Substack has officially launched Notes for all users. The new product takes a lot of cues from Twitter and joins the long list of services looking to lure away users from Elon Musk’s beleaguered social network. At first (and second) glance, Substack Notes looks a whole lot like Twitter. Instead of tweets, you have notes. Instead of retweets, you get restacks. You can post external links, images, videos and anything else that strikes your fancy.

Substack

Your feed is broken up into two groups. The "Home" tab is the extended network comprised of creators you subscribe to, other users these creators recommend and anyone you follow. The "Subscribed" tab is reserved for content creators, prioritizing notes and activity from creators you actually subscribe to. 

"Historically, having worthy posts get shared widely is one of the major ways that writers find growth on Substack,” the company writes. “Notes will help posts find a valuable audience of writers and readers who are already invested in the Substack ecosystem and are just one click away from a subscription.”

Substack Notes already caused a fair bit of controversy straight from its first announcement last week. Upon that announcement, Twitter began blocking engagement with Substack-related tweets, though the social media giant has paused its whole bully routine. This is definitely a year of growth for Substack, with the platform attracting high-profile creators and adding a chat feature to further cement the service as a pseudo-social network.

While Notes comes pre-seeded with influencers who have large Substack followings, the company clarified to Engadget that "anyone can use Notes just like writers can." It's not clear in practice whether regular folks will want to turn Notes into a second Twitter or just a place to maintain a connection with their favorite newsletter creators. 

Substack says this is still an early version of the product, so users should expect “bumps, bugs and imperfections,” though it encourages them to take to Notes to issue feedback. The company also says this is just a small piece of a larger puzzle intended to bring more revenue and exposure to content creators.

The Strong National Museum of Play in New York unveiled an absolutely massive Donkey Kong arcade cabinet that's nearly 20 feet tall. Donkey Kong is co-starring in the biggest movie in the world right now, so it is only fitting that he also gets an equally gargantuan arcade cabinet.

The museum indicated in a tweet that Nintendo actually helped out with the massive cabinet, which makes sense as the company is protective of its IPs. Donkey Kong, after all, was the first appearance of a certain Italian plumber, even if he went by the names Jumpman and Mr. Video back then.

The impressively large arcade cabinet will be available for actual play by museum visitors once it is fully installed on June 30. As you can see in the design, there is a control interface at a normal height so you don’t have to climb a ladder to reach the joystick and buttons. 

This could be the tallest arcade cabinet in the world, but there has been no formal proclamation to that end. In any event, it is certainly bigger than the 16-foot high NBA Jam cabinet that overlooked CES 2020 and the similarly-sized Tetris cabinet that holds the current Guinness world record.

The Strong National Museum of Play is dedicated to gaming in all of its many forms and is home to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Every year, the museum inducts new games into this hall of fame, with 2022 getting stone-cold classics like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Dance Dance Revolution.

Substack users woke to a strange surprise today when trying to share links on Twitter, finding an error message when interacting with any tweet featuring a Substack link. Tweets with an outgoing link to Substack cannot be retweeted, replied to or even liked. The error message states that “some actions on this tweet have been disabled by Twitter.” The loss in functionality even extends to tools like TweetDeck.

You can still tweet out Substack links, but that is where engagement ends. This could be a garden variety error, but it could be a response by Musk and Twitter to Substack’s recently-announced Twitter-esque Notes feature. After all, Twitter is no stranger to silencing rivals, both real and imagined. The social network briefly placed restrictions on tweets with outgoing links to Mastodon, Facebook, Instagram and Truth Social, even outlawing outgoing links to other social media profiles in bios. Musk has also experimented with banning journalists who cover Twitter and made other questionable decisions for a self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist.

The founders of Substack issued a response to the move and it certainly seems like they believe the restrictions were instituted on purpose and not part of a system error.

“We’re disappointed that Twitter has chosen to restrict writers’ ability to share their work. Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else. This abrupt change is a reminder of why writers deserve a model that puts them in charge,” the founders wrote.

There is another option beyond spite or a system error. It is possible Substack ran afoul of Twitter’s recently-announced API pricing scheme. The sheer number of links to Substack content from users would force the company to invest in the Enterprise-level API at $42,000 a month. If Substalk balked about these costs and Twitter caught wind of it, this could be another New York Times checkmark situation.

Substack says it is currently investigating the newly-imposed restrictions and that it will “share updates as additional information becomes available.” The company shared a blog post in which it expressed hope that these moves were made in error and stated that "cracks are starting to show in the internet’s legacy business models." We reached out to Substack and will update this post if the situation changes or if functionality is restored.

NASA has launched an innovative air quality monitoring instrument into a fixed-rotation orbit around Earth. The tool is called TEMPO, which stands for Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument, and it keeps an eye on a handful of harmful airborne pollutants in the atmosphere, such as nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and ground-level ozone. These chemicals are the building blocks of smog.

TEMPO traveled to space hitched to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA says the launch was completed successfully, with the atmospheric satellite separating from the rocket without any incidents. NASA acquired the appropriate signal and the agency says the instrument will begin monitoring duties in late May or early June.

