NASA has published the first maps from its new space-based pollution instrument, TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution). Although you won’t be shocked to learn it reveals higher pollution rates in metropolitan areas, the tool can help scientists better study North American air quality on an hourly basis. “Neighborhoods and communities across the country will benefit from TEMPO’s game-changing data for decades to come,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote in a press release today.

The instrument, which launched in April and orbits at 22,000 miles above the equator, can help scientists better study the health impacts of pollutants “at the neighborhood scale.” It can take hourly measurements, providing insights into the effects of rush-hour traffic, smoke and ash from forest fires and how fertilizer affects farm country. The tool measures sunlight bounced off the Earth’s surface, atmosphere and clouds. “Gases in the atmosphere absorb the sunlight, and the resulting spectra are then used to determine the concentrations of several gases in the air, including nitrogen dioxide,” NASA explained.

NASA says it will share its data with partner agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since taking the first measurements earlier this month, teams have been busy checking and calibrating the satellite’s systems ahead of regular hourly operations kicking off in October. NASA views the data as a boon in its quest to reach the Biden administration’s climate goals.

NASA

The instrument beamed back its first images on August 2nd, showing the I-95 corridor in the Northeast (New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC areas), a slice of the South (central and eastern Texas stretching to New Orleans) and a section of the Southwest (Los Angeles to Las Vegas). As expected, the maps reveal heavy nitrogen dioxide density over cities and their suburban sprawl.

“Detailed views of three regions show high levels of nitrogen dioxide over cities in the morning, and enhanced levels of nitrogen dioxide over major highways,” NASA wrote today. “As the day progresses, the morning pollution often dissipates. Later in the afternoon, it will rise again as the cities enter their second rush hour of the day.”

“This summer, millions of Americans felt firsthand the effect of smoke from forest fires on our health,” said Nelson. “NASA and the Biden-Harris Administration are committed to making it easier for everyday Americans and decisionmakers to access and use TEMPO data to monitor and improve the quality of the air we breathe, benefitting life here on Earth.”

Uber has raised its minimum driver age in California to 25, up from 19, as initially reported byThe Associated Press. The company allegedly changed the policy because of climbing commercial auto insurance costs in the state. However, it only affects new signups; drivers already approved before Wednesday will remain eligible.

In a statement to Engadget, Uber chalked the decision up to the state's insurance rates and litigation environment. “California’s insurance coverage requirements for rideshare are baselessly higher than nearly every other car on the road: up to thirty times that of taxis and thirty times that of personal vehicles,” an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement to Engadget. “As a result of these lopsided requirements, personal injury attorneys have created a cottage industry specializing in suing rideshare platforms like ours, pushing Uber’s California state-mandated commercial insurance costs to rise by more than 65% in just two years. By increasing the age requirement for new drivers to 25, we hope to mitigate the growth of those costs.”

“We hope to work with lawmakers, policy leaders, and industry experts to discuss legislative and regulatory changes that will improve the experience for all California drivers,” the Uber spokesperson wrote.

The new minimum age puts Uber on even ground with Lyft, which already required all US drivers to be 25 or older. The updated rules won’t apply to Uber Eats drivers, who can still deliver orders as young as 19.

Uber’s business has bounced back since declining during the pandemic’s peak. It reported its first quarterly operating profit earlier this month, crediting a 22-percent boost in trips.

Amazon’s latest deal makes it easier to secure your home without breaking the bank. The Labor Day sale includes 35 percent off the company’s Blink Video Doorbell (reduced to $39 from its original $60). You can also order a bundle including the doorbell and one Blink Mini module to use as a chime for $64 (30 percent off its typically $95). In addition, Amazon has standalone Blink Mini deals starting at $25, and you can snag the Blink Wired Floodlight for $60 (40 percent off). Most of the deals approach Prime Day lows.

The Blink Video Doorbell captures video at 1080p resolution. It has infrared capabilities for nighttime recording, motion detection and two-way audio. You can install the doorbell wired or wireless; it requires a Blink mini (bundled with the doorbell for $64) for an indoor chime if you decide not to use your home’s existing wiring. It lets you view a live feed of who’s at your door with a paired phone or an Alexa device with a display. The doorbell can provide alerts via Alexa devices, it runs on two (included) AA batteries and Amazon says it’s sealed for protection against rain.

Amazon also has several Blink Mini bundles on sale. You can pick up a single unit for $25 (typically $35), a two-pack for $46 (usually $65) or a three-pack for $64 (regularly $100). The Blink Mini is a wired entry-level indoor security camera that can outfit your home with live feeds on the cheap. The motion-activated cameras can record day or night, and they have built-in speakers and a mic for remote two-way audio.

Finally, the Blink Wired Floodlight is available for $60 (40 percent off its regular $100). The device produces 2600 lumens of LED lighting with motion detection and a built-in siren. Its camera shoots in 1080p while providing a color nighttime view and two-way audio. The floodlight works with Alexa, allowing live view (for Alexa devices with screens) and voice-powered arming and disarming.

