Amazon Prime Video Direct and the Dystopian Decision To Stop Accepting Documentaries

When Amazon made a unilateral decision in early February to stop accepting documentaries and short films via Prime Video Direct (a policy that also covers “slide shows, vlogs, podcasts, tutorials, filmed conferences, monologues, toy play, music videos, and voiceover gameplay”), the announcement also served as a quiet purge. Amazon also has been dropping long-running documentary titles from the service, with stakeholders…

Twitch Censors Live Metallica Performance with Dorkiest Music Imaginable

In the year 2000, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich answered questions from Slashdot’s readers. Late Friday night, the AV Club described Metallica’s appearance at the opening ceremonies for the (now online) version of Blizzard Entertainment’s annual event BlizzCon: The opening ceremonies were being broadcast online, both through the official BlizzCon page, YouTube, and Twitch. And you know what happens when licensed music…

Sharing your route in advance could cut electric car charging queue

As electric cars become more popular, drivers face long waits to charge – but if they upload their planned route in advance, an algorithm can slash waiting times by 97 per cent Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2268485-sharing-your-route-in-advance-could-cut-electric-car-charging-queue/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Qualcomm Unveils the First 10-Gigabit 5G Modem

Qualcomm has unveiled the X65, what it says is the “world’s first” 10-gigabit 5G modem. Engadget reports: While that’s not hugely faster than the 7.5Gbps of the X60, it promises a speed that was previously reserved for Ethernet and other wired connections. The X65 also boasts some helpful functional improvements, including AI-based antenna tuning that better responds to hand grips. You’ll…

To Re-Enable Flash Support, South Africa’s Tax Agency Released Its Own Web Browser

“The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has released this week its own custom web browser,” reports ZDNet, “for the sole purpose of re-enabling Adobe Flash Player support, rather than port its existing website from using Flash to HTML-based web forms.” To prevent the app from continuing to be used in the real-world to the detriment of users and their security, Adobe…

Clash and Byte, Two of TikTok’s Competitors, Are Merging

Yesterday, Clash announced it was acquiring Byte, a short-form video app launched by Vine cofounder Dom Hofmann. The announcement comes “at a time when TikTok itself now appears to be here to stay,” reports CNN. From the report: Dubsmash, another TikTok competitor with a similar algorithmic feed serving up entertaining videos, was acquired last month by Reddit. Meanwhile, Adam Mosseri, the…

Japan’s Brand New Anti-Piracy Law Goes Live

A few hours ago and after years of preparation, amendments to Japan’s copyright law came into effect, aiming to criminalize those who download unlicensed manga, magazines, and academic texts from the Internet. From a report: While uploading pirated content has always been illegal, the new law is quite specific in that it criminalizes the downloading of unlicensed content. While that could…

Top 4 keys to understanding moon phases

How can you understand what causes the various phases of the moon? Four tips, here. [video src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Orbit_of_the_Moon_in_2013.ogv" poster="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Orbit_of_the_Moon_in_2013.ogv"]Source: https://earthsky.org/moon-phases/understandingmoonphases…

Spotify’s Podcasting Problem: Loophole Allows Remixes and Unreleased Songs To Hide in Plain Sight

Spotify has joined the ranks of streaming services like SoundCloud and YouTube as a hub for bootlegs of popular songs. From a report: With obscured titles like “Jocelyn Flores but you’re in the bathroom at a party” by eraylandin, a new take on XXXTentacion’s popular “Jocelyn Flores,” and “Dead To Me — Kali Uchis (slowed + bass boosted)” by user Unreal…

VISA Continues Pornhub Ban, To Allow Card Use On Some of Its Parent’s Sites

Visa said on Wednesday it would allow usage of its cards on Pornhub-owner MindGeek’s platforms that host professionally produced adult studio content, but would continue to decline processing payments coming from Pornhub itself. Reuters reports: Visa said its ban remains in effect for those websites that host user-generated content, the most popular being Pornhub, until an ongoing investigation was completed. “Following…