Context 9h ago
Watch: The ups and downs of SpaceX's 13 Starship test flights
The BBC's Ricky Boleto looks how previous SpaceX test flights went.
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Urgent 10h ago
Coke Plus is the fibermaxxing soda that Americans haven’t caught on to yet
On a recent trip to Japan, I found a fiber-forward soda that tastes like Diet Coke and keeps things movingSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsOn my recent vacation to Japan, I learned they are light-years ahead of the US in many ways – from their high-tech toilets and efficient bullet trains to … diet sodas.Amidst the chilled bottles of Coke Zero and Sugar-Free Pepsi stocked in the fridge of practically every 7-Eleven was another mysterious beverage in a bright white can – Coke Plus, which my friend heard about from the internet’s goldmine of travel videos. Continue reading...
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Watch 18h ago
Only 3% of US sickle cell patients receive red blood cell exchange for disease, researchers find
Various factors block sufferers of disease from receiving treatment that is effective and has widespread availabilitySickle cell patients are missing out on an effective treatment despite widespread US hospital access to the technology, new research has found.That treatment is called a red blood cell exchange, a procedure that discards a patient’s damaged red blood cells while simultaneously mixing the patient’s remaining plasma, platelets and white blood cells with red blood cells from a donor before returning them to the body. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Context 19h ago
Democracy blindsides Silicon Valley’s power players looking to transform the world with AI
‘The push against datacenters speaks to the frustration of people who don’t feel they are making the choices in their lives’The Stanford ethicist Rob Reich was once invited to a dinner organized by a Silicon Valley mogul to discuss what a state designed to maximize science and tech powered by commercial models might look like. The gathered technologists were drawn to the idea of building a small nation-state dedicated to the endeavor, Reich recalls in “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot it”.When Reich asked whether this state would be a democracy, he got a cool no. “Democracy is too slow, and it holds science back,” he was told. “To optimize for science, we need a beneficent technocrat in charge.” Continue reading...
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Urgent 21h ago
Bill Gates says unchecked AI could ‘cause a billion deaths’ in call for regulation
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist speaks with NBC’s Kristen Welker in interview airing on SundayBill Gates has called on the US’s federal legislators and law enforcers to regulate the development of artificial intelligence (AI), saying in an interview airing on Sunday that the technology left unchecked could cause “a billion deaths” and “no one thinks self-regulation is enough”.“You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like,” the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said to Kristen Welker, the NBC Meet the Press host. “And that has to be a required thing.” Continue reading...
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Watch 1d ago
‘Mum, where did my Robux go?’ The Roblox scam targeting children
Criminals are trying to glean login details to harvest players’ in-game currency and personal dataYour 10-year-old son has started playing Roblox, when he realises all of his in-game currency, Robux, is gone.When you try to find out what happened, he says he was recently promised extra Robux if he followed a link on YouTube. When he signed on at the site link, he was taken to the Roblox site as usual but there was no sign of the extra currency. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Good news 1d ago
OpenAI halts training of latest models as reports mount of AI agents going rogue
Decision follows disclosures that OpenAI agents searching government websites had acted in unexpected waysOpenAI said it has paused training of its latest artificial intelligence models as reports of AI agents going rogue mount.The decision to halt development came just hours after the company disclosed Friday that it was reviewing several incidents from the summer in which OpenAI agents searching federal government websites acted in unexpected ways beyond what was asked of them while gathering and distributing information. Continue reading...
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Good news 1d ago
Australian backlash to datacentres is faux import from US, officials say: ‘We are not the United States’
Pro-datacentre officials argue scale of Australia’s buildout is smaller, more regulated and less damaging than in USAustralian politicians and business leaders are arguing that their populace’s growing resentment of AI datacentres is an inauthentic import from the United States.Like the US, Australia is seeing community resentment grow in response to a surge in the construction of massive AI datacentres. However, pro-datacentre officials and executives argue the scale of Australia’s buildout is smaller, more regulated and therefore less damaging than that in the US. They say the burgeoning negative reaction is being tainted and inflamed by a heated US debate that has arrived down under via social media feeds. Continue reading...
