Tuesday, April 19, 2022

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Elden Ring's most famous player immortalized in fan-made mod

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 02:50 PM PDT

Over the last week, the Elden Ring community has been entranced by Let Me Solo Her, a player whose skill at the tough-as-nails game is matched only by their fashion sense. The legend of LMSH was born when a Reddit user recently shared their experience of battling Malenia, an optional boss you can find toward the end of FromSoftware's latest game.

The Blade of Miquella is a tough challenge even for the most seasoned Soulsborne veterans. She's agile with an expansive moveset that becomes more deadly when she enters her second stage. After falling to her katana dozens of times, Reddit user Sazed813 turned to the game's summoning functionality to call for help.

Like with most of FromSoftware's recent titles, you can invite other players to assist you with the game's most challenging boss fights. And when Sazed813 used that feature, Let Me Solo Her answered. For a series known for its fashion police, LMSH immediately stood out. They came into Sazed813's game with nothing but a pot on his head, two katanas and a loincloth. But what they then went on to do was even more impressive. True to their name, Let Me Solo Her took on Malenia on his own and did so flawlessly.

Since becoming famous, Let Me Solo Her has inspired no shortage of fan art, including a piece that Berzerk creatorKentaro Miura would surely approve of if he were still alive today. And now there's even a mod for players who want to bring the swordmaster on their adventures.

As Polygon notes, Elden Ring modder Garden of Eyes has created an addon that tweaks the Lone Wolf Ashes, an early-game item you can use to summon a trio of spectral wolves to your side, to instead call forth a computer-controlled version of Let Me Solo Her. You're not getting the legend himself, but the beauty of the mod is that you can use it almost anywhere where it's possible to use spirit summons, including fights out in Elden Ring's open world. The catch is that Garden of Eyes is currently only offering the mod to those who subscribe to their Patreon for $5 per month. But if you ask us, that's a small price to get a taste of Let Me Solo Her.

Netflix is making an 'Exploding Kittens' mobile game and TV series

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 02:20 PM PDT

If Exploding Kittens is still a part of your party game repertoire several years later, Netflix has just the news you were hoping to hear. The streaming service is introducing an "exclusive" version of the Exploding Kittensmobile game as well as an animated TV series. The adult-oriented show will be executive-produced by card game creators Elan Lee and Matthew "The Oatmeal" Inman as well as veterans like Mike Judge, and will star well-known personalities including Lucy Liu (Kill Bill) and Tom Ellis (Lucifer).

The series revolves around a holy war that sees God and the Devil visit Earth in the form of beefy house cats. It won't stream on Netflix until 2023, but the upgraded game is due in May with two new cards and promises of future gameplay based on the show.

Netflix is keen to note this is will be the first time it launches both a game and a series from the same franchise (Stranger Things doesn't count, apparently). While the game certainly wasn't built from scratch, the company not-so-subtly hinted that it might repeat this simultaneous development strategy going forward — don't be surprised if more games and shows arrive in tandem.

Blackmagic launches DaVinci Resolve 18 with real-time cloud collaboration

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 01:53 PM PDT

Blackmagic Design has unveiled a raft of new products including the DaVinci Resolve 18 video editing/color correction app and Blackmagic Cloud, a cloud collaboration system designed for editors, VFX artists and others. It also launched the "Cloud Store" networked storage box that uses a familiar-looking enclosure. 

The key product is DaVinci Resolve 18 which now includes a feature called Blackmagic Cloud designed to help content creators work together. Multiple users around the world can instantly share projects, allowing editors, colorists, VFX artists and audio engineers to collaborate in real time on the same timeline. 

Blackmagic Design unveils 'Cloud Store' with the same enclosure as its eGPU
Blackmagic Design

A big part of that is the Blackmagic Proxy Generator App, which automatically generates smallish proxy video files (H.264, H.265 and Apple ProRes) that can be transferred quickly by internet. The idea is that remote editors can complete their work on proxies, then the colorist or VFX editor could automatically relink to the much larger original camera files. It also has new intelligent media location management, eliminating the need to manually relink or search for video, music and other assets.

Resolve 18 also introduces new creative features, with the biggest being a new object mask that can recognize and track thousands of types of objects. "The DaVinci Neural Engine intuitively isolates animals, vehicles, people and food, plus countless other elements for advanced secondary grading and effects application," Blackmagic wrote in a press release. 

It also lets you create a 3D depth matte of a scene to quickly color grade the foreground separately from the background. Another cool feature it demonstrated was a warp tracker that lets you create a mesh over complex objects like the logo on someone's T-shirt, then erase it or replace it with something else in a way that looks natural and realistic.

There are a host of other new features like "ultra beauty" for corrective beauty work, new transitions, improved subtitle support and more — check Blackmagic's press release for a detailed list. DaVinci Resolve 18 beta is now available to download for free, or you can pay $295 for the Studio version. 

Blackmagic also announced Cloud Store, a networked storage box that uses the same enclosure as its eGPU for Intel Macs. The idea is that you can load it up with 20TB, 80TB or 320TB of storage built from high speed M.2 SSDs. It uses a RAID 5 configuration for fault tolerance and has enough speed to completely saturate the four 10G Ethernet connections. "It's so fast, multicam editing is incredibly smooth, even if it's used with massive digital film camera files," the company said.

Blackmagic used the eGPU box as it has a reasonably professional look, and it's also nearly silent so it can be placed right on a desktop. Each port can be plugged into a separate computer or used together for 40G Ethernet. It has a USB-C to Ethernet adapter built in so it can be plugged directly into the USB-C port on a laptop for location work, for example. It can sync footage with multiple editors using Dropbox files, which can automatically be moved to the Blackmagic Cloud for collaboration.

The Cloud Store is designed for professional installations, so it's priced at $10,000 for the 20TB model and $30,000 for the 80TB model (that storage includes the extra RAID 5 parity drives required). There's no pricing for the 320GB box, but it might be over $100K. If all that's too much, Blackmagic Design also unveiled the Cloud Store Mini priced at $3,000 for 10TB with fewer ports and RAID 0 (no redundancy), along with the $395 Cloud Pod, a "bring your own disk" setup with 10G connectivity. 

Blackmagic Design unveils 'Cloud Store' with the same enclosure as its eGPU
Blackmagic Design

Finally, Blackmagic launched the HyperDeck Shuttle HD, a recorder/player designed to be used on the desktop with products like the Atem Mini switcher. You can playback media from USB-C disks or SD cards, or record an HDMI signal from a camera or other source. From there, you can scroll through footage using the jog dial and even use it as a teleprompter. The HyperDeck Shuttle HD is now available for $495.

