Roku may pull Fox channels just ahead of the Super Bowl

As Roku and Fox fight over Fox channel distribution rights, standalone Fox channels are scheduled to disappear from Roku devices and TVs just ahead of the big game. Fortunately, there are still ways to watch the game with or without Roku.
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/roku-may-pull-fox-channels-just-ahead-of-the-super-bowl/?source=Snapzu

Apple Engineers Propose Standardized Format for SMS One-Time Passcodes

Apple WebKit engineers have put forward a proposal to make one-time passcode SMS messages more secure by developing a standardized format for the two-step verification process, reports ZDNet.
Read more: https://www.macrumors.com/2020/01/31/apple-standardized-format-sms-one-time-passcodes/?source=Snapzu

EU lawmakers snub Apple's pleas, overwhelmingly vote to push for charging cable standard

The European Parliament in a landslide vote on Thursday called on the EU Commission to adopt rules that would establish a common charger standard for mobile devices, guidelines Apple argues would stifle innovation and create waste.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/01/30/eu-lawmakers-snub-apples-pleas-overwhelmingly-vote-to-push-for-charging-cable-standard?source=Snapzu

The Spine of San Francisco Is Now Car-Free

The plan to ban private cars from Market Street—one of the city’s busiest and most dangerous downtown thoroughfares—enjoys a remarkable level of local support.
Read more: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2020/01/market-street-car-free-san-francisco-bike-lanes-transit/605674/?source=Snapzu

Huawei overtakes Apple in annual race to Samsung’s smartphone crown

Huawei overtook Apple to become the world’s second best selling smartphone manufacturer in 2019, according to reports from Strategy Analytics, Counterpoint Research, and Canalys. Over the course of the year, the Chinese manufacturer reportedly shipped around 240 million phones, compared to just under 200 million for Apple. Samsung retained its comfortable lead in first place, shipping just shy of 300 million devices. Xiaomi and Oppo rounded out the list of the top five manufacturers.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/30/21114885/huawei-overtakes-apple-2019-analysts-strategy-analytics-counterpoint-research-canalys?source=Snapzu

Future Apple Watches may have a flat Digital Crown that recognizes gestures

Apple is continuing to develop ways of utilizing the Apple Watch's Digital Crown to add new features and accept new input from users. In its latest patent, the Crown could feature an optical sensor to register and respond to touch. "Portable electronic devices, such as watches, have become increasingly popular," says Apple in "Watch with Optical Sensor for User Input", US Patent No. 20200033815," and the features and functionality provided by portable electronic devices continue to expand to meet the needs and expectations of many consumers."
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/01/30/future-apple-watches-may-have-a-flat-digital-crown-that-recognizes-gestures?source=Snapzu

Beyond Meat expands plant-based fried chicken at KFC

More big deal news from Beyond Meat. Yahoo Finance speaks with Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown.
Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/beyond-meat-expands-plantbased-fried-chicken-at-kfc-130053508.html?source=Snapzu

Fuel cell drone to inspect pipelines – 50 miles at a time

It was just last November that we heard how a group of companies used a hydrogen fuel cell drone to deliver medical samples across a 43-mile (69-km) stretch of ocean. Now, some of the same players are planning to use the same drone for long-distance pipeline inspections.
Read more: https://newatlas.com/drones/fuel-cell-drone-inspect-pipelines/?source=Snapzu

Apple and its wifi chip company Broadcom ordered to pay $1.1bn to university over iPhone patents

Caltech claims Apple and Broadcom infringed four of its patents by using wifi chips in hundreds of millions of iPhones.
Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/apple-and-its-wifi-chip-company-broadcom-ordered-to-pay-11bn-to-university-over-iphone-patents-11921401?source=Snapzu

Telescope captures most detailed pictures yet of the sun

First observations from Inouye telescope bring previously hazy star into sharp focus
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/29/solar-telescope-captures-most-detailed-pictures-yet-the-sun?source=Snapzu

A Disturbing Number of People Think Coronavirus Is Related to Corona Beer

Google search trends illustrate that we're surrounded by very, very confused people when it comes to the rapidly spreading illness.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdvvd/a-disturbing-number-of-people-think-coronavirus-is-related-to-corona-beer?source=Snapzu

Leader of church group sentenced on tax evasion charges

The leader of a New York-based Black Hebrew Israelite church was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison after he admitted to using church funds to personally enrich himself, and then concealed the millions of dollars he stole from the federal government.
Read more: https://www.nj.com/news/2020/01/leader-of-church-group-sentenced-on-tax-evasion-charges.html?source=Snapzu

