All the News that Matters

• Fedora 42 Security Update Addresses Timekeeping Service DoS Vulnerabilities
  Update to version 1.7.1. Includes the fix for CVE-2026-26076: https://github.com/pendulum-project/ntpd- rs/security/advisories/GHSA-c7j7-rmvr-fjmv Release notes: https://github.com/pendulum-project/ntpd-rs/releases/tag/v1.7.0

• Fedora 42 Stgit Critical Permission Modification CVE-2026-33056
  Rebuilt with rust-tar 0.4.45 for CVE-2026-33056

• Fedora 42 perl-YAML-Syck High Buffer Overflow Advisory 2026-d226775800
  YAML::Syck versions up to and including 1.36 for Perl has several potential security vulnerabilities including a high-severity heap buffer overflow in the YAML emitter. The heap overflow occurs when class names exceed the initial 512-byte allocation. The base64 decoder could read past the buffer end on trailing newlines. strtok mutated n->type_id in place, corrupting shared node

• Fedora 42 MuseScore Update FEDORA-2026-2e5626418f CVE-2026-29022
  Rebuilt with patched dr_wav to fix CVE-2026-29022.

• Fedora 42 Firefox 149 NSS Update Performance Fix 2026-49237e1ced
  Update NSS to 3.121.0 Update to Firefox 149.0

• Fedora 42 NSS 3.121.0 Security Update Critical 2026-49237e1ced
  Update NSS to 3.121.0 Update to Firefox 149.0

• Rspamd 4.0 Released For Open-Source Spam Filtering
  Rspamd 4.0 is out today as a big update to this powerful open-source spam filtering system...

• Martin Wimpress Wants Out at Ubuntu Mate
  After 12 years leading Ubuntu MATE, its founder says it’s time to hand the reins to new maintainers.

• AMD Improves GPU Support Under WSL With Production Open-Source ROCDXG
  For those wanting to make use of Linux GPU compute software under Windows 11 by way of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2), AMD's ROCDXG "librocdxg" library is now deemed production-ready for delivering open-source ROCm compatibility with WSL...

• Debian-Based Elive Linux Distro Is Back with First Stable Release in Seven Years
  Elive 3.8.50 LTS has been released today for this nostalgic, yet fancy GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian and featuring the lightweight and modern Enlightenment graphical environment.

• Python calculation based on principle of argument (theory of functions of a complex variable)
  Principle of Argument doesn't provide any information about values of polynomial zeros inside predefined circle as well as locations of these zeros on complex plane. Classic math just says how many polynomial zeros we get inside given circle and nothing else. Library cxroots imported in python module provides object Circle having method roots to achieve the goal to get actual zeros values.

• Archinstall 4.0 Introduces New Textual TUI for Arch Linux Installer
  Archinstall 4.0 introduces a modern textual UI, replacing the curses interface to enhance usability and accessibility in the Arch Linux installer.

• Linux Ham Radio KISS Serial Driver Being Modernized In 2026
  Here's something that wasn't on my bingo card for this year of the "MKISS" driver for ham radio being modernized in 2026 as opposed to just being dropped. The MKISS code hasn't seen much driver activity since the original Git import of the Linux kernel more than twenty years ago...

• GNOME 51 “A Coruña” Desktop Environment Scheduled for September 16th, 2026
  Yes, it’s that time of the year when the GNOME developers are planning for the next major release of this popular desktop environment for Linux-based OSes, GNOME 51, due out on September 16th, 2026.

• Linuxiac Weekly Wrap-Up: Week 13, 2026 (Mar 23 – 29)
  Catch up on the latest Linux news: Kali 2026.1, GIMP 3.2.2, Firefox 149, NVIDIA 595.58, Fish SHell 4.6, Krita 6.0, Canonical plans controversial GRUB changes, and more.

• RadeonSI Driver Lands Fixes For EDuke32 For Those Wanting To Enjoy Duke Nukem 3D In 2026
  It's fairly rare for the RadeonSI Gallium3D driver to hit OpenGL rendering game bugs these days as besides more games going opting for Vulkan API use, RadeonSI is rather robust and very mature at this stage. Recently though a Linux gamer that upgraded to a Radeon RX 9070 XT RDNA4 graphics card noticed that the open-source EDuke32 Duke Nukem 3D build and its derivatives were failing to render properly with the RadeonSI driver...

• Krita 6.0 Digital Painting App Released with Wayland Color Management Support
  Krita 6.0 open-source digital painting app is now available for download with Wayland color management support, Qt 6 port, and more. Here’s what’s new!

• Celluloid 0.30 Video Player Improves Playback UI
  Celluloid 0.30 video player fixes Blu-ray detection, improves file chooser behavior, and updates UI elements, including the shortcuts dialog.

• Vividnode Mobile AI Packs RISC-V Processor and 60 TOPS AI Engine
  A compact system from ZUIKI based on a K3 RISC-V processor has appeared on the Japanese crowdfunding platform Kibidango. The Vividnode Mobile AI is presented as a small form-factor system for local inference and development. The system is based on an 8-core RISC-V processor (K3 platform) paired with an AI engine rated at up to […]

• 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: March 29th, 2026
  The 285th installment of the 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup is here for the week ending March 29th, 2026, keeping you updated on the most important developments in the Linux world.

• Linux 7.0-rc6 Released With The Fixes Still Coming In Heavy
  Linux 7.0-rc6 was just released in quickly working toward the stable Linux 7.0 release in mid-April. This was another busy week with lots of bug fixes...

• Many EXT4 Fixes Lined Up For Linux 7.0-rc6
  Ahead of the Linux 7.0-rc6 kernel due to be released later today, quite a number of EXT4 file-system fixes were sent out this morning...

• Incus 6.23 Container & Virtual Machine Manager Released
  Incus 6.23 arrives as the final 6.x release before 7.0 LTS, bringing security fixes, new features, and improved VM and storage capabilities.

• Fish Shell 4.6 Brings Better Emoji Handling, Bash Compatibility
  Fish Shell 4.6 updates emoji width handling, enhances prompt customization, and improves compatibility with Bash-style piping.

• GIMP 3.2.2 Released With Minor UI/UX Updates & Bug Fixes
  It was just two weeks ago that GIMP 3.2 released, one year after the big GIMP 3.0 debut. Out today is GIMP 3.2.2 with various bug fixes, plug-in / file format handling updates, and some minor UI/UX work...

• SystemRescue 13 Released With Linux Kernel 6.18 and GParted 1.8.1
  Arch-based SystemRescue 13 updates to Linux kernel 6.18, enhances HiDPI support, and upgrades core tools such as GParted and bcachefs.

• Quadratic Gravity Theory Reshapes Quantum View of Big Bang
  Researchers at the University of Waterloo say a new "quadratic quantum gravity" framework could explain the universe's rapid early expansion without adding extra ingredients to Einstein's theory by hand. The idea is especially notable because it makes testable predictions, including a minimum level of primordial gravitational waves that future experiments may be able to detect. "Even though this model deals with incredibly high energies, it leads to clear predictions that today's experiments can actually look for," said Dr. Niayesh Afshordi, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute (PI). "That direct link between quantum gravity and real data is rare and exciting." Phys.org reports: The research team found that the Big Bang's rapid early expansion can emerge naturally from this simple, consistent theory of quantum gravity, without adding any extra ingredients. This early burst of expansion, often called inflation, is a central idea in modern cosmology because it explains why the universe looks the way it does today. Their model also predicts a minimum amount of primordial gravitational waves, which are tiny ripples in spacetime geometry created in the first moments after the Big Bang. These signals may be detectable in upcoming experiments, offering a rare chance to test ideas about the universe's quantum origins. [...] The team plans to refine their predictions for upcoming experiments to explore how their framework connects to particle physics and other puzzles about the early universe. Their long-term goal is to strengthen the bridge between quantum gravity and observational cosmology. The research has been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
  
  
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• Scientists Shocked To Find Lab Gloves May Be Skewing Microplastics Data
  Researchers found that common nitrile and latex lab gloves can shed stearate particles that closely resemble microplastics, potentially "increasing the risk of false positives when studying microplastic pollution," reports ScienceDaily. "We may be overestimating microplastics, but there should be none," said Anne McNeil, senior author of the study and U-M professor of chemistry, macromolecular science and engineering. "There's still a lot out there, and that's the problem." From the report: Researchers found that these gloves can unintentionally transfer particles onto lab tools used to analyze air, water, and other environmental samples. The contamination comes from stearates, which are not plastics but can closely resemble them during testing. Because of this, scientists may be detecting particles that are not true microplastics. To reduce this issue, U-M researchers Madeline Clough and Anne McNeil recommend using cleanroom gloves, which release far fewer particles. Stearates are salt-based, soap-like substances added to disposable gloves to help them separate easily from molds during manufacturing. However, their chemical similarity to certain plastics makes them difficult to distinguish in lab analyses, increasing the risk of false positives when studying microplastic pollution. "For microplastics researchers who have these impacted datasets, there's still hope to recover them and find a true quantity of microplastics," said researcher and recent doctoral graduate Madeline Clough. "This field is very challenging to work in because there's plastic everywhere," McNeil said. "But that's why we need chemists and people who understand chemical structure to be working in this field." The findings have been published in the journal Analytical Methods.
  
  
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• AI Data Centers Can Warm Surrounding Areas By Up To 9.1C
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from New Scientist: Andrea Marinoni at the University of Cambridge, UK, and his colleagues saw that the amount of energy needed to run a data centre had been steadily increasing of late and was likely to "explode" in the coming years, so wanted to quantify the impact. The researchers took satellite measurements of land surface temperatures over the past 20 years and cross-referenced them against the geographical coordinates of more than 8400 AI data centers. Recognizing that surface temperature could be affected by other factors, the researchers chose to focus their investigation on data centers located away from densely populated areas. They discovered that land surface temperatures increased by an average of 2C (3.6F) in the months after an AI data center started operations. In the most extreme cases, the increase in temperature was 9.1C (16.4F). The effect wasn't limited to the immediate surroundings of the data centers: the team found increased temperatures up to 10 kilometers away. Seven kilometers away, there was only a 30 percent reduction in the intensity. "The results we had were quite surprising," says Marinoni. "This could become a huge problem." Using population data, the researchers estimate that more than 340 million people live within 10 kilometers of data centers, so live in a place that is warmer than it would be if the data centre hadn't been built there. Marinoni says that areas including the Bajio region in Mexico and the Aragon province in Spain saw a 2C (3.6F) temperature increase in the 20 years between 2004 and 2024 that couldn't otherwise be explained. University of Bristol researcher Chris Preist said the findings may be more complicated than they look. "It would be worth doing follow-up research to understand to what extent it's the heat generated from computation versus the heat generated from the building itself," he says. For example, the building being heated by sunlight may be part of the effect. The findings of the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, can be found on arXiv.
  
  
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• Microsoft Plans To Build 100% Native Apps For Windows 11
  Microsoft is reportedly shifting Windows 11 app development back toward fully native apps. Rudy Huyn, a Partner Architect at Microsoft working on the Store and File Explorer, said in a post on X that he is building a new team to work on Windows apps. "You don't need prior experience with the platform.. what matters most is strong product thinking and a deep focus on the customer," he wrote. "If you've built great apps on any platform and care about crafting meaningful user experiences, I'd love to hear from you." Huyn later said in a reply on X that the new Windows 11 apps will be "100% native." TechSpot reports: The description stands out at a time when many of Microsoft's built-in tools, including Clipchamp and Copilot, rely on web technologies and Progressive Web App architectures. The company's commitment to native performance suggests that some long-standing frustrations around responsiveness, memory use, and interface consistency could finally be addressed. For Windows developers, Huyn's comments hint at a change in direction. Microsoft's recent development priorities have leaned heavily on web-based approaches, with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) replacing or supplementing many native programs. [...] Exactly which applications will be rebuilt, or how strictly "100% native" will be enforced, remains unclear. Some current Microsoft apps classified as native still depend on WebView for specific features. But the renewed emphasis already has developers paying attention.
  
  
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• After 16 Years and $8 Billion, the Military's New GPS Software Still Doesn't Work
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Last year, just before the Fourth of July holiday, the US Space Force officially took ownership of a new operating system for the GPS navigation network, raising hopes that one of the military's most troubled space programs might finally bear fruit. The GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, is designed for command and control of the military's constellation of more than 30 GPS satellites. It consists of software to handle new signals and jam-resistant capabilities of the latest generation of GPS satellites, GPS III, which started launching in 2018. The ground segment also includes two master control stations and upgrades to ground monitoring stations around the world, among other hardware elements. RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, won a Pentagon contract in 2010 to develop and deliver the control system. The program was supposed to be complete in 2016 at a cost of $3.7 billion. Today, the official cost for the ground system for the GPS III satellites stands at $7.6 billion. RTX is developing an OCX augmentation projected to cost more than $400 million to support a new series of GPS IIIF satellites set to begin launching next year, bringing the total effort to $8 billion. Although RTX delivered OCX to the Space Force last July, the ground segment remains nonoperational. Nine months later, the Pentagon may soon call it quits on the program. Thomas Ainsworth, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, told Congress last week that OCX is still struggling. The GAO found the OCX program was undermined by "poor acquisition decisions and a slow recognition of development problems." By 2016, it had blown past cost and schedule targets badly enough to trigger a Pentagon review for possible cancellation. Officials also pointed to cybersecurity software issues, a "persistently high software development defect rate," the government's lack of software expertise, and Raytheon's "poor systems engineering" practices. Even after the military restructured the program, it kept running into delays and overruns, with Ainsworth telling lawmakers, "It's a very stressing program" and adding, "We are still considering how to ensure we move forward."
  
  
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• Samsung Is Bringing AirDrop-Style Sharing to Older Galaxy Devices
  Samsung is reportedly planning to roll out AirDrop-style file sharing for older Galaxy phones via a Quick Share update. Early reports suggest the feature is appearing on devices from the Galaxy S22 through the S25, though it is not actually working yet. Android Central reports: As spotted by Reddit users (via Tarun Vats on X), a Quick Share app update is rolling out via the Galaxy Store on older Samsung devices that appears to add support for AirDrop file sharing with Apple devices. Users report seeing the same new "Share with Apple devices" section we first saw on Galaxy S26 devices in the Settings app after updating Quick Share. The update is reportedly showing up on Galaxy models ranging from the Galaxy S22 to last year's Galaxy S25 series. The catch, however, is that the feature doesn't seem to be working yet. It's appearing on devices running One UI 8 as well as the One UI 8.5 beta, but enabling the toggle doesn't activate the functionality for now. Users say that turning on the feature doesn't make their device visible to Apple devices, and no Apple devices show up in Quick Share either. It's possible Samsung or Google still needs to enable it server-side, but it does confirm that broader rollout to older Galaxy devices is coming. The feature could arrive fully with the One UI 8.5 update.
  
  
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• OkCupid Settles FTC Case On Alleged Misuse of Its Users' Personal Data
  OkCupid and parent company Match Group settled an FTC case dating back to 2014 over allegations that the dating app shared users' photos and other personal data with a third party without proper disclosure or opt-out rights. Engadget reports: According to the FTC, OkCupid's privacy policy at the time noted that the company wouldn't share a user's personal information with others, except for some cases including "service providers, business partners, other entities within its family of businesses." However, the lawsuit accused OkCupid of sharing three million photos of its users to Clarifai, which the FTC claims is a "unrelated third party" that didn't fall under the allowed entities. On top of that, the lawsuit alleged that OkCupid didn't inform its users of this data sharing, nor give them a chance to opt out. Moving forward, the settlement would "permanently prohibit" Match Group, which owns OkCupid, and Humor Rainbow, which operates OkCupid, from misrepresenting what kind of personal information it collects, the purpose for collecting the data and any consumer choices to prevent data collection. Even after the 2014 incident, OkCupid was found with security flaws that could've exposed user account info but, which were quickly patched in 2020.
  
  
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• Life With AI Causing Human Brain 'Fry'
  fjo3 shares a report from France 24: Too many lines of code to analyze, armies of AI assistants to wrangle, and lengthy prompts to draft are among the laments by hard-core AI adopters. Consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have dubbed the phenomenon "AI brain fry," a state of mental exhaustion stemming "from the excessive use or supervision of artificial intelligence tools, pushed beyond our cognitive limits." The rise of AI agents that tend to computer tasks on demand has put users in the position of managing smart, fast digital workers rather than having to grind through jobs themselves. "It's a brand-new kind of cognitive load," said Ben Wigler, co-founder of the start-up LoveMind AI. "You have to really babysit these models." [...] "There is a unique kind of reward hacking that can go on when you have productivity at the scale that encourages even later hours," Wigler said. [Adam Mackintosh, a programmer for a Canadian company] recalled spending 15 consecutive hours fine-tuning around 25,000 lines of code in an application. "At the end, I felt like I couldn't code anymore," he recalled. "I could tell my dopamine was shot because I was irritable and didn't want to answer basic questions about my day." BCG recommends in a recently published study that company leaders establish clear limits regarding employee use and supervision of AI. However, "That self-care piece is not really an America workplace value," Wigler said. "So, I am very skeptical as to whether or not its going to be healthy or even high quality in the long term." Notably, the report says everyone interviewed for the article "expressed overall positive views of AI despite the downsides." In fact, a recent BCG study actually found a decline in burnout rates when AI took over repetitive work tasks.
  
  
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• Judge Allows BitTorrent Seeding Claims Against Meta, Despite Lawyers 'Lame Excuses'
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: In an effort to gather material for its LLM training, Meta used BitTorrent to download pirated books from Anna's Archive and other shadow libraries. According to several authors, Meta facilitated the infringement of others by "seeding" these torrents. This week, the court granted the authors permission to add these claims to their complaint, despite openly scolding their counsel for "lame excuses" and "Meta bashing." [...] The judge acknowledged that the contributory infringement claim could and should have been added back in November 2024, when the authors amended their complaint to include the distribution claim. After all, both claims arise from the same factual allegations about Meta's torrenting activity. "The lawyers for the named plaintiffs have no excuse for neglecting to add a contributory infringement claim based on these allegations back in November 2024," Judge Chhabria wrote. The lawyers of the book authors claimed that the delay was the result of newly produced evidence that had "crystallized" their understanding of Meta's uploading activity. However, that did not impress the judge. He called it a "lame excuse" and "a bunch of doubletalk," noting that if the missing discovery truly prevented the contributory claim from being added in November 2024, the same logic would have prevented the distribution claim from being added at that time as well. "Rather than blaming Meta for producing discovery late, the plaintiffs' lawyers should have been candid with the Court, explaining that they missed an issue in a case of first impression..," the order reads. Judge Chhabria went further, noting that the authors' law firm, Boies Schiller, showed "an ongoing pattern" of distracting from its own mistakes by attacking Meta. He pointed specifically to the dispute over when Meta disclosed its fair use defense to the distribution claim, which we covered here recently, characterizing it as a false distraction. "The lawyers for the plaintiffs seem so intent on bashing Meta that they are unable to exercise proper judgment about how to represent the interests of their clients and the proposed class members," the order reads. Despite the criticism, Chhabria granted the motion. [...] For now, the case moves forward with a fourth amended complaint, three new loan-out companies added as named plaintiffs, and a growing list of BitTorrent-related claims for Judge Chhabria to resolve.
  
