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SpaceX: Chip shortage is impacting “our ability to fulfill” Starlink orders

Enlarge / A Starlink satellite dish's printed circuit board. (credit: Ken Keiter) If you ordered Starlink broadband service and don't receive your "Dishy McFlatface" satellite dish any time soon, the global chip shortage…

Dell spins off $64 billion VMware as it battles debt hangover

Enlarge (credit: Bloomberg | Getty Images) PC pioneer Michael Dell is set to cap his climb back to the top of the computing world on Monday with one of the largest corporate spin-offs.…

Amazon’s satellite launch schedule puts it nearly 4 years behind Starlink

Enlarge / Illustration of an ABL RS1 rocket that will carry Amazon broadband satellites. (credit: Amazon) Amazon plans to launch its first prototype broadband satellites in Q4 2022, which would be nearly four…

John Carmack issues some words of warning for Meta and its metaverse plans

John Carmack, seen here wearing an early prototype Oculus Rift headset. Oculus consulting CTO John Carmack has been bullish on the idea of "the metaverse" for a long time, as he'll be among…

Securing your digital life, part two: The bigger picture—and special circumstances

Enlarge (credit: ANDRZEJ WOJCICKI / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images) In the first half of this guide to personal digital security, I covered the basics of assessing digital risks and protecting what…

Verizon will use Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellites to extend 4G and 5G

Enlarge / A Verizon booth at Mobile World Congress Americas in Los Angeles in September 2018. (credit: Verizon) Verizon has made a deal to use Amazon's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to add…

Securing your digital life, part one: The basics

Enlarge / Artist's impression of how to keep your digital stuff safe from all kinds of threats. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) I spend most of my time these days investigating the…

More than 100,000 people have had their eyes scanned for free cryptocurrency

Enlarge / People in Chile with Worldcoin's "Orb" iris scanner. (credit: Worldcoin) More than 100,000 people have had their eyes scanned in return for a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin, as a project to distribute…

How hackers hijacked thousands of high-profile YouTube accounts

Enlarge (credit: Future Publishing | Getty Images) Since at least 2019, hackers have been hijacking high-profile YouTube channels. Sometimes they broadcast cryptocurrency scams, sometimes they simply auction off access to the account. Now,…

Verizon’s Visible cell customers hacked, leading to unauthorized purchases

Enlarge (credit: Steve Halama) Numerous Visible Wireless subscribers are reporting that their accounts were hacked this week. Visible runs on Verizon's 5G and 4G LTE networks and is owned by Verizon. Suspicions of a…