Wing Expands Its Drone Delivery Service To the Bay Area
Wing is expanding its drone delivery service to the San Francisco Bay Area. “The drone delivery startup has been rapidly expanding to metro areas across the US, but is now targeting the tech-friendly Silicon Valley region,” reports Engadget. From the report: Going back to its inaugural deliveries, Wing ferried office supplies across Google’s Mountain View campus in … ⌘ Read more

Apple Prepares To Add Search Ads To Apple Maps
Apple is reportedly preparing to add search ads to Apple Maps, “and it could start to roll out to users by the summer,” reports AppleInsider, citing sources from Bloomberg (paywalled). From the report: Apple will make an announcement as soon as March. This will bring ads to search queries within the navigation app, which will operate similar to Google’s advertising system. Retail … ⌘ Read more

US Car Buyers Envy What They Cannot Have: Affordable Chinese EVs
Many U.S. consumers are increasingly interested in lower-cost Chinese electric vehicles but steep tariffs and political resistance are keeping them out of the market. A recent survey from Cox Automotive found that 40% of respondents support allowing Chinese auto brands into the U.S. market. Reuters reports: While Chinese autos hit the highways of … ⌘ Read more

Mark Zuckerberg Is Building an AI Agent To Help Him Be CEO
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Wall Street Journal: Mark Zuckerberg wants everyone inside and outside his company to eventually have his or her own personal artificial-intelligence agent. He is starting with himself. Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta Platforms, is building a CEO agent to help him do his job (source paywalled; alternative … ⌘ Read more

Walmart: ChatGPT Checkout Converted 3x Worse Than Website
Walmart found that purchases made directly inside ChatGPT converted at only one-third the rate of traditional website checkouts, leading it to abandon OpenAI’s Instant Checkout in favor of routing users through its own platform. Search Engine Land reports: Starting in November, Walmart offered about 200,000 products through OpenAI’s Instant Checkout. Users coul … ⌘ Read more

OnlyFans Owner Dies At 43
Computershack shares a report from NBC News: Leonid Radvinsky, the owner of adult-content platform OnlyFans, has died of cancer at the age of 43, the company said in a statement on Monday. “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer,” an OnlyFans spokesperson said. “His family have requested privacy at this difficult time.”

Radvinsky, a Ukrain … ⌘ Read more

Uber’s Deal Blitz To Stop a Robotaxi Monopoly
Uber is aggressively partnering with multiple robotaxi companies to avoid a future dominated by Waymo or Tesla. The ride-hailing giant has struck deals with at least a dozen autonomous vehicle players in recent years. Just last week, it announced a $1.25 billion partnership with Rivian, with plans to deploy up to 50,000 driverless vehicles over the next decade. Business Insider report … ⌘ Read more

Reddit Is Weighing Identity Verification Methods To Combat Its Bot Problem
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: There could be one more step required before creating an account and posting on Reddit in the future. According to Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, the social media platform is exploring different ways to verify a user is human and not a bot. When asked by the TBPN podcast how to c … ⌘ Read more

Will AI Force Source Code to Evolve - Or Make it Extinct?
Will there be an AI-optimized programming language at the expense of human readability? There’s now been experiments with minimizing tokens for “LLM efficiency, without any concern for how it would serve human developers.”

This new article asks if AI will force source code to evolve — or make it extinct, noting that Stephen Cass, the special projects edi … ⌘ Read more

GrapheneOS Refuses to Comply with Age-Verification Laws
An anonymous reader shared this report from Tom’s Hardware:

GrapheneOS, the privacy-focused Android fork, said in a post on X on Friday that it will not comply with emerging laws requiring operating systems to collect user age data at setup. “GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone around the world without requiring personal information, identification or an acco … ⌘ Read more

Some Microsoft Insiders Fight to Drop Windows 11’s Microsoft Account Requirements
Yes, Microsoft announced it’s fixing common Windows 11 complaints. But what about getting rid of that requirement to have a Microsoft account before installing Windows 11? While Microsoft didn’t mention that at all, the senior editor at the blog Windows Central reports there’s “a number of people” internally pushi … ⌘ Read more

Walmart Announces Digital Price Labels for Every Store in the U.S. By the End of 2026
Walmart is “rolling out digital price tags to replace the old paper ones,” reports CNBC, planning to implement them in all U.S. stores by the end of the year:

Amanda Bailey, a team leader in electronics who works at a Walmart in West Chester, Ohio, estimates that the digital shelf labels — known as DSLs — have … ⌘ Read more

Trapped! Inside a Self-Driving Car During an Anti-Robot Attack
A man crossing the street one San Francisco night spotted a self-driving car — and decided to confront its passenger, 37-year-old tech worker Doug Fulop. The New York Times reports the man yelled that “he wanted to kill Fulop and the other two passengers for giving money to a robot.”
A taxi driver would have simply driven away. But Fulop’s vehicle had … ⌘ Read more

