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Solar-plus-storage technology is improving quickly

I chat with Kostantsa Rangelova and Dave Jones, authors of a new Ember report, who find that solar-plus-storage costs have declined so much that it can now provide baseload-level power in sunny cities for less than the cost of new nuclear or even new gas. We discuss why even energy pros are behind the curve on this, how quickly the technology is improving, and why most of the world doesn't see natural gas as a viable option the way the US does. (PDF transcript) (Active transcript) Text transc

Myanmar’s Devastating Earthquake in March Split the Earth at ‘Supershear Velocity’

On March 28, Myanmar was rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that claimed over 5,000 lives and caused damage even in neighboring countries. In a study published July 10 in The Seismic Record, seismologists confirmed previous research indicating that the southern part of the large earthquake’s rupture, or fracture, took place at astounding speeds of up to between 3.1 and 3.7 miles per second (5 to 6 kilometers per second)—at supershear velocity. This likely played a role in the earthquake’s dev

Here’s why there are so few new cars for under $30,000

The affordability crisis affecting the US automobile market shows little signs of abating. The average price of a new car continues to rise: In June the average new vehicle MSRP was $51,124, according to Kelly Blue Book, with average transaction prices a little lower at $48,907. While one might imagine this has had a dampening effect on car sales, the opposite is true—the first half of 2025 has seen a robust market with some months seeing extremely high volumes. But most signs point to a tighten

Experimental surgery performed by AI-driven surgical robot

Intuitive Surgical, an American biotechnology company, introduced DaVinci surgical robots in the late 1990s, and they became groundbreaking teleoperation equipment. Expert surgeons could operate on patients remotely, manipulating the robotic arms and their surgical tools based on a video feed from DaVinci’s built-in cameras and endoscopes. Now, John Hopkins University researchers put a ChatGPT-like AI in charge of a DaVinci robot and taught it to perform a gallbladder-removal surgery. Kuka sur

Solar+storage is so much farther along than you think

I chat with Kostantsa Rangelova and Dave Jones, authors of a new Ember report, who find that solar-plus-storage costs have declined so much that it can now provide baseload-level power in sunny cities for less than the cost of new nuclear or even new gas. We discuss why even energy pros are behind the curve on this, how quickly the technology is improving, and why most of the world doesn't see natural gas as a viable option the way the US does. (PDF transcript) (Active transcript) Text transc

CoreWeave stock climbs after company announces $1.5 billion bond sale

Michael Intrator, Founder & CEO of CoreWeave, Inc., Nvidia-backed cloud services provider, reacts during the company's IPO at the Nasdaq Market, in New York City, U.S., March 28, 2025. CoreWeave stock rose more than 1% after the renter of artificial intelligence data centers said it plans to sell $1.5 billion worth of bonds. The company said in a release that the notes, due in 2031, will use the capital for general purposes, such as paying off debt. In May, the company announced a $2 billion

France launches criminal probe of X's alleged algorithm 'manipulation'

France is investigating whether X has manipulated its algorithm and engaged in "fraudulent data extraction." Prosecutors are looking into if the social media platform engaged in election interference. They launched the investigation on July 11, following reports in January. It has labelled X as an "organized gang." X's Global Government Affairs account issued a scathing breakdown of what it calls France's "politically-motivated criminal investigation" and its refusal to cooperate. The French g

My 8 ChatGPT Agent tests produced only 1 near-perfect result - and a lot of alternative facts

ZDNET Last week, OpenAI unveiled Agent, its new tool that combines the capabilities of Deep Research and Operator. Operator was OpenAI's first attempt at a computer-using model, a model that actually can open windows and click on user interface elements. ChatGPT Agent can do that and more. Right now, ChatGPT Agent is only available for $200/mo Pro tier subscribers and provides for 400 agent interactions per month. When the $20/mo Plus tier gains access to Agent, which should be today, those us

Topics: agent ai david time zdnet

The Best Savings Strategy in an Uncertain Economy Is a Boring One

Stability can be a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to your money. Deagreez/Getty Images We've all had enough economic excitement this year. From tariffs and inflation to layoffs and recession fears, daily headlines are a nonstop barrage of bad news that threatens our financial security. That's one of the reasons I'm all for opening a certificate of deposit right now. CDs aren't as sexy as investments like cryptocurrency or timing the stock market. But that's what makes them perfect

Want to Avoid Microplastics? Start by Skipping These 8 Foods

Microplastics used to sound like a distant environmental issue, but they're showing up in more places than you'd expect, including the food we eat every day. According to new research, even something as simple as chewing gum could be exposing you to tiny plastic particles. With something as common as chewing gum becoming a delivery system for microplastics, many people are concerned about how often they're consuming the potential hidden hazard. The average person takes in between 39,000 and 52,

Java was not underhyped in 1997 (2021)

