Surface Duo internals show Microsoft’s fanatical commitment to thinness by Ron Amadeo on 2020-08-18 17:51 (#571XW) Get a peek at the Duo's unique construction with a single-sided motherboard.
Chip and phone supply chain shaken as Huawei faces mortal threat by Financial Times on 2020-08-18 17:13 (#571TH) New US sanctions bar Chinese telecom equipment maker from buying semiconductors.
Apple bundles CBS and Showtime with Apple TV+, announces new Music radio stations by Samuel Axon on 2020-08-18 16:50 (#571TJ) App Store drama aside, Apple's services push continues with new channels.
New carbon price focuses on results you want, not impacts you don’t by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-08-18 15:58 (#571QK) Pragmatic method works backward from the year you want zero emissions.
War Stories: Diablo’s loot lottery was almost a turn-based affair by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-08-18 15:10 (#571M5) Lead designer David Brevik reminisces on Rogue and the path almost-but-not-quite taken.
COVID spit test is faster, cheaper, avoids shortages—and now greenlit by FDA by Beth Mole on 2020-08-18 14:10 (#571G4) It’s not a rapid test to use at home, but it still stands to help speed things up.
SpaceX flies the same, sooty booster for the sixth time [Updated] by Eric Berger on 2020-08-18 13:09 (#571CM) This booster's career began nearly two years ago.
Oracle enters race to buy TikTok’s US operations by Financial Times on 2020-08-18 13:05 (#571CN) Working with investors in effort to outbid Microsoft after Trump divestment order.
Study confirms that painting eyes on cow butts helps ward off predators by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-08-18 12:43 (#571CP) There's no silver bullet, but "eye-cow" technique is one available tool for farmers.
Apple threatens to boot Epic and Unreal Engine off Mac and iOS [Updated] by Kate Cox on 2020-08-17 21:38 (#570JZ) Fortnite is just one game; Unreal Engine powers dozens more.
Cities sue Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, claim they owe cable “franchise fees” by Jon Brodkin on 2020-08-17 20:00 (#570FP) Cities demand 5% of revenue, claim online video uses "public rights of way."
Secret Service buys location data that would otherwise need a warrant by Kate Cox on 2020-08-17 19:39 (#570FQ) Agencies' ability to purchase any data on the open market is a big loophole.
You can now play an ultra-rare Quake arcade cabinet at home by Kyle Orland on 2020-08-17 19:15 (#570DH) Broken encryption unlocks gameplay from 22-year-old cabinets.
Third-party Mac repair shops will gain access to Apple tools, parts by Samuel Axon on 2020-08-17 18:57 (#570DJ) The new program is a compromise that represents a change in Apple's strategy.
The first road tests of the Volkswagen ID.3 electric car are showing up by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-08-17 17:54 (#570B5) Ars had plans to drive the ID.3, but then the coronavirus came along.
This 9,000-year-old skeleton is the oldest cremation in the Near East by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-08-17 17:24 (#5706S) The cremated remains are a reminder of what archaeology can, and can't, tell us.
Review: Smartly satirical Teenage Bounty Hunters is a perfect weekend binge by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-08-17 17:00 (#5706T) Netflix series shares similar sensibility with GLOW, Weeds, Orange Is the New Black
Facebook Messenger starts taking over Instagram Direct messages by Ron Amadeo on 2020-08-17 16:46 (#5706V) Facebook's mega messaging merge begins! Is WhatsApp next?
Formula E crowns a new champion as season six ends in Berlin by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-08-17 16:32 (#5705D) Pre-race quarantine worked, and the packed season finale delivered good racing.
Intel’s run at the GPU market begins with Tiger Lake onboard graphics by Jim Salter on 2020-08-17 13:00 (#5700S) Xe LP graphics in Tiger Lake laptops are only the first part of the story.
Could a Dragon spacecraft fly humans to the Moon? It’s complicated by Eric Berger on 2020-08-16 15:00 (#56ZB9) "Do you really want to get to the Moon by 2024 or not?"
Netflix’s Project Power, the most fun you won’t have at the movies this summer by Nathan Mattise on 2020-08-16 14:30 (#56Z9G) Engaging premise + nice scenery + stars + action + some humor = pairs well with popcorn.
An extended interview with Subnautica director Charlie Cleveland by Nathan Mattise on 2020-08-16 14:00 (#56Z9H) If 20 minutes on this underwater gem wasn't enough, can we interest you in 90 minutes?
Planet X? Why not a tiny black hole instead? by Chris Lee on 2020-08-16 13:30 (#56Z84) Unsuccessful at finding planet X? Substitute with undetectable black hole.
ISIS allegedly ran a COVID-19 PPE scam site by WIRED on 2020-08-16 11:30 (#56Z65) DOJ says an agent of the terrorist organization operated FaceMaskCenter.com.
