Geek News

Space You can get too wet for life. But after so many years of looking for signs of water on other worlds, how could there possibly be a place where there’s too much water for life? Let’s take a look. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2DJjD7m"

Google is planning to adopt a blockchain-like ledger system, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg . Google will use the tech, the report states, as a means of differentiating its cloud business from rivals. The company would also supposedly license the ledger system so that other companies could run it on their own servers. Google was the second most active corporate investor in blockchain tech from the 2012 to 2017 period, according to CBInsights , just trailing after the Japan-based SBI Holdings. The company has also been investing and acquiring startups with digital ledger experience, the anonymous source told Bloomberg . Other major tech companies like IBM and Microsoft also have active investments in blockchain-style... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G0vD6l"

Twitter’s chief information security officer is leaving the company, sources familiar with the matter have told The Verge . Michael Coates, who joined the company in January 2015, is quitting to start his own company, sources said. Coates announced the move internally about three weeks ago, sources said, but had not announced the move externally. Twitter declined to comment. News of Coates’ departure comes on the same day that Michael Zelewski, director of information security engineering at Google, announced his departure from that company after 11 years. And it comes two days after reports that Alex Stamos, Facebook’s chief security officer, plans to leave the company in August . The departures come at a time when tech companies are... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2pzbaie"

Sharp launched the Aquos S3 Mini in China today, a budget smartphone with average specs and an edge-to-edge screen design that looks surprisingly commonplace. This is essentially the same design Sharp has been using for years. A few months ago , this design stood out for its narrow bezels and a screen that took up almost the entire front face of the device. But Sharp hasn’t changed much about its design in the past couple years. Meanwhile, a parade of new smartphones have adopted this very look. And so what until recently was a standout design now ends up looking... average. The Aquos S3 mini has a 5.5-inch curved glass display with (gasp) a notch and a somewhat measly 87.5 percent screen-to-body ratio with a slightly higher than 1080p... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2GS10Ba"

Multiple sources tell Tech C runch that Google is acquiring Lytro, an imaging startup that specializes in light-field technology. According to Tech C runch , one source says the deal is an “asset sale” and the company is being bought for no more than $40 million. Another source says the asking price is $25 million and that it had already been shopped around to other companies, including Facebook. At stake are Lytro’s 59 patents related to light-field and digital imaging technologies. The company, founded in 2006, created the first consumer camera to utilize the technology , resulting in the camera’s ability to refocus photos to any part of the image after they’re taken. Lytro’s cameras do this by capturing all the rays of light from a scene,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FSpflR"

Technology Your Facebook account is spraying your personal info onto the internet like a hose. Here's how to stop it. You don't need to stop using Facebook, but you should stop using it so poorly. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2puSU9G"

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has announced further limits it’ll be placing on apps that gain access to your account. Developers will now receive less information in the first place, they’ll be cut off from access when people stop using their app, and they’ll have to get Facebook’s approval to access more detailed information. By default, developers using Facebook Login will now receive only a user’s name, profile photo, and email address when someone signs in through Facebook. Further information, such as their Facebook posts, will require the developer to receive permission from Facebook. It’s not clear how robust of a process this will be (they’ll have to “sign a contract”), and it’s not clear if Facebook... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2IHZZw7"

The Elder Scrolls Online - Summerset is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam. Join over 10 million players in the award-winning online multiplayer RPG and experience limitless adventure in a persistent Elder Scrolls world. Be part of an ever-expanding story across Tamriel and travel to the stunning home of the High Elves to save the world from destruction in the latest Chapter of ESO. Pre-Purchase today to immediately receive the Morrowind Chapter and Nightmare Senche mount, along with the Queen's Bounty Pack at launch! You can also try the Elder Scrolls Online for free until 10am Pacific on 3/28! If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play The Elder Scrolls® Online. If you don't have Steam, you can download it here . via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2IF5Ouk"

