Posts with «author_name|malak saleh» label

Blink Outdoor 4 cameras drop back down to record-low prices

Amazon’s Blink Outdoor 4 camera, which became available in August, is on sale right now for $72, down from its original price of $120. The deal is only on for a short period, starting on October 25 and ending November 5.

The Outdoor 4 captures 1080p HD footage of the camera’s view and allows you to view that footage from your smartphone. It supports live view as well, along with enhanced motion detection and two-way talk. The kicker for Blink cameras, though, is that they’re wireless, making them very easy to place inside and outside of your home. Plus, each has a battery life of about two years before you need to change their two AA cells. If you purchase the single camera system, you will get access to a free 30-day trial of the Blink subscription plan that allows you to store and share security cam footage in the cloud, and enable features like person detection.

The Blink Mini bundle, which includes three cameras, three mounting kits with stands, USB cables and power adapters is also on sale. The bundle, which originally sells for $100 will be made available for $40. Blink Mini cameras can also stream 1080p HD video and record footage using night vision, but they have to be plugged in. Like the Blink Outdoor devices, these indoor cameras are ideal for Alexa fans — the cameras can be controlled through voice to arm and disarm the system. The Blink Mini allows you to customize notifications for motion detection so get alerts for zones that you care about most. The deal on this Mini set is a great entry point for building a home security system if you don't already have one.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blink-outdoor-4-cameras-drop-back-down-to-record-low-prices-140021330.html?src=rss

Lunar rock samples suggest moon is older than previously thought

The moon has been a focal point for space research and exploration for years, yet we’re still far from fully understanding its origins. Take its age, for example – researchers have just discovered that the moon is about 40 million years older than previously thought.

In a study published by the European Association of Geochemistry, scientists looked at the age of crystal formations found in rock samples from the moon’s surface to determine its age. The prevalence of crystals called zircon in the samples, collected years ago from NASA’s Apollo program, suggests that the surface of the moon was created around 110 million years after the formation of the solar system. The scientists used analytical techniques including mass spectrometry to measure the presence of particular molecules in the rock. Another method of analysis, atom-probe tomography, was used to detect the amount of radioactive decay in the samples — which in turn was used to determine the age of the crystals in the rock. 

NASA holds a theory that a Mars-sized object collided with Earth several billion years ago to form the moon. This new understanding of the age of the moon actually gives scientists a rough idea of when that collision might have occurred. This finding highlights the importance of exploratory missions like the Apollo 17 mission at the heart of this discovery. The 1972 manned mission to geologically survey the surface of the moon resulted in 243 pounds of lunar material being brought back to Earth — only for it to be examined by researchers 51 years later.

To date, NASA says that more than 105 robotic spacecraft have been launched to explore the moon, so the opportunities for more findings are boundless. Although the next NASA-led manned mission to the moon won't happen until 2025 at the earliest, we can expect more rover programs to shed more light on the makings of the surface of the moon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lunar-rock-samples-suggest-moon-is-older-than-previously-thought-193036846.html?src=rss

Sonos home theater sets are up to 20 percent off this weekend

Between October 27 and 29, home theater sets from Sonos will be 20 percent off. The Ray + Sub Mini, which is regularly priced at $708, will be available for $565.99. The rare deal on the subwoofer and soundbar bundle, which works great for listening to music or getting a more immersive movie-watching experience, could make a great holiday gift for someone living in an apartment or smaller space.

The Ray soundbar, which secured a spot on Engadget’s list of best soundbars, is compact but equipped with four class-D digital amplifiers. The device has a “solid stereo presence” for its size, and can pair with other Sonos speakers to improve bass performance. We gave it a score of 82 in our review thanks to its solid sound quality for both music and TV audio and easy setup process. As mentioned above, it’s arguably best for those living in smaller spaces; anyone with a big living room will want to step things up to a larger soundbar.

