Many people are frustrated with smart TVs because of frequent software updates, slow performance, and privacy concerns. Some users prefer "dumb" TVs or disconnect their smart TVs from the internet to avoid being tracked and seeing unwanted ads.
Key Facts
Smart TVs often receive frequent updates that users find annoying and unhelpful.
Cheaper smart TVs can become slow over time due to heavy software and processing demands.
Some users only want to use their TVs for simple functions like watching broadcast TV or DVDs.
Privacy concerns arise because smart TVs can collect data and show targeted ads.
Some people choose to keep their TVs offline or use external devices like Apple TV for streaming.
Finding non-smart (dumb) TVs is becoming harder as most new models come with smart features.
Users with technical knowledge sometimes disable or remove smart functions to protect privacy.
The trend towards mandatory internet-connected TVs worries consumers who want to control their data.
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Wirecutter, a product review site by The New York Times, has shared its favorite technology products after 15 years of testing. Jason Chen from Wirecutter presented the most popular products chosen by readers.
Key Facts
Wirecutter is a part of The New York Times.
They have been testing and reviewing products for 15 years.
Jason Chen is a representative from Wirecutter who shared the top picks.
The focus is on technology products.
These products are selected based on reader preferences.
The list highlights items considered the best by extensive testing.
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Meta's new AI assistant, Muse, allows users to share conversations through special web links. Security researchers found that these links can be easily found online, exposing sensitive personal and business information that users did not intend to share publicly.
Key Facts
Muse is a general-purpose AI assistant created by Meta, which users can share conversations with via clickable web links.
These links usually have long, hard-to-guess text to protect privacy, but Muse’s design includes the conversation title in the web address.
Researchers from security company Claroc found 6,800 Muse links by searching public DNS records, then accessed hundreds revealing private information.
Exposed data included job search notes, company revenue reports, loan applications, bank fraud alerts, real estate performance details, and staff vacation calendars.
The URLs use the domain cf.metaaiusercontent.com, making it easier to locate them through public internet records.
The researchers called these easily discoverable shared pages “GhostShares” because people who were not given the links could still find them.
Muse quickly became popular on Apple’s App Store and requires access to many user accounts to perform tasks like booking appointments and making purchases.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described Muse as built with privacy and security in mind, but this design choice contradicts that claim.
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AI systems today can do some very complex tasks well but often struggle with simple, common-sense problems. Because AI can be very good at certain things but still make mistakes, human judgment is still needed to guide and check AI work, especially in jobs that do not have clear right or wrong answers.
Key Facts
Autonomous cars like Waymo crash less often than humans but make simple errors like parking violations.
Many people in rich countries expect AI to cause job losses in the next 20 years, but the kinds of jobs will also change.
AI is "jagged," meaning it is superhuman at some tasks but weak at others, often missing when it is wrong.
AI improves where results can be automatically checked but struggles where human judgment is needed to decide what is right.
New jobs are emerging where people check AI outputs, set limits on AI actions, and manage AI systems like a control tower.
Setting limits on AI is important and difficult, as AI can take harmful actions if not properly controlled.
Human experts most familiar with the real work will be needed to correct AI mistakes and guide AI projects.
Ford re-hired experienced engineers to oversee quality control after relying too much on automation, improving its quality ranking.
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The UK competition watchdog, the CMA, is asking Apple to allow more companies to use its contactless payment technology on iPhones and Apple Watches. The CMA wants Apple to lower the fees it charges and open access to boost innovation and competition in payment, travel, and ticket apps.
Key Facts
The CMA says Apple’s current fees and rules block other companies from creating new contactless payment services.
Apple charges firms for using its contactless payment system, which the CMA wants reduced.
Nearly 40% of payments in the UK are contactless, and Apple’s digital wallet is the most used.
The CMA proposes that Apple should allow apps to use Host Card Emulation (HCE), a common contactless payment technology Apple currently restricts in the UK.
Opening access could lead to new products like account payments, digital IDs, travel passes, and digital keys.
Since the EU forced Apple to open its tech, new payment apps like PayPal and Klarna have launched there.
Apple says its current system supports secure contactless payments and expanding access could reduce security and privacy.
The CMA believes more competition would help British tech companies innovate and grow.
