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Tumblr users are turning to this app to resist the urge to self-harm

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Tumblr user icantaffordadiary has been going through a difficult time. The Oregon-based teenager has a history of depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts spanning back to their elementary school days. “I’m going through a particularly rough patch right now, and I’ve been self-harming again,” the Tumblr user tells The Verge via DM. But they’ve found comfort in an unusual place: an app called Calm Harm that aims to help users work through their urges. Calm Harm isn’t a new app; it launched in 2016 before being rebranded in July 2017. Its Google Play and App Store reviews are filled with people thanking its creators, or sharing their own success stories. But the app has found new popularity among Tumblr users, who are spreading the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DuV0PL"

Survival game ’We Happy Few’ is delayed until summer

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We've been excited about We Happy Few , the paranoia-fueled horror survival game set in a small English town, for awhile now . But it looks like we're going to have to wait a bit longer to play it. While the game was originally scheduled to be released in April 2018, it's been pushed back to sometimes this summer. The game's developers, Compulsion Games, took to YouTube to explain why exactly that's happening, as well as reveal information about a new character named Sally. You can see their video below. Upon play through, the team realized that the beginning of the story, which follows a man named Arthur, wasn't quite where they wanted it to be. It didn't live up to what the game eventually delivered. "The game didn't start as well as it should. So we went back to the drawing board and made a couple of big decisions: we brought forward a number of story moments, to get into the action faster, and also rebuilt the whole first island for Arthur...

Daily Deal - Angels Fall First, 40% Off

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Today's Deal: Save 40% on Angels Fall First !* 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 Sunday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2rnXxGA"

MoviePass will invest in films to have a stake in their success

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MoviePass' pseudo-unlimited subscription theater service is increasingly popular , but that doesn't mean it's profitable -- it currently has to subsidize tickets, which isn't exactly sustainable in the long run. The company's solution? Secure a stake in the movies themselves. It's launching a MoviePass Ventures subsidiary that will "co-acquire" films alongside distributors. While the details aren't entirely clear, MoviePass expects to benefit from the entire pipeline, whether it's the initial theatrical release, streaming services or in-flight viewing. The company is betting that its impact on movie performance will convince companies to hop aboard. MoviePass normally accounts for roughly 3 percent of US box office sales, but that figure has jumped to 10 percent or more when it uses its app and overall platform to influence viewing, such as The Post and The Shape of Water . In short: if MoviePass takes a share, it could do more to promote...

ISS astronauts will complete Challenger teacher’s science lessons

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On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during liftoff. Onboard were seven astronauts, one of which was teacher Christa McAuliffe. She was selected from over 11,000 applicants for the position of NASA's Teacher in Space. McAuliffe had plans to conduct lessons from Challenger; now those lessons will finally take place from the International Space Station . Over the next few months, astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold will conduct four of McAuliffe's six planned lessons, focusing on liquids, effervescence, chromatography and Newton's laws. They will be filmed and then posted online by The Challenger Center , which focuses on outreach to students about STEM topics in memory of the Shuttle and her crew. Acaba is a part of Expedition 53/54, which launched in September 2017 and is currently aboard the ISS. Arnold's mission to the space station will launch in March. Both Acaba and Arnold have teaching backgrounds and were chosen as educator-astronaut...

The HyperDrive USB-C hub / wireless charging stand might be the perfect desk accessory

The best digital piano for students

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By John Higgins This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter , reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After researching more than 80 digital console pianos and testing nine with a panel of professionals and amateurs, we think the Yamaha Arius YDP-181 is the best digital console piano for a student who doesn't want an acoustic piano because of space or budget considerations. Its action has a good feel, the piano sounds are excellent, the control panel is well laid out and easy to navigate, and the piano comes with a bench. It's an excellent choice for a beginning or intermediate student and should ease the transition to an acoustic instrument as they progress. Who this is for If someone in the household is showing an interest in the piano and wants to begin taking lessons, a digital piano is a great option. Unlik...

