Sci-Tech news

• Voyager 1 Fires Dormant Thrusters for the First Time in 37 Years

  01-12-2017 23:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  Man, they just don't build 'em like they used to. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, has fired up a pair of thrusters that haven't been used for 37 years. Meanwhile, I'm on my third car in two years.The set of four small thrusters came online Wednesday after NASA engineers noticed the spacecraft's attitude control thrusters had been degrading for several years. Those served to make minute adjustments to the craft's orientation to keep its antenna pointed back at Earth and main
  
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• UE Blast and Megablast review: One step closer to a perfect portable Alexa speaker

  01-12-2017 23:33
  
  GadgetsAwesome sound is offset by high price tags and a few missing essential services.
  UE's Alexa-equipped Bluetooth speakers have the potential for greatness.
  
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• Fin24.com | Carrim, Bekker at odds over encryption, accusations of influence

  01-12-2017 23:19
  
  While the ANC's Yunus Carrim reiterated that Naspers chair Koos Bekker lobbied him to drop set top box encryption when he was communications minister, Bekker has dismissed accusations that he applied "improper leverage".
  
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• Report: US agency holding nuke bombs grapples with oversight

  01-12-2017 22:53
  The U.S. Department of Energy has its share of challenges as it conducts some of the world's most high-tech research, maintains a stockpile of nuclear weapons and cleans up after decades of bomb-making
  
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• Move over record-setting warmth: A brutal blast of winter misery straight out of the Arctic appears to be on its way

  01-12-2017 22:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  But up in the Arctic, the ironic forecast is for unusual warmth. What's up with this weird pattern of a warm Arctic with cold continents?
  Lately, I've been wondering what happened to winter. And my guess is that I'm not alone.I live along the Front Range of Colorado, and we've been luxuriating in very unusual warmth for this time of year. In fact, Denver reached 81 degrees on Monday. This set the record not just for the high temperature on that particular day but for the entire month of
  
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• Close Calls Nearly Doomed These Space Missions

  01-12-2017 21:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  A tiny problem can have huge consequences for a space mission. Sometimes a huge endeavor hinges on the smallest detail — three seconds’ worth of fuel, an engineer’s stubbornness, a speck of paint, or a 1.3-millimeter calibration.When surprise glitches revealed themselves after launch, it took massive efforts to save the missions that gave us a closer look at Mercury, a tour of the outer solar system, our only glimpse of Titan’s surface, and an incredible view of the early
  
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• iPhone X Models With Qualcomm Modem Still Have Faster LTE Speeds Than Those With Intel Modems - Mac Rumors

  01-12-2017 21:01
  Mac Rumors
  iPhone X Models With Qualcomm Modem Still Have Faster LTE Speeds Than Those With Intel Modems
  Mac Rumors
  iPhone X models equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X16 modem get consistently better LTE speeds than versions with Intel's XMM7480 modem, according to wireless signal testing firm Cellular Insights. For context, Cellular Insights used professional ...
  Exclusive: Qualcomm's iPhone X Still Outpaces Intel'sPCMag
  The secret iPhone X difference Apple isn't talking aboutSlashGear
  Qualc
  
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• 'Uptown' and 'Downtown' NYC Rats Are Genetically Distinct

  01-12-2017 20:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  If you're an uptown rat, you don't associate with the downtown kind.Segregation is real if you're a rat in New York City, though likely for more prosaic reasons than in their human counterparts. A recent genetic study of NYC rats found unique populations living in uptown and downtown Manhattan, indicating that they probably don't interact with each other all that much. 
  City of Rats
  The project is the work of Fordham University graduate student Matthew Combs, whose dissertation  focuse
  
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• Tesla actually built the world’s biggest battery. Here’s how it works.

  01-12-2017 20:36
  
  TechnologyGet amped to learn about lithium-ion energy storage!
  The state of South Australia is home to the world’s biggest battery, now that Elon Musk and Tesla have made good on an ambitious commitment.
  
