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Facebook bans coronavirus ads that promote ‘cures’ and fan hysteria

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Speaking to Business Insider, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We recently implemented a policy to prohibit ads that refer to the coronavirus and create a sense of urgency, like implying a limited supply, or guaranteeing a cure or prevention. We also have policies for surfaces like Marketplace that prohibit similar behavior.”

Facebook has come under fire in the past for its position on false information – most recently for deliberately allowing misleading political ads. Its approach to coronavirus-based content, however, is similar to its stance on anti-vaccination misinformation, which the social network gradually tightened throughout 2019. However, despite restrictions on anti-vax content the platform still appears to be permitting some controversial ads, leading to critics to question whether it will allow the same for those relating to coronavirus.

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SpaceX approved to build Starship factory and research hub in LA

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SpaceX has pursued the permit for some time after first identifying and subsequently leasing the site back in 2018. As Reuters notes, the company has the option to terminate the permit within 180 days, and indeed, it canceled a similar permit two years ago when it moved the initial phase of the Starship project to Texas. However, the Los Angeles Port site brings Starship development closer to SpaceX’s headquarters in LA, and written into the permit contract is the option to expand the site from 12.5 acres to 19 acres, so it seems SpaceX is committed to the location.

Councilman Joe Buscaino, whose district includes the port, said, “It’s crazy that here we are in 2020 preparing ourselves to send people to Mars, and it’s going to happen in our backyard. We are becoming a spaceport.” There won’t be any launches taking place at the site, however — the facility will be used only for research, design and the creation of components. According to Musk, the Starship will be ready for its first test flight later on this year.

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EasyMile forced to suspend autonomous shuttle rides in 10 US states

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The incident — which took place in Columbus, Ohio — saw a passenger fall from their seat after the shuttle made an emergency stop. The vehicle has been traveling at seven miles per hour (11 kilometers per hour). EasyMile, which has pods operating in various locations, says that the vehicles are still permitted on US roads, but won’t be able to carry passengers while the NHTSA conducts its review.

It’s not the first time EasyMile has faced safety criticism. As Reuters reports, an elderly passenger was injured in a similar braking incident in Utah last year. Despite EasyMile’s comments that its vehicles are simply performing as they are programmed to, it’s clear that the NHTSA is not prepared to take any chances over safety issues, especially since it so recently came under fire from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for its role in 2018’s fatal Tesla crash.

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NYT: $100 million US phone surveillance program produced two unique leads

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After 2015, the USA Freedom Act replaced NSA mass surveillance of American’s call metadata that had been enacted under the Patriot Act and Section 215. While it didn’t go so far as to completely reform the system as groups like the EFF and ACLU hoped, it changed things by having phone companies collect the data, under limits of how long it could be stored, with queries performed by agencies with a judge’s permission. Even the new rules have had problems, with phone companies storing more data than was legally allowed causing the NSA to wipe all data collected in 2018. Also, even more limited queries could end up touching millions of records.

Now the New York Times reports on a just-declassified study by the Privacy and Civil Liberties
Oversight Board from last year that looked into the program and found that it had only ever generated two unique leads during the time it was operating. That’s out of 15 reports total, but 13 had information the FBI was able to get through other methods, At a cost of over $100 million to operate the setup, this almost complete lack of production reveals more about why the NSA had stopped using it.

Sections of the Patriot Act were set to expire in 2019, but despite reported recommendations by the NSA to shut things down, they were extended as part of a funding bill. Now they’re up for review again by March 15th, and despite proposed bipartisan legislation intended to replace the program, AG William Barr is again pushing for an extension.

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Facebook buys the VR game maker behind ‘Asgard’s Wrath’

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The “vast majority” of Sanzaru’s employees will officially be recognized as part of the Oculus Studios team. Some, according to Games Industry, have to leave since their jobs are contingent on certain projects. It’s not entirely clear if that means Sanzaru is scrapping some of things it’s working on. Verdu also said that the studio isn’t ready to talk about future projects yet.

Asgard’s Wrath, unlike Beat Saber and other more casual games, is a full-length RPG that demonstrates what virtual reality can do for the genre. We wouldn’t be surprised if Sanzaru releases similar lengthier VR games in the future as part of Facebook’s efforts to lure console and PC gamers into the Oculus platform.

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Judge says Instacart likely misclassified California workers

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The judge added that Instacart appears to have already taken steps to honor the guidelines that led to AB5, and that “relatively minor additional steps” would let it comply with the law while allowing shoppers to be true contractors.

The ban had been issued on February 18th, but wasn’t served until the 24th.

It won’t shock you to hear that Instacart objected to the decision. The service has successfully received a temporary stay on the injunction, and insisted in a statement that it was “in compliance with the law” and would continue to fight the issue in court. It added that it would try to keep that stay active during the appeals process to prevent service from being “disrupted” in San Diego.

California isn’t likely to be deterred. Like it has said about other gig economy companies, the state believes Instacart is using the contractor status to avoid paying legally required wages and provide worker benefits. Unless the service is willing to compromise, the case will likely carry forward — and if the judge is right, Instacart may not have much choice but to make changes.

