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Friday, July 12, 2024

Technology News and More-Friday Edition...

 Technology News and More...





EU’s AI Act gets published in bloc’s Official Journal, starting clock on legal deadlines
TechCrunch / 1h
The full and final text of the EU AI Act, the European Union’s landmark risk-based regulation for applications of artificial intelligence, has been published in the bloc’s Official Journal. In 20 days’ time, on August 1, the new law will come into force and in 24 months — so by mid-2026 — its provisions will […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Security, compliance and AI should be the top priorities for UK businesses
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 58min
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, IT leaders must understand how to protect businesses from cybersecurity threats and enable growth. Technology offers many far-reaching benefits that can help business leaders achieve peace of mind, but insufficient technology use can impact growth opportunities and derail security. By focusing on compliance requirements, plugging security gaps and using


10 YouTube videos you need to watch this week: Kendrick, Skibidi Toilet, and more
Mashable / 30min
If you’re trying to stay in the know about what’s trending online, you've come to the right place. Keeping up with what’s trending can be tricky, especially in today's digital landscape, where things can go viral one minute and then be obsolete the next. So, we’ve identified 10 trending YouTube videos you should watch — or at least skim — to get you up to speed on what's happening in culture. Ken



Delta Bans Employees From Wearing Flag Pins
One Mile at a Time / 2min
Delta Air Lines is changing its uniform policy, eliminating what was a cool form of expression for frontline employees. Unfortunately the airline really had no choice here… Palestine flag issue causes Delta policy change Historically, Delta employees have been allowed to wear flag pins, representing countries and nationalities of the world. While airline employees of course wear uniforms, it’s ni


The unmatched streak of perfection with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is over
Ars Technica - All content / 8min
Enlarge / Numerous pieces of ice fell off the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket during its climb into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. (credit: SpaceX) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket suffered an upper stage engine failure and deployed a batch of Starlink internet satellites into a perilously low orbit after launch from California Thursday night, the first blemish on the workhorse l


Bad news: the Google Pixel 9 will reportedly cost more than the Pixel 8
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11min
The Google Pixel 8 is one of the more affordable high-end phones you’ll find, undercutting the likes of the iPhone 15 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 . But with the Pixel 9 , Google might bring its pricing more in line with rivals. This is according to French site Tomsguide (via GSMArena ), which has seemingly leaked French pricing for the entire Pixel 9 series. Starting with the Google Pixel 9 itself


Zoom has a new way to help you power through all those boring business tasks
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11min
Zoom has announced a new AI-powered feature designed to streamline routine tasks and boost the efficiency of employees working on mundane, administrative projects. With the introduction of Workflow Automation on Zoom Workplace, the video conferencing giant hopes workers will be able to focus on more meaningful work, freeing up employee time to address ongoing skills shortage concerns. Integrated


'The Substance' teaser will get under your skin
Mashable / 30min
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley lead Coralie Fargeat's sinister horror, "The Substance." Watch the trailer.


MSI Cyborg 14: A light, cheap gaming laptop with Steam Deck-like battery life
Mashable / 30min
The MSI Cyborg 14 took my breath away when I first grasped it at CES 2024 — it's as light as feather. Now, I get to play around with it for this review, and I still can't get over how light it is. Gaming laptops are typically clunky, chunky, and chubby, and here comes the Cyborg 14, all slim and trim, being a portable haven for casual gamers. No, it doesn't have the latest and greatest internals,


Go full secret agent with mini night-vision digital binoculars for 43% off
Mashable / 30min
TL;DR: Grab these mini night-vision digital binoculars with HD recording for just $89.97 (reg. $159.99) through July 21. Opens in a new window Credit: Mesay Mini Dual Tube Digital Night Vision Binoculars with 1080p HD Recording $89.97 at the Mashable Shop $159.99 Save $70.02 In the world of outdoor adventures and nighttime explorations, having the right gear can make all the difference. Whether y


