What’s messing up my internet connection for Zoom meetings and other work?

Patrick Marshall answers your computer questions. This week: How to pinpoint what's wrong with an internet connection, and why it's so hard for technology "intermediates" to learn how to take care of their computers.

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Facebook Oculus Quest 2 review: Solid VR headset but few games

Based on a week's tests, the Quest 2 is a major improvement from the Oculus Rift, Facebook’s first virtual-reality system. Facebook has nailed the Oculus hardware, but it still has a long way to go with content. Here are some pros and cons.

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Judge postpones Trump’s TikTok ban in suit brought by users

A federal judge has postponed President Donald Trump’s threatened shutdown of the popular short-form video app TikTok, siding with a Pennsylvania comedian and two other TikTok creators who say Trump’s order hampers their free speech. U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone on Friday blocked an upcoming Commerce Department action that would have effectively banned TikTok in […]

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Former Zillow execs launch new online mortgage company, with plenty of cash

Tomo aims to make getting a home loan less of a hassle. But the competition is stiff in the already-crowded digital mortgage marketplace. Details of Tomo's operation are being kept quiet until it officially launches early next year.

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Netflix raising U.S. streaming prices amid booming growth

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Netflix is raising most of its U.S. prices by 8% to 13% as its video streaming service rides a wave of rising popularity spurred by government-imposed lockdowns that corralled people at home during the fight against the pandemic. The increases imposed Friday boost the cost of Netflix’s most popular U.S. […]

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Investment giant buys office building in Bellevue’s Spring District for $365 million

The transaction, the third-largest this year in King County, doesn't necessarily mean the office market has recovered from its pandemic slump.

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Russian election threat potent, but interference so far slim

BOSTON (AP) — Russian interference has been minimal so far in the most tempestuous U.S. presidential election in decades. But that doesn’t mean the Kremlin can’t inflict serious damage. The vulnerability of state and local government networks is a big worry. One troubling wildcard is the potential for the kind of ransomware attacks now affecting […]

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A website with Washington voter data clashes with the reality of fears over disinformation

Washington software engineer who created voter information website investigated by U.S.Department of Homeland Security says he was only trying to help voters.

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Big Tech continues its surge ahead of the rest of the economy

Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet reported the latest in a string of enormous quarterly profits on Thursday.

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Harris target of more misinformation than Pence, data shows

CHICAGO (AP) — Long before Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced her as his running mate, Kamala Harris was the target of widespread online misinformation. Social media posts included racist claims that she was ineligible to serve in the White House or that she was lying about her Black and Indian heritage. Her mother is […]

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Tech giants report higher profits – some more than others

Five technology giants are reporting earnings Thursday, providing the latest indication of whether they are rebounding from an economic slowdown earlier this year. The results come a day after the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter testified before the Senate Commerce Committee, rebuffing accusations of anti-conservative bias and promising to aggressively defend their platforms from […]

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San Francisco curbs virus but once-vibrant downtown is empty

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco is reopening more businesses this week, thanks to low coronavirus case numbers that have allowed the city to move into California’s most permissive tier. It means more people can go back to offices, dine indoors and visit museums. But businesses and those residents who haven’t joined an exodus out […]

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San Francisco curbs virus but once-vibrant downtown is empty

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Before the pandemic, Señor Sisig food trucks were a common sight in downtown San Francisco, dishing out Filipino fusion tacos and burritos to long lines of workers who spilled out of office towers at lunch. The trucks now are gone, forced into the suburbs because there’s practically no one around to […]

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EU digital boss: New rules to curb big tech aim for fairness

LONDON (AP) — The European Union is set to propose new laws to rein in the power of big tech companies, including measures to ensure customers are protected, smaller rivals are treated fairly, and illegal content is dealt with, the bloc’s digital and antitrust chief said on Thursday. Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager outlined two […]

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Marvell snags Inphi in yet another semiconductor tie-up

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The pace of consolidation in the semiconductor industry continues to accelerate with Marvell Technology saying Thursday that it will pay $10.63 billion for Inphi in a cash-and-stock deal. Marvell, which makes integrated circuits and semiconductor infrastructure, said the combined company will be reorganized and based in the U.S. Marvell is […]

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Nokia profit up, new CEO pledges to boost 5G investments

HELSINKI (AP) — Telecom equipment maker Nokia has reported improved third-quarter earnings largely in line with expectations, but acknowledged it faced challenges in the race for new generation 5G networks. It pledged to invest more in those networks and said it would revamp business strategy under its new CEO. The Espoo, Finland-based maker of new-generation […]

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FBI warns ransomware assault threatens US healthcare system

BOSTON (AP) — Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals are unleashing a wave of data-scrambling extortion attempts against the U.S. healthcare system designed to lock up hospital information systems, which could hurt patient care just as nationwide cases of COVID-19 are spiking. In a joint alert Wednesday, the FBI and two federal agencies warned that they […]

