Study Point

Naomi Klein / The Intercept : Modi's government is abetting a vicious campaign against Indian climate activists simply for using organizing tools like shared Google Docs and WhatsApp groups   —  The bank of cameras that camped outside Delhi's sprawling Tihar jail was the sort of media frenzy you would expect to await … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2ZVc4rI

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet : Report: the number of malware strains written in Go have increased by around 2,000% since 2017, after APTs and cybercrime groups adopted the language   —  There's been a 2,000% increase of new malware written in Go over the past few years.  —  The number of malware strains coded … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3bNEglL

A second (or third) monitor can make working from home much more productive. You don't have to pay much to get a decent one from Dell, LG, BenQ or others ASAP. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3aXyuPs

Any disease that affects a small percentage of the population is a rare disease. In many parts of the world, they also go by the term 'orphan disease’, for the lack of a market large enough to capture the support and resources needed to develop treatments for them. Most rare diseases are genetic, and present throughout a person's lifetime, even if symptoms do not immediately appear. Many rare diseases appear early on in life, and about 30 percent of children with rare diseases will die before reaching their fifth birthday. The number of people in the world living with a rare disease is estimated to be between 300 and 350 million. This figure has often been used by the rare disease community to highlight that while individual diseases – though rare – add up to a huge population of people with rare diseases. With its sizeable population, India has an increased frequency of rare diseases when compared to the rest of the worl...

Liat Kaplan / New York Times : The person behind “Your Fave Is Problematic” Tumblr blog, which listed regrettable actions by celebrities, says she looks back on her blog with shame and regret   —  What was I trying to accomplish with my anonymous Tumblr?  —  If you were on Tumblr in the early 2010s … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ksnpJm

We put many popular cold-brew coffee makers through their paces to find out which is best. On the list are models from Oxo, Takeya, Filtron, Espro and others. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3kwbV7N

Apple's third-generation AirPods may have a lot in common with the AirPods Pro. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3r3Q5uz

Tatiana Cirisano / Billboard : How platforms like Spotify and tools like Community, Audigent, and Unitea help artists find their superfans and target them for monetization opportunities   —  New tech that allows artists to interact with superfans — and turn their data into dollars — promises to open long-term revenue streams from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3swDGQg

For more than a century, our imagination has fuelled our search for aliens. We have envisioned them as giant robots, little green men, or slimy creatures. After the two World Wars, humanity’s technological progress sky-rocketed, quite literally, opening a new horizon for exploration: space. It was time to move beyond gazing upwards – our rockets could take orbiters, rovers and eventually, people, to worlds that could, or may be, harbouring life. The stage was set for our encounters with aliens to take place. Our machines have been landing on Mars, flying past all the planets in our solar system, and observing the stars and planets in deep space for over 45 years now. Even with all this progress, our guess as to whether aliens exist is as good as it was a century ago. In the 1950s, over a casual lunch conversation, a scientist called Fermi brought up the high likelihood for Earth-like life to exist in the Universe with the innumerable number of s...

Jason Aten / Inc.com : A look at Clubhouse's privacy flaws: room audio is “temporarily” saved for trust and safety purposes, user accounts or personal data can't be deleted, and more   —  Clubhouse was sort of perfectly made for the pandemic.  People aren't going out, and they're desperately searching for social connections and entertainment. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/37QyjDy

It may seem like the iPhone 12 just came out, but Apple is already looking towards the iPhone 13. Here's what we know about a potential release date. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3aWVRsl

Kashmir Hill / New York Times : How ACLU and activist Kade Crockford convinced Massachusetts lawmakers to pass a police reform bill banning the use of facial recognition tech in criminal cases   —  Massachusetts is one of the first states to put legislative guardrails around the use of facial recognition technology in criminal investigations. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3dTInzm

It'll join two other coronavirus vaccines -- Pfizer's and Moderna's -- on the US market. But unlike those vaccines, Johnson & Johnson's requires only a single dose. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3dTxXQr

Earn miles toward a free flight when flying with your preferred airline. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2VX7hUM

The best cards for first-timers and students with a limited credit history. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3gzl6SA

John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal : Sources: Biden admin plans to allow a Trump-era rule in March enabling Commerce Dept. to ban tech business transactions with China it feels are security threats   —  Biden administration plans to let the Trump-era rule on technology purchases and deals take effect, despite U.S. business objections about its scope from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3szlK7M

Bloomberg : Sources: Robinhood is planning to confidentially file for an IPO as soon as next month   —  Robinhood Markets Inc., the trading platform behind the boom-and-bust swing in GameStop Corp.'s shares, plans to file confidentially for an initial public offering as soon as March, according to people familiar with the matter. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3dS9f30

