Amazon’s next-generation Prime Air delivery drone can fly further and through ‘light’ rain
A rendered version of the MK30 drone. | Image: Amazon
Amazon is building a better drone that should help chart a course for the company’s Prime Air delivery service after the project was reportedly hampered by multiple malfunctions, crashes, and even fires. The new MK30 drone will go into service in 2024 and is designed to be quieter, go further, and handle the elements better, like high temperatures and light rain.
The new drone has the same function and goal as its predecessor designs: fly vertically hundreds of feet into the air, autonomously maneuver and land, and deliver packages up to five pounds. The MK30 will be lighter and smaller than the current hexagonal MK27-2 drone, and it will be put through “rigorous evaluation by national aerospace authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration to prove its safety and reliability,” as written in a press release.
Image: Amazon
Amazon testing drone components in a wind tunnel.
Amazon isn’t giving up on its decade-long efforts to widely launch its Prime Air drone delivery service; the company announced in July that its next test site will be College Station, Texas, where it’s partnering with the city and Texas A&M University doing test flights with its current drone prototype, the MK27-2.
This comes at a time Amazon’s devices unit is facing billions of dollars in operating losses, and the company is looking to find areas to cut costs, which may include slowing the development of new features for its popular Alexa AI assistant. The company is now evaluating how to optimize costs, and we don’t yet know if Prime Air can get more hang time.
Exodus continues at Twitter as Elon Musk hints at possible bankruptcy
Departures of top figures handling safety, security, privacy and compliance come amid warnings from Federal Trade Commission
As Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter entered its third week, and following mass layoffs, the billionaire laid bare a delicate financial future for the social media platform, amid an exodus of top privacy and security executives.
Yoel Roth, the head of safety and integrity who had been deputized to publicly address concerns advertisers and users had about the platform, is reportedly the latest to leave the company.
The best Black Friday deals you can already get at Best Buy
LG
November is well underway, and we’re getting closer to the big rush of Black Friday deals. Best Buy was one of the first retailers to debut holiday deals at the end of October, giving shoppers an extended window to shop some great deals. It came out swinging with several good deals, though sadly, most of them came to an end — at least, a temporary one. It’ll add more price cuts once actual Black Friday comes around on the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Barring some items selling out, many of the deals you’ll find below should last through Black Friday.
A few important things to note from Best Buy’s frequently asked questions page: it isn’t offering rain checks on Black Friday deals that sell out, though its great price-matching policy will remain in effect on items until Thursday, November 17th, and won’t be in effect through Cyber Monday, which is November 28th. For items purchased between now and the end of the year, you have until January 14th to return them for a refund, which is great. And finally, you can request a price match on an item you purchased at any point within that return window if you notice Best Buy lowers its list price.
The best early Black Friday deals at Best Buy
LG’s 48-inch A2 OLED TV might be the perfect way to dip your toe into the wonderfully vibrant world of OLED displays. At Best Buy, you can get this model for $569.99 ($730 off the normal price). You’ll get a fantastic picture with the A2, though it’s not the ideal OLED for most gamers. Unlike the pricier C2, the A2 lacks LG’s brighter Evo-branded panel, and its refresh rate is capped at 60Hz.
For those who want a slightly bigger budget-focused TV that doesn’t leave stellar picture quality behind, check out TCL’s 55-inch 6-Series. It may not have the per-pixel control that makes an OLED such a treat to gaze upon, but its Mini LED backlights allow for surprisingly rich brightness and contrast for its $599.99 price. Plus, it has Google TV built in, so it’s like using a Google Chromecast without having to buy additional hardware. Read our review.
This 27-inch HP Omen gaming monitor that has a 1440p IPS display with a fast 165Hz refresh rate is just $249.99 (was $399.99). It has some subtle lighting around its back, and its DisplayPort and HDMI video inputs are positioned at an angle that should make it easier to plug in your gear. In terms of variable refresh rate support, this one has AMD FreeSync and is Nvidia G-Sync-compatible. If you don’t mind not having G-Sync compatibility, this bigger 31.5-inch HP QHD monitor with a 165Hz refresh rateis even cheaper at $229.99 (was $389.99).
Best Buy has the lavender color scheme of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 wireless earbuds for $89.99, down from $120. My colleague Chris Welch said in his review that these are so good that more people should just get this model instead of paying more for the Galaxy Buds Pro. Read our review.
So long as you don’t mind getting a last-generation product, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 processor costs $899.99, and it comes with a black Type Cover. This bundle normally costs $1,349.99. There might be a slight performance difference between this and the newer Surface Pro 9 we just reviewed, but the Surface Pro 8 has plenty of redeeming features, including a 120Hz refresh rate screen. Here’s our review of the Surface Pro 8.
Biden says Elon Musk’s connections to other countries 'worthy of being looked at'
President had been asked if he thought the new Twitter boss was a threat to US national security
Joe Biden thinks Twitter boss Elon Musk’s relationships with other countries is “worthy of being looked at”.
