GoPro’s flagship action camera, the HERO10 Black, is receiving a substantial update today. While the update may not add a ton of features (there are three total detailed in GoPro’s announcement), the features that it’s bringing to the table are big ones. For starters, those of you with a Max Lens Mod on hand will want to apply the update … Continue reading
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Apple has now, for the fourth time, had to adjust its return-to-office plans. Workers were slated to begin a hybrid schedule in February, though the rapid spread of the Omicron variant has thrown a wrench in those contentious plans.
Over the course of the pandemic, Apple has repeatedly attempted to set guidance for when in-person work would begin again. The initial target of September 2021 was been received poorly by some employees who formed a “remote work advocates” Slack channel and circulated a letter critical of the policy proposal. The Delta variant necessitated further delays, which were targeted to January, and then February of 2022.
The rapid transmissibility of Omicron has brought back mask mandates for Apple stores around the country this week. Three retail locations in Annapolis, Ottawa and Miami were also closed after outbreaks of the virus.
Lyft, Uber and Google parent Alphabet have also pushed back their office returns, with the latter two, like Apple, setting no new target date. It’s nearly certain that other companies with the option of remote work will follow suit in the coming days and weeks.
Never mind trying to attract Twitch legends to rival services— Facebook Gaming just landed one of the world’s biggest sports personalities. Soccer star Neymar Jr. has signed a deal to livestream exclusively on Facebook, with his first official broadcast starting December 17th at 2PM Eastern on his page. He’ll stream games “multiple times” per month and pair with another creator once each month.
Don’t expect the Paris Saint-Germain forward to play FIFA despite his real-world skills. Varietynoted Neymar previously streamed the likes of Call of Duty and Counter-Strike on Twitch, and we wouldn’t rule out some Fortnite when he appeared in the game earlier this year.
The deal won’t necessarily shift the balance of livestreaming away from Twitch and YouTube, and we wouldn’t expect many more deals like this. There are only so many top-tier athletes who are interested enough in video games to livestream them, after all. When Neymar has over 88 million Facebook followers, though, this could easily lead to large audiences and raise Facebook Gaming’s profile.
TikTok is planning some key changes to the For You page (FYP), the app’s home screen. It will adjust the algorithm that populates the FYP with a never-ending stream of videos to stop it from showing too much of the same kinds of content.
“As we continue to develop new strategies to interrupt repetitive patterns, we’re looking at how our system can better vary the kinds of content that may be recommended in a sequence,” TikTok wrote in a blog post. “That’s why we’re testing ways to avoid recommending a series of similar content — such as around extreme dieting or fitness, sadness or breakups — to protect against viewing too much of a content category that may be fine as a single video but problematic if viewed in clusters.”
The service is also working on a way to identify when the algorithm only shows a user limited kinds of videos. It notes that, while videos about loneliness or weight loss might not violate the platform’s rules, those kinds of videos could have a negative impact if they make up most of what a user sees on the For You page. So, preventing that from happening is important.
“Our goal is for each person’s For You feed to feature a breadth of content, creators, and topics,” TikTok said, noting that too many similar videos appearing in the feed doesn’t reflect the kind of experience it wants to foster. The service is consulting with its Content Advisory Council and the community, as well as experts from the fields of medicine, clinical psychology and AI ethics.
In addition, TikTok is developing an option that will let users block videos linked to certain words or hashtags on the For You page. That will give them more control over what they see on the home screen.
The FYP recommendation algorithm is TikTok’s secret sauce and one of the main reasons why the app became incredibly popular. The app’s systems monitor users’ engagement habits, such as how long the screen stays on a particular piece of content and the videos someone likes, to determine the kinds of videos that might keep them hooked on the FYP.
At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in October on the effect of social media on children and teens, senators pressed representatives from TikTok, Youtube and Snap on several matters. Among them was how their algorithms might promote content about issues like eating disorders and self harm.
TikTok’s latest announcement might help to soothe the lawmakers’ concerns. The platform notes that it’ll take some “time and iteration” to make these changes to systems and tools and to get them right.
With the 2021 holiday shopping season in its final stretch, Google is adding a handful of features to Chrome to help you find last-minute deals. In the US, the Android version of the browser now includes an updated tab interface that makes it easier to see the price of something when you’re switching between open web pages. The company suggests the feature will help you spot a price drop without constantly refreshing a page. Handy that.
The next time you use Chrome on your iPhone or Android device, you’ll also notice a newly added Google Lens icon in the search bar. You can use it to conduct visual searches. Tap the icon and point your phone’s camera at something. The company suggests Lens integration in Chrome mobile could be helpful when you’re out window shopping.
As previously announced, Lens is also coming to the Mac and Windows versions of Chrome. Once it’s available, you’ll have the option to right-click on an image, tap “Search images with Google Lens” and draw an outline around something to see if you can find more information about what’s in front of you.
Lastly, if you’re someone who tends to leave purchases incomplete, you’ll see a new “Your carts” card when you open a tab. It will show you all the websites where you have open carts. The company announced this feature at I/O 2021, and now it’s rolling out in the US. Google notes some of its retail partners may even offer you a discount to complete a purchase if they notice you abandoned a cart. Is it on the pushy side? Definitely, but some people could also find it helpful. All the
Grogu (aka Baby Yoda, The Child) was the breakaway star of The Mandalorian. Everybody loves him, and I’m sure Disney is quite happy with their little alien investment, particularly in the merchandising department, where I suspect executives are using $100 bills to light cigars even as you read this. And continuing to cash in on the Baby Yoda money train is this $200 Grogu Hugger from comfortable furniture maker Yogibo.
The giant Grogu measures approximately 3.5′ tall with a 67″ diameter, and features a removable and washable stretch-fabric exterior, with a polyesters/spandex filling firm enough to be sat on like a beanbag chair. Just make sure to stock up on extra frog eggs, because this big boy looks like he can eat a lot of them.
Will I be watching the next season of The Mandalorian from the comfort of my new Grogu Hugger? I suppose that depends on whether or not Santa has deemed me worthy of his nice list and brings me one. I don’t have high hopes though. Or any hopes at all really. It’s like he’s completely scrubbed my address from his delivery manifest.
For the first time, scientists have found a millipede that actually has 1,000 legs. More than 1,000, actually: Plucked from deep in a mine in Western Australia, Eumillipes persephone has an eye-popping 1,306 legs along its 3.78-inch frame.
Intel has released its first statement on the metaverse, and while the chipmaker is a believer in what some think will be the future of how the digital and physical worlds could one day coexist, the company warns of a major roadblock that could get in the way of this proposed platform.
Wednesday was easily one of the weirdest weather days the U.S. has had in a long time. Despite the calendar showing it’s mid-December, historic warmth gripped the eastern half of the country. When a storm coming from the West met the hot zone, atmospheric sparks flew.
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