We put Western Digital’s dreaded SMR Red drive to the test by Jim Salter on 2020-06-05 21:40 (#54CED) Western Digital's SMR disks won't work for ZFS, but they're okay for most NASes.
Americans are drinking bleach and dunking food in it to prevent COVID-19 by Beth Mole on 2020-06-05 20:21 (#54CBM) Thirty-nine percent of surveyed people admitted to at least one risky practice.
Archaeologists find a way to look for ancient beer by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-06-05 20:10 (#54C97) In the process, they discovered the oldest evidence of malted drinks in central Europe.
Tear gas is more dangerous than police let on—especially during the pandemic by Ars Staff on 2020-06-05 19:20 (#54C98) It also seeps into homes; contaminates food, furniture; and can cause long-term lung damage.
New iPad keyboard shortcuts aim to make up for lack of function keys by Samuel Axon on 2020-06-05 19:15 (#54C6Q) It would address one of our main complaints about the Magic Keyboard peripheral.
Motorola’s sub-$200 Moto G Fast and Moto E pack modern designs, big batteries by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-05 18:34 (#54C6R) Motorola turns in great budget designs, but whiffs on NFC.
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection review: Loving the smell of Tiberium by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-05 17:00 (#54C0H) This 4K-ready return hews tightly to the original games, and that's mostly good news.
Investors argue against excessive pay package for Activision CEO by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-05 15:32 (#54BXD) Activision defends Kotick's pay by citing the company's healthy stock performance.
From Zelda to Civ to Frostpunk—can climate change be fun? by Ars Staff on 2020-06-05 11:30 (#54BJT) "The climate change and disaster mechanics are the most compelling additions to Civ VI."
Rocket Report: Falcon 9 leaps forward; a gator and a Dragon by Eric Berger on 2020-06-05 11:00 (#54BGH) “We knew the test-stand was nearing its end-of-life.”
Iran- and China-backed phishers try to hook the Trump and Biden campaigns by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-05 01:29 (#54B4V) It's starting to feel a lot like 2016.
A detective hunts a costumed vigilante in Major Grom: Plague Doctor trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-05 01:16 (#54B4W) It's like The Punisher meets V for Vendetta, but in Russian.
Do face masks help? Studies leaning toward yes by John Timmer on 2020-06-04 22:16 (#54B15) Most of the data, however, comes from SARS and MERS.
Instagram just threw users of its embedding API under the bus by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-06-04 21:32 (#54AYR) People may need to get permission before embedding someone else's Instagram photo.
Huawei’s temperature-taking smartphone is the most 2020 phone of 2020 by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-04 21:15 (#54AYS) An IR temperature sensor lets a smartphone do fever screening for COVID-19.
Nature’s cosmic hard drive? Black holes could store information like holograms by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-04 21:00 (#54AVW) Theoretical black holes are ideal toy models for thought experiments in quantum gravity.
Retracted: Hydroxychloroquine study pulled over suspect data [Updated] by Beth Mole on 2020-06-04 20:07 (#54ASE) Three of four authors "no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources."
I choose you: Pokémon Draft League brings pro sports excitement to the game by Ars Staff on 2020-06-04 19:30 (#54ASF) Limited monster selection means no more teams full of overpowered attackers.
Small ISP cancels data caps permanently after reviewing pandemic usage by Jon Brodkin on 2020-06-04 18:10 (#54AKR) Antietam Broadband cancels cap—Comcast, AT&T only waived caps through June 30.
A ton of PlayStation 4 games are on sale today by Ars Staff on 2020-06-04 18:08 (#54AKS) Dealmaster also has deals on PS Plus subscriptions, Apple devices, and more.
Electric race cars and human drama on display in And We Go Green by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-06-04 17:59 (#54AKT) Filmmaker tells Ars the candid tone was a response to “corporate” Netflix F1 doc.
How to make plastic bottles from sugarcane and captured CO₂ by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-06-04 17:46 (#54AKV) Running the numbers shows it might even be commercially viable.
Hulu scraps support for older Roku devices by Samuel Axon on 2020-06-04 17:27 (#54AKW) These devices were already limited to the classic app with no live TV support.
COVID vaccine execs hyped vague data to cash in $90M in stock, watchdog says by Beth Mole on 2020-06-04 16:33 (#54AGP) Executives allegedly “exploited widespread fears” of pandemic to make millions.
Zoom defenders cite legit reasons to not end-to-end encrypt free calls by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-04 16:23 (#54AGQ) Critics say everyone deserves it. Others say safety should be factored in, too.
