A portrait of Haitians trying to survive without a government
Haiti is on the verge of collapse, with little to no government. But many Haitians have already learned to live without the support of the state, as NPR discovered traveling to Cap-Haïtien.
States botched more executions of Black prisoners. Experts think they know why
A study showed states made more mistakes when executing Black prisoners by lethal injection than they did with prisoners of other races. Execution workers and race experts said they're not surprised.
Many baby boomers own homes that are too big. Can they be enticed to sell them?
Lots of older Americans say they'd love to downsize, but it doesn't make financial sense. The housing roadblock has left some would-be buyers stuck. We asked experts what policies could change that.
College is hard enough — try doing it while raising kids
More than 5 million college students are also parents. But many colleges do little to support them. Most don't even offer child care.
COMIC: Our sun was born with thousands of other stars. Where did they all go?
Our sun was born in a cosmic cradle with thousands of other stars. Astrophysicists say they want to find these siblings in order to help answer the question: Are we alone out there?
Senate Democrats urge crackdown on autonomous vehicles and driver assist
Image: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Two prominent Senate Democrats are calling for increased scrutiny of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) like Tesla’s Autopilot, arguing that the unimpeded flow of highly automated vehicles on public roads in recent years risks exacerbating the traffic safety crisis in the US.
Automakers and tech companies say the technology can lead to safer streets. But there have been a number of high-profile incidents in recent years involving fully autonomous vehicles, as well as hundreds of crashes and dozens of fatalities in vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assist systems. The two senators, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ed Markey (D-MA), argue that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s regulatory...
Reblogged by keul@fosstodon.org ("Luca Fabbri"):
kenobit@livellosegreto.it ("Kenobit") wrote:
Ho pubblicato la puntata di #NuovoBarettoUtopia con @pluralistic Cory Doctorow.
È stato un onore e un piacere parlare con lui. Abbiamo parlato di The Bezzle, il suo nuovo libro, ma anche di temi affascinanti come il sistema carcerario americano, gli abusi di potere, le truffe, le bolle tecnologiche e l'IA.
La puntata è in inglese, ma sono disponibili i sottotitoli. Sono felicissimo di pubblicare un contenuto così solo sul Fediverso, senza regalarlo a YouTube.
Indonesians leave homes near erupting volcano and airport closes due to ash danger
Indonesian authorities closed an airport and residents left homes near an erupting volcano Thursday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, and the possibility of a tsunami.
Ralph Nader, Consumer Crusader
Whether it's pesticides in your cereal or the door plug flying off your airplane, consumers today have plenty of reasons to feel like corporations might not have their best interests at heart. At a moment where we're seeing unprecedented product recalls, and when trust in the government is near historic lows, we're going to revisit a time when a generation of people felt empowered to demand accountability from both companies and elected leaders — and got results. Today on the show, the story of the U.S. consumer movement and its controversial leader: the once famous, now infamous Ralph Nader.
Reblogged by nadim@symbolic.software ("Nadim Kobeissi"):
cryspen@ioc.exchange ("Cryspen") wrote:
Our very own Karthik is at the Matchpoints conference in Aarhus today! 🇩🇰
He's presenting his talk on "High Assurance Post Quantum Cryptography," diving deep into the future of secure communication.
If you're attending Matchpoints, stop by and connect!
nadim@symbolic.software ("Nadim Kobeissi") wrote:
We really need better calendar software for desktops (especially Windows, Linux) that supports multiple calendars from different providers + CalDav and has a good user interface, but who wants to write that? Likely thankless work.
Poland's president visits Donald Trump as allies eye a possible return
Former President Donald Trump met Wednesday with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the latest in a series of meetings with foreign leaders as they brace for the possibility of a second Trump term.
Lawyers for Nassar assault survivors have reached $100M deal with Justice Department
The U.S. Justice Department has agreed to pay approximately $100 million to settle claims with about 100 people who say they were sexually assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar.
Google fires 28 employees after sit-in protest over Israel cloud contract
Illustration: The Verge
Google fired 28 employees in connection with sit-in protests by employees at two of its offices this week, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge. The firings come after 9 employees were suspended and then arrested in New York and California on Tuesday.
The fired employees were involved in protesting a Google contract for Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion Israeli government cloud contract that Amazon is also involved in. Some of them occupied the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian until they were forcibly removed by law enforcement. Last month, Google fired another employee for protesting the contract during a company presentation in Israel.
In a memo sent to all employees on Wednesday, Chris Rackow, Google’s head of...
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
astory@tilde.zone ("Alec Story") wrote:
Google just notified me that they have terminated my employment.
Please see https://www.instagram.com/p/C54qFvUtuzY for No Tech for Apartheid's statement on this. I do not want to say much publicly.
