The Future of Tech, News and making sense of it all!

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Technology News Tuesdays.. and More!

 Technology News and More...



15 excellent Oscar–winning movies you can watch on Netflix


500+Mashable / 48min
Few nights in Hollywood's calendar year come close to the glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards. An Oscar statuette is a crowning achievement for anyone involved in the production of film, and those who garner one or more of the gold figurines win the right to label themselves an Academy Award–winning "insert title here" for the rest of history. Plus, there's the career boost that comes with it


Starlux Airlines Launching LAX Flights In April 2023
2KOne Mile at a Time / 23min
It’s finally happening! Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines will be launching flights to the United States as of this spring, and the first route to Los Angeles is now on sale. This is super exciting, so let’s go over the details. Starlux Airlines Taipei to Los Angeles flight details Starlux Airlines will launch flights between Taipei (TPE) and Los Angeles (LAX) as of April 26, 2023, and the flight is now


Why you shouldn’t trust AI search engines
MIT Technology Review / 3min
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here . Last week was the week chatbot-powered search engines were supposed to arrive. The big idea is that these AI bots would upend our experience of searching the web by generating chatty answers to our questions, instead of just returning lists of links as searche



Chromebook customization could soon get a major upgrade
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3min
Chromebooks are getting a change for the better in a big way with the ability to fully redefine keyboard shortcuts having been spotted in testing with Chrome OS. About Chromebooks spotted that the latest beta version of Chrome OS 111 contains a revamped keyboard shortcuts app that allows you to remap those shortcuts as you please. Now, this functionality isn’t working yet – you can change the sho


Netflix is getting rid of Arrested Development soon – but why?
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3min
Netflix is preparing to remove Arrested Development from its library – and it's happening soon. In a surprise move, the world's best streaming service is getting rid of the cult classic comedy series, including the two later seasons that were Netflix Originals – developed by the streaming service. Per Variety , Arrested Development 's five instalments will depart the platform on Wednesday, March


One of the most annoying Microsoft Teams issues could soon be fixed for good
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3min
If you're fed up of fiddly or disruptive Microsoft Teams updates, then your worries could soon be over. The company has revealed it is working on a new upgrade that should make updating Microsoft Teams easier than ever. The move should mean that the video conferencing service should enjoy smoother updates in the background, with minimal disruption to users, hopefully spelling an end to annoying o


Apple releases security fix for iPhone and Mac zero-day flaw, so update now
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3min
Apple has fixed two high-severity security flaws that allowed threat actors to run arbitrary code on vulnerable devices, potentially letting them steal sensitive contentor even hijack the entire device. The first one, tracked as CVE-2023-23514, is a Use After Free Issue, enabling hackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, affecting iPhones 8 and later, all iPad Pro models, iPad Air


Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 rumor suggests the Galaxy Z Flip 5 won’t get the chip we hoped
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3min
We’ve only recently started seeing phones with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset in them, but already we’re hearing about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and specifically that it might land sooner than expected. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was unveiled last November, but according to a Weibo posting from leaker Digital Chat Station (via NotebookCheck ), the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will land a bit earlier in


Hubble catches rare crash of three brilliant galaxies
Mashable / 7min
Three giant galaxies verge on crashing, smearing their gas and dust in a violent wreck, in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope . A collision of three galaxies is relatively rare in space , according to the European Space Agency, so such a scenario presents an opportunity for astronomers to study how the most massive galaxies in the universe form. This trio, found off in the cosmic distanc


Paul Rudd and Jimmy Fallon's 'Teenie Weenie Beanie' song is more fun than it has any right to be
Mashable / 7min
A comedy song about "teenie weenie beanies" is always going to be hit or miss, but the presence of Paul Rudd in the Tonight Show clip above manages to push it firmly into the "hit" category. In the video, Rudd and Fallon team up to sing a very silly, Lonely Island -style song celebrating – you guessed it – tiny beanie hats. Extra points have to be given for the sheer number of words they manage t


