Technology news

Image: Netflix Netflix has canceled its adaptation of Altered Carbon after two seasons, according to Variety, marking the end of yet another big-budget adaptation for the streaming service.According to Deadline, the cancellation was decided back in April, and was made for the company’s usual cost / benefit reasons. In other words, Altered Carbon’s fate isn’t apparently COVID-19 related — as has been the case with other recent Netflix cancellations, like The Society and I

Two people are dead after being shot at a protest on Tuesday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A local self-described militia group had posted an event on Facebook urging its armed supporters to show up that same night. It may not be a coincidence.
The event was posted by the Facebook Page for the Kenosha Guard militia group. The group encouraged “armed citizens” to appear as a counter protest to those demonstrating over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
“Law enforcement is outnumbered

Sony has announced the latest step in its dragged out PlayStation 5 reveal, with the company opening online registration to possibly receive an invitation to be one of the first to pre-order the console directly from PlayStation.According to Sony’s announcement, there will be a “limited quantity of PS5 consoles available for pre-order” this holiday season; the invitation program is a chance for existing PlayStation customers to get their shot at being able to order the upcoming

Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A young man who allegedly killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin last night was identified on social media hours before charges were publicly revealed, as Twitter and YouTube users attempted to reconstruct the shootings that took place during a week of protests against police brutality.
Kyle Rittenhouse was identified as a “fugitive from justice” today and will be charged with first-degree intentional homicide, according to the

Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge In the wake of an apparent double murder Tuesday night in Kenosha, Facebook has faced a wave of scrutiny over posts by a self-proclaimed militia group called Kenosha Guard, which issued a “call to arms” to in advance of the protest.Facebook took down Kenosha Guard’s Facebook page Wednesday morning, identifying the posts as violating community standards. But while the accounts were ultimately removed, new evidence suggests the platform

Instagram is working to expand its recently launched “Guides” feature which initially debuted with a specific focus on wellness content. The feature, which launched in May, has allowed select organizations and experts to share resources related to managing your mental health — including things like handling anxiety or grief amid the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. A handful of creators first gained access to the feature, and have since posted their wellness tips on their Instag

Tfue/YouTube Turner “Tfue” Tenney and gaming organization Faze Clan have settled an ongoing lawsuit started by the former Faze member more than a year ago.Court filings today confirmed that both Tenney and Faze Clan “voluntarily dismissed” the lawsuit. Although no other details were given, a statement from Tenney’s lawyer to The Hollywood Reporter notes that “they have resolved their disputes and settled their litigations,” adding that both parties &ldq

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.
Yep, it’s another Equity Shot. We’re back. And then we’re going to be back on Friday. Because we can’t stop talking about the biggest news week in the world of startups and venture capital in some time.
Before we start, shout-out to the NBA for the growing, wildcat strike to protest racist police violence in Americ

In the very early morning hours on Thursday, the United Launch Alliance is set to launch its most powerful rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, lofting a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The mission could be the first of three back-to-back launches out of the Cape, too, with SpaceX set to launch a mission on Friday and then another on Sunday.
Such a cluster of missions is a rare event for the Florida spaceport. “It could be a historic event for us this week

Image: NZXT For those interested in dipping their toes into the waters of PC gaming, but aren’t quite ready to take the full plunge, NZXT has a pretty solid offer as part of its new update to its Starter series of prebuilt machines first introduced last year. For $699, you can buy a solidly capable entry-level gaming PC with one of NZXT’s pretty sleek-looking tower cases, in either white or black.For that money, you’re getting a Intel Core i3 processor and a Nvidia GeForce GTX

When Brynne McNulty Rojas moved to Bogotá, Colombia four years ago, she encountered a fragmented real estate industry that lacked a central database for consumers to find or compare homes. Rojas was struck by the magnitude of the problem; she was also inspired by the opportunity.
Rojas and business partner Sebastian Noguera homed in on some of the biggest issues in the city’s real estate market, particularly for middle class buyers. They found a market where the average home took 14