Instagram enables product tagging for everyone in the US

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 11:35 AM PDT

Starting today, all Instagram users in the US with public accounts can tag products in their feed posts. The option had until now been limited to brands and some creators.

Budding influencers, for instance, can help their audience buy things they show off in their posts. So, those just getting home from Coachella and posting their photos of their weekend exploits might be able to let their followers shop their festival looks.

Instagram previously said the idea behind the feature is to help people "support their favorite small businesses." At least for now, you won't get a cut of sales if you tag products, though Instagram has tested affiliate shops and Meta wants to do more to help smaller creators earn a living through its apps. 

Instagram product tagging
Instagram

If you're eager to give brands you love some free promotion, tagging products doesn't seem overly complicated. It works in a similar way to tagging other users. First, you'll need to tag an eligible brand, then you can look for products using descriptors. You may be able to specify a style and color before adding the tag. Anyone who taps on a product tag will be able to buy that item directly in Instagram or by going to the brand's product detail page.

Product tagging won't stop at feed posts. Instagram says it's working on bringing a similar feature for Stories.

Nintendo’s Super Mario anime has been remastered in 4K to confuse a new generation

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 11:15 AM PDT

You probably didn't get to watch Nintendo's first anime movie when it premiered in Japan in 1986, but you now have your chance — at quality you would never have experienced in theaters. Polygonnotes Femboy Films has released a 4K remaster of The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach on both YouTube (below) and the Internet Archive. You can not only expect clean, color-corrected visuals based on a rare 16mm print, but new English subtitles and a fresh two-channel Dolby Surround audio capture from the VHS release.

The story isn't exactly revolutionary, but it's an intriguing peek at the Super Mario Bros. franchise at a time when the canon was far from settled. Mario and Luigi travel from the 'real' world into the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach after briefly escapes into their realm and is captured by King Koopa (Bowser). You can expect many references to the original Super Mario Bros. game, but you'll also find unusual deviations from the now-established premise. Mario and Luigi work at a grocery store, and they're compelled to save Peach thanks to a Dumpling Dog character. And did we mention Luigi drinks sake?

Whatever you think of the plot, this is a significant film preservation project. Great Mission was only officially released in Japan, and there was just one run of VHS tapes. If it weren't for the restoration, the anime might have been lost to modern audiences. The remaster should ensure that younger gamers have a glimpse of early Super Mario culture beyond emulated games or the not-so-stellar American movie from 1993.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G review: Hardly an upgrade

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 11:00 AM PDT

Samsung's Galaxy A52 5G wasn't the best midrange phone you could buy in 2021, but it did possess some standout features, including a responsive display and versatile camera. It was easy to imagine the company iterating on the A52 5G to make it the top of its class. Sadly, the Galaxy A53 5G is not dramatically different from its predecessor. Samsung has made a handful of tweaks by adding a more efficient processor and a bigger battery. But, at best, they feel like window dressing. Worse, in some ways, the phone feels like a step back.

Display

A closeup of the Galaxy A53's front-facing camera.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

Let's start with what hasn't changed. The A53 features a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2,400 by 1,080 resolution, 800 nits of peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. That screen is the main reason to buy the A53 — it's big, vibrant, fast and makes everything from scrolling through social media to watching videos enjoyable. It doesn't support HDR or offer a variable refresh rate like some of Samsung's more expensive phones, but that's not much of an issue. Even with the display set to 120Hz, I could get nearly two full days of moderate use and light gaming from the 5,000mAh battery.

Cameras

Samsung's latest phone comes with a quad-camera array. The 64-megapixel main camera is the standout of the package.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

The A53 also comes with the same quad-camera system as the A52 5G. The standout here is the 64-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture lens and optical image stabilization. On a sunny day, the camera and Samsung's imaging software consistently capture photos with saturated colors. It's also surprisingly good at preserving both shadow and highlight detail in high contrast scenes. The main camera struggles when there isn't a lot of light, producing images with a noticeable amount of noise, but that's something you see on a lot of midrange phones.

A supporting 5-MP depth sensor helps the A53's main camera take pleasant portrait shots. The A53 also includes one of the better macro modes I've used on a midrange device, thanks to an interface that makes it easy to ensure you've nailed the focus on your subject. With ample light, the 32-MP selfie camera is likewise capable of capturing flattering photos. By default, Samsung's beauty filter applies a moderate amount of smoothing, which you can adjust by tapping the "magic wand" icon at the top.

Then there's the 12-MP ultra-wide camera that feels like an afterthought. It does a decent job of capturing scenes that are too big for the main lens, but there's a noticeable drop in quality due to its lower resolution. One quirk I noticed across all of the A53's cameras is that they're not great at adjusting for color temperature. Many of the shots I took showed a noticeable green or purple tint. They were easy enough to fix with an editing app like Snapseed, but not everyone has the patience for that.

Overall, the A53 features a capable camera system, but I think it's a missed opportunity. With the A52 5G, Samsung was already behind the curve. Sure, it offered versatility, but phones like the Pixel 5a could take consistently better photos. The A53 does nothing to better position Samsung against the competition in the midrange market and it's likely to feel even more outdated when the Pixel 6a comes out.

Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy A53 doesn't feature a headphone jack.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

There are things Samsung has changed, though, starting with the phone's exterior. The company has shaved 0.3 millimeters off the A53 to make it 8.1mm thick. At the same time, it removed the headphone jack. As of this review, Samsung is offering a free set of Galaxy Buds Live when you buy the A53 through its website, so at least the company is helping ease the transition? Still, it's a shame to see the headphone jack go, because it made the A52 5G somewhat unique.

What makes the external tweaks even more disappointing is that Samsung hasn't addressed any of the issues we had with the A52 5G's finish. The matte material on the back of the phone is still a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. Also, in the US, Samsung is again only offering the phone in boring black.

Performance

A side shot of the A53 5G.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

I could overlook Samsung removing the headphone jack and leaving the camera as is, if the A53 was fast. Mediocre performance was one of the main reasons we didn't recommend the A52 5G, and the one notable update the A53 brings to the table is a new chipset. Samsung has equipped this year's model with its own Exynos 1280 SoC, and it is by far the most disappointing thing about the phone.

Simply put, it's not much of an upgrade over the A52 5G's Snapdragon 750G. In my testing, the A53 frequently stalled when I tried to switch between apps, and there was consistent stuttering in regular use. It was also slow to launch and operate the camera app, with a seconds-long delay between my pressing the shutter button and the camera firing. It was even worse when I tried to play games.

