Sci-Tech news

• New Macs pricier than rivals now - USA TODAY

  28-10-2016 23:59 via usatoday.com
  
  USA TODAY
  New Macs pricier than rivals now
  USA TODAY
  LOS ANGELES — If you think you might feel some pain at the cash register over Apple's higher-priced newly, refreshed MacBook line, you might want to take a look at the competition. Apple has significantly raised the entry-level for its new computers ...
  Macworld's November Digital Edition: iPhone 7 ReviewedMacworld
  Once again, Apple's new design won't accommodate your old cordsLos Angeles Times
  Why Apple Needs to Step Up Its Product Eve
  
  Read more

• SpaceX is still trying to pinpoint what caused its Falcon 9 rocket to explode - The Verge

  28-10-2016 23:48 via theverge.com
  
  The Verge
  SpaceX is still trying to pinpoint what caused its Falcon 9 rocket to explode
  The Verge
  SpaceX still doesn't know exactly what caused its Falcon 9 rocket to explode in September, but the company says it has narrowed down the problem to one of three helium pressure vessels in the upper portion of the rocket. It further confirms what SpaceX ...
  SpaceX hopes to return Falcon 9 to flight this yearFlorida Today
  SpaceX says helium loading issue caused accident, seeks 2016 return to fli
  
  Read more

• Is This How Clinton Campaign Chairman Was Hacked?

  28-10-2016 23:16 via nbcnews.com
  
  An email released by WikiLeaks appears to show Podesta being notified that he needed to change his password -- a tactic used in phishing scams.
  
  Read more

• Facebook draws criticism for 'ethnic affinity' ad targeting - TechCrunch

  28-10-2016 22:53 via techcrunch.com
  
  TechCrunch
  Facebook draws criticism for 'ethnic affinity' ad targeting
  TechCrunch
  ProPublica pointed to some potentially problematic Facebook ad capabilities today — specifically, the ability to include or exclude users from a given ad campaign based on their “ethnic affinity.” These capabilities have existed for a while (Facebook ...
  Facebook lets advertisers exclude racial groupsUSA TODAY
  Facebook Lets Housing Ads Target People by “Ethnic Affinity.” Yep, That's R
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Where to Get the Best Deals on the Google Pixel Phone - Fortune

  28-10-2016 22:26 via fortune.com
  
  Fortune
  Where to Get the Best Deals on the Google Pixel Phone
  Fortune
  Carriers aren't being as generous with deals as they were on the new iPhone. Just as they did with Apple's iPhone 7, wireless carriers have begun battling for the allegiance of fans of the new Google Pixel phone. Introduced almost a month ago in two ...
  Google Pixel: A real-world review, one week laterAndroid Central
  T-Mobile trolls Verizon with half-off Google Pixel offerCNET
  T-Mobile is offering 50 percent back on Google Pi
  
  Read more

• Whaling: The hunters and the hunted

  28-10-2016 21:23
  
  Thirty years into a moratorium on commercial whaling, hundreds of the marine mammals, some endangered, are killed every year—some in open defiance of the ban, others in the name of scientific research.
  
  Read more

• Apple Watch a fine running companion, with or without Nike

  28-10-2016 21:05
  
  Apple isn't the first to add GPS functionality to a smartwatch, but it's the first to make something that feels like a running watch.
  
  Read more

• Apple double downs on running with Nike-edition smartwatch

  28-10-2016 21:05
  
  Apple isn't the first to add GPS functionality to a smartwatch, but it's the first to make something that feels like a running watch.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• See how Arctic sea ice is losing its bulwark against warming summers

  28-10-2016 21:04
  
  Arctic sea ice, the vast sheath of frozen seawater floating on the Arctic Ocean and its neighboring seas, has been hit with a double whammy over the past decades: as its extent shrunk, the oldest and thickest ice has either thinned or melted away, leaving the sea ice cap more vulnerable to the warming ocean and atmosphere.
  
  Read more

• Venture capital more impactful than angel investments for tech startups

  28-10-2016 21:03
  
  Technology entrepreneurs who get funding from venture capitalists go public sooner and have more impactful innovation than those who partner with angel investors, according to research from the University at Buffalo School of Management.
  
  Read more

• Making energy-harvesting computers reliable

  28-10-2016 21:01
  
  A revolutionary and emerging class of energy-harvesting computer systems require neither a battery nor a power outlet to operate, instead operating by harvesting energy from their environment. While radio waves, solar energy, heat, and vibrations have the ability to power devices, harvested energy sources are weak leading to an "intermittent execution", with periodic power failures and unreliable behavior.
  
