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These secret Netflix codes saved me from canceling my subscription - here's why

Adam Breeden/ZDNET Netflix wasn't the first streaming platform, but it was the first to make video-on-demand mainstream. Fourteen years ago, as it phased out its mailing service, it took a massive bite out of the global market. Also: This 30-second fix made my Roku TV run like new again (and why it works) Remember that? Physical DVDs showing up in your actual mailbox -- the one at the end of your driveway (or your hallway)? To my surprise, that was still actually a thing up until late 2023. W

Leprechauns, root causes, and other fairy tales

This is a short talk I gave a while ago about how complex systems fail, and root cause analysis. Transcript is below. Transcript We’re going to talk about root causes today, but since I only have about 10 minutes, I wanted to start with some stories from a book I’m writing called Bedtime Stories To Put Your Children To Sleep Instantly And Also Yourself. This first story is about leprechauns. Once upon a time, there was a company with a new employee, and one day the employee asked their manage

Google Home is becoming a house of glitches, users say (Updated: Google heard you!)

TL;DR Google Home and Nest users are reporting a significant decline in reliability, with devices frequently misunderstanding commands or failing to respond at all. Core features like controlling lights, routines, and speaker groups seem to be breaking down. While the exact cause of the downgraded experience is unclear, users suspect upcoming Gemini updates are to blame. Update: July 23, 2025 (9:58 PM ET): The Chief Product Officer for Google Home and Nest, Anish Kattukaran, has acknowledged

Jitsi privacy flaw enables one-click stealth audio and video capture

Jitsi is an open-source web conferencing application. Jitsi also hosts a public instance, with millions of monthly active users. Attack scenario Let’s walk through an example. An attacker runs a meeting called `MiniGinger` on the public Jitsi instance meet.jit.si. When a user visits the attacker controller webpage `CuteCats.com`, in the background they are redirected to: https://meet.jit.si/MiniGinger#config.prejoinConfig.enabled=false If the user visited any other Jitsi meeting before and

Bandai Asks Japanese Politicians to Not Dress Up as ‘Gundam’ Characters to Campaign

Sure, America occasionally has a “The White House is photoshopping the president’s head onto Superman posters” problem, but it turns out plenty of other countries also have a bit of an issue with politicians leveraging pop culture cosplaying for political gain. It’s just that those other countries will have studios telling them to quit it. Earlier this week, Japanese politician Taro Yamamoto, the founder of the left-populist political party Reiwa Shinsengumi, went viral on social media for reco

US AI Action Plan

America must have the most powerful AI systems in the world, but we must also lead the world in creative and transformative application of those systems. Ultimately, it is the uses of technology that create economic growth, new jobs, and scientific advancements. America must invent and embrace productivity enhancing AI uses that the world wants to emulate. Achieving this requires the Federal government to create the conditions where private sector-led innovation can flourish.

Checklists are hard, but still a good thing

You're using a tool with a too-generic User-Agent You're probably reading this page because you've attempted to access some part of my blog (Wandering Thoughts) or CSpace, the wiki thing it's part of. Unfortunately whatever you're using to do so has a HTTP User-Agent header value that is too generic or otherwise excessively suspicious. Unfortunately, as of early 2025 there's a plague of high volume crawlers (apparently in part to gather data for LLM training) that behave like this. To reduce th

Messages on iOS 26 will make it harder to fall for phishing scams

While even tech-savvy users can fall for elaborate phishing scams, most attacks are designed to target less technically inclined people. With that in mind, the new Messages app in iOS 26 introduces (or better yet, removes) two things that could make a pretty big difference in keeping users safe, regardless of how familiar they may be with phishing tactics. The new Messages app splits conversations into a few categories, accessible via the filter button in the top right: Messages, Unknown Sende

Checklists are hard (but still a good thing)

You're using a tool with a too-generic User-Agent You're probably reading this page because you've attempted to access some part of my blog (Wandering Thoughts) or CSpace, the wiki thing it's part of. Unfortunately whatever you're using to do so has a HTTP User-Agent header value that is too generic or otherwise excessively suspicious. Unfortunately, as of early 2025 there's a plague of high volume crawlers (apparently in part to gather data for LLM training) that behave like this. To reduce th

Open source X rival Mastodon begins raising funds with new in-app donation feature

Open source X and Threads competitor Mastodon will begin experimenting with a new way to raise funds: in-app donations. The organization on Wednesday announced it’s launching a campaign that introduces banners inside its Android and iOS apps, prompting users to make a monetary donation. Initially, the feature will be shown only to those on the Mastodon servers the nonprofit itself operates, Mastodon.social and Mastodon.online. These banners will be easy to dismiss, Mastodon says, and will only

