Google dished out $6.5M in bug bounties in 2019 with one payout worth $201K
Google has paid out $21 million via its bug bounty program in its nine-year history, with a record $6.5 million paid out last year. The company said its single biggest payment last year was $201,000, though it declined to offer any details about the nature of the discovered vulnerability.
Get off the sidewalk! Lime’s new scooter aims to make you ride on the road
Lime is testing a novel way to gently persuade its riders to stick to the street and stay off the sidewalk. The scootersharing company has added sensors to its electric two-wheelers that can distinguish between a street and sidewalk, and will send notifications to riders if they spend too much time on the latter.
Take a tour of the space station from the comfort of your own sofa
If you’ve ever wondered what it's like to stay on the International Space Station, then this fascinating video tour should give you a good idea. Astronauts Luca Parmitano and Drew Morgan kindly take us on a leisurely journey through the orbiting outpost, visiting an array of interesting features along the way.
Atari-themed gaming hotels heading to Las Vegas and 7 other U.S. cities
Atari is getting into the hospitality business, building eight gaming-focused hotels in cities including Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. Each one will feature a state-of-the-art eSport studio, an Atari gaming playground, and a massive neon-lit Atari logo on the side of the building so you can’t miss it.
NFL: Multiple teams’ social media accounts targeted by hackers
Hackers targeted the social media accounts of 15 NFL teams on Sunday and Monday. Those responsible swapped out the accounts’ profile pictures and headers or deleted them entirely. They also posted ads for their own cybersecurity services, as well as other more mischievous messages announcing player sales.
Expect bumps and lumps with your new Razr smartphone, Motorola says
On the day that pre-orders opened for its much-anticipated Razr smartphone, Motorola has said that owners may see “bumps and lumps” on the foldable display, adding that it’s “normal” behavior for the handset. With memories of Samsung’s bungled Galaxy Fold launch still fresh, let’s hope the Razr is more reliable.
Boeing hails first test flight of 777X, world’s largest twin-engine jet
Boeing on Saturday sent its new 777X jet on its first test flight ahead of deployment in 2021. Described as the world’s largest twin-engine plane in terms of length and width, the jet features specially designed folding wings that will enable it to operate at all of the airports that handle existing models of the 777.
Obi-Wan Kenobi series delay won’t change premiere date, says Ewan McGregor
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series produced by Disney+ and Lucasfilm appears to be experiencing some trouble, with reports claiming the scripts have been ditched and the episode count reduced. The premiere date for the series won't be affected, though, according to star Ewan McGregor.
Waymo’s self-driving minivans and big rigs arrive in two more states
Texas and New Mexico are the latest states to say hello to Waymo's self-driving minivans and big rigs. The autonomous-vehicle specialist will start by using its minivans to map the highways in readiness for trial runs using its trucks. The tests could lead to a commercial freight operation using the trucks.
Astronauts discover how to bake the perfect cookie in space
Future astronauts heading to Mars will likely be baking chocolate chip cookies during the trip. The crew aboard the International Space Station recently made some of the cookies in the first-ever space-based baking experiment. The cookies returned to Earth last week and are now being inspected by scientists.
Apple Safari flaw left users’ browsing activity open to being tracked
Apple recently fixed a serious security flaw with its Safari browser after being alerted to it by Google. The vulnerability, if exploited, would've enabled third parties to gather “sensitive private information about the user’s browsing habits,” Google said this week. Apple fixed the issue soon after learning of it.
Flickr hikes Pro subscription fee a month after pleading for more sign-ups
A month after pleading with users of Flickr's free tier to switch to a paid Pro account, the company has raised its prices. Flickr’s owner, SmugMug, said in December 2019 that the photo site was eating through cash, and so asked users to consider signing up for a subscription “to keep the Flickr dream alive.”
NASA reveals 9 finalists in Mars 2020 rover naming contest. Cast your vote
NASA has revealed the top nine entries in its Mars 2020 rover name contest and you can vote for your favorite. The contest will reveal the winning name in March, with the student who suggested it invited to watch the mission launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July.
Space Station gets the Lego treatment in wonderfully detailed design
A Lego version of the International Space Station will launch on February 1 priced at $70. The level of detail is impressive, with the entire kit comprising not only the space station, but also a Lego brick-built NASA space shuttle, three mini cargo spacecraft, and two astronaut microfigures.
Boeing says 737 Max will stay grounded until at least mid-2020
Boeing had hoped that its troubled 737 Max aircraft might get permission to fly again this month, but this week the plane-maker said that after considering the FAA’s evaluation process, it’s unlikely to get clearance until mid-2020. The news will come as a serious blow to airlines that use the aircraft.
Huawei taps TomTom to help it navigate to a Google Maps alternative
After being cut off from Google by the U.S. government in response to apparent security concerns regarding Chinese tech firms, Huawei has been looking for ways to build alternative services now that it can no longer use Google apps on its new phones. For starters, it’s inked a deal with TomTom to replace Google Maps.
