2019 July

The FTC Wants More Privacy, Less Zuckerberg, at Facebook

MARK ZUCKERBERG’S NAME doesn’t appear anywhere in the 50-page complaint brought against Facebook by the US government Wednesday as it settled charges the company deceived millions of Americans over how it used and shared their personal information. But make no mistake: The Federal Trade Commission is not happy with how Zuckerberg has been running his […]

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Scientists Are Getting Better at Predicting Killer Heat Waves

The City of Lights could be the City of Lights Out tomorrow as temperatures approach a record of 107 degrees. And Paris isn’t the only place sweltering in this week’s heat. Cyclists in the Tour de France are wearing stretchy sacks of ice around their necks as they race toward the Alps, while commuters on […]

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Tesla Delivers More Cars—and More Losses

On one hand, Tesla is making and selling cars. Wednesday, the company said it had delivered 95,356 vehicles in the second quarter of 2019, beating its own record of 90,966, from the end of 2018. That’s a year-over-year increase of 134 percent. The figure also beat Wall Street’s prognostications, and seemed to signal that the […]

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Many Animals Can’t Adapt Fast Enough to Climate Change

Climate change has thrown our beautifully balanced planet into chaos. As oceans and forests transform and ecosystems go into shock, perhaps a million species teeter on the edge of extinction. But there may still be hope for these organisms. Some will change their behaviors in response to soaring global temperatures; they might, say, reproduce earlier […]

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The Meaning of All Caps—in Texting and in Life

WHEN YOU WRITE IN ALL CAPS IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE SHOUTING. Using capital letters to indicate strong feeling may be the most famous example of typographical tone of voice. But there are different kinds of strong feelings. Linguist Maria Heath asked a cross section of internet users to rate the difference in emotion between a […]

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A Preview of Mueller's Testimony, an Electric F-150, and More News

Robert Mueller visits Congress tomorrow, the most popular vehicle in America is going electric, and the youths are fueling a Snapchat comeback. Here's the news you need to know, in two minutes or less. Want to receive this two-minute roundup as an email every weekday? Sign up here! Today's Headlines Robert Mueller is set to […]

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The Marines’ New Drone-Killer Aces Its First Real World Test

Last Thursday, nearly a month after Iran shot a $220 million US drone out of the sky, the US Marine Corps took down an Iranian UAV of its own. But the significance lies less in heightened tensions in the region than it does in the weapon of choice. The strike marks the first reported successful […]

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The Wild, Unregulated World of Sports Supplements

LeBron James has a cramp. It’s the final minutes of a 2014 playoff game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. With his team down by four points, James takes a quick step, beats his defender, and jumps, sending the ball in a high arc toward the basket. It’s a beautiful shot, but […]

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$700 Million Equifax Fine Is Still Too Little, Too Late

Two years after its historic data breach, the credit bureau Equifax agreed Monday to pay at least $575 million, and up to $700 million, to settle enforcement actions with 50 US states and territories, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Though the sting of the breach may have faded for some, […]

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Snowpiercer, Picard, and More Awesome Trailers Hit Comic-Con

Saturday is traditionally the biggest day at Comic-Con International. This year was no different—and along with the big panels there were also a lot of massive trailers. Westworld, Star Trek: Picard, Watchmen, Snowpiercer, and so many more. We collected the best of the best below. Westworld (2020) In Westworld, each season has a theme. Season […]

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