NASA is conquering the whole long-distance relationship thing

// Are you slouching right now? Let’s fix that »

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NASA just received laser message beamed from a colossal 226 million kilometers away

“NASA’s Psyche mission is on its way to study a peculiar asteroid and during its cruise, the mission team has been testing a new communication system. The new approach doesn’t use radio waves but an infrared laser and it has now shown that it works successfully from the most distant place yet. Psyche was 226 million kilometers (140 million miles) from Earth when the message was sent. That’s 1.5 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.”

// IFLScience »

This wearable can actually help Mom chill out

“My mom still says she remembers the nurses laying me on her chest after I was born. The power of touch is magical. It's how you bond with your children, show love, and the secret to stress relief. You read that right — the Apollo wearable uses novel touch therapy through small, smoothing vibrations. When you're stressed, your sympathetic nervous system activates and leaves you feeling drained, overwhelmed, and makes it hard to sleep. Apollo helps to signal safety with touch to regulate your body.”

// The Fascination »

Deepest blue hole in the world discovered, with hidden caves and tunnels believed to be inside

“Mexico's Taam Ja' Blue Hole is the deepest known underwater sinkhole in the world, researchers have discovered — and they haven't even reached the bottom yet. New measurements indicate the Taam Ja' Blue Hole (TJBH), which sits in Chetumal Bay off the southeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, extends at least 1,380 feet (420 meters) below sea level. … ‘Within the depths of TJBH could also lie a biodiversity to be explored,’ researchers said.”

// Live Science »

Instagram’s updated algorithm prioritizes original content instead of rip-offs

“Instagram is making significant changes to how its system recommends content, with a focus on original content and increased distribution for smaller accounts. The slew of changes were announced by the company in a blog post Tuesday. The biggest change deals with aggregators — accounts that download or screenshot other users’ videos and photos and repost them. Instagram clearly has a problem with this and will begin removing reposted content from recommendations across the platform. The update targets serial reposters — accounts that share content that they didn’t ‘create or enhance in a material way’ more than 10 times in 30 days.”

// The Verge »

You can make a ‘toon, too

If you’re sick of watching the same old, copy-paste, cookie-cutter animated films and cartoons, maybe it’s time you started making your own. Moho Animation Pro is an affordable alternative to traditional animation that uses an intuitive interface and powerful tools to make doodling and editing 2D and 3D digital objects easy. Have fun bringing your imaginary characters to life with unlimited access for just $100. [Ad]

// Get animated »

Final Fantasy publisher eats $140 million in ‘extraordinary losses’ ahead of big strategy pivot

“Square Enix’s games have been hit or miss for years, and now the publisher behind Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and other blockbuster RPGs says it plans to be more careful about which projects it invests in. The company expects to ‘recognize extraordinary losses pertaining to abandonment losses associated with its content production,’ … likely meaning that Square Enix has decided to cancel or overhaul a number of internal games it was working on. On Tuesday, the publisher revealed that the board of directors decided in a March 27 meeting to ‘revise the Group’s approach to the development of high-definition (HD) games with the intention of being more selective and focused in the allocation of development resources.’”

// Kotaku »