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

Friday, December 31, 2021

Final Day of the Year Technology News and More

 Technology News and More...





500+Ars Technica / 2h
Enlarge / A 1960s Southern California gas station being restored. (credit: FarukUlay | Getty Images) On the frosty morning of Dec. 9, 1921, in Dayton, Ohio, researchers at a General Motors lab poured a new fuel blend into one of their test engines. Immediately, the engine began running more quietly and putting out more power. The new fuel was tetraethyl lead. With vast profits in sight—and very f



200+Mashable / 3h
While the powerful James Webb Space Telescope was stealing the spotlight this year by beginning its journey into deep space to take extremely detailed photos, its predecessor was still going strong. The Hubble Space Telescope produced some jaw-dropping images of swirling galaxies, shining star clusters, and nebulae that channel the spirit of Thor's colorful bifrost bridge this year. The James Web



Gizmodo / 14min
Forget quitting booze or starting an exercise regime—the only New Year’s resolution worth making (because it’s the most fun to stick with) is “read more books.” io9's got you covered with a robust list of sci-fi and fantasy releases coming in January, including new titles from James Rollins , Charles Stross , Nnedi… Read more...




SlashGear / 5min
Rokas Tenys/Shutterstock The smartphone market has someone for everyone, whether you’re looking for a budget device that doesn’t compromise on features or a flagship model sporting the latest and greatest hardware. Despite chip shortages, shipping delays, and production bottlenecks, manufacturers still managed to deliver an assortment of new handsets in 2021, including these top-of-the-line model



Engadget / 11min
It feels like forever since we all were able to look back on the last 12 months and not say “good riddance, you garbage fire hellscape of a year.” 2021 kicked off with riots at the Capitol and though things seemed to quiet down a little after, all was not well in tech. There are companies that are obvious additions to this list, like Meta (formerly Facebook) with its repeated transgressions this



The alerts ask people to test or self-isolate after contact with someone who had a positive result.



From the metaverse to NFTs and everything in-between, what's made the news in tech this year?



While airlines around the globe have been put to the test during the pandemic, I don’t think there’s a major airline in the world that has been hit as hard as Cathay Pacific. That make me sad for a variety of reasons — Hong Kong is (or was?) one of my favorite cities in the world, and Cathay Pacific is one of my favorite airline brands . With Cathay Pacific continuing to suffer, I can’t help but



Tomb Raider Epic EG•
Want some free games to finish off 2021? The Epic Games Store giveaway is concluding with the most recent Tomb Raider trilogy for free on PC. The latest Lara Croft adventures consist of three games - Tomb Raider Game of the Year Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider and the most recent Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The Tomb Raider trilogy is a great amalgamation of survival mechanics, exploration and act



Ars Technica / 43min
(credit: MIT Press ) “What makes machines, animals, and people smart?” asks the subtitle of Paul Thagard’s new book . Not “Are computers smarter than humans? or “will computers ever be smarter than humans?” or even “are computers and animals conscious, sentient, or self-aware (whatever any of that might mean)?” And that’s unfortunate, becausethough most people are probably more concerned with que



Lifehacker / 45min
Talk about a year for the iPhone and iPad—new devices across the board and tons of software updates, including the much-anticipated iOS 15. All that news means a lot of change and plenty of advice to share. Whether you’re an Apple fanatic or just someone who appreciates a good feature for their iPhone, we have… Read more...



That was one helluva year, wasn’t it? Sure, the global pandemic continued to grab most of the headlines in 2021, but we’ve also been treated to some darn good movies and TV shows over the last 12 months – the best of which you can find in our annual streaming roundup . The onslaught of high quality entertainment isn’t over yet, though. Many of the major streamers have saved some of their best off



2021 The Year Mars China•
2021 was full of innovation and discovery in the world of science, covering everything from biological discovery and archeology to not one but two burgeoning space races. We learned some fascinating things about ancient animal species, including some surprising facts about dinosaurs, and we learned a lot about humanity as well. Quantum computers jumped from the realm of practical technology to po



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A year ago, we tried to take our best stab at how 2021 would play out in the world of credit card rewards. In the 12 months since then, COVID-19 vaccines (and boosters) have rolled out, and the travel and cards industries have made a comeback of sorts. As we round out the year, let’s rewind and take a glance back at whether any of our predictions about credit card trends actually came to fruition



A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips. Continue reading ...



