Twitter's latest test is all about how you view tweets in the app. Some users on iOS will be able to swipe between the Home feed, which shows the top tweets in your timeline, and a chronological look at the latest tweets (the proper way to use Twitter, but you do you).
It's a fairly small user interface change, but a handy one for those who dart between the two views. The current method of switching between the views is through the button on the top right of the screen, but a swipe is quicker than a couple of taps.
The update could make the app's home screen a little messier if you have pinned lists that you swipe through. Still, it could be a welcome quality of life change for some folks while making the two options more prominent.
Top Tweets first or latest Tweets first? We’re making it easier to switch between the two timelines and know which one you’re scrolling.
Now testing with some of you on iOS: swipe between "Home" and "Latest" on the Home tab to choose which Tweets you see first. pic.twitter.com/LoyAN4cONu
The animated League of Legends series Arcane will hit Netflix on November 6th and Riot Games is marking the launch with an in-person immersive experience connected to the series. The publisher teamed up with Secret Cinema to host the Arcane experience, which will only be available in Los Angeles.
You'll get to explore the Undercity, where you'll delve into the origins of two LoL champions. You'll take on missions, find secret hideouts, form alliances and evade enforcers. The ending of the story will be different depending on the choices you make, so Arcane might encourage repeat visits.
Riot is pushing into another realm of entertainment here. “For the launch of Arcane, we really wanted to find the right partner who shared our vision for bringing such a rich IP and to life in an interactive, immersive way," Brandon Miao, cross-product experiences and partnerships lead for Riot Experience, said. "Bringing players new, authentic out-of-game experiences that tie back to the narrative of the show is a first for us, and something we are incredibly excited to share with players as we expand to entertainment.”
The Arcane experience will debut on November 21st and tickets cost $70. You'll get your first chance at snagging a ticket through a presale that starts on October 13th at 3PM ET. You can sign up for ticket alerts through Secret Cinema. General admission starts 24 hours later.
Secret Cinema has built a reputation for creating immersive experiences based on movies and, more recently with its Stranger Things adaptation, TV shows. This is the first time it has taken on a project with roots in gaming.
Google Docs is one of the company’s slow-burn hits. When it appeared 15 years ago, most of us (definitely me) were doing our word processing on Microsoft Office’s Word. It was the defacto option whether you were dealing in PC documents as a worker or a student.
Then Google’s Docs and Sheets, cloud-based applications that let you collaborate with others in real-time, appeared in beta. Deputy Managing Editor Nathan Ingraham has charted the course of Google Docs so far, as well as where it might go next, but I recall being an early adopter of Google’s Office rival.
Due to health issues, I had to repeat a year of my degree studies and split my time between my university and my hometown, which were hundreds of miles apart. It was a time of desktop PCs, library computers and generally anything to do with a PC was more work! I used Docs to draft, write and publish my final-year economics dissertation, even using Sheets for my provincial theories and data analysis on financial returns to higher education.
It was a revelation — Docs, I mean, not my project. I didn’t have to fear a USB drive not working on public PCs and could open the document wherever there was a PC and an internet connection. Of course, from then on, whether it was studies, work or personal projects, the biggest challenge 15 years ago was convincing others to make the switch from the costs-real-money Microsoft Word. That battle continues to this day.
With the F-150 Lightning set to debut early next year, Ford plans to employ a group of Charge Angels to ensure its EV owners can find reliable charging when they need it. In an interview with Automotive News, the company introduced the Charge Angels technicians. They’ll travel the US in specially equipped Mustang Mach-Es to test charging stations where connected vehicle data and “angry social media posts” indicate they may not be working properly.
Talking of Mustangs, can an EV offer the thrill of a muscle car of the past? As Andrew Tarantola puts it, nostalgia is a hell of a drug and he has fond car memories from tearing up San Francisco’s streets in a 65 outfitted with a drag racing suspension. For him, it’s difficult to reconcile that the Mustang is now an SUV and, despite its overwhelming power, it still drives like one.
