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People Are Now Seeing ‘Zombie’ Squirrels in Their Backyards

As if black-horned rabbits weren’t strange enough, people are now spotting zombie-like squirrels covered in odd, sometimes bleeding sores in their backyards and parks. These sickly squirrels aren’t zombies, however, but victims of a real viral disease. Residents in both Canada and the U.S. have recently reported sightings of the zombie squirrels, dating back to at least 2023. These animals are likely carrying a germ known as the squirrel fibroma virus (SFV). Though the condition is scary-lookin

Deals: M4 Mac mini $499, 24GB M3 MacBook Air $500 off, AirPods, portable SSD, more

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break Apple deals are kicking off the M4 Mac mini. Alongside ongoing deals on the heavily upgraded models, Amazon has now dropped the entry variant down to $499 shipped with the 512GB model at $110 off the list price. From there, we move over to some seriously discounted M3 MacBook Air models – the 15-inch 24GB and the 13-inch 24GB are both $500 off the list price and $400 under the MSRP on the comparable M4 models. Everything else awaits down below. Amazon just knocked t

You can delete sent text messages on Android now - here's how

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Google Messages now lets you delete a sent text message. A deleted message disappears for the other person immediately. The feature is available now for almost all Android users. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Android users finally have an undo option. A long-awaited feature that lets you delete a sent text message is widely rolling out to most Android devices --

Vibe coding tips and tricks

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The Weight of a Cell

Ella Watkins-Dulaney Microbes are so small that tens of thousands could fit in the space of the period at the end of this sentence. And yet, for two of the most widely studied kinds — S. cerevisiae and E. coli — we know their weight with remarkable precision: A single yeast cell weighs about 100 picograms and a single E. coli bacterium weighs about one picogram, or 60 million times less than a grain of sand. At first blush, measuring the weight of a single cell seems an impossible task. How ca

Valiant’s Bloodshot Relaunch Mired by Transphobic Dogwhistles

Update, 8/17/2025 @ 10:57 AM: After his old Twitter posts were discovered, Bloodshot writer Mauro Mantella has since deleted the account and posted an apology on Instagram. “I want to offer my most sincere apologies. I know I made a mistake, but at no point did I intend to spread a message of hate,” it begins. In his apology, he revealed he first wrote the issue’s script in Spanish, then “changed it a bit” when converting it to English. This conversion led to him “borrowing a common phrase used

The Mandarin Strikes In Hasbro’s Newest Marvel Legends Reveal

The Mandarin is one of Iron Man’s oldest foes, with a history in the comics as long as it is fraught. But while the character has been adapted multiple times over the course of the MCU—first more controversially with Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery character in Iron Man 3, then as Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings—and earned himself a few action figures from Hasbro inspired by those appearances along the way, the toymaker has yet to bring a comics version of the v

These Chunks of Ice Move All By Themselves, Thanks to a Cool Engineering Trick

It looks like something straight out of a Ouija board horror movie, but frosty—researchers have figured out how to make ice move by itself. A video capturing the creepy dynamic features an ice disk melting on a metal surface etched with an asymmetrical herringbone pattern. The ice and its small puddle slowly start to move sideways before suddenly picking up speed and slingshotting across the metal plate. The researchers suggest that this sort of independent movement could one day generate power

I love my Samsung Z Fold 7, but these Google Pixel upgrades would win me over

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (left) competed with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (right) last summer. Kerry Wan/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is expected to launch on August 20, but it might not go on sale till October 9. It will be difficult for Google to beat Samsung in the foldable segment this year due to design differences. Unless there's an actually useful AI feature or significantly better battery life, I'll stick with my Galaxy Z Fold 7. Get more in-depth ZDNE

Topics: 10 fold google pixel pro

5 reasons to switch to an immutable Linux distro today - and which to try first

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Immutable Linux distributions are the future. There are several reasons why immutable is the way to go. From security to predictability, you can't go wrong with immutable. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Immutable Linux distributions sound complicated, right? You'd be surprised to know that it's actually quite simple. Essentially, an immutable distri

