Technology

The New York Times reports: Since May, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations and other energy facilities, as well as manufacturing plants in the United States and other countries. Among the companies targeted was the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which runs a nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kan., according to security …

The BBC reports: Carmaker Volvo has said all new models will have an electric motor from 2019. The Chinese-owned firm, best known for its emphasis on driver safety, has become the first traditional carmaker to signal the end of the internal combustion engine. It plans to launch five fully electric models between 2019 and 2021 and a range of hybrid …

The Associated Press reports: A gay dating app wants a judge to dismiss the claims of a New York man who says he’s been accosted at home and work by over 1,000 sex-hungry men after an ex-boyfriend posted fake profiles soliciting men interested in exploring violent fantasies. Grindr asked a Manhattan federal court judge Wednesday to toss out Matthew Herrick’s …

USA Today reports: It’s the biggest status update ever from Mark Zuckerberg: Two billion people — more than a quarter of the world’s population — hang out on Facebook at least once a month. The milestone that Zuckerberg announced Tuesday is all the more remarkable because no other Internet company has ever reached it. If Facebook were a country, it …

The BBC reports: Companies across the globe are reporting that they have been struck by a major ransomware cyber-attack. British advertising agency WPP is among those to say its IT systems have been disrupted as a consequence. Ukrainian firms, including the state power company and Kiev’s main airport were among the first to report issues. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant …

Reuters reports: EU antitrust regulators hit Alphabet unit Google with a record 2.42-billion-euro ($2.7 billion) fine on Tuesday, taking a tough line in the first of three investigations into the company’s dominance in searches and smartphones. It is the biggest fine the EU has ever imposed on a single company in an antitrust case, exceeding a 1.06-billion-euro sanction handed down …

The Verge reports: Do you tip your Uber driver? Uber has always prided itself on being a cashless experience, arguing since its inception that driver tips are only optional — and maybe even unnecessary. Even as its main rival Lyft bragged about the millions of dollars its drivers were collecting in tips, Uber stood steadfast against a growing number of …

Business Insider reports: Amazon has been granted a patent designed to stop you from visiting a shop to buy something, but then looking for a cheaper version online while you’re there. The patent, which we first saw via The Verge, would essentially try and intercept you if you made a price comparison search using the shop’s WiFi. It outlines a …

Facebook this afternoon published a blog post outlining their artificial intelligence strategies in combating terrorists who use the site to spread propaganda, recruit, and share tactics. An excerpt: We want to find terrorist content immediately, before people in our community have seen it. Already, the majority of accounts we remove for terrorism we find ourselves. But we know we can …

Buzzfeed reports: Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk is stepping down from several Trump administration advisory councils after the president announced on Thursday that the US will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Musk, who sits on Trump’s economic advisory council as well as a manufacturing group, threatened to quit on Wednesday, amid news reports that the president would …

The Detroit News reports: Federal investigators are using a cellphone snooping device designed for counter-terrorism to hunt undocumented immigrants amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to federal court records obtained by The Detroit News. An unsealed federal search warrant affidavit obtained by The News is the first public acknowledgment that agents are using secret devices that masquerade as a …

The New York Daily News reports: Shutting down the global cyberattack that infected nearly 100 nations came down to a twenty-something British computer geek vacationing at home. The security researcher says he shut down the fast-spreading ransomware program by purchasing a domain name for $10.69 — and accidentally activating its kill switch. In a lengthy Saturday web posting, the 22-year-old …

CNET reports: A global ransomware attack is holding more than 60,000 computers hostage. Banks, telephone companies and hospitals have all been ensnared in the worldwide hack, with the malware locking down computers while demanding a hefty sum for freedom. The attack has hit thousands of computers across China, Russia, Spain, Italy and Vietnam, but the UK hospitals have attracted the …

Posted this morning by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook — either live or in video posted later. It’s heartbreaking, and I’ve been reflecting on how we can do better for our community. If we’re going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly. We’re working …

The Associated Press reports: Representatives of China and the European Space Agency are discussing potential collaboration on a human outpost on the moon and other possible joint endeavors, according to a spokesman for the European agency and Chinese media reports. The secretary general for China’s space agency, Tian Yulong, first disclosed the talks about the envisioned lunar base in Chinese …

The New York Times reports: The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday outlined a sweeping plan to loosen the government’s oversight of high-speed internet providers, a rebuke of a landmark policy approved two years ago to ensure that all online content is treated the same by the companies that deliver broadband service to Americans. The chairman, Ajit Pai, …

Scientific American reports: Running low on fuel, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has begun the final — and most daring — phase of its epic mission to Saturn. After using a final flyby of the moon Titan on Friday to boost its speed, Cassini was flung by the moon’s gravity to a trajectory that sent it diving through the 1,200-mile (1,930 kilometers) …

The jokes are too easy. The New York Daily News reports: Urine for a big surprise, President Trump. The commander-in-chief, in a surreal Earth-to-space call from the Oval Office Monday to congratulate astronaut Peggy Whitson on surpassing a record 534 days in space, received a flood of knowledge on life in zero gravity — including how pee gets repurposed. “Water …

Feh. It only flies over water. The New York Times reports: On a recent afternoon, an aerospace engineer working for a small Silicon Valley company called Kitty Hawk piloted a flying car above a scenic lake about 100 miles north of San Francisco. Kitty Hawk’s flying car, if you insisted on calling it a “car,” looked like something Luke Skywalker …

Gay dads and their kids rush to get their day started in the new Google Home ad titled Carpool released yesterday. Android Central explains the update behind the ad: From the beginning Google Home wasn’t going to make much sense if it was tied to a single account, and now several months after launch we have proper multi-user support for …