Tag Archives: author_name|Kris Holt

Fly Me To The Moon trailer plays right into Apollo 11 conspiracy theorists’ hands

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Fly Me To The Moon is an upcoming comedy-drama from Columbia Pictures and Apple that goes behind the scenes of NASA trying to improve its image while preparing for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. A trailer makes it seem like a lighthearted, fun time at the movies, though conspiracy theorists may have a field day with one of the key plot points.

Scarlett Johansson plays Kelly Jones, a PR expert who NASA brings in to improve public perception ahead of the launch. Along with butting heads with launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) and turning the crew into global celebrities, Kelly is handed a particularly difficult task: to secretly create a fake version of the Moon landing, just in case the mission goes sideways. 

The rest of the cast, which includes Woody Harrelson, looks solid too. For one thing, the delightful Jim Rash (Community) plays the very much not Stanley Kubrick director of the phony Moon landing. The movie's director is Greg Berlanti, who was behind Love, Simon and a string of DC Comics TV shows.

Fly Me To The Moon will arrive in theaters on July 14, almost 55 years to the day after Apollo 11 launched.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fly-me-to-the-moon-trailer-plays-right-into-apollo-11-conspiracy-theorists-hands-174547851.html?src=rss

Drones that charge on power lines may not be the best idea

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Battery life has long been a key limiting factor in drone use. Although there are commercial models that can stay aloft for 45 minutes or longer on a single charge, being able to keep drones in the air for longer would be helpful for many purposes. Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark have been working on that issue for several years by developing drones that can recharge directly from power lines.

This time around, the scientists attached a gripper system to a Tarot 650 Sport drone, which they customized with a electric quadcopter propulsion system, an autopilot module and other components. When the drone's systems detect that the battery is running low, the device employs its camera and millimeter-wave radar system to pinpoint the closest power line, as New Atlas notes.

The drone then flies up to the power line from underneath, using a pair of inward-sloping arms to guide the cable into the gripper. An inductive charger pulls current from the power line. When the battery is full, the gripper opens and the drone continues on its way.

At the outset, the idea is for drones that inspect power lines to use this charging system. The researchers first showed off a self-charging drone that tops up its battery from power lines in 2022. This time around, they improved the gripper system and demonstrated a real-world use case for the tech.

In a paper they're presenting at next month's IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the team described the project as "to the best of our knowledge, a first-in-the-world system with the ability to sustain operation throughout many inspection/charging cycles powered by energy harvesting from power lines in a real outdoor environment." In arguably the most successful test, the drone stayed aloft for over two hours through five cycles of power line inspection and charging.

Drones have been used for years to monitor and inspect power lines. They're particularly useful in remote areas, such as mountain tops, where examining power lines manually is a tough ask. Still, it's hard not to feel a little uneasy about drones clamping onto power lines. If anything goes wrong and a drone somehow ends up damaging a power line, an entire region could lose electricity. Charging pads for drone exist and may be a safer option, but they'd require extra space for infrastructure.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/drones-that-charge-on-power-lines-may-not-be-the-best-idea-163942109.html?src=rss

Drones that charge on power lines may not be the best idea

Posted on by

Battery life has long been a key limiting factor in drone use. Although there are commercial models that can stay aloft for 45 minutes or longer on a single charge, being able to keep drones in the air for longer would be helpful for many purposes. Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark have been working on that issue for several years by developing drones that can recharge directly from power lines.

This time around, the scientists attached a gripper system to a Tarot 650 Sport drone, which they customized with a electric quadcopter propulsion system, an autopilot module and other components. When the drone's systems detect that the battery is running low, the device employs its camera and millimeter-wave radar system to pinpoint the closest power line, as New Atlas notes.

The drone then flies up to the power line from underneath, using a pair of inward-sloping arms to guide the cable into the gripper. An inductive charger pulls current from the power line. When the battery is full, the gripper opens and the drone continues on its way.

At the outset, the idea is for drones that inspect power lines to use this charging system. The researchers first showed off a self-charging drone that tops up its battery from power lines in 2022. This time around, they improved the gripper system and demonstrated a real-world use case for the tech.

