Jeff goes to space now, and more

🎂 good morning! Jeff Bezos is of course going into space today, but most of all it’s my mother’s birthday!

It’s the launch day for New Shepard and Jeff Bezos and crew at Blue Origin, just under two hours after this newsletter arrives in your inbox.

• The latest status was Blue Origin, which confirmed its astronauts are leaving. (Hmm, “astronauts”.)
• That crew includes Bezos and brother Mark, 82-year-old Mercury 13 aviator Mary “Wally” Funk, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, who replaced his father – who bought the $ 28 million ticket and kind of “unknown” Planning “had a conflict” – and studies physics.
• If all you want to do is tune in, check out YouTube, and coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.

I’ve always struggled with Google’s Pixel phones getting cool features that the rest of the Android ecosystem doesn’t get.

• It’s smart for Google to use their Pixel devices as a test bed before rolling out broader Android features, including the latest Android versions of course.
• It also makes sense for Google to build specific hardware in the hopes that people will pick up a Pixel like the Soli radar system, and its adaptive battery mode likely relies on Google’s own device knowledge.
• Where I think Google just has to help anyone with an Android phone is things like call screening, something very helpful in stopping spam, which is not just a problem for Pixel owners.
• Nobody wants Google to be like Apple, especially when features have societal benefits. Not even Pixel owners.

But this isn’t a hit on Google today because hey, one of those features has just started to take off more widely: Heads Up.

• If you didn’t know, Heads Up is a Google feature previously only available on Pixels that politely reminds you to stop using your phone while walking.
• It reminds you to focus on the task at hand by walking, which is helpful for everything from walking slowly to real danger.
• I don’t know, it’s weird that we probably all need this, but obviously we could all be more careful at times and the feature has worked fine for me in the past.
• Now, Google has started making its heads-up functionality available on all Android phones via an updated digital wellbeing app.
• XDA, What the news brought found it installed on Android phones apparently regardless of brand or manufacturer, from Asus to Realme.
• It’s good. Roll out the pixel-only features for Android, please google.

🔓 News on the NSO hacking fallouts: Political consequences in India, Mexico, Hungary and more (The guard). Edward Snowden also called for a ban on trade in spyware, saying the industry shouldn’t exist: “They don’t make vaccines – the only thing they sell is the virus.” (The guard).

🔋 Google announces a one-year extended warranty for Pixel 4 XL battery problems in the US, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan (Android authority).

📴 Android 12 ‘ruined’ the power menu, and some Google employees agree (Android authority).

👉 7 problems that modern smartphones have solved without your knowledge: HDR, fingerprint scanner (Android authority).

💬 HalloApp is a new private social network from two former WhatsApp employees (Android authority).

⚽ PS4 ‘cryptofarm’ reportedly did not mine crypto but used bots to grind FIFA currency in-game. What a world. (Engage).

🚴‍♀️ Peloton keeps adding content and is now getting into gaming, which actually sounds pretty funny (Gizmodo).

📺 CNN plans to launch a CNN Plus streaming service that sounds less fun (The edge).

🔐 The Pentagon is empowering its AI systems – by hacking itself (Wired).

🔭 The best view of an extreme cosmic jet so far comes from the telescope that brought you the first black hole photo(CNET).

🚢 Walmart, Ikea, and Amazon have a dirty shipping problem, according to interesting new data breaking down maritime emissions (The edge).

🧬 Genealogists say Leonardo da Vinci has 14 living relatives! His “often great nieces and nephews” include several office workers (one of whom served as a naval gunner in the 1960s), a retired upholsterer, a surveyor, and a government employee who has “a passion for motorcycling and music”. Cool and stuff, and at least they don’t paint Da Vinci relatives NFT Mona Lisa or anything. (Ars-Technica).

🧼 “What is the best soap for washing hands, between foam, liquid or bar?” (R / askreddit).