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With AI chatbots, Big Tech is moving fast and breaking people

Allan Brooks, a 47-year-old corporate recruiter, spent three weeks and 300 hours convinced he'd discovered mathematical formulas that could crack encryption and build levitation machines. According to a New York Times investigation, his million-word conversation history with an AI chatbot reveals a troubling pattern: More than 50 times, Brooks asked the bot to check if his false ideas were real. More than 50 times, it assured him they were. Brooks isn't alone. Futurism reported on a woman whose

With AI chatbots, Big Tech is moving fast and breaking people

Allan Brooks, a 47-year-old corporate recruiter, spent three weeks and 300 hours convinced he'd discovered mathematical formulas that could crack encryption and build levitation machines. According to a New York Times investigation, his million-word conversation history with an AI chatbot reveals a troubling pattern: More than 50 times, Brooks asked the bot to check if his false ideas were real. More than 50 times, it assured him they were. Brooks isn't alone. Futurism reported on a woman whose

Sennheiser updates the Ambeo Max soundbar with lossless audio, customizable immersion and more

Sennheiser's most expensive Ambeo soundbar is getting a substantial update. The company announced that the Ambeo Soundbar Max, a $2,000 beast of a living room speaker, will gain two features it calls Customizable Immersion and Voice Enhancement Mode. Plus, the company is adding lossless audio support on top of Dolby Atmos Music. The firmware update will equip the Max with Ambeo OS2 and is available via free download through the Sennheiser Smart Control app for iOS and Android. With Customizable

Skill issues – Dialectical Behavior Therapy and its discontents (2024)

When Marsha Linehan was seventeen, she developed terrible headaches. The family doctor didn’t seem to know what was causing them, so Linehan saw a psychiatrist, who recommended a two-week inpatient “diagnostic evaluation” at the Institute of Living, a private mental hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. A few days later she was cutting herself with the smashed lenses of her glasses. The staff psychiatrists moved her to a ward for “the most disturbed patients” where nurses stripped her naked, wrappe

Want your Pixel 10 to pop? dbrand’s Damascus skins are back in shimmering style

dbrand TL;DR dbrand’s refreshed Damascus skins are now available for the Pixel 10 series. You can choose from Holo White and Triple White designs. The skins are also rolling out across over 200 other devices with a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Picking up a Pixel 10 today? dbrand already has you covered. The company has given its most popular Damascus skin line a long-awaited refresh, with two striking new variations that debut on Google’s latest flagships. Don’t want to miss the best from And

GEPA optimizes LLMs without costly reinforcement learning

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University and Databricks have introduced a new AI optimization method called GEPA that significantly outperforms traditional reinforcement learning (RL) techniques for adapting large language models (LLMs) to specialized tasks. GEPA removes the popular paradigm of learning

MCP doesn't need tools, it needs code

Your MCP Doesn’t Need 30 Tools: It Needs Code I wrote a while back about why code performs better than MCP (Model Context Protocol) for some tasks. In particular, I pointed out that if you have command line tools available, agentic coding tools seem very happy to use those. In the meantime, I learned a few more things that put some nuance to this. There are a handful of challenges with CLI-based tools that are rather hard to resolve and require further examination. In this blog post, I want to

MCP Doesn't Need 30 Tools: It Needs Code

Your MCP Doesn’t Need 30 Tools: It Needs Code I wrote a while back about why code performs better than MCP (Model Context Protocol) for some tasks. In particular, I pointed out that if you have command line tools available, agentic coding tools seem very happy to use those. In the meantime, I learned a few more things that put some nuance to this. There are a handful of challenges with CLI-based tools that are rather hard to resolve and require further examination. In this blog post, I want to

SuperSight: A graphical enhancement mod for Brøderbund's "Stunts"

Annali da Samarcanda Alberto Marnetto's Notebook SuperSight: a graphical enhancement mod for Brøderbund's Stunts Clickbait disclaimer: Stunts was actually created by Distinctive Software; Brøderbund was only the publisher. But nobody heard about Distinctive, and I wanted to be sure this article does not get confused with the one about Disney's Stunt Island. Sorry about that. Part I This series will tell about the creation of SuperSight, a mod for Stunts intended to bring the game’s 3D engin

Teaching the model: Designing LLM feedback loops that get smarter over time

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now Large language models (LLMs) have dazzled with their ability to reason, generate and automate, but what separates a compelling demo from a lasting product isn’t just the model’s initial performance. It’s how well the system learns from real users. Feedback loops are the missing layer in most AI deployments. As LLMs are integrated into ever

