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Apple commits $500M to US-based rare-earth recycling firm MP Materials

Apple is investing $500 million in MP Materials, the only fully integrated rare-earth mining company currently operating in the United States, as part of a broader effort to strengthen the domestic rare-earth supply chain. The tech giant announced on Tuesday that with this deal, it’s committed to buying American-made rare-earth magnets developed at MP Materials’ flagship facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The factory will develop a series of neodymium magnet manufacturing lines specifically designe

The rights to Fyre Festival sold on eBay for $245K

Billy McFarland, the fraudster who brought you Fyre Festival, has sold the rights to the brand on eBay for $245,300. We do not yet know who the buyer is or what they plan to do with such cursed IP. Fyre Festival was a downright disaster. What was supposed to be a luxury music festival ended up stranding guests on an island in the Bahamas. Instead of lavish villas and gourmet meals, the festival’s clientele, which included wealthy millennial influencers, got flimsy tents and famously unappetizin

MP Materials stock rips 22% higher after $500 million Apple deal for rare earth magnets

People look at iPhones at the Apple Fifth Avenue store in New York City on May 23, 2025. Apple and miner MP Materials announced a $500 million deal Tuesday for rare earth magnets and the development of a recycling facility that will reinforce the iPhone maker's U.S. supply chain. MP Materials stock climbed 22%. Shares of Apple were marginally higher. As part of the agreement, Apple will buy rare earth magnets created at the company's facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Both companies will combine

Could the Galaxy Z Fold 7 really be the world’s thinnest foldable after all?

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority TL;DR A side-by-side comparison shows that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 may actually be thinner than the Magic V5. HONOR claims the Magic V5 measures 8.8mm, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9mm. The unique way the company measured the Magic V5 may explain the discrepancy. When Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it impressed with a thickness of just 8.9mm. This measurement was enough to have it tie with the OPPO Find N5 for the world’s thinnest book-style folda

Webb spots 'Infinity Galaxy' that sheds light on black hole formation

Discoveries keep pouring out of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Researchers observed an unusual cluster, which they dubbed the Infinity Galaxy. It appears to support a leading theory on how some supermassive black holes form. Although "Infinity Galaxy" sounds like a place Thanos would hang out, it merely describes its appearance. Two compact, red nuclei, each surrounded by a ring, give the cluster the shape of an infinity symbol. What's inside is more interesting. (After all, this is a

Mistralai/Voxtral-Mini-3B-2507 · Hugging Face

Voxtral Mini 1.0 (3B) - 2507 Voxtral Mini is an enhancement of Ministral 3B, incorporating state-of-the-art audio input capabilities while retaining best-in-class text performance. It excels at speech transcription, translation and audio understanding. Learn more about Voxtral in our blog post here. Key Features Voxtral builds upon Ministral-3B with powerful audio understanding capabilities. Dedicated transcription mode : Voxtral can operate in a pure speech transcription mode to maximize p

Designing for the Eye: Optical Corrections in Architecture and Typography

Designing for the Eye Optical Corrections in Architecture and Typography By Niko Kitsakis, June 2025 This article highlights a special aspect of both visual design and architecture: Optical cor­rections (or optical ad­just­ments, if you prefer). If you found my piece about legible typefaces interesting, you’ll likely enjoy this one as well. Since I included many visual examples that are size-sensitive, make sure you read this on a big screen and not your mobile device. Optical Illusions The

See How ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Built Itself a Bigger, Better M3GAN

For better or worse, M3GAN’s sophomore outing in M3GAN 2.0 brought with it much more action-packed mania than the killer-doll horrors of the original. That, and of course the awkward inconvenience of M3GAN’s body being destroyed in the climax of the first film, meant her return for round two needed a mechanical do-over… including a few upgrades for good measure. Now that M3GAN 2.0 is heading home digitally today, you can see just how the team behind the movie made those upgrades to make the all

Nextdoor's Big Redesign Packages AI Advice Alongside Human Conversations

Nextdoor, the social media app for your neighborhood and local events, has launched a new redesign. The company says the changes are to "meet the evolving needs of neighbors everywhere" as the shift toward remote and hybrid work has resulted in people spending more time in their local communities. The redesign focuses on three core features that will help you navigate the goings-on of your neighborhood: Alerts, News and Faves. Here's how each of these features works, and how the service is inco

