Author: daudgill01

Actor Ethan Peck talks taking on iconic role of Spock for Star Trek: Discovery S2

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Emoting through unwieldy prosthetic eyebrows was the least of the challenges. Star Trek: Discovery takes an admittedly leisurely approach to storytelling, particularly in S1, but that’s frankly part of its appeal. It’s very much a character-driven show, taking the time to explore complex emotions and relationships. As we wrote in our year-end roundup, “when Discovery shines, it’s like a supernova … Continue reading Actor Ethan Peck talks taking on iconic role of Spock for Star Trek: Discovery S2 Continue Reading →

Glowing silicon nanowire reveals how to put optics in your CPU

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Silicon-germanium alloy glows, may be future CPU optical communication laser The key term in integrated circuits is integrated. The ability of fabrication facilities to integrate things sets limits on what processes are available and what materials can be safely used. As soon as you suggest a different material or process, the whole chain is broken, and … Continue reading Glowing silicon nanowire reveals how to put optics in your CPU Continue Reading →

Apple and Google detail bold and ambitious plan to track COVID-19 at scale

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Teetering on a razor, smartphone giants try to balance infection tracking and privacy In a bold and ambitious collaboration, Apple and Google are developing a smartphone platform that tries to track the spread of the novel coronavirus at scale and at the same time preserve the privacy of iOS and Android users who opt in … Continue reading Apple and Google detail bold and ambitious plan to track COVID-19 at scale Continue Reading →

Nine Amazon workers describe the daily risks they face in the pandemic

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As the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, an otherwise marginalized class of workers is suddenly in the spotlight. Often undervalued and poorly paid, they are grocery store clerks, sanitation workers, medical professionals, and other employees who can’t stay home—even when the nation is on lockdown. In the United States, hundreds of thousandsof these so-called essential workers are … Continue reading Nine Amazon workers describe the daily risks they face in the pandemic Continue Reading →

Digital hoarders: “Our terabytes are put to use for the betterment of mankind”

daudgill01

Nerds with hoarding tendencies? Preservationists of history? Many terabytes either way. Today perhaps more than ever, data is ephemeral. Despite Stephen Hawking’s late-in-life revelation that information can never truly be destroyed, it can absolutely disappear from public access without leaving a trace. It’s not just analogue data, either. Just as books go out of print, websites can drop offline, … Continue reading Digital hoarders: “Our terabytes are put to use for the betterment of mankind” Continue Reading →

Celebs share rumors linking 5G to coronavirus, nutjobs burn cell towers

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Pressure of a pandemic brings old fears of new wireless tech into the open. Wireless technology has enjoyed a long history with fears based on vague accusations that it causes health issues and claims that some people are “electrosensitive.” Those fears have been maintained by a handful of ambiguous studies that suggested hints of possible links between cell phone … Continue reading Celebs share rumors linking 5G to coronavirus, nutjobs burn cell towers Continue Reading →

Not actually Linux distro review deux: GhostBSD

daudgill01

FreeBSD-derived GhostBSD welcomes users directly into a full desktop experience. When I began work on the FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE review last week, it didn’t take long to figure out that the desktop portion wasn’t going very smoothly.   I think it’s important for BSD-curious users to know of easier, gentler alternatives, so I did a little looking around and settled … Continue reading Not actually Linux distro review deux: GhostBSD Continue Reading →