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16.11.2022 16:50 Twitter might lose even more employees following the mass layoffs that halved its workforce and shortly after the company fired engineers who publicly called out its new owner. According to The Washington Post, Elon Musk gave remaining staff members an ultimatum and asked them to commit to an "extremely hardcore" Twitter going forward. "If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below," he reportedly wrote in an email that links to an online form. So what does an "extremely hardcore" Twitter mean? The report didn't quite delve into the specifics of Musk's expectations, but the executive apparently said that it means "working long hours at high intensity." He added: "Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade." It's not quite clear if the move is legal for workers in countries that have rigorous labor laws. Regardless, the email said that those who don't sign the form by 5PM Eastern on Thursday, November 17th, would be let go and would receive three months of severance pay. In addition to reporting about the Musk's email, The Post said that Twitter will be doing a postmortem on the launch of its $8 Blue subscription over the next couple of weeks, in an effort to understand why and how it had led to an influx of impersonators. If you'll recall, things got so bad that Twitter had to suspend its subscription service, which offered instant verification and, hence, gave fake accounts a semblance of legitimacy. Musk had just announced yesterday that the company is pushing back the return of Blue verification to November 29th to make sure that it's "rock solid."The Post also saw internal information and data externally compiled by a software developer that showed Twitter Blue only had around 150,000 users by the time the website paused subscriptions. That's a tiny fraction of the 238 million daily active users Twitter said it had in the second quarter of 2022 and would only bring in $14.4 million in annual revenue. Further, the new Blue subscription could potentially impact the website's ad revenue. Twitter earned 79 percent of its ad revenue in the US from merely 10 percent of its most valuable users, with the top 1 percent earning the website $40 a month. They're also the ones most likely to pay for a subscription, however, which means they're bound to see fewer ads as one of the perks they're paying for.

16.11.2022 16:50 Tuvalu’s foreign minister, Simon Kofe, told the COP27 climate summit yesterday that Tuvalu would look to the metaverse to preserve its culture and history. With global temperatures expected to rise as much as 2.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the Pacific island nation is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. At last year’s COP26 summit, Kofe addressed the conference while standing knee-deep in seawater to highlight the climate change threat. Climate scientists anticipate the entire country will be underwater by the end of the 21st century.Addressing the climate summit, Kofe said: “As our land disappears, we have no choice but to become the world’s first digital nation. Our land, our ocean, our culture are the most precious assets of our people. And to keep them safe from harm, no matter what happens in the physical world, we’ll move them to the cloud.”To achieve the 1.5C target put forward by the Paris Agreement, the world has eight years to reduce annual global emissions by a further 45 percent, compared with projections based on current policies.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’ will be a paid DLC Elon Musk says Twitter Blue verification is coming back November 29th The best smart home devices and kitchen gadgets that make great giftsFTX implosion could affect 'more than one million investors’ ‘Consumer Reports’ finds hybrid cars are more reliable than gas-only modelsThe best video streaming services in 2022NASA's mighty Artemis 1 rocket has finally launched toward the moonLucid unveils its less expensive Air EV modelsThe Pure and Touring bring Air prices closer to Earth.EngadgetThe Lucid Air is a fantastic first car from a new automaker, but it’s also a very expensive EV out of most people’s reach. At the LA Auto Show, Lucid revealed the Lucid Air Pure and Touring EVs. The Pure is the first and only Air to come in under $100,000, starting at a still pricey $87,400, with a range of around 410 miles. Yes, the Air is still a luxury vehicle. The Touring is slightly more expensive at $107,400 and can drive for an EPA estimated range of 425 miles. While the Pure wasn’t quite ready for testing, we did get behind the wheel of the Touring for a quick jaunt around Lucid’s headquarters.Continue reading.MIT solved a century-old differential equation that will help AIIt could help with weather forecasting and autonomous vehicle driving.Last year, MIT developed an AI algorithm capable of learning and adapting to new information on the job, not just during its training. These “liquid” neural networks are ideal for time-sensitive tasks, like pacemaker monitoring, weather forecasting, investment forecasting or autonomous vehicle navigation. But all that data can create computational bottlenecks, which makes scaling these systems prohibitively expensive. On Tuesday, MIT researchers announced they have a solution, using a differential equation that has stumped mathematicians since 1907. By decoding this equation at the neuron level, the team is hopeful it’ll be able to construct models of the human brain that measure in the millions of neural connections, something not possible today.Continue reading.NVIDIA RTX 4080 GPU reviewA more practical 4K gaming titan.NVIDIA's RTX 4080 is a solid upgrade over the 3080 Ti, with faster overall performance and far better ray tracing, thanks to DLSS 3. It's notably cheaper and less power hungry than the 4090. But it's still $1,199. If paying more than $1,000 for a video card seems insane to you — and let's be clear, it should — sit tight to see what NVIDIA's future cards look like.Continue reading.Apple reportedly plans to use US-made chips starting in 2024It also intends to source chips from Europe in the future.According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple hopes to be using US-made chips in a few years’ time. Company CEO Tim Cook reportedly made the revelation during a meeting with local engineering and retail employees in Germany, telling them Apple "already made a decision to be buying out of