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Mark Hurd, former HP CEO, has died at 62
Mark Hurd, the now-former co-CEO of Oracle has died, according to CNBC. Oracle has yet to comment on Hurd's death, and the email that the company sent to employees provides few clues. However, just last month, Hurd announced a medical leave of absence from the company. He was 62.
Why are people pretending to be dead on Instagram?
Ahmed Simrin, 15, is one of the millions of teenagers who uses Instagram. He doesn't post pictures on his page every day (there are two total), yet somehow he's managed to get nearly 3,000 people to follow it. That doesn't make him a social media influencer, by any means, but his Instagram page quickly stands out when you realize one of the photos has over 22,000 comments and 4,000 likes. This type of engagement is typically only seen on accounts from celebrities. His viral picture, posted in October 2017, isn't anything out of the ordinary, either: It's Simrin simply standing next to his friend, each staring directly into the camera, with a caption that reads "Fresh out the oven." But then you look at the comments, and it would appear that poor Simrin is no longer with us. There are thousands of users telling him to rest in peace. "RIP, you'll be missed." "RIP, bro." "You died way too young." "I can't believe you're gone." The list goes on and on.
Path is closing its private social network for good
Path, the Facebook rival and sticker pioneer that gained a million users a week at its peak, is officially dead. "It is with deep regret that we announce that we will stop providing our beloved service," the site announced. Founded by ex-Facebooker Dave Morin, along with Dustin Mierau and Shawn Fanning from Napster, the site is probably best known for its more private nature and helping to pioneer "sticker"-style emojis.
Netflix purges all user reviews like it said it would
If you're browsing Netflix for a new show to watch, don't bother looking for reviews on the platform to see if a title is worth your time. The streaming service is done purging user reviews -- a decade's worth of comments praising and excoriating shows, all gone. Under the question "How do I post reviews on Netflix?," the service's Help Center now says: "Netflix customers were able to leave reviews on Netflix.com until mid-2018, when reviews were removed due to declining use. To learn how Netflix suggests TV shows and movies we think you'll love, visit our Ratings & Recommendations article."
Stephen Hawking passes away at age 76
Late Tuesday night the family of Stephen Hawking announced that the physicist has passed away at the age of 76. Awarded more than a dozen honorary degrees, Hawking theorized that black holes emitted a form of thermal radiation, and contributed to work trying to unify Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum physics. In 1988 he wrote "A Brief History of Time," serving as an overview of astronomy and modern physics, which went on to sell more than 10 million copies, spurring a biographical documentary directed by Errol Morris and produced by Steven Spielberg. In 2014, Eddie Redmayne won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in The Theory of Everything, based on accounts of his early life by his first wife Jane Hawking.
RIP, AOL Instant Messenger
We knew this day would come. One of the major parts of our formative years on the worldwide web -- we called it that back in the day -- will cease to be. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) came to a close a few hours ago. While we've already eulogized it, it doesn't make the moment any less bitter. Sunrise, sunset.
Former Xbox Live policy VP Stephen 'StepTo' Toulouse passed away
Stephen "StepTo" Toulouse, a tech vet, humorist and author well known for his role in managing Xbox Live over the years has passed away. His brother Jeff Toulouse tweeted that "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the loss of our brother, Stephen Toulouse, @Stepto, this morning." A Microsoft employee for nearly 18 years, Stephen served as director of Xbox Live policy and enforcement until early 2012 and helped shape the company's response to issues online communities are still struggling to deal with.
Cassini mission ends with final plunge into Saturn
At around 7:31 AM eastern time, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft disintegrated and plunged into Saturn, becoming the only man-made object ever to touch our solar system's second largest planet. "The signal from the spacecraft is gone and within the next 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft," said NASA JPL Cassini program manager Earl Maize. "This has been an incredible mission, an incredible spacecraft, and you're all an incredible team."
ICYMI: Control D-ing this show
Today on In Case You Missed It: When this show was announced on Engadget two years ago, we promised to find you the offbeat tech and science news you might have missed while following the previous day's big headlines. I've felt a great responsibility covering innovations from the likes of NASA and MIT, plus discovering promising cancer studies and environmental inventions aimed at saving us all. I've learned so much from writing this show for you. And let's be real, it's probably the best job in tech journalism since very few autonomous car inventions could go without a Russian dash cam montage and I've needed to (ahem) carefully review options before selecting the perfect moment.
NASA astronaut Gene Cernan passes away at age 82
NASA has continued its exploration of the moon since Apollo 17, but it has been over 40 years since one of its astronauts stepped on the surface. Gene Cernan was the second American to walk in space and the last set foot on the moon during that mission. Today, the retired US Navy captain died at age 82. During his time as an astronaut, Cernan logged over 500 hours in space and he spent more than 73 of those on the surface of the moon.
