Mar 28, 2024, 01:58 PM

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Topics - lioneatszebra

1
Trump responds to Mueller indictment news

The White House continues to vehemently deny collusion with Russia a day after multiple indictments of Russian nationals and entities were announced by the Justice Department in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

In a string of tweets Saturday, President Donald Trump said that, despite the newly announced charges, the Russian meddling had no effect on the outcome of the election.

" 'Charges Deal Don A Big Win,' written by Michael Goodwin of the @nypost, succinctly states that 'the Russians had no impact on the election results." There was no Collusion with the Trump Campaign. "She lost the old-fashioned way, by being a terrible candidate. Case closed,'" Trump cited in one tweet.

In a separate tweet, the President quoted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein from when he made the announcement regarding the various indictments on Friday.

"Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein stated at the News Conference: 'There is no allegation in the indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity. There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election," Trump tweeted.

White House says the media is the problem

"This makes it clear and concise for the American people and proves the President correct. No collusion between Donald Trump, his campaign and Russia," Deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said on Fox News on Saturday.

"I think this is important too, it did not affect the outcome the election whatsoever," Gidley added. "What the Russians were trying to do as outlined by Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein was create chaos in the American election system. And I'll just say this: There are two groups that have created chaos more than the Russians, and that's the Democrats and the mainstream media, who continue to push this lie on the American people for more than a year."

Facebook exec responds to the indictment

Additionally, Trump quoted the tweets of Facebook's vice president of ad products, Rob Goldman.

"Most of the coverage of Russian meddling involves their attempt to effect the outcome of the 2016 US election. I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal," one of Goldman's tweets read.

Goldman's tweets that Trump quoted were only a sample of several Goldman tweeted out in a string on Friday night about Facebook ads and Russia's alleged use of social media for misinformation.

Goldman also responded to comments on his Twitter thread. In one tweet, he wrote: "Thanks for the proof read. If only One could edit ones tweet. As to the substance: the Russian campaign was certainly in favor of Trump. The point is that the misinformation campaign is ongoing and must be addressed. Today, we saw Russian pro gun tweets re: Florida shooting."

He also replied to a tweet about his statement that he could "very definitively" say the main goal of the Russian ads was not to sway the election.
"It's one thing to make an argument about IRA, quite another to claim that hacking into the DNC wasn't an attempt to influence the outcome of the election," said Josh Hendler, the former tech chief for the Democratic National Committee, quoting Goldman's tweet. The IRA, or Internet Research Agency, is a Russia-linked troll group that designed a network of fake American activist groups and used the stolen identities of real Americans in an attempt to wreak havoc on the US political system, according to the federal indictment.

Goldman replied: "Fair point. I am only speaking here about the Russian behavior on Facebook. That is the only aspect that I observed directly."

On Friday, charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities were announced by the Justice Department. The indictments come as part of Mueller's inquiry into Russian meddling in the election, where he's examining any potential ties between Trump campaign associates and Russia. Russia has denied any involvement in the election and Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion.


CNN
cnn.com
2
Atari is launching its own cryptocurrency because of course it is

Forget the joystick. Atari SA -- perhaps best known for 1980s video-games "Pac-Man" and "Space Invaders" -- is now jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon.

Shares in the Paris-based company have soared more than 60 percent since it gave further details of its crypto push on Feb. 8, after first mentioning some of the plans in December. Atari is taking a stake in a company that's building a blockchain-based digital entertainment platform and, as part of that agreement, it will create its own digital currency called Atari Token. The company is also expanding its online casino-gaming partnership with Pariplay Ltd. to allow gambling with digital currencies.

"Blockchain technology is poised to take a very important place in our environment and to transform, if not revolutionize, the current economic ecosystem, especially in the areas of the video game industry and online transactions," Atari Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frederic Chesnais said in the statement. "Our aim is to take strategic positions with a limited cash risk, in order to best create value with the assets and the Atari brand."

Atari isn't the only stock that has benefited from links with cryptocurrencies. Shares of Eastman Kodak Co. jumped 245 percent in two days after it said last month it's working with a company that promotes paparazzi photos to offer a blockchain-based service for paying photographers. And, in perhaps the most bizarre of such moves, the unprofitable iced-tea company formerly known as Long Island Iced Tea Corp. gained 183 percent in a day after re-branding as Long Blockchain Corp. in December.


Bloomberg
bloomberg.com
3
Is humanity ready for the discovery of alien life?

Most Americans would probably be thrilled to learn extraterrestrials (intelligent or not) exist. Other nationalities beg to differ.

When 'Oumuamua, a mysterious interstellar object, swept through our solar system last October, it elicited breathless news stories all asking the obvious question—is it a spaceship? There were no signs it was—although many people seemed to hope otherwise.

Throughout history most strange new cosmic phenomena have made us wonder: Could this be it, the moment we first face alien life? The expectation isn't necessarily outlandish—many scientists can and do make elaborate, evidence-based arguments that we will eventually discover life beyond the bounds of our planet. To true believers, what may be more uncertain is whether or not such news would cause global panic—which depends on how our minds, so greatly influenced by our Earthly environment and society, would perceive the potential threat of something utterly outside our familiar context.

"There's this feeling amongst the public—a very large fraction of the public—that the discovery of intelligent life at least would be kept secret by the government because otherwise everybody would just go bonkers," says Seth Shostak, an astronomer at the SETI Institute who was not involved with the study. Perhaps it might make sense for our brains—tuned by millions of years of evolution to be wary of predators—to freak out over immensely powerful alien beings arriving on our cosmic doorstep from parts unknown.

But let's say the situation hasn't gone full "alien invasion" yet and malevolent starships aren't sailing toward Earth, but rather we have read news of a definitive discovery of extraterrestrial life. How might we react then? Psychologists at Arizona State University (A.S.U.) used language-analyzing software to gauge feelings associated with 15 news articles about past discoveries that could have potentially been attributed to extraterrestrial life—reports covering items such as newfound Earth-like planets, mysterious astrophysical phenomena and possible life found on Mars. The articles used more positive and reward-oriented words than negative and risk-oriented ones, they report in a study published in January in Frontiers in Psychology. Although not in the paper, the team later similarly found articles about 'Oumuamua skewed positive. They will report those results on Saturday in Austin, Texas, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"I think we're generally sort of positively predisposed to novelty, unless we have strong reason to suspect it could harm us," says Michael Varnum, a psychologist at A.S.U. Tempe and the study's senior author. "Of course, I'm not saying that if we got news that there were a bunch of large alien warships on their way towards Earth that we would be happy about it."

Martian Microbes

According to Varnum (and many astrobiologists), because simple, single-cellular life is presumably more cosmically common than star-crossing civilizations, it's much more likely we will someday discover alien microbes rather than anything we could talk to. For his next set of experiments, he polled some 500 U.S. participants online to write about how they—and society in general—would react to news of such a discovery. Then he asked a separate group of around 250 people to read and respond to an actual New York Times article from 1996 that reported the potential discovery of fossilized microbes in a Martian meteorite. He compared this first batch of responses with those from another group of 250 people who read a 2010 New York Times article about the first synthetic life form created in a lab. He presented both stories without a dateline as if they were "fresh" off the press (although some participants likely realized they were not).

After analyzing the emotional tenor of their responses, the team found the participants generally used more positive than negative words when describing both extraterrestrial and synthetic life. This positive-to-negative word ratio was greater when participants were responding to the discovery of extraterrestrial life compared with the creation of synthetic life, which could be an indication the data wasn't skewed by, say, a possible human tendency to write or react positively.

Participants tended to report they would respond more positively than society at large. Varnum thinks this could be because of a psychological tendency called "illusory superiority" in which a person thinks they have better qualities than others.

But Shostak notes the methodology of the experiment might have biased readers toward a more positive response. Even if it didn't, "I can't say [the conclusion] was a big surprise to me," he says. "If we were to announce tomorrow we found microbes on Mars, people would not start rioting in the streets...but I don't think anybody thought they were going to riot in the streets." If Martians landed in Silicon Valley, however, "I'd buy a lot of frozen pizzas and head for the hills—I mean, I'd be out of here, too," he adds.

The Ambiguous Alien

If it's a discovery somewhere in between the extremes of an extraterrestrial microbe and rapacious, hostile aliens laying siege to Earth, will people respond differently based on the era or society they live in?

Our brains are wired with ancient circuits to defend us against predators. But as we navigate through the world, experience can also shape what we come to accept or to fear and how open we are to novelty. This study only looked at U.S. responses but two neuroscientists think the results might have been very different around the world. "If you look at societies that are much less open and much more xenophobic and so on, they might perceive [finding extraterrestrial life] as much more negative and unsettling," says Israel Liberzon, a professor of psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan who was not part of the study.

"Culture may be a strong determinant of how we respond to novelty," says Cornelius Gross, a neuroscientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory–Rome who studies the neural circuitry of fear and was also not involved with the research. "People came to America because they were novelty seekers, so we've selected for [that] and then continued to foster novelty seeking and place it very high on our list." Furthermore, Shostak says, a person's religious beliefs could play a powerful role in shaping their reaction to learning that humanity is in fact not as universally special as many traditions hold.

How we respond to such a situation can even be influenced by something as small as which extraterrestrial invasion movies people have seen or science fiction books they have read. If you see a lot of "UFO-type movies and the aliens are always 'good' in the end usually, then you might think that that stuff's going to affect your [brain's] prefrontal cortex," Gross says. "And you're going to adjust your responses to future novel [experiences]."

But all in all, Liberzon notes, context is key. Individually or collectively, human beings will respond very differently to observing a lion at a zoo versus coming across one in the African savanna, just as we would when reading about an alien in a science fiction novel versus actually meeting one.

And if scientists discover something so out of this world, literally, but also in the sense that we can't compare it with anything we know, it seems futile, even silly, to make predictions about how humanity would react. Gross thinks we would probably first try to understand it, a reaction that can be interpreted as yet another ancient, evolutionarily sculpted defense system aimed at gaining control of a novel situation. There would probably be some positive responses and some negative ones, but they will all be "based on humans' need to control their environment and make sure things are not threatening to them," he says.

"When we think about what forms life may take elsewhere, we're really limited by the fact that we only know about what life has evolved to look like here," Varnum says. But "my suspicion is in fact, the sort of stranger it is, the more excited people would be."


Scientific American
scientificamerican.com
4
Did Drake really donate $1 million in his new music video? The internet is humbled by "God's Plan" for good reason

Giving fans plenty of reason to smile with his latest project, Drake donated $1 million in his "God's Plan" music video, and the internet is completely humbled by his display of generosity. According to Complex, the rapper reportedly used the entire budget, which was intended for the shooting and production of his highly anticipated "God's Plan" video as a charitable donation to those in need around the greater Miami area.

As the powerful video kicks off, fans catch a glimpse of the exact amount which is revealed to be $996,631.90. The opening title card goes on to read, "We gave it all away. Don't tell the label." The video, which was notably released a day ahead of National Random Acts of Kindness Day, quickly moves into Drake making his way around town to share the wealth with some unsuspecting fans in the area.

Among the many contributions, Drake donated $25,000 to Miami Senior High School, while also offering a University of Miami student a $50,000 scholarship check, according to People. Throughout the moving vid, he also makes an announcement over a bullhorn in a supermarket, telling shoppers, "Anything you want in the store is free, so grab whatever you guys want." Drake additionally gave another $50,000 to a women's shelter and surprises a few unsuspecting families with stacks of cash. He even made a stop at the mall to offer some fans an opportunity to purchase whatever they'd like as he dances around the department store with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. It was earlier reported that the pair teamed up to take a local hotel maid on a $10,000 shopping spree, according to the Miami Herald.


The acts of charity brought many of the recipients to cheers and tears as the rapper showcased a huge display of kindness to those around him. Fans of the video were awed by the outpouring of generosity, taking to Twitter to share all their emotions.

The video is certainly one of Drake's more emotional productions as of late. Among the many touching moments throughout, there is a heartfelt convo between Drake and a young man in which he gives a sweet shout out to all of mothers of the world — including his own. As the video closes, he shares, "We're nothing without our mothers. Gotta make sure you take care of your mom, too, no matter what you do. It's all we got. Trust me. That's my world."

In a Feb. 15 Instagram post, Drake referred to the music video as "the most important thing I have ever done in my career" and it seems that his fans agree. Solidifying his status as an icon in the music world, Drake has won over the hearts of many with this latest display of kindness.


Bustle
bustle.com
5
Why choosing between Android and iOS still matters

Fire up an iPhone X alongside a Galaxy Note 8 and you might not think there's all that much to choose between Android and iOS any more. They offer the same apps, in the same sorts of grids, with similar approaches to notifications and quick settings, and at this stage in the game you're probably happy with your choice of mobile OS and sticking with it. Is there really any reason to switch? Well, yeah—there's still a few!

Android and iOS might have borrowed enough features from each other over the years to make the superficial differences not so great any more (iOS even has widgets these days), but dig a little deeper and you've got three main ways that Apple's mobile platform differs from Google's. This is what you need to know about them, and why your pick of smartphone OS still matters.

Privacy

For the last couple of years, Apple has been keen to talk up the user privacy advantages of going with iOS. Less of your data gets sent to the cloud, more of it gets stored securely on your device, and Apple doesn't want to collect as much data about you in the first place, according to Apple.

You can read Apple's privacy policy in full here. A lot of the data that gets sent back to Apple, including search queries and map locations, is aggregated and anonymized, though not all of it—if you're using Find My iPhone, for example, Apple needs to know who you are and where your phone is so it can help reunite you.

It's officially called Differential Privacy, where the data that Apple collects on its users gets scrambled so it can't identify people personally. That means "we see general patterns, rather than specifics that could be traced back to you" in Apple's own words.

Google, in contrast, likes to suck up as much personal information as it can on you to create much more personal services, and very much sees specifics about you—you can read its privacy policy here (and don't forget the policy of Samsung or LG or whichever company makes your phone).

Of course the question of how much data gets collected—data that can be linked to you personally—is a slightly separate one to how that data gets used. Google would say it's using all the information it collects in a responsible and helpful way, something you may or may not be confident in accepting at face value.

"We collect information to provide better services to all of our users—from figuring out basic stuff like which language you speak, to more complex things like which ads you'll find most useful, the people who matter most to you online, or which YouTube videos you might like," says Google in its privacy policy. In other words, it knows you better, and that helps Google Assistant know what you need or helps Google search offer up more relevant results. Whether or not the privacy trade-off is worth it is up to you.

There's no doubt Apple is less interested in profiling its users and serving up adverts to them, and more interested in making a stand for user privacy. Google admits it collects more data, but promises to be careful with it—so it ultimately comes down to how much you trust these giant tech companies as to whether you're more comfortable using iOS or Android on your phone.

Compatibility

We know Apple's approach by now: It may half-heartedly support iTunes for Windows and Apple Music for Android, but it really wants its users to be running Apple hardware and software and nothing else. The HomePod is just the most recent example of this, with no support for Spotify (unless you use Airplay) or Android.

It's always been the case that iOS is fantastic if you like Apple's way of doing things, because you don't get much choice otherwise. There are no launchers to reskin the OS with, for example, though customization is a different issue really, and we'll get on to apps in the next section.

What we want to talk about here is ecosystems rather than iOS and Android specifically: Start getting invested in the Apple one, with your HomePods and Apple TVs and iCloud, and it's very hard to get out. Sign up with Google for your email, your cloud storage, and your photos, and you can jump between platforms much more easily, whether that's macOS, Windows, and Chrome OS, or iOS and Android.

Compare the process of switching from Android to iOS with a Google account, which basically involves downloading and signing into a few Google apps, with the process of going in the other direction with an Apple account—you can get your emails and calendars set up on Android, just about, but there's no support for iCloud, or Apple Photos, or your iTunes movies.

That said, the ubiquity and popularity of iPhones means other manufacturers have to offer support for them, so your choice of compatible devices actually ends up being bigger. Pick iOS and you can choose an Apple Watch or an Android Wear device for your next smartwatch or beam content to an Apple TV or a Chromecast, or send audio to a HomePod or an Amazon Echo. Go for Android and those other Apple-made devices aren't an option for you.

As we've said, this is more about Apple's and Google's apps and services rather than iOS and Android specifically, but if you're on iOS and think there's even a chance you might one day jump the fence to Android, it's a good idea to use Google for your apps and services—or just stick to neutral options like Netflix and Spotify that don't care what mobile operating system you're running.

It also means if you've got a home with an Apple TV, a MacBook, and a HomeKit-compatible light system, you're going to find life much easier with an iPhone—your choice of other gadgetry and cloud services goes a long way towards your choice of smartphone OS.

Security

As with macOS vs Windows, the security outlook for iOS vs Android is stacked heavily in Apple's favor: There's more malware aimed at Android devices, it gets through more often, and security updates are slower in rolling out (not least because Google's hardware partners are involved as well as Google).

iPhones aren't invulnerable to hacking attempts, but they're much more tightly locked down, and you don't have to worry about security quite so much. This does mean apps are sometimes restricted in what they can do (see the next section), but the benefit is that malicious apps can't take control of your device so easily.

Like Windows, Android isn't a complete car crash when it comes to security. Buy from a reputable vendor, stick to the Google Play Store, apply some common sense, and you'll probably be fine—but it's fair to say you do need to be a little more on your guard.

The numbers aren't pretty for Android users—malware authors are more likely to target Google's operating system because there are fewer hoops to jump through, more devices to attack, and more devices running outdated versions of the software, potentially offering up those security vulnerabilities that hackers love so much.

Apps are now automatically scanned from the Play Store app on Google, with suspicious activity flagged and stopped. At the end of 2016, Google said that 0.05 percent of Android devices that exclusively use apps from Google Play had potentially harmful apps on them—that's an improvement on the year before, but still 0.05 percent too many.

Android is improving then, but iOS remains way out in front. Apps written for iOS must be specifically approved and signed off by Apple, making it very difficult to take control of an Apple device. Security bugs still appear and need to be squashed on iOS, but they're usually swiftly dealt with.

