Pokémon Go’s Remote Raid Passes will no longer appear in cheap weekly bundles

If you want to continue raiding remotely on Pokémon Go, you’ll have to get used to paying full price for passes. Niantic has announced that going forward, it’s no longer selling them as part of its weekly one Pokécoin bundle like it’s been doing the past couple of years. The company introduced its cheap weekly bundle offering in the early days of the pandemic when COVID restrictions prohibited people from going out. Shortly after that, it launched Remote Raid Passes, allowing people to play shared raids in their area without having to leave their homes and having to congregate in groups. 

Niantic used to regularly include Remote Raid Passes in its one Pokécoin bundles, but now it’ll cost you 100 Pokécoins for a single pass. To earn coins, you’ll have to take down or defend a gym, or to pay real money for them. Pokémon Go live game director Michael Steranka told Polygon that the company is hoping to “shift the balance back towards the fun of raiding together in-person again.” Niantic has even increased the rewards for in-person raids in an effort to entice you to go out with your friends and play the game like you used to. 

In addition, the company has revealed that it’s adding new social features to the game in the coming months. Niantic has been testing community features on a standalone application for Ingress players over the past few months, allowing them to communicate with each other for raids and other purposes and to find communities in-app. The developer is expected to reveal more details about the capability’s arrival on Pokémon Go at its Lightship conference next week.

Microsoft reportedly censors searches for politically sensitive Chinese personalities

You may find it hard to search for people considered politically sensitive in China if you’re using Bing — even if you’re in the United States. The Citizen Lab, a research lab based at the University of Toronton’s Munk School, has analyzed Bing’s autosuggestion system and found that names of Chinese party leaders and dissidents don’t automatically show up like they usually would when you start typing. They’re apparently the second largest category of names censored by autosuggest, next to names related to pornography and eroticism.

The lab found that the censorship applies to names typed in Chinese characters and in English letters. Plus, it affects not just Bing, but also the Windows Start menu search and DuckDuckGo, which uses Bing’s autosuggestion system. Perhaps more importantly, it applies to various regions in the world, including China, the US and Canada. Some of the most prominent examples of names Microsoft won’t autocomplete are President Xi Jinping, human rights activist Liu Xiaobo and the Tank Man, which is the nickname for the unidentified Chinese man who famously stood in front of the tanks leaving Tiananmen Square.

Last year, Microsoft caught flak after reports came out that it blocked searches for Tank Man in countries that include the US, France and Singapore. Microsoft attributed it to an “accidental human error” when it addressed the issue. Citizen Lab’s senior research associate Jeffrey Knockel called censorship rules bleeding from one part of the world into another a “danger” when internet platforms have users around the world, The Wall Street Journal reports. He added: “If Microsoft had never engaged in Chinese censorship operations in the first place, there would be no way for them to spill into other regions.”

Watch Boeing launch a critical Starliner test flight to the ISS

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will once against make an attempt to reach the International Space Station in a critical test flight that will determine whether it’s finally ready for manned missions. NASA and the private space company have scheduled the launch for today, May 19th, with an instantaneous launch window at 6:54PM Eastern Time. The Starliner will launch on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, and you can watch the coverage for the event in the video below or through the NASA Live website starting at 6PM ET.

During its first test flight back in December 2019, Starliner made it into orbit but failed to reach the ISS. An automation system incorrectly assessed the timing of the flight and prevented the spacecraft’s thrusters from firing when needed. NASA and the company investigated what had happened, and reports came out a few months later that Boeing didn’t conduct launch-to-docking simulations on the spacecraft before its failed launch. 

Boeing made its first Orbital Flight Test-2 launch attempt in August 2021, but it had to scrap its plans while the capsule was already on top of a rocket due to an issue with its propulsion system valves. Engineers managed to repair nine valves while the spacecraft was still ready for takeoff, but Boeing ultimately decided to conduct a “deeper-level troubleshooting” at its facility at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA had to give SpaceX more crewed flights in order to cover for Boeing’s delays.

Now that its valve issues have been resolved — apparently, the interaction between oxidizer and water formed nitric acid and other corrosive agents that made the valves sticky — Starliner’s launch is a go. The capsule must achieve its goal this time if Boeing wants to catch up with SpaceX, which has been ferrying astronauts to the ISS since 2020. If no further issues arise, Starliner will reach the ISS with over 800 pounds of cargo in 24 hours. It will remain docked with the orbiting lab for five to 10 days before making its return journey back to Earth and landing in the western United States.

Audi will integrate Apple Music into ‘nearly all’ of its newer models

Audi owners can now play Apple Music through their infotainment systems without having to connect it to their iPhones via Bluetooth or USB. The luxury automaker has rolled out Apple Music integration for almost all of its newer vehicles in Europe, North America and Japan, starting with the 2022 model year. Even cars already on the road will get the feature through an automatic over-the-air update. 

