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Showing posts from January, 2025

Elon Musk’s Goons Are Trying to Gain Access to the Government’s Payment Systems: Report

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The system sent $5.4 trillion in payments last year. from Tech News https://ift.tt/DOePqr1

Car abandoned at scene of crash with unusual driver still in the front seat

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The sight has raised some eyebrows (Picture: SWNS) It’s not too uncommon to see a crashed car on the side of the road while getting from A to B. But those wrecks don’t always contain such unusual drivers. A car crashed on Mill Lane in Swindon some time ago – it’s not clear exactly when – and since then the wreck has been left abandoned. So locals have been left with raised eyebrows after a blow-up sex doll was placed inside the abandoned car. The doll was posed behind the wheel and looking out of the front driver’s side window, which is missing. Pictures of the comical sight were shared on local Facebook groups, with Casey Waren-Keel saying: ‘I spoke to the police officer myself when this happened. The car was left in a sorry state (Picture: Newsquest/SWNS) But at least the driver is still smiling (Picture: Newsquest/SWNS) ‘The driver ran away after crashing the car, but whoever did this made me laugh this morning.’ It was hoped the extra attention on the wreck might...

DeepSeek Locked Down Public Database Access That Exposed Chat History

Research Firm Wiz Research began investigating DeepSeek soon after its generative AI took the tech world by storm. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/ikZIUw5

Books Written Without AI Can Now Receive New ‘Human Authored’ Certification

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As AI-generated media enters the mainstream, there is hope that consumers will put a premium on handmade works. from Tech News https://ift.tt/LVbsjx4

U.S. Students Post Lowest Reading Scores in Decades

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Absenteeism, ineffective reading curriculums, and lack of support for teachers contribute to the dismal scores. from Tech News https://ift.tt/qRjJBsP

Apple Chips Are Vulnerable to Side-Channel Attacks That Could Expose Credit Card Information

Macs, iPhones, and iPads made during and after 2021 may be at risk. However, no attackers have taken advantage. Apple is aware of the security vulnerabilities. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/MtLazIZ

This Atari Asteroids Watch Shoots at Space Rocks to Tell the Time

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The limited edition Asteroids Atari Watches in collaboration with Nubeo are battery-less timepieces that looks just like the 1979 classic arcade title. from Tech News https://ift.tt/qrh36Qt

First Apple and Now Google: DeepSeek Hits No. 1 on Play Store

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DeepSeek has taken the top spot in the Google Play Store as AI enthusiasts around the world jostle to try out the LLM that claims to blow competitors out of the water. The Chinese-owned company launched DeepSeek R1 and V3 on January 20 and immediately caused a stir. It is the R1 model that has gone to the top of the app store charts – firstly Apple’s and now Google’s. However, the V3 model is the one that US AI companies – and the US Government – have their eyes on as its arrival marks a step up in the AI race that is heating up between the US and China. Verifying Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox Stay informed on the top business tech stories with Tech.co's weekly highlights reel. Please fill in your name Please fill in your email Subscribe By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy . You can unsubscribe at any time. Challenging ChatGPT The Chinese DeepSeek app is absolutely igniting an AI fre...

11 Marketing Plan Templates You Can (Legally) Steal for Free

Discover the most effective marketing plan templates for ClickUp, Notion, Airtable, Smartsheet, monday.com, Excel, Google Sheets, and more. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/WqTzwRD

CVS Is Turning Locked Shelves Into an Excuse to Make You Download Its App

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The store is trialing a feature to let customers unlock cabinets with their phone. from Tech News https://ift.tt/tGKEFrT

Is Microsoft Eyeing Up TikTok? Trump Says So

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Another big name has been added to the list of possible buyers for TikTok’s US operations. This latest news of a fresh contender – this time Microsoft – comes from none other than the new President of the US, but the details are scant. Millionaire influencer MrBeast has already confirmed he and his team are in the running with a cash bid; and they are going up against Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary . There are also rumors swirling that Elon Musk might be interested , but this is unconfirmed. Verifying Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox Stay informed on the top business tech stories with Tech.co's weekly highlights reel. Please fill in your name Please fill in your email Subscribe By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy . You can unsubscribe at any time. What Has Trump Said? It was a Bloomberg reporter who broke the story, writing that Donald Trump had told reporters on Air Force One that Micro...

