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Showing posts from November, 2021

Elizabeth Holmes admits that she was CEO of Theranos, the company she founded

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Getty ‘The buck stops with you?’ Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22811246/elizabeth-holmes-texts-control-theranos-money

Microsoft is selling ugly Windows sweaters again, and this time, it’s Minesweeper

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Image: Microsoft Microsoft has launched a new Windows software-themed ugly sweater on its Xbox Gear Shop dedicated to the infamous Windows game Minesweeper. It’s well done: not only is the whole Minesweeper level shaped like a Christmas tree, but it’s also got mines masquerading as snowflakes and “buttons” to minimize the window or exit the game if you so desire, plus the classic wavy Windows logo that hearkens back to Windows 3.1. (If you’re wondering why the sweater has “1990” remaining mines, that’s a reference to the year Minesweeper first came out.) Whatchu know about Minesweeper? #UglyChristmasSweater #WindowsUglySweater pic.twitter.com/nWnn42uyw2 — Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) November 29, 2021 This is Microsoft’s second year of Windows-themed... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/11/30/22810369/microsoft-ugly-windows-sweater-party-minesweeper

Edge users aren’t happy about Microsoft’s built-in ‘buy now, pay later’ tool

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is tacking on a “buy now, pay later” extension to Edge that prompts users to use short-term financing service Zip (formerly QuadPay) when making a purchase on the browser. The option to sign up and use Zip will appear on checkout pages The company introduced the service earlier this month, and now some users are reportedly seeing it integrated into their browsers after updating to Edge version 96, as noted by Ars Technica . The option to sign up and use Zip will be displayed on checkout pages, appearing in the same area where you’d enter your credit card number on Edge (or access a previously used one), and will sometimes be ingrained in the checkout page itself. Zip will pop up when Edge detects that your purchase costs... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810595/microsoft-edge-zip-buy-now-pay-later

Amazon faces new pressure over COVID protections in warehouses

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Amazon workers protested outside a warehouse last year | Spencer Platt / Getty Images Amazon is facing new questions over failed COVID protections in its fulfillment centers, spurred on by New York Attorney General Letitia James. After more than a year of protests from workers and inquiries from legislators, James is now seeking a court order to require Amazon to appoint a monitor to oversee health and safety measures at its warehouse on Staten Island. As part of the same motion, James asked the company to reinstate fired worker Christian Smalls, who led public protests against Amazon last year, accusing the company of failing to keep employees from contracting the virus at work. According to James, Amazon has rolled back many of its health and safety measures at the warehouse, known as JFK8. The Staten Island warehouse,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810754/amazon-new-york-ag-reinstate-fired-worker-health-safety-covid

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip is here to power the Android flagships of 2022

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Qualcomm has a new flagship smartphone processor: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, announced at the company’s annual Snapdragon Tech Summit, giving an early preview at the brains behind the most powerful smartphones of 2022. The successor to last year’s Snapdragon 888, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the first chipset to bear Qualcomm’s new naming scheme (which the company had previously teased last week ), ditching the triple-digit numbering system that Qualcomm has previously used for new, generation-based monikers. As is the case every year, Qualcomm is promising some major improvements in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, with better performance, camera technology, AI capabilities, security, and 5G. 20 percent better CPU performance and up to 30 percent... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809687/qualcomm-snapdragon-8-gen-1-chip-smartphone-processor-specs-details

Twitch will use machine learning to detect people evading bans

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitch is furthering its efforts to reduce harassment with a new tool that uses machine learning to detect people who may be attempting to evade bans. It’s the company’s latest addition to combat things like hate raids , where streamers’ chats are overrun with trolls sending hateful messages. The new tool, called Suspicious User Detection, can identify users as “likely” or “possible” people who have evaded bans from a streamer’s channel. The machine learning model powering the tool identifies potential evaders by evaluating things such as their behavior and characteristics about their account and compares that information against accounts that have been banned from a streamer’s channel. Messages from “likely” evaders won’t be sent to... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810180/twitch-machine-learning-suspicious-user-detection-bans

The latest Quest update brings cloud backups and a mixed reality view

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta has delivered a new batch of features for Quest headsets in an update rolling out today . The changes include cloud backups, a mixed reality camera mode, and other settings that round out the Quest’s already impressive feature set. I’m most excited about the cloud backups feature, which gives you a way to restore user-specific data to your apps, including game saves and headset settings, if you need to replace, update, or reset your Quest. This is one of those things that I’m surprised the Quest didn’t support already, and I found out the hard way that it didn’t a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, I’m glad that it’s here now. It can be activated within the “Device” tab in the settings menu. The mixed reality camera also... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810426/oculus-meta-quest-2-vr-headset-update-v35-mixed-reality-ios

