[ad_1] The £14.99 plan covers up to six family members, but Google’s Home Mini can recognize each one via its Voice Match feature in order to personalize music playback. Beware that if you share the plan with non-family members outside your household, Spotify may start cracking down on the widely-used practice. Spotify teamed up with […]
Author: Randall
Tinder ditches its hidden desirability scores
[ad_1] In 2016, Tinder CEO Sean Rad told Fast Co. that the Elo score — inspired by chess rankings — was based on “desirability.” Product VP Jonathan Badeen related it to Warcraft, saying “whenever you play somebody with a really high score, you end up gaining more points than if you played someone with a […]
Robot brain teaches machines to pick up objects they haven’t seen before
[ad_1] CSAIL says kPAM or Keypoint Affordance Manipulation is more accurate than other similar technologies. After it detects all the coordinates on an object, it determines what it can do with it. For instance, if it sees a mug with a handle, it can hang it on a hook by its handle. If it determines […]
Shrimp-inspired robot claw could punch through rock
[ad_1] The researchers started by creating a 3D-printed replica of the shrimp’s claw, which includes a top half that cocks back like a gun, and a plunger that smacks into a socket in the bottom half. The human-made version relies on a top half that spins quickly on a spring-loaded rod, producing the force needed […]
Internet Archive races to preserve public Google+ posts
[ad_1] If you’d rather not have your activity recorded for posterity, you can either delete your Google+ account (if it’s not too late) or else follow the Internet Archive’s process for removing specific content. It’s not completely surprising that efforts would be underway to preserve Google+, but it’s an unusual situation. You don’t see archivists […]
Steam partners can use Valve’s network to speed up game traffic
[ad_1] How much you’ll benefit from the better connection will vary depending on your own access and where you live. Valve’s data suggests that 43 of gamers will see at least some reduction in lag, while 10 percent will see their ping times drop by 40ms or more. The biggest improvements tend to be in […]
Tesla drops mid-range Model 3 battery option
[ad_1] We’ve asked Tesla if it can comment on the decision. There are a few potential explanations for the move. Electrek noted that Tesla added the Mid Range option in October of last year as a way of lowering the price for pre-order customers who wanted to take advantage of the full EV tax credit […]
Textiles become circuits in ‘The Embroidered Computer’
[ad_1] The Embroidered Computer has flippable relays like those used in mainframes before semiconductors came along. While they’re not nearly as fast, you have to admit that they look a lot cooler in operation (above). The dominant material is gold, used for its highly conductive properties, arranged in patterns to form the logic of a […]
NASA’s latest cubesat candidates include a solar sail test
[ad_1] The 16 chosen projects are: Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) from Arizona State University. It will monitor the solar flares and activities of red dwarfs to assess the habitability of their planets. BeaverCube from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was designed so that high school students can learn to design CubeSats and study […]
Amazon’s Virginia headquarters clears a key political hurdle
[ad_1] The approval came despite protests from residents and activist groups. They’re concerned that Arlington and Virginia are catering to a wealthy company at the expense of the community, potentially pushing out lower-income people. They’ve also highlighted complaints about Amazon’s pay and working conditions. Amazon and its proponents have argued that the Virginia location will […]