Samsung claims the Exynos 1280 offers up to 33 percent faster graphics than the Snapdragon 750G, but I saw regular frame rate drops in games like League of Legends: Wild Rift and Genshin Impact. I suspect some of the A53's performance woes boil down to the phone only coming with 6GB of RAM. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn't offer an 8GB variant in the US.

The A53 comes with Android 12 and the latest version of One UI, along with a promised four years of platform updates and five years of security fixes. That's among the best support you'll find on a device at this price and Samsung should be applauded for this. But I doubt you will want to hold on to this phone for that long. I can see myself getting fed up with the slow processor within a year.

Wrap-up

A wide shot of the Galaxy A53.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

At $450, the A53 costs $50 less than the A52 5G. That may seem like a bonus, but Samsung doesn't ship the phone with a wall charger anymore and it hasn't added wireless charging. The company's 25W power adapter costs an extra $20. In addition to the Galaxy Buds Live promotion I mentioned earlier, the company is currently offering up to $100 off the A53 if you trade in your existing device.

The A53 is a good purchase if you want the best display you can find for under $500, but there are better all-around options. For instance, the Pixel 5a features a cleaner version of Android, faster updates, as well as a headphone jack and more consistent camera.

A closeup of the Galaxy A53's main camera array.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

If you're set on a Samsung phone and have an extra $100 to spend, consider the Galaxy S21 FE. At $700, it was overpriced. But nowadays, you can regularly find it for about $550. It offers a much faster processor with WiFi 6 support. Those are things that will make it feasible to keep the S21 FE for longer than you would the A53.

Had Samsung done more to future-proof the A53, it would be easier for me to recommend. But with a middling chipset and a camera that feels stuck in the past, you're better off spending your money on a phone that you'll be happy with for years to come.

First Playdate orders begin shipping today

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 10:48 AM PDT

The day has finally arrived. Following an eleventh-hour delay late last year due to a "critical" battery issue, Panic has begun shipping its long-awaited Playdate portable (spoiler warning: we love it). In an email it sent out on Monday, the company said "Group One" customers will see their handheld shipped out "today and in the coming weeks." If you were among some of the first people to preorder the device back in 2021, Panic says you'll get an email the moment it sends out your unit. 

"We'll ramp up our shipping volume every day to make sure all of our systems are working smoothly," the company said. "We think we can get Group One out the door during the next month." Panic promised to share more information about Group Two orders, including details about delivery estimates, in the future. 

Unfortunately, if you decide to order the handheld today, you're in for a lengthy wait. "We've filled our production capacity for 2022, but we're ramping up to make even more systems," the company says on its website. "The queue for 2023 is quickly growing, so preorder now, and secure your place in line!" 

'Battlefield 2042' will finally get in-game voice chat on Tuesday

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 10:25 AM PDT

DICE and Electronic Arts will roll out a major Battlefield 2042 patch on Tuesday, which will bring an important, long-awaited feature to the beleaguered first-person shooter: in-game voice chat.

The VoIP feature won't work across an entire team, however. The only channel options are for parties and squads (which can have a maximum of four members). Given that teams can have up to 64 players, voice chat could get messy fast with that many people talking over each other. A proximity-based option might have been helpful for callouts, though.

While Battlefield 2042 players can use party chat features built-into their console or third-party services such as Discord, they haven't been able to speak with teammates they don't know until now. For a game like this, that's a heck of an omission. It's good to see DICE and EA finally correcting course.

Elsewhere, the 4.0 patch will overhaul weapon attachments to make many of them more distinct. It should be clearer to understand how switching to a different one will affect your weapon. Doing so might mean you'll have slower aim-down-sights speed or more magnification for a scope. In addition, players will see the updated scoreboard on end-of-round screens.

DICE listed many other changes in the patch notes, including progression tweaks, map alterations, bug fixes and modifications to some specialist abilities. The patch will go live at 3AM ET tomorrow.

Looking ahead, the next patch is scheduled to arrive in May. DICE said it will fix more bugs and introduce other quality of life changes. Battlefield 2042's delayed season one, meanwhile, is expected to start this summer.

Playdate is a magical indie game machine

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 10:00 AM PDT

Playdate shouldn't be able to do the things it does. It's tiny enough to fit in the too-tight front pockets of my skinny jeans, it's lighter than a deck of cards and it has a 1-bit black-and-white screen. It feels like a relic of the '90s, at least until you power it on – Playdate supports smooth, densely pixelated animations, it connects to Wi-Fi and it has a library of exclusive games from top-tier indie developers, all available for free. The small crank attached to its side is the icing on the yellow cake, adding a layer of sweet innovation to every experience on the system.

Playdate is my favorite handheld device since the Vita. It's a love letter to indie games and creativity, and I think it's exactly what the industry needs right now.

Playdate is the brainchild of Panic, the Mac developer and publisher behind Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game, with hardware crafted by Teenage Engineering. Its specs are appropriately adorable, with 16MB of RAM and 4GB of flash storage, an accelerometer for motion-based input, a 400 x 240 1-bit display, a built-in mono speaker, condenser mic and stereo headphone jack, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. The Bluetooth function wasn't available to test for review, but connecting to Wi-Fi was a painless, and even cute, process.

Playdate
Panic

Admittedly, most things about Playdate are cute: Its size, the crank, the audio cues, the way each game is presented as a little gift to unwrap and how the screen looks like a winky face when you wake it up. There's so much personality packed into Playdate's monochromatic screen that even interacting with the Settings page is enjoyable. Of course, playing games on it is even better.

Playdate comes with a lineup of free games, each one made exclusively for the system and most of them taking full advantage of the crank mechanic. These are automatically added to the library in batches – once a Playdate is activated, it'll receive two fresh games each week for 12 weeks, for a total of 24 titles in the device's first season. There are plans to offer games for purchase on Playdate down the line.

Some are definitely more replayable than others, but I haven't found a bad game on Playdate yet. They span genres and lengths, capping out at a few hours, but there's at least one moment of pure delight in each experience. Crankin's Time Travel Adventure, for instance, is a sidescroller starring a hopeless romantic who's just trying to meet his date on time, and his movements are controlled entirely by the crank, steps reversing and accelerating depending on the direction of the rotation. It's a simple concept with a singular input method, but the crank makes it challenging in a way I've never experienced before, and it's instantly addictive.

