Researchers from the University College London have done what celebrity chefs and Italian nonnas could only dream of: they've made the world's thinnest spaghetti. This culinary-sounding accomplishment, published in Nanoscale Advances, has yielded strands of starch nanofibers that are just 372 nanometers wide, which is invisible to the naked eye and is even smaller than some wavelengths of light.
"The world's thinnest spaghetti" sounds silly, but starch can actually have important applications in medicine. For instance, nanofiber starches could help wounds heal when used in bandages, since they'd be able to keep out bacteria while allowing moisture through. Rather than going through the energy-intensive process of refining their own plant cell starch for nanofibering, these chemists decided store-bought was fine and made their strands directly from flour. Their version of the nanofibers were created with a process called electrospinning, where an electric charge pulls a flour and liquid mixture through extremely small metal holes into threads that are just nanometers wide. Extrusion through a die is literally the same way you'd make conventional spaghetti to accompany your bolognese or your meatballs, only at a much, much smaller scale.
There's still a lot of study to be done before the product will be appearing in the doctor's office, but this is a step toward more sustainable starch nanofibers. And while I would pay good money to watch chefs try to explain invisible pasta on a reality show, electrospinning almost certainly won't become the new molecular gastronomy hotness. As co-author Professor Gareth Williams of the UCL School of Pharmacy put it: "I don't think it's useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second, before you could take it out of the pan."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/chemists-have-created-the-worlds-thinnest-spaghetti-201509365.html?src=rss
The 4K Chromecast with Google TV streaming stick is down to $40 on Amazon as part of a Black Friday sale. Thats a savings of 20 percent, or ten bucks for the math wizards out there.
We called the 1080p version of this device a great little streaming dongle and that certainly holds true for the newer 4K model. It supports HDR and is compatible with just about any TV with an HDMI port. Once plugged in, it streams via Wi-Fi.
The model also allows users to view live TV in 4K. This works with a bunch of different live TV providers, like YouTube TV, Pluto TV, Sling TV and Philo. It ships with a voice remote embedded with Google Assistant, allowing people to bark orders regarding what stuff they want to watch.
As with most streaming sticks, users can cast stuff from their phones or tablets. Theres also the option to build a kid-friendly profile, complete with family-friendly content and robust parental controls.
However, there is one caveat here. This model is likely on the way out. The company looks to be prioritizing the recently-released Google TV Streamer, which drops the dongle design in favor of a wedge. This one boasts more storage and a faster CPU than the aforementioned dongle. The company also shoehorned some AI in the new device because thats what everyone must do now. However, the Google TV Streamer costs $100. Id go for the $40 Chromecast myself.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-the-4k-chromecast-with-google-tv-for-40-194854930.html?src=rss
As people leave or deactivate their X accounts, there's been meaningful growth for alternative platforms like Meta's Threads and underdog Bluesky. Despite the huge gap in both user numbers and funding between the two, Threads seems to be borrowing from Bluesky's feature set to prevent it from becoming competitive.
The Verge reported that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced that Threads algorithm is getting a rebalancing to prioritize content from people you follow and less recommended content from accounts you dont follow. Which is pretty much how Bluesky does things.
@mosseri/Threads
Threads also started offering users a custom feeds tool as a way to stay way ahead of Blueskys sudden growth. (Custom feeds are a feature Bluesky has offered its users since May of 2023.) The feature lets users pin topics to their home feeds. Its not known if the new algorithm change will affect the For Your custom feed.
Bluesky passed the 20 million user milestone on Tuesday. That number may still pale in comparison toThreads 275 million users but Mosseris announcement indicates Meta wants to remain the more enticing option for the estimated 550 million users still on X, should they eventually seek greener pastures.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-will-prioritize-accounts-you-follow-instead-of-randos-191529420.html?src=rss
Happy days. Massive and Ubisoft have listened to the complaints and fixed one of the most glaring problems with Star Wars Outlaws. Players know what Im talking about. Its those mind-numbing stealth missions that automatically fail as soon as someone is spotted. A new patch lets the game continue, even after being caught, so players can try to shoot their way out of a situation.
The developers say this change was instituted to give players a decision as to whether they prefer stealth or combat in any given scenario. Drew Rechner, Creative Director on Star Wars Outlaws, notes that the dev team has removed forced stealth from almost all quest objectives. However, stealth is still an option for any of these objectives. Its just not required.
