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YouTube CEO says EU’s new copyright legislation threatens jobs, smaller creators https://ift.tt/2q4QkHX YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki published her quarterly letter to creators today, which included very strong language regarding the EU’s controversial copyright reform directive. Specifically, her letter focused on Article 13, the so-called “meme ban” that states that any site with a large amount of user-generated content – like Facebook or YouTube, for example – will be responsible for taking down content that infringes on copyright. Wojcicki says the way this legislation is written could “shut down the ability” of millions of people to upload to YouTube. The legislation she’s referring to is Article 13 of the European Union Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which the EU Parliament just recently voted to back. The Directive contains several parts, including another concerning “link tax,” which gives publishers the right to ask for paid licenses when online platforms share their articles and stories. But YouTube is most concerned with Article 13, which impacts sites with user-generated content. In order to comply with the law, sites like YouTube would have to automatically scan and filter user uploads to ensure they aren’t in violation of copyright. But today, users often express themselves by sampling, remixing, and creating content using music, pictures and videos that would otherwise be considered copyrighted material. However, even though memes and parodies are protected by previous laws (in some countries), these upload filters wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a copyright violation and a meme – and they’d block content that should be allowed. This is how Article 13 became to be known as the “meme ban.” However, the language in legislation isn’t clear on how enforcement should take place – it doesn’t say, for example, that sites have to use upload filters. Others believe that YouTube’s existing Content ID system, which scans videos after upload, would be sufficient. YouTube, for its part, seems to be believe that Article 13 will require more than the existing Content ID system to be compliant. Writes Wojcicki, “Article 13 as written threatens to shut down the ability of millions of people — from creators like you to everyday users — to upload content to platforms like YouTube. It threatens to block users in the EU from viewing content that is already live on the channels of creators everywhere. This includes YouTube’s incredible video library of educational content, such as language classes, physics tutorials and other how-to’s,” she says. The CEO also says Article 13 will threaten “thousands of jobs” – meaning those of EU-based content creators, businesses, and artists. And she warns that YouTube may have to take down content from smaller, original video creators, as it would be liable for that content, saying:
The company wants to weigh in on how the legislation is worded to protect its interests, and those of the larger creator community. Wojcicki said YouTube is committed to working with the industry to find a better way respect the rights of copyright holders, before the language in the EU legislation is finalized by year-end.
Other changes include expansion of memberships, premieres While YouTube’s comments on Article 13 were the key part of today’s letter, Wojcicki also updated the community on its priorities for 2018. This included an update on its plans to better communicate with creators, which it says it accomplished by increasing the number of product updates and “heads up” messages regarding changes to YouTube, including smaller tests or experiments, on its @TeamYouTube handle and the Creator Insider channel, in addition to its launch of YouTube Studio, where creators can read all the news and product updates. The company also said that its new “self certification” video upload flow, where creators self-describe the content in their videos for advertisers, will roll out more broadly in 2019. Newly launched channel memberships are also expanding their rollout, with the threshold now being lowered from 100,000 to 50,000 subscribers. Meanwhile, the new Premieres feature is now publicly available to all creators. Other updates focused on what YouTube is doing across education, news and journalism, YouTube Giving charity work, gaming, and more. The full letter is on YouTube’s blog here. Digital Trends via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com October 22, 2018 at 11:14AM
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Square details compensation and promotion practices https://ift.tt/2R70D9Q When tech companies explore diversity and inclusion initiatives, there’s a risk that marginalized groups may feel othered and reduced to a number. That’s what Square has found, the company revealed in the first of a series of posts on Square’s diversity and inclusion efforts. So instead of emphasizing demographic data, Square is taking a new approach — one that entails deep dives into its inclusion efforts. Regarding promotions and compensation — two key places where unconscious bias can often show up — Square has begun to implement three specific initiatives. One is pushing managers to consider promotion readiness for everyone on their team, explicitly highlighting the people who have been at their current job level longer than the median time for people in similar roles who were promoted in the past two promotion cycles. “Although time in job level is just one metric