A senior engineer has left SpaceX to work for Relativity Space by Eric Berger on 2020-05-18 23:21 (#53MHV) Dunn played an important role in the history of SpaceX.
Walmart’s $99 Android tablet actually looks pretty good by Ron Amadeo on 2020-05-18 23:05 (#53MGF) Android 10, Google Play, and USB-C? This is... good?
Ars coronavirus Monday update, May 18 by John Timmer on 2020-05-18 21:58 (#53MEP) Promising vaccine trials, questionable research ethics, and clearly bad policy.
With new Switch-hacking tech looming, Nintendo targets retailers by Kyle Orland on 2020-05-18 21:26 (#53MEQ) Team-Xecuter hackers plan solderable device that even works on "updated" hardware.
Judge denies Shkreli’s “delusional self-aggrandizing” plea to get out of jail by Beth Mole on 2020-05-18 20:57 (#53MC6) He had hoped to spare his health—and everyone else's, too.
Apple reopens some US stores amid COVID-19, but they’ll work differently by Samuel Axon on 2020-05-18 20:32 (#53MC7) Face masks and screenings will make for a different retail experience.
Members of Congress can vote from home for now—but not by using tech by Kate Cox on 2020-05-18 20:11 (#53M9T) Representatives have to nominate a proxy—no Zoom votes here.
iPhone crypto hid al-Qaida link to naval base shooting, AG fumes by Dan Goodin on 2020-05-18 19:59 (#53M9V) Investigators say they spent 4 months and huge sums to decrypt suspected iPhones.
Madden NFL’s technical problems were on full display in ESPN championship by Sam Machkovech on 2020-05-18 19:27 (#53M9W) Champ's username checks out: "iRUNyouPASSiWIN."
3 different countries, 1 result: Stay-at-home orders work by John Timmer on 2020-05-18 17:47 (#53M5C) France, Germany, and the US all show less SARS-CoV-2 spread after restrictions.
Cell-tower attacks by idiots who claim 5G spreads COVID-19 reportedly hit US by Jon Brodkin on 2020-05-18 17:35 (#53M5D) US warns carriers to boost security, citing reports of attacks in several states.
Sunday’s launch of a secret space plane produced some eye-catching images by Eric Berger on 2020-05-18 17:13 (#53M26) We may not see the X-37B in space, but we can still enjoy its Earth departure.
Uber lays off 3,000 people in second big round of cuts by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-05-18 16:20 (#53M27) Uber is closing 45 offices in a bid to cut annual expenses by $1 billion.
Footprints capture a lakeside stroll by a group of ancient hunter-gatherers by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-05-18 15:40 (#53KZ9) 408 footprints record how Pleistocene hunter-gatherers foraged and socialized.
Report: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-05-18 14:12 (#53KS2) The new factory is slated to build the Model Y crossover and the Cybertruck.
I’m a doctor with quadriplegia—thanks to tech, I’m back at work by Ars Staff on 2020-05-18 14:00 (#53KS3) Tech sometimes gets a bad rap—but it enables plenty of good, too.
ZFS versus RAID: Eight Ironwolf disks, two filesystems, one winner by Jim Salter on 2020-05-18 11:30 (#53KMP) We exhaustively tested ZFS and RAID performance on our Storage Hot Rod server.
Take a virtual tour of the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-17 20:30 (#53K3E) The museum holds one of the world's major collections of scientific instruments.
We now have more evidence that Galileo likely never said “And yet it moves” by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-17 18:38 (#53K0T) Astrophysicist Mario Livio talks about his new book Galileo and the Science Deniers.
Corkscrew light promises higher optical-communication data rates by Chris Lee on 2020-05-17 14:00 (#53JRN) An infinite number of orbital angular momentum states are there for the taking.
For the sixth year in a row, an Atlantic named storm forms early by Eric Berger on 2020-05-17 13:25 (#53JRP) Seasonal forecasters have predicted the 2020 Atlantic season will be busy.
When audio deepfakes put words in Jay-Z’s mouth, did he have a legal case? by Ars Staff on 2020-05-17 13:00 (#53JQM) Examining how a megaton rapper did (and did not) respond to faked YouTube videos.
Quarantine is a weirdly good time for animation by WIRED on 2020-05-17 12:00 (#53JP3) Going remote is giving animators lots of opportunities to shine.
An Atlas V rocket sends a secret US space plane into orbit [Updated] by Eric Berger on 2020-05-17 11:20 (#53HW4) The weather was lousy on Saturday morning.
Have a Good Trip is a gateway drug to de-stigmatizing psychedelics by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-16 18:32 (#53J72) Director Donick Cary on how he brought internal psychedelic experiences to vivid life.
Man shoots down drone, gets hit with felony charges in Minnesota by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-05-16 15:30 (#53J2T) The drone's owner was taking aerial images of a meat-processing facility.
