Trump to hold “Vaccine Summit” today—no vaccine-makers agreed to come by Beth Mole on 2020-12-08 16:49 (#5BCNW) Pfizer, Moderna won’t attend event, largely seen as a PR stunt.
Apple’s new AirPods Max over-ear headphones cost $549 by Samuel Axon on 2020-12-08 15:30 (#5BCJQ) The headphones' controls take design cues from the Apple Watch.
Test pilot Chuck Yeager dead at 97 by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-12-08 15:24 (#5BCJR) 1947 supersonic flight broke speed records, changed aviation forever.
Tesla plans to raise another $5 billion as value soars above $600 billion by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-12-08 15:16 (#5BCJS) Tesla could end the year with $20 billion in the bank.
It’s time—after myriad ground tests, SpaceX will let its Starship fly free by Eric Berger on 2020-12-08 15:01 (#5BCJT) Today may determine the fate of SN8.
Google promises “spectacular” city GPS improvement with 3D building data by Ron Amadeo on 2020-12-07 22:45 (#5BBNT) Android GPS will work better in cities thanks to Google Maps' 3D building data.
Grand theft GPU: $340,000 worth of RTX 3090s “fell off a truck” in China by Jim Salter on 2020-12-07 22:25 (#5BBNV) Make a list: ✔ Check it twice: ✔ Don't really care who's naughty or nice: ✔
Uber abandons dreams of self-driving domination, sells self-driving unit by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-12-07 22:07 (#5BBNW) Uber is pumping $400 million into a startup led by a Google self-driving veteran.
Quantum device performs 2.6 billion years of computation in 4 minutes by Chris Lee on 2020-12-07 20:10 (#5BBHJ) Photons explore quantum maze faster than possible for any classical computer.
NSA says Russian state hackers are using a VMware flaw to ransack networks by Dan Goodin on 2020-12-07 19:19 (#5BBF5) Multiple VMware products are exploited in attacks that access Windows active directory.
Senate invites fringe, unscientific medical group to testify about COVID by John Timmer on 2020-12-07 19:04 (#5BBF6) The latest conservative flirtation with a group that’s both libertarian and deranged.
SpaceX gets $886 million from FCC to subsidize Starlink in 35 states by Jon Brodkin on 2020-12-07 18:43 (#5BBCJ) Charter also wins big; FCC fund will bring service to 5.2M homes and businesses.
Pornhub under investigation by Visa, MasterCard amid abuse allegations by Kate Cox on 2020-12-07 18:34 (#5BBCK) Payment processors want to know what kind of transactions they're a part of.
New report reveals Apple’s roadmap for when each Mac will move to Apple Silicon by Samuel Axon on 2020-12-07 18:27 (#5BBCM) High-end Macs could have as many as 32 performance cores to the M1's four.
Cyberpunk 2077 is equal parts beautiful and messy by Kyle Orland on 2020-12-07 17:00 (#5BB9Z) 20 hours in, Night City is a majestic masterpiece with a lot of rough edges.
Rudy Giuliani hospitalized with COVID-19 in latest Trump-sphere infection by Beth Mole on 2020-12-07 16:19 (#5BB60) At least 40 others in Trump's inner circle have been infected since September.
Despite the pandemic, SpaceX is crushing its annual launch record by Eric Berger on 2020-12-07 15:54 (#5BB2X) The Block 5 variant has been a true workhorse.
This Arizona college student has taken over 60 driverless Waymo rides by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-12-07 13:18 (#5BAYQ) Human drivers are pretty safe, making it hard to prove driverless tech is safer.
Two very different approaches to restoring vision by John Timmer on 2020-12-06 14:00 (#5B9VN) Reprogramming nerve cells and hardware implants both add to visual acuity.
The incredible journey of the electronic plastic bottle by WIRED on 2020-12-06 11:30 (#5B9QY) Researchers loaded containers with trackers and let them float away.
Superkids must battle an alien invasion in We Can Be Heroes trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-12-06 00:52 (#5B9FK) It’s Director Robert Rodriguez’s standalone sequel to his 2005 3D kids’ film.
Review: Freaky is a familiar-but-fun riff on the classic body-swap concept by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-12-05 20:25 (#5B99H) Latest horror/comedy from Christopher Landon spoofs Friday the 13th, Freaky Friday.
New analysis: Extreme flows in US streams are rising by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-12-05 13:00 (#5B8YZ) Mixed trends become clearer when similar streams are grouped together.
For the second time ever, an asteroid sample returns to Earth by WIRED on 2020-12-05 12:10 (#5B8XT) The Japanese Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Ryugu returns with pristine space rock.
The NIH’s top vaccine maker wants Warp Speed to be the new normal by WIRED on 2020-12-05 11:05 (#5B8WK) John Mascola thinks COVID-19 proves we have to prep for the next virus, too.
