How China made its own Internet

It was 2000, and Bill Clinton was upbeat. The internet, he said, was opening up the world. “There’s no question China has been trying to crack down on the internet,” he said. “Good luck. That’s sort of like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall.” The internet would inevitably push China toward democracy, he said. How could any country control something so free-flowing and still hope to be technologically vibrant? Something would surely have to give. He was wrong. How China Made Its Own Internet Today, China has the world’s only internet companies that can match America’s in ambition and reach. It is years ahead of the United States in replacing paper money with smartphone payments, turning tech giants into vital gatekeepers of the consumer economy. And it is host to a supernova of creative expression — in short videos, podcasts, blogs and streaming TV — that ought to dispel any notions of Chinese culture as drearily conformist. All this, on a patch of cyberspace that is walled off from Facebook and Google, policed by tens of thousands of censors and subject to strict controls on how data is collected, stored and shared. China’s leaders like the internet they have created. And now, they want to direct the nation’s talent and tech acumen toward an even loftier end: building an innovation-driven economy, one that produces world-leading companies. Not long ago, Chinese tech firms were best known for copying Silicon Valley. ...

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Calif. Authorities Raise Wildfire Death Toll To 80, Lower Number Of Missing Persons

Authorities in California have added an additional fatality to the official death toll of the Camp Fire, bringing its total number of deaths to at least 77. The number of those unaccounted for decreased to 993 — about 300 fewer than Saturday's count, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said on Sunday. At least 80 people have died throughout California since wildfires broke out earlier this month. Three of fatalities were from the Woolsey Fire in the southern part of the state. Authorities have not yet declared an official cause of the fires and are investigating their origins. In a Camp Fire incident update Sunday night, authorities described their progress in containing the deadliest wildfire in state history. "Crews have continued to work in steep and rugged terrain to implement direct and indirect control lines which will aid in stopping the fire's forward progress," they said. "Firefighters and utility cooperators worked within the fire's interior to patrol for heat and remove hazards." Multiple California Urban Search & Rescue Task Forces and Human Remains Detection Canine Search Teams are assisting the Butte County Sheriff Department with the search and recovery of missing persons, authorities said. The fire itself has grown smaller to 150,000 acres, and is now 65 percent contained. Authorities say they expect full containment by Nov. 30. Over 5,300 personnel are battling the flames. More than 10,360 homes have been destroyed — the entire community of Paradise was reduced to a wasteland of ash and burned out buildings and cars. Authorities continue to maintain a live evacuation map and structure damage map. About 500 miles to the south in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, the Woolsey Fire is still burning. At 96,949 acres, the fire is 91 percent contained, authorities said in their Sunday night update. Dry winds continue to pose a challenge to responders, who anticipate strong offshore winds that will lower humidity into Monday morning. Over 1,080 personnel are actively fighting the flames. Nearly all evacuation orders have lifted, but that doesn't mean evacuees will be able to return to their homes. Damage assessment teams have counted 1,452 destroyed structures so far. They're 90 percent through examining structures affected by the fire. Crews are remaining diligent and providing services to residents are they return to their homes, authorities say. They expect full containment by Thursday.

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Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee Combined Launch Sales Give New Entries Strong Start In The UK