Gizmodo / 50min
A team of archaeologists and geoscientists just found victims of an ancient tsunami on the Turkish coast. The victims—a human male and a dog, now just skeletons—were likely killed in the aftermath of a gargantuan volcanic eruption 3,600 years ago. Read more...



TechCrunch / 55min
Hello and welcome back to Equity , a podcast about the business of startups where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. As is tradition on the show, we used the last episode of the year to make predictions about the next year. To continue an annual tradition, Grace and Chris joined Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex on the mic, a rare treat and one simply for your enjoyment. Expectedl



Google Pixel 6 December•
The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were both meant to get their first major updates by the end of December 2021, but now the company has confirmed it has paused the rollout of the upgrade. According to a statement on Google's Support Forums , spotted by DroidLife , the company has decided to pause the update rollout because of a new bug that meant some users were experiencing calls with connectiv



For a long time there have been rumors and reports of Delta opening new premium lounges for business class passengers, and it looks like we have another clue of what we could expect there. 36,000 square foot Delta One Lounge coming to JFK There are major changes happening at JFK, including an expansion to Terminal 4. There was recently an outreach event for Delta Air Lines and the airport, which



Gizmodo / 1h
Get another look at Rob Zombie’s Munsters reboot . Star Trek: Discovery teases its return in February. Plus, a new clip from the latest season of Cobra Kai , and what’s coming on Outlander for Brianna, and an adorable new clip from We Baby Bears . It’s the last spoilers of 2021! Read more...



In mid-November, just two days before the US launch of Star Trek: Discovery’s fourth season, Paramount dropped a photon torpedo-shaped bombshell. For the first time, viewers outside the US and Canada wouldn't be able to watch the new run of episodes on Netflix within hours of their American debut. Instead, the studio tweeted , “Internationally, the upcoming season of Star Trek: Discovery season 4




It was perhaps inevitable, but one of the side effects of Brexit is that European roaming charges are now returning for those in the UK for at least three networks with some others reducing fair use limits. That means when you travel to European countries you may have to pay to use your phone’s data allowance, or start paying for data once you hit a certain cap, which either didn’t exist before o



21Gizmodo / 1h
It turns out 2021 wasn’t the mental reprieve we’d all been hoping for after the challenges of 2020, and unfortunately, the finalists of this year’s Best Illusion of the Year Contest aren’t going to leave your brain feeling any less raddled, confused, or exhausted as we quickly approach the new year. As they do every… Read more...



A few hours from now, it will be a new year. And we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but as happy as we are to see 2021 come to a close, we’re also realistic about the fact that things won’t magically get better at the stroke of midnight tonight. Read more...



51Wired / 1h
The famous cartoon schemer has an ingenious plan to lure Bugs Bunny out of his hole—and it involves a giant magnet and an iron carrot.



Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. As a Floridian prone to bust out fuzzy boots at the first sign of a winter cold front, I’m well aware of how silly such antics look to the rest of a country properly drowning in wintry precipitation. Down here in Florida, we live for these cold fronts that come through during the winter months and leave th



If you are shopping for an 8K TV, you’ll likely come across something called “8K Association Certified” or “8K Certified.” Here’s what this certification means and how a regular 8K TV is different from an “8K Certified” TV. Read This Article on How-To Geek ›



21Mashable / 1h
Like it or not, we’re headed into another uncertain year on good ol’ planet Earth. But if there’s one thing you can always count on — like you are trapped in your house and unable to leave for an indeterminate amount of time count on — it’s movies. Dozens of exciting titles are expected in theaters and on streaming platforms in 2022, including but not limited to: Top Gun: Maverick, John Wick: Cha



Engadget / 2h
We’re back from the holidays and gearing up to (virtually) cover CES 2022. Cherlynn and Devindra chat about some of the most interesting new tech we expect to see, like Quantum Dot OLED displays and new CPUs. And they discuss what the global chip shortage could mean for CES and the rest of 2022. (Prepare to wait a lot longer for all your near gear!) Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app



BlackBerry January 4•
Own an older BlackBerry phone? You will likely soon find your handset unusable as certain devices from the company won't be able to make phone calls, send SMS messages and complete other functions from January 4. BlackBerry has confirmed it is dropping support for BlackBerry OS devices, but this doesn't impact more recent devices from the company that run Android software. A statement from the co



100+Gizmodo / 2h
If you’ve spent even a minute on the internet this week, you have surely seen something about Don’t Look Up . The Adam McKay-directed flick is Netflix’s top movie. It’s also perhaps the top reason for people shitting their pants online recently. Read more...



