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Showing posts from November, 2020

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to leave agency next year

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Monday announced his intent to resign his post next January, concluding a four-year run atop the nation’s telecom agency. https://wapo.st/3o2eX46

‘Immortals: Fenyx Rising’ is a worthy adventure wavering between cringe and charm

The game would be much more enjoyable if Zeus would just shut up. https://wapo.st/36knXeT

It’s okay if you weren’t paying attention to gadgets in 2020. Here are the best ones you missed.

Better-sounding smart speakers, mini and mighty iPhones, TV upgrades and more: our tech columnist tests the fall’s buzziest new electronics https://wapo.st/3fWlE4P

Tony Hsieh, entrepreneur who made Zappos an online retail giant, dies at 46

He built the online shoe and clothing retailer into a billion-dollar business and led revitalization efforts in Las Vegas. https://wapo.st/3q8J4Zt

Amazon’s cloud-computing outage on Wednesday was triggered by effort to boost system’s capacity

Efforts to add new computer servers created a cascading set of errors that hobbled Web-connected security cameras, robotic vacuums and publishing sites, the company acknowledged in a lengthy postmortem Saturday morning. https://wapo.st/37ceXYq

How some savvy fans are preserving the PS3’s multiplayer games

A dedicated group is piecing together the needed elements to sustain online play for some PS3 titles even after Sony has pulled the plug on supporting them. https://wapo.st/3m9AvLw

Amazon’s big holiday shopping advantage: An in-house shipping network swollen by pandemic-fueled growth

After struggling with shipping at the start of the pandemic, Amazon quietly built a logistics operation that will provide it delivery advantages that no other retailer can match. https://wapo.st/2V8Lqcv

Want to buy a gift for a gamer? Start by reading this.

It can be dicey buying a gift for a gamer if you're not familiar with gaming. Here are some things to keep in mind. https://wapo.st/33m9VHA

Zoomsgiving: 5 tech tips for getting through the remote holiday

This Thanksgiving, be thankful for technology that lets you see family members from a safe distance. https://wapo.st/3mb7xuC

Virus-killing robot zaps airport viruses as pandemic travel picks up

As air travel gains some steam and coronavirus-related shutdowns return in pockets of the country, one of the latest iterations of virus-fighting tech at the airport is a germ-zapping robot at San Antonio International Airport. https://wapo.st/368nuMR

YouTube suspends One America News, a Trump favorite, for peddling pandemic misinformation

The action against OAN, which President Trump’s allies have praised in recent weeks while raging against Fox News for supposed disloyalty during and after this month’s election, was the latest sign that Silicon Valley remains prepared to enforce policies against false and misleading information. https://wapo.st/3m4qdfA

‘Astro’s Playroom’ review: A delightful jaunt through PlayStation history

This delightful platformer is much more than just a technical demo. https://wapo.st/2HAUm7q

Room Rater was a beloved pandemic distraction. But the backlash has arrived, courtesy of Jeb Bush.

It started with a confusing tweet from the former Florida governor, but it turns out a lot of people have critical opinions of the Twitter account. https://wapo.st/3l3wZRE

Hackers said they could steal a Tesla Model X in minutes. Tesla pushed out a fix.

The vulnerability demonstrated another pitfall of our increasingly connected cars. https://wapo.st/2J6ilfg

Apple’s head of global security indicted on bribery charges

Thomas Moyer, Apple's global head of security, was indicted on bribery charges. According to the Santa Clara, Calif. District Attorney's office, Moyer promised Apple would donate $70,000 worth of iPads to the Santa Clara sheriff's office in exchange for concealed weapons permits. https://wapo.st/399Sluf

Conservatives grumbling about censorship say they’re flocking to Parler. They told us so on Twitter.

