Coronavirus Monday update, May 4 by John Timmer on 2020-05-04 19:03 (#53190) An overview of some of the developing stories of the past week.
Antivaxxers spearhead protests against lockdown orders, demand “freedom” by Beth Mole on 2020-05-04 18:18 (#53191) “These groups all ultimately have the same message: We want you to get sick.”
NYT defeats Ajit Pai as judge orders FCC to provide net neutrality records by Jon Brodkin on 2020-05-04 17:41 (#5315Z) FCC must reveal IP addresses and user-agent headers of net neutrality commenters.
“Chickens**t” whistleblower firings are “poison,” resigning Amazon VP says by Kate Cox on 2020-05-04 15:27 (#530YX) Firings highlight “toxicity running through the company culture,” Bray said.
Drama in iRacing as IndyCar champ wrecks F1 star on purpose by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-05-04 15:10 (#530YY) Everyone has to decide if it's only a game or if it's a real sport.
Nine years ago, SpaceX called its shot on capturing the flag by Eric Berger on 2020-05-04 14:51 (#530VV) “I understand Atlantis also brought a unique American flag up to the station.”
With new 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple waves goodbye to the butterfly keyboard by Samuel Axon on 2020-05-04 14:25 (#530VW) Keyboard aside, cheaper storage and 10th-generation Intel CPUs headline this refresh.
Ubuntu 20.04: Welcome to the future, Linux LTS disciples by Ars Staff on 2020-05-04 12:00 (#530KC) ZFS gets more accessible, security becomes a bigger priority, and Ubuntu speeds up overall.
Billy Mitchell takes his Donkey Kong high-score cheating case to court by Kyle Orland on 2020-05-04 11:23 (#530KD) Newly revealed Twin Galaxies defamation suit has been quietly proceeding for months.
Indulge your morbid curiosity about the pandemic with these ten films by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-03 16:53 (#52ZXA) New study on mid-pandemic media preferences shows some of us lean into the morbid.
How well can algorithms recognize your masked face? by WIRED on 2020-05-03 10:55 (#52ZMG) There's a scramble to adapt to a world where people routinely cover their faces.
It’s a wonderful afterlife: Smart, funny Upload is a sheer delight by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-02 18:20 (#52Z56) VFX supervisor Marshall Krasser on the challenge of keeping it real—but not too real.
SXSW on Amazon—French electronica, Dark Web subcultures, and two great shorts by Nathan Mattise on 2020-05-02 14:00 (#52YY1) SXScreeners: Shorts and soundtracks rule this Amazon-hosted digital film fest
Review: Sagrada, a top dice-drafting board game, goes digital by Ars Staff on 2020-05-02 12:30 (#52YWH) Get yer glass on with this great version of the board game hit.
Why it took so long to dial back oil production, despite the glut by WIRED on 2020-05-02 10:45 (#52YSV) Oil producers have finally started shutting down wells after demand plummeted.
First trailer for HBO’s Lovecraft Country blends eldritch horrors and racism by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-02 01:04 (#52YFX) Jonathan Majors plays Atticus Black, who takes a road trip to find his missing father.
Physicists identify unique signature to confirm quark-gluon plasma in Universe by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-01 23:05 (#52YCR) Simulations show that QGP could form in immediate aftermath of neutron star merger.
NASA will pay a staggering $146 million for each SLS rocket engine by Eric Berger on 2020-05-01 22:55 (#52YCS) The rocket needs four engines and it is expendable.
NIH abruptly cuts coronavirus research funding, alarming scientists by Beth Mole on 2020-05-01 22:20 (#52YCT) The funding went to understanding how coronaviruses jump from bats to humans.
Zachary Quinto’s child-snatching psychic vampire is back in NOS4A2 S2 by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-01 21:15 (#52Y8G) "Are you ready for the ride of your life?"
First drug known to work against SARS-CoV-2 imaged in action by John Timmer on 2020-05-01 21:05 (#52Y8H) Structural details of how remdesivir keeps the virus from making copies of itself.
It seems like humans really are going to launch into orbit from America again by Eric Berger on 2020-05-01 20:53 (#52Y8J) "We’re asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center."
Intel’s 10th generation desktop CPUs have arrived—still on 14nm by Jim Salter on 2020-05-01 19:45 (#52Y66) Once again, Intel's banking on a high clock speed to drum up excitement.
Raspberry Pi launches camera with interchangeable lens system for $50 by Ron Amadeo on 2020-05-01 19:40 (#52Y67) The "High Quality Camera" unlocks a world of photography options for the Pi.
Tesla stock plunges after Musk tweets “Tesla stock price is too high” by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-05-01 19:21 (#52Y68) Musk tweeted that he is "selling almost all physical possessions."