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• Samsung's new luxurious smart flip phone has the widest aperture camera lens yet - The Verge

  01-12-2017 19:52
  The Verge
  Samsung's new luxurious smart flip phone has the widest aperture camera lens yet
  The Verge
  Samsung unveiled a new expensive flip phone, the Samsung W2018, during a launch event in China today, as first reported by GizmoChina. Many of the W2018's specs are on par with the S8 and Note 8, with one exception: the camera lens. The W2018 is the ...
  Samsung's W2018 flip phone has a variable aperture cameraEngadget
  The Samsung W2018 is only priced at measly $2400Phandroid.com
  Samsung W2018 Fl
  
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• Everything your biology teacher told you about earlobes is wrong

  01-12-2017 19:15
  
  HealthA lot of genes go into making your ears hang low.
  Researchers used data from 75,000 people to identify 49 genes that determine whether your earlobes remain attached to or hang beside your neck.
  
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• Supermoon 2017: This weekend's full moon is the biggest of the year - Washington Post

  01-12-2017 19:07
  Washington Post
  Supermoon 2017: This weekend's full moon is the biggest of the year
  Washington Post
  The last full moon of 2017 will appear especially plump and vibrant in the night sky this weekend. As it reaches fullness, the moon will also be making its closest approach to Earth around the same time, designating it a “supermoon.” Because of the ...
  Observing the Fascinating Full Moon Using Mobile Apps: Part 2 — SupermoonSpace.com
  The Supermoon and Other Moons That Are Super
  
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• How Dietary Fat Affects Stem Cell Differentiation

  01-12-2017 19:07 via scitechdaily.com
  You are what you eat when it comes to fat, report scientists from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at...
  The post How Dietary Fat Affects Stem Cell Differentiation appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• 8Bitdo's wireless SNES controller is perfect for Switch retro gaming - Engadget

  01-12-2017 19:01
  Engadget
  8Bitdo's wireless SNES controller is perfect for Switch retro gaming
  Engadget
  The Nintendo Switch's controllers shouldn't work as well as they do. That might be why options beyond a Joy-Con in each hand (or the Switch's own Pro controller) are few and far between. 8Bitdo's latest wireless peripheral, the SN30 Pro, might be worth ...
  Finding the SNES Classic is still a painPolygon
  The SNES Classic is so much better with a wireless controllerThe Verge
  This $25 wireless controller solves
  
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• New NASA Sea Level Simulator Lets You Take the Driver’s Seat on Sea Level Science

  01-12-2017 18:50 via scitechdaily.com
  A new NASA sea level simulator lets you bury Alaska’s Columbia glacier in snow, and, year by year, watch how it responds. Or you can...
  The post New NASA Sea Level Simulator Lets You Take the Driver’s Seat on Sea Level Science appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Verizon Slashes Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL by $300 - Tom's Guide

  01-12-2017 18:43
  Tom's Guide
  Verizon Slashes Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL by $300
  Tom's Guide
  If you've been holding out for the ultimate Pixel 2 deal, today is your day. For a limited time, Verizon is taking $300 off the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, which are traditionally priced at $649 and $849, respectively. The best part is — no trade-in is ...
  Google Pixel 2 review, a month later: Still solid, still the bestAndroid Central
  Verizon Pixel 2 deal cuts $300 from Android flagshipSlashGear
  Google Pixel BudsTrustedRev
  
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• Uranium Performs Reactions That No One Thought Were Possible

  01-12-2017 18:39 via scitechdaily.com
  New research from the University of Manchester reveals that uranium can perform reactions that previously no one thought possible, which could transform the way industry...
  The post Uranium Performs Reactions That No One Thought Were Possible appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Tidal Heating May Help Preserve Oceans on Icy Worlds

  01-12-2017 18:21 via scitechdaily.com
  Heat generated by the gravitational pull of moons formed from massive collisions could extend the lifetimes of liquid water oceans beneath the surface of large...
  The post Tidal Heating May Help Preserve Oceans on Icy Worlds appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• How Visionaries Planned to Reach the Moon 500 Years Ago

  01-12-2017 18:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  People have been dreaming about space travel for hundreds of years, long before the arrival of the spectacular technologies behind space exploration today – mighty engines roaring fire and thunder, shiny metal shapes gliding in the vastness of the universe.We’ve only traveled into space in the last century, but humanity’s desire to reach the moon is far from recent. In the second century AD, Lucian’s True History, a parody of travel tales, already pictured a group of adve
  
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• NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Views ‘Jupiter Blues’

  01-12-2017 18:08 via scitechdaily.com
  NASA’s Juno spacecraft shows Jovian clouds in striking shades of blue in this new image. The Juno spacecraft captured this image when the spacecraft was...
  The post NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Views ‘Jupiter Blues’ appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Quantum Simulator Could Shed Light on a Host of Complex Processes