The Sub Mini, which pairs with the Ray, connects to Wi-Fi with any 5GHz broadcast-capable router and can reach down to 25Hz. The device received praise in our review for its “excellent bass” considering its size and for how easily it can connect with Sonos' wired speakers. This deal might be one worth checking if you're on the hunt for a practical sub and soundbar, but the Ray + Sub Mini is just one of many entertainment sets on sale right now. The most expensive topline set, the Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc, which normally is listed for $2,596 is available for $2,211.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonos-home-theater-sets-are-up-to-20-percent-off-this-weekend-174800255.html?src=rss

Tinder will let your family nag you and play virtual matchmaker

Tinder has rolled out a new feature dubbed “Tinder Matchmaker” that will allow users’ family and friends to access the dating app and make recommendations for potential matches. The matchmakers do not need to have a Tinder profile to view or suggest possible pairings. Hypothetically, that means anyone from your grandmother to your ex-boyfriend could help you select a new profile to match with.

A Tinder user will need to launch a “Tinder Matchmaker session” either directly from a profile card or within the app’s settings. If you see a potential match, you can share a unique link with up to 15 individuals in a 24-hour period. Once a matchmaker gets a link, they can log into Tinder or continue as a guest.

A matchmaker will gain access to profiles they can “like” and if they do, it will appear as a recommendation for the original Tinder user to see. The matchmaker’s abilities are limited though. They can't send messages or actually swipe right on the profiles in question – ultimately, the Tinder user will decide whether or not to match with another. 

“For years, singles have asked their friends to help find their next match on Tinder, and now we're making that so easy with Tinder Matchmaker," Melissa Hobley, Tinder's Chief Marketing Officer says on the new feature.

Bumble has a similar offering, where a user can recommend a profile to a friend through a private link that only they can open within the dating app. However, it’s more geared for one-on-one sharing compared to Tinder Matchmaker. Hinge, another key competitor, tried launching a separate Hinge Matchmaker app in 2017. Matchmakers on the Hinge spinoff were supposed to suggest potential pairings based on who the individuals knew personally from Facebook. That secondary app didn't last for Hinge – the app is no longer available.

Tinder’s matchmaker feature is just the latest offering from the company designed to entice more users to engage with the app in new ways. Verification on Tinder got a boost with video selfies, incognito mode finally was introduced earlier this year and the company just started letting Tinder users specify gender pronouns and non-monogamous relationship types.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tinder-will-let-your-family-nag-you-and-play-virtual-matchmaker-100011319.html?src=rss

Twitch will allow simulcasting to competitor streaming platforms

Twitch will now allow its users to stream concurrently on other live video sites. The announcement was made at TwitchCon in Las Vegas, just as it dropped new simulcasting guidelines. The company emphasized that simulcasting is permitted as long as the “Twitch user experience is not compromised” on other platforms. 

Back in August, Twitch relaxed its rules on cross-streaming, allowing channels to have their live content appear on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. In terms of what new competitor services are kosher now, Twitch’s language is broad — citing that “any service” is on the table. The lone exception appears to be channels which have signed exclusivity contracts with Twitch.

We’ve announced that you can simulcast on ANY live streaming service!
Check out our new guidelines and FAQ here: https://t.co/bTVF3hkpV9 #TwitchConVegas

— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) October 20, 2023

The new approach to simulcasting might seem to hurt the company’s bottom line. A live streaming platform wants more entertainers, so, why allow users to take their content elsewhere? The move might be a response to several big-name streamers jumping ship and signing deals with competitors in the space — YouTube specifically. It's pure speculation, but perhaps handing creators additional revenue streams with no strings attached might be enough to keep major players on board, and medium-sized streamers happier with their income.

Twitch has been trying to update policies across the board to keep both its users and investors happy. The company just attempted to address off-platform doxxing, and it has even dabbled with machine learning programs that can moderate chats. It also introduced new features borrowed from other social media companies, like stories and feeds.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-will-allow-simulcasting-to-competitor-streaming-platforms-222133289.html?src=rss

Study shows AI program could verify Wikipedia citations, improving reliability

You can't trust everything on a Wikipedia page, which is why it's important that you refer to the original sources cited in the footnotes. But sometimes, even the primary sources can lead you astray. Researchers have developed an AI focused on improving the reliability of Wikipedia references by training the algorithms to identify citations on the website that are questionable.

