TCL Knocks $1,000 off One of Our Favorite Mid-Range TVs
The 65-inch QM8K sees a massive discount, with equally generous markdowns on larger models.
Science/Tech
Ubisoft Cancels Six Games, Slashes Guidance in Restructuring
Ubisoft is canceling game projects, shutting down studios and cutting its guidance as the Assassin’s Creed maker restructures its business into five units. From a report: The French gaming firm expects earnings before interest and tax to be a loss of $1.2 billion the fiscal year 2025-2026 as a result of the restructuring, driven by a one-off writedown of about $761 million, the company said in...
Surveillance and ICE Are Driving Patients Away From Medical Care, Report Warns
A new EPIC report says data brokers, ad-tech surveillance, and ICE enforcement are among the factors leading to a “health privacy crisis” that is eroding trust and deterring people from seeking care.
Ben Jennings on the tool-using cow – cartoon
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Scientific rigour and the dangers of microplastics | Letters
Joe Yates, Prof Philip J Landrigan, Prof Jennifer Kirwan and Prof Jamie Davies respond to an article on doubts raised about studies on microplastics in the human body
While it may be a belated Christmas present for the petrochemical industry, your article (‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body, 13 January) was less surprising to the scientific...
Volvo EX60 Electric SUV: Range, Specs, Availability, and Price
The Swedish brand’s latest computer-packed EV hopes to take on and beat the BMW iX3. But we’re more excited about the new seat belt.
Ireland Wants To Give Its Cops Spyware, Ability To Crack Encrypted Messages
The Irish government is planning to bolster its police’s ability to intercept communications, including encrypted messages, and provide a legal basis for spyware use. From a report: The Communications (Interception and Lawful Access) Bill is being framed as a replacement for the current legislation that governs digital communication interception. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and...
Google Temporarily Disabled YouTube’s Advanced Captions Without Warning
Google has temporarily disabled YouTube’s advanced SRV3 caption format after discovering the feature was causing playback errors for some users, according to a statement the company posted. SRV3, also known as YouTube Timed Text, is a custom subtitle system Google introduced around 2018 that allows creators to use custom colors, transparency, animations, and precise text positioning. Creators...
Japan Restarts World’s Largest Nuclear Plant as Fukushima Memories Loom Large
New submitter BeaverCleaver shares a report: Japan has restarted operations at the world’s largest nuclear power plant for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster forced the country to shut all of its reactors. The decision to restart reactor number 6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa north-west of Tokyo was taken despite local residents’ safety concerns. It was delayed by a day because of an...
Micron Megafab Project Faces a New Hurdle as Activists Seek a Benefits Deal
Activists are demanding a way to hold the memory-chip maker accountable to its promises to protect the environment and embrace communities of color in central New York.
MAGA’s ‘Manifest Destiny’ Coalition Has Arrived
Warring factions of right-wing influencers and MAGA pundits can finally agree on something: American imperialism.
Hand shape in Indonesian cave may be world’s oldest known rock art
Archaeologists say stencil painted with ochre in limestone cave on Muna Island was created at least 67,800 years ago
The faded outline of a hand on a cave wall in Indonesia may be the world’s oldest known rock art, according to archaeologists who say it was created at least 67,800 years ago.
The ancient hand stencil was discovered in a limestone cave popular with tourists on Muna Island, part...
At Check-In, Your Face Is Increasingly Your ID
Facial recognition at security and immigration checkpoints and gates could ease airport hassles, even as the technology raises privacy concerns.
Comic-Con Bans AI Art After Artist Pushback
San Diego Comic-Con changed an AI art friendly policy following an artist-led backlash last week. From a report: It was a small victory for working artists in an industry where jobs are slipping away as movie and video game studios adopt generative AI tools to save time and money. Every year, tens of thousands of people descend on San Diego for Comic-Con, the world’s premier comic book...
Suni Williams, Starliner astronaut, retires after 27 years at Nasa
She set the record for most spacewalk time by a woman and spent nine months at the International Space Station
Suni Williams, one of two Nasa astronauts whose 10-day test flight mission turned into a nine-month odyssey on the International Space Station (ISS), has retired from the US space agency.
The 60-year-old former navy captain left in December after 27 years with Nasa, according to a...
Free Wi-Fi in South Africa: Promise versus reality
The SA Connect programme aims to provide reliable broadband connectivity to government facilities and underserved communities.
YouTube CEO Acknowledges ‘AI Slop’ Problem, Says Platform Will Curb Low-Quality AI Content
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan used his annual letter to creators, published Wednesday, to outline an ambitious 2026 vision that embraces AI-powered creative tools while simultaneously pledging to crack down on the low-quality AI content that has come to be known as “slop.” Mohan identified four AI-related areas that YouTube “must get right in 2026.” The platform is working on tools that will let...
CEOs Say AI is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.
Companies are spending vast sums on AI expecting the technology to boost efficiency, but a new survey from AI consulting firm Section found that two-thirds of non-management workers among 5,000 white-collar respondents say they save less than two hours a week or no time at all, while more than 40% of executives report the technology saves them upward of eight hours weekly. Workers were far more...
Hands-on with South Africa’s fastest bakkie
While its acceleration will have many a car enthusiast smiling, the Geely Riddara RD6’s true value lies in its practicality, which is non-negotiable for South African bakkie drivers.
Resolv Secures $500,000 Pre-Seed To Build The Recovery Layer For Stolen Crypto
New Castle, Delaware, USA (PinionNewswire) — Resolv announced today that it has closed a $500,000 pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its crypto asset recovery infrastructure. The round was led by Funfair Ventures and includes participation from the University of Illinois, University of Chicago, OCA Ventures, Orange DAO, Quantstamp, Kyber Network and WBTC. The […]
South Africa one of the most expensive places to mine Bitcoin in the world
It is more expensive to mine Bitcoin in South Africa than in the United States, a new analysis shows.