Thursday, July 25, 2024

Technology News and More-Friday Edition...

Technology News and More...



Elon Musk says he'll fight Mark Zuckerberg 'any place, any time, any rules'


100+Mashable / 22h
Elon Musk is talking about physically fighting Mark Zuckerberg again. There still aren't any actual plans for a fight in motion though, making it look like X/Twitter 's owner continues to remain all bark and no bite. In a video posted to X by Fox News reporter Kelly Phares, Musk states that he's still game to get his ass handed to him by Meta 's CEO. The two billionaires spent much of last year t


Earn bonus miles with these airline shopping portal promotions
1KThe Points Guy / 10h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Maybe you’re planning a major vacation in 2024, or you simply want to top off your airline account with some miles. Did you know you can use an online shopping portal to earn cash back or airline miles or points for each dollar you spend? Seriously, earning these rewards may be one of the best-kept secrets



Google DeepMind’s AI systems can now solve complex math problems
100+MIT Technology Review / 14h
AI models can easily generate essays and other types of text. However, they’re nowhere near as good at solving math problems, which tend to involve logical reasoning—something that’s beyond the capabilities of most current AI systems. But that may finally be changing. Google DeepMind says it has trained two specialized AI systems to solve complex math problems involving advanced reasoning. The sy



AI achieves silver-medal standard solving International Mathematical Olympiad Problems
Next Big Future / 19min
Breakthrough models AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2 solve advanced reasoning problems in mathematics. This is a huge advance for AI to make big progress with better reasoning and better math. Artificial general intelligence (AGI) with advanced mathematical reasoning has the potential to unlock new frontiers in science and technology. We’ve made great progress building AI systems ... Read more


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Friday, July 26, 2024
LifeHacker / 1h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 26, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is harder; I got it in five. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 26, Wordle #1,133! 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 website . A


NYT Strands hints, answers for July 26
Mashable / 2h
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands , the New York Times ' elevated word-search game. By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections . SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for July 26 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today


How to livestream the Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Mashable / 2h
TL;DR: Watch the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony on NBC, Peacock , and NBC platforms, including NBCOlympics.com , NBC.com , the NBC app, and the NBC Olympics app. The Olympics is the biggest sports event in the world, an elite showcase that unites nations from all around the globe. Winning an Olympics medal — gold, silver, or bronze — truly is the pinnacle of athletic competition. This Olympics 20


Get a lifetime subscription to an iOS scanner app for 85% off
Mashable / 2h
TL;DR: Through July 28 only, you can get a lifetime subscription to the iScanner app for iOS on sale for £23.31 (£155.80), saving you 85% on list price. Opens in a new window Credit: BP Mobile iScanner (Lifetime Subscription) £23.31 at the Mashable Shop £155.80 Save £132.49 Whether you need a digital copy of a book or to send in some late homework for uni, a scanner can be a great tool. But with


Video game actors go on strike over AI
60BBC News / 2h
The union has been in talks with big games studios, like Activision and Walt Disney, for 18 months.


DJI Air 3S leak claims it could have a superpower enabling smoother flights and dynamic shoots
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
Information on DJI’s upcoming Air 3S has recently appeared on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), with notable leaker Quadro News sharing videos of the drone flying above a city and providing details on the type of camera it may have. In his latest info drop, the insider posted an up-close photograph of the device’s front, revealing what could be “significant advancements” coming to the A


Tesla FSD 12.5 Good Reviews But 12.5.X Releases for More Features and Improvements
Next Big Future / 3h
Tesla FSD 12.5.X will add Actually Smart Summon in about a month. It could be in the 2-4 week timeframe to get 12.5.3 released and then widely released. Tesla FSD 12.5 is showing some reverse driving for an automatic park. $TSLASuper AutoPark! https://t.co/2FZ5W4GQBi — Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) July 25, 2024 Tesla FSD Tracker only has ... Read more


Elon Musk's Transgender Daughter Says He's Treated Her With Unbelievable Cruelty
94Futurism / 4h
Ten or fifteen years ago, Elon Musk seemed like a milquetoast liberal. He chummed around with Barack Obama , talked about the need to move away from fossil fuels , and accepted huge amounts of government assistance . But over the past few years, he's taken a rightward turn so extreme that it gives a sense of whiplash. Now he's more likely to make headlines for supporting Donald Trump , insulting


ChatGPT won't let you give it instruction amnesia anymore
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
OpenAI is making a change to stop people from messing with custom versions of ChatGPT by making the AI forget what it's supposed to do. Basically, when a third party uses one of OpenAI's models, they give it instructions that teach it to operate as, for example, a customer service agent for a store or a researcher for an academic publication. However, a user could mess with the chatbot by telling


Reorganize Your Fridge Using a 'Stations' System
LifeHacker / 5h
You probably organize your fridge the same way you've done it for years. If I had to guess, you have condiments in the door, a section for drinks, and a drawer full of produce. This is the classic way, and there's nothing to be ashamed about, no matter how inferior you may feel when you see one of those viral "fridge stocking" videos on Reels. However, I'd recommend a new approach, not only for y