  
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• Microsoft Copilot Is Now Injecting Ads Into Pull Requests On GitHub
  Microsoft Copilot is reportedly injecting promotional "tips" into GitHub pull requests, with Neowin claiming more than 1.5 million PRs have been affected by messages advertising integrations like Raycast, Slack, Teams, and various IDEs. From the report: According to Melbourne-based software developer Zach Manson, a team member used the AI to fix a simple typo in a pull request. Copilot did the job, but it also took the liberty of editing the PR's description to include this message: "Quickly spin up Copilot coding agent tasks from anywhere on your macOS or Windows machine with Raycast." A quick search of that phrase on GitHub shows that the same promotional text appears in over 11,000 pull requests across thousands of repositories. Even merge requests on GitLab aren't safe from the injection. So what's happening? Well, Raycast has a Copilot extension that can do things like create pull requests from a natural language command. The ad directly names Raycast, so you might think that Raycast is injecting the promo into the PRs to market its own app. But it is more likely that Microsoft is the one doing the injecting. If you look at the raw markdown of the affected pull requests, there is a hidden HTML comment, "START COPILOT CODING AGENT TIPS" placed right just before the ad tip. This suggests Microsoft is using the comment to insert a "tip" that points back to its own developer ecosystem or partner integrations. UPDATE: Following backlash from developers, Microsoft has removed Copilot's ability to insert "tips" into pull requests. Tim Rogers, principal product manager for Copilot at GitHub, said the move was intended "to help developers learn new ways to use the agent in their workflow." "On reflection," Rogers said he has since realized that letting Copilot make changes to PRs written by a human without their knowledge "was the wrong judgement call."
  
  
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• Sony Shuts Down Nearly Its Entire Memory Card Business Due To SSD Shortage
  For the "foreseeable future," Sony says it has stopped accepting new orders for most of its CFexpress and SD memory card lines due to the an ongoing memory supply shortage. "Due to the global shortage of semiconductors (memory) and other factors, it is anticipated that supply will not be able to meet demand for CFexpress memory cards and SD memory cards for the foreseeable future," the company said in a notice. "Therefore, we have decided to temporarily suspend the acceptance of orders from our authorized dealers and from customers at the Sony Store from March 27, 2026 onwards. PetaPixel reports: The suspension includes all of Sony's memory card lines, including CFexpress Type A, CFexpress Type B, and SD cards. The 240GB, 480GB, 960GB, and 1920GB capacity Type A cards have been suspended, as have the 480GB and 240GB Type B cards. The full gamut of Sony's high-end SD cards has also been suspended, including the 256GB, 128GB, and 64GB TOUGH-branded cards and the lower-end 512GB, 256GB, 128GB, and 256GB plainly-branded Sony cards, which cap out at V60 speeds. Even Sony's lower-end, V30 128GB and 64GB SD cards have been suspended, showcasing that the SSD shortage affects all types of solid state, not just the high-end ones. It appears that only the 960GB CFexpress Type B card and the lowest-end SF-UZ series SD cards remain in production. However, those UHS-I SD cards are discontinued in the United States outside of a scant few retailers and resellers. "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers," Sony concludes.
  
  
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• Tech CEOs Suddenly Love Blaming AI For Mass Job Cuts
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Sweeping job cuts at Big Tech companies have become an annual tradition. How executives explain those decisions, however, has changed. Out are buzzwords like efficiency, over-hiring, and too many management layers. Today, all explanations stem from artificial intelligence (AI). In recent weeks, giants including Google, Amazon, Meta, as well as smaller firms such as Pinterest and Atlassian, have all announced or warned of plans to shrink their workforce, pointing to developments in AI that they say are allowing their firms to do more with fewer people. [...] But explaining cuts by pointing to advances in AI sounds better than citing cost pressures or a desire to please shareholders, says tech investor Terrence Rohan, who has had a seat on many company boards. "Pointing to AI makes a better blog post," Rohan says. "Or it at least doesn't make you seem as much the bad guy who just wants to cut people for cost-effectiveness." That does not mean there is no substance behind the words, Rohan added. Some of the companies he's backing are using code that is 25% to 75% AI-generated. That is a sign of the real threat that AI tools for writing code represent to jobs such as software developer, computer engineer and programmer, posts once considered a near-guarantee of highly paid, stable careers. "Some of it is that the narrative is changing, some of it is that we really are starting to see step changes in productivity," Anne Hoecker, a partner at Bain who leads the consultancy's technology practice, says of the recent job cuts. "Leaders more recently are seeing these tools are good enough that you really can do the same amount of work with fundamentally less people." There is another way that AI is driving job cuts -- and it has nothing to do with the technical abilities of coding tools and chatbots. Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft are collectively planning to pour $650 billion into AI in the coming year. As executives hunt for ways to try to ease investor shock at those costs, many are landing on payroll, typically tech firms' single biggest expense. [...] Although the expense of, for example, 30,000 corporate Amazon employees is dwarfed by that company's AI spending plans, firms of this size will now take any opportunity to cut costs, Rohan says. "They're playing a game of inches," Rohan says of cuts at Big Tech firms. "If you can even slightly tune the machine, that is helpful." Hoecker says cutting jobs also signals to stock market investors worried about the "real and huge" cost of AI development that executives are not blithely writing blank cheques. "It shows some discipline," says Hoecker. "Maybe laying off people isn't going to make much of a dent in that bill, but by creating a little bit of cashflow, it helps."
  
  
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• New Company Hopes to Build Age-Verification Tech into Vape Cartridges
  Their goal is to use biometric data and blockchain to build age-verification measures directly into disposable vape cartridges. Wired reports on a partnership between vape/cartridge manufacturer Ispire Technology and regulatory consulting company Chemular (which specializes in the nicotine market) — which they've named "Ike Tech":[Using blockchain-based security, the e-cig cartridge] would use a camera to scan some form of ID and then also take a video of the user's face. Once it verifies your identity and determines you're old enough to vape, it translates that information into anonymized tokens. That info goes to an identity service like ID.me or Clear. If approved, it bounces back to the app, which then uses a Bluetooth signal to give the vape the OK to turn on. "Everything is tokenized," [says Ispire CEO Michael Wang]. "As a result of this process, we don't communicate consumer personal private information." He says the process takes about a minute and a half... After that onetime check, the Bluetooth connection on the phone will recognize when the vape cartridge is nearby and keep it unlocked. Move the vape too far away from the phone, and it shuts off again. Based on testing, the companies behind Ike Tech claim this process has a 100 percent success rate in age verification, more or less calling the tech infallible. "The FDA told us it's the holy grail technology they were looking for," Wang says. "That's word-for-word what they said when we met with them...." Wang says the goal is to implement additional features in the verification process, like geo-fencing, which would force the vape to shut off while near a school or on an airplane. In the future, the plan is to license this biometric verification tech to other e-cig companies. The tech may also grow to include fingerprint readers and expand to other product categories; Wang suggests guns, which have a long history of age-verification features not quite working.
  
  
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• Apple's Early Days: Massive Oral History Shares Stories About Young Wozniak and Jobs
  Apple's 50th anniversary is this week — and Fast Company's Harry McCracken just published an 11,000-word oral history with some fun stories from Apple's earliest days and the long and winding road to its very first home computers:Steve Wozniak, cofounder, Apple: I told my dad when I was in high school, "I'm going to own a computer someday." My dad said, "It costs as much as a house." And I sat there at the table — I remember right where we were sitting — and I said, "I'll live in an apartment." I was going to have a computer if it was ever possible. I didn't need a house. Woz even remembers trying to build a home computer early on with a teenaged Steve Jobs and Bill Fernandez from rejected parts procured from local electronics companies. Woz designed it — "not from anybody else's design or from a manual. And Fernandez was one of those kids that could use a soldering iron."Bill Fernandez: The computer was very basic. It was working, and we were starting to talk about how we could hook a teletype up to it. Mrs. Wozniak called a reporter from the San Jose Mercury, and he came over with a photographer. We set up the computer on the floor of Steve Wozniak's bedroom. Well, the core integrated circuit that ran the power supply that I built was an old reject part. We turned on the computer, and the power supply smoked and burnt out the circuitry. So we didn't get our photos in the paper with an article about the boy geniuses. But within a few years Jobs and Wozniak both wound up with jobs at local tech companies. Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell remembers that Steve Jobs "wasn't a good engineer, but he was a great technician. He was pristine in his ability to solder, which was actually important in those days." Meanwhile Allen Baum had shared Wozniak's high school interest in computers, and later got Woz a job working at Hewlett-Packard — where employees were allowed to use stockroom parts for private projects. ("When he needed some parts, even if we didn't have them, I could order them.") Baum helped with the Apple I and II, and joined Apple a decade later. Wozniak remembers being inspired to build that first Apple I by the local Homebrew Computing Club, people "talking about great things that would happen to society, that we would be able to communicate like we never did [before] and educate in new ways. And being a geek would be important and have value." And once he'd built his first computer, "I wanted these people to help create the revolution. And so I passed out my designs with no copyright notices — public domain, open source, everything. A couple of other people in the club did build it." But Woz and Jobs had even tried pitching the computer as a Hewlett-Packard product, Woz remembers:Steve Wozniak: I showed them what it would cost and how it would work and what it could do with my little demos. They had all the engineering people and the marketing people, and they turned me down. That was the first of five turndowns from Hewlett-Packard. Steve Jobs and I had to go into business on our own. In the end, Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 remembers witnessing Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne the signing of Apple's founding contract, "which is pretty funny, because I was 15 at the time." And it was Allen Baum's father who gave Wozniak and Jobs the bridge loan to buy the parts they'd need for their first 500 computers. After all the memories, the article concludes that "Trying to connect every dot between Apple, the tiny, dirt-poor 1970s startup, and Apple, the $3.7 trillion 21st-century global colossus, is impossible."But this much is clear: The company has always been at its best when its original quirky humanity and willingness to be an outlier shine through. Mark Johnson, Apple employee No. 13: I was in Cupertino just yesterday. It's totally different. They own Cupertino now. Jonathan Rotenberg, who cofounded the Boston Computer Society in 1977 at age 13: People want to hate Apple, because it is big and powerful. But Apple has an underlying moral purpose that is immensely deep and expansive... Mike Markkula, the early retiree from Intel whose guidance and money turned the garage startup into a company: The culture mattered. People were there for the right reasons — to build something transformative — not just to make money. That alignment produced extraordinary results... Steve Wozniak: Everything you do in life should have some element of joy in it. Even your work should have an element of joy... When you're about to die, you have certain memories. And for me, it's not going to be Apple going public or Apple being huge and all that. It's really going to be stories from the period when humble people spotted something that was interesting and followed it I'll be thinking of that when I die, along with a lot of pranks I played. The important things.
  
  
  Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  

• Rivian and Lucid Win Right to Sell Their EVs Directly to Buyers in Washington State
  The Wall Street Journal reports that Rivian "just won a yearslong battle with car dealers in Washington state that threatens the model of how cars are sold."After fighting to sell its vehicles directly to buyers, Rivian threatened to take its case to voters with a ballot measure to permit direct sales. The dealers blinked. The state's dealer lobby not only dropped its opposition to a sales loophole for Rivian and rival EV-maker Lucid, but also encouraged lawmakers to approve one. The measure became law this month... New auto entrants like Rivian, and Tesla before it, have spent years contending with long-established U.S. state laws that require new cars to be sold through independent franchised dealers. The auto startups — typically makers of EVs — argue that they can offer a better experience by selling directly to consumers, much as Apple sells iPhones through its own stores and online. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has said the company is committed to direct-only sales because it's more profitable and gives the company control over how its vehicles are sold, marketed and maintained. The Washington compromise riled traditional automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Toyota, which lobbied against it, arguing it unfairly advantages startups. A trade group representing the automakers called it discriminatory and argued the exception could one day open the door to Chinese EV makers... German automaker Volkswagen is currently facing several lawsuits from dealers over its plan to sell new Scout vehicles directly to consumers. Dealers say independent franchises are vital to the car-buying process, creating competition between dealerships that keeps prices affordable for consumers, while providing valuable services such as repairs, warranty work and financing... Yet for Washington's dealers, the prospect of putting franchise laws up for a popular vote laid bare a tough reality: given the choice, many car buyers want the freedom to avoid dealerships. Rivian's polling, which the company shared with lawmakers, showed nearly 70% of respondents favored allowing direct sales when asked whether they would support manufacturers selling cars directly to consumers... The fight comes at a critical time for Rivian, which is launching a new, more affordable SUV in a bid to make consistent profits amid a downturn in U.S. EV sales... Rivian is able to directly sell cars in roughly half of U.S. states, but a number of them limit how many locations the company can operate. They can't disclose the price, though. For that, customers must go online. The article notes that "Following the win, Rivian executives are eyeing other states that, like Washington, ban direct sales but also allow ballot initiatives: Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota..." It adds that lawmakers (from both parties) in the state of Washington had said "they have long felt pulled between giving consumers more car-buying freedom and protecting dealers, essentially small-business owners who are vital to local economies — and politically powerful." But an executive at the Washington State Auto Dealers Association said dealers supported this new law partly because it protects them by barring future automakers from selling directly in the state, and by requiring Rivian and Lucid to adhere to the same regulations that govern how dealers operate.
  
  
  Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  

• Implementing Secure Zero-Touch Provisioning in AI and Edge Infrastructure
  By Juha Holkkola, FusionLayer Group How DHCP Changed Connectivity In the late 1990s, the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) quietly catalyzed a revolution in digital connectivity. Before DHCP was introduced, connecting devices to a network involved manual entry of IP addresses, DNS servers, subnet masks, and gateways. Networks were fragile, prone to errors, and severely [0]
  
  The post Implementing Secure Zero-Touch Provisioning in AI and Edge Infrastructure appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• From DHCP to SZTP – The Trust Revolution
  By Juha Holkkola, FusionLayer Group The Dawn of Effortless Connectivity In the transformative years of the late 1990s, a quiet revolution took place, fundamentally altering how we connect to networks. The introduction of DHCP answered a crucial question, Where are you on the network?!, by automating IP address assignment. This innovation eradicated the manual configuration [0]
  
  The post From DHCP to SZTP – The Trust Revolution appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Celebrating the Second Year of Linux Man-Pages Maintenance Sponsorship
  Sustaining a Core Part of the Linux Ecosystem The Linux Foundation has announced a second year of sponsorship for the ongoing maintenance of the Linux manual pages (man-pages) project, led by Alejandro (Alex) Colomar. This critical initiative is made possible through the continued support of Google, Hudson River Trading, and Meta, who have renewed their [0]
  
  The post Celebrating the Second Year of Linux Man-Pages Maintenance Sponsorship appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Disaggregated Routing with SONiC and VPP: Lab Demo and Performance Insights  Part Two
  In Part One of this series, we examined how the SONiC control plane and the VPP data plane form a cohesive, software-defined routing stack through the Switch Abstraction Interface.` We outlined how SONiC’s Redis-based orchestration and VPP’s user-space packet engine come together to create a high-performance, open router architecture. In this second part, we’ll turn [0]
  
  The post Disaggregated Routing with SONiC and VPP: Lab Demo and Performance Insights  Part Two appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Disaggregated Routing with SONiC and VPP: Architecture and Integration  Part One
  The networking industry is undergoing a fundamental architectural transformation, driven by the relentless demands of cloud-scale data centers and the rise of software-defined infrastructure. At the heart of this evolution is the principle of disaggregation: the systematic unbundling of components that were once tightly integrated within proprietary, monolithic systems.` This movement began with the separation [0]
  
  The post Disaggregated Routing with SONiC and VPP: Architecture and Integration  Part One appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Kubernetes on Bare Metal for Maximum Performance
  When teams consider deploying Kubernetes, one of the first questions that arises is: where should it run? The default answer is often the public cloud, thanks to its flexibility and ease of use. However, a growing number of organizations are revisiting the advantages of running Kubernetes directly on bare metal servers. For workloads that demand [0]
  
  The post Kubernetes on Bare Metal for Maximum Performance appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• How to Deploy Lightweight Language Models on Embedded Linux with LiteLLM
  This article was contributed by Vedrana Vidulin, Head of Responsible AI Unit at Intellias (LinkedIn). As AI becomes central to smart devices, embedded systems, and edge computing, the ability to run language models locally — without relying on the cloud — is essential. Whether its for reducing latency, improving data privacy, or enabling offline functionality, local AI [0]
  
  The post How to Deploy Lightweight Language Models on Embedded Linux with LiteLLM appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Automating Compliance Management with UTMStacks Open Source SIEM 8 XDR
  Achieving and maintaining compliance with regulatory frameworks can be challenging for many organizations. Managing security controls manually often leads to excessive use of time and resources, leaving less available for strategic initiatives and business growth. Standards such as CMMC, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC2 and GDPR demand ongoing monitoring, detailed documentation, and rigorous evidence collection. Solutions [0]
  
  The post Automating Compliance Management with UTMStacks Open Source SIEM & XDR appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• A Simple Way to Install Talos Linux on Any Machine, with Any Provider
  Talos Linux is a specialized operating system designed for running Kubernetes. First and foremost it handles full lifecycle management for Kubernetes control-plane components. On the other hand, Talos Linux focuses on security, minimizing the user’s ability to influence the system. A distinctive feature of this OS is the near-complete absence of executables, including the absence [0]
  
  The post A Simple Way to Install Talos Linux on Any Machine, with Any Provider appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Using OpenTelemetry and the OTel Collector for Logs, Metrics, and Traces
  OpenTelemetry (fondly known as OTel) is an open-source project that provides a unified set of APIs, libraries, agents, and instrumentation to capture and export logs, metrics, and traces from applications. The project’s goal is to standardize observability across various services and applications, enabling better monitoring and troubleshooting. Read More at Causely
  
  The post Using OpenTelemetry and the OTel Collector for Logs, Metrics, and Traces appeared first on Linux.com.
  

Engadget"Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics"

• The Morning After: Meta tests Instagram Plus subscription service
  Screenshots promoting "Instagram Plus" have been spotted by users in the Philippines and Mexico in recent days. According to social media consultant Matt Navarra, a subscription to Instagram Plus includes several Story-focused features not otherwise available to Instagram users. This includes the ability to create multiple audiences for Stories posts, search the list of people who have viewed your Story, extend Stories longer than 24 hours and create "spotlight" Stories. It also mentions something called “super hearts” for reacting to Stories.
  
  A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the test to Engadget, saying that Instagram Plus is currently available in “a few countries.” The spokesperson added that “preview” would allow people to see some of another user’s Story without “showing up as a viewer”. There’s nothing quite like paying to be sneakier on social media.
  