ABC's 'Nashville' VR specials will be a last hurrah for the show
There was sad news for fans of ABC's country music drama Nashville this week. The network announced that the show was being cancelled at the end of season 4, which is currently airing. That revelation came on the heels of ABC revealing that it would give fans an inside look at the series with virtual reality. A collection of videos are set at the Bluebird Cafe serving as a companion to what will be the last few episodes of the show.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Blu-ray rip leaks to torrents
After grossing over $2 billion in theaters, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has made its long awaited debut... on the piracy scene. The movie is scheduled for release via download until April 1st, and the Blu-ray arrives April 5th, but now that the discs are pressed one has inevitably leaked out. TorrentFreak estimated that in the first 12 hours over 250,000 people had already downloaded a copy, and it's currently topping trackers like The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents.
The late Satoru Iwata honored by Game Developers Choice Awards
The video game industry lost one of its most passionate members last year when Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata passed away. He's been honored before, but there really isn't such a thing as paying tribute to him too many times. During tonight's Game Developer's Choice Awards the governing body debuted a heartfelt animated video touching on various aspects of the legendary game developer's life including the conception of the Nintendo DS, the Wii Remote and Nunchuck and much more. Iwata may be gone, but his legacy will live on for a very, very long time.
Philae mission team says goodbye to the comet lander
The mostly quiet Philae comet lander appears to be silent for good. German space agency DLR announced today that it would no longer attempt to send commands to the unit. "Unfortunately, the probability of Philae re-establishing contact with our team at the DLR Lander Control Center is almost zero... it would be very surprising if we received a signal now," said project manager Stephan Ulamec. The news isn't too unexpected as the German Aerospace Center revealed last month that the latest attempts to revive the lander had been unsuccessful.
Google shutters My Tracks outdoor activity-logging app
Google's My Tracks app for logging outdoor activity isn't long for this world. The company plans to shutter the software at the end of April, though it regularly updated the GPS-based app in quite some time. This isn't just an end of support, the app won't run at all after that date. If you stuck with My Tracks, Google says you can export collected data to Drive or external storage. The company says closing down the app will allow it to focus on "more wide-reaching mapping projects."
David Bowie fused science fiction and pop culture
David Bowie passed away yesterday following an 18-month battle with cancer. The news was confirmed through his official website, his publicist and son Duncan Jones, who tweeted, "Very sorry and sad to say it's true." Though he only lived to 69, it's hard to think of an artist who had a larger impact on pop culture. Bowie was a gifted and prolific songwriter who created iconic albums like Diamond Dogs, Heroes and Let's Dance. He was also a fashion icon, actor, painter, producer, Broadway star and performer who invented iconic alter-egos like Ziggie Stardust, the Thin White Duke and Major Tom.
Rdio will transition subscribers to free accounts after November 23rd
Following the news of Rdio's bankruptcy filing and sale to Pandora, the company offered some details on how its users can expect their streaming accounts to ride off into the sunset. Starting November 23rd, the service will no longer accept new customers and current subscribers can expect their accounts to be cancelled on the next billing date. When that happens, you'll still be able to listen to the free ad-supported version of Rdio until it shuts down completely, but the company hasn't given a specific date for that just yet. Rdio plans to let users export their data, including playlists and favorites before it's shuttered for good. The deal with Pandora is set to close in early 2016, and we'd surmise Rdio's brand of streaming will stick around in a limited form until then.
The Apple Store's biggest fan, Gary Allen, passed away at age 67
You may not recognize the name Gary Allen. For a time, though, Allen traveled the world to be among the first in line when a new Apple Store opened. He wrote about Cupertino's retail efforts on his blog, ifo Apple Store, including details of the over 140 store openings that he visited. He even drove across the country to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first store (pictured above). After being diagnosed with brain cancer, Allen stopped blogging in March, but not before amassing a knowledge of Apple's retail footprint that may never be rivaled. He passed away this week at age 67, leaving behind his wife, son and two brothers. "He made all kinds of friends all over the world," his brother Jim told The Washington Post. "I think that's the part of it he most enjoyed." [Image credit: Washington Post/Getty Images]
Amazon shutters its 'Destinations' travel site after just six months
Amazon Destinations, the travel site that offered deals on hotel stays, is no more. The company shut down the site yesterday, just six months after it began offering reduced rates on one- to three-night stays within driving distance of a city. Destinations only offered lodging in areas around LA, New York and Seattle when it launched in April, but expanded in July to include Atlanta, Boston, Houston and San Francisco. The company will honor reservations that were already made through the site, but the site's help page says that Amazon is no longer selling hotel stays on the web or through its "Local" app. If you're looking to save some coin on travel, it looks like you'll have to employ the likes of Expedia and Kayak. [Image credit: dierken/Flickr]
Microsoft: Media Center Edition won't make it into Windows 10
Rumors Microsoft would dump its Media Center feature have plagued the project for years -- in 2007 we worried if it still had a future, after it was largely pushed aside in Windows Vista -- and the company confirmed to ZDNet this week that with the launch of Windows 10, it's actually happening. While Media Center came to Windows 8 as an add-on and unchanged from previous versions, apparently "infinitesimal" usage statistics are the reason Microsoft is finally pulling the plug. Nearly ten years ago, the launch of the Xbox 360 suggested Media Center Edition had a bright future and a place in the living room. While the console went on to sell millions, HTPCs became an ignored and restricted niche for Microsoft, a missed opportunity after its hyped 2004 launch with Bill Gates and Queen Latifah.