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
tim@union.place ("Tim W (admin (and human))") wrote:
I don't have enough characters here to express my frustration and sadness at Google's decision to have nine of their own employees arrested for a peaceful protest yesterday, so I wrote more about it on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/timwilde_no-tech-for-apartheid-activity-7186353758476357632-cU_G?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios
Google, I'm so sad, angry, and disappointed at you. This is not the company I signed up for. I'm spending today in serious contemplation of my next steps and path forward.
#NoTechForApartheid #Union #Solidarity #GazaGenocide #Labor #Google #AWU
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
MMRnmd@todon.eu ("MMR Nmd") wrote:
At least 9 #Google employees, were arrested Tuesday after staging sit-ins at the company’s offices in #NewYork and in California to protest the tech giant’s work with Israel.
The sit-ins, organized by the activist group No Tech for Apartheid, took place at Google Cloud CEO #Kurian office in Sunnyvale, California, and the 10th floor commons of Google’s NY office.Protesters are calling for Google to withdraw from a $1.2 billion contract to provide cloud computing services to the Israeli government, known as Project Nimbus.
Last week, Time magazine reported Google’s work on the project involves providing direct services to the Israeli military.The sit-ins were accompanied by outdoor protests at the Google offices, in NY and in #Sunnyvale, #SanFrancisco and #Seattle.
Workers and outside activists have opposed the contract since it was signed in 2021, but protests have ramped up over the past several months since Israel’s latest bombardment of Gaza.#NoTechForApartheid says #Google is enabling and profiting from Israel’s use of AI to develop a “kill list” to target Palestinians in #Gaza for assassination with little human oversight.
The #IDF also uses #GooglePhotos for #facialrecognition across Gaza and the #WestBank to identify and detain Palestinians en masse.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
okay, I love this
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
every time I think about Herr Trump trying to write off his hush-money payoff as a deductible legal expense, I want to spit. in the end, he wanted my taxes to pay for hiding his misdeeds.
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
eff ("Electronic Frontier Foundation") wrote:
We need your help! Call your senators and tell them to vote NO on reauthorizing and expanding Section 702. https://eff.org/risaa
Attachments:
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
cabel@panic.com ("Cabel Sasser") wrote:
Is it extremely petty to set a calendar reminder for one year out, just to prove that you were right about a crypto-based domain name system being useless grift?
Yes.
Did I still do it?
Y… yes
Attachments:
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Wouldn't it be cool if there was an annual blogger awards? I would nominate all of you
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
In your estimation, how many #Threads users have opted-in to the #fediverse?
(Trying this again as I messed up then first one)
Coding bootcamp Lambda School — now BloomTech — is finally getting punished
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
In 2020, we wrote how coding bootcamp Lambda School seemed like a bit of a bait-and-switch. Four years later and one rebranding to “BloomTech” later, the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is finally slapping it on the wrist — it’s permanently banning it from issuing any more student loans, fining the company and its CEO $164,000, and releasing some students from some of their debt.
Why? Among other deceptive practices, the “Bloom Institute of Technology” didn’t call them loans. It advertised a way for students to get high-paying tech jobs “risk free” with “no loans” by paying 17 percent of their future income for five years — rather than the $20,000 sticker price of tuition.
But those Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)...
Reblogged by bcantrill ("Bryan Cantrill"):
This was an incredibly fun episode of Oxide and Friends. Not our usual beat, but baseball and the local community are near and dear to me, @bcantrill, and @sdtuck. Even if you're not a baseball fan and you're not a Bay Area local I think you'll have fun with us talking to the founders of the the Oakland Ballers. https://share.transistor.fm/s/a8b34a66
Twitch is bringing its TikTok-style feed to everyone this month
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
After nearly a year of testing, Twitch’s new TikTok-style discovery feed will finally roll out to all users later this month. During a Patch Notes livestream on Wednesday, Twitch announced the new feed that will let you scroll through separate feeds dedicated to clips and current livestreams.
The new discovery feed will launch as a tab within the mobile app, and next month, some users might see this feed as the homepage of their mobile app. Twitch says all livestreams and clips are eligible to appear in its discovery feed as long as they meet its content guidelines.
When scrolling through the live feed, you’ll find live content from creators you follow, as well as streams recommended by Twitch. If you find something you like, you can...
Sega is turning Golden Axe into an animated series
Bleeeeeaaaagggghhhhh. | Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge
Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes of Golden Axe, an animated show based on the fantasy beat ’em up sidescroller games. Deadline writes that it will be both “hilarious and loving” in its adaptation of the game. If I remember my Sega Genesis days well, I think that means there’ll be fighting over who gets to ride the purple bird dinosaur and that, at some point, a gigantic hairy skull will float down and hotbox everyone.
