Technology news

(Reuters) – Access was restricted in Turkey on Friday to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube shortly after news that a military coup was under way, according to two internet monitoring groups.
Turkey Blocks, a group that monitors internet shutdowns in the country, and Dyn, which monitors internet performance and traffic globally, both reported it was difficult or impossible to access social media services in Turkey.
Turkey’s military said on Friday it had seized power, but the prime minist

Google recently shut down an internal project to create a high-end standalone virtual reality headset akin to devices from Facebook’s Oculus and HTC, according to sources familiar with the plans.The decision likely stems from Google’s effort to streamline its more ambitious projects, an ongoing slog at the company. In this instance, Google is shifting more resources behind mobile VR — tools for companies to build apps, games and services on smartphones that use the nascent medi

Wubba lubba dub dub! Owlchemy labs, the makers of Job Simulator — one of the most bizarre and truly fun games in the early days of virtual reality — announced today that they’ll soon be releasing a new VR game for the HTC Vive based on Rick and Morty. Neither Owlchemy nor showrunners Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have said when it will officially be released, but they’ll be offering demos of Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality next week at San Diego Comic-Co

Google's Android keyboard now has many more themes to pick from, and they're not as drab as the "material dark" and "material light" options that existed before. With the new version that just hit the Play Store, you've also got a slew of options in shades of red, blue, green, pink, and yeah.. some more black / gray options too.
Themes are already available to people running the Android N preview, but now you won't have to run beta software to get 'em. And if none of the colors suit you, you can

 Immediately, a startup that built mobile sales tools, will be shutting down at the end of the month, while part of the team will move on to cloud-monitoring company New Relic. According to the official announcement, both the Immediately app (which offers a number of features, including phone logging and detecting when emails are opened) and the company’s Gong app (a “pocket… Read More

Music can show us the heart of a game without requiring us to press a single button or shoot a single bullet. For Overwatch, making a score that fit all of the team-based shooter’s themes was a big challenge.
Neal Acree is a video game composer that has faced this task. He composed many of the cinematics for Blizzard’s newest game, which has become a big hit for the company since it released in May for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Acree has also done work for World of Warcraft, s

The first documented case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted from a woman to a man has been reported in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given that Zika has already been confirmed to be sexually transmittable (although sexual transmission of the virus is rare), the news is not that surprising. The CDC suggests Zika can also be sexually transmitted from woman to woman, although no cases have been confirmed. Continue reading&helli

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are reportedly blocked in Turkey amid talk of an attempted coup.
The social media sites were blocked on Friday as tanks barged through the streets of Istanbul during what Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called an attempted coup by parts of the nation's military. 
The military activity in Istanbul and the capital of Ankara was unexpected and sudden. Initial reports emerged of military jets flying low over Ankara while the main bridges across The Bosphoru

There was a moment of solidarity with Nice from an unlikely place Friday: the official Star Wars Celebration convention at London's ExCel center.
SEE ALSO: 'Rogue One' revealed: What we just learned about the next 'Star Wars' film
At the event, Game of Thrones and Force Awakens star Gwendoline Christie was on stage to announce the cast and crew of Rogue One, the next movie in the Star Wars franchise. She paused proceedings to pay tribute to the victims of Thursday night's attack, which has

NBC is taking ripping headline crimes to the next level by ordering the latest iteration of Law & Order to a series. The eight-episode season will be taking on the 1996 Menendez Brothers trial.
The show is jumping on the true crime bandwagon, joining television shows such as The People v. O.J. Simpson and Netflix’s documentary series Making a Murderer and the podcast series Serial.
The show is jumping on the true crime bandwagon
The crime in question is the 1989 killing of Jose Men&eac

When Sasha Pieterse was faced with hate on social media, she chose to respond with a genuine message of love.
On Thursday, the Pretty Little Liars actress spoke out against body shaming after receiving harsh criticism about her weight. The most frustrating part? This isn't the first time she's addressed her body shamers.
SEE ALSO: Body shamers troll couple's engagement photos, couple DGAF
Back in June 2015, Pieterse addressed negative comments about her body, explaining to fans that she was goi

NASA announced today that the Mars 2020 rover has made it past a "major development milestone" in the review process and is ready for the final phases of design and construction. The agency also showed a new image of the rover’s guts, and affirmed plans to launch the robot in the late summer of 2020 with a scheduled Martian arrival in February of 2021.
The milestone that the rover passed is known as "Key Decision Point C," according to George Tahu, the program executive for the mission. Ta

UNESCO added nine new locations to its list of World Heritage Sites Friday.
During a ten day gathering in Istanbul, the organization added spots in Greece, Spain, Iran, India, Turkey, China, Micronesia and the UK to the list, along with one site - the Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards - that spans Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.
SEE ALSO: Climate change threatens iconic sites worldwide, but one country is trying to hide
In Gibraltar, the British territory off th