in a multi-dimensional promotion consideration process, these primers help ensure that every team member is considered, not just those who are more vocal or in more visible roles,” Square describes on its blog. And before someone gets a raise, Square’s people analytics team conducts a full audit of pay fairness by gender, race and age. The goal is to mitigate bias by checking for any statistical evidence of it before the decision becomes final. “We check for potential disparities both overall and within specific jobs, and review any outliers we find,” Square says. “While this lengthens the overall promotion process, it gives us the opportunity to make any necessary adjustments before finalizing employees’ new compensation.” Square is not at the point where diverse people are evenly distributed across high-paying roles but says addressing that is part of the plan. Square’s series on these topics comes almost 18 months after the company released its first diversity report. Last year, Square was 36.7 percent female globally, and 57.3 percent white, 6.4 percent black and 5.8 percent Latinx in the U.S. “Reporting is important, but it doesn’t appear to be driving meaningful change or increasing our public accountability,” Square explains on its site. “Even worse, what these reports do seem to accomplish is the commoditization of the communities the practice was intended to support. Many employees tell us these reports make them feel like they’re reduced to numbers. And that sucks.” While Square still has plans to share demographic data, the company is looking to be more transparent and communicative around all of its efforts. The purpose of these posts is to shed some light into Square’s approach to D&I, speaking candidly about what has worked and what hasn’t worked. The ideal outcome is that other companies will open up and share their best and inadvertently worst practices. Digital Trends via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com October 22, 2018 at 11:14AM TV ClubIn one of its better episodes The Walking Dead makes the case for a reckoning | DeadspinM10/22/2018
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TV Club In one of its better episodes, The Walking Dead makes the case for a reckoning | Deadspin M https://ift.tt/2R6iCgH TV Club In one of its better episodes, The Walking Dead makes the case for a reckoning | Deadspin My Goodness, The Jaguars Are A Mess | Splinter Racist White Woman Verbally Attacks Family for Speaking Spanish in Virginia Restaurant | Jezebel New York Times Confirms High Achievers Are Out to Make the Rest of Us Look Bad | The Root #SayHerName: Florida Police Viciously Beat 14-Year-Old Black Girl for ‘Resisting Arrest’ | Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com October 22, 2018 at 11:09AM
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Intel may have canned its 10nm Cannon Lake processors entirely https://ift.tt/2PRZF1j If you were holding off on upgrading your PC to see what Intel’s truly next-gen 10nm CPUs are capable of, you might want to rethink that decision. The latest report on the notoriously troublesome architecture is that Intel has scrapped it entirely and will no longer be bringing it to market in 2019, or ever. Although some hail this as a good move by Intel, it is a surprising rumor considering others have suggested that production was being pushed forward by improvements in the fabrication process. Intel’s 10nm Cannon Lake CPUs have been troublesome throughout their developmental life cycle. Originally slated to debut in 2016, they were pushed back again and again due to manufacturing difficulties that lead to their yield being far lower than expected and needed. The last report we heard was that they were only likely to appear in serious numbers at the tail end of 2019, but it now it looks like we may never get our hands on the fabled chips at all. Although no official announcement has been made, Semi-Accurate’s Charlie Demerjian claims that Intel has now axed 10nm production entirely. If true, this would be a major step by Intel, suggesting we may have an even longer wait than next holiday season before Intel can offer something beyond its newly launched 9-series range. Although its new 9900K, 9700K, and 9600K CPUs are impressive, they aren’t exactly revolutionary. That could be problematic with AMD slated to debut its first 7nm Zen 2 Ryzen CPUs at CES 2019, with a general release estimated to take place later in the year. With suggestions of big performance gains to be had with AMD’s die shrink to 7nm from existing 12nm Zen+ CPUs, Intel will need to do something special to remain competitive. Cannon Lake CPUs were expected to do just that, but now with that architecture supposedly canceled, fans and industry leaders will be wondering what Intel plans to do. It may mean that it revises its 10nm process design and releases something else instead, or we may see its planned “10nm+” successor for Cannon Lake, known as Ice Lake, brought forward from its intended 2020 release date. We have reached out to Intel for comment on this story and will update if and when we here back.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC October 22, 2018 at 11:06AM
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U.K. on-demand car service plans autonomous vehicles in London by 2021 https://ift.tt/2OIesyQ Two British firms announced an alliance to speed up self-driving taxi service development in London. Executive car service Addison Lee and autonomous vehicle software developer Oxbotica plan to implement self-driving car services by 2021.
