Facebook promoted lies and conspiracy theories following Amtrak crash

Facebook just can't help itself. 

Following news Wednesday morning that an Amtrak train full of Congressional Republicans crashed into a truck, the social media site was soon promoting conspiracy theories and lies purporting to explain the sinister forces behind the tragedy that left one person dead. 

SEE ALSO: This was the year we turned on social media

For a company that has publicly and repeatedly been accused of enabling the spread of so-called "fake news," this is just yet another major misstep in a long line of missteps. 

First spotted by The Daily Beast's Ben Collins, Facebook's screw up du jour involved the "People Are Saying" section of Trending Topics. The phrase "Charlottesville, Virginia," which is near where the train wreck occurred, was trending, and clicking through brought a Facebook user to a page with information about the incident.  Read more...

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Uber now lets you rent bikes in this hilly city

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.

It's like Uber, but for bicycles. 

On Wednesday, Uber announced a San Francisco pilot project that lets people rent electric pedal-assist bikes. 

Instead of calling a black car or shared carpool, select Uber users will have the option starting next week to reserve a bike from Jump Bikes. The electric bike has a small electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery. It senses when you're struggling on a hill and gives you a boost, but you still have to power the bicycle with your legs — it’s not a motorcycle. Read more...

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If you use Firefox, you need to update it right now

Firefox Quantum is a great browser, but it has a security flaw. 

A Cisco report published Tuesday and spotted by The Hacker News revealed a Mozilla Firefox vulnerability that could allow hackers to remotely mess with users' computers. 

SEE ALSO: Firefox's Quantum update will block websites from tracking you 24/7

Due to "insufficient sanitization of HMTL fragments in chrome-privileged documents," hackers could execute malicious code in users' systems by persuading the user to open a link or file. This could potentially allow hackers to install programs, change passwords, and compromise users' data.  Read more...

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Jaguar races through frigid Arctic in its forthcoming electric SUV

Jaguar brought a fleet of its electric vehicle prototypes to the Arctic in northern Sweden, and then proceeded to race them around the snow-blanketed flats. 

This could be viewed as stunt — though a potentially useful stunt: It's important to see how electric vehicles perform in extreme weather conditions. According to Jaguar, the company drove its forthcoming I-PACE SUV around its test facility at temperatures as low as -40 Celsius (which is also -40 Fahrenheit).

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk will get nothing if Tesla fails, almost everything if it succeeds

Cold temperatures can affect battery performance, which Tesla noted in a late 2017 software update allowing drivers to "preheat" their battery in cold environments. Tesla recommended this "preconditioning" to limit the loss of range and general performance. Read more...

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Amazon dropped a hilarious new Super Bowl ad for Alexa

Amazon and friends are getting hyped for the Super Bowl. The company released a hilarious Super Bowl ad on its YouTube channel on Wednesday. 

The ad depicts a fictional scenario in which Alexa loses her voice. The company must scramble to find celebrities to replace her as the voice of the Amazon Echo, and hilarity ensues. 

SEE ALSO: Peter Dinklage calls final 'Game of Thrones' episodes 'heartbreaking'

Jeff Bezos himself acts convincingly perplexed after hearing the news. We then see the company call upon an eclectic cast of characters. 

Gordon Ramsay berates an amateur chef for the shortcomings of his grilled cheese sandwich, and Cardi B laughs about the lack of oxygen on Mars. Rebel Wilson makes a cute and cringey attempt to "set the mood" from a bubble bath, and Anthony Hopkins is generally creepy while feeding a peacock.  Read more...

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Why it makes no sense for Apple to bring iPad apps to Macs

In December, it was reported that Apple was looking into bridging the worlds of iOS and macOS even further with universal apps that could run on both platforms.

And now Axios says Apple's still on track to bring iPad apps to Macs this year. No mention of iPhone apps running on Mac. Just iPad apps. 

Yuck, no thanks.

SEE ALSO: Why it makes sense for Apple to drop 3D Touch from this year's new iPhone

Known internally as "Marzipan" according to Bloomberg's report last year, the project would allow developers to create a single version of an app that works with touchscreens (iOS) or mouse and keyboard (Mac).  Read more...

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Facebook's traffic is down 50 million hours per day as Zuckerberg demands less 'viral videos'

One of Facebook's core statistic doesn't look so good. Time spent on the network— a number that drives the tech giant's revenue — is down by an estimated 50 million hours per day.

Facebook now reaches 2.13 billion people per month and has 1.4 billion daily active users. If we were to revisit that 50 million hours number on a per-user basis, it would be a drop of 0.035 hours aka 2.1 minutes per user per day. 

For CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, that's a necessary drop for his company's future success. Zuckerberg announced the news Wednesday as part of Facebook's quarterly earnings, reflecting on its 2017 revenue and spending, and the future of the company. Facebook's stock was down nearly 5 percent in after-hours trading. Zuckerberg's knows it won't be pretty.  Read more...

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Facebook is still raking it in, even as people spend less time on the service - CNET

The world’s biggest social network is almost minting money, but Mark Zuckerberg has warned news feed changes could hurt business.

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Facebook is still raking it in, even as people spend less time on the service - CNET

The world’s biggest social network is almost minting money, but Mark Zuckerberg has warned news feed changes could hurt business.

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You can soon ride the Avengers’ all-electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle

The sleek motorcycle Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow used to maneuver through traffic in the 2015 Avengers movie will soon be available for non-superheroes.

