Geek News

Rocket Lab has reached orbit for the first time, even though it's only the private space company's second flight . Even more impressive? The test mission, dubbed "Still Testing," had three customer satellites in tow: one is an Earth-imaging satellite, while the other two will track weather and boats. By successfully sending those satellites to orbit, the company has proven that its Electron rocket flights are a viable low-cost alternative for companies that want to send small payloads to space. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is around one-fourth the size of a Falcon 9 and has a max payload capacity of 500 pounds. It's definitely much smaller than its peers, but as a result, each flight only costs $5 million. Of course, it helps that the two-stage launch vehicle is powered by Rocket Lab's Rutherford engines, which are cheap to manufacture. Those engines are primarily composed of 3D-printed components, and they use battery-powered electric motors that are ...

With each new awards season , more streaming series and movies make their way to the list of nominees. In fact, one category at tonight's 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, Female Actor in a Drama Series, was comprised entirely of nominees from Hulu and Netflix shows. At the end of this evening's soirée though, the only winner among the streaming fold was from that very category. Mark down another accolade for Netflix. The lone win for a streaming service went to Claire Foy for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown . The first season of the series also won two Golden Globes, two SAG Awards and it was up for multiple Emmys last fall. Season two debuted December 8th on Netflix. This week may not be entirely celebratory for the streaming service though. Actress and comedian Mo'Nique is calling for a boycott, alleging the company discriminates based on gender and race when it comes to pay. All hail! #TheCrown 's Claire Foy wins Outstanding Performance by...

DNA-based robots promise all kinds of microscopic machinery, but there's a major obstacle: they're slow. Existing designs that use biochemical processes for movement can take hours to shuffle molecules around, which makes them utterly impractical for anything time sensitive. That might not a hurdle for much longer. Scientists have developed a DNA nanorobot (specifically, an arm) that uses electric fields to move a whopping 100,000 times faster than previous examples, even though it's based on straightforward concepts. You see, DNA molecules have negative charges as a matter of course. Researchers found that they could quickly and accurately move the arm by subjecting it to electrical pulses that tug the arm in the right direction. You can spin the arm, move it to another position or even have it apply force, all within milliseconds. You wouldn't necessarily see small numbers of these gene-based robots in action. Rather, you'd see "millions" of them ...

Never mind festooning a self-driving car in lights and other devices to fend off motion sickness -- you might just have to slip on some eyewear. University of Michigan researchers have patented a system that could use glasses or a headset to prevent a disconnect between your sense of motion and what you see. The approach would use a set of sequentially activated light pipes that would imitate the movement of the autonomous vehicle in your peripheral view, giving your body a frame of reference while freeing you to check your phone without getting sick. The technology could be embedded into the car itself, but the nature of the design makes it portable. Uber's recent patent application for a similar concept relied on sensory input that demanded non-wearable gear and was more about signalling intentions and offering distractions than mimicking the car itself. The researchers aren't guaranteed to implement the technology, as it's just a patent, but they're planning to...

The Trump administration has been eager to prop up the US coal industry despite evidence that it's in a steep decline . But did it have much of an effect? Not really. Reuters has obtained preliminary Mining Health and Safety Administration data showing that there was negligible job growth in coal mining during 2017. The field added a total of 771 jobs, reaching 54,819 -- a figure still near historic lows. There was growth in Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, but that was largely offset by mine closures in several states, including Ohio (414 jobs lost) and Texas (455). The picture isn't much brighter for 2018. Pennsylvania, for instance, is poised to see an overall loss in coal jobs now that Dana Mining has planned to close a mine that employs roughly 400. The job losses are unfortunate, but expected. While renewables are growing quickly, it's mainly natural gas driving the shift -- while it's not as clean as solar or wind, it's cheaper than coal and s...

In August, Verizon split its unlimited data plan into three new options with some annoying limits and restrictions on video streaming . The basic of those three plans, Go Unlimited, will soon work in Canada and Mexico. But there’s still some annoying restrictions. If you’re a Verizon customer on the basic plan, you won’t have to pay for an additional data plan if you travel overseas, according to Droid Life (via Engadget ), and the changes to the plan kick on on January 25th, 2018. The change brings Go Unlimited up to speed with the company’s other unlimited offerings, Beyond Unlimited and Business Unlimited Plans, which already included the international calling, texting and data . With the change, Verizon appears to be keeping pace with... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DubsQZ"

Add the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to the growing list of government units around the world that are investigating Apple over the reduced performance of iPhones with older batteries inside. The company’s poor messaging about an iOS update intended to prevent unexpected shutdowns — a change that required throttling the processor and slowing performance of iPhones with chemically-aged batteries — led to widespread controversy and customer frustration late last year. As reported by Apple Insider , the new probe comes after Seol’s Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty filed a complaint against Apple that claimed the company is really slowing down iPhones to sway consumers towards upgrading sooner than would otherwise be... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2rnmbr2"

Playboy has filed a lawsuit against Boing Boing , accusing the offbeat news blog of copyright infringement for linking to an Imgur gallery and a YouTube video that showed every Playmate centerfold. Boing Boing wasn't involved in the creation of the gallery and the video at all -- it simply reported upon the archive's existence. In its post announcing that it has filed a motion to dismiss, the publication called the case "baseless" and "bizarre." Linking is common practice among blogs and major media outlets alike, after all, and it's one of the most basic methods people use to exchange information online. EFF Senior Staff Attorney Daniel Nazer said in a statement : "Boing Boing's reporting and commenting on the Playboy photos is protected by copyright's fair use doctrine. We're asking the court to dismiss this deeply flawed lawsuit. Journalists, scientists, researchers, and everyday people on the web have the right to link to mat...