You Can Now Disable All AI Features in Zed

Our goal at Zed has always been to build the world’s best code editor. For many, the best editing experience must include first-class agentic AI. That’s why we’ve made Zed the world’s fastest AI code editor and launched the Agentic Engineering series to explore how programmers can use AI effectively. But we’ve heard from others on GitHub discussions and issues who either cannot or would prefer not to use Zed's AI features. We’re here for you, too. You’re now able add a global setting to disabl

Topics: ai best code use zed

Google is bringing its AI-powered photo-to-video capability to more apps

Google is adding new AI-powered features to Google Photos and YouTube Shorts that allow users to transform their photos into videos. The tools are similar to the Veo 3-powered photo-to-video capabilities that were added to Google’s Gemini app earlier this month, only they’re powered by Google’s older Veo 2 video model instead and have more limitations. The photo-to-video AI generation in Google Photos is restricted to making six-second clips, while the YouTube Shorts version allows users to sel

Meta researchers are developing a gesture-controlled wristband that can interact with a computer

Meta researchers are developing a wristband that lets people control a computer using hand gestures. This includes moving a cursor, opening apps, and sending messages by writing in the air as if using a pencil. Meta’s wristband employs a technique called surface electromyography (sEMG), which detects electrical signals generated by muscle activity to interpret user movements, as explained in a research paper published in the journal Nature. These signals can sense a person’s intended actions, e

T-Mobile's Starlink satellite service is now available after months of testing

T-Mobile's satellite-to-mobile service is now officially available to all customers . T-Satellite with Starlink connects smartphones in areas "far beyond the reach of traditional networks" by linking up with over 650 low-Earth orbit satellites. T-Mobile has been testing the service for six months . The company says that nearly two million people have already used it to do stuff like texting from remote trails and off-the-grid job sites. It also says that the service proved to be extremely usefu

Apple now allows app developers to show retention offers when users try to cancel a subscription

Apple is expanding the capability of its In-App Purchase framework with a new retention messaging API. This means, for the first time, developers will be able to show offers to users when they go to cancel a subscription in the global Subscriptions screen inside the Settings app. Apps will be able to show a simple static message, display dynamic progress based on the user’s app state, or present a special offer to try and dissuade the user from cancelling their payment altogether. For instance

Nintendo's Mario Party Upgrades for Switch 2 Feel Like Unnecessary Gimmicks

Maybe, some day, Nintendo will make games that are just focused on using the new camera and mouse-control features on the Switch 2. In the meantime, there's the update to Super Mario Party Jamboree that hits this week. Nintendo's already delivered a killer one-two punch with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza for Switch 2 but the upgrade for Jamboree, while charming at times, doesn't exactly live up to expectations. The $20 upgrade, with the unwieldy title Super Mario Party Jamboree Swit

9 programming tasks you shouldn't hand off to AI - and why

Mininyx Doodle / Getty Images It's over. Programming as a profession is done. Just sign up for a $20-per-month AI vibe coding service and let the AI do all the work. Right? Also: What is AI vibe coding? It's all the rage but it's not for everyone -- here's why Despite the fact that tech companies like Microsoft are showing coders the door by the thousands, AI cannot and will not be the sole producer of code. In fact, there are many programming tasks for which an AI is not suited. In this art

Topics: ai ais code don use

This E-Sports-Inspired Gaming Mouse Left Me Wanting More

You'd be forgiven for thinking that every computer mouse is just like every other computer mouse. It clicks things on your screen and lets you move your cursor around. Believe it or not, there are quite a few ways companies can differentiate their mice from each other, especially when it comes to gaming. Gaming mice can range from just a few dollars to well over a hundred dollars, but you don't always get what you pay for. That's why I'm here. You might recognize Cherry as the company that's do

Topics: cherry m64 mice mouse use

Proton is launching a privacy-focused AI chatbot

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Proton, the company behind the encrypted email service Proton Mail, has launched an AI assistant aimed at preserving user privacy. The new chatbot, called Lumo, can summarize documents, generate code, write emails, and more, while storing data locally on users’ devices. Proton says it will protect this information using “zero-access” encryption, wh

Nest Aware is getting pricier, but users says the service isn’t keeping up

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority TL;DR Nest Aware users are unhappy about rising prices despite worsening service quality. Users are bringing up issues with broken video history playback, unreliable familiar face detection, and more. Many are switching to alternatives like Ubiquiti or Reolink that offer better reliability and local control without subscription fees. Google recently increased the prices of its Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus subscriptions, but many users say the service isn’

