First Look Media launches Topic, to provide a more meaningful streaming service
Topic from First Look Media officially went live on Thursday, and it’s not your average streaming service. Here, you’ll find thoughtfully curated content as an additional component to your entertainment life: Everything from three-minute shorts, to documentaries, monologues, original series, and more.
Elon Musk says Tesla will build a European Gigafactory outside of Berlin
Tesla is adding another engineering and design center location, as well as another “Gigafactory,” in Berlin, Germany. The latest Gigafactory joins other facilities in Nevada and New York, as well one in Shanghai that's currently under construction. Musk said it would be located near a Berlin airport.
The Simpsons is in the wrong aspect ratio on Disney+ and it’s cutting off jokes
Disney+ debuted Tuesday with nearly every episode of The Simpsons available to binge, but not everyone is happy with the fact that the show's early seasons can only be streamed in widescreen. A majority of the episodes have been cropped for that aspect ratio, cutting out some of the show's visual gags.
Disney+ problems: Demand crashes service just hours after debut
On the much-anticipated debut day of Disney+, many subscribers are experiencing glitches with the service and are unable to properly connect to the platform. Many subscribers are reporting an error message that says “unable to connect," while other users are unable to see the Disney+ app in Apple’s App Store.
Twitter announces it will ban all political ads starting in November
Twitter announced on Wednesday that it will stop hosting political ads on its platform, with CEO Jack Dorsey saying that allowing targeted paid political ads pushes unwanted messages on users, especially by ad buyers who can game the system. The new ban goes into effect on November 22.
Juul sold tainted pods to people ‘drunk and vaping like mo-fos,’ lawsuit claims
A new lawsuit filed against Juul Labs on Tuesday claims the company shipped out one million contaminated e-cigarette products without telling anyone. Juul's former senior vice president of finance, Siddharth Breja, alleges that batches of Juul’s mint e-liquid were found to be contaminated in March.
Quick thinking and an Apple Watch helped save a woman from sexual assault
A woman in Calgary, Alberta used an Apple Watch to call for help after a man broke into her apartment and attempted to sexually assault her, authorities said. After the man allegedly broke into her home, she was able to use her Apple Watch to text her boyfriend, asking him to call the police.
Congress shows Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg no mercy during Libra hearing
Lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the platform’s proposed Libra cryptocurrency and the social media giant's practices as a whole during a wide-ranging hearing on Wednesday morning.
Zuckerberg says it’s not Facebook’s job to worry about misleading political ads
Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook won't be banning political ads, even if they contain false information, during a speech at Georgetown University on Thursday. The Facebook CEO argued that political advertising is more transparent on Facebook, and that they are an essential form of free speech.
Annie Leibovitz didn’t expect to love the Google Pixel 4’s camera
Annie Leibovitz was skeptical of the Google Pixel 4, but ended up liking it much more than she expected, the legendary photographer said during Tuesday’s Made By Google Event, where the company unveiled the smartphone and other new Google products.
See what a black hole looks like up close in NASA’s incredible new visualization
NASA released a visualization of what a warped black hole might look like, and it’s mesmerizing to see. The video simulates how a black hole’s dense gravity would distort our view, resulting in a warped image that resembles a reflection in a carnival mirror.
Twitch gets new logo, brand redesign inspired by gamer community
Twitch has a new look, including a refreshed logo, that the company said was inspired by Twitch’s vibrant gamer community. The most noticeable difference is the logo, which features a more bold font inspired by retro game aesthetics. There’s also a new color palette that includes two dozen new colors.
Boston Dynamics shows off Atlas robot doing parkour in new video
In a new video, the Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, known as Atlas, shows off in an impressive a gymnastic routine, complete with somersaults, handstands, jumps, and turns. The company also released an additional video the Spot robot’s launch, showing off how it can benefit companies or organizations.
Facebook launches interactive augmented reality ads that let you try on makeup
Facebook is rolling out new interactive ads to its News Feed that include augmented reality experiences that let you play games or see how makeup looks on your skin. The new ads would also include polls and even games you can play without downloading them to your phone.
Facebook’s new oversight board could overturn Mark Zuckerberg’s decisions
Facebook gave more details about its Supreme Court for content decisions -- an oversight board that would have the ability to overrule CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The board would have the final say on taking down content and recommendations for further changes.
Sixth person dies from mystery vaping-related lung illness
Authorities in Kansas have confirmed another death caused by a mystery vaping-related lung disease, making it the sixth vaping death so far in the U.S. Other deaths have been confirmed in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Oregon.
