Dominique Luchart's Blog, page 609
May 30, 2021
Instagram making changes to its algorithm after it was accused of censoring pro-Palestinian content,
Facebook-owned Instagram has made changes to its algorithm after a group of its employees reportedly complained that pro-Palestinian content was not viewable for users during the conflict in Gaza. Instagram typically surfaces original content in its stories before reposted content, but will now begin to give equal weighting to both, the company confirmed to The Verge on Sunday.
As reported by BuzzFeed News and the Financial Times, the Instagram employee group had made numerous appeals about content that had been censored by Instagram’s automated moderation, such as posts about the al-Asqa mosque being mistakenly removed. The employees didn’t believe the censorship was deliberate, according to FT, but one said that “moderating at scale is biased against any marginalized groups.”
The change is not only in response to concerns over pro-Palestinian content, a Facebook spokesperson said in an email to The Verge, but the company realized the way the app functioned– bubbling up posts that it believes its users care about most– led people to believe it was suppressing certain points of view or topics. “We want to be really clear– this isn’t the case,” the spokesperson said. “This applied to any post that’s re-shared in stories, no matter what it’s about.”
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have been criticized over the past several weeks about how they have surfaced — or not surfaced–content around the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Earlier this month Twitter restricted the account of a Palestinian writer, which it later said was done “in error.” And Instagram ended up apologizing after many accounts were unable to post Palestine-related content for several hours on May 6th, a move that head of Instagram Adam Mosseri tweeted was due to a “technical bug.”
Many people thought we were removing their content because of what they posted or what hashtag they used, but this bug wasn’t related to the content itself, but rather a widespread issue that has now been fixed.
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)
Instagram says it has repeatedly heard from users who say they are more interested in original stories from close friends than they are in seeing people who reshare others’ photos and posts. That’s why it prioritized original stories, the spokesperson said. “But there’s been an increase– not just now but in the past as well — in how many people are resharing posts, and we’ve seen a bigger impact than expected on the reach of these posts,” the spokesperson said. “Stories that reshare feed posts aren’t getting the reach people expect them to, and that’s not a good experience.”
The spokesperson added that Instagram still believes users want to see more original stories, so is looking at how to focus stories on original content through new tools.
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Vilnius, Lithuania built a ‘portal’ to another city to help keep people connected,
Weary of pandemic travel restrictions and aching to get out and see new people? The city of Vilnius, Lithuania has interesting solution: A real-time “portal” to another city. They really went all-in on the idea and the design; it looks quite a bit like something out of the erstwhile sci-fi movie/show Stargate.
The city installed a circular “door” for the portal near its train station that connects to a portal in Lublin, Poland, about 600 kilometers (or roughly 375 miles) away. The portals both have large screens and cameras that broadcast live images between the two cities– a kind of digital bridge, according to its creators– meant to encourage people to “rethink the meaning of unity,” Go Vilnius said in a press release. Aw.
Vilnius, Lithuania says hi to Lublin, PolandGo Vilnius“Humanity is facing many potentially deadly challenges; be it social polarization, climate change or economic issues. However, if we look closely, it’s not a lack of brilliant scientists, activists, leaders, knowledge or technology causing these challenges. It’s tribalism, a lack of empathy and a narrow perception of the world, which is often limited to our national borders,” says Benediktas Gylys, President of the Benediktas Gylys Foundation and who Go Vilnius credits as the “initiator” of the portal idea. He says the project is “a bridge that unifies and an invitation to rise above prejudices and disagreements that belong to the past.”
Circular portals in Vilnius, Lithuania and Lublin, Poland allow people to view each other in real time, meant to inspire a new idea of unity.Go VilniusThe circle design, meant to evoke the wheel of time, and a “well-known … sci-fi symbol,” was designed by engineers at the Creativity and Innovation Centre (LinkMenu fabrikas) at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University– aka Vilnius Tech. It was five years in the making, and its unveiling at the end of a yearlong pandemic is well-timed. There are plans to add portals in other cities in the future, organizers say. The portal is a joint project with the Benediktas Gylys Foundation, the City of Vilnius, the City of Lublin, and the Crossroads Centre for Intercultural Creative Initiatives.
