After saying he wouldn’t ban an account that tracks the movement of his private jet, Elon Musk’s Twitter has done exactly that, suspending the @ElonJet account alongside its creator and several other accounts that he operates. Obviously Twitter is a private company that’s free to moderate its platform however it wants, but the case highlights how even a “free speech absolutist” like Musk can come around pretty quickly on content moderation when his personal safety is involved.
Over on the tech news side, Google Docs is getting some cool new features for anyone that wants to show code in their documents. It’s part of a pretty significant transformation Google Workspace has been going through, and overall I’m a big fan. Pageless formatting! Markdown support! Damn it’s a great time to be a Google Docs user.
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 15th, 2022.
Google is beta testing digital state ID cards in its Android Wallet app
Android users with Maryland state IDs can now add it to their Wallet app — if they’re in the beta test group and their phone supports it.
- RRipping off AIM away messages is the best feature Instagram has added in a long, long time.
If you’re old enough to remember the words “via Hiptop,” then you’ll recognize that instead of being tweet-like, the new Instagram Notes feature takes inspiration from Twitter’s predecessor — AOL Instant Messenger away messages.
The pop-up statuses are hidden away (for now) in the Instagram messages window, but for the Elder Millennial / Young Gen X generation, it’s a return to the days of flirting via vague but also specifically targeted song lyrics.
A plasma physicist explains what’s next after the big nuclear fusion breakthrough
Scientists need better targets to shoot and even more advanced lasers.
Death Stranding is getting a film adaptation
It’s still early, but Hideo Kojima’s bizarre universe is about to get even bigger.
Apple is expanding Mythic Quest with a new spinoff series
Is Apple making an MQCU?
- DThis electric car has a massive fan that keeps it stuck to the ground.
The McMurtry Spéirling is a 1,000hp, 2,200lb electric race car that can do 0-60mph in under 2 seconds and a full quarter mile run in under 8 seconds.
But perhaps the coolest thing about it is the massive fan inside that keeps it suctioned to the ground and provides it with incredible grip and acceleration. Just watch the video to see what I mean.
Dec 15, 2022Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The Echo Show 15 with Fire TV: a major upgrade with a major flaw
Amazon’s largest smart display gets the Fire TV interface, adding streaming services like Disney Plus, HBO Max, and native YouTube apps to this multi-functional screen. But it has lost some of its touch.
Some Peacock originals are coming to JetBlue’s in-flight entertainment system
JetBlue is joining the stable of airlines making deals with streaming services.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on PS5 in fall 2023
Spider-Man is officially back in the fall of next year.
Apple’s planned classical music app is still MIA as 2022 winds down
Apple bought Primephonic, a music service tailored for classical music, but has yet to deliver a replacement.
Corsair’s Xeneon OLED flexes on them other gaming monitors
This 45-inch Xeneon Flex gaming monitor features a curvature that you control, ranging from flat to very curvy at 800R. Unsurprisingly, the OLED screen is gorgeous, and its plain design, great port selection and bending mechanism sets it apart.
Amazon is publishing the next Tomb Raider game
The company has struck a deal with Crystal Dynamics for the next major entry in the series.
Instagram launches new tool to help hacked users regain account access
Instagram is adding new ways for users to recover accounts that have been hacked. Regaining access to hacked accounts has long been an issue.
Nothing starts opening up its Android 13 beta for the Phone 1
The official release of the Nothing OS 1.5 update is coming early next year.
HoloLens 2 now has full Microsoft Teams integration
HoloLens 2 users can now freely join Teams calls and also see shared screens as holograms during meetings. Microsoft is also teasing a HoloLens 3.
Dec 15, 2022Charles Pulliam-Moore
Apple is seriously screwing up its big play for an Oscar
Though Apple’s Emancipation from director Antoine Fuqua was clearly crafted with Oscars in mind, it probably isn’t going to win one.
- RGreen light.
Today’s news has everything from smart home standards to nuclear fusion (and we’ll have more to say about the latter in a moment.
Otherwise, here are a few stories you may have missed:
Fubo TV says its ill-timed outage was due to a cyberattack.
Researchers recorded the sound of a Mars dust devil.
Amazon Prime greenlit production for a God of War TV show.
And Universal Studios Hollywood will open its Super Nintendo World area in February.
Last but not least, don’t miss the massive upgrade for GTA V that added ray-traced reflections on new-gen consoles.
How to order free rapid covid tests from the US government — again
You can once again apply for four free covid tests to be delivered to your household.
Uber Eats will use sidewalk robots to make food deliveries in Miami
The robots are provided by Cartken, an Oakland-based robotics company. It’s still an unproven business, with some notable examples of robots getting stuck or catching fire.
Dec 15, 2022Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Google Nest and Android devices are now Matter compatible — yes, right now
Google says it has already updated millions of Nest devices and billions of Android devices to support the new smart home standard, so you can now connect your Google Home devices to any Matter-compatible product.
HearUSA will add Sony’s OTC hearing aids to its stores in 2023
The partnership might give hesitant consumers a place to start when looking into OTC hearing aids.
Dell’s repairable Concept Luna laptop has a long road ahead of it
This will be a huge win for repairability, if it ever actually comes to market.
Oppo’s next foldable is actually getting a release outside of China
The company’s new Find N2 Flip clamshell will come to Europe in the first quarter of next year, but its bigger sibling is sticking to China for the time being.
Where are all the new Macs?
Apple said it would transition all of its Macs away from Intel silicon within two years of the M1’s announcement. It’s missed that deadline.
Lucid Air Grand Touring review: a dream made real
Lucid’s sedan is sublime to drive, if a bit strange in appearance. Can the Air unseat the Tesla Model S as the leader in the luxury EV market?
What in the world is nuclear fusion — and when will we harness it?
Fusion power could revolutionize our energy system. But after decades of research, it’s still out of reach.
Grand Theft Auto 5’s new ray tracing on PS5 and Xbox Series X / S looks fantastic
Grand Theft Auto 5 might be approaching 10 years old, but it looks even better thanks to a new ray-traced reflections patch.
Elon Musk sells yet another $3.58 billion of Tesla shares
He’s offloaded more than $39 billion since November 2021
Twitter banned the @ElonJet account tracking Musk’s flights, reinstated it, then banned it again
The company has also posted a thread explaining where the line is when it comes to tweeting live location data, like you would if you were tracking Elon Musk’s plane.
Google’s making code formatting a breeze in Docs
Certain Workspace users will be getting access to code blocks, which could help them upgrade their documentation.
The golden age of the streaming wars has ended
For a few years, there was a boon of content, and we were all wonderfully spoiled. And now that’s over.