a plant in Arizona." As Gurman notes, it would lessen Apple's reliance on factories in Asia, particularly Taiwan, where 60 percent of the world's processors are produced. Cook also apparently told staff: "I’m sure that we will also source from Europe as those plans become more apparent."Continue reading.Apple lets you practice sending emergency SOS texts via satelliteIt's also bringing the service to France, Germany, Ireland and the UK.One of the most noteworthy updates Apple brought to the iPhone 14 series this year is Emergency SOS via satellite. It lets you send text messages to emergency services over satellite if you need help and are outside cellular coverage. If you're unfamiliar with the feature – most of us probably are – Apple is rolling out a demo mode of Emergency SOS via Satellite, so members of the public can see how it works.Continue reading.Boston Dynamics sues rival Ghost Robotics for allegedly copying its robot dogGhost's designs are supposedly too much like Spot.Ghost RoboticsBoston Dynamics is suing Ghost Robotics for allegedly infringing seven patents linked to its Spot quadruped. The Spirit 40 and Vision 60 purportedly borrow key technologies from Spot, including systems for self-righting and climbing stairs. Boston Dynamics says it asked Ghost Robotics to review Spot-related patents in July 2020, five months after the launch of the Spirit 40. After that, Boston claims to have sent two cease-and-desist letters, asking Ghost to stop marketing its robot canines. In a statement, Boston Dynamics claimed it "welcome competition" but would crack down on anyone violating its intellectual property rights. The Hyundai-owned company is seeking unspecified damages as part of the suit. Ghost Robotics hasn’t yet responded to our requests for comment.Continue reading.

16.11.2022 16:50 Earlier this year TP-Link launched its Tapo line of smart home devices that revolve around budget 2K security cameras, introducing several models ranging from $30 to $60. Now, the company has launched a pricier but more impressive indoor/outdoor 2K night vision security camera, the Tapo C40S2. The new model is battery-powered, weatherproofed and wire-free, offering up to 180 days on a charge in both indoor and outdoor environments. It packs an 850nm IR sensor, along with an f/1.6 aperture lens that allows it to see up to 49 feet in the dark, according to the company. With 2K resolution a hair above Full HD, TP-Link promises "pristine images, even in low-light conditions."It also comes with AI features that allow it to distinguish between humans, pets, vehicles and packages, providing notifications when someone steps into the property or user-defined activity zones. Other features include a built-in siren and light alarm, microSD and cloud storage with 30 days of video history and motion detection with snapshots and more. The Tapo C420S2 is now available through TP-Link's website or on Amazon at $200 for a two-pack — a reasonable price for a wireless night-vision camera.

16.11.2022 16:50 There's no doubt that air fryers have been having a moment, but they haven't pushed the humble multicooker completely out of the limelight yet. If you somehow haven't jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet, you can give it a try for much less right now. Amazon has discounted the six-quart Instant Pot Duo by 50 percent, bringing it down to $50. We've seen this model dip slightly cheaper in the past , but this is the best price we've seen in many months.The benefit of a multicooker like this one is that it can do many things, acting as a jack-of-all-trades in your kitchen. The Duo in particular has seven cooking modes: pressure cook, slow cook, rice cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker and warmer. It also has 13 customizable "smart programs" that take a lot of the guesswork out of preparing common foods like soup, beans, rice, poultry and more.Both kitchen newbies and seasoned home cooks can make use of an Instant Pot like this. For those just getting into cooking, it'll help you prepare new foods that you may have never tried before, sometimes even more quickly than you could do just with a pot on stove. For those who cook all the time, it'll make it easier to prepare a lot of food during the holidays by giving you another countertop machine to employ when your other appliances are in use. Plus, it's a great tool for meal prepping. It's also worth noting that the model on sale has a six-quart capacity, which sits in the middle of the Duo's lineup. It's a great size for most families as it's able to make food for up to six people at once. If you decide to take the plunge into the Instant Pot world, be sure to check out our guide for tips and tricks, recipe inspiration and more.Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

16.11.2022 16:50 Microsoft has added a new app called Games for Work to Teams, which will allow users to dive into some casual multiplayer titles together. As many as 250 people can play Microsoft Solitaire, Microsoft Minesweeper, Microsoft IceBreakers and Microsoft Wordament with each other.Solitaire and Minesweeper are, of course, classic Windows games. Players will go head-to-head in Solitaire in a race to finish first. In Minesweeper, they'll team up to clear the board and each person will have a few lives in case they click on a mine.Unsurprisingly, Wordament is a word game. There's a leaderboard where you can see how you fare compared with your coworkers. IceBreakers does what it says on the tin — you'll answer questions about certain topics and perhaps find out a little more about your colleagues.The Teams crew worked with Microsoft Casual Games, an Xbox Game Studios division, on Games for Work. The idea, according to Microsoft, is to help coworkers "pause and re-energize" in a virtual office setting. It cites data indicating that teams who play games together for 45 minutes are 20 percent more productive than those who opt for other types of team-building activities. "Research shows that gaming promotes cognitive benefits, helps foster empathy and encourages inclusion, team building and learning," the company added.Perhaps we'll see a day when Microsoft bakes Xbox Cloud Gaming into Teams. In the meantime, you'll be able to clear rudimentary virtual minefields with colleagues and battle it out with them in Solitaire. As for folks working at companies using Google Meet, there's no reason to feel left out: you can play games like Uno Mobile with colleagues too.