EU says social media is getting better at blocking hate speech

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In 2016, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube signed on to a European Union code of conduct, agreeing to review all reports of hate speech on their platforms within 24 hours and taking down flagged posts if necessary. The EU has kept close tabs on the companies' performances since signing and today EU officials reported that the tech giants had improved substantially since May of last year . "Today's results clearly show that online platforms take seriously their commitment to review notifications and remove illegal hate speech within 24 hours," said European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip. EU Commissioner Vĕra Jourová said in a press conference today that the social networks had together reviewed 81 percent of hate speech reports within 24 hours and removed 70 percent of reported posts. Last May, the four companies were managing to review 51 percent of reported hate speech within 24 hours and to remove just over 59 percent of that content, so today...

US regulators charge three bitcoin operators with fraud

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Today the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced that it has filed a federal civil enforcement action against three virtual currency operators. The details of one case remain sealed, but the other two companies facing charges are CabbageTech and Entrepreneurs Headquarters Ltd . The charges include fraud, misrepresentation, misappropriation and more, and are the first enforcement actions since the CFTC allowed trading bitcoin futures. Bitcoin has been on a rollercoaster recently. Its value has been in a freefall; two days ago, it tumbled below $10,000, losing half of its peak value in less than one month . According to Coinbase , it's risen a bit as of this writing. Bitcoin's value is currently in the mid-$11,000s. There are also fears that bitcoin and other cryptocurrency could threaten the security of the global economy; as a result, the US isn't the only country taking action. China is moving toward an "orderly exit" from bitcoin mining because ...

Canaries in the coal emissions: why climate change makes birds change their tune

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Nexus Media News Birdsongs may hold invaluable climate clues. Scientists are listening to the mating calls of migratory birds for shifts in breeding patterns as a result of climate change. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2rnGCE4"

Fitbit Ionic is a great smartwatch for this new dad

Google is patching a bug that slows down Wi-Fi networks connected to both Android and Chromecast devices

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Google is rolling out a patch today which will fix a bug that slows down Wi-Fi networks connected to both Android and Chromecast built-in devices. According to a blog post , Google said a bug in its Cast software on Android phones may incorrectly send a large amount of network traffic, which can slow down or temporarily impact Wi-Fi networks. The company notes that the impact to the network depends on which router you’re using. People with an Android phone and a Chromecast device, like Google Home, on the same Wi-Fi network are impacted by the bug. Google says it has identified the issue, and the fix will be issued via a Google Play service update. The company says users experiencing the problem should reboot their phones and check that... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2mVugyj"

OnePlus says up to 40,000 customers affected in credit card breach

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After learning that fraudulent charges were appearing on its customers' credit cards , smartphone maker OnePlus disabled support for credit card payments and launched an on-going investigation. The preliminary results are in, however, and they're definitely concerning. In a statement released today, OnePlus said credit card information belonging to up to 40,000 customers was captured by a malicious (and currently unknown) actor between November 2017 and mid-January 2018. OnePlus hasn't confirmed the number of customers whose captured payment information has been used for fraudulent purchases, noting instead that the number of affected users represented a "small portion" of its customer base. While it's true that millions of OnePlus smartphones have been sold since the Oppo spin-off set up shop in 2014, that's likely little consolation for the people directly involved. As a result of the breach, OnePlus says it's continuing to work with law enforceme...

OnePlus says up to 40,000 customers were affected by credit card security breach

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OnePlus has announced that up to 40,000 customers were affected by the security breach that caused the company shut down credit card payments for its online store earlier this week. The information is the result of an ongoing investigation with a third-party security agency into the breach that caused customers’ credit card information to be stolen while they were purchasing OnePlus products. Though reports of stolen credit card information and fraudulent purchases were only made in the past week, OnePlus says that the script that stole the data had been running on one of its payment processing servers since mid-November. The script was able to capture full credit card information, including card numbers, expiry dates, and security codes... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DQxDxJ"

David Chang’s Netflix series ‘Ugly Delicious’ debuts February 23rd

Amazon is raising the price of its monthly Prime membership from $10.99 to $12.99

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Amazon is raising the price on Prime memberships for customers who choose to pay monthly instead of the full year upfront. The cost is going up from $10.99 per month to $12.99, according to Recode . While the $2 extra per month may not sound like much, it’s an 18 percent increase that works out to an extra $24 per year. That raises the total annual cost for monthly membership to $156, instead of the previous $132. In other words, customers who subscribe to Prime on a monthly basis, either because they can’t afford the full annual price upfront, or choose not to commit to a year at a time, are now paying an even higher premium over the $99 annual subscription rate, which remains unchanged. Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2mP9Juw"