Places and Things

Next time you use Google Maps on an iPhone or an iPad to look up restaurants in your area, try tapping their names. Google has rolled out Maps' "match" feature to the platform, which can predict how much you'd like a particular establishment. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/31/google-maps-match-feature/ https://s.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/a746e146db1c9bc6a50b0b4edfc77bc1/206562616/google-maps-match.jpg

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering bypassing Congress to grant a $100 billion tax cut mainly to the wealthy, a legally tenuous maneuver that would cut capital gains taxation and fulfill a long-held ambition of many investors and conservatives. from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/us/politics/trump-tax-cuts-rich.html https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/31/business/31dc-tax-1/merlin_141749778_5708e9bf-2938-46dc-877d-c5b6b576de38-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale

"Well, my grandchildren were over and it's something about a pornography virus," says the soft voice of an elderly woman over the phone. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/30/scamming-tech-support-scammers/ https://s.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/cb95a9b46988e0dda60e5a0fb4aab26b/206561286/kitboga.jpg

Nothing in this world — animal or robot — quite comes close to the flexibility and dexterity of the human hand. For engineers at the Elon Musk-founded nonprofit OpenAI, this presented both a challenge and an opportunity. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/30/17621112/openai-robot-dexterity-dactyl-artificial-intelligence https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11875895/openai_hand_team.jpg

The best PC sticks for when you're on the move. Instant computer: Just add a screen! That's the general idea of the ultra-portable PC sticks, but it can be hard to know which one to get. Relax, we've got you covered. from http://www.windowscentral.com/best-stick-pcs https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2016/06/intel-compute-stick.jpg?itok=p9kBpaxv

Amazon’s big Middle-earth-set show based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien is slowly moving forward. During this week’s Television Critics Association press tour, the company says that it has brought on two writers, JD Payne and Patrick McKay to write and develop the series. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/29/17627056/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-middle-earth-jrr-tolkien-jd-payne-patrick-mckay-writers https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60605957/lord_of_the_rings_the_fellowship_of_the_ring_1.0.jpg

Today, scientists announced that they have detected what could be a large reservoir of liquid water under the surface of Mars. The "lake" measures 20-km across and is located about 1.5 km below the Mars's southern polar ice cap. An article about the discovery was published in the journal Science. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/25/mars-liquid-water-underground-lake-polar-ice-cap/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Small robots aren't anything new, from DARPA's insect-sized disaster relief bots to diminutive inchworms powered by humidity. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/24/cell-sized-robots-disease-body/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Ever-mindful of calculable uncertainty and climate deniers, the authors give "odds of roughly 5 in 1 million" of these changes occurring naturally, without human influence. from https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-have-shifted-the-earth-s-seasons-for-the-first-time-with-climate-change https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2018-07/processed/LAinHazeHumansAlteredSeasons2_600.jpg

President Donald J. Trump loves Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman—as do the right-wingers who love Trump.  Some on the far right see Putin as the restorer of Christendom; others simply see him as a champion of the white race. from http://prospect.org/article/trump-selling-out-america-and-his-supporters-love-it http://prospect.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/ap_18200742735016.jpg?itok=y2bBOErX

It’s only July, but it has already been a long, hot spring and summer. The contiguous U.S. endured the warmest May ever recorded, and in June, the average temperature was 1.7 degrees Celsius (3.0 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 20th century average. from https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-climate-change-looks-like-in-2018/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-989066672-e1531946913130.jpg?quality=90&strip=info&w=575&ssl=1

A mysterious, black, granite sarcophagus discovered in Alexandria, Egypt, dating to a time after Alexander the Great conquered the area in 332 B.C., has been opened. from https://www.livescience.com/63110-mysterious-black-sarcophagus-opened.html https://img.purch.com/w/660/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzEwMC83OTgvb3JpZ2luYWwvbXlzdGVyaW91cy1zYXJjb3BoYWd1cy1zcGxpdC5qcGc=

AirSelfie is a revolutionary pocket-size flying camera that connects with your smartphone to let you take boundless HD photos of you, your friends, and your life from the sky. from http://www.airselfiecamera.com/ http://www.airselfiecamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AirSelfie_device_3.png

I tried the original AirSelfie drone, a tiny flying camera that attaches to your phone case, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But it still had some issues, including so-so image quality and poor battery life. It should be significantly better than the previous model. from https://www.cnet.com/news/tiny-airselfie2-drone-with-full-hd-is-finally-available/ https://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/img/STPrQIfFniifl2Jee02hOXZmO2M=/2018/01/05/673151d4-bae0-424b-8093-206f8453a5b6/air-selfie-2-colors.png

Scientists have just packed 18 qubits—the most basic units of quantum computing—into just six weirdly connected photons. That’s an unprecedented three qubits per photon, and a record for the number of qubits linked to one another via quantum entanglement. So why is this exciting? from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chinese-researchers-achieve-stunning-quantum-entanglement-record/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/BA76510E-A76C-432E-B8F3081657A132CB.jpg?w=590&h=393&6071DCBE-2C08-42EE-85ED00D574E8928A

Teens who spend a lot of time using digital media show an uptick in symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study reports. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/17/17581486/adhd-digital-media-technology-teens https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60395393/shutterstock_275108654.0.0.jpg

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government paid more than $77,000 to President Trump’s Scottish golf resort ahead of his stay there last weekend, according to federal spending records, indicating that Trump’s official visit to Europe likely generated revenue for his business empire. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-golf/u-s-pays-trumps-scotland-golf-resort-77000-ahead-of-visit-idUSKBN1K72TF http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

The European Union (EU) will fine Google around 4.3 billion euros (~$5 billion) in antitrust penalties later today, according to a report from Bloomberg. from https://www.androidauthority.com/google-android-eu-fine-887256/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

On Thursday, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a blockchain-related patent application that was filed in January 2017 by American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc., which is a travel-based subsidiary of the American Express Company. from https://www.ethnews.com/amex-applies-for-patent-to-put-proof-of-payment-on-blockchain http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

India’s Department of Telecommunications has approved net neutrality rules that ban blocking, throttling, and zero-rating internet data, with some exceptions. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/11/17562108/india-department-of-telecommunications-trai-net-neutrality-proposal-approval https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60340637/acastro_180608_1777_net_neutrality_0002.0.jpg

Perhaps you’ve heard of graphene, a form of carbon that could bring us bulletproof armor and space elevators, improve medicine, and make the internet run faster — some day. For the past 15 years, consumers have been hearing about this wonder material and all the ways it could change everything. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/10/17548362/graphene-material-breakthrough-science-technology-hype https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10753245/Thumb_4__1_.jpg

Little can compare to getting a personal tour of one of Japan’s national treasures by a very personable Zen Buddhist monk, while standing in an amazing, beautiful Zen temple in Japan. from https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2018/02/22/mr-museum-kyoto-provides-unique-insight-centuries-old-japanese-artwork/ http://img.youtube.com/vi/pWh0LbiQVhk/0.jpg

The DNA results will only be used to match parents with their children, said Commander Jonathan White, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at HHS. from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/u-s-has-nearly-3-000-separated-migrant-kids-will-n888986 http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png