  The idea, as we’ve seen so far, seems closely modeled after Snapchat+, which also offers bonus features to the app9s power users. Launched in 2022, the service has now become a significant driver of non-advertising revenue for the company.
  
  – Mat Smith
  The other big stories (and deals) this morning
  This Frankenstein PlayStation PCB reads games from microSD and has HDMI output
  
  How to use Apple9s Playlist Playground to make AI-generated mixes
  
  Beat-based dungeon crawlers, card-battling soccer sims and other new indie games worth checking out
  
  Project Hail Mary is already Amazon MGM9s highest-grossing film ever
  
  50 years of Apple: Pushing tech forward (for better or worse)RIP headphone jack.
  Apple has been around for fifty years. It reimagined personal computers, catalyzed the era of the smartphone, enlarged an iPhone and called it the iPad and garnered a strong position in wearable tech through its Watch series and its AirPods. It also popularized software and services like its App Store, FaceTime, iCloud, iMessages and many more.
  
  However, Apple gives and it takes away. For the MacBook Air to exist, the disk drive had to go; ditching the home button led to edge-to-edge iPhone screens. The weight of Apple9s influence has led to entire product categories following suit. Or, more typically, there9s resistance, complaining and (eventually) following suit.
  
  Meta9s next AI glasses are reportedly designed for prescription lensesBloomberg says this isn9t the next generation of Meta9s Ray-Ban AI glasses, though.The White House app is just weirdWhen you don’t want to escape from the chaotic news cycle.The White House
  Now available on the App Store and Google Play Store, the official White House App claims to give Americans "a direct line to the White House." According to the press release, the app provides "unfiltered, real-time upgrades straight from the source." The White House App9s News tab features a carousel of about 35 articles that seem suspiciously cherry-picked, favoring the Trump administration. As Engadget’s Jackson Chen notes, in the Affordability window, the app points out year-over-year price drops for items like eggs, milk and bread, but conveniently omits the recent surge in gas prices.
  
  In the Social tab, there9s even a button to "Text President Trump," which auto-populates a new text with "Greatest President Ever!"
  
  Continue reading.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111408830.html?src=rss

• AT&T now offers a single subscription for both wireless service and home internet
  AT&T just announced OneConnect, a new service that lets customers sign up for both wireless service and fiber home internet under a single subscription. Pricing starts at $90. This could end up saving some serious bucks, especially for those who are paying around $100 per month for each from separate providers.
  
  These plans offer unlimited mobile data, which is great. The home internet speed caps at 1Gbps, which is a decent enough metric.
  
  Pricing starts at $90 per month, which includes a single phone line, unlimited data. This plan also covers mobile data for three devices of the user9s choosing, like smartwatches and tablets.
  AT&T
  Family plans shoot all the way up to $225 per month, but the pricier subscriptions increase the number of covered mobile devices to ten and allow up to ten concurrent phone lines. This could be a huge money-saving opportunity for large families. 
  
  The company hasn9t said anything about throttling users once they reach a certain cap on mobile data, which should please customers. This is similar to how T-Mobile handles its Magenta Max plan. Taxes and fees are included in the quoted prices, which means there shouldn9t be any surprises when the bill comes around.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/att-now-offers-a-single-subscription-for-both-wireless-service-and-home-internet-091501503.html?src=rss

• BOXROOM lets you build a cozy game room for your Steam library
  
  Your game collection says a lot about you. With a cute new game, you can also give your collection a space that9s just as personalized. BOXROOM is a building sim where the whole purpose is creating a space to show off your game library. You can select furniture, paint and lighting, then you choose games from your Steam library to display on your virtual shelves. Titles appear in game boxes, giving it a throwback feel to the days where a game collection had to be physical. Once complete, the room serves as a launcher, allowing you to boot up a title from the game box. The demo is available now, and the team said that BOXROOM will launch in early access soon. 
  
  This is a fun idea, although it9s unlikely that you9d fit your entire collection into even this virtual space if your Steam library starts to number in the hundreds, or even thousands, of games. As with an IRL space, you9d need a warehouse rather than a cute, cozy room. But if you wanted to have a curated selection of your go-to titles in a customized virtual space, this might be a fun addition to your already sizable collection. Or, if you want a virtual reality take on a similar idea, EmuVR might be worth a look.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/boxroom-lets-you-build-a-cozy-game-room-for-your-steam-library-215349560.html?src=rss

• This Frankenstein PlayStation PCB reads games from microSD and outputs video over HDMI
  We9re living in the golden age of retro console modding. If you have an old Game Boy Advance lying around, it9s possible to give it a new lease on life with aftermarket parts like an IPS display and USB-C charging. But as amazing as those mods are, most still require an original GBA motherboard with a working processor and RAM. That9s what makes the PlayStation Hybrid from YouTuber Secret Hobbyist so cool. Over the past couple of months, they9ve been working to design, prototype and build the ultimate PlayStation PCB, one that incorporates the best parts of different model revisions while adding a couple of modern conveniences. 
  
  The specific motherboards Secret Hobbyist9s PCB pulls parts from are the PM-41 v2 and the PU18, with the former being a PSOne board while the latter was sourced from a "phat" model. The decision to incorporate parts from different PlayStation variants makes a lot of sense if you know something about the history of the console. Between the release of the PlayStation in 1994 and the smaller PSOne in 2000, Sony made multiple revisions to the original design to address hardware issues and eke out cost savings. 
  
  One component that you can find on older models, but not the PSOne, is an Asahi Kasei-made digital-to-analog audio converter (DAC). Over the years, this DAC has gained something of a cult following among audiophiles, with some of the earliest models like the SCPH-1000 and SCPH-3000 being particularly sought after as CD players because they also came with RCA outputs, a feature Sony later cut from subsequent revisions. As for the PU18, it has a part that makes it compatible with the X Station, a CD replacement that allows a modded PlayStation to read games from a microSD card.   
  
  From the PSOne, Secret Hobbyist sourced the console9s GPU and CPU, which are more power efficient than the ones found on its older siblings. Lastly, they incorporated an FPGA chip from a Hispeedido mod kit to make their hybrid PlayStation capable of outputting video over HDMI.
  
  The final result is a custom PCB that is even smaller than the PSOne9s PM-41 v2, draws less than two watts of power and works with modern displays. That power draw means the Hybrid PlayStation could be engineered to be a handheld. Secret Hobbyist still has yet to design an enclosure for their new Frankenstein console, but judging from the comments on their video, people are excited to see the final result. In the meantime, be sure to watch the full video to learn more about the project and see some incredible soldering work.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/this-frankenstein-playstation-pcb-reads-games-from-microsd-and-outputs-video-over-hdmi-211002114.html?src=rss

• Deus Ex game studio Eidos Montreal cuts 124 jobs
  Another day, another announcement of game industry job cuts. The latest restructuring is happening at Eidos Montreal, which stated that 124 people are being laid off. As with so many similar cuts, the studio's LinkedIn post credited the downsizing to "a result of changing project needs and impacts across production and support teams." The company is also parting ways with its studio head, David Anfossi. 
  
  Eidos Montreal has worked on titles within the Deus Ex and Tomb Raider franchises, as well as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel's Avengers games. It is one of the many companies owned by Embracer Group, which snapped up a bunch of studios but has been stuck in a downsizing in a loop following an expensive restructuring of its own gaming empire during 2023 and 2024. That activity reportedly included axing a planned new Deus Ex game that Eidos Montreal was working on.
  
  The post from Eidos Montreal didn't specify what projects it is currently active on, although it has said it is involved with the upcoming Grounded 2 from Obsidian Entertainment and the reimagined Fable from Playground Games.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/deus-ex-game-studio-eidos-montreal-cuts-124-jobs-205057796.html?src=rss

• Meta is testing an Instagram Plus subscription service with exclusive features
  Meta is testing a new subscription service for Instagram that offers users "exclusive" features like the ability to post Stories for longer than 24 hours. Screenshots promoting "Instagram Plus" have been spotted by users in the Philippines and Mexico in recent days. 
  
  According to screenshots shared by social media consultant Matt Navarra, a subscription to Instagram Plus comes with a number of Story-focused features not otherwise available to Instagram users. This includes the ability to create multiple "audiences" for Stories posts, see info about who has rewatched your Story, search the list of people who have viewed your Story, preview Stories posts, extend Stories longer than 24 hours and create  "spotlight" Stories. It also mentions something called “super hearts” for reacting to Stories.
  
  A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the test to Engadget, saying that Instagram Plus is currently available in “a few countries,” but didn’t say which. A dedicated help page on Meta9s website says that this feature is not available to everyone right now.”  The spokesperson confirmed the feature list shown below, and added that “preview” would allow people to see some of another user’s Story without “showing up as a viewer” and that Stories posts could be extended for an additional 24 hours. “Our hope from these tests is to understand what’s most valuable to people in a premium feature set,” the spokesperson said.
  A list of features that come with Instagram Plus subscriptions.Threads
  It seems that early versions of the service are priced fairly cheaply, with the prices in the Philippines landing at 65 PHP (about $1.07 in USD) a month and in Mexico at $39 MXN (about $2.15 in USD) a month. Meta is also offering prospective users a free one-month trial of the service.
  
  The idea seems to be closely modeled after Snapchat+, which also offers bonus features to the app9s power users. Launched in 2022, the service has racked up more millions of subscribers and has become a significant driver of non-advertising revenue for the company.
  
  Now, Meta is looking to boost its subscription revenue too. The company said earlier this year it would test new types of subscriptions, including those focused on AI features. Elsewhere, Meta has also been pushing its Meta Verified subscriptions more aggressively. Over the last several weeks, I9ve repeatedly seen promotions for discounted Meta Verified plans with an initial one-month trial starting at $1 (the cheapest Meta Verified plans typically start at $14.99/month). The company has also recently tested link-sharing features in Instagram captions for subscribers and limits on link-sharing on Facebook for non-subscribers. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-testing-an-instagram-plus-subscription-service-with-exclusive-features-181215180.html?src=rss

• OkCupid settles FTC case on alleged misuse of its users' personal data
  Match Group and its subsidiary OkCupid has finally settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission that dates back to its alleged sharing of user data back in 2014. According to the lawsuit, the FTC accused OkCupid of inappropriately sharing personal user data that includes photos and location info with a third party company, Clarifai, which offers AI-powered software for uses like facial recognition and content moderation.
  
  According to the FTC, OkCupid's privacy policy at the time noted that the company wouldn't share a user's personal information with others, except for some cases including "service providers, business partners, other entities within its family of businesses." However, the lawsuit accused OkCupid of sharing three million photos of its users to Clarifai, which the FTC claims is a "unrelated third party" that didn't fall under the allowed entities. On top of that, the lawsuit alleged that OkCupid didn't inform its users of this data sharing, nor give them a chance to opt out.
  
  "While we do not admit any wrongdoing, we have settled this matter with the FTC with no monetary penalty to resolve an issue from 2014 and move forward," an OkCupid spokesperson told Engadget, adding that the allegations don't reflect how OkCupid operates today. "Over the years, we have further strengthened our privacy practices and data governance to ensure we meet the expectations of our users."
  
  Moving forward, the settlement would "permanently prohibit" Match Group, which owns OkCupid, and Humor Rainbow, which operates OkCupid, from misrepresenting what kind of personal information it collects, the purpose for collecting the data and any consumer choices to prevent data collection. Even after the 2014 incident, OkCupid was found with security flaws that could've exposed user account info but, which were quickly patched in 2020.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/okcupid-settles-ftc-case-on-alleged-misuse-of-its-users-personal-data-175159228.html?src=rss

• 50 years of Apple pushing tech forward, for better or worse
  Over the last 50 years, Apple reimagined personal computers, catalyzed the era of the smartphone, enlarged an iPhone and called it the iPad and garnered a strong position in wearable tech through its Watch series and its AirPods. It also popularized software and services like its App Store, FaceTime, iCloud, iMessages and many more. For a lot of us, the first time we pinched-to-zoom on a photo was likely on an iPhone.
  
  However, Apple gives and it takes away. Things have had to change, be removed and consumers have to move on to whatever9s new. For better or worse, the weight of Apple9s influence has led to entire product categories following suit. Or, more typically, there9s resistance, complaining and then… following suit. With the benefit of hindsight, most of these cases are examples of Apple seeing where technology was going and getting ahead of a transition that would have been inevitable. Often, these transitions have caused short-term pain for some, but time has proven Apple (mostly) correct about dropping older tech.
  
  As Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch once said: murder your darlings. Here are some of the darlings we’ve lost over the years.
  
  
  The death of the disk drive (1998)
  This is a two-parter. The iMac G3 marked Steve Jobs9 return. The colorful all-in-one Mac was a new start in many ways. In 1998, Apple ditched the standard ports and myriad cable types of personal computers, going all in on USB and a little-known thing called the internet. (In fact, that’s what the ‘i’ in iMac stands for.)
  
  In doing so, it also ditched the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive — although it did have a read-only optical disk drive. Even with sluggish internet and USB transfer speeds at the time, the convenience was plain to see and it led to a decade of thumb drives of ever-increasing storage limits. High-capacity alternatives to the floppy disk, like the Zip disk and even Minidisc, attempted to bridge the gap, but never gained the widespread traction and adoption of the original disk drive. But flash drives and, later, internet-based file storage quickly made them obsolete anyway. Apple was just a little early with its dismissal.
  
  
  Portable music players (2007)
  Despite Apple’s iPod being the de facto music player at the time, it was supplanted by the company’s own biggest hit: the iPhone. At its peak, the iPod made Apple the zeitgeisty tech company it is today. It dominated the MP3 player market, and by 2006, iPods were responsible for 40 percent of the company’s revenue. And that was before the era of Apple including a free U2 album with every iTunes account.
  
  When the iPhone launched in June 2007, it was swiftly followed by the iPod Touch in September. This was the iPhone without the phone part — indicating how the company saw the future of music listening. You didn’t need an iPod if you already had an iPhone in your pocket. It’s the best example of Apple cannibalizing a product that defined a decade with something far more impressive and, eventually, more successful.
  
  It was a slow death. Ignoring the countless MP3-playing rivals, (RIP Zune), Apple dropped the classic iPod in 2014. It soon did the same to the tiny iPod nano and iPod shuffle in 2017. Finally, the company discontinued the iPod Touch in May 2022.
  
  
  The physical smartphone keyboard (2007 plus change)Unsplash / Thai Nguyen
  When the iPhone’s capacitive screen and touch keyboard landed, there was a learning curve. Moving from physical keys (whether it was a 9-key alphanumeric version or the BlackBerry’s QWERTY experience) to a touch screen, especially on the tiny 3.5-inch panel of the first iPhone, wasn’t easy.
  
  But it was the future. Physical keyboards took up physical space on devices — especially as those screens grew and grew. The adoption of touch keyboards sped up, thanks to third-party keyboard apps on Android, like Swype, SwiftKey and many others, introducing different input methods, smarter predictive text, typing algorithms and even touch heatmaps. Software keyboards were intrinsically more versatile, supporting multiple languages, infinite key arrangements and eventually emoji galleries. A colon-ellipsis smiley soon didn’t hit the same.
  
  
  The death of the disk drive, part 2 (2008)
  The MacBook Air, introduced by Steve Jobs in 2008, was famously pulled from a manila envelope to demonstrate its ultraportable design. To achieve that slimness, it had to ditch the internal optical drive entirely, making it the first MacBook without one. That move kickstarted an era of ultraportable laptops.
  
  It was a major break from what laptop users were used to, and Apple tried to offer people some options. Apple introduced "Remote Disc," a feature which allowed the Air to wirelessly use the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC, and offered an external USB SuperDrive as an optional accessory. (I9ve used mine exactly once since I bought it in 2013.)
  
  While it was considered underpowered compared to Windows competitors, the original MacBook Air set a new design standard for the industry. It positioned Apple’s Macs for a future of App Store software installations, faster internet connectivity, and the rise of streaming media, cloud storage, and the rest. Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBooks eventually followed suit, ditching optical drives in 2012.
  
  
  Adobe Flash (2010)Apple
  In the early days of the iPhone, Apple famously refused to support Adobe Flash. This was in the early 2000s, too, when much of the web was built with Flash for animations and video support. The iPhone and iPad notably lacked support, creating a fractured browsing experience for years.
  
  In April 2010, just as the first iPad arrived, Steve Jobs published his "Thoughts on Flash" open letter, criticizing its poor security and a lack of touch-friendliness. Many Flash games and interfaces interacted with the mouse cursor9s precise position, something that was invisible on the touchscreen iPhone.
  
  It was also a calculated move. By denying Adobe access to the rapidly growing iOS user base, Apple forced developers to choose between sticking with the aging Flash or embracing open standards like HTML5. Also, by making Flash-based games and tools incompatible, it nudged those developers (and iPhone users) toward the App Store for those very games and tools (and more). There, Apple could curate and monetize those creations.
  
  It was a slow death: Adobe finally discontinued Flash in 2020.
  The headphone jack (2016)
  In a move described by Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller as "courage,” nixing the headphone socket ended up becoming the biggest headline to come from the iPhone 7 launch in 2016. Every flagship iPhone since has lacked the jack, with the most recent iPhone to include it being the original iPhone SE.
  
  To make the change more palatable, Apple bundled a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter (expect more dongle chat later) with the iPhone 7, 8 and X. In-box headphones also swapped from the typical jack to Lightning. Naturally, this meant you couldn’t charge the phone while you listened to music, unless you already had a pair of wireless headphones.
  
  Of course, this move was ultimately instrumental in making true wireless earbuds ubiquitous. While Apple wasn’t remotely the first company to introduce wireless earbuds (and then headphones), the removal of the headphone jack undoubtedly sped up adoption. Pour one out for the Bragi Dash, the Jabras, the Jaybirds of this world.
  
  Conveniently, alongside the aforementioned iPhone 7, Apple announced the AirPods. Features like one-tap setup and automatic pairing brought the convenience people expected of Apple and put it into a tiny white case.
  
  Despite early resistance and "bragging" from rivals who clung onto the headphone jack, at this point, the socket is mostly confined to cheaper smartphones or phones aimed at audiophiles (hi, Sony) or mobile gamers (ASUS ROG).
  
  Eventually, the iPad Pro also lost its headphone jack, and the rest of the company9s tablets followed. The only non-Mac device to keep the jack? The iPod Touch, which had one until its discontinuation in 2022.
  Bespoke ports (2016)Engadget
  2016 was the year of donglegate. Apple’s MacBook Pro redesign that year was another drastic shift in the laptop9s history. Chasing ever-thinner profiles and less port fuss, Apple stripped away nearly every legacy connector that professionals relied on. This was particularly jarring after the previous-generation MacBook Pro (2015) was often cited as the peak of utility, with a MagSafe charging port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, two USB-A ports, not to mention a full-size HDMI port and an SD card slot.
  