“Urban transport will change beyond recognition in the next ten years with the introduction of self-driving services, and we intend to be at the very forefront of this change by acting now,” said Andy Borland, Addison Lee CEO. The executive car service worked with Ford and other companies for a year to study how autonomous vehicles could work within London’s transport infrastructure, Techcrunch reported. The Merge Greenwich consortium led by Addison Lee reported that one in seven trips in London could be in self-driving rideshare services within eight years. Originated by a group from Oxford University’s Mobile Robotics Group, Oxbotica is currently running multiple trials with self-driving vehicles in the U.K., ranging from home deliveries to shuttle buses. British online grocery store CargoPod uses a small truck that Oxbotica built to make home deliveries managed by Oxbotica’s Selenium self-driving software and Caesium fleet management application. Driverless shuttle buses transport airport staff and flight crews on London Gatwick Airport’s busy airfields, again managed by Oxbotica’s Caesium. “This represents a huge leap toward bringing autonomous vehicles into mainstream use on the streets of London,” Oxbotia CEO Graeme Smith said, “and eventually in cities across the United Kingdom and beyond.” Addison Lee and Oxbotica aim to carve a larger portion of the fast-growing car service market by leading with connected autonomous vehicles. The strategic alliance also intends to extend the services to include corporate shuttles and airport and campus-based transportation. The two companies cite a comprehensive 2017 market forecast commissioned by the U.K. Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) that predicts a market worth 28 billion British pounds by 2035. Leveraging Addison Lee’s brand and reputation for customer experience, the two firms are pooling expertise, technology, and on-the-ground resources to discover autonomous transport services that are safe and environmentally responsible. One of the alliance’s first projects involves digitally mapping more than 250,000 miles of public roads in and around London. Prepared for reference by autonomous cars, the maps will include every curb, sign, traffic light, and landmark. Foreseeing private car ownership shrinkage, Addison Lee and Oxbotica are ramping up to expand services and gain market share.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC October 22, 2018 at 11:06AM
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The Walking Dead's Latest Episode Only Made a Single Mistake https://ift.tt/2NVlMSF Hoo boy. So last week, The Walking Dead had its lowest ratings ever. And mean, ever—below that even of season one, before it became a phenomenon. Compared to this disaster, Rick’s plans for a peaceful future are in pretty good shape! But that’s only because “completely falling apart” is still better than “presumed dead.” The ratings disaster is actually sort of a shame because The Walking Dead feels more compelling than it has in years. Putting two actual mysteries in the forefront—why are Saviors disappearing, and what’s the deal with that damned helicopter—instead of left on the back-burner gives the plot a level of momentum that has been missing a long time. And as I said last week, given that Rick has willed a nascent, fragile civilization into being means now there’s something meaningful to lose, which in turn raises the stakes. Unfortunately, the metaphorical glass floor of the metaphorical museum Rick is metaphorically standing on has already shattered, and Rick just hasn’t realized he’s plummeting to his death yet. It’s all Justin’s fault, Justin being the asshole who stirred up shit and got himself murdered on last week’s episode. “Warning Signs” begins as he rudely reawakens as a zombie, and comes across Maggie while she’s driving a wagon of food to the bridge crew. When the ex-Saviors learn one of them has been ambushed on the road and murdered (well, at least one), things get bad. The ex-Saviors and all the groups who previously hated/still hate the Saviors square off. People are accused; Daryl is the obvious candidate, although suspicions fall on Anne-née-Jadis as well. Alden tries to keep the peace and gets punched by one of his people for it. The ex-Saviors start grabbing shovels and stuff as weapons, bizarrely ready to throw down with the group carrying guns, until Rick rides in and stops everything, promising to get to the bottom of the murder(s). The investigation begins when Rick asks Gabriel if he was with Anne all last night to rule her out, and Gabriel lies and says yes. Alden explained the reason the ex-Saviors are upset is that they have no protection from the murderer (understandably), and asks if maybe a few of the people he trusts could have some guns, but Rick says no. Then Rick talks to Daryl because it turns out the thing that killed Justin the asshole was a small, clean puncture would—like an arrow or crossbow bolt would make. Daryl says no, he didn’t kill him, but he also has no problem with whoever did it. Rick and Daryl’s conversation here is one of my favorites in recent TWD memory, because it really cuts to the issue at hand—mercy or vengeance, be stuck in the past or work for the future—and takes away the bullshit. Daryl even calls Rick out for his hypocrisy, which is awesome, reminding him that murdering Saviors in cold blood for their past actions is “the kinda shit you used to do.” Rick acknowledges this, but has a solid counter-argument about how life will never improve unless people start concentrating on preserving it instead of taking it. He ask Daryl to just try, saying it might be the best decision he ever made—“Like not killing the guy who left your brother on a rooftop to die.” As Walking Dead mic drops go, it’s pretty solid. Rick orders everyone pair