Star Wars Outlaws represents to us a true scoundrel experience and as Kay and Nix are street thieves by trade, stealth will always be an option for players that prefer that playstyle, the devs wrote in a blog post. We heard your feedback, and we're implementing changes that allow for greater player freedom and embracing more playstyles.
The update also improves detection mechanics while operating in stealth mode, as the pre-existing enemy AI could be unpredictable and inconsistent. Now players will be able to choose stealth, action or, of course, a combination of both. My preferred method will be stealth until I get caught, which should happen approximately five seconds after entering a compound.
Todays build expands player choice in other ways beyond removing forced stealth objectives. Players can now pick up and keep weapons for longer periods of time in the field, and the developers have added more opportunities to use them in various scenarios. Combat has also gotten another update, as players will now be able to target additional enemy body parts beyond the head for exploiting weak points.
Update 1.4 even includes some slight graphical upgrades, thanks to a refined camera system that improves the focus. To accompany todays update, Ubisoft has dropped some story DLC called Wild Card. Everyones favorite villain-turned-hero Lando Calrissian is a major player in this expansion.
Star Wars Outlaws still has a few glaring problems, but Massive and Ubisoft have been busy improving the game since launch. The game now features improved and refined combat, with a complete overhaul of the stats of various weapons and enemies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/star-wars-outlaws-just-fixed-those-maddening-stealth-missions-185341382.html?src=rss
Here's a solid Black Friday deal for iPhone users who have yet to hop into the smartwatch ecosystem or perhaps are clinging onto a much older Apple Watch but don't need a flagship model. The Apple Watch SE has dropped to $169 at Amazon. That's a discount of 32 percent or $80.
This is a new record-low price for the 40mm GPS variant. However, it's an all-time-low only by one dollar. The wearable was on sale for $170 during the October Prime Day event.
The second-gen Apple Watch SE is our pick for the best budget Apple Watch and we gave it a score of 89 in our 2022 review. It has the same chipset as the Apple Watch Ultra and Series 8, and it should feel faster if you're coming over from, say, a Series 6 or earlier model.
The SE shares some, but not all features with flagship Apple Watches. It supports crash detection, heart rate monitoring and emergency calling, and it is water resistant to 50 meters. We felt that the screen was easy to view, even when the sun was shining brightly. Fitness tracking is accurate (which is pretty important!). Perhaps most crucially, the Apple Watch SE is light and easy to wear.
The Ion-X glass isn't quite as robust as the sapphire crystal on other recent Apple Watch models, so you'll likely want to be extra careful with it. Other features present on other Apple Watch devices that are missing here include an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring and temperature sensor. The very handy Double Tap feature isn't available here either.
While we feel that this is a good price for the second-gen Apple Watch SE, it's worth bearing in mind that a new model could arrive in the coming months. Apple is reportedly working on an Apple Watch SE with a plastic casing in a bid to reduce the price and allow for bolder color options. It's unlikely that Apple will announce this model before next year, though.
There are plenty of other Black Friday deals available on Apple products. We've put together a list of the best ones from across the web.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-se-drops-to-a-new-record-low-of-169-for-black-friday-183924035.html?src=rss
Meta is making progress in its fight against pig butchering scams. In an update, the company said it has taken down more than 2 million accounts associated with such scams this year and that its effort to work with other companies to take down fraudsters has had some success.
Described by Meta as one of the most egregious and sophisticated online scams, pig butchering is an increasingly common ruse in which scammers trick victims, who they often find on social media and dating apps, into making crypto investments and other financial schemes before disappearing with their funds. One study, published earlier this year and reported by Bloomberg, found that these scams have likely stolen more than $75 billion from victims around the world since 2020.
Meta says its been tracking the criminal networks behind these scams for the last two years as these groups have increasingly grown their geographic footprint. This year alone, weve taken down over two million accounts associated with scam centers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines, the company said in a blog post. We also continue to update behavioral and technical signals associated with these hubs to help us scale automated detection and block malicious infrastructure and recidivist attempts.
Earlier this year, Meta joined Match Group, Coinbase and others in forming a coalition to jointly fight financial scams. In its latest update, Meta notes that it has also worked with other firms exploited by scammers. It says that OpenAI recently tipped off the social media company to a newly stood up scam compound in Cambodia after the AI company caught the would-be scammers attempting to translate scam content.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-says-its-taken-down-2-million-accounts-linked-to-pig-butchering-scams-180036668.html?src=rss
Australias majority party has introduced a bill in Parliament that would ban children under 16 from social media. The legislation, which would put the onus on social platforms rather than children or parents, could fine infringing companies up to AUD$49.5 million ($32.2 million).
