Tech products that are packaged and ready for sale aren’t launching in the US as planned right now, thanks to the government shutdown. Earlier this month, Leica delayed its M EV1 camera due to holdups on approval from the partially shuttered Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The WiiM Sound audiophile speaker, currently shipping in international markets, […]
Now he’s best known for the crime-fueled duology of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but when Vince Gilligan was first starting out in television, it was in the realm of sci-fi. Over seven years he penned a number of classic episodes of The X-Files, ranging from a monster-themed spoof of Cops to a bizarre […]
OpenAI’s new deepfake machine, Sora, has proven that artificial intelligence is alarmingly good at faking reality. The AI-generated video platform, powered by OpenAI’s new Sora 2 model, has churned out detailed (and often offensive or harmful) videos of famous people like Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jackson, and Bryan Cranston, as well as copyrighted characters […]
Earlier this month, Lyra Health announced a “clinical-grade” AI chatbot to help users with “challenges” like burnout, sleep disruptions, and stress. There are eighteen mentions of “clinical” in its press release, including “clinically designed,” “clinically rigorous,” and “clinical training.” For most people, myself included, “clinical” suggests “medical.” The problem is, it doesn’t mean medical. In […]
Samsung warned us last month that ads were coming to the giant Android tablets embedded in its Family Hub smart fridges. I’ve been eyeing mine ever since – and the first ones are about to arrive. Starting November 3rd, the $2,000-plus connected fridges will get a new widget that serves up ads, Shane Higby, head […]
Right now, there are robots stocking convenience store shelves in Japan. We haven’t embraced that tech here in America yet, but it’s hard to imagine 7-11 or Walmart won’t at least experiment with it soon. Walmart gave up on its shelf-scanning robots in 2020, but machine vision and AI have improved a lot in the […]
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement carries out raids across the country, the agency is working rapidly to expand an online surveillance system that could potentially track millions of users on the web. Federal records uncovered by The Lever reveal that ICE is paying $5.7 million to use an AI-powered social media monitoring platform called Zignal […]
It’s dusk, and bugs are chirping all around me. I’m wandering through the middle of a big, virtual swamp toward the sound of thumping bass off in the distance. There isn’t much else nearby – some trees, a couple of other players. It’s mostly just me and the sound emanating from a large wooden structure […]
The latest Nintendo Direct on October 23rd brought us an hour-long dive into Kirby Air Riders, as well as a surprising accessibility announcement. Hosted by game director Masahiro Sakurai, the Direct showed off more features, gameplay, and modes for the racing game releasing for the Switch 2 on November 20th. Tucked toward the end of […]
The race to make the Lego Game Boy play actual Game Boy games ended before it even began. The same day Lego officially launched the set, Natalie the Nerd revealed she’d already transformed it to play real Game Boy cartridges on real Game Boy chips. Turns out she’s not stopping there! Natalie is now working […]