This grade-A refurbished 2017 Apple MacBook Air is only $299.97
Mashable / 30min
TL;DR: Get this refurbished 2017 Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch for just $299.97 (reg. $599) until July 21. If your laptop is starting to lag or underperform, it might be time to invest in a previously owned but new-to-you computer . This refurbished 2017 Apple MacBook Air has a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor that offers increased performance, and for a limited time, you can get it for $299.97 — 50%


Type easier on your iPad 10 with an $89 keyboard folio
Mashable / 30min
TL;DR: Through July 21, get an open-boxed Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad 10th Gen for only $89.97 (reg. $249). Opens in a new window Credit: Total TR/Cal State Electronics Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (10th gen) $89.97 at The Mashable Shop $249.00 Save $159.03 New, open box Typing more than a few sentences on an iPad isn’t typically fun. If you’re tired of pecking with each finger, th


'Longlegs' review: Nicolas Cage may be brilliant, but this horror-thriller is bizarre in the wrong way
Mashable / 30min
Writer/director Osgood Perkins made his name with atmospheric horror films like The Blackcoat's Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. With his latest, Longlegs, he crafts a commendably eerie atmosphere in which Nicolas Cage, who also produces, delivers yet another gonzo performance — but it's all texture, and not much else. Longlegs’ premise is reminiscent of The Silence of


'Touch' review: A must-see romantic drama that's not for everyone
Mashable / 30min
There are points in life when you look back on your path and wonder what might have been if you'd taken a different turn. Touch is such a film, but far from a maudlin affair of regret or resignation, it is a resonant tale of love and acceptance. It's the kind of movie that feels like hope in hopeless times. Keep all this in mind as you read what Touch is all about, because it certainly sounds lik


IVF alone can’t save us from a looming fertility crisis
MIT Technology Review / 43min
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here . I’ve just learned that July 11 is World Population Day . There are over 8 billion of us on the planet, and there’ll probably be 8.5 billion of us by 2030. We’re continually warned about the perils of overpopula


Alison Roman Answers Your Hard Questions
NYT > Technology / 54min
Answers to your moral quandaries, ethical dilemmas and etiquette questions about technology.


How Biden’s Stumbles Collided With a Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory
NYT > Technology / 54min
Some far-right commentators have long argued that Democratic Party elites were plotting to replace President Biden. Now those commentators say they’ll be proved correct.


A Movie About Brian Eno Is Never the Same Twice Thanks to Software
NYT > Technology / 54min
Thanks to a software program, the length, structure and contents of the movie are reconfigured each time it’s shown. It’s the only way the musician would agree to the project.


Today's NYT Connections Hints and Answer for July 12 (#397)
How-To Geek / 56min
Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn'tConnections categories can be almost anything, and they're usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we've got you covered.


Quantinuum Trapped Ion Quantum Computer Compute World Record 100 Times Faster Than Google Sycamore


Next Big Future / 2h
Quantum computing researchers are exploring whether quantum computational advantage might be obtainable without quantum error correction. The larger one can make a quantum computer while continuing to push down error rates the more likely it is that we will find tasks at which non-error-corrected quantum computers dramatically outperform the best classical algorithms. The high gate ... Read more
YESTERDAY



Here’s what it takes to make the shift to GenAI
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
Generative AI holds immense promise for enterprises. And democratization of AI tools , which is now possible via GenAI, is a paradigm shift. But before businesses can fully exploit GenAI’s potential and spur widespread adoption, they must consider a few important factors. Enterprises, which today are at the very early stages of their GenAI journeys, must work in new ways and design GenAI applicat


iPhone 16 price predictions: rumored prices for every model
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
While the specs of the iPhone 16 line are sure to increase relative to the iPhone 15 series, it’s less clear whether their prices will also increase or not. Some years the prices go up, others they don’t, and there’s even an outside chance the prices could go down. Adding further complications is the fact that Apple will sometimes increase the prices in some regions and not others. So we can’t ye