The program, called SIDE, does two things: check if a primary source is accurate and suggest new ones. However, the AI operates under the assumption that a Wikipedia claim is true. This means that, while it can check for the validity of a source, it can't actually verify claims made in an entry.

In a study, people preferred the AI’s suggested citations to the original 70 percent of the time. The researchers found that in nearly 50 percent of the cases, SIDE presented a source that was already being used by Wikipedia as the top reference. And 21 percent of the time, SIDE was one step ahead when it churned out a recommendation that was already deemed appropriate by human annotators in the study.

While the AI appears to demonstrate it can effectively help an editor verify Wikipedia claims, the researchers admit that alternative programs could outperform their current design in both quality and speed. SIDE is limited in its capabilities — namely, the program only considers references corresponding to web pages. In reality, Wikipedia cites books, scientific articles and info presented through other media beyond text like images and video. But beyond its technical limits, the whole premise of Wikipedia is that any writer anywhere could assign a reference to a topic. The researchers suggest that the use of Wikipedia itself could be limiting to the study. They allude that individuals who plug citations into the website could permeate bias depending on the nature of the topics in question.

Meanwhile, we all know that any program, especially an AI that is dependent on training, could be prone to the exposure of the biases of its programmer. The data used to train and evaluate SIDE’s models could be limited in that regard. But still, the benefits of using AI to streamline fact-checking, or at least use it as a supportive tool, could have reverberating applications elsewhere. Wikipedia and social media companies alike need to contend with bad actors and bots that flood digital town squares with false information. This is especially true and important now more than ever, in the wake of misinformation spreading around the Israel-Hamas war and the upcoming presidential elections in the US. The need to mitigate misinformation online could be catalyzed with AI tools, like SIDE, designed for this exact purpose. But there are still some advances that need to be made before it can.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/study-shows-ai-program-could-verify-wikipedia-citations-improving-reliability-184543711.html?src=rss

The EPA takes initial step towards regulating lead fuel used by small planes

The EPA is inching closer toward regulating the use of leaded fuel often used in smaller planes. In a statement, it highlighted some of the environmental and public health risks associated with lead emissions. EPA administrator Michael Regan said that the White House should “move forward” and propose new standards to limit the use of leaded gasoline in aviation.

Planes that operate on lead fuel are typically smaller piston-engine aircrafts, which are usually flying in and out of smaller airports and exposing nearby residents. Lead pollution can cause “irreversible and life-long health effects” but this is especially true for children. Average levels of lead exposure in the US has gone down dramatically since the 1980s thanks to the heavy regulation of products in homes and schools. However, the risk for exposure is higher if you live near these smaller airports that operate aircraft that rely on leaded gasoline.

Now that the EPA has formally declared what it already knew — that leaded gasoline is bad — it can work with the FAA to iron out regulations limiting its use. Although the FAA does not have direct regulatory authority over what fuels airplanes use, the aviation agency has committed to transition all piston-engine aircrafts away from lead-filled aviation fuels before the end of 2030.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-epa-takes-initial-step-towards-regulating-lead-fuel-used-by-small-planes-212425524.html?src=rss

Study: Wearable sensors more accurately track Parkinson’s disease progression than traditional observation

In a study from Oxford University, researchers found that by using a combination of wearable sensor data and machine learning algorithms the progression of Parkinson’s disease can be monitored more accurately than in traditional clinical observation. Monitoring movement data collected by sensor technology may not only improve predictions about disease progression but also allows for more precise diagnoses.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that affects motor control and movement. Although there is currently no cure, early intervention can help delay the progression of the disease in patients. Diagnosing and tracking the progression of Parkinson's disease currently involves a neurologist using the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) to assess the patient's motor symptoms by assigning scores to the performance of specific movements. However, because this is a subjective, human analysis, classification can be inaccurate.

In the Oxford study, 74 patients with Parkinson’s were monitored for disease progression over a period of 18 months. The participants wore wearables with sensors in different regions of the body: on the chest, at the base of the spine and on each wrist and foot. These sensors — which had gyroscopic and accelerometric capabilities — kept tabs on 122 different physiological measurements, and tracked the patients during walking and postural sway tests. Kinetic data was then analyzed by custom software programs using machine learning.

