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We all know that cruise ships are petri dishes at the best of time, and as someone who has been on two lengthy cruises in the last few years -- I can only imagine how fast COVID-19 spreads on a ship.

Well, according to Florida-based newspaper the Miami Herald, it seems it is really bad. At the moment, there is no global organization that keeps tabs on COVID-19 cases on cruise ships, so the Miami Herald took it upon itself to find out just how bad coronavirus has been on cruise liners across the world.

The Miami Herald found that at least 3582 people tested positive for COVID-19 either during, or right after their cruise. The death toll is "at least 65 people" because of it, while COVID-19 cases were discovered on a huge 54 cruises around the world. 54 might not sound like much, but that represents 1/5 of the global cruise ships in the oceans. Yeah 1 out of 5 had COVID-19 on-board. Yikes.

We all are stuck at home right now practicing social distancing and being quarantined over COVID-19 coronavirus, and now Facebook has finally (seriously, why haven't they done it until now) announced Messenger Rooms.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new Messenger Rooms feature in a livestream today, and in an interview with The Verge, Zuckerberg explained that Facebook's new video features were planned as a larger part of creating more private messaging tools.

Zuckerberg explained: "Video presence isn't a new area for us. But it's an area that we want to go deeper in, and it fits the overall theme, which is that we're shifting more resources in the company to focus on private communication and private social platforms, rather than just the traditional broader ones. So this is a good mix: we're building tools into Facebook and Instagram that are helping people find smaller groups of people to then go have more intimate connections with, and be able to have private sessions with".

So I laid my head down last night after a huge day, to read an email from NVIDIA that opens with "Get Amped for Latest Platform Breakthroughs in AI, Deep Learning, Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics and Professional Graphics".

Yes everyone -- GET AMPED for the Ampere GPU architecture unveil at the now-heavily-delayed GPU Technology Conference with NVIDIA boss and CEO Jensen Huang. The company will be hosting its GTC 2020 keynote with Huang and his legendary opening keynote on May 14, at 6AM PST -- all on YouTube thanks to coronavirus.

Huang will "highlight the company's latest innovations in AI, high performance computing, data science, autonomous machines, healthcare and graphics during the recorded keynote".

Fallout 76 has a bunch of new nefarious glitches are deleting and stealing players' gear, ammo, and power armor pieces.

Fallout 76 is a mess right now. The new update, Wastelanders, was supposed to fix Fallout 76 by adding new human NPCs. But the massive expansion seems to have made things worse by sabotaging players' hard-earned gear.

Reddit user RosalynJeffries put together a comprehensive list of Fallout 76 bugs that include:

Tesla has patented a new type of electrode to be used inside of the battery cells that builds in house. The goal of the new battery electrodes is to be longer-lasting and cheaper to produce. The new NCA electrode in the patent is expected to be used in those battery cells.

Tesla previously patented an electrode using a new generation "single-crystal" NMC 532 cathode and a new advanced electrolyte. The team was able to show over 4000 cycles in battery cells made using the novel cathode. Tesla believes that the battery cells could last for over a million miles when used in electric vehicles.

Tesla's new patent is titled "Method for Synthesizing Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum Electrodes." The inventors have devised a two-step synthesis process pairing single-crystal nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) electrodes. The patent says that in certain embodiments, the two-step synthesis process includes two lithiation steps. As with most patents, much of it is heady science that doesn't make a lot of sense to those outside of the industry.

Huawei has launched a new mid-range tablet for its home market of China called the Huawei MatePad 10.4. The tablet has a 10.4-inch screen and runs on a Huawei Kirin 810 octa-core processor. The Chinese company has also wrapped in support for pen input, four speakers, four microphones, and a microSD card reader.

The tablet was unveiled in China with availability set for April 26 starting at 1899 yuan. That is equivalent to about $270. The base version of the tablet includes 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. A mid-range version of the tablet features 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage selling for the equivalent of $310.

