Technology and Computing
Rinson Chory on UnsplashThis story has been updated. It was first published on 3/26/2021. Like a blood clot in an artery, the enormous container ship was stuck in the Suez Canal, cutting off the flow of goods at a crucial byway in the world’s circulatory system of trade. On Monday, March 29, the vessel finally was “successfully refloated,” the Suez Canal Authority said. The 1,300-foot-long vessel, the Ever Given, initially became lodged in the waterway on Tuesday. While jammed in…
Plann / UnsplashNo one would blame you for thinking Instagram’s customization options for Stories are somewhat limited. You can add text, a GIF, draw something, and plug in a tune. But when used in creative ways, these tools are more than enough to create stories that’ll capture your followers’ attention. Periods can become polka dots or squares to compose a trendy, geometric background for your pictures. Dashes can turn into lines, GIFs can create flashy effects, and the right colors…
Sakura Phutthalong This story was originally published in early March, 2021 and has been updated. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sold his first tweet for more than $2 million. NFL star Rob Gronkowski would like for you to purchase his most notable Super Bowl moments. A guy named Beeple sold quirky digital illustrations for almost $70 million through one of the world’s largest auction houses. Before non-fungible tokens (NFTs) came along, these statements wouldn’t have made any sense. Now, however, the…
Luke Porter / UnsplashThe internet is filled to the brim with opportunities to learn new things. But even if you have the willpower to push forward without the direct guidance of a teacher, it’s hard to dedicate the five to ten hours a week a lot of these courses require to stay on track. Plus, without regular positive feedback, your initial motivation could take a quick nosedive.This is why apps like Duolingo are so wildly popular. The app constantly praises…
Stan HoraczekIt’s the weekend, which is typically a great time to lay in bed all day vising sketchy websites. This weekend, however, Apple strongly recommends you update your iPhone, iPad, and Watch before you go cruising around the web. Yesterday, the company rolled out iOS 14.4.2, watchOS 7.3.3, and iPadOS 14.4.2 to close up a vulnerability poses an “active” security threat. Apple’s initial security announcement is sparse with details. That’s typical for the company, which doesn’t usually provide many specifics…
DiscordRight now, there’s a rumor floating around the tech sphere suggesting that Microsoft may buy the online chat app Discord for roughly $10 billion. That may sound surprising to some people who haven’t even heard of the service, or think that it’s still geared toward gamers as it was at the beginning. While Discord didn’t become a global communication darling like Zoom did during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become an essential way for people to connect with their pals…
Duncan Bevan / US Air ForceWhen the Navy’s Super Hornet fighter jets take off from an aircraft carrier, they are sometimes accompanied by squadmates loaded down with five extra tanks of fuel. A few hundred miles into the mission, these fighter-jet tankers will top off the tanks of their compatriots, boosting their range, before heading back. This is complex, difficult work, and it strains their air frames. But by 2024, the Navy plans to have that work done instead by…
Stan HoraczekUpscaling a digital photo typically destroys its image quality. You lose detail and sharpness while adding ugly objects called artifacts to the file that make the whole picture look crunchy and unappealing. For years, however, companies like Adobe have been working on algorithms to try to bring the CSI “enhance” feature out of the world of TV fiction and into its image-editing software. The latest version of Photoshop makes a big leap in that direction with a feature called…
The Smart Tire Company Inflatable rubber tires would not fare well on the surface of the Moon or Mars. The terrain is treacherous, and there’s no one there to throw on a spare if you get a flat. That’s why rovers typically use tires made of metal alloys that can endure the punishment that comes from puttering around on alien soil. Now, the Smart Tire Company is preparing to offer its airless alloy METL tires adapted from NASA rover tech…
OnePlusIt takes a lot for a smartphone camera to stand out when it comes to performance at the moment. Today, OnePlus announced its new 9 Pro and 9 flagship smartphones with a focus on a revamped camera system. Here are the key things you need to know about the company’s new top-end phones. We’ll start with the OnePlus 9 Pro. Hasselblad Cameras OnePlus spent a considerable amount of time during its launch event talking about its new camera partnership with…
Kate Evans for Undark Kate Evans is a freelance science journalist and writer based in Raglan, New Zealand. Follow her on Twitter @kate_g_evans. This article was originally published on Undark. One of New Zealand’s most spectacular fossil sites originated 23.2 million years ago. It was formed in a valley dotted with small volcanoes, when rising magma deep below the Earth’s surface came into contact with groundwater. Lava and water don’t mix—they explode. The resulting detonation obliterated the surrounding forest and…
J Hardwick Plos OneBiologists thought Disa forficaria orchids went extinct twice. Once in 2018, when a single specimen was found after 52 years without a sighting, and again in 2019 when that one orchid seemingly disappeared. There have only been 11 plants ever found in the last 200 years. But in 2020, when researchers in South Africa were conducting a field experiment at the last known location of the mysterious flower, three male longhorn beetles showed up carrying D. forficaria…