Oxford

The sensor data collected by the wearables were compared to standard MDS-UPDRS assessments, which are considered the gold standard in current practice. That traditional test, in this study's patients "did not capture any change" while the sensor-based analysis "detected a statistically significant progression of the motor symptoms" according to the researchers.

Having more precise data on the progression of Parkinson's isn't a cure, of course. But the incorporation of metrics from wearables could help researchers confirm the efficacy of novel treatment options.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/study-wearable-sensors-more-accurately-track-parkinsons-disease-progression-than-traditional-observation-171132495.html?src=rss

Netflix will reportedly turn more of its hit shows into games

Netflix is making moves to expand its mobile gaming offerings. Soon, subscribers will see more shows made by Netflix made into mobile games, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, like Squid Game and Wednesday.

While mobile gaming is not entirely new to Netflix, it's still trying to find its place in the company’s business model. Right now, the Netflix app prompts users to download and play games like Exploding Kittens: The Game or Ghost Detective on the app store where you can play on the platform. But eventually, Netflix subscribers will be able to play games directly on their smart TVs and computers. This push into gaming by the streaming giant is preceded by the company’s recent release of a dedicated controller app for iOS devices that lets a player use their phone as a gamepad with a paired TV.

From the start, Netflix has never charged for its games or posed additional fees within its gaming domain. To play on your phone, you only need a subscription. And while we don't know if that is going to ever change in the near future, Netflix's focus on making games based on hit shows could help maintain interest in them, especially in between seasons. The bet on superconsumers’ could also lead the company to a path of buying its way into gaming.

As of now, Netflix offers more than 70 games on its platform and it plans to expand that more into the end of 2023. Netflix will continue to license non-show related games like Classic Solitaire, according to the WSJ.

It has been less than two years since the company began dabbling in mobile gaming and yet, Netflix has already become a player in indie publishing. And we’ve seen the company deliver on its promise of developing games based on hit shows. Netflix Stories: Love is Blind, an interactive story title based on the reality television series just came out last month. Now it appears ready to lean even harder into gaming.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-will-reportedly-turn-more-of-its-hit-shows-into-games-230944708.html?src=rss

Biden administration announces first recipients of $7 billion hydrogen hub program

The Biden administration has selected the recipients of its funding for the seven regional “hydrogen hubs,” or clean hydrogen producers. All regions will receive funds from a $7 billion investment made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The hubs are collectively expected to produce more than three million metric tons of clean hydrogen per year and help put the US on track to produce 50 million metric tons of clean hydrogen fuel by 2050.

The initiative is a crucial step towards achieving President Biden’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But it is also expected to bolster the economy, creating thousands of jobs for the states involved in the project. Collectively, the hubs will create more than 300,000 direct jobs.

🟢 NEW: We launched the nation’s first 7 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs—kickstarting a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and infrastructure that will accelerate commercial-scale deployment of this clean energy source.
https://t.co/B4zG4aB37n pic.twitter.com/PV8ITcfBny

— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) October 13, 2023

The seven hubs named include: the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, the California Hydrogen Hub, the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, Heartland Hydrogen Hub, Midwest Hydrogen Hub and the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub. Some regions that applied for the hub program together through the Department of Energy will require cross-state collaboration. For example, the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub is made up of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey.

The Biden administration said that it expects two-thirds of total project investments will be associated with green (electrolysis based) production. The hydrogen hubs are expected to eliminate 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions through its projects—which the Biden administration likens to the annual emissions of over 5.5 million gasoline-powered cars. The hubs will focus on offsetting and creating alternatives to heavy-duty transportation, chemical, steel and cement manufacturing.

This program is just one part of the Biden administration's efforts to slow climate change and make a lasting impact on the nation’s carbon footprint. The White House has previously pushed similar initiatives, including an executive order that requires half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to have some form of zero-emissions driving and its plans to allocate billions in funding to decarbonize the country’s power grid by 2035.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/biden-administration-announces-first-recipients-of-7-billion-hydrogen-hub-program-165640048.html?src=rss