16.11.2022 16:50 Be it for work or play, many people are taking trips again, which makes travel-related gifts an excellent idea. Whether your loved ones are globetrotters or frequent business travelers, it’s time to look into upgrading their existing on-the-go kit. We’ve curated a list of various items your friends and family will appreciate. Things like sleep masks and packing cubes are essential, and tech gear like battery packs and noise-canceling headphones can make the hectic parts of traveling a bit less stressful. We’re sure at least one of these will help make your loved ones’ next adventure a lot more enjoyable.Anker 622 Magnetic BatteryWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetAnker’s 622 MagGo will make a great gift for anyone with an iPhone 12 or newer. The 5,000 mAh magnetic battery pack will adhere and charge any MagSafe-compatible device, which means they no longer need to worry about carrying charging cables when they’re out and about. It’s also super slim at 0.5 inches and is about the size of a deck of cards so it won’t add any extra bulk either. And there’s a bonus: It has a built-in foldable kickstand that will prop their iPhone up at a comfortable viewing angle, making it perfect for long flights. — Nicole Lee, Commerce WriterBuy Anker 622 battery at Amazon - $60Ostrich Pillow Hot Cold Eye MaskOstrichSleep masks are a travel essential. They help you get precious z’s on long flights or when you’re suffering from jet lag. But not all sleep masks are the same. The really good ones don’t just fully cover the eyes, but also have enough layers to ensure complete darkness when worn. We also prefer padded models that mold to your face for added comfort and security.The Ostrich Pillow Hot Cold Eye mask meets all of those requirements and more. It has a clay bead core that applies gentle pressure to your eyelids for extra stress relief, and it even offers heat and cold therapy . This helps soothe away tense facial muscles or reduce eye strain, which is always welcome after a stressful travel day. — N.L.Buy eye mask at Ostrich - $39Sony WH-1000XM5Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetIf you know someone who always complains about crying babies and chatty neighbors on flights, they’ll likely appreciate a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Sony’s WH-1000XM5 is one of Engadget’s favorites, easily making the best wireless headphones list this year. Senior Editor Billy Steele says it’s comfortable to wear for long periods, has an impressive 30-hour battery life, excellent sound quality and stellar ANC. It also has a combination of touch and physical controls, which means your giftee won’t have to reach for their phone every time they want to switch tracks. — N.L.Buy WH-1000XM5 at Amazon - $398Kobo Libra 2Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetInstead of spending your time scrolling on your phone while you wait for your delayed flight to take off, pick up an e-reader like the Kobo Libra 2. It lets you bring your whole digital library with you wherever you go, so you can catch up on your favorite cozy mystery series instead of swiping aimlessly through Instagram during every idle moment. Plus, Kobo devices have direct integration with Overdrive, and that means you can access your local library’s e-book offerings from the Libra 2. So even when your digital pile of e-books isn’t appealing to you, you can borrow a new read from the library in just a few seconds.Additionally, we like the Libra 2 for its seven-inch E Ink display with brightness adjustment, blue light reduction and optional Dark Mode, and its ergonomic design that includes page-turn buttons. If you want the latter on a Kindle, you’ll have to shell out $250 for the Kindle Oasis, so the Libra 2 is an affordable alternative. If you do prefer the Kindle ecosystem and the perks that come with programs like Kindle Unlimited, we recommend the latest Kindle, which comes in at $100. — Valentina Palladino, Senior Commerce EditorBuy Kobo Libra 2 at Amazon - $180Incase Accessory OrganizerEngadgetOne of the challenges of traveling is having to corral all of your various cables and chargers, especially if you plan on bringing more than one electronic device. Incase’s Accessory Organizer, however, makes that whole process a lot easier. Made from sturdy lightweight nylon, the bag has lots of room for not just your phone but also a ton of accessories. It has several loops for holding pens and chargers, zip and mesh pockets for battery packs and cables, a padded faux fur pocket that’s ideal for storing your phone without scratching the screen, and more. The whole thing is just the size of a paperback book and it lies flat, so it’s easy to stow away in your backpack. Unlike a lot of other similarly-priced accessory organizers on the market, the Incase organizer is also water-repellent, which is an important factor in keeping your gear free from damage. — N.L.Buy accessory organizer at Incase - $50Bellroy Tech KitEngadgetFor a more stylish take on the accessory pouch, consider the Bellroy Tech Kit, which is made out of a combination of leather and a water-resistant woven fabric. It’s as functional as it is handsome, with a magnetic slip pocket that’s wide enough to fit a power bank or a mouse and several elastic loops to hold pens, cables and chargers. Plus, the zip opening hinges out to provide full access to the pouch’s contents, making it easy to access everything quickly. — N.L.Buy Tech Kit at