A Laugh Every 15 Seconds

Netflix's Fast Laughs feature wants to feed you funny, short-form clips.

MARCH 4, 2021 It's March 4, 2021. Today is National Grammar Day and National Pound Cake Day, so when you ask for cake later, make sure you do it properly. Or is it "correctly"?     ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 275 articles, 11 podcasts, 7 press releases, 109 tweets, and 22 YouTube videos 1. Netflix's Fast Laughs Is Serving up Funny Clips If you only want a quick chuckle from Netflix these days, its new Fast Laughs feature is perfect for you. The new tab on the mobile app autoplays clips from various TV shows, movies, and stand-up specials, ranging from 15-45 seconds or so. Why does this format sound so familiar? 2. Google Says It Won't Track You After Phasing Out Cookies Google previously stated it's removing third-party cookies from Chrome to keep your browsing more private. Now, in a blog post, the company clarified it also won't "build alternate identifiers" to track users, "nor will we use them in our products." So this is what it's like to have fewer eyes on us. We like it! 3. AMD Reveals New RX 6700 XT Graphics Card for $479 AMD saw fit to debut a new mid-range graphics card, dubbed the RX 6700 XT, this week. It's meant to compete with NVIDIA's own RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 Ti, forgoing 4K resolutions in favor of 1440p. If all goes well, the cards will go on sale on March 18. Time to bust out the credit card... again. 🦑 Go Deeper Apple's new Product Skill courses are meant to teach the basics of Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but how useful are they for veteran users? Allison Matyus has the deep dive you need after taking two classes herself.     🎱 By the Numbers Slow climb Data: Netflix Netflix certainly is popular, but its prices can sneak up on you if you're not paying attention. The service's Standard plan is already $3 more than it was in 2017, and one can only wonder the heights it'll reach in the next few years. Is any price too much?     🔥 Today's Hot Deal The Nintendo Switch is a great handheld console, but some games require a big TV and nice controller. So, grab a Pro controller for $59 on Amazon, rather than the $70 it usually goes for. Don't Miss This Deal 🤓 Nerd Out "Wax seals weren't good enough?" — Bob Schulties, Senior Editor 300-year old letters previously sealed through a method called letter locking are delicate. So, to avoid damaging them, researchers used X-ray scanners, complex algorithms, and digital models to reveal their contents. (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  A 4K, bird's-eye view Image: Parrot What's cooler than using a drone to get aerial shots? A drone that can get 4K aerial shots. This quadcopter drone from Parrot should have everything you need to capture any amazing sights you come across, including a 180-degree swivel camera, and a controller with a base to hold your phone in place. 🎮 Up-Down-A-B-Start Hey, that was my idea! Video games are expensive, complex software kept together by hopes, dreams, and clever programming, but they're also tech. And sometimes tech needs to be patented. Here are five such patents from the world of gaming, from simple UI elements to entire concepts like loading screen mini-games.     🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions, too. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here .   Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A Dotdash Brand 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 2020 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]