These transparent Apple prototypes clearly show the greatness of see-through gadgets

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Image: Giulio Zompetti Apple device collector Giulio Zompetti has photographed a prototype 29W Apple charging brick , and it may be one of the rare instances where the product-in-progress may look better than the final version. What makes it special is that you can literally see Apple’s design process because of the clear plastic shell, unlike the retail version where the internals are hidden by opaque white plastic. Zompetti also tweeted another clear prototype, a pair of AirPods that live up to the “Air” name. The retro-futuristic look of the densely packed electronics makes me wish Apple would actually sell see-through gadgets again. #AirPods , translucent prototype earbuds pic.twitter.com/zE4dt47H0J — Giulio Zompetti (@1nsane_dev) November 30, 2021 29W... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810281/transparent-apple-airpods-charging-brick-prototype-nintendo-imac

Android 101: How to stop location tracking

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Location tracking can be very handy — it’s convenient when an app can tell you, say, where the nearby restaurants or gas stations are — but it’s also a privacy issue . Do you want all your wanderings registered by Google? Are you comfortable knowing that Mark Zuckerberg’s minions know where you are at all times? (Well, not that Mark Zuckerberg has minions, but you know what I mean.) In this article, we’ll take a look at how to stop location tracking on your Android phone (and your Google account) and how to delete your location history from your OS and from some of the more popular apps. As always, note that versions of Android can differ, and many manufacturers use overlays as well, which can change the locations of various commands —... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/21401280/android-101-location-tracking-history-stop-how-to

Why Red Notice was able to beat Bird Box as Netflix’s biggest movie debut ever

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Image: Frank Masi/Netflix Netflix’s heist drama Red Notice has officially overthrown Bird Box as the streaming service’s biggest movie debut to date, with over 328 million total hours viewed as of today. That beats out Bird Box ’s prior record — 282 million hours in its first 28 days — by a good margin, and Red Notice still has ample time to expand its debut-month record. That might seem like great news for Netflix: a movie it wanted to be a huge hit was in fact a huge hit. It commanded views up against an eight-hour Beatles documentary as well as big theatrical releases like a Ghostbusters spinoff and multiple titles from Disney. But the film’s success isn’t quite as remarkable as the numbers make it appear. Sure, the hours viewed figure indicates that... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/22808720/red-notice-netflix-bird-box-most-watched-film

Star Trek creator’s signature will live long and prosper in new NFT

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DECEMBER 7: Actors Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and William Shatner pose for a portrait with writer Gene Roddenberry and director Robert Wise during the filming of the movie “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” which was released December 27, 1979 in the United States. | Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s signature on the show’s first contract with Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions is now an NFT. Roddenberry Entertainment is calling it the first “Living Eco-NFT,” which seems straight out of science fiction itself. The NFT’s creators implanted the signature, signed in 1965, into a living bacteria cell in the form of DNA code. As the cell duplicates, it creates new copies of the NFT — over a billion in one night. Even though there will quickly be billions of replicas, the NFT is called “El Primero,” which means ‘the first’ in Spanish. It will be exhibited at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair that kicks off on December 2nd. DNA is nature’s...

Cyber Monday spending was reportedly down due to early shopping

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Cyber Monday sales were down 1.4 percent year over year, according to a report from Adobe Analytics . Shoppers spent $10.7 billion this year, $100 million less than the $10.8 billion consumers spent in 2020. “Consumers were not waiting around for discounts on big shopping days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday” Amazon’s holiday shopping report only backs Adobe’s claims that Cyber Monday sales took a dip — the commerce giant didn’t report that this year’s Cyber Monday was the “biggest” day of shopping as it has done in the past. In 2019 , Amazon said that Cyber Monday was the platform’s “single biggest shopping day in the company’s history,” while in 2020 , Thanksgiving weekend was described as the “largest holiday shopping season” in... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810083/cyber-monday-spending-down-early-shopping

