How influencers are impacting journalism
NPR's Eric Deggans speaks to Summer Harlow of the Knight School for Journalism in the Americas and V Spehar of UnderTheDeskNews about the role of influencers in journalism.
Are reality TV stars employees? The National Labor Relations Board says yes
NPR's Eric Deggans asks Sonia Rao of The Washington Post about labor protections for people on reality television shows.
Vehicular attacks are not new. But preventing them has been a big challenge
For decades, individuals and terrorist groups have used vehicles to carry out deadly attacks. But installing safeguards hasn't always been successful.
Climate group that called for Gaza ceasefire risks losing federal funding
The United States Environmental Protection Agency building is seen on August 21st, 2024, in Washington, DC. | Photo by Tierney L. Cross / Getty Images
An alliance of grassroots environmental groups could lose $60 million in federal funding after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) was named one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “grantmakers” more than a year ago, putting it in charge of distributing subgrants for locally led environmental projects. But out of 11 of the EPA’s grantmakers, the CJA is the only one that has yet to receive any funding. The group has faced a barrage of attacks for publicly opposing the Israel-Hamas war, and some EPA staffers say the group has been singled out as a result.
“We have been deeply disappointed to witness EPA’s current withholding of $60 million to the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), the only one of the eleven grantees that courageously spoke out against the environmental toll and human rights violations in Palestine,” a group of anonymous EPA and Department of Energy employees wrote in an open letter in December.
The money could disappear if it isn’t dispersed before President-elect Donald Trump steps into office
The money could disappear if it isn’t dispersed before President-elect Donald Trump steps into office. Trump has said he would rescind unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act that set aside money for the grants. And if his second term is anything like his first, he’s likely to gut the EPA and roll back environmental protections.
With a deregulatory agenda at the national level, local efforts become even more crucial to safeguarding Americans’ air, water, and climate. It’s those kinds of grassroots initiatives that the EPA’s grantmakers are supposed to support and what’s at risk if the agency doesn’t disburse the funds before it’s too late.
“What this would do is further strip away funds that our communities have been counting on,” says CJA executive director KD Chavez. “We need people to be resourced so that at least on a local level they can do clean up projects, they can have air quality monitoring,” Chavez says, citing examples of how the money might be used.
Money for the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program came from the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $369 billion for clean energy and climate action. The 11 grantmakers include universities and nonprofit organizations charged with doling out a total of $600 million to locally led environmental projects.
That was supposed to make it easier for smaller grassroots groups to access funding, especially those living with the most pollution, which are often communities of color in the United States. The CJA includes around 100 organizations across the US, many of them rooted in communities of color like the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program and the Indigenous Environmental Network.
The CJA, in particular, was chosen to distribute subgrants to EPA regions 8–10, which encompass most of the Western US. It’s also the national grantmaker responsible for outreach to tribal communities. The CJA says it has already spent $1.6 million from its own operational budget to get the organizational infrastructure in place needed to allow community groups to apply for subgrants. It’s supposed to receive $50 million for those subgrants, plus an additional $10 million for technical capacity.
“Why have we been singled out as anti-American?”
As of January 3rd, only $461 million of the funding from the grantmaking program had been awarded, according to data on the EPA website, leaving the rest of the funds vulnerable to the incoming Trump administration.
“There are questions we have about the singling out of us as an organization. Why have we been singled out as anti-American? Is it because we’re led by working class people, Black Indigenous, and people of color communities?” Chavez says.
Over the past year, conservative media and some Republican lawmakers have accused the CJA of being “radicals,” antisemitic, and “Anti-American” for its stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Even before the EPA announced its selection of 11 grantmakers, the CJA had released a statement in October 2023 calling on President Joe Biden and Congress to demand a ceasefire by Israel and Hamas.
“I was surprised to learn that $50 million has been designated for Climate Justice Alliance, a group which explicitly publishes a ‘free Palestine’ section on its website. On the website, there are dozens of antisemitic and alarming images,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said to former EPA administrator Michael Regan when he testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in July of last year. (Regan stepped down from his post in December.)
The CJA has published its ceasefire statement on its website. “We call on Biden and the US Congress to support an immediate end to the violence by publicly demanding a ceasefire within the region. We stand firmly on the side of peace and support the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, decolonization and life,” the statement says.
“At our core CJA has always been anti war and pro communities,” Chavez says. “We are just collateral damage in a war against regulations,” they add.
The group has also caught flak for its environmental advocacy. A letter from Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Buddy Carter (R-GA) to Regan last May accuses the CJA of supporting “partisan, and in some cases extreme, environmental activism” including “mass organization of climate alarmism protests” and the “litigation of fossil fuel projects.” The letter similarly castigates other grantmakers chosen by the EPA, but the CJA has faced more heat as protests in the US against the war in Gaza gained momentum.
The letter published by EPA and DOE staffers last month (first reported on by The Intercept) urges the agencies to “end their collaboration with Israel until there is a permanent ceasefire” and “release all designated federal funds to Climate Justice Alliance.” It says the funding is needed for Indigenous communities and other groups that have historically been “left out” of environmental protections.
According to Chavez, the EPA told the CJA in a meeting in September that it was under investigation by the agency’s office of general counsel (OGC) without any explanation as to why. The group says the agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights then told the group to expect funding by January 6th — even though grantmakers were initially anticipated to be able to start doling out subgrants in the summer of 2024.
The EPA didn’t verify the CJA’s claims or answer specific questions from The Verge about an investigation into the CJA. “EPA continues to review the grant for the Climate Justice Alliance,” EPA spokesperson Nick Conger said in an email to The Verge. “EPA continues to work through its rigorous process to obligate the funds under the Inflation Reduction Act, including the Thriving Communities Grantmakers program.” The agency is “on track” to award more than 90 percent of the funding by the end of the Biden administration, Conger added.
When The Verge asked the EPA last year how it chose grantmakers for the program, Regan said in a call with reporters that they each “demonstrated a very strong governance structure that creates accountability” and that the agency selected the 11 “knowing that they would be able to operationalize these resources in a way that the communities that need these resources the most would absolutely get them.”
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
listening to the Sec of State trying to dodge self-reflective questions & deny the failures of this administration in communicating to the American people is sad. this is the essential national-level Democratic Party problem: they think the answer to mis- and dis-information (in this case, about foreign policy) is more policy & more rational explanation.
when one is dealing with an appeal to the psyche, countering by appealing to reason is generally not very useful.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000682646412
Bats catch a lift from storm winds on long-distance migrations
Migrating hundreds and hundreds of miles is hard work for the common noctule bat. But this European species makes its marathon journey a little bit easier by paying attention to the weather.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
this sounds like a powerful series
Jimmy Carter Saw Where Israel Was Headed. He Was Ignored.
Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. The title was Jimmy Carter’s idea. Peace talks were nonexistent, Israel showed no sign of ending its control over the lives of millions of Palestinians, and the United States was not doing anything to stop it. Carter wanted to be provocative. He succeeded. The well-organized backlash to Carter’s 2006 book was […]
Oil and Gas Subsidies Are Another Lie Detector Test for the DOGE Bros
This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to upend the federal government, and he has enlisted firebrands Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to help him do it. The two men are set to lead the Department of Government Efficiency and aim […]
Reblogged by rmrenner ("The Old Gay Gristle Fest"):
troublewithwords@wandering.shop ("Steven Hoefer") wrote:
Standard Ebooks dropped a bunch of beautifully formatted books newly in the public domain today.
Dashiell Hammett’s “Red Harvest” and “The Dain Curse” defined hard-boiled detectives. But also Agatha Christie, Sinclair Lewis, John Steinbeck, Mahatma Gandhi…
(Standard Ebooks is Project Gutenberg with editing and typesetting. They also have an RSS feed for new releases!)
Biden awards Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton, Soros, Messi and 16 others
Biden will also posthumously grant the medal to former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and former Michigan Gov. George Romney.
