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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Technology News and More-Saturday Edition...

 Technology News and More...



Get more from your rewards with these current credit card transfer bonuses

4KThe Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers; some offers may be expired. Citi is a TPG advertising partner. If you truly want to maximize your points and miles, periodic transfer bonuses can offer lucrative opportunities for fantastic award redemptions . You can sometimes get significantly more value from your rewards by transferring them to a specif


Japan Airlines Airbus A350-1000 Routes & Flights
14KOne Mile at a Time / 20h
Note : Japan Airlines has now updated its schedule, and plans to offer up to two daily A350 flights to New York as of July 2024. I’ve updated the below post to reflect the schedule details. Japan Airlines is in the process of refreshing its long haul fleet, as the oneworld airline is gradually replacing its Boeing 777-300ERs with Airbus A350-1000s. Not only is the A350 a joy to fly in general, bu



Android’s next bright idea is adverts on your lock screen – and it sounds like the Windows 11 nightmare revisited
48TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 17h
Your Android phone may soon display ads and other content on its lock screen thanks to a company called Glance. The Google-backed lock screen content company is expanding into the US after success in India, Southeast Asia, and Japan. As part of its expansion into the US, Glance is working with Motorola and Verizon, and reportedly intending to partner with brands like CNN and the NBA, to provide l



Lifetime access to an AdGuard Family Plan is on sale for 68% off
Mashable / 29min
TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to an AdGuard Family Plan is on sale for £20.10, saving you 68% on list price. The average person will see between 4,000 and 10,000 ads a day , every day. That number may sound totally ridiculous, but most of those come from just using the internet. As remarkable as it is that you can just find videos of porcupines eating pumpkins whenever you want, the internet is


How to watch Lazio vs. Hellas Verona online for free
Mashable / 29min
TL;DR: Stream Lazio vs. Hellas Verona in Serie A for free on ITVX . Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN . Fans of Italian football are in luck, because ITV has struck a deal to showcase select Serie A fixtures for free. It feels almost too good to be true, but fans from around the world can access these free live streams in just a few clicks. If you want


How to watch Diamond League Athletics Shanghai online for free
Mashable / 29min
TL;DR: Stream Diamond League Athletics Shanghai for free on BBC iPlayer . Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN . When it comes to track and field, the eyes of the world will be on the Olympics. But athletes can't just stroll into the Stade de France later this year and expect to deliver the performance of a lifetime. No, even the most naturally gifted tal


How to watch Delhi Capitals vs. Mumbai Indians online for free
Mashable / 29min
TL;DR: Watch Delhi Capitals vs. Mumbai Indians in the IPL for free on JioCinema . Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN . Another day of the 2024 IPL has been ticked off, but there's still plenty of action to come. The latest season is now well and truly underway, with the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians gearing up to compete next. With some of the best


Paleblue Earth batteries eliminate the one big pain point of rechargeables
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Batteries are ubiquitous – in one form or another, they're powering a lot of our wireless tech. That also means we're throwing out a lot of batteries once they've been drained, which isn't doing our environment any favors. Many of us have opted for rechargeable batteries to power some of our devices, from TV remotes and flashlights, even some toys. Not enough of us, though. According to data publ


Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 27
Mashable / 2h
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 April 27'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 c


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for April 27
Mashable / 3h
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


NASA still doesn’t understand root cause of Orion heat shield issue
Ars Technica - All content / 3h
Enlarge / NASA's Orion spacecraft descends toward the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2021, at the end of the Artemis I mission. (credit: NASA) NASA officials declared the Artemis I mission successful in late 2021, and it's hard to argue with that assessment. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft performed nearly flawlessly on an unpiloted flight that took it around the Moon and back


‘To the Future’: Saudi Arabia Spends Big to Become an A.I. Superpower
NYT > Technology / 4h
The oil-rich kingdom is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence.


New Karate Kid Movie Shifts to Line Up With Cobra Kai
Gizmodo / 4h
Cobra Kai fans finally have some clarity about how, exactly, this new Karate Kid movie fits into everything. Sony Pictures just moved the new movie’s release date from December 13 to May 30, 2025, specifically so it could be released after the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai. Read more...


Apple has reportedly resumed talks with OpenAI to build a chatbot for the iPhone
Engadget / 4h
Apple has resumed conversations with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, to power some AI features coming to iOS 18, according to a new report in Bloomberg . Apple is also building its own large language models to power some iOS 18 features, but its talks with OpenAI are centered around a “chatbot/search component,” according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Apple is also reportedly in talks with Goo


Rain Check: People Are Hedging Weather Risk, And Getting Trips Refunded If It Rains
View from the Wing / 5h
Say that you want to do a once in a lifetime trip, which is expensive, and you're taking a risk: what if you run into bad weather? Things may be great, but the whole trip might be 'ruined' or at least not what you expected. What if you wanted the option of a do-over? Continue reading ...


