Companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google all are working to combat deepfakes from spreading across the web and social networks. While methods differ, there’s one potential fool-proof method to spot these false videos: blockchains. “[Blockchains] just give you lots of potential to validate the deepfake in a way that’s the best form of validation that I can see,” Stephen Wolfram, founder & CEO of Wolfram Research and author of A New Kind of Science, told Lifewire over the phone....

Major cities like London, Paris, and Barcelona are committed to reducing pollution, which pretty much means that they plan to eventually get rid of gas-powered vehicles altogether. And while good public transit and bike infrastructure make a total ban on personal vehicles possible, deliveries aren’t so easy. The answer is electric delivery vehicles, which reduce noise and air pollution in cities and use less energy overall. And FedEx’s new EV (electric vehicle), from GM’s BrightDrop, shows what this future could look like....

Who Is the Founder of Nintendo? Fusajiro Yamauchi, born November 22, 1859, was an artist and entrepreneur who lived in Kyoto, Japan during the late 19th century. At that time, card games had been banned in Japan for over 250 years in order to combat illegal gambling. However, a game called Hanafuda, which used illustrations instead of numbers for the gameplay, was developed to skirt legal prohibitions on playing cards. The Japanese government relaxed its restrictions, but Hanafuda (which means “flower cards”) did not become popular right away....

What Is a Gamertag? A gamertag is like a username for Xbox consoles. Gamertags were first introduced with the original Xbox alongside the Xbox network, and they’re still around. When you play games with people online with your Xbox console, they see your gamertag instead of your real name. Each gamertag has to be unique because it’s the way that you are identified on the Xbox network. Nobody else can have the same gamertag as you, and if the gamertag you want is already taken, you have to choose something else....

Holoride is a new platform that promises to turn commutes into VR experiences. Users will be thrust into a VR environment that reflects their surroundings, the developer claims. It’s part of a growing interest in bringing virtual information to everyday life, also called augmented reality (AR). “Future advances in AR in cars would be exciting to see,” Jack McCauley, former co-founder of virtual reality company Oculus, told Lifewire in an email interview....

While Google’s first push into the smartphone world began as an endeavor to bring great software and performance at a more affordable price, the Pixel series has moved away from that in its primary devices. Now, they often cost the same as (or even more than) other budget-friendly devices that offer better paper specs and hardware options. With rumors of Google’s Whitechapel chip swirling, and leaks that point to a complete redesign of the phone’s outer body, we finally might get a true flagship contender from Google....

Google Exceeded Expectations With Its iOS Maps App Google exceeded expectations with its Maps app for iPhone by producing the app quickly and doing right by iPhone users and even by Apple. It produced a polished product that works well and is competitive within the set of smartphone navigation apps. It excels in a few key areas: Search: Google Maps’ feature list includes an address and business/points-of-interest search using Google’s powerful Local Search utility, ratings, and reviews....

The best video doorbells let you see and talk to people who come on your porch without having to physically answer the door. In addition to providing extra security for the home, a good video doorbell should have clear video quality during both day and night, exceptional durability and weather resistance, clear two-way audio, and features that promote convenience for the user. The Google Nest Hello video doorbell is one of the more popular options available, and the Google Nest Hello paired with a Nest Aware subscription is supposed to provide a next level home security experience....

Haven’t heard of Hisense? You’re probably not alone on that front, but the Chinese gadget giant has recently pushed hard into the American market as a budget TV brand to rival Vizio. However, the TV market is incredibly competitive these days throughout the price scale, even if you only want to spend a couple hundred bucks. Can Hisense really break through? If the Hisense 40H5590F 40-inch Smart TV is any indication, then they have a fighting chance....

The best PS5 games have an interesting story, good controls, and they take advantage of the console’s next-gen features. Hitman 3 for PS5 is a third-person sandbox-style stealth game with a heavy emphasis on player choice and slow, methodical pacing. This third entry in the series aims to be what Hitman fans have been waiting for while also being accessible to new players. Does Hitman 3 live up to its reputation?...

