ArduinoMania

After 17 years, Reddit is finally making its comments searchable, it announced. Users can now get search results from replies to posts, rather than just the original posts and topics within a community. "Previously [you] would have to look through each post in the r/London community, browsing the comments to find it," the product and design staff wrote. "Now, [you] can easily see all the different recommendations on the best places for high tea that people have shared in comments."

Reddit

The ability to search comments was the top feature request from a survey conducted by Reddit last year. On top of that, during Reddit's "limited initial testing," around 26,000 people employed the feature to scan through more than five billion comments. 

Reddit also improved search relevance to help users find results. Previously, a result had to match a query nearly exactly, but it's now less restrictive. "For example, let’s say someone searches for 'dogecoin stonks 2021,' and doesn't find what they’re looking for because there isn't an exact match; with our new treatment, they’re more likely to get related results." In fact, Reddit said that it saw a 60 percent increase in results for queries that previously didn't receive results. Search now also prioritizes newer content looks at a users search history to prioritize results. 

Finally, Reddit improved its search interface with a new, simpler design based on user feedback. It now prioritizes posts over other types of content and simplifies the results page so you can more easily find what you're looking for. It's also reducing the number of unexpected results based on intent "to make search safer," it said. The new features are now available around the world on the desktop website, but there's no word on when they're coming to the apps.

[Daumemo] likes experimenting with DIY electronics, and like many people, eventually ran across an AVR microcontroller with a Unified Program and Debug Interface (UPDI). One option is of course to purchase an UPDI programmer, but an even better solution was to make a DIY USB version from nice, cheap parts.

UPDI is an interface for external programming and on-chip debugging of microcontrollers, and [Daumemo]’s solution is based on the jtag2updi project. It combines an Arduino Nano (in this case, a clone) with a single resistor, a single capacitor, and a six pin angled header (with a cleverly bent pin) to enable programming UPDI devices over a USB connection. [Daumemo] is happy to report that the device works just fine in both Microchip Studio with AVRDUDE, or PlatformIO.

Is an Arduino Nano a bit overpowered in this role? Maybe, but the price is certainly right. There’s no need for a custom PCB either, since everything can be soldered direct to the Nano board. A matching 3D printed enclosure is about all that’s needed to make a robust and reliable DIY USB UPDI programmer out of a handful of parts, and that sounds good to us.

On the other hand, if you do find yourself making custom PCBs, you may be interested in another of [Daumemo]’s DIY projects: a printable structure to turn a rotary tool into a PCB drill press.

Apple may soon release a new set of Mac computers powered by the next generation of its homegrown chip. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the tech giant has started the widespread testing of at least nine Mac models with four different M2 chips, which suggests that Apple is gearing up to launch them. While it's not supposed to be public knowledge, Apple has been testing the machines using third-party apps from the App Store, and those applications' developer logs give us an idea of what to expect from the company's upcoming batch of computers.

One of the devices reportedly being tested is a MacBook Air with an M2 chip) that has eight CPU cores and 10 cores for graphics, up from eight in the current model. Previous reports suggest that the next MacBook Air will feature a major redesign, which may include a thinner frame, more ports and MagSafe charging. Apple is also apparently testing a couple of Mac minis powered by an M2 and an M2 Pro chip, as well as an entry-level M2 MacBook Pro with the same specifications as the aforementioned MacBook Air. 

Apple just released its 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros in October, but Gurman says the company has started testing new 14-inch and 16-inch laptops with 64GB of memory powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The M2 Max apparently has 12 CPU cores and 38 graphics cores, up from 10 and 32 in the current models. Finally, there's the new Mac Pro that will reportedly be powered by the M1 Ultra's successor. The M1 Ultra, which was just recently launched, is Apple's most robust chip yet and currently powers the Mac Studio. Gurman warns that there are no guarantees that the company will release all the models it's currently testing. That said, he believes the new MacBook Air and Mac mini, as well as the new entry-level MacBook Pro will be released sometime this year. 

Viewers have long complained about the early HBO Max app’s tendency to crash, and its lack of discoverability features. There have been a number of overhauls and fixes since then. Now we know why. Turns out that HBO Max launched its apps before they were ready in order to keep up with its competitors. The app was “never intended to go global” or to suit the needs of a direct-to-consumer market, according to an interview that Sarah Lyons, HBO Max’s head of product experience, gave Protocol. The network wanted to build an audience first, and then fix the app’s flaws as the service scaled up.

While Lyons admits that the early days of HBO Max were rocky, she thinks the company made the right decision. We’ve been changing out the engine of the plane while we’re flying the plane,” she said. “I do think it was the right decision to try to balance both,” said Lyons.

HBO Max first released its app in May 2020, to join an already saturated streaming ecosystem that included Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+ and others. At the time, both HBO Go (the network’s on-demand app for cable subscribers) and HBO Now (the standalone app for cord-cutters) were still available, a fact that confused many subscribers. The network has since retired both apps.

Viewers have flocked to Reddit since the app’s initial launch with complaints that spanned platforms and devices. “We’ve been trying to watch the Harry Potter movies and literally every 15 min or so we get an ERROR message and have to force close the app. Another time it froze completely. It’s absolute garbage. I don’t have this problem with any other app or streaming service,” wrote one user in a thread on the r/HBOMax subreddit from January 2021 entitled “Why does this app suck so hard?”