'Facebook has lied to the board repeatedly,’ Haugen said in a statement.
Members of Facebook’s Oversight Board will meet with whistleblower Frances Haugen as they investigate the company’s controversial cross check system. “In light of the serious claims made about Facebook by Ms. Haugen, we have extended an invitation for her to speak to the board over the coming weeks, which she has accepted,” the Oversight Board wrote in a statement.
Cross check was a central issue in the Oversight Board’s handling of Donald Trump’s Facebook suspension. The board had asked Facebook for more details about cross check, saying the company’s rules “should apply to all users.”
Playground Games’ open-world racing series Forza Horizon is almost ready for the next generation of consoles — and your PC. As Senior Editor Jessica Conditt puts it, “Horizon is the chill, microdosing cousin of Forza Motorsport, with festival vibes, ridiculous race tracks set in lush environments.”
Forza Horizon 5 is due out on November 9th and will be included in Xbox Game Pass.
All Twitter users can now remove a follower without having to block them. The company started testing this option last month, and starting today, everyone will have access to it. To quietly stop someone from seeing your tweets in their feed, go to the Followers tab on your profile, click the three-dot menu next to the user in question and select the "Remove this follower" option.
This is part of Twitter's efforts to reduce harassment on the platform. Blocking someone you don't want to follow you could lead to retaliation from that person via their allies or their secondary accounts after they find out. Cutting them in this fashion and muting them will mean they're none the wiser that they're out of the loop.
This method won't prevent someone you boot from your followers list from seeing your public tweets. Only blocking them or making your account private will do that. Elsewhere, Twitter is testing a Safety Mode, which automatically blocks accounts that use “potentially harmful language.” It's also looking into more ways to filter and limit replies, so it seems the company is making its anti-harassment efforts a bigger priority.
This post keeps spoilers to the bare minimum since the show will not air until October 28th.
While Star Trek certainly has its share of young fans, it’s never been specifically for the kids. Sure, there was the animated show back in the ‘70s, but that was basically a continuation of the original 1966 series. The newest program, Prodigy, is designed with kids in mind — especially those who might know nothing about Star Trek.
Though the show won’t show up on Paramount+ until the end of the month, fans got a sneak peek at the first episode, “Lost & Found,” during this past weekend's New York Comic Con. It introduces to our core cast of characters, a diverse group of aliens trapped on a distant mining colony and forced to dig in search of a mysterious prize. It’s a pretty grim scenario for a kid’s show, but one that won’t stick for long — this is Star Trek, after all, and part of the franchise’s ethos is exploration.
To keep the series as newbie-friendly as possible, the connections to the wider Trek universe are kept to a minimum. We don’t even know what species our protagonist, Dal, is. The rest of the cast is filled out by aliens that are either new to us or haven’t gotten a lot of screen time in the past. And the Federation is largely unknown here. Not that it isn’t mentioned a few times, but that our group of former prisoners have no idea what that means. Long-time fans will be excited to watch them learn all about it, while new fans will get to take that journey of discovery with them.
It’s that sense of wonder that will keep the show firmly in tone with the franchise, even as its new setting and animation style evoke prior science fiction programs like Star Wars: Rebels and Farscape. Star Wars: Rebels was also intended as a kid’s show, but its role in filling in details about the rise of the Rebel Alliance and sense of pathos also made it an enjoyable watch for adults. While older Trekkies will probably want to keep up with Prodigy for those ties to the greater continuity, the action sequences are solid and the initial plot line is serious enough to keep newcomer adults engaged. It’s a good introduction to the franchise for both kids and grownups alike, something sorely needed when there’s over 800 episodes to trawl through.
Nickelodeon
Prodigy is computer-animated by Eye Animation Productions, part of CBS Television Studios. According to Nickelodeon and Paramount Animation president Ramsey Naito, CG was chosen for being the “most immersive approach,” and that director Ben Hibon’s vision for it had a lot of soul. The show adopts a blocky angular style similar to Rebels but the edges are smoother and the color palette is more expansive. Even when things are grim, it’s still a visual treat in terms of how things are shaded. The planet is a full spectrum of browns and reds, while space isn’t just black and white; it’s purple and blue and pink with an array of glittering stars. It’s a cinematic place you want to explore.