Harley-Davidson, known for its American-made motorcycles, is expanding into all-electric vehicles with its first e-bike expected to hit the road in the next 18 months. 

SEE ALSO: This ridiculous electric SUV concept is over the top in every way

In an earnings call earlier this week, Harley-Davidson outlined plans for its Project LiveWire electric motorcycle to go from prototype to real deal. That's an electric motor — no gas. The LiveWire concept launched in 2014 and went from zero to 60 mph in four seconds.  Read more...

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You don't need snow to ski because you can now ski in VR

SkyTechSport offers a virtual reality ski simulator for those who want to ski without the snow. They offer a panoramic 4K view that looks like a ski resort and motors that reproduce sensations as if you were actually skiing. The simulation can be adjusted to fit your preference. You might forget that you're not outdoors. Read more...

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'SEX Club' spam just took over Strava

For millions of people, the fitness-tracking app Strava is a handy tool for logging runs and sharing exercise data with friends. Strava may also be, it turns out, a great way to join a sex club.

On Wednesday, an untold number of Strava users received unsolicited invitations from someone by the name of Jessy Kiss to a group called "SEX Club."

SEE ALSO: Your fitness tracker knows too much about you

"You're Invited," reads the message. "Jessy Kiss invited you to join SEX Club. Accept this invitation and you'll get access to all the club's discussions, events, group activities, photos and stories — and lots of cool stuff you can't get anywhere else." Read more...

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Thank Nintendo's failed Wii U for the Switch's wild success

In the video game industry, it's largely believed that you should never count Nintendo out. The legacy home console company usually has a method behind its madness.

Wednesday morning, Nintendo revealed that its newest console has outsold its last one in just 10 months. The Wii U came out in 2012, and managed to sell 13.56 million units during its five-year lifespan, compared to the 14.86 million that the Switch has now sold.

If you look at where the company was before the Switch's launch, you might be tempted to think the half-portable, half-home console was merely a flash of inspiration that saved the company.  Read more...

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This Xbox One X deal at Dell is too big to miss

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

If you've noticed all your gamer friends are obsessed with a little game called Monster Hunter: World, then you might want to jump on the bandwagon with a new system of your own. And you're just in luck, because Dell has a sweet deal on a new Xbox One X today. 

SEE ALSO: Forget normal jewelry this Valentine's Day and go the nerdy route instead

When you pick up an Xbox One X for $499.98, you'll also receive a $100 Dell eGift card via email within 20 days of your purchase. That could go towards anything on Dell's site, from a VR headset to laptops to a new gaming headset to complement that new Xbox.  Read more...

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Amazon's Alexa is rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl

We're just a few days away from the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots facing off in Super Bowl LII, and one of tech's most famous gadgets has apparently already picked a side.

SEE ALSO: Airbnb won't stand for discrimination against Eagles fans

According to a little video making the rounds, Amazon's Alexa, like most of America, wants the Eagles to dethrone Tom Brady and the Patriots. 

Indeed, we confirmed the message on our own Alexa and her hot take on the defense — "I'm flying with the Eagles on this one because their relentless defense and the momentum they've been riding off their underdog status" — isn't a bad one considering how the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to keep the Patriots in check for most of the AFC Championship game.  Read more...

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Welcome to Future Shift

If you like to follow Mashable Tech on social media, you might notice that things are looking a little different than they used to. That's because we're now calling our Facebook and Twitter accounts Future Shift, and we're launching a nifty new newsletter, too. Why? Read on.

It'd be hard to name an aspect of our lives today that isn't just touched by tech, but fully intertwined with it. Our jobs, our vehicles, our social lives, and everything else are utterly immersed in technology. At the same time, the drumbeat of innovation, with its epicenter in Silicon Valley, seems never-ending, with new products and services every day that purport to improve things even more, and maybe take us to the "next level," whatever that is. Read more...

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This wheelchair allows people with limited mobility to expand their horizons

The ‘HexHog’ is a battery-powered off-road wheelchair that allows people with limited mobility traverse water, mud, snow, and sand. Designed for ease-of-use, the wheelchair allows the adventurous wheelchair users to tackle any terrain. Read more...

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A bunch of movies from your childhood are now half-price on iTunes

A bunch of movies from your childhood are for sale on iTunes, and they're now half their usual price.

This week, iTunes has added a number of older titles to its "Under $8" collection, as spotted by 9to5Toys.  

Yeah, we know, it's probably been ages since you actually paid money for a full-length movie, but shush! It's nostalgia time. 

SEE ALSO: Streams and sales of The Cranberries are surging on Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon

There are some real gems on this list, all of which bring back beautiful (and sometimes cringey) thoughts of Bionicle, AIM, Backyard Baseball, Neopets, Rescue Heroes, Arthur, Tamagotchi, and other glorious memories from the 90s.  Read more...

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Glamorous wireless headphones would make a great Valentine's Day gift (hint, hint)

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

If you're going to invest in any single tech accessory, it might as well be a pair of headphones. From catching up on your favorite podcasts during your morning commute to jamming out at the gym, you'll probably use then almost as much as you use your phone. And if you're already hooked up with a solid pair, some snazzy-looking headphones may be the perfect choice for your Valentine.

SEE ALSO: 10 Valentine's Day gifts your guy needs, though he probably doesn't realize it Read more...

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