The Future of Tech, News and making sense of it all!

Monday, July 13, 2020

TPS Consulting Early Monday Feed

TECHNOLOGY AND MORE!




How to See a Comet That Won't Be Visible for Another 6,000 Years

Earth
15KLifehacker / 17h
Thanks to COVID-19, you may not get to take your kids to the planetarium any time soon. But if they’re into astronomy, you’re in luck, because we should be able to see a comet starting tonight. Known as Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) for science reasons, it’s been visible at dawn a few times this month, but will be making… Read more...

COVID-19 patient's last words to nurse: 'I thought this was a hoax, but it's not'

COVID
3KMashable / 12h
As people across the United States continue to ignore the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, medical professionals like Jane Appleby, Chief Medical Officer at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, are feeling compelled to speak out. In video shared by NBC News 4 San Antonio , Appleby can be seen explaining what COVID-19 cases have been like across her city, and recalling a tragic tale of a

The Tricky Math of Herd Immunity for Covid-19

8KWired / 18h
When will a disease stop spreading through a population? The formula is simple, but the variables are much more complicated.


Redmi Note 8 price hiked in India, yet again

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 34min
Xiaomi has hiked the price of its budget phone, the Redmi Note 8 in India yet again.

Asus ZenFone 7 series likely to inherit flip camera

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 34min
A report suggests that Asus has two models - a standard and a Pro model - in the pipeline.

Oppo, iQoo to launch superfast charging tech - a new benchmark

OPPO 125W July 10 SFC
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Oppo and iQoo are working on a new 125W and 120W charging solution respectively. iQoo will be launching a smartphone-compatible with 120W charging in August.

Optus is offering 24-hours of unlimited data for AU$5

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Browse, play and stream to your heart’s content with this new data add-on.

Microsoft spins out 5-year-old Chinese chatbot Xiaoice

100+TechCrunch / 1h
Microsoft is shedding its empathetic chatbot Xiaoice into an independent entity, the U.S. software behemoth said (in Chinese) Monday, confirming an earlier report by the Chinese news site Chuhaipost in June. The announcement came several months after Microsoft announced it would close down its voice assistant app Cortana in China among other countries late last year. Xiaoice has over the years en

Tesla lowers the starting price of its Model Y electric SUV

Tesla Model Suv Price
99TechCrunch / 1h
Tesla has lowered the price of another vehicle. This time it’s the Model Y, an electric SUV the company started shipping in March . The long-range all-wheel drive version of the car is now listed with a purchase price of $49,990 , or $3,000 less than what it was before. The car’s new pricing was first reported by Electrek over the weekend. In May, Tesla cut prices for several of its electric cars

Google-backed Dunzo suffers data breach

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Google-backed Indian delivery startup Dunzo has suffered a data breach, and the company has launched an internal investigation.

Beyond Zoom: The future of virtual meetings

88BBC News - Technology / 1h
Chris Fox explores how virtual reality could become the office of the future.

How video is challenging the traditional CV

200+BBC News - Technology / 1h
Personal videos are increasingly being used in the job application process.

Unlock American Netflix with this discounted VPN

36Mashable / 2h
TL;DR: A three-year subscription to Surfshark VPN is on sale for £54.81 as of July 13, saving you 83% on list price. Whether you're a remote worker regularly using public WiFi networks, a gamer who stays connected around the clock, or just an average Netflix binger, your private data is vulnerable to trackers and hackers every time you sign online. How else would targeted ads match that bizarre p

OPPO teases 125W super flash charge next week

22SlashGear / 3h
Let’s face it. We’re stuck with current battery technologies in smartphones, at least in the foreseeable future. Because of that, manufacturers are pretty much forced to push the limits of charging technologies instead, performing the delicate balancing act between speed and safety. Among smartphone manufacturers, Chinese companies are the brave ones that try to go beyond boundaries with some rat

5G in focus: Jio Platforms gets $97 million investment from Qualcomm

24TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
Qualcomm has become the latest high-profile backer of Reliance Jio Platforms, which has raised more than $15.7 billion in the past 12 weeks from as many investors.