Tesla strongly rejects claims of acceleration issue with its cars
Tesla has described a recent petition alleging unexpected accelerations among its cars as "completely false." It said that it has already discussed most of the complaints in the petition with the NHTSA, adding that in every case where it had the vehicle's data, it was able to confirm that the car operated as designed.
Here’s why Instagram removed the IGTV button from its home screen
Instagram has erased the IGTV button from the main page of its app because "very few" people tapped on it. The company says users are accessing IGTV content in other ways, but the loss of the button, and lack of any metrics from the company about IGTV app downloads, has left some wondering how it’s really doing.
Watch SpaceX nail in-flight escape test, and lose a rocket in a huge fireball
SpaceX took a big step toward crewed flights on Sunday after performing a successful in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon capsule. The test showed how the Crew Dragon’s SuperDraco engines would fire the capsule away from the rocket if a serious anomaly should occur shortly after launch.
Look, no hands! Airbus nails autonomous takeoff in move toward pilotless jets
Pilotless planes have come a step closer after Airbus recently achieved the first fully automatic vision-based takeoff using image-recognition technology installed directly on the aircraft. Moving forward, the aerospace giant is aiming to test automatic vision-based taxi and landing sequences by the middle of 2020.
WhatsApp: Facebook shelves plan to fill app with ads, report claims
Facebook has reportedly backpedaled on plans to bring ads to WhatsApp. The social networking giant has apparently disbanded the team that was working on the idea, and removed code from the app. The founders of the messaging app, who quit a couple of years ago, always said they never wanted to see ads on the service.
A bookstore’s tweet lamenting lack of visitors results in heartwarming tale
An independent bookstore in a small English town was having an unusually quiet day earlier this week, so staff tweeted a message about it. The post quickly went viral, leading to a deluge of orders and an uptick in visitors. The owner said the response blew him away, adding that it would “really make a difference.”
Toyota just invested $394M in a secretive startup that makes flying taxis
Toyota has shown it is serious about flying taxis with a $394 million investment in California-based Joby Aviation, which is working on an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The current version can reach 200 mph and fly around 150 miles on a single charge. It’s also super-quiet in flight.
Bose to close all of its U.S. retail stores in pivot to online shopping
Bose has announced it's closing all 119 of its brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia in the coming months, focusing its efforts on e-commerce instead. But 130 Bose stores in China, India, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and the United Arab Emirates will remain open, at least for now.
Toyota to recall nearly 700,000 newer vehicles that could stall mid-drive
Toyota is recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles across multiple models. The recall due to a faulty fuel pump, which, if it fails, could lead to a stall and potentially an accident. The recall affects 2018-2019 vehicles, with affected owners set to be contacted by first-class mail in March 2020.
Instagram food porn: Top U.K. chef reignites debate over diners’ meal pics
To snap a pic or not to snap a pic. That is the question currently being asked by restaurateurs after a top chef said recently that it bothers him when diners spend time taking photos of his dishes. Heston Blumenthal said a lot of people seem more interested in snapping a picture so they can post it on social media.
U.K.’s busiest airport deploys new anti-drone system for safer skies
London Heathrow, the U.K.'s busiest airport, has installed a new safety system capable of detecting rogue drones flying nearby, and also of pinpointing the person operating it. The technology’s deployment follows increasing reports of unauthorized drones flying in restricted areas close to airports around the world.
Check out the short list in the Mars 2020 rover naming contest
NASA has revealed the semifinalists in the naming contest for its Mars 2020 rover, which is set to begin its journey to the Martian Surface in July 2020. The public will soon have a chance to vote for their favorite suggestion among nine finalists, though NASA said its judges will have the final say.
Amazon pushes again to rid its shopping site of counterfeit goods
Amazon's ongoing battle to rid its shopping site of fake goods has reportedly prompted it to take renewed action targeting third-party sellers who trade in such items. The efforts are thought to include an agreement to contact law enforcement more quickly and to hand over more information about suspected sellers.
U.S. may call a halt to its civilian drone program over security fears
The United States government is about to ban the use of Chinese-made drones in its work, a report by the FT claims. The Department of Interior has been using the machines for various tasks, but recently suspended their use over security fears while it conducted a review.
Phishing scam costs a Texas school district more than $2 million
A Texas school district has revealed it was recently tricked into handing over more than $2 million in an email phishing scam. The money was transferred to the perpetrator in three separate transactions in November 2019, according to reports, and the FBI is now investigating the incident.
Japanese billionaire seeks significant other for SpaceX moon trip
SpaceX has already named wealthy Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa as its first paying passenger for a moon trip set to take place in 2023. Now Maezawa says he's looking for someone special to accompany him, with an online streaming channel creating a show to follow his efforts in finding a significant other.