Innholdsfortegnelse for #558 i Techlife News

Virgin Galactic announced that it is partnering with a Boeing subsidiary to manufacture the next generation of the twin-fuselage aircraft used to carry aloft the space tourism company’s rocket ship. Aurora Flight Sciences will build two of the special carrier planes at its facilities in Mississippi and West Virginia. Final assembly still will take place at Virgin Galactic’s facility in Mojave, California, with the first mothership produced under the contract expected to enter service in 2025. Each of the aircraft will be designed to fly up to 200 launches per year. Virgin Galactic officials said that outsourcing the work will provide access to labor, minimize supply chain disruptions and lead to faster production times. The company has repeatedly pushed back the timeline for launching paying customers, with commercial service now…

The U.S. dollar has been surging so much that it’s nearly equal in value to the euro for the first time in 20 years. That trend, though, threatens to hurt American companies because their goods become more expensive for foreign buyers. If U.S. exports were to weaken as a result, so, too, would the already-slowing U.S. economy. Yet there’s a positive side for Americans, too: A stronger buck provides modest relief from runaway inflation because the vast array of goods that are imported to the U.S. — from cars and computers to toys and medical equipment — become less expensive. A strengthened dollar also delivers bargains to American tourists sightseeing in Europe, from Amsterdam to Athens. The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the value of American money against six major…

Many Americans don’t expect to rely on the digital services that became commonplace during the pandemic after COVID-19 subsides, according to a new poll, even as many think it’s a good thing if those options remain available in the future. Close to half or more of U.S. adults say they are not likely to attend virtual activities, receive virtual health care, have groceries delivered or use curbside pickup after the coronavirus pandemic is over, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Less than 3 in 10 say they’re very likely to use any of those options at least some of the time. Still, close to half also say it would be a good thing if virtual options for health care, for community events and…

The inaugural class of the Detroit Apple Developer Academy, a free program that teaches students the fundamentals of coding, design, marketing and project management, celebrated its unique accomplishment during a ceremony last week. The academy in Detroit for people interested in a career in the app economy is the first in North America and was launched as part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. “Can you believe it? That you’re here at this moment where all your hard work has paid off,” Lisa Jackson, the tech giant’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, asked the graduates. “I do want to be among the first to say congratulations.” The 90 grads range in age from 18 to 64 and include a high school student, a pastor and a…

New York officials denied required air permit renewals to a bitcoin-mining power plant on the grounds that it was a threat to the state’s climate goals. The permitting decision was another example of New York putting the brakes on a cryptocurrency bonanza that has alarmed environmentalists. It also comes at a time when cryptocurrency prices have plunged, wiping out fortunes, fueling skepticism and sparking calls for tighter scrutiny. The state’s permitting decision involved Greenidge Generation, an old coal-fired plant by the shore of Seneca Lake which had once been shut down, but was converted from coal to natural gas several years ago and began bitcoin mining in earnest in 2020. A majority of the electricity produced by the plant is now used to run more than 15,000 computer servers for…

FIFA will introduce new technology to improve offside calls at the World Cup in Qatar this year, using a limb-tracking camera system. FIFA said Friday it is ready to launch semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) that uses multiple cameras to track player movements plus a sensor in the ball — and will quickly show 3D images on stadium screens at the tournament to help fans understand the referee’s call. It’s the third World Cup in a row that sees FIFA introduce new technology to help referees. Goal-line technology was ready for the 2014 tournament in Brazil after a notorious refereeing error in 2010. In 2018, video review to help referees judge game-changing incidents was rolled out in Russia. The new offside system promises faster and more accurate decisions than are currently…

Two generations after its 1966 debut, the universe of “Star Trek” has become a vast and sprawling mural in these heady days of streaming TV. There’s the dark and bingeworthy “Star Trek: Picard,” a deep character study of an aging and beloved captain confronting his demons — and saving life as we know it twice in two seasons. There’s “Star Trek: Prodigy,” a rich, 3D-animated story aimed at kids and full of wonder. There’s the more traditionally animated “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” a wacky variation on the theme that unfolds on an also-ran starship and is brimming with fan-service moments. And smack in the center of the mural sits “Star Trek Discovery,” the epic journey of a Federation starship and its crew across an entire millennium as it saves the…

Britain’s competition watchdog is investigating whether Amazon is harming competition and hurting consumers by giving an unfair advantage to merchants that pay for extra services. The Competition and Markets Authority’s formal investigation said that it will look into concerns that the ecommerce giant is abusing its dominance to undermine rivals, echoing similar investigations carried out by the European Union’s executive Commission and Germany’s antitrust agency. Amazon said it will work closely with the CMA during the investigation. “We believe we’ve always worked hard to help small businesses selling on Amazon to succeed, which is in both their and our best interests,” the company said. “We remain proud of the continued support we provide to businesses of all sizes across the U.K.” While Amazon supplies some of the products that it…

