Geek News

Ball lightning (those bright spheres of light during some thunderstorms) remains mysterious despite decades of study. But how are you supposed to get a better look at it in a lab? Researchers might have discovered how through a happy accident: create a tangled atomic mess. They created a Shankar skyrmion, a quasiparticle whose artificial magnetic field, it turns out, mimics the electrical and magnetic fields of ball lightning. The team applied a magnetic field to a Bose-Einstein condensate (a state of matter for boson gas cooled to near absolute zero), in this case made of rubidium, to get the atoms to spin along the surface of a ball yet twist inside that ball. It sounds complex (and it is), but it leads to one clear advantage: you can take snapshots of the gas and examine the inner workings of its structure. This could help understand the behavior of ball lightning, of course, but it could be also be useful for the next generation of computing. Quantum computers need to maintain ...

Opposition to the FCC's repeal of net neutrality grew this week, as six more tech companies filed suit against it. Etsy, Kickstarter, Foursquare, Shutterstock, Automattic and Expa petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit as part of a group called the Coalition for Internet Openness. The group's goal is to stop the FCC from overturning the rules that ensure a free and open internet. "We believe that everyone has the right to access information on places, spaces and people, and that business leaders and brands need to be able to interpret trends and patterns as they truly exist," said Marc Ellenbogen, Foursquare's chief compliance officer and general counsel. This is just the latest group pledging to fight the FCC. Earlier this year, internet giants like Amazon, Facebook, Google, Netflix and Twitter sued the regulatory body as part of the Internet Association lobbying group. 23 attorneys general have also filed a challenge to the repeal, and the ...

This week we double up on Marvel releases as Thor: Ragnarok is available on Blu-ray (in 4K and HDR), and Netflix premieres season two of its Jessica Jones series. For gamers Life is Strange: Before the Storm wraps up its episodic run with a bonus episode and boxed set release, while The Darwin Project launches in Early Access on PC and Xbox One. Amazon Prime is streaming the second season of Sneaky Pete and NBC starts the next season of Timeless. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed). Blu-ray & Games & Streaming Thor: Ragnarok (4K) I, Tonya (VOD) Blue Planet II (4K) Lady Bird The Dark Crystal (4K) Death Wish (Steelbook) Duck, You Sucker Lords of Dogtown The Strangers Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Farewell (PC, Xbox One, PS4) Way of the Passive Fist (PS4, PC) North (PS4, Xbox One) Scribblenauts Showdown (Switch, PS4) Fear Effect Sedna (PS4, Xbox One) Final Fa...

MoviePass' approach to gathering viewer data might raise eyebrows. According to Media Play News , CEO Mitch Lowe told those at a business forum that the movie subscription service's app not only tracks your location, but follows you to and from the theater. "We watch how you drive from home to the movies," he said, adding that "we watch where you go afterwards." Not surprisingly, the company is hoping to understand customer habits and "build a night at the movies." If people tend to have dinner before the movie or to have a drink afterwards, for example, MoviePass could steer customers to restaurants and bars and take a cut of the revenue. It's no secret that MoviePass would want to collect at least some data. It can use that to help movie studios gauge how well their shows are really doing, which is particularly important now that MoviePass has a stake in some productions . However, the company doesn't tell you that it's actively t...

Amazon's sports documentary series All or Nothing is coming back next month for a third season and this time it follows the Dallas Cowboys . The eight-episode season starts off on a handful of positive notes -- owner Jerry Jones was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and head coach Jason Garrett is 2016's NFL Coach of the Year. But it's not all good news. The league suspends running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games following an investigation into allegations of repeated instances of domestic violence -- a decision that was then appealed and put on hold multiple times. And the team is put in the spotlight over its and Jones' response to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Ultimately, the Cowboys' season, full of ups and downs, ends just short of the playoffs. All or Nothing , which followed the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams in previous seasons, won a Sports Emmy last year. Like past seasons, All or Nothing: The Dallas Cowboy...

While Facebook and Twitter have continued to delve into how Russian groups used their platforms to influence the last US presidential election , we haven't heard much from Reddit about the issue. However, in a post today , Reddit CEO Steve Huffman shared some findings from the company's investigation, describing what it has uncovered so far and how it has responded. First, Huffman says that the company has been pretty quiet about the topic because its investigation is ongoing but that there are some findings he would like to share regarding ads, direct propaganda from Russians and indirect propaganda spread by Reddit users. When it comes to ads, Huffman says that the company hasn't found many originating from Russia before or after the election and that currently, all ads from Russia are blocked altogether. As for direct propaganda, Reddit's investigation has uncovered and removed a few hundred accounts. "The vast majority of suspicious accounts we have found...