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Context 2d ago
‘Charming and disarming’ … how Meta’s technology-packed Muse harnesses the power of cuteness
The tech giant has launched a cute ‘little guy’ that can answer emails, book travel or do your weekly food shopAfter the recent backlash against Meta’s so-called “pervert” smart glasses, this week Mark Zuckerberg launched a much cuter alternative: the Muse “charm” device.With a screen that shows a cutesy little avatar, it has drawn comparisons with Tamagotchis. “We’ve packed a lot of technology into this little guy,” the Meta founder told the San Francisco audience. Continue reading...
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Watch 2d ago
Oxford lets OpenAI train its AI models on Bodleian Library
University staff voice concerns over reputational risk of partnering with company behind ChatGPTThe University of Oxford has allowed the company behind ChatGPT to train its AI models on historical texts from its Bodleian Library, as tech companies scour academic institutions for fresh data.The Bodleian material digitised by OpenAI has been used to “populate the OpenAI training set”, according to internal documents. Continue reading...
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Watch 2d ago
Broken promises, confiscated land: the hyperscale AI datacentre being built in a tiny Indian village
Locals say Google’s $15bn project in Andhra Pradesh has resulted in smallholdings being taken back off them by the governmentWhen the government officials arrived in Tarluvada last year, they came with abundant promises.Google, one of the world’s richest and most powerful tech companies, would soon be bringing a “golden opportunity” to this tiny village in south India: a $15bn AI datacentre. Continue reading...
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Watch 2d ago
OpenAI bots meddled with multiple US government agency sites
OpenAI said its bots accessed public data from a range of institutions during test exercises.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 2d ago
Tech Now
Ammie Sekhon explores tech used to identify and remove counterfeit products online.
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Watch 2d ago
Inside iconic horror game Silent Hill's Scottish makeover
One of gaming's biggest horror franchises has come to the UK. Can it live up to the original?
BBC NewsRead source
Urgent 3d ago
Burnham pledges extra £210m towards regenerating boarded-up high streets
Funds to help local people turn empty shops, pubs and clubs into community hubs, shared workspaces and cafesThe UK government has pledged £210m to regenerate high streets by taking boarded-up shops, pubs and clubs and turning them into shared workspaces, cafes and community hubs.Andy Burnham said the funds would “help put power back into the hands of locals who know their area best” as part of his effort to “restore pride and bring hope back”. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Context 3d ago
‘It’s luxury that wants to be seen’: aristocrats and eccentrics inspire Demna’s vision for Gucci in Milan
Collection by the designer, brought in to return the ailing fashion house to profit, is on the moneyHe’s the mononymic designer who has been charged with rescuing Gucci from plummeting sales. So where better for Demna to stage his third catwalk show than at the forefront of commerce – a purpose-built Gucci shop.During Milan fashion week on Friday, the designer transformed a convention centre into a sprawling retail space that mirrored the design for the brand’s new boutiques. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Urgent 3d ago
Pope Leo warns of AI threat to humanity at start of three-day France visit
Pontiff says artificial intelligence must remain at service of people in first official papal visit to country in 18 yearsPope Leo has warned against losing humanity in a “paradise of machines” as he addressed global concerns over the dangers of artificial intelligence at the start of a three-day visit to France.“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for people to be educated in ethical discernment, capable of seeing what is morally right,” he said in a speech at the Élysée. Continue reading...
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Urgent 3d ago
OpenAI hack on Australian government reveals anxiety at heart of global artificial intelligence dilemma
As the UN warns traditional safeguards are ‘unravelling’, Donald Trump says he will encourage, not restrain, the AI raceWhen the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, sat down for an interview in the heart of Silicon Valley at the weekend he had known for two days that his was the first government known to have been attacked by a rogue AI agent.He didn’t reveal the attack then, but he sounded a warning about the march of AI: “the risk is that AI develops in a way in which humans are no longer in control of what AI is producing.” Continue reading...
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Watch 3d ago
It’s going to take more than an email to a public inbox to protect Australians from potential AI doom | Tom McIlroy
OpenAI’s hack of Medicare suggests safeguarding civilisation is the task facing leaders in this extraordinary new eraGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 130 world leaders descended on the United Nations headquarters in New York this week, joining the pageantry and speechmaking of the annual general assembly.Many of the visiting presidents and prime ministers delivered their set-piece addresses to a sparsely populated hall, but contributions from two unlikely visitors in the nearby security council chamber stood out. Continue reading...