“From design and 3D modelling, to digital content development and logistic challenges – a project like this requires a broad and multifunctional team,” said Adas Meskenas, director of LinkMenu fabrikas. “Meaningful projects like this one are born when diverse people succeed in working together and achieving synchronicity.”
Is it a little corny? Perhaps. But it’s also good and charming and I am all for building more portals because it has been a long, long year and we all could use a little bit of fresh inspiration.
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Vilnius, Lithuania built a ‘portal’ to another city to help keep people connected, Kim Lyons
Go VilniusWeary of pandemic travel restrictions and aching to get out and see new people? The city of Vilnius, Lithuania has interesting solution: A real-time “portal” to another city. They really went all-in on the idea and the design; it looks quite a bit like something out of the erstwhile sci-fi movie/show Stargate.
The city installed a circular “door” for the portal near its train station that connects to a portal in Lublin, Poland, about 600 kilometers (or roughly 375 miles) away. The portals both have large screens and cameras that broadcast live images between the two cities— a kind of digital bridge, according to its creators— meant to encourage people to “rethink the meaning of unity,” Go Vilnius said in a press release. Aw.
…
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Best Memorial Day deals at Walmart: Save on a TCL 4K TV, PowerXL Vortex Pro Plus air fryer, Eureka Groove robot vacuum and more – CNET,
Plus, $34 for a Roku Streaming Media Player and save $70 on a Hyper electric mountain bike.
The post Best Memorial Day deals at Walmart: Save on a TCL 4K TV, PowerXL Vortex Pro Plus air fryer, Eureka Groove robot vacuum and more – CNET, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
New Trailers: The Tomorrow War, Eternals, Infinite, Werewolves Within, and more,
So tonight is the finale for Mare of Easttown and there are so many threads that need to be tied up that I legitimately don’t know how they’ll answer all the open questions. I have a theory of who the killer is, and I don’t think it’s the same person who fathered Erin’s baby. Will Mare ever find happiness? It seems unlikely, I’m afraid. But maybe she’ll find answers or closure.
I realized that in this week’s trailer roundup that– in addition to a time-traveling theme– we have two movies that feature Sam Richardson, who played Richard Splett, arguably the best supporting character on the late great HBO show Veep. Please cast him in all the things, Hollywood, he’s hilarious.
[embedded content]The Tomorrow WarChris Pratt is drafted into a war where he has to go into the future and fight aliens that sound and look (from the brief glimpse we get) like the Aliens aliens, because if present-day people don’t help, all human beings will be wiped/disappear “from the face of the Earth” (which we know is Very Serious because two separate characters say so in the trailer). Lots of guns, lots of Pratt wisecracks (which somehow don’t quite land here), and lots of stuff blowing up, plus an Independence Day weekend release date ensure many people will watch this movie. And what a cast: J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Yvonne Strahovski, and Sam Richardson all join Pratt, so hopefully they can breathe life into what seems like a movie we’ve seen once or twice before. The Tomorrow War comes to Amazon Prime July 2nd.
[embedded content]Werewolves WithinBased on the Ubisoft VR game of the same name, Werewolves Within takes place in the small town of Beaverfield, and stars Sam Richardson as new-in-town Forest Ranger Finn, who discovers a dead body that may have been the victim of a wolf attack. But not just any wolf! A snowstorm forces a group of the very weird townspeople to hole up in an inn with Finn, and oh yeah one of them is probs a werewolf. Horror/comedy combos aren’t always easy to pull off, but the trailer shows Richardson’s comedy chops are in fine form. Werewolves Within will release in theaters June 25th and on demand July 2nd.
[embedded content]EternalsAs my colleague Chaim Gartenberg noted earlier this week, this trailer doesn’t really tell us much about the plot of Eternals, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We see how the Eternals, a band of immortal heroes, have helped humans across the centuries. But something is amiss, because as Salma Hayek says in the voiceover “We have watched and guided. We have helped them progress and seen them accomplish wonders. Throughout the years, we have never interfered — until now.” The all-star cast includes Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Richard Madden, and Kit Harington, and it’s directed by Chloe Zhao, whose Nomadland garnered Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. Eternals is set for a November release.
