US cases surge to new peak as Trump administration goes to war with science by Beth Mole on 2020-10-20 14:10 (#599GQ) As WHO stresses that we can turn things around, Trump calls experts "idiots."
TrueNAS R-series hyperconverged appliances blend storage and compute by Jim Salter on 2020-10-20 12:00 (#599D0) The new hardware and software greatly expand TrueNAS' capabilities.
For the first time, a Starship prototype roars to life with three engines by Eric Berger on 2020-10-20 09:53 (#5997B) SpaceX now likely to fully assemble spaceship for a 15km test flight.
Six Russians accused of the world’s most destructive hacks indicted by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-19 19:04 (#598M6) Remember the NotPetya wiper that caused billions in losses or Ukraine power grid attacks?
PS5 will use downloadable updates to control game-by-game fan speed by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-19 18:02 (#598JC) Plus more on the system's massive chassis, liquid gallium thermal solution.
1980s MTV is back, sort of: Apple launches Apple Music TV channel by Samuel Axon on 2020-10-19 16:51 (#598F3) Remember when MTV played music videos?
QAnon/8chan sites back online after being ousted by DDoS-protection vendor by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-19 16:42 (#598F4) Conspiracy theorists, hate-filled groups have trouble staying online.
Google shuts down Trusted Contacts, its emergency location sharing app by Ron Amadeo on 2020-10-19 15:37 (#598BW) The app would let loved ones ping your location if they were worried about you.
SSC takes Bugatti’s crown with a new 316mph production car speed record by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-10-19 15:00 (#598BX) Oliver Webb set the record on a closed stretch of highway in Nevada on October 10.
A giant cat picture was just discovered among the Nazca Lines by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-10-19 14:51 (#598BY) Archaeologists haven’t yet located an accompanying giant meme caption.
With Starlink, SpaceX continues to push the bounds of reusing rockets by Eric Berger on 2020-10-19 14:21 (#598A3) Don't miss a gallery of breathtaking images showing the rocket recovery process.
The Internet is full of business cats: Dealing with the breakdown of the work/home divide by Sean Gallagher on 2020-10-19 13:00 (#5988R) Finding the right balance between collaboration and privacy is suddenly critical.
Cadillac gives the new 2021 Escalade SUV a huge technology upgrade by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-10-19 12:00 (#5987S) 38 inches of OLED screen stretch out in front of the driver.
If recycling plastics isn’t making sense, remake the plastics by John Timmer on 2020-10-18 13:00 (#597H6) New catalytic approaches convert plastic into liquid fuels, nanotubes.
The preexisting conditions of the coronavirus pandemic by WIRED on 2020-10-18 11:07 (#597E6) An enormous new data set peers into the health of the world’s population before 2020.
Review: Don’t call it a comeback—The Boys returns better than ever in S2 by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-10-17 20:12 (#5972A) Just give Antony Starr an Emmy already for his incredible portrayal of Homelander.
Fancy Bear imposters are on a hacking extortion spree by WIRED on 2020-10-17 12:00 (#596RK) Nice looking website you've got there. It'd be a shame if someone DDoSed it.
Cruise will soon hit San Francisco with no hands on the wheel by WIRED on 2020-10-17 10:15 (#596PJ) GM subsidiary wins approval from California to offer driverless passenger service.
A La Niña winter is on the way for the US by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-10-16 21:02 (#596AH) September was record warmest for the globe as US extremes continue.
Google Chat goes free in 2021, while Hangouts loses features this month by Ron Amadeo on 2020-10-16 20:47 (#596AJ) Google Hangouts is going to die, but first it's going to be picked apart.
How the Trump admin devastated the CDC—and continues to cripple it by Beth Mole on 2020-10-16 20:30 (#596AK) From missteps to blatant political interference, CDC's fall is a national tragedy.
Hackers are using a severe Windows bug to backdoor unpatched servers by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-16 19:50 (#5968Y) Attackers are spraying the Internet to backdoor unpatched Active Directory systems.
Nikola stock falls 14 percent after CEO downplays Badger truck plans by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-10-16 18:42 (#5967J) “Core business plan” is “heavy trucks and hydrogen infrastructure,” CEO says.
iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPad Air orders have begun by Samuel Axon on 2020-10-16 18:25 (#5965P) Two iPhones models are coming later, though.
Grab leftover Prime Day deals on AirPods Pro, Roku streamers, and more by Ars Staff on 2020-10-16 18:21 (#5965Q) Dealmaster also has new deals on Dell monitors, Bluetooth speakers, and more.
Red Bull could quit F1 if new engine rules don’t happen by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-10-16 18:16 (#5965R) Red Bull wants an engine freeze, Renault wants parity first, Ferrari says no way.
