METABLOKS / DIGITAL

Wired

Alphabet's Dream of an 'Everyday Robot' Is Just Out of Reach

Google's parent is infusing robots with artificial intelligence so they can help with tasks like lending a supporting arm to the elderly, or sorting trash.

48 minutes ago

Wired

Alphabet's Dream of an 'Everyday Robot' Is Just Out of Reach

Wired

Meet the Elite Shot Putter Chasing a World Record

Ryan Crouser is one of the best shot put throwers in history. In this WIRED video, he talks about the limits of his sport?and how to break them.

1 hour ago

Wired

Meet the Elite Shot Putter Chasing a World Record

Wired

Fans May or May Not Get a Joker Sequel

Meanwhile, 2019's freshman class won this year's Grammy nominations.

2 hours ago

Wired

Fans May or May Not Get a Joker Sequel

Wired

Russia's "Sandworm" Hackers Also Targeted Android Phones

The Kremlin's uniquely dangerous hacker group has been trying new tricks.

3 hours ago

Wired

Russia's "Sandworm" Hackers Also Targeted Android Phones

Wired

Opinion: Blocking the Disabled on the Web Means Blocking Innovation

Disabled folks like Vint Cerf and Joybubbles helped birth today's digital world. But a lack of ADA compliance thwarts the innovators of tomorrow.

4 hours ago

Wired

Opinion: Blocking the Disabled on the Web Means Blocking Innovation

Wired

5 Best Rain Jackets for 2019: Lightweight, Hiking, and More

We test-drove more than a dozen rain jackets to get you outside this spring. These heavy and lightweight waterproof jackets kept us cool and dry in the city and on the trails.

4 hours ago

Wired

5 Best Rain Jackets for 2019: Lightweight, Hiking, and More

Techcrunch

Toyota's first plug-in hybrid RAV4 piles on the power and fuel efficiency

Toyota gave its first plug-in hybrid RAV4 more than just a plug. It piled on the power as well. The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime, which was unveiled this week at the LA Auto Show, will achieve two seemingly conflicting goals. The vehicle will be its most fuel efficient and one of its most powerful. This [...]

32 minutes ago

Techcrunch

Toyota's first plug-in hybrid RAV4 piles on the power and fuel efficiency

Techcrunch

Valve's flagship Half-Life VR game will land in March of 2020

As expected, Valve just dropped some details about Half-Life: Alyx, the flagship VR game it teased earlier this week.

32 minutes ago

Techcrunch

Valve's flagship Half-Life VR game will land in March of 2020

Techcrunch

Congress extends NSA call records collection powers to March

In passing a short-term funding bill to avoid a U.S. government shutdown, Congress has also extended the government's legal powers allowing it to collect daily millions of Americans' call records. Buried in a funding bill passed by the House this week was a clause that extended the government's so-called ...

44 minutes ago

Techcrunch

Congress extends NSA call records collection powers to March

Techcrunch

Daily Crunch: PayPal acquires Honey

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch's roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you'd like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here. 1. PayPal to acquire shopping and rewards platform Honey for $4B Currently, Honey's 17 million monthly active ...

1 hour ago

Techcrunch

Daily Crunch: PayPal acquires Honey

Techcrunch

BMW locks up 10.2 billion euro battery order ahead of EV onslaught

BMW announced Thursday it will spend more than 10 billion euros ($11.07 billion) on battery cells from Chinese battery cell manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co and Samsung SDI. The deal comes just days after BMW unveiled its first purely electric premium mid-size sedan called the i4. The ...

1 hour ago

Techcrunch

BMW locks up 10.2 billion euro battery order ahead of EV onslaught

Techcrunch

Splice teaches AI to sell Similar Sounds as users double

Splice is blowing up like a hit song. The audio sample marketplace has doubled revenue and user count in a year, and now reaches 3 million musicians. 70% of those visit weekly to hunt down the freshest and trendiest sounds that give their tracks that special something, and many pay $7.99 for unlimited ...

1 hour ago

Techcrunch

Splice teaches AI to sell Similar Sounds as users double

The Verge

Microsoft delays its new Surface Earbuds launch to spring 2020

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Microsoft had been planning to launch its new Surface Earbuds 'later this year,' but the company is now delaying the wireless earbuds to spring 2020. 'Product-making is about the relentless pursuit to get all the details right, which takes time' sometimes more ...

24 minutes ago

The Verge

Microsoft delays its new Surface Earbuds launch to spring 2020

The Verge

Half-Life: Alyx: everything you need to know about Valve's return to Half-Life

Half-Life is back. After more than a decade, Valve is returning to the iconic sci-fi universe with a brand-new VR game called Half-Life: Alyx. The new experience takes place before the events of Half-Life 2, and it marks not only the long-awaited continuation of the story, but also the developer's ...

