US flight cancellations accelerate as airlines comply with government shutdown order
JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT, Reporters - Associated Press
_Stephan: I just got an email from a reader who has spent two days trying to get out of Chicago, but her flight has been canceled again and again. I have been warned not to fly because I would have to go through a security check and publishing SR may cause me to be detained, so I don’t have any person … ⌘ Read more
Ikea’s Big Smart Home Push Arrives With 21 New Matter Devices
The Scandinavian furniture giant has unveiled 21 new ultra-affordable Matter-over-Thread smart home devices across three launch segments: lighting, sensors, and control. With prices starting at just a few dollars, Ikea is pushing hard to replace its old Zigbee lineup and become a serious player in the Matter ecosystem. Forbes reports: Back to the 21 n … ⌘ Read more
Cracks in Antarctic ‘Doomsday Glacier’ ice shelf trigger accelerated destabilization
Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica—often called the “Doomsday Glacier”—is one of the fastest-changing ice–ocean systems on Earth, and its future remains a major uncertainty in global sea-level rise projections. One of its floating extensions, the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf (TEIS), is partially confined and anchored by a pinning point at its northern terminus. ⌘ Read more
Why Does So Much New Technology Feel Inspired by Dystopian Sci-Fi Movies?
In a recent article published in the New York Times, author Casey Michael Henry argues that today’s tech industry keeps borrowing dystopian sci-fi aesthetics and ideas – often the parts that were meant as warnings – and repackages them as exciting products without recognizing that they were originally cautionary tales … ⌘ Read more
Hurricane? Cyclone? Typhoon? Here’s the difference
Typhoon Kalmaegi has killed at least 114 people in the Philippines with even more missing and then hit Vietnam Friday. A second typhoon, Fong-Wong, is forecast to hit the Philippines around Sunday and strengthen to a major storm by that time. ⌘ Read more
Mark Zuckerberg Opened an Illegal School At His Palo Alto Compound. His Neighbor Revolted
Mark Zuckerberg opened an unlicensed school named after the family’s pet chicken – and it was the final straw for his neighbors, writes Slashdot reader joshuark, citing a report from Wired. The magazine obtained 1,665 pages of documents about the neighborhood dispute – “including 311 records, leg … ⌘ Read more
How the US Cut Climate-Changing Emissions While Its Economy More Than Doubled
alternative_right shares a report from The Conversation: Countries around the world have been discussing the need to rein in climate change for three decades, yet global greenhouse gas emissions – and global temperatures with them – keep rising. When it seems like we’re getting nowhere, it’s useful to step back an … ⌘ Read more
Ford Considers Scrapping F-150 EV Truck
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ford executives are considering scrapping the electric version of the F-150 pickup truck as losses, supply setbacks, slow sales, and the arrival of a cheaper midsize EV truck undermine the business case for its full-size electric pickup. Reuters reports: Last month, a union official told Reuters that Ford was pausing production at the Dearborn, Michigan, pla … ⌘ Read more
Magika 1.0 Goes Stable As Google Rebuilds Its File Detection Tool In Rust
BrianFagioli writes: Google has released Magika 1.0, a stable version of its AI-based file type detection tool, and rebuilt the entire engine in Rust for speed and memory safety. The system now recognizes more than 200 file types, up from about 100, and is better at distinguishing look-alike formats such as JSON vs JSONL, TS … ⌘ Read more
Why Sam Altman Was Booted From OpenAI, According To New Testimony
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: What did Ilya see?” Two years ago, it was the meme seen ‘round the world (or at least ‘round the tech industry). OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had been briefly ousted in November 2023 by members of the company’s board of directors, including his longtime collaborator and fellow cofounder Ilya Sutskever. … ⌘ Read more
Microsoft Forms Superintelligence Team Under AI Chief Suleyman ‘To Serve Humanity’
Microsoft is launching a new MAI Superintelligence Team under Mustafa Suleyman to build practical, controllable AI aimed at digital companions, medical diagnostics, and renewable-energy modeling. “We are doing this to solve real concrete problems and do it in such a way that it remains grounded and controllable,” Sule … ⌘ Read more
iOS 26.2 to Allow Third-Party App Stores in Japan Ahead of Regulatory Deadline
Japan’s new competition rules are forcing Apple to open the iPhone to third-party app stores, and iOS 26.2 will quietly flip that switch ahead of the December deadline. MacRumors reports: According to a post shared on X by @Tzzlala, iPhones running the beta in Japan are able to install alternative app stores like AltStore PA … ⌘ Read more
Cloudflare Tells US Govt That Foreign Site Blocking Efforts Are Digital Trade Barriers
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: In a submission for the 2026 National Trade Estimate Report (PDF), Cloudflare warns the U.S. government that site blocking efforts cause widespread disruption to legitimate services. The complaint points to Italy’s automated Piracy Shield system, whi … ⌘ Read more
The secret life of baobabs: How bats and moths keep Africa’s giant trees alive
Baobabs are sometimes called “upside-down trees,” because their branches look like roots reaching skyward. Of the eight species of baobab in the world, six are confined to Madagascar, one to northern Australia and one species, Adansonia digitata, is found across the savanna regions of continental Africa. ⌘ Read more
Amazon is Testing an AI Tool That Automatically Translates Books Into Other Languages
An anonymous reader shares a report: Amazon just introduced an AI tool that will automatically translate books into other languages. The appropriately-named Kindle Translate is being advertised as a resource for authors that self publish on the platform.