TEMPO sits at a fixed geostationary orbit just above the equator and it measures air quality over North America every hour and measures regions spaced apart by just a few miles. This is a significant improvement to existing technologies, as current measurements are conducted within areas of 100 square miles. TEMPO should be able to take accurate measurements from neighborhood to neighborhood, giving a comprehensive view of pollution from both the macro and micro levels.

This also gives us some unique opportunities to pick up new kinds of data, such as changing pollution levels throughout rush hour, the effects of lightning on the ozone layer, the movement of pollution related to forest fires and the long-term effects of fertilizers on the atmosphere, among other data points. More information is never bad. 

NASA

TEMPO is the middle child in a group of high-powered instruments tracking pollution. South Korea's Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer went up in 2020, measuring pollution over Asia, and the ESA (European Space Agency) Sentinel-4 satellite launches in 2024 to handle European and North African measurements. Other tracking satellites will eventually join TEMPO up there in the great black, including the forthcoming NASA instrument to measure the planet's crust.

You may notice that TEMPO flew into space on a SpaceX rocket and not a NASA rocket. This is by design, as the agency is testing a new business model to send crucial instruments into orbit. Paying a private company seems to be the more budget-friendly option when compared to sending up a rocket itself. 

Walmart just announced a major expansion to its electric vehicle charging network, with "thousands" of Walmart and Sam's Club locations getting new EV charging stations. According to the company, full implementation will be completed by 2030.

The news does not say precisely how many of the approximately 5,300 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations throughout the country will be added to the network. We've reached out to the company for comment. Walmart currently operates 1,300 EV fast-charging stations located at more than 280 retail stores and affiliated facilities.

“With a store or club located within 10 miles of approximately 90% of Americans, we are uniquely positioned to deliver a convenient charging option that will help make EV ownership possible whether people live in rural, suburban or urban areas,” wrote Vishal Kapadia, Senior Vice President of Energy Transformation at Walmart. “Easy access to on-the-go charging is a game-changer for drivers who have been hesitant to purchase an EV.”

Walmart is still looking for energy suppliers, according to a report by Reuters. In the past, it has worked with providers EVgo and VW’s Electrify America. No matter the provider, Walmart has stated that each participating store will receive four chargers and that the company will keep energy prices low, though it has not provided cost estimates. 

Walmart wants to improve its overall environmental footprint in ways both large and small. In addition to this new EV charger initiative, the company stated that all supply chain vehicles will achieve "zero emissions" by 2040 and that it has already transitioned to some electric vehicles for deliveries. 

The puck-shaped audio remixing tool Stem Player by Kano started its life as a collaboration with controversial musician Kanye West, but it has expanded and partnered with the estate of deceased hip-hop legend J Dilla. Users will be able to remix and rearrange J Dilla beats via an exclusive catalog of content selected by the producer’s mother, Ma Dukes.

The 20 songs added to Stem Player have never been officially released, so your arrangement could end up being the de facto standard. Unfortunately, there aren't any tracks from iconic J Dilla albums like Donuts and Champion Sound. The many legendary tracks he produced for other artists, like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, are also not available on this platform. Rights and all of that.

There are other musicians involved with this update. Stem Player has announced some Flea and Salaam Remi tracks are available for remixing, though J Dilla is the guest of honor. To that end, the collection even includes a discussion about his legacy led by his mother. The company also announced it is working on a documentary about the producer and has released a green skin for the Stem Player as a tribute.

For the uninitiated, the Stem Player is a puck-shaped device with physical controls to remix and rearrange audio tracks. In this context, “stems” refer to the basic tracks of a song, so you can use the device to change various attributes of each stem, such as volume. This gadget handles the actual raw and unmixed tracks from the artist. It does not use AI to separate each track after they are mixed. The end result? Better stems and more accurate controls.

Kano has severed ties with beleaguered rapper Kanye West, but it has added Ghostface Killah to the roster, prior to the J Dilla announcement. It has also recently released a projector used to remix visuals. The company has started crowdfunding to guarantee the release of future products, including a DIY headphone-building kit. All J Dilla tracks are available now, but you need a $200 Stem Player. The custom green skin costs $30 on top of that. 

Sony’s massively successfulGod of War Ragnarök just got a pretty significant upgrade with a New Game+ that is much more than a simple rehash with tougher enemies. This NG+ is packed with features to squeeze more life out of last year’s PS4 and PS5 title. For the uninitiated, a New Game+ is a new adventure that unlocks when you beat the game. In this case, all of your equipment, weapons and skills carry over from your previous save. 

The changes start with several new armor sets that bring unique gameplay mechanics to the table. The Zeus armor increases your magic and spell damage but places you at greater risk for incoming damage. The Spartan Armor, as the name suggests, eliminates all perks and stat boosts, increasing the challenge and leaving no room for error.

Both the Armor of the Black Bear and Ares Armor take the opposite approach, giving players unique perks, like increased defense and an increase in rare item drops. There are also plenty of new customization options for pre-existing armor types if you want to change up your look.

