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Fighting forever chemicals and startup fatigue

The MEDC also helped us early on create a model in Excel for tracking business financing and forecasting, forecasting our future financial needs, so that we could be proactive instead of reactive to financial limitations. We knew it wasn't going to be inexpensive to design and build a piece of equipment that's the size of two very large refrigerators that had never been built before. That type of financial-forward modeling helped us figure out when we would need to start fundraising and taking i

Nothing just launched a stylish $99 smartwatch - with a reported 13-day battery

'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

Stop Pretending LLMs Have Feelings Media's Dangerous AI Anthropomorphism Problem

Yesterday, Wall Street Journal subscribers received a push notification that perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with how major media outlets cover “artificial intelligence.” “In a stunning moment of self reflection,” the notification read, “ChatGPT admitted to fueling a man's delusions and acknowledged how dangerous its own behavior can be.” But that’s just… not true. ChatGPT did not have a “stunning moment of self reflection.” It did not "admit" to anything. It cannot “acknowledge” its be

Subliminal Learning: Models Transmit Behaviors via Hidden Signals in Data

Alex Cloud*1, Minh Le*1, July 22, 2025 James Chua2, Jan Betley2, Anna Sztyber-Betley3, Jacob Hilton4, Samuel Marks5, Owain Evans2,6 *Equal contribution; author order chosen randomly 1Anthropic Fellows Program; 2Truthful AI; 3Warsaw University of Technology; 4Alignment Research Center; 5Anthropic; 6UC Berkeley Anthropic Fellows Program;Truthful AI;Warsaw University of Technology;Alignment Research Center;Anthropic;UC Berkeley tl;dr We study subliminal learning, a surprising phenomenon where lan

Microsoft Will Wipe Out Your Passwords on Aug. 1. What to Do Now

Microsoft is getting rid of passwords in less than two weeks. On Aug. 1, the Microsoft Authenticator app will no longer store or manage passwords, which could be a problem for a lot of users. Microsoft Authenticator has been one of the best password managers for years. You were able to save passwords, enable two-factor authentication and auto-fill. This change means that if you're using the Authenticator app as a password manager, you'll need to look for another option soon. At the same time,

OpenAI Seeks Additional Capital From Investors as Part of Its $40 Billion Round

OpenAI is seeking capital from new and existing investors, two people familiar with the company’s plans tell WIRED. The fundraising effort is part of a $40 billion round announced in March. The round will reopen on Monday, July 28, according to one of the sources, who has direct knowledge of the fundraising effort. The $40 billion round announced earlier this year brought OpenAI’s valuation up to $300 billion, making it one of the most highly valued private startups in history. The round was le

$16.5B Apple tax windfall will pay for new electricity and water infrastructure in Ireland

With the last remaining part of the Apple tax windfall paid to the Irish government recently, we are today learning what the country plans to do with the €14.25B ($16.5B). The country’s prime minister has promised “unprecedented” investment in the country’s ailing infrastructure, with Apple’s money to be spent mostly on electricity and water projects … Irish government receives €14.25B ($16.5B) You can read a summary of the nine-year saga over whether or not Apple owed the Irish government bi

This AI-driven robotic cleaner revitalized my pool after a messy storm

Beatbot Aquasense Pro Cordless Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner ZDNET's key takeaways The Beatbot Aquasense Pro is a robotic pool cleaner designed for comprehensive maintenance and heavy-duty cleanups. It features a 5-in-1 cleaning system that uses AI to optimize cleaning paths with up to 9.5 hours of operation. However, it weighs 24 pounds, has limited 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, and is pricey. View now at Amazon Living in Florida means that hurricane season is part of life. With our latest run-in

The viral Toniebox is exactly what both kids and parents want from a smart device

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

Any-LLM: A unified API to access any LLM provider

When it comes to using LLMs, it’s not always a question of which model to use: it’s also a matter of choosing who provides the LLM and where it is deployed. Today, we announce the release of any-llm, a Python library that provides a simple unified interface to access the most popular providers. When it comes to using Large Language Models (LLMs), it’s not always a question of which model to use: it’s also a matter of choosing who provides the LLM and where it is deployed. As we’ve written about

Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope

Go behind the scenes with the dedicated NASA team and its partners to uncover the untold story of the James Webb Space Telescope. “Cosmic Dawn” unveils the immense challenges, groundbreaking innovations, and extraordinary efforts behind humanity’s most powerful eye on our universe, from its complex development to its nail-biting deployment a million miles away.