Scientists built real-life “stillsuit” to recycle astronaut urine on space walks
Ars Technica - All content / 5h
Enlarge / The Fremen on Arrakis wear full-body "stillsuits" that recycle absorbed sweat and urine into potable water. (credit: Warner Bros.) The Fremen who inhabit the harsh desert world of Arrakis in Frank Herbert's Dune must rely on full-body "stillsuits" for their survival, which recycle absorbed sweat and urine into potable water. Now science fiction is on the verge of becoming science fact:


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Friday, July 12, 2024
LifeHacker / 5h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 12, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is hard; I got it in six. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 12, Wordle #1,119! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game. How to play Wordle Wordle lives here on the New York Times website . A new


Sabrina Carpenter brought milkshakes to 'Hot Ones,' but it still didn't save her
Mashable / 5h
"Espresso" singer Sabrina Carpenter appeared on "Hot Ones" with host Sean Evans, talking about writing lyrics and the Beatles.


Pay just £93 to get 1TB of cloud storage for life from Koofr
Mashable / 5h
TL;DR: Through July 21, you can score lifetime access to Koofr's 1TB cloud storage solution for only £92.90 with the coupon code KOOFR40 . Opens in a new window Credit: Koofr Koofr Cloud Storage: Lifetime Subscription (1TB) £92.90 at the Mashable Shop £627.26 Save £534.36 with code KOOFR40 You know all too well that your device's built-in storage is finite. Your precious storage is bound to run o


No Reason to Delay Tesla Robotaxi Event
Next Big Future / 6h
The reason that Bloomberg gave to for delaying the Tesla Robotaxi event from August 8, 2024 does not make sense. There would be no reason to delay until October to show more robotaxi prototype cars. Tesla can have another event where they show cars. Also, the robotaxi vehicles need to be mass produced. Prototypes are ... Read more


Samsung's Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra have lost a highly useful feature
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
When Samsung’s Galaxy Watch7 was recently revealed, people were excited to see all of the new features but failed to notice that something was missing. User JordyV27 on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) discovered a support page revealing that neither the Galaxy Watch 7 nor the Galaxy Watch Ultra has Wireless PowerShare. For those unfamiliar, Wireless PowerShare is a reverse charging fea


Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for July 12
Mashable / 7h
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 July 12'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 co


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for July 12
Mashable / 8h
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


Waymo cameras capture footage of person charged in alleged robotaxi tire slashings
23TechCrunch / 8h
A Castro Valley resident was charged Thursday for allegedly slashing the tires of 17 Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco between June 24 and June 26, according to the city’s district attorney. Prosecutors say the tire slashings were captured by cameras installed on the exterior of Waymo’s robotaxis. This is the latest incident of Waymo vandalism […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For person


Samsung Unpacked 2024 in Less Than 15 Minutes
Mashable / 9h
Here's everything you may have missed from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event this year in under fifteen minutes.


Rich People Who Get Cryogenically Frozen Are Hoarding Their Money for When They Get Thawed Out
77Futurism / 10h
Despite science only having the freezing part of the cryogenic process down, attorneys for uber-rich anti-death advocates have invented a new type of trust aimed at hoarding their wealth for when they finally exit suspended animation. As Bloomberg Law reports , estate planners are hard at work creating so-called "revival trusts" for rich people who get frozen after their deaths, so that if cryoni


Pioneering British AI chip designer bought by Japanese firm
28BBC News / 10h
Graphcore was once considered one of the country's most promising start-ups, with a £2bn valuation.


Why both businesses and scammers love India's payment system
29BBC News / 10h
Fast and free, India's UPI payments system has been a big success, but has attracted scammers.


Chase’s Biggest Offer Ever: Earn 120,000 Points With Ink Business Preferred
View from the Wing / 10h
A year ago the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card launched a 100,000 point initial bonus that’s been the single best credit card offer ever since. Now Chase has topped it, and I think this is the best credit card offer Chase has ever had, for any product. Continue reading ...


NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Friday, July 12 (game #131)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
The week comes to a close with a more difficult Strands puzzle. Or at least that was my experience; maybe you'll find it far easier. If you do struggle, there are hints below. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on


Quordle today – hints and answers for Friday, July 12 (game #900)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Happy 900th birthday, Quordle! Who would have thought it would still be going for this long? But here it is – and I'm very glad about that. Next stop, 1,000. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. S POILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you


NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Friday, July 12 (game #397)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
It's the end of the week, but Connections rumbles on like a big word-crushing juggernaut. Need some help for today's game? Read on. What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers , Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT C


Google's AI robots are learning from watching movies – just like the rest of us
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Google DeepMind's robotics team is teaching robots to learn how a human intern would: by watching a video. The team has published a new paper demonstrating how Google's RT-2 robots embedded with the Gemini 1.5 Pro generative AI model can absorb information from videos to learn how to get around and even carry out requests at their destination. Thanks to the Gemini 1.5 Pro model's long context win


SoftBank acquires UK AI chipmaker Graphcore
TechCrunch / 10h
While the figure of $500 million has been bandied around in various reports for months, in a press briefing early Thursday morning, Graphcore co-founder and CEO Nigel Toon remained coy on the details. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


It’s Time to Order Your Fall Seeds
LifeHacker / 11h
Starting in late July, some of the crops you planted for spring or summer are going to be done producing and will be ready for harvest. That leaves space for something new. There are vegetables that are “short crops,” meaning that they can be harvested, under optimal conditions, in 60 days or fewer. You might be able to get another rotation of these crops in before fall hits, if you live someplac


Lion brothers in search of mates just set a record for longest known swim
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / The intrepid three-legged lion Jacob and his brother Tibu prepare for a hunt. (credit: Alexander Braczkowski) On February 4, scientists monitoring lion populations in Uganda captured nighttime thermal drone footage of two lions—brothers dubbed Jacob and Tibu by the Uganda Wildlife Authority—swimming across the predator-infested Kazinga Channel connecting two lakes, most likely to find m


First “Miss AI” contest sparks ire for pushing unrealistic beauty standards
29Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / An AI-generated image of "Miss AI" award winner "Kenza Layli" (left) and an unidentified AI-generated woman beside her. (credit: Kenza.Layli / Instagram ) An influencer platform called Fanvue recently announced the results of its first " Miss AI " pageant, which sought to judge AI-generated social media influencers and also doubled as a convenient publicity stunt. The "winner" is a fict


Elon Musk calls for “criminal prosecution” of X ad boycott perpetrators
22Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge (credit: Apu Gomes / Stringer | Getty Images News ) After the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary released a report accusing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) of colluding with companies to censor conservative voices online, Elon Musk chimed in. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote that X "has no choice but to file suit against the perpetrators and


Shady company relaunches popular old tech blogs, steals writers’ identities
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / Professional writers' names were attached to AI content they had nothing to do with. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images | Christina Warren) In one of the most egregiously unethical uses of AI we've seen, a web advertising company has re-created some defunct, classic tech blogs like The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) and iLounge by mimicking the bylines of the websites' former writers


OpenAI Researcher Says He Quit When He Realized the Upsetting Truth
55Futurism / 11h
A former OpenAI worker says he quit the company after realizing that it was putting safety on the back burner to pursue profit. During a recent episode of tech YouTuber Alex Kantrowitz's podcast, former Superalignment team member William Saunders used an apt analogy to explain why he left. "I really didn't want to end up working for the Titanic of AI, and so that's why I resigned," he said. "Duri


The Kamala Harris Conspiracies Are Here
Wired / 11h
The far right is already spreading conspiracies about Vice President Kamala Harris after speculation that she may replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.


X is building a ‘dislike’ button for downvoting replies
100+TechCrunch / 11h
Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, is continuing to develop a downvoting feature that will be used to improve how replies are ranked. Although the company has not yet officially announced its plans, more recent findings indicate the downvote feature may actually resemble a “dislike” button instead of a Reddit-style downvote icon. Code references found in […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved.


Delta Air Lines Goes Full Damage Control: Palestine Flag Crisis Sparks Employee Discipline and Union Fury
View from the Wing / 11h
Union organizers at Delta are lambasting management for not sticking up for flight attendants who wear Palestine flag pins. In fact, they're publicly standing up for flight attendants who have been wearing Palestine flag pins. Continue reading ...