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Samsung reports record sales amid questions about future

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The flood of obituaries for Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-Hee since his death over the weekend have mostly shared his most defining quote: “Change everything except for your wife and children.” Lee’s rant against what he saw as complacency during a senior management meeting in 1993 reflects the demanding leadership […]

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FBI warns ransomware assault threatens US healthcare system

BOSTON (AP) — Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals are unleashing a major ransomware assault against the U.S. healthcare system. Independent security experts say it has already hobbled at least four U.S. hospitals this month, and could potentially impact hundreds more. In a joint alert Wednesday, the FBI and two federal agencies warned that they had […]

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To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided

Startups such as the cryptocurrency company Coinbase and the audio app Clubhouse have become embroiled in a debate over how much politics should be part of the workplace. And venture capitalists and other tech executives have weighed in on social media with their own views.

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Section 230: The little law that defined how the internet works

Often called the law that “created the Internet,” the legal section is under fire again. So what is Section 230? Here's a primer on it.

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The pessimist’s guide to Jack Ma’s record-breaking Ant IPO

A smash-hit IPO doesn't always translate into a long-term winner for investors. In Ant's case, what could go wrong?

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QAnon’s ‘Save the Children’ morphs into popular slogan

MORRIS, Ill. (AP) — At a busy intersection in this small Illinois town, Lynn Vermillion smiles at passing drivers who honk their support for the colorful posters she and friends wave: “Save Our Children. Save their Children. Save ALL the Children.” As the U.S. presidential campaign heated up in recent months, the 57-year-old mother of […]

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All about Section 230, a rule that made the modern internet

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Twenty-six words tucked into a 1996 law overhauling telecommunications have allowed companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to grow into the giants they are today. Those are the words President Donald Trump’s administration has challenged directly via executive order, one that would strip those protections if online platforms engaged in “editorial […]

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Love blossoms amid pandemic, TikTok turmoil for two creators

NEW YORK (AP) — With love and pranks, Ian Paget and Chris Olsen are among millions of U.S. newbies looking to soak up social media stardom on TikTok. The Los Angeles boyfriends have amassed a steady stream of fans, with more than 4 million followers laughing and encouraging them in comments on their goofy dance […]

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3 social media CEOs face grilling by GOP senators on bias

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google are facing a grilling by Republican senators making unfounded allegations that the tech giants show anti-conservative bias. The Senate Commerce Committee has summoned Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai to testify for a hearing Wednesday. The executives agreed to appear […]

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Report released by Sen. Maria Cantwell slams Google and Facebook for decimating local news outlets

The Senate Commerce Committee report, released by the Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, accuses Google and Facebook of suffocating local news outlets.

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As world goes online in pandemic, another mammoth chip deal

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Advanced Micro Devices is buying Xilinx for $35 billion in an all-stock deal that will combine the two Silicon Valley chip makers and accelerate an already rapid-fire pace of mergers and buyouts in the industry. The deal announced Tuesday puts AMD in a place it wants to be; competing more […]

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Telemedicine or in person? The pros and cons of doctor visit options during the COVID-19 pandemic

As COVID-19 took hold, many medical and behavioral health visits in the U.S. went remote, and experts predict telemedicine will remain a part of our health care into the future. Here's when to use it, when to go in, and what else you should consider.

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AMD Agrees to Buy Xilinx for $35 Billion in Stock

SAN FRANCISCO — Advanced Micro Devices agreed to pay $35 billion in stock for Xilinx, a deal aimed at reshaping one of the computer chip industry’s pioneers. AMD, known mainly as Intel’s longtime rival in microprocessors that power most computers, plans to use the acquisition to broaden its business into chips for markets like 5G […]

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India’s engineers have thrived in Silicon Valley. So has its caste system.

Whenever Benjamin Kaila, a database administrator who immigrated from India to the United States in 1999, applies for a job at a U.S. tech company, he prays that there are no other Indians during the in-person interview. That’s because Kaila is a Dalit, or member of the lowest-ranked castes within India’s system of social hierarchy, […]

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Microsoft’s Sales Top Estimates on Booming Cloud Demand

Microsoft's first-quarter revenue climbed a better-than-projected 12%, strengthened by corporate demand for cloud-computing services to support customers' remote workers and move more of their business online.

