Technology

CNN reports: NASA says it has received a signal from 540 million miles across the solar system, confirming its Juno spacecraft has successfully started orbiting Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. “Welcome to Jupiter!” flashed on screens at mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. The Juno team cheered and hugged. “This is phenomenal,” said …

The big moment starts around 10:30PM but I’m putting the feed up now so you can come back to it later. From the New York Times: The countdown for the Juno spacecraft to reach its destination at Jupiter is now a matter of hours. “Happy Fourth of July, everyone,” Scott Bolton, the principal investigator of the mission, said during a …

The Guardian reports: House Democrats were able to garner wall-to-wall media coverage of their sit-in by broadcasting live from a congressman’s smartphone on 23 June. Yet that may not be possible in the future if a new patent recently granted to Apple is an indication of technology restrictions to come. The patent shows that Apple may allow iPhone cameras to …

From Ad Age: “Evidence is mounting that [TV] will gain little headway for ‘the duration,'” Ad Age wrote in June 1941 following the FCC’s approval of commercial TV. The next month, on July 1, Bulova aired what’s considered the first TV commercial. The grainy, shaky, 10-second spot ran during an afternoon Dodgers-Phillies game on NBC-owned WNBT. There’s a simple outline …

Really cool stuff for science nerds! CNN reports: A spinning, solar-powered spacecraft as wide as a basketball court will arrive at Jupiter on July 4 to study the giant planet and to take the highest-resolution images of Jupiter in history. NASA’s robotic Juno probe is carrying seven science instruments designed to help scientists figure out how Jupiter formed and evolved. …

Clip recap: Pride is about celebrating who you are and who you love. But millions around the world don’t have the ability to take part. With this immersive 360° film, now anyone can experience parades from around the globe, from São Paulo to Sydney, on your computer, mobile device or with Google Cardboard. Join the celebration and share with friends—together …

Via TechCrunch: Boston Dynamics, the company behind some of the most impressively terrifying and terrifyingly impressive robots of the past decade, is demonstrating its softer side with a video showcasing the Alphabet-owned firm’s latest creation. The SpotMini is a sort of tiny robot giraffe capable of an impressive battery of skills, demonstrated in the video by jaunting up a flight …

Surprisingly lovely. Via Gizmodo: Musician Tony Ann recreated popular ringtones—like the iPhone’s Marimba and T-Mobile’s jingle—with a piano. Though hearing other people’s ringtones in real life is totally annoying, listening to their piano arrangements is quite nice (in a “hey, I know this tune but can’t quite figure out why I know it” sort of way). Now, to use Ann’s …

Bloomberg reports: Twitter Inc. will soon stop counting photos and links in their 140-character limit for tweets, according to a person familiar with the matter. The change could happen in the next two weeks, said the person who asked not to be named because the decision isn’t yet public. Links currently take up 23 characters, even after Twitter automatically shortens …

From People For The American Way: Outspoken “gun rights” activist Ted Nugent, a BOARD MEMBER of the NRA, just posted a SHOCKING edited video on Facebook of Hillary Clinton getting shot, with the caption, “I got your guncontrol [sic] right here bitch!” If this outrageously violent “spoof” video, in which Bernie Sanders draws a gun and shoots Hillary Clinton on …

New York City’s MTA has issued a fascinating and informative video which lays out the coming years-long closure of the L train, the busiest downtown link between Brooklyn and Manhattan. From the New York Times: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is asking riders of the L subway how they would like their nightmare: nasty, brutish and shortish, or somewhat less painful …

There’s a scene in the 1971 George Lucas film THX 1138 in which Robert Duvall visits a confessional where he reveals his shortcomings to a government computer who then grants him the “blessings of the state.” New York City is getting something similar next week, minus the blessings. The Verge reports: Have you ever wanted to confess your crimes, bear …

The Guardian reports: According to analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings by the Center for Responsive Politics, four of the top five employers of Sanders donors are tech companies. Google is number one, its employees having contributed more than $200,000. Microsoft, Apple and Amazon occupy the third, fourth and fifth spots respectively. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, has no tech …

NBC News reports: The internet was abuzz with praise for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday after clips showing him schooling a reporter on quantum computing went viral. While political opponents learned a lesson about underestimating the photogenic Trudeau, 44, during last year’s surprise electoral upset, the unnamed reporter fell into the same trap during an event at a …

Arstechnica reports: Under the first-of-its-kind legislation proposed in New York, drivers involved in accidents would have to submit their phone to roadside testing from a textalyzer to determine whether the driver was using a mobile phone ahead of a crash. In a bid to get around the Fourth Amendment right to privacy, the textalyzer allegedly would keep conversations, contacts, numbers, …

From The Japan News: Starting this summer, the government will test a system in which foreign tourists will be able to verify their identities and buy things at stores using only their fingerprints. The government hopes to increase the number of foreign tourists by using the system to prevent crime and relieve users from the necessity of carrying cash or …

The Hill reports: A long-awaited Senate Intelligence Committee encryption bill would force companies to provide “technical assistance” to government investigators seeking locked data, according to a discussion draft obtained by The Hill. The measure — from Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) — is a response to concerns that criminals are increasingly using encrypted devices …

From the Los Angeles Times: Federal officials on Monday dropped their legal fight against Apple after unlocking the iPhone used by an assailant in last year’s San Bernardino terror attack, leaving unsettled a vexing debate over privacy and security amid rapid advances in technology. The move comes a week after Justice Department officials put a sudden hold on their demands …

MacWorld reports: On Monday, Apple chief executive Tim Cook positioned his company’s stance on protecting privacy as a patriotic duty. Cook addressed the ongoing iPhone privacy issue briefly as part of a presentation where Apple is expected to announce an new iPad Pro mini as well as a smaller iPhone. “We built the iPhone for you, our customers,” Cook said. …

Mashable recaps: Apple’s refusal to create a backdoor that would help the FBI get into an iPhone that once belonged to a terrorist caused a number of reactions from businessmen, IT experts and politicians. Few, however, have the ability to summarize different aspects of a complex issue (and throw in a few jokes) as comedian John Oliver, who dissected the …