Latest Tech News

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

Filtered by: zen Clear Filter

A Treatise for One Network – Anonymous National Deliberation [pdf]

Authoritarian regimes thrive by systematically dividing their opposition and silencing the populace, creating a crisis where citizens feel isolated and powerless. This paper proposes a technological solution: a new, secure feature within Telegram to bridge these divisions and forge a genuine national consensus. Executive Summary "The protocol is remarkably efficient, capable of distilling the views of a population of 100 million participants down to a core group of 100 in as few as six weeks.

Our 11 Favorite Air Quality Monitors We’ve Tried (2025)

In the past five years, I’ve tested dozens of indoor air-quality monitors but have relied on my iPhone’s Weather app to check outdoor air quality. On questionable days that might include haze or the smell of wildfire, I’ll check the government’s free AirNow website, where I’ll plug in my zip code and see its easy-to-read air quality meter. With the increasing wildfire activity from coast to coast, however, I realized it was time to test an outdoor air-quality monitor. The Zen is larger than the

I've tested dozens of ultralight laptops this year, but I keep coming back to this one

ZDNET's key takeaways The Asus Zenbook A14 with 16GB of memory is on sale at Best Buy for $799. It's a fantastic balance of innovation and value with an OLED display, competitive hardware, and a satisfying physical form. While its use case is clearly defined, the laptop has its limits when it comes to high-end performance. View now at Best Buy The Asus Zenbook A14 is on sale for $799 at Best Buy for the 16GB model. When Asus officially announced the Zenbook A14 at CES this year, I wasn't the

RFC: PHP license update

rfc:php_license_update Date: 2025-07-10 Author: Ben Ramsey, [email protected] Proposed Version: PHP 9.0 Status: Under Discussion First Published at: http://wiki.php.net/rfc/php_license_update Introduction PHP has a long history of confusion, concerns, and disagreements regarding its custom open source license, and the Zend Engine License, which covers the sources in the Zend/ directory, adds to this confusion and additionally complicates matters, since it is not an Open Source Initiative App

PHP License Update

rfc:php_license_update Date: 2025-07-10 Author: Ben Ramsey, [email protected] Proposed Version: PHP 9.0 Status: Under Discussion First Published at: http://wiki.php.net/rfc/php_license_update Introduction PHP has a long history of confusion, concerns, and disagreements regarding its custom open source license, and the Zend Engine License, which covers the sources in the Zend/ directory, adds to this confusion and additionally complicates matters, since it is not an Open Source Initiative App

Ruby 3.4 frozen string literals: What Rails developers need to know

Ruby 3.4 Frozen String Literals: What Rails Developers Actually Need to Know Ruby 3.4 takes the first step in a multi-version transition to frozen string literals by default. Your Rails app will continue working exactly as before, but Ruby now provides opt-in warnings to help you prepare. Here’s what you need to know. The Three-Phase Transition Plan Ruby is implementing frozen string literals gradually over three releases: Ruby 3.4 (Now): Opt-in warnings when you enable deprecation warnings

Amazon Is Going All In, AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Processor Is 45% Off If You’re a Prime Member

Prime Day is the perfect time to shop for electronics on Amazon with prices that are often the lowest you’ll see all year. Amazon is determined to make this event a massive success, and that’s why you’ll find deep discounts across the board, especially on AMD Ryzen processors. Among all the deals, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is the top-rated processor with the biggest price drop, which makes it a highlight of this year’s Prime Day sales. This is a Prime-exclusive offer, so you’ll need a Prime members

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X Is Now 41% Off for Prime Day as Amazon Clears Out Stock at a Record Low

Processors are usually one of the most expensive line items when purchasing or upgrading a PC so it is worth waiting for major sale events such as Prime Day or Black Friday in an effort to secure the best prices. Right now, Amazon is offering the Ryzen 5 9600X at its all-time lowest price, which is quite a plummet from the $279 that it commanded for months at a time. This Prime exclusive deal brings the price down to a mere $165 which is a massive 41% saving. With Prime Day kicking off early th

I replaced my 4K TV with a $350 tri-fold projector for a week - here's my buying advice now

