DailyShow
Latest
The Olympics people are seriously considering eSports
The International Olympic Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federations are hosting a forum. And it's not just any forum, but one to discuss the topic of eSports with the aim of building "joint understanding" between the sport sport and eSports worlds. Which sounds like a lot of marketing speak for the IOC and GAISF trying to work out if an eSports Olympics will make them any money.
Pornhub adds closed captions for viewers with hearing loss
Pornhub may always have one eye on an eye-catching publicity stunt, but it is at least trying to bring adult content to those with accessibility issues. From today, the site is adding closed captions to a section of its content library, geared towards those with hearing loss. Over 1,000 clips across a number of genres will offer "descriptive and interpretative text" for those who "are not able to hear the video's original audio."
Apple's future AirPods may offer noise cancellation and greater range
Apple might have larger plans in store for future AirPods beyond water resistance. Bloomberg sources claim that a higher-end version of the totally wireless earbuds could arrive "as early as" 2019 with noise cancellation and longer wireless range in addition to protection against rain and sweat. There's no mention of whether or not there would be an audio quality boost at the same time, but you at least wouldn't have to endure unwanted noises from the outside world. It's safe to presume they'd cost more than the existing $159.
IBM’s Project Debater is an AI that's ready to argue
A large group of journalists and IBM employees sit quietly while a black monolith (yes, like the one found in 2001: A Space Odyssey) with a display shows three animated blue balls floating in front and behind each other. The assembled humans are waiting for Project Debater to state its rebuttal. It's arguing for government-subsidized space exploration. It's parsing the four-minute opening remarks of 2016 Israeli national debate champion Noa Ovadia. It's thinking, and its reply is impressive but not always natural.
After two years, 'Pokémon Go' is finally letting you trade monsters
It's been almost two years since Nintendo and Niantic released the mobile hit Pokémon Go. While the game's (very) slow feature rollout has whittled down the userbase to diehard fans, interaction with the upcoming Switch games make it a good time to get back in the game. But today, the game announced it's ready to roll out a Poké-critical function that's been missing since launch day: Trading your little beasties with anyone and everyone.
Amazon's Fire TV Cube squeezes an Echo into its set-top box
It's been almost four years since Amazon first introduced the Echo smart speaker and its virtual assistant Alexa. It's also been just over four years since the the company first released its Fire TV set-top video box. Now, the two products are converging in a way they haven't before, in the form of the Amazon Fire TV Cube. As you might expect, it's a cube-shaped box you plug in to your TV; it runs the expected suite of apps like Netflix, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, HBO Go, Sling and Amazon's Prime Video service. And like the current Fire TV Stick and Fire TV box, you can talk to Alexa to search for movies and shows as well as access thousands of third-party "skills." But the Fire TV Cube is essentially a full-featured Echo, as well. It's always listening for the Alexa wake word, and you can talk to it even when your TV is off. The new box has eight microphones built in, similar to existing Echo hardware, which means you can speak to Alexa whenever you want as well as navigate the Fire TV Cube's interface with your voice.
'Pokémon: Let's Go' will connect 'Pokémon Go' and Switch this fall
A new series of Pokémon games coming to the Switch this fall will link the "classic RPG experience" with 2016's augmented reality hit Pokémon Go. Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Evee! will also support multiplayer, and there's a Poké Ball Plus accessory that works to throw Poké Balls in-game as a motion controller and works as a Pokémon Go Plus when you're away from home.
'PUBG' creators sue Epic Games over 'Fortnite' battle royale mode
The developers of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds haven't been shy about accusing Epic Games of riding their bandwagon with Fortnite, and now they're taking legal action. Bluehole's PUBG Corp has confirmed that it sued Epic in South Korea this January for allegedly violating the studio's copyright with Fortnite's Battle Royale mode, particularly its interface and in-game items. Epic has declined to comment, but it's safe to say the situation is... complicated.
Pornhub made a VPN
Arguably the biggest adult video website on the planet, Pornhub is responsible for plenty of folks getting their rocks off each day. But, as regulations on the internet trend rightward, access to adult content is becoming a problem. That's why the site is launching VPNhub, a Pornhub owned-and-operated VPN that will theoretically keep your browsing activity free from the prying eyes of snoopers and censors.