  Those were replaced with four (or on the cheapest 13-inch MBP only two!) Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and a headphone jack. For power users (like some Engadget editors), it demanded dongles (possibly multiple ones) in order to connect your USB-A thumb drive, wired internet, SD cards, external screens and well, at that point, pretty much everything. Many were particularly furious with the loss of the MagSafe charging connector. Of course, this also meant that one of those USB-C ports would be used primarily to charge the MBP. This sped up the availability of USB-C peripherals and accessories — perhaps because everyone was sick of carrying around so many dongles and hubs — but we still have USB-A devices. HDMI is everywhere. I still have SD Cards.
  
  Eventually, Apple course-corrected itself. The 2021 MacBook Pro redesign reintroduced the SD card reader and HDMI port, and even MagSafe returned, freeing up a USB-C port.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/50-years-of-apple-pushing-tech-forward-for-better-or-worse-170025862.html?src=rss

• Uber to acquire Berlin-based chauffeur hailing app to ramp up its luxury travel efforts
  Uber has acquired Blacklane, a Berlin-based startup that offers chauffeur services and bookings through its app, with plans to expand further into the luxury travel industry. Blacklane, founded in 2011, acts as a liaison between independent local chauffeur services and travelers looking for a more premium ride. According to Uber, the deal is subject to regulatory approvals but is expected to close by the end of 2026.
  
  "This partnership marks a significant milestone in Blacklane’s next chapter and is a powerful step-change in introducing our service to new markets globally," Jens Wohltorf, founder and CEO of Blacklane said in a press release. Uber didn't disclose the acquisition details and it's not clear if Uber Elite and Blacklane will compete against each other.
  
  Currently, Blacklane is available in at least 500 cities across more than 60 countries. Besides on-demand chauffeur hailing, the startup offers long-distance rides from city to city, airport pickup with flight tracking, and by-the-hour bookings. Uber's acquisition of Blacklane comes several weeks after it launched Uber Elite as an invite-only service for its "luxury ride experience." Besides Uber Elite and Blacklane, another luxury hailing service has recently entered the US market. Earlier this month, Wheely announced its US debut with New York City as its first location, with five others to be announced in the coming years. Blacklane also currently operates in New York City, along with several dozen other cities in the US.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-to-acquire-berlin-based-chauffeur-hailing-app-to-ramp-up-its-luxury-travel-efforts-163855603.html?src=rss

• Microsoft's research assistant can now use multiple AI models simultaneously
  Microsoft's Copilot is getting even better at research thanks to a new feature that combines the power of both OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude. In a blog post announcing Copilot Cowork's availability, Microsoft debuted the Critique feature that will be used in Microsoft 356 Copilot's Researcher tool. Unlike the standard Copilot, Researcher is designed to tackle more complex tasks with multiple steps.
  
  Now, Researcher is getting even better at that with the Critique feature that uses GPT responses, which are then refined by Claude. In a blog post, Microsoft said that, "this architecture creates a powerful feedback loop that delivers higher-quality results across factual accuracy, analytical breadth, and presentation," adding that Researcher's process is similar to what you see in "academic and professional research settings." Microsoft claims the upgrade scores somewhat higher (compared to the most recent Perplexity Deep Research models) on the Deep Research Accuracy, Completeness, and Objectivity benchmark. On its own, Anthropic has a Research feature that can use multiple Claude agents to provide a comprehensive response to more complex requests.
  
  If you prefer doing research with a little more autonomy, Microsoft also added the Model Council feature that's available as an alternative option for Researcher. With Model Council, you'll get side-by-side responses from both Anthropic and OpenAI, with a report that shows where the models agree and disagree. Both features are currently available in Microsoft 365 Copilot's Frontier program, which acts as a early access space for the company's AI innovations.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsofts-research-assistant-can-now-use-multiple-ai-models-simultaneously-154558628.html?src=rss

• This year's Xbox Games Showcase is set for June 7
  Microsoft has confirmed exactly when this year’s Xbox Games Showcase will take place. It will air at the usual time, 1PM ET on the Sunday (June 7) of Summer Game Fest weekend. In recent years, the company has offered a deeper dive into one particular game straight after the showcase, and it’s sticking to that format this time with a closer look at YouTube, Twitch and Facebook.
  
  This is typically Xbox’s biggest showcase of the year. It will be the first Xbox Games Showcase with Asha Sharma at the helm of Microsoft’s gaming division. Perhaps we’ll hear some more details on the next Xbox (aka Project Helix), which is confirmed to be a system that will run PC games — much like the upcoming Steam Machine.
  
  Along with more details about a brand-new Gears of War game, it seems likely that we’ll learn the release date for Fable during the Xbox Games Showcase. That game is slated to arrive this fall.
  
  We don’t yet have exact release dates for confirmed this will take place in Los Angeles, where all of the Summer Game Fest events are going down. “This year’s experience will include a look back at the last 25 years, alongside a forward view of what’s next,” according to an Xbox Wire blog post.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/this-years-xbox-games-showcase-is-set-for-june-7-134942027.html?src=rss

• Project Hail Mary is already Amazon MGM's highest-grossing film ever
  It's safe to say that Project Hail Mary is a success. The movie has taken in over $300 million globally, making it the best showing for Amazon MGM yet, Amazon bought MGM for $8.5 billion in 2022. 
  
  Creed III previously held the record for Amazon MGM, having grossed $276 million. Notably, the achievement for Amazon MGM is just versus its own markers, rather than against other production companies. But it's certainly notable given streamers aren't known for focusing on theatrical releases. 
  
  With that said, Amazon MGM has pivoted recently, announcing last April that it planned to release 14 films in theaters this year. These titles include Is God Is (May 15), Masters of the Universe (June 5), and Verity (October 2).
  
  Project Hail Mary is based on a 2021 novel by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. It follows Ryan Gosling as high school teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spacecraft with no idea who he is or why he's there. It has garnered mostly positive reviews and a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/project-hail-mary-is-already-amazon-mgms-highest-grossing-film-ever-112955144.html?src=rss

• Bethesda is shutting down The Elder Scrolls: Blades on June 30
  It's a sad day for the dozens of players still grinding Reddit, The Elder Scrolls: Blades has already been delisted from the App Store and Google Play store, and is currently unavailable on the Nintendo Store.
  
  In the meantime, players will receive a free bundle of Gems and Sigils, while all items in the in-game store are available for just one Gem or Sigil each. With a server shutdown imminent, The Elder Scrolls: Blades' will at least cross its six-year mark since its official release was in 2020 for Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch. The dungeon-crawling spinoff did see early success when more than one million iOS users downloaded the game during the first week of its early access period, but it never amounted to the commercial success of Bethesda's mainline titles.
  
  In the end, The Elder Scrolls: Blades ended up with a "Generally Unfavorable" score on Metacritic, with critics calling it "repetitive" and filled with microtransactions. The shutdown doesn't come as a total surprise, since Bethesda also killed off its other spinoff, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, by halting development in 2019 and ultimately taking the game's servers offline in January 2025. For anyone who still wants to play a mobile spinoff of Bethesda's fantasy world, there's still The Elder Scrolls: Castles. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bethesda-is-shutting-down-the-elder-scrolls-blades-on-june-30-191016852.html?src=rss

• The Avatar fighting game will release on July 2 for PC and consoles
  The fighting game community is going to have their hands full this summer between the release of beloved TV series. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will feature both casual and ranked matches, using a rollback netcode to ensure smooth frame-by-frame action between players, along with crossplay across PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
  
  For those more interested in the lore, there will be a single-player story mode and a gallery mode with "never before seen art." Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is currently available for pre-order, starting at $29.99, but there's a $59.99 deluxe edition that includes a digital art book, music soundtrack, unique HUDs and a Year 1 Pass, which adds five additional characters that will be released in the future. Those who pre-order will also get a Samurai skin for Appa, exclusive character colors and voting privilege for the Year 1 Pass characters.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-avatar-fighting-game-will-release-on-july-2-for-pc-and-consoles-174614552.html?src=rss

• Bluesky's next product is an AI assistant that helps build custom social media feeds
  Bluesky is the latest social media platform to throw its hat into the AI chatbot ring. Bluesky, but specifically its chief innovation officer Jay Graber and her new Exploration team, built a new AI assistant called Attie that's designed to help users create custom feeds. Graber called Attie an "agentic social app" that's built on its its open-source framework called the AT Protocol.
  
  To use Attie, users can punch in prompts in natural language to generate social feeds without having to know how to code. On the Attie website, examples include prompts like, "Show me electronic music and experimental sound from people in my network" or "Builders working on agent infrastructure and open protocol design."
  Attie
  "It feels more like having a conversation than configuring software," Graber described Attie in a blog post. "You describe the sort of posts you want to see, and the coding agent builds the feed you described."
  
  Graber added that Attie is a separate app from Bluesky and users don't have to use the new AI assistant if they don't want to. However, since Attie and Bluesky were built on the same framework, it could mean there will be some cross-app implementation between the two or any other app built on the AT Protocol. Attie is currently available on an invite-only closed beta, but anyone interested can sign up for the waitlist on its website in the meantime.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/blueskys-next-product-is-an-ai-assistant-that-helps-build-custom-social-media-feeds-163140902.html?src=rss

• Watch the trailer for Science Saru's Ghost in the Shell anime series
  
  A new trailer has given us our best look yet at the upcoming The Ghost in the Shell anime. While it might not tell us all that much about the direction the show will go in plot-wise, it sure is aesthetically pleasing, with a throwback art style that looks a lot more like the original manga than we9ve seen with other adaptations. The series will be released on Prime Video this July. 
  
  The Ghost in the Shell is being produced by Science Saru. The studio hasn9t revealed much about its story, only noting that it9s based on Masamune Shirow9s manga, so it isn9t entirely clear yet how closely it will follow the source material. The franchise has certainly seen its fair share of questionable adaptations over the years. But, this glimpse at the art style seems like a promising indicator. An exact release date hasn9t yet been announced, but July isn9t too far away now. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/watch-the-trailer-for-science-sarus-ghost-in-the-shell-anime-series-210147477.html?src=rss

• Austria is pursuing a social media ban for kids under 14
  Austria is the latest country to prepare a social media ban for its children, but it's going even further than others by including anyone under 14. In a press release, the Austrian government said it has introduced a comprehensive catalogue of measures meant to shield minors from the harms of social media. According to the press release, an official bill will be introduced by the end of June.
  
  Andreas Babler, a vice chancellor and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria, said the government's efforts would include the new age restriction, improved media literacy and clear rules for social media platforms. Austrian lawmakers didn't detail what the upcoming rules would be, but the country is likely to follow in the footsteps of many others who have or are pursuing similar bans. While Australia was the first to implement a social media ban for anyone under 16, other European countries like Spain and the UK are also looking into comparable restrictions.
  
  More recently,Indonesia approved new regulations that would prevent anyone under 16 from using social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Roblox. Indonesia's social media ban just went into effect, but the country only specified that the law's implementation would be carried out gradually until all platforms are in compliance, according toAP.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/austria-is-pursuing-a-social-media-ban-for-kids-under-14-190755295.html?src=rss

• The White House app is just as weird and unnecessary as you'd expect
  President Donald Trump may have a tendency to put his name on everything, but his administration decided to go with the more authoritative The White House App for his latest pursuit. Now available on the App Store and Google Play store, the official White House App claims to gives Americans "a direct line to the White House."
  
  From the press release, the app provides "unfiltered, real-time upgrades straight from the source." In more practical terms, the White House App is a one-stop shop for official communications from the administration and more. On the app, you can find press releases, livestream announcements and even a photo gallery, along with turning on notifications so you get official communications as soon as they happen.
  
  However, it only takes a few minutes of digging through the app to question its value. The White House App's News tab features a carousel of about 35 articles that seem suspiciously cherry-picked with articles that favor the Trump administration. In the Affordability window, the app points out year-over-year prices that have dropped for things like eggs, milk and bread, but conveniently omits the recent swell in gas prices.
  
  In the Social tab, there's a button to "Text President Trump," which auto-populates a new text with "Greatest President Ever!" before ultimately trying to get you to sign up for a marketing blast. The press release mentioned a way to "send your voice and feedback directly to the Administration" but the app's functionality doesn't seem to promote that. Most notably, there's even a way to submit a tip to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the app's Get in Touch section.
  
  While it's convenient to have all your Trump administration announcements in one place, the White House App is mostly just a portal that ends up opening external websites. Traditionally, official White House accounts on social media platforms are passed on during the transition of presidents. However, it's hard to say what will happen to the app after Trump leaves office, but one only has to look towards the lasting triumph of TrumpRx, Trump Mobile or even Trump University. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-white-house-app-is-just-as-weird-and-unnecessary-as-youd-expect-175354004.html?src=rss

• Meta's next AI glasses are reportedly designed with prescription lenses in mind
  Two new models of Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses are on the way, and they're going to be catered towards those who use prescription lenses, according to a AI glasses, but the upcoming models will come in rectangular and rounded styles and will be sold through traditional prescription eyewear channels. Bloomberg didn't specify how these new glasses will differ from existing options, but noted that it's the first time Meta and Ray-Ban are releasing a pair of AI glasses specifically designed for this demographic.
  
  The two models are likely the codenamed products Scriber and Blazer, which were first spotted by Meta Ray-Ban Displays.
  
  Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has hinted at AI glasses that are meant for prescription glasses wearers in a previous earnings call. As noted by Bloomberg, Zuckerberg previously said that "billions of people wear glasses or contacts for vision correction," adding that, "it's hard to imagine a world in several years where most glasses that people wear aren't AI glasses."
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/metas-next-ai-glasses-are-reportedly-designed-with-prescription-lenses-in-mind-162730768.html?src=rss

• NASA pauses its lunar Gateway plan, a comet reverses its spin and more science news
  The first crewed mission of NASA9s Artemis moon program may take off in a matter of days, with a launch window that opens on April 1, and as preparations are underway for that, the space agency is refocusing its plan to establish a human presence on the moon. NASA announced major changes to its approach for moon landings that are expected to play out over the coming years, including axing its plan to build an orbiting station called Gateway. Read on to learn more about the agency’s new vision for the moon, along with other interesting science stories from this week. 
  Gateway out, moon base in
  Just a few weeks after overhauling its Artemis program, NASA this week announced even more changes to its plans for putting astronauts back on the moon. Most notably, the space agency is abandoning the lunar Gateway project, which was intended to be the first ever space station orbiting the moon. Gateway, an international collaboration, wasn9t just going to support exploration of the lunar surface, but deep space missions too. But the writing has been on the wall for some time; in the Trump administration9s proposed budget cuts last May, Gateway was among the programs selected for the chopping block. Now, NASA is officially putting it on "pause" and plans to build a $20 billion moon base instead. 
  
  “NASA is committed to achieving the near‑impossible once again, to return to the moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said at the agency9s Ignition event on Tuesday. 
  
  There are three phases to the moon base plan, according to NASA: first using contractors to send rovers and instruments to the moon through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program; next establishing "semi-habitable infrastructure," with astronauts on the ground and collaboration with other space agencies; and finally adding "heavier infrastructure" to support long-term stays on the lunar surface, including the Italian Space Agency9s Multi-purpose Habitats and the Canadian Space Agency9s Lunar Utility Vehicle. NASA says it9s aiming to start this plan off with crewed moon landings every six months following the Artemis V mission, which is currently planned for 2028.
  Comet 41P pulls a reverse card
  A study published this week in NASA. The researchers say what likely happened is that the heat from the sun caused the comet9s ice to sublimate, sending gases spewing off its sides.
  
  “Jets of gas streaming off the surface can act like small thrusters,” author David Jewitt of the University of California at Los Angeles, said in a statement. “If those jets are unevenly distributed, they can dramatically change how a comet, especially a small one, rotates.” Jewitt compares it to pushing a merry-go-round. “If it’s turning in one direction, and then you push against that, you can slow it and reverse it.”
  
  Comet 41P is thought to have come from the Kuiper Belt and passes through the inner solar system every 5.4 years. It9s small, with a nucleus of just around .6 miles, and the researchers found it9s become less active over recent years, indicating that there are changes taking place on the surface. While it9s thought to have been in this orbit for about 1,500 years, it now appears to be rapidly evolving, and the rotational changes — which could cause structural instability if it continues — could mark the beginning of the end for it. “I expect this nucleus will very quickly self-destruct,” said Jewitt.
  Saturn in a new lightA side-by-side-comparison of photos captured of Saturn from the Webb telescope and the Hubble telescope.NASA/ESA/CSA
  Stunning images of Saturn released this week by NASA, ESA and CSA provide a more detailed look at the many layers of the ringed planet9s "busy" atmosphere. The images, which show storms, clouds at different depths, Saturn9s "ribbon wave" jet stream and so much more were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope in 2024. Read more about it here.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-pauses-its-lunar-gateway-plan-a-comet-reverses-its-spin-and-more-science-news-160000163.html?src=rss

• Wanderstop developer Ivy Road is shutting down
  Ivy Road, the video game developer behind Annapurna-published cozy game Wanderstop, is shutting down on March 31. While Wanderstop was well-received and even critically acclaimed, it seems like it wasn’t enough of a hit to sustain the studio while it develops a new game without getting investors involved. In its announcement, the Ivy Road team said the company failed to land a funding and publishing deal for its new project, laid off five team members.
  
  Even though the studio is shutting down soon, the team said it has one last surprise that will help Wanderstop reach new players. It didn’t say what the surprise was, but the team said Annapurna Interactive will share more news about it in the future. Wanderstop revolves around a former fighter, Alta, who manages a tea shop in a magical forest. In the game, you can gather ingredients and concoct tea, tidy up, talk to customers and learn their stories or just sit on a bench to think and relax. The game will still be available to play and purchase even after Ivy Road shuts down.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/wanderstop-developer-ivy-road-is-shutting-down-153655278.html?src=rss

• Beat-based dungeon crawlers, card-battling soccer sims and other new indie games worth checking out
  Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As ever, we've got some new games for you to dive into this weekend, and a glimpse at some upcoming titles. But, first, a look at indie studio Albatross Interactive's take on a multiplayer mode from a much-loved blockbuster. 
  
  Terminal War is a 4v4 third-person shooter and it seems like the small team of developers is trying to keep things grounded. Ammo and supplies are scarce, and there's an emphasis on melee combat with the promise of "brutal executions." The action is set in the late '90s, a few years after a global war, with three factions battling for control and survival in a collapsed version of the United States.
  
  Albatross Interactive isn't shy about the inspiration behind Terminal War. “They canceled The Last of Us Factions 2," the team wrote on X. "So we're building it [sic] our version." 
  
  In September 2019, nine months before the game’s eventual release, Naughty Dog confirmed told players "you will eventually experience the fruits of our team's online ambition."
  