Apple wins this round then—security is improving on Android, but it's better on iOS. If you're going to plump for the Google option, then think about getting a reputable malware scanner on your device just to be on the safe side.

Apps

For better or for worse, Android apps still have the edge over iOS apps when it comes to how deep they can get their claws into the mobile operating system. It's the reason why you can't change your default SMS app on an iPhone, or record a call on the phone itself, or open a link from an email in anything other than Safari, or change the icon and wallpaper theme with a couple of taps.

We mentioned launcher apps in the last section: Admittedly not many people want to reskin the look of their smartphone interface, pixel by pixel, but those that do have to choose Android. It's the same for customizing the lock screen, or rearranging icons on the home screen in anything other than a perfect grid.

Most recently we did a round-up of apps that track app usage—again, Android apps can get access to this kind of information (which apps you're using and for how long), whereas iOS can't. Another example of apps banned from iOS are ones that measure detailed analytics from your Wi-Fi connection, or ones such as Tasker that automate various low-level functions of the operating system.

Or take IFTTT (If This Then That)—start to make an applet for Android and you can use an SMS, battery level, a phone call, a connection to a Bluetooth device, or a connection to a Wi-Fi network as a trigger. Those options aren't available on iOS because the hooks into the operating system just aren't there.

While the majority of users won't give a second thought to wanting to use these kind of apps or functions, it's something to bear in mind. iOS has always excelled at just working, with Apple taking a stricter approach to what apps can and can't do in return for a slicker, more stable, and more secure experience on mobile.

Almost every app of note now appears on Android and iOS, but it remains true that the newest apps and games typically launch first on iOS: Alto's Odyssey is one current example that springs to mind, out for iPhones on February 22 with no confirmed date for an Android launch (though it will happen, eventually). Android-first launches do happen, but they tend to be for smaller apps from independent developers.

The next time you reach a crossroads in your phone life, it's maybe worth considering what life is like on the other side—there are still key differences in the way Android and iOS work, important enough to make the switch or to stick with what you know.


Gizmodo
gizmodo.com
6
Apple employees keep smacking into HQ glass walls

The centerpiece of Apple Inc.'s new headquarters is a massive, ring-shaped office overflowing with panes of glass, a testament to the company's famed design-obsessed aesthetic.

There's been one hiccup since it opened last year: Apple employees keep smacking into the glass.

Surrounding the Cupertino, California-based building are 45-foot tall curved panels of safety glass. Inside are work spaces, dubbed "pods," also made with a lot of glass. Apple staff are often glued to the iPhones they helped popularize. That's resulted in repeated cases of distracted employees walking into the panes, according to people familiar with the incidents.

Some staff started to stick Post-It notes on the glass doors to mark their presence. However, the notes were removed because they detracted from the building's design, the people said. They asked not to be identified discussing anything related to Apple. Another person familiar with the situation said there are other markings to identify the glass.

Apple's latest campus has been lauded as an architectural marvel. The building, crafted by famed architect Norman Foster, immortalized a vision that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had years earlier. In 2011, Jobs reportedly described the building "a little like a spaceship landed." Jobs has been credited for coming up with the glass pods, designed to mix solo office areas with more social spaces.

The building is designed to house some 13,000 employees. Wired magazine, first to pay a visit at its opening last year, described the structure as a "statement of openness, of free movement," in contrast to Apple's typically insular culture. "While it is a technical marvel to make glass at this scale, that's not the achievement," Jony Ive, Apple's design chief, told the magazine in May. "The achievement is to make a building where so many people can connect and collaborate and walk and talk."

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. It's not clear how many incidents there have been. A Silicon Valley-based spokeswoman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration referred questions about Apple's workplace safety record to the government agency's website. A search on the site based on Apple's name in California found no reports of injuries at the company's new campus.

It's not the first time Apple's penchant for glass in buildings has caused problems. In late 2011, 83-year-old Evelyn Paswall walked into the glass wall of an Apple store, breaking her nose. She sued the company, arguing it should have posted a warning on the glass. The suit was settled without any cost to Apple, according to a legal filing in early 2013.


Time Inc.
time.com
7
Ethiopia declares national state of emergency

A national state of emergency has been declared in Ethiopia just one day after the unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

A statement by the state broadcaster said the move was necessary to stem a wave of anti-government protests.

Hundreds of people have died in three years of unrest in the country.

A 10-month state of emergency that ended last year failed to stop the protests, as did the release from jail of thousands of opposition supporters.

No details were given of how long the latest state of emergency will last or what the restrictions are.

The government has been under pressure because of continuing street protests.

In recent weeks it has released hundreds of prisoners including opposition politicians but the protests have shown no sign of ending.

On Thursday, Mr Hailemariam said he had made his decision to stand down in the hope that it would help end the years of unrest and political upheaval.

"I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy," Mr Hailemariam said.

The political demonstrations in Ethiopia began in Oromia in November 2015. Protests later sprung up in the Amhara region.

Oromia and Amhara are the homelands of the country's two biggest ethnic groups.

Many people in these communities feel they have been marginalised since the current government took power in 1991.


BBC News
bbc.com

8
Florida school shooting: Nikolas Cruz confesses to police

The teenager accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school on Wednesday has confessed to the shooting, police say.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, said he arrived on campus and began shooting students before abandoning his weapon and escaping, according to a court document.

He has appeared in court charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

The FBI has admitted it received a tip-off about him last year.

The attack, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is the deadliest US school shooting since 2012.

"Cruz stated that he was the gunman who entered the school campus armed with a AR-15 and began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on the school grounds," according to the court document.

He said he was carrying extra ammunition in a black duffel bag and backpack, it said.

Mr Cruz then discarded his weapon in an attempt to blend in and escape, the documents showed.

He was reportedly able to flee the scene undetected before entering a Walmart and then a McDonald's, and was eventually spotted by police and arrested one hour after the attack.

What do we know about the suspect?

Mr Cruz had been expelled from the school he has confessed to attacking and some students said they had joked "he's the one to shoot up the school".

One former schoolmate, Chad Williams, told Reuters Mr Cruz was an "outcast" who was "crazy about guns".

His interest in weapons was apparent on his social media profiles, which Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said were "very, very disturbing".

Two separate Instagram accounts, now deleted, purport to show Mr Cruz posing with guns and knives.

What were the warnings?

After seeing a comment on a YouTube post last year by Mr Cruz, user Ben Bennight contacted the FBI and spoke to representatives for about 20 minutes.

Mr Bennight said the FBI contacted him again following the school shooting in Parkland.

The FBI confirmed on Thursday that they were made aware of the comment, adding that they had conducted "checks" but were unable to identify the person behind it.

Meanwhile, maths teacher Jim Gard told the Miami Herald that school authorities had emailed teachers about Mr Cruz's behavioural problems.

"There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus," he said.

Who were the victims?

Three staff members and 14 students died in the attack.

On Thursday, thousands of people attended a candlelit vigil to honour the victims. There were chants of "no more guns" as speakers demanded tougher gun laws.

What's the reaction been?

In the wake of the shooting, politicians across the ideological spectrum were quick to offer their condolences. But the conversation soon turned to gun control.

Democrats, many of whom expressed frustration at the levels of gun violence in the US, proposed increased regulation of firearms.

Florida's Democratic Senator Bill Nelson asked what it would take "for enough to be enough".

In an emotional interview on CNN, the mother of one of the victims called on President Trump to respond with policy.

"Do something. Action, we need it now. These kids need safety now," she said.

But many Republicans refused to be drawn into the debate.

In his address to the nation on Thursday, Donald Trump didn't mention the word "gun" or "firearm" once.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said that it was too soon to debate whether tighter gun laws could have stopped it.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz accused Democrats of politicising the shooting.

"They immediately start calling that we've got to take away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. That's not the right answer," he told Fox News.


BBC News
bbc.com




9
Former Pentagon UFO official: 'We may not be alone'

A former Pentagon official who led a recently revealed government program to research potential UFOs said Monday evening that he believes there is evidence of alien life reaching Earth.

"My personal belief is that there is very compelling evidence that we may not be alone," Luis Elizondo said in an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."

A pair of news reports in The New York Times and Politico over the weekend said the effort, the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, was begun largely at the behest of then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who helped shore up funding for it after speaking to a friend and political donor who owns an aerospace company and has said he believes in the existence of aliens.

Elizondo told The New York Times he resigned from the Department of Defense in October in protest over what he called excessive secrecy surrounding the program and internal opposition to it after funding for the effort ended in 2012.

Elizondo said Monday that he could not speak on behalf of the government, but he strongly implied there was evidence that stopped him from ruling out the possibility that alien aircraft visited Earth.

"These aircraft -- we'll call them aircraft -- are displaying characteristics that are not currently within the US inventory nor in any foreign inventory that we are aware of," Elizondo said of objects they researched.

He said the program sought to identify what had been seen, either through tools or eyewitness reports, and then "ascertain and determine if that information is a potential threat to national security."

"We found a lot," Elizondo said.

The former Pentagon official said they identified "anomalous" aircraft that were "seemingly defying the laws of aerodynamics."

"Things that don't have any obvious flight services, any obvious forms of propulsion, and maneuvering in ways that include extreme maneuverability beyond, I would submit, the healthy G-forces of a human or anything biological," Elizondo said.

The Times' report on the government UFO study included a pair of videos of pilots remarking on something mysterious they were seeing. One of the pilots, retired Cmdr. David Fravor, told CNN that he had witnessed an object that looked like a "40-foot-long Tic Tac" maneuvering rapidly and changing its direction during a flight in 2004.

Ryan Alexander of Taxpayers for Common Sense expressed dismay about the program and cast it as a waste of money in a piece that aired on CNN's "The Situation Room" on Monday.

"It's definitely crazy to spend $22 million to research UFOs," Alexander said. "Pilots are always going to see things that they can't identify, and we should probably look into them. But to identify them as UFOs, to target UFOs to research -- that is not the priority we have as a national security matter right now."

For his part, Fravor said the money spent on the program was a drop in the bucket relative to the military's over half-a-trillion-dollar annual budget.

Politico reported that after Elizondo stepped down from the Department of Defense, he went to work for To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences, a company co-founded by former Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge that says it looks into issues surrounding government secrecy and unidentified objects.

In a statement Monday, Reid continued to defend the program.

"I'm proud of this program and its ground-breaking studies speak for themselves," the statement read. "It is silly and counterproductive to politicize the serious scientific questions raised by the work of this program, which was funded on a bipartisan basis."


From CNN
CNN.com
10
Kyrie Irving's trade return gave the Cavaliers everything they could have wanted

The Cavaliers had little leverage in the Kyrie Irving trade after he made it clear he wanted out in early July. But despite everyone knowing Irving was going to be moved, the Cavaliers still managed to haul in a big return. By trading Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Brooklyn's unprotected 2018 first-round pick, and Ante Zizic, the Cavaliers are still ready to win now, but have also improved their team for the future.

The Cavs front office maintained that if they couldn't make things work with Irving, they wanted veterans who could contribute now, prospects for the future, and a good draft pick in return. They managed to check off every single item on their list. And they managed to pull that off in a market where teams have been hesitant to trade for star players.

Cleveland gets an All-Star to help right now

While leading the Celtics to the No. 1 seed in the East last season, Isaiah Thomas was one of the best players at his position. He was the second-leading scorer in the league last season with 28.3 points per game and led the league in fourth-quarter scoring while maintaining a 63 percent true shooting mark.

Thomas may be 29 years old and only 5'9" at best, but his production over the last few years speaks for itself. He's a good player the Cavaliers could build around moving forward should both sides agree on a long-term commitment.

The Cavaliers will have to back up the brinks truck to keep Thomas, like the Celtics were supposed to before trading him. Then, Cleveland will have a year to see how he meshes with LeBron James before deciding what to do next.

Thomas might be older than Irving, but he's still ready to compete at an All-Star level right now. Plus, Kevin Love is still on the roster.

Crowder is also one of the best 3-and-D wing players. He's a great catch-and-shoot player who should thrive playing next to James and Thomas. Crowder's versatility is his biggest asset; he'll allow James to shift to a small-ball power forward on offense while he guards the opposing four on defense.

Though they lost a great player, the Cavs are deeper now than they were before. This trade should put them right back at the top of the conference.

The Cavs are also building toward their future

Cleveland could be without James after next season, and they are now better prepared for that scenario. By acquiring Brooklyn's unprotected first-round pick in 2018, they have a shot at having a top pick in a two-player draft with Michael Porter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III.

Those two could both be generational talents at their positions. Even if James and Thomas leave, the Cavs still have the opportunity to snag a new foundational piece as they move into the future.

And on top of that, the Cavs have a new prospect in Ante Zizic, a 6'11", 240 pound center who was one of the best players in the Adriatic Basketball Association last year. Nikola Jokic and Dario Saric are both products of that league and are two of the better young prospects in the league today.

The deal is surprising because we don't see this anymore

This was a great haul for Cleveland, but it came out of nowhere. The Celtics weren't originally reported to be on Irving's preferred list of teams. Boston also already had an All-Star point guard. Even though they had the assets to get the deal done, it seemed like a long shot.

Plus, the trade value of superstars around the league seems to be diminishing. With the Warriors running through the league, teams haven't been willing to give up major future assets for a chance to snag a star right now.

The Indiana Pacers were criticized for trading Paul George for pennies on the dollar before the 2017 NBA draft. The Chicago Bulls didn't do much better with Butler. The Sacramento Kings could only manage a similarly underwhelming haul for DeMarcus Cousins in February after the All-Star game.

Like Butler and Cousins, Irving had two years left on his deal. Unlike the Bulls and Kings, the Cavs managed to find legitimate suitors for their eager-to-depart star and eventually landed an All-Star and a high unprotected pick in return.

No matter how it turns out for Cleveland in the future, this trade was a win in the moment. Irving wanted out, and the team got exactly what it wanted out of the deal for today and the future. Now it's up to them to make it work.


From SBNation
sbnation.com
11
Virginia Catholic priest steps down from ministry after revealing KKK past

A Roman Catholic priest holding in decades of guilt has temporarily stepped away from his ministerial duties in Virginia after revealing that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan years ago.

Father William Aitcheson said his decision was inspired by the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left one woman dead and 19 people injured.

"My actions were despicable," Aitcheson wrote in an editorial published Monday in the The Arlington Catholic Herald.

"When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else," he wrote. "It's hard to believe that was me."

Aitcheson, 62, went on to say that "the images in Charlottesville brought back memories of a bleak period" in his life, memories he said he would prefer to forget.

"The reality is, we cannot forget, we should not forget," he wrote.

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington said in a statement that Aitcheson "left that life behind him 40 years ago and since journeyed in faith to eventually become a Catholic priest."

But Aitcheson volunteered to step away temporarily from the public ministry, "for the well-being of the church and parish community," the diocese said. He had been serving as a parochial vicar at a church in Fairfax City.

"While Fr. Aitcheson's past with the Ku Klux Klan is sad and deeply troubling, I pray that in our current political and social climate his message will reach those who support hate and division, and inspire them to a conversion of heart," Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said in the diocese's statement.



There have been no accusations of "racism or bigotry" during Aitcheson's service in Arlington, the diocese added.

The statement did not indicate how long Aitcheson would be stepping away and said he would not be available for interviews. Attempts to reach him by phone were not successful as of Tuesday afternoon.

According to a March 2, 1977 article in the Associated Press, a then 23-year-old Aitcheson was charged with cross burnings, manufacturing pipe bombs and making bomb threats as part of a Maryland KKK plot to damage private, government and military facilities.

The Maryland State Police spokesman at the time told the AP Aitcheson was a leader in the Robert E. Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the KKK.

And according to an archive 1977 article in the Washington Post, Aitcheson pleaded guilty in May of that year to charges that he threatened to kill Coretta Scott King, widow of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., in a letter in 1976.

Aitcheson mentions both cross burning and a threatening letter in his editorial.

The priest apologized for his behavior, writing, "I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me."

He said the images coming out of the Charlottesville rallies were "embarrassing."

"They embarrass us as a country, but for those who have repented from a damaging and destructive past, the images should bring us to our knees in prayer," he wrote.

The diocese added that Aitcheson's editorial was written with the intent of spreading his story of transformation.

"The irony that I left an anti-Catholic hate group to rejoin the Catholic Church is not lost on me," Aithcheson wrote in his editorial. "It is a reminder of the radical transformation possible through Jesus Christ in his mercy."

"If there are any white supremacists reading this, I have a message for you: you will find no fulfillment in this ideology," he added.


From NBC News
nbcnews.com
12
People close to LeBron James confident Dwayne Wade will join Cavaliers

LeBron James has said that at some point in his career he'd like to play on the same team as his best friends -- Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul -- and he may take a step toward that goal this season.

In the "Wine and Gold Talk" podcast with Chris Fedor for cleveland.com, Joe Vardon reported that LeBron's camp thinks Wade will be end up in Cleveland this season. From Vardon:
QuoteAs of right now, people close to James are fairly confident that, at some point this year, Dwyane Wade is going to end up on the Cavs.

In case you're wondering who Vardon means by "people close to James," he mentioned earlier in the podcast that the only sources he considers reliable when it comes to James are agent Rich Paul, business manager Maverick Carter, wife Savannah James and confidant Adam Mendelsohn.

A buyout between Wade and the rebuilding Chicago Bulls seems like the logical next step for both parties, but Chicago is apparently in no rush to make it happen. Wade is owed $23.8 million this season, and the Bulls likely would have to absorb a large chunk of that in any buyout situation. Chicago could end up waiting until later in the season for a buyout, first testing the trade market for Wade in the hope of picking up additional assets.

If he's bought out Wade would become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team except the Bulls.

The Cavs are clearly in flux, with the pending Kyrie Irving trade and James' potential 2018 free agency hanging over the front office. The addition of Wade, who averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season, would give the Cavs another playmaker who could help shoulder the scoring load if and when Irving is traded.


From CBS Sports
cbssports.com
13
NFLPA president: I don't care if NFL 'dies out in 20 years'

NFL Players Association president Eric Winston said Monday players don't care whether a potential work stoppage harms the sport.

