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I changed 5 settings on my TV to give it an instant performance boost

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Whether you're considering buying a new TV or your old flat panel seems to be doing fine, there are still ways to optimize your viewing experience, and it all begins with your television's settings. Let's explore some of the key factors determining how your TV performs and what you can do to make it look even better. 1. Turn down the sharpness The sharper the picture, the better. Right? Not necessarily. Contrary to popular belief, the "sharpness" setting on your TV doesn't af

Reading NFC Passport Chips in Linux

For boring and totally not nefarious reasons, I want to read all the data contained in my passport's NFC chip using Linux. After a long and annoying search, I settled on roeften's pypassport. I can now read all the passport information, including biometrics. The NFC chip in a passport is protected by a password. The password is printed on the inside of the physical passport. As well as needing to be physically close to the passport for NFC to work, you also need to be able to see the password.

PicoEMP: low-cost Electromagnetic Fault Injection (EMFI) tool

The PicoEMP is a low-cost Electromagnetic Fault Injection (EMFI) tool, designed specifically for self-study and hobbiest research. Under the safety shield it looks like this: You can see some details of the design in the Intro Video. Thanks / Contributors PicoEMP is a community-focused project, with major contributions from: Colin O'Flynn (original HW design, simple Python demo) stacksmashing (C firmware for full PIO feature-set) Lennert Wouters (C improvements, first real demo) @nilswier

The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

In the late 19th century, a rare and highly unusual neuropsychiatric condition was observed among a group of French-Canadian lumberjacks living in the Moosehead Lake region of northern Maine. Those affected exhibited an extreme and exaggerated startle reflex. When startled by a sudden movement or loud noise, they reacted with dramatic involuntary responses, such as leaping into the air, screaming, repeating words, or instantly obeying shouted commands. It was reported that the "jumpers" were pri

Minecraft Competitor Hytale Shuts Down After a Decade of Development

Hypixel Studios is shutting down development of Hytale, its Minecraft-like sandbox creator game. The studio, a subsidiary of Riot Games, posted a blog post explaining that financial support wasn't enough to buoy the long development time. The game will not be released to the public. Hypixel Studios has long struggled with delivering on the initial vision for Hytale, and Riot Games' investment in the developer couldn't change the fact that the game had a troubled production. A blog post from Hy

One of the Most Surprising Moments in ‘Elio’ Feels Right Out of a Horror Movie

Pixar’s latest is a sci-fi gem that homages the genre in a surprisingly dark way. Elio directors Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian even dip into space horror for one of the film’s most memorable scenes. It was so unexpected for a Disney family film and worked so cleverly in the context of the movie, it left me wanting more of this tone in the future of Pixar films. Early in the film, an Elio clone made by the Comuniverse is sent to Earth so his aunt doesn’t notice the real Elio is gone. The clon

Google Pixel 10 leak points to some disappointing feature omissions

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR The vanilla Pixel 10 may not have a vapor chamber. Wi-Fi 7 support may not be in the cards either. It could also miss out on the new “Ultra Res Zoom” feature and ultra-stable video recording. The base model Pixel 10 is shaping up to sound like a mixed bag of good news and bad news. While it should get a big upgrade in the form of a triple camera setup, it’s also expected to make a variety of compromises. For example, our report from April suggests Google

Topics: 10 pixel res ultra zoom

Judge OKs Anthropic's Use of Copyrighted Books in AI Training. That's Bad News for Creators

Anthropic's use of copyright-protected books in its AI training process was "exceedingly transformative" and fair use, US senior district judge William Alsup ruled on Monday. It's the first time a judge has decided in favor of an AI company on the issue of fair use, in a significant win for generative AI companies and a blow for creators. Fair use is a doctrine that's part of US copyright law. It's a four-part test that, when the criteria is met, lets people and companies use protected content

Key fair use ruling clarifies when books can be used for AI training

Artificial intelligence companies don't need permission from authors to train their large language models (LLMs) on legally acquired books, US District Judge William Alsup ruled Monday. The first-of-its-kind ruling that condones AI training as fair use will likely be viewed as a big win for AI companies, but it also notably put on notice all the AI companies that expect the same reasoning will apply to training on pirated copies of books—a question that remains unsettled. In the specific case

Judge rules Anthropic's AI training on copyrighted materials is fair use

Anthropic has received a mixed result in a class action lawsuit brought by a group of authors who claimed the company used their copyrighted creations without permission. On the positive side for the artificial intelligence company, senior district judge William Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California determined that Anthropic's training of its AI tools on copyrighted works was protected as fair use. Developing large language models for artificial intelligence has

