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Latest Episodes:

Flipboard's Answer to Fake News: More Human Curation Apr 24, 2018

Show notes

Fake news is hardly new news, but over the past couple years it's found a new home across social media and other news aggregators. And, perhaps, not surprisingly, people's trust of the news isn't at an all-time high. But people have also started paying more attention to the news, at least in the US. The Pew Research Center reports that last year more Americans followed the news "very closely" than the number of people who said they did in 2016.

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'Westworld' Recap, Season 2 Episode 1: No More Heroes Apr 24, 2018

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A favorite motif of Westworld is the shattering of its heroes. Bernard isn’t only a thoughtful-yet-murderous host, he’s Arnold! Then there’s gallant, love-struck William—oh wait, he’s the Man in Black! Sweet, all-suffering Dolores—crap, she’s also the crazy killer Wyatt. Season 2 of the futuristic drama is no different. But this time the reversal is on a grander scale.

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Corals Are in Serious Trouble. This Lab Could Help Save Them Apr 23, 2018

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Nestled among giant fish tanks at the California Academy of Sciences, there's a black box—just big enough to hold six aquariums and maybe five humans. What it lacks in size, though, it makes up for in preciousness: Running here is a experiment that could help save corals from annihilation. The corals in these tanks are reproducing sexually. Which is weird, because even out in the wild, coral spawning is a fragile process, easily disrupted by changes in temperature and acidity.

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The Selfie as We Know It Is Dead Apr 23, 2018

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The duck face, the fish gape, the smize—these are just a few of the time-honored poses that celebrities, influencers, and the Instagram-happy masses have relied upon to create perfect selfies. But a lot has changed since the early aughts, when people first started training their smartphone lenses on themselves.

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Calling Facebook a Utility Would Only Make Things Worse Apr 20, 2018

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Facebook is massive. Six million advertisers use Facebook's vast data holdings to perfectly target ads reaching more than 1.4 billion daily (and 2.1 billion monthly) active users, amounting to almost 40 percent of the global internet population. That enormous user base forms a castle wall around Facebook’s core ad business, because few other companies can promise the same level of return for ad spends. It's trendy this month to call on the US government to rein in Facebook.

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The Clever Vine-Like Robot That Grows and Steers With Air Apr 20, 2018

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In a hallway of an engineering building at Stanford University, some devilish researchers have built a sprawling obstacle course. To make it through, competitors have to wind over sand, through a door, up some steps, and finally, through a forest of small pillars. Sounds like the Rube Goldbergian machinations of an grad student with too much time and Red Bull on their hands, but no: This is a robot training ground.

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Airbus Is Making Beds for Economy Fliers—in the Cargo Hold Apr 19, 2018

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If you've seen old-timey photos of aviation in the early decades of the jet age and wondered where all the glamour went, you've been flying economy. When airlines change the back of the plane, it's usually to pack in more passengers or install something you can give them money to enjoy. For those who turn left as they board, life aloft is swankier than ever. But last week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, economy fliers got a bit of good, if not quite glamorous, news.

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Welcome to the Wikipedia for Terms of Service Agreements Apr 19, 2018

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Most people spend very little time thinking about the terms of service that govern life online. The agreement appears in a flash, we affirm that "I agree to the terms of service," and then it's all quickly forgotten. Until, of course, something goes wrong. Last week, when Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress to defend Facebook, more than one senator pointed to the company's terms of service.

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Tax Refund Tech Deals: Roomba, Essential Phone, Dell, Sony Apr 18, 2018

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If you're in the mood for shopping, this is a great, great week. Especially if you're awaiting a juicy tax refund, why not treat yourself to something you probably need? Nintendo's Labo kits come out this Friday and are currently available for pre-order. You can learn more about the kits, which we love, and how to order them, here Our friends at TechBargains have also found our favorite robot vacuum, the iRobot Roomba 690, on sale. Read on for more great tech deals.

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Airstream's New Nest Camper is Cute and Practical Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

Tell people you’re vacationing in a trailer (or a caravan, if you’re in Europe), and you might get a snobbish raised eyebrow. Tell them you’re striking out for freedom in an Airstream, and you’ll get envious glares.

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