The latest Nintendo Switch releases Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! appear to have performed reasonably well in the UK charts. According to sales data, Pikachu is the most popular version of the game locally, taking out fourth place, with Eevee following in the sixth spot. These combined sales technically put the new Pokémon entries in the top position, with a total of 116,000 physical copies reportedly sold so far. Despite this seemingly positive start, compared to the original Sun and Moon games, sales are down by more than 60 percent and are also recorded as being five percent lower than the figures for the 2013 release Pokémon X & Y. Fortunately, it’s not as bad as it sounds, with Game Industry explaining how certain factors need to be taken into consideration. Leading up to the release, the UK had stock issues resulting in fewer than expected units available at launch – ultimately leading to pre-orders not being fulfilled and many other stores selling out of the games completely. At the time of X and Y’s launch, the 3DS also had a much larger install base than the Switch currently does. Here's a look at how Pokémon: Let’s Go UK launch sales compare to existing releases: [Week 21, 2009] POKÉMON PLATINUM (NINTENDO) - 59,000 / NEW [Week 12, 2010] POKÉMON HEARTGOLD / SOULSILVER (NINTENDO) - 90,000 / NEW [Week 09, 2011] POKÉMON BLACK / WHITE (NINTENDO) ~ 125,000 - 144,000 / NEW [Week 41, 2012] POKÉMON BLACK 2 / WHITE 2 (NINTENDO) - 62,000 / NEW [Week 41, 2013] POKÉMON X / Y (NINTENDO) - 124,000 / NEW [Week 48, 2014] POKÉMON OMEGA RUBY / ALPHA SAPPHIRE (NINTENDO) - 145,000 / NEW [Week 47, 2016] POKÉMON SUN / MOON (NINTENDO) - 290,000 / NEW [Week 46, 2017] POKÉMON ULTRA SUN / ULTRA MOON (NINTENDO) - 78,000 / NEW [Week 46, 2018] POKÉMON LET'S GO, PIKACHU! +POKÉMON LET'S GO, EEVEE! (NINTENDO) - 116,000 / NEW Over in the US, NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella has said there is plenty of positivity and optimism surrounding the launch of Let’s Go, which is a “bit of a relief” as it is arguably the most important launch of the year for the Switch. These new Pokémon games are also expected to appeal to a much wider audience because of the friendly and accessible design.

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Fake News: Nvidia Stock Didn’t Drop Due to Crypto Bear Market

The market cap of Nvidia has dropped by more than $23 billion, and analysts were quick to claim that the overnight plunge in the firm’s stock price was caused by an overall drop in demand for crypto. Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Christopher Rolland said: “While disappointing, the crypto-bubble is temporary, but secular growth opportunities like ray tracing and A.I. are not.” Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, suggested that the struggle of the company was largely affected by the bear market of crypto, stating “the crypto hangover lasted longer than we expected and we were surprised by that, but it will pass.” Not Affected by Crypto In the second quarter earnings call held in August, Nvidia firmly emphasized that GPU sales to crypto miners have substantially declined. At the time, Nvidia CFO Colette Kress said that the company is no longer expecting any contribution from its cryptocurrency-focused venture. “Our revenue outlook had anticipated cryptocurrency-specific products declining to approximately $100 million, while actual crypto-specific product revenue was $18 million. Whereas we had previously anticipated cryptocurrency to be meaningful for the year, we are now projecting no contributions going forward,” Kress said. The market has been aware, for more than three months, that the cryptocurrency business of Nvidia has come to an end and that its CFO declared the company is not expecting any additional revenue from crypto-tailored GPU sales. Still, many reports regarding the $23 billion drop in the market cap of Nvidia were focused on crypto rather than the company’s misjudgment in revenue forecasting, which CNBC Mad Money’s Jim Cramer said was the main factor of the drop. “Nvidia still makes the best graphics chips, which have become more powerful than traditional microprocessors. It still has a lead over the competition in a lot of uses, although you could argue that AMD’s catching up to them in the data center while Intel rivals them in self-driving vehicles. I think Nvidia made an honest forecasting mistake, although given that some of us saw it coming, it was definitely an avoidable mistake,” Cramer said, adding that the company’s trend was coming from gaming. Goldman Sachs analyst Toshiya Hari added that the stock price of Nvidia plunged mainly due to its mid-range gaming GPU inventory and a correction in-game console SoCs. GPU Mining In the first quarter of 2018, when Nvidia generated $550 million in profit, Bitmain, an ASIC mining equipment manufacturer in the crypto sector, generated $1.1 billion in quarterly profit. ...

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Instagram's data download tool revealed some user passwords

The Download Your Data tool Instagram recently launched may have revealed some passwords to the world at large, the company says – though only a few users were affected apparently, and the bug has now been patched. As a per a report in The Information, when some users opted to download their Instagram photos and videos, their passwords were included in the URL needed to access the archive – a URL other people may have found if they had somehow got access to the same browsing history or the same computer or device. If your account was affected by the security flaw, you should have already received an email about it from Instagram. Via an official statement, Instagram says a "small number of people" were hit, and that the issue has now been patched up. Keep it secret, keep it safe While this seems to have been a relatively minor security problem, it's not the only security issue Facebook (which owns Instagram) has had to deal with in recent months. Let's hope it's not a sign of something more serious in the Instagram code.

