Starlink has launched a ruggedized version of its dish for boats, ships and yachts, merely a few days after the FCC gave it permission to provide internet service to vehicles. The satellite internet provider says Starlink Maritime can deliver up to 350 Mbps download speeds while at sea, which isn't bad at all for boats that didn't have an internet connection to begin with. However, it doesn't come cheap: The hardware alone will set customers back $10,000, which they have to pay for up front. 

The service itself costs $5,000 a month, though like Starlink for RVs, customers can pause it when it's not in use. They can choose which billing cycle to begin their pause, but they'll still have to pay for the full month whenever they switch the service on. In comparison, the residential Starlink setup's hardware costs only $599, while the service costs $110 a month. 

SpaceX chief Elon Musk explained on Twitter that Starlink Maritime's antennae differ from their residential counterpart. They're "dual, high performance terminals," he said, and have the power to maintain connection in choppy seas and heavy storms. The terminals were also designed to be able to withstand "relentless salt spray [and] extreme winds [and] storms." Musk said SpaceX has been paying $150,000 a month for "a much worse connection" on its ships. 

The Starlink Maritime page also mentions that the service allows you to connect from the most remote waters across the world, but it's worth noting that its coverage area is still limited. At the moment, it will only work in the coastal waters of the USA (not including Alaska), Europe (except most of Norway, Sweden and Finland), Australia, Brazil, Chile, most of the southern part of Australia and New Zealand. Starlink is expected to roll out connectivity to more locations in the fourth quarter of 2022 and next year.

SpaceX has long had plans to connect moving vehicles to the Starlink network and even previewed a ruggedized dish for boats and planes way back in 2021. It's only just a few days ago, though, when the Federal Communications Commission authorized a new class of terminals for the satellite internet service "to meet the growing user demands that now require connectivity while on the move."

Twitter has laid off dozens of employees amid growing uncertainty around Elon Musk’s acquisition. The company cut 30 percent of its talent acquisition team, which includes recruiters and others charged with bringing on new hires, The Wall Street Journalreports. Twitter told The Journal that “fewer than 100 people” had been let go and that it was only the talent acquisition team that was affected.

Twitter had previously announced a partial hiring freeze as part of a broader attempt to cut costs as it attempts to finalize its acquisition by Elon Musk. The status of the deal is uncertain as Musk has threatened to pull out of the agreement, citing concerns about the number of bots on the platform. On Thursday, The Washington Postreported that the deal was in “serious jeopardy,” and that “it was likely a change in direction from Musk’s team would come soon.”

The subject of layoffs reportedly came up at recent Twitter all-hands with Musk. The Tesla CEO said he was concerned about costs at Twitter but didn't directly answer a question about whether job cuts were on the table. "It depends," he said, according to CNBC.

In a post on LinkedIn, Ingrid Johnson, a senior technical recruiter at Twitter, wrote that it was “a really tough day.” “There are people losing their jobs that have been there over a decade,” she wrote. “If Twitter has chosen to spend potential billions suing Elon and maintaining a falsely inflated stock price at the expense of the people who gave their lives building the company— that is an even more tragic story.”

Twitter isn’t the only tech company to recently pull back on hiring or lay off employees. Meta recently said it would slow its hiring as it faces “serious times.” Netflix, Unity, Coinbase and Paypal have all recently cut jobs as well.

At today’s Nacon Connect event, the French company unveiled a teaser for an upcoming open-world game set in the Terminator universe. In the 30 seconds of footage for what been given the working title "Terminator Survival Project," we see a T-800 unit enter a warehouse or bunker of some kind. There’s very little else revealed — not even a release date.

“The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic open world and features an original story that builds on the events of the official films. You play as a group of nuclear apocalypse survivors fighting to stay alive in a time period between Judgment Day and the creation of John Connor’s resistance,” said Nacon in a release. 

Nacon confirmed to Polygon that the game will be coming to PC and unspecified consoles in “the distant future.” The game was one of 17 that Nacon showcased during today’s event, including previews of Steelrising, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. Those three are all slated to be released in September.

In January, doctors at the University of Maryland School of Medicine made history by successfully transplanting a pig's heart into a human. The 57-year-old patient may have died two months later due to complications from the experimental procedure, but the case has inspired scientists throughout the medical field to call on the FDA to expand the scope and scale of human-porcine transplantation research. During a two-day conference in late June, policy advisors to the FDA and medical professionals discussed the future of xenotransplantation and "most attendees agreed that human trials are needed to help answer the most pressing research questions," according to Nature. 

We've been stuffing pig organs into sick people since the early 19th century, but the technology has made rapid strides in recent decades thanks in part to the advent of CRISPR technology and more potent immunosuppressives. In 2017, researchers created the first human-pig hybrid embryo as well as devised a solution to potential inter-species viral infections. As of January, 2022, were implanting genetically modified pig kidneys into brain-dead donor recipients with great success.