'Deadpool and Wolverine's foul-mouthed end-credit scene, explained
Mashable / 5h
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is no stranger to the art of the end-credit scene. Take his Ferris Bueller cosplay in Deadpool , or his time-travel rampage in Deadpool 2 . Yeah, he's already a pro at this. For the Merc with a Mouth's first end-credit scene as an official part of the MCU , Deadpool & Wolverine doesn't tease any upcoming Marvel movies or unveil wild new cameos. Instead, it pays off a gag


A guide to all the 'Deadpool and Wolverine' cameos, from Ladypool and beyond
Mashable / 5h
If you thought Spider-Man: No Way Home or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness were the most cameo-filled an MCU movie could get, think again. Deadpool & Wolverine has gone all out to claim the cameo crown. The cameos here are only possible thanks to Disney's $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which granted the MCU access to everything from Deadpool to the X-Men to the Fantasti


Google's entire Pixel 9 series may have been revealed three weeks early, thanks to new massive leak
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
Google’s Pixel 9 series is set to be unveiled soon on August 13, 2024, but that hasn’t stopped leaks from flooding the internet. News site 91mobiles recently shared marketing material for the smartphone line, revealing many important details. The design of the three models matches the descriptions mentioned in previous reports – for the most part. According to the screenshots, each smartphone has


The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 Is $250 Off
LifeHacker / 6h
The Surface Laptop Go 3 is designed to be a lightweight, portable laptop that you can take with you on a whim, in part due to its lightweight and durable battery. Right now, the Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD version is $549.99 (originally $799.99) at Amazon and Best Buy . Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with


What's behind the global self-storage boom?
21BBC News / 6h
Rising rents, e-commerce and available property are contributing to a boom in self-storage.


Study Finds That AI Is Adding to Employees' Workload and Burning Them Out
200+Futurism / 6h
Work Roll Despite executives' expectations to the contrary , a new study from one of the world's largest gig work platforms has found that artificial intelligence is piling new workloads and stress on existing employees. In a new study about AI and employee workloads , the gig marketplace Upwork found that 77 percent of workers who use AI say the technology is doing more work for them, and that i


Sonos Admits Its Recent App Update Was a Colossal Mistake
22Wired / 6h
Owners of the company’s wireless speakers will have to endure the pain of broken software for several more months.


You'll Be Able to FaceTime With 911 Soon
LifeHacker / 7h
SOS features may not make for the most exciting tech announcements, but they can save lives. At this year's WWDC , Apple announced that iOS 18 will be adding live video support for emergency calls, and now the support platforms that power 911 are getting ready to help you talk with operators face-to-face. Apple calls this feature Emergency SOS Live Video, and 911 support platforms such as Prepare


The Newest iPads Are Up to $100 Off
LifeHacker / 7h
Apple surprised everyone this May when they released a new iPad Pro and iPad Air with the new M4 chip and the M2 chip, respectively. Before them, the most iPads had gotten were M1 chips. These new and powerful iPads are all at their lowest price since their recent release, according to price-checking tools , with discounts going up to $100. Sure, they're not huge discounts, but we're talking abou


Jump on this: Air France has flights to Japan from 53,000 points round-trip
The Points Guy / 7h
There is excellent awards availability to Japan on Air France-KLM Flying Blue right now, with round-trip economy travel available for as low as 53,000 points. There is availability from U.S. departure cities Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Seattle for flights to Haneda Airport (HND) in Tokyo from now through June of next year. The widest range of available awards space is in January and Februa


NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Friday, July 26 (game #411)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
It's the final Connections puzzle of the working week, and it's another fairly difficult one. What a surprise, eh? Read on for some hints. What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers , Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too. SPOILER WARNING: Information abou


NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Friday, July 26 (game #145)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Here's a nice, easy Strands puzzle to round off the week. I say it's easy – you might disagree of course. There are hints below if you need them. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the


Quordle today – hints and answers for Friday, July 26 (game #914)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Today's Quordle could go either way – and much will depend on whether you get lucky with your first couple of guesses. If you don't want to leave things to chance, my hints below may help you out. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. S POILER WARNING: Information about Quordle


X's Grok chatbot is misleading voters about the presidential election
Engadget / 7h
The US is in the middle of another hotly contested and seemingly close presidential election. This election is also happening in this new age of widespread access to artificial intelligence and easily disseminated misinformation. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says his office tracked the source of one key piece of election misinformation back to X’s Grok chatbot. The Minneapolis Star Tr


Rocket delivered to launch site for first human flight to the Moon since 1972
Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge (credit: NASA/Isaac Watson ) The central piece of NASA's second Space Launch System rocket arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. Agency officials intend to start stacking the towering launcher in the next couple of months for a mission late next year carrying a team of four astronauts around the Moon. The Artemis II mission, officially scheduled for September 2025, will be


Google claims math breakthrough with proof-solving AI models
24Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge / An illustration provided by Google. (credit: Google ) On Thursday, Google DeepMind announced that AI systems called AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2 reportedly solved four out of six problems from this year's International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), achieving a score equivalent to a silver medal. The tech giant claims this marks the first time an AI has reached this level of performance