AI Growth Outpaces Skills Acquisition in Australia, According to Google & Accenture

There is a disparity in the percentage of employees who feel equipped to use AI and what C-suite executives perceive that number to be. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/iWkOhMP

Mystery ‘Drone’ Sightings Reappear in the Northeast

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Didn't Donald Trump promise to reveal what these are? from Tech News https://ift.tt/cAsb8V5

How Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is competing with Silicon Valley giants

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The company built a cheaper, competitive chatbot with fewer high-end computer chips than U.S. behemoths like Google and OpenAI, showing the limits of chip export control. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/QDJlIXf

A Sundance documentary called ‘The Stringer’ disputes who took AP’s ‘napalm girl’ photo in Vietnam

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The authorship of The Associated Press’s renowned “napalm girl” photograph is being called into question in the new documentary “The Stringer,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/8A4GRJN

DOI Implements GoM Name Change

As directed by the President, the US Department of Interior (DOI) has announced that Gulf of Mexico (GoM) will officially be known as the Gulf of America.The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, under the purview of the Department of the Interior… from Marine Technology News News https://ift.tt/ZDF8RKG

Another Baltic Undersea Cable Damaged

An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, triggering an investigation by local and NATO maritime forces in the Baltic Sea."We have determined that there… from Marine Technology News News https://ift.tt/KWd0T2u

Scenes from the ‘Super Bowl for Excel nerds’

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In a sports arena that typically hosts Fortnite and League of Legends tournaments, there was stardust in the air as 12 finance professionals vied to be crowned the world’s best spreadsheeter. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/49QGtUr

School’s AI Gun Detector Failed to Detect Gun in Nashville School Shooting

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District officials said the oversight was caused by the location of the school's cameras. from Tech News https://ift.tt/178Pkcd

Google, Apple Under Investigation to Determine Compliance with New UK Competition Law

If Google or Apple is deemed to have Strategic Market Status in the U.K., the government might force it to make the user data it collects available to competitors, or give publishers more control over how their data is used. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/old2VJ1

Phishing Emails Targeting Australian Firms Rise by 30% in 2024

For the APAC region as a whole, credential phishing attacks rose by 30.5% between 2023 and 2024. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/2N4hPSJ

Court Says Feds Must Obtain Warrant to Search FISA Spy Databases

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Civil liberties groups hailed the ruling as a victory. from Tech News https://ift.tt/IohBz2L

Samsung aims to turn its next generation of Galaxy smartphones into AI companions

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Samsung is injecting another dose of artificial intelligence into the next version of its Galaxy smartphones, escalating an effort to simplify people’s lives while deepening their dependence on a device that accompanies them almost everywhere. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/Tp57Ax2

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban charged with arson

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Prosecutors have charged a Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to burn down a congressman's office because he was upset over the federal TikTok ban with felony arson. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/C7DPT9Q

OpenAI Reportedly Launching ‘Operator’ That Can Control Your Computer This Week

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So-called "computer use agents" are expected to be a major leap in AI that will allow bots to actually complete tasks on your behalf. from Tech News https://ift.tt/fZ4pRVY

Klein’s High-Speed Side-Scan Sonar To KIOST

The Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) accepted delivery of the Klein Marine System’s 5900 ultra-high-resolution sonar, planning to use the high-speed side-scan for its seafloor topography surveys. The acceptance trials were carried off the coast of Busan, So. from Marine Technology News News https://ift.tt/uljFqxk

Amid Criticism, IMDb Founder Col Needham Steps Down as CEO After 35 Years

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The site has been criticized by loyal users over disbanding of message boards and poorly-received redesigns. from Tech News https://ift.tt/JcFnHAp

Elon Musk’s prominence during inauguration ceremonies stamps tech titan’s place in Trump’s orbit

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The blossoming relationship between President Donald Trump and tech titan Elon Musk was on full display throughout Monday's inauguration ceremonies. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/mZWFCgG

Elon Musk Appears to Give Nazi Salutes at Trump Rally

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The billionaire Tesla CEO has a history of racist comments. from Tech News https://ift.tt/g85WXRj

Trump, a populist president, is flanked by tech billionaires at his inauguration

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Some of the most exclusive seats at President Donald Trump’s inauguration were reserved for powerful tech CEOs who also are among the world’s richest men. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/y62Tt0k

Exail Debuts Octans 9 Gyrocompass

Exail launches its new Octans 9 Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), the latest model in its navigation solutions range. Building on the previous generations, Octans 9 offers several upgrades to enhance operational performance across applications such as dynamic positioning… from Marine Technology News News https://ift.tt/J35NXtG