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5th former eBay employee pleads guilty in harassment scheme

BOSTON (AP) — A former supervisor of security operations for eBay Inc.’s European and Asian offices pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in a cyberstalking campaign that included having live spiders and other disturbing deliveries sent to a Massachusetts couple who published an online newsletter critical of the online auction site. Philip Cooke, 55, of […]

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T-Mobile offers up yet another TV streaming service

Yet another service provider is jumping into the TV streaming wars. This time it’s T-Mobile and its TVision service with live news, entertainment and sports channels, starting at $10 a month. T-Mobile says it’s aiming to offer a simpler and and cheaper service for people dissatisfied with cable. But it’s entering a crowded field. And […]

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Insider Q&A: Google’s Annie Jean-Baptiste on inclusion

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — As the head of product inclusion at Google, Annie Jean-Baptiste works to help ensure that the company’s products — from photos to search to everything else — are built with everyone in mind, including women, underrepresented minorities, and people of different ages, abilities, geographic locations and economic status. Her new book, […]

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Video app TikTok leans into e-commerce with Shopify deal

The popular short-form video app TikTok, still under U.S. government scrutiny for its Chinese ownership, is moving closer to becoming a marketplace for buying stuff. Canadian e-commerce platform Shopify said Tuesday it’s made a deal with TikTok enabling merchants to create “shoppable” video ads that drive customers to online stores. The partnership was announced Tuesday […]

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Social media CEOs to face grilling from Republican senators

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than a week before Election Day, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google are set to face a grilling by Republican senators who accuse the tech giants of anti-conservative bias. Democrats are trying to expand the discussion to include other issues such as the companies’ heavy impact on local news. The […]

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Here’s why Ant Group is about to shatter IPO records

HONG KONG (AP) — Stella Su, who lives and works in Shanghai, has used an ATM only once in the past year. Instead of cash, in recent years she has done almost all her business using the digital wallet Alipay –- shopping in a mall, buying stuff online or transferring money to friends. “Now when […]

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Social media scams skyrocket during the COVID-19 crisis

More people are reporting losing money to scams that started on places like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter, according to a new report by the Federal Trade Commission. Such complaints more than tripled in the past year.

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Ant Group could raise nearly $35B in record share offering

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s Ant Group will try to raise nearly $35 billion in a public offering of shares in Shanghai and Hong Kong, which would make it the largest offering in history. Alibaba-affiliated Ant Group, which operates a suite of financial products including the widely-used Alipay digital wallet in China and one of […]

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‘Babish’ expands as pandemic boosts YouTube cooking shows

NEW YORK (AP) — Mac and cheese, 18th-century style. A seven-course meal using only ingredients from a convenience store. A meal that is literally on fire. Four episodes into her new YouTube show, “Stump Sohla,” part of the expanding “Babish Culinary Universe” channel, Sohla El-Waylly has yet to be stumped by a food challenge. El-Waylly […]

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Lee Kun-hee, builder of global tech giant Samsung, dies at 78

SEOUL — Lee Kun-hee, the man who built Samsung Electronics into a global tech giant, died Sunday with family members including his son and successor at his side, the company said. He was 78. Samsung did not specify the cause of his death. The ailing leader was incapacitated for years after a 2014 heart attack; […]

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Activists turn facial recognition tools against police

In Portland and elsewhere, activists are using facial recognition technology to identify police officers in situations where they may not identify themselves to the public.

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Electric-car mania turns Asian battery makers into power brokers

A handful of battery giants, little known to the general public and relatively new to the auto industry's sprawling supply chain, are key to manufacturers' goals of bringing dozens of new EV models to U.S. showrooms by 2025.

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Here’s why building an electric car is so expensive, for now

Hitting a $25,000 sticker price — about $13,000 cheaper than the least expensive electric car model today — is seen as critical to deliver a true, mass-market product.

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Finland shocked by therapy center hacking, client blackmail

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s interior minister summoned key Cabinet members into an emergency meeting Sunday after hundreds of patient records at a private Finnish psychotherapy center were accessed by a hacker or hackers who are seeking ransom from clients. Finnish Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo tweeted that authorities would “provide speedy crisis help to victims” of […]

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Facebook demands academics disable ad-targeting data tool

BOSTON (AP) — Academics, journalists and First Amendment lawyers are rallying behind New York University researchers in a showdown with Facebook over its demand that they halt the collection of data showing who is being micro-targeted by political ads on the world’s dominant social media platform. The researchers say the disputed tool is vital to […]

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‘Feat of engineering’: Richland’s $1.9 million hyper car shatters world speed record

Richland-based SSC North America recently set the world for the fastest production car. Driver Oliver Webb reached an average of 316 mph in the Tuatara, now officially the fastest production car, according to Guinness World Records.

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Tesla is putting ‘self-driving’ in the hands of drivers — but critics ask if the tech is ready

SAN FRANCISCO — In a year when Tesla might have been forgiven for extending its timeline on a key initiative, Elon Musk is forging ahead with a vision for what he calls “Full Self-Driving.” This past week, a group of drivers was selected to receive a software update that downloaded automatically into their cars, enabling […]

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Bulgaria signs 5G deal with US excluding Chinese firms

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria has joined other Balkan countries in signing an agreement with the United States on high-speed wireless network security aimed at excluding Chinese hardware providers. Bulgaria joined North Macedonia and Kosovo, neighboring nations that also signed the “Clean Network” security agreement on Friday. It is part of a Trump administration effort […]

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