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Galaxy Note 9 in White is coming to welcome winter

This year’s Samsung flagships have really taken colors to heart. The Galaxy S9, S9+, and Galaxy Note 9 have gone beyond the usual drab hues and embraced purples and blues and browns. That said, some do actually prefer their phones to be less conspicuous in terms of appearance but also find black or gray to be too dull. If the rumors are true, then they might have a white holiday treat coming for them with a white Galaxy Note 9 landing this week, at least in Taiwan. It’s almost ironic that when the market has finally gotten the colorful phones they’ve asked for, they then start longing for the plain blacks, grays, and whites. Then again, what users are probably longing for really is the option to choose that went away the day we said goodbye to removable back covers. Until the day we can have such color options on glass backs, we’ll have to settle for what OEMs decide the market wants and which market gets which colors. Naturally, not all colors are available in all markets so there’s a chance this white Galaxy Note 9 will be likewise. If it’s true at all, that is. This variant has been making rounds over the Internet though nothing has been made official, not even leaked renders. The one above, for example, is fan-made, suggesting the desire for such a color. Those desires might be fulfilled this week for those who live in Taiwan. According to ePrice, Samsung will be launching the Galaxy Note 9 White on November 23. It will come with a matching white stylus, which means that its Signature color for Screen Off Memo will also be white, which has been the case since the Galaxy Note 7 introduced the feature. How that will look translated to the normal Samsung Notes’ white background will be interesting to see (if you can see white on white, that is). That is, of course, if it’s the real deal. We won’t know yet until later this week and even then, it might be exclusive to some markets outside of the US anyway. The only consolation is that, if it does become available, it won’t be a special edition that will cost more than what the already very expensive Galaxy Note 9 does.

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Tumblr App Has Inexplicably Disappeared From Apple’s App Store

Tumblr has mysteriously vanished from Apple’s App Store, and it’s not clear why. The issue was first reported Friday by tech blog PiunikaWeb, which pointed to user reports that the app wasn’t working and noted that some users were “not able to turn off Safe Mode.” As of Sunday, the app was still nowhere to be found in the iOS store. Per PiunikaWeb: Basically, those who had the iOS app installed said they can’t do a search with Safe Mode off, and those who uninstalled the app for whatever reason were complaining the app is nowhere to be found on the App Store. So effectively they lost all access to the app.

We’re working to resolve an issue with the iOS app and hope to be fully functional again soon. We really appreciate your patience as we figure this out.

— Tumblr Support (@Tumblrsupport) November 16, 2018

According to a blog post on the issue, the company said it has been working to get the issue resolved since at least Friday. Tumblr said in a statement on Sunday that it “continues to work on the issue with the iOS app, which is our top priority at this time.” As 9to5 Mac noted, the issue may have something to do with inappropriate content that violated Apple’s guidelines, which has led Apple to pull apps before. The Verge pointed to a Twitter thread that appeared to indicate inappropriate content was at the heart of the issue. Per Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines, objectionable content includes content that’s “offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, or in exceptionally poor taste.” It’s worth noting that “objectionable content,” however, could be interpreted to mean any number of things. As a workaround for anyone who might have deleted it, Digital Trends suggested navigating to the Purchased section in the App Store and reinstalling the app from there, which it said has had mixed results. Gizmodo has reached out to Apple and Tumblr and will update this post if we hear back.

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Apple reportedly cuts production orders for iPhone XS and iPhone XR

