MONDAY, 26 JANUARY 2026, 02:24
An anonymous reader shared this report from The Verge:In early December, I brought you the news that Google has begun replacing Verge headlines, and those of our competitors, with AI clickbait nonsense in its content feed [which appears on the leftmost homescreen page of many Android phones and the Google app’s homepage]. Google appeared to be backing away from the experiment, but now tells The...
Can Aircela’s machine “create gasoline using little more than electricity and the air that we breathe”? Jalopnik reports…The Aircela machine works through a three-step process. It captures carbon dioxide directly from the air… The machine also traps water vapor, and uses electrolysis to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen… The oxygen is released, leaving hydrogen and carbon dioxide, the...
Richard Stallman spoke Friday at Atlanta’s Georgia Institute of Technology, continuing his activism for free software while also addressing today’s new technologies. Speaking about AI, Stallman warned that “nowadays, people often use the term artificial intelligence for things that aren’t intelligent at all…” He makes a point of calling large language models “generators” because “They generate...
Democratic lawmakers have few options that wouldn’t trigger something like civil war.
Newsweek reports on how the U.S. Congress is debating “kill switch” technology for vehicles, “which would be able to monitor diver behavior, detect impairment such as intoxication and intervene…” “While the technology is not yet a legal requirement in cars, Congress passed a law with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 that requires the Department of Transportation to create the...
The “NexDock” (from Nex Computer) already turns your phone into a laptop workstation. Purism chose it as the docking station for their Librem 5 phones. But now Nex is offering its own smartphone “that runs Android 16, launches Debian, and dual-boots into Windows 11,” according to the blog It’s FOSS:Fourteen years after the first concept video was teased, the NexPhone is here, powered by a...
Small modular nuclear reactors (or SMRs) are touted as “cheaper, safer, faster to build and easier to finance” than conventional nuclear reactors, reports CNN. Amazon has invested in X-Energy, and earlier this month, Meta announced a deal with Oklo, and in Michigan last month, Holtec began the long formal licensing process for two SMRs with America’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission next to a...
The State IT Agency has lashed out at the City of Tshwane after electricity was cut to one of its facilities.
Ransomware payments offer short-term relief but significantly increase long-term cyber risk, Rubrik has warned.
Netflix has announced an overhaul of its mobile app, with shorts- and reels-style content for phones to take centre stage.
A planned smart city in Stellenbosch has already started taking shape, with a major industrial customer opening a new warehouse and offices at the project, while bulk infrastructure work is also underway.
This month saw results from a yearlong global study of “potential negative risks that generative AI poses to student”. The study (by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education) also suggests how to prevent risks and maximize benefits:After interviews, focus groups, and consultations with over 500 students, teachers, parents, education leaders, and technologists across 50...
This new prescription hearing aid has a special chip designed to improve hearing in noisy conditions.
A thin, watery layer coating the surface of ice is what makes it slick. Despite a great deal of theorizing over the centuries, though, it isn’t entirely clear why that layer forms.
You don’t need to Ernest Shackleton yourself to reap the benefits of cold plunging. A calm, controlled ice bath is key.
Bennell-Pegg tells ceremony in Canberra she hopes to use award to inspire young people to chase their dreams
Cathy Freeman leads Australia Day 2026 honours list
As a girl, Katherine Bennell-Pegg would lie on the dry grass in her backyard, gazing up at the stars and dreaming about reaching them one day.
While she’s yet to enter space, the now-41-year-old is closer than most could ever hope for.
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This is the easiest to use 3D printer I’ve ever tried.
Who cares about kids when adult collectors are willing to pay top dollar?
Keep things smelling fresh with these handy home gadgets. After researching and testing over a dozen devices, the Urpower Aroma is our favorite for most people.
MyBroadband has an awesome career opportunity on offer for those who love gaming.
Werksmans Attorneys has warned financial institutions to expect enforcement action and significant fines in 2026 if they fail to meet new cybersecurity requirements in South Africa.