Places and Things

WhatsApp payments get approved by Brazil's central bank WhatsApp will soon be able to relaunch its payment service in Brazil. According to Reuters, the country's central bank has approved peer-to-peer payments for the Facebook—owned messaging service, allowing users to send money to each other with cards issued by Visa and Mastercard. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-payments-brazil-approved-093500437.html

Facebook is making it easier to turn off algorithmic ranking in your News Feed Facebook is introducing a handful of new features that will give users greater control over their News Feed, including an easier way to turn off the feed’s algorithmic ranking and display content in the order it was posted instead. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359782/facebook-news-feed-turn-off-algorithmic-ranking-favorites-most-recent-filter-bar

Imperiled Freshwater Turtles Are Eating Plastics—Science Is Just Revealing the Threat We know a lot about how sea turtles are threatened by our trash, but new research has just uncovered an underreported threat hiding inside lakes and rivers. Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. Continue Reading . . . https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/imperiled-freshwater-turtles-are-eating-plastics-science-is-just-revealing-the-threat/

Pfizer says Covid vaccine is 100% effective in kids ages 12 to 15 Pfizer said Wednesday its Covid-19 vaccine was robustly effective in kids, demonstrating 100% efficacy in a phase three clinical trial testing its shot in adolescents aged 12 to 15. Continue Reading . . . https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/31/covid-vaccine-pfizer-says-shot-is-100percent-effective-in-kids-ages-12-to-15.html

Research shows Google collects 20x more data from Android than Apple collects from iOS Tech companies have been talking more about privacy in recent years, and Apple proudly says that it protects user data more than anyone else. Continue Reading . . . https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/30/research-shows-google-collects-20x-more-data-from-android-than-apple-collects-from-ios/

Netflix lays out plans to slash its greenhouse gas emissions Netflix set out goals today to limit the damage the company does to the climate. By the end of 2022, it wants to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions. That means it plans to reduce some of its emissions and find ways to offset or capture the rest. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22353098/netflix-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-change-goals

Flying taxi startup Lilium goes public via SPAC, unveils its new electric aircraft Germany’s Lilium will be the latest electric aviation startup to go public via a reverse merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC. Lilium will merge with Qell Acquisition, a SPAC founded by former General Motors executive Barry Engle. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22358027/lilium-flying-taxi-evtol-spac-electric-aviation-gm-engle

Google's new experimental app can scan and categorize your documents Area 120, Google's internal startup incubator, wants to give you a better way to scan documents with your phone. Stack, its newest experimental app, uses the company's enterprise-grade DocAI technology to analyze and categorize your documents intelligently. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/stack-area-120-173647210.html

The Best Mirrorless Cameras in 2021 Given all the choices when it comes to a new camera, it can be quite an ordeal to research and decide on just one. While it mostly depends on what you need as a photographer. Continue Reading . . . https://petapixel.com/2021/03/29/the-best-mirrorless-cameras-in-2021/

Underwater Photographer Discovers Big Green Turtle In this video, a green turtle grazes on the ocean floor at Abu Dabbab Bay. Adult green sea turtles are herbivores. The jaw is serrated to help the turtle easily chew its primary food source—seagrasses and algae. Credit: 'Sellamoment' via 'Sh0fer' Continue Reading . . . https://flipboard.com/video/sell-a-moment/96c17c35be

T-Mobile is the first US carrier to make Google Messages its default SMS app Google's Messages platform just got a big boost from T-Mobile, with the carrier announcing on Monday that the RCS app will come standard on all current and future Android phones it sells. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/t-mobile-google-messages-212527575.html

See the 'Worm' supermoon glow in the sky this weekend See the "Worm" supermoon glow in the March sky this Sunday. Continue Reading . . . https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/28/world/worm-supermoon-march-2021-scn/index.html

Disney+ will start shooting 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' in April Disney+ is finally ready to start production on its streaming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, if a little later than you might have expected. Filming for the "special event" Star Wars show is now due to start in April (a month later than star Ewan McGregor claimed), according to Disney. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/disney-plus-obi-wan-kenobi-april-production-150737187.html

