Amazon’s latest renewable energy projects include its largest solar farm to date

Just ahead of Earth Day on Friday, Amazon has announced investments in 37 more renewable energy projects around the world. The company says these will increase its renewable energy capacity by almost 30 percent, up from 12.2 gigawatts to 15.7 GW.

The company claims the new investments will help it to power its operations entirely with renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the original timeline. The latest projects are in the US, Spain, France, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. They include wind farms, solar farms and eight solar rooftop installations on Amazon buildings. A 500 MW solar farm in Texas will be Amazon’s largest renewable energy project to date in terms of capacity.

Amazon has now invested in 310 projects in 19 countries. It says that when they’re all up and running, they’ll generate enough energy to power 3.9 million homes. The quantity of carbon-free energy they’ll generate will help avoid 17.3 million metric tons of emissions each year — the equivalent of taking more than 3.7 million combustion engine cars off roads.

In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge, a vow to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. That’s 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement’s deadline. Along the more than 300 signatories that have joined the pledge are Microsoft, IBM and Best Buy.

Amazon said it will invest $2 billion into decarbonization efforts through the Climate Pledge Fund. Along with the accelerated timeline for fully switching to renewable energy, Amazon aims to make its shipments net-zero carbon. It hopes to be halfway to that goal by 2030 and to help it get there, the company placed an order with Rivian for 100,000 electric delivery vehicles.

‘Crossfire: Legion’ will hit Steam early access on May 24th

Real-time strategy game Crossfire: Legion will soon be available on Steam in early access. You’ll be able to get your hands on Blackbird Interactive’s latest Starcraft-esque title starting on May 24th.

It’s based on the CrossFire tactical shooter series, which is immensely popular in Asia. The original game has more than a billion registered players, according to developer Smilegate. The most recent title, CrossfireX, was released on Xbox consoles earlier this year.

The early access build of Crossfire: Legion will include the entire first act of the campaign. You can also expect co-op as well as multiplayer modes with leaderboards. Players will take command of an army from one of three factions: Black List, Global Risk and New Horizon. You’ll duke it out with rivals across a range of environments and terrains.

Blackbird has a strong track record, with the likes of Minecraft Earth and Hardspace: Shipbreaker under its belt. The studio is also working on Homeworld 3. Given both Blackbird’s reputation and CrossFire’s overall popularity, Crossfire: Legion has the potential to be a big hit.

MIT scientists reveal why it’s hard to evenly split Oreo filling between two halves

Researchers at MIT created a 3D-printed device to develop a better understanding of the science behind what happens to the cream filling when you split the two sides of an Oreo cookie. Their device, the Oreometer, uses rubber bands and coins to control the torque applied to each side as a cookie is twisted apart. Adding pennies to one side rotates one of the two chambers and separates the Oreo.

After testing various types of Oreos, the researchers added scientific weight to something that nearly every American over the age of three already knows: the cream filling usually sticks to one side, even with Double and Mega Stuf varieties. Twisting speed mattered, according to the team — if you try to do it quickly, it may take more strain and stress to split a cookie. Curiously, the scientists found that the cream only separated more evenly when testing older boxes of cookies. 

The researchers suspect the Oreo manufacturing process is one reason for the phenomenon. “Videos of the manufacturing process show that they put the first wafer down, then dispense a ball of cream onto that wafer before putting the second wafer on top,” Crystal Owens, an MIT mechanical engineering PhD candidate, said. “Apparently that little time delay may make the cream stick better to the first wafer.”

The team published a paper on their research in the journal Physics of Fluids. As Gizmodo notes, they conducted the experiment as an exercise in rheology, which is the study of how matter flows. 

The researchers determined that, based on how the filling responded to stress, it should be classified as “mushy” instead of brittle, tough or rubbery. They also found that the cream’s failure stress — the force per area needed to deform the filling or make it flow — is around the same as mozzarella cheese and double that of peanut butter and cream cheese.

There could be some other practical benefits of the research. “My 3D printing fluids are in the same class of materials as Oreo cream,” Owens said. “So, this new understanding can help me better design ink when I’m trying to print flexible electronics from a slurry of carbon nanotubes, because they deform in almost exactly the same way.”

In addition, Owens suggested that if the inside of each Oreo half had more texture, it might have a better grip on the cream and the filling would be more even when a cookie’s twisted apart “As they are now, we found there’s no trick to twisting that would split the cream evenly,” Owens added.