Analogue’s 4K N64 has been delayed again, but only by a month

The Analogue 3D has been hit with another delay, but should still be launching this summer. In an update on its preorder website, Analogue explained that it’s modern take on the Nintendo 64 “is now shipping in late August 2025,” after previously aiming for July. The company said in a separate statement that the decision was made due to the ever-changing situation around US tariffs. “Following last week’s sudden tariff changes, Analogue 3D will now begin shipping next month,” the company explain

Finding value with AI automation

Today's opportunity: Significant automation gains When leaders respond to immediate panic, new business risks and mitigations often emerge. Two recent examples highlight the consequences of rushing to implement and publish positive results from AI adoption. The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2025 on companies struggling to realize returns on AI. Just weeks later, it covered MIT’s retraction of a technical paper about AI where the results that led to its publication could not be substanti

North Korean XORIndex malware hidden in 67 malicious npm packages

North Korean threat actors planted 67 malicious packages in the Node Package Manager (npm) online repository to deliver a new malware loader called XORIndex to developer systems. The packages collectively count more than 17,000 downloads and were discovered by researchers at package security platform Socket, who assess them to be part of the continued Contagious Interview operation. Socket researchers say that the campaign follows threat activity detected since April. Last month, the same acto

4 ways Google Wallet can make your life easier (and more organized)

NurPhoto / Getty Images Imagine this: You're on vacation and you're asked for a ticket, a card, or some other form of identification. You rifle through your purse or wallet to find it, only to realize you're holding up the line. Suddenly, a group of angry travelers is getting frustrated -- and that frustration is aimed squarely at you. The more frustrated you get, the less likely you are to find what you're looking for. The struggle only worsens, and you end up looking like you have no idea wh

I found an AirTag dupe that lasts twice as long (and works with Android)

ZDNET's key takeaways Ugreens Finder Tag is on sale now for $16, and the Slim Wallet Finder is available for $30. The battery in the tag for keys is purpose-built to be hard to remove, making it safer around children. They don't have the high-precision capabilities as more expensive finder tags. $16.59 at Amazon Apple AirTags been a game changer in my life, saving me countless hours searching for my keys, wallet, and passport. But as handy as they are, they're not without their flaws. From a

A Solar System Internet? Space Laser Test Moves Us Closer

Scientists at the European Space Agency used a laser to communicate with a spacecraft 165 million miles (265 million kilometers) away in deep space for the first time, marking a major step forward in their efforts to build optical communication systems for future missions to the Moon and beyond. Scientists at the Kryoneri Observatory near Athens, Greece, shot a powerful laser at NASA’s Psyche mission, which then sent a return signal to the Helmos Observatory, which lies some 23 miles (37 km) aw

BBC Insists Its Disney Partnership Remains Strong in Wake of ‘Doctor Who’ Doubts

Ever since the latest season of Doctor Who came to a messy end a few months ago, the biggest question on audiences’ minds (among the many questions raised by that finale) is when, or if, we might expect to see the show return to our screens. The further we’ve moved from the season without news other than that there is no news about the BBC renewing its funding and distribution deal with Disney for the series, the more doubts have grown. But the BBC continues to stress that it is focused on worki

The rights to Fyre Festival sold on eBay for 245K

Billy McFarland, the fraudster who brought you Fyre Festival, has sold the rights to the brand on eBay for $245,300. We do not yet know who the buyer is or what they plan to do with such cursed IP. Fyre Festival was a downright disaster. What was supposed to be a luxury music festival ended up stranding guests on an island in the Bahamas. Instead of lavish villas and gourmet meals, the festival’s clientele, which included wealthy millennial influencers, got flimsy tents and famously unappetizin

MP Materials stock rips 24% higher after $500 million Apple deal for rare earth magnets

People look at iPhones at the Apple Fifth Avenue store in New York City on May 23, 2025. Apple and miner MP Materials announced a $500 million deal Tuesday for rare earth magnets and the development of a recycling facility that will reinforce the iPhone maker's U.S. supply chain. MP Materials stock climbed 24%. Shares of Apple were marginally higher. As part of the agreement, Apple will buy rare earth magnets created at the company's facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Both companies will combine

