Places and Things

The Groundbreaking Legacy of Anne Rice, the Woman Who Humanized Monsters In a tribute to Anne Rice’s legacy, we’ve gathered eleven of her novels as a snapshot of her revolutionary career. Searching for chills? Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter to get terrifying recommendations delivered straight to your inbox. Continue Reading . . . https://the-line-up.com/anne-rice-legacy

Sony is buying 'Destiny' studio Bungie Sony has plans to acquire Bungie, the studio behind the MMO Destiny, in a deal worth $3.6 billion. The deal follows news on January 18th that Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/sony-buy-bungie-destiny-studio-180905449.html

Google’s new Nest Cam can’t yet stream live video to Chromecast or Android TV Google’s updated Nest Cam products come with several advantages such as offline storage, battery power, and lower prices. However, they also come with some frustrating problems including the current lack of support for streaming Nest Cam video to Chromecast or Android TV. Continue Reading . . . https://9to5google.com/2021/10/18/google-nest-cam-chromecast-android-tv-stream/

Teen wants $50,000 to stop tracking Elon Musk’s private jet Earlier this week, 19-year-old Jack Sweeney won a bit of internet fame when Protocol published a story about one of his Twitter bots. The college student maintains ElonJet, a tracker that tweets out when Elon Musk’s private jet takes off and lands. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-elonjet-twitter-bot-221826608.html

Live-action Halo TV show release date revealed in new teaser A new teaser for Paramount Plus’ live-action Halo series reveals the long-awaited show’s release date: March 24th, 2022 (via IGN). At around the 52-second mark, you can hear the announcer state the fast-approaching release date. We’re just getting started. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/30/22909041/halo-trailer-paramount-plus-live-action-showtime

Compelling Mars photo shows Martian water flowed way more recently than we think When did water last flow on Mars? It's one of the most intriguing, looming questions in planetary science. Previous estimates suggest Mars has been a bone-dry desert, devoid of any water for some 3 billion years. Continue Reading . . . https://mashable.com/article/mars-nasa-water-discovery

'Lord of the Rings': The Rings of Power, Explained It’s difficult to talk about The Lord of the Rings without talking about, well, the rings; crafted by the unsuspecting Elves of Middle Earth under the careful eye of Sauron, who went on to create the One Ring by himself, the Rings of Power were meant to seduce the rulers of the world to evil so th Continue Reading . . . https://collider.com/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-explained/

New Amazon Prime Series Has 100% Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score The first three episodes of a new series on Amazon Prime Video has been released on the platform and it's already a big hit critically. Continue Reading . . . https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/new-amazon-prime-series-has-100-perfect-rotten-tomatoes-score/

Cyberpunk 2077 Trends Online As Game Hits Big Turning Point Cyberpunk 2077 is less than two weeks away from its one-year anniversary as of this writing, and noticeably, it’s trending online too. Many may recall how the game trended online at launch…where many shared bugs, game-breaking glitches, disappointing graphics, weak combat, and far more. Continue Reading . . . https://gamerant.com/cyberpunk-2077-trending-why-redemption/

Spotify reportedly has a very limited set of COVID content guidelines When Spotify started removing Neil Young's playlist from its service, it defended its practices against misinformation and said that it had already pulled over 20,000 COVID-related podcast episodes. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/spotify-very-limited-covid-content-guidelines-194545334.html

Twitter's misinformation policy doesn't cover the 2020 elections anymore Twitter is no longer taking action on tweets spreading misinformation about the 2020 US elections, the website has revealed to CNN. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/twitter-misinformation-policy-2020-elections-132205770.html

Joni Mitchell will remove her music from Spotify over 'lies' that cost 'people their lives' Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell has announced that she's removing all her music from Spotify. On her website, she published a short statement saying "irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/joni-mitchell-spotify-094214337.html

Over 80 percent of NFTs minted for free on OpenSea are fake or plagiarized One of the largest online marketplaces for non-fungible tokens is once again the center of controversy. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/opensea-free-minting-tool-220008042.html

The FAA, AT&T, and Verizon are getting closer to a solution for their 5G mess Regulators, carriers, and the airline industry seem to be figuring out the details surrounding the rollout of C-band 5G and its potential effects on air travel. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22906706/att-verizon-carriers-faa-airlines-5g-deployment-growth-agreement-maps-rush

Neil Young says he ‘felt better’ after leaving Spotify and its ‘shitty’ sound quality Even after departing the platform, Neil Young isn’t done criticizing Spotify yet. Today, the rock legend has published another letter on his website, describing Spotify as a purveyor of “more songs and less sound. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22906722/neil-young-spotify-sound-quality-amazon-apple-music

