Congress Grills the Spy Chief, Google’s Quantum ‘Victory,’ and More News

Credit to Author: Alex Baker-Whitcomb| Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2019 21:27:00 +0000

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

Congress grills the acting director of national intelligence, Google has a quantum computing "victory," and pilots are learning how to make their landings … quieter. Here's the news you need to know, in two minutes or less.

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Congress grills its first witness in Trump's whistle-blower scandal

This morning, acting DNI Joseph Maguire answered questions from Congress about the Ukraine whistle-blower complaint. He outlined his struggles handling the complaint given that it involved the president himself, and reiterated that "no one is above the law," but it seems unlikely that his answers will change any already made-up minds.

Why Google's quantum victory is a huge deal, and also a letdown

Scientists say that Google's quantum computer solved a problem in 200 seconds that would take a normal supercomputer 10,000 years. The machine can supposedly solve problems 1 billion times faster than a traditional computer. And while that accomplishment is staggering and decades in the making, does it have a practical use? Not so much.

That's how much quieter it can be inside of a landing plane when pilots employ a new strategy thought up by the German Aerospace Center. Researchers are teaching pilots to land in a smoother trajectory not because it's safer, but because it's quieter. The 40-decibel drop is about the difference between the noise from a jackhammer and a hairdryer.

Are you someone who drives for a living, or even just someone who drives a lot? Our reviewers rounded up the best accessories to upgrade your experience, from chargers to dash cams.

Here's how to make it harder for mobile ads to track you.

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