Latest News - Page 992

Twitter Blue originally cost just $4.99 a month, but after Elon Musk's successful purchase of the company, there was rumbling of that price hiking up to $20 a month. Now, things have changed again.

In response to the massive outcry of unpleased Twitter users discovering that Twitter Blue was going to be increased to $20 a month, Musk has taken to his personal Twitter account to announce that he has heard the people and that Blue will be just $8 a month. The SpaceX CEO said that the price was adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity, which is essentially a word-salad way of saying the price was averaged out for the less fortunate percentage of Twitter users globally.

Musk then listed out a bunch of features that users will get if they decide to sign up for Twitter's $8-a-month subscription. According to Musk, paying Twitter Blue subscribers will get priority in replies as well as mentions and search results, which the Twitter owner says is "essential to defeat spam/scam" accounts. Additionally, Twitter Blue users will be able to post longer audio and video content while experiencing half the amount of ads on the platform. Furthermore, publishers that are "willing to work with us" will get a paywall bypass.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken to his personal Twitter account to give an update on how already banned accounts may be coming back to Twitter.

Musk replied to a Tweet from Head of Safety & Integrity at Twitter, Yoel Roth, who stated that the company is staying vigilant against any outside attempts that are being made to manipulate general conversations about the upcoming 2022 US midterms. Musk responded to this post from Roth and said that he has talked with several civil society leaders about how Twitter will implement strategies and policies that will combat any outside threats to sway the general conversation approaching the 2022 midterms. Notably, Musk also said he discussed strategies to combat hate speech and harassment on the platform.

The SpaceX CEO didn't stop there as he further explained that Twitter won't be allowing any account that was banned before he took over the company to magically come back onto the platform. Additionally, Musk said that anyone who was banned for violating Twitter's rules won't be returning to Twitter until the company has a clear process for reinstating those accounts that violated Terms of Service. Lastly, Musk said that it will take at least a few weeks to come up with this clear process for reinstating accounts.

We are now mere hours away from AMD's huge Radeon RX 7000 series "RDNA 3" graphics card reveal, where we will be introduced to the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT... and now, we've got our first real look at the Navi 31-powered cards.

A couple of pictures were shared by leaker @9550pro who said they have pictures of the new Navi 31-based designs from a closed QQ chat group. It looks like we're scoping out some prototype Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards, but we know that the dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors will be standard on the reference cards from AMD.

Up against the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT reference graphics card, the new Radeon RX 7900 XTX -- or the Radeon RX 7900 XT, we don't know what we're looking at here exactly -- the new Navi 31-powered flagship graphics card is longer. Still, maintains the dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors versus the monster 16-pin 12VHPWR power connector on NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 could end up being the best-earning Call of Duty of all time, and has already broken new records for the franchise.

Today Activision-Blizzard confirmed that Modern Warfare 2 has generated an incredible $800 million in revenues, which will supercharge the company's full-year earnings. Modern Warfare 2 has set a new record for the best opening weekend in digital sales out of any other Call of Duty game.

Activision touts that Modern Warfare 2 beats the combined openings of Top Gun: Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Dodge continues work on its Charger Daytona SRT Concept, an electric car that is designed to replace traditional gas-powered muscle cars starting in 2024.

There will be nine different possible powertrain outputs available for the muscle car - three different battery-electric power levels are now being shown off during SEMA - along with two levels of Dodge Direct Connection upgrades for each level. Dodge is careful to point out that the Charger Daytona SRT Concept is a truly authentic Dodge that will be able to redefine the muscle car while showing off the future benefits of electric technology.

The 340 base model generates 455 horsepower and the 440 produces 590 horsepower - the top-line SRT Banshee will feature an 800-volt electrical system, double the power of the 400-volt designs of the other models.

Sony's PlayStation 5 has shipped 25 million units since releasing in 2020, but the console is still shipping slower than the PlayStation 4. That should change this year.

