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March 6, 2020

Facebook is temporarily banning ads and listings that sell medical face masks, and outlines changes to keep Instagram users "safe and informed" on COVID-19 (Kang-Xing Jin/About Facebook)

Kang-Xing Jin / About Facebook: Facebook is temporarily banning ads and listings that sell medical face masks, and outlines changes to keep Instagram users “safe and informed” on COVID-19 Facebook is temporarily banning ads and listings that sell medical face masks, and outlines changes to keep Instagram users "safe and informed" on COVID-19 (Kang-Xing Jin/About

A Quick And Easy Recipe For Synthetic Rubies

With what it takes to make synthetic diamonds – the crushing pressures, the searing temperatures – you’d think similar conditions would be needed for any synthetic gemstone. Apparently not, though, as [NightHawkInLight] reveals his trivially easy method for making synthetic rubies. Like their gemstone cousin the sapphire, rubies are just a variety of corundum, or

March 6, 2020

DOJ indicts former DHS watchdog and a subordinate for software and data theft; prosecutors say they planned to use stolen info to sell software back to DHS (Derek B. Johnson/Federal Computer Week)

Derek B. Johnson / Federal Computer Week: DOJ indicts former DHS watchdog and a subordinate for software and data theft; prosecutors say they planned to use stolen info to sell software back to DHS — The Department of Justice announced it has indicted Charles K. Edwards, a former acting inspector general for the Department of

Coronavirus updates: Cases spread across US as global total tops 100,000 – CNET

Here’s the latest on the COVID-19 outbreak, with the coronavirus spreading to Pennsylvania, Indiana, Minnesota, Kentucky and Hawaii on Friday. Coronavirus updates: Cases spread across US as global total tops 100,000 – CNET Source: CNet

March 6, 2020

Postmates adds Drop Options amid COVID-19 concerns, letting users meet Postmates at the door, at curbside, or have no-contact, with deliveries left at the door (Nick Statt/The Verge)

Nick Statt / The Verge: Postmates adds Drop Options amid COVID-19 concerns, letting users meet Postmates at the door, at curbside, or have no-contact, with deliveries left at the door — The on-demand food delivery industry marches on — Food delivery platform Postmates is starting what the company is calling a … Postmates adds Drop

March 6, 2020

Amazon Flex drivers won’t be paid if they have to stay home due to coronavirus

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has told its contract Flex drivers, which deliver the e-commerce company’s packages, to stay home if they get sick amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to a memo obtained by OneZero. However, unlike Amazon’s hourly workers, who will receive their regular pay even if they have to

March 6, 2020

Trump admin demands that Beijing-based Shiji Group unwind its acquisition of StayNTouch, a cloud platform for hotels, because it threatens US national security (Sean O'Neill/Skift)

Sean O’Neill / Skift: Trump admin demands that Beijing-based Shiji Group unwind its acquisition of StayNTouch, a cloud platform for hotels, because it threatens US national security — This is a highly unusual action. It’s unclear why the U.S. government would believe a company would compromise the sensitive personal data … Trump admin demands that

Twitch streamer cancelled for firing a gun into his monitor during livestream

{$inline_image}A professional streamer has been banned from Twitch and dropped from his esports organization after firing a gun into his desk during a Call of Duty stream. “Call of Duty” trick-shot icon and former FaZe Clan member Carl Reimer pulled the gun, a pistol, during a livestream from his home last night. “Bitch say I

March 6, 2020

App stores attempt to keep lid on coronavirus misinformation

The tech companies heading up the two most prominent app stores are working to keep apps related to the outbreak of COVID-19, or the coronavirus, to a minimum. Apple is reported not taking apps — even well-meant ones — that aren’t from an official health organization. Google, meanwhile, appears to be directing users to existing

Oppo Find X2 Pro hands-on: New camera, 65W charging and 120Hz screen – CNET

The company abandons the no-notch display and adds a 120Hz refresh rate, superfast charging and 5G. Oppo Find X2 Pro hands-on: New camera, 65W charging and 120Hz screen – CNET Source: CNet

Amazon plans to prosecute sellers for price gouging during coronavirus outbreak – CNET

It says it’s taken down hundreds of thousands of highly priced products. Amazon plans to prosecute sellers for price gouging during coronavirus outbreak – CNET Source: CNet

March 6, 2020

Postmates says it will start ‘non-contact’ meal deliveries during the coronavirus outbreak

