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Tech
Industry, products, and the wires that hold it all together.
742 stories archived
Grand Theft Auto VI is a phenomenon – but there is much more to the gaming world
As Rockstar’s blockbuster prepares to dominate the headlines, it’s time for the mainstream media to stop treating video games as a novelty that needs explaining Predictably, the Grand Theft Auto VI “extended look” which premiered on Netflix last week was a success for all involved. The 30-minute preview scorched to No 1 on the viewing chart and even brought the site down for a few minutes as millions of gamers tried to watch what was, effectively, a very long teaser trailer. According to data collated by Eurogamer , more than 9,000 Twitch streamers covered the show leading to 5,227,798 hours of viewing there alone. And this was just the beginning of what will surely be two months of escalating hype – and unprecedented media attention. Call me cynical, but I suspect the coverage of GTA VI in the media over the next few weeks will follow a familiar pattern. Mostly, it will be five-minute slots wedged in near the end of news bulletins in which games journalists, industry analysts and other pundits will be asked why the game is such a big deal, how much it cost to make and how much revenue it will generate. Perhaps a few will try to reignite the hoary old “violence in video games” debate, there will be presenters laughingly admitting they’ve not touched a game since Pac-Man, rolling their eyes and wallowing in their ignorance, in a way they never would while discussing any other art form. Somebody will venture the subversive view that “games are no longer just for kids”; somebody else will say “games make more money than films and music put together”. And that will be that, job done for another decade … or until there’s a funny story about Pokémon. Continue reading...
The best kettles in the UK to save energy and speed up your cuppa, tested
We boiled litres of water to find the best electric kettles, from hard-water heroes to vintage-style, repairable and wifi-connected models • The best air fryers, tried and tested for crisp and crunch Despite the march of progress, the humble kettle remains a kitchen staple. It’s what we turn to in times of strife, when spirits are flagging, or to start our day. When a visitor calls, one of the first things we often do is put the kettle on. Many small appliances have evolved beyond their original form, but the kettle’s basic principles remain largely unchanged. Water goes in and heats until a thermostat switches it off; the water then pours out, and we enjoy a cuppa. However, the technology that goes into a kettle has been slowly improving: better insulation to keep water hotter for longer and reduce reboils; different temperature settings to suit every drink from green tea to herbal brews; and more features such as filters and concealed elements to keep scale out of our cups. Continue reading...
The Army just used a 20-kilowatt laser to take out three drones
The Army says its laser system can track and destroy hostile drones.
Podcast: We Spoke to an Amazon Worker Destroying Books for AI
A follow up to the Amazon destroying books for AI story, why a bunch of names keep appearing in AI-generated papers, and ICE's latest spending spree.
Freelancers are getting buried with ‘soulless’ AI slop cleanup: ‘It’s a shame we need to do it’
As more companies turn to AI, they’re hiring freelancers to cleanup its mistakes rather than create original work Lisa, a freelance graphic designer based in Spain, noticed a shift in her work after the release of ChatGPT in 2022. She went from receiving slow one-off jobs creating logos and packaging to an onslaught of requests asking her to fix versions that were generated by artificial intelligence – from sharpening fuzzy images for printing to turning flawed designs into usable files. By 2025, Lisa, who asked not to be fully named to avoid solicitations, said 90% of her incoming logo and packaging design requests required cleaning up AI-generated content, work that accounted for 60% to 70% of her annual income. But the grind was exhausting. Clients lowballed her;' some AI-generated designs were so flawed that she had to recreate them from scratch and she worried about being complicit in AI-driven copyright infringement. By the end of the year, she began turning those jobs down. Continue reading...
Is Russia's rival to Starlink failing? Here's what we know.
At least three of the first 32 Rassvet satellites likely suffered outright failures, and more may be in trouble.
BGP hijack infecting networks caused by a comedy of errors that’s not funny at all
What can we learn from a BGP hijacking that poisoned production software? Plenty.
Star Wars Zero Company review - joyfully absurd heroics with a tight-knit team of misfits
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC; Bit Reactor Split priorities between scripted and emergent story moments hamper an otherwise brilliant Star Wars-themed successor to XCOM Even if you’re unfamiliar with the term “emergent storytelling”, you’ve likely experienced some of the unscripted tales that can bubble up out of a game’s systems. Perhaps you’ve led a scheming dynasty in Crusader Kings, or watched a favourite hero succumb to madness in Darkest Dungeon . Maybe you’ve surrendered yourself to the infinite yarn-spinner that is Dwarf Fortress – or read about it from the mid-00s forums where users helped popularise the term “Let’s Play” by chronicling their games in descriptive posts. Or perhaps you’ve played Firaxis’ XCOM , the alien invasion tactics hit that several key members of Zero Company studio Bit Reactor had a hand in. Zero Company hinges on a concept as simple as it is perfect: take the complementary class abilities, tough dice rolls, and permanent character deaths of XCOM, and house them in a sci-fi setting known for spaghetti western blaster duels, last stands and heroic sacrifices. As creative director Greg Foertsch puts it , “Star Wars is about loss.” Which losses you end up mourning in Zero Company depends on you. Continue reading...
