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Super Mario Maker 2, Nintendo’s build-your-own-level game that originally debuted on the Nintendo Wii U in 2015, is officially coming to the Switch. It will include brand-new features, according to a new Nintendo Direct, which aired this afternoon. There are elements of the game that appear in the trailer that …
Read More »Twitter is testing a pop-up mini profile inside of threads
Twitter conversations can be notoriously hard to parse — just ask the company’s CEO and co-founder, Jack Dorsey, who participated in a conversation with Recode’s Kara Swisher yesterday that was deemed a “chaotic hellpit” that even Dorsey said was “definitely not easy to follow.” Part of the reason is that …
Read More »Watch these sperm wriggle up a model reproductive tract
When it comes to sperm, only the fiercest swimmers can wriggle past the bottlenecks of the female reproductive tract, new research shows. The study could help one day improve tests for male fertility. But, in the meantime, it brings us delightful footage of sperm desperately, fruitlessly swimming into a fake …
Read More »Cloud backup service Backblaze is raising its prices
Backblaze is a fantastic option for automatically backing up your computer’s files to the cloud, where they’re free from the potential threats of theft or damage that external hard drives can face. But as with many good things, this one is about to get a bit more expensive. The company …
Read More »DC Universe’s new Doom Patrol show may not be weird enough to stand out
In the first book of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol run, the world is overrun by creatures that can cut their victims out of reality. Doom Patrol leader Niles Caulder (aka “The Chief”) asks Robotman (a human brain in a metal body), “How do you propose to deal with the current …
Read More »Pixelmator Pro adds support for iPhone Portrait Mode depth masks
Pixelmator Pro’s latest update adds support for the iPhone’s portrait masks, which lets you do more with photos taken in Portrait Mode. Photos taken in Portrait Mode on iOS 12 or later will be imported with the depth data in a separate layer mask, so you can easily edit backgrounds …
Read More »You can already reserve a Galaxy S10 from Samsung
There have already been plenty of leaks, but Samsung hasn’t yet formally announced its Galaxy S10 smartphone lineup, which is set to be offered in several different models and sizes. Even so, that’s not stopping the company from kicking off S10 reservations ahead of next week’s Unpacked event. Samsung has …
Read More »Katherine Cross on moderating online gaming communities and artificial intelligence
In Katherine Cross’ short story “Machine of Loving Grace” — the final installment in our Better Worlds anthology — Alexandra and Phoebe must deal with their creation Ami, an artificial intelligence that was designed to moderate online communities, as it fights fire with fire. Cross is a sociologist and a …
Read More »Amazon opens up Alexa store for anyone to create and publish custom skills
Amazon is now letting anyone create and publish Alexa skills into the Alexa skills store. Amazon first made it easy to create custom skills last year with its Alexa Skill Blueprints program, and it’s taking those custom responses and allowing them to be published in the store for everyone to …
Read More »Tim Cook says Apple will investigate app that lets Saudi men track and control women
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said the company will look into an app that can be used to track and limit the travel freedom of women in Saudi Arabia. “I haven’t heard about it,” the CEO said in an interview with NPR. “But obviously we’ll take a look at it …
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