Wacom beats Apple to the punch by launching its very first OLED tablet


TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 5h
It’s been rumored for the past several months that Apple plans on releasing an iPad sporting an OLED screen . The tech giant has its work cut out because Wacom has beaten them to the punch as the company has revealed its first OLED tablet known as the Movink . Provided by Samsung, the 13.3-inch display “delivers Full HD resolution with… a contrast ratio of 100,000:1.” It houses multiple image-enh


The Best Ways to Soundproof Your Home on a Budget
LifeHacker / 5h
Whether it’s inconsiderate neighbors or roommates or just bedroom windows facing a busy street, all it takes is a few sleepless nights to have you Googling the word soundproofing . It’s notoriously difficult (and expensive ) to truly soundproof a room that wasn’t designed and constructed with that goal in mind, though. If you’re in a rental and can’t actually renovate (or you just don’t want to s


Quordle today – hints and answers for Saturday, April 27 (game #824)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
Why not settle into the weekend with a nice, simple Quordle puzzle to solve. Or rather, four of them – because the challenge here is to complete a quartet of Wordle-style word games simultaneously. Sounds tricky, right? And it is. But don't worry – I've compiled some Quordle hints to help you out, so scroll down for all of the info plus my commentary on today's game. SPOILER WARNING: Information


NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Saturday, April 27 (game #55)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
It's Friday, it's the final Strands puzzle of the working week (for some) and it's a rather easy one. That's my experience at least – but you may disagree. If so, don't worry – because you can find some handy hints for today's game below. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #55) - hint #1 -


AI News Roundup
Next Big Future / 6h
1. SanctuaryaI unveiled the seventh generation of its general purpose robot Phoenix. The latest generation robot and its AI control system, Carbon™, draw even closer to that of a person, with wide ranging improvements to both the hardware and AI software. The announcement comes less than 12 months after Sanctuary AI’s sixth generation robot. The ... Read more


Chaturbate Owes Texas $675,000 for Not Verifying the Age of Users
Gizmodo / 6h
Chaturbate will pay $675,000 in fines for not adhering to a new law in Texas that requires all porn sites to verify the age of users, according to a new report from 404 Media which cites a court order released Friday . Read more...


Elon Musk reportedly on the verge of raising billions for his AI company
Mashable / 6h
Elon Musk's OpenAI competitor is getting ready to raise some big money from Silicon Valley. According to new, anonymously-sourced reports from The Information and TechCrunch , Musk's AI company xAI is currently raising $6 billion on a $18 billion pre-money valuation, and the deal is expected to close in a matter of weeks. SEE ALSO: If you're a paying X user, Elon Musk wants his Grok AI to write y


Roborock’s Robot Vacuums—Including WIRED’s Top Pick—Are on Sale Right Now
Wired / 6h
More like Robot Rock, am I right? (Sorry.) These are some of the best dust busters around, and they’re cheaper than usual.


How Rubrik’s IPO paid off big for Greylock VC Asheem Chandna
TechCrunch / 6h
Asheem Chandna says he was so impressed with founder Bipul Sinha's grit and tech, he led Rubrik's $40 million Series B in 2015. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


The Full Star Wars Saga Celebrates 25 Years of Lego
Gizmodo / 6h
Nowhere in Star Wars will old Han Solo meet young Han Solo. Yoda is not likely to ever meet Grogu. Princess Leia won’t cross paths with General Leia. Some things are just not going to happen. Unless, well, it’s Lego, where any and everything is possible. Read more...


Does It Really Matter Which Side You Sleep On?
LifeHacker / 7h
I’m one of those people who can’t get comfortable at night until I’ve rotated through every possible sleeping position, ideally twice. But when I was pregnant, I kept hearing the message that we’re all supposed to sleep on our left side, specifically. On the other hand, there’s research suggesting the right side may be better for people with certain health conditions. Let’s consider all the facto


Putting Microsoft’s cratering Xbox console sales in context
Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge / Scale is important, especially when talking about relative console sales. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it made 31 percent less off Xbox hardware in the first quarter of 2024 (ending in March) than it had the year before, a decrease it says was "driven by lower volume of consoles sold." And that's not because the console sold particularly wel


Court upholds New York law that says ISPs must offer $15 broadband
Ars Technica - All content / 7h
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Creativeye99) A federal appeals court today reversed a ruling that prevented New York from enforcing a law requiring Internet service providers to sell $15 broadband plans to low-income consumers. The ruling is a loss for six trade groups that represent ISPs, although it isn't clear right now whether the law will be enforced. New York's Affordable Broadband Act (AB


RARE: 9+ Cheap Business Class Award Seats To Asia Using Delta SkyMiles
View from the Wing / 7h
Delta SkyMiles rarely have much value for international business class travel. They charge 4-6 times more than their partners do for the same flights. And flights to Asia are usually even more expensive than to Europe. Right now, though, there is amazing business class availability on their Seattle - Taipei flight. You can get 9 or more passengers in business on many flights. And pricing starts a


The Long Comics History Behind X-Men's Sentinel Program
Gizmodo / 7h
For almost as long as they have been in the comics , the X-Men and mutantkind at large have been stalked by a world that hates and fears them—a world that manifested that hate in the metallic, unflinching face of the Sentinel Program . Just as the X-Men have grown and changed wildly since those early days, so too have… Read more...


American delays new Flagship Business Suites as it shuffles wide-body flights
85The Points Guy / 7h
American Airlines’ newest onboard innovations won’t be flying as soon as flyers might’ve expected. It’s all part of major changes that the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is making to its wide-body network, reducing service on 12 routes due to delivery delays from Boeing. The news was first communicated to flight attendants in an internal memo obtained by TPG and later confirmed by a carrier spok


You Can Add a Windows-style Start Menu to MacOS
LifeHacker / 7h
The Mac doesn't have a start menu like Windows, but that wasn't always entirely true. In the '90s, Macs offered a list of applications in the Apple Menu, like this: Credit: Justin Pot via InfiniteMac.org That's a distant memory at this point—it's been 25 years—so we probably shouldn't count on Apple to bring this feature back. The good news: a free application called XMenu , which I found via App


Photo-sharing community EyeEm will license users’ photos to train AI if they don’t delete them
TechCrunch / 8h
EyeEm, the Berlin-based photo-sharing community that exited last year to Spanish company Freepik after going bankrupt, is now licensing its users’ photos to train AI models. Earlier this month, the company informed users via email that it was adding a new clause to its Terms & Conditions that would grant it the rights to upload […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Passenger Slipped On A Cocktail, And It Could Cost British Airways $6 Million [Roundup]
View from the Wing / 8h
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips. Continue reading ...