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Nvidia is delivering a number of new features to the tube-shaped Shield TV and Shield TV Pro streaming devices it released last year, and older models are also getting improvements. The company patted itself on the back with a blog post celebrating the 25th software update for Shield TV. It’s fair to say that Nvidia knows its audience, and this latest round of upgrades is targeted at home theater enthusiasts and streaming power users.The impressive, AI-pow

Sometimes when life gets you down you just need to record an audio message of yourself screaming into your phone and smash that send button.
It isn't the most emotionally rational move, but boy is it cathartic.
Sending a text message that reads "AHHHH!" just isn't as satisfying as recording an audio message of yourself actually screaming. I don't care how many H's you add to the "AHH" or how many exclamation points you tack on the end of that baby. In certain cases, audio messages are just bette

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales/The Verge More than 2,400 police agencies have entered contracts with Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition firm, according to comments made by Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That in an interview with Jason Calacanis on YouTube.The hour-long interview references an investigation by The New York Times published in January, which detailed how Clearview AI scraped data from sites including Facebook, YouTube, and Venmo to build its database. The scale of that d

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Google are making it easier to move images directly from your camera to Google Photos, Owners of recent Canon cameras can now upload photos and videos directly to the popular photo management platform over a wireless connection.This auto-backup to Google Photos feature works with both the iOS and Android versions of the Canon Camera Connect app, but you’ve got to make sure your camera is compatible. If it is, just make sure you’ve got the

Hurricane Laura intensified into a potent storm over Tuesday night — and then continued strengthening. The large cyclone packed 140 mph winds as of Wednesday afternoon. 
Now officially a major Category 4 hurricane, Laura is expected to pummel parts of the Gulf Coast in east Texas and western Louisiana before traveling inland. The National Hurricane Center predicts Laura may strengthen even more before making landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. It could be the most powerful stor

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Over at The Markup, reporter Jeremy B. Merrill discovered that discriminatory advertisements still turn up on Facebook, despite the company agreeing to end some targeting options for housing, job, and credit ads last year.In its report, The Markup identified several job listing ads that leveraged Facebook’s platform to discriminate against users of specific ages or “multicultural affinity”:
In May, a Wisconsin health care agency, Tendern

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Quibi means “quick bite.” Seriously, that’s the meaning behind the name.
The entire idea behind the streaming service is that it should fit into your daily schedule, on your phone, on the go, in chunks that take under 10 minutes to watch. Every single show is filmed in a format that supports portrait and landscape viewing at the same time, encouraging you to flip your phone around.
So you might be surprised to learn: Quibi just screened

Ford, Boschand Bedrock today announced an automated valet parking demonstration in downtown Detroit. This system is designed to allow drivers to exit a vehicle and the vehicle would park itself in the parking structure.
Systems in a Ford Escape test vehicle communicate with Bosch sensors to locate an empty parking location and move the vehicle into the spot. This system includes safeguards that allows the vehicle to react and respond to objects and pedestrians in the drive path. The vehicle-to-i

A distributed denial-of-service attack may not be sophisticated, but it sure is effective. 
That much was made repeatedly clear this week, as the New Zealand stock exchange, NZX, was forced to temporarily halt trading in cash markets twice over two days. At fault, according to two statements from the exchange, were two DDoS attacks.
"Yesterday afternoon NZX experienced a volumetric DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack from offshore via its network service provider, which impacted NZX

Photo: Olympus Olympus may be getting out of the photography business, but it may sell a few more mirrorless cameras to Mac owners first — today, it extended the previously Windows-only beta of its webcam software to Mac OS, letting you hook up five specific models to your MacBook, iMac or Mac Pro for what should be a far sharper webcam experience than you’ve probably had so far during the pandemic.Specifically, you’ll need an E-M1X, E-M1, E-M1 Mark II, E-M1 Mark III or E-M5 M

I really like the Luna Display . The dongle still occupies a spot in my travel-cord bag. But like the bag it resides in, the iPad accessory hasn’t gotten much use in the past year. 2020 has no doubt been a tough time for the company, which was already reeling from Apple’s introduction of Sidecar last year at WWDC. At the time, the technology was considered the latest victim of Apple “Sherlocking.”
Luna’s maker (Astropad)has been working hard to make Luna a valuable