Sony says it’s the beginning of the end for PS4
The PS4 era is entering its final stages. Speaking to investors, PlayStation boss John Kodera outlined the company's three-year roadmap and it seems console sales are not expected to be a major source of revenue going forward. This is largely due to declining sales which is, Kodera notes, typical of the usual profit- and life-cycle of consoles. It does also suggest a new console might be on its way -- likely the PS5 -- but Kodera didn't give away any specifics.
RED is building an 8K 3D camera for its holographic phone
RED is partnering with a company called Lucid on an 8K, 3D prosumer camera that will work with its incoming Hydrogen One smartphone, Lucid announced. The device -- shown above in prototype form at RED's Hydrogen One party -- has two synced 4K cameras that capture and convert video and images to 8K 4V (.h4v) files. Those can then be displayed in 3D on the Hydrogen One's "holographic" display, and later uploaded to YouTube, Facebook and RED's own content hub.
Graphene 'stimulation' could selectively kill off cancer cells
A chance lab discovery is opening up the possibility for wide-scale improvements in drug screening, application of selective painkillers, and selectively nuking cancer cells. The mystery material? Graphene, a semi-metal that's composed of a single layer of carbon atoms. It's already being used to make flexible OLED displays and reduce the energy costs of desalination, but its potential benefits for the medical field look promising too.
A banned CFC is destroying the ozone and nobody can find its source
Scientists spent years campaigning for a ban on the ozone-damaging chemical CFC-11, but 30 years after it was phased out in the 1987 Montreal Protocol, someone somewhere is breaking the rules. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, emissions of the banned chemical are on the rise, climbing 25 percent since 2012. By now, production of CFC-11 is supposed to be at or near zero.
Microsoft's Surface Hub 2 is a bold attempt at changing how we work
Remember the Surface Hub? You probably don't. Unlike Microsoft's other PCs -- the Surface Pro, Book, Laptop and Studio -- the Hub was a giant and expensive device meant for workplace collaboration, not average consumers. It was never going to star in commercials or turn heads at Best Buy. And even Microsoft admits that it only sold to more than 5,000 customers. But its successor, the Surface Hub 2, is another matter entirely.
Lenovo teases a true all-screen phone
Apple said its iPhone X is "entirely screen," but that's only if you ignore the omnipresent notch. Teasing a sketch and part of a render, Lenovo Vice President Chang Cheng showed off a smartphone that's nearly all screen. The Lenovo Z5, he said, would have a screen ratio of 95 percent and packs "18 patented technologies." He didn't say, however, exactly if or how Lenovo would integrate a front-facing selfie camera on the device.
Nine Inch Nails skips online ticket sales to fight scalper bots
Nine Inch Nails will not sell tickets online for its just-announced "Cold and Black and Infinite" theater tour this fall. Instead, NIN mastermind Trent Reznor is going old-school in an effort to beat the ticket bots: You'll have to wait in line at the venue. Each person can buy up to four tickets. Why? Let Reznor explain it to you himself:
Uber has five partners working on its flying taxi project
We've already had a glimpse at what Uber's proposed air taxi might look like, and after the first day at Elevate Summit (Uber's "flying taxi" conference), we're closer to understanding how the whole service might work – and importantly, who else is involved. Five aerospace companies -- Embraer, Pipistrel, Karem, Aurora Flight and Bell -- are working with Uber on the service that CEO Dara Khosrowshahi believes will revolutionize the way we get around.
'Fortnite' is bringing Thanos to its cartoony battle royale
If you thought Avengers: Infinity War was the ultimate pop-culture mashup, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has another cameo up its sleeve. Franchise villain Thanos will make a limited appearance in Fortnite: Battle Royale starting May 8th, according to Entertainment Weekly.
General Motors is 3D printing parts to make EVs more efficient
The virtues of 3D printing have long been touted by a vast range of manufacturers, so it was only a matter of time before the EV industry got in on the action. General Motors has announced that, alongside design software company Autodesk Inc, it's creating lightweight 3D parts that'll help it meet its ambitious plan to add 20 new electric battery and fuel cell batteries to its global lineup by 2023.
Nikola (Motors) is suing Tesla (updated)
Nikola Tesla invented alternating electrical current. Nikola Motors is a mobility company working on a hydrogen-powered semi truck. Tesla makes fully electric vehicles and last December unveiled its EV Semi. Nikola Motors is suing Tesla Motors over patent infringements, according to Electrek. Let the irony of that sink in for a moment before reading the rest of this post.