If you’d like to try the experiment yourself, you can download the 3D printer files. Just be sure to eat some of the separated Oreos afterward. For science.

Instagram brings its fundraiser tool to Reels

Instagram is rolling out the option to create and donate to fundraisers through Reels. Users in more than 30 countries can now add a link for people to donate to more than 1.5 million nonprofits. The fundraiser tool has been available in Stories and on livestreams for the past couple of years.

The feature was announced as part of Meta’s Earth Day efforts. Meta says that more than 4 million people have donated over $150 million through Instagram and Facebook to support environmental protection and nonprofits fighting against climate change. The most popular environmental causes, based on the overall number of donors, are The Ocean Cleanup, World Wildlife Fund and (one that’s close to my heart) Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Most donations made on Instagram last year were under $20. Meta covers the payment processing fees for charitable fundraisers, so every penny that users donate goes to nonprofits.

Elsewhere, Meta announced that it’s adding more features to its Climate Science Center. It will highlight actions people can take in their day-to-day lives to combat climate change. The center will also shine a spotlight on data visualizations showing country-level emissions. The Climate Science Center is now available in 150 countries.

Across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, Meta has released stickers and profile frames to help people show their support for environmental causes. In addition, the company revealed the nine organizations that will receive funding from a $1 million grant program to help them fight climate misinformation. Meta also announced the Sustainability Media Academy, a project to help Asia-based journalists build expertise and develop authority on sustainability issues.

The lickable-TV guy created electric chopsticks to make food taste saltier

Researchers in Japan have developed a set of electric chopsticks they claim can enhance the taste of salt. The device is attached to a wristband computer. It uses electrical stimulation to transmit sodium ions from food to the eater’s mouth, according to Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita, who developed the chopsticks with food and drink maker Kirin.

Miyashita is also the person behind the lickable TV that was announced a few months ago. The idea behind that not-at-all gross device is that people would be able to taste whatever they see on screen.

The chopsticks seem far more practical, especially if they can help people reduce their salt intake. The researchers say the chopsticks can enhance the perceived saltiness of low-sodium foods by around 1.5 times.

An employee of Kirin Holdings demonstrates chopsticks that can enhance food taste using an electrical stimulation waveform that was jointly developed by the company and Meiji University's School of Science and Technology Professor Homei Miyashita, in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2022. Picture taken April 15, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Issei Kato / reuters

As Reuters notes, the traditional Japanese diet skews toward salty flavors. A typical Japanese adult consumes around 10 grams of salt per day, twice the level that the World Health Organization recommends. High sodium intake is linked to increased risk of stroke, high blood pressure and other conditions.

Artificially enhancing the saltiness of dishes could make it easier for people to opt for low-sodium options without having to skimp on flavor. Miyashita and Kirin have also discussed using the tech in spoons and tea bowls. They’re refining the prototype of the chopsticks and aim to start selling the product as soon as 2023.

Nintendo moves ‘Xenoblade Chronicles 3’ release forward to July 29th

In a rare case when we’re so used to major games getting delayed, Nintendo now plans to release Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Switch on July 29th. It originally scheduled the game for September, but perhaps in part due to a Zelda-shaped hole in the 2022 calendar, the company is moving up the release date.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will arrive nearly five years after the previous game. While the JRPG will follow on from the events of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, it’ll have a new cast of characters. A new trailer offers a peek at them in action and reveals that you can team with up to seven characters at the same time. A special edition that will be available exclusively through the My Nintendo Store includes a steelbook cover and an art book.

Despite the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildslipping to next spring, Nintendo still has an exciting lineup of exclusives for the rest of 2022. Nintendo Switch Sports arrives this month and June brings both Mario Strikers: Battle League and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. The Live A Live remake will drop a week before Xenoblade Chronicles 3.Splatoon 3 is earmarked for sometime this summer, while Bayonetta 3 and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are also expected to arrive later this year.

Instagram enables product tagging for everyone in the US

Starting today, all Instagram users in the US with public accounts can tag products in their feed posts. The option had until now been limited to brands and some creators.

Budding influencers, for instance, can help their audience buy things they show off in their posts. So, those just getting home from Coachella and posting their photos of their weekend exploits might be able to let their followers shop their festival looks.

