experiment
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TikTok is testing full screen horizontal videos
The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that users chosen to be part of this test will see a button they can tap to expand videos they're watching horizontally.
Facebook's video speed-dating service is shutting down January 20th
Along with Sparked, collaborative music-making app Collab is closing up shop.
How gadgets could open the potential of lucid dreaming
Recent experiments show we can learn in our dreams. What else could we do with the right technology?
Spotify experiments with shareable podcast quotes for social media
In addition, it’s unclear if the quote-sharing feature will be available for other podcasts during the testing period.
Facebook's latest app experiment is a 'private space' for couples
We’ve asked Facebook if there are plans for a wider release.
Twitter will test auto-emojis to stop you from dunk-tweeting
Twitter wants us to be a bit more mindful of the way we use quote tweets, replies and retweets. In a bid to mitigate some of the problems these tools can cause -- pile-ons, ratio, dunking and so on -- it's revealed it's planning a couple of experiments in the coming weeks, designed to help us reflect more carefully on how we use the platform.
DARPA is seeking giant abandoned tunnels for... reasons
DARPA just found a surefire way to creep out people around the world: make an urgent call for the kind of space you'd normally associate with supervillains. The military research agency has put out a request for giant, company- or university-managed underground tunnels that could host "research and experimentation." The requirements are oddly specific, too, with the ideal area covering "several city blocks" while including a complex design, multiple levels and variety like atriums and stairwells.
Reddit experiments with livesteaming
Over the weekend, rumors and speculation began circulating on Reddit. Users were wondering what cryptic messages on r/pan, a new Reddit community, could mean. Today, Reddit pulled back the curtain. It announced Reddit Public Access Network (r/pan), a weeklong experiment, in which users can post livestream videos. The lessons Reddit learns from this experiment will likely help it develop a permanent livestreaming option in the near future.
Steam's new experiment hub includes AI-based game recommendations
Valve is tinkering with the way Steam works, and it wants you to try those experiments for yourself. It's launching a Steam Labs section with usable "works-in-progress" that might make it to the regular game portal if there's enough positive feedback. Only three projects are available to start, but at least one of them could be genuinely useful if you're scrounging for new games to play.
SpaceX delivered 5,500 lbs of cargo to the International Space Station today
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft successfully made its way to the International Space Station (ISS), with approximately 5,500 lbs of NASA cargo and science experiments. It launched Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and it arrived today, joining five other spacecraft currently docked at the station.
Facebook axed its bird-size internet drones before they even flew
Facebook's Aquila wasn't the company's only experimental project meant to boost slow mobile internet speeds. According to a Business Insider report, the social network also explored the use of fixed-wing bird-size drones to provide people in remote locations the capability to stream data-intensive content such as videos and photos. The project called Catalina started sometime in 2017 and shut down after Aquila did in mid-2018. It was named after the California island, which used to rely on pigeons to carry messages to the mainland and back. In fact, Facebook called Catalina's pseudo-internet "pigeonet," though the drones were apparently closer in size to sparrows.
Firefox experiment helps you get the best shopping deals
The Firefox Test Pilot team has rolled out a couple of new experimental features, one of which can help make this year's holiday shopping a bit easier on your wallet. It's called Price Wise, and it's an online shopping comparison tool that lets you add items from across several retailers to a Price Watcher list. Anytime one of your items gets a price drop, it'll send you a desktop notification -- just click on that item from within the tool itself to visit the retailer's product page.
Firefox experiment suggests articles based on your web history
You can already save articles for later viewing in Firefox thanks to Pocket integration. That's not going to help you find articles, however, and it's all too tempting to stick to the same old sites for your reading habits. Mozilla wants you to be a little more adventurous. It's introducing a new Test Pilot experiment, Advance, that recommends stories based on both your current page and recent web history. The extension uses machine learning technology from Laserlike to identify common traits in the trusted sites you visit and offer new pieces in a sidebar. If you've been reading many football articles, for instance, Firefox may suggest a piece about a recent player trade.
Firefox has a new side-by-side tab feature for multitaskers
Firefox is jazzing things up with a couple of new test features that should embolden multitaskers and those who like to tinker with aesthetics. Side View lets you view a pair of tabs side-by-side without needing to open a new browser window. Once you click the Side View button on your toolbar, you can pick which tab you want to see on the side. It can be one you already have open or a tab you recently closed. You can open a browser link in the sidebar too. The two tabs are displayed in a mobile view by default to maximize your screen real estate, and you can drag the divider to make one tab larger than the other.
NBA is experimenting with 99-cent fourth quarter live streams
NBA's League Pass can be quite pricey if you're more of a casual viewer than a huge fan. Those "casual viewers" could still go online to find illegal streams to watch, though, so the association seems to be thinking of ways to win them over -- like offer access to a game's fourth quarter live stream for just 99 cents. Courtside Ventures Managing Partner Vasu Kulkarni has received a notification on his phone, telling him he can watch the last few minutes of the Heat-Thunder game for less than a dollar.
Google expands its Science Journal app into a digital notebook
Google launched Science Journal for Android last year as an easy way to measure light, sounds, motion and more. While it already sounded like a great tool, it's now more useful than before: Google has turned it into a full-fledged digital notebook students can use to take notes for their scientific experiments. Each entry now begins as a blank page. Students can add in measurements taken by the app, along with their thoughts and observations, as well any photo they've taken. And since Science Journal is now also available on iOS, almost every student with a smartphone can use it.
Walmart wants to deliver groceries straight to your fridge
Walmart is hoping you trust the company enough to let its delivery drivers into your home even if you're not in. The retailer has teamed up with smart home accessories-maker August Home to test a new delivery method in Silicon Valley, which entails giving drivers access to your house so they can put groceries in your fridge. After making sure nobody's home to answer the door, the driver will use the one-time smart lock passcode you pre-authorized for him to go in and put the items where you specified.
Intel studies how to make people accept self-driving cars
It's natural to fear what you don't understand. For example, according to a AAA study, 78 percent of drivers are afraid to ride in a self-driving car. That's completely understandable. It's tough to give up control of a few tons of metal flying down the road at 70 miles per hour and feel safe. Intel decided to investigate this fear, and ultimately see if it can solve our autonomous-anxiety problem.
This worm grew a second head after a trip to space
There are all kinds of experiments going on aboard the International Space Station, but they all probably don't produce results as strange as this one. An article published today in the journal Regeneration details a recent experiment in which an amputated flatworm grew two heads -- twice.
Lab-grown stem cells could replace blood donations
Stem cells are kind of wild and can be used to create just about anything. Now, scientists have successfully created blood in a lab using the wundermaterial. As New Scientist points out, this could mean that certain cancer patients wouldn't have to undergo painful bone-marrow transplants in the future. And, that finding donors for such could no longer be an issue.
