How to stream the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are set to make history today when they will be sworn into office as president and vice president. Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and heightened security following this month’s deadly attack on the Capitol, Inauguration Day will be unlike any other before.
Here’s how to watch and participate in the historic day’s events from home:
When is the presidential inauguration?
The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will begin on Wednesday, January 20th, in Washington, DC. Soon after Biden takes his oath of office, he will deliver an inaugural address outlining his vision for the next four years.
What time does the inauguration start?
The inauguration will officially begin at 12PM ET. But other events, like the national anthem, will start before the official event at 11:30AM ET.
Where can you watch the inauguration?
The Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee will host a free stream of the inauguration at bideninaugural.org and on YouTube.
ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, NBC / MSNBC News, CNN, and PBS will all host live streams of the event on their websites as well.
Who is performing at the inauguration?
Lady Gaga is set to perform the national anthem, and Jennifer Lopez will provide a musical performance as well. For people watching from home, the inaugural committee has planned for a “virtual parade” that will feature additional musical guests and other performances “paying homage to America’s heroes on the front lines of the pandemic” as the new president makes his way to the White House.
At 8:30PM ET Wednesday, the inauguration will be followed by a primetime television event hosted by Tom Hanks. Other celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, and Jon Bon Jovi will perform.
Who will attend the inauguration?
George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton will all be in attendance, according to The New York Times. President Donald Trump will not be attending the event.
Man shares ‘shady’ AirPods hack that lets people listen in on your conversations
If you’ve ever felt like someone was listening in on your private conversations, that could very well be the case.
An Apple AirPod owner has recently shared a hack for the wireless earphones that allows people to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations.
A TikTok user named Bryce has gone viral after he responded to the question “what’s a piece of information that you learned that feels illegal to know?”
Bryce then shared the AirPod trick, which he said doesn’t feel illegal, but is pretty “shady”.
He explained how it works, saying: “You go in your settings, go to your control center and then you find the little ear.
“You push the plus sign and then when you push the plus sign it will go where your flashlight, your calculator and all that is.”
Bryce continues to explain the next step involves, bringing up the drop down menu from your home screen, which should now have the little hearing ear on it.
Click and it will bring up a live listen option, which you turn on.
“You can leave it in any room and you can listen to what anybody’s saying at any time if your phone’s in that room with just your earbud in.”
You have to turn on live listening (Image: brycenor Bryce/TikTok)
WHAT?!
More than three million people have watched Bryce’s video, with over 399,000 liking it.
Thousands also commented to share their thoughts with many freaked out by the discovery.
One person said: “Ok I’m far too toxic to have this information.”
Another replied: “Don’t trust people with AirPods, got it.”
Someone else wrote: “I am simply too sensitive to do this for myself but I will watch out for ppl leaving their phones behind now.”
“Having this info is almost worth going back to the office for,” added a different user.
A fifth pointed out: “This is an accessibility feature meant for those who are hard of hearing to use. It filters out background noise so they can hear conversations easier.”
Have you tried it out for yourself? Let us know in the comments below.
Do you have a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at [email protected]
Meena Harris: How Kamala’s Niece Turned Criticism Of Her ‘Ambitious’ Relative Into A Children’s Book
As her aunt becomes the first female U.S. Vice President, Meena Harris talks about turning negative comments into an inspirational story.
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Kamala Harris’s niece Meena has turned what was meant as an insult into a new children’s book. The 36-year-old mom-of-two admits she was stunned when she heard “people criticizing one of the women” in her family for being “too ambitious.”
While she doesn’t mention her aunt by name, it’s not hard to decipher who she’s talking about. The newest U.S. Vice President (and the first woman and person of color to hold the position) has been lambasted in the media and political circles for her ambition. (Some Democratic donors grumbled about Harris’s drive during the 2020 general election campaign, according to one July 2020 CNBC report.)
Meena Harris poses with her newest book, ‘Ambitious Girl.’ (Courtesy of Meena Harris)
“I was raised to believe that ‘ambition’ was a good thing, especially for women, and have worked hard to make sure my own daughters are raised with these same fundamental values,” Meena tells HollywoodLife. “So, when I heard people criticizing one of the women in my family for being ‘too ambitious,’ and it was amplified by the media, I was floored.
“I thought of the lesson my grandmother taught me, which I actually included in my first book, Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea: ‘No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.’ I wanted to do something for my daughters, and hopefully all kids, and that’s how Ambitious Girl was born.”
The little heroine in Meena’s second children’s book is encouraged by the women in her family. Faced with criticism that she’s “too that” or “too this,” the child is spurred on by her mom, aunt and grandma, who tells her, “You may be the first someday, but don’t be the last – make space for more!”