SpaceXhas secured a contract to act as the launch partner for Masten Space Systems, one of the companies awarded a NASA launch contract under that agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Masten’s first lunar mission is set to take place in 2022 if all goes to plan, and will take the company’s XL-1 lunar lander to the south pole of the moon with NASApayloads on board, including scientific experimentation instruments, as well as cargo from commercial passengers

Bryce Hall (middle) at a party.| Bryce Hall/Instagram After a series of high profile parties in some of the wealthiest parts of Los Angeles hosted by a number of popular TikTok and YouTube creators, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made the executive decision to shut off power at one offender’s private residence last week.
“Today I authorized the City to disconnect utility service at a house in the Hollywood Hills to stop the large parties held there in flagrant violation of our publ

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Presidential elections are nearly upon us. Amidst all the crises that we are now experiencing — the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental emergencies, protests against racism, and an extraordinarily divided electorate — it is vital that, if you are a US citizen and 18 years of age or older, you make use of your vote.
Along with all the other upheavals we’re dealing with, the very process of voting has come into contention. While many vote

The Palantir S-1 finally dropped yesterday after TechCrunch spilled a bunch of its guts last Friday. You can read the filing here, if you are so inclined.
Today, however, instead of our usual overview, I have a different goal: We’re going to be a bit more specific.
It’s fun and easy to clown on Palantir’s ridiculous ownership structure, in which a few dudes have decided that, in perpetuity, they must remain co-Lords of the Ring. And, sure, the company is smaller in terms of rev

Powered amps for electric guitars have gotten some neat tricks powered by modern mobile tech over the years, but the new Positive Grid Spark ($299) might be the one that packs the most intelligence and versatility into a single package. From a companion app, to voice commands, to tunable modeling and home recording — on top of doubling as a standalone Bluetooth speaker — the Spark offers features for beginners and pros alike.
The basics
The Positive GridSpark looks physically like yo

Twitterwants to make it easier to see the conversations taking place around a tweet. This May, the company rolled out a change to its user interface that allowed users who clicked on the “Retweets” metric beneath a tweet to view both those Retweets with comments and those without all on one screen. But a new feature may soon make even more visible to the end user those retweets where discussions are happening. Twitter confirmed it’s experimenting with a new “Quotes”

Andrés Vior Contributor Andrés Vior is the VP and country manager for Argentina at intive. A computer engineer who graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), he is also a member of the Chamber of Software and Computer Services Companies of Argentina (CESSI).In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending work visas for H-1B holders, which includes skilled workers like software developers.
Considering that 71% of workers in Silicon Valley a

Image: Activision Activision’s next Call of Duty installment, confirmed last week to be a revival of developer Treyarch’s fan-favorite Black Ops series, will have its work cut out for it. The title is following last year’s Modern Warfare, the most successful COD game in the franchise’s history, and in doing so it has to slot into Activision’s ever-evolving free-to-play battle royale Warzone while also bridging the divide between current and next-gen consoles.But th

It takes more than a global pandemic to derail the annual Call of Duty roller coaster.
Yes, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War came together amidst the unusual circumstances of 2020. There were remote mocap and voiceover sessions with boxes of gear dispatched to performers' homes, a fully remote (and still ongoing) final sprint to completing the game, and creative problem-solving all around.
Activision let the details fly in a private briefing held the week before the official Aug. 26 reveal from

In the latest episode of Binging with Babish, which recreates fictional food from popular TV shows and movies, Oliver Babish took on an especially heavy challenge: the "meat tornado" from Parks and Recreation. 
Ron Swanson, the stern libertarian head of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department, famously does not like "ethnic" food. Andy Dwyer manages to convince him to try a burrito from "Big Head Joe's" that's so dense with meat, it killed a man. 
Babish confirmed with Dr. Michael R