A federal judge sides with Anthropic in lawsuit over training AI on books

Federal judge William Alsup ruled that it was legal for Anthropic to train its AI models on published books without the authors’ permission. This marks the first time that the courts have given credence to AI companies’ claim that fair use doctrine can absolve AI companies from fault when they use copyrighted materials to train large language models (LLMs). This decision comes as a blow to authors, artists, and publishers who have brought dozens of lawsuits against companies like OpenAI, Meta,

My "Are you presuming most people are stupid?" test

Sometimes when people talk about a problem in society, they strongly imply that most people are stupid. This is wrong. Most people aren’t super knowledgeable about a lot of specific facts about the world (only half of Americans can name the 3 branches of government) but they’re intelligent when it comes to their own lives and the areas they work and spend time in. We should expect the average person to struggle with factual questions about abstract ideas and far-off events, but not so much abou

Anthropic Scores a Landmark AI Copyright Win—but Will Face Trial Over Piracy Claims

Anthropic has scored a major victory in an ongoing legal battle over artificial intelligence models and copyright, one that may reverberate across the dozens of other AI copyright lawsuits winding through the legal system in the United States. A court has determined that it was legal for Anthropic to train its AI tools on copyrighted works, arguing that the behavior is shielded by the “fair use” doctrine, which allows for unauthorized use of copyrighted materials under certain conditions. “The

Judge rules Anthropic did not violate authors' copyrights with AI book training

Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21st, 2025. Anthropic's use of books to train its artificial intelligence model Claude was "fair use" and "transformative," a federal judge ruled late on Monday. Amazon -backed Anthropic's AI training did not violate the authors' copyrights since the large language models "have not reproduced to the public a given work's creative elements, nor even one author's identifiable

Deal: Pixel 9 for just $249 for US Mobile customers, old and new

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR US Mobile is offering the Google Pixel 9 for just $249 when you pay for a year of unlimited service, making the total as low as $459. Existing US Mobile customers who meet certain requirements can get the deal without switching plans or paying for a new annual plan. The Pixel 9 is still a strong buy in 2025, with seven years of OS updates and solid performance, and US Mobile is a reputable carrier with unique multi-network support. Now that the Google

Judge sides with Anthropic over training AI on books without authors' permission

Federal judge William Alsup ruled that it was legal for Anthropic to train its AI models on published books without the authors’ permission. This marks the first time that the courts have given credence to AI companies’ claim that fair use doctrine can absolve AI companies from fault when they use copyrighted materials to train LLMs. This decision comes as a blow to authors, artists, and publishers who have brought dozens of lawsuits against companies like OpenAI, Meta, Midjourney, Google, and

‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ Pays Homage to ‘Halloween II’ in First Trailer

Maya (Madelaine Petsch) survived the horrors of The Strangers—but she can’t breathe easy yet. The hospital where she’s supposed to be recovering is hardly a safe place, as the first trailer for The Strangers – Chapter 2 reveals. Remember when Laurie Strode realized Michael Myers had followed her to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital in Halloween II, intent on finishing what he’d started in the first film? Same vibes here. As slasher fans may recall, Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dre

Anthropic wins a major fair use victory for AI — but it’s still in trouble for stealing books

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. A federal judge has sided with Anthropic in an AI copyright case, ruling that training — and only training — its AI models on legally purchased books without authors’ permission is fair use. It’s a first-of-its-kind ruling in favor of the AI industry, but it’s importantly limited specifically to physical books Anthropic purchased and digitized. Jud

Marvel's 'Ironheart' Debuts Today. Here's How to Watch

It's been almost three years since the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel's Ryan Coogler-directed film that introduced Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. The brilliant teenage MIT student created a vibranium detector that caught the attention of the CIA, Wakandans and, um, a water-dwelling god. Now, the character has her own streaming TV show: Ironheart. Pulled from the pages of Marvel's comic books, the young inventor possesses genius-level intelligence and found Tony Stark an i

A federal judge sides with Anthropic in lawsuit over training AI on books without authors’ permission

Federal judge William Alsup ruled that it was legal for Anthropic to train its AI models on published books without the authors’ permission. This marks the first time that the courts have given credence to AI companies’ claim that fair use doctrine can absolve AI companies from fault when they use copyrighted materials to train LLMs. This decision comes as a blow to authors, artists, and publishers who have brought dozens of lawsuits against companies like OpenAI, Meta, Midjourney, Google, and