Mashable / 2h
You've heard of the copy and paste. But now, get ready for the drag and drop. With iOS 15 , iPhone users can now enjoy an entirely new way to essentially do the same thing as copy and paste, but with more finger deftness. Dragging and dropping is exactly what it sounds like: A method to select media and drag it from one app or browser tab to another. We find it the most useful for selecting multi



Dutch Apple App Store•
Indian antitrust watchdog on Friday ordered an investigation into Apple’s business practices — in particular, the company mandating iPhone app developers to use a proprietary payments system — in India, where the American firm commands less than 2% of the smartphone market. The Competition Commission of India, which ordered the Director General to conduct the probe within 60 days, said it is of t



Airlines, particularly in the United States, are having a really rough time operationally at the moment. We saw thousands of flight cancellations around Christmas, and now we’re likely going to see thousands of flight cancellations around New Year’s as well. I’m grateful to not be flying at the moment, for a variety of reasons. Just how bad is airline reliability at the moment, and what’s going o



Two minute review Jump to Price and availability Design Drive and range Specs and tech Should I buy it? Did you know that Mercedes-Benz makes two flagship sedans? In addition to the familiar internal combustion S Class, the company now offers a new-from-the-ground-up battery EV, the EQS. Both deliver gobs of luxury, but these two cars target different audiences. While the S Class is aimed at the



View of a pamphlet for the Michigan Chime & Signal Co., advertising the Mello-Chime doorbell. Printed on back: “Chime in on Mello-Chime. Manufactured by Mello-Chime & Signal Corp. 220 West 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. Sold by Michigan Chime & Signal Co., 7310 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Telephone Madison 1280.” Courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library



Ainikki Riikonen Contributor Ainikki Riikonen is a research associate with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). She is a co-author of the CNAS report “Edge Networks, Core Policy: Securing America’s 6G Future.” The TechCrunch Global Affairs Project examines the increasingly intertwined relationship between the tech sector and global politic



Gizmodo / 2h
We review a lot of gadgets here at Gizmodo, and honestly, many of them are good . We detailed our favorites here. But we also see a lot of really bad products—some are just plain bad, while others are capable and well-designed but fatally flawed in one way or another (usually when it comes to privacy). Still others… Read more...



Over the summer I told you about indications of improved business class check-in and a business class lounge planned for LAX. Now there’s leaks out of the Port Authority of New York New Jersey about a planned Delta One lounge at New York JFK. Delta appears to be matching Untied and American with a dedicated business class lounge product. Continue reading ...



OnePlus 10 Pro January•
A new OnePlus 10 Pro leak has suggested the phone will be arriving in the first half of January 2022. According to a leaked video posted to Chinese social networking website Weibo , the OnePlus 10 Pro is set to debut on January 11. It's unclear who has supplied this video, but the clip itself looks official and it matches with previous leaks we've seen of the handset. Nevertheless, take this leak




Enlarge / Ars staffers picked their favorite must-watch TV shows of 2021. (credit: Aurich Lawson) Warning: Although we’ve done our best to avoid spoiling anything too major, please note this list includes a few specific references to You , Midnight Mass , Resident Alien , Post Mortem , Snowpiercer , Lupin , His Dark Materials , and Wellington Paranormal , among others. Months of lockdown in 2020



It's been drama on a lot of levels because the offer was - unsurprisingly - pulled early and it took some time to sort out getting Mastercard to pay more than budgeted on this bonus offer. And then miles per posting, but not properly for everyone, and then being taken away. There's still no miles earned reflected in my SimplyMiles account. However, miles are posting to AAdvantage accounts , which



If you’re one of the few who are looking for budget hosting solutions, Hostinger and HostGator are probably at the top of your list. And rightfully so. Among the top names in web hosting , both are highly affordable yet offer reliable and fast hosting services. Despite these great features, their reliable customer support available 24/7 becomes their easiest selling point, making help available t



India Startup 50 2021•
23TechCrunch / 3h
In late March last year, as the virus started to spread across India, investors began to worry about the impact a potential pandemic could have on their portfolio firms. They exchanged notes, and on April 1, penned a joint open letter to the local startup ecosystem, advising firms to “ prepare for the worst .” In the months that followed, the virus engulfed the South Asian market and, among other



