SpaceX has dealt with its fair share of setbacks as it works toward crewed NASA flight certification. One of the company’s Dragon 2 spacecraft exploded during testing last year, but SpaceX managed to address that potential flaw surprisingly quickly. Now, the company’s launch timeline could be undone by a seemingly minor failure during an otherwise successful mission. NASA and SpaceX are currently examining the loss of an engine during the March 18th Starlink satellite launch, and the outcome . The March 18th Falcon 9 launch is in the books as a success — the booster made a historic fifth flight, and the second stage successfully .
AMD has released a statement regarding a theft of its graphics IP and what may have been a subsequent attempt to blackmail the company. The statement reads: At AMD, data security and the protection of our intellectual property are a priority. In December 2019, we were contacted by someone who claimed to have test files related to a subset of our current and future graphics products, some of which were recently posted online, but have since been taken down. While we are aware the perpetrator has additional files that have not been made public, we believe the stolen graphics IP is not core to the competitiveness or security of our graphics products.
Sony is in a tricky position with the PlayStation 5. While it heads into the next console generation as the unquestioned winner of the current cycle, it looks as though the PS5 will be markedly less powerful than the Xbox Series X. When Sony unveiled the PS5 last week, Mark Cerny told viewers that the PS5 wouldn’t be at a disadvantage against the XSX because a higher-clocked smaller GPU like the PS5’s could still outperform the wider, slower GPU on the Xbox Series X: About the only downside is that system memory is 33 percent further away in terms of cycles, but the large number of benefits more than counterbalance that.
We spend a lot of time talking about the best CPUs or GPUs to make your computer more awesome, but you might be forgetting one upgrade that can change the experience drastically for the better: a mechanical keyboard. I make no secret of my obsession with mechanical keyboards as both a hobby and a tool of my profession. Naturally, I spend a lot of money on them. You don’t need to, though. Mechanical keyboards have never been cheaper or better, and it’s an upgrade you’ll benefit from greatly. You might be spending more time than usual at your computer as we all hunker down to limit the coronavirus pandemic, so this is a good time to jump in.
A UK survey found that almost half of computer users find Forty percent said they just “remember” them all, which is certainly security-conscious so long as you don’t forget. Another 20 percent write them down on a piece of paper, which is most definitely not a secure method by any means. Just 8 percent said they use a password manager. Which really doesn’t speak well for the remaining 92 percent. Trying to remember dozens of passwords, most of which need to be regularly changed, is a ridiculous waste of your brainpower. With a service like , you can ctrl-alt-delete all that needless info right out of your head.
Google is a massive company with an extensive remote working infrastructure, but even it has felt the impact of on worker productivity. The company has already announced that it would have to delay Chrome releases during the pandemic, but now it has also decided to and move right on to Chrome 83 development. There are three Chrome release channels, and this decision directly impacts the dev and beta groups. Most people are on the stable channel, and they won’t notice any major changes aside from a possible delay in updates. However, at some point in the future, their version number will jump from 81 to 83.
For most Americans, a minivan is the best people-hauler for the demographic called parents-with-kids-and-all-their-crap. And the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica minivan serves the demographic better than virtually every other sports utility vehicle or minivan. You can have a Pacifica sort-of-inexpensive or trimmed in leather, with or without hiding stowable second-and-third-row seats, or as a plug-in hybrid, all with third-row seats usable by adults. Come 2021, you’ll again be able to get the Pacifica with all-wheel-drive. The Pacifica handles relatively well. The plug-in hybrid goes 32 miles on battery power and has a battery-plus-engine cruising range of 520 miles. It is roomier and lighter than a full-size SUV.
There’s a new Windows exploit popping up around the internet, but that’s just another day for a nearly ubiquitous desktop operating system. However, this particular vulnerability is serious for several reasons, not least of which it is a “zero-day” bug that Microsoft didn’t know about until attackers began using it to infiltrate systems. Even now, there is , but Microsoft has issued some tips to help you stay safe while it works on that. The vulnerability exists in the Adobe Type Manager Library, a Windows DLL file that numerous programs use to render fonts. This file is present in all modern versions of Windows including Windows 7, 8.1, 10, and several server editions.
Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S20 smartphone is now available with a $200 discount, which is an incredible deal on a phone that just launched this month. Samsung’s new Galaxy S20 smartphone features several advancements over its predecessor including a high-end 108MP camera with powerful 100x zoom. Add to that 5G network support and a luxurious 3,200×1,440 AMOLED display and the advantages of the Galaxy S20 are made clear. You can now pick up one of these phones with a $200 discount that drops its price from $999.99 to $799.99, which is incredible for a phone that launched just a few weeks ago.
