Chromebook Adaptive Charging aims for big gains in battery life

<img width="1280" height="721" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-pixelbook-review-sg-7-1280×721.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Google Pixelbook" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="708772" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/chromebook-adaptive-charging-aims-for-big-gains-in-battery-life-25708771/google-pixelbook-review-sg-7-3/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-pixelbook-review-sg-7.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,811" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="google-pixelbook-review-sg-7" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

Chris Davies/SlashGear

” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-pixelbook-review-sg-7-1278×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-pixelbook-review-sg-7-1280×721.jpg” />Chrome OS is specifically designed to cater to users who mainly rely on online tools for getting most of the work done on their PCs. Because of this web-first approach, Chromebooks often suffice with minimal hardware, which helps them achieve exceptional battery life. Now, Chromebooks are expected to receive a feature from Google’s Pixel lineup to help them achieve a … Continue reading

Bandcamp is bringing back monthly commission-free Fridays

To help support artists during the pandemic in 2020, Bandcamp began waiving commissions for purchases made on the first Friday of every month. And after supporting Bandcamp Fridays throughout 2021, Bandcamp’s next commission-free shopping day is returning on February 4th.

In total, the company says its 17 Bandcamp Fridays to date have paid out more than $70 million to artists and labels during the pandemic, with more than 800,000 customers participating since its start in March 2020. Following the first Bandcamp Friday in 2022, the next slate of commission-free sales days will take place on March 4th, April 1st and May 6th. And in case there’s any doubt if it’s a Bandcamp Friday or not, there’s even a helpful website that can quickly sort things out.

Bandcamp says that during its commission-free sales days an average of 93 percent of revenue makes its way to musicians, with the remaining 7 percent being reserved for payment processors. Meanwhile, on a regular day, around 82 percent of sales get passed on to artists and labels, resulting in around a 10 to 11 percent cut for Bandcamp (which is still significantly lower than the standard 30 percent commission tech giants like Apple and Google receive from their app stores).

Sadly, because there’s no clear end in sight to the pandemic, it remains to be seen what happens to Bandcamp Fridays going into the summer and fall. And with COVID-19 infections peaking right now in several parts of the world, it’s really anyone’s guess how long these no-commission sales days might have to continue before we can safely return to large in-person events.

Gizmodo's Degrees of the Future

In the 1950s, a visionary college student might have pursued a degree in computer science, and helped create our modern digital world. In the 1990s, that same student might have studied biotechnology, and developed genetic engineering techniques that are solving today’s health crises. But what and where should a…

Read more…

Rare and Beautiful Snow Blankets the Mediterranean Coast

It’s a winter wonderland in parts of the Mediterranean—a rare sight in a region of the world known for its azure seas and beautiful beaches. A major snowstorm blanketed parts of Greece and Turkey this weekend, causing havoc in an area not accustomed to winter weather.

Read more…

Nvidia's Blockbuster Takeover of Arm Is Reportedly On the Brink of Collapse

The biggest semiconductor acquisition in history is apparently on the brink of collapse. Nvidia is reportedly preparing to declare defeat in its attempted $40 billion purchase of Arm from SoftBank, according to a Bloomberg report.

Read more…

How Life in the 'Deep Biosphere' Thrives Despite Temperatures That Would Fry Humans

A science expedition in 2016 revealed a subsurface habitat in which microbes were found living at temperatures approaching 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, a follow-up study reveals how this remarkable microbial community manages to beat the heat.

Read more…

Put Down Your Pencils: The SAT Is Going Digital

The new, shorter test will be administered entirely via laptop or tablet.

Google Docs now lets you watermark your documents: Here’s how

<img width="1200" height="800" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/googledocs222-1200×800.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Google Docs app" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="708763" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/google-docs-now-lets-you-watermark-your-documents-heres-how-25708762/googledocs222/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/googledocs222.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,960" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="googledocs222" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

XanderSt/Shutterstock

” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/googledocs222-1080×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/googledocs222-1200×800.jpg” />Google Docs may be among the most feature-packed word processors out there, but until recently, it lacked the ability to do something as mundane as watermarking a document. That was until September 2021, when Google finally brought the ability to upload image watermarks. Even though this was better than having no option to watermark documents at all, people still longed … Continue reading

Substack is testing a native video player

Substack is expanding into video with a native player. The feature is currently in private beta, so only a limited number of creators can upload videos directly to a post for now. The newsletter service plans to open up the option to everyone in the coming weeks.

Creators can share videos publicly or only with paid subscribers. Videos will be playable on web versions of posts and they’ll appear as clickable images in emails. Substack notes that creators have full ownership of their videos, as with their mailing list and everything else they share on the platform.

Among those who are testing the feature are legendary musician Patti Smith and chef Andrew Zimmern. They highlight the fact that creators will be able to share things like musical performances and step-by-step guided recipes with subscribers without having to rely on third-party services like YouTube or Vimeo. Others might share makeup tutorials, workouts or career advice.

This is the latest in a line of additions to Substack creators’ tool chests. The platform introduced a podcast hosting option in 2019 and it expanded to comics last year.

Substack isn’t the only membership platform of its ilk with its own video player. Patreon said in November it was building one too. On the flip side, Facebook and Twitter have made a push into newsletters over the last year amid Substack’s rise to prominence and the battle to attract and keep creators on their platforms.

Massive Junkyard Fire Leaves Much of New York Covered in Acrid Smoke

Large parts of Newark, New Jersey, and nearby New York City woke up to a cloud of cough-inducing smoke early Tuesday caused by a massive junkyard fire. The blaze, which reportedly broke out at the Eastern Metal Recycling Terminal in Port Newark around 8:30 p.m. local time on Monday, was still raging nearly 12 hours…

Read more…