"So if this thing dies out in 20 years, it dies out in 20 years," the Bengals' veteran tackle said Monday on Cincinnati television station WCPO. "That's not really my concern, and I don't think it's any of these players' concern in here either."

The NFL's current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in 2021. Given the unrest between owners and the union the past couple of years, not to mention NFL players complaining about their NBA counterparts getting far more lucrative contracts, many see another work stoppage on the horizon. (There was a 132-day lockout in 2011 before the current CBA was finalized.)

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith commented last week that a strike or lockout "is almost a virtual certainty."

Winston agreed, but said he doesn't care what another work stoppage might mean for the NFL's future.

"Honestly I don't care and I don't think the guys in this locker room care whether [the NFL] is going to be around in 20 years because none of us are going to be playing," Winston told the TV station. "So if these guys [the owners] want to own for a long time, then they can own for a long time. But another work stoppage might kill the golden goose."

Winston, who's been the union president since early 2014, wanted to remind fans how the NFL owners locked out players during the most recent labor dispute.

"They took the decision to make sure that people didn't have a place to work," he said. "They cut off the insurance to our families... What are you supposed to do? Fight back, right?"

So Winston said he really isn't concerned about the possibility owners and the league might suffer in the long term.

"I'm certainly not worried about (the NFL's long-term health)," he said. "I'm not going to be around that long. I don't care if even if there are rookies in here — they're not going to be playing that long."


From Sporting News
sportingnews.com
14
'Stranger Things' creators want to end series after four seasons



Brothers Matt and Ross Duffer — creators of Netflix's streaming hit "Stranger Things" — have done like "Game of Thrones's" D.B. Weiss and David Benioff and slapped an expiration date on their popular series. During an interview with Vulture, the Duffer brothers explained that they envision "Stranger Things" ending after four seasons.

According to the brothers, Netflix has already renewed the series for a third season. But by the end of that season, the preteens of Hawkins, Ind., will be headed toward college.

"We're thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out," Ross said.

"We just have to keep adjusting the story," Matt continued. "Though I don't know if we can justify something bad happening to them once a year."

Netflix declined to comment when reached by Variety.

While the news will undoubtedly disappoint some "Stranger Things" fans, they still have Season 2's upcoming premiere to look forward to, which a recently released trailer has hinted will feature a new monster, as well as continued tribulations for Will, who slipped into the Upside Down in the first season. Pretty much anyone associated with the show has refused to say much else, however, besides that the new season will be darker and incorporate more horror elements. The Duffer brothers added that they wanted to "push things a bit."

Season 2 premieres Oct. 28 on Netflix.


From Variety
variety.com
15
'American Horror Story: Cult' trailer teases consequences of 2016 election

The first official trailer for "American Horror Story: Cult" is here, giving us our initial looks at Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters' characters, as well as the first real glimpse at how the horror anthology is taking on President Trump.

It may start off with the recognizable scene for many: a screaming Paulson in Michigan as newscasters announce that Donald Trump has won the 2016 election. But from Twisty the Clown to a child in danger, there's a lot to dissect from there.

While Paulson's character, Ally, is devastated by the election news, Peters' character has a very different reaction, to say the least. With wild eyes and dyed blue hair, he screams as she rushes the TV.

Later, we find that Ally is going through some personal issues, probably in part due to the election results. "Since election night, it has all been getting so much worse," she tells her therapist, played by "AHS" familiar face Cheyenne Jackson. He clarifies that it's her fear of clowns that's gotten worse, cutting to a scene with a book about Twisty the Clown — the antagonist of Season 4, "Freak Show," played by John Carroll Lynch.

Twisty shows up later in the teaser as well, as "AHS" newcomer Billie Lourd presents a doll of the clown to a young boy. Lourd, in talking with Peters, tells him she hates children... but later, proclaims that she loves them. The trailer also gives the first look at Alison Pill's character, who is married to Ally.

Peters caps off the trailer with an ominous message: "If you get people scared enough, they will set the world on fire."

The trailer was released via FX's "Cult" website on Tuesday, where the network has been unveiling mysterious hints over the past few weeks. On Monday, show creator Ryan Murphy unleashed the opening credits for the new installment, which showed figures in Trump and Hillary Clinton masks.

Watch the trailer below.



From Variety
variety.com
16
Teens favoring Snapchat and Instagram over Facebook, says eMarketer

Facebook is losing appeal among teens and young adults which is contributing to generally slowing growth for the platform, according to the latest projections from research firm eMarketer.

At the same time alternative social apps Snapchat and (Facebook-owned) Instagram are seeing rising and double-digit growth in the same youth demographic — suggesting younger users are favoring newer and more visual communications platforms.

"Both platforms have found success with this demographic since they are more aligned with how they communicate — using visual content," noted eMarketer forecasting analyst Oscar Orozco in a statement.

It's the second consecutive year of expected usage declines for Facebook among this advertiser-coveted group, according to the researcher.

eMarketer suggests some tweens are even skipping adopting Facebook entirely (it calls them "Facebook nevers") and going straight to the rival platforms, even as remaining tweens and teens appear less engaged on Facebook — logging in less frequently and spending less time on the platform.

While having slipping relevance among a coveted ad demographic is obviously not good news for a social behemoth whose business is dependent on ad revenue, Facebook does have the consolation of also owning one of the two main youth-friendly alternative platforms: Instagram. (Aka, 'if you can't be it, buy it'.)

Still, eMarketer is also projecting that the acquisition that got away from Zuck, Snapchat, will overtake Instagram and Facebook in the total teen (12 to 17) & young adult (18 to 24) ages for the first time in 2017 — boosting its share of US social network users to 40.8 per cent, and projected to push close to a majority by 2021. (Though Instagram is also forecast to maintain its greater reach through this timeframe.)

Back in 2013, when reports of Facebook's spurned acquisition attempts of Snapchat surfaced, it followed fast on the heels of the company reporting a first-time decline in young teens using its service daily.

Nearly four years later Facebook's problem with keeping teens happy has only got bigger — but the company's success at using Instagram to successfully clone Snapchat's features has helped mitigate the issue. (Even if it means Facebook's corporate motto should really now read: 'Move fast and clone things'.)



eMarketer couched U.S. Facebook usage in the 12 and 17 age-group as dropping the most "precipitously" — noting that while 81.9% of social network users in that age range are projected to use Facebook this year, the figure will slide to 76.2% by 2021.

Other highlights from eMarketer's forecast:

- Facebook usage in the US in the 12 to 17 age group will fall 3.4% vs 2016, to 14.5M, accelerating from the 1.2% slip seen last year
- Facebook's US monthly users overall are expected to grow 2.4% this year to 172.9M — up slightly on the prior forecast due to increased adoption by older Internet users
- Snapchat's US monthly users are expected to grow 25.8% in 2017 to 79.2M monthly, with growth figures adjusted higher for all but the oldest age group, and the biggest upward revision for the 18-to-24 group which is forecast to see usage escalate 19.2% this year
- Instagram's US monthly users are expected to grow 23.8% in 2017, up from prior forecasts, to 85.5M, expanding its user base among under 12s by 19%, and 12 to 17s by 8.8%



- In the UK, Facebook is estimated to have 32.5M monthly active users this year, remaining the most popular social network, even as it also loses share to Snapchat and Instagram among younger age groups there
- In the UK, Instagram is projected to have 16.7M monthly users in 2017, an increase of 34.8% over 2016 — and a total reach amounting to more than a quarter of the UK population (the same as its reach in the US)
- In the UK, Snapchat is projected to have 14M monthly users, with growth of 20.2% expected this year (meaning it will reach around a fifth of the population)
- While Twitter's total UK user base is expected to be 12.6M this year



eMarketer's methodology counts a monthly user as someone who is accessing their account at least once per month, consistently, each month throughout the calendar year. It says it bases its forecasts on analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from research firms, government agencies, media firms and public companies, along with interviews with senior execs at publishers, ad buyers and agencies.

At the time of writing Facebook had not responded to a request for comment.


From TechCrunch
techcrunch.com
17
The Pixel 2 is probably getting smart Google headphones

Discoveries in the Google app for Android reveal that Google is working on smart headphones that will let users activate the Google Assistant and interact with it. As always with such revelations, I'd tell you there are no guarantees that Google is actually making its own AirPods alternatives for its new Pixel phone lineup. But looking at the bigger picture is enough to convince me that Google-made headphones are indeed coming this year.

Digging through the code of the Google 7.10 app, 9to5Google discovered clear references to Google headphones. The product is codenamed Bisto, and while it's not clear whether it's a wired or wireless product, it is supposed to be smart. "Your headphones have the Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It's your own personal Google, always ready to help," the code reads.

Bisto will let you read your notifications aloud as they come in, and even reply to them without touching your phone.

The device features at least a couple of buttons, including one that activates Google Assistant: "To talk to me or ask me a question, press and hold the Google Assistant button on the left earcup while talking," the code says. Bisto can also receive firmware updates, and it comes with an Assistant pairing and setup process.

Now, there's nothing in the code to confirm that Bisto is launching alongside the Pixel 2 phones this fall. But let's remember two things about Google's Android devices. First, Google was not able to keep any of the Nexus or Pixel devices it launched so far a secret, and a large number of the leaks detailing Google products turned out to be right on the money.

Which brings me to this year's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that were heavily featured in all sorts of leaks. Reports say both phones will ship without headphone jacks. What better way for Google to fix this problem than by launching its own wireless headphones? Apple did it for the iPhone 7, though it was just one of the three solutions the iPhone maker proposed to make the 3.5mm headphone jack problem go away.

Plus, it makes sense for Google to launch its own smart headphones considering its ambitions in the voice computing business. Bisto could help place Google in a better position to fight Amazon, Samsung, and others for voice control on Android. Let's not forget that Google Assistant rivals including Alexa and Bixby are already available on plenty of devices.


From BGR
bgr.com
18
Why do we like robots more when they mess up?



You might have seen the GIF above floating round the 'net recently. It comes from a recent TED talk given by Boston Dynamics, and shows the company's latest bipedal Atlas robots failing — delightfully — to perform some light office admin. Now Boston Dynamics' bots are no strangers to going viral, but usually they're framed as harbingers of the robo-apocalypse. This time round the reaction has been much more sympathetic. Even a little affectionate.

"I legitimately feel sorry for a robot. The future is going to be weird," said one commenter on Reddit, where the GIF was submitted to the r/aww sub-reddit alongside adorable kittens and puppies. "That was the cutest thing I've ever seen a robot do. Poor guy tried so hard," said another in the same thread.


But why exactly are we more accepting of Boston Dynamics' bots when they're falling over? Well, according to group of scientists from the Center for Human-Computer Interaction in Salzburg, Austria, it might be for the same reasons we like people that make errors: because it makes them more relatable and more approachable. In other words — it makes them seem human.

The scientists in Salzburg, led by research fellow Nicole Mirnig, tested this hypothesis recently by setting up a task in which 45 human volunteers had to build LEGO creations with help from a small, humanoid robot. In some of the tests, Mirnig and her colleagues programmed the bot to make simple mistakes like repeating words or failing to grasp objects. Each time round they asked the volunteers to rate the robot on a number of criteria including likability, anthropomorphism, and perceived intelligence. The results showed that when the robot made mistakes, people liked it more.

Now, it's tricky to say definitively why mistakes make robots more likable, but Mirnig's theory is that it has something to do with the 'Pratfall Effect' — a phenomenon in social psychology where we like individuals more when they mess up. Crucially, though, this effect is very context-dependent. We don't like people who make mistakes all the time; but we do like when individuals who are genuinely reliable make small errors. And, according to Mirnig, robots fit into this latter category pretty well.

"Research has shown that people form their opinions and expectations about robots to a substantial proportion on what they learn from the media," Mirnig told Digital Trends. "Those media entail movies in which robots are often portrayed as perfectly functioning entities, good or evil. Upon interacting with a social robot themselves, people adjust their opinions and expectations based on their interaction experience. I assume that interacting with a robot that makes mistakes, makes us feel closer and less inferior to technology."

If these findings hold true, then companies in the future might pre-program robots to make slight errors when they interact with us. These would be carefully calculated — enough to register, but not so serious that they impinge on the interaction. In a way, nothing could be more human.


From The Verge
theverge.com
19
Cats and Dogs are coming to The Sims 4 in November


Back in January, vampires joined the world of The Sims 4. Come November, some very different kinds of fanged beasts will be added to the game: Cats and Dogs.

The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs will add a new "Create a Pet" tool to the game that will give players the ability to create their own special felines and canines with distinct personalities and unique physical features, and then dress them up with expressive outfits and accessories. Just as it is in the real world, however, you won't have total, unquestioning control over them.

"Cats and dogs have minds of their own and form special relationships with Sims based on their daily interactions," EA said. "Your Sims care for, train and play games with their pets who all exhibit distinct and sometimes bizarre animal behaviors."

The expansion will add a new locale called Brindleton Bay, with harbor docks, a lighthouse, play parks, and stray pets for your Sims to take in. And players who'd like to invest even more of themselves in these new four-legged companions will also be able to build and run their very own veterinary clinic.   

I was initially put off by the price of The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs, which is available for preorder from Origin for $40. Dogs and cats are awesome, but that struck me as pretty steep for a single expansion, especially since The Sims 4 Digital Deluxe Edition is just $25. But then it was pointed out to me that the Get to Work expansion normally goes for $40 too, as do the Get Together and City Living expansions, so in that context it's really not out of line at all.

Then again, there are hot dog dogs.

The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs is set for release on November 10.


From PC Gamer
pcgamer.com
20
The HTC Vive just got a $200 price cut

HTC has cut the price of its Vive virtual reality headset by $200, bringing the system's cost down to $599. The discount is meant to stimulate consumer interest in the system, and make it easier to afford accessories, including the Vive Tracker that went on sale earlier this year. It also comes with a one-month free trial of HTC's Viveport subscription service, which offers access to a selection of VR games. "We want to really significantly boost VR adoption now across the globe," says Vive US general manager Dan O'Brien, as the Vive's second holiday season approaches. "We think now is the right time to reset the price."

This price drop mirrors the Oculus Rift's $200 price cut in March, and it brings the Vive closer to the Rift's current $499 list price. (It's temporarily $399 as part of a summer sale.) O'Brien says that just like Oculus has promised with the Rift, the current-generation Vive isn't going away any time soon. "This is not about clearing the channel to make room for another product. We do expect this version of Vive to stay in market well into 2018," he says. Users can upgrade it with wireless adapters, a new head strap, and other other add-ons. "We don't want users to feel like they're always having to be [up-sold] into new hardware. We do want to make sure that things that we make around the Vive today continue to work with it."

O'Brien notes that HTC has upgraded elements like the Vive's cable system without declaring a new generation of hardware, and says that kind of iterative design will probably continue for some time. However, Vive co-creator Valve has been showing off one upgrade that might not come out for a while: a set of majorly redesigned motion controllers. O'Brien says the new controllers are still in their prototype stage, though developers have started getting versions of them for testing. "We're still working on consumer versions of those."

The new price cut doesn't affect the Vive's $1,200 Business Edition package, which is aimed at arcades and other commercial enterprises. O'Brien says that these commercial editions make up a minority of Vive sales, but they're still a substantial part of the business — especially in China, where HTC estimates that they're in 60 to 70 percent of an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 total arcades in the country.

The Vive's intense setup process and general clunkiness still makes it more of a choice for hardcore enthusiasts than casual VR buyers. But today's discount is good news for anyone who's been interested in the system but balked at its previous $799 price tag, especially since VR-ready computers have gotten significantly cheaper since its launch in the spring of 2016.


From The Verge
theverge.com
21
Suspected driver in deadly Barcelona attack is fatally shot, police say

The driver of a van who careened through throngs of revelers in a tourist zone here last week was shot dead by police on a quiet country road Monday afternoon, capping a four-day manhunt for the last member of a 12-person terrorist cell likely led by a mysterious imam.

After receiving a tip from locals who spotted a suspicious character hiding in the vineyards around the village of Subirats, an hour's drive west of Barcelona, rural law enforcement officers, accompanied by Catalan police, confronted Younes Abouyaaqoub.

Josep Lluís Trapero, chief of the Catalan National Police, said Abouyaaqoub threw open his shirt to reveal what officers believed was a suicide bomb belt around his waist.

The chief said Moroccan-born Abouyaaqoub then shouted "Allahu akbar," or God is great in Arabic, and police shot him dead.

Authorities said Monday that forensic evidence, security camera images and a witness led them to conclude that Abouyaaqoub was the driver of the van that plowed through hundreds of pedestrians in a crowded Las Ramblas street on Thursday afternoon.

Spanish authorities said Monday that the death toll had risen to 15. Scores were wounded, some seriously.

Thirteen people were killed by Abouyaaqoub in his vehicular assault on La Rambla, a world-famous avenue of cafes, shops, and stately old hotels in the heart of Barcelona.

An hour after the van attack, police say Abouyaaqoub killed another man to steal a getaway car. His accomplices, fleeing a police roadblock, ran over a woman.

Of the 15 people killed, two were children. Six were Spaniards, three Italians, two Portuguese. There was also a Belgian, a Canadian and dual citizen of Australia and Britain. One was an American, Jared Tucker, on his honeymoon.

After Abouyaaqoub was shot dead by police, a bomb squad deployed a robot to get near the prone body and discovered that the suicide vest was a fake, officials said.

The terrorist attack was the worst in Spain since the Madrid train bombings of 2004, when 191 people were killed and 1,700 were injured.

The Islamic State asserted responsibility for the Barcelona attacks. Catalan police said it is possible the terrorist cell, composed of Moroccan-born youths and young men, was inspired or steered by Islamic State actors, but that the investigation was ongoing and definitive links have not been established.

Security camera images released Monday by police showed Abouyaaqoub making his escape on foot through Barcelona's La Boqueria market after the attack.

Those images were given to the public on Monday and probably led to the assailant being identified up in the mountain vineyards.