Bentley has been promising a hybrid version of its Bentayga SUV for over 3 years, and it's finally here... although you might not want to pat yourself on the back if you buy one. The simply-titled Bentayga Hybrid delivers the same ultra-luxurious design of the regular model, but replaces the usual powerplant with a 3.0L V6 and an electric motor. However, that motor will only get you about 31 miles of pure electric driving -- fine if you're a footballer driving to the local nightclub, but not very useful for visiting family. It's meant more to offset the lousy fuel economy from the V6, which musters just 12MPG in the city and 19MPG on the highway. You do get some perks that you won't find in many other PHEV models. For one, famed designer Philippe Starck crafted the charging station -- you may not mind that it takes 2.5 hours to top up, but at least you'll have something pretty to look at while you wait. Also, Bentley uses the GPS positioning to calculate the be...

If looking for more nostalgic content from episodic prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm , you're in luck. A new bonus episode, titled "Farewell," is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Steam (PC). It stars Chloe and Max's original voice actors Ashly Burch and Hanna Telle, too, so you know it will be up to snuff. In addition, the boxed retail version of the game will launch March 6th in the US, with PAL versions available on Friday, March 9th. The box will contain a physical art book and the licensed soundtrack on CD. Before the Storm is set in Arcadia Bay three years before the events of the first game, Life is Strange . You play as 16-year-old Chloe Price as she makes friends with Rachel Amber, a popular girl who seems set for success until a family secret threatens to destroy it all. "We can't wait for fans to play 'Farewell.' Max's return is the perfect way to end the season and we can't wait for fans to experience Life ...

After a little bit of back and forth , it appears that the White House's meeting with the video game industry is on. At today's press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that a meeting will take place this Thursday, March 8th. Separately, the Entertainment Software Association, which has many of the top software publishers (and all three major console manufacturers) as members, confirmed that it would be participating in the meeting. The ESA's full statement follows below. Video games are enjoyed around the world and numerous authorities and reputable scientific studies have found no connection between games and real-life violence. Like all Americans, we are deeply concerned about the level of gun violence in the United States. Video games are plainly not the issue: entertainment is distributed and consumed globally, but the US has an exponentially higher level of gun violence than any other nation. The upcoming meeting at the White H...

GBoard is great for accessing Google without leaving iMessage, but, unless you're already using it as your default keyboard, switching back and forth is clunky. That should change with today's update for the Google app on iOS . Now the Google app is available within the iMessage app drawer and it offers weather forecasts, trending news and location-based information in addition to GIFs, YouTube videos and search. And within the Google app itself on iPad, you can drag a link, image or text into iMessage or the Notes app for safe keeping. Cool. In other iOS love, if you're a Safari fan, now when you share a website using the Google dialog option, you'll be presented with other items related to the URL at hand. The iMessage tools are only available in the US at the moment, which is a little inconvenient. The Giphy extension is hit-or-miss and Apple's own GIF search is stringent in terms of results, so hopefully a global roll-out is imminent. As TechCrunch notes...

Walmart isn't content to sell third-party meal kits in its bid to take on Amazon and Blue Apron. It's launching its own line of kits that will give you a meal for two without hunting down and preparing ingredients. The kits cost between $8 and $15, and range from one-step-and-you're-done offerings like a pot roast (above) to more flexible pre-portioned kits like steak Dijon. The kits are available right now in 250 stores. They'll be available in over 2,000 stores by the end of 2018, and you'll have the option of grabbing them through the company's Online Grocery Pickup service. These aren't quite the same as the kits you tend to get through the likes of Blue Apron, which tend to involve more preparation and more original creations. However, there's no question about Walmart's intentions: it's hoping you'll grab its kits on the way home rather than subscribe to an internet delivery service. You might have to go out of your way, but you...

Waze just updated its Carpool app , giving drivers and riders more control over who they'll be sharing a ride with. If you're not familiar with the app, Waze Carpool sets up drivers and riders who are headed in the same direction and those behind the wheel get a bit of cash from the individuals they're transporting. The fees are low, since they're meant to just cover driving costs, not be a source of income, and the app is meant to encourage ride-sharing in the name of reduced traffic and benefits to the environment. With yesterday's update, Carpool users will no longer be blindly matched. Instead, using star ratings, profile information and connections to your job or friends, you can choose who you'll be riding with. Those with routes most similar to yours will appear at the top of list. Additionally, users can now filter riders by gender or choose to ride with their coworkers only and can send multiple ride or drive requests in order to up their chances of...

Volkswagen's I.D. platform just got its flagship product, the Vizzion. The electric vehicle will have a range of about 370 miles (600 kilometers) via a 111kWh battery pack, two motors for all-wheel-drive capabilities and will be ready for autonomous driving. The vehicle was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show and is part of Volkswagen's electrification roadmap of 50 new electric vehicles on the road by 2025. Like the rest of the I.D. vehicles, it's built using the MEB platform which the automaker says will make its cars less expensive and can offer up long EV ranges. During the presentation, the automaker called the Vizzion, "it's most emotional and customized Volkswagen." The idea is that when people are not driving, they want an environment that suits their needs. Volkswagen noted that we would learn about the vehicle during its press conference tomorrow at the Geneva Motor show. But what we know now is that it'll have 300 horsepower, a top speed of...