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be interviewed by CNN’s senior tech correspondent Laurie Segall today, with the segment airing during Anderson Cooper 360 at 9PM ET this evening. The news, announced on Twitter CNN host Brian Stelter , is a pivotal moment for Facebook as it grapples with the severe aftermath of the ongoing Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal , which has embroiled the social networking company in one of its most high-profile and far-reaching controversies in its entire 14-year history. Not only is Zuckerberg going on television a very rare occurrence these days, but the Facebook chief executive has been notably silent about the scandal since the company first acknowledged last Friday that Cambridge Analytica, a data... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2pvvUY5"

Hublot is the official timekeeping sponsor of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, so, of course, it has developed a special edition watch for the football tournament. The Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia runs Wear OS ( Android Wear got a rebrand , if you didn’t hear), and has the same Intel Atom Z34XX processor that powers 2017’s Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 . (Hublot and Tag Heuer are both owned by the LVMH conglomerate.) The Big Bang Referee has a 35.4mm watchface, 400 x 400 AMOLED screen, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and “around one day” of battery life from its 410mAh battery. What makes the watch special, in addition to its limited run of 2,018 pieces and roughly $5,200 price tag, is the wide assortment of World Cup-themed software... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G7t0Dh"

Amid criticism over the way it handles customer information , Facebook made changes to the way users can join group chats in Messenger. The company said Wednesday it now requires people trying to get into a group chat to be approved by an admin. Facebook says this will be useful for large group chats where all the members may not be connected. Admin abilities can also be adjusted between users. Group chats support up to 250 members. Users can be invited with a new sharable link, the company says. “Anyone in a group chat can create a custom invite link and share it with someone they’d like to join the conversation,” Facebook wrote in its press release. “People who tap the link will either be added to the group automatically if approvals... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2puiFrh"

Mark Zuckerberg has finally responded to the furor over Facebook’s handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In a post today, he said he is working to prevent similar abuses of user privacy. “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post . “I’ve been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. The good news is that the most important actions to prevent this from happening again today we have already taken years ago. But we also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.” They were Zuckerberg’s first remarks since reports in The New York Times and The Guardian revealed the extent to... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FUErio"

Technology These puzzles range from easy to pull-your-hair-out hard. These cuboid puzzles are designed to challenge your mind and your patience. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2DKl9pG"

Google Maps for iOS has introduced a new feature in version 4.47 that shows the average waiting time for over a million restaurants at different parts of the day, as reported by Engadget . When looking up a restaurant, Google Maps will now show by hour how busy a restaurant usually is, and the average wait time to get seated. This could be helpful in instances where restaurants don’t take reservations, or if you’re looking to make spur-of-the-moment plans. In addition, the new update also includes more information when traveling by public transit, letting you know which entrance you need to go into. That feature is currently available in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris, Los Angeles, Delhi, Moscow, Singapore, Madrid, Barcelona, Kiev,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FQPJUx"

YouTube is going to start serving heavy music listeners more ads in the hopes of annoying them into becoming paid subscribers to the company’s upcoming new music service , according to YouTube’s global head of music Lyor Cohen in an interview at SXSW, via Bloomberg . While that no doubt will be frustrating to users who treat the site like a free streaming alternative, it’s a move that makes a lot of sense for YouTube. After all, Spotify has more or less been using the same business model to convert free users to its paid premium tiers for years, and it currently leads the streaming industry in overall subscribers. “There’s a lot more people in our funnel that we can frustrate and seduce to become subscribers,” says Cohen. The strategy of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G8Y2dV"

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded. General Reduced CPU usage of Steam when redrawing the UI, such as when the mouse is moved back and forth over part of the Library view Improved behavior when re-installing from retail discs or backup files, preferring to avoid downloads whenever possible Fixed an issue where corrupt workshop items could be re-downloaded endlessly Fix for new Steam Workshop item requests not being downloaded due to the “Only Allow Auto-Updates During Specific Hours” feature being enabled Fixed an issue where the in-game overlay could crash or become unresponsive in some Vulkan-based games Improved some cases where chat text was incorrectly treated as a clickable URL when it should not have been Fixed an issue where games could no longer be launched in offline mode if Steam had previously started or scheduled an update Windows Added high-DPI monitor support when running under Windows 10 with the 2017 Creators Upda...