Texas law gives grid operator power to disconnect data centers during crisis

Dive Brief: Data centers and other large, non-critical power consumers connected to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas transmission grid must accept curtailment during firm load shed events under a landmark law Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed Friday. Senate Bill 6 pairs mandatory curtailment with a voluntary demand response procurement program under which loads of 75 MW or more could ramp down or switch to backup generation at utilities’ request. It also includes new interconnection

Pixel 9 Pro Fold one year later: How Google caught up to Samsung in just two generations

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold was one of my favorite gadgets of 2024 to the point where it even landed on our list of the biggest winners of the year. Not only was it a worthy alternative to Samsung's long-running Galaxy Z Fold phones, its straightforward design once again proved that keeping things simple is often the wisest way to go. It turns out, the best approach to foldable phone design is to make something that's the same size and shape as a regular handset, but just happens to have a big flexible

Pixel Watch running slow? Do this to instantly improve the performance

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways A restart fixes freezes, errors, and update issues. A reset clears all data to fix major glitches. Use restart first, reset only as a last resort. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Like every other piece of tech, our smartwatches can get sluggish after continual use. Maybe you're waiting several seconds for your smartwatch to load functionalities, or you're experiencing anno

Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels

Block Reels & Shorts on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube. Set scrolling limits on any app with antiscroll mode. No Ads, No Reels, No Shorts, No Distractions. iOS has some limitations,so it’s not technically possible to block Reels and Shorts the same way as on Android. Although it can't be done the same way, I’m building an iPhone app with a different approach to help cut down on scrolling addiction. Drop your email and I’ll let you know when is launched!

Google Photos is getting Tinder’s swipe mechanic (wait, what?)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Photos is letting some users clean up their cloud storage with a Tinder-style interface. Users can swipe left to delete large files and blurry photos or swipe right to keep them. This seems to be a limited release for now, and there’s seemingly no way to activate it. Google Photos offers a few ways to claw back cloud storage. One option available in the app is the ability to review and delete blurry photos and large files. Now, it looks like G

Can-Am's first electric ATV can haul more than its gas models

Can-Am, part of the motorsports group BRP that recently introduced electric snowmobiles, has just launched its first electric all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The Outlander Electric is designed to be "whisper quiet" for chores like herding or hunting, but it can actually tow more than its gas-powered counterparts thanks to the high level of torque. Powered by BRP's modular Rotax E-Power drivetrain (also used in the company's electric snowmobiles and motorbikes), the Outlander Electric makes up to 47

8x19 Text Mode Font Origins

I was recently made aware of something that I had noticed before, but never paid much attention to. Consider this screenshot of a BIOS POST screen: Intel AN430TX board POST screen VGA text modes usually use 720×400 resolution and 8×16 fonts (expanded to 9×16). The above screenshot uses 640×480 resolution (VGA graphics), but it is with a high degree a certainty a text mode, using a custom 8×19 font. The BIOS is a Phoenix BIOS 4.0 Release 6.0, running on an Intel Anchorage (AN430TX) board. For

Topics: 19 bios board font intel

Why we should thank pigeons for our AI breakthroughs

People looking for precursors to artificial intelligence often point to science fiction by authors like Isaac Asimov or thought experiments like the Turing test. But an equally important, if surprising and less appreciated, forerunner is Skinner’s research with pigeons in the middle of the 20th century. Skinner believed that association—learning, through trial and error, to link an action with a punishment or reward—was the building block of every behavior, not just in pigeons but in all living

Last-minute Google leak reveals brand-new 67W charger, cheaper Pixelsnap stand, and pricier cases

Evan Blass TL;DR A last-minute retailer leak reveals that Google has a new 67W dual-port power adapter coming. It also appears the new “Pixelsnap” charger and stand combo will be cheaper than the old Pixel Stand 2. The new cases with embedded magnets are getting a slight price increase. The Google Pixel 10, Pixel Watch 4, and more will be unveiled this week, and we know almost everything there is to know about them thanks to numerous leaks. While that’s nothing new, it happens every year, so

