Places and Things

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Forgotten Saga launches for free in August The roguelite Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Forgotten Saga DLC is looking great, as Ubisoft shows off more of the new mode coming as a free update on August 2. Continue Reading . . . https://www.pcgamesn.com/assassins-creed-valhalla/forgotten-saga-dlc-release-date

Millions of Android devices infected with wallet-draining malware Researchers have discovered another batch of seemingly innocent Android apps that are actually designed to push malware onto the endpoints (opens in new tab), and rake up expenses to the unsuspecting victims. Continue Reading . . . https://www.techradar.com/news/millions-of-android-devices-infected-with-wallet-draining-malware

Joe Biden’s new plan: solar power for everyone, not just the rich The Biden administration has new plans to get lower-income households hooked up to solar energy. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/27/23280446/community-solar-power-biden-energy-bills-clean-electricity

Google, like Amazon, will let police see your video without a warrant If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Arlo, Apple, Wyze, and Anker, owner of Eufy, all confirmed to CNET that they won’t give authorities access to your smart home camera’s footage unless they’re shown a warrant or court order. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/26/23279562/arlo-apple-wyze-eufy-google-ring-security-camera-foortage-warrant

Anti-vax dating site exposed data for 3,500 users through ‘debug mode’ bug Unsurprisingly, it seems like the type of people who shun vaccinations are not great at preventative cybersecurity either. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/25/23277788/unjected-anti-vax-dating-debug-mode-data-covid

GM secures $2.5 billion government loan to build EV battery factories The Energy Department's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program (ATVMP) hasn't offered a loan to an electric car maker since 2010, but it's ready to offer money once again. As Reuters reports, the Energy Department is providing a $2. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/gm-energy-department-loan-ev-battery-manufacturing-190736000.html

HBO Max will begin streaming 'Game of Thrones' in 4K HDR next month Ahead of the debut of House of the Dragon on August 21st, HBO Max will begin streaming all eight seasons of Game of Thrones in 4K. HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery announced the news this week in a programming notice spotted by FlatpanelsHD (via The Verge). Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/hbo-max-game-of-thrones-4k-hdr-august-214332794.html

Apple Watch ‘Pro’ will reportedly introduce first series redesign since 2018 Details about Apple’s upcoming high-end variant of the Apple Watch Series 8 have been trickling out in recent weeks. According to a report Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman published at the start of the month, the wearable will feature the largest display Apple has ever shipped on a smartwatch. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-pro-new-design-report-191442006.html

One America News gets dumped by Verizon, the only major carrier it had left If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Verizon Fios is the latest provider to drop One American News (OAN) network, a move that leaves the right-wing news channel without a major carrier, as reported earlier by The Daily Beast. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/24/23276366/one-america-news-verizon-fios-dumped-major-carriers-oan

Nineveh | ancient city, Iraq Continue Reading . . . https://www.britannica.com/place/Nineveh-ancient-city-Iraq

Drought Reveals Ruins Of 3,400-Year-Old City By The Tigris River... Again Three years ago a drought lowered the height of the Mosul Reservoir in Iraqi Kurdistan and briefly revealed a city that archaeologists think might be Zakhiku, a center of the Bronze Age Mittani Empire. Continue Reading . . . https://iflscience.com/drought-reveals-ruins-of-3400yearold-city-by-the-tigris-river-again-63881

Amazon's Rivian-made electric vans are now delivering in some US cities Don't be surprised if one of Rivian's electric vans delivers your next Amazon order. Amazon has revealed that Rivian's custom-made EVs are now delivering packages across the US. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/amazon-rivian-electric-delivery-van-nationwide-152713164.html

Bungie sues 'Destiny 2' player over alleged threats and cheating On the same day it officially became a PlayStation studio, Bungie filed a lawsuit against a Destiny 2 player it accused of persistent cheating and making threats against its employees. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/bungie-destiny-2-player-lawsuit-cheating-harassment-200942428.html

How Hot is Too Hot for the Human Body? The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes – lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter. Continue Reading . . . https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-hot-is-too-hot-for-the-human-body/

Why Nikon and Canon have given up on DSLRs The biggest news in the camera industry this month is that Nikon is reportedly halting development of new SLR cameras, marking the end of a 63-year run. From now on, it will focus exclusively on mirrorless Z mount models like the Z6, Z50 and recently-launched Z9 flagship. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/why-nikon-and-canon-have-given-up-on-dsl-rs-133042286.html

Sexually-Awakened J. Jonah Jameson Demands Feet Pictures of Spider-Man NEW YORK — Daily Bugle Editor-in-Chief J. Jonah Jameson shocked staff today when, after a recent sexual awakening following an adult retreat, he demanded the Bugle photographers get him feet pictures of local vigilante Spider-Man. Continue Reading . . . https://hard-drive.net/sexually-awakened-j-jonah-jameson-demands-feet-pictures-of-spider-man/

Twitter is rolling out unmentioning to all users Twitter is widely rolling out its “unmentioning” feature to all users, which allows you to remove yourself from a conversation that includes your Twitter handle. The platform first introduced the feature to a small group of users in April, but now it’s available to everyone. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/11/23204111/twitter-unmentioning-all-users-leave-conversation-thread