Disney+ and ESPN+ are coming to Comcast Xfinity set-top boxes Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex subscribers are getting access to two more major streaming services through their set-top boxes. Disney+ will arrive on the platforms in the next few days. ESPN+ is now available on Flex through the ESPN app, and it should hit X1 in the coming weeks. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/disney-plus-espn-plus-comcast-xfinity-x1-flex-153045590.html

I shed a single happy tear for the big boat The boat is unstuck. If you’ve been following the news, you know exactly the boat and exactly how stuck it was: the Evergreen Marine Corporation’s Ever Given cargo ship has been stuck across the Suez Canal for the last six days, disrupting billions of dollars in global trade. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/29/22356465/suez-canal-big-boat-ever-given-stuck-unstuck

Cyberpunk 2077’s latest patch fixes hundreds of bugs CD Projekt Red released an update for Cyberpunk 2077 with hundreds of bug fixes. Patch 1.2, a 34GB or more download depending on platform, is live on PC and consoles, with a Stadia update coming later this week. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/29/22356546/cyberpunk-2077-patch-1-2-bug-fixes-console-stadia

What’s In My Bag: This Is How Extreme Macro Is Done! Mika Geiger (@mika.geiger) is a photographer based in Austin, Texas. Most of her work has been in travel and editorial photography, but for the past year she has concentrated on macro/close-up photography of insects and other tiny creatures. Continue Reading . . . https://alphauniverse.com/stories/what-s-in-my-bag--an-extreme-macro-photographers-one-camera--one-lens-combination/

Scotland’s renewable energy matched 97 percent of demand in 2020 Back in 2011, Scotland set a green-energy related goal for itself: It aimed to generate the equivalent of 100 percent of the country's gross electricity demand from renewables by 2020. While the country failed to reach that objective, 97. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/scotland-renewable-energy-97-percent-electricity-needs-2020-180436107.html

How to Use Photoshop and Lightroom’s “Super Resolution” Feature Adobe has been adding machine-learning and AI-powered features to Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom. In March 2021, Adobe added “Super Resolution“—a way to enhance missing details in lower resolution files. Here’s how to use it. Continue Reading . . . https://www.howtogeek.com/718002/how-to-use-photoshop-and-lightrooms-super-resolution-feature/

The Battery That Will Finally Unlock Massless Energy Storage In groundbreaking new research, scientists have made a structural battery 10 times better than in any previous experiment. Continue Reading . . . https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a35902755/structural-battery-massless-energy-storage/

How do astronomers measure distance in space? How do astronomers measure distances in space? How can we possibly determine the distance to a nearby galaxy? Astronomers regularly talk with confidence about how far away stars and galaxies are, but how is it possible to calculate such distances? Continue Reading . . . https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/measuring-distance-space/

A new Android spyware masquerades as a ‘system update’ Security researchers say a powerful new Android malware masquerading as a critical system update can take complete control of a victim’s device and steal their data. Continue Reading . . . https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/26/android-malware-system-update/

What do you think the best Android camera is? The best camera in any situation is the one you have with you, and most of the time that’s the camera on your smartphone. That’s why, over the past few years, mobile photography has become a crucial part of flagship smartphones, and the results are often incredible. Continue Reading . . . https://9to5google.com/2021/03/25/best-android-camera-gallery/

What will it take to get a giant cargo ship unstuck from the Suez Canal? Every day, some 50 ships pass through the Suez Canal, the waterway slashed between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. These are big ships: Some 10 percent of the world’s maritime trade traverses the Suez. But not Wednesday. Continue Reading . . . https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/what-will-it-take-to-get-a-giant-cargo-ship-unstuck-from-the-suez-canal/

Endangered condors return to northern California skies after nearly a century After a century of absence, the endangered California condor is set to return to the skies of the Pacific north-west. The condor once soared from British Columbia to Mexico, but habitat loss, overhunting and, most significantly, poisoning from hunting ammunition drove the birds to near extinction. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/26/california-condor-reintroduced-yurok-tribe