Tiger Global and Ribbit invest another $100 million in PhonePe
TechCrunch / 14min
PhonePe said it has raised another $100 million as part of the ongoing round , now standing at $450 million, as the Indian fintech giant bulks up its war chest following the recent separation from the parent firm Flipkart. Ribbit Capital, Tiger Global and TVS Capital provided the new $100 million infusion. The ongoing round values the Bengaluru-headquartered PhonePe at a pre-money valuation of $1


How Rust went from a side project to the world’s most-loved programming language
MIT Technology Review / 27min
Many software projects emerge because—somewhere out there—a programmer had a personal problem to solve. That’s more or less what happened to Graydon Hoare. In 2006, Hoare was a 29-year-old computer programmer working for Mozilla, the open-source browser company. Returning home to his apartment in Vancouver, he found that the elevator was out of order; its software had crashed. This wasn’t the fir


Combating Disinformation Wanes at Social Media Giants
NYT > Technology / 45min
As the companies have shed jobs recently, many teams assigned to combat false and misleading information have taken a hit.


The Toll That Twitter’s Glitches Is Taking on Chinese Activists
NYT > Technology / 45min
As the Elon Musk-owned social media service encounters interruptions and bugs, Chinese dissidents and activists said they feared they were being muzzled.


The best litter boxes that double as furniture
Mashable / 47min
If you aren't currently living with the luxury of extra out-of-the-way space (like a basement or a junk room of sorts), your cat's litter box is probably going to be in the way. Most cat owners have essentially surrendered to the fact that having a cat means having a litter box out in the open — and thus begrudgingly accepted the unsavory side effects that come with it. If you know, you know: Flu


Get this $40 course bundle and learn how to make AI work for you
Mashable / 47min
TL;DR : As of Feb. 14, you can sign up for the 2023 Ultimate AI ChatGPT and Python Programming Bundle for only $39.99 — that breaks down to just under three bucks per course. ChatGPT may be among the smartest AI released to the public, but there’s still room to customize and specialize this technology for your own purposes. That’s where the 2023 Ultimate AI ChatGPT and Python Programming Bundle c


Cut $350 off the price of these 5 Japanese folded steel chef knives
Mashable / 47min
TL;DR : As of Feb. 14, grab the Ryori Shefu Japanese Folded Steel Chef Knife Set for only $249 instead of $599 and save 58%. If restaurant prices have you thinking about cooking more at home , make sure you have a good set of knives on-hand. Enter the Ryori™ Shefu Japanese Folded Steel Chef Knives. This set of beautiful nitrogen-cooled knives are normally $599, but they’re on sale for $249. Five


Save $110 on this 4K dual camera drone
Mashable / 47min
TL;DR : As of Feb. 14, get the Ninja Dragons Blade X 4K Dual Camera Drone for only $89 instead of $199. That's a savings of 55%. Whether you're a professional photographer or want to start a fun, new hobby, flying a drone could be a great activity year-round. The Ninja Dragons Blade X Dual Camera Drone could be a fun investment for you or a teen who needs to get their head in the clouds, and it’s


Stream and browse privately with this $50 smart DNS VPN
Mashable / 47min
TL;DR : As of Feb. 14, a Getflix Smart DNS and VPN lifetime subscription is on sale for $49.99 — a significant discount from the usual $540 value. If you’re planning a spring vacation , make sure you can bring your favorite shows on the road with you. Streaming services like Hulu aren’t available outside the U.S., so you may not be able to keep up with your shows during your international downtim


LEGO dives into kids' complex emotions and identities with new Friends toys, digital content
Mashable / 47min
LEGOs aren't just for building anymore. To enable a more representative way to play and learn with your children, the toy company launched its new LEGO Friends Universe, including digital content featuring the latest generation of characters, storylines, and associated toys. Between the eight new Friends, the product line introduces an array of physical and mental traits, complex emotions, and un



24 of the best space movies you can launch right now
Mashable / 47min
While billionaires like Elon Musk , Jeff Bezos , and Richard Branson enjoy launching themselves into the upper atmosphere, the vast majority of humans will never go anywhere near space. But that doesn't mean we can't experience it vicariously. As well as tapping into a healthy dose of existential dread, space movies offer us a fleeting glimpse of planets and galaxies far beyond our wildest dreams


