US taxpayers unknowingly paid millions to get Starlink terminals to Ukraine

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pledged to send Starlink internet terminals to the country. His company donated thousands of units and is covering the cost of the service for a few months. However, the US government reportedly paid millions for some of the terminals and to get them all to Ukraine, in spite of statements to the contrary from the company’s president.

The United States Agency for International Development bought around 1,500 terminals at a cost of $1,500 each, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. It also covered transportation costs for all the terminals to the tune of $800,000, resulting in the agency shelling out over $3 million. In all, the agency and SpaceX sent more than 5,000 terminals to Ukraine, with a third-party contractor handling transportation and delivery.

It’s unclear whether USAID paid over the odds for the terminals. SpaceX recently increased the price of a Starlink terminal from $499 to $549 for deposit holders and to $599 for fresh orders. As of April 22nd, the monthly price of the satellite-powered internet service is increasing from $99 to $110. The company announced a higher tier service earlier this year that costs $2,500 for a terminal and $500 per month for service.

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said last month that France and possibly Poland helped get the terminals to Ukraine. “I don’t think the US has given us any money to give terminals to the Ukraine,” Shotwell said. SpaceX is said to have donated $10 million worth of terminals and Starlink service to the country, which is laudable enough, though the company wasn’t exactly clear about where funding for other parts of the operation came from.

On top of that, Musk had to issue a warning over the use of Starlink, given that Russia may be able to triangulate the location of a terminal uplink. Musk urged people to use Starlink only when needed and stay away from other people while doing so.

This isn’t the first time that Musk has offered help during a crisis where his input hasn’t gone without a hitch. In 2018, he took a mini-submarine to Thailand to assist with the rescue of 12 boys and their coach who were trapped in a cave. Not only were those people safely retrieved by the time he got there, the mini-sub was deemed impractical for the mission anyway.

Puerto Rico is slowly recovering from an island-wide blackout

Puerto Rico is gradually recovering from an island-wide power outage that started on Wednesday evening. However, hundreds of thousands of people still lack electricity as the territory continues to struggle with its fragile power grid.

The outage was the result of a failed circuit breaker at Costa Sur power plant. According to The New York Times, the plant produces more electricity than any other facility on the island. Luma, a private Canadian-American entity that took over management of the power grid from a public utility last year, said there was “extensive damage” to the plant. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause, though it appears there was a fire.

According to poweroutage.us, a site that tracks power interruptions, more than 429,000 customers out of 1.47 million were without power as of 1:25PM Eastern time on Friday. As of Friday morning, Luma said it couldn’t provide an estimate on how long it would take to fully restore power.

Critical facilities such as hospitals are up and running, though public school service was canceled on Friday. Around 182,000 or 10 percent of water and sewer customers didn’t have water on Thursday.

When it started running the island’s power transmission and distribution, Luma said it would make blackouts less frequent. However, according to reports, outages have persisted and lasted longer than when the public utility was managing the grid.

After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017, there was a power outage across the island. Some folks had to wait for more than a year before electricity was restored, a situation that highlighted the precarious condition of the territory’s power grid.

Axiom Space’s first private mission to the ISS has launched successfully

Axiom Space has successfully launched its AX-1 mission, which is taking the first fully private crew of astronauts to the International Space Station. The quartet departed from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Dragon capsule, which was propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. Both the first stage and the Dragon separated without issue. 

The spacecraft is expected to dock at the ISS on April 9th at around 6:45AM ET. The hatch opening is scheduled for approximately 9:30AM and, all going well, the welcoming ceremony will happen at around 10:05AM.

The crew members are commander and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría and three businessmen: Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy. The foursome are due to spend eight days on the ISS, during which they’ll take part in scientific research, outreach and commercial activities. They will also retrieve some scientific samples for NASA.

Axiom plans to conduct further private missions to the ISS over the next several years. The company has a contract with NASA to build the first commercial module for the space station. It’s also expected to construct a module (SEE-1) containing a film studio and sports arena, which could be attached to the ISS as soon as December 2024. Axiom Station (with SEE-1 still connected) is scheduled to split from the ISS in 2028 and operate independently.

Halo Infinite’s delayed second season starts on May 3rd

Microsoft and 343 Industries have revealed that season two of Halo Infinite will get underway on May 3rd. The season, which is called Lone Wolves, will herald the arrival of fresh arena and Big Team Battle maps, more modes (including Land Grab and free-for-all elimination in Last Spartan Standing) and limited-time events. There’ll also be a new battle pass that won’t expire and a slew of other updates.

Season two was initially supposed to arrive three months after the game’s launch. That would have been February or March, depending on whether 343 Industries defined the launch date as mid-November (when the multiplayer component debuted) or December, when the full game was released. However, in November, the studio said season one would run until May.

What’s more, fans will need to be a bit more patient for the arrival of the long-awaited campaign co-op mode. That was originally supposed to be available at the start of season two. It will emerge sometime later in the season. Forge mode, which allows players to create custom games with map modifiers and unique rules, is still slated to arrive in season three. At least players will have new maps to learn and more game modes to master in the meantime.