Fabulous fossil preserves eyes of 429-million-year-old trilobite by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-08-15 16:49 (#56YN6) Cellular structure of compound eye preserved in beautiful detail.
NASCAR had to tweak the Daytona road course for stock cars—here’s why by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-08-15 16:35 (#56YN7) Slowing a stock car is a lot harder than a sports car.
The iconic Arecibo Telescope goes quiet after major damage by WIRED on 2020-08-15 14:00 (#56YGQ) A cable cut a large gash into the telescope—who knows when it will be back in working order.
An Alexa bug could have exposed your voice history to hackers by WIRED on 2020-08-15 11:40 (#56YE6) Amazon has patched the flaw, but remember to lock down your voice assistant interactions.
NASA official may face criminal investigation for contact with Boeing by Eric Berger on 2020-08-14 22:32 (#56XZZ) This does not bode well for keeping to the 2024 landing goal.
Charter can charge online video sites for network connections, court rules by Jon Brodkin on 2020-08-14 20:22 (#56XWM) Court kills ban on interconnection fees because FCC didn't defend merger condition.
FDA finds new toxic hand-sanitizer ingredient, expands warning to 157 products by Beth Mole on 2020-08-14 19:35 (#56XTV) Regulators find toxic 1-propanol as well as methanol in some products.
Trump admin. finally kills off Obama-era rule limiting methane emissions by Kate Cox on 2020-08-14 18:44 (#56XTW) Limiting greenhouse gases is apparently not part of “environmental protection.”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes final bow with high-octane journey through time by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-08-14 18:08 (#56XS8) Ars chats with the show's VFX team about the challenges for this time-jumping season.
Ripped chemical bags added to risk of Beirut blast by Financial Times on 2020-08-14 17:05 (#56XPC) Documents show more than half of the sacks of explosive ammonium nitrate were torn by 2014.
SpaceX Starlink speeds revealed as beta users get downloads of 11 to 60Mbps by Jon Brodkin on 2020-08-14 17:00 (#56XPD) Ookla tests aren't showing the gigabit speeds SpaceX teased, but it's early.
Epic’s battle for “open platforms” ignores consoles’ massive closed market by Kyle Orland on 2020-08-14 16:43 (#56XPE) Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo demand the same platform control—and the same 30% fee.
Tesla research partnership progresses on new battery chemistry by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-08-14 15:45 (#56XKV) Lithium metal batteries could increase EV range, but longevity must improve.
People slept on comfy grass beds 200,000 years ago by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-08-14 14:56 (#56XH5) The earliest members of our species slept on piles of grass alongside warm hearth fires.
Disney+ will show a Lego Star Wars Holiday Special on Wookiee Life Day by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-08-14 14:41 (#56XH6) It airs on the streaming service on November 17.
Spooky action at a distance: The future magic of remote collaboration by Sean Gallagher on 2020-08-14 13:00 (#56XA7) In a world where you have to social distance, how do you scrum?
Appeals court ruling for Qualcomm “a victory of theory over facts” by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-08-14 12:52 (#56XA8) Scholars pan the ruling, describing one part as “crazy” and “a bit of a mess.”
Rocket Report: SpaceX’s South Texas resort, the Air Force makes its picks by Eric Berger on 2020-08-14 11:00 (#56X5Y) “With God's help, he will teach our technicians to make rockets.”
Astronomers kill all the fun, blame dust for Betelgeuse’s dimming by John Timmer on 2020-08-14 10:45 (#56X5Z) Internal convection and a regular cycle combine to make a big blob of dust.
NSA and FBI warn that new Linux malware threatens national security by Dan Goodin on 2020-08-13 23:59 (#56WQD) Previously unknown Drovorub is being used by advanced hacking group APT 28.
Epic files suit against Apple after Fortnite pulled from iOS App Store [Updated] by Kate Cox on 2020-08-13 19:56 (#56W3Y) Google Play pulls the game too following attempt to skirt in-app purchase rules.
New Zealand baffled by new COVID-19 cases, eyes frozen-food packaging by Beth Mole on 2020-08-13 19:45 (#56WEZ) Experts says frozen goods unlikely source as health officials race to investigate.
The 2020 McLaren GT—never mind the looks, love the way it drives by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-08-13 19:28 (#56WCM) A magic carpet ride and rocketship speed, but the styling isn't everyone's taste.
FCC beats cities in court, helping carriers avoid $2 billion in local 5G fees by Jon Brodkin on 2020-08-13 18:45 (#56WCN) Judges uphold FCC preemption of city rules, including limits on small-cell fees.
Grab our favorite Thunderbolt 3 dock for its lowest Amazon price to date by Ars Staff on 2020-08-13 18:20 (#56W8A) Dealmaster also has deals on Amazon Fire HD tablets, PS4 games, and more.