Get an extra 3 months for free with this streaming-friendly VPN
Mashable / 59min
SAVE 83%: CyberGhost VPN is a comprehensive service that protects your data and unlocks extra content from around the world. A two-year subscription to CyberGhost VPN is on sale for £49.95 and includes an extra three months for free — save 83% for a limited time. It's always good to have plenty of options, but the task of finding the best VPN from a long list of impressive services is actually pr


Cloudflare says it blocked a new record strength DDoS attack
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Hackers are once again breaking records with some huge distributed denial of service ( DDoS ) attacks, withg DDoS mitigation firm Cloudflare claiming it recently blocked an attack that, at its peak, exceeded 71 million requests per second (rps). That made the attack the largest reported HTTP DDoS incident ever, surpassing the previous one (a 46 million rps attack from June 2022) by more than a th


Elon Musk says Twitter is fixing its Elon Musk tweet problem
60Engadget / 1h
If you've been using Twitter's "For You" instead of the chronological "Following" tab, you may have noticed a problem. A number of users have remarked that the algorithmic feed has been showing a lot of Elon Musk's tweets and replies, whether they follow him or not. Twitter's CEO effectively confirmed the matter, tweeting "please stay tuned while we make adjustments to the uh... 'algorithm.'" I'd


Nigeria’s Curacel raises funding to power insurance offerings and expand into North Africa
TechCrunch / 1h
As many as 2.8% of Africans are insured , which is less than half the global average of 6.3%, making it the least insured continent in the world. Despite the abysmal number, there’s some good news. According to a McKinsey report, most African countries have experienced double-digit insurance growth in CAGR in local currency over the last five years, thus positioning the region as the second-faste


Kenya’s fintech Power set to scale after $3M seed round
TechCrunch / 1h
After working in Africa’s microfinance space for seven years, including at Botswana’s Letshego, Brian Dempsey took a break in 2020 to build Power Financial Wellness , operating out of Kenya. Dempsey said the launch of Power was informed by the trends he noticed in the micro-lending space, and experience garnered from his stint in the micro-finance sector. “During my time at the micro-finance inst


Crypto makes you more attractive, according to a new Binance survey
TechCrunch / 1h
In true Valentine’s Day fashion, we’re diving into the theme of love…and crypto? According to a new study by Binance, the world’s largest blockchain by trading volume, crypto could have a positive impact on one’s attractiveness. Yes, really . Approximately 83% of participants said liking crypto was an “attractive feature in a relationship,” while 70% said they would be more inclined to go on a da


The Boys' showrunner strongly hints that season 4 won't be the last
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Fans of superhero black comedy show The Boys have plenty to celebrate, after it was all-but-confirmed that the upcoming season of the Amazon Prime Video smash hit won’t be its last. Offering a satirical eye on modern America, while also putting a clever spin on familiar comic book archetypes, The Boys first hit screens back in 2019, and over the course of three seasons has gone on to become one o


Elon Musk wanted more Elon Musk on Twitter so Twitter is now all Elon Musk
100+Mashable / 2h
Does Twitter need more Elon Musk? It's a question that's currently being answered for many users, who are seeing predominantly Elon tweets in their "For You" feeds. According to desperate cries reports on Twitter, Elon's Tweets are showing even if they're a few days old, and sometimes they're packed one after the other (for the record, my Twitter feed appears normal, with just the usual amount of


Africa’s smartphone market shrunk by 18% last year
36TechCrunch / 2h
Africa’s smartphone market shrunk by 18% in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). The slump was driven by a reduction in consumer spending due to inflation, and economic uncertainties, but it was not unique to Africa as smartphone shipment dipped across major markets last year. According to IDC, the global smartphone market experienced a 11.3%


The Changing Online Language of Hearts
42NYT > Technology / 2h
How to show a heart — the universal symbol of love — has shifted on the internet over the years, driven by new technology.



