Nearly 90,000 cases in a day: Pandemic skyrockets in third, highest peak yet by Beth Mole on 2020-10-30 14:36 (#59QSQ) Peak in new cases will be followed by new peaks in hospitalizations and deaths.
Solve coding challenges at Runcode.ninja online competition, Nov. 6-9 by Jim Salter on 2020-10-30 12:03 (#59QMX) Write code, solve problems, win gift cards—what’s not to like?
Monster Mash: These are the best new horror movies to binge this Halloween by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-10-30 11:57 (#59QJH) Vampires and werewolves and mutant monsters, oh my! Also some really bad hair.
“Oh Jeeeesus”: Drivers react to Tesla’s full self-driving beta release by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-10-30 11:45 (#59QJJ) Videos of Tesla’s full self-driving beta in action show a few close calls.
Rocket Report: SpaceX hits the century mark, vote for Atlas V on Election Day by Eric Berger on 2020-10-30 11:00 (#59QJK) “Falcon 9 and Delta 4 stopped within seconds of launch? This is good stuff.”
There’s no place like the perfectly sized home for the mighty mantis shrimp by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-10-29 22:09 (#59Q25) Mantis shrimp will fight longer and harder, and often win, for burrows of ideal size.
Apple earnings show strong iPad and Mac sales can’t make up for the iPhone by Samuel Axon on 2020-10-29 21:50 (#59PZG) New iPhone sales will rest entirely in the next quarter this time.
Ancient skull a new window on human migrations, Denisovan meetings by John Timmer on 2020-10-29 21:34 (#59PZH) New sequences also show Denisovans were living at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
Hackers are on the hunt for Oracle servers vulnerable to potent exploit by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-29 19:51 (#59PSK) Code-execution bug has severity rating of 9.8 out of 10; little skill needed to exploit.
Senate hauls Zuckerberg, Dorsey in to hearing to yell at them about tweets by Kate Cox on 2020-10-29 19:05 (#59PSM) Big Tech's scale causes real problems. Disingenuous posturing solves none of them.
Tons of early Black Friday deals are live at Best Buy and Amazon today by Ars Staff on 2020-10-29 18:13 (#59PPQ) Dealmaster has deals on LG OLED TVs, Sony noise-canceling headphones, and more.
Dogs were domesticated once from a lost population of wolves by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-10-29 18:00 (#59PPR) Our history with dogs is complicated, according to a study of ancient dog DNA.
Google says it’s “committed” to Nest Secure but won’t ship any new features by Ron Amadeo on 2020-10-29 17:41 (#59PK9) The Nest Secure is dead, so how much longer will Google support it?
Trump campaign out $2.3 million after hack of Wisconsin GOP by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-10-29 16:38 (#59PFC) Wisconsin GOP chairman says theft puts Trump at a disadvantage in the state.
As experts call for nationwide mask mandate, anti-maskers stab guard 27 times by Beth Mole on 2020-10-29 16:29 (#59PFD) “We’re not in a good place,” Fauci notes.
Bethesda exec says an Xbox-exclusive Elder Scrolls is “hard to imagine” by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-29 15:55 (#59PBQ) But Bethesda and Microsoft are still dodging direct answers on the issue.
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro double review: Playing Apple’s greatest hits by Samuel Axon on 2020-10-29 15:16 (#59PBR) The iPhone 12 is so good, it’s hard to recommend the iPhone 12 Pro.
War Stories: How Nintendo sold the NES to a skeptical country by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-29 15:10 (#59PBS) Convincing the public to love home video games again after Atari's dramatic fall.
Chevrolet readies an electric crate motor for homebuilt EV hotrods by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-10-29 12:00 (#59P1R) On sale next year, it includes a Bolt EV motor and 60kWh battery pack.
Advisories: “Brazen” Russian ransomware hackers target hundreds of US hospitals by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-29 04:55 (#59NMK) The threat comes as virus cases spike and the election nears the final stretch.
How a tiny bit of lacquer grounded new Falcon 9 rockets for a month by Eric Berger on 2020-10-28 21:55 (#59NAB) “Rocketry is tough and requires a lot of attention to detail.”
In a first, researchers extract secret key used to encrypt Intel CPU code by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-28 20:20 (#59N7E) Hackers can now reverse-engineer updates or write their own custom firmware.
RIP Google Play Music, 2011 – 2020 by Ron Amadeo on 2020-10-28 19:51 (#59N4S) We celebrate the life of Google's music service. It shall live forever in our hearts.
New African genomes: Complicated migrations and strong selection by John Timmer on 2020-10-28 18:49 (#59N1Q) We finally have more African genomes, revealing over 3 million new variations.
AMD’s newest graphics cards: RDNA2 power from $579 to $999 by Jim Salter on 2020-10-28 18:35 (#59N1R) Pricing is a mixed bag—we expect to see price cuts on the low-end RX 6800 soon.