Catalan Justice Minister Carles Mundo identified Abouyaaqoub's latest victim as Pau Perez, who was found dead in his Ford Focus several miles from the scene of the van attack. Police said that Abouyaaqoub knifed Perez to death when he stole his car to escape after the van attack. He dumped Perez into the back seat and drove away.

Abouyaaqoub then rammed through the barricades at a police checkpoint as officers fired on the car, authorities said. That vehicle was found abandoned a few miles away with Perez's body still in the back seat.

Where Abouyaaqoub spent the last four days is unknown.

Trapero, the Catalan National Police chief, told reporters that authorities found DNA remains of at least two people killed in an explosion the day before the attacks.

Trapero said it was likely that one of the bodies found at the explosion site was Abdelbaki Essati, a Muslim cleric who is suspected of radicalizing young men in the mountain town of Ripoll and organizing the terrorist cell.

Essati, a Moroccan national who lived in Ripoll for the last two years, served as imam in a mosque, where he taught the Koran and the Arabic language. Police revealed Monday that he was a convicted drug trafficker who had served time in the Castellon prison outside Valencia in 2010 to 2014.

Carles Puigdemont, president of the Catalon region, told The Washington Post that police here were not given timely information by the Spanish federal government and were in the dark — until now — about the imam's time in prison.

While serving his sentence in prison, Spanish media reported that Essati may have met Rachid Aglif, known as "the Rabbit," one of the main plotters of the 2004 Madrid bomb attacks.

Ali Yassine, the director of the mosque in Ripoll, said that Essati was paid about $1,000 a month to serve as imam. Local benefactors paid his rent and helped with groceries.


Yassine told The Washington Post that he had given Essati's name to local police more than a year ago as part of standard security protocol to keep a closer eye on Muslim preachers. But authorities did not flag Essati on a watch list even though he had a conviction for trafficking drugs.

If only authorities had alerted the Muslim elders in Ripoll that Essati was a convicted drug smuggler, the Moroccan families say, he would have been fired as imam and never have had the chance to radicalize their sons.

"We have trusted the mosque and the authorities and send our children to learn about Islam and Arabic. How could they allow such a criminal and monster to get involved with our children?" said the aunt of Moussa Oukabir, one of the cell members. The aunt spoke on the condition of anonymity because she feared a backlash for what her relatives did.

"We must find out what has happened to them, so we can make sure not to loose the next generation of our children as well," she said.

Police had another chance to stop the terrorist cell before they struck after a large explosion occurred Wednesday.

For almost 24 hours, until the van attack, police assumed the explosion was caused by criminals manufacturing methamphetamine.

Authorities said they investigated the blast site as quickly as possible. On Monday, police said they found 120 propane canisters at the blast site in Alcanar, about a two-hour drive south of Barcelona, alongside explosive material that has been employed in bombs.

Police concluded that the material and propane tanks were to be used in the attacks on Barcelona's crowded La Rambla promenade or another site in the city.

At the bomb house, police said they also found remote-controlled detonators.


From The Washington Post
washingtonpost.com
22
At least 1 dead after earthquake rattles Italian resort island of Ischia

A deadly 3.6-magnitude earthquake rattled the Italian resort island of Ischia at the peak of tourist season Monday, collapsing some buildings, cutting electricity and sending panicked residents and tourists into the streets.

Italian officials say a woman has died and seven are unaccounted for at the moment.

Doctors reported that about 20 people suffered slight injuries, but officials feared others may be trapped in the rubble.

Italy's national volcanology institute said the temblor struck just before 9 p.m. local time as many people were having dinner.

Television images showed that about six buildings in the town of Casamicciola as well as a church had collapsed, the Reuters news agency reports. 

At least one hotel and parts of the Rizzoli hospital were evacuated (except for patients on respirators). A doctor at the Rizzoli hospital, Roberto Calloca, told Sky TG24 that some 20 people were being treated for minor injuries at a makeshift emergency room set up on the hospital grounds. Calloca said the situation was calm and under control.

Civil protection crews, already on the island in force to fight the forest fires that have been ravaging southern Italy, were checking the status of the buildings that suffered damage.

Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia is a favorite island getaway for the European jet-set, famed in particular for its thermal waters. Casamicciola was the epicenter of an 1883 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.


From CBS News
cbsnews.com
23
After Big Ben rings out, the sound of silence in London

Ask not for whom the bell tolls — at least not for the next four years at Parliament.

Big Ben's distinctive and reassuring chimes, which have marked the passage of time since the Victorian era, fell silent after ringing out at noon on Monday as a $37 million restoration project got underway for the tower that houses the bell.

Crowds gathered around Parliament to hear the final set of bongs that have been an almost constant presence, heard not just in London but around the world: Two BBC News bulletins each day, at 6 p.m. and midnight, begin with the famous sound, which the broadcaster first used in 1924.

During World War II, when the bells carried on tolling after a brief interlude, the sound of Big Ben gave troops a lift in morale and provided hope to those in occupied countries like France.

"It was our lifeblood, and it was our comfort, and it kept us sane," Ginette Spanier, a former director of the Paris fashion house Pierre Balmain, once told the BBC.

The length of disruption to the chimings of the country's most famous clock has brought a variety of complaints, including one from Prime Minister Theresa May, who has said that it "cannot be right" for the stoppage to last four years.

The work comes at a time of national upheaval, with Britain preparing its withdrawal from the European Union, known as "Brexit." Many supporters of that move attach huge symbolic importance to institutions like Parliament, with some calling for the restoration of such emblems of past imperial greatness as the royal yacht.

The idea that parts of Big Ben would be draped in white cladding and muted while the country completes its divorce from the European Union has been too much for some of the politicians driving Brexit. Several of its supporters, including the Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, have called for the bells to ring at midnight on March 29, 2019, when the country is scheduled to leave the European Union.

Perhaps worried about accusations of nostalgia, hard-line supporters of Brexit seemed to stay away from Parliament on Monday. A handful of lawmakers spotted in the crowd outside Parliament said they were there on other business.

But Stephen Pound, a lawmaker from the opposition Labor Party, not only showed up but posed for pictures — perhaps not entirely seriously — with a handkerchief to dab his watering eyes.

He insisted, however, that this was a genuine time of national introspection. "It's a desperately sad moment — you don't know what you've got till it's gone," Mr. Pound said. "And I think in some ways it is the passing of something that means a great deal to a great many people."

During the restoration work, Big Ben's Great Clock will be dismantled piece by piece with each cog examined and restored — a process that, alone, is expected to take about two years. During that time, a temporary solution will be found to allow Big Ben to ring in the new year and to chime each November to remember Britain's war dead.

The tower needs further work, and the parliamentary authorities say that it would be impractical to have the bells toll daily or even weekly, as stopping and starting the mechanism is a complex process that takes about half a day to complete.

Worker safety also enters into the considerations. At 118 decibels, Big Ben is so loud (over the human pain threshold and louder than a jet taking off) that it might at the least startle people working at heights and could possibly damage their hearing permanently.

Though they have concluded it would be impractical to start and stop the bells each day, the parliamentary authorities "will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent," they said in a statement last week after the complaints from lawmakers.

For all of the hand-wringing, this is not the first time Big Ben has been silenced, which perhaps explained the less sentimental approach taken by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labor Party. "It's not a national disaster or catastrophe," he said.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with the main bell. (It has several cracks, but those are what give it its distinctive sound, and officials have issued assurances that it will be left alone.)

It is the tower, officially known as the Elizabeth Tower and commonly referred to as Big Ben, and the clock mechanism and faces that are showing signs of aging, like the rest of the crumbling Palace of Westminster. Paint is flaking, the masonry is cracking, the roof is leaking and the metalwork is rusting. All need to be addressed to keep the tower from disintegrating.

Those who gathered outside Parliament for the final bell — admittedly, a self-selecting audience — said the bongs would be sorely missed. David Dummigan, from Cumbria, in the north of England, said he had experienced "a lump" in his throat when he heard the last chime for four years.

"It's our heritage," he said. "People come from all over the world to look at it and listen to it. It's part of British history."

"It's a shame it is going to be silenced for four years," added Sue-Ann Samuel, who lives in London. "It is very dear to a lot of our hearts."


From The New York TImes
nytimes.com
24
Trump celebrates solar eclipse by looking up without special viewing glasses



Like many Americans across the country Monday, President Trump gazed at the first solar eclipse in a century to cross the continental United States, coast to coast.

Emerging with first lady Melania and son Barron on the Truman Balcony of the White House shortly before the eclipse reached its apex, Trump waved at the crowd and responded to a reporter's question — "How's the view?" — with a thumbs up, according to the White House press pool.

Then he tilted his head upward and pointed toward the sky, prompting a White House aide standing beneath the balcony to shout, "Don't look," according to the press pool. It is unclear if Trump looked directly at the sun.

As Blaine Friedlander wrote in The Washington Post, the first rule of enjoying a solar eclipse is to never look directly at the sun without eclipse glasses, because it could damage the eyes, advice that Trump's daughter Ivanka also gave her Twitter followers.

According to NASA, "Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse ('totality'), when the moon entirely blocks the sun's bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality.

"The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as 'eclipse glasses' ... or hand-held solar viewers."

Trump eventually put on special viewing glasses and watched for about 90 seconds.

The eclipse was the first since the founding of the republic that passed directly over only this country, and it traversed a 3,000-mile path, from Oregon through Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina, before finally disappearing off the coast of Charleston, S.C., at 2:49 p.m. Eastern time.

The solar eclipse was over from coast to coast in 90 minutes.


From The Washington Post
washingtonpost.com
25
Apple plans to kill Touch ID with facial recognition, report claims

A new iPhone 8 report from Korea provides some of the same details mentioned in previous leaks, but also an interesting tidbit about one of the iPhone's newest rumored tricks, the facial recognition system.

Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, The Korea Herald says the iPhone 8 will not have a curved display like the Galaxy S8, even though the phone will use a flexible OLED screen made by Samsung.

The Herald added that iPhone 8 supply will be significantly constrained at launch, citing Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction that Apple will be able to ship only 2 million to 4 million iPhone 8 units during the September quarter.

The report notes that Apple has been struggling to integrate a fingerprint sensor into the phone's display, but failed, just like Samsung. That's why the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy Note 8 will not have fingerprint sensors under the screen.

The iPhone 8's facial recognition system is also mentioned in the report, with The Herald offering an exciting new detail. Apparently, the 3D sensors can detect a user's face incredibly fast, "in the millionths of a second." That shouldn't be surprising considering that the iPhone 8 is also rumored to ditch the extremely fast Touch ID sensor. Unlike Samsung, which is placing the sensor on the back of its phones, Apple will either find a way to integrate it into the display or remove it completely.

Finally, the report says that both the front and rear cameras have 3D sensors that will be used in augmented reality apps.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 8 during its annual mid-September press event, alongside the iPhone 7s. The new iPhones should go on sale in the weeks following the keynote.


From BGR
bgr.com
26
Overwatch's Junkrat and Roadhog introduce new map, Junkertown

As part of its Gamescom preview stream today, Blizzard revealed a number of new details about its games. That included the unveiling of Overwatch's next map, Junkertown.

This Escort map is set in the outback of Australia. It was highlighted in a new trailer (above) which was less a showcase of the map and more of a comedy starring Junkrat and Roadhog. It had a much different feeling from a typical Overwatch video and more closely resembled something you'd expect to see from Team Fortress 2.


Blizzard hasn't yet said when exactly the map will be released, but it's presumably coming in the near future. Gamescom attendees will be able to try it out this week, suggesting a public release is not far off. An overview video touring the map can be seen along with an image gallery above.

Also new this week is the latest Overwatch animated short. This will debut during a Gamescom stream this Wednesday, August 23. We'll bring that video to you once it's available.


From GameSpot
gamespot.com
27
Android Oreo is here and you can get it soon
from CNET

Google announces the name of its latest version of Android with the unveiling of a statue in Manhattan that took place while the moon was eclipsing the sun.

It's O-fficial.

Oreo is the newest version of Android, Google's mobile operating system. The updated software, which has been available for the last few months in developer beta, will arrive on devices by the end of the year.

It's been a long guessing game about what the "O" in Android O stands for. For the uninitiated, Google names each new version of Android alphabetically and after a candy or sweet. For example, the most recent version was dubbed Nougat. Before that was Marshmallow, and before that Lollipop. Oreo will be Android 8.0, following Nougat.

Theories making the rounds predicted either that "O" stood for Oreo or that Google was trolling everyone by timing the announcement during Monday's solar eclipse. Google unveiled a statue of the newest dessert-themed update at 14th Street Park in Manhattan on Monday, just as the eclipse's high point started trailing off.

The unveiling was across the street from the Chelsea Market, where the original Nabisco factory was located. That's where the first Oreo was invented.

This is the first time that Google has revealed the next Android statue somewhere other than on its Mountain View, California, headquarters, where a giant lollipop, ice cream sandwich and jelly beans grace the grounds.

Google decided to name this update after the Oreo cookie after several late nights at its headquarters where engineers just kept grabbing the snacks, Sagar Kamdar, Android's director of product management said.

"At our microkitchens at Google, we have Oreos all around. Our engineers just kept eating Oreos with their glasses of milk," Kamdar said.

One of Android Oreo's biggest focuses is better battery life for the hardware running it. For example, Google will limit what apps can do after they're launched on your phone but not actively in use. For example, now apps won't be able to do as much with location updates while they're running in the background -- which can normally be a big battery suck.

There are other noteworthy features, too, like a new copy-and-paste tool. When you highlight text in an article or text message, Android will automatically detect if it's an address or a proper noun. If it's an address, the software will highlight the entire address, so you don't have to. And instead of merely suggesting actions such as "copy" or "select all," it may suggest a map.

The continued success of Android is critical for Google. It's the gateway drug for the search giant's world of apps, including Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps. Android has become the most dominant mobile software on the planet, powering nearly nine out of every 10 smartphones globally.

But when it comes to world domination, Google is interested in more than just phones. Android now runs on everything from smartwatches to cars to TVs. In May, Google said the software is used by more than 2 billion devices.

Still, as Google promotes the new version of Android, it's got a big challenge ahead: actually getting it onto people's phones.

Android suffers from a problem the industry calls "fragmentation." The operating system has a number of hardware and carrier partners that like to add their own flourishes to the software, so getting them all to update to the current version is a constant headache for Google.

If you have an Android phone, you're probably using a much older version of the software. Only 13.5 percent of all Android users currently have Nougat installed on their devices. A whopping 77.5 percent of Android owners are on three older versions: Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat. The oldest of those, KitKat, was released in 2013. By comparison, Apple's most recent version of its mobile software, iOS 10, has found its way onto 87 percent of all iPhones and iPads.

The update will be available by the end of the year on devices from handset makers including Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Essential, General Mobile, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, and Motorola. For Google devices like the Pixel phone, Nexus 5X and 6P, the update will start rolling out in phases "soon."

Pixel and Nexus owners should be the first to expect Oreo to roll out on their devices, Kamdar said. He added that Android was working with major partners to have their devices launch with Oreo or be upgraded with it before the end of 2017.
28
Texas man charged with trying to blow up Confederate statue
from Reuters

Authorities in Houston charged a 25-year-old man on Monday with trying to blow up a Confederate statue, federal prosecutors said, in the latest development amid demonstrations and fierce debate about race and the legacy of America's Civil War.

Word of the arrest of Andrew Schneck came just hours after the University of Texas at Austin said it removed four statues tied to the Confederacy from its campus because they had become "symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism."

White nationalists rallied earlier this month against proposals to take down a similar statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, and one woman was killed when a man crashed his car into a crowd of anti-racism counterprotesters.

The violence triggered the biggest domestic crisis yet for President Donald Trump, who provoked anger across the political spectrum for not immediately condemning white nationalists and for praising "very fine people" on both sides of the fight.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that on Saturday night a park ranger spotted Schneck kneeling in bushes in front of the General Dowling Monument in Houston's Hermann Park.

In Schneck's possession were a timer, wires, duct tape and two types of explosive including nitroglycerin, according to the prosecutors who described it as one of the world's most powerful explosives. The items could have been used to make a viable explosive device, the prosecutors' statement said.

If convicted of trying to maliciously damage or destroy property receiving federal financial assistance, Schneck faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

A growing number of U.S. political leaders have called for the removal of statues honoring the Confederacy. Civil rights activists charge that they promote racism while advocates of the statues contend they are a reminder of their heritage.

In Baltimore on Monday, authorities were investigating reports of vandalism at a 225-year-old monument to explorer Christopher Columbus, police said. A video posted online appeared to show two hooded figures striking the obelisk's base with a sledgehammer after taping to it a sign that read: "The future is racial and economic justice."

Baltimore took down four Confederate monuments last week.

Among the four statues removed overnight at the University at Austin was one of General Robert E. Lee, who led the pro-slavery Confederacy's army during the Civil War.

The school's president, Greg Fenves, said in a statement that the monuments had to go following the "horrific displays of hatred" in Virginia that shocked and saddened the nation.

There are about 700 monuments to the Confederacy in public spaces across the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, with the majority of them erected early in the 20th century amid a backlash among segregationists against the civil rights movement.

Fenves said the statue of Lee will be placed in the school's Briscoe Center for American History and made available for scholarly study.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said on Twitter on Monday: "Putting these statues in a history museum appropriately puts this past where it belongs."
29
Mewtwo is Pokemon Go's next legendary, and it'll be tough to catch
from GameSpot

Another Legendary is on the way to Pokemon Go. Players will soon have the opportunity to catch Mewtwo, but doing so won't be quite as simple as with previous Legendaries.

Mewtwo was unlocked following its successful capture at a Pokemon Go Stadium event in Japan. It's now coming to the game around the world as part of a new feature called Exclusive Raid Battles. These will "periodically appear" at Gyms and play out like the Raids that are already available, except you'll now need an invitation in order to take part.



To get your hands on an invite, you'll need to have completed a Raid "recently" at the same location where the Exclusive Raid Battle is being held. It's unclear exactly how much time will elapse between the end of a standard Raid and the launch of an Exclusive, but developer Niantic says the victors will have "advance warning." This is meant to provide "ample time to coordinate with other trainers."