[embedded content]InfiniteMark Wahlberg stars as a man haunted by memories he doesn’t recognize because surprise! he’s an Infinite, a person who has had multiple past lives and is part of a secret group of warriors who are trying to save humanity from one of their own, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. This is one of the many movies whose release date was pushed back from last summer by the pandemic, but oddly isn’t getting a theatrical release. Based on the book The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz, Infinite also stars Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend, Toby Jones, and Dylan O’Brien, and was directed by Antoine Fuqua. It hits Paramount Plus on June 10th.
[embedded content]Old
This is the first official trailer for the latest M. Night Shyamalan flick (we got a teaser during the Super Bowl (and side note, what is the difference between teasers and trailers anymore?). A family (and others) on a beach vacation begins aging rapidly, adding years in a matter of hours. Is it something in the water? We don’t know! Gael Garcia Bernal, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Vicky Krieps, Abbey Lee, Embeth Davidtz, Rufus Sewell, and Ken Leung star in Old, which comes to theaters July 23rd.
[embedded content]Jungle CruiseA movie based on a Disneyland ride starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. OK sure, why not, we base movies on books, video games, and board games, so this is the next logical step, right? And the second trailer for this movie gives a glimpse of Jesse Plemons, usually a sign that things are headed in the right direction. Jungle Cruise comes to theaters and Disney Plus (with Premier Access) on July 30th.
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May 29, 2021
Google reportedly made it difficult for smartphone users to find privacy settings, Kim Lyons
Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeUnredacted documents in Arizona’s lawsuit against Google show that company executives and engineers were aware that the search giant had made it hard for smartphone users to keep location information private, Insider reported.
The documents suggest that Google collected location data even after users had turned off location sharing, and made privacy settings difficult for users to find. Insider also reports that the documents show Google pressured phone manufacturers into keeping privacy settings hidden, because the settings were popular with users.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit against Google last May, alleging the company illegally tracked Android users’ location without their consent, even if users had…
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Google reportedly made it difficult for smartphone users to find privacy settings,
Unredacted documents in Arizona’s lawsuit against Google show that company executives and engineers were aware that the search giant had made it hard for smartphone users to keep location information private, Insider reported.
The documents suggest that Google collected location data even after users had turned off location sharing, and made privacy settings difficult for users to find. Insider also reports that the documents show Google pressured phone manufacturers into keeping privacy settings hidden, because the settings were popular with users.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit against Google last May, alleging the company illegally tracked Android users’ location without their consent, even if users had disabled location tracking features. The lawsuit suggested Google kept location tracking running in the background for some features, and only stopped the practice when users disabled system-level tracking.
The unredacted documents show one Google employee asked if there was “no way to give a third party app your location and not Google?” adding that it didn’t sound like something the company would want revealed to the media, according to Insider.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in an email to The Verge that Brnovich “and our competitors driving this lawsuit have gone out of their way to mischaracterize our services. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We look forward to setting the record straight.”
Update May 29th, 8:11PM ET : Added statement from Google spokesperson
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NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured amazing images of clouds on Mars, Kim Lyons
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured these clouds just after sunset on March 19th, the 3,063rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission. The image is made up of 21 individual images stitched together and color corrected so that the scene appears as it would to the human eye. | NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSNASA’s Curiosity rover has captured images of clouds on Mars— as described in its blog post: “wispy puffs filled with ice crystals that scattered light from the setting sun, some of them shimmering with color.”
According to NASA clouds are rare in the thin atmosphere of Mars, but usually form at its equator during its coldest time of year. Scientists noticed that last year — two years ago in Earth time— there were clouds beginning to form earlier than expected, so this year they were ready.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSA gif of clouds drifting above Mount Sharp on Mars, taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover on March 19th.
The images are not only stunning, they’ve provided new insights to the Curiosity team at NASA. The…
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NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured amazing images of clouds on Mars,
NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured images of clouds on Mars– as described in its blog post: “wispy puffs filled with ice crystals that scattered light from the setting sun, some of them shimmering with color.”
According to NASA clouds are rare in the thin atmosphere of Mars, but usually form at its equator during its coldest time of year. Scientists noticed that last year — two years ago in Earth time– there were clouds beginning to form earlier than expected, so this year they were ready.