Kamala Harris – Meena’s aunt – has been criticized for being ‘ambitious.’ (AP)
If you’ve heard those words before it’s because Vice President-Elect Harris has recounted numerous times that that’s what her mother (and Meena’s grandmother), Shyamala Gopalan (pictured below), told her. The late cancer researcher and civil rights activist was a matriarch who’s influence continues today. Not only did she raise two impressive women – Kamala and her sister Maya (an attorney and former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton) – the lessons she instilled in her granddaughter are being handed down to the next generation of Harris females.
Meena is not just teaching other children to embrace their ambition. At home, the lawyer, entrepreneur and writer is making it clear to her daughters Amara, 4, and Leela, 2, that women can be anything they want to be.
“Since the day they were born practically, my partner and I have been teaching our girls about social justice and equity,” Meena says, referring to her love, Nikolas Ajagu.
‘Ambitious Girl’ is Meena Harris’s second children’s book. (Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
“For me it’s how I was raised, in a family of strong women, so we wanted to pass these values on to our kids, and we find ways every day to incorporate them.
“For example, on Christmas our older daughter asked what Mrs. Claus was doing, and in the moment, we decided to tell her that Mrs. Claus is an entrepreneur and runs the family business. My girls know their mom is an entrepreneur, so that makes perfect sense to them.”
Meena as a child with her mom, Mara, grandmother Shyamala Goplan and aunt, Kamala Harris, who will be sworn in as the first female V.P. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Courtesy of Meena Harris)
This year, the Harris women and girls have plenty to celebrate. This month Meena – who founded the Phenomenal Woman action campaign – is looking forward to seeing the most famous ambitious person in her family become Vice President.
“I’m looking forward to a new administration and a very special day in January when little girls all over the world will turn on their TVs and see a strong, ambitious woman sworn into the Office of the Vice President of the United States for the first time in history,” Meena says with pride. Ambitious Girl, by Meena Harris, is out now.
PS5 restock updates – all the latest from Amazon, Currys, Argos and more
If you’re eager to get your hands on a Playstation 5 then you’ll know how hard it is to find a retailer that has the new consoles in stock.
Sony released two versions of the PS5 in the UK and Europe on November 19th, but it unsurprisingly sold out in record time.
Today (January 20), thousands of gamers queuing to get on Curry’s website as the retail giant put the Playstation 5 consoles back on sale.
The huge demand caused technical issues and large queues with as many as 150,000 people waiting to get access to the site. Currys is now completely sold out of the PS5s.
The console also crashed the websites of GAME, Tesco and John Lewis when it first launched in November.
The PS5 is expected to go on sale once again (Image: via REUTERS)
The full PS5 is priced at £449, while a Digital Edition without a disc tray will set you back £359.
According to PS5 UK Stock – Instant Updates on Twitter, shoppers can expect a huge PS5 restock at the likes of Very and Amazon tomorrow. Here’s a list of the retailers we’re hoping will restock the consoles:
Currys – more stock coming soon
Amazon – more stock coming soon
John Lewis – more stock coming soon
Game – more stock coming soon
Asda – more stock coming soon
Very – more stock coming soon
Argos – more stock coming soon
AO.com – more stock coming soon
Have you been trying to snap up a new Xbox Series X since before Christmas? Well you’re in luck, as one online retailer is offering a ballot system where you’ll be chosen and able to buy from your email address.
Redmi Note Series Sold Over 140 Million Units Globally: Xiaomi
Redmi Note 10 Pro and Redmi Note 10 have been tipped to launch in India next month. The tipster also says that the Redmi Note 10 series will be “priced aggressively” in India considering that the Redmi Note 9 series did not perform as well as expected in terms of sale. The Redmi Note 10 Pro 4G variant has also been reportedly spotted on Singapore’s IMDA certification site with the model number M2101K6G.
Known tipster Ishan Agarwal via a 91Mobiles report claims that the Redmi Note 10 Pro and the Redmi Note 10 will launch in India in February. He says that the smartphones are expected to be priced aggressively, keeping in mind the performance of the Redmi Note 9 series last year and the competition the Xiaomi-sub brand now faces from the likes of Realme. Redmi Note 10 is tipped to be offered in White, Gray, and Green colour variants.
Another report by 91Mobiles claims that the Redmi Note 10 Pro 4G has been spotted on Singapore’s IMDA certification site. The listing confirms that the 4G variant will have Bluetooth connectivity options, Wi-Fi, and NFC. The Redmi Note 10 Pro and the vanilla Redmi Note 10 have also been spotted on various certification sites over the last few weeks.