Amex Gold Card Refresh: More Credits, Higher Fee
72One Mile at a Time / 7h
The American Express® Gold Card ( review ), which is one of Amex’s most popular consumer cards, has just undergone a full fresh. The changes are a mixed bag — while the card’s annual fee is increasing, I’d argue that there are some new perks that help justify that increase. Let’s go over all the details. Details of Amex Gold Card changes The Amex Gold Card has undergone a refresh as of July 25, 2


Leak Shows That Google-Funded AI Video Generator Runway Was Trained on Stolen YouTube Content, Pirated Films
20Futurism / 7h
A popular and powerful text-to-video AI generator developed by Runway was trained on copious amounts of pirated content and ripped off YouTube videos, according to a gigantic internal spreadsheet obtained by 404 Media . Last month, the company's Gen-3 Alpha video generation tool drew huge amounts of attention, with publications — including Futurism — lauding the almost photorealistic clips it cou


Comic-Con leak sparks rumors of two remastered Soul Reaver games
Engadget / 7h
San Diego Comic-Con is a popular time to announce any big news for the geekdom, but it's also a popular time for big news to accidentally get revealed early. Today, an attendee took a photo of the booth for comic publisher Dark Horse that may have leaked plans for a remaster of two Soul Reaver games. The image shows a statue of characters Raziel and Kain, and the artwork is accompanied by a sign


Reddit Is Giving Google a Search Monopoly
LifeHacker / 8h
“Reddit” has quickly become one of my favorite search engine keywords. When I want to know what actual people have to say about restaurants near me or a hotel I might be looking at (as opposed to a bunch of ads or questionable AI junk), Adding “Reddit” to the end of my search is a good way to get it. But going forward, you'll only be able to use this trick with Google: Microsoft today confirmed t


SearchGPT Is OpenAI's Answer to Google AI Overviews
LifeHacker / 8h
ChatGPT gained the ability to search the internet late last year, but there’s a difference between an AI chatbot that can use live information and a full AI search engine like Google AI Overviews or Perplexity . Shortly after Microsoft announced that it’s working on Generative Search for Bing , OpenAI announced SearchGPT , its own entry into the space. Powered by GPT-4 models, SearchGPT is someth


'Deadpool & Wolverine' producer and Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige reveals his go-to movies
Mashable / 8h
Marvel Studios president and 'Deadpool & Wolverine' producer, Kevin Feige, reveals to Mashable Entertainment Reporter, Belen Edwards his go-to comfort movies.


Elon Musk's Daughter Says He Was an Absentee Father and He’s Lying About Her Childhood
500+Futurism / 8h
Firing Back A woman claiming to be the estranged transgender daughter of tech billionaire Elon Musk has come out swinging against the Tesla and SpaceX CEO on social media, painting Musk to be a liar and an absentee dad barely involved in his children's lives. Her searing comments, posted on Threads, come days after Musk made virulently transphobic comments during an interview with right-wing infl


Terrifying NASA Video Shows America Spewing CO2 Into Atmosphere
200+Futurism / 9h
Car Bon Pain NASA has released a new visualization that shows copious amounts of carbon dioxide wafting off the Earth and swirling through the atmosphere. The video shows how concentrations of the gas move across the planet, driven by wind and atmospheric circulation, from January through March 2020. The United States, in particular, stands out as a major source of emissions. In 2021, the US acco


Shaun of the Dead will stumble back into theaters for its 20th anniversary
34Engadget / 9h
The greatest British zombie rom-com in film history will return to theaters for another run to the Winchester in honor of its 20th anniversary. Focus Features announced that Shaun of the Dead starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will get another theatrical run starting on Aug. 29 for US theaters and Sept. 27 for UK theaters . Shaun of the Dead tells the story of a British slacker named Shaun who ge


Video Game Performers Are Going on Strike Over AI
30Wired / 9h
The union representing the voice and motion-capture actors who work in video games authorized the strike after talks with gaming companies stalled over the use of AI.


You Can Get an iRobot Roomba i4 on Sale for $150 Right Now
LifeHacker / 9h
You can get this iRobot Roomba i4 EVO on sale for $149.99 right now through July 28. The Roomba i4 EVO has a 20% larger battery over previous models and comes with Smart Mapping, and the 3-stage cleaning system and dual multi-surface rubber brushes work on multiple floor types and can clean pet hair. The integrated iRobot OS learns cleaning habits and can be controlled via Alexa, Siri, or Google


The Best Ways to Reuse (or Discard) Old Pill Bottles
LifeHacker / 9h
About two-thirds of adults in this country use at least one prescription medication , and as you might imagine prescription drug use rises as we get older. But whether it’s the occasional bottle of painkillers handed to you after a tooth extraction or a regular dose to manage a chronic disease, all those prescriptions lead to one thing: A lot of old pill bottles cluttering up our homes. If you’re


OpenAI Is Testing SearchGPT, an AI-Powered Search Engine
NYT > Technology / 9h
The prominent A.I. start-up said it planned to eventually fold the new technology into its popular online chatbot, ChatGPT.