The high-end version of the tablet will feature 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and 4G LTE connectivity for around $350. All versions of the tablet share the same 10.4-inch screen with 2000 x 1200 resolution and up to 470 nits of brightness. Power comes from a 7250 mAh internal battery. The front and rear cameras are both 8MP. All versions of the tablet feature 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, and USB 2.0 Type-C ports. The Huawei MatePad 10.4 measures 245.2mm x 155mm x 7.4mm and weighs 450g.

Having data backed up and stored is always a wise thing to do, as information or data is wealth in today's world. Previously for long-term storage, organizations relied on compact disks or magnetic tapes for archiving data. Data archiving is the process of storing data which is not actively used on storage devices for long term retention. Although these conventional storage devices served their purpose of storing data on a long-term basis, accessing the information from these drives takes a lot of time.

Modern storage drives such as Hard Disks and SSDs not only can store large amounts of data but can also operate at a faster speed. Hence, accessing information is a lot faster and easier. Having said that, it is to be noted that they are not shielded from pedestrian electronic problems like any other device. The performance of storage drives such as hard drives and SSDs can degrade over time and abruptly result in hard drive failure.

Keeping aside the fiscal loss, data loss is the biggest agony when it comes to failing storage drives. Data loss could occur due to system crash, malware infection, file system corruption, or any other reasons. However, it is possible to recover data using Remo data recovery tool very safely. But if you are using the drive to archive data and store them for a longer period, data degradation can happen majorly due to bit Rot.

Horizon Zero Dawn 2 is coming to PlayStation 5 and may feature online co-op, sources tell VideoGameChronicle.

Guerrilla Games' new Horizon Zero Dawn sequel is pretty ambitious. Sources say it'll feature the scrapped co-op feature that was originally planned for the original 2017 release, and that the studio is targeting the PS5. The latter is pretty obvious as Sony wants to make a big splash on PS5 with high-profile exclusives, but the co-op part is rather interesting. This info was actually in front of us the whole time.

Just yesterday I reported on Guerrilla's huge hiring spree. The games-maker put up 16 job listings in the last month and currently has 24 openings. Back in 2019, Guerrilla had a whopping 64 openings available. It's been clear for some time the studio is ramping up for something big.

A new report is making the rounds that claims sources close to Apple are saying that the company is on track to launch Mac computers running Apple-made CPUs and GPUs in 2021. The report originated with Bloomberg and cites sources close to Apple claiming to know what it is working on. According to the sources, the chips that Apple is working on are codenamed Kalamata.

Apple is tipped to be at work on three different systems-on-a-chip for Macs. All of them are reportedly based on the A14 chip the company developed for its next-generation flagship iPhones. The chips that will land for Macs, to begin with, will include an eight-core high-performance chip and SoC with a quartet of energy-efficient cores under codenames Firestorm and Icestorm, respectively. The report also indicates that Apple is looking into chips with more cores for future products.

With Apple working on multiple chips for the Mac computer line, it would appear that the company is thinking about rolling out its chips across its entire Mac line, not one device alone. One unclear thing is if Apple intends to replace the Macs in its current line with machines running its chips. Replacing them would seem like a likely thing for the company to do if it wants to break its reliance on Intel.

LG has found it difficult in the last several years to compete in the high-end smartphone market as both Samsung and Apple have created devices that consumers want more. Details of a new mid-range LG smartphone called the LG Velvet 5G have now leaked, and the device appears to be an interesting mid-range smartphone.

What we know is that the LG Velvet 5G will measure 167.1 x 74 x 7.85mm and weigh 180 grams. One tidbit that hasn't surfaced in the leaks is precisely how large the screen will be. Considering the measurements, scuttlebutt suggests somewhere around the 6.7-inch mark.

Rumors suggest that the screen will have a 21:9 aspect ratio and use OLED technology. Resolution is expected to be somewhere around the same 2460 x 1080 offered in the LG V60 ThinQ. Power is listed in the leak as coming from a 4300mAh internal battery. The device is also said to be IP68 rated to survive water exposure. The chipset is said to be a Snapdragon 765, which supports 5G connectivity in all bands.