Most recently, the Redmi Note 10 Pro variant received certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), suggesting that the phone’s launch in India is imminent. It was also spotted on the US FCC website. Earlier, a tipster had claimed that the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G will launch in India in the last week of February or March. The new report further narrows the timeline to February.
Redmi Note 10 Pro will likely come in three storage options and have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G SoC under the hood. Past leaks and certifications have revealed that the smartphone will come in 4G and 5G variants. It is expected to pack a 5,050mAh battery and a quad rear camera setup featuring a 64-megapixel primary camera.
What will be the most exciting tech launch of 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
BCCI likely to allow 50 percent crowd attendance for England Tests
New Delhi, January 20
The BCCI brass is seriously contemplating allowing 50 percent crowd attendance at both Chepauk and the newly constructed Motera Stadium during India’s upcoming four Test matches against England.
The first two Tests will be held in Chennai, beginning on February 5, while the next two will be played at the renovated stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad.
The BCCI is believed to be taking a cue from Cricket Australia which had allowed entry of spectators during the India series that concluded on Tuesday.
“As of now, we are likely to allow 50 percent spectators for the four Test matches. The BCCI is in talks with both state cricket associations (TNCA and GCA) and also state health authorities,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
However, the BCCI is also factoring the fluid public health situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and if case load in either Chennai or Ahmedabad increases, then the decision will change accordingly.
“If you allow 50 percent crowd with all necessary precautions, then it will be an indicator if we can also allow spectators during IPL in India,” the source said.
In Ahmedabad, which can hold over one lakh spectators, spacing of seats to maintain social distancing will not be an issue.
Meanwhile, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will name the squad for first two Test matches against India on Thursday.
This is the first time that a touring team is not naming a squad for full away series keeping the workload management of its players in mind.
The fact that Chennai and Ahmedabad will have two separate bio-bubbles and the teams will travel by chartered flight within the country may also be the reason that England, like the Indian team, decided to name its squad for two Tests. — PTI
Google’s new Chrome 88 release improves dark mode, removes FTP and Adobe Flash
Google is releasing a new version of Chrome this week that will improve its dark mode support, alongside removing FTP and Adobe Flash support. The dark mode improvements can be found on both Windows and Chrome OS. There are refinements to both the light and dark modes in Chrome OS, with the themes updated for the app launcher, quick settings, and shelf parts of Chrome OS.
How To Geek also reports that the Windows 10 dark mode is improved with Chrome 88, with scroll bars finally appearing dark. Unfortunately, these are currently limited to the settings, bookmarks, history, and new tab pages of Chrome 88 and not across all websites with dark themes.
Elsewhere, Google is also removing some old web technology in Chrome 88. The File Transport Protocol (FTP) is officially disabled with this latest version, removing support for a protocol that has been used for decades to send files across the web.
Chrome’s new tab search feature.
Adobe Flash is also being fully removed from Chrome 88, after being initially blocked and then disabled in recent years. The removal of Flash from Chrome marks the end of an era, following Adobe’s discontinued support on December 31st.
Google is also experimenting with some new features for Chrome. Both tab search and less intrusive website permission requests can be found hidden away in Chrome 88. You’ll need to enable the new tab search using chrome://flags/#enable-tab-search, and it will appear as a new drop down arrow in the Chrome tab UI. Smaller permission prompts can also be enabled from chrome://flags/#permission-chip.
Alphabet settles shareholder lawsuit over executive sexual misconduct
Google is investigating artificial intelligence researcher Margaret Mitchell, who co-leads the company’s Ethical AI team, and has locked her corporate account, Axios reports. The news comes a little over a month after another prominent AI ethicist, Timnit Gebru, said she was fired by the company. Mitchell’s account has now reportedly been locked for “at least a few days” but she hasn’t been fired, according to a tweet from Gebru. Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement given to Axios, Google said it was investigating Mitchell after its systems detected an account had “exfiltrated thousands of files and shared them with multiple external accounts.” According to an Axios source, Mitchell had been using a script to go through her messages, finding examples of discriminatory treatment of Gebru. Last week, Mitchell tweeted to say she was documenting “current critical issues from [Gebru’s] firing, point by point, inside and outside work.”
Just after midnight. Hit 10 pages documenting current critical issues from @timnitGebru ‘s firing, point by point , inside and outside work. For Jeff Dean and whoever might actually read it (no one?). Wistfully remembering when I used to do research.
Google said its security systems automatically lock corporate employee accounts “when they detect that the account is at risk of compromise due to credential problems or when an automated rule involving the handling of sensitive data has been triggered.”
“We explained this to the employee earlier today,” Google said, “We are actively investigating this matter as part of standard procedures to gather additional details.”
