Tech Boys

Popular video-game streamer Dr Disrespect on Sunday revealed early footage from the first game of his new gaming studio, a first-person shooter titled Deadrop . People are already tearing it to shreds on social media. The announcement comes months after Dr Disrespect announced the launch of the games studio he founded with Call of Duty and Halo veterans Robert Bowling, Quinn DelHoyo, and Sumit Gupta called Midnight Society. Disrespect founded the studio a year after he was permanently banned on Twitch for still unknown reasons and is now on a quest to create video games that rival the best FPS franchises. Disrespect and Midnight Studios describe the game as "the world's first vertical extraction shooter" and early access has been given to fans who bought the $50 Founders Access Passes. And to be clear — more clear than the definition of a "vertical extraction shooter" — this is early footage and you can tell in the video below by the choppy framerate, poor...

Bolt Mobility, the Miami-based micromobility startup co-founded by Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, appears to have vanished without a trace from several of its U.S. markets.  In some cases, the departure has been abrupt, leaving cities with abandoned equipment, unanswered calls and emails and lots of questions. Bolt has stopped operating in at least five U.S. cities, including Portland, Oregon, Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski in Vermont and Richmond, California, according to city officials. City representatives also said they were unable to reach anyone at Bolt, including its CEO Ignacio Tzoumas. TechCrunch has made multiple attempts to reach Bolt and those who have backed the company. Emails to Bolt’s communications department, several employees and investors went unanswered. Even the customer service line doesn’t appear to be staffed.  The PR agency that was representing Bolt in March of this year told TechCrunch it is no longer working with the company....

Elon Musk seems confused by what people do during the summer. On July 30, 2022, Musk logged on to Twitter dot com with an important observation.  Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) "Interaction with almost all twitter accounts seem to be much lower in recent weeks & days," Musk tweeted . "Accurate?" Many users in Musk's replies seemed to have agreed . Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) Musk's tweet about low engagement on Twitter – with its 7,532 retweets, 1,512 quote tweets, and 125,344 likes – seems to have struck a nerve. It's unclear exactly what the Tesla CEO was trying to get at. However, based on Musk's previous vocal opinions about "free speech," bans, and censorship on social media platforms, it's clear how his followers were taking it. Something nefarious is afoot.  Many Musk faithful assume Twitter, the company that Elon Musk apparen...

These days, raising kids means being inundated with technology. Everywhere you turn there’s a little one with a device of some kind in their hand. Like it or not, technology is just as much a part of our kids’ daily lives as it is our own. And more often than not, parents have given their wee one a set of headphones to listen to their favorite show or game. While headphones for babies and kids certainly have their place — listening to music, a show, or even just to block out background noise — they aren’t without their drawbacks. You might think that the main benefit to buying headphones for your children is so that you don't have to hear what they're listening to, but there's actually a more important reason. Your child's ears are super sensitive while they're developing and it's possible to damage them by hearing sounds over 85 decibels. Adult headphones just aren't the best idea for them to use, as they can crank the volume way past a safe listening lev...

With fewer devices having headphone jacks, Bluetooth headphones and earbuds have become the norm in recent years. A wireless pair of earbuds means you don’t have to worry about cords getting tangled in your pocket or bag. You just pop them out of their case and into your ears and you’re good to go. Whether you’re listening to the latest episode of your favorite podcast, or hitting the gym with your playlist on repeat, the right pair of wireless earbuds can make or break your listening experience.  Just because you’re ditching the cord, doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice performance. Today’s wireless earbuds offer sound quality that’s nearly comparable to many wired earbuds. And with Bluetooth technology getting better and better, you don’t have to worry about frequent dropped connections.  The wireless earbuds on our list are some of the best-performing, longest-lasting, or best-value out of various models available on the market. If you’re looking for portable sound ...

Welcome to the no-bullshitting age of dating. Dating at any age is awkward, scary, and often, a pain in the ass. True, being in the over-60 group may mean that more people your age are already off the market — but online dating can prove that the mature dating pool isn't dismal, even if your local one is. It's quite normal to feel hesitant about making the jump to online dating as a senior. Finding a dating site that feels comfortable and natural is intimidating at any age. 20- and 30-somethings have a hell of a time finding a dating app that works for them — there are almost too many options. Late baby boomers (and early Gen X-ers) have a more straightforward approach. Youth has another disadvantage that older singles may not have considered: Many people in their twenties and thirties just aren't ready to settle down. Developing a crush on someone is more likely to end with an awkward "situation-ship" rather than something serious. Most 60+ folks have been...

Sarah Silbiger/Stringer/Getty Images and Courtesy of Klondike Klondike announced earlier this week that it'll stop making the Choco Taco. People weren't happy to hear about the discontinuation of the nostalgic ice cream treat. Klondike cryptically says it's "discussing next steps" after being surprised to see how much fans said they'd miss the Choco Taco. It's been a tough week for Choco Taco fans, but there may be good news yet. Klondike announced Monday it's discontinuing the iconic ice cream taco after nearly 40 years. "We've experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide," the company said at the time. But fans were upset, and the news had such a trending moment that Google added a banner to searches for "Choco Taco," featuring emojis of ice cream, tacos, and a tombstone marking the treat's e...

