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Why JPEGs still rule the web (2024)

A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, Ernie Smith’s newsletter, which hunts for the end of the long tail. For roughly three decades, the JPEG has been the World Wide Web’s primary image format. But it wasn’t the one the Web started with. In fact, the first mainstream graphical browser, NCSA Mosaic, didn’t initially support inline JPEG files—just inline GIFs, along with a couple of other formats forgotten to history. However, the JPEG had many advantages over the format it quickl

Alleged Minnesota Shooter Used Data Brokers to Find Lawmakers’ Addresses

Vance Boelter, the man accused of assassinating a Democratic Minnesota state representative and shooting a state senator on Sunday, acquired the addresses of his victims and other alleged targets by using information collected by online data brokers, according to court documents obtained by Politico. According to the report, police found the names of 11 registered data brokers written in a notebook that was recovered from Boelter’s vehicle. He also allegedly wrote, “most property records in Ame

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Early animated Disney character This article is about the character. For works with the title, see Oswald the Lucky Rabbit filmography Fictional character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit, Oswald Rabbit, and Ozzie[8][9][10]) is an animated cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. He starred in several animated short films released to theaters from 1927 to 1938. Twenty-seven animated Oswald shorts were produced at the Walt D

Scientists achieve 1,000-fold increase in solar electricity using ultra-thin layers

Forward-looking: A team of German researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg has unveiled a significant advancement in solar energy technology, revealing a method to dramatically increase the amount of electricity certain materials can generate when exposed to light. Their approach involves stacking ultra-thin layers of different crystals in a precise sequence, resulting in a solar absorber that far outperforms traditional materials. At the core of this discovery, published in S

Tesla stock slips after report EV maker is halting Cybertruck and Model Y production

A Tesla Cybertruck sits on a lot at a Tesla dealership on April 15, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Tesla shares slid more than 2% Tuesday after a report that the electric vehicle maker was halting production of Cybertruck and Model Y models for a week in Austin, Texas. The production stoppage begins June 30, Business Insider reported, citing a staff meeting where the announcement was made. The pause, which is for maintenance on production lines, would be the third such shutdown at the Austin facility

Early Prime Day deals include $100 off the GoPro Hero 13 Black

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 . It's that time of year again. Amazon Prime Day will rain deals upon the world on July 8 , but some companies have already begun slashing prices. For instance, the iconic GoPro Hero 13 Black action camera is currently on sale for $329 , which is a discount of over $100 . That's not a re

All hell is about to break loose in new trailer for The Sandman season 2

is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Were it not for Neil Gaiman getting caught up in a sexual misconduct scandal, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of The Sandman comics could have run for much longer given how much source material there is to be pulled from. But you can see in the new trailer for the show’s second and final season that the streamer is going to try to fi

Google Pixel's VIP feature keeps your closest contacts a little closer - how to use it

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Although there were some disappointing absences in Android 16 (Material 3 Expressive being one of the biggest), there are some features that did make it to the release. One of which is called VIPs. Essentially, VIPs are important contacts you add so you can more easily stay connected with them. With VIPs, you can view your last call and message from an added contact, see their location (when shared), receive updates for events like birthdays, and more. VIPs automatically bypass

Topics: add contacts ll tap vips

Why JPEGs Still Rule the Web After 30 Years

A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, Ernie Smith’s newsletter, which hunts for the end of the long tail. For roughly three decades, the JPEG has been the World Wide Web’s primary image format. But it wasn’t the one the Web started with. In fact, the first mainstream graphical browser, NCSA Mosaic, didn’t initially support inline JPEG files—just inline GIFs, along with a couple of other formats forgotten to history. However, the JPEG had many advantages over the format it quickl

Stop Waking Up So Often to Pee in the Middle of The Night. Use These 5 Tips, Instead

There's nothing worse than having to get up and leave your warm, cozy bed when the feeling of having to pee disrupts your sleep. What's even worse is if this happens to you multiple times during the night, significantly interfering with your sleep and making it harder for you to get through the next day. CNET Urine production typically decreases when you sleep, allowing 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted rest. That's why bathroom breaks can be so annoying, preventing you from getting those hours of

How AI chatbots keep people coming back

Chatbots are increasingly looking to keep people chatting, using familiar tactics that we’ve already seen lead to negative consequences. Sycophancy can make AI chatbots respond in a way that’s overly agreeable or flattering. And while having a digital hype person might not seem like a dangerous thing, it is actually a tactic used by tech companies to keep users talking with their bots and returning to their platforms.