In a paper they're presenting at next month's IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the team described the project as "to the best of our knowledge, a first-in-the-world system with the ability to sustain operation throughout many inspection/charging cycles powered by energy harvesting from power lines in a real outdoor environment." In arguably the most successful test, the drone stayed aloft for over two hours through five cycles of power line inspection and charging.

Drones have been used for years to monitor and inspect power lines. They're particularly useful in remote areas, such as mountain tops, where examining power lines manually is a tough ask. Still, it's hard not to feel a little uneasy about drones clamping onto power lines. If anything goes wrong and a drone somehow ends up damaging a power line, an entire region could lose electricity. Charging pads for drone exist and may be a safer option, but they'd require extra space for infrastructure.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/drones-that-charge-on-power-lines-may-not-be-the-best-idea-163942109.html?src=rss

A GoPro Hero 12 bundle with a battery grip is $100 off

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The GoPro Hero 12 already had the promise of a better battery life than its predecessors. When you toss a battery grip into the mix, the company says you'll get over five hours of continuous 4K recording at 30 frames per second (depending on conditions). That's bound to be pretty enticing for those who like to capture as much footage as they can during a day of action sports or travel vlogging. What's even better is that a bundle of the camera and battery grip is on sale for $499 at Amazon and GoPro directly. The bundle is $100 off the regular price and a record low.

Along with 4K footage, you can film in HDR at a resolution of 5.3K at up to 60 frames per second. You can shoot in 4K at up to 120 fps too, while there's 10-bit color support. A vertical capture feature makes it a cinch to shoot footage for apps like TikTok even while the camera is in a horizontal orientation.

GoPro's stabilization tech is in full force here as well, with the company claiming HyperSmooth 6.0 can give you "impossibly smooth footage no matter how rough it gets." A horizon lock option should keep the horizon steady as you move the camera.

There's directional audio support thanks to the microphone on the included Media Mod, which has a 3.5mm mic port and micro HDMI port too. You can also connect AirPods, Bluetooth earbuds and wireless microphones to the camera and even use voice commands..

The battery grip affords you single-hand control over the camera. It has a built-in tripod and you can remove it to operate the GoPro Hero 12 remotely from up to 30 meters (98 feet) away. Along with the battery grip and Media Mod, the bundle includes a self-explanatory Light Mod and Enduro Battery.

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/a-gopro-hero-12-bundle-with-a-battery-grip-is-100-off-142645942.html?src=rss

A GoPro Hero 12 bundle with a battery grip is $100 off

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The GoPro Hero 12 already had the promise of a better battery life than its predecessors. When you toss a battery grip into the mix, the company says you'll get over five hours of continuous 4K recording at 30 frames per second (depending on conditions). That's bound to be pretty enticing for those who like to capture as much footage as they can during a day of action sports or travel vlogging. What's even better is that a bundle of the camera and battery grip is on sale for $499 at Amazon and GoPro directly. The bundle is $100 off the regular price and a record low.

Along with 4K footage, you can film in HDR at a resolution of 5.3K at up to 60 frames per second. You can shoot in 4K at up to 120 fps too, while there's 10-bit color support. A vertical capture feature makes it a cinch to shoot footage for apps like TikTok even while the camera is in a horizontal orientation.

GoPro's stabilization tech is in full force here as well, with the company claiming HyperSmooth 6.0 can give you "impossibly smooth footage no matter how rough it gets." A horizon lock option should keep the horizon steady as you move the camera.

There's directional audio support thanks to the microphone on the included Media Mod, which has a 3.5mm mic port and micro HDMI port too. You can also connect AirPods, Bluetooth earbuds and wireless microphones to the camera and even use voice commands..

The battery grip affords you single-hand control over the camera. It has a built-in tripod and you can remove it to operate the GoPro Hero 12 remotely from up to 30 meters (98 feet) away. Along with the battery grip and Media Mod, the bundle includes a self-explanatory Light Mod and Enduro Battery.

