Sam Altman details ‘hair-raising’ chat with Elon Musk as he takes stand
Nobody may has more to lose in the high-profile trial than OpenAI chief Sam Altman, and he has finally taken to the stand. ⌘ Read more

A Data Center Drained 30 Million Gallons of Water Unnoticed
A Georgia data center developed by QTS used nearly 30 million gallons of water through two unaccounted-for connections before residents complained about low water pressure and the county utility discovered the issue. “All told, the developer, Quality Technology Services, owed nearly $150,000 for using more than 29 million gallons of unaccounted-for water,” … ⌘ Read more

DroneShield insiders sold $67 million in shares. The watchdog has questions
ASIC has launched an investigation into the counter-drone group’s disclosures, six months after a botched contract announcement and a $67 million director sell-off. ⌘ Read more

GM Cutting Hundreds of Salaried IT Workers As It Trims Costs, Evaluates Needs
GM is laying off about 500 to 600 salaried IT workers, mainly in Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan, as it restructures its technology organization and trims costs. “GM is transforming its Information Technology organization to better position the company for the future. As part of that work, we have made the difficult dec … ⌘ Read more

What are passkeys? The end of the password era explained
Passkeys are designed to be the end of “remembering” login credentials. And it may be time to accept them. ⌘ Read more

Why Some US Schools Are Cutting Back On the Technology They Spent Billions On
America’s school districts “spent billions on technology during the pandemic,” reports the Washington Post.

“But now some states are limiting in-school screen time because of concerns about its impact on children.”

Nationwide [U.S.] schools invested at least $15 billion and possibly as much as $35 billion from federal … ⌘ Read more

Aussie tech giant pauses work, devotes entire week to AI
While Australian tech sheds jobs amid AI productivity claims, Canva is making the opposite bet - paying 5300 people to stop working. ⌘ Read more

An update on KDE’s Union style engine
Arjen Hiemstra has published
an article on the status of the Union project: a
single system to support all of KDE’s technologies used for styling
applications.

The work on Union’s Breeze implementation has progressed to the
point where it is very hard to distinguish whether or not you are
running the Union version. We have also tested with a bunch of
applications and … ⌘ Read more

Trump goes ‘woke’ with a sudden change of mind
The AI alarm bells are ringing louder for Donald Trump, prompting an abrupt U-turn. ⌘ Read more

Google DeepMind Workers Vote To Unionize Over Military AI Deals
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Employees at Google DeepMind in London have voted to unionize as part of a bid to block the AI lab from providing its technology to the US and Israeli militaries. In a letter addressed to Google’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, Debbie Weinstein, the workers asked the company to recognize th … ⌘ Read more

Expanded AMD HDMI 2.1 Support Is Coming To Linux
AMD is preparing expanded HDMI 2.1 support for Linux, following earlier delays after the HDMI Forum rejected an open source implementation of HDMI 2.1 as proprietary technology. As GamingOnLinux reports, AMD developer Harry Wentland submitted a patch series to the Linux kernel mailing list, noting that it brings “HDMI FRL support to the amdgpu display driver” and that “DSC is s … ⌘ Read more

Exclusive: Metalenz Has Figured Out a Way to Make Face ID Invisible
Metalenz’s Polar ID face-scanning technology works even when the camera is hidden under the display. ⌘ Read more

Welcome to the Great American Satellite Age
A new generation of satellite startups in San Francisco is racing to capitalize on recent technological breakthroughs in space-based data collection and communications. ⌘ Read more

TikTok’s Australian revenue skyrockets, along with payments to Cayman-owned companies
The social media juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing in Australia, even as the Albanese government moves to regulate social media platforms. ⌘ Read more

AI tool ‘too dangerous to release’ could wreak havoc on businesses
It found a 27-year-old bug in software used in routers worldwide. Experts fear Anthropic’s Mythos model could trigger the next wave of major breaches. ⌘ Read more

We need to hedge against controlling China and messy US on AI: Hello Japan!
Japan’s new leader, now visiting Australia, is investing heavily in future technology. Australia needs to join her. ⌘ Read more

Many people started to become distrustful of big tech in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. I began feeling pessimistic back in 2016, when AlphaGo beat master Go player Lee Sedol four games to one. Something about that event has soured me on the future of technology ever since.