off and search the area on a grid for clues. Maggie and Oceanside’s most prominent resident Cyndie are put together, and the latter points out a place Oceanside used to live before the Saviors massacred them, an arbitrary detail mentioned for no reason whatsoever. Alas, when Grid 5 is supposed to check in, they’re silent; Rick and the others arrive to discover Oceanside’s Bea has been knocked out, and her partner, ex-Savior Arat, has been taken. Dun dun dunh. Rick decides to keep this abduction a secret, since things are already sitting on a powder-keg, and orders a quiet search by his most trusted people. Jerry, bless his soul, continues cutting through the bullshit: When they catch the murderer, he asks, will it be “a Gregory or a Negan?” Guys, I’m so down with this. Plus, the show gets on with solving this first mystery, not wasting any time. When Daryl and Maggie come across a body with an arrow in (I couldn’t tell if it was a regular zombie or an ex-Savior who had also been munched on, but whichever) Daryl instantly knows who the killer is, and Maggie knows where to find them. Why, it’s Oceanside! Quelle surprise! I’ll be darned! Someone get the monocle that just flew off my face! And they’re about to execute Arat for her actions as a Savior at their old HQ, which was offhandedly pointed out earlier, even though they were perfectly content to murder Justin on the side of the road! Obviously, Oceanside is less thrilled than anyone to be working with former Saviors, given that they murdered Oceanside’s entire male population, forcing them to flee to the ocean (…side). They’re fine to pretend during the day, while slowly execute at night. Arat was the first one they out-and-out kidnapped, with help from Bea, who was of course fooling. It seems an unnecessarily bold and risky move, but there’s a good reason why they want Arat dead no matter what: She executed Cyndie’s 11-year-old brother. Arat begs for her life, pulling the never-convincing “I was just following orders/they would have killed me if I didn’t” defense, and it continues its streak of not convincing anybody. In fact, when Daryl and Maggie—who originally showed up to stop the killing and keep the peace—hear what Arat they did, they simply walk away and let the execution take place, and Maggie grapples with the discovery that Oceanside felt they were allowed to kill the people who wronged them after she executed Gregory. Suddenly, Rick’s new world became a place where it’s okay to kill people for their actions. In turn, the Oceansiders’ quest for vengeance inspires Maggie and Daryl to give up on not killing the former Saviors for their actions, and they set off to go “see” Negan. I’m not sure I really buy the idea of Cyndie’s actions as what finally flips Maggie’s switch, but she was going to end up there eventually, so oh well. The episode’s real problem is Rick—but this time it’s the show’s fault, and not the character’s. I feel extremely confident the heavy-handed “Rick is happy” montage at the beginning of “Warning Signs” was a bad idea. Not only does his thank you paean to Michonne (he also calls her the leader of Alexandria, which isn’t true but is obvious foreshadowing ) basically put a countdown clock over his head, like someone cast the “Death” spell on him from Final Fantasy, but it’s just going to make Lincoln’s departure more tragic for viewers, and thus turn off more of them when he exists, exactly when the show needs to keep them more than ever. Even more obvious and bad was Rick’s sudden desire to have another baby with Michonne, like, that morning. Impregnating a female character is also often a very clichéd death sentence for beloved male characters so that they can be killed off for dramatic effect but let viewers feel like some part of them lives on. (This is more awful for the female characters, of course, as they are turned into little more than delivery systems for Beloved Hero 2.0.) It’s exactly what happened to Glenn. I’ll eat my Masters of the Universe Castle Grayskull playset if Siddiq doesn’t tell Michonne she’s pregnant by the end of the midseason finale, which, ugh. Do you want to watch Michonne to be pregnant for three full seasons like Maggie was? Yeah, that’s what I thought. And still the show feels like it’s running better than it has in years, although I fully admit I’m grading on a curve here. This conflict is actually interesting because both sides have such understandable points of view, which makes The Walking Dead’s current ratings situation actually a bit tragic. Now, I sincerely doubt that AMC will cancel the show after season nine. In fact, the network will give it at least one more chance to bounce back and rebuild its viewership—probably even three—because the potential rewards of earning back even half the ratings of the series at its peak are just too extravagant not to give it a few more chances, just in case. (Also, the network needs the flagship Walking Dead if it wants to continue making spin-offs.) But right now the show is practically on life support, and this is still before star Andrew Lincoln exits in just a handful more episodes. It may be what actually kills The Walking Dead, even if the series shambles around mindlessly for another season or two afterwards, a decayed husk of its former self. But we’ll see for ourselves soon enough. Assorted Musings:
Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com October 22, 2018 at 11:03AM
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Monday's Best Deals: Instant Pot Ultra, Free Audible Books, the Best Gaming Mouse, and More https://ift.tt/2EM3bZE The best price ever on the 8 qt. Instant Pot Ultra, a three month free Audible trial for Prime members, and our readers’ favorite gaming mouse lead off the week’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our newsletter to never miss a deal.
