Meta ‘found mistakes and made changes’ to address Threads moderation issues

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Meta will fix “mistakes” in how Threads enforces its rules after days of complaints about the company’s handling of content moderation on the service. In an update, Threads head Adam Mosseri said the company had already made some changes to address issues that have cropped up.

Mosseri’s comments come as Threads users have been increasingly vocal about Threads’ seemingly aggressive, and sometimes bizarre, moderation decisions. In one prominent example, a number of users reported that their accounts had been penalized for using the word “cracker” or “saltines.” Mosseri didn’t explain exactly why these types of mistakes occurred, but said that one of the company’s internal tools “broke,” which prevented human reviewers from seeing “sufficient context” about the posts they were moderating.

“For those of you who've shared concerns about enforcement issues: we're looking into it and have already found mistakes and made changes,” Mosseri wrote. “Most prominently, our reviewers (people) were making calls without being provided the context on how conversations played out, which was a miss. We’re fixing this so they can make the better calls and we can make fewer mistakes. We're trying to provide a safer experience, and we need to do better.”

Content moderation isn’t the only issue that’s rankled Threads users in recent days. Earlier this week, Mosseri also promised that Threads was working on a fix to bring engagement bait “under control” on the service, following widespread complaints.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-found-mistakes-and-made-changes-to-address-threads-moderation-issues-175734448.html?src=rss

Do you want a giant Redbox machine? Now’s your chance

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Redbox is as dead as disco, but that doesn’t mean it can’t (sorta) live on in your living room. Redbox’s parent company folded with hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid debts. It also left over 24,000 of its iconic red machines at various retail locations, as reported by The Wall Street Journal and spotted by Gizmodo.

The machines are heavy, cumbersome and difficult to dispose of, with a former RedBox executive suggesting it costs $500 to remove one of the kiosks. This is compounded by the fact that some of the machines are actually embedded in concrete. The retailers plan on salvaging them for scrap, at a loss, which has led collectors to take the initiative to scoop some up before they hit the scrap heap.

Jacob Helton, a 19-year-old from North Carolina, picked one up from a drugstore because he “felt like Redbox is important in the history of American media.” He went on to make the point that “its collapse marks the end of the video rental era.” Now he has a giant DVD-renting machine in his garage.

Now, before you roll up to a local Walgreens and ask about the dilapidated Redbox machine sitting outside, there are some caveats. First of all, these things are heavy and extremely difficult to transport. As mentioned above, some are even dipped in concrete.

Also, these machines suck up massive amounts of energy during use. Walgreens told a judge that it costs the company $184,000 each month to power 5,400 kiosks. That breaks down to around $35 per month for a single machine. They also have to be regularly maintained. However, if you do have a large DVD collection, each machine can hold around 500 of them. You can pretend to rent them out to friends and family and, well, that’s about it.

Redbox was on top of the world just ten years ago, boasting of nearly $2 billion in yearly revenue and installing over 43,000 kiosks across the US and Canada. It managed to hang on a bit longer than Blockbuster, but now it’s gone forever.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/do-you-want-a-giant-redbox-machine-nows-your-chance-172806520.html?src=rss

This Futuristic Tiny Home Is Smart, Eco-Friendly And Blessed With Panoramic Views

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Named the E9 tiny home, ,this eco-friendly smart home is designed by Massimo Modular and can be tucked away anywhere in just two hours. It is unlike your conventional tiny homes since it has a rather futuristic vibe and an innovative see-through aesthetic. The home is a far cry from the traditional little homes we usually see, as it looks right out of a science fiction movie. The home occupies 409 square feet, in a 37.7 -ft-long by 10.8 ft-wide footprint. It is 10.5 ft tall and ensures no one feels cramped or stuffy in the home, no matter how tall they are.

Designer: Massimo Modular

As you enter the front door, you are welcomed by a living room area. The front door has a smart lock, and the living room features a classy and minimal layout with integrated LED strip lights on the ceiling. The ceiling also incorporates a skylight, which is complemented by the “environmental wood flooring”.  The living room leads outdoors to a small deck patio that can accommodate a chair or two. The home is equipped with floor-to-ceiling insulated 270-degree panoramic double-glazed windows, which provide surreal views of the surroundings. The E9 is equipped with automatic curtains to ensure you have your privacy. The curtains are integrated into an all-in-one smart control system that can you manage through your smartphone.