Mewtwo will launch through Exclusive Raids in the "coming weeks," but "other powerful Pokemon" may hatch from Raid Eggs in the near future, too, Niantic teased. There's no word yet on which ones they might be; the game has recently seen the debut of several Legendary birds, including Zapdos most recently. Players in Japan are also able to find the game's first Shiny Pokemon.

If you've yet to catch one or simply missed out on what you were looking for, all four Legendaries released so far--Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia--will be available again. They'll be catchable through Raid Battles from today through August 31.
30
From tiki torches to hockey, Charlottesville compels brands to denounce their white supremacist patrons
from The Washington Post

Last weekend in Charlottesville, hundreds of people espousing white nationalist, neo-Nazi and Klux Klux Klan ideology marched in the dark through the University of Virginia campus spewing racist taunts while illuminating the night with tiki torches in hand.

Until then, the fire-tipped poles were mostly associated with backyard barbecue ambiance, kitschy Polynesian luaus and mosquito-repellent. Now, tiki torches are among the growing list of products and logos being used by white nationalists.

Corporations, in a bid to protect their brands and images, have been quick to denounce the  groups.

"TIKI Brand is not associated in any way with the events that took place in Charlottesville and are deeply saddened and disappointed," the company wrote Saturday on its Facebook page. "We do not support their message or the use of our products in this way."

In just the last year, half a dozen name brands or companies have had to publicly distance their products — including New Balance tennis shoes and Fred Perry polo shirts — from white nationalist groups after official, or unofficial, endorsements from its followers.

Detroit Red Wings

Along with their tiki torches, some "Unite the Right" marchers in Charlottesville also carried signs that replicated the logo of the Detroit Red Wings, one of the most popular teams in the National Hockey League. The team's logo, altered slightly to incorporate Nazi imagery, is the apparent symbol representing a group from Michigan called the Detroit Right Wings, reported CNN.

In a sharp statement posted to social media and its website, the team said that the Detroit Red Wings "vehemently disagree with and are not associated in any way" with the Charlottesville rally, which was organized to oppose the removal of a statue depicting Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

"The Red Wings believe that hockey is for Everyone and we celebrate the diversity of our fan base and our nation," the team statement said. "We are exploring every possible legal action as it pertains to the misuse of our logo in this disturbing demonstration."

The NHL also weighed in, writing in a statement that the organization is "obviously outraged by the irresponsible and improper use of our intellectual property" at the rally.

"This specific use is directly contrary to the value of inclusiveness that our League prioritizes and champions," the league said, adding that it would take "immediate" steps to reclaim the logo and "vigorously pursue other remedies."

GoDaddy

Late Sunday night, the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer was put on notice by GoDaddy, the Web hosting company that houses its domain. In a statement to The Washington Post, GoDaddy said that a post on the website disparaging Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman killed Saturday during the Charlottesville rally, could "incite more violence," which violated its terms of service.

Heyer was among the hundreds who converged on Charlottesville to counterprotest the white supremacist rally. She died, according to police, after James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Ohio, drove his vehicle into a crowd of people. He has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and another count related to the hit-and-run, authorities said.

GoDaddy, after months of criticism for giving the anti-Semitic website a platform for hate speech, said it had given the Daily Stormer 24 hours to move the domain to another provider before it canceled service.

New Balance

And just last month, the chairman of the Fred Perry fashion label, a British company founded by the champion tennis player in 1952, watched helplessly as the self-described "Western chauvinist" Proud Boys appeared in Canada wearing black Fred Perry polo shirts trimmed in yellow stripes.

The Proud Boys espouse "anti-political correctness, anti-racial guilt" agenda in "an age of globalism and multiculturalism," as The Post's Kyle Swenson previously reported.

When the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. asked Fred Perry Chairman John Flynn about the far-right group's obsession with the brand, he offered a history lesson in the company's diverse roots.

"It is a shame that we have to even answer the question," he added.

In November of last year, just days after President Trump won the White House, the Daily Stormer's founder, Andrew Anglin, declared New Balance tennis shoes the "Official Shoes of White People." Anglin said New Balance was the "uniform" of the alt-right, an umbrella term for those holding white supremacist and white nationalist ideals, because the company had praised Trump's support for a trade policy stance.

"It's time to get on-board with New Balance now," Anglin wrote. "Their brave act has just made them the official brand of the Trump Revolution."

The company quickly released a statement rejecting the assertion: "New Balance does not tolerate bigotry or hatred in any form...New Balance is a values-driven organization and culture that believes in humanity, integrity, community and mutual respect for people around the world."
31
Fleas in Arizona test positive for the plague
from Newsweek

Fleas in two Arizona counties are carrying bubonic plague, an infectious disease that took the lives of millions of people in the Middle Ages, according to news reports. So far there have been no reported illness and deaths.

Health officials in Navajo and Coconino counties in Arizona recently issued a warning to the general public after fleas in the northern part of the state tested positive for Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes the bubonic plague. Humans can contract the plague in a number of ways. In addition to flea bites, people can pick up the bacteria by handling the fluids or tissue of a rodent or another animal that has the illness. The plague can also be transmitted through bodily fluids such as respiratory droplets.

"Navajo County Health Department is urging the public to take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to this serious disease, which can be present in fleas, rodents, rabbits and predators that feed upon these animals," the public health warning states, ABC news reported. "The disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected flea or by direct contact with an infected animal."

The plague is primarily found on the West Coast of the U.S., especially the southwestern U.S. when cool summers follow wet winters. At the end of June, three people in New Mexico tested positive for the plague as well, according to NPR.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a public health committee member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and senior associate at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security says the area of the country is vulnerable to the transmission of the plague bacterium.

"Western parts of the United States have had ongoing plague transmission in rodents for over a century," he says.

Although incidents of plague are minimal these days the risk still exists so people should be vigilant "when dealing with rodents and clear areas of their property that may be attractive to rodents," says Adalja. He adds that it's also important for health care providers to be aware of cases and learn to spot symptoms of illness, and to be aware of diagnostic testing and treatment protocols for the illness.

The infectious bacteria that causes plague is rare in the U.S. today. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention, an average of seven human cases are diagnosed each year. In 2015, four people in the U.S died from the illness. Worldwide there are roughly 300 cases of the plague each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Symptoms of the plague include sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes). This form is usually the result of an infected flea bite. The bacteria multiply in the lymph node closest to where the bacteria entered the human body. The disease can be treated effectively with a course of antibiotics, but left untreated the plague can spread to other parts of the body. Without appropriate medical care the illness can be deadly; up to 60 percent of people infected with the pathogen die from it. 
32
Trump campaign emails show aide's repeated efforts to set up Russia meetings
from The Washington Post

Three days after Donald Trump named his campaign foreign policy team in March 2016, the youngest of the new advisers sent an email to seven campaign officials with the subject line: "Meeting with Russian Leadership - Including Putin."

The adviser, George Papadopoulos, offered to set up "a meeting between us and the Russian leadership to discuss US-Russia ties under President Trump," telling them his Russian contacts welcomed the opportunity, according to internal campaign emails read to The Washington Post.

The proposal sent a ripple of concern through campaign headquarters in Trump Tower. Campaign co-chairman Sam Clovis wrote that he thought NATO allies should be consulted before any plans were made. Another Trump adviser, retired Navy Rear Adm. Charles Kubic, cited legal concerns, including a possible violation of U.S. sanctions against Russia and of the Logan Act, which prohibits U.S. citizens from unauthorized negotiation with foreign governments.

But Papadopoulos, a campaign volunteer with scant foreign policy experience, persisted. Between March and September, the self-described energy consultant sent at least a half-dozen requests for Trump, as he turned from primary candidate to party nominee, or for members of his team to meet with Russian officials. Among those to express concern about the effort was then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who rejected in May 2016 a proposal from Papadopoulos for Trump to do so.


The exchanges are among more than 20,000 pages of documents the Trump campaign turned over to congressional committees this month after review by White House and defense lawyers. The selection of Papadopoulos's emails were read to The Post by a person with access to them. Two other people with access to the emails confirmed the general tone of the exchanges and some specific passages within them.

Papadopoulos emerges from the sample of emails as a new and puzzling figure in the examination of the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian officials and their proxies during the 2016 election, now the subject of a special-counsel investigation.

Less than a decade out of college, Papadopoulos appeared to hold little sway within the campaign, and it is unclear whether he was acting as an intermediary for the Russian government, although he told campaign officials he was.

While the emails illustrate his eagerness to strengthen the campaign's connections to the Russian government, Papadopoulos does not spell out in them why it would be in Trump's interest to do so. His entreaties appear to have generated more concern than excitement within the campaign, which at the time was looking to seal the Republican nomination and take on a heavily favored Hillary Clinton in the general election.

But the internal resistance to Papadopoulos's requests is at odds with other overtures Trump allies were making toward Russia at the time, mostly at a more senior level of the campaign.

Three months after Papadopoulos raised the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, the president's son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with a delegation led by a Russian lawyer offering to provide damaging information on Clinton.

Manafort attended that Trump Tower session in June 2016, a meeting now under scrutiny in the special counsel's collusion inquiry. But the new emails reveal that Manafort had rejected a request from Papadopoulos just the previous month to set up a meeting between Trump and Russian officials.

In July 2016 and again two months later, Jeff Sessions, then a senator and senior foreign policy adviser to Trump, met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

And also in July, a few weeks after Papadopoulos asked his superiors whether other campaign advisers or aides could accept some of the Russians' invitations, Carter Page, another foreign policy adviser, spoke at a Russian university in Moscow. Page said he made the trip independently of the campaign.

To experts in Russian intelligence gathering, the Papadopoulos chain offers further evidence that Russians were looking for entry points and playing upon connections with lower-level aides to penetrate the 2016 campaign.

Former CIA director John Brennan in May told the House Intelligence Committee that he had seen worrisome evidence of "contacts and interactions" between Russian officials and the Trump campaign, although he offered no specifics.

Steven L. Hall, who retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of managing the agency's Russia operations, said when told by The Post about the emails: "The bottom line is that there's no doubt in my mind that the Russian government was casting a wide net when they were looking at the American election. I think they were doing very basic intelligence work: Who's out there? Who's willing to play ball? And how can we use them?"

Papadopoulos, a former intern and researcher at the conservative Hudson Institute, was on a list of campaign volunteers that Trump announced as his foreign policy advisory team during a meeting with The Post's editorial board in March 2016. Trump called Papadopoulos an "excellent guy."

Almost immediately, Papadopoulos came under scrutiny for his lack of experience. He graduated from college in 2009, and his LinkedIn profile cited his participation in a Model U.N. program for students among his qualifications. Papadopoulos did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Page, who has been the subject of a foreign surveillance warrant over his connections to Russia, said the Papadopoulos email exchange was another sign that the Russia communications were inconsequential.

"The entirely benign offer from a volunteer member of the Trump movement is infinitely less relevant than the real collusion in the 2016 election," said Page, who was copied on the first Papadopoulos email communication in March. Page said in an email exchange Saturday that "the real scandal lies among Clinton and Obama associates who fed false evidence" to investigators that he said formed the basis of the federal warrant concerning him.

Papadopoulos made more than a half-dozen overtures on behalf of Russians or people with Russia contacts whom he claimed to know.

On March 24, Clovis, the campaign co-chairman who also served on the foreign policy team, reacted to one proposed Russia meeting by writing, "We thought we probably should not go forward with any meeting with the Russians until we have had occasion to sit with our NATO allies."

In the same email chain, Kubic, the retired admiral, reminded others about legal restrictions on meetings with certain Russian officials, adding, "Just want to make sure that no one on the team outruns their headlights and embarrasses the campaign."

Undeterred, Papadopoulos alerted then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in an April email that he was receiving "a lot of calls over the past month" about arranging a Russia meeting.

"Putin wants to host the Trump team when the time is right," he wrote on April 27.

On May 4, Papadopoulos forwarded Lewandowski and others a note he received from the program head for the government-funded Russian International Affairs Council. In it, Ivan Timofeev, a senior official in the organization, reached out to report that Russian foreign ministry officials were open to a Trump visit to Moscow and requested that the campaign and Russians write a formal letter outlining the meeting.

Clovis responded to the Timofeev invitation by noting: "There are legal issues we need to mitigate, meeting with foreign officials as a private citizen."

The email chain does not show a response from Lewandowski, who did not return calls seeking comment.

Several weeks later, Papadopoulos forwarded the same message from Timofeev to Manafort, the newly named campaign chairman.

"Russia has been eager to meet with Mr. Trump for some time and have been reaching out to me to discuss," the adviser told Manafort.

Manafort reacted coolly, forwarding the email to his associate Rick Gates, with a note: "We need someone to communicate that DT is not doing these trips."

Gates agreed and told Manafort he would ask the campaign's correspondence coordinator to handle it — "the person responding to all mail of non-importance" — to signify this did not need a senior official to respond.

A spokesman for Manafort, whose Virginia home was raided by FBI agents three weeks ago as part of an investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, said the email chain provides "concrete evidence that the Russia collusion narrative is fake news."

"Mr. Manafort's swift action reflects the attitude of the campaign — any invitation by Russia, directly or indirectly, would be rejected outright," Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said in a statement.

In an email to The Post, Timofeev confirmed that his organization had discussed a meeting with the Trump campaign in the spring of 2016.

The Russian International Affairs Council was created in 2010 by a decree of then-President Dmitry Medvedev as a project of various Russian government agencies. It is led by former foreign minister Igor Ivanov. Its board includes Russia's current foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, as well as top Russian scholars and business leaders, among them the chairman of Alfa-Bank and Sberbank, two of Russia's largest banks.

"We discussed the idea informally as one of the opportunities for . . . dialogue between Russia and the U.S.," Timofeev said in the email. "RIAC often hosts meetings with prominent political figures and experts from the US and many other countries."

He said the group would have been open to meeting with other campaigns.

Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said officials with the Democrat's campaign have "no recollections or record" of having been contacted by the group. Similarly an adviser to the Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, former Russian ambassador Michael McFaul, said he could not recall any similar invitation.
33
Girl killed after driver deliberately plows into French pizzeria
from CBS News

An 8-year-old girl was killed and at least eight people were injured when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris, authorities said Monday.

France's Interior Ministry says the man who drove his car into a pizzeria was apparently suicidal. The driver was immediately arrested. Police said the man's actions in the town of Sept-Sorts were deliberate, but not thought to be terrorism-related.

The 13-year-old girl and her brother were among the restaurant patrons eating on the outdoor terrace of Pizzeria Cesena when a man in a BMW accelerated toward them, an official with the national gendarme service told The Associated Press.

The girl died immediately, while the boy's injuries are considered life-threatening, the official said. At least three others were hospitalized in serious condition, and eight more sustained light injuries, said the official, who was not authorized to be publicly named.

The incident reignited fears in France after a string of attacks in which a vehicle was the weapon of choice.

An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, leaving six wounded. A truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago.

The man arrested in Monday's attack is thought to have tried to kill himself last week, French Interior Ministry Pierre-Henry Brandet said on BFM television. Brandet said the man, born in 1985, was not known to intelligence or police. He did not identify him.

Two police officials said the incident is considered over and authorities are not searching for accomplices, but to find out what motivated the driver.

A judicial official said Monday night that the Paris prosecutor's office, which oversees French terrorism investigations, was not involved in the case because there was no proof of terrorism at this stage. A security official echoed that there was no evidence of a political or Islamic extremist motive.

The targeted pizzeria is in a shopping zone in the town of Sept-Sorts about 65 kilometers, nearly 40 miles, east of Paris near Champagne country. Police cordoned off a large perimeter of the area.
34
LeBron James Is as Unstoppable as Ever, and the Boston Celtics Know It
from BleacherReport



Finishing a day's work after nine days off can leave even the most chiseled of bodies feeling sore. Even a superhuman like LeBron James can't stave off such pain.

"I feel like s--t right now," James said to a team staffer late Wednesday night, about an hour after the Cleveland Cavaliers had run the Boston Celtics off their home floor in the Eastern Conference Finals' opening game. "But as soon as I get back to this room, get some vino in me, I'll be all right."

He was sitting in front of his locker in the bowels of Boston's TD Garden, reveling in yet another miraculous playoff performance: 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in an easy 117-104 win that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates. Also, he sat for just six minutes all night, which no doubt was why he was more than happy to spend a few extra postgame minutes in the locker room giving his limbs a rest and hearing from a reporter about the rare company he and teammate Kevin Love, who added 32 points, had just joined.

The two, according to ESPN Stats and Info, had become the first pair of teammates to each score more than 30 points in a playoff game in Boston since Jerry West and Elgin Baylor did so in 1966.

"Hey, Kev, you've got to see this," James called out across the locker room to Love, who was sitting with his knees immersed in ice.

Perhaps most incredible, though, is that accolades like these have become routine for LeBron. He's averaging 34.8 points—on 56 percent shooting—nine rebounds and 7.1 assists this postseason, making him the rare 32-year-old, 14-year veteran to seemingly improve with age, and to leave venerable Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens feeling lost.

"It's hard to believe, but he's better than when I got into the league [four years ago]," Stevens told reporters after Game 1. "A lot better. Just as you get older, you gain more experience, see more things. I didn't think he could get any better after that, but he is."

Stevens and the Celtics tried everything they could in Game 1. Big defenders and small, switches and traps. Nothing worked. LeBron set up residence in the paint and got to the rim at will. He drove around bigger defenders and through smaller ones. He shredded double-teams by firing lasers to teammates spread across the floor.

"The way that he reads defense and offense and everything else, he's always picking the matchup that he wants," Stevens said.

Against James, the Celtics looked like a middle school team trying to slow down a varsity high school one. They looked like bowling pins trying to stop the inertia of a ball. Pick any metaphor involving something small and weak attempting to thwart a great force, and that's what Boston looked like while going up against LeBron.

"It was very clear that he was trying to get to the rim on us no matter who was on him," Stevens added.

