Google Home can now talk to your tulip

Flowers are hard to talk to. You tell them about your day, you read them poetry, you complain about the ineffectiveness of the political system, but all they do is just kinda stand there and do nothing.

Well, no moreGoogle Tulip is a new service that lets Google Home communicate directly with tulips. 

SEE ALSO: Take control of your home with the Google Home Mini and Chromecast bundle for under £50

Google says advancements in AI have allowed Google Home to understand what tulips are saying as well as translate between Tulipish (what, you thought that all flowers speak the same language?) and "dozens" of human languages.  Read more...

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Facebook is finally explaining how it organizes your news feed - CNET

"Why am I seeing this post?" feature will explain how the company's algorithm has prioritised certain posts on your feed.

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Facebook is finally explaining how it organizes your news feed - CNET

"Why am I seeing this post?" feature will explain how the company's algorithm has prioritised certain posts on your feed.

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Facebook will give you more info about why certain posts show up in your News Feed

Facebook is adding a feature to its News Feed in an effort to be more transparent.

The social media giant is introducing a tool to help you understand why posts from friends, pages, and groups appear in its News Feed — and to some extent, control their regularity.

The tool will appear as a clickable question, reading "Why am I seeing this post?" It's similar to the "Why am I seeing this ad?" tool, launched in 2014 to address concerns related to targeted advertising.

SEE ALSO: Facebook's News Feed changes were supposed to make us feel good. It's not working.

According to Facebook's blog post, it's the first time the social network has included information about how ranking works on the platform. Read more...

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You can play 'Snake' in the Google Maps app

Amid all the lame April Fools' jokes, Google has added a cool easter egg to Maps.

You can now play the classic game Snake in the Google Maps app, just by hitting the top left menu button in the app, and selecting the option to play. If the option doesn't show up for you, try closing and reopening the Maps app.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk drops first SoundCloud track, 'RIP Harambe.' Yes, you read that right

Once you're inside the easter egg, you can select between different cities you'd like to play on, including Cairo, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo.

A neat touch is that each city features a snake which is coloured like the trains from that particular location (except San Francisco, which is a tram), and objectives which are shaped like famous tourist destinations. Read more...

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How Zuckerberg thinks Facebook should be regulated: A brief guide

Government regulation is coming for Facebook — and Mark Zuckerberg has some ideas about how it should all go down.

Over the weekend, the Facebook CEO published an op-ed in the Washington Post outlining the kinds of regulation he thinks Facebook and other tech giants should face, likely with the hope it could guide lawmakers who are calling for new rules. 

What he's proposing

Zuck's suggestions, which aren't all that different from what Facebook execs have been saying over the last year, focus on four areas: harmful content, election security, privacy, and data portability.

For harmful content, the CEO says there should be a  set of rules that govern what types of content companies like Facebook should consider harmful. Read more...

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Facebook makes vague noises about 'restrictions' on live video after tragedy

Facebook could impose new limits on who can live stream to Facebook Live following the Christchurch terror attack, which was broadcast live on the social network.

In an open letter published in the New Zealand Herald, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg laid out steps the company is taking to change its policies following criticism after the Christchurch terrorist attack. Among them: new rules on who is allowed to use Facebook Live.

"We are exploring restrictions on who can go Live depending on factors such as prior Community Standard violations," Sandberg wrote. 

The proposal was light on details. Sandberg didn't elaborate on exactly how Facebook might restrict the ability to live stream, other than suggesting that those who have broken the company's rules in the past may be affected.  Read more...

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Plot twist: Jeff Bezos' affair leak may have been Saudi government attack

It's a surreal geopolitical development that can be described as "incredibly 2019." 

Jeff Bezos' security advisor has determined that the party responsible for hacking the Amazon CEO's private messages and releasing evidence of his marital infidelity to The National Enquirer was ... the government of Saudi Arabia. 

SEE ALSO: Jeff Bezos says National Enquirer threatened to reveal his nude photos

Gavin De Becker, who Bezos hired to investigate the phone hack that led to the public reveal of his affair with Lauren Sanchez, came to the conclusion that the Saudi government had targeted Bezos as retaliation for The Washington Post's coverage of the brutal murder of its journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in a Saudi consulate in October 2018.  Read more...