  Read more

• Study: Pop-culture news helped destigmatize out-of-wedlock childbirth

  28-10-2016 20:51
  
  Celebrity news reports over the past four decades appear to have contributed to the changing makeup of the traditional American family by helping to destigmatize out-of-wedlock childbirths in the United States, according to a study by a University at Buffalo sociologist.
  
  Read more

• Apple's Touch Bar further normalizes emoji as everyday language - The Verge

  28-10-2016 20:51 via theverge.com
  
  The Verge
  Apple's Touch Bar further normalizes emoji as everyday language
  The Verge
  The Touch Bar is the most unorthodox addition to Apple's new MacBook Pro — or any laptop in recent memory. A thin OLED strip that runs the length of the keyboard, resting just above the number keys, displays different “buttons” depending on the situation.
  Examined: The new MacBook Pro Touch Bar and Apple's T1 authentication chipAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  Why Apple's MacBook Touch Bar w
  
  Read more

• Users Mourn as Twitter Kills Quirky, Beloved Vine Video App

  28-10-2016 20:45
  Vine users are mourning the demise of the pioneering 6-second video service
  
  Read more

• NASA GRAIL Mission Provides Insights into Moon Impacts

  28-10-2016 20:07 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Astronomers are using data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission to provide new insights into the huge impacts that dominated the early history of Earth’s moon and other solid worlds, like Earth, Mars, and the satellites of the outer solar system. In two papers, published this week in the journal Science, researchers examine […]
  The post NASA GRAIL Mission Provides Insights into Moon Impacts appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• What creatives think of the Microsoft Surface Studio - Engadget

  28-10-2016 20:01 via engadget.com
  
  The Verge
  What creatives think of the Microsoft Surface Studio
  Engadget
  Microsoft's Surface Studio is a bold device. Ostensibly an all-in-one PC, it's also a major play at winning more creatives over to the Windows way of life. The bulk of the Studio is a 28-inch display, mounted on a pair of "zero gravity" hinges that ...
  Microsoft Surface Studio: A concept five (or more) years in the makingZDNet
  Creators Update will begin rolling out to Insiders soon starting with Paint 3DDigital Trends
  Micro
  
  Read more

• Facebook gives users local ballot guides in voting initiative - TechCrunch

  28-10-2016 20:00 via techcrunch.com
  
  TechCrunch
  Facebook gives users local ballot guides in voting initiative
  TechCrunch
  Facebook rolled out a new feature today that gives users a full voter guide, from the presidential candidates to the down-ballot propositions and local politicians, in an effort to “encourage civic participation.” The feature allows users to “favorite ...
  Who gets your vote? Facebook wants to help you decide.Recode
  What's on your ballot? Facebook will show youUSA TODAY
  Facebook to Show Users Pr
  
  Read more

• 3 ways Apple's new TV app will change the viewing experience on Apple TV - CNET

  28-10-2016 19:56 via cnet.com
  
  CNET
  3 ways Apple's new TV app will change the viewing experience on Apple TV
  CNET
  "A unified TV experience that's one place to access all of your TV shows and movies, one place to discover great new content to watch." That's how Apple CEO Tim Cook described a new app called TV. Sounds great, but what's the catch? I spent an hour ...
  A Wall Street analyst savaged Apple's TV strategyBusiness Insider
  Apple Wants To Simplify Video Streaming With Unified TV App For Apple TV And iOSTech Times
  Explai
  
  Read more

• UPDATE: Is Facebook Enabling Advertisers to Discriminate by Race? - Fortune

  28-10-2016 19:27 via fortune.com
  
  Fortune
  UPDATE: Is Facebook Enabling Advertisers to Discriminate by Race?
  Fortune
  Facebook's comment on troubling ad practice raises questions. Facebook is about to have yet another, very uncomfortable conversation about race. A new story from the investigative journalism outfit, ProPublica, has revealed that the company not only ...
  Facebook lets advertisers exclude racial groupsUSA TODAY
  Facebook's Targeted Ads Could Be Used To Exclude Certain RacesHuffington Post
  Facebook's Ad Targeting Is U
  
  Read more

• Why Apple's MacBook Touch Bar was the right thing to do - TechCrunch

  28-10-2016 19:20 via techcrunch.com
  
  TechCrunch
  Why Apple's MacBook Touch Bar was the right thing to do
  TechCrunch
  People love a Greek tragedy. Icarus has flown too close to the sun and tumbled to Earth. Apple has forgotten its core users and been eclipsed by Microsoft. The Touch Bar is a compromise between adding a touch screen on a MacBook and ignoring touch ...
  Apple limits 2016 MacBook Pro models to 16GB of RAM to maximize battery lifeAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  Thunderbolt 3 Ports on Right Side of 13-Inch MacBook
  
  Read more

• India capital to install roadside air purifiers to cut smog

  28-10-2016 19:20
  
  Delhi's government announced Friday that it will install air purifiers and a mist-making device at major road intersections in the Indian capital to curb choking levels of pollution.
  
