Posts

The FCC approved "space mirrors" that experts say could blind stargazers and disrupt wildlife

Image
In July, the FCC approved Reflect Orbital's proposal to deploy satellites capable of reflecting sunlight from orbit. These "space mirrors" are designed to redirect sunlight toward specific areas of the planet's surface, with potential benefits for power generation and other applications. Experts continue to debate the plan, while the California-based... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/M6dRsBK via

Spotify will now tell you when an artist isn’t real

Image
That new singer in your Spotify playlist may have a name, a face, and a carefully written bio. Soon, Spotify may also tell you the person they describe doesn’t exist. Beginning in mid-September, the streaming platform will place an "AI Persona" badge on profiles built around AI-generated identities. Music from those profiles will also be excluded from Spotify’s editorial playlists and algorithmic recommendations by default, the company announced Aug. 11. Spotify will stop introducing listeners to AI Personas by default. Their songs should no longer pop up in Discover Weekly, Release Radar, or another personalized playlist unless you have already shown interest in the artist. You can still search for, play, and follow them, and following one may tell Spotify that you’re open to hearing more. Put simply, the company doesn’t want an AI Persona to be something you discover by accident. ...

NYT Strands hints, answers for August 11, 2026

Image
Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you like buying fresh fruits and vegetables. Strands , the New York Times ' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections . If you're feeling stuck or just don't h...

Developer ports Word for Windows 1.1a to modern x64 systems using original source code

Image
Developer Justin Marshall recently ported Word for Windows 1.1a to modern Windows systems. The open-source conversion draws on the source code of the original program, which Microsoft shared with the community in 2014. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/nVJpOhS via

Amazons robotaxi Zoox launches first paid service in U.S.

Image
There’s a new robotaxi in town — Amazon's Zoox . Paid rides on Zoox became available for the first time ever, with service launching in Las Vegas on Monday (Aug. 10). The Sin City service follows Zoox's recent availability as a free option for select San Francisco riders.  While Alphabet's autonomous Waymo cars are also available in Vegas , Zoox has some distinct differences, most notably its carriage-style seating made possible by the absence of a steering wheel and gas pedal. Zoox vehicles also lack a formal front or rear, allowing them to drive in either direction seamlessly. Riders adjust temperature and music choices on screens in the cabin. On July 30, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Zoox could temporarily offer paid service .  "This temporary exemption will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years, subject to an enhanced...

Letterboxd is down, company says its working on a fix

Image
Letterboxd  is down for many users on Sunday, with the film-tracking app confirming service issues and asking users to be patient while its team works to restore access. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. According to the outage tracker Downdetector, the majority of reported problems — 54 percent — involve logging in, while another 39% of users report trouble within the app itself; website issues account for just 4 percent of reports. Letterboxd acknowledged the outage in a series of posts, telling followers its team was "aware of an outage affecting service" and pledging to restore access "as soon as possible." In a follow-up post, the company said it was continuing to work on a resolution, thanking users for their patience. The most recent update came at 12:02 p.m. CT. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. No word yet on a cause or expected...

This wearable patch could get you into REM sleep 43 minutes faster

Image
The device works by combining two things that don't usually go together in a wearable: gentle ultrasound stimulation and electrodes that read brain activity. This allows it to reach deep brain regions associated with REM sleep while also tracking the brain's response in real time from outside the skull. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/DOzTQIw via