Is it possible to have too many points? How TPG recommends a reader redeem 35 million miles
The Points Guy / 8h
You might consider a 100,000-point welcome bonus on a new credit card to be a huge haul, and it is, but not all points balances are created equal. Business owners with significant monthly business expenses could find they are earning points even faster than they can redeem them with the right credit card . In the past, we’ve seen some impressive point balances from readers (and even TPG staffers


Deal alert: Points and miles travel deals for April 2024
100+The Points Guy / 8h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Some of the below offers may be targeted. From lucrative deals for bonus points on hotel stays to generous sales of airline miles , we’re finding plenty of travel deals to help you earn and redeem your points and miles so you can book the vacation of your dreams. For April, we found promotions to save on v


The FTC accuses Amazon of using Signal’s auto-deleting messages to erase evidence
Engadget / 8h
According to a court document viewed by Engadget, the Federal Trade Commission accused Amazon of using Signal’s disappearing messages feature to conceal communications as part of its antitrust suit against the company . The FTC says the retailer continued to auto-delete its communications even after the agency notified it that it was under investigation and asked it to preserve them. Founder and


Venture Capital Firms Are Actually Considering Giving Elon Musk $6 Billion For xAI
200+Futurism / 8h
Check, Please At least one big Silicon Valley venture capital firm is considering a $6 billion cash infusion for Elon Musk's xAI startup and its troubled chatbot, Grok. As people close to the fundraising told The Information , Musk is closing in on a first-round fundraising deal with potential investors including Sequoia Capital, which invested $800 million into Twitter when he bought it back in


Verizon's Smartwatch Plans Just Got A Lot More Expensive
How-To Geek / 8h
Some smartwatches can connect to mobile networks, allowing them to recieve calls and texts away from your phone (sometimes even synced to your phone's number). Verizon has charged $10 per month for that feature, but now, it's going up in price.


Florida Dolphin Dies of Bird Flu as Alarm Grows Over Species Spread
Gizmodo / 8h
Bird flu isn’t just lurking inside cows, new research shows. Florida scientists have reported the first known case of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Though the case dates back to 2022, it’s the latest indication that these flu strains can potentially infect… Read more...


How Twisters’ Director Developed a Taste for Disaster
Gizmodo / 8h
When Lee Isaac Chung was announced as the director of the long-awaited sequel Twisters, many of us scratched our heads. Chung is, obviously, a talented filmmaker. His most recent film, Minari, had just come off multiple Oscar nominations including a win . But to go from that small, personal film to the big-budget… Read more...


Refurbished Steam Decks Are Back in Stock and Cheaper Than Ever
LifeHacker / 8h
It's a great time to buy a Steam Deck. Valve's refurbished LCD Steam Decks are back in stock, and for a lower price than ever before. The used devices are available for cheaper than they are new, making them a solid option for folks who want a Steam Deck but don't want to pay full price. This isn't the first time Valve has offered its handheld gaming PC in refurbished condition, but it is the fir


Nobody Wants This AI Bloatware
LifeHacker / 8h
AI is everywhere right now. If you're a technology company, and you aren't embracing artificial intelligence (ahem, Apple), you look like you're behind the times. But just because generative AI is the trend right now, that doesn't mean companies need to shoehorn it into absolutely everything they do. Maybe more companies need to follow Apple's lead here. Look, AI certainly has the potential to ch


How to Hide Words and Phrases on Your Threads Feed
LifeHacker / 8h
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/delhi-india-july-5-2023-threads-2328446749 If you've successfully moved away from X , you might have found a new home with Threads . But as the Threads network grows, you'll also find you won't want to see everything on your feed. Perhaps you're trying to avoid spoilers for your new favorite TV show, or you're trying to get away from the new meme that just


Support Nextbigfuture at Substack
Next Big Future / 9h
Nextbigfuture at substack has an in depth article on China’s Molten Salt Nuclear energy projects. China is starting the operation of its 2 megawatt molten salt prototype reactor in 2024. They are progressively scaling up to 10 MW reactors, 100 MW and then a 168 MWe modular reactor around 2030. The full substack article is ... Read more


Android TV has access to your entire account—but Google is changing that
Ars Technica - All content / 9h
Enlarge (credit: Google) Google says it has patched a nasty loophole in the Android TV account security system, which would grant attackers with physical access to your device access to your entire Google account just by sideloading some apps. As 404 Media reports, the issue was originally brought to Google's attention by US Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as part of a "review of the privacy practices of


At Nashville’s Bobby Hotel, rescue dogs get the suite life and a new home
35The Points Guy / 9h
For centuries, dogs have been bred to work and perform specific tasks. For example, Pembroke Welsh corgis often work as herding dogs and were “once invaluable to farmers in Wales,” according to the American Kennel Club . These days, though, dogs that were originally hard at work are now frequently found hardly working. Like my own corgi, Splenda, whose “job” is helping me — one of TPG’s senior ho


Meta AI tested: Doesn’t quite justify its own existence, but free is free
TechCrunch / 9h
Meta’s new large language model, Llama 3, powers the imaginatively named “Meta AI,” a newish chatbot that the social media and advertising company has installed in as many of its apps and interfaces as possible. How does this model stack up against other all-purpose conversational AIs? It tends to regurgitate a lot of web search […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Google Wants to Show You More YouTube Ads When You Pause Videos
58Gizmodo / 9h
If you already hate ads on YouTube , then you’re going to have a bad time with Pause Ads. During its earnings calls on Thursday, Google crowed about the success of the tests it’s run on the ads, which could indicate the “feature” will roll out to even more watchers. Read more...