  Read more

• New MacBook Pro Has Better Keyboard Than 12-Inch MacBook, But It's Expensive and Lacking Ports - Mac Rumors

  28-10-2016 19:19 via macrumors.com
  
  NBCNews.com
  New MacBook Pro Has Better Keyboard Than 12-Inch MacBook, But It's Expensive and Lacking Ports
  Mac Rumors
  Apple provided the media with demo units of the new MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar, and a handful of websites have now published their early thoughts and first impressions about the 13-inch notebook. The articles reveal some interesting tidbits beyond ...
  Examined: Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 gen 2 on the new MacBook Pro with Touch BarAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  Why Apple
  
  Read more

• Apple Raises Prices in Britain Due to Pound's Drop

  28-10-2016 19:15
  
  The technology giant, Apple, has raised the prices of its Mac computer range amid the dramatic drop in the value of the pound against the dollar following Britain's vote to leave the European Union
  
  Read more

• Whaling watchdog concludes discordant meeting

  28-10-2016 19:12
  
  The world's whaling watchdog concluded a typically discordant meeting Friday with defeats for both the pro- and anti-whaling camps, and the organisation's very purpose called into question.
  
  Read more

• Swiss rail service to sell Bitcoin at ticket machines

  28-10-2016 19:11
  
  Switzerland's national rail service (SBB) said Friday it was set to launch a new service selling the digital currency Bitcoin at all ticket machines across the country.
  
  Read more

• Severe southern African drought to worsen: UN

  28-10-2016 19:11
  
  The impact of the most severe drought to hit southern Africa in 35 years is expected to worsen in the coming months, a UN climate envoy warned Friday.
  
  Read more

• EU data protection watchdogs warn WhatsApp, Yahoo on privacy - Reuters

  28-10-2016 19:08 via reuters.com
  
  Reuters
  EU data protection watchdogs warn WhatsApp, Yahoo on privacy
  Reuters
  A Yahoo logo is seen on top of the building where they have offices in New York City, U.S., July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid. 2/2. left. right. A 3D printed Whatsapp logo is seen in front of a displayed stock graph in this illustration taken ...
  WhatsApp - CnilCnilall 35 news articles »
  
  Read more

• Collaboration yields open source technology for computational science

  28-10-2016 19:08
  
  The gap between the computational science and open source software communities just got smaller - thanks to an international collaboration among national laboratories, universities and industry.
  
  Read more

• When fat cells change their color

  28-10-2016 19:07
  
  In mammals, three types of adipose tissues exist. White adipocytes are mainly located in the abdominal and subcutaneous areas of the body and highly adapted to store excess energy. Conversely, beige and brown adipocytes are highly energy-expending by generating heat. A team with the Freiburg researchers Prof. Dr. Roland Schuele and Dr. Delphine Duteil has now shown that the epigenetic enzyme lysine-specific demethylase 1 (Lsd1) plays a key role in maintaining the metabolic properties of brown fa
  
  Read more

• Satellite sees Post-Tropical Storm Seymour fading

  28-10-2016 19:06
  
  Hurricane Seymour faded fast in the Eastern Pacific and NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an image of the post-tropical cyclone. Seymour is expected to dissipate in a day as it moves through hostile environmental conditions.
  
  Read more

• Water conflicts between Asian nuclear powers pose global threat; UNU book charts path to cooperation

  28-10-2016 19:05
  
  The current political rhetoric between India and Pakistan underlines the risk of failing to manage correctly and cooperatively vital water resources shared between nations.
  
  Read more

• A tiny machine: Engineers design an infinitesimal computing device

  28-10-2016 19:04
  
  In 1959 renowned physicist Richard Feynman, in his talk "Plenty of Room at the Bottom," spoke of a future in which tiny machines could perform huge feats. Like many forward-looking concepts, his molecule and atom-sized world remained for years in the realm of science fiction.
  