Who’s big idea was this, you ask? You can blame producers Mike McMahan (Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Joe Chandler (American Dad!), who will also write the first episode together, with Chandler serving as the showrunner afterward. A timeline for the show’s release hasn’t been announced yet.
According to Deadline, Gilius...
TikTok to restrict users who repeatedly post problematic topics from ‘For You’ feed
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
TikTok will make entire accounts temporarily ineligible for its For You feed if users have a pattern of posting about extreme fitness, conspiracy theories, sexually suggestive material, and a wide range of other topics that the platform won’t promote on the feed. The change was included in an update to TikTok’s Community Guidelines issued on Wednesday. While videos about such topics are still technically allowed on TikTok, the content itself and the accounts of those who post them could be temporarily restricted.
“We’re introducing a policy to make an entire account temporarily ineligible for recommendation in the For You feed if a creator repeatedly posts content that goes against our For You feed standards. Their account and content...
A new report on the Maui wildfires cites communications breakdowns
As wildfires ripped across Maui last August, a broad communications breakdown left authorities in the dark and residents without emergency alerts, according to a report released Wednesday.
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
"but better DX gives us more time to focus on the user experience"
A real privacy law? House lawmakers are optimistic this time
Image: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
We might really do it this time.
That was the takeaway that House lawmakers were eager to impart at a hearing in the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on innovation, data, and commerce (IDC). Comprehensive data privacy legislation is on the table yet again — but this time, it’s different.
Lawmakers also touched on children’s online safety proposals like the Kids Online Safety Act, which recently got a House companion to the popular Senate bill, and COPPA 2.0, which would update and raise the age for protections for a long-standing online privacy bill for children.
But privacy reform was the focus of much of the hearing, as a discussion draft for the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) revived the issue after years of inaction. This...
The Supreme Court opens the door to more discrimination claims involving job transfers
The U.S. Supreme Court has made it easier for workers to bring employment discrimination suits over job transfers. The decision was unanimous, but the reasoning was not.
Deus Ex Director Says Future Of Immersive Sims Is Multiplayer
Immersive sims are traditionally thought of as single-player titles. They can be really dense and systems-heavy games in which having even one player introduces an incredible number of variables, as that one player uses the freedom they’re afforded to tackle situations in any number of ways. It takes no small amount…
Doom 2's Oldest Speedrun Record Finally Beaten After 26 Years
The opening level of Doom 2 is very short. Without any practice, most players can easily finish it in less than a minute. But back in 1998, one skilled speedrunner completed the small level in five seconds. And finally, after nearly three decades of people suggesting it was impossible to beat, someone was able to…
Senate kills articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas
The Senate rejected the two articles that accuse Mayorkas of refusing to enforce immigration laws. The House voted to impeach him in February.
TikTok Notes starts rolling out as a new rival to Instagram
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
TikTok has started rolling out its Instagram rival, TikTok Notes, to select Android and iOS users “for download and limited testing in Australia and Canada.” A tweet announcing the launch, as well as the App Store and Google Play listings, showed off some official images of the app that offer insights about how it works for those of us who don’t have access yet.
In them, we see that you can write up headlines for images above your captions, which is a feature Instagram doesn’t natively offer.
Image: TikTok
The homepage also seems to be divided into two sections, with a separate page where you can view posts from people you follow and another “For You” page. It’s organized a bit like Pinterest’s homepage but with a...
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
cassidy@blaede.family ("Cassidy James :eos: :gg: :fh:") wrote:
Facebook’s “AI” is responding to posts pretending to be human; in this case claiming to have a gifted and disabled child who attends a NYC school.
How many other accounts are actually large language models masquerading as people? This seems incredibly irresponsible—and is a great reminder that “AI” is machines mindlessly regurgitating things from elsewhere on the Internet.
AI is not sustainable.
https://www.404media.co/facebooks-ai-told-parents-group-it-has-a-disabled-child/
Via @jasonkoebler for @404mediaco
Dwarf Fortress goes on an adventure
Image: Bay 12 Games
Though you could always go on adventures in Dwarf Fortress, with the game’s Adventure Mode expansion entering public beta today, you can now sally forth with a full complement of updated graphics.
In Adventure Mode, there are all sorts of shenanigans to get up to in the ridiculously large and detailed procedurally generated world. It’s an RPG campaign complete with character creation, quests to complete, and bandits to fight.
With the public beta, your adventures on the surface world will look a lot more detailed than smiley faces and ASCII art. There’s still the same level of granular detail in combat, allowing you to stab, punch, kick, throw, and bite just about anything on your enemies right down to their eyeballs. Check out a demo...
Watch: A circus elephant runs loose in a Montana town before being recaptured
Sheriff Ed Lester said the animal was apparently "spooked by a vehicle" and briefly escaped before being recaptured by handlers. Videos of the unexpected sight were shared widely on social media.
