Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Technology News and More-Wednesday Edition...

Technology News and More...




One of the Internet’s Oldest Software Archives Is Shutting Down


1KWired / 13h
The Hobbes OS/2 Archive has been an institution for over three decades. Soon, it’ll be gone.


Elon Musk's $55.8 billion Tesla compensation has been thrown out by a US court
Mashable / 49min
A Delaware court has thrown out Elon Musk 's $55.8 billion Tesla compensation package, ruling that its board of directors breached their legal duty to the company when deciding their CEO's pay. It's a sizeable blow to the multi-billionaire's wallet, and might even put a dent in the richest man in the world's solid gold throne. In a lengthy 201-page post-trial opinion on Tuesday, Chancellor Kathal


Samsung's annual profits continued to decline in 2023
Engadget / 36min
Samsung has failed to recover from the sharp decline in profit it experienced in 2022. In its latest earnings report , the Korean company has reported KRW 258.94 trillion ($194 billion) in annual revenue and KRW 6.57 trillion ($4.9 billion) in operating profit for the fiscal year of 2023. Those are markedly smaller numbers than the previous fiscal year's, especially the latter's — Samsung posted



Elon Musk's $56 billion Tesla pay package has been tossed out by the court
Engadget / 1h
In 2018, Tesla awarded Elon Musk a $56 billion pay package that helped propel him to the top of world's richest lists. Now, a judge in Delaware has rendered the deal between the company and the CEO to be invalid and called the compensation an "unfathomable sum" that's unfair to shareholders. As initially seen and reported by Chancery Daily on Threads , the court of Chancery in Delaware has releas


Sundar Pichai says Google One cloud storage service has nearly 100M subscribers
24TechCrunch / 2h
Google CEO Sudar Pichai said that the company’s Google One cloud storage service is ” just about to cross” 100 million subscribers. Speaking during Alphabet’s Q4 2023 earning call, Pichai added that the company is looking to add more AI-powered features to the Google One service. The search giant first launched Google One in 2018. […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Save 94% on lifetime access to Dollar Flight Club
Mashable / 4h
TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to Dollar Flight Club is on sale for £31.46, saving you 94% on list price. Maybe the first leg of your holiday doesn’t have to feel like you’re recovering from the stress of finding tickets, grabbing them before someone else does, and seeing what’s left of your budget after. Instead, you can let a robot find cheap flights for you. Dollar Flight Club is a service tha


Universal Music to pull songs from TikTok
81BBC News - Technology / 4h
It would mean the social media platform would no longer have access to songs by Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Drake.


Accel eyes new India fashion e-commerce bet with Newme
28TechCrunch / 4h
Accel, an early investor in Indian e-commerce giants Flipkart and Myntra, is preparing a new fashion e-commerce bet in India even as competition intensifies with the recent expansion of Mukesh Ambani’s Ajio platform. Accel is in advanced talks to lead a $15-20 million funding round into Newme, an Indian fast-fashion e-commerce startup, according to four […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved.


Wattpad, a storytelling platform, conducts another layoff round
TechCrunch / 5h
Wattpad, a Toronto-based storytelling platform owned by Naver’s Webtoon Entertainment, conducted another round of layoffs earlier this month. Wattpad has cut around 30 jobs, or roughly 15% of its workforce, a source familiar with the situation told TechCrunch. According to local media outlets, including The Korea Economic Daily, the cut impacted about 30 employees. A spokesperson […] © 2024 TechC


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Wednesday, January 31, 2024
LifeHacker / 6h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for January 31, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium-hard; I got it in five. Beware, there are spoilers below for January 31, Wordle #956! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game. How to play Wordle Wordle lives here on the New York Times web


PayPal cuts 2,500 jobs in the face of rising competition
56BBC News - Technology / 6h
It once dominated the payments industry but firms like Apple, Zelle and Block are taking market share.


Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'
Mashable / 6h
To say Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) has a complicated relationship with his father would be like calling the Pacific Ocean a puddle. For starters, there's the bombshell that his father is none other than the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens). Then there's all the baggage that comes with that, like Poseidon not being able to support Percy or his mother Sally (Virginia Kull) except from afar, or


Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for January 31
Mashable / 6h
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle . As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for Jan. 31's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle co


Elon Musk’s $56B Tesla pay deal is unfair, judge rules
TechCrunch / 6h
A Delaware judge ruled Tuesday that Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package is unfair, voiding the largest in compensation deal in corporate history. The decision, issued Tuesday in the Delaware Court of Chancery by Judge Kathaleen McCormick, means that Musk, the world’s richest person, can’t keep the 2018 compensation package. The ruling can be appealed. Chancery […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights re


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for January 31
Mashable / 7h
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the e


China’s Solar and Wind Power Needs 1 Million Megapacks
Next Big Future / 8h
At the end of October 2023, China’s NEA (National Energy Administration) reported China’s installed renewable energy capacity had exceeded 1.4 Terawatts. This capacity includes 420 GW of hydropower, 404 GW of wind power, 536 GW of solar, and 44 GW of biomass. China added 216.9 GW of solar capacity in 2023, marking a 148 % ... Read more


Ofcom report finds 1 in 5 harmful content search results were ‘one-click gateways’ to more toxicity
20TechCrunch / 8h
Move over, TikTok, Ofcom, the U.K. regulator enforcing the now official Online Safety Act, is gearing up to size up an even bigger target: search engines like Google and Bing and the role that they play in presenting self-injury, suicide and other harmful content at the click of a button, particularly to underage users. A report […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Kurt Russell Offers His Own Take on The Thing's Enigmatic Ending
Gizmodo / 8h
During Kurt Russell’s acting retrospective for GQ , the famed actor gave his thoughts on the ever-constant debate of which survivor is the Thing at the end of John Carpenter ’s The Thing. During the shoot, what would be shown of the divisive ending was a matter of contention even for Carpenter himself, who now swears he’… Read more...


The iPad Air is $150 Off at Best Buy Right Now
LifeHacker / 8h
The iPad Air is the thinnest—and one of the best—tablets Apple has to offer, and it's going for a pretty good price right now. You can get the latest 5th generation iPad Air with 64GB of memory for $449.99 (originally $599.99) at Best Buy, which also includes three months of Apple TV. For reference, this is similar to the price Amazon sells the used version for. (Amazon was matching the price for


Universal Music Group plans to pull song catalog from TikTok
30TechCrunch / 9h
Universal Music Group (UMG), the label representing artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, says that it’ll pull its music from TikTok tomorrow at midnight after failing to reach a deal with the platform’s parent company, ByteDance, over royalties. UMG won’t seek to renew its current arrangement with TikTok, set to expire […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For pers


Zuckerberg among tech bosses to testify on child safety
27BBC News - Technology / 9h
Senators say Meta, X, TikTok, Discord and Snap are not doing enough to protect children online.


Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, January 31 (game #737)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around two years after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's fun, but also difficult. What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keep


Elon Musk: Judge blocks 'unfathomable' $56bn Tesla pay deal
500+BBC News - Technology / 9h
The lawsuit was filed by a shareholder who argued that it was an inappropriate overpayment.


Black Eye, Handcuffs, And A Barf Bag: Elderly Granny’s Fight With Flight Attendant Ends In Arrest
View from the Wing / 9h
A 74-year-old retired flight attendant, Angela Siddell, alleges she received a black eye and was handcuffed on a JetBlue flight after a dispute over disposing a tea cup, leading her to file a lawsuit. Continue reading ...


Admit It: You're Not Going to Cancel Amazon Prime
Gizmodo / 9h
For a while, #DeleteFacebook would trend every couple of months on social media. Countless people were fed up with Facebook’s endless parade of scandals, they claimed, and this time they were finally pulling the plug. Some people did, but Facebook’s user base continues to grow years later. Now Amazon is experiencing a… Read more...


Amid a fairly flat European market, Giant Ventures raises $250M to invest transatlantically
21TechCrunch / 9h
Giant Ventures, a U.K.-based VC that has made a habit of investing on both sides of the Atlantic, is launching two new funds, totaling $250 million. Its previous fund totaled $100 million. The firm invests across climate, health and what it calls “purpose-driven” startups and some used to call “impact” or “mission-driven.” Whatever the case, […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For persona


China's live streaming factories are bleak. Now TikTok wants to open one in the U.S.
Mashable / 9h
According to The Information , TikTok plans to open studios in major cities, where creators can host shopping livestreams on the platform. This move follows the widespread addition and adoption of TikTok Shop in 2023, the app's e-commerce element. If this idea sounds familiar, it may be because similar facilities have existed in China for years, including one in Wuhan operated by TikTok itself. O


‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ Early Access Is a Mess, Here’s How to Get a Refund
LifeHacker / 10h
Rocksteady's upcoming open-world co-op shooter Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League just can't catch a break. The beleaguered game isn't even out yet, and already it's faced delays, lukewarm preview impressions , and pre-launch woes—including a major leak that spoiled the game's story and a strange bug during its early access period this week that forced Rocksteady to take it offline and lock e


