Technology news

Earlier this year, founder-investor Sam Altmanleft his high-profile role as the president of Y Combinator to become the CEO of OpenAI, an AI research outfit that was founded by some of the most prominent people in the tech industry in late 2015. The idea: to ensure that artificial intelligence is “developed in a way that is safe and is beneficial to humanity,” as one of those founders, Elon Musk, said back then to the New York Times.
The move is intriguing for many reasons, including

How an immigration crackdown is hurting UK startups
Our European correspondent Natasha Lomas spent the past few weeks investigating what’s been happening to immigrant founders and tech talent in the UK, who have been receiving more scrutiny from the Home Office in recent months. Natasha zooms in on Metail, a virtual fitting room startup, and its tribulations with the immigration authorities and the damage those action are having on the broader ecosystem:
The January 31 decision letter, whi

Dota 2 is no longer free to play if you want to have the best experience. In this year’s Dota 2 “Battle Pass” — a premium subscription that usually offers cosmetics and other optional curiosities to the game — Valve bundled one of the most important features it has ever created. Players who buy the Battle Pass can now use an “experimental” Avoid Player feature, which is supposed to keep toxic players away from you. Here’s a different way to say it

For a 71-year-old, Arnold Schwarzenegger is still pretty damn built.
While attending a jump rope competition in Johannesburg, South Africa, the former body pro bodybuilder, actor, and governor of California was dropkicked in the back by an unidentified attacker while he was in the middle of filming a video for his Snapchat account.
Now, most people would've turned around to see WTF hit them, but not Schwarzenegger. The guy's so buff he didn't even realize someone had dropkicked him at first.
SEE

Never get between bargain hunters and their discounted designer beachwear. 
Target shoppers across the country found that out the hard way Saturday, when many rolled up to their favorite big box store only to find a giant line. That's right, a line to enter a Target. And what, exactly, was the reason for this shopping fervor? 
That would be the limited edition Vineyard Vines collection. The one day I come after work to Target for in-store pickup, would be the day of Target’s

In Arkady Martine’s debut novel, A Memory Called Empire, Ambassador Mahit Dzmare, an emissary from the distant Lsel Station, is called to the center of the vast Teixcalaanli Empire after her predecessor winds up dead. As she begins to understand the ins and outs of her new role, she also has to figure out how to keep her home station from being absorbed into the Empire, and what happened to her predecessor. Author Martine lays out a fantastic look at how a society’s memory steers cu

Joanna Glasner Contributor More posts by this contributorSome reassuring data for those worried unicorns are wrecking the Bay Area From lab-grown meat to fermented fungus, here’s what corporate food VCs are serving up
We can make charts galore about the tech IPO market. Yet none of them diminish the profound sense that we are in uncharted territory.
Never before have so many companies with such high revenues gone public at such lofty valuations, all while sustaining such massive losses. I

This post and podcast contain spoilers for “Game of Thrones.”
Our original co-host Darrell Etherington returns for this week’s Original Content podcast, which is all about “Game of Thrones” — specifically “The Bells,” an episode that seems to have prompted more fan outcry than anything in the last seven-and-a-half seasons.
The controversy, of course, comes from watching Daenerys (Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, the closest thing the show has

May is National Masturbation Month, and we're celebrating with Feeling Yourself, a series exploring the finer points of self-pleasure.When VR was tech's pie in the sky years ago, people's minds ran wild imagining all the new ways it could get us off. But then VR actually came, and largely, there wasn't all that much to cum about.
Instead of opening us up to new, previously unimaginable forms of self-pleasure, for the most part its nascent existence has been little more than an extension of the c

In what might be one of the most bizarre cross-promotions ever, Samsung has teamed up with four UK restaurant chains to give Galaxy phone owners access to special dishes available only on a secret menu.
According to Samsung's website, anyone who owns one of its Galaxy phones (sorry iPhone friends!), can visit a participating Bill’s, The Breakfast Club, Patty & Bun, or Pizza Pilgrims and use the device to scan an in-restaurant AR code to unlock secret dishes.
SEE ALSO: Samsung has repor

It’s been a long night at VivaTech. The building hosted a very special competition — the TechCrunch Hackathon in Paris.
Hundreds of engineers and designers got together to come up with something cool, something neat, something awesome. The only condition was that they only had 36 hours to work on their projects. Some of them were participating in our event for the first time, while others were regulars. Some of them slept on the floor in a corner, while others drank too much Red Bull