The leader of Facebook’s stalled cryptocurrency project is leaving the company

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Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Facebook cryptocurrency chief David Marcus announced today that he’s leaving the company. The former PayPal executive joined Facebook in 2014 to run Messenge r but eventually took over plans to launch a new cryptocurrency and wallet , known at the time as Libra and Calibra, respectively. After some pre-Meta name changes , the digital wallet launched with a small pilot in October under the name Novi but only in two countries (the US and Guatemala) and support for a single form of crypto, the Paxos stablecoin. The currency that spurred so much ire from regulators and politicians around the world, now called Diem, has yet to appear. In posts on his Facebook page and Twitter, Marcus says, “While there’s still so much to do right on the heels of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22810220/facebook-crypto-david-marcus-novi-diem-meta

This browser extension shows how many brands on Amazon are actually just Amazon

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Image: The Markup A new browser extension promises to show you which products in your Amazon search results are sold by brands that are either owned by or are exclusive to Amazon, giving you a better idea of who’s selling what you’re buying. It’s called Amazon Brand Detector, and it uses a list of Amazon brands created by The Markup , along with filters and other techniques ( detailed here ) to detect and highlight products that are a part of Amazon’s Our Brands program. The Markup created this extension after its investigation into how Amazon ranks its in-house brands in search results and says the tool (available for Chrome-like browsers and Firefox ) is designed to make searches more transparent. When we tested it, it obviously highlighted Amazon Basics... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22808835/amazon-brand-detector-browser-extension-markup-basics-essentials-private-labels

Levels Health review: optimize your fitness with a $400 glucose tracker

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The key to the Levels Health system is a device that constantly monitors glucose levels in your bloodstream Real-time glucose tracking for fitness-based purposes is here, but it’ll cost you Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/22794594/levels-health-glucose-fitness-tracker-review

GTA Trilogy’s next big patch fixes spelling errors, rain, and CJ’s face covering the camera

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The patch apparently fixes some problems with rain. | Image: Rockstar Rockstar’s next Title Update for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition looks to address a huge list of issues with the buggy remasters. The game has had a rough launch, and many of the fixes appear to clean up some of the more meme-worthy problems with the games. A lot of the fixes are about rain . Many spelling errors have apparently been fixed. I spotted two fixes for “a hole in the game world” in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition. There are also two fixes for CJ’s face obscuring the camera in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition , which (sadly) may address the absolutely incredible bug shown in this video : I've changed my mind, the GTA remasters are perfect. (this is looking... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809948/gta-trilogy-patch-title-update-1-03-fixes-spelling-errors-rain-cjs-face

BMW shows off its new XM hybrid concept vehicle

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The BMW Concept XM | BMW BMW has revealed a new concept plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the first in its M class to get an electric motor, the company announced. The BMW XM will go into production at the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant beginning in late 2022, the company said in a news release . The concept BMW XM has a V8 engine combined with an electric motor to provide 750 horsepower and 737 foot-pounds of torque. BMW spokesman Jay Hanson clarified in an email to The Verge that while the production version of the XM will have a V8 engine paired with a plug-in hybrid system, “horsepower and torque figures should be considered preliminary at this time.” The company said the unusual front-end design, with two large nostril-shaped openings, shows off... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809724/bmw-new-xm-hybrid-concept-electric-vehicle

Netflix’s genre slate for 2022 includes The Sandman and The Witcher: Blood Origin

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Netflix still has some big releases in store this year — including Don’t Look Up and the second season of The Witcher — but the streaming service is also looking forward to its 2022 lineup. Today, the company released its slate for genre shows and movies coming next year, and while we knew some of them ( last month, Netflix revealed that Stranger Things 4 would be coming out next summer ), there were also some new confirmations. Most notably, both the live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and The Witcher spinoff Blood Origin will debut on the streaming service in 2022. Outside of those heavy hitters, there are also plenty of shows returning — Alice in Borderland’s season 2, Locke & Key season 3, The Umbrella Academy season 3... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809629/netflix-2022-genre-lineup-witcher-cyberpunk-stranger-things-sandman

Square Enix warns players that servers might struggle with FFXIV’s next big expansion

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With Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker launching in early access this week and officially on December 7th, Square Enix is warning players that they might face the longest log-in queues and wait times the game has ever seen. In a blog post, Square Enix stated that while it has optimized servers in anticipation of heavy traffic, the global chip shortage has prevented the addition of new servers that would help alleviate congestion problems. As such, players can expect to wait longer than normal to log into game servers, visit new Endwalker specific areas, and experience instanced content-like duties. Square Enix also offered tips that players can use to ensure their Endwalker experience is the best it can be. If players are experiencing higher... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809776/ff14-endwalker-square-enix-log-in-queues-extended-wait-times

