GOG asks you to please not abuse its expansive new 30-day refund policy by Kyle Orland on 2020-02-26 16:14 (#4ZX32) DRM-free store now offers more generous refund terms than digital competitors.
Flaw in billions of Wi-Fi devices left communications open to eavesdroppng by Dan Goodin on 2020-02-26 15:00 (#4ZX33) Cypress and Broadcom chip bug bit iPhones, Macs, Android devices, Echoes, and more.
Clarence Thomas regrets ruling that Ajit Pai used to kill net neutrality by Jon Brodkin on 2020-02-26 14:00 (#4ZWTG) Thomas says he was wrong in Brand X case that helped FCC deregulate broadband.
Ars takes the new Opera R2020 browser for a spin by Jim Salter on 2020-02-26 12:45 (#4ZWTH) Opera bundles in some killer UI features that Firefox and Chrome don't.
Amazon made a bigger camera-spying store—so we tried to steal its fruit by Sam Machkovech on 2020-02-26 11:45 (#4ZWTJ) It's like other Amazon Go stores, only bigger. But it's a meaningful difference.
Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad lineup with AMD Ryzen Pro 4000 by Samuel Axon on 2020-02-25 22:50 (#4ZVZP) Some of these laptops will get 10th-gen Intel Core vPro chips later this year, too.
CDC tells Americans to brace for coronavirus by Beth Mole on 2020-02-25 22:01 (#4ZVZQ) WHO's insights from China suggest that the virus can be contained.
Thanks, Qualcomm: Mandatory 5G means phones now ship with disabled 5G modems by Ron Amadeo on 2020-02-25 21:33 (#4ZVZR) Pay for a 5G modem you can never use, thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 design.
The wear patterns of your jeans aren’t good forensic evidence by Cathleen O'Grady on 2020-02-25 20:27 (#4ZVZS) Low reliability, high rate of false alarms in denim-matching forensics
New Netflix series Night on Earth shows wildlife in a startling new light by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-02-25 19:50 (#4ZVP8) Moonlight cameras, thermal imaging, night-vision goggles, infrared light, and more.
Dealmaster: Get our favorite budget gaming monitor for just $190 by Ars Staff on 2020-02-25 19:19 (#4ZVP9) Plus deals on noise-cancelling headphones, Xbox Live Gold, Fire TV, and more.
Space Channel 5 VR review: The worst value proposition for a PSVR game yet by Sam Machkovech on 2020-02-25 18:00 (#4ZVPA) Does an uneven 27-minute campaign for $40 sound good to you? We didn't think so.
The nuclear option: EA bans “abusive” FIFA player from all of its games by Kyle Orland on 2020-02-25 17:06 (#4ZVC8) Fenech: “I never said anything I shouldn’t have.†EA: “[He] crossed a line of decency.â€
Delay seems likely as parachute problems plague European Mars lander by Eric Berger on 2020-02-25 15:25 (#4ZVC9) "This plan will be examined by the two agency heads."
VW to appoint “aggressive” climate activist to scrutinize policies by Financial Times on 2020-02-25 14:46 (#4ZVCA) German group is first big carmaker to create post as it steps up drive to go green and electric.
Marsquakes and ancient magnetic fields: InSight’s first data by John Timmer on 2020-02-25 14:19 (#4ZVCB) Last year, we activated the first useful seismograph on Mars.
A peanut butter brand has put its spoon into the GIF pronunciation debate by Sam Machkovech on 2020-02-25 14:00 (#4ZV48) Instead of letting a brand have the final word, we called a lexicographer about it.
The mid-engined Corvette was 60 years in the making, now we’ve driven it by Jim Resnick on 2020-02-25 13:50 (#4ZV49) Decades of aborted plans and concepts led to the production mid-engined 'Vette.
Push-button warfare: How artists use games to capture drone strike horror by Ars Staff on 2020-02-25 12:30 (#4ZV4A) Interactive exhibits hold a mirror to the rise in "game-like" remote warfare.
Firefox turns encrypted DNS on by default to thwart snooping ISPs by Jon Brodkin on 2020-02-25 11:00 (#4ZTYM) US-based Firefox users get encrypted DNS lookups today or within a few weeks.
Removing a GPS tracking device from your car isn’t theft, court rules by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-02-25 00:38 (#4ZTJB) Indiana high court: Removing a small unmarked device from your car isn't theft.
WHO tries to calm talk of pandemic, says the word “does not fit the facts” by Beth Mole on 2020-02-25 00:12 (#4ZTJC) Meanwhile, US coronavirus cases hit 53 as more cruise passengers test positive.
Apple Maps expands its Street View competitor to Boston, DC, Philadelphia by Samuel Axon on 2020-02-24 23:25 (#4ZTJD) This follows a US-wide expansion of more detailed maps.
