theverge--2020-12-04--Nissan follows GM in ditching Trump’s effort to overturn California’s pollution rules

President Donald Trump ’ s effort to overturn California ’ s ability to set fuel efficiency rules just lost another automaker .
According to Reuters , Nissan said it was joining General Motors in abandoning the group of car companies that were previously supporting Trump ’ s fight with California .
On November 23rd , GM announced it would leave the group of automakers that included Nissan , Fiat Chrysler , and several others , that were supporting Trump ’ s legal efforts to overturn pollution-fighting powers .
Under the Clean Air Act , the state has historically been allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And as the largest auto market in the US and one of the biggest in the world , California has a lot of influence over the auto industry .
California has a lot of influence over the auto industry Nissan , which along with its coalition partners Renault and Mitsubishi , is one of the largest automakers in the world .
Notably , neither Nissan nor GM have said whether they would join an opposing group of automakers that includes Ford , BMW , Honda , and Volkswagen , which have agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standards .
The pro-California group of car companies , which first announced their intentions in July 2019 , struck a deal with the state that roughly matches the cleaner car plan put in place by the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency — a plan that the Trump administration has been working feverishly to undo since the president took office in 2017 .
President-elect Joe Biden has stated his support for the Obama-era rules ( and by extension , California ’ s standards ) and has vowed to push for the rapid adoption of zero-emission @ @

President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn California’s ability to set fuel efficiency rules just lost another automaker. According to Reuters, Nissan said it was joining General Motors in abandoning the group of car companies that were previously supporting Trump’s fight with California.
On November 23rd, GM announced it would leave the group of automakers that included Nissan, Fiat Chrysler, and several others, that were supporting Trump’s legal efforts to overturn pollution-fighting powers. Under the Clean Air Act, the state has historically been allowed to set its own emissions standards. And as the largest auto market in the US and one of the biggest in the world, California has a lot of influence over the auto industry.
California has a lot of influence over the auto industry
Nissan, which along with its coalition partners Renault and Mitsubishi, is one of the largest automakers in the world. Notably, neither Nissan nor GM have said whether they would join an opposing group of automakers that includes Ford, BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen, which have agreed to abide by California’s fuel efficiency standards.
The pro-California group of car companies, which first announced their intentions in July 2019, struck a deal with the state that roughly matches the cleaner car plan put in place by the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency — a plan that the Trump administration has been working feverishly to undo since the president took office in 2017.


theverge--2020-12-04--Why Warner Bros. had to move its 2021 films to HBO Max

WarnerMedia is making a clear bet for 2021 : its slate of movies won ’ t generate the revenue its studio division needs , but it can help boost HBO Max ’ s long-term success .
The company announced yesterday that every one of its 2021 movies will debut on HBO Max in the United States at the same time they play in theaters .
They ’ ll be available for one month , at no extra charge , and available to stream in 4K HDR .
It feels like an inevitable shift ; COVID-19 cases are surging around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services is drying up , and WarnerMedia needs to figure out a way to keep revenue coming in .
Looking at a year where cinemas might not open beyond 25 percent capacity in the United States and where people may not want to sit in a room full of strangers until a vaccine is released , it makes a lot of sense that Warner Bros. is using the opportunity to see how a simultaneous release could benefit HBO Max .
It ’ s still not a great answer for anyone involved .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s a loss for AT & T ( which owns WarnerMedia ) , and it ’ s a loss for theaters .
Warner Bros. is not going to make the revenue per-film it may have through theatrical release in a pre-COVID era .
AT & T may lose $ 1.2 billion , according to analytical firm MoffettNathanson , at a time when the company is saddled with $ 160 billion of debt that it ’ s trying to quickly reduce and its pay-TV business is crumbling .
Theater chains need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in , but now many of those movies are available for people at home — where ’ s the incentive to go out when a virus is raging ?
It ’ s still not a great answer for anyone involved But the shift to HBO Max is a bet on long-term growth in streaming offsetting the immediate loss from theatrical and other revenue streams .
It ’ s part of a long-term play at making streaming a primary business for WarnerMedia that ’ s been accelerated by the effects of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are impossible to ignore : In 2019 , Warner Bros. was the top earner for WarnerMedia , bringing in $ 14.4 billion — just under 50 percent of all revenues within the division .
Some of it was from the box office , but a lot of it came from home video purchases and syndication .
Since HBO Max is paying Warner Bros. for the rights to the films , it ’ s not additional revenue but shifting catalogs between one WarnerMedia property to another .
WarnerMedia has been having problems growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Disney .
Part of that is that HBO Max is not available on Roku ( something the team is working on ) , but part of it is a lack of event-type films to bring people in .
By moving titles to HBO Max at the same time they ’ re in theaters , WarnerMedia gives current subscribers a reason to stay , and it ’ s hoping large swaths of new customers will sign up and keep paying $ 15 a month .
“ We ’ re going to have some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoiling and can be used for other purposes , ” AT & T CEO John Stankey said in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday .
Disney saw similar success with Hamilton , a movie that brought in a large number of Disney Plus subscribers , and the number of people canceling their subscriptions remained relatively low even months after .
If WarnerMedia can recreate that success — signing up millions of people every month with a big title , without seeing them later unsubscribe — could the long-term recurring revenue offset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a truly competitive spot with other streaming platforms ?
That seems to be part of the bet .
2021 is going to be a rough year for studios regardless of the pandemic .
There are currently 55 major features scheduled to open in 2021 .
Between May 28th and July 16th — a period of seven weeks that features big releases from every major studio — there are several blockbusters competing for people ’ s attention and money .
Warner Bros. ’ Godzilla vs. Kong will take on Disney ’ s Black Widow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s F9 , In the Heights , Venom : Let There be Carnage , Top Gun : Maverick , Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , and Uncharted to name a few more .
Warner Bros. has 17 movies in 2021 — not all of those were going to be $ 800 million to $ 1 billion successes .
Some may have actually lost money .
This helps build a streaming business , even if it means sacrificing a few that may have done very well .
2021 is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regardless of the pandemic As 2021 currently stands , most movies are going to lose out because the competition is too big in a tight space .
Plus , theaters may still be operating at far less capacity ( as recommended by the CDC ) in COVID-19 times , locations could remain closed in prime markets like New York City and Los Angeles , and people still might not feel comfortable returning to theaters .
Add in that attendance was dwindling before the pandemic : in 2019 , movie theater attendance per capita @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of young people going to theaters throughout the year is declining ( despite this being the bracket that consumes the most content ) , and more than half of “ frequent ” moviegoers have stopped going as much , according to analyst Matthew Ball .
WarnerMedia and AT & T were likely planning for losses regardless of skipping theaters , but it seems like they ’ re trying to reposition some of that loss into potential impactful growth for HBO Max .
Christopher Nolan ’ s Tenet showed that there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internationally and in the US .
Internationally , where more theaters were open and coronavirus cases weren ’ t as large , the movie performed well , generating $ 300.4 million , but in the United States the film only amassed $ 57 million .
Growing HBO Max in the United States and exploring more traditional revenue options internationally is a combination executives seem willing to take a bet on .
No one really knows if this is going to work .
Shareholders don ’ t , executives don ’ t , industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know something has to happen .
WarnerMedia isn ’ t in a position to hope for the best with its movies while also trying to figure out how to grow HBO Max .
The simplest thing to do — not the easiest , and not necessarily the most immediately beneficial — is to take a year of likely losses theatrically and use it to scale HBO Max as quickly as possible in 12 months .
Don ’ t be surprised when Disney announces it ’ s doing something similar next week .

