Technology

Twitter Experiments With “Unmentioning” Feature

The Verge reports: Twitter is experimenting with an “unmentioning” feature that will allow users to remove themselves from conversations. It’s limited to some users and only on the web version for now but looks like a very useful way to clean up your mentions. “We’re experimenting with Unmentioning—a way to help you protect your peace and remove yourself from conversations,” …

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Twitter To Launch Long-Requested “Edit Button”

Elon Musk will surely take credit for this: It’s a feature that Twitter users have been requesting for so long that it’s become a meme, but now the mythical “edit button” is actually becoming a reality. Twitter has announced that it’s working to allow users to edit their tweets after posting them. The idea is that you’ll be able to …

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Startup Unveils Advance In Smart Contact Lenses

Axios reports: A small Silicon Valley startup is announcing Wednesday that it is close to having a working prototype of a contact lens capable of showing basic information such as driving directions using only eye movements to control the display. While smart glasses are often touted as a fixture of our augmented-reality future, a handful of companies are taking things …

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NASA Astronaut Returns After Record Spaceflight

The Washington Post reports: Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan Wednesday after undocking from the International Space Station and flying back to Earth in a historic mission that came amid mounting tensions over the war in Ukraine. The Soyuz spacecraft touched down under a parachute right on time, at 7:28 a.m. Eastern, …

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Creator Of The GIF Dies Of COVID At Age 74

The Independent reports: The man who created the GIF has died from Covid-19 at the age of 74, his family has confirmed. Stephen Wilhite came up with Graphics Interchange Format, which are now used for animated internet memes and jokes, when he worked for CompuServe in the 1980s. “Even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and …

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Arizona First State To Allow Digital IDs In iPhone Wallet

The Verge reports: The first state to officially roll out Apple’s digital driver’s license and state ID is Arizona, the iPhone maker announced Wednesday. “Starting today, Arizonans can add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet, and tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to seamlessly and securely present it at select TSA security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International …

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NYC Fire Department To Begin Using Robot Dogs

The New York Times reports: Inside a dimly lit tunnel along a stretch of simulated subway track, one of the New York Fire Department’s new dogs showed off a few of its tricks. Lie down. Roll over. Stay. But the most remarkable things that the two robotic dogs can do were mastered by real dogs long ago: jogging across rugged …

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Ukraine War May Spur Global Computer Chip Shortage

Reuters reports: Ukraine’s two leading suppliers of neon, which produce about half the world’s supply of the key ingredient for making chips, have halted their operations as Moscow has sharpened its attack on the country, threatening to raise prices and aggravate the semiconductor shortage. Some 45%-54% of the world’s semiconductor grade neon, critical for the lasers used to make chips, …

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Apple Unveils New “Budget” iPhone At $429 [VIDEO]

ABC News reports: Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new version of its budget-priced iPhone that’s capable of connecting to ultrafast 5G wireless networks, an upgrade that’s already been available on the company’s upscale models for more than a year. The latest iPhone SE marks the first upgrade to the bare-bones version of Apple’s most popular product in nearly two years. …

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New Yorkers’ #1 “Unusual Fear” Is Being Phoneless

The New York Post reports: Even more than dark subways or stale bagels, New Yorkers fear being phoneless. Nomophobia, the fear of being without your mobile phone, is the No. 1 “unusual fear” in New York, according to a new report citing Google search metrics. Hyper-connected New Yorkers “see their phones as an extension of themselves,” said Kent State University …

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Fitbit Recalls 1M+ Smartwatches Over Burned Arms

The Verge reports: Fitbit announced today that it’s working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to voluntarily recall its Ionic smartwatch. The company says it’s received over 100 reports of the watch’s lithium-ion battery overheating, as well as 78 reports of burn injuries to customers. “Customer safety is always Fitbit’s top priority and out of an abundance of caution, we …

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Twitter Goes Down For Many Users Around The World

Variety reports: Twitter was experiencing significant problems with its site and apps Friday, according to user reports. According to DownDetector.com, user reports that Twitter was having technical issues began to spike at 12:13 p.m. ET. Problems that users reported on other social platforms included that their tweets weren’t loading (with the error message, “Something went wrong. Try reloading) or they …

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Dashcam Shows Auto-Piloted Tesla Crash Into Police Car While Its Driver Watched Movie On His Phone [VIDEO]

Mediaite reports: Recently released dashcam footage captured the moment a Tesla being driven on auto-pilot crashed into a parked patrol car, hitting an officer and sending a second vehicle into a ditch. The incident, which occurred in North Carolina last August alongside U.S. Highway 64, was the result of an auto-pilot attempt gone wrong, as the Telsa owner was watching …

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Zuckerberg Loses Billions As Meta Stock Plunges

CNN reports: Late Wednesday, Meta reported a rare drop in profits, driven by spending on its vision for a so-called metaverse while simultaneously confronting advertising challenges on its existing services. The company’s shares plummeted in after-hours trading and are continuing their steep drop on Thursday. By mid-morning, the stock was down nearly 25%, making it the worst performer in the …

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NASA To “De-Orbit” Intl Space Station In 2031 [VIDEO]

The Guardian reports: The International Space Station (ISS) will continue its operations until 2030 before heading for a watery grave at the most remote point in the Pacific, Nasa confirmed in a new transition plan this week. More than 30 years after its 1998 launch, the ISS will be “de-orbited” in January 2031, according to the space agency’s budget estimates. …

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“External Energy Source” May Cause Havana Syndrome

The Washington Post reports: An external energy source may explain disorienting and sometimes debilitating symptoms suffered by U.S. government personnel, a panel of experts has found, reaching a conclusion that, while not definitive, suggests that a foreign power could have mounted attacks on U.S. diplomats, intelligence officers and military personnel serving overseas. The findings by the expert panel, which was …

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Tesla Issues Recall Over Cars Rolling Thru Stop Signs

The Associated Press reports: Tesla is recalling nearly 54,000 cars and SUVs because their “Full Self-Driving” software lets them roll through stop signs without coming to a complete halt. Recall documents posted Tuesday by U.S. safety regulators say that Tesla will disable the feature with an over-the-internet software update. The “rolling stop” feature allows vehicles to go through intersections with …

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Musk Predicts “Safer Than Human” Self-Driving In 2022

Reuters reports: Tesla’s most important products this year and next will not be cars, CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday, but software that drives them autonomously and a humanoid robot the company expects to help out in the factory. “I would be shocked if we do not achieve full self-driving safer than human this year. I would be shocked,” Musk …

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First-Ever Felony Charges Filed In Fatal Autopilot Crash

The Associated Press reports: California prosecutors have filed two counts of vehicular manslaughter against the driver of a Tesla on Autopilot who ran a red light, slammed into another car and killed two people in 2019. The defendant appears to be the first person to be charged with a felony in the United States for a fatal crash involving a …

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Foreign Airlines Cancel Some US Flights Over 5G Issue

CNN Business reports: Major international airlines are scrambling to modify or cancel flights to the United States amid uncertainty about potential interference between new 5G cell phone services and critical airplane technologies. Emirates, Air India, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways all announced changes to some flights, citing the issue. A spokesperson for British Airways told CNN …

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