Smuggled Starlink Terminals are Beating Iran’s Internet Blackout
An anonymous reader shared this report from the BBC:

“If even one extra person is able to access the internet, I think it’s successful and it’s worth it,” says Sahand. The Iranian man is visibly anxious, speaking to the BBC outside Iran, as he carefully explains how he is part of a clandestine network smuggling satellite internet technology — whi … ⌘ Read more

Four new gadgets for your next cold weather adventure
With a forecast for cooler weather on the way, here’s how you can stay warm, listen to good music, and take great videos on your next venture into nature. ⌘ Read more

Chinese Exports of Green Technologies Surged to Record Levels After Iran War Began
“The war in Iran has sent oil-starved countries scrambling for fuel,” CNN reported this week. And many of those countries now want renewable fuels, the article points out, “leaving them turning to the renewables king of the planet: China.”

Chinese exports of solar technology, batteries and electric vehicle … ⌘ Read more

Using Drones for Cloud-Seeding Can Trigger Rain, Company Claims
Monday a company called Rainmaker announced their rain-triggering technology had produced 143 million gallons of freshwater for Utah and Oregon residents — making them “the first private company in history to validate the results of cloud seeding operations.”

The Deseret News reports:

Founded in 2023, Rainmaker uses drones to disperse silver iodid … ⌘ Read more

The world’s richest man, the AI king, and a courtroom showdown
Elon Musk and Sam Altman have finally landed in an Oakland courtroom and the verdict could reshape OpenAI, the AI race, and the technology defining our era. ⌘ Read more

Scientists Are Starting to Unlock the Nanoscale Secrets of the Immune System
At WIRED Health, immunologist Daniel Davis detailed the ways in which new technologies are enabling a better understanding of the human immune system. ⌘ Read more

DOJ Sues Cloudera For Deliberately Excluding American Workers From Tech Jobs
Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares a report from ZeroHedge: The Justice Department on Tuesday sued Cloudera, accusing the enterprise data and artificial intelligence company of deliberately engineering a hiring process that excluded American workers from at least seven lucrative technology positions while the firm purs … ⌘ Read more

Under fire at home, Airwallex turns to Australia’s youngest founders
As regulators audit its money-laundering controls, one of Australia’s most valuable payments companies is recasting itself as a patron of young AI talent. ⌘ Read more

‘I get to ask the questions, Mr. Musk’: World’s richest person accuses lawyer of trying to trick him in fiery clash
The jury was shown a series of texts and emails that illustrated the growing mistrust between Elon Musk and OpenAI founder Sam Altman before a tense cross-examination. ⌘ Read more

Emergency First Responders Say Waymos Are Getting Worse
“I believe the technology was deployed too quickly in too vast amounts, with hundreds of vehicles, when it wasn’t really ready,” one police official told federal regulators last month. ⌘ Read more

‘It felt like a bribe’: World’s richest person’s texts, emails revealed as he returns to stand
The jury was shown a series of texts and emails that illustrated the growing mistrust between Elon Musk and OpenAI founder Sam Altman. ⌘ Read more

‘It felt like a bribe’: Elon Musk takes aim at Sam Altman as he returns to witness stand
The jury was shown a series of texts and emails that illustrated the growing mistrust between the world’s richest person and the OpenAI founder ⌘ Read more

‘It could kill us all’: Elon Musk sends AI warning as he takes stand in blockbuster trial
The world’s richest person took the stand in a high-stakes trial revolving around a bitter feud between himself and former friends Sam Altman and Greg Brockman begins. ⌘ Read more

‘It’s not OK to steal a charity’: Elon Musk takes stand in blockbuster trial
The world’s richest person took the stand in a high-stakes trial revolving around a bitter feud between himself and former friends Sam Altman and Greg Brockman begins. ⌘ Read more

‘It’s not OK to steal a charity’: Elon Musk takes stand in blockbuster trial
All eyes are on the world’s richest person as the high-stakes trial revolving around a bitter feud between himself and former friends Sam Altman and Greg Brockman begins. ⌘ Read more