Bain Capital has closed its second Tech Opportunities fund with $2.4 billion
TechCrunch / 3h
It’s always nice to have a lot of capital to invest, but managing a large new fund can be even more advantageous right now given that many later-stage companies that put off fundraising last year will likely be in the market come hell or high water in 2023. No doubt traditional venture firms like NEA, which just closed on $6.2 billion across two new funds, will be waiting for them. So will the bu


Amid merger and bankruptcy in the West, lidar maker Hesai nails $190M IPO
TechCrunch / 3h
Last week, China’s lidar maker Hesai raised an upsized IPO in the U.S. at a time the industry is reeling from layoffs, bankruptcy, and consolidation. The Shanghai- and California- based company, which makes the sensing technology critical to autonomous driving and increasingly advanced driver assistant systems, raised $190 million from its public offering on Nasdaq. As my colleague Kirsten wrote


Morocco’s foodtech Terraa raises $1.5M led by FoodLabs
28TechCrunch / 3h
Terraa , a Moroccan B2B tech-enabled food distribution platform, has raised $1.5 million pre-seed funding in a round led by FoodLabs, a European early-stage VC investor and venture studio for food, sustainability and health. Other participants in the round were UM6P Ventures, Outlierz Ventures, Musha Ventures, and Africa-centric DFS Lab. Founded by Youssef Benkirane and Benoit De Vigne last year,


T-Mobile outage affected thousands of users across the US
26Engadget / 4h
T-Mobile suffered network outages on Monday night, leading to intermittent issues with its voice, text and data services, according to Reuters . Based on reports submitted to Downdetector , over 80,000 subscribers in several areas in the US were experiencing problems by around 10:14PM ET on February 14th. T-Mobile responded to users' complaints on Twitter, initially to tell people that the carrie


The 10 Most Bizarre Desktop PCs Ever Designed
SlashGear / 4h
These strange but functional PCs prove that not all home computers are designed to sit blandly on a desk, but rather be part of a home's aesthetic.


Today's Wordle Answer #605 – February 14, 2023 Solution And Hints
SlashGear / 4h
The answer to today's Wordle puzzle is quite the versatile word -- it can function as a noun, a verb, an adverb, and an adjective. We have other hints, too.


Microsoft's New Bing Goof Isn't Going To Help AI Skepticism
SlashGear / 4h
Google took the brunt of the negative attention surrounding AI due to the viral nature of Bard's mistake, but Bing shouldn't escape similar attention.


Akamai reaches for the cloud
TechCrunch / 4h
A year ago, Akamai acquired Linode for $900 million. At the time, Akamai said it wanted to combine Linode with its edge platform and security services. Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what it is doing now, with the launch of its new Akamai Connected Cloud — a massively distributed edge and cloud platform that includes Linode’s existing 11 core sites, Akamai’s more than 4,200 edge locations in 134


Singapore-based neobank Aspire raises $100M from Lightspeed and Sequoia SEA
TechCrunch / 4h
Aspire , the Singapore-based neobank that wants to become the financial operating system for SMEs, has raised an oversubscribed $100 million Series C round. Investors included Lightspeed and Sequoia Capital SEA, along with Paypal, Tencent, LGT Capital Partners and returning investors. TechCrunch last covered Aspire when it raised its Series B in 2021 . Founded in 2018 to provide working capital l



Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for February 14
Mashable / 4h
How'd your Tuesday going? Just started? Lunch break? Sneaking in before midnight to preserve your precious Wordle streak? As always, we're here with a few hints and tips to help you figure out the solution. If you prefer us to just tell you the solution, you can scroll to the bottom of this article for February 14's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather work through it yourself, keep read


13 addictive Korean dramas to binge right now
100+Mashable / 5h
"Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films," Parasite director Bong Joon-ho said when accepting the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. This isn't just true of films, though. It also applies to highly bingeable K-dramas. Fortunately, some of the best Korean dramas are also easy to stream. There's a rich, wide world of c


'Quordle' today: Here are the answers and hints for February 14
Mashable / 5h
If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for hints. There aren't just hints here, but the whole Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need. What is Quordle ? Quordle is a five-letter word guessing gam


This IoT study bundle is on sale for 96% off
Mashable / 5h
TL;DR : The 2023 Ultimate Cloud Foundation Certification Bundle is on sale for £41.63, saving you 96% on list price. If you’re looking for one part of the tech professional sphere to focus on, the IoT industry is predicted to be a $2.4 trillion market by 2029 . That gives you plenty of time to study up on cloud computing and get certified by a professional organisation. Get started by studying fo