Passkeys won't be ready for primetime until Google and other companies fix this

Crispin la valiente/Getty Images I'm all about new technology, but sometimes, new technology gets in its own way, and passkeys epitomize this more than any other technology. For those who do not know, passkeys are the new password, only more secure. Also: How passkeys work: The complete guide to your inevitable passwordless future Essentially, a passkey is a digital credential that allows you to log into your accounts using biometric (fingerprints or facial scans) and/or non-biometric (PINs,

Infuse video player updated with iCloud Drive streaming support, more

Infuse, an excellent video player for Apple platforms, has gotten a nice update today. Infuse 8.2 is now available with support for user profiles on Apple TV, the ability to stream content directly from iCloud Drive, and more. First off, Infuse 8.2 adds the ability to use separate user profiles on Apple TV: The ability to use separate profiles is now available on Apple TV! With Infuse, each family member can enjoy a personalized setup—complete with custom home screen layouts, network shares, w

Amazon acquires Bee, the AI wearable that records everything you say

Amazon has acquired the AI wearables startup Bee, according to a LinkedIn post by Bee co-founder Maria de Loudres Zollo. Amazon confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch, but noted that the deal has not yet closed. Bee, which raised $7 million last year, makes both a standalone Fitbit-like bracelet (which retails for $49.99, plus a $19-per-month subscription) and an Apple Watch app. The product records everything it hears — unless the user manually mutes it — with the goal of listening to convers

Topics: ai amazon bee like user

Show HN: Any-LLM – Lightweight router to access any LLM Provider

any-llm A single interface to use and evaluate different llm providers. Key Features any-llm offers: Simple, unified interface - one function for all providers, switch models with just a string change - one function for all providers, switch models with just a string change Developer friendly - full type hints for better IDE support and clear, actionable error messages - full type hints for better IDE support and clear, actionable error messages Leverages official provider SDKs when availab

Traveling soon? Think twice about using airport Wi-Fi and charging ports - here's why

Carles Navarro Parcerisas/Getty Images The next time you travel through an airport, you should probably be a little leery of using the public Wi-Fi or USB charging ports, according to the TSA. In a reminder posted on Facebook, the TSA warns that while these freebies are designed to be useful, they can actually be dangerous if a fellow traveler has bad intentions. Also: How to use public Wi-Fi safely: 5 things to know before you connect Using a process called juice jacking, someone can instal

Topics: fi phone public use wi

Show HN: Any-LLM – lightweight and open-source router to access any LLM Provider

any-llm A single interface to use and evaluate different llm providers. Key Features any-llm offers: Simple, unified interface - one function for all providers, switch models with just a string change - one function for all providers, switch models with just a string change Developer friendly - full type hints for better IDE support and clear, actionable error messages - full type hints for better IDE support and clear, actionable error messages Leverages official provider SDKs when availab

Threads adds improved content performance metrics for creators

Threads is introducing enhanced metrics to help users better understand how their posts are performing and where their content is getting discovered, the company announced on Tuesday. Users can now see more detailed information in the platform’s “Insights” dashboard. When they navigate to the “Interactions” section, they will see engagement by likes, replies, quotes, and reposts. The “Followers” section shows follower growth with geographic data, including top cities and countries, and demograp

LA’s Museum of Jurassic Technology damaged by fire

One of the quirkier cultural gems in Los Angeles is the Museum of Jurassic Technology (MJT), featuring an eclectic collection of exhibits (of varying authenticity) inspired by historical Renaissance "cabinets of curiosities" (wunderkammers). It hasn't been broadly reported, but earlier this month, a fire broke out late at night, gutting the museum's gift shop and inflicting smoke damage on several exhibits, with lost revenues estimated to be around $75,000 until the doors reopen sometime next mo

User privacy app Cloaked adds AI-powered caller screening

Lux Capital-backed Cloaked, a consumer app for user identity protection, launched an AI-powered caller screening and dark web monitoring feature today. Cloaked’s caller screening feature, named Call Guard, takes a call from an unknown number and converses with the caller to understand the intent. The tool automatically filters out spam or potentially scammy calls instead of relying on users to make the decision. It’s similar to what Google launched for Pixel, and what Apple plans to roll out fo

Report: Apple alerted Iranians to spyware attacks in lead-up to war with Israel

You may have never heard of them, but Apple sends “threat notifications” to users when it believes they’re being targeted by cyber attacks. Earlier this year that happened with several Iranians in the lead-up to the Iran-Israel war, per a new Bloomberg report. Here are the details. Apple threat notifications were sent to over a dozen Iranian cyberattack victims Patrick Howell O’Neill writes at Bloomberg: More than a dozen Iranians’ mobile phones were targeted with spyware in the months prior