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/a-gopro-hero-12-bundle-with-a-battery-grip-is-100-off-142645942.html?src=rss

Meta asks a judge to throw out an FTC antitrust case

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Meta has asked a judge to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case against the company before it goes to trial. Alongside 48 states and territories, the FTC sued Meta in 2020 in an attempt to force the company to divest Instagram and WhatsApp, which it bought in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

The agency and dozens of attorneys general claim that Meta (then known as Facebook) bought the two platforms to stifle competition. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg “recognized that by acquiring and controlling Instagram, Facebook would not only squelch the direct threat that Instagram posed, but also significantly hinder another firm from using photo-sharing on mobile phones to gain popularity as a provider of personal social networking,” the FTC asserted. “Just as with Instagram, WhatsApp presented a powerful threat to Facebook’s personal social networking monopoly, which Facebook targeted for acquisition rather than competition.”

Meta notes that not only did the FTC approve both acquisitions in the first place, but its initial complaint was dismissed for failing to to state a plausible claim. While a judge has allowed an amended complaint to move forward, Meta claims that "the agency has done nothing to build its case through the discovery process" to show that the company holds monopoly power in the “personal social networking services” market and that it caused harm to consumers and competition through the purchases.

In its motion for summary judgment, the company points out that Instagram, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of the company's total revenue in the first half of 2022, wasn't making any money when it bought the service for $1 billion in 2012. Instagram had just two percent of the billion-plus users it has now, Meta says, adding that it introduced features such as direct messages, livestreaming, Stories and shopping. As for WhatsApp, Meta made the service free to use, added end-to-end encryption and implemented voice and video calling.

Meta argues that it has invested billions of dollars and millions of hours of work into the apps. It claims that both Instagram and WhatsApp are in a better place as a result, to the benefit of consumers and businesses.

Elsewhere, Meta argues that the FTC failed to establish a relevant antitrust market, claiming that the agency's definition of an “personal social networking services” market used "an artificially limited set of only four companies – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and MeWe – ignoring many of the most popular activities people engage in on Facebook and Instagram." For instance, Meta points out that YouTube and TikTok offer similar short-form video features to Reels.

What's more, the FTC's allegation that Meta has a “dominant share” of the artificial “personal social networking services market” doesn't hold up, according to the company. Meta says that's because the FTC's "market share numbers are meaningless without a properly defined market."

Meta, which accused the FTC of wielding "structurally unconstitutional authority" against the company in a separate case last year, also took the opportunity to take more potshots at the agency and antitrust rules. "The decision to revisit done deals is tantamount to announcing that no sale will ever be final," Jennifer Newstead, Meta’s Chief Legal Officer, wrote in a blog post. Newstead claims the Instagram and WhatsApp "lawsuit not only sows doubt and uncertainty about the US government’s merger review process and whether acquiring businesses can actually rely on the outcomes of the regulatory review process, but it will also make companies think twice about investing in innovation, since they may be punished if that innovation leads to success."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-asks-a-judge-to-throw-out-an-ftc-antitrust-case-203950108.html?src=rss

Meta asks a judge to throw out an FTC antitrust case

Posted on by

Meta has asked a judge to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case against the company before it goes to trial. Alongside 48 states and territories, the FTC sued Meta in 2020 in an attempt to force the company to divest Instagram and WhatsApp, which it bought in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

The agency and dozens of attorneys general claim that Meta (then known as Facebook) bought the two platforms to stifle competition. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg “recognized that by acquiring and controlling Instagram, Facebook would not only squelch the direct threat that Instagram posed, but also significantly hinder another firm from using photo-sharing on mobile phones to gain popularity as a provider of personal social networking,” the FTC asserted. “Just as with Instagram, WhatsApp presented a powerful threat to Facebook’s personal social networking monopoly, which Facebook targeted for acquisition rather than competition.”

Meta notes that not only did the FTC approve both acquisitions in the first place, but its initial complaint was dismissed for failing to to state a plausible claim. While a judge has allowed an amended complaint to move forward, Meta claims that "the agency has done nothing to build its case through the discovery process" to show that the company holds monopoly power in the “personal social networking services” market and that it caused harm to consumers and competition through the purchases.

