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Ask A Monk is a website where users can anonymously post personal questions or reflections they've long carried, then have them answered by real people rather than AI. The service is free, allowing anyone to either submit a question or volunteer to respond to one drawn at random from a queue of waiting entries.
A new CNBC report finds AI has become deeply embedded in hiring, screening resumes and now conducting first-round interviews. A Greenhouse survey of nearly 3,000 job-seekers across five countries found 63% had gone through an AI-led interview, up 13% from six months prior. These interviews range from voice and text chatbots to digital avatars that mimic human facial expressions.
Xbox's new disc-to-digital feature, which converts physical game discs into digital copies by inserting them into a console, stems from a plan Microsoft made ahead of the Xbox One's 2013 launch to embed unique identifiers on discs. Sources say Microsoft was already exploring broader digital ownership concepts back in 2011, including gifting, recycling and swapping physical games for digital versions, though most of these ideas were shelved after backlash over the Xbox One's always-online requirement.
Camp Snap has opened preorders for the 110D, a pocket-sized digital point-and-shoot styled after the thin horizontal 110 film cameras Kodak popularized in the 1970s. It costs $74.95 and comes in two color options, packing an 8-megapixel Sony sensor, a 4.2mm f/2.0 lens with 30.5mm filter compatibility, five built-in retro filters, and a bundled 4GB microSD card.
A Fast Company panel brought together TrustCircle founder Sachin Chaudhry, Tin Can cofounder Chet Kittleson, and author Dana Suskind to discuss how technology shapes childhood today. Moderated by Fast Company's Morgan Clendaniel, the discussion focused on distinguishing tools that support healthy development from those that undermine it.
Scientists built replica papyrus scrolls, charred them to mimic the Herculaneum manuscripts destroyed by Vesuvius, and used them to test a screening technique for detecting lead-based ink. The work, published in PLoS ONE, supports the Vesuvius Challenge's effort to combine digital unwrapping and machine learning to read the still-rolled, unreadable scrolls without physically opening them.
Dark Reading's podcast featured incident response veteran Hal Pomeranz discussing his career path from Unix administration to digital forensics consulting. The conversation centers on the unusually harsh current job market in cybersecurity, with Pomeranz known for offering encouragement to professionals facing layoffs.
Sony has reached a preliminary $7.85 million settlement in Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment, a class-action lawsuit accusing it of eliminating competition in digital game sales by discontinuing vouchers that let PlayStation users buy games from other retailers. The case claims this forced customers to overpay by shopping only through the PlayStation Store. A final court hearing is set for Oct. 15 to approve the payout and distribution plan, though Sony denies any wrongdoing.
Apple has explained the technical workings of Reference Image mode, a new opt-in feature on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max that cryptographically signs photos at the moment of capture. The camera sensor uses a unique private key generated during manufacturing to sign image data, which Apple's cloud service later verifies against a certified public key, while the phone's security processor also signs and cross-checks the sensor's identity.
Krita, the open-source 2D painting application, remains a favored alternative to subscription-based tools like Photoshop for concept art, comics, and illustration work. It offers a robust brush engine, stylus support for tilt and rotation, HDR painting, texture wrap-around modes, and a timeline-based animation system with onion skinning and audio playback.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled plans to bar children under 13 from social media across all EU member states, part of an EU Kids Act being formally introduced this week. Teens aged 13 to 15 would only be permitted limited, parent-supervised mini accounts capped at one hour daily, while platforms face new safety design rules for users up to 18.
Researchers are increasingly using wearable devices—smartwatches, wristbands, patches and rings—to collect real-time physiological data such as heart rate, blood pressure and activity in clinical trials. Specialists say advances in sensor technology and AI could enable decentralized trials where participants are monitored remotely, with dosing personalized to individual data rather than fixed protocols. Current devices already track metrics via accelerometers, gyroscopes and photoplethysmography, with future versions potentially measuring biomarkers like glutamate and cortisol.