Image: Postmates Food delivery platform Postmates is starting what the company is calling a “non-contact delivery” initiative designed to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus when its contract workers are delivering ordered meals and other goods. The move was spotted by Recode’s Rani Molla and The Verge has confirmed it is in effect starting

March 6, 2020

Scientists discover strong evidence of life on Mars

We’ve been expecting aliens from Mars for decades now, but what if life was vanquished on the red planet before evolution ever got the chance to take hold? A pair of researchers recently published an analysis of 3.5 billion-years-old soil samples from Mars containing chemical compounds called “thiophenes” that could, potentially, be organic. If they

March 6, 2020

Qualcomm licenses tech from BASF which relies not only on the shapes of faces but on the detection of live skin itself and may be competitive with Face ID (Ross Rubin/ZDNet)

Ross Rubin / ZDNet: Qualcomm licenses tech from BASF which relies not only on the shapes of faces but on the detection of live skin itself and may be competitive with Face ID — Qualcomm is betting on a German technology company that analyzes backscatter reflections to defeat face detection spoofs. Qualcomm licenses tech from

March 6, 2020

Nvidia’s GeForce Now loses 2K Games titles, following Activision and Bethesda

Nvidia said today that game publisher 2K Games is pulling its library from the company’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service at 2K’s request. “Per publisher request, please be advised 2K Games titles will be removed from GeForce NOW today. We are working with 2K Games to re-enable their games in the future,” said Nvidia community

DARPA Challenge Autonomous Robot Teams To Navigate Unfinished Nuclear Power Plant

Robots might be finding their footing above ground, but today’s autonomous robots have a difficult time operating underground. DARPA wanted to give the state of the art a push forward, so they are running a Subterranean (SubT) Challenge which just wrapped up its latest round. A great review of this Urban Circuit competition (and some

‘Close Call’: NASA-Boeing Investigation of Starliner Flight Finds Lapses

The uncrewed December space mission could have ended in disaster. ‘Close Call’: NASA-Boeing Investigation of Starliner Flight Finds Lapses Source: NY Times Tech

South by Southwest Is Canceled as Coronavirus Fears Scuttle Festival

Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to arrive in Austin next week, but a number of companies had pulled out and on Friday, city officials called off the whole event. South by Southwest Is Canceled as Coronavirus Fears Scuttle Festival Source: NY Times Tech

Christian Bale will play the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder – CNET

Batman in one world, Marvel villain in another. Christian Bale will play the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder – CNET Source: CNet

March 6, 2020

A Last of Us series is coming to HBO — so what’s next?

HBO this week announced it was adapting The Last of Us, that one zombie game that scooped up every known Game of the Year award a few years ago, into a TV show with the creator of Chernobyl. So if we’re making video games into streaming series, what intellectual properties would actually make good shows. Hey @Neil_Druckmann

Nintendo PlayStation prototype sells for $360k – CNET

No, that is not a typo. This thing exists. Nintendo PlayStation prototype sells for 0k – CNET Source: CNet

March 6, 2020

Scientists figured out how to fool state-of-the-art Deepfake detectors

A team of researchers from UC San Diego recently came up with a relatively simple method for convincing fake video-detectors that AI-generated fakes are the real deal. AI-generated videos called “Deepfakes” started flooding the internet a few years back when bad actors realized they could be used to exploit women and, potentially, spread political misinformation.

March 6, 2020

Italian antitrust authority fines Telecom Italia €116M for abusing a dominant position in the broadband market in an attempt to obstruct rivals (Reuters)

Reuters: Italian antitrust authority fines Telecom Italia €116M for abusing a dominant position in the broadband market in an attempt to obstruct rivals — MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s competition watchdog said on Friday it had fined former phone monopoly Telecom Italia (TIM) 116 million euros … Italian antitrust authority fines Telecom Italia €116M for abusing

Quibi Is Coming. Here Are the Famous People Making Shows for It.

The bite-size video start-up debuts April 6, and nearly everyone in Hollywood seems to be involved. Here’s what we know so far. Quibi Is Coming. Here Are the Famous People Making Shows for It. Source: NY Times Tech

Elon Musk draws ire after calling panic over coronavirus epidemic 'dumb' – CNET

Some followers are angry at the CEO, while others say he is addressing panic behavior, not the seriousness of the illness. Elon Musk draws ire after calling panic over coronavirus epidemic 'dumb' – CNET Source: CNet

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