Best Practices for Building Agentic AI Systems

I’ve been experimenting with adding AI agents to UserJot, our feedback, roadmap, and changelog platform. Not the simple “one prompt, one response” stuff. Real agent systems where multiple specialized agents communicate, delegate tasks, and somehow don’t crash into each other. The goal was to analyze customer feedback at scale. Find patterns across hundreds of posts. Auto-generate changelog entries. Things that were basically impossible to do manually. I spent weeks reverse engineering tools lik

dbrand’s Joy-Con grip nightmare is coming to an end as it starts shipping replacements

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority TL;DR Accessory maker dbrand has officially started shipping its Joy-Lock Grips. The replacement grips are designed so that Joy-Cons won’t detach from the Switch 2, even when 87% of the console’s weight is put on the magnetic hinge. The replacement kit also includes a set of Dock Adapter Friction Pads. Accessory maker dbrand is well-known for its high-quality products. However, the company recently found itself embroiled in controversy shortly after releasing

These are my favorite MagSafe stands for iPhone and StandBy

One of my favorite iPhone features is StandBy, which turns your iPhone into a smart display when it’s in landscape orientation and charging. One of the best ways to take full advantage of StandBy is with an upright wireless charger. Head below for a closer look at some of my favorite MagSafe stands for iPhone, perfect for StandBy. What is StandBy mode? The StandBy feature was introduced in iOS 17 as a new lock screen mode that activates when an iPhone is charging and positioned on its side, i

5 quick ways to make your soundbar sound better than ever (and for free)

Jada Jones/ZDNET Soundbars are gaining in popularity because of their sleek design and ability to provide an ample boost in audio quality compared to built-in TV speakers. Even with their plug-and-play nature, you can make a few modifications to help unleash the best possible sound quality. Also: I replaced my Sonos Arc Ultra with this Samsung flagship soundbar - and it's a worthy alternative Whether you're new to soundbar setups or a self-proclaimed audiophile, familiarizing yourself with so

Starlink Users Will Now Have to Pay $5 to Pause Service

Starlink is ending a popular free feature that let customers pause service at any time for free. Now, you’ll have to pay $5 a month to enter what the company is calling “Standby Mode.” Subscribers who’d been using the pause feature began receiving emails yesterday notifying them that they’d have to opt in to the new Standby Mode by Sept. 13, or their service would be canceled. “We recently upgraded pause to include Standby Mode,” the company wrote on a support page. “Previously, the pause feat

Show HN: Zig-DbC – A design by contract library for Zig

Hi everyone, I've made an open-source library for using design by contract (DbC) principles in the Zig programming language. It's called Zig-DbC, and it currently provides the following features: - A simple API to define preconditions, postconditions, and invariants. - Contracts are active in `Debug`, `ReleaseSafe`, and `ReleaseSmall` modes to catch bugs early. - All checks are removed at compile time in `ReleaseFast` mode for zero performance cost. - An optional mode to handle partial sta

The iPhone 17 Hasn't Been Announced Yet, but There's Already a Case for It

One of the first cases for the iPhone 17 has made its appearance. Canadian tech accessory company Dbrand announced its Tank Case for the iPhone 17 is set to go on sale in September, the same month we're expecting Apple to announce the eagerly awaited iPhone 17. While we don't know the price of the Tank Case yet, Dbrand has certainly made some striking design choices in the hard black shell case, including plenty of number codes, the Freemason Eye of Providence in what looks like a center design

I did not expect this JBL soundbar to outperform pricier models by Sonos and Bose like this

JBL Bar 1000MK2 ZDNET's key takeaways The JBL Bar 1000MK2 includes a soundbar, two detachable rear speakers, and an external subwoofer for $1,200. It's a versatile system, with powerful audio performance suitable for large rooms. It's not an ideal option for people who want permanent rear speakers. $1,199.95 at Walmart $1,199.95 at B&H Photo-Video $1,199.95 at Crutchfield more buying choices The original JBL Bar 1000 made a compelling case for itself as a versatile soundbar for those who want

After 34 Years of Booop-Beep-Beep-Beep-Krsssh-Eee-Brrrrrrr, AOL’s Dial-Up Service Is Finally Shutting Down

It’s the end of an era. After 34 years, AOL is pulling the plug on its dial-up internet service. It’s hard to believe that In 2025, with 5G, Wi-Fi, and fiber-optic broadband seemingly everywhere, AOL’s classic dial-up service is still operating. Sadly, for the thousands of people still relying on the old school internet service, the company recently announced that it’s discontinuing it on Sept. 30. “AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Intern

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Great sound, greater frustration

Unlike two of its biggest rivals , Sony waited until April to unveil its latest soundbars rather than debut them at CES in January. And even then, the two most premium options in the company’s 2025 lineup remain untouched. Instead, Sony gave us the Bravia Theater Bar 6 ($650) : a 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar that comes with a wireless subwoofer and a modest set of features. However, the caveats here are real headscratchers, especially on a soundbar launching this year. Sony 75 100 Expert

