As a young rapper, Jay-Z once teamed up with Damon Dash to sell CDs of his music out of a car in the Brooklyn projects. Today, the co-founders of Roc-A-Fella Records are embroiled in a legal fight involving one of the most cutting-edge investments: non…
China’s Biggest Movie Star Was Erased From the Internet, and the Mystery Is Why
Zhao Wei was the Reese Witherspoon of China, then she was censored by the Communist Party amid a clampdown of the country’s entertainment industry. WSJ: She directed award-winning films, sold millions of records as a pop singer and built a large follow…
FTC Warns Health Apps To Notify Consumers Impacted by Data Breaches
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 Wednesday that a decade-old rule on health data breaches applies to apps that handle sensitive health information, warning these companies to comply. From a report: The new policy statement agreed to by the …
Alphabet’s Project Taara Laser Tech Beamed 700TB of Data Across Nearly 5km
An anonymous reader shares a report: In January, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, shut down Project Loon, an initiative exploring using stratospheric helium balloons to distribute wireless internet (an attempt to use solar-powered drones folded in 20…
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Feature Dual eSIM Support
Apple introduced eSIM support on iPhone with iPhone XR and iPhone XS in 2018. However, while you can use a regular SIM and an eSIM simultaneously, there was no way to use two eSIMs simultaneously — until now. iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro feature dual e…
Emergency Software Patches Are on the Rise
Emergency software patches, in which users are pushed to immediately update phones and computers because hackers have figured out some novel way to break in, are becoming more common. From a report: Researchers raised the alarm Monday about a big one: …
Most Plans for New Coal Plants Scrapped Since Paris Agreement
The global pipeline of new coal power plants has collapsed since the 2015 Paris climate agreement, according to research that suggests the end of the polluting energy source is in sight. From a report: The report found that more than three-quarters of …
When the Wind Stops Blowing, an Energy Storm Brews
An anonymous reader shares a report (paywalled): Gas made up the largest share of the UK’s energy mix in 2020, at 34%; followed by wind on a quarter; nuclear at 17%; biomass at 6.5% and solar at 4.4%. Despite the progress of renewables, detractors note…
SpaceX Rocket To Take World’s First All-Civilian Crew Into Orbit
The world’s first crew of “amateur astronauts” is preparing to blast off on a mission that will carry them into orbit before bringing them back down to Earth at the weekend. From a report: The four civilians, who have spent the past few months on an as…
Amazon Loss of Executive To Microsoft Sets Up Potential Clash
Microsoft said it has hired a former Amazon cloud executive to run its cybersecurity operations, potentially setting in motion a legal battle between the two tech giants. From a report: Charlie Bell, who long reported to former Amazon Web Services chie…