These DARPA-funded bricks can self-repair—and replicate

Concrete may be one of mankind’s worst inventions. While it’s helped us build tall, sturdy buildings, it is causing more damage to our planet than any other material on Earth, largely due to its water use and the carbon footprint of its production. Specifically, grinding stone into clinker, the lumpy gray stuff you see in concrete, accounts for 50% of concrete’s carbon impact. There must be a better way.
Read more: https://www.fastcompany.com/90455726/these-darpa-funded-bricks-can-self-repair-and-replicate?source=Snapzu

Sanders Takes Aim at Corporate Polluters With Bill to Clean Up Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water

"Congress must pass this legislation to put an end to corporate stonewalling and criminal behavior and tackle this public health crisis."
Read more: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/29/sanders-takes-aim-corporate-polluters-bill-clean-toxic-forever-chemicals-drinking?source=Snapzu

Amateur stargazers capture new form of northern lights

Aurora enthusiasts in Facebook group discover new phenomenon in Finland
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/29/amateur-stargazers-capture-new-form-of-northern-lights?source=Snapzu

Miso Robotics unveils its next-gen robot kitchen assistant

Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics unveiled its next-generation kitchen robot -- ROAR -- which runs on a motorized rail.
Read more: https://venturebeat.com/2020/01/28/miso-robotics-unveils-its-next-gen-robot-kitchen-assistant/?source=Snapzu

Dune logo unveiled at event; copyright claimants rush to remove it from the 'net

The logo for Denis Villeneuve's forthcoming Dune movie series was revealed at an event in France last night. It appears the movie's producers are rushing to remove it from the 'net, as photos of the logo are disappearing from popular Dune fan accounts with copyright enforcement notices left in their wake.
Read more: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/29/dune-logo-unveiled-at-event-c.html?source=Snapzu

Helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and 8 others was 20 to 30 feet from clearing a hilltop when it crashed, investigators say

The helicopter carrying basketball superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others crashed into a Calabasas, California, hillside with a "high energy impact," the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. As federal investigators wrapped up operations at the crash site, the NTSB's Jennifer Homendy said preliminary information suggests the helicopter descended rapidly and was likely in one piece before it slammed into the hill.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/us/helicopter-crash-kobe-bryant-wednesday/index.html?source=Snapzu

Ring doorbell 'gives Facebook and Google user data'

Ring doorbells are providing customer data to companies such as Facebook and Google, an investigation suggests. The Electronic Frontier Foundation found the Ring app was "packed" with third-party tracking, sending out customers' personally identifiable information. Five companies were receiving a range of information, including names, IP addresses and mobile networks, it said.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51281476?source=Snapzu

Apple TV Plus Had ‘Immaterial’ Revenue in Launch Quarter Amid One-Year Free Deal

Apple reported record-setting sales of nearly $92 billion for the three months that ended 2019 — but Apple TV Plus, the flashy new subscription-video service it bowed last fall, wasn’t part of the tech giant’s growth story.
Read more: https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/apple-tv-plus-was-immaterial-to-revenue-in-launch-quarter-amid-one-year-free-deal-1203484602/?source=Snapzu

Puberty blockers linked to lower suicide risk for transgender people

The finding suggests that a major — and politically controversial — aspect of trans health care for minors could help reduce the community’s disproportionate suicide risk.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/puberty-blockers-linked-lower-suicide-risk-transgender-people-n1122101?source=Snapzu

Clearview AI Is Struggling To Address Complaints As Its Legal Issues Mount

One of Clearview AI's investors defended the company, “We do not have to be hidden to be free.”
Read more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-cops-run-wild-facial-recognition-lawsuits?source=Snapzu

Donald Trump and his demons: Why the assault on democracy will get worse

Donald Trump is an authoritarian and an autocrat. For him and others of such ilk, violence is political currency in the form of raw power. Autocrats and authoritarians such as Trump are de facto crime bosses who just happen to be leaders of their respective countries.
Read more: https://www.salon.com/2020/01/28/donald-trump-and-his-demons-why-the-assault-on-democracy-will-get-worse/?source=Snapzu

Antivirus software maker Avast is reportedly selling its users' web data

Sensitive browsing data is repackaged and sold by a subsidiary called Jumpshot, according to a Motherboard and PCMag investigation.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/antivirus-firm-avast-is-reportedly-selling-users-web-browsing-data/?source=Snapzu

London to deploy live facial recognition to find wanted faces in a crowd

Tech from NEC aimed at spotting wanted persons on the streets to alert officers.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/london-to-deploy-live-facial-recognition-to-find-wanted-faces-in-crowd/?source=Snapzu

