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It’s time for the tech news of the week! We’re covering it all—from a dose of nostalgia from Fisher Price’s working Chatter phone to Paypal’s hopes of purchasing Pinterest. Read on and stay connected with our rundown of the top tech headlines from the week.

Fisher-Price Unveils Working Chatter Phone for the Best Nostalgia of the Year

“Your childhood is calling.” In the news we needed this week, Fisher-Price has unveiled a working Chatter phone. The Bluetooth-enabled device can place and receive calls when connected to your mobile device. Beginning Thursday, October 21, you can purchase the Special Edition Chatter Telephone for $60 from Bestbuy. The iconic childhood toy does not come with apps or your usual 21-century bells and whistles. The working Bluetooth-connected handset for grownups is chargeable and provides nine hours of talk-time. For those hoping to snag their own rainbow-colored rotary dial, you’ll have to order quickly. The phone’s first presale on Tuesday sold out, with the Thursday presale expected to sell out as well. 

New Focus Blocks From Google Calendar Lets You Auto-Decline Meetings

Following a series of new updates to Google Workspace, scheduling meetings just got easier. This week Google announced the addition of new dedicated focus time entries to Calendar. The option will appear as a headphone icon on your Google Calendar. The feature can set focus time entries that can automatically decline meetings that get scheduled. Likewise, the new addition helps users stay focused on a current task and uninterrupted. Additionally, focus entries will appear on the “Time Insights” panel of your tools bar so users can keep track of how much time is being spent in meetings and on work. 

PayPal Looks to Purchase Pinterest

With mergers becoming the norm, Paypal is reportedly in talks to purchase Pinterest. The news comes after multiple reports that the payments company recently approached Pinterest in regards to a deal. Likewise, the companies have begun discussions with talks of a possible price of $70 per share. According to Bloomberg, if the reports are accurate, the proposed price per share would put Pinterest’s valuation at $39 billion. Paypal’s push to grow its profile should come as no surprise to those familiar with the company. The payment company, which has been around for over 20 years, also owns companies like Venmo and Honey, the coupon code tool. Similarly, Pinterest has also made recent changes this year with the launch of its verified merchant program. 

MLB to Launch Streaming Service for Local Games without Requiring TV Subscription

Baseball fans that have been holding out on cutting the cord received good news this week. The MLB is currently considering launching its own web-based streaming service that viewers can use without a cable TV subscription. Likewise, the service will help increase viewership for local teams’ home games. Currently, the MLB offers MLB.TV for out-for-market games, whereas the additional service would provide viewing access for regional games. The potential launch of the service will not have any impact on MLB.TV, which will still be available if and when the new service launches. Additionally, according to the New York Post, subscriptions for the service would vary based on location and cost between $10-20 per month.

Tesla Cybertruck Will Include Removable Mirrors

For those eagerly awaiting the availability of Tesla’s Cybertruck, the company recently announced an update to the vehicle. The electric pick-up truck has added detachable side view mirrors to comply with California law. According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the mirrors are “designed to be easy to remove by owners.”  Likewise, the company has other components still in the works as the vehicle remains in development. The update comes after the car was spotted on the road for a test drive, with many social media users inquiring about the design change. The IRL glimpse of the soon-to-be-launched Cybertruck also showcased staggered wheels and tires along with windshield wipers. Of course, the components are not yet finalized as what will be on the car upon its launch, but provide an update that the car is still in the works.

New Apple MacBooks Ditch TouchBar and Reintroduce MagSafe

At this week’s second big apple event of the year, the company announced some significant changes to its products. The most prominent announcement from the event is the unveiling of the new 2021 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. Gone is the Touchbar, and returned is the MagSafe charger. Likewise, the function keys will replace the TouchBar for the new Macs. Additionally, the beloved MagSafe charger returns for those that found tripping over their charging cable and taking their Mac down with them a problem. Other announcements from the Apple event include a new HomePod Mini and the unveiling of the AirPods 3. 

Great stylish Halloween home decor can help spruce up the home but also make it a fun place for the whole family to enjoy. Decor helps to adorn different parts of the home to keep guests entertained and lift the entire overlook of living space.

Traditional pumpkin and jack-o’lantern decors may still be the cultural norm for Halloween but more stylish and creative ideas are more necessary each step of the way to bring a novel look to the home each Halloween season. There are multiple ways to approach the event without having to keep to the traditional spooky theme such as the use of florals to represent spring or the renewal of the season. Here are some great Halloween decor ideas that are easy to implement.