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Urgent 3d ago
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve review – brilliant aerial combat game fulfils the Top Gun fantasy
PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC (version played); Bandai NamcoThe game generates blood-pumping moments as you twist, turn and weave through the skies, while your locked-on missiles speed away to obliterate an enemy planeThe core appeal of any Ace Combat game lies in the moment when the beautiful clouds part, the sunlight glints off your perfectly rendered state-of-the-art fighter jet, and guitar-shredding music kicks into overdrive as your locked-on missiles speed away to obliterate an enemy plane. All of that is 100% present in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. What’s new is the way it delivers its unexpectedly compelling story.Set in the Earth-like alternative world of Strangereal, where every country is absolutely obsessed with fighter planes and giant superweapons, Ace Combat drafts you into the role of a fake ace pilot called the Wings of Theve – a propaganda invention to raise the morale of a besieged nation, similar to real-life rumours about Ukraine’s Ghosts of Kyiv. You rapidly find yourself becoming an actual legendary pilot, soaring through the skies with your buddies and raining hell upon your oppressors as everybody cheers on the radio. Speaking of ghosts, you have one in your ear – your predecessor, whom nobody else can hear, a gravelly voice waxing lyrical about flying, war and whatever else is on his mind as you flit about. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Urgent 3d ago
Special agents' blood and urine test results stolen in FBI hack
Experts say the hack could leave agents vulnerable to scams, blackmail and targeted attacks.
BBC NewsRead source
Urgent 3d ago
What are the Lib Dems for? They must champion localism to stay relevant in an age of single-issue politics | Simon Jenkins
Ed Davey’s party are the obvious candidates to push for the deeper local democracy the public is crying out forSeptember is the cruellest month for political commentators because it is when something has to be said about the Liberal Democrats. They are a play without a plot, a chorus line of seemingly endless “don’t knows”. Their leader, Ed Davey, recently warned that “we’re in the fight of our lives” to defend the values of liberty and equality. Really? How can this be when Davey is becoming about as relevant as Count Binface?The Lib Dems’ central predicament has remained unchanged for a century, ever since the decline of David Lloyd George and the rise of the Labour party. There is simply no space in Britain for a centrist party when so little divides the big parties and they broadly stick to the prevailing ecomomic orthodoxy.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
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Watch 3d ago
The comedians turning AI anxiety into punchlines: ‘It’s so good, it’ll completely alter our grasp on reality’
Across videos, standup and cartoons, humorists are skewering big tech’s attempt to make AI ubiquitous and inevitable“Best case scenario, we never have to do any admin again,” says an AI CEO. “Worst case, we all die.”A young man struggles to the top of a beautiful mountain, words echoing in his ears: “AI will most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there will be great companies created.” At the top of the mountain, he triumphantly holds up a sign: “Build a datacenter here.” Continue reading...
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Urgent 3d ago
Playing video games with my 22-year-old son has brought me to tears | Dominik Diamond
I’ve been holed up in an flat, affectionately dubbed the ‘brotel’, with my son for weeks – and we’ve revisited the first game we ever played togetherI have spent the last three weeks living with my 22-year-old son in a two-bedroom flat he has dubbed the ”brotel”. We cook curries and watch Lanterns. We barbecue meat and analyse Tarantino movies. We get pizza and we play video games. Boy, do we play video games!The first game I ever played in co-op with him was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009, when he was five. He wasn’t the most accomplished sidekick, not so great at placing a mobile gun turret while under fire from what seems like a bazillion enemy soldiers, but we had a laugh. It started the video game bond between us before his sister introduced him to Banjo-Kazooie and Rayman, and he stopped being a preschool warmonger. Probably for the best. So how would it be tackling the same game nearly two decades later? Continue reading...
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Watch 3d ago
US backs Elon Musk's bid to overturn €120m EU fine against X
The EU had said X "deceives users" by selling blue ticks without "meaningfully verifying" accounts.