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone hacked by Saudis, investigator says - CNET

The results of an investigation have been turned over to authorities.

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone hacked by Saudis, investigator says - CNET

The results of an investigation have been turned over to authorities.

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Elizabeth Holmes trial: What's going on with the Theranos founder after 'The Inventor'

The federal government is taking Elizabeth Holmes to court.

As you probably know by now, she was the founder and CEO of Theranos, the blood-testing startup featured in the HBO doc The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (as well as a book, podcast, and, soon, a feature film starring Jennifer Lawrence). Also being charged is former Theranos president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani. 

The pair has already been tried in the court of public opinion. Now they will face litigation for making misleading claims about their company's ability to accurately test pinpricks of blood for a catalog of diseases. Here is what is going on with the trial.  Read more...

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iPad Pro, Macbook Pro, WD My Book, SanDisk Extreme, and more deals for March 31

Turn your passion for graphic design into a career with this bundle of online courses

Do you die a little bit inside every single time you see an ugly graphic posted on social media? Do you go out of your way to whip out the "graphic design is my passion" meme when you come across a Comic Sans-riddled post in your feed?

If you answered yes to these questions, maybe graphic design *is* your passion (or perhaps something that could be your passion), and you just have no idea how to harness it. Think about it, how else would you recognize what "bad" design is if you don't have an understanding of what constitutes "good" design?

Unleash your inner creative and embark on an intensive graphic design training for the price of your choosing with this unique deal. The Complete Learn to Design Bundle is comprised of 10 online courses with a collective value of $1,466, but it can all be yours for next to nothing. (This is a "pay what you want" deal — more on that later, though.) Read more...

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DIY drone kits on sale with promo code

Kids these days get the coolest toys. While most of us spent our childhoods scouting out the newest McDonalds Happy Meal toys, modern kids are designing and flying custom drones right out of the box. (I you need advice on great drones for beginners, go here.)

But who says drones have to be just for kids? Certainly not us.

Flying drones — and building your own — is something that the whole family can get in on.

SEE ALSO: 9 of the best drones (according to Amazon reviews)

Check out these different models of DIY drones, both of which are currently on sale.  Read more...

Force Flyers DIY Building Block Fly ‘n Drive Drone

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Celebrate World Backup Day by saving up to £56 on Acronis True Image 2019 Cyber Protection

March 31 is World Backup Day, but of course you already knew that, didn't you? 

World Backup Day is surely up there with Christmas, Easter, and New Year's Day in terms of significance. Families all around the world must gather together every year and celebrate the art of backing up data.

With the famous day now upon us, it's the perfect time to tell you all about the importance of a reliable and easy-to-use backup solution. 

Acronis backup solutions defends your data and recovers anything lost or damaged from a single email to a full server, while meeting compliance regulations, budget limitations, and even the most urgent recovery needs. The full range of solutions is also on offer right now. You can save up to 50%, or £56, if you purchase a service by April 4. Read more...

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A Valve VR headset will finally be real

Valve Corporation's VR headset, Valve Index, will officially launch in May 2019. The previously rumored launch was confirmed with a teaser on Friday with more details forthcoming.

Per earlier rumors, the Valve Index should have a 135-degree field of view and knuckles controllers. It's also likely that the tracking will be "inside out" (sensors inside the headset, as opposed to previous generations of Vive and Oculus, which used external sensor stations to track movement). 

SEE ALSO: How VR and AR are going to transform the way we consume news

Valve is a company that can be cautious with specific ventures, so its foray into second-gen VR speaks to how far the technology has come and Valve's faith in this product. Valve Index will have to compete with Vive and Oculus products of the same generation, so expect it to be able to hold its own. Read more...

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Nintendo Switch Online, iPad Pro, Dyson Pure Cool Tower, and more deals for March 30

9 great reads from CNET this week - CNET

We learn about those ASMR videos that make people feel all tingly, get tips on dog-proofing the car and talk about how Apple's big services push is all about the iPhone.