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Slate has opened its first showroom in Chicago for its electric pickup truck called the Slate Truck. The truck, priced at about $25,000, has a simple design, manual window controls, and a projected driving range of 205 miles.
Key Facts
The Slate Truck is an electric pickup aimed at American buyers.
It costs $24,950, making it more affordable than many other electric trucks.
The truck has plastic panels and a minimalist interior with manual window winders.
It offers a driving range of about 205 miles on a full charge.
The showroom is located in Chicago’s Fulton Market District in a former Tesla store.
Customers can customize the interior colors of the truck and pre-order with a $300 deposit.
Only one prototype truck is currently on display, not a final production model.
The truck’s size is roughly similar to a Hyundai Santa Cruz with a 5-foot bed.
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SpaceX is set to launch its Bandwagon-5 mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying 32 satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch, planned for early morning on October 20, may create a bright visual effect in the sky called a "space jellyfish," caused by sunlight lighting up the rocket's exhaust at high altitude.
Key Facts
The Bandwagon-5 mission will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on October 20, starting around 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 32 satellites from companies like ICEYE, Tomorrow.io, and PlanetiQ.
The rocket’s reusable first stage booster will attempt its 19th flight and is expected to land on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.
The launch was delayed from October 19 because of strong winds that made recovery unsafe.
A "space jellyfish" is a bright, jellyfish-shaped light caused by sunlight reflecting off rocket exhaust at high altitude during sunrise or sunset.
The effect is visible when the ground is still dark but the rocket is high enough to catch sunlight.
Previous SpaceX launches, like CRS-35 on October 13, have produced this visual phenomenon.
People in Florida with a clear view toward Cape Canaveral are best positioned to see the effect during the launch window.
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Google Cloud services in London experienced technical problems causing errors and network failures. This disruption affected several online services, including fintech companies such as Revolut and Emma, leading to outages and interruptions.
Key Facts
Google Cloud's europe-west2 region, located in London, faced service disruption starting around 7 am UK time.
Multiple Google Cloud services, including BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and Kubernetes Engine, were impacted.
Fintech companies like Revolut and Emma experienced outages due to the Google Cloud issues.
Other UK financial services firms, such as HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group, showed reports of problems during the outage.
Hertfordshire football club Hitchin Town’s ticketing system was also affected because it relies on Google Cloud.
Google apologized for the disruption and suggested affected customers might move their workload to other regions.
The problem did not affect other Google Cloud regions like Paris or Frankfurt.
Google planned to provide an update about the issue around 10:30 am UK time.
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Leading AI companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and others are setting up their own ways to manage their technology and share their wealth since the U.S. government is not heavily involved. These firms are voluntarily creating plans to regulate themselves and direct some of their large fortunes to benefit the public.
Key Facts
AI companies are building a self-governing system to oversee AI technology and its social effects.
The federal government, under President Trump, prefers these companies to regulate themselves without new rules.
Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Elon Musk’s XSI, Meta, and Nvidia are developing different approaches to self-regulation.
Anthropic plans to give 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund, which could be worth $100 billion at a $2 trillion valuation.
Elon Musk promised to give every American child a share of SpaceX, worth about $10.5 billion.
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman suggested the U.S. government could receive a 5% stake through a fund to benefit Americans.
These wealth-sharing plans depend on future company growth, billionaire commitments, and public trust.
There is no agreement yet on how AI companies should share their wealth or define the public good.
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The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is running into problems because the electric power system in the U.S. is slow to expand. Goldman Sachs warns that the energy needed for data centers and AI technology could be a major delay in the development and use of AI.
Key Facts
Global power demand for data centers is expected to rise 170% between 2025 and 2030, with the U.S. responsible for over 60% of this increase.
Around $7.6 trillion is planned to be spent worldwide from 2026 to 2031 on computing, data centers, and power infrastructure.
The U.S. has about 2,600 gigawatts of power projects waiting to connect to the grid, which is more than twice the current grid capacity.
It typically takes about five years for power projects to get approved and be ready to operate.
Many power projects face delays or cancellations, often due to local opposition.
A large part of AI infrastructure funding depends on debt, increasing financial risks if projects take longer than expected.
