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Penn Jillette Performed a Séance at a Steven Spielberg Party
Then the ‘E.T.’ director came really close to screwing it up.
Facebook now lets anyone make an Instagram face filter
Instagram
Facebook’s tool for building augmented reality effects, Spark AR, now allows anyone to make custom face filters and other effects for Instagram Stories. The platform was previously limited to approved creators, but today’s update will let anyone create and upload their own AR filters to Instagram. Instagram is also introducing an Effect Gallery tab on artists’ profiles, letting artists display their creations.
Instagram introduced AR filters in May 2018, but the filters only exploded in popularity after more creators joined the closed beta last October. The surreal designer filters have helped boost AR creators’ followings, as effects can only be added to a user’s in-app camera once they follow the creator’s account. Once a user follows…
Antonio Brown Loses Helmet Fight With NFL, But Is Still ‘Looking Forward’ To Joining Oakland Raiders
It’s official: Antonio Brown will not be allowed to wear his old helmet while playing his first season with the Oakland Raiders.
The star wide receiver argued why he should be able to use what’s believed to be a 10-year-old Schutt Air Advantage helmet in a two-hour conference call with an independent arbitrator last week.
Unfortunately, that particular model is no longer certified for practice or games by the National Operating Committee for Standards and Athletic Equipment because of its age, ESPN reports.
Brown claimed that the new certified helmet interferes with his vision and hampers his ability to catch footballs.
Citing an anonymous source, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that the arbitrator has “ruled against Brown’s grievance” in a “very kind denial.”
In an Instagram post, Brown wrote that he is “looking forward to rejoining” the Raiders on the field, adding that he appreciates concerns from fans over a cryotherapy accident that left him with injured feet.
Brown is now looking for a newer version in the style of his preferred helmet. Even if he could get one certified, it’s unclear as to whether the NFL would allows use of an outdated technology.
Schefter’s source added that an appeal from Brown is “very unlikely” and that he is expected to rejoin the Raiders training camp in Napa today.
Brown signed a three-year, $50.125 million contract with the Raiders after the team traded a third and fifth-round draft pick to acquire the seven-time Pro Bowler from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite Brown’s fuss over his headwear, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has expressed support for his new starter.
“He has a strong feeling about what he’s worn on his head, and we’re supporting him,” Gruden said after Saturday’s exhibition against the Los Angeles Rams.
“We understand the league’s position as well, so we’re in a tough spot, and we hope Antonio is here soon because he’s exciting to be around. I’m excited.”
“I’ve got some plays for him,” Gruden added. “I hope we can start calling them.”
Google’s job search tool faces complaints from rivals in Europe
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Twenty-three job-hunting sites have written to the EU’s Competition Commissioner to ask Google to withdraw its first-party job listing tool from its search results, Reuters reports. The sites, which include UK site Best Jobs Online and German sites Intermedia and Jobindex, claim that Google is unfairly pushing users toward its own service, while their pages are being pushed down in search results. There are also fears that, in the future, Google may start running ads on the search tool, and the search giant could eventually cut these third-party job listing sites out entirely.
Google’s tool appears if you search for terms relating to common job roles like “call center jobs.” Although it links out to various job listing sites where you…
Foraging for information: Machine learning decodes genetic influence over behavior
Mice scurry around while foraging for food, but genetics may be the unseen hand controlling these meandering movements. Researchers are using machine learning to draw links between genetic controls that shape incremental steps of instinctive and learned behaviors.
New water-beetle species show biodiversity still undiscovered in at-risk South American habitats
Researchers have described three genera and 17 new species of water scavenger beetles from the Guiana and Brazilian Shield regions of South America.
Finding a cosmic fog within shattered intergalactic pancakes
In a new study, researchers report on the most detailed simulation ever of a large patch of the intergalactic medium (IGM). For the first time, they were able to see how cold, dense gas clouds in the IGM organize themselves and react within much larger ‘sheets’ or ‘pancakes’ of matter in the vastness of space.