Bellroy - $60Peak Design Packable toteWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetIt’s always a good idea to bring a reusable bag with you while traveling. It gives you flexibility and will prevent you from attempting to stuff a bunch of essentials into your main carry-all at the last minute. There are thousands of options out there, but we like Peak Design’s Packable tote because it doesn’t have the typical reusable bag design and it remains affordable at only $20. It’s made of 100-percent recycled ripstop nylon, which is resilient and as well as water resistant, and it has a zip closure, which is something most other reusable bags don’t have. It’ll keep your items more secure thanks to that, and it’s easier to carry in different ways thanks to its single shoulder/hand strap that sports microfiber padding for extra comfort. We also like that it has an interior pocket that can hold a phone, wallet or keys, and it takes up a surprisingly little space when it’s packed into itself. — V.P.Buy Packable Tote at Peak Design - $20July Carry OnEngadgetA travel must-have is a reliable piece of carry-on luggage, and the July Carry On certainly fits that bill. It has a built-in ejectable power bank that sits conveniently underneath the handle. It has a 10,000 mAh battery with one USB-C, one microUSB and two USB-A ports that’s able to charge not just your loved one’s phone but their laptop too. And since it’s ejectable, they can easily take it out in order to be compliant with airline flight regulations.Additionally, the bag itself is very well-designed. It’s made out of a crush-proof polycarbonate shell, is outfitted with anodized aluminum bumpers and quiet spinner wheels, and it has a Y-Strap compression system that lets them fit in more clothes. It also comes in a variety of eye-catching colors. — N.L.Buy carry on at July - $295Foldable electric kettleEngadgetNot every hotel room comes with a coffee machine or some way to boil water, and the same goes for AirBnBs. If you have a friend or family member who simply must have their morning cup of tea everywhere they go, that’s a problem. A foldable electric kettle like this one from Loutytou is the perfect solution. It folds down to a compact, portable size when not in use, but expands to a full-size kettle that holds about 600ml of water. Just plug it into a power outlet, flip the switch, and they’ll have hot water in about six minutes. On a recent road trip, I used it not just for tea but also for making instant cup noodles in the middle of the night. It proved to be a savior for not just my sanity but those pesky midnight cravings as well. I also appreciate that the power cord and handle are detachable, making it easier to stow away. — N.L.Buy foldable electric kettle at Amazon - $50Anker PowerCore 65W 2-in-1 power bankWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetIf you’re looking for the mother of all chargers to take with you on your next trip, Anker’s 733 2-in-1 power bank is the one to get. It’s both a 65W wall charger and a 10,000mAh portable battery in one, allowing you to charge pretty much anything at full speed no matter where you are. Flip out the built-in prongs and plug it in to power up your laptop, or use it on a flight when your smartphone needs a top-up. It has two built-in USB-C ports and one USB-A port, so not only do you have a variety of charging options, but it can handle powering up three devices simultaneously. Plus, it has Anker’s PowerIQ 4.0 technology for higher efficiency and ActiveShield 2.0 for improved temperature monitoring. — V.P.Buy Anker PowerCore power bank at Amazon - $100Newvanger travel power adapterEngadgetAn adapter like Newvanger’s isn’t the sexiest gift ever, but it’s something all international travelers will want to keep in their bags. This model has the detachable input plugs that will work with European, UK and Australian outlets, making it an essential for anyone who wants to use their existing electronics while they’re traveling. It also has two USB-A ports built in, so you can power up a couple of mobile devices while you’re also using the main plug for things like your laptop or Nintendo Switch. Plus, it has built-in fuse protection so you won’t have to worry about your gadgets getting fried when you’re in a foreign country. — V.P.Buy travel power adapter at Amazon - $20

16.11.2022 16:50 GoPro’s annual Hero Black update came with a small surprise this year. Instead of just the usual flagship camera, a “Mini” version was also unveiled. Alas, only the regular Hero Black was available when they were announced, so if the diminutive version caught your eye you had to wait until Oct 25th. And then you had to wait just a little bit longer. But finally it’s here and it’s an interesting proposition.Of course, the pitch is simple: A Hero 11 Black but smaller. The Mini is about 3/4 of an inch narrower than the regular Hero 11 Black when you look at it head on. But it’s also a teensy bit taller and about 5mm deeper. It’s obviously smaller overall, but there’s much less of a difference than there was with the Session cameras and the flagship of the time. As with that camera, though, the main trade off is the lack of viewfinder/displays. That’s a big deal, so that reduction in size really has to appeal to your use case. And I can say right up top here, for most people, it likely doesn’t.To put things in perspective, at the time of writing, the Mini sells for $299.98 with a GoPro subscription, while the regular