Tech Boys

There's always been a strict wall in World of Warcraft   between Alliance and Horde players — you can only cooperate with people from your own side. Blizzard is ready to (partly) remove that barrier, though. As Polygon explains , WoW 's 9.2.5 update will allow cross-faction dungeon crawls, raids and rated PvP matches. You won't be cut off from your friends just because they chose the 'wrong' allegiance for their characters. You'll have the option to both directly invite people from an opposing faction or join premade groups in the Group Finder listings for a given event type. Group leaders can limit instances to same-faction players, however. And don't expect to be living in harmony with rivals outside of these controlled circumstances. Guilds, matchmaking-based events and the regular world will behave as usual, so you'll still need to be on your guard most of the time. The feature is available regardless of level, although there will be a few old in

The PlayStation brand is about to become legend . The games-loving internet went into a stunned tailspin on Monday as the news broke that Sony, caretaker of the PlayStation brand, is acquiring Halo and Destiny creator Bungie for $3.6 billion. The move comes days after Microsoft revealed its plan to acquire Call of Duty and Overwatch publisher Activision Blizzard in a proposed $68.7 billion deal, pending regulatory approval. It's just a timing coincidence — deals like these need much more than a week to come together! — but it's also another notably major shift in the industry landscape. What does it really mean , though? What's in it for Sony? How about Bungie? The latter question is easier to answer: Sony brings stability, resources, and the marketing equivalent of rocket fuel to all of Bungie's work. That includes both Destiny games, of course, but it's also...whatever's next. Bungie has made no secret over the years of seeing a future for itself that ext

An F-15EX Eagle II from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53rd Wing, takes flight for the first time out of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., April 26, 2021, prior to departure for Northern Edge 2021. Savanah Bray The F-15EX Eagle II recently fired an air-to-air missile over the Gulf of Mexico. The missile's release marked a major milestone for the jet, as it was the first time a weapon was fired from this aircraft. The Air Force plans to replace the aging F-15 fighters with the new Eagle II jets. The US Air force's newest fighter, the F-15EX Eagle II, recently achieved a significant milestone – it fired off a weapon for the first time. The fighter, which is assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron, let loose an AIM-120D  Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile in pursuit of a BQM-167 target drone while flying over the Gulf of Mexico on January 25. The 40th Flight Test Squadron’s Majors Benjamin Naumann and Mark Smith fly the F-15EX Eagle II preparing to fire an AI

Starting today, PS4 and PS5 players can connect their PSN account to Discord . At the outset, that means you'll be able to display your PlayStation game activity on your Discord profile and let friends there see what you're playing — something Xbox players have been able to do since 2018 . If you like, you can display your PSN ID on your Discord profile to make it easy for folks to add you as a friend there. To get started, open the Discord app or website on PC or mobile, then go to the Connections section of the User Settings. If you can connect your PSN account, you'll see a PlayStation icon. Discord is gradually rolling out the feature to everyone, starting with folks in the US, so you might not have access right away. These are useful features, especially with crossplay becoming more commonplace and friends playing games together on different platforms. If you're an Xbox owner, for instance, you'd be able to hop on Discord and see if your friends are playi

Dating can quickly turn from exciting to “Great, another first date” when you’re a working professional. Since the pandemic started, Zoom meetings, workdays balanced with childcare, and virtual office happy hours have us stretched thin when it comes to not just our professional obligations, but the amount of energy we have to invest in our other relationships and ourselves. It’s safe to say that dating can feel like a little bit of a slog right now, if not a downright minefield. But this is why dating sites and apps were invented: to make finding matches and exploring connections easier by allowing us to date on our own schedule. 2020 famously had a huge increase in the number of dating app signups during the pandemic, and if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, it’s a great way to find connections you otherwise might not if your workdays run long. Why professionals should use dating apps No one with a packed work schedule has extra energy to spare, so getting to know someo

This is a preview of the Business Insider Intelligence Online Grocery premium research report. Purchase this report here. Business Insider Intelligence offers even more e-commerce and payments coverage with our Payments & Commerce Briefing. Subscribe today to receive industry-changing retail news and analysis to your inbox. The coronavirus pandemic has brought online grocery — a promising but formerly niche industry — to the fore. The combination of consumers' interest in avoiding  public places, government orders to  stay at home , and the continued need for groceries and essential goods has made online grocery delivery services from the likes of Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Instacart indispensable. Business Insider Intelligence Previously, some consumers resisted the shopping method because they wanted to pick out their groceries themselves and avoid extra fees, but the pandemic has forced many to change their priorities. And the sudden focus on online grocery is s

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a "Save America" rally at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, Texas, on January 29, 2022. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Former President Trump alleged that President Biden couldn't attend sporting events without being jeered. The comments came as the former president ripped into his successor during a Saturday rally in Texas. Trump himself has been booed at sporting events, including a 2019 World Series game in Washington. Former President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted President Joe Biden's leadership of the country — touching on everything from immigration to the economy — before alleging that his successor couldn't attend a sporting event in the United States without being jeered. Trump made the assertion during his latest "Save America" rally in Conroe, Texas, speaking to the MAGA faithful about his grievances with the Biden administration as he continues to float a potential White House b