Deal alert: Earn free Starbucks with a $300 Delta gift card purchase
100+The Points Guy / 9h
Delta Air Lines has partnered with America’s favorite airport coffee brand since October 2022, allowing travelers to earn Delta SkyMiles with every Starbucks purchase by linking their Starbucks Rewards and Delta SkyMiles accounts. In honor of Mother’s Day, Delta is strengthening that partnership with a new promotion that can help you earn free Starbucks coffee. All you have to do is purchase a De


Tesla Autopilot Was Uniquely Risky—and May Still Be
Wired / 9h
In an investigative report into crashes and deaths associated with Tesla Autopilot, federal regulators concluded that the system lacked standard protections.


Bing blew up last year but it's still miles behind Google
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Have you used Bing search lately? There's now a better chance than ever that some small contingent of your coworkers, friends, and family are tapping into the Copilot AI-infused Bing to answer life's most mundane and important questions. As MSPowerUser notes, during a recent Microsoft earnings call company CEO Satya Nadella announced that Bing Search now has more than 140 million active daily use


Millions of devices still connect to this dangerous malware, despite the creators ditching it years ago
2 TTPs•
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Millions of devices are still connected to the PlugX malware , despite its creators abandoning it months ago, experts have warned. Cybersecurity analysts Sekoia managed to obtain the IP address associated with the malware’s command & control (C2) server, and observed connection requests over a six-month period. During the course of the analysis, infected endpoints attempted 90,000 connection requ


Drake Pulls Down AI-Generated Diss Track After Lawsuit Threat From Tupac’s Estate
Futurism / 9h
Down and Out After being sent a very guilt-inducing cease-and-desist, Drake has taken down his AI-generated diss track that deepfaked the voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg. As The Verge reports , the Canadian-born rapper, née Aubrey Graham, has deleted the track "Taylor Made" from his profile on X-formerly-Twitter, though because it had been up for nearly a week, there are still tons of versions of


Julia Garner's Rosemary's Baby Prequel Finds a Home at Paramount+
Gizmodo / 9h
It’s universally acknowledged that 1968's Rosemary’s Baby is an influential horror classic. Attempts to directly recapture that witchy magic , however, have fallen flat: 1976 made-for-TV sequel Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby is pretty universally despised, as is the 2014 miniseries remake with Zoe Saldaña.… Read more...


This Dreo Smart Fan Is Sleek, Efficient, and Easy to Clean
LifeHacker / 9h
Standing fans tend to annoy me. I find I’m constantly getting up to adjust them; they’re loud; and they become absolutely filthy with no clear way to clean them. None of these issues seem like they’d be hard to solve—and yet standing fans have been around for a long time without much innovation on how to fix these pain points. Somehow, the DREO PolyFan 704s ($134.99) figured it out, and for that


52 of the Best Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts
LifeHacker / 9h
Keyboard shortcuts are a boon for productivity on Windows. Many things that take multiple mouse clicks, like taking screenshots, can easily be done with a couple of keystrokes. Windows 11 has several new keyboard shortcuts , but there's merit in learning about all of the best keyboard shortcuts on the platform. Some of these have been around for years, but aren't used often enough. I bet there's


Drake deletes AI-generated Tupac track after Shakur’s estate threatened to sue
Engadget / 9h
Drake apparently learned it isn’t wise to mess with Tupac Shakur — even decades after his untimely death. Billboard first spotted that the Canadian hip-hop artist deleted the X (Twitter) post with his track “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which used an AI-generated recreation of Shakur’s voice to try to get under Kendrick Lamar’s skin. The takedown came after an attorney representing the late hip-hop le


DJI drones could be banned in the US soon – here's what you need to know
22TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Drone brand DJI could soon be banned from operating in the United States. According to a report from The New York Times (NYT), a bill called the Countering CCP Drones Act “passed unanimously by the House Energy and Commerce Committee” last month. The legislation will move on to a floor vote in the House of Representatives within the next two months. If it passes there, it’ll continue onward to th


Delta Grows In Africa: Lagos Expanded, Accra Upgraded
80One Mile at a Time / 10h
Delta Air Lines has just announced a significant expansion in West Africa this northern summer (southern winter), with both capacity increases and product improvements. This complements Delta flying more premium A350s to South Africa as well, which I wrote about separately . Delta brings back New York to Lagos route As of December 1, 2024, Delta will resume its route between New York (JFK) and La


Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' is the internet's Song of the Summer
Mashable / 10h
There are four little words that the girls just can't get out of their heads: "That's that me espresso" — a little nonsensical, a lot catchy. They seem to answer the season's hottest question: What's the Song of the Summer? Sabrina Carpenter's sun-drenched hit, "Espresso," is currently the top contender. While artists scramble to promote their summer bops on TikTok and stan Twitter battles it out


No one's talking about the Apple Vision Pro anymore — and this may be why
64Mashable / 10h
Apple took a leap just two months ago and launched an entire brand new product category for the company with the release of the Apple Vision Pro . In the days and weeks after its February release, Apple's new AR/VR headset was the talk of social media. Tech reviewers raved about how using it was a glimpse into the future of home computers. And the Apple Vision Pro memes were in abundance . Who ca