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Facebook’s “state-controlled media” labels appear to reduce engagement with content from authoritarian nations. A new study reveals that, with the added tags, users’ engagement decreased when they noticed content labeled as originating from Chinese and Russian government-run media. However, the labels also appeared to boost user favorability of posts from Canadian state media, suggesting broader perceptions of the country play into the tags’ effectiveness.

Researchers with Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin conducted the set of studies which “explored the causal impact of these labels on users’ intentions to engage with Facebook content.” When users noticed the label, they tended to reduce their engagement with it when it was a country they perceived negatively.

The first experiment studied 1,200 people with US-based Facebook accounts — with and without state-controlled media labels. Although their engagement with posts originating from Russia and China went down, it only had that effect if they “actively noticed the label.” A second test in the series observed 2,000 US Facebook users to determine that their behavior was “tied to public sentiment toward the country listed on the label.” In other words, they responded positively to media labeled as Canadian state-controlled and negatively toward Chinese and Russian government-run content.

Meta

Finally, a third experiment examined how broadly Facebook users interacted with state-controlled media before and after the platform added the labels. They concluded the change had a “significant effect” as the sharing of labeled posts dropped by 34 percent after the shift, and user likes of tagged posts fell by 46 percent. The paper’s authors also noted that training users on the labels (“notifying them of their presence and testing them on their meaning”) significantly boosted their odds of noticing them.

“Our three studies suggest that state-controlled media labels reduced the spread of misinformation and propaganda on Facebook, depending on which countries were labelled,” Patricia L. Moravec, the study’s lead, wrote in the paper’s summary.

However, the studies ran into some limitations in determining correlation vs. causation. The authors say they couldn’t fully verify whether their results were caused by the labels or Facebook’s nontransparent newsfeed algorithms, which downlink labeled posts (and make related third-party research exceedingly difficult in broader terms). The paper’s authors also note that the experiments measured online users’ “beliefs, intentions to share, and intentions to like pages” but not their actual behavior.

The researchers (unsurprisingly, given the results) recommend social companies “clearly alert and inform users of labeling policy changes, explain what they mean, and display the labels in ways that users notice.”

As the world grapples with online misinformation and propaganda, the study’s leads urge Facebook and other social platforms to do more. “Although efforts are being made to reduce the spread of misinformation on social media platforms, efforts to reduce the influence of propaganda may be less successful,” suggests co-author Nicholas Wolczynski. “Given that Facebook debuted the new labels quietly without informing users, many likely did not notice the labels, reducing their efficacy dramatically.”

Google TV is about to get a heavy dose of NFL Sunday Ticket. The service, which Google won the bidding rights for last year, will soon be available (and likely promoted with gusto) on the platform. Google also offers the NFL subscription service on YouTube and YouTube TV.

“Starting this football season, NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube and YouTube TV will be fully integrated into Google TV in the U.S.,” Google TV product managers Nick Staubach and Sal Altayyar wrote in an announcement blog post. “This means you can now access live out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, see top highlights and get recommendations for top games of the week, all right on your Google TV home screen.” The authors added that YouTube TV subscribers who add an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription would soon see the service in the app’s live tabs.

Google won the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, reportedly outbidding Apple and Amazon in late 2022 after DirecTV held the rights for nearly three decades. Annual packages for the service currently start at $399 through YouTube or $299 when bought alongside a separate ($73 / month) YouTube TV membership. Packages that include the NFL RedZone channel (for “whip-around coverage of every game on Sunday afternoon”) add an extra $40 onto each plan.

Google also announced today that it’s adding more than 25 new free channels to Google TV. The company (strangely) didn’t specify the channels, but it mentioned that it would include shows like Top Gear and Baywatch. The unknown networks will join Google TV’s lineup of over 800 FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels.

WhatsApp will now let you create small groups without first naming them. Mark Zuckerberg announced the new feature in a Facebook post (viaTechCrunch). You previously had to choose your group’s name when setting it up.

TechCrunch reports that unnamed groups have a cap of six members instead of the named groups’ limit of 1,024 participants. In addition, WhatsApp will reportedly auto-generate placeholder names for unnamed groups based on their members. (For example, “Rocco & Li-Chen” for a chat between them in Zuckerberg’s sample image below.) Depending on how they've saved members’ contacts, the group name will also appear differently for each member.

Meta / Mark Zuckerberg

When joining an unnamed group that includes people who haven’t saved your contacts, it will reportedly display your phone number to the group. This suggests the feature is designed more for established friends, family or colleagues and less for strangers.

TechCrunch reports that the feature will roll out globally “over the next few weeks.”

Apptronik unveiled a new workforce robot today. Named Apollo, the machine is designed to “work in environments designed for, and directly alongside, humans.” The android is initially intended to move and carry cases and totes in logistics and manufacturing settings. But the Austin-based Apptronik sees Apollo expanding into “construction, oil and gas, electronics production, retail, home delivery, elder care” and more. Apollo follows Xiaomi’s reveal of the CyberOne robot last year, which looked remarkably similar to the still-unreleased Tesla Bot.