Hotels.com Hotels.com is giving one person $15,000 to travel to beach motels across the country.  The winner will be provided with a Polaroid camera and other vintage giveaways to document their trip. Hotels.com's ranking of the top 10 retro beach motels make up the travel itinerary.  A new Hotels.com contest is offering the chance to get paid to travel to beaches across the US. The prize package for the "Retro Beach Motelier" includes $10,000 for transportation to the "10 best retro beach motels" and $5,000 for spending during the trip, according to the contest's website. The winner will also receive vintage beach gear including a solar-powered AM/FM radio, striped umbrellas, and a retro Polaroid camera to document the trip "for future generations." To enter, hopefuls must fill out a brief questionnaire by midnight on August 5. In addition to basic information like name, email, and Instagram handle, the application also includes quest...

The U.S. Space Command has confirmed that debris from a Chinese rocket has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere but does not pose a threat to populated areas of the globe. This is a relief to enthusiasts and concerned spectators alike who have been tracking the trajectory of the debris for the past few days and are worried it may cause physical injury, death, or property damage. The New York Times reports that a Weibo post from the Chinese Manned Space Agency claims that most of the debris burned up on re-entry over the Sulu Sea, just southwest of the Philippines. Sightings of the debris posted today by Twitter users in Borneo are surprisingly beautiful and resemble a meteor shower. Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) The debris came from China's largest rocket, Long March 5B, which launched on Sunday, July 24. It was carrying a laboratory module for China’s space station, Tiangong, which is still under construction. This was the rocket's third flight and its seco...

A day after Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Kenya’s monetary authority, said that Chipper Cash and Flutterwave were not licensed to operate in the East African country, the regulator has directed all financial institutions to cease doing business with the two fintechs. The CBK’s bank supervision deputy director, Matu Mugo, directed all regulated banks, microfinance and mortgage finance institutions to stop their partnerships with the two startups with immediate effect — dealing a blow to Flutterwave and Chipper Cash, some of Africa’s highest valued startups. The letter to the CEOs followed remarks by CBK’s governor, Patrick Njoroge, that the two startups are not licensed remittance or payment service providers in Kenya — one of the biggest fintech hubs in Africa. “It has come to the attention of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) that Flutterwave Payments Technology Limited and Chipper Technologies Kenya (Chipper) have been engaging in money remittance and payments services without licens...

When the Big 3 cloud infrastructure vendors – Amazon, Microsoft and Google – reported their earnings this week, it was clear that the cloud is helping keep their overall numbers up. But perhaps what was most surprising was that after years of sitting at 33% market share, AWS was up a tick to 34% in the second quarter, according to numbers from Synergy Research . Even more surprising is that after years of steady market share growth, Microsoft was down a notch from 22% last quarter to 21% this quarter. Google came in third, holding steady around 10%. Synergy chief analyst John Dinsdale said the slight drop in Microsoft’s market share is probably due to the law of large numbers — Microsoft couldn’t sustain its recent growth. “The days of Azure growing by 50% to 80% year on year are over. Once you get to a certain scale, it is virtually impossible to organically grow at such high rates. So its growth rates have trended down, as they had to. AWS experienced the same phenomenon a long ti...

These days, smart beauty tech is all the rage. You can convince anybody that your technology is super advanced just by slapping the word "smart" in front of it — so we set out to figure out what it actually means to use smart tech, particularly in the beauty realm. The T3 Curl ID curling iron is one of these smart beauty devices. It's a curling iron that uses a unique "HeatID" technology to diagnose your hair's specific needs when it comes to heat level. Users input personal details like hair texture, color treatment history, and chemical treatment history to help the device determine an optimal heat level from nine options before using the curler to style their hair. Once you input this data, the iron will heat up to a specific heat setting, and then the curling experience should be pretty familiar. The lit up icons serve as the buttons to input your hair data. Credit: T3Micro SEE ALSO: The Dyson Airwrap's secret sauce is jet engine tech In...

Will Smith is finally answering questions about the infamous Oscars " slap heard ‘round the world " in a new YouTube video uploaded to his personal channel on July 29. In a video titled "It's been a minute..." the Academy Award winner shows immense remorse for the incident that has all but halted his Hollywood career. During the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony in March, Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock on stage after Rock made a crude joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The actor apologized to Rock via Instagram immediately following The Slap, and according to Smith, he's reached out to the comedian in the months since, but Rock has expressed not being ready to talk to him yet. (That hasn't stopped Rock from using the incident as fodder for his new material .) In the new video, Smith addresses Rock directly, apologizing for his actions and offering a space to speak whenever Rock is ready. "So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to...