‘It’s not OK to steal a charity’: Elon Musk takes stand in blockbuster trial
All eyes are on the world’s richest person as the high-stakes trial revolving around a bitter feud between himself and former friends Sam Altman and Greg Brockman begins. ⌘ Read more

‘It’s not OK to steal a charity’: Elon Musk takes stand in blockbuster trial
All eyes are on the world’s richest person as the high-stakes trial revolving around a bitter feud between himself and former friends Sam Altman and Greg Brockman begins. ⌘ Read more

Get Ready for More Brain-Scanning Consumer Gadgets
Neurable, which makes noninvasive brain-computer interfaces, is licensing its technology and promises a “flood” of new third-party hardware this year and next. ⌘ Read more

The Bloomberg Terminal Is Getting an AI Makeover, Like It or Not
WIRED spoke with Bloomberg’s chief technology officer about the big, chatbot-style changes coming to the iconic platform for traders. ⌘ Read more

Meta will throw the toys out of the cot, again
Local journalism deserves saving. But the scheme designed to save it rests on assumptions that the Facebook and Instagram owner has already demolished, without consequences. ⌘ Read more

Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Head To Court
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires’ once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence. The trial, which started Monday with jury selecti … ⌘ Read more

Red Hat’s Stratis Storage 3.9 Released With Online Encryption/Decryption/Reencryption
It’s crazy to realize it has been ten years already since Red Hat abandoned their Btrfs plans for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and dropped it, which was a technology preview feature since RHEL6. In its place Red Hat engineers began developing Stratis for next-gen Linux storage with ZFS/Btrfs-like features but instead building atop XFS, LUKS, Device Mapper, and Clevis. After a while since the last major release, Stratis Storage 3 … ⌘ Read more

AI giant Anthropic hires Australian boss as it opens local office
The company behind chatbot Claude is opening its Sydney doors as workers grow increasingly anxious about AI’s impact on their jobs. ⌘ Read more

The best noise-cancelling headphones for 2026, tested
Whether you’re after the most powerful silencing, the best on-the-go sound quality or the best value, here are our top recommendations. ⌘ Read more

Tech giants ship more than $14 billion offshore amid AI debate
New filings show the extent to which Google, Meta and Amazon send revenue overseas, as new media laws loom. ⌘ Read more

Meta’s Australian cash machine: $1.5 billion shipped offshore
New filings show the tech giant sent most of its revenues offshore and paid its first dividend in years, as new media laws loom. ⌘ Read more

Bank Robber Challenges Conviction Based on His Cellphone’s Location Data
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Associated Pres:

Okello Chatrie’s cellphone gave him away. Chatrie made off with $195,000 from the bank he robbed in suburban Richmond, Virginia, and eluded the police until they turned to a powerful technological tool that erected a virtual fence and allowed them collect the location … ⌘ Read more

Meet the Melbourne-built robot now in dozens of aged care homes
Abi speaks 90 languages, blows bubbles and remembers your stories. Her 26-year-old creator is betting a humanoid designed for empathy will reshape aged care. ⌘ Read more

Hundreds more EV chargers won’t cut it. We need thousands
Why aren’t more motorists switching to EVs? We found out, on the road to Gundagai. ⌘ Read more

Microsoft investing $25 billion in Australia
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has spoken about the company’s $25 billion commitment to expand AI infrastructure. ⌘ Read more

Microsoft investing $25 billion in Australia
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has spoken about the company’s $25 billion commitment to expand AI infrastructure. ⌘ Read more

Intel Lands Tesla As First Major Customer For 14A Chip Technology
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday the EV maker plans to use Intel’s next-generation 14A manufacturing process to make chips at its Terafab project, an advanced AI chip complex Musk has envisioned in Austin. The contract would mark Intel’s first major customer for the technology, a breakt … ⌘ Read more

Your Phone’s Next Speed Boost May Come From Magnetic Chips
alternative_right writes: A new technology has been proposed that could fundamentally solve the issue of smartphones overheating during high-spec gaming or extended video streaming. Researchers at KAIST have discovered the principle of processing signals using the minute vibrations of magnets (spin waves) instead of electrons. This method significantly reduc … ⌘ Read more