ZDNET's key takeaways The Aurzen Zip is currently available for $349 on Amazon. Its design and construction give it a premium feel, and the ability to project at various angles. Connection issues and limitations on what you can view with it are areas of improvement. $399.99 at Amazon For a limited time, you can buy the Aurzen Zip Tri-Fold Ultra projector for $349 ($50 off) on Amazon. When Aurzen sent me its new Zip Tri-fold Projector, it arrived in a dense, well-designed 5" x 6.5" x 1.75" bo

The Zen of Quakerism (2016)

Q uakers and Buddhists have a few things in common. Most importantly, they share a common humanity and a commitment to creating peace in the world. They are both enlightenment religions. Both George Fox and the Buddha experienced a transformative, liberating awareness through the dedicated practice of quiet contemplation. My life is an intersection of these religions. I was born a Quaker, to Quaker parents with Quaker grandparents and great-grandparents. I attended Friends schools through colle

This $649 Windows laptop competes with my MacBook Air (and does a few things better)

ZDNET's key takeaways The Asus Zenbook A14 with 16GB of memory is on sale at Best Buy for $649 - the lowest price we've seen yet. It's a fantastic balance of innovation and value with a brilliant OLED display, competitive hardware, and a satisfying physical form. While its use case is clearly defined, the laptop has its limits when it comes to high-end performance. View now at Best Buy When Asus officially announced the Zenbook A14 at CES this year, I wasn't the only one to be low-key enamore

US Supreme Court limits federal judges' power to block Trump orders

The US supreme court has supported Donald Trump’s attempt to limit lower-court orders that have so far blocked his administration’s ban on birthright citizenship, in a ruling that could strips federal judges of a power they’ve used to obstruct many of Trump’s orders nationwide. The decision represents a fundamental shift in how US federal courts can constrain presidential power. Previously, any of the country’s more than 1,000 judges in its 94 district courts – the lowest level of federal court

Goodwill shopper discovers $30 PC hiding an RTX 3080 Ti and Ryzen 7

WTF?! Everyone loves a bargain, especially when it involves spending $30 on a PC that has over $1,500 worth of hardware packed inside. That's what happened to one Goodwill shopper who stumbled upon the RTX 3080 Ti/Ryzen 7-powered computer in a South Carolina store. No-Investment9793 posted on Reddit that his dad is a regular customer at the local Goodwill, where he knows everyone. According to the post, someone at the store pointed out the PC, which had been donated by a mother after cleaning o

Show HN: Zenta – Mindfulness for Terminal Users

🧘 zenta Mindfulness that fits your coding flow When your mind wanders while coding, simply return to breath. No tracking, no metrics, no disruption—just pure awareness in your terminal. The noticing itself is the practice. ✨ ⚡ Quick Start # Install git clone https://github.com/e6a5/zenta.git && cd zenta && make install-system # Set up zen aliases echo " alias breath='zenta now --quick' " >> ~ /.zshrc echo " alias breathe='zenta now' " >> ~ /.zshrc echo " alias reflect='zenta reflect' " >> ~

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X3D leak hints at mid-range push with 3D V-Cache

Something to look forward to: AMD is preparing to expand its mid-range CPU lineup with the Ryzen 5 9600X3D, a chip that would bring 3D V-Cache tech to a broader audience of gamers and PC builders. The existence of this new chip wasn't revealed through a formal announcement, but rather via a support list for AMD's recently launched Radeon AI R9700 graphics card, where the processor appeared alongside other unreleased models. This leak has fueled speculation that AMD is looking to strengthen its

ZeniMax and Microsoft ratify union agreement

Members of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union have ratified the contract agreement with parent company Microsoft. This agreement with the union representing the video game studio's quality assurance employees marks the first time Microsoft has entered into any union contract in the US. ZeniMax Studios is probably best known for its work on The Elder Scrolls Online. Stephen Totilo first reported on this news; we've reached out to Microsoft and the Communications Workers of America for additiona

The 2 Best Slushie Machines of 2025 for a Chill Summer

We live in the golden age of the home slushie. It's a new age brought upon us after last year’s viral Ninja Slushi machine ($349) brought the slushie machine into the American kitchen—and with it a new world of frozen margaritas and Bapple slushies, and cockamamie slushie recipes shared on Reddit and TikTok. After three weeks of testing to find the best slushie machines, I am happy to report the state of the slushie is strong. Boozy slushies are maybe the one thing I miss from that first Covid