Hackers try to exploit WordPress plugin vulnerability that’s as severe as it gets
4 TTPs•
Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Hackers are assailing websites using a prominent WordPress plugin with millions of attempts to exploit a high-severity vulnerability that allows complete takeover, researchers said. The vulnerability resides in WordPress Automatic , a plugin with more than 38,000 paying customers. Websites running the WordPress content management system use it to incorporate content


US’s power grid continues to lower emissions—everything else, not so much
Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge (credit: US EIA ) On Thursday, the US Department of Energy released its preliminary estimate for the nation's carbon emissions in the previous year. Any drop in emissions puts us on a path that would avoid some of the catastrophic warming scenarios that were still on the table at the turn of the century. But if we're to have a chance of meeting the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the plan


Message-scraping, user-tracking service Spy Pet shut down by Discord
Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge (credit: Discord) Spy Pet, a service that sold access to a rich database of allegedly more than 3 billion Discord messages and details on more than 600 million users, has seemingly been shut down. 404 Media, which broke the story of Spy Pet's offerings, reports that Spy Pet seems mostly shut down . Spy Pet's website was unavailable as of this writing. A Discord spokesperson told Ars that


Aaron Sorkin is working on a Jan. 6-focused follow-up to The Social Network
Engadget / 10h
Aaron Sorkin has announced that he’s currently writing a followup script to The Social Network , according to The Hollywood Reporter . He broke the news during an episode of The Town podcast that centered on how Facebook and social media have influenced democracy in the years since his Oscar-winning hit. The first film chronicled the early days of Mark Zuckerberg’s social network and starred Jess


So are we banning TikTok or what? Also: Can an influencer really tank an $800M company?
TechCrunch / 10h
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Ticktock, TikTok: It’s been a wild week for TikTok. Even as the company starts testing its Twitter competitor in certain markets and launches its luxury secondhand shop […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Quick Points: Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points before downgrading your card
The Points Guy / 10h
If you’re considering changing your Chase credit card, here’s an important step to consider before doing so. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are two of our favorite travel credit cards at TPG, and both offer generous welcome bonuses: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card : Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account op


American Airlines Rolls Out Status Updates For The Chosen ConciergeKey Members
View from the Wing / 10h
Yesterday American Airlines shared the news with customers who would become ConciergeKey members for the next year. AAdvantage members saw the status update in their account - as happens each year, before receiving an email and (for new members at least) receiving a phone call. Concierge Key is the status that American Airlines gives to its top spending customers and top corporate travel influenc


It's a Great Time to Be an Alien Fan
57Gizmodo / 10h
Happy Alien Day to all those who celebrate. April 26, as many of you know , is the day pop culture has decided to celebrate one of the landmark franchises in science fiction: Alien. That’s because the planet in the sequel Aliens is LV-426—so, April 26. But while in the past Alien Day has been largely an excuse to… Read more...


Alaska Airlines adds 3 routes, bolsters 9 others amid business travel surge
The Points Guy / 10h
Alaska Airlines is launching two new routes from its West Coast hubs and bringing back another it tried out last summer — but full time. The Seattle-based carrier announced Thursday that it will launch nonstop service from San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Harry Reed International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the carrier will also launch a new route from Los Angeles International


Buy $300+ Delta Gift Card, Get $20 Starbucks Gift Card
1KOne Mile at a Time / 10h
Delta is back with another promotion for buying gift cards… Starbucks bonus gift card with Delta gift card purchase Here’s an easy promotion that could be worth taking advantage of. In celebration of Mother’s Day, if you purchase a $300+ Delta gift card , you can receive $20 worth of Starbucks gifts as a bonus: The Delta gift cards can be redeemed 72 hours after purchase, and have no expiration d


Tesla's Autopilot and FSD Linked to Hundreds of Crashes, Many Fatal
29Futurism / 10h
Checked Out Federal regulators released a report this week in which they found that Tesla's controversial driver assistance software was linked to hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that those making use of the EV maker's misleadingly called "Full Self-Driving" software were lulled into a false sense of security and "were not suffic


Decades of Garry’s Mod Nintendo Uploads Are Disappearing
Wired / 10h
Nintendo is once again flexing its copyright muscles by filing takedown requests for user-generated content on the popular game platform.


Windows 11 Wont Replace the Show Desktop Button After All
How-To Geek / 10h
Microsoft really wants you to use its Copilot AI assistant. The company even went as far as replacing the Show Desktop button in Windows 11 with a button to open Copilot. That was apparently a step too far, as the change is now being reversed.


SpaceX Starship to Starship Fuel Transfer Test in 2025
Next Big Future / 10h
According to Kshatriya, SpaceX will perform a Starship-to-Starship cryogenic propellant transfer test in 2025. According to Kshatriya, SpaceX will perform a Starship-to-Starship cryogenic propellant transfer test in 2025. pic.twitter.com/S6f17Rr6zy — Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 26, 2024 We have known that fuel transfer capability is critical for the $3.5 NASA-SpaceX Lunar Starship program. Sp


Amex Business Platinum Card 150K Points Welcome Offer
One Mile at a Time / 10h
Link: Apply now for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the most perks-rich business cards out there. We’ve just seen a massive new publicly available welcome offer rolled out on this card, making it a great time to apply. If you’re eligible for this card, it’s absolutely worth picking it up, in my opinion. Amex Business Pl