Biden was asked at a news conference on Wednesday whether he thought Musk was a threat to national security and if his acquisition of Twitter with help from a Saudi Arabian conglomerate should be investigated by the US government.
L.A. Drops Criminal Charges Against Election Software Executive Eugene Yu was accused of illegally sending data about poll workers to China, in a case that became fodder for election deniers.
Mario flipped off Twitter for nearly two hours with the blessing of Musk’s ‘verification’
Image: “nIntendoofus” on Twitter
Twitter verification used to mean “Twitter has checked you are who you say you are.” As of this morning, the only thing it means is that you’re coughing up eight dollars to join the club because Elon Musk decided that anyone can buy a “verified” check mark without any verification at all.
Screenshot by Joon Lee“LeBron James” says he’s officially requesting a trade away from the Lakers. Screenshot by @randymco“Donald Trump” points out why Elon Musk’s verification system is flawed. Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge
Neon Prime is a phrase Valve trademarked, but it’s probably not for a return of its disc-throwing game Ricochet. Screenshot by Philip Lewis
Jesus Christ, an existing parody account on Twitter, was also able to get verified:
Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Jesus is verified.
A brand new parody Twitter account that paid for verification and chose the display name of ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Josh McDaniels was fired. The credible-looking tweet received nearly 10,000 engagements. Twitter suspended the account after two hours. https://t.co/diegQfkpA1
Twitter is already taking action on some of these accounts: fake Nintendo, fake Trump, fake Valve, and fake LeBron have had their accounts suspended, for example. (Mario was up for roughly two hours, Valve for even longer.) Others are still around. The company says it is “aggressively going after impersonation and deception.” But it seems like it’ll be a game of whack-a-mole.
We’re not currently putting an “Official” label on accounts but we are aggressively going after impersonation and deception.
While Musk has claimed that this new system will deter spammers, it’s now crystal clear how it can empower fake news — though users can still check to see why an account was verified if they click or tap on the badge instead of blindly retweeting.
Well now you can tell if someone earned a check mark or bought it. Not Twitter calling folks out pic.twitter.com/T82GA6hKmF
After Election, Cautious Optimism That Few False Narratives Took Hold Researchers who study disinformation said most efforts to stoke doubt about results had failed to spread widely.
The hacker behind the cyber-attack on Medibank set a US$10m price on not releasing the data, they claimed, alongside a new leak of apparently hacked records that purports to contain abortion health information.
In the early hours of Thursday on a dark web blog linked to the REvil Russian ransomware group, the attacker posted that they initially sought US$10m from Medibank, then reduced the price.
Networks Urge Caution on a Chaotic Midterm Night “Wait for more votes,” warned CNN’s John King, as wary anchors tried to avoid any predictions that might go awry.
Twitter has been struggling. Some major advertisers have paused spending on Twitter because of the change in control. A top ad exec, Sarah Personette, quit the day after Musk took over. Musk met with some advertisers himself, and the result was so bad that some execs shifted spending away from Twitter during the meeting, Vox Media’sKara Swisher reported. Some of Musk’s comments and actions around moderation on Twitter have made advertisers particularly skittish. Twitter isn’t profitable and relies on advertising for the vast majority of its revenue. It will also have to pay roughly $1 billion a year in interest on the debt Musk took out in order to buy it.
One way Musk can make sure his loans are paid, regardless of Twitter’s advertising business, is to pay them himself. William Cohan at Puck has suggested that Musk paying the interest himself is a likely outcome. But to do that, Musk needs cash, and to get cash, he has to sell Tesla shares.
Twitter to offer ‘official’ label for select verified accounts
Company executive says governments, companies, media outlets and public figures will receive label, which is not for sale
Twitter will introduce an “official” label for select verified accounts when it launches its new $8 Twitter Blue service, Esther Crawford, the company’s early stage products executive, said on Tuesday.
“Accounts that will receive [the label] include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures,” Crawford tweeted.
Apple is apparently working on a new ‘streamlined’ accessibility mode for iOS
Your homescreen could look different with the new mode. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple is working on a brand new “Custom Accessibility Mode” for iOS, according to evidence found by 9to5Mac in the second iOS 16.2 developer beta. The company apparently says this mode offers a “customizable, streamlined way to use your iPhone and iPad,” which seems to mean you’ll be able to adjust some settings to make your iOS devices easier to use.
With the new mode, “users will be able to set things like UI and larger text, apps available on the Home Screen, allowed contacts, and access to hardware buttons for when Custom Accessibility Mode is enabled,” 9to5Mac reports. In screenshots shared by the outlet, you can see how the mode enables things like much larger app icons, a big back button, and a simpler UI in the Messages app.
Image: 9to5MacWith Custom Accessibility Mode, you might be able to drastically change iOS to make it easier to use.