Much of the business world has seen business plummet during the coronavirus pandemic. Some segments of the technology world have seen business boom. Among the technology businesses that are growing rapidly with coronavirus are instant messaging and videoconferencing companies. Many schools and businesses around the US, and the world, have turned to videoconferencing and instant messaging to keep groups working from home.

Instant messaging service Telegram has announced that it has 400 million monthly active users. The company gained 100 million active users since October 2019. The company announced to the SEC via a disclosure in October that it had 300 million active users. Telegram founder Pavel Durov says the service is adding about 1.5 million users each day.

Durov says that the app is the most downloaded social media application in over 20 countries. Telegram is also working on upgrades to its application to allow it to be more useful to those trying to work and learn from home during the coronavirus pandemic. One of those features is the addition of a secure video call feature that the company intends to roll out this year.

Today marks launch day for the all-new and highly anticipated iPhone SE. Those needing a new smartphone have been holding out for something that wouldn't break the bank will want to check out a deal that Visible has going right now. At Visible, the normal price for the 64 GB Apple iPhone SE 2020 is $384. Currently, some versions of the device appear to be sold out, which is not uncommon on launch day for an Apple device.

If you purchase the base version, it's currently available in white or red colors, and the $384 purchase price represents a slight $16 discount off the MSRP. The big savings comes in that when you purchase the phone and port number to Visible; you also get a $200 prepaid MasterCard. The prepaid card brings the total purchase price of the phone down to $184, which is a smoking deal.

If you want more storage, the $200 prepaid MasterCard deal is good on the 128 GB and 256 GB smartphones as well. The catch is that the 128 GB model is sold out. However, the 256 GB version is available in white or red for $528. That means you can get the biggest 256 GB version for a bit less than the regular MSRP for the 64 GB smartphone after the card.

A report has surfaced that claims Amazon tech workers are calling in sick in protest of the company's treatment of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the protesters are taking the social distancing and rules concerning how many people can gather once seriously, they are hosting a series of live-streamed speakers virtually rather than a physical rally, a sort of virtual walkout. The protest is reportedly a response to Amazon allegedly firing six workers in recent weeks who have called for improved safety precautions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Among those allegedly terminated for calling for improved safety precautions were two long-time user experience designers with the company. Both of the terminated workers are said to have been prominent members of the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice and had publicly voiced support for improved warehouse conditions. The two workers are called Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham.

Both of those women were allegedly fired shortly after a colleague sent an email inviting employees to an online event that featured warehouse workers speaking about their experience. Over 1500 Amazon employees had registered to attend the event, which is said to have been deleted from calendars along with the email. Costa says that she was fired for violating the company's non-solicitation policy during a short video call with an HR representative.

So, NVIDIA is making something on a fresh new 5nm node -- ordering TSMC to make it for the GeForce giant.

Digitimes is reporting from its "industry sources" that NVIDIA is tapping TSMC's fresh new 5nm process node -- and it won't be for NVIDIA's next-gen Ampere GPU architecture or the GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070 graphics cards.

There is absolutely nothing else to this news other than Digitimes reporting that its sourcesh ave told them, that NVIDIA is making something new and mysterious on TSMC's new 5nm process node. It could be something for the Tegra side of things, or here's a wild rumor -- so prepare your salt shakers peeps -- the Nintendo Switch 2 SoC. Just throwing that out there.

Intel has just gone to the oven to check on its new Ponte Vecchio GPU, with 'momomo_us' spotting the Ponte Vecchio Xe graphics card has turned up in add-in card (AIC) form.

The news is coming from a new listing with the Eurasian Economic Commission, with the Intel Ponte Vecchio graphics card turning up in 3 different forms alongside a normal AIC form factor card. As for what to expect from Intel and its Ponte Vecchio graphics cards, is that the company designed them for exascale computing.