Cecilia D'Anastasio / Wired : Sources detail Google's troubles with game development as the company couldn't stomach the complicated creative process amid Stadia's poor streaming numbers   —  The tech giant hired 150 game developers for Stadia Games and Entertainment, only to lay them all off.  Sources say it never gave the studios a chance. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3qU9FJL

The app offers prerecorded beats and word cues to let anyone create a rap track. More advanced rappers can take a freestyle challenge. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3szeo4a

Everything you need to know about the awards show airing this Sunday, Feb. 28. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3ksQeoU

The PS5 has been sold out for almost four months, but here's the news about when and where it's being restocked. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3q2in7o

Bloomberg : Sources: SentinelOne, which develops AI-based endpoint security for all devices and services in a network, is preparing for an IPO that could value it at $10B+   —  - SentinelOne is interviewing banks and might list this year  — Company could seek a valuation of more than $10 billion from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2ZUsQXZ

Our S21 broke on the first drop, while the S21 Ultra didn't fare much better. But there's a silver lining... from CNET News https://ift.tt/3kAlH8U

The engine isn't a normal car engine, and instead powers a generator in its E-Power cars. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2ZRx5DE

Justine Calma / The Verge : Google is sharing data about distortions in light waves passing through its undersea cables with seismologists to help them detect earthquakes   —  That data could one day warn people about tsunamis  —  The web of undersea cables that transmit data around the world could one day be used … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/37UulKi

Bloomberg : The SEC suspends trading of 15 lesser-known stocks after suspicious social media promotion raised concerns that their stock prices were artificially inflated   —  - Wall Street watchdog temporarily halts trading in 15 stocks  — Regulator says it's actively monitoring online message boards from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3bJlxrB

Michelle Price / Reuters : Analysis finds bots programmatically hyping “meme” stocks across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, but did not measure their influence   —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bots on major social media platforms have been hyping up GameStop Corp and other “meme” stocks … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3uv7fDw

Marvel's WandaVision is close to the finish line. Here's the full release schedule for the final episode. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3r49aNi

The fake products, including a Hydra-labeled watch, suggest a dark side beneath the suburban sunshine for Marvel's Wanda and Vision. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3jIrgl0

A solid 5G phone that costs less than your dinner -- if you can get one fast enough. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2O9mVLV

There's an optional infotainment tech upgrade, as well. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3sxCsEs

This versatile speakerphone is one of our favorite models priced under $100, and now it's 30% off. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2ZVhcMI

The next step is emergency use authorization by the FDA. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2PgvdSZ

Don't get your hopes up for a free PS5 upgrade with this version of the game. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3b03vlY

The best-selling author is also the writer behind several Captain America and Black Panther comic books for Marvel. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3sAhEvN

Disney Plus streams almost everything Disney makes, including the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March, and Loki in June. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2NBoaE4

Land Rover has widened the Land Rover Defender line-up globally with the unveiling of the Land Rover Defender V8. Along with the top-tier engine option, the First Edition has been replaced with the XS Edition while a flagship Carpathian Edition has also been added to the line-up. Powering the Defender V8 is Jaguar Land Rover's familiar 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine which makes 525 hp and 625 Nm. The Defender 90 equipped with this engine can do 0 to 100 kph in 5.2 seconds and reach a 240 kph top speed, making it the fastest road-going Defender yet. Other mechanical enhancements to go with the more powerful engine are unique spring and damper settings and the addition of an active rear differential with a yaw controller. The terrain response system also comes with a Dynamic mode with this engine option while thicker anti-roll bars have also been added. Exterior enhancement to differentiate the Defender V8 from lesser models consist of unique exterior badging, quad exhaus...

Stronger and more frequent wildfires are reducing forests' ability to store carbon in a trend that will likely not be offset by planting new trees, a study said Thursday. As Earth continues to heat due to ever higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in its atmosphere, both the number of fires, as well as how fiercely and long they burn, increases. Slower growing tree species are better at surviving such intense blazes, but they capture less atmospheric carbon and reduce nutrient availability, according to research led by the University of Cambridge. Analysing decades of data on the impact of fires on ecosystems across the world, the team of experts found that repeated fires were driving long-term changes in forest composition, while reducing their population size. They found that after 50 years, regions with the most extreme annual fires had 72 percent less biomass than regions that had not burned. Writing in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution , the researchers said the...

The idea of vaccine passports, which would allow people who have been inoculated the freedom to travel, is gaining traction. While some countries trumpet them as a way out for the hard-hit tourism and airline industries, others are more sceptical with only a tiny percentage of the world's population vaccinated. As European Union leaders debate the idea Thursday amid claims that it could be divisive and discriminatory, we look at the thorny issue. The backers EU countries and Gulf emirates that rely on tourism have been the passports' biggest promoters. Last month Greece called on Brussels to allow "vaccine certificates" for travel within the EU. And Athens has since signed a deal with Israel to allow vaccinated people to travel between them, with its tourism minister Harry Theocharis floating a similar deal with Britain. Cyprus — which relies heavily on British tourists — says it is also keen on an agreement with Israel, which is in talks with Malta too. Spain,...

