Archer Aviation plans to launch its electric air taxi service called Midnight in 2026. The company is part of a government program that allows real passenger flights before full official certification is complete.
Key Facts
Archer was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA to join the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
This program lets Archer operate passenger flights in Florida, New York, and Texas starting later this year.
Archer’s air taxi, called Midnight, is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The company finished Phase 3 of the FAA’s four-phase Type Certification process in April 2024.
Archer is working on Phase 4, which involves formal testing to prove the aircraft meets safety rules.
Archer manages operations at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles to support its planned air taxi network.
Archer is the official air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The CEO compares the rollout of their air taxis to the introduction of Waymo’s self-driving cars, aiming for public acceptance through real-world use.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A Blue Origin rocket exploded during an engine test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Retired NASA astronaut Susan Kilrain discussed how this accident might delay future missions to the moon.
Key Facts
The rocket explosion happened on the ground during testing, not in flight.
The test took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Blue Origin is the company that built the rocket.
Retired astronaut Susan Kilrain spoke about potential impacts on moon missions.
The explosion could cause delays or challenges for upcoming space missions.
Blue Origin is involved in developing rockets for space exploration.
Such accidents usually require investigations before work can continue safely.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Spotify announced its predictions for the top songs of summer 2026. The list includes 30 tracks by popular artists such as Zara Larsson, Drake, and Ella Langley, selected by Spotify’s editorial team.
Key Facts
Spotify revealed its forecast for the 2026 Songs of Summer.
The list includes 30 songs expected to be popular during the summer.
Artists featured include Zara Larsson, Drake, and Ella Langley.
The predictions were made by Spotify’s editorial team.
This announcement took place on May 29, 2026.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a test firing at its Florida launch pad, causing significant damage but no injuries. The company is investigating the explosion ahead of a planned satellite launch next week and has warned the public to avoid any rocket debris that might wash ashore.
Key Facts
The rocket exploded during an engine test firing at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The explosion damaged the launch pad, leaving only one tower and a water tank standing.
No people were injured or killed in the incident.
The New Glenn rocket is named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth.
Blue Origin plans to use New Glenn for moon missions under NASA’s Artemis program, targeting a first moon landing in 2028.
This accident follows a recent grounding of the New Glenn fleet due to an upper-stage engine problem.
Blue Origin has one Florida launch pad, Launch Complex 36, rebuilt at a cost of over $1 billion.
SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink satellites shortly after the explosion, competing with Blue Origin’s satellite plans.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Dutch authorities shut down a large botnet made up of more than 17 million internet-connected devices. The botnet was controlled by about 200 servers and linked to a company in Russia that provides proxy services, which let users hide their online identity.
Key Facts
The botnet included over 17 million devices and was managed by 200 servers.
Dutch police and the National Cyber Security Center worked together to take it down.
The botnet's servers were located in the Netherlands and seized for investigation.
The network was connected to ASOCKS, a Russian company offering residential proxy services.
Proxy services route internet traffic through other devices to hide real locations or identities.
Some apps on Google Play unknowingly enrolled about 190,000 devices into this proxy system.
Bots can infect devices by exploiting software weaknesses or through hidden features in apps.
Experts advise keeping devices updated, carefully choosing apps, and removing ones no longer needed to avoid such infections.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A Blue Origin rocket exploded during a test before a planned launch in June. This accident could affect NASA’s efforts to develop new technology for exploring the moon. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos responded to the incident.
Key Facts
Blue Origin’s rocket exploded during a test flight.
The test was scheduled ahead of a launch planned for June.
The explosion may delay or impact NASA’s moon exploration work.
Blue Origin is a space company started by Jeff Bezos.
Jeff Bezos has publicly reacted to the rocket explosion.
Derrick Pitts, an astronomer, provided analysis on the situation during a CBS News segment.
NASA is working on new moon missions and relies in part on private companies like Blue Origin.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a test firing at Cape Canaveral, causing major damage to the launch pad. The incident may delay Blue Origin's rocket flights and affect NASA's Artemis moon missions planned for the coming years.
Key Facts
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a test on May 28, 2026, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
No people were harmed because the test area had been evacuated.
The explosion likely started near the rocket’s first stage where seven BE-4 engines ignite.
The test prepared for a launch planned for early June to deploy 48 Amazon internet satellites, which were not on the rocket at the time.
The launch pad suffered severe damage, meaning it may take months or longer to repair.
