Technology

Microsoft’s October 2018 Update drama is largely over, but there are still a few lingering bugs. Microsoft has confirmed an issue where mapped network drives are broken after a PC restarts. This will not be fixed until 2019.

Liam Tung covers this issue over at ZDNet:

Within days of Microsoft’s first release of Windows 10 1809 at the beginning of October, IT pros noticed that Windows File Explorer indicated that mapped network drives appeared to be broken.

“Testing the new 1809 update, and everything seems to be fine except all mapped drives to Windows 2012 file servers show disconnected (red x) after reboots or logoff/on,” wrote one IT pro on October 5, with many others confirming the same issue on company networks.

“Everything is fine if user opens the mapped drive. This causes problems when user opens a file located in map drive A but links to another file in mapped drive B.”

Mapped network drives are primarily used on domain and other large networks, so this isn’t a problem the average home user will likely notice.

Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and provided some suggested workarounds. The Windows 10 version 1809 status page says “Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide updates in the 2019 timeframe.”

RELATED: Windows 10’s October Update Returns, Promises Not to Delete Your Files

Trend Micro and AMD Radeon Problems

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The French telecoms industry may have an opportunity in the first half of 2019 to cut the number of operators to three from four, once a process to reallocate radio frequency bands is completed at the end of the year, an Orange executive said on Thursday.

If you've ever wanted to feel what it's like to be in an episode of Black Mirror, now's your chance.

A Black Mirror-inspired board game called Nosedive was revealed Thursday, taking the existentially frightening Season 3 episode of the same name and turning it into a supposedly fun game to play with your friends and family.

SEE ALSO: 12 gift ideas for TV lovers who don't need a 1,000th Funko Pop

Nosedive, a self-described social game, is based on the 2016 Black Mirror episode "Nosedive," starring Bryce Dallas Howard, in which people have the ability to give each other star ratings with their phones. These public star ratings determine people's social status, entry to events, and purchasing option — a take on how classism creates division in society and severely impacts those who are less fortunate. Read more...

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Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Thursday that Model 3s ordered in the United States by the end of this month will be delivered by Dec. 31, as the electric carmaker tries to take advantage of tax breaks.

Super-realistic face masks made by a tiny company in rural Japan are in demand from the domestic tech and entertainment industries and from countries as far away as Saudi Arabia.

Who's excited to host their entire extended family for the holidays?! 

Yeah, we get it. And apparently so does Macy's, since they currently have the Dyson Big Ball Multi-Floor Pro Canister for a whopping $230 off its listing price of $429.99. 

The holiday season means lots of celebration, food, and time spent with family and friends. But for many of us, it also means turning the house upside down to make sure the whole damn place is spotless. Not to mention the after-party cleanup. Yikes.

SEE ALSO: These are the best Dyson vacuums (if you ask us)

The Big Ball Multi-Floor Pro Canister features a Carbon Fiber Turbine floor tool that'll pick up fine dust and stiff nylon bristles for removing ground-in dirt. It also has two radical cyclones designed to remove dirt and allergens from your home (nothing quite dampens a party like your guests having to take a Claritin with their dinner.) Whether you have carpet, hardwood, or tile floors, you're covered.  Read more...

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They smoked, but did not inhale.

Facebook has decided to stop working with the consulting firm Definers, the company wrote in a statement published Thursday. It also denied that Facebook ever contracted Definers to do opposition research-style work on its behalf. The action comes in the wake of a sweeping New York Times article published Wednesday that included reports that Definers sought to bolster Facebook's image by encouraging the publication of negative content about its competitors and critics.

"Lastly we wanted to address the issue of Definers, who we ended our contract with last night," Facebook wrote. "The New York Times is wrong to suggest that we ever asked Definers to pay for or write articles on Facebook’s behalf – or to spread misinformation." Read more...

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From eschewing bar soap to turning their noses up at mayonnaise, Millennials just want to do things differently—and that’s true in many ways, including reimagining how our society views common life decisions.