WarnerMedia is making a clear bet for 2021: its slate of movies won’t generate the revenue its studio division needs, but it can help boost HBO Max’s long-term success.
The company announced yesterday that every one of its 2021 movies will debut on HBO Max in the United States at the same time they play in theaters. They’ll be available for one month, at no extra charge, and available to stream in 4K HDR. It feels like an inevitable shift; COVID-19 cases are surging around the world again, new content on streaming services is drying up, and WarnerMedia needs to figure out a way to keep revenue coming in. Looking at a year where cinemas might not open beyond 25 percent capacity in the United States and where people may not want to sit in a room full of strangers until a vaccine is released, it makes a lot of sense that Warner Bros. is using the opportunity to see how a simultaneous release could benefit HBO Max.
It’s still not a great answer for anyone involved. It’s a loss for Warner Bros., it’s a loss for AT&T (which owns WarnerMedia), and it’s a loss for theaters. Warner Bros. is not going to make the revenue per-film it may have through theatrical release in a pre-COVID era. AT&T may lose $1.2 billion, according to analytical firm MoffettNathanson, at a time when the company is saddled with $160 billion of debt that it’s trying to quickly reduce and its pay-TV business is crumbling. Theater chains need big blockbuster and tentpole films to bring people in, but now many of those movies are available for people at home — where’s the incentive to go out when a virus is raging?
It’s still not a great answer for anyone involved
But the shift to HBO Max is a bet on long-term growth in streaming offsetting the immediate loss from theatrical and other revenue streams. It’s part of a long-term play at making streaming a primary business for WarnerMedia that’s been accelerated by the effects of the pandemic. This does come with some downfalls that are impossible to ignore: In 2019, Warner Bros. was the top earner for WarnerMedia, bringing in $14.4 billion — just under 50 percent of all revenues within the division. Some of it was from the box office, but a lot of it came from home video purchases and syndication. Since HBO Max is paying Warner Bros. for the rights to the films, it’s not additional revenue but shifting catalogs between one WarnerMedia property to another.
WarnerMedia has been having problems growing its streaming service as fast as competitors like Disney. Part of that is that HBO Max is not available on Roku (something the team is working on), but part of it is a lack of event-type films to bring people in. By moving titles to HBO Max at the same time they’re in theaters, WarnerMedia gives current subscribers a reason to stay, and it’s hoping large swaths of new customers will sign up and keep paying $15 a month.
“We’re going to have some really good content here that’s spoiling and can be used for other purposes,” AT&T CEO John Stankey said in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday.
Disney saw similar success with Hamilton, a movie that brought in a large number of Disney Plus subscribers, and the number of people canceling their subscriptions remained relatively low even months after. If WarnerMedia can recreate that success — signing up millions of people every month with a big title, without seeing them later unsubscribe — could the long-term recurring revenue offset initial losses and put HBO Max in a truly competitive spot with other streaming platforms? That seems to be part of the bet.
2021 is going to be a rough year for studios regardless of the pandemic. There are currently 55 major features scheduled to open in 2021. Between May 28th and July 16th — a period of seven weeks that features big releases from every major studio — there are several blockbusters competing for people’s attention and money.
Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong will take on Disney’s Black Widow in early May, and then there’s F9, In the Heights, Venom: Let There be Carnage, Top Gun: Maverick, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Uncharted to name a few more. Warner Bros. has 17 movies in 2021 — not all of those were going to be $800 million to $1 billion successes. Some may have actually lost money. This helps build a streaming business, even if it means sacrificing a few that may have done very well.
2021 is going to be a rough year for studios regardless of the pandemic
As 2021 currently stands, most movies are going to lose out because the competition is too big in a tight space. Plus, theaters may still be operating at far less capacity (as recommended by the CDC) in COVID-19 times, locations could remain closed in prime markets like New York City and Los Angeles, and people still might not feel comfortable returning to theaters. Add in that attendance was dwindling before the pandemic: in 2019, movie theater attendance per capita was at a century low, the number of young people going to theaters throughout the year is declining (despite this being the bracket that consumes the most content), and more than half of “frequent” moviegoers have stopped going as much, according to analyst Matthew Ball.
WarnerMedia and AT&T were likely planning for losses regardless of skipping theaters, but it seems like they’re trying to reposition some of that loss into potential impactful growth for HBO Max. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet showed that there’s room for studios to take different approaches internationally and in the US. Internationally, where more theaters were open and coronavirus cases weren’t as large, the movie performed well, generating $300.4 million, but in the United States the film only amassed $57 million. Growing HBO Max in the United States and exploring more traditional revenue options internationally is a combination executives seem willing to take a bet on.
No one really knows if this is going to work. Shareholders don’t, executives don’t, industry insiders don’t — but people know something has to happen. WarnerMedia isn’t in a position to hope for the best with its movies while also trying to figure out how to grow HBO Max. The simplest thing to do — not the easiest, and not necessarily the most immediately beneficial — is to take a year of likely losses theatrically and use it to scale HBO Max as quickly as possible in 12 months.
Don’t be surprised when Disney announces it’s doing something similar next week.


theverge--2020-12-04--Chrome OS 87 adds tab search and Bluetooth device battery levels

Chrome OS 87 is rolling out now , and it adds a few nice features to help you while browsing @ @ @ @ @ Bluetooth accessories ( via 9to5Google ) .
One new addition in Chrome OS 87 is @ @ @ @ @ have dozens of tabs open at any given time , so I could see how @ @ @ @ @ really handy way to find something I ’ ve lost in the process .
Google @ @ @ @ @ to the desktop version of Chrome , though the company said in mid-November that the @ @ @ @ @ to Chromebooks and to other desktop platforms “ soon.
” Chrome OS 87 can also @ @ @ @ @ levels of Bluetooth devices that you have connected to your computer ( such as wireless @ @ @ @ @ and Quick Settings menus .
I often use a similar feature on my Mac to @ @ @ @ @ to charge up my AirPods , so I think this could be really useful on @ @ @ @ @ also added 36 new wallpapers from four different artists to Chrome OS 87 .

Chrome OS 87 is rolling out now, and it adds a few nice features to help you while browsing the web and when using Bluetooth accessories (via 9to5Google).
One new addition in Chrome OS 87 is tab search. I typically have dozens of tabs open at any given time, so I could see how tab search might be a really handy way to find something I’ve lost in the process. Google is also adding tab search to the desktop version of Chrome, though the company said in mid-November that the feature would be coming first to Chromebooks and to other desktop platforms “soon.”
Here’s what tab search looks like. Image: Google
Chrome OS 87 can also now show you the battery levels of Bluetooth devices that you have connected to your computer (such as wireless headphones) in the Settings and Quick Settings menus. I often use a similar feature on my Mac to know when I might need to charge up my AirPods, so I think this could be really useful on Chrome OS.


theverge--2020-12-04--Amazon to face federal lawsuit over firing of warehouse worker

Amazon ’ s decision to fire warehouse worker Courtney Bowden violated labor laws , according to charges filed by the National Labor Relations Board ( NLRB ) last month and obtained by BuzzFeed News .
Bowden was advocating for better working when the company abruptly let her go .
Bowden was one of many workers fighting for paid time off at Amazon warehouses as the coronavirus pandemic intensified .
While the company said it was rolling out increased safety measures , workers continued to get sick and executives became increasingly hostile to employee organizing efforts .
In March , Bowden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her supervisor .
Bowden ’ s termination came at a time of unprecedented demand for Amazon services .
Throughout the spring , the company struggled to keep up with rising orders , even as coronavirus outbreaks swept across its own warehouses .
Chris Smalls , a warehouse worker on Staten Island , organized a major walkout to protest the lack of personal protective equipment for employees .
Amazon fired Smalls and coordinated a campaign to label him as “ not smart or articulate ” in the press .
In May , The Verge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 .
Bowden argued that Amazon terminated her because she ’ d been speaking to co-workers about “ pay and other workplace issues , ” BuzzFeed News reports .
The NLRB found the allegations credible enough to pursue charges , alleging that Amazon “ has been interfering with , restraining , and coercing employees ” as they exercised their protected rights .
If Amazon loses the case , it could have to pay Bowden back wages for the period since she was fired .
But Bowden said her goal is more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she wants “ coworkers to see that speaking up about bad working conditions and work benefits is not wrong , and to not be fearful for speaking up for what ’ s right , because they have a right by law.
” Bowden ’ s complaint is one of many legal actions currently being brought against the tech giant .
In November , a judge dismissed a lawsuit from four former workers at a distribution center in New York .
It argued the company had created unsafe working conditions during the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ request for comment from The Verge .

Amazon’s decision to fire warehouse worker Courtney Bowden violated labor laws, according to charges filed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last month and obtained by BuzzFeed News. Bowden was advocating for better working when the company abruptly let her go.
Bowden was one of many workers fighting for paid time off at Amazon warehouses as the coronavirus pandemic intensified. While the company said it was rolling out increased safety measures, workers continued to get sick and executives became increasingly hostile to employee organizing efforts . In March, Bowden was fired over an alleged incident with her supervisor.
Bowden’s termination came at a time of unprecedented demand for Amazon services. Throughout the spring, the company struggled to keep up with rising orders, even as coronavirus outbreaks swept across its own warehouses. Chris Smalls, a warehouse worker on Staten Island, organized a major walkout to protest the lack of personal protective equipment for employees. Amazon fired Smalls and coordinated a campaign to label him as “not smart or articulate” in the press.
Bowden argued that Amazon terminated her because she’d been speaking to co-workers about “pay and other workplace issues,” BuzzFeed News reports. The NLRB found the allegations credible enough to pursue charges, alleging that Amazon “has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees” as they exercised their protected rights.
If Amazon loses the case, it could have to pay Bowden back wages for the period since she was fired. But Bowden said her goal is more than just financial. She told BuzzFeed News she wants “coworkers to see that speaking up about bad working conditions and work benefits is not wrong, and to not be fearful for speaking up for what’s right, because they have a right by law.”
Bowden’s complaint is one of many legal actions currently being brought against the tech giant. In November, a judge dismissed a lawsuit from four former workers at a distribution center in New York. It argued the company had created unsafe working conditions during the pandemic.