Playdate
Playdate
Panic

Spellcorked is my favorite game on Playdate so far, largely because it so cleanly captures everything the device has to offer. It's a potion-making game with a romantic subplot and a sassy cat, and every time I boot it up I'm impressed by the amount of fine detail that fills the screen. It has dialogue, character icons, an email interface, and environments filled with spiderwebs and nicknacks, but nothing gets lost visually. Each frame is crisp and the actual potion-making process involves every input method Playdate offers: pressing buttons while turning the crank to grind ingredients, lining up a blade with the crank and chopping in a back-and-forth motion, and tilting the entire device to the side to pour a finished potion into a vial. Each new mechanic is so delightful, so initially surprising, that it adds an extra layer of magic to an already spell-heavy game.

The Playdate crank isn't a gimmick. It's a fundamental aspect of the system, transforming it from a revamped Gameboy into something entirely new, a mobile device with a peculiar and joyful edge. The crank, much like the lo-fi restrictions of the hardware, is an invitation for developers to think deeper about the way they develop games, to try new things and to innovate on old ideas. Playdate's first season is already filled with fresh concepts; I haven't felt this spark of intrigue from a handheld since my fingers brushed the back of the Vita for the first time.

Playdate
Panic

I believe the ideas generated by Playdate games won't be trapped in a crank-only bubble, either. This kind of creative thinking naturally bleeds into the wider game development cycle, with designers testing out weird mechanics on the handheld and then transferring these concepts to traditional consoles, PCs and phones. The Vita eventually transformed into the DualSense, after all, and developers of all sizes regularly find wells of inspiration in new input mechanics. As ridiculous as it may seem, the Playdate crank can be a boon for the entire industry. All hail the crank. Amen.

There are few downsides to the Playdate. It's small enough to be unobtrusive but unique enough to be a conversation starter; it's packed with exclusive games from amazing indie developers; its battery easily lasts two days with intermittent play; it costs a reasonable $180 and it has a crank. My one complaint would be screen brightness – it's not backlit, but instead uses a super-reflective system that requires light in the room to play, and at times the screen appears dull. It's not unplayable, but I've caught myself squinting a few times, particularly in direct light.

Playdate
Panic

It's also very, very small, which works just fine for my hands, but people with large mitts might have issues with the size. But hey, if you can use a Joy-Con, you should be able to handle a Playdate. Plus, with the Playdate mirror app, you're able to stream the device's screen in real-time to a PC or Mac and play with traditional gamepads. This also helps anyone who wants to go live with Playdate games on Twitch or YouTube, and should be useful for developers.

Playdate looks like a cross between a Game Boy and a business card, but it feels like a modern system. Part of that is the speedy-enough processor and feather-light feel, but it's also the sense of innovation built into the hardware. There are plenty of devices out there promising gorgeous graphics and outrageous processing power, but Playdate is a glaring reminder that there's more magic to a good game than bleeding-edge performance. This is something indie developers have known for decades, and Playdate distills this philosophy into a cute-as-hell package, complete with a crank.

VW ID.Buzz first look: An EV that makes vans cool again

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 07:50 AM PDT

We're in the middle of an EV revolution and every day it feels like there's a new electric car, truck or SUV hitting the road. But if you want an electric van, your options are a lot more limited, which is precisely what VW is hoping to address with the upcoming ID.Buzz.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the ID.Buzz's official debut back at SXSW, so when I heard that it would be making another appearance at the New York International Auto Show, I made sure to stop by and check it out. Now technically, VW isn't calling the ID.Buzz a van, so I'll let you decide where this thing fits among other EVs. But what we do know is that it's slated to go on sale sometime in 2024, featuring a 77-kWh battery with two rows of seats for the European model (which is what version VW had on display) or a full three rows of seats and slightly longer chassis for the US market. Other specs like its range and price are still to be determined.

While the Euro spec version of the ID.Buzz only has two rows of stats, the US model will feature a longer wheelbase and a full three rows of seating.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget

But make no mistake, unlike the countless number of Microbus concepts we've seen over the past 20 years, this is a production-ready car, so it's more or less what you'll see at dealers. And I think it looks absolutely fantastic, which is actually kind of impressive. Normally, when you think about buying a van, it feels like you're giving up on being hip or cool in favor of practicality.

Just like the original, VW has kept the Microbus' two-toned color scheme. Though if that's a bit much for your taste, there will also be less flashy single-color paint jobs. Meanwhile, to bring the Microbus' design into the 21st century, the company has gone minimalist with a lot of its details, opting for clean lines and a big VW logo in front and back, along with blacked-out pillars that makes the bus look like it's wearing a visor.

Inside, VW continues the new styling by using the same diamond pattern seen on the front grille, and a two-toned interior featuring animal-free upholstery and vegan leather. The infotainment system is similar to what's available in the VW ID.4, with a small display behind the steering wheel and a larger touchscreen in the center sporting icons that can be made to match the Buzz's paint job. There's also a thin lightstrip that runs across the base of the windshield that serves as a heads-up notification system, though I didn't get to see it in action because it's typically only active when the car is in motion.

My favorite thing about the ID.Buzz's interior are all the little usability touches. I spotted no less than four USB-C ports — one in every door — and I'm willing to bet the US version will have at least one or two more for third-row passengers. VW also made it so that you can completely remove the center console between the front seats, giving passengers more room to move about. It even threw in some fun easter eggs like a smiley face behind the front passenger's interior door handle and little ID.Buzz logos on the rear windshield and the base of the rear seats. And while VW didn't have it on hand, there's even an accessory that goes in the trunk to create a flat load shelf. That means you can throw a mattress in back and use the Buzz for stuff like camping, which was one of the best things about the old Microbus.

One of the many easter eggs scattered around the VW ID.Buzz.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Perhaps most importantly, when you step back and look at the future van market, VW is leading the way with the ID.Buzz. Sure, Ford is working on an electric version of the Transit, and Mercedes has an EV version of Sprinter. But those are designed to be commercial vehicles, not something that the average person might buy. And that's kind of sad, because hauling kids or animals short distances around town is the perfect use case for an electric vehicle.

So when the ID.Buzz finally arrives sometime in 2024, it'll be well ahead of competitors like the Chrysler Pacifica, which currently only exists as a plug-in hybrid. Not only has VW made what looks to be a great reinterpretation of a classic, the ID.Buzz is a pioneering electric van. Oh, and if you just want to haul stuff around, VW is planning to make a cargo version of the ID.Buzz too.

Roland celebrates 50 years of music gear with glossy new book

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 07:31 AM PDT

Famed electronic instrument maker Roland is celebrating its 50th anniversary today by teaming up with boutique publisher Bjooks to announce a coffee table book that tells its story. Inspire The Music: 50 Years of Roland History is a 400-page tome that delves into the tech, people and culture behind the company.