A noteworthy weather pattern will evolve next week across the lower 48 states, featuring a massive and intense area of high pressure sprawled out across the center of the country, like an annoying partner taking up the entire bed while snoring loudly. 
It's been clear for several days that a prolonged heat wave is coming, particularly for the Plains, portions of the Midwest and Southeast.
SEE ALSO: Earth's hot streak continues with warmest May since at least 1880
However, the details about

The BeatBring is a backpack full of speakers that can connect to your phone over Bluetooth and blast music at up to 110 dB, roughly equaling the same noise level as a live rock concert.
Depending on your age and general disposition, the BeatBringer will be either one of the most intriguing gadgets to hit the market in some time, or a public nuisance that will have you filing noise complaints in the near future.The BeatBringer is fitted with a pair of 6-inch neodymium water-resistant woofers and

In an attempt to better understand the nature of the expansion of our universe, scientists have created a 3D map plotting the locations of 1.2 million galaxies. This map may help give astronomers new details about how the universe has been expanding, which will help us learn more about the mysterious force that scientists believe has been driving the expansion. This map may help give astronomers new details about how the universe has been expanding, which will help us learn more about the myste

Pokémon Go is rough on your battery. It’s constantly pulling data, using GPS, and rendering 3D graphics. The solution? Make a Pokédex battery case, of course. A user by the name of NPOOLE posted a blogpost detailing his creation on SparkFun (which sells parts for DIY electronics projects). The 3D printed case is modeled after a Kanto-era Pokédex to fit a Galaxy S4. It  features a 2,600 mAh battery, and working LED lights for some extra pizzaz. This is the part wh

Teenage angst has never looked so glamorous — or had such killer music.
The first trailer for The Edge of Seventeen, out this fall, finds Oscar nominee and Taylor Swift Squad Member Hailee Steinfeld getting in touch with her inner average teen as she struggles with the cruel world of high school — full of unhelpful teachers (Woody Harrelson), parents (Kyra Sedgwick) and, most troublingly, a cool, hunky brother (Blake Jenner). 
The trailer is full of dark humor — the kind y

NEW YORK – At Thursday's Todd Snyder fashion show, there were a slew of random celebs who filled the front row.
Heartthrobs like James Marsden rubbed elbows with teen social models — like Luka Sabbat — as well as actors like Kellan Lutz, if he still counts.
Sitting among them was another familiar face, a specimen whose arms bulged out of the small tank top he was sporting. 
It was none other than Shaun T, the fitness guru behind the insanely popular workout series, "Insan

Pokémon Go, as one of the most popular mobile games ever released, is a fascinating test case for observing just how taxing a single app can be for an entire network's performance. In an analysis of a small European telecom performed by California-based networking company Procera Networks, Pokémon Go was accessed by about 7 percent of the total 2 million users over a three-hour period. Those sessions were found to take up only a small amount of bandwidth in comparison to

Feel free to skip the gym this summer — this kid has the best no-effort secret to getting buff for the beach.
Step one: acquire some pool floaties, the puffier the better. Step two: put on your favorite white tee. Instant muscles.
Good luck fending off all your suitors.
These cringey news bloopers are the pick me up everyone needs
Nothing will stand in the way of these kittens and their dinner
Man tries to blow out Olympic flame with a fire extinguisher
Adventurous baby gator found explori

Ergo, the secretive, CIA-linked firm that was paid by Uber to investigate the plaintiff in one of the ride-hail startup’s many lawsuits, has now admitted to lying and illegally recording phone calls during its probe, according to Law360. Lawyers for Ergo owned up to the infractions in oral arguments in court Thursday, drawing a rebuke from the judge overseeing the case.Last December, Spencer Meyer filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, alleging a scheme to

Talking to your TV is so hot right now. Apple TV does it. Google TV does it. Android Fire TV does it. I get it, Dish, you wanted in on this action. I don't fault you for that.
But holy hell, how did you make a remote this ugly?The Hopper 3 has been shipping since February, but the compatible $30 Voice Remote just started shipping. I was made aware of its horrors by a Tech Crunch article posted earlier today, complete with gruesome hands-on pictures.
It's not like I have high standards. I don't e

Mixtapes are so 1980s. To help you catch up with the 21st century during your next Netflix and chill sesh, the company today introduced a feature called “Flixtape,” which is basically a mixtape for – take a wild guess – Netflix. Meet flixtape…it's like a mixtape, but for Netflix! https://t.co/tDPX9pDr3V pic.twitter.com/XjIJQpw7ia — Netflix US (@netflix) July 15, 2016 The company says Flixtapes are meant to be built around themes, moods or a particular m

I'd start with a little Arrested Development, into a block of 30 Rock, followed by a few choice Parks and Recreation episodes, finished by only the most depressing episodes of Bojack Horseman.
Netflix announced on Friday that it has launched Flixtape, a way to make playlists on its streaming video service. 
"Flixtape is a short playlist of Netflix titles based around a theme, a mood, or message. It’s like a mixtape, but for Netflix," the company noted on its website.Users start off b