We Finally Got A Good Look At Hades 2 Gameplay
Supergiant Games will soon be selecting a handful of players to be the first to try out Hades II. The hotly anticipated sequel to 2020’s roguelike darling is on the top of a lot of gamers’ wishlists, but not everybody will get a chance to try out the technical test. To spread the love to those fans who aren’t…
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
thenexusofprivacy@infosec.exchange ("The Nexus of Privacy") wrote:
A few more potential reasons:
- PDS's are expected to prohibit illegal content. So if your content's illegal in one jurisdiction you'll want to switch to a PDS in another jurisdiction -- or one that doesn't enforce the rules.
- Relays can block PDSs, for example because that are sources of illegal content or spam. So if you're on a PDS that's blockd by the official Bluesky Relay, there's incentive to move elsewhere.
- PDS's could also take down content that's not illegal. Sure they say that PDSs infrastructure so moderation shouldn't be opinionated, but in practice some PDS operators may not want to host hate speech, disinformation, or other harmful-but-not-illegal content.
- They mention in the white paper that they expect PDS's to be operated by experienced hosting companies. How many hosting companies keep their initially-free services free long term? So that may well be another reason to move.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
#Bloggers, specifically those with single-author blogs, how much do you worry about SEO?
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
lokigwyn@mastodon.art ("Loki Gwynbleidd 🏴🎨😷") wrote:
Let's go robin the rich ! 🔫
The illegalist robin, a model dating back to 2021, has been modified but is as angry as ever!If you like this print, it's available to buy from https://boutique.lokipropagand.art.
It's also available to download (along with the first version) from https://partage.lokipropagand.art!#FediArt #MastoArt #FediGiftShop #Linocut #Birds #Robin #Anticapitalism #Anarchy
Attachments:
NBA bans player for life over online sports betting
Photo by Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA has permanently banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter from the league for violating its gambling rules, the league said in a statement on Wednesday. According to an internal investigation conducted by the NBA, Porter bet on NBA games, disclosed confidential information to other gamblers, and adjusted his participation in certain games to influence the outcome of certain bets.
The league started looking into Porter after a March 20th game against the Sacramento Kings in which Porter played for just three minutes. Porter left the game after saying he felt ill. Ahead of that game, Porter told “an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor” about his health status, according to the NBA’s statement. Another person then put an...
nadim@symbolic.software ("Nadim Kobeissi") wrote:
Every time I worry that I'm actually getting dumber as time goes on, it turns out that I'm just becoming increasingly aware of my own stupidity, and, paradoxically, becoming less dumb! This is confirmed by looking at my past work and realizing that I could do better today.
11 Games (That Aren't Fallout) To Play After Watching Fallout
Amazon’s new Fallout series is a smash hit and also, pretty dang good, too! And while the series is based on Bethesda’s popular post-apocalyptic RPG franchise of the same name, there are plenty of other games you can play after watching the show if you want more Fallout vibes.
A New Police Force Chased a 17-Year-Old Boy to His Death. Then It Vanished.
Cruising south down a two-lane highway in Montana, Braven Glenn looked out onto the open road, the evening sky chilly and dark. It was November 24, 2020—half a year into the pandemic and three months after his 17th birthday. He was a good student, on his way to pick up his girlfriend, a basketball player […]
The Pixel 7A is a knockout at its record-low $349
The Pixel 7A is a standout midrange smartphone that nearly performs like a flagship, now for an entry-level price. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Google is expected to introduce the new Pixel 8A at its I/O developer conference next month. That’s probably a contributing factor for the new all-time low price we’re seeing on the midrange Pixel 7A we were introduced to during last year’s event. Amazon, Best Buy, and Google all have it down to $349, which is $150 off the original price.
Buying it directly from Google is the better deal, as you’ll also get three months of YouTube Premium and Google One, the latter supplementing the device’s 128GB of storage with 100GB of extra cloud storage.
The Pixel 8A’s impending arrival could cause a deeper price drop, or perhaps Google will cement today’s discount as a permanent change. But if you need a new phone right now, you shouldn’t...
The Debate in Israel Over Who Should Be Required Serve in the Military
Ultra-Orthodox Israelis have long been exempt from compulsory military service. But the October 7th attack by Hamas and Israel's subsequent military response have brought forward calls for change. The government's decision on whether to end the exemption has major political consequences.