Elon Musk says Raptor engine production is a ‘disaster’ that puts SpaceX at risk of bankruptcy

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Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images On Black Friday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sent an anxious email to his company’s employees, urging them to work over the weekend on SpaceX’s Raptor engine line and describing the production situation as a “crisis.” In the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Verge , Musk argued that the company faces a “genuine risk of bankruptcy” if production doesn’t increase to support a high flight rate of the company’s new Starship rocket next year. The Raptor is SpaceX’s massive methane engine that will be used to propel the company’s next-generation launch system, called Starship. SpaceX plans to use Starship to take people to deep space, and in April, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to develop Starship as a lunar lander to transport... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809720/elon-musk-spacex-raptor-engine-crisis-bankruptcy-starship

Twitter bans posting pictures of ‘private individuals’ against their wishes

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter will now let private individuals request takedowns of pictures or videos featuring them. The company announced the change this morning, extending an existing ban on private information to cover media. It’s aimed at preventing harassment or invasions of privacy and includes exceptions for posts that are “shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse.” “Sharing personal media, such as images or videos, can potentially violate a person’s privacy, and may lead to emotional or physical harm,” reads a Twitter Safety blog post announcing the change. “The misuse of private media can affect everyone, but can have a disproportionate effect on women, activists, dissidents, and members of minority communities.” Twitter will... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809746/twitter-ban-personal-information-private-media-photo-videos-harassment

Google engineers claim they were fired for following its ‘don’t be evil’ policy

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Three ex-Google employees claim that Google has a contractual obligation to abide by its well-known “don’t be evil” policy, and they are suing the company for allegedly terminating them for calling out Google’s “evil” doings, via NPR . “Don’t be evil” has been a part of Google’s Code of Conduct since the early 2000s The former workers Sophie Waldman, Rebecca Rivers, and Paul Duke were fired — in addition to a fourth employee, Laurence Berland — in November 2019 for allegedly violating the company’s data security policies , however, they claim they didn’t leak any confidential information. Earlier this year, the acting head of the National Labor Relations Board said that Google “arguably violated” US labor laws by firing the three... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809577/google-employees-sue-dont-be-evil-policy

Razer’s Qualcomm-powered handheld console leaks

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Qualcomm appears to be collaborating with Razer on a new gaming handheld developer kit built around its upcoming Snapdragon G3X processor. Leaked slides published by VideoCardz call the device a “Snapdragon G3X Handheld Developer Kit,” suggesting it will primarily be aimed at software developers and manufacturers to help them build their own software and hardware powered by Qualcomm’s mobile gaming technology. Alongside it, VideoCardz has also obtained slides detailing Qualcomm’s next flagship smartphone processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The name shows off Qualcomm’s new branding for its mobile chips announced last month . The processor will reportedly be manufactured using a 4nm process, with a CPU that’s 20 percent faster and 30... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809800/qualcomm-razer-games-console-handheld-snapdragon-g3x-developer-kit-leak

BBC iPlayer finally arrives on PS5 with 4K support

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Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The BBC is finally bringing its iPlayer app to the PS5 in the UK today, more than a year after the console’s original release. Brits have been waiting patiently for BBC iPlayer on the PS5, especially as the app is already available on more than 15,000 devices, including Xbox Series X / S consoles. The BBC iPlayer app is now available in the media tab on the PS5 home screen, and it includes support for streaming 4K content from the service. “From today, PS5 owners can add the BBC iPlayer app by going to the Media tab on the PS5 home screen and selecting BBC iPlayer from the All Apps section,” explains Neil Hall , head of product at BBC iPlayer. “This will add BBC iPlayer to the apps library and make it available to use direct from the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809494/bbc-iplayer-ps5-release-available-4k-support

Meta ordered to sell Giphy by UK regulator

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Meta, the company formally known as “Facebook.” | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The UK’s competition regulator has officially ruled that Facebook parent company Meta’s acquisition of Giphy should be unwound, a year and a half after the social media giant first said it was acquiring the popular GIF-making and sharing website . In a press release , the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that it had come to the decision after its investigation found an acquisition could harm competition between social media platforms, and that its concerns “can only be addressed by Facebook selling Giphy in its entirety to an approved buyer.” The CMA said the acquisition could be used to deny or limit other platforms’ access to Giphy GIFs and drive more traffic to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. It also raised concerns that... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22740272/facebook-giphy-acquisition-competition-and-markets-authority-uk-regulator