46 minutes ago

The Verge

Half-Life: Alyx: everything you need to know about Valve's return to Half-Life

The Verge

Half-Life: Alyx is officially coming March 2020, and here's your first look

Valve "It's the next part of the Half-Life story" Continue reading…

48 minutes ago

The Verge

Half-Life: Alyx is officially coming March 2020, and here's your first look

The Verge

Valve says it would "love to continue pushing forward" on new Half-Life games

Today, Valve finally unveiled Half-Life: Alyx, its first full-fledged VR game and, more importantly, the developer's long-awaited return to the Half-Life series. The game will be out in March 2020, and it marks the first new Half-Life title since Episode 2 in 2007. And according to Valve, we might ...

48 minutes ago

The Verge

Valve says it would "love to continue pushing forward" on new Half-Life games

The Verge

Alphabet's Loon balloons will provide internet to remote parts of the Amazon next year

Image: Alphabet Alphabet's Loon announced today that it has signed a new commercial agreement with Internet Para Todos Perú to provide mobile internet connectivity to parts of the Amazon rainforest in Peru starting in 2020 (via TechCrunch). Loon will use its high-altitude internet balloons to ...

1 hour ago

The Verge

Alphabet's Loon balloons will provide internet to remote parts of the Amazon next year

The Verge

Boeing rolls out Starliner passenger spacecraft to launch site ahead of December flight

NASA/Cory Huston Early this morning, Boeing rolled its new passenger spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, out to the Florida launch site the vehicle is set to take off from next month. It's the first time that a spaceflight-ready version of the capsule has exited the hangar. Now the capsule will ...

1 hour ago

The Verge

Boeing rolls out Starliner passenger spacecraft to launch site ahead of December flight

Engadget

Verizon will preload Snapchat on 'select' 5G phones

Snap Inc. and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) announced today that they are "official 5G innovation partners." As part of the alliance, Verizon will preload the Snapchat app on "select" 5G devices and offer exclusive deals through its Verizon Up...

13 minutes ago

Engadget

Verizon will preload Snapchat on 'select' 5G phones

Engadget

Microsoft delays Surface Earbuds until spring 2020

Bad news if you were looking to get your hands on (or gift) Microsoft's surprisingly comfortable Surface Earbuds this holiday season: they won't be available until the spring. Panos Panay, chief product officer of the Microsoft Devices group, said th...

22 minutes ago

Engadget

Microsoft delays Surface Earbuds until spring 2020

Engadget

Facebook may restrict highly targeted political ads

Facebook may be reluctant to overhaul key parts of its political ad policies, but it appears willing to make a few changes to stop the spread of misinformation. Wall Street Journal sources say Facebook is mulling a ban on political ads that target sm...

35 minutes ago

Engadget

Facebook may restrict highly targeted political ads

Engadget

'Half-Life: Alyx' is a VR prequel set before the events of 'Half-Life 2'

After more than 12 years, Valve is officially returning to the Half-Life universe. Half-Life: Alyx is a "full-length" VR entry into the series -- but if you were thinking we'd finally find out what happened after the events of Half-Life 2: Episode Tw...

48 minutes ago

Engadget

'Half-Life: Alyx' is a VR prequel set before the events of 'Half-Life 2'

Engadget

Save $50 on Fitbit's new Versa 2 smartwatch at Amazon

While it's only been out since September, Fitbit's Versa 2 smartwatch is getting a decent discount ahead of Black Friday. Amazon is currently selling the silicone and woven band models for $149 and $180, down from their usual $200 and $230 price tags...

1 hour ago

Engadget

Save $50 on Fitbit's new Versa 2 smartwatch at Amazon

Engadget

Watch a 'transforming' drone blast out of a cannon

Researchers launched a drone from a pneumatic baseball pitching machine strapped to a truck traveling 50 miles per hour. They hope this ballistic launch method might lead to drones that are better suited for emergency response and space exploration m...

1 hour ago

Engadget

Watch a 'transforming' drone blast out of a cannon

Fast Company

Aspiring CEOs, do these 7 things if you want to get and keep a job as the top boss

Snagging an open CEO seat these days is tough: Today's departing CEOs cling to their jobs for an average of 10 years (up from 7 years a decade ago), and a stunning&xA0;9&xA0;out of 10 CEO hirings come from internal candidates (just two years ago, 40% of new CEO hires were external). &x201C;Boards are ...

5 hours ago

Fast Company

Aspiring CEOs, do these 7 things if you want to get and keep a job as the top boss

Fast Company

These 10 toys are supposedly the worst of 2019. Holiday shoppers, check this list twice

Holiday shopping has begun, and the children in your life are trying to stay on the nice, not naughty list. You don't want to be the one to buy them playthings that can injure them, right" Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm, or W.A.T.C.H. for short, has released its annual list of the 10 ...

6 hours ago

Fast Company

These 10 toys are supposedly the worst of 2019. Holiday shoppers, check this list twice

Fast Company

Ryan Reynolds invents the turducken of advertising, putting a Netflix ad inside an Aviation Gin ad inside a Samsung TV ad

The definition of shtick is&xA0;a gimmick, comic routine, or style of performance associated with a particular person. For Ryan Reynolds, that shtick is a hilarious–often profane–ability to mock pop culture while simultaneously creating it. Self-awareness as comedic shtick. And it works! Look no ...