National Park Nature Walks, Episode 2: Sequoia Heights Here is our next installment of a new pop-up podcast miniseries that takes your ears into the deep sound of nature. Host Jacob Job, an ecologist and audiophile, brings you inches away from a multitude of creatures, great and small, amid the sonic grandeur of nature. Continue Reading . . . https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/national-parks-nature-walk-episode-2-sequoia-heights/

Facebook, Uber, and Microsoft plan to start bringing employees back to offices Facebook is planning to start its return to in-person work in May, after over a year of working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Bloomberg. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/26/22352742/facebook-uber-microsoft-twitter-apple-covid-19-offices-reopening

Amazon gets FDA authorization for an at-home COVID-19 test kit Amazon received Food and Drug Administration authorization for a COVID-19 test made by its subsidiary STS Lab Holdco, and it plans to use it for its onsite coronavirus testing programs. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/26/22353058/amazon-fda-authorization-covid-test-home

Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims WASHINGTON (AP) — Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election. Continue Reading . . . https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-media-lawsuits-elections-912eea8e168f95d51dec02da78ac2760

Mars orbiter captures stunning image of planet’s frosty dunes NASA’s Perseverance rover is getting all the attention just now, together with the Ingenuity helicopter that’s about to take flight on the red planet. Continue Reading . . . https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/mars-orbiter-captures-stunning-image-of-planets-frosty-dunes/

Dead Power Grid Revived with Solar and Wind, Not Diesel It turned into a real-world test. Rising amounts of renewable energy will reduce greenhouse gases, but engineers worry about restoring wind- and solar-rich grids after blackouts. Continue Reading . . . https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dead-power-grid-revived-with-solar-and-wind-not-diesel/

Google is testing Memory, an upgrade for Assistant to ‘save and find everything’ Google is reportedly working on a new feature for Assistant called Memory, a combination of a to-do list, a notes app, a Pocket-like reading list, and Pinterest-style collection board into a single overarching digital locker integrated into the broader Google Assistant app. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/25/22350173/google-assistant-memory-save-to-do-pocket-pinterest-notes-reminders

Google's new alliance wants to get digital keys, mobile IDs working on Android Since 2018, all of Google's Pixel phones have included a Titan M chip. It's what's known as a Secure Element (SE). Separate from your phone's processor, it does things like store encryption keys and validates the operating system. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/google-android-ready-se-alliance-204241463.html

Area-codeless local calls will largely go away in October — but for a good reason In many places, you can call up a neighbor or local pizza parlor just by dialing seven numbers, as long as you have the same area code — but that ability will soon be going away, in order to make the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline easier to reach. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/25/22351130/area-codes-10-digit-dialing-soon-required-for-certain-places-national-suicide-prevention-hotline-988

‘P!NK: All I Know So Far’ Documentary Sets Amazon Prime Video Debut Amazon Original Film P!NK: All I Know So Far, a documentary featuring the performer and musician, plans a worldwide launch via Prime Video on Friday, May 21. Continue Reading . . . https://deadline.com/2021/03/pink-documentary-amazon-prime-video-debut-all-i-know-so-far-1234717765/

Grab a subscription to Disney+ while it's still $70 a year Since launch one of the big draws of Disney+ has been its low price of $7 a month or $70 annually. However, a price increase is set to go into effect this Friday, bringing the cost to $8 monthly, or $80 upfront for an entire year. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/disney-plus-subscription-price-increase-153533578.html

Donald Trump’s woes continue as the travel industry’s most important luxury travel agency has removed all Trump hotels and resorts from its network What happens when the most powerful man in the world, aka President of the United States, loses his crowning glory? For former presidents like Obama, life has continued to be a sunny and gleeful road, but for Donald Trump, the bright road is replaced by a path with more roadblocks than he must’ve Continue Reading . . . https://luxurylaunches.com/hotels_and_resorts/donald-trumps-woes-continue-as-the-travel-industrys-most-important-luxury-travel-agency-has-removed-all-trumps-hotels-and-resorts-from-its-network.php

