Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Filtered by: ing Clear Filter

The First Photograph Ever Taken (1826)

In his­to­ries of ear­ly pho­tog­ra­phy, Louis Daguerre faith­ful­ly appears as one of the fathers of the medi­um. His patent­ed process, the daguerreo­type, in wide use for near­ly twen­ty years in the ear­ly 19th cen­tu­ry, pro­duced so many of the images we asso­ciate with the peri­od, includ­ing famous pho­tographs of Abra­ham Lin­coln, Edgar Allan Poe, Emi­ly Dick­in­son, and John Brown. But had things gone dif­fer­ent­ly, we might know bet­ter the hard­er-to-pro­nounce name of his one­time

Topics: ed ing ly niépce pho

Major Rule About Cooking Meat Turns Out to Be Wrong

Contrary to common belief, resting meat isn’t really about retaining juices, but that doesn’t mean it’s pointless. Instead, it’s best understood as a temperature-control method for managing carryover cooking. To use it effectively, though, you have to completely rethink how the technique works and how to apply it. Is dark matter real? How do consciousness and memory actually work? And is it really necessary to rest your meat after cooking? These are the big, unresolved questions that keep scien

I Tried T-Mobile's New Satellite Service for Texting in Dead Zones. Here's How It's Different

If you've traveled to remote areas where cellular coverage doesn't reach, you know that anxious feeling when your communications slam to a halt. T-Mobile's new $10 a month Starlink-based satellite texting service, T-Satellite, which went live today, takes a different approach from other satellite services to provide mobile access even within the half a million square miles of wireless dead zones in the US. To test it out, I drove nearly three hours from Seattle until my phone bars abandoned me,

Computing’s Top 30: Tejas Chopra

Two minutes into his TedX talk on AI and the environment, Tejas Chopra notes that training a single large language model releases roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere as 125 roundtrip flights from New York to Beijing. In keeping with his ever-practical approach, Chopra goes on to suggest several concrete ways to reduce AI’s carbon footprint by optimizing resource use, energy consumption, and AI decision-making across industries. An accomplished engineer specializin

tvOS 26 could make Apple TV 4K’s biggest problem a thing of the past

Linear TV continues rapidly declining, something that Tim Cook saw coming when he declared that the future of TV is apps. But Apple TV apps have always struggled from one core issue: signing into streaming accounts is a major pain. Here’s how tvOS 26 plans to solve that for Apple TV 4K users moving forward. tvOS 26 has a fix coming for the clunky experience of logging into apps If you’re a linear TV user, switching to an Apple TV 4K with streaming apps can require a huge learning curve. Differ

Qi2 25W wireless charging is coming to iPhones and 'major Android smartphones'

The newest version of the Qi2 wireless standard is coming to iPhones and some Android handsets. It has also received a snappy, new branding of Qi2 25W, denoting the wireless charging speed, which is miles better than the previous name of Qi2.2. The big hook here is right in the name. Qi2 25W provides up to 25 watts of power delivery to compatible products, which is a 66 percent increase over the pre-existing Qi2 platform. Paul Struhsaker, Executive Director of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC

Bad vibes: How an AI agent coded its way to disaster

Replit / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET When AI leader Andrej Karpathy coined the phrase "vibe coding" for just letting AI chatbots do their thing when programming, he added, "It's not too bad for throwaway weekend projects … but it's not really coding -- I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy-paste stuff, and it mostly works." Also: Coding with AI? My top 5 tips for vetting its output - and staying out of trouble There were lots of red flags in his comments, but that hasn't stopped p

Checklists are hard (but still a good thing)

You're using a tool with a too-generic User-Agent You're probably reading this page because you've attempted to access some part of my blog (Wandering Thoughts) or CSpace, the wiki thing it's part of. Unfortunately whatever you're using to do so has a HTTP User-Agent header value that is too generic or otherwise excessively suspicious. Unfortunately, as of early 2025 there's a plague of high volume crawlers (apparently in part to gather data for LLM training) that behave like this. To reduce th

Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than Anyone Thought, New Research Suggests

We’ve all seen dramatic footage of lightning striking a mighty tree, its branches going up in flames. But how often does this actually happen? Researchers didn’t know how much lightning impacted forests—until now. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a computer model to provide what they claim to be the first estimate of lightning’s impact on forest ecosystems around the world. According to their study, lightning affects forests more than previously thought. Sp

Microsoft backtracks on $80 The Outer Worlds 2 pricing

There's hope that the gaming industry won't follow Nintendo's lead with $80 pricing. (Well, at least not yet.) On Wednesday, Microsoft backtracked on the price increase for The Outer Worlds 2. The game now costs $70, which itself was considered outrageous only a few years ago. Microsoft told Windows Central that those who already pre-ordered Obsidian's shooter at $80 can get refunds at the point of purchase. Unfortunately, you can't simply get a $10 price adjustment. You'll have to refund the f