Nickelodeon
And, of course, our tool for exploration is the USS Protostar, a lost Starfleet vessel that the characters unearth in their digging. What exactly is the ship, and how did it end up on this depressing mining colony? Those are questions for the long haul. Some may however be answered by the vessel’s “help desk,” a hologram of Kathryn Janeway. She doesn’t have a huge part to play in the series premiere, which is good because it means she can’t draw attention away from the introduction of the main cast. Paramount+ did, at least, release a short clip starring Janeway to quench your thirst for the coffee-swilling captain.
During the New York Comic Con panel executive producers Dan and Kevin Hageman did share a few casting announcements. Voyager fans will be pleased to hear that Robert Beltran will be reprising Chakotay. It’s unknown if he’ll appear in the flesh or as another hologram, but we do know that he’s been promoted to captain in the time since his last appearance. Kids will probably be more excited by some of the other guest voices, like Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs as Tysess and The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil as Ascensia. These additional announcements also feel like a tip of the hat to Voyager fans, a show that saw its share of guest stars like The Rock. Prodigy will even bring back Jason Alexander, an actor who also appeared on Voyager, but will now appear in the new role of Doctor Noum.
Nickelodeon
There’s a lot about the show to be excited about, and what’s been revealed about Prodigy thus far is extremely promising. But as a middle-aged and long-time Star Trek fan, what got me the most in this premiere was when you get to see the Protostar finally fly. Its ascent from the planet was thrilling, but watching the characters react to seeing the stars for the first time… I might have shed a few tears. Star Trek is about exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations. Now we get to watch a whole new cast, one that had previously been abused and downtrodden, live out that dream. Even if we’ve left the confines of the Federation, the show’s heart is still firmly in place with its past.
Members of the Oversight Board will meet with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen as it investigates the company’s controversial “cross check” system.
“In light of the serious claims made about Facebook by Ms. Haugen, we have extended an invitation for her to speak to the Board over the coming weeks, which she has accepted,” the Oversight Board wrote in a statement. “Board members appreciate the chance to discuss Ms. Haugen’s experiences and gather information that can help push for greater transparency and accountability from Facebook through our case decisions and recommendations.”
In a statement, Haugen confirmed the upcoming meeting. “Facebook has lied to the board repeatedly, and I am looking forward to sharing the truth with them,” she wrote.
I have accepted the invitation to brief the Facebook Oversight Board about what I learned while working there. Facebook has lied to the board repeatedly, and I am looking forward to sharing the truth with them.
The board has also been pushing Facebook to provide more information about the program, in light of Haugen’s disclosures. “Cross check” is the internal designation used by the social network for high profile accounts, including celebrities, politicians and athletes. The company has said it’s meant to provide an extra level of scrutiny when those accounts might break the platform’s rules. But according to documents Haugen provided to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook often doesn’t review violations from these accounts, effectively allowing them to break its rules without consequences. In other cases, reviews are so delayed that rule-breaking content is viewed millions of times before it’s removed.
Crosscheck was also a central issue in the Oversight Board’s handling of Donald Trump’s Facebook suspension. The board had asked Facebook for more details about cross check, saying that the company’s rules “should apply to all users.” But Facebook said it was “not feasible” to provide additional info, even though Haugen’s disclosures suggested the company has been tracking problems related to the program.
Facebook didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said last month, following The Wall Street Journal's reporting, that it had asked the board to provide recommendations on how to improve cross check. The Oversight Board will release its first transparency report later this month, which will provide an update on cross check, based on its discussions with Facebook officials and Haugen. The report will be the board’s first assessment of how the social network has responded to its policy recommendations.