None of this, of course, should come as a surprise, even if the Celtics technically are the higher seed. Remember back in early April, when Boston and Cleveland were gearing up for a showdown and the winner it seemed would earn the East's No. 1 seed? Well, in the lead-up to that game James was asked about the importance of locking up the conference's top spot.

"I've played in a lot of big games, man. I'm the last person to ask about a big game in the regular season," he told reporters at the time. "I've been to six straight Finals. I'm the last person to ask about a regular-season game."

Now here we are, over a month later, and once again we're reminded that, per usual, James was proved prophetic. This year's regular season was just a giant tuneup for the Cavaliers.

Defense—eh, not that important anyway.

Home-court advantage—who needs it? Especially when playing in the East, where the Cavaliers have gone 33-4 in postseason games against conference foes since LeBron returned to Cleveland three years ago.

All Cleveland needs is LeBron on the floor, which he always is. This might actually be his most underrated attribute—the fact that he's always there, even after all these years and miles. There's only one team that can slow him, and it plays in the Western Conference. In the meantime, the rest of us will have to get used to watching LeBron carve up otherwise strong squads.

"I'll be much better in Game 2," James told the Cavaliers staffer in the locker room.

That, if you're the Celtics, is a terrifying thought.
35
Texas girl chokes on fidget spinner part
from CNN

Fidget spinners are driving many adults crazy, but one Texas woman is warning about her daughter's dangerous experience.

The mother is sharing her experience in hopes it will serve as a warning to other parents about the choking hazards of the latest toy craze. A fidget spinner has a stable middle and a disc with two or three paddles that can be spun, much like a ceiling fan, to relax the user.

Kelly Rose Joniec of Houston wrote in a Facebook post that she was on her way home Saturday afternoon when she heard Britton, her 10-year-old daughter, choking in the back seat. She pulled over and discovered that her daughter had swallowed one of the bearings from her fidget spinner. After trying to dislodge the small piece of metal with the Heimlich maneuver, Joniec took Britton to the nearest urgent care center.

Doctors were unable to tell where the object had gotten stuck. It wasn't until after an ambulance ride to Texas Children's Hospital that an X-ray revealed the round metal bearing in the girl's esophagus.

In the post, Joniec wrote, "Britton was taken to surgery to endoscopically locate and remove the object. Fortunately we had a positive outcome, but it was pretty scary there for a while...not only because of the initial ingestion, but then the concern about the composition and structure of the object, and finally, the risk with general anesthesia."

The Joniec family said in a statement to CNN, "our full attention and focus is on caring for our daughter and ensuring she continues to lead a healthy life." No other updates about Britton's condition were available.

Efforts to contact several fidget spinner makers for comment were not successful. Learning Express Toys, which carries the gadgets online and in over 125 stores across the country, has a warning for consumers on its website. "CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years."

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission agrees: "Anything with small parts, keep it away from young children. If it can fit through a toilet paper roll, don't give it to a young child, and make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions," spokeswoman Patty Davis advised.

Many toys come with choking hazard warnings. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, choking is a leading cause of injury and death among children, especially those 3 or younger. In a statement from the Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, the academy warns that "Food, coins, and toys are the primary causes of choking-related injury and death. Certain characteristics, including shape, size, and consistency, of certain toys and foods increase their potential to cause choking among children."

Several schools have banned fidget spinners because they've become a distraction. The devices have long been a tool for teachers, guidance counselors and therapists.

"Promoting fidgeting is a common method for managing attention regulation," said Elaine Taylor-Klaus, co-founder of ImpactADHD, a coaching service for children with attention disorders and their parents.

"For some people (with ADHD), there's a need for constant stimulation," she said. "What a fidget allows some people -- not all people -- with ADHD to do is to focus their attention on what they want to focus on, because there's sort of a background motion that's occupying that need."
36
The T. rex chomped with the bone-crunching force of three cars
from USA Today

Call it the big chomp.

The T. rex was impressive in its might and so was its bite —more than twice as bone-crunching as the bite of its relative, the fearsome crocodile, a Florida State University researcher found.

Without a doubt, much of the Tyrannosaurus rex's attraction is its reported mammoth size: 40 feet long, up to 20 feet tall, a 5-foot long skull and weighing over 7 tons. But a new study by Gregory Erickson, a professor of biological science at FSU and Paul Gignac, assistant professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleontology at Oklahoma State University, sheds new light on the power of T. rex's formidable chomp.

Ferocious is one way to describe it.

The study, published Wednesday in Scientific Reports, says the T. rex, or "king of the tyrant lizards" dominated anything in its way with its ability to bite down with "nearly 8,000 pounds of force, which is more than two times greater than the bite force of the largest living crocodiles," considered to be the strongest bite force creatures of the modern day.

The study also says the dinosaur's conical teeth "generated an astounding 431,000 pounds per square inch of bone-failing tooth pressures."

This force allowed T. rex to drive open cracks in bone during repetitive, mammal-like biting, leading to a catastrophic explosion of some bones of its prey, Erickson and his collaborator found.

"It was this bone-crunching acumen that helped T. rex to more fully exploit the carcasses of large horned dinosaurs and duck-billed hadrosaurids whose bones, rich in mineral salts and marrow, were unavailable to smaller, less equipped carnivorous dinosaurs," said Gignac, who earned his Ph.D. in biological sciences from FSU in 2010.

The researchers built on their extensive experience testing and modeling of how the musculature of living crocodiles, which are relatives of dinosaurs, contribute to biting forces. They then compared the results with birds, which are modern-day dinosaurs, and generated a model for T. rex.

From their work on crocodilians, they learned high bite forces were only part of the story. To understand how the giant dinosaur consumed bone, Erickson and Gignac also needed to understand how power was transmitted through the teeth, a measurement they call tooth pressure.

"Having high bite force doesn't necessarily mean an animal can puncture hide or pulverize bone. Tooth pressure is the biomechanically more relevant parameter," said Erickson, one of the nation's leading paleontologists. "It is like assuming a 600-horsepower engine guarantees speed. In a Ferrari, sure, but not for a dump truck."

In explaining the significance of the study, Erickson gave a sense of the outlandish power T.rex displayed.

"Eight thousand pounds of force is over twice what the largest crocodiles can generate," he said. "We recorded a world record bite force for living animals in a 17-foot Australian saltwater crocodile."

To simplify it, Erickson put the numbers in everyday context: 8,000 pounds of force, he said, is the equivalent weight of three small cars.

Regarding the dinosaurs' ability to pulverize bones, Erickson said, "We show that it did it through a combination of prodigious bite forces, robust tooth form, and tooth arrangements in the jaws that collectively enabled bone pulverizing pressures.

"T. rex could pretty much bite through the hides and pulverize the bones of any animal unlucky enough to find itself in its maw."

Erickson, whose primary area of research includes archosaurian reptiles — crocodiles, non-avian and avian dinosaurs (birds), and pterosaurs, said studies like this help to expand knowledge about the most fearsome creatures that have ever walked the earth.

"I think as children we are fascinated with all the world has to offer and are introduced to amazing creatures like monsters and dragons in movies, only to have our parents tell us that they aren't real," he said. "Then we learn about dinosaurs and are told they are real — and safe because they are extinct. T. rex being among the largest predators of all time gets the most attention."
37
McCain: Russia probe reaching the point 'of Watergate size'
from CNN
DISCLAIMER: Posting about politics is not intended to start a flame war. The political climate in the U.S. is feeble. Please take political news with a grain of salt.

Sen. John McCain invoked Watergate in describing the escalating controversy surrounding alleged ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.

"I think it's reaching the point where it's of Watergate size and scale, and a couple of other scandals you and I have seen," the Arizona Republican said Tuesday night. "It's the centipede that the shoe continues to drop. Every couple of days, there's a new aspect of this really unhappy situation."

McCain discussed the series of scandals that brought down Richard Nixon's presidency at the International Republican Institute's 2017 Freedom Dinner, where he was being honored. He shared his thoughts about the latest White House news on a panel moderated by former "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that former FBI Director James Comey had written a memo describing a meeting he had with Trump, at which the President asked him to end the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. CNN has confirmed the details of that memo, which has raised questions about whether the President obstructed justice.

McCain's office quickly issued a statement clarifying his remarks Tuesday night.

"Senator McCain's comments tonight were simply meant to convey that the constant revelations of events surrounding Russia's interference in the 2016 election are reminiscent of past scandals, are not good for America and require further scrutiny," said Julie Tarallo, a McCain spokeswoman. "He continues to call for a select committee to investigate all aspects of Russia's interference in the 2016 election and all of the events surrounding it."

The former Republican presidential nominee said Wednesday that Trump could take notes from how President Ronald Reagan handled the Iran-Contra affair, where senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran. Reagan appointed the three-person Tower Commission to look into the scandal, though the panel lacked certain investigative authorities, such as subpoena power.

"The way Reagan was able to overcome Iran-Contra was he got everything out so there were no more questions so the country could move on," McCain told CNN. "That's what we need to do now, is get all the information out and move forward."

"Whenever you have something like this it's very difficult to move forward because it requires people's attention and it's being diverted," he added. "Watergate took many months. This thing seems to be taking hours."
38
Arrested Development returning for season 5 on Netflix
from EW



Break out your best/worst chicken dance: Arrested Development is officially back.

Netflix confirmed on Wednesday that it has ordered a fifth season of the beloved, off-kilter comedy featuring a misfitted family in Orange County, California, whose patriarch made questionable money in real estate and may have committed some light treason along the way. The new episodes — of which there are 15 — will debut sometime in 2018.

While speculation about a re-revival has been swirling for a long time, the buzzing intensified on Friday when Jason Bateman, whose Michael anchors the Bluth family, tweeted that he had just inked a deal to make more episodes of the series that also starred David Cross, Tony Hale, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, and Alia Shawkat. "Look very probable I'm going to put some miles on the Stair Car this summer," he said. "Just officially signed on to more ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT today." Last week, EW confirmed that the writers' had already begun breaking stories for the new season. As Bateman indicated, the plan is to start shooting new episodes as early as this summer, and the entire cast is returning.

Arrested Development first aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006, scoring raves from critics — along with an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series — but never managing to find a wide audience. But after being canceled following a shortened third season, Arrested grew in cult status over the years, prompting Netflix to revive it in 2013 with a 15-episode fourth season, which marked the streaming service's first attempt at an original series. It was not an easy challenge for Hurwitz and the writers to coordinate the actors' schedules, as the stars were tied up on other projects. As a result, they created episodes that focused on individual characters — with Michael popping up in various stories to help anchor the show — rather than group scenes.

In a statement on Tuesday, Hurwitz coyly drew comparisons to President Donald Trump and his real estate family and empire. "In talks with Netflix, we all felt that stories about a narcissistic, erratically behaving family in the building business — and their desperate abuses of power — are really underrepresented on TV these days," he said, adding, "I am so grateful to them and to 20th TV for making this dream of mine come true in bringing the Bluths, George Sr., Lucille and the kids; Michael, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric, George-Michael, and who am I forgetting, oh Tiffany. Did I say Tiffany? — back to the glorious stream of life."

"Arrested Development brings us structures, outerwear, and choreography like no other comedy in history," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. "Season 4 marked the first foray by Netflix into original comedy programming, and this time, the Bluths will collectively be spending more quality time with their millions of fans around the world."

"Arrested Development remains one of the iconic franchises we, Ron, and Brian are asked about most," said Fox Television Group CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman, whose studio produces the series. "It's a testament to the brilliance of Mitch's creation, the passion of his audience, and the love his cast holds in their hearts for his writing and characters that we have been able to 'get the band back together' not once but twice since the Emmy-winning original run. Get ready, America. The Bluths are coming back."

Want more statements? You got 'em. "Whew! I can finally answer the question... Hell yes!" said narrator and executive producer Ron Howard. "Warming up my uncredited narrator vocal chords. Now the only thing I will have to be coy about is all the craziness the Bluths are going to face this season." Added fellow exec producer Brian Grazer: "I love working with Mitch. He is a genius and the rarest of original thinkers. He brings a richness to the characters and the storylines that makes the series memorably fun."

It is not yet known what those storylines might look like this time around. Back in 2013, Hurwitz said that season 4 would serve as prologue to a movie. But more recently, talk of more Arrested came in the context of a fifth season. Season 4 concluded on a murder mystery cliffhanger with the arrest of Buster (Hale) following the death of Lucille Two (Liza Minnelli). Hurwitz said that this story line was put into play before the true crime genre exploded (Serial, The Jinx, Making a Murderer, etc.). "There was a lot of Making a Murderer in there," he said last year. "We quietly set up these guilty parties all over the place, and hopefully that won't be old hat by now."

But at that time, he also noted that there was material in season 4 that wound up feeling prescient (the construction of the wall, the political aspirations of de Rossi's Lindsay) and it was unclear how that would impact his plan. "The fourth season was all about the Bluths building a wall," Hurwitz told EW. "This was before he made that comment. Even then it felt a little trite to me, but I had enough twists in my head, I knew what we were going to do with it, I knew what the twist was, and I still don't want to give that away.... But so much of what we were getting at [will] still be viable, Where we left things in season 4, Lindsay was becoming the Republican candidate arguing to put up this wall; even though she fought against it, she had completely flip-flopped. She was going to be running against her friend Sally Sitwell [Christine Taylor], but there were so many things that we had built into it that was all about Hispanic uprising, so I may pull back on that, just for comedic reasons, just because it might feel like a sketch, like too easy of a parody."
39
Teen's caffeine-related death highlights the dangers of the common stimulant
from ABC News

The death of a teen who drank caffeinated beverages has spotlighted the possible dangers of caffeine.

Davis Allen Cripe, 16, died last month due to a "caffeine-induced cardiac event" according to the Richland County coroner in Columbia, South Carolina.

Cripe consumed just three caffeinated beverages, but the high levels of caffeine caused a cardiac event, according to Dr. Gary Watts, the Richland County coroner.

He said there was not enough caffeine to be "toxic" causing a "caffeine overdose."

Instead the caffeine "brought on this cardiac event," Watts told ABC News. The teen did not have a family history of cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heart beat and there was nothing structurally wrong with his heart.

The Associated Press reported that Cripe consumed a large caffeinated soda, latte and energy drink before he collapsed at school and was rushed to the hospital.

But how can caffeine, a key component in many common beverages, turn deadly? It can depend on the amount consumed and the person's health history.

The Mayo Clinic reports that approximately 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day is safe for most healthy adults, which is roughly "the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two 'energy shot' drinks."

It's unclear how much is safe or unsafe for teens or young children, since studies of its effects are not permitted in children.

But, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised parents in a 2011 report to keep kids and teens away from energy drinks over concerns of high-levels of caffeine.

"Caffeine –- by far the most popular stimulant -– has been linked to a number of harmful health effects in children, including effects on the developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems," AAP officials said. "In general, caffeine-containing beverages, including soda, should be avoided."

Generally, once consumed, the drug is "rapidly absorbed into the blood and easily passes the blood–brain barrier to function as a mild stimulant of the central nervous system," according to a report on caffeine-related deaths in the Journal of Toxicology.

The report found that, while millions consume caffeine beverages every day without any issues, there have been some rare cases of caffeine overdose causing heart problems and death.

"Overdosing with caffeine causes excitement, agitation and people experience tachycardia, heart palpitations and often require emergency hospital treatment," the report states.

While Cripe did not have underlying issues, according to the coroner, Dr. Bruce Goldberger, a toxicologist and professor at University of Florida College of Medicine, said that caffeine can exacerbate genetic issues that put people at increased risk for irregular heart beat or cardiac arrhythmia after consuming caffeine, even if they don't ingest extremely high levels that would be considered "toxic."

"There are certain cardiac arrhythmia that cause sudden death in young people," Goldberger said.

The rise of caffeine packed energy drinks, pills or powders have also drawn attention from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other health organizations.

In 2015, the FDA issued a report urging consumers to stay away from caffeine powders, pointing out a "single teaspoon of pure caffeine is roughly equivalent to the amount in 28 cups of coffee."

They reported two deaths had been associated with these types of products.

Also in 2015, the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) reported 1,661 single exposures to caffeine-containing energy drinks, with five major complications but no deaths. The AAPCC also reported 3,023 single exposures to caffeine as a street drug, with 17 major complications and one death.
40
The Amazing Dinosaur Found (Accidentally) by Miners in Canada
from National Geographic



On the afternoon of March 21, 2011, a heavy-equipment operator named Shawn Funk was carving his way through the earth, unaware that he would soon meet a dragon.

That Monday had started like any other at the Millennium Mine, a vast pit some 17 miles north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, operated by energy company Suncor. Hour after hour Funk's towering excavator gobbled its way down to sands laced with bitumen—the transmogrified remains of marine plants and creatures that lived and died more than 110 million years ago. It was the only ancient life he regularly saw. In 12 years of digging he had stumbled across fossilized wood and the occasional petrified tree stump, but never the remains of an animal—and certainly no dinosaurs.

But around 1:30, Funk's bucket clipped something much harder than the surrounding rock. Oddly colored lumps tumbled out of the till, sliding down onto the bank below. Within minutes Funk and his supervisor, Mike Gratton, began puzzling over the walnut brown rocks. Were they strips of fossilized wood, or were they ribs? And then they turned over one of the lumps and revealed a bizarre pattern: row after row of sandy brown disks, each ringed in gunmetal gray stone.

"Right away, Mike was like, 'We gotta get this checked out,' " Funk said in a 2011 interview. "It was definitely nothing we had ever seen before."

Nearly six years later, I'm visiting the fossil prep lab at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in the windswept badlands of Alberta. The cavernous warehouse swells with the hum of ventilation and the buzz of technicians scraping rock from bone with needle-tipped tools resembling miniature jackhammers. But my focus rests on a 2,500-pound mass of stone in the corner.

At first glance the reassembled gray blocks look like a nine-foot-long sculpture of a dinosaur. A bony mosaic of armor coats its neck and back, and gray circles outline individual scales. Its neck gracefully curves to the left, as if reaching toward some tasty plant. But this is no lifelike sculpture. It's an actual dinosaur, petrified from the snout to the hips.