More than 500 days into his presidency, Joe Biden’s hope for saving the Earth from the most devastating effects of climate change may not quite be dead. But it’s not far from it. A Supreme Court ruling last week not only limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate climate pollution by power plants but also suggests the court is poised to block other efforts by Biden and federal agencies to limit the climate-wrecking fumes emitted by oil, gas and coal. It’s a blow to Biden’s commitment to slash emissions in the few years scientists say are left to stave off worse and deadlier levels of global warming. And it’s a sign, to Democrats at home and allies abroad, of the dwindling options remaining for Biden to reverse the legacy…

Record-high gas prices have stoked interest in electric vehicles. But Black Hills power providers say improvements are need in the electric grid to keep pace with anticipated sales. The Biden administration has set an ambitious target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions electric vehicles. While that’s the goal, electric utility providers say the state is not ready for that. West River Electric Co-op spokesman Robert Raker says utilities are not producing enough electricity to meet the Biden’ administration’s goal. “We can’t stop it. That’s what people are wanting. So, we need to make sure that when these EVs come in, they start charging at night. So, what West River Electric has done is developed a rate that incentivizes charging at night,” Raker said. Raker said…

A four-day workweek sounds appealing to workers. Possibly alarming to employers. A bill introduced in the California legislature earlier this year proposed a regular pay rate for 32 hours of work per week, with overtime kicking in after that. The measure stalled in committee for a lack of broad support but could resurface in 2023. Meanwhile, 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit foundation associated with Oxford University, is piloting a six-month trial of a four-day workweek “with no loss of pay for employees.” More than three dozen companies in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the experiment, with a total of 150 organizations and 7,000 employees involved worldwide. Of more than 1,000 U.S. adult employees surveyed by research firm Qualtrics in January, 92% said they would support their employer…

The Supreme Court’s latest climate change ruling could dampen efforts by federal agencies to rein in the tech industry, which went largely unregulated for decades as the government tried to catch up to changes wrought by the internet. In the 6-3 decision that was narrowly tailored to the Environmental Protection Agency, the court ruled that the EPA does not have broad authority to reduce power plant emissions that contribute to global warming. The precedent is widely expected to invite challenges of other rules set by government agencies. “Every agency is going to face new hurdles in the wake of this confusing decision,” said Alexandra Givens, the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington-based digital rights nonprofit. “But hopefully the agencies will continue doing their jobs…

Tesla’s sales from April through June fell to their lowest quarterly level since last fall as supply chain issues and pandemic restrictions in China hobbled production of its electric vehicles. The company disclosed it sold more than 254,000 cars and SUVs from April through June, an 18% drop from the first three months of this year and also well below the pace in last year’s final quarter. The last time Tesla sold fewer vehicles globally was in the third quarter of 2021 when it delivered 241,000. The rest of the industry reported a 21% drop in sales during the second quarter as the average price for vehicles skyrocketed to a record of $45,844 amid soaring inflation, according to J.D. Power. Tesla’s sales drop may be a harbinger of weaker second-quarter…

For years, there’s been a cardinal rule for flying civilian drones: Keep them within your line of sight. Not just because it’s a good idea — it’s also the law. But some drones have recently gotten permission to soar out of their pilots’ sight. They can now inspect high-voltage power lines across the forested Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. They’re tracking endangered sea turtles off Florida’s coast and monitoring seaports in the Netherlands and railroads from New Jersey to the rural West. Aviation authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere are preparing to relax some of the safeguards they imposed to regulate a boom in off-the-shelf consumer drones over the past decade. Businesses want simpler rules that could open your neighborhood’s skies to new commercial applications of these low-flying machines, although…

The Bank of England warned this week that recent cryptocurrency meltdowns that wiped out more then $2 trillion in value highlight the need for tougher financial regulations The U.K.’s central bank said that the crashes exposed vulnerabilities in the crypto markets reminiscent of previous bouts of financial turmoil. Extreme volatility in the crypto markets, including so-called stablecoins, resulted in “fire sales” and amplified price falls, the bank said in its latest financial stability report. While overall financial stability wasn’t threatened, the bank worried that “systemic risks” would grow as cryptocurrencies become more intertwined with the wider financial system and called for “enhanced regulatory and law enforcement frameworks.” “Technology doesn’t change the laws of economics and finance and risks,” Jon Cunliffe, the deputy governor for financial stability, said at a press…