Hero 11 Black is listed for $349.98 with the same deal . That’s either a $50 or $100 difference, depending, for the overall compromises and relatively minor difference in size. And there are additional differences beyond the lack of screen that you’ll want to consider. For example, there's no photo mode this time around.James Trew / EngadgetTo be clear, yes you can get photos out of the camera but you’ll be pulling frames from video. And while that’s pretty easy, it’s definitely not as simple as choosing photo mode and pressing a button . Taking photos is definitely something you might assume you can do natively and I am obliged therefore to tell you that you cannot.Of course, as mentioned, there’s no touchscreen which affects how you access the menu. You can navigate the settings via a small display on the top that will send GoPro veterans right back to the Hero 4 days. The options here are slightly limited, with just shooting mode, mode settings and some general settings up for grabs. Everything else you’ll be doing through the app.I personally prefer doing most things on the camera itself, and then use the app when the camera is mounted out of reach, but I didn’t find it hard to transition to doing most everything in Quik. This only really becomes an issue if you’re doing something where your phone isn’t nearby. Surfing, for example, might need a little bit of pre-planning to make sure you’re set up before you get in the water.James Trew / EngadgetRelatedly, I noticed the camera goes into standby very quickly. After just eight seconds of inactivity the Mini will turn itself off . This is obviously to save battery life, but it also means if you were just pausing for thought, you have to turn the camera back on, and possibly re-connect to the camera over WiFi and then pick up where you left off. It feels like an easy fix to add an option to change the amount of time, but for now, that’s how it is.If you are used to using GoPro’s video presets, it’s worth knowing there’s only one here on the Mini. Unlike the regular Hero 11 that offers many along with the option to create your own for different shooting scenarios, the Mini has the essentials and not much else. It just means you need to change your video settings on a per-shot basis but it was something I found myself missing.As for battery life, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that the sealed-design means you can’t swap out a new cell should you run out of juice. The better news is that the Mini uses the new longer-lasting Enduro battery. GoPro claims you should get about an hour of continuous recording at the highest quality, or nearer to two hours are less demanding settings. This feels about right based on the short time we’ve had with the camera and also inline with the Hero 11 Black, which uses the same battery.Since the latest redesign and addition of 5.3K video modes, some people had issues with the camera overheating while recording indoors, with the camera in a fixed position. The company issued a software update in response including a new “stationary/tripod” mode.James Trew / EngadgetWhen we tested our Hero 9, 10 and 11, we didn’t experience that issue, but with the Mini, it happened pretty quickly when recording at 5.3K/60fps. In less power-hungry modes the issue disappeared, so anything 1080p, for example, was fine. GoPro’s messaging here is that the Mini is an outdoor camera, designed for mounting on you or your gear. So, if you were looking at this for a potential static/indoor application, it’s not the camera you want, even according to GoPro.If that seemed like a lot of words about things you can’t or shouldn’t do, then the good news is that, from here on out, it’s all about what the Mini can do. The short version of that is, mostly everything it’s bigger sibling can. But it’s worth calling out some specifics, and even a couple of things that are unique to the smaller camera.The first thing I wanted to confirm was that the Mini had full 360-degree horizon lock. This was something new to the Hero 11 Black and it was one of the standout features this year. There was no reason why the Mini wouldn’t be able to do this, with it having the same sensor and all, but consider this confirmation of that nonetheless.The same goes for the new Hyperview mode, which squeezes every pixel from the sensor into a 16:9 video. It’s incredibly immersive and makes even the most mundane of activities seem surprisingly dynamic. And of course, full-frame shooting is also here, so you can grab everything the sensor sees and then punch out different mobile-friendly or desktop videos from the same source file.James Trew / EngadgetWhere the Mini excels, unsurprisingly, is with anything body mounted. The smaller form-factor and lighter weight make it a much nice experience for head or helmet mounting. In fact, I’d go as far to say that the Mini is all about being a helmet cam. Not least because of the second pair of mounting fingers on the rear that make it easier to fix in a forward-facing position.And this really feels like what the Mini is all about. If you don’t want all the bells and whistles and just want an honest-to-goodness action camera with all the Hero 11 Black video credentials, then the Mini is it. It also feels like it would make a good secondary camera for a different angle. Similarly, if you use a full-size GoPro for drone FPV footage then the Mini is also a great option for that - plus you get a camera you can use elsewhere, too .