Charge on the go: Satechi launches new GaN wall charger and lanyard cable

Satechi TL;DR Satechi is launching two new additions to its OntheGo collection. These additions include the 67W Slim Wall Charger and USB-C Lanyard Cable. Both items are available in Black, Sand, and Desert Rose. When you’re on the road, you never know when you’ll need to stop to charge your various devices. That’s why it’s crucial to always pack a charger and cable. And the more travel-friendly those items are, the better. On this front, Satechi has a whole line of products designed to be c

I replaced my Galaxy S25 Plus with the S25 Edge (and Samsung may do the same)

Kerry Wan/ZDNET The Galaxy S25 Edge was my unexpected favorite phone in Samsung's S-series lineup this year. I previously wrote about how it had one major fault, but is the compact phone for content consumption in 2025. It just might not make sense to exist alongside the Plus model with the adoption of silicon-carbon batteries -- and Samsung might agree. Also: Samsung's ultra-thin Galaxy phone is a greatly misunderstood device - and I shamelessly love it According to a new report from The Ele

My top-rated USB-C accessory just got even better with this built-in display

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Ask HN: What's Your Useful Local LLM Stack?

What I’m asking HN: What does your actually useful local LLM stack look like? I’m looking for something that provides you with real value — not just a sexy demo. --- After a recent internet outage, I realized I need a local LLM setup as a backup — not just for experimentation and fun. My daily (remote) LLM stack: - Claude Max ($100/mo): My go-to for pair programming. Heavy user of both the Claude web and desktop clients. - Windsurf Pro ($15/mo): Love the multi-line autocomplete and how it

Petabit-class transmission over > 1000 km using standard 19-core optical fiber

An international research team led by the Photonic Network Laboratory at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, President: TOKUDA Hideyuki Ph.D.), and including Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Electric, President: INOUE Osamu) have set a new world record in optical fiber communications, achieving data transmission at 1.02 petabits per second over a distance of 1,808 kilometers (roughly equivalent to the distance from Sapporo to Fukuoka, from Misso

NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

(From left to right) Mason Marshall, David Hume, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Daniel Rodriguez Castillo stand in front of the aluminum ion clock at NIST. With its recent improvements, the clock can pave the way for the campaign to redefine the second as well as explore new ideas in physics. Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST There’s a new record holder for the most accurate clock in the world. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have improved their atomic clock based o

Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Chatbots Are Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

Generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok have exploded in popularity as AI becomes mainstream. These tools don’t have the ability to make new scientific discoveries on their own, but billionaires are convinced that AI is on the cusp of doing just that. And the latest episode of the All-In podcast helps explain why these guys think AI is extremely close to revolutionizing scientific knowledge. Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber who no longer works at the company,

GOP’s pro-industry crypto bills could financially ruin millions, lawmaker warns

It's "Crypto Week" in Congress, and experts continue to warn that legislation Donald Trump wants passed quickly could give the president ample opportunities to grift while leaving Americans more vulnerable to scams and financial ruin. Perhaps most controversial of the bills is the one that's closest to reaching Trump's desk, the GENIUS Act, which creates a framework for banks and private companies to issue stablecoins. After passing in the Senate last month, the House of Representatives is hopi

AI coding tools are shifting to a surprising place: the terminal

For years, code-editing tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and GitHub’s Copilot have been the standard for AI-powered software development. But as agentic AI grows more powerful and vibe-coding takes off, a subtle shift has changed how AI systems are interacting with software. Instead of working on code, they’re increasingly interacting directly with the shell of whatever system they’re installed in. It’s a significant change in how AI-powered software development happens – and despite the low profile

Apple commits $500 million over several years to buy US-made rare earth magnets

Apple just announced a commitment of $500 million over several years to buy rare earth magnets from the US-based company MP Materials. These rare earth magnets are used in a number of products, including iPhones, MacBooks and the Apple Pencil stylus. The American-made magnets will be shipped throughout the world, to help "meet increasing global demand for the material." MP Materials is the only fully integrated rare earth producer in the country. The two companies have also pledged to work toge

This smart ring company will test your blood for $500 - here's what for

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Best free web hosting services: Expert-tested picks that are actually worth it

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or