Today Sony announced its Q2 2022 earnings report, revealing tons of new info about the PlayStation business. According to the figures, the PlayStation 5 duo of consoles has shipped 25 million units to date. Compared to the PS4, the PS5 is actually about 4 million units short of being its predecessor's rapid pace.

In its first 8 quarters the PlayStation 4 had shipped 29.4 million units worldwide, beating the PS5's current numbers by some 4.4 million units. Sony is eager to fill the gap between the two generations and is actually making PS5 consoles faster than anticipated--the company produced 6.5 million PlayStation 5's during the Q2 period from July to September 2022.

The custom Jeep CJ Surge Concept is a mix of restoration and modification, with Jeep refreshing the late model CJ7 and switching the internal combustion engine for a battery-electric propulsion system.

Ideally, the concept should help Mopar better understand the most efficient ways to implement battery-electric solutions for classic Jeep models. It's powered by a 400-volt, 200-kW electric drive module mounted into the frame using custom solid motor mounts - and 24 lithium-ion battery modules providing power to all four wheels. The battery modules are located inside a protective shell located at the rear of the Jeep's cabin.

Behind the driver-side door opening is the BEV charge port - though additional information about range and recharge times weren't revealed just yet.

Sony says it is producing PlayStation 5 consoles faster than expected and it may exceed the 18 million PS5 shipment set for FY2022.

Sony wants to make this year one for the record books. The company wants to sell more PlayStation 5 consoles this year than any other PlayStation in the history of the brand. To hit this goal, it has to create an ample stream of supply...and that means producing a lot of consoles. Luckily that's exactly what Sony is doing.

In its recent Q2 FY2022 earnings report, Sony says it has produced 6.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles from July - September because it is now easier to procure parts and manufacture then in worldwide facilities. However, Sony did just raise the retail price of PS5 consoles in almost all worldwide regions except for the United States.

Professional rally driver Ken Block recently took the Audi S1 Hoonitron for a gripping ride around Las Vegas as part of his ongoing Hoonigan video series. Although the Vegas experience was his 11th installment, it was the first time to highlight what an electric car can do. The one-of-a-kind car was built by Audi exclusively for Block to put through its paces.

Audi stepped it up a notch to design a fully electric car that would meet the needs of Block - and his demanding driving style - with the company saying the S1 Hoonitron "broke entirely new ground" for Audi. The car has been in development since the spring of 2021 in Germany, with Audi taking inspiration from the 80's era Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 Pikes Peak rally car. Of course, the Pikes Peak had to make a cameo appearance in the video, as a sign of appreciation for the past - as Audi ramps up electric for the future.

There were two electric motors installed in the all-wheel drive car rocking a carbon fiber chassis.

Keeping to the Halloween theme, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released a phenomenal image of the ghost of a once giant star.

The ESO has taken to its website to explain that the above image features the nebula called the Vela Supernova Remnant, which was captured by the ESO-run Very Large Telescope in Chile. The Vela Supernova Remnant is the remains of a once massive star that ended its life via a powerful explosion called a supernova.

This explosion happened approximately 11,000 years ago, and once it occurred, the shock waves moved through the surrounding gas in the area, compressing it and creating the strange tendrils seen scattered through the above image. So, when does a supernova happen? Simply, a supernova happens when a massive star, some fifteen times larger than our Sun, runs out of the fuel it needs to keep burning (hydrogen and helium). This lack of fuel causes the outer layers of the star to rapidly close in on the star's core, eventually forming a neutron star.

SpaceX is currently preparing for the November launch of the largest operational rocket in the world, its Falcon Heavy.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has taken to its Twitter account to share updates on the coming Falcon Heavy launch as the space company announced on October 28 that a static fire test had successfully been conducted and that the Falcon Heavy was ready for launch. SpaceX then posted photos of the Falcon Heavy being rolled up the ramp to Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This image was followed by another photo of a Falcon 9 first stage returning back to base.

Additionally, SpaceX stated that the launch would occur on November 1 and that weather was seemingly 90% favorable for the launch to go ahead. The Falcon Heavy will be sending multiple payloads into space for the US Space Force under a mission that is called USSF-44.