California Supreme Court upholds classification of gig workers as independent contractors
Engadget / 9h
Ride-share companies scored a victory in the California Supreme Court, allowing them to continue classifying gig workers as independent contractors rather than employees. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig-economy companies invested around $200 million in the passage of Proposition 22 , which voters approved in 2020. The state’s highest court rejected a legal challenge from a drivers’ group and a


Class Action Lawsuit Alleges T-Mobile Broke Its Lifetime Price Guarantee
100+Wired / 9h
Customers of the uncarrier want T-Mobile to pay up after switching their legacy phone plans for something more expensive.


Watch: Delta Passenger’s Epic Sky Club Revenge After Days Of Flight Chaos – Full Compensation Secured
View from the Wing / 9h
One man suffering at the hands of Delta’s thousands of cancelled flights this past week decided to take revenge in the only way he knew how. Stuck in the airport, the Sky Club lounge member found himself out expenses for a trip he was no longer getting to fully take and without compensation for those expenses. So he decided to take compensation, or at least impose costs on the airline, equal to w


The ‘notable’ way flight attendants show their gratitude to frequent flyers
The Points Guy / 9h
As we were preparing to land at Orlando International Airport (MCO) during a recent Delta Air Lines flight, a friendly attendant handed me and a few other passengers a card with a handwritten thank-you note on the back. I had never received such a note, nor had I known they existed. I immediately texted my trusted co-worker and fellow frequent flyer Clint Henderson for some insight. He told me th


Every GPU Should Be Mounted Vertically. Change My Mind.
How-To Geek / 9h
There's never been a greater variety of seriously cool PC cases and hardware inside of them. However, there's one small detail that even the most discerning PC builder often forgets about, and that's how you mount the GPU. I say every GPU should be mounted vertically, and here's why.


OpenAI hits Google where it hurts with new SearchGPT prototype
Ars Technica - All content / 9h
Enlarge (credit: Benj Edwards / OpenAI) Arguably, few companies have unintentionally contributed more to the increase of AI-generated noise online than OpenAI. Despite its best intentions—and against its terms of service —its AI language models are often used to compose spam , and its pioneering research has inspired others to build AI models that can potentially do the same. This influx of AI-ge


Chrome will now prompt some users to send passwords for suspicious files
Ars Technica - All content / 9h
(credit: Chrome ) Google is redesigning Chrome malware detections to include password-protected executable files that users can upload for deep scanning, a change the browser maker says will allow it to detect more malicious threats. Google has long allowed users to switch on the Enhanced Mode of its Safe Browsing , a Chrome feature that warns users when they’re downloading a file that’s believed


Lego’s newest retro art piece is a 1,215-piece Super Mario World homage
Ars Technica - All content / 9h
The Lego Mario & Yoshi set is an homage to 1990's Super Mario World . [credit: The Lego Group ] Nintendo and Lego are at it again—they've announced another collaboration today as a follow-up to the interactive Mario sets , the replica Nintendo Entertainment System , the unfolding question mark block with the Mario 64 worlds inside, and other sets besides. The latest addition is an homage to 1990'


Sonos CEO apologizes for botched app redesign, promises month-by-month updates
26Ars Technica - All content / 9h
Enlarge / I don't know how Sonos' app might have developed during the groovy era their marketing images aim to summon, but it feels like it might not have wanted to rush head-long into disappointing users quite so quickly. (credit: Sonos) Sonos issued a redesigned app in May, and what lots of customers noticed about it wasn't the refreshed look, but the things from the previous design entirely mi


US solar production soars by 25 percent in just one year
39Ars Technica - All content / 9h
Enlarge (credit: Vithun Khamsong ) With the plunging price of photovoltaics, the construction of solar plants has boomed in the US. Last year, for example, the US's Energy Information Agency expected that over half of the new generating capacity would be solar , with a lot of it coming online at the very end of the year for tax reasons. Yesterday, the EIA released electricity generation numbers f


SpaceX Builds a Second Launch Tower and Improved Starship Heat Shield is Ready
Next Big Future / 9h
SpaceX is building a second Mechazilla launch tower and has stacked two of the nine modules. The launch tower is about 469 feet tall or about 45 stories. Each of the modules is about 30 feet tall. Felix Schlang and the What About It? Youtube channels have excellent coverage of the second SpaceX tower. The ... Read more


ChatGPT reveals search feature in Google challenge
26BBC News / 9h
OpenAI is working on adding new search powers to its artificial intelligence (AI) bot.


Boeing's Starliner Stuck at the ISS Until at Least August, NASA Admits
100+Futurism / 9h
One Step Forward NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the International Space Station on board Boeing's plagued Starliner spacecraft on June 6, over a month and a half ago. The trip was only supposed to last less than two weeks, but the space agency still has yet to issue a return date as engineers are still poring over the data , investigating a number of thrusters that spr


NBA and WNBA Games Are Coming to Streaming Services
How-To Geek / 9h
Basketball is among the most watched sports in the US. Sure, as we write this most of your favorite players are in Paris fighting for gold medals with Team USA, but afterward the NBA will be back. When it's back, you'll now be able to watch it on more places.


