FRIDAY, 23 JANUARY 2026, 04:00
A federal judge revealed a previously undisclosed ~$800 million, six-year partnership between Epic Games and Google tied to Unreal Engine services and joint marketing. It raises questions about whether the deal influenced Epic’s willingness to settle its antitrust case over Android. The Verge reports: [California District Judge James Donato] allowed Epic and Google to keep most of the details...
The European Parliament is calling on the European Commission to reduce dependence on U.S. tech giants by prioritizing EU-based cloud, AI, and open-source infrastructure. The report frames “European Tech First,” public procurement reform, and Public Money, Public Code as necessary self-defense against growing U.S. control over critical digital infrastructure. Heise reports: In terms of content,...
The Chinese parent company for the popular video app said it had sold a majority stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations to avoid a ban in the United States.
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From Black vampires gobbling up Oscar nominations to gay pro hockey players dominating the culture, diverse stories broke through in an environment that’s increasingly hostile to them.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: As one of his final acts in office, former New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law new requirements for e-bikes in his state. The new legislation signed Monday requires that owners and operators of e-bikes have licenses, registration and insurance. Owners and operators of e-bikes must be at least 17 years old and have a valid driver’s...
Longtime Slashdot reader theodp writes: GeekWire takes a look at AI’s defining alliance in The Microsoft-OpenAI Files, an epic story drawn from 200+ documents, many made public Friday in Elon Musk’s ongoing suit accusing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman of abandoning the nonprofit mission (Microsoft is also a defendant). Musk, who was an OpenAI co-founder, is seeking up to $134 billion in damages....
Waymo has launched its paid robotaxi service in Miami, marking its sixth U.S. market and the company’s first expansion of 2026. CNBC reports: As U.S. competition has lagged, Waymo’s planned 2026 expansions could lock in rider demand and loyalty in the U.S. To start, Waymo will offer its services within a 60-square-mile area that includes Miami’s Design District, Wynwood, Brickell and Coral...
Fetal tissue has been used to advance research into diabetes, Alzheimer’s, infertility and vaccines
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer fund research that uses human fetal tissue obtained from “elective” abortions, the world’s biggest public funder of biomedical research announced on Thursday.
The ban marks the latest, and most dramatic, effort by Donald Trump’s...
A pair of bills in Massachusetts would require manufacturers to tell consumers when their connected gadgets are going dark. It should be a boon for cybersecurity as connected devices grow obsolete.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: It’s no secret that students worldwide use AI chatbots to do their homework and avoid learning things. On the flip side, students can also use AI as a tool to beef up their knowledge and plan for the future with flashcards or study guides. Google hopes its latest Gemini feature will help with the latter. The company has announced that...
NASA Langley has initiated the U.S. government software approval process to install CapFrameX, a benchmarking tool popular among PC gaming enthusiasts, on its cockpit simulators used to train test pilots. The space agency reached out to CapFrameX, not the other way around, according to an X post from the company. NASA builds custom flight simulators from scratch for experimental aircraft like...
A foot of snow in New York? Two feet? Well, it’s complicated.
Humanoid robots, space travel, the science of aging—Musk was willing to weigh in on all of it at this week’s World Economic Forum. But his predictions rarely work out the way he says they will.
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are experiencing high levels of water stress, with 38 of these sitting in regions of “extremely high water stress,” new analysis and mapping has shown. The Guardian: Water stress means that water withdrawals for public water supply and industry are close to exceeding available supplies, often caused by poor management of water resources exacerbated by climate...
Chinese firms are building battery plants from Europe to North America, promising jobs while prompting local concerns about the environment, politics, and who really benefits.
An anonymous reader shares a report: Moderna does not plan to invest in new late-stage vaccine trials because of growing opposition to immunizations from U.S. officials, CEO Stephane Bancel said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Thursday. “You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market,” Bancel told Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum...
F1: The Movie, CODA, and Highest 2 Lowest are just a few of the movies you should be watching on Apple TV this month.
EBay has updated its User Agreement to explicitly ban third-party “buy for me” agents and AI chatbots from interacting with its platform without permission. From a report: On its face, a one-line terms of service update doesn’t seem like major news, but what it implies is more significant: The change reflects the rapid emergence of what some are calling “agentic commerce,” a new category of AI...
WIRED spoke with Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, about how the viral coding tool is changing the way Anthropic works.
Advances in artificial intelligence are creating a perfect storm for those seeking to spread disinformation at unprecedented speed and scale. And it’s virtually impossible to detect.
The Meross smart plug mini boasts excellent compatibility and slim construction.