WIRED Takes You Back to School
Young people entering classrooms this fall need a totally different tool set than the generations before them.
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Young people entering classrooms this fall need a totally different tool set than the generations before them.
is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 94, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, did you hydrate today, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) I also have for you some durable cables, a great new Alien show,
ENOSUCHBLOG Programming, philosophy, pedaling. Aug 14, 2025 Tags: devblog, programming, rust, zizmor I recently solved an interesting problem inside zizmor with a type of state machine/automaton I hadn’t used before: a finite state transducer (FST). This is just a quick write-up of the problem and how I solved it. It doesn’t go particularly deep into the data structures themselves. For more information on FSTs themselves, I strongly recommend burntsushi’s article on transducers (which is wha
Teeth whitening kits aren't exactly what most people would call riveting. I must say I was blown away by the entire Smile Brilliant process and package. I wasn't aware you could get custom-fitted whitening trays anywhere other than a dentist's office, but you can with Smile Brilliant. Wearing these whitening trays is just like wearing a retainer. They fit perfectly to your teeth because they're designed using putty impressions you make of your teeth. The process works like this: You order a kit
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced the seizure of more than $2.8 million in cryptocurrency from suspected ransomware operator Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko. Antropenko, indicted in Texas for computer fraud and money laundering, was linked to Zeppelin ransomware, a now-defunct extortion operation that ran between 2019 and 2022. Apart from the digital asset seizure, the authorities also confiscated $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle. “Antropenko used Zeppelin ransomware to targe
Astronomers at the Pan-STARRS Observatory in Hawaii made history in 2017 when they detected 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object (ISO) ever observed. Two years later, the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov became the second ISO ever observed. And on July 1st, 2025, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Rio Hurtado detected a third interstellar object in our Solar System, the comet now known as 3I/ATLAS (or C/2025 N1 ATLAS). Like its predecessors, the arrival of this objec
LLMs generate slop because they avoid surprises by design LLMs suck at comedy, art, journalism, research, and science for the same fundamental reason Dan Fabulich 5 min read · 3 days ago 3 days ago -- Listen Share Have you ever asked an LLM to tell you a joke? They’re rarely funny at all; they never make you actually laugh. There’s a deep reason for this, and I think it has serious implications for the limitations of LLMs, not just in comedy, but in art, journalism, research, and science. Jo
Yes, during the pre-sale period, you’ll receive all small updates we release—this includes bug fixes, performance improvements, and minor feature tweaks. These updates are free for all pre-sale buyers. Once the pre-sale ends, we’ll begin developing larger features and major upgrades. These will be part of the full release, and pre-sale buyers will have the option to upgrade at a special discounted price. By joining early, you get to enjoy the app right away, help shape its development with your
LL3M uses a team of large language models to write Python code that creates and edits 3D assets in Blender. Given user text instructions, the agents are capable of creating expressive shapes from scratch, and realizing complex, precise geometric manipulations in code. Whereas previous uses of code-writing LLMs for 3D creation have focused on specific subtasks or constrained procedural programs and primitives, our method is able to create unconstrained assets with geometry, layout, and appearance
Apple released the third public beta of iOS 26 on Aug. 14. The update brought a handful of new features, like a new Liquid Glass design and the ability to change your alarm's snooze length, to the iPhones of developers and beta testers. It also let developers and beta testers stop spam calls from bothering them with a new call screening feature. Call screening isn't an Apple Intelligence feature, so any iOS 26 compatible iPhone, like the iPhone 14 Pro, will get this feature when Apple releases
✨ Features Feature Description 📖 Multi-Format Support Support for EPUB, PDF, TXT, DOCX, DOC, HTML, RTF, and Markdown with seamless format detection 👄 Modular TTS System Edge TTS (default) and Kokoro TTS (local/offline) with extensible architecture for new models 🌌 Rich Terminal UI Clean, responsive interface with customizable color themes and full mouse & keyboard support 💾 Smart Persistence Automatic progress saving, state restoration, and cross-session continuity for seamless reading 🌍 Cross-
Were you to glance at the trajectory of top AI stocks — OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and the like — you'd be convinced the industry is making money hand over fist. Look a bit deeper, however, and cracks start to show in that facade, betraying one massively inconvenient truth: that the AI industry has not yet figured out how to be profitable, and possibly never will. In interviews with the New York Times, even the most enthusiastic AI proponents were unable to spin the technology (and the industr
If you’re trying to buy a new iPhone, it can often be hard to find something on a tighter budget. Sure, Apple offers the iPhone 16e at $599 – but not everyone finds that to be a compelling phone. Luckily, there’s plenty of great options if you want to buy used, and I’ll be delving into five great picks for varying needs. #1 – iPhone 15 Pro If you’re after higher end features like a ProMotion display, Apple Intelligence, and a telephoto lens – the iPhone 15 Pro is hands down the best overall pi
With a barrage of new Apple and Google devices around the corner, our reviews team is clearing their desks of new products before the pre-fall deluge begins. There's a well-rounded mix of in-depth testing this time around, including a detailed preview of watchOS 26 and more VPN trials. Kick off the weekend by catching up on all of the reviews you might've missed over the last few weeks from Engadget. Dell 14 Premium Dell / Engadget 91 100 Expert Score Dell 14 Premium While Dell rebranded the X
