Places and Things

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Apple iPhone Xs Max are two of the biggest and most powerful phones you can buy right now. Both promise to offer huge speed improvements via their speedy new processors and extra RAM but which device really is the fastest? from https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/1024786/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-9-v-Apple-iPhone-Xs-speed-test-which-best-phone http://img.youtube.com/vi/OgqUjqbXMZA/0.jpg

There’s no arguing that the iPhone XS pushes the envelope of how much you’ll need to pay for to get a top of the line smartphone this year. And the iPhone XS Max pushes that envelope to the point of bursting. from https://www.slashgear.com/iphone-xs-max-is-durable-as-it-is-expensive-23546990/ http://img.youtube.com/vi/oT6VL4x-rHY/0.jpg

Google has its annual fall hardware event planned for October 9th, which is when we’ll see the official announcement of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL on top of the usual slate of Google-made hardware upgrades. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/29/17917818/google-chromecast-third-gen-best-buy-accidental-leak https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61590261/akrales_180508_2553_0006.0.jpg

Children look at screens for too long every day, and don't exercise and sleep enough, and it’s affecting their cognitive ability, researchers have said in a new report. from https://www.newsweek.com/us-kids-screen-exercise-sleep-guidelines-1144583 http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

If Senate Republicans plow ahead and confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the longtime jurist could have near-term impact on a slew of environmental cases. from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kavanaugh-confirmation-fight-has-consequences-for-climate-law/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/AF756282-D3D9-4385-84A558781E0165D6.jpg?w=590&h=393&6EBAA232-25DA-4A8D-829D1FB1DA5745C5

Google will resume accepting cryptocurrency-related online advertising after previously banning such ads earlier this year, according to a report from CNBC today. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/25/17901326/google-cryptocurrency-ads-ban-lift https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61536973/acastro_170726_1777_0007_v6.0.jpg

The Apple Watch Series 4 has been fully redesigned with new screens, new sizes, new speakers, and of course new stuff inside. There's a faster processor, Bluetooth 5, and a more accurate set of sensors. Dieter Bohn spent the past week testing the Watch Series 4 and, yes it is expensive, but everythi from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV2_JPc22g8 http://img.youtube.com/vi/IV2_JPc22g8/maxresdefault.jpg

The Japan-based financial services company SBI Group has been very active in the cryptosphere as of late. from https://www.ethnews.com/sbi-testing-a-crypto-token-for-retail-payments http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Having resisted for so long, Sony is finally giving in and allowing cross-play on the PS4 “for select third party content”, meaning PlayStation 4 owners will soon get to play the same game against people on competing consoles. from https://kotaku.com/sony-is-finally-allowing-cross-play-on-the-ps4-1829326043 https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ZMgycqtH--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/eqa88idyy0o7hh7moseh.jpg

At its Photokina 2018 presentation, Fujifilm took a moment to tease an extreme addition to its X-Mount series of lenses: the XF33mm F1 R. As its name suggests, this is a 33mm-equivalent prime lens with a maximum aperture of f/1 and autofocus capabilities, which makes it a first of its kind. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/25/17900324/fujifilm-f1-autofocus-lens-mirrorless-photokina-2018 https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61533001/fujif1_vlad.0.jpg

Just about everything you might want to know about what Google’s upcoming Pixel 3 looks like has been leaked, and we still have two weeks to go until the official unveiling event. Today brings a little something on the software side: an updated Google Wallpapers app for the Pixel 3. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/25/17900288/google-pixel-3-wallpapers-leaked-download https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61532957/google_wallpaper_pixel_3.0.png

President Trump provoked outrage on Twitter and in the media in mid-September with his tweets that denied the death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria in 2017 and blamed Democrats for artificially elevating it. from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/trumps-irresponsible-denial-of-puerto-ricos-hurricane-deaths/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/93CD4EB7-0B1A-4557-A0E65330EB5E0BDB.jpg?w=590&h=393&0F3A1E49-A1C9-4B33-9B6C04A54FE094BD