The Deceptively Simple Number Sparking Coronavirus Fears

Here’s what the oft-cited R0 number tells us about the new outbreak—and what it doesn’t.
Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/how-fast-and-far-will-new-coronavirus-spread/605632/?source=Snapzu

CRISPR gene-editing corrects muscular dystrophy in pigs

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is one of the most common and most devastating muscular diseases, greatly reducing patients’ quality of life and life expectancy. Now, researchers in Germany have managed to use the CRISPR gene-editing tool to correct the condition in pigs, bringing the treatment ever closer to human trials.
Read more: https://newatlas.com/medical/crispr-gene-editing-muscular-dystrophy-pigs/?source=Snapzu

'Ghost' population of humans discovered in ancient Africa

This is the first time researchers have done an in-depth analysis of ancient DNA from western Central Africa.
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/ancient-dna-sub-saharan-africa.html?source=Snapzu

Leaked Documents Expose the Secretive Market for Your Web Browsing Data

An Avast antivirus subsidiary sells 'Every search. Every click. Every buy. On every site.' Its clients have included Home Depot, Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, and McKinsey.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdkq7/avast-antivirus-sells-user-browsing-data-investigation?source=Snapzu

Artillery Seeks Robot Ammo Haulers

Six companies got $150,000 Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply contracts to study everything from exoskeletons that strengthen human ammo handlers to robots that might replace them.
Read more: https://breakingdefense.com/2020/01/artillery-seeks-robot-ammo-haulers/?source=Snapzu

Climate change could damage thousands of U.S. bridges, engineers say

Bridges built after World War II are susceptible to temperature variations, making them more likely to fail because of climate change, two civil engineers have found. Drastic fluctuations in climate, often blamed on humans, could cause significant deterioration to tens of thousands of steel-girder bridges across the United States, a study from Colorado State University civil engineers Susan Palu and Hussam N. Mahmoud concluded.
Read more: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/01/21/Climate-change-could-damage-thousands-of-US-bridges-engineers-say/2771575515714/?source=Snapzu

Germany is turning 62 military bases into wildlife sanctuaries

They were once military bases at the centre of a 50-year war between the world's two superpowers. They will soon become a haven for rare birds and other animals. The German government has announced plans to convert 62 disused military bases just west of the Iron Curtain into nature reserves for eagles, woodpeckers, bats, and beetles.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-is-turning-62-military-bases-into-wildlife-sanctuaries-10332109.html?source=Snapzu

Kirigami designs hold thousands of times their own weight

A team of researchers found that using the origami-inspired art of paper cutting and folding, it is possible to create super strong models from lightweight soft materials without the need for adhesives or fasteners.
Read more: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/kirigami-designs-hold-thousands-times-their-own-weight?source=Snapzu

North Korean Leader's Aunt Re-Emerges After Husband's Execution

The aunt of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has re-emerged in Pyongyang, the capital, the country’s media said Sunday, dispelling rumors that she was purged after her powerful husband was executed on charges of plotting a coup to topple Kim in 2013.
Read more: https://us.yahoo.com/news/north-korean-leaders-aunt-emerges-164542426.html?source=Snapzu

This Rat Had 'No Brain' and It Somehow Lived a Normal Life

One day, a scientist in Craig Ferris’s lab was scanning the brains of very old rats when he found that one could see, hear, smell, and feel just like the other rats, but it was walking around with basically no brain—and likely had been since birth.
Read more: https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/this-rat-had-no-brain-and-it-somehow-lived-a-normal-life-329774?source=Snapzu

U.S. Army develops AI-enabled system that could radically transform future

The U.S. Army’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force (AITF) developing a new AI-enabled combat system to embrace future warfare, according to a recent service news release.
Read more: https://defence-blog.com/army/u-s-army-develops-ai-enabled-system-that-could-radically-transform-future.html?source=Snapzu

Aurora is finally ready to show the world what it’s been up to

One day, a scientist in Craig Ferris’s lab was scanning the brains of very old rats when he found that one could see, hear, smell, and feel just like the other rats, but it was walking around with basically no brain—and likely had been since birth.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/24/21080298/aurora-self-driving-car-announcement-2020-plan-waymo-ford-general-motors?source=Snapzu

Coronavirus: Companies tell workers 'stay at home'

Companies in China have advised staff to work from home in an attempt to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Businesses are also offering workers longer holidays, as well as telling employees returning from the most affected areas to stay away from work. It comes after the Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year holiday by three days to Sunday.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51260149?source=Snapzu