theverge--2020-12-05--A cheap tablet is a great entertainment device

I ’ m here to tell you that cheap tablets are good .
I ’ m not here to tell you that they are the future of computing or will replace your laptop for getting work done .
But I will tell you they are great entertainment devices .
The best way to experience a cheap tablet is to just install the apps you use for entertainment and relaxation : Kindle , Hulu , Prime Video , HBO Max , Pocket , whatever your vice of choice is .
Don ’ t install or set up things like Twitter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , email , or anything that ’ s going to take away from leisure time and suck you into work or the dreaded doomscroll .
This is a tablet you buy to watch video and read things , not to try to replace your laptop .
I ’ ve been testing Samsung ’ s Galaxy Tab A7 for the past few months and found that it is an excellent example of a cheap tablet .
At $ 229.99 ( and often available for less ) , it ’ s much more affordable than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just as well for watching video and reading books and articles .
I ’ m not one to go around recommending Android tablets — an iPad is objectively better in almost every scenario — but the Tab A7 is surprisingly competent and priced right for its tertiary device status .
The bar for a tablet that is destined to be just a personal entertainment device is actually quite low .
It needs an engaging screen with enough resolution so you won ’ t see individual pixels at a comfortable distance , speakers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and battery life that will let you get through a few movies between charges since you likely won ’ t be plugging this thing in after every time you use it .
It should also be thin and relatively light so you can hold it for long periods without getting tired .
The Tab A7 exceeds all of those metrics .
The 10.4-inch 1080p screen is vibrant and colorful , the battery easily goes for 10 hours or more of video , and the quad-speaker system sounds tremendous .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that feels stiffer and nicer than the plastic-clad Amazon Fire tablets .
There ’ s just enough bezel around the screen so I can comfortably handle it without worrying about errant touches , and it ’ s light enough so I can even hold it in one hand for reading .
It even has a 3.5mm headphone jack for when you don ’ t want to disturb anyone else while watching the seventh episode of The Boys in a row .
Where the Tab A7 comes short won ’ t be a surprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it from being a good entertainment device .
Its low-midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and 3GB of RAM make it far from the fastest or snappiest device around — but that doesn ’ t matter when you ’ re using the video or ebook app of your choice .
Its cameras suck , but on the other hand , if you do use it for a Zoom call , it ’ s way less awkward than an iPad , thanks to the correct placement of the front camera .
Android doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apps as the iPad , but it has all of the major streaming video services ( save for Apple TV Plus ) and all of the book-reading apps you could want .
There ’ s only 32GB of storage in the base model , but it supports microSD card expansion , so it ’ s easy to add more .
Finally , Tab A7 lacks any sort of fingerprint scanner or biometrics login , but since I just use it at home and don ’ t have any sensitive or work data on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the secure screen lock to make it easier to get to binge-watching .
Samsung isn ’ t pushing any productivity features here : it doesn ’ t come with a stylus , there ’ s no keyboard case available for it , and it doesn ’ t have Samsung ’ s DeX desktop software mode .
It doesn ’ t even have Samsung ’ s dumber-than-average Bixby voice assistant .
( The Google Assistant is available and works just like on any other device . )
Instead of spending time and resources developing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Samsung focused on what matters here : putting the best speakers and perhaps the best display you can get in a tablet at this price point .
And really , that ’ s all you could want from a tablet like this .
It needs to look good , it needs to sound good , and it needs to have the apps with the content you want .
The Tab A7 checks all of those boxes and no more .
It ’ s the best anti-doomscrolling gadget you can get this year @

I’m here to tell you that cheap tablets are good. I’m not here to tell you that they are the future of computing or will replace your laptop for getting work done. But I will tell you they are great entertainment devices.
The best way to experience a cheap tablet is to just install the apps you use for entertainment and relaxation: Kindle, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Pocket, whatever your vice of choice is. Don’t install or set up things like Twitter, Slack, The New York Times app, email, or anything that’s going to take away from leisure time and suck you into work or the dreaded doomscroll. This is a tablet you buy to watch video and read things, not to try to replace your laptop.
I’ve been testing Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A7 for the past few months and found that it is an excellent example of a cheap tablet. At $229.99 (and often available for less), it’s much more affordable than an entry-level iPad, but it works just as well for watching video and reading books and articles. I’m not one to go around recommending Android tablets — an iPad is objectively better in almost every scenario — but the Tab A7 is surprisingly competent and priced right for its tertiary device status.
The bar for a tablet that is destined to be just a personal entertainment device is actually quite low. It needs an engaging screen with enough resolution so you won’t see individual pixels at a comfortable distance, speakers that aren’t muffled or crackly sounding, and battery life that will let you get through a few movies between charges since you likely won’t be plugging this thing in after every time you use it. It should also be thin and relatively light so you can hold it for long periods without getting tired.
The Tab A7 exceeds all of those metrics. The 10.4-inch 1080p screen is vibrant and colorful, the battery easily goes for 10 hours or more of video, and the quad-speaker system sounds tremendous. It’s surprisingly thin, with a metal chassis that feels stiffer and nicer than the plastic-clad Amazon Fire tablets. There’s just enough bezel around the screen so I can comfortably handle it without worrying about errant touches, and it’s light enough so I can even hold it in one hand for reading. It even has a 3.5mm headphone jack for when you don’t want to disturb anyone else while watching the seventh episode of The Boys in a row.
The Tab A7’s display is great for watching movies and TV shows, and the four speakers put out surprisingly excellent sound.
Where the Tab A7 comes short won’t be a surprise, but none of its faults stop it from being a good entertainment device. Its low-midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and 3GB of RAM make it far from the fastest or snappiest device around — but that doesn’t matter when you’re using the video or ebook app of your choice. Its cameras suck, but on the other hand, if you do use it for a Zoom call, it’s way less awkward than an iPad, thanks to the correct placement of the front camera.
Android doesn’t have nearly the breadth or depth of apps as the iPad, but it has all of the major streaming video services (save for Apple TV Plus) and all of the book-reading apps you could want. There’s only 32GB of storage in the base model, but it supports microSD card expansion, so it’s easy to add more. Finally, Tab A7 lacks any sort of fingerprint scanner or biometrics login, but since I just use it at home and don’t have any sensitive or work data on it, I’m comfortable disabling the secure screen lock to make it easier to get to binge-watching.
The Tab A7’s metal chassis is thin and stiff and nicer than the plastic you usually find at this price point. Yay for USB-C charging and quad speakers. (There are two on the other side.)
Samsung isn’t pushing any productivity features here: it doesn’t come with a stylus, there’s no keyboard case available for it, and it doesn’t have Samsung’s DeX desktop software mode. It doesn’t even have Samsung’s dumber-than-average Bixby voice assistant. (The Google Assistant is available and works just like on any other device.) Instead of spending time and resources developing features most people won’t use, Samsung focused on what matters here: putting the best speakers and perhaps the best display you can get in a tablet at this price point.
And really, that’s all you could want from a tablet like this. It needs to look good, it needs to sound good, and it needs to have the apps with the content you want. The Tab A7 checks all of those boxes and no more.
It’s the best anti-doomscrolling gadget you can get this year.
Photography by Dan Seifert / The Verge


theverge--2020-12-05--China’s Chang’e 5 completes docking mission on its way back to Earth

China ’ s Chang ’ e-5 mission completed a tricky docking maneuver on Saturday , as it prepares to return the soil samples it collected from the Moon ’ s surface back to Earth .
Chang ’ e 5 launched on November 23rd atop a Long March 5 rocket , with four main spacecraft .
The mission entered the lunar orbit on November 28th , and its lander and ascent vehicle landed on the Moon December 1st , while its service module remained in lunar orbit .
The lander gathered rocks and soil , and on Saturday , docked in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ samples will now be put in a return capsule for the trip home , expected to land in Inner Mongolia later in December .
If the mission is successful , it will make China only the third country to return samples from the Moon , more than 50 years after the US Apollo missions .
The last successful lunar sample return mission was the Soviet Union ’ s Luna 24 mission in 1976 .
Also on Saturday , Japan ’ s Hayabusa2 mission landed in the Australian desert , after retrieving samples of @ @ @ @

China’s Chang’e-5 mission completed a tricky docking maneuver on Saturday, as it prepares to return the soil samples it collected from the Moon’s surface back to Earth.
Chang’e 5 launched on November 23rd atop a Long March 5 rocket, with four main spacecraft. The mission entered the lunar orbit on November 28th, and its lander and ascent vehicle landed on the Moon December 1st, while its service module remained in lunar orbit. The lander gathered rocks and soil, and on Saturday, docked in orbit with the service module. Those samples will now be put in a return capsule for the trip home, expected to land in Inner Mongolia later in December.
If the mission is successful, it will make China only the third country to return samples from the Moon, more than 50 years after the US Apollo missions. The last successful lunar sample return mission was the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission in 1976.


theverge--2020-12-05--Tesla diversity report shows its US leadership is 59 percent white and 83 percent male

Tesla published its first-ever diversity report on Friday , which shows the automaker ’ s US leadership is 83 percent male , and 59 percent white .
The Diversity , Equity and Inclusion Impact report shows that men represent 79 percent of Tesla ’ s workforce , and women 21 percent .
“ While women are historically underrepresented in the tech and automotive industries , we recognize we have work to do in this area , ” the report states .
“ Increasing women ’ s representation at all levels , especially in leadership , is a top priority in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the report that Black employees are underrepresented— only 10 percent of the workforce and 4 percent of leadership at Tesla are Black or African-American .
“ We know that our numbers do not represent the deep talent pools of Black and African American talent that exist in the US at every level , ” the report states .
The company says Black and African-American employees made up 12 percent of new hires at the company in 2020 , which is a 9 percent increase from 2019 .
It plans to conduct more recruitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HBCUs ) and provide its managers and recruiters with unconscious bias training , according to the report .
Asian employees make up 21 percent of Tesla ’ s workforce and 25 percent of company leadership , and Hispanic or Latino/Latina employees represent 22 percent of its total workforce , but only 4 percent of leadership .
Tesla ’ s report is somewhat incomplete , however ; it does not detail attrition or retention rates at the company , or provide details about how many of its employees identify as non-binary or gender nonconforming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having a disability .