After getting the app on their infotainment systems, Audi owners simply need to fire it up, follow the onscreen instructions and type in the Apple ID login they use for Apple Music. The system will send a verification code to their phones that they have to key in, but that’s pretty much it for the setup process. In Europe, owners can enjoy the first 3GB of streaming free of charge and will be billed the subsequent cellular data streaming costs through a data package available from Cubic-Telekom. 

Audi vehicles already come with Apple’s CarPlay — it started bundling the software with its European vehicles in 2015 and with its North American vehicles a year later. Through CarPlay, users can connect their phones to their infotainment systems to get directions optimized for traffic, make calls, send and receive messages and play Apple Music onscreen. This standalone Apple Music rollout, however, makes it a lot easier to access their playlists and all the other available tracks on the service.

Apple Store workers at the World Trade Center accuse the company of union busting

The Communications Workers of America has filed a second Unfair Labor Practice charge against Apple this week. This time, the labor union is accusing the tech giant of violating multiple federal labor laws at its flagship World Trade Center store. The complaint alleges that Apple interrogated workers at the WTC store regarding their “protected concerted activities.” Apple also allegedly monitored those activities, or at least made employees believe that they were being monitored. Based on the group’s filing, those incidents happened on or about May 3rd. 

By May 15th, the group said Apple “unlawfully implemented” a rule at the store that prohibits employees from posting union flyers in work areas during their breaks. Further, it’s accusing the tech giant of conducting “captive-audience” speeches designed to discourage them from unionizing. 

Earlier this year, Apple Store workers across the US started planning to unionize in an effort to get the company to increase their pay, which they claim isn’t keeping up with the cost of living. Apple reportedly hired anti-union law firm Littler Mendelson, which counts Starbucks and McDonald’s as clients, in response. According to a Motherboard report, the company also recently started arming its Store managers with anti-union talking points. They were apparently instructed to tell employees that they could lose career opportunities, as well as personal time off and work flexibility, if they join a union. 

The Communications Workers of America also filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against Apple on behalf of workers at the Cumberland Mall store on May 17th. In it, the group accused the company of holding mandatory captive audience meetings regarding the upcoming union election for the Atlanta location that’s scheduled to take place in early June. 

Tim Dubnau, CWA’s Deputy Organizing Director, said:

“Apple retail workers across the country are demanding a voice on the job and a seat at the table. Unfortunately, and in contradiction to its stated values, Apple has responded like a typical American corporation with heavy-handed tactics designed to intimidate and coerce workers. The best thing Apple can do is allow workers to choose for themselves whether or not they want a union. When we learn of situations where Apple is violating labor law, we intend to hold the company accountable and help the workers defend their rights under the law.”

Amazon refreshes its Fire 7 tablets with faster CPUs, longer battery life and USB-C

Amazon has introduced its next generation of Fire 7 and Fire 7 Kids tablets, which it says is faster and can last longer than previous models. The new Fire 7 has double the RAM of the previous generation and is powered by a quad-core processor that’s 30 percent faster, allowing the tablet to deliver a smoother performance and to more quickly switch between apps. It also has 40 percent more battery life and can last for up to 10 hours while browsing and watching videos. And, unlike previous Fire 7 models, it now comes with a USB-C port instead of a micro-USB. 

The new Fire 7 has two-megapixel front and rear cameras. While they won’t be taking the clearest pictures you’ll see, they can be good enough for video calls with their 720p HD video recording capability. As expected of an Amazon device, it comes with Alexa and can play videos and music, open apps, check the weather and call or message anybody with just a voice command. 

Meanwhile, Fire 7 for Kids comes bundled with a kid-proof case in blue, red or purple. It has a two-year worry-free guarantee and a one-year Amazon Kids+ subscription, which gives children access to age-appropriate educational content from Disney+, Sesame Street Workshop, PBS Kids, National Geographic and other sources. 

Both tablets are available for pre-order starting today from Amazon. The Fire 7 is available in black, denim and rose and will set you back at least $60 — a cover will cost you an additional $29. It will start shipping on June 29th. The Fire 7 Kids edition is available from $110 with 16GB and 32GB storage options. 

NASA will soon bid farewell to its Mars InSight lander

NASA’s Mars InSight lander will soon no longer be able to send back data and images scientists can analyze to better understand the red planet. It’s been gradually losing power for a while now as dust continues to accumulate on its solar panels. The darker skies expected in the next few months — also due to having more dust in the air — won’t be doing it any favors, as well. InSight’s solar panels used to be able to generate around 5,000 watt-hours of energy each Martian day, which is enough to power an electric oven for an hour and 40 minutes. These days, they can only produce roughly 500 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, enough to power an electric oven for 10 minutes at most. 

