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Showing posts from August, 2020

Crusader Kings III review-in-progress — King me

Crusader Kings III might be the best game Paradox Interactive has released -- if you understand that it's more of an RPG than a strategy game. https://bit.ly/3gLHc2P

Qualcomm doubles 5G mmWave range to 2.36 miles for broadband modems

The chipmaker has tested its latest wireless home broadband solution at over twice the distance initially promised, bringing faster service to rural areas. https://bit.ly/3lxwP6p

Allen Institute open-sources AllenAct, a framework for research in embodied AI

The Allen Institute for AI's new open source framework -- AllenAct -- aims to promote reproducible research in embodied AI with a focus on modularity. https://bit.ly/3gMcBlV

How we adapted Tetris for the cloud

GUEST: I remember it fondly … long road trips with my family and hours in the car, with Tetris on my brother’s Game Boy keeping us company. Clearing line after line, nailing a Tetris whenever I could, having that iconic music loop in my head for hours until the batteries died … for many of us, […] https://bit.ly/2QFq9os

Why the CyberLEAP act must pass

Government employees need training on cybersecurity to ensure our elections, our financial institutions, and even our search for a vaccine are secure. https://bit.ly/34L9Bnt

For tech to serve the public good, we need standards

Flawed tech will not fix itself. We need shared language and accountability between tech companies and the government, to ensure public trust and safety. https://bit.ly/2EIc5YZ

AI analysis finds that in-app ad issues are fixed faster on Android than iOS

Researchers found major differences between the way in-app ad complaints are addressed on Google Play and Apple's App Store. https://bit.ly/3hJoIBp

AI Weekly: Facebook’s discriminatory ad targeting illustrates the dangers of biased algorithms

Flawed Facebook ad-targeting algorithms are only the latest example of AI and machine learning algorithms gone terribly awry. https://bit.ly/2G4BgFr

Researchers built a data set for training AI to detect natural disasters from social media images

The Incidents data set was made to encourage the development of AI for recognizing accidents and natural disasters from social media images. https://bit.ly/3luio31

The end of Privacy Shield: Why it matters and what businesses can do about it

The rules that facilitate much of the digital commerce between the EU and US have been thrown into a state of flux in recent weeks. https://bit.ly/32G8KSu

Jurassic World: Evolution stomps onto Switch on November 3

Jurassic World: Evolution Complete Edition is getting a Switch port on November 3, the Frontier Developments game studio announced today. https://bit.ly/2EtIuCK

Terahertz tech is the next big thing in wireless — but what is it?

"Tremendously high frequency" terahertz technologies are the next frontier in wireless communications. But what do submillimeter waves bring to the table? https://bit.ly/3jsJJAD

Autonomous aircraft startup Reliable Robotics emerges from stealth with $33.5 million

Reliable Robotics, a startup developing autonomous flight technologies, raised $33.5 million in venture capital after successfully completing test flights. https://bit.ly/2YHZqMx

PopID’s face-based payments pose privacy and security risks

PopID, a face-based payments tech vendor intent on expanding across the U.S., has problematic privacy and security policies. https://bit.ly/34IdyJt

ACTO raises $11.5 million to bolster life sciences sales with AI

ACTO, a startup using AI-powered mobile experiences to educate stakeholders in life sciences, today closed an $11.5 million funding round. https://bit.ly/32w2cWb

Google launches Nest Hub for hotels to close the gap with Amazon

Google's new smart display solution for the hospitality industry leverages Nest Hub devices and familiar Google Assistant voice commands. https://bit.ly/2Ek3mfD

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 continues the puzzle mayhem on December 8

Sega has announced the puzzle game Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, coming to Xbox Series X, Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on December 8. https://bit.ly/3jkiatA

Opensignal: U.S. 5G speeds slump as other countries leap ahead

U.S. carriers have spent plenty of time hyping 5G, but their network performance lags far behind other countries, in some cases trailing older 4G networks. https://bit.ly/3b1vik0

Microsoft’s Transcribe in Word gives Office 365 subscribers 5 hours of transcription a month

Microsoft's Transcribe in Word feature offers up to five hours of audio transcription per month at no cost for Office 365 subscribers. https://bit.ly/2EpyESd

Microsoft gives devs an AI-powered tool to build reading accessibility into their apps

Microsoft today announced the general availability of Immersive Reader, a service that enables apps to present text in more digestible and accessible ways. https://bit.ly/2EpLGPB

How security and copyright protection shaped video games as a business

YouTuber and game developer Modern Vintage Gamer talks about his work. He also provides a perspective on how security shapes video games. https://bit.ly/32opkpI

Building a game that keeps players engaged for years — and deserves to be subscribed to

"Making a game that will hold somebody for years is very hard, and a completely different proposition from making consumable content games." https://bit.ly/34sI4Ha

Fintech firms, if you’re relying on a ‘ghost’ CCO, expect trouble

Some businesses hand the crucial responsibility of regulatory compliance to people who hold multiple titles and have no experience in compliance. https://bit.ly/2Edxeu8

Why the connected car rides on open source

Connected cars require collaboration across auto makers, telcos, sensor-, infotainment-, and cloud-providers, and others. Fragmentation isn't an option. https://bit.ly/3htIb9g

We need to democratize data literacy

We're at risk of creating a new hierarchy of power: where the data literates reign over the data illiterates. https://bit.ly/3gnDUTd