Intel will see its new Ponte Vecchio graphics cards making their big debut inside of the Aurora Supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory next year in 2021. The first wave of Ponte Vecchio will be on the 7nm node, with Intel using 6 of them with HBM, 2 x Sapphire Rapids CPUs in each node, as the exciting new Xe Link fabric that binds them to a central Rambo Cache.

NVIDIA and AMD are both ramping up into the world of 7nm GPUs with the companies buying up the spare capacity of 7nm at TSMC for next-gen GPUs and graphics cards.

Digitimes is reporting that a "ramp-up in short lead-time orders placed by AMD and NVIDIA will allow TSMC to post relatively strong results compared to other foundries in the first half of 2020, according to industry sources". Yes my fellow nerds and gamers, NVIDIA and AMD are ramping up for next-gen graphics cards.

NVIDIA is expected to unleash its new Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card later this year, where a recently-delayed Computex 2020 in September would make sense for Ampere's big reveal for next-gen GeForce.

Tech titan Intel reports strong Q1 results thanks to growth in all segments from data center to PC gaming.

Today Intel announced its Q1'2020 results for the period ending March 31, 2020, and they're quite good. The chip-maker earned $19.8 billion in total net revenues across all segments, up 23% year-over-year, driven by strong adoption of its new Xeon processors in the Data Center Group segment. Operating income, or revenues generated from operations, was up a staggering 69% YoY to $7 billion, and total profits for the quarter jumped by a whopping 42% from last year to $5.7 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) was up a tremendous 51% to $1.31 in the quarter.

Intel's important segments rose quite a bit during Q1. The PC gaming Client Computing Group, which makes the lion's share of Intel's earnings, jumped by a healthy 14% to $9.8 billion thanks to hardware purchases and the release of Intel's latest 10th-gen H-series chips in newer gaming notebooks.

Sony's latest heat sink patent just went public, and it could hint at the PlayStation 5's powerful cooling solution's capabilities.

The latest heat sink patent from Sony outlines a solution that's noticably different than the PS4's current design, and could lay out part of the PlayStation 5's cooling system. The patent describes a heat sink with internal conduction paths that allows heat to pass directly from the SoC to the dissipation system. This will ensure optimum cooling without dramatically transforming the console's shape.

The other half of the heat sink design is similar to the Xbox One X. The heat sink has conductors that pass through holes on the PCB and connect to another thermal solution on the other

Ford has a very cool, one-of-a-kind drag racing car that needs nothing but electricity to make it down the dragstrip. The vehicle is called the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 and is the first factory fully electric dragster from Ford. The automaker says that the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 is capable of running the quarter-mile in the low 8-second range at over 170 mph.

The electric motors used in the drag racing car deliver over 1400 horsepower and 1100 pound-feet of torque. "Ford has always used motorsport to demonstrate innovation," said Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Icons. "Electric powertrains give us a completely new kind of performance and the all-electric Cobra Jet 1400 is one example of pushing new technology to the absolute limit. We're excited to showcase what's possible in an exciting year when we also have the all-electric Mustang Mach-E joining the Mustang family."

Ford sees the Cobra Jet 1400 project as an opportunity to begin the development of electric powertrains in a racecar package. Ford already has lots of experience with that racing car package, it produces Cobra Jet race cars with supercharged V-8's for drag racing and has for several years.

Red Dead Redemption 2's arrival on Xbox Game Pass next month is a strategic move from Rockstar Games.

Microsoft just announced 2018's blockbuster hit Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to Xbox Game Pass on console on May 7. The service gives you instant and unlimited access to a pool of more than 100 games for $10 a month, but RDR2's arrival comes with a huge $1 trial promo for Game Pass Ultimate (Game Pass + Xbox LIVE Gold). This is a big tactical move from Rockstar.

The idea here is simple. Rockstar is using the Game Pass Effect to do two things: Sell more copies of RDR2, and hopefully boost Red Dead Online's numbers and microtransaction spending.