The First Reactions to ‘Ironheart’ Are All Over the Place

We’re on the eve of a new Marvel show, and the House of Mouse has started allowing press who’ve seen all six episodes of Ironheart to share how they think. While the early verdicts swing pretty wildly between positive and mild shrugs at best, there’s also a lot of hints that the series’ back half includes a pretty wild climax. While there does seem to be a wide range of opinions, it seems like most of whether or not Ironheart lands with people clicks with its flow, with many critics pointing to

This Worldwide Travel Adapter Is Nearly Free for Your Summer Vacation, Listed Among Amazon’s Best-Sellers

Traveling can be exciting, but anyone who’s forgotten to pack the right power adapter knows it can also be a headache. Fumbling for the right plug, searching for adapters at the last minute, or buying overpriced replacements in a foreign airport adds stress to your trip. Not to mention extra expenses. That’s why a travel adapter is one of the most overlooked but essential items in any suitcase. The Epicka Universal Travel Adapter fits the bill nicely, and it’s on sale right now. Head to Amazon

Mom-Approved Best Pregnancy Pillows to Help You Sleep Better While Pregnant

Sleeping well during pregnancy is tough, and expectant mothers may experience sleep issues. I was pregnant during the summer and the only thing that seemed to help me, as my bump grew, was using pregnancy pillows. I tried many during my second and third trimesters, and they made a big difference. Cooling options and extra support helped ease the pressure on my back and hips, and I finally started sleeping better. While testing, I kept in mind that everyone’s needs vary when they're pregnant. Fr

The Tacx Alpine is a $1,100 gradient simulator for your Garmin smart bike trainer

Cycling season may have only just started, but that’s not stopping Garmin from looking ahead to when all the roadies need to take their bikes indoors. On Tuesday, the company announced the Tacx Alpine, an indoor gradient simulator for its family of NEO smart trainers. The accessory can replicate inclines of up to 25 percent and declines of up to -10 percent, with adjustments made either manually through a built-in control panel or automatically when using the device with a compatible apps like Z

This proxy provider I tested is the best for web scraping - and it's not IPRoyal or MarsProxies

ZDNET's key takeaways Proxy service platform Oxylabs offers an enormous pool of ethically-sourced residential proxies, meaning you're likely to get good quality data without pushback from the sites you're visiting. Oxylabs' mix of API and AI made it easy for us to run test calls, and should provide a solid foundation for scraping apps. Oxylabs has excellent documentation and videos, which should help you get up and running with their tools It's a straightforward process. View now at Oxylabs

I Wanted to Switch to Pixel 10, but This iOS 26 Feature Might Keep Me on iPhone

I switched from a Google Pixel 3 XL to Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max in 2021, and in the years since, I've dearly missed Google's Hold For Me. This feature is so useful that I'm shocked it hasn't been brought to the iPhone or even other Android phones in the years since. Hold For Me saves me from the misery of listening to awful hold music whenever I needed to call up a business, my health insurance provider, my cellphone carrier or any of the other myriad adulting tasks that still require speaking

Riot is shutting down studio behind its Minecraft-like game

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Riot Games is closing the studio behind Hytale, its Minecraft-like game that has been in development for nearly a decade. Hypixel Studios, which Riot acquired in 2020 for an undisclosed sum, is shutting down “over the next few months,” according to Hypixel CEO Aaron “Noxy” Donaghey. “After years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every possible path, it became clear w

Tempur-Pedic Promo Codes: Up to $500 Off

Life is hard, but you know what isn’t? Tempur-Pedic mattresses. This brand’s been around for a long while, which isn’t shocking given the high-quality materials that perform for those that need advanced pressure relief and support. If you’re someone who deals with regular aches and pains, this is a good place to start looking for a new mattress. For those that also want to avoid putting a strain on their budget, now’s a good time to look, as Tempur-Pedic is launching its summertime 4th of July s

Show HN: Pickaxe – A TypeScript library for building AI agents

Pickaxe: A Typescript library for building AI agents that scale Pickaxe is a simple Typescript library for building AI agents that are fault-tolerant and scalable. It handles the complexities of durable execution, queueing and scheduling, allowing you to focus on writing core business logic. It is not a framework. Everything in Pickaxe is just a function that you have written, which makes it easy to integrate with your existing codebase and business logic. You can build agents that call tools,

I ported pigz from Unix to Windows

I just finished porting pigz from Unix to Windows (you can download pre-compiled binaries ). This article describes how I did it. Pigz was clearly written with Unix in mind, with no thought given to cross-platform portability. Thankfully, it’s a relatively simple, command-line program that sticks to using standard C library. Porting pthreads Pigz uses pthreads for threading. Porting pthreads code to Windows would be a nightmare. Lucky me: someone already did all the hard work and implemented