Tesla published its first-ever diversity report on Friday, which shows the automaker’s US leadership is 83 percent male, and 59 percent white. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact report shows that men represent 79 percent of Tesla’s workforce, and women 21 percent.
“While women are historically underrepresented in the tech and automotive industries, we recognize we have work to do in this area,” the report states. “Increasing women’s representation at all levels, especially in leadership, is a top priority in 2021.”
The company also acknowledges in the report that Black employees are underrepresented— only 10 percent of the workforce and 4 percent of leadership at Tesla are Black or African-American. “We know that our numbers do not represent the deep talent pools of Black and African American talent that exist in the US at every level,” the report states.
The company says Black and African-American employees made up 12 percent of new hires at the company in 2020, which is a 9 percent increase from 2019. It plans to conduct more recruitment at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and provide its managers and recruiters with unconscious bias training, according to the report.
Asian employees make up 21 percent of Tesla’s workforce and 25 percent of company leadership, and Hispanic or Latino/Latina employees represent 22 percent of its total workforce, but only 4 percent of leadership.


theverge--2020-12-05--Japan’s asteroid sample return mission lands in Australian desert

After spending six years in space , a Japanese spacecraft just landed in the desert of southern Australia , bringing a small cache of asteroid rocks to the surface of Earth .
It ’ s only the second time in history that materials from an asteroid have been returned to our planet .
Eventually , scientists will open the spacecraft up , uncovering the precious rocks within to learn more about the asteroids that permeate our Solar System .
The landing is the culmination of Japan ’ s Hayabusa2 mission , aimed at bringing samples of an asteroid back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2014 , the Hayabusa2 spacecraft spent four years journeying to an asteroid named Ryugu .
The vehicle spent a year and a half hanging around the asteroid , mapping the rock ’ s surface and grabbing samples of material before heading back to Earth .
Scientists are eager to see the rocks that Hayabusa2 has returned Scientists are eager to see the rocks that Hayabusa2 has returned , as pristine samples from an asteroid could tell us a lot more about what our Solar System was like when the planets were first forming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit like baby pictures of our cosmic neighborhood .
These space rocks have been around since the dawn of the Solar System , and scientists believe asteroids haven ’ t really changed much over the last 4.6 billion years .
These objects contain many of the same materials that were present at the Solar System ’ s birth , so studying these rocks in labs here on Earth could provide key context about the early days of the planets .
The capsule will be transported to Japan , where we ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gathered .
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) , which oversees the mission , hoped to bring back 100 milligrams of material from Ryugu , but scientists didn ’ t have a way to measure how much sample Hayabusa2 had collected while in space .
That exact amount will be revealed when the spacecraft is opened in Japan .
Hayabusa2 used some creative techniques for collecting its samples at Ryugu .
Equipped with a small horn-shaped arm , the spacecraft first tapped the asteroid with this appendage in February of 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it shot out a bullet-like projectile that punctured the asteroid , releasing a whole mess of dust and pebbles that hopefully went up into the horn .
The spacecraft didn ’ t just make one sample grab at Ryugu The spacecraft didn ’ t just make one sample grab at Ryugu , though .
Hayabusa2 tried this maneuver again in July of 2019 , but the spacecraft had done a bit of excavating first .
Before tapping the asteroid a second time , the spacecraft dropped a can of explosives onto Ryugu , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealing some of the rocks located just below the surface .
Hayabusa2 then tapped the surface inside this crater to scoop up some of this newly exposed material .
The goal was to gather even more pristine rocks from Ryugu .
The material underneath the asteroid ’ s surface hasn ’ t been exposed to the harsh environment of space for billions of years like the rocks on the exterior , which have likely experienced some change and reactions over time .
So the material from the crater could provide an even better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the Solar System first formed .
Once the Hayabusa2 team felt confident they had grabbed enough from Ryugu , the spacecraft left the asteroid in November of 2019 .
After spending the last year traveling to Earth , the spacecraft deployed a small capsule late Friday night , with the samples of Ryugu located inside .
The capsule then set on a course for Earth , plunging through our planet ’ s atmosphere this morning .
It then deployed a parachute , slowing the vehicle from about 12 kilometers per second , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that it could land gently in the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia .
teams from JAXA will go on an extended search in Australia to find the capsule After it hit the ground teams from JAXA went on an extended search in Australia to find the capsule .
The vehicle came down in an area that covers 100 square kilometers , or around 38 square miles .
It also landed at nighttime in Australia , making the capsule even more difficult to spot .
Fortunately , the capsule was equipped with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the spacecraft touched down .
Before the landing , JAXA teams set up five antennas around the expected landing site to help find the signal , and the agency also had a helicopter with its own beacon receiver to help narrow down the search .
A drone was also on hand to fly overhead of the area to take pictures .
Hayabusa2 is Japan ’ s second mission to retrieve samples of an asteroid .
Its first mission , Hayabusa , returned asteroid samples to Earth in 2010 , though the mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asteroid material .
Hayabusa2 will hopefully have collected even more than the original Hayabusa ’ s offerings .
And in 2023 , NASA ’ s OSIRIS-REx mission is expected to return the largest sample of material from an asteroid ever collected .
Though Hayabusa2 has completed its primary mission , the spacecraft isn ’ t quite done yet .
The main spacecraft is still in space and just set out on a quest to visit another asteroid called 1998 KY26 .
It ’ ll take Hayabusa2 11 years to reach its new target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space rock and learning even more about the asteroids that zoom around us in space .

After spending six years in space, a Japanese spacecraft just landed in the desert of southern Australia, bringing a small cache of asteroid rocks to the surface of Earth. It’s only the second time in history that materials from an asteroid have been returned to our planet. Eventually, scientists will open the spacecraft up, uncovering the precious rocks within to learn more about the asteroids that permeate our Solar System.
The landing is the culmination of Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, aimed at bringing samples of an asteroid back to Earth. After launching from Japan in 2014, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft spent four years journeying to an asteroid named Ryugu. The vehicle spent a year and a half hanging around the asteroid, mapping the rock’s surface and grabbing samples of material before heading back to Earth.
Scientists are eager to see the rocks that Hayabusa2 has returned
Scientists are eager to see the rocks that Hayabusa2 has returned, as pristine samples from an asteroid could tell us a lot more about what our Solar System was like when the planets were first forming. That’s because asteroids are a bit like baby pictures of our cosmic neighborhood. These space rocks have been around since the dawn of the Solar System, and scientists believe asteroids haven’t really changed much over the last 4.6 billion years. These objects contain many of the same materials that were present at the Solar System’s birth, so studying these rocks in labs here on Earth could provide key context about the early days of the planets.
JAXA mission controllers celebrating the successful capsule separation of Hayabusa2 Photo by STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images
The capsule will be transported to Japan, where we’ll learn how much asteroid material the mission gathered. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which oversees the mission, hoped to bring back 100 milligrams of material from Ryugu, but scientists didn’t have a way to measure how much sample Hayabusa2 had collected while in space. That exact amount will be revealed when the spacecraft is opened in Japan.
Hayabusa2 used some creative techniques for collecting its samples at Ryugu. Equipped with a small horn-shaped arm, the spacecraft first tapped the asteroid with this appendage in February of 2019. When the arm made contact, it shot out a bullet-like projectile that punctured the asteroid, releasing a whole mess of dust and pebbles that hopefully went up into the horn.
The spacecraft didn’t just make one sample grab at Ryugu
The spacecraft didn’t just make one sample grab at Ryugu, though. Hayabusa2 tried this maneuver again in July of 2019, but the spacecraft had done a bit of excavating first. Before tapping the asteroid a second time, the spacecraft dropped a can of explosives onto Ryugu, blasting a crater on the asteroid and revealing some of the rocks located just below the surface. Hayabusa2 then tapped the surface inside this crater to scoop up some of this newly exposed material. The goal was to gather even more pristine rocks from Ryugu. The material underneath the asteroid’s surface hasn’t been exposed to the harsh environment of space for billions of years like the rocks on the exterior, which have likely experienced some change and reactions over time. So the material from the crater could provide an even better snapshot of the materials that were present when the Solar System first formed.
An artistic rendering of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft Image: DLR
Once the Hayabusa2 team felt confident they had grabbed enough from Ryugu, the spacecraft left the asteroid in November of 2019. After spending the last year traveling to Earth, the spacecraft deployed a small capsule late Friday night, with the samples of Ryugu located inside. The capsule then set on a course for Earth, plunging through our planet’s atmosphere this morning. It then deployed a parachute, slowing the vehicle from about 12 kilometers per second, or nearly 27,000 miles per hour, so that it could land gently in the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia.
teams from JAXA will go on an extended search in Australia to find the capsule
After it hit the ground teams from JAXA went on an extended search in Australia to find the capsule. The vehicle came down in an area that covers 100 square kilometers, or around 38 square miles. It also landed at nighttime in Australia, making the capsule even more difficult to spot. Fortunately, the capsule was equipped with a radio beacon that helped teams locate where the spacecraft touched down. Before the landing, JAXA teams set up five antennas around the expected landing site to help find the signal, and the agency also had a helicopter with its own beacon receiver to help narrow down the search. A drone was also on hand to fly overhead of the area to take pictures.
Hayabusa2 is Japan’s second mission to retrieve samples of an asteroid. Its first mission, Hayabusa, returned asteroid samples to Earth in 2010, though the mission only managed to collect tiny grains of asteroid material. Hayabusa2 will hopefully have collected even more than the original Hayabusa’s offerings. And in 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is expected to return the largest sample of material from an asteroid ever collected.