Best Tech DealsAt $80, Anker’s new Roav Jump Starter Pro isn’t the cheapest car jump starter we’ve seen, but its 800A of peak output mean it can start pretty much any engine, up to 6L for a gas vehicle, or 3L for diesel. If you don’t buy own of these, you’ll probably be kicking yourself somewhere down the road (pun intended) when you’re stranded in your driveway with somewhere to be. Advertisement This being an Anker product, you’ll also find two high speed USB charging ports, plus a flashlight that doubles as an SOS strobe. There’s also a compass, because why not? Update: Back in stock, if you missed it last week. $48 for a Logitech Harmony remote is a great deal on its face, but the real reason to buy this model is the included Harmony Home Hub. Advertisement The Hub allows you to use your iPhone, Android device, or even an Amazon Echo to control everything a Harmony remote can (which is basically any piece of home theater gear you can think of). So even when you inevitably lose the included remote behind the couch cushions, you’ll still have multiple ways to take control of all of your home theater gear. Considering the hub alone sells for $70 right now, getting the hub plus a remote for $48 is an unbelievable deal. Just when you thought you had car chargers pegged, Anker went out and made the smartest one you’ve ever seen. Advertisement Similar to the Nonda Zus, the Roav by Anker SmartCharge Spectrum connects to your phone over Bluetooth while you drive. When you turn the car off and the Bluetooth connection breaks, the Roav app will mark down your parking location on a map, so you can find your way back. Perhaps more usefully, every time you start your car, the SmartCharge will also log the health of your car battery, so you can track its charge over time from your phone, and get a replacement ready before you get stranded in your office parking garage on a Friday evening. Those features alone (along with Quick Charge 3.0 charging) would make this worth $16 (with promo code BGREXLF6), but it does have one last trick up its sleeve: A customizable accent light. The LED ring around the USB ports can display 16,000 different colors, and you can choose your favorite from the app to make it perfectly match (or stand out from) your car’s own dashboard lighting. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is a great little streaming dongle with all of the power of Alexa at its disposal, and you can save $10 on yours today on Amazon. It’s not the new model with 4K and HDR support, but for a bedroom TV, it’s probably all you need. Range extenders aren’t a cure-all for networking issues, but if there’s one corner of your home that just can’t get a good signal from your router, they can be the right tool for the job. This entry-level 802.11n model from TP-Link is just $18 today, if you want to give it a try. Need more storage space for your action cam, dash cam, tablet, or Nintendo Switch? This 128GB card from SanDisk is down to its best price ever right now. RAVPower’s HyperAir Qi charging pad is one of the few models out there to support the fastest-possible 7.5W iPhone charging, and you can get it for just $20 today with promo code KINJA887. Advertisement To be clear, there are a lot of Qi pads that support 10W charging for certain Android devices, but iPhones require a very specific frequency to enable their maximum charging speed of 7.5W, and this is one of the most affordable compatible pads we’ve seen, and the cheapest we’ve seen with the necessary Quick Charge 3.0 power adapter included. It’s normally priced at $30; today’s $22 list price itself is an aberration, but still, don’t forget the code! Update: Back down to $250! Google Wifi is one of the highest profile competitors in the exploding mesh router market, and our readers’ favorite mesh system. If you have a big house, and could make use of a three-router array, Amazon’s marking down the system to just $250, within $1 of the best price they’ve ever listed. We’ve seen power cubes with more ports and outlets from other manufacturers, but Anker’s take on the category has a few nice touches. While it leaves one side of the cube empty, it does come with adhesive pads that let you mount it on a wall or underneath a desk. It normally sells for $26, but you can get it for just $21 today with promo code ANKERCUB. If size trumps features in your hierarchy of TV needs, this 65" Sceptre 4K TV is a steal for just $430, one of the best prices we’ve seen for a TV of this size. It doesn’t have smart apps or HDR, but what it does have is four HDMI ports, which is more than you get in a lot of high end TV sets. VPNs have been in the news, and whether you want to get around video geoblocks, circumvent proxy filters, or just keep prying eyes out of your browsing data while using sketchy public Wi-Fi, reader-favorite Private Internet Access has a deal to fit your needs. Advertisement Private Internet Access doesn’t do much in the way of discounting, but they offer exclusive pricing and packages just for our readers that you won’t find anywhere else. Here are your options, and what you’d pay if you bought the same plan elsewhere:
These deals are only for our readers, but we aren’t sure how long they’ll be available, so go ahead and sign up while you can. Best Home DealsThanksgiving is just around the corner, and you can make meal prep easier with the best deal ever on the 8 qt. Instant Pot Ultra. At just $120, it’s actually the same price today as the miniature 3 qt. model, and $30 less than the 6 qt. Advertisement The Instant Pot Ultra features a completely revamped, dial-based UI that makes fine-tuned adjustments faster and easier than the older models. A new processor allows it to compensate for altitude and carry out completely custom programs, and it also has a few modes you won’t find on the standard Instant Pots, like cake, eggs, and sterilize. I have the six quart model, and the thing is a freakin’ miracle. Just note that today’s price is only available today, or until sold out. Beyond ultra-fast pressure cooking, Instant Pot is also our readers’ favorite slow cooker, and one of their favorite rice cookers too. Basically, it’s one of the most versatile kitchen gadgets you can own. You know that person that always has a knife handy when something needs cutting? That person is respected by all. And that person could be you with this Ka-Bar folding knife, now marked down to an all-time low $33, for Prime members only. You need dishwasher detergent anyway, so you might as well buy it on sale. While supplies last, Amazon’s offering a 20% coupon on this 82-pack bag of Finish Quantum tabs, bringing it down to $13 when you combine it with Subscribe & Save, or about $.15 per load. AmazonBasics makes pretty much everything at this point, and generally speaking, it’s a brand you can count on to be affordable and of good quality. While Amazon runs discounts on individual AmazonBasics products with some regularity, a whole bunch of it is on sale right now. Advertisement A few favorites are below, but dozens of other products are included, so head over to Amazon to see the full list. Lodge’s 3.5" cast iron skillet is pretty freakin’ adorable, and worth $4 for that alone, in my opinion. But it’s perfect for homemade pizookies, or single eggs, and unlike your full-sized skillet, it takes approximately four seconds to clean. Anjee 12 lbs weighted blanket (48*72 inches) | $45 | Amazon | Promo code H4GRRAXY Winter is coming, but weighted blankets can work wonders for your anxiety in addition to keeping you warm, and a couple of different options are on sale today for some of the best prices we’ve seen. Personally, I want my weighted blankets to be capable of breaking ribs, but the general recommendation is 10% of your body weight. Firstleaf is an online wine club that learns your preferences, offers tons of options, and most importantly, saves you money compared to buying from the store. It’s a solid deal any time, but it’s even better for our readers today. Advertisement Every new Firstleaf member gets an introductory delivery with three bottles of wine for just $15, plus $5 shipping. Considering that you aren’t locked in and can cancel any time, that’s a bargain. But it gets even better for our readers, as promo code Kinja will waive the $5 shipping charge, for a limited time. That’s three bottles of wine (all of mine had MSRPs over $20) for just $5 each shipped, with no commitment. You can read more about the service in my review, but if you choose to remain a member (I did), every box thereafter includes six bottles for $80, plus $10 shipping. Best Lifestyle DealsIf you want to rep your alma mater as the weather gets cooler, Woot’s discounting a variety of NCAA-licensed fleece pullovers to just $25 each, today only. You can pick your style from this page (there are four available as of now), then choose the school on the individual product page via a dropdown menu. Dozens of schools are available, and some even have multiple color options. Amazon’s Amazon Essentials clothing line is full of, you guess it, essentials. Basic tees, athletic wear, button down shirts, blouses...it’s a wide variety, but it’s all affordable. For a limited time, a bunch of it is 20% cheaper than usual, bringing the vast majority pieces down to $20 or less. Nordstrom Rack just got a bunch of new styles in from Nordstrom proper, and it’s all up to 60% off over 5,000 styles, for a limited time. As always, use the sidebar to sort through the deluge by type of clothing, and you can also browse the available brands from a dropdown on top. Advertisement A bunch of stuff in here starts under $20, so go get your fall wardrobe in order on the cheap. Well this is about the easiest sale to get behind. Eddie Bauer is taking 40% off just about everything to honor the late founder’s birthday, and they’re doing it right as the weather’s turning cold. That’s impeccable timing considering they’re best known as the company that patented the first quilt down jacket. Shop men’s, women’s and even gear to stock up on everything you need for the winter, from base layers and flannels, to parkas and shells, it’s all 40% off. So you want to dress up for Halloween and be a fun person...but you don’t really have the time or the inclination to put in to a lot of effort. It’s fine! ThinkGeek has you covered today with a wide array of costumes, decorations, and other Halloween-adjacent tchotchkes for a flat 50% off. I suspect the best stuff will sell out quickly at these prices, so it’s officially time to stop procrastinating. Best Media DealsLove to read but don’t have the time to sit down and actually read a book? Sign up for Amazon’s audiobook service, Audible, during this extended trial offer for Prime members. Advertisement For a limited time, Prime members can get three months of the service for free, rather than the typical one-month trial. That entitles you to a new book of your choice each month, plus two free Audible originals of your choice. Plus, every book you choose is yours to keep, even if you cancel. The offer