Shadow Moon tries to escape his demigod destiny in American Gods S3 trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-12-05 01:07 (#5B8K7) We have hopes for a less rocky S3 with new showrunner and several new cast members
Feds logged website visitors in 2019, citing Patriot Act authority by Kate Cox on 2020-12-04 21:25 (#5B8CN) Privacy-minded lawmakers want feds to have to get warrants for Web browsing data.
Lidar startup goes public, makes founder a billionaire by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-12-04 20:49 (#5B8A8) Luminar used a special purpose acquisition company to avoid a traditional IPO.
Rusty but intact: Nazi Enigma cipher machine found in Baltic Sea by Dan Goodin on 2020-12-04 20:37 (#5B8A9) Enigma device stymied Allied intelligence until Alan Turing cracked it.
NASA is about to have double Dragons at its space station by Eric Berger on 2020-12-04 19:35 (#5B879) Also, NASA has agreed to fly on a Falcon 9 that has already been used three times.
Samsung finally starts its Android 11 rollout, three months after release by Ron Amadeo on 2020-12-04 19:05 (#5B87A) Android 11 brings a new media player, new one-time permissions, and more.
“Demand will probably exceed supply”: Nvidia explains RTX 30 shortages by Samuel Axon on 2020-12-04 17:51 (#5B81F) It's not just wafer shortages at Samsung, though that's a factor.
McConnell pushes Trump nominee toward vote that would deadlock Biden FCC by Jon Brodkin on 2020-12-04 17:38 (#5B81G) Cloture motion could end debate and advance nominee to Senate vote next week.
All-out war breaks out in San Francisco’s Chinatown in Warrior S2 finale by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-12-04 17:34 (#5B81H) Ars chats with showrunner Jonathan Tropper about building on S1's success.
Here’s what happens when a bee stings you directly in your eyeball by Beth Mole on 2020-12-04 16:33 (#5B7YM) You think 2020 is pretty horrible, but it could always be worse.
Google parts with top AI researcher after blocking paper, faces blowback by Financial Times on 2020-12-04 16:02 (#5B7W3) Timnit Gebru’s exit reignites debate over diversity and free speech at tech group.
Rocket Report: Billionaire backs Scottish spaceport, Relativity bags a bundle by Eric Berger on 2020-12-04 12:00 (#5B7JF) “Fatigue fracture surfaces were confirmed in the apertural area.”
Win laptops, smartwatches, and more in the 2020 Ars Technica Charity Drive by Kyle Orland on 2020-12-04 12:00 (#5B7JG) Help yourself to prizes by helping us raise money for good causes.
Android apps with millions of downloads are vulnerable to serious attacks by Dan Goodin on 2020-12-04 11:30 (#5B7JH) Flaw allows malicious apps to steal credentials, private messages, and much more.
New RISC-V CPU claims recordbreaking performance per watt by Jim Salter on 2020-12-04 11:15 (#5B7GQ) Micro Magic's new CPU offers decent performance with record-breaking efficiency.
Eldritch terrors come forth in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina S4 trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-12-04 00:01 (#5B710) The Netflix supernatural horror series will conclude its run on December 31, 2020.
Feds say Facebook broke US law, offering permanent jobs to H-1B workers by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-12-03 23:20 (#5B6Z7) Under US immigration law, employers must give preference to US workers.
BioWare studio GM and Dragon Age lead are both leaving company by Kate Cox on 2020-12-03 22:30 (#5B6Z8) Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises both still alive and well, execs promise.
Google Maps gets building numbers, cross walks, a bunch of other features by Ron Amadeo on 2020-12-03 22:20 (#5B6X3) There’s also a new bookmarks tab and a new Street View capture mode.
Warner Bros. will release entire 2021 film slate in theaters and on HBO Max by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-12-03 19:45 (#5B6R6) That roster includes Dune, Matrix 4, and Godzilla vs. Kong, among other titles.
CBP’s warrantless use of cell phone location data is under investigation by Jon Brodkin on 2020-12-03 19:40 (#5B6R7) Inspector general audits purchases of data that would otherwise require warrants.
Google illegally spied on and retaliated against workers, feds say by Kate Cox on 2020-12-03 19:30 (#5B6R8) Employees are allowed to talk amongst themselves about their workplace.
A good day for UltraHD: HBO Max, The Lord of the Rings will stream in 4K HDR by Samuel Axon on 2020-12-03 18:25 (#5B6HN) Wonder Woman 1984 will be the first film on HBO Max in UltraHD.
NSF releases footage from the moment Arecibo’s cables failed by John Timmer on 2020-12-03 18:18 (#5B6HP) Two different cameras, with one capturing a close-up of the cables snapping.
Verizon has been leaking customers’ personal information for days (at least) by Dan Goodin on 2020-12-03 18:05 (#5B6HQ) A bug in a customer chat feature shows transcripts of other people's chats.