The pro-Trump Internet can’t stop talking about their exodus from Big Tech. But very few of them have actually abandoned their long-time social media homes. https://wapo.st/35Tjf7F

Apple is lobbying against a bill aimed at stopping forced labor in China

Apple wants to water down key provisions of the bill, which would hold U.S. companies accountable for using Uighur forced labor, according to two congressional staffers. https://wapo.st/3lPK4zh

The enduring and ongoing legacy of Bjergsen

From a player to management and ownership, Bjergsen has made a career of his passion for "League of Legends." https://wapo.st/2ULX7py

Biden, top Democrats lay groundwork for multibillion-dollar push to boost U.S. broadband

President-elect Joe Biden and top congressional Democrats are laying the groundwork to seek a massive increase in federal broadband spending next year, hoping they can secure billions of dollars in new government aid to improve internet access and affordability -- and help people stay online during the pandemic. https://wapo.st/3lSxPSy

Astronauts on the space station discuss SpaceX’s rocket, sleeping quarters and Baby Yoda

During their first news conference since arriving at the International Space Station, the astronauts who blasted off Sunday said their escape from Earth’s gravity was a thrilling ride atop a spacecraft that on the ground appeared restless, grunting and vibrating before being unleashed into the skies. https://wapo.st/38YvcuH

E-scooters are getting computer vision to curb pedestrian collisions

E-scooter accidents were a big problem for metro areas before the pandemic. One company sees computer vision as a partial solution. https://wapo.st/3kMBfEP

Rockefeller Center’s scraggly Christmas tree is deemed ‘a metaphor for 2020’

The tree was compared to “the apocalypse we’re living in,” and many thought it reminded them of Charlie Brown's. https://wapo.st/35PePPj

Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2020

The six game of the year contenders could not be more different. https://wapo.st/2ITfSok

Apple cuts some App Store fees, but critics call it a ploy to avoid regulation

Apple announced Wednesday that it would cut its App Store fee to 15 percent for business with less than $1 million in revenue. Apple's biggest critics say the move will do nothing to encourage new innovation and business models. https://wapo.st/36KJhcx

A covid-fighting tool is buried in your phone. Turn it on.

Millions of Americans now have access to free, anonymous coronavirus exposure notifications. Too bad so few people use them. https://wapo.st/38Vd30D

‘Animal Crossing’ holiday update brings long-awaited save transfer feature

Save transfer. Finally. https://wapo.st/2UAu0VV

Uber and Lyft used sneaky tactics to avoid making drivers employees in California. Now, they’re going national.

Some voters said they were confused by the messaging around the measure. https://wapo.st/3nx9SjR

SpaceX docking live updates: Resilience capsule docks with the International Space Station

Following a successful Sunday launch, Dragon Crew-1′s ‘Resilience’ capsule docks onto the International Space Station. It became the first privately owned and operated spacecraft to be certified by NASA for human spaceflight. https://wapo.st/3kyFjIF

Biden likely to remain tough on Chinese tech like Huawei, but with more help from allies

The incoming president is expected to hold a hard line on most matters, though he is likely to enlist more support from international allies and maintain more consistent policies than the ones Trump sometimes announced, and rescinded, via tweet. https://wapo.st/32NzJfD

SpaceX launch live updates: Crew-1 launch is next step in new era of human spaceflight

SpaceX is scheduled to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is the first privately owned and operated spacecraft to be certified by NASA for human spaceflight, a certification SpaceX received only days ago. https://wapo.st/35z6Rtu

On day one, ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ feels janky

A few glitches dampened the Day 1 experience. https://wapo.st/3nfYXuW

TikTok gets short extension before it must be sold

TikTok parent ByteDance will have until Nov. 27 to divest in the video streaming app in the U.S. https://wapo.st/2Iy7fzl

YouTube wants to forget 2020 as much as the rest of us

YouTube said it's "taking a break" from its annual Rewind video this year. https://wapo.st/32IMA2G

‘Cold War’ runs the same on Series X and PS5. The DualSense is the difference.