is available to new subscribers only. Note: After the three month trial ends, you’ll automatically be charged $15 per month, so be sure to cancel if you don’t like it. Back To The Future’s 30th anniversary trilogy pack includes all three movies (complete with bonus features on each disc), plus two complete bonus discs full of mini documentaries and behind the scenes footage. At $20 on Blu-ray/digital, it’s down to its best price ever outside of Prime Day, and we’d need a DeLorean to know how long it’ll be until it’s on sale again. The Expanse was io9's favorite TV show of 2016, and the book that inspired the first season is just $3 on Kindle right now. iTunes gift card discounts are noticeably less common than they used to be, so if you need more credit for apps, music, movies, iCloud storage, or anything else, buy a $100 gift card from eBay for 15% off, while supplies last. Best Gaming DealsWith adjustable weights, a massive DPI range, and custom RGB lighting, it’s no surprise that Logitech’s G502 was named our readers’ favorite gaming mouse earlier this year. If you want to experience it for yourself, it’s down to $39 (from the usual $50) right now at Walmart. Whether you buy all of your Switch and 3DS games digitally, like to download the odd indie title, or just want to pick up DLC for your favorite Nintendo games, it’s worth grabbing this $50 Nintendo eShop gift card for 15% off. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never get a Victory Royale, but I might just win at Fortnite Monopoly, now on sale for $16. This isn’t just a skin over standard Monopoly rules; it’s a totally new game:
Just remember that if you want to emote, you’ll have to learn the dance moves yourself. Advertisement If Mario Kart is more your speed, its Monopoly adaptation is also on sale for $14. It changes the game with boost pads, banana peels, and gold coins, but it doesn’t include a blue shell mechanic, which may or may not be a good thing. Sony’s original PS4 Gold headset was already our readers’ favorite gaming headset, and the new model is lighter, more durable, and frankly, better looking. Like the old one though, it’ll still immerse you in 7.1 surround sound, and doesn’t need a clunky boom mic to pick up your voice either. Advertisement This debuted late last year for $100, and $71 is the best price we’ve seen to date. Arcade1Up’s 3/4 sized arcade cabinets look stunning, include multiple games, and are a steal at $300, especially since they were supposed to cost $400, according to the original announcement. They’ve been mostly out of stock at Walmart for the last few months, but three of the five are available once again, so if you’ve got the space and the love for old arcade games, you’ll have one of these in your home this week. Advertisement Note: The Rampage/Gauntlet/Joust/Defender and Galaga/Galaxian cabinets are sold out, but the other three are available, and officially release today.
Red Dead Redemption 2 pulls into station this week, and you can take in all the natural splendor by playing it on a PS4 Pro . This console bundle doesn’t have a unique design like the recent Spider-Man console did, which may be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences. But what it does have is the game, essentially for free with the purchase of the $399 console. TechStoragePower
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Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com October 22, 2018 at 10:57AM
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Netflix to raise $2 billion in debt to fund more original content https://ift.tt/2R6R2zX Netflix’s commitment to growing its original content collection will see the company again returning to debt markets to raise more financing, the company announced today. According a release published to its investors site, Netflix says it plans to raise $2 billion to help fund new content, including “content acquisitions, production and development, capital expenditures, investments, working capital and potential acquisitions and strategic transactions.” The funds will be raised in the form of senior unsecured notes, denominated in U.S. dollars and euros, it said. This debt offering is the sixth time in under four years that Netflix is raising $1 billion or more through bonds, noted Variety, which was among the first to report the news. As of September 30, Netflix’s long-term debt had reached $8.34 billion, up 71% from $4.89 billion in the year ago quarter, it said during its last earnings, Variety’s report also noted. Netflix recently explained during its Q3 2018 earnings that it needs to continue to invest in original programming in order to remain competitive. “We recognize we are making huge cash investments in content, and we want to assure our investors Netflix also pointed to the increasing competition in the industry as one of the reasons why original content investment was so critical, adding that it didn’t only compete with linear TV, YouTube, gaming, social media, DVDs and pay-per-view, but with a number of new and upcoming streaming services, as well. “Content companies such as WarnerMedia and Disney/Fox are moving to self-distribute their own content; tech firms like Apple, Amazon and others are investing in premium content to enhance their distribution platforms,” the letter also stated. “Amid these massive competitors on both sides, plus traditional media firms, our job is to make Netflix stand out so that when consumers have free time, they choose to spend it with our service,” it had said.