Microsoft’s acquisition of game publisher Activision Blizzard faces antitrust scrutiny in the U.K., where competition regulators said this week they’ve opened an initial inquiry into the $69 billion deal. The Competition and Markets Authority said it has started looking into whether the tie-up would result “in a substantial lessening of competition” in the United Kingdom. The U.S. tech giant announced in January that it was buying Activision Blizzard in a deal that would make it a bigger video game company than Nintendo but raised questions about its anti-competitive effects. Microsoft makes the Xbox gaming system while Activision has created or acquired popular video games including Guitar Hero and the World of Warcraft franchise. Microsoft said it expected the scrutiny and thought it appropriate for regulators to take a closer look…

Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day in a call with executives Thursday during a briefing that aimed to shed more light on the company’s fake and bot accounts as it tussles with Elon Musk over “spam bots.” The Tesla CEO, who has offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, has threatened to walk away from the deal if the company can’t show that less than 5% of its daily active users are automated spam accounts. Musk has argued, without presenting evidence, that Twitter has significantly underestimated the number of these “spam bots” -- automated accounts that typically promote scams and misinformation — on its service. Twitter said on the call that the spam accounts represent well below 5% of its active user base each quarter. Fake…

Lithuania will present a combat drone to Ukraine that was donated by the Turkish manufacturer after a private crowdfunding campaign among ordinary Lithuanians, who raised nearly 6 million euros ($6.1 million) for the purpose within days. The campaign’s success inspired Turkey’s Baykar defense company, which makes the Bayraktar TB2 drone, to provide it free of cost. Some of the money raised in Lithuania was used to arm the drone, and the rest will be funneled to Ukraine to address “critical needs,” the Lithuanian government said. Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas presented the drone, which arrived in the country earlier this week, to the public at a local air base. “One weapon won’t win a war but symbols are extremely important in any war,” he told public broadcaster LRT Wednesday. It…

This year’s updates to iPadOS are designed with productivity and collaboration in mind, with a stunning new multitasking experience called Stage Manager, an all-new iPad app called Freeform, and countless under-the-hood changes that make working on an iPad even better. CHANGING THE GAME WITH STAGE MANAGER There’s no denying that the iPad has been a major success since its inception, but as Apple began to put more focus on features for iPhone, the iPad has fallen behind somewhat in recent years. Sure, dedicated iPadOS functionality has given Apple an edge, but it’s true that consumers and professionals have felt that the operating system has become a little stale in recent years, and wanted more depth and functionality to make iPad a genuine alternative to a computer. Stage Manager is, without…

Apple said it will roll out a “lockdown” option for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers intended to protect against spyware unleashed by state-sponsored hackers — although enabling that protection will also make these devices less useful. The safeguard announced this week is a tacit acknowledgement that not even Apple — the world’s most valuable company — has been able to adequately shield the iPhone and its other products against intrusions from state-backed hackers and commercial spyware. Governments have used these tools to violate the privacy of journalists, political dissidents and human rights activists. The new feature, called “lockdown mode,” will initially be offered as a test version so that security researchers can help Apple identify any bugs or weaknesses. Apple usually releases its major updates to its device operating systems…

For a not small segment of the audience for “Minions: Rise of Gru,” only one thing really needs to be said. The Minions are in it. That’s enough. Now five films and 12 years into the “Despicable Me” series, the appeal of the bug-eyed, overalls-wearing, banana-yellow henchmen horde is overwhelming apparent. They have swarmed the planet like that human mob in “World War Z,” spreading a happy cartoon plague that long ago became endemic. The Minions are one of the great second-banana success stories. And the franchise’s latest installment, “Minions: Rise of Gru,” is smart enough not to reinvent the wheel — even if trying to do so might sound like the kind of job the Minions would love to get a crack at. The outline of the film is…

German state officials said that they want advertisers and social media influencers to label any photos that have used so-called beauty filters. Critics argue that the filters, which offer easy ways to touch up images and remove supposed blemishes, promote unrealistic standards of beauty particularly among women and girls. The dpa news agency quoted Hamburg’s state minister for equality, Katharina Fegebank, saying that digital tools should not determine what is considered beautiful or not. A majority of officials from Germany’s 16 states want the federal government to come up with legislation that would require the labeling of images and videos where beauty filters were used to enhance a person’s face, skin or hair. This would apply to commercial advertising and influencers with a significant number of followers, Fegebank was quoted…

Hackers claim to have obtained a trove of data on 1 billion Chinese from a Shanghai police database in a leak that, if confirmed, could be one of the largest data breaches in history. In a post on the online hacking forum Breach Forums last week, someone using the handle “ChinaDan” offered to sell nearly 24 terabytes (24 TB) of data including what they claimed was information on 1 billion people and “several billion case records” for 10 Bitcoin, worth about $200,000. The data purportedly includes information from the Shanghai National Police database including names, addresses, national identification numbers and mobile phone numbers as well as case details. A sample of data seen by The Associated Press listed names, birthdates, ages and mobile numbers. One person was listed as having…