A new Lennon-McCartney collab has dropped — but this time, it's by the Beatles' sons
A new single, "Primrose Hill," was co-written by Sean Ono Lennon and James McCartney, the youngest sons of Beatles musicians John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The Easiest Way To Get Power Armor In Fallout 76
If you’ve recently returned to Fallout 76 or are trying it for the first time, you probably can’t wait to get your hands on some power armor, the hulking metal suits that protect you from the irradiated wasteland’s dangers. They’ve been a central part of each game in the franchise, and Fallout 76 is no different.…
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
researchfairy@scholar.social ("The research fairy") wrote:
Here's the kind of AI regulation they don't want and will never suggest:
A limit on the kWh and also the kg of carbon expended per million user queries on AI services along with third party verification for both the numerator and denominator of that fraction and jail time for violating the limit, regardless of whether it was intentional or not
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
Third-party iPhone app store AltStore PAL is now live in Europe https://www.theverge.com/24100464/altstore-pal-dma-eu-launch-delta-nintendo-emulator-clip-clipboard-manager
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
A company named OpenAI sells closed software, Humane sells artificial intelligence, BlueSky develops proprietary protocols.
🙃🙃🙃
Todd Howard Clears Up Fallout Timeline, Including That Part From The Show
Amazon’s Fallout TV series has made waves since it dropped last week, mostly due to the quality of the work. Fallout’s one of the best video game adaptations we’ve gotten and one that enhances the series greatly. It also is situated at the very end of the known timeline of the games, serving as a sort of sequel to the…
Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas robot is a swiveling, shape-shifting nightmare
Image: Boston Dynamics.
It’s alive! A day after announcing it was retiring Atlas, its hydraulic robot, Boston Dynamics has introduced a new, all-electric version of its humanoid machine. The next-generation Atlas robot is designed to offer a far greater range of movement than its predecessor.
Boston Dynamics wanted the new version to show that Atlas can keep a humanoid form without limiting “how a bipedal robot can move.” The new version has been redesigned with swiveling joints that the company claims make it “uniquely capable of tackling dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks.”
“We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile,” the company said in its press release. “Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are...
Apple TV Plus’ For All Mankind is getting a fifth season and a new spinoff series
Tyner Rushing as Samantha Massey in For All Mankind_._ | Image: Apple
Folks hoping to see more of Apple TV Plus’ For All Mankindseries are in for a treat, but the streamer is working on more than just a new season.
Today, Apple announced that For All Mankind has been renewed for a fifth season that will continue to chronicle the alternate history of a world in which the Soviet Union is the first nation to put a man on the Moon and the United States set out to catch up with its rival. Following the show’s season 4 finale, news of the renewal doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, but Apple also revealed that executive producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi are working on a new series titled Star City, which will dig deeper into the live of the Soviets who changed the arc of human history.
In a statement about...
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
agiletortoise ("Greg Pierce") wrote:
Interesting Safari fun fact I just discovered: If you name a bookmark folder with *only* an emoji and no text, the Bookmark Bar will hide the folder icon beside it, making for nice compact drop-down menus.
Now, if there was just a way for me to use SF Symbols.
Attachments:
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
As a proud, well-documented Siri hater, I'm cautiously optimistic about the rumored LLM-powered Siri 2.0.
I'm particularly excited at the prospect of a beefier AirPods model— much needed improved mics, maybe some Vision Pro gestures added, or a charging case with some computing power.
Ah but I dream. I'll be happy if Siri+ can hold a conversation.
Stellar Blade Combat Tips To Become The Best (And Prettiest) Sword Swinger
Stellar Blade, the PS5’s upcoming action game where you get to play as a cute lady (feels good, right?), has had a demo out since March 29. Perhaps you’ve been playing it? Whether you’ve been enjoying it or found it too cumbersome at first, it’s always a good idea to brush up on some basics again.
Speaker Johnson is moving forward with foreign aid bills despite threat to oust him
Divisions within the House Republican conference could threaten both the future of the package and Mike Johnson's speakership.
Everything We Saw At Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase
Nintendo has delivered a brand-new Indie World showcase. It lasted about 20 minutes and gave us a look at some cute and cozy games, a few of which are launching today. Unfortunately, there was no Hollow Knight: Silksong news, but there was still plenty to get stoked about.
The OnePlus Watch 2 is what redemption looks like
OnePlus could be a strong alternative to Google or Samsung for Wear OS smartwatches.
Samsung’s art-inspired Frame TVs are up to $1,000 off right now
Like most people, I’d prefer to stare at a bunch of cacti in my living room rather than an uninspired black rectangle. | Image: Samsung
Everyone may like watching movies on a big screen, but a hulking panel is nothing but an eyesore when turned off. That’s why Samsung’s Frame TV has become so popular over the last several years and why several TV manufacturers, including Amazon, have begun to crib ideas from the company’s artsy panels. And while the Frame certainly isn’t cheap, you can currently pick up the 2022 model at Amazon in the 55- and 65-inch sizing for $997.99 ($500 off) and 1,597.99 ($400), respectively. It’s also on sale in the behemoth 75-inch configuration for $1,895 ($1,103 off), an all-time low, with Best Buy and Walmart matching Amazon’s pricing in most instances.
