Tech

Twitter Bots Are a Major Source of Climate Disinformation

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: Twitter accounts run by machines are a major source of climate change disinformation that might drain support from policies to address rising temperatures. In the weeks surrounding former President Trump's announcement about withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, accounts suspected of being bots accounted for roughly a quarter of all tweets about climate change, according to new research. "If we are to effectively address the existenti...
Tags: Tech, Paris, Biden, Trump, New York University Abu Dhabi, Marlow, Major Source of Climate Disinformation, Thomas Marlow, Indiana University s Observatory on Social Media

What does Samsung’s adaptive refresh rate do? Smartphone refresh rates explained

What is a refresh rate, and how does it affect your smartphone? Here's an explainer on what a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate on a smartphone actually is.
Tags: Apple, Ios, Android, Mobile, Samsung, Trends, What Is, Refresh Rate, 120hz Display

‘Cherry’ Clip: Tom Holland Phones Home in the New Film From the Russo Brothers

Tom Holland has an uncomfortable phone call with Ciara Bravo in the latest clip from Cherry, the upcoming movie from the Russo Brothers. Holland plays a mixed-up guy who joins the army – a move that eventually leads to PTSD, which then leads to drug addiction, which in turn leads to bank robbery. In the new Cherry clip, Holland’s enlisted character calls home to speak with his girlfriend, and the conversation gets awkward as he’s haunted by the horrors of war he’s witnessed. Cherry Clip W...
Tags: Apple, Movies, Drama, Iraq, Holland, Ohio, Russo brothers, Cherry, Video Clips, Walker, Emily, Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, The Russo Brothers, Appletv, Will Holland

US Emissions In 2020 In Biggest Fall Since WWII

US greenhouse gas emissions tumbled below their 1990 level for the first-time last year as a result of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC reports: A preliminary assessment from research group Rhodium says that overall emissions were down over 10%, the largest fall since World War II. Transport suffered the biggest decline, with emissions down almost 15% over 2019. Energy emissions also fell sharply, due to a decline in the use of coal. With stay-at-home orders in place, economic a...
Tags: US, Tech, Bbc, World War II Transport

Honor Launches First Post-Huawei Phone

Honor, the Chinese smartphone brand formerly owned by Huawei, launched the V40, its first device since being sold off. CNBC reports: Huawei sold Honor, its budget smartphone brand, in November to a consortium of buyers in China, as a way to help the unit survive in the face of U.S. sanctions. In 2019, Huawei was put on a U.S. export blacklist called the Entity List which restricted American firms from selling certain components to the Chinese technology giant. This included both semiconductors a...
Tags: China, Tech, Taiwan, Huawei, Cnbc

Could giant SPACs be next?

While many deemed 2020 the year of SPAC, short for special purpose acquisition company, 2021 may well make last year look quaint in comparison. It’s probably not premature to be asking: is there any company too big to be SPAC’d? Just today, we saw the trading debut of the most valuable company to date go public through a merger with one of these SPACs: 35-five-year-old, Pontiac, Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage, which is among the biggest mortgage companies in the U.S. Its shares slipp...
Tags: TC, Spacex, Ipo, Tech, Bloomberg, Virgin Galactic, Airbnb, Uwm, SPAC, Medtronic, Omar Ishrak, Pontiac Michigan, Ackerman, Steve Jurvetson, Ackman, William Ackman

Is any company too big to be SPAC’d?

While many deemed 2020 the year of SPAC, short for special purpose acquisition company, 2021 may well make last year look quaint in comparison. It’s probably not premature to be asking: is there any company too big to be SPAC’d? Just today, we saw the trading debut of the most valuable company to date go public through a merger with one of these SPACs: 35-five-year-old, Pontiac, Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage, which is among the biggest mortgage companies in the U.S. Its shares slipp...
Tags: TC, Spacex, Ipo, Tech, Bloomberg, Virgin Galactic, Airbnb, Uwm, Calgary, WSJ, SPAC, Medtronic, Omar Ishrak, Pontiac Michigan, Ackerman, Steve Jurvetson

Italy blocks TikTok for certain users after death of girl allegedly playing 'choking' game

Probe launched after girl’s sister reportedly told parents she had been ‘playing the blackout game’ before her deathItalian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the accidental death of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly took part in a “blackout challenge” on the video-sharing network TikTok.The probe came as Italy announced it had temporarily blocked access to TikTok for users whose age could not be proved definitively. Continue reading...
Tags: Europe, Technology, World news, Italy, Tiktok

