9 great reads from CNET this week
Why some South Texans prefer surveillance to a border wall, how Amazon fired 7 pregnant warehouse workers who then sued, and what makes the updated Google Assistant fascinating -- and a little bit scary.
What a week! Google kept us busy with a wide range of product announcements out of its annual I/O developers conference. A Facebook co-founder made a very public case for breaking up the social network, and some politicians agree. And Jeff Bezos unveiled the Blue Moon lunar lander and Blue Origin's plans for huge space colonies.
And that's just scratching the surface. Here are the stories you don't want to miss:
Amazon fired these 7 pregnant workers. Then came the lawsuits
A warehouse worker told her manager she was pregnant. Less than two months later, she was fired. Several lawsuits against Amazon show a similar pattern.
In a Texas border town, a church on the edge and wildlife at risk
Some South Texans say they'd rather live with constant surveillance by Border Patrol than a physical barrier.
Google Assistant is 10x faster and knows where your mom lives
After three years, the voice-activated helper gets its biggest update yet. And it shows just how much Google already knows about you.
Can Facebook be broken up? What you need to know
Critics want Instagram and WhatsApp to split from Facebook. We break down how that might happen.
Amazon Alexa transcripts live on, even after you delete voice records
You can delete voice recordings so Amazon can't listen to your conversations with Alexa anymore, but text records are a different story.
Game of Thrones season 8: Are we headed for disappointment?
Dueling commentary: Fan expectations are pegging the world's biggest show to become the world's biggest bummer.
Google brings AR and Lens closer to the future of search
Exclusive: While we wait for the technology to show up in smartglasses, Google is making AR a lot more useful for phones.
Tribeca's VR gave life to creepy dolls and alien pals. Here's where they go next
At Tribeca Immersive, we tried the VR, AR and everything in between, from possessed porcelain dolls to fuzzy alien pets. Here's how you can catch them too.
The star of Gymnasia was an unofficial mascot of the Immersive program at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
Have you given up on alien life? Scientists haven't
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the stuff of science fiction, but it turns out the real scientists are invested too.
NASA believes exoplanets like TRAPPIST-1f could have the right conditions for liquid water, meaning they could support life.