Despite its lofty price tag, the Frame isn’t for people who want pristine image quality or...
Why Stardew Valley Fans Love This Queer Pop Banger
If your social media is attuned to gay stuff, pop queens, or Coachella, you’ve probably heard Chappell Roan. The budding pop artist has been making waves on platforms like TikTok with songs like “Casual” and her latest single, “Good Luck, Babe!” Her Coachella performance has also been popping off, especially a clip of…
NBA bans Jontay Porter after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games
The Toronto Raptors player has been banned for life from the NBA after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games.
The free Delta game emulator for iPhones is live on Apple’s App Store
Image: Riley Testut
The Delta emulator is officially available on the Apple App Store — for free — outside of the European Union, where it’s available via the third-party AltStore PAL app marketplace that just went live.
The app marks the first significant and officially sanctioned game emulator for the iPhone since Apple began allowing them, with wide-ranging console emulation from the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Nintendo 64 (and even the Sega Genesis, for when you want to play those games that Ninten_don’t_).
Delta developer Riley Testut told The Verge via email that the app is identical to the version debuting with AltStore PAL. The app features on-screen buttons that change their layout and appearance to match whatever system you’re...
A Guide To Final Fantasy XIV’s Yo-kai Watch Collab Event
Final Fantasy XIV is no stranger to crossover and collaboration events, such as the recent event that had players running around Eorzea with Clive for a brand new Torgal mount. These events are often only running for a limited time, and the upcoming Yo-kai Watch collaboration is no different. Returning since its last…
Amazon insists Just Walk Out isn’t secretly run by workers watching you shop
Image: Amazon
Amazon is pushing back on claims that its cashierless Just Walk Out technology is run by humans in India — not AI. In a blog post on Wednesday, the e-commerce giant calls these reports “untrue” and says that a machine learning model powers its system.
Last week, reports started going around that claimed Amazon employs around 1,000 workers in India to watch people shop and review purchases at stores using its Just Walk Out tech. The report claimed that Amazon’s workers had to review around 700 of every 1,000 transactions in 2022, something that isn’t uncommon in the world of AI.
While Amazon insists these reports are “erroneous,” it doesn’t deny that humans aren’t involved with the process at all. Instead, Amazon says its workers are...
NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO
The senior editor says CEO Katherine Maher has "divisive views" that confirm the issues he wrote about in an essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust.
Police Loom as Pro-Palestine Students Occupy Columbia University
New York City Police gathered in force outside of Columbia University on Wednesday, after students convened in the pre-dawn hours to erect dozens of camping tents on a campus lawn. The demonstration backing Palestine was launched hours before president Minouche Shafik began testifying at a Congressional hearing addressing allegations of anti-semitism on campus in the […]
Third-party iPhone app store AltStore PAL is now live in Europe
That €1.50 per year subscription does not include tax but does offset Apple’s Core Technology Fee. | Image: AltStore PAL
After we recently tested it in beta, the third-party iOS app store AltStore PAL is now live in the European Union thanks to Apple’s compliance with the region’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The store requires a €1.50 (plus tax) annual subscription to cover Apple’s Core Technology Fee (CTF) for installing the app marketplace itself.
Installing AltStore PAL requires clicking through a lot of Apple’s clumsily implemented scare sheets that double and triple check your desire to install apps from outside Apple’s App Store. But with persistence and enough clicks it eventually installs.
The new app marketplace is arriving with two apps developed by Riley Testut: Delta, an emulator capable of playing NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy...
Destiny 2: How To Get A Breech-Loaded Grenade Launcher
Among the assortment of changes it brings to the game, Destiny 2’s new Into The Light update brings back fan-favorite weapons from years past. A Breech-Loaded grenade launcher is needed for the weekly quest “Climbing the Mountaintop.” However, it’s not entirely clear how to tell these apart from other grenade…
Nine Google employees arrested after eight-hour sit-in protest
Dante D’Orazio / The Verge
Nine Google employees who occupied the company’s offices in New York and California were arrested Tuesday night after an eight-hour sit-in.
The workers were protesting Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion Israeli government contract for Google and Amazon’s cloud computing services. Employees at the Sunnyvale, California, campus occupied Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office on Tuesday afternoon, while workers in New York held a sit-in in the common area of the Chelsea office’s 10th floor.
Workers in the New York office captured the arrests on video. Around 9:45PM on Tuesday, nearly eight hours into the protest, a group of police officers and a man who appears to work at Google approached the four workers remaining in...