Seeking to heal the country, Jimmy Carter pardoned men who evaded the Vietnam War draft
The pardon was one of the defining presidential moments for Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. The move was pilloried by members of the military and conservative politicians.
5 financial habits to leave behind for a more prosperous new year
As we say goodbye to 2024, let's also bid farewell to some less-than-ideal money habits: impulse purchases, out-of-control credit card debt and the trap of lifestyle creep.
Funeral services for former President Jimmy Carter start today in Georgia
The first day of memorial services for former President Jimmy Carter begins today in his hometown of Plains, Ga., and will include stops at the Georgia State Capitol and the Carter Center in Atlanta.
Japanese woman who was the world's oldest person at 116 has died
Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world's oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. She was 116.
Net neutrality is struck, ending a long battle to regulate ISPs like public utilities
A U.S. Court of Appeals this week ruled that the FCC did not have legal authority to revive the so-called net neutrality rules that were first introduced a decade ago under the Obama Administration.
appleinsider ("AppleInsider") wrote:
In a bid to gain favor with the president-elect, Apple CEO Tim Cook has contributed $1 million of his personal finances to the inauguration fund.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/01/03/apple-ceo-tim-cook-personally-invested-1-million-in-trumps-inauguration?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon
petergleick@fediscience.org ("Peter Gleick") wrote:
Not only did Jimmy Carter live long enough to vote against Donald Trump, but he somehow died at a time Donald Trump finds to be really, personally inconvenient.
The best doorbell cameras
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
We picked the best video doorbell cameras for keeping an eye on people, packages, and anything else that comes across your front porch.
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
QasimRashid ("Qasim Rashid, Esq.") wrote:
The UnitedHealth CEO was killed 30 days ago on December 4. Luigi Mangione is now on trial for that killing.
Since Dec 4, about 5589 Americans have died preventable deaths under America’s exploitative for profit health system.
So—when do the CEOs who knowingly enabled these deaths go on trial?
My latest: https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/americas-hell-corporations
The soldier who died in Cybertruck explosion wrote it was intended as a 'wakeup call'
Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado, also wrote in a note that he needed to "cleanse my mind" of the lives lost of people he knew and "the burden of the lives I took."
Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 5 Awesome Games We’re Settling Into 2025 With
If you’re reading this right now, you did it: you made it through 2024. Time will tell if 2025 ends up being even messier and more chaotic for games and everything surrounding them but in the meantime, a short respite! Here are some great games (and game-spectating experiences with the return of Awesome Games Done…
The best Bluetooth trackers for finding your stuff
Bluetooth trackers come in all shapes and sizes. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
For those of us who don’t ever seem to know where our keys, wallets, and remote controls have gone.
The best smartphone you can buy for under $500
You can get a great device for less than $500 these days if you know how to pick your priorities. | Image: The Verge
You can’t have everything at this price, but you can get a great smartphone. Whether you want an iPhone, a 120Hz screen, or water resistance, you’ve got options.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
A haiku about Murderbot:
Metal guardian dreams,
Searching for a true command,
Tales of heart and peace.[ h/t @marthawells
wandering.shop ]
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
Today in History: Apple Computer founded, 1977
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
Today in History: Steven Stills is born in Dallas, 1945
Tim Cook is donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, too
Image: Laura Normand / The Verge
Apple CEO Tim Cook is the next tech exec to donate $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration committee, according to Axios. Cook’s donation follows similar commitments from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos through Amazon, and Meta as Big Tech companies and executives work to curry favor with the incoming administration.
Cook famously built a personal relationship with Trump during his first term that other tech CEOs are looking to replicate. He was one of many to congratulate Trump after his Election Day victory, and Axios reports that Cook has met with Trump at Trump Tower and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Elon Musk, who dropped in on Bezos’ December dinner with Trump, joined “part of” Cook’s dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Axios says. The New York Times previously reported that Cook met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Unnamed sources tell Axios that “Cook, a proud Alabama native, believes the inauguration is a great American tradition, and is donating to the inauguration in the spirit of unity.” Apple is “not expected” to donate to the inauguration. The company didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
So remember the tales of these wee little folk,
With mischief and magic in every turn of a stroke.
For courage comes in sizes both big and quite small,
And sometimes a dreamer can rise, after all!
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
From the hills and the heaths, they come full of cheer,
To help brave Tiffany, the hero we revere.
With puffs of their magic, they dream up a plan,
To conquer the dark, they're the boldest, they can!They speak in their rhymes, filled with jest and glee,
Their words like a song, wild and carefree.
In the face of the trouble, they won’t run away,
With courage in their hearts, they'll seize the day!
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
In a land both strange and sprightly bright,
There live the Wee Free Men, a curious sight.
With hats so tall and laughter so loud,
They dance in the meadows, a whimsical crowd.Tiny and fierce, with spirits so grand,
They could set forth an army, each one could stand!
Clad in blue with a twinkle in their eye,
They'll fight for their friends, oh me, oh my!
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
AlgoCompSynth ("AlgoCompSynth by znmeb") wrote:
@jeff @w7voa If I were the judge I'd sentence him to time served plus the maximum allowable fines for the felonies and all the contempt of court incidents, and recommend sanctions on defense counsel where appropriate. Trump tried to turn the trial into a circus and the judge needs to come down hard on that.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
"We should not blame the military when we ask it to do the near-impossible and provide bad or conflicting guidance on how it should pursue its missions."
Trump will be sentenced Jan. 10 in New York case, days before his inauguration
The decision also comes after the judge in the case ruled last month that Trump isn't immune from his conviction.
Reblogged by keul@fosstodon.org ("Luca Fabbri"):
cjk@chaos.social ("Christian Kruse") wrote:
Finally someone solved it!
Samsung and Google’s new spatial audio format will take on Dolby Atmos this year
Image: Samsung
Samsung and Google are ready to push a new standard, Eclipsa Audio. This format will enable 3D audio experiences on certain YouTube videos later this year, with support available across Samsung’s 2025 lineup of TVs and soundbars. Over the years, Samsung notably hasn’t supported Dolby Vision HDR for dynamic HDR metadata, choosing instead to promote its preferred alternative, HDR10 Plus. Now, it seems ready to make a similar competitive push for open-source 3D audio support.
Eclipsa Audio could eventually serve as a free alternative to Dolby Atmos, the dominant 3D audio format that hardware makers like Samsung pay to license for TVs and other equipment. Samsung says that similar to Atmos, this audio format supports adjusting “audio data such as the location and intensity of sounds, along with spatial reflections” to create a 3D experience.
The two companies first announced a partnership to develop spatial audio technology in 2023, initially calling it Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF). At the time, Samsung spatial audio head WooHyun Nam said the format would provide “a complete open-source framework for 3D audio, from creation to delivery and playback.”
The IAMF spec has also been adopted by the Alliance for Open Media, a group that has been pushing for royalty-free codec support since 2015 and counts companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Netflix — along with Samsung and Google — among its members. If they also add support for this audio format, it could help it catch on, although it’s already taken years for their AV1 video codec to see more use.
Samsung and Google are also creating a certification program with the Telecommunications Technology Association “to ensure consistent audio quality” across devices using the format, which also sounds similar to the way companies like Dolby and THX manage the labeling for their specs. We expect to hear more about Eclipsa Audio in the coming days, as CES 2025 kicks off next week.