Teen Sets Fire to Congressman’s Office Allegedly Over TikTok Ban

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"He was just sitting there watching it burn," the congressman told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. from Tech News https://ift.tt/8vUEf72

Automakers Want Feds to Pump the Brakes on New Emergency Braking Rules

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New automatic emergency braking requirements are set to go into effect in 2029. from Tech News https://ift.tt/J3hPxY4

TikTok goes dark in the US

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TikTok’s app was removed from prominent app stores on Saturday just before a federal law that would have banned the popular social media platform was scheduled to go into effect. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/gTi73bf

How to create a multimedia digital journal of your life

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People have been keeping personal diaries for several millenniums, but free smartphone apps now let you capture much more than words. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/qlmT6tB

Trump says he ‘most likely’ will give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid US ban

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President-elect Donald Trump says he “most likely” will give TikTok 90 more days to work out a deal that would allow the popular video-sharing platform to avoid a U.S. ban. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/8He9YOZ

Doctor Performs Vasectomy on Himself, Shares Video on Social Media

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A Taiwanese plastic surgeon has been getting a lot of attention for sharing a video of performing a vasectomy on himself on social media, as a gift to his wife. Chen Wei-nong, a father-of-three who works at a plastic surgery clinic in Taipei City, went viral this week after sharing a rather unusual clip on his Facebook and Instagram profiles. To put his wife’s mind at ease, the young doctor decided to get a vasectomy , and to make sure there was no risk of botching the procedure , he performed it himself, recording the entire process for educational purposes. After presenting a list of 11 steps involved in the operation, Chen got local anesthesia and then started working on himself, so to speak. Because operating on yourself isn’t very common, a procedure that usually takes about 15 minutes ended up taking an hour, but it was a success. Read More from Oddity Central – Collecting Oddities https://ift.tt/mLz4Vwx

EU Wants to Peak Into the X Algorithm to See Why It Keeps Promoting the Far-Right

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Time to crack open the ol' racism machine and see how it works. from Tech News https://ift.tt/crjTymS

Bagheera Kiplingi, the World’s Only [Mostly] Vegetarian Spider

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There are around 45,000 species of spider in the world, all of them carnivorous, with one exception – Bagheera kiplingi , a jumping spider known for feeding almost exclusively on plants. Native to the forests of Central America and Mexico, Bagheera kiplingi is only 5-6mm long and spends most of its time on the old leaves of acacia trees, waiting for their opportunity to snatch their favorite meal – the Beltian bodies that grow on the very tips of young acacia leaves. There is only one problem, in order to gorge on their meal of choice, these tiny jumping spiders need to go through a gauntlet of aggressive ants that also feed on Beltian bodies, quickly clip it off with their fangs, and then run away to a safe place to feast on it. Rich in lipids and proteins, Beltian bodies are very nutritious for insects, but extremely unusual for arachnids,  the vast majority of which are carnivorous. Read More from Oddity Central – Collecting Oddities https://ift.tt/vzrq5lC

Walgreens Regrets Replacing Fridge Doors With Smart Screens, Creating Techno-Dystopia Vibes

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Turns out putting everything behind locked glass and ad-covered screens does not create a welcoming shopping environment. from Tech News https://ift.tt/FpKy28v

Nintendo’s new Switch 2 console will come out in 2025

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Switch 2, the long-awaited successor to the Nintendo's 2017 hybrid portable and home console, will be released this year. Here's what sets it apart.. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/C74J8uM

SEC Suing Elon Musk Over Questionable Twitter Share Purchase

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Donald Trump’s inauguration is right around the corner, and his right-hand man Elon Musk is in hot water with the authorities. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that it’s taking Musk to court over his acquisition of Twitter stock in early 2022. The SEC claims that Musk did not properly notify the commission of his purchasing of more than 5% of common shares in the company and that he bought these at a low price, due to the turbulence ahead of his purchase . Verifying Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox Stay informed on the top business tech stories with Tech.co's weekly highlights reel. Please fill in your name Please fill in your email Subscribe By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy . You can unsubscribe at any time. Timing Is Everything Timing is playing a central role in this legal unfolding in two key ways. Firstly, the SEC has opted to launch this legal bid in...