Treyarch had to get “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War” working on nine different platforms, but the new consoles provided novel opportunities. https://wapo.st/38CUX3u

‘Ghost of Tsushima’ sees the best kind of PlayStation 5 upgrade: transformative and free

Compared to other updates, Sucker Punch rewards its fans. https://wapo.st/3lsH2Av

Tech companies brace for the long haul with Trump’s unrelenting attacks on election outcome

Newly aggressive against Trump and his allies, tech companies prepare for protracted uncertainty over election outcomes and questions about whether their efforts are sustainable over time. https://wapo.st/36rTr1q

‘Call of Duty’ voice actors spent the summer on video calls like the rest of us

"Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War" actors needed to adapt to the pandemic just like the rest of the world's remote workers. https://wapo.st/3lofZ9r

During a year of tumult, space has been a rare bright spot. SpaceX and NASA hope to keep it that way.

The SpaceX launch, now scheduled for Saturday evening, would be another coup for NASA, which has been on a roll recently, providing dashes of good news in a year that has seen very little. https://wapo.st/3n91eb8

She fell into QAnon and went viral for destroying a Target mask display. Now she’s rebuilding her life.

"What happens when a human being gets canceled?" Melissa Rein Lively said. "They don’t want to exist anymore.” https://wapo.st/36qwwnd

TikTok asks U.S. court to slow forced sale with deadline approaching

TikTok parent ByteDance is trying to prevent having to sell its U.S. assets in the popular video app. https://wapo.st/2GOl8su

‘Telepresence’ robots are making virtual school feel a little more like real school

The robots follow action and sound so students at home can see more than just a static shot of the classroom. https://wapo.st/3kdX685

Facebook takes down a widespread network of pages tied to Stephen Bannon for pushing misinformation

The pages, which promoted the “Stop the Steal” effort and other misleading messages about voter fraud and the election, were removed over the weekend, while the former top Trump strategist’s account was frozen. https://wapo.st/3ngOT4Z

PS5 designer: ‘When I started drawing, it was much larger’

Yujin Morisawa talks the inspiration behind the PS5's shape, his approach to its size and how he views the reaction to his work. https://wapo.st/36hMDDD

‘Bugsnax’ offers a charming, comic world that’s sapped by vexing gameplay

The characters are so endearing you'd want to have a drink with them. You just don't want to do what the game requires. https://wapo.st/32p7NhJ

Twitter and Facebook warning labels aren’t enough to save democracy

This election proved Big Tech still hasn’t figured out how to make truth spread faster than lies. https://wapo.st/3n8vRh2

Twitter labels Trump’s latest claim about election fraud as ‘disputed’ but doesn’t limit dissemination

Trump's all-caps attacked the integrity of the vote, alleging "BAD THINGS" had occurred despite having failed to present any evidence of electoral fraud. Within minutes, Twitter appended a label to the president's tweet, claiming it is "disputed," but it did not take any action to prevent tens of thousands of users from re-sharing it widely. https://wapo.st/3n5Eqcy

No social media is safe: How election misinformation spread on LinkedIn, Pinterest and Nextdoor

Smaller social media sites are fighting the spread of disinformation with far fewer resources than Facebook and Twitter. https://wapo.st/2JNNIeP

Facebook’s latest attempt to slow disinformation means probation for groups

Facebook's latest attempt to control the spread of misinformation following the election is setting limits for groups it detects violating community standards. https://wapo.st/2I55hXm

Trump’s power on Twitter, Facebook will outlive his presidency

Trump's power on social media gives him the opportunity to do something rarely attempted by the men who previously held the nation’s highest office — keep the national gaze fixed on himself as a new chief executive tries to command the national stage. https://wapo.st/3pfkkym

PlayStation 5 review: PS5 is a sensory game-changer

The PS5 impresses by introducing features that differentiate it from past and even next-gen consoles. https://wapo.st/32hRgMw