WeWork’s chairman says it expects to have positive cash flow in 2021

300+TechCrunch / 3h
After aggressive cost-cutting measures, including mass layoffs and selling several of its businesses, WeWork’s chairman expects the company to have positive cash flow in 2021. Marcelo Claure, who became WeWork’s chairman after co-founder Adam Neumann resigned as chief executive officer last fall, told the Financial Times that the co-working space startup is on target to meet its goal, set in Febr

The cheapest Wi-Fi 6 router out today could give your internet connection a major boost

48TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
There’s now no reason not to enjoy the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

Galaxy Fold 2 is probably delayed

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
SlashGear / 4h
Two smartphones will be competing for attention on Samsung’s stage next month, even if only one of them will be immediately available. That said, earlier leaks suggested that Samsung will be adopting a rather novel schedule that will see a new smartphone launched for each month in the next three months. It seems, however, that the timeline might have been … Continue reading

Selling on eBay? Use these 5 essential tips and tricks to get the best results

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
We run you through the key steps to maximise your results on eBay Australia.

Microsoft and Google team up to improve web apps on Android

Microsoft Google Apps
21SlashGear / 4h
There are many operating systems available today, from Windows to macOS to Linux to Android to iOS, a bit far too many for developers, especially lone ones, to support equally. There is also no shortage of frameworks and tools, like Qt or Google’s Flutter, designed to make that a little less painful but the one platform for that truly permeates … Continue reading

Pinterest's moderation doesn't catch some abusive and false material

59Engadget / 4h
Pinterest has received kudos for moderation that relies on customizing search results to hide or counter material, but it appears to have its limits. OneZero has discovered numerous cases where Pinterest’s moderation didn’t catch some abusive or false content, including sexualized photos of young girls, conspiracy theories (including those for 5G and QAnon) and racist material. The issue revolves

Why David Duke Is Allowed on Twitter, Polynesia and iOS 14: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

34Gizmodo / 4h
Well folks, as I’m sure all of you are aware, life is a bit rough right now. Although many of you probably do this already, I’m going to share what I do to cope with the news that the world is burning every time I wake up (or at least that what it feels like.) I scroll through TikTok, and then I am reminded that there… Read more...

Google Nest teases something special on Monday

Google Nest Monday
21SlashGear / 5h
Home-centric devices have become more relevant and more useful these days, with everyone stuck at home most of the time. From laptops to mobile devices to smart speakers and smart displays, smart devices at home have experienced a surge in demand that some may have even had difficulty supplying. Google might be trying to take advantage of that rise in … Continue reading

Watch Dogs: Legion turns anyone into a potential recruit

SlashGear / 5h
You have to hand it to Ubisoft for launching titles that, given current situations, could almost be interpreted as social commentary. Of course, had Watch Dogs: Legion launched on time, it might have had less impact than when it launches during a time of more problematic security and privacy practices. Of course, the delay has also helped Ubisoft iron out … Continue reading

Far Cry 6 launch date announced, coming to Stadia too

Far Cry 6 Yara Ubisoft
SlashGear / 6h
With people having more time indoors on their hands, many have resorted to dusting off their gaming collection or even expanding it with new purchases. Recent events have been a boon to the gaming industry but they have also put some companies and individuals under a microscope. It is against that backdrop that Ubisoft is announcing its latest flagship title’s … Continue reading

A life-size Gundam statue will be completed outside of Japan in 2021

1KEngadget / 7h
You won’t have to visit Japan to see a life-size Gundam statue in the months ahead, although you may still have to book a lengthy trip. Our Engadget Chinese colleagues report that Bandai Namco will debut an 18-meter (about 59ft) Freedom Gundam statue at the LaLaport Mall in Jinqiao, Shanghai, China sometime in 2021. It’s the first large Gundam robot statue to be built outside of Japan, Bandai Nam

APC's August issue is on sale now!

68TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Here's what you'll find in the August 2020 issue of APC mag.

APC reader competition: WIN the one-of-a-kind custom built WD APC EDITOR BOX PC!

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
In conjunction with WD and this month's edition of APC mag, we're offering Aussie readers the chance to win a AU$6,600 custom-built PC.

