[Read: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos compete to help NASA return humans to the moon] Last month, the Pentagon’s inspector general concluded that the White House hadn’t compromised the JEDI procurement process, despite having interviewed officials who’d avoided answering certain questions by citing something called “presidential communications privilege.” Whichever company finally secures the Pentagon’s JEDI contract will provide the Defense Department (DoD) with what is essentially an enterprise cloud computing system — but for the US war machine....

The Echo Loop is a $179.99 ring ($129.99 at launch) with a button to activate Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant, depending on your phone’s default. The ring connects to your phone through Bluetooth, and uses your phone’s mobile network to fetch answers to your questions from the cloud. Because it’s such a tiny device, you’ll mostly have to bring it near your mouth and practically whisper your queries, and then bring it to your ear to listen to its response....

It has 32-keys in two octaves and pre-trained AI models in classical, jazz, rock, or pop genres to get started. You can use a pre-recorded tune or record one of your own, and then select parameters and validation sample for the model. It’ll then produce a tune based on the genre and parameters. Once you get comfortable with using Deepcomposer, you can train your own model and make music. The company uses Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to ‘compose’ music in different styles and genres....

Split screen for the win Android’s making split screen mode standard across all screen types and sizes, including widescreen and portrait. This removes the need to fiddle through lists of apps. Navigation and media operate simultaneously, so you can get directions and enjoy your latest podcast. Google gets more context with Android Auto Google Assistant is bringing contextual suggestions to help increase in-car productivity. It can suggest replies to text messages, share arrival times, or play recommended music....

Everybody’s heard the Mark Twain quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” And it’s true. Whether it’s sports, photography, food, or bottle cap collecting, you’ve likely got a passion that, if channeled correctly, could both enrich your life and keep a roof over your head at the same time. Starting any side hustle is about explaining your passion to the widest possible audience and stoking their excitement....

But eagle-eyed Apple followers might’ve noticed something strange: Apple’s still selling the Intel MacBook Pro and Mac Mini on its website. Considering how quickly Apple discontinues old products when new ones launch, it seems strange that the company wouldn’t simply try and move all its users onto to machines packing its M1 chip. There is a solid reason though… Why hasn’t Apple discontinued the Intel MacBook Pro and Mac Mini?...

The company has just launched an interactive mobile web app that lets you customize your new device’s color, MagSafe case, and wallet attachment. Meaning you can create bits of art like this: The iPhone 12 Studio service is very similar to the Apple Watch Studio, something I found helpful when I bought one of Apple’s wearables. The big difference between them though is the iPhone version only works on mobile or tablet, while the Watch one functions on the desktop just fine....

Quite possibly. The weather can affect the performance of your internet connection in a variety of ways. This can include issues such as physical damage to the network, water getting into electrical connections, and wireless signal interference. Some types of connection are more vulnerable to weather than others. The behavior of other humans in response to the weather can also have an effect on your connection. How rain can affect your internet connection Internet connections are much more complicated than the router and cables in our homes....

One peculiarity is the difference in plumage color between different barn owls. Why is it that some have undersides that are completely white while others are dark red? This puzzled scientists for a long time, but finally, we have an answer. The light conditions in sunlit environments determine how the color traits of animals evolve, as the composition and quantity of light affects how well an animal is seen by predators or competitors....

Google serviced more than 2.5 trillion searches in 2020. That translates to a still staggering 6.9 billion searches each and every day. The most visited website on the planet, many experts believe that astronomical volume will only increase, potentially eclipsing an unfathomable 10 trillion searches annually by the end of the decade. Considering those gargantuan numbers, it’s clear why Google Ads and their equally vast advertising network are one of the most high-profile marketing opportunities available to a business....

John de Mol, one of the brains behind entertainment giant Endemol and the Big Brother television format, filed his suit with an Amsterdam court three months ago. Since then, Facebook and de Mol have reportedly negotiated to no avail. De Mol claims Facebook failed to set measures to stop such scams from advertising on its platform. “While the company seemed to be cooperating, it was merely a smokescreen that concealed its reluctance to put in place the desired measures in a timely and correct manner,” said De Mol via a statement cited by Reuters....

I saw a tweet this morning (I love Twitter), and it asked an excellent question: Seriously, where are all the bikes and ebikes? How about some cargo bikes — they could be used to tow a few politicians far better than car cavalcades. — Dave Robertson (@DaveBikeSki) November 4, 2021 For transport, used by most of the world’s population, the absence of cycling in any official capacity is at best laughable and, at worst, downright negligent....

Sensors will be provided to military hospitals in the US and sites across Southeast Asia, according to a press release. The sensors are worn the chest or wrist, from where they continuously measure vital signs. Algorithms will analyze the data to spot any changes that signal early signs of infection. The project is being led by physIQ, a healthtech firm that has previously used analytics to monitor Ebola patients. [Read: ‘Pandemic drones’ are flying over the US to detect coronavirus symptoms] “The second wave [of the pandemic] is going to come this fall....

A fledgling Danish audio firm with a 31-year-old founder, Buchardt has burst into the hi-fi scene with much momentum. Early buzz has lauded its products’ high performance per dollar, and I have no reason to contradict those comments. After spending some time with the Buchardt S400, I came away impressed with both its sound quality and the measurement data behind it. At €2,000 within Europe or €1610 (~$1,800) elsewhere, the S400 is a remarkable performer that goes toe-to-toe with top options in the price range, like the KEF R3....

Petaluma in California has become the first US city to ban the construction of new petrol stations and pumps as part of its plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. The City Council unanimously approved a bill to continue an existing two-year moratorium indefinitely. The city’s 16 existing petrol stations will be allowed to continue to operate, and the bill will make it easier for stations to add electric vehicle charging points and other alternative fuel stations on their premises....

Any Warzone enthusiast knows having the right loadout — a custom-made set of guns and perks (or special skills) — can tremendously increase your chances of winning. That’s why a band of Reddit tricksters are trying to design the worst guns possible, and leave them on the ground for other players to pick up. Meet r/trashMWLoadouts, a new Reddit community specifically created to share some of most splendidly awful guns a human can put together....

Now I’ll be spending more time indoors, there’s only one thing that’ll soothe me: gadgets. So here’s a list of all the cool shit at CES 2022 that really want (but don’t really need). Kohler’s PerfectFill Last year, one of the costliest items on my list was a $16,000 bathtub from Kohler. This year, I’m picking a slightly more ‘affordable’ product from the company: PerfectFill. This new offering can fill (or drain) your bathtub with just a voice command....

This is a good deal, but I’d be failing if I didn’t point out that this deal is likely because its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5, is expected to arrive in the coming months. Furthermore, Samsung recently released a mid-range tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, albeit to tepid reviews. If you’re one of those people who want to be on the bleeding edge of tech, and aren’t too concerned about price, you’d probably best closing this tab....

Funny I should mention that, as you can now grab a year-long subscription for just $39.99. That’s $20 cheaper than the usual price of $59.99. It’s worth adding that PlayStation Plus isn’t just about playing with scratchy-voiced teens from Idaho, who will regale their sexual exploits with your mother as they raggedly teabag your lifeless corpse in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. It also gives you 100GB of cloud storage, plus two free games per month....

As per Reuters, the company deleted these accounts without any specific reasons. If you tried to access any of these groups you’d find a notice saying they “had violated regulations on the management of accounts offering public information service on the Chinese internet.” A fathomable reason, indeed. According to a report from AP, these accounts were taken down on Tuesday at 10PM. It said that universities asked these groups to shut down or remove references to their college’s name a few months before the incident....