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Fujifilm’s new flagship X-T4 camera has in-body stabilization

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Another big change is a new mechanical shutter that Fujifilm calls “the fastest and most robust in the history of the X Series.” It’ll let you shoot bursts at up to 15 fps with the mechanical shutter with full autofocus and auto exposure (or 20 fps with the electronic shutter), while lasting for up to 300,000 actuations. That kind of speed and shutter life is pretty incredible for a camera in this price range — by comparison, Canon’s 1DX Mark III can shoot at 16 fps with the mechanical shutter, but it costs $6,500.

The autofocus system is a lot faster, down to about .02 seconds, nearly matching what Sony can do. Tracking and face/eye detection performance has also seriously improved, with Fujifilm claiming the X-T4 has a success rate double that of the X-T3.

The rear display not only has more resolution (1.62 million pixels compared to 1.1 million on the X-T3), but it finally flips around fully so that you can see yourself for selfies or vlogging. There’s also an updated electronic viewfinder (EVF) if you prefer to shoot that way, but it’s got the same 3.69 million pixel resolution and 100 fps refresh rate as before.

You’ll be able to shoot for longer, too, thanks to a much bigger 2,200 mAh battery (compared to 1,260 mAh on the X-T3) that can shoot 600 shots on a charge, compared to 390 before. Despite all the new additions, the X-T4 weighs has only gotten a few millimeters deeper, and weighs just 607 grams with a battery and memory card, compared to 526 grams for the X-T3.

Fujfilm X-T4 APS-C mirrorless camera

The X-T4 doesn’t have 6K video as was rumored, but it can still shoot 4K at 60 fps and now handles 1080p at an 240 fps — double what the X-T3 can do. As before, 10-bit video can be recorded internally and externally with F-Log mode to maximize dynamic range. However, Fujfilm has introduced a View Assist function that boosts contrast and saturation for shot previews when using F-Log. Continuous autofocus subject tracking now works in lower lighting conditions (down to -6EV).

Video can be recorded to both UHS II SD cards at the same time for a backup, while the microphone setting can be switched between input and line levels. The bigger battery, image stabilization and fully-articulating screen will obviously also be a big help for cinematographers and vloggers, too.

The launch of the X-T4 makes me wonder about the future of the X-H1 lineup, as the new model is just as capable while being more stylish and compact. What’s more certain is that Fujifilm is now well ahead of Sony in the APS-C category, as this model roundly beats Sony’s APS-C flagship A6600 in terms of specifications (albeit at a higher price).

The X-T4 will go on sale in spring of 2020 for $1,700, which is $200 more than the X-T3 cost at launch. Given the extra features, though, it looks to be worth the price — we’ll know more once we do a full review.

Fujfilm X-T4 APS-C mirrorless camera

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Netflix previews interactive ‘Carmen Sandiego’ special

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Netflix

In the episode, Carmen has to steal for the Villains International League of Evil (V.I.L.E.) who captured her crew, Ivy and Zack, and threatened to turn them into becoming its operatives if she doesn’t comply. Its Netflix page says the episode runs for 30 minutes, but you can obviously stretch that by replaying and experimenting with the various options.

You can watch Netflix’s trailer for the special, which starts streaming on March 10th, below:

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Virgin Galactic will let people hop to the front of the line for tickets

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The company didn’t say exactly when those next tickets would be available or how much they would cost, although CEO Gorge Whitesides had warned that prices might climb substantially from the $250,000 for early customers. Virgin is still a long way from courting everyday people, then. The new batch of tickets is believe to be ready sometime later in 2020.

Ticket sales have been on hold since 2014, when the fatal SpaceShipTwo crash led Virgin to pause operations and reassess its progress toward passenger flights.

Richard Branson’s outfit didn’t explain why it was offering One Small Step. However, the clues may be written all over Virgin Galactic’s financials. The company posted its first public earnings at the same time as it announced the front-of-line program, revealing a net loss of $72.8 million in the last quarter of 2019 — considerably higher than the $45.7 million from the same period in 2018. Combine that with allusions to possible commercial flight delays and Virgin could bleed money for a while. The deposits are unlikely to come anywhere close to making up this shortfall, but they do increase the odds that those on the waiting list will follow through and pay for their tickets in full.

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Fujifilm’s slimmer Instax Mini 11 features automatic exposure

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For a start, it’s much slimmer than the Mini 9, which is obviously good news for those that want to get out and about with instant picture taking. It also comes with an automatic exposure function that senses the level of ambient light when the shutter button is pressed, and optimizes shutter speed and flash accordingly (so no more dial adjustments). Again, there’s a selfie mode — this time you don’t need a close-up lens attachment — and the body features custom, interchangeable shutter buttons for additional personalization. Like the Mini 9, it comes with a variety of colors, this time based on a pale pastel palette. It’s slated for launch in mid-March, with a price tag of $70.

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