Google Translate prepares speed vs accuracy modes for translation (APK teardown)

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR Google is working on new features for Google Translate, including a new AI model picker. The model picker will let users choose between “Fast” and “Advanced” models, allowing them to choose between quick translations or more accurate ones powered by Gemini. Only English-Spanish/French pairs are supported so far for the Advanced model. Google has been working on several major new features for Google Translate. These include AI-enabled translations, a r

Mindless Machines, Mindless Myths

Mindless Machines, Mindless Myths Erik J. Larson thinks about “Mindless: The Human Condition in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” which traces Robert Skidelsky’s philosophical reckoning with AI, automation, and the illusion of progress. By Erik J. Larson August 2, 2025 Science & Technology Philosophy & Religion Mindless: The Human Condition in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Robert Skidelsky . Other Press , 2024. 384 pages. BEGINNING IN THE 1960s, a generation of visionary engineers

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Aug. 18

Gael Cooper CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.

Google admits anti-competitive conduct involving Google Search in Australia

The ACCC has today commenced Federal Court proceedings against Google Asia Pacific over anti-competitive understandings that Google admits it reached in the past with Telstra and Optus regarding the pre-installation of Google Search on Android mobile phones. Google has co-operated with the ACCC, admitted liability and agreed to jointly submit to the Court that Google should pay a total penalty of $55 million. It is a matter for the Court to determine whether the penalty and other orders are app

A gigantic jet caught on camera: A spritacular moment for NASA astronaut

Left: Gigantic Jet Event from the International Space Station, taken by NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers. (Credit: Ayers) Right: Sprite event appearing over a lightning strike, seen from space. This photo was taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 44. Credit: NASA astronauts on board Expedition 44 Did you see that gorgeous photo NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers took on July 3, 2025? Originally thought to be a sprite, Ayers confirmed catching an even rarer form of a

Anthropic's Claude AI now has the ability to end 'distressing' conversations

Anthropic's latest feature for two of its Claude AI models could be the beginning of the end for the AI jailbreaking community. The company announced in a post on its website that the Claude Opus 4 and 4.1 models now have the power to end a conversation with users. According to Anthropic, this feature will only be used in "rare, extreme cases of persistently harmful or abusive user interactions." To clarify, Anthropic said those two Claude models could exit harmful conversations, like "requests

Anthropic: Claude can now end conversations to prevent harmful uses

OpenAI rival Anthropic says Claude has been updated with a rare new feature that allows the AI model to end conversations when it feels it poses harm or is being abused. This only applies to Claude Opus 4 and 4.1, the two most powerful models available via paid plans and API. On the other hand, Claude Sonnet 4, which is the company's most used model, won't be getting this feature. Anthropic describes this move as a "model welfare." "In pre-deployment testing of Claude Opus 4, we included a pr

A Visual Exploration of Gaussian Processes (2019)

Even if you have spent some time reading about machine learning, chances are that you have never heard of Gaussian processes. And if you have, rehearsing the basics is always a good way to refresh your memory. With this blog post we want to give an introduction to Gaussian processes and make the mathematical intuition behind them more approachable. Gaussian processes are a powerful tool in the machine learning toolbox . They allow us to make predictions about our data by incorporating prior kno

MS-DOS development resources

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Llama-Scan: Convert PDFs to Text W Local LLMs

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The DC/Marvel Teamup Adds New Hero Duos To the Mix

Earlier this summer, we learned DC and Marvel Comics were having their first proper crossover in decades, bringing together different pairings of characters from both publishers. So far, we’ve only known what’s coming from Marvel—now we know what DC’s bringing to the plate, and it’s a new batch of teamups featuring some of DC’s current big talents in charge of these stories. Per DC’s recent solicitations for November, DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool #1—written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Dan Mora