Month: March 2014

Pure News

Join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight

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As reported on The Verge. By Amar Toor Satellite operator hopes crowdsourcing will help locate missing aircraft Authorities have yet to locate Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which mysteriously lost contact with air traffic control on over the weekend, but a satellite operator in the US hopes that crowdsourcing could help find it. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Colorado-based DigitalGlobe has sent two of its satellites to survey the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, targeting areas that…

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Internet News

Snowden: The NSA Is Setting Fire To The Future Of The Internet

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Alex Wilhelm Today at the SXSW conference, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden joined the event digitally to speak about mass surveillance. Since his revelations began to spill last summer, Snowden has been a lightning rod for discussion regarding the proper role of government, and how we handle privacy as a kind. In his remarks regarding the need for more consumer-friendly encryption, Snowden condemned the NSA, his former employer, and its leaders. Painting…

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Automotive

New Jersey is the latest state to ban Tesla’s direct-to-customer car sales

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As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS Tesla’s direct-to-customer sales model just hit another big roadblock. New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission has voted in favor of a rule banning direct car sales, effectively kicking Tesla out of the state as of this April. For those keeping score, this is the EV maker’s third such defeat, following similar moves by Arizona and Texas — while Tesla won a legislative battle to go dealer-free in North Carolina, it appears to be losing the…

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Application Culture

Starbucks app update lets you tip your barista

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As reported on Engadget. BY EMILY PRICE Starting next week iPhone owners will not only be able to buy your triple-venti-extra-hot-no-foam latte using Starbucks’ mobile app, you’ll be able to tip your barista for making it as well. The king of coffee is updating its app March 19th to add digital tipping for the first time and make the app easier to navigate. If you’re not paying attention in line, a new “Shake to Pay” feature instantly loads…

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Rumors

Rumors of an Amazon music service, TV set-top box swirl yet again

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As reported on Engadget. BY MARIELLA MOON We’re still not sure whether Amazon’s truly launching a music streaming service, but if it does, you might only be able to access songs and albums for a limited time. According to the Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce company hopes to offer music streaming as part of Prime to justify an annual membership (from $79 to $119) price increase. Unlike other services like Spotify or Pandora, Amazon’s end goal is to entice people to…

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Culture History

Digging up the brutal truth about Rio de Janeiro’s 19th century slave trade

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As reported on The Verge. By Rich McCormick Brazil, soon to host the soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, is in the midst of a frenzy of construction. Crews in Rio de Janeiro are preparing the city for the future, but as The New York Times says, they’re also discovering the truth about its brutal past. Rio de Janeiro was once a hub for the Atlantic slave trade, and teams of excavators dig into its South American soil,…

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Science Space

See the astonishing real-life space photos that inspired ‘Cosmos’

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As reported on The Verge. By Valentina Palladino NASA tweeted that it created a new album on its Flickr account with a few never-before-seen images of celestial bodies, in conjunction with Sunday’s premiere of Cosmos. Mixed with some old photos, the entire album of 43 images shows how the parts of our universe we don’t see can be amazing, scary, and beautiful all at once. Some of the photos depict phenomena seen on the 13-episode series, which remakes and pays tribute…

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Culture

Searching For The Silicon Valley Selfie

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Danny Crichton There are many benefits to living overseas, but among the most valuable is the ability to dislocate yourself from your timeworn surroundings. The typical cadence of our daily behaviors – driving down 280 every morning or getting a burger at SuperDuper before closing – suddenly and irrevocably disappear, and our minds suddenly become more active in seeking the stability of the regular. That awareness extends to analyzing our previous environment, particularly…

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Hardware Dev Microsoft

Microsoft Power Cover doubles the Surface’s battery life for $200 on March 19th

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As reported on Engadget. BY SEAN BUCKLEY With the right accessories, the Surface Pro makes a mean alternative to your average laptop — but even with the second generation model’s improved battery life, it doesn’t last long outside of the house. Soon, that might be less of an issue: Microsoft is preparing to ship out the tablet’s Power Cover keyboard later this month. The $200Type Cover variant was originally announced with the Surface 2, but didn’t make it to market with the…

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Automotive

Audi’s in-car LTE starts at $99 for six months of service and 5GB of data

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As reported on Engadget. BY TIMOTHY J. SEPPALA Audi’s been talking about its in-car LTE for awhile, but how much it’ll cost hasn’t been clear until now. A six-month plan with 5GB of data will run $99, while a 30-month plan with 30GB runs $499, both through AT&T. However, you’ll snag half-a-year’s service absolutely free should you drive off the lot in one of the new A3 sedansequipped with Audi Connect. The German automaker says it plans to roll the feature out…

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