The more I look at it, the more mind-boggling it becomes. Fossilized remnants of skin still cover the bumpy armor plates dotting the animal's skull. Its right forefoot lies by its side, its five digits splayed upward. I can count the scales on its sole. Caleb Brown, a postdoctoral researcher at the museum, grins at my astonishment. "We don't just have a skeleton," he tells me later. "We have a dinosaur as it would have been."

For paleontologists the dinosaur's amazing level of fossilization—caused by its rapid undersea burial—is as rare as winning the lottery. Usually just the bones and teeth are preserved, and only rarely do minerals replace soft tissues before they rot away. There's also no guarantee that a fossil will keep its true-to-life shape. Feathered dinosaurs found in China, for example, were squished flat, and North America's "mummified" duck-billed dinosaurs, among the most complete ever found, look withered and sun dried.

Paleobiologist Jakob Vinther, an expert on animal coloration from the U.K.'s University of Bristol, has studied some of the world's best fossils for signs of the pigment melanin. But after four days of working on this one—delicately scraping off samples smaller than flecks of grated Parmesan—even he is astounded. The dinosaur is so well preserved that it "might have been walking around a couple of weeks ago," Vinther says. "I've never seen anything like this."

A poster for the movie Night at the Museum hangs on the wall behind Vinther. On it a dinosaur skeleton emerges from the shadows, magically brought back to life.

The remarkable fossil is a newfound species (and genus) of nodosaur, a type of ankylosaur often overshadowed by its cereal box–famous cousins in the subgroup Ankylosauridae. Unlike ankylosaurs, nodosaurs had no shin-splitting tail clubs, but they too wielded thorny armor to deter predators. As it lumbered across the landscape between 110 million and 112 million years ago, almost midway through the Cretaceous period, the 18-foot-long, nearly 3,000-pound behemoth was the rhinoceros of its day, a grumpy herbivore that largely kept to itself. And if something did come calling—perhaps the fearsome Acrocanthosaurus—the nodosaur had just the trick: two 20-inch-long spikes jutting out of its shoulders like a misplaced pair of bull's horns.

The western Canada that this dinosaur knew was a very different world from the brutally cold, windswept plains I encountered this past autumn. In the nodosaur's time, the area resembled today's South Florida, with warm, humid breezes wafting through conifer forests and fern-filled meadows. It's even possible that the nodosaur gazed out on an ocean. In the early Cretaceous, rising waters carved an inland seaway that blanketed much of what's now Alberta, its western shore lapping against eastern British Columbia, where the nodosaur may have lived. Today those ancient seabeds lie buried under forests and rolling fields of wheat.

One unlucky day this landlubbing animal ended up dead in a river, possibly swept in by a flood. The belly-up carcass wended its way downriver—kept afloat by gases that bacteria belched into its body cavity—and eventually washed out into the seaway, scientists surmise. Winds blew the carcass eastward, and after a week or so afloat, the bloated carcass burst. The body sank back-first onto the ocean floor, kicking up soupy mud that engulfed it. Minerals infiltrated the skin and armor and cradled its back, ensuring that the dead nodosaur would keep its true-to-life form as eons' worth of rock piled atop it.

The creature's immortality hinged on each link in this unlikely chain of events. If it had drifted another few hundred feet on that ancient sea, it would have fossilized beyond Suncor's property line, keeping it entombed. Instead Funk stumbled upon the oldest Albertan dinosaur ever found, frozen in stone as if it had gazed upon Medusa.

"That was a really exciting discovery," says Victoria Arbour, an armored-dinosaur paleontologist at Canada's Royal Ontario Museum. Arbour has seen the fossil at various stages of preparation, but she's not involved in its study. "It represents such a different environment from today and such a different time, and it has great preservation." (Arbour has begun studying a similarly well preserved ankylosaur found in Montana in 2014, much of which remains hidden within a 35,000-pound block of stone. On May 10, Arbour and her colleague David Evans published a description of the Montana ankylosaur, naming it Zuul crurivastator—"Zuul, destroyer of shins"—after the monster in the film Ghostbusters.)

The Canadian specimen literally defies words, in more ways than one. As this article went to press, museum staff were finalizing the creature's scientific description and hadn't yet settled on a common name for it. ("Mrs. Prickley," a reference to a Canadian sketch comedy character, didn't stick.) But already the fossil is providing new insights into the structure of nodosaurs' armor. Reconstructing armor usually requires educated guesswork, as the bony plates, called osteoderms, scatter early in the decaying process. Not only did the osteoderms on this nodosaur preserve in place, but so did traces of the scales in between.

What's more, sheaths once made of keratin—the same material that's in human fingernails—still coat many of the osteoderms, letting paleontologists see precisely how these sheaths exaggerated the armor's size and shape. "I've been calling this one the Rosetta stone for armor," says Donald Henderson, curator of dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Freeing this Rosetta stone from its rocky tomb, however, proved a herculean task.

After word of the discovery raced up the ladder at Suncor, the company quickly notified the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Henderson and Darren Tanke, one of the museum's veteran technicians, scrambled aboard a Suncor jet and flew to Fort McMurray. Suncor excavators and museum staff chipped away at the rock in 12-hour shifts, shrouded in dust and diesel fumes.

They eventually whittled it down to a 15,000-pound rock containing the dinosaur, ready to be hoisted out of the pit. But with cameras rolling, disaster struck: As it was lifted, the rock shattered, cleaving the dinosaur into several chunks. The fossil's partially mineralized, cakelike interior simply couldn't support its own weight.

Tanke spent the night devising a plan to save the fossil. The next morning Suncor personnel wrapped the fragments in plaster of paris, while Tanke and Henderson scrounged for anything to stabilize the fossil on the long drive to the museum. In lieu of timbers, the crew used plaster-soaked burlap rolled up like logs.

The MacGyver-like plan worked. Some 420 miles later the team reached the Royal Tyrrell Museum's prep lab, where the blocks were entrusted to fossil preparator Mark Mitchell. His work on the nodosaur has required a sculptor's touch: For more than 7,000 hours over the past five years, Mitchell has slowly exposed the fossil's skin and bone. The painstaking process is like freeing compressed talcum powder from concrete. "You almost have to fight for every millimeter," he says.

Mitchell's fight is nearly over, but it will take years, if not decades, to fully understand the fossil he uncovers. Its skeleton, for example, remains mostly obscured in skin and armor. In some ways it's almost too well preserved; reaching the dinosaur's bones would require destroying its outer layers. CT scans funded by the National Geographic Society have revealed little, as the rock remains stubbornly opaque.

For Vinther the nodosaur fossil's most revolutionary features may lie at its smallest scale: microscopic remnants of its original coloration. If he successfully reconstructs its distribution, he could help reveal how the dinosaur navigated its environment and used its pronounced armor.

"This armor was clearly providing protection, but those elaborated horns on the front of its body would have been almost like a billboard," he says. This advertisement could have helped woo mates or intimidate rivals—and may have stood out against a backdrop of rouge. Chemical tests of the dinosaur's skin have hinted at the presence of reddish pigments, contrasting with the horns' markedly light coloration.

In May the Royal Tyrrell Museum unveils the nodosaur as the centerpiece of a new exhibit of fossils recovered from Alberta's industrial sites. Now the public is marveling at what has wowed scientists for the past six years: an ambassador from Canada's distant past, found in a moonscape by a man with an excavator.


41
'Roseanne' revival gets picked up by ABC
from Daily News

The Conner family is officially returning home to ABC.

"Roseanne," the classic '90s sitcom starring comedian Roseanne Barr, will get eight new episodes sometime midseason in 2018, the network announced Tuesday.

The series' original cast members, Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), John Goodman (Dan), Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Laurie Metcalf (Jackie), Michael Fishman (D.J.) and Lecy Goranson (Becky), will all return, as will Sarah Chalke. Chalke took over the role of Becky from Goranson in later seasons, but she'll play a different role in the reboot.

The latest installment will come more than 20 years after the show ended in 1997 with a widely panned season nine that revealed Roseanne's beloved husband, Dan, had died of a heart attack earlier in the season despite audiences believing he survived.

"The Conners' joys and struggles are as relevant — and hilarious — today as they were then, and there's really no one better to comment on our modern America than Roseanne," ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.

"Roseanne" consistently dominated the ratings during its nine seasons thanks to its groundbreaking portrayal of a realistic blue-collar Midwest family.

Back in 2009, Barr, 64, revealed her own ideas as to what the Conner clan would be up to today, though there's no telling whether her predictions will be reflected in the reboot.

According to Barr, D.J. got published, Mark died in Iraq, Darlene had a test tube baby with a woman after David left her for someone half his age, Becky works at Wal-Mart and Roseanne and Jackie open the first medical marijuana dispensary in Lanford, Ill., allowing them to pay off their mortgage before the house is foreclosed on.

The "Roseanne" reboot comes as part of a wave of TV shows that have been resurrected in recent years, including "Full House," "Arrested Development," "The X-Files," "Twin Peaks" and "Will & Grace," which is slated to air this fall on NBC.

42
Katy Perry Joins American Idol! Singer Is 'Honored and Thrilled' to Judge Reality Show Reboot
from People

She's going to Hollywood!

ABC just announced at least one member of the new judging panel for the upcoming American Idol reboot — and it's more star-studded than ever.

Katy Perry was confirmed to be a part of the new crew at the ABC upfront on Tuesday.

"SO thrilled @ABCNetwork is bringing back @AmericanIdol, and I'm bringing it back to the 🎶MUSIC🎶 [See] you at auditions," Perry, 32, tweeted shortly following the announcement, sharing her official Idol portrait.

"I am honored and thrilled to be the first judge bringing back the American Idol tradition of making dreams come true for incredible talents with authentic personalities and real stories," said Perry in a statement released by the network. "I'm always listening to new music, and love discovering diamonds in the rough – from mentoring young artists on my label, or highlighting new artists on my tours, I want to bring it back to the music."

Added ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey, "We are thrilled to be ushering in this new era of American Idol with Katy leading the charge. Her incredible accolades speak for themselves. We are so lucky to have this strong and talented woman help inspire and guide the next crop of artists as they pursue their dreams."

As for the host, after weeks of rumors, it remains unconfirmed that Ryan Seacrest will resume his duties on the show, after 15 season when it was on Fox. He'll still continue to host Live with Kelly and Ryan, balancing both jobs by flying coast to coast each week.

"I had said at the end of the series, 'Goodbye for now,' hoping somewhere it would come back," Seacrest said on Live! on May 8.

A source had earlier confirmed to PEOPLE that Seacrest had never lost his affection for this show:

"As for Ryan, his plate is obviously pretty full already — his priority is Live with Kelly and Ryan, he has big commitments to iHeartRadio daily and the syndicated radio show," the source said. "That said, Ryan has a lot of affection for Idol given the significance to his career, and it taps into the things he loves — a live show, pop music, discovering new talent, etc."

Celebrities not returning to the reboot? Simon Cowell, who previously said that he had no interest in returning, and former contestants Kelly Clarkson (who was briefly rumored to be joining the show last week) and Jennifer Hudson, who will instead join The Voice as coaches.
43
Instagram launches selfie filters, copying the last big Snapchat feature
from TechCrunch



Today Instagram Stories adds a more subtle and mature but error-prone copycat of Snapchat's beloved augmented reality selfie filters. The eight initial "face filters," as Instagram calls them, work exactly like Snapchat, and let you add virtual koala ears, nerd glasses, a butterfly crown or wrinkle-smooth makeup to yourself and friends in photos or videos.

The face filters are the last major Snapchat Stories feature missing from Instagram after it cloned Snap's slideshow-sharing format, overlaid creative tools, disappearing Direct messages and more. Without a compelling reason for new users to pick the original Snapchat Stories over the Instagram Stories clone, Instagram could thereby widen the gap by adding to its 200 million daily Stories users that already outnumber Snapchat's 166 million total users, and further slow down Snap's growth rate that led it to lose 25 percent of its share price value after it announced weak earnings last week.

Face filters and three more features roll out to all users today via an iOS and Android app update. An eraser tool will let you remove drawings you added to an image, though it can't "Photoshop" out objects from the original image like Snapchat's Magic Eraser. Instagram's new Rewind mode plays videos in reverse, just like one of Snapchat's oldest filters.

The most original new Instagram feature is the ability to type a hashtag and add it to your Stories posts as a sticker, just like a location sticker. When viewers tap on these stickers, they'll be taken to the Instagram hashtag page showing other public, permanent posts with that hashtag. Eventually, though, you could imagine the ability to search Stories by hashtag, or watch a "Hashtag Story" compiled from all the publicly visible Stories with that label. Instagram actually just started testing Location Stories.



Face filters for adults too

"There's a lot of exciting work being done around augmented reality," an Instagram spokesperson said when asked about the app copying Snapchat's face filters. "We've heard from our community that they want more creative ways to share everyday moments and engage with friends. With face filters, they have more tools than ever at their fingertips, and all in one place."

While that dodges the question a bit, the last part is revealing. Instagram wants to be the one-stop shop for visual communication, no matter your age. Instagram's spin on Snapchat's selfie masks is designed to make them simple and less wacky so they appeal to users beyond teens. If you're not into Stories, you can also use Face Filters with Instagram Direct and Boomerang, as well as images you might want to post to the main feed.



Instead of needing to know you tap on the screen to activate face filters like in Snapchat, Instagram steals that access point so it's intuitive for veteran mask users, but also adds a Smiley button to reveal the tray of 8 filters along the bottom of the screen.

"The designs and specific filters were built by the Instagram team," says the Instagram spokesperson. But referring to the AR startup Facebook acquired last year, they noted that "The underlying technology uses MSQRD's imaging technology and proprietary technology from Facebook's applied machine learning teams."

Instagram wouldn't share whether the available filters will expand, rotate or come and go, but they did say "we'll be bringing more face filters to the community on a regular basis." Here's a brief overview of the initial set:

- Gold Crown – A Caesar-style golden wreath around you head, this filter is subtle and universal enough to be a good introduction to filters.
- Koala – This cute filter adds a Koala nose and ears that raise in surprise when you open your mouth, though it falls short of being as adorable as Snapchat's iconic puppy filter.
- Nerd Glasses – This one swirls math equations around your head, can appear on two people at once and features glasses that slip down your nose if you tilt forward.
- Bunny – Another attempt at beating Snapchat's puppy filter, these ears raise in surprise when you open your mouth, and react to gravity by folding over if you learn side to side.
- Butterfly Crown – Instagram's attempt at Snapchat's Coachella-favorite flower crown puts a wreathe of butterflies on your head that flitter off as you move.
- Ice Crown – You exhale steam as snowflakes flurry around with this ice crown.
- Peacock – Giant purple feathers in the foreground shield you from view until they're pulled aside to reveal you, when you lean forward, looking like a 1930s flapper.
- Makeup – Instagram's final face filter washes a golden hue over you, smoothing your wrinkles so you look more "beautiful."

Overall, the filters are meant to subtly augment your face rather than completely cover it or change its shape like some of Snapchat's more aggressive filters do. While that makes them less playful and noticeable, they're also more artful and mature — something that adults might actually use.

For now Instagram won't allow Sponsored Face Filters, but those could come eventually to rival Snapchat's similar ad unit. With all the most popular Snapchat Stories features successfully cloned, the smaller things left include adding 3D augmented reality objects to the world around you.

Now things should get more interesting as Instagram will have to do more innovating as it's run out of stuff to copy.
44
Apple could release MacBook updates soon
from TechCrunch

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is about to release updated MacBook and MacBook Pro models. The company could announce the refresh at its WWDC keynote on June 5.

The 12-inch MacBook with a retina display hasn't been updated in a year. The design still works quite well, so I wouldn't expect anything more than a specification bump.

Maybe Apple is going to add a second USB-C port. That would be nice as it's a bit frustrating that you can't charge your device and plug something at the same time without a dongle. The keyboard isn't as good as the one in the most recent MacBook Pro either.

When it comes to the MacBook Pro with the new Touch Bar, it's still quite new but Apple likes to update its computers regularly with better CPU options, more RAM and storage.

In particular, the MacBook Pro missed the mark for Intel's Kaby Lake processors. The laptops shipped with Skylake CPUs, but there's no reason not to update the laptops with the new CPUs.

More surprising, Bloomberg is saying that Apple is also considering updating the MacBook Air. Based on Apple's own press conference, the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro without a touch bar is the perfect MacBook Air replacement.

It's roughly as heavy as the 13-inch MacBook Air, but it's still more expensive. That's why the MacBook Air is still around for the time being. But Apple could even go a step further and refresh the MacBook Air with better components. I wouldn't hold my breath for this one.

WWDC is a developer conference, so Apple focuses mostly on software news for its developer community. This year should be no different. You can expect some news around iOS 11, tvOS 11, watchOS 4 and macOS 10.12.

At the same time, developers use Macs every day, all day. So it would make sense to spend a minute talking about minor Mac updates. Mac users are also waiting for brand new iMac and Mac Pro models. But those devices aren't ready just yet.
45
Your guide to President Trump's FBI director shortlist
from The Vox
DISCLAIMER: Posting about politics is not intended to start a flame war. The political climate in the U.S. is feeble. Please take political news with a grain of salt.



After the stunning ouster of FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump needs to pick a new person to lead the bureau.

It's a decision rife with consequences both political (firing Comey amid the FBI's investigation into Trumpland's ties to Russia threatens to derail the GOP's agenda) and practical (the new nominee will lead the nation's top law enforcement agency for the next decade).

Trump is weighing eight names to head the FBI, as Bloomberg first reported. They range from Republican politicians to two judges to the man filling Comey's shoes for the time being. They'd be leading the nation's most prestigious police force — and be charged with picking up the Trump-Russia probe that led to their predecessor's removal.

A source familiar with the search confirmed the Bloomberg shortlist.

John Cornyn



Cornyn — the Senate majority whip, the second-ranking position among Senate Republicans — served on the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas attorney general before he was elected to the United States Senate in 2002.

