Geek News

Hatsune Miku VR / 初音ミク VR is Now Available on Steam and is 20% off!* World famous virtual singer Hatsune Miku invites you to her VR music game! Aim for the perfect score as she sings and dances to some of her most iconic songs. *Offer ends March 15 at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2IcU2qV"

Technology Services like Alexa and Siri work best when they emulate humans. Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, has been laughing at the wrong times. But it's good that it's trying. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2tu1gDp"

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said in a Periscope livestream today that the company is working to allow any user to become verified. “The intention is to open verification to everyone,” Dorsey says. “And to do it in a way that’s scalable, where [Twitter] is not in the way and people can verify more facts about themselves and we don’t have to be the judge or imply any bias on our part.” Dorsey didn’t elaborate further on what this process looks like, but other online communities, such as Airbnb , employ a user-submitted verification program that requires users to submit a Facebook profile, phone number, email address, or a government-issued photo ID. When Twitter first added the blue checkmark to indicate verified profiles, it was originally... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Hl8M5Y"

Space Meanwhile in space: dusty donuts, 50 launches, and pizza storms on Jupiter. You’re probably not going to go to space any time soon. But your name could. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2FpL3kl"

* Fixed Nullifier applying its Mute to sleeping units via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2txRTTu"

A new study done by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) says that Android users have higher brand loyalty than iOS users, as reported by TechCrunch . The report says that not only has Android loyalty been rising since early 2016, but it’s currently the highest it’s ever been. To measure current loyalty to each platform, the study looked at the percentage of US customers who stayed with their operating system after upgrading their phones in 2017. Ninety-one percent stayed with Android, while 86 percent stayed with iOS. Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP, tells TechCrunch that “With only two mobile operating systems at this point, it appears users now pick one, learn it, invest in apps and storage, and stick with it.” B... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FqlyQ0"

The Associated Press reports that a federal judge in Manhattan in a hearing today suggested that the president should maybe mute instead of blocking his critics on Twitter. The judge in Knight v. Trump encouraged the parties to reach a settlement, otherwise they ran the risk of establishing legal precedent they might not like. Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute sued the president in July of last year on behalf of seven Twitter users that were blocked by the president. The suit argues that Trump’s Twitter account is a “public forum” under First Amendment law, and that blocking critical voices imposes a viewpoint-based restriction that violates the First Amendment. In addition, blocking Twitter users theoretically... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2p2bo0L"

Environment Noise pollution is terrible for your health, but they want to find a solution. Silence is golden—and it shouldn't be luxury. These researchers are trying to figure out how to keep us safe from noise pollution in the busiest cities on earth. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2tsDAzw"

Over a year ago, when Hulu first previewed its live TV service , the company’s video teaser revealed a feature that still hasn’t arrived: mobile notifications. In that demo, a user got an alert about a basketball game with a tight score heading into the final minute of play. But months later, Hulu has yet to actually build mobile alerts — something that could help it stand out against Sling TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue — into the live TV service. That’s changing with this month’s March Madness tournament. Customers of Hulu with Live TV who choose their favorite March Madness team(s) will get a notification whenever a game involving those teams is about to get underway. Hulu has made a new portal for the basketball... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FCAcXK"

Spotify has launched Amplify , a new online hub that will serve to highlight and bring attention to various communities throughout the year. Different causes Amplify plans to focus on include mental health, LGBTQ rights, immigration, and gender equality. For its debut, Amplify is focusing on women to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. The hub is divided into several sections with titles like “Icons & influencers,” “Movements on the rise,” and “Her story,” all of which have themed playlists underneath with music and podcasts. There will also be a similar initiative on Spotify’s Latin hub, which will feature exclusive content, like a video interview with Demi Lovato focusing on the topic of gender equality. W... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2p09FZZ"

Science 500 Women Scientists, and counting, are changing the face of the field Scientists are people, and that means women too. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2Fsj1or"

Add Amnesia Collection to your account permanently and play for FREE starting now for a limited time! The Amnesia Collection includes both Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Once you click "Install Game" both games will remain in your account after the free period, so don't miss out on this opportunity to play these two dark survival horror games. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2oZl3VX"

Two weeks ago, I excitedly wrote the news that the Tap keyboard is now shipping . It’s a $149.99 Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, which slides onto your hand like brass knuckles and gives you typing powers if you can master its arcane system of “chords” to make letters. You can pair Tap with your phone, tablet, or computer, and it just works like any Bluetooth keyboard would. I got a review unit last Friday, and I’ve been simultaneously thrilled by Tap, and strongly disappointed. In my last write-up, I put forward some potential pros and cons. Things like: “Would it make me look lame?” And, “Will I be bad at it?” Today, I’m going to attempt to address my hopes and fears about the device. Also, as you might have noticed, I have embedded a... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FqOO96"

