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VW’s production ID.4 sports a subtle design in ‘leaked’ photos

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You might not have to wonder what Volkswagen’s ID.4 looks like beneath zebra paint schemes and other forms of camouflage. EVPartner claims (via Electrek) to have photos from the electric crossover’s certification with Chinese regulators, showing what it should look like in production form. If it weren’t for the lack of a prominent front grille and the rear badging (which includes a “Crozz” sub-badge), you might not know you were looking at an EV. There are clues about launch models, too.

There will apparently be at least two launch models.. There will be options for silver C-pillar and roof trim, or to ride on 20-inch wheels instead of 19-inchers.

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Astronomers find the first known regular pattern of fast radio bursts

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Just what’s causing the bursts isn’t certain. The scientsists know that it’s coming from a “star-churning” area on the outskirts of a giant spiral galaxy, but not what it is. Neutron stars are believed to be a frequent source, but there are a number of possible explanations. They may be coming from a single star that’s both spinning and wobbling, a binary system with an eccentric orbit or a gas-emitting source whose output is magnified by a host star. Although magnetars are increasingly believed to be the cause of these bursts, there’s no guarantee one is involved here.

More study will be necessary to get better answers. Even so, this suggests that fast radio bursts are more complex than initially thought, and that there’s plenty of unusual behavior in the universe.

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Google’s racial equity push includes $175 million for Black businesses

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The internet giant is also promising $3 million to address gaps in computer science and STEM education. It’s widening an awards program to 16 more universities to tackle gaps in computer science research, and bolstering representation in AI with $250,000 toward Black in AI.

Representation within Google will matter as well. It’s aiming to increase Black representation at senior levels by opening senior positions to outside candidates and investing in cities like Atlanta, Chicago and London. It’s aiming for underrepresented groups to make up 30 percent of leadership by 2025. Google is setting up a talent liaison to mentor and advocate staff from underrepresented groups regardless of level, and will launch a task force to generate “concrete” solutions for accountability in areas like hiring, performance management and retention. That group should have its first proposals in 90 days, Pichai said.

There will also be anti-racism and health programs, as well as broader attempts to boost inclusion and belonging.

The efforts could go some distance toward improving Black access to Google and the tech industry, and appears to do more than provide lip service to racial equity. With that said, Google has struggled to improve its diversity in the past — money and programs can help, but they’re no guarantee that Google’s cultural demographics will change.

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‘Horizon Forbidden West’ won’t be a PS5 launch title

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Sony and Guerrilla Games tentatively plan to release Horizon Forbidden West sometime next year. In a new video detailing the upcoming open-world title, game director Mathijs de Jonge, said the studio “aims” to release the game in 2021. That means Forbidden West won’t make the PlayStation 5’s 2020 holiday launch.  

Outside of a release date, the three-minute video is full of tantalizing details. According to de Jonge, the game’s title refers to a “mysterious new frontier” extending from Utah to the Pacific Ocean. Horizon Zero Dawn took players across stretches of post-apocalyptic Utah, Colorado and later Montana in the game’s Frozen Wilds expansion. If you watched the premiere trailer with a keen eye, you would have seen the Golden Gate Bridge and other San Francisco landmarks, including the Transamerica Pyramid and Ferry Building, make an appearance. De Jonge described the map as “a bit bigger,” but thanks to the PlayStation 5’s SSD tech, there’ll be “virtually no loading screens.” That includes when you boot up the game to start a new play session, as well as when restarting from a checkpoint or fast traveling. 

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Twitter test lets users post voice messages for ‘a more human touch’

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It remains to be seen how useful this feature will be. Twitter’s timely suggestion noted that this feature could be useful for sharing “first-hand accounts from a protest”, which suggests the social media giant is paying attention to advice on protecting the identity of protesters. Adding voice notes to messages could make Twitter more accessible by providing an alternative for those who have difficulty reading text. But in the first few hours since launch, the voice notes gaining the most traction on the service are just people shouting things like, “Hey, this is a voice tweet!” or “What am I doing?”

For now, only some iOS users can create tweets with audio, but everyone can see them. Twitter hasn’t announced when this feature will be available for Android or web users. Don’t worry, Android users; while you wait for your turn at the mic, you can perfect your bird calls to show iPhone users how it’s really done.