The book includes several chapters that explore Roland products and their impact on certain music scenes. Roland and Bjooks say Inspire the Music explains the context and history of the Jupiter-8 Synthesizer, Boss guitar pedals, TR-808 Rhythm Composer and TB-303 Bass Line. The book will cover other gear, such as keytars, grooveboxes and V-Drums, as well as how the Octapad SPD-30 percussion pad became a staple of modern music in India.

In addition, Inspire the Music features dozens of interviews with artists and Roland designers. You can expect to hear from the likes of Johnny Marr of The Smiths, DJ Jazzy Jeff, guitarist Nita Strauss, Sister Bliss of Faithless, Orbital, Peaches, Swizz Beatz, Jean-Michel Jarre and Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran.

Bjooks, which put together Inspire the Music, came to prominence through Kickstarter. It has published glossy books on topics such as guitar pedals, modular synthesis and interface design. In 2020, Bjooks teamed up with Moog for a book featuring tips and tricks for the semi-modular Mother lineup.

Inspire The Music will be released this summer. It will be available through Bjooks' website and from authorized resellers. Pricing has yet to be revealed.

Inspire The Music: 50 Years of Roland History
Roland/Bjooks

Fitbit's Charge 5 tracker is on sale for $130 right now

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 07:05 AM PDT

Fitness trackers are a good alternative to smartwatches for those that want to keep track of daily activity and workouts, but aren't into the look and feel of digital timepieces. One of the best out there is Fitbit's Charge 5 and you can get it for $130 right now at Amazon. That's 13 percent off its regular price and, while not a record low, it's only $10 more than that.

Buy Fitbit Charge 5 at Amazon - $130

The Charge 5 earned a score of 82 from us — while Fitbit updated its design, the tracker is quite similar to the Charge 4 that came before it. It has a full color touchscreen with an always-on mode that you can choose to enable, plus a frame that's 10 percent thinner than its predecessor and more comfortable band.

It's definitely more low-profile than a standard smartwatch, which some will appreciate, but just because it's relatively slim doesn't mean it's light on power. The Charge 5 tracks all-day heart rate, activity, sleep and more, plus it has a built-in GPS for mapping outdoor workouts. It also comes standard with Fitbit Pay, the company's contactless payment system, so you can pay for groceries or a coffee on your way back from a run without needing your wallet.

Like other trackers, the Charge 5 has a clear advantage over standard smartwatches when it comes to battery life. The device lasted about two and a half days in our testing with the screen in always-on mode, and a full five days with that feature turned off. If you're looking for an activity monitor that you won't have to worry about charging every night, this is a good option.

If you are more of a smartwatch person, Fitbit's high-end Sense device is also on sale right now for $200, or $100 off its normal price. We gave the timepiece a score of 82 for its bright, sharp display and comprehensive suite of health tracking tools, which includes EDA scanning, skin temperature monitoring, ECG measurements, high and low heart rate alerts and more.

Buy Fitbit Sense at Amazon - $200

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Apple's 10.2-inch iPad drops to an all-time low of $290

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 06:22 AM PDT

You'll want to act quickly if you've been looking for a frill-free tablet. Amazon is selling Apple's latest 10.2-inch iPad (that is, the 2021 model) at an all-time low price of $290 after an instant checkout coupon. This only applies to the 64GB WiFi model in silver, and you'll have to wait until early May for delivery. If those aren't obstacles, however, this is an exceptional deal that beats some of the bargains we've seen for past models.

Buy Apple iPad at Amazon - $290

The 10.2-inch iPad remains alluring thanks to its sheer value for money. It's fast for the price, offers a solid screen and lasts a long time on battery. On this newest model, the wide-angle camera with Center Stage is particularly useful — it's easier to fit more of your household into the frame during a video call, even if they're in the background. Toss in the upgraded base storage, a robust app ecosystem and iPadOS 15's better multitasking and you might not need more than this.

The same issues still apply, of course. This iPad design now feels old compared to newer models like the iPad Air and iPad mini. You won't get those tablets' thinner bezels, faster processors and improved cameras. There's no support for the Magic Keyboard or second-generation Pencil, for that matter. However, there's a real chance you don't need those extras — the 10.2-inch iPad is still a very capable device for gaming, reading, video viewing and many other everyday tasks.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

iRobot's Roomba 694 is back on sale for $179

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 05:48 AM PDT

If you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum to get for yourself or for mom for Mother's Day, iRobot's Roomba 694 is a great option. It's our current favorite affordable robo-vac, and now you can pick it up for even less than its normal rate of $274. Amazon has the machine for $179, which is $95 off and a return to its record-low price.

Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon - $179

Chances are you've heard of iRobot before even if you have never owned a robot vacuum because the brand is, arguably, the most well known in that space. With that recognition comes high price tags, but the Roomba 694 is a solid machine made better by this discount. It has a three-button design and app connectivity, giving you a few ways to control it, and it cleans both hard and carpeted surfaces well. It'll putter around your home, sucking up dirt, debris and even pet hair as it moves from room to room, and it'll automatically return to its charging base when it's finished.

In addition to starting cleaning jobs from the iRobot app, you can also set cleaning schedules, which make the robot even more autonomous. The Roomba 694 is also compatible with Alexa and the Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to control it as well.

iRobot estimates the Roomba 694 will run for about 90 minutes before it needs a recharge, but we found that it often ran for less time before returning home. That means that those with larger homes may have to wait longer for clean floors as the machine will have to charge up before it completes a job, but otherwise, there aren't many downsides to this robo-vac. It's an especially good pick for novices since iRobot's mobile app is quite easy to use and the machine does the cleaning basics well.

A couple of other iRobot machines are also on sale right now, and they're best for those that want to splurge on an advanced robot vacuum. Both the Roomba j7+ and the Roomba s9+ are $200 off right now, bringing them down to $599 and $799, respectively. The former is one of the company's newest devices with a pet poop detection feature (yes, you read that right), while the latter is the highest-end machine you can get from iRobot. Both also come with clean bases, so the robots will empty their dustbins into the base after every cleaning job.

Buy Roomba j7+ at Amazon - $599Buy Roomba s9+ at Amazon - $799

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Google lets you explore new heritage sites with help from the State Department

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 05:05 AM PDT

The US Department of State is making it easier for people to explore cultural heritage sites from around the world thanks to a partnership with Google Arts & Culture. Announced as part of World Heritage Day, the dedicated section will let people virtually explore heritage sites from 1,100 Ambassadors Fund projects in over 130 countries around the world.