Reddit no longer showing in search results – unless it's Google search
Mashable / 10h
Over the past few years, Reddit has experienced surges of traffic from search engines. Why? Many internet users have adopted the practice of adding "Reddit" to the end of whatever they are searching for so they can find conversations and opinions from real people. Whether it be product reviews or travel recommendations, many people are looking to search within Reddit's archives of discussions to


My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Samsung Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor
LifeHacker / 10h
When it comes to serious gaming, players look for every minuscule detail to gain an advantage over their opponents. Having a powerful gaming monitor with top specs can give serious gamers an advantage, or at the very least, allow their skills to be the only factor between winning or losing. The Samsung Odyssey G9 gaming monitor is a 49-inch gaming monitor with some impressive specs, including a 2


You Can Use Apple Maps on the Web, but Will You?
LifeHacker / 10h
On Wednesday, Apple announced that Apple Maps is now available on the web in beta. While the Maps app is available on all of Apple's devices, you can now access Apple's navigation app on virtually any device with a supported web browser. The question is: will you? The web app appears to be a similar, yet stripped down, experience to the app you'd find on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac: You can search


Google Geminis 1.5 Flash Upgrade Is Now Free for Everyone
How-To Geek / 10h
Google has launched upgrades to its Gemini AI chatbot, which now responds faster to your requests with better results and links to related content. The improvements require the updated 1.5 Flash model, which Google said will be available in Gemini "in the coming week."


Actors’ Union to Go on Strike Against Video Game Companies
100+NYT > Technology / 10h
The SAG-AFTRA union wants higher pay for the use of voices and images and protection from losing jobs to artificial intelligence.


Video game performers will strike over AI concerns
Engadget / 10h
The SAG-AFTRA union today called for a strike against several major video game publishers after failing to reach an accord over AI use. The action will take effect at 12:01 am on July 26. "We're not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said."Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about of


Luxury fashion startup The Floorr empowers personal stylists with tools to grow their businesses
20TechCrunch / 10h
The Floorr offers tools for conducting sales, hosting tailored styling sessions, creating mood boards, and engaging in text or voice chats with clients, all in one place. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Amex Business Gold Card 100K Points Welcome Offer
28One Mile at a Time / 10h
Link: Apply now for the American Express® Business Gold Card The American Express® Business Gold Card is one of the most rewarding business cards if you’re looking to earn Amex Membership Rewards points . We’ve just seen an improved publicly available welcome offer rolled out on this card, making it an ideal time to apply. If you’re eligible for this card, it’s absolutely worth picking it up, in


California Supreme Court Rules That Uber and Lyft Drivers Will Remain Independent Contractors
34Wired / 10h
In a major victory for app-based companies, their drivers will not be considered employees.


SearchGPT Is OpenAI’s Direct Assault on Google
59Wired / 10h
The company behind ChatGPT is expanding into search, and leaning heavily on its relationships with publishers.


Is it 'Kamala' or 'Harris'? The answer is complicated.
80Mashable / 10h
Kamala Harris is brat . She is the horticulturist of the communal coconut tree that we did not just fall out of. Or just as much the harvester of the apple tree that we did spawn from, if you live by the philosophy of British icon Charli XCX. It's a Kamalaminomenon , in the words of skyrocketing pop star Chappell Roan. When President Biden announced he'd be stepping off the campaign trail , he th


8 Lessons I'd Like to See Nintendo Learn for the Switch 2
How-To Geek / 10h
After decades of console launches that have set both industry highs and (relative) lows, there are critical lessons that Nintendo must learn from the competition and the company's past. Nobody wants the Switch 2 to be another Wii U.


OpenAI unveils SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine
47Engadget / 10h
OpenAI on Thursday announced a new AI-powered search engine prototype called SearchGPT. The move marks the company’s entry into a competitive search engine market dominated by Google for decades. On its website, OpenAI described SearchGPT as “a temporary prototype of new AI search features that give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.” The company plans to test out the pr


Here’s why David Sacks, Paul Graham and other big Silicon Valley names had a brawl on X over VC behavior
TechCrunch / 10h
A decade-old drama involving VC David Sacks and Rippling founder Parker Conrad has blown up on X with many among the Silicon Valley elite taking sides. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


OpenAI officially takes on Google with SearchGPT – but not everybody gets access for now
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
After months of speculation, OpenAI's search engine, SearchGPT, is here but only as a prototype and in limited testing. Even so, it's a watershed moment for the generative AI company and may represent the first substantial challenge to Google's Search engine dominance. OpenAI announced that it's testing SearchGPT in a blog post on Thursday. It calls it a "temporary prototype" and only posts a wai


RFK Jr. Says He’ll Send People Taking Adderall to Labor Camps
45Futurism / 10h
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., independent challenger for president and anti-vaccine activist, has a cockamamie solution for drug addicts and people who use medication for depression or ADHD: strip people of their tech gadgets and send them to government-funded "wellness farms" to grow organic food. Doesn't that sound suspiciously like... a labor camp?! Kennedy extolled this unworkable idea during a vide


SearchGPT Is a Web Search Engine Powered by ChatGPT
How-To Geek / 10h
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and the GPT language model, is getting ready to compete directly with Google. The company just launched SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine.


