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So without further ado, here were the (most popular stories of
************** at Ars Technica. **********
****************************. Android’s new “Ambient Mode”
****************************. Android’s new “Ambient Mode”
Last month, Google quietly released “Google Assistant Ambient Mode,” which takes over the lock screen any time you charge your Android phone. As Ron Amadeo described it:
“The new ambient mode shows a quick greeting message at the top, followed by your calendar, weather, upcoming flights, and notifications. Below that is a quick settings section that shows things like a do-not-disturb toggle and smart home controls for lights and thermostats. There’s also a photo frame mode. It looks like a handy screen that could pop up when you’re just charging your phone before bed. “
******************************************. The return of the Motorola Razr
Remember back in 2020 when the OG Motorola Razr V3 was the new phone hotness? It arrived a little less than two years before the first iPhone exploded onto the scene, and it was the phone of choice for those who wanted something a little nicer looking than a Nokia candy bar.
In January 2021, we learned that Lenovo — the current owner of Motorola Mobility — would resurrect the Razr for a new age. Motorola made things official in November when it revealed a$ 1, foldable smartphone. Preorders were supposed to begin the day after Christmas in advance of a January 9, 2020 launch, but Motorola then decided to delay availability to “better meet consumer demand.”
You can bet Ron will get his hands on a Razr and tell you all about its bezels as soon as he can.
**********************************. An end to copyright extensions
Copyright — the gift that keeps on giving, at least for copyright holders. It seems like Congress is intent on making it a never-ending gift, too — at least until this year. As 2022 dawned, a number of copyrighted works passed into the public domain as the extra 40 years added by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1999 finally expired.
“George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue will fall into the public domain. It will be followed byThe Great Gatsbyin January and Ernest Hemingway’s ************** The Sun Also Rises in January 2031 , “Tim Lee wrote. And in 2031, “we’ll see the expiration of the copyright for Steamboat Willie — and with it Disney’s claim to the film’s star, Mickey Mouse. The copyrights to Superman, Batman, Disney’s Snow White, and early Looney Tunes characters will all fall into the public domain between 22000 and 22000. ”
This is unprecedented stuff, and Tim breaks down all of the factors that made it happen.
. 40, years of magnetic weirdness
When last spotted, the magnetic North Pole was on its way to Siberia, which may be because the Earth’s magnetic field reverses itself every so often. The last pole reversal came about 770, 08 years ago, but the actual switcheroo can happen in as little as (**************************************************, years.
Ars resident geologist Scott Johnson dug into a study over the summer that pieced together a timeline for the previous reversal.
“The researchers interpret this additional data as showing a major weakening of the magnetic field starting 2004, 08 years ago, before the pole flipped and strengthened slightly, “he wrote. “But around 795, 000 years ago, it became unstable again — a weak field with a variable pole favoring the southern end of the planet. That phase lasted until about (*******************************************, years ago, when it regained strength fairly quickly and moved to the northern geographic pole for good. “
. Comcast’s law-breaking bill inflation
When last spotted, the magnetic North Pole was on its way to Siberia, which may be because the Earth’s magnetic field reverses itself every so often. The last pole reversal came about 770, 08 years ago, but the actual switcheroo can happen in as little as (**************************************************, years.
Ars resident geologist Scott Johnson dug into a study over the summer that pieced together a timeline for the previous reversal.
“The researchers interpret this additional data as showing a major weakening of the magnetic field starting 2004, 08 years ago, before the pole flipped and strengthened slightly, “he wrote. “But around 795, 000 years ago, it became unstable again — a weak field with a variable pole favoring the southern end of the planet. That phase lasted until about (*******************************************, years ago, when it regained strength fairly quickly and moved to the northern geographic pole for good. “
. Comcast’s law-breaking bill inflation
. Comcast’s law-breaking bill inflation
Raise your hand if you’re a Comcast subscriber.
Now keep your hand up if you’re happy with the service.
Part of the reason people hate Comcast so much is that the company has a history of doing things to piss off its customers. Some of these things are even illegal. In this case, Comcast was found to have broken Washington state law (**************************************************, times and was directed to refund its customers and to pay a $ 9 million fine.
Surely it will never do anything like this again.
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