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Today’s Storystream

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Meta’s Quest headsets now let you view panoramic images in VR.

As part of its v65 release, Meta has announced that Quest 3, Quest Pro, and Quest 2 owners with iOS 17 can now upload panoramic images to the Quest mobile app and view them in VR. It’s also expanding the ability to upload and view spatial videos to all iPhone users with iOS 17.


Image: Meta
Get a load of the horsehead on this nebula.

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope recently produced the “sharpest infrared images to date” of the Horsehead Nebula, according to the European Space Agency.

As BBC Science Focus explains, images like this are made up of multiple composites taken at different infrared wavelengths, then shifted to the visible spectrum and combined. For more detail, see scientists’ paper on the below image.


A color-shifted image of a portion of the Horsehead Nebula. The dust clouds are blue and brown, a reddish glow follows their contour, and stars and galaxies sit in the background.
A small portion of the Horsehead Nebula.
Photo: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Misselt

Can Rabbit’s R1 outsmart the smartphone assistants? Let’s find out!

The pilot episode of a thrilling and imaginary new game show.

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Twitch’s scrollable discovery feed has arrived.

The TikTok-style discovery feed lets you swipe through livestreams and clips on Twitch’s mobile app. If you land on a livestream you like, you can tap into the stream to start tuning in.


“This wasn’t a mistake, it wasn’t a regulatory oops,” says Kevin Mosley, the prosecutor.

As a result of asking forgiveness, not permission, Changpeng Zhao made himself a billionaire and celebrity, Mosley says.


Jeep sets a reveal date for its all-electric Wagoneer S.

The battery-powered mid-sized SUV will be officially unveiled at an event in New York City on May 30th. It’s a curious move for the off-road focused brand — NYC doesn’t exactly scream “rear locking differentials” — but Jeep says it will show off new features like “all-terrain management, advanced Jeep brand-focused technology and impressive performance credentials.”

I suppose Manhattan’s many prodigious potholes could count as going off-road.


Light-up LED grilles are so hot right now.
Light-up LED grilles are so hot right now.
Image: Jeep
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What new features is Apple considering for Safari?

According to AppleInsider, it’s testing Safari updates like “Intelligent Search,” which would offer on-device AI-powered webpage summaries and a built-in “Web Eraser” feature that lets you selectively — and persistently — block content on websites.

AppleInsider’s story, which cites unnamed sources, seems at least plausible, given Apple is widely expected to debut a smattering of AI features at WWDC in June.


The Verge’s 2024 Mother’s Day gift guide

We found a collection of unique gift ideas that go beyond the flowers and chocolates that typically rule the day.

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Bing now has 140 million daily users.

It’s hard to get people to switch away from Google, but Microsoft has been trying over the past year and hit a milestone of 140 million daily users recently. That’s up from the 100 million that Microsoft announced last year, so it’s clear that its ambitious plans for its AI-powered search engine have got millions more people using Bing.


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Two Texas counties are rolling out mass surveillance programs.

Webb and Val Verde counties, both of which are located near the Texas-Mexico border, recently started using TraffiCatch to surveil their communities, NOTUS reports.

TraffiCatch lets police “detect in-vehicle wireless signals,” which it connects to cars’ license plate numbers. Webb County bought the tech with a grant from DHS, while Val Verde got the funds through Operation Lone Star, a controversial state-level immigration enforcement program.


A relatively sedate morning in Seattle.

Unlike with the Sam Bankman-Fried trial, public interest in the sentencing of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao seems to be low. I did not spend hours standing in line this morning. And as far as I know, CZ is not yet in the building.


Underground vaults are so hot right now.

While Fallout is huge at the moment, don’t forget about that other post-apocalyptic series about people living deep underground. We don’t have a date or trailer yet for season 2 of Silo on Apple TV Plus, but at least there’s this assurance from the author of the novels the show is based on.


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Netflix turns the clock back on F1 drama with Senna.

30 years after the tragic death of Brazilion F1 great Ayrton Senna, Netflix released a first look at its upcoming series based on his life.

Post-Drive to Survive and ahead of this weekend’s Miami GP, it’s clear how much F1’s popularity has grown since the Senna documentary in 2010, bringing in new fans who can learn about his story.


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Would you buy toothpaste on Shein?

The e-comm giant is betting you might. Shein, mostly known for its bargain bin fashion items, is now looking to sell more household items from established brands like Colgate-Palmolive or Hasbro. It’s part of a strategy to challenge Amazon as Shein looks to IPO later this year.


The legal challenges that lie ahead for TikTok — in both the US and China

Having lost its fight in Congress, TikTok faces a tough battle in US courts and with China’s own export controls.

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The Verge
AM radio bill dials in more support.

A bill in Congress that would require automakers to keep AM radio in their vehicles now has 60 co-sponsors in the Senate and 246 in the House — a filibuster proof majority that could signal its on its way to becoming law. The legislation was introduced in response to an increasing number of vehicles (EVs in particular) coming out without AM radio. But EV lobbyists say the bill is unnecessary.


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Keep talking.

Danny and Michael Philippou — the former YouTubers who directed the excellent horror film Talk To Me — are teaming up with A24 again for a mystery project called Bring Her Back. All we know now is that it’ll be scary, star Sally Hawkins, and starts production this summer. (Don’t worry: the Talk To Me sequel is still in the works, too.)


The walls of Apple’s garden are tumbling down

Apple’s reckoning isn’t just the end of an era for the company — it’s a reflection of the smartphone’s fall from beloved gadget to commodity.

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Meta’s Oversight board is getting smaller.

An unknown number of “targeted cuts” are coming to staffers who support the 22-member board that polices the world’s largest social media network. Launched in 2019, Meta has contributed $280 million to keep the board operational through 2025... which is a lot for a company that just emerged from its “year of efficiency.


Epic says Fortnite is returning to EU iPads.

The announcement follows the EU’s ruling to treat iPadOS the same as iOS, allowing residents to download apps from outside the Apple App Store, uninstall preloaded apps, and select default services like browsers from choice screens. iPad and iPhone users outside of Europe will have to continue streaming Fortnite through a browser.


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The quest for the perfect keyboard stabilizer.

Ryan Norbauer wanted the perfect stabilizer for his upcoming Seneca keyboard, which will start at $3,400 (not a typo). And so, armed only with impossibly high standards, an unbelievable tenacity, and a “cash bazooka,” he set out to invent it.


the Stabilizer Problem

[Ryan Norbauer]