technology
The Meta Quest Pro is $400 off this week
/ It’s still pricey, but it could shore up Meta’s presence in the professional VR market.
Check out these emulated calculators at the Internet Archive
/ The Internet Archive now houses a collection of old-school calculators that you can boot up and use as if you had a physical version right in front of you. a:hover]:text-black text-gray-13 dark:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>Doing some tough math problems on the good ol’ TI-83 Plus.
San Francisco wants to slow robotaxi rollout over blocked traffic and false 911 calls
/ Since Cruise and Waymo got permission to operate without drivers on San Francisco streets, the robotaxis have been caught blocking traffic and obstructing emergency vehicles throughout the city. a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Getty Images San Francisco transportation officials want Waymo and Cruise to slow the expansion of their robotaxi services in the city due to safety concerns, as reported earlier by NBC News. In two letters written to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the officials on San Francisco County’s Transportat...
Microsoft, GitHub, and OpenAI ask court to throw out AI copyright lawsuit
/ The three companies want to dismiss a complaint that alleges that the AI-powered Copilot relies on ‘software piracy on an unprecedented scale.’ a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images Microsoft, GitHub, and OpenAI want the court to dismiss a proposed class action complaint that accuses the companies of scraping licensed code to build GitHub’s AI-powered Copilot tool, as reported earlier by Reuters. In a pair of filings submitted to a San Francisco federal court ...
Capcom’s major Street Fighter 5 tournament ditches PlayStation consoles for PCs
/ The Capcom Cup is back for the first time since 2019 and will only use PCs.
The Apple Watch Series 7 with LTE is down to just $329 today
/ The last-gen smartwatch may lack newer features like crash detection, but it’s also $200 cheaper than the LTE-equipped Series 8. a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The Apple Watch remains the go-to smartwatch for iPhone users, but unless you absolutely need some of the new features found on the Apple Watch Series 8, the last-gen Series 7 remains an attractive wearable — that is, when you can find it. Thankfully, you can currently pick it up at Walmart in the 45mm, LTE-equipped configuration for $329, which is $200 les...
Google’s new AI turns text into music
/ The examples the company has shared are music to my ears. a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>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 a...
FBI says it ‘hacked the hackers’ of a ransomware service, saving victims $130 million
/ The US Justice Department says it had access to the network since last July, obtaining and passing decryption keys to victims before they paid the attackers.
Jonathan Majors is a bodybuilder yearning to be truly seen in Magazine Dreams
/ Jonathan Majors delivers an electrifying performance in director Elijah Bynum’s gut-wrenching Sundance drama about an amateur bodybuilder who dreams of more than just fame. a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>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 Dream...
Matter products are coming — here’s everything that’s been announced
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. The new Matter smart home standard is finally ramping up, with a number of compatible products available now and many slated to be released in the next few months. We’re keeping tabs on what will work with Matter, the new common language for smart home devices designed to simplify the smart home and make it easier to buy, set up, and use products. Matter should also help connected gadgets work with each other across platforms and ecosystems, so you won’t have to pick between Amazon Alexa, Apple, and Google when adding smart devices to your home. With Matter, you will be able to control your smart lighting, smart locks, and more simultaneously ...
Amazon is reportedly making a Tomb Raider TV show and movie written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
/ They would more big video game adaptations from Amazon, which recently confirmed it’s making a God of War show. a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo by Dominique Charriau / WireImage Earlier Friday, The Hollywood Reporter said that Amazon is developing a TV series based on the Tomb Raider video game franchise with scripts written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. But that’s apparently not all: later in the day, Deadline corroborated the report about the TV series and added that a new Tomb Raider movie is in the works at Amazon Studios, too. Details are lig...
Mercedes-Benz is the first to bring Level 3 automated driving to the US
/ The company’s Drive Pilot system is approved for use in Nevada, but only at speeds up to 40 mph. You can play Tetris while cruising down the highway, but make sure your face stays visible to the camera, or the system disengages. a:hover]:text-gray-63 text-gray-63 dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray”>Mercedes-Benz AG There have been studies that show that hand-off between automated system and human driver can be especially fraught. When people have been disconnected from driving for a longer period of time, they may overreact when suddenly taking control in an emergency situation. They ma...