You Should Try a 'Before and After' Approach to Decluttering
LifeHacker / 10h
If you’re a visual sort of person, clutter probably bothers you—but being appalled by it may not necessarily make it any easier to clean up. If you are having a hard time getting motivated, try this little trick that taps into the universal obsession with a good before-and-after pic. Take before and after photos as you clean This tip comes from Becoming Minimalist and is really simple on the surf


The 20 Best Recent Movies Streaming on Max Right Now
LifeHacker / 10h
HBO was, for at least a couple of generations, the home of movies on cable. No one else could quite compete. So the rise of HBO Max seemed like it could well have been the ultimate streaming destination for movie lovers—a designation that the jury's still out on, especially given the decision to drop the "Home Box Office" portion of the name in favor of the simpler, but more generic, Max. Still,


Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra falls to a new low, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals
Engadget / 11h
Another week is coming to a close, which means it's time for another roundup of good tech deals. This week's highlights include a new low on Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra , which is $200 off and down to $1,100 for an unlocked model. That's not exactly cheap, no, but any savings should be welcome for what we consider the best premium Android phone . Elsewhere, a trio of recommendations from our wirel


Nikon’s Z8 is a phenomenal mirrorless camera for the price
Engadget / 11h
Nikon is arguably the world's most famous camera brand, but with the decline of DSLRs it has lagged behind Canon and Sony. In 2022, it released the Z9 , a flagship mirrorless camera that could finally hold its own against rivals, but the $5,500 price tag put it out of reach for most. To appeal to a wider audience, Nikon unveiled the Z8 last year with the same sensor and nearly the same specs as t


Hubble Telescope Put Into Dreaded Safe Mode Due to Ongoing Glitch
Gizmodo / 11h
NASA’s iconic Hubble Space Telescope isn’t doing so well. The observatory has been suffering from a pesky glitch affecting its gyroscope, causing it to suspend its science operations for a second time in less than six months. Read more...


Everything you need to know about visiting Joshua Tree National Park
The Points Guy / 11h
A little more than two hours east of Los Angeles , Joshua Tree National Park is an otherworldly expanse covering nearly 800,000 acres i n the high Mojave Desert. Here, majestic boulders mix with striking Joshua Trees, known for their spiky, spiny, twisty profile. These plants — which, fun fact, are not actually trees but succulents — are found only in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. This na


Some of our favorite Bose headphones and earbuds are back to all-time low prices
Engadget / 11h
Amazon has some of the highest-rated Bose headphones on sale for record-low prices. That includes the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones , which have best-in-class active noise cancellation (ANC). Usually $429, the wireless cans are now only $379, matching an all-time low. Engadget’s Billy Steele praised the headphones’ sound, ANC and comfort in our review, but he also found them a bit expensive


Bring Your Favorite Creative Geniuses Home With You
Gizmodo / 11h
George Lucas. Hayao Miyazaki . Stan Lee. Shigeru Miyamoto . Names such as these have defined our lives. The art and products geniuses like these have created are as important to us as anything. And while we decorate our homes and imaginations with their work, what about the people themselves? When is their time in the… Read more...


Ritual Offerings, Hallucinogenic Plant Found Under Ancient Maya Ball Court
36Gizmodo / 11h
A baseball player may tap his helmet three times before stepping up to the plate, and an Argentina supporter may burn incense in front of a portrait of Diego Maradona as the Albiceleste kick off. Now, a team of archaeologists have found evidence that the ancient Maya blessed their ball courts with ritual offerings, an… Read more...


TikTok owner has strong First Amendment case against US ban, professors say
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto) TikTok owner ByteDance is preparing to sue the US government now that President Biden has signed into law a bill that will ban TikTok in the US if its Chinese owner doesn't sell the company within 270 days. While it's impossible to predict the outcome with certainty, law professors speaking to Ars believe that ByteDance will have a strong First Amendment


Microsoft open-sources infamously weird, RAM-hungry MS-DOS 4.00 release
100+Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / A DOS prompt. Microsoft has open-sourced another bit of computing history this week: The company teamed up with IBM to release the source code of 1988's MS-DOS 4.00 , a version better known for its unpopularity, bugginess, and convoluted development history than its utility as a computer operating system. The MS-DOS 4.00 code is available on Microsoft's MS-DOS GitHub page along with ver


Turns out the viral 'Air Head' Sora video wasn't purely the work of AI we were led to believe
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
A new interview with the director behind the viral Sora clip Air Head has revealed that AI played a smaller part in its production than was originally claimed. Revealed by Patrick Cederberg (who did the post-production for the viral video) in an interview with Fxguide , it has now been confirmed that OpenAI's text-to-video program was far from the only force involved in its production. The 1-minu


Those Boeing Delays Are Forcing Big Cuts To American Airlines Flying
View from the Wing / 11h
American Airlines is making changes to its international schedule, and they're telling employees that it is because they're having to plan for fewer widebody planes. Boeing delivery delays on the 787-9 aircraft that American has ordered mean they're not going to be able to support the full schedule they've been selling. As part of these changes, American is also making further adjustments to its


Grab the Apple Watch Series 9 for its lowest price yet at Amazon
Mashable / 11h
SAVE $100: Get the Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm) for $299, down from $399, at Amazon. That's 25% off Apple's latest smartwatch and its lowest price yet. Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm) $299.00 at Amazon $399.00 Save $100.00 A smartwatch can change the way you track your health and fitness levels and make it easier to stay on top of messages without always h


