The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has begun accepting claims related to Activision Blizzard’s $18 million settlement with the agency. Starting today, current and former US employees of the publisher who believe they experienced sexual harassment or gender discrimination while working at its offices from September 1st, 2016 to March 29th, 2022 can file for an award. Those who decide to take part in the claims process can also make specific non-monetary requests of Activision Blizzard and the EEOC. For instance, they can ask that the publisher remove harmful documents such as disciplinary notices from their personnel file.

It will be interesting to see how many workers apply for an award. When the settlement was first approved by a federal judge in late March, many current and former Activision Blizzard employees criticized the EEOC for not going nearly far enough to hold the company accountable. The fact claimants won’t be able to take part in future litigation against Activision Blizzard, including the ongoing lawsuit from California’s fair employment agency, may also make some workers reluctant to file. Then there’s the amount itself. Former employee Jessica Gonzalez is appealing the settlement on the basis that $18 million is insufficient redress for everyone who may come forward with a claim against Activision Blizzard.

NASA's going to need new suits to accompany astronauts to the Moon for its Artemis I mission, and now we know who's going to be making them: Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace. The two companies will develop next-generation suits that'll be used both for spacewalks on the ISS, in addition to Moon exploration. NASA says it has defined the technical and safety standards around the new "xEMU" equipment (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit), but it's up to these partners to deal with "design, development, qualification, [and] certification" as well as building the necessary support equipment.

According to NASA, the new suits could be ready as soon 2025, following testing in either the ISS or a simulated environment. While the space agency is also gearing up for other new equipment, like lunar landers from SpaceX and more companies, having new suits is among its most important tasks for future missions. Currently, astronauts are still relying on space gear designed around 45 years ago for the Space Shuttle program. In an August 2021 report, NASA noted that its xEMU plans likely won't hit its original 2024 target, and that it has spent around $420 million developing the new suits.

New England sports fans now have a direct subscription streaming option for Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games. NESN has unveiled NESN 360, a paid streaming service that enables fans to watch live and on-demand games on their computer or streaming device of their choice. Fans who are already NESN subscribers through their cable provider can access the app for free.

“We believe the direct subscription option will build on NESN’s reach in the region, and will be an excellent complement to the existing, valuable partnerships we have with TV providers to bring NESN to all homes in New England,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s President and CEO in a statement.

One thing to note is that NESN is pricey — the monthly subscription is $29.99 per month — and fans will still need access to ESPN or other broadcast networks for nationally-syndicated games. The annual subscription is priced at $329.99 per year and also includes 8 tickets to a Red Sox’s game of your choice.

NESN 360 is only the latest move by the world of sports to further embrace streaming. Amazon’s Prime Video is exclusively streaming select New York Yankees games for in-market customers this baseball season. NESN is the first regional sports network to launch a streaming service, but it won’t be the last. Both Sinclair Broadcasting Group and NBC Universal are preparing direct-to-consumer options for the regional sports networks under their ownership, as Deadlinenoted.

NESN 360 is only available in New England, and can be downloaded on your computer, iOS, Android, Apple TV or Roku device. Both annual and monthly subscribers will be billed $1 for their first month. 

For Boston fans who live outside of New England, a better option would be to go with MLB.tv, which has the rights to out-of-market games but blackout rules still apply to your region's own games. A monthly subscription to MLB.tv is $24.99 a month, and a single team subscription will set you back $99 a year. 

Sheryl Sandberg is stepping down as COO of Meta after 14 years as one of Mark Zuckerberg's top lieutenants at the company. She will remain on the company's board, spokesperson Andy Stone said. 

It wasn't immediately clear who will replace her.

"The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days," Sandberg wrote on Facebook. "To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement."

Developing...

Sony is marking the launch of its revised PlayStation Plus by giving away one of its best-known games. The company has revealed that its free PS Plus games for June will include 2018's God of War — you won't need a PlayStation 5 just to play Kratos' father-and-son adventure at no extra charge. The two other freebies, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, are clearly aimed at younger players.

All three games will be available from June 7th through July 4th. When the updated PlayStation Plus arrives (June 13th in the Americas), the titles will still be free as part of the basic PS Plus Essential tier.

While we wouldn't bet on Sony continuing to offer this kind of selection going forward, the June lineup suggests the company isn't in a rush to change its free game strategy. For now, at least, you'll only need a pricier Extra or Premium plan if you want access to a large library of downloadable and streamable releases.

General Motors has announced pricing for the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV. In a rare move, given the current climate for new vehicles, they'll actually be less expensive than the 2022 model year EVs.

The 1LT version of the 2023 Bolt EV starts at $26,595 (plus a $995 destination fee). That's $5,900 less than the 2022 starting price. The 2LT has the same discount, but it starts at $29,795.

As for the slightly longer Bolt EUV (Chevy's branding for an electric SUV), that starts at $28,195. You'll save $6,300 compared with the 2022 model. Likewise, a 2023 EUV with Premier trim starts at $32,695, down from $38,995. A new cosmetic Redline Edition package costs an extra $495.

Chevrolet says the options and content are "pretty much the same" as the 2022 editions, so it seems the company hasn't had to strip some features out for cost-saving purposes. "The new price reflects our ongoing desire to make sure Bolt EV/EUV is competitive in the marketplace and better aligns the MSRP with average transaction price, providing more price transparency to the customer," a spokesperson told CNET.

