Ars analysis: ~80% of Steam games earn under $5K in first two weeks by Kyle Orland on 2020-04-07 17:06 (#51V1K) Valve offers a peek behind the sales curtain, telling an incomplete and mixed story.
University libraries offer online “lending” of scanned in-copyright books by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-04-07 16:31 (#51V1M) Books are only available to patrons of participating university libraries.
War Stories: How Homeworld brought the third dimension to real-time strategy by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-04-07 15:10 (#51V1N) Turns out traveling through hyperspace really isn't like dusting crops.
Great Barrier Reef survey: “What we saw was an utter tragedy” by Ars Staff on 2020-04-07 15:02 (#51TQS) The Great Barrier Reef faces its third mass bleaching in five years.
CDC releases first US data on COVID-19 cases in children by Beth Mole on 2020-04-07 14:17 (#51TQT) As hinted in earlier data, Infants and those with health issues worst off.
New Guinea villagers unearth evidence of the island’s Neolithic past by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-04-07 10:30 (#51TH2) New Guinea didn't import its Neolithic culture from Southeast Asia after all.
Polestar’s latest concept shows it thinks differently about design by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-07 05:00 (#51T8H) The design study shows there are ideas beyond just copying Germany and Japan.
500-year-old manuscript contains earliest known use of the “F-word” by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-04-06 23:29 (#51SXZ) The Bannatyne Manuscript is an anthology of some 400 medieval Scottish poems.
After troubled first flight, Boeing will refly Starliner without crew by Eric Berger on 2020-04-06 22:19 (#51SY0) "Flying another uncrewed flight will allow us to complete all flight test objectives."
Bubba Wallace rage-quit a NASCAR esports race, then lost his sponsor by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-06 20:09 (#51SNE) It's all a game, until it isn't.
NASA sees an “exponential” jump in malware attacks as personnel work from home by Dan Goodin on 2020-04-06 19:50 (#51SNF) Space agency report suggests employees are falling for online scams.
Dr. Drew apologizes for being a COVID-19 denier after copyright silliness by Kate Cox on 2020-04-06 19:25 (#51SNG) Dr. Drew coronavirus supercut restored to YouTube after copyright takedown.
TV stations don’t have to correct Trump’s COVID-19 statements, FCC says by Jon Brodkin on 2020-04-06 18:59 (#51SNH) FCC denies petition, says investigation would "curtail freedom of the press."
Acting Navy secretary hammers captain he relieved over coronavirus by John Timmer on 2020-04-06 18:35 (#51SNJ) The popular Captain Crozier has now tested positive for the virus.
TCL launches self-branded smartphones at $449, $249 by Ron Amadeo on 2020-04-06 17:38 (#51SBK) After making a name for itself with cheap TVs, TCL wants to build cheap smartphones.
Sheltering in place? Start your car once a week, and other basic tips by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-06 17:13 (#51SBM) Being completely sedentary is bad for cars, not just people.
Experiment finds that gravity still works down to 50 micrometers by Chris Lee on 2020-04-06 16:36 (#51SBN) Sensitive gravity test fails to find hidden dimension. Next: find old wardrobe.
Apple will battle COVID-19 by designing and making millions of medical face shields by Samuel Axon on 2020-04-06 16:23 (#51SBP) Company joins GM, Tesla, startups, and more to make supplies to battle COVID-19.
Ars Subscription Drive: Success++ by Ken Fisher on 2020-04-06 16:13 (#51SBQ) We crushed our subscription goal thanks to your support.
What OneWeb’s failure tells us about space resiliency in the age of COVID-19 by Eric Berger on 2020-04-06 15:49 (#51SBR) "The smartest thing for the government to do to help the industry is to let contracts."
British government starts pushing social distancing via in-game ads by Kyle Orland on 2020-04-06 15:07 (#51S2F) Dirt Rally, Candy Crush Saga among games broadcasting "Stay Home, Save Lives."
Aircraft carrier captain lost his command because of “Catch-22” COVID-19 dilemma by Sean Gallagher on 2020-04-06 12:48 (#51S2G) Navy Secretary: "We... expect more from the Commanding Officers of our aircraft carriers."
Quibi, day one: This phone-focused TV service really isn’t that bad by Sam Machkovech on 2020-04-06 12:17 (#51S2H) Even if the content isn't entirely up your alley, the execution is interesting.
Final Fantasy VII Remake spoiler-free review: Our kind of Cloud gaming by Sam Machkovech on 2020-04-06 10:00 (#51RW4) Not a masterpiece. Not a disaster. FFVIIR stumbles, but it's still unforgettable.