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Moderna begins early-stage trials of mRNA-based HIV vaccine Moderna has begun early-stage clinical trials of an HIV mRNA vaccine, the company announced this week. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/moderna-mrna-hiv-vaccine-trials-225655400.html

iPhones will soon accept contactless payments directly, says report Small businesses will soon be able to use iPhones to accept payments without the need for Square-style extra hardware, according to a Bloomberg report. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/26/22903971/iphone-apple-mobeewave-contactless-payments-ios-update

iOS 15.3 is out now, and it fixes a nasty Safari bug Apple is releasing iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 for compatible devices today. It’s a fairly minor update, but it does come with an essential security fix to patch a nasty Safari browser flaw. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/26/22898766/ios-15-3-release-download-fixes-safari-security-bug

Android apps come to Windows 11 in 'preview' next month You won't have to run an unpolished beta to try Android apps on Windows 11. Microsoft's Panos Panay has teased the release of a Windows 11 public preview in February that will bring Android apps to the Microsoft Store. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/windows-11-android-apps-public-preview-release-date-152112952.html

Google Assistant will now cease talking if you simply say 'stop' You can now get Google Assistant to stop talking with just one word: "Stop." That's it — you don't even have to say "Hey, Google" before that. The official Google Twitter account has announced the small but necessary quality-of-life improvement for the company's speakers and smart displays. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/google-assistant-stop-command-114443492.html

The SAT will drop the pencil and go completely digital by 2024 The SAT standardized college admissions tests will be taken exclusively on computers starting in 2024, The New York Times has reported. The new system will spell the end to tests taken on paper with No. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/sat-test-no-pencil-digital-by-2024-083009301.html

It’s 2022, and the Surface Duo is finally getting Android 11 Filed under:The update is finally rolling out At the beginning of this month, my colleague Monica Chin published an article with the headline “It’s 2022, and the Surface Duo still doesn’t have Android 11,” pointing out that Microsoft hadn’t brought Android 11 to the dual-screen phone despi Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22899348/microsoft-surface-duo-android-11

NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope reaches final orbit in space After traveling hundreds of thousands of miles through space over the last month, NASA’s revolutionary new James Webb Space Telescope performed its last big course correction maneuver this afternoon, putting itself into its final resting place in space. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22895050/nasa-jwst-space-telescope-final-orbit-lagrange-point

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is finally a real wooden boy in first teaser After years of being trapped in different circles of development hell, co-director Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited take on Pinocchio is finally happening, and the stop-motion feature’s first teaser trailer is here to introduce the world to the story’s minuscule moral center. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22898792/guillermo-del-toto-pinocchio-trailer

WhatsApp may soon let you transfer your chats from Android to iOS WhatsApp might be working on a feature that lets you migrate your chat history from Android to iOS, as reported by WABetaInfo via (Android Central). The feature was first spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta version 22.2. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/22/22896666/whatsapp-android-to-ios-transfer-feature-rumor

Tesla now operates the most productive car factory in the US Tesla is now operating the most productive car factory in the US, according to a new report tracking all US auto factories. Just a few years ago, many players in the auto industry couldn’t imagine that Tesla could become a major manufacturer. Continue Reading . . . https://electrek.co/2022/01/24/tesla-operates-most-productive-car-factory-us/

The Legacy Of Anne Rice, The Modern-Day Queen Of The Vampires As the title suggests, "Interview with the Vampire" is written as an exceedingly long and detailed conversation between a human journalist and a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac, the latter of whom wants to recount his long and storied life as a cautionary tale of sorts. Continue Reading . . . https://www.slashfilm.com/742364/the-legacy-of-anne-rice-the-modern-day-queen-of-the-vampires/

Picard’s first season 2 trailer has Guinan going for it Just when it seemed like Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard might have been ready to bid the galaxy farewell, Star Trek: Picard gave the legendary space explorer a second shot at life that raised some questions about just who and what he is now. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/21/22895213/star-trek-picard-season-2-guinan

Amazon reveals title and premiere date for Lord of the Rings prequel Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings prequel series is one of the most highly anticipated shows right now. After several months of little to no announcements, Prime Video has released its latest preview. Continue Reading . . . https://www.xfire.com/amazon-title-premiere-date-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-series/

How to get your money back for at-home COVID test kits While it’s nice that the government will be sending us four free at-home rapid COVID test kits a month, that’s not going to be enough for many households. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/22891974/covid-test-kits-purchase-reimbursement-insurance

Battery Breakthrough Provides Five Times The Driving Range Of Lithium-Ion At A Lower Price Lithium-sulfur batteries already exist, but are held back from widespread adoption by problems inherent in their design. Scientists at the University of Michigan now believe they've solved these problems with a major breakthrough in the field of Li-S battery design. Continue Reading . . . https://www.torquenews.com/15975/battery-breakthrough-provides-five-times-driving-range-lithium-ion-lower-price

Why I Gave Up Reading The Wheel of Time I’m a big fan of fantasy stories. Just ask most of my TBR customers. I’m recommending new and old fantasy novels left and right. Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is spoken of in fantasy circles with the likes of The Lord of the Rings and A Game of Thrones. It’s huge. It’s popular. Continue Reading . . . https://bookriot.com/why-i-gave-up-reading-the-wheel-of-time/