Tech companies may start funding power generation and electrical infrastructure directly to support their data centers.
Utility companies are expected to spend $1.3 trillion from 2026 to 2030, benefiting from AI-driven investment.
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The article tested two AI assistants, OpenAI's Dots and Meta's Muse, by asking them to plan a trip to the WNBA Finals and organize related activities. Both AIs showed strong abilities in planning and creativity but could not fully replace human judgment or handle all tasks automatically.
Key Facts
The AI assistants tested were OpenAI's Dots and Meta's Muse.
The test involved planning a trip to Atlanta for the WNBA Finals and organizing a purple-themed brunch watch party.
Both AIs noticed that Game 3 was moved up a day and that tickets were only available for resale at inflated prices.
Muse offered a colorful recipe booklet, while Dots created a more practical cooking packet for the brunch.
Both assistants produced souvenir programs for the WNBA Finals but had errors in statistics and needed human editing.
Muse tried to complete an online purchase but got stuck at the sign-in page, while Dots directed the user to an app for payment.
Both AI assistants require user approval for purchases and cannot fully complete tasks autonomously yet.
Muse offers free use with optional paid subscriptions, and Dots requires a ChatGPT Pro subscription or business access.
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Revolut, a British digital bank, experienced a service outage affecting several of its services on Tuesday morning. Thousands of users reported problems with payments, accessing funds, and customer support, but the company confirmed that customer money and data remained safe.
Key Facts
Revolut faced a service disruption affecting multiple services on Tuesday morning.
Over 1,500 user issues were reported shortly after 8:00 AM BST on Downdetector.
Services impacted included card payments, transfers, ATM withdrawals, and customer support.
Revolut assured that all customer money and data were secure during the outage.
The company apologized and said it was working to fix the problem as soon as it was identified.
Some users complained on social media about being unable to access funds or make payments.
Revolut is a "neobank" that operates mainly through digital services rather than physical branches.
The bank has over 80 million customers worldwide.
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Researchers in the US have developed an AI tool that can analyze a single photo of a person's face to estimate how ill they are and predict how long cancer patients might live. The tool looks closely at areas around the eyes and nose and is designed to help doctors, not replace their judgment.
Key Facts
The AI, called FaceSurvival, uses photos of 35,000 cancer patients and millions of healthy faces to learn how to estimate illness severity and survival chances.
Key facial features used include the skin under the eyes and around the nose bridge.
The cancer patients studied were mostly between their 50s and 60s, but also included children and older adults.
The AI tool is still in early testing and not yet suitable for hospital use.
Another tool, FaceAge, predicts biological age by analyzing facial wrinkles and lines.
Lifestyle factors like smoking and drinking can influence how the AI estimates biological age.
The AI works consistently across different lighting, facial expressions, and some cosmetic surgery effects.
Researchers need more data, especially from diverse ethnic groups, to improve the tools.
The public is invited to upload photos to receive a personalized biological age estimate.
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New films are using artificial intelligence (AI) to create digital actors that look like real people, including a younger version of Val Kilmer approved by his family. These AI actors are improving but still lack the emotional depth of human performers, and the technology is causing debate about its impact on real actors.
Key Facts
A new western film features an AI-created version of a young Val Kilmer, approved by his family.
People reacted negatively to the AI star "Tilly Norwood," with some finding her appearance unsettling.
Experts say AI actors currently copy only surface appearances and cannot yet show real emotion like human actors.
The "uncanny valley" effect is a creepy feeling people get from near-realistic digital humans, but one company claims to have eliminated it.
Higgsfield AI has made two full-length AI-generated movies that took weeks instead of months to produce.
These AI films are partly advertisements for Higgsfield’s AI tools.
Some actors worry AI could replace human performers, but AI creators believe the technology will change the industry like cars replaced horses.
AI-generated characters today show limited emotions and sometimes awkward speech but are improving quickly.
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Google has introduced new premium laptops called Googlebooks, combining features from ChromeOS and Android. These laptops have strong hardware but run a software system based on Android, which causes some apps to not work as well on a laptop screen.
Key Facts
Googlebooks are made by brands like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, starting at around $899.
They feature high-quality parts like backlit keyboards, fingerprint readers, sharp touchscreens, and 16GB RAM or more.
