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• The Morning After: Netflix explains how it uses AI to sell shows
• Gmail, YouTube and more down in major Google outage
• Reddit snaps up TikTok rival Dubsmash
• Apple reportedly killed a TV+ show about Gawker after a Tim Cook email
• EA, not Take-Two, is buying Codemasters now
• CD Projekt Red promises to fix 'Cyberpunk 2077' on consoles
• Google makes it easier to try Chrome's experimental features
• Windows gaming pioneer Eric Engstrom dies at 55
• Vocal synth with teeth is equally hilarious and horrifying
• Foreign state hackers reportedly breached the US Treasury (updated)
• Eliminate bad odors at home with this innovative gift idea
• Facebook reportedly hesitated to remove Indian extremists over risk to staff
• Google is reportedly testing dark mode for desktop web searches
• After Math: Sony is spending a billion bucks on Crunchyroll's anime service
• China Moon probe starts return to Earth with lunar samples

The Morning After: Netflix explains how it uses AI to sell shows Posted: 14 Dec 2020 04:30 AM PST Without revealing all its secrets, Netflix has laid out how it uses AI to market shows and predict their success. We already knew that Netflix shuffles and redesigns its interface and show tiles, apparently on the fly, to hook more viewers. But it al...

Gmail, YouTube and more down in major Google outage Posted: 14 Dec 2020 04:20 AM PST Not the best start to the week. Around 6:29AM ET, the vast majority of Google-operated services, including Gmail and YouTube, went down for customers in multiple markets. A quick glance at Downdetector reveals that Google Drive, Maps, Nest, Calendar,...

Reddit snaps up TikTok rival Dubsmash Posted: 14 Dec 2020 03:39 AM PST Reddit has acquired short-form video platform and TikTok rival Dubsmash for an undisclosed sum, the companies announced. Dubsmash will keep its current platform and brand, while Reddit will integrate Dubsmash's video creation tools. "Dubsmash provide...

Apple reportedly killed a TV+ show about Gawker after a Tim Cook email Posted: 14 Dec 2020 02:15 AM PST Apple+ TV killed a show called Scraper about the rise of Gawker Media after CEO Tim Cook personally weighed in, according to a report in the New York Times. Apple TV+ was supposedly working with former Gawker writers on the dramedy earlier this year....

EA, not Take-Two, is buying Codemasters now Posted: 14 Dec 2020 01:31 AM PST Well, that was unexpected. Codemasters, the British developer behind countless racing franchises including Dirt, Project Cars and the annualized F1 games, has been snapped up by EA. A little more than a month ago, Take-Two Interactive, the owner of 2...

CD Projekt Red promises to fix 'Cyberpunk 2077' on consoles Posted: 14 Dec 2020 12:41 AM PST Cyberpunk 2077 is less than a week old, but already the game has come in for some serious criticism, namely for its performance on older-generation consoles. Graphical issues have plagued the title, while other glitches have made it difficult to play...

Google makes it easier to try Chrome's experimental features Posted: 13 Dec 2020 02:38 PM PST Test versions of Chrome sometimes pack experimental features, but you almost wouldn't know it when you frequently have to enable obscure settings flags to use them. It might soon be much easier, however. Ghacks and Android Police have learned that Ch...

Windows gaming pioneer Eric Engstrom dies at 55 Posted: 13 Dec 2020 01:59 PM PST The gaming world recently lost one of its most quietly influential figures. The Wall Street Journal has learned that Microsoft engineer Eric Engstrom died on December 1st at the age of 55 from complications following an injury. Engstrom, along with A...

Vocal synth with teeth is equally hilarious and horrifying Posted: 13 Dec 2020 12:27 PM PST No, 2020 isn't done with deeply unnerving technology just yet. The artist Love Hulten has built VOC-25, a vocal synthesizer where each of the keys is represented by a set of plastic teeth. Yes, it's just as freaky in action as it looks. Play a piece...

Foreign state hackers reportedly breached the US Treasury (updated) Posted: 13 Dec 2020 11:45 AM PST Foreign hackers may be running rampant in the US government. Reuters sources said a group backed by a foreign government stole data from the Treasury Department and the internet policy-focused NTIA. While details are still limited, it was reportedly...

Eliminate bad odors at home with this innovative gift idea Posted: 13 Dec 2020 10:55 AM PST Our olfactory system, which gives us the ability to smell, is more powerful than you think. Humans can detect and discriminate an extraordinary range of odors, are capable of tracking odor trails and, in some cases, are sensitive to certain odors mor...

Facebook reportedly hesitated to remove Indian extremists over risk to staff Posted: 13 Dec 2020 10:46 AM PST Facebook is typically quick to ban groups advocating for real-world violence, but it may have been reluctant earlier this year. Wall Street Journal sources claimed Facebook wanted to ban the Indian nationalist group Bajrang Dal as a "dangerous organi...

Google is reportedly testing dark mode for desktop web searches Posted: 13 Dec 2020 09:07 AM PST Google might finally bring its dark mode for search to computer users. 9to5Google reports that users have discovered testing for a dark theme for Google's desktop web searches. The tests only appear to last briefly (Reddit user Pixel3aXL saw it come...

After Math: Sony is spending a billion bucks on Crunchyroll's anime service Posted: 13 Dec 2020 08:30 AM PST It's been a week of big deals, big trouble (at least for Facebook), and even bigger televisions. Apple announced its new over-ear AirPods Max, Sony's Funimation officialized its billion-dollar bid for rival Crunchyroll, and SpaceX scored a huge payda...

China Moon probe starts return to Earth with lunar samples Posted: 13 Dec 2020 07:45 AM PST China's Moon-sampling probe is on its way home after more than a week. Xinhua (via Reuters) reports Chang'e-5's orbiter-returner has started its return trip to Earth with a cargo of lunar rocks and soil. You'll have to wait a while for the vessel to...

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