New earnings report shows Microsoft’s shift to cloud and subscriptions is working by Samuel Axon on 2020-05-01 18:40 (#52Y37) Azure's still going strong, and even Xbox avoided major losses.
Frontier, amid bankruptcy, is suspected of lying about broadband expansion by Jon Brodkin on 2020-05-01 18:00 (#52Y0S) Small ISPs want investigation as Frontier tries to block FCC funding for rivals.
Sony says major The Last of Us Part 2 leak didn’t come from employee [Updated] by Kyle Orland on 2020-05-01 17:09 (#52QHS) No spoilers here, but details about character relationships, fates are out there.
Congress calls on Bezos to come explain Amazon’s possible lies by Kate Cox on 2020-05-01 17:00 (#52XXV) And if he doesn't come voluntarily, he'll be voluntold with a subpoena.
NASA is counting on a lot of unproven rockets for its Artemis plan by Eric Berger on 2020-05-01 15:19 (#52XTB) Notably, the space agency seems to have taken an upgraded SLS off the table.
NASCAR becomes the first major sport to resume events with May races by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-05-01 14:15 (#52XKM) It will hold seven races over 10 days at tracks in Darlington and Charlotte.
The Ars COVID-19 vaccine primer: 100-plus in the works, 8 in clinical trials by Beth Mole on 2020-05-01 11:10 (#52XBN) Here's where we are and what may lie ahead for a vaccine against COVID-19.
Rocket Report: Starship set for static fire test, meet “The Dorado” booster by Eric Berger on 2020-05-01 11:00 (#52XBP) “We have frozen the program until better times.”
ICANN blocks controversial sale of .org domain to a private equity firm by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-05-01 05:00 (#52X3P) ICANN concludes privatizing .org domain isn’t in the public interest.
LockBit, the new ransomware for hire: a sad and cautionary tale by Dan Goodin on 2020-05-01 04:18 (#52X3Q) You've probably never heard of LockBit, but that's likely to change.
In an unusual investor call, Apple reports flat quarterly earnings amid COVID-19 by Samuel Axon on 2020-04-30 22:49 (#52WVY) CEO Tim Cook talked at least as much about COVID-19 efforts as the business itself.
Face ID doesn’t work when you’re wearing a mask—Apple’s about to address that by Samuel Axon on 2020-04-30 20:25 (#52WPX) Not every beta feature makes it to release, but this one seems likely.
Fairphone and /e/ team up to build open source, sustainable smartphone by Ron Amadeo on 2020-04-30 20:15 (#52WKG) The Fairphone 3 becomes an open source, Google-less, repairable smartphone.
Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts by Kate Cox on 2020-04-30 19:47 (#52WKH) If all complaints must first be approved by a manager, there will be fewer of them.
Bose’s latest noise-cancelling headphones are down to their lowest price yet by Ars Staff on 2020-04-30 19:22 (#52WKJ) Dealmaster also has deals on Fitbit trackers, PlayStation Plus, and more.
Want your flowers to glow? If you’re OK with GMOs, that’s now an option by John Timmer on 2020-04-30 19:13 (#52WGJ) May incidentally prove useful in tracking plant development.
Comcast overcharged elderly couple $600, denied refund until contacted by Ars by Jon Brodkin on 2020-04-30 18:37 (#52WGK) Auto-pay compounded Comcast error, leading to a year of $50 monthly overcharges.
Georgia ditches road testing new drivers amid pandemic by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-30 18:13 (#52WGM) They will still need 40 hours of supervised driving, although no one will check.
We’re making garbage patches on the ocean floor, too by Cathleen O'Grady on 2020-04-30 18:00 (#52WCG) Microplastics are accumulating in ocean floor biodiversity hotspots.
NASA awards lunar lander contracts to Blue Origin, Dynetics—and Starship by Eric Berger on 2020-04-30 17:00 (#52WCH) “Between the three contractors, I think NASA has everything it needs to be successful.”
The 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV is solid but lacks advanced features by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-04-30 16:05 (#52W26) The midlife refresh is delayed until 2021, but Chevy's EV got a 10% range boost.
War Stories: How Prince of Persia slew the Apple II’s memory limitations by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-04-30 13:55 (#50TY8) We're resurfacing our interview from last month now that Mechner's book is out.
Virtualization on the Linux desktop—Gnome Boxes vs virt-manager by Jim Salter on 2020-04-30 11:56 (#52W27) We took Gnome Boxes for a quick spin—it has promise but needs more work.
New report says SLS rocket managers concerned about fuel leaks by Eric Berger on 2020-04-29 23:40 (#52VMF) “Should leaks or other issues be discovered, the program will need time.”
It’s one last time-traveling mission for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in S7 trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-04-29 22:59 (#52VCE) Final season picks up where S6's cliffhanger finale left off.