Your Weekend Justice #289: Are Those Rats in Your Engine or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

You okay over there, bud? – Madman In a world where time has lost all meaning, we bring you this episode of Weekend Justice: the Internet’s #1 Audio Trainwreck. It was recorded last July. That’s just how 2020 went. But good news, there’s just one more 2020 episode and then we’re caught up to the present day. More or less. More audio problems than usual this time. I can only chalk it up to heavy sunspot activity. Our apologies. Agenda: Rox, outside AsgardDom is not...
Tags: Amazon, Toys, Games, Music, Technology, Television, Movies, Podcasts, Germany, Weekend Justice, Stephen King, Brit, Elijah Wood, Burger King, Zazzle, J.k. Rowling

Daily Crunch: Alphabet shuts down Loon

Alphabet pulls the plug on its internet balloon company, Apple is reportedly developing a new MacBook Air and Google threatens to pull out of Australia. This is your Daily Crunch for January 22, 2021. The big story: Alphabet shuts down Loon Alphabet announced that it’s shutting down Loon, the project that used balloons to bring high-speed internet to more remote parts of the world. Loon started out under Alphabet’s experimental projects group X, before spinning out as a separate company in 201...
Tags: Apple, Google, TC, Asia, Europe, UK, Australia, Tech, Eu, MacBook Air, Cloudflare, Loon, Alphabet, Drupal, Kevin Bennett, Acquia

As rain moves into Southern California, wildfire burn areas on alert

Public safety officials are closely watching a chilly, three-pronged storm that moved into Southern California Friday, Jan. 22, whose heaviest precipitation was expected to last through Monday. It’s uncertain whether there will be enough heavy rain, or accumulation of rain, to dislodge mud and other debris from wildfire burn areas where the vegetation that holds together mountainsides has been incinerated. “The thing that concerns us is the amount of rainfall that is coming down at a particular ...
Tags: Apple, Weather, News, California, Sport, Soccer, Wildfires, Orange County, Southern California, Ben Harper, Los Angeles County, Woodbridge, Santa Ana, Irvine CA, El Dorado, San Bernardino County

How to shorten a URL to make it easily shareable on social media and other websites

There are a number of free URL shorteners available online. Altayb/Getty Images You can shorten a URL by using an URL shortener website, which will shrink your URL for free. There are dozens of URL shortener websites, but Bitly and TinyURL are among the most common. Here's how to shorten any URL link using one of these free websites. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. URLs can get long and unwieldy. The average web address is too complicated to type by hand, ...
Tags: Google, Trends, Social Media, Url, Urls, Dave Johnson, Bitly, Tech Insider, Bit.ly, URL shortening, BI-freelancer, Tech Reference, Software & Apps (Reference, Tech How To, Link Sharing, Tiny URL

Weekend reading: Revealing thoughts

What caught my eye this week. I enjoyed Indeedably’s post this week about his self-imposed silence on hitting a major financial goal: In the end, I opted not to mention my arbitrary financial milestone to anyone in real-life. Instead, I joined my kids on the couch for a game of Super Smash Bros, while icing my busted toe with a bag of frozen peas. The lockdown kitten leapt onto my lap and settled down for a nap. Shallow and vain creature that he is, he had already forgotten about his fleetin...
Tags: Google, UK, England, New York, London, China, Marketing, US, Eu, Bbc, Atlantic, Brooklyn, Pfizer, Sky News, Ons, Biden

New physics theory postulates the existence of SLABs: Stupendously Large Black Holes

At the center of the Milky Way lies the biggest object we can be sure exists: a supermassive black hole (SMBH) four million times more massive than the sun. Physicists believe these huge singularities can reach even greater sizes if they’ve eaten a big enough galaxy. The biggest estimates are somewhere in the range of 10 billion times more massive than our sun, but things begin to top out shortly after that. At least, that’s the conventional wisdom. A new study from a trio of European researcher...
Tags: Startups, Science, Tech

FTC Fines Three Ticket Scalping Companies For Illegally Using Bots

The Federal Trade Commission issued multimillion-dollar fines against three bot-powered ticket scalping operations. The Verge reports: The FTC says these organizations bought over 150,000 event tickets over the past four years, nabbing them with automated tools that evaded online purchasing limits. After reselling these tickets for an estimated $26.1 million, they've been accused of breaking a 2016 anti-bot law -- the first time this law has been applied. Regulators reached a proposed settleme...
Tags: Tech, Elton John, Federal Trade Commission, Ftc

What are my options if Google shuts down search in Australia?

