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WhatsApp is officially getting ads

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. WhatsApp is rolling out ads. In an update on Monday, Meta announced that it will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature. The status feature lives within WhatsApp’s “Updates” tab and allows users to share disappearing text, photo, voice notes, or video messages. But now, you might see sponsored content in addition to th

Meta is finally bringing ads to WhatsApp

It took 11 years since Facebook acquired it for $19 billion, but Meta is finally bringing ads to WhatsApp, marking a major change for an app whose founders shunned advertising. Meta announced Monday that businesses will now be able to run so-called status ads on WhatsApp that prompt users to interact with the advertisers via the app's messaging features. The ads will only be shown to users within WhatsApp's "Updates" tab to separate the promotions from people's personal conversations. Additiona

How AI can help make cities work better for residents

Shortly after joining MIT in 2012, Williams created the Civic Data Design Lab to bridge that divide. Over the years, she and her colleagues have pushed the narrative and expository bounds of urban planning data using the latest technologies available—making numbers vivid and accessible through human stories and striking graphics. One project she was involved in, on rates of incarceration in New York City by neighborhood, is now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Microsoft: June Windows Server security updates cause DHCP issues

Microsoft acknowledged a new issue caused by the June 2025 security updates, causing the DHCP service to freeze on some Windows Server systems. On Windows Server systems, the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server service automates assigning IP addresses and other network configurations, reducing network administration and ensuring reliable IP address configuration in Windows networks. In affected environments, the new DHCP known issue confirmed by Microsoft over the weekend prevent

Yet another European government is ditching Microsoft for Linux - here's why

querbeet/Getty Images "We're done with Teams!" declared Digitalisation Minister Dirk Schrödter, speaking via an open-source video platform, in his announcement that the German state of Schleswig-Holstein will phase out all Microsoft software from government workplaces. The goal is to fully transition from Microsoft programs to Linux and open-source programs within the next three months. Also: I found a Linux distro that combines the best parts of other operating systems (and it works) The dec

Sick of weak Wi-Fi? How I got wired home internet - no Ethernet cable required

Supersmario/Getty Wireless internet connections are convenient, but they're also notoriously unreliable. Nothing proves that point more emphatically than a glitchy video conference call, especially if it's tied to a crucial business meeting. The answer is to run a wired network connection to your home office. Wi-Fi is great for mobility, but a wired connection offers many advantages when it comes to working from home. It's faster and more reliable, with lower latency, all of which matters if y

Hyperspectral scans of historical pigments and painting reconstructions

Painting Tools and Dataset Processed paint samples, using the Kubelka-Munk model to compute reflection and the painting_tools package to display the RGB values. See the corresponding notebook to understand how these parameters were estimated. This repository contains code and links to data for painting analysis using hyperspectral data. This data can be used in technical art history and computer graphics applications, for example for pigment mapping and spectral upsampling. Code and data for t

Amazon Is Clearing Out Galaxy S25 Ultra Stock, Now Way Cheaper Than on the Official Store

Right now, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is Amazon’s top-selling phone. It came out in January 2025 and is now seen as the best Android phone – even better than the iPhone 16 Pro according to many. Amazon is selling it for $1,099 which is $200 less than its original price of $1,299, and a record low price. It’s also a lot cheaper here than at the official Samsung store, but it could sell out fast. See at Amazon Best Phone in 2025 The Galaxy S25 Ultra is regarded by experts as the best phone available

FIFA Club World Cup Soccer: Stream Palmeiras vs. Porto Live From Anywhere

Portuguese team Porto gets its FIFA Club World Cup campaign underway with an intriguing Group A matchup against Brazilian giant Palmeiras in New Jersey on Sunday. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch every match of the tournament as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if the match isn't available where you are, along with a full fixture list. Both of these teams expect to progress from a pool that also includes Egypt's Al-Ahly and