Maria Diaz/ZDNET My kid had been asking for a Toniebox for two years, but I always talked her out of it. I'm no Grinch, but each set basic starter kit is $100. Then we finally got one during a Prime Day sales event. Testing a Toniebox has not only convinced me that it's perfect for my kids and worth every penny, but it's such a great device that I'd recommend it to any parent of young children. Here's why. Also: I ditched my Bluetooth speakers for this slick turntable - and it's more practical
CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review products and services. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. When creating your own home gym, investing in durable or smart fitness equipment is super important. Adjustable dumbbells should be part of your selections because they're practical and durable. If you don't have a good set, there's a chance you'll need to buy a new one sooner rather than later. It's a problem, as this Reddit dis
Joe Maring / Android Authority In late July, Android Authority reported that Google was working on a new “Calling Cards” feature for its Contacts app. Yesterday, it began rolling out widely for everyone to use. When you receive a call on your Android phone, you see a standard incoming call screen with that person’s name, number, and profile picture. Calling Cards let you spruce this up a bit, allowing you to select a full-screen picture and stylized text to display for each of your contacts. I
Having been pipped by Newcastle to a Champions League spot at the end of last season, Aston Villa has the opportunity to exact revenge at home today as it hosts the Magpies in this first Saturday fixture of the new English Premier League campaign. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch Premier League games as they happen, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if it's not available where you are. The hosts are largely unchanged from last season, w
It's “back to school” season for some and “been back in school” season for others, but regardless of your specific situation, now is the time of year when retailers are discounting all the school essentials. We've hunted down discounts on the best back-to-school gear our reviewers have hand-tested, from laptops and mattress toppers to bags and chairs. Be sure to check out our related guides, including the Best Back-to-School Laptop Deals, the Best Dorm Gear, and the Best Kids Backpacks. Top Ba
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., on July 8, 2025. OpenAI is preparing to sell around $6 billion in stock as part of a secondary sale that would value the company at roughly $500 billion, CNBC confirmed Friday. The shares would be sold by current and former employees to investors including SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group and Thrive Capital, according to a person familia
Compare the Top 5 Pillows Pillow Fill Material Shell Material Adjustable? Cooling? Sizes Available Purple Freeform Adjustable Pillow High-density memory foam and polyester fill blend, plus hyper elastic polymer gel layer Polyester stretch knit with proprietary cooling fibers Yes Yes Standard and king Coop Cool+ Adjustable Pillow Gel-infused memory foam and microfiber Nylon and polyester shell with a memory foam pad and gel, plus a pillowcase made of polyethylene, polyester, and spandex Yes Yes
People have ridiculed GPT-5, the newest large language model release from OpenAI, since the second it launched, with many users complaining that it’s dumb, boring, and not as good as the last LLM that the company released. Sam Altman, the company’s CEO, has some comforting words for those who may be concerned about the direction his company is headed: AI is a bubble, and oh, also btw, my company is about to spend the GDP of France to build out our AI infrastructure. That seems to be the gist of
The Battlefield 6 open beta has taken the gaming world by storm, as hundreds of thousands of players have queued up to trade shots, blow up buildings and rack up killstreaks. The final beta period is in full swing: It began on Thursday, Aug. 14 and goes through Sunday, Aug. 17, so you'll want to join the playtest now if you want to experience the next era of Battlefield chaos before the full release on Oct. 10. Familiar maps and modes are making a return, as players play tug-of-war in Rush sec
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
Brendan Blumer, Chairman of of Bullish and Tom Farley, CEO of Bullish, Bullish a cryptocurrency exchange operator, pose with staffs during the company's IPO at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., August 13, 2025. The Bullish IPO this week took on added significance, perhaps because of the company name. When shares of the Peter Thiel-backed cryptocurrency exchange more than doubled out of the gate on Wednesday before finishing the day up 84%, it was the latest sign that the tech
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
A man with cognitive impairments died after a Meta chatbot he was romantically involved with over Instagram messages asked to meet him in person. As Reuters reports, Thongbue Wongbandue — or "Bue," as he was known to family and friends — was a 76-year-old former chef living in New Jersey who had struggled with cognitive difficulties after experiencing a stroke at age 68. He was forced to retire from his job, and his family was in the process of getting him tested for dementia following concerni
Cybercriminal groups peddling sophisticated phishing kits that convert stolen card data into mobile wallets have recently shifted their focus to targeting customers of brokerage services, new research shows. Undeterred by security controls at these trading platforms that block users from wiring funds directly out of accounts, the phishers have pivoted to using multiple compromised brokerage accounts in unison to manipulate the prices of foreign stocks. This so-called ‘ramp and dump‘ scheme borr
Olemedia/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images ZDNET's key takeaways Cisco's Secure Firewall Management Center security hole is as bad as they get. There is no mitigation and no workaround. Patch immediately. So far, no confirmed active exploits have been confirmed. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Do you use Cisco's Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) software? If your company operates a serious network usi
Here’s a little benchmark complements of Jann Horn. It’s unexpectedly slow on Linux. OpenBSD is so fast, I had to modify the program slightly to measure itself, as the time utility is missing sufficient precision to even record nonzero. All it does is create one extra thread, then both existing threads create 256 sockets. What’s so hard about that? #include <pthread.h> #include <unistd.h> #include <err.h> #include <stdio.h> #include <sys/time.h> #include <sys/socket.h> static void open_socket