Floating Witch hat Luminaries

Lighting is one of the simplest ways to transform a dull place into a magnificent creation. No matter how cramped the space in a room is, it is possible and necessary to have luminaries or light sources for Halloween. Rather than having a traditional lampshade, it is a great idea to use Floating hat luminaries to increase the spooky Halloween feeling without necessarily scaring the kids at home. Many lamp-shaped hats can be bought from the store or even have a DIY transformation. You can hang the lampshades on the porch, in the living room, and in the hallways. Try to ensure the selected hat colors match the rest of the room decor whenever possible.

Colorful Spooky Porch Decor

Most neighbors and friends may not get into all the rooms to appreciate the work and Halloween home decor ideas in each room; they will surely see the porch. Colorful rugs at the entrance with colorful pumpkins and pillows are a great idea. Juxtapose the floor designs with some great flowers or gnarled plants on the side to create a more natural scenery.

Halloween Themed Crockery

Useful resource

Switch up your cutlery and dishware for something spooky. Incorporate your own DIY Halloween-themed tumblers, mugs, cups, and plates with a customized feel. A webbing pattern with a few spiders and the addition of a glowing dye is going to fascinate guests and family for many years to come.

Wine Bottle Candlesticks

Sprucing up the Halloween home decor depends on how much of the decor is affected and is visible to everyone. Simply paint Halloween bottles in matte black spray paint and insert an orange taper candle once dry. The design will surely bring an eerie feeling irrespective of the place you place the candles in the room.

Horror Novel Door

Think of the chill that ran down your spine reading horror novels. Why not relive the moments by transforming your door into a faux library. We recommend using gold paint for the book titles on craft paper. Add some plant at the door entrance and you’ve created the illusion of library books. Halloween home decor ideas like this can stay long after Halloween.

Stay connected with the latest in technology news. We’re breaking down the week’s leading headlines so you can keep up with all things tech. From William Shatner in “Space” to ViacomCBS NFT’s and more, let’s dive into the top stories below!

William Shatner Rockets to Space on Latest Blue Origin Launch

In a merge between sci-fi and science, actor William Shatner (a.k.a. The OG Captain Kirk), blasted to the edge of space this week. The Star Trek icon departed on his first-ever real trip to space aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. The launch took place from the company’s West Texas launch site for the suborbital space trip. Shatner was joined by Chris Boshuizen, former NASA engineer and co-founder of satellite imaging company Planet Labs, among others. Dubbed NS18, viewers were able to see the mission via Livestream.

DoorDash Launches $1 Million Disaster Relief Fund for Restaurants 

DoorDash is heading the call to restaurants in need as a result of the recent natural disasters. The food delivery company has launched a $1 million relief fund for restaurants impacted by natural disasters. Eligible restaurants can likewise receive funds dispersed in grants of $10, 000 to 100 restaurants from across the US. Eligible restaurants must also have three or fewer locations with 50 or fewer employees for consideration. Restaurants have “exhibited immense resiliency when disaster strikes, providing for their communities even when their resources on hand are limited,” Tasia Hawkins, social impact program lead at DoorDash, said in the post.

Astronomers Discover Strange Radio Signal from Center of the Milky Way

In fascinating galactic news, extraordinary radio signals coming from the center of the Milky Way are baffling Astronomers. The unusual signals were spotted inconsistently around 13 times between April 2019 and August 2020. According to Astronomers, the signal exhibits a range of characteristics that are highly unusual and unlike other radio sources from the depths of the Milky Way. “This object was unique in that it started out invisible, became bright, faded away, and then reappeared,” said Tara Murphy, an astrophysicist at the University of Sydney and co-author on the paper, in a press release. “This behavior was extraordinary.”

ViacomCBS to Join the Growing NFT Trend

This week the merchandising division of ViacomCBS announced the company will launch NFTs and a place to buy and sell them this spring. The entertainment giant joins a growing list of companies and individuals jumping onto the NFT bandwagon. ViacomCBS has said they will partner with Recur, an NFT-focused startup to create digital “experiences” based on the company’s assets. This range of NFT’s will include characters, programming, and franchises. Likewise, with ViacomCBS portfolio including networks like CBS, BET, Comedy Central, and MTV, among others, the range of NFT’s will be vast. 