Visible’s new annual plans cut the price on a full year of service
Image: Visible
Visible has just launched its first annual plans, letting customers lock in a year of mobile service all at once for either of the company’s two tiers. The Verizon-owned prepaid carrier is charging $395 per year for its Visible Plus plan, which it says leads to annual savings of $145. The standard Visible plan runs $275 per year, and in that case, you’re only saving $25 compared to the monthly rate.
For now, annual plans are only available to new Visible customers and not existing users. Even once they do roll out more widely, it’s worth thinking twice if you’ve got a discount code applied to your Visible Plus plan. Many people are only paying $35 / month for the normally $45 service. And if you do the math, you’re only saving $25 for...
Reblogged by isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:"):
Since I see that a notable VC-famous jerk is now telling us that he wish he'd "stood by" Eich way back, I'd like to tell you a true fact: Eich didn't lose the CEO's job for his (reprehensible) Prop-8 donation.
Everyone wants to believe that's true, because fits nicely into useful narratives a number of invested camps want to champion, whether it's somebody being ousted for reprehensible views or the woke SJW mob somehow pulling down a great leader (tm) but that's not what happened.
Death doula says life is more meaningful if you 'get real' about the end
Alua Arthur helps people plan for death. A big part of her work is helping them reconcile the lives they lived with the lives they might have wanted. Her memoir is called Briefly Perfectly Human.
Netflix’s Sweet Tooth returns for season 3 in June
Image: Netflix
Gus and his friends are coming back to Netflix very soon. The streamer just announced that the post-apocalyptic series Sweet Tooth is returning on June 6th, and as part of the news, there’s a first-look trailer at what this season has in store.
Based on the comic books by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth is a different take on an end-of-the-world story. It takes place after a mysterious virus killed off much of humanity, while at the same time, new hybrid children — humans with animal features like antlers or pig noses — started appearing (also a mystery). While it’s set during a dark time for humanity, the series presents a slightly cozier version of the end of the world compared to, say, Fallout. Netflix says that the new season’s events are...
Comcast rolls out ‘Now’ prepaid phone and internet plans
Image: Comcast
Comcast announced today that it’s expanding its “Now” branding to include two prepaid services: Now Internet and Now Mobile. Of the two, the mobile plan appears to be genuinely new, as it’s a prepaid cellular option that offers unlimited 5G data, talk, and text for $25 a month per line. The mobile plan also has free access to the company’s Xfinity hotspots_._
That seems like a better deal than Xfinity’s current prepaid mobile plans, which charge $20 per month “by-the-gig” and cost another $20 if you go over one gigabyte in a period — easy to do if you’re not on Wi-Fi all the time.
Comcast representative Joel Shadle told The Verge via email that the mobile plan will be throttled “during times of congestion after 20GB.” Now, plans aren’t...
Sony might have perfected Mini LED TVs with its new 2024 lineup
Image: Sony
At the premium end of home theater, Sony TVs are about as good as it gets — and have been for several years now. The company is lauded for its image processing and penchant for delivering fantastic picture quality in both its flagship sets and lower-cost options like the X90L. So there’s pressure that comes with every refresh of the lineup. But Sony’s not letting that stop it from taking some bold steps in 2024.
This year, the company’s primary focus is on Mini LED. And more specifically, all eyes are on the top-of-the-line Bravia 9. There’s still an OLED in the new roster — that’s the Bravia 8 — and last year’s A95K QD-OLED is also sticking around. But Sony has spent years refining its own approach to packing thousands of LEDs into a...
Silksong Fans Won't Survive Another Round Of Disappointment
Today, Wednesday, April 17, Nintendo held a short Indie World Showcase. The tension in the air was palpable long before it started, as fans thought this might finally be the showcase to give us the long-awaited indie Metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong—the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Hollow Knight—…
If You’re Quick, You Can Buy The Pokémon Van Gogh Merch Again
Remember last year when Pokémon collaborated with the Van Gogh Museum for an incredible line of products and an exhibit in the Amsterdam facility? Then you may also recall how resellers, in desperate need to throw the plushies, art, and figures onto eBay at inflated prices, embarrassed themselves by ruining the…
Hasbro Already Considering Next Baldur’s Gate Title Without Larian
Despite the fact that many hoped Larian Studios would continue its work on the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3, whether it was via DLC or a sequel, the developer announced last month that it would be moving on. During a talk at the Game Developers Conference, Larian CEO Swen Vincke confirmed that the team was not…
Ford recalls 456,000 Broncos, Mavericks that may lose power, raising crash risks
The automaker is recalling Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles due to a battery detection issue that can result in loss of drive power, increasing crash risks.
Reblogged by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
bascule@mas.to ("Tony Arcieri 🌹🦀") wrote:
In the late 2000s/early 2010s I thought if more people simply knew about FISA warrantless surveillance it could be stopped.
