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MasterClass deal: Get half off subscriptions for Labor Day

If you want to brush up on some skills or learn new ones, MasterClass offers a good way to do just that. The streaming service has hundreds of classes taught by professionals and experts in their fields, and now you can get a subscription for 50 percent less than usual. All MasterClass membership tiers are on sale right now, so you can sign up for as low as $5 per month. With a subscription, you could watch a class on writing taught by James Patterson, or learn cooking techniques from Thomas Ke

I did 98,000 Anki reviews. Anki is already dead

Ibiza coast. August 2025. I went through a phase where I Anki’d every useful-seeming Japanese word I came across as well as all of the standard 2,136 kanji. I was teaching English in Japan at the time, which meant I was thinking about language learning all day. I’d arrived with no knowledge of the language and a resolve to be able to read a contemporary fiction novel on my flight home, so I felt I needed all the help I could get. That’s when I found Anki. Fig. 1: My idea of a good time. Review

MasterClass subscriptions are 50 percent off in this Labor Day sale

MasterClass promises online learning with instructors who are the very best in their fields, and an annual subscription is currently 50 percent off across all tiers. Subscribers to MasterClass will have access to over 200 classes taught by iconic authors, chefs, athletes and leaders representing a diverse collection of skill sets and backgrounds. With a subscription, you could watch a class on writing taught by James Patterson, or learn cooking techniques from Thomas Keller. If you're trying to

CodeSignal’s new AI tutoring app Cosmo wants to be the ‘Duolingo for job skills’

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 CodeSignal Inc., the San Francisco-based skills assessment platform trusted by Netflix, Meta, and Capital One, launched Cosmo on Wednesday, a mobile learning application that transforms spare minutes into career-ready skills through artificial intelligence-powered micro-courses. The app represents a strategic pivot for CodeSignal, which bu

The End of Handwriting

People often credit my good handwriting to my Catholic school education—like a nun with a ruler and a taste for corporal punishment perfected my penmanship. But that’s not why. It’s because of my mom. An engineer by trade, she can execute the kind of perfect block letters that only come with years of working on a drawing board. As a kid, I worked to mimic her print as well as her incredibly ornate cursive. I don’t practice those skills nearly enough as an adult, though: As a reporter, speed trum

The lottery ticket hypothesis: why neural networks work

How AI researchers accidentally discovered that everything they thought about learning was wrong 18 Aug, 2025 The lottery ticket hypothesis explains why massive neural networks succeed despite centuries of theory predicting they should fail Five years ago, suggesting that AI researchers train neural networks with trillions of parameters would have earned you pitying looks. It violated the most fundamental rule in machine learning: make your model too large, and it becomes a glorified photocop

Who Invented Backpropagation?

Efficient backpropagation (BP) is central to the ongoing Neural Network (NN) ReNNaissance and "Deep Learning." Who invented it? BP's modern version (also called the reverse mode of automatic differentiation) was first published in 1970 by Finnish master student Seppo Linnainmaa [BP1] [R7]. In 2020, we celebrated BP's half-century anniversary! A precursor of BP was published by Henry J. Kelley in 1960 [BPA]—in 2020, we celebrated its 60-year anniversary. In the 2020s, it was still easy to find

Liver King Accused of Breaking Blood-Bound Contract He Insisted Upon

Liver King, the very red gentleman who receives what is perhaps the most liberal interpretation of the title “health and fitness influencer,” is in the middle of what can mostly be described as an extremely petty and deeply stupid lawsuit over a supplement. And while the case itself might not be super noteworthy simply because the guy has been in court a lot lately, it has produced this incredible detail: The Liver King had his partners sign a contract in blood. According to a complaint filed b

Why we should thank pigeons for our AI breakthroughs

People looking for precursors to artificial intelligence often point to science fiction by authors like Isaac Asimov or thought experiments like the Turing test. But an equally important, if surprising and less appreciated, forerunner is Skinner’s research with pigeons in the middle of the 20th century. Skinner believed that association—learning, through trial and error, to link an action with a punishment or reward—was the building block of every behavior, not just in pigeons but in all living

The End of Handwriting

People often credit my good handwriting to my Catholic school education—like a nun with a ruler and a taste for corporal punishment perfected my penmanship. But that’s not why. It’s because of my mom. An engineer by trade, she can execute the kind of perfect block letters that only come with years of working on a drawing board. As a kid, I worked to mimic her print as well as her incredibly ornate cursive. I don’t practice those skills nearly enough as an adult, though: As a reporter, speed trum