For Dr. Cecily Morrison, research into how AI can help people who are blind or visually disabled is deeply personal. It’s not only that the MicrosoftPrincipal Researcher has a 7-year-old son who is blind, she also believes that the powerful AI-related technologies that will help people must themselves be personal, tailored to the circumstances and abilities of the people they support.
We will see new AI techniques that will enable users to personalize experiences for themselves,” say

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Fortnite’s next season arrives tomorrow, but if you’re on iOS or macOS, you won’t be able to play it, Epic announced today. And we’re learning that’s not all: players on iPhone, iPad, and Mac will also lose cross-play Fortnite multiplayer with non-Apple platforms, Epic confirms to The Verge. That means players on Apple platforms will be stuck on the current version of Fortnite, and they’ll only be able to play with one

Like any successful founder, Andrew Grauer had bright, long-term ambitions for Course Hero from the moment he launched it in 2006.
He started the business to create a place where students could ask questions and get answers similar to Chegg,which launched 15 months before Course Hero . But as he slowly built it, he was tempted by a larger question: “What would a university look like if it was built by the internet?”
And so, the Redwood City-based startup itched at that nebulous goal

Sophie Alcorn ContributorShare on Twitter Sophie Alcorn is the founder of Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley and 2019 Global Law Experts Awards’ “Law Firm of the Year in California for Entrepreneur Immigration Services.” She connects people with the businesses and opportunities that expand their lives. More posts by this contributorDear Sophie: How can I transfer my H-1B to my startup? Dear Sophie: How can we sponsor H-1B transfers and extensions?
Here’s another edi

Apple’s iMacs are pretty beautiful products, but engineer and designer Michael Pick managed to make Apple’s iMac absolutely adorable by shrinking it.Pick uploaded a video to his YouTube channel demonstrating the process of making the “world’s smallest iMac” from beginning to end. That includes designing the project and 3D printing the various parts, testing the Raspberry Pi’s (which powers the computer) fit in an attempt to make it “as thin as possible,&

There’s a growing wave of commercial activity from companies that are creating products using new biological engineering technologies.
Perhaps the most public (and tastiest) example of the promise biomanufacturing holds is Impossible Foods . The meat replacement company whose ground plants (and bioengineered additives) taste like ground beef just raised another $200 million earlier this month, giving the privately held company a $4 billion valuation.
But Impossible is only the most public

Benchmarkused to be the quintessential Silicon Valley venture firm. It was small. It was focused. It was aggressive while also remaining founder friendly. It stuck to its knitting when it came to its fund size, raising fund after fund in the $450 million range.
Over the years, the world changed. Some of the biggest brands in the venture business now manage many billions of dollars, having raised a series of increasingly enormous funds over the last decade. They now oversee massive “talent

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you use an iPhone and are looking for a reliable set of wireless earbuds that connect quickly, Apple’s second-generation AirPods are back down to their lowest price at Amazon. Normally $159, they cost $129 right now. This model includes a wired charging case. Other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart are selling them for $139. $10 isn’t a huge discount, but we thought you’d like to know that now is a good time to invest.
Earlier t

Jonathan Johnson ContributorShare on Twitter Jonathan Johnson is president of Medici Ventures and CEO of Overstock.com. More posts by this contributorA look ahead at blockchain’s next decade Three challenges facing blockchain technology
A bitterly divided nation heads into the 2020 presidential election with accusations of potential voter fraud, calls for delays and charges of voter suppression as state and local election officials cope with the ongoing threat

In an emotional talk with reporters on Tuesday,  Los Angeles Clippers' head coach Doc Rivers shared his reaction to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, as well as his frustrations, fears, and visions for rectifying racial injustice.
Rivers began by discussing the Republican National Convention. 
"What stands out to me is just watching the Republican Convention and they are spewing this fear. All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear." Rivers said. His voice grew s

If you’re overwhelmed trying to choose the next movie or TV show to watch on Netflix,Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max or any other streaming service, Bingie could be the app for you.
You may recall a previous wave of TV recommendation apps from a decade ago, like Viggle and GetGlue. Those apps have largely disappeared, with most of us relying on social media and group chats when we want to talk about TV with our friends.
However, Bingie’s co-founder and CEO Joey Lanepointed out that the w