Twitter delays launch of its new API platform again
22TechCrunch / 5h
Twitter ruffled a lot of feathers earlier this month when it announced its plans to cut the free access to its API . The company initially set a February 9 deadline to enforce the rule but later delayed it to February 13 . Now, the social network has delayed the shutdown of free API again — and this time there is no date in the latest of the growing list of uncertainties at the Elon Musk-owned fi


Oculus Quest 2 still too heavy? This Steam VR headset is four times lighter
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 5h
Virtual reality developer Bigscreen is expanding into hardware by revealing its self-proclaimed “world’s smallest VR headset,” the Beyond. That title isn’t totally without merit, either. The Beyond is about 5.6 inches long, two inches wide, and clocks in at a little over four ounces barring any added accessories. For comparison’s sake, the Oculus Quest 2 , another lightweight VR headset, weighs n


5 of the best online Python courses available for free this week
Mashable / 5h
FREE COURSES: Learn to code with Udemy. A range of beginner-friendly Python courses are available for free on this popular online learning platform. If you are looking to learn something new without spending big, we recommend checking out Udemy. This popular online learning platform hosts a wide range of online courses covering just about everything you can imagine, and plenty of these courses ar


India’s InsuranceDekho raises $150 million despite market slump
56TechCrunch / 9h
The Indian insurance platform InsuranceDekho has raised $150 million in a Series A funding round as the firm eyes merger and acquisition opportunities at a time when the market slump has engulfed most startups in the South Asian nation. Goldman Sachs Asset Management and TVS Capital co-led the 7-year-old startup’s Series A funding round, they said. The round includes some debt — about $40 million


Which Super Bowl Movie Trailer Was the Best?
Gizmodo / 10h
Sure, the drama between the Chiefs and Eagles on the field was great, but the drama across multiverses and galaxies was probably even better. Super Bowl LVII had a ton of great movie trailers and commercials scattered throughout, from The Flash and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 , to Indiana Jones and the Dial of … Read more...


Could advanced chatbots cause chaos on social media?
63BBC News - Technology / 10h
Researchers warn that AI could flood social media with harmful and misleading content.


Confusion Spirals in Crypto as the US Cracks Down
23Wired / 10h
The Securities and Exchange Commission launched enforcement actions against some of the industry’s major players, raising questions over crypto’s future.


Shkreli tells judge his drug discovery software is not for discovering drugs
Ars Technica - All content / 10h
Enlarge / Martin Shkreli arrives at Brooklyn Federal Court on the first day of his securities fraud trial in 2017. (credit: Getty | Kevin Hagen ) In an effort to avoid being held in contempt of court, former pharmaceutical executive and convicted fraudster , Martin Shkreli, made an eyebrow-raising argument to a federal judge Friday, stating that his company Druglike, which he previously described


Subaru recalls Solterra for its nagging wheels-fall-off problem
TechCrunch / 10h
Subaru has issued another recall for its battery electric Solterra crossover due to concerns that hub bolts on the wheels may loosen and cause it to detach. Subaru said the issue affects 1,182 model year 2023 Subaru Solterra vehicles . The 2023 Subaru Solterra EV and 2023 Toyota bZ4x — the products of a partnership between Toyota and Subaru to jointly develop a platform dedicated to EVs — were re


Bella Ramsey Says Last of Us Haters Can Stay Mad–It’s Their Loss
2KGizmodo / 11h
Bella Ramsey—who identifies as non-binary and uses all pronouns—is entirely unsympathetic to the plight of the homophobe who wants their media to remain as straight as an arrow. The third episode of The Last of Us , which many critics praised for its storytelling and the post-apocalyptic queer romance at the center of… Read more...


Free Night Awards Available All Year At The Conrad Maldives
View from the Wing / 11h
One of Hilton's most aspirational properties, the Conrad Maldives, has standard free night award availability nearly every day for the rest of the year (through December 20, 2023). That's not normally the case. Continue reading ...


