Google’s new AI turns text into music

Song of the bots. | Illustration: The Verge

Google researchers have made an AI that can generate minutes-long musical pieces from text prompts, and can even transform a whistled or hummed melody into other instruments, similar to how systems like DALL-E generate images from written prompts (via TechCrunch). The model is called MusicLM, and while you can’t play around with it for yourself, the company has uploaded a bunch of samples that it produced using the model.

The examples are impressive. There are 30-second snippets of what sound like actual songs created from paragraph-long descriptions that prescribe a genre, vibe, and even specific instruments, as well as five-minute-long pieces generated from one or two words like “melodic techno.” Perhaps my favorite is a demo of “story...

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The Amazon Halo Rise would be a neat sleep tracker, if it weren’t for my cat

Amazon’s smart sunrise lamp knows when you’re sleeping but struggles to figure out when you’re awake, especially if you have a needy feline that gets in the way.

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Twitter vows to take ‘less severe actions’ against rule-breaking accounts

Suppression, not suspension. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter is promising that it’ll take “less severe actions” when disciplining accounts that break its rules; it’ll only suspend Twitter accounts that engage in “severe or ongoing, repeat violations” of its rules. The company also says it’ll be letting anyone appeal suspensions starting February 1st, and that those doing so will be judged using updated standards.

What will Twitter do instead of suspending your account? The “less severe actions” are things that Twitter has been doing for years, such as limiting visibility of a tweet, or telling a user to remove a tweet before they can get back onto the site. Today’s change is that Twitter is promising to reach for those tools more often, instead of going straight for the ban button.

The...

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FBI says it ‘hacked the hackers’ of a ransomware service, saving victims $130 million

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Department of Justice announced this week that FBI agents successfully disrupted Hive, a notorious ransomware group, and prevented $130 million worth of ransom campaigns that targets no longer need to consider paying. While claiming the Hive group has been responsible for targeting over 1,500 victims in over 80 countries worldwide, the department now reveals it had infiltrated the group’s network for months before working with German and Netherlands officials to shut down Hive servers and websites this week.

“Simply put, using lawful means, we hacked the hackers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco remarked during a press conference.

The FBI claims that by covertly hacking into Hive servers, it was able to quietly snatch up over...

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Jonathan Majors is a bodybuilder yearning to be truly seen in Magazine Dreams

Jonathan Majors as Killian Maddox in Magazine Dreams. | Tall Street Productions

When Jonathan Majors takes to the bodybuilding competition stage in writer / director Elijah Bynum’s arresting new drama Magazine Dreams, it’s impossible not to feel as if the movie’s in direct conversation with the way that its lead star’s fame has become wrapped up in the public’s fascination with his body. Magazine Dreams’ deep dive into the life of an obsessive, aspiring pro lifter longing for a shot at fitness fame is one of the most difficult pieces of cinema to debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. But as it’s breaking your heart and making you sweat, Magazine Dreams is also laying bare many painful truths about what it means to be trapped in a world where objectification and dehumanization are the prices you have to pay...

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What matters about Matter, the new smart home protocol

The Verge

How Matter works, when it’s coming, what you’ll need to use it, and how it integrates with Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.

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Matter products are coming — here’s everything that’s been announced

The Verge

All the Matter-compatible devices you can buy now, plus what’s coming soon to the new Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung-backed smart home standard.

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Amazon is reportedly making a Tomb Raider TV series written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

She apparently won’t be the star. | Photo by Dominique Charriau / WireImage

Amazon is developing a TV series based on the Tomb Raider video game franchise with scripts written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Details are light on this new Tomb Raider series, but THR says that while Waller-Bridge will serve as a writer and executive producer, she won’t be starring in the show. The show is apparently still in the development stages, so we probably shouldn’t expect to see it anytime soon.

This new series could be another potentially big video game franchise adaptation for Amazon, which announced in December that it would be making a God of War TV show. But it also marks a further investment from Amazon into the Tomb Raider franchise, as the company will also be publishing the next Tomb...

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Amazon Fresh is more than quadrupling how much you’ll need to pay to get free grocery delivery

You’re going to have to buy a lot more to get free delivery. | Image: Amazon

Starting at the end of February, if you want to get free grocery delivery through Amazon Fresh, you’re going to have to buy a lot more stuff. Currently, for the Amazon Prime subscriber-only service, you’ll get free delivery with orders over $35. But beginning February 28th, you only get free delivery for orders over $150.

For totals lower than that, you’ll have to pay a service fee that differs based on how much you buy. Orders between $100 and $150 will have a $3.95 delivery fee, orders between $50 and $100 will have a $6.95 fee, and orders under $50 will have a $9.95 fee.

“The service fee helps keep prices low in our online and physical grocery stores as we better cover grocery delivery costs and continue to enable offering a...

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Google 101: how to format text in Google Docs

Samar Haddad / The Verge

Google Docs has become a very useful word processing tool — a lot better than it was only a few years ago — but some of its more useful features may not be immediately obvious. For example, you would think that all the ways available to provide specialized text, such as underlining, italicizing, and strikethroughs, should be easy to find among the icons on the top of the page.

Well, not exactly.

While the icons to bold, italicize, underline, and highlight text are right on top of your document and very easy to see, other common formatting tasks, such as strikethroughs, superscripts, and subscripts, are not there. But they are available if you know where to look.

In order to find these and other text formatting options, you have to go to...

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The best deals on TVs for Super Bowl LVII

A deal on a TCL 6-Series TV offers a whole lot of bang for the buck. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

It’s almost time for the Super Bowl, the only game that functions more akin to an annual holiday in the US than a mere sporting event. This means there are bound to be not only good prices on chips and dip at your local grocery store but also great deals on some of our favorite TVs.

Even if you don’t care one iota about the NFL or American football as a whole, or you only enjoy tuning in for the spectacle of the halftime show and all the cheesy commercials, there’s no reason not to save money on a new TV set when given the opportunity. So we’ve been on the lookout for 4K models with the best discounts that are worthy of your money — and not the junky, ultra-cheap ones many big-box retailers overhype at this time of year.

TCL 6-Series

Y...

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This sick new desk from Steelcase costs almost $10,000 and might be worth it

The one problem with this desk is that it demands a Smith Corona, not a MacBook, which would make writing these articles difficult. | Image: Steelcase

It’s not often that furniture makes a splash in The Verge’s newsroom (okay, it does happen occasionally), but when one of my colleagues dropped in Gizmodo’s article about Steelcase’s Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection, it immediately got everyone’s attention. “I volunteer as testing tribute!!!” said our smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy. “If anyone needs a kidney lmk,” sighed Alex Cranz, referring to the prices that we’ll talk about in just a moment.

The brand is known for practical, ergonomic, and well-made office ware, but this crop of furniture has a striking midcentury modern aesthetic that feels straight out of Wright’s era. I mean, just look at it. These pictures aren’t from the greatest antique store haul ever or a...

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Comcast says Peacock is about to hit ‘peak losses’ after losing nearly $1 billion last quarter

Comcast revealed that the service lost $978 million in Q4 despite gaining 5 million new subscribers. | Image: Peacock

Comcast published its fourth quarter 2022 earnings on Thursday, reporting that the company had managed to exceed analyst projections for the year despite losing broadband and video subscribers and widening losses from its Peacock streaming service.

Peacock — the streaming platform for Comcast-owned NBCUniversal — reported a loss of $978 million during the company’s fourth financial quarter, a sizable jump from the $559 million loss reported in the same quarter last year. Comcast expects Peacock’s total losses to peak at around $3 billion. “We believe 2023 will be peak losses for Peacock and, from there, steadily improve,” said Comcast president Michael Cavanagh during a company earnings call (via CNBC).

Peacock’s annual revenue has...

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Mercedes-Benz is the first to bring Level 3 automated driving to the US

Image: Mercedes-Benz AG

Mercedes-Benz announced that it was the first automaker to receive government approval in the US for a Level 3 driving feature. The company said it had self-certified in Nevada for use of its Drive Pilot feature, in which the car does all the driving but the driver needs to stand by to take control at a moment’s notice.

Mercedes certified that its technology meets Nevada’s “minimal risk condition” requirement that requires Level 3 or higher “fully autonomous” vehicles to be able to stop if there is a malfunction in the system.

“Nevada law allows all automation levels to operate on public streets,” a spokesperson for the state’s DMV said in an email. “Nevada does not issue any permit or license based on an autonomous vehicle’s level of...

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Apple is reportedly working on a way to make AR apps that’s as simple as talking to Siri

“Hey Siri, make an AR version of the Apple logo.” | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Apple is apparently working on a way to let you make apps for its long-rumored mixed reality headset using Siri, according to a new report from The Information. Yes, that Siri, the one that routinely messes up basic requests or errors out in frustrating ways, will apparently be able to create entire augmented reality (AR) apps that you’ll be able to share with others on the App Store.

The technology behind this app-building tool comes from a 2017 acquisition of a startup named Fabric Software, which The Information is the first to report on. According to The Information, the development tool could “allow users to build an app with virtual animals moving around a room and over or around real-life objects without the need to design the...

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HBO’s The Last of Us is getting a second season

There’s more The Last of Us on the way. | Image: HBO

The Last of Us will be getting a second season, HBO announced on Friday.

There are no details about when we can expect season 2 or how many episodes it might be — HBO only accompanied the announcement with a brief video trailer — but now we know that there’s more of the show to come.

The journey continues. #TheLastOfUs will return for another season on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/FQNG6vhk1d

— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) January 27, 2023

So far, people have really, really liked The Last of Us; it brought 22 percent more viewers from the series premiere to episode two, which debuted last Sunday. There will be nine episodes in the first season, so there’s still quite a lot of show to go.

Since we’re still early in season one, it’s...

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Meet the black bear that took 400 selfies

Image: City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP)

Brace yourselves, bear lovers. We have a new star.

One special black bear recently discovered a wildlife camera set up by City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), managing to take hundreds of selfies with it.

“Of the 580 photos captured [on the camera], about 400 were bear selfies,” OSMP shared on Twitter and Facebook this week, along with a laughing emoji and several of the selfies.

Recently, a bear discovered a wildlife camera that we use to monitor wildlife across #Boulder open space. Of the 580 photos captured, about 400 were bear selfies. Read more about we use wildlife cameras to observe sensitive wildlife habitats. https://t.co/1hmLB3MHlU pic.twitter.com/714BELWK6c

— Boulder OSMP (@boulderosmp) January 23, 2023

...

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World Surf League adopts Apple Watch as its ‘official wearable’ for competitions

This is the first time the Apple Watch will be an official wearable of choice in a professional sports league. | Image: World Surf League

The Apple Watch will officially be catching waves. The World Surf League announced today that it’s adopting the Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra as official equipment to keep surfers up to date during competitions. It marks the first time a professional sports league has named the Apple Watch as its official wearable of choice.

Before each heat, each athlete will be given Series 8 and Ultra watches preloaded with a specially made WSL Surfer app. The app will connect with the league’s scoring system in real time and give surfers updates on scores, wave priority, and how much time is left in the heat. They’ll also be able to see how many points are needed to either advance or take the lead. The idea is to help surfers better plan and focus...

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How romance works in Fire Emblem Engage

Image: Nintendo

Now that Fire Emblem Engageis out in the wild, players might be wondering “what the hell do I have to do to get some lovin’ around here?” If you’re not fighting every battle and if you’re used to other Fire Emblem systems, it can be easy to miss the event that allows your toothpaste-haired champion to hook up with one of the homies. I’m here to help.

Players familiar with past Fire Emblems might think achieving “S” support rank with a character will give you the option to romance them in Engage. However, there is no “S” rank available in the game, which may lead players to believe “romancing” someone isn’t possible at all. It is, but it works a little differently than how you might expect.

Image: Nintendo

That’s...

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Bob Iger’s big changes at Disney could lead to more layoffs

The Disney logo. | Nathan Ingraham / The Verge

Less than a day into his second run as Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger told employees last November that he was planning to restructure key parts of the company in order to walk back some of the changes implemented by his predecessor, Bob Chapek. Now, the shape of that restructuring is beginning to become more clear ahead of the company’s next earnings report, and it sounds like a round of layoffs is on the way.

Deadline reports that Disney is contemplating how it might consolidate a number of its different TV production arms, as well as merge its marketing departments as part of a larger initiative to get on top of the company’s accounting concerns. Disney’s also reportedly moving forward with its plan to dissolve its Disney Media and...

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In My Mother’s Skin is a truly frightening and gruesome fairy tale

Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Felicity Kyle Napuli in In My Mother’s Skin_._ | Image: Sundance Institute

It does not take long for In My Mother’s Skin to get gross. Within its first few minutes, the horror film from writer and director Kenneth Dagatan subjects you to some truly gruesome images of flesh-eating creatures, and honestly, it never really lets up. This is a blood-soaked fairy tale, one that mashes together folklore and history in a way that’s reminiscent of Guillermo del Toro’s defining work, Pan’s Labyrinth — only it’s a lot scarier.

The movie is set in the Philippines in 1945 in the waning days of World War II, with Japanese forces occupying the country. Things are bleak. Early on, you hear kids sharing horrible stories about the barbaric acts of the Japanese soldiers, and the family at the center of the story is getting by on...

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The Dead Space remake doesn’t run on Steam Deck, and that’s a shame

Isaac Clarke in the Dead Space remake. | Image: EA

The Dead Space remake is a very good game, and if (like me) you haven’t sprung for a next-generation console, you’ll need to play it on PC. But Dead Space is a series I’ve found much more fun with a controller than a mouse and keyboard, and I’ve developed an attachment to couch gaming over the past few years — so I’d hoped I might get it to run on my recently acquired Steam Deck, which would easily provide both. Unfortunately, publisher EA has confirmed to The Verge that the remake doesn’t support the Steam Deck, and my own experience backs that up.

Steam listed Dead Space’ssupport level as unknown when I got my review key for the remake, and out of an abundance of optimism, I gave it a try. The game proceeded to protest this decision...

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No, Microsoft DirectStorage isn’t slashing RTX 4090 performance by 10 percent

Image: Microsoft

You may have seen headlines like “DirectStorage causes 10 percent performance hit on RTX 4090 in Forspoken” or “Careful — Microsoft DirectStorage could kill your frame rate,” all based on a single test from German YouTube channel PC Games Hardware. Microsoft’s new DirectStorage feature is designed to boost load times in PC games massively, but it’s not supposed to tank your all-important frame rates.

So what’s going on? The reality is that the DirectStorage implementation in Forspoken does not affect frame rate performance at all. It’s a case of bad test data.

I saw the headlines and immediately started testing Forspoken on an RTX 4090 rig coupled with Intel’s Core i9-13900KS and a SATA SSD and PCIe 4.0 SSD. While PC Games Hardware...

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God of War Ragnarök on PS5 just received its first big discount

The PlayStation 5 version of God of War Ragnarök is on sale for just $47.99. | Image: Santa Monica Studio

Winter is an ideal time for many things — gaming included. And if you’re currently looking for a PlayStation 5 title to carry you through the cooler months, God of War Ragnarö k is on sale via CDKeys for just $47.99, a $22 discount and the title’s steepest price cut to date.

Despite its delays and rocky development, God of War Ragnar_ö_k was one of our favorite PS5 games of 2022. The blockbuster exclusive is bold and ambitious, much like its 2018 predecessor, with great set pieces, solid combat, and a tearjerker of a story that helped it rack up numerous awards since its debut in November. As my colleague Ash Parrish put it in her review, the third-person action title offers “the very best of what video games can be in both narrative and...

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The first AI-written speech delivered by congressman is as flavorless as you’d expect

Representative Jake Auchincloss speaks to reporters in 2020. | Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

We’ve reached the political stunt stage of AI-generated text, it seems.

As reported by WBZ NewsRadio, CBS Boston, and others, the Democratic Representative for Massachusetts, Jake Auchincloss, has become the first member of congress to deliver an AI-written speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. Appropriately enough, the speech was in support of a bill that would establish a joint AI research center run by the US and Israel.

The speech was written using ChatGPT, and is as dull and anodyne as you might expect for a political speech filtered through an AI system based on probabilistic averages. That’s not to say AI text tools can’t generate unusual and creative outputs, but that usually requires a little bit more...

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Google services to offer more accurate information in compliance with EU

Outside of providing more transparency for its customers, Google is still under pressure to fully comply with the EU’s geo-blocking regulations. | Illustration: The Verge

Many of Google’s offerings will soon be updated to provide clear and accurate information in compliance with consumer protection laws in the EU. Announced by the European Commission on Thursday, the Alphabet-owned company has agreed to introduce changes to Google Store, Google Play Store, Google Hotels, and Google Flights following discussions with the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC) in 2021.

“We see an increasing number of consumers turn to the internet to book their holidays, make purchases, or consult a review. EU consumers are entitled to clear, complete information so that they can make informed choices,” said EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, in a statement.“The commitments made by Google are a step...

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Medium welcomes posts written with AI as long they’re ‘clearly labeled’

Image: Medium

Online publisher Medium says it’s happy for users to post articles written with the help of AI writing tools like ChatGPT — as long as their use of the technology is disclosed.

The blogging platform turned publisher, which lets anyone create their own blog while selling membership access for some exclusive pieces, is the latest organization to establish ground rules for AI-generated text. Medium’s VP of content, Scott Lamb, shared the new policy in a blog post, which states:

“We welcome the responsible use of AI-assistive technology on Medium. To promote transparency, and help set reader expectations, we require that any story created with AI assistance be clearly labeled as such.“

Lamb stresses that this is just an “initial approach”...

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Friday’s top tech news: a remake and a remaster

Image: Rare

Goldeneye 007 and Dead Space both make a return, and Google makes some upgrades.

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Amsterdam’s underwater parking garage fits 7,000 bicycles and zero cars

That’s not water you see above in those circular windows, but this bicycle garage is definitely under the water. Click here for a larger image.

The four-year, $65 million project has everything — and nothing — to do with the automobile.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S23 may cost more than its predecessor

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It seems like Samsung’s planning on charging more for the upcoming Galaxy S23 than it did for the S22, at least in some parts of Europe. Reliable leaker Roland Quandt has been posting prospective prices for the phones at European retailers, and for some models it seems like there will be price jumps of 100 euros or more.

As an example, Quandt says the Galaxy S23 will start at €959 in Spain with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while an Ultra with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage will cost €1,589. Compare that to the S22, whose versions of those phones cost €859 and €1,459 respectively when they’re not on sale, according to Samsung’s Spanish site. It’s apparently a similar situation in Germany, and 9to5Google has reported that the phones...

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