Engadget / 3h
Happy almost new year! We’re wrapping up 2021 with some of the big winners of the last twelve months, whether that was NFTs (ugh), the metaverse (double ugh), Apple’s change of direction on device repair or the boom in home workout tech. We also mention Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3, which makes the most compelling case for foldables so far. Samsung has noticed the same . It said the Flip 3 motivated



The urge to upgrade is a constant one for gamers. The desire to jump from Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch OLED is strong, the need to pop a 2TB SSD into the PS5 near-overwhelming, and the lust to level up from a standard Xbox pad to an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 profound, profuse and prodigious. The problem is, we don’t always make the upgrades that offer the most bang for our buc



The Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 launched at the same time and look almost identical, but there are some important differences to know when you're choosing the right one for you. The key difference is that the Fitbit Sense has two extra health-monitoring features: a sensor for tracking electrodermal activity, which is an indicator of stress, and an ECG sensor, which can detect an abnormal hear



For quite a while Hilton Honors has been offering a bonus for new program members. This promotion has now been extended into 2022… New Hilton Honors members can earn 5K points New members of Hilton Honors can earn up to 5,000 bonus points after two paid stays: To take advantage of this promotion, members must enroll by March 31, 2022 Members earn 2,000 bonus points after the first stay, and 3,000



24Wired / 3h
This is one weird trick, but when it works, it works well and can save you cash on apps.



100+Wired / 3h
The task of 2022 will be figuring out how much action we’re willing to take and how much disease and death we’ll tolerate.



Wired / 3h
From tabloid stars to Targaryen dragons, here are some of the upcoming shows on our watchlist—and where to stream them.



Wired / 3h
Three new books explore why fledgling companies flounder—and what to do about it.



There are multiple VPN protocols, and which protocol a VPN uses has a big influence on how it functions. Some protocols are a lot better than others. Thankfully, finding the best VPN protocol is easy as there are only a few candidates. Read This Article on How-To Geek ›



Update : At least on my end, miles from the SimplyMiles promotion have now fully posted to my American AAdvantage account. I had some miles post just over 24 hours ago, and then the remainder of the miles posted overnight. I’d appreciate any data points from OMAAT readers as to whether others have had all miles post as well. Congrats to those who got in on the deal. You can find the original post



Mashable / 4h
It's the last week of 2021 and TikTok is still weird. This week TikTok saw discourse about making Instagram casual, time traveling, and a comeback of the 1971 song "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)." Here are the final TikTok trends of 2021. TikTok asks, is casual Instagram worth the hassle? Since the start of the pandemic, the way young people post on Instagram has shifted away from perfectly



Mashable / 4h
Just like the year itself, the video games of 2021 seemed to come and go in a flash. Finding focus was hard after a seemingly endless 2020. But the video games kept on coming, and our days were enriched by the best of them. Now, with 2022 firmly in our sights and a year's worth of COVID-inflicted delays promising an incredible calendar ahead, fans of video games are preparing to indulge in a weal



It’s been a fantastic year for audiophiles. Whether you’re a casual music listener or a dedicated AV enthusiast, 2021 has seen some landmark product launches, innovations in the field of wireless music streaming , unexpected trends, and the continued growth of spatial audio technologies. 2021 was a difficult year for many industries, with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and global chip shortages ma



At the start of 2021, Gartner predicted that the worldwide low-code development technologies market will increase 22.6% this year. Of course, the data to prove them right or wrong will come in the future, but it seems that even non-technical people are familiar with the term these days since the digital transformation (in large part accelerated by no-code and low-code solutions) has been playing



Public safety officials warned that alternate routes offered by apps like Google Maps and Waze don’t always take into account hazards to drivers.




Mashable / 5h
TL;DR: The Alpha Z PRO 4K and the Flying Fox 4K Drones Bundle is just $139.99 at the Mashable Shop with code CYBER20 as of Dec. 31. Didn’t get that drone you were wishing for this holiday season? No biggie. You can buy not only one, but two 4K camera drones for a steal this week and start recording yourself drone dancing ASAP. For a limited time, you can get two Ninja Dragon drones, equipped with



Mashable / 5h
TL;DR: The Gamma Graphene Infused Heated Jacket is just $199.99 at the Mashable Shop with code CYBER20 as of Dec. 31. That's a savings of $300 off. You can buy the fluffiest, softest jacket you can find, but still get the shivers as soon as you step out the door. Chances are, the materials aren’t up to the challenge of a blustery, brisk winter day. Only the best of the best can sustain a trip to



