Campus

SpaceX ignored last-minute warnings from the FAA before December Starship launch

Elon Musk’s company was told SN8’s launch would violate its FAA license, but SpaceX launched anyway Minutes before liftoff, Elon Musk’s SpaceX ignored at least two warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration that launching its first high-altitude Starship prototype last December would violate the company’s launch license, confidential documents and letters obtained by The Verge… Read more

The Boring Company tests its ‘Teslas in Tunnels’ system in Las Vegas

Elon Musk’s Boring Company started shuttling passengers through the twin tunnels it built underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) this week, as part of a test to get the system ready for its full debut in June. Videos, images, and accounts shared around the internet by the people who showed up for the test… Read more

San Jose approves Google’s gigantic and controversial new downtown campus

After first proposing it in 2017, Google has received unanimous approval from the San Jose City Council to move forward with its Downtown West development plan, CNBC reports. The company and city have reached an agreement to develop around 80 acres of land in downtown San Jose, California that will also serve as a mixed-use… Read more

What’s the best student laptop? We asked students

Shopping for a laptop can be stressful — doubly stressful if you or your children will be learning online for the first time. Kids of different ages have a range of different laptop use cases and different needs. And as the choices for best laptop and best Chromebook evolve, so do students’ needs. So I… Read more

This is Microsoft’s vision for the future of meetings

Microsoft is outlining its vision for the future of meetings today. After a year that’s seen more people dialing into the office remotely, the company is once again banging the drum for hybrid work: a model that combines remote access with in-person work. While the company has been teasing new concepts for Microsoft Teams in… Read more

Google is opening its first physical retail store this summer in NYC

Google is opening its first physical retail Google Store, the company announced today, which will debut in New York City this summer. The new store will be located in Chelsea, as part of Google’s campus in that neighborhood (the company’s New York headquarters are already located there). The Google Store will display and sell a… Read more

Google wants to build a useful quantum computer by 2029

Google is aiming to build a “useful, error-corrected quantum computer” by the end of the decade, the company explained in a blog post. The search giant hopes the technology will help solve a range of big problems like feeding the world and climate change to developing better medicines. To develop the technology, Google has unveiled… Read more

Apple announces new $1 billion North Carolina campus and $80 billion additional US spending

Apple has announced new spending plans for the US, including the establishment of a 3,000-employee “campus and engineering hub” in North Carolina and the commitment of an additional $80 billion in investment across the country. Back in 2018, the firm said it would spend more than $350 billion in the US over the next five… Read more

How to celebrate Earth Day 2021

Let’s face it, it’s been a long and hard year for the denizens of our planet since Earth Day’s 50th anniversary in 2020. However, it’s possible that things are looking up somewhat. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging in many parts of the world, we do have vaccines that may eventually get us past… Read more

It may be curtains for Arclight and Pacific, the theaters I’ve only dreamt of attending

The owner of famous movie theater chains Arclight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters has revealed that the theaters will never reopen from their COVID shutdowns, according to Variety. Decurian, the company that operates both chains, gave a dire statement to Deadline: it includes phrases like “exhausted all potential options” and “does not have a viable way… Read more

Today I learned Disney is making a retractable lightsaber, and I need to see it

To whom it may concern at The Walt Disney Company and / or Lucasfilm: Show me the damn lightsaber. I know you have a real one now. And it’s time to fess up. Let’s backtrack a bit. Yesterday, at a seemingly routine press event for the upcoming launch of Disneyland’s new Avengers Campus area on… Read more

Avengers Campus is finally opening at Disneyland on June 4th, complete with aerial Spider-Man robot

After being delayed for almost a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Avengers Campus will finally open at Disneyland, specifically at the Disney’s California Adventure park in Anaheim, California on June 4th, according to the company (via CNBC). The new area will bring Marvel Cinematic Universe characters into the physical space. CNBC reported the… Read more

YouTuber records himself trespassing at SpaceX’s Starship facilities

A YouTuber recorded himself entering SpaceX’s Starship rocket facilities in south Texas last month, freely sauntering on site. No security stopped him from wandering around the underside of SN11, the 16-story-tall rocket prototype that would launch and explode just a few days later. The video was posted to a small YouTube channel called Loco VlogS,… Read more

Intel invests $20 billion into new factories, will produce chips for other companies

Intel has a new CEO, Pat Gelsinger, and he’s not wasting any time to make some big changes. At the company’s “Engineering the Future” announcement today, Gelsinger announced plans to outsource more of Intel’s chip production to third-party foundries; a $20 billion investment into two new fabs in Arizona; and a new branch of the… Read more

A Silicon Valley school is using virtual escape rooms to evaluate prospective students

Applying to an elite middle school sounds like a stressful experience, and I’m sure COVID-19 doesn’t help. With things like open houses, campus tours, and in-person interviews off the table, applicants have fewer chances to experience their prospective schools — and admissions offices have fewer chances to meet their prospective students. One San Jose private… Read more