The smart home also features an underfloor heating system to keep your toes warm. The kitchen is well-designed with a two-burner induction stovetop and a single-bin-style sink. An island segregates the kitchen from the living section, so you have enough space for cooking and meal prep. The bathroom is a dry bath with a walk-in shower and a full-size toilet. Water is heated by a water heater, while all the wastewater is sent to a sewer joint. As you move towards the bedroom, you are impressed by the panoramic 270-degree views. The room ha sufficient storage, and space for a standard-sized queen bed.

The E9 smart home has a modular design, that ensures it is ready to be transported and placed within a few hours. There is also a 70-year service life. The home is created to withstand 8.0 earthquakes and Category 1 hurricanes. It has a water/sewer connection in the exterior and is also pre-wired for HVAC. It is priced at US$95,995.00.

The post This Futuristic Tiny Home Is Smart, Eco-Friendly And Blessed With Panoramic Views first appeared on Yanko Design.

Absurdist romance sim Date Everything! has been delayed to Valentine’s Day 2025

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Shut-ins of the world, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for your ultimate wish-fulfillment video game. Date Everything!, the cheekily bizarre romantic sim from Team17 and Sassy Chap Games, is no longer arriving on October 24, as was initially announced. On Friday, the team pushed back the game’s release date to Valentine’s Day 2025.

On a game design level, Date Everything! appears to be a simple dating simulator with dialogue branches and voiced characters. What sets it apart is its delightfully absurd premise: You can date all your household objects, thanks to magical glasses known as the “Dateviator.”

Your dateable objects each have a distinct personality and branching storylines. Your romantic possibilities include a laundry hamper (the fiery “Harper”), a vacuum cleaner (the hunky “Hoove”) and your overwhelming (and shirtless) sense of existential dread who would prefer just to be called “Doug.” As unappealing as that bunch sounds for a romantic fling, it may still beat today’s microtransaction-riddled dating apps.

Date Everything! screenshot. A shirtless person with a generic round face named Doug stands there.
Team17 / Sassy Chap Games

Depending on your dialog branch choices, each humanized object can become a Love, Friend or Hate. The game’s press release promised that each outcome influences a “critical path tying it all together,” so choose wisely between the lamp and the towel who dresses like Liberace.

Date Everything! arrives on February 14, 2025, on Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/absurdist-romance-sim-date-everything-has-been-delayed-to-valentines-day-2025-163412249.html?src=rss

Google’s Nest Thermostat is back on sale for $85

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We're getting into the colder months of the year (at least in the northern hemisphere). If you haven't done so already, it'll soon be time to switch on the heating. Rather than make manual adjustments to the thermostat throughout the day, why not let a smart version take care of the heavy lifting? As luck would have it, Google's Nest Thermostat is back on sale.

The device can be yours for $85. That's $45 off the regular price but some way off the record low of $61 it dropped to a year ago.

This is a more affordable version of the Nest Learning Thermostat and should do the trick for many people. When you leave your home, the Energy Star-certified Nest Thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature to prevent wasting energy on heating or cooling.

The Nest app allows you to tweak the settings remotely. This can come in especially handy if you're going to arrive home at a different time than usual. You can delay a temperature change or make it kick in earlier so your home's at the optimal level of warmth while minimizing energy waste.

The thermostat can be controlled via Google Assistant and other Matter-certified assistants such as Siri and Alexa. There's also a Savings Finder feature. This offers suggestions on how to tweak your temperature schedule to keep your costs lower.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/googles-nest-thermostat-is-back-on-sale-for-85-155604449.html?src=rss

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered hits the PS4 and PS5 on February 14

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It’s time to dust off a pair of pistols, as Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered releases for PS4 and PS5 on February 14, 2025. What better way to spend the next Valentine’s Day by foraging around caverns for loot?

These remasters boast updated visuals, though you can toggle to the old-school graphics to soak in the nostalgia. The same goes for controls. There are modern controls inspired by the newer entries in the series, but those retro inputs are just a toggle away.

The collection includes more than 150 trophies, which feature “nods to iconic moments from the series.” The photo mode from Tomb Raider I-III Remastered has also returned, allowing players to share “favorite moments and the beauty of the remastered environments with the community.”

It’s worth noting that the three games included in this collection were never referred to as numbered sequels. The remaster features Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.

Crystal Dynamics and Eidos are behind these remasters, so this is the real deal. This is the team that made the aforementioned Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, which was well-reviewed.