Blue Origin engines are also used by United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, so the problem may affect other rocket launches.
NASA’s Artemis moon missions depend on Blue Origin to provide lunar landers, and delays could push moon landings from 2028 into 2029.
NASA may have to rely only on SpaceX’s lunar lander if Blue Origin cannot fly soon, but SpaceX is also facing engine troubles.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Skrillex released a surprise new single called "Thistle," which mixes different music styles like techno, funk, and Brazilian bass. He also announced a new event platform named CONTRA, planned for May 30-31 in Berlin, featuring many artists and including his own performances at upcoming festivals.
Key Facts
"Thistle" is a new single by Skrillex, released without prior announcement.
The song is a collaboration with Blawan, Randomer, and MC Dricka.
It blends various music styles, including techno, funk, and Brazilian bass, making it unique among Skrillex's work.
Skrillex shared the song early with fans via his email list before the official release.
Skrillex is launching a new event platform called CONTRA in collaboration with Berlin Atonal.
CONTRA is scheduled for May 30-31 at Kraftwerk Berlin and will feature more than 70 artists.
Skrillex will perform at Primavera Sound Barcelona on June 5 and host part of the festival on June 6.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are planning to become publicly traded companies. These tech firms are worth trillions but have not yet made yearly profits, and experts say their business plans are unclear.
Key Facts
SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic aim to offer shares to the public soon.
Their combined value is in the trillions of dollars.
Many people might own parts of these companies through retirement funds or investment groups.
These companies need a lot of money for things like data centers and computers.
Going public helps them raise the money they need.
None of these companies have made a yearly profit yet.
Analysts say it's hard to understand how their businesses will make money.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A German startup called MicroAGI offers free home cleaning to New York City residents in exchange for recording the cleaning process with cameras. The videos are used to train robots powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to perform household tasks.
Key Facts
MicroAGI is a German tech company focused on advancing AI for physical tasks.
The company launched the Shift app on May 28 to connect New Yorkers with free professional cleaners who wear cameras.
The recorded videos capture detailed cleaning actions to help train AI-driven household robots.
The app anonymizes personal information by blurring faces, names, and sensitive details before storing data.
Customers must provide contact and access information and may be charged for late cancellations or missed appointments.
The company’s privacy policy states it uses machine learning to automatically blur identifying details before uploading videos to the cloud.
It is unclear if people can request deletion of their home cleaning videos from the training data.
The free cleaning offer is for a limited time and also helps promote signing up people to record other household or work tasks and get paid for it.
According to the company, more than 10,000 contributors have earned over $5 million by recording videos to train robots.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Many modern cars already have technology that can stop the car from starting or track its location. This technology, often called a "kill switch," is used for security, convenience, or as part of car financing agreements.
Key Facts
A car kill switch stops a vehicle from starting by cutting the electrical power or fuel supply.
Some kill switches are physical switches, while others use electronic or GPS-based systems.
Many car manufacturers, like General Motors, Tesla, Ford, Hyundai, and Toyota, include features to remotely disable or track vehicles.
Lenders often install GPS-connected starter interrupt devices in financed cars, especially for borrowers with low credit scores.
These systems can send payment reminders, track vehicles, and stop cars from starting after repossession procedures.
Many drivers may not know their car has these systems or how much data the car collects.
To find out if a car has a kill switch, owners can check their vehicle apps, subscriptions, or physically inspect the car.
Remote disable technology is commonly used to aid in recovering stolen vehicles and as part of connected-car services.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A recent poll shows that 71% of Americans do not want AI data centers built near them, which is more opposition than for new local nuclear plants. These data centers use a lot of electricity, water, and space, causing environmental and cost concerns for local communities.
Key Facts
AI data centers require large buildings, lots of land, electricity, and water for cooling.
The Department of Energy says data centers use 10 to 50 times more energy per floor than typical office buildings.
Gallup’s 2026 poll found 71% of Americans oppose AI data centers near them versus 53% opposing local nuclear plants.
People’s main concerns are resource use (water and energy), pollution (noise, air, water), and higher utility bills.
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich reported over 2,700 community complaints about data centers, especially in Texas.
Nuclear power remains unpopular locally, but national support for nuclear energy is rising at 46%.
The public now sees data centers as a new invisible risk, similar to past fears about nuclear power.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The new LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight video game features special codes included with four new LEGO sets. When players enter these codes online, they unlock extra vehicles, character looks, and features in the game, connecting the physical LEGO sets with the digital game experience.
