer hints that there’s more than just the western-themed park at play, with a flitting look at Shogunworld. There’s also a tease that we’ll see more of the outside world. Perhaps best of all, though, is that the clip is set to a haunting piano rendition of Nirvana’s classic “Heart-shaped Box.” If you’re in the middle of rewatching season one and looking for clues, the embedded trailer below might give you a few more. Or, it could raise additional questions. Either way, we don’t have too much longer to wait, as season two premieres on April 22nd.

Via: Entertainment Weekly

Source: HBO (YouTube)

Jaguar’s all-electric I-Pace is quick, agile and stylish

Jaguar introduced its low-slung pure electric crossover way back in 2016 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Since then, it keeps popping up at car events while the automaker slowly doles out information on it. While we wait for the vehicle to make its way into mass production, we were able to take a pre-production version for a spin at Jaguar’s North American headquarters.

The drive wasn’t on the streets of Mahwah, New Jersey near its HQ, but instead on a sort of autocross course in the company parking lot. While my time behind the wheel wasn’t nearly enough to get a true feeling of how the I-Pace (starting at $69,500) would fare in the real world, it was an interesting way to test the SUV’s handling and torque. I’m happy to report, that they both performed admirably.

The all-wheel-drive electric I-Pace turns quickly, almost effortlessly. Cranking the steering wheel hard while accelerating produced less body roll than expected and the crossover kept a solid line around the track as I tried to best my fellow journalists at the event. I got seventh place, then was pushed down to eight, then down to ninth. At that point, I left and made myself believe I was in the top ten at the end of the day without checking on the final standings.

Thanks to the crossover’s 394 horsepower and 512 pounds of torque, the I-Pace leapt when I stomped the accelerator. Jaguar says the SUV will do zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds, which is easy to believe after my quick jaunt on the course. While the power and turning seem to be ready for discerning Jaguar owners, the interior should keep those folks happy too.

The inside of the I-Pace is typical Jaguar with wood paneling and stitched leather. The seats were sportier than expected but nonetheless comfortable with ample side support. On the steering wheel the automaker borrowed the light-up options from the Range Rover Velar. When the car is off, everything is black, lights around the controls come alive once you start the engine.

Meanwhile, the center console has an odd split in the middle with the gear selector on one side and drive modes on the other. It doesn’t seem like it would look good, but somehow it does. The area behind the split will hold a wireless charger for smartphones.

Above that smartphone cubby is the Touch Pro dual display infotainment system and climate control. You may recognize this from, you guessed it, the Velar. Like that car, the knobs serve multiple functions like adjusting the media volume and the dive mode. I didn’t get much of a chance to play with the infotainment system during the quick drive so that’ll have to wait until the full review.

Hopefully, that review won’t be too far into the future though. Jaguar says that it will be available in the second half of this year. The I-Pace might be a great autocross car, but in the real world it might fall short. It’s unlikely, but you never know and we’ll have to wait to make a real assessment of the first electric vehicle from Jaguar.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 New York Auto Show.

Apple Music puts all its music videos in one place

In January, Apple released a rundown of some of the features that would be released with iOS 11.3, a list that included Apple Music becoming a “home for music videos.” Well now, ahead of the iOS 11.3 launch, Apple has incorporated a section in Apple Music that’s dedicated to music videos. You can get to it through the “Browse” tab in the Music app and once there, you’ll find sections for new music videos, exclusives, curated playlists, videos by genre and spotlights on particular artists.

In the playlist section, you’ll find collections like “Today’s Video Hits,” “The A-List: K-Pop Videos” and “Y2K Pop Videos.” Among the exclusive videos being offered now are A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Space Program,” Beck’s “Colors” and Kylie Minogue’s “Stop Me from Falling.” And the current artist spotlight is on Taylor Swift.

Apple Music already had videos, but this makes them much easier to find and helps users spot videos they’re more interested in. Plus, it appears that Apple will be personalizing video suggestions based on what you tend to listen to. However, though non-Apple Music subscribers can see the video offerings, you can’t actually play them unless you have a subscription.

Image: Apple Music

Via: The Verge

Twitter makes it easy to share the best part of live videos

When you want to show your Twitter followers a specific part of a live video, you have no choice but to tell them what time to skip to. Now, Twitter has rolled out a new feature called “Timestamps,” which gives you a way to share live videos that start playing at that exact moment you want to show your audience. Say, your pal wiped out surfing a big wave or their cute pet stole their snacks, and you want to show that moment to your followers: all you need to do is scrub to the time you want your audience to see, like you would when you want to embed a YouTube video that starts at a specific part.

It could be the most interesting, controversial, funniest or saddest moment — whatever it is, you can blast the timestamped video to your followers as a new tweet, send it to a friend as a direct message or share it as a link. The feature works for both ongoing live broadcasts and replays, but if you’re watching the former, you can quickly skip to real-time events by tapping “live.” It’ll also work whether you’re sharing videos posted by publications and big companies or those by friends and simple people broadcasting with their phones.

It’s a simple change that could make it easier to communicate your thoughts or to start discussions with friends and followers. And the good news is that you can take advantage of it whatever device you use: it’ll be available on Twitter for Android, iOS, the web and on Periscope starting today.