It sure looks like we are in the midst of a Croft-ian renaissance. The animated Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft just premiered on Netflix and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who starred in the latest Indiana Jones film, is writing a live-action Lara Croft show for Prime Video.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/tomb-raider-iv-vi-remastered-hits-the-ps4-and-ps5-on-february-14-152949568.html?src=rss

Sculptural coffee table hides secrets inside its legs

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Coffee tables are the centerpieces of many living rooms, both visually and functionally. It is often an area where not only people but objects also gather, whether books, phones, or even food. That’s why it’s not unusual to see trays, boxes, and other containers on or under these tables, which may ruin the table’s charm. But what if the table had these storage spaces built into it and hidden from view until needed? That’s the genius design that this artistic Persian-inspired piece of furniture offers, turning a normal-looking coffee table into a cocktail table for social events and get-togethers.

Designer: Kouros Maghsoudi

Some coffee tables do have built-in shelves or levels used to store books, sometimes also knack-knacks and other objects. These, unfortunately, are often on display even when they’re not needed, and they’re definitely not that useful for things you need to put on top occasionally, like a bowl for fruits, an ice bucket for drinks, and the like. You can always just use any bowl or container for those purposes, but finding ones that match the design of the table could be a daunting task.

The Taarof Table solves this in a rather creative way by having those conventional “party” containers built into the table, specifically its legs. The low coffee slash cocktail table is held up by a stack of pouf-like circles that seem to extend beyond and above the tabletop. Those short cylinders, however, are where the magic happens.

Three of them have lids that reveal the secret inside them. One corner of the table has a perforated sheet of metal that serves as a pewter ashtray. Another can be used as a fruit basket or container for snacks like peanuts. Finally, one has a double-walled bucket for keeping drinks cold. It’s a simple yet effective design that offers functionality that integrates perfectly with the design of the table. You don’t have to remove them when not in use and they continue to serve as aesthetic parts of the table’s design.

Despite the glossy finish, the table is actually made from FSC-certified wood and MDF (medium-density fiberboard). It also uses zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) lacquer for that marble-like shine. Even with very simple and basic shapes, the Taarof Table adds a distinct charm to any living space while also providing functionality that doesn’t get in the way when not needed.

The post Sculptural coffee table hides secrets inside its legs first appeared on Yanko Design.

Former Disco Elysium devs are making the game’s spiritual successor at a new studio

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Disco Elysium is widely hailed as one of the greatest RPGs of all time, but the future of the series has been up in the air. A planned sequel and expansion were canceled and developer ZA/UM laid off some workers as a result. There's also been an infamously messy battle over ownership of the intellectual property. Still, the essence of the original game is very much alive, not least because a new studio is working on a spiritual successor. The project is slated to continue "the thoughtful, narrative-first approach that defined its predecessor."

Some developers who worked on Disco Elysium and its scuttled sequel — along with folks who used to work at Bungie, Rockstar Games, Brave at Night and elsewhere — comprise the 12-strong team at London-based Longdue. According to The Guardian, the studio's first game is billed as “a psychogeographic RPG” that “explores the delicate interplay between the conscious and subconscious, the seen and unseen. Set in a world where choices ripple between the character’s psyche and environment, players will navigate a constantly shifting landscape, shaped by both internal and external forces.” 

If you know anything about Disco Elysium, that should sound fairly familiar. Not many other details have been revealed about the game so far, but Longdue did release a piece of concept art (above).

“At Longdue, we’re inspired by decades of classic RPGs, from Ultiima and Wizardry, through Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium,” narrative director Grant Roberts, formerly of Bungie and Rocksteady, said in a press release. “We’re excited to continue that legacy with another narrative-first, psychological RPG, where the interplay between inner worlds and external landscapes is the beating heart of the experience.” 

Longdue hasn't revealed all of the former ZA/UM developers that are involved, but Disco Elysium lead designer and writer Robert Kurvitz and lead artist Aleksander Rostov are not among them. In late 2022, ZA/UM's new majority shareholders fired that pair along with writer Helen Hindpere, accusing them of misconduct and trying to steal intellectual property (among other things). That's despite Kurvitz writing the novel on which the world of the 2019 game was based. Lawsuits were filed and ZA/UM claimed those were resolved last year. Kurvitz and Rostov have set up their own company, Red Info.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/former-disco-elysium-devs-are-making-the-games-spiritual-successor-at-a-new-studio-144205377.html?src=rss

Alpine A390: A Glimpse into the Future of EVs

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The Alpine A390_β is a groundbreaking concept car that offers a captivating glimpse into the future of sport fastbacks. This innovative vehicle seamlessly blends the sophistication of a bespoke suit with the raw power of a racing car, embodying Alpine’s unwavering commitment to high-end, thrilling, and eco-friendly sportiness. The A390_β is engineered to be a […]

The post Alpine A390: A Glimpse into the Future of EVs appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.