A major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) disrupted many websites and apps on October 20, 2025. The issue started due to a software update error at a facility in Northern Virginia, affecting numerous online services.
Key Facts
The outage began early on October 20, 2025, at around 3 a.m. Eastern Time.
AWS's facility in Northern Virginia experienced "increased error rates and latencies."
Popular websites and apps like Duolingo, Roblox, and Fortnite had difficulties.
Financial service apps such as Coinbase, Robinhood, and Venmo were also affected.
AWS is a key part of the internet's infrastructure, covering about 30% of the cloud computing market.
An error in a software update to AWS's DynamoDB service caused the outage.
Amazon reported making progress toward fixing the problems by Monday evening.
A problem at Amazon Web Services (AWS) caused many websites on the internet to go down or have issues. Amazon is working to fix the problem, but some sites are still affected.
Key Facts
Amazon Web Services, also known as AWS, experienced a technical problem.
The issue led to many websites across the internet having outages or disruptions.
Amazon is currently working on solving the problem.
Some websites are still facing interruptions even as repairs are underway.
AWS is a popular service that many companies use to host their websites.
The outage highlights how many online services rely on AWS.
Hollywood studios and actors are worried about OpenAI's new tool, Sora 2, which can create realistic digital versions of people using text and images. The industry wants to ensure that digital replicas are not made without permission and proper compensation. New policies and potential laws are being discussed to protect artists' rights.
Key Facts
OpenAI released a tool called Sora 2 that creates high-quality audio and video using text prompts and images.
This tool has been used to recreate digital versions of deceased celebrities like Fred Rogers and Tupac Shakur.
Hollywood figures express concerns about unauthorized use of their likenesses and intellectual property.
OpenAI announced new policies to address these concerns from studios, unions, and talent agencies.
Talent agencies and unions, including SAG-AFTRA, support federal legislation for consent in digital replication.
California has a law requiring actors' consent for their digital replicas; there is a push for similar federal legislation.
Unauthorized AI-generated videos, like SpongeBob SquarePants engaging in illegal activities, have surfaced using Sora 2.
An outage in Amazon Web Services (AWS), a major cloud computing provider, caused internet disruptions worldwide. The issue affected important services like social media, video games, and more. AWS later reported that it was addressing "significant" connectivity problems tied to its US-EAST-1 data center.
Key Facts
Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosts many popular online services and is a key infrastructure provider for various sectors.
The disruption began due to a problem in AWS's Virginia data center, which is crucial for global internet operations.
The issue was traced back to a domain name system (DNS) error, impacting the ability of apps and websites to connect with their data.
Services affected included Snapchat, Roblox, Fortnite, Robinhood, and others, causing widespread connectivity problems.
AWS reported starting recovery three hours after the outage began but continued to face significant errors.
The outage highlighted risks associated with relying heavily on a small number of large tech companies for cloud services.
An outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) affected over 1,000 companies and millions of users. The problem was caused by a Domain Name System (DNS) error at AWS's data center in North Virginia, disrupting platforms like Snapchat and Reddit.
Key Facts
AWS experienced a significant outage, impacting more than 1,000 companies.
The outage affected social media sites like Snapchat and Reddit.
Banks such as Lloyds and Halifax, and games like Roblox and Fortnite, were also affected.
The issue was due to a Domain Name System (DNS) error.
AWS's data center in North Virginia was the source of the problem.
AWS supports nearly one-third of internet functioning by managing storage and database needs.
Alternatives to AWS include Microsoft's Azure and Google's Cloud Platform.
Experts suggest the need for more diverse cloud service providers to avoid reliance on a single company.
Many major websites went offline due to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage. The disruption affected over 1,000 apps and websites, including banks and online platforms like Snapchat and Reddit. Amazon resolved most issues within hours, but the incident highlighted the risks of relying on a few large cloud service providers.
Key Facts
An AWS outage affected over 1,000 apps and websites globally, including Snapchat, Reddit, and Roblox.
Banks like Lloyds and Halifax were also impacted by the outage.
Users reported over 6.5 million problems during the outage period.
Amazon resolved most issues by 12:00 BST on the day of the outage.
The outage began around 07:00 BST and peaked with millions of user reports.
The issue related to DNS resolution, which helps computers find websites.
Experts say relying too much on a few cloud providers can lead to large-scale problems when outages occur.
Suki, an artificial intelligence company, has announced new tools to improve medical coding for clinicians, aiming to reduce errors and speed up reimbursements. These tools help automate parts of the coding process, making medical documentation more accurate and efficient, thereby allowing clinicians more time to focus on patient care.
Key Facts
Suki introduced new AI tools to help with automated medical coding.