“Our goal is not to have a one-off, but to advance the field to help our patients,” Dr. Jayme Locke, lead surgeon of the kidney study and director of UAB’s Incompatible Kidney Transplant Program, told the NYT. “What a wonderful day it will be when I can walk into clinic and know I have a kidney for everyone waiting to see me.”

Humans have also conducted numerous experimental pig-organ transplants into primates like baboons. But in order to safely and consistently do it with humans, researchers will have to test the techniques on humans, Caroline Zeiss, a veterinary specialist at Yale School of Medicine, told Nature. For example, doctors found traces of porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) in the heart transplant patient who died earlier this year and believe that it may have played a role in his demise, but they won't know for sure without further tests that a primate model — ones that can't be replicated in primates.

Researchers are only looking at “small, focused” clinical trials with “appropriately selected patients,” Allan Kirk, a transplant surgeon at the Duke University School of Medicine, told Nature. Researchers will have to answer a number of fundamental questions before the technology can be widely utilized, as well as determine the right mix of breeding and genetic tinkering needed to ensure that recipients' bodies won't reject them.

And while the decisions made during last week's meeting may not have an immediate impact on the agency's current stance on xenotransplantation, changes are reportedly afoot. The WSJ spoke to a "person familiar with the matter" at the end of June who asserts the FDA is planning to launch pig-organ transplantation trials in an effort ease the shortage of transplantable human organs (*angrily shakes fist at seatbelts*). There's no word on when such trials would launch as they are being handled on a case-by-case basis, the source said.     

Beyerdynamic is joining the slew of audio gear companies that are making true wireless earbuds. The company's first such buds are called Free Byrd. They have 10mm drivers, active noise cancellation and an audio passthrough mode.

The company says you'll get up to 11 hours of battery life on a single charge. Beyerdynamic also suggests you'll get up to 70 minutes of extra listening after 10 minutes of charging time in the earbuds' case.

There are two microphones in each earbud. Your voice should come through clearly on calls as long as Beyerdynamic holds up to its claim of capturing high-quality speech intelligibility, "even in a noisy environment." Free Byrd is compatible with Fast Pair on Android, while there's Alexa and Siri support. Expect a low-latency mode for games and videos as well.

Free Byrd comes with five sets of silicone earpieces to help you find the best fit. There are also three memory-foam earpieces for use during workouts. The earbuds have IPX4 water splash resistance too.

Beyerdynamic

While some might suggest Beyerdynamic is late to the true wireless party, the company is framing its slowness as a deliberate effort to nail down a good quality product. “We’re proud to have prioritized sound quality over market pressures,” Beyerdynamic CEO Edgar van Velzen said in a statement. “and with this time taken, have successfully achieved a new level of development in sound performance, offering audio enthusiasts the perfect pair of in-ear [true wireless] earbuds that look and feel as great as they sound.”

On paper, there's not a ton here that makes Free Byrd stand out from the crowded pack. Still, they're the first true wireless earbuds from a company with a solid track record for audio quality. A set of Free Byrd earbuds costs $249. They're available starting today in black or gray from Beyerdynamic's website and Amazon.

Come October, Lego will release the largest set in its Super Mario line so far — a 2,807-piece model of the King of the Koopas himself. The Mighty Bowser set will be a part of Lego’s fun but not infantilizing line for adults known as Adults Welcome. Upon a closer look at the Super Koopa figure, it’s evident that it’ll take far more advanced spatial reasoning skills to build than the rest of Lego’s Super Mario-themed lineup geared towards youth. In addition to Super Bowser coming with his own Lego-version of a fireball launcher, there’s also a button to control the figure’s movements and an entire battle platform for Bowser, complete with two towers that are meant to be toppled over by the villain.

When fans finally finish constructing their Lego-version of Bowser, the fun is far from over. After all, there’s really no point in owning a moveable figure of Super Koopa that is larger than your average house cat if you can’t use it to unleash chaos and destruction. For those who own the Super Mario Starter Course, (which includes toy versions of Mario, Luigi and Peach) Lego suggests using the completed Bowser figurine to wreak some havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom. Given the size of our heroes, it definitely won’t be a fair fight.

“Bowser is, quite simply, the ultimate boss – and we’re delighted to announce that we’re introducing this oversized version to the LEGO Super Mario adult line for a little added peril,” said Lego senior designer Carl Merriam in a release.

At $270, the Bowser set is the priciest one in Super Mario’s two-year old Lego lineup so far. The set isn’t yet available for pre-order but is due to hit stores on October 1st. Super Mario fans can look forward to more expansion sets that will be unveiled in August, including a Princess Peach-themed set and a Big Spike expansion set. For a more lively look at Lego Bowser in action, check out the video below.

Every new car sold in the European Union will soon include anti-speeding technology known as intelligent speed assistance, or ISA. The EU regulation (part of the broader General Vehicle Safety Regulation) goes into effect today, and states that all new models and types of cars introduced to the European market must include an ISA system. The policy doesn’t apply to any new cars that are in showrooms today — at least, not yet. By July 2024, every new car sold in the EU must have a built-in anti-speeding system.