Believe it or not, scientists are still discovering new forms of stem cells -- and these latest examples could shake up how doctors treat a multitude of common injuries. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/24/skeletal-stem-cells-discovered/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

from https://www.nbcnews.com/better/video/sex-drugs-and-music-all-the-same-to-your-brain-and-mine-1296409667632 https://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/201808/d_better_inv_Gordon_180813__488586.focal-758x379.jpg

The greatest Apple product comeback story of the past few years has, without a doubt, been the Apple Watch. Launched with great fanfare four years ago, the initial version tried to do way too much with way too little, and it had confusing software to boot. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/19/17875882/new-apple-watch-series-4-review-ekg-bands-screen-price https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13111171/vpavic_180917_2949_0203.jpg

The first iPhone XS and XS Max reviews are out, which means the first official benchmarks are also available, comparing the 7nm A12 Bionic chip to the best chips powering the hottest Android phones in town. from https://bgr.com/2018/09/18/iphone-xs-max-vs-android-benchmarks-review-says-apple-wins/ https://boygeniusreport.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/iphone-xs-max-geekbench-4-vs-android.jpeg?quality=98&strip=all&strip=all

Apple was still selling 2015's iPhone 6s until last week. Then it announced three new phones and made the iPhone 7 its entry-level mobile device. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/18/apple-ios12-older-iphone-performance/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Government Payment Service Inc -- the company thousands of local governments in the US use to accept online payments for everything from court-ordered fines and licensing fees -- has compromised more than 14 million customer records dating back to 2012, KrebsOnSecurity reports. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/18/us-government-payment-site-leaks-14-million-customer-records-govpaynow/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Can you imagine being out in public minding your own business when you stumble upon a bag full of wads and wads of cash, like in the movies? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Rhami Zeini when he was driving home from high school in Santa Barbara, California. from https://www.buzzfeed.com/aliciabarron/california-teen-found-a-purse-with-10k-and-totally-did-the https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2018-09/17/15/asset/buzzfeed-prod-web-01/anigif_sub-buzz-24275-1537214166-1_preview.gif

Oh, no! Have the Samsung Galaxy’s exploding battery woes returned? An alleged incident has been reported by the New York Post detailing what may be the first case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s battery catching on fire. from https://mashable.com/article/samsung-galaxy-note-9-catches-fire-lawsuit/ https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/QYEEEAcOAM9wCmZ1sMJQVM7CL5s=/950x534/filters:quality(90)/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F847265%2Fff3193ae-0fcd-440e-8bb4-c315da9028f0.jpg

Amazon has the three-pack of Philips LED Dusk-to-Dawn A19 Frosted Light Bulbs on sale for just $17.51 today. This deal marks the lowest price ever for this set of bulbs which regularly sells for $27. The Philips Dusk To Dawn bulb automatically turns itself on at night and off during the day. from https://www.windowscentral.com/thrifter-deal-3pk-philips-led-dusk-dawn-bulbs http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

With the launch of tvOS 12, support for the Dolby Atmos surround sound format is finally coming to the Apple TV 4K. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17867194/apple-tv-dolby-atmos-surround-sound-4k-hdr https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61433097/akrales_170919_1976_0018.0.jpg

This evening, SpaceX will announce the identity of a mystery passenger who has signed on to travel around the Moon in the company’s Big Falcon Rocket, or BFR. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17867068/elon-musk-spacex-live-stream-lunar-bfr-moon-passenger-time-date http://img.youtube.com/vi/zu7WJD8vpAQ/0.jpg

from https://www.hotspot3d.com/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

from https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/news/one-billion-dollars-worth-of-bitcoin-to-flood-market-courtesy-of-mt-gox/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

One of the reasons that Destiny 2 is in such a good place right now is that it’s kind of done simply catching up to where Destiny 1 used to be, which was the saga of most of the last year. from https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2018/09/17/destiny-2-now-needs-armor-transmogrification-more-than-ever/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