Billy Mitchell’s Donkey Kong high-score case will move forward to trial by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-28 17:59 (#59N1S) Opposing lawyer tells Ars the trial will “show that Mitchell is not credible.”
Trump’s website defaced with claim that Trump admin created coronavirus by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-28 17:04 (#59MY9) Cryptocurrency scam said Trump involved in creating COVID and rigging election.
The 2020 Genesis G90—a good luxury sedan from an alternate dimension by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-10-28 15:47 (#59MQ1) The days are numbered for the big luxury sedan, even one as competent as this.
Consumer Reports: Tesla Autopilot a “distant second” to GM Super Cruise by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-10-28 15:33 (#59MQ2) Super Cruise uses eye tracking to ensure the driver is watching the road.
Apple develops alternative to Google search by Financial Times on 2020-10-28 14:09 (#59MKB) Apple may build its own search tools as ties to Google come under antitrust scrutiny.
Xbox Series boxes unboxed, revealing a series of Xboxes inside of boxes by Sam Machkovech on 2020-10-28 13:00 (#59MFT) The $299 Series S is much smaller than this year's other new consoles.
Watch Dogs: Legion review: A meaningless mob, with mostly merry mayhem by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-28 11:01 (#59MA3) But dumb enemies and repetitive missions wear out their welcome before long.
Pfizer dashes hope for COVID-19 vaccine data before the election by Beth Mole on 2020-10-27 22:49 (#59KR5) Pfizer has been teasing an October release. Today, it quashed that possibility.
The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart will return in new Apple TV+ series by Samuel Axon on 2020-10-27 21:07 (#59KHJ) Hourlong episodes will each tackle a current-affairs issue.
George Clooney is a grizzled Arctic astronomer in The Midnight Sky trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-10-27 20:47 (#59KHK) The Oscar-winner directs and stars in this adaptation of a 2016 post-apocalyptic novel.
Senator wants Google, Facebook to pony up for local news by Kate Cox on 2020-10-27 20:20 (#59KHM) What ad revenue still exists is going to platforms, not outlets, Sen. Cantwell writes.
Pai’s FCC squeezes in one more vote against net neutrality before election by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-27 19:49 (#59KFM) FCC reconfirms Title II repeal, says no changes needed despite court remand.
US grid-battery costs dropped 70% over 3 years by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-10-27 19:22 (#59KE4) The EIA expects 5,900 megawatts of battery capacity in the next few years.
Nintendo’s Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Cons are both $10 off today by Ars Staff on 2020-10-27 18:10 (#59KC2) Dealmaster also has AirPods Pro for $200, lots of Switch games for $40, and more.
Ubuntu Groovy Gorilla adds Raspberry Pi as a “first class citizen” by Jim Salter on 2020-10-27 17:56 (#59KC3) Previous combinations of Ubuntu and the Pi have been community efforts only.
Trump admin’s pandemic surrender draws impassioned response from WHO by Beth Mole on 2020-10-27 17:41 (#59KC4) WHO officials were exasperated by Trump admin’s suggestion to give up on pandemic.
Cyberpunk 2077, after going gold, gets delayed another month by Sam Machkovech on 2020-10-27 17:26 (#59KA7) Studio previously pledged that new game “will have already been released” by December.
SpaceX Starlink public beta begins: It’s $99 a month plus $500 up front by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-27 14:26 (#59JYZ) “Better Than Nothing” beta to have speeds up to 150Mbps, latency as low as 20ms.
Nvidia RTX 3070 review: AMD’s stopwatch just started ticking a lot louder by Sam Machkovech on 2020-10-27 13:00 (#59JWZ) Ahead of Radeon RX 6000 series reveal, we examine Nvidia’s new mid-high RTX card.
PS5 unboxing: Sony’s big, curvy boy stands out in any room by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-27 12:00 (#59JV6) The black-and-white curves on Sony's new box cut a striking figure.
Hands-on with the PS5’s synesthetic DualSense controller by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-27 12:00 (#59JV7) Haptic rumble + synced sounds from controller speakers = a unique gaming experience.
Review: Walmart’s Core i5 Ice Lake laptop, back in stock at $500 by Jim Salter on 2020-10-27 11:15 (#59JS2) Unfortunately, this low-end Ice Lake CPU is still stuck with UHD graphics.
Smaller, more efficient tokamak could follow in ITER’s fusion footsteps by Chris Lee on 2020-10-27 10:45 (#59JS3) Physics modeling and design show SPARC feasibility, but uncertainties remain.
Study shows which messengers leak your data, drain your battery, and more by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-26 21:31 (#59J6X) Link previews provide convenience. They can also compromise privacy or security.
BBC drops new trailer and featurette for the upcoming His Dark Materials S2 by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-10-26 21:15 (#59J6Y) “There are two forces lining up to battle... We need to find the subtle knife.”