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Uber Eats users in Ontario can now buy cannabis through the app
But orders are for pickup only.
California DAs can now use an app to clear thousands of pot convictions
A pilot scheme in five California counties has automatically identified around 75,000 cannabis convictions that will be dismissed or reduced. Now, district attorneys across the state have access to Code for America's Clear My Record software to expedite record clearances.
LA County is using an algorithm to clear 50,000 pot convictions faster
The district attorneys for Los Angeles and San Joaquin counties have teamed up with Code for America to help them clear around 54,000 marijuana convictions. The nonprofit's algorithm will aid prosecutors by automatically evaluating whether a case is eligible for dismissal or resentencing.
NASA launching safety review of SpaceX because Elon Musk smoked pot
When NASA tapped SpaceX and Boeing to fly astronauts to the International Space Station, the companies likely expected the government agency would keep a close eye on things. But they probably didn't expect a probe prompted by a podcast. According to the Washington Post, NASA is conducting a safety review of both companies because some officials were annoyed when they found out SpaceX CEO Elon Musk smoked weed with Joe Rogan.
Elon Musk made Tesla stock spike with hint the company will go private
Maybe Twitter user Elon Musk thought he was being funny with a terrible pot joke, or maybe he was serious. Either way, the Tesla CEO just sent the company's stock soaring after a tweet. He said he might take the company private again after the stock hits $420 (which, if you're unaware, is a weed reference).
Nevada site bug leaks medical marijuana applicant data
Nevada residents applying to sell medical marijuana got just got an unpleasant surprise. The state's Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that a vulnerability in a website portal leaked the data of more than 11,700 applicants, including their driver's license and social security numbers. Officials have taken down the relevant site until they fix the flaw, but there's a concern that fraudsters might have seen the info and used it for malicious purposes.
The Pax Era aims to be the Keurig of vaporizers
Out of all the ways to ingest THC, oil concentrates are far and away the messiest, stickiest and most irritating method. Unlike shatter, crumble or even wax, all of which maintain their shape and texture to some degree, oils have a knack for getting everywhere. It's especially tricky when you're trying to dribble minuscule amounts of oil into teensy Smurf-size cartridges used by mixed-media vapes (I'm looking at you, DaVinci Ascent). The new Era pen vape from Pax, however, solves that issue by taking a page out of the Keurig playbook and operating on a pod-based system.
Microsoft partners with a legal weed startup
Microsoft is going into the legal marijuana business by teaming with a weed financing startup called "Kind," according to the New York Times. The two companies will create Azure-powered cloud apps that track plants from "seed to sale," helping legal dealers comply with laws. The decision to enter the trade was probably not taken lightly by Microsoft, as most corporations still won't touch it with a ten-foot bong. However, the software giant is based in Washington state, where it's perfectly legal to sell pot, and sees the potential for profits.
ICYMI: Pot breathalyzer, VR for pharaoh's tomb and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-979940{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-979940, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-979940{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-979940").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A prototype marijuana breathalyzer came out and oh lord, the glory days are over. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft got the best ever photos of Pluto and these scientists are adorably jacked up about it. And a Swiss motion capture company wants to put sensors and VR headsets together in museum settings to let people explore an ancient Egyptian tomb.
The best portable vaporizer (so far)
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article below at TheWirecutter.com. After testing ten portable vaporizers so far, we recommend the Crafty, a new portable model from Storz and Bickel. Out of all the models we tested, the Crafty was one of the few that could produce the kind of truly tasty, powerful vapor you get from a much bigger unit. At $400, it's an investment, but will make up its cost over time because it vaporizes cannabis more efficiently than its peers. The Crafty heats the herb at the optimal pre-combustion level and keeps temperature constant for the duration of a session, while its cooling unit and swiveling straw keep potent draws comfortable and tasty. As a result, it delivers cleaner, purer, better-tasting vape, and higher highs than the competition.
Apple decides marijuana app belongs in the App Store after all
MassRoots' social network for cannabis users contravened Apple's policy of banning apps that promote drug use, and had to go. Two weeks after that decision was made, an army of hemp-wearing advocates have managed to convince the iPhone maker to change its mind. The contentious issue, you see, was that it's now legal to enjoy jazz cigarettes for medicinal purposes in 23 states, making Apple one of those boring squares that just needed to stop being such a narc.