Losing Google search might be a shock. But there are plenty of alternatives to choose fromGoogle has threatened to “stop providing search” in Australia if the federal government continues with a new code to force big digital platforms to pay for displaying local news content. Google has confirmed that this wouldn’t affect any of the company’s other services, such as YouTube, Gmail or Google drive. The threat came as Google’s Australian managing director, Mel Silva, told a Senate committee the ne...
Tags: Google, Australia, Senate, Australian media, YouTube Gmail, Mel Silva

We'd rather go down in Down Under, says Google: Search biz threatens to quit Australia if forced to pay for news

Meanwhile, web giant agrees to cough up euros to French publishers Google threatened to shut down its search service in Australia if the government passes legislation that forces Google and Facebook to pay publishers Down Under for reusing their news content.…
Tags: Google, Facebook, Australia, Software

Intelligence Analysts Use US Smartphone Location Data Without Warrants, Memo Says

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: A military arm of the intelligence community buys commercially available databases containing location data from smartphone apps and searches it for Americans' past movements without a warrant, according to an unclassified memo obtained by The New York Times. Defense Intelligence Agency analysts have searched for the movements of Americans within a commercial database in five investigations over the past two and a half years, agency of...
Tags: Supreme Court, Senate, US, Tech, New York Times, Wyden, Ron Wyden, Carpenter, New York Times Defense Intelligence Agency

How to upload a file on Google Forms or let respondents upload their own files

It's easy to upload files to Google Forms. Yiu Yu Hoi/Getty Images You can upload a file on Google Forms, allowing you to add an image or video to supplement your questions. You can also allow respondents to upload their own files to your Google Form. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. People use Google Forms for everything from research surveys to academic quizzes. It's especially helpful because of how customizable the questions are.One of these customi...
Tags: Google, Youtube, Trends, Filesharing, Google Forms, Tech Insider, Google Form, Online Forms, Yiu Yu Hoi Getty, BI-freelancer, Tech Reference, Software & Apps (Reference, Tech How To, Chrissy Montelli, Chrissy Montelli Business Insider

All the Marvel movies and shows you can stream on Disney Plus - from 'Iron Man' to 'WandaVision'

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Alyssa Powell/Business Insider Disney Plus is the streaming home of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including exclusive Marvel TV shows.The service costs $7 a month or $70 a year, and you can also bundle Disney Plus with Hulu and ESPN+ for $13 a month.For detailed thoughts on the Disney Plus service, you can read our full Disney Plus review here. One of the biggest draws of Disney Plus is the mas...
Tags: Reviews, Entertainment, Marvel, Disney, US, America, Trends, Tech, Features, Fox, Streaming, Espn, Deadpool, Pixar, James Gunn, Hulu

Google Search has a new mobile design — come spot the differences

Google Search is getting a new, lighter, bubblier design for mobile devices. It’s rolling out “in the coming days.” Here’s what it looks like: For reference, this is what the old search looked like: Some of the changes include: A brighter design that allows people to focus on information “instead of the design elements around it.” Bolder text in search results, making it easier to distinguish between different types of information. This also includes using more of “Google’s own font.” Results ar...
Tags: Google, Startups, Google Search, Insider, Plugged

How to connect your Mac computer to a TV, and use a TV as a mirrored screen or second monitor

If you want to use your Mac computer with a much larger screen, you can connect your Mac to a TV with a cable — or wirelessly, if you have a smart TV.  Televisions can be used as second (or even third) monitor for a Mac, to help with your work, or with gaming. Connecting a Mac to a TV also allows you to enjoy movies, shows, and other media on a much larger scale. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. These days, as more and more people are watching their movies and...
Tags: Apple, Google, Television, Mac, Samsung, Trends, Apple TV, Netflix, Macbook, iMac, Sony TV, Steven John, Tech Insider, BI-freelancer, Tech Reference, Laptops & Tablets (Reference

Apple's Stock Closed at All-Time High Today Ahead of Earnings Results Next Week

Apple's stock price closed at an all-time high of $139.07 today after reaching a new intraday record of $139.85 moments earlier. The gains come just five days before Apple is set to report its earnings results for the first quarter of the 2021 fiscal year. Many analysts forecast that Apple's quarterly revenue will exceed the $100 billion mark for the first time thanks to strong iPhone 12 sales and the launch of several other products in the quarter, including the first three Macs with Apple s...
Tags: Apple, Tim Cook, Aapl, Luca Maestri, Apple One Apple, Pacific Time Apple, Air Apple Fitness

