List of All Articles with Tag 'tec'

A new study into the Earth beneath our feet has discovered that an ancient ocean floor structure could be wrapped around the planet's core which could be taller that Mount Everest in some areas. A brand new high-resolution mapping of the core has uncovered things that scientists previously didn't know according to a study that was first published in April. The discovery found that a thin but dense layer sits at around 2,900 kilometers below the surface at the Core Mantle Boundary where rocks meet the molten outer core of the planet. Geologist Samantha Hansen from the University of Alabama is quoted in the study saying: "Seismic investigations, such as ours, provide the highest resolution imaging of the interior structure of our planet, and we are finding that this structure is vastly more complicated than once thought." She adds: "Our research provides important connections between shallow and deep Earth structure and the overall processes driving our planet.” Hansen and her team conducted the research from 15 different stations in Antarctica by using seismic waves created by Earthquakes to create a map of what the inside of the planet looks like. The team identified the unexpected energy within seconds of the boundary-reflected wave from the seismic data. The findings show that although the layer is very thin it does spread for many, many kilometers and has been called the ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZs) due to its strong wave speed reductions. Due to the properties of the ULVZs the experts believe that the layer could vary dramatically in height. Geophysicist Edward Garnero from Arizona State University adds: "The material's thickness varies from a few kilometers to [tens] of kilometers. This suggests we are seeing mountains on the core, in some places up to five times taller than Mt. Everest." These underground mountains could play a significant role in how heat escapes from the Earth's core and power magnetic fields and volcanic eruptions. The team's studies suggest that the layer could encase all of the core but further research will have to be carried out to determine if that is the case. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Elon Musk’s X Corp. sued California to undo the state’s law aimed at exposing sources of hate speech

A number of top Biden administration officials will remain restricted in how they communicate with the country’s largest

By Nate Raymond and Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the White House, the FBI and

By Jonathan Stempel Elon Musk's X Corp sued California on Friday, challenging the constitutionality of a state law

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max could be easily its most expensive ever, according to numerous reports. A number of analysts have suggested that Apple could push the price of the more expensive phones up by $200, partly as a response to inflation but also because of a new strategy. Rumours have suggested that Apple is looking to offer new options at the very expensive end of its line-up, in an attempt to encourage growth of its profits. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, appeared to confirmed that strategy during an earnings call earlier this year in which he said that he thought “people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category”. Apple has already seemingly attempted that strategy with the Apple Watch Ultra, a new and more expensive version of the wearable, which was released last year. It was a marked change from previous releases, which have seen Apple offer cheaper “SE” versions of the Watch and iPhone, as well as much smaller handsets. Various reports have suggested that Apple is planning to do the same with its iPhone line-up. That could eventually bring an “Ultra” version of the iPhone, reports have suggested, presumably with premium features and other changes intended to encourage customers to buy it. This time around, however, Apple will offer the same line-up as it did with the iPhone 14: a smaller and larger version of both the normal iPhone 15 and the premium iPhone 15 Pro. The larger version of the latter – the iPhone 15 Pro Max – will be the most expensive. This year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could have even more features that set it apart from the rest of the line-up. Rumours have indicated that Apple is adding a “periscope lens” to the larger phone, which would allow it to offer more zoom without taking up more space. Numerous analysts and reports have suggested that those changes could bring additional cost to the price of the iPhone. The iPhone 14 Pro Max currently costs $1,099 and the new model could be $200 more than that, analysts have indicated. The changes are also set to raise the average selling price of an iPhone, according to a new report from analyst Dan Ives at Wedbush and reported by 9to5mac. It would take the average selling price to $900-$925, he suggested. Apple will reveal the new iPhones – and their price – at an event on Tuesday, 12 September. They are expected to go on sale the following week. The base iPhone 15 is expected to largely be brought in line with the current iPhone 14 Pro, borrowing its chip and the “Dynamic Island” at the top of the display. The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to get a new, more powerful chip, thinner bezels around the display, and an “action button” on the side of the phone. Apple is also expected to move the port at the bottom of of all the new phones from the current Lightning to USB-C. Read More Could China be about to take a big bite out of Apple’s iPhone business? Update your iPhone immediately Apple is dropping leather from iPhone cases and Watch bands, report claims