Parrot's latest plant sensors can also do the watering for you
Following last year's Flower Power plant sensor, Parrot's decided to take it to the next level with two new Bluetooth Smart devices: the H2O and the Pot (pictured above). Starting off with the smaller device, the H2O is essentially a direct successor to the Flower Power, but featuring more accurate monitoring (of soil moisture level, soil fertility, temperature and brightness) and the new watering capability. The latter part is done so by attaching a screw-top water bottle of up to two liters, which will provide up to three weeks of autonomous irrigation with a soft jet. With the existing database of over 8,000 plants, the device can determine the optimal amount of water needed for your plant, and the companion app will remind you if more water or fertilizer is needed.
NY medical marijuana law could mean big bucks for vaporizer makers
New York is against second-hand smoke of any kind; even beneficiaries of the state's new medical marijuana law will need to avoid lighting up. Government restrictions do allow vaporizers, however, which got their (legal) start with tobacco and are about to become big business in NY. The handheld devices will play a key role in the treatment of medical marijuana recipients, who will be permitted to inhale the drug through vaporizers, but not by using cigarette paper and a lighter. You'll also be able to consume marijuana in food or through a concentrated liquid called a tincture, but there's no question that vaporizers will become more prolific as more New Yorkers get their hands on closely regulated prescriptions in the days and months to come.
Insert Coin: The PowerPot portable electric generator (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Assuming you're not getting through the day with a bounty of fuel cell-powered gadgets, you've probably been in a situation where you needed power and it was nowhere to be found. The PowerPot isn't the most practical solution for every scenario, but it's likely to come in handy at least once. The power-generating pot uses thermoelectric modules to convert temperature differences into a 5-, 10- or 15-watt regulated power stream, sufficient for juicing up USB devices like smartphones, GPS devices and LED lamps. The most traditional method for creating this temperature difference is to put a pot of cold water over an open flame, but the device is adaptable to other configurations -- a pot of snow on a thermal spring, for example. Assuming you've taken the fire approach, you can also use the pot to boil water or cook food as you charge your gadgets. The inventor has created a functional prototype that features fire-proof components and looks quite polished, but now the team is turning to Kickstarter to advance the project to production. Your pledge could net you any of a variety of PowerPots, ranging from a 5-watt portable V flavor for $125 to the 15-watt XV for $500. You can also pre-order a 10-watt PowerPot X for $199. If you're feeling generous, there's also an option to donate a PowerPot to folks in developing nations who may not have the cash to spare, but are in need of a cost-effective solution for power generation. Jump past the break to see the PowerPot V in action, and hit up the source link to scroll through the available configs before making your pledge.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LXVIII: Only Apple and dope smokers claim to know the future of tablets, says Dell VP
What we'd normally brush off as pretty standard mainstream tech piece became comedy gold thanks to the acerbic wit of Dell's John Thode. The VP of mobile devices was discussing its companies entry into the tablet industry (all the while promoting the Mini 5, of course) and seemed to downplay Apple's iPad momentum. "It's really hard to kind of do the same thing over again twice or three times... [Apple] is going to have more competition here." A rational statement, but here's where it gets interesting: "If anybody tells you they know exactly what's going to happen here, they're either Apple, or they're smoking dope." Don't tell John, but we hear Gartner just hired the entire cast and crew of Dazed and Confused for a special analytics department.
Forum post of the day: Dueling debate
Like any other form of PvP, you either love dueling or you hate it. Dueling is a great way to learn how to maximize abilities and test combos and macros. There are very few established guidelines for how to appropriate ly duel. Borkovic of Caelestraz asked in the official forums if it is acceptable to heal in a duel. Fliara of Terenas stated that protocols vary depending on server and faction, and suggested that rules should be established beforehand. The first response, by Mlcho of Kirin Tor who takes an "all's fair in love and Warcraft" approach, was met with considerable agreement throughout the thread: Use everything in your power to produce a win. Who cares if you use a pot? Who cares if you bandage? If they whine, it's because they weren't prepared.