ChatGPT is rolling out 'personality' toggles to become your assistant

OpenAI is rolling out a new "personality" feature on the ChatGPT web app. This allows you to choose between multiple personalities, such as "Robot." ChatGPT is pretty good at coding and reasoning, but it falls a bit short on personality. On the other hand, Microsoft Copilot feels a bit more personal, but that could change soon. With the personality feature, which is slowly rolling out to some users across the world, you can personalize how ChatGPT interacts with you. By default, ChatGPT is ch

This Retro PC Case Gives Your Gaming Rig Big Windows 95 Energy

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. It’s enough to turn off the parts of my brain that would normally despise the look of a big, gray, plastic box and transform me into a drooling retro devotee ready to hand over his cash just to hear those fans whir. That was my first reaction when I saw custom PC maker Maingear’s new Retro95 throwback PC case. It comes packed with the modern components you expect to see in a modern gaming rig, but it adds extras like an optical disc drive and I/O ports hidden under

I Set Up a VPN on My Roku to Stream Geo-Restricted Shows and Movies. Here's How You Can Too

Watching movies and shows from your favorite streaming services is easy with a streaming device or smart TV. These devices can give you access to thousands of live and on-demand streaming options with the push of a button or even a voice command. If you set up a VPN on your smart TV or streaming device, you can unlock a world of streaming options far beyond what would normally be available in your location. With a VPN, streaming services can register your internet connection as originating in a

Microsoft's big AI update for Windows 11 is here - what's new

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Windows 11 users will find a host of new features awaiting them with a major update now being rolled out by Microsoft. Launched on Tuesday specifically for Windows 11 24H2, the optional update known as KB5062660 carries with it a cavalcade of AI-powered skills along with general enhancements and bug fixes galore. In a Tuesday blog post, Microsoft touted all the new AI tools and tricks in the update. For better or worse, most of these are geared toward Copilot+ PCs, so if y

How to Watch Germany vs. Spain From Anywhere for Free: Stream UEFA Women's Euro 2025 Semi-Final Soccer

World champions and tournament favorites Spain must overcome eight-time UEFA Women's Euro champions Germany today to claim a place in Sunday's showpiece final. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to watch this match as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if the game isn't available where you are. Today's game marks the first time the Spanish have reached the semi-finals of this tournament since 1997. They struggled to get past hosts Switzerland

Xfinity Opens Online Shop for All Your Streaming Entertainment Needs

Comcast introduced a new online store on Wednesday that serves as a hub for streaming entertainment. The StreamStore is a centralized shop where Xfinity internet and TV customers can find, buy or manage multiple streaming apps, bundles, channels, movies and TV shows. According to Comcast, customers can buy streaming TV packages like Now TV, sign up for the StreamSaver bundle, and explore a selection of "over 450 streaming apps and channels and 200,000 movies and TV shows to rent." That includes

I replaced my Pixel 9 Pro with this $700 Android phone for a week - and it did some things better

Redmagic 10 Air ZDNET's key takeaways The Redmagic 10 Air Android phone is on sale now for $700. The Redmagic phone is as elegant as it is powerful and can handle some of the more challenging games. This camera system isn't necessarily flagship level, and you'll want to pay attention to network band support. $699 at Amazon I've held lots of Android phones in my hand, some feel awkward because of their size, while others fit just right. That Goldilocks effect is real, and in my experience, Red

Stop Building AI Tools Backwards

I’ve been reading this week about how humans learn, and effective ways of transferring knowledge. In addition, I’ve also had AI in the back of my mind, and recently I’ve come to the realization that not only is our industry building AI tools poorly, we’re building them backwards. Which, honestly, is really depressing to me because there is so much unrealized potential that we have available–is it not enough that we built the LLMs unethically, and that they waste far more energy than they return

'South Park' Season 27: How to Watch the Premiere Without Cable

Kenny, Kyle, Stan and Cartman are about to return. Comedy Central South Park's season 27 rollout has been hectic. The hit animated series has had its premiere date pushed and lacked definitive streaming details caused by behind-the-scenes ongoings. As of today, July 23, the show is hours away from its Comedy Central debut, and the US streaming method is becoming clear. According to a report from Deadline, a deal is being completed that would bring South Park to Paramount Plus in the US. The gl