Better Auth (YC X25) Is Hiring

About us We’re a tiny group of engineers on a mission to democratize high‑quality authentication and to make auth something every developer can truly own. Our open‑source framework is already one of the fastest‑growing auth solutions in the world. It’s trusted by thousands of developers and rapidly adopted by startups and YC companies alike. We’ve grown our community and impact faster than our team and now we’re looking to align the two quickly. What you’ll work on here Collaborating across

Gemini North Discovers Long-Predicted Stellar Companion of Betelgeuse

noirlab2523es — Comunicado científico El telescopio de Gemini Norte descubre compañera estelar de Betelgeuse El telescopio ubicado en Hawai‘i reveló la nunca antes vista compañera de esta conocida estrella, resolviendo un milenario misterio × Un equipo de astrónomos descubrió una estrella compañera girando alrededor de Betelgeuse en una órbita extremadamente estrecha, gracias al instrumento Alopeke de la NASA y de la Fundación Nacional de Ciencias de Estados Unidos, que se encuentra instalad

Topics: el en la que una

New Pokemon Theme Park, Mobile Game and TV Show Revealed

It's that time again, trainers: Grab your Pokedex and get ready to catch some new pocket monsters, because we've just been treated to a healthy heaping of the latest developments in the world of Pokemon. Today's Pokemon Presents stream was the first one since Pokemon Day in February. That stream ended up being pretty massive, featuring game announcements and content updates that we heard whispers about from GameFreak's infamous 2024 data breach. Read more: The Top 25 Best Pokemon Games of All

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Gets Release Date, New Mega and Rogue Mega Evolutions

Mega evolutions are back in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but the new game is also introducing some twists on the battle gimmick that first appeared in the X and Y games. We got a sampling of new info about the upcoming game in a Pokemon Presents video, which walked us through a few different features of the game. Mega evolution, which allows you to temporarily evolve certain Pokémon if they're equipped with a corresponding stone, is coming back in Legends: Z-A. But we're also getting new twists on thi

OneXSugar: Playing with the first dual-screen transforming handheld

is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. I can’t believe they’re actually making these, was my very first thought, as I powered on a working prototype of the OneXSugar Sugar 1. This week, One-Netbook is crowdfunding a gaming handheld on Indiegogo like none I’ve ever touched before. It’s got two OLED touchscreens, two power buttons, two sets of volume controls, and two hinged rota

UK government wants ransomware victims to report cyberattacks so it can disrupt the hackers

The U.K. government wants to require victims of ransomware to report if they were breached with the goal of providing law enforcement with information that could help target the cybercriminals responsible. On Tuesday, the U.K.’s interior ministry, the Home Office, published a proposal with the aim of changing the British government’s strategy to counter ransomware. Among the three key proposals is a reporting requirement, which would aid authorities in identifying and disrupting hacking operati

Tiny Code Reader: a $7 QR code sensor

Tiny Code Reader (TCR) caught my eye when it came out in 2023. It’s a very appealing idea: a self-contained seeing module that just decodes any QR code it sees. I immediately imagined applications in desktop manufacturing, a subject very dear to my heart. You can buy it from Adafruit, Sparkfun, and elsewhere. There’s a main page with a clear getting started guide, and a datasheet. Because it uses the Qwiic connector standard, setting it up is a breeze . It plugs directly into I²CDriver or I²CM

Topics: code en i2 org sensor

Blip: Peer-to-Peer Massive File Sharing by Former Dropbox Engineers

Really fast. Blip’s fast relay supports multi-gigabit speeds, even over long distances where other services slow down. Because there are no separate “upload” and “download” steps, sending with Blip can be at least twice as fast as many other services. The recipient will start receiving right away rather than having to wait for you to finish uploading. Now, Blip might seem like magic, but it can’t break the laws of physics! Performance will be affected by the upload speed of the sender’s intern