YouTube TV hits 5 million subscribers and is looking like the future of cable When YouTube decided to build a cable TV-like product back in 2014, a big part of the goal was just to create a better relationship with Hollywood. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23205080/youtube-tv-subscribers-5-million-sports-bundle

Bungie is now officially part of Sony Bungie, the developer of Destiny 2, is now officially a part of Sony. The PlayStation maker had announced its intent to acquire the gaming studio in a deal worth $3.6 billion in January, and now, that acquisition is complete. The agreement to acquire Bungie has closed. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/15/23220335/bungie-sony-acquisition-complete-official-done

California will start making affordable insulin on its own, governor says Insulin prices are so high that California has decided to make its own, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday. $100 million of the state’s budget will be put into the effort, which seeks to make the lifesaving drug more affordable after years of skyrocketing prices. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/8/23200404/california-insulin-drug-prices-governor-newsom

The FCC is trying to stop annoying auto warranty spam calls The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking new steps to try and stop annoying auto warranty spam calls. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/8/23200527/fcc-stop-auto-warranty-spam-calls

The clownfish are back After 15 years of the iPhone’s existence, the clownfish wallpaper from Apple’s infamous 2007 presentation is finally making its way to the devices — at least for some developers running the latest iOS 16 build. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/7/23198943/iphone-clownfish-wallpaper-ios-16-developer-release

Waymo autonomous vehicle attacked by an ‘erratic’ pedestrian in Arizona If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. An “erratic” pedestrian attacked a Waymo autonomous vehicle late Tuesday evening in Tempe, Arizona, smashing the windshield and injuring the safety driver, the company said. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/7/23197041/waymo-self-driving-car-pedestrian-attack-arizona

Elon Musk says Tesla will open its Superchargers to other EVs this year Owners of non-Tesla EVs may be able to use some Superchargers by the end of 2021. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed on Twitter that the company is opening up its Supercharger network to other EVs later this year. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-tesla-open-superchargers-other-evs-035136832.html

Tesla will open up Superchargers to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US later this year Tesla plans to open up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US in late 2022, according to a White House memo. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/7/23198696/tesla-supercharger-non-tesla-ev-us-white-house

Netflix starts using new Ambeo spatial audio tech from Sennheiser Sennheiser has developed an approach to spatial audio that doesn’t require a surround sound system. The tech, called Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio, will work on standard stereo speakers, Sennheiser says. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/sennheiser-netflix-spatial-audio-ambeo-two-channel-154220638.html

The Marriott hotel chain has been hit by another data breach The Marriott International hotel chain has confirmed that it has been hit by yet another data breach that exposed staff and customer information in another unfortunate security incident for a company that was affected by a number of major hacks in recent years. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/6/23196805/marriott-hotels-maryland-data-breach-credit-cards

A colorful Splatoon 3-themed Nintendo Switch OLED is on the way Nintendo occasionally releases special-edition Switch models for its big games and Splatoon 3 will be no different. A very colorful version of the Switch OLED will be available on August 26th, a couple of weeks before the game arrives on September 9th. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/splatoon-3-themed-nintendo-switch-oled-pro-controller-170118039.html

Japan to start jailing people for online insults Posting “online insults” will be punishable by up to a year in prison time in Japan starting Thursday, when a new law passed earlier this summer will go into effect. People convicted of online insults can also be fined up to 300,000 yen (just over $2,200). Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/6/23196593/japan-jail-online-insult-cyberbullying

How to survive the inevitable CD revival In 1982, when the BBC’s prime-time technology show – Tomorrow’s World – did a segment on a new musical format called the “Compact Disc” the presenter skeptically asked "Whether there's a market for this, remains to be seen". Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/how-to-survive-the-inevitable-cd-revival-130013506.html

We’re heading for a messy, and expensive, breakup with natural gas Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated a number of fault lines already present within the global energy supply chain. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/energy-electricity-prices-crisis-heat-pump-solar-power-140025891.html

Stranger Things 4 just became the second Netflix show to hit 1 billion hours viewed But it hasn’t caught Squid Game... yet Stranger Things 4, the most recent season of the hit show, just became the second Netflix show ever to surpass a billion hours viewed. Since the first installment of the season dropped on May 27th, viewers have spent a cumulative 1. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/5/23195675/stranger-things-4-popularity-netflix-billion-hours

Hacker claims they stole police data on a billion Chinese citizens A hacker (or group of hackers) claims to have stolen data on a billion Chinese citizens from a Shanghai police database. According to Bloomberg, the hacker is attempting to sell 23 terabytes of data for 10 bitcoin, which is worth just over $198,000 at the time of writing. Continue Reading . . . https://www.engadget.com/china-hack-data-billion-citizens-police-173052297.html

FIFA will track players’ bodies using AI to make offside calls at 2022 World Cup FIFA, the international governing body of association football,* has announced it will use AI-powered cameras to help referees make offside calls at the 2022 World Cup. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/5/23195009/fifa-ai-automated-offside-ball-body-tracking-2022-qatar-world-cup