The tools focus on improving documentation accuracy and solving common issues with insurance claims.
The technology can create new types of medical codes, like CPT and E/M codes, for billing.
Suki's system works with major electronic health records such as Epic and Cerner.
The new coding features were developed and tested over nine months.
Suki aims for over 85% data capture and 95% coding accuracy.
The system helps reduce time spent on documentation and aims to enable instant reimbursements.
An Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage caused several major online services, like Duolingo, Roblox, and Coinbase, to go offline. AWS indicated that they are working on fully resolving the issue, but some challenges were still present. The incident shows how many internet services rely heavily on AWS.
Key Facts
An AWS outage occurred, affecting many popular online platforms.
AWS is a cloud service provider that supports the operations of many websites and apps.
Services like Canva, Snapchat, Reddit, and others reported outages.
AWS' Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) faced issues, which provides computing power for services.
AWS claims to have mitigated the main issue but is working on full recovery.
Coinbase, a major U.S. crypto exchange, reported some recovery signs.
More service disruptions hit other companies, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
An expert suggests that overreliance on one cloud provider can bring about wide-ranging disruptions.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) had a service outage in the US-EAST-1 region, affecting many websites. This started late Sunday night and the company is working to fix the problem. AWS is a major cloud service provider, supporting many online platforms.
Key Facts
AWS experienced a service outage in the US-EAST-1 region on Monday.
The outage affected platforms like Snapchat, Canva, and Fortnite.
Issues began late Sunday night with slowing responses and error messages.
AWS is trying different solutions to recover the affected systems.
AWS supports thousands of platforms, including both apps and services.
In 2024, AWS held 37% of the global cloud market and earned $107.6 billion in revenue.
AWS operates using more than 6 million kilometers of fiber optic cables.
A new eye implant has helped some blind patients read again. The implant works with a special camera and processor to send images to the brain. The trial, conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, showed positive results for people with a specific type of vision loss.
Key Facts
A small implant was placed in five patients in a trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
The implant helps people with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), also known as geographic atrophy.
AMD damages cells in the retina, leading to blurred or lost central vision.
The implant is a 2mm square microchip placed under the retina.
Patients use special glasses with a built-in video camera, which sends images to the implant.
The implant and a processor work together to send clearer images to the brain.
In a study, 27 out of 32 patients with implants could read again after a year.
Sheila Irvine, a trial participant, described regaining her ability to read as an incredible experience.
A group of researchers in Hungary explored whether dogs could ever learn to speak. They found that while the idea of talking dogs has captured people’s imaginations, it is unlikely to happen. Instead, they are now working on understanding the range of sounds dogs already make to better communicate with them.
Key Facts
Researchers from the BARKS Lab at Hungary's Eötvös Loránd University studied dog communication for about a year.
Their review was published in the journal Biologia Futura.
The study examined if dogs could possibly learn to speak and considered if it would be ethical.
They concluded that talking dogs are not feasible and raised ethical concerns about such possibilities.
Dogs have lived with humans for at least 20,000 years, impacting their vocal behaviors.
The team is now working to map out the various sounds dogs make to aid owners in understanding their pets better.
The researchers are seeking public help by asking for recordings of unusual dog sounds for their study.
On Monday, Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a problem that disrupted many online services like Snapchat, Roblox, and Ring. The issue began around 3:11 a.m. Eastern Time and was largely resolved by 6 a.m. AWS linked the outage to their domain name system, which converts website names into IP addresses.
Key Facts
A problem with Amazon's cloud service affected online services globally.
Snapchat, Roblox, and Fortnite were among the services disrupted.
The issue started at approximately 3:11 a.m. Eastern Time.
Amazon said the problem was related to their domain name system.
By 6 a.m., Amazon reported improvements and recovery of services.
AWS provides cloud services for many big companies and government entities.
Similar outages have occurred with AWS in the past, including significant events in 2023, 2021, 2020, and 2017.
The incident was not due to a cyberattack, according to experts.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced an outage that affected many websites and apps globally, including popular platforms like Robinhood and Signal. AWS reported significant errors in its US-EAST-1 Region and is working to fix the problem. Companies using AWS for their cloud computing needs faced disruptions due to the issue.
Key Facts
AWS confirmed it had a service outage affecting its US-EAST-1 Region.
The outage impacted many websites and apps, including Robinhood, Signal, and Coinbase.
AWS identified a possible reason for the problem and is working on solutions.
Downdetector, a site for reporting outages, listed several affected platforms such as Zoom, Roblox, and Fortnite.
Amazon’s shopping website, PrimeVideo, and Alexa also experienced issues.
AWS is a big player in cloud services, competing with Google and Microsoft.
The outage caused problems because many companies depend on AWS for digital services.