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica : Researchers detected mass scanning activity targeting VMware vCenter servers vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability; VMware has issued a patch   —  Thousands of servers running vCenter server could be in for a nasty surprise.  —  Hackers are mass-scanning the Internet in search … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3aV7Kiv

Facebook, following in Google’s footsteps, says it plans to invest $1 billion to support the news industry over the next three years. The social networking giant, which has been tussling with Australia over a law that would make social platforms pay news organisations, said it has invested $600 million since 2018 in news. Google said in October that it would pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years. News companies want Google and Facebook to pay for the news that appears on their platforms. Governments in Europe and Australia are increasingly sympathetic to this point of view. Facebook also announced on Friday that it signed preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news. Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organisations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media. Facebook and Google companies suck up the majority of US d...

Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news. Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organisations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media. The commercial agreements are subject to the signing of full agreements within the next 60 days, a Facebook statement said. “These agreements will bring a new slate of premium journalism, including some previously paywalled content, to Facebook,” the statement said. Schwartz Media chief executive Rebecca Costello said the deal would help her company continue to produce independent journalism. “It’s never been more important than it is now to have a plurality of voices in the Australian press,” Costello said. Private Media chief executive Will Hayward said the new deal built on an existing Facebook partnership. Australia’s Parliament on Thursday had passed the ...

Tom Warren / The Verge : Microsoft confirms it has fixed a five-hour Xbox Live outage which prevented some users from signing in or making purchases   —  Microsoft's gaming network went down worldwide  —  Microsoft's Xbox Live service went down for more than five hours today, preventing users from signing in to the service. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3bHF8Zm

Abner Li / 9to5Google : Google debuts Sleep API which uses a phone's light and motion sensors and on-device AI to generate data which developers can use to build wellness apps   —  Android has long offered an Activity Recognition API that processes device sensor data with machine learning models in a battery-efficient manner. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2ZQ8ChU

Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch : Newsela, a SaaS platform for K-12 educational content, raises $100M Series D at a $1B valuation led by Franklin Templeton and TCV   —  Newsela, a SaaS platform for K-12 instructional material backed by the likes of TCV, Kleiner Perkins, Reach Capital, and Owl Ventures, announced today that it has raised $100 million in a Series D round. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3krg50I

Natalie Gagliordi / ZDNet : Autodesk says it will acquire Innovyze, which makes a SaaS product for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of water infrastructure, for $1B   —  The acquisition is the largest in Autodesk's history and is meant to position Autodesk as a provider of end-to-end software for the operations of water infrastructure. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3qWsmMJ

There are other changes too, including infotainment upgrades and even more trim levels. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3dMYizr

It's also partnering with Mercedes-Benz to apply its data to Mercedes' Live Map project. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2ZUqvfA

Extremely unnerving video captures the violent attack Wednesday night in Hollywood, California. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3ssNlXV

Ry Crist / CNET : Microsoft says it is investigating a major Xbox Live service outage that is preventing some users from signing in or making purchases   —  It's not just you — Xbox Live players worldwide are reporting troubles logging in. … Xbox Live's online platform for console gamers suffered a major outage Thursday … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ux3AoM

One is a battle royale game. The other? A new remake of Final Fantasy 7. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3kqeiZz

The social network is expected to release its first pair of smart glasses this year. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3bHjjJq

I Care a Lot, The Queen's Gambit, The Mandalorian and The Crown are up for awards. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2NIpULF

More range, less weight, faster charging time -- you name it. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3ssreAX

What to watch before Zack Snyder's Justice League. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3snBIBu

HBO Max has come up with some gems of original content. from CNET News https://ift.tt/3bD2UWl

A camera installed on the probe suggests it may be more sensitive to infrared light than expected. from CNET News https://ift.tt/37QwfeV

Cameron Faulkner / The Verge : Facebook is rolling out an opt-in feature, allowing “Hey Facebook” to be used as a wake word for its Portal displays and Oculus Quest platform   —  Available on Portal smart displays and rolling out on Oculus Quest headsets  —  Facebook has introduced a new “Hey Facebook” … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/37O4Pq0

Robinhood : Robinhood says it has added 6M new crypto customers so far in 2021; Robinhood averaged ~200K new crypto customers a month in 2020   —  Since we launched nearly three years ago, Robinhood Crypto has been central to our efforts to expand access to financial services and democratize finance for all. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3uyfdvL