Key Facts
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a recently released video game.
Four LEGO sets in the 2026 collection include codes that unlock in-game content.
Codes are found in the instruction booklets and redeemed through a LEGO account.
Unlocks include vehicles, character costumes, and other digital items.
The game draws on decades of Batman stories from comics and movies.
The physical LEGO sets and game enhance each other, offering a combined play experience.
One particular set, the Batman Logo, unlocks exclusive digital character skins.
The Batman Batmobile LEGO set recreates the vehicle from recent Batman films but favors display over rough play.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a test on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The accident is a setback for Jeff Bezos’s space company, which aims to develop commercial space flights and missions to the moon.
Key Facts
The rocket that exploded is called New Glenn.
The explosion happened during a launch pad test.
The test took place at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Blue Origin is owned by Jeff Bezos.
The company plans to offer commercial space travel.
They also aim to send missions to the moon.
This is another challenge for Blue Origin’s development efforts.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Phia is a new shopping app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help people shop. The app was started by Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill and Melinda French Gates, and Sophia Kianni, and it recently gained many celebrity investors.
Key Facts
Phia is an AI-powered shopping app.
The app was founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni.
Phoebe Gates is the daughter of Bill and Melinda French Gates.
The app recently attracted dozens of celebrity investors.
The founders shared information about how they started the app.
They also discussed their future plans for Phia.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Cyber fraud is a rapidly growing industry in Southeast Asia, generating tens of billions of euros each year. This type of crime happens in scam centers across countries near the Mekong River and makes up about 40% of the region’s total economy.
Key Facts
Cyber fraud is one of the fastest-growing criminal activities worldwide.
Scam centers are spread across Southeast Asian countries near the Mekong River.
These scams produce tens of billions of euros annually.
The money made from these scams is roughly 40% of the combined economy of this region.
The information comes from an analysis by Jason G. Tower, an expert on transnational organized crime.
The region includes countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand.
The scams often involve social media fraud and other online criminal activities.
This issue is part of organized crime networks operating internationally.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Dating apps are starting to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help people find romantic partners. This new technology aims to improve matchmaking by using smart tools to better connect users.
Key Facts
AI is being integrated into dating apps to assist in finding matches.
The use of AI responds to the demand for improved ways to meet people.
Venture capitalist Matt Shumer discussed this trend on CBS Mornings.
AI can analyze user preferences and behavior to suggest better matches.
This approach could change how people search for and find love online.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A Blue Origin rocket caught fire and exploded during a test in Florida ahead of a planned launch in June. The explosion was very large and visible from different areas around Florida.
Key Facts
Blue Origin is a private space company testing a rocket.
The rocket exploded during a test, not during a launch.
The test was done in Florida.
The explosion created a big fireball.
People could see the explosion from far away in Florida.
The planned launch was scheduled for June.
No details were given about injuries or damage.
The company is investigating the cause of the explosion.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The BBC show Question Time featured AI-created versions of famous historical figures like Winston Churchill, Frida Kahlo, and Mahatma Gandhi to introduce a discussion about artificial intelligence (AI). The real panel included experts and politicians who talked about how AI affects the world today and what the future might hold.
Key Facts
Question Time used AI to recreate iconic figures who passed away decades ago.
The AI versions introduced the topic of artificial intelligence.
The actual panel had politicians and AI experts discussing AI impacts.
Darren Jones, a UK government official, was on the panel.
Julia Lopez, a shadow minister for science and technology, also participated.
Mo Gawdat, a former Google executive and author, was one of the panelists.
Laura Gilbert from the Tony Blair Institute spoke about AI.
Victor Riparbelli, CEO of an AI company, was included on the panel.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The next Call of Duty game will feature a story about a fictional North Korean invasion of South Korea. It will release on October 23 and will include missions from the viewpoint of South Korean soldiers, along with other gameplay updates.
Key Facts
The new Call of Duty game is called Modern Warfare 4 and launches on October 23.
The campaign centers on South Korean soldiers fighting against a North Korean invasion.
The game will appear on current consoles, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, but not on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
The story shows war from the viewpoint of ordinary South Korean conscript soldiers, not special forces.
The game’s trailer has gained nearly 22 million views in one day.
Fans will also play as Captain Price in different missions and cities.
Developer Infinity Ward promises realistic military detail and has improved gameplay mechanics.
Some experts warn the game’s setting may be sensitive since the Korean War never officially ended.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.