Earlier this week, 19-year-old Jack Sweeney won a bit of internet fame when Protocol   published a story about one of his Twitter bots. The college student maintains ElonJet , a tracker that tweets out when Elon Musk’s private jet takes off and lands. Sweeney has several other such bots that use publicly available air traffic data to follow the private planes of celebrities like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. However, with 180,000 followers and counting, the ElonJet account is by far Sweeney’s most famous creation. And it’s that popularity that attracted none other than Elon Musk to the bot. Landed in Austin, Texas, US. pic.twitter.com/4l7tKiUspp — Elon Musk's Jet (@ElonJet) January 26, 2022 Last fall, the entrepreneur contacted Sweeney about ElonJet. “Can you take this down? It is a security risk,” he said, according to Protocol . Musk told Sweeney he would give him $5,000 to delete the account and keep “crazy people” from finding out his whereabouts. Sweeney made a counteroffe

Neil Young and Joe Rogan. Gary Miller / Getty Images / Michael S. Schwartz / Getty Images Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify in protest of vaccine misinformation on Joe Rogan's podcast.  Spotify's shares were down by 12% after Young announced his break with the music streamer. Amazon, Apple Music, and SiriusXM have quickly capitalized on the feud with special deals and playlists. Apple Music, Amazon Music, and SiriusXM have wasted no time in capitalizing on rival Spotify's recent loss of legendary artist Neil Young. Just three days after Young's decision to pull his catalog from the music streamer in protest of the controversial "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, Amazon Music is offering fans a free four-month subscription trial.  "All new listeners to Amazon Music will automatically get four months free ," Young shared with fans on Friday. "Amazon has been leading the pack in bringing Hi-Res audio to the masses, and it's

Following days of controversy stemming from Spotify’s handling of allegations that Joe Rogan has used the platform to spread COVID-19 misinformation, the company said on Sunday it would take new measures to point its users to accurate information about the pandemic. In a blog post attributed to CEO Daniel Ek, the company admitted it hasn’t been transparent enough about its content policy, but stopped short of detailing any specific action against Rogan. There’s been a lot of conversation about information regarding COVID-19 on Spotify. We’ve heard the criticism and we’re implementing changes to help combat misinformation. https://t.co/ic8jfR1RNR — Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) January 30, 2022 Sometime in the next few days, Spotify says it will add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19. That advisory will direct listeners to the company’s COVID-19 Hub . In its current iteration, the page includes links to podcasts from the BBC , ABC News and

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a new, cheaper method for possible home COVID-19 testing that involves a smartphone camera and app. The new testing system, which is the subject of a research paper printed in the journal JAMA Network Open , uses some basic lab equipment and the app Bacticount to detect possible pathogens in a person's saliva. To use it, you load your saliva sample into a test kit sitting on a hot plate. You then add in a specific reactive solution that amplifies viral RNA that might be in that spit, similar to the solution process that current at-home COVID tests use. This specific process is called “Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification,” or LAMP for short. The sample would go inside the box on the left, where an LED would shine. Credit: University of California, Santa Barbara Once any potential viral RNA is amplified, you place a cardboard box with an LED light over the top. Then, a smartphone's camera can

Switching audio streaming services is a pain. Whether you're saving on subscription fees or taking a stand against platform policies , changing from one music app to another almost always means losing part of your library. Yes, you can manually rebuild your current collection on your new app of choice. But not every track is available on every service. You'll rarely be able to achieve a 100 percent recreation. What's worse, you can waste hours, even days, trying to make the impossible possible if you've curated a lot of content. So save yourself the time, heartache, and sore thumbs by taking advantage of a "playlist transfer tool." Here's how to use the third-party apps, including both desktop and mobile options, that save your favorite music and (sometimes) podcasts before you delete Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever audio streaming service it is that you're planning to pause. What are playlist transfer tools? You can make your transition betwe

When Twitter banned Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 riots, many rejoiced at finally being rid of relentless misinformation at the hands of the former president. Then, when Twitter then actively enforced its civic integrity policy against further misinformation about the 2020 election, the platform felt a little safer — but apparently that only lasted until two months later, when the platform stopped enforcing the policy against 2020 election lies at all. Twitter spokesperson Elizabeth Busby recently told CNN that the company has not been enforcing the civic integrity policy in relation to 2020 election lies "since March 2021." Busby also maintained that this change in policy enforcement has been known since June 2021, as reported in a New York Times article . However, the referenced article only mentions that Twitter had "loosened its enforcement since March," while Busby's statement makes clear there has been no enforcement happening at all. According to T

A scientist examines computer images of DNA models. Getty Images Police in Colorado have cracked the cold cases of four women killed 40 years ago. Denver PD said genetic genealogy and DNA analysis helped them identify the serial killer. He had died by suicide in jail in 1981. DNA from his exhumed body matched evidence from the murders. Police in Colorado have cracked the code on four murder cases that went unsolved for 40 years, using DNA from the killer's exhumed body. The cases pertain to four women killed in the Denver metro area between 1978 and 1981. They were 33-year-old Madeleine Furey-Livaudais, 53-year-old Dolores Barajas, 27-year-old Gwendolyn Harris, and 17-year-old Antoinette Parks. The four women were stabbed to death. Denver Police Commander Matt Clark said in a press conference Friday that there was an "underlying sexual component" to the murders but didn't elaborate further. In 2009, a detective reviewed Parks' case and picked several p