Lyft's app and several UK banks' customers in the US and UK also faced issues.
A woman announced her pregnancy on TikTok by sharing a message she sent to the AI tool, ChatGPT, instead of a person. She had used ChatGPT for support during her struggles with infertility and felt comforted by its response. The TikTok post gained significant attention online, accumulating millions of views.
Key Facts
A woman shared her pregnancy news through a message to ChatGPT, an AI tool, which she posted on TikTok.
The woman had previously experienced a miscarriage and used ChatGPT for information on pregnancies.
Her TikTok post, which showed the AI's congratulatory response, went viral with over 2.4 million views.
She initially told her younger sister and immediate family about her pregnancy.
Despite the post's positive intention, it received negative comments, leading her to disable comments on the TikTok post.
The woman stated that she found the AI's responses comforting and similar to those from friends and family.
Some people use collagen supplements to try to improve skin, hair, nails, and joint health. Research suggests collagen supplements may help improve skin appearance, including reducing wrinkles and increasing skin elasticity.
Key Facts
Collagen is a protein that helps keep skin firm and elastic.
As people age, their collagen levels naturally decrease.
Collagen supplements often come in forms called hydrolyzed collagen peptides and type II collagen.
Hydrolyzed collagen is made from animal sources and is used for skin and joint health.
Studies show collagen supplements can improve skin hydration, elasticity, and reduce wrinkles.
A 2021 review of 19 studies found improvements in skin condition with collagen use.
Another review in 2023 found similar skin improvements in 23 studies with over 1,400 participants.
Some workers, students, and creators are resisting the use of AI, valuing work that is untouched by it. Concerns include AI's impact on critical thinking and technical reliability. Despite skepticism, many people still use AI tools like ChatGPT and AI technology is common in work and learning environments.
Key Facts
Some people prefer work done without AI due to concerns about AI's reliability and environmental impact.
49% of Gen Z surveyed are worried AI will harm their critical thinking skills.
41% of Gen Z feel anxious about using generative AI tools.
Some programmers in Silicon Valley resist AI tools, fearing job loss and technical issues.
Creatives, such as artists and writers, have expressed dissatisfaction with AI-produced work.
Despite resistance, more than one-third of college students regularly use ChatGPT.
40% of U.S. workers have used AI at work at least a few times a year.
AI is widely integrated into current learning and work processes, making complete avoidance challenging.
Online trends are moving towards valuing intelligence as the new popular look. Social media is seeing a rise in people showcasing books and intellectual activities, while reading rates are declining and concerns about generative AI's impact on intelligence are growing.
Key Facts
The Instagram account @hotdudesreading is popular, with over a million followers.
Social media users are increasingly showcasing intelligence, using books as fashion accessories.
Searches for terms like "performative reading" have increased significantly.
Popular fashion events are featuring clothes that suggest intelligence and professional power.
Literacy rates in the U.S. have dropped by around 40% from 2003 to 2023.
Concerns are rising about generative AI harming critical thinking skills.
Studies suggest less reading for pleasure and more reliance on AI technologies.
The video game studio Build a Rocket Boy, led by Leslie Benzies, faced challenges after releasing their first game, MindsEye, which was poorly received. Benzies, who previously worked on the successful Grand Theft Auto series, blamed both internal and external forces for the game's failure. Employees at the studio, however, attributed the problems to mismanagement and frequent, unconsulted changes by leadership.
Key Facts
Build a Rocket Boy released a sci-fi game called MindsEye that received negative feedback from players and critics.
Leslie Benzies, the studio's boss, accused "internal and external" agents of sabotaging the game's release.
Employees, who were previously informed of potential job cuts, doubted Benzies's claims and pointed to leadership issues as the cause for failure.
Benzies is known for his key role at Rockstar Games, especially in the development of the Grand Theft Auto series.
The studio, founded by Benzies in 2016, has offices in multiple cities and had 448 employees by 2024.
Build a Rocket Boy received over £233 million in investments but also reported significant financial losses.
Former employees criticized studio management for making sudden, unconsulted decisions.
An open letter by employees claims leadership frequently ignored feedback from their experienced team.
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is a sci-fi movie directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Roy Neary, a power repairman, who becomes obsessed after witnessing an alien spacecraft. The film is part of a list of sci-fi and fantasy films available on a streaming service.
Key Facts
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is directed by Steven Spielberg.
The main character, Roy Neary, sees an alien spacecraft while working late at night.
The movie explores themes of alien contact and human fascination with it.
It was first shown in 1980.
The film is 2 hours and 10 minutes long.
The film is available on a streaming service for 19 days.
It is included in a curated collection of sci-fi and fantasy movies.