  01-12-2017 18:03 via scitechdaily.com
  Programming a computer is generally a fairly arduous process, involving hours of coding, not to mention the laborious work of debugging, testing, and documenting to...
  The post Quantum Simulator Could Shed Light on a Host of Complex Processes appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• New Model Sheds Light on Turbulence in Astrophysical Plasmas

  01-12-2017 17:52 via scitechdaily.com
  Plasmas, gas-like collections of ions and electrons, make up an estimated 99 percent of the visible matter in the universe, including the sun, the stars,...
  The post New Model Sheds Light on Turbulence in Astrophysical Plasmas appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• I Haven't Played 'Destiny 2' For A Month, And I Still Think It's An Awesome Game - Forbes

  01-12-2017 17:44
  Forbes
  I Haven't Played 'Destiny 2' For A Month, And I Still Think It's An Awesome Game
  Forbes
  Dave Thier , Contributor I write about video games and technology. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Credit: Bungie. The start of the Leviathan Raid in Destiny 2. It is maybe the most bizarre permutation of the crisis of Destiny ...
  Communication Is HardKotaku
  Destiny 2 Xur location and items, Dec. 1-4Polygon
  Destiny 2 Deals Continue To Roll In Ahead Of Curse Of Osiris ReleaseGa
  
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• TrueNorth Computer Chip Emulates Human Cognition

  01-12-2017 17:41 via scitechdaily.com
  Imagine working in an office where, once you’ve finished one task, you had to wait until everyone in all the other cubicles completed the tasks...
  The post TrueNorth Computer Chip Emulates Human Cognition appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Astronomers Observe Microlensing Event from K2, Spitzer, and Earth

  01-12-2017 17:29 via scitechdaily.com
  The path of a light beam will be bent by the presence of mass, an effect explained by General Relativity, and a massive body can...
  The post Astronomers Observe Microlensing Event from K2, Spitzer, and Earth appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Every iPhone X is not created equal, new study says - CNET

  01-12-2017 17:24
  CNET
  Every iPhone X is not created equal, new study says
  CNET
  iPhone X models with Qualcomm modems showed faster speeds than ones with Intel modems, according to a new study. James Martin/CNET. iPhone X models with Qualcomm hardware showed faster LTE speeds than models with Intel hardware, according to a PCMag ...
  Verizon vs AT&T iPhone X versions tested, big advantage for Qualcomm's modem in weak-signal scenariosPhone Arena
  Qualcomm Seeks Partial Ban on iPhone X, Apple CountersuesTop Tech
  
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• Turkey poop could help save us from ourselves

  01-12-2017 17:00
  
  Nexus Media News Scientists say “poop from the coop” could be a renewable source of energy.
  Scientists have discovered how to convert waste from turkeys and other poultry into fuel for heat and electricity.
  
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• Fin24.com | It's up to MultiChoice to probe corruption claims - Naspers

  01-12-2017 15:50
  
  The Naspers board says that the "baiting of Naspers to override MultiChoice" in how it responds to allegations of corruption is "not conducive to an open democracy".
  
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• Xenoblade Chronicles 2: The Kotaku Review - Kotaku

  01-12-2017 15:33
  Kotaku
  Xenoblade Chronicles 2: The Kotaku Review
  Kotaku
  Inelegant and tedious, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the anti-Nintendo game. In a year full of triumphs for the spunky Switch, this massive role-playing game is a disappointment. Error loading player: No playable sources found. I didn't love the first ...
  Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (for Nintendo Switch)PCMag
  Nintendo Switch Adds 10 New Games This WeekGameSpot
  Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Reviews Are In, Here's What The Critics ThinkCinema Blend
  Tech Tim
  
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• How to prepare your home for winter

  01-12-2017 15:30
  
  DIYKeep your family cozy.
  Winter was here, but my apartment was far from ready. Don’t be like me. Follow these tips to winterize your home and stay cozy all season long.
  
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• Is this the shoe that will help rewrite marathon history?

  01-12-2017 15:28 via nbcnews.com
  Nike's Zoom Vaporfly called 'the most efficient shoe in terms of the energy required to run that anybody has ever studied.'
  