The IBM-HashiCorp coupling could be more complicated than it seems
TechCrunch / 11h
At a quick glance, the IBM-HashiCorp deal seems like a good one for both sides, but upon closer inspection, perhaps not. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Curio raises funds for Rio, an ‘AI news anchor’ in an app
20TechCrunch / 11h
AI may be inching its way into the newsroom, as outlets like Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Gizmodo, VentureBeat, CNET and others have experimented with articles written by AI. But while most respectable journalists will condemn this use case, there are a number of startups that think AI can enhance the news experience — at least on […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only


Finally! After a 7-year wait, this monitor could well be the best pro-level 8K display ever — will Asus be able to break the curse of failed 8K monitor launches with the PA32KCX Mini LED pro screen?
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Mini LEDs are typically found in gaming monitors. Unlike LCD backlights, they offer a broad contrast range, with deeper, near-OLED quality levels of black, that enrich and enhance the dynamism of both SDR and HDR content. Asus has brought Mini LED technology to the ultra-high-end business monitor market for the first time with its new 32-inch ProArt Display PA32KCX. The 8K screen (that's a whoppi


Everything You Need to Know About Disneyland's Pixar Fest
Gizmodo / 11h
Pixar Fest is kicking off today at the Disneyland Resort in a celebration that will span both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland. At a recent media preview, io9 visited both parks getting in on the Pixar Fest action, which runs from now until August 4 with entertainment offerings that include characters from Tu… Read more...


Gym Teacher Arrested for Using AI to Make Principal Say Racist Things
33Futurism / 11h
Blackmail Order A Baltimore-area educator has been arrested after he allegedly used AI to deepfake his school's principal into spewing bigotry, in a misfired blackmail scheme. As the Baltimore Banner and other news outlets report, now-former athletic director Dazhon Darien has been charged with several crimes after audio surfaced of Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert seeming to make ra


Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip has never been cheaper
Engadget / 11h
Apple's latest MacBook Air with the new M3 chip just hit its lowest price yet at Amazon. The retailer is taking $110 off the laptop's list price, which is $10 cheaper than the sale price of $999 its been hitting lately . That's not a huge difference, but still represents a new low for the two-month-old laptop. The discount applies to all four colorways of the entry-level 13-inch model, which give


Tesla’s 2 million car Autopilot recall is now under federal scrutiny
35Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / A 2014 Tesla Model S driving on Autopilot rear-ended a Culver City fire truck that was parked in the high-occupancy vehicle lane on Interstate 405. (credit: Culver City Firefighters Local 1927 / Facebook ) Tesla's lousy week continues. On Tuesday, the electric car maker posted its quarterly results showing precipitous falls in sales and profitability. Today, we've learned that the Natio


How to Improve Performance in Almost Any PC Game
LifeHacker / 11h
Perhaps one of the most cited ways to improve performance in PC gaming, at least that I've seen in recent years, is to overclock your GPU. While that can definitely give you some additional frames (as in frames per second), it's also exceptionally damaging to your card if you don't know what you're doing—and even sometimes when you do know what you're doing. Instead, I recommend changing a few ke


Hackers attempt to hijack a major WordPress plugin that could allow for site takeovers
2 TTPs•
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
A critical vulnerability recently discovered in a popular WordPress plugin, is being actively abused in the wild, researchers have said, with hackers potentially able to use the flaw to fully take over a victim's website. WordPress security firm Patchstack first discovered an SQL injection (SQLi) vulnerability in the WP‑Automatic plugin, in mid-March 2024. WP-Automatic is a WordPress plugin desig


Android 15 could give you a super-charged dark mode that forces incompatible apps to support it
26TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Android 15 could introduce a feature that forces all apps into dark mode even if it’s not supported. The feature called ‘make all apps dark’ was discovered in the Android 15 beta code, by Mishaal Rahman at Android Authority . Dark mode was introduced in Android 10 in 2019, and when enabled it switches your layout, backgrounds, and notifications from the default white to darker colors. This makes


Amex Platinum vs. Business Platinum: Which premium Amex card is right for you?
The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Premium cards have evolved over the past several years to attract and retain customers. Two top cards for premium travel and lifestyle benefits are The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express . Both cards have an annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees for


Former Pixar Animator Gives One Big Reason AI Video Won't Work in Hollywood
70Gizmodo / 12h
AI-generated video has received a lot of hype lately as a tool that’s supposedly going to revolutionize Hollywood. But Craig Good, a former animator at Pixar who worked on classics like Toy Story and Finding Nemo, isn’t convinced. Good thinks there’s one big problem with AI video software that will immediately… Read more...


Have a Ring camera? The FTC may send you a refund — how to claim it
25Mashable / 12h
You may have a bit of money coming your way — and all you had to do to get it was endure a breach of your privacy. The Federal Trade Commission announced this week that settlement payments stemming from a 2023 complaint against the doorbell camera company Ring have started going out to affected customers. Ring reached the settlement after the FTC accused it of "egregious violations of users' priv


What is a VPN? Here’s what you need to know
Mashable / 12h
What is a VPN? To simply scratch the surface, a virtual private network (VPN) spoofs your location, makes you anonymous online, and gives you the keys to unlock the full breadth of the web. With all the third-party advertisers snooping on your personal data and scammers trying to steal it all, the best VPNs have become an easy way to protect your digital privacy. But what exactly is it? And how o


Intel boss confirms Panther Lake is on track for mid-2025 release date - with some bold claims
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Intel has confirmed that the upcoming 18A process Panther Lake CPU generation is on track for a mid-2025 release date. As confirmed in the company's Q1 2024 Quarterly Results , Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger reaffirmed that the new upcoming 18A chipset line is being fabricated right now. That puts the processors on track to be coming out about a year from now. Gelsinger said in the earnings call : "The


