There have been a couple of cybersecurity news stories recently that you might want to be aware of.
The first concerns the password manager LastPass, which has admitted that an “unauthorized party” was recently able to access “certain elements” of “customers’ information.” Crucially, user passwords shouldn’t have been affected, but it’s still a developing story that LastPass users will want to keep an eye on. Second is smart home brand Eufy, whose encryption promises may not be what they seem.
I guess we should also acknowledge the fact that Elon Musk has another target for when his brain-interface startup Neuralink will start implanting its devices in real human brains: the next six months. Just remember that Musk previously hoped to start human trials in 2020 and 2022.
In lighter news, the season of app usage roundups is well and truly upon us. Seriously, even Google Photos is getting involved if a notification I just received is anything to go by. Of course, it’s the music services that have the funnest data to share, so be sure to check out your Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music account to discover the delights (or secret shames) of your 2022 listening.
And now, here’s a silly tweet:
Stay tuned, as we continue to update this list with the most important news of today: Thursday, December 1st, 2022.
Dec 20, 2022, 12:18 AM UTCSheena Vasani
The Verge’s 2022 fitness and wellness gift guide
Keeping your mind and body in tip-top shape takes work, but these gift ideas should make things a bit easier for the fitness buff in your life.
Dec 2, 2022, 12:10 AM UTCCharles Pulliam-Moore
Netflix is expanding its early feedback program to more subscribers
In the coming months, Netflix is planning to invite tens of thousands more subscribers into its Preview Club program.
Dec 1, 2022, 10:53 PM UTCCharles Pulliam-Moore
Amazon’s poached Mike Flanagan from Netflix with an exclusive TV production deal
Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher is still coming to Netflix, but he’s headed to Amazon Studios
Dec 1, 2022, 9:24 PM UTCMitchell Clark
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is coming to theaters on June 30th
The next Indy film finally has a title and release date.
- RApple’s mixed reality project reportedly has a new name.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, a mixed reality headset from Apple could debut in 2023, complete with its own OS and app store.
While that all lines up with what we’ve heard, he also revealed that internally, the platform has changed names, going from “realityOS” to “xrOS,” for “extended reality.”
Whatever they call it, hopefully, it’s more fun to use than Meta’s Quest Pro — see our video review of that device below.
Dec 1, 2022, 8:52 PM UTCJay Peters
The Mandalorian’s third season premieres on March 1st
Mando and Grogu are back next year.
Dec 1, 2022, 8:26 PM UTCUmar Shakir
Electric robot tractors powered by Nvidia AI chips are here
California-based startup Monarch Tractor is delivering its first MK-V smart tractors that can perform farming tasks without a driver.
Dec 1, 2022, 6:52 PM UTCCharles Pulliam-Moore
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ first trailer is full of Maximal action
Beast Wars’ Maximals rise up in the first look at Paramount’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Dec 1, 2022, 6:22 PM UTCJames Vincent
OpenAI’s new chatbot can explain code and write sitcom scripts but is still easily tricked
AI chatbot ChatGPT has been trained to provide conversational answers to users’ queries. It’s fantastically talented but still prone to producing cogent waffle and misinformation.
Dec 1, 2022, 5:51 PM UTCMonica Chin
RDNA 2 quietly arrives in budget laptops
AMD announced some of the first chips in its new Ryzen 7000 mobile line earlier this year, and they’re just now starting to pop up in listings.
- R“This is telepathic typing.”
Just in case you missed Elon Musk’s “show and tell” about brain-computer interfaces last night, we have the key details for you, viewable in less than 15 minutes.
If the video isn’t for you, Verge science editor Mary Beth Griggs can break it all down here.
During the presentation, Musk said that the company had submitted most of the paperwork needed for a human clinical trial to the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates medical devices in the United States. Previously, Musk had said that he’d hoped for human trials to begin in 2020, and then 2022. Now, that’s slipped to at least 2023.
Dec 1, 2022, 5:46 PM UTCGeorgina Torbet
A black hole ripped apart a star and brought together astronomers from around the world
Astronomers spotted a ‘weird’ flash in February, equivalent to the light of more than 1,000 trillion suns.
Dec 1, 2022, 5:41 PM UTCCharles Pulliam-Moore
Annapurna is launching its own animation division
Annapurna’s going all in on animation with a new production studio led by two former Disney executives.
Dec 1, 2022, 5:00 PM UTCVictoria Song
Google’s trying to prove it’s serious about Wear OS 3 with holiday updates
Google has to prove it's committed to wearables if anyone’s to believe it won’t discontinue the Pixel Watch prematurely. So here’s Google Keep, new Tiles, and Adidas Running with Google Assistant.
Dec 1, 2022, 5:00 PM UTCJess Weatherbed
Android is introducing an accessible reading mode and digital car key sharing
Digital car keys can initially be shared with iPhone and Pixel users but not with other Android devices.
Dec 1, 2022, 4:01 PM UTCAlice Newcome-Beill
The $70 Echo Show 8 comes with a free Echo Show 5 at Amazon
In addition to an excellent Echo Show bundle, we’re featuring a collection of other cool deals that all fall within the $100 range.
- AAmazon’s Lord of the Rings show has a few additional cast members for season 2.
As with the previous major cast announcements for this show, there are almost zero details on whom each actor is playing. But I had fun scrolling through the list and trying to decide who was an elf, a human, or a harfoot.
Dec 1, 2022, 3:30 PM UTCAndrew Webster
The Eternal Daughter is a quiet ghost story with a double dose of Tilda Swinton
The latest release from director Joanna Hogg is a slow and steady contemplation of life and death, with Tilda Swinton playing both lead roles.
Dec 1, 2022, 2:00 PM UTCSheena Vasani
Now 1Password remembers sites that use third-party accounts like Google or Facebook to log in
Now you don’t need to remember whether you normally sign in to, say, Spotify with your Facebook or Google account, as 1Password will take care of that for you.
- JAn unexpected casualty of the crypto crash: Miami’s nightclubs.
In the height of the boom, newly-enriched crypto bros let loose in Miami, reports The Financial Times, with high-spenders “ordering 12 or 24 bottles of the most expensive champagne and just showering themselves without even drinking.”
Now, though, the boom is over, with crypto spending at one club having fallen from millions last year to just a few thousand.
Dec 1, 2022, 4:35 AM UTCMary Beth Griggs
Elon Musk claims Neuralink is about ‘six months’ away from first human trial
Musk says he’ll get Neuralink implanted in his own head
Dec 1, 2022, 1:30 AM UTCSean Hollister
Anker’s Eufy lied to us about the security of its security cameras
This is a big mess.
Nov 30, 2022, 11:34 PM UTCEmma Roth
LastPass' latest data breach exposed some customer information
CEO Karim Toubba says hackers didn’t gain access to users’ stored passwords, but disclosed this breach happened using information taken back in August.
Nov 30, 2022, 1:00 PM UTCAriel Shapiro
Spotify Wrapped 2022 is here, and it’s giving everyone a ‘music personality’
Bad Bunny is the platform’s top artist globally, while Joe Rogan claims the top podcast.
Nov 29, 2022, 3:00 PM UTCJon Porter
YouTube Music gets in on year-in-review season with 2022 Recap
It will also be available in the main YouTube app for the first time. Your move, Spotify.