Twitter abruptly changes hacked-materials policy after blocking Biden story by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-16 17:01 (#5962E) Twitter to allow posting of hacked materials unless directly shared by hackers.
Popeye would approve: Spinach could hold key to renewable fuel cell catalysts by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-10-16 16:36 (#5962F) Scientists found the nanosheets catalyzed oxygen-reduction reactions.
PlayStation 5 UI revealed: “Activity” shortcuts, picture-in-picture by Sam Machkovech on 2020-10-16 16:03 (#59616) Déjà vu for Xbox's long-deceased "Snap" feature. Will media apps benefit?
This is what “war in space” probably would look like in the near future by Eric Berger on 2020-10-16 12:41 (#595W1) “Any conflict in space will be much slower and more deliberate.”
Gaming chairs or work from home chairs? Ars tests two under $500 by Jim Salter on 2020-10-16 12:29 (#595W2) Really good office chairs are expensive—gaming chairs are easier on the budget.
Thousands of infected IoT devices used in for-profit anonymity service by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-16 12:00 (#595T9) Interplanetary Storm uses P2P networking, mostly in devices running Android.
Surface Duo review—Orphaned Windows hardware makes a poor Android device by Ron Amadeo on 2020-10-16 11:15 (#595RT) Microsoft's first Android phone has a lot of problems.
Rocket Report: Sweden invests in launch site, SLS hotfire test in a month by Eric Berger on 2020-10-16 11:00 (#595RV) Also, China has launched its 30th rocket of the year.
YouTube cracks down on QAnon conspiracists by Financial Times on 2020-10-16 00:47 (#595GK) Video platform follows Facebook and Twitter but stops short of full ban.
Ajit Pai says he’ll help Trump impose crackdown on Twitter and Facebook by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-15 21:06 (#595CA) As Trump requested, Pai proposes to limit social media websites' legal immunity.
Putin touts second dubious approval of an unproven COVID-19 vaccine by Beth Mole on 2020-10-15 20:01 (#595B5) It has only been tested in 100 people, and there's no published data.
Google Music shuts down smart speaker support and music store by Ron Amadeo on 2020-10-15 18:44 (#5959W) Google's rocky transition to YouTube Music leaves some speakers without music support.
Now on-demand: Ars’ online IT roundtable on navigating 2020 schadenfreude by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-10-15 18:03 (#58XN3) Replay our October 15 chat on, “Finding certainty in IT when the world is uncertain.”
Microsoft will give GameStop a share of Xbox’s digital revenues by Kyle Orland on 2020-10-15 17:30 (#59564) But the size of the unprecedented revenue-sharing deal is up for debate.
Verizon forced to pull ad that claimed firefighters need Verizon 5G by Jon Brodkin on 2020-10-15 17:13 (#59565) Ad dispute echoes 2018 controversy over Verizon throttling fire department.
Lidar used to cost $75,000—here’s how Apple brought it to the iPhone by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-10-15 16:40 (#5953V) How Apple made affordable lidar with no moving parts for the iPhone.
Pluto’s ice-capped peaks are like Earth’s—but not by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-10-15 16:08 (#5953W) Methane ice is accumulating up there for another reason.
FDA approves first treatment for Ebola, a Regeneron antibody cocktail by Beth Mole on 2020-10-15 15:31 (#59511) Approval may bolster hopes for Regeneron’s COVID-19 therapy, which uses same strategy.
Xbox Series X unleashed: Our unrestricted preview by Sam Machkovech on 2020-10-15 13:00 (#594WH) In good news, we finally have a stunning 120fps game. But not much else, games-wise.
Review: Healing and hope in Star Trek: Discovery’s third season by Kate Cox on 2020-10-15 07:00 (#594J7) The world of tomorrow feels like a nostalgic throwback to the world of yesteryear.
Twitter, Facebook face blowback after stopping circulation of NY Post story by Kate Cox on 2020-10-14 22:36 (#5948W) Controversial story proved fertile testing ground for social media disinfo policies.
Amazon Prime Day 2020: All the best tech deals we can find (Updated) by Ars Staff on 2020-10-14 21:25 (#592A9) We dug through more than 8,000 Prime Day deals to find the ones worth your time.
Google and Intel warn of high-severity Bluetooth security bug in Linux by Dan Goodin on 2020-10-14 21:09 (#59460) Yes, it's serious, but high severity doesn't necessarily mean high risk.
The 12 most popular Prime Day 2020 deals, as chosen by Ars readers by Jeff Dunn on 2020-10-14 20:40 (#59448) We peel back the curtain to reveal what people are actually buying on Prime Day.