If you grew up with video games as a kid, you probably struck a deal with your parents: pass a school test with flying colors and you can play more. Tencent wants to formalize those arrangements. Chief executive Ma Huateng has proposed digital contracts that offer game time to kids (for Tencent games, of course) in return for either reaching certain academic criteria or performing chores around the home. He wasn't specific about when these agreements would be available, but he noted that children could have their friends witness the signing of a contract. This isn't an altruistic gesture. Tencent's Honor of Kings ( Arena of Valor in the US ) has been so popular and addictive in its native China that the mobile multiplayer title now has time limits to prevent kids from playing too long. Between that and a degree of Chinese government pressure (games like HoK have been likened to "opium" by one delegate), Tencent has an incentive to implement its own limits b...

Before packing my bags for Spain, I took stock of my inbox for MWC meeting requests . A quick search showed I had more than 100 emails about 5G . "Solutions for cloud-based 5G infrastructures," one read. "5G is happening," another proclaimed. "Meet with XX 5G exec?" "XX invites you to experience the new 5G era." From demos of super fast phones and connected street lights, to obscure infrastructure projects that will actually form the backbone of 5G, the thirst was real. Cut to the first official day of the show , and it was almost impossible to avoid the in-your-face signs attempting to lure you to "5G open innovation" demos. Everywhere we turned, we were confronted with yet another banner. This isn't surprising of course, 5G is very much a mobile communications standard and we were in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, after all. This isn't the first time 5G news has permeated MWC -- in years past, we saw companies show...

Now that Waymo's long-running lawsuit against Uber is finally settled , the two companies are free to cozy up to a possible partnership. According to a report at The Information , Uber executives, led by new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, have been looking for a way to get Uber riders into Waymo 's autonomous cars. Even though Waymo is already collaborating with Lyft , a working relationship with Uber would likely help the Google-owned autonomous car division get more of its self-driving cars on the road. Uber would be able to stay competitive with its largest rival, too, without falling too far behind in the public consciousness. There's no indication, says The Information , that Waymo is ready to make a deal, however. Still, CEO Khosrowshahi is aware that Waymo's self-driving systems are more advanced than Uber's own , the site's sources note, and would benefit from working with the Alphabet company. Source: The Information via Engadget RSS Feed "http://if...

Facebook began testing a "breaking news" label for developing stories back in November, and now the social network is expanding the option to more publishers. Starting this week, the company says 50 more outlets in North America, Latin America, Europe and Australia will be privy to the tag. That's in addition to the "small group of local and national publishers" that are already using it. If all goes well, Facebook said it may offer the option to even more publishers in the future. As the image above illustrates, the tag adds a red "breaking" label beside the time and source as an attempt to make those posts more visible in the News Feed. The feature can be applied to Instant Articles , links and Facebook Live videos. Publishers included in the test can use the tool once a day and set a time limit for how long the story is breaking news -- up to six hours. There's also an option for readers to report if they don't think a story deserves t...

In the 80s, Roland drum machines were at the epicenter of hip hop, house, techno, acid house and other music genres. The 808, 909, 707, and 606 helped create the beats of some of your favorite songs. But if you wanted to pick up any of these vintage drum machines today, you'd probably end up dropping thousands of dollars. Fortunately, Roland just made getting all those vintage drum sounds a lot easier and cheaper with its new TR-8S, drum machine. The successor to the Aira TR-8 introduced four years ago, takes what the company learned from that drum machine and fine-tuned it into a more capable and feature-rich drum machine that's ready to mix and mash all those genres along with a few more with a just a few twists and button pushes. I got a chance to try out the new $699 TR-8S and during a hands-on and I came away impressed with what Roland has accomplished with the machine. Right off the bat, my favorite new feature is the ability to import and play stereo or mono samples....

Would it surprise you to hear that Netflix's Black Mirror series is popular enough to justify more episodes? No? Well, we're going to let you know regardless: Netflix has confirmed that Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones' technology-gone-wrong anthology show has been renewed for a fifth season. It's not offering a release window or further details, but it's safe to presume that Black Mirror will continue to explore new concepts and formats. Brooker has been adamant about wanting to avoid rehashing familiar ideas. For Netflix, a fifth season is practically music to its ears. The streaming giant has been orchestrating a major sci-fi push as of late between Altered Carbon , Mute and its upcoming Lost in Space reboot, and more Black Mirror bolsters that effort. It's also relatively rare in that Netflix doesn't release every episode at once -- Black Mirror s seasons typically arrive in two releases, giving you a reason to come back even if you're the...

Last week, Switch users began to notice that their activity log data had reset and play time from before March 3rd had been deleted. A number of Redditors reported the loss of play time data while a few of us here at Engadget noticed the reset as well. And for those who got a Switch when it launched last March , that could mean that up to a year of activity had suddenly disappeared. Nintendo has now commented on the issue and if you're a Switch user you can breathe easy. Your data isn't gone. Some Nintendo Switch owners' play activity info is displaying incorrectly, but play activity is still being recorded accurately in the background. A future system update will resolve this issue & ensure play time data is correctly displayed. We apologize for the inconvenience. — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 5, 2018 In a tweet, Nintendo said that for some users, activity information is displaying incorrectly. However, players' true activity is still be...