Someone finally cracked the “Silk Dress cryptogram” after 10 years
20Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge / “Paul Ramify loamy event false new event” was one of the lines written on two sheets of paper found in a hidden pocket. (credit: Sara Rivers Cofield) In December 2013, a curator and archaeologist purchased an antique silk dress with an unusual feature: a hidden pocket that held two sheets of paper with mysterious coded text written on them. People have been trying to crack the code ever


YouTube TV starts testing customizable 2×2 multiview options
Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge / For the NBA YouTube launched "Multiview," which is coming to Sunday Ticket. It's four games in a split screen. (credit: YouTube) YouTube TV may finally get a configurable split-screen mode. Google's cable TV replacement service launched a 2×2 "multiview" feature in 2023, but it relied on pre-made choices cooked up by some person (or maybe AI) inside Google. It's 10 months later, and now


Universal Orlando reveals lands, attractions, hotels and more for new Epic Universe theme park
77The Points Guy / 10h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. It’s been almost five years since the world learned that a fourth theme park would be coming to Universal Orlando Resort called Universal Epic Universe. Aside from a March 2021 update that construction on Epic Universe would resume after it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal has been tight-


Guide to the 6-month passport rule — what is it?
1KThe Points Guy / 10h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. It may sound trivial, but one of the best rules you can follow as an international traveler is to remember to check your passport validity before you book flights and hotels. Why? Because the requirements for entry differ from country to country. In the midst of planning my 2024 travel, I realized my U.S. passport ex


Tarot's Trailer Is Here to Remind You to Stick to Candy Land, Kids
Gizmodo / 10h
Beware any sinister party game pilfered from a dusty hiding place by smirking teens who couldn’t be less concerned with following “rules” that might protect them from supernatural harm. Many a horror movie has launched with that premise—and Tarot, which dropped its first trailer today, is the latest. Read more...


Microsoft says AI is getting deployed 'at scale'
40BBC News - Technology / 10h
The tech giant's AI success has caused shares to surge, after its market value passed $3tn.


Gamers rejoice: AMD may be cooking up a GPU with RTX 4080 performance at half the price
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
According to a new report, AMD may be working on a graphics card that offers the same performance as the Nvidia RTX 4080 but at only half the price. This isn’t the first time these rumors cropped up either, with a report back in 2023 about the manufacturer focusing on the mid-range market. The latest report asserts that the mid-range options of the AMD Radeon 8000 series will allegedly cost betwe


Facebook Approves Disgusting Pro-Anorexia and Drug Ads Targeted at Teens and Made With Its Own AI
Futurism / 10h
To see how open to abuse Facebook's advertising and AI platforms really are, a tech watchdog tested out some salacious prompts — and found that the company now known as Meta was all too willing to monetize its rule-breaking outputs. In a report, the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), which is part of the Campaign for Accountability nonprofit, said that its researchers used the " Imagine with Meta A


Make a Better To-do List With the 1-3-5 Method
LifeHacker / 11h
No matter what kind of productivity goals you have and which techniques you plan to use to get it all done, you still probably start with a to-do list. Learning to formulate a solid to-do list is the key first step to being productive, since you need it to move on to other planning stages, like using the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize tasks or Kanban to organize them . Try using the 1-3-5 rule f


Cozy-up With a Different Kind of Dumpling
LifeHacker / 11h
Some of the greatest comfort foods involve carbs, cheese, and cream. I’d like to bring dumplings into the spotlight. While there are as many dumpling variations as there are people on this planet (only slightly exaggerating), lately I’ve been cozying up with Swiss capuns. If you’ve never heard of these leaf-enrobed, cream-bathed parcels, you’re in for a treat. These savory bundles had never befor


The Taylor Swift deepfake debacle was frustratingly preventable
TechCrunch / 11h
You know you’ve screwed up when you’ve simultaneously angered the White House, the TIME Person of the Year and pop culture’s most rabid fanbase. That’s what happened last week to X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly called Twitter, when AI-generated, pornographic deepfake images of Taylor Swift went viral. One of the most widespread posts of […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For per


Microsoft's gaming revenue was up 49 percent in Q2, mostly thanks to the Activision deal
Engadget / 11h
Microsoft posted another blowout earnings report for Q2 of the 2024 fiscal year, with revenues of $62 billion (up 18 percent from last year) and profits of $21.9 billion (a 33 percent increase). But really, the most interesting thing about this quarter is that we finally get to see how the $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition affects the $3 trillion company. While Microsoft isn't breakin