  That still hasn’t exactly come to pass. The studio formally announced The Last of Us Online in June 2022 and canceled it 18 months later. As such, the Factions mode in 2014's The Last of Us Remastered for PS4 remains the franchise's only remaining multiplayer mode.
  
  Albatross Interactive, which says it's building Terminal War from scratch, plans to reveal more gameplay soon. The game is slated to hit Steam in early access as soon as this summer. 
  
  The team expects Terminal War to remain in early access for around 12-18 months, though it noted that "we're a small studio and we'd rather take the time to get it right than rush to a finish line. The timeline will ultimately be shaped by community feedback, the scope of content we deliver, and the standard of quality we hold ourselves to." The studio plans to bring the game to consoles as well.
  New releases
  I’m into the current iteration of Acclaim as an indie publisher (albeit one with a plan to revive its own historic franchises). Its latest title, GridBeat from Ridiculous Games, is a rhythm-based dungeon crawler in which you're trying to escape from a corporate network after pinching a trove of valuable data. Malware and security protocols are on your tail. Navigating the mazes, interacting with objects and boss battles are all synced to a beat.
  
  GridBeat is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch. It typically costs $20, but there's a 10 percent discount on Switch until April 2. It's 15 percent off on Steam until April 9.
  
  Given how much time I spent playing Football Manager 26 last year, Nutmeg is right up my alley. Getting veteran commentator Jim Rosenthal to pitch the soccer management sim in the launch trailer certainly doesn't hurt.
  
  This is a card-battler take on soccer management and it’s set in the '80s and '90s. You can start out in the lower divisions and can work your way up to the top of the English soccer system. You'll hire and fire staff, and select your team and formation before taking on an opponent. Completing challenges and doing well in training will earn you more card packs. 
  
  The trailer reminds me of collecting Panini stickers as a kid as well as the smell of my friends’ Subbuteo figures. I would have said my favorite thing about this is that everything takes place at an era-appropriate desk with a TV that shows results and standings in the style of Teletext and an old computer that has some retro mini-games you can play. However, Sumo Sheffield and Publisher Secret Mode are donating a small portion of every sale of Nutmeg to charity, which is a nice gesture.
  
  Nutmeg is out now on Steam. It'll usually cost you $25, but there's a whopping 40 percent discount until April 2.
  
  Devil Jam is a metal-themed spin on the roguelite formula that Vampire Survivors popularized with a dash of Hades-esque characterization mixed in. It's been out on Steam since November and it hit consoles this week. It costs $8 on PS5 and Switch, and $7.59 on Xbox Series X/S.
  
  You'll wield a cursed guitar as you battle demonic enemies and bosses. As ever with this type of game, it's all about finding fun, powerful builds by synergizing abilities. You can put those together in a 12-slot gear system. I dig the art style and animation in this game from Rogueside too. I especially love that one character dashes by powersliding on their knees.
  
  A couple of months after its debut on Steam, Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator landed on Xbox Series X/S for $20 this week. The latest game from prolific studio Strange Scaffold is a stock market simulator in which you speculate on the "simulated lives of babies" and how successful (or not) said alien sprogs will be in the future. It takes aim at real-life prediction markets where people can gamble on everything from the Time Person of the Year to nuclear tests. 
  Upcoming 
  Here's another game you can actually check out this weekend, as a playtest is taking place on Steam until March 31. Salvation Denied is a co-op construction sim/tower defense game from Firevolt and publisher Digital Vortex Entertainment.
  
  You can get together with up to three friends to build experimental structures at the behest of a foreman who looks like he's stepped right out of Team Fortress 2. You'll have tools like a gravity gun, foam gun and jetpacks on hand to help you form these structures, along with heavy machinery that can move or recycle sections of the build. Coordinating with proximity voice chat could be critical as you and your buds deal with natural disasters like acid rain and meteor showers.
  
  I'm almost always going to be on board with a game that's all about chaos, so I'm interested in checking out Salvation Denied. It's set to hit Steam this fall before landing on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2027.
  
  Someone has stolen the sun. Reclaiming it is your goal in Light Dude, which is from solo developer Ramy of Dergham Games. It's an action game in which the lights go out when you move, so you'll need to figure out your approach to each level and how to avoid hazards before moving forward. There's a first-person mode here too.
  
  Light Dude is slated to hit Steam sometime this spring. A demo is available now.
  
  Solo developer Mateo Covic (aka ZoroArts) is looking to follow up on the success of Paddle Paddle Paddle with another friendslop game. Covic said it took just four weeks to create Cool Story Bro. Up to four players each have five minutes to write a short story that includes four words. These are picked at random or taken from a pool of player suggestions.
  
  Special items appear throughout each round, such as a revolver, which can take another player out of the game for 10 seconds, and one that swaps everyone's stories. If you're the first player to type an item's name, you can use it.
  
  After everyone has finished writing their story, players take turns to read theirs out for the rest of the group. The others vote on whether they liked the tale. If you really hate someone else's short story, you can blow them up with a rocket launcher. If only I had that option at some of the poetry readings I’ve been to.
  
  This seems fun and silly, and the kind of thing that could easily blow up on Twitch (there's an integration that allows viewers to suggest words). Cool Story Bro is slated to hit Steam sometime in April.
  
  Fittingly enough, it's been a long time since Third Shift announced its debut project, Forever Ago. Six years, in fact. The game re-emerged this week during the Xbox Partner Preview showcase. Publisher Annapurna Interactive is bringing it to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox on PC, Steam and Epic Games Store this fall. It'll be available on Xbox Game Pass (and Xbox Cloud) on day one.
  
  This is a road trip adventure in which you take on the role of Alfred. Following a personal tragedy, he ventures north in his minivan to seek redemption. With an instant camera in hand, Alfred will meet new people and explore forests, deserts and mountains. It's another narrative-heavy game from Annapurna, which appears to be leaning heavily into nostalgia this year given that Mixtape is only a few weeks away.
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/beat-based-dungeon-crawlers-card-battling-soccer-sims-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110000472.html?src=rss

• Verizon waives late fees for federal workers affected by partial DHS shutdown
  Verizon will waive late fees and offer flexible payment arrangements for workers affected by the partial government shutdown. The carrier has made similar offers in the past, like during the COVID-19 pandemic when it gave customers extra mobile data at no additional cost. 
  
  The Department of Homeland Security has been hit the hardest by the partial shutdown, but Verizon's offer covers any federal worker who's able to offer employment verification. Verizon says employees can call 1-800-Verizon (1-800-922-0204) to get their late fees waived and set up a payment plan.
  
  The partial government shutdown started in February after Congress failed to pass a new DHS funding bill. The lack of funding has not affected all of DHS' sprawling organizations equally, however. While the Transportation Security Administration is no longer able to pay its employees — leading to significant delays in airport security lines over the last week — both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have been spared thanks to a separate funding pool established by a previous bill.
  
  Lawmakers continued inability to fund DHS also happens to hinge on both agencies. Democratic senators and congresspeople are demanding ICE agents wear body cams and remove masks before making arrests, among other restrictions, and refusing to fund DHS until those restrictions are worked into the bill. Both Republicans and Democrats have also separately proposed funding the entire department except for ICE and CBP, but while that bill passed in the Senate, it hasn't been taken up in the House.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/verizon-waives-late-fees-for-federal-workers-affected-by-partial-dhs-shutdown-221814382.html?src=rss

• Kash Patel's personal email account was accessed by hackers linked to Iran
  A hacking group called Handala has gained access to FBI Director Kash Patel9s email account, trying to gain access to both the Trump and Harris campaigns. Three men associated with APT42 were later charged that September.
  
  Handala has appeared to become more active during the current conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. According to Reuters, the group claimed to be behind a cyber attack on Stryker, a medical devices company, earlier in March. Handala also said it accessed and published personal data from Lockheed Martin employees stationed in the Middle East.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/kash-patels-personal-email-account-was-accessed-by-hackers-linked-to-iran-212618474.html?src=rss

• Mark Zuckerberg offered to 'help' Elon Musk with DOGE in 2025
  Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have a complicated history. In 2023, the two vowed to fight each other in a cage match that never happened. But by early 2025, when both were cozying up to the newly-elected President Donald Trump, they were apparently on more friendly terms. 
  
  In February of that year, Zuckerberg texted Musk approvingly about his work with the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "Looks like DOGE is making progress," the Meta CEO texted. "I've got our teams on alert to take down content doxxing or threatening the people on your team. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."
  
  The texts, which were published Friday in court documents as part of Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI, are dated February 3, 2025. That's just a few weeks after Zuckerberg announced Meta's pivot away from content moderation in favor of "free expression." It's also the same day that a US Attorney said he would protect DOGE employees from "disgruntled" critics. 
  
  Musk responded to Zuckerberg's message with a heart and followed up with an unrelated topic: OpenAI. He asked Zuckerberg if he was "open to the idea of bidding on the OpenAI IP with me and some others." Zuckerberg asked to "discuss it live" and Musk said he would call the next day. Previous documents disclosed in the case show that Musk had invited Zuckerberg to help him buy OpenAI, though he never officially signed on to the bid.
  
  In a separate filing also made public Friday, Musk's lawyers argued that his exchanges with the Meta CEO ought to be excluded from the lawsuit. "Musk’s personal relationships and communications – including with other high-profile individuals – are also tangential and prejudicial," they wrote. "Defendants included in their exhibit list for trial, for example, several private exchanges between Musk and Mark Zuckerberg discussing Musk’s political activity and this lawsuit. Those recent communications have nothing to do with Musk’s claims and are nothing more than Defendants’ attempt to stoke negative sentiments toward Musk because of his association with Zuckerberg."
  
  A Meta spokesperson declined to comment. 
  
  In the same filing, Musk's lawyers also take issue with Altman's lawyers asking about Musk's alleged ketamine use and his attendance at Burning Man. A transcript from a video deposition with Musk indicated he was asked if had taken "rhino ket" at Burning Man in 2017. Musk said no, according to the transcript. 
  
  "Any implication that music festivals or drugs have any relevance to this case is outlandish, and how Musk spends his free time is equally irrelevant," his lawyers wrote. A judge ruled earlier this month that OpenAI's lawyers would be permitted to ask "limited" questions about Burning Man, but not ketamine. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/mark-zuckerberg-offered-to-help-elon-musk-with-doge-in-2025-211737138.html?src=rss

• Meta will fund seven new natural gas plants to power its biggest data center yet
  Meta will essentially foot the power bill for the $27 billion mega data center it's building in Louisiana. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company struck a deal to fund the energy infrastructure needed for the project.
  
  Through a deal with Entergy Louisiana, Meta will fund seven new natural gas power plants, 240 miles of transmission lines and battery energy storage at three locations. The gas plants will have a combined power output of 5,200 megawatts, and the transmission lines will operate at 500 kilovolts.
  
  In addition, the company will help fund up to 2,500 MW of new renewable resources. It also agreed to a memorandum of understanding for future nuclear power development. The 4-million-square-foot Richland Parish, LA, data center will be Meta's biggest yet. It's currently under construction.
  
  The energy deal follows a pledge by tech companies, including Meta, to offset local residents’ rising electricity costs from AI data centers. The companies plan to "build, bring or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their new energy demands, paying the full cost of those resources." However, the pledge lacks a binding agreement or any enforcement mechanisms.
  
  The shift in tone comes in response to growing anger from local communities over the rise of power-hungry, environmentally damaging AI data centers. A December poll found that 60 percent of Americans — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents — support more AI regulation. Just this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill to force a moratorium on data center construction until meaningful regulations are passed.
  
  We could easily file this and similar moves as Big Tech's latest attempt to convince voters and officials that it can be trusted to do right without enforceable regulations. We've seen that movie before.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-will-fund-seven-new-natural-gas-plants-to-power-its-biggest-data-center-yet-201000045.html?src=rss

• European Commission confirms data breach
  The European Commission has announced that it suffered a cyber attack that affected "cloud infrastructure hosting the Commission9s web presence on the Europea.eu platform." While the attack has been contained, disclosed a breach that similarly impacted employee data in February.
  
  Both breaches appear to be less severe than the Salt Typhoon hack that impacted US telecommunications companies in 2024. Hackers reportedly gained access to data from the smartphones of members of both the Trump and Harris campaigns, and other government officials. In January 2026, the European Commission introduced a new Cybersecurity Package designed to address similar issues, in part by outlining new ways for EU states to deal with potentially risky companies in their telecom supply chains.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/european-commission-confirms-data-breach-200000982.html?src=rss

• Crunchyroll is now available as a channel in the Apple TV app
  If you9re still using Crunchyroll after its AI subtitle fiasco and subsequent price increase, there9s a new way to watch. The anime streaming service is now available as a channel in the Apple TV app.
  
  That means you can subscribe and stream your favorite anime titles, all within Apple9s video app. No need for the Crunchyroll app or a separate login. (Your Apple account handles your subscription using this method.) 9to5Mac notes that this is the first significant new channel added to the TV app in some time.
  
  Crunchyroll starts at $10 per month, after the platform raised all of its monthly subscription prices by $2 earlier this year. That may be a hard sell for fans frustrated by the platform9s direction.
  
  Last year, months after the company president enthused about the potential for AI subtitles, fans noticed something fishy. The German subtitles for Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show included one that began with "ChatGPT said…" Crunchyroll pinned the blame on a third-party vendor and promised it would work to "rectify the error."
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/crunchyroll-is-now-available-as-a-channel-in-the-apple-tv-app-182500579.html?src=rss

• If you live in Georgia, there's a new exhibit you can visit celebrating Apple's 50th anniversary
  The Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell, Georgia is debuting a new exhibit celebrating Apple's 50th anniversary. The exhibit, iNSPIRE: 50 Years of Innovation from Apple, is set to open on April 1, the date the company was founded, and includes "more than 2,000 artifacts across 20,000 square feet, making it the largest public display of Apple products in the world."
  
  iNSPIRE is supposed to offer "a unique look" into Apple, by "highlighting early computers, rare prototypes, original documentation and immersive installations inspired by Apple’s most iconic products and campaigns." Based on photos shared from the exhibit's launch event, that includes displays of every model of key products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and an interactive installation that inserts you in the company's iconic iPod ads.
  
  If you're based on the west coast of the US, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California is also displaying its own "Apple@50" exhibit, and running what it calls "Mactivations," scheduled demos where you can interact with a reproduction of an original Macintosh.
  
  Apple's own celebrations have included a published letter from CEO Tim Cook ruminating on the company's mission, and live music events at the company's stores, offices and select landmarks around the world.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/if-you-live-in-georgia-theres-a-new-exhibit-you-can-visit-celebrating-apples-50th-anniversary-180940846.html?src=rss

• It looks like we're finally getting an Ocarina of Time remake
  After years of rumors and countless fan-made Unreal Engine tech demos of varying quality, it sounds like we might finally be getting a ground-up remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
  
  That’s according to Nintendo insider NatetheHate, who said in the latest edition of his podcast that a remake of the seminal Nintendo 64 game would be coming to Switch 2 in the second half of 2026. The reliable tipster said he doesn’t know whether Nintendo is making a 1:1 remake of the original 3D Zelda entry, or something "that’s a little more free to explore design choices," adding that he was initially reluctant to share the information he’d received in case we ended up getting little more than an HD remaster. But it sounds like this is a more ambitious undertaking than that.
  
  Ocarina of Time has of course been remastered before, with 2011’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS generally considered to be the best version of the game you can play today. The original 1998 game is also easily accessible via emulation through Nintendo Switch Online, but a modern remake for Switch 2 does make some sense.
  
  For one, 2026 marks the series’ 40th anniversary, and if you asked every Zelda fan alive what their favorite entry is, you can bet that OoT would feature pretty high in the final rankings. We’re also getting that live-action Zelda movie next year, and Nintendo will no doubt want to make sure audiences have done their homework on the games that inspired it.
  
  Of course, none of this is official, so have those grains of salt at the ready, but NatetheHate did also claim that anyone hoping for a new 3D Mario game to arrive in 2026 is going to be disappointed. That’s more likely to arrive in 2027. In better news, we’re apparently also getting a brand new "classic-style" Star Fox game this summer, which would mark the return of the spacefaring Fox McCloud after a decade spent in Nintendo’s unloved mascot closet.
  
  This rumor seems logical after Nintendo’s surprise announcement that the anthropomorphic red fox is going to feature in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which arrives next week. He’s being voiced by Glen Powell, because of course he is.
  
  NatetheHate’s information on all of the above has been corroborated by VGC, which says it lines up with what it9s heard from its own sources. And in the case of the Ocarina of Time remake, that recent Lego set suddenly makes a lot of sense.
  
  If indeed we do get the remake of Metacritic’s highest-rated game of all time later this year, physical collectors could have a difficult choice to make, after Nintendo announced that physical versions of first-party Switch 2 games are about to become more expensive than their digital counterparts. This adjusted pricing will come into effect when Yoshi and the Mysterious Book launches on May 21.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/it-looks-like-were-finally-getting-an-ocarina-of-time-remake-175546356.html?src=rss

• The original Hollow Knight just got an update to fix a glitch with a final boss
  Team Cherry just fixed a bug with the original Hollow Knight, frustrating news to people who have been trying to avoid those lingering orbs for the better part of a decade. Better late than never, right?
  
  We don9t know why the company tackled this particular issue right now. It could be that the success of the long-awaited sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, has been driving new players to the original release. It9s also possible they just now got around to it. Today9s patch includes other stuff, like raising the volume when navigating the inventory and adding more journal notification icons. Team Cherry isn9t Ubisoft or Nintendo. It9s a relatively small team.
  
  The team has been pumping out updates for Silksong as well. Team Cherry recently added traditional Chinese and German language options, which had become a sticking point for some. It9s also busy working on the game9s first major DLC expansion, called Sea of Sorrow.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-original-hollow-knight-just-got-an-update-to-fix-a-glitch-with-a-final-boss-173533993.html?src=rss

• The AI Doc explores how we can survive an uncertain AI future 
  Anxiety, more so than technological rigor, sits at the heart of The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. Director Daniel Roher is anxious about the future he9s bringing a child into — will it be an AI-driven utopia? Or does it spell certain doom, something explored in countless sci-fi stories. To figure it all out, he interviewed some of the most well known AI proponents and critics, including The Empire of AI author Karen Hao, AI researcher Emily Bender and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.  
  
  The AI Doc, which hits theaters this weekend, doesn9t really shed new light. For that, I9d recommend reading Hao9s industry-defining book, which chronicles the rise of OpenAI and the precarious nature of its business. But I don9t think tech-heads are the main audience for this film. Instead, Roher is trying to break down the state of AI for mainstream audiences, the folks who may occasionally use ChatGPT or Google9s Gemini, but aren9t aware of why they9re controversial. In particular, the film exposes the near-religious devotion many in the tech world have around AI. 
  
