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CNET: Amazon blames social media companies for spread of fake reviews - CNET The internet retailer also want them to do more to combat the problem. 51 mins ago

CNET: Best of E3 2021: CNET's favorite games from the show - CNET Zelda and Elden Ring are just the beginning. 1 hour ago

Gizmodo: J.J. Abrams Is Producing a New UFO Documentary For Showtime J.J. Abrams has already made multiple movies about searching for people in the stars, so if there’s anyone in Hollywood who you can trust to find UFOs, it’s probably him. The director of two Star Trek and two Star Wars movies is set to produce a new documentary called UFO which will premiere on Showtime August 8.Read more... 1 hour ago

CNET: China is launching three astronauts to new space station: What to know - CNET Three male astronauts will head to China's Tianhe module, the core piece of its new space station, this Thursday. 1 hour ago

CNET: That UFO report is coming soon. Here's everything you need to know - CNET A report to Congress from the intelligence community isn't expected to say it's aliens, but also won't say it's definitely not aliens. 1 hour ago

TechCrunch: A look inside Google’s first store, opening in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood tomorrow There have been plenty of pop-ups over the years, but tomorrow Google’s first store opens in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood. The brick and mortar model finds the company joining peers like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and even Amazon, all of whom have a retail presence in Manhattan, including several just around the corner from Google’s new digs. […] 1 hour ago

Gizmodo: Workhorse Is Taking the USPS to Federal Court Over Lost Mail Vehicle Contract The electric vehicle startup Workhorse filed a complaint in federal court on Wednesday challenging the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to award a 10-year, multibillion-dollar vehicle manufacturing deal to a defense contractor earlier this year.Read more... 2 hours ago

TechCrunch: Tractable raises $60M at a $1B valuation to make damage appraisals using AI As the insurance industry adjusts to life in the 21st century (heh), an AI startup that has built computer vision tools to enable remote damage appraisals is announcing a significant round of growth funding. Tractable, which works with automotive insurance companies to let users take and submit photos of damaged cars that are then “read” […] 2 hours ago

Gizmodo: The Lillith Trailer Shows Why Summoning Even a Helpful Demon Is a Bad Idea When college student Jenna (Nell Kessler) catches her boyfriend (Michael Finnigan) in the act of cheating, she takes a cue from her religious-study class and summons a succubus to help her get revenge. What could possible go wrong? As the trailer for Lee Esposito’s Lillith suggests—a whole hell of a lot.Read more... 2 hours ago

TechCrunch: Daily Crunch: iOS 15 is latest milestone on Apple Health’s evolutionary path Hello friends and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package. 3 hours ago

Gizmodo: Why You’re Probably Not Getting a Switch Pro This Year Nintendo packed a lot of news into its relatively tight E3 presentation, with sneak peeks at upcoming games like Metroid Dread, WarioWare: Get It Together, Breath of the Wild 2, and even a remake for Advance Wars 1 and 2. But one of the most anticipated Nintendo products, the Switch Pro, was a no-show, and it’s…Read more... 3 hours ago

TechCrunch: Lincoln’s first EV will arrive in 2022 with three more to follow Lincoln Motor will launch its first all-electric vehicle in 2022 followed by three other EVs as part of the luxury brand’s goal to electrify its entire portfolio by the end of the decade. The first EV will come to market just in time for Lincoln’s 100th birthday celebration — and nearly four years since initial […] 3 hours ago

TechCrunch: Experts from Ford, Toyota and Hyundai outline why automakers are pouring money into robotics We spoke with Max Bajracharya of Toyota Research Institute, Mario Santillo of Ford and Ernestine Fu of Hyundai Motor Group about their companies’ unique approaches to robotics. 3 hours ago

Gizmodo: James Gunn Lauds The Suicide Squad's 'Sh*tty Supervillains' Director James Gunn knows he’s not working with the best characters. That’s what makes them so great. In a series of interviews and tweets, Gunn laid the groundwork for what fans can expect from The Suicide Squad—including its runtime and whether folks should stay in their seats through the end credits.Read more... 4 hours ago

TechCrunch: SoftBank Vision Fund 2 leads $140M funding in Vishal Sikka’s Vianai Vianai Systems, an AI startup founded by Vishal Sikka, former chief executive of Indian IT services giant Infosys, said on Wednesday it has raised $140 million in a round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. The two-year-old startup said a number of industry luminaries also participated in the new round, which brings its total to-date […] 5 hours ago

Wired: Why Humans Can’t Lift as Much as Ants (And How We Could) Ants have been documented to be able to carry up to twenty times their own body weight. If a human could lift twenty times their body weight that would be about 4,000 pounds. Ant biologist Fred Larabee and paleoanthropologist John Hawks talk about how humans lift heavy weights and why we can't lift as much as ants. John and Fred also look into what it would take for humans to be able to lift as much as ants can. Fred Larabee is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History John Hawks is an expert in paleoanthropology, genetics, and evolution. You can find out more on his website here: https://johnhawks.net/. He is also professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 9 hours ago

Wired: Become a Prime Day Pro With These Tips and 10 Early Deals Amazon’s big two-day sale event starts soon. Get prepped with our expert advice and the best discounts we’ve found so far. 9 hours ago

Wired: A Tentacle-Headed Robot Amuses Your Pets While You're Away This app-controlled cat toy can livestream through its camera while you're away, but it's expensive. 13 hours ago

Wired: Ghosts ‘n Goblins Is Back—Pain, Laughs, and All One of the most unforgiving video game series of all time has risen from the dead, and it’s better than ever. 1 day ago

Wired: Tech Support - The Lord of the Rings Expert Answers More Tolkien Questions From Twitter The Tolkien Professor, Cory Olsen, once again uses the power of Twitter to answer the internet's burning questions about J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, and all the associated lore. Why can't Frodo ride an eagle all the way to Mount Doom? Would the battle at Helm's Deep gone differently if it hadn't rained? How much time passes between "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Return of the King"? Cory answers all these questions and much more. Corey Olsen, also known as The Tolkien Professor, is the Founder and President of Signum University, a nonprofit higher education institution dedicated to affordable and accessible online learning with a special focus on promoting the humanities. Through the Mythgard Academy, a Signum institution, Corey offers weekly explorations of The Lord of the Rings and other opportunities to discuss speculative literature and adaptations. Follow Corey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tolkienprof Learn more: * Signum University: https://signumuniversity.org * Exploring The Lord of the Rings: https://mythgard.org/lotro/exlotr/ * The Tolkien Professor: https://tolkienprofessor.com 6 days ago