Classic puzzle game ‘Myst’ is being turned into a VR mini golf course

Myst, the classic puzzle game, is getting a unusual new lease of life. Developer Cyan Inc. has teamed up with Mighty Coconut to create a Myst-themed expansion for the latter’s VR game, Walkabout Mini Golf. The DLC will be released this fall and it’ll be available on Meta Quest, Steam VR and “and forthcoming VR platforms.”

Mighty Coconut says the expansion will be a 36-hole course with 18 easy and 18 hard-mode holes. It claims the DLC will blend realistic physics with “iconic settings, objects, and the spirit of puzzles from the Myst saga.” You’ll be able to play through the Myst course solo or with up to four other players as you hunt for 18 lost balls, take on a scavenger expedition and try to collect a commemorative putter.

Myst, which was released in 1993, was the best-selling PC game of the 20th century. Players were prompted to explore an island, solve puzzles and put together the pieces of the story. It’s one of the most influential games of all time and its impact can still be felt in modern titles like The Outer Wilds. Although a Myst remake came out not too long ago, it’s neat to see Mighty Coconut paying tribute to its legacy, albeit in an entirely unexpected fashion.

Activision Blizzard gives 1,100 QA testers full-time jobs and higher base pay

Activision Blizzard is converting all of its temporary and contract quality assurance workers in the US to full-time employees starting on July 1st. Many of the 1,100 workers will receive a pay raise — the minimum hourly rate is going up to $20 per hour as of April 17th. As permanent employees, the workers will receive benefits and can participate in a bonus plan.

The company says bringing those workers on board as staff will bolster its development resources and increase its number of full-time employees by 25 percent. It recently converted nearly 500 other temp and contract roles across its studios to full-time positions.

The move comes in the wake of a unionization drive spearheaded by QA team members at Raven Software. Workers from across Activision Blizzard staged a walkout in December after some Raven QA contractors were laid off. The following month, QA workers at the studio announced their intention to unionize, which would make them members of the first union at a AAA gaming company in North America.

Activision declined to voluntarily recognize the Game Workers Alliance union and shuffled some people to other departments. Executives also tried to convince workers not to form a union by questioning the benefits of organizing. Nevertheless, the Raven QA workers pressed forward with their plans and have filed for a union election through the National Labor Relations Board. 

“Whether Raven workers choose to unionize has nothing to do with the salary increases elsewhere for Activision’s QA workers,” an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Bloomberg. The spokesperson added that Raven workers won’t be eligible for the pay initiatives “due to legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act.”

Microsoft, which has agreed a deal to buy the company for $68.7 billion, said last month it respected the right of Activision Blizzard employees “to choose whether to be represented by a labor organization and we will honor those decisions.”

Workers at Activision Blizzard have been pressuring leadership on other fronts. Many staged a walkout this week after it lifted COVID-19 vaccine requirements. The company clarified it would allow its studios to set their own return-to-office policies.

Elsewhere, the company is the subject of multiple ongoing harassment and misconduct lawsuits. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Activision Blizzard last July, accusing the company of discrimination against female employees and fostering a “frat boy culture.” A wrongful death suit and a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit from an individual plaintiff have also been filed over the last month or so. Last week, a judge ordered Activision Blizzard to pay $18 million to settle a federal suit that accused it of enabling a sexist and discriminatory environment.

Activision Blizzard isn’t the only major company in the gaming sector that’s hiring temp and contract QA workers into permanent roles. In February, Epic Games said it would offer most of its US-based QA workers full-time positions.

Here’s the full statement Activision Blizzard provided to Engadget:

Across Activision Blizzard, we are bringing more content to players across our franchises than ever before. As a result, we are refining how our teams work together to develop our games and deliver the best possible experiences for our players. We have ambitious plans for the future and our Quality Assurance (QA) team members are a critical part of our development efforts.

Therefore, today we announced the conversion of all US-based temporary and contingent QA team members at Activision Publishing (AP) and Blizzard — nearly 1,100 people in total — to permanent full-time employees starting July 1. Additionally, we are increasing the minimum hourly rate for these team members to $20/hr or more effective April 17. These employees also will be eligible to participate in the company’s bonus plan and will have access to full company benefits.

This change follows a process that began last year across AP and Blizzard of converting temporary and contingent employees, including 500 at AP’s studios, to permanent full-time employees.

Update 4/7 3:12PM ET: Added clarification about the impact on Raven workers.

Epic Games and Lego team up to build a kid-friendly metaverse

Epic Games and The Lego Group are building a new, family-friendly virtual world. The companies haven’t revealed too many details just yet, though they plan to “shape the future of the metaverse to make it safe and fun for children and families.”

The pair have agreed on three principles they’ll adhere to as they “build an immersive, creatively inspiring and engaging digital experience” for people of all ages to enjoy. They pledged to:

  • Protect children’s right to play by making safety and wellbeing a priority.

