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Showing posts from June, 2023

Virgin Galactic finally flies its first commercial space tourism mission

The spaceflight comes nearly 20 years after Richard Branson started the company. https://wapo.st/3NRBIYg

Hot phone? Here’s how to cool it down (say no to the fridge)

As record-breaking heat waves bake areas of the United States and Europe, here is the Help Desk's tips to keep our hot phones cool. https://wapo.st/441uDK9

ChatGPT maker OpenAI faces a lawsuit over how it used people’s data

A California law firm is suing OpenAI for violating the privacy and property rights of countless people when it used their internet data to train its AI tech. https://wapo.st/3poOMLl

Is the ‘internet apocalypse’ nigh? Breaking down the solar-storm science.

The idea of a widespread internet outage caused by a solar superstorm has captured imaginations and sparked misinformation, but concern isn't totally unfounded. https://wapo.st/46snRyY

Meta’s new AI lets people make chatbots. They’re using it for sex.

From sex chats to cancer research, “open-source” models are challenging tech giants’ control over the AI revolution — to the promise or peril of society https://wapo.st/442mcOX

The Elonization of Mark Zuckerberg: How the Meta CEO is playing it cool

Mark Zuckerberg is trying to make himself more relevant to the tech elite. https://wapo.st/3JwUyRJ

He finished college at 14. Next up: A full-time gig at SpaceX.

Kairan Quazi, 14, graduated from Santa Clara University on June 17 and is headed to work as a software engineer in SpaceX's Starlink division. https://wapo.st/3qX5NN0

Overwhelmed by subscriptions? Here are 8 tips to save money

Save money and sanity by getting your subscriptions in order and cancelling anything that costs more than it's worth. https://wapo.st/3NfhGFm

Australia to Elon Musk: Explain how you’re dealing with hate on Twitter

Australia’s e-Safety commissioner says there has been a sharp increase in complaints about abuse on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the company last year. https://wapo.st/44bF79C

Amazon ‘tricked’ customers into paying for Prime, new FTC suit alleges

The FTC is suing Amazon over auto enrollment in Prime. https://wapo.st/3r3pItu

Schumer to call for AI regulation in keynote address

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer will lay out his early vision for regulating artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. https://wapo.st/44f2mjb

Chinese internet users are mocking — and eating — #WhitePeopleFood

Making fun of bland salads, sandwiches and cold cuts is all the rage on Chinese social media, even as they increasingly become staples for the country's youths. https://wapo.st/42YXkX6

Biden meets with tech company critics on AI

President Biden held a roundtable discussion on AI with a group of civil society leaders who have critical of how Big Tech is pushing the technology. https://wapo.st/3JocUV5

Why you should skip a VPN and identity-theft monitoring

Should everyone use a VPN? What’s the best way to save digital photos? A selection of reader questions and responses. https://wapo.st/3CEOJOA

How new Twitter rules could hinder war crimes research and rescue efforts

Twitter’s recent move under Elon Musk to charge more than $500,000 annually for its API is hampering vital disinformation and war crimes research, experts say. https://wapo.st/444VNj2

AI-generated child sex images spawn new nightmare for the web

Investigators say AI-generated child sexual abuse images are simple to create, difficult to track and take time away from finding victims of real-world abuse. https://wapo.st/3pb2vVT

ChatGPT might kill us all ... with dad jokes

San Francisco comedians walk into a bar and tell AI-generated punchlines. Are we laughing with the bots or at them? https://wapo.st/3Jm1WiW

Congress is racing to regulate AI. Silicon Valley is eager to teach them how.

Lawmakers are flocking to private meetings, dinners and briefings with AI experts — including the CEOs of the companies they’re trying to regulate. https://wapo.st/3NenQFT

What you should know about the MOVEit ransomware attack

U.S. officials are still assessing the impact of the attack. https://wapo.st/441QlNR

In a first, FTC charges genetic testing firm over failure to protect data

The Federal Trade Commission faulted 1Helath.io, formerly known as Vitagene, with failing to protect consumers' genetic information. https://wapo.st/42MfwD9

Anyone can Photoshop now, thanks to AI’s latest leap

A new “generative fill” AI capability can both create joyful Photoshop edits — and frightening deepfakes. https://wapo.st/43I4dND

Khashoggi’s widow sues Israeli firm over spyware she says ruined her life

Hanan Elatr says Saudi Arabia used NSO’s Pegasus spyware to track her and her husband’s whereabouts before he was murdered. https://wapo.st/3oZZ2tj

As Amazon HQ2 opens its doors, neighbors brace for a transformation

Northern Virginia residents have a wide range of expectations for Amazon HQ2 as the first major set of offices is set to open in Arlington. https://wapo.st/3PhYHwD

They helped train Google’s AI. Then they got fired after speaking out.

Google leaned on its army of contractors to help train AI. After some raised concerns about their work, they were fired by Appen, the company that employs them. https://wapo.st/3JeWONu

Parts of Reddit are staying dark. Our search results may suffer for it.

Whether you linger there or not, people share real insight on Reddit. Now, a feud is keeping that information locked away. https://wapo.st/43G5aps

Amazon’s cloud computing service recovers from outage

Amazon Web Services customers include Fortune 500 companies, startups and government agencies. https://wapo.st/43INZUj

5G was an overhyped technology bust. Let’s learn our lesson.

Phone companies and Apple promised that 5G would be an awesome improvement. Nope. How can we believe in promises now of technology that will change our lives? https://wapo.st/3Jb2W9E

FTC asks federal judge to block Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision deal

The filing is a gamble for antitrust enforcers, who have recently suffered losses in the courts to their efforts to blocks large technology companies' acquisitions. https://wapo.st/3NqpOEo

Why have many Reddit communities gone private? The blackout, explained.

The coordinated protest launched amid backlash to Reddit's decision to start charging some developers to use its data. https://wapo.st/3J9MBBW

The dos and don’ts of using home security cameras that see everything

Home security cameras are supposed to keep us safe, but also bring new privacy and security risks into our homes. Here's how to use them safely. https://wapo.st/3J7otjg

17 fatalities, 736 crashes: The shocking toll of Tesla’s Autopilot

Crashes have surged in the past four years, reflecting the hazards associated with increasingly widespread use of Tesla’s futuristic driver-assistance tech. https://wapo.st/3Cl47iX

Viral Pentagon explosion hoax took off from pro-Russian accounts

The AI-generated image spread quickly after appearing on a verified Twitter account that traffics in conspiracy theories and praises Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. https://wapo.st/43Ak3tE

Quiz: Do you know how to keep your boss from snooping on you?

Take our quiz to find out how much you know about keeping your personal activities, files, photos and communications private at work. https://wapo.st/3J0UMjS

Companies want to use AI tracking to make you better at your job

AI companies suggest they can help workers boost sales, lower stress and feel more connected. But