NASA is talking about software that it uses in autonomous robots that operate inside ISS. The software is called ISAAC, which stands for Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking. The software was integrated into Bumble, one of the Astrobee robots currently aboard the ISS. Bumble and its software were used to investigate a simulated anomaly aboard the station. The … Continue reading
With the push to transition people worldwide from traditional combustion-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, development is happening very quickly for electric vehicles. However, there are some hazards and downsides to electric vehicles that don’t come with traditional combustion vehicles. Specifically, in the event of an accident, there’s always a risk of fire due to punctured battery packs in an electric … Continue reading
Researchers at Stanford University have lead a team that created a new type of battery they say can store six times more energy than current state-of-the-art batteries. Stanford and a team of international researchers developed a new battery called alkali metal-chlorine batteries and recently published a paper outlining their breakthrough. The new type of battery has the potential to allow … Continue reading
Peter Thiel’s AI company Palantir, whose clients have included the CIA and US immigration agency ICE, is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A new report claims a glitch in its secretive software program used by the FBI allowed unauthorized personnel to access private data for more than a year. According to The New York Post, the mishap was revealed in a letter by prosecutors in the Manhattan federal court case against accused hacker Virgil Griffith. Palantir denied the claims in a statement and said the fault was caused by the FBI’s incorrect use of the software.
Griffith was arrested in 2019 for allegedly providing North Korea with information on how cryptocurrency and blockchain tech could help it to evade US sanctions. The incident in question revolves around the alleged hacker’s social media data, obtained through a federal search warrant in March 2020. According to the letter, the Twitter and Facebook information was uploaded to Palantir’s program through the default settings, effectively allowing unauthorized FBI employees to access it.
Between May 2020 to August 2021, the material was accessed four times by three analysts and an agent. The FBI case agent assigned to Griffith’s case was alerted to the issue by a colleague earlier this month, according to the letter. Those who accessed the info reportedly told prosecutors that they did not recall using it in their investigations.
“An FBI analyst, in the course of conducting a separate investigation, had identified communications between the defendant and the subject of that other investigation by means of searches on the Platform that accessed the Search Warrant Returns,” the letter noted.
Palantir is trying to distance itself from the issue. “There was no glitch in the software,” it told The New York Post in a statement, adding that the “customer” did not follow the “rigorous protocols established to protect search warrant returns.”
Amid increasing growth, the last thing Palantir needs is a major PR crisis involving flaws in its software. Since going public last fall, the company has seen its revenues surge, though it’s operational losses are also increasing. Palantir’s customers now span government agencies, tech stalwarts like IBM and even mining group Rio Tinto. Plus, it’s working with commercial space companies to manage a meta-constellation of 237 satellites.
OnlyFans is back. Or at least, business will continue as usual for now. Best known for its adult videos and images from independent creators, the site decided to bring the ban hammer down on adult content last week, citing that big banking was to blame for the sudden shift in policy. Apparently, as of yesterday, OnlyFans has found a way forward. It says it’s “suspended” the ban on pornography for now, but has otherwise left creators and the rest of us in the dark as to the details. In an email to creators, OnlyFans said it’s got “banking partners’ assurances” that it can support the whole gamut of content hosted on the site.
The next challenge for the company are the issues highlighted in a recent BBC investigation of its activities. The report outlined how illegal content from some creators was able to make it onto the site, and how banning policy seemed to contort to fit its most popular creators.
— Mat Smith
Samsung features a new OS, body composition measurement and sleep-tracking features as well as upgraded sensors and processor in its Galaxy Watch 4. According to Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low, while those are helpful, it’s the core smartwatch experience (what used to be known as Tizen) that shines. Unfortunately, battery life suffers as a result of all those new features.
XCOM developer Firaxis has unveiled Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a turn-based role-playing game based on the Midnight Sons team from 1990s crossover issues. The modern take has you play a new Marvel co-created superhero, The Hunter, with help from Midnight Sons members, like Blade, Ghost Rider and Wolverine, and Avengers including Captain America and Iron Man.
Midnight Suns comes to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and Windows PCs in March 2022.
If you’re a Discord user, there’s a good chance you’ve benefited from Groovy Bot, which lets people jam together with music from YouTube, Spotify and others. But it turns out Google didn’t appreciate its ability to rip music out of YouTube. The company has sent a cease and desist letter to Groovy Bot’s owners, and against the might of Google, they’re not putting up a fight: Groovy Bot will go offline on August 30th.
A YouTube spokesperson noted that Groovy Bot violated its terms of service, particularly because it modified the way YouTube worked and charged for the privilege. If Groovy Bot were merely free, it may have been able to live on — the premium subscription might be what killed it.
West and electronics design firm Kano have introduced a Donda Stem Player that, as the name implies, lets you remix music from Kanye’s upcoming album Donda (plus your own tunes) using song stems. The gadget can apparently isolate song parts and control aspects like bass, drums, samples and vocals, though it’s unlikely to be able to perfectly lift out separate elements. You can order the Stem Player now for $200.