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• Autonomous Cars: Why Big Tech Wants You To Text And Drive

  01-12-2017 15:18 via technocracy.news
  Technocrats want your drive time focused on your cell phone, which is most profitable for them. Driving your car is completely non-tech, ‘dead air’ time, which drives them nuts. The answer: either get you out of your car completely or force you into a self-driving car or public transportation. ⁃ TN EditorAs self-driving cars come closer to being common on American roads, much of the rhetoric promoting them has to do with safety. About 40,000 people die on U.S. ro
  
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• Google brings local lead generation to Google Assistant and Google Home - Search Engine Land

  01-12-2017 15:05
  Firstpost
  Google brings local lead generation to Google Assistant and Google Home
  Search Engine Land
  The company taps HomeAdvisor and Porch to provide local contractors through a multistep voice-driven interaction. Greg Sterling on December 1, 2017 at 8:49 am. More. Google is bringing new forms of local search to the Google Assistant and Google Home ...
  Google Home Now Executes Two Commands With One Wake-Up CallForbes
  Google Home learns how to multitaskTechCrunch
  Google Home can now handle two
  
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• PUBG Will Run At 30 FPS On All Xbox One Devices, PlayerUnknown Clarifies - GameSpot

  01-12-2017 14:41
  GameSpot
  PUBG Will Run At 30 FPS On All Xbox One Devices, PlayerUnknown Clarifies
  GameSpot
  PUBG's creator also says he's happy to partner with Microsoft because "Xbox is synonymous with gaming." Last updated by Eddie Makuch on December 1, 2017 at 5:35AM. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. GS News Update: PUBG On Xbox One ...
  'PUBG' console version will run at 60 fps on Xbox One X (update)Engadget
  How to Convince Your Parents to Get You an Xbox OneTwinfinite
  Check out the off
  
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• 'PUBG' console version will run at 60 fps on Xbox One X (update) - Engadget

  01-12-2017 14:37
  Engadget
  'PUBG' console version will run at 60 fps on Xbox One X (update)
  Engadget
  In a magazine interview, PlayerUnknown himself Brendan Greene dropped a few details about the console version of his popular shooter. One tidbit is that when PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds arrives in Game Preview December 12th, developers are expecting ...
  Fortnite devs are tinkering with the look of Battle RoyalePolygon
  PUBG makes frame rate sacrifice for Xbox One debutSlashGear
  How to Convince Your Parents to Ge
  
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• Satellite images show extent of air pollution worldwide

  01-12-2017 14:18
  Images taken by a new European satellite show the levels and distribution of common air pollutants around the world, including ash spewing from a volcano in Indonesia
  
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• We spend most of the year eating really, really old apples. Why do they taste so good?

  01-12-2017 14:00
  
  ScienceHow about them apples? Them apples are older than you think.
  Unlike tomatoes, we're great at ripening apples after they've been picked. Here's how growers and grocers do it.
  
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• Fin24.com | MTN vows to become SA's most loved network again

  01-12-2017 13:55
  
  “We were the best and we can do it again,” has been MTN South Africa CEO Godfrey Motsa's response to the network being ranked the country's least favourite in a recent survey.
  
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• WATCH: EKG band for Apple Watch can monitor your heart rhythm

  01-12-2017 13:46
  The Food and Drug Administration cleared a sensor that pairs with an app that can detect an abnormal heart rhythm.
  
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• Google: We're cracking down on Android apps with those annoying lockscreen ads - ZDNet

  01-12-2017 13:34
  ZDNet
  Google: We're cracking down on Android apps with those annoying lockscreen ads
  ZDNet
  Google has introduced a rule that limits the types of apps that can serve lockscreen ads. Getty Images. Google has quietly updated the monetization section of its Play Store app developer policy with a new section on 'lockscreen monetization'. As noted ...
  Google Announces Its 2017 'Best Of Play' List For The USAndroid Headlines
  Google bans apps with lockscreen ads, Amazon phones in questionSlashGear
  Goog
  
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• Observing the Fascinating Full Moon Using Mobile Apps: Part 2 — Supermoon - Space.com

  01-12-2017 13:24
  Space.com
  Observing the Fascinating Full Moon Using Mobile Apps: Part 2 — Supermoon
  Space.com
  Saturday's "Full Moon before Yule," which rises in the constellation of Taurus at sunset, is also a supermoon — and the perfect target for a telescope of any size. During full moons, differences in brightness on the lunar surface are only caused by ...
  Supermoon 2017: This weekend's full moon is the biggest of the yearWashington Post
  2017's Supermoon and Other Moons That Are Super in Their
  
