In these trying times, kids have to deal with a lot of stuff they weren't prepared for: a significant loss of weeks of education, damaged GPAs, and no assurance they'll be going back to school in the fall. However, some schools were able to pivot because they already had implemented remote programs that were mature, easily implemented, and designed by teachers for teachers.
Women in Tech: 20 Trailblazers Share Their Journeys
Successful women in the tech trenches share their insights and tackle subjects ranging from how to search out a strong mentor to how to be one -- from how to advance in a large company to how to start your own firm.
This book is an excellent guide for students considering STEM courses, graduates pondering job choices, and career changers at any stage in life. It's also a useful tool for school and career counselors, recruiters, and HR pros eager to diversify their workplaces.
A browser that has received plaudits for privacy protection has been exposed for redirecting Web searches to make money. Brave, a browser with some 15 million monthly users, has been redirecting searches for cryptocurrency companies to links that produce revenue for the browser's owners through advertising affiliate programs.
For understandable reasons, people feel worn down by the volume and composition of the media coming at them. This simple but powerful tool can address precisely the media consumption ills that many find most aggravating,
Website Development Contracts, Part 2: Who Owns the IP on Your Site?
When entering into website development contracts, the more you know, the more likely you will be able to avoid common pitfalls. It is your website, but ownership of the intellectual property on the site is not always apparent or obvious.
Linuxfx 10: A Smart, Easy Way to Transition From Windows
Linuxfx 10 is the closest pathway to transition from real Windows 7 or 10 to Linux with a convincing Windows overlay. The developers included some of the best features in the look and feel of Windows while providing a rock-solid Ubuntu Linux base. Jack Germain has more on LinuxInsider.
Google Sued for Tracking Chrome Users While Incognito
Google is facing a class-action lawsuit for tracking people who used the Chrome browser's Incognito mode. Law firm Boies Schiller Flexner filed the complaint on behalf of people who used the privacy mode during the past four years.
Building a successful global business is a never-ending juggling act. With what can seem like an unlimited number of moving parts, compromises feel inevitable. Efficiency is traded for simplicity. Optimal long-term solutions are traded for quick and dirty fixes. Here are some considerations e-commerce businesses should take into account when planning a global initiative.
Some 50 editors working for Microsoft's news operation have learned their contracts won't be renewed and their jobs will be performed by artificial intelligence software, according to reports. The contractors hired through staffing agencies...
CRMification is the process by which the culture absorbs CRM technology, processes and techniques to achieve some kind of new utility for getting things done better, faster and cheaper. Today we should add safer too. Another way to state it is...
If your contact center agents are working from home, download this Remote Agent Checklist to ensure they can provide exceptional customer experience, no matter where they're based.
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We'll see how other business leaders and politicians respond, and whether this represents any kind of turning point in the deployment of facial recognition.
-- Richard
Sony reschedules its PS5 games event for June 11th
The pre-taped stream will be available in 1080p running at 30 fps.
Sony
After postponing its showcase last week amid widespread anti-racism protests, Sony will debut its PlayStation 5 showcase on Thursday afternoon. The company is apparently planning to show off about an hour's worth of next-gen games, although whether or not we'll see the system itself is unknown. Check back at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT / 9 PM BST on the 11th to find out what's in store. Continue reading.
The new Sonos app and S2 update are available now
Opening a divide between new and old devices.
Sonos
This S2 app is the only way to control Sonos' latest slate of speakers, including the Sonos Arc, Sonos Five and the updated Sonos Sub. Besides a new tan icon and a cleaned-up user interface, the new software adds support for Dolby Atmos on the Sonos Arc and, in the future, other high-resolution audio formats.
Things will get tricky if you have older equipment in the mix. If you own "legacy" Sonos devices, such as first-generation Play:5, first-generation Connect or Zone Players, you'll have to keep the S1 app on your phone if you want to continue using them. Continue reading.
The US Air Force is planning a human versus AI dogfight in 2021
The battle is tentatively planned for July.
It definitely sounds like at least three movies I wish I never saw, but it's now turning into a real thing. Next year, the US Air Force will test out an autonomous fighter drone designed to take down a human-piloted plane.