MasterClass deal: Subscriptions are 40 percent off right now

If you want to brush up on some skills or learn new ones, MasterClass offers a good way to do just that. The streaming service has hundreds of classes taught by professionals and experts in their fields, and now you can get a subscription for 40 percent less than usual. All MasterClass membership tiers are on sale right now, so you can sign up for as low as $6 per month. With a subscription, you could watch a class on writing taught by James Patterson, or learn cooking techniques from Thomas Ke

Limited-time Apple Card promo offers 5% back at select gas and EV charging stations

For the next month or so, Apple has a special promotion for those heading out for Summer road trips (or anyone else who drives and has an Apple Card) – allowing users to earn a higher 5% cash back rate at Exxon/Mobil gas stations, as well as qualifying ChargePoint EV charging stations. All three of these merchants regularly earn 3% cash back when using Apple Card with Apple Pay, but now through September 15th – you’ll be able to earn a special boosted 5% rate. This promotion does require using

Applied Materials sinks 14% on weak guidance due to China demand

Applied Materials shares plunged14% after the semiconductor equipment maker issued weak guidance as it faces demand pressures in China. The company forecast adjusted earnings per share of $2.11, falling short of the $2.39 per share expected by LSEG. The company projected $6.7 billion in revenue, versus the $7.34 billion estimate. During an earnings call with analysts, CEO Gary Dickerson said that the current macroeconomic backdrop and trade issues have fueled "increasing uncertainty and lower

Applied Materials sinks nearly 14% on weak guidance due to China demand

Applied Materials shares plunged14% after the semiconductor equipment maker issued weak guidance as it faces demand pressures in China. The company forecast adjusted earnings per share of $2.11, falling short of the $2.39 per share expected by LSEG. The company projected $6.7 billion in revenue, versus the $7.34 billion estimate. During an earnings call with analysts, CEO Gary Dickerson said that the current macroeconomic backdrop and trade issues have fueled "increasing uncertainty and lower

Applied Materials sinks 13% on weak guidance due to China demand

Applied Materials shares plunged more than 13% after the semiconductor equipment maker issued weak guidance as it faces demand pressures in China. The company forecasted adjusted earnings of $2.11 per this quarter, falling short of the $2.39 per share expected by LSEG. The company projected $6.7 billion in revenue, versus the $7.34 billion estimate. During an earnings call with analysts, CEO Gary Dickerson said that the current macroeconomic backdrop and trade issues have fueled "increasing un

MasterClass memberships are 40 percent off right now

MasterClass promises online learning with instructors who are the very best in their fields, and an annual subscription is currently 40 percent off across all tiers. Subscribers to MasterClass will have access to over 200 classes taught by iconic authors, chefs, athletes and leaders representing a diverse collection of skill sets and backgrounds. You could watch a class on writing taught by James Patterson, or learn cooking techniques from Thomas Keller. If you're trying to impress at your next

Anthropic takes on OpenAI and Google with new Claude AI features designed for students and developers

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 Anthropic is launching new “learning modes” for its Claude AI assistant that transform the chatbot from an answer-dispensing tool into a teaching companion, as major technology companies race to capture the rapidly growing artificial intelligence education market while addressing mounting concerns that AI undermines genuine learning. The S

Anthropic brings Claude's learning mode to regular users and devs

This past spring, Anthropic introduced learning mode, a feature that changed Claude's interaction style. When enabled, the chatbot would, following a question, try to guide the user to their own solution, instead of providing them with an answer outright. Since its introduction in April, learning mode has only been available to Claude for Education users. Now, like OpenAI did with Study Mode, Anthropic is making the tool available to everyone. Starting today, Claude.ai users will find a new opt

What Medieval People Got Right About Learning (2019)

We tend to assume that if people today and people five hundred years ago do things differently, it’s because we’ve figured out a better way to do it. After all, we have microscopes, democracy and penicillin. People in the middle ages lit cats on fire for fun. Yet despite overwhelming progress, it’s ironically in the area of education that we may be the ones who have it backward. Apprenticeships were, for a long time, the dominant way of learning professional skills. A master agrees to show you

I've used Rakuten for a year and earned nearly $500 - here's how

Kayla Solino/ZDNET What if I told you that you can save on that purchase you were about to make via cash back, and that it's as easy as enabling a browser extension or using an app? While it sounds questionable, I'm here to quell your concerns. I've been using Rakuten's cash back program for over a year, and I've saved around $450 so far. I began using the platform in early 2024 -- and now I'm a user for life. Also: 3 ways Google Chrome and Wallet just made shopping a whole lot easier But be

