GoKawiil
Tech News
A new survey found that 78% of Americans have changed their primary grocery store at some point, with quality of fresh produce, meats, and bakery goods cited as the leading reason. The survey found this factor outweighed proximity, price, and product variety in shaping where people choose to shop.
Researchers at the US Geological Survey report detailed observations of lava fountaining episodes at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, gathered using 35 monitoring stations tracking seismic activity, gas emissions, and thermal imagery. The study notes that since a 2018 eruption drained a reservoir, inflation rates accelerated from 22 cm a year starting in 2019 to 57 cm a year by 2023, spreading to a nearby caldera.
A YouGov survey found that the share of US Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers planning to use AI tools this season has risen to 34%, up from 16% a year earlier. Despite that growth, 40% of US adults say they won't consider AI for holiday shopping, and most of those who do use it rely on it for product research rather than letting it complete purchases.
A survey of nearly 31,000 developers from 169 countries reveals widespread complacency, dissatisfaction, and happiness levels within the tech community. The rise of AI tools has led to increased use among developers, with some experiencing reduced fulfillment and identity struggles, as many spend hours daily on AI-assisted coding. These trends highlight growing concerns about job satisfaction and professional identity in the evolving tech landscape.
A Pew Research Center survey of over 42,000 people across 36 countries, plus a separate U.S. sample, found a growing share of respondents believe social media has had a negative effect on democracy in their country. The surveys were conducted between January and June 2026 and also tracked which social media platforms people use in each nation.
Devographics' State of Devs 2026 survey reports widespread exhaustion among developers alongside growing economic and job-market uncertainty. For the first time, the survey asked respondents about their views on AI, finding that while AI tool usage is extremely common, opinion on it is sharply divided: 49% of developers feel positive about AI and 42% feel negative.
Edelman's long-running trust survey found that trust among coworkers has dropped to its lowest level since the survey began. The firm links the decline to broader instability in the global economy that appears to be spilling into workplace relationships.
A recent survey reveals that only 36% of retail operators plan to invest in self-checkout technology this year, a decline from previous years. Retailers are increasingly shifting away from self-checkout due to its failure to deliver time savings and its association with higher theft and error rates. Other technological upgrades, like electronic shelf labels and automated invoicing, remain more popular among retailers.
Valve's September 2026 Steam Hardware Survey shows 32GB of system RAM is now used by 42.22% of surveyed gaming PCs, up 4.77% from August, while 16GB configurations fell to 37.82%. Unusual configurations like 24GB and 48GB also grew slightly, even as a global memory chip shortage continues.
A new study by University of Oklahoma sociologist Samuel Perry, published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, analyzed decades of General Social Survey data from 1989 to 2024. It found that Americans who scored lower on a cognitive vocabulary test were more likely to say being Christian is important to being 'truly American' and more likely to oppose the Supreme Court's ban on school prayer.
Valve's Steam Hardware Survey shows Linux usage dropped 0.85 percentage points to 3.05% for September, down from a March peak of 5.33%. The same survey recorded a 7.42-point jump in Simplified Chinese language use to 31.39% of all Steam users, a shift that historically correlates with Windows gains and Linux declines. Within the Linux segment, CachyOS rose 2.65 points to 18.12%, edging past SteamOS Holo's 17.37%, while AMD chips remain dominant among Linux gamers.
Valve's September 2026 Hardware and Software Survey shows 32GB system memory overtook 16GB as the most common setup among Steam users, rising to 42.22% of all sampled rigs, a 4.77-point jump from August. On Windows specifically, 32GB reached about 43% while 16GB fell to 37.6%, and 8GB systems made up just over 6% across all platforms.