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Emacs 31 ships experimental markdown-ts-mode built on tree-sitter

The newly released Emacs 31 includes a tree-sitter-based mode for editing Markdown files, called markdown-ts-mode, though it is not enabled by default and is labeled experimental. Despite that label, the mode already supports the full CommonMark spec and most of GitHub Flavored Markdown, plus extras like code block editing, table-of-contents tools, and integration with converters such as pandoc. Users must manually load the library, for example via use-package or autoload, since Emacs won't switch to it automatically when opening .md files.

Adobe adds Lightroom-style lighting controls and Markup AI tool to Photoshop

Adobe's latest Photoshop update introduces a non-destructive Light Adjustment Layer offering exposure, contrast, highlight and shadow controls similar to Lightroom, enabling raw-quality edits without leaving the app. It also adds AI features powered by Firefly Image 5, including Instruct Edit with Masks for prompt-based edits within masked areas, and Markup, which lets users sketch directly on images to guide AI-generated changes. A new beta AI Assisted Editor bundles these tools with a natural-language prompt bar.

Zuckerberg pushes Meta's costly pivot toward 'personal superintelligence' AI vision

Mark Zuckerberg published a lengthy manifesto on Meta's website outlining his vision for AI, framing it as 'personal superintelligence' meant to be widely accessible rather than concentrated among elites. The statement follows Meta's costly retreat from its metaverse ambitions and mirrors similar declarations from rivals like OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, though Zuckerberg emphasizes broad accessibility for everyday users, from entrepreneurs to children.

Workers Increasingly Abandon 'Having It All' Corporate Career Ideal

Amid persistent layoffs, AI-driven job anxiety, political instability, and rising living costs, many professionals like 32-year-old Ange are rethinking the traditional vision of career and personal success. What once meant a stable corporate job, a home, a wedding, and disposable income for extras is being reconsidered as increasingly unattainable or undesirable.

Amazon to shut down Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform on September 30

Amazon has announced it will close Mechanical Turk (MTurk), its long-running marketplace connecting businesses with a distributed workforce for microtasks, effective September 30. The platform allowed companies to outsource work like data validation, content moderation, and survey collection to human workers worldwide, tasks often too subjective or complex for automation.

Meta's AI-driven restructuring plan aimed to cut some teams by 60%, Reuters reports

Reuters reports that Meta developed an internal restructuring effort, codenamed Project OT, that explored replacing much of the daily work of thousands of employees with AI systems overseen by small human teams. The plan, reportedly set in motion by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, called for two rounds of layoffs; the first occurred in May, but Meta scrapped the second round. Meta confirmed the scenario-planning exercise took place but said not every scenario was implemented, noting thousands of employees were instead redeployed to new priority teams.

New tool simulates retirement plans using 125 years of market data across 25 countries

A developer launched a free beta retirement simulator that tests a user's savings and withdrawal plan against actual historical market returns spanning 125 years and 25 countries, rather than relying on average statistical projections. Users can input portfolio value, withdrawal rate, and time horizon to get a quick estimate of whether their money will last, with a more detailed plan builder also available. Paid plans are expected to follow after the beta period.

Meta to pay up to $18 billion, cap teen screen time to settle child-addiction lawsuit

Meta has settled a multistate lawsuit accusing it of engineering Instagram and Facebook features—like infinite scroll and push notifications—to hook children, agreeing to pay a guaranteed $12.1 billion over ten years plus up to $5 billion more if TikTok and YouTube adopt similar payments and rules. The deal covers 47 states, DC and several territories, ending a trial in Oakland before Mark Zuckerberg was set to testify; Texas, Florida and New Mexico settled separately or already won judgments. Teen accounts will now face a default 2-hour daily combined limit on Instagram and Facebook, adjustable only by parents.

Meta scrapped a plan for a second major AI-driven layoff round in November

Reuters reports Meta spent 2024 developing 'Project OT,' an internal restructuring effort meant to reorganize the company around AI agents overseen by small human 'pods,' with some teams facing headcount cuts of up to 60%. Mark Zuckerberg reportedly shelved or paused a planned second wave of layoffs under the plan, which would have followed the company's earlier 10% workforce reduction this year. Meta confirmed a second plan existed but described the harsher cuts as scenarios under consideration rather than finalized decisions.

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