A lot of the details about the drone itself are classified, but the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has been working on an autonomous fighter jet since 2018. The team is apparently confident that the AI machine will best its human competition. Continue reading.
'Final Fantasy VII Remake' and the curse of remade soundtracks
Dust off your CD drive.
Square Enix
Mat Smith (well, me, one of the authors of this newsletter) gets overly excited about the incredibly dense soundtrack that launched alongside Final Fantasy VII Remake. Why can't he stop listening to the same melodies, remade and remixed? Continue reading.
The Big Picture: An AI creates 'mindscape' art
With traditional Chinese techniques.
Victor Wong and 3812 Gallery
The Chinese painting style called Xieyi literally means "writing ideas" and marries the freehand techniques of calligraphy, line drawing and shading. It might be the last thing you'd expect to see put through the AI wringer, but here we are.
Hong Kong artist Victor Wong created a painting robot called A.I. Gemini. Wong is a Xieyi artist with a background in physics, electrical engineering and VFX effects for cinema, spending three years programming the industrial-style robot to paint in the Xieyi style. The results are often hypnotic. Continue reading.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon put people into orbit last week, and now the company looks to be focusing attention on its next big thing: Starship.
That's meant to be the company's got-to rocket, useable in different situations (space tourism or longer-distance trips) as well as being composed of reusable hardware to speed up turnaround and flight frequency -- and naturally, cost a little less.
In an email obtained by CNBC, Elon Musk asked staff to treat Starship as the "top SpaceX priority," pushing them to "dramatically and immediately" speed up progress on the super-heavy rocket. About the only other focus is whatever can "reduce Dragon['s] return risk," Musk said.
The future of SpaceX seems to center on the success of its Starship. The US Senate, at least, is interested in helping out the private spaceflight sector.
-- Mat
Some iPhone 11 models display a green tint after unlocking
The issue seems to affect iOS 13.4 and 13.5 users.
Engadget
A number of iPhone users are seeing a strange green tint on their devices' displays for a few seconds after unlocking their devices, and it's still unclear what's causing the phenomenon. Based on the complaints posted over the weekend, the most affected devices are the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. Several users are saying the green tint only shows up when they have Dark Mode and Night Shift on or if they're in a dark room.
Affected users are also reporting that the issue popped up after iOS 13.4 came out, though there are those who've only noticed it after upgrading to iOS 13.5. At least one user says the green tint disappeared upon installing iOS 13.5.5, which is currently in beta, so it's looking more likely that it's a software issue. Continue reading.
UK may pay drivers to replace combustion cars with EVs
It could help revitalize a pandemic-struck economy.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
The UK car market has taken a bruising due to COVID-19, like much of Europe, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be counting on electric vehicles to bring it back. Reports suggest that the UK government is drafting plans that would give drivers up to £6,000, or about $7,627, if they exchange their combustion engine car for an EV. The prime minister would reportedly announce this on July 6th as part of a broader plan to help the British economy recover as lockdown measures ease.
A swap incentive might even be necessary to fulfill long-term goals. The UK wants to ban sales of new combustion cars by 2035, and that may be challenging if there isn't a thriving EV market by that point. Another issue is that while the charging infrastructure is growing, it's not clear that there are enough stations (or a sufficiently prepared electrical grid) to handle a spike in demand. Also, given the economic uncertainty, who is planning to buy a new car this summer? Continue reading.
The best gifts for grads under $50
Give them something useful without breaking the bank.[IMG]
The graduating class of 2020 might have a different experience to other years, but that's no reason not to celebrate their efforts -- even without breaking the bank. We've compiled everything in our grad guide under $50 so you don't have to scour the internet for presents that fit in your budget. Continue reading.
Apple gets a patent for taking group selfies while you're socially distant
It's time for 'synthetic group selfies'.
Apple is working on a feature to keep group selfies a thing, beyond the social distancing times of COVID-19. The company has picked up a patent, first filed for back in July 2018, for creating a "synthetic group selfie." You could invite people to a selfie session where the software would place people as if they were right behind you. The pics could include recorded or even livestreamed videos, and the participants could edit the shots to put themselves front and center. Continue reading.