Zoombombing is a crime, not a prank, prosecutors warn by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-04-05 23:54 (#51RDJ) Disrupting a Zoom meeting could lead to “law enforcement knocking at your door.â€
Don’t Panic: The comprehensive Ars Technica guide to the coronavirus [Updated 4/5] by Beth Mole on 2020-04-05 16:35 (#50DMG) This is a fast-moving epidemic—we'll update this guide periodically.
Flagship sedans like the Audi A8 are a dying breed by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-05 13:30 (#51QZ6) Expensive SUVs are just more popular than big expensive sedans these days.
How to refuel a nuclear power plant during a pandemic by WIRED on 2020-04-05 13:00 (#51QZ7) Swapping out spent uranium rods requires hundreds of technicians—challenging right now.
We now know the effect of altitude on classic “Diet Coke and Mentos“ fountain by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-04-04 18:20 (#51QC8) Any excuse for a fun DIY demo during these trying times of sheltering in place.
Will SARS-CoV-2 have a long-term impact on the climate? by Diana Gitig on 2020-04-04 14:00 (#51Q28) Pollution is down now, but policy decisions will drive its future direction.
The party goes on in massive online worlds by WIRED on 2020-04-04 13:15 (#51Q29) MMORPGs aren't a perfect substitute for real-life socializing—but close enough for now.
Subscription drive, day 5: A plea from a punny pandemic reporter by Beth Mole on 2020-04-04 12:00 (#51PY9) There’s nothing funny about COVID-19, but we can still laugh at Goop together.
Bugs that let sites hijack Mac and iPhone cameras fetch $75k bounty by Dan Goodin on 2020-04-03 22:07 (#51PFP) Here's how one researcher bypassed stringent restrictions Apple puts on webcam access.
Xbox architect sues Atari over unpaid work on crowdfunded console by Kyle Orland on 2020-04-03 20:50 (#51P6E) More signs of trouble as VCS project continues creep toward long-delayed launch.
“We hit 3M hard“—Trump orders 3M to keep US-made masks in the US by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-04-03 20:35 (#51P6F) A lot of 3M's mask manufacturing capacity is outside the United States.
Google knows if everyone in your county is actually staying home or not by Kate Cox on 2020-04-03 19:58 (#51P6G) Google knows where billions of phones are—and more importantly right now, aren't.
Face masks for COVID-19: A deep dive into the data by Beth Mole on 2020-04-03 19:45 (#51P6H) With all the talk of masks, here's what the data really says.
US edits National Stockpile website after Kushner claims it’s not for states by Jon Brodkin on 2020-04-03 19:35 (#51P6J) Strategic National Stockpile site edited to downplay role in helping US states.
Intel’s 10th-generation H-series laptop CPUs break 5GHz by Jim Salter on 2020-04-03 18:47 (#51P6K) Comet Lake's newest H-series parts boast impressive clock frequencies.
Apple Store appears to leak new, iPhone 8-like iPhone SE by Samuel Axon on 2020-04-03 17:50 (#51NWN) It would be the same size as the iPhone 8 but would likely have faster internals.
Haunting Tales from the Loop brings ’80s alternative timeline to vivid life by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-04-03 17:37 (#51NWP) Producer talks challenge of turning Simon StÃ¥lenhag's paintings into must-see TV.
FCC: TracFone made up “fictitious” customers to defraud low-income program by Jon Brodkin on 2020-04-03 17:12 (#51NWQ) FCC proposes $6M fine, says TracFone “fabricate[d] enrollment data†to get cash.
Pandemics: Do we need an app for that? by John Timmer on 2020-04-03 16:47 (#51NWR) A new paper looks at how smartphones could enable instant contact tracing.
Leaked Amazon memo: Walkout leader “not smart or articulate” by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-04-03 15:37 (#51NWS) "We are not anti-union, but we are not neutral either," said a 2018 training video.
Subscription drive, day 4: A pitch from “Comcast’s least favorite journalist” by Jon Brodkin on 2020-04-03 15:15 (#51NWT) Subscribe to make sure Jon Brodkin keeps reporting on ISP mischief and Ajit Pai.
Searching for the ultimate Super Mario Bros. player among the masses by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-04-03 15:10 (#51NJG) We sampled the SMB skills of 30 random folks—and some of them were pretty damn great.
Racing turns hard into esports while the real world is on hold by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-03 12:38 (#51NJH) The drivers love it, everyone's playing nice, and the ratings aren't bad either.
SpaceX loses its third Starship prototype during a cryogenic test by Eric Berger on 2020-04-03 12:18 (#51NJJ) "We will see what data review says in the morning."
Here are 10 alternative ideas for what NASA could do with its Moon budget by Eric Berger on 2020-04-03 11:45 (#51NBQ) For this kind of money in space, there's a universe of things we might do instead.
Rocket Report: New Shepard push angers workers, Falcon 9 gets wormed by Eric Berger on 2020-04-03 11:00 (#51NBR) "We intend to the maximum extent possible to stay on track."