Elon Musk Announces $20B ‘Terafab’ Chip Plant in Texas To Supply His Companies
“Billionaire Elon Musk has announced plans to build a $20 billion chip plant in Austin, Texas” reports a local news station:

Musk announced on Saturday night during a livestream on his social media platform X that the plant, called “Terafab,” will be built near Tesla’s campus and gigafactory in eastern Travis County. … ⌘ Read more

Tech Leaders Support California Bill to Stop ‘Dominant Platforms’ From Blocking Competition
A new bill proposed in California “goes after big tech companies” writes Semafor. Supported by Y Combinator, Cory Doctorow , and the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future, it’s called the “BASED” act — an acronym which stands for “Blocking Anticompetitive Self-preferencing by Entrenched D … ⌘ Read more

Why Apple Temporarily Blocked Popular Vibe Coding Apps
An anonymous reader shared this report from the tech-news blog Neowin:

Apple appears to have temporarily prevented apps, including Replit and Vibecode, from pushing new updates. Apple seems bothered by how apps like Replit present vibe-coded apps in a web view within the original app. This process virtually allows the app to become something else. And the new app … ⌘ Read more

William Shatner Celebrates 95th Birthday, Smokes Cigar, Revisits ‘Rocket Man’ and Tests X Money
It was 60 years ago when William Shatner — born in 1931 — portrayed Captain Kirk in the TV series Star Trek. Shatner turns 95 today — and celebrated by posting a picture of himself smoking a cigar.

“At 95, I’m still smokin’!” Shatner joked, adding that in life he’d learned two th … ⌘ Read more

A CNN Producer Explores the ‘Magic AI’ Workout Mirror
CNN looks at “the Magic AI fitness mirror,” a new product “watching you, and giving you feedback automatically,” while sometimes playing footage of a recorded personal trainer.

Long-time Slashdot reader destinyland describes CNN’s video report:

CNN says the device “tracks form, counts reps, and corrects technique in real-time — and it doesn’t go easy on you.” (Although the … ⌘ Read more

Google Search Is Now Sometimes Using AI To Replace Headlines
“Google is beginning to replace news headlines in its search results with ones that are AI-generated,” reports the Verge:

After doing something similar in its Google Discover news feed, it’s starting to mess with headlines in the traditional “10 blue links,” too. We’ve found multiple examples where Google replaced headlines we wrote with ones we did not … ⌘ Read more

Amazon Plans to Test Four-Legged Robots on Wheels for Deliveries
CNBC reports:

Amazon has acquired Rivr, a Swiss robotics company developing machines for “doorstep delivery,” the company confirmed Thursday… It announced the deal in a notice sent to third-party delivery contractors… “We believe this technology, when working alongside your [delivery associates], has the potential to further improve sa … ⌘ Read more

US Cable TV Industry Faces ‘Dramatic Collapse’ as Local Operators Shut Down - or Become ISPs
America’s cable TV industry “is undergoing its most dramatic collapse in history,” reports Cord Cutters News, “with operators large and small waving the white flag on traditional TV service and pointing their customers toward streaming platforms instead.” Just in 2025 Comcast lost 1.2 … ⌘ Read more

Meteor Rumbles Over Houston, as Six-Pound Fragment Crashes Into a Texas Home
“It is the talk of the town today — the loud boom, the flash of light in the sky experienced by a lot of folks across the Houston area this afternoon,” says a local Texas newscaster. “And then there was this — a home in northwest Harris county hit by something that crashed through their roof.”

Travelling at very high sp … ⌘ Read more

Tesla’s Upcoming Electric Big Rig Is Already a Hit with Truckers
“After nearly a decade of delays and industry skepticism, Tesla’s electric big rig is finally rolling out of Nevada’s Gigafactory for mass production starting summer 2026,” writes Gadget Review. And some truckers who tested the vehicles already love them (as reported by the Wall Street Journal):

Dakota Shearer and Angel Rodriguez, among other pil … ⌘ Read more

Trivy Supply Chain Attack Spreads, Triggers Self-Spreading CanisterWorm Across 47 npm Packages
“We have removed all malicious artifacts from the affected registries and channels,” Trivy maintainer Itay Shakury posted today, noting that all the latest Trivy releases “now point to a safe version.” But “On March 19, we observed that a threat actor used a compromised credential…”

And … ⌘ Read more

EFF Tells Publishers: Blocking the Internet Archive Won’t Stop AI, But It Will Erase The Historical Record
“Imagine a newspaper publisher announcing it will no longer allow libraries to keep copies of its paper,” writes EFF senior policy analyst Joe Mullin.

“That’s effectively what’s begun happening online in the last few months.”

