The Morning After: SpaceX's explosive Starship test flight
SpaceX almost stuck the landing, 'Cyberpunk 2077' launched and Facebook is in hot water.
After a last-second abort on Tuesday, SpaceX successfully sent a Starship prototype on its first high-altitude test flight Wednesday afternoon. Things ended in a ball of flames, but before that, the massive spacecraft flew and even fell relatively gracefully before relighting its Raptor engines in preparation for the landing attempt.
The folks at SpaceX are already preparing the next prototype for its test flight (we’re going to need another Timmy!), but anyone who remembers the first Falcon 9 landing attempts knows how these things go. For now, just “putting the crater in the right spot” (in Elon’s words) is “epic.”
— Richard Lawler
Facebook hit with antitrust charges from the FTC
48 attorneys general also filed antitrust charges.
The Federal Trade Commission has filed antitrust charges against Facebook, saying the social network has for years engaged in anti-competitive behavior. Regulators want to undo the company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp and require approval for future deals.
Though not the first time Facebook has tangled with the FTC, it is the first time the company has faced antitrust charges from the regulator, which opened an investigation into the company last year.
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Samsung launches a 110-inch version of its MicroLED 'Wall' TV
A global rollout will start next year.
Usually the notable thing about a 110-inch TV isn’t how small it is, but Samsung’s MicroLED tech isn’t what you’d find in most TVs. Previous iterations have been available as modular panels that required custom installation, but now you can get the thin, large display tech in one prefabricated piece — assuming you live in South Korea and have a lot of money to spend.
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Adobe bids farewell to Flash Player in its final update
This is the end.
Adobe has rolled out one final Flash Player update. Rather than the detailed feature changes that we typically read about in patch notes, Adobe used the opportunity to give the software a fond send-off.
The company will stop supporting Flash Player after December 31st, and it'll block Flash content from running in the player as of January 12th. Adobe is urging people to uninstall Flash Player now to help protect their systems.
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‘Cyberpunk 2077’ arrives, complete with a troublesome day-one patch process
Welcome to the future.
After years of development, CD Projekt Red’s next game is available worldwide. On consoles, the now-traditional launch-day patch should’ve been preinstalled, but PC gamers needed to download it after the game went live. Some players ended up waiting hours while the game decompressed or downloaded or whatever it was doing, but everyone should be running around Night City by now.
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But wait, there’s more...
Google launches site to combat COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
Amazon's redesigned Fire TV interface adds user profiles and a new look
Google will investigate the controversial exit of a top AI ethicist
Logitech launches Circle View Doorbell with HomeKit Secure Video support
Xbox cloud gaming is coming to iOS and PC this spring
Artiphon Orba review: Much more than a musical fidget toy
Google's Year in Search makes 2020 seem like an entire decade
Sony's Funimation agrees to buy anime streamer Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion
YouTube will remove videos disputing the 2020 presidential election