Ghostface will have a new master for Scream 7. Radio Silence, the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who helmed the two most recent Scream films, won’t be returning for the next installement. Instead, in their place is Christopher Landon, the horror veteran who directed the Happy Death Day…
When Marvel relaunched the Star Wars comics line, the world was a simpler place. Lucasfilm had just rebooted its official continuity, there was room for new stories, new insight into familiar faces, new opportunities to flesh out the space between the Star Wars movies. And now, we come to this: zombie droids.
Keychron is one of the better-known names in the customizable keyboard space, but it hasn’t directly targeted gamers — until now, that is. The company has launched a gaming division, Lemokey, whose first product is the crowdfunded L3 keyboard. The full-length peripheral supports a 2.4GHz wireless connection with a responsive 1,000Hz polling rate, but the real attraction is a tough, customizable aluminum body that can reportedly survive the rigors of competitive gaming.
You can choose from three different keycap color schemes, remap any key and create macros for both any key command layer as well as a dedicated macro column. You can easily remove and replace components to tailor them to your liking. The Lemokey L3 can pair with up to three devices over Bluetooth 5.1, but there’s also a wired option if low latency is your main priority.
The company currently expects to deliver the Lemokey L3 in October. You need to pledge at least $189 for the barebones kit (no caps or switches), but you’ll more realistically want to commit $209 for a fully assembled version. The project has already met its funding goals.
The L3 won’t be appealing if you prefer 60 percent keyboards or are otherwise more interested in space saving than a compact footprint. This won’t necessarily appeal to top-tier esports players, either, as they may insist on a wired link or use a favorite design. For many other gamers, though, Lemokey’s offering might strike a balance between personalization and performance.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/keychrons-first-gaming-keyboard-is-the-customizable-lemokey-l3-204239893.html?src=rss
Microsoft is rolling out Windows Copilot in preview today. Windows 11 Insiders in the Beta Channel can install a preview build that offers the first semi-public availability for the AI-infused sidebar announced at Build 2023. “This first preview focuses on our integrated UI experience, with additional functionality coming down the road in future previews,” the company wrote in a blog post today.
Windows Copilot is a system-level version of the browser-based Copilot the company began previewing in February. Microsoft views the tool — also coming to Microsoft Office and Teams — as representing a monumental shift in how customers interact with Microsoft software. “AI is going to be the single largest driver of innovation for Windows in the years to come,” Panos Panay, Microsoft Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, told Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar in an interview at Build 2023. “It’s going to change the way you work, change your interaction models to make it easier. It’s going to understand so much about what you need.”
Microsoft says the preview’s “controlled feature rollout” will hold back some of Copilot’s full functionality for future builds. The company also cautions that new Windows Insiders joining the Beta Channel today won’t be able to install this update. It says even some established Windows Insiders may not see the build immediately, but it will “increase the rollout in the coming weeks.” The rollout follows Microsoft’s release of a Copilot Preview in late June for developers running preview builds.
Once you have the correct preview installed (Build 22631.2129 or higher), you can activate Windows Copilot by clicking the corresponding button on the taskbar (a blue ribbon ring with a yellow “PRE” badge) or typing the shortcut Win + C. “Windows Copilot will appear as a side bar docked to the right where it won’t overlap with your desktop content and will run unobstructed alongside your open app windows, allowing you to interact with Windows Copilot anytime you need,” the company wrote.
Microsoft listed some examples of queries Copilot can handle in this early stage. For example, you can ask it to perform basic Windows tasks like “Change to dark mode” or “Turn on do not disturb.” In addition, it can summarize active websites in the Edge browser, compose stories and generate AI art. The company says an ellipses button at the top right of the Copilot sidebar lets you submit feedback.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-ai-infused-sidebar-rolls-out-to-windows-11-beta-testers-211546573.html?src=rss
Taking the contraceptives “could result in unexpected pregnancy,” the Food and Drug Administration said.
Does your smartphone feel like it’s too smart for you? Try Nokia. The company unveiled two new phones Wednesday, and they aren’t less worthy for their lack of apps. The fact that they’re so light on distractions might be what entices you to one. They’re also great as a secondary phone if you have two numbers but want…
The Cult of the Dead Cow, one of the most influential hacktivist groups on the web, announced plans Wednesday to launch an end-to-end encrypted protocol that can be used for app development. cDc is calling its new tool Veilid and, from the initial descriptions, it sounds pretty friggin’ cool. On the group’s website,…
Scientists in Japan may be at the start of a truly monumental accomplishment: a vaccine that can slow or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In preliminary research released this week, the vaccine appeared to reduce inflammation and other important biomarkers in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s-like…
Most taxpayers will have the option of going entirely paperless starting with the 2024 filing season. The IRS said today that it aims to “achieve paperless processing for all tax returns” by 2025. The agency says the IRS Paperless Processing Initiative will “eliminate up to 200 million pieces of paper annually, cut processing times in half and expedite refunds by several weeks.” The project is funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The IRS expects the changes will solve the annoyance of transmitting digital documents in some cases but still having to mail paper ones in others. “For decades, taxpayers had to respond to notices for things like document verification through the mail, and IRS employees had to manually enter numbers from paper returns into computers one digit at a time, creating significant delays for taxpayers and challenges for IRS staff,” the US Treasury Department wrote today.