The Internet Archive — the world’s large … ⌘ Read more

Millions Face Mobile Internet Outages in Moscow. ‘Digital Crackdown’ Feared
13 million people live in Moscow, reports CNN.

But since early March the city “has experienced internet and mobile service outages on a level previously unseen.” (Though Wi-Fi access to the internet is still available…) Russian social media “is flooded with jokes and memes about sending letters by carrier pigeons or using sma … ⌘ Read more

Juicier Steaks Soon? The UK Approves Testing of Gene-Edited Cow Feed
“Juicier steaks could soon be served up after barley was given the go-ahead to become Britain’s first gene-edited crop,” reports the Telegraph:
In an effort to fatten up cows and get them to market faster, scientists have altered the DNA of Golden Promise barley to increase its fat content… [Regulators have approved the feeding of th … ⌘ Read more

Can Private Space Companies Replace the ISS Before 2030?
China’s orbital outpost Tiangong was completed in 2022 and is hosting up to three astronauts at a time, reports CNN.

But meanwhile U.S. lawmakers are now signaling there’s not time to develop and launch a replacement for the International Space Station — considered the signal most expensive object ever built — before its deorbiting in 2030. A recent Senate bi … ⌘ Read more

Intel, NVIDIA, AMD GPU Drivers Finally Play Nice With ReactOS
ReactOS aims to be compatible with programs and drivers developed for Windows Server 2003 and later versions of Microsoft Windows.

And Slashdot reader jeditobe reports that the project has now “announced significant progress in achieving compatibility with proprietary graphics drivers.”

ReactOS now supports roughly 90% of GPU drivers for Windows XP and … ⌘ Read more

50% of Consumers Prefer Brands That Avoid GenAI Content
Slashdot reader BrianFagioli writes: According to the research firm Gartner, 50% of U.S. consumers say they would prefer to do business with brands that avoid using GenAI in consumer facing content such as advertising and promotional messaging.

The survey of 1,539 Americans, conducted in October 2025, also found growing skepticism about the reliability of online inform … ⌘ Read more

Firefox Announces Built-In VPN and Other New Features - and Introduces Its New Mascot
A free built-in VPN is coming to Firefox on Tuesday, Mozilla announced this week:

Free VPNs can sometimes mean sketchy arrangements that end up compromising your privacy, but ours is built from our data principles and commitment to be the world’s most trusted browser. It routes your browser traffic throug … ⌘ Read more

SystemD Adds Optional ‘birthDate’ Field for Age Verification to JSON User Records
“The systemd project merged a pull request adding a new birthDate field to the JSON user records managed by userdb in response to the age verification laws of California, Colorado, and Brazil,” reports the blog It’s FOSS.

They note that the field “can only be set by administrators, not by users themselves” — it’s … ⌘ Read more

Jeff Bezos Seeking $100 Billion to Buy Manufacturing Companies, ‘Transform’ Them With AI
Jeff Bezos “is in early talks to raise $100 billion,” reports the Wall Street Journal, “for a new fund that would buy up manufacturing companies and seek to use AI technology to accelerate their path to automation.”

“The Amazon.com founder is meeting with some of the world’s largest asset managers to raise … ⌘ Read more

NASA’s Hubble Unexpectedly Catches Comet Breaking Up
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope unexpectedly captured a rare, early-stage breakup of comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) just days after it first began disintegrating. Phys.org reports: “Sometimes the best science happens by accident,” said co-investigator John Noonan, a research professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University in Alabama. “This comet got observed becaus … ⌘ Read more

Officer Leaks Location of French Aircraft Carrier With Strava Run
schwit1 shares a report from the BBC: A French officer has reportedly revealed the location of an aircraft carrier deployed towards the Middle East after publicly registering a run on sports app Strava. French news outlet Le Monde first reported the officer, referred to as Arthur, logged a 35-minute run on the app while exercising on the deck o … ⌘ Read more

White House Unveils National AI Policy Framework To Limit State Power
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: The Trump administration on Friday issued (PDF) a legislative framework for a single national policy on artificial intelligence, aiming to create uniform safety and security guardrails around the nascent technology while preempting states from enacting their own AI rules.
The six-pronged out … ⌘ Read more

CBS News Shutters Radio Service After Nearly a Century
CBS News is shutting down its nearly 100-year-old radio news service due to economic pressures and the shift toward digital media and podcasts. Longtime CBS News anchor Dan Rather said: “It’s another piece of America that is gone.” The Associated Press reports: When it went on the air in September 1927, the service was the precursor to the entire network, giving a y … ⌘ Read more

Microsoft Says It Is Fixing Windows 11
BrianFagioli writes: Microsoft says it is finally listening to user complaints about Windows 11, promising a series of changes focused on performance, reliability, and reducing everyday annoyances. In a message to Windows Insiders, the company outlined plans to bring back long requested features like taskbar repositioning, cut down on intrusive AI integrations, and give users more control over upd … ⌘ Read more