100,000 Point Offer And New White Gold: American Express Business Gold
View from the Wing / 10h
The American Express® Business Gold Card had one of the better initial bonus offers already at 70,000 Membership Rewards points. Now American Express has accelerated things, along with the introduction of a Limited Edition White Gold card option. Continue reading ...


Scientists unlock more secrets of Rembrandt’s pigments in The Night Watch
Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge / Rembrandt's The Night Watch underwent many chemical and mechanical alterations over the last 400 years. (credit: Public domain) Since 2019, researchers have been analyzing the chemical composition of the materials used to create Rembrandt's masterpiece, The Night Watch, as part of the Rijksmuseum's ongoing Operation Night Watch , devoted to its long-term preservation. Chemists at the Ri


No, NASA hasn’t found life on Mars yet, but the latest discovery is intriguing
100+Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge / NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered “leopard spots” on a reddish rock nicknamed “Cheyava Falls” in Mars’ Jezero Crater in July 2024. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) NASA's Perseverance rover has found a very intriguing rock on the surface of Mars. An arrowhead-shaped rock observed by the rover has chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by ancient microbial life.


Secure Boot is completely broken on 200+ models from 5 big device makers
100+Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge (credit: sasha85ru | Getty Imates) In 2012, an industry-wide coalition of hardware and software makers adopted Secure Boot to protect against a long-looming security threat. The threat was the specter of malware that could infect the BIOS, the firmware that loaded the operating system each time a computer booted up. From there, it could remain immune to detection and removal and could loa


SearchGPT is OpenAI's new search engine. Here's how to try it.
Mashable / 11h
SearchGPT is here. OpenAI 's quest to integrate its artificial intelligence tools into even more people's lives got a boost on Thursday. The company behind ChatGPT announced on its website that it would start taking signups to test out an early version of SearchGPT, an AI-fueled search engine. OpenAI stressed that this is a prototype — and the "best features" from the test period will eventually


This Site Offers Hundreds of Free Language Learning Courses
LifeHacker / 11h
Whether you learned Spanish from Sesame Street or took French in high school, your skills might be have gotten a bit rusty over the years. Or maybe you work in an industry where it's helpful to understand Arabic, Korean, or Finnish, or you want to pick up some Italian to help research your ancestry. Whatever the reason, if you'd like to learn a new language, there are plenty of free, online cours


Glamping on points: Under Canvas is now live on World of Hyatt
100+The Points Guy / 11h
Hyatt wants to take you on a luxurious camping adventure — almost like a safari. As of Thursday, the glamping company Under Canvas is officially part of World of Hyatt thanks to Hyatt’s partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith . Under Canvas has camping locations across the country, from Acadia National Park to Moab, Utah. Now, World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points for nature-filled stays at 1


Sonos apologized for messing up its app and has offered a roadmap for fixing everything
Engadget / 11h
Sonos seriously stepped in it a couple of months back when it released an overhauled first-party mobile app that shipped with a number of missing features . These included core functions like sleep timers and alarms. Many of the company’s speakers would not appear as a pairing option and it became extremely difficult to precisely adjust the volume level of a paired speaker.Additionally, music sea


Russia’s shadow war against Europe has begun as cyber attacks abusing Microsoft infrastructure increase
5 TTPs•
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
New research from cybersecurity firm Heimdal has showed a huge spike in brute force attacks against corporate and institutional networks across Europe, with most of the attacks originating in Russia. Brute force attacks are used to gain access to accounts and systems by using trial and error to guess weak passwords . Russian threat actors have been abusing this technique to exploit Microsoft infr


Applied Intuition closes $300M secondary four months after raising $250M
28TechCrunch / 11h
Autonomous vehicle software startup Applied Intuition has closed a $300 million secondary sale just four months after raising a $250 million Series E round, yet another sign of how white-hot the investment scene is for artificial intelligence companies. The secondary round adds Fidelity Management & Research Company to an already-stacked lineup of investors in the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All right


Buy IHG One Rewards Points With Up To 100% Bonus (0.5 Cents Each)
98One Mile at a Time / 11h
Strategically buying points can be a good value , especially for luxury hotel stays. IHG One Rewards has just launched a new sale on purchased points . Different members seem to be eligible for different offers, so let’s go over the details. Sale on purchased IHG One Rewards points Through Saturday, September 7, 2024, IHG One Rewards is offering a bonus on purchased points . Different members are


Tesla warns against wet towel charging trick two months too late
63Engadget / 11h
Tesla car culture is full of hacks and shortcuts, some more effective than others. One, known as the “wet towel” trick, required the Tesla Charging department — or whatever remains of it — to publicly tell customers to knock it off. The “wet towel” trick involves wrapping a damp, cool cloth around a Supercharger cable handle as a way to presumably speed up the charging time. The Supercharger has


WhatsApp hits 100 million monthly active US users
30Engadget / 11h
I rarely used WhatsApp before moving from the United States to the United Kingdom a couple of years ago, opting for the built-in messaging app on my iPhone or fellow Meta-owned platform Messenger. No one I knew in the US used it, and, in fact, I had to get friends and family members to download it when I moved so we could communicate without being charged — you're welcome, Mark Zuckerberg. Well,


7 Things That Would Make Apple CarPlay Better
How-To Geek / 11h
CarPlay is one of those modern conveniences that, after youve come to rely on it, would be hard to live without. But Apples auto experience isnt perfect, yet. Heres how CarPlay could be better for everyone.


