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Duolingo stock skyrockets 30% on boosted guidance as AI powers user growth

Duolingo shares skyrocketed more than 30% after the language learning platform boosted its guidance due to strong user growth driven by artificial intelligence. The mobile learning platform hiked its full-year guidance to between $1.01 billion and $1.02 billion, up from a prior range of $987 million to $996 million. Duolingo also lifted its bookings guidance to between $1.15 billion and $1.16 billion. "We exceeded our own high expectations for bookings and revenue this quarter, and did it whil

Data breach at French telecom giant Bouygues affects millions of customers

Bouygues Telecom, the third-largest phone carrier in France, has confirmed a cyberattack and data breach affecting millions of its customers. In a statement posted to its website, the telecommunications giant said the hack allowed the intruders to access the personal information on 6.4 million customer accounts. Bouygues said it detected the cyberattack on August 4, but did not give a timeframe for when the breach was remediated. In a separate page dedicated to victims of the cyberattack, Bouy

Leonardo Chiariglione: “I closed MPEG on 2 June 2020”

I needed an organisation that would create digital media standards for consumers to seamlessly communicate and industry operate in a global market of interoperable products, services and applications. I conceived that organisation in 1987, established it in 1988I, and called Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). In four years, MPEG had ushered in the digital media age with MPEG-1, a standard for interactive media used in Video CD, digital audio broadcasting (MP2), and personal music (MP3). Starti

5 carriers you should sign up for instead of Verizon

Joe Maring / Android Authority If you’re a Verizon customer, chances are you probably aren’t thrilled with the current state of the carrier. We recently reported on a host of plan and price changes, none of which are positive. Verizon is eliminating loyalty discounts, increasing the price of activation fees and other bill charges, and removing Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass perks that were previously included in its plans. To put it simply, Verizon isn’t in the best position right now, and

Air France and KLM disclose data breaches impacting customers

Air France and KLM announced on Wednesday that attackers had breached a customer service platform and stolen the data of an undisclosed number of customers. Together with Transavia, Air France and KLM are part of Air France–KLM Group, a French-Dutch multinational airline holding company founded in 2004 and a major player in international air transport. With a fleet of 564 aircraft and 78,000 employees, Air France-KLM provides services to up to 300 destinations in 90 countries. In 2024, the avi

"I closed MPEG on 2 Jun '20 when I left because obscure forces had hijacked it."

I needed an organisation that would create digital media standards for consumers to seamlessly communicate and industry operate in a global market of interoperable products, services and applications. I conceived that organisation in 1987, established it in 1988I, and called Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). In four years, MPEG had ushered in the digital media age with MPEG-1, a standard for interactive media used in Video CD, digital audio broadcasting (MP2), and personal music (MP3). Starti

This mini projector beats more expensive models (and took 5 minutes to set up)

Dangbei N2 Mini Projector ZDNET's key takeaways The Dangbei N2 Mini projector is on sale on Amazon for $189. The N2 Mini is one of the easiest projectors to setup I've used, and delivers crisp 1080p video without much fuss. Unfortunately, it's limited to 1080p and does not do 4K, and you'll want to connect a Bluetooth speaker. $229 at Amazon I've used plenty of projectors over the years. Back in the day, they were a pain to set up and use, with complex, fragile internal components and finnick

FDA approves eye drops that fix near vision without glasses

The first aceclidine-based eye drop to improve near vision in adults with presbyopia, which affects more than 100 million adults in the US alone, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will be available within three months. Known as VIZZ, from pharmaceutical company LENZ, the drops are an aceclidine ophthalmic solution that effectively treats presbyopia in adults. The once-daily drops offer relief from blurry near. vision for up to 10 hours. "The FDA approval of VIZZ i

Topics: eye fda near vision vizz

Verizon Promo Offers NFL Sunday Ticket Access at No Extra Cost

It's still the NFL preseason, but ahead of the official 2025-2026 regular season kickoff in September, Verizon, a long-term partner of the league, is offering NFL Sunday Ticket to new and existing mobile and internet customers. You don't even need a paid subscription for YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels. Verizon revived its Sunday Ticket on Us promo on Tuesday, and it will run through Sept. 23, along with an alternative option to get $200 off the sports package for a savings of up to $4

A Single Poisoned Document Could Leak ‘Secret’ Data Via ChatGPT

The latest generative AI models are not just stand-alone text-generating chatbots—instead, they can easily be hooked up to your data to give personalized answers to your questions. OpenAI’s ChatGPT can be linked to your Gmail inbox, allowed to inspect your GitHub code, or find appointments in your Microsoft calendar. But these connections have the potential to be abused—and researchers have shown it can take just a single “poisoned” document to do so. New findings from security researchers Mich

Gartner's AI Hype Cycle reveals which AI tech is peaking - but will it last?