The attack in New Orleans reveals ISIS' influence lingers, experts say
The man behind the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans said in videos that he was inspired by ISIS and had joined the group this summer. This attack shows ISIS' resonance and resilience persists.
katienotopoulos@threads.net ("Katie Notopoulos") wrote:
Everyone’s talking about how the AI bots made by Meta are bad, but just a reminder you can make your own Meta AI chatbot right inside Messenger and there’s definitely no problems there
Attachments:
- Photo by Katie Notopoulos on January 03, 2025. May be a doodle of 2 people and text. (remote)
- Photo by Katie Notopoulos on January 03, 2025. May be a Twitter screenshot of phone and text. (remote)
- Photo by Katie Notopoulos on January 03, 2025. May be a Twitter screenshot of text that says '11:09 بر < Luigi Al by Katie Notopoulos o+ Your Al is in review. You'll be notified when the process is complete. IULVUL runy like the ones Health Care for America Now did during CA debates- or even a march like Michael Moore did for his documentary Sicko? What's S the boldest move you'd make? Well.... have an idea. But I'm a little afraid to tell you Your secret is safe with me. Spill it -isi it brilliant, daring, or maybe even a little crazy? Promise you won't judge me?0 Absolute promise- judgment silenced, curiosity activated! Tell me! Aa'. (remote)
- Photo by Katie Notopoulos on January 03, 2025. May be a Twitter screenshot of text. (remote)
Don't Sleep On 2024's Most Underrated Tactics RPG
SteamWorld Heist II snuck out last year in early August and didn’t create as many ripples as some of the other genre spin-offs in its quirky robotic universe. That’s a shame because the bones of this tactical RPG are some of the strongest around, even if the surrounding fluff can get in the way sometimes.
The best wireless earbuds to buy right now
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
The best from Apple, Bose, Samsung, Sony, Beats, Google, and more.
Ford is extending its free at-home EV charging promotion
Image: Ford
Ford launched its “Power Promise” initiative in October that included a free home electric vehicle charger with installation for new EV buyers. The promotion was initially scheduled to end on January 2nd, but now Ford is extending it into the first few months of 2025.
Starting today, Ford says its Power Promise promotion will run through March 31st, 2025, giving US customers who buy a new model year 2024 or 2025 Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, or E-Transit more time to take advantage of the perks. Those include the complementary home charger with “standard” installation, 24/7 customer support for charging questions, and complimentary roadside assistance.
The Ford Power Promise extension comes following a “best ever” quarter for EV sales at the automaker, according to Ford spokesperson Susannah Evans.
Ford Mustang Mach-E sales were up 27 percent to 51,745 units for 2024 compared to the previous year, while the F-150 Lightning was up 39 percent to 33,510, and the E-Transit was up 64 percent to 12,610. The Mustang Mach-E hit a record fourth quarter with 16,119 sold and is the second-best electric SUV in sales in the US after the Tesla Model Y, according to Ford. The company sold 97,865 pure electric vehicles in 2024 — still short of GM, which delivered 114,400 for the year.
Ford’s Model e retail director, Stacey Ferreira shared on LinkedIn that customers have reported high satisfaction in the program, which includes an 11-day average timeframe from quote to install. Ferreira says that approximately 85 percent of the complimentary home charger installations were considered “standard installations,” meaning no additional out-of-pocket costs were necessary.
This New Dungeons & Dragons Pinball Machine Will Send You On An Epic Adventure For Just $7,000
Stern Pinball is back with another new machine and this time it’s a tribute to Dungeons & Dragons following the tabletop RPG’s 50th anniversary. The table comes with all kinds of whimsical bells and whistles and an all-star voice cast, and it can be yours starting at $7,000. Or you could pay nearly double that for the…
Biden made diversifying the federal bench a top priority. Here's a look at his legacy
President Biden's judicial picks have included the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, women of color to federal appeals courts and openly LGBTQ judges to serve on the federal bench.
Answering your questions about AI, smart glasses, TikTok, and more
Image: Hugo Herrera / The Verge
As promised, I’ve got a special mailbag issue this week. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. Like last year, I picked a handful that hit some of the themes I plan to continue covering in 2025.
On to your questions…
I’m really concerned / worried / curious about the near-term future. Between now and 10 years from now, I think it is very clear AI will be replacing many job functions. What are we all going to do?
The leaders at the AI labs say that, yes, there will be job loss, but that doesn’t mean catastrophe. The optimistic take is that humans are creative and will invent new jobs, like they always have when technology changes things. At the moment, there’s also a macro belief among the CEOs driving a lot of the spending on infrastructure for AI that its impact will be deflationary and lead to GDP growth.
Job displacement will still be painful, of course. Sam Altman and others believe that some form of universal basic income will be necessary to offset the economic impacts of AGI. Altman has his other startup, Tools for Humanity, already scanning eyeballs and distributing cryptocurrency. But I think it’s way too early to be seriously concerned. As Altman himself recently...
BioShock Creator Laments It Was Just A 'Corridor,' But Corridors Have Given Us Some Of The Best Games Ever
In a recent interview with Games Industry.biz, Ken Levine disparaged his most famous and popular game, BioShock, as “a very, very long corridor.” He uses this description pejoratively to distinguish the 2007 first-person mystery game from his current project, science fiction FPS Judas, a game he says is being made…
Pokémon Go's Dreadful Community Days Are Doubling In Price
For so many years, so many have been lamenting the dire state of Pokémon Go’s monthly Community Days. What should be events that encourage players to fill local parks for a fun series of challenges have become repetitive, desultory events that can be completed almost without trying. And now they’re doubling in price!
This Fan-Made Sonic Game Looks Just As Good As The Real Thing, And You Can Play It Right Now
There are a lot of great fan-made Sonic the Hedgehog games out there. Sega has been notoriously chill with fans of the Blue Blur using its characters in their own projects, and there are even a handful of community-driven remakes of old games that could use a modern touch-up. The one we’re talking about today is Sonic…
Here are the best iPad deals right now
Apple’s newest iPad Pro, which features an M4 chip, is on sale starting at $899 right now. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
While the best iPad deals usually land during major sale events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, many great iPad deals are attainable outside those times. The day-to-day discounts may come and go like changing winds, but there’s often something to be saved, particularly on the more affordable iPads. The most recent iPad Pro and iPad Air are also starting to see substantial price reductions, and you can even save a bit on Apple’s new iPad Mini.
It’s difficult to know where exactly you can find the most notable iPad deals unless you’re scouring the major retailers on a daily basis. But that’s often what our deal hunters at The Verge are doing each and every day, so let us help you out. Below, we’ve listed the best deals you can get on each iPad model that is currently available, from the cheapo ninth-gen iPad of 2021 to the latest models equipped with Apple’s powerful M2 and M4 chips.
The best iPad (2021) deals
Announced alongside the iPhone 13 way back in 2021, the ninth-gen iPad is Apple’s aging entry-level tablet, one that’s still great at carrying out everyday tasks despite having been discontinued. The ninth-gen model originally started at $329 with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage, which arguably makes the newer 10th-gen model the better deal if you don’t need a home button or a headphone jack, as it now starts at $349 and is often on sale for even less.
The last-gen iPad has been receiving a steep discount for quite a while, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find in most configurations. That being said, Amazon and Walmart are selling the 64GB base model with Wi-Fi starting at $249 ($80 off), which is about $50 shy of its all-time low. As for the step-up 256GB variant, third-party seller Adorama is selling it at Amazon in select colors for $408.99 (about $70 off).
A last-gen model is still worth considering
The last-gen iPad uses an A13 Bionic processor and a 12MP wide-angle camera with Center Stage, a feature designed to keep you framed up and centered while on video calls. The tablet also carries over a number of features from its predecessor, such as the 10.2-inch display, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the home button, and a smart connector for connecting a smart keyboard.
The best iPad (2022) deals
Although the newer 10th-gen iPad came out in late 2022, it’s still an excellent tablet — one we consider to be the best value for most people (once Apple dropped its price). The latest iPad modernizes the design with a switch to USB-C, uniform bezels with no home button, a side power button with a fingerprint sensor, and a larger display, but it eliminates the 3.5mm headphone jack.
In the past, you could often buy Apple’s latest entry-level iPad for $349 ($100 off its initial launch price) — which is now the MSRP. Right now, however, the base model with 64GB of storage is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $279 ($70 off), which is $30 more than the all-time low. Amazon and Best Buy are also selling the 256GB model with Wi-Fi for $429 ($70 off), which is about $20 more than its best price to date.
