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Showing posts from May, 2026

What is a Blue Moon? Why the May full moon is so rare.

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May is double the fun for Full Moon and space fans because we’re getting two in one month. The first took place on May 1 and the second will be on May 31. This phenomenon is called a Blue Moon. And no, that doesn’t mean it’ll actually turn the color blue, it’s just a somewhat rare occurrence. You might say, “once in a blue moon”... What is a Blue Moon? According to NASA , a Blue Moon is when a full moon shows up twice within the same calendar month. The lunar cycle (the process of the Moon orbiting the Earth) lasts about 29 and a half days, which is slightly shorter than most months. This means that every so often the timing lines up like it does in May, with a full moon right at the start of the month and another at the end. It’s not especially common, only happening roughly every couple of years. This is a monthly Blue Moon. There are also seasonal Blue Moons. These occur when four full moons fall all within one season, instead of three whic...

3 AdultFriendFinder security improvements made after the 2016 data breach

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Every major online dating service has been targeted by malicious hackers looking to access private information , but few attacks have been as severe, as pervasive, or as publicly damaging as the data breach attack on AdultFriendFinder in October 2016. The attack exposed the records of more than 360 million users , and not just from AdultFriendFinder itself but sister sites across the popular FriendFinder network. To this day, it is still one of the largest database breaches ever recorded, leaking the email addresses, usernames, passwords, sexual orientations, and even spoken languages of millions of people across more than two decades of AFF history. Worse still, it exposed some downright shoddy security practices, which included using SHA-1 cryptographic hashing, already more than a decade out of date by the time of the breach, and storing account passwords in plain text. It was an embarassing moment for the company. Thankfully, FriendFinder Networks took this breach very serio...

Europe fines Temu $232 million over illegal and unsafe product listings

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The European Commission has announced its second fine ever against an international company for violating the Digital Services Act. Temu, the controversial Chinese online marketplace for low-cost products, was found to have played a role in the sale of illegal goods that could have harmed consumers in the European Union. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/JS5hndE via

DRAM coolers make a comeback: G.Skill and Cooler Master unveil DDR5 kits with built-in fans

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MasterDimm AC features what Cooler Master describes as "noise-optimized" blower fans that operate relatively quietly, with a maximum noise level of 35 dB at full speed. The companies claim that the patent-pending design can reduce operating memory temperatures by up to 15°C, helping ensure sustained performance, improved signal integrity, and... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/KAHFESb via

YouTube is cracking down on undisclosed AI videos, but won't penalize creators for making them

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YouTube recently announced two changes aimed at improving how creators and viewers deal with generative AI output. The Alphabet-owned platform says its community expects full transparency around AI generated content, and is now rolling out a simplified labeling system for both long-form videos and Shorts. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/vLXoz7Q via

Claude Opus 4.8: Anthropic makes a more honest AI

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Anthropic isn't ready to let regular users look at its supposedly super-powerful Claude Mythos AI model just yet. But the AI company has just released an upgrade to its flagship product, Claude Opus — now in its 4.8 version. "It builds on Opus 4.7 with improvements across benchmarks, and is a more effective collaborator," Anthropic promised in a press release Thursday. Indeed, the benchmark numbers, below, show very minor improvements across the board. One major improvement, allegedly, is in the area of hallucinations. Claude Opus 4.8 won't lie to users as much. "Early testers report that Opus 4.8 is more likely to flag uncertainties about its work and less likely to make unsupported claims," Anthropic said, touting the model's "honesty." Claude Opus 4.8 has 'better judgment' "Claude Opus 4.8 has noticeably better judgment," an engineer at Shopify, Tom Pritchard, told Anthropic. The coding version of the model "asks the...