Work From Home and Drive More Slowly To Save Energy, IEA Says
As energy prices soar from the Iran conflict, the International Energy Agency is urging governments to cut energy use by taking up measures like remote work and reduced speed limits. The group warns the energy security crisis could persist for months, even if supply routes stabilize. “I believe the world has not yet well understood the depth of the … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Plans Launch of Desktop ‘Superapp’
joshuark shares a report from Neowin: OpenAI is planning to combine its Atlas web browser, ChatGPT app, and Codex coding app into a singular desktop “superapp.” CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, said the company was doubling down on its successful products. By taking this move, the AI company aims to streamline the user experience and reduce fragmentation. Simo said in an internal memo: “We realized … ⌘ Read more

Oregon School Cell Phone Ban: ‘Engaged Students, Joyful Teachers’
An anonymous reader quotes a repot from the Portland Tribune: There was plenty of uncertainty and debate about the effectiveness of a cell phone ban decreed (PDF) by executive order last summer. But at least in Estacada, the policy has earned two thumbs up, including approval from a “grumpy old teacher.” Jeff Mellema is a language arts teacher at E … ⌘ Read more

DOJ Charges Super Micro Co-Founder For Smuggling $2.5 Billion In Nvidia GPUs To China
Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from CNN: The co-founder of Super Micro Computer and two others were charged with diverting $2.5 billion worth of servers with Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips to China, in violation of U.S. laws barring exports to that country without a license. Yih-Shya … ⌘ Read more

Chuck Norris Dies At 86
Longtime Slashdot reader SchroedingersCat writes: Chuck Norris, known for his roles in action films and as Texas Ranger Cordell Walker on the TV show “Walker, Texas Ranger,” passed away on March 19, leaving behind a legacy of inspiring millions around the world. He was 86.

He became Internet phenomenon after “Chuck Norris Facts” went viral online with such wildly hyperbolic statements as, “Chuck Norris had a staring contest w … ⌘ Read more

Amazon Plans Smartphone Comeback More Than a Decade After Fire Phone Flop
Amazon is reportedly developing a new AI-focused smartphone that doesn’t rely as heavily on traditional apps. “The phone is seen as a potential mobile personalization device that can sync with home voice assistant Alexa and serve as a conduit to Amazon customers throughout the day,” reports Reuters. From the report: As envisio … ⌘ Read more

As OpenClaw Enthusiasm Grips China, Kids and Retirees Alike Raise ‘Lobsters’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Fan Xinquan, a retired electronics worker in Beijing, has recently started raising a “lobster,” hoping that the AI agent he has been training can help organize his specialized industry knowledge better than chatbots like DeepSeek. “OpenClaw can actually help you accomplish many pra … ⌘ Read more

Opera GX Web Browser Comes To Linux
BrianFagioli writes: Opera GX has officially landed on Linux, bringing its gamer-focused browser experience to Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE-based systems. The browser includes GX Control for limiting RAM and network usage, a Hot Tabs Killer to shut down resource-heavy tabs, and built-in sidebar integrations for Discord and Twitch. Opera says this is not just a one-off port, but a long-term effo … ⌘ Read more

China Is Helping Drive Cuba’s Solar Boom
AleRunner writes: “China is helping Cuba race to capture renewable solar energy as the United States imposes an effective oil blockade on the Caribbean island, creating its worst energy crisis in decades,” reports The Washington Post. Later in the article, it states that “China’s decades-long push into clean energy technology is now helping to protect it from the soaring oil and gas crisis … ⌘ Read more

EU Cloud Lobby Asks Regulator To Block VMware From Terminating Partner Program
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: A lobbying trade body for smaller cloud providers is asking the European Commission to impose interim measures blocking Broadcom from terminating the VMware Cloud Service Provider program, calling the decision a death sentence for some tech suppliers and an illegal … ⌘ Read more

Online Bot Traffic Will Exceed Human Traffic By 2027, Cloudflare CEO Says
Cloudflare’s CEO predicts AI-driven bot traffic will surpass human internet traffic by 2027, as AI agents generate vastly more web requests than people. “If a human were doing a task – let’s say you were shopping for a digital camera – and you might go to five websites. Your agent or the bot that’s doing that will often go to 1 … ⌘ Read more

4Chan Mocks $700K Fine For UK Online Safety Breaches
The UK regulator Ofcom fined 4chan nearly $700,000 (520,000 pounds) for failing to implement age checks and address illegal content risks under the Online Safety Act, but the platform mocked the penalty and signaled it won’t pay. A lawyer representing the company responded with an AI-generated cartoon image of a hamster, writing in a follow-up post on X: “In the only coun … ⌘ Read more