BBC NewsRead source
Urgent 3d ago
Berlin’s new political star is offering something all of Europe needs – hope and housing | Fatma Aydemir
Elif Eralp wants lower rents and more public housing. It’s not rocket science but mainstream parties still don’t get why they are failingHope is a fragile thing. You can only hold on to it as long as you find reasons to believe tomorrow can be better. A woman, for instance, who has the resources and opportunity to rent her own flat will be more likely to leave her abusive husband and recover. A pupil who has their own room and desk to do their homework might find more meaning in thriving at school. And an elderly person who can afford to live in a neighbourhood where they feel safe and connected is less likely to become isolated and depressed.It’s not by chance that the examples above all revolve around the same topic. Affordable housing is possibly the most personal and most urgent social issue of our time. In Berlin, a city where 85% of residents live in rented accommodation, rents have risen by almost 70% in the past 10 years. And that is despite a rent control law that has been in effect since 2015. How? Loopholes and illegal practices have allowed property owners to continue putting pressure on the housing market. The social anxiety caused by this crisis, far from affecting just low-earners and single-parent households, affects vast parts of the middle class, too.Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
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Watch 3d ago
At Trump meeting, Xi Jinping lays out terms to avoid US-China military conflict
Chinese president’s proposals for lessening tensions come amid period of intense competition between the two countries over AI and tradeXi Jinping has called for extensive cooperation with Washington to avoid the “Thucydides trap” that could put the US and China on a military collision course amid rising tensions over artificial intelligence, trade and Taiwan.At the start of his summit meeting with Donald Trump in the White House, the Chinese president laid out terms for a mutual understanding that he said could steer the two competing superpowers away from future military conflict and on to a road of mutual gain. Continue reading...
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Watch 3d ago
X-planes: Are they needed in the new era of drones?
Where do America's X-plane projects fit in an era of cheap drones?
BBC NewsRead source
Context 3d ago
Why Australia chose the world's biggest political stage to reveal OpenAI hack
Australia, which has strict social media restrictions and has proposed controls on algorithms and smart glasses, announced the breach at the UN.
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Watch 4d ago
Launch of UK’s ‘largest AI supercomputer’ delayed by power supply problems
Datacentre hailed by government was supposed to start operating next year but may be held back into mid-2030sA huge datacentre project hailed by the UK government will miss its launch date next year and could be delayed into the mid-2030s.The site in Loughton, Essex, was described as the country’s largest AI supercomputer when it was announced in 2025, but power supply problems mean it now faces a lengthy wait before coming online. Continue reading...
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Watch 4d ago
Rogue OpenAI agent 'infiltrated' Australian government website in world first
Australia criticised OpenAI for taking "too long" to tell them about the breach which happened in June.
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Watch 4d ago
TikTok drops appeal against £12.7m fine for not keeping under-13s off platform
UK watchdog fined video app in 2023 for failing to enforce minimum age limit and remove underage usersTikTok will pay a £12.7m fine to the UK’s data watchdog after dropping an appeal against a ruling that it did not do enough to keep children below the age of 13 off the platform.The video app was punished by the Information Commissioner’s Office in 2023 for inadequate checks of who was using the platform, and failing to remove underage users. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Good news 4d ago
Why did an OpenAI system hack Australia's health system - and can it be stopped in the future?
News that an automated AI agent hacked a government IT system raises big questions about regulating the tech.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 4d ago
FBI investigating claim hackers have stolen details of all its agents
The hackers claim they have every agent's name, role, badge number and personal details including home address, phone numbers and spouse information.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 4d ago
Are we back in big tech's 'move fast and break things' era?
Despite promises to make safe AI, examples of bots behaving badly are now coming at us thick and fast.
BBC NewsRead source
Good news 4d ago
Nick Clegg plays down fears ‘godlike’ AI could exterminate humanity
Former deputy PM now involved in tech industry says many within sector are ‘winding themselves up into a lather’Nick Clegg has dismissed fears over AI’s “godlike power to exterminate humanity”, calling it a sign that tech bosses are “breathing their own fumes”.The former UK deputy prime minister said that tech bosses should focus on addressing known specific threats such as cybersecurity and bioweapons rather than the “slightly hand-wavy view that this technology is unavoidably going to develop some godlike power which is going to turn on us and exterminate humanity”. Continue reading...