  Read more

• Electrical currents can be now be switched on and off at the smallest conceivable scale

  28-10-2016 18:59
  
  Robert Wolkow is no stranger to mastering the ultra-small and the ultra-fast. A pioneer in atomic-scale science with a Guinness World Record to boot (for a needle with a single atom at the point), Wolkow's team, together with collaborators at the Max Plank Institute in Hamburg, have just released findings that detail how to create atomic switches for electricity, many times smaller than what is currently used.
  
  Read more

• So What's It Like to Plummet From Space in a Russian Spacecraft?

  28-10-2016 18:53 via nbcnews.com
  
  Riding in Russia's Soyuz spacecraft has been called the "ultimate rollercoaster ride back to Earth."
  
  Read more

• Researchers open what they think may have been Jesus' tomb - Christian Science Monitor

  28-10-2016 18:53 via csmonitor.com
  
  Christian Science Monitor
  Researchers open what they think may have been Jesus' tomb
  Christian Science Monitor
  The excavation, part of a project to restore the building above the tomb, will allow researchers to study the site. Pilgrims will now be able to see the limestone slab on which, tradition claims, Jesus was buried.
  How Donald Trump Would Protect Revival in AmericaCharisma News
  Jesus' Tomb Opened for First Time in CenturiesSeeker
  Jesus' Tomb Undergoes Urgent RepairsNational Catholic Regi
  
  Read more

• Researchers surprised at the unexpected hardness of gallium nitride

  28-10-2016 18:51
  
  Gallium nitride (GaN) has emerged as one of the most important and widely used semiconducting materials. Its optoelectronic and mechanical properties make it ideal for a variety of applications, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), high-temperature transistors, sensors and biocompatible electronic implants in humans.
  
  Read more

• Study suggests people prefer conservation as way to protect drinking water

  28-10-2016 18:50
  
  The water crisis in Flint, Michigan put the need to protect and invest in clean drinking water front and center in the minds of many Americans. But how to go about investing, as well as how to get the public on board with such spending, is a difficult challenge that faces policymakers.
  
  Read more

• No, Hello Games didn't admit that No Man's Sky was a mistake - Ars Technica

  28-10-2016 18:45 via arstechnica.com
  
  Mirror.co.uk
  No, Hello Games didn't admit that No Man's Sky was a mistake
  Ars Technica
  Despite what you may have seen tweeted or written, it doesn't appear that Hello Games founder Sean Murray (or anyone else at the developer) actually admitted that No Man's Sky was a mistake this morning. To be sure, the Hello Games Twitter account did ...
  No Man's Sky studio cites hack, after tweet that game was 'a mistake'Polygon
  Hacked Hello Games Twitter Said "No Man's Sky Was a Mistake," Apologized f
  
  Read more

• Spending vs. profits: Amazon, short-term investors at odds again - Reuters

  28-10-2016 18:42 via in.reuters.com
  
  Reuters
  Spending vs. profits: Amazon, short-term investors at odds again
  Reuters
  Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos addresses the Economic Club of New York in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid. 2/2. left. right. Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, ...
  Amazon's investment strategy doesn't scare away analystsMarketWatch
  Amazon.com's (AMZN) Earnings Miss Excuse Is 'Real' and 'Accurate,' Cantor Fizgerald's Squali Sa
  
  Read more

• 'Frankenstein' predicted concept key to modern biology: study - Reuters

  28-10-2016 18:23 via reuters.com
  
  Telegraph.co.uk
  'Frankenstein' predicted concept key to modern biology: study
  Reuters
  BOSTON Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" foreshadowed a key concept in evolutionary biology formally defined by scientists a century after the man-made monster shambled across the pages of the 19th century novel, an academic study published on Friday ...
  How Frankenstein saved humankind from probable extinction, Dartmouth-UC Merced studyEurekAlert (press release)all 16 news articles »
  
  Read more

• Spacecraft Sends Back Last Bit of Data From 2015 Pluto Flyby

  28-10-2016 18:22
  A spacecraft has sent back the last bit of data from its 2015 flyby of Pluto
  
  Read more

• The world's first fossilized dinosaur brain may have been found - Washington Post

  28-10-2016 18:21 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Washington Post
  The world's first fossilized dinosaur brain may have been found
  Washington Post
  A bit of lumpy brown rock no bigger than an orange could be the world's first fossilized dinosaur brain. The 133-million-year-old specimen came from the skull of an Iguanodon, a genus of large, iconic herbivores that lived during the Jurassic and ...
  Scientists find the first fossilized dinosaur brain - but what took so long?CNN
  Researchers have found the first fossilized dinosaur brainBusiness Insid
  
  Read more

• No Man's Sky Accounts Apparently Hacked, Send Bogus Apologies For The Game - Kotaku