The best iPad Mini (2024) deals
The new seventh-gen iPad Mini is similar to the outgoing model but comes with faster Wi-Fi and USB-C speeds, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and a newer A17 Pro processor with 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence. Otherwise, it boasts nearly identical specs and features as the last-gen model, meaning it has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, a USB-C port, and options for 5G. It may not be worth upgrading if you already own a sixth-gen Mini, but newcomers to the category should appreciate the upgrades.
The 2024 iPad Mini starts at $499 with 128GB of storage, which was the price for the previous generation’s 64GB model. Electing for 256GB of storage brings the price up to $599, and the cellular models start at $649. These are some big numbers for a small iPad, and the larger iPad Air might be worth considering if you prefer your dollar to go further with more screen real estate. But if you want an Apple tablet in the smallest possible form factor, this is where the action is.
Right now, you can get the 128GB base model with Wi-Fi at Amazon and Walmart for $479 ($20 off), which is $30 more than its lowest price to date. You can also get the Wi-Fi model with 256GB of storage at Amazon and Walmart starting at $577 ($22 off), which is $17 more than its lowest price to date.
The best iPad Air (2024) deals
The 2024 iPad Air doesn’t feature any groundbreaking changes compared to the 2022 release, but notably, there is now a 13-inch configuration in addition to a base 11-inch model. Apple also added Wi-Fi 6E radios and upgraded the chipset to M2, which enables the hover feature when using Apple’s latest styluses. You can use the newer iPad Air with the Apple Pencil Pro and both previous-gen Magic Keyboards, too. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, while the comparable 13-inch model starts at $799.
Deals for the 2024 iPad Air started to appear before the latest model even hit store shelves. Right now, you can pick up the 11-inch base model with 128GB of storage and Wi-Fi at Amazon and Best Buy for $499 ($100 off), which is its best price to date. The 13-inch iPad Air with 128GB of storage, meanwhile, is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for an all-time low of $699 ($100 off).
The best iPad Pro (2024) deals
Compared to the latest iPad Air, the 2024 iPad Pro is a far more impressive upgrade. The 11- and 13-inch models start at $999 and $1,299, respectively, and they are the first Apple devices to feature the company’s latest M4 chip, which brings moderate performance gains and dedicated hardware for on-device Apple Intelligence processing. The new Pro models can claim other firsts, too, such as being the first iPad models with OLED displays and the lightest Pros yet, which is true for both sizes. They also feature repositioned front-facing cameras that sit along the horizontal edge, which prevent you from looking as though you’re staring off into space on a video call.
As for deals, the 11-inch iPad Pro with Wi-Fi / 256GB of storage is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $899 ($100 off), which is only $2 more than the lowest price to date. The sleek and super-thin 13-inch model, meanwhile, is on sale in its 256GB base configuration at Amazon and Best Buy for $1,099 ($200 off), which is an all-time low price.
That Elon Musk ‘Adrian Dittmann’ screenshot is almost certainly fake
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by STR / NurPhoto, Getty Images
A screenshot that seems to suggest billionaire Elon Musk is cosplaying superfan “Adrian Dittmann” — showing X account permissions beyond that of an ordinary user — is almost certainly fake, a source at X tells The Verge.
The source, who claims no knowledge of Dittmann’s identity, says an image posted to 4chan’s /pol/ board doesn’t reflect an actual interface available to people who work for X. The screenshot was posted by a user who identifies themselves as Adrian Dittmann, showing a post from Musk’s X page. In that screenshot, the X interface includes non-standard links to an “Admin Portal” and a “Bans” page, hinting that the user has special privileges on the site. But the source says neither of these options exist for X employees logged into their accounts. In fact, X employees would see the same interface as other users, with the potential exception of new features currently being trialed for wide release.
Adrian Dittmann posted on 4chan and accidentally revealed that he has admin privileges on twitter lol pic.twitter.com/ikbu1ZkopW
— anti-inflation supersoldier (@bluser12) January 2, 2025
This suggests that other elements of the screenshot, like an analytics link that only appears for the author of a post, were also deliberate fabrications, seeded as hints that Musk is secretly Dittmann. The hints were picked up overnight, where they spread on social media alongside other posts made by the 4chan user — mostly ones lauding Musk and defending his X policies amid infighting with other conservatives over immigration.
It’s not clear who posted the screenshots. “Adrian Dittmann” is a longtime X user, and his Musk fandom and vocal similarities have led to long-standing rumors that he’s secretly none other than Musk himself. (Musk has cosplayed his son on the site, so it’s not that far-fetched an assertion.) User Mag’s Taylor Lorenz has noted that Dittmann benefits tremendously from the speculation that they’re Musk, and it’s possible the doctored screenshots are Dittmann leaning into that. The 4chan posts could also be from an unrelated impersonator, though, playing up the idea of Musk as a desperate forum poster. (I guess we can’t rule out that Musk, impersonating Dittmann, added fake elements to an actual screenshot of his X account? But I’m ranking that theory low on the list.)
None of this conclusively disproves a link between Musk and Dittmann, of course. But if Musk isn’t spending his precious free hours on a sockpuppet account, that gives him more time for cozying up to President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, attempting to swing Germany’s upcoming election in favor of the far-right AfD party, and playing Diablo IV.
Twelve South’s Find My-compatible charger has hit an all-time low price
You can keep tabs of Twelve South’s PlugBug 50 charger through the Apple Find My app. | Image: Twelve South
It’s easy to lose small stuff like laptop chargers when you’re constantly on the go, which is why Twelve South’s PlugBug is handy. It’s a USB-C wall charger that Apple users can keep tabs of via the Find My App, and it’s currently down to its best price yet. Normally $69.99, right now you can buy the 50-watt version for $55.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. The 120-watt PlugBug is also on sale for $97.99 ($22 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is one of its better prices to date.
The 50-watt wall charger features a pair of USB-C ports, so you can choose to slow-charge a laptop or simultaneously power up your smartphone and tablet. If you require faster charging, the 120-watt might be the better option and comes with four USB-C ports. But the PlugBug’s real standout feature, as mentioned, is its support for Apple’s extensive Find My App feature, which allows you to keep tabs of the charger via your iPhone, iPad or Mac. And conveniently, the charger can beep for easier tracking.
As a nice bonus, the PlugBug is also useful when you’re not using it to charge your devices. After all, it’s essentially a location tracker, so you can use it to keeps tab of your bag, suitcase, or wherever else you may have stored it.
Some more ways to save
- Bose’s SoundLink Max has returned to its all-time low price of $299 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy (for My Best Buy Plus and Total members). The Bluetooth speaker offers powerful, room-filling sound along with a 3.5-millimeter aux input for lossless listening. It’s rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, and offers up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, rendering it a top-notch portable Bluetooth speaker, great for any occasion. Read our review.
- The latest version of Samsung’s 55-inch The Frame TV is on sale for $867.99 ($630 off) at Woot until January 10th, which matches its best price to date. Samsung’s The Frame can easily pass for home decor, thanks to an anti-glare matte OLED screen that displays artwork as well as photos when idle. Yet it’s also a good 4K TV, with a new energy-saving feature that drops its speedy 120Hz refresh rate to 60hz while displaying art.
- If you’re on the market for an excellent handheld vacuum, the Black & Decker Furbuster is on sale for $67.98 ($32 off) at Amazon, which is its second-best price to date. The 20-watt cordless vacuum does a good job of sucking up dirt as well as fur and is portable, so you can use it as a car vacuum. It also features a long, extendable crevice tool, allowing you to easily clean hard-to-reach spaces.
House Speaker vote puts GOP unity to the test
The first order of business for the House this year is to elect a speaker but divisions within the GOP are already causing drama for the current speaker, Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson.
Cybertruck explosion investigation identifies the driver and tracks its path to Las Vegas
Image: LMVPD
A day after a Cybertruck exploded in the Trump Hotel valet area, law enforcement officials released more details on the progress of their investigation, including the coroner’s confirmation that the driver was a US Army soldier named Matthew Livelsberger, who died by suicide of a self-inflicted gunshot just before the explosives in the truck’s bed detonated.
