State Department Map Mislabels African Countries at AIDS Conference
Nigeria, a coastal country in western Africa, was landlocked in the Sahara, among other errors. The department said it had been “hastily altered.”
Science/Tech
How Chinese cars took over South African showrooms
Chinese brands have gone from fringe players to a fifth of South Africa’s new-vehicle sales.
The Surprising Numbers Behind New Zealand’s Online Casino Industry
New Zealand’s online casino market has quietly become one of the fastest-growing gambling sectors in the country’s history. Grand View Research puts online casino revenue at US$267.6 million in 2024, heading for US$584.5 million by 2030, a 14% compound annual growth rate. That pace puts New Zealand among the faster-expanding online casino markets anywhere in […]
Catastrophic MoD Data Breach Caused By Lack of Training On Excel
A UK parliamentary inquiry found that a catastrophic Ministry of Defense breach exposing 18,700 Afghans could have been prevented with basic Excel training, after an employee unknowingly shared a hidden worksheet containing their details. The Independent reports: The leak, in February 2022, exposed the details of 18,700 Afghans who said they were in danger from the Taliban because of their...
Nvidia’s Open Source Alliance Snubs OpenAI and Anthropic
This week on Uncanny Valley, we discuss the open vs. closed source debate in AI, key players in White House AI policy, and how to stop your chatbot logs from showing up in search engine results.
Back to School Office Chair Deals 2026: $200 and Less
Here are the best back-to-school deals under $200 on comfy, ergonomic chairs for all-nighters and cram sessions
For the First Time, Zoox Can Charge People for Rides in Its Steering-Wheel-Free Robotaxis
The temporary exemption from federal safety standards will let Amazon’s Zoox launch a real, paid robotaxi service in Las Vegas.
Google’s Gemini Can Now Stomp Around as a Humanoid Robot
Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics 2 combines vision, language, and action models to control multiple types of robots, including humanoids performing tasks such as organizing shelves, tying bags, and replacing lightbulbs. “It’s another milestone in our path towards really getting towards what we call like physical AGI, which means we get a robot to do anything that a human can,” Carolina Parada,...
Most Popular Cryptocurrency of 2026: BlockDAG, XRP, Hyperliquid, and Dogecoin Bring Real Utility to the Table
Crypto investors are watching claim events, DeFi expansion, and community-driven tokens shape the market at the same time. Some projects are counting down to major milestones, while others rely on years of brand recognition to hold public attention. This mix of new launches and established names gives investors more angles to track than usual this […]
Chrome Needs Twice-a-Week Patching Thanks to AI Bug Hunting
The two Chrome updates in June patched more bugs than the 23 updates before them. Now, Google is ramping up its patching schedule thanks to AI-assisted vulnerability discovery.
Huawei launches 12 intelligent transport solutions in South Africa
Rail, road, port and aviation launches target safer, better connected transport across South Africa.
Google Brings Its Age-Assurance Tech To Android Developers Worldwide
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Google is expanding its answer to Apple’s age-assurance tools with Wednesday’s news that it will bring its Play Signal API to users worldwide by the end of 2026. The technology, already available in Brazil, allows Android developers to identify younger users of their apps in order to provide safer, age-appropriate experiences. The expansion...
The New Friend AI Pendant Can Now Talk Back to You
Avi Schiffmann has a new version of his controversial AI companion. It’s more expensive, and you can’t change its personality.
Gemini Robotics 2 Brings Google’s AI Into the Physical World
The latest version of Google DeepMind’s AI model includes a significant jump into “physical AGI.” But plopping AI into the real world comes with risks.
GCC Adopts Policy Rejecting Significant AI-Generated Code
GCC has adopted a policy rejecting substantial code contributions generated by or derived from LLMs. “This covers not just code copied directly from tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or GitHub Copilot, but also any versions of the code later edited or rewritten by a human, provided that the final contribution is still based on material generated by the system,” reports Linuxiac. From the report: The...
Razer Huntsman V3 HE Review: Jumping on the Bandwagon
Razer has finally caved and made its first Hall Effect gaming keyboard. I dug into its switches, features, and gaming performance to see if it was worth the wait.
Xbox tech boss says ‘unacceptable’ outage should not have affected disc games
The outage meant Xbox users had trouble signing into their accounts, seeing their game library and launching games
The retailer that is about to become your bank
Why Pepkor’s PlusB is the most credible challenge Capitec has ever faced, and what it will take to prove it.
DOGE Veterans Are Landing Big Jobs at Prediction Markets
Polymarket and Novig have both recently brought ex-DOGE affiliates onboard as scrutiny of the industry intensifies.
TCS+ | iStore Business on why Apple makes sense for SMEs
iStore Business and womenswear label Tol’Thema on making smarter technology decisions as an SME.
Wits announces quantum communications breakthrough
Bad weather has long wrecked quantum light signals. Wits researchers appear to have found a solution.