The 2 Best Slushie Machines of 2025 for a Chill Margarita Summer

We live in the golden age of the home slushie. It's a new age brought upon us after last year’s viral Ninja Slushi machine ($349) brought the slushie machine into the American kitchen—and with it a new world of frozen margaritas and Bapple slushies, and cockamamie slushie recipes shared on Reddit and TikTok. After three weeks of testing to find the best slushie machines, I am happy to report the state of the slushie is strong. Boozy slushies are maybe the one thing I miss from that first Covid

Team Liquid partners with Zenni Optical on eye health and gamer performance

Global esports company Team Liquid announced a new partnership with Zenni Optical, naming the leading online retailer as its official eyewear partner. The partnership marks a shared commitment to protecting eye health in esports while offering fans and players stylish, high-performance eyewear at an accessible price. As digital competition intensifies and screen time increases, the need for eye care in gaming is growing in importance. This partnership reflects a mutual vision: prioritizing the

AMD Ryzen 7 9700F could launch under $300 as budget Zen 5 chip without integrated graphics

Something to look forward to: AMD is expected to launch a new Ryzen 9000-series CPU without integrated graphics. The chip, recently mentioned in AGESA version 1.2.0.3e BIOS updates, has now been identified by a tipster as the Ryzen 7 9700F, which is based on Granite Ridge silicon. Replying to tipster @9550pro's X post about the upcoming Ryzen 9000 CPU, leaker @Zed_Wang claimed that it is likely to be the Ryzen 7 9700F. Built for the AM5 platform, it will reportedly pack eight Zen 5 cores and 16

Benzene at 200

In 1825, Michael Faraday discovered one of the most fascinating compounds in chemistry: benzene. While isolating the components of oily residues of illuminating gas, Faraday identified a mysterious liquid, with a peculiar aromatic smell, which would go on to transform the landscape of chemistry. Within the pages of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Faraday described this seemingly simple yet profoundly unique molecule. What set benzene apart, even in its earliest di

Finally, a Windows laptop I wouldn't mind putting my MacBook Air away for

ZDNET's key takeaways The Asus Zenbook A14 with 16GB of memory is on sale at Best Buy for $749. Asus' new ultraportable is a fantastic balance of innovation and value with a brilliant OLED display, competitive hardware, and a satisfying physical form. While its use case is clearly defined, the laptop has its limits when it comes to high-end performance. View now at Best Buy When Asus officially announced the Zenbook A14 at CES this year, I wasn't the only one to be low-key enamored with it. I

My favorite lightweight Windows laptop was already affordable - but now it's $250 off

When I first picked up the Asus Zenbook A14, I thought I was holding an empty prototype. Then it turned on, and the brilliant OLED display proved me wrong. At 2.1 pounds, it's not just one of the lightest laptops I've used; it's also well-balanced -- both physically and in terms of hardware -- and epitomizes the thin, battery-efficient category that's exploded over the last year. Also: The best lightweight laptops of 2025: Expert tested It's my pick for the best lightweight laptop, and was als

Apple quietly fixed an iPhone zero-day flaw that was used against journalists

Today, Apple confirmed (via TechCrunch) that a zero-day flaw used to deploy mercenary spyware onto journalists’ iPhones was quietly patched earlier this year, with the iOS 18.3.1 update. The flaw, disclosed today in an updated security advisory, was exploited by Israeli surveillance firm Paragon, to hack into the phones of at least two European journalists. According to Citizen Lab, which investigated the attacks, Apple fixed the issue in iOS 18.3.1, released back in February, but didn’t menti

Researchers confirm two journalists were hacked with Paragon spyware

Two European journalists were hacked using government spyware made by Israeli surveillance tech provider Paragon, new research has confirmed. On Thursday, digital rights group The Citizen Lab published a new report detailing the results of a new forensic investigation into the iPhones of Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino and an unnamed “prominent” European journalist. The researchers said both journalists were hacked by the same Paragon customer, based on evidence found on the two journalists’

Researchers confirm two journalists were hacked with Paragon spyware

Two European journalists were hacked using government spyware made by Israeli surveillance tech provider Paragon, new research has confirmed. On Thursday, digital rights group The Citizen Lab published a new report detailing the results of a new forensic investigation into the iPhones of Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino and an unnamed “prominent” European journalist. The researchers said both journalists were hacked by the same Paragon customer, based on evidence found on the two journalists’