Andrew Tarantola
Senior Editor
Engadget'Predictive policing' could amplify today's law enforcement issues
Law enforcement in America is facing a day of reckoning over its systemic, institutionalized racism and ongoing brutality against the people it was designed to protect. Virtually every aspect of the system is now under scrutiny, from budgeting and staffing levels to the data-driven prevention tools it deploys. A handful of local governments have already placed moratoriums on facial recognition systems in recent months and on Wednesday, Santa Cruz, California became the first city in the nation to outright ban the use of predictive policing algorithms.
EngadgetAfter Math: Space toilets and long-haul hybrid pickups
While we’ve all been caught out like this at some point down here on Earth, this week we have a glimpse at how NASA will provide bathroom facilities on the moon. Tesla may push the boundaries of automotive technology but its production process is a bit of a mess. In a recent initial quality survey from JD Power and Associates, Tesla customers reported 250 build defects (misaligned body panels, shoddy paintwork, things of that nature) per 100 vehicles.
EngadgetHitting the Books: The media's role in history's most damaging data dump
Disinformation efforts — the organized spread of lies — have proven especially effective in the modern media landscape.
EngadgetHow to guesstimate the number of alien civilizations in a galaxy
“Before Drake's work, this question would have seemed to be beyond the realm of scientific inquiry,” Westby told Engadget. fp is the fraction of those stars that have planets. fl is the fraction of those planets that actually do develop life at some point.
EngadgetNVIDIA and Mercedes partner to create a next-gen car computer
During a joint press conference held Wednesday, NVIDIA and Mercedes Benz announced that they are teaming up to develop a “revolutionary in-vehicle computing system” for the automakers next generation of luxury automobiles in 2024.
EngadgetFacebook’s new choreography AI is a dancing queen
It is capable of interpreting his company’s dance style and generating more movements based on the using thousands of hours of video it was trained on. What’s more they were limited to the style of the dances and music they had been trained on. But Facebook’s AI is much more stylistically flexible.
EngadgetApple Clips lets you use an app's best features without downloading it
Among the numerous pieces of new hardware and software debuted at Apple’s WWDC 2020 remote event on Monday, showed off a handy new iOS 14 feature that will enable users to view and interact with dynamic content from third party developers simply by scanning a QR code.
EngadgetAfter Math: A glimmer of hope
Though few and far between, there have been some bright spots in this week’s headlines.
EngadgetHitting the Books: Can golf evolve and survive in the 21st century
With Phillips’s background as an instructor and Rose’s scientific outlook on the body, the two were already far out in front of the trend concerning biomechanics and the golf swing. “It was like, ‘That’s it! It’s just that they didn’t know because we were never taught.
EngadgetEA debuts 'Star Wars: Squadrons' gameplay
During its Play Live online event on Thursday, EA gave fans their first look at the upcoming combat flight sim, Star Wars: Squadrons. Set in the venerated Star Wars universe, Squadrons offers both a single player campaign where neophyte flyers can earn their wings and an intense online multiplayer.
EngadgetNY City Council passes NYPD surveillance oversight bill
In a 44-6 vote on Thursday, the NYC City Council voted in favor of passing the POST Act, which will empower civilian oversight of the NYPD's sprawling surveillance state.
EngadgetOnline and independent: The future of journalism is already here
A new generation of independent, internet-based journalists are bringing the voice of the people to the ears of the American public, all without paywalls.
EngadgetResearchers taught a robot to suture by showing it surgery videos
The UC Berkeley team, led by Dr. Ajay Tanwani, has developed a semi-supervised AI deep-learning system, dubbed Motion2Vec.
EngadgetHitting the Books: A fully-connected future means you'll never be alone
Over much of the period, networked solitude was seen as a necessary and increasingly productive companion to physical solitude.
Engadget'Maneater' and the simple pleasures of being a killer shark
Maneater is a game that finally lets you be a killer shark.
EngadgetFacebook announces the winner of its Deepfake Detection Challenge
After a nearly year-long competition, Facebook announced the winner of its Deepfake Detection Challenge on Friday morning.
Engadget'Horizon: Forbidden West' continues Aloy's journey on PS5
Horizon: Zero Dawn was arguably one of the most engaging and compelling titles released during the the PlayStation 4’s reign though even with an added DLC, fans of the game clambored to experience more of Aloy’s adventure.
EngadgetBethesda reveals gameplay for its 'Ghostwire: Tokyo' supernatural thriller
In Ghostwire: Tokyo, you’ll hear and encounter sounds that you normally would not hear in the city in real life.
EngadgetThe 'Final Fantasy XV' team is making 'Project Athia' for PS5
During Sony’s online PlayStation 5 preview event on Thursday, viewers were treated to an exciting (albeit truncated) look Luminous Productions’ launch title, Project Athia.
EngadgetHow to purchase your next pair of glasses online
If you have a relatively recent prescription and an internet connection, you can easily find a pair of stylish -- and shockingly affordable -- glasses online.
EngadgetAfter Math: Take a mental health break from this crisis with these games
It’s been a bonkers week. So if you feel the need to take a breather from this hellscape reality before diving back into the political fray (or even doomscrolling through Twitter again), this week’s headlines have your back.
EngadgetHitting the books: The ancient technology behind astronaut ice cream
And what orbital party would be complete without the most American of freeze-dried fare, astronaut ice cream?
EngadgetHow to protect your identity while protesting police brutality
As protests around the country against police brutality continue to expand, law enforcement's reaction grows ever more heavy-handed. Here are some ways to protect yourself and your identity.
EngadgetAfter Math: Playing around on the PS5 while Blizzcon goes bye-bye
EA can make Madden games until 2026 after renewing its NFL deal It’s hard to imagine playing a MAdden NFL game not produced by EA.
EngadgetSpaceX's historic launch succeeds on its second attempt
They did it. SpaceX becomes the first private aerospace company to shuttle American astronauts into space after a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.