The new Apple Maps features borrow a lot from Google Maps

The new Apple Maps features borrow a lot from Google Maps

There were some familiar features on display when the new version of Apple Maps was announced at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Anyone who’s used its main competitor (ahem, Google Maps) knows where the iPhone-maker got its inspiration.

Apple Maps, especially the iPhone app version, will get a big overhaul with iOS 15’s release this fall. The new look for Maps first debuted last year with iOS 14 and is now expanding from the U.S., UK, Ireland, and Canada to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar. Later this year the new map will be in Australia and Italy. 

There’ll be more information in more places with clearer bike lanes and pedestrian crossings along with new labels and markings for different elevations and ocean features, augmented reality walking directions in a few cities for iPhone users, super high-res 3D graphics in select cities, and better trip planning for driving and transit.  Read more…

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One single CDN user took down the internet this week

One single CDN user took down the internet this week

On the morning of June 8, some of the biggest websites on the internet simultaneously went offline.

Online shoppers couldn’t access Amazon. Breaking news stories weren’t able to be published on The New York Times, CNN, or The Verge. Reddit went down, causing meme stock investors to congregate in the YouTube comments section of the Gangnam Style music video where they speculated the whole situation was a plot against them by hedge funds.

Well, we now know what caused some of the most popular websites to go down this week. It turns out there wasn’t some big conspiracy. However, the truth is still pretty bizarre. Read more…

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Facebook’s first-ever smartwatch might drop next summer

Facebook's first-ever smartwatch might drop next summer

Back in February, a report surfaced detailing Facebook’s plans to build a smartwatch with its own messaging services, as well as health and fitness tracking. Now, according to The Verge, we could see the new device revealed as early as next summer.

The social media giant has yet to directly comment on whether or not it actually has a smartwatch in the works. But it’s fairly easy to piece together what it might look like based solely off of reported features.

Facebook’s purported smartwatch is rumored to include a heart-rate monitor and two cameras — a front-facing lens for video calls and a detachable, rear 1080p camera — housed in a stainless steel case that comes in either black, white, or gold.  Read more…

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Twitter’s Art Decider will no longer decide what is art

Twitter's Art Decider will no longer decide what is art

Art Decider has finally decided its art is at an end.

Announced in a tweet on Tuesday, the beloved novelty account has decided it will no longer arbitrate what is and is not art on Twitter, leaving it to the huddled masses to discern meaning for themselves.

“I’ve decided that The Art Decider will end today,” wrote Art Decider, which is run by New York actor and writer Michael Tannenbaum. “I see this as a happy occasion since I’m able to end this project on my own terms.”

Active for over half a decade, Art Decider was a Twitter account with one simple premise: Decide whether something was “art,” or “not art.” Posting its simple assessments free of judgement, the account eventually gained over 200,000 followers, with people frequently tagging Art Decider under tweets to request arbitration. Read more…

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Here’s why Redditors are flooding the YouTube video for ‘Gangnam Style’ with meme stock comments

Here's why Redditors are flooding the YouTube video for 'Gangnam Style' with meme stock comments

If all of your favorite websites went down, where would you meetup with all of your online friends?

If you’re a Redditor who frequents r/WallStreetBets and owns some meme stocks — like GameStop or AMC — the answer is simple.

You meet in the comments section for the YouTube video of the 2012 viral pop-sensation “Gangnam Style” by South Korean singer Psy.

Wait…what?

problem: some redditors believe hedge funds will take down reddit & other platforms to create FUD + paper hands when gamestop stock short squeezes

insight: gangnam style on youtube will never go down

solution: if hedgies shenanigan, communicate via gangnam style comments ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/51zINJ2fTW

— 𝚌𝚎𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚢.𝚎𝚝𝚑 🌸 (@yungcontent) June 8, 2021 Read more…

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Trisha Paytas steps down from ‘Frenemies’ podcast after tense dispute on the show

Trisha Paytas steps down from 'Frenemies' podcast after tense dispute on the show

Trisha Paytas is leaving Frenemies after a contentious on-air discussion about ownership of the podcast, they announced in a recent video posted to their personal YouTube channel.

Monday’s episode of Frenemies ended with Paytas and Klein arguing over the show’s production, revealing a long-running dispute over pay and creative control over the podcast. During the last minutes of the show, Paytas expressed disapproval over Frenemies’ “fan advice” segment, which they called “lazy.”

“A lazy podcast? You don’t do anything for it,” Klein responded. “You just show up, we do all the work.”

That sparked a heated argument over the show’s direction, the planning of which Paytas felt left out. Paytas noted that they “didn’t get input” on hiring production crew and questioned Klein’s purchase of a Downtown Los Angeles studio to film the podcast. Klein told Paytas they get a “generous” cut of the show’s profits, and insinuated that they are the show’s talent, not producer. The podcast, which is livestreamed on YouTube, ended with Paytas asking to end the show.  Read more…

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Feast your eyes on Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system

Feast your eyes on Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system

Ganymede, a behemoth of an icy moon in Jupiter’s orbit, was captured in vivid detail by NASA’s Juno spacecraft on June 7. It was the closest flyby of the moon ever. 

Photos shared by NASA Tuesday highlight stunning details of the surface of Ganymede. There are dozens of visible craters, contrasting light and dark terrains, and other large surface features that NASA says could indicate the presence of tectonic faults — the same kind of planetary faults that stretch across the surface of Earth.

The full scope of Ganymede taken by Juno, which reveals a majority of one angle of the moon.

The full scope of Ganymede taken by Juno, which reveals a majority of one angle of the moon.

Image: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/MSSS
Read more…

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Ranking every MCU movie based on how dramatic Loki acts

Ranking every MCU movie based on how dramatic Loki acts

Uploads%252fvideo uploaders%252fdistribution thumb%252fimage%252f96288%252f8960d3b9 b89c 4f91 b4aa c199c3c4f608.png%252f930x520.png?signature=doh3ao9gz5duhrd6tt4dmbnu hg=&source=https%3a%2f%2fblueprint api production.s3.amazonaws Read more…

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Apple’s ‘private relay’ feature won’t be available in China

Apple's 'private relay' feature won't be available in China

Apple doubled down on privacy yesterday by adding features to its apps and operating systems. One of those new features is called Private Relay, but it’s not going to be available in 10 countries where Apple devices are used and in some cases are extremely popular. One of those countries is China, which accounts for nearly 15 percent of the company’s revenue.

Private Relay is about as close as Apple can get to offering a VPN without officially offering one. It exists to ensure “all traffic leaving a user’s device is encrypted, so no one between the user and the website they are visiting can access and read it, not even Apple or the user’s network provider.” This is achieved by using two relays, the second of which isn’t controlled by Apple, and effectively removes IP addresses as a way of tracking users. Read more…

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