Новости за 27.07.2017

Welcome to Cheat Sheet, our brief breakdown-style reviews of festival films, VR previews, and other special-event releases. A version of this review originally ran on January 27, 2017, in conjunction with the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Like the iPod Classic three years before it, the iPod nano’s death today was a long time coming. But years ago, before the product stalled out, lost its identity, and was made wholly unnecessary by the iPhone, it featured some of Apple’s finest design and arguably represented the iPod at its peak — tiny, fun, and focused.

Rolls-Royce is in a peculiar position when it comes to imagining the future of luxury transportation. The 112-year-old motor company is the very definition of a luxury car, but much of its auspicious reputation is based on its embodiment of classical luxury, in the tradition of Beethoven, foie gras, and delectable suicide doors.

I’m sorry to do this to you, but do you remember the fall of 2016?

If not, here is a refresher. In October 2016, a month that took place approximately 900 million years ago, there was a rash of “killer clown” or “crazed clown” sightings across the United States. Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Alabama — the clowns were everywhere. If you actually stepped back and looked at the big picture, there were not so many clowns. 100 sightings across 50 states isn’t really an epidemic. But because the... Читать дальше...

Android co-founder Andy Rubin’s Essential is poised to ship its flagship smartphone sometime in August, after a somewhat nebulous few weeks in which eager consumers and media organizations alike pestered the company about the unexplained shipping delay. Now, following Rubin’s confirmation last week that the Essential Phone is indeed coming soon, the company has penned a blog post detailing some of the more technical aspects of the phone’s dual-camera photography system.

Senators introduced new legislation today that would expand privacy protections and stop law enforcement from obtaining emails and location data without a warrant.

Apple’s automotive infotainment system CarPlay is coming to two new premium makes: Aston Martin and Mini. 9to5Mac noticed that the CarPlay page on Apple’s website was updated today with new models from the European manufacturers.

A new class of tissue glues can seal a punctured pig heart, new research says. Called Tough Adhesives, these new glues could one day help close up wounds in the hard-to-reach, slimy depths of our bodies. That’s still a ways away, however. So far, they’ve mainly been tested on the blood-covered skin and beating heart of a pig.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, the latest sci-fi epic from Luc Besson, had far more humble beginnings than the silver screen. It started out as a series of French comics called Valérian and Laureline that launched in 1967 and wrapped in 2010.

Earlier this month, The San Diego Union-Tribune launched an unusual experiment: asking readers to become small-scale philanthropists. Partnering with crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, the paper began adding a small widget to its online articles, providing a link to start a fundraising campaign. “Want to make a difference?” the note asks. “A great way to help people affected by Union-Tribune stories is to start a GoFundMe.” It’s the latest sign of crowdfunding’s massive cultural influence — but does it belong in the fourth estate? Читать дальше...

Last year, slimy green and foul-smelling algae took over Florida’s beaches, releasing toxins that killed fish and shellfish and sickened people. The algal bloom prompted the Florida governor to declare a state of emergency and likely caused widespread economic damage. If climate change goes unchecked, we could see more of these algal blooms along our coasts and in lakes, according to new research. That means that climate change won’t just affect the quantity of our water supply — causing drought... Читать дальше...

Liron Damir, Pebble’s former VP of design and one of the leaders behind creating webOS for HP and LG, is heading to Google to serve as the new head of UX for Google Home, via Variety. Per Damir’s announcement on LinkedIn, he’ll be “lead[ing] the design of Google Home products,” in his new role at the company.

Today, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority announced a change is coming to Airbnb that will allow users to leave an online review even if they haven’t completed their full stay. Previously, these types of reviews could only be left with the assistance of Airbnb’s customer services department.

Microsoft is releasing Windows 10 S, a new Windows variant designed to only run Windows Store apps, to MSDN subscribers today. The new operating system will be available in an ISO file so developers can download and install it to test their apps on Windows 10 S. Specifically, Microsoft wants education-focused developers to properly test Windows 10 S to make sure it’s ready for that particular audience. This is also a first step towards making Windows 10 S more broadly available to schools, as Microsoft promised back in May. Читать дальше...

The sequel to An Inconvenient Truth  — the 2006 Al Gore documentary that spread awareness about climate change — comes to theaters this weekend. Dubbed An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, the new movie is directed by filmmaking couple Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, and follows Gore on his globetrotting climate change crusade, updating viewers on the developments of the climate crisis. But it also renovates its predecessor’s call to action by showing how change is possible, not just through international collaborations... Читать дальше...

Microsoft launched a set of skills for Cortana at its Build developers conference earlier this year, and today it’s adding Fitbit support. Cortana skills are similar to Amazon’s own Alexa skills, allowing Microsoft’s digital assistant to connect to third-party apps and services. The new Fitbit skill will allow Cortana users to monitor their health and fitness goals on Windows 10, Android, iOS, and any other devices that support Cortana.

Having Alexa and Amazon’s software built into a TV is great, but the TV itself needs to be better

For the first time, scientists in the US have successfully edited the DNA of viable human embryos using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR, according to a report by MIT Technology Review. Gaining the ability to edit human DNA is the first step toward one day allowing scientists to prevent babies from being born with incurable diseases or disabilities. But further success with this kind of research is likely to raise the heated discussion on the ethical implications of genetically altering human embryos. Читать дальше...

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ arrival in theaters, the same year as The Fifth Element’s 20th anniversary, feels like cosmic karma. Luc Besson directed both films, and his late-1990s cult classic has a lot in common with the new celebration of his favorite childhood comic. Both are colorful takes on a science fiction future filled with fantastical creatures and brawling heroes.

Tim Cook has not-so-subtly hinted that Apple is working on some sort of augmented reality product. And while ARKit may be the start, a patent application published today hints at what Apple could be picturing down the road.

Midway through the recent press preview of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, I (as protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz) found myself sneaking around a secret base in Nazi-occupied 1960s America, getting ready to stow away on a train to Area 51. On the catwalk across from me, I heard a couple of heavily armed soldiers lamenting the state of the American resistance.

Data is critical to building great AI — so much so, that researchers in the field compare it to coal during the Industrial Revolution. Those that have it will steam ahead. Those that don’t will be left in the dust. In the current AI boom, it’s obvious who has it: tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Baidu.

Ever since I read about the crazy wearable pioneers back in the ‘90s and early 2000s, I've wanted a wearable computer of my own. I had two major requirements, however: it had to be a computer, and I had to be able to wear it.

Forget the quizzes, memes, incredible feature journalism, and addicting Facebook videos. BuzzFeed’s latest plan to get you hooked is a Bluetooth-connected hot plate.

It’s difficult to pick just one thing to hate about the internet, but if I had to, I’d say it was how overwhelmingly relevant everything is. Everywhere I turn online I see content I should click on. Advice for the stressed, advice for the sleepless; news of impending horrors, both environmental and political; pictures of friends and pictures of strangers who feel like friends even though they’re not (but I click all the same). The modern web has become a machine for trapping attention, and it feels like hell. Читать дальше...