[image error]
A gif of clouds drifting above Mount Sharp on Mars, taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover on March 19th.NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSThe images are not only stunning, they’ve provided new insights to the Curiosity team at NASA. The early clouds are at higher altitudes than most Martian clouds– which typically hover about 37 miles above the planet’s surface and are made up of water ice. The higher-altitude clouds are likely made of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, NASA says.
Curiosity provided both black-and-white and color images– the black-and-white photos show the rippled details of the clouds more clearly.
[image error]
Curiosity took these images of clouds on Mars just after sunset on March 31st.NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSBut it’s the color photos taken from the rover’s mast camera and stitched together from multiple images that are really breathtaking. NASA describes them:
Viewed just after sunset, their ice crystals catch the fading light, causing them to appear to glow against the darkening sky. These twilight clouds, also known as “noctilucent” (Latin for “night shining”) clouds, grow brighter as they fill with crystals, then darken after the Sun’s position in the sky drops below their altitude. This is just one useful clue scientists use to determine how high they are.
Curiosity also captured images of iridescent “mother of pearl” clouds, with pastel colors throughout. Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado said in NASA’s post that those colors come from cloud particles nearly identical in size. “That’s usually happening just after the clouds have formed and have all grown at the same rate,” he explained.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover spotted these iridescent, or “mother of pearl,” clouds on March 5th, the 3,048th Martian day, or sol, of its mission.NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSLemmon said he marvels at the colors that show up in these clouds; reds and greens and blues and purples. “It’s really cool to see something shining with lots of color on Mars.”
Very cool.
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Best Memorial Day 2021 deals and sales: Discounts on Vizio OLED TV, Neato robot vac, Samsung appliances and more – CNET,
Memorial Day weekend is a great time to find sales on all kinds of products, and if you skip the stores and shop online, you can be scoring major discounts while sitting on the beach or somewhere relaxing. The holiday is known for its sales and deals on major appliances, patio furniture and mattresses. But those aren’t the only categories you should be looking at for deep discounts — below you’ll find some Memorial Day sales and select items that caught our eye, including $400 off a 65-inch Vizio OLED TV, $150 off the Neato D7 robotic vacuum ($150 off), free meat and free access to Ancestry.com.
These deals can be found at online retailers such as Lowe’s and Best Buy as well as individual merchants like ButcherBox, GlassesUSA and Samsung. Highlighted deals that require a promo code include that code below. Keep reading for our picks of the best Memorial Day deals you can find right now. This post will be updated with additional sales and deals soon.
Best Buy: Dizzying array of discounts
Price cuts everywhere
Sarah Tew/CNET
From large appliances to video games, Best Buy is slashing prices throughout the store for its Memorial Day sale. You can save up to 10% on LG appliances and up to $300 on an LG OLED TV. Been pining for an Apple wearable? You can save $70 on the Apple Watch Series 6 and $40 on AirPods. Samsung’s Galaxy S21 5G phone is $350 off, while iPhone 11 models are $275 off. And if you need new games for your console, dozens of titles for Xbox, PlayStation and Switch are discounted, including many that are half price.
See at Best Buy
Vizio OLED65-H1: $1,500
Save $400
Vizio
Contrast ratio is arguably the most important aspect of picture quality, and OLED TVs produce the best contrast ratio with absolute blacks and extremely bright whites. TVs with newer OLED technology, not surprisingly, cost quite a bit more than older LCD TVs. Vizio’s OLED line has some of the most affordable OLED TVs, however, and that’s never been more true than for the 65-inch model that’s $400 off at Best Buy.
$1,500 at Best Buy
Neato D7: $450Save $150
Brian Bennett/CNET
‘Tis the season for tracking dirt and sand (say, if you’ve been at the beach all weekend) into your house. Why not get some robotic help with keeping your floors clean? The Neato D7 is a lidar-guided robot vacuum cleaner that’s one of the best robot vacuums CNET has reviewed. In his write-up, Brian Bennett declared it the “best midrange robot vacuum.” And head-to-head against the iRobot Roomba S9 Plus, the D7 was called “the best all-around value.” Usually priced at or around $600, the Neato D7 is discounted to $450 at Lowe’s this weekend (the product page says the sale ends today, but it’ll last through June 5, according to Lowe’s).