Luna Display Lets Users Turn Their iPad into a Dual Screen with Windows Devices

For PC users who also happen to own an iPad, the latest tech from Astropad has arrived to make screen-mirroring simpler. With Luna Display, the updated wireless dongles now include support for Windows PC. The product update marks a major step forward for the company after Apple’s Sidecar made its functionality a built-in part of iPadOS. With Windows support, PC devices can work seamlessly with iPads in a variety of configurations. Likewise, this includes capabilities with the Apple Pencil along with the iPad as a drawing tablet for your Windows device. 

Aurora Autonomous Taxi’s and Trucks to Become available to Customers via Subscription

When it comes to autonomous vehicles, Aurora is the latest company to offer wider accessibility for its driverless vehicles this year. The company announced their vehicles will now be available to customers via subscription. Likewise, the company does not expects its roll-out of self-driving trucks and ride-hailing vehicles to begin until 2023 or 2024. Aurora’s ride-hailing service, called “Aurora Connect, will allow vehicles equipped with the company’s autonomous tech to integrate ride-hailing network software sot it can function as a taxi. Of course, the company has also not yet revealed the pricing for its subscription service. 

Stay connected with all things tech! From a $320k Gold-Plated PS5 to Realistic Holograms, we have you covered with this week’s news. Read on for a rundown on the latest in technology and science news from across the worldwide web.

Silicon Valley Start-up Seeks to Make Holograms More Realistic

A tech start-up company in Silicon Valley has its sights set on vastly improving Holograms. Light Field Lab recently started production on a technology called SolidLight. The tech is designed to produce real-life holograms. While the concept sounds far-fetched, it’s not too far off from the future capabilities of hologram technology. Light Field Lab aims to re-create objects in the real world using by causing waves of light to interact at a specific point, and that interaction becomes visible to your eye. The concept would not require special glasses for viewing if successful. The SolidLight device has already gone into preproduction, with mass production on the horizon.

New NASA Photos of Mars Could Point to Fossilized Proof of Life

According to Geologists, new NASA photos of Mars point to a specific ancient river delta that could point to signs of fossilized life. The checkpoints being added for exploration by the Mars Rovers will explore an area near NASA’s Perseverance rover. Geologists say there could be vital organic compounds that suggest the presence of life may exist. The new study comes from a crew of researchers that published the findings in the journal Science this week. Based on photographs taken by the Perseverance rover, the findings uncovered ways that water once flowed on Mars billions of years ago. No need to phone Agents Mulder and Scully just yet. 

Russian Based Design Company Unveils $320k Gold-Plated PS5 for Purchase

If you’re looking for an extravagant gift for the gamer in your life, there’s a $320,000 PS5  with your name on it. The gold-plated gaming console comes courtesy of Caviar, a Russian company specializing in custom-made designer gadgets. Offering a new Prime collection of 18-karat gilded devices, Caviar also has gold iPhone 13’s, AirPod Max’s and iPad Mini’s. The luxe designer tech can be purchased in time for the holidays starting on Dec. 15.

Facebook Launches $10 Million Fund for VR Creators

This week Facebook announced the creation of a $10 million Creator Fund. The new venture will encourage people to build experiences on the tech giants Horizon VR platform. Funds will be distributed over the next three years to three different criteria brackets. The first funding opportunity will be for community competitions to build “the very best worlds in Horizon.” This category will provide $10,000 in cash for the top three entrants. The additional two categories would include a Creator Accelerator Program and funding for developers.

Uber to Allow Travelers to Book Aiport Trips 30-days in Advance

If securing airport travel to and from LAX has been a struggle for you like the rest of us, the latest news from Uber seeks to change that. The ride-share company has announced it will roll out several new features to ease airport travel and likewise the issues it causes. Beginning with select cities, customers will be able to book a ride to the airport 30 days in advance. The new feature will also send their flight information to their assigned driver so they can track progress in real-time. Uber also announced it will deploy machine learning to improve its curbside pick-up service. 

Instagram Makes a Major Change to IGTV

Before Reels, there was and still is IGTV, albeit in a new form as announced by Instagram this week. The Facebook subsidiary introduced a major change to the IG app’s long-form video feature. With the usage of IGTV down, the company has rebranded the tool as Instagram TV. Users can now post videos that run up 60 minutes long to their main Instagram feed, without the 1-minute cap. The change also means the users will not have to leave the app to watch any video that clocks in at that timeframe. A spokesperson for Instagram shared the following on Instagram TV, stating that it will remain “destination for people to visit with the intent of watching video.”