Month: July 2021

Bezos says he is now willing to invest in a Moon Lander—here’s why

“I think they realized it’s why they lost.”

Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith (black hat) walks with Jeff Bezos after his flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard into space.

Enlarge / Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith (black hat) walks with Jeff Bezos after his flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard into space. (credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Jeff Bezos published an open letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Monday morning and offered to pay more than $2 billion to get the agency's Human Landing System program "back on track." In effect, the founder of Blue Origin and world's richest person says he will self-invest in a lunar lander because NASA does not have the money to do so.

NASA's Artemis Program aspires to land humans on the Moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable settlement on the surface. As part of this project, the agency is seeking reusable, affordable transportation to the Moon and back. It conducted a competition for a human lander (HLS) and announced in April that it would move forward with SpaceX and its Starship proposal. NASA had wanted two providers for such a lander, but due to low appropriations from Congress, it could afford only one.

Now, three months later, Bezos is offering to make up the difference out of his pocket. "Blue Origin will bridge the HLS budgetary funding shortfall by waiving all payments in the current and next two government fiscal years up to $2B to get the program back on track right now," Bezos wrote. "This offer is not a deferral but is an outright and permanent waiver of those payments. This offer provides time for government appropriation actions to catch up."

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Registrar Suspends Domain of Popular Torrent Site YTS

YTS.mx, one of the most popular torrent sites, has lost control over its domain name which is no longer resolving. Domain registrar Gandi put the domain on ‘clientHold,’ a status code that’s generally reserved for legal or administrative issues. The YTS status page still lists the Mexican TLD as the site’s home but unless the issues are resolved, this is likely to change.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

yts.mx logoWith millions of visitors, YTS is one of the most-visited torrent sites on the Internet, even rivaling the legendary Pirate Bay.

The site ‘unofficially’ took over the YTS brand when the original group threw in the towel in 2015. Since then it has amassed a rather impressive user base.

Legal Troubles

This meteoric rise hasn’t been without issues. The site’s parent company Techmodo Limited and its operator have been targeted in several lawsuits and previously agreed to pay over a million dollars in settlements. In addition, YTS has had several domain name troubles as well.

When the site first entered the scene it was operating from the YTS.ag domain name, which it traded in for YTS.am two years later. In 2019, the torrent site moved yet again to a new domain, YTS.lt, which was later switched to YTS.mx.

The Mexican ccTLD has served the site for well over a year but today it suddenly became unreachable. Users who try to visit the site will see a browser error instead, indicating that there’s no A record defined, which makes it impossible to resolve the domain.

YTS.mx on ClientHold

This issue can appear in a wide variety of cases but in this instance followed an intervention from domain registrar Gandi. A few hours ago, the French company changed the status of the YTS.mx domain to clientHold, which is a punitive measure.

gandi clienthold

In the past, the clientHold status has been used to suspended pirate sites after complaints from copyright holders. Whether that’s the case here is unknown, as the registrar didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment.

Gandi lists an “expired” domain as the most common reason, but that’s clearly not the case here. According to ICANN, the clientHold status is “usually enacted during legal disputes, non-payment,” or when a “domain is subject to deletion.”

Piracy Related?

Out of all these reasons a legal dispute seems to be most likely. This doesn’t necessarily have to be copyright-related. It’s also possible that a third party complained about the accuracy of Whois records, for example.

Regular readers may also recall that several YTS-related sites were sued in the past due to trademark disputes. The YTS trademark was officially registered by the Hawaiian company 42 Ventures last year, and the company actively enforces its rights. However, the company informs TorrentFreak that it didn’t complain to Gandi.

At this point, it’s unclear if the YTS.mx domain will become available again in the future. According to the YTS status page it’s still the official domain but that may change in the near future.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Surface Duo 2: What we know so far about Microsoft’s 2nd-gen dual-screen phone (leaks)

Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Duo 2 looks like it will solve some of the biggest problems of the company’s first-gen dual-screen smartphone. The company is holding an event on September 22, and we’re expecting new Surface Pro, Surface Pro X, and Surface Go tablets as well as a new Surface Book. It’s also likely that Microsoft […]

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Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Duo 2 looks like it will solve some of the biggest problems of the company’s first-gen dual-screen smartphone.

The company is holding an event on September 22, and we’re expecting new Surface Pro, Surface Pro X, and Surface Go tablets as well as a new Surface Book. It’s also likely that Microsoft will use the event to officially introduce the Surface Duo 2. But a series of recent leaks give us an idea of what to expect… although it’s always best to take them with a grain of salt.

A YouTube video made the rounds in July, showing a few pictures of what was said to be a nearly finalized prototype featuring a vastly improved camera system… although it may come at a cost.

The original Surface Duo had only a single front-facing camera that became a sort of rear camera if you flipped the screens around so they were back-to-back. But the new model has a large camera bump on the back with several rear-facing cameras, suggesting that you’ll be able to take different sorts of shots, and you won’t have to fold the phone to take photos.

Unfortunately the bump also means that it might be difficult to fully fold the Surface Duo 2 and hold it comfortably in one hand.

This summer Windows Central also reported that the Surface Duo 2 would have flagship-level specs, indicating an upgrade over the original Surface Duo’s somewhat dated hardware including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and support for 5G and NFC.