6 hours ago

Fast Company

Ryan Reynolds invents the turducken of advertising, putting a Netflix ad inside an Aviation Gin ad inside a Samsung TV ad

Fast Company

This is what consuming sugar does to your brain

We love sweet treats. But too much sugar in our diets can lead to weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dental decay. We know we shouldn't be eating candy, ice cream, cookies, and cakes and drinking sugary sodas, but sometimes they are so hard to resist. It's as if our brain is hardwired to ...

6 hours ago

Fast Company

This is what consuming sugar does to your brain

Fast Company

Amazon's next gadget is a smart scale that orders office supplies when you run out of stuff

Amazon is adding a new connected gadget to its lineup, but it's strictly for office use. The Dash Smart Shelf is a Wi-Fi scale that can weigh a stack of paper, a bucket of pens, or other office supplies. Office managers can assign a specific product to the scale through the Amazon app, and when the ...

7 hours ago

Fast Company

Amazon's next gadget is a smart scale that orders office supplies when you run out of stuff

Fast Company

The Trump administration is canceling LGBTQ people on government websites

Researchers at the Web Integrity Project combed thousands of U.S. government web pages to trace how LGBTQ-related content has changed in two years under the Trump administration. It's not good: Antidiscrimination information has disappeared, along with LGBTQ data and resource pages in general. More ...

7 hours ago

Fast Company

The Trump administration is canceling LGBTQ people on government websites

Ars Technica

Dealmaster: Grab a spare PS4 controller for its Black Friday price of $40

Plus deals on Razer gaming mice, AirPods Pro, robot vacuums, and more.

29 minutes ago

Ars Technica

Dealmaster: Grab a spare PS4 controller for its Black Friday price of $40

Ars Technica

Half Life Alyx hits PC VR headsets in March 2020 [Updated]

New trailer helps show why Newell says "VR has energized us."

44 minutes ago

Ars Technica

Half Life Alyx hits PC VR headsets in March 2020 [Updated]

Ars Technica

Apple cancels theatrical premiere of its Oscar hopeful, The Banker

Sexual assault allegations surface against co-producer/son of a main character.

1 hour ago

Ars Technica

Apple cancels theatrical premiere of its Oscar hopeful, The Banker

Ars Technica

Google will pay $1.5 million for the most severe Android exploits

Big bump coincides with investments Google has poured into securing its Pixel phone.

1 hour ago

Ars Technica

Google will pay $1.5 million for the most severe Android exploits

Ars Technica

Google Assistant can now navigate websites, book movie tickets

The Assistant can automatically fill in your information, mash "next" buttons.

2 hours ago

Ars Technica

Google Assistant can now navigate websites, book movie tickets

Ars Technica

New map shows the strange terrain of Titan

Global map breaks landscape down into 6 categories.

4 hours ago

Ars Technica

New map shows the strange terrain of Titan

Recode

Tim Cook is just letting Trump lie about Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook talks to President Donald Trump as the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, looks on, at a meeting in the White House in 2017. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Trump keeps saying Apple just opened a plant in Texas. The problem: The facility in question has been around since ...

1 hour ago

Recode

Tim Cook is just letting Trump lie about Apple

Recode

On Frozen 2 and Disney's nostalgia problem

Elsa's back. | Walt Disney Pictures Disney used to always be looking forward. These days, it increasingly only looks back. Nobody was more nostalgic than Marcel Proust. The French novelist's six-volume masterwork In Search of Lost Time is narrated by a man who's remembering his youth, and ...

2 hours ago

Recode

On Frozen 2 and Disney's nostalgia problem

Recode

Google transformed the political advertising world with its reversal on targeting

Ivanka Trump and Google CEO Sundar Pichai arrive together at a roundtable discussion focused on assisting American workers for the changing economy, on October 3, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. | Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Google's decision puts new pressure on Facebook to change its policies on political ...

17 hours ago

Recode

Google transformed the political advertising world with its reversal on targeting

Recode

DoorDash and Uber Eats aren't collecting sales tax on delivery fees in some states. That could be a problem.

Discrepancies between the sales tax practices of companies like DoorDash, as well as its competitors like Uber Eats, Postmates, and Grubhub are raising questions | Getty It could be the latest business practice in the gig economy to raise regulatory questions. The food delivery company Grubhub ...

21 hours ago

Recode

DoorDash and Uber Eats aren't collecting sales tax on delivery fees in some states. That could be a problem.

Recode

"Knowledge workers" could be the most impacted by future automation

A staff member eats lunch in front of SoftBank Group Corporation's Pepper humanoid robots during the World Robot Challenge in Tokyo, Japan, on October 17, 2018. | Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images A new study of artificial intelligence suggests better-paid, better-educated workers might be more impacted ...

1 day ago

Recode

"Knowledge workers" could be the most impacted by future automation

Recode

Disney says it doesn't need data to make great shows

Disney's Kevin Mayer onstage with Recode's Peter Kafka at the 2019 Code Media conference. | Tori Stolper for Vox Media Netflix relied heavily on data to make programming decisions. Disney's been in the business long enough, it doesn't have to. When it comes to deciding what shows and films to ...

1 day ago

Recode

Disney says it doesn't need data to make great shows