World Of Hyatt & Under Canvas Launch Intriguing Partnership
One Mile at a Time / 11h
Hyatt has just introduced an exclusive alliance with Under Canvas, opening up some unique new lodging options that many World of Hyatt members will appreciate. Basics of the Hyatt & Under Canvas partnership Thanks to a new partnership , World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points for stays at Under Canvas properties . For those not familiar with Under Canvas , the company has 13 outdoor res


With Google in its sights, OpenAI unveils SearchGPT
71TechCrunch / 11h
OpenAI may have designs to get into the search game — challenging not only upstarts like Perplexity, but Google and Bing, too. The company on Thursday unveiled SearchGPT, a search feature designed to give “timely answers” to questions, drawing from web sources. UI-wise, SearchGPT isn’t too far off from OpenAI’s chatbot platform ChatGPT. You type […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For per


Yellowstone eruption, Lisa Kudow's 'Friends' confession, and 'Love Island' tea: Top 10 YouTube videos this week
Mashable / 11h
Curious about the top trending YouTube videos of the week? From the geyser explosion in Yellowstone National Park to Fortnite's inclusion of the controversial Tesla Cybertruck , this week's popular videos are a reflection of eye-catching events that have captivated millions. We're also getting a sneak peek into some nostalgia, with Lisa Kudrow from "Friends" telling Conan O'Brien that she has ren


'Spotlight on Paris' is NBC's latest bid for Gen Z Olympic attention
Mashable / 11h
"We're trying to reach everyone in the United States," Josh Noval, the SVP of Olympic Sales at NBCUniversal, told Mashable. The network's latest bid to draw in viewers to the 2024 Paris Olympics is Spotlight on Paris , a roughly one hour TikTok Live show debuting daily throughout the Games at 4:45pm ET. SEE ALSO: Who will appear in the Olympics Opening Ceremony? Presented in partnership with Toyo


Amex Business Gold card: New welcome offer worth up to $2,000
200+The Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. The American Express® Business Gold Card is a valuable mid-tier card for business owners. With valuable bonus categories, high earnings on Amex Travel purchases and up to $395 in annual statement credits, there are plenty of reasons to add the card to your wallet. Enrollment is required for select benefits


Obama Advisor Calls for Tesla Boycott After Elon Musk’s Appalling Trump Endorsement
74Futurism / 11h
Loud Silence A longtime Democratic presidential advisor is calling for a Tesla boycott after Elon Musk's endorsement of Donald Trump for president. In an editorial for The Guardian , economist Robert Reich — a former advisor to president Barack Obama and secretary of labor under Bill Clinton — argued that "wealth is most dangerous when transformed into political power" and that the best response


Southwest Airlines Investor Call: 9 Game-Changing New Product Updates For Flyers
View from the Wing / 11h
Southwest Airlines announced plans for redeye flights, premium seats, and assigned seating but left a lot of questions unanswered. They don't know all the answers yet! But during the carrier's second quarter investor call on Thursday they provided more information and filled in several gaps, as well as shared other useful tidbits, that flyers need to know about these changes and the airline's bus


New Jersey’s $500 Million Bid to Become an AI Epicenter
22Wired / 11h
The Garden State has enacted a hefty new tax credit specifically for AI businesses. But tax incentives—particularly for data centers—don’t always create a lot of jobs.


Great, Now Bing Is Getting Generative AI Search Too
LifeHacker / 12h
When Google’s AI Overviews told people to put glue in their pizza earlier this year, the internet responded with ways to turn AI Overviews off and threats to leave Google Search behind altogether . Unfortunately, AI is about to follow Google refugees, because Bing is about to get its own, even more intense version of AI overviews. While it’s not quite ready yet, Microsoft’s Bing Generative Search


The New Disney+, Hulu, and Max Bundle Isn't a Terrible Deal
LifeHacker / 12h
I'm no fan of the state of streaming: Between companies continuing to raise prices and cracking down on password sharing , this whole thing is starting to feel like cable all over again. That said, what are you going to do: not watch TV? There's so much good content coming out all the time, that there are probably a few subscription services you want to watch on any given evening. If those three


AI video startup Runway reportedly trained on ‘thousands’ of YouTube videos without permission
Engadget / 12h
AI company Runway reportedly scraped “thousands” of YouTube videos and pirated versions of copyrighted movies without permission. 404 Media obtained alleged internal spreadsheets suggesting the AI video-generating startup trained its Gen-3 model using YouTube content from channels like Disney, Netflix, Pixar and popular media outlets. An alleged former Runway employee told the publication the com


Hyatt Introduces Luxury Glamping Partnership, Earn And Redeem At “Under Canvas” Properties
View from the Wing / 12h
Hyatt has added Under Canvas glamping through its Mr and Mrs Smith partnership. There are 13 outdoor resorts in places like Yellowstone National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains. Continue reading ...


