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Tech
Industry, products, and the wires that hold it all together.
474 stories archived
How AI could enable autonomous robot workers in workplaces—and maybe homes
Top robotics researchers and founders explain how robot autonomy is evolving.
‘You never truly quit’: how RuneScape survived to 25 – and beyond
The massively multiplayer online role-playing game has grown into a virtual social space and part of daily life for thousands of players In a small stone chapel, on the edgelands of a medieval wilderness, two women are getting married. The attenders are draped in rainbow capes, glowing armour and top hats. A scantily clad, muscular man with angel wings officiates the ceremony. Over the heads of the two brides hover the words “I do” in bright yellow text. This is RuneScape, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (or MMO) set in the Tolkienesque realm of Gielinor. Turning 25 this year, it has, over its lifetime, become a crucial virtual social space and part of daily life for thousands of players. Lancashire-born Amelia, one of the pixelated newlyweds, met her wife on a dating app but first bonded through their love of the game. “Our first and second date was pretty much exclusively talking about RuneScape,” she recalls. Four years later they were married, shortly followed by their in-game ceremony. Morgan – a 26-year-old from the Midlands – is one of Amelia’s closest friends. They met through the game and run UWU Girls together, a RuneScape clan that Morgan founded in a bid to cater to players across the gender spectrum. “We do IRL meetups, and for a lot of these women, it’s been their first meetings with strangers online – and that’s the same for me.” Continue reading...
Shark ChillPill 3-in-1 fan review: the handheld fan I’d pack for every trip – at a price that’ll make you sweat
With three ways to cool down and a cold plate that can lower skin temperature by up to 9C, Shark’s latest fan is a standout if you can justify the cost • The best handheld fans, tested When I first wrote my guide to the best handheld fans in 2025, familiar electronics brands in the space were hard to come by. But, like buses, two have arrived at once this summer. The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool provided plenty of power, but missed the mark on the “hush” part of its branding, and now it’s time for Shark’s debut mini fan: the ChillPill. In words that I never expected to write, Dyson’s product is the cheaper option – although everything is relative. While the HushJet Mini Cool is a penny below three figures, the Shark ChillPill blasts through that ceiling, coming in at £129.99. Continue reading...
Stymied datacentre projects threaten global AI revolution
Large-scale datacentre projects around the world are being challenged or cancelled, as infrastructure’s energy demands ramp up Datacentre planning proposals face all kinds of hurdles, from securing energy supply to high construction costs. But the 2,000 acre Prince William Digital Gateway site in the US state of Virginia had another problem: its proximity to a Civil War battlefield. “If the development is allowed to proceed, the solemn nature of this historic site would become marred by sitting in the shadow of the monstrous datacentres, along with their associated electrical infrastructure,” said one legal brief against the plans . Continue reading...
Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK’s AI strategy
Scottish government to consider SNP national council motion for moratorium on all new datacentres The Scottish government is about to consider a sweeping moratorium on building new datacentres, putting a key plank of the UK’s AI strategy at risk. Last Sunday the Scottish National party (SNP)’s national council passed a motion to freeze all new datacentres in Scotland. That motion has been sent to the Scottish government to consider. Continue reading...
FCC to end Biden-era rule that forces ISPs to list all their fees
FCC to let ISPs stop listing all passthrough fees, give single "up to" price.
Kremlin suspected of flying drones over Europe using Russian shadow fleet
Drone intruders that possibly flew from Russian ships showed Europe isn’t ready.
What's the oldest Americana flown in space?
From a Revolutionary War flag to the Statue of Liberty...
NRC is (sort of) getting rid of "as low as reasonably achievable" standard
Its issues with current nuclear safety standards are termed semantic, not physical.
Katalyst's satellite rescue mission is now in pursuit of NASA's Swift
It will take several weeks for the Link spacecraft to rendezvous with NASA's Swift observatory.
Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs as it revamps Xbox in latest wave of mass layoffs
Thousands of gaming jobs will be shed over the coming fiscal year as Microsoft continues to invest heavily in AI Microsoft said Monday it was eliminating about 4,800 jobs – roughly 2% of its global workforce – in a cost-cutting move that will deliver a sweeping restructuring of its struggling Xbox gaming division. The cuts include the deepest overhaul in Xbox’s history, with approximately 3,200 gaming jobs to be shed over the coming fiscal year, four game studios being spun off or sold, and a fifth entering a review process that could lead to closure, the company said. Continue reading...