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9 great reads from CNET this week - CNET

We learn about those ASMR videos that make people feel all tingly, get tips on dog-proofing the car and talk about how Apple's big services push is all about the iPhone.

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This $22 LED tracing pad will help you draw (and trace) like a pro

It takes time to put in the hours needed to master a craft. Not all of us can be Bob Ross — in fact, this video is proof.

If you're just getting started on your journey to being an artist, all this can be discouraging. But the age-old adage holds true here: small steps lead to big things over the long term. Aspiring artists have to start somewhere, and this LED Adjustable Tracing Pad that's on sale provides an easy way to do just that.

SEE ALSO: Instagram artist brings weird seltzer water flavor fantasies to life

It’s a brilliant, no-brainer of a tool, really: A clear acrylic surface with a light shining behind it. You slip your reference image underneath, and affix your drawing paper on top. Flip on the light and select one of three brightness settings, and you can quickly get started tracing drawings at the illumination level of your choice. This makes it an easy way to block out distractions and get in the artistic zone. Read more...

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Save on Roombas and other robot vacuums all weekend using this promo code

Editor's note: Mashable and PCMag are both owned by Ziff Davis.

The robot vacuum craze is still running rampant — and why wouldn’t it? No one wants to take time out of their day to vacuum anymore. (Especially not when that vacuuming requires dealing with pet hair.)

Being able to push a button and let someone (in this case some-thing) else do the work for you while you kick back and catch up on your Netflix queue is an invaluable luxury. Anything that will make your living situation more comfortable while taking off loads of stress in the process is always a worthy investment — which is why you should take advantage of this sale on robot vacuums in the PCMag Shop while you have the chance. Read more...

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Lyft investors are banking on self-driving cars, not ride-sharing

Lyft became the first ride-hailing app to go public on Friday, skyrocketing to a $23.4 billion valuation.

But don’t get too excited for drivers. Investments in Uber and Lyft are basically big bets on future products like autonomous vehicles, not the people behind the wheel. 

SEE ALSO: Lyft hits the stock market, sells shares for $72 in highly anticipated IPO

As we've seen, Lyft isn't profitable. Last year it lost nearly $1 billion. So it's not Lyft's cash flow bringing in investors — it's the company's growth and the potential of its platform. 

"Wall Street is infamous for caring more about growth than profits," said Investing.com senior analyst Clement Thibault in an email. "Lyft is likely to get a pass on profitability if it can manage to continue its impressive growth streak." Read more...

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Apple's AirPower fail is an unprecedented embarrassment

Apple just owned up to one of its most embarrassing fails of all time.

Just days after its star-studded event that was supposed to herald a new chapter for the company, Apple announced that its most anticipated accessory won't actually be launching — ever. After more than a year of hype and delays, the company is killing AirPower.

While not entirely shocking given the long, unexplained delays to Apple's wireless charging mat, its abrupt cancellation is a massive blunder for the Cupertino tech giant. 

Though it's not unheard of for a company to ax a planned product, it's rare for it to happen after a splashy public announcement. For Apple, it's completely unprecedented. The company plans out products years in advance and meticulously orchestrates the events where they launch. It goes to extreme lengths to keep future plans under wraps and adheres to punishing schedules to keep products on track.  Read more...

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I don't care about AirPower because I'm still typing on this sh**ty MacBook keyboard

At first glance, Apple canceling AirPower seems like a huge fail. But it’s nothing compared to another recent hardware disaster. 

The company announced its cool new wireless charger, Apple’s first, in 2017. It was supposed to charge multiple devices (iPhones, AirPods, Apple Watches, etc.) simultaneously — something other wireless chargers currently can’t do.

Most people are calling this a huge embarrassment. But is it really? 

SEE ALSO: Apple just canceled its AirPower wireless charger

It’s hard to judge AirPower — an unreleased product which I have never used and had no bearing at all on my life — a failure while I’m sitting here typing this on Apple’s crappy MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard. Read more...

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The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will use robots to make it the most innovative games ever

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games announced its new “Tokyo 2020 Robot Project.” Toyota’s Human Support Robot and Delivery Support Robot are being deployed to assist spectators in wheelchairs, carry food and other goods, guide people to their seats, and provide event information. Read more...

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