The Morning After: Debate my AI, you cowards

It's Wednesday, February 13, 2019. Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to the middle! Games-maker Activision Blizzard had its best year yet -- but it’s laying off hundreds of employees. IBM’s AI failed to beat a human debating champion, and Niantic is  turning Pokémon Go into an augmented reality photo machine, so you can take selfies with your favorite monsters. (View in browser.) It looks pretty much like the G7 ThinQ. LG G8 ThinQ leak shows the flagship phone from every angle No-one deserves surprises anymore, so here’s the latest phone leak. It’s LG’s turn today, and its forthcoming G8 looks mighty familiar if you recall last year’s G7 ThinQ. If you don’t remember (it’s cool), expect a multi-camera setup, all-screen face and a fingerprint reader at the back. Hopefully some slightly more thrilling features are staying hidden, primed for the big reveal. But do kids 'get' the satire? How the creators of 'Ralph Breaks the Internet’ showed two sides to life online Six years after the Oscar-winning success of Wreck-It Ralph, its creators delivered a full-blown satire in the shape of its sequel. Their target? The monetization of the web and its contrasting effects on two childlike video-game characters, best friends Ralph and Vanellope. In a bid to save Vanellope's arcade racing game, the BFFs venture into the internet to buy a new steering wheel on eBay (where else?), only to lose their way in a sea of distractions. We've all been there. Saqib Shah talks to the creators behind Ralph Breaks the Internet. So was it worth the wait? Did you buy the most recent MacBook Air? Tell us what you think. When Apple unveiled a new Macbook Air last October, we wasted no time in putting the long-awaited refresh through its paces. While the new machine includes an upgraded butterfly  keyboard, a Touch ID sensor and a Retina display with thinner bezels, it has markedly fewer inputs than the previous generation: just two USB-C and a headphone jack (no SD card reader in sight, sigh). Given the comments left on the review, we know that y'all have lots of thoughts about the most recent Air. Well, now is your chance to weigh in on all the various upgrades and drawbacks. If you own or use this newest model, what made you buy it, even over similarly priced laptops in Apple's lineup? Mostly in ‘non-development’ sectors. Activision Blizzard lays off nearly 800 employees after 'record' 2018 Even as it reported a record net revenue of $7.50 billion in 2018, up from $7.02 billion in 2017, the company announced it would cut ties with about 8 percent of its staff. CEO Bobby Kotick responded to a question about the success of Epic Games’ Fortnite by saying “Activision needs to streamline in order to react quickly to changing market conditions and fresh business models.” Change my mind. IBM AI fails to beat human debating champion Champion debater Harish Natarajan triumphed in a live showdown against IBM's Miss Debater AI at the company's Think Conference in San Francisco on Monday. The 2012 European Debate winner and IBM's black monolith exchanged quick retorts on pre-school subsidies for 25 minutes before the crowd hailed Natarajan the victor. Take a selfie with Pikachu. Niantic is turning ‘Pokémon Go’ into an AR photo machine While you've already been able to take photos of Pokémon you see in the wild using the AR+ mode, the Go Snapshot update will allow you to pose and interact with Pokémon you've already captured. But wait, there's more... 1. Sonar drone discovers long-lost WWII aircraft carrier USS Hornet 2. The Nissan Kicks is a cheap crossover that's still high-tech 3. Amazon and GM may invest in Rivian's electric pickup trucks 4. 'Beat Saber' players were so fast that they broke Steam VR 5. Mars One could live again thanks to a mystery investor 6. Adobe's latest Lightroom CC uses AI to 'enhance' RAW images 7. 'Upskirting' is now a crime in the UK 8. Shell backs Alphabet's power-generating kites in latest renewable bet The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe. Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note. Copyright © 2016 Aol Inc. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: AOL 770 Broadway #4 New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you opted in at engadget.com. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

Editor's Pick: Trump Order Gives Artificial Intelligence a Boost

Trump Order Gives Artificial Intelligence a Boost

John P. Mello Jr. Feb 12, 2019 5:00 AM PT
	President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at boosting artificial intelligence R&D in the U.S. The order sets up the American AI Initiative, which instructs federal agencies to move projects involving artificial intelligence to the top of their priority lists. No funding is proposed in the order, but the initiative directs federal agencies to focus on five areas. [More...]

More Picks:

5G Is Key to T-Mobile, Sprint Merger Over the last several quarters, I have heard opinions of the pending T-Mobile, Sprint merger from every corner. Those who are pro-merger focus on all the benefits it woud bring. Those who are anti-merger focus on what would be lost and how it would harm different segments. Amid the chaotic debate, what really matters is whether the regulators are going to say yes or no. [More...]

How IBM'S Project Debater Could Fix the State of the Union Last week, like a lot of you, I imagine, I watched the State of the Union and tried to figure out what was true and what was fiction. Tied into several of the live-streamed press fact-checking streams, I found that the comments validating or invalidating what the president said came in so far after the comment was made that it would have been better to wait until the next day. [More...]

The Critical Importance of Governance to CX Success Today's customer feedback world is extremely complex with data coming from a variety of sources. With the growing number of cross-functional teams and silos within an organization, leaders have been finding it increasingly difficult to capture the full 360-degree view of the customer to drive true change within an organization. While it's clear that problems exist, what's less straightforward is why. [More...]

