Arielle Pardes / Wired:

The 👁👄👁 stunt, a hyped beta of a fake app, exploited Silicon Valley’s fixation on shiny new things, but raised $200K for charities  —  Last weekend, the stunt aimed to use Silicon Valley’s love of shiny new things for charity.  The result left people wondering about the memeification of movements.

Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:

Elementary Robotics, which develops tools to automate industrial tasks, announces $12.7M Series A funding to deploy its automation products at scale  —  Elementary Robotics, a robotics company developing tools to automate industrial tasks, today announced it has raised a $12.7 million round.

Chair-less whispers: Nolan comments on reports that he’s not always a fan of chairs. Christopher Nolan addresses on-set chair ban that's sitting well as Twitter meme – CNET
Source: CNet

Alex Knapp / Forbes:

NexHealth, which provides an automated online appointment system for small medical and dental practices, raises $15M Series A  —  I write about the future of science, technology, and culture.  —  I am a staff writer covering health care.  Email me at kjennings@forbes.com.

Security updates have been silently deployed to customers on Tuesday through the Windows Store app. Microsoft releases emergency security update to fix two bugs in Windows codecs
Source: ZDNet Microsoft

You can save money by shopping online at these reputable sites. Best place to buy contacts online in 2020 – CNET
Source: CNet

The South Korean electronics giant is also expected to introduce its newest smartphones in August. Samsung opts out of IFA, plans its own September event instead – CNET
Source: CNet

Internet service providers’ promise to not cut off customers who can’t pay their bills and to waive late fees officially ends. FCC's Keep Americans Connected pledge is over. Now what? – CNET
Source: CNet

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If you play Forza Horizon or Forza Motorsport, you have some freedom to personalize cars in the game, even adding your own custom designs. One popular example: players have used the feature to recreate the General Lee, the 1969 Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard, in almost every single Forza game since at least 2007. But the General Lee famously includes the controversial confederate flag on its back — and Microsoft has just announced it will ban players who use that symbol (among others) in the game.

In a statement posted on Twitter last Friday, Microsoft updated its enforcement guidelines to have a zero-tolerance policy for any player using the confederate flag or other symbols that represent “notorious iconography,” including…

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Microsoft will ban Forza players who add the confederate flag to their digital cars
Source: New feed

The K5 model name replaces Optima as Kia’s midsize sedan and it’s got sportier competition in mind this time around. 2021 Kia K5: Name change may be sub-Optima, but AWD and bold styling are great – Roadshow
Source: CNet

The social network has tried striking a more conciliatory tone with its advertisers, who object to its handling of hate speech. Advertiser Exodus Snowballs as Facebook Struggles to Ease Concerns
Source: NY Times Tech

After pressure, Facebook designates the movement as a “dangerous organization” and removes hundreds of accounts. Facebook bans boogaloo groups, but some smaller groups remain – CNET
Source: CNet

Find your next fantasy escape with the Katherine Langford series based on Arthurian legends. Netflix's Cursed drops a full trailer, fleshing out its magical world – CNET
Source: CNet

Image: Facebook

Facebook has shown off a new proof-of-concept virtual reality headset, and it has a completely different design than most other VR devices on the market today. Instead of a bulky contraption that covers up the top half of your face and has to be strapped to your head, this proof-of-concept headset looks kind of like a pair of large sunglasses that can sit comfortably on your ears.

Yet Facebook is billing this new device as not a pair of augmented reality glasses, as common conceptions of AR devices go, but a legitimate VR product. They’re very thin, with a display thickness of less than 9mm, and Facebook claims they have a field of view that’s “comparable to today’s consumer VR products.” Here’s a top-down view:

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Facebook’s newest proof-of-concept VR headset looks like a pair of sunglasses
Source: New feed

Verily Life Sciences, the Alphabet-owned healthcare company, is suspending employee spot bonuses, as reported by Business Insider. The money will be funneled instead to fund diversity and inclusion initiatives. The move frustrated workers, many of whom have been working grueling hours on the company’s COVID-19 testing projects.

In a letter to management obtained by Business Insider, employees said the decision implied these initiatives are not a priority. They wrote: “The use of spot bonuses to subsidize social justice programs such as Healthy@Work for HBCUs [Historically Black colleges and universities], clinical trial recruitment of underrepresented populations, and an internal Product Inclusion group implies that these efforts are…

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Alphabet-owned Verily suspended employee bonuses to fund diversity initiatives
Source: New feed

Facebook said it would also remove hundreds of accounts that supported or praised the violent network within the far-right boogaloo movement. Facebook removes hundreds of boogaloo accounts for ‘promoting violence’ in coordinated takedown
Source: Washington Post Tech

“By the weekend, we were ready for our first screening.”

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How to create your own backyard movie theater
Source: New feed

The pandemic has caused hiccups in some regions, but the super-fast wireless tech keeps rolling out. The coronavirus can't derail 5G's global expansion – CNET
Source: CNet

The Shiatsu Foot Massager with remote control usually sells for about $100. Take a load off your feet with this foot massager – CNET
Source: CNet

This midcycle refresh aims to enhance specific areas that should increase the SUV’s appeal further. 2022 VW Tiguan refines a successful formula – Roadshow
Source: CNet

A recent survey found that retention of current students is the highest student success priority for higher education institutions as they grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey: Retention Remains Top Priority for Student Success
Source: Campus Technology

NASA is pushing back the launch of it next Mars rover, called Perseverance, by a week, due to a problem with the rocket that’s supposed to send the spacecraft to the Red Planet. The rover is now slated to launch no earlier than July 30th out of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

That puts the launch of Perseverance perilously close to the end of its limited launch window, which originally spanned from July 17th to August 11th. NASA and other space agencies only have a small window of time every two years to send spacecraft to Mars, when the Red Planet comes closest to Earth on its orbit around the Sun. NASA has already pushed back the launch a few times before, to July 20th and then to July 22nd, due to issues with the ground equipment that…

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NASA delays launch of its next Mars rover as time runs out for takeoff
Source: New feed

Target has stopped carrying Dawson’s books, and beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook accused him and his friend Jeffree Star of telling her “poisonous lies” about fellow YouTuber James Charles. Shane Dawson will not be able to make money on YouTube, after his apology for offensive content
Source: Washington Post Tech

{$inline_image}Target has stopped carrying Dawson’s books, and beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook accused him and his friend Jeffree Star of telling her “poisonous lies” about fellow YouTuber James Charles. Shane Dawson will not be able to make money on YouTube, after his apology for offensive content
Source: Washington Post Tech

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When it comes to doing things we don’t want to do, we’re in a constant battle between our current selves and our future selves. We could either, let’s say, do our taxes that are due very soon, or continue to read this book we’re really into right now and leave the tax prep to our future selves. Sure, Current You loves…

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Stop Procrastinating by Doing Your Future Self a 'Favor'
Source: Life Hacker