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Tech NewsGadgetsThis Working Marauder’s Map Built Using AR and GPS Brings Magic to Our World
Many of the things we see on TV or movies can often only be explained with the word “magic” (or, your know, visual effects.) What would it be like if the magical inventions we see on our screens existed in real life? Now, at least one does, and you apparently don’t have to be a … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsGadgetsYour Phone’s Navigation App is Probably Smarter Than You Think
You probably use your smartphone to get from point A to point B, but have you fully explored all the features and options available along the way? Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze all have navigation modes that are smarter and more versatile than you might have realized. From changing direction mid-route to avoiding parking … Continued
By David Nield -
EartherHurricane Season Breaks Records, Map
Take a quick glance at the map above and you may think there are only two named storms and a tropical depression in the Atlantic. But look closer, my friends. There, peeking out on the upper right fringe, is Subtropical Storm Alpha, the first Greek letter-named storm of the season. Of course, in a year … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Tech NewsGoogleGoogle Maps Makes Wheelchair-Accessible Locations Easier to Spot
In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Google’s adding a long-overdue feature to its Maps app that puts details about a location’s accessibility facilities front and center. With the “Accessible Places” feature enabled, business and points of interest with wheelchair-accessible entrances are marked with a wheelchair icon along with information about whether accessible seating, restrooms, … Continued
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ScienceSpace & SpaceflightIncredible New Map of Moon Shows Its Every Nook and Cranny
Hot damn, look at the freakin’ Moon! Scientists led by the United States Geological Survey’s Corey Fortezzo have released what they call the “Unified Geologic Map of the Moon—an authoritative map of lunar geology. The map, built from six Apollo-era maps and updated with more recent satellite data, lists the names of features and includes … Continued
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EartherEarth ScienceNew Seismic Map of North America Reveals a Continent Under Tremendous Stress
Scientists have compiled the most comprehensive map yet of tectonic stress magnitudes across North America, highlighting regions most vulnerable to earthquakes. The map and associated study, published today in Nature Communications, showcase the dynamic subterranean forces at play on a continental scale. Writing in their paper, the authors of the new study, Jens-Erik Lund Snee, … Continued
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EartherCoronavirus Has Slashed Global Air Pollution. This Interactive Map Shows How.
The covid-19 pandemic has changed the world, grinding to a halt increasingly large geographic areas and portions of the economy in an effort to slow the virus’ spread. The impacts have been profound on the ground, but government-mandated lockdowns have also remade the atmosphere. Satellite data from China, the first epicenter of the outbreak, and … Continued
Brian Kahn & Dhruv Mehrotra -
Tech NewsGoogleWaze’s New Toll Calculator Could Make It Easier to Plan Your Next Road Trip
Right now, it’s peak road trip season. And while that means there’s a lot of things to consider when planning your next vacation like the price of gas, lodging, and food, Waze has a new feature that could help make budgeting for your next adventure slightly less of a headache. That’s because, starting today, Waze … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogleDozens of Drivers Got Stuck After Blindly Following Google Maps Into a Mud Pit
Nearly a hundred Colorado drivers this week followed a digital Pied Piper into an empty field where they all got stuck. A crash on Peña Boulevard in Denver chocked off access to the Denver International Airport on Sunday. So Google Maps suggested a detour to many of the drivers trying to get to flights or … Continued
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EartherConservationScientists Create Giant Atlas of World’s Most Remote Reefs
Coral reefs line shores around the world, but they’re sometimes tough to spot because well, they’re underwater. Now, a group of researchers has found that satellite imagery is capable of mapping reefs on a global scale. They’ve used the technology, along with field studies, to create the world’s most thorough coral reef atlas to date—including … Continued
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io9Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Confirms Its Setting, in the Vaguest Sense Possible
Last week, Amazon started quietly teasing just where its massive Lord of the Rings TV show would take place in the Middle-earth timeline. Now, the speculation has been confirmed: We’re heading back into the Age of Númenor. The launch of Amazon’s social channels for the upcoming series last month gave us a map—because all good Middle-earth … Continued
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io9Amazon’s LotR Series Won’t Arrive for a While But Here’s Something Cool They Gave Fans in the Meantime
“I wisely started with a map.” So said Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien about creating his epic world and now Amazon has done the same thing to hype us for their upcoming series. Deadline reports that while Amazon executives said there’s “no timetable” on when audiences may see their insanely expensive show based … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle
Google Is Sprucing Up Maps With a New Tab for Commuters and Built-In Music Controls
Depending on whom you ask (and where you live), the average American spends between 17 and 33 minutes each way commuting to work, which adds up to a nearly a day (or more) of wasted time every month. So to help take a little stress out of your daily work route, Google is building a … Continued
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EartherEarth Science
New Super-High-Resolution Map Shows Antarctica In Unprecedented Detail
We’ve seen a lot of good maps of Earth’s polar regions of late. A map that shows the thickness of the entire Antarctic ice sheet. Another that shows Greenland’s hidden bedrock contours in unprecedented detail. But a new terrain map of Antarctica is still special. It’s not just the highest resolution ever produced for the … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Stores Location Data Even With ‘Location History’ Turned Off—Here’s How to Stop That
When a user chooses to pause Google’s collection of location data with the “Location History” option, the search giant continues to collect and store that information. It’s a sleight of hand that’s enough to make someone shut off everything just to be safe. Following a blog post by K. Shankari, a graduate researcher at UC … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
These New Maps of Pluto and Its Moon Charon Are the Most Detailed Yet
By meticulously stitching together photos taken from two cameras aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, a team of scientists has compiled the most accurate maps of Pluto and Charon to date. We’ve seen photos and maps of Pluto and Charon before, but these maps now represent our best current understanding of the surface features and topology … Continued