“I’m comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately thereafter,” said Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. “I’m not giving it any other labels.” McMahill also noted that police haven’t investigated the suspect’s phones or laptops yet, or identified a possible motive.
Separately, the Denver Gazette reported on text messages Livelsberger sent after renting the truck on December 28th, with videos of the vehicle and boasts about its “ungodly” speed. The New York Post cited an unnamed source saying he left his home in Colorado the day after Christmas after an argument with his wife. The Independent contacted Livelsberger’s uncle, who described him to the paper as someone who “loved the Army” and “loved Trump.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25815352/videoframe_412692.png)
Image: LMVPD
Camera footage of the Cybertruck before the explosion.
During the briefing, law enforcement officials displayed surveillance video of the truck once it arrived in Las Vegas on the morning of January 1st and a map of its eight stops at Tesla charging stations over three days. They also said that people from Tesla were coming to assist in the investigation, including possibly recovering video from the truck’s built-in cameras.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25815321/videoframe_398872.png)
Image: LVMPD
While the sheriff said investigators had received information about the charging stops from Elon Musk, they are also looking to see who else may have been charging at the same time to possibly find video captured by those vehicles.
Like the F-150 Lightning used hours earlier in an apparent act of terrorism by driving into a crowd in New Orleans, Livelsberger rented the 2024 Cybertruck via the Turo app.
Turo said on Friday, “We do not believe these two individuals would have been flagged by anyone – including law enforcement.” However, “as an immediate next step while we wait for law enforcement to conclude their investigations, we’re consulting with national security and counterterrorism experts to learn more about how we can get even better and play our part in helping prevent anything like this from happening ever again,” writes CEO Andre Haddad.
It has also been reported that both men spent time at the same military base and served in different areas of Afghanistan in 2009. However, the sheriff said that while they’re not prepared to “rule in or rule out anything at this point,” there’s no evidence at this time of a connection between them or a link between the incidents.
The truck was transported to the department’s fleet services area for further inspection, and the investigators have reported finding the subject’s iPhone, identification, and two firearms that had been purchased two days earlier. The explosive components found inside the truck consisted of consumer-grade fireworks, mortars, and aerial shells, as well as fuel enhancers and the kinds of explosive targets that can be purchased at sporting goods stores, according to Kenneth Cooper, the ATF assistant special agent in charge.
You can aim this projector by moving its motion-sensing remote around
JMGO’s N3 Ultra Max has a motorized gimbal, letting you remotely adjust where it projects. | Image: JMGO
JMGO’s N3 Ultra Max projector simplifies setup with a motorized gimbal that handles alignment automatically. Once positioned in a room, you can change where it’s projecting using its motion-sensing wireless remote. The all-in-one projector will handle the rest of the fine-tuning, including focus, optical zoom, and keystone adjustments to ensure the image is level and perfectly aligned.
Although the 4K N3 Ultra Max debuted in China late last year, JMGO is announcing a new version for the global market at CES that includes improved software, Google TV, and native Netflix support. The company expects it to be available globally, including in the US, sometime in the fourth quarter of 2025, but pricing details haven’t been finalized yet.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25813626/JMGO___N3_Ultra_Max___11.gif)
Image: JMGO
The N3 Ultra Max can match the movements of its wireless remote.
The N3 Ultra Max joins a growing line of gimbal-mounted projectors from JMGO but is one of the first from the company to feature motorized movements. To increase the projector’s range of motion, JMGO relocated its two HDMI and other I/O ports to the gimbal’s base. However, since the base rotates 360 degrees, there’s still a risk of tangling or the projector’s movements being limited if cables aren’t long enough.
In addition to automated movements, the projector uses a camera and 3D distance sensors to detect and avoid projecting over obstacles on a wall such as artwork or light switches. That will help eliminate visual distractions but could also result in a smaller image depending on how cluttered a wall is.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25813781/jmgo2.jpg)
Image: JMGO
All of the projector’s I/O ports have been moved to the gimbal’s base so it can rotate without tangling cables.
Using a triple laser system, the N3 Ultra Max outputs around 4,000 ISO lumens of brightness, but JMGO says the projector’s performance hasn’t been verified by a third party yet. That’s enough brightness to project an image up to 180 inches in size, the company says, and it will potentially allow the projector to be used in the daytime in a room with ambient light with a smaller image size.
Cutting out alcohol for Dry January? These apps can help
If you've resolved to quit drinking for the month, a little technological assistance may be the key to sticking to your goal.
The Tesla Cybertruck isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
The Verge / Photo by Bloomberg, Getty Images
A few months before the first Cybertrucks were delivered to customers, Tesla CEO Elon Musk got on a call with investors and said he wanted to “temper expectations” about the polarizing vehicle.
“It’s a great product, but financially, it will take, I don’t know, a year to 18 months before it is a significant positive cash flow contributor,” Musk said in the October 2023 call. But, ever the showman, Musk couldn’t resist injecting some hype.
“The demand is off the charts,” he said. “We have over 1 million people who have reserved the car.”
But more than a year later, that demand appears to have dried up.
Yesterday, Tesla reported its fourth quarter production and delivery numbers for 2024, giving us as close to a complete picture of the Cybertruck’s first full year of sales as we’re going to get. Tesla doesn’t break out Cybertruck numbers specifically, instead lumping them in with its two older vehicles, the Model S and Model X, as “other models.”
Tesla said it produced 94,105 vehicles in that category in 2024, of which 85,133 were delivered to customers. Kevin Roberts, director of economic and market intelligence at CarGurus, estimates that between 35,000–50,000 of those “other models” sold over the course of the year were Cybertrucks.
“How you view the Cybertruck depends on what your expectations going in were,” Roberts tells me. “If you thought it was going to be a large volume vehicle, a la Ford F-150 competitor, it hasn’t become a large volume competitor. But if you compare it to, say, a lifestyle pickup or the Ford F-150 Lightning, I think it’s done pretty well.”
And yet, the Cybertruck did not meaningfully contribute to Tesla’s growth in 2024, as evidenced by the fact that the company reported its first year-over-year sales decline in over a decade.
The Cybertruck didn’t meaningfully contribute to Tesla’s growth in 2024
Musk claimed that over 1 million people reserved a Cybertruck, and so far, that has not resulted in 1 million Cybertrucks on the road. To be sure, it’s still early days for the angular EV, and it could still prove to be a success. But Tesla lowered the deposit reservation to $100, after initially asking for $1,000, which likely boosted reservations among people who probably weren’t going to end up buying one.
And then there was the rocky rollout: the viral videos of a Cybertruck getting stuck in snow or sand; the numerous recalls (seven since its launch in December 2023), including one related to a faulty accelerator pedal; and Musk’s emergence as a stalwart supporter of Donald Trump and a purveyor of racist, rightwing conspiracies.
Even still, the Cybertruck seemed to come out of the gate strong. It was America’s best-selling electric truck in Q2 of 2024, the third-best-selling EV in the country in Q3, and the best-selling vehicle costing over $100,000 in the first half of the year.
In July, it almost matched combined sales of all other electric trucks on the market, including the Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer EV, and Chevy Silverado EV. But some analysts suggested that Tesla may have been filling a backlog of older orders at the time, which would suggest that the sales numbers weren’t related to increased demand.
But as the year went on, evidence emerged that the Cybertruck may have already passed its peak. There were anecdotal reports of Cybertrucks piling up on used car lots. Tesla Cybertruck factory workers in Austin were told to stay home for three days in December.
“It hasn’t become a large volume competitor”
Meanwhile, dozens of limited edition Foundation Series Cybertrucks, the first version of the truck to go on sale, were piling up in the automaker’s inventory, leading Tesla to reportedly start buffing the badging off so they could be sold as regular models. And the price of a used Cybertruck keeps dropping: $104,300 on average on December 30th, down from $107,800 the month before, according to CarGurus.