Facebook is trying to mend its reputation in the wake of whisleblower Frances Haugen's testimony, and that includes promises of features lessening the potential harm for teens. CNN and Reuters report that Facebook Global Affairs VP Nick Clegg promised Instagram would introduce a "take a break" feature that encouraged teens to simply stop using the social network for a while. Clegg didn't say when it would be ready, but this was clearly meant to reduce addiction and other unhealthy behavior.
The social media exec also said Facebook would "nudge" teens away from material in its apps that "may not be conducive to their well-being." He didn't provide specifics for this new approach. He did, however, suggest that Facebook's algorithms should be "held to account," including by regulation if needed, to be sure real-world results matched intentions.
The new methods might address some of Haugen's concerns. She claimed Facebook was aware its algorithms were destructive, leading children to harmful material and removing only a fraction of hate speech. Haugen also felt Congress should reform the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 to increase Facebook's liability for algorithm-chosen content, and that Facebook should add friction to reduce the virality of content and force users to think about posts rather than share them reflexively.
At the same time, this might not satisfy Haugen and fellow critics. Breaks and nudges may reduce exposure to harmful content, but they won't remove the content in question. Clegg's statements also reflect a familiar strategy at Facebook. It likes to invite regulation, but only the regulation it's comfortable with. While the proposed changes could help, politicians may demand more — in part to prevent Facebook from dictating its own regulation.
Facebook and its apps are down yet again, according to the company. The extent of the latest outage wasn't immediately clear, but Facebook and Instagram both acknowledged that "some" users are having trouble accessing their services.
We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and we apologize for any inconvenience.
At one point in No Time to Die, Daniel Craig's final entry as James Bond, you can see a sleek supercar in the background. It's the Aston Martin Valhalla, a 937hp beast of a plug-in hybrid, and it's just sitting there, with nowhere to go. If you've seen a Bond film before, you can imagine it's holding a slew of killer gadgets (though hopefully not invisibility). Surely it would appear later in the film, perhaps just in time to save our hero before he sips a martini from a built-in fridge. But no—nobody drives the car throughout the film's 163-minute runtime. We never even see it in motion. (Though that's not stopping Rocket Leaguefrom pitching it as a Bond vehicle.)
Nicola Dove/DANJAQ, MGM
That undriven Chekhov's car makes one thing clear: No Time to Die, directed by Cary Joji-Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts of No Nation), isn't your usual Bond movie. And as I watched the film, a momentous occasion after years of delays, I was struck by how few gadgets there were. Sure, Bond gets a cool watch, a classic bulletproof (and gun-equipped) Aston Martin and he rides in something called a gravity plane, but they come few and far in between. Instead, the film focuses on Bond's human drama: His inability to trust; his persistent death-wish; the danger he brings to others.
Craig's Bond was different from the beginning. In 2006's Casino Royale, he was a fledgling agent he hadn't yet earned his 00 status. He was gruff and dirty, more used to getting into Bourne-esque fights instead of wearing a tux. But the Bond writer's and producers could never quite settle on how they wanted to transform the character. 2008's Quantum of Solace was a disaster mired by the Hollywood writer's strike (not to mentioned completely incomprehensible action). Skyfall was a return to form, elevating the franchise with Roger Deakin's Oscar-nominated cinematography. But the series hit a new low with 2015's Spectre, a boring and regressive film I haven't had the heart to revisit.
Strangely, even though No Time to Die is Craig's final entry, it never tries to one-up the set pieces of its predecessors. There's a thrilling motorcycle chase early on, which features an astounding practical jump up a flight of stairs, a balletic shoot-out in Cuba, and a few smaller sequences later on. But the film cares less about spectacle than it does setting a mood. That may make it a divisive entry for some, but as someone fascinated by emotional action movies, like Michael Mann's much-maligned Miami Vice reboot, I found it endlessly compelling. (It helps that No Time to Die, like Casino Royale before it, actually makes you care about Bond and everyone in his orbit.)
