Before writing about games, I had a lot of different jobs. I sorted packages at a FedEx facility, I built delivery pallets at a Kroger distribution center, and I worked as a courier. Now that I spend all day at a desk thinking about video games, I definitely harbor a slight longing for something more physical. But games are actually fantastic at emulating the world of blue-collar jobs, and I found…
Graphcore raises $222 million to scale up AI chip production
December 30, 2020
Graphcore, a Bristol, U.K.-based startup developing chips and systems to accelerate AI workloads, today announced it has raised $222 million in a series E funding round led by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. The investment, which values the company at $2.77…
Regarding Photographs: Reading Photos III
December 30, 2020
In the previous essay on reading photos, I looked at how things we know, mental baggage we have accumulated besides just memories, affect what we see in a photograph. Things like cultural background, political beliefs, movies we’ve seen, or books we’ve read.
We’re…
First Look: Sigma 35mm f/2 and 65mm f/2 DG DN C
December 30, 2020
Earlier this month, Sigma announced three new lenses for Sony E and Panasonic/Leica L Mount cameras: The Sigma 35mm f/2, 65mm f/2, and 24mm f/3.5. These lenses, while bearing the “Contemporary” badge, are part of a new “I series” category.
Sigma says that they define a new standard for sophisticated class and quality, and achieve the nexus of both compact and premium. With this…
Google has apparently removed support for its Astrophotography mode from the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G ultra-wide cameras in the latest version of the Google Camera app. Astrophotography mode is now only available on the phones’ primary camera.
When both the Pixel 5 and 4a were…
The former CIA Chief of Disguise spoke with Wired for this 8.5-minute video that discusses some of the most crucial photography tools used for espionage in the Cold War. Some of what she describes sounds like myths but were actually hugely helpful in intelligence gathering…
Why Mirrorless Wins: We’ve Come a Long Way and I’m Not Going Back
December 30, 2020
In 2018 with some trepidation I bought my first mirrorless camera, a Nikon Z7. It wasn’t because I thought it was better than the DSLR I had been using but because my old muscles were spasming with the weight of the camera I was using and I hoped that a package a pound lighter would help me keep on working.
Then slowly I began to learn what I had bought — a camera with major advances over…
This Free App Lists Recipes for Over 100 Fujifilm Film Simulations
December 30, 2020
The creator of the Fuji X Weekly blog has published his giant library of film simulation recipes to an easy-to-use app. The Fuji X Weekly app has over 100 recipes and more will be added regularly.
Fuji X Weekly is a blog created by photographer Ritchie Roesch who has been…
LG will add 8K QNED TVs to its lineup in 2021
December 30, 2020
While we typically focus on LG’s outstanding OLED TVs, it also has LCD panels, and for 2021 it will unveil a new line with Mini LED tech. Branded QNED, they will occupy a high-end slot in the company’s LCD line, although its flagship technology will still be represented…
iPhone workers given choice of forced labor or being sent to detention centers, says report
December 30, 2020
A fresh claim of iPhone workers being used as forced labor in China has appeared today, following an investigation by the Tech Transparency Project.
It suggests that iPhone glass supplier Lens Technology has been using Muslim minority Uighurs, who were given the stark choice of working in the company’s plant or being sent to detention centers which have been likened to concentration camps…
