The most distressing thing about Vanity Fair’s massive look into the future of Star Wars isn’t the lack of any new details about the specific future of Star Wars. It’s that, despite claims to the contrary, I don’t know that Lucasfilm has learned anything from the lessons of the sequel trilogy and its TV series, which…
It looks like we’re not the only ones celebrating the 25th anniversary of Luc Besson’s surreal science fiction cult classic. Courtesy of Fathom Events, The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and a truly career-defining performance by Chris Tucker, will rocket back into theaters for …
Paleontologists in Laos have uncovered an ancient molar that likely belonged to a young Denisovan girl. The discovery is a big deal, as the Laotian cave in which the molar was found is now one of only three spots known to host these enigmatic humans.
On Tuesday morning, the FDA announced that it was officially authorizing the use of covid-19 booster shots for children 5-11 years old. Specifically, the administration is authorizing a single, additional Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose for kids at least five months after the second shot in the initial course.
MIT researchers have found that the clay that soaks up odors in kitty litter could be used to grab methane out of the air. The scientists put the zeolite clay in a copper solution to create a compound that absorbed methane and released it as carbon dioxide, a less potent greenhouse gas.
It is with a delighted heart and a joyful mien that I can finally, declaratively say without a doubt that the public can no long ignore the sheer expanse of homoerotic subtext at the core of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship. Why can we no longer live in ignorance, denying ourselves the basic truth of canon that was…
The monarch continued her jovial return to public engagements with a surprise outing to Paddington Station.
For some iPhone users, AssistiveTouch is vital to their day-to-day work. Making the switch to Android requires a few steps to find similar functionality.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 6 Lite has been upgraded from its 2020 model and released for pre-order on Amazon, but not much about the 2022 iteration is new.
Amazon isn’t the only one hoping you’ll be willing to use biometrics to pay at the store. Mastercard has unveiled a Biometric Checkout Program that aims to set standards for paying with scans or gestures. The company hopes to make the purchase as simple as smiling for a camera or waving your hand in front of a reader — you wouldn’t risk holding up the queue by reaching for your card, phone or watch.
The initiative would have you enroll either at the store or through an app. The potential standard is meant to accommodate shops of all sizes, and Mastercard is teaming with Fujitsu, NEC, Payface and other companies to establish baseline requirements for performance, privacy and security.
A pilot version is launching this week in Brazil, with Payface providing technology in five St Marche supermarkets across São Paulo. Customers will just have to smile to pay for their groceries. Tests are also planned for Asia and the Middle East, although Mastercard didn’t share more details.
Biometric checkouts may be appreciated if you’ve ever fumbled for your wallet at the cash. As with other implementations, though, it’s not clear if Mastercard will satisfy privacy concerns. Regardless of promises to protect your data, you’re still trusting companies with photos and other sensitive body info. Many people aren’t comfortable with that, and the Red Rocks Amphitheater even dropped Amazon palm scanning after a backlash from artists and activists worried about hacking and government surveillance. If Mastercard and its allies are going to establish a standard, they’ll need to reassure shoppers that spies and fraudsters won’t abuse body scans.
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