If it’s released, Custom Accessibility Mode would add to iOS’s already impressive suite of useful accessibility features, but unfortunately, we don’t know when the mode will actually be available. 9to5Mac says it found Custom Accessibility Mode “under the hood” of the second iOS 16.2 beta and that it’s not something people on the beta update can actually use right now, which could point to the feature arriving much later in the future. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Twitter’s solution for ruining verification is another check mark
Twitter heard that everyone likes checkmarks. | Image: Twitter
Twitter is rolling out another type of check mark to help distinguish accounts that users actually need to know are real. Although you can pay $7.99 per month for a blue check mark with the new version of Twitter Blue, select accounts for governments, companies, or public figures will get a gray “Official” check mark, according to a thread from Twitter’s Esther Crawford, who is heading up the new Twitter Blue initiative.
“A lot of folks have asked about how you’ll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the ‘Official’ label to select accounts when we launch,” Crawford says.
Not all previously verified accounts will get the “Official” label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures.
“Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures,” according to Crawford. Being previously verified doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get the new “Official” label, and you can’t buy the new label, meaning Twitter will be the one making the call on who gets to have it. (Perhaps people will be able to request to be verified, because that idea definitely didn’t cause any problems for Twitter in the past.)
Crawford shared a screenshot of the label on the profile page for the @Twitter account, but it’s not actually on the account yet, which isn’t too surprising given that Twitter Blue is reportedly launching on November 9th. And it’s unclear if the label will only be visible if you click through to a profile; hopefully there will be some way to easily see it while scrolling your timeline, where it will be a lot more useful.
However, that tactic is reactive instead of proactive; if someone is set on spreading misinformation, they’d potentially have the opportunity to do so before moderators could step in. The company seems to understand this at some level, given the new check mark and its recent decision to delay the new verification system’s rollout until after the US midterm elections, which are being held on Tuesday.
Mark Zuckerberg confirms layoffs to begin at Meta – report
Parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram is among others in the tech industry to suffer a severe slowdown
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed to executives that the company will begin laying off employees on Wednesday morning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Zuckerberg addressed hundreds of executives at the company on Tuesday morning, foreshadowing large cuts. He mentioned recruiting and business teams as groups that would see layoffs, according to the WSJ, adding an internal announcement of the company’s layoff plans is expected around 6am eastern time on Wednesday.
Using new square mounting connectors, Nanoleaf Lines Squared can create linear or squared designs, so you can make your lighting designs go around door frames, windows, or any other square-shaped space you want to light up. You can also now create square designs, and mix and match those with the original Lines’ angles. Lines Squared are available to pre-order starting this week at go.nanoleaf.me.
The original Nanoleaf Lines use 60-degree connectors that give you six angles; the new connectors give you four. The connectors can be combined and are backward-compatible with existing Lines products.
Image: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf Lines Squared work with the Nanoleaf app, Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa.
The Lines Squared LED light bars appear to be the same product as the original Lines, just packaged with the new squared connectors. They come in a four-pack, compared to the Lines that come with nine. You can buy expansion packs with three extra Lines for $69.99.
The Nanoleaf Lines work over Wi-Fi with the Nanoleaf app, where you can set schedules for automated lighting and design or use pre-set lighting scenes. A built-in Rhythm Music visualizer lets you sync the lights with music, and a desktop Screen Mirror app allows you to connect the lighting to your PC for more immersive gaming or movie watching.
Image: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf’s Lines can be used as home decor. They offer white light as well as full-color options.
The new Lines Squared work with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings and are a Thread border router. This means it can connect other compatible Thread products — such as Nanoleaf’s Essentials lighting line (both old and new) — to your Thread network and to the internet. Thread is a local, IP-based mesh protocol that claims to be faster and more reliable than other smart home wireless protocols.
Thread is also an underlying protocol for the new smart home standard Matter. Lines are not Matter compatible at present, but as a Thread border router, they can “route” Thread-enabled Matter devices over a Thread network.
US justice department seizes bitcoins worth more than $3bn stolen a decade ago
A search of James Zhong’s Georgia home uncovered 50,000 bitcoins found on a circuit board in the bottom of a popcorn tin
The United States is seeking the forfeiture of more than $1bn in bitcoin stolen from the Silk Road online marketplace, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said on Monday.
In the second largest seizure in US Department of Justice history, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents obtained the 50,000 bitcoins during a November 2021 search of the defendant James Zhong’s home in Gainesville, Georgia.
Greece to Ban Sale of Spyware After Government Is Accused of Surveillance Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the ban after a news report claimed that he had directed the use of spyware against prominent politicians and journalists, which he denied.
Amazon says it has ‘hundreds’ of Rivian electric vans making deliveries in the US
The deadline to deliver 100,000 electric vans has been pushed to 2030.
Amazon’s fleet of Rivian-made electric delivery vans is growing. Since first rolling out earlier this year, the retail giant’s new zero-tailpipe emission vehicles have made more than 5 million deliveries in the US, with its fleet-size exceeding 1,000 EDVs (electric delivery vans).
That’s still only a fraction of the company’s overall transportation fleet, which is comprised 30,000 Amazon-branded delivery vehicles and 20,000 branded trailers. But the electric-portion is growing, with Rivian eventually expecting to deliver 100,000 vans to the company.