The 5-foot-8, 160-lb Apollo can lift up to 55 lbs. (Apptronik says it optimized efficiency by making its arms lighter than the weight they can lift.) It uses swappable batteries — running up to four hours per pack — which should provide more flexibility than robots that require wall charging before springing back into action. “In short, this battery-based approach means greater work output for Apollo and greater operational efficiency for customers,” Apptronik wrote in a press release today.

Apptronik

Apptronik views Apollo as a robot that can adapt to the job. The company says it built “modularity into Apollo’s design, empowering users to decide whether Apollo is best used for their applications as a true bi-pedal walking humanoid, a torso that operates on wheels or one mounted in a stationary location.” The robot has digital panels on its face and chest to provide a “friendly, human-like countenance” to make workers feel comfortable working alongside it (as it potentially moves towards automating their jobs).

Apptronik hasn’t announced public pricing for the robot. You can read more about Apollo on the company’s product page.

Hyper Light Breaker, the action rogue-lite previously scheduled to enter Steam Early Access this fall, has been delayed a second time. The launch window for the spiritual successor to 2016’s Hyper Light Drifter is now rescheduled for early 2024.

“So we need just a bit more time on Hyper Light Breaker before we launch into Early Access,” Alx Preston, founder and Creative Director for developer Heart Machine, said in a video announcing the delay. “This means we’ll be pushing our date to early next year in 2024.” He said the additional time will “allow us to bring the game to its full potential.” Preston thanked fans for their patience and support, promising “a new adventure that lives up to what fans expect from a Heart Machine title.”

Heart Machine / Gearbox Publishing

Hyper Light Breaker shifts gameplay from 2D to 3D while adding up to three players for co-op play. While the 2016 original honored elements from classic top-down Zelda games, the upcoming open-world installment incorporates some Breath of the Wild basics. These include exploring open countrysides scattered with ruins while soaring through the air with a glider and surfing down hills. However, Hyper Light Breaker uses procedurally generated environments, which should help with replayability. Its combat also appears to depart from Nintendo’s modern Zelda games. The game’s first trailer gives you a closer peek.

“We have a lot of wild ideas we want to put into the game, which is exciting and thrilling since the format and tech we’ve created allows so much possibility,” said Preston. “This short push will give us the best chance for a stronger first step into open development in early access next year.”

We’ll soon learn if India will be the first nation to nail a soft landing on the moon’s south pole. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission, which launched on July 14th and entered lunar orbit on August 5th, will attempt to touch down on Wednesday at around 8:34AM EDT. It follows Russia’s attempt to beat India to the punch that ended badly. The ISRO’s live telecast (watch below) is scheduled to begin at 3:50AM EDT.

The Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander will try to touch down near the Moon’s south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. It could provide crucial water, oxygen and fuel for future lunar missions and bases. However, touching down could prove challenging as the region is known for rugged terrain and shadowy craters. This mission’s immediate predecessor, the Chandrayaan-2, crashed in 2019 as it descended to the lunar south pole.

Chandrayaan-3 uses a “failure-based design” to incorporate lessons from the 2019 “hard landing.” The new version includes an expanded landing area, software upgrades and more redundant systems to back up potential outages.

The IRSO’s X (formerly Twitter) account posted early Tuesday morning, “The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing.” It also posted pictures of the Moon’s surface taken from orbit.

You can tune in here early Wednesday morning (US time) to view the Indian lander’s descent.

Atari is teaming up with Plaion on a new retro home console after finally taking a mulligan on its last one. The Atari 2600+ pays homage to the original Atari 2600, which delighted children of the disco era starting in 1977, although this remake is based on the four-switch model from 1980. It plays both Atari 2600 and 7800 games. However, most buyers will want to track down physical cartridges as the retro system, which requires them to play, is only bundled with a collection of 10 titles that lacks system standouts like Pac-Man, Frogger, Space Invaders and Pitfall!

The throwback console has been “lovingly recreated to the same specifications as the original,” although it’s only 80 percent of the size. The console’s “plus” features come in the form of an HDMI output and widescreen support. The company says the system has an enlarged cartridge socket to reduce cartridge sticking. The Atari logo also lights up when powered on.

Atari / Plaion

The system includes a modern remake of the classic Atari CX40 joystick, the CX40+. Although it supports two players, only one stick is bundled. (You can order an extra for $25.) The company says a CX-30 Paddle Controller remake is on its way as well.

The system’s free games are bundled on a “10 Games in 1” cartridge, including Adventure, Combat, Dodge ‘Em, Haunted House, Maze Craze, Missile Command, RealSports Volleyball, Surround, Video Pinball and Yars’ Revenge. Atari posted a complete list of compatible cartridges. Prospective buyers may want to consider that hunting down physical games (and potentially paying a premium for some) will be part of the journey.

If the entire affair sounds familiar, that’s because the classic video game maker launched the long-delayed Atari VCS just over two years ago. But consumer interest in that model seemed to fall off a cliff after the initial excitement, and the company discontinued the retro console in favor of reorganizing its hardware business while eyeing “a new commercial strategy.” We can only assume we’re seeing the fruit of that today as it partners with Plaion.

The Atari 2600+ launches “worldwide” on November 17th for $130. (An optional second joystick adds another $25 onto that.) Starting today, the latest mini-retro system is available for pre-order on Atari’s website.