16.11.2022 11:30 NASA's Artemis 1 mission has finally launched after several delays caused by engine problems, fuel leaks and Mother Nature giving the agency no choice but to reschedule due to tropical storms. This is the first time NASA's Space Launch System, its most powerful rocket yet, and Orion crew vehicle are flying together — it also officially marks the beginning of the agency's Artemis program, which aims to take humanity back to the Moon. There was a tense moment before this latest launch attempt when NASA was unsure if the rocket would lift off. The launch team discovered a leak on the launch tower's liquid hydrogen replenish valve, and it took some time to tighten the bolts around it. In addition, the US Space Force had to fix the radar that was going to track the rocket's launch, because it suddenly went offline. In the end, the ground crew managed to fix the hydrogen leak, and Space Force found that the radar issue was caused by a bad Ethernet switch.NASA had to push back Artemis 1's launch by around an hour, but that was the last time the mission got delayed. By 1:50AM Eastern, SLS was leaving its launchpad. The Orion capsule successfully deployed its solar arrays a few minutes later, and the core stage's engines powered down so it could break away and fall into the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket's second stage will then fire its engine to send Orion on a trajectory to the Moon. It will also ultimately break away, leaving the crew vehicle to go on a four-week journey around the Moon before coming back to Earth. Somewhere along the way, the capsule will deploy 10 CubeSats designed to perform their own science investigations meant to help future deep space missions.Artemis 1 will give NASA the data it needs to ensure that astronauts can safely fly to the Moon aboard the Orion capsule. It will also give the agency the opportunity to see whether the vehicle's heat shield can adequately protect the astronauts onboard when it re-enters our atmosphere and splashes down into the Pacific Ocean. If everything checks out, NASA will be able to start planning for Artemis 2, which will be Orion's first crewed mission and will send astronauts on a lunar flyby.We are going.For the first time, the @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion fly together. #Artemis I begins a new chapter in human lunar exploration. pic.twitter.com/vmC64Qgft9— NASA November 16, 2022

16.11.2022 11:30 Genesis has unveiled the X Convertible concept, showing off its design chops with an EV that builds on the previous Genesis X and X Speedium Coupe vehicles. It shares the architecture and electric powertrain with those cars, but uses a folding hardtop roof and is meant to evoke "design purity" and uses what Genesis calls an "anti-wedge parabolic" design. Gone are the extra bulgy fenders and aggressive front end, replaced by a more subtle design and cleaner, longer lines. That length is further accentuated by the short front overhang that gives it a protruding nose. The triangular headlights from the X Speedium are carried over, as are the double taillights. The hardtop roof has an integrated moonroof, offering drivers a view of the stars even when it's closed up.GenesisThe interior is very similar to the previous two concepts, with the dashboard screen curving across and down toward the right armrest. It uses recyclable wool fabrics and leather seats, with the interior Giwa Navy and Dancheong Orange colors "inspired in part by traditional Korean roof architecture," according to Genesis. We still don't know anything about the battery or drivetrain. It would make sense, though, to use the E-GMP platform found in Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6. Genesis could then dial up the power and battery size so that range and performance would meet the expectations of luxury car buyers. GenesisGenesis says the X Convertible is a "beacon for the brand" that will presumably inspire future designs. It'll likely never be built in this form, but the company wants to show buyers what's possible. "We have to utilize this opportunity to inject more adrenaline in the brand," it told TechCrunch. "If somebody believes that electric vehicles cannot be sexy, Genesis will demonstrate the exact opposite."

16.11.2022 07:10 Apple is gearing up to source chips from a factory in the US within the next couple of years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Company CEO Tim Cook reportedly made the revelation during a meeting with local engineering and retail employees in Germany, telling them that Apple "already made a decision to be buying out of a plant in Arizona." As Gurman notes, it would lessen Apple's reliance on factories in Asia, particularly Taiwan, where 60 percent of the world's processor is produced. "Regardless of what you may feel and think, 60 percent coming out of anywhere is probably not a strategic position," Cook added.The CEO is most likely talking about Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s Arizona plant, which is currently under construction. TSMC is Apple's exclusive chip-making partner, though it also counts NVIDIA, MediaTek, AMD and ARM as some of its customers. The Arizona plant is expected to start running in 2024, with an output of 20,000 chips a month and the ability to produce 5-nanometer processors. According to previous reports, Apple plans to adopt TSMC's new 3-nanometer chipmaking process, which is its latest and most advanced yet, for future devices. The Financial Times says the A17 mobile processor Apple is currently developing for its 2023 iPhone lineup will be mass produced using the new technology. It's unclear if Apple only intends to use the Arizona plant for older and less sophisticated chips or if TSMC has plans to update the factory. TSMC is already thinking of building a second plant next to its $12 billion facility in Arizona, but it told Bloomberg that it hasn't made a final decision yet. As the publication previously reported, TSMC has been expanding to other countries over the past year in an effort to meet the needs of customers in countries encouraging domestic semiconductor production. President Joe Biden, for instance, recently signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law. Under the new law, the US government is offering $52 billion in funding and incentives for firms building chips in the country.In addition to revealing that Apple will start sourcing US-made processors, Cook also reportedly told staff members: "I’m sure that we will also source from Europe as those plans become more apparent." While that's all he shared at the meeting, Bloomberg previously reported that TSMC is in talks with the German government to open facilities in the country. Europe, like the US, also looking to entice semiconductor manufacturers to open plants in the region and introduced the EU Chips Act in April to "bolster competitiveness and resilience in semiconductor technologies and applications."