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ASUS’s latest ZenBooks are thin and light but don’t skip on ports

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Perhaps the most notable feature is ZenBook 14 (UM425)’s AMD Ryzen 7 4700U 8-core mobile processor. The ASUS Zephyrus G14, which we scored 90, also includes this chip. The ZenBook 13 and 14 (UX425), on the other hand, use Intel 10th-generation Core i3, i5 or i7 processors. The ZenBook 13 and 14 (UX425) are equipped to handle up to 32 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of storage. The 14 (UM 425) can take on up to 16 GB RAM and 2 TB of storage. All three devices feature 1080p screen resolution as well as — pretty standard. Noteworthy to all the devices, however, is an IR cameras for face login that supports Windows Hello.

The ZenBook Flip 13 (UX 363) is designed with a 360-degree hinge that lets you flip the screen over to transform the device between laptop, tablet, stand or tent modes. At 2.8 lbs, or 1.3 kg, and 13.9 mm, it’s also light and thin. ASUS claims its battery will last up to 16 hours, and when at 60 percent can charge in as little as 49 minutes. If you’re interested in ASUS’s latest, you might need to be patient, though, as they don’t appear to be widely available just yet.

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Twitch’s streaming software for newbies arrives on Mac

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If you’re a Mac user who’s interested in livestreaming but you aren’t sure how best to get started, it might be worth checking out the Twitch Studio Beta, which is available on Mac starting today. Twitch created the software, which debuted on PC in November, for streaming newbies. It has pretty much everything you need to start sharing your esports-level gameplay, cooking skills, musical talents and wit (in Just Chatting streams) with the world.

The idea is to help you start streaming with as few barriers as possible, so Twitch Studio can detect what hardware you have and offers recommended settings during the setup process. You can create different layouts — you might put together a “be right back” screen, for instance — and include audio from several devices or apps. More customization options are on the way soon.

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Microsoft reportedly tried to sell facial recognition tech to the DEA

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ACLU senior staff attorney Nathan Freed Wessler was concerned not just that Microsoft wanted to sell a “dangerous” tech to an agency involved in a “racist drug war,” but that it came just as the US Attorney General had reportedly expanded the DEA’s surveillance powers. The DEA could misuse the tech to spy on people protesting police brutality, Wessler speculated.

We’ve asked Microsoft for comment. The company has defended federal contracts in the past, but not universally so. While it argued that a military HoloLens contract was important to support people who “protect the freedoms” of Americans, it justified an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement deal by noting that it didn’t cover the agency’s most controversial practices. The DEA case is another matter — there’s little doubt that facial recognition would be used for contentious purposes.

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Zoom now promises end-to-end encryption is coming for all

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After announcing that it would not offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to free users, Zoom backpedaled and said that everyone using the conferencing software would be able to use AES 256 GCM protection. (The caveat being that chats won’t be covered.) The company claimed that it was trying to balance security with the ability to hold accountable those who use the app for nefarious purposes. Zoom now says that it has “identified a path forward” that will accomplish that goal.

The company claims that it has taken feedback from civil liberties organizations, security experts and the government to form its new course of action. Zoom will require free users to undergo a one-time verification process to enable encryption. “All Zoom users will continue to use AES 256 GCM transport encryption as the default,” says the company, though whether or not different protocols will be available isn’t clear. E2EE does cause issues with some hardware, such as PSTN or SIP conference phones, so users will be able to turn encryption off as needed.

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SiriusXM buys Simplecast to grow its burgeoning podcast empire

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In a move that’s likely to lead to even more competition in the already hotly contested podcasting space, SiriusXM announced Wednesday it’s acquiring Simplecast. The platform gives independent and enterprise podcasters tools to publish their audio content. It also comes with a suite of analytics to measure audience engagement.

SiriusXM says the Simplecast team will work with AdsWizz, an ad tech company the broadcaster inherited when it acquired Pandora for $3.5 billion in 2018, to form the core of its publisher solutions business. For podcasters, the company says the main benefit of the acquisition is that it will create a single platform where they’ll be able to develop and monetize their content.

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