Google Chrome will now take action to limit adverts draining battery and network resources. The changes were outlined on the Chromium blog on Friday.

We have recently discovered that a fraction of a percent of ads consume a disproportionate share of device resources, such as battery and network data, without the user knowing about it. These ads (such as those that mine cryptocurrency, are poorly programmed, or are unoptimized for network usage) can drain battery life, saturate already strained networks, and cost money.  In order to save our users’ batteries and data plans, and provide them with a good experience on the web, Chrome will limit the resources a display ad can use before the user interacts with the ad. When an ad reaches its limit, the ad’s frame will navigate to an error page, informing the user that the ad has used too many resources.

On May 15, 2001, Steve Jobs announced that 25 Apple Stores would open. Cult of Mac looked at how the company forever changed how we perceive computer stores.

When it came to retail, Jobs preferred high-end outlets that focused on “big ticket” items rather than bulk sales. This is exactly what the stand-alone Apple stores turned out to be when they debuted in 2001. With a newfound focus on sleek design — especially visible in the likes of the iMac G3 and iBook — Apple products looked especially exotic compared to the putty-colored plastic cases seen in typical computer stores… The Apple stores gave Cupertino an opportunity to apply its design-focused, “it just works” ethos to the retail experience…

It was somewhat of a surprise when Facebook hired Sir Nick Clegg to head its global lobbying efforts. The former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party tells reflects on his time so far in Silicon Valley with Politico Magazine.

“When I arrived here, Facebook was just constantly taking just endless incoming fire,” says Clegg during a 75-minute interview at Facebook’s California headquarters in November, the first of three conducted for this article over the course of six months. “If I felt we could just go quiet, boy, would I advocate for it. But I actually don’t think that’s possible,” he says. “I don’t believe in sitting here behind these lovely walls in Menlo Park and kind of just hunkering down.” It was something Clegg had picked up in the rough and tumble of British politics, where he often felt caricatured by the country’s aggressive press: “In the long run, it’s better to say your piece, have a point of view, be understood, even if you’re not liked.”

Stanford is looking for participants for its Wearables Data Study, which working to establish if devices like Apple Watch can help detect COVID-19. Gizmodo looked into how it all works.

Once enough people have opted-in via Stanford’s site and their data’s been collected, the second phase involves building a personal dashboard that can tell people when they’re getting sick. And while the original Stanford study’s algorithm was developed using a Basis watch and a few other discontinued devices, this new study aims to be device-agnostic. Fitbits, Apple Watches, and Oura Rings are just some of the wearables included. “We’re getting a tonne of people enrolling who have a smartwatch and have been ill,” Snyder says. “There’s lots of smartwatch wearers out there. There’s 30 million active users from Fitbit, millions from Apple Watch. We’re talking tens of millions of people, all with these smartwatches that could be health protectors for infectious diseases like covid-19.”