Tesla autopilot death under investigation
Tesla’s autopilot mode is under investigation by US regulators after causing a fatal crash in the States on 7 May.
A Tesla Model S driver hit the trailer of an 18-wheeler truck in Florida, which resulted in his death. It is claimed that he might not have been in full control of his vehicle, relying on the beta version of the autopilot software instead.
Tesla states that the autopilot beta is disabled in all supported cars by default, and it requires acknowledgement by drivers that it is not only early software but “an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times”. It also states the software tells you to “maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle” while using it.
The electric car manufacturer also revealed that this fatality is the first in over 130 million miles of autopilot use in its vehicles. However, the investigation is looking at the specifics of the crash and Tesla itself has confirmed that the system was confused by the circumstances.
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Autopilot did not see the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky. Tesla claims that the driver must have also failed to see it. Therefore, brakes were not applied by the system or driver.
In addition, because of the height of the trailer and the position of the truck on the road, the Model S passed under and the trailer impacted the windshield. If the car has impacted the front or rear of the trailer, said Tesla, the advanced crash safety system would have prevented serious injury.
Nonetheless, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety in the US, Clarence Ditlow, believes there should be a recall of the Tesla vehicles with autopilot: “When you put autopilot in a vehicle, you’re telling people to trust the system even if there is lawyerly warning to keep your hands on the wheel,” he said.
Xiaomi Mi Notebook is actually real and, yes, it looks like a MacBook
Xiaomi, the Chinese company that has ex-Google executive Hugo Barra on its board, is finally ready to release its elusive Mi Notebook onto the market.
It has been long-rumoured, with the most recent speculation suggesting it would appear earlier this year. However, although the company announced plenty of products during Google I/O in May, the Notebook was not one of them.
Some had given up hope of ever seeing the company’s first, stylish laptop.
But a new Chinese report, accompanied by an image of the device, claims that it will be released soon; “this summer” in fact.
What’s more, from the picture at least, it is set to rival Apple’s MacBook, in style and design at least.
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Little else is known about the Xiaomi Mi Notebook, save for the fact that it is likely to come in two sizes, one being the 12.5-inch model pictured. And it will run on Windows 10.
Other than that, the image also comes with the word of warning that it could be a render rather than the real deal, considering the picture resolution is so low. But if that’s the case, someone has got too much time on their hands, if you ask us.
Twitch Collections embrace the randomness of non-gaming streams
Game (and food-eating) broadcasting service Twitch has been in the news quite a bit this week, and here’s another instance of that. First up we have a few major additions to the Twitch Creative umbrella. The Creative homepage has undergone a revamp, with each type of stream (cosplay, painting, drawing, etc.) getting its own directory tab. Twitch says that anyone can make a suggestion for adding to these, and that it’ll accept “the most active and diverse ones.”
As a way for budding Creative streamers to get more exposure, Amazon’s $970 million baby is putting together a system that tasks viewers to pick their favorite streams at random, casting their votes with emotes. If one channel in particular gets more votes than another, it’ll be thrown in the Communities Spotlight.
Further on the note of Communities, Twitch has partnered with portfolio site ArtStation. Linking your accounts means your Creative streams will show up on the latter’s stream page the next time you’re broadcasting.
And finally, in general Twitch news, the outfit is close to starting a beta test for its long-in-the-works HTML5 video player. It’s starting out in a limited beta for Turbo subscribers (the site’s premium, ad-free option) because ad support hasn’t fully been integrated with the new tech. It’s something the service promised back at last year’s TwitchCon (and slated for release earlier this year), but due to tech issues, the test-version won’t roll out until July.
If the beta goes well, expecting to hear a release date for full roll-out at TwitchCon 2016 this September doesn’t seem too far fetched.
Source: Twitch (1), (2)
Facebook adds new features to its Messenger bots
Several weeks ago, Facebook launched chatbots for Messenger, essentially letting you do everything from ordering flowers to finding the latest movie recommendations just by talking to a bot. Since then, over 11,000 bots have launched on Messenger and more than 23,000 developers have signed up on the company’s Wit.ai bot engine. Now, Facebook has announced a few more updates to its Messenger Platform that should please both users and developers alike.
For one thing, users can now offer star ratings and feedback for developers for these bots, just like they can with apps. There’s also a new feature called Quick replies, which are essentially buttons that refer to the bot’s most recent messages, thus allowing for faster conversations. So, for example, it might ask you to pick a color of a hat and simply offer “Red” or “Green” as the two Quick reply options. Bots will also now have the option of persistent navigation options in the window itself, just in case you forget a text command.
There’ll also now be an account linking option that’ll let businesses connect their customers’ accounts with their Messenger accounts. You could then hook up your account at, say, 1-800-Flowers, with your Messenger account for more personalized service. Facebook says it’s a secure protocol, but rest easy, security-conscious; account-linking will be opt-in.
Last but not least, bots will now have the option of sending GIFs, video, audio as well as files. If you’re interested in learning more about new Messenger bots, Facebook has also announced a new Messenger blog that’ll feature more about the up-and-coming platform.
Source: Facebook
Lionsgate and Starz join forces to compete with HBO, Netflix
In an effort to compete with the likes of HBO and Netflix, Lionsgate Entertainment and Starz are joining forces. The former is picking up the latter for $4.4 billion in cash and stock, according to The LA Times. The deal seems mutually beneficial. With it, Starz gets some industry cache (and a bunch of cash) that could help it attract projects that’d otherwise go toward HBO and Netflix. If that means more like the fantastic Ash vs Evil Dead, hey, alright.
Lionsgate, on the other hand, might have a homegrown streaming destination for its own properties instead of inking exclusivity agreements with outsiders. Like the one it’s in with Epix at the moment, for instance. Of course, that could draw the ire of customers accustomed to watching Mad Men (a Lionsgate property) on Netflix, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Source: The Los Angeles Times, Lionsgate
Facebook’s new tool will help you raise funds for charity orgs
It’s now much easier to raise funds for your favorite causes and charity organizations on Facebook. The social network has begun rolling out a tool that’ll enable you to create personal fundraisers for 501c3 nonprofits verified by the company, including The Nature Conservancy, Alzheimer’s Association and Oxfam. Best thing about these campaigns is that they’ll allow your friends to donate money within Facebook itself — it won’t send them to an external website.
The company’s “Social Good” team, which was also behind Safety Check, designed it that way, because people are more inclined to give money directly through Facebook. They also found that people tend to be more generous if someone they know asks for help using their personal stories or photos. The company already launched a fundraising tool that organizations can use last year, but this one could compel more folks to open their wallets.
If you’re wondering if Facebook gets a cut, well, it does get a tiny percentage of the total funds raised — five percent, to be exact. Two percent goes towards the costs associated with vetting nonprofits and fraud protection, while the remaining three will go towards payment processing. Recipients will get 95 percent of whatever you raise.
At the moment, only one percent of users in US has access to the tool, and there are only 100 verified organizations. Facebook plans to make it available nationwide in the coming weeks, though, so keep an eye out if you want to help a nonprofit close to your heart.
Via: Mashable
Source: USA Today, The Mercury News
These homemade wheels let you maneuver your car as you please
Your regular old car’s wheels can probably only go in a finite number of directions. One crafty YouTuber took it upon himself to create a set of wheels that would allow his trusty Toyota Echo to handle moving around in just about any direction you can think of. The result looks pretty ridiculous, but also totally awesome.
William’s “Liddiard Wheels” are powered by 24,000 pounds of torque to the wheels, allowing for some ridiculous moves. You can bolt them on to any vehicle if your own car needs an upgrade for some reason, and they’ll definitely be the catalyst for some insane conversations in the future.
Liddiard is looking to get some exposure for this interesting invention, and it looks like he’s going to get it. But would this be something drivers would actually be able to utilize? Check out the wheels in action for yourself in the video below.
Via: Gizmodo
Nintendo t-shirt design contest will be judged by Shigeru Miyamoto
In case you didn’t own enough gaming tees, Uniqlo has opening its annual tee design competition, this time centered around Nintendo. The UTGP’17 comes with a healthy $10,000 prize pot and the contest is open to global entries. (Yes, even from you.) Notably, the collaboration has ensured Nintendo’s legendary Shigeru Miyamoto will be act as a “special judge” for the competition. The winning (and runner-up) designs typically go on to be sold in Uniqlo stores, which adds an incentive worth even more than that prize pot. (Or not. Real talk; it is 10,000 bucks.)
Source: Uniqlo
Jury awards HP $3 billion in damages from Oracle
In yet another legal tussle between HP and Oracle, a jury has decided to award HP $3 billion in damages. The case stems from Oracle’s decision to stop developing software for HP’s Intel Itanium-powered servers in 2011, which HP says is a breach of contract between the two companies. Oracle’s argument has been that the Itanium processor was nearing end of life and it didn’t think there was a contract requiring it to support the hardware indefinitely.
Reuters reports that a judge decided there was a contract in 2012, and today the jury ruled on the amount of damages. For its part, Oracle plans to appeal both decisions (just like it’s appealing a ruling in its case against Google over the use of Java APIs in Android), saying HP and Intel “stopped developing systems years ago,” and that HP breached its own obligations. Until that happens we’ll be pawing through the Itanium Wikipedia page for quotes like “The Itanium approach…was supposed to be so terrific—until it turned out that the wished-for compilers were basically impossible to write.”
Source: Oracle, Reuters, USA Today
Google is working on a VR version of Chrome for Android
Google had a lot to say about its VR ambitions at this year’s I/O, and it looks like a more immersive web browsing experience will be part of those plans. Road to VR reports that the latest versions of Chrome Beta and Chrome Dev for Android have a couple notable features that will make hopping around the web in VR a reality. The beta version of Chrome now has WebVR abilities that allows for more engaging experiences when you visit a website that’s designed for virtual reality. As was recently noted by Chromium guru François Beaufort, the Chrome Dev now offers a “VR shell” that would allow Cardboard and Daydream users to browse the internet with a headset.
As Road to VR notes, the VR shell isn’t full functional just yet, but should be only a matter of time before it and other virtual reality features pop up in stable beta versions. With the way VR on the web currently works, you have to take off that headset when you come to a site that isn’t properly equipped. However, Google’s pending solution for Android mean you wouldn’t have to do that as the so-called shell would accommodate those non-VR-ready sites.
Samsung already built a browser for its Gear VR. Of course, that headset only works with the company’s own handsets, so it’s not open for a wide audience. By adding virtual reality browsing for Chrome, Google can offer the feature to users of Cardboard and its upcoming Daydream setup. The company also revealed that Google Play would get a dedicated VR section so you’ll know exactly where to find the apps and content you’re after. For desktop users, Google is said to be working on a version of Chrome that supports the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Source: Road to VR, François Beaufort
