Technology news

After a string of executive departures over the past several months that continued Friday with the resignations of two people in high-profile positions, CEO Elon Muskannounced a series of promotions and job updates in an email sent to employees. To be clear, these are not new hires and some of these promotions were already finalized before the most recent resignations reported earlier Friday.
In other words, Musk didn’t suddenly promote a bunch of executives in response to the negative mar

These nuns are fighting guns with guns. Sort of. 
The Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment, a collective of about a dozen nun associations, invests in companies so they can then use their shareholder status to sway the companies into supporting human rights issues. 
SEE ALSO: Brett Kavanaugh snubs Parkland victim's father at Senate confirmation hearing
Issues have ranged from climate change to indigenous rights, but in the last few years, the nuns have shifted their focus to

Audio enthusiasts often pride themselves on their ability to discern the tiniest nuances of a recording. They’ll research the best gear they can afford and seek the highest quality music formats to play on it. That last bit has led to the classic debate among the hi-fi crowd: Can you hear a difference between lossless music and high-quality compression? Many claim they can with the right equipment. Others think there’s no practical difference between lossless FLAC and, say, a 3

Huawei got caught cheating on benchmark tests, and now it’s trying to make amends. Today the company announced that it’ll let users force their phone into “performance mode,” saying it respects “consumers’ right to choose what to do with their devices.” This optimizes their device to run faster, but requires more of the phone’s power. Users will be able to do so starting with EMUI 9.0, a future version of Huawei’s OS.
This week, AnandTech ex

Google’s incubator Area 120 is at it again with a new tool to help you find vacation activities. The tool, called Touring Bird, is a website designed for mobile that lists tours, attractions, and activities to do in popular travel destinations. You can filter by price from zero to over $500, time of day, duration, and even by cancellation policies, which sounds convenient.So far, the site only provides information for a handful of destinations, including Prague, Toronto, Orlando, Chicago,

A day after cutting the ribbon on its second (and largest) cashier-free convenience store in Seattle, Amazon has confirmed it will be bringing the Go concept to the City that Never Sleeps.
The Information first noted the news through a number of job listings last night. The company has since confirmed its plans in an email to TechCrunch.
“We plan to open Amazon Go in New York,” an Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch. And that’s basically it for the statement. No information on

Barack Obama is well-known for his dad behavior, particularly in the style department. On Friday, though, he achieved his most dad accomplishment yet — accidentally assuming two people were a couple.
The incident occurred during a campaign stop with Illinois gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker. The two visited Urbana restaurant Caffe Paradiso, where they drank tea (Obama paid) and met with constituents.
SEE ALSO: Barack Obama says that 'men have been getting on my nerves lately'
Accordin

Unity Technologies, the highly valued startup behind one of the most popular game development tools, lost its CFO Mike Foley last week, Business Insider (paywalled) reported.
A company spokesperson confirmed the CFO’s departure, saying it was a “friendly and mutual decision between both parties,” while also noting that the company was searching for a replacement and had some candidates and hoped to announce more details soon.
In a statement, Foley told TechCrunch, “I look

The United States isn’t ready to hold elections online now or in the foreseeable future, a new report says. Not until the technology is good enough to ensure the votes are kept private and aren’t tampered with.The recommendation is part of a massive new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report that lays out dozens of recommendations for an election system the report calls “accessible, reliable, verifiable, and secure.” A big one is to phase out vo

Apple Music is rolling out a new playlist series that will feature the Top 100 songs on Apple Music globally and for those countries where Apple Music is available. Because they’re playlists, users will be able to add these top charts for their country or the Top 100 Global songs to their library so they can stream them any time, or listen offline.
The feature was first reported by Rolling Stone, which was given a preview of the changes by Apple.
At launch, there are 116 charts launch

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a think tank for the Pentagon, hosted a three day symposium in celebration of its 60th anniversary this week. Highlights from the event included discussion of some of the most astounding projects the agency is currently working on. And of those, one in particular caught our eye: The N3, or Next Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology, program. We love DARPA because its job is to come up with wacky futuristic ideas and then see which ones the