Everything Ubisoft Announced Today During Its Not-E3 Event

500+Gizmodo / 7h
Today, Ubisoft hosted its not-E3 event, “Ubisoft Forward.” Though the event was ostensibly about games, it was impossible to ignore the recent upheaval surrounding the French publisher. Read more...

Google Bans Ads for Snooping Products and Services

87Gizmodo / 8h
Google’s banning ads for so-called “ stalkerware ” apps, invasive programs largely associated with jealous exes or abusive partners to spy on another person without their authorization. Though given that the online search giant already adopted a blanket ban against stalkerware apps in its Play Store, one has to wonder… Read more...

Ensigns are the scrappy underdogs in new Star Trek: Lower Decks trailer

200+Ars Technica / 8h
Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid lend their voices to the new animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , premiering next month on CBS All Access. With the success of Star Trek: Discovery and Picard , CBS continues to expand its offerings within the Star Trek universe, this time with a new animated comedy series: Star Trek: Lower Decks . The series boasts a unique angle: it focuses on telling the storie

Of Course Disney World's Reopening Video Works as Horror

Disney World Florida
200+Gizmodo / 8h
In celebration of Disney World’s reopening after shutting down earlier this year in response to the still ongoing coronavirus pandemic that’s killed over 130,000 people in the US alone, the Disney Parks and Jobs dropped a video over the weekend enthusiastically welcoming park guests “home.” Here, “home” refers to a… Read more...

Seniors recreating famous album covers is your perfect lockdown escape

2KMashable / 8h
Residents of senior care facilities around the world have been under intense lockdown for months to prevent the spread of coronavirus. That's meant that people like Robert Speker, an activities coordinator at the care facility Sydmar Lodge in England, have had to get creative to keep residents entertained and uplifted. Speker's latest activity was a photo shoot re-creating classic album art with

Today Only, Save Big on Kindle eBooks That Were Adapted into Shows and Movies

Gizmodo / 9h
Up to 80% off, top titles adapted for the big screen | Amazon Read more...

'Far Cry 6' arrives February 18th, 2021

Far Cry 6 Esposito
100+Engadget / 9h
Ubisoft’s Far Cry 6 announcement might have been spoiled , but there’s still more to say. The gaming giant has announced that its next open-world shooter will arrive on February 18th, 2021 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Stadia, PC (via the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store) and Uplay+ . True to the early scoop, you play resistance fighter Dani Rojas as you aim to take down President Antó

The 'Palm Springs' memes that perfectly describe life in quarantine

100+Mashable / 10h
In the new movie Palm Springs , Andy Samberg's character Nyles and Cristin Milioti's Sarah wake up to the same day, every day, which Nyles describes as "one of those infinite time loop situations you might have heard about." For everyone still following stay-at-home orders, that description also feels like it applies to life in coronavirus quarantine. What is a weekend? What is a Wednesday? When

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla made me feel like a viking – and that’s all I ever wanted

27TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla recreates the Viking age in a spectacular way, and accomplishes its most important goal in the process.

Are Uber and Lyft Drivers Well Paid? It Depends on the Study

200+NYT > Technology / 10h
Uber and Lyft hailed a Cornell paper’s conclusion that their drivers make solid wages. But others have questioned the researchers’ approach.

Fitbit's Charge 4 can wake you up when you feel well-rested

100+Engadget / 10h
You now have more reasons to wear your Fitbit Charge 4 around the clock. The 9to5Google team reports (via The Verge ) that a Charge 4 update has introduced two major features to improve your sleep habits and encourage more exercise. Smart Wake sets alarms based on when you’re likely to feel rested, rather than a set time. So long as you have that leeway, it could help you start your days on the r

JetBlue Extends Generous Seat Blocking Policy Through September 8

500+One Mile at a Time / 10h
JetBlue has just extended its seat blocking policy for several additional weeks once again. JetBlue guarantees you won’t sit next to a stranger Through September 8, 2020, JetBlue is promising that you won’t sit next to a stranger on a flight. Until recently this policy was valid through July 31, while this has now been extended for several more weeks. With this seat distancing policy: Middle seat