Starting in July, the EDVs first rolled out in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, San Diego, and Seattle. Since then, they’ve been put into service in a bunch of new cities, including Austin, Boston, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Madison, Newark, New York, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Portland, Provo, and Salt Lake City.
The vans have been making their way into Amazon’s service, as Rivian’s manufacturing pace slowly accelerates. The EV company said it made 7,363 R1T pickup trucks, R1S SUVs, and EDVs during the three-month period that ended on September 30 — though it didn’t say how much of each. Rivian also said it delivered 6,584 vehicles during the same span. (The company is expected to report its third quarter earnings later this week.)
Of course, supply chain woes and inflation, as well as other hurdles, have conspired to stymie Amazon and Rivian’s goals of an electrified delivery fleet. When then-CEO Jeff Bezos announced a deal with the EV startup in 2019 to buy 100,000 vans, he said they should be on the road by 2024. Now, Amazon projects to hit 100,000 vans on the road by 2030.
“We’re always excited for the holiday season, but making deliveries to customers across the country with our new zero-emission vehicles for the first time makes this year unique,” said Udit Madan, vice president of Amazon Transportation. “We’ve already delivered over 5 million packages with our vehicles produced by Rivian, and this is still just the beginning—that figure will grow exponentially as we continue to make progress toward our 100,000-vehicle goal.”
Twitter launches $8 blue tick subscription service
Twitter Blue offers status marks formerly used to validate VIP accounts, with more features ‘coming soon’
Twitter has launched a subscription service allowing users to buy blue-tick verification for a monthly fee of $7.99 (£7) in a significant change under its new owner, Elon Musk.
The system was designed to help users identify authentic and influential users on the platform, including government figures, sports stars, entertainment figures, journalists, brands and organisations.
Devialet brings its sci-fi design aesthetics to a $790 portable speaker
The speaker maintains the sci-fi aesthetic that Devialet is known for. | Image: Devialet
Devialet, the French audio company best known for its lineup of eye-catching audio gear that looks like Daft Punk helmets, is getting into the portable smart speaker business. Today, it’s announcing the Devialet Mania, a battery-powered speaker that retains the company’s signature sci-fi stylings but in a compact form factor that it says offers 10 hours of battery life at “moderate volumes.”
The Mania includes four full-range drivers and two sub-woofers, which Devialet says offer 360-degree sound. But perhaps more interesting is how the speaker adjusts its sound profile based on measurements of your listening space it takes from its four microphones. Place the speaker up near a wall, for example, and Devialet claims the speaker’s two rear drivers will adjust their sound to “reinforce” the front two drivers.
Image: Devialet
The speaker with its optional $100 charging stand.
Image: Devialet
There’s also a USB-C port for charging.
In terms of connectivity, the speaker supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming. Protocols include AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, and there’s built-in Alexa for voice commands. It’s got an IPX4 rating for dust and water resistance, which should mean it’ll survive a light splash of water, but Devialet makes no claims about it being protected from solid particles like dust or sand. There’s a USB-C port for charging or a docking station available separately.
The Devialet Mania is going on sale from today starting at an eye-watering $790. But if it sounds anywhere near as good as the company’s recently released soundbar, then that could go some way toward justifying this hefty premium over other similarly portable smart speakers. For comparison, Sonos’ portable Roam speaker offers a choice of Alexa or Google Assistant and retails for $179.
Apple reportedly wants to swap the ‘Hey Siri’ trigger phrase for just ‘Siri’
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Apple’s looking to change Siri’s trigger phrase from “Hey Siri,” to just “Siri,” according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This means you would just need to say “Siri” followed by a command to activate the smart assistant.
As noted by Gurman, Apple’s been working on this feature for the past several months and is expected to roll it out next year or in 2024. But Apple will have to put in a “significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work,” to get the feature to function properly, as the smart assistant will need to understand the single wake word in multiple accents and dialects. The current, two-word trigger phrase, “Hey Siri,” increases the chance of Siri picking up on it.
Switching to a single wake word could help Siri keep up with Amazon’s Alexa, as it already lets users activate the smart assistant using just “Alexa” instead of “Hey Alexa.” It would also put Siri one step ahead of Google Assistant, which requires the “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” phrases to activate it (although you don’t have to repeat the wake word when saying back-to-back commands). Even Microsoft made the shift from “Hey Cortana” to “Cortana” on smart speakers before shutting down the voice assistant last year.
The shorter trigger phrase isn’t the only change expected to come to Siri. According to Gurman, Apple could further integrate Siri into third-party apps and services, while also making some improvements to its ability to understand and process users’ requests. Apple recently made some small tweaks to the voice assistant, adding a new voice recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and introducing a new Siri activation sound.
I have been searching far and wide for a budget gaming laptop that I could recommend for shoppers looking in the sub-$800 range. I was hoping and praying that the HP Victus 15 — which has been one of Best Buy’s most popular products this year — would be it.
