Day: March 24, 2020

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BioWare book will chronicle 25 years of games

https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/24/bioware-25-years-book/

Did you practically grow up with BioWare games? If so, there will soon be a book to help you reminisce. The studio is preparing BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, a retrospective book that will discuss "key moments" in the company’s history while showing previously unseen artwork and photos. You can also expect tidbits regarding "secret, cancelled" game projects. This might shed light on how Mass Effect characters came to be, or help you wax nostalgic about playing the original Baldur’s Gate or MDK titles ("good gravy, that’s Edmonton!").

The hardcover book should be available from Dark Horse Books on October 13th for $40.

This could be a fascinating read if you’re a longtime fan. With that said, its official nature suggests you might not hear some of the juiciest tales from BioWare. You probably won’t get all the sordid details of Anthem‘s troubled development, for instance, or hear much about any tensions between BioWare and EA. So long as you aren’t anticipating an exposé, though, this may be a satisfying read.

Source: Penguin Random House

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

March 24, 2020 at 03:12PM

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This New Species Is Named After the Plastic Inside It

https://earther.gizmodo.com/this-new-species-is-named-after-the-plastic-inside-it-1842427259

Some species are named after beloved teen activists or Lady Gaga. Others are named after plastic. Before science even discovered this deep-sea crustacean, plastic had infiltrated its stomach. So scientists named it accordingly. Meet Eurythenes plasticus.

This newly discovered species lives some 22,637 feet underwater in the depths of the Mariana Trench. It’s a shrimp-like creature, and researchers have so far found only one of these crustaceans with plastic inside its stomach. This was still concerning enough, however, that the team decided to incorporate “plastic” into the species’ name. This is the inaugural moment plastic joined the taxonomic ranks of biological classification.

“We decided on the name Eurythenes plasticus as we wanted to highlight the fact that we need to take immediate action to stop the deluge of plastic waste into our oceans,” said Alan Jamieson, the head of the research mission to discover the species, in a World Wildlife Fund statement.

One amphipod specimen was found with a microfiber 0.65 millimeters long. Analysts determined that the microfiber was likely polyethylene terephthalate, which can be found in polyester clothing and water bottles. Plastics are taking over, man. They’ve been found on mountaintops, in oceans, and even in the Arctic. That’s because of all the plastic we humans consume and eventually discard.

Plastic pollution is seemingly impossible to avoid, studies have found. A recent paper found that just opening a plastic bottle can throw microplastics into the air. Wearing polyester clothing helps spread microplastics around, too. It’s an unfortunate reality, and the natural world is having a tough time escaping this manmade mess.

With only one crustacean found with plastic, the species still has a chance of staying plastic-free at large, if humans can find a way to end our addiction to plastic.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

March 21, 2020 at 10:39AM

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Yelp adds a GoFundMe donation button for struggling businesses

https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/24/yelp-gofundme-donation/

Yelp is hoping to help struggling business stay afloat while COVID-19 restrictions are in place by teaming up with GoFundMe. Since a lot of businesses have to shut down unless they’re classified as "essential retail," the two companies are making it easier for them receive direct donations from loyal patrons and people in their community who may want to help. Yelp pages for restaurants, nightlife, beauty and fitness, as well as active life businesses can now display GoFundMe fundraisers. Eligible business’ pages will show a Donate button right on their profile.

Since the program focuses on small, independent businesses, they’ll need to have five or fewer locations in order to take advantage of it. The Donate icon will start showing up on Yelp pages for some of the hardest hit areas starting today, but the feature will be available to more eligible businesses nationwide over the next couple of days. Yelp and GoFundMe also pledged to match up to $1 million in donations, with more companies promising to match even more donations in the coming week.

Other tech companies taking steps to combat COVID-19 and to help people affected by the outbreak include Amazon, which teamed up with the Gates Foundation to deliver and pick up at-home COVID-19 testing kits as part of a trial. GrubHub recently deferred commission fees for independent restaurants nationwide, while Facebook pledged $100 million to small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Source: Yelp

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

March 24, 2020 at 07:06AM

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UPS is developing quieter and more versatile delivery drones

https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/24/ups-wingcopter-partnership/

USP has announced a new partnership with Wingcopter, a German aircraft manufacturer, to develop new types of delivery drones. The two companies will work together to certify Wingcopter’s existing aircraft for use in commercial delivery flights in the US. They say certification is the first step toward developing drones that can complete a variety of delivery jobs.

According to UPS, a couple of factors attracted it to Wingcopter’s drones. The first one was technological. Wingcopter’s drones feature a tilt-rotor mechanism that allows them to switch between multi-copter and fixed-wing flight modes. Thanks to this capability, they’re able to vertically take off and land in tight spaces and then fly quickly and quietly to their next destination. The latter ability also makes them better suited to flying over populated areas like cities than traditional multi-copter drones. The second factor was that the company’s drones have already completed deliveries under challenging circumstances. As one example, one of Wingcopter’s aircraft was able to deliver insulin to a remote Irish village in the North Sea that is frequently inaccessible thanks to bad weather.