Gadgets Put on a good podcast and get to work. Spring cleaning products to make your house shine. Read on. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2HSEfMO"

Epic Games today announced that it’s developed a new replay editor for its Unreal Engine so that game developers can create more streamlined highlight-making tools for players. The news, announced as part of Epic’s annual “State of Unreal” show at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, means that it will be easier than ever to take recordings of game footage and edit them into professional-looking clips for YouTube. Epic even flew out British YouTube personality and Twitch streamer Alastair “Ali-A” Aiken to demo the feature with a custom Fortnite Battle Royale video he made with help from the Epic team. Epic is stressing that this tool will be available for all developers using the Unreal Engine, meaning it won’t be restricted... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FRrTYT"

YouTube has updated its policy on content featuring firearms, expanding the list of accessories that cannot be featured in videos that sell them or instruct users how to manufacture or install these accessories, reports Motherboard . Under the new restrictions, accessories that cannot be featured in videos that intend “to sell firearms or certain firearms accessories through direct sales” or “links to sites that sell these items” include those that enable a firearm to simulate automatic fire or convert a firearm to automatic fire (including bump stocks, gatling triggers, drop-in auto sears, and conversion kits), and high-capacity magazines. Videos can also no longer provide instructions on converting firearms to automatic or simulated... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HSK0ud"

As part of a $10 million “media literacy” initiative, popular video channels are being enlisted to help combat conspiracy videos Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HSJ34T"

Spotify is now available on 2017 Cadillac vehicles through a new, dedicated app that doesn’t require your phone, Bluetooth, or something like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to use. The Spotify app, which you can install from the app shop on Cadillac’s infotainment system, streams music while you’re driving by relying on the car’s LTE mobile data connection. (The app caches several songs ahead of your current position in a playlist, just in case you drive through a cellular dead zone.) The app’s layout and looks closely resemble what you’re already familiar with from spending countless hours playing Spotify on your smartphone. Four main virtual buttons give you quick access to Home, Recently Played, Your Library, and Browse. All of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2u4HQ8y"

Instagram is making a minor, albeit useful change to user bios today: whenever you mention another account or hashtag in your profile, it’ll display an actual link that other users can tap through. So, for example, I’ve got @verge listed in my profile. Before this change, it was just regular text and not a proper link. But Instagram has gotten around to changing that. And if you have a beloved hashtag, you can also put that in your bio, and it will link out to recently uploaded photos that have the same hashtag in their description or comments. Instagram added the ability to follow hashtags in your main feed — right alongside posts from the people you follow — back in December. But if you want to include a real link to a URL outside... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2GeJuJF"

If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad, Apple’s Siri voice assistant will read out your lock screen notifications for apps even when you’ve turned off previews for the content inside them — and without making sure it’s you. This doesn’t work for iMessages and SMS texts; Siri always requests that you unlock your device before reading aloud what’s in those messages. But for other apps such as third-party email apps, Facebook Messenger, Slack, and many more, Siri will just spout off details about the notification without checking that it’s the right person asking to hear them. Mac Magazine uncovered the unfortunate oversight, and 9to5Mac also reported on it. The problem is reportedly still present in beta versions of iOS 11.3. It’s not... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HRxwCP"

Today's Deal: Save 75% on Grim Dawn !* 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 Friday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2GbDMrW"

Netflix launched a bug bounty program today that is open to the public. Now, anyone can catch security bugs on the platform and point them out in exchange for cash rewards. Netflix says that the highest payout so far is a $15,000 reward for identifying a “critical vulnerability.” It evaluates each vulnerability found for its “impact” to judge how much the reward should be. The bounty program had been privately available to select users since September 2016. Opening up a bug bounty program to the public and offering small payouts is something that many tech companies such as Samsung and Microsoft do, as a more cost-efficient way of identifying vulnerabilities. If several white hat hackers can locate critical bugs, that may cost less for... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2IHfjcG"

Science They hang between life and death in a delicate balance. When you look at the stresses freediving places on our physiology, it initially looks almost impossible that anyone should be able to dive to such profound depths—and… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2HRw17F"