My takeaway, having been gaming on the Victus ($799.99 for my Core i5/8GB/512GB/GTX 1650 model) for the past few days, is that it’s not the slam dunk I hoped it would be. The low price is quite attractive (and will be even more so if you can find it on sale), but the dated GPU inside our test model is not delivering the frame rates that I’d hope to see from a modern gaming laptop. That doesn’t mean that the Victus is a unilaterally bad purchase — just that, as is often the case with budget gaming laptops, you should go in with realistic expectations.
The Victus has an unobtrusive design. My review unit is almost entirely black with modest backlighting and a simple “V” on the lid (which, as you may notice in the photos, picked up a mess of fingerprints quickly). It’s more of a “could bring to the office” device than a “chaotic mess of RGB that will not leave the basement” device. At 5.06 pounds, it’s fairly portable (for a gaming laptop) but certainly not a lightweight device.
HDMI, USB-A, Ethernet, USB-C on the right.
Ports include most of what you’ll probably need — two USB-A, one USB-C, one audio jack, one HDMI 2.1, one Ethernet, and one full-sized SD reader in addition to the charging port. There’s no Thunderbolt 4, which is worth noting (even though Thunderbolt 4 isn’t a requirement at this price point). My one note about the chassis is really the touchpad. Not only does it pick up fingerprints easily, but it has quite a stiff click.
Of course, this is a gaming laptop, and the gaming performance is what matters. I would call my results in that area “acceptable” for the GTX 1650 inside. You can certainly game on this thing, but I don’t see the bang for your buck as exceptional here.
Screen was a bit dim, maxing out at 235 nits.
Lighter titles like League of Legends and CS:GO easily maxed out the Victus’ 144Hz screen. Overwatch 2 got up there after I bumped the graphics down to medium (and still achieved a respectable 78fps on the Epic preset).
But heavier fare gave the Victus more trouble, and I would recommend that you look for a better GPU if you plan to play these titles often. Red Dead Redemption 2 only averaged 38fps at its highest preset and 45fps at medium. Cyberpunk was a rougher ride, averaging only 39fps at medium and 24fps at ultra. The good news for RPG fans is that the Victus 15 can run Elden Ring at around 45fps at maximum settings, and bumping down to medium got me to 60.
The fans weren’t audible unless I was gaming.
And then there’s the ever-looming matter of battery. The lifespans we’ve been getting from this generation of Intel gaming laptops haven’t been great, and this Victus is no exception. I averaged just two hours and 19 minutes of regular work use with brightness around 200 nits and Battery Saver on. You can expect less when you’re gaming — I got an hour and 13 minutes of League of Legends play to one charge, playable the entire time.
I know many people don’t intend for their gaming laptop to leave their desk, but I do think a two-hour battery life will rule this device out as a primary driver for some users. You may not be able to make it through a full movie, let alone a work day, without the charger in tow. For price-sensitive shoppers, buying a secondary portable device for non-gaming use cases may not be realistic — so I do see this battery life as a problem.
It’s a decent device, but $100 more will get you much further.
Ultimately, the HP Victus 15 is an $800 laptop that can game. That fact alone is enough to recommend it to some degree (again, especially if you see it on sale).
But it is worth considering a few alternatives. For example, the Victus 15 with an RTX 3050 (which we’d expect to deliver a better experience on those AAA titles) MSRPs for $969 but is on sale for $697 as of this writing. Acer’s staple Nitro 5 with that RTX GPU is currently available for $899 (just $100 more than my test model), as is Dell’s G15 with an even more powerful RTX 3050 Ti. My point is that if you can pay just $100 more, can find a good discount, or are willing to buy used, there are all kinds of options available for close to this price that can really nail AAA games.
At the end of the day, this is a budget laptop with budget laptop frame rates — and if you’re in a position to do so, you can get much more gaming power for not too much more money.
How does TikTok’s uncanny algorithm decide what you see? We tested it on three people
A week-long experiment by the Guardian showcased how widely each person’s experience and ‘For You’ page varied
Dance videos, viral pranks, adorable pets, beauty tutorials and 60-second recipes. A scroll through TikTok’s “For You” page offers a steady stream of strange and delightful content that can feel both chaotic and somehow perfectly suited to your tastes.
But how exactly does TikTok’s algorithm decide what to serve up, and why do you get that eerie feeling it knows you better than you know yourself?
Create a brand new account using their real identities (even if they already had one)
Open their “For You” page at the same time every morning
Make a note of the first 10 videos the algorithm served up
I tested one by hitting it against a wall – the wall took the damage
I was born with Poland syndrome, a disease that prevented the formation of my right arm and pectoral muscles. I was bullied at school. People said things like, “It’s not your fault that you were born like this, it’s your mother’s fault.” Or asked me to catch a ball with my right hand. Stupid comments that wouldn’t affect me now, but back then they struck very hard.
I would play with Lego a lot as a child. I got my first kit when I was five. My parents realised it was a great way to improve my dexterity. I just kept going, building planes and cars. I even built a guitar.