Navigating media’s ups and downs with theSkimm co-founders
TechCrunch / 11h
Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


UK law could ban Apple security updates across the world in an 'unprecedented overreach'
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Apple is no stranger to controversy, especially involving government bodies. But a new proposal could aim to be “unprecedented” in its reach over the tech giant. Several amendments to the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) have been proposed, one that would require Apple (and any other company) to “notify UK officials of any updates they planned to make that could restrict the UK government's ac


Elon Musk’s Tesla Pay Package Is Voided by Judge
2KNYT > Technology / 11h
Shareholders had sued, arguing that Mr. Musk’s compensation — which helped make him the world’s richest person — was excessive.


Twitterrific’s team is back with Tapestry, an app for tracking social media, news, RSS and more
TechCrunch / 11h
The Iconfactory, the maker of a popular third-party Twitter client, Twitterrific, that was among those killed off by Twitter under Elon Musk’s management, is hoping to recover from its losses with a new app that combines your social media, news feeds and alerts into one experience. The app, dubbed “Project Tapestry” as it launches on […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use on


Your guide to maximizing shopping portals for your online purchases
100+The Points Guy / 11h
The next big gift-giving occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and graduations, are on the horizon. If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for your loved ones, online shopping portals may be a great solution. Online shopping portals offer an easy way to earn bonus miles or cash back on purchases. Also, Rakuten offers a one-time $30 bonus for new members who join through this lin


Microsoft’s legal department allegedly silenced an engineer who raised concerns about DALL-E 3
Engadget / 11h
A Microsoft manager claims OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 has security vulnerabilities that could allow users to generate violent or explicit images (similar to those that recently targeted Taylor Swift ). GeekWire reported Tuesday the company’s legal team blocked Microsoft engineering leader Shane Jones’ attempts to alert the public about the exploit. The self-described whistleblower is now taking his messag


Iconic streamer Pokimane is leaving Twitch
TechCrunch / 11h
One of the most popular streamers on Twitch, Pokimane announced today that she is leaving the platform. It’s not yet clear if she’s retiring from content creation altogether, or if she’s moving from Twitch to another platform. “twitch has been my home for a decade,” Pokimane wrote on X. “but it’s time to say thank […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Travelers Are Using Pillow Cases To Outsmart Airline Carry-On Limits
View from the Wing / 11h
In the ongoing game of airline versus passenger, one traveler has come up with a new way to win: using the pillow case as an extra carry-on bag. Just stuff all your items inside, instead of using it for a pillow. The overpacked pillow just takes all of the extra clothes you can't fit within your carry-on allowance. Continue reading ...


Optimus Prime Gets an Ultra Update in New Transformers HasLab Project
Gizmodo / 11h
In the world of Transformers, Optimus Prime is the guy . The traditional leader of the Autobots is the most popular character in the entire franchise and for good reason. He rules. You’d imagine it couldn’t get much bigger than him, but thanks to Hasbro, Prime is about to get a lot bigger. Read more...


Block becomes the latest fintech to lay off workers
26TechCrunch / 11h
Block, the fintech company whose subsidiaries include Square, Cash App and Afterpay, is laying off staff at a tumultuous time for tech industry workers. That’s according to an internal memo from CEO Jack Dorsey, obtained first by Business Insider, which states that “the growth of [Block] has far outpaced the growth of … business and […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use onl


iCloud Down: What's happening and when will it return?
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Apple's iCloud service is encountering service disruptions across at least one of its major services, with users expressing their frustration on X (formerly Twitter), with some TechRadar staff being locked out as well. So what's going on and when will iCloud be back to full service? We've reached out to Apple for answers and are covering the outage so you can find out when you'll be back to busin


TikTok's new favorite Wife Guy, Jett Puckett, loves his Pookie
Mashable / 11h
If you've spent a significant time on TikTok lately, then you might be just like me: wandering the halls of my home, muttering in a monotone drawl, "Pookie's looking absolutely fire tonight." You can thank a guy named Jett Puckett for that. And, of course, his wife Campbell, aka Pookie. SEE ALSO: TikTok's orange peel theory is the latest way to test your relationship The TikTok account in questio


PayPal is laying off 2,500 employees
Engadget / 11h
PayPal is laying off nine percent of its workforce, the company’s CEO Alex Chriss told staff in a letter on Tuesday that PayPal made public hours later. The decision will impact about 2,500 employees, who will find out their fate between today and the end of the week, Bloomberg reported earlier. PayPal's layoffs come almost exactly a year after the company fired more than 2,000 workers to keep co


LibreOffice 24.2 Has Landed: Here's What's New
How-To Geek / 11h
When it's time to draft a document or make a presentation, you probably use Google Workspace or the free browser-based version of Microsoft 365. But if you need an offline experience (and you aren't willing to pay), LibreOffice is your best choice. Now, LibreOffice is getting its first big 2024 update, complete with a version numbering change.