Java Criminally Underhyped? Not Back in 1997. Earlier today, a fun little moment of Twitter serendipity alerted me to an article by Jackson Roberts, a computer science student at the University of Colorado, entitled “Java is criminally underhyped”. It’s a really interesting article, and Jackson’s observations correlate with a lot of my own thinking about languages and platforms, although I am squarely in the .NET / CLR camp on that particular front. But Jackson ends his article: I am curious

New colors without shooting lasers into your eyes

1. Your eyes sense color. They do this because you have three different kinds of cone cells on your retinas, which are sensitive to different wavelengths of light. For whatever reason, evolution decided those wavelengths should be overlapping. For example, M cones are most sensitive to 535 nm light, while L cones are most sensitive to 560 nm light. But M cones are still stimulated quite a lot by 560 nm light—around 80% of maximum. This means you never (normally) get to experience having just o

James Gunn Talks Future Superman Plans, Dropping Henry Cavill

James Gunn’s spent the past few weeks talking about why he agreed to do Superman, and he’s also taking time to address the awkward part: agreeing to do it at the apparent expense of Henry Cavill’s superhero comeback. In 2022, the mid-credits scene for Black Adam none too subtly declared Cavill’s return and his team up (or fight) with Dwayne Johnson’s thunderous antihero. Nothing came of that, however, because as Gunn explained in a recent Happy Sad Confused episode, it was “never part of the eq

Topics: cavill dc gunn happy said

This self-hosted travel app has completely changed how I travel

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority Travel has always been a huge part of my life. Whether I’m planning a weekend getaway for a hike or a longer multi-country backpacking trip, I’ve relied on travel apps to help keep things organized. But after years of using some of the best travel apps like Wanderlog, TripIt, making notes in Google Keep or Notion, or even maintaining a pen and paper journal, I realized they all came with frustrating trade-offs. Too many ads, pushy upgrade prompts, opaque subscr

Death by AI

I found out about my death the way everybody finds out everything: from Google. What happened was, I Googled my name ("Dave Barry") and what popped up was something called “Google AI Overview.” This is a summary of the search results created by Artificial Intelligence, the revolutionary world-changing computer tool that has made it possible for college students to cheat more efficiently than ever before. The Google AI Overview for my name consisted of some basic biographical information about

Known Bad Email Clients

This is a list of known bad email clients, which you should avoid using if you wish to avoid tracking. Special thanks go to Andrew Klapper of the GNOME project for incentivising me to create this page; I have been meaning to create one for some time. If you wish to keep track of updates on this page, you can follow my blog via my RSS feed or alternatively Mastodon / Bluesky . If you wish to submit more bad clients, contact me . Projects will always be given the opportunity to fix their security

These Are CNET's Favorite and Most-Used Emoji. Did Yours Make the List?

Every July 17, the internet comes together and celebrates World Emoji Day. The date was chosen because it's displayed on the 📅 calendar emoji, but it's a day to appreciate all emoji, even the more obscure ones, like the 🫙jar. And in honor of the internet holiday, I asked my colleagues at CNET what their favorite and most used emoji are. The rules for voting were simple: You could only vote once for your favorite emoji and once for your most-used emoji. There was more variety in the category of

Robot Vacuum Tips to Help You Keep a Tidy Home (2025)

In the past few years, no other gadget—headphones, electric bicycle, literally anything at all—has improved as dramatically as the humble robot vacuum. The hardware and software have improved beyond all imagining. There are self-emptying bins, multilevel mapping abilities, and all sorts of bells and whistles, like an automated robot arm! Prices on the entry-level models have dropped significantly, to the point where robot vacuums are now an accessible household tool instead of a statement of bou

Best Video Games Under $50 Right Now

There's been a lot of talk about how much the cost of games could increase in 2026. It's already been confirmed that some AAA games, like The Outer Worlds 2, will be priced at $80 when they come out. It's ironic that a game that satirizes corporate greed should be the first official title with a higher price, but here we are. However, another trend has quietly emerged over the past few months as well: Many great AA games are being released for $50 or less. A lot of these titles are currently on

Topics: 45 50 avalon game games

Best travel VPNs 2025: Expert-tested for streaming and bypassing country blocks

You don't need to leave your privacy at home when you travel. A virtual private network (VPN) can keep your data safe, mask your online activities, and provide you with protection while you're away from home. Trusted VPNs encrypt and route your traffic through VPN networks, reducing the risk of internet protocol (IP) address monitoring, tracking, and data theft. You should always use a VPN when you travel, especially when relying on unknown Wi-Fi connections, as it's impossible to know what cyb

The best Sony TVs of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

Sony is known for their high-quality OLED TVs, which feature excellent picture and audio quality as well as high refresh rates for smoother motion while watching sports and fast-paced TV and movie scenes or console gaming. The latest Sony TVs also have exclusive VRR support for gaming on the PlayStation 5 to prevent screen tearing and stuttering that can ruin your immersion. While Sony TVs can get expensive, especially at larger screen sizes, there are more affordable options that still offer p