One of Star Trek: Voyager's First Truly Great Moments Is a Fascinating Glimpse at What Might Have Been

I’ve found myself, even in this impending flood of more new Star Trek than ever, returning to Voyager recently. No matter how many times I’ve seen the show in its entirety, it still surprises me just how much of its first season immediately dives into the well of the titular ship’s crew seemingly finding a way to…

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CDC’s latest COVID-19 data update shows vaccination rate climbing

<img width="1280" height="720" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/covid-vaccine-1280×720.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="COVID-19 vaccine in hand" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="710922" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/cdcs-latest-covid-19-data-update-shows-vaccination-rate-climbing-07710919/covid-vaccine-3/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/covid-vaccine.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,810" 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="covid-vaccine" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

insta_photos/Shutterstock

” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/covid-vaccine-1280×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/covid-vaccine-1280×720.jpg” />The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced its latest COVID-19 vaccination numbers on February 7, 2022, revealing more than 75-percent of people in the US have received at least one vaccine dose. As well, the agency’s data tracker shows 90 million people have received the COVID-19 booster shot and more than half of kids ages 5 and … Continue reading

Peter Thiel is leaving Meta's board of directors

Peter Thiel is leaving the board of Meta, more than 16 years after becoming one of Facebook’s earliest investors. In a statement, Mark Zuckerberg said that “we’ve always known that at some point he would devote his time to other interests.” The New York Timesreported that those interests include “influencing” the upcoming November midterm elections and “backing candidates who support the agenda of former president Donald J. Trump.”

“Peter has been a valuable member of our board and I’m deeply grateful for everything he has done for our company — from believing in us when few others would, to teaching me so many lessons about business, economics, and the world,” Zuckerberg said in a statement. “Peter is truly an original thinker who you can bring your hardest problems and get unique suggestions.”

Thiel has advised Zuckerberg from the earliest days of Facebook. He joined the board of the social media company in 2005 after investing $500,000 in the fledgling social network. In a statement, he called Zuckerberg “one of the great entrepreneurs of our time.” 

The billionaire is also one of the more controversial members of Meta’s board. After cofounding PayPal, he started Palantir Technologies, a secretive data mining and analytics company that contracts with numerous government agencies. Thiel’s venture capital firm, Founders Fund, was also an investor in Oculus founder Palmer Luckey’s virtual border wall startup. He also funded the multimillion-dollar lawsuit that resulted in the 2016 bankruptcy of Gawker Media.

Most controversially for Facebook and Zuckerberg, Thiel was an early supporter of Trump, and was at a White House dinner in 2019 when Zuckerberg reportedly “came to an understanding” with the president’s team that Facebook would not fact check the president. Critics have long questioned Thiel’s position on Meta’s board of directors given his close ties to Trump, but Zuckerberg has always defended him. In 2016, Zuckerberg told employees it was an issue of “diversity” and “standing up for the rights of people with different viewpoints.” (Notably, not every company insider agreed with Zuckerberg. Netflix CEO and one-time Facebook board member Reed Hastings reportedly told Thiel his support of Trump showed “catastrophically bad judgment.”)

Biden Promises An End To German-Russian Gas Pipeline If Russia Invades Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assures that the U.S. and Germany are in total agreement on Russian sanctions, but does not mention Nord Stream 2 by name

10 Nerdy Movies to Stream for Valentine's Day

A few years ago we compiled a list of nerdy romantic (or at least thematically relevant) movies to stream on Valentine’s Day, including titles like 13 Going on 30 and My Bloody Valentine. Those recommendations still stand, but if you need a fresh list of sweet (and bittersweet) sci-fi and fantasy tales to watch this…

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Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 Is Finally Gaining Google Assistant… Soonish

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 was an exciting development in Android smartwatches because it brought Samsung and Google together to make Google’s watch software platform better. But, weirdly, the best Android watch lacked a major Android feature: Google Assistant. Samsung today said that’s about to change.

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'A New Era': Peter Thiel Steps Down From Meta's Board of Directors

It’s the end of an era at Meta. Just last week, the company’s stock buckled after Facebook reported its first decline in daily active users in the company’s history. Now, the company formerly known as Facebook has parted ways with Peter Thiel, one of its longest-serving and most controversial board members.

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2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T Review: Things Just Got Interesting

<img width="1280" height="800" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_genesis_gv70_01-1280×800.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="2022 Genesis GV70" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="710469" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/2022-genesis-gv70-2-5t-review-things-just-got-interesting-07710466/2022_genesis_gv70_01/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_genesis_gv70_01.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,900" 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="2022_genesis_gv70_01" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

Chris Davies / SlashGear

” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_genesis_gv70_01-1152×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_genesis_gv70_01-1280×800.jpg” />Genesis may have been late to the SUV party, but the GV80 showed it wasn’t coming unprepared. Now, it’s the turn of the 2022 Genesis GV70 to demonstrate the larger model was no fluke, and that Hyundai’s luxury arm really does have the magic touch when it comes to SUVs – compact or otherwise. While the top-spec trims are unsurprisingly … Continue reading

Fishing Nets Recycled Into New Samsung Galaxy Devices

Fishing nets represent some of the worst types of marine pollution, making headlines for both their quantity (~0.5 to 1M tons/year depending on studies) and the potentially horrific harm they do to animals.

It looks like Samsung has found a way to repurpose that ocean-bound plastic waste into brand new Galaxy products, some of which will be unveiled in a couple of days at the Samsung Feb 9 Unpacked event (official page).

Samsung started using recycled material a while ago but added new ways of reducing its environmental footprint regularly. The most recent vision is articulated in its Galaxy for the planet initiative. By 2025, it aims at:

  • Using recycled material in all products
  • Remove all plastics in “mobile packaging”
  • Bring standby power below 0.005W
  • Reach “zero waste to landfill”

Pretty impressive stuff. I hope that there’s a true economic incentive (for Samsung) in repurposing these plastics at scale. Samsung says that “This new technological advancement” makes it possible to bring new life into these fishing nets but didn’t add more details.

In any case, any plastic removed from the ocean is a good thing, so let’s hope that others will get inspiration from this.

Alternatively, not using plastics to start with or making plastics bio-degradable should remain the ultimate goal as these materials are usually not infinitely recyclable.

Fishing Nets Recycled Into New Samsung Galaxy Devices

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Google releases its last Pixel 3 security update

Don’t expect to receive more updates for your Pixel 3. Esper’s Mishaal Rahman has learned Google is delivering one last security update to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. The company previously said the Pixel 3 would get one last update in the first quarter of 2022, and confirmed to Engadget this represents the device’s last hurrah.

It’s not certain what the patch fixes. However, DarkPlayer noted the build ID matches that for an October patch that targeted newer Pixel models on Verizon. This is a catch-up release rather than an up-to-the-moment patch.

You can expect more if you have a recent Pixel, at least. Google has posted a February 2022 update for the Pixel 3a and newer phones. The revision tackles several significant problems, including reboots during camera use, Bluetooth audio disconnection and quality problems, carrier-specific connection woes and keyboards that override input text in some cases.

This won’t thrill you if you’re fond of the Pixel 3 — you’ll have to upgrade if you want up-to-the-minute security fixes. Don’t fret if you have a Pixel 6, though. Google has promised five years of security updates for its latest phone line, so you might not have to worry about patches until 2026.