Home

What it's like to wear Apple's $3,500 VR headset

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

Putting on Apple's $3,500 new VR headset, called Vision Pro, is like stepping into the future.I was taken by surprise because at first, it looked a lot like the room I was in. Then, the words "Hello" were being written in 3D, hanging in the space in front of me.It was at this moment where I smiled and realized the world has changed, once again.Follow Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro on Instagram!Soon, I was placing virtual Safari, iMessage and other computing windows in the space around me. I could resize them as big or as small as I wanted, and they just hang there.Actually doing work in these windows might be another story, as I wasn't able to do much more than scroll through some text on a webpage or watch a message arrive. I brought up an on-screen keyboard which floated in front of me.The device requires no physical controllers. You use your eyes to "look" at a button you want to hit, then pinch your fingers ever so slightly together to select it. It worked flawlessly for the most par...

California skate park named for Black driver fatally beaten during traffic stop

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

Officials dedicated a California skate park Sunday in honor of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who spent much of his youth in the state and was killed last January in what prosecutors said was a fatal beating by police in Tennessee during a traffic stop.An avid skateboarder, Nichols spent much time as a youth at the park on the outskirts of Sacramento. City officials and others held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated skate park now named for Nichols.Nichols moved to Memphis, Tennessee, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic and lived there with his mother and stepfather. He enjoyed photography — especially taking photos of landscapes and sunsets.“Photography helps me look at the world in a more creative way. It expresses me in ways I cannot write down for people,” Nichols wrote on his website showcasing his photos.Sacramento City Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan, right, consoles Tyre Nichols' mother RowVaughn Wells, left, at the ribbon cutting celebration for the Tyre Nichols Skat...

Shooting at Northern California birthday party leaves teen dead, 6 injured

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

A shooting at a birthday party killed an 18-year-old woman and injured six others in Northern California early Sunday, police said.The Antioch Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls about a shooting just before 1 a.m., the department said in a statement.Multiple shots were fired after some people arrived uninvited at a birthday party for a 19-year-old man at a home in the city about 45 miles (72 km) northeast of San Francisco.Victims and a large crowd were found by officers outside the home, police said.The 18-year-old woman was transported to an area hospital, where she died, police said.The victims who suffered non-life-threatening injuries included an 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old man, two 19-year-old women and two 20-year-old women.Some of the victims transported themselves to area hospitals after “a panic where attendees ... fled in multiple directions and into the neighborhood,” police said.The Antioch police said a suspect or suspects fled the scene before offi...

Farewell Festival Season! A Look Back at Cruel World, BeachLife and More

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

The term “festival season” has become a bit of an eye-roller thanks to soulless branding, culture vulture commodification and overzealous hashtaggery, but the abundance of Spring flings the past couple of months has made the concept a very real and restless reality. Coachella kicked off outdoor flocking in April, and in its (literal) dust came a manic May filled with choice all-day happenings that Millenials, Gen-Xers and their elders found themselves having to mentally and physically prepare for. Gen-Z kids were more than ready since last year’s fest flurry, bless ‘em.But first we all had to acquire tickets, which meant enduring online waiting rooms and exorbitant processing fees (special thanks to The Cure’s Robert Smith for fighting the good fight for fans against Ticketmaster). Then we needed to get “festival ready”– and we’re not talking about fashion or fitness. The heat; the trek; the traffic; the pricey merch and food; the set time conflicts; and the overall prodigious...

Colorado officials looking into elder abuse allegations involving actor John Amos

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

Actor John Amos arrives at HBO’s 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards after party in September 2007. Colorado law enforcement agencies are investigating claims the actor has been the victim of elder abuse. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas) Colorado authorities are investigating allegations of elder abuse involving 83-year-old actor John Amos, who for years has been living near the mountain town of Westcliffe.The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is looking into this matter, along with the sheriff in Custer County. Amos resides in a modest wood-paneled home northeast of town.“The Custer County Sheriff’s Office is the lead on it. We are just assisting them. It is an open investigation right now,” CBI spokeswoman Lisa Kohlbrenner confirmed on Friday. She said Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith requested the bureau’s assistance on May 15.Smith on Friday confirmed, in a news release, that local authorities received reports that Amos could have been the victim of a crime.“We are thoroughly investigati...