The company says the tool can translate entire boo … ⌘ Read more
Google Plans Secret AI Military Outpost on Tiny Island Overrun By Crabs
An anonymous reader shares a report: On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Google is planning to build a large AI data center on Christmas Island, a 52-square-mile Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, following a cloud computing deal with Australia’s military. The previously undisclosed project will reportedly position advanced A … ⌘ Read more
FBI Subpoenas Registrar for Details on Anonymous Archiving Site Owner
The FBI has subpoenaed popular Canadian domain registrar Tucows, demanding information about the owner of archive[dot]today, a popular archiving site used to bypass paywalls and avoid sending traffic to original publishers. The subpoena states it relates to a federal criminal investigation but provides no details about the alleged cri … ⌘ Read more
Trump AI Czar Says ‘No Federal Bailout For AI’ After OpenAI CFO’s Comments
Venture capitalist David Sacks, who is serving as President Donald Trump’s AI and crypto czar, said Thursday that there will be “no federal bailout for AI.” From a report: “The U.S. has at least 5 major frontier model companies. If one fails, others will take its place,” Sacks wrote in a post on X. Sacks’ comments came after Open … ⌘ Read more
A New White-Collar Gig Economy: Training AI To Take Over
AI labs are paying skilled professionals hundreds of dollars per hour to train their models in specialized fields. Companies like Mercor, Surge AI, Scale AI and Turing recruit bankers, lawyers, engineers and doctors to improve the accuracy of AI systems in professional settings. Mercor advertises roles for medical secretaries, movie directors and private detectives at … ⌘ Read more
Why Manufacturing’s Last Boom Will Be Hard To Repeat
American manufacturing’s postwar boom from the 1940s through the 1970s resulted from conditions that cannot be recreated, a story on WSJ argues. Global competitors had been destroyed by war. Energy was cheap. Unions could demand concessions without fearing job losses to foreign rivals.
Strikes were frequent in steel, auto, trucking, rubber and coal mining. That relentle … ⌘ Read more
Automattic Inc. Claims It Owns the Word ‘Automatic’
An anonymous reader shares a report: Automattic, the company that owns WordPress.com, is asking Automatic.CSS – a company that provides a CSS framework for WordPress page builders – to change its name amid public spats between Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg and Automatic.CSS creator Kevin Geary. Automattic has two T’s as a nod to Matt.
“As you know, our client owns and … ⌘ Read more
Revealing how cells adhere to the surface of plastic scaffolds
Short ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) treatment optimizes cell adhesion on plastic culture substrates by selectively enriching adhesion proteins, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Their latest study explains the underlying reason why there is an optimal UVO treatment time, with the optimal surface condition arising when the ability to selectively adsorb and immobilize key adhesion proteins is maximized. This study … ⌘ Read more
OpenAI CFO Says Company Isn’t Seeking Government Backstop, Clarifying Prior Comment
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said late Wednesday that the AI startup is not seeking a government backstop for its infrastructure commitments, clarifying previous comments she made on stage during the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live event. From a report: At the event, Friar said OpenAI is looking to create an ecosyste … ⌘ Read more
US Software Firm SAS Exits China After 25 Years
An anonymous reader shares a report: US software company SAS Institute has withdrawn from mainland China and dismissed its local staff, according to a Beijing-based employee affected by the move, as the analytics specialist ended more than two decades of operations amid intense domestic competition and geopolitical tensions. The company on Thursday announced the lay-offs via an e … ⌘ Read more
Thousands of Flights in Danger of Cancellation as FAA Announces Major Cuts
The government shutdown-spurred airport chaos is about to get a whole lot worse. From a report: The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it will reduce flight volumes by 10 percent across 40 major airports in response, a move that could threaten 3,000 to 4,500 flights daily. The cuts will affect “high volume” markets … ⌘ Read more
‘Grand Theft Auto’ Studio Says Fired Employees Were Leaking Information
Rockstar Games, the company behind the hit Grand Theft Auto franchise, said that the dozens of employees it fired last week were leaking company secrets, disputing allegations by labor leaders that it was disrupting workers’ attempt to unionize. From a report: The employees had been sharing company information in a forum that include … ⌘ Read more
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Says China ‘Will Win’ AI Race With US
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has warned that China will beat the US in the AI race, thanks to lower energy costs and looser regulations. From a report: In the starkest comments yet from the head of the world’s most valuable company, Huang told the FT: “China is going to win the AI race.” Huang’s remarks come after the Trump administration maintained a ban o … ⌘ Read more
Manufacturer Bricks Smart Vacuum After Engineer Blocks It From Collecting Data
A curious engineer discovered that his iLife A11 smart vacuum was remotely “killed” after he blocked it from sending data to the manufacturer’s servers. By reverse-engineering it with custom hardware and Python scripts, he managed to revive the device to run fully offline. Tom’s Hardware reports: An engineer got cu … ⌘ Read more
Lessons from Ireland inform US debates on school choice
Across the U.S., some parents have been calling for changes in the education system, including greater transparency around curriculum decisions—a topic that has received national media attention. ⌘ Read more
Democrats set historic records on election night. Here are six of the firsts they accomplished
Kira Lerner , - The Guardian (U.K.)
