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Second failure of ExoMars parachute test throws schedule in jeopardy

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Given that the parachutes will be lowering the ExoMars rover onto the Red Planet itself, such flaws are more than a slight hiccup. “It is disappointing that the precautionary design adaptations introduced following the anomalies of the last test have not helped us to pass the second test successfully,” said Francois Spoto, team leader for the ExoMars mission at ESA, in a statement. Spoto went on to say that the mission team is working on understanding the reasons for the failure and remains hopeful it will still be able to launch next year as planned.

The agency plans to run another high-altitude test before the year is over. Unfortunately for ESA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, time is running out to prepare. ExoMars 2020 is due to launch during a narrow window open between July 25th to August 13th 2020, during which China and the US will launch their own rovers as well. The three spacecraft will each have their own separate mission. Europe and Russia’s rover, known as the Rosalind Franklin, has an especially crucial mission. It will be tasked with exploring Mars’ Oxia Planum, a former water source, for signs of life on the planet.

In order to avoid another failed landing, ESA will conduct a regular forum of exchanges between experts from their agency and NASA. They’ll also consult a panel of Mars parachute experts in September. They’re also looking at the possibility of additional parachute test models and ground-based simulations. “Getting to Mars and in particular landing on Mars is very difficult,” Spoto said in the statement. “We are committed to flying a system that will safely deliver our payload to the surface of Mars in order to conduct its unique science mission.”

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Daimler’s first large electric semi trucks are ready to roll

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The eCascadia is an electrified version of the familiar big rig design. Its range isn’t phenomenal at about 250 miles, but that could more than do the job for intercity (and in some cases interstate) cargo runs. The longevity of their batteries is still an unknown, but that’s part of what the Innovation Fleet is for. Daimler is gauging whether or not these trucks can thrive in realistic scenarios, and lessons learned from these early models should inform the eventual finished designs.

As it is, this is a symbolic milestone for the company. It’s putting large electric trucks into honest-to-goodness service well before Tesla’s Semi is expected to enter production by the end of 2020, even if they’re not strictly polished. That could get its foot in the door with customers who want to see electric trucks perform in real life before adding them to the company armada.

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Google Pixel owners can claim up to $500 in class action settlement

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You’ll have to provide documentation to show that you experienced the issue. You’ll receive $350 if you can prove you were hit by the mic flaw on one phone, or $500 if you dealt with the problem on multiple handsets. If you paid an insurance deductible to get a replacement, you can receive a refund for that amount. You’ll want to act quickly if you’re going to make a standard claim, though. If money runs low, the payouts will be distributed on a prorated basis.

You have until October 7th, 2019 to either make a claim or opt out to make a separate lawsuit. Patience will be necessary after that. A hearing to approve the settlement doesn’t take place until December 6th, and payments should be completed within the three months after that.

Like many settlements, this won’t be a windfall for anyone beyond the lawyers. You will get substantial compensation if you were genuinely affected, though. And consider this: if you’re still interested in Google’s phones, the $350 payout will cover most of the price of a Pixel 3a.

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Senators want to know why Amazon Choice recommends junk

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“We are concerned the badge is assigned in an arbitrary manner, or worse, based on fraudulent product reviews. While, we recognize that Amazon has taken actions in the past to combat fraudulent reviews — the problem persists — and Amazon may be exacerbating the problem by actively promoting products with fraudulent reviews,” wrote the senators. A list of questions sought specific details on how items get selected for the program, including whether an algorithm is informing Amazon’s decision-making and if products are reviewed by humans to ensure they’re of high quality.

A recent Buzzfeed investigation revealed how many inferior Amazon Choice products thrived on hundreds of fake or misleading reviews. These items included an AmazonBasics Security Safe which could be easily opened with a tool and a flask that turned alcohol black. A fake review of a thermometer recommended it for babies — despite the fact that the product’s details explicitly state it is not intended for newborns.

Amazon first debuted its Amazon Choice program back in 2015 as a way to select the default products for customers who order through the Echo speakers. The label’s description on the website reads, “Amazon’s Choice recommends highly rated, well-priced products available to ship immediately.” But rather than simply select the highest-rated bath towel or jade roller for the Choice label, Amazon appears to take other, undisclosed metrics into consideration.

Amazon must respond to the lawmakers’ queries by September 16th. The senators will then decide whether the situation warrants further any action, such as legislation. “Senator Menendez would like to see what are the responses to their questions and then see if there’s anything the federal government needs to do if they fail to correct their behavior,” wrote Menendez’s communication director Francisco Pelayo in an email to Engadget.

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‘Minecraft’ wont get that huge graphics overhaul after all

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The pack was supposed to not only enable 4K on the Xbox One X, but to introduce much more sophisticated visual effects that included atmospheric effects, highlights and more realistic water.