The best keyboard shortcuts for text formatting on your Mac or PC

You can use these keyboard shortcuts on your Mac or PC to quickly format text. Westend61/Getty Images Keyboard shortcuts for text formatting involve holding down two or three keys at a time to alter the appearance of text.  Common commands like bolding, underlining, or italicizing text are similar on Windows and Mac operating systems. Some keyboard shortcuts are exclusive to specific operating systems. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. Keyboard shortcuts can...
Tags: Google, Microsoft, Mac, Windows, Trends, Pc, Windows 10, Keyboard Shortcuts, Tech Insider, Product Card, BI-freelancer, Tech Reference, Laptops & Tablets (Reference, Tech How To, Newsroom Affiliate How To, Abigail Abesamis Demarest

The best headphone deals - save $50 on Apple's AirPods Pro with noise cancellation

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Crystal Cox/Business Insider Good-quality headphones can be expensive, but they often go on sale.We've rounded up the best headphone deals for January 2021.Right now, the Apple AirPods Pro are on sale for $200 - that's $50 off their full price.A great pair of headphones can change the way you listen to music. Sure, the random earbuds that you have in your bottom drawer may do the job just fine for ...
Tags: Reviews, Apple, Amazon, Audio, Trends, Tech, Features, Tech Deals, Headphones, Sony, Earbuds, Shure, Hollis Johnson, Tech Insider, Amazon Prices, Amazon Perhaps

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro vs. Apple AirPods Pro

Samsung in January unveiled new flagship Galaxy S21 smartphones and alongside the new phones, introduced the $200 Galaxy Buds Pro, which are priced at $199 and offer Active Noise Cancellation. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. These new Galaxy Buds Pro are clearly designed to compete with Apple's AirPods Pro, so we thought we'd compare the two sets of earbuds in our latest YouTube video. Design wise, the Galaxy Buds Pro look nothing like the ‌AirPods Pro‌, fe...
Tags: Apple, Featured, Samsung, Dan, MacRumors YouTube, ANC, Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Voice Detect Voice Detect

How to change the ear tips on your AirPods Pro and figure out which size fits best

Swapping out your AirPods Pro's ear tips can improve their comfort and sound quality. damircudic/Getty Images You can change the ear tips on your AirPod Pro earbuds to clean or replace them. Every set of AirPods Pro comes with three sets of ear tips, each one a different size. Taking the Ear Tip Fit Test on your iPhone can help determine which ear tip size is best for you. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. Rubber-tipped earbuds have been around for years...
Tags: Iphone, Apple, Trends, Earphones, Tech Insider, AirPods, AirPods Pro, Product Card, BI-freelancer, Tech Reference, Tech How To, Newsroom Affiliate How To, Melanie Weir, Gadgets (Reference, Smartphones (Reference, AirPods tips

Apple Plans Thinner MacBook Air With Magnetic Charger In Mac Lineup Reboot

According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a thinner and lighter version of the MacBook Air, the company's mass-market laptop. From the report: The new computer is planned to be released during the second half of this year at the earliest or in 2022. It will include Apple's MagSafe charging technology and a next-generation version of the company's in-house Mac processors. Apple has discussed making the laptop smaller by shrinking the border around the screen, which will remain 13-inches. The cu...
Tags: Apple, Tech, Bloomberg, MacBook Air, MacBook Air Apple, Intel Corp, Bloomberg Apple, house Mac processors Apple

Apparently unique footnote problem

Before you say search the forums or Google, trust me, I have. For about four total hours. I'm finding no one else with the issue I have. :headscratch: So, I have a Kobo Libra H20 running Koreader. Everything works great except footnotes. I really want the popup footnotes at the bottom, but with only one exception (I'll get to that) when I set it to popup footnotes, I get only the number of the footnote and an otherwise blank box. If I turn popup footnotes back off, they link to the footnotes ...
Tags: Google, Books, Libra, Koreader, Kobo

The far right’s favorite registrar is building ‘censorship-resistant’ servers

“The digital divide is now a matter of life and death for people who are unable to access essential healthcare information,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres in June 2020. Almost half the global population currently has no internet access, and many who do cannot freely access all information sources.  Freedom House, which tracks internet restrictions worldwide, says the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating a dramatic decline in global internet freedom. It found that governments in...
Tags: Amazon, TC, Facebook, Asia, Hardware, India, Censorship, Africa, Tech, Davis, Un, Irs, Southern Poverty Law Center, Freedom House, Donovan, Google Twitter