Mitchell has previously tweeted in support of Gebru, and has been critical of Google and other big tech companies for their approaches to diversity and systematic bias. Yesterday she tweeted to criticize Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s approach towards workplace diversity.
Google faced widespread criticism after Gebru left the company. Bloomberg reports that thousands of internal employees and external academics and campaigners signing a petition in support of the AI researcher. The company has faced ongoing criticism for its work on Project Maven, an AI project designed to improve military drone strikes. Opposition to the project was named as a key reason when Google employees announced plans to unionize earlier this year.
LG is considering exiting the smartphone market in 2021. After losing around $4.5 billion over the past five years, LG’s smartphone business has been struggling to compete with rivals. Now LG CEO Kwon Bong-seok has notified employees that the company is considering making big changes to its smartphone business.
The Korea Herald reports that Kwon Bong-seok sent out an internal memo to staff on Wednesday, hinting at a change in direction for LG’s phone business. “Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the best choice,” says an LG official in a statement to The Korea Herald. “The company is considering all possible measures, including sale, withdrawal and downsizing of the smartphone business.”
LG confirmed the internal memo was genuine in a statement to The Verge, noting that nothing has been decided yet. “LG Electronics management is committed to making whatever decision is necessary to resolve its mobile business challenges in 2021,” says an LG spokesperson. “As of today, nothing has been finalized.”
LG’s Rollable phone.LG
This new internal memo follows a now-deleted report from Korean outlet TheElec earlier this month that claimed LG was planning to exit the smartphone business. LG branded that report “completely false and without merit,” in a statement to Android Police just a week ago.
LG has previously promised “wow factors” to try and attract consumers and make its flagging mobile division profitable. LG has tried multiple times with the G7, the V40, the G8, and the V50 to compete with Samsung and Huawei, but it’s not been enough to push its market share in the right direction. LG’s latest Velvet and Wing smartphones have attempted to try something new, but neither were well received.
Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Apple all continue to dominate worldwide smartphone shipments, according to IDC. LG is now turning its focus to its Rollable phone, in an effort to differentiate it from the competition. LG teased the Rollable device again at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, with a “unique resizable screen” that extends from a phone to become a small tablet display.
LG has promised its Rollable device is real and will launch in 2021, but with the company reconsidering its mobile plans it could be one of the last LG phones we’ll see.
Xbox Game Pass January 2021: Yakuza 3, 4 and 5, Desperados 3, and More
Xbox Game Pass will add nine new games in the rest of January, Microsoft has announced, across Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, and/ or Android (via game streaming). The Yakuza Remastered Collection — it consists of remastered versions of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, and Yakuza 5 — is the highlight of the lot. It arrives January 28. The critically-acclaimed Desperados III — a story-driven tactical stealth prequel set in the Wild West — is also on its way to Xbox Game Pass. All four titles will be available on consoles, PC, and Android. It arrives January 21.
Meanwhile, Control — Remedy Entertainment’s award-winning action-adventure that is considered one of the best video games of 2019 — is coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC, also on January 21. Control joined Xbox Game Pass’ catalogue on console and Android in early December. Outer Wilds, which is also already available on Xbox Game Pass for Console, joins the game streaming department on the same day (January 21). The other big one is The Medium, a launch title on Xbox Series X/S and PC, available on Xbox Game Pass on day one: January 28.
Xbox Game Pass members can also save 10 percent on Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition’s upcoming DLC Lords of the West, available January 26. And on Rainbow Six Siege’s Road to S.I. event that begins Thursday, Game Pass subscribers can play with any operator, even those they don’t own in the stadium.
Of course, at the same time, many games are leaving Xbox Game Pass in January. You can buy them at a discount of up to 20 percent before they are gone. Final Fantasy XV, Death Squared, Death’s Gambit, Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour, Gris, Indivisible, Reigns: Game of Thrones, and Sea Salt all depart next Friday on January 29.
Here’s the full list of Xbox Game Pass titles coming in January 2021. In India, Xbox Game Pass costs Rs. 489 per month on PC and console, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (which also includes EA Play, Xbox Live Gold, and Android game streaming in select markets) comes in at Rs. 699 per month. But until January 25, three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available for Rs. 50.
Xbox Game Pass January 2021 games
January 21 Control — PC Desperados III — Android, console, and PC Donut County — Android, console, and PC Outer Wilds — Android
January 26 Cyber Shadow — Android, console, and PC
January 28 The Medium — Xbox Series S/X and PC Yakuza 3 Remastered — Android, console, and PC Yakuza 4 Remastered — Android, console, and PC Yakuza 5 Remastered — Android, console, and PC
