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Google Introduces Search Features, With a Snag
Chrome is getting more bells and whistles. They're great for behavioral targeting and terrible for privacy — but what else is new? Gentle reader, be warned. I'm a curmudgeon about this.
Scientists Use Implanted Electrodes to Cure Severe Depression
Doctors have used direct brain stimulation to treat otherwise-untreatable depression, demonstrating that the therapy can work in specific cases.
Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, WhatsApp All Offline, Company Communication Crippled [Updated]
Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and WhatsApp all fell offline earlier today on one of Facebook's worst news days this... week.
Whistleblower: Facebook Is Designed to Make You Angry
The social network has been the target of accusations over recent years that it doesn't do enough to police hate and violence, and whistleblower Frances Haugen has the proof. The former Facebook employee provided thousands of internal documents to the Wall Street Journal for a report last week, and now she's talking about what's wrong with Facebook.
Google Won’t Offer “Plex” Bank Accounts After All
Pandemic-related delays and the departure of the project's executive sponsor have made Plex no longer worth chasing.
BepiColombo Snaps Shots of Mercury in Its First Flyby
The ESA/JAXA space probe BepiColombo made its first flyby of Mercury over the weekend and beamed back some excellent photos to mark the occasion.
SSD, HDD Reliability More Similar Than Thought
Backblaze is setting the record straight on HDD versus SSD reliability.
Straight Out of Science Fiction: Scientists Create a Crystal Made Solely of Electrons
Three separate teams of researchers have created a crystal made entirely of electrons — and one of them actually did it by accident.
USB-IF Rolls Out Logos for new 240W USB-C Cables
Just because you see the distinctive oval-shaped USB-C plug on a device does not mean it automatically supports high-speed data or fast charging. The non-profit USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has sought to address that with optional logos, and there are more of them today that might help you identify the latest USB cables. Emphasis on "might."
What’s the Biggest Laser in the World?
I tried to find the single biggest laser in the world, but it turns out I'm spoiled for choice.
Intel’s Loihi: Cool Even If You’re Not In the C-Suite
Intel just announced the newest version of its neuromorphic chip, called "Loihi."
Apple Watch Better At Finding Arrhythmias Than We Thought
Sometimes it's not about whether you find what you were looking for. Sometimes it's about what shows up unbidden in the data.