In its motion for summary judgment, the company points out that Instagram, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of the company's total revenue in the first half of 2022, wasn't making any money when it bought the service for $1 billion in 2012. Instagram had just two percent of the billion-plus users it has now, Meta says, adding that it introduced features such as direct messages, livestreaming, Stories and shopping. As for WhatsApp, Meta made the service free to use, added end-to-end encryption and implemented voice and video calling.

Meta argues that it has invested billions of dollars and millions of hours of work into the apps. It claims that both Instagram and WhatsApp are in a better place as a result, to the benefit of consumers and businesses.

Elsewhere, Meta argues that the FTC failed to establish a relevant antitrust market, claiming that the agency's definition of an “personal social networking services” market used "an artificially limited set of only four companies – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and MeWe – ignoring many of the most popular activities people engage in on Facebook and Instagram." For instance, Meta points out that YouTube and TikTok offer similar short-form video features to Reels.

What's more, the FTC's allegation that Meta has a “dominant share” of the artificial “personal social networking services market” doesn't hold up, according to the company. Meta says that's because the FTC's "market share numbers are meaningless without a properly defined market."

Meta, which accused the FTC of wielding "structurally unconstitutional authority" against the company in a separate case last year, also took the opportunity to take more potshots at the agency and antitrust rules. "The decision to revisit done deals is tantamount to announcing that no sale will ever be final," Jennifer Newstead, Meta’s Chief Legal Officer, wrote in a blog post. Newstead claims the Instagram and WhatsApp "lawsuit not only sows doubt and uncertainty about the US government’s merger review process and whether acquiring businesses can actually rely on the outcomes of the regulatory review process, but it will also make companies think twice about investing in innovation, since they may be punished if that innovation leads to success."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-asks-a-judge-to-throw-out-an-ftc-antitrust-case-203950108.html?src=rss

Meta plans to more broadly label AI-generated content

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Meta says that its current approach to labeling AI-generated content is too narrow and that it will soon apply a "Made with AI" badge to a broader range of videos, audio and images. Starting in May, it will append the label to media when it detects industry-standard AI image indicators or when users acknowledge that they’re uploading AI-generated content. The company may also apply the label to posts that fact-checkers flag, though it's likely to downrank content that's been identified as false or altered.

The company announced the measure in the wake of an Oversight Board decision regarding a video that was maliciously edited to depict President Joe Biden touching his granddaughter inappropriately. The Oversight Board agreed with Meta's decision not to take down the video from Facebook as it didn't violate the company's rules regarding manipulated media. However, the board suggested that Meta should “reconsider this policy quickly, given the number of elections in 2024.”

Meta says it agrees with the board's "recommendation that providing transparency and additional context is now the better way to address manipulated media and avoid the risk of unnecessarily restricting freedom of speech, so we’ll keep this content on our platforms so we can add labels and context." The company added that, in July, it will stop taking down content purely based on violations of its manipulated video policy. "This timeline gives people time to understand the self-disclosure process before we stop removing the smaller subset of manipulated media," Meta's vice president of content policy Monika Bickert wrote in a blog post.

Meta had been applying an “Imagined with AI” label to photorealistic images that users whip up using the Meta AI tool. The updated policy goes beyond the Oversight Board's labeling recommendations, Meta says. "If we determine that digitally-created or altered images, video or audio create a particularly high risk of materially deceiving the public on a matter of importance, we may add a more prominent label so people have more information and context," Bickert wrote.

While the company generally believes that transparency and allowing appropriately labeled AI-generated photos, images and audio to remain on its platforms is the best way forward, it will still delete material that breaks the rules. "We will remove content, regardless of whether it is created by AI or a person, if it violates our policies against voter interference, bullying and harassment, violence and incitement, or any other policy in our Community Standards," Bickert noted.

The Oversight Board told Engadget in a statement that it was pleased Meta took its recommendations on board. It added that it would review the company's implementation of them in a transparency report down the line.

"While it is always important to find ways to preserve freedom of expression while protecting against demonstrable offline harm, it is especially critical to do so in the context of such an important year for elections," the board said. "As such, we are pleased that Meta will begin labeling a wider range of video, audio and image content as 'Made with AI' when they detect AI image indicators or when people indicate they have uploaded AI content. This will provide people with greater context and transparency for more types of manipulated media, while also removing posts which violate Meta’s rules in other ways."