How Does Fitbit Work to Track Your Steps? Fitbit uses an accelerometer with three axes that can detect movements in any direction. When worn on the body, a proprietary algorithm that looks for specific movement patterns analyzes the data captured by the Fitbit’s accelerometer. Together, the data from the accelerometer and the counting algorithm determine the number of steps taken, the distance covered, the energy spent, the intensity of exercise, and sleep....

The addition of background checks will allow users to see if the people they are interested in have an alarming criminal record. With online dating becoming the norm for more and more people, especially during a pandemic, experts say background checks are a necessary addition to the dating world. “I think that Tinder adding this feature is brilliant,” Susan Winter, an New York City-based relationship expert and love coach, told Lifewire over the phone....

The dating site Dating.com is starting a virtual reality dating service. The company’s new app lets you meet prospective matches as an avatar, or graphical representation, instead of displaying a photograph. To mark the occasion, Dating.com plans to host the weddings of three real couples that will be virtually married in the metaverse. It’s an example of the growing appeal of dating apps for the VR space. “Because you are either chatting through text or voice in real-time in virtual reality, you can get to know someone much more rapidly than trading messages through a dating app,” Don Heider, the executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, who researches online communities, told Lifewire in an email interview....

How Sound Works Before getting into the inner workings of noise-canceling headphones, it’s essential to understand how sound works. In essence, any sound you hear is the vibration of air particles that trigger your hearing. These vibrations are often measured on a graph as a waveform, with frequency denoting the pitch of the sound and amplitude denoting how loud this sound is. This waveform above is a stylized version of a sound, but it will help you to understand how noise-canceling works in a later section....

Is Instacart Legit? Instacart is totally legitimate. It may seem out of the ordinary to have a stranger go grocery shopping for you, but Instacart is a real business with a long track record of providing a valuable service. Whether or not Instacart is worth it is an individual matter. The per-delivery fee is fairly low, so it can represent a real value if you’re too busy to go grocery shopping yourself....

Often known for their extreme difficulty and permadeath features, games like Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee are brutal, forcing you to die again and again as you push towards your overall goal. In Apogee, players must clear out rooms, build various upgrades, and find the exit. Once found, you’ll have to make your way back to the start of the level, grab the Crystal, then escort it to the end....

Some replacement halogen bulbs are also significantly brighter than the OEM bulbs, and that increase in brightness usually translates to shorter lifespans. Certain manufacturing defects and installation problems can also drastically shorten the operational lifespan of a headlight bulb as well. How Long do Headlights Last? There are several different broad categories of headlights, and one of the main differences between them is how long they can be expected to last....

Netflix recently announced the arrival of Downloads For You on Android devices. The new feature will allow the app to download various shows and movies based on the content that you’ve liked in the past. Despite any duds that might appear in your recommendations, experts believe the feature is a good push towards making Netflix easier to use, especially for those who have limited access to the internet. “Netflix streamers always like to have something to watch at their disposal,” Patrick Smith, editor-in-chief at Fire Stick Tricks, told Lifewire via email....

Turmoil at the Foxconn manufacturing center reportedly could impact Apple’s plans to make enough iPhone Pro models to meet demand. But some experts say users should reconsider whether they buy iPhones at all. “One of the basic principles underlying human rights is that no one ought to be treated merely as a means to some end,” Sarah Cabral, a business ethics scholar at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, told Lifewire in an email interview....

The facial authenticator is a new on-device capability that analyzes a consumer’s face in unique detail—glasses and facial hair will not obstruct its recognition ability—to deliver security and convenience to users in a multitude of ways. Traditional modes of authentication, like photo IDs, are on their way out as newer tools become less prone to misuse and identity theft. These on-device networks, like RealSense ID, seek to corner markets, from healthcare to finance to housing, to guarantee increased safety and security for users....