JuSun/Getty ZDNET's key takeaways Gartner has released its 2025 Hype Cycle report. AI agents and data are at their most inflated and need precise application to yield results. The report also emphasized trust and safety efforts as critical to the next five years. Research firm Gartner has released its annual Hype Cycle report, which investigates whether new technology is living up to expectations or is still far off from making a meaningful impact. At the top of the list this year? AI agent

Litestar is worth a look

Litestar is worth a look Published on: August 6, 2025 Django, Python A few years ago at work, I had a project which offered an opportunity to look at the new generation of async-first, type-hint-driven Python web frameworks. For reasons which aren’t particularly relevant today, on that project I ended up choosing Litestar, which is the one that doesn’t have a ravenous all-consuming hype machine surrounding it. And I’m very glad I did, because today I’m more convinced than ever it was the right

You Can Now Watch ‘Wednesday’ Season 2’s Haunting Stop-Motion Short

There’s a special spooky treat for stop-motion animation fans embedded within season two of Wednesday: a short that’s another visual dazzler from the mind of Tim Burton. When Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joins the Nevermore Academy ranks, he and his roomie Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) get to know about the lore of the school’s haunted tree from their dorm RA. In an attempt to scare the young monsters, Ajax (Georgie Farmer) regales them with the tragedy of a brilliant but twisted mind, an outcast who repla

Today's Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Aug. 7, #1510

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today's Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles. Today's Wordle puzzle wasn't too tough. It's a fairly easiy-to-guess word, and none of the letters are very rare. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on. Today's Wordle hin

Today's NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 7, #788

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles. Today's NYT Connections puzzle has one category that could be in the Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, so hopefully you know something about a certain sport. Read on for clues and today's Connections answers. The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle.

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Aug. 7, #318

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Can you identify pro athletes from just a headshot? If not, today's Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. Personally, I'm no fan of the photo clues, but there were only two today. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Supe

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 7 #522

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles. Today's NYT Strands puzzle isn't that simple of a topic. The spangram especially confused me. If you need hints and answers, read on. I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you

Jury Decides Meta Stole Data from Users of Period-Tracking App. What to Do If You're Worried

A California jury ruled Wednesday that Meta broke state privacy laws by collecting data from the popular period-tracking app Flo, including private health data and pregnancy goals. The case claimed that, among other actions, Meta used the data to create targeted advertising content. As Meta claims it will fight the verdict, the court continues to decide specific financial damages -- and the plaintiffs have asked for billions. A representative for Meta did not immediately respond to a request fo

Topics: app data flo meta privacy

Shopify stock soars 21% on rosy guidance as CFO says tariff hit 'did not materialize'

The logo of Shopify is seen outside its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, on Sept. 28, 2018. Shopify shares soared 21% on Wednesday after the company topped analysts' estimates for the second quarter, and gave rosy guidance for the third quarter. Here's how the company did, compared with estimates from analysts polled by LSEG: Earnings per share: 35 cents adjusted vs. 29 cents 35 cents adjusted vs. 29 cents Revenue: $2.68 billion vs. $2.55 billion Second-quarter sales surged 31% year over ye

DoorDash shares rise on earnings, revenue beat

Doordash food delivery service in New York City on Feb. 13, 2025. DoorDash shares climbed about 5% in extended trading on Wednesday after the food delivery company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the second quarter. Here's how the company did compared to analyst estimates based on LSEG's consensus: Earnings per share : 65 cents vs. 44 cents expected : 65 cents vs. 44 cents expected Revenue: $3.28 billion vs. $3.16 billion expected Revenue jumped 25% from $2.63 billion

Researchers hacked Google Gemini to take control of a smart home

Wired reported on new cybersecurity research that demonstrated a hack of the Google Gemini artificial intelligence assistant. The researchers were able to control connected smart home devices through the use of indirect prompt injections in Google Calendar invites. When a user requested a summary of their calendar and thanked Gemini for the results, the malicious prompt ordered Google's Home AI agent to take actions such as opening windows or turning lights off, as demonstrated in the video abov

Consistency over Availability: How rqlite Handles the CAP theorem

Consistency Over Availability: How rqlite Handles the CAP Theorem rqlite is a lightweight, user-friendly, open-source, distributed relational database. It’s written in Go and uses SQLite as its storage engine. When it comes to distributed systems the CAP theorem is an essential concept. It states that it’s impossible for a distributed database to simultaneously provide Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance. The challenge is in the face of a network partition, a database can only b

Vibe coding the MIT course catalog

I recently left Microsoft to join MIT's Media Arts and Sciences program. The transition brought an immediate problem: how do you navigate course selection when faced with the "unknown unknowns"? You can easily find courses you already know you want learn, i.e. "known unknowns". But discovering courses you never knew existed, courses that might reshape your thinking entirely, requires different tools altogether. MIT's official course catalog runs on what appears to be a CGI script. The technolog

Hulu’s days look numbered, but there’s reason for Disney to keep it around

Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, announced today that Disney will "fully integrate" Hulu into the Disney+ app in 2026. Although a company representative told Variety that people will still be able to buy standalone subscriptions to Hulu, we can't help but wonder how long that will last. A prim and polished app combining the catalogs, recommendations, and profiles for Disney+ and Hulu subscribers could make a standalone Hulu app redundant. In fact, the ability to successfully combin

Vibe Coding the MIT Course Catalog

I recently left Microsoft to join MIT's Media Arts and Sciences program. The transition brought an immediate problem: how do you navigate course selection when faced with the "unknown unknowns"? You can easily find courses you already know you want learn, i.e. "known unknowns". But discovering courses you never knew existed, courses that might reshape your thinking entirely, requires different tools altogether. MIT's official course catalog runs on what appears to be a CGI script. The technolog

Want a four-channel dashcam for less than $200? I recommend this one

Botslab G980H Multi-Channel Dashcam The BOTSLAB G980H Multi-Channel Dashcam is a reliable four-channel dashcam for your road trips and commutes. It has a crisp 3K front cam, separate shooters for the driver and passenger, and a rear cam. It has some quirks, but for the price, it is a good option for capturing evidence and fun clips on the road. Dashcams are the type of products you hope you will never need, but they can be lifesavers when they do their job. It’s a solid investment if you want s

This wall-mounted smart calendar has been a game changer in my home (and it's $50 off)

ZDNET's key takeaways The 15-inch Skylight Calendar is a smart display for $320, with a 10-inch version available for $160. It's a touchscreen calendar designed with busy lifestyles in mind that allows for shared use within a household or team. Though it's proven indispensable for my family, I wish the chores, not just the events, were visible in the calendar view, and the 15-inch version is expensive at $320. $269.99 at Amazon The Skylight Calendar is on sale for $270 just in time for back-t

'Freakier Friday' Review: Disney's Body-Swapping Sequel Really Rocks

For me, watching Freakier Friday -- the new sequel to the 2003 body-switch comedy starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis -- led to a change in perspective: I was now a fan of two Freaky Friday movies headlined by Lohan and Curtis. From Curtis' nostalgic and still-hilarious portrayal of waking up as a 15-year-old inhabiting her step-grandmother's body to entertaining scenes with a job-switching fortune teller (Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer), the sequel offers wacky and laugh-out-lo

Cockatoos know 30 distinct dance moves

Snowball the dancing cockatoo gets down with his bad self to the Backstreet Boys. In 2008, a YouTube video featuring an Eleanora cockatoo named Snowball dancing to the beat of the Backstreet Boys went viral. His killer moves stunned scientists, since the ability to synchronize body movements to music was believed to be a uniquely human activity. Nor is Snowball an isolated case. Griffi the Dancing Cockatoo has his own YouTube channel, for example, and a recent TikTok video showed two sister coc

First impressions of Alexa+, Amazon’s upgraded, AI-powered digital assistant

I owned a lot of Alexa-powered devices in my former home: There were Amazon Echos in most rooms, including an older Echo Plus in the living room, a smattering of Dots, a Spot in a bedroom, and an Echo Show in the kitchen. A Fire TV ran in the bedroom. And, in a drawer, a rarely used Fire HD tablet sat collecting dust. With the total loss of the home due to a March 2024 house fire, there also came a new opportunity: We could now make a fresh start to create a more modernized smart home after reb