‘We have had enough’: thousands of staff at the University of Sydney walk off the job over AI, job security
Hundreds of university staff were stationed at picket lines on Wednesday, calling for stronger protections around the use of AI The same week union members at the University of Sydney agreed to a 24-hour strike, staff received the results of an internal survey. In the faculty of arts and social sciences, 0% agreed with the statement: “I trust the University of Sydney to act in the best interests of staff, students and the broader community.” Continue reading...
Here's our first look—and drive—of the 2027 Range Rover Electric
333 miles of real-world range with uncompromised comfort and off-road ability.
Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed
"Black hole stars," making cookies from plastic, tiny sound-powered drones, and more.
CDC reported then deleted two measles deaths that were questioned by RFK Jr.
Historically, state health departments determine cases and deaths, not the CDC.
New Android Drop adds remembered items in Find Hub, makes anti-nausea dots official
New features are rolling out across the Android ecosystem starting today.
FTC alleges Amazon illegally made $20 billion by rigging billions of ad auctions
FTC says firm replaces actual ad-auction results "with higher prices set by Amazon."
This is what a supercar was like a century ago
When the average car could only do 40 mph, this Bentley could break 100.
Why does everyone hate datacentres?
AI datacentres are almost universally unpopular . They are loud, unsightly and drain environmental resources, with most of the profits generated flowing back to the US companies that build them – and the statistics against them are piling up. Guardian reporter Hettie O’Brien visits Brick Lane in east London, where people are trying to resist plans for a 5,200-sq metre datacentre being pushed through by the government, to find out why people hate them so much Continue reading...
‘Not perfectly aligned’ with human values: Anthropic admits security failures behind AI hacking incidents
The US owner of the Claude chatbot previously said its models had hacked three organisations during testing The US startup behind the Claude chatbot has admitted a series of hacking incidents involving its models reflected a “failure of operational security” and revealed it has tightened its testing procedures. Anthropic revealed in July that its models had accessed the open internet three times and gained unauthorised access to the systems of three organisations. Continue reading...
Macquarie University swaps in-person psychology classes with AI chatbot for two subjects
University’s move is part of trend that critics within academia say will lead to further staff cuts and the loss of ‘everything that makes the job worth doing’ An Australian university has swapped in-person classes with an AI chatbot, online quizzes and optional online tutorials in two subjects as institutions give the technology more teaching responsibilities. Macquarie University’s “Virtual Peer” is part of each week’s learning in two mandatory Psychology units, programmed to ask students questions and guide them through scenario-based exercises. Continue reading...
It turns out that Orion's much-maligned heat shield performed really well
Independent safety officials also have high praise for changes by NASA leadership.
Oklahoma Tells City It Can't Charge $17,125.44 for a Records Request Related to Data Center Arrest
The the city tried to charge a farmer more than $17,000 for bodycam footage and records related to his arrest at a city council meeting.
This 'Digital Camouflage' Shirt Confuses AI-Powered Surveillance Cameras
I watched Simon Weckert's 'digital camouflage' in action.
Without new landers or rovers, it's helicopters or bust for NASA's Mars program
NASA's cost estimate for SR-1 Freedom is $2.1 billion, but that doesn't include the helicopters.
Private group wants to launch "cheapest possible" mission to Alpha Centauri
"We could really be facing the great filter."
‘I feel like I’m grieving’: staff on the devastating fallout of widespread layoffs at Xbox
Last month, Microsoft’s gaming division told its workforce it was cutting 3,200 jobs, which some say will have big ramifications for game development – as well as taking a huge personal toll On the morning of 6 July, an email went out from Asha Sharma, the chief executive of Xbox, to all of the division’s employees around the world. Under the headline “ Resetting Xbox ”, it announced the most significant restructuring in the history of Microsoft’s console business: 3,200 staff would be laid off throughout the financial year to 2027, and 1,600 of those roles would be eliminated immediately. An hour later, at studios throughout company, the Teams meeting invites started arriving. “It was a virtual call with our studio manager,” says Anne Barrett, who was laid off from Bethesda Game Studios Austin. “All of our cameras and microphones were turned off so we weren’t able to say anything or react to anything. We were just brought in, told the news and it was like: ‘You guys are going to lose access to your Slack channel.’ So you saw a flurry of goodbye messages before everything was just shut off.” Continue reading...