There is hope for a graphics tune-up in the future. Mojang said it was “looking into other ways” to give Minecraft a new loko, and that it had news on optimizing the constructive game for various platforms “very soon.” The title won’t be stuck with its existing look (however charming it may be) forever, but it could take considerably longer before it catches up with modern technology.

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Google explains how its Search deindexing bug happened

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Google says it “temporarily lost part of [its] Search index.” Essentially, what happened was that the company was deploying a new version of its Search index to all of its data centers across the world. Normally, this is a routine procedure for the company, one that it does frequently to ensure that the data center that’s geographically the closest to a user can deliver them the most relevant search results quickly. Partway through that process, however, the search giant says a “small number” of documents were “dropped” (that is, they weren’t in the updated index), which is what led to Google Search delisting hundreds of websites. The result for affected websites was lost traffic and revenue.

As a byproduct of the botched deployment, Google’s Search Console, a tool the company provides to individuals and companies to help them gauge how their website performs on Search, started showing “inconsistencies.” For most users, what that they saw their Search metrics statistics flatline through the variety of reports Google offers as a part of the Search Console.

Google claims its on-call staff caught wind of the issue quickly on the day that it happened, April 7th. However, due to the scale of the company’s data center infrastructure, it took until April 11th to roll every data center back to an earlier Search index. It then took almost an additional two extra weeks for Google to fix the Search Console.

Moving forward, the company says it plans to more frequently and promptly to share any relevant information to customers, both through social media as well as through the Search Console itself; in fact, Google reports it put its new communications strategy to the test when a smaller bug affected Search on May 22nd.

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Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid makes a quick SUV even quicker

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To say the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid (starting at $161,900) is quick for an SUV is an understatement. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is joined by a 100 kW electric motor. The combined output is 670 horsepower and 663-pound-feet of torque. The result is a zero to 60 time of 3.6 seconds. Stomping on the accelerator, whether from a dead stop or while passing slower traffic, resulted in a burst of speed you don’t typically feel from an SUV.

In fact, it’s one of two new hybrids. The second being the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe which is just the coupe version of the SUV with a sloping rear end.

The combination of hybrid and gas engine powertrains here is nearly flawless. Other than a change in noise, there’s no discernable dip or bump in power. It’s just a smooth line of acceleration. On highways and on backroads it’s a solid tourer that’s ready to embarrass folks in sports cars unaware of the powerplant you’re hiding underneath the hood.

2020 Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid first drive

Porsche noted that, like the hybrid version of the Panamera, the addition of the electric motor isn’t an economic play (the V8 might have tipped us off to that). That EV torque coupled with the twin-turbo are all about giving the vehicle the boost to get to that sub-four second zero to 60 time.

But, there are other advantages. If your neighbors aren’t a fan of the growl of a V8, the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid has a quiet mode so you can creep out of your cul-de-sac. Porsche is still waiting for the EPA to test its EV-only range, but during my drive, the system seemed to be capable of low to mid 20s in range and I’m guessing in the real world you’ll probably get closer to 18-19 miles. Enough for some commutes or jaunts around town. Sure you’re driving a V8 that can roast most vehicles on the road, but sometimes, you wanna chill. You know, for the Earth.

The bummer is that around town, the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid feels like a husky on a leash. It wants to run wild in the mountains and you’re forcing it to walk to Piggly Wiggly. The cool (and standard) Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) are a bit too powerful for driving around town. They have unbelievable braking power on the open road. Pulling up to a parking lot ticket dispenser can be a bit of a challenge the first few times you do it.

The steering and suspension are also outstanding around tight corners. Again, Porsche has done a magnificent job making an SUV corner like a car and the Cayenne is one of the best handling (if not the best) SUVs on the market. In town though, the steering is a bit twitchy. Fortunately, dynamic chassis control is standard on the vehicle so no matter what the environment, the Cayenne matches the ride for the driver and passenger.

2020 Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid first drive

The thing is, these slights about twitchy steering and aggressive brakes against the SUV are really the attributes of a sports car. Do most people need ceramic composite brakes? Of course not, but the people that will buy the incredibly quick Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid want them. If you’re putting that much power in a car, it needs to be able to stop and aggressive steering is just part of that package. This Cayenne is using the boost technology of the 918 Spyder. If that’s not enough to remind you that you’re driving a Porsche, I don’t know what is.

But inside, it’s still the same comfortable Cayenne. The seats are worthy of a road trip, you can also get adjustable Sports or Comfort seats. I’m partial to sports seats in general, but if this is going to be a commuter vehicle, maybe opt for the comfier of the two. The rear seats are also comfortable with plenty of room for adults. With those seats in the back folded down, the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid has 56.6 cubic feet of storage — plenty enough for trips to the grocery store.