Russia Reactivates Its Trolls and Bots Ahead of Tuesday’s Midterms Researchers have identified a series of Russian information operations to influence American elections and, perhaps, erode support for Ukraine.
Inside the unhinged midterm election conspiracy theories on Truth Social
Stuffed ballot boxes, ‘BlueAnon’, support for Russia and ‘corporate communists’ are catnip on the rightwing platform
Ballot boxes being stuffed. “BlueAnon”. Men in underpants. Every Democratic candidate: a “complete weirdo psychopath”.
To dive into Truth Social, Donald Trump’s Twitter-but-for-conspiracy-theorists social media platform, is to enter a world where all of the above are real topics of debate, breathlessly discussed by Trump-backing Republicans and anonymous rightwing provocateurs.
UN urges Elon Musk to ensure Twitter respects human rights
Volker Türk says reports of platform’s human rights team being laid off is ‘not an encouraging start’
Elon Musk has been urged by the UN to make respect for human rights central to Twitter after suggestions that as many as half of its more than 7,500 staff could be sacked.
In an open letter, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said that reports of the new owner laying off the platform’s entire human rights team were “not, from my perspective, an encouraging start”.
Jack Dorsey takes responsibility for Elon Musk’s mass layoffs at Twitter
Laura Normand / The Verge
Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO, responded to the mass layoffs under Elon Musk’s ownership by saying he owns “the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation” and that he grew the company “too quickly.” On Friday, Musk laid off about half of Twitter’s workforce, affecting employees across all departments.
“Folks at Twitter past and present are strong and resilient. They will always find a way no matter how difficult the moment,” Dorsey writes. “I realize many are angry with me. I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologize for that.”
I am grateful for, and love, everyone who has ever worked on Twitter. I don't expect that to be mutual in this moment...or ever…and I understand.
“Elon is the singular solution I trust,” Dorsey said on Twitter in April. “I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.” He expressed this same sentiment in the private text messages that were revealed as a part of Twitter’s lawsuit against Musk. In a message to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Dorsey said, “I won’t let this [the acquisition] fail and will do whatever it takes. It’s too critical to humanity.” Dorsey retained a 2.4 percent stake in Twitter when Musk assumed ownership, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Prior to laying off about 50 percent of Twitter’s staff, which included 15 percent of the team responsible for content moderation, Musk also fired Agrawal and a number of other executives, including chief financial officer Ned Segal and policy chief Vijaya Gadde. A group of Twitter employees has since filed a class action lawsuit against the company, accusing it of not giving them enough notice of the job cuts in line with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and California WARN Act.
Elon Musk defends Twitter layoffs, saying staff given three months’ pay
New owner says company is losing $4m a day as he tries to reassure advertisers over content moderation
Elon Musk has defended the mass layoffs at Twitter by saying axed employees received a three-month payment from the company, which is losing more than $4m (£3.5m) a day.
The social media company began widespread staff cuts around the world on Friday, with suggestions as many as half of its more than 7,500 staff could lose their jobs.
Fed Up With Political Text Messages? Read On. In this polarized climate, hundreds of Americans told us they agree on one thing: Campaigns must stop spamming voters’ phones with unwanted political texts.
Twitter’s mass layoffs, days before US midterms, could be a misinformation disaster
Internal chaos at the company – and the decimation of its staff – has created ideal conditions for falsehoods and hateful content
The mass layoffs at Twitter that diminished several teams, including staff on the company’s safety and misinformation teams, could spell disaster during the US midterm elections next week, experts have warned.
The company has laid off around 50% of its workforce, according to news reports; a figure that Musk and others have not disputed, amounting to an estimated 3,700 people.
Apple has finally approved a MagSafe car mount charger, and it only costs $99.95
Imagine: mounting your phone with magnets, and charging it at 15W at the same time. | Image: Apple
A mere two years after Apple introduced MagSafe for iPhones, we're finally getting the accessory that probably should've launched with it: a magnetic car mount that's also capable of actually charging your phone. As 9to5Mac spotted, Belkin has announced its Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger With MagSafe, which is available for pre-order on the Apple store.
I know what some of you may be thinking: “wait, Amazon is flooded with MagSafe car chargers, and they’re nowhere even close to $100. What makes this one special?” The answer is that this one is actually MagSafe, where the rest are MagSafe compatible. That means that they use a ring of magnets to hold your phone, and standard Qi charging that can’t pump as much power into your phone — because Apple won’t let it. (Some really suspicious listings say they can do 15W charging, but it seems like they mean that the coil in it is technically capable of fast wireless charging for phones that aren’t iPhones.) But one that has the iPhone maker’s official blessing is finally here... and it seems a bit difficult to recommend.
Image: Apple
One of my colleagues said the part that grabs the vent looks a bit like Greedo, and now I can’t unsee it.