When I chatted with No Time to Die's VFX supervisor, Charlie Noble, he had a hard time pointing to a specific whiz-bang set-piece. Unlike Tom Cruise's latest Mission Impossible movies, this Bond outing isn't built around a specific stunt or gadget. And after the emptiness of Spectre, I'm all for that. Noble says he's more concerned with subtle VFX work, like adding additional cars to the background of a chase, or removing wires from a dangerous stunt. Sometimes the best visual effects are the ones you don't even notice.
There's something genuinely refreshing about No Time to Die's practically lo-fi approach to action, especially after living through more than a decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's often weightless CG. Even something that's genuinely high-tech in the film, like a series of magnets the villains use to jump down an elevator shaft, aren't dwelled upon. Instead, the focus is on what that action means (in this case, it's a group of baddies stealing a potentially world-ending nanovirus from a high-security research facility.)
Nicola Dove/DANJAQ, MGM
Now don't get me wrong, I love a good Bond gadget or two. But for an aging franchise that seriously needs to reckon with its sexist and colonialist origins, I'm glad that No Time to Die decided to focus more on its characters. That includes Lashana Lynch's Nomi, who wastes no time taking up the 007 mantle when Bond disappears, as well as Paloma, a fresh spy recruit who joins for an action romp in Cuba.
Daniel Craig may no longer be Bond, but this is a fitting end for his tenure. And the toys aren't going anywhere—now anyone can use them.
Browsing the internet has gotten better in many ways. Richer design, more interactivity, embedded media, faster speeds for doing everything. But the internet is also worse in places: more attempts to illegally steal your personal information or legally track your footprints through the web. I click on one Pokémon plushie an Engadget colleague shared with me (guess who), and my embedded ads across sites are now mired in Pokémon detritus.
The Internet Archive has concocted a thought experiment to celebrate its 25th anniversary, imagining how the web might look another 25 years from now. Paste a site’s URL into the Wayforward Machine and you'll see a version of that page covered in pop-ups. The messages include one reading "Classified content. The website you are trying to access features information that the owner(s) have opted to restrict to users that have not shared their personal information."
Another, in Orwellian wording, says: "This site contains information that is currently classified as Thought Crime in your region." The Internet Archive created a subsite that features a timeline of fictional changes, including a law allowing corporations to copyright facts, leading to Wikipedia moving to the Dark Web, which would be pretty incredible.
Sony Pictures has provided a taste of what's in store with the first trailer. Writer and director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down) said earlier this year he was taking the franchise back to its horror roots, and well, the trailer backs up those comments. Expect lickers, zombie dogs and plenty of good old-fashioned zombies.
Automatic captions are now available for streams of any size, too.
YouTube is expanding video accessibility for viewers with sight issues and those beyond the English-speaking world. It’s currently testing the option of adding multiple audio tracks to videos. While this will help international viewers — if you have the ability to add other language dubs — it should also enable descriptive audio for people with little-to-no vision. YouTube said the feature will land in the next few quarters.
In more good news, YouTube has confirmed its annual Rewind video won’t be returning. Rewind debuted in 2010 but struggled in recent years. In particular, with Rewind 2018, many felt the video ignored major creators on the platform, like Pewdiepie, while elevating people who were famous outside of YouTube. Never forget that Will Smith, er, moment.
Microsoft plans to celebrate the birthday of its first-ever home system by putting out a handful of translucent accessories, including the Xbox Series X/S controller you see here.
According to Microsoft, the translucent design is a reference to the see-through controllers it shipped with the original Xbox debug kit. I have all the time in the world for translucent gadgets, having already installed see-through cases for my Switch’s Joy-Cons. This is a good way to celebrate a console’s milestone.
In 2020, Panasonic announced the BGH1, its first-ever box-style camera. This was pretty much its GH5S rehoused in a body better suited for video production. Now, it’s time for an upgrade. Panasonic has announced the DC-BS1H. It’s the full-frame S1H in a new body.
Specifications include a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor that can capture footage up to a 6K resolution. Panasonic claims the BS1H’s sensor features more than 14 stops of dynamic range and includes an optical low-pass filter along with dual native ISO, all aimed at reducing moiré and noise.
