Report: Tesla is secretly building a giant 100 MW battery in Texas by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-03-08 19:01 (#5F2SE) Last month's power failures in Texas highlighted grid reliability concerns.
AT&T broke US law in scheme to beat revenue forecast, SEC lawsuit says by Jon Brodkin on 2021-03-08 18:37 (#5F2SF) SEC: AT&T leaked phone-sale data to analysts in order to avoid revenue "miss."
Fully vaccinated Americans can safely visit unvaccinated family, CDC says by Beth Mole on 2021-03-08 17:32 (#5F2Q9) The guidance is likely a relief to many Americans yearning for family visits.
Google TV takes a baby step toward multi-user support with “kids profiles” by Ron Amadeo on 2021-03-08 17:07 (#5F2NA) You get fun designs, kid-friendly recommendations, and screen-time limits.
Demand for fee to use password app LastPass sparks backlash by Financial Times on 2021-03-08 16:04 (#5F2JA) Pay up or face restrictions on access, say new private-equity owners.
SpaceX reveals the grand extent of its starport plans in South Texas by Eric Berger on 2021-03-08 14:40 (#5F2FP) The company will have two orbital, and two suborbital launch pads.
The iMac Pro has been discontinued by Samuel Axon on 2021-03-08 12:33 (#5F2BJ) Apple confirms the meaning behind "while supplies last" note in online store.
Review: Separated siblings struggle to survive a brutal world in Tribes of Europa by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-03-07 21:12 (#5F1WM) Netflix's new German sci-fi series is from the same people who brought us Dark.
A music video you can play: Indie rock inside the Unity engine by Sam Machkovech on 2021-03-07 15:00 (#5F1NA) You've seen interactive music before—but an indie mindset changes the game.
The new Google Pay repeats all the same mistakes of Google Allo by Ron Amadeo on 2021-03-07 14:30 (#5F1KR) For P2P users, the new app has fewer features, is less convenient, and has more fees.
Ars’ plea: Someone make this into a series by Ars Staff on 2021-03-07 14:00 (#5F1KS) The Ars staff picks the novels we think would make compelling TV adaptations.
Facebook’s new AI teaches itself to see with less human help by WIRED on 2021-03-07 12:04 (#5F1HD) This new approach eliminates the need for picture labeling.
Tens of thousands of US organizations hit in ongoing Microsoft Exchange hack by Dan Goodin on 2021-03-06 22:50 (#5F167) Multiple hacking groups are exploiting vulnerabilities to backdoor unpatched servers.
Review: WandaVision sticks the landing with a very Marvel-esque finale by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-03-06 22:21 (#5F168) But the rumored major cameo failed to materialize, despite two post-credit scenes.
A new type of supply-chain attack with serious consequences is flourishing by Dan Goodin on 2021-03-06 15:15 (#5F0WX) New dependency confusion attacks take aim at Microsoft, Amazon, Slack, Lyft, and Zillow.
We’re living on a planet of ants by Ars Staff on 2021-03-06 15:00 (#5F0V2) A new book looks at the amazing behaviors of ants and the people who study them.
Gig companies fear a worker shortage, despite a recession by WIRED on 2021-03-06 13:00 (#5F0RB) Execs feel the strain as pandemic and government aid reduce supply and demand.
Feds indict John McAfee for cryptocurrency pump-and-dump fraud by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-03-06 12:30 (#5F0RC) "I am not pumping for my gain," McAfee wrote. Prosecutors say that wasn't true.
China’s and Russia’s spying sprees will take years to unpack by WIRED on 2021-03-06 11:45 (#5F0Q3) Full extent of SolarWinds hack, Hafnium’s attack on Exchange Server may never be known.
Microsoft adds Startup Boost, Sleeping Tabs to Edge build 89 by Jim Salter on 2021-03-05 21:03 (#5F040) This new version of Edge brings several notable performance and UX enhancements.
Visual Studio Code now runs natively on M1 Macs by Samuel Axon on 2021-03-05 20:35 (#5F041) App will be available either in universal or architecture-specific binaries.
Proposed law could force ISPs to stop hiding true size of monthly bills by Jon Brodkin on 2021-03-05 19:59 (#5F01B) "ISPs are notorious for keeping customers in the dark," bill supporter says.
Torvalds warns the world: Don’t use the Linux 5.12-rc1 kernel by Jim Salter on 2021-03-05 19:10 (#5F007) Please, please don't use cowboy kernels in production—especially not this one!
White House signals coming antitrust push with Tim Wu appointment by Kate Cox on 2021-03-05 18:01 (#5EZWR) The nod indicates that the new administration isn't planning to go easy on tech.
How to beat Paper Mario really fast by… playing Ocarina of Time? by Kyle Orland on 2021-03-05 17:52 (#5EZWS) Hackers use cartridge-swapping method to move memory from one game to another.