  It9s not a spoiler to say that Roher ultimately adopts an "apocaloptimist" viewpoint. He9s aware of the potential dangers of AI, and that it will likely have some serious societal impact. But, he also thinks humans have the ability to shape where it9s headed. AI proponents have a near-religious belief in the eventuality of artificial general intelligence (AGI), or AI that can match and surpass human capabilities. But AGI isn’t inevitable, and Roher argues there’s room for critics and the public to push back. 
  
  We’re seeing small examples of AI resistance already. Just look at the viscerally negative response to NVIDIA9s DLSS 5 AI upscaling; Microsoft9s recent plans to pull back on Copilot AI features in Windows 11; or OpenAI shutting down its Sora AI video generation app. (The latter may be due to the sheer expense, but Sora has certainly seen plenty of criticism.) If enough people say no to various implementations of AI, tech companies will be likely to respond.
  Daniel Roher in The AI Doc.Focus Features
  The AI Doc splits its narrative between true believers — like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei — and prominent AI critics — like Tristan Harris, the co-founder and president of the Center of Humane Technology, as well as linguistics professor Emily M. Bender. It9s easy to feel a bit of whiplash when the film moves from people who genuinely think AI will lead to some sort of utopia (and who will also become insanely rich in the process), and the extreme critics who think it will mean the end of humanity. At one point, Harris mentions that some of his friends working in AI risk assessment believe that their kids "won9t see high school." There9s that anxiety again. 
  
  While The AI Doc squeezes an impressive amount of notable interviews in its hour-and-43-minute runtime, I would have liked to hear more from critics like Timnit Gebru, a former Google AI researcher who also ties the development of AI into a rise of "techno-fascism" in Silicon Valley. She appears briefly in the film, but her perspective isn9t fully fleshed out. The AI Doc doesn9t dig very deeply into the driving forces behind AI, whereas Ghost in the Machine, this year9s other major AI documentary, draws a direct line between the rise of eugenics and Silicon Valley. (Ghost in the Machine is headed to theaters this summer, and will air on PBS in the fall.) 
  
  It9s the sort of energetic, animation-heavy documentary that wants to make sure the audience is never bored. But the threat of AI deserves more nuance and critical scrutiny. At worst, The AI Doc may make more people question the value of AI as the tech industry becomes more desperate to make it a success.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-ai-doc-explores-how-we-can-survive-an-uncertain-ai-future-154341735.html?src=rss

• The PS5 is getting more expensive... again
  It was only last August that Sony raised PS5 console prices in the US, blaming a "challenging economic environment" at the time. Today it has slightly tweaked the phrasing to "continued pressures in the global economic landscape," but the outcome is the same: price rises across the board, this time even affecting the PS Portal handheld.
  
  Starting April 2, the price of the standard PS5 (that’s the one with the disc drive) is going up to $650. That’s a whopping $100 hike, or $150 if you go back to before the August price increases. The Digital Edition is getting the same increase, up to $600 from $500 since August.
  
  But the most eye-wateringly huge bump goes to the PS5 Pro, which will now cost you $900, $150 more than its (already very high) previous $750 MSRP. If you managed to pick up a Pro during last year’s Black Friday sale, when its price was slashed to $650, then you’re probably feeling pretty smug right now.
  
  Even the PlayStation Portal is getting a $50 increase, up from $199 to $250. The Portal has gotten a lot more capable in the last 12 months, but $250 for a device that can’t run any games natively might make a purchase harder to justify for a lot of people.
  
  In a blog post, Sony acknowledged the impact of prices increases on its audience, but said after "careful evaluation" that it was "a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide."
  
  Global economic turbulence is affecting the entire games industry right now. Valve has already pushed back the launch date for the Steam Machine, while the ongoing RAM crisis could also be to blame for Steam Deck stock shortages. 
  
  Microsoft also raised Xbox prices twice last year, and earlier this week Nintendo announced that some of its physical first-party Switch 2 games will soon be more expensive than purchasing the game digitally. While Nintendo has experimented with this kind of pricing structure before, it might point to the increasingly prohibitive costs of making and shipping products right now.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps5-is-getting-more-expensive-again-133141514.html?src=rss

• Engadget Podcast: Can Microsoft fix Windows 11 by dumping AI?
  It turns out people don't actually love having Copilot shoved into their faces. This week, Devindra and PCWorld Senior Editor Mark Hachman discuss Microsoft's surprising plan to "fix" Windows 11 by refocusing on customization and core features, instead of bringing Copilot AI into tons of apps. Is there any enthusiasm left for Windows? Or will most people be better off considering macOS or Linux?
  Subscribe!
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  Topic
  Microsoft hits the reset button on Windows 11, de-emphasizing Copilot AI – 1:03
  
  OpenAI pulls the plug on its Sora video generation app after just 5 months – 25:23
  
  Meta’s terrible week in court, part 1: $375 million ruling in New Mexico child engagement case – 33:58
  
  Meta’s terrible week in court, part 2: Meta and Google lose landmark social media addiction suit – 38:49
  
  OpenAI puts erotic chat on hold indefinitely – 43:49
  
  Update your iPhones: iOS exploit ‘Darksword’ released on GitHub – 46:39
  
  Epic games lays off 1,000 workers after Fortnite engagement dips – 47:48
  
  Honda and Sony kill off their Afeela EV collaboration – 49:26
  
  Listener Mail: Which Mac Mini to get for a budding pro photographer – 55:15
  
  Pop culture picks – 57:52
  Credits
  Host: Devindra Hardawar
  Guest: Mark Hachman
  Producer: Ben Ellman
  Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-can-microsoft-fix-windows-11-by-dumping-ai-122601592.html?src=rss

• The Morning After: Sony and Honda’s debut EV is dead before it even arrived
  Honda and Sony announced that they are discontinuing both the Afeela 1 and 2, their electric cars. The company is reviewing its “business direction,” but it9s hard to expect much from a car company that’s cancelled all of its cars.
  
  The Afeela 1, casually called the PlayStation Car, was meant to be a fusion of a modern EV and your own digital media bubble. (You could have a God of War-themed dash — if you wanted that.)
  Meta and YouTube lose social media addiction caseTikTok and Snap settled ahead of the trial. Smart.
  A jury in Los Angeles has found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a closely watched trial over social media addiction. The two companies were ordered to pay $6 million in damages to a woman who said their addictive features harmed her.
  
  For Meta, it9s the second legal setback in recent weeks, after a New Mexico jury ruled against it on child safety issues. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties, making this settlement seem small in comparison. The companies are planning to appeal.
  
  Sonos Play reviewThe company9s best portable speaker so far.DJI Avata 360 drone reviewThere���s a new 360-degree drone in town.Engadget
  DJI responded quickly to Insta360’s debut drone, the Antigravity A1, with the Avata 360. It’s drawn from years of drone experience (and tech from its new Osmo 360 action cam). Compared to the A1, it’s safer to fly around people and offers single-camera OIS 4K footage in addition to 8K 360 video. The 360 video it shoots offers incredible editing flexibility, but overall quality is lower than that of DJI’s other drones. It’s cheaper than its 360 drone rival, too, though US availability remains unclear.
  
  Continue reading.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121539576.html?src=rss

• Fender Mix review: Well-designed headphones that just fall short of greatness
  I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t Fender a guitar company?” It sure is, and has been one of the most iconic names in guitars and amplifiers since 1946. So what is the company doing making headphones and speakers? Well, it isn’t, exactly. Like Zound Industries used to do with Marshall (before buying the amp business), another company is licensing the Fender name for its consumer audio products. Fender Audio, the brand that’s on the headphones I’m reviewing, is owned by the Fender Corporation, but Riffsound oversees the design and production of portable audio gear. 
  
  The first products from Fender Audio are the Mix headphones and the Elie speaker (in two sizes). The company revealed these in January before properly showing them off  at CES. I’ll get to those speakers in a few weeks, but the Mix headphones are first up on the review docket. 
  
  With the Mix, Fender Audio seeks to offer a set of premium over-ear, noise-canceling headphones at a lower price than the likes of Sony, Bose and Sennheiser. There’s also marathon battery life, several smart design touches, a lossless Bluetooth transmitter and swappable parts that combine for a unique formula to take on those big names. I’m honestly impressed that Fender Audio could cram all of that in a more affordable package, but the final verdict on the Mix isn’t so straightforward.
  
  
  What’s good about the Fender Mix headphones?
  Fender Audio made numerous smart design decisions on the Mix headphones, and they resulted in my favorite things about using them. To start, you can swap out the ear pads, ear cups and headband as you see fit. The ear cups attach to the headband via USB-C ports, so they’re easy to snap on and off. Obviously, this allows you to change the look of the Mix over time, within the bounds of Fender’s available colors. 
  
  Underneath the ear pads, Fender put a storage slot for the lossless dongle on the left side and gives you access to the removable battery on the right. I’m thrilled that I can enjoy higher quality Bluetooth connectivity without having to remember to bring along such a small accessory. Plus, it’s nice to know that users will be able to install a fresh battery, provided the company sells those at some point. 
  
  I also enjoy how Fender Audio designed the onboard controls. First, they’re physical buttons, which are always my preference over touch- or gesture-based options. Second, the main one is a five-way joystick, so they’re very simple. Press it to play/pause, press and hold for pairing mode or press longer to power on or off. If you push the joystick up or down, you can adjust the volume, while moving it left and right skips the track forward or backward. You can also push down twice to enable Auracast pairing right on the headphones. A second button, which is just the regular kind, is used to cycle through noise canceling modes: ANC, transparency and both off. 
  The lossless Bluetooth dongle inside the left ear cup Billy Steele for Engadget
  Sonically, the Mix headphones are at the height of their powers in lossless mode, which is enabled by the Bluetooth dongle hidden inside the ear cup. Bass tuning that’s otherwise overpowering in most cases is restrained, and you can pick up finer details in the more balanced mix. When listening to Watchhouse’s Rituals, I got the sense that I was surrounded by the band, with strings, drums and vocals enveloping my ears with sound — rather than it simply being projected from the left and right channels. There’s more nuance with the lossless mode, and it kept calling me back to the Mix headphones at the times when I’d probably opt for the conveniences of earbuds or a speaker. 
  
  ANC performance is respectable, although it’s not on the level of Bose. It’s good enough to block out mild-to-moderate distractions, but it struggles with louder human voices and sudden jolts of noise. It will certainly do the job in the office or coffee shop, but you may notice some sounds invade your ears during a commute. For calls, transparency mode provides natural sound and it picks up enough of my voice that I never felt the need to shout. Call quality, though, is a different matter (more on that in a bit). 
  
  Another big perk of the Mix is its long battery life. Fender Audio says you’ll get up to 52 hours with ANC on or a whopping 100 hours with it off. The company is forthcoming with the fact that the latter number is achieved at 50 percent volume, which will be too low for most “regular” use. Still, with noise canceling enabled and the volume around 70 percent, I had 52 percent battery left after nearly 30 hours of use. I spent most of that time with either ANC or transparency mode on. 
  What’s not so good about the Fender Mix? The five-way joystick and ANC button on the Fender Mix Billy Steele for Engadget
  Out of the box, Fender Mix’s tuning is too bass heavy. I realize a lot of people prefer a thundering low-end tone out of their headphones, but I found it to be too overpowering here. The stock sound profile is my biggest issue with this model, although it’s somewhat alleviated by using the lossless Bluetooth dongle. In that mode, the bass is slightly subdued, but it’s still quite prominent at times when it shouldn’t be. 
  
  On that Watchhouse album, the kick drum starts to drive the sound, rather than the guitars, mandolin and other instruments. When I listen to the same songs on other headphones, I’ve noticed a better blend of drums and strings. With more intense genres, like the hardcore riffs and breakdowns of Incendiary’s Product of New York, the booming bass isn’t as much of an issue. The distorted guitars still cut through, and there’s plenty of texture in their tone. And when each song hits its climax, the cranked up lows offer extra oomph. It works for metal, but it isn’t always nice for bluegrass, jazz and synth-laiden electronic tunes where the extra bass can muddy the mix. 
  
  The Fender Mix also lacks many of the smart features that are present in premium headphones today, which is probably how the company is able to sell them for $299. Things like automatic EQ tweaks and adaptive ANC are missing, as is automatic pausing when you speak or things like head gestures. These headphones don’t have wear detection either, so they don’t pause the audio when you take them off. There’s also no app available to dial in the EQ or adjust other settings (it’s coming soon).
  
  These headphones only have two microphones for calls, and you can tell almost instantly that those are insufficient. Despite claims of “crystal clear calls,” your voice will just sound okay to the person on the other end. Honestly, I would’ve sounded better just using my iPhone with no headphones. The Mix works to get your voice across, but don’t dream of dialing into a podcast recording with them. What’s more, the Mix isn’t good at blocking background noise, so you’ll need to use them in a quiet location to have a chance at sounding decent. Which, again, is about the best these headphones can muster.
  
  While the modular design allows for a decent degree of customization, the extra parts you’ll need aren’t on sale yet. What’s more, only two colors — white, which is really more of a light gray, and black — are currently available. So, for now, one of the perks of the Mix remains untapped. 
  Wrap-up The Fender Mix headphones Billy Steele for Engadget
  There’s a lot to like about the Fender Mix, from the clever design choices to the crisp, detailed sound. The lack of finesse with the bass tuning and the omission of advanced features, particularly the absence of an app for settings changes, keeps these headphones firmly planted in the midrange category. 
  
  Clearly that’s not what the company is aiming for with tools like the lossless Bluetooth dongle, but that’s where it lands for me at the end of the day. So, at $299, the Mix is a tough call when a $250 price tag would make these an easier sell. Sure, there’s enough here to make these a capable daily audio accessory, but not everything I’d need to call them a must buy.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/fender-mix-review-well-designed-headphones-that-just-fall-short-of-greatness-120000974.html?src=rss

• MLB The Show 26 is turning me into more of a baseball fan
  There were two questions I was looking to answer as I fired up MLB The Show 26. First, how much does the game cater to a baseball newbie like me? Second, will it keep me hooked enough to keep playing after my first few games?
  
  I think it9s important to share some personal context. I have very limited experience with baseball. I have been to one MLB game, which was on my first visit to Canada as a teen. The lead-off Toronto Blue Jays hitter scored a home run on his first at-bat. Fireworks went off and everyone was going wild. Fun! 
  
  But that was the only score of the whole game. My dad and I (both lifelong soccer fans, for what it’s worth) were bored lifeless for the rest of the three hours. 
  
  An incredible run of a dog playing a baseball game at Games Done Quick aside, I had no real interest in the sport for the next couple of decades until the Blue Jays made a deep run into the 2025 playoffs. This time, now as a Canadian citizen, I bought into the excitement and watched all of the World Series last year. I was enthralled. 
  
  I slowly started to appreciate the nuances of pitching, the skill of trying to make every pitch look identical at the time the ball is thrown to hopefully hoodwink the batter. Friends who are in-the-know tolerated my most basic of questions about how everything works as the postseason wore on. Now, I’m planning to watch a lot more games this year and MLB The Show 26 arrived at just the right time to get me ready for the new season. 
  
  Sony9s San Diego Studio seemed to be speaking to me, personally, when the first thing the game asked me to do was select my preferred playstyle. The Competitive track was definitely out for now. The Simulation option offers an “authentic MLB experience that plays true to player and team ratings.” I wasn9t quite feeling that either. As a newcomer to all of this, I had to select the Casual style. That’s billed as “an easier, fun, pick up and play experience with an emphasis on learning the game.” Exactly what I needed. 
  
  I was immediately impressed with how deeply you can customize the gameplay, even if the vast array of batting and pitching options in particular felt a little overwhelming. Using both a thumbstick to aim and button to swing at the ball seemed too much for someone who has no idea as yet how to read pitches. 
  
  Dipping my toes in slowly was surely going to help me avoid getting too frustrated too quickly and uninstalling the game, so I chose to keep everything as simple as possible. I’m not switching off options like automated bullpen warm ups for a long time, if ever. 
  
  Finally, after about 20 minutes of fine-tuning some settings in the tutorial, it was game time. 
  
  The Dodgers didn9t know what hit 9em as I won my first game 38-0. I thought this Shohei guy was supposed to be good? Pffft, he didn9t even register a hit. His team only got a measly two players on base, while I had 46 hits. That blowout was a fun intro to MLB The Show 26, but I had to bump up the difficulty and make it a little more challenging if there was any chance of me sticking with it.
  
  Instead of jumping into the Road to the Show career mode, an online match or another exhibition game to get my feet a tad wetter, I next tried the Storylines feature. This is what really drew me into MLB The Show 26.
  
  San Diego Studio has been sharing the stories of several notable players from the Negro Leagues in the last few editions of the series. I know very little about baseball history outside of household names. So I was fascinated to learn about the likes of Roy Campanella, who debuted in the league as a 15-year-old catcher, and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, the league9s first female pitcher. 
  
  The developers did a fantastic job of connecting these athletes9 stories to playable moments from their playing careers. Cutscene insights from Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tied everything together quite beautifully. Great stories are such an effective way to pull you into a sport and to start learning about it. Stories connect us more than just about anything else. 
  
  The default difficulty in the Storylines mode was much higher than I dealt with in my first washout game. Still, that gave me a chance to practice the Competitive playstyle without having to play a full game or the stop-start nature of the tutorial. 
  
  My pitching was less accurate, so figuring out how to compensate for that made for an interesting challenge. Batting was a lot tougher too, with balls travelling faster and pitchers trying to trick me. At first, I was swinging at every ball, but that clearly was the wrong idea. I tried to be more judicious and wait to see if a ball was breaking, but that meant I was swinging too late and fouling or giving the fielders an easy catch. That9s a tricky conundrum to solve, and I9ll need a lot more practice before I dream of playing online. I9m not even going to get started on how woeful I am at catching. 
  
  And yet all of this deepened my appreciation for baseball. There9s so much more nuance and complexity to the sport than I realized until a few months ago. And even as someone who doesn9t typically enjoy turn-based games, I found myself getting into the swing of it... so to speak.
  
  I9m never going to care about Diamond Dynasty, MLB The Show9s take on Ultimate Team modes in EA Sports games. I can9t see myself diving into the team management-focused Franchise mode, in large part because I don9t yet have a strong enough understanding of stats to have a decent handle on what makes a specific player great in their role. And as much as I like the idea of the Road to the Show career mode — in which you can stick with a player from their high school days all the way to a Hall of Fame induction — I don9t think I can invest enough time into that to make it worth the effort. 
  
  I did find the answers to the two main questions I had about MLB The Show 26. It does a bang-up job of easing a baseball newbie like me into the fray. I9m eager to keep playing as well. I don9t think MLB The Show has quite enough pull to keep me away from my actual forever game, Overwatch, for too long. But I can absolutely see myself playing it on a second screen while streaming some MLB games this season. After all, I9m always on the lookout for a great story.
  