Researchers have identified a "planet killer" asteroid that was hiding in the Sun's glare, with astronomers deeming it as the largest potentially hazardous asteroid discovered in the past eight years.

The asteroid, now called 2022 AP7, was quite literally hiding in the Sun's glare, which is a region of space astronomers have a lot of trouble monitoring as most instruments used to look out into space are designed to be extremely sensitive to light, so astronomers can catch the light from objects really far away. For example, if you pointed the Hubble Space Telescope or the advanced James Webb Space Telescope in the direction of the Sun, it would fry the observatories sensors.

As for 2022 AP7, reports indicate that the space rock is estimated to have a diameter of 0.9 miles, making it the largest potentially hazardous space rock astronomers have discovered in the last eight years, lending its new label of "planet killer" as its capable of causing destruction across multiple continents if it were to collide with Earth in the future. The asteroid managed to slip out of view of asteroid-hunting astronomers as its orbit passed between Earth and Venus, a region of space that is plagued with the Sun's rays.

In the days following Elon Musk's successful acquisition of Twitter, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO has already set his sights on becoming what has been deemed an S-tier social media platform.

Musk replied to a Tweet from Marques Brownlee, a YouTuber that focuses on reviewing any and all newly released technology such as mobile phones, iPads, wearables, advanced technology, and more. Also known as MKBHD, Marques Brownlee has also sat down for a couple of interviews with Musk in the past, while also visiting Musk's Tesla factory for a tour.

MKBHD took to Twitter following Musk's successful purchase of Twitter to give a hot take (an opinion that may be seen as unpopular) on the now-changing landscape of social media platforms. Brownlee wrote that YouTube is still the only S-tier social media platform, which sparked a response from the now-Twitter-owner who simply said, "For now".

Halloween has just passed, and NASA is the celebratory spirit by releasing a new image on the Hubble Space Telescope Twitter account.

The image was released on October 27 and showcased the galaxy cluster known as Abell 611, located approximately 3.2 billion light-years from Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) explains via its press release that Abell 611 is a cobweb of galaxies that are held together by a dark secret that is still giving astronomers headaches, dark matter. According to the press release, the galaxy cluster doesn't appear to have enough matter present to stop all of the rapidly rotating galaxies from eventually flying apart from each other. However, this isn't what's happening, as researchers have observed the opposite.

Abell 611 isn't unique in this head-scratching regard, as astronomers have observed the same problem with other massive cosmic structures such as galaxies and galaxy clusters. The ESA writes that this problem only presents itself on large-scale cosmic objects, and typically isn't present on the smaller scale, such as calculating the orbit of planets around the Sun or explaining the Solar System as a whole. The same works for other star systems as well. However, when attempting to find out the mass of larger objects such as galaxies or galaxy clusters, the calculations fall apart.

One of the biggest gambling Twitch streamers has revealed how much he supposedly made from gambling sponsorship deals.

Twitch announced on September 20 that it would be updating its Terms of Service (TOS) to reflect its new stance on gambling that went into effect on October 18. The announcement from the world's largest streaming service came after it was revealed that Twitch partner "ItsSliker" scammed his viewers and fellow content creators out of more than $300,000. While the total amount scammed isn't the biggest in Twitch-associated scamming history, the amount of people affected by the ItsSliker has made it the largest, prompting action from Twitch.

Amazon's subsidiary, Twitch decided to respond by outright banning gambling on October 18, which to many gambling streamers was a knee-jerk reaction. One of the most prominent Twitch gambling streamers against Twitch's decision to ban gambling was and still is, Trainwreck, who recently revealed on October 19, after he was out of contract with his sponsor, that he was paid $360 million for 16 months of gambling streaming on Twitch. Furthermore, Trainwreck revealed that more than $70 million of that $360 million was given to his community.

It hasn't been long since Elon Musk officially became the owner of Twitter, and the SpaceX CEO has already revealed what he believes is the most messed up thing at the company.

