MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, is rolling out a subscription program called Membership that aims to convert casual viewers into paying fans centered on its on-air talent, including Chris Hayes, Stephanie Ruhle and Rachel Maddow. Network president Rebecca Kutler said the offering followed a survey of 18,000 people before finalizing the plan, which she discussed in an interview ahead of the launch.
Star Trek celebrates six decades since its original series premiered in 1966, having since expanded into more than 25 series and films spanning multiple generations of fans. Media outlets are marking the occasion with retrospectives on the franchise's cultural influence, from its many captains to its shared lexicon of stardates, warp factors and Vulcan salutes.
OpenAI has released ChatGPT Images 2.5, which includes a new Sketch feature allowing users to draw a rough doodle inside ChatGPT and have it converted into a polished image based on typed instructions. Users can invoke the tool by typing @Sketch, then annotate specific parts of the generated image with comments to request targeted edits, such as changing eye color. OpenAI says the update also improves lighting and texture quality, strengthens multi-turn editing consistency, and cuts image generation latency by up to 50% compared to the previous version.
Several automakers are developing extended-range electric vehicles that run primarily on electric motors but carry a small gasoline engine solely to recharge the battery, not to drive the wheels. Stellantis will bring this setup to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Ram 1500 REV, promising up to 690 miles of range, while Hyundai, Genesis and Ford plan similar models for the Santa Fe, an unnamed Genesis SUV and a revived F-150 Lightning.
AlfredCamera lets users repurpose an unused phone as a live security camera by pairing it with their main device through the same account login or a QR code scan. The free version offers live video, a siren alarm, night mode, two-way talk and remote camera controls, while paid tiers add more cameras, HD streaming, longer cloud storage and object detection.
A free Android utility called Action Notch converts a phone's front camera notch into an interactive shortcut, letting users tap, double-tap, or long-press it to trigger actions like screenshots, flashlight toggles, or automation scripts from Tasker and MacroDroid. The app supports more than 50 actions, and a paid pro tier adds extra gestures plus rule-based actions that let a single gesture behave differently depending on context.
A public records request revealed that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava proposed a marketing partnership with Rockstar Games in June to brand parts of the county—including the airport, PortMiami, Metrorail stations, and Tropical Park—with Grand Theft Auto VI's Vice City imagery. Proposed features include a Vice City Motor Fest car show, a themed airport terminal and baggage claim, a dockyard installation modeled on the game's Port Gellhorn, and a community media space called Vice City Radio Lab. The county's sheriff has pushed back against the plan, given the game's violent, law-breaking gameplay.
Tesla's first responder documentation reveals that firefighters and rescue crews may need to physically push the Cybercab and manually turn its front wheels during emergencies, since the vehicle lacks a traditional steering wheel. The guide warns that pushing the vehicle while it is not set to Neutral or Tow Mode risks overheating the motor and creates a potential shock hazard for responders.
A JD Power survey of 68,000 owners of 2026 model-year vehicles found that more than a third never use passenger touchscreens, while only six percent use them every time they drive. The firm also found larger screens correlated with more infotainment problems, while simple features like smart ignition and smart climate control ranked as the most valued technologies.
Journalist Shawn Reynaldo revealed in his newsletter First Floor that rising indie artist Betty Hammerschlag, praised by The Guardian and The Quietus and played on NTS Radio, is actually a persona created by 45-year-old German musician Tilman Hornig. Hornig used stolen photos and a Gen Z-style writing voice to build the fake identity, even messaging young female and queer artists while posing as her, including collaborator tibslc who believed she was working with a young woman.
A growing number of individual investors are using generative AI to write custom trading scripts and delegate portfolio decisions to automated agents, effectively mimicking strategies once reserved for professional quant funds. This trend, sometimes called 'vibe-coding,' lets non-programmers describe a trading idea in plain language and have AI translate it into executable code.
KeyAlarm is an indie iPhone app that lets users designate keywords, like 'Dentist,' so any calendar event containing that word automatically triggers an alarm rather than a silent notification. Users can set multiple alarms per event, assign alarms to entire calendars, and customize how far in advance each one fires. The app relies on Apple's new AlarmKit framework and requires iOS 26.