China Roundup: Tech giants take stance on Beijing’s data control in Hong Kong

300+TechCrunch / 10h
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch’s China Roundup , a digest of recent events shaping the Chinese tech landscape and what they mean to people in the rest of the world. This week, the unprecedented national security law descended on Hong Kong, changing the day-to-day life of the people there, as well as businesses across the board. The law has important implications for the tech sector, providi

Use InterContinental Ambassador Weekend Night Certificates At Kimptons

29One Mile at a Time / 10h
The weekend night certificate issued as part of InterContinental Ambassador status just became more useful. What is InterContinental Ambassador? IHG has a rather complicated rewards program structure. In addition to the IHG Rewards Club program that covers all of IHG’s brands, InterContinental has its own guest recognition program, called Ambassador . An Ambassador membership costs $200 annually,

How to watch Yellowstone online and stream every new season 3 episode today

34TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Paramount hit Yellowstone is back for another run - follow our guide to watch Yellowstone season 3 online and stream new episodes each and every Sunday.

'Far Cry 6' trailer introduces Giancarlo Esposito's ruthless dictator

Far Cry 6 Esposito
200+Mashable / 10h
Far Cry 6 is coming on Feb. 18, 2021 and it's bringing the same sense of menace that made Breaking Bad such a nail-biter, thanks to Giancarlo Esposito. Ubisoft's first trailer takes a cinematic look at the game set in the fictional South American(?) nation of Yara. There's not much to glean about what this new Far Cry will do differently than the others. But with Esposito (and perhaps his son) pl

Far Cry 6 announced with first-look trailer... two days after it leaked online

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Ubisoft revealed the first Far Cry 6 trailer during its Ubisoft Forward event.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla gets a release date and a new trailer

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Check out the newest trailer for this year's Viking-themed Assassin's Creed game.

'Hyper Scape' open beta is available on PC today

Ubisoft Hyper Scape
69Engadget / 10h
If you missed out on early access to Hyper Scape , you now have another, much easier opportunity to try it. Ubisoft has launched an open beta for its cyberspace-inspired battle royale shooter on PC. You’ll need UPlay to install it, but it beats having to be a streamer (or get a Twitch code drop) to see what the fuss is about. The title adds a few wrinkles into the standard battle royale formula.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla made me want to visit East Anglia

Assassin Creed Valhalla
100+Engadget / 10h
It's hard to get a feel for a game in a couple of hours. It's even harder when your screen is filled with streaming artifacts, but such is life in 2020. Ahead of Ubisoft's Forward gaming event, the company offered us some remote demos of two of its AAA releases this year. While my colleague had no issues playing Watch Dogs Legion , my substandard internet connection meant my session with Assassin

'Watch Dogs: Legion' lets you be anyone, if you put in the work

Watch Dogs Legion London
100+Engadget / 10h
London has fallen. At least, that’s what you’re told when you first visit the dystopian future of England’s capital city in Legion, the third instalment of Ubisoft’s action-adventure series Watch Dogs. Navigating the underground corridors of the Houses of Parliament as an MI-5 agent in the game’s prologue, you quickly understand that DedSec — the subversive hacking group at the center of Watch Do

Watch Dogs: Legion hands-on: Play as anyone, care about no one

Watch Dogs Legion London
41Ars Technica / 11h
Watch Dogs: Legion Enlarge / If you're looking for an open-world adventure full of generic, unclear rebellion, Watch Dogs: Legion might hit the spot when it launches later this year. (credit: Ubisoft) Last year, Watch Dogs: Legion emerged from Ubisoft's coffers with an ambitious pitch for the open-world genre: play as any character in the game. Security guards, grandmas, and even members of rival

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla hands-on: An incomplete Witcher-ization

45Ars Technica / 11h
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Enlarge / Assassin's Creed Valhalla stars Eivor, a Viking in the Early Middle Ages. Note: all images in this article were captured directly from live demo gameplay, not altered or sweetened by the publisher. (credit: Ubisoft) Assassin's Creed 's many-year transition to becoming a full-blown RPG is complete. The November 17 launch of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on PC (UPlay

'Watch Dogs: Legion' reminds me of that underrated 2008 gem, 'Far Cry 2'