Mostly, that means giving today’s rising generations more time before diving into major personal and financial changes. Compared to Boomers and Gen X, Millennials are marrying later, buying homes later, having children later—and that’s if they’re doing these things at all

Why the delay? For many Millennials, it comes down to their finances. They want to feel a stronger sense of personal financial stability before undertaking a transformative endeavor like marriage or starting a business. This makes sense for a generation raised in the shadow of the 2008 recession, who treat banks differently than previous generations. A recent Gallup report shows only 66% of Millennials have visited a physical bank in the past six months, compared to 81% of Boomers. Where, then, are they banking? Read more...

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This has been a particularly hellish year in television and film. From A24's Hereditary to Hulu's Castlerock, the devil has lurked behind dozens of 2018's most talked about plot twists, appearing time and again to rain chaos on the mortals who challenge him. 

But with Beelzebub on such a roll, modern-day Satanists are once again pushing back on Hollywood's decades-old practice of fictionalizing their very real belief system. 

The Church of Satan has publicly criticized the misrepresentation of their organization in FX's American Horror Story: Apocalypse, responding to a comment made by star Kathy Bates on Twitter in the process. Read more...

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The bad news: Black Friday is still a week away.

The good news: Best Buy isn't waiting for Black Friday to kick off their sales.

Live now through midnight on Saturday, Nov. 17, Best Buy is running its "Beat the Rush" sales ahead of Black Friday for anyone looking to avoid the in-person lines or the internet stampede. And Best Buy didn't skimp out on the selection, with everything from TVs to smartphones and just about everything in between on sale this weekend.

SEE ALSO: Shop all Black Friday laptop deals right here

If you want to get a taste of what's available, we've found a couple of stand-out deals to jump on while you can. Here are our top pics: Read more...

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Convertible laptops are the most clutch devices to have. It's the whole "finding one that doesn't feel like it's about to snap in half" thing that sucks.

The Lenovo Yoga 920 takes away that worry: Our top pick for the best 2-in-1 of 2018, this laptop is a to-die-for combo of strength and elegance that you don't see often. The only downside of the 920  is that it's pricey compared to other convertibles — but hey, high quality = high price. 

Except for today that is, because Best Buy is offering the 16 GB model for $330 off, dropping it down to just $1,319.99.

SEE ALSO: Best gifts for gamers: What to get for the gamer in your life Read more...

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Android’s update situation is notoriously bad, with even flagship phones like the Galaxy series taking months for the latest feature updates to come out. Google hasn’t stood still on this though, and its hard work with Project Treble is starting to pay off.

What is Project Treble?

Up until last year, building an Android update took much more effort. Here’s what had to happen with each update, no matter how small:

• Google builds the new update and adds it to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) repository.
• Silicon vendors like Qualcomm and MediaTek would add in and test code so that their processors would support the new software version.
• Hardware vendors like Samsung and LG add in and test code to support other hardware in the phone and their own software features.

Project Treble simplifies that a bit. Starting with phones that shipped with Android 8.0 Oreo, the silicon vendor code can be separate from the hardware vendor code. Instead of Qualcomm, MediaTek and other SOC-makers needing to write new drivers for each and every update, the driver interface can be used on newer versions of Android and still work. Samsung, LG, and other device manufacturers don’t have to wait for this code to start their work on the update, meaning it gets rolled out to consumers that much faster.

It was optional for phones that were updated to Oreo to be compliant with Treble, but with Pie that goes away: every phone that receives an update to Android Pie must be compatible with Treble.

It’s Starting to Working

After a year of use, Project Treble is already starting to pay off: Google expects more devices to be updated to Android 9.0 Pie by the end of this year than were updated to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of 2017. At the 2018 Android Dev Summit, Google showed off multiple phones from different hardware vendors that were able to run on the exact same Generic System Image (GSI).

Showing the GSI running on all these different phones is a great testament to how well Treble works, and application developers can use the GSI to test app compatibility with Android Pie on a device that hasn’t been officially updated by its manufacturer.

That’s all well and good if you’re an app developer, but if you’re the average consumer it may be hard to care. But what it boils down to is this: it’s likely that your phone will receive a software update faster because some of the work to get that update out can be skipped. This also makes providing the update cheaper for the phone manufacturer, giving them more incentive to support older devices.

