Technology

While treats like chips, popcorn, and ice cream (and for some reason, oat milk) topped grocery purchases during the first few weeks of COVID-19 lockdowns, more Americans continue to turn to a different comfort food: plant-based meat alternatives. Grocery store sales of products like Beyond Meat and Tofurky were up 264 percent during a nine-week period ending on May 2nd, according to Nielsen (via The Wall Street Journal). Overall, retail sales plunged 16.4 percent from March to April. The popularity of faux meat exploded starting in March, with sales of fresh meat alternatives surging 206 percent the first week of March and rising 279 percent the week ending on March 14th, according to Nielsen. Plant-based meat products still lag behind their animal-based counterparts in terms of market siz...

Today, NASA announced the creation of the Artemis Accords, a new set of standards on how to explore the Moon. The agency hopes that other countries will agree to the terms, which lay out how humanity will act on the Moon, including how to mine resources from the lunar surface and ways to protect heritage Apollo sites. The Artemis Accords, first reported by Reuters, are a reference to NASA’s Artemis program, an initiative to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has been clear that he wants the agency’s international partners to work with NASA to create a sustainable presence on and around the lunar surface. However, NASA wants everyone to be on the same page in how they’ll behave when they reach the Moon. “When we go to the Moon, ther...

American consumers spent more this past quarter on video games than they ever have before, to the tune of $10.9 billion — up 9 percent from the year before, according to industry analyst NPD Group (via Bloomberg). The period covers only January to March, meaning spending in the current quarter ending June 30th might end up being just as high, if not higher. Obviously, the main event in the back third of this quarter was the coronavirus pandemic, which reached American shores at the end of January and has kept the public indoors since mid-March. According to NPD, game sales and in-game microtransactions made up $9.6 billion of that $10.9 billion figure. “Top titles included Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Doom Eternal, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Fortnite, Grand The...

The Justice Department and a coalition of state attorneys general are likely to file antitrust charges against Google in the coming months, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The reporting is consistent with earlier statements by Attorney General William Barr, who said he expected a decision to be made sometime this summer. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton confirmed the general timeline in a statement to the Journal, saying he would “hope to have the investigation wrapped up by fall,” although he would not commit to whether charges would be filed. The investigation is one of the greatest efforts to regulate Google by the US government, with rare coordination between state and federal law enforcement. Google has turned over more than 100,000 documents to investigators as...

Buying a refurbished tech product will save you money compared to buying it new. It also gives a device a second life instead of sending it off to be recycled. And especially during these times when demand is high for all kinds of tech, buying refurbished is sometimes the only way to get your hands on a product when retail channels are strained or just completely out of new merchandise. Those are all good things — yet “refurbished” is still a loaded word for a lot of people. New means new, a product that nobody else has used. On the other hand, buying something refurbished can be a gamble, despite the fact that the product is probably more affordable. If you’re buying a refurbished product, it helps to have criteria If it has been refurbished, that likely means the product was either broke...

Electric racing series Formula E posted a loss of €10.6 million on record revenues of €161.5 million across its fifth season, or about $11.6 million and $177.6 million, respectively, based on the exchange rate at the time. The new financial figures were disclosed in a previously unreported filing with the United Kingdom’s Companies House Registry, and they cover the company’s fiscal year that ended on July 31st, 2019, just a few weeks after the fifth season came to a close. Formula E has now posted a loss in each year of its existence, but the new figures show the series came as close as it ever has to turning a profit — meaning it was on relatively solid financial ground before its sixth season was completely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year. It’s a big accomplishment ...

The TurboGrafx-16 Mini will launch in North America on May 22nd. Konami’s miniature console was initially set to come out on March 19th through Amazon for $99.99. However, Konami delayed the console a few weeks before its release after suspending manufacturing and shipments of the system as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new release date for the console in Europe has yet to be announced. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini already launched in Japan on March 19th under a different design and name, the PC Engine Mini. The console features more than 50 built-in titles from the 16-bit era of gaming, such as Bomberman ‘93 and Ys I & II. Like other miniature consoles, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini includes one wired controller, however, a wireless third-party controller is also available for $24.99. The n...

Though many people are pinning their hopes on a COVID-19 vaccine, another option is available: preventive treatment. At a Senate hearing this week, Anthony Fauci noted that a vaccine — which is probably months or years away — isn’t the only way to protect someone from a life-threatening virus. These treatments could protect people against infection for a few weeks or months, said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. While most ongoing research studies are focused on finding treatments for people who are already sick with COVID-19, some researchers are looking to see if they can stop people who are at high risk from getting sick in the first place. It’s a proven strategy: preventive drugs have been used for decades to help people protect themselv...

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The US Commerce Department has taken another step toward cutting off Chinese telco Huawei from the overseas companies that make its semiconductors. An amended export rule would block shipments of semiconductors to Huawei to “strategically target Huawei’s acquisition of semiconductors that are the direct product of certain US software and technology,” the agency announced on Friday. The rule prevents foreign manufacturers of semiconductors who use American software and technology in their operations from shipping their products to Huawei unless they get a license from the US. That license requirement could allow the Commerce Department to block the sale of semiconductors made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) for Huawei’s HiSilicon unit, according to The Wall Street Journal. ...

Postmates is launching new feature for its on-demand delivery platform called curbside pickup, which the company says is an industry first that could help more restaurants safely operate takeout businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The option will join pickup, delivery, and non-contact delivery options, and it will be able available for both customers looking to pick up directly from a restaurant and for the restaurants as a choice for how it wants its customers and delivery drivers to accept orders. Postmates first launched non-contact deliveries in March in response to nationwide shelter-in-place and business shutdown policies that went into effect in California, New York, and other cities. Restaurants can choose to handle all takeout using curbside pickup Curbside pickup will be opt...

Netflix is working to restore streaming quality in various European countries following government requests for the company to reduce bandwidth usage out of fear that it was putting too much stress on broadband connections. People in Denmark, Norway, Germany, and other countries reported noticing an uptick in streaming bitrate, according to FlatpanelsHD. Netflix confirmed to the website that it is “working with ISPs to help increase capacity.” The company did not say which countries have restored bitrate for higher-quality streaming and which ones haven’t, but The Verge has reached out for more information. “In the last month alone we have added four times the normal capacity,” a spokesperson told FlatpanelsHD. “As conditions improve we will lift these limitations.” European Union industry...