Jaw-dropping video shows Virgin Galactic pilots blasting into space

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Cms%252f2019%252f2%252fa72d4fc3 ebcb b6ab%252fthumb%252f00001.jpg%252foriginal.jpg?signature=tgkthp2bybqb41ze3rdzzektmwk=&source=https%3a%2f%2fvdist.aws.mashableRead more…

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Stolen Tesla leads police on chase after owner finds it with Tesla app

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Criminals might want to think twice before stealing Tesla. 

A man led police on a chase through Riverside, California, after stealing a Tesla from a parking garage. The moment the Tesla was moved from its parking spot, the owner knew that his car was on the move and that he wasn’t driving it, according to local news reports.

The Tesla owner informed the police, who eventually arrested the suspect. 

SEE ALSO: Tesla’s fart mode is a real gem

This was a shining moment for the Tesla app. Not only does it serve as a key, but it tracks the car’s location, charge level, and can also control the interior climate.  Read more…

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Uber wants to be the ‘Amazon of transportation.’ BMW and Daimler might do it first.

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Two major car makers just out “Ubered” Uber. 

Last year, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he wanted the app to do it all: individual rides, carpools, food deliveries, electric bicycles, e-scooters, self-driving vehicles, and even flying taxis. He wanted Uber to become “the Amazon of transportation.”

But on Friday, German companies Daimler (of Mercedes-Benz) and BMW announced they were investing 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) to offer many of the same services. 

SEE ALSO: After Uber bought Jump, people started riding bikes instead of ordering cars

Under the plan (which will initially focus on Europe, but could expand around the world), the two companies will combine existing services and companies with new transportation options.  Read more…

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Twitter cofounder Ev Williams is leaving the company’s board

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One of Twitter’s cofounders is taking a major step back from the company: Ev Williams is leaving the company’s board.

“It’s been an incredible 13 years, and I’m proud of what Twitter has accomplished during my time with the company. I will continue rooting for the team as I focus my time on other projects,” Williams said in a statement in an SEC filing announcing his departure from the board.

Thank you, @jack and @biz for starting this crazy company with me—and continuing to make it better and better. And to my fellow board members, new and old—some of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever known.

— Ev Williams (@ev) February 22, 2019 Read more…

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Period tracking app says it will stop sharing health data with Facebook

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After The Wall Street Journal reported that popular period-tracking app Flo had been secretly sharing some of its users’ most personal health data with Facebook, Flo is promising to make some changes.

Along with a number of other popular health apps, Flo used Facebook’s developer software to track users’ data in a way that could be used for advertising purposes, the report found. 

SEE ALSO: Are period apps gender-inclusive? Not quite, but they’re trying

In Flo’s case, the period tracking app “told Facebook when a user was having her period or informed the app of an intention to get pregnant,” according to The WSJ. This data “was sent with a unique advertising identifier that can be matched to a device or profile.” Read more…

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Drivetime trivia app turns your daily commute into a gameshow

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Drivetime commuter trivia app
$Free download on App Store or Google Play
View Product
The Good

Interactive without being distracting • Designed knowing you are at the wheel • You might actually learn something • Available to play anytime

The Bad

Limited content with a focus on current events • For heavy drivers • only 30 minutes of trivia per day • Meant for solo • adult drivers • so doesn’t work well for carpooling • passengers • or young kids • Can be hard for app to pick up your answers in noisy car situations

The Bottom Line

For commuters looking for something to do while driving, this makes the time go by much faster. For hardcore trivia fans, this is another way to get your fix. It’s tailored to a driving experience, so it’s a slower pace with a bit more banter and background info than usual. Once you’ve opened the app and pressed play, you don’t have to look at or touch the screen again.

Read more…More about Games, Reviews, Review, Commuting, and Trivia

This cat opening a door by himself is truly impressive

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Videos of cats opening doors are always good, but here is a particularly good one.

It was taken by Twitter user @steeleio_, who couldn’t figure out why her roommate’s cat was always able to break out of their bathroom. So she set up a camera on a shower shelf, shut the cat in the bathroom, and shook his food bag outside the door so he’d want to get out. 

He escaped in less than five minutes. “Once he got out, we gave him a treat and watched the video,” @steeleio_ explained via Twitter DM. “My roommate was in complete shock.”

Here is the video. Watch and be amazed.

My roommate’s cat is always breaking out of her bathroom. I set up this hidden camera to find out how…and y’all….i- ?? pic.twitter.com/AUDN9IWPNE

— aliyah (@steeleio_) February 21, 2019 Read more…

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How VR and AR are going to transform the way we consume news

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In this special edition of MashTalk, Mashable sits down with Ray Soto, Director of Emerging Technology for USA Today, at CES 2019. 

Soto discusses his team’s latest projects that bring an entirely new perspective and interactive experience to contemporary hot button topics – like Trump’s border wall. Furthermore, Soto sheds light on how he believes this style of storytelling will change the media industry going forward. Read more…

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Amy Klobuchar apparently ate salad with a comb and then made her staffer clean it

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The New York Times published a story Friday detailing the harsh, occasionally demeaning manner in which 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has treated her staff. There are a lot of disturbing details in the report, including accounts of Klobuchar throwing items “in the direction of aides” and making employees wash her dishes, which is probably unethical and definitely shitty.

The weirdest story, though, is about a comb. In 2008, an aide allegedly forgot to bring a fork for Klobuchar’s salad aboard a short flight to South Carolina. According to the Times, Klobuchar “berated” the staffer for his mistake, then proceeded to eat the salad with a comb. Read more…

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