ChatGPT Can Now Schedule Tasks in Advance

The tasks feature, now in beta, can provide daily weather reports or send reminders. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/CTdjim7

Child drifts out to sea after getting trapped in human hamster ball

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Video footage shows a child rescued from a floating human hamster ball after it was swept out to sea by a brave onlooker. The incident took place in Wenzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province, which is located by the Oujiang River, on the coast of the East China Sea on 12th January. The human hamster ball, also known as a zorb ball, can be seen in the footage slowly drifting away. But the brave rescuer takes off his clothes and enters the chilly winter water, swimming out to the young boy and reaching the floating see-through inflatable ball, pushing it towards the shore as the footage ends. The man, named Wu Kewen, later told local media: ‘In moments of danger, anyone who can swim would go down to save him.’ Thanks to the timely rescue, the child was unharmed. The child’s parents exp...

The FBI Says It Made Malware Delete Itself From American’s Computers

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PlugX got its plug pulled. from Tech News https://ift.tt/7zs6Yyl

AR Glasses Still Suck at AR, but They’re Solid Secondary Screens

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Judging by CES 2025, there’s little ‘augmented reality’ about the AR glasses available today. from Tech News https://ift.tt/w9HFiQg

Advertisers Might Not Like Meta’s ‘Free Speech’ Overhaul, but Does It Matter?

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Twitter was never a good place to advertise, but Facebook is incredibly effective, making it unlikely advertisers will leave. from Tech News https://ift.tt/BvxmFH4

Former Disney Employee Admits to Hacking Menu System to Change Allergy Information

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As part of a plea deal, a former Disney employee has admitted to hacking the menus of restaurants at the resort. from Tech News https://ift.tt/Hc1WGLt

Meet the next fact-checker, debunker and moderator: You

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Meta is joining X and YouTube in shifting moderation to users. Are you ready? from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/EGVn5Li

Trump’s mass deportation promises economic pain and cruelty

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The president-elect vows to force millions of undocumented immigrants from the United States. The results are unpredictable at best, Jon Talton writes. from The Seattle Times Technology – The Seattle Times https://ift.tt/Xeo9nZj

Worried About VoIP Security and Encryption? We Aren’t

When you choose a top provider, maintaining VoIP security and encryption is no harder than using a strong password. Here’s how to get set up. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/aOnRxls

Gizmodo’s Best of CES 2025 Awards: See the Winners

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This is the tech that most impressed us at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. from Tech News https://ift.tt/Nas2T3O

Network Traffic Types (With Examples)

Discover the key types of network traffic and their role in optimizing performance plus real-world examples to see how they impact data flow. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/xX5hGYk

DOGE Can’t Save $2 Trillion in Spend, Admits Musk

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The newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) won’t manage to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget, its co-chair Elon Musk admitted on Wednesday. During a conversation with political strategist, Mark Penn, broadcast on X on Wednesday, the controversial CEO rowed back on the lofty target that he had set out during the Trump presidential campaign last year. Musk described the $2 trillion figure as a “best-case outcome,” claiming instead that DOGE had a “good shot” at cutting half of it. While far from an admission of defeat, the downgraded estimate will still come as a blow to Musk and Trump, whose second term is just days away. At the time, commentators had been quick to dismiss the touted figure as implausible. This admission might serve as a striking reflection of the new government in miniature, with big claims ultimately leading to dampened expectations. Verifying Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox Stay informed on the top busin...

How to Know if a Natural Language IVR Is Worth the Cost

Natural language IVR can boost the agent and customer experience, but it comes at a cost. Here’s how to know if it's right for you. from TechRepublic https://ift.tt/uA5WJCX

AT&T Says It Will Now Credit You for Outages and Long Customer Service Wait Times

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It is part of an effort by the company to improve its customer service. from Tech News https://ift.tt/rlMwyse

Meta Caves to MAGA Honchos With Moderation Rehaul

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Mark Zuckerberg has posted a video stating that Meta is completely changing its approach to moderation – ditching third-party fact-checkers and moving to a “Community Notes” model – much like X’s. The company – which owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram – argues that the new policy will encourage “more speech” but the move is already causing consternation, not least from Meta’s own oversight board. There is also suggestions that Meta could find itself in trouble if it follows the same model as X, which saw an advertiser exodus as concerns grew about the nature of the content being published. Verifying Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox Stay informed on the top business tech stories with Tech.co's weekly highlights reel. Please fill in your name Please fill in your email Subscribe By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy . You can unsubscribe at any time. How Is Moderation Going To Change? Meta...