16.11.2022 07:10 NASA is once again preparing to launch Artemis 1 after technical issues and hurricanes upended previous attempts. The next launch window for the uncrewed test flight around the Moon will be open for two hours, starting at 1:04AM ET on November 16th. In case NASA has to scrub it once again, the agency has scheduled another backup launch window, which opens at 1:45AM on November 19th.The agency had penciled in a launch attempt for November 14th, but Hurricane Nicole forced a slight delay to those plans. NASA kept the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on the launch pad as the hurricane battered the Kennedy Space Center. They sustained minor damage, but not enough to force a lengthier delay.NASA first tried to send Artemis 1 into space on August 29th, but engine issues and a hydrogen fuel leak forced the agency to scrub the initial launch attempts. The next stab at a launch in late September didn't work out either. NASA took the SLS and Orion back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to protect them from Hurricane Ian. Here's hoping NASA can finally send them on their way this time.You can watch a livestream of the latest launch attempt below. Alternatively, you can watch the launch in virtual reality. If you happen to be in Florida or the south east region of Georgia, you may be able to see the SLS and Orion soar into the skies by going outside, if conditions are favorable enough.

16.11.2022 02:20 Qualcomm has announced its latest flagship mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Along with making it more powerful and efficient than Gen 1 chips, Qualcomm says it has packed more AI smarts into the new platform.The Snapdragon 8 will tap into the latest Qualcomm AI Engine and upgraded Hexagon processor to offer "faster natural language processing with multi-language translation and advanced AI camera features," the company claims. The processor has architectural upgrades that will enable up to 4.35 times the AI performance of Gen 1 chips, according to Qualcomm. There will be support for an AI precision format called Int4, which the company suggests will lead to a 60 percent performance/watt improvement over the previous-gen chipset for sustained AI inferencing. Meanwhile, the Sensing Hub will have dual AI processors, which can support features such as custom wake words.Qualcomm notes that the upgrades will enable new camera-focused features as will. It says Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will enhance photos and videos automatically and in real-time using semantic segmentation. This harnesses an AI neural network to make the camera aware of and individually optimize elements such as faces, hair, clothes and skies. Qualcomm has tuned the chipset to support new sensors, such as Samsung's 200-megapixel Isocell HP3. Meanwhile, this is the first Snapdragon model with an AV1 codec that supports 8K HDR playback at up to 60 frames per second.There's an intriguing feature for mobile gamers: Qualcomm says there will be real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which should improve the visuals on supported games. The company claims the latest Adreno GPU and Kyro CPU deliver over 25 percent faster performance and 40 percent more power efficiency than the Gen 1 chip. Qualcomm adds that it will offer the first mobile-optimized support for the Unreal Engine 5 Metahumans Framework, claiming that this will let players "experience photorealistic human characters in their games."On the connectivity front, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will use AI to manage 5G download speeds, latency, coverage and power efficiency. There will be support for dual 5G SIMs as well as WiFi 7 . In terms of audio, phones that use the chipset will be able to offer spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, 48kHz lossless music streaming and latency as low as 48ms.Qualcomm notes that the first phones with the Gen 2 chipset should be available by the end of the year. Partners including ASUS Republic of Gamers, Honor, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Sharp, Sony, Xiaomi and ZTE plan to use the chip in their devices. There's likely to be more news from Qualcomm in the coming days, as the company is hosting its Snapdragon Summit this week.

