GoKawiil
Tech News
A columnist who uses Google Maps daily outlines four persistent gaps in the app, starting with offline maps that still require manually drawing rectangles instead of downloading whole regions or countries at once. The piece contrasts this with rivals like Maps.me and Organic Maps, which allow single-tap downloads of entire areas.
Schools nationwide are increasingly restricting student phone access during the day, often using lockable pouches or storage systems. Early research on these policies shows students report better mood and social interaction, but academic performance and classroom attention have not meaningfully improved.
Buffalo Wild Wings is closing a number of underperforming restaurants across the country, even as the chain continues to operate more than 1,400 locations nationwide. The closures mean some customers will lose their nearest outlet, though the brand's overall footprint remains largely intact.
A commentary argues that the widespread criticism of GDPR, especially over cookie consent banners, misreads what's happening. The author contends that companies deliberately designed those banners as confusing dark patterns to frustrate users into clicking 'accept,' not because the regulation demanded it, and that this design choice is being unfairly blamed on the law itself.
A technical explainer examines the internal workings of the coaster brake, a rear-hub braking system that has been used on bicycles for more than 100 years. The piece breaks down the mechanical components and physics that allow pedaling backward to engage stopping power without external levers or cables.
Researchers gave students at 18 Tennessee middle schools two years of access to Khanmigo, Khan Academy's generative AI tutor designed to guide them toward answers rather than hand them out. The study found that while nearly all students had access, actual use for schoolwork was minimal, with many instead sending off-topic prompts like requests for jokes or essays about pizza, or trying to trick the bot into giving direct answers.
A tech columnist reports that AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude become noticeably less useful over long-term use as they accumulate stored memories from past conversations. Outdated, one-off, or hypothetical exchanges get retained and later influence unrelated responses, degrading the quality of answers even after an initial 'sweet spot' of personalization is reached. The fix involves periodically reviewing and deleting old memory entries through each platform's settings menu.
Samsung has overhauled the Galaxy Z Flip 8's outer display, giving it a more phone-like interface with swipe-down notifications, quick settings, and an app drawer. The 4-inch cover screen now supports full versions of apps rather than the limited widgets Samsung previously favored, and it prompts users to install MultiStar, a Good Lock module that unlocks any app on the outer screen.
AI language models fall into three broad categories based on how much of their inner workings are shared publicly: proprietary systems that keep code and weights closed, open-weight models that release trained parameters without full training data or code, and open source models that make the entire stack available for inspection and modification. The distinctions affect how much control, transparency, and customization developers and businesses get when building on top of these systems.
Samsung's latest folding phone experiment appears to be resonating with buyers, continuing the company's pattern of testing unconventional smartphone form factors in public before they go mainstream. The device's reception is drawing attention as Apple prepares its own entry into the foldable phone category.
A large neuroimaging study published in Nature gave 62 psychedelic-naive participants 19mg of oral psilocybin while they meditated, listened to music, or watched a movie, tracking activity across 332 brain regions with fMRI and EEG. Using AI to detect activity patterns tied to each task, researchers found that stronger psilocybin experiences produced clearer, more distinct neural signatures of what people were doing in the moment, even as boundaries between certain brain networks blurred.
Liverpool face Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, with both clubs still chasing their first Premier League victory under recently appointed managers. Liverpool salvaged a 2-2 draw at Newcastle last weekend on a late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty, while Forest's Oliver Glasner has lost his first two games in charge, including a midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Leeds. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. BST, with US viewers able to stream the match via USA Network on services like Sling TV.