FIFA is trialling limb-tracking tech to catch offside players

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Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images FIFA, the global governing body of the sport variously known as football and soccer, is trialling new technology that tracks players’ limbs to detect whether they’re in an offside position. The system will be employed at the 2021 Arab Cup, which kicks off today in Qatar, the host of next year’s World Cup. FIFA calls the system “ semi-automatic offside technology. ” It involves a camera setup installed on the roof of the stadium, with limb data extracted from the video and sent to the match officials’ operating room so the offside line can be calculated in real time. The BBC reports that 10 to 12 cameras collect up to 29 data points for each player 50 times a second. Semi-automated offside technology explained ahead of FIFA Arab Cup.... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809396/fifa-limb-tracking-arab-cup-world-offside-technology

Elizabeth Holmes says Theranos’ former president abused her

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Getty “I have molded you,” Sunny Balwani texted Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22809049/elizabeth-holmes-sunny-balwani-abuse-fraud

Jack steps back

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Photo by MARCO BELLO/AFP via Getty Images One day in 2011, Jack Dorsey called an all-hands meeting at Twitter. The company was in the middle of a push to redesign Twitter’s mobile apps, and the effort had led to anger and burnout. Dorsey, who had co-founded the company in 2006 with Ev Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass, was then serving as its executive chairman. The company prepared for what it assumed would be a pep talk from the most eccentric of Twitter’s co-founders. And they got one, of a sort. As the meeting began, the lights at Twitter headquarters dimmed. An acoustic guitar began playing over speakers. Dorsey encouraged everyone to listen to the lyrics. Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808979/twitter-jack-dorsey-steps-back-platformer

Ludwig, the streamer who broke the all-time Twitch subs record this year, is moving to YouTube Gaming

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Ludwig posted a video announcing the move Monday. | Image: Ludwig ( via YouTube ) Ludwig Ahgren, a streamer perhaps best known for his month-long subathon that took place earlier this year, is moving from Twitch to stream exclusively on YouTube Gaming . Ahgren’s first stream on YouTube will take place tomorrow, November 30th. Ludwig leaves behind a significant presence on Twitch. He has 3.1 million followers , and TwitchTracker’s metrics indicate he has more than 27,000 subscribers as of this writing. And by the end of his subathon , he had broken the all-time Twitch subs record — TwitchTracker says he peaked at 283,066 subscribers . But he won’t be starting from nothing on YouTube, where he already has 2.08 million subscribers . :) pic.twitter.com/717LGs0Cvk — ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) November 29, 2021 Ahgren is the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808873/ludwig-ahgren-twitch-subathon-youtube-gaming

eBay purchases sneaker authentication service Sneaker Con

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Image: eBay eBay has bought out sneaker authentication service Sneaker Con, a company that gives sneaker-lovers the peace of mind that the kicks they’re purchasing are real. The acquisition builds upon eBay’s existing relationship with the service, which began back in October 2020 when eBay first launched its sneaker vetting process . When select sneaker brands are purchased for over $100 on eBay, the shoes go through Sneaker Con before reaching the buyer. There, the sneakers are thoroughly vetted by experts who ensure that the sneakers are authentic and match the description of the original listing. 1.55 million sneakers have been authenticated on eBay The sneakers are then sent to the buyers with tags showing that they’ve been verified. eBay notes... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808373/ebay-sneaker-con-acquisition

Many T-Mobile customers report they can’t call Verizon, AT&T, or other T-Mobile numbers

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile customers have been reporting issues making and receiving calls all afternoon, with problems frequently linked to Verizon numbers. This all started around 2PM ET this afternoon, with hotspots showing in most major metro areas on Downdectector . Initial reports suggested Verizon might be having issues, but Verizon spokesperson Kevin King tells The Verge that its network is operating “business as usual.” User reports indicate T-Mobile is having problems since 1:49 PM EST. https://t.co/LExjRid785 RT if you're also having problems #TMobiledown — Downdetector (@downdetector) November 29, 2021 Image by Downdetector Downdetector map showing T-Mobile outage concentrated along the East Coast and Midwest. A n... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808526/t-mobile-outage-verizon-att-call-cant-connect

xCloud’s new Clarity Boost promises clearer streams, but it’s only on Edge

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft’s new Clarity Boost feature for Xbox Cloud Gaming (aka xCloud) is intended to make your cloud gaming streams a little bit less fuzzy, but it will only be available on the company’s Edge browser. Clarity Boost “uses a set of client-side scaling improvements to improve the visual quality of the video stream,” Microsoft’s Milena Gonzalez said in a blog post . I tried Clarity Boost in a few games, and I felt that it made a noticeable difference. Games were generally less blurry, and many smaller details like leaves and bricks looked much sharper than they do with Clarity Boost off. It doesn’t dramatically change the way games look, in my opinion, but if you want xCloud games to be a little more clear, I’d recommend flipping Clarity... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808656/xbox-cloud-gaming-xcloud-clarity-boost-microsoft-edge-canary

