Новости за 20.09.2017

Tesla is reportedly working on a chip to handle all the tasks needed to power the fleet of fully self-driving cars that its CEO Elon Musk promised would be road-ready by 2019. According to CNBC, the electric carmaker is working with AMD to develop the autonomous driving chip. It’s a move that would clearly be in line with the recent hiring of ex-AMD executive Jim Keller to replace Chris Lattner as head of Tesla’s Autopilot hardware engineering effort.

After Facebook disclosed earlier this month that Russia had used its ad platform to promote propaganda, politicians quickly called for closer scrutiny of the company’s ad system. Today, in a letter to the Federal Election Commission, a group of Congressional Democrats called for new rules to keep foreign influence out of American voters’ social media feeds.

In a post today, Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg made her first public statement on a recent ProPublica investigation of ad-targeting to hate groups, calling the issue “a fail on our part.” Last week, ProPublica’s investigation found that Facebook clients could target ads using keywords like “jew hater” and “Hitler did nothing wrong.”

Even after puffing on just one electronic cigarette with nicotine, healthy non-smokers were found to have a biological marker known to increase the risk of heart disease in tobacco users, according to a new study. The research, published in Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that nicotine is not harmless, as many people believe. It can affect a smoker’s health in more than one way, and not just by triggering addiction.

Saudi Arabia is lifting a year-long ban on Skype and other services like WhatsApp and Snapchat, effective at 8PM ET today. According to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s telecommunications authority posted on Twitter, any voice and video apps that meet the rules will be allowed.

Apple’s new Control Center in iOS 11 is a lot more fully featured, with a customizable layout and a number of new added controls accessible with Force Touch. One aspect of it that may have, at least at first, appeared like a big plus is now proving to be a bit of a security and usability problem: the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi controls.

James Cameron has been working on relaunching the Terminator franchise, and the original Sarah Connor will be returning in the first new film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron announced yesterday that series star Linda Hamilton would be reprising her role in the as-of-yet untitled film, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The last time all three collaborators worked on a film in the franchise was some 26 years ago — in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

A lot of the focus of Microsoft’s new Xbox One X console is on 4K and HDR gaming, but there are thousands of Xbox fans who still haven’t upgraded to a 4K TV. While the 4K focus is obvious, Microsoft is explaining in more detail exactly how existing games will run better on an Xbox One X without a 4K TV.

The dick joke-fueled mockumentary American Vandal is a refreshing take on true crime. It plays off the frenzy around real-life murder mystery series like Making a Murderer, Serial, and The Jinx, with a more lighthearted version of the genre. More importantly, it envisions the documentary process in more modern terms, creating a future where platforms like Snapchat or Instagram become tools of record for would-be detectives.

With yesterday’s release of iOS 11, developers and users alike are still in the early stages of figuring out whether Apple’s ARKit can actually be useful. Here to add to the discourse, Ikea has released its own AR app to help customers visualize what their furniture might look like in their own living rooms. Or street. Or elevators. The point is, you no longer have to argue with your significant other inside the Swedish furniture conglomerate. Now you can destroy your relationship anywhere!

More and more details have been coming out about how Russia used Facebook to spread pro-Trump propaganda during the 2016 US election, and today The Daily Beast has published evidence that appears to show a Putin-linked Facebook group organizing rallies that Trump supporters in the US actually attended.

Peter Dinklage is having a major cultural moment. He’s been a movie star since the 1990s, earning acclaim for his lead role in The Station Agent, and widespread attention for major parts in films from Death At a Funeral to X-Men: Days of Future Past. His movie career feels like it’s hitting a new stride in 2017, though. He had a particularly rough season as fan-favorite character Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones this year, with his character constantly defanged and demoralized. But fans who... Читать дальше...

AOC has a new monitor out, the Agon AG322QCX, and it’s built for gaming. The Agon AG322QCX is on the wider end of the spectrum, measuring in at 32 inches, with a 1800R curve, but still offering proper QHD resolution at 2560 x 1440.

Kohl’s announced on Tuesday that it will accept Amazon returns at 82 of its locations in and around Los Angeles and Chicago starting next month. According to Business Insider, there will be parking spots near store entrances designated for people coming to return Amazon goods.

Earlier this month, hackers broke into Equifax's servers and stole 143 million people's personal information, including their Social Security numbers. In response to the attack, Equifax set up a website — www.equifaxsecurity2017.com — for possible victims to verify whether they're affected. Because the process involves sharing sensitive information, consumers have to trust they're entering their data in the right place, which can be tricky because the breach-recovery site itself isn’t part of equifax.com. If users end up on the wrong site... Читать дальше...

More than 30 million people pay for music subscriptions in the US, according to the latest figures released by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the first half of 2017. Paid streaming subscriptions have increased to 30.4 million in the US, up from 20.2 million during the first half of 2016.

Nest Labs just announced a whole bunch of new hardware products that address various entry points around the home, but the theme that appears across almost all of the products is smarter, more intelligent devices — whether that’s through facial recognition or a built-in Google Assistant.

The pilot episode of Ghosted, Fox’s new buddy comedy about the paranormal starring Adam Scott and Craig Robinson, will premiere on Twitter before its broadcast into a single living room.

Minecraft has been available on tons of different devices in the past. Now, Microsoft is finally bringing all those platforms together with the “Better Together” update, which is rolling out today for Xbox One, mobile devices, and Windows 10 PCs. The Nintendo Switch is still set to get the Better Together update, too, although that’s been delayed until later in the winter.

The United States will be getting its first taste of Android One very soon. Today, Google and Motorola announced that the Moto X4 will be coming to Google’s Project Fi wireless carrier with the stripped-down Android One treatment. The Project Fi Moto X4 will cost $399 and come in two colors: black or silver. It will be available for preorder starting today.

YaDoggie is a new dog food subscription company that claims to be more accurate with its shipments, so you're not overwhelmed with weekly or monthly pet food deliveries. The company's success, it says, hinges on its smart scoop. The Bluetooth food scooper tracks how much you feed your dog and tells other people in the house that your pup's been fed. Even if they don't have the companion iOS / Android app, the scooper has a light on the front that serves as a food indicator. Red means don't feed the dog while green means go ahead... Читать дальше...

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, leaving at least 10,000 people in shelters and 90 percent of the island without power.

“This is about basic human dignity and respect,” says Apple’s CEO

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Director Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel) just released a new four-minute short film. It’s called Snow Steam Iron, and if you want to watch it, you’ll have to download an app first. The app, Vero, is pitched as a social network for creators; Snyder has used it in the past to share Justice League footage.

When The Defenders hit Netflix in August, it came with a short teaser trailer for the next big Netflix/Marvel show: The Punisher. Now, the streaming service has released a full trailer for the new show, showing off Jon Bernthal’s antihero in his full glory.