The next Xbox will quadruple XB1’s CPU, octuple its GPU performance by Kyle Orland on 2020-02-24 19:50 (#4ZT1J) AMD RDNA2 GPU, “Smart Delivery†versioning, and multi-game “quick resume.â€
Petnet goes offline for a week, can’t answer customers at all by Kate Cox on 2020-02-24 17:54 (#4ZT1K) Failing to work is one problem; failing to communicate with customers is another.
New Sony Xperia 1 II smartphone looks handsome, costs a ridiculous $1,300 by Ron Amadeo on 2020-02-24 17:34 (#4ZT1M) It has a funny name, a square design, and a very high price.
One of NASA’s greatest mathematicians, Katherine Johnson, has died by Eric Berger on 2020-02-24 15:26 (#4ZSQV) "Anything that could be counted, I did."
Open source licenses: What, which, and why by Jim Salter on 2020-02-24 11:00 (#4ZS9C) Learn what open source licenses are, which one to choose, and why it matters.
Georgia Tech physicists unlock the secret to perfect wok-tossed fried rice by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-02-23 15:30 (#4ZRM2) The trick is a timely combination of side-to-side and see-sawing motions.
The Ars Technica semi-scientific guide to Wi-Fi Access Point placement by Jim Salter on 2020-02-23 14:30 (#4ZRFD) Wi-Fi is like real estate—the secret is location, location, location.
Climate change is drying up the Colorado River by Cathleen O'Grady on 2020-02-23 13:00 (#4ZRFE) Less snow means more evaporation in a critical water resource.
Cities fighting climate woes hasten “green gentrification” by WIRED on 2020-02-23 12:07 (#4ZRBJ) Planning for rising tides can push the price of housing up—and longtime residents out.
Physics undergrads crunched numbers for Star Trek’s tribble problem by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-02-23 01:15 (#4ZR33) It would only take 4.5 days for tribbles to completely fill the USS Enterprise.
A neural network picks promising antibiotics out of a library of chemicals by John Timmer on 2020-02-22 18:49 (#4ZQTY) Evaluating over a million molecules takes four days of computer time.
January was warmest on record for the globe by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-02-22 13:45 (#4ZQHH) NOAA’s January summary is out, along with its outlook for spring.
The Mandalorian was shot on a holodeck-esque set with Unreal Engine, video shows by Samuel Axon on 2020-02-22 12:30 (#4ZQHJ) This video depicts one of the most radical evolutions of filmmaking in years.
Companies are stealing influencers’ faces by Eric Bangeman on 2020-02-22 11:50 (#4ZQDZ) And there's not much they can do about it.
Review: Time travel and murder combine in HBO’s riveting Beforeigners series by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-02-21 22:20 (#4ZQ0M) It's a thoughtful, moving, often ribald and funny tale of worlds colliding.
Google faces state lawsuit alleging misuse of schoolkids’ private data by Kate Cox on 2020-02-21 21:57 (#4ZQ0N) Collecting and using kids' data from educational tools is a no-go, state AG says.
California man arrested on charges his DDoSes took down candidate’s website by Dan Goodin on 2020-02-21 21:35 (#4ZQ0P) Feds say defendant used Amazon servers to wage DDoS attacks that cost the rival campaign.
Trump report bizarrely claims net neutrality repeal raised incomes $50B a year by Jon Brodkin on 2020-02-21 20:27 (#4ZPSF) Trump economic report relies on "pseudo-economics."
It’s the hosts versus the rest of humanity in new trailer for Westworld S3 [Updated] by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-02-21 19:28 (#4ZNBC) "I was born into this world. And my first memories of it are pain."
Facebook offers to pay users for their voice recordings by Financial Times on 2020-02-21 18:33 (#4ZPSG) Makers of smart speakers have faced criticism for sharing data without consent.
An extended interview with Atrus himself, Myst creator Rand Miller by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-02-21 18:17 (#4ZPSH) If you have a couple of hours, come learn everything about how Myst came to be.
Google cracks down on location-tracking Android apps by Ron Amadeo on 2020-02-21 17:50 (#4ZPFM) New Play Store policy will make apps justify background location access.
CDC didn’t want 14 coronavirus patients flown to US—it was overruled by Beth Mole on 2020-02-21 17:37 (#4ZPFN) State Dept. overruled health experts amid unexpected test results, report says.
A weed dealer’s $59M lesson: Don’t hide Bitcoin keys with a fishing rod by Nathan Mattise on 2020-02-21 17:37 (#4ZPFP) The man reportedly "regarded [the loss] as punishment for his own stupidity."
The House wants to know what Ring is doing with footage from your house by Kate Cox on 2020-02-21 16:48 (#4ZPFR) The request for documentation digs into everything about Ring's deals with cops.
AT&T loses key ruling in class action over unlimited-data throttling by Jon Brodkin on 2020-02-21 16:34 (#4ZPFS) AT&T's mandatory-arbitration clause is illegal in California, court rules.
Weeks after launch, Nvidia’s GeForce Now attracts a million streaming gamers by Kyle Orland on 2020-02-21 16:21 (#4ZPFT) But that number likely includes a lot of free trial lookie-loos.