“What’s going on with used Cybertrucks and we can see the number of days those vehicles have been sitting on lots has been going up,” Roberts says. “And the average price of used Cybertrucks has been trending down.”
A brand-new Cybertruck is still very, very expensive: leasing starts at around $900 a month, while someone interested in buying an all-wheel drive base model would be expected to drop at least $90,000.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25605448/IMG_5464.jpeg)
Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge
And while the Cybertruck just recently qualified for the federal EV tax credit of $7,500, that benefit is likely to be short-lived, as Trump is expected to kill the credit — with Musk’s backing. Musk still has a few more months to make good on his claim from 2023 that the Cybertruck will be a “significant cash flow contributor” within 18 months — but the outlook looks grim.
Tesla could have followed up the enormously successful Model Y with an even more affordable EV, which is what a lot of analysts and investors were expecting. But instead, Musk introduced a highly polarizing, questionably made, lifestyle vehicle that will likely never sell as many units as its predecessors.
“Tesla has had a big volume hit, the Model Y is in the top five selling vehicles in the US,” Roberts says. “So they can get those big volume vehicles. The Cybertruck just hasn’t been that. And it’s going to face some headwinds in 2025 that could make it a challenge for it to get to that kind of volume status.”
The Wild Robot is coming to Peacock later this month
Image: Universal
If you missed The Wild Robot in the madness of last year’s holiday season, Universal’s about to make it a little easier to catch the animated sci-fi adventure on both the big and small screens.
The Wild Robot has been available to purchase physically on DVD / Blu-ray and on digital platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video for some time now. But today, Universal announced that, following the film’s upcoming theatrical rerelease on January 17th, it will also be available to stream for Peacock subscribers starting on January 24th. The news comes after The Wild Robot’s successful initial box office run that saw it rake in an impressive $324.3 million worldwide and secure a number of awards from various film critics groups.
The theatrical rerelease feels a lot like Universal’s way of priming the public to be thinking more about The Wild Robot as we march deeper into awards season, but it’s also going to give folks more options to experience one of 2024’s best films.
PlayStation Has Some Incredible Last-Minute Deals For Catching Up On Your Backlog
The holidays are over, but discount season will stretch into mid-January 2025 thanks to Sony’s ongoing New Year sale on PlayStation 5 and PS4. There are some really steep discounts on a ton of great games. A perfect time to grab some neat stuff that you’ve been meaning to tick off your backlog.
Meta’s AI-generated bot profiles are not being received well
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images
In September 2023, Meta made a big deal of its new AI chatbots that used celebrities’ likeness: everyone from Kendall Jenner to MrBeast leased themselves out to embody AI characters on Instagram and Facebook. The celebrity-based bots were killed off last summer after less than a year, but users have recently been finding a handful of other, entirely fake bot profiles still floating around — and the reaction is not good.
There’s “Jane Austen,” a “cynical novelist and storyteller”; “Liv,” whose bio claims she is a “proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller”; and “Carter,” who promises to give users relationship advice. All are labeled as “AI managed by Meta” and the profiles date back to when the initial announcement was made. But the more than a dozen AI characters have apparently not been very popular: each has just a few thousand followers, with their posts getting just a few likes and comments.
That is, until the last week or so. After a wave of coverage in outlets like Rolling Stoneand posts circulating on social media, the bot accounts are just now being noticed, and the reaction is confusion, frustration, and anger.
“What the fuck does an AI know about dating?????”...
Reblogged by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
TheBreadmonkey@beige.party ("Ben") wrote:
From Reddit
Attachments:
- Reddit - r/mildlyinfuriating By KnightTrain "Just watched John Wick 4, did a quick search to see if they are making a 5th one. This is the abysmal state of Google and the internet as we go into 2025." Front page with all Ai and fake info highlighted. It's the whole page. It's a fucking mess. (remote)
New evidence suggests Elon Musk is cosplaying his superfan Adrian Dittmann
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
Rumors that viral Elon Musk fanboy Adrian Dittmann is actually a fake online persona used by Musk himself have been reignited following fresh evidence linking the pair. Internet sleuths are pointing to a string of recent activity from Dittmann’s X account and alleged 4Chan posts that feature unexplained X admin permissions and similarities with Musk’s voice and mannerisms.
On Wednesday, a 4chan user identifying themself as Adrian Dittmann posted a screenshot of a post from Musk that displayed interface options that suggest he’s not an ordinary user.(4chan doesn’t use formal accounts, and you’re basically anonymous, but users can adopt unique identifiers that serve a similar purpose, demonstrating the same author is behind multiple posts.) A navigation at the bottom right of the image includes links for “switch account,” “bans,” and “admin portal.” Another link to view the full post engagements can also be seen under the image Musk published — something that’s only visible to the user who created the post.
Adrian Dittmann posted on 4chan and accidentally revealed that he has admin privileges on twitter lol pic.twitter.com/ikbu1ZkopW
— anti-inflation supersoldier (@bluser12) January 2, 2025
The posts from the user identified as Adrian Dittmann, which were made on 4chan’s far-right /pol/ board, have since been deleted. While there’s nothing to confirm that the 4Chan poster is the same “Dittmann” on X, the image in the screenshot would have either been taken by Musk himself, or manipulated to falsely include these admin permissions.
There is no proof that "Adrian Dittman" on 4chan is necessarily "Adrian Dittman" on Twitter (now X). However, the image makes that problem essentially moot. The full image on the 4chan post is deleted now, as are the posts themselves. But an annotated version of the full image is on Reddit (below).
Additional speculation that Musk is masquerading as Dittmann comes from an X Spaces call hosted by right-wing influencer Laura Loomer on December 29th. After Dittmann joined the call, other X users noted that the account sounded eerily similar to Musk. Similarities between their speech patterns have been raised before following Dittmann’s previous X Spaces appearances, including several instances where he refers to Musk in first person, and another where Musk and Dittmann interacted directly to dispel the rumors.
Dittmann’s parasocial behavior and diehard support of Musk have fueled rumors that the persona is actually the Tesla CEO for over a year. Musk’s daughter has backed the speculation on several occasions. While Dittmann has previously denied being Musk during an appearance on Infowars, the X account, which Journalist Taylor Lorenz notes is eligible for X’s monetization program, has since leaned into the speculation after attracting thousands of followers.
The 4Chan posts were made following Musk in-fighting with hardline anti-immigration Republicans over H-1B visa crackdowns. The fight led to Musk lashing out at his opponents on X, who accused him of demonetizing or suspending them. Dittmann has popped up during this saga to make peace between factions, and his posts on 4chan are, unsurprisingly, defenses of Musk’s moderation on X.
There’s currently no conclusive evidence that confirms Musk behind the Dittmann account on X that frequently responds to his own posts and defends his actions. It wouldn’t be the first time that Musk has used a weird burner account, having previously roleplayed as one of his own children to test X posts. If he isn’t Dittmann, then there’s a real Adrian Dittmann out there praising Musk for being “an amazing father” who gets “lots of sex.”
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
The long-running conversation continues while I hide i Wisconsin.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/01/03/infinite-thread-xxxiv/
Attachments:
A study finds cash handouts are a boon in fighting the deadliest infectious disease
A program in Brazil that give a monthly cash sum to families living in poverty has an unexpected — and welcome result. A new study shows that it is dramatically reducing tuberculosis rates.
Apple TV+ Is Free This Weekend And Secretly Hiding Tons Of Great Shows
Apple TV+ is a strange ol’ streaming service, spending wads of Apple’s infinite money on incredibly expensive prestige television and movies, and then hiding it all as best it could. In recent months, it’s occurred to the company that perhaps it’d be good if people saw the stuff it’s making, adding the service as an…
An aspiring nurse, a football star, a single mother and a father of 2 killed in New Orleans attack
Officials have not yet released the names of the 14 people killed in the New Orleans New Year's Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories.
Biden blocks U.S. Steel's sale to Nippon, citing national security concerns
The move wasn't unexpected despite efforts by the Japanese government to persuade the Biden administration to approve the sale.