Capture One ends its brand-specific versions for Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony cameras Capture One has announced that it has stopped offering branded software versions. Starting today, Capture One (for Sony), Capture One for Fujifilm and Capture One for Nikon are no longer available for purchase. Continue Reading . . . https://www.dpreview.com/news/4361469041/capture-one-ends-its-brand-specific-versions-for-fujifilm-nikon-and-sony-cameras

US airlines warn C-Band 5G could cause 'catastrophic disruption' The airline industry claims a “catastrophic” event could unfold on Wednesday when AT&T and Verizon activate their new C-Band 5G networks. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/us-airlines-warning-letter-211919932.html

Google honors Betty White with a tribute on her 100th birthday Were she still alive, Betty White would be celebrating her 100th birthday today. In honor of that occasion, Google is celebrating the actor's life. Type White's full name into the company's search engine and you'll be treated to a special graphic. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/google-betty-white-tribute-192709933.html

Next James Bond: Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill's days numbered as Irish actor steps in We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Continue Reading . . . https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1550370/next-james-bond-tom-hardy-henry-cavill-jamie-dornan

How Apple's iCloud Private Relay Can Keep You Safe If you pay for iCloud storage, then you automatically have access to the extra perks that Apple bundles together under the iCloud+ name—and one of those perks is the iCloud Private Relay service. Continue Reading . . . https://www.wired.com/story/how-apple-icloud-private-relay-works/

Google might’ve accidentally approved an ad for a Target gift card scam Most of us check our gift card balances online (because who actually keeps those receipts that tell us how much money we have left on them?), making an apparent oversight by Google all the worse. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/15/22885562/google-search-target-gift-card-scam

AT&T, Dish, and T-Mobile spend billions on more 5G spectrum AT&T, Dish, and T-Mobile dropped billions of dollars in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction to acquire more 5G spectrum licenses in the midrange 3.45GHz to 3.55GHz band, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/15/22885320/att-dish-tmobile-5g-spectrum-billions-auction

FedEx wants to equip cargo aircraft with anti-missile lasers FedEx jets might soon pack defensive weaponry. NBC News and Reuters report FedEx has asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to equip an upcoming fleet of Airbus A321-200 aircraft with an anti-missile laser system. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/fed-ex-anti-missile-laser-proposal-182159427.html

California judge says Google's non-disclosure agreements violate state law Google may have to rethink its non-disclosure agreements following a long-running lawsuit from an anonymous worker. According to The Washington Post, a California Superior Court judge has ruled that Google's employee confidentiality agreements violate state labor laws. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/california-google-non-disclosure-lawsuit-ruling-160308642.html

Tesla reportedly delays Cybertruck production to 2023 Tesla has once again quietly pushed back its Cybertruck's release to next year, according to Reuters. The automaker will reportedly begin the electric truck's production by the end of the first quarter of 2023 instead of this year. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/tesla-cybertruck-production-production-2023-152051543.html

The Roomba j7+ poop-detecting robot vacuum is $250 off right now If you made the resolution to tidy up more regularly in 2022, a robot vacuum can help with that. And for those that hate cleaning, investing in a robot vacuum with self-emptying functionality can make it so you rarely have to interact with the machine. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/the-roomba-j7-poop-detecting-robot-vacuum-is-250-off-right-now-150019435.html

Shocking Disney animation secret leaves the internet reeling Before the time of modern animations and CGI, Disney was known for its stunning hand-drawn animations. Dinsey's animations spanned over six decades, releasing all your favourite Disney films from Fantasia to Peter Pan. But last year we were introduced to theses classic in a surprising new light. Continue Reading . . . https://www.creativebloq.com/news/disney-animation-hack

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White House: COVIDTests.gov will distribute free rapid tests starting January 19th The White House has announced that people will be able to order free COVID-19 tests from COVIDTests.gov starting on Wednesday, January 19th. This follows a promise that the government would be setting up a website to distribute 500 million tests, which President Joe Biden announced in December. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/14/22884217/free-covid-19-test-biden-500-million-january-19-usps

Russia’s FSB says it has taken down REvil hacker group at US request Russia’s domestic security service, the FSB, has arrested numerous members of the REvil hacking group at the request of the US government, the FSB said on Friday. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/14/22883675/russia-fsb-revil-hacker-group-ransomware-us-request-fbi-doj

2021 was hot as hell, NASA confirms The last eight years have been the eight hottest years on record, NASA and the National Oceanic Administration (NOAA) confirmed today. 2021 ranks as the sixth hottest year on record, the agencies said, as global average temperatures trend upward. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/13/22880825/2021-extreme-heat-records-global-temperatures-nasa-noaa-climate-change

Apple releases iOS 15.2.1 to patch a serious HomeKit DDoS vulnerability Apple has released iOS 15.2.1, its latest software update for recent iPhone and iPad devices. The patch addresses a vulnerability found within the company’s HomeKit protocol for connecting disparate smart home devices. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/ios-15-2-1-homekit-vulerability-fix-201158978.html