For many viewers long-accustomed to advanced recommendation algorithms on Netflix and other streaming platforms, it was hard to get used to HBO Max’s lack of discoverability features. Lyons admitted that HBO Max wasn’t built with discovery in mind, and the app tried to address this by putting every new show on the app’s home page. “You didn't have to go find anything, because whatever [show] you were looking for was going to be at the top of the home page,” said Lyons.

While Engadget’s early review of HBO Max detailed its flaws, we pointed out that it was still a “smart bet” for the company. Since then, the service has made many improvements, including a new Apple TV app and updates to its apps for Roku, Playstation, Android TV and others. But following a recent $43 billion merger with Discovery, the biggest change is yet to come. The plan is to merge both Discovery Plus and HBO Max into one unified platform.

HBO Max ended 2021 with 43.8 million subscribers, when combined with the network’s cable subscribers of HBO who also have access to the streaming service. It’ll soon absorb at least another 22 million subscribers from Discovery Plus. While there could be more bumps down the road, viewers can at least be assured that HBO Max has more experience under its belt now.

The Overwatch 2 PvP beta starts later this month and Blizzard has released a gameplay trailer for one of the sequel's main additions, Sojourn. She's the 33rd hero in the Overwatch lineup, but is the first character to be introduced in two years. Sojourn is a damage hero best suited for mid-range combat and you can take a look at her in action below.

Sojourn has a railgun with two modes of fire. The primary fire sends out rapid projectiles that build up energy on impact. With her secondary fire, you can fire that stored energy as a high-impact shot.

There's a movement ability called Power Slide. You'll be able to cancel that with a high jump (similar to Moira's Fade). She also has a Disruptor Shot, which is an area-of-effect ability that slows and damages enemies in its radius.

Sojourn's ultimate ability is called Overclock. This supercharges the secondary fire of the railgun by automatically restoring the energy. Shots fired while the ability is active will pierce enemies, so if you can line a couple up, you can take them both out at once. In other words, you'll need to have decent aim and positioning to get the most out of her.

Blizzard also released a trailer that delves into Sojourn's origin story. She was a member of the Canadian Special Forces whose unit linked up with the Overwatch task force during the Omnic Crisis. She forged a partnership with Jack Morrison (aka Soldier: 76) and, after the war, he recruited her to the group.

Sojourn is the first playable Black woman in the series. She will be available in the Overwatch 2 PvP beta, which starts on April 26th. The competitive side of the sequel will mark a shift from teams of six to five-player squads and add new maps, an updated game engine, a ping system and many changes to the current roster of heroes. The Overwatch League will also play games using the Overwatch 2 beta when it returns next month.

Like an ambitious butcher trying to cleave a dollar of meat out of a ten cent steak, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that it is carving out a bit more of its television broadcast rights, renewing its four season-old deal for the "MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube" with the Alphabet property. But unlike other recently struck deals, these streaming exclusives will be free to watch and without local blackout restrictions.

Beginning with the Rockies-Nats game on May 5th (first pitch 3:10 ET), YouTube will once again be home to more than a dozen MLB games throughout the 2022 season. Broadcasters Scott Braun and Yonder Alonso return to call the play-by-play. The full lineup is as follows:

• Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies — Thursday, May 5 @ 3:10 ET

• Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds — Wednesday, May 11 @ 12:35 ET

• Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs — Friday, May 20 @ 2:20 ET

• Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins — Wednesday, May 25 @ 1:10 ET

• Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians — Wednesday, June 1 @ 1:10 ET

• Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals — Wednesday, June 8 @ 2:10 ET

• Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners — Wednesday, June 15 @ 4:10 ET

YouTubeTV subscribers will be able to find these games on the service's dedicated Game of the Week channel while everybody else will see them on the MLB YouTube page. Fans will be able to interact with the broadcasts either via the live chat, "featuring game commentary from MLB superfan YouTube creators," as well as in-game polls and, for subscribers, access to real-time game stats.  

The 2022 MLB season is riddled with exclusive broadcast deals. Beyond the standard local blackout rules, 18 Sunday games will be only available with a $10/month Peacock subscription, AppleTV+ ($6/month) gets the Friday Doubleheaders, and ESPN has dibs on Sunday Night Baseball. There's also MLB.TV which has rights to everything but is far more expensive than its alternatives, at least until the All-Star break.   

Meta's Horizon Worlds might not require that you don a headset to get a taste of Horizon Worlds. In response to criticisms of Meta's 47.5 percent cut of sales in the virtual world, CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth teased that a future "web version" would demand a more reasonable 25 percent. That's "much lower" than rivals like Roblox, the exec claimed.

Bosworth didn't say more about how the web edition would work or when it would launch. It's not clear if this is a VR environment or a scaled-back experience, for instance.