Perhaps the Supreme Court would strike it down as unconstitutional, in violation of the 4th Amendment.
Turns out nobody cares, and they're about to make it a lot worse. And as for the Supreme Court, well...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/16/house-fisa-government-surveillance-senate
Senators to be sworn in as jurors in Mayorkas impeachment trial
The Senate is still negotiating what the scope of the homeland security secretary's trial will be and whether to allow debate in the Democratic-controlled chamber.
An intro to TSConfig for JavaScript Developers
TypeScript, one of the fastest growing languages, helps JavaScript developers improve code quality and productivity. But getting started can be challenging. Here's an introduction to TSConfig.
Overwatch 2 Players Are Waiting Over An Hour In Ranked Queues
Overwatch 2’s tenth season is officially underway, and everybody’s pretty happy with the new damage hero Venture, and the fact that they (and the rest of the Overwatch 2 cast) are officially free for everyone after being locked behind the battle pass for over a year. Blizzard has also added several foundational…
Stability AI is giving more developers access to its next-gen text-to-image generator
Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos: Getty Images
The next generation of the text-to-image AI model Stable Diffusion is still in preview, but Stability AI is making it available to some developers via API and a new content creation platform. Stability AI says developers can now access Stable Diffusion 3 from its Developer Platform.
Stability AI says it’s working with API platform Fireworks AI for companies that want to use both models. It also plans on hosting its model weights on its own servers through a Stability AI membership “in the near future.”
The company released Stable Diffusion 3 in February to a small number of developers on preview. Stability AI says Stable Diffusion 3 is “equal to or outperforms” other text-to-image generators, like OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 and Midjourney v6, in...
Reblogged by nadim@symbolic.software ("Nadim Kobeissi"):
infosecrodney@infosec.exchange ("Infosec Rodney Dangerfield") wrote:
I heard a joke about blockchain. I'm still waiting for enough confirmations to know if it's funny.
Ghost Of Tsushima Will Recreate PlayStation Experience On PC
Ghost of Tsushima—the 2020 samurai RPG developed by Sucker Punch—isn’t the first PlayStation exclusive to come to PC, but it will mark the first time non-console gamers will get something akin to the true PlayStation experience. That’s because Sony is introducing a new in-game overlay for the latest version that will…
The best deals on MacBooks right now
Some of the latest M3 MacBooks are on sale, and you can find great discounts on older models, too. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. It recently discontinued the M1 MacBook Air to make room for the M3 Air, but some retailers are still selling new models cheaper than ever. Your options go all the way up to the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 starting at $2,499. Purchasing a new MacBook can be a pricey endeavor, but finding a deal on a current Mac with the new M3 chip — as well as the higher-end M3 Pro and M3 Max — is actually not that difficult.
While Macs may not experience perpetual discounts, it’s not uncommon to see various models discounted by as much as $400. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save...
Persistent shortage of growth hormone frustrates parents and clinicians
As a shortage of growth hormone used to treat rare diseases in children drags on, families and doctors are struggling with insurers' requirements to get prescriptions filled.
Elon Musk Gets Owned By Elden Ring Morse Code Master
A favorite pastime of Kotaku is spotting the new and ludicrous ways people have found to best super-tough games like Elden Ring. Whether using a harp or an ass, people are both incredible and incredibly inventive. It turns out, though, that not everyone’s capable of appreciating that. So when player Silithur completed…
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
404mediaco ("404 Media") wrote:
A spy site is scraping users' Discord messages and activity across servers and selling them to anyone with $5:
https://www.404media.co/a-spy-site-is-scraping-discord-and-selling-users-messages/
Attachments:
Palworld Boss Celebrates Other Companies Cloning His Game
After selling over 15 million copies in its first month, the mania around Palworld has cooled a bit. But deep-pocketed competitors have taken notice of the “Pokémon With Guns” survival crafting sim’s overnight success and are trying to copy it, according to the head of the studio behind the game.
NASA has greenlit plans to send a giant drone to Saturn’s largest moon
This artist mockup of Dragonfly soaring over Titan’s dunes has... well, Dune vibes. | Image: NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Steve Gribben
NASA has been given the go-ahead to send a flying drone-like lander to explore Titan, the largest of Saturn’s 146 moons.
Targeting a July 2028 launch, the agency announced on Tuesday that it can now complete the final design for Dragonfly — a Mars rover-sized rotorcraft that will be used to detect “prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and the early Earth before life developed.”
If all goes according to plan, the eight-rotor drone is scheduled to arrive at Titan in 2034, where it will fly to dozens of “promising locations” to characterize the habitability of Titan’s environment and hunt for any signs that life once existed on the organic-rich moon. Titan’s denser atmosphere (around four times that of Earth’s) will aid the...