  MLB The Show 26 is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/mlb-the-show-26-is-turning-me-into-more-of-a-baseball-fan-120000724.html?src=rss

• RGG's Stranger Than Heaven game will span five time periods
  Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed more details about its upcoming title, Xbox Partner Preview stream. While previous teasers showed that it was going to be set in the 1910s and 1940s, it turns out its gameplay will span five different time periods: 1915, 1929, 1943, 1951 and 1965. The game’s events will also take place in five different cities. Ryu Ga Gotoku has yet to reveal what the locations will be based on, but the setting for 1965 seems to be Kamurocho. That’s the fictionalized version of Tokyo’s Kabukicho entertainment district in the studio’s games, the Yakuza and Judgment series.
  
  One time period seems to be set during winter, while another focuses on a hot spring town. It’s clear from teasers and the new trailer RGG released that new title will share Yakuza’s aesthetics and maybe even its fighting mechanics. The studio has yet to say whether it will be connected to the Yakuza series, but fans believe Stranger Than Heaven could focus on the beginnings of the yakuza clans that appeared throughout the franchise.
  
  RGG Studio will reveal more details about the game on another stream with Xbox on May 6 at 7PM Eastern time. For now, you can watch the trailer below for a preview. Take note that while the studio has teamed up with Xbox for these reveals, the game will also be available on Steam and the PS5.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/rggs-stranger-than-heaven-game-will-span-five-time-periods-114554699.html?src=rss

• Court temporarily blocks US government from labeling Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk'
  The court has granted Anthropic’s request for a preliminary injunction, preventing the government from banning its products for federal use and from formally labeling it as a “supply chain risk,” at least for now. If you’ll recall, things turned sour between the company and the Trump administration when Anthropic refused to change the terms of its contract that would allow the government to use its technology for mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons.
  
  In response to Anthropic’s refusal, the president ordered federal agencies to stop using Claude and the company’s other services. The Defense Department also officially labeled it as a supply chain risk, which is typically reserved for entities typically based in US adversaries like China that threaten national security. In addition, department secretary Pete Hegseth warned companies that if they want to work with the government, they must sever ties with Anthropic. The AI company challenged the designation in court, calling it unlawful and in violation of free speech and its rights to due process. It asked the court to put a pause on the ban while the lawsuit is ongoing, as well.
  
  In a court filing, the Defense Department said giving Anthropic continued access to its warfighting infrastructure would “introduce unacceptable risk��� to its supply chains. But Judge Rita F. Lin of the District Court for the Northern District of California said the measures the government took “appear designed to punish Anthropic.”
  
  Lin wrote in her decision that it seems Anthropic is being punished for criticizing the government in the press. “Punishing Anthropic for bringing public scrutiny to the government’s contracting position is classic illegal First Amendment retaliation,” she continued. The judge also said that the supply chain risk designation is contrary to law, arbitrary and capricious. She added that the government argued that Anthropic showed its subversive tendencies by “questioning” the use of its technology. “Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the US for expressing disagreement with the government,” she wrote.
  
  Anthropic told The New York Times that it’s “grateful to the court for moving swiftly” and that it’s now focused on “working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI.” The company’s lawsuit is still ongoing, and the court has yet to issue its final decision. Judge Lin said, however, that Anthropic “has shown a likelihood of success on its First Amendment claim.”
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/court-temporarily-blocks-us-government-from-labeling-anthropic-as-a-supply-chain-risk-083857528.html?src=rss

• Google Gemini now lets you import your chats and data from other AI apps
  Google is adding a pair of new features to Gemini aimed at making it easier to switch to the AI chatbot. Personal history and past context are big components to how a chatbot provides customized answers to each user. Gemini now supports importing history from other AI platforms. Both free and paid consumer accounts can use these options. 
  
  With the first option, Gemini can create a prompt asking a competitor9s AI chatbot to summarize what it has learned about you. The result might include details such as your typical written communication style, your family members9 names or your key preferences. The other AI tool9s summary can then be pasted into Gemini, providing Google9s platform with a preliminary profile. 
  
  The second option allows users to import their entire chat history with a different AI assistant into Gemini. Doing so allows people to reference earlier conversations or requests made on a different platform after migrating to the Google option. 
  
  Anthropic recently introduced a similar memory import feature, so Google may also be hoping to scoop up some of the people who are dropping OpenAI following its shady-sounding new arrangementwith the Department of War. Whatever the motivation, these options should make it easier to have a seamless transition between providers.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-gemini-now-lets-you-import-your-chats-and-data-from-other-ai-apps-225711015.html?src=rss

• Apple discontinues the Mac Pro
  Apple has confirmed to Engadget that the Mac Pro, the desktop tower-shaped computer that was last updated in 2023, has been discontinued. As Mac Studio is the Apple's top-of-the-line professional computer.
  
  The current version of the Mac Pro was introduced in 2019, with a distinct cheese-grater design, Intel chips and a bevy of easily-accessible expansion slots. Apple released the computer as a make-good for several years of inadequately meeting the performance needs of professional Mac users, but its uncontested time at the top of the company's lineup was short-lived. A year later in 2020, Apple began transitioning to its custom M-series Arm chips, proving Macs could be more powerful and power-efficient by abandoning Intel entirely.
  
  Apple eventually updated the Mac Pro to the M2 Ultra without updating the computer's design, but by then the writing was on the wall. The far smaller Mac Studio, introduced in 2022, also supported the new chip, and it's been updated since then while the Mac Pro has languished. Studio Display XDR, itself a replacement for the Pro Display XDR Apple announced for the 2019 Mac Pro. Now all the company needs to do is update the Mac Studio with an M5 Max chip to make it the most “pro” computer Apple offers.
  
  Update, March 26, 6:25PM ET: Added confirmation from Apple that the Mac Pro has been discontinued.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-discontinues-the-mac-pro-221502339.html?src=rss

• X moves the ashes of TweetDeck behind its $40 Premium+ subscription
  X Pro, the feature most users would recognize as TweetDeck, has been removed as a benefit of the social network9s Premium subscription. It is now only part of the Premium+ tier, which costs $40 a month. 
  
  TweetDeck was rebranded to X Pro in 2023 following Elon Musk9s renaming of Twitter to X. It became a subscription feature shortly after. The tool offered a popular interface for showing multiple timelines, feeds and lists in a single interface.
  
  Engadget staffers using X Pro at the Premium level didn9t find any advanced notice that the feature would be changing subscription tiers, so people may be in for an unpleasant surprise when they next go to access their accounts. The feature appears to be gone no matter when you last paid up for the service, which might feel pretty scummy for people who just re-upped to have such a key feature lost.
  
  At least some of the X support documentation currently describes X Pro as only available under Premium+. It9s listed as such under the help center page listing different X Premium plan benefits, but at the time of publish, there9s currently no mention of the limitation on the dedicated X Pro page. Here9s what Grok had to say when a confused subscriber asked about the change:
  Hi Nadine, X updated X Pro (TweetDeck) access today—it9s now Premium+ only, per the official help page. The Creator Hub table hasn9t refreshed yet, causing the mix-up. Upgrade via settings or contact Premium support for details.
  — Grok (@grok) March 26, 2026
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-moves-the-ashes-of-tweetdeck-behind-its-40-premium-subscription-210601250.html?src=rss

• Ugh, Netflix is raising prices
  Netflix is raising prices across all of its subscription tiers, according to an updated "Plans and Pricing" page spotted by last raised prices in January 2025, when the cost of all of its tiers were jacked up by $1 or more.
  
   As of this latest price hike, Netflix9s ad-supported Standard plan is going from $8 per month to $9 per month, while the ad-free version is rising from $18 to $20 per month. The company9s Premium plan, meanwhile, which supports things like 4K streams, spatial audio and the ability to watch content on four devices at the same time, is jumping from $25 to $27 per month. Netflix is also making the cost of adding an extra member to your plan more expensive. Adding a member to an ad-supported plan now costs an additional $8 per month, while adding someone to an ad-free plan now costs $10 per month.
  
  When asked to comment on the price changes, a Netflix spokesperson shared that the company is updating "prices in the U.S to reflect improvements to our wide range of entertainment and the quality of our service." The new prices will roll out to current subscribers in the coming weeks. "Existing members will be notified by email a month before the new prices are applied to them," the spokesperson said. "The exact timing will depend on the specific member’s billing cycle."
  
  Netflix is not quite at the point where it9s raising the cost of its subscription every year, but it9s getting close. Prior to last year9s price hike, the company last raised prices in 2023. The streaming service9s growing subscription fees have helped Netflix to continue its push into streaming live events like sports and reality TV competitions, and to license new kinds of content like video podcasts. If Netflix hadn9t dropped out in February, they also would have served as financial backing for the company9s acquisition of Warner Bros. Even though Warner Bros. Discovery ultimately decided to take Paramount Skydance9s offer, Netflix didn9t leave the deal empty handed: Paramount paid the company $2.8 billion to formally end its acquisition of the historic film studio.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/ugh-netflix-is-raising-prices-again-202318277.html?src=rss

• Judge tosses out X's advertiser boycott lawsuit
  A US District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas has dismissed X Corp.’s lawsuit against advertisers it claimed participated in an “illegal boycott” of X, its lawsuit in 2024 in response to advertisers pulling ads from the social media platform, a decision reportedly motivated by X9s lax approach to moderating hate speech.
  
  Judge Jane J. Boyle was not swayed by X’s claims that advertisers like Twitch, Shell, Nestlé and Lego pulling advertising amounted to an “antitrust injury.” The companies named in X’s lawsuit are members of the World Federation of Advertisers’ Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), an organization used by advertisers to bargain for certain safety standards from the platforms they advertise on. Advertisers took issue with X9s approach to moderation and responded accordingly, purchasing ad space on other social platforms instead. The decision hurt X9s ad revenue, but as Boyle writes in the dismissal, the company made no claim that advertisers did so to benefit a competitor or to form their own competing platform. They also didn9t prevent X from selling ad space to other companies not in GARM. "The very nature of the alleged conspiracy does not state an antitrust claim," Boyle writes, "and the Court therefore has no qualm dismissing with prejudice."
  
  X’s lawsuit being "dismissed with prejudice" means the company will be unable to refile the lawsuit at a later date. Separately, Judge Boyle also denied X the ability to appeal her decision. The company9s rancor for advertisers was apparent when owner Elon Musk compared X9s lawsuit to going to war, but the vitriol appears to be all for naught. X claimed in January 2026 that nearly all its top advertisers had returned to buying ads on the platform. As a subsidiary of xAI, the social platform is now also facing new, even more pressing issues, like its AI assistant Grok9s alleged willingness to generate sexually explicit imagery of minors.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/judge-tosses-out-xs-advertiser-boycott-lawsuit-184832071.html?src=rss

• Blumhouse's horror-centric cozy game Grave Seasons will be released on August 14
  The spooky, yet cozy, game Grave Seasons is coming out on August 14, which was announced at today9s Xbox Partner Preview event. This is basically Stardew Valley, but set in a Lovecraftian nightmare of a town. Players farm, mine and romance villagers, but also solve murders and deal with the occasional bloodthirsty demon or two. It looks fun!
  
  This is being published by Blumhouse Games, which is a division of the film studio that pumps out modern horror hits like Happy Death Day, M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy9s. Perfect Garbage is the development studio behind the game, which previously made the narrative-driven cyberpunk title Love Shore.
  
  Grave Seasons is coming to just about every platform out there, including Xbox Series X/S, Steam, PS5 and the Switch. It9s truly a golden age for cozy gamers.
  
  This isn9t the only cozy game with a darker undercurrent. Titles like Graveyard Keeper, Cozy Grove and Spiritfarer have all experimented with this idea. Even Nintendo9s recent smash Pokémon Pokopia is set in some kind of post-apocalyptic world.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blumhouses-horror-centric-cozy-game-grave-seasons-will-be-released-on-august-14-184042880.html?src=rss

• Dispatch is coming to Xbox this summer
  Dispatch was one of 2025’s standout titles and one of the best narrative games in years, which made its no-show on Xbox all the more puzzling. Luckily, that’s being rectified this summer.
  
  Announced during today’s Xbox Partner Preview broadcast, Dispatch is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud later this year. It will also be an Xbox Play Anywhere title at launch, so you can play it on your console and continue on your PC or Windows handheld, or vice versa.
  
  ICYMI last year, the game is pitched as a superhero workplace comedy by developer AdHoc Studio, which was founded by a group of ex-Telltale developers. You play as the excellently named Robert Robertson, a recently out-of-work superhero who’s talked into reluctantly taking a 9-5 desk job that involves him dispatching other heroes.
  
  Dispatch is an episodic game, which rolled out gradually on PS5 and PC last year but will presumably be available in its entirety straight away when the Xbox version arrives. Gameplay is divided between interactive narrative segments that will feel familiar to anyone who played Telltale’s previous titles, and the management sim-like dispatch missions.
  
  Both are very well done, but I was shocked by the quality of Dispatch’s writing and animation when I played it on PS5. It’s essentially a prestige animated superhero show that you participate in, and I genuinely agonized over loads of decisions. It helps that the star-studded voice cast, which features Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Laura Bailey and Jeffrey Wright, is bringing its A-game across the board. The game was a big hit with the wider Engadget team too, making it into our best games of 2025 list.
  
  Dispatch has also since made its way to Switch, but that port was highly controversial after it emerged that some of the game’s content had been censored. I would assume that all nudity and explicit content will be present and correct in the Xbox version, which will cost $30 or $40 if you want the Deluxe Edition, which includes four digital comics and a digital artbook. A firm release date was not announced in the stream.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/dispatch-is-coming-to-xbox-this-summer-183735998.html?src=rss

• Stalker 2 is getting its first DLC, Cost of Hope, this summer
  
  Stalker 2 is getting its first DLC, titled Cost of Hope, this summer. The expansion and its general release window was announced during today9s Xbox Partner Preview showcase. 
  
  It9s been more than a year since the base game finally released, closing a long development cycle that was disrupted by Russia9s invasion of Ukraine, where the studio GSC Game World was initially based. Stalker 2 was released on PlayStation 5 in the interim, but otherwise, the team has been focused on making this substantial DLC. 
  
  Stalker 2: Cost of Hope will add two new regions and a new story that takes place alongside the events of the base game. You still play as protagonist Skif as you negotiate between two factions, Duty and Freedom, that have opposing views of the Zone and how to approach it. 
  
  The blog post teased that there will be a second expansion on the way to close out the full Stalker 2 story as a trilogy. For now, the survival-horror saga will continue when Cost of Hope drops for the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud, Xbox on PC, PC and PlayStation 5 this summer.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/stalker-2-is-getting-its-first-dlc-cost-of-hope-this-summer-183009759.html?src=rss

• Google begins rolling out Search Live globally
  Following a false start last week, Google has begun rolling out Search Live globally. The tool allows you to point your phone9s camera at an object or scene and ask questions about what you see in front of you. With today9s expansion, Google is making Search Live available in every location and language where it offers its AI Mode chatbot. With that, people in more than 200 countries and territories can use Search Live to get answers to their questions. 
  
  Behind the expansion is Google9s Gemini 3.1 Flash Live model. According to the company, the new AI system was designed to be natively multilingual, and capable of more natural conversations. It should also be more reliable and faster.
  
  Separately from Search Live, Google is bringing Live Translate to iOS. Live Translate, if you need a reminder, allows you to put on a pair of headphones and get a real-time translation of what another person is saying. With today9s announcement, Google is also bringing the feature to more countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and the UK, across both Android and iOS. All told, Live Translate can now understand more than 70 languages and work with any set of headphones. Neat.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-begins-rolling-out-search-live-globally-180938407.html?src=rss

• Hades 2 is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on April 14
  
  If you’ve been (impatiently) waiting for Hades 2 to hit Xbox Series X/S and PS5, there’s some great news for you coming out of Thursday’s Xbox Partner Preview showcase. Supergiant’s roguelite action RPG is coming to those consoles (as well as Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud) on April 14. It’ll be available on Xbox Game Pass too.
  
  The full version of Hades 2 hit PC and Nintendo Switch last September after over a year of Steam early access. It was one of our favorite games of 2025.
  
  This time around, you play as Melinoë, the sister of the original game’s protagonist, Zagreus. Melinoë has a longer dash than her sibling, a sprint ability and more of a focus on area-of-effect attacks than ranged projectiles. You can also expect tough bosses along two separate paths, animal familiars, a range of modifiable weapons and messy romances.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/hades-2-is-coming-to-xbox-series-xs-and-ps5-on-april-14-175819696.html?src=rss

• The EU is investigating Snapchat over possible child protection breaches
  The European Union has opened a formal investigation into whether Snapchat has breached Digital Services Act (DSA) regulations regarding the safeguarding of children using its app. 
  
  Regulators say that the company, whose audience demographic has always skewed young, may not be doing enough to protect minors from grooming and "recruitment for criminal purposes." The EU is also looking into whether Snapchat’s younger users are too easily accessing information on how to buy illegal drugs and age-restricted products.
  
  Brussels argues that while Snapchat requires users to be at least 13 years of age to sign up for an account, its self-declaration age assurance system may not be an adequate means of ensuring those younger than the minimum age can’t engage with the platform. The European Commission also says the current measures fail to assess whether users are younger than 17 years old, which it says is necessary for an "age-appropriate experience." It also alleges that adults are able to exploit the current system to lie about their own age and impersonate minors.
  
  Investigators believe that the app itself doesn’t allow for other users to report accounts they suspect are being used by people younger than the minimum age requirements. Moreover, they argue that reporting illegal content found on the app is not easy enough, and that Snapchat may not be informing its users about "possibilities for redress.”
  
  Other issues being looked at by the European Commission include child and teen accounts being recommended to other users by Snapchat’s Find Friends feature and insufficient guidance on available account safety features. 
  
  The investigators are now in the process of gathering evidence, sending out interview invitations and requesting information from Snap. The Commission says the investigation is based on analysis of the last three years of risk assessment reports filed by Snapchat, as well as an information request it sent on October 10 in 2025.
  
  "The safety and wellbeing of all Snapchatters is a top priority, and our teams have worked for years to raise the bar on safety," a Snapchat spokesperson said in a statement to Engadget. "Snapchat is designed to help people communicate with close friends and family in a positive, trusted environment, with privacy and safety built in from the start - including additional protections for teens. As online risks evolve, we continuously review, strengthen, and invest in these safeguards." 
  
  The company added that it has acted proactively and transparently in its efforts to meet the DSA’s requirements, and said it would fully cooperate with the Commission throughout its investigation.
  
  Snap is one of a number of social media companies currently facing increased scrutiny regarding the safety of minors using its platform. In 2023, the company added new features designed to make it harder for teenagers to connect with strangers. One of these measures involved increasing the amount of mutual friends users must have before appearing in search and suggested accounts.
  