A group of security researchers say dozens of popular iPhone apps are quietly sharing the location data of “tens of millions of mobile devices” with third-party data monetization firms.
Almost all require access to a user’s location data to work properly, like weather and fitness apps, but share that data often as a way to generate revenue for free-to-download apps.
In many cases, the apps send precise locations and other sensitive, identifiable data “at all times, consta

Salil Deshpande Contributor Salil Deshpande serves as the managing director of Bain Capital Ventures. He focuses on infrastructure software and open source. More posts by this contributorLet’s define “container-native” After the Satoshi Roundtable, is there a way to bridge the bitcoin divide?
There’s a dark cloud on the horizon. The behavior of cloud infrastructure providers, such as Amazon, threatens the viability of open source.
During 13 years as a venture investor, I

Mac Miller has reportedly passed away due to a drug overdose, according to TMZ. 
The 26-year-old rapper was allegedly found in his home on Friday, and was pronounced dead at the scene. 
The musician worked with folks across the entertainment industry, and produced critically acclaimed albums throughout his career. His latest album Swimming was released on August 5th.  
Celebrity and fan reactions began pouring in on Twitter once the news broke on Friday afternoon. this hurts

Quantum computing has moved out of the realm of theoretical physics and into the real world, but its potential and promise are still years away.
Onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, a powerhouse in the world of quantum research and a young upstart in the field presented visions for the future of the industry that illustrated both how far the industry has come and how far the technology has to go.
For both Dario Gil,the chief operating officer of IBM Research and the company’s vice president o

Apple says the United States’ latest round of proposed tariffs on China would affect a number of its up and coming products, including the Apple Watch, AirPods, and HomePod. The proposed tariffs would put a 25 percent tax either on the products themselves or on components within the products, raising the price on them and likely depressing sales as well.
Several other products would also be hit, according to a letter submitted by Apple to the US Trade Representative earlier today. Apple s

Ikea is ramping up its Tradfri line of smart home products, based on leaks of its $10 smart plug coming in October and the news of its upcoming smart blinds. Tech journalist Dave Zatz discovered the FCC filing yesterday for an open / close remote control that can be used to operate motorized smart blinds.Ikea’s Tradfri line is currently limited to smart lighting products, but judging from these leaks, the company is quickly on its way to building an entire home automation system. Its affo

Last night, a man took a relaxing hit off a joint. Or, to put it another way for readers in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Alaska, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and the District of Columbia: It was a Thursday.
The man happened to be Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX. The joint — technically a spliff or blunt, as it was marijuana mixed with tobacco — happened to be proffered by comedian and wrestling commentator Joe Rogan, who was streaming his show live from

An unexpected guest made an appearance at this year's Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia.
During a photoshoot for the Black Geeks of Dragon Con, Jennifer Schulte aka BBQ Becky attempted to crash the party. Thankfully, it wasn't the real Schulte, but rather a woman named Christina Adams who bears an uncanny resemblance to the infamous figure. 
The real show is going on behind her, though, as a bunch of incredible black cosplayers side-eye her to oblivion.
SEE ALSO: Twitter drags Trump-backed Flo

Vizio is apparently trying to figure out a way to inform its TV owners that it spies on their viewing habits. The Hollywood Reporter first spotted and reported that the company is developing a “notice program with direct notification to the class through Vizio Smart TV displays.” The news popped up in a request to extend the time needed to submit a motion for a preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit against the company. So basically, it’s possible that Vizio users wi

Peer into the future — or a future, at least. Having otherwise run out of things to improve on, Nokia brand licenser HMD is apparently bringing a five-camera phone to market (well, six, probably, if you count the other side). Because three or four would be taking the easy way out.
The leaked image of the upcoming phone lines up with sketches and a recentish patent from lens makers, Zeiss. The cameras are lined up in a circular array, along with the flash, leap frogging that new Huawei hand

The 'BedJet' has a dual temperature setting, allowing couples to adjust to their preference. The invention comes with two remotes, each specific to one side of the blanketHeads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Read more...More about Mashable Video, Blanket, Home Tech, Sleep Tech, and Mashable Shopping