Apple Music on the web exits beta and readies for the One World concert
After seven months of beta testing, Apple Music on the web is now ready for prime time, right on the cusp of the One World: Together At Home benefit concert.
Facebook will spend $10 million and offer a cash prize to detect deepfakes
Facebook will offer a cash prize to the person or group that can build a next-generation way to detect deepfakes -- and it's even creating its own original deepfakes for participants to work with as part of the new Deepfake Detection Challenge. The deepfakes will feature paid actors, so no user data will part of the program.
Third-generation Snapchat Spectacles capture photos and video in 3D
Snap Inc. announced new Spectacles sunglasses on Tuesday so that you can capture your world in a 3D view. The Spectacles 3 glasses have two cameras on both sides of the frames that can capture depth and dimension, similar to how our eyes see the world, so your followers can see from your perspective.
What would breaking up Big Tech companies mean for you?
Breaking up Big Tech would have a massive impact on Silicon Valley. But if the government used its antitrust powers to break up Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple, would you even notice the effects in your day-to-day life? We spoke to experts to find out the impact it would have on regular people
Sen. Josh Hawley wants to ban infinite scroll and autoplay videos
Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation on Tuesday calling for tech giants to curb deceptive techniques that fuel social media addiction.The Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology (SMART) Act would ban certain features that he says can be addictive to users like infinite scroll and autoplay.
FaceApp says it won’t hold on to your face photos. Should you trust it?
If you use FaceApp, you've given its parent company permission to use your face photos for pretty much anything -- even though the app-maker says it won't use them for nefarious purposes or sell them to a third party.
MIT’s tiny walking robot could eventually build other, bigger robots
A mobile motor created by a team at MIT could change the way we view and build robots. The robot consists of five tiny fundamental parts that have the ability to assemble and disassemble into different functional devices -- with the end goal of having it build other, larger robots.
A new Senate bill would fundamentally change the internet as we know it
A new bill in the U.S. Senate could cause the internet as we know it to cease to exist by holding major tech companies like Facebook or YouTube liable for anything posted on their platforms. The proposal could destroy social media as we know it, experts said
Brush up on your makeup skills with YouTube’s new augmented reality feature
YouTube will soon let users try on makeup while watching popular makeup tutorials through augmented realtiy. Known as AR Beauty Try-On, viewers will be able to "try on" the makeup products the online tutorials are showcasing and promoting.
Philips Sonicare toothbrushes are half off at Amazon and Walmart for Black Friday
For those looking to have proper dentist check-ups in 2020, an electric toothbrush is a must-have for your dental arsenal. You can snag a Philips Sonicare toothbrush for up to half off as part of Walmart and Amazon Black Friday. Select Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush models up to 50% off at Walmart and Amazon.
The Pentagon wants to build an itsy-bitsy outpost in space
The U.S. military’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is asking for submissions for a small, free-flying Orbital Outpost that the Department of Defense will use in space. The outpost needs to be capable of space assembly, microgravity experimentation, manufacturing, training, tests, evaluations, and more
What Skylab taught us about space research, 40 years later
Thursday was the 40th anniversary of Skylab falling back to Earth. While most people know it as America's first manned space station, its influence extends much further, inspiring space research and scientific curiosity for decades
Hubble space telescope finds water vapor on ‘Super-Earth’ exoplanet
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has discovered water vapor in the atmosphere of a distant Earth-like exoplanet known as K2-18b, meaning it might be habitable. The so-called "Super-Earth" is located about 110 light-years away in the Leo constellation.
Baby black holes chirp as they’re born, just as Einstein predicted
MIT scientists testing Albert Einstein's no-hair theorem have heard a “baby” black hole for the very first time, and found it produces gravitational waves that sound like a chirp.
Astronomers found a comet that may have come from another solar system
An interstellar object from outside of our solar system has been spotted casually passing through our neck of the universe. The comet's name is C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), and it’s only the second interstellar object ever to be seen passing through our solar system, the first being ‘Oumuamua back in 2017.
How to watch NASA’s first all-female spacewalk on the ISS online
NASA's first all-female spacewalk will take place outside of the International Space Station on Friday, October 18 -- and you can watch the whole thing live right here on Earth. Here's how to watch it live, and what you need to know about pioneering astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.
Astronomers capture the best images yet of the Borisov interstellar comet
Astronomers are getting close-up images of the interstellar comet known as 2I/Borisov as it comes closer to our solar system. The comet will come closest to us in early December. Yale scientists have been able to capture the clearest images so far, but expect more in the future.