Samsung and AT&T are teaming up to make Galaxy Phone repairs quicker and easier
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Sure, Samsung just dropped two new folding phones at its July 10, 2024, Galaxy Unpacked event, but the tech giant is also sharing some news about a partnership that will make it easier to repair a bevy of Galaxy smartphones. Through the new partnership with AT&T, customers on that wireless carrier will be able to get same-day repair at close to 700 locations across the United States. Those includ


How to make the most of the Olympics on Peacock
Mashable / 12h
It's almost time for the 2024 Olympics , those special weeks when we watch the world's best athletes go for gold (and get emotional watching their parents cheer them on ). And for the first time ever, Peacock will be streaming every event live — a step up from the muddled viewing experience of the 2020 Summer Games. With 329 medal events and over 5,000 hours of live programming planned, Peacock's


The Best Portable Coolers You Should Buy This Summer
LifeHacker / 12h
The other day, I went to the beach with some friends, and I noticed that not one, but two of them had cooler backpacks strapped to their bodies. Having simply tossed my drinks into my tote bag with my towel and sunscreen, I felt silly asking if I could store them in their coolers instead—but when we got to the beach and my seltzer was cold, I realized I've been missing out for many summers in a r


'Pearcleaner' for Mac Offers a Streamlined Way to Uninstall Apps
LifeHacker / 12h
Uninstalling applications on a Mac is simple, in theory: Just drag the icon from the Finder to the trash. In practice, though, doing that leaves files behind—caches and other hidden things can take up hundreds or even thousands of precious megabytes. Pearcleaner is a free and open source application that can find such files and delete them while you're uninstalling software. There are other appli


Google DeepMind's Chatbot-Powered Robot Is Part of a Bigger Revolution
23Wired / 12h
Robotics researchers are exploring how large language models can give physical machines more smarts.


Delta can’t escape problems plaguing US airlines as it tries to stay ahead of the pack
The Points Guy / 12h
It appears Delta Air Lines is not, in fact, immune from a problem that’s plagued most of the U.S. air travel industry over the past year: high costs and stiff competition. The Atlanta-based carrier made over $1.3 billion between April and June, the company said Thursday. To be clear, that’s quite possibly the best any airline will do — although we’ll have to see how United Airlines does next week


Survey finds most people would rather switch companies than deal with AI customer service
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
You may have noticed that some standard automated customer service systems have been replaced with more sophisticated AI assistants in the last couple of years. The more conversational interactions and other advances aren’t very popular, though, according to a new Gartner survey. In fact, 64% of customers would prefer companies not to implement AI in their customer service functions. The survey,


Sydney Sweeney Looks Like She's Going to Die When Her AI-Generated Picture Is Revealed
100+Futurism / 12h
Thanks, I Hate It We're not entirely sure why exactly Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney attended Samsung's tech conference in Paris on Wednesday — but if we had to guess, we'd assume the tech giant sufficiently sweetened the deal for her. Worst of all, Sweeney was roped into an extremely cringeworthy tech demo involving the company's latest AI image generator, which can turn users' faces into stilted


German Navy looks to replace its outdated floppy disk system for its frigate fleet
62Engadget / 12h
The German Navy is in need of a serious upgrade for its fleet of submarine frigates and we’re not talking about a digital upload or some kind of software patch. The country’s fleets of submarine frigates have operated on old-fashioned, 8-inch floppy disks since they were commissioned back in the 1990s. Now the German Navy is trying to find a way to replace the outdated disk system that are “vital


Score bonus miles: Register now for United’s latest Mile Play promotion
500+The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the latest information. United Airlines has launched a new round of Mile Play promotions, which award bonus miles to targeted members after they complete specific tasks. Now’s a good time to check your eligibility and register — even if you’re unsure about your upcoming travel plans. To see if you’re eligible and to register, click h


United Airlines Boarding Gate Turns Into a Southwest-Style Wheelchair Zone [Roundup]
View from the Wing / 12h
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 ...