Asics, the Japanese footwear company, would have liked to put on a show to demonstrate its new sneakers to the world. But, with things as they are, opted to embrace technology to show off its new gear. So, rather than coaxing people over to its Japan HQ for a show, it recreated its presentation in…
Category: Technology
Charge a Car Battery in 5 Minutes? That’s the Plan
Late last year, Formula E officials announced the specs for the third generation of all-electric race cars that will debut on the motorway in 2022. The new Formula E cars will be the first to use extremely fast charging stations that pack enough power to fully charge a Tesla Model S battery in about 10…
AI transforms ‘The Great British Bakeoff’ into a horror show
Rather, they’re a mashup of bodies, bread and faces twisted grotesquely together and set in a nightmare tent. How did a system so great at generating realistic fake faces go so spectacularly wrong in this scenario? According to Shane’s article, it’s a vivid (and hilarious) demonstration of what you can and can’t do with current…
Elizabeth Warren campaign open sources its organizing tools
The campaign will have “more to say” in the weeks ahead about what it did with technology.It isn’t unheard of for American candidates to rely on software for election runs, but developing open source tools is relatively rare. It may become more common, mind you. The Warren team noted that Spoke alone saved the campaign…
Apple updates Safari’s anti-tracking tech with full third-party cookie blocking
Apple on Tuesday released a major update to its Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), the privacy feature that allows the company’s web browser to block cookies and prevent advertisers from snooping on your web habits. According to Apple’s John Wilander, the WebKit engineer behind the feature, Safari now blocks all third-party cookies. That means that,…
Slack is working on a way to call Microsoft Teams users
According to CNBC, Slack plans to integrate Microsoft Teams calling features into its workplace collaboration app. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield shared the plan during an analyst call. “We’re working on Teams integrations for calling features,” he said.Adding support for Teams makes a lot of sense both because of the current situation and the fact that…
Google Bans Infowars Android App Over Coronavirus Claims
On Friday, Google removed the Infowars Android app from its Play Store, extinguishing one of the last mainstream strongholds of infamous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The takedown on the heels of a video, posted in the Infowars app last week and viewed by WIRED, in which Jones disputed the need for social distancing, shelter in…
Dyson to manufacture 15,000 ventilators following UK call for help
The ventilator can be mounted on a bed, run on batteries or wall power and doesn’t require a fixed air supply, according to Med-Tech News. It’s also efficient in conserving oxygen and has a user interface designed specifically for healthcare providers.Many patients with COVID-19 develop severe respiratory symptoms and can’t breathe on their own, so…
Silicon Valley Is Saving Us—for Now
There is a scenario where the coronavirus outbreak becomes a turning point in America’s love-hate relationship with Silicon Valley. After being assailed by politicians of both parties for their socially destructive tools that promote isolation, depression and disinformation, the digital monopolies rush in to save the day and hold society intact. Real superhero stuff: an…
Polaroid Now Review: Good, Old-School Fun
In 2008, Polaroid shut down its instant film production and factories, ending an era of photographic fun.But that era didn’t want to end, and the appropriately named Impossible Project revived first Polaroid film and then Polaroid cameras. Whether it’s nostalgia or genuine love, people want not just instant cameras but specifically Polaroid instant cameras.The Impossible…