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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is still running into technical problems. The company has confirmed that a BE-4 engine exploded roughly 10 seconds into a firing test in Texas on June 30th. No one was hurt during the incident, but CNBCunderstands the engine was supposed to be sent to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for use in its second Vulcan rocket flight.

An investigation is still underway. Blue Origin says it has a “proximate cause” for the explosion, and is working on unspecified “remedial actions.” The company will keep testing rockets and expects to meet its customers’ engine demands, according to a spokesperson.

The explosion comes several months after a New Shepard rocket failure that was ultimately pinned on a bad engine nozzle. ULA has had its own share of trouble. A rocket’s upper stage exploded in March, prompting an investigation and fixes that include thicker steel walls on the stage.

However much the setback is affecting Blue Origin’s production levels, it’s not good news for a company whose business revolves around engines. ULA needs two BE-4 engines for every Vulcan rocket, while Blue Origin’s upcoming New Glenn needs seven. Both vehicles will be crucial for space exploration missions as well as Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband satellites.

Blue Origin’s private spaceflight competitors have had their own problems. SpaceX is still struggling to put Starship into orbit, and Virgin Galactic only just completed its first commercial flight. The flawed engine won’t necessarily represent a major hurdle, then, even if it does force the company to adjust its schedule.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blue-origin-is-investigating-why-a-rocket-engine-exploded-during-testing-210049055.html?src=rss 

It’s an open secret that not many people actually like video calling, unless you’re meeting a baby for the first time or something. Who wants to comb their hair just to answer the phone? Meta has answered our prayers and delivered a toolset that brings cartoon avatars to the world of video conferencing.

The company frames this as a “third option” that rests between an audio-only call and a full video call. You can participate in video conversations, but it’ll be your avatar that the other participants see, leaving you free to wear a luxuriating face mask or to lay in the squalor of an unkempt apartment. The feature’s available now for Messenger and Instagram users.

Meta’s been steadily placing the focus on its avatar-creation system, recently announcing that users have made over a billion of the lil cartoon scamps. The avatar creator allows for a near-perfect digital simulacrum of your actual face and body. The system was originally created for use in VR applications but has since moved to smartphones and the like.

It’s worth noting that the avatar creator lets you attach some legs to your digital self, but these legs won’t show up when making video calls (sorry, digital foot fetishists.) Meta says it’s constantly working to improve the avatar creation system, with more realistic and textured animations coming in the future. Also, there’s no rule that says your digital avatar has to look like you, so feel free to video call your friends as a talking llama.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-now-lets-you-make-video-calls-using-a-cartoon-avatar-183821816.html?src=rss 

Tesla may have investigated CEO Elon Musk over possible improprieties. The Wall Street Journal‘s sources claim the EV maker’s board launched an investigation over concerns Musk might be using company funds to build a house near the Austin-area Gigafactory. Nicknamed “Project 42,” the initiative is believed to involve a purchase of millions of dollars in special glass — large enough that it drew attention from employees last year. Limited liability firms linked to Musk and executives are also known to have bought large volumes of land in the area.

Concepts for the house included either a “twisted hexagon” or a glass cube reminiscent of Apple’s 5th Avenue store. This appeared to be personal space as it included bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen, the tipsters said.

The status and results of the investigation aren’t known. Tesla disbanded its PR department years ago, and Musk hasn’t commented on the report as of this writing. However, the board reportedly wanted to learn if Musk was involved and whether worker time had been devoted to the house. Bloomberglearned of the glass order last year, but didn’t know about the board or the nature of Project 42.

Executives sometimes receive perks like jets. The policies for these rewards vary, however, and Tesla’s approach is relatively strict. The automaker requires a board committee audit for any expense above $120,000 where a related person, like the CEO, has a material interest.

This isn’t the first time a high-profile tech executive has faced scrutiny over spending. Meta investigated departing COO Sheryl Sandberg over allegations she used company resources to further personal goals, such as wedding planning or attempts to quash a news story critical of her ex-partner Bobby Kotick. Musk’s profile as a major CEO makes this case stand out, however.

The leader is no stranger to legal entanglements. He’s still embroiled in a fight with the Securities and Exchange Commission over tweeting financial data, and survived a defamation lawsuit from British cave explorer Vernon Unsworth over unsubstantiated “pedo guy” accusations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-reportedly-suspected-musk-was-using-company-funds-to-build-a-literal-glass-house-193314854.html?src=rss 

All Netflix users can transfer a profile to an existing account starting today. That should make things a bit easier for users who are moving in with roommates or a partner and want to hang onto all their settings and recommendations while splitting the cost. The company told Engadget that this was a much-requested feature.

Since October, users have been able to set up a new account with their existing profile. That way, they’re able to retain their viewing history, saved titles in My List, game save data and other settings when they move out of their parents’ place or break up with an ex. But if you didn’t have an existing account to move your profile to, you’d have to set up a new one.

Netflix initially offered the feature before it expanded its crackdown on password sharing. In February, the company began charging users in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain extra to let friends and family who don’t live with them to keep using their account. The company expanded the account sharing charges to the US in May.

A third-party analysis suggested that account sign-ups spiked in the US shortly after Netflix started enforcing the policy in the country. We’ll soon have a clearer sense of just how well the strategy is working for the company when it posts its quarterly earnings results next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-move-your-netflix-profile-to-an-existing-account-175539026.html?src=rss