Instagram previously said the idea behind the feature is to help people “support their favorite small businesses.” At least for now, you won’t get a cut of sales if you tag products, though Instagram has tested affiliate shops and Meta wants to do more to help smaller creators earn a living through its apps. 

Instagram product tagging
Instagram

If you’re eager to give brands you love some free promotion, tagging products doesn’t seem overly complicated. It works in a similar way to tagging other users. First, you’ll need to tag an eligible brand, then you can look for products using descriptors. You may be able to specify a style and color before adding the tag. Anyone who taps on a product tag will be able to buy that item directly in Instagram or by going to the brand’s product detail page.

Product tagging won’t stop at feed posts. Instagram says it’s working on bringing a similar feature for Stories.

‘Battlefield 2042’ will finally get in-game voice chat on Tuesday

DICE and Electronic Arts will roll out a major Battlefield 2042 patch on Tuesday, which will bring an important, long-awaited feature to the beleaguered first-person shooter: in-game voice chat.

The VoIP feature won’t work across an entire team, however. The only channel options are for parties and squads (which can have a maximum of four members). Given that teams can have up to 64 players, voice chat could get messy fast with that many people talking over each other. A proximity-based option might have been helpful for callouts, though.

While Battlefield 2042 players can use party chat features built-into their console or third-party services such as Discord, they haven’t been able to speak with teammates they don’t know until now. For a game like this, that’s a heck of an omission. It’s good to see DICE and EA finally correcting course.

Elsewhere, the 4.0 patch will overhaul weapon attachments to make many of them more distinct. It should be clearer to understand how switching to a different one will affect your weapon. Doing so might mean you’ll have slower aim-down-sights speed or more magnification for a scope. In addition, players will see the updated scoreboard on end-of-round screens.

DICE listed many other changes in the patch notes, including progression tweaks, map alterations, bug fixes and modifications to some specialist abilities. The patch will go live at 3AM ET tomorrow.

Looking ahead, the next patch is scheduled to arrive in May. DICE said it will fix more bugs and introduce other quality of life changes. Battlefield 2042‘s delayed season one, meanwhile, is expected to start this summer.

Roland celebrates 50 years of music gear with glossy new book

Famed electronic instrument maker Roland is celebrating its 50th anniversary today by teaming up with boutique publisher Bjooks to announce a coffee table book that tells its story. Inspire The Music: 50 Years of Roland History is a 400-page tome that delves into the tech, people and culture behind the company.

The book includes several chapters that explore Roland products and their impact on certain music scenes. Roland and Bjooks say Inspire the Music explains the context and history of the Jupiter-8 Synthesizer, Boss guitar pedals, TR-808 Rhythm Composer and TB-303 Bass Line. The book will cover other gear, such as keytars, grooveboxes and V-Drums, as well as how the Octapad SPD-30 percussion pad became a staple of modern music in India.

In addition, Inspire the Music features dozens of interviews with artists and Roland designers. You can expect to hear from the likes of Johnny Marr of The Smiths, DJ Jazzy Jeff, guitarist Nita Strauss, Sister Bliss of Faithless, Orbital, Peaches, Swizz Beatz, Jean-Michel Jarre and Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran.

Bjooks, which put together Inspire the Music, came to prominence through Kickstarter. It has published glossy books on topics such as guitar pedals, modular synthesis and interface design. In 2020, Bjooks teamed up with Moog for a book featuring tips and tricks for the semi-modular Mother lineup.

Inspire The Music will be released this summer. It will be available through Bjooks’ website and from authorized resellers. Pricing has yet to be revealed.

Inspire The Music: 50 Years of Roland History
Roland/Bjooks

AMC’s mobile app lets you buy tickets with crypto now

A few months after AMC Theatres started accepting crypto payments, you can use its app to buy movie tickets using Dogecoin, Shiba Inu tokens and other virtual currencies. CEO Adam Aron said the app is using Bitpay to process cryptocurrency payments, which are only accepted in the US for now. You can also buy tickets with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and an old-fashioned thing called a credit card.

It seems customers have embraced AMC’s adoption of cryptocurrency. Very soon after AMC enabled crypto payments on the web, they accounted for 14 percent of online transactions. So, if you happen to have some Dogecoin that’s been languishing in your wallet since someone gave it to you as a joke in 2014, you can grab your phone and put your coins to use by booking a ticket for a movie over this long weekend.