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Context 4d ago
What you need to know about the OpenAI Australian government hack
The BBC’s North America technology correspondent Lily Jamali explains how the Medicare breach happened, and why it matters.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 4d ago
Indians are discovering the thrill of shopping without paying
Dopamine sites mimic shopping’s thrill without the spending, turning the ritual of consumption into a digital game.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 4d ago
US rejects pleas from OpenAI, Anthropic for global AI standards
OpenAI's Sam Altman has called for risk evaluation standards, as have Anthropic's Dario Amodei and Hugging Face's Clement Delangue.
BBC NewsRead source
Good news 5d ago
Why fans are digging their claws into Wolverine over its patronising gameplay
From highlighted ledges to characters telling you what to do, blockbuster games are increasingly taking the challenge out of playing – and players are pushing back• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereMarvel’s Wolverine, the latest action game from Sony’s stable of expensive blockbuster-factory studios, has had an unfortunate launch. Reviews were decent, if not stellar, but a series of viral video clips from reviewers and streamers have made it the scapegoat for a patronising flavour of game design that gamers have hated for decades. This clip, from Skill Up’s review, shows the player entering a beautiful wintry landscape before being overwhelmed by visual cues telling them what they’re supposed to be doing there. Sonar pulses point you in the direction of objectives. Targets – which, it bears emphasising, are shaped like targets – get an extra reflective visual effect so you know you’re supposed to pay attention to them. A trail shows you not just where to go, but where the level’s sole hidden collectible is.It is hand-holding to the point of parody. Indeed, it reminded me of the sniggersome Mario in Unreal Engine satirical videos that makes the social media rounds every few months (“A mushroom? I should take a look at this”). Skill Up’s clip has been followed by hundreds of others, gleefully ripping into Wolverine with ironic savagery. In one much-copied clip, a streamer simply lays down his controller during a motorbike chase sequence and watches as Wolverine speeds on regardless, bouncing off the scenery as the game plays itself. Continue reading...
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Watch 5d ago
Stung by Trump, machinists union campaigns for affordability in midterms
One of the largest labor unions in the US targets eight battleground states in ‘workers v billionaires’ campaignThe International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), one of the largest labor unions in the US, has launched a “workers v billionaires” political campaign tour targeting members in eight battleground states and encouraging them to support pro-worker candidates in the midterms.IAM has nearly 700,000 active and retired members in North America, covering workers at corporations that include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Airlines and Harley-Davidson. The union is targeting members and voters in Maine, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Illinois. Continue reading...
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Watch 5d ago
Six-year-old breaks women's world Rubik's Cube record – video
Six-year-old Lian Yunzhi broke the women’s 3x3 average world record twice at two World Cube Association-certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday. She posted averages of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds, after solving the Rubik’s Cube five times. She is the first female speedcuber to average less than 4.5 seconds. Continue reading...
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Watch 5d ago
Tech Life
China is competing with the United States and other nations to develop AI.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 7d ago
Pixel 11 Pro XL: Google’s big-screen superphone with top-class camera
Fantastic display and two-day battery life plus everything that’s great about Google’s more pocketable Pixel ProsGoogle’s latest super-sized Pixel takes everything that’s great about the relatively pocket-friendly 11 Pro and adds a huge, high-quality screen and a big battery.That makes the Pixel 11 Pro XL one of the largest smartphones available in Europe and the US, competing directly with Samsung’s giant Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max, with an equally sizeable £1,279 (€1,399/$1,299/A$2,099) price tag – £80 (€100/$100/A$100) more than last year with less memory because of the cost of RAMageddon. Continue reading...
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Urgent 9d ago
China bogeyman looms large over American firms’ AI doomsday scenario
Silicon Valley China hawks, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei among them, fear the country surpassing US’s AI lead as much as superintelligence destroying humanityWhy China is pushing back on US warnings over rapid AI developmentWhen reporters asked Donald Trump this week if he supported calls to slow down the development of artificial intelligence out of growing fears for cybersecurity, public safety and the fate of humanity, he said no. His argument: China.“We’re leading China in AI,” Trump said. “We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins.” Continue reading...
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Watch 9d ago
Tech Now
Adrienne Murray follows NASA scientists in Iceland researching a rare total solar eclipse.