An introduction to Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s new CEO

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Twitter has a new CEO : Parag Agrawal, who’ll be taking over for Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the longest-serving chief executive in the company’s 15-plus-year history. Agrawal isn’t the most well-known of names either inside or outside of Twitter. He’s been with the company for over a decade, though, working his way up from an engineer to become its top executive (and a close friend of Dorsey’s). Agrawal first started at Twitter back in October 2011 with a focus on ad products, and he became the first recipient of the company’s “Distinguished Engineer” title. He was later appointed chief technology officer in October 2017, during which time he’s jumped in to address high-profile problems (like a large-scale password security issue)... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808756/twitter-ceo-parag-agrawal-jack-dorsey-bluesky-moderation

Four more gaming PCs you might actually buy for an RTX 3080 Ti, 3070 Ti, or 3060 Ti on Cyber Monday

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Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge On Black Friday, I introduced you to an extremely curated selection of gaming PCs that might actually be good value for the money and deliver serious GPU oomph at a time when those GPUs are incredibly expensive and hard to find. Let’s do it again for Cyber Monday , shall we? RTX 3080 Ti — $2,400 If you’re looking for Nvidia’s top gaming card — because while the RTX 3090 exists , it’s overkill — HP’s Omen 30L is perhaps the best all-around prebuilt deal. There’s one specific system you can nab for $2,399 with the powerful 4K graphics card and a powerful Core i7-11700K chip, and it doesn’t skimp on the memory or storage this time around: you get 32GB of RAM, a 512GB solid-state drive, and a 2TB hard drive, all powered by an 800W Gold PSU. S... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/good-deals/2021/11/29/22808536/cyber-monday-gaming-pc-prebuilt-sales-deals-rtx-3080-3070-3060-ti

Amazon must redo Bessemer union election, orders labor board official

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Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ordered a new election at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama site, a tentative victory for organizers who had sought to unionize workers at the company’s fulfillment locations. The decision , issued by the regional director overseeing the case, builds on a previous recommendation from the hearing officer assigned to the case. “I agree with the hearing officer’s recommendations,” Monday’s decision reads. “Accordingly, I affirm the hearing officer’s rulings, I adopt her recommendation to sustain certain objections, and I order a second election.” Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “I order a second election” No date has been set for the second election, and Amazon will have ten... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22565851/amazon-bessemer-union-vote-nlrb-appeal-overturned-second-election

Amazon and Target play ‘outsized’ role in port congestion and pollution, report finds

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Container ships at anchor outside the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. | Tim Rue/Bloomberg via Getty Images Amazon and Target are playing a big role in the port pollution crisis along the US West Coast, according to a report published today. These retail giants are among the top importers in the US and rely heavily on shipping routes between China and California. Communities near the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have some of the worst air quality in the nation thanks in large part to Americans’ shopping habits. Online shopping, which increased during the pandemic, has made the situation worse. So has the supply chain crisis that’s caused traffic jams just offshore of the twin ports, which make up the busiest port complex in the Western Hemisphere. “It is past time to hold these retailers accountable for their responsibilities at the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808388/amazon-target-...

It’s time to study the health impacts of TikTok, researchers say

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge People have flocked to TikTok in droves over the past few years — but research into the social media giant’s potential health impacts hasn’t kept up. Despite the fact that TikTok now has over 1 billion users, public health researchers know very little about the health effects it might be having on the platform’s (mostly young) users. That’s concerning, because researchers know social media platforms can be harmful , especially to the health of some groups of teens and adolescents. “The platform is so massive, but there’s almost no scholarly investigation into it,” says Marco Zenone, a health policy researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Zenone believes it’s urgent for researchers to start figuring out if TikTok... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808011/tiktok-health-impact-research-plan

GOG is losing money and refocusing on ‘handpicked selection of games’