Untruthful news is 70 percent more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than true news, according to new research — and bots may not be to blame. In a paper published today in the journal Science , researchers analyzed the spread of all the stories verified (as either true or false) by six fact-checking organizations from 2006 to 2017. The analysis shows that false political news spreads more quickly than any other kind, like news about natural disasters or terrorism, and predictably, it spikes during events like the 2012 and 2016 US presidential elections. (The researchers deliberately use the term “false news” because “fake news” is too politicized, they write.) Though the Twitter accounts that spread untruthful stories were likely to... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FB356n"

Michael B. Jordan posted on Instagram last night that his film production company, Outlier Society Productions, will adopt inclusion riders for all their forthcoming projects. An inclusion rider is a clause in an actor’s contract where they can set out baseline diversity requirements for the cast and crew before the actor commits to a project. The concept was mentioned by Best Actress award-winner Frances McDormand during her acceptance speech and quickly went viral. “I’ve been privileged to work with powerful [women] & persons of color throughout my career & it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward,” Jordan wrote. Jordan joins Brie Larson ( Kong: Skull Island and The Glass Castle) , who said in a... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FEfYgk"

Save 50% on Project CARS 2 as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! The ultimate driver journey! Project CARS 2 delivers the soul of motor racing in the world’s most beautiful, authentic, and technically-advanced racing game. *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2HkBAev"

Snap will lay off “just over” 120 employees from its engineering team over the next few days, the company confirmed today. The layoffs, first reported by Cheddar , were announced in an email to Snap employees by Jerry Hunter, the company’s engineering chief. Cheddar ’s Alex Heath published a copy of the email on Twitter. Hunter said the layoffs are meant to streamline and unify Snap’s engineering team. He said the changes will allow the company to “[address] the technical debut that we have accrued over the years so that we can develop a product that engages customers and drives Snap forward.” That sounds like a really opaque way of saying that Snap’s product has never been known for its robust and efficient code, and with Instagram... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FDo1tG"

MoviePass has updated its iOS app today, with the changelog noting that the company has removed “unused app location capability,” as spotted by Engadget . The update comes after CEO Mitch Lowe made comments at the Entertainment Finance Forum in Los Angeles last week, claiming that the company was tracking users’ locations. “We watch how you drive from home to the movies. We watch where you go afterwards,” commented Lowe, according to a report from Media Play News . MoviePass issued a statement a few days later , commenting that the company is “exploring utilizing location-based marketing as a way to help enhance the overall experience by creating more opportunities for our subscribers to enjoy all the various elements of a good movie... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HeCmK0"

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is Now Available on Steam! The sequel to the critically acclaimed Vermintide is a visually stunning and groundbreaking melee action game pushing the boundaries of the first person co-op genre. Join the fight now! via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2Hhefuq"

Save 50% on Space Pirate Trainer as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2oUnbiG"

Google is now letting musicians post updates that will show up inside their “Knowledge Panel” — aka that card that pops up when you search for famous people. It’s another expansion of the Posts on Google feature that the company has been rolling out over the past few years that started with big companies and celebrities in 2016 and included local businesses last year . Along with the automatically generated content like YouTube videos and biographical information, musicians will now be able to post their own images, videos, GIFs, and text. If it sounds a lot like Twitter, that’s because it essentially is — right down to the verified blue checkmark that will let you know that posts are truly from the artist (or at least their permitted... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2p1oxHt"

Save up to 80% on 2Kgames as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2FsJUsg"

Today's Deal: Save 50% on Total War™: ROME II - Emperor Edition !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends March 15th at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2Ifl2WH"

Crest - an indirect god sim is Now Available on Steam! Become a god in this indirect god sim. Influence and try to control your followers using commandments but beware, free will leaves these open to interpretation. Will you create a flourishing civilization or lead them into cannibalism? via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2FBZcOx"

In a blog post today, Google is announcing that it’s formally embarking on a project to convince the group in charge of web standards to adopt technology inspired by its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) framework. In theory, it would mean that virtually any webpage could gain the same benefits as AMP: near-instantaneous loading, distribution on multiple platforms, and (critically) more prominent placement on Google properties. This sounds impenetrably dense and boring, but please don’t click away yet! This is important, a little tricky to understand, and critical to how the web and Google interact in the future. In many ways, Google’s success or failure in this endeavor will play a major role in shaping how the web works on your phone. If... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2tufvIA"

As the backlash against smartphones builds, and science lags, parents are waging a fraught battle with their kids and other parents Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2oUmK7N"