The CTO justified the 47.5 percent rate for Quest headset users by maintaining that it was needed to "help build a different ecosystem." Meta reaches that value by taking a 30 percent slice of revenue through the Quest Store and then 25 percent from the remaining amount in Horizon Worlds. This math would apply if the Quest Store was replaced with another platform "underneath," Bosworth added, such as Apple's App Store or the Google Play Store.

This might offer some consolation to creators worried they'd lose nearly half of all sales revenue to Meta's share. You could buy a digital item in Horizon Worlds' web version knowing the designer would get a much larger portion than if you made the same purchase in VR.

It might not soften all the criticism, however. Bosworth rebutted Apple's accusations of hypocrisy by claiming the iPhone maker favors its business "at great expense" to developers. However, it's still true that Meta will frequently collect revenue from two services where Apple, Google and others will only scoop up payments from one. That won't please creatives who hope to live off their digital item sales and may have to raise prices to compensate for Meta's approach.

Late last month, hackers stole more than half a billion dollars worth of Ethereum from the Ronin blockchain behind play-to-earn game, Axis Infinity. On Thursday, the FBI announced that it now attributes the heist, dubbed the Ronin Validator Security Breach, to a North Korean outfit calling itself the Lazarus Group. 

The Ronin Network (the company behind the blockchain behind the game) updated its ongoing page regarding the cyberattack on Thursday, noting that "the Treasury Department has sanctioned the address that received the stolen funds."   

"We are still in the process of adding additional security measures before redeploying the Ronin Bridge to mitigate future risk," the company continued. "Expect the bridge to be deployed by end of month." Additionally, the Ronin Network plans to release "a full post mortem" detailing the new security measures being put in place, by the end of the month.  

NASA is taking steps to create more opportunities related to space, including for those from underserved and underrepresented communities, amid a broader push for improved racial equity in the federal government. The agency says its Equity Action Plan will allow it to internally and externally track progress on improving diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

The plan has four focus areas:

• Increasing integration and utilization of contractors and businesses from underserved communities and expanding equity in NASA’s procurement process

• Enhancing grants and cooperative agreements to advance opportunities, access and representation for underserved communities

• Leveraging Earth Science and socioeconomic data to help mitigate environmental challenges in underserved communities

• Advancing external civil rights compliance and expanding access to limited English proficient populations within underserved communities

Among the measures NASA plans to take to address these issues in underserved communities are running more engagement events, increasing outreach and training and offering small businesses more contract opportunities. The agency is also aiming to address language barriers by updating its language access plan and expanding accessibility for populations with limited English proficiency, starting with communications in Spanish.

NASA plans to return to crewed Moon landings in 2025. Through the Artemis program, it plans to land a woman and person of color on the Moon for the first time. It has named a diverse shortlist of astronauts who are eligible for the initial flights.

“At NASA, all of our missions depend on our steadfast commitment to equal opportunity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The Equity Action plan deepens our commitment to further identify and remove the barriers that limit opportunity in underserved and underrepresented communities. This framework anchors fairness as a core component in every NASA mission to make the work we do in space and beyond more accessible to all."

If Elon Musk is indeed able to buy Twitter, the platform could look a lot different. In his first public, non-tweeted comments since the saga began, Musk addressed why he wants to buy the company, and changes he would want to bring about.

“Twitter has become kind of the de-facto town square,” he said. “It's just really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they're able to speak freely within the bounds of the law.”

In terms of specific changes, Musk said Twitter should open-source its algorithms and minimize the interventions it takes in policing content. “Any changes to people's tweets — if they're emphasized or de-emphasized — that action should be made apparent,” he said. “So anyone can see that that action has been taken so there's no sort of behind-the-scenes manipulation, either algorithmically or manually.”

He added that the underlying code behind the algorithm should be available on GitHub, so that users could inspect it themselves.

Musk also spoke about his philosophy on content moderation, namely that there should be very little of it. “I think we would want to err on the side of, if in doubt, let the speech exist,” he said. “I'm not saying that I have all the answers here.” He repeated several times that his preference would be to allow all speech that is legal, and that he dislikes measures like permanent bans. “I do think that we want to be just very reluctant to delete things and be very cautious with permanent bans,” he said. “You know, timeouts I think are better than sort of permanent bans.”

Those comments are not likely to be well-received among Twitter employees, some of whom were reportedly extremely worried by the prospect of him joining the board.

Musk’s appearance at TED comes just hours after the Tesla CEO made a $43 billion offer to buy Twitter. That offer was the culmination of a chaotic few days for Musk and Twitter, during which he revealed that he had become Twitter’s largest shareholder, was offered a seat on the company’s board of directors, declined to join and was subsequently sued by Twitter shareholders over his delay in reporting his investment to the SEC.

Whether Musk will actually succeed in taking over the company is unclear. Twitter’s board has so far only said that it will “review” the offer. “I'm not sure that I will actually be able to acquire it,” he said. When asked if he had a "plan B," if Twitter's board were to decline his offer, he said that he did but declined to elaborate. 

As for his own Twitter feed, Musk confirmed what many may have long suspected. “I'm tweeting more or less stream of consciousness,” he said. “It's not like, ‘let me think about some grand plan about my Twitter’ or whatever. I'm like, literally, on the toilet like, ‘oh, this is funny,’ and then tweet that out, you know?”