"Cultural heritage sites, objects, and traditions are a point of pride for people the world over, but they also require care and vigilance," wrote the US Department of State's Lee Satterfield. "That's why the State Department's Cultural Heritage Center works with governments and organizations to preserve and protect cultural heritage from both natural and man-made threats through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)."

Some of the sites on display include the Wat Chaiwatthanaram at Ayutthaya in Thailand, the al-Imam al-Shafi'i Mausoleum in Egypt and the Ancient Nabataean Flash Flood Protection System at Petra. All told, the Cultural Heritage Center added over 100 new images of sites. Along with those, there's a story about cultural heritage preservation, complete with video and images, created by the US Department of State's Cultural Heritage Center.

The Cultural Heritage Center promised to update the site with future stories down the road. And since the biggest threat to heritage sites is climate change, it also pointed folks to Google Arts & Culture's Heritage on the Edge project. 

Researchers break world record for quantum-encrypted communications

Posted: 18 Apr 2022 03:43 AM PDT

Researchers in Beijing have set a new quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) world record of 102.2 km (64 miles), smashing the previous mark of 18 km (11 miles), The Eurasian Times reported. Transmission speeds were extremely slow at 0.54 bits per second, but still good enough for text message and phone call encryption over a distance of 30 km (19 miles), wrote research lead Long Guilu in Nature. The work could eventually lead to hack-proof communication, as any eavesdropping attempt on a quantum line can be instantly detected. 

QSDC uses the principal of entanglement to secure networks. Quantum physics dictates that entangled particles are linked, so that if you change the property of one by measuring it, the other will instantly change, too — effectively making hacking impossible. In theory, the particles stay linked even if they're light-years apart, so such systems should work over great distances. 

The same research team set the previous fiber record, and devised a "novel design of physical system with a new protocol" to achieve the longer distance. They simplified it by eliminating the "complicated active compensation subsystem" used in the previous model. "This enables an ultra-low quantum bit error rate (QBER) and the long-term stability against environmental noises." 

As a result, the system can withstand much more so-called channel loss that makes it impossible to decode encrypted messages. That in turn allowed them to extend the fiber from 28.3km to the record 102.2 km distance. "The experiment shows that intercity quantum secure direct communication through the fiber is feasible with present-day technology," the team wrote in Nature. 

Researchers in China previously made a secure quantum-enabled video call by satellite, but fiber poses a different set of challenges. "If we replace parts of the internet today, where more eavesdropping attacks happen, with quantum channels, those parts will have the added ability to sense and prevent eavesdropping, making communication even safer," said Long. 

Tesla investors say a judge found Elon Musk’s ‘funding secured’ tweet was misleading

Posted: 17 Apr 2022 01:51 PM PDT

In court documents filed late Friday, a group of Tesla shareholders said a federal judge recently ruled Elon Musk made "false and misleading" statements in 2018 when he said he was considering taking the company private at $420 per share, reports Reuters. Musk's now-infamous "funding secured" tweet landed the executive in trouble with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, eventually leading to a $40 million settlement with the agency that he's now trying to end.

According to those documents, US District Court Judge Edward Chen concluded at the start of the month that Musk had "recklessly made the statements with knowledge as to their falsity." The investors involved in the class action suit have asked the court to block Musk from continuing his "public campaign to present a contradictory and false narrative" of the episode. The filing comes in the same week Musk shared his version of what went down during a widely watched appearance at the TED 2022 conference.

"The SEC knew that funding was secured but they pursued an active, public investigation nonetheless at the time," Musk said during the interview. "I was forced to concede to the SEC unlawfully… Now it makes it look like I lied when I did not in fact lie. I was forced to admit I lied to save Tesla's life, and that's the only reason." In the same segment, Musk called officials with the commission's San Francisco office "bastards."

On Saturday, Musk's attorney dismissed the claims made by the investors. "Nothing will ever change the truth which is that Elon Musk was considering taking Tesla private and could have," he told CNBC. According to the outlet, damages from the lawsuit could amount to billions of dollars that would have to be paid out by Musk and Tesla. The case is currently set to go to trial on May 31st.

Workers at Apple's Grand Central Terminal store are moving toward a union vote

Posted: 17 Apr 2022 12:13 PM PDT

Apple Store employees at the company's flagship Grand Central Terminal location have begun collecting signatures to form a union, according to The Washington Post. In a recent update to their website, the organizers leading the effort say they voted on February 21st to affiliate themselves with Workers United. That's the same labor union that has helped Starbucks employees across the US unionize.

"Grand Central is an extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living in what have proven to be extraordinary times with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation," the group, known as the Fruit Stand Workers United, said.

Apple declined to tell The Post whether it would support the unionization effort. Those involved in the drive accused the company of employing "union busting" tactics, including messaging that has tried to convince workers that unionization is against their best interests.

"We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple," a spokesperson for the company told The Post. "We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full time and part time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits."

Apple operates more than 270 stores in the US alone. According to The Post, at least three other retail locations are in the process of attempting to form a union. Organizers at the company's Grand Central location are handing out signature cards. If at least 30 percent of the store's workers say they're interested in exploring unionization, Fruit Stand Workers United can petition the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election. 

Amid a pandemic that has had a disproportionate effect on essential workers, many workplaces across the US have begun to unionize, including, most notably, Amazon's JFK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island. At the start of April, a majority of workers at the warehouse voted to form the first-ever Amazon union. The effort was successful despite the company spending $4.3 million on anti-union consultants in 2021.

NASA rolls back SLS Moon rocket for repairs after multiple failed fueling tests

Posted: 17 Apr 2022 10:21 AM PDT

After multiple attempts to complete a critical fueling test of its next-generation Space Launch System, NASA has decided to finish the rocket's "wet dress rehearsal" at a later date. On late Saturday evening, the agency announced it would move the SLS off from its launch pad and back to the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building to give one of its gaseous nitrogen suppliers time to complete a critical upgrade. Nitrogen supply issues had delayed two previous countdown rehearsals, according to Space News.

NASA will also use the opportunity to replace a faulty helium check valve and repair a minor hydrogen leak technicians found in one of the "umbilical" fuel lines running from the rocket's mobile launch tower. "During that time, the agency will also review schedules and options to demonstrate propellant loading operations ahead of launch," NASA said. It promised to share more information about the decision, as well as its plans moving forward, during a press conference scheduled for April 18th.

Since April 1st, NASA has tried three times to complete a "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis 1 Moon mission. The test is designed to replicate the countdown procedure the SLS will undergo when the mission hopefully gets underway later this year. NASA most recently attempted to complete a modified version of the test on April 14th, but that trial was cut short after it discovered the aforementioned hydrogen leak in the rocket's mobile launch tower. Initially, the agency left the door open for another attempt as early as April 21st but then had a change of mind.