Video really caught dolphins in a Venice canal this time Two dolphins were caught on video swimming through Venice canals near the iconic St. Mark’s Square yesterday. The pair, an adult and a calf, visited during heightened coronavirus-related restrictions in the city. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/23/22346339/video-dolphins-venice-canal-real

Movies Anywhere is now available on Samsung TVs Movies Anywhere, the 'digital locker' service that allows you to centralize your film purchases, is now available on Samsung smart TVs. Starting today, you can download the software on any Samsung TV released between 2017 and 2021. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/movies-anywhere-samsung-smart-tvs-202921681.html

Zoom now has an SDK for putting Zoom into other things Zoom has released a new SDK (software development kit) to help developers build Zoom into their software. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/23/22347023/zoom-sdk-developers-announced-apps-audio-video-features-software

Samsung will use drone deliveries for Galaxy products in Ireland Some Samsung customers in Ireland will receive their orders through a courier that can take to the skies and reach them within a few minutes. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/samsung-drone-delivery-ireland-121547382.html

Smart's airless bike tires use NASA tech to defeat punctures For more than 50 years, NASA has been channeling its advanced tech into everyday products. The space agency's materials have crept into everything from memory foam mattresses to smartphone and digital camera image sensors. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/smart-airless-bike-tires-nasa-punctures-103757251.html

Amazon delivery drivers have to consent to AI surveillance in their vans or lose their jobs Amazon is well-known for its technological Taylorism: using digital sensors to monitor and control the activity of its workers in the name of efficiency. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/24/22347945/amazon-delivery-drivers-ai-surveillance-cameras-vans-consent-form

Black Widow and Cruella are now coming to Disney Plus at the same time as theaters Disney is moving two of its biggest 2021 releases to steaming, with both Black Widow and Cruella now set to debut on Disney Plus as $30 Premiere Access titles alongside their theatrical releases. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/23/22346947/black-widow-cruella-luca-disney-plus-streaming-premiere-access-marvel-theaters

Freeview Play finally returns to LG 4K TVs LG TVs in the UK are getting Freeview Play once again, bringing the full suite of UK broadcaster catch-up apps like iPlayer, BBC News, BBC Sport, ITV Hub and All 4 to bear on the 2021 LG TV range. Continue Reading . . . https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/freeview-play-finally-returns-to-lg-4k-tvs

Android apps are crashing for some, but Google is working on a fix Some Android apps are crashing for some people right now, but Google is working on a fix. The issue is due to a system component called Android System WebView that lets Android apps display web content, but it has some kind of problem right now that is causing apps to crash. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/22/22345696/google-android-apps-crashing-fix-system-webview

NASA’s new Mars rover is about to spawn a tiny helicopter NASA’s Perseverance rover is getting ready to deploy a mini-helicopter named Ingenuity on Mars. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/22/22345034/nasa-mars-rover-perseverance-ingenuity-helicopter

Disney+ calls 'Falcon and Winter Soldier' its 'most watched' series premiere Taking a note from Netflix, Disney+ has issued a press release about the impressive performance of its latest exclusive release without including any numbers or even notes on the methodology used. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/disney-plus-falcon-winter-soldier-222622908.html

Women of Impact Don’t miss Academy-Award Nominee Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin in the third season of the critically acclaimed global anthology series, GENIUS: ARETHA, premiering Sunday, March 21 at 9/8c on National Geographic. Continue Reading . . . https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/topic/women

The HomePod Mini Has a Secret Sensor, but Apple's Smart Home Future Is Still Meh When the HomePod mini launched a few months back, it appears Apple was holding out on everyone in the form of a secret temperature and humidity sensor. The news comes via Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who’s got a pretty stellar track record when it comes to Apple leaks, and was confirmed by iFixit. Continue Reading . . . https://gizmodo.com/the-homepod-mini-has-a-secret-sensor-but-apples-smart-1846525863