We heard already from various Apple suppliers that they were cutting their sales forecasts, suggesting the latest iPhone models were not doing as well as expected. The Journal today says that Apple reduced orders for both iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Apple has apparently found it hard to accurately predict demand for its three model lineup amidst an overall slowdown of the smartphone market and seemingly-weak Chinese demand. The changes to the production schedules are frustrating suppliers, according to the Wall Street Journal. It’s not clear how much this is a problem for Apple, who is not only selling a higher proportion of older iPhone models but also falls back to a thriving service business for revenue and profit growth. Overall iPhone ASP (average selling price) will once more rise this quarter according to most predictions, meaning that Apple has to sell fewer iPhone units to make the same amount of money. Suppliers are much more exposed to this volatility. In the Wall Street Journal report, an anonymous supplier says “Growth fixes a lot of sins. When it slows, rocks start to show up in the bottom of the ocean.” and “Doing business with Apple is very risky as it often reverses what it has promised”. The report echos claims that iPhone XR orders were reduced by up to a third, and even alludes to a further cut this past week. The reduction of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max orders appears to be less. Apple stock fell 5% earlier this month as Apple suppliers told investors to expect lower-than-forecast sales numbers. We heard similar stories of production cuts this time last year with the iPhone X debut. However, the iPhone X went on to be the most popular phone in the world. The Journal says Apple’s initial forecast for iPhone X was overly optimistic, and it cut orders by 20 million units. Apple is no longer reporting device unit sales as part of its financial quarterly releases, so we can’t even await that call in January to hear specifics about iPhone performance over the holidays. It’s worth noting that Apple could be cutting orders in anticipation of lower demand in the near term, so sales weakness may only show through on Apple’s books come the first calendar quarter of 2019. Apple’s holiday sales are almost always stellar. The company guidance is on the lower end of analyst expectations, indicating that it will make between $89-$94 billion in revenue for October-December 2018.

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PlayStation 5 release date in 2020 confirmed? PSVR 2 also on the way

New details on the PlayStation 5 and the PSVR 2 have emerged, with the PlayStation 4 successor said to be on track for a 2020 launch. A Redditor who goes by the name RuthenicCookie correctly claimed that Sony was skipping E3 2019 before the company’s official announcement. On the same Reddit thread, the anonymous source revealed information about the PlayStation 5 and the PSVR 2. The PlayStation 5 will be unveiled in the middle of 2019, followed by a full reveal through a PlayStation Experience event. The next-generation console will then be released in either March or November of 2020, which will be seven years since the launch of the PlayStation 4. Most developers already have development kits for the PlayStation 5, which RuthenicCookie described as a “monster” with a Ryzen 8 core and a price tag of $500. Sony is said to be preparing hard for the PlayStation 5 reveal, which is why it will not participate at E3 2019 in June next year. A 2020 launch places the console’s release date in line with previous PlayStation 5 rumors, which also claimed that it will be built from scratch with virtual reality support as one of its core features. RuthenicCookie also said that the PlayStation’s virtual reality system will soon get an upgrade, with the PSVR 2 to ditch the breaker box found in the current version. The PSVR 2 will have a built-in camera, and Sony is said to be testing virtual reality gloves for the system. New PlayStation Move controllers are also said to be on the way. For games, RuthenicCookie said that the last PlayStation 4 games, including Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part II, and Ghost of Tsushima, will launch titles for the PlayStation 5. Backwards compatibility for the PlayStation 5 remains unclear, but most of the late PlayStation 4 titles will also be released on the PlayStation 5. Anthem, the futuristic multiplayer shooter being developed by BioWare, will also apparently be delayed again from its February 2019 release date. RuthenicCookie said that the modified Frostbite engine is not performing well on the current-generation consoles, and describes Anthem as “a mess.” Out of all the source’s statements, the upcoming Anthem delay is the one that will be coming up the soonest, so if it turns out to be true, all the other claims made by RuthenicCookie become a bit more credible.

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T-Mobile Black Friday deals are live: Free iPhones, LG and Samsung Galaxy phones

Black Friday is a little over a week away, but T-Mobile is getting an early start on its deals. Starting this past Friday -- or as T-Mobile calls it, "Magenta Friday" -- you'll able to get a new phone for free (up to $750) when you open up a new line of service and trade in an eligible phone. In some cases, the deal requires you to activate two lines of service. Some of the phones you can get include: iPhone XR, iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus for free iPhone X, iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max up to $750 off Samsung Galaxy S9 for free Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus up to $750 off Samsung Galaxy Note 9 up to $750 off Samsung Galaxy S8 for free Samsung Galaxy S8 Active up to $750 off LG G7 ThinQ for free OnePlus 6T for free Remember, you'll need to trade in an eligible device in "good condition" to get these deals. Eligible devices vary, but range from the iPhone 6S or later, Galaxy S6 or later, Google Pixel and Moto Z2 Play. You can check T-Mobile's Magenta Friday page for the full list. If you open up a new line without trading in a phone, you can get a free T-Mobile Revvl 2 (or Revvl 2 Plus for $84). The discounts will be applied via monthly bill credits over the course of 24 to 36 months. T-Mobile also has promotions for the Apple Watch Series 3 and Apple Watch Series 4, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Samsung Gear S3. You can also find deals on headphones and speakers from the likes of Samsung, JBL, Skullcandy and Ultimate Ears. More deals can be found on the Magenta Friday site.