The rest of the interior is well appointed. It’s a sports car, with luxury leanings. The infotainment system is lag-free with an easy to navigate UI. In addition to onscreen elements, Porsche has added hardware buttons below the touchscreen near the shifter to help jump to the most used features like navigation and media. Plus, the Infotainment system’s customizable grid layout makes for quick access to the items you use most.

Also near the shifter are most of the vehicle’s hardware buttons for adjusting items like suspension and climate control. While I generally like this layout, the black-glass material makes it easy to see what options you didn’t add to your car because they’re visible under the surface which may lead to post-purchase FOMO.

2020 Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid first drive

One item you should splurge for is the adaptive cruise control as it supports stop and start functionality. Essentially, if the vehicle in front of you comes to a complete stop, as long as it moves again within three seconds, the Cayenne will continue following it. It’s great for commuters that deal with a lot of gridlock.

The lane-keep assist feature is nearly on par with offerings from Mercedes and BMW. It handles straights and shallow curves no problem. Sharper curves can sometimes require a bit more help. Wrestling the steering back from the system requires very little torque from the driver which is ideal.

Overall, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid (the automaker does love its long names) is an outstanding sports car that just happens to be a hybrid SUV. It’s quick, handles marvelously and has more than enough braking power to make that speed manageable. It’s a fast car that seats more than two people and can haul groceries. As long as you can get used to all that sporty goodness while driving through town and premium price tag, it’s worthy of the name Porsche.

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‘Storm Area 51’ event creator is working on an alien festival

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The details on Alienstock are still pretty sparse. So far, the website set up for the event (which has two different start dates listed on it) is promising a “party in the desert” set in the town closest to Area 51. The event planners are currently seeking donations to cover the cost of hosting the event, hoping to raise enough money to provide sufficient access to food and water, toilets, security and staff to make the whole thing happen. Given the quick turnaround from the festival’s announcement to its actual start date, it’s hard to avoid comparisons to Fyre Festival, a failure so spectacular that it earned competing documentaries from Netflix and Hulu.

While Alienstock attempts to capitalize on the success of what was essentially a Facebook meme, that people living in Rachel, Nevada — a town of just 54 — are reportedly less than thrilled about the potential influx of people interrupting their quiet existence. According to the Washington Post, businesses in the town have been flooded with interview requests and the town’s website now warns potential festival attendees of limited resources.

“There are no services in Rachel. There is no gas and no store. The Inn is booked for that weekend,” the website’s warning reads. It informs people planning to show up for the event that they will need to be experienced campers and prepared to survive in dramatically changing weather, as it often drops near freezing temperatures at night while getting into the 80s and 90s during the day. The town also states that there is limited to no cell service in the region. Still, event organizers claim they expect anywhere from 5,000 to 30,000 to Alienstock.

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Facebook may have scrapped talks to buy Houseparty over antitrust concerns

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It was reportedly in discussions last year to buy Houseparty, a group video chat app from the team behind Meerkat. However, it ended the talks after a few weeks, according to the New York Times. Sources told the paper Facebook ultimately decided buying another sizeable player in the social networking space posed too much of an antitrust risk. Epic Games eventually bought Houseparty in June.

The FTC reportedly discovered documents that gave it cause for concern on the antitrust front when it investigated the company last year over its privacy practices. Facebook ultimately agreed to pay an FTC fine of $5 billion related to its privacy issues, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The agency received approval from the Justice Department to start an antitrust investigation into the company earlier this year, the NYT reported. Since then, investigators are said to have contacted several founders of companies Facebook has bought to gain insight into its acquisition methods. Engadget has contacted Facebook for comment.

There have been growing calls for Facebook to be broken up, and Elizabeth Warren pledged to do just that if she wins the presidential election. Facebook spoke out against such demands, and instead requested more oversight.

Still, Facebook is taking some measures that may make it more difficult for authorities to split up its empire. It’s meshing together the messaging elements of Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, while it plans to rename the latter pair to give them more of a Facebook identity.

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Verizon will sell Tumblr to the owner of WordPress

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And in case you’re wondering: no, Automattic won’t reverse the ban on adult content. He saw Tumblr as a companion to WordPress and “just fun.”

It’s a low-key end to a long, rough chapter in Tumblr’s history. Yahoo bought the site in 2013 for a hefty $1.1 billion, but never really found a way to compete with the explosive growth of social networks like Instagram. Some features felt tacked on to seize on momentary trends. Yahoo would eventually write off about $230 million of the site’s value in 2016, and things didn’t improve when Verizon bought Yahoo. Its user base is still large with 475.1 million blogs, but it’s not the force it was in its heyday.

And yes, some of that decline came directly from the decision to ban porn and other racy material from the site. It’s unclear how much the fallout from ‘cleaning’ Tumblr affected the decision to sell the site, but it clearly didn’t help. Automattic faces the challenge of persuading users that Tumblr can uphold that decision while getting a second lease on life.

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