Branch, the deep-linking startup backed by Andy Rubin’s Playground Ventures, will enter the unicorn club with an upcoming funding round.
The four-year-old company, which helps brands create links between websites and mobile apps, has authorized the sale of $129 million in Series D shares, according to sources and confirmed by PitchBook, which tracks venture capital deals. The infusion of capital values the company at roughly $1 billion.
In an e-mail this morning, Branch CEO Alex Austin dec

Another day, another whopper of a tariff. The Trump administration has been busy finalizing the rulemaking process to put 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, which will almost certainly affect the prices of many critical technology components and have on-going repercussions for Silicon Valley supply chains. That followed the implementation of tariffs on $50 billion of goods earlier this year.
Now, President Trump, as reported by reporters on Air Force One this morning, has said

Not shy? Find yourself here by mistake? Perhaps you'd like our roundup of the best hookup sites instead.Online dating is kind of the best thing that ever happened to introverts.
You can now scan for a potential mate without ever leaving the comfort zone that is your couch. Of course, eventually you'll need to get up and actually go on a date. But hey, it's better than trying to find a single cutie in dive bar crowd.
You can even say we're living through a worldwide Introvert Revolution. Take it

Online dating is basically the best thing that ever happened to introverts.
You can now scan for a potential mate without ever leaving the comfort zone that is your couch. Of course, eventually you'll need to get up and actually go on a date. But until then, scroll away my friend. After all, there are millions of people all around the planet who are now realizing the strengths that introverts bring to the table.
SEE ALSO: eharmony review: A long, annoying sign-up process makes for a long, happy

To watch Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 11/9 is to relive, in two jam-packed hours, the experience of being an American for the past two years. 
If it gets a bit scattered trying to pay attention to too many things at once, if it gives you emotional whiplash as you move through despair and terror and righteous fury – well, isn't that exactly what the past couple of years have been?
SEE ALSO: Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 11/9' revealed with unrestrained trailer
Fahrenheit 11/9 opens with fo

Kanye West, naturally, is a meme again. 
He hasn't released a single music video for any of the songs on his newest album — not even for the poop-scooping single "Lift Yourself" — but he did take a break from running Pornhub's first awards show to premiere his new collaboration with Lil Pump. 
SEE ALSO: Kanye West has heard your tiny-slipper critiques and raises you these giant versions
In the music video for "I Love It," Lil Pump and Kanye don enormous boxy costumes and co

AT&T has a new promotion that offers first responders and their families discounts on unlimited plans. Firefighters, paramedics, and police officers can opt for 25 percent off either of the unlimited plans AT&T announced back in June, shortly after it was acquired by Time Warner. But in the fine print, AT&T admits it may throttle data speeds “when the network is congested.”
Just last month, Verizon came under scrutiny for throttling firefighters’ data as they fough

Twitter has been testing a new audio-only broadcast feature through its Periscope platform for a few weeks, and the company announced today that the feature is now publicly available for all iOS users of the main Twitter app and its live-streaming app Periscope. Once updated, head to the compose screen on Twitter and tap the “Go Live” button to pull up the standard live-streaming screen. You’ll now see a microphone icon to toggle the “audio-only broadcast” option o

While the AdidasFuturecraft 4D shoes are cool looking sneakers, the story behind those shoes is even more interesting. The sportswear company has partnered with Carbon to design a new kind of sneakers.
Behind the Futurecraft 4D, you can find a process that is not that new — 3D printing. Many companies promised an industrial revolution by bringing back factories to service-driven countries, such as the U.S. and European countries. But this partnership between Adidas and Carboncould turn tha

Artist Alex Chinneck is well-known for his mind-bending architectural illusions. This time, he unzipped a soon-to-be-demolished office building in Ashford, Kent, UK. Talking about the ephemerality of his artwork, he mentioned, "I think something has got a heightened chance of legacy if it’s only there for a shorter period of time." Read more...More about Mashable Video, Building, Illusion, Sculptures, and Kent