From Outer Space to Your Router: Here's How Satellite Internet Works

While it's not the fastest, satellite internet is the only internet connection type available in all 50 states, making it a top contender for rural households with limited internet options. Despite the popularity of Starlinkand the growing power of its 7,000 satellites, satellite internet is commonly viewed as a last resort for home internet. So what makes satellite internet so great? What should you be mindful about before signing up? Let's take a closer look at how satellite internet works --

The WIRED Guide to Protecting Yourself From Government Surveillance

The Trump administration has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to carry out sweeping raids, deporting thousands of immigrants, often without due process. It has targeted left-leaning foreign students and entire universities, canceling visas and threatening to withhold federal funding. United States Supreme Court appointments from the previous Trump administration have resulted in decisions that enabled roughly half of US states to severely restrict or ban abortions. And Trump’s

Can You Trust the Data in a Privacy-First World?

Online advertising powers much of the internet economy, but collecting user data across platforms raises significant privacy concerns. Researchers from TikTok Inc., Duke University, and Penn State University have developed a solution that balances measurement accuracy with privacy protection. In their paper “Click Without Compromise: Online Advertising Measurement via Per User Differential Privacy,” Yingtai Xiao, Jian Du, Shikun Zhang, Wanrong Zhang, Qian Yang, Danfeng Zhang, and Daniel Kifer i

What Deep Learning Reveals About Consumer Engagement

Predicting how users will engage with ads can be challenging. Traditionally, advertising companies use cookies and embedded monitoring codes that produce a record of how users engage with ad content. But when it comes to predicting user engagement ahead of time, a novel approach is needed. Zhong Ding of Xinjiang University and Xing Feng Fan of Sichuan International Studies University demonstrated a new, unique approach to predicting user engagement in a paper written for the 2024 International

Topics: ad ads data ding fan

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for June 16, #266

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. Green was a nice easy one, but I was lost on some of the others. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough

Simplest C++ Callback, from SumatraPDF

SumatraPDF is a Windows GUI application for viewing PDF, ePub and comic books written in C++. A common need in GUI programs is a callback. E.g. when a button is clicked we need to call a function with some data identifying which button was clicked. Callback is therefore a combo of function and data and we need to call the function with data as an argument. In programming language lingo, code + data combo is called a closure. C++ has std::function<> and lambdas (i.e. closures). Lambdas convert

SQLite Date and Time Functions (2007)

The document describes default date and time functions in SQLite. This document is a supplement to the function documentation found on the SQL Expression Syntax page. Function Overview Five date and time functions are available, as follows: date( timestring, modifier, modifier, ...) time( timestring, modifier, modifier, ...) datetime( timestring, modifier, modifier, ...) julianday( timestring, modifier, modifier, ...) strftime( format, timestring, modifier, modifier, ...) All five functions

Topics: date day mm modifier time

Datalog in miniKanren

A browser with Wasm GC and tail call support is required for this demo. We recommend using either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Datalog in miniKanren Having access to an embedded logical programming language makes some tasks really easy. One prerequisite for RealTalk is some form of Datalog, and I built one in Scheme using miniKanren so that I had access to all of the internals. This page explains the naive Datalog implementation I did before modifying some of it to fit my version of Dynam

20 Years Ago, Batman Began a New Era of Hollywood

There are plenty of constants in popular culture, and Batman is near the top of the list. He’s everywhere in some fashion, particularly in movies, and his various cinematic versions have been significant in some way that speaks to how both the audience and Warner Bros. view the character. Of those, Batman Begins may be the most important. The first chapter of an eventual trilogy from director Christopher Nolan and writers David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan released on June 15, 2005, and marked h

Behold, a Shadowy Full Look at the New He-Man

Amazon MGM’s upcoming Masters of the Universe movie just got a bit more real thanks another, more complete look at its musclebound lead, He-Man. Portrayed in the upcoming film by Nicolas Galtizine, the British actor released a picture of himself as Adam of Grayskull’s heroic persona, albeit from the back and bathed in shadow. The picture comes with the news that filming has wrapped, and Galtizine called it “an honour shouldering the responsibility of playing Adam and He-Man. It’s been the role

