Tech Soha

As with Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager is unlikely to ever get an official high-resolution remaster. The effects were shot on video rather than added to film after the fact, making it much harder to upgrade the quality than it was for The Next Generation. However, an unofficial project might get relatively close. Series fan Billy Reichard has started processing Voyager with a machine learning program that upgrades that '90s era image quality as much as possible. You won't forget that the show was made for tube TVs given the aspect ratio, but the AI is surprisingly effective -- it produces something you probably wouldn't mind watching on an idle afternoon if you're a Star Trek devotee. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/33WBczB

However much safer electric cars might be than their gas counterparts, they can still catch fire -- and BYD wants to reduce the chances of that happening. It will soon roll out a Blade Battery that's meant to be safer without compromising performance. Its high temperature for exothermic reactions, low (and slow) heat release and lack of oxygen release combine to form an energy pack that shouldn't "easily" catch fire. A nail puncture test didn't even significantly raise the temperature of the battery (it didn't venture above 140F), let alone set it ablaze. It also avoided fires due to bending, crushing, overcharging and overheating. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2wNnpiv

The COVID-19 pandemic is having more small but noticeable effects on gamers. Microsoft has temporarily disabled custom picture uploads for Xbox Live, including gamerpics and club images, to help it "streamline moderation" and support the community -- in other words, to help its staff keep up with a surge in demand from people staying at home. The company didn't say when it might restore the feature, although that might hinge on the development of the coronavirus outbreak itself. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2UqEc40

The impact of Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign might be felt well after it ended. The Warren for President team is open-sourcing some of its key get-out-the-vote projects to help other politicians and cause supporters with their own efforts. These include the peer-to-peer texting platform Spoke, the polling location search tool Pollaris, a Caucus App used in Iowa (above) and the data handling app Redhook, among other tools. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2yatTbB

Lawmakers and security experts have long warned of security flaws in the underbelly of the world's cell networks. Now a whistleblower says the Saudi government is exploiting those flaws to track its citizens across the U.S. as part of a "systematic" surveillance campaign. The Guardian obtained a cache of data amounting to millions of locations on Saudi citizens over a four-month period beginning in November. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2JAS4mh

Only a few days after saying that he would like to see the country "opened up and raring to go by Easter" and maybe relax rules for at least some parts of the U.S. sooner than later, President Trump today announced that he is extending the government's social distancing guidelines through April 30. The original "15 days to slow the spread" campaign launched just under two weeks ago, on March 15. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/33TuMkI

NieR fans may have a lot to be happy about in the near future. Square Enix has teased a pair of games in the series, including an "upgraded" version of the cult classic NieR Replicant for PC (via Steam), PS4 and Xbox One. The publisher hasn't said just how it'll improve over the 10-year-old or even provided a general release window, but you can safely presume it'll represent a visual upgrade for the action RPG. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/33S3qLV

Microsoft is pulling out of an investment in an Israeli facial recognition technology developer as part of a broader policy shift to halt any minority investments in facial recognition startups, the company announced late last week. The decision to withdraw its investment from AnyVision, an Israeli company developing facial recognition software, came as a result of an investigation into reports that AnyVision's technology was being used by the Israeli government to surveil residents in the West Bank. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2wN4TH1

Researchers should be free to look for bias in website algorithms in the future. A federal court in DC has ruled in a lawsuit against Attorney General William Barr that studies aimed at detecting discrimination in online algorithms don't violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The government argued that the Act made it illegal to violate a site's terms of service through some investigative methods (such as submitting false info for research), but Judge John Bates determined that the terms only raised the possibility of civil liability, not criminal cases. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2xy2obI

The UK is echoing others in lifting internet restrictions to keep people online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Major telecoms like BT/EE, Openreach and Virgin Media have struck an agreement that will remove "all" data caps on current landline broadband services. Mobile and fixed providers also have to offer "generous" new packages to help people stay connected (particularly the vulnerable), such as data boosts at lower prices and free calls. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3dGnJ38