Digital Trends via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com October 22, 2018 at 10:56AM
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The White House hopes tech employees will drive government innovation https://ift.tt/2O2yQpq The Trump administration has a major ask to make of big tech companies. In a meeting at the White House today, officials will ask Amazon, Microsoft, Google and IBM, among others, to make it easier for employees to do stints in the government. It’s a heavy lift, of course, asking well-compensated workers to take time out from demanding gigs for the betterment of federal and state governments. A number of companies, including Facebook and Google, already allow employees to take time off for this exact reason. However, the particularly polarizing nature of politics in 2018 and all of the ill-will surrounding the current administration, have further complicated the ask. The Washington Post quotes an anonymous official, who stressed the importance of “put[ting] politics aside” for the greater good. “This event on Monday is not just about our efforts, it’s about our successor, and their successor after that,” the person told the paper. “It’s good for the country in the long term for technology professionals to have civil service in their career at some point.” The notoriously slow pace of government innovation was something the Obama administration looked to address during its eight years in power, and Trump’s White House appears to be interested in continuing that trend. Ahead of his inauguration, Trump met with tech leaders, including Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Satya Nadella, though the administration’s policies have been an on-going source of friction with Silicon Valley Digital Trends via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com October 22, 2018 at 10:26AM Hurricane Willa Approaches Category 5 Strength on a Collision Course With Mexicos West Coast10/22/2018
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Hurricane Willa Approaches Category 5 Strength, on a Collision Course With Mexico’s West Coast https://ift.tt/2OIckqQ It was a nice two weeks of quiet in the tropics, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, that quiet is over. Over the weekend, Hurricane Willa rapidly intensified into a Category 4 beast that’s beelining for the Mexican coast. It will bring fierce winds, powerful surf, and rains that could trigger landslides. Willa has unfortunately followed the Hurricane Michael playbook. The storm was named on Saturday morning, and then got to work rapidly intensifying. The textbook definition for rapid intensification is a storm that sees sustained winds increase at least 35 mph over 24 hours, a criteria Willa has met and then some. Its winds jumped from 40 mph to 100 mph between Saturday and Sunday morning and kept ramping up to 155 mph by Sunday evening. That puts it a hair below Category 5 strength. On Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that “slight strengthening is possible today, and Willa could become a Category 5 hurricane later this morning.” Willa could weaken a bit as it nears land on Thursday afternoon or evening, which is a welcome deviation from the Michael playbook. But regardless, the storm will still be formidable. A hurricane warning extends for 175 miles along the Mexican coast from the city of Mazatlan to San Blas. Tropical storm warnings stretch even further north and south across the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Nayarit. In addition to powerful winds, the storm will also bring torrential rain. The NHC calls for a wide area of 6-12 inches of rain with up to 18 inches possible. That could cause flash floods and landslides. The inland desert will also see up to 6 inches of rain, but the smaller amounts in a dry landscape could still lead to dangerous flash flooding, too. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the NHC warned. Willa is the Eastern Pacific’s 23rd named storm of the year. That’s well above the average of roughly 16 for this time of year. Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure that factors in how powerful and long-lasting storms are, is also pretty bonkers. As of this morning, the ACE value for the Eastern Pacific stood at 302.5, nearly two-and-a-half times higher than normal for this time of year. A burgeoning El Niño has likely given a boost to the season owing to the warm water and weaker upper level winds in the eastern tropical Pacific. Climate change has also warmed the oceans, another key ingredient for helping hurricanes spin up and sustain themselves. Some research has suggested future warming could make Category 4 and 5 storms more common in the region, though it remains an active area of study. Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com October 22, 2018 at 10:21AM |
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