The Most Interesting iPhone Features I'm Expecting in iOS 18
LifeHacker / 11h
Apple's updates are all usually exciting, but some are much larger than others. iOS 17 , for example, introduced Contact Posters ; a feature that turns your iPhone into a smart display ; as well as the ability to turn any photo into a sticker . Come June, Apple will officially announce iOS 18, which could very well be a game-changing update for the iPhone. It's all about AI Look, this update is g


Is Amazon Alexa Spying on You?
LifeHacker / 11h
Amazon's Echo speaker, with its built-in Alexa functionality, is useful for controlling your smart home and getting quick information on traffic and the weather, among other things. But as convenient as Alexa is, it can create an eerie feeling that Alexa is always listening; spying, even. And those concerns are valid, especially since you're putting what is essentially a microphone connected to t


Google’s Parent Company, Alphabet, Reports Earnings Below Estimates
NYT > Technology / 11h
Google’s parent company reported that sales climbed 13 percent to $86.3 billion while profit jumped 52 percent.


CEOs from Meta, TikTok, Snap, X and Discord head to Congress for kids’ online safety hearing
26TechCrunch / 11h
CEOs from some of the biggest social platforms will appear before Congress on Wednesday to defend their companies against mounting criticism that they have done too little to protect kids and teens online. The hearing, set to begin at 10 a.m. ET, is the latest in a long string of congressional tech hearings stretching back […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


How to watch the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Discord, Snap and X testify about child safety
Engadget / 12h
The CEOs of five social media companies are headed to Washington to testify in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about child safety. The hearing will feature Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, TikTok CEO Shou Chew, Discord CEO Jason Citron and X CEO Linda Yaccarino. The group will face off with lawmakers over their record on child exploitation and their efforts to protect teens u


Breeze adds 3 summer routes from Raleigh-Durham focus city
52The Points Guy / 12h
Breeze Airways announced three new routes on Tuesday, adding more destinations from its focus city of Raleigh, North Carolina. Starting May 23, the airline will fly between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Vermont’s Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV), as well as New York’s Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR), for the summer season. Service to Portland Inte


Diary of an OnlyFans queen at AVN
Mashable / 12h
Every year, the who's who of porn descend on Las Vegas for the annual AVN Awards and Expo. We all know about porn stars, but what goes into being a top porn star at the Oscars of porn? We asked performer Lena the Plug to share with us her AVN diary for an inside look at the work that goes into dominating porn. Lena had a blockbuster year in 2023, with her podcast Plug Talk , where she and her hus


Ars Technica used in malware campaign with never-before-seen obfuscation
3 TTPs•
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Ars Technica was recently used to serve second-stage malware in a campaign that used a never-before-seen attack chain to cleverly cover its tracks, researchers from security firm Mandiant reported Tuesday. A benign image of a pizza was uploaded to a third-party website and was then linked with a URL pasted into the “about” page of a registered Ars user. Buried in th


Lawsuit: Citibank refused to reimburse scam victims who lost “life savings”
27Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / The Citibank logo on a bank in New York City in January 2024. Citibank has illegally refused to reimburse scam victims who lost money due partly to Citibank's poor online security practices, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged in a lawsuit filed today in US District Court for the Southern District of New York. "The lawsuit alleges that Citi does not implement strong online p


iCloud Down: What's happening and when will it return?
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Apple's iCloud service is encountering service disruptions across at least one of its major services, with users expressing their frustration on X (formerly Twitter), with some TechRadar staff being locked out as well. So what's going on and when will iCloud be back to full service? We've reached out to Apple for answers and are covering the outage so you can find out when you'll be back to busin


iCloud Down: What's happening and when will it return?
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Apple's iCloud service is encountering service disruptions across at least one of its major services, with users expressing their frustration on X (formerly Twitter), with some TechRadar staff being locked out as well. So what's going on and when will iCloud be back to full service? We've reached out to Apple for answers and are covering the outtage so you can find out when you'll be back to busi


Using A.I., Hollywood Agency and Tech Start-Up Aim to Protect Artists
NYT > Technology / 12h
WME said the partnership would help its clients get fake images of themselves removed or receive compensation for use of their likenesses.