24Mashable / 11h
Before we get into the game, a brief note about Ubisoft. In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that describe a toxic culture at the company, with a particular focus on abusive behavior by people in management positions. In some cases, this extends as high as the company's executive team ( some of whom have already resigned or been placed on administrative leave). These latest reports coincide wi

'Assassin's Creed Valhalla' puts assassination on the back burner

Assassin Creed Valhalla
Mashable / 11h
With each new entry and new setting in the Assassin's Creed series, we drift further from where the series began. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla , the shift from assassin to warrior feels like it has completed its metamorphosis. At least that's how it felt when I had a chance to play the game for a few hours during a hands-on preview ahead of Ubisoft Forward on Sunday. Taking control of Eivor, a No

Assassin's Creed Valhalla release date, trailers, news and rumors

200+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Ubisoft has confirmed Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the next instalment in the Assassin's Creed series.

Watch Dogs: Legion gets a release date – and it's soon

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Watch Dogs Legion is coming later this year to consoles, including PS5 and Xbox Series X at some point.

Watch Dogs: Legion release date, price, news and trailers

84TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Here's everything we know about the latest addition to the Watch Dogs franchise.

NASA-backed project could automatically fix 3D printing for Moon bases

NASA Space Moon Mars
200+Engadget / 11h
If humanity is going to 3D-print Moon bases , it can’t afford for things to go wrong — and NASA is backing technology to make sure those parts get built. According to Parabolic Arc , the agency recently selected a project from Relativity Space (which is working on 3D-printed rockets ) that could detect and fix 3D printing in real time. If production of a habitat piece or radiation shield goes awr

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' trailer shows space as 'the funnest frontier'

100+Mashable / 12h
Space: the funnest frontier?! That's how Ensign Boimler, a lower deck crew member of the U.S.S. Cerritos, describes it. And if the trailer for this new animated Star Trek show is any indication, we believe it. CBS All Access released a trailer for Star Trek: Lower Decks on Sunday. It features the antics and adventures of the "lower deck" crew members who are charged with tasks like cleaning out p

Netflix's The Old Guard Dug Deep to Bring the Comics to Life

1KGizmodo / 12h
In both Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández’s The Old Guard and director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s new film based on the comic book series, a group of seemingly immortal warriors from different time periods all band together to commit their lives to ridding the world of its societal evils. None of the big bads they take on… Read more...

Labour joins Facebook advert boycott over 'hateful material'

1KBBC News - Technology / 12h
The party says it will not advertise on the site "in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter" movement.

As Airlines Lay Off Thousands Of Workers, They Get Rid Of The Best And Keep The Worst

200+View from the Wing / 12h
Early in the pandemic I warned you to be indispensable in your job , that we were in recession and work from home couldn't be an excuse to let up at work. A lot of jobs would be lost and you needed to position yourself so that yours wouldn't be one of them. In normal times performance matters at work. That's not true at airlines, and certainly not true during these times. Non-union workers are be

Watch Ubisoft's summer games show right here at 2:40pm ET

Watch Ubisoft Forward 2
100+Engadget / 12h
It’s Ubisoft’s turn to show off this summer, after live virtual events from Sony, Microsoft and EA. Ubisoft has prepared a 45-minute, pre-recorded stream that kicks off at 3pm ET — but we’ll be live on the Engadget YouTube channel at 2:40pm ET to put the entire show into context. Then, watch the show alongside Engadget UK bureau chief Mat Smith and myself, and we’ll break down the news and traile

VR time machine helps an inventor relive his past

100+Engadget / 12h
Life is made of fleeting moments that you may easily forget, but one inventor might have found a way to remember it... much of it, anyway. As PetaPixel reports , Lucas Rizzotto recently developed a virtual reality “time machine” that lets him revisit any moment recorded using camera-equipped Snap Spectacles . He just needs to dial in a Back to the Future -style “destination time” to see what he w

Two months after infection, COVID-19 symptoms persist

1KArs Technica / 12h
Enlarge As the COVID-19 pandemic continues unabated in many countries, an ever-growing group of people is being shifted from the "infected" to the "recovered" category. But are they truly recovered? A lot of anecdotal reports have indicated that many of those with severe infections are experiencing a difficult recovery, with lingering symptoms, some of which remain debilitating. Now, there's a sm



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