Now that Pokemon Go basically dictates your life, it makes sense that if you have to go outside and actually live a little, you might as well try to catch them all along the way. Yelp realizes this Venn Diagram of opportunity, and has implemented a new filter for you to search only for businesses that have nearby PokéStops. Nope, not April Fool’s. Just check out the iOS or Android Yelp app and search for a business and you’ll find a blue PokéStop tab to filter res

If you want to grab a bite to eat and then grab an Eevee in one stop, the Yelp app is a great complement to your Pokédex.
The user-review site and app for businesses and restaurants in your neighborhood has added a filter that will only show you locations that have a PokéStop nearby. PokéStops are special locations where players of the megapopular Pokémon Go can collect items and attract pocket monsters. Pokémon Go is a GPS-powered loca

Hank the Cat always had promise. Born in a refrigerator box, his family didn’t have money but they had morals and respect. His mother was a house cat. His father, he was also a house cat.
They led an ordinary life structured by rules, and Hank found a passion for the law. On his fifth birthday, he joined the force. From the top of his cadet class he climbed quickly, earning detective within the year.
Still, Sergeant was reluctant to put him undercover. He was young and untested, but Hank&r

Whether you’re developing apps or bots, it’s a mobile world. And while the Pokémon Gos and Snapchats of the world grab the lion’s share of attention, the pick and axe sellers of the mobile revolution are companies that supply mobile-focused software development kits, or SDKs, that enable quick and easy functionality for developers.
The leaders in that category? Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
Mobile app intelligence firm MightySignal has released a new publicly available

On Thursday, Martin Shkreli was told he would face charges for fraud — but the pharmaceutical executive appeared to have other, more pressing issues on his mind. 
On the top of that list was Pokémon Go. 
SEE ALSO: Pokemon Go shouldn't be as good as it is
After leaving court on Thursday, a New York Daily News reporter overheard Shkreli allegedly telling his lawyer, "Can I play Pokémon Go now?"
Like a child who's misbehaved and now seeks forgiveness from a pushover p

Some days you just need to watch 15 minutes of people embarrassing themselves on live TV.
Thankfully, the fine folks over at News Be Funny, a YouTube channel dedicated to making sure no news blooper goes unnoticed, rounded up the cringiest clips ever to grace the airwaves. 
Nothing will stand in the way of these kittens and their dinner
Man tries to blow out Olympic flame with a fire extinguisher
Adventurous baby gator found exploring way out in Minnesota
Sweet little dog thanks girl after

Andy Samberg and Murray Miller (executive producer of Girls) are working on a follow-up to last summer's incredibly odd tennis movie 7 Days in Hell, Variety reports. The mockumentary starred Samberg and Game of Thrones's Kit Harington as a mullet-ed pervert and an affectless wimp with a bowl cut, respectively. The cast was made up of a mix of comedians playing sports enthusiasts / weirdos and professional athletes playing themselves, but as crazy people. It was great.
hamilton's daveed

Congratulations, America. Your national nightmare is over. 
No, not that one. The 2016 presidential campaign will drag on until November. But "Deflategate" — as we've known it for the past year and a half — is finally over.
SEE ALSO: NFL star Patrick Willis is thriving in retirement as a Silicon Valley tech worker
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announced via Facebook on Friday that he will "no longer proceed with the legal process" in challenging a four-game suspens

By learning how to pitch his bot idea while driving a robot, Button.ai founder Hugh Cameron of Melbourne, Australia won the popular vote at the first international botathon this week. Button.ai helps teams make quick responses to emails. Organized by VentureBeat, the international botathon took place July 9-10 in New York, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and San Francisco. A fifth finalist category was made for people participating online elsewhere in the world.
Finals for popular vote and judges&rsqu

“Please speak up…” “Why don’t you share your thoughts with the group?…” “Don’t isolate yourself from others…” Sound familiar? Whether you’re learning a new language, or going through training at your workplace, we’re either taught to collaborate or fail. But is this really the best way to learn? While cooperative learning serves a purpose in the learning process, studies show that its silence, not collaboration, th

LONDON — On a dark and somber day for Europe, there was a small light of new hope.
At the official Star Wars Celebration convention at London's massive ExCel center Friday, Game of Thrones and Force Awakens star Gwendoline Christie took the stage in front of 4,000 people to introduce the cast and crew of Rogue One — but not before calling for a moment of silence for the victims of Nice. That was followed by a rousing, spontaneous audience rendition of the French national anthem.
Her

"I'm not one of those artists who cares what people are saying about me," Dreezy tells me.  
Then again, that was sort of established back in 2014, when the then-20-year-old Chicago rapper forced her way onto the mainstream rap radar when she dropped a fiery, slightly fed-up cover of Nicki Minaj's "Chiraq" just a day after the Queens-raised rapper released the original. It was undoubtedly a bold move — "Nicki Minaj is the top female rapper out right now," she says, "and I was just a