The owners of Google and Facebook were both heavily fined for using cookies illegally at the tail end of 2021 by the French data protection authority, Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Liberté (CNIL). On the French versions of Google, its sister platform YouTube, and Facebook, users were being asked to consent to cookies in such a way that it was much easier for them to accept than reject the request. They could accept cookies with just one click but there was a more laborious proces
There comes a time in everybody’s life when they need to take a screenshot on their PC. Maybe this is your first time, maybe you need a refresher, or maybe you just need improve your screenshot-grabbing skills. I mean, taking a screenshot shouldn’t be too confusing right? Unfortunately, Windows has a bit of a spotty history with taking screenshots, given Microsoft has implemented a multitude of ways of capturing them. But fret no more, we have you covered here at TNW Basics. The best way for mos
We’re on the edge of a major social shift in mobility. Autonomous vehicles are going to change our lives. Commutes will be unrecognizable, cities will change, and industries reshaped. We’re still a long way away from that — but companies are edging ever closer. There are prime examples, both approaching the challenge in very different ways. The first is Tesla, with its beta-testing of Level 2 driver-assist tech that aims to progress to full vehicle automation. The second is a group of companies
A mere week after it was forced to slash the FSD’s rolling stop function, Tesla is recalling yet another feature of its vehicles. This time, it’s something called Boombox that caught the eye of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). What’s wrong with Boombox, you ask? I’ll allow this tweet to explain: Change your horn sound to 🐐, 🐍🎷, 💨 or holiday jingles with latest Tesla software update! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2020 Because, hell, who in their right minds wo
Some of the cases of the mystery ailment that has afflicted U.S. embassy staff and CIA officers off and on since 2016 in Cuba, China, Russia and other countries most likely were caused by pulsed electromagnetic energy, according to a report by a panel of experts convened by national intelligence agencies. The report’s findings are similar to those of another report released by the National Academies in 2020. In that report, a committee of 19 experts in medicine and other fields concluded that di
Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. The smartphones of today are drearily similar, but what they lack in variety they offset in customization. Android users (we the best) are particularly blessed: we can personalize our devices until they’re unrecognizable. Our unglamorous status bars, however, are often cruelly neglected — and that isn’t fair. Here’s how to give your status bar the makeover it
This past Saturday and Monday, a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter took flight for the first time without anyone on board. Each time, the helicopter successfully completed 30 minutes of autonomous flight, according to a press release from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). You know, the US Department of Defense’s research arm. Behold the next-level Black Hawk. Image: DARPA These test flights are part of DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program, which aim
Google released the first developer preview of Android 13 last night. This early build has some interesting new features like Material You theming for all apps, but thanks to Android sleuth Mishaal Rahman, I found one in here that I’ve wanted for years: runtime notification permissions. It’s basically an easily overlooked, but essential component of how notifications work — and I hope I can get you just as excited as I am about this feature by the time you’re done reading this. What’s runtime no
What do BMW, the Greek god Zeus, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have in common? No, that’s not a fucking riddle, it’s an actual question. And the answer? A Super Bowl commercial. Yep, for this year’s game, BMW has dressed up the Terminator as Zeus to promote the automaker’s new EV: the iX. Y’know, the god of lightning? Electricity? Clever, huh? Image: BMW The one-minute spot is called “Zeus and Hera” and takes us to, of course, Mount Olympus. Still, America’s better than Greece and, eventually, th
While the rest of us are doing good, honest work like podcasting and influencer-ing, there’s a group of “thinkers” out there conducting horrific experiments. They’re conjuring pedantic monsters, murdering innumerable cats, and putting humans inside of computers. Sure, these “thought experiments” are all in their heads. But that’s how it starts. First you don’t know whether the cat’s dead or alive and then a demon opens the box and we’re all in the Matrix. Unfortunately, there are only two ways t