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The Morning After: The 'Mars One' dream is over

It's Tuesday, February 12, 2019. Hey, good morning!  Welcome to Tuesday! Google Maps is getting in deep with augmented reality, using what’s around us to help us get to our destination, Samsung is making a foldable phone and really doesn’t want you to forget and space-colonization startup ‘Mars One’ goes bankrupt. The latest ‘Fortnite’ killer...   'Apex Legends' racks up 25 million players in its first week   For a game that launched just a week ago, Apex Legends is doing well. Respawn has revealed that its free-to-play battle-royale genre now has over 25 million players and had "well over" 2 million simultaneous players during the weekend. Most popular game of the year? Nah, calm down: Fortnite has more than 200 million players and 8.3 million concurrent players, but it's a huge figure for a title that boasted 10 million players just a few days earlier. Stop walking three blocks in the wrong direction.   Google Maps' AR adds navigation hints to the real world   The “global localization” system locates your exact position when GPS has fallen short, by combining VPS (Visual Positioning Service), Google's Street View and machine learning. Once it knows where you are, the tech can overlay a feed with directions from your phone’s camera. For now, it’s only available to a select set of beta testers.   One Ring to rule the WiFi.   Amazon buys mesh WiFi startup Eero to connect smart homes   There's no mystery why Amazon is acquiring Eero, a startup that has developed a solid reputation for its mesh WiFi routers. It likes the thought of an easy-setup WiFi system that can connect all the smart devices in your household, even in remote corners.   Unofficially. MagSafe makes a full comeback for your USB-C MacBooks   ThunderMag claims to be the world's first truly Thunderbolt 3-compatible magnetic adapter. In other words, these little plugs should pass through data at up to 40 Gbps (or video at up to 5K) while also delivering 100W of power, thanks to their 24 pins and delicate magnetic shaping -- the latter to protect the cable's high-frequency signal. The usual Kickstarter warnings apply, but those interested can jump in as backers for $40 to $50.   Did we mention that it folds?   Samsung really wants you to know its folding phone is coming   Next week Samsung is throwing its usual Unpacked event to debut some new mobile devices, and, just in case you hadn’t heard, a new teaser makes clear that we will see something foldable. Samsung first revealed the tech in November with a demo of a device that converted from a tablet into a phone format. But the company dimmed the lights and kept it inside a case, meaning we didn't get much of a sense of what it looks like. On February 20th, we should find out more details and know whether or not the ‘Galaxy F’ is ready for prime time.   Its plan was to have a worldwide reality TV show fund the one-way trip.   Swiss court declares space-colonization startup ‘Mars One’ bankrupt   Mars One Ventures, the for-profit arm of the Mars One mission was declared bankrupt back in January, but it wasn't reported until a keen-eyed Redditor found the listing. Speaking to Engadget, Bas Lansdorp said that the foundation is still operating, but won't be able to act without further investment. Lansdorp declined to give further comment beyond saying that he was working with other parties "to find a solution."   Upgraded hardware should increase performance and energy efficiency.   Microsoft posts HoloLens 2 teaser ahead of February 24th launch   Device creator Alex Kipman has posted a teaser for the mixed-reality headset that confirms its premiere just before Mobile World Congress on February 24th. The clip itself is cryptic, with vague allusions to processors and possibly carbon fiber (which could help reduce the weight).    But wait, there's more... 1. Google Fi SIM cards are now on sale at Best Buy 2. Global scientific review suggests insects could be extinct within a century 3. Gmail's expanded right-click menu makes it easier to manage email 4. What we're watching in February: 'Fyre,' DC's 'Titans' and 'The Orville' 5. Netflix expands its podcast repertoire with 'Strong Black Legends' 6. Samsung's 2019 65-inch 8K TV will cost $5,000 7. We're one step closer to unified wireless charging standard for EVs 8. Research shows DVRs aren't an ad killer 9. Activision offers 'Guitar Hero Live' refunds after songs vanish The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe. Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note. Copyright © 2016 Aol Inc. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: AOL 770 Broadway #4 New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you opted in at engadget.com. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

Tech News Flash

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Tech News Flash: Monday -- February 11, 2019

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Headline Scan
How IBM'S Project Debater Could Fix the State of the Union
Wireless Carriers Caught Playing Fast and Loose With Location Data
E-Ticketing Flaw Exposes Airline Passenger Data to Hackers
Linux Task Apps: Plenty of Goodies in These Oldies

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Today's Story Highlights

How IBM'S Project Debater Could Fix the State of the Union
Last week, like a lot of you, I imagine, I watched the State of the
Union and tried to figure out what was true and what was fiction. Tied
into several of the live-streamed press fact-checking streams, I found
that the comments validating or invalidating what the president said
came in so far after the comment was made that it would have been better
to wait until the next day.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85837.html

Wireless Carriers Caught Playing Fast and Loose With Location Data
AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint have sold access to subscribers' real-time
location data to aggregators, which in turn have sold it to about 250
bounty hunters and related businesses, according to a report. In some
cases, the data allowed users to track individuals to their specific
locations inside a building. Some companies made thousands of location
requests to data brokers.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85839.html

E-Ticketing Flaw Exposes Airline Passenger Data to Hackers
The e-ticketing systems of eight airlines, including Southwest Airlines
and Dutch carrier KLM, have a vulnerability that can expose passengers'
personal data, mobile security vendor Wandera has reported. They use
unencrypted links that hackers can intercept easily. The hackers then
can view and, in some cases, even change the victim's flight booking
details, or print their boarding passes.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85836.html

Linux Task Apps: Plenty of Goodies in These Oldies
If you need a task manager application to run on your Linux operating
system, tap into a software category filled with options that go far
beyond the to-do list app you have stuffed into your smartphone. Keeping
up to date with multiple daily activity calendars, tons of information,
and never-ending must-do lists can become a never-ending challenge.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85834.html

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