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO posted an email sent to him from Twitter informing him he has just thirty days to complete a mandatory course on how to run the company, and within that Twitter thread, Musk answered a question from an individual that asked him "what's the one thing that's most messed up at Twitter right now??". Musk replied by saying that there seemed to be ten people in a managerial position for every single person that was coding, which speaks to Musk's as well as Twitter's previous statements of planned layoffs at the company.

There have been quite a lot of rumors swirling that Musk plans on taking the reins at Twitter and becoming the company's CEO, which would make him CEO of three different companies. However, Musk recently confirmed that this isn't something he desires, and that he would prefer to be referred to by his self-proclaimed title within his Twitter bio - "Chief Twit". Furthermore, Musk said that he "has no idea" who the CEO is, which indicates that it's still quite early in the deciding process for who would be the best fit for the position.

German automaker BMW plans to take its Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) car, the BMW M Hybrid V8, to the iRacing driving simulation platform. Race fans will have the chance to get behind the wheel - only digitally, of course - and see what they can do on the same Le Mans tracks the drivers use.

BMW and iRacing have a relationship that has developed over a few years, as the German automaker must trust its technology partner. The company is currently sharing technical car details, such as CAD data and simulator/racetrack results, with iRacing. This additional information should allow for a significantly more realistic virtual driving experience for motorsports fans.

Both companies have teamed up to take cars like the M8 GTE, M4 GT4, and M4 GT3 from the real-world into the virtual world. Direct support from automakers helps create an even more realistic experience with the immersion of cars identical to the ones we watch race around the track on TV.

In a technology product that isn't necessarily the most practical - or logical, to be honest - Porsche Design has shown off the limited edition 911 Soundbar 2.0 Pro. Soundbars tend to have rather simple designs that allow them to blend in anywhere in your house or apartment, but this is no ordinary audio product.

The 911 Soundbar 2.0 Pro is made from an original Porsche 992 GT3 exhaust system and is a 2.1.2 virtual surround sound system. The 300-watt system features 4K compatible HDMI ports, Bluetooth 5.0, and streaming support for Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast.

Interested buyers can pre-order the highly unique soundbar now, though it's a limited edition with just 500 units expected. Keep in mind that it will set you back a whopping $12,000.

US automaker Ford recently boasted that its 2023 F-Series Super Duty is unrivaled compared to other heavy-duty pickup trucks, saying it has the best towing capacity of every trailer type. To help make this possible, Ford offers drivers four different engine choices, including the all-new 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8 or the all-new standard 6.8-liter V8 gas engines recently added to the collection.

The 2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty offers 1,200 lb-ft torque and can tow up to 40,000 pounds, with 8,000 pounds of maximum payload. Ford added features such as 360-Degree Trailer Cameras and onboard scales for the F-250, F-350, F-450, and Tremor package.

Here is what Andrew Kernahan, Super Duty chief program engineer at Ford, said in a press statement: "The all-new 2023 Super Duty is designed and engineered for America's builders. Our job is to help make our customers' work feel easy, and this truck nails that commitment. The combination of purpose-built construction, powerful engines, 10-speed transmissions and new technology means our customers can work, tow and haul with absolute confidence."

Lamborghini owners recently completed the Lamborghini Esperienza Giro China event, covering more than 680 miles during the five-day journey. The trip from Yangshuo to the border town of Chongzuo was themed as a "Journey of Reawakening," and was the longest event the Italian automaker has hosted.

A total of 42 vehicles took part in the trip, with Aventador, Huracan, and Urus models all on full display. This was the eighth consecutive of the event - and the Italian automaker looks forward to the future growth of the exclusive event.

The super sports cars and super SUVs traveled along China's Route 66, able to observe grassplants, deserts and small villages along the way. The Urus was able to utilize its "Sand" mode and showed what it could really do - and the Terra mode relied on its active torque vectoring so drivers were able to overcome slippery mud with little problem.