Month: March 2022

Enlarge (credit: Microsoft)

Dell, one of the top three PC makers, will not be using Microsoft’s Pluton chip in “most” commercial PCs, The Register reported on Wednesday. A Dell representative told the publication that the security processor “does not align with Dell’s approach to hardware security and our most secure commercial PC requirements.”

Microsoft first announced the Pluton security processor in 2020. At that point, the chip had already been used in microcontrollers in the Xbox One and Azure Sphere to prevent hardware hacks.

In PCs, Pluton is meant to prevent hacks that could result from an attacker having physical access to the PC. Such physical hacks could result in malware installation or stolen data. By living on the main CPU’s die, Pluton can store protected data in an area that is isolated from the PC’s other components. According to Microsoft, that data can’t be removed no matter what.

Enlarge / KRAKOW, POLAND – 2018/08/20: Social media apps with European Union flag are seen in this photo illustration.
The European Commission is planning issue a regulation that allows to fine social media platforms and websites if they don’t delete extremist post within one hour. (Photo by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Regulators in Europe and the UK have opened an antitrust probe into a deal between Google and Meta on online advertising, in the latest effort to tackle the market power of the world’s biggest technology companies.

The move follows US antitrust investigators who are also probing an agreement informally known as “Jedi Blue.” The search engine giant and Facebook’s parent company have been accused of working together to carve up advertising profits, acting together to buttress their businesses.

The EU and UK probes represent the latest assault on Big Tech from global regulators that are also preparing to unleash new rules designed to challenge the primacy of groups such as Google, Meta, and Amazon. In response, US tech groups have launched lobbying efforts in Washington and Brussels in an effort to protect their interests.

Enlarge / Only five Ariane 5 rockets remain before Europe will transition to the Ariane 6 vehicle. (credit: ArianeGroup)

Welcome to Edition 4.35 of the Rocket Report! No report next week. We’re now one week away from the momentous rollout of the Space Launch System rocket to the launch pad for the first time. I will be taking spring break with my family next week, so there will be no newsletter, but I will be back in time to track the rollout Thursday night, March 17. Look for full coverage on Ars Technica the following Friday morning.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Voters decisively reject spaceport in Georgia. According to unofficial results, 72 percent of voters in Camden County voted Tuesday to halt the purchase of land for a spaceport in the US state of Georgia, First Coast News reports. This represents a striking (and perhaps fatal) setback for the vertical-launch spaceport. The county has spent $10.3 million on the project, which has been in the planning stages since 2012. Prior to the vote, supporters of the project said the spaceport would create jobs and diversify the county’s economy.

Enlarge / Google’s Doodle for Ukraine Independence Day 2018. (credit: Google)

Smartphone-based air raid alerts are one of the many awful facts of life in Ukraine right now. While the Ukrainian government has an air raid warning system that currently runs through a third-party app, Google is taking it upon itself to build an “Air Raid Alerts” system directly into Android. The company outlined the decision on the Google Blog:

Tragically, millions of people in Ukraine now rely on air strike alerts to try to get to safety. At the request, and with the help, of the government of Ukraine, we’ve started rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system for Android phones in Ukraine. This work is supplemental to the country’s existing air raid alert systems, and based on alerts already being delivered by the Ukrainian government.

Google is rolling out the feature via Google Play Services, which means it should work for nearly every Android phone. While Android OS updates are infamously rolled out to only a single-digit percentage of users in a year, Google Play Services updates through the Play Store, so an update will happen for everyone as soon as their phone checks for app updates.

Android’s VP of Engineering, Dave Burke, announced the new feature on Twitter, saying the alerts use the same low-latency alert system the Android team designed for Android’s earthquake detection. While the Earthquake detection system can spawn an earthquake alert of its own by crowdsourcing the accelerometer data from millions of Android phones, Google isn’t detecting air raids and is just building a client for the government’s alert system.

Enlarge / These carbon-fiber wheels have completed the molding process. (credit: Carbon Revolution)

You might have noticed that car wheels have gotten pretty large over the last few years. Designers love putting big wheels on cars, particularly big trucks and SUVs, because they help make big vehicles look smaller. Expect the trend to stick around as electric vehicles proliferate—it’s particularly effective at helping hide the extra height of the slab of lithium-ion cells between the axles.

The trouble is, big wheels might look good, but that aesthetic comes with a cost. A larger wheel is heavier, and it’s the very worst place to add pounds if you’re concerned about handling, since it is unsprung mass. This is why some wheels are made out of aluminum alloy instead of pressed steel, but even aluminum wheels weigh a lot if they’re 22 inches in diameter—or bigger. Enter Carbon Revolution and its carbon-fiber wheels, stage left.

Originally a plaything of the aerospace industry, the automotive industry first cottoned on to using carbon-fiber composites via racing. Extra weight is the enemy of a good lap time, and F1 designer John Barnard realized that he could build cars that were at least as strong as ones made from steel and aluminum, but far lighter. Initial safety fears from naysayers proved unfounded, and for several decades it has been the material of choice for prototype and single-seat race cars.

Enlarge / The many faces of Mario. (credit: Collage by Aurich Lawson)

It’s a good day for fans of both Nintendo and calendar-based puns, as Thursday marks another “Mario Day,” Nintendo’s annual March 10 (or Mar10, get it?) event designed to celebrate its most popular plumber, princess saver, kart driver, soccer player, boxing ref, typing instructor, drug supplier, Chris Pratt acting inspiration, and overall mascot.

What does this celebration actually look like? Well, many people have taken the time to reminisce on their favorite Mario moments (as we previously have) and share fan art, while Universal Studios Hollywood used the occasion to announce its Super Nintendo World theme park expansion will open in 2023. In practical terms, though, it mostly means Nintendo has put a bunch of Mario games on sale. Mario is a brand, after all.

Nevertheless, if you’ve been looking for something new to pick up for your Switch, the event provides a decent chance to save some cash on a good game or two. Various Mario Day sales have been advertised since the start of this week at Nintendo’s own digital eShop and retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, GameStop, and Humble, so our latest Dealmaster roundup has sorted through them all to pick out the ones most worth your consideration.