The report also indicated that the fingerprint reader had been moved (possibly to the power button), the USB-C port is now centered below the right-side display, and that the three cameras would include a primary camera, an ultrawide camera, and a telephoto camera.

In other words, the Surface Duo 2 will have features that are competitive with other current-gen flagship phones. That’s something that helps set it apart from the original Surface Duo, which shipped in 2020 with a Snapdragon 855 processor (which was around two years old at the time).

That made it a pretty tough sell for a device which sold for $1400 at launch (although it’s not often on sale for considerably less).

Most recently, a set of documents posted to the FCC website seem to confirm that the Surface Duo 2 will indeed support 5G and NFC as well as WiFi 6 and Ultra-wideband technology. Wireless charging support is also mentioned, although Windows Central suggests it might be used for transferring power to a Surface Pen rather than for charging the phone itself, which is so thin that there might not be room for a Qi charging coil.

Windows Central has also reported recently that the Surface Duo 2 will have 8GB of RAM, a 4,400 mAh battery, and dual 5.8 inch displays, all of which are steps up from the previous-generation.

Keep in mind that until the Surface Duo 2 is officially launched, none of the specs or features listed above will have been officially confirmed. It’s possible that some of the leaks were incorrect, or that they were accurate at the time… but that Microsoft may have changed its plans. But we should know for certain in a few days.

This article was originally published July 26, 2021 and last updated September 18, 2021.

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Win32 apps are coming to the Microsoft Store, but they won’t receive updates through the Store

The Microsoft Store is a combination of app store, game store and movie store. And when Windows 11 debuts later this year, it’ll bring an updated user interface. But it’ll also bring support for more types of applications: Microsoft says y…

The Microsoft Store is a combination of app store, game store and movie store. And when Windows 11 debuts later this year, it’ll bring an updated user interface. But it’ll also bring support for more types of applications: Microsoft says you’ll be able to find and download Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, Progressive Web apps, […]

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Bitcoin surges as Amazon job posting suggests retailer may accept cryptocurrencies

Tech giant might be preparing a big move—or simply keeping an eye on the space.

Bitcoin surges as Amazon job posting suggests retailer may accept cryptocurrencies

Enlarge (credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto)

Amazon posted a job opening late last week that suggested the e-commerce giant may be considering accepting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment.

The posting sent bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies surging, with bitcoin and ethereum up 12 percent and 9 percent, respectively, over the past 24 hours. The development also came on the heels of an event last Wednesday where crypto boosters Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey reiterated their support for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Amazon is looking for a “Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead,” who will be a member of the Payment Acceptance and Experience Team, which the posting says is “responsible for how Amazon’s customers pay on Amazon’s sites and through Amazon’s services around the globe.”

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Here’s the first credible Microsoft Surface Duo 2 leak

Undeterred by the failure of the Duo 1, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be changing much.

  • The Microsoft Duo 2. It has a rear camera now. I spy three cameras, a flash, and something just below the flash. [credit: Tech Rat ]

The Surface Duo was one of the biggest hardware flops in recent memory, but Microsoft is still charging ahead with a sequel to the device, and now we have the first credible pictures of it. The story here is kind of weird. We're not actually sure where the pictures are from (they've been uploaded to this random YouTube channel with other uncredited content), but Windows Central's Zac Bowden says the images are legit, and since he has had an impeccable history of nailing Surface Duo rumors, his affirmation is good enough for us. Bowden calls the two devices shown off in the leak "near-final prototypes."

The most obvious change in the pictures is a huge camera bump on the back of the device. The bump houses three cameras, along with what looks like an LED flash to the right and one more sensor, perhaps laser autofocus, just below the flash. The standalone fingerprint reader on the side is gone (Windows Central speculates it will be integrated into the power button), and the USB-C port on the bottom is now centered. Sadly, we don't know what the inside looks like yet.

The Surface Duo 1 never had a good camera solution—in fact, it didn't have a rear camera at all. Cameras are one of the biggest thickness demands on a phone body (hence the camera bumps), and the Surface Duo, being one of the thinnest phones ever made (at only 4.8 mm thick for each half), simply didn't have room for a good camera. The device only got one low-quality front camera, and since the phone was foldable, it could pull double-duty as a rear camera, too.

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Technologie: Ein Laser-Blitzableiter in den Alpen

Flughäfen und andere große Anlagen können kaum vor Blitzeinschlägen geschützt werden. Ein Experiment mit einem Laser soll das ändern. (Laser, Internet)

Flughäfen und andere große Anlagen können kaum vor Blitzeinschlägen geschützt werden. Ein Experiment mit einem Laser soll das ändern. (Laser, Internet)

Acer Swift 1 budget laptop now available with Intel Jasper Lake (in some countries)

The Acer Swift 1 line of notebooks are thin, light, and inexpensive computers that typically have entry-level specs. First introduced in 2016, the line has been updated several times over the years and the latest model comes equipped with a 14 inch, 1…

The Acer Swift 1 line of notebooks are thin, light, and inexpensive computers that typically have entry-level specs. First introduced in 2016, the line has been updated several times over the years and the latest model comes equipped with a 14 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display and an Intel Celeron N5100 quad-core processor based on […]

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