Biofuel-Powered Rocket Makes Historic Launch in Maine

Despite bad weather and early technical difficulties, employee-owned bluShift Aerospace “made history Sunday afternoon when it launched its prototype rocket, Stardust 1.0,” reports Maine’s Portland Press Herald:
The company became the first in Maine to launch a commercial rocket and the first in the world to launch a rocket using bio-derived fuel… It carried three payloads, two commercial and one, free of…

Will Mark Zuckerberg Retire From Facebook in 2022?

Among tech pundit Robert Cringley’s predictions for 2021? “This year is going to be a tough one for Mark Zuckerberg.”
[W]hile I don’t expect Zuckerberg to abandon his CEO job this year, he eventually will, simply because it isn’t as much fun as it used to be and there will come a point (maybe in 2022) when leaving the top job will…

Can Oklahoma Return Its $2 Million Stockpile of Hydroxychloroquine?

A nonprofit watchdog news site in Tulsa, Oklahoma reports:
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office has been tasked with attempting to return a $2 million stockpile of a malaria drug once touted by former President Donald Trump as a way to treat the coronavirus. In April, Gov. Kevin Stitt, who ordered the hydroxychloroquine purchase, defended it by saying that while it may not…

Apple Crosses 1 Billion Active iPhone Users

According to CEO Tim Cook, there are now more than 1 billion iPhones being used by customers around the world. The new milestone comes as the company earned over $100 billion in a single quarter for the first time in the company’s history. 9to5Mac reports: Cook shared the new milestone in an earnings-focused interview with Reuters. The new metric is part…

Facebook Looks To Take its Fight With Apple To Court

A long-simmering public dispute between Facebook and Apple has neared a boiling point. The Information: With the aid of outside legal counsel, Facebook for months has been preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple that would allege the iPhone-maker abused its power in the smartphone market by forcing app developers to abide by App Store rules that Apple’s own apps don’t have…

GitLab Reshuffles Its Paid Subscription Plans, Drops Its Bronze/Starter Tier

An anonymous reader writes: GitLab, the increasingly popular DevOps platform, today announced a major update to its subscription model. The company is doing away with its $4/month Bronze/Starter package. Current users will be able to renew one more time at the existing price or move to a higher tier (and receive a significant discount for the first three years after they…

GameStop Jumps After Hours As Elon Musk Tweets Out Reddit Board That’s Hyping Stock

Tesla CEO Elon Musk seemed to rally behind GameStop’s epic surge on Tuesday, tweeting out a link to the Reddit board that’s largely hyped the stock. CNBC reports: Shares of GameStop, which jumped 92.7% Tuesday, were up more than 60% in after hours trading following Musk’s tweet, which linked to the “wallstreetbets” Reddit chat room that has more than 2 million…

Vancouver Seaplane Company To Resume Test Flights With Electric Plane

A Vancouver seaplane company says its retro-fitted all electric airplane is set to take to the skies for more test flights this year, as it pushes forward with its plans to make commercial air travel cheaper and greener. CBC.ca reports: “There’s no wavering in our confidence and determination and interest in getting this done,” said Harbour Air CEO Greg McDougall. Founded…

Google To Open Up Its Office Facilities for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday said the company will make its office facilities available for COVID-19 vaccination clinics, as tech giants aim to speed up distribution efforts in the US. From a report: The company said it’s partnering with the health care provider One Medical for the clinics, which will be opened “as needed” at Google buildings, parking lots and…

After 28 Years, Tucows Finally Closes Its Downloads Site

“We have made the difficult decision to retire the Tucows Downloads site,” writes CEO Elliot Noss in a blog post at Tucows.com/retired: We’re pleased to say that much of the software and other assets that made up the Tucows Downloads library have been transferred to our friends at the Internet Archive for posterity. The shareware downloads bulletin board system (BBS) that…