Apple has released a new commercial for its iPhone X, which showcases the camera’s ability to take some great selfies, set to a monologue by Muhammad Ali. Ali’s words are appropriate here: he was brash and outlandish, and his assertion that he was the greatest is an attitude that’s often applied to those taking selfies of themselves. But while selfies can be condemned as self-aggrandizing and only for the vain, Ali’s words underscore the importance of one’s self confidence. So, take that selfie: you are great. Whether or not the iPhone X is the best camera for selfies is up for debate , however. Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DV4OQF"

It's clearer than ever that Facebook wants to become a leader in live sports streaming . Variety and the Guardian have learned that Facebook has hired Peter Hutton, the CEO of Discovery-owned TV network Eurosport , to lead its negotiations for worldwide live sports streams. He'll work out of Facebook's home turf in Silicon Valley, and this will definitely be a step down the corporate ladder -- he'll report to Facebook's global sports partnership leader, Dan Reed. Hutton will formally switch roles after the Winter Olympics finish in February. Neither Facebook nor Hutton would provide more details when asked by Variety , although Hutton pointed the media outlet to Facebook and said he was "focused on delivering the best Olympic Games possible" for Eurosport. It's a big win for Facebook regardless of the details. Aside from the feat of convincing a major TV network chief to take a lower-profile role, Hutton himself is a veteran in the sports right w...

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Amazon's bid to automate the convenience store is finally ready for the public . The company has confirmed that the Amazon Go store attached to its new Seattle headquarters will be open to non-employees on January 22nd, or more than a year later than planned. The premise remains the same. You have to scan in with a smartphone app when you enter the store, but it's largely friction-free beyond that. A computer vision AI system tracks the items you remove from the shelves, letting you walk out without talking to a cashier or using a self-checkout machine. The only staff you'll likely see are for ID checking (when buying alcohol) and the kitchen. Don't expect to buy everything you'd normally find in a convenience store. Recode likens it to a more elaborate Pret A Manger with ready-to-eat meals as well as drinks, meat, produce, snacks and Amazon's own meal kits . The main allure, of course, is the speed. You can walk in, grab a veggie wrap and walk out in a ma...

It was a week of firsts for the tech industry. Facebook finally got around to adding its first African American board member (because it's not like it's already 2018 or anything), a lifeguard drone made its first Hasselhoffian beach rescue, Ferrari announced that it is indeed working on its first electric supercar, and Kodak took a break from slapping its brand on cryptocurrency mining rigs to release the first footage from its upcoming hybrid Super 8 camera. Numbers, because how else will you put entrants in order? $70 : That's how much Nintendo's first cardboard-based Switch accessory , the Labo, will set your parents back once you finally wear them down and convince them to buy it for you. 18 : That's how many patients will participate in the first human CRISPR trials held in the US . The trial, put on by the University of Pennsylvania, seeks to replace two faulty genes as a means of combating multiple myeloma, melanoma and two types of sarcoma cancers. 2...

Google's Gboard for iOS is lagging a bit behind its Android counterpart, but a new update for iPhone users comes with a game changer. As The Verge has noticed, its dedicated GIF-maker button is no longer hidden at the bottom and now has a more prominent position on the keyboard, right on top beside the word suggestion bar. So accessible, and so convenient. It's made even better by the fact that it can now also record short video snippets using the front-facing camera, making it a veritable reaction GIF machine. Simply fire up the Make-a-GIF button and record a Loop, which is a three-second Boomerang-like format. Or a Fast-Forward that lets you record up to a minute of footage and spits out a sped-up GIF. While we can confirm the button's new placement on iOS, as you can see below, we don't see it on Android yet. (Take note, however, that we only saw the button's new placement when we re-installed the keyboard.) Gboard's app store pages don't have notes ...

With the electronics, mechanisms and simulations done, the miniature pinball game is starting to come together. Now it needs a great case. Remember, not every design element needs to be done on the computer first; sometimes it's better to get hands-on with foam board and start prototyping. Once the design is set, Ben can take the measurements and make the fine adjustments using computer-aided design tools and then begin laser cutting. Would you have designed this differently? What should the graphics look like? Let us know over on the element14 Community . via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2mXDidh"

Verizon's latest unlimited plans may have some undesirable... limits , but at least you won't have to pay for the more expensive plan the next time you're on a North American vacation. As of January 25th, the $75 Go Unlimited plan will include calling, data and text while you're in Canada or Mexico. This applies to both new and existing customers, so you won't have to touch a thing to surf the web in Vancouver. As with the Beyond Unlimited plan, though, there are some gotchas to watch out for. The big catch: you can't use more than 512MB of LTE data per day, with speeds throttling to 2G after that. That's fine for Instagram photos or checking your email, but you won't be watching TV shows on your trip to Cancun. Also, if more than half of your calling, texting or data is in Canada or Mexico during a 60-day period, you might see those international features "removed or limited." This isn't for travelers who regularly spend their time out...