Starting next year (2024 filling season), taxpayers can digitally submit all correspondence — including many non-tax forms. The IRS says at least 20 additional e-File tax forms will be available digitally starting then. It estimates that over 94 percent of individual filers will never have to mail another tax form or document. The initiative will spare taxpayers from sending approximately 125 million paper documents annually.
By the 2025 filling season, “an additional 150 of the most used non-tax forms will be available in digital, mobile-friendly formats.” (The IRS cites research showing that around 15 percent of Americans rely solely on their phones for internet access.) It says all paper-filed tax and information returns — an estimated 76 million paper documents per year — will be processed digitally as soon as it receives them. Similarly, half of paper-submitted correspondence, non-tax forms and notice responses (another 60 million paper docs) will be recorded digitally. Finally, the IRS also plans to digitize up to one billion historical documents, making accessing older filing data easier for customer service agents and taxpayers.
The IRS says its Paperless Processing Initiative will help eliminate errors from manual data entry, speed up processing and let the agency pour more resources into taxpayer support. “Customer service employees do not currently have easy access to the information from paper returns and other correspondence submitted by mail,” the Treasury Department wrote. “Digitization and data extraction will give them access to that information they need to better serve taxpayers.”
The agency also expects digitization will help them to hold billionaires and corporations accountable. “When combined with an improved data platform, digitization and data extraction will enable data scientists to implement advanced analytics and pattern recognition methods to pursue cases that can help address the tax gap, including wealthy individuals and large corporations using complex structures to evade taxes they owe.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-irs-wants-to-phase-out-most-irl-tax-documents-by-2025-192105265.html?src=rss
NASA, the esteemed space agency, faced an unexpected challenge on Friday as they revealed that their iconic Voyager 2 probe had lost communication due to a simple yet significant error – the misdirection of its antenna. While the news might have raised some eyebrows, NASA assured the public that it’s merely a temporary setback and not the end of Voyager 2’s remarkable 46-year journey through space.
The incident occurred when NASA accidentally pointed the Voyager 2’s antenna two degrees away from Earth, leaving the probe incommunicado for over a week. Consequently, it was unable to receive commands or transmit data to the antennas operated by the Deep Space Network (DSN), a critical communication link between distant space probes and Earth.
Thankfully, NASA anticipated such hiccups in space missions and designed Voyager 2 to be resilient. The probe is programmed to recalibrate its position a few times a year to ensure it stays on track. The next scheduled reset is slated for October 15, providing hope that communication will be swiftly re-established.
NASA further assured that the misalignment of the antenna won’t alter Voyager 2’s trajectory. Currently situated approximately 32 billion kilometers from Earth, the probe continues to move further away at a breathtaking rate of 15 kilometers per second. Despite its temporary communication loss, the glitch does not affect Voyager 1, which is still in contact with home, nearly 24 billion kilometers away from Earth, traveling at 17 kilometers per second.
Earlier this year, engineers fine-tuned Voyager 2’s electrical systems, aiming to extend the probe’s working life. The hope is that these adjustments will yield positive results, paving the way for similar enhancements to be made to Voyager 1 in the future. Such maintenance work in the depths of space showcases the dedication of NASA’s scientists and engineers, akin to keeping an old car running.
Voyager 1 faced its own telemetry troubles in 2022 when it sent back garbled information to Mission Control. The root cause was traced back to a computer that had not functioned for years. Nevertheless, NASA’s experts employed a remarkable solution dubbed “telesurgery,” instructing the attitude articulation and control system (AACS) to reroute the data correctly. With the problem resolved, the Voyager mission pressed on.
The Voyager missions stand as a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. The spacecraft, launched over four decades ago, have far exceeded their intended lifespans, becoming some of the oldest and farthest-traveling human-made objects in space. Their technology, while ancient by today’s standards, keeps on ticking in an extraordinary display of engineering brilliance.
While Voyager 2’s current dilemma presents a unique challenge, it underscores the complexities of deep-space communication. With over 20 light hours separating the probes from Earth, transmitting data becomes a tedious process, crawling along at a mere 160 bits per second. Such limitations are reminiscent of the era when the Voyagers were first launched, and technology was in its nascent stages.
NASA’s Voyager 2 Just Had A Communication Glitch In Space
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