Is Avianca Getting Airbus A350s? Abra Group Orders Five Jets…
One Mile at a Time / 12h
A new planned Airbus A350 order has just been announced , and I find this to be a bit surprising. Abra Group ordering five Airbus A350-900s Abra Group has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for five Airbus A350-900s. A delivery timeline hasn’t yet been announced, and for that matter, the order hasn’t even been finalized. The planned order is described as being intended to further exp


Overwatch 2 may test a return to six-player teams
Engadget / 12h
Blizzard has provided an update that will be music to the ears of many Overwatch 2 fans. The publisher plans to experiment with a range of team compositions beyond the role-locked 5v5 format that the game currently has. That includes a potential revival of six-player teams from the original Overwatch . "The community has, juuuust once or twice, suggested a test," Overwatch 2 game director Aaron K


Why I Pre-Ordered the Light Phone 3, a Minimalist Phone With Screws and a Wheel
How-To Geek / 12h
The Light Phone 2 was a credit-card-sized "minimalist" phone with an e-ink screen and a slew of shortcomings. Now, the Light Phone 3 appears to be solving some of those problems, and I've placed a pre-order. Despite how much I enjoy using my powerful smartphone, I'm considering making the shift.


How to dispose a mattress
Mashable / 12h
Are you shopping around for a new bedroom set, but unsure of how to dispose a mattress or box spring? Don’t worry; you have options for getting rid of your old bed — and we’ve listed them for you. Whether your mattress is beat down, or you’re just looking to upgrade, it’s important to know how you can properly dispose your mattress. SEE ALSO: Eight Sleep's Pod 3 cooling mattress cover is clearly


Mark Zuckerberg says WhatsApp has 100M monthly active users in the US
TechCrunch / 12h
WhatsApp has recently ramped up its marketing push in the U.S. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


New Antibiotic Could Solve Bacteria Resistance and Save 5 Million Lives Per Year
Next Big Future / 12h
A new antibiotic that works by disrupting two different cellular targets would make it 100 million times more difficult for bacteria to evolve resistance, according to new research from the University of Illinois Chicago. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was ... Read more


PBS Responds to Deepfake of Biden Flinging Slurs at His Enemies
26Futurism / 12h
Biden His Time A new video is going viral , seemingly of president Joe Biden cussing out his enemies in slur-laden language. But the video isn't really of Biden — it's an AI-generated deepfake of the president. And while funny, it shows a growing sophistication and accessibility of deepfake production tools that should alarm anybody. "My fellow Americans. I want to take a moment to address some o


The 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro gets a new rear motor, way more efficiency
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / The VW ID.4 has a new drive motor and infotainment system for model-year 2024. It's not the sportiest EV you can buy, but it remains one of our favorites to drive. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin) Volkswagen didn't wait the traditional four model years before giving its ID.4 electric crossover something of a spiff-up. The tweaks to the model-year 2024 ID.4 are mostly under the skin or inside t


Ars Live recap: Pondering the complexities of time travel in the movies
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Produced by Michael Toriello and Billy Keenly. During our second Ars Live event earlier this month, screenwriter/producer Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted franchise) joined physicists Sean Carroll (Johns Hopkins University) and Jim Kakalios (University of Minnesota) and Ars Senior Reporter Jennifer Ouellette for a rousing discussion on the science and logic of time-travel movies. The discussion was inspire


5th Circuit court upends FCC Universal Service Fund, ruling it an illegal tax
44Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel testifies during a House hearing on March 31, 2022, in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty Images | Kevin Dietsch ) A US appeals court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund is unconstitutional, finding Universal Service fees on phone bills to be a "misbegotten tax." If not overturned, the ruling would upend the $8 billion


IHG Premier Card Benefits: How They Work
42One Mile at a Time / 12h
Link: Apply now for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card Chase and IHG have a co-brand card portfolio , which includes three credit cards: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card ( review ), which is the no annual fee personal card IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card ( review ), which is the premium co-brand personal card IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card ( review ), which is the co-br


Linux Mint 22 Is Now Available
How-To Geek / 12h
The long-awaited Linux Mint 22 has exited beta testing and is now available as a stable release. You can install it today, though upgrade instructions for Mint 21.3 users have yet to be published.


Uber and Lyft Drivers Are Gig Workers, California Supreme Court Rules
200+NYT > Technology / 12h
Passed by voters in 2020, the ballot measure classifies drivers of ride-hailing apps as independent contractors rather than as employees.


Stalker 2 has been delayed (again) until November 20
20Engadget / 12h
The long-anticipated Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed yet again, this time until November 20. It was supposed to come out on September 5. This is just the latest delay in a development cycle that stretches all the way back to 2010 . That’s 14 years. The longest delay in gaming history is Duke Nukem Forever , at 15 years. What’s taking so long? At first, it was funding issues . Devel


Uber, Lyft, DoorDash can continue to classify drivers as contractors in California
38TechCrunch / 12h
The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Proposition 22 — the ballot measure that passed in November 2020 and classified app-based gig workers as independent contractors rather than employees — is here to stay. The