theverge--2020-12-05--Timnit Gebru’s actual paper may explain why Google ejected her

A paper co-authored by former Google AI ethicist Timnit Gebru raised some potentially thorny questions for Google about whether AI language models may be too big , and whether tech companies are doing enough to reduce potential risks , according to MIT Technology Review .
The paper also questioned the environmental costs and inherent biases in large language models .
Google ’ s AI team created such a language model— BERT— in 2018 , and it was so successful that the company incorporated BERT into its search engine .
Search is a highly lucrative segment of Google ’ s business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year alone , it brought in revenue of $ 26.3 billion .
“ This year , including this quarter , showed how valuable Google ’ s founding product — search — has been to people , ” CEO Sundar Pichai said on a call with investors in October .
Gebru and her team submitted their paper , titled “ On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots : Can Language Models Be Too Big ?
” for a research conference .
She said in a series of tweets on Wednesday that following an internal review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper or remove Google employees ’ names from it .
She says she asked Google for conditions for taking her name off the paper , and if they couldn ’ t meet the conditions they could “ work on a last date.
” Gebru says she then received an email from Google informing her they were “ accepting her resignation effective immediately.
” The head of Google AI , Jeff Dean , wrote in an email to employees that the paper “ didn ’ t meet our bar for publication.
” He wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for continuing to work at Google was for the company to tell her who had reviewed the paper and their specific feedback , which it declined to do .
“ Timnit wrote that if we didn ’ t meet these demands , she would leave Google and work on an end date .
We accept and respect her decision to resign from Google , ” Dean wrote .
Gebru is known for her work on algorithmic bias , especially in facial recognition technology In his letter , Dean wrote that the paper “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a claim that the paper ’ s co-author Emily M. Bender , a professor of computational linguistics at the University of Washington , disputed .
Bender told MIT Technology Review that the paper , which had six collaborators , was “ the sort of work that no individual or even pair of authors can pull off , ” noting it had a citation list of 128 references .
Gebru is known for her work on algorithmic bias , especially in facial recognition technology .
In 2018 , she co-authored a paper with Joy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ darker-skinned people were much higher than error rates for identifying lighter-skinned people , since the datasets used to train algorithms were overwhelmingly white .
Gebru told Wired in an interview published Thursday that she felt she was being censored .
“ You ’ re not going to have papers that make the company happy all the time and don ’ t point out problems , ” she said .
“ That ’ s antithetical to what it means to be that kind of researcher.
” Since news of her termination became public , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,500 Google employees have signed a letter of protest .
“ We , the undersigned , stand in solidarity with Dr. Timnit Gebru , who was terminated from her position as Staff Research Scientist and Co-Lead of Ethical Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) team at Google , following unprecedented research censorship , ” reads the petition , titled Standing with Dr. Timnit Gebru .
“ We call on Google Research to strengthen its commitment to research integrity and to unequivocally commit to supporting research that honors the commitments made in Google ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Dean and others “ who were involved with the decision to censor Dr. Gebru ’ s paper meet with the Ethical AI team to explain the process by which the paper was unilaterally rejected by leadership.
” Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday .

A paper co-authored by former Google AI ethicist Timnit Gebru raised some potentially thorny questions for Google about whether AI language models may be too big, and whether tech companies are doing enough to reduce potential risks, according to MIT Technology Review. The paper also questioned the environmental costs and inherent biases in large language models.
Google’s AI team created such a language model— BERT— in 2018, and it was so successful that the company incorporated BERT into its search engine. Search is a highly lucrative segment of Google’s business; in the third quarter of this year alone, it brought in revenue of $26.3 billion. “This year, including this quarter, showed how valuable Google’s founding product — search — has been to people,” CEO Sundar Pichai said on a call with investors in October.
Gebru and her team submitted their paper, titled “On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big?” for a research conference. She said in a series of tweets on Wednesday that following an internal review, she was asked to retract the paper or remove Google employees’ names from it. She says she asked Google for conditions for taking her name off the paper, and if they couldn’t meet the conditions they could “work on a last date.” Gebru says she then received an email from Google informing her they were “accepting her resignation effective immediately.”
The head of Google AI, Jeff Dean, wrote in an email to employees that the paper “didn’t meet our bar for publication.” He wrote that one of Gebru’s conditions for continuing to work at Google was for the company to tell her who had reviewed the paper and their specific feedback, which it declined to do. “Timnit wrote that if we didn’t meet these demands, she would leave Google and work on an end date. We accept and respect her decision to resign from Google,” Dean wrote.
Gebru is known for her work on algorithmic bias, especially in facial recognition technology
In his letter, Dean wrote that the paper “ignored too much relevant research,” a claim that the paper’s co-author Emily M. Bender, a professor of computational linguistics at the University of Washington, disputed. Bender told MIT Technology Review that the paper, which had six collaborators, was “the sort of work that no individual or even pair of authors can pull off,” noting it had a citation list of 128 references.
Gebru is known for her work on algorithmic bias, especially in facial recognition technology. In 2018, she co-authored a paper with Joy Buolamwini that showed error rates for identifying darker-skinned people were much higher than error rates for identifying lighter-skinned people, since the datasets used to train algorithms were overwhelmingly white.
Gebru told Wired in an interview published Thursday that she felt she was being censored. “You’re not going to have papers that make the company happy all the time and don’t point out problems,” she said. “That’s antithetical to what it means to be that kind of researcher.”
Since news of her termination became public, thousands of supporters, including more than 1,500 Google employees have signed a letter of protest. “We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Dr. Timnit Gebru, who was terminated from her position as Staff Research Scientist and Co-Lead of Ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) team at Google, following unprecedented research censorship,” reads the petition, titled Standing with Dr. Timnit Gebru.
“We call on Google Research to strengthen its commitment to research integrity and to unequivocally commit to supporting research that honors the commitments made in Google’s AI Principles.”
The petitioners are demanding that Dean and others “who were involved with the decision to censor Dr. Gebru’s paper meet with the Ethical AI team to explain the process by which the paper was unilaterally rejected by leadership.”


theverge--2020-12-05--Leftovers you can’t eat: Black Friday deals you can still get

Only the best deals on Verge-approved gadgets get the Verge Deals stamp of approval , so if you 're looking for a deal on your next gadget or gift from major retailers like Amazon , Walmart , Best Buy , Target , and more , this is the place to be .
This story is part of a group of stories called This weekend , you can enjoy the last of the leftovers — not Thanksgiving leftovers .
( There ’ s still no end in sight for those at my house . )
I ’ m talking about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cyber Monday .
It ’ s a relative drought compared to the number of sales we saw last weekend in the thick of it all , but you can still get some of this year ’ s best prices on headphones , video games , and smart speakers .
Here are this week ’ s best deals .
The headphones with arguably the most effective noise cancellation tech and best sound quality for the price are the Sony WH-1000XM4 .
They were down to $ 278 during Black Friday , but their current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy if you missed that .
The price of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is back down to the Black Friday deal we saw last week .
At Woot , they cost $ 110 , matching the lowest price yet , and you can have at your choice of color .
These will arrive by Christmas .
The Sonos One ( gen 2 ) is $ 40 off its original $ 200 price at Best Buy , Amazon , and through Sonos itself .
This model features microphones for smart assistant support ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ ll work alone or connected via Wi-Fi to other Sonos speakers .
Amazon ’ s new lineup of Echo smart speakers that released this fall has received some big discounts lately , and perhaps the most appealing from a value perspective is the spherical Echo Dot for $ 29 .
If you haven ’ t yet signed up for Xbox Game Pass , Microsoft is offering a three-month subscription to the Game Pass Ultimate service ( combining Xbox Live , Game Pass for console , PC , and Android via xCloud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site .
Since EA Play joined Game Pass , there are now even more games to play .
• Yakuza : Like a Dragon is down to $ 35 for the PS4 and Xbox One at Amazon and Best Buy .
The Xbox One copy will grant you a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X / S version if you own one of Microsoft ’ s next-gen consoles .
• FIFA 21 is $ 25 at GameStop ( usually $ 60 ) , the lowest it ’ s been .
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the PS5 , you will receive the next-gen version free of charge until FIFA 22 releases .
If you ’ re a Target Circle member ( it ’ s free to sign up ) , you can get a one-time 10 percent discount on the purchase of a Target gift card through Saturday , December 5th .
You ’ ll see the deal in the top-left section on the Target Circle Offers page .
According to the terms , the most you can save today is $ 50 off a $ 500 gift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this offer is valid in-store and online , and is good for email or standard mail delivery of gift cards .

