Tech Updates and News

2021-10-21 18:00:32 ​This NASA spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter’s mysterious asteroid swarms. The spacecraft named Lucy is just starting its 12-year journey to see what asteroid clusters can teach us about the early solar system Open / Comment

2021-10-20 20:34:49 ​Facebook is planning to change the name of the company next week, The Verge reported Tuesday evening.

The new name will aim to recast Facebook’s focus on becoming a “metaverse company” rather than a social media company by rebranding its main app as one of many under a singular parent company, according to the report.

The Verge also reported that CEO Mark Zuckerberg will discuss the name change at Facebook’s annual Connect conference on October 28, but the company could announce the name before then. Open / Comment

2021-10-20 18:00:17 ​Amazon-owned robotaxi startup Zoox is set to start testing self-driving cars on the streets of Seattle.

Zoox's cofounder and Chief Technology Officer Jesse Levinson told Bloomberg there were two reasons Zoox had picked Seattle as its new testing ground. The first was so it could attract local engineering talent — Seattle was a "hot bed of computer scientists," he said.

The second was Seattle's famously bad weather. In the past, some self-driving systems have been shown to be disrupted by rain and snow so Seattle is a great place to put them to the test. Open / Comment

2021-10-19 21:26:06 ​Martha Stewart is getting in on NFT craze.

The mogul will be launching her very first non-fungible token collection as a series, she told WSJ, and she is planning to release regular collections tied to various holidays and seasons.

Stewart did extensive research before making her foray into the digital collectibles space by consulting her banker, Galaxy Digital Holdings founder Mike Novogratz, and rapper Snoop Dogg.

Down the line, she plans to release her viral summer pool selfie taken at her home in the Hamptons.

"That portrait will become an NFT," she told The Journal. "Who would have guessed? I have been cool for a long time but I'm even more cool now." Open / Comment

2021-10-18 18:00:16 ​Facebook plans to hire 10,000 in EU to build 'metaverse'

Oct 18 (Reuters) - Facebook Inc (FB.O) plans to hire 10,000 in the European Union over the next five years, the social media giant said on Monday, to help build the so-called metaverse - a nascent online world where people exist and communicate in shared virtual spaces.

This would be a significant step the company is taking towards the concept, something top boss Mark Zuckerberg has touted in recent months.

In September, Facebook committed $50 million towards building the metaverse, where companies like Roblox Corp (RBLX.N) and "Fortnite" maker Epic Games have an early foothold.

The company earlier launched a test of a new virtual-reality remote work app where users of the company's Oculus Quest 2 headsets can hold meetings as avatar versions of themselves.

Facebook also said in July it was creating a product team to work on the metaverse which would be part of Facebook Reality Labs, its augmented reality and virtual reality group.

"This investment (in new jobs) is a vote of confidence in the strength of the European tech industry and the potential of European tech talent," the company said.

"Europe is hugely important to Facebook." Open / Comment

2021-10-18 08:06:43 Netflix's 'Squid Game' estimated to be worth about $900 mln Open / Comment

2021-10-16 18:08:30 ​Apple has taken down a Quran app and a Bible app in China at the request of Chinese officials, the company confirmed to the BBC.

The apps, which are called Quran Majeed and Bible App by Olive Tree, were first reported as having been taken down by activist website Apple Censorship on Tuesday.

Apple directed the BBC to its Human Rights policy, which says: "We're required to comply with local laws, and at times there are complex issues about which we may disagree with governments and other stakeholders on the right path forward. " Open / Comment

2021-10-15 20:26:14 ​Leaked Twitch data shows the 100 top-earning streamers on the platform. Only three women made the list, excluding group channels, and only one woman was a person of color.

No singular female channels were in the top third of the list, the data showed. Open / Comment

2021-10-15 16:02:30 Silicon Valley investor has created his own Telegram channel!

He shares secret startup insights and useful analytics for free!

— How to create a startup and move to Silicon Valley?
— How to raise funds for your business?
— 5 mistakes that 4 of 5 young startup founders make.

Warning: reading this channel 5 minutes a day increases your chance of becoming rich 94% Open / Comment

2021-10-13 21:21:32 A Zoox testing video shows how the company's driverless software navigates heavy urban traffic. The video shows how the company's software identifies obstacles and plots the car's path.

The Amazon-owned startup has been testing on public roads since 2016. Open / Comment