May is National Masturbation Month, and we're celebrating with Feeling Yourself, a series exploring the finer points of self-pleasure.Anyone who's masturbated knows it can be a ridiculously pleasurable experience, but it can be challenging to find ways to turn yourself on at times.
Many people use music to set the mood while they're at their party for one, but if you have yet to find your go-to masturbation jams, we've got you covered.
We've created a playlist of 31 tracks that are sure to have

GameStop is hosting a day-long sale today on games, consoles, accessories, and memorabilia based on movies, TV shows, and video game franchises. This is a rare opportunity, aside from Amazon Prime Day 2019 and Black Friday, to find popular games and console bundles for less than their usual prices.
Before jumping in to see a few of the best deals, you should know that a membership is required before you can take advantage of today’s deals at GameStop. Its PowerUp Rewards program costs $14

There's no such thing as too much BTS.
Mere days after taking the world by storm (again) with a Beatles-inspired performance of "Boy With Luv" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, K-pop phenomenon BTS returned to the talk show for a second special appearance to perform "Make It Right."
And you guessed it: BTS fans (aka ARMY) couldn't get enough of the pretty boys and their beautiful voices. Unlike their "Boy With Luv" performance, BTS skipped the dancing and instead stuck to a vocals act

I can’t believe The Big Bang Theory is over. Like, actually over. It was such a constant that a part of me assumed I'd begrudgingly watch it till I was on my deathbed.
The comedy has been a staple for 12 long years on CBS, cementing itself in television history with a massive viewership, 46 Emmy nominations (and 10 wins — four for lead actor Jim Parsons), global acclaim, and guest stars like Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer, and Stephen Hawking. 
Even when the show's quality plummete

Google Maps is great for helping you find your way — or even helping you find your car — but the app can also help other people find you.
Maps has an easily overlooked feature for sharing your real-time whereabouts with someone so they can see exactly where you are, even if you’re moving, and then navigate to your location. You can use the same feature to let a trusted person keep tabs on your travel progress to a particular place and know precisely when you’re set to ar

Microsoft is discounting its Surface Headphones by $100. The deal is available over at the company’s online store, and it looks like a temporary price cut to $249.99 down from the regular $349.99 price.Microsoft’s headphones have Cortana built-in, but they also work with Apple’s Siri or the Google Assistant on Android. Surface Headphones also include noise canceling (NC), smart switching between multiple paired devices, and USB-C charging.
Microsoft first released its Surface

Well, this is dark.
On Sunday, the biggest franchise in the history of television comes to an end, wrapping up eight years (and seasons) of nail-biting fantasy drama. 
To commemorate the monumental finale, we dug bag into the HBO archives to find photos of our favorite characters' first appearances on-screen in 2011 to compare to their more recent moments in 2019 — and the results were as bleak as you'd expect.
From amputations and zombie resurrections to some questionable haircuts, i

Revenue-based financing is on the rise, at least according to Lighter Capital, a firm that doles out entrepreneur-friendly debt capital.
What exactly is RBF you ask? It’s a relatively new form of funding for tech companies that are posting monthly recurring revenue. Here’s how Lighter Capital,which completed 500 RBF deals in 2018, explains it: “It’s an alternative funding model that mixes some aspects of debt and equity. Most RBF is technically structured as a loan. Howev

Starting your Father's Day gift hunt early? Amazon is currently offering Google's brand new Pixel 3a XL smartphone for $479.00, which comes with a free $100 gift card. Saving you 17% than buying separately. Making this an excellent gift for your dad.
In the market for a different type of tech? Sony's premium noise canceling wireless headphones is on sale at Drop for as low as $279, or get the refurbished Microsoft Xbox One X 1TB console for $249.99 after GC30 code.
Check out more of today's best

Hate flossing? You're not alone. While dentists insist upon hand flossing as the primary (and most effective) plaque removal method, you may have a legitimate reason for skirting it — like wrist or finger pain, or braces that make weaving floss in and out of your wires a hassle. (Or maybe you're just lazy?)
That's where water flossers come in. They're steadily gaining popularity: handheld devices that spray concentrated streams of water between your teeth, removing food from hard-to-brush

Until robot chefs go mainstream — which won't be for a while — the Vitachef handles the job of cooking quite nicely. This unique all-in-one cooking system basically handles every single cooking method you can think of, and it's the ultimate space saver (to say nothing of a great value for all the kitchen appliances you won't need to buy). Currently, it’s almost $200 off — just $99.99, compared to the regular $299.95.
The Vitachef handles any one of ten cooking methods: st