After a strong quarter earlier this year , Apple is continuing to break records. According to the company's financial results posted today , it's reporting a revenue record of $83 billion, an increase of 2 percent from the same period last year. Apple also said it reached an all-time high for its installed base of active devices "in every geographic segment and product category." However, the company's profits are down by a whole 11 percent, and while it continued to see growth in its iPhone sales, revenue from Macs and wearables dropped. It's worth noting that Apple's recently announced MacBook Air with M2 chip only started shipping this month, so the numbers for Macs are likely to increase next quarter. Considering the devices the company is expected to launch in the fall, it's also possible consumers are holding out for new products and waiting out the ongoing inflation.  Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a press release “This quarter’s record results ...

Former President Donald Trump. Joe Maiorana/AP Photo Donald Trump's lawyers are threatening to sue CNN in a 282-page document. His lawyers say Trump "subjectively believes" he lost the 2020 election due to voter fraud.  This could lay out his possible legal strategy as more investigation into Trump ramps up. Former President Donald Trump's legal team threatened to sue the cable network CNN for defamation, and the letter signals his attorneys are using a strategy likely to be a central defense should he ever face criminal charges related to his role in attempts to cling to power despite losing the 2020 election. In the 282-page document , his lawyers said that the television network repeatedly said that Trump was "lying" and "fed a narrative that denounced President Trump's legitimacy and competency" following the presidential election.  The lawyers said CNN's portrayal of Trump is inaccurate because Trump "subjectively belie...

NASA’s Landsat satellites have consistently made history in Earth observation since the project’s first launch in 1972, with this year marking 50 years of innovation and science . Its influence may surprise you, as will its continued relevance in the face of a fast-growing commercial imaging satellite sector. Landsat may be a familiar name to you but doesn’t ring any particular bells. It’s understandable — there are a ton of NASA satellites up there looking down on the planet. But the easiest way to say it is this: In 1972, Landsat basically invented modern Earth observation. Then, remember a while back when every Google Earth image said “USGS” on it? Yeah, that was Landsat too. The project has basically ushered satellite imaging from bleeding edge research tool to everyday technology. Landsat 9 just launched last September, the latest in a long line of influential spacecraft. A schematic sketch of Landsat-1. Image Credits: NASA I talked with Jim Irons , who has worked at NASA s...

Legislation aimed at boosting US chip production has cleared its last major hurdle. The House of Representatives has passed the CHIPS and Science Act in a 243-187-1 vote, leaving just the reconciliation process and President Biden's signature before the bill becomes law. The equivalent Senate measure passed 64-33 in a vote one day earlier. The Act is a dialed-down version of previous bills , but promises significant help for American semiconductor manufacturing. It offers more than $52 billion for US chipmakers as well as tax credits for domestic factories. In a statement, the President claimed the bill would lower product costs, create "high-paying" jobs and reduce the country's dependence on foreign chip sources. Earlier approaches drew objections from both sides of Congress. Republicans were concerned the reconciliation bill would include unrelated climate, health and tax elements. They also said it risked funding Chinese manufacturing. Independent Senator Ber...

Created by industrial designer Nicole Hone in collaboration with Ross Stevens, the ‘Polyphytes’ project consists of experimental plant-shaped 3D objects that can respond to natural elements. from Mashable https://ift.tt/ecO2TSw via IFTTT

This high-tech motorcycle helmet includes two-way communication, customizable LED lights, and a host of other features that keep you safe. from Mashable https://ift.tt/LGnIkRZ via IFTTT

Apple has released the fourth developer beta for iOS 16 on Wednesday, bringing limits to the ability to edit and delete iMessages. Most notably, the company is adding an edit history log that will give the person you’re messaging the ability to see any edits you’ve made. Prior to the introduction of an edit history log, you would only be able to see that message was edited, not what it had actually said. In addition, you can now only edit a message five different times. The company is likely adding these changes in response to concerns that the ability to edit and unsend messages could be used maliciously. For example, users could have sent someone harmful messages and then edited them after the fact, leaving the recipient without proof of the malicious message. The addition of an edit history log gives users access to proof of messages in order to document abuse. The feature could have also been used to edit messages to make it seem like someone had agreed to something they actually ...

Facebook is trying to be TikTok , but now, Twitter is bringing us back a little bit of Facebook (or LiveJournal or Myspace). Some users are reporting that they can now post Twitter statuses, which lets them tag posts like they’re retro MySpace moods. Some of these statuses include “Spoiler alert,” “Shower thoughts,” “Picture of the day” and, for some reason, the very redundant “Current status.” Right now, users can’t customize their status — you’ll just have to choose from Twitter’s existing list. “For a limited time, we are testing a feature that allows you to add a status topic from a predetermined list to your Tweets to provide more context for your followers,” Twitter told TechCrunch. “So whether you are about to drop a hot Tweet thread, share your shower thoughts, or have a bad case of the Mondays, your Tweets can better convey what you are up to.” Twitter confirmed that this test is running for a limited time with a select group in the U.S. and Australia but declined to comment...