Cornyn would likely enjoy the support of all 52 members of the Senate Republican conference; the FBI director must be confirmed with 50 votes, making Cornyn a potentially appealing pick. He would also, however, bring the baggage of an explicitly partisan background, at a time when Democrats and even some Republicans say Trump should restore faith in the FBI by making a nonpartisan nomination, as Obama did when he nominated Comey, a Republican.

On the Russia investigations, Cornyn has previously dismissed Trump's criticism of the probe as a "witch hunt."

"It is a legitimate area of inquiry," he said, according to a roundup from Axios. "There is no question that Putin is trying to undermine our democracy and undermine public confidence in our institutions."

Andrew McCabe



McCabe, currently the acting FBI director, has worked in the bureau for more than 20 years, in top positions that included leading the national security office, and he stepped in to lead the agency after Comey's removal.

McCabe would represent the smoothest possible transition from Comey's tenure, and his nomination would likely assuage some critics worried that Trump will appoint a FBI director inclined to downplay the ongoing investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The acting director has said that the current FBI investigation into Trumpland and Russia is "highly significant," per Axios, and he has promised not to allow politics to interfere with the probe.

"Simply put, sir, you cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing, protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution," McCabe told a Senate panel last week, per NBC News.

But some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, raised concerns about McCabe as acting director — let alone in a permanent position.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's political action committee donated nearly $500,000 to McCabe's wife, Jill McCabe, when she was running as a Democrat for Virginia's state Senate. McCabe did not participate in his wife's campaign, but when the FBI was investigating Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, McAuliffe's support was reported as a possible conflict of interest because the governor is a close ally of the Clintons.

"He's got political problems because of McAuliffe helping his wife, and I don't think he's the person that should be taking over," Grassley told CNN's Manu Raju.

Alice Fisher



Fisher — a partner at Latham & Watkins and former assistant attorney general — led the Justice Department's criminal division under President George W. Bush. She focused on corporate fraud, particularly contracting work related to the war on terror, according to the National Law Journal. However, she was also criticized by Democrats at the time for her support of terrorist detentions at Guantanamo Bay.

Fisher is said to be well liked by the Washington establishment, and she would be a familiar face. She would also be the first woman to lead the FBI.

She has not commented publicly on the Russia probe.

Michael Garcia



Garcia — an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals and former US attorney — has a history of anti-corruption crusades, including the investigation of a prostitution ring that led to the resignation of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, according to NBC News. He was also hired by FIFA to investigate alleged corruption in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Garcia would be the first Latino to lead the bureau. He has accrued bipartisan support over his career: George W. Bush appointed him to a homeland security position in his administration, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, appointed Garcia to the state appeals court.

He has not commented on the Russia probe, though Axios noted this comment he made during the FIFA investigation, which included investigating whether Russia won the right to host the 2018 World Cup through bribery: "My authority is to investigate any official — top down — for misconduct. No one is above the ethics code."

Fran Townsend



Townsend — executive vice president at MacAndrews & Forbes and a former homeland security adviser to George W. Bush — advised Bush on counterterrorism, and she is said to have a long interest in cybersecurity, a top issue right now. She earned plaudits from John Cohen, who worked under Bush and Barack Obama, when her name was floated as Trump's possible pick to be his homeland security secretary, Politico reported. "I think she would be a calming influence," Cohen said at the time.

Townsend has actually been sharply critical of Trump at times. She signed a letter during the campaign declaring him unfit for office, and she also criticized the initial immigration ban targeting Muslims pursued by the Trump administration, according to Politico.

She has tweeted numerous news articles about the Trump-Russia probe over the past few months, though rarely adding her own commentary.

Henry Hudson



Hudson — a US District Court judge — was appointed to the federal bench by George W. Bush, after serving as a prosecutor and the head of the US Marshals Service under President George H.W. Bush.

He was leading the marshals service during the Rudy Ridge incident, a standoff between federal marshals and a fugitive holing up with his family, which resulted in the death of a marshal and the fugitive's 14-year-old son. Hudson controversially decided not to pursue an internal investigation of the incident.

Over his career, according to McClatchy, Hudson has acquired the nickname "Hang 'Em High Harry" for being tough on crime. That record, plus his beginnings as a Republican politician, could prove problematic in the confirmation process.

Hudson has not commented publicly on the Russia investigation.

Adam Lee



Lee — the FBI special agent in charge of the Richmond, Virginia, office — has worked on corruption and civil rights investigations during his time with the FBI. He has led the Richmond office since 2014, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

He has had a diverse tenure inside the bureau, working on white-collar crime, national security issues, and cybersecurity as well as serving on a SWAT team for seven years. Lee would be another continuity, career-driven nominee, one who would likely be more immune to partisan allegations.

Though Lee is a seasoned agent who has worked for the bureau for two decades, he does not have the same public-facing experience as the other candidates.

He has not commented publicly on the Russia investigation.

Mike Rogers



Rogers — a former FBI special agent who was also a Republican Congress member from Michigan — chaired the House Intelligence Committee before leaving office in 2015. He was previously floated as a possible FBI director in 2013 and he advised the Trump campaign on national security issues.

Rogers worked for five years in the FBI's Chicago office, focused on corruption and organized crime. An association of current FBI agents has backed Rogers's bid to be the new director, according to McClatchy. Rogers's tenure leading the intelligence committee included some instances, such as a sober report on the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, that earned bipartisan praise.

But on a more fundamental level, Rogers would likely face pushback from Democrats over his background as a Republican politician. He has also dismissed the idea that Russia intervened specifically to help Trump win the 2016 election, instead pointing to a more general goal to "sow discontent and mistrust in our elections."

"They saw the same polls that we did," he said earlier this month, according to Reuters. "Some notion that the Russians knew that Trump had an opportunity to win this thing more than U.S. public pollsters thought, I find ridiculous."
46
Dinosaur asteroid hit 'worst possible place'
from BBC



Scientists who drilled into the impact crater associated with the demise of the dinosaurs summarise their findings so far in a BBC Two documentary on Monday.

The researchers recovered rocks from under the Gulf of Mexico that were hit by an asteroid 66 million years ago.

The nature of this material records the details of the event.

It is becoming clear that the 15km-wide asteroid could not have hit a worse place on Earth.

The shallow sea covering the target site meant colossal volumes of sulphur (from the mineral gypsum) were injected into the atmosphere, extending the "global winter" period that followed the immediate firestorm.

Had the asteroid struck a different location, the outcome might have been very different.

"This is where we get to the great irony of the story – because in the end it wasn't the size of the asteroid, the scale of blast, or even its global reach that made dinosaurs extinct – it was where the impact happened," said Ben Garrod, who presents The Day The Dinosaurs Died with Alice Roberts.

"Had the asteroid struck a few moments earlier or later, rather than hitting shallow coastal waters it might have hit deep ocean.

"An impact in the nearby Atlantic or Pacific oceans would have meant much less vapourised rock – including the deadly gypsum. The cloud would have been less dense and sunlight could still have reached the planet's surface, meaning what happened next might have been avoided.

"In this cold, dark world food ran out of the oceans within a week and shortly after on land. With nothing to eat anywhere on the planet, the mighty dinosaurs stood little chance of survival."

Ben Garrod spent time on the drill rig that was stationed 30km off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in April/May last year, to better understand the aims of the project; Alice Roberts visited widely separated fossil beds in the Americas, to get a sense of how life was altered by the impact.

Rock cores from up to 1,300m beneath the Gulf were recovered.

The lowest sections of this material come from a feature within the crater called the peak ring.

This is made from rock that has been heavily fractured and altered by immense pressures.

By analysing its properties, the drill project team - led by Profs Jo Morgan and Sean Gulick - hope to reconstruct how the impact proceeded and the environmental changes it brought about.

Chicxulub Crater - The impact that changed life on Earth

- A 15km-wide object dug a hole in Earth's crust 100km across and 30km deep
- This bowl then collapsed, leaving a crater 200km across and a few km deep
- The crater's centre rebounded and collapsed again, producing an inner ring
- Today, much of the crater is buried offshore, under 600m of sediments
- On land, it is covered by limestone, but its rim is traced by an arc of sinkholes



They know now the energy that went into making the crater when the 15km-wide asteroid struck - equivalent to 10 billion Hiroshima A-bombs. And they also understand how the depression assumed the structure we observe today.

The team is also gaining insights into the return of life to the impact site in the years after the event.

One of the many fascinating sequences in the BBC Two programme sees Alice Roberts visit a quarry in New Jersey, US, where 25,000 fossil fragments have been recovered - evidence of a mass die-off of creatures that may have been some of the immediate casualties on the day of the impact itself.

"All these fossils occur in a layer no more than 10cm thick," palaeontologist Ken Lacovara tells Alice.

"They died suddenly and were buried quickly. It tells us this is a moment in geological time. That's days, weeks, maybe months. But this is not thousands of years; it's not hundreds of thousands of years. This is essentially an instantaneous event."

The Day The Dinosaurs Died is on BBC Two at 21:00, after which it will be available on the BBC iPlayer.
47
Old News / [Tech] MP3 is dead
May 15, 2017, 09:47 PM
Creators of the MP3 declare it dead
from The Telegraph



The creators of the MP3 have declared the music format obsolete, closing the lid on the iconic audio files that popularised the iPod.

More than two decades after its inception, the German research institute that funded MP3 has dropped ownership of it.

The Fraunhofer Institute of Integrated Circuits said in a recent filing that its "licensing program for certain MP3 related patents" had been "terminated".

Although MP3 remains popular for music sharing, the institute said there were "more effective audio codecs with advanced features available today".

Most modern devices use formats such as advanced audio coding (AAC) while there are plans for MPEG-H, a new audio standard being developed for more efficient storage and immersive 3D audio.

"Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bitrates compared to MP3," the institute said. AAC is now the main format for services such as iTunes and Youtube files.

While the developers have bid farewell to MP3, the format remains popular for those using retro iPods and MP3 players.

MP3 was developed during the 1980s and 90s, becoming the standard file type for audio and proliferating online music downloads. While the initial aim had been for a way to deliver music signals over telephone lines, the team of six researchers ultimately developed the widely proliferated MP3 code.

The format later became popular for music players such as Apple's iPod on its 2001 release, selling millions of copies. MP3 took up 10 per cent of the storage space of files, a massive reduction at the time.

As well as leading to major product breakthroughs, MP3 also saw the proliferation of peer-to-peer file-sharing sites such as Napster and was a major catalyst in the rise of illegal internet downloads and digital piracy.

48
How to protect yourself from WannaCry ransomware
from CNET

The battle against the WannaCry ransomware continues. (In many spaces it's referred to as WannaCrypt. There appears to be no substantive difference between the two.)

The attack, which started on Friday, locked people out of their computers and encrypts their files, demanding they pay up to $300 in bitcoin -- a price that doubles after three days -- to receive a decryption key or risk losing their important files forever. What's worse is the malware also behaves like a worm, potentially infecting computers and servers on the same network.

The ransomware was slowed by a security analyst last week after discovering a kill switch in its code, but has since been updated without the kill switch, allowing it to grow further. WannaCry has now reached more than 150 countries and 200,000 computers, shutting down hospitals, universities, warehouses and banks.

Though it might seem to be an issue for only businesses, institutions and governments, individuals are at risk, too, as WannaCry targets a Windows operating system flaw in older versions of the OS that have not been patched.

Important hat tip: The information herein comes largely from How to defend yourself against the WannaCrypt global ransomware attack by ZDNet's Charlie Osbourne.

These OSes are affected

The attack exploits a vulnerability in older Windows operating systems, namely:

- Windows 8
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003

If you're using a more recent version of Windows -- and you've stayed up up-to-date on your system updates -- you should not be vulnerable to the current iteration of the WannaCry ransomware:

- Windows 10
- Windows 8.1
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2012 R2
- Windows Server 2016

But the reverse applies, too: If you haven't been keeping those newer versions of Windows updated, you'll be just as vulnerable until and unless you do.

If you're using MacOS, ChromeOS or Linux -- or mobile operating systems like iOS and Android -- you don't have to worry about this particular threat.

Update Windows immediately

If you're using one of the newer versions of Windows listed above (10/8.1/7, etc.) and you've kept your PC up-to-date with automatic updates, you should've received the fix back in March.

In the wake of WannaCry, Microsoft issued rare patches on the older versions of Windows it no longer formally supports to protect against this malware. Here's where you can download these security updates:

- Windows 8 x86
- Windows 8 x64
- Windows XP SP2 x64
- Windows XP SP3 x86
- Windows XP Embedded SP3 x86
- Windows Server 2003 SP2 x64
- Windows Server 2003 SP2 x86

The full download page for all Windows versions is available here.

Turn Windows Update on if it's disabled

It's not uncommon for people to disable Microsoft's automatic updates, especially because earlier iterations had a tendency to auto-install even if you were in the middle of work. Microsoft has largely fixed that issue with the current version of Windows 10 (the recent Creators Update). If you have disabled automatic updates,, head back into Control Panel in Windows, turn them back on and leave them on.

Install a dedicated ransomware blocker

Don't assume that your current antivirus utility -- if you're using one at all -- offers protection against ransomware, especially if it's an outdated version. Many of the big suites didn't add ransomware blocking until recently.

Not sure if you're protected? Dive into your utility's settings and see if there's any mention of ransomware. Or, do some web searching for the specific version of your product and see if it's listed among the features.

If it's not, or you're pretty sure you don't have any kind of safeguard beyond your patched version of Windows, install a dedicated anti-ransomware utility. Two free options: Cybereason Ransomfree and Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware (currently in beta).

Block port 445 for extra safety

MalwareTech, whose security analyst on Friday briefly slowed the worldwide attack of the WannaCry ransomware posted to Twitter that blocking TCP port 445 could help with the vulnerability if you haven't patched your OS yet.

Keep watching for mutations

Just because there's a patch doesn't mean you'll always be protected. New variations of the ransomware have popped up without the Achilles heel and bearing the name Uiwix, according to researchers at Heimdal Security.

Can I get ransomware on my phone or tablet?

Ransomware in its current form -- most notably WannaCry/WannaCrypt -- is a Windows-specific form of malware. It's designed to target the Windows operating system and the files contained therein, so it's not a threat to mobile OSes like Android and iOS. That said, you should always exercise the same cautions when it comes to suspicious links in emails and on websites: When in doubt, don't tap.

What if I'm already infected?

At the moment, it appears there's no way to reverse the encryption for free. That's why many individuals and organizations often end up paying the ransom if their computers are already locked down (especially if they don't have a recent remote or cloud backup). However, Bleeping Computer has a guide to removing the ransomeware. While CNET has not independently verified the efficacy of that process, it's important to note that the malware remains on afflicted PCs even after they've been unlocked.

In other words, even if you pay the ransom, you'll still have work to do.

Cloud storage may help

If you're using a cloud-backup tool like Carbonite, you may be able to recover all your WannaCry-encrypted files by accessing earlier versions of them. And cloud-storage service Dropbox keeps snapshots of all changes made to files in the past 30 days. This is a very good time to investigate whether your online backup or storage provider does indeed keep rollback versions of your files, just so you know whether you have an option other than paying the ransom!

49
Nintendo reportedly building Legend of Zelda for phones
from CNET

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a hit on Nintendo's Switch console, a hybrid device that crosses the at-home and portable game worlds. Now it looks like the company may try to ride Epona to success on phones.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Nintendo is developing a Legend of Zelda app for Apple iOS and Google Android devices.

Zelda games have long been available for Nintendo's mobile game machines, but a phone version could open up the franchise to a much wider audience. Nintendo could also be looking at riding the release of Super Mario Run, a game that brought the company's famous plumber to phone screens.

The Journal cites unnamed sources and details are scarce. It's not known whether a phone version of the game would delve into the rich 3D world in Breath of the Wild or instead stick with the simpler visuals found in Zelda games developed for previous Nintendo handheld devices.

Nintendo is heavily involved with crossing its games over to iPhones and Android devices. A delayed mobile version of Animal Crossing is due out sometime this year. The Journal's report suggests a Zelda launch would come after Animal Crossing.

If Nintendo does introduce mobile Zelda, the game would join the existing Nintendo phone efforts Fire Emblem Heroes and Miitomo, a social-networking-style app released in early 2016.
50
Audi and Volvo will use Android as the operating system in upcoming cars
from The Verge

Google has taken a major step toward turning Android into a complete operating system for cars that doesn't require the use of a phone. The company announced partnerships with Audi and Volvo today, ahead of this week's I/O developer's conference, that will see those carmakers build new branded infotainment systems using Android 7.0 Nougat.

The manufacturer-tweaked versions of Google's operating system will power the cars' main touchscreen displays, as well as the digital dashboards behind the steering wheel. They will add new services like Google Assistant to the apps and integrations already available on Android Auto. But Android will now also control basic functions like heating and cooling, seat position, or opening and closing the windows. (It won't go as far as controlling critical safety systems like brakes, though, according to Google.) Volvo says it plans to launch its Android on new models within two years, while Audi will show its version off in the new Audi Q8 Sport concept.

Taking over a car's entire infotainment system — as opposed to just running on top of the one created by the manufacturer — has always seemed to be the endgame for Google's initial efforts with Android Auto. Google has been reportedly working on it as far back as late 2014, when a report in Reuters indicated that the software giant was aiming to turn Android Auto into something that could control a car's systems and wouldn't require a smartphone.

Google officially exposed those ambitions at last year's I/O conference when it showed off a Maserati Ghibli with a 4K, 15-inch vertical center touchscreen that was running a version of Android that could control everything from the radio to the HVAC system. This past January, Google and Fiat Chrysler (the parent company of Maserati) announced they were working on combining FCA's Uconnect infotainment system with Android 7.0 Nougat — an apparent precursor to today's news.

At that time, Google said this automotive version of Android would still be open source, and that it wouldn't necessarily lock out Apple's CarPlay (or even the Android Auto app). That still appears to be the case. Patrick Brady, vice president of engineering for Android, told Bloomberg News that Apple's CarPlay would still be able to run on top of this new embedded Android system. And a representative for Volvo tells The Verge that there is "no change in functionality with regards to CarPlay, nor is there a change in the many partners with whom we collaborate."