Hasta La Gadget!

The FAA paused all domestic departures in the US on the morning of January 11th because its NOTAM or Notice to Air Missions system failed. Now we know why: deleted files. Contractors working on the Federal Aviation Administration’s NOTAM system, it seems, deleted some crucial files by accident. This resulted in delays and cancellations of thousands of US flights. The issue even impacted military flights that partly relied on FAA NOTAMs: Pilots reportedly had to call around to ask for potential flight hazards.

Apparently, its contractors were synchronizing a main and a back-up database when they “unintentionally deleted files” that turned out to be necessary to keep the alert system running. The FAA reiterated it has “so far found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent.” We’ve all accidentally deleted a file, sure. It’s just never grounded the flights of an entire country.

– Mat Smith

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‘CNET’ pauses publication of AI-written stories amid controversy

Errors and a lack of disclosure created an uproar.

Tech publication CNET is halting its use of AI-written articles for the time being. “For now,” leadership has paused experiments with AI stories, telling staff during a question-and-answer call. Editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo reportedly said future AI-related stories would include a disclosure that the publication uses automated technologies. There are a few reasons. Last week, Futurism noticed dozens of financial explainer articles on CNET appeared to have been written using “automation technology.” The disclosure was effectively hidden when you had to click the byline to see it. CNET claims humans “thoroughly” edited and fact-checked the work, but there appear to be multiple (and sometimes major) errors in stories.

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Twitter is working on an ad-free subscription tier

Musk announced the offering on Saturday.

Twitter is working on a new, more expensive Blue subscription tier for users to browse the platform without seeing ads. “Ads are too frequent on Twitter and too big. Taking steps to address both in coming weeks,” Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Also, there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads.” The existing Twitter Blue subscription costs up to $11 per month, but the ability to see fewer ads is still listed as “coming soon.” At the same time, Twitter’s ad revenue has apparently plummeted. The Information reported that a senior Twitter manager told employees last Tuesday daily revenue was down 40 percent from the same day a year ago.

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‘Marvel’s Avengers’ official support ends September 30th

Avengers: End of Game.

Square Enix

Following a report of Marvel’s Avengers’ imminent demise, the studio published a blog post on Friday announcing plans to stop supporting the live-service title after September 30th. Crystal Dynamics will release one final balance patch and shut down the game’s in-game cosmetics store on March 31st. The developer says cosmetics previously only obtainable through the marketplace will be free for all players who own a copy of the game.

On that same day, players will see their remaining credit balance converted to in-game collectibles and resources. The swift end of Marvel’s Avengers won’t come as a surprise to fans. In November 2020, two months after the game went on sale, publisher Square Enix said it had failed to recoup the cost of making the title. Then, last May, Square sold Crystal Dynamics to Embracer Group.

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FDA clears Wandercraft’s exoskeleton for stroke patient rehab

Atalante could help patients recover their walking gait.

Engadget

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared Wandercraft’s Atalante exoskeleton for use in stroke rehabilitation. The machine can help with intensive gait training, particularly for people with limited upper body mobility that might prevent using other methods. The current-generation Atalante is a self-balancing, battery-powered device with an adjustable gait that can help with early steps through to more natural walking later in therapy. While the hardware still needs to be used in a clinical setting with help from a therapist, its hands-free use helps patients re-establish their gait, with or without arms. Wandercraft plans to deliver its first exoskeletons to the US during the first quarter.

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Microsoft’s best Xbox One and Xbox series wireless controller is the Xbox Elite Series 2, and the white Core version is now available at the lowest price we’ve seen yet. You can pick one up at Amazon-owned Woot for just $100, or $30 off the regular price. 

Buy Xbox Elite Series 2 Core at Woot – $100

The Elite Series 2 Core gives you the same exact controller as the Elite Series 2, without the additional accessories. It’s designed with competitive gamers in mind, offering a wrap-around rubberized grip, shorter hair trigger locks and 40 hours of battery life. It feels and plays just as well as the Elite, offering Xbox wireless connection with the Xbox One and Series S/X consoles, reducing latency and letting you use the headphone jack. You can also connect it to a PC via Bluetooth. The Xbox Accessories app provides customization options like button remapping, sensitivity curve adjustments, dead zones, vibration intensity tweaking and LED colors. 

If you decide you want the normal Elite Series 2 accessories after all, that’s no problem — just purchase the $60 Complete Component Pack separately. That gives you everything missing from the Core model, including a carrying case, a thumbstick-adjustment tool, a charging dock, two classic thumbsticks, one tall thumbstick, one dome thumbstick, one cross-shaped D-pad, two medium and two mini paddles, as well as a USB-C cable. 

With the sale, you could buy the component pack and Elite Series 2 Core controller and still save over purchasing the regular Elite Series 2 model. Just remember that Woot’s return policy isn’t quite as generous as its parent Amazon. 

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The actor spoke about the incident following the premiere of her new movie “Eileen.”

“This shows that the decades-long effort to restore the river as a healthy habitat is working,” crowed New York City’s parks department.

“They saved lives. This could have been much worse,” said Los Angles County sheriff of two “community members” who disarmed gunman before his second planned attack.