  Along with TikTok, the company recently settled a lawsuit that accused its platform of causing social media addiction. The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman who said she’d been harmed by addictive features on Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap as a child. This week, a jury ruled against Meta and YouTube in the trial, with the companies ordered to pay the woman, who was named as K.G.M in official documents, $6 million in damages.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-eu-is-investigating-snapchat-over-possible-child-protection-breaches-174722759.html?src=rss

• EU OS: A Bold Step Toward Digital Sovereignty for Europe
  Image
  A new initiative, called "EU OS," has been launched to develop a Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for the public sector organizations of the European Union (EU). This community-driven project aims to address the EU's unique needs and challenges, focusing on fostering digital sovereignty, reducing dependency on external vendors, and building a secure, self-sufficient digital ecosystem.
  What Is EU OS?
  EU OS is not an entirely novel operating system. Instead, it builds upon a Linux foundation derived from Fedora, with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It draws inspiration from previous efforts such as France's GendBuntu and Munich's LiMux, which aimed to provide Linux-based systems for public sector use. The goal remains the same: to create a standardized Linux distribution that can be adapted to different regional, national, and sector-specific needs within the EU.
  
  Rather than reinventing the wheel, EU OS focuses on standardization, offering a solid Linux foundation that can be customized according to the unique requirements of various organizations. This approach makes EU OS a practical choice for the public sector, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of implementation across diverse environments.
  The Vision Behind EU OS
  The guiding principle of EU OS is the concept of "public money – public code," ensuring that taxpayer money is used transparently and effectively. By adopting an open-source model, EU OS eliminates licensing fees, which not only lowers costs but also reduces the dependency on a select group of software vendors. This provides the EU’s public sector organizations with greater flexibility and control over their IT infrastructure, free from the constraints of vendor lock-in.
  
  Additionally, EU OS offers flexibility in terms of software migration and hardware upgrades. Organizations can adapt to new technologies and manage their IT evolution at a manageable cost, both in terms of finances and time.
  
  However, there are some concerns about the choice of Fedora as the base for EU OS. While Fedora is a solid and reliable distribution, it is backed by the United States-based Red Hat. Some argue that using European-backed projects such as openSUSE or KDE's upcoming distribution might have aligned better with the EU's goal of strengthening digital sovereignty.
  Conclusion
  EU OS marks a significant step towards Europe's digital independence by providing a robust, standardized Linux distribution for the public sector. By reducing reliance on proprietary software and vendors, it paves the way for a more flexible, cost-effective, and secure digital ecosystem. While the choice of Fedora as the base for the project has raised some questions, the overall vision of EU OS offers a promising future for Europe's public sector in the digital age.
  
  Source: It's FOSS
  European Union

• Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
  
  Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
  
  Linux kernel lead developer Linus Torvalds has admitted to forgetting to release version 6.14, attributing the oversight to his own lapse in memory. Torvalds is known for releasing new Linux kernel candidates and final versions on Sunday afternoons, typically accompanied by a post detailing the release. If he is unavailable due to travel or other commitments, he usually informs the community ahead of time, so users don’t worry if there’s a delay.
  
  In his post on March 16, Torvalds gave no indication that the release might be delayed, instead stating, “I expect to release the final 6.14 next weekend unless something very surprising happens.” However, Sunday, March 23rd passed without any announcement.
  
  On March 24th, Torvalds wrote in a follow-up message, “I’d love to have some good excuse for why I didn’t do the 6.14 release yesterday on my regular Sunday afternoon schedule,” adding, “But no. It’s just pure incompetence.” He further explained that while he had been clearing up unrelated tasks, he simply forgot to finalize the release. “D'oh,” he joked.
  
  Despite this minor delay, Torvalds’ track record of successfully managing the Linux kernel’s development process over the years remains strong. A single day’s delay is not critical, especially since most Linux users don't urgently need the very latest version.
  
  The new 6.14 release introduces several important features, including enhanced support for writing drivers in Rust—an ongoing topic of discussion among developers—support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chip, a fix for the GhostWrite vulnerability in certain RISC-V processors from Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor, and a completed NTSYNC driver update that improves the WINE emulator’s ability to run Windows applications, particularly games, on Linux.
  
  Although the 6.14 release went smoothly aside from the delay, Torvalds expressed that version 6.15 may present more challenges due to the volume of pending pull requests. “Judging by my pending pile of pull requests, 6.15 will be much busier,” he noted.
  
  You can download the latest kernel here.
  Linus Torvalds kernel

• AerynOS 2025.03 Alpha Released with GNOME 48, Mesa 25, and Linux Kernel 6.13.8
  Image
  AerynOS 2025.03 has officially been released, introducing a variety of exciting features for Linux users. The release includes the highly anticipated GNOME 48 desktop environment, which comes with significant improvements like HDR support, dynamic triple buffering, and a Wayland color management protocol. Other updates include a battery charge limiting feature and a Wellbeing option aimed at improving user experience.
  
  This release, while still in alpha, incorporates Linux kernel 6.13.8 and the updated Mesa 25.0.2 graphics stack, alongside tools like LLVM 19.1.7 and Vulkan SDK 1.4.309.0. Additionally, the Moss package manager now integrates os-info to generate more detailed OS metadata via a JSON file.
  
  Future plans for AerynOS include automated package updates, easier rollback management, improved disk handling with Rust, and fractional scaling enabled by default. The installer has also been revamped to support full disk wipes and dynamic partitioning.
  
  Although still considered an alpha release, AerynOS 2025.03 can be downloaded and tested right now from its official website.
  
  Source: 9to5Linux
  AerynOS

• Xojo 2025r1: Big Updates for Developers with Linux ARM Support, Web Drag and Drop, and Direct App Store Publishing
  Image
  Xojo has just rolled out its latest release, Xojo 2025 Release 1, and it’s packed with features that developers have been eagerly waiting for. This major update introduces support for running Xojo on Linux ARM, including Raspberry Pi, brings drag-and-drop functionality to the Web framework, and simplifies app deployment with the ability to directly submit apps to the macOS and iOS App Stores.
  
  Here’s a quick overview of what’s new in Xojo 2025r1:
  1. Linux ARM IDE Support
  Xojo 2025r1 now allows developers to run the Xojo IDE on Linux ARM devices, including popular platforms like Raspberry Pi. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for developers who want to create apps for ARM-based devices without the usual complexity. Whether you’re building for a Raspberry Pi or other ARM devices, this update makes it easier than ever to get started.
  2. Web Drag and Drop
  One of the standout features in this release is the addition of drag-and-drop support for web applications. Now, developers can easily drag and drop visual controls in their web projects, making it simpler to create interactive, user-friendly web applications. Plus, the WebListBox has been enhanced with support for editable cells, checkboxes, and row reordering via dragging. No JavaScript required!
  3. Direct App Store Publishing
  Xojo has also streamlined the process of publishing apps. With this update, developers can now directly submit macOS and iOS apps to App Store Connect right from the Xojo IDE. This eliminates the need for multiple steps and makes it much easier to get apps into the App Store, saving valuable time during the development process.
  4. New Desktop and Mobile Features
  This release isn’t just about web and Linux updates. Xojo 2025r1 brings some great improvements for desktop and mobile apps as well. On the desktop side, all projects now include a default window menu for macOS apps. On the mobile side, Xojo has introduced new features for Android and iOS, including support for ColorGroup and Dark Mode on Android, and a new MobileColorPicker for iOS to simplify color selection.
  5. Performance and IDE Enhancements
  Xojo’s IDE has also been improved in several key areas. There’s now an option to hide toolbar captions, and the toolbar has been made smaller on Windows. The IDE on Windows and Linux now features modern Bootstrap icons, and the Documentation window toolbar is more compact. In the code editor, developers can now quickly navigate to variable declarations with a simple Cmd/Ctrl + Double-click. Plus, performance for complex container layouts in the Layout Editor has been enhanced.
  What Does This Mean for Developers?
  Xojo 2025r1 brings significant improvements across all the platforms that Xojo supports, from desktop and mobile to web and Linux. The added Linux ARM support opens up new opportunities for Raspberry Pi and ARM-based device development, while the drag-and-drop functionality for web projects will make it easier to create modern, interactive web apps. The ability to publish directly to the App Store is a game-changer for macOS and iOS developers, reducing the friction of app distribution.
  How to Get Started
  Xojo is free for learning and development, as well as for building apps for Linux and Raspberry Pi. If you’re ready to dive into cross-platform development, paid licenses start at $99 for a single-platform desktop license, and $399 for cross-platform desktop, mobile, or web development. For professional developers who need additional resources and support, Xojo Pro and Pro Plus licenses start at $799. You can also find special pricing for educators and students.
  
  Download Xojo 2025r1 today at xojo.com.
  Final Thoughts
  With each new release, Xojo continues to make cross-platform development more accessible and efficient. The 2025r1 release is no exception, delivering key updates that simplify the development process and open up new possibilities for developers working on a variety of platforms. Whether you’re a Raspberry Pi enthusiast or a mobile app developer, Xojo 2025r1 has something for you.
  Xojo ARM

• New 'Mirrored' Network Mode Introduced in Windows Subsystem for Linux
  
  Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) continues to evolve with the release of WSL 2 version 0.0.2. This update introduces a set of opt-in preview features designed to enhance performance and compatibility.
  
  Key additions include "Automatic memory reclaim" which dynamically optimizes WSL's memory footprint, and "Sparse VHD" to shrink the size of the virtual hard disk file. These improvements aim to streamline resource usage.
  
  Additionally, a new "mirrored networking mode" brings expanded networking capabilities like IPv6 and multicast support. Microsoft claims this will improve VPN and LAN connectivity from both the Windows host and Linux guest. 
  
  Complementing this is a new "DNS Tunneling" feature that changes how DNS queries are resolved to avoid compatibility issues with certain network setups. According to Microsoft, this should reduce problems connecting to the internet or local network resources within WSL.
  
  Advanced firewall configuration options are also now available through Hyper-V integration. The new "autoProxy" feature ensures WSL seamlessly utilizes the Windows system proxy configuration.
  
  Microsoft states these features are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders running Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621.2359 or later. They remain opt-in previews to allow testing before final integration into WSL.
  
  By expanding WSL 2 with compelling new capabilities in areas like resource efficiency, networking, and security, Microsoft aims to make Linux on Windows more performant and compatible. This evolutionary approach based on user feedback highlights Microsoft's commitment to WSL as a key part of the Windows ecosystem.
  Windows

• Linux Threat Report: Earth Lusca Deploys Novel SprySOCKS Backdoor in Attacks on Government Entities
  
  The threat actor Earth Lusca, linked to Chinese state-sponsored hacking groups, has been observed utilizing a new Linux backdoor dubbed SprySOCKS to target government organizations globally. 
  
  As initially reported in January 2022 by Trend Micro, Earth Lusca has been active since at least 2021 conducting cyber espionage campaigns against public and private sector targets in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Their tactics include spear-phishing and watering hole attacks to gain initial access. Some of Earth Lusca's activities overlap with another Chinese threat cluster known as RedHotel.
  
  In new research, Trend Micro reveals Earth Lusca remains highly active, even expanding operations in the first half of 2023. Primary victims are government departments focused on foreign affairs, technology, and telecommunications. Attacks concentrate in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Balkans regions. 
  
  After breaching internet-facing systems by exploiting flaws in Fortinet, GitLab, Microsoft Exchange, Telerik UI, and Zimbra software, Earth Lusca uses web shells and Cobalt Strike to move laterally. Their goal is exfiltrating documents and credentials, while also installing additional backdoors like ShadowPad and Winnti for long-term spying.
  
  The Command and Control server delivering Cobalt Strike was also found hosting SprySOCKS - an advanced backdoor not previously publicly reported. With roots in the Windows malware Trochilus, SprySOCKS contains reconnaissance, remote shell, proxy, and file operation capabilities. It communicates over TCP mimicking patterns used by a Windows trojan called RedLeaves, itself built on Trochilus.
  
  At least two SprySOCKS versions have been identified, indicating ongoing development. This novel Linux backdoor deployed by Earth Lusca highlights the increasing sophistication of Chinese state-sponsored threats. Robust patching, access controls, monitoring for unusual activities, and other proactive defenses remain essential to counter this advanced malware.
  
  The Trend Micro researchers emphasize that organizations must minimize attack surfaces, regularly update systems, and ensure robust security hygiene to interrupt the tactics, techniques, and procedures of relentless threat groups like Earth Lusca.
  Security

• Linux Kernel Faces Reduction in Long-Term Support Due to Maintenance Challenges
  
  The Linux kernel is undergoing major changes that will shape its future development and adoption, according to Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer and executive editor of Linux Weekly News. Speaking at the Open Source Summit Europe, Corbet provided an update on the latest Linux kernel developments and a glimpse of what's to come.
  
  A major change on the horizon is a reduction in long-term support (LTS) for kernel versions from six years to just two years. Corbet explained that maintaining old kernel branches indefinitely is unsustainable and most users have migrated to newer versions, so there's little point in continuing six years of support. While some may grumble about shortened support lifecycles, the reality is that constantly backporting fixes to ancient kernels strains maintainers.
  
  This maintainer burnout poses a serious threat, as Corbet highlighted. Maintaining Linux is largely a volunteer effort, with only about 200 of the 2,000+ developers paid for their contributions. The endless demands on maintainers' time from fuzz testing, fixing minor bugs, and reviewing contributions takes a toll. Prominent maintainers have warned they need help to avoid collapse. Companies relying on Linux must realize giving back financially is in their interest to sustain this vital ecosystem. 
  
  The Linux kernel is also wading into waters new with the introduction of Rust code. While Rust solves many problems, it also introduces new complexities around language integration, evolving standards, and maintainer expertise. Corbet believes Rust will pass the point of no return when core features depend on it, which may occur soon with additions like Apple M1 GPU drivers. Despite skepticism in some corners, Rust's benefits likely outweigh any transition costs.
  
  On the distro front, Red Hat's decision to restrict RHEL cloning sparked community backlash. While business considerations were at play, Corbet noted technical factors too. Using older kernels with backported fixes, as RHEL does, risks creating divergent, vendor-specific branches. The Android model of tracking mainline kernel dev more closely has shown security benefits. Ultimately, Linux works best when aligned with the broader community.
  
  In closing, Corbet recalled the saying "Linux is free like a puppy is free." Using open source seems easy at first, but sustaining it long-term requires significant care and feeding. As Linux is incorporated into more critical systems, that maintenance becomes ever more crucial. The kernel changes ahead are aimed at keeping Linux healthy and vibrant for the next generation of users, businesses, and developers.
  kernel

• Linux Celebrates 32 Years with the Release of 6.6-rc2 Version
  
  Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Linus Torvalds introducing the inaugural Linux 0.01 kernel version, and celebrating this milestone, Torvalds has launched the Linux 6.6-rc2. Among the noteworthy updates are the inclusion of a feature catering to the ASUS ROG Flow X16 tablet's mode handling and the renaming of the new GenPD subsystem to pmdomain.
  
  The Linux 6.6 edition is progressing well, brimming with exciting new features that promise to enhance user experience. Early benchmarks are indicating promising results, especially on high-core-count servers, pointing to a potentially robust and efficient update in the Linux series.
  
  Here is what Linus Torvalds had to say in today's announcement:
  Another week, another -rc.I think the most notable thing about 6.6-rc2 is simply that it'sexactly 32 years to the day since the 0.01 release. And that's a roundnumber if you are a computer person.Because other than the random date, I don't see anything that reallystands out here. We've got random fixes all over, and none of it looksparticularly strange. The genpd -> pmdomain rename shows up in thediffstat, but there's no actual code changes involved (make sure touse "git diff -M" to see them as zero-line renames).And other than that, things look very normal. Sure, the architecturefixes happen to be mostly parisc this week, which isn't exactly theusual pattern, but it's also not exactly a huge amount of changes.Most of the (small) changes here are in drivers, with some tracingfixes and just random things. The shortlog below is short enough toscroll through and get a taste of what's been going on. Linus Torvalds

• Introducing Bavarder: A User-Friendly Linux Desktop App for Quick ChatGPT Interaction
  
  Want to interact with ChatGPT from your Linux desktop without using a web browser?
  
  Bavarder, a new app, allows you to do just that.
  
  Developed with Python and GTK4/libadwaita, Bavarder offers a simple concept: pose a question to ChatGPT, receive a response, and promptly copy the answer (or your inquiry) to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
  
  With an incredibly user-friendly interface, you won't require AI expertise (or a novice blogger) to comprehend it. Type your question in the top box, click the blue send button, and wait for a generated response to appear at the bottom. You can edit or modify your message and repeat the process as needed.
  
  During our evaluation, Bavarder employed BAI Chat, a GPT-3.5/ChatGPT API-based chatbot that's free and doesn't require signups or API keys. Future app versions will incorporate support for alternative backends, such as ChatGPT 4 and Hugging Chat, and allow users to input an API key to utilize ChatGPT3.
  
  At present, there's no option to regenerate a response (though you can resend the same question for a potentially different answer). Due to the lack of a "conversation" view, tracking a dialogue or following up on answers can be challenging — but Bavarder excels for rapid-fire questions.
  
  As with any AI, standard disclaimers apply. Responses might seem plausible but could contain inaccurate or false information. Additionally, it's relatively easy to lead these models into irrational loops, like convincing them that 2 + 2 equals 106 — so stay alert!
  
  Overall, Bavarder is an attractive app with a well-defined purpose. If you enjoy ChatGPT and similar technologies, it's worth exploring.
  ChatGPT AI

• LibreOffice 7.5.3 Released: Third Maintenance Update Brings 119 Bug Fixes to Popular Open-Source Office Suite
  
  Today, The Document Foundation unveiled the release and widespread availability of LibreOffice 7.5.3, which serves as the third maintenance update to the current LibreOffice 7.5 open-source and complimentary office suite series.
  
  Approximately five weeks after the launch of LibreOffice 7.5.2, LibreOffice 7.5.3 arrives with a new set of bug fixes for those who have successfully updated their GNU/Linux system to the LibreOffice 7.5 series.
  
  LibreOffice 7.5.3 addresses a total of 119 bugs identified by users or uncovered by LibreOffice developers. For a more comprehensive understanding of these bug fixes, consult the RC1 and RC2 changelogs.
  
  You can download LibreOffice 7.5.3 directly from the LibreOffice website��or from SourceForge as binary installers for DEB or RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions. A source tarball is also accessible for individuals who prefer to compile the software from sources or for system integrators.
  
  All users operating the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite series should promptly update their installations to the new point release, which will soon appear in the stable software repositories of your GNU/Linux distributions.
  
  In early February 2023, LibreOffice 7.5 debuted as a substantial upgrade to the widely-used open-source office suite, introducing numerous features and improvements. These enhancements encompass major upgrades to dark mode support, new application and MIME-type icons, a refined Single Toolbar UI, enhanced PDF Export, and more.
  
  Seven maintenance updates will support LibreOffice 7.5 until November 30th, 2023. The next point release, LibreOffice 7.5.4, is scheduled for early June and will include additional bug fixes.
  
  The Document Foundation once again emphasizes that the LibreOffice office suite's "Community" edition is maintained by volunteers and members of the Open Source community. For enterprise implementations, they suggest using the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners.
  LibreOffice