16.11.2022 02:20 It’s been less than a month since Elon Musk began his chaotic takeover of Twitter but, to many, the platform already feels like it’s entered an inevitable death spiral. Advertisers are fleeing. The few remaining top executives are also leaving. Musk’s Twitter Blue rollout was a complete disaster. The FTC says it has “deep concern” about the company. Musk told employees bankruptcy is a real possibility. Former engineers say the site could break at any moment.Unsurprisingly, the uncertainty has inspired many users to explore Twitter alternatives. Among them, Mastodon, a decentralized platform founded in 2016, has emerged as one of the top destinations for Twitter quitters. The service saw an earlier uptick in April, when Musk’s buyout was announced, but it’s seen an even bigger flood of new users since Musk’s takeover was completed.Between October 27th and November 6th, Mastodon gained nearly half a million new users, almost doubling its user base, according to founder Eugen Rochko. Data from Similarweb, shows that the two most popular “entry points” to Mastodon, the mastodon.social server and joinmastodon.org, are getting more than four times the amount of daily traffic compared with the end of October prior to Musk taking over the company.SimilarWebIt’s not the first time upheaval at Twitter has driven new users to the “fediverse,” but it’s the largest exodus. And even many of those who haven’t quit Twitter entirely have begun promoting their Mastodon accounts.But not everyone is ready — or able— to give up on Twitter. And many don’t see Mastodon as a viable substitute for what Twitter has provided.For Beth Hyman, executive director of the SquirrelWood animal sanctuary in New York, Twitter has for years been a vital source of donations thanks to the rescue’s popular “Crouton Friends” account. She began to grow SquirrelWood’s Twitter presence in 2018 by posting nightly videos of Crouton, a baby cow living at the sanctuary.Now, Twitter, where Crouton has more than 65,000 followers, is one of the sanctuary’s biggest, and most reliable, sources of donations. For example, she was able to raise $30,000 for a used horse trailer in just three days in 2021, and frequently shares other fundraisers for the sanctuary. She worries about how Twitter’s current instability could affect them. “I don't want to see the income that helps keep this sanctuary going, and all these animals fed, dry up,” Hyman tells Engadget.She says she signed up for Mastodon as well as CounterSocial after noticing a dip in her followers in the days after Musk’s takeover, but she’s skeptical she will be able to recreate her Twitter account’s success on a new platform. “Our main home base has always been Twitter. A lot of work goes into this, and it's not like you just flip the switch and walk away and reignite it somewhere else,” she says.She’s also found that it’s just not as easy to share photos and videos of SquirrelWood’s animals — the main draw for her social media followers — on Mastodon due to its file size constraints. “We’re taking care of 70 animals, I need something that I can do on the fly very easily,” she said.Yup. Not leaving the Twitter. #throwback#Roopic.twitter.com/09NV6DWM8c— Crouton Friends

16.11.2022 02:20 Elon Musk has set a new date for Twitter Blue’s paid verification to return: November 29th. The new date comes just a few days after the company paused the roll out and halted new sign-ups after the site was overrun by pranksters and scammers impersonating brands, celebrities and other high-profile accounts.Musk said the return date was set to give the company enough time “to make sure that it is rock solid.” Musk didn’t say what changes may come with Blue’s relaunch, but the company has already brought back “official” labels in an effort to reassure advertisers. Musk added that verified Twitter users will be unable to change their display names without losing their checkmark “until name is confirmed by Twitter to meet Terms of Service.”Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid— Elon Musk November 15, 2022Twitter, which was losing advertisers even before paid verification launched, has seen even more brands pull back from the platform since the botched rollout of Twitter Blue. In addition to the “official” labels, Musk has proposed other was companies may be better able to identify official accounts, including a suggestion that organizations will be able to “identify which other Twitter accounts are actually associated with them.” It’s unclear how that idea might fit into Twitter’s revamped verification plans.We’ve reached out to Twitter for more information, but the company no longer has a communications team.

16.11.2022 02:20 AI-generated art is a new frontier rife with potential. But for every thorny question about copyright and the potential for widespread manipulation, generated art can also inspire wonder and awe. For example, look no further than this AI-powered experiment that creates kaleidoscopic visual landscapes for composed music.A collaboration between quirky synth and hardware brand Teenage Engineering and design studios Modem and Bureau Cool, the project draws inspiration from the neurological condition synesthesia. This rare phenomenon leads the brain to perceive sensory input for several senses instead of one. For example, a listener with synesthesia may see music instead of only hearing it, observing color, movement and shape in response to musical patterns. Conversely, a synesthetic person may taste shapes, feel words from a novel or hear an abstract painting.The audiovisual experiment uses the Teenage Engineering OP-Z sequencer as the music source that is then translated into AI art. In real-time, Modem and Bureau Cool’s “digital extension” translates musical properties into text prompts describing colors, shapes and movements. Those prompts then feed into Stable Diffusion to produce dreamy and synesthetic animations.Modem co-founder Bas van de Poel sees the experiment as fuel for artists’ imaginations. “With the project, we see the potential for musicians to explore new forms of creativity, facilitating a joint performance between human and machine,” van de Poel told Engadget today.If you’re a musician who owns Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z, you can’t yet use the extension yourself — but that may eventually change. Van de Poel tells Engadget that the companies are “exploring the potential of launching a public version.”This AI-based project isn’t the first to bring synesthetic properties to the masses. Last year, Google Arts Culture created an exhibition that flipped the concept around, bringing machine-learning-produced sound to Vassily Kandinsky’s paintings.