After a year-long delay, Halo Infinite will arrive on December 8th. Developer 343 Industries confirmed the timing during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live event yesterday. However, this date was leaked just hours before the show started. To celebrate, however, we did get a new multiplayer gameplay trailer.
In the last two years, true wireless earbuds have made quite the leap. There’s no doubt the popularity of Apple’s AirPods helped make these headphones a mainstay, but companies’ ability to offer reliable connectivity, great sound and active noise cancellation (ANC) in an increasingly smaller form factor has hastened widespread adoption. Here’s our updated guide to the best options out there.
Fitbit’s Charge 5 packs an ECG and stress response sensor
How to clean and organize your Mac
Facebook is reportedly mulling a commission to advise on elections
Special-edition ‘Halo Infinite’ Xbox Series X and controller arrive on November 15th
President Biden is meeting with Apple, Google and Microsoft on cybersecurity
Lucid is offering two variants of its Air Dream Edition luxury EV
South Korea to end its controversial gaming curfew
Saints Row gets a gritty reboot set in the ‘weird west’
Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ turns grim in its third episode with mixed results
Model rocket maker Estes is releasing a 1/66th scale model of the Blue Origin rocket New Shepard, meaning that anyone will be able to launch their own version of the spacecraft 400 feet into the air. But if you’re wondering, yes, the Estes version looks exactly like the real version. Which is to say that it looks like…
Japan’s health ministry has decided to halt all covid-19 vaccinations that depend on the Moderna brand after “foreign substances” were found in 39 vials, according to the Japan Times. The foreign substances have yet to be identified but are reportedly “a few millimeters” in size.
Yesterday, it was reported that one of the changes Apple could be making to the Apple Watch Series 7 is an increase in the size of the watch. This will apply to both models, meaning that instead of 40mm and 44mm respectively, the new sizes could be bumped up to 41mm and 45mm.
Now according to a grainy image shared on Twitter by DuanRui, it seems that the 45mm size has been “confirmed”. We’re not sure what exactly we’re looking at in the image, but there’s a good chance that this could be the band for the Apple Watch Series 7. However, the graininess of it makes it hard to tell how legit it might even be in the first place, so obviously you should take this with a grain of salt.
Apple Watch Series 7
45mm pic.twitter.com/vIjR5mvQ85— DuanRui (@duanrui1205) August 26, 2021
However, assuming it is the real deal, this could be Apple’s largest smartwatch to date. In addition to the larger size, Apple is also rumored to introduce a new design where they are doing away with the curves of the watch in favor of more sharp and flatter edges. This is a design language Apple adopted for the iPad Pro before moving onto the iPhone 12.
We’ve also seen it used in the new iMacs and it is also rumored to be part of the design for the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
45mm Apple Watch Series 7 Seemingly Confirmed In Grainy Photo
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Apple’s iPhones have never been cheap, but for the most part Apple has tried to keep prices the same over the years. Unfortunately, that could change with the iPhone 13 where it is rumored to see a price hike, making it the most expensive iPhone to date.
This is largely due to TSMC, who according to DigiTimes, will be increasing the costs of its chip production by as much as 20%. Given that Apple almost exclusively relies on TSMC for their chipsets, this means that Apple will more than likely be affected by these price changes, and obviously they will not be absorbing the costs.
The changes are expected to go into effect in January 2022, but it is said that Apple might attempt to offset those costs by factoring that into the price of the iPhone 13. We’re not sure how much more expensive the iPhone 13 will be, but if there is a price hike, you shouldn’t be surprised.
We’re sure that Apple can’t be pleased that TSMC is increasing its prices, but at the same time, TSMC played a large role in helping Apple stay ahead of the curve with its chipset manufacturing processes, so we guess that’s the price Apple will have to pay.
Bad News, The iPhone 13 Could Be Apple’s Most Expensive iPhone Ever
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Microsoft’s Office productivity suite is used by many, whether they’re students or people working in offices. To that end, Microsoft later expanded availability where it arrived on mobile devices like iOS and Android, which in turn also meant that those on Chromebooks were also able to use the app.
It was a far from ideal experience which is why it doesn’t really come as a complete surprise to learn that Microsoft has since confirmed to About Chromebooks that they will be ending Chromebook support for its Office apps in September. According to a Microsoft spokesperson:
“In an effort to provide the most optimized experience for Chrome OS/Chromebook customers, Microsoft apps (Office and Outlook) will be transitioned to web experiences (Office.com and Outlook.com) on September 18, 2021. This transition brings Chrome OS/Chromebook customers access to additional and premium features. Customers will need to sign in with their personal Microsoft Account or account associated with their Microsoft 365 subscription. More information is available here.”
That being said, this doesn’t mean that Chromebook users are no longer able to use Office. If they want to use Office, they will need to access the web app instead. This would be similar to how people use Google Docs or Google Sheets on the web. Sure, a native app would be much preferred, but unless Microsoft changes their mind, Chromebook users won’t have much choice.
Microsoft Ending Office Support On Chromebooks In September
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