Under intense pressure, WHO skips summary report on coronavirus origin by Beth Mole on 2021-03-05 17:41 (#5EZT6) The full report, however, is expected the week of March 15.
The Toyota Highlander hybrid is a big three-row with a buzzy engine by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-03-05 17:19 (#5EZT7) The continuously variable transmission is not particularly refined.
Typing my way down the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole with the Drop CTRL by Iljitsch van Beijnum on 2021-03-05 16:30 (#5EZQ4) Customizable, mechanical keyboards can be an expensive niche—this is a nice entry point.
Rocket Report: SpaceX explains landing failure, more on New Glenn delays by Eric Berger on 2021-03-05 12:00 (#5EZED) "The level of detail that we get is remarkable, how good the forecast is."
Chairs Technica: We review two new models from Anda Seat by Jim Salter on 2021-03-05 11:45 (#5EZC4) We liked the Anda Fnatic so much, we're reviewing two new models as well.
Meet Maxwell’s gambling demon—smart enough to quit while it’s ahead by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-03-04 22:39 (#5EYRP) Physicists even demonstrated the basic principle in a nanoscale electronic device.
US roads got more dangerous in 2020 even though we stayed at home by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-03-04 22:29 (#5EYRQ) Preliminary data puts the death toll at 42,060, with 4.8 million people injured.
Valve scraps revamped Artifact, dumps free, unfinished “2.0” version on Steam by Sam Machkovech on 2021-03-04 22:20 (#5EYRR) Rebuilt game had been in closed beta for one year before Valve pulled the plug today.
Self-driving startups are becoming an endangered species by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-03-04 22:10 (#5EYPA) Commercializing self-driving technology is taking longer than many expected.
Apple clarifies iOS default music app feature, and it’s not what people thought by Samuel Axon on 2021-03-04 21:17 (#5EYPB) The widely reported beta feature was misunderstood.
Arizona House advances bill targeting Apple, Google mobile app stores by Kate Cox on 2021-03-04 21:10 (#5EYKN) The Arizona bill has already gotten farther than a similar one in ND did.
Grab a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for $10 off today by Ars Staff on 2021-03-04 20:58 (#5EYKP) Dealmaster also has deals on portable hard drives, our 2020 GOTY, and more.
Bitflips when PCs try to reach windows.com: What could possibly go wrong? by Dan Goodin on 2021-03-04 20:20 (#5EYKQ) Researcher obtains 14 bit- or typo-quatted domains and analyzes their traffic.
100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say by Jon Brodkin on 2021-03-04 19:42 (#5EYH7) Pandemic showed that "upload speeds far greater than 3Mbps are critical."
The Realme GT 5G is the world’s cheapest Snapdragon 888 phone by Ron Amadeo on 2021-03-04 17:51 (#5EYAA) $430 for a Snapdragon 888, a 120 Hz OLED display, and speedy 65 W charging.
SpaceX Starlink factory in Texas will speed up production of Dishy McFlatface by Jon Brodkin on 2021-03-04 16:47 (#5EY8H) Austin factory to create systems that improve SpaceX's high-volume manufacturing.
Loop Hero review: I’ve somehow gotten hooked on an RPG that plays itself by Sam Machkovech on 2021-03-04 16:00 (#5EY4R) Think of it as the ultimate game to play on a second monitor.
Starship goes up. Starship goes down. But is the program moving forward? by Eric Berger on 2021-03-04 02:20 (#5EXCF) "One day, the true measure of success will be that Starship flights are commonplace."
New Nintendo Switch production to begin in June, will be 4K when docked by Sam Machkovech on 2021-03-04 02:10 (#5EXCG) Bloomberg report locks down details about new OLED panel supply chain.
Researchers build a swimming robot that works in the Mariana Trench by John Timmer on 2021-03-03 23:38 (#5EX9Y) New muscles and electronics setup were needed for the crushing pressures.
Facebook lifts ban on US political advertising by Financial Times on 2021-03-03 23:05 (#5EX7V) Social media behemoth had been under pressure to rescind post-election moratorium.
Google claims it will stop tracking individual users for ads by Ron Amadeo on 2021-03-03 22:36 (#5EX7W) Google says anonymized, group-based interest tracking will be good enough.
Comcast hides upload speeds deep inside its infuriating ordering system by Jon Brodkin on 2021-03-03 22:09 (#5EX5N) Comcast upload speeds of 3 to 35Mbps are hidden until last page of checkout.
Parler sues Amazon (again), claims AWS ban sank a billion-dollar valuation by Kate Cox on 2021-03-03 21:19 (#5EX33) The lawsuit is dead. Long live the lawsuit.
This startup has an intriguing concept for EV battery swaps by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-03-03 20:38 (#5EX34) The first five stations in the Bay Area will be used by a fleet of electric Ubers.