Verizon begins deploying its 5G mobile network in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis

Verizon today announced that it has officially deployed its 5G mobile service in certain parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, which are the first two of 30 cities where it plans to bring its 5G wireless network this year. The surprise launch is one week earlier than the date the company initially announced, with the company noting that customers can expect average download speeds of 450 Mbps, and peak speeds could reach “nearly 1 Gbps.”

To use Verizon’s 5G network, customers will need a 5G-ready phone. At the moment, that comes down to just the Moto Z3 that it launched last summer paired with the 5G Moto Mod, which is available today. It will also cost customers an additional $10 a month to use the 5G network. Verizon will support 5G on the…

April 3, 2019

Serve A School Dinner And We’ll Tell You Exactly How Many Kids You’ll Have

Make a meal that Jamie Oliver wouldn’t approve of.

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April 3, 2019

AI researchers tell Amazon to stop selling ‘flawed’ facial recognition to the police

AI researchers from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and a number of top universities have called on Amazon to stop selling its facial recognition technology to law enforcement.

In an open letter published today, researchers say studies have repeatedly shown that Amazon’s algorithms are flawed, with higher error rates for darker-skinned and female faces. The researchers say that if such technology is adopted by the police, it has the potential to amplify racial discrimination, create cases of mistaken identity, and encourage intrusive surveillance of marginalized groups.

“Flawed facial analysis technologies are reinforcing human biases,” Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, a PhD…

April 3, 2019

Rene Redzepi Offers Noma Dinner for Anyone Who Can Identify These Ingredients

Rene Redzepi has challenged his Instagram followers to identify the ingredients above, some sort of fish eggs. Winner gets a dinner at Noma.

April 3, 2019

Pros And Cons Of Making Birth Control Available Over The Counter

Over-the-counter birth control is available in more than 100 countries, but not the United States, and whether it should be is a matter of fierce debate. The Onion takes a look at the pros and cons of making birth control available over the counter.

The Verge is nominated for three Webby Awards, and you can vote for us

We’re thrilled to announce that The Verge is nominated for three Webby Awards in 2019, and you can help us win. We’ve been nominated for our Verge Science channel on YouTube, The Vergecast, and Why’d You Push That Button?

You can vote for each program to win the People’s Voice Award by following the links below.

Start here to vote for Verge Science for the best science and education video channel. And subscribe to Verge Science on YouTube, if you haven’t already.

Then give Nilay, Dieter, and Paul three cheers by voting for The Vergecast as the best technology podcast out there. (It is.)

But wait! You’re not done until you upvote Ashley and Kaitlyn, hosts of Why’d You Push That Button?, for the best lifestyle podcast award.

All done?…

April 3, 2019

The problem with AI ethics

Is Big Tech’s embrace of AI ethics boards actually helping anyone?

April 3, 2019

Huawei patches laptop software that acted like NSA-style malware

Huawei has patched a bug in some of its MateBook laptops that could have allowed an attacker to take control of the system. The bug was discovered by Microsoft and patched by Huawei back in January. Ars Technica notes that the issue was related to the company’s PCManager software, which appeared to be using a technique devised by the National Security Agency that was subsequently leaked and used in malware attacks.

A cybersecurity expert quoted by the BBC said that “the fact that it looks like an exploit that is linked to the NSA doesn’t mean anything,” and “there is no evidence that the company has done anything malicious.” It’s strange that Huawei would design its software to use a technique popularized by malware. It didn’t even need…

April 3, 2019

Avocados May Run Out If U.S.–Mexico Border Closed

In addition to disrupting dozens of other industries, closing the U.S.–Mexico border could deprive the U.S. of avocados within three weeks, fruit distributors have suggested. What do you think?

Labeling proteins with ubiquitin paves new road to cell regulation research

Human cells have a sophisticated regulatory system at their disposal: labeling proteins with the small molecule ubiquitin. In a first, scientists have succeeded in marking proteins with ubiquitin in a targeted manner, in test tubes as well as in living cells. The procedure opens the door to exploring the inner workings of this vital regulatory system.