I Tested T-Mobile's Satellite Service: The Hardest Part Was Finding a Dead Zone

Driving the wooded highways of the North Cascades in Washington state, I deliberately pointed my car toward nothing. Specifically, I needed to get out of Seattle to find an area with no cellular coverage so I could try out T-Mobile's new Starlink-based satellite texting service, T-Satellite, with my phone. It was more difficult than I expected. Most areas of the US are covered by some level of cellular service. But that still leaves around 500,000 square miles of wireless dead zones, according

Simulating the Future: The Role of Digital Twins in Transportation Planning Q&A with Dr. Anu Kuncheria

Digital twins—virtual models that simulate real-world city dynamics—are transforming urban transportation and mobility planning. These intelligent systems integrate real-time data, machine learning (ML) algorithms, and transportation research to optimize citywide solutions. By simulating traffic patterns, travel demand, and road dynamics, cities can make informed, equitable decisions that benefit all residents. Yet, critical questions arise as urban areas embrace these artificial intelligence (A

How to harden your Active Directory against Kerberoasting

Kerberoasting is a common attack targeting Microsoft Active Directory, enabling attackers to compromise service accounts with low risk of detection. Because it manipulates legitimate accounts, it can be highly effective. However, robust password security can keep the criminals at bay. First, what is Kerberoasting? The name comes from ‘Kerberos’, the authentication protocol used in Active Directory, which verifies a user’s identity or that of a computer requesting access to resources. Kerberoas

Using Radicle CI

Using Radicle CI for Development In this blog post I show how I use Radicle and its CI support for my own software development. Published by lars on 23.07.2025 In this blog post I show how I use Radicle and its CI support for my own software development. I show how I start a project, add it to Radicle, add CI support for it, and manage patches and issues. I have been working full time on Radicle CI for a couple of years now. All my personal Git repositories are hosted on Radicle. Radicle CI

Time is running out to save on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 launch Friday, July 25th. That’s soon! Even if you’re not the type of person who usually pre-orders things, there’s good reason to consider doing it before then. The biggest perk is that you’ll get upgraded to the 512GB version of either device without paying the usual $119.99 premium, and trade-in values will be better before the launch versus after. The ability to get more for less expires at the end of tomorrow, July 24th. As you might expect, each re

I tested two new Govee indoor lights and turned my place into an enchanting light show

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL offers gorgeous lighting effects and Bluetooth speaker functionality. It sounds great and will look even better. While there are better speakers at its price point, none of them look as good as this one. You can never have enough RGB lighting, right? Not only does it definitely improve fps while gaming (this is scientifically proven), but these lights can set the mood and turn any space into a mesmerizing light show

Operator of Jetflix illegal streaming service gets 7 years in prison

The ringleader of the Jetflicks illegal paid streaming operation, a massive service with tens of thousands of subscribers, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Together with four other accomplices, 42-year-old Kristopher Lee Dallmann of Las Vegas, Nevada, was convicted in June 2024 of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. Dallmann was also found guilty by a federal jury of money laundering, criminal copyright infringement by distribution, and criminal copyright infringement by public

How to clear your TV cache (and why it matters so much to performance)

Kerry Wan/ZDNET In the age of smart TVs, convenience is king. With just a few clicks, we can dive into endless entertainment -- but that ease comes with a downside: the buildup of cache data. Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference) Just like on your phone or computer, a cluttered TV cache can lead to sluggish performance, app crashes, and even hinder new content from loading properly. That's why it's important to clear all that extra cache and make y

How to turn off ACR on your TV (and why you shouldn't wait to do it)

Adam Breeden/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: Your TV's USB port is seriously underut

I tested an AI running coach on my Samsung smartwatch - and it humbled me (for the better)

Nina Raemont/ZDNET Within less than 24 hours of wearing Samsung's newest Galaxy Watch 8, I knew a trial run (pun intended) of Samsung's new Running Coach feature was in order. Running Coach is one of my most anticipated features in the Galaxy Watch 8 lineup, and does exactly what it sounds like: employs AI to calculate metrics like strain, pace, and recovery to improve your abilities and keep you on track for your next race. Also: Your Samsung Galaxy Watch is getting a big upgrade. Four featu

‘Clayface’ May Be Adding a ‘Star Wars’ Star

Sarah Michelle Gellar has a teasing update for the Buffy revival. The next Evil Dead has begun filming. Get a look at Ne Zha II‘s western debut. Plus, Lestat returns in rocking fashion in new pictures from Interview With the Vampire season 3. Spoilers now! Clayface According to THR, Naomie Ackie has joined the cast of Clayface in a currently undisclosed role. Mr. Terrific As noted by Knife Edge Media’s Caleb Williams (via Comic Book), DC has filed a copyright for a potential Mr. Terrific pro