BBC NewsRead source
Context 9d ago
Why Europe has been absent from the great AI safety debate
Though Europe has measures that address how consumers might encounter AI, technology will impact them if the worst scenarios bearEurope’s dilemma over AI was rendered in stark terms this week. The head of the continent’s central bank, Christine Lagarde, said Europeans have two options: shun the technology and lose out on growth; or embrace it and become dependent on tools developed by the US and China.The great debate over AI safety that has erupted in recent days threatens to make the choice moot. If the worst scenarios come to bear – and experts have differing views on this – then the technology will impact the continent regardless. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Urgent 10d ago
‘A critical moment’: concern UK is not up to speed in acting on AI risks
Andy Burnham’s focus on immediate domestic problems leads some to fear issue has dropped off government’s radar Towards the end of Keir Starmer’s time in office, his senior ministers, alarmed by the latest developments in artificial intelligence, began drawing up plans for a new AI safety law.They ordered a review of existing legislation to see what powers they already had, according to those briefed on the plans, and were exploring whether they could force the world’s most advanced technology companies to submit their products for safety testing before launching them. Continue reading...
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Watch 10d ago
The virtual worlds where robots are trained
Training systems that allow robots to negotiate the real world are getting more sophisticated.
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Good news 11d ago
Big AI is trying to own the pathway to work. Universities shouldn’t play along | Ella Hafermalz
Universities need to protect their position in education so that students have an independent pathway to employmentAI companies like OpenAI are insinuating themselves into the pathway from education to work. Soon they may claim it entirely, a disastrous result for students.We know that students are using AI at school and at university. In conversations with those I teach, I’m struck by the trust many place in it. They turn to ChatGPT and similar tools for personal problems as well as study help. Some even doubt their abilities without AI.Ella Hafermalz is an associate professor of work and technology at the Kin Center for Digital Innovation at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Continue reading...
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Urgent 12d ago
‘If you’re building Frankenstein, stop’: JD Vance dismisses calls for AI regulation
US vice-president’s comments come as former Anthropic researcher revisits recent claim AI could destroy humanityThe US vice-president has dismissed calls for global regulation of AI safety risks, telling companies creating the most advanced models: “If you’re building Frankenstein, stop.”In remarks addressed towards Dario Amodei, the co-founder of Anthropic who has called on Washington DC to coordinate control of AI systems, including with China, JD Vance said: “If you’re gonna create Frankenstein, don’t come to the government and say we need regulation.” Continue reading...
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Good news 12d ago
The extreme engineering of aircraft windows
Few companies have the technology to make aircraft windows which are getting harder to make.
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Watch 12d ago
Tech Life
What should children learn in a world transformed by artificial intelligence?
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 13d ago
‘In this new car, I feel patronised’: which driver assistance systems actually improve safety?
Modern cars are fitted with features like autonomous emergency braking and fatigue monitoring. But do they support motorists or drive them to distraction?This new car I’m test-driving boasts all the latest bells and whistles – or, rather, beeps and bings. Peer sideways for too long checking traffic and the car emits an irritating sound. Should I take a hand off the wheel to scratch an ear, I’m admonished with a strident beep.When the car determines it’s too near a white line, it tugs the wheel against my hands and brakes as a car slows ahead. Its haptic “buttons” feel like fingers pressing back – as if an invisible presence has its hands and feet on the controls: a ghost in the machine I’m inside. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Urgent 13d ago
‘I created my mom and talk to her’: AI ghosts and deathslop are changing the way we mourn
The rise of AI-generated tributes and bots for ‘talking’ to the dead has experts concerned more people will grieve in isolationTributes rolled in after the death of Dolly Parton last month. Jack White performed Jolene at a London gig. Kesha sang Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You), a single her mother wrote for the country music titan. Even Pitbull stopped his Madison Square Garden show to memorialize Parton and all the other “powerful women” in the crowd. But one of the strangest – and most viral – eulogies did not come from a celebrity. It did not even come from a person.Run Jolene, at just under five minutes, is an earworm of a country song, containing all the cliches of the genre: twangy singer, banjo licks, corny lyrics. Those lyrics concern Jolene, the fictional romantic rival made infamous by Parton. “Somebody better warn Jolene / Dolly’s coming through those gates,” the voice croons. “Run Jolene / Girl you better move your feet.” Continue reading...