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Apple's new iPad Pro 'folds like a piece of paper' during a stress test

Apple would probably rather skip the references to Bendgate. It's not like anyone's walking around with an iPad Pro in their pocket, right? That may be true, but it's still alarming to see just how fragile the newly released iPad Pro actually is. YouTuber JerryRigEverything put the tablet through a multi-part stress test, including the damning bend test, and he was left with a mangled wreck of an Apple device. This is a great video to check out if you're mulling a new tablet purchase. While, yes, the iPad Pro is hardly pocket-sized, it's very easy to imagine things getting bendy if someone were to accidentally sit on one. This is also a fun show if you're a fan of watching pricey new technology get systematically, violently torn apart in the name of science.

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The 2019 Mustang Bullitt is the coolest way to spend $50,000 on a car that's guaranteed to turn head

This year, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the famed Steve McQueen movie "Bullitt," Ford launched a revised Bullitt Edition Mustang. Featuring green or black paint, a six-speed manual and a suite of performance goodies, the Bullitt is the best Mustang you can get without a Shelby badge. But with a price that can easily crest $50,000, the Mustang Bullitt isn't the cheap muscle car it once was. Still, with 475 horsepower and fantastic driving dynamics, it's hard to say you're not getting your money's worth. The Good Since the 1968 release of the movie Bullitt, Ford has had a excuse to launch a new Mustang every 5-10 years with the dials cranked up to 11. The Mustang Bullitt is an homage to the film's police officer, Frank Bullitt, who famously drove a 1968 Ford Mustang GT. This year, the Mustang Bullitt has a 475-horsepower engine capable of hitting 163 mph. It's enough to make you feel like the cool police officer Frank was. To sell the image, the Mustang ditches some of its pony logos in favor of Bullitt badges. The lovely Dark Highland Green paint is part of the package So, too, are the slick black wheels and the pool-ball shifter for the six-speed manual transmission. The Mustang Bullitt also offers magnetic suspension, equipped on our $51,385 tester. Using iron filings in the dampers that respond to electromagnets coiled around them, the suspension can adjust its stiffness 1,000 times per second as you go around corners to keep the car flat and stable. That, combined with direct and quick steering, make the modern Mustang Bullitt an incredibly rewarding car to drive. If the driving dynamics didn't sell you, the sound certainly will. The Bullitt comes with an active exhaust system, able to switch seamlessly between "don't wake the neighbors" mode and "holy hell, the world is ending and this is its last cry" mode. The deep, guttural bellow of this V-8 made me grin like a 12-year-old whenever I let it rip. You'll also enjoy the interior. I don't like some of the cheap plastics inside, but the metal toggle switches and a top-rate infotainment system help justify the $51,385 price. So, too, do the looks. "That's a Mustang?" was a common question I received when I drove it around town, and nobody seemed shocked or offended when I told them it costs more than $50,000. If nothing else, it looks the part. The Bad ...

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10 Things You Must Know About TREBLAB

1) Alexander founded TREBLAB with a vision to make high-tech wireless audio accessible to everyone. 2) TREBLAB is headquartered in Miami, Florida in United States. 3) One of the most popular product, TREBLAB HD55 is equipped with HD 360° sound. 4) On October 15, 2018, TREBLAB Launched a new model of speaker, the TREBLAB HD77 5) The TREBLAB HD77 is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems. 6) TREBLAB has 11 product lines including earphones, speakers and headphones. 7) TREBLAB products' price ranges between $20 to $89. 8) TREBLAB provides free shipping for all orders in the US. 9) TREBLAB X2 Bluetooth Earbuds are made from beryllium, an element produced from cosmic ray interactions. 10) TREBLAB X2, unlike most wireless earphones, are designed for perfect Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity to eliminate crackling and popping noises. ...