“The roll out of ISA is a huge step forward for road safety and has the potential to dramatically reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities. Car manufacturers now have the opportunity to maximise the potential ISA presents for creating safer roads for all,” said the European Commission in a press release.

For those unfamiliar with ISA, the term describes a whole raft of systems that can detect road speed limits via front-mounted cameras, GPS data or both. Depending on the specific ISA and how it's configured by the driver, the technology can provide reminder feedback about the speed limit, automatically adjust cruise control to match the road's speed or even reduce power to the motor to slow speeding vehicles.

Many drivers in Europe are already using ISA-equipped vehicles, and major automakers such as Honda, Ford, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz sell certain models with these systems in the European market. According to a projection by the EU-funded PROSPER, a scenario such as this one, where ISA becomes mandated, could result in between 26 and 50 percent fewer fatalities.

As Autocar notes, ISA technology still isn’t perfect. During one test, the ISA system was occasionally “slow to respond” and at one point set the speed limit at 60 mph while driving through a quiet English village.

Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Theranos’ former chief operating officer, has been found guilty of all charges in his criminal trial. Balwani, whose trial began in March, was charged with ten counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He could face up to 20 years in prison for defrauding investors and Theranos patients.

The verdict comes nearly six months after Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding Theranos investors. She also faces up to 20 years in prison, but hasn’t yet been sentenced. During her trial, Holmes testified that Balwani had been controlling and abusive during their relationship. Balwani’s attorneys denied the allegations.

The case against Balwani was similar to the one against Holmes. Like Holmes, Balwani was charged with defrauding Theranos investors as well as patients. Holmes was found guilty on just four of the 11 fraud charges she faced, all of which related to Theranos investors. She was acquitted on charges of defrauding patients. 

Unlike Holmes, Balwani did not take the stand during his three-month trial. His lawyers argued that “he did not control Theranos” and that Holmes was ultimately in charge of running the company. Prosecutors maintained he worked hand-in-hand with Holmes to mislead investors, and that he was the executive responsible for erroneous financial projections claiming the startup would bring in $1 billion in revenue by 2015.

Balwani’s trial didn’t attract the same level of media attention as Holmes’, but his relationship with Holmes played a major role in the widespread fascination surrounding Theranos. Balwani joined Theranos as COO in 2009 and oversaw much of the day-to-day operations of the company’s lab. The two executives hid their longtime romantic relationship from other Theranos employees, as well as the company’s investors and board members. More recently, their relationship was a major focus of The Dropout, a Hulu miniseries about the rise and downfall of Holmes and Theranos.

Developing...

Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's long-awaited open-world pirate simulator, is coming out on November 8th, 2022. It's due to hit Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, Steam, the Epic Games Store, Google Stadia and Amazon Luna, as well as Ubisoft Connect. 

This release date has been a long time coming — Skull and Bones was announced at E3 2017 and it was even playable at that show two years in a row, but Ubisoft has kept fairly silent on the pirate sim since 2018. In today's stream, developers briefly explained what happened: Part-way through development, they rebooted the game as a grittier, more realistic experience than originally planned. Today, Ubisoft showed off the reimagined Skull and Bones with a live stream, cinematic trailer and gameplay video.

At its heart, Skull and Bones is an open-world, online experience with co-op elements, but players will be able to log into PvP servers as well. The core game is all about climbing the ranks to become an infamous pirate on the Indian Ocean, sailing, crafting, managing assets, battling and strategizing on the high seas during the golden age of piracy.

Players start with a small ship and as they progress, they're able to craft larger and more intricate vessels, customizing along the way. As captain, players have to manage the crew, and ensure they're well-fed and happy enough to stop any thoughts of mutiny. If the ship sinks, players start over and can recover their cargo, as long as another pirate doesn't get there first.

Ubisoft is set to host another showcase on September 10th, this one focused on Assassin's Creed and some of its other, less piratey, properties.

When Tesla first launched its network of Supercharger stations, it did so with little thought to interoperability, as the company was virtually the only serious EV automaker around at the time. But as other companies have entered the EV market in recent years, demand for charging station access has steadily risen, prompting Tesla to begin opening its existing charger network to third-party EVs. 

In 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company's open-access Supercharger pilot program — already in 13 European countries — would soon be coming to the US. A recent White House fact sheet, spotted by InsideEVs, suggests that it could arrive by the end of the year.

"Later this year, Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers," the fact sheet read. To access it, American EV owners will need to download the latest Tesla app and select the "Charge Your Non-Tesla" option from the menu, per the Verge.

Tesla has spend the better part of a year expanding access to its European charger network. However, despite operating in more than a dozen countries, only select stations within each nation are actually available to non-owners. Only in the Netherlands is every Supercharger open-access. To do the same in North America, Tesla will need to install adapters at its stations to get around the company's proprietary charging plug shape as well as ensure that the Supercharger's software can securely handshake with the new myriad non-Tesla EVs.