The Belkin’s extremely wordy name basically spells out exactly how it works: you clip it onto your car vent, and it holds your iPhone up so you can see whatever maps or music controls are on it (in theory, anyways — a lot of car vents struggle to stay in place under the weight of a phone and mount). It'll also provide 15W of charging power, more than iPhones can pull from standard Qi chargers.
As I said before, this is a pretty obvious use for Apple's MagSafe tech. That’s why it was so surprising when Belkin basically announced this exact thing the day after the iPhone 12 introduced MagSafe — except it cost $40 and it bafflingly left off the ability to actually charge your phone. You know, the main thing you'd want it to do if you were trying to use a power-hungry navigation app.
Unlike that model, Belkin’s new accessory includes a built-in USB-C cable to get the power from your car to your phone. I was going to be mad about that, because most cars modern enough to have USB-C ports will probably come with CarPlay (though there are notable exceptions), making this accessory far less necessary. Thankfully, Belkin also includes a 12V car charger adapter for people whose cars come with USB-A ports or no phone charging capabilities to speak of. That seems sensible enough, and I can't think of any situations where that would be a problem, though I might've preferred a removable cable on a product that'll probably be constantly exposed to sunlight.
Image: Apple
The 12V charger is what makes USB-C make sense.
The mount can also swivel your phone from portrait to landscape, for however you like to see your directions. For the most part it, seems like a perfectly competent accessory —except that, again, it costs $99.95.
I do understand that MagSafe accessories generally don’t come cheap, but I think most people will probably want to at least consider other, less expensive options. Spigen makes a $21 version of this that acts as a receptacle for a $39 MagSafe puck. Even if you splurge for a fancy $20 dual USB-C 12V adapter (because it doesn’t come with one), you’d still be saving a decent chunk of change. Plus, Spigen’s version comes in black, while Belkin’s version only comes in white, which will stand out like a sore thumb against most dashboards.
You could also get Belkin’s $60 BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger, which is “MagSafe compatible,” meaning it holds your phone using magnets, but can only charge at 10W, instead of 15W. Given that I’d expect faster wireless charging to overheat my phone during the summer, I might gravitate towards that version over the MagSafe ones.
If you don’t like either of those options, though, the Belkin Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe starts shipping on November 14th.
The layoffs affected “approximately” 15 percent of Twitter’s Trust and Safety group, “with our frontline moderation staff experiencing the least impact,” according to Roth. The company restricted access to some internal tools last week for “security reasons” — Roth didn’t say exactly when, but that would put the timing around when Elon Musk took over the company — but “most” content moderators who did frontline reviews weren’t impacted, and access to those tools will be “fully restored in the coming days.”
Daily volume of “moderation actions taken” has “stayed steady,” Roth said, though only supported that assertion with a vague chart showing the volume of tweets “reviewed and actioned, daily.” Musk made a content moderation assertion of his own Friday evening, claiming that “we have actually seen hateful speech at times this week decline *below* our prior norms.”
More than 80% of our incoming content moderation volume was completely unaffected by this access change. The daily volume of moderation actions we take stayed steady through this period. pic.twitter.com/rSGKtq0e3J
However, Twitter has had to “deprioritize a few workflows” like helping with lost password requests and “some” suspension appeals, according to Roth. Twitter is “working to get these back online in the days to come.”
Moderation on Twitter has been a concern in the leadup to next week’s US midterm elections, but election integrity remains a “top priority,” Roth said. Musk, who said last week that Twitter will implement a “content moderation council,” also underscored Twitter’s focus on moderation: “again, to be crystal clear, Twitter’s strong commitment to content moderation remains absolutely unchanged,” he tweeted on Friday.
Starlink is getting daytime data caps
Be careful not to use too much data with Dishy McFlatface. | Image: Starlink
Starlink is about to feel a little more like other ISPs, with a new data policy that mimics Anytime Minutes from the bad old days of highly restricted cellphone service. The satellite internet division of SpaceX will start throttling home internet for customers who use more than 1TB of Priority Access data per month during peak hours beginning in December. The change is being rolled out as part of a new “Fair Use policy” in the US and Canada.
Residential customers will now start each monthly billing cycle with an allocation of “Priority Access” data that tracks what you’re using from 7AM in the morning until 11PM at night. If you surpass that 1TB cap, which Starlink says less than 10 percent of users currently do, you’ll be moved to “Basic Access” data, or deprioritized data during heavy network congestion, for the rest of your billing cycle.
If you want to buy more Priority Access data, you can, at the cost of 25 cents per GB, and any data used between 11PM and 7AM doesn’t count towards your Priority Access tally. (You may want to download new Call of Duty updates or schedule device backups to run while everyone’s asleep, for example). RV and Portability satellite internet customers can’t get Priority Access at all, while there are different brackets for anyone with a Business account or who’s using Starlink at sea.
You’ll be able to track your data usage and opt-in to buying Priority Access data from the Starlink app or your Starlink account webpage. As part of the new Fair Use policy, Starlink has also detailed data caps and Priority Access pricing for its business and mobility plans.