The space agency believes the lander will no longer be able to sustain its seismometer by the end of summer, putting an end to its science activities. InSight’s non-seismic instruments will be switched on every once in a while after May, but NASA expects it to be become completely unresponsive around December. The only way to prevent those events is for the lander to encounter a strong dust-cleaning phenomenon, such as a dust devil. Removing even 25 percent of the dust off its solar panels will allow the spacecraft to continue its science activities. 

The InSight lander arrived on Mars in November 2018 and has spent the past few years gathering information on marsquakes to help us measure the depth and composition of the planet’s crust, mantle and core. It has a robotic arm that was used to deploy its seismometer and heat probe, which was also once used to clean some dust off its solar panel. InSight’s ground team will put the arm into its “retirement pose” for the last time later this month. 

Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said:

“InSight has transformed our understanding of the interiors of rocky planets and set the stage for future missions. We can apply what we’ve learned about Mars’ inner structure to Earth, the Moon, Venus, and even rocky planets in other solar systems.”

Apple’s former machine learning director reportedly joins Google’s DeepMind team

An Apple executive who oversaw Apple’s machine learning and artificial intelligence efforts has left the company in recent weeks, citing its stringent return-to-office policy, according to Bloomberg. Ian Goodfellow is now reportedly joining Google’s DeepMind team as an individual contributor, a few years after he left the tech giant for Apple. Based on his LinkedIn profile, Goodfellow worked in different capacities for Google since 2013, including as a research scientist and as a software engineering intern. 

Bloomberg says the former Apple exec referenced the policy in a note about his departure addressed to staff members. In April, Apple announced that it was going to start implementing its return-to-office policy on May 23rd and will be requiring employees to work in its offices at least three times a week. 

The New York Times has just reported, though, that the company has softened its stance on remote work and will now launch a pilot that will see some employees come in to office only twice a week. Google has also started implementing a “hybrid work” plan that requires employees to physically work in its offices some days of the week, but Goodfellow may have taken a role that allows him more freedom.

Goodfellow supervised the engineers working on autonomous technology at Apple and developed a system that gave Google Maps the ability to automatically transcribe addresses from Street View car photos. However, he’s probably mostly known for inventing generative adversarial networks or GANs, which can be used to create deepfakes. 

WhatsApp is testing a feature that lets you quietly leave groups

If you choose to leave a WhatsApp group that has become increasingly noisy or irrelevant, the app will post a notification that anybody can see in-chat. It’s probably not a big deal in most instances… unless it’s a group with relatives or friends who are inclined to ask why you’d left. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on an upcoming feature that could prevent awkward confrontations by letting you exit groups without posting a notification everybody could see. 

To note, the app will still notify the group admins that you’re leaving when the feature becomes available, but everybody else wouldn’t know unless you tell them. WABetaInfo first talked about the feature when Meta discussed experimenting with Communities, which people can use to combine separate group chats “under one umbrella with a structure that works for them,” back in April. Now, the publication has obtained a screenshot of WhatsApp beta on desktop that shows an exit prompt that reads: “Only you and group admins will be notified that you left the group.” Hopefully, the feature will also roll out for WhatsApp on mobile when it becomes available on desktop. 

And in case you don’t want specific contacts to add you back or to add you into another group chat with them, don’t forget that you can always block them from doing so. Under your Privacy settings in Account, you can choose the people who can add you to groups, with the options being “Everyone,” “My Contacts” and “My contacts except…” the people you exclude. 

Google opens its Bay View HQ, the first campus it designed itself

Google has finally opened its Bay View campus to employees almost 10 years after revealing its initial plans for the new facility back in 2013. It’s the first Google campus the company has developed itself, and it definitely doesn’t look like the traditional offices you’re used to. One of the first things you’ll probably notice about the new HQ, for instance, is its roof that looks like dragonscales from afar. 

This “dragonscale skin” design is actually made up of 90,000 silver solar panels capable of generating almost seven megawatts of energy, or up to 40 percent of the new offices’ energy needs. Wind farms nearby will also provide the energy needed to run the all-electric HQ that has two kitchens equipped with electric equipment instead of gas. In addition, the campus has automated window shades to let a lot of natural lighting in during the day and a ventilation system that uses 100 percent outside air. 

The new campus also houses the largest geothermal installation in North America that will help heat and cool the campus without the use of fossil fuels. It even reduces the amount of water used for cooling by 90 percent. This geothermal pile system uses pumps to absorb heat from the ground during wintertime and to send heat into the ground in the summer.

Google only recently started transitioning its workforce to a hybrid work schedule that would require employees to work in its offices a few times a week. The Bay View HQ’s natural lighting, greenery and wide open spaces could help make the transition easier for people who’ve been working from home these past two years.