Tech leaders must make post-COVID upskilling a priority

Tech companies that have thrived during the pandemic must help those who are suffering the most to reskill for the 'new normal' economy. https://bit.ly/31kJUrx

Why we can’t have nice things

Companies were already careless about data security before COVID-19. Now, with budget cuts and staff cuts, the situation is only getting worse. https://bit.ly/2Qi0emL

How Xbox Game Pass is giving fans the first Battletoads in 26 years

Battletoads has made its return thanks in large part to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and Rare explains why that is the case. https://bit.ly/3j36I5g

AI Weekly: Surveillance, structural racism, and the Biden 2020 presidential campaign

What Joe Biden and Kamala Harris said about tech at DNC 2020 and a look at the kinds of AI and algorithmic bias mentioned in the Biden 2020 plan. https://bit.ly/2Yp8rtS

Microsoft researchers use Bing data to track shifting human needs during the pandemic

Microsoft researchers examined U.S. Bing search data to measure statistically significant changes in human needs during the pandemic. https://bit.ly/3l8chRD

News publishers seek the same App Store terms Apple gives Amazon

News publishers are seeking more favorable terms from Apple on commissions the iPhone maker collects from them on payments made through its app store. https://bit.ly/2YmLyqS

Hitman 3’s Agatha Christie-style trailer is everything I want

Hitman 3's latest level reveal is a mysterious English manor where Agent 47 must play the part of a detective looking for a murderer. It seems very good. https://bit.ly/34kVlS4

Microsoft Flight Simulator could push PC-hardware spending to $2.6 billion

Microsoft Flight Simulator could encourage a huge increase in spending on PC due to its appeal to affluent gamers who love to buy next hardware. https://bit.ly/3gk9vFg

March Gaming Fund debuts with $60 million for game startups

March Capital has launched its March Gaming Fund with $60 million to invest in game startups. The fund is headed by Gregory Milken. https://bit.ly/3hfaqZb

Cobalt raises $29 million to bring its ‘pentest as a service’ platform to more software teams

Cobalt.io, a "pentest-as-a-service" platform that lets any business access ethical hackers to stress-test their software, has raised $29 million. https://bit.ly/3hbeBoG

Google is using satellite imagery and Maps to visualize wildfire size and behavior

Google feeds publically available satellite data through its Earth Engine to produce visualizations of wildfire spread in Maps and Search. https://bit.ly/34gUeTl

Odyssey Interactive raises $6 million to make mobile games for competitive fans

Odyssey Interactive has raised $6 million for a small Canadian mobile game studio founded by former developers at Riot Games. https://bit.ly/2E7nK3o

Intel details robotic assistive arm for wheelchair users

Intel today detailed a collaborative research project to develop a robotic arm that assists those in wheelchairs with basic tasks. https://bit.ly/2Q6Acmv

Blockparty launches digital collectibles for art, sports, and music

Making use of non-fungible tokens and blockchain technology, startup Blockparty is launching digital collectibles for art, sports, and music. https://bit.ly/3iWgMwV

Researchers claim their AI can hear if a speaker is wearing a mask

In a new study, researchers claim they've developed a way to detect whether someone's wearing a mask from the sound of their speech. https://bit.ly/34ddwt0

Take-Two plans to acquire mobile developer Playdots

Take-Two Interactive Software is acquiring Two Dots developer Playdots to beef up its business in mobile and free-to-play games. https://bit.ly/3hkKs6g

In-app ads are not the Dark Side

Data shows that ads complement in-app purchase revenue without a negative impact on retention and game studios are integrating formats like rewarded video. https://bit.ly/324mHcn

The promise of automation — and those who could be left behind

Though automation is creating new job opportunities, many workers are at risk of being left behind. But that bleak future is not inevitable. https://bit.ly/2PZ1A5w

How robotics and automation could create new jobs in the new normal

The COVID-19 crisis could accelerate a robotics revolution and impact jobs -- but it's not necessarily all bad news for workers. https://bit.ly/321bqcP

Photonics startup Lightmatter details its AI optical accelerator chip

Ahead of the Hot Chips 2020 conference this week, photonics chip startup Lightmatter detailed its forthcoming test chip accelerator hardware. https://bit.ly/349dOAQ

How Wargaming overcame mistakes and reclaimed the future of World of Tanks

World of Tanks has racked up more than 200 million registered players in the past 10 years, but it hasn't all been easy for Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi. https://bit.ly/31WEjXI

Former Glu CEO Niccolo De Masi is at it again, ready to take another company public

Niccolo de Masi wants to take another private company public in short order using a special acquisitions process. His target is a gaming firm. https://bit.ly/31XfGdh

How Wargaming enlisted 200 million World of Tanks players over a decade

Victor Kislyi has built Wargaming into 5,000 employees and multiple games thanks to the endurance of the World of Tanks online game. https://bit.ly/2Y6QTmd

ProBeat: Microsoft’s Surface Duo is dead on arrival, regardless of price

Surface Duo, Microsoft's dual-screen Android phone, is dead on arrival. But that's not because of the price: 128GB for $1,400 and 256GB for $1,500. https://bit.ly/2FnxuGV

EA rebrands its subscription game services as EA Play

Electronic Arts rebranded its subscription game services -- EA Access and Origin Access -- under the EA Play brand name. The benefits stay the same. https://bit.ly/2DZ5itj