WHY2025: How to become your own ISP [video]

How to become your own ISP Nick Bouwhuis 34 min 34 min 1.1k 1.1k Fahrplan This talk will take you along with a deep dive on how the internet works at its core and how you can participate yourself. You'll learn all about BGP, AS- numbers, IP-prefixes and more. Ever wanted to become sovereign on the internet? Want to know what its like to run an ISP? Are you a sysadmin that wants to learn more about networking? Then you're at the right place. This talk will take you along with a deep dive o

How to become your own ISP (WHY2025) [video]

How to become your own ISP Nick Bouwhuis 34 min 34 min 231 231 Fahrplan This talk will take you along with a deep dive on how the internet works at its core and how you can participate yourself. You'll learn all about BGP, AS- numbers, IP-prefixes and more. Ever wanted to become sovereign on the internet? Want to know what its like to run an ISP? Are you a sysadmin that wants to learn more about networking? Then you're at the right place. This talk will take you along with a deep dive on

Learn, Reflect, Apply, Prepare: The Four Daily Practices That Changed How I Live

In a world obsessed with hacks, sprints, and overnight success, I’ve been drawn to something quieter, simpler, and, at least for me, more sustaining: a daily rhythm built around four verbs. No apps. No dashboards. Just a living experiment I return to every day: Learn. Reflect. Apply. Prepare. I haven’t mastered this. Far from it. But the more I practice, the more I notice how these four verbs gently shape my days, especially when things feel chaotic or uncertain. 1. Learn Something Every Day

Topics: did isn just learning ve

The winners and losers in tech's AI-powered ad race

In this article META GOOGL RDDT SNAP PINS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now Artificial intelligence has been a shot in the arm for digital advertising. Meta and Alphabet both reported sales and earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations, but the strength in digital ad spend was notable. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the earnings call that AI helped imbue "greater efficiency and gains across our ad system," thus contributing to the 22% year-over-year increa

Tech is getting a boost from AI ad tools. Some companies are being left behind

In this article META GOOGL RDDT SNAP PINS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., arrives for the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on Sept. 25, 2024. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Artificial intelligence has been a shot in the arm for digital advertising. Meta and Alphabet both reported sales and earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations, but the strength in digital ad spend was notable. Meta CEO Mark Zuck

Pinterest stock falls 10% after earnings miss

Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest, speaks at the 28th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2025. Pinterest shares were down more than 10% on Thursday after the company reported second-quarter earnings that missed on earnings per share. Here's how the company did, compared to analysts' consensus estimates from LSEG: Earnings per share : $0.33 cents Adj. vs. $0.35 cents expected : $0.33 cents Adj. vs. $0.35 cents expected Revenue: $998

Computing’s Top 30: Guowen Xu

Guowen Xu’s passion for cryptography was seeded in various courses throughout his undergraduate mathematics education. It was his experience as a doctoral student, however, that was truly transformative in terms of his learning how to navigate cryptographic security’s complexities and begin shaping his research directions and career. Today, Xu is a full professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu. Xu’s wor

10 Linux features you should be using to get the best performance and functionality

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Linux is powerful, flexible, and can do just about anything. However, to really get the most out of Linux and your computer(s), there are certain skills and habits you need to bolster; otherwise, you're not really enjoying the riches that can be mined from Linux. Also: 8 ways I quickly leveled up my Linux skills - and you can too Trust me, there are riches in that open-source operating system. So, if you want to get serious about this, read on and consider these tips as esse

Topics: learn linux need use want

Gemini's new Guided Learning mode can quiz students and create interactive study aids

Google is updating Gemini to make it a better education tool with a new feature called Guided Learning. Like similar learning-focused updates to ChatGPT and Claude, Guided Learning tries to promote understanding by breaking down problems into step-by-step instructions, follow-up questions and interactive examples, rather than simply providing an answer. Guided Learning will be available as toggle in the prompt box of Gemini as the feature rolls out. When it's toggled on, Gemini will treat quest

Google takes on ChatGPT’s Study Mode with new ‘Guided Learning’ tool in Gemini

As the new school year approaches, Google announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a new tool called Guided Learning within Gemini. The tool sort of functions like an AI tutor, as it’s designed to help users build a deep understanding instead of just getting answers. The launch follows just over a week after OpenAI rolled out Study Mode for ChatGPT, which is also designed to go beyond simply obtaining answers to questions by actually helping users develop critical thinking skills. Both compa