Access to Wikipedia restored in Turkey after more than two and a half years

Today, on Wikipedia’s 19th birthday, the Wikimedia Foundation has received reports that access to Wikipedia in Turkey is actively being restored.
Read more: https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2020/01/15/access-to-wikipedia-restored-in-turkey-after-more-than-two-and-a-half-years/?source=Snapzu

Cyberpunk 2077 full map looks impressive in fan-made mockup

One Cyberpunk 2077 fan decided to take every map leak and put them together in an impressive Night City map mockup, which gives us a clearer picture at the full size of the world.
Read more: http://www.altchar.com/game-news/cyberpunk-2077-full-map-looks-impressive-in-fan-made-mockup-aBd535y0PH4A?source=Snapzu

We Can't Stay Calm: Season 5 Of Stranger Things Coming Soon

Mysteries unfold and intentions are revealed. Will Stranger things 5 take us on a mind-bending journey?
Read more: http://www.newzshot.co.in/card/1580053259?source=Snapzu

Europe has a plan to break Google and Amazon's cloud dominance

By now, you’ve likely come to terms with the fact that escape from Jeff Bezos is impossible. You may have weaned yourself off that sweet sweet next day delivery, procuring all your worldly needs from a boutique array of small local shops, but if you venture online, Bezos still wins – cutting out Amazon’s cloud computing services renders the internet literally unusable.
Read more: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/europe-gaia-x-cloud-amazon-google?source=Snapzu

Billie Eilish makes history, sweeping all four major categories at 2020 Grammys

Billie Eilish became the second artist ever to win Grammys for song, record, album and best new artist in one year.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-01-26/billie-eilish-sweeps-major-categories-2020-grammys?source=Snapzu

U.S. Bank fired her for a Christmas good deed. Now companies are clamoring to hire her.

Marc Eugenio, the man she helped, said he’s likewise gratified by the support. But he’s still waiting for an apology from the bank – or even a call. It’s no fun, he said, being in the spotlight for being broke – especially because he had the money coming to him.
Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/01/us-bank-fired-her-for-a-christmas-good-deed-now-companies-are-clamoring-to-hire-her.html?source=Snapzu

Peter Diamandis: ‘In the next 10 years, we’ll reinvent every industry’

Peter Diamandis is best known as the founder of the XPrize Foundation, which offers big cash prizes as an incentive for tech solutions to big problems. The entrepreneur and investor is also co-founder of the Singularity University, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit offering education in futurology. His new book, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, argues that the already rapid pace of technological innovation is about to get a whole lot quicker.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/25/peter-diamandis-future-faster-think-interview-ai-industry?source=Snapzu

SpaceX is launching 'dark satellites' to stop its Starlink project from wreaking havoc with astronomical research

SpaceX, Elon Musk's powerhouse of a space exploration company, could be on course to seriously compromise humanity's study of outer space. Among its many rocket launches and plans to colonize Mars, SpaceX has a more Earthling-focused project. Its Starlink project aims to put up to 42,000 satellites into orbit around the Earth, where they would beam down data providing internet to remote parts of the globe.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-darkened-starlink-internet-satellites-astronomy-explainer-2020-1?IR=T?source=Snapzu

Calls for 'virginity repair' surgery to be banned

Campaigners are urging the government to outlaw "virginity repair" surgery. Many Muslim women risk being outcast, or in extreme cases killed, if their spouses or families discover they have had sex before marriage. And some are opting for a medical procedure in which doctors restore a layer of membrane at the entrance to the vagina.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51189319?source=Snapzu

‘I’m the Orlando Easter Bunny, Google it' — Florida man arrested after hit-and-run

As Rob wrote, Antoine McDonald became instantly internet famous when the video of him fighting a guy on the streets of Orlando last year. went viral Earlier this month, McDonald was riding his motorcycle, ran a stop sign, and crashed into someone else's garage before zooming away, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Read more: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/25/florida-easter-bunny-fight-m.html?source=Snapzu

Vine reboot Byte officially launches

Two years after Vine’s co-founder Dom Hofmann announced he was building a successor to the short-form video app, today Byte makes its debut on iOS and Android. Byte lets you shoot or upload and then share six-second videos. The tiny time limit necessitates no-filler content that’s denser than the maximum 1-minute clips on TikTok.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/24/vine-byte/?source=Snapzu

This Marvelous Machine Splits Moon Dust Into Oxygen and Metal

Like the settlers of old, space explorers will live off the land. But if self-sufficiency on Earth is difficult, it’s orders of magnitude more challenging in space, where there are no trees to build shelter, no plants and animals to eat, no water to drink, and no breathable air.
Read more: https://singularityhub.com/2020/01/26/this-marvelous-machine-splits-moon-dust-into-oxygen-and-metal/?source=Snapzu