At the moment, UPS has mostly trialed drones to transport medical samples and prescriptions. The company’s ultimate goal here is to develop aircraft that would allow it to shuttle items to companies in a variety of different industries. It may be a while yet before we see Wingcopter’s aircraft delivering parcels to consumers in US and other parts of the world, but this is still a significant milestone for both companies.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: UPS

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

March 24, 2020 at 12:42PM

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Google’s security measures failed to find Android malware in Play Store

https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/24/google-security-android-malware-play-store/

Google may have introduced a number of security measures to prevent malicious apps from appearing in the Play Store, but they’re not watertight. New analysis from Check Point shows that earlier this year, malware was lurking within 56 apps that had been downloaded almost one million times worldwide – its objective, to commit mobile ad fraud.

The malware, named "Tekya", imitated the user’s actions in order to click ads and banners from agencies suh as AdMob, AppLovin’, Facebook and Unity. The affected apps included utility apps such as cooking apps and calculators, and apps aimed at kids, such as puzzles and racing games.

Tekya was able to go undetected for so long because it hid in Android’s native code — code that’s designed to run only on Android processors. As such, the malware avoided detection by Google Play Protect, the system designed to keep Android safe. The malware was removed by Google in early March, after Check Point disclosed its findings to the company.

Considering the Play Store is home to more than two million apps, 56 being affected in this way represents a very small sample. However, it does demonstrate that Google’s security efforts aren’t fool-proof. As such, Check Point’s manager of mobile research, Aviran Hazum, recommends keeping devices up to date with the latest security patches, and installing a reputable security solution to prevent future infections.

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

March 24, 2020 at 07:48AM

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Star Trek’s Sir Patrick Stewart Reads Shakespeare’s Sonnet 2 [Video]

https://www.geeksaresexy.net/2020/03/24/star-treks-sir-patrick-stewart-reads-shakespeares-sonnet-2-video/

A few days ago, Sir Patrick Stewart has started reading Shakespeare to his Twitter followers to entertain them during the Coronavirus pandemic. Here is his latest performance: Sonnet 2.

The post Star Trek’s Sir Patrick Stewart Reads Shakespeare’s Sonnet 2 [Video] appeared first on Geeks are Sexy Technology News.

via [Geeks Are Sexy] Technology News https://ift.tt/23BIq6h

March 24, 2020 at 11:22AM

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Tesla reportedly removing paid-for features after used-car sales

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/23/tesla-removing-content-from-used-cars/

Jalopnik has run a couple of interesting stories on the experiences a number of people have had after buying used Teslas. It started last month with a story on a man named Alec, who bought a used 2017 Tesla Model S from a used-car dealer last December. The dealer, United Traders, bought the car directly from Tesla at an auction on November 15, 2019. At the time of that auction sale, the Model S had Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self Driving Capability options installed, which the original owner had paid a combined $8,000 for, as listed on the Monroney that Tesla gave the dealer. On November 18, Tesla ran an audit of the software in its vehicles, including the Model S now owned by the dealership, and removed Enhanced Autopilot. The automaker did not inform the dealer of the changes to the Model S, so the dealer sold the sedan to Alec on December 20 believing the car contained what was on the Monroney.

Alec didn’t find out about the removal until January 17, on an invoice he received from a Tesla Service Center after taking the Model S in for repairs. The invoice showed that FSD was removed during a December software update because FSD requires the Autopilot software that Tesla deleted on November 18. When Alec contacted Tesla customer support, the representative told him, “Tesla has recent identified instances of customers being incorrectly configured for Autopilot versions that they did not pay for. Since, there was an audit done to correct these instances. Your vehicle is one of the vehicles that was incorrectly configured for Autopilot. We looked back at your purchase history and unfortunately Full Self Driving was not a feature that you had paid for. We apologize for the confusion. If you are still interested in having those additional features we can begin the process to purchase the upgrade.”

The Jalopnik story took off, and Tesla restored Alec’s software, blaming “a miscommunication.” However, a follow-up piece and posts on Tesla forums show other buyers suffering the same thing. In one case, a man bought a used 2018 Model X P100D with the $20,000 Ludicrous Mode from a Tesla dealership, only to have Tesla remove Ludicrous Mode after the sale, following another audit. A Tesla rep told the man that he didn’t pay for the option.

Effectively, according to these stories, Tesla appears to be treating certain optional software as a non-transferrable. This wouldn’t be unheard of — even automakers have spoken of a future where they’ll upgrade or de-content vehicles after the sale to suit dealer or buyer preferences. The problem with what Tesla is supposedly doing is that the company hasn’t made its software stance clear, and even Tesla reps at call centers and service centers don’t know what’s going on. Tesla hasn’t responded to Jalopnik‘s questions, so we don’t know the company’s position. But the original article and the follow-up are worth a read, especially because what’s happening could be “one of the less-considered side effects of car features moving from hardware to software.”

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via Autoblog https://ift.tt/1afPJWx

March 23, 2020 at 07:56AM