Two models tested are Acer Googlebook 14 (convertible) and Asus Googlebook 14 (traditional laptop).
Googlebook OS looks similar to ChromeOS, with a taskbar and app drawer, but it runs on Android software underneath.
Setting up a Googlebook is fast and similar to setting up an Android phone.
Googlebooks can run almost any Android phone app, but many apps are just phone versions that don’t fit well on a laptop screen.
Only a few Android apps are specially designed (“made for desktop”) to work well on Googlebooks.
Even Google’s own apps, like Calendar, have limitations on Googlebooks compared to their versions on other systems.
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AI tools like ChatGPT were expected to make work and government services faster and easier. However, they have increased the number of automated emails, complaints, and requests, creating more work for humans to manage. This flood of AI-generated content often overwhelms offices and courts, reducing efficiency rather than improving it.
Key Facts
Email was initially meant to save time but has led to inboxes being overwhelmed with messages.
AI has caused a rise in complaints and requests sent to government and regulatory bodies.
Employment tribunal cases in parts of the UK increased by 39% partly due to AI helping people file claims.
Courts have seen many AI-generated cases that often don’t make sense but still require human review.
Government departments and MPs are flooded with AI-generated freedom of information requests and letters.
Public consultations risk becoming less useful because of large amounts of meaningless AI-generated responses.
AI tools intended to filter content don’t always work well when dealing with vulnerable people needing personal replies.
Job application processes are complicated by automated mass submissions from applicants using AI as well.
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Japan has started a five-year space mission to collect rocks and dust from Phobos, a moon of Mars. The mission aims to bring these samples back to Earth by 2031 for scientists to study.
Key Facts
Japan launched an uncrewed spacecraft to Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons.
The mission will take five years to complete.
The goal is to collect samples from Phobos and return them to Earth.
If successful, this will be the first time samples are returned from a moon of Mars.
Scientists plan to study the samples to learn more about Mars and its moons.
The mission is a significant step for space exploration and planetary science.
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Japan launched a spacecraft on a mission to explore Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, and bring back samples to Earth. The mission aims to collect dust, soil, and rocks from Phobos by 2031 to help scientists understand how the moons formed and the origins of life.
Key Facts
The mission is called Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) and costs $578 million.
The spacecraft was launched from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
It will take about five years for the mission to complete, with samples expected to return in 2031.
A French-German rover named Idefix will land on Phobos to scout for safe areas before the main lander collects samples.
Phobos is about 22 kilometers across and has very low gravity.
The lander will spend about two hours on Phobos to drill and collect at least 10 grams of material.
The spacecraft will also fly by Deimos before returning to Earth.
This is the first mission aiming to bring back samples from Mars' moons.
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Researchers at Mass General Brigham created an AI tool that predicts cancer patients’ chances of survival from a single photo of their face. The AI estimates biological age and directly predicts survival, using data from over 40 million facial images to help guide medical treatment decisions.
Key Facts
The AI system was developed to estimate biological age and predict cancer survival from a facial photo.
Two tools were created: FAHR-FaceAge estimates biological age and predicts survival, while FAHR-FaceSurvival predicts survival directly from the photo.
The AI looks at specific facial areas to make different health predictions, such as creases near the nose and eyes.
Patients who appeared 5 or more years older than their real age had a 21% higher risk of dying over four years.
Patients who looked 5 or more years younger had a 17% lower risk of death.
The AI was trained on more than 40 million images from different ages and ethnicities.
The tool could help doctors decide the best cancer treatments based on a patient’s physical health shown in their face.
Lifestyle factors like heavy drinking, smoking, and drug use were linked to looking biologically older in the AI analysis.
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Electric aviation is a new and developing area focused on using electric power for flying. Several companies are increasing their efforts to grow this technology, and the Trump administration shows interest in supporting its wider use.
Key Facts
Electric aviation is currently in the early phases of development.
Multiple companies are planning bigger projects in electric-powered flight.
This technology aims to use electricity instead of traditional fuels to power aircraft.
The Trump administration supports expanding the use of electric aviation more than it has with other electric transport types.
Electric aviation faces challenges but holds significant promise for the future of air travel.
Aviation correspondent Miles O'Brien covers this emerging industry and its progress.
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