Update 4/5 12:55PM ET: Added comment from The Oversight Board.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-plans-to-more-broadly-label-ai-generated-content-152945787.html?src=rss

Meta plans to more broadly label AI-generated content

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Meta says that its current approach to labeling AI-generated content is too narrow and that it will soon apply a "Made with AI" badge to a broader range of videos, audio and images. Starting in May, it will append the label to media when it detects industry-standard AI image indicators or when users acknowledge that they’re uploading AI-generated content. The company may also apply the label to posts that fact-checkers flag, though it's likely to downrank content that's been identified as false or altered.

The company announced the measure in the wake of an Oversight Board decision regarding a video that was maliciously edited to depict President Joe Biden touching his granddaughter inappropriately. The Oversight Board agreed with Meta's decision not to take down the video from Facebook as it didn't violate the company's rules regarding manipulated media. However, the board suggested that Meta should “reconsider this policy quickly, given the number of elections in 2024.”

Meta says it agrees with the board's "recommendation that providing transparency and additional context is now the better way to address manipulated media and avoid the risk of unnecessarily restricting freedom of speech, so we’ll keep this content on our platforms so we can add labels and context." The company added that, in July, it will stop taking down content purely based on violations of its manipulated video policy. "This timeline gives people time to understand the self-disclosure process before we stop removing the smaller subset of manipulated media," Meta's vice president of content policy Monika Bickert wrote in a blog post.

Meta had been applying an “Imagined with AI” label to photorealistic images that users whip up using the Meta AI tool. The updated policy goes beyond the Oversight Board's labeling recommendations, Meta says. "If we determine that digitally-created or altered images, video or audio create a particularly high risk of materially deceiving the public on a matter of importance, we may add a more prominent label so people have more information and context," Bickert wrote.

While the company generally believes that transparency and allowing appropriately labeled AI-generated photos, images and audio to remain on its platforms is the best way forward, it will still delete material that breaks the rules. "We will remove content, regardless of whether it is created by AI or a person, if it violates our policies against voter interference, bullying and harassment, violence and incitement, or any other policy in our Community Standards," Bickert noted.

The Oversight Board told Engadget in a statement that it was pleased Meta took its recommendations on board. It added that it would review the company's implementation of them in a transparency report down the line.

"While it is always important to find ways to preserve freedom of expression while protecting against demonstrable offline harm, it is especially critical to do so in the context of such an important year for elections," the board said. "As such, we are pleased that Meta will begin labeling a wider range of video, audio and image content as 'Made with AI' when they detect AI image indicators or when people indicate they have uploaded AI content. This will provide people with greater context and transparency for more types of manipulated media, while also removing posts which violate Meta’s rules in other ways."

Update 4/5 12:55PM ET: Added comment from The Oversight Board.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-plans-to-more-broadly-label-ai-generated-content-152945787.html?src=rss

Logitech’s Litra Beam key light is 10 percent off right now

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Having a fancy webcam is all well and good, but another thing you might need to seriously upgrade the quality of your video calls and livestreams is a decent key light. It will illuminate your face to help you stand out from the background and help the camera discern your features more clearly. You don’t need to break the bank to get a decent key light either. Logitech’s Litra Beam is currently $10 off at $90. That’s only $5 more than the lowest price we’ve seen for it.

The Litra Beam looks a bit like an LED reading lamp and it would be a fairly stylish addition to many setups. It has a three-way adjustable stand, allowing you to tweak the height, tilt and rotation as needed, while its ability to run on either USB or AC power gives you more placement options.

The device uses TrueSoft tech, which, according to Logitech, provides "balanced, full-spectrum LED light with cinematic color accuracy for a natural, radiant look across all skin tones." A frameless diffuser helps mitigate harsh shadows, according to the company. 

You'll be able to adjust the Litra Beam's brightness, color temperature, presets and other settings through the Logitech G Hub desktop app, which also allows you to manage multiple lights at once. In addition, the key light has five physical buttons on the rear for quick switching between brightness and color temperature settings.

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/logitechs-litra-beam-key-light-is-10-percent-off-right-now-141839351.html?src=rss