The Labor Partys bill would apply to (among others) Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and X. It would require platforms to cordon off and destroy any underage user data collected. However, the legislation would include exceptions for health and education services, like Headspace, Google Classroom and YouTube.
For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful. Almost two-thirds of 14- to 17-year-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online, including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm, as well as violent material, Australia Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told Parliament on Thursday. A quarter have been exposed to content promoting unsafe eating habits.
Reuters notes that the law would be one of the most aggressive globally in tackling the problems related to childrens social media use. It wouldnt include exemptions for parental consent or pre-existing accounts. Essentially, social platforms would have to police their platforms to ensure no child under 16 can use their services.
The bill is supported by the majority (center-left) Labor Party and opposition (right) Liberal Party. This is a landmark reform, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. We know some kids will find workarounds, but were sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.
The (left) Australian Greens have criticized the legislation, saying it ignores expert evidence in ramming the law through Parliament without proper scrutiny. The recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Social Media heard time and time again that an age-ban will not make social media safer for anyone, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said in a statement. [The bill] is complicated to implement and will have unintended consequences for young people.
Last year, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy sounded the alarm about the risks of underage social media use. Children and adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, the 2023 advisory from the Surgeon Generals office read.
The US requires tech companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13, but it doesnt have any age restrictions. Reuters notes that France enacted a social media ban for children under 15 last year, but it allows children to still access the services with parental consent.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/australia-introduces-a-bill-that-would-ban-children-under-16-from-social-media-174547712.html?src=rss
The Spotify audiobook experience has been lacking when compared to rivals like Audible, but it looks like thats beginning to change. The streaming platform just announced a bevy of updates for audiobook listeners and some are downright useful.
Perhaps the biggest one for me is the addition of a sleep timer. Audiobooks are great for lulling people to sleep, but it sucks when you sleep through a hundred pages and cant remember where you left off. The built-in sleep timer lets users set how long the content will play. This sleep timer already exists for podcasts and music.
Spotify users can also now make audiobook-specific playlists, helping people keep track of what they want to read or, uh, listen to. The platform says this tool will help you keep your library organized and that playlists will be a place for you to aggregate the audiobooks on your reading list. In addition to traditional playlists, the streamer will publish curated playlists from the audiobook editorial team.
There are new Countdown Pages, which are splash pages for forthcoming audiobooks. These let people save a book prior to the release date, making it easy to find once it actually comes out. Spotify says this feature can be used by authors, publishers, and narrators to help promote their upcoming titles ahead of launch.
Spotify
Speaking of promotions, Spotifys new Author Pages display biographical information on specific writers and will allow perusal of their entire catalogs. This is in a pilot program for now, with only a select number of authors having access to the tool. Theres also a new video player specifically for audiobooks, that lets "select authors and publishers submit a short video about a specific title. The platform likens this to a books jacket, offering a taste of an audiobook before pressing play.
Finally, some audiobooks are getting a follow-along feature. This is described as an immersive visual experience akin to a music video that displays illustrations, photos and graphics as the audiobook is being read. Look for this in the extras section of eligible audiobooks.
Last year, Spotify began offering 15 hours of audiobook listening to Premium subscribers. Theres also a subscription specifically for audiobooks that costs $10 per month that provides 15 hours of listening. The Premium subscription, however, costs $12 per month and adds ad-free music to the mix. Its good to know that humanitys collective musical output is worth $2 per month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/spotify-drops-a-bunch-of-new-tools-for-audiobooks-including-a-sleep-timer-173327861.html?src=rss
WhatsApp added voice message transcripts on Thursday. Handy for when youre in a loud environment (or if you prefer reading over listening), theyll be rendered on-device, so theyll remain encrypted and private.
To set them up, head to Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts and toggle the feature on. There, you can also pick your preferred language. Once set up, you can transcribe a message by long-pressing on it and tapping transcribe.
The feature will roll out globally over the coming weeks, so you may not see it right away. WhatsApp says message transcripts are launching in only a few select languages, but the company plans to add more in the coming months.
Meta, WhatsApps parent company, has apparently earmarked this week for new messaging features. On Wednesday, Messenger added the ability to leave audio or video messages if a call goes unanswered. Also new in Messenger are AI video call backgrounds, HD video calling, background noise suppression and voice isolation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/whatsapp-adds-voice-message-transcripts-170148660.html?src=rss
When the Rabbit R1 arrived earlier this year, it was an unfinished product. Engadgets own Devindra Hardawar called it a toy that fails at almost everything. Most of the features Rabbit promised, including its signature large action model (LAM), were either missing at launch or didnt work as promised. Now, after more 20 software updates since the spring, Rabbit is releasing its most substantial update yet. Starting today, every R1 user now has beta access to teach mode, a feature that allows you to train Rabbits AI model to automate tasks for you on any website you can visit from your computer.