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Democrat Kyrsten Sinema Wins Arizona Senate Race, Flipping Second GOP Seat

Updated at 8:40 p.m. ET Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has defeated Republican Martha McSally to win the Arizona Senate race, the Associated Press projected Monday evening. With Sinema's victory to flip the open seat of retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, she becomes the first Democrat Arizona has elected to the Senate since 1988. She will not only be the state's first female senator but will also be the first openly bisexual senator in U.S. history. Shortly after the race was called in her favor, Sinema wrote on Twitter that she will "be an independent voice for all Arizonans."

As long as I’ve served Arizona, I’ve worked to help others see our common humanity & find common ground. That’s the same approach I’ll take to representing our great state in the Senate, where I’ll be an independent voice for all Arizonans.

Thank you, Arizona. Let’s get to work. pic.twitter.com/iX6u6VQ9bQ

— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) 13 de noviembre de 2018

McSally also posted a video saying she had called Sinema to congratulate her.

Congrats to @kyrstensinema. I wish her success. I’m grateful to all those who supported me in this journey. I’m inspired by Arizonans’ spirit and our state’s best days are ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/tw0uKgi3oO

— McSally For Senate (@MarthaMcSally) 13 de noviembre de 2018

McSally could still, however, become a senator. An Arizona Republic op-ed on Monday called for Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to appoint McSally to Arizona's other seat. Former GOP Sen. Jon Kyl was appointed to fill the vacancy following the death of Sen. John McCain earlier this year, but if Kyl steps down Ducey would need to name another Republican to replace him. That person would have to run in a special election in 2020 before running again for a full term in 2022.

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VALVE RUMORED TO BE WORKING ON ITS OWN VR HEADSET, POSSIBLY FOR HALF-LIFE VR

BY GABE GURWIN Leaked images and a new report suggest that Valve will soon unveil its own VR headset, separate from the HTC Vive it currently supports. According to UploadVR's sources, leaked images of a VR headset posted on the photo-sharing site Imgur are, in fact, prototype versions of a future Valve device. The headset will reportedly have a 135* field of view, putting it in line with the most recent HTC Vive display, and could come with new "Knuckles" motion controllers. Two cameras and integrated headphones also appear to be included. Perhaps most interestingly, however, is that the same report claimed the headset could come bundled with a Half-Life game. This would likely not be Half-Life 3, but a prequel game, instead. Valve has not released a new Half-Life game since Half-Life 2: Episode 2 more than a decade ago. This isn't the first time we've heard of a potential Half-Life VR game. Back in 2016, code in Valve's Dota 2 included the phrase "HLVR," and an update on the Steam VR app Destinations made mention of it around the same time. However, we've also heard that multiple Half-Life projects have been pitched, even developed, and never released, so reports of a VR game may be for a project that is no longer viable. Earlier this year, we got to visit Valve, and came back with some thoughts on why Half-Life 3 hasn't been made yet.

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Quantum-based accelerometer can locate objects without GPS

GPS is such an integral part of modern technology, from portable GPS locators to in-car navigation to drones, that it’s hard to imagine life without it. However, there are a number of situations where GPS is not available, due to factors like tall buildings which block the satellite signals that GPS relies on. In other cases, GPS signals can be deliberately blocked or jammed, preventing it from working correctly. An alternative form of navigation is required for everything from navigating large vehicles to searching for dark matter in the far flung corners of space. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have created a quantum “compass” that allows navigation without reliance on satellites. The instrument, technically called a “standalone quantum accelerometer,” is small enough to be transportable and was shown off recently at the National Quantum Technologies Showcase. An accelerometer is a tool used to measure the changes in an object’s velocity over time, and is a common piece of technology that you likely have embedded in your phone. With information about the original position of an object and information about its velocity, location can be determined. However, the problem with basic accelerometers is that their accuracy becomes poor over time without an external reference to recalibrate them. This means they are not useful for jobs where exact location specificity is required such as navigation. The newly developed quantum accelerometer, on the other hand, has a very high level of accuracy. It achieves this by measuring the movements of supercool atoms, which are cooled to such a degree that they display quantum behavior: they are both particles and waves. The wave properties of the atoms are effected by acceleration, so the scientists examine the movements of the atoms by creating an atom interferometer — a tool which measures the displacement of waves. This means that the accelerometer can measure movement through space in a highly accurate way. The device is still too large to fit into a compact space, but it is appropriate for use on ships and trains which need to be precisely located when GPS may not be available. Its large size is due to the powerful lasers that are required to get the atoms cold enough for the accelerometer to work.

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