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CD Projekt says its GOG games storefront will put more focus on offering “a handpicked selection of games” and transfer some developers to other projects, following ongoing financial losses at the division. “Regarding GOG, its performance does present a challenge, and recently we’ve taken measures to improve its financial standing,” CD Projekt CFO Piotr Nielubowicz told investors on a quarterly earnings call. “First and foremost, we’ve decided that GOG should focus more on its core business activity, which means offering a handpicked selection of games with its unique DRM-free philosophy. In line with this approach, there will be changes in the team structure.” “GOG should focus more on its core business activity, which means offering a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808199/cd-projekt-gog-losses-restructuring-earnings-2021

Miami rescinds its short-lived ban on shared electric scooters

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Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The Miami City Commission voted to end its short-lived ban on shared electric scooters Monday after some new safety measures were put in place. Early this month, the commission voted 4 to 5 to end the city’s multiyear scooter pilot, citing blocked sidewalks and the risk posed by untrained riders on busy streets. The companies that operate shared scooters, including Lime and Spin, argued that their services helped reduce car usage, connect residents to transit hubs, and bring extra revenue to the city. That message appears to have gotten through. On Monday, the commission voted 3 to 1 to rescind the ban on the condition that new safety regulations would be implemented. “Change is coming; it’s going to happen anyway. Regulate it,”... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808390/miami-electric-scooters-rescinds-ban-lime

The best official Nerf blaster ever made is half off for Cyber Monday

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You want to bring a badass foam blaster to your next Nerf war — or gift one to a very grateful kid or kid-at-heart this holiday. Good news: the Nerf Rival Perses, arguably the best official blaster ever made, is just $50 during Walmart’s Cyber Monday sale. Normally $100, it’s a fully automatic SMG-style blaster that holds 50 far-flying, bouncy foam rounds in its hopper and dishes them out at up to eight shots per second. Plus, you won’t need to buy big bulky dumb alkaline batteries for this one. It comes with its own rechargeable NiMH battery pack and charger, unlike practically every other Hasbro blaster on the market. Just know it’s a little too big for small kids. At over five pounds and with big beefy grips, it’ll be a late... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/good-deals/2021/11/29/22663746/cyber-monday-nerf-best-rival-perses-sale-price

Sonos could soon announce a smaller, more affordable Sub Mini subwoofer

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Sonos is likely planning to announce a new, smaller, and cheaper subwoofer to join its home theater product lineup. A Redditor spotted mention of a “Sub Mini” right in the Sonos smartphone app, and based on the text, it’s evident that this is a real product and not some mistake or placeholder text. In the screenshot, Sonos describes the Sub Mini as a “smaller, cylindrical subwoofer” compared to the large, square, and very pricey Sub. Most conventional subwoofers are hefty squares or rectangles that people often try to keep out of sight. But cylinder-shaped subwoofers aren’t unheard of. The Sub Mini could resemble something like the below subwoofer from OSD. Image: OSD This example of a cylindrical subwoofer is... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808243/sonos-sub-mini-leaked-features-design

Go read this report on how your next food delivery might be cooked up in a parking lot 

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Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images Mobile kitchens that cater solely to food delivery services, like Uber Eats and DoorDash, sound like a great idea in theory, as dedicated delivery kitchens can push out food faster without having to worry about passing meals along to servers. But a report from The Wall Street Journal details some of the mishaps associated with one trailer-bound ghost kitchen company, Reef, which involves third-degree burns and regulatory violations. Just this April, the WSJ reports that one Reef kitchen in Houston, Texas experienced two fiery accidents in just four months. One involved a blast that erupted from the kitchen’s propane burners — and by a stroke of luck, the cook came out unscathed. While the cook escaped harm — she happened to open a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807607/go-read-ghost-kitchens-uber-eats-doordash

CD Projekt Red promises Cyberpunk 2077’s next-gen update is still ‘on track,’ for real this time

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A screenshot from Cyberpunk 2077. | Image: CD Projekt Red Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red assured investors and players during its latest quarterly earnings that the already-delayed next-gen update for the game is “on track” for the first quarter of 2022. CDPR originally announced a late 2021 target launch for the update in September but said in October that the release would slip into next year . Cyberpunk 2077 had a famously rocky launch , and CDPR has released multiple updates and hotfixes to address many of the game’s issues. But it’s seen a recent surge in popularity; it was one of the top sellers on Steam last week, according to SteamDB , possibly buoyed by a 50 percent price cut as part of Steam’s Autumn Sale. (It’s currently 50 percent off on the PlayStation and Xbox stores as... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22808038/cd-projekt-red-cyberpunk-2077-next-gen-update-release-date