“Culture of workplace fear” leads to COVID-19 spread at Amazon, suit says by Kate Cox on 2020-06-04 15:37 (#54ADA) The suit seeks a ruling forcing Amazon to do better instead of financial damages.
Outer Worlds on Switch: A monumental, messy conversion on weak hardware by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-04 12:00 (#54A24) If you thought Witcher 3 got a bleeding-edge port, get a load of this blurry quest.
How Sega hopes to use Japanese arcades as streaming data centers by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-04 10:30 (#549E1) Idle arcade hardware + cloud gaming infrastructure = a new “fog gaming” business?
Slay the Spire, the decade’s best deckbuilding game, coming to iOS in June by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-04 02:55 (#549N8) Android version also teased; exact June release date for $10 game coming soon.
HBO’s latest terrifying trailer for Lovecraft Country couldn’t be more timely by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-04 00:00 (#549HV) Stories are a living thing.
SpaceX lands the same rocket for the fifth time [Updated] by Eric Berger on 2020-06-03 23:40 (#549FX) Company is also now operating two rocket-catching boats in the Atlantic.
The Pentagon’s hand-me-downs helped militarize police. Here’s how by WIRED on 2020-06-03 21:54 (#549E2) $7.4 billion of DOD gear sent to more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies.
Employees, civil rights groups blast Facebook inaction on Trump statements by Kate Cox on 2020-06-03 21:26 (#549E3) The platform's tiny and occasional blocks do not stem the greater tide it permits.
Google’s leaked TV dongle looks like a merger of Android TV and Chromecast by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-03 20:43 (#549BF) This would be Google's first Android TV device in six years.
Frontier users must pay “rental” fee for equipment they own until December by Jon Brodkin on 2020-06-03 19:05 (#54966) FCC issues 6-month delay on law banning rental fees for equipment customers own.
iPhone looters find devices disabled, with a warning they’re being tracked by Samuel Axon on 2020-06-03 18:43 (#54967) Apple has long used digital anti-theft measures in its stores.
TrueNAS isn’t abandoning BSD—but it is adopting Linux by Jim Salter on 2020-06-03 18:15 (#54936) The company's in-development TrueNAS Scale project is based on Debian 11.
Bot test proves Jack ain’t lying—Twitter treats Trump differently by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-06-03 17:27 (#54937) Repeating a call to shoot looters got @SuspendThePres a visit from the banhammer.
Archaeologists discover the largest—and oldest—Maya monument ever by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-06-03 17:06 (#54901) The huge earthen platform discovered in Tabasco, Mexico, dates back 3,000 years.
“Let’s start a riot”: Denver cop fired for inflammatory Instagram post by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-06-03 16:49 (#54902) Post was “inconsistent with the values of the Department,” investigation found.
Game companies delay events, make donations amid police brutality protests [Updated] by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-03 15:30 (#547FV) “Now is not the time,” Activision says of delayed Call of Duty content.
US cop hits Australian cameraman live on national television by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-06-03 15:01 (#548S7) “You heard us yelling that we were media, but they don't care,” reporter said.
Sega’s tiny Game Gear Micro is 92% smaller than the original by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-03 14:49 (#548S8) But Japanese release spreads its 16 built-in games across four color variants.
Doubt looms over hydroxychloroquine study that halted global trials by Beth Mole on 2020-06-03 11:50 (#548H6) Researchers are skeptical of a data analytics company that has not shared data.
Forget Dragon, the Falcon 9 rocket is the secret sauce of SpaceX’s success by Eric Berger on 2020-06-03 11:20 (#548H7) “I've done crazier things than dry out a radio antenna.”
Family affairs: Everyone learns they can’t go home again in Killing Eve S3 by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-02 22:11 (#547X3) The hit BBC series has already been renewed for a fourth season.
Ransomware gang is auctioning off victims’ confidential data by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-02 21:18 (#547TG) New high-pressure tactic is designed to increase the chance of a hefty payout.
The Last of Us Pt. 2 hands-on: You can’t pet the dog—but you can expect terror by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-02 20:58 (#547TH) We can only disclose so much ahead of June 12, but you can read between the lines.
COVID-19 privacy protection bill introduced with bipartisan support by Kate Cox on 2020-06-02 19:38 (#547RB) The bill's authors hope privacy and public health don't have to be at odds.
The Apple Watch Series 5 is down to its lowest price yet today by Ars Staff on 2020-06-02 18:57 (#547NR) Dealmaster also has exclusive Anker charger deals, SSD discounts, and more.