Starlink claims that its internet is a “finite resource” (just ask the Ukrainian government) that will grow as it launches more satellites and says that it has to “manage the network to balance Starlink supply with user demand.” But the new data caps bring Starlink down to earth with other ISPs like Comcast, which currently has 1.2TB data caps for many customers (and has repeatedly delayed introducing them in Northeast states).
Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now
Apple’s first-gen AirPods Pro are one of our go-to picks and are often on sale. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
If you know where to look, there are often some great discounts available on Apple’s popular — yet oftentimes expensive — AirPods. Since Apple launched the third-gen AirPods last year, we’ve seen the starting price of the second-gen, entry-level model drop from $159 to $129. And now that you can buy the second-gen AirPods Pro and Black Friday is just around the corner, we’ll likely start seeing even better discounts on the last-gen Pro and other models.
If you can’t wait until then, though, fret not: we’re already beginning to see some good discounts ahead of the holiday season. Below, we’ve curated the best deals currently available on each model, including the entry-level AirPods, the AirPods Pro, the third-gen AirPods, and the AirPods Max.
Last year, Apple lowered the list price of the second-gen AirPods — now the entry-level model — from $159 to $129. It now only sells the model with a wired charging case, however, which charges via a standard Lightning cable. Despite their age, we found that the easy-to-use, second-gen AirPods still offer great wireless performance and reliable battery life, making them a great pick if you can live without a wireless charging case.
With support for the company’s MagSafe technology and an asking price of $179, Apple’s third-gen AirPods are often considered the middle child in Apple’s current AirPods lineup. The shorter stems make for a more subtle design, too, while improved sound and features like sweat and water resistance, support for spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and improved battery life render them a nice improvement over the last-gen model.
In case you missed it, Apple announced the second-gen AirPods Pro during its “Far Out” event in September, a pair of earbuds that feature a similar build to the first-gen model but offer better noise cancellation. They also sport swipe-based controls, come with Apple’s new H2 chip, and feature an extra-small pair of swappable silicone ear tips for smaller ears. They arrived a little over a month ago, but they’re already on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $239 instead of $249. Read our review.
If the second-gen AirPods Pro are too expensive for you, rest assured that we often see discounts on the first-gen AirPods Pro. They have better sound quality than the non-premium models listed above, as well as active noise cancellation. They also come with swappable silicone tips — albeit three, not four — and support Apple’s spatial audio feature, which adds an immersive surround sound effect to select content.
Last year, Apple launched a new configuration of the AirPods Pro with a wireless charging case that supports Apple’s MagSafe technology, just like the third-gen AirPods. The noise-canceling, MagSafe-ready earbuds typically retail for $249, but they’re currently available at Best Buy and Walmart for $169.99, which is $10 shy of their all-time low price.
The AirPods Max aren’t the iconic in-ears that have become synonymous with the AirPods name. They’re large and luxurious, comprised of aluminum, steel, and mesh fabric that remains comfortable during extended listening sessions. They also sport excellent noise cancellation, Apple’s spatial audio feature, and wide, balanced sound, even if they lag behind some of their peers when it comes to bass response. They’re not the best noise-canceling headphones for most people — blame the $550 sticker price — but it’s hard to find a pair of Bluetooth headphones that sound better and feature more intuitive controls.
Although Woot and other retailers have discounted the AirPods Max to as low as $409 in the past, prices have since increased across the board. Right now, for instance, the noise-canceling headphones are only on sale at Amazon and Walmart in select colors for $449.99. If you’re lucky enough to live close to a Micro Center, however, you can pick them up for $369.99.
Elon Musk announces Twitter mass layoffs to begin Friday
The action comes as the new Twitter CEO was speculated to cut as much as 50% of the workforce
Elon Musk will begin mass layoffs at Twitter on Friday, sharply reducing the social media platform’s workforce, the company said in an email to staff on Thursday.
“In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce on Friday,” said the email, seen by Reuters. The New York Times and Washington Post both reported on the layoffs and cited the internal email.
PayPal and Venmo will soon support Apple’s Tap to Pay contactless payments tech
You’ll be able to accept contactless payments on your iPhone through the PayPal or Venmo iOS apps. | Image: Apple
PayPal is going to make it easier for merchants in the US to take payments right on their iPhones. The company is adding support for Apple’s Tap to Pay technology into the PayPal and Venmo iOS apps, meaning merchants will be able to accept contactless credit or debit cards and mobile wallets without an external card reader (via MacRumors).
Apple first announced Tap to Pay in February. Integration with PayPal and Venmo’s apps might mark a notable step up for adoption of Apple’s touchless technology and could be helpful for merchants who don’t want to rely on external readers to accept contactless payments. It will also help PayPal compete with payments rival Square, which launched support for Tap to Pay in September.
Support will be added to PayPal and Venmo “soon,” PayPal said in its Q3 2022 earnings report on Thursday (pdf). This isn’t PayPal’s only recent move to expand Venmo’s usefulness; Venmo is also being added as a payment option on Amazon.
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