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• Huge Destiny 2 Changes Coming In December Updates, Will Include New Masterworks Weapon Class - GameSpot

  01-12-2017 12:40
  GameSpot
  Huge Destiny 2 Changes Coming In December Updates, Will Include New Masterworks Weapon Class
  GameSpot
  Bungie plans to make significant changes to the game in the weeks and months ahead. Last updated by Chris Pereira on December 1, 2017 at 3:40AM. 8 Comments. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. GS News Update: Destiny 2 Dev Admits It ...
  Destiny 2 Xur location and items, Dec. 1-4Polygon
  Destiny 2: Xur Exotic Armor, Weapon, and Recommendations for Dec 1-3Game Rant
  'Des
  
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• Amazon Echo, Google Home or Sonos One: which smart speaker should I buy? - The Guardian

  01-12-2017 12:38
  The Guardian
  Amazon Echo, Google Home or Sonos One: which smart speaker should I buy?
  The Guardian
  Voice-control devices that can play music, answer questions and buy goods are one of the hottest gifts this Christmas. Here's what they can do – and our pick of the best buys. Amazon Echo. The Amazon Echo has good audio quality and a solid feature set ...
  Google Home learns how to multitaskTechCrunch
  Google Home can now handle two commands at onceThe Verge
  Google Assistant now recommends a p
  
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• Tesla Turns on World's Largest Lithium-Ion Battery - Investopedia (blog)

  01-12-2017 12:26
  Investopedia (blog)
  Tesla Turns on World's Largest Lithium-Ion Battery
  Investopedia (blog)
  has delivered on its promise to build the world's biggest lithium-ion battery within 100 days. The company's Powerpack battery system was switched on to feed Australia's shaky power grid on Friday, just in time for the summer. CEO Elon Musk, who won ...and more »
  
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• Fin24.com | WATCH: How to use online breadcrumbs as a competitive edge

  01-12-2017 11:15
  
  Companies can make better use of the “online breadcrumbs” that are scattered across the internet and which provide insights into competitors and clients, says Meltwater CEO Jørn Lyseggen.
  
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• Prehistoric egg hoard helps reveal the early life of flying reptiles - CNN

  01-12-2017 10:36
  CNN
  Prehistoric egg hoard helps reveal the early life of flying reptiles
  CNN
  Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone is a Research Assistant in Palaeontology at the University of Bristol. The opinions expressed here are solely hers. A hoard of fossilized pterosaur eggs discovered in China is helping scientists gain a rare insight into the ...
  Scientists discovered an ancient flying reptile Eden in ChinaQuartz
  Pterosaur hatchlings needed their parents, trove of eggs reveals (Update)Phys.Org
  Pterosaur Eggs
  
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• Fin24.com | Tencent set for worst week in 21 months after $274bn rally

  01-12-2017 08:42
  
  Tencent Holdings is headed for its biggest weekly loss in almost two years, amid concern that a recent rally was excessive.
  
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• The Genetic Divide Between NYC's Uptown And Downtown Rats - WXXI News

  01-12-2017 06:49
  WXXI News
  The Genetic Divide Between NYC's Uptown And Downtown Rats
  WXXI News
  The Empire State building, pizza and Broadway are just a few things synonymous with New York City — and then there's the rats. Like many other major metropolitan areas, New York City has a rat problem. But that doesn't mean that all the rats are the ...
  In Manhattan, uptown and downtown rats don't mixMashableall 4 news articles »
  
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• How Tanks Went from War Curio to Homefront Hero

  01-12-2017 06:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  When the first tanks appeared on the battlefields of World War I, journalists described them as "grotesque creatures" and made comparisons to prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs. Even German prisoners of war supposedly laughed when recalling their first glimpse of the mechanical beasts. Later versions of British heavy tanks received an unflattering paint color known as "dog turd brown." But 100 years ago, the first mass attack by hundreds of British tank
  
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• The Big Caveat on AI and Future Work

  01-12-2017 02:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  Artificial intelligence will likely both giveth and taketh away jobs for humans. A McKinsey Global Institute report estimates that automation could displace between 400 million and 800 million people worldwide by 2030, even as the report also suggests the benefits of automation could help create enough new jobs for displaced workers. But beyond the numbers, the report offers more useful lessons regardless of whether future work ultimately looks sunny or bleak.One of
  
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