This quantum radar could image buried objects

The glass cell that serves as the radar’s quantum component is full of cesium atoms kept at room temperature. The researchers use lasers to get each individual cesium atom to swell to nearly the size of a bacterium, about 10,000 times bigger than the usual size. Atoms in this bloated condition are called Rydberg atoms. When incoming radio waves hit Rydberg atoms, they disturb the distribution of electrons around their nuclei. Researchers can detect the disturbance by shining lasers on the atoms

I replaced my Sonos soundbar for one with detachable rear speakers - and it's worth it

JBL Bar 1000MK2 ZDNET's key takeaways The JBL Bar 1000MK2 includes a soundbar, two detachable rear speakers, and an external subwoofer for $1,200. It's a versatile system, with powerful audio performance suitable for large rooms. It's not an ideal option for people who want permanent rear speakers. $1,199.95 at Walmart $1,199.95 at Crutchfield $1,199.95 at JBL.com more buying choices The original JBL Bar 1000 made a compelling case for itself as a versatile soundbar for those who wanted the o

FCC Democrat: Trump admin is declaring “Mission Accomplished” on broadband

The Federal Communications Commission is hamstringing its upcoming review of broadband availability by ignoring the prices consumers must pay for Internet service, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said in a statement yesterday. "Some point to existing law to argue that availability is the only metric Congress allows to measure broadband deployment success. But the law does not require this agency to view broadband availability with one eye closed and the other one half-open," said Gomez, the only De

I swapped my Sonos soundbar for one with detachable rear speakers - genius or gimmick?

JBL Bar 1000MK2 ZDNET's key takeaways The JBL Bar 1000MK2 includes a soundbar, two detachable rear speakers, and an external subwoofer for $1,200. It's a versatile system, with powerful audio performance suitable for large rooms. It's not an ideal option for people who want permanent rear speakers. $1,199.95 at Walmart $1,199.95 at B&H Photo-Video $1,199.95 at Crutchfield more buying choices The original JBL Bar 1000 made a compelling case for itself as a versatile soundbar for those who want

Digital Foundry, the most trusted name in game console analysis, is going independent

is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. Over the past decade and a half, Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry has become the most knowledgeable and trustworthy place to find out just how powerful a new video game console might be, where the hottest new games run the best, and why they sometimes don’t! Even Sony and Microsoft often favor DF for exclusive access to technical details. But a

The greenhouse gases we’re not accounting for

Researchers around the world set to work unraveling the mystery, reviewing readings from satellites, aircraft, and greenhouse-gas monitoring stations. They eventually spotted a clear pattern: Methane emissions had increased sharply across the tropics, where wetlands were growing wetter and warmer. That created the ideal conditions for microbes that thrive in anaerobic muck, which gobbled up more of the carbon-rich organic matter and spat out more methane as a by-product. (Reduced pollution from

The best soundbars of 2025: Expert tested and recommended

Why we like it: If you're willing to spend the money for the best soundbar system you can get right now, and want something that comes with a subwoofer and surrounds all ready to go, then the Samsung HW-Q990F is the way to go. The system is powerful, immersive, and incredible sounding, and while it's far from cheap, it pushes the limits of what a soundbar can offer. Review: Samsung HQ-Q990F The Samsung HW-Q990F is pretty bulky, and for a reason. It has a 23 drivers built straight into it, with

Yamaha’s New Soundbar Has More Up-Firing Dolby Atmos Speakers Than There Are ‘Fast and Furious’ Movies

Sometimes more is better. Case in point: money. I could really use more money, and if you gave me more money, I’d be happy about that—I think most would agree with that sentiment, and if you don’t, I have a favor to ask. Speakers, like money, are also a thing you may want more of, and while they’re not as important as money, they’re important for your ears, and Yamaha is here to take your money in exchange for satisfying your ears in a very maximalist way. Yamaha’s True X Surround 90A soundbar

Trump tells states they'll lose out on broadband fund if they try to dictate rates

States will lose out on their share of a $42 billion broadband fund if they attempt to dictate rates that internet services providers (ISPs) charge low-income customers, according to a new FAQ from the Trump administration seen by Ars Technica. That means ISPs — which are subsidized by the government in order to provide low-cost plans — will be able to set such rates under the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program. The new language appeared in a BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice

Marines now have an official drone-fighting handbook

On the heels of fielding the military’s first attack drone team, the U.S. Marine Corps added another weapon to their drone-fighting arsenal: a 90-page handbook all about employing small, unmanned aerial systems against the enemy and integrating them into formations. The 1st Marine Division Schools’ Small UAS/Counter-small UAS Integration Handbook was published in June and approved for public release. It’s intended to support the 10-day sUAS/C-sUAS Integration Course recently launched at Camp Pe