The delay may have a domino effect on the timeline for the Artemis 1 Moon mission. NASA has yet to set a date for the flight, and won't do so until the SLS wet dress rehearsal is complete. Despite all the issues NASA has run into with its next-generation rocket, the agency remains confident it will fly. "There's no doubt in my mind that we will finish this test campaign, and we will listen to the hardware, and the data will lead us to the next step," said Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson on Friday. "And we will take the appropriate steps, and we will launch this vehicle."

Tesla will no longer include a mobile charger with new vehicle purchases

Posted: 17 Apr 2022 08:32 AM PDT

Tesla has stopped including a complimentary Mobile Connector Bundle with new vehicle orders. The change was first spotted by Twitter user Tesla_Adri, and later confirmed by CEO Elon Musk. The accessory, currently priced at $275 on its own, allows you to connect your Tesla to a wall outlet and get about two to three miles of range after an hour of charging.

"Usage statistics were super low, so seemed wasteful," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in response to someone commenting on the news after it was shared more widely by investor Sawyer Merritt. "On the (minor) plus side, we will be including more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit."

Musk later tweeted that Tesla would reduce the price of the mobile connector to $200 and make it easier to order the accessory alongside a new car. He was also quick to note you don't need an adapter to charge your Tesla at one of the company's Superchargers or a Tesla Wall Connector installed in your home. At the moment, the charging bundle is listed as out of stock on the Tesla website.

As Electrek notes, this isn't the first time Tesla has removed a charging cable. the company previously shipped both Level 1 and Level 2 connectors with every new car, but later stopped bundling the latter adapter. 

Hitting the Books: How American militarism and new technology may make war more likely

Posted: 17 Apr 2022 07:00 AM PDT

There's nobody better at persecuting a war than the United States — we've got the the best-equipped and biggest-budgeted fighting force on the face of the Earth. But does carrying the biggest stick still constitute a strategic advantage if the mere act of possessing it seems to make us more inclined to use it?

In his latest book, Future Peace (sequel to 2017's Future War) Dr. Robert H. Latiff, Maj Gen USAF (Ret), explores how the American military's increasing reliance on weaponized drones, AI and Machine Learning systems, automation and similar cutting-edge technologies, when paired with an increasingly rancorous and often outright hostile global political environment, could create the perfect conditions for getting a lot of people killed. In the excerpt below, Dr. Latiff looks at the impact that America's lionization of its armed forces in the post-Vietnam era and new access to unproven tech have on our ability to mitigate conflict and prevent armed violence.

Future Peace cover. It's the top half of a globe with a targeting reticle over it. Very mid-90s Tom Clancy.
Notre Dame University Press

Excerpted from Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War by Robert H. Latiff. Published by University of Notre Dame Press. Copyright © 2022 by Robert H. Latiff. All rights reserved.

Dangers of Rampant Militarism

I served in the military in the decades spanning the end of the Vietnam War to the post-9/11 invasion of Iraq and the war on terror. In that time, I watched and participated as the military went from being widely mistrusted to being the subject of veneration by the public. Neither extreme is good or healthy. After Vietnam, military leaders worked to reestablish trust and competency and over the next decade largely succeeded. The Reagan buildup of the late 1980s further cemented the redemption. The fall of the USSR and the victory of the US in the First Gulf War demonstrated just how far we had come. America's dominant technological prowess was on full display, and over the next decade the US military was everywhere. The attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, followed by the long war on terror, ensured that the military would continue to demand the public's respect and attention. What I have seen is an attitude toward the military that has evolved from public derision to grudging respect, to an unhealthy, unquestioning veneration. Polls repeatedly list the military as one of the most respected institutions in the country, and deservedly so. The object of that adulation, the military, is one thing, but militarism is something else entirely and is something about which the public should be concerned. As a nation, we have become alarmingly militaristic. Every international problem is looked at first through a military lens; then maybe diplomacy will be considered as an afterthought. Non-military issues as diverse as budget deficits and demographic trends are now called national security issues. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are all now referred to as "warfighters," even those who sit behind a desk or operate satellites thousands of miles in space. We are endlessly talking about threats and dismiss those who disagree or dissent as weak, or worse, unpatriotic.

The young men and women who serve deserve our greatest regard and the best equipment the US has to offer. Part of the respect we could show them, however, is to attempt to understand more about them and to question the mindset that is so eager to employ them in conflicts. In the words of a soldier frequently deployed to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, "[An] important question is how nearly two decades of sustained combat operations have changed how the Army sees itself... I feel at times that the Army culturally defines itself less by the service it provides and more by the wars it fights. This observation may seem silly at first glance. After all, the Army exists to fight wars. Yet a soldier's sense of identity seems increasingly tied to war, not the service war is supposed to provide to our nation." A 1955 American Friends Service Committee pamphlet titled Speak Truth to Power described eloquently the effects of American fascination with militarism:

The open-ended nature of the commitment to militarization prevents the pursuit of alternative diplomatic, economic, and social policies that are needed to prevent war. The constant preparation for war and large-scale investment in military readiness impose huge burdens on society, diverting economic, political and psychological resources to destructive purposes. Militarization has a corrosive effect on social values… distorting political culture and creating demands for loyalty and conformity… Under these conditions, mass opinion is easily manipulated to fan the flames of nationalism and military jingoism.

Barbara Tuchman described the national situation with regard to the Vietnam War in a way eerily similar to the present. First was an overreaction and overuse of the term national security and the conjuring up of specters and visions of ruin if we failed to meet the imagined threat. Second was the "illusion" of omnipotence and the failure to understand that conflicts were not always soluble by the application of American force. Third was an attitude of "Don't confuse me with the facts": a refusal to credit evidence in decision-making. Finally — and perhaps most importantly in today's situation — was "a total absence of reflective thought" about what we were doing. Political leaders embraced military action on the basis of a perceived, but largely uninformed, view of our technological and military superiority. The public, unwilling to make the effort to challenge such thinking, just went along. "There is something in modern political and bureaucratic life," Tuchman concluded, "that subdues the functioning of the intellect."

High Tech Could Make Mistakes More Likely

Almost the entire world is connected and uses computer networks, but we're never really sure whether they are secure or whether the information they carry is truthful. Other countries are launching satellites, outer space is getting very crowded, and there is increased talk of competition and conflict in space. Countries engage in attacks on adversary computers and networks, and militaries are rediscovering the utility of electronic warfare, employing radio-frequency (RF) signals to damage, disrupt, or spoof other systems. While in cyber war and electronic warfare the focus is on speed, they and space conflict are characterized by significant ambiguity. Cyber incidents and space incidents as described earlier, characterized as they are by such great uncertainty, give the hotheads ample reason to call for response, and the cooler heads reasons to question the wisdom of such a move.