  28-10-2016 18:20 via kotaku.com
  
  Kotaku
  No Man's Sky Accounts Apparently Hacked, Send Bogus Apologies For The Game
  Kotaku
  Compromised accounts tied to No Man's Sky developer Hello Games led to a series of faked official statements today calling the ambitious space exploration game “a mistake.” Advertisement. Two sources close to the development of the game indicated to ...
  No Man's Sky Was Either A Mistake, Or The Developer Got HackedCinema Blend
  Hacked Hello Games Twitter Said "No Man's Sky Was a Mistake," Ap
  
  Read more

• Why Vine died - The Verge

  28-10-2016 18:15 via theverge.com
  
  The Verge
  Why Vine died
  The Verge
  The thing about Vine becoming the internet's premiere tool for making short-form videos is that it happened almost completely by accident. Its founders had envisioned their tool for making 6-second clips as a way to help people capture casual moments ...
  Activists mourn the loss of Vine app they say shined a spotlight on FergusonCNN
  The Only Thing Harder Than Building a Great Startup Is Making It Work After You SellFortune
  How Vine Changed MusicMTV.com
  CNET&nbs
  
  Read more

• Hacker tweets 'No Man's Sky was a mistake' from Hello Games account - The Verge

  28-10-2016 18:14 via theverge.com
  
  The Verge
  Hacker tweets 'No Man's Sky was a mistake' from Hello Games account
  The Verge
  Hello Games, the indie studio behind sci-fi sim No Man's Sky, appears to have been hacked by disgruntled fans. Earlier today, a since-deleted tweet appeared stating that “No Man's Sky was a mistake.” The tweet came after months of quiet following the ...
  No, Hello Games didn't admit that No Man's Sky was a mistakeArs Technica
  No Man's Sky studio cites hack, after tweet that game was 'a mista
  
  Read more

• How Frankenstein saved humankind from probable extinction

  28-10-2016 18:00
  
  Frankenstein as we know him, the grotesque monster that was created through a weird science experiment, is actually a nameless Creature created by scientist Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, "Frankenstein." Widely considered the first work of science fiction for exploring the destructive consequences of scientific and moral transgressions, a new study published in BioScience argues that the horror of Mary Shelley's gothic novel is rooted in a fundamental principle of biology.
  
  Read more

• Amazon's investment strategy doesn't scare away analysts - MarketWatch

  28-10-2016 17:25 via marketwatch.com
  
  MarketWatch
  Amazon's investment strategy doesn't scare away analysts
  MarketWatch
  Amazon.com Inc. reported an earnings-per-share miss for the third quarter, sending its shares down 4% in Friday trading. But most analysts are sticking with the e-commerce giant and its investment plans. “The investment is heavier than normal and is ...
  Spending vs. profits: Amazon, short-term investors at odds againReuters
  Why Amazon's Tumble Is Hurting Jeff Bezos' Wallet, But Not The Tech SectorForbes
  Amazo
  
  Read more

• How I Use Android: EvolveSMS and Talon developer Luke Klinker - Computerworld

  28-10-2016 17:10 via computerworld.com
  Computerworld
  How I Use Android: EvolveSMS and Talon developer Luke Klinker
  Computerworld
  Luke Klinker knows his way around app development. Klinker started building his Android app empire when he was a student at the University of Iowa. He embraced Google's Material Design standard and worked with his brother to create clean and intuitive ...
  Check Out Some Of Allo's Upcoming Chat ThemesAndroid Headlines
  Google Partners With Netflix to Bring 'Stranger Things' Sticker Pack to AlloDroid Lif
  
  Read more

• Facebook Is Allowing Housing Advertisers to Discriminate by Ethnicity - Adweek

  28-10-2016 17:09 via adweek.com
  
  Adweek
  Facebook Is Allowing Housing Advertisers to Discriminate by Ethnicity
  Adweek
  Facebook is known for its sophisticated ad targeting that lets brands get super-targeted in how they buy ads, but a new flaw in the ad-buying system discovered by ProPublica highlights an option that lets brands segment their ad buys to specific ...
  Facebook lets advertisers exclude racial groupsUSA TODAY
  Is Facebook Allowing Advertisers to Discriminate by Race?Fortune
  Facebook advertisers are targeting you by a
  
  Read more

• Fin24.com | Amazon spooks investors with big spending

  28-10-2016 17:03
  
  Amazon has reminded investors it’s still willing to spend lavishly on products or areas that could be the next big thing even if it means thinner profit margins and a weaker stock price.
  
  Read more

Follow @NewslockSciTech on Twitter!