On Windows 10, the Registry is a sensitive database that includes a collection of settings that allows Windows and apps to operate correctly. The settings within the database are critical, and the minor error modifying its values can corrupt the OS installation. from https://www.windowscentral.com/how-backup-individual-registry-keys-windows-10 https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2018/09/backup-registry-keys-windows-10.jpg?itok=WhJIHhwn

When a piece of clothing wears out or goes out of fashion, it often gets tossed in the trash; clothes made up 9 percent of all municipal solid waste produced in the U.S. in 2014, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And the impact of what we wear goes well beyond clogged landfills. from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-environments-new-clothes-biodegradable-textiles-grown-from-live-organisms/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/B3CB02DD-BE28-4B25-AA0A687F5B6AA8C4.jpg?w=590&h=393&DC7D3212-9731-49D4-A506B2BF8395964F

The risk of contracting tick-borne disease from deer tick nymphs and adults varies by season. Although deer ticks are inactive in freezing temperatures, and survive well under the snow, they may be seeking a host (an animal to feed on) in bare sunny spots in midwinter. from http://www.ticksinmaine.com/risk/seasons http://www.ticksinmaine.com/risk/uploads/images/layout/LifeCycle-x350.jpg

Menu Milligram + Item added AUD$ Ruled Notebooks! That reassuring printed straight line, sometimes 6mm (Moleskine notebooks), sometimes 8mm apart (Rhodia). from https://milligram.com/notebooks/lined-notebooks https://milligram.com/media/catalog/category/Notebooks_Menu_960x360.jpg

Destiny 2's new Forsaken DLC introduces a wide variety of new content to take part in. We're still waiting for the Raid to unlock, but once you've made your way through the campaign, you will get access to an entirely new area called the Dreaming City. from https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-forsaken-how-to-do-the-ascendant-challen/1100-6461702/ https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/3437191-feature.00_00_36_19.still001.jpg

London (CNN)Scientists believe they may have found an unlikely ally in the fight against plastic pollution -- fungi. from https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/12/uk/fungi-plastic-mushrooms-intl/index.html https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180912095247-mushrooms-large-169.jpg

Federal regulators are threatening to pull e-cigarettes from shelves if manufacturers do not control teen use, which officials say has reached epidemic levels. from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/12/teen-e-cigarette-use-product-flavors-come-under-regulatory-scrutiny.html https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/09/12/105446260-1536758886458gettyimages-997165942.530x298.jpeg?v=1536758912

Destiny 2 is a tough video game to judge. It is not anything like, say, the new Spider-Man, which came out last week to near-universal acclaim. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/12/17847450/destiny-2-forsaken-expansion-review-first-impressions https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61320961/D2_Forsaken_Gamescom_Super_TitanArc_02.0.jpg

You might expect that email and the ballpoint pen had killed the fountain pen. But sales are rising, so is the fountain pen a curious example of an old-fashioned object surviving the winds of change? from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18071830 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/media/images/60386000/jpg/_60386423_ink_thinkstock.jpg

In Brief Research shows that by constantly distracting us, the Internet affects cognitive performance but does not radically alter our brains. from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-digital-devices-altering-our-brains/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/EA91AD88-FD38-4ECE-A77DDA5BC6F138B4.jpg?w=590&h=393&7E9A3E10-1C57-4D92-975DA11BFF60255C

An ambitious project to clean up the 80,000 metric tons of plastic floating in the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has begun. On Sunday, the Ocean Cleanup Project started towing its "Ocean Cleanup System 001" from San Francisco to a trial site some 240 nautical miles (260 miles) away. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/11/great-pacific-garbage-patch-cleanup-started/ http://img.youtube.com/vi/O1EAeNdTFHU/0.jpg

After years of holding out, 7-Eleven is finally ready to embrace tap-to-pay in earnest. The convenience store chain has followed through on earlier teasers by supporting Apple Pay and Google Pay at its US stores. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/10/apple-pay-and-google-pay-available-at-7-eleven/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