$450 at Lowe’s
Hydro Flask 32-Ounce Wide Mouth: $34Save $11
Hydroflask
The Hydro Flask is our favorite reusable water bottle for its double-wall vacuum insulation design, durable stainless-steel materials and cool color options. A Hydro Flask bottle can keep a cold drink cool for up to 24 hours and makes a perfect beach companion. For the winter months, it will keep hot beverages warm for up to 12 hours. You can save 25% sitewide with free shipping with code WELOVESUMMER. The popular 32-ounce Wide Mouth bottle, for example, is on sale for $34, down from $45.
$34 at Hydro Flask
ButcherBox: Free BBQ bundleNew members only
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Summer is not only beach season: It’s also barbecue season. With ButcherBox, you can kick your summer grilling up a notch. It’s one of our favorite meat subscription services and features 100% grass-fed beef, humanely raised pork and free-range organic chicken. For Memorial Day, new subscribers will get a free BBQ bundle with their first order that includes two New York strip steaks, six burgers and 5 pounds of drumsticks.
See at ButcherBox
Ancestry.com: Free access to Fold3.comSearch over 550 million military records
Fold3
To celebrate Memorial Day, Ancestry.com is opening its vaults and letting you search your family’s military history for free this weekend on its Fold3.com site.
See at Ancestry.com
GlassesUSA: 60% discount on framesOr save 30% on your entire order
GlassesUSA is one of our favorite sites for buying prescription eyeglasses online. It has more affordable options for buying prescription eyeglasses online than a site like Warby Parker, and also offers premium designer frames from the likes of Oakley and Ray-Ban. For Memorial Day, you can get 60% off frames with basic lenses with code DEAL60 or 30% off your entire order with code USA30. You can also save 20% off Oakley and Ray-Ban with basic prescription lenses with code OKRAY20.
See at GlassesUSA
Myx Plus exercise bike: $1,199Save $300, plus free shipping and assembly
MYX Fitness
MyxFitness is a Peloton alternative service that includes a bike with a huge 21.5-inch display along with a mat, foam roller, resistance band and six-piece weight set for $1,499. And you can knock $300 off the price with code MEMORIAL300, which also includes free shipping and assembly (a $250 value, according to Myx’s math).
See at MyxFitness
Rumpl: 25% offThe best blanket
Rumpl
My kids each got a Rumpl blanket for Christmas last year, and they take them everywhere. In the car. On the couch. Off to bed. And they were invaluable each weekend when we went skiing and our car was the closest thing we had to a lodge. Rumpl blankets are light and incredibly warm, and come in a variety of cool colors and patterns. And they’re 25% off right now.
See at Rumpl
Solo Stove: All firepits 25% offPlus, free stand
Brian Bennett/CNET
Have you experienced a sense of envy when hanging out in your friend’s backyard around their Solo Stove? Now is your chance to get one for your own patio for gatherings around a smokeless fire pit. Solo Stove makes one of our favorite firepits, and all of the company’s firepits are 25% off and come with a free stand for Memorial Day.
See at Solo Stove
Samsung: 30% off large appliances
Or save $700 on kitchen package
Samsung
You can save 30% on a refrigerator, washer or dryer and 25% on a range. And you can save $700 if you buy a four-piece kitchen package.
See at Samsung
Google Nest Hub Max: $180 (Update: Sold out)Save $50 with code EXTRA50OFF
You can knock $50 off the price of the Google Nest Hub Max at Adorama’s Memorial Day sale with code EXTRA50OFF. With a 10-inch display, the Nest Hub Max offers a bigger screen and better sound quality than Google’s standard smart display. It also includes a facial recognition camera, which you may or may not want. You can disable the camera when it’s not in use, and it has some pretty cool tricks like following you around the frame when you’re making a Google Duo video call and letting you pause or resume videos and music simply by raising your hand.
Read our Google Nest Hub Max review.
$180 at Adorama
Stasher: 25% off sitewide (Update: Expired)Plus, free shipping on orders over $40
Stasher
Unless you plan to invite the neighborhood over for a cookout, you’ll need a way to store some of the above BBQ bundle. Stasher provides a sustainable and stress-free way to do just that and is offering 25% off its entire site. It makes reusable storage bags to decrease single-use plastics. Stasher’s storage bags are made of silicone and feature pinchable seals, saving you from ever having to search for a matching lid again.
See at Stasher
TV & Audio
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