Frances Haugen will testify before Congress again this week

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Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images House Democrats announced that Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will testify before Congress a second time on Wednesday to discuss possible legislative changes to tech’s controversial legal liability shield, Section 230. The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on communications and technology will hold the upcoming hearing to discuss what Democrats are referring to as “targeted reforms” to Section 230. Several committee members have already introduced bills that would create carve-outs in the law that would make big tech companies like Facebook and Google legally liable for algorithms that amplify content that leads to offline violence . Haugen will testify alongside Color of Change president Rashad Robinson, according to House... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807909/frances-haugen-congress-testify-section-230-facebook-whistleblower

The Verge Cyber Monday 2021 live blog

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Illustration by The Verge We’re rattling off the best Cyber Monday tech deals as we find them Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/22807793/cyber-monday-2021-live-blog-lightning-deals-tech

Nissan lays out $17.6 billion plan to electrify its future

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Nissan is the latest automaker to announce a plan to spend gobs of money on an ambitious electrification strategy. The company said it will spend 2 trillion yen (around $17.6 billion) over the next five years to accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicles. And to emphasize that point, Nissan unveiled a pack of delightful EV concepts, including an adorable pickup truck, an outdoorsy SUV, and a sleek sports car. It’s an impressive commitment, but Nissan notably stopped short of making the same promise that other automakers have to phase out the production of gas-powered vehicles. For example, Volvo and General Motors have vowed to become EV-only companies by 2030 and 2040, respectively. Nissan said it will produce 23 new electrified... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807700/nissan-electric-vehicle-investment-plan-concepts

Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal replaces Jack Dorsey as CEO

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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Confirming rumors first reported this morning by CNBC , Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey has announced his departure. The company confirmed that CTO Parag Agrawal will succeed him, and says that Dorsey will remain on its board of directors. Bret Taylor is taking over as the new chairman of the board. Dorsey returned to lead the company as CEO in 2015 despite being forced out of the post in 2008. He continues to serve as the CEO of Square, and last night tweeted “I love Twitter.” In a statement, he says “I’ve decided to leave Twitter because I believe the company is ready to move on from its founders. My trust in Parag as Twitter’s CEO is deep. His work over the past 10 years has been transformational. I’m deeply grateful for his... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807651/jack-dorsey-steps-down-twitter-ceo-parag-agrawal-replacement

Cheaters are already ruining Halo Infinite multiplayer games

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Halo Infinite is currently suffering from an influx of hackers and cheaters. Halo Infinite players have been reporting multiple instances of cheaters over the Thanksgiving weekend, with recordings showing people clearly using aimbots and wallhacks to cheat. It’s the latest game to be hit by an increase in cheating across the world’s biggest PC games . Reddit and Twitter users have been posting clips of cheaters, where you can clearly see them snapping to players and getting killing sprees, or tracing rival players through walls. Most of these cheaters are clearly using third-party software on PC, and it has led many players to call for an option to disable crossplay. Halo Infinite Cheating from haloinfinite H... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807663/halo-infinite-cheating-hackers-aimbot-wallhacks-problems

Tom Holland will return for another trilogy of MCU Spider-Man movies

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Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to wrap up the current trilogy of Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man movies soon, but Tom Holland’s incarnation of the web-slinging hero isn’t hanging up his suit just yet: Sony producer Amy Pascal has confirmed in an interview with Fandango that Holland will return for a future trilogy of Spider-Man movies that will continue to be set in the MCU. “This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel — [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie. We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel, it just isn’t part of… we’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies,” Pascal said. “Marvel... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807636/tom-holland-spider-man-trilogy-marvel-mcu-sony-pictures-amy-pascal

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is reportedly close to stepping down

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Photo by MARCO BELLO/AFP via Getty Images Jack Dorsey is expected to step down as CEO of Twitter “in the near term,” according to CNBC’s David Faber , who cited “a number of different people familiar with the situation.” Faber said he doesn’t “know much else” beyond that and wasn’t sure who might be brought in to replace him. The Verge has reached out to Twitter for comment. Dorsey has been CEO of Twitter since 2015 , presiding over a rocky but relatively successful run for the company. During the past couple years, Twitter has started to rapidly roll out new products and features. And while not all of them have been hits, they’ve suggested a transformation into a far more nimble company ready to adapt to its users interests. BREAKING: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is expected to step... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/29/22807578/jack-dorsey-rumor-resign-twitter-ceo-square-web3