Microsoft Reports 33% Rise in Earnings
NYT > Technology / 12h
Revenue was up 18% in the latest quarter, the tech giant said, as investors look for signs that it’s beginning to profit from artificial intelligence.


ChatGPT users can now invoke GPTs directly in chats
23TechCrunch / 12h
OpenAI is pushing adoption of GPTs, third-party apps powered by its AI models, by enabling ChatGPT users to invoke them in any chat. Starting today, paid users of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s AI chatbot front end, can bring GPTs into a conversation by typing “@” and selecting a GPT from the list. The chosen GPT will have […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Japan finally gives up on 1.44MB floppy disk drives, 50 years after they went on sale — but there's no sign of Microsoft removing the iconic 'Save' floppy icon from Office just yet
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Even though floppy disks have long since gone the way of the dodo , the ghost of the ancient recording media still haunts the digital world. As a great example, when you go to save a file in Microsoft Office, you'll see the save icon still appears as a floppy disk, even though there’s a good chance you’ll be saving your content in cloud storage , rather than to a slow, clunky plastic square with


JetBlue TrueBlue program: How to easily earn points
57The Points Guy / 12h
Since JetBlue is not part of any major airline alliance, its loyalty program, TrueBlue , tends to fly under the radar. However, it is one of the most straightforward mileage programs in the sky, and with the airline beginning seasonal service to Dublin and Edinburgh for the first time this March out of Boston and New York hubs, you may be even more inclined to redeem TrueBlue points. So, how do y


Netflix's Avatar Is Making Sokka Less Sexist, But for Bad Reasons
100+Gizmodo / 12h
In a new interview, the cast of Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender revealed a crucial change from the animated show , one that makes sense on the surface, but maybe not in context. Read more...


3 reasons why the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is worth the $95 annual fee
The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Hotel credit cards are often overlooked when compared to their airline card counterparts. Mid-tier hotel cards, with annual fees of up to $100 , can be an incredibly valuable addition to any wallet, whether you’re an infrequent traveler, a road warrior or a nonstop jet-setter. These cards tend to have rela


PlayStation 'State of Play': How to watch it
Mashable / 12h
Curious about how to watch the Playstation State of Play livestream? We've got the scoop. It's launching on Jan. 31, just weeks after Xbox's New Year showcase revealed the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle . In a possible effort to one-up the competition, PlayStation plans to showcase over 15 games that are due to be released in "2024 and beyond." Here's how to watch so you do


Block is reportedly laying off around 1,000 workers
Engadget / 12h
Block is the latest notable tech company to lay off hundreds of workers, according to reports. CEO Jack Dorsey is said to have informed employees that the company is firing a "large number" of them, with Cash App , Square and the foundational (i.e. operations) teams bearing the brunt of the impact. According to a Business Insider source, Block is letting go nearly 1,000 people. Dorsey reportedly


Here’s What Happened to Monkeys That Got the Neuralink Implant
500+Futurism / 12h
Elon Musk's brain chip company has apparently, and against all odds, implanted its wares into a human — which is at least slightly terrifying, considering the fates suffered by many of the monkeys it's experimented upon. In a post on X-formerly-Twitter, which he owns, the brazen billionaire said that the unidentified human subject was " recovering well ," and that "initial results show promising


Cyberattack Hits Office of Georgia DA Prosecuting Trump Case
Gizmodo / 12h
A cyberattack has impacted Fulton County, Georgia, where former President Donald Trump is currently being prosecuted on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Read more...


How Much Money Is 'Enough' to Make You Happy
20LifeHacker / 12h
There's no concrete consensus as to how much happiness a bigger income can buy. After a certain point, the pursuit of additional financial resources is not about money at all, but what it might symbolize. But what exactly does it symbolize? Is it possible to be both ambitious and satisfied? I spoke with financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin to better understand how individuals can define "enou


You Can Get This WonderCube Pro Charging Cable on Sale for $40 Right Now
LifeHacker / 12h
You can get the WonderCube Pro on sale for $39.97 right now (reg. $70) until February 4. The WonderCube Pro is a folding keychain that has charging cables for different devices, a flash memory reader, support for file transfer, and an LED flashlight. The flexible USB connector has built-in gold-plated