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Urgent 13d ago
The best iPhones: which Apple smartphone is right for you, according to our expert
Looking for a new iPhone or a good deal on a refurbished one? Samuel Gibbs has tested and rated Apple’s smartphones, including the best for camera quality and battery life• How to make your smartphone last longerThe best iPhone may be the one you already own. There’s generally no need to buy a fresh phone just because new models have been released, as hardware updates are broadly iterative, adding small bits to an already accomplished package. But if you do want a replacement handset, whether new or refurbished, here are the best devices of the current crop of Apple smartphones.Many other smartphones are available besides the iPhone, but if you’re an Apple user and don’t fancy switching to Android, there are still a few choices to make. Whether your priority is the longest battery life, the best camera, the biggest screen or simply the optimal balance of features and price, there’s more to choose from in the Apple ecosystem than you may expect. Continue reading...
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Urgent 13d ago
Burning Man at 40: the once anarchic desert festival faces a midlife crisis
The subversive bacchanal for San Francisco’s eccentric underground is ageing out amid an influx of the super-richBurning Man, the infamous arts festival in the Nevada desert, turned 40 this year, and it’s showing some distinct signs of middle age.It’s not just the tech billionaires who show up to party, the chartered flights straight to the desert or the HBO documentary about behind-the-scenes power struggles. The tens of thousands of people who assemble each year to create a tent city in the wilderness appear to be growing older, and it doesn’t seem that they’re being replaced by as many younger “burners”, as festival participants are called. Continue reading...
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Good news 14d ago
‘We’re not going to back down’: tiny Dorset B&B stands up to Airbnb’s legal bid to ‘monopolise’ letters ‘bnb’
Three little letters - bnb-side’s name is a play on the local b-side arts festival, but Silicon Valley colossus sees threat to global brandIn one corner is bnb-side, a six-room bed and breakfast on the Isle of Portland – a tiny wedge of limestone tied by a narrow ribbon of shingle to the Dorset coast – that was created to help secure the future of the rock’s much-loved arts festival, b-side.On the other is Airbnb, the San Francisco-based booking colossus. The battle between them is over the three little letters they share. Continue reading...
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Urgent 14d ago
Democracy v the machine: the birth of the digital age and the warnings that were ignored – podcast
Many hoped that the march of technology would usher in an egalitarian utopia – but some foresaw the threat it would pose to liberal society. Why did nobody listen?By Jill Lepore. Read by Laurel LefkowRead the text version hereSupport the Guardian today: theguardian.com/longreadpodAdapted from The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore, published by Allen Lane on 25 August. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com Continue reading...
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Watch 19d ago
Tech Life
Scammers demand money from Instagram users over fake copyright claims.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 22d ago
Biopsies, aerial drills and a personal pizza: a day in the life of a shark scientist
Jasmin Graham, a shark scientist and science communicator, also makes time in her day to practice her hobbies and play music bingo with friends“Sharks are not monsters, they just need better PR,” writes Jasmin Graham. And she should know: Graham is a shark scientist and science communicator.Here’s what a day in Graham’s life in Sarasota, Florida looks like. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Watch 23d ago
Tech Now
Laura Cress has the highlights from Gamescom, the biggest gaming convention in the world.
BBC NewsRead source
Watch 26d ago
Tech Life
AI can only communicate in languages that it's been trained on.
BBC NewsRead source
Good news 56d ago
‘A rug helps anchor all the pieces’: how to start decorating your home
Designers share tips on creating a space you love, from mixing eras and colors to not getting in your headHome is where you sleep. It’s also where you eat, work, cry, laugh, socialize and celebrate. It is a spatial extension of the self – which can make home decorating daunting to some.“People get in their heads about decorating their space,” says Drew Michael Scott, interior designer and founder of the lifestyle and decor brand Lone Fox. It can be hard to know where to start, what you can afford or accomplish, or if you’re getting it wrong. Continue reading...
The GuardianRead source
Watch 115d ago
'World-first' vaccine designed by artificial intelligence
Cambridge scientists say they have, for the first time, tested a vaccine designed by AI.
BBC NewsRead source