Payment services Cash App and Square have been hit by a major outage. The problems left customers unable to pay and see their balance as a result of what appeared to be serious technical issues. Both companies said their services were mostly back online. But some customers were still seeing issues many hours after the problems began. Customers first started reporting problems on Thursday. They acknowledged that there were widespread issues that could affect the basic features of both apps. “We are currently experiencing issues with multiple Square services,” Square said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We understand how important it is for your business that our services be up and running, and we are actively working toward a fix.” Cash App said much the same. Both are under the same parent company, Block. On Friday, the companies said that the issues were fixed but that some problems could remain. Some said that they been able to get back onto the app – but that certain transfers or other updates appeared to have gone missing. “We are continuing to resolve the outage. Our services are mostly back online. You may experience brief delays with certain services. If you experience a delay, there is no need to reattempt,” the company said on its status page on Friday. Read More Could China be about to take a big bite out of Apple’s iPhone business? Update your iPhone immediately First photo emerges of Elon Musk and his baby twins with Neuralink director

The viral gaming hit Only Up has been surprisingly removed from gaming platform Steam with the creator of the title citing "stress" as the reason. Only Up became a big hit with gamers on various streaming platforms earlier this year with players attempting to complete the seemingly easily but hard-to-master platformer which involved a character scaling various objects higher and higher into the sky. However, the game has now been pulled from Steam's storefront so it's creator who goes by the alias of SCKR Games can focus on their next title, which according to IGN has a codename of Kilth. In a statement, SCKR Games said that Only Up is "a game I did for creativity, to test myself, and where I made a lot of mistakes." They added: "The game has kept me under a lot of stress all these months. Now I want to put the game behind me." "What I need now is peace of mind and healing. I plan to take a pause, and continue my education in game design and further with new experience and knowledge to direct my energies to my next game with the working title ‘Kith’ — it will be a new experience and a new concept with realism, a completely different genre and setting, and the emphasis is on cinematography. “This time I hope the project will be created by a small team. This is a challenging project on which I want to significantly improve my skills in game design.” The game had been removed from Steam back in June and later returned in July after copyrighted assets from another developer managed to get into the game but was soon resolved. It's unknown whether the game will return to Steam at a later date but its page remains available on the website although it cannot be purchased. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 15 in just a few days, and it's widely expected to come with a significant change.

MILAN Carmaker Stellantis aims to develop lighter electric vehicle batteries, cutting weights in half to improve sustainability, the

iPhone users have been urged to download a new update immediately. The update was pushed out by Apple to iPhones and iPads after a major security vulnerability was found in the devices. Patching up that hole with the new software update should keep those devices safe. But without it, attackers could break into an iPhone and spy on its user. The security issue was found by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. They said the problem was being “actively exploited” by hackers, and that all users should update immediately. They were doing so by delivering commercial software called Pegasus, which is made and sold by Israeli company the NSO Group. That software is expensive and targeted, and has primarily been used on specific activists, journalists and politcians, who are likely to know if they are at particular risk of an attack. The latest attack was used on the iPhone of a member of staff at a US civil society organisation with international offices, Citizen Lab said. It named the new exploit BLASTPASS and said that it did not even require users to click anything on their device. The NSO Group and Apple have in recent years been engaged in a long-running fight to find and fix security flaws that could allow for the delivery of that software. Recent iPhone updates brought a new “Lockdown Mode” that places extra restrictions on the device in an attempt to close up potential security flaws. That includes not downloading images that could include spyware, for instance – which is how attackers deliver the hack in this most recent scare. Downloading the new update is simple. It is done through the Settings app on iPhones and iPads, by clicking the “general” and then “software update” options – that will check for any new updates, and offer the option to download it. Phones may eventually automatically install the new operating system, which could mean that no download shows up in that screen. Users can check if they have already updated to the new, patched operating system by clicking the “about” option in the general settings, and looking whether they have the newest iOS 16.6.1. Similar updates are available for Macs and Apple Watches, and are installed in much the same way. Citizen Lab also advised that anyone “who may face increased risk because of who they are or what they do” should switch on Lockdown Mode. Apple confirmed that would block the new attack, researchers said. Read More Apple is dropping leather from iPhone cases and Watch bands, report claims Apple is about to make a huge change to the iPhone that it never wanted to do Here’s when you will actually be able to get the new iPhone

BEIJING China's Huawei Technologies on Friday started presales for its Mate 60 Pro+ smartphone, adding a new version