This weekend, you can enjoy the last of the leftovers — not Thanksgiving leftovers. (There’s still no end in sight for those at my house.) I’m talking about the deals left over from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s a relative drought compared to the number of sales we saw last weekend in the thick of it all, but you can still get some of this year’s best prices on headphones, video games, and smart speakers.
Here are this week’s best deals.
Headphones
The headphones with arguably the most effective noise cancellation tech and best sound quality for the price are the Sony WH-1000XM4. They were down to $278 during Black Friday, but their current $298 price is still a good buy if you missed that.
The price of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is back down to the Black Friday deal we saw last week. At Woot, they cost $110, matching the lowest price yet, and you can have at your choice of color. These will arrive by Christmas.
Smart speakers
The Sonos One (gen 2) is $40 off its original $200 price at Best Buy, Amazon, and through Sonos itself. This model features microphones for smart assistant support (Google Assistant, Alexa), and it’ll work alone or connected via Wi-Fi to other Sonos speakers.
Sonos One (two) $ 378 $ 398 5 % off $ 378 $ 378 $ 398 5 % off The Sonos One is the base smart speaker in the Sonos system, and it puts out a surprising amount of sound from its compact size. $378 at Sonos
Amazon’s new lineup of Echo smart speakers that released this fall has received some big discounts lately, and perhaps the most appealing from a value perspective is the spherical Echo Dot for $29.
Video games
If you haven’t yet signed up for Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft is offering a three-month subscription to the Game Pass Ultimate service (combining Xbox Live, Game Pass for console, PC, and Android via xCloud) for just $1 through its site. Since EA Play joined Game Pass, there are now even more games to play.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is down to $35 for the PS4 and Xbox One at Amazon and Best Buy. The Xbox One copy will grant you a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X / S version if you own one of Microsoft’s next-gen consoles.
FIFA 21 is $25 at GameStop (usually $60), the lowest it’s been. If you buy the PS4 version and upgrade to the PS5, you will receive the next-gen version free of charge until FIFA 22 releases.
Misc. deals
If you’re a Target Circle member (it’s free to sign up), you can get a one-time 10 percent discount on the purchase of a Target gift card through Saturday, December 5th. You’ll see the deal in the top-left section on the Target Circle Offers page. According to the terms, the most you can save today is $50 off a $500 gift card. The good news is that this offer is valid in-store and online, and is good for email or standard mail delivery of gift cards.


theverge--2020-12-05--Elon Musk reportedly plans to move to Texas

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is planning to move from California to Texas , a move that would potentially save him from a huge personal income tax bill , CNBC reported .
Musk announced in July that Tesla was building its next US factory in Austin , where it will produce its Cybertruck , Model Y , Model 3 , and Semi vehicles .
The company received tens of millions of dollars in local property tax breaks to build the plant on 2,100 acres east of Austin ’ s airport , over the objections of some local residents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ its first vehicles in 2021 .
Musk ’ s Boring Company already has operations in Austin , and SpaceX has a facility in Boca Chica , Texas .
Earlier this year , Musk tweeted that he was “ selling almost all physical possessions .
Will own no house.
” Musk battled with officials in California in recent months over pandemic lockdown orders that temporarily shuttered Tesla ’ s Fremont plant .
In May , Musk said he was going to move the automaker out of state .
In November , Tesla said employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers ” and exempt from California ’ s new statewide COVID-19 health orders .
If Musk does change his permanent address to Texas , he ’ d pay significantly less in taxes , as CNBC notes .
Musk stands to earn more than $ 50 billion in stock options , and would have to pay income taxes on the profits when he exercises them if he remained in California .
Texas , however , has no personal income tax .

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is planning to move from California to Texas, a move that would potentially save him from a huge personal income tax bill, CNBC reported.
Earlier this year, Musk tweeted that he was “selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.”
Musk battled with officials in California in recent months over pandemic lockdown orders that temporarily shuttered Tesla’s Fremont plant. In May, Musk said he was going to move the automaker out of state.
In November, Tesla said employees at its Fremont plant were “essential workers” and exempt from California’s new statewide COVID-19 health orders.


theverge--2020-12-05--Netflix’s Selena doesn’t have a lot of Selena

There haven ’ t been many musicians like Selena Quintanilla : she was a Tejano superstar who managed to find major label mainstream success as one of the music industry ’ s first Latin artists to top the charts .
Her dazzling career was cut tragically short when she was murdered by a fan in the spring of 1995 , just before her 24th birthday .
A 1997 film , Selena , which starred Jennifer Lopez in the titular role , solidified her legend — anointing her as a pop culture saint and a bridge between cultures .
The real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex person with an interior life beyond her star persona and her tragic death .
She ’ s a person whose life is worth diving deeper into , beyond the constraints of a two-hour Hollywood picture .
In another world , Netflix ’ s Selena : The Series , now streaming a nine-episode “ Part 1 , ” might have been that .
But the new series isn ’ t interested in any of this .
It ’ s barely interested in Selena herself .
After moving swiftly through her childhood with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) discovering music and her father Abraham ’ s ( Ricardo Chavira ) early attempts at getting his other children to form a band around her incredible talent , the Netflix series settles into her teen years — when her dream starts to become a reality .
As a teenager , Selena ’ s ( Christian Serratos ) career begins in earnest , with her father managing the band she ’ s settled into with her siblings , Selena y Los Dinos .
The series shows her navigating the difficulties of poverty and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Americans and skepticism from Mexicans .
Selena : The Series treads familiar ground for anyone who has seen the 1995 film or any story about making it in America as an immigrant .
You start small , with an impossible belief in the opportunities this country can provide , and then , with perseverance and a little luck , you get your own slice of the American dream .
You prove to the world that your culture is worth celebrating .
The series hews very closely to these familiar beats , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a story about Selena and more one about her father , Abraham .
The show makes clear that it ’ s Abraham ’ s dashed dreams of having a band of his own that fuels his support of his daughter ’ s career , his controlling attitude that keeps the band focused but also suffocates his children .
His pride and ambition are at the center of most of the show ’ s conflicts .
Selena , for the most part , is just along for the ride .
In later episodes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of a normal life as touring keeps her from socializing with friends and dating boys .
( In fact , she gains the most agency when , late in this clutch of episodes , she decides to date someone against her father ’ s wishes . )
But again : her father is there , giving her arc its friction , and sucking up all the oxygen in the room .
Selena : The Series isn ’ t interested in its subject as anything other than a symbol , a prayer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Quintanilla family gets proper narrative treatments .
Selena ’ s sister Suzette ( who also serves as an executive producer ) begins the show afraid of receding into the background as Selena ’ s drummer but ends up inspiring fans in her own right .
Her brother , A.B.
, gets significant screen time depicting how he grows as a songwriter and chafes under his father ’ s leadership .
Despite being the ostensible focus of the series , Selena doesn ’ t get the same space .
She ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ singing , and ultimately not saying very much .
In her Vice story about the ongoing exploitation of Selena Quintanilla , writer Alex Zaragoza criticizes Selena : The Series as an extension of the nonstop merchandising of the star ’ s image and story that has ultimately flattened her identity and remade her into a bland symbol of Latinx success .
“ The fullness of her identity is in danger of becoming a faded carbon copy of its original self , ” writes Zaragoza , noting that Serratos ’ performance reflects this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s film version of Selena and not the human being herself .
The result is a show that feels cheap .
The feeling is magnified by a moment in the series ’ s ninth episode when Suzette makes an innocuous-seeming phone call to a fan to see if she ’ s willing to run the fan club .
It ’ s a bit of dramatic irony that gives away the game : you know the woman at the other end of the line is going to say yes , just as you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return , will eventually show this particular fan shooting and killing Selena Quintanilla .
This is the Selena that Selena : The Series is most interested in : the one you already know , the one forever frozen in time and infinitely marketable .
If there ’ s a more complex Selena to discover in between , you won ’ t find her here .

There haven’t been many musicians like Selena Quintanilla: she was a Tejano superstar who managed to find major label mainstream success as one of the music industry’s first Latin artists to top the charts. Her dazzling career was cut tragically short when she was murdered by a fan in the spring of 1995, just before her 24th birthday. A 1997 film, Selena, which starred Jennifer Lopez in the titular role, solidified her legend — anointing her as a pop culture saint and a bridge between cultures.
The real Selena Quintanilla, however, was a complex person with an interior life beyond her star persona and her tragic death. She’s a person whose life is worth diving deeper into, beyond the constraints of a two-hour Hollywood picture. In another world, Netflix’s Selena: The Series, now streaming a nine-episode “Part 1,” might have been that. But the new series isn’t interested in any of this. It’s barely interested in Selena herself.
After moving swiftly through her childhood with a premiere showing young Selena (Daniela Estrada) discovering music and her father Abraham’s (Ricardo Chavira) early attempts at getting his other children to form a band around her incredible talent, the Netflix series settles into her teen years — when her dream starts to become a reality. As a teenager, Selena’s (Christian Serratos) career begins in earnest, with her father managing the band she’s settled into with her siblings, Selena y Los Dinos. The series shows her navigating the difficulties of poverty and playing Tejano music while dealing with racism from Americans and skepticism from Mexicans.
Selena: The Series treads familiar ground for anyone who has seen the 1995 film or any story about making it in America as an immigrant. You start small, with an impossible belief in the opportunities this country can provide, and then, with perseverance and a little luck, you get your own slice of the American dream. You prove to the world that your culture is worth celebrating. The series hews very closely to these familiar beats, so much so that it’s less a story about Selena and more one about her father, Abraham.
The show makes clear that it’s Abraham’s dashed dreams of having a band of his own that fuels his support of his daughter’s career, his controlling attitude that keeps the band focused but also suffocates his children. His pride and ambition are at the center of most of the show’s conflicts. Selena, for the most part, is just along for the ride. In later episodes, as her star rises, she bemoans the lack of a normal life as touring keeps her from socializing with friends and dating boys. (In fact, she gains the most agency when, late in this clutch of episodes, she decides to date someone against her father’s wishes.) But again: her father is there, giving her arc its friction, and sucking up all the oxygen in the room.
Selena: The Series isn’t interested in its subject as anything other than a symbol, a prayer candle to keep lit while the rest of the Quintanilla family gets proper narrative treatments. Selena’s sister Suzette (who also serves as an executive producer) begins the show afraid of receding into the background as Selena’s drummer but ends up inspiring fans in her own right. Her brother, A.B., gets significant screen time depicting how he grows as a songwriter and chafes under his father’s leadership. Despite being the ostensible focus of the series, Selena doesn’t get the same space. She’s mostly shown as cherubic: smiling, singing, and ultimately not saying very much.
In her Vice story about the ongoing exploitation of Selena Quintanilla, writer Alex Zaragoza criticizes Selena: The Series as an extension of the nonstop merchandising of the star’s image and story that has ultimately flattened her identity and remade her into a bland symbol of Latinx success. “The fullness of her identity is in danger of becoming a faded carbon copy of its original self,” writes Zaragoza, noting that Serratos’ performance reflects this, reading as a performance based on Lopez’s film version of Selena and not the human being herself.
The result is a show that feels cheap. The feeling is magnified by a moment in the series’s ninth episode when Suzette makes an innocuous-seeming phone call to a fan to see if she’s willing to run the fan club. It’s a bit of dramatic irony that gives away the game: you know the woman at the other end of the line is going to say yes, just as you know that the show, should it return, will eventually show this particular fan shooting and killing Selena Quintanilla.