Claiming that you're a hotshot IT practitioner while not holding a single CompTIA certification is like Thanos declaring that he's the supreme being  while wearing the infinity gauntlet with no infinity stones.
Yes, having marketable IT skills is unquestionably a must for making it big, but certifications help catch the eyes of prospective employers. They're solid proof that you are what you say you are and not someone who lies on their résumé. Oh, and they could also be your

Memorial Day is next weekend, and if you don't have plans locked down, we think you should throw a party.
Hear us out.
This is your chance to assert yourself as the host with the most of the friend group. Essentials like a gas grill, a beer brewing kit, and a 4K TV are all you need to keep guests entertained, and there are a ton of TVs on sale this week. Don't worry, most have free two-day shipping.
Sale TVs from Amazon, Walmart, Dell, and PCMag range from 40 to 86 inches, but our favorite deal

The world of sex toys for men has more options than ever before. From sex toys for trans men to sex toys designed specifically to satisfy your geekier side, the wide range of options available means there’s truly something for everyone. 
While it may seem sometimes like male sex toys are getting left out of the current sextech revolution, that’s far from true. Real sex positivity applies to everyone, which is why we’re excited about sex educators and smart companies that a

According to MacRumors, Cult of Mac and a variety of social media reports, Apple employees are having a unique day at Apple’s spaceship campus — one filled with rainbows.
Last week, drone videographer Duncan Sinfield discovered that Apple had erected a gigantic new rainbow stage at the heart of its Apple Park campus, and this morning Apple employees learned what it meant: a huge celebration that culminated in a private performance from Lady Gaga herself.
There was rainbow swag: View

According to MacRumors, Cult of Mac and a variety of social media reports, Apple employees are having a unique day at Apple’s spaceship campus — one filled with rainbows.
Last week, drone videographer Duncan Sinfield discovered that Apple had erected a gigantic new rainbow stage at the heart of its Apple Park campus, and this morning Apple employees learned what it meant: a huge celebration that may culminate in a private performance from Lady Gaga herself.
There was rainbow swag: V

The two people who sat down in reception without an appointment would not leave the startup’s office until the end of the day.
Two months later, a letter followed informing the company it had been suspended from the United Kingdom’s register of licensed sponsors, the database of companies the government has approved to employee foreign workers. The business had 20 working days from the typed date to make “representations” and submit “evidence” and “suppo

The United Kingdom’s current government has ended up restricting high-skill immigration as part of its larger drive to decrease all immigration. While it pays lip service to being a startup hub, we just published an article examining how one promising high-profile startup, Metail, has been cut off from hiring more key workers over a rather dubious set of accusations by the Home Office.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the regulations themselves, and what founders need to

In this age of technological advancement, it seems like one of the most coveted life goals among the masses is being a proud owner of a fully connected home, chock-full of smart devices that work together like a beautiful symphony. 
The less dramatic way of putting it would be to say that everyone wants a smart home. 
Why? Well first of all, it’s just cool, and second of all, being surrounded by smart devices makes life infinitely easier. The only downside is that once you reach

On the heels of Clutter announcing a large growth round of $200 million earlier this year, the storage startup is cleaning up the competitive field. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Clutter has purchased the storage business of erstwhile rival Omni.
Omniwill remain an independent company, which will now instead focus on rentals of personal items. That business was originally built around renting out items that you had stored with Omni itself. In recent months, however, the company

With a valuation of over $1 billion and $190 million in new financing, Ziplinehas become the latest contender to be the leader in the game of drones.
The competition to be a leading vendor of delivery drone services is fierce, but Zipline has already built its billion-dollar business selling its hardware and services as a supplier of medical supplies across emerging markets. It may be among the most tested drone delivery services in the world.
Zipline said it will use the new funds to expand its

Even as Quibi, the short form video platform from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, reportedly looks to raise another $1 billion, rival service Fiction Riot continues to steadily build out its pipeline of short form serials.
The Los Angeles-based company has already launched a beta version of its streaming service, Ficto, and yesterday announced a host of new shows that will appear on the app later this year.
Ficto is bringing to market adaptations of bestselling books and original productions

If you have a guitar, chuck it in the garbage right now. Take a sledgehammer to that old grand piano. The only instrument you'll ever need is an electric toothbrush. 
Device Orchestra is a YouTube channel that's taken on the impossible (yet entertaining) task of turning everyday appliances and inanimate objects into his own personal orchestra. 
Just like frogs taught to sing in Meet the Robinsons, Device Orchestra is tapping into the hidden musical potential of everything from credit c