Waymo introduces new vehicles: ‘Living room on wheels’

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Autonomous robotaxi company Waymo just announced a fleet of new vehicles — the Ojai — that it describes as roomier and more accessible than its typical Jaguar I-PACE cars. The self-driving Ojai offers “elevator-like doors,” low steps, flat floors, and a seat-integrated handle, features the Google-owned company says make it easier for riders to get in and out of the vehicle. Waymo describes the space inside the Ojai as a "living room on wheels." The Ojai interior shares some similarities with Waymo competitor Zoox , which operates a fleet of carriage-style autonomous cars. The Ojai has three large LED screens that display routes, temperature controls, and music options, with embedded braille and screen-reader compatibility (low-vision riders have expressed an affinity for self-driving cars in a recent New York Times report). The Ojai will feature the 6th-generation Waymo Driver tech, which the ...

Researchers found a way to spy on your browsing by watching your SSD's activity

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The method, known as FROST – short for "fingerprinting remotely using OPFS-based SSD timing" – focuses on how different processes compete for storage access. That competition leaves behind small but measurable timing differences. By monitoring those timing shifts, the research team was able to determine which other sites and applications... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/AzLShj0 via

DuckDuckGo is growing thanks to Google users frustrated by AI features

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Google users are flocking to the alternative search engine DuckDuckGo. According to data provided to Mashable by DuckDuckGo, U.S. installs of the search engine's mobile app are up 18.1 percent week-over-week on average following Google's big I/O event, where the search giant introduced a slew of new AI features into its search product. DuckDuckGo app installs peaked at 33 percent growth on May 25. Just looking at DuckDuckGo's iOS installs, the growth following Google I/O is even more astonishing, with 33 percent week-over-week growth and peaking at a whopping 69.9 percent on May 25. According to DuckDuckGo, traffic also spiked to its AI-free search page, noai.duckduckgo.com . This DuckDuckGo search page has every AI featured turned off by default and saw an average of 22.7 week-over-week growth following Google I/O, with a peak of 27.7 percent on May 24. DuckDuckGo said it wasn't only the timeframe that was relevant, either. The growth happened mainly in the U.S. follow...

TCL is selling a 300Hz 1080p gaming monitor for $88

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At first glance, the specs are familiar. A 1080p resolution on a 24.5-inch panel is hardly cutting-edge in 2026, but that combination continues to hold its place in esports for a reason. Higher resolutions demand more GPU power, and in games where milliseconds matter, players often prioritize frame rate stability... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/Ifl78w6 via

How to watch Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano online for free

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TL;DR: Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final for free on SRF or TRT1 . Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN . Aston Villa secured an impressive victory in the Europa League final last week, and now the attention turns to the Conference League final. OK, most neutrals are probably looking further ahead to the resolution of the Champions League , but try telling that to fans of Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano. For this dedicated bunch, this is the one that matters. It's really difficult to pick a winner from this contest. Crystal Palace haven't enjoyed the most fruitful domestic campaign, but they've saved their best for this competition. Ray Vallecano finished in the top half of La Liga, and beat a strong Starsbourg team to make it to this showpiece event. It's going to be a real battle at the Red Bull Arena. If you want to watch Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference Lea...

The Knicks have taken over New York City — and the internet

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The New York Knicks are headed back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and that sentence still doesn't feel real. Think about the timeline: A kid born the last time the Knicks played for a championship is now 27 years old. An entire generation of Knicks fans, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet , reached adulthood having never once watched their team play meaningful basketball in June. Now here they are. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby are four wins away from a championship. Four wins from ending a 53-year title drought. Four wins from becoming the first New York men's team in one of the Big Four sports to win it all since 2011, with the New York Liberty championship banner in 2024 still very much acknowledged and respected. The strangest part of it all is the vibe. Knicks fans are known for their " passionate " feelings toward their team and other teams around the league ( ex. Trae Young ). As one X post...

I found 11 surprise Memorial Day Apple deals: Get the M5 MacBook Air for a record price, save $50 on AirPods and iPads

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Top Memorial Day Apple Deals at a glance: Best Overall M5 MacBook Air, 13 inches (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $899 (save $200 at Amazon) Get Deal ...