theverge--2020-12-05--Preparation for a big COVID-19 vaccine rollout is underway

In the US , COVID-19 vaccines are just around the corner , leaving the entire country peering out the window in anticipation of their arrival .
Officials and healthcare systems , already taxed by skyrocketing case counts are making sure that everything is prepared when they show up .
Here ’ s a few things still on their vaccine to-do lists : Save the dates : In the next few weeks , committees with the Food and Drug Administration will meet to decide whether or not to authorize vaccine candidates for Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna .
The Pfizer vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled for December 10th .
Moderna ’ s meeting will happen a week later , on December 17 .
The committee will meet to discuss the mountains of data from the clinical trials , and decide if they are safe and effective enough to be distributed .
While the US is taking some time to do thorough background checks on the vaccines , others have expedited the process .
This week , the UK authorized the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine , putting pressure on the US to do the same .
Seating arrangements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines are invited to the party , states need to have a plan for their allotted doses .
Friday , December 5 was the deadline for states to place orders for the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine .
And earlier this week , a committee of the CDC met to finalize their recommendations as to who should get the vaccine first .
The VIPs who are most likely to receive the vaccine first are healthcare workers and people living and working in long-term care facilities .
Menu planning : As expected , the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the vaccines have to be given weeks apart .
This is a challenge for states who now have to make sure that everyone gets the right vaccine at the right time .
They plan to use digital databases to track who got which vaccine , and when they got their shot .
Clearing out the fridge ( s ) : These vaccines have to be kept very cold .
They can both stay potent for a while at refrigerator-like temperatures , but for longer-term storage Pfizer / BioNTech ’ s needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That has states clearing out cold storage and buying up dry ice anywhere they can as they prep for the vaccine ’ s arrival .
In Maine , community college freezers may be pressed into service as the state starts vaccinating more people , the head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention told Slate .
There ’ s still a lot more to do before the first doses start trickling in .
First on the priority list , there ’ s a surge of cases and hospitalizations that must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and communications need to set the tone for a vaccine campaign .
The vaccines need to be delivered equitably , and researchers will have to keep a watchful eye on the long-term effects of the vaccines .
But if all of those can be accomplished , and this hastily-planned vaccine effort can be pulled off , it will be a triumph .
Here ’ s what else is happening this week : Small Data , Big Implications How dangerous is it to dine inside a restaurant right now ?
There ’ s still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fascinating studies are coming out , including a recent one from South Korea , broken down in this article by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci .
Tufekci ’ s newsletter Insight is worth a read — another post this week highlights the efforts of Chinese researchers to sound the an early alarm on this virus .
( Zeynep Tufekci/Insight ) ‘ Nobody Sees Us ’ : Testing-Lab Workers Strain Under Demand In labs across the US , scientists and lab workers are reaching a breaking point as demand for tests continues to grow .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why the CDC changed its Covid-19 quarantine guidelines The CDC officially changed its guidelines for quarantine this week , shortening the time frame in certain scenarios .
The reason why ?
It hopes more people will stick to a shorter quarantine schedule .
Later in the week , the agency urged ‘ universal face mask use ’ for the first time in a new report .
( German Lopez/Vox ) The COVID-19 vaccines are a marvel of science .
Here ’ s how we can make the best use of them If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts think these vaccines should be used , this is an article for you .
It lays out the challenges and opportunities facing us all in this next phase of the pandemic .
( Helen Branswell/Stat ) Multidose COVID-19 vaccines will test state tracking systems States plan to keep tabs on who gets vaccinated and when they get their doses .
Here ’ s how that will work .
( Nicole Wetsman/The Verge ) CDC advisory panel ’ s lone dissenter on why long-term care residents shouldn ’ t receive COVID-19 vaccine first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panel met to decide who they thought should be the first to receive vaccines , there was only one person who opposed the recommendation .
Here ’ s why she cast a dissenting vote .
( Helen Branswell/Stat ) Hackers are targeting the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain , IBM finds There ’ s now evidence that phishing attacks are targeting the vaccine ‘ cold chain ’ .
Experts still aren ’ t sure what the end goal of the infiltration might be , or who is behind it .
( Monica Chin/The Verge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Line To put things in perspective , check out this infographic showing an approximation of where you are in the line for a vaccine .
( Stuart Thompson/The New York Times ) —Mark Morocco , a physician in Los Angeles writing in The Los Angeles Times —Elaine Godfrey writes in her article “ Iowa Is What Happens When Government Does Nothing ” in The Atlantic To the more than 65,760,928 people worldwide who have tested positive , may your road to recovery be smooth .
To the families and friends of the 1,515,990 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten .

In the US, COVID-19 vaccines are just around the corner, leaving the entire country peering out the window in anticipation of their arrival. Officials and healthcare systems, already taxed by skyrocketing case counts are making sure that everything is prepared when they show up. Here’s a few things still on their vaccine to-do lists:
Save the dates: In the next few weeks, committees with the Food and Drug Administration will meet to decide whether or not to authorize vaccine candidates for Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna. The Pfizer vaccine is up first, with a meeting scheduled for December 10th. Moderna’s meeting will happen a week later, on December 17. The committee will meet to discuss the mountains of data from the clinical trials, and decide if they are safe and effective enough to be distributed.
While the US is taking some time to do thorough background checks on the vaccines, others have expedited the process. This week, the UK authorized the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, putting pressure on the US to do the same.
A newsletter highlighting the COVID-19 research, developments, and stories that matter. Subscribe here!
Seating arrangements: Once the FDA has decided which vaccines are invited to the party, states need to have a plan for their allotted doses. Friday, December 5 was the deadline for states to place orders for the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. And earlier this week, a committee of the CDC met to finalize their recommendations as to who should get the vaccine first. The VIPs who are most likely to receive the vaccine first are healthcare workers and people living and working in long-term care facilities.
Menu planning: As expected, the vaccine front runners are both two dose vaccines, and the vaccines have to be given weeks apart. This is a challenge for states who now have to make sure that everyone gets the right vaccine at the right time. They plan to use digital databases to track who got which vaccine, and when they got their shot.
Clearing out the fridge(s): These vaccines have to be kept very cold. They can both stay potent for a while at refrigerator-like temperatures, but for longer-term storage Pfizer / BioNTech’s needs to chill at minus 70 degrees Celsius. That has states clearing out cold storage and buying up dry ice anywhere they can as they prep for the vaccine’s arrival. In Maine, community college freezers may be pressed into service as the state starts vaccinating more people, the head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention told Slate.
There’s still a lot more to do before the first doses start trickling in. First on the priority list, there’s a surge of cases and hospitalizations that must be stopped. Then, transparent plans and communications need to set the tone for a vaccine campaign. The vaccines need to be delivered equitably, and researchers will have to keep a watchful eye on the long-term effects of the vaccines. But if all of those can be accomplished, and this hastily-planned vaccine effort can be pulled off, it will be a triumph.
Here’s what else is happening this week:
Research
Small Data, Big Implications
How dangerous is it to dine inside a restaurant right now? There’s still a dearth of data, but some fascinating studies are coming out, including a recent one from South Korea, broken down in this article by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci. Tufekci’s newsletter Insight is worth a read — another post this week highlights the efforts of Chinese researchers to sound the an early alarm on this virus.
(Zeynep Tufekci/Insight)
‘Nobody Sees Us’: Testing-Lab Workers Strain Under Demand
In labs across the US, scientists and lab workers are reaching a breaking point as demand for tests continues to grow.
(Katherine J Wu/The New York Times)
Why the CDC changed its Covid-19 quarantine guidelines
The CDC officially changed its guidelines for quarantine this week, shortening the time frame in certain scenarios. The reason why? It hopes more people will stick to a shorter quarantine schedule. Later in the week, the agency urged ‘universal face mask use’ for the first time in a new report.
(German Lopez/Vox)
Development
The COVID-19 vaccines are a marvel of science. Here’s how we can make the best use of them
If you want a really deep dive into how experts think these vaccines should be used, this is an article for you. It lays out the challenges and opportunities facing us all in this next phase of the pandemic.
(Helen Branswell/Stat)
Multidose COVID-19 vaccines will test state tracking systems
States plan to keep tabs on who gets vaccinated and when they get their doses. Here’s how that will work.
(Nicole Wetsman/The Verge)
CDC advisory panel’s lone dissenter on why long-term care residents shouldn’t receive COVID-19 vaccine first
This week, when a CDC advisory panel met to decide who they thought should be the first to receive vaccines, there was only one person who opposed the recommendation. Here’s why she cast a dissenting vote.
(Helen Branswell/Stat)
Hackers are targeting the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain, IBM finds
There’s now evidence that phishing attacks are targeting the vaccine ‘cold chain’. Experts still aren’t sure what the end goal of the infiltration might be, or who is behind it.
(Monica Chin/The Verge)
Perspectives
Find Your Place in the Vaccine Line
To put things in perspective, check out this infographic showing an approximation of where you are in the line for a vaccine.
(Stuart Thompson/The New York Times)
COVID doesn’t care how you vote, where you live or if you die. The fire burns all around us and we are dry grass, from sea to shining sea.
—Mark Morocco, a physician in Los Angeles writing in The Los Angeles Times
For two hours that summer night, there were no sounds but soft piano and the gentle beep beep beep of the monitors. Klein thought about how he would feel if the person in the bed were his own father, and he squeezed his hand tighter. Around midnight, Klein watched as the man took one last, ragged breath and died.
—Elaine Godfrey writes in her article “Iowa Is What Happens When Government Does Nothing” in The Atlantic
More than numbers
To the more than 65,760,928 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.
To the families and friends of the 1,515,990 people who have died worldwide — 278,594 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten.


