🌞 Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday’s Daily Authority. I finally got around to watching Only Murders in the Building, and I’ve binged my way through season one already! Starting season two tonight, and I can’t wait…

A quarter of a century of Netflix and chill

It’s hard to believe that Netflix turned 25 on Monday. The company was founded on August 29, 1997, though Netflix.com didn’t launch until April 14, 1998.

• Netflix was founded in Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz, California, by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph.
• The company started off as a subscription-based rental service mailing physical DVDs, with no late fees or due dates.
• The first DVD Netflix shipped was Beetlejuice, on March 10, 1998.
• Originally, Netflix DVDs came in white envelopes, switching to yellow in 2000. By 2001, the company was using the iconic red envelopes.
• By 1999, Netflix had 239,000 subscribers and 3,100 titles in its library.

Oops, Blockbuster

In 2000, former Blockbuster CEO John Antioco turned down the offer to buy Netflix for $50 million, laughing at Reed Hastings and the Netflix team. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

• Netflix didn’t begin streaming content until 2008, trialing the service in Canada.
• By 2010 it had switched its focus to streaming, though it still offered DVDs by mail.
• Lilyhammer was the first ever Netflix Original, airing in 2012, followed by House of Cards in 2013.
• To date, Netflix has aired over 1,900 Originals.
• Netflix is now available in over 37 languages and 190 countries worldwide.

Finally, the “tudum” sound we’re all so familiar with wasn’t always around — the iconic sound was nearly a bleating goat. I think we’re all pretty glad that didn’t happen.

Want more Netflix? Check out these upcoming Netflix shows and movies you won’t want to miss, and dive into what’s new on Netflix in September, including Cobra Kai season 5.

Roundup

⌚ Pixel Watch’s price leaks, sits right between Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch, so it probably won’t be an impulse buy (Android Authority).

📱 When can we expect the first Android 14 beta? Google drops a solid hint (Android Authority).

🥽 It looks like we might know what Apple’s mixed reality headset will be called: “Reality One,” “Reality Pro,” or “Reality Processor” all cropped up in a trademark filing (The Verge).

🍎 T-Mobile will give away free Apple TV Plus subscriptions to certain subscribers, from the end of the month (Android Authority).

📺 Speaking of TV, over half of our readers have received storage alerts on Android TV — isn’t it about time Google TV and Android TV makers considered adding more internal space or storage expansion options? (Android Authority).

🚗 A new approach to car batteries could transform EVs as companies find ways to build car batteries into the frame, meaning cheaper, roomier rides with greater range (Wired).

🎮 ASUS teases Dimensity 9000 Plus-powered ROG Phone 6D Ultimate gaming phone, and it’s landing pretty soon (Android Authority).

👀 Logitech G Gaming Handheld leaks: A slick Android handheld supporting Geforce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming — could we see it at IFA 2022 in a few days? (Android Authority).

💰 And it looks like Sony’s expanding into mobile games with its acquisition of Savage Game Studios — the company also announced a new PlayStation Studios Mobile Division (TechCrunch).

🚀 NASA calls off its new Moon rocket launch due to engine temperature issues — but it looks like Artemis may still launch on Friday if the issue can be resolved by then (BBC).

☔ Parched UAE turns to science to squeeze more rainfall from clouds, using salt flares (Reuters).

🤖 Elsewhere, Chinese propose to build a 594-foot-tall dam with a distributed 3D printer, robots, and AI (Ars Technica).

⚡ Residents are allowed to return to the Japanese town housing the Fukushima nuclear power plant for the first time in 11 years (Bloomberg, $).

Tuesday Thing

Feeling disappointed at the called-off Artemis launch? While we wait to see if Friday is a go, check out this infographic from Visual Capitalist, showing a timeline of every mission to Mars since 1960. Click through to see the full version with all the info.

• Mars is one of the most similar planets to Earth, with its solid outer crust, rocky landscape, and molten rock core.
• According to NASA’s historical logs, there have been 48 missions to Mars so far over the last 60 years.
• The Soviet Korabl 4’s mission in 1960 was unfortunately a failure. The spacecraft launched and made it 120km into the air but was unable to generate enough momentum to stay in Earth’s orbit.
• The first success came in 1964 when NASA’s Mariner 4 made the first successful trip to Mars.
• Though the spacecraft didn’t land on Mars, it flew by the planet and captured photos giving us a glimpse of the rocky surface.
• The first Mars landing came later, in 1976, when NASA’s Viking 1 landed on the surface of Mars, enabling scientists to study the planet’s weather and snapping panoramic shots of the planet’s terrain.
• All Mars landings to date have taken place without a crew, but in the future, we could see humans on Mars — NASA plans to send humans to the planet by the late 2030s.

Have an out-of-this-world week!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor