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Regarding Prollyferation: Followup to "People Keep Inventing Prolly Trees"

Last month I published a blog post about the parallel invention of Prolly Trees, where I observed the repeated independent invention of a certain type of data structure within a relatively short period of time. In short, I described the concept of a Merkle Tree created by applying a content-defined chunker to a file, hashing the chunks, and then recursively reapplying the chunker to the concatenated list of hashes until only a single chunk remained. Each iteration of this process defined a sepa

Krafton slams ex-Subnautica 2 execs and claims it’ll give developers their ‘promised’ reward

To Our 12 Million Fellow Subnauts, — Inevitable Leadership Change Driven by Project Abandonment–Despite Holding 90% of Earnout for Themselves First and foremost, we sincerely thank you for your continued support, passion, and unwavering dedication to Subnautica. We wish to provide clarity on the recent leadership changes at Unknown Worlds, a creative studio under KRAFTON. Background of Leadership Change KRAFTON deeply values Subnautica’s unique creativity and immersive world-building. To pro

This Android tablet is the best I've tested so far - and it's not by Google or Samsung

ZDNET's key takeaways The Nubia Pad Pro is available on the official site for $419 -- $599 (depending on the configuration) The Nubia Pad Pro is a powerhouse of a tablet, elegantly designed with a massive battery for long life You can't purchase this tablet on Amazon yet. View now at Intl.nubia Many pundits and reviewers wrote off Android tablets years ago, and yet companies are still producing them. I've tested many Android tablets, especially those in the midrange, and have most often found

Life after two-stroke: Rotax electrifies its bike and kart powertrains

Rotax provided flights from San Francisco to Salz, Austria, and accommodation so Ars could visit its factory and ride some of its products. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. "There was always a passion about motorbikes. But it's not only passion, it also needs to be a sustainable business model," Mario Gebetshuber, BRP-Rotax vice president of global sourcing and operations powertrain, told Ars Technica during a tour of the company's museum of motors over the decades. Gebetshuber says

UK Charges Four in ‘Scattered Spider’ Ransom Group

Authorities in the United Kingdom this week arrested four alleged members of “Scattered Spider,” a prolific data theft and extortion group whose recent victims include multiple airlines and the U.K. retail chain Marks & Spencer. Scattered Spider is the name given to an English-speaking cybercrime group known for using social engineering tactics to break into companies and steal data for ransom, often impersonating employees or contractors to deceive IT help desks into granting access. The FBI w

State of the Art: Economic Development Through the Lens of Paintings

We would like to thank Dionissi Aliprantis, Laure Athias, Sascha Becker, Karol Borowiecki, Nicolas Baumard, Davide Cantoni, Don Davis, Shari Eli, Oliver Falck, Oded Galor, Ed Glaeser, Claudia Goldin, Erik Hornung, Robert Johannes, Hubertus Kohle, Ruru Hoong, Michael Hutter, Bob Margo, Stelios Michalopoulos, Petra Moser, Nathan Nunn, Ömer Özak, Dominic Rohner, Stefanie Schneider, Munir Squires, Marco Tabellini, Mathias Thoenig, Daniel Trefler, Matt Turner, Hans-Joachim Voth, Fabian Waldinger, and

YouTube’s ‘Trending’ section is about to disappear

YouTube is preparing to sunset the Trending section that shows users which videos are currently going viral on the platform. The Trending page and Trending Now list will be removed within the “next couple of weeks,” according to YouTube, with the platform shifting its attention toward expanding YouTube Charts, which rank top-performing content. YouTube is directing users to lean on personalized recommendations and YouTube Charts to explore new videos ahead of the Trending page’s removal. YouTub

YouTube is getting rid of its Trending page and Trending Now list

YouTube is removing its Trending page and Trending Now list in favor of category-specific charts, the company announced on Thursday. With this change, YouTube is moving away from the single, all-encompassing list for trending content to now just displaying the most popular content in specific categories on YouTube Charts. The platform says the update better aligns with the way trending content is discovered today, noting that when the Trending page launched in 2015, it was a lot simpler to capt

The best security cameras for 2025

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . If you're looking to keep an eye on your home, whether you're away for the weekend or just tucked into bed, a good security camera can give you peace of mind. The best security camera setups in 2025 do a lot more than just record footage — they offer smart alerts, crystal-clear video,

You May See Less AI Slop After YouTube Enacts New Video Policies

YouTube plans to make a change to its monetization policy on July 15 that appears to target "inauthentic" content. The change may be aimed at helping slow down the flood of AI-generated content on the platform to make it easier for viewers to find higher-quality videos. The company says in a short support post, "On July 15, 2025, YouTube is updating our guidelines to better identify mass-produced and repetitious content." In a follow-up video message, video creator and YouTube editorial and cr

YouTube starts rolling out redesigned video player that gives off Liquid Glass vibes [Gallery]

YouTube is rolling out, or at least widely testing, a new video player design for its web experience that feels much different. YouTube has looked, in many ways, roughly the same for a long time. That includes with the video player, which has had basically the same design for years. When changes do arrive, they’re usually met with passionate response. In some cases, UI changes make it through such as the rounded corners redesign that rolled out back in 2023. In other cases, they’re canned due t

Fed up with AI scraping your content? This open-source bot blocker can help - here's how

Anubis / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Anyone who runs a website knows how annoying AI bots are these days. F5, the application delivery network company, found that more than half of all web visits come not from people but from data scrapers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Perplexity AI bots. Also: AI bots scraping your data? This free tool gives those pesky crawlers the run-around (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET's parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging

Topics: ai anubis bots iaso run

Cleaner feeds ahead? YouTube is cracking down on AI slop

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR YouTube is preparing to update its creator monetization policies. The change is aimed at curbing revenue generation from “inauthentic” content. This update could result in less content that viewers consider to be spam. With the proliferation of AI tools, a growing number of YouTube channels are pumping out low-quality content, often referred to as AI slop. While it’s been an issue for a while, it appears YouTube is about to make a change that could help k

This new Gmail tool lets you declutter your inbox in seconds - here's how to use it

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET A few months ago, Google rolled out a new feature for Gmail on Android that makes it easier to clean out your inbox by showing a single list of all your subscriptions and providing a simple way to unsubscribe from these lists. Also: Run out of Gmail storage? How I got another 15GB for free and without losing any files Google officially expanded the feature today, making the announcement in a blog post that "Manage Subscriptions" is now showing up on Gmail for desk

Subnautica 2's early access release delayed to 2026 amid developer drama

Subnautica 2 is one of the most highly anticipated games around. It's the second-most wishlisted game on Steam behind (you guessed it) Hollow Knight: Silksong. However, you'll need to wait longer than anticipated to try Subnautica 2 in four-player co-op, as the survival game's early access release has been delayed until early 2026. Developer Unknown Worlds said that community members who took part in playtests provided positive feedback about the story, creatures, environment and general direct

Samsung Now Brief is making it easier to discover YouTube videos you may like

Adamya Sharma / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung has upgraded One UI’s Now Brief feature on its latest foldables, introducing a read-aloud option and several new info cards. One of the new info cards adds personalized YouTube recommendations to your daily summaries. This card is currently available on Samsung’s new foldable phones and will likely reach more devices with the stable One UI 8 update. Samsung’s One UI 8 update is finally here with the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, and it brings

YouTube ‘clarifies’ its plan to demonetize spammy AI slop

YouTube is trying to soothe concerns about an incoming update to its monetization policies following backlash from online creators. An announcement that YouTube would be updating restrictions around “inauthentic” content under the YouTube Partner Program guidelines was interpreted by some to mean the platform was planning to demonetize a wider variety of videos, including those using AI-generated content, clips, and reactions. Now, YouTube is seeking to clarify the situation. “YouTube has alway

A Virginia public library is fighting off a takeover by private equity

Photo from The Samuels Public Library After being targeted by anti-LGBTQ book banners and having their funding pulled, a local library in Virginia successfully stopped a threatened takeover by a private equity group. The local community rallied around The Samuels Public Library in Front Royal, Virginia, to push back against attacks and the private equity owned Library Systems & Services withdrew their bid to run operations. But with their funding cut for the fiscal year that began this July, th

PlayStation Plus Subscribers Can Get Chromed Out in Cyberpunk 2077 Now

When CD Projekt Red launched Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020, the game was plagued by bugs and glitches. Since then, the company has provided free updates and patches to the game to make it a fun, engaging and award-winning experience. And some PlayStation Plus subscribers can now play this dystopian, sci-fi game. PlayStation Plus is Sony's version of Xbox Game Pass, and it offers subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. There are three PlayStation Plus tiers -- Essential ($10 a mo

The FTC's 'Click to Cancel' Rule Is Blocked. Here's What That Means for Your Subscriptions

The Click to Cancel rule is supposed to make it as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up for one. Viva Tung/Getty Images The Federal Trade Commission's "click to cancel" rule -- which would have made it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions -- has been blocked by the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The rule was set to take effect on July 14. "Click to cancel" would have required businesses to clearly disclose terms and obtain informed consent before charging for a subscriptio

The ‘Click-to-Cancel’ Rule Was Killed, but Consumer Advocates Could Revive It

United States residents almost escaped subscription cancellation hell, but the Federal Trade Commission's “Click to Cancel” rule was unanimously struck down by the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Tuesday—just days before it was set to go into effect. What would have happened if this updated FTC rule had gone into effect on July 14 as planned? “The stated goal was that they wanted to make it as easy for you to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up,” says John Breyault, vice pre

Desktop Publishing Tools That Didn't Make It (2022)

Today in Tedium: It’s easy to forget now, but desktop publishing was an immensely innovative thing when it emerged within the computing industry in the early ’80s. While at its heart a mishmash of hardware and software cleverly combined for a single goal, it was an empire builder, one that helped create new businesses and improve the status and positioning of existing ones. And with the decline of print as a medium, it can feel kind of old hat, but lots of stuff still gets typeset every single d

California lawmaker behind SB 1047 reignites push for mandated AI safety reports

California State Senator Scott Wiener on Wednesday introduced new amendments to his latest bill, SB 53, that would require the world’s largest AI companies to publish safety and security protocols and issue reports when safety incidents occur. If signed into law, California would be the first state to impose meaningful transparency requirements onto leading AI developers, likely including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI. Senator Wiener’s previous AI bill, SB 1047, included similar requireme

Desktop Publishing Tools That Didn't Make It

Today in Tedium: It’s easy to forget now, but desktop publishing was an immensely innovative thing when it emerged within the computing industry in the early ’80s. While at its heart a mishmash of hardware and software cleverly combined for a single goal, it was an empire builder, one that helped create new businesses and improve the status and positioning of existing ones. And with the decline of print as a medium, it can feel kind of old hat, but lots of stuff still gets typeset every single d

YouTube Can’t Put Pandora’s AI Slop Back in the Box

YouTube is inundated with AI-generated slop, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Instead of cutting down on the total number of slop channels, the platform is planning to update its policies to cut out some of the worst offenders making money off “spam.” At the same time, it’s still full steam ahead adding tools to make sure your feeds are full of mass-produced brainrot. In an update to its support page posted last week, YouTube said it will modify guidelines for its Partner Program, w

YouTube prepares crackdown on ‘mass-produced’ and ‘repetitive’ videos, as concern over AI slop grows

YouTube is preparing to update its policies to crack down on creators’ ability to generate revenue from “inauthentic” content, including mass-produced videos and other types of repetitive content — things that have become easier to generate with the help of AI technology. On July 15, the company will update its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) Monetization policies with more detailed guidelines around what type of content can earn creators money and what cannot. The exact policy language itself h

This open-source bot blocker shields your site from pesky AI scrapers - here's how

Anubis / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Anyone who runs a website knows how annoying AI bots are these days. Also: AI bots scraping your data? This free tool gives those pesky crawlers the run-around F5, the application delivery network company, found that more than half of all web visits come not from people but from data scrapers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Perplexity AI bots. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET's parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging

Topics: ai anubis bots iaso run

I unsubscribed from 20 lists in seconds with Gmail's new tool - here's how to use it

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET A few months ago, Google rolled out a new feature for Gmail on Android that makes it easier to clean out your inbox by showing a single list of all your subscriptions and providing a simple way to unsubscribe from these lists. Also: Run out of Gmail storage? How I got another 15GB for free and without losing any files Google officially expanded the feature today, making the announcement in a blog post that "Manage Subscriptions" is now showing up on Gmail for desk

Federal ‘click to cancel subscriptions’ rule struck down in court [U]

A “click to cancel” law was last month passed in California, and now the FTC has ratified a federal rule designed to achieve the same goal. The idea of both is to force companies to make it as easy to cancel an online or app subscription as it is to sign up in the first place. Update: Following a court challenge, the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated the rule. See update at the end … Both laws were introduced in response to sketchy practices by companies designed to make it as dif

Phrase origin: Why do we "call" functions?

On StackExchange, someone asks why programmers talk about “calling” a function. Several possible allusions spring to mind: Calling a function is like calling on a friend — we go, we stay a while, we come back. Calling a function is like calling for a servant — a summoning to perform a task. Calling a function is like making a phone call — we ask a question and get an answer from outside ourselves. The true answer seems to be the middle one — “calling” as in “calling up, summoning” — but indi