A brief ode to Seinfeld’s Frank Costanza, terrible computer salesman by Nathan Mattise on 2020-05-16 13:00 (#53HYZ) Jerry Stiller died at 92 this week. His most famous character was not Bill Gates 2.0.
Humans are complicated—do we need behavioral science to get through this? by Cathleen O'Grady on 2020-05-16 12:00 (#53HXF) Some scientists think social science isn’t ready for the COVID-19 crisis.
I enrolled in a coronavirus contact tracing academy by WIRED on 2020-05-16 11:00 (#53HW3) Experts say we need ~200,000 more people to track down anyone who crossed COVID-19's path.
Game devs hold virtual meeting from hell in Mythic Quest: Quarantine teaser by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-15 23:00 (#53HG0) "Poppy is being mean in Australian. Is the meeting almost over?"
11 million tests in 10 days: Wuhan lines up after COVID-19 cluster by Beth Mole on 2020-05-15 21:49 (#53HE4) There was only six cases, but China wants to nix the risk of a second wave.
All your reaction GIFs now belong to Facebook, as it buys Giphy for $400M by Kate Cox on 2020-05-15 21:05 (#53HBW) Facebook's onward march to bring all of the Internet in house continues apace.
From iOS to SQL: The world’s most incorrectly pronounced tech terms by Samuel Axon on 2020-05-15 20:09 (#53H9E) We're going to set the record straight on some age-old debates.
Epic Games’ biggest PC game sale yet is a coupon frenzy, lasts until June 11 by Sam Machkovech on 2020-05-15 19:10 (#53H6X) Savings in the 66-90% range for a number of "Ars Approved" classics.
2020 looks like the year US renewables first out-produce coal by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-05-15 19:05 (#53H6Y) Latest projection of US emissions drop grows larger as coal and oil use sink.
Hands-on with Google Chrome’s slick new tab grouping feature by Ron Amadeo on 2020-05-15 18:48 (#53H6Z) Chrome can now color-code your incredible number of open tabs.
Charter tells court that its no-refund policy helps prevent price increases by Jon Brodkin on 2020-05-15 17:10 (#53H1P) Charter tries to kill Maine law requiring prorated refunds for partial months.
Formula 1’s driver chaos, explained by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-05-15 16:50 (#53H1Q) Sebastian Vettel's split with Ferrari has everyone switching teams.
Star Trek will go to Strange New Worlds in new spinoff series by Kate Cox on 2020-05-15 16:02 (#53GYD) They will probably also seek out new life and new civilizations.
Sorry, Mr. President, America’s testing capacity isn’t “unrivaled” by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-05-15 15:19 (#53GTX) The US is still far behind leading countries on tests per confirmed COVID case.
Researchers count the kinks in a ring, predict their stability by Chris Lee on 2020-05-15 15:05 (#53GTY) A study of collapsing soap films shows how rings buckle under surface tension.
NASA creates Artemis Accords in effort to extend its values to the Moon by Eric Berger on 2020-05-15 14:30 (#53GTZ) "We don’t want to only carry astronauts to the Moon, we want to carry our values."
Rocket Report: Branson sells Virgin Galactic shares, LEGO’s deep-space rocket by Eric Berger on 2020-05-15 11:00 (#53GG4) Also, SpaceX becomes a good Samaritan at sea.
Nvidia ditches Intel, cozies up to AMD with its new DGX A100 by Jim Salter on 2020-05-15 10:45 (#53GG5) Nvidia's first Ampere hardware is headed for the data center, not the game room.
COVID-19 linked to 30-fold increase in rare childhood inflammatory disease by Beth Mole on 2020-05-15 02:17 (#53G4Q) The condition is rare, but it could help explain mysteries of COVID-19.
Quiz miniseries revisits notorious 2001 game-show cheating scandal by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-05-14 22:30 (#53G00) Charles Ingram and his wife, Diana, were convicted of cheating on a game show in 2003.
Breath of the samurai: Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima finally looks like a video game by Sam Machkovech on 2020-05-14 22:04 (#53FY4) Standard open-world gameplay, gorgeous world, "Guiding Wind," and "samurai cinema."
Apple acquired NextVR, suggesting it still harbors VR ambitions by Samuel Axon on 2020-05-14 20:15 (#53FRS) It's not yet clear what Apple has in mind for the sports-focused VR startup.
How a rejected My Little Pony game helped save a historic tournament by Aurich Lawson on 2020-05-14 19:51 (#53FRT) Fan passion and some unexpected help make for a happy ending.
Chrome will soon block resource-draining ads. Here’s how to turn it on now by Dan Goodin on 2020-05-14 19:37 (#53FRV) Fed up with cryptojacking ads? Google developers have you covered.