FBI says deadly New Orleans attack suspect acted alone. And, the House speaker vote
Why the FBI believes Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect behind the deadly New Orleans attack on New Year's Day, acted alone. And, how Mike Johnson's House Speaker vote could get derailed.
Reblogged by kornel ("Kornel"):
Apple TV+ is going to be free this weekend for non-subscribers. You can stream Silo, Severance, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, For All Mankind, etc. to your heart’s content. https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/12/get-a-free-all-access-pass-to-apple-tv-the-first-weekend-of-2025/
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
AskNick ("Nick Francesco") wrote:
I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit. ~ John F. Kennedy
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
minimaxir@sigmoid.social ("Max Woolf") wrote:
New year, new blog post: I had a random question, what happens when LLMs are prompted to write better code, again and again? Do they actually write better code? The answer is yes*! https://minimaxir.com/2025/01/write-better-code/
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
ldwg@mastodon.world ("Ldwg") wrote:
🔥 I enjoyed the read!
🎯 Key insight for me: We still need human judgment to spot truly valuable solutions.
🤷♂️ Similar pattern with OpenAI O3: Impressive for problems where it's easy to tell if the solution is correct.
🤔 My experience with letting GPT-4 and Claude improve a SQL migration: Both only added boilerplate.
✨ What's working nicely for me:
First chat: Explore approaches with AI (no code)
Fresh chat: Build out the best idea (code)
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
qrper@mastodon.radio ("Thomas (K4SWL)") wrote:
Conrad Field-Tests the Buddistick Pro at Silver Sands State Park (US-1716)
https://qrper.com/2025/01/conrad-field-tests-the-buddistick-pro-at-silver-sands-state-park-us-1716/
Attachments:
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
jeffjarvis ("Jeff Jarvis") wrote:
All the old men lecturing Democrats on Morning Joe: Suozzi, Scarborough, Carville, McAuliffe, Barnicle, Robinson. No. The wrong people to listen to. We need a movement outside media and the party led by the young, women, Black, progressive leaders. I'll follow them.
Attachments:
The U.S. Surgeon General wants cancer warnings on alcohol. Here's why
Drinking alcohol raises the risk of developing seven types of cancer, according to a new advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
Farmers are abandoning their land. Is that good for nature?
Traditional farmers around the world are walking away from millions of acres of land where they once grew crops or grazed animals. It's provoking mixed reactions.
Apple Fitness Plus and Strava are collaborating with a new integration
The Apple Fitness Plus integration in Strava is getting a revamp. | Image: Apple
Apple Fitness Plus is getting a fresh makeover in the Strava app. The two companies just announced they’re collaborating to revamp how Fitness Plus integrates with the popular fitness community, which includes more detailed workout summaries, Strava athletes appearing in Fitness Plus content, and a free three-month trial to the service for Strava subscribers.
Starting today, you’ll be able to see a thumbnail of the Fitness Plus workout and information like episode number, music genre, trainer, metrics, and achievements. While mostly a design update, this brings Fitness Plus more in line with other Strava integrations from services like Peloton and Ladder.
Technically, Apple Watch users have been able to import their workouts into Strava from the get-go. However, that integration has been limited with bare-bones workout summaries. While you could see the activity type, calories burned, and basic heart rate metrics, there wasn’t any information about the class or instructor. (As you can see from this screenshot, you’d be hard-pressed to know that my New Year’s Day yoga workout was even a Fitness Plus class.)
The Fitness Plus and Strava integration goes in both directions. For starters, new and existing Strava subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia will get a free three-month trial of Fitness Plus regardless of whether they have an Apple Watch. (You do, however, need an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to access the service.) Popular Strava athletes will also feature as guests in Fitness Plus workouts. That includes a strength workout with runner Hellah Sidibe on January 13th and a treadmill workout with Kayla Jeter.
So far, Apple has only offered free Fitness Plus trials with the purchase of a new Apple gadget. And while the service regularly features well-known athletes as guest hosts in its programming, it’s never sourced those guests from a third-party fitness community.
Sidibe, for example, may not be quite as famous as two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (who recently hosted a Fitness Plus series). However, if you’re into running and on social media, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Sidibe’s seven-year daily run streak and penchant for running with four smartwatches.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve hugely admired what Strava has done to impact the fitness space, especially around community,” says Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of fitness technologies, acknowledging that Apple doesn’t often partake in this sort of collaboration.
Blahnik says working with Strava also presents a new opportunity for Fitness Plus’ reach. When the service first launched, there was an emphasis on making sure it was inclusive, motivating, and accessible for people of all levels. And in those early days, it often felt like Fitness Plus was like a fitness starter pack for the average person who might need a little encouragement — something The Verge pointed out in its initial review. That’s not exactly the typical Strava user.
“They don’t need us for motivation! They’re already self motivated,” says Blahnik. Instead, for seasoned athletes, Blahnik is pitching Fitness Plus as a supplemental resource for cross-training and discovering new activity types.
“Maybe they’re taking up running for the first time, and they want to make sure that they don’t get injured, and they need to do the yoga and the strength,” adds Zipporah Allen, Strava’s chief business officer.
Both Allen and Blahnik also note that the collaboration isn’t a one-and-done type of deal, hinting that the integration could evolve further down the road. While both demurred on providing specifics, Blahnik noted the companies “have bold ambitions for what [they] might be able to do down the road in terms of sharing.”(Asked if perhaps one day you could tap on a Fitness Plus class a Strava friend took and immediately be taken to that workout on your phone, Blahnik said they’d keep that in mind.)
In the short term, it’s a beneficial move for both companies. Strava recently angered users by changing the terms of its API for third-party apps, leaving some disgruntled users questioning the value of a Strava subscription. A free three-month trial to Apple Fitness Plus could appease some of those users. Strava has long been a de facto fitness data hub for dedicated athletes, giving Fitness Plus easy access to long-term athletes who aren’t likely to quit their New Year’s resolutions.
Reblogged by kornel ("Kornel"):
cabel@panic.com ("Cabel Sasser") wrote:
We bought a “Mini Brands Retro” toy capsule and I am absolutely delighted by this tiny tiny tiny 3M floppy disk
Attachments:
Anthropic reaches deal with music publishers over lyric dispute
Image: The Verge / Shutterstock
Anthropic has made a deal to settle parts of a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against the maker of the Claude AI model for allegedly distributing protected song lyrics. The agreement was signed off by US District Judge Eumi Lee on Thursday, requiring Anthropic to apply existing guardrails in the training of future AI models and to establish a procedure for music publishers to intervene when copyright infringement is suspected.
In October 2023, several music publishers including Universal Music Group, ABKCO, Concord Music Group, and Greg Nelson Music filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Anthropic for allegedly training its AI system on lyrics from at least 500 protected songs. According to the complaint, when Claude was prompted for the lyrics to songs like Beyoncé’s “Halo,” Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk,” and “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5, the chatbot provided responses “that contain all or significant portions of those lyrics.”
While the music publishers acknowledged that platforms like Genius already distribute lyrics online, they noted that those sites pay a licensing fee to use the protected works. Anthropic “intentionally removed or altered copyright management information” from the impacted songs when ingesting data found on those sites to train its AI models, according to the lawsuit filing.
Under the agreement signed by Anthropic on Thursday, the AI company says it will maintain the guardrails it has already implemented that aim to prevent its AI models from infringing on copyrighted content. Anthropic will also apply its existing guardrails to any future AI systems it develops. Music publishers and Anthropic will work together in “good faith” to resolve any instances where the guardrails are deemed ineffective, with the court ready to settle any disputes.
Claude “isn’t designed to be used for copyright infringement, and we have numerous processes in place designed to prevent such infringement,” Anthropic said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Our decision to enter into this stipulation is consistent with those priorities. We continue to look forward to showing that, consistent with existing copyright law, using potentially copyrighted material in the training of generative AI models is a quintessential fair use.”