Rabbit CEO and founder Jesse Lyu gave me a demo of teach mode ahead of todays announcement. The tool is accessible through the companys Rabbithole hub, and features a relatively simple interface for programming automations. Once logged into your Rabbit account, you navigate to a website and input your credentials if theyre required to access the service you want to teach the R1 to use for you. Lyu was quick to note Rabbit wont store any username and password you input; instead, the company saves the cookie from your teach mode session for the R1 to use later. In June, Rabbit had to move quickly to patch a security issue that could have led to a serious data breach.
Once youve named your automation and written a description for it, all you need to do is carry out the task you want to automate as you usually would. Rabbits software will translate each click and interaction into instructions the R1 can later carry out on its own. When Lyu demoed teach mode for me, he taught his R1 to tweet for him.
Once the software has had a chance to analyze a lesson, you can replay the automation before trying it out on your R1 to ensure it works properly. While its technically true you dont need any coding knowledge to use teach mode, approaching it from a programming perspective is likely to produce better results. Thats because you can annotate the steps the software records you doing when showing it an automation. Its also useful from a troubleshooting perspective, as you can see from the video embedded above.
After youve tested your automation, its just a matter of asking your R1 to complete a query using teach mode. The resulting process isnt exactly the polished experience I imagine most people have come to expect from their mobile devices. The R1 announces each step of a task, and it can take a few moments for the device to work its way through a query. According to Rabbit, part of that is by design. Early testers found it helpful for the R1 to state its progress.
Ill be honest, its hard to escape the conclusion that some of the R1 automations Lyu showed me, while creative, dont offer a more efficient way to do certain tasks than the apps people are already familiar with, a point he conceded when I said as much during our call.
There are a lot of tasks that are not a single destination, Lyu said. To that point, where he believes teach mode will be transformational is in interactions involving multiple platforms. Lyu gave an example of an R1 user who taught his device to order groceries. With some work, that person could use the R1s camera to take photos of the shopping lists his wife produced, which the device would then use to order the familys weekly groceries from their preferred stores.
Another area where the R1 could provide a better experience than a dedicated app is in situations where there are competing standards, like the situation that exists with smart home automation currently. Say youre trying to get some HomeKit and Google Home devices to work together. You wont need to wait for the Matter Alliance to sort things out. With teach mode, the R1 will navigate that mess for you.
You need to think about velocity, Lyu tells me before laying out Rabbits end game with teach mode. For now, R1 users can freely add community lessons they find on Rabbithole to their devices. Lyu envisions a future where users will be able to sell their automations, with Rabbit taking a cut. Moreover, while teach mode is currently limited to navigating websites, Lyu suggests it will eventually learn to use more complex apps like Excel. At that point, Lyu contends Rabbit will be in a position to deliver an artificial general intelligence, one that will understand every piece of software ever made for humans.
Of course, questions remain. One major one is whether people will pay for community lessons if they could just as easily replicate an automation on their own. Here, Rabbit expects things to play out like theyve done on existing app stores, with most people choosing to download apps they like instead of making their own. For the future agent store, we anticipate a similar situation where any user could teach their own lesson if they want to, but most people will probably find lessons or agents created by other users that meet their needs very well, the company told me in an email.
I also asked Rabbit if the company is preparing for the possibility that some platforms might block people from using teach mode to automate tasks on their R1. In the companys view, bot detection systems like CAPTCHA will need to evolve to differentiate between good agents like those created by Rabbit users and malicious bots.
When a user uses LAM to perform tasks on third-party platforms, they are logging into their own accounts with their own credentials, and paying those companies directly for those subscriptions or services, the company added. We are just providing a new platform for those transactions to happen, similar to you can play music on your phone and on your laptop... We do not see a conflict of interests here.
Im not so sure if things will play out as smoothly as Rabbit hopes, but what is clear is that the company is closer to the future Lyu promised at the start of the year even if that future still feels years away and may be decided by another company. For now, Rabbit hopes R1 users embrace teach mode enthusiastically, as that will allow the software to improve more quickly. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/teach-mode-rabbits-tool-for-automating-r1-tasks-is-now-available-to-all-users-170036677.html?src=rss