Mashable / 5h
TL;DR: The Fit Timez Multifunction Fitness Watch is just $22.39 at the Mashable Shop with code CYBER20 as of Dec. 31. If one of your New Year's resolutions was to get back on track with your fitness goals, this watch will make sticking to a plan that much easier. And to make the timing even more perfect, it's on sale. To secure 20% off at checkout, all you have to do is enter code CYBER20 to get



Mashable / 5h
TL;DR: The Smart Visual Ear Cleaner is just $23.96 at the Mashable Shop with code CYBER20 as of Dec. 31. Are you a fan of those oddly satisfying TikToks where you just watch someone refinish their wood cabinets from start to finish and feel like you're the one who completed the task afterwards? Instead of just being in the audience, get that weirdly satisfying feeling in real life with this visua



Like clockwork, at the end of every year, people around the world sit down and make resolutions for the new one: lose weight, meditate, save money. Maybe this year it’s time to take stock of your tech life. Perhaps you’ve been getting a persistent note that your storage is full, or you simply want to feel less stressed by the onslaught of breaking news. Here are some digital resolutions that you



Game The Year 2021•
It’s that time of the year again. As 2021 draws to a close, and 2022 comes hurtling around the corner, we’ve been looking back at this year’s gaming landscape – and what a year it’s been. 2021 saw game developers truly harness the immense power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X /S consoles, with titles that pushed games, both in terms of performance and from a visual perspective, further than we’ve ev



Chance Nelly’s HH Rapper•
100+Mashable / 6h
If there's one thing Lil Nas X's massive hit "Old Town Road" taught us, it's that country music and rap music can go beautifully hand-in-hand. Here to remind us of that fact is Chance the Rapper, who appeared recently on Jimmy Fallon's musical game show That's My Jam and was tasked with putting a country twist on Nelly's classic "Hot in Herre". As you can see from the clip above, he more than del



As the cryptocurrency market has boomed over the last 10 years, so too have the number of security breaches and cyberattacks trying to take advantage of its growth. According to a new report from invezz , it's estimated $12.1bn in cryptocurrency was stolen between January 2011 and December 2021 with Japan, South Korea, the US, the UK and China being the countries with the most security breaches.



Zomato Swiggy GST Food•
If you are planning to ring in the New Year tomorrow by ordering food through platforms like Swiggy and Zomato , don't be surprised if you are asked to pay more. For, starting tomorrow, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) changes kick in, and food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato are mandated to collect and pay the GST on behalf of all restaurants. As ever with tax changes in India, there i



2021 was a good year for phones, but it's looking like 2022 could be even better, with talk of a massive overhaul for the iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra , loads of new foldable phones , and dependable flagships. So there's a lot on the horizon, and some of it is coming very soon, with many of 2022's biggest phones expected in the first few months of the year. Below, we've highlighted
YESTERDAY



The end of the year is almost upon us – and what better time to reflect on the last 12 months than by scrolling through a selection of the best photos from 2021? Luckily, that’s exactly what you’ve found: the gallery below features our pick of the year’s top prize-winning snaps. To create our all-star list of stunning snaps, we’ve rifled through shortlists, nominees and award-winners from the yea



Telegram Reactions•
The thing about the instant messaging platform Telegram is that it is always on the ball when it comes to rolling out updates. As 2021 winds to a close, they have come out with the 12th update for the year and the second in December. Now users can add iMessage-style reactions, translate messages, get themed QR codes and even have an option to hide texts such as spoilers. This update is Telegram 8



Mashable / 10h
TL;DR: The Premium Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs Certification Bundle is on sale for £26.42, saving you 98% on list price. Discover how to expand your brand’s reach with the 2021 Premium Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs Bundle . Through 10 courses, you’ll dive into the major digital marketing tools at your disposal. You'll take classes on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, as well



Gizmodo / 12h
Brandon Brown, the NASCAR driver who unintentionally helped originate the viral rightwing chant “ Let’s Go Brandon ” (which many people believe means “Fuck Joe Biden”), has decided to partner with a memecoin based on the slogan. Read more...



100+Gizmodo / 12h
Before I joined the cult of iPhone, of which I have happily been a member of for many years now, my first big phone purchase was a BlackBerry. Time made it as slow as a turtle, and it began its new life in a drawer in one of the many apartments and houses I’ve lived


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