The music publishers behind the original complaint have requested a preliminary injunction to bar Anthropic from training future models on their protected song lyrics, with the court expected to issue a ruling in the coming months.
Reblogged by kornel ("Kornel"):
researchfairy@scholar.social ("The research fairy") wrote:
Just begging the web devs out there to maybe open your site in Firefox even once, ever
Trump Aims to Gut Environmental Legal Protections. Easier Said Than Done.
This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Donald Trump has promised to deregulate the energy sector, boost fossil fuels, dismantle environmental rules, and otherwise attack climate progress. However, experts and advocates say that lawsuits that aim to hold the fossil fuel sector responsible for deceiving the public about the climate crisis […]
I grew up with Debian
I use Arch BTW
Gentoo FTW
You guys had distributions?!
Attachments:
A record number of migrants reached the Canary Islands by sea in 2024, Spain says
The number beats the previous record, set in 2023, as a recent report also points at a peak in the number of deaths recorded in the dangerous Atlantic migration route.
Biden to award Medal of Honor to Korean and Vietnam War veterans
The Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, is awarded to service members who display exceptional valor in combat.
For angry airline passengers, an apologist-in-chief smooths things over
In this week's StoryCorps, we hear from a former Southwest Airlines employee whose job was to apologize to customers who had a bad travel experience.
Who is responsible when man-made debris falls from space and injures someone?
NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Marlon Sorge of The Aerospace Corporation, which researches space debris issues including who is responsible when man-made objects fall from space.
This LG lamp is also a projector and Bluetooth speaker
LG’s lifestyle projectors look great when off, probably not so great when on. | Image: LG
LG is coming to CES with two all-in-one “lifestyle projectors” which means they’re gong to look great when off, but not necessarily provide the best picture for the money when on. Both run on webOS with plenty of support for your favorite streaming apps.
The PF600U is three devices in one, combing a simple full HD projector with a Bluetooth speaker and standing floor lamp. It weighs 16 pounds 8 ounces (7.5kg) and features two speakers of unknown spectitude, as well as an LED lamp capable of nine colors and five brightness levels.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25814952/Ambient_Lifestyle_1.jpg)
Image: LG
That image is simulated so temper your expectations for the PF600U.
The projector swivels on a 110-degree tilting head with an automatic screen adjustment function that should make it quick and easy to fine tune the projected image as you move the lamp around the room. Just note that it’s only capable of producing 300 ANSI lumens of brightness which means that 1920 x 1080 image won’t look very good unless viewed in blackout conditions.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25814954/CineBeam_S_Ambient.jpg)
Image: LG
I love how small the CineBeam S is because I hate giant TVs that make pretty living rooms look ugly. But this likely isn’t bright enough to replace a TV for most people.
The CineBeam S (model PU615U) is a remarkably small (4.3 x 6.3 x 6.3 inches / 110 x 160 x 160mm) ultra-short throw projector that can sit just inches from the wall — or better yet, an Ambient Light Rejection (ALR) screen — and still produce a giant 4K image from its laser (RGB) light source. It has integrated stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. And while it can produce a slightly brighter 500 ANSI lumen image, it’s still going to look washed out if it has to fight with any ambient lighting in the room.
LG isn’t announcing anything useful like pricing or release dates or countries of availability. Presumably the company wants to keep everyone on their toes when these are demonstrated publicly for the first time in Las Vegas, starting next week.
Assessing the Damage at Lebanon's Historical Sites
Part of a Crusader castle collapsed. An 18th century minaret toppled. Church mosaics burned. Israeli airstrikes have damaged priceless antiquities across Lebanon & Syria during it's war with Hezbollah. With a ceasefire now in place, archaeologists are trying to assess damage to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We visit some.
High-speed and high-flow filaments are all the rage right now, but I'm wondering what additives are actually used in PLA-HF and PETG-HF filaments?
All the data sheets are super vague.
Apple to pay $95 million to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping
Apple isn't acknowledging wrongdoing in the settlement, which still must be approved by a U.S. District judge. Lawyers in the case have proposed scheduling a Feb. 14 court hearing to review the terms.
isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:") wrote:
So Musk says the Cybertruck fire in Vegas had nothing to do with the car. How about this one then?
2 dead and 18 injured in Southern California plane crash
Two people died and 18 were injured Thursday when a small plane crashed through the roof of a furniture manufacturing building in Southern California, police said.
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
Via Angry Staffer:
Russian telegram channels are claiming that Assad was poisoned in an apparent assassination attempt in #Russia this week.
Still very unconfirmed, but if true, that didn’t take long.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
switched session data persistence mechanism from Redis to MongoDB. although some operations will gain an imperceptible amount of latency, the project will gain simpler installation and maintenance requirements too.
life is full of tradeoffs
The latest RTX 50 leak comes from Nvidia
Image: Nvidia
It seems like Nvidia might be about to reveal its RTX 50 series GPUs, and now Nvidia itself is teasing that the new graphics cards are nearly here. As spotted by VideoCardz, a video for Nvidia’s upcoming LAN party includes brief look at a shadowy PC that will be given as a prize, and if you brighten up the image, the GPU in the computer appears to be one that’s a new design.
See for yourself — I’ve included an image of the shadowed version at the top of this post, but here’s our take at tweaking the image to reveal what’s hidden:
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25814565/image.png)
Image: Tom Warren / The Verge
I’ll admit I am not an expert in GPU designs, but VideoCardz says the design is “unfamiliar” and that an RTX 5080 or 5070 Ti could be “among possible candidates” of what’s being shown.
Leaks last month from Zotac and Acer indicated that Nvidia may reveal as many as five RTX 50 series GPUs very soon, including an RTX 5090, an RTX 5080, and an 5070 Ti. VideoCardz also reported today on a leak of an RTX 5080 from MSI featuring 16GB of GDDR7 memory.
And Nvidia isn’t being particularly secretive about the potentially imminent launch of the RTX 50-series GPUs. The LAN party, which runs from January 4th through 6th, is called the “GeForce LAN 50”, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to deliver a CES keynote on January 6th at 9:30PM ET.
The best MagSafe and Qi2 chargers for your iPhone
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Thanks to Qi2, there are way more great chargers for your MagSafe phone than ever before.
Photos: Bourbon Street reopens in New Orleans after truck attack
Bourbon Street re-opened in New Orleans Thursday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Wednesday morning's attack by a Texas man driving a Ford pickup truck plowed into a crowd of New Year's revelers.
It's a new year, and you know what that means: time to confirm your website is still readable in Netscape® Navigator 4
Attachments:
Hyundai and Kia now qualify for the federal EV tax credit
Photo by Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge
Five electric vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis now qualify for the US’s $7,500 EV tax credit, Electrek reports. The new models include popular vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossover SUV and Kia EV9 three-row family hauler. Now, 25 EVs and plug-in hybrids across 10 brands qualify for the credit.
The Biden Administration’s EV tax credit rules mandate building vehicles in North America for eligibility and include additional requirements for sourcing battery components. In 2022, Hyundai and Kia threatened to take legal action against Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act after it expanded the available credits but left the EVs they were building in Korea ineligible for them.
Now that Hyundai has opened up a $7.6 billion EV manufacturing plant in Georgia to produce the NACS-equipped 2025 Ioniq 5 and the upcoming Ioniq 9 three-row SUV, its vehicles are eligible.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25814413/Screenshot_2025_01_02_at_3.39.00_PM.png)
Screenshot: The Verge
Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models have been added to the Federal Tax Credits list as of January 1st, 2025.
However, Hyundai and Kia might lose the benefit if the upcoming Trump administration makes drastic changes. The President-elect vowed during his campaign to eliminate the EV incentives on “day one,” though American automakers have pleaded to let it live.
But unless Congress votes to eliminate the program, Hyundai and Kia buyers could still get the incentive for the 2025 tax year or take advantage of it through a lease. The New York Times recently reported that Trump could try to take other actions without Congress by eliminating the credit for leases or taking down websites with information about the program.