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Tech NewsFakes
Trump Stands Next to Photoshopped Presidential Seal That Reads ’45 is a Puppet’ in Spanish
President Donald Trump spoke to an adoring crowd of young Republican activists in Washington D.C. on Tuesday at an event hosted by Turning Point USA. But if you take a close look at the presidential seal that appeared behind the president, you’ll notice something peculiar. That’s not actually the presidential seal—it’s been photoshopped. The image … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Tesla Posts Record Deliveries in Q2 2019, But Still Lost $408 Million
Electric car giant Tesla had its stock plunge over 10 percent in after-hours trading after posting a $408 million loss in Q2 2019—despite shipping record numbers of cars, CNBC reported on Wednesday. The company produced about 87,000 cars in the quarter and shipped some 95,200 of them throughout the quarter, per the Verge, and generated … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsSamsung
The Galaxy Fold Is Back: Here’s What Samsung Fixed
When the Galaxy Fold’s launch was delayed indefinitely due to durability concerns, many thought Samsung’s $2,000 bendable phone was dead in the water. Some folks like Apple enthusiast John Gruber even proclaimed that the Fold “is never going to ship and everyone knows it.” But now, after some improvements and design changes, the Galaxy Fold … Continued
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Tech NewsTech Policy
A Bipartisan Bill That Could End Our Robocall Hell Just Passed the House 429-3
Two Republicans and one independent were the only holdouts Wednesday as the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act by a nearly unanimous vote. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, prescribes strict regulations around the use of automatic telephone dialing systems or … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsAmazon
Amazon: Here’s $5,000 Worth of Crap to Turn Your New Home Into a Hellscape
You know what none of us needs more of in our homes? Amazon products. And yet that’s exactly what’s promised to prospective homebuyers should they decide to purchase through its new TurnKey service. The company will reportedly gift thousands of dollars in products and services to tempt homebuyers to transform their homes into Amazon-surveilled hellscapes. … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsApple
Did Steve Jobs Harass Spotify’s CEO With Weird, Breathy Phone Calls?
It’s no secret that Spotify and Apple have beef. But according to a Variety interview with the authors of a new book, Spotify Untold, that beef dates all the way back to 2010 when Steve Jobs would purportedly prank call Spotify CEO Daniel Ek… and just breathe deeply into the phone. What? For context, at … Continued
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Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence
Thousands of Reasons That We Shouldn’t Trust a Neural Network to Analyze Images
When it comes to image recognition tech, it’s still remarkably easy to fool the machines. And while it’s some good comedy when a neural network mistakes a butterfly for a washing machine, the consequences of this idiocy are pretty nightmarish when you think about rolling these flawed systems out into the real world. Researchers from … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
There’s Zero Chance Facebook’s FTC Fine Stops Future Abuse, Lawmakers and Privacy Experts Say
Sure, $5 billion sounds like a pretty big fine, and for most Americans, the size of it is difficult to fathom. But for a corporation as massive as Facebook, it represents only around three month’s worth of profit, a proverbial drop in the bucket. Evan as CEO Mark Zuckerberg boasted about the “historic fine” imposed … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsRobots
Scientists Have Created a Prosthetic Arm That Lets Patients Feel Touch Again
Perhaps one of the profound yet underappreciated aspects of being alive is the ability to reach out with your hand and feel the world around you—whether it’s fresh-cut grass or the face of a loved one. For people who have lost a hand or arm, prosthetics may restore some functioning, but not the sense of … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsFacebook
Here’s Why Facebook’s FTC Settlement Is a Joke
After some rumor-milling and informed reportage attributable to anonymous sources, Facebook has finally made public the contours of its deal with the Federal Trade Commission to end a probe into its handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. From what few specifics are shared by the company’s general council, Colin Stretch (who was supposed to have … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech NewsNews
Hey, Netflix, How About You Give Us a $3 Mobile-Only Plan Too
Netflix has finally unveiled its new, comparatively cheaper mobile-only plan in India—and honestly? This kind of seems like something that a lot of its U.S. users could get on board with. The company announced on Wednesday the rollout of its new INR 199 (a little less than $3 USD) plan, which will be the fourth … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech News
Amazon’s New Kindle Oasis: Easier on the Eyes, Still a Pain in the Wallet
No one needs a $250 ereader, but the Kindle Oasis is often good enough that you can convince yourself otherwise. Its display and backlight are better than average, and its asymmetrical design is purpose-constructed for the avid reader. Though it’s got its detractors, I’ve always liked it. I read a lot, and I love ereaders. … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech NewsSamsung
Galaxy Note 10 Comes Into Focus With Fresh Rumors
If rumors ahead of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s likely August 7 launch are to be believed it looks like both versions of the Note 10 will be sporting Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile processor, the Snapdragon 855 Plus. That’s surprising because it was only announced earlier this month. Purported specs for the Note 10 Plus … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
DoorDash Says It’s Very Sorry You Noticed Its Tip-Skimming Scheme
Food delivery app DoorDash has, for months, doubled down on its policy of systematically skimming customer tips meant for its fleet of contract delivery workers. That resolve cracked on Tuesday night when CEO Tony Xu took to Twitter to announce some unspecified changes to its compensation model. Here’s how it worked. DoorDash offers its delivery … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsPolitics
How to Watch Robert Mueller Testify About President Trump’s Crimes Today on YouTube, Facebook, and More
Former special counsel Robert Mueller will testify on Capitol Hill today about the investigation into various crimes that President Donald Trump committed against the United States. And if you want to watch Mueller’s testimony live, we’ve got you covered. Mueller will begin testifying at 8:30 am ET/5:30 am PT to the House Judiciary Committee. The … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsFacebook
Report: FTC to Accuse Facebook of Using 2FA Numbers for Ads, Hiding Facial Recognition Settings
The Federal Trade Commission recently attracted scorn from congressional Democrats for fining world-spanning social network Facebook just $5 billion rather than tens of billions after the company failed to abide by the terms of a 2011 settlement with the agency on user privacy. But the FTC still has more dirt to dish out from its … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
Guy Who Built Twitter’s Retweet Button Admits Maybe That Was a Really Bad Idea
The man behind Twitter’s “Retweet” button—which is pretty much the foundation of the whole site—now thinks he screwed up big time, telling BuzzFeed News in an interview that he recalled thinking, “We might have just handed a 4-year-old a loaded weapon.” “That’s what I think we actually did,” added Chris Wetherell, the developer in question. … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
Snap Back?
Snap Inc. has been slowly righting its ship recently, stymying its nose-diving stocks prices and exodus of users. The Snapchat creator’s Q2 2019 earnings imply that things are looking up. Ever since the company’s stock went public in March 2017, Snap’s been having a bit of a rough time to put it lightly. Starting in … Continued
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Tech News
Mysterious Glass Beads in Clams Point to Ancient Meteorite Strike Near Florida
Since their discovery 13 years ago, scientists have puzzled over the origin of tiny glass beads found inside ancient clam shells. New evidence suggests they’re microtektites—a byproduct of meteorite impacts—marking the first time these celestial remnants have been found hiding in old clam shells. Ancient clam shells uncovered at a Sarasota County quarry in Florida … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
U.S. Lawmakers Balk at $700 Million Equifax Fine, Renew Calls for a Federal Data Breach Law
Several U.S. lawmakers have called for further action in the wake of a $700 settlement reached by state prosecutors with the credit bureau Equifax over its disastrous 2017 data breach. The settlement was announced on Monday, the largest thus far involving a security breach at a U.S. company. Up to $425 million will be used … Continued
By Dell Cameron