What To Do If Your iPhone Won't Turn On
SlashGear / 11h
Maybe you dropped it or haven't used it for several days and now your iPhone won't power on. You don't need to contact support just yet. Try these tips first.


Apple Updates iPhone, iPad And Mac Over 'Actively Exploited' Security Loophole
Exploitation for Client Execution (Enterprise T1203)•
SlashGear / 11h
If you are running an Apple device, a vulnerability in WebKit may expose your device to attack. You should update your device as soon as possible.


Why The US Military Picked This Aircraft To Shoot Down The Chinese Balloon, UFOs
SlashGear / 11h
If anything challenges the air control over the U.S., in this case a Chinese surveillance balloon or a UFO, the F-22 is there to stop it.


Here's Why You Might Want To Buy A Portable Hotspot If You Travel Often
SlashGear / 11h
A portable hotspot can be really handy for times when you need to be connected. That's especially true when you're traveling domestically or abroad.


The Incredible Features Of The X-15, A Supersonic Research Aircraft And Spaceplane
SlashGear / 11h
The X-15 was the first plane to reach the 100,000-foot mark and fly at hypersonic speeds beyond Mach 4, 5 (the speed of sound), and 6.



Zoox Self-Driving Robotaxis Are Finally On Public Roads, But You Can't Use Them Quite Yet
SlashGear / 11h
Zoox, a company that researches and designs autonomous vehicles, just revealed that it has made history with recent developments in its robotaxi program.


Here's How Fast The Audi R8 Really Is
SlashGear / 11h
The Audi R8 has an impressively fast and powerful powertrain since it shares its components with its racing car cousin. We have all the details.


2023 Mazda CX-9 Review: Bowing Out Gracefully
SlashGear / 11h
The Mazda CX-9's time has come. This is the last chance you'll get to attain this line of vehicles as it makes way for other Mazda machines (like the CX-90).


12 Things You Should Be Disinfecting (but Aren't)
Lifehacker / 11h
There’s a difference between cleaning and disinfecting, which means there are different times you’ll need to do both, as well as different products you need to use . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , disinfecting kills germs that remain behind after standard cleaning, and the agency… Read more...


The best ways to fly to India with points and miles
42The Points Guy / 11h
India is a top destination for many travelers. You can occasionally find flight deals to India, especially if you are patient and have flexible travel dates. If you find a good flight deal, you may want to use a credit card travel portal to book your flights . Otherwise, you may want to redeem points and miles for flights to India . This guide will discuss some of the top airline loyalty programs


Our favorite superhero misfits are back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Chris Pratt's Star-Lord and friends are back in a new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 . Director James Gunn took an unlikely group of fairly obscure misfit characters from Marvel Comics and turned them into lovable unlikely superheroes with 2014's hugely entertaining Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel . The Guardians have been through the wringer since then, and this battered-


It’s not aliens. It’ll probably never be aliens. So stop. Please just stop.
500+Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / Spy balloon mania has taken alien mania to the next level. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) Aliens have been having a moment in recent years. For decades the notion of unidentified flying objects—UFOs—and little green men running around Roswell, New Mexico, remained comfortably confined along the fringes of societal discourse. But no longer. Serious people in the government are ta


Twitter delays API changes again, this time 'by a few more days'
200+Engadget / 11h
Twitter is once again delaying the rollout of its paid API. In a tweet spotted by AppleInsider , the company said Tuesday it needs more time to complete work on the redesign. “As part of our efforts to create an optimal experience for the developer community, we will be delaying the launch of our new API platform by a few more days,” Twitter posted. When the company first announced it was shuttin


Writer deploys home-cooked large language models to power up enterprise copy
20TechCrunch / 11h
There’s a lot of noise right now about how generative AIs like ChatGPT and Bard are going to revolutionize various aspects of the web, but companies targeting narrower verticals are already experiencing success. Writer is such a one, and it just announced a new trio of large language models to power its enterprise copy assistant. The company lets customers fine-tune these models on their own cont


Daily Crunch: Generative AI search engine NeevaAI rolls out subscription service to more countries
49TechCrunch / 11h
To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here . Helloooooo, Crunchers! It’s Monday, and it’s time for premature lovers to celebrate Valentine’s Day (it’s tomorrow, you eager lovebirds). Lots of fun things are coming down the pike here at TC Towers: TechCrunch Disrupt is back in September, so now’s the time to gr


Breaking Down the End of the DCEU in The Flash's First Trailer
42Gizmodo / 11h
Before the the new DC Studios’ Chapter One: Gods and Monsters begins its slate of films under new co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, there’s going to be a complete reset in the The Flash . Read more...


Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty and a newer startup, FIT:MATCH, team up to sell better-fitting lingerie
26TechCrunch / 11h
Shoppers at Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage X Fenty may soon find it easier than ever to find products that fit their measurements. Last year, the brand made an investment in a four-year-old, Miami-based startup called FIT:MATCH ; now, Savage X Fenty is employing FIT:MATCH’s tech in a growing number of its retail stores, starting with a location in Atlanta, Georgia. How it works right now: Shoppe


Max Q: All fired up!
20TechCrunch / 11h
Hello and welcome back to Max Q! In this issue: 31 engines make fire A mission for Blue Origin’s New Glenn News from Rocket Lab, Seraphim and more SpaceX conducted a full-duration static fire test of Starship’s Super Heavy Booster The long-awaited static fire test of Starship’s Super Heavy Booster took place last week, with SpaceX managing to fire 31 Raptor 2 engines at full duration. It’s the mo


Calorie Restriction Is Not a Longevity Hack
Lifehacker / 11h
If you feed mice less food than they normally eat, they tend to live longer. This mostly consistent finding is the basis for a lot of tech bro “biohacks” about eating less food. But is it really healthy to under-eat? Read more...


Another Russian Spacecraft Docked to the ISS Just Sprang a Leak
Futurism / 11h
Leaks on Leaks A second Russian spacecraft docked to the International Space Station has sprung a leak in one of its coolant lines, in just a matter of months — the latest episode of chaos, in other words, in Russia's increasingly battered space program. The latest leak occurred over the weekend, causing a "depressurization" in a cargo spacecraft dubbed Progress MS-21, according to a [let's alway


Should you ask to switch seats on a plane?
The Points Guy / 12h
Even during the glorious golden days of air travel , the middle seat was viewed as airline purgatory. Fear of body overlap, being used as a pillow, limited access to the overheads and lavatory, and contested armrests (is the middle seat dweller entitled to full or shared use?), being stuck in the middle is a pain all flyers can relate to. Most frequent flyers have, at some point, been asked to tr


How to Stop Yelling at Your Kid About Using Their Phone
Lifehacker / 12h
You can’t blame teens for being super attached to their phones. We gave them technology that provides limitless access to their friends and the entire world, of course they are going to want to use it as much as they can. (Don’t you?) Read more...


YouTube launches its new commercial music licensing resource, Creator Music
20TechCrunch / 12h
YouTube today announced its new marketplace, Creator Music , is now fully open to all YouTube Partner Program participants in the U.S. First announced last September, the online destination offers a large catalog of songs that creators can browse, search through, and purchase where the terms of the music rights are spelled out in plain language, so creators can understand the costs involved. In a


Where to stream the 2023 Academy Awards
Mashable / 12h
What: The 95th Academy Awards Where to watch: ABC.com , the ABC app , Hulu Live , and YouTubeTV Premiere date: March 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT Award season is upon us and the final boss is here. The 2023 Academy Awards are right around the corner, and there's a lot to look forward to — and dread. From more celebratory feats including Everything Everywhere All At Once absolutely dominating this ye


Apple releases new fix for iPhone zero-day exploited by hackers
20TechCrunch / 12h
Apple on Monday released a new version of the iPhone and iPad’s operating systems to fix a vulnerability that hackers were exploiting in the wild, meaning they were taking advantage of it to hack Apple devices. On the security update page , Apple wrote that it “is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.” This is the language Apple uses when someone alerts the company t



Swallowing this pill-shaped sensor could help you avoid invasive procedures
20TechCrunch / 12h
Ingestible robotics has been a fascinating and growing field for the last several years. We’ve already seen a handful of startups working to commercialize a technology that could allow for internal monitoring, medicine delivery and more, without the need for invasive procedure. This new project from a joint team at Caltech and MIT highlights a slightly more basic approach to the category, crammin


Apple May Make You Wait Another Year for The Next iMac
21Gizmodo / 12h
For those who love the slimmed down, 24-inch experience of an iMac sitting pretty on top of your desk—no tower necessary—you may need to keep on keeping on with the current build. A credible analyst told readers Sunday to sit tight if they want any more info on a new version of the iMac line. Read more...


