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Tech
Industry, products, and the wires that hold it all together.
472 stories archived
Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 review: a quality PC whose trackpad taps you back
Snappy performance, long battery life, great keyboard and excellent new haptic touchpad make the best of Windows 11 Microsoft’s Surface laptop for consumers is back, faster and with longer battery life and a hefty price increase because of the high cost of memory and chips. The Surface Laptop 8 is a straight replacement for the seventh edition from 2024, which was the first of Microsoft’s new generation of ARM-based, Qualcomm-powered PCs designed to better rival Apple’s MacBook Air and other thin and light machines. Continue reading...
SpaceX is gearing up for Starship's 13th test flight later this week
This flight will put Starship under higher pressure and test out new Starlink satellites in orbit.
US continues to shun Ebola-infected citizens; second American sent to Germany
The man is said to be doing well in a Frankfurt hospital.
The US government warns that Russia state hackers are coming after your router
With residential proxies all the rage, CISA urges router users to be vigilant.
Ukrainian drone strikes forced Russia to stop shipping in vital sea corridor
Ukraine’s drone blitz halted Russia’s Sea of Azov shipping in under a week.
California creates $3,500 rebate for new electric vehicle buyers
There's a separate $1,750 rebate for used EVs, but both rebates have a price cap.
Podcast: Liberation, Eroticism, and Sex in Public (with Angela Jones)
This week we’re joined by Dr. Angela Jones, who asks these questions and much more in their new book, Sex in Public.
Apple sues OpenAI after ex-engineer allegedly used bug to steal trade secrets
OpenAI accused of conspiring with former Apple employees to steal trade secrets.
Open earbuds let you tune in without tuning out the world. Here are the five best pairs
Don’t float through the world in an AirPod bubble – enjoy music or podcasts and carry on using these tested favorites I tested 42 pairs of wireless earbuds to find the best in US Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things In a feat of engineering that borders on magic, the best wireless earbuds can silence the noisy world around you at the tap of a finger. So, why would you buy open earbuds, which are specifically designed to let in environmental sounds? Frankly, I didn’t understand the appeal of them either until I started testing them, and now I use open earbuds even more than my noise-cancelling earbuds. For situations from hiking to running errands, these are the headphones you should be wearing. Here’s what you’re missing out on, and a few of the best pairs to try. Best overall open-ear earbuds: Soundcore Aeroclip Open-Ear Earbuds Best premium open-ear earbuds: Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Continue reading...
Solution to Feynman's reverse sprinkler puzzle also applies to "silly sprinklers"
New study confirms 2024 "momentum flux theory" on how angular momentum of water flows drives rotation.
States sue to block Paramount/WBD merger that was approved by Trump admin
AG: Deal will bring "higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and TV."
Tom Cruise is utterly transformed in Digger trailer
"If we can't control the force of nature, at least we can control the narrative."
LAPD Regularly Pulled Over Innocent People Because License Plate Readers Flagged Their Cars As Stolen
The Los Angeles Police Department let its Flock contract expire over the weekend in part because it was regularly "investigating" and surveilling innocent people.
Apple and Samsung benefit as memory shortage pushes smartphone shipments to historic lows
The biggest smartphone makers keep on trucking in the face of component shortages and economic uncertainty.
Colorado will decide whether a "right to natural gas" is added to state constitution
The amendment would restrict building codes that promote electrification.
Hackers quickly prove that Neo Geo Doom ports are not "impossible"
Clever coding and graphical compromises get a classic game on more classic hardware.
A "disaster waiting to happen"? Industry officials worry about Crew Dragon availability.
"It's very clear that in the United States there is a big need for an additional crew vehicle."
Now, defenders are embracing the prompt injection, too
"Context bombing" tricks hacking agents into shutting down before they can do harm.
I Bought the $3,000 Fitness Suit That Electrocutes You. I’m Sending It Back
Celebrities like George Clooney have praised the expensive Katalyst suit. For me, it derailed my other exercises and made me reassess my obsession with fitness and efficiency.
These Are the Worst ChatGPT Flyers You've Sent Us
Welcome to the AI-generated poster hall of shame.
The New York nurses replaced by AI: ‘It should concern every patient who cares about quality of care’
The union for 12 nurses laid off by Montefiore hospital say company broke contract they recently won through a strike Marilyn Shuler has worked as a utilization review nurse for 39 years at Montefiore hospital in the Bronx in New York City, helping to read patient charts and communicate with insurance companies over coverage. After nearly four decades in her job, Shuler is one of 12 nurses who was laid off Sunday after being replaced with AI-powered software, according to the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which represents nurses at the hospital. Continue reading...
Simulating everything, sort of: The promise and limits of world models
Experts explain how they work, what they can do, and what's still unsettled.
China’s massive AI rollout - podcast
Senior China correspondent Amy Hawkins on China’s embrace of AI, from medical avatars to food delivery drones and state surveillance While the spread of AI has been met perhaps with a lot of scepticism in the west, China has fully embraced the technology, explains Amy Hawkins , from millions of users talking to AI doctors, to the use of intelligent robots in factories, and drones delivering food on the Great Wall of China. AI has also been eagerly taken up by the state, not least in the opportunities it provides for further surveillance, the Guardian’s senior China correspondent says. Continue reading...
Christopher Nolan says people ‘disdain’ AI and the idea it will replace humans is ‘nonsense’
Odyssey director addresses industry fears over artificial intelligence and says rightwing criticism of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy is ‘irrelevant’ The Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan believes the kind of movies he makes – big-budget action films shot mostly on location – would survive the spread of artificial intelligence, a technology he says many people “disdain”. The Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight director is promoting his latest blockbuster , an adaptation of the Greek epic The Odyssey, which will be released in cinemas this week. Continue reading...