Jul 29
Ford’s aiming to make its electric pickup truck the fastest police vehicle on the road. If past results are any indicator, their chances are pretty decent.
Jul 29
New research claims that Hong Kong’s covid-19 contact tracing app has a host of security problems that could expose sensitive user data. The city’s response: We don’t know what you guys are talking about.
Jul 29
The ThrustMaster was no great controller, but it also seems like it might have been the precursor to virtual reality hand controllers.
Jul 29
Legislation aimed at boosting US chip production has cleared its last major hurdle. The House of Representatives has passed the CHIPS and Science Act in a 243-187-1 vote, leaving just the reconciliation process and President Biden’s signature before the bill becomes law. The equivalent Senate measure passed 64-33 in a vote one day earlier.
The Act is a dialed-down version of previous bills, but promises significant help for American semiconductor manufacturing. It offers more than $52 billion for US chipmakers as well as tax credits for domestic factories. In a statement, the President claimed the bill would lower product costs, create “high-paying” jobs and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign chip sources.
Earlier approaches drew objections from both sides of Congress. Republicans were concerned the reconciliation bill would include unrelated climate, health and tax elements. They also said it risked funding Chinese manufacturing. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, has expressed concerns the bill might reward chip manufacturers already rolling in cash, and was the only non-Republican in the Senate to vote against it.
The CHIPS and Science Act isn’t expected to affect production in the short term. It will take companies years to build new factories and otherwise upgrade facilities to tackle chip shortages and improve manufacturing independence. If things play out as its supporters imagine, however, CHIPS will hopefully decrease the severity of future supply chain crunches.
Jul 29
In a video released today, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has revealed that he has contracted covid-19 during his time at San Diego Comic-Con, which was planned as part of a larger West Coast trip that was supposed to include attending the premiere of House of the Dragon. Instead, the author has cancelled…
Jul 28
“They haven’t met a war they won’t sign up for, and they haven’t met a veteran they won’t screw over,” the outraged comedian said.
Jul 28
After a strong quarter earlier this year, Apple is continuing to break records. According to the company’s financial results posted today, it’s reporting a revenue record of $83 billion, an increase of 2 percent from the same period last year. Apple also said it reached an all-time high for its installed base of active devices “in every geographic segment and product category.” However, the company’s profits are down by a whole 11 percent, and while it continued to see growth in its iPhone sales, revenue from Macs and wearables dropped.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s recently announced MacBook Air with M2 chip only started shipping this month, so the numbers for Macs are likely to increase next quarter. Considering the devices the company is expected to launch in the fall, it’s also possible consumers are holding out for new products and waiting out the ongoing inflation.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a press release “This quarter’s record results speak to Apple’s constant efforts to innovate, to advance new possibilities, and to enrich the lives of our customers.” The company’s CFO Luca Maestri added “Our June quarter results continued to demonstrate our ability to manage our business effectively despite the challenging operating environment.”
The company is holding a call at 5pm ET to shed light on its results and answer questions from the investor community, and we’ll update this post with any newsworthy findings.
Jul 28
Deepmind's Releasing AI Predictions for Virtually Every Protein Known to Science
Posted in: Today's Chili
The history of AI computing in recent decades follows a somewhat familiar script: brief bursts of industry-shifting breakthroughs followed by months or years of smaller incremental change with a fair share of controversy peppered in between. Today’s one of those watershed moments.
Jul 28
io9 is pleased to announce that Erewhon Books has acquired Womb City, the novel debut of Lambda finalist and Nommo Award-winner Tlotlo Tsamaase, who uses both xe/xem and she/her pronouns. Tsamaase is a Motswana writer currently living in Botswana. Xer novella, The Silence of the Wilting Skin, garnered a massive…
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