New Casinos in the UK, Recently Launched for 2023 – Ranked by Games & Bonuses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

Sponsored ContentThere’s nothing more exciting than the launch of a new online casino – with fresh designs, innovative features, and the latest games. Today, we have selected the best new online casinos in the UK that stand at the forefront of industry trends and generous bonuses.Our top UK new casino is PlayOJO, with its unique no wagering promo, some of the newest games, and a great overall user experience. But we made sure to include something for everyone here – no matter if you’re looking to spin the reels or chase the dealer to 21.Check out some of the best recently-launched UK online casinos.Best New Online Casinos in the UKPlayOJO: Best overallLuckLand: Over 1,400 gamesCasino 2020: Excellent mobile experienceJammy Monkey: Great quality slotsCashmo: Offers weekly bonusesBacanaPlay: Great website desig nThe Sun Vegas: Top choice for bingoMagicRed: 50+ game developersAll British Casino: 1,000+ different slot gamesPub Casino: Top Evolution live casinoFun Casino: Casi...

Fatal crash in San Leandro closes portion of major street in both directions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

SAN LEANDRO — A fatal collision early Monday morning closed down a portion of a heavily used street in both directions and brought with it a detour, police said.Details about the person who died in the collision or the crash itself were not available immediately.Police in a statement released at 4 a.m. advised motorists to avoid Davis Street between Orchard Avenue and Pierce Avenue, after they closed it in both the east and west directions. The crash itself happened near Davis Street and Prada Street, police said.The closure was expected to be in place until at least 7 a.m. Motorists were advised to use Marina Boulevard as an alternative route to access Interstate 880.Please check back for updates.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Speed camera bill gets Assembly approval, now it’s up to Senate, Gov. Newsom Crashes and Disasters | Southbound lanes of I-280 in San Mateo County reopen after fatal collision Crashes and Disasters | O...

Thousands of Reddit communities go dark to protest company’s controversial new policy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

By Brian Fung | CNNThousands of Reddit forums are going dark Monday in one of the largest user-driven protests ever to hit the social media platform.The voluntary blackouts, which restrict groups’ content from being publicly visible, affect Reddit’s largest online communities, including popular groups devoted to music, history, sports, and video games. The protests include more than two dozen subreddits with at least 10 million subscribers, as well as thousands of smaller networks.Monday’s protests reflect widespread outrage over a Reddit plan to charge millions of dollars in fees for some third-party apps to continue accessing the platform. The plan has already forced several of Reddit’s top app-makers to announce they are shutting down because they cannot afford the new costs, which are set to begin as soon as next month.The confrontation between Reddit’s corporate management and its users and developers marks a turning point for the platform as it reportedly looks to go public la...

Children Are Dying Because Companies Are Too Scared to Sell Medicine to Iran

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

Amir Hossein Naroi, an Iranian boy, was only 10 years old when he died from thalassemia, an inherited blood disease. The condition is highly prevalent in the southern Iranian province of Sistan-Balochistan, where Naroi’s family lives; tens of thousands of people in the region are believed suffer from the disease. It is not an inevitably fatal condition: Thalassemia can be treated with regular blood transfusions and oral medications designed to remove the excess of iron built up in the bodies of patients. For much of his short life, Naroi was able to get treatment. His fate, however, was decided when access to the necessary medicines inside Iran began to dry up in recent years. In the earliest years of his life, Naroi was taking a specialized drug known as Desferal, which is manufactured by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis. Starting in 2018, however, around the time that President Donald Trump launched a “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions against Iran, supplie...

The Right-Wing War on Clean Air

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:40 GMT

Steve Milloy, a longtime lobbyist for polluting industries from tobacco to coal to oil and gas, is back in the news thanks to the wildfire smoke that recently blanketed the U.S. East Coast. Milloy appeared on Fox News to tell people that there are “no negative health impacts” from breathing in wildfire smoke. It’s the latest salvo in a war he’s been waging against air pollution regulation since the 1980s.For industry operatives like Milloy, air pollution, especially the regulation of particulate matter, has long been a greater concern than climate policy. Regulations on PM2.5 —fine inhalable particles generally smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter — would require many of the same reductions in the combustion of fossil fuels that climate policy would, but without any of the politicization that has obstructed climate action for decades. It’s never been easy for politicians to publicly fight against clean air and water, and it’s doubly hard when the country’s largest city is wrappe...