Blue Origin’s New Shepard skims space in successful 8th test launch

Blue Origin conducted the 8th launch of its New Shepard sub-orbital rocket and crew capsule today out in Texas, and things couldn't have gone better for the growing space tourism company. The rocket ascended into a cloudless sky, reaching a max velocity of about 2,200 MPH, and delivered its capsule to the edge of space, where its occupant, "Mannquin Skywalker," will have had a lovely view of the Earth.

France faces lawsuit for seizing France.com

When a country or company seizes a web domain, it's frequently to kick out squatters who do little besides place ads and hope they'll get a giant payout. However, France is taking on someone who was actively using a site -- and it may have crossed a...

The best water fountain for cats and dogs

By Rebekah Valentine This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. A source of c...

Burning Man’s Larry Harvey passes after opening tech’s imagination

Larry Harvey normalized the abnormal, expanding the boundaries of what creators could attempt. That’s why there’s a special bond between Silicon Valley and Black Rock City, the desert settlement where Burning Man transpires. Both ditch “what are we supposed to do?” for “what can we do?”. Both encourage risky expression that appears insane to outsiders. […]

Facebook rolls out its downvote button to more users

Earlier this year, Facebook confirmed it was trialling Reddit-style upvote and downvote buttons on public posts, with the aim of improving the quality of discourse on the platform. Now, it appears the feature is rolling out to a greater number of users. Hmmmm. Not sure I like the Upvote and Downvote feature of Facebook. Time will tell I guess. pic.twitter.com/hxvjW7HaTX — BEN SLATER 🌀 (@iambenslater) April 29, 2018 Upvote and downvote comments on Facebook, when did this happen? pic.twitter.com/q9F7OcJ4R3 — Carter (@cwsbbb) April 29, 2018 ok seriously facebook comments having an upvote/downvote system now is hurting my brain — emily…

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Blue Origin completes its highest-ever test flight

Blue Origin's first test flight of 2018 was a success, and then some. After last-minute weather setbacks, Jeff Bezos' outfit completed its eighth New Shepard launch and landing, including a touchdown for the dummy-equipped Crew Capsule 2.0. More impo...

Valve won't release 'Dota 2' patches during major tournaments

Valve has learned a hard lesson about the importance of patience with game updates. The company recently switched to a rapid-fire two-week patch schedule for Dota 2, but has announced that it will delay patches when they coincide with major eSports...

On the shores of the Iberian Peninsula: A look inside Cascais’s tech scene

Ever since King Luis I decided to set up his royal summer retreat on Portugal’s coast in the late 19th century, the fishing village of Cascais has been transformed into one of the country’s top getaway destinations. But tourists and retirees from all over the world aren’t the only ones who flock to the inviting beaches that rest only 20 miles west of the capital, Lisbon. Over the last decade the city of Cascais has complemented its atmosphere with lucrative business incentives that make it a locale where startups are blossoming on the shores of the Iberian Peninsula. Government initiatives supporting…

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Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop partners with backer DP World to launch logistics startup

Virgin Hyperloop One and DP World are launching a new joint venture, DP World Cargospeed, four months after the high-speed transportation technology developer tapped the Saudi shipping company in its $50 million financing. The company’s stated goal is to deliver palletized cargo more efficiently by combining super high-speed promise of hyperloop transportation with new logistics […]

Black Founders Matter wants to raise $10 million to fund black-led startups

A few months ago, Marceau Michel met up with a fellow entrepreneur, Kathryn Brown of ScoutSavvy, to discuss their triumphs and tribulations of their time in the tech industry. That’s when the two discovered they were running into the same issue: lack of funding. Unfortunately, Michel, an African-American founder, is not alone. Just one percent […]

How the digital economy shapes American cities

Brooks Rainwater Contributor Brooks Rainwater is the director of the Center for City Solutions and Applied Research at the National League of Cities. More posts by this contributor Do cities still want a sharing economy? As tech startups surge in cities, inclusive economic growth must be a priority Christopher Hooton Contributor Share on Twitter Christopher […]

Gillmor Gang: 1on1 – Frank Radice

Gillmor Gang: ONEonONE – A conversation with Frank Radice and Steve Gillmor . Recorded live Tuesday, April 17, 2018. @stevegillmor, @fradice Produced by Tina Chase Gillmor @tinagillmor Liner Notes Live chat stream The Gillmor Gang on Facebook

T-Mobile and Sprint have finally announced a merger agreement

Sprint and T-Mobile, after years of going back and forth as to whether they are going to tie up two of the largest telecom providers in the U.S., have announced that the two companies have entered a merger agreement this morning. The merger will be an all-stock transaction, and will now be subject to regulatory […]

Avengers: Infinity War is set to hit a new box-office record

Disney’s latest alarmingly star-packed Avengers entry is going to set another box-office record for its opening weekend, eclipsing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, according to Variety. The film is set to bring in around $250 million in its debut domestically, which would put it just ahead of the debut for the first star Wars film in […]

Netflix offers a first look at Michelle Wolf's weekly talk show

Netflix sure has a knack for timing -- while Michelle Wolf was busy running the show at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the streaming service posted the first trailer for her weekly talk show The Break. The clip (which has Wolf fighting rele...

T-Mobile and Sprint will merge to create a 5G powerhouse

After years of on-again, off-again talks, it's official: T-Mobile and Sprint have announced plans to merge. The all-stock, $26 billion deal values Sprint at $59 billion (the combined company would be worth $146 billion) and will give T-Mobile the rei...

Unlock the secrets of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma project management for under $70

Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma have both become successful and dominant project management doctrines because they’re geared toward avoiding all those nightmare scenarios. You can unlock all the secrets of both Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma with the comprehensive Complete Six Sigma Training and Certification course bundle. It’s $69.99 (over 90 percent off) right now from TNW Deals.

After Math: Get rich or die tryin

This was a big week for huge corporate profits. Microsoft and Nintendo reported healthy business growth to start off the latest earnings season. Amazon announced that it will be bumping the subscription cost for Prime by 20 percent. And a knockoff Ma...

Giving up on ‘diversity and inclusion’

I went to see Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital speak this week. Her remarkable story is pretty well known by now — she “built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless,” to quote Backstage’s site. She said several interesting things, but let’s start with this one: as of 2019, she will no […]

Tesla owner faces 18-month ban for leaving the driver's seat

Tesla will be one of the first to tell you not to put too much faith in Autopilot. It's currently more of an advanced driver assist than a full self-driving system. However, one driver recently ignored that advice in dramatic fashion. Nottingham, UK...

4 reasons why your startup should go to China RIGHT NOW

Some places in the world are extremely well-suited to incubating and cultivating startups and startup culture. You’ve already heard of the most important ones, of course: Silicon Valley, New York, London… the big names. But there’s another place that you may not think of as being in the top worldwide locations for startups, even though it’s probably the most exciting place anywhere for business these days: China! Yeah, you heard that right! Your startup, whatever it is, could benefit from being in China RIGHT NOW. Here are four great reasons. 1. Everything is bigger in China Everyone’s heard “everything is…

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How plastic-eating bacteria actually work

  The plastic bottles we throw away today will be around for hundreds of years. It’s one of the key reasons why the mounting plastic pollution problem, which is having a deadly effect on marine life, is so serious. But scientists recently discovered a strain of bacteria that can literally eat the plastic used to make bottles, and have now improved it to make it work faster. The effects are modest – it’s not a complete solution to plastic pollution – but it does show how bacteria could help create more environmentally friendly recycling. Plastics are complex polymers, meaning they…

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