If you notice an unusual number of players using hand cannons in Destiny 2 this week, it’s because they’re probably trying to unlock an exotic weapon called Ace of Spades. It’s a long, occasionally annoying quest, but I am happy to report that it is also super worth doing. from https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-s-ace-of-spades-quest-is-a-pain-but-totally-1828946097 https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--V4UhFnSV--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/xf8kuwbovw4kw0mz9ykw.png

Today, New York approved the first digital currencies that are tied to the US dollar, called "stablecoins." These cryptocurrencies avoid the price volatility of their brethren by being pegged to stable assets. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/10/new-york-approves-gemini-paxos-cryptocurrency/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

On Monday, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Vision Urbanetic, an all-electric, autonomous concept that the German auto giant thinks will redefine mobility. It’s a sign that smartphone makers aren’t the only ones that occasionally flirt with modular designs. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/10/17840936/mercedes-benz-vision-urbanetic-self-driving-electric-concept-design https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61262749/18C0763_003.0.jpg

Spider-Man, we need to talk about your backpack collectibles. There are simply far too many in your new PlayStation 4 adventure. Scattering random objects around the city to force players to explore an open world is nothing new. from https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/9/9/17824896/spider-man-ps4-backpack-hoarding-open-world-intervention https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61244383/Marvel_s_Spider_Man_20180907092647.0.jpg

In an interview with the New York Times Jack Ma revealed his plan to step down as executive chairman of Alibaba -- often referred to as China's Amazon -- on Monday. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/07/chinas-richest-man-jack-ma-will-retire-on-monday/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

China appears eager to be at the forefront of technological development and adoption. In 2014, Chinese company WinSun Decoration Design Engineering took 3D-printing technology to a whole other level when it printed a 10-house village in less than one day. from https://www.ethnews.com/blockchain-evidence-legally-binding-says-chinas-supreme-court http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

The United States isn’t ready to hold elections online now or in the foreseeable future, a new report says. Not until the technology is good enough to ensure the votes are kept private and aren’t tampered with. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/7/17832876/us-election-hacking-2016-voting-online-tampering-paper-ballots https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61239879/2969665423_6e17fe6ae6_o.0.jpg

The largest offshore wind farm to date has officially opened off of the Cumbrian coast in the Irish Sea and it has the ability to power 590,000 homes. The 659-megawatt Walney Extension takes up an area roughly the size of 20,000 soccer pitches and is made of 87 wind turbines. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/07/largest-offshore-wind-farm-opens-england/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

(CNN)Burt Reynolds, the mustachioed megastar who first strutted on screen more than half a century ago, died Thursday, according to his agent Todd Eisner. He was 82. from https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/06/entertainment/burt-reynolds-has-died/index.html https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/151030143154-burt-reynolds-smokey-and-the-bandit-large-169.jpg

No technology company is arguably more responsible for shaping the modern internet, and modern life, than Google. The company that started as a novel search engine now manages eight products with more than 1 billion users each. from https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/5/17823490/google-20th-birthday-anniversary-history-milestones https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61152781/acastro_180905_1777_0001.0.jpg

This week, as the National Museum of Brazil filled with fire, the world learned about its vast holdings: over 20 million pieces of our history since the Pleistocene. from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-brazils-museum-fire-matters/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/21C817CE-E99C-41F9-A9C6F6141BF1DE92.jpg?w=590&h=393&73CA365F-29B7-46B9-9809965BD21DA312

The RV industry is booming, and one of the fastest growing sectors is the Class B market (not sure of the difference between a Class A and a Class B? Read this). from https://www.curbed.com/2018/9/4/17818508/rv-for-sale-camper-van-airstream-interstate https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aobxrroKo3sDHqX6GZ9nljTWg-8=/0x0:5385x4343/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5385x4343)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/12783447/AIRMKT_2019_Interstate_19_Interior_B2F_Beach_Wood_35587_WEB.jpg