But it’s Still Not Perfect

While these improvements are great, if fast updates are the most important factor for you, there are still only a handful of manufacturers to choose from. Google’s Pixel phones would be the fastest, but Android One phones like Nokia’s line aren’t far behind. We’ll see if the Treble improvements help any, but Samsung has a tendency to hold onto software updates until the next Galaxy S phone is released, which means users have to wait until Spring to see platform updates.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to allow Tesla chief executive Elon Musk's Space X, Telesat Canada and two other companies to roll out new satellite-based broadband services.

As wildfires continue to rage across California, a set of before and after photos brings into focus the utter devastation wrought by the blazes, particularly in the northern California town of Paradise Pines which has essentially been incinerated by the fires.

As of Thursday morning, the Camp Fire has burned over 140,000 acres and is still raging at only 40 percent contained after sparking to life a week ago.

The Before image of Camp Fire

Image: Satellite image © 2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company

Paradise Pines, CA, engulfed in flames

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This 2-year-old girl has given up on walking, and it's ok because her dad effortlessly came to her rescue.

After what must have been a long day at school, Juliette laid on the driveway while her dad unloaded the car. After finishing up in the car, Juliette's father picks her up by the jacket, and carries her inside like a duffle bag.

Juliette's mom recorded the video and wrote that Juliette "often does stuff like this, and this just how we love her." Her dad also didn't seem to mind, considering he didn't even break a sweat lifting her off the ground.

Juliette is the perfect hero for us lazy folks. We all just want to be carried sometimes. Read more...

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Try to find the Notes app on your phone — without using Spotlight search.

If you've spent more than a minute hunting for this across your home screens, you may want to consider organizing your iPhone for easy access.

With thousands of apps at our fingertips, they can quickly overcrowd our screens. Apps are designed to improve our lives and make us more efficient, but trying to find them in a mishmash collection of colorful icons can be time consuming.

Solve this problem by taking 15 minutes to clean out the jumble of app clutter, and find a homescreen organizational structure that works for you. After all, no one wants to be an app hoarder. Read more...

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The super popular robot vacuum by iRobot — the Roomba 960 — is on sale for just $449.99, or $249.01 off its list price on Amazon (and you should probably get on that.)

Tidying up around the home is tedious enough, but taking on this terrible task on a daily basis will drive anyone bonkers. Thankfully, the iRobot Roomba 960 robot vacuum will take the chore out of doing your chores with its easy-to-schedule cleaning modes that are accessible from your smartphone via Wi-Fi. 

Retailing for $699.00, the Roomba 960 uses iRobot's new iAdapt 2.0 Navigation with Visual Localization to seamlessly navigate through just about any household surface like hardwood and carpeted floors. The robot vacuum can run for up to 75 minutes and then automatically recharges when its battery is low before it goes back to cleaning your home.  Read more...

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Some people say sex and smartphones don’t mix. But hear me out.

No longer an intimacy killer, foreplays apps will turn your smartphone into your new favorite sex toy. 

From controlling a vibrator, to helping you talk dirty, exploring each other’s bodies in new ways, and much more, once you download these apps on your phone, getting off will be better (and easier) than ever. 

Here are the seven foreplay apps and sex game apps we recommend for turning your sex life up a notch:

1. Dirty Game - Hot Truth or Dare

Sex game app, Dirty Game: A saucy way to break the ice.

Image: Dirty Game

Dirty Game - Hot Truth or Dare takes a classic game to a new level. We dare you to try it. Read more...

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Since the 1960s, scientists and exoplanet hunters have searched for evidence of planets orbiting one particular star. It's called Barnard's star and it's only six light-years from our sun — a stone's throw in a cosmic sense. 

Now, an international team of astronomers has managed to discover a possible planet, known as a super-Earth, orbiting the star.

Published in the journal Nature this week, the discovery was made by a team at Hawaii's W. M. Keck Observatory, using, among other instruments, the observatory's High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES).  

Artist’s impression of Barnard’s star planet under the orange tinted light from the star.

Image: IEEC/SCIENCE-WAVE, GUILLEM RAMISA Read more...

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