Technology

Bitcoin, Ethereum and other popular digital coins saw steep declines on Friday, with prices hitting lows not seen in months. Bitcoin dropped to $35,422 USD late on Friday, according to Coinbase, down from its all-time high of $69,000 USD in November. Ethereum hit a low of $2,467 USD on Friday, down from its November high of $4,867 USD, while Dogecoin fell below $0.14 USD, its lowest price since April. Other popular coins, like Binance Coin, Cardano and Solana, also experienced major dips. According to Coinbase, the crypto market dropped 8.33% over the past 24 hours. CNBC reports that investors are shedding riskier assets as rates continue to rise. Last week, Bitcoin and Ethereum also dipped to new lows but recovered shortly after. In other news, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is ...

For the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, Nike announced Friday that it’s designed inclusive and accessible gear for Team USA Olympians and Paralympians to wear on the medal stand. That includes the new ACG Gaiadome FlyEase Boot, which can be slipped on and secured one-handed. The only issue is it seems to have inherited the FlyEase’s limited availability as well. While the rest of the ‘fit will be available for purchase, the Gaiadome boot will be an athlete exclusive. “For the official Team USA Medal Stand look in Beijing, we worked closely with the disability community, including current and former winter and summer Paralympians, in our design and testing process, and used inclusive design principles and methods to create gear that ensures every athlete who competes feels support in styl...

American Airlines has filed a lawsuit against travel tips site The Points Guy, claiming the site has violated the terms of use of its frequent flyer program by offering an app that lets users track airline miles from multiple airlines in one place. It’s seeking an order blocking The Points Guy from accessing or using American Airlines customer data and from allowing its users to access their own accounts through the TPG app or site. American is also seeking to block The Points Guy from displaying the American Airlines logo and other trademarks. The TPG app, released in September 2021, purports to “help users learn about points, miles, and loyalty programs, while maximizing their earning potential, and discovering how to efficiently burn those earned points and miles to see the world.” The ...

The National Labor Relations Board is preparing to issue a complaint against Amazon alleging the company illegally fired a worker at one of its New York warehouses, unless the company settles the case first. At issue is whether Daequan Smith, an organizer with the newly-formed Amazon Labor Union (ALU), was fired for trying to organize. As first reported by Bloomberg, NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado confirmed Friday that the agency’s regional director Kathy Drew King determined allegations by the ALU that Smith was fired illegally had merit and would issue a complaint if the case doesn’t settle. “The complaint would allege a discharge because of union and other protected concerted activities, among other allegations,” Blado said. Amazon didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from T...

A digital dollar backed by the US government might lead to faster money transfers, and be more accessible than the current banking system, according to a new paper from the Federal Reserve (via CNBC). The paper is meant to act as “the first step in a discussion,” and doesn’t advocate for actually creating a “central bank digital currency” (or CBDC). Still, the creation of a digital dollar would be a massive shift in how big a role the government would play in our finances. Potential downsides could include making commercial banks less attractive to consumers, and affect the Fed’s ability to influence the financial system. The Fed is now inviting comments, including on anything the paper may have missed. There are many other countries and tech firms working in the space the US is considerin...

Ransomware — malware that prevents you from accessing your files unless you pay the hacker that infected your computer — has been an issue plaguing computer users and businesses for years. Given its prevalence and the fact that a ransomware infection can lead to the loss of valuable files like documents or family pictures, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re protected. Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft has added features to its built-in Windows Security software that can help keep your computer safe from ransomware. As far as ransomware is concerned, there are two levels to Windows Security. The first consists of malware scans, which are on by default, and which you can learn more about here. While this will work to keep ransomware from being installed on your computer, if a piece of ma...

Just when it seemed like Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard might have been ready to bid the galaxy farewell, Star Trek: Picard gave the legendary space explorer a second shot at life that raised some questions about just who and what he is now. While first trailer for Picard’s second season doesn’t directly answer any of them, it brings back one of the few characters perfectly suited to help guide Picard and his allies through this next chapter of their journeys. Beyond getting the recently resurrected Jean-Luc and his fellow explorers back aboard La Sirena and in the depths of space they long for, Star Trek: Picard’s second season is also about to send its heroes into the existential deep in as they embark upon a journey spanning across time and space, and seemingly multiple realities tha...

When a pop-cultural icon like Ozzy Osbourne announces an NFT collection, you can count on the project getting publicity. The launch of the “CryptoBatz” collection, a series of 9,666 digital bats, received coverage in outlets like Billboard, Rolling Stone, NME, Hypebeast, and Business Insider, among others. But just two days after the tokens were minted, supporters are being targeted by a phishing scam that drains cryptocurrency from their wallets, playing off a bad link shared by the project’s official Twitter account. Like the majority of NFT projects, CryptoBatz uses Discord as a place to organize its community. The official CryptoBatz Discord is now accessed through the short link discord.gg/cryptobatz. But previously, the project used a slightly different vanity URL at discord.gg/crypt...

At some point in the last month, Apple introduced a new verification process in the US that tried to ensure customers who want to benefit from its discounted education pricing are actually involved in education. Now Apple has removed the verification process, as confirmed in tests by The Verge, and backed up by reports from MacRumors and 9to5Mac. When it was in place, customers had to verify that they actually qualified for an education discount using Unidays’ third-party verification service. It’s possible that the verification requirement, which was spotted by Reddit users, will return. Apple already has verification processes in place in other countries, like the UK. The company didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment on whether the verification requirement’s remov...

Google has filed a motion to dismiss the antitrust complaint filed last week, which alleges it colluded with Facebook to manipulate programmatic ad markets. “State Plaintiffs’ complaint — cheered on by a handful of Google’s rivals who have failed to invest properly, compete successfully, or innovate consistently — might serve the narrow interests of those rivals,” Google argues in the motion, “but it also threatens to stifle the dynamism that drives Google and other firms to deliver the products on which businesses and consumers depend every day.” “The complaint misrepresents our business, products, and motives” Originally filed in November, the antitrust suit has been led by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton of Texas and has gradually revealed more allegations through a series of revised ...

Razer is known for making some of the best, flashiest gaming gear on the market, from the category-topping Basilisk V3 to the mind-blowingly powerful and portable Razer Blade 14. Today, it’s announcing something, well, slightly different. The company has partnered with Sanrio to release a line of Hello Kitty-themed gaming accessories. You may think I’m making this up, but alas, I am not. Take a look: The gang is all here.Image: Razer There’s a lot to unpack here. As you can see, we’ve got a mouse, a mousepad, Bluetooth headphones, a chair, and a lumbar cushion. It’s not just the kitty herself featured throughout — other franchise characters, including two who, I’m told, are named Badtz-maru and Keroppi, also make appearances. You know what? I was prepared to roll my eyes at these, but they...

While nabbing an Xbox Series S isn’t as difficult as getting your hands on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X these days, Microsoft’s pearly white console is still in high demand. Currently, Woot is hosting a deal on the Xbox Series S, reducing its regular $299.99 price tag to $279.99. This isn’t a massive discount by any means but it matches the best price we’ve ever seen for this console. The Series S isn’t quite as powerful as the Series X with some of the key distinctions being a lack of a physical disc drive, less storage space, and a less powerful processor. However, the console is still home to fantastic first-party titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, and is compatible with a massive library of last-gen titles, many of which are currently on sale. Microsoft Xbox Series S $2...