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Popular wisdom drives home the importance of a head start and specializing early. Not so fast, advises journalist David Epstein . After Epstein wrote about the famed 10,000-hour rule in his first book, The Sports Gene , he was invited to debate Malcolm Gladwell , whose book Outliers had brought the rule into the mainstream. To prepare for the debate, Epstein gathered studies that looked at the development of elite athletes and saw that the trend was not early specialization. Rather, in almost every sport there was a “sampling period” where athletes learned about their own abilities and interests. The athletes who delayed specialization were often better than their specialized peers, who plateaued at lower levels. Epstein filed this... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2QyRFDk via IFTTT

A group of 47 companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and WhatsApp have strongly criticized a proposal by the UK intelligence agency GCHQ to eavesdrop on encrypted messages. In an open letter published on Lawfare the companies say that the plans would undermine security, threaten trust in encrypted messaging services, and ultimately endanger citizens’ right to privacy and free expression. The proposal from GCHQ was first published last November as part of a series of essays, and does not necessarily reflect a legislative agenda from the intelligence agency at this point. In the essay, two senior British intelligence officials argue that law enforcement should be added as a “ghost” participant in every encrypted messaging... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2MsC0au via IFTTT

From time to time, Twitter thinks about things. And then it goes on thinking about them for a very long time. It thought about killing off third-party applications for six years, and when it finally decided to act, only went halfway through with it . It thought about banning Alex Jones, and then decided not to , and then held a meeting where it debated the nature of “dehumanizing speech,” and then banned Alex Jones , and then asked users for their input . It thought about changing “ the core of how Twitter works ,” and discussed this idea on podcasts for the better part of last summer , and then released a beta app that threads replies. (Presumably the core-rethinking continues.) Anyway, today came the news that Twitter is thinking about... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2W1S827 via IFTTT

MediaTek has unveiled the world’s first mobile chipset with an integrated 5G modem. The 7nm chipset combines the company’s Helio M70 5G modem with ARM’s recently announced Cortex-A77 and Mali-G77 , resulting in an integrated chip that should save on physical space inside the phone and battery life. The chip’s modem has a theoretical maximum download speed of 4.7 Gbps and upload speed of 2.5 Gbps, MediaTek says. Although it’s not as fast as Qualcomm’s second generation X55 modem , which offers peak download speeds of up to 7 Gbps, MediaTek’s approach has the advantage of combining everything into a single chip. By comparison, Qualcomm’s modem is separate to the company’s SoCs, meaning it occupies more space and may draw extra power... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2Wenc3n via IFTTT

London’s transport network (TfL) says it’s working closely with Apple to enable a new Apple Pay Express Transit feature. Apple first introduced Express Transit in iOS 12.3 earlier this month, allowing Apple Pay users to simply hold their devices at transit terminals without having to authenticate via Touch ID or Face ID. It’s a very useful feature that speeds up entry into subway or train stations, and it’s extremely fast compared to having to authenticate. While Express Transit works for Suica cards in Japan, TriMet in Portland, New York’s MTA ( starting tomorrow ), and Chinese transit cards in both Beijing and Shanghai, London is missing on the list for now. “We are having positive discussions with Apple about enabling express transit on... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2Xfy9yi via IFTTT

Microsoft is opening its first European store in the UK on July 11th. The software giant will launch this new store at Oxford Circus in London, at the junction of Regent Street and Oxford Street which both house many of the world’s most popular retail stores. Microsoft’s flagship London store will cover 21,932 square feet over three floors, and it will be just a few doors away from Apple’s Regent Street store. Microsoft is planning to include immersive video walls, a community theater, workshops, training areas, and even an “Answer Desk” for tech support. The site will also include Microsoft’s range of Surface hardware, Xbox consoles, and devices from other PC makers. Visitors will also be able to try devices like Microsoft’s HoloLens,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2EIr4yU via IFTTT

I’ve seen a whole bunch of keyboards this week at Computex Taipei, but none quite so opulent as this exclusive offering from HyperX. As part of a collaboration with Swarovski, which it should be noted is far from a newcomer to the whole sticking - crystals - on - random - gadgets thing, the gaming accessory maker has designed a keyboard with bedazzled WASD and number keycaps. I used the keyboard briefly and I don’t know if I’d say that the crystal glass felt particularly premium, but the jewel-encrusted keycaps did have a nice grip to them, if that’s what you’re into. If you wanted to experience an even greater rush of superiority after headshotting an opponent in Overwatch , I suppose this might do the job. HyperX also made a matching headset,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2I5Qjfz via IFTTT