Supply chain issues and chip shortages have led to other automakersincreasing prices of their EVs. So it's notable that Chevrolet is cutting prices, particularly given that the Bolt EV and EUV were already among the more relatively affordable options.

One tradeoff is that the 2023 Bolt EV and EUV won't use GM's Ultium battery system. In 2020, the automaker recalled 68,000 Chevy Bolt EVs following reports of battery fires, which dinged the reputation of the Bolt. Dropping the price of both vehicles by around $6,000 could help Chevrolet get the Bolt back in drivers' good graces. GM expects to start production of the 2023 Bolts this summer.

After launching in 2020, the Google TV app is now available to download on iOS. If you already have the company’s previous Google Play Movies and TV software installed on your phone, this app will replace it. As with its Android counterpart, the Google TV app allows you to use your smartphone as a remote for your Google TV or Android TV OS device, making it easier, among other things, to type the titles of movies and TV shows you want to watch.

You can also use the app to aggregate content recommendations from various streaming services. Not every platform is supported – Netflix is missing, for instance – but the fact you can create a single watchlist for every service you pay for is handy. Additionally, it’s possible to create watchlists around your favorite actors. And as you rate movies and shows, the app will refine its suggestions. You’ll also find personalized feeds with links to news, reviews and more. Lastly, there’s a dedicated section for content you’ve purchased and rented from Google.

You can see most of the functionality on display in the iPhone rendering Google shared – just don’t look too closely at the notch. Download the Google TV app from the App Store.

Nathaniel Chastain, the former OpenSea product manager who resigned after he was revealed to be using privileged information to sell NFTs, has been indicted for wire fraud and money laundering, the Department of Justice announced today. This marks the first insider trading case involving digital assets, the agency said. It was originally unclear if anything would happen to Chastain, following his resignation, since the sale of NFTs isn't regulated. His plan wasn't exactly groundbreaking: He knew what NFTs were going to be featured on OpenSea's homepage, so he surreptitiously purchased and sold them for a massive profit.

“NFTs might be new, but this type of criminal scheme is not," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. "As alleged, Nathaniel Chastain betrayed OpenSea by using its confidential business information to make money for himself.  Today’s charges demonstrate the commitment of this Office to stamping out insider trading – whether it occurs on the stock market or the blockchain.”

Michael J. Driscoll, the FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge, added that the agency would "aggressively pursue" people who attempted to manipulate the market of NFTs using the "age-old scheme" of insider trading. It'll likely take a while before we see true regulation around digital currencies and NFTs, but it's clear that government agencies aren't wasting their time before cracking down on bad actors.

Following the revelation of Chastain's actions, OpenSea was quick to denounce him, saying that "this behavior does not represent our values as a team." The company, which is notably the world's largest NFT marketplace, also said it would prohibit employees from buying or selling NFTs from featured collections, or from using confidential information to do so elsewhere.

Just over six months after the James Webb Space Telescope launched, we'll get our first look at full-color images captured by the telescope. The European Space Agency says the imagery and first spectroscopic data will be unveiled on July 12th.

“The release of Webb’s first full-color images will offer a unique moment for us all to stop and marvel at a view humanity has never seen before,” Webb deputy program director Eric Smith said. “These images will be the culmination of decades of dedication, talent, and dreams — but they will also be just the beginning.”

JWST required several months of preparation before starting science work. The process included cooling the telescope to its operating temperature, calibrating instruments and aligning the mirrors. The ESA, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci) spent over five years figuring out what Webb should capture first in order to show off what the observatory can do.

NASA has shared some images that JWST captured during the preparation phase, but it's unclear exactly what the full-color images will look like. “Of course, there are things we are expecting and hoping to see, but with a new telescope and this new high-resolution infrared data, we just won’t know until we see it,” STScI lead science visuals developer Joseph DePasquale said.

After the observatory captures its first images proper, it will start scientific observations. Astronomers will analyze data captured by the JWST's infrared sensors and publish papers on their findings.

Google is about to simplify its communication services. The company announced today it plans to merge Duo and Meet, its two disparate video calling apps, into a single platform. Starting over the next few weeks, Google will begin adding Meet features to Duo. Once that happens, you’ll be able to use the app, which up to this point was primarily designed for personal video calling, to schedule meetings. Other features that will make their way to Duo include support for virtual backgrounds, live-sharing content and in-meeting text chat.

At the same time, Google promises features Duo users know and love, such as the ability to apply filters and effects to your calls, won’t be going anywhere. Additionally, your call history, contacts and messages won’t disappear from the app. It’s all part of Google’s pledge to “carefully” integrate the two platforms and ensure it supports as many users as possible.

Once that process is complete, Google will rename the mobile versions of both apps, with Duo becoming Meet and the current Meet becoming Meet Original. The company told The Verge it plans to deprecate the latter eventually. If all that sounds confusing, there’s a good reason for Google’s approach. The company said it built a lot of sophistication into the Duo mobile app, and it sounds like Google doesn’t want to abandon that work.

As for Google’s reason for merging the two apps, the company believes that doing so will ultimately benefit users. “Over the last few years, Duo and Meet have continued to grow with the evolving needs of video calls and meetings, and now the experiences will be better together as Google Meet,” a spokesperson for the company told Engadget. Of course, the tricky part for Google will be finding a way to integrate the two apps without making the resulting service feel overwhelming. Many people love Duo for its simplicity, and a sudden influx of new features and added complexity may make them look elsewhere.