  • Safeguard children’s privacy by putting their best interests first.

  • Empower children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience.

Epic and Lego didn’t announce a timeline for when their collective vision of a virtual world will open for business. Of course, Epic runs perhaps the foremost example of a kid-friendly metaverse in Fortnite. The battle royale modes, countless crossovers, concerts, movie nights and creative islands have helped Fortnite become a massively popular virtual space where people go to hang out.

Lego has experience in virtual worlds as well. Along with its long-running series of licensed games (including one that just dropped this week in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga), it was behind a sandbox game called Lego Worlds.

While that didn’t prove to be quite the Minecraft competitor Lego would have hoped, perhaps its collaboration with Epic will stand a better chance. Their take on the metaverse is also likely to compete with Roblox. That platform has an enormous player base of mostly young people and measures in place to shield them from adult content.

Spotify’s Car Thing can now take calls and control other apps

Just a couple months after it started selling its $90 Car Thing to anyone in the US, Spotify is rolling out a bunch more features for the device this week that should make it more useful. Among the updates is what Spotify says is one of the most-requested features: an add to queue option.

There are a few ways to put more songs or podcast episodes onto your ad-hoc playlist. You can tap the add to queue icon next to a track or hold down the dial when you have a song highlighted. There’s voice ]support as well, so you can say something like “Hey Spotify, queue ‘Happier Than Ever'” or any other song you’d like to hear. You can view the queue with a voice command or by holding down the dial in the Now Playing view.

Also new is a way to generate a playlist based on a genre, mood or activity. You can say something like “Hey Spotify, play upbeat Sunday morning pop” and the platform will put together a personalized playlist on the fly that fits those criteria. The feature is available on all platforms with Hey Spotify support.

Elsewhere, there are a couple more Car Thing features that should prove useful. You’ll be able to see, answer and reject incoming calls. There’s also a way to play and control other media. You can switch back to Spotify control by tapping the screen, using presets or issuing a voice command. These two features are iOS-only for now. They’ll be available for Android later. Updates to Car Thing, which requires a Premium Spotify subscription, also roll out automatically for iOS users.

‘Rogue Legacy 2’ will hit PC and Xbox on April 28th

Almost exactly two years after Rogue Legacy 2 was announced, Cellar Door Games has revealed when the sequel is coming out of early access. It will officially arrive on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on April 28th.

Cellar Door has switched up the art style, creating 3D characters that are set against hand-drawn backgrounds. There are new classes, weapons and abilities, and the studio has freshened up the procedurally created environments with fresh biome generation. There’s also an heirloom system that grants heroes permanent new abilities and accessibility features designed to help “players succeed even when they’re struggling,” according to a press release.

Rogue Legacy 2 has been in development for almost four years and it’ll arrive nearly nine years after its predecessor. Rogue Legacy helped usher in an era of successful indie roguelikes like Hades. 

Rogue Legacy 2
Cellar Door Games

What helped set Rogue Legacy apart from many of its peers, such as Spelunky and FTL: Faster Than Light, was a system that allowed players to continue their journey by selecting an heir of their previous character. Each heir has their own traits.

If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, you can check out Rogue Legacy for free by claiming it from the Epic Games Store. It’ll be available as a freebie until April 13th. Given that it takes most players around 16 hours to complete the main story, you might even finish it in time for the sequel’s proper debut.

Google’s Nest Hub and Nest Cam bundle is $50 off at B&H

If you’re looking to build out your smart home setup, it’s worth considering a bundle of two Google products that are now on sale. You can save $50 if you buy the Nest Hub smart display and Nest Cam together. They typically cost $100 each, but you can scoop them up from B&H for $150.

Buy Google Nest Hub and Next Cam at B&H – $150

You’ll get the second-gen Nest Hub, which Google released last year. We gave it a score of 89 in our review and felt that it had better audio than its predecessor. We appreciated Google Assistant working faster this time around as well as the lower price. The radar-powered sleep tracking feature (which doesn’t require the use of a camera to detect movement) is pretty accurate too.

You can use the device to watch shows and movies from streaming services, listen to music and control your smart home devices. The Nest Hub can help keep you organized through access to your calendar, reminders and to-dos.

Google Nest Cam
Google

Of course, you can use the smart display to monitor the Nest Cam as well. It’s important to note this is the wired model designed for indoor use, rather than a battery-powered one you can place anywhere.

The camera can capture 1080p video at 30 fps. Google claims the infra-red LEDs allow the Nest Cam to have night vision detection for objects up to 15 feet away. There’s a 135-degree diagonal field of view, two-way audio (with a noise cancellation feature) and motion detection.

Nest Cam can tell the difference between people, animals and vehicles that enter the frame (though you’ll likely need to be pointing it at a window to detect the latter). You can receive alerts for various activities it observes and you can view a live feed on your phone, computer, tablet or smart display at any time. You’ll get up to three hours of event video history at no extra cost, though you can subscribe to Nest Aware for features like continuous recording and detection of familiar faces.

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