Could Critical Role Go Independent in the Future?
Gizmodo / 12h
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The White House Wants You to Believe Those UFOs Weren’t Aliens
Gizmodo / 12h
Unfortunately for the dedicated alien conspiracy theorists among us, the time is apparently not yet nigh to don your tinfoil hats. The Biden Administration has declared that the recent instances of unidentified aerial objects being shot down over U.S. and Canadian territory are not related to extra-terrestrial life. Read more...


Train Sparked Miles Before It Derailed in Ohio, Videos Show
54Gizmodo / 12h
Videos of the Norfolk Southern Railway train that went off the tracks in Northeastern Ohio show that the train was on fire miles before it derailed on February 3 and caused an ongoing hazardous chemical disaster. Read more...


There's a Super Bizarre Coincidence Surrounding the Ohio Train Disaster
41Futurism / 12h
The Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio and its horrifying aftermath are already grim enough — but a bizarre coincidence in the town where it happened makes the tragic saga seem almost stranger than fiction. As CNN reports , the meta twist is that one of the families affected by the derailed train that contained loads of hazardous, flammable chemicals acted as extras in Netflix's 2022 movie


Starlink, Verizon, and T-Mobile made shaky claims on FCC coverage map
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Andrey Denisyuk) Multiple Internet service providers have submitted false availability data to the federal government for a map that will be used to determine which parts of the US get access to a $42.45 billion broadband fund. We wrote about Comcast's false coverage claims last week, and this article will detail false or at least questionable coverage claims from


Ford will spend $3.5 billion to build lithium iron phosphate battery plant
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / On the left, a nickel cobalt manganese battery cell; on the right, a lithium iron phosphate cell. (credit: Ford) The US is getting yet another new electric vehicle battery factory. On Monday afternoon, Ford announced that it will spend $3.5 billion to build a new plant in Marshall, Michigan. Significantly, this new site will make lithium iron phosphate (also known as LFP) cells, which a


All the Ways You Should Be Using Caulk Around the House but Aren't
Lifehacker / 12h
Caulk is one of the greatest tools of illusion ever invented. We’ve been using it to stop leaks and hide gaps for centuries, and it remains one of the most useful things you can have in your toolbox. Not only is caulk one of the easiest construction materials to use, you can use it in a surprisingly wide range of… Read more...


Wide Open Qantas Business Class Award Space To Australia
View from the Wing / 12h
Australia in business class is one of the toughest frequent flyer awards out there. It's a long flight, people pay for business class seats, and there aren't that many ways of getting there through many frequent flyer programs. If you want to use United miles, for instance, you often have to travel through Asia - or pay triple the miles. Right now Qantas is making quite a bit of business class aw


Austin’s aviation boom continues, with new Copa flights to Central America
100+The Points Guy / 12h
Flyers based in Austin will have a new option for traveling to Latin America this summer. Copa Airlines plans to launch nonstop flights between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City, giving the Star Alliance carrier its 15th U.S. route. With a new route from Austin, passengers can connect to 55 Latin American cities through Copa


Best credit cards for book lovers
The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Now, more than ever, our options and reasons for reading seem endless. Whether you’re lugging textbooks to class, tossing paperbacks into your beach bag or downloading audiobooks for your commute, book lovers know that a reading habit can become expensive. Our motto around here is that if you’re spending,


Don’t be ‘Clueless’: Earn increased cash back or points when shopping online
81The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. If you want to get the best deal for your online shopping, make sure you click through Rakuten first. (Yes, that same company with the very fun “Clueless”-themed Super Bowl commercial .) That’s always good advice,