GPS-equipped turtle runs into reefer farm, gets high-fives from police
Though not quite as bad as toting the GPS module around with you, one particular marijuana farmer had to be mighty embarrassed / wondering what he ever did to deserve such bad luck when a GPS-equipped turtle meandered into his crop. As the story goes, a close friend of the police -- a box turtle with no fear of Big Brother -- just happened upon a pot stash on US park property. Clearly, Mr. Isiah Johnson (the culprit) was heavily stoned when choosing US land to farm his ganja, and now he's in custody until he's "extradited back DC to face drug charges." And you thought all you had to do was dodge those CCTV cameras...[Via TechDigest]
Mad Alchemists' potion provides extra elixirs for Alchemists
You may have noticed a mention in the latest PTR notes to a pot called "Mad Alchemist's potion," which will actually require a certain alchemy level to consume, not just make. A lot of alchemists were wondering what this does-- considering the cool Engineering-only stuff we've seen lately, us alchemists could use a little pick-me-up. Nothing crazy-- I do admit that Engineers deserve lots of love-- but a little something to drown our sorrows in while watching Engies fly past on their new mounts.And now, Drysc has revealed exactly what it is-- it'll be a "trainable alchemist-only rejuvenation potion" (which means it delivers health and mana), and will provide a random elixir buff to the drinker. And what's more, the elixir buff won't replace ones you already have on, so if we read this correctly, that's three elixir buffs for alchemists. Very nice. And the best part: it's cheap. Drysc reckons it's about a crystal vial and two ragveil. Start saving up your ragveil now-- when 2.3 hits, they'll be in high demand.Players have already started tracking the random buffs given by the potion. Looks like a great little profession bonus for us alchemists.Update: The potion is still hard to find on the servers, so we're not sure what the random buffs are yet. Eventually, I'm sure we'll know exactly that this thing does, but for now, all we know is that alchemists are getting a potion for themselves in 2.3.
Specifics on flask changes, plus new elixirs
So by now you've probably seen a little bit about the current Alchemy shake-ups. But if you haven't been on the PTRs, you might not necessarily know the specific numbers involved. Fortunately, Eyonix made a nice post a little while ago about a specific example of the reduced effect and ingredients of flasks. Ready? You might want to be sitting down for this, it's a big nerf. Here we go:Flask of Mighty Restoration - Current Instant Regenerate 70 mana per 5 sec for two hours. Dreaming Glory x20 Mana Thistle x10 Fel Lotus x1 Flask of Might Restoration - Patch 2.1 Instant Regenerate 25 mana per 5 sec for two hours. Dreaming Glory x7 Mana Thistle x3 Fel Lotus x1 (Please Note: The drop rate for Fel Lotus is also being increased by approximately 15% in the same patch) Players will notice that while the effect of the flask has been dramatically reduced, so has the cost to create one. All alchemy flasks will be adjusted similarly.In short, the effect and cost of the flask have been reduced to about a third of their previous values. This is a big deal -- Tigole wasn't kidding when he said earlier that flasks had been significantly reduced. He then goes on to compare this to a similar elixir:
The continuing saga of Druid consumables
Druids make great tanks. Like any other class, they have strengths and weaknesses, and one of those weaknesses is that they can't use consumables, like health potions, in feral forms. A while back there was some buzz about the devs letting them use some potions in forms, and just having to decide which ones; that's been the Blizz party line for a while now. Now it looks like that may not be happening after all, basically because Druid tanks are currently working as intended™:Unfortunately we do not yet have much new information available regarding this topic. The developers are still evaluating which pots and procs should be usable in forms, but it is not an easy evaluation process because for the most part Druids currently appear to be performing where the developers want them to. Because the Druids appears to be performing the way the developers want, then they have to be very considerate and cautious in the evaluation process in order to avoid potential balance issues, which means that they also have to consider whether or not pots/procs in forms is even necessary anymore. I know that this might sound like bad news to some of you, but please remember that the evaluation process has not yet finished so it is still too early to proclaim doom and gloom. Druids, what do you think? Do you need pots, or are you doing OK without them?