theverge--2020-12-06--New trailers: The Marksman, The Dig, The Mauritanian, and more

I finished The Undoing and while it was disappointingly messy with a plot that didn ’ t quite come together , I think we can all agree that 1 ) Nicole Kidman ’ s coats were amazing and 2 ) Hugh Grant should absolutely play more villains .
I ’ m also kind of on a kick of catching up on shows I missed because I didn ’ t have premium cable , and just started season one of Homeland ( I know , I know ) .
Still deciding what I think but as I ’ m sure has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is very intense !
New trailers this week include Liam Neeson in The Marksman and Ralph Fiennes in The Dig ( big “ the ” theme this week ) , and I managed to find five non-holiday flicks for you ( you ’ re welcome ) .
At some point , will Liam Neeson get a break from heroically rescuing innocent victims from bloodthirsty bad guys ?
Maybe , but not in The Marksman .
He plays Jim Hanson , a down-on-his-luck retired Marine living near the US-Mexico border .
He inadvertently gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a young boy trying to make his way to family in Chicago .
The Marksman is due in theaters January 22nd .
Season 4 of Netflix ’ s series about our favorite teenage witch is back , with Kiernan Shipka returning as Sabrina .
This time around , she has to deal with baddies who can warp reality , which , side note : maybe altering reality is not a always bad thing ( looking at you , 2020 ) .
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina , Part 4 , debuts on Netflix December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ star as an amateur archaeologist and wealthy widow , respectively , who excavate a mysterious burial mound in England on the eve of World War II .
It ’ s based on the true story of the 1939 excavation of an Anglo-Saxon ship buried near Sutton Hoo .
The Dig arrives in theaters and on Netflix January 29th .
Another film based on a true story , The Mauritanian stars Jodie Foster as an attorney representing a man who was imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for 14 years .
Benedict Cumberbatch ( brace yourself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Shailene Woodley also star .
The Mauritanian is slated for theaters February 19th .
We Can Be Heroes In this sequel of sorts to The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl , a group of superkids team up to rescue their superparents from alien invaders .
Directed by Robert Rodriguez , We Can Be Heroes stars Pedro Pascal , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Christian Slater , and Yaya Gosselin .
It ’ s coming soon to Netflix .

I finished The Undoing and while it was disappointingly messy with a plot that didn’t quite come together, I think we can all agree that 1) Nicole Kidman’s coats were amazing and 2) Hugh Grant should absolutely play more villains. I’m also kind of on a kick of catching up on shows I missed because I didn’t have premium cable, and just started season one of Homeland (I know, I know). Still deciding what I think but as I’m sure has been observed by many others, Carrie is very intense!
New trailers this week include Liam Neeson in The Marksman and Ralph Fiennes in The Dig (big “the” theme this week), and I managed to find five non-holiday flicks for you (you’re welcome).
The Marksman
At some point, will Liam Neeson get a break from heroically rescuing innocent victims from bloodthirsty bad guys? Maybe, but not in The Marksman. He plays Jim Hanson, a down-on-his-luck retired Marine living near the US-Mexico border. He inadvertently gets caught up with a drug cartel hunting a young boy trying to make his way to family in Chicago. The Marksman is due in theaters January 22nd.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Season 4 of Netflix’s series about our favorite teenage witch is back, with Kiernan Shipka returning as Sabrina. This time around, she has to deal with baddies who can warp reality, which, side note: maybe altering reality is not a always bad thing (looking at you, 2020). Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Part 4, debuts on Netflix December 31st.
The Dig
Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan star as an amateur archaeologist and wealthy widow, respectively, who excavate a mysterious burial mound in England on the eve of World War II. It’s based on the true story of the 1939 excavation of an Anglo-Saxon ship buried near Sutton Hoo. The Dig arrives in theaters and on Netflix January 29th.
The Mauritanian
Another film based on a true story, The Mauritanian stars Jodie Foster as an attorney representing a man who was imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for 14 years. Benedict Cumberbatch (brace yourself for the accent), Tahar Rahim, and Shailene Woodley also star. The Mauritanian is slated for theaters February 19th.
We Can Be Heroes


theverge--2020-12-06--Aptera is back with a new EV it says doesn’t need charging

Aptera , the company that shuttered in 2011 after failing to secure funding for its three-wheeled electric car , is back with a new solar electric vehicle it claims never needs charging , at least , for most drivers .
And it predicts its top model , with a battery of 100 kWh , can get up to 1,000 miles of range .
The new three-wheeled , two-person ( or two adults plus pet , as its specs suggest ) vehicle has a solar roof array that can provide up to 45 miles of range per day , so if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the charge from the solar panels while it ’ s parked , then the 1,000 range seems ... possible .
Although , as Car and Driver points out , the vehicle doesn ’ t run just on solar power while driving .
“ With Aptera ’ s Never Charge technology , you are driven by the power of the sun .
Our built-in solar array keeps your battery pack topped off and anywhere you want to go , you just go , ” Aptera co-founder Chris Anthony said in a press release .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aptera and is designed to harvest enough sunlight to travel over 11,000 miles per year in most regions.
” The vehicle is curvy and lightweight , according to the images and spec sheet , and it has a drag coefficient of just 0.13 ( by way of comparison , Tesla ’ s Model 3 has a drag coefficient of 0.23 , and Volkswagen ’ s ID 4 electric SUV is at 0.28 ) .
Its front-wheel drive vehicle can go from zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds , and its three-wheel drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3.5 seconds .
Preorders for Aptera ’ s Paradigm and Paradigm Plus models are open now , for a refundable deposit of $ 100 .
The price will range between $ 25,900 and $ 46,000— or more for customized vehicles—and the company expects to deliver them in 2021 .
Back in 2011 , Aptera shut down after it was unable to secure a $ 150 million loan to produce its Aptera 2e , which was certified by the US Department of Energy .
President and CEO Paul Wilbur said at the time that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to build a future for more efficient driving .
”

Aptera, the company that shuttered in 2011 after failing to secure funding for its three-wheeled electric car, is back with a new solar electric vehicle it claims never needs charging, at least, for most drivers. And it predicts its top model, with a battery of 100 kWh, can get up to 1,000 miles of range.
The new three-wheeled, two-person (or two adults plus pet, as its specs suggest) vehicle has a solar roof array that can provide up to 45 miles of range per day, so if you have that top model and add the charge from the solar panels while it’s parked, then the 1,000 range seems ... possible. Although, as Car and Driver points out, the vehicle doesn’t run just on solar power while driving.
The interior of Aptera’s new electric vehicle Aptera
“With Aptera’s Never Charge technology, you are driven by the power of the sun. Our built-in solar array keeps your battery pack topped off and anywhere you want to go, you just go,” Aptera co-founder Chris Anthony said in a press release. “Never Charge is built into every Aptera and is designed to harvest enough sunlight to travel over 11,000 miles per year in most regions.”
The vehicle is curvy and lightweight, according to the images and spec sheet, and it has a drag coefficient of just 0.13 (by way of comparison, Tesla’s Model 3 has a drag coefficient of 0.23, and Volkswagen’s ID 4 electric SUV is at 0.28). Its front-wheel drive vehicle can go from zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, and its three-wheel drive model can get to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Preorders for Aptera’s Paradigm and Paradigm Plus models are open now, for a refundable deposit of $100. The price will range between $25,900 and $46,000— or more for customized vehicles—and the company expects to deliver them in 2021.