Jam out with discounted Apple AirPods Pro right now at Amazon
Mashable / 12h
SAVE $49.01: As of April 26, get the 2nd generation AirPods Pro for just $199.99 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount. Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) $199.99 at Amazon $249.00 Save $49.01 When it comes to earbuds, few do it better than Apple. If you're one of the few listeners left out there without a pair of AirPods but are thinking about taking the plunge, now's


Get a Dyson V8 for under $350 and tackle dust for good
Mashable / 12h
GET 26% OFF: As of April 26, you can get a Dyson V8 cordless vacuum for $349 at Amazon, Walmart , and Dyson , down from $469.99. That's $120.99 off the list price. Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson V8 cordless vacuum $349.00 at Amazon $469.99 Save $120.99 Dyson is one of the most coveted household brands, from vacuums to haircare tools. But cult-favorite Dyson products also often come wit


Save $50 on the Meta Quest 2 at Amazon and dive into an alternate reality
Mashable / 12h
SAVE $50.99: The Meta Quest 2 (128GB) VR headset is on sale for $199 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $249.99. That's a 20% discount. Opens in a new window Credit: Meta Meta Quest 2 (128GB) $199.00 at Amazon $249.99 Save $50.99 If your favorite games are feeling a bit blah these days, you can invest some money and time into a handful of new games. Or you could experience your games


Amazon deal of the day: The M3 MacBook Air just hit its lowest price on record
Mashable / 12h
Amazon deals of the day at a glance: OUR TOP PICK 13.6-inch MacBook Air (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $989 at Amazon (save $110) BEST SMARTWATCH DEAL Fitbit Versa 4 smartwatch $104.96 at Amazon (save $94.99) BEST HEADPHONES DEAL Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II $189 at Amazon (save $90) BEST HOME DEAL Google Nest Doorbell (battery) $129.99 at Amazon (save $50) You've made it through another work week. You


Ethiopian Airlines Flies “Tel Aviv” 787 To Beirut, Drama Ensues
93One Mile at a Time / 12h
What’s intended to be a cute initiative on Ethiopian Airlines’ part has backfired, as authorities in Lebanon took issue with a little detail on an aircraft belonging to the airline… Lebanese authorities angry over Ethiopian Airlines plane Ethiopian Airlines has what I’d consider to be a fun tradition, whereby the airline writes the name of a city on its newly delivered jets. Specifically, the air


Russia's UN Veto Fuels More Tension With the US Over Nuclear Weapons in Space
Gizmodo / 12h
This week, Russia unsurprisingly vetoed a draft resolution to prevent the placement of nuclear weapons in orbit. Russia’s rejection of the United Nations resolution is not a clear indication that it possesses orbital arsenal that could destroy satellite constellations, but it shows the country is not wavering under… Read more...


Signed, sealed, delivered, summarized: new Gemini-powered AI feature for Gmail looks like it’s close to launch
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
A summarize feature powered by Gemini , Google’s recently debuted generative AI model and digital assistance tool, is coming to the Gmail app for Android - and it could make reading and understanding emails much faster and easier. The feature is expected to roll out soon to all users, and they’ll be able to provide feedback by rating the quality of the generated email summaries. The feature has b


Another New Evil Dead Movie Is Escaping the Basement
45Gizmodo / 12h
Evil Dead’s cackling Deadites can never truly be defeated, which means there’ll always be fresh Evil Dead stories to tell—even without horror icon Bruce Campbell playing the lead, as last year’s excellent Evil Dead Rise proved. A few months back, an Evil Dead “spin-off” was announced, and now there’s news of a whole… Read more...


A Tesla Vice President Just Quit and Sold $181 Million of Its Stock
300+Futurism / 12h
Abandon Ship Tesla is going through a crisis right now. The company, which posted disastrous first-quarter results earlier this month, isn't just losing over ten percent of its rank-and-file workforce due to layoffs. A number of high-profile insiders have also abandoned ship. Take longtime Tesla executive Drew Baglino, who joined Tesla in 2006 — and now, just ten days after announcing his resigna


NHTSA concludes Tesla Autopilot investigation after linking the system to 14 deaths
Engadget / 12h
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has concluded an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system after reviewing hundreds of crashes, including 13 fatal incidents that led to 14 deaths. The organization has ruled that these accidents were due to driver misuse of the system. However, the NHTSA also found that “Tesla’s weak driver engagement system was not a


It's Illegal for Your Landlord to Evict You Themselves
LifeHacker / 12h
Renting a home has never been more challenging. Rents are soaring , there simply aren’t enough apartments and houses to rent, and many people have learned the true impact of inflation in recent years as they’ve seen higher wages buy less stuff —including housing. All of these factors combine to drive up the rate of evictions , too, as people struggle to afford their homes or find affordable alter


Where You Should (and Shouldn’t) Keep Your Emergency Fund
LifeHacker / 12h
As we've covered before , an emergency fund is a stash of money set aside to cover unexpected expenses. If you're hit with a sudden car repair, medical bill, or period of unemployment, you'll be grateful that you have designated funds to draw from for this very purpose. But where exactly are you pulling those funds from? Stuffing cash under your mattress may seem like an easy option, but there ar


Switch 2 reportedly replaces slide-in Joy-Cons with magnetic attachment
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / The slide-on Joy-Con connection point shown in the center of the image may be a thing of the past on the Switch 2 The iconic slide-in "click" of the Switch Joy-Cons may be replaced with a magnetic attachment