Secret Claude tracker shocks users after Anthropic’s anti-surveillance stance
Anthropic accused of spying on users; engineer says “experiment” is over.
The incredible shrinking Xbox: Five studios, 3,200 employees let go
Move affects ~20% of the gaming division, which will refocus on its biggest franchises.
F1 in Britain: Automated software to blame for crushing expectations
Sometimes races finish behind a safety car, but it's not always satisfying.
There were not one, but two asteroid encounters this weekend
The Torifune asteroid turns out to be shaped like a peanut.
UK regulator warns of "arms race" to keep up with AI use in financial services
FCA official makes case for greater powers for watchdog as millions use technology for personal finance decisions.
Bentley teases its first EV, the Torcal
The new model will be officially unveiled in late September.
Boost City regulator’s powers to help protect UK consumers from AI, says watchdog
FCA’s review into how tech will reshape financial services warns about amplified risks of cyber-crime and fraud Business live – latest updates Ministers have been urged to toughen the City regulator’s powers to protect consumers against the potential risks of AI, according to a landmark review. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Mills review, which looked at how AI will reshape financial services from 2030 onward, found that companies are already starting to shift from human-led activities towards AI-enabled services for everyday consumers. Continue reading...
The Czinger 21C might be the wildest car we drive all year
This hybrid V8 has organic-looking 3D-printed components and shatters lap records.
AI altering meaning of users’ drafts on issues from abortion to climate, study finds
Researchers say small changes in drafting could spread rapidly and create long-term shifts in public opinion AI tools are twisting online messages on sensitive political topics about everything from abortion to climate change in ways that could snowball to reshape long-term public opinion, experts have said. As tech companies push AI tools as convenient ways to redraft and summarise the massive influx of daily messages, many inject their own political biases – some leaning distinctly rightwing, others more liberal, according to a study from Oxford and Potsdam universities. Continue reading...
Footage Shows Cop Stalking Woman He Met on a TV Set After Surveilling Her With a License Plate Reader
A Florida police officer met a woman on a TV set, surveilled her for weeks, stalked her, and nearly caused a head-on collision while chasing her to pull her over.
The one change that worked: I banned myself from social media – and my children have never been happier
I used to think my phone helped me to relax. But setting strict limits on my usage has improved my mood and my relationships I am a psychotherapist who works with frazzled, snappy parents, and spend my days writing about why we struggle to find calm. I also used to pick up my phone hundreds of times a day, failing to realise that it was making me a snappier, more irritable, less present mother. My phone was my office, my income, my means of communication. Every time I checked it, there was something to action, a notification of something new, something that told me I was useful and productive, giving me dopamine hits that motherhood didn’t offer. It had become my coping mechanism. Continue reading...
‘It’s smoke and mirrors’: hope turns to fear in Scottish village chosen for AI datacentre
Suspicions grow in Lanarkshire that local people have been misled on supposed benefits of the huge development Revealed: landmark Scottish AI project has no prospect of meeting renewables promise What are Britain’s AI growth zones and are the plans feasible or ‘complete bunk’? The promise was that a Scottish community would be transformed by massive investment and empowered to chase “the jobs of the future”. Instead, local people in Lanarkshire fear they may have to sell their properties and lose green belt land because of the errors of a badly planned AI datacentre complex, even as those jobs and investments never arrive. Late last year, representatives of Oakes Energy Services began to knock on doors in Newarthill, a village east of Glasgow. In letters reviewed by the Guardian, they invited residents to individual meetings. They told them about plans for a solar farm, say local people, and made offers: free solar panels, tree planting, or even cash for their properties. Continue reading...
Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones review: great sound meets exceptional battery life
Premium Bluetooth noise-cancelling cans combine comfort with extensive connectivity and a user-replaceable battery Sennheiser’s latest Momentum Bluetooth headphones build on the German audio specialist’s renowned sound quality with improved noise cancelling, exceptional comfort and a user-replaceable battery to keep pace with rivals. The Momentum 5s cost £330 (€400/$400/A$749) and directly replace their three-year-old predecessors , facing strong competition from Bose, Sony and Sonos. Continue reading...