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The Morning After: The Nintendo PlayStation prototype sold for $360k

And SXSW 2020 is canceled.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

The word for the week is "canceled." As additional cases of the new coronavirus continue to pop up, companies and event planners took steps to try and avoid creating environments where it might spread rapidly. On Friday evening the city of Austin declared a local disaster and called off the 2020 SXSW festival, making it just the latest on the list.

Other companies scaled back on travel and encouraged employees to work from home, while some delivery firms like Instacart and Postmates unveiled new no-contact options.

-- Richard


The winner did not wish to be identified.The Nintendo PlayStation sells for $360,000 at auction

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Bidding for this legendary prototype concluded Friday when someone placed a $300,000 bid. With the buyer's premium, the person who won the auction will pay $360,000 to own a piece of gaming history.


That sounds bad.Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw

This week security specialists Positive Technologies disclosed their discovery of a tiny gap in security that could allow attackers with local or physical access to inject malicious code and, eventually, commandeer your PC. The vulnerability is within Intel's Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME), a part of the chip that controls system boot-up, power levels, firmware and, most critically, cryptographic functions. Since the boot code and RAM are hard coded into Intel's CPUs, they can't be patched or reset without replacing the silicon.

The flaw affects chips manufactured over the last five years or so. Intel said that it was notified of the vulnerabilities and released mitigations in May 2019 so they could be included in firmware updates. However, as the researchers explain, "since... the ROM vulnerability cannot be fixed, we believe that extracting this key is only a matter of time. When this happens, utter chaos will reign."


Sometimes a smartphone camera just won't cut it.How to buy a compact camera in 2020

If you want better photos than a smartphone can deliver but also don't want a bulky DSLR or mirrorless camera, you may need a compact camera in your life. There's a wide variety of models out there with different sized sensors, fixed, zoom and superzoom lenses and lots of manual controls (or not).

Check out Steve Dent's advice laying out the different features available on each brand and model to help you choose just the right one.


Also: Xbox Series X speculation and first impressions of TCL's foldable tablet concept.The Engadget Podcast: Coronavirus hits tech and a chat with 'Cosmos' Ann Druyan

This week on the Engadget Podcast, we dive into the many ways the coronavirus is affecting the tech industry, all the while remembering to wash our hands and not touch our faces. And for something completely different, Devindra chats with Ann Druyan (starting at 26:59), the co-creator of Cosmos, on the show's incredible new season. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.


It's likely faster than your gaming rig -- but don't give up on that desktop yet.Does the Xbox Series X make gaming PCs obsolete?

On paper, the Xbox Series X's sheer power blows away most gaming rigs today -- but what does that mean for PC enthusiasts? To be honest, there's still plenty we don't know about the Series X or what the state of PC hardware will be later this year. But based on Microsoft's spec dump last week, we can start making some educated guesses. Read on to let Devindra Hardawar guide you away (or toward) the next big console race.


You might head to the Moon or Mars.NASA accepts applications for astronauts for the first time in four years

NASA has started taking applications for its next round of astronauts, some of them likely to be part of future Moon and Mars expeditions. You'll have until the very end of March to apply, but make sure you qualify first. NASA says that you'll need to be a US citizen with either a master's degree in a STEM field or an equivalent, such as two years of work toward the doctorate in your field, a medical doctorate or the combination of a completed test pilot school program with a STEM bachelor's degree -- deep breath. You'll also need real-world experience that includes either two years of "progressively responsible" work experience or 1,000 flight hours as a pilot in command.

And then there's the long-duration spaceflight physical...

But wait, there's more...


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