What could drag us into conflict? Beyond the geographical hot spots, a mistake or miscalculation in the ongoing probes of each other's computer networks could trigger an unwanted response. US weapon systems are extremely vulnerable to such probes. A 2018 study by the Government Accountability Office found mission-critical vulnerabilities in systems, and testers were able to take control of systems largely undetected. Worse yet, government managers chose not to accept the seriousness of the situation. A cyber probe of our infrastructure could be mistaken for an attack and result in retaliation, setting off response and counter response, escalating in severity, and perhaps lethality. Much of the DOD's high-priority traffic uses space systems that are vulnerable to intrusion and interference from an increasing number of countries. Electronic warfare against military radios and radars is a growing concern as these capabilities improve.

China and Russia both have substantial space programs, and they intend to challenge the US in space, where we are vulnerable. With both low-earth and geosynchronous orbits becoming increasingly crowded, and with adversary countries engaging in close approaches to our satellites, the situation is ripe for misperception. What is mere intelligence gathering could be misconstrued as an attack and could generate a response, either in space or on the ground. There could be attacks, both direct and surreptitious, on our space systems. Or there could be misunderstandings, with too-close approaches of other satellites viewed as threatening. Threats could be space-based or, more likely, ground-based interference, jamming, or dazzling by lasers. Commercial satellite imagery recently revealed the presence of an alleged ground-based laser site in China, presumed by intelligence analysts to be for attacks against US satellites. Russia has engaged in close, on-orbit station-keeping with high-value US systems. New technology weapons give their owners a new sense of invincibility, and an action that might have in the past been considered too dangerous or provocative might now be deemed worth the risk.

Enormous vulnerability comes along with the high US dependence on networks. As the scenarios at the beginning of this chapter suggest, in a highly charged atmosphere, the uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding incidents involving some of the new war-fighting technologies can easily lead to misperceptions and, ultimately, violence. The battlefield is chaotic, uncertain, and unpredictable anyway. Such technological additions — and the vulnerabilities they entail — only make it more so. A former UK spy chief has said, "Because technology has allowed humans to connect, interact, and share information almost instantaneously anywhere in the world, this has opened channels where misinformation, blurred lines, and ambiguity reign supreme."

It is easy to see how such an ambiguous environment could make a soldier or military unit anxious to the point of aggression. To carry the "giant armed nervous system" metaphor a bit further, consider a human being who is excessively "nervous." Psychologists and neuroscientists tell us that excessive aggression and violence likely develop as a consequence of generally disturbed emotional regulation, such as abnormally high levels of anxiety. Under pressure, an individual is unlikely to exhibit what we could consider rational behavior. Just as a human can become nervous, super sensitive, overly reactive, jumpy, perhaps "trigger-happy," so too can the military. A military situation in which threats and uncertainty abound will probably make the forces anxious or "nervous." Dealing with ambiguity is stressful. Some humans are able to deal successfully with such ambiguity. The ability of machines to do so is an open question.

Technologies are not perfect, especially those that depend on thousands or millions of lines of software code. A computer or human error by one country could trigger a reaction by another. A computer exploit intended to gather intelligence or steal data might unexpectedly disrupt a critical part of an electric grid, a flight control system, or a financial system and end up provoking a non proportional and perhaps catastrophic response. The hyper-connectedness of people and systems, and the almost-total dependence on information and data, are making the world—and military operations—vastly more complicated. Some military scholars are concerned about emerging technologies and the possibility of unintended, and uncontrollable, conflict brought on by decisions made by autonomous systems and the unexpected interactions of complex networks of systems that we do not fully understand. Do the intimate connections and rapid communication of information make a "knee-jerk" reaction more, or less, likely? Does the design for speed and automation allow for rational assessment, or will it ensure that a threat impulse is matched by an immediate, unfiltered response? Command and control can, and sometimes does, break down when the speed of operations is so great that a commander feels compelled to act immediately, even if he or she does not really understand what is happening. If we do not completely understand the systems—how they are built, how they operate, how they fail—they and we could make bad and dangerous decisions.

Technological systems, if they are not well understood by their operators, can cascade out of control. The horrific events at Chernobyl are sufficient evidence of that. Flawed reactor design and inadequately trained personnel, with little understanding of the concept of operation, led to a fatal series of missteps. Regarding war, Richard Danzig points to the start of World War I. The antagonists in that war had a host of new technologies never before used together on such a scale: railroads, telegraphs, the bureaucracy of mass mobilization, quick-firing artillery, and machine guns. The potential to deploy huge armies in a hurry put pressure on decision makers to strike first before the adversary was ready, employing technologies they really didn't understand. Modern technology can create the same pressure for a first strike that the technology of 1914 did. Americans are especially impatient. Today, computer networks, satellites in orbit, and other modern infrastructures are relatively fragile, giving a strong advantage to whichever side strikes first. Oxford professor Lucas Kello notes that "in our era of rapid technological change, threats and opportunities arising from a new class of weapons produce pressure to act before the laborious process of strategic adoption concludes." In other words, we rush them to the field before we have done the fundamental work of figuring out their proper use.

Decorated Vietnam veteran Hal Moore described the intense combat on the front lines with his soldiers in the Ia Drang campaign in 1965. He told, in sometimes gruesome detail, of the push and shove of the battle and how he would, from time to time, step back slightly to gather his thoughts and reflect on what was happening and, just as importantly, what was not happening. Political leaders, overwhelmed by pressures of too much information and too little time, are deprived of the ability to think or reflect on the context of a situation. They are hostage to time and do not have the luxury of what philosopher Simone Weil calls "between the impulse and the act, the tiny interval that is reflection."

Today's battles, which will probably happen at lightning speed, may not allow such a luxury as reflection. Hypersonic missiles, for instance, give their targets precious little time for decision-making and might force ill-informed and ill-advised counter decisions. Autonomous systems, operating individually or in swarms, connected via the internet in a network of systems, create an efficient weapon system. A mistake by one, however, could speed through the system with possibly catastrophic consequences. The digital world's emphasis on speed further inhibits reflection.

With systems so far-flung, so automated, and so predisposed to action, it will be essential to find ways to program our weapon systems to prevent unrestrained independent, autonomous aggression. However, an equally, if not more, important goal will be to identify ways to inhibit not only the technology but also the decision makers' proclivity to resort to violence.
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