_Stephan: Last night was very good news for the preservation of democracy in the United States. That’s getting a lot of media coverage, and that is also good news. But there were a number of important nuances to the Democratic victories that aren’t getting enough coverage. Happily, the British newsp … ⌘ Read more
The EPA Let Companies Estimate Their Own Pollution Levels. We Discovered Real Emissions Are Far Worse.
Lisa Song, Environment and Climate Reporter - ProPublica
_Stephan: ”king” Trump, his unethical vassals, and his Republican Congressional servants, are not only doing everything they can to keep America trapped in carbon energy to serve the billionaires who rent the Republican Party, they are also either ending accurate … ⌘ Read more
Aussies to get 3 hours of free energy a day
Ria Pandey, Staff Writer - Yahoo! News
Stephan: While “king” Trump, the Congressional Republicans, and the Trump oligarchs are trying to keep the United States in the prison of carbon energy, other countries are quickly making the transition into an era of renewable, non-polluting energy. This is what is happening in Australia.
_Au … ⌘ Read moreLong-term use of melatonin supplements linked to higher risk of heart failure and death
American Heart Association, - News: Medical and Life Sciences
Stephan: I have used Melatonin as a sleep aid for some time, but stopped when I read this. If you have heart issues and are using melatonin, I would suggest you stop.
Long-term use … ⌘ Read more
China Delays Shenzhou-20 Crew Return After Suspected Space Debris Impact
China has delayed the return of its Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft after it was suspected to have been struck by space debris while docked at the Tiangong space station. “The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft is suspected of being struck by a small piece of space debris, and impact analysis and risk assessment are underway,” the Chi … ⌘ Read more
10 Weird Distractions from the Great Depression
The Great Depression was one of the darkest chapters in American history. Millions of people lost jobs, homes, and savings; breadlines and shuttered factories became part of daily life. Yet even in that bleak decade, the human spirit refused to break. Families found creative, inexpensive ways to laugh, play, and connect. From homemade haunted houses […]
The post [10 Weird Distractions from the Great Depression](https://listverse.com/202 … ⌘ Read more
SpaceX, ULA line up double launch night that would tie Space Coast record
While SpaceX has managed the lion’s share of launches this year, it’s set to be a team effort with United Launch Alliance as the two companies have lined up a pair of launches that would tie the annual record for orbital missions from the Space Coast. ⌘ Read more
Universe Expansion May Be Slowing, Not Accelerating, Study Suggests
A new study challenges the Nobel-winning theory that the universe’s expansion is accelerating, suggesting instead that it may be slowing down as dark energy weakens – potentially leading to a future “big crunch” where the cosmos collapses back in on itself. “Our study shows that the universe has already entered a phase of decelerated expa … ⌘ Read more
A New Ion-Based Quantum Computer Makes Error Correction Simpler
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: The US- and UK-based company Quantinuum today unveiled Helios, its third-generation quantum computer, which includes expanded computing power and error correction capability. Like all other existing quantum computers, Helios is not powerful enough to execute the industry’s dream money- … ⌘ Read more
Is it ok for politicians to use AI? Survey shows where the public draws the line
New survey evidence from the UK and Japan shows people are open to MPs using AI as a tool, but deeply resistant to handing over democratic decisions to machines. ⌘ Read more
The Louvre’s Video Surveillance Password Was ‘Louvre’
A bungled October 18 heist that saw $102 million of crown jewels stolen from the Louvre in broad daylight has exposed years of lax security at the national art museum. From trivial passwords like ‘LOUVRE’ to decades-old, unsupported systems and easy rooftop access, the job was made surprisingly easy. PC Gamer reports: As Rogue cofounder and former Polygon arch-jester Cass … ⌘ Read more
72% of Game Developers Say Steam Is Effectively a PC Gaming Monopoly
A new survey of over 300 US and UK gaming executives found that 72% view Steam as a monopoly. “Furthermore, 88% said that at least three-quarters of their revenue came from Steam, while 37% reported that the platform accounted for 90% of their total revenue,” adds Techspot. From the report: Atomik Research conducted the recent survey on b … ⌘ Read more