TLDR 2020-04-22

Netflix's subscriber record 📈, at-home coronavirus test 💉, Fortnite re-enters Play Store 🎮

📱
Big Tech & Startups

Facebook to buy 10% stake in telco unit of India's Reliance Industries for $5.7 billion (2 minute read)

Facebook is buying a 10% stake in India's Reliance Industries for $5.7 billion. Reliance Industries owns a share of Jio Platforms Ltd, who owns Jio Infocomm, a telecom business. WhatsApp is looking to offer digital payment services in India. The deal will help WhatsApp partner with Reliance's e-commerce marketplace JioMart, a service that connects small businesses to consumers. Reliance had more than $40 billion in debts last September and it aims to pay all debts by March 2021.

Netflix has biggest quarter with nearly 16 million new subscribers signing on (3 minute read)

Netflix gained 15.77 million paid subscribers globally in the first quarter of 2020, its biggest quarter yet. It earned $709 million, with revenue growing to $5.77 billion in the quarter. Netflix is currently working on more than 200 projects in post-production. It expects to continue with its releases throughout 2020 and 2021. Shares for the company have risen by 13.6% in the past 12 months. 🚀 Science &
🚀
Science & Futuristic Technology

For the first time, a spacecraft has returned an aging satellite to service (2 minute read)

A communications satellite has been restored and returned to service in geostationary orbit. Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle-1 was able to dock onto the Intelsat 901 satellite while in orbit and then navigate it to a new orbital location. The MEV-1 will provide five years of life extension services to the satellite before moving it into a graveyard orbit, after which it will still be able to provide additional mission extension services. Services such as these offer satellite providers a way to extend the lifetime of their assets, as well as to remove satellites that have lost communication with the ground. 💻

First at-home COVID-19 testing kit authorized by the FDA (2 minute read)

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorized LabCorp's at-home COVID-19 test kit. LabCorp will give first access to health care workers and first responders. The swab sample can be completed at home, but the sample will have to be sent to a lab for testing. It costs $119 per test. At-home testing removes the need for a clinician and lessens the need for extra personal protective equipment. The US is currently testing around 147,000 samples each day, which is still far below the number that experts say is required to control the outbreak.
💻
Programming, Design & Data Science

qrcp (GitHub Repo)

qrcp allows you to transfer files over Wi-Fi from your computer to a mobile device by scanning a QR code. Users can upload and download files to and from any device by scanning the generated QR code. Examples are available on the repository. 🎁

pattern.css (GitHub Repo)

pattern.css is a CSS only library of patterned backgrounds. It supports all modern browsers and developers have full color control. pattern.css is under 1KB when compressed.
🎁
Miscellaneous

Epic gives in to Google and releases Fortnite on the Play Store (3 minute read)

Epic Games has finally released Fortnite in the official Android Play Store, 18 months after releasing the game as third-party software. Google displays a warning for third-party software outside of the Play Store, marking it as potential malware, which put Fortnite at a disadvantage according to Epic. Releasing the game through the Play Store means that Epic will now have to pay Google a 30% cut for all in-app purchases made through the platform. Epic has long protested App Store and Play Store platform fees.

A 72-hour live stream is bringing Earth Day online (6 minute read)

Earth Day's 50th anniversary is on April 22. Originally, events were planned for the big day, but the movement has now been forced online. Organizers have planned a three-day live-streamed event called Earth Day Live. It aims to draw in millions of people to rally for action on climate change and make it a priority for would-be voters. There will be celebrity cameos, high-profile speakers, musicians, and performers. The event will be broadcast from a website that is linked in the article. Give feedback by replying here or messaging me on Twitter @tldrdan! If you don't want to receive future editions of TLDR, please click here.  
Get the most important tech, science, & coding news in a free daily email. Read by +1,250,000 software engineers and tech workers.
Join 1,250,000 readers for