Tech News Feed

Scientists aim to make the search for extraterrestrial intelligence academically respectable

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Hey, good morning! We kick off the week with the launch of Google's much-publicized Stadia streaming game service tomorrow, with the company fleshing out the launch line-up with an extra 10 games -- although none of them are particularly new, and non...

Gotta crash 'em all. But the company is working on it, and has a temporary fix.

Normally $60, Amazon is selling PSN Plus subscriptions for slightly less than $25. That's the lowest price we've seen in a while.

A Canadian Federal court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block a pirate IPTV service called GoldTV in a case that could lead to further internet censorship in Canada, according to Reclaim the Net. Canada's major ISPs, including Roger...

On the outside, this is the same JL Wrangler that you know and love. However, there's a new and exciting eTorque mild-hybrid system hiding inside.

The Associated Press reports that renewable energy companies like MidAmerican Energy face an unexpected problem when they try to replace the giant blades from their wind turbines Landfill operators thought the composite blades, cut in 40-foot or larger sections, could be readily crushed and compacted. "But blades are so strong -- because they need to be strong to do their job -- they just don't break," said Amie Davidson, an Iowa Department of Natural Resources solid waste supervisor. "Sometimes pieces fly off and damage equipment" in the compacting process, she said. "Landfills are really struggling to manage them, and they just decide they can't accept them...." Bill Rowland, president of the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations, said he's unsure "we as a society" considered what would happen to the blades as older turbines are repowered. "There wasn't a plan in place to say, 'How are we going to recycle these?' 'How are we going to reduce the impact on landfills?'" said Rowland, director of the Landfill of North Iowa near Clear Lake... When it started investing in wind, MidAmerican believed a blade recycling option would emerge. "Thus far, it hasn't," said Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for MidAmerican, adding that the company is talking with other wind developers that may be interested in using the blades for their own projects... The difficulty in reusing blades adds to the complaints opponents make against wind energy. Some who live near the turbines complain that low-frequency noise and light flickering from the blades make them ill. And the spinning blades can kill migrating birds and bats.... Kerri Johannsen, the Iowa Environmental Council's energy program director, said more recycling solutions are needed. But, she added, it's not a reason to "turn away from wind energy -- a solution that can help mitigate the most dangerous threats from climate change...." According to the article, one U.S. Department of Energy researcher told the Des Moines Register that wind energy will create over one million tons of fiberglass and other composite waste, adding that "The scale of the issue is quite large... And it's a larger sustainability issue."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Logitech G Adaptive Gaming Kit provides a full set of buttons, variable-actuation triggers and two mounting pads for $100.

After first announcing that its cloud-streaming Stadia game service would launch with just 12 titles, Google has nearly doubled that number, according to a tweet from Stadia boss Phil Harrison. The service will now arrive with 10 additional games, br...

An anonymous reader quotes CNN: Germany's parliament has voted to make measles vaccinations compulsory for children, with parents who fail to immunize their children facing fines of €2,500 ($2,750). The Measles Protection Act, which the Bundestag approved on Thursday, requires all parents to provide evidence that their child has received two measles vaccinations before they are enrolled in school or kindergarten. Medical staff, daycare workers, teachers and workers at community facilities must also be vaccinated under the act, which is due to come into effect in March 2020, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health told CNN. There has been a resurgence of measles -- a highly infectious viral illness that can spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes -- across the globe... Almost 350,000 measles cases were reported globally in 2018, according to the United Nations children's agency UNICEF -- more than doubling from 2017.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Technology only seems to find its way into hospitals in fits and starts. Stanford, however, is about to find out what happens when you build a tech-oriented hospital from the ground up. The university has opened a new hospital in Stanford Health Car...

"Samoa was finalising plans for a compulsory measles vaccination programme Monday, after declaring a state of emergency as a deadly epidemic sweeps the Pacific nation," reports the International Business Times: At least six fatalities, including five children, have been linked to the outbreak of the virus, which has also hit other island states such as Tonga and Fiji. Samoa is the worst affected with more than 700 cases reported from across all areas of the country, prompting the government on Friday to invoke emergency powers. Declaring a state of emergency, the government said plans for compulsory measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunisations would be published on Monday. "MMR vaccinations for members of the public who have not yet received a vaccination injection is now a mandatory legal requirement for all of Samoa," it said... Samoa has closed all schools, kindergartens and the country's only university in a bid to halt the virus' spread... Neighbouring Tonga last week announced government primary schools and kindergartens would be closed until later this month as the number of measles cases in the kingdom approaches 200.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

And there are some pretty good ones on the new list.

Instagram is taking action against a stalker-friendly app that makes Like Patrol seem modest. The social network confirmed to Android Police that it was sending a cease and desist request to Ghosty, an Android app built to show you private Instagram...

The Mustang is the official muscle car of the United States. The keyword here is car. So it's odd that Ford decided that its new electric vehicle is called the Mustang Mach-E when it's clearly not a car. It's a crossover with hints of Mustang design....

"On the 2-year anniversary of DC and Warner Bros.' Justice League, Wonder Woman and Batman themselves have joined fans' calls for the release of director Zack Snyder's cut of the much-maligned 2017 film," reports Entertainment Weekly: Both Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot tweeted "#ReleaseTheSnyderCut" on Sunday, with Gadot also posting a photo of her character, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman... Affleck and Gadot joined other DC actors, like Ray Fisher (Cyborg) and Christina Wren (Major Carrie Farris), who posted on social media for the anniversary to demand the release of Snyder's original vision for Justice League... Jason Momoa and director Kevin Smith added fuel to the fire this summer after they said they've either seen the Snyder cut or heard about it from reliable sources. In August, Momoa posted an Instagram video with Snyder, saying the director had shown him the cut and that it was "ssssiiicccckkkkkk." Smith was less complimentary, saying the cut was "not a finished movie by any stretch of the imagination." Still, it is a big deal that Justice League's own stars are calling for a redo of sorts. Momoa, who plays Aquaman, said in early November "I think the public needs to see it," according to CNET. But The Hollywood Reporter isn't convinced that will happen. "Despite the groundswell, and speculation that a Snyder Cut could go to Warner Bros.' upcoming streaming service HBO Max, insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter no announcement of a release of a Snyder Cut is imminent.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

This all-electric SUV brings style, speed and 300 miles of driving range to a normally sleepy segment.

Making a sporty electric car isn't just for luxury automakers.

Yes, they are electrically operated, but no, they're not exactly like the door handles found on other electric vehicles.

That 15.5-inch display dominates the dashboard, but there's far more to all of this than just a gigantic screen.