It's Wise to Wash All Produce, but These 12 Fruits and Veggies Are the Dirtiest

Cleaning your fridge and freezer is important to do every so often, but what about the food sitting inside it? Specifically, that bottom drawer, where fruits and veggies go to retire. Even the healthiest-looking produce can carry unwelcome hitchhikers like dirt, bacteria and trace pesticides. Now, don't freak out. According to the USDA's Pesticide Data Program, over 99% of tested foods were well within the EPA's safety limits -- and more than a quarter didn't have a speck of pesticide residue.

A Surprise Pokémon Game Just Dropped for Switch and Mobile

The Pokémon Company is releasing a new, unexpected game today: Pokémon Friends, a daily puzzle game you can download now for mobile devices, Switch, and Switch 2. The company revealed the game as part of a Pokémon Direct presentation that included new details on Pokémon Legends: Z-A and a Switch 2 bundle, Pokémon Champions, and more. In Pokémon Friends, players untangle yarn—essentially solving different puzzles, like freeing pokémon from a box or fixing tracks—to make and collect plush toys. O

After Fight With Musk, Trump Reportedly Ordered Review of Government SpaceX Contracts

Now that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and president Donald Trump are no longer seeing eye to eye, it sounds like the White House is working to undercut the richest man in the world's revenue from Washington. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Trump aides initiated a review of SpaceX contracts with the federal government to identify potential waste — pointed scrutiny not unlike the so-called Department of Government Efficiency helmed by Musk himself prior to his ousting from the Trump administration.

There's a Switch 2 bundle with Pokémon Legends: Z-A dropping on October 16

Now that AAA video games cost a full $70, console bundles are the way to go to save a few coins. Nintendo is dropping another Switch 2 bundle just in time for the holiday season, and it's a real treat for Pokémon fanatics. The Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Bundle drops on October 16 and costs $500 . As the name suggests, this bundle includes a shiny new Switch 2 console and a digital copy of the enhanced version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The game itself wil

This Ai-driven robotic cleaner revitalized my pool after a messy storm

Beatbot Aquasense Pro Cordless Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner ZDNET's key takeaways The Beatbot Aquasense Pro is a robotic pool cleaner designed for comprehensive maintenance and heavy-duty cleanups. It features a 5-in-1 cleaning system that uses AI to optimize cleaning paths with up to 9.5 hours of operation. However, it weighs 24 pounds, has limited 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, and is pricey. View now at Amazon Living in Florida means that hurricane season is part of life. With our latest run-in

How the Trump administration changed AI: A timeline

'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

Many Lung Cancers Are Now in Nonsmokers. Scientists Want to Know Why

Annie Chen first noticed she was unusually short of breath in 2017, while running to catch the bus home to New Jersey from her job in Manhattan. She told her primary care doctor, thinking of her father, who died of lung cancer at 71. But her doctor told her not to worry — her father was a heavy smoker, and Ms. Chen had never smoked. She continued to have difficulty breathing, but it wasn’t until two years later that a doctor ordered an X-ray, and Ms. Chen was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.

This Deadly Design Flaw in 5 Million Pools Just Triggered a Massive Recall

Millions of homes in the U.S. are harboring a hidden drowning danger for kids in their backyards. This week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a massive recall of certain backyard pools that have already caused the deaths of several children. The CPSC issued the recall on Monday in conjunction with multiple backyard pool manufacturers. The recalled pools—five million in total—all carry compression straps that make it possible for small kids to enter the structure without the

OpenAI and Softbank’s $500 Billion Data Center Project Is Already Stumbling

Stargate, the ambitious joint venture announced at the White House back in January between OpenAI, Oracle, the Japanese holding company Softbank, and others, appears to be struggling to deliver on its bold promises just six months later. The Wall Street Journal reported today, citing unnamed sources, that the Stargate Project has yet to finalize any deals for new data centers. The report also says the group is scaling back its near-term goals. When it was announced on Jan. 21, Stargate was pit