BMW ConnectedDrive lets me control my returned rental car (Sixt)

Last week I rented a BMW from Sixt (Italy). The default rental driver profile had Bluetooth disabled, so I created my own BMW ID, paired it with the car, removed the existing profile, and even triggered software updates. When returning the car, I told the Sixt representative that I had linked my BMW ID — they assured me that the vehicle would be reset. Today — just before deleting the “My BMW” app — I checked out of curiosity. Surprise: I still had full remote access: - live location tracki

My favorite $150 smartwatch just got a style upgrade - and looks double the price

ZDNET's key takeaways The Amazfit Active 2 Square is available in a premium package for $149.99 that includes leather and silicone bands The watch is small, lasts up to 10 days, incorporates high end sapphire glass and stainless steel materials, and has a brilliant large 1.75-inch AMOLED display There is limited onboard storage for maps and music while the software may also be overwhelming. View now at Amazon I recently reviewed Amazfit's Active 2 Smartwatch, and it was one of my favorite wea

This Keychron Keyboard Combines One of the Best Gaming Technologies With a Gorgeous Premium Design

If you've paid any attention to gaming accessories the past few years you've likely heard something about the benefits of Hall Effect joysticks and triggers. Essentially, instead of using a physical connection to sense movement, Hall Effect sensors use magnets. The idea is to reduce wear and tear on components to give you more durability as well as improve the controller's response time. Most gamers probably won't notice the difference between a standard and Hall Effect controller, but for the h

Trump's $499 smartphone will likely be made in China

US President Donald Trump uses a cellphone aboard Marine One before it departs Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Virginia, on April 24, 2025. Trump is returning to the White House after attending a MAGA, Inc. dinner at the Trump National Golf Club Washington, DC. The Trump Organization's newly-announced smartphone will likely be made in China, experts say, despite claims that the device will be manufactured in the U.S. Owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, the company on Monday announced

The default TV setting you should turn off immediately - and why experts recommend it

Kerry Wan/ZDNET For many people, motion smoothing on TVs is only appropriate for gaming and watching live sports; enthusiasts typically prefer turning off the feature to watch anything else because it can detract from the filmmaker's original intent, making on-screen images seem artificial or hyper-realistic. This is what's called the "soap opera effect." Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference) It's a perfectly descriptive metaphor that probably requ

Best Internet Providers in Connecticut

What is the best internet provider in Connecticut? Frontier Fiber is CNET's top pick of the best internet provider in Connecticut. The ISP offers fast, symmetrical speeds, with solid availability across the state and clear pricing that doesn't come with extra fees to get equipment or unlimited data. If you want the fastest internet in the state, there are a couple of solid options. Frontier Fiber offers speeds up to 7,000Mbps at a starting monthly price of $110. Optimum is also a solid option

OpenAI awarded $200 million US defense contract

OpenAI is officially on the Pentagon’s payroll. The Department of Defence announced a $200 million contract with OpenAI to provide the US government with new artificial intelligence tools, including those used for proactive cyber defense. In a post outlining its latest contracts, the DoD said that OpenAI “will develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains.” The work will primarily be completed in the Washin

Thieves cut fiber lines in failed copper theft, causing Spectrum outage

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust The big picture: Internet outages typically occur due to faulty equipment, accidents, or adverse weather conditions. Deliberate sabotage is rare, and incidents resulting from a mistaken search for copper should be even rarer. But telecoms say it's a growing problem, as a recent major incident near Los Angeles shows. Suburbs near Los Angeles suffered a widespread internet outage over Father's Day we

An unlikely source just confirmed the Exynos 2500 and its extraterrestrial feature

Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Satellite connectivity provider Skylo has confirmed the existence of the Exynos 2500. The chipset is expected to debut on the Galaxy Z Flip 7. The announcement notes that the Exynos 2500 will offer “better energy efficiency and higher performance.” The Exynos 2500 is expected to be Samsung’s next flagship processor, but so far, all the information available has come from rumors and leaks, except for the one time the company acknowledged its name. Surpris

The best antivirus software of 2025

Cyber threats are constantly evolving. While most devices come with built-in antivirus software, these programs may not offer comprehensive protection. A dedicated antivirus program detects threats like phishing, ransomware, trojans, and worms. The service will also alert you when you visit suspicious websites, try to download or execute potentially malicious software, or if malware otherwise finds its way to your system. You can also perform regular scans to remove threats from your system with

Show HN: FaynoSync Self-Hosted API for Automatic App Updates

FaynoSync This application is a simple API server for automatically updating client applications. It allows you to upload your application to S3 and set the version number. The client application can then check the version number against the auto updater service API. If the service has a newer version, it will return a link to the updated service, and the client application will show an alert. The API server is designed for straightforward and intuitive application management. It supports upda

The GameSir Cyclone 2 Has One Thing That Keeps It From Being a Great Nintendo Switch Controller

GameSir has made a name for itself over the past few years by building solid gaming controllers with top-notch features, often at lower prices than the competition. One of its latest controllers, the Cyclone 2, offers a lot of great things including support for multiple platforms, several connectivity options and solid triggers and joysticks. But the lackluster buttons and janky software make it hard to recommend when there are dozens of other great controllers for around the same price. What I

This Keychron Keyboard Combines One of the Best Technologies in Gaming With a Gorgeous Premium Design

If you've paid any attention to gaming accessories the past few years you've likely heard something about the benefits of Hall Effect joysticks and triggers. Essentially, instead of using a physical connection to sense movement, Hall Effect sensors use magnets. The idea is to reduce wear and tear on components to give you more durability as well as improve the controller's response time. Most gamers probably won't notice the difference between a standard and Hall Effect controller, but for the h

How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference)

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Did you know that whenever you turn on your smart TV, you invite an unseen guest to watch it with you? These days, most popular TV models utilize automatic content recognition (ACR), a form of ad surveillance technology that gathers information about everything you watch and transmits it to a centralized database. Manufacturers then use your data to identify your viewing preferences, enabling them to deliver highly targeted ads. Also: Don't cancel Netflix yet: I used these sec

Move over Ray-Ban, Oakley Meta glasses are arriving this Friday

Oakley TL;DR The Oakley Meta glasses are set to arrive on June 20. The smart glasses will be similar in functionality to the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses and are expected to be geared toward athletes. While Meta is also working on more advanced smart glasses with built-in displays, this Oakley-branded version is expected to skip the display. Oakley and Meta have announced that “The next evolution is coming on June 20.” This strongly suggests that the two brands are finally ready to unveil the lon

Finland warms up the world's largest sand battery, the economics look appealing

It doesn’t look like much, but Finland recently flipped the switch on the world’s largest sand-based battery. Yes, sand. A sand battery is a type of thermal energy storage system that uses sand or crushed rock to store heat. Electricity — typically from renewable sources — is used to heat the sand. That stored heat can later be used for various ends, including to warm buildings. The economics are compelling, and it’s hard to get any cheaper than the crushed soapstone now housed inside an insu

What I talk about when I talk about IRs

I have a lot of thoughts about the design of compiler intermediate representations (IRs). In this post I’m going to try and communicate some of those ideas and why I think they are important. The overarching idea is being able to make decisions with only local information. That comes in a couple of different flavors. We’ll assume that we’re compiling a method at a time, instead of a something more trace-like (tracing, tracelets, basic block versioning, etc). Control-flow graphs A function wi

Cutting cloud waste at scale: Akamai saves 70% using AI agents orchestrated by kubernetes

Join the event trusted by enterprise leaders for nearly two decades. VB Transform brings together the people building real enterprise AI strategy. Learn more Particularly in this dawning era of generative AI, cloud costs are at an all-time high. But that’s not merely because enterprises are using more compute — they’re not using it efficiently. In fact, just this year, enterprises are expected to waste $44.5 billion on unnecessary cloud spending. This is an amplified problem for Akamai Technol