FIFA Club World Cup Soccer: Stream PSG vs. Atlético Madrid Live From Anywhere

Recently crowned Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain returns to action on Sunday as it takes on Spain's Atlético Madrid in this first Group B match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch every match of the tournament as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if the match isn't available where you are, along with a full fixture list. French Ligue 1 champion PSG comes into this game at the Rose Bo

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for June 16, #470

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles. Today's NYT Strands puzzle will hit all the right notes with musicians. If you need hints and answers, read on. I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET's NYT

Nvidia CEO criticizes Anthropic boss over his statements on AI

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang criticized Anthropic head Dario Amodei over his recent claims that 50% of all entry-level white-collar jobs could be wiped out by artificial intelligence, causing unemployment to jump to 20% within the next five years. Huang disagreed with Amodei’s predictions when he was asked about it during VivaTech in Paris, where he said that he “pretty much disagree[s] with almost everything” the Anthropic CEO said, according to Fortune. “One, he believes that AI is so scary that o

The Talented Ms. Highsmith

The Talented Ms. Highsmith I worked for the novelist in her final months. I thought she wanted to kill me. Patricia Highsmith pictured at her home in Tegna, Switzerland, in 1985. Dino Fracchia / Alamy Stock I first read Patricia Highsmith’s novels in the fall of 1994. I was twenty and living in a room in her house in Tegna, Switzerland, that was plastered with bookshelves full of her first editions, organized in chronological order. Pat was seventy-four and knew she was about to die; she had

Topics: dani did like pat told

Notes on the History of the Map Tile

Notes on the history of the map tile Web map tiles—the storing of geospatial data at different zoom levels in x/y/z indexed squares of raster (and later, vector) data for efficient storage and transmission of digital maps—are, despite their seeming simplicity, I think one of the most significant developments in geospatial software history. Tiling transformed the user experience of digital maps from one of tedious clicks-and-reloads to one of fluid, dynamic exploration. It made digital maps feel

Topics: data map maps patent prc

Show HN: Meow – An Image File Format I made because PNGs and JPEGs suck for AI

MEOW The most Purr-fect Image File Format for your AI workflows Wait- What? You Can Just Make File Formats? Well- yes, but no, I'll come to that bit later, but before that, let me geek out about what this project is MEOW (Metadata Encoded Optimized Webfile) is a Python-based image file format designed to be efficient, practical, and cross-platform compatible. With support for RGBA transparency, metadata, and fast rendering capabilities, MEOW provides a modern alternative for image storage and

Topics: ai data file meow png

Edi Gathegi Hopes Being Mr. Terrific Redeems His Short ‘X-Men’ Role

There’s a lot of superpowered characters in Superman, and one of the most notable is Michael Holt, aka Mr. Terrific. It isn’t just that this is his first time on the big screen, it’s also the matter of who’s playing him: Edi Gathegi, who many likely remember as Darwin from X-Men: First Class, aka the mutant who died despite having the power to evolve and adapt to anything. Sooner or later, conversations about First Class remind you how dumb his death was, and Gathegi seems to agree. Talking to

FIFA Club World Cup Soccer: Stream Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City Live From Anywhere

The FIFA Club World Cup action shifts to Cincinnati on Sunday for a Group C clash that appears to be something of a mismatch, as German Bundesliga behemoth Bayern Munich takes on tournament underdog Auckland City. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch every match of the tournament as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if the match isn't available where you are, along with a full fixture list. Six-time UEFA Champions League winner

Q-learning is not yet scalable

Does RL scale? Over the past few years, we've seen that next-token prediction scales, denoising diffusion scales, contrastive learning scales, and so on, all the way to the point where we can train models with billions of parameters with a scalable objective that can eat up as much data as we can throw at it. Then, what about reinforcement learning (RL)? Does RL also scale like all the other objectives? Apparently, it does. In 2016, RL achieved superhuman-level performance in games like Go and C