The level cap is increased for both enemies and the player, which is fairly common in an NG+. Any level nine equipment, including weapons and shields, can convert into “Plus” versions with more progression options. Converting equipment also gives you special coins that are used to purchase new Enchantments.

Speaking of new Enchantments, the Engravings and Badge powers let you apply perks and stats typically reserved to a specific armor set to an amulet, so you get all of the benefits without having to actually wear the armor. The system is designed for experimentation to find the best combo for your unique playstyle. Certain enemies like Berserker Souls will also now drop new stat boost enchantments. Finally, there are Burdens, enchantments that apply a negative perk to amp up the challenge.

Endgame bosses have been redesigned, the sparring arena has been expanded with new enemies and there’s even a new black-and-white mode for those looking for a more cinematic experience. The free NG+-focused update is available now, making this a good time to return to ancient Scandinavia and cause some brutal mayhem.

Online alcohol recovery startups Monument and Tempest got caught sharing confidential user data with advertisers without their consent, as originally reported by TechCrunch. Everything came to light after an internal review revealed a data breach impacting 100,000 users, forcing the companies to issue a formal disclosure to the user base. The violations started in 2017 and were ongoing until last month's review.

Monument and Tempest started as two entirely different platforms, but the former acquired the latter several months back. Parent company Monument confirmed not only the data breach but that the companies shared private information with advertisers via a notification filed with California’s attorney general. Data shared with advertisers, without user consent, includes patient names, dates of birth, email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers, insurance information and more.

Unfortunately, that is just the beginning. In a cruel insult to those seeking recovery, the companies also shared data related to appointment information, assessment information and survey responses, which includes alcohol consumption data. Monument continues to tout its commitment to privacy on its website, saying that survey responses are “protected" despite the recent disclosure

The companies blame third-party tracking systems for the issue, stating that they have removed the offending tracking codes from their websites. The companies do not admit to sharing this information on purpose to increase profits, indicating that the tracking pixels provided by third parties did the deed all on their own.

Though this is an especially egregious example, it is important to remember that most companies have a less-than-pristine record regarding data privacy, even in the case of medical records. There is a near-endless list of similar violations, like the time a mental health startup shared patient information without consent and when Meta was caught with its own hand in the digital cookie jar. Be careful out there folks.

Facebook just announced it is implementing multiplayer games into the video call feature within Messenger. This functionality allows you to converse with friends and family as you kick their booty in 14 currently-available titles. Trash talk is back, baby!

The video call gaming feature is available on Messenger for iOS, Android and the web, with no specialized installations required. The 14 games being showcased at launch include old favorites like Words With Friends and Mini Golf FRVR to newer titles like Card Wars and Exploding Kittens. Each game is designed to be played by as few as two people, though each title boasts differing maximum player numbers.

Each game is optimized for the service, with clearly-demarcated leader boards, and a user interface that leverages the Messenger experience. All you have to do is start a video call on Messenger, tap the group mode button, tap the “Play” icon, and then browse through the library of available games. The company has been experimenting with Messenger-enabled games for the past few years, but nothing has really stuck, so one hopes this new mode has some staying power.

The launch lineup here is relatively slim, at 14 titles, but Facebook Gaming says more free games are on the horizon later this year. To that end, the company is urging interested developers to contact their Partner Manager for details on how to add games to the platform. This news comes mere months after Meta shuttered the standalone Facebook Gaming app.

General Motors just pulled ahead of Ford to become the country’s second-leading seller of all-electric vehicles. According to sales numbers obtained by CNBC, Ford sold just under 11,000 EVs during the first quarter of this year, while GM sold twice that, at nearly 21,000 units.

As a matter of fact, Ford’s poor showing throughout the past few months dropped it to fifth place in total EV sales in the USA. Hyundai and Volkswagon now make up the third and fourth spots. What is to blame for Ford’s all-electric struggles? It had some significant production downtimes at two North American plants, leading the company to scramble to retrofit a pre-existing plant in Mexico.

Additionally, the Ford F-150 Lighting electric pickup experienced a small recall when some batteries started catching fire, forcing the company to lose five weeks of production. Ford is planning on using new battery technology to ramp up EV production to 600,000 vehicles a year, but those recent sales figures illustrate just how far it has to go to meet that metric.

While congratulations are in order for GM, it is worth noting that even it is playing catch-up to market leader Tesla. And it’s not even close. Tesla does not share regional sales reports, but Motor Intelligence estimates the company sold 161,630 EVs in the United States during the first quarter. That is around eight times the number that GM is currently putting down. According to Tesla, it is on track to manufacture 20 million electric vehicles per year by 2030, though many experts say the actual number is likely to fall much lower than that.

While Tesla is leading the country in sales, the same is not true globally. Chinese manufacturer BYD sells 20 percent of the world’s EVs, to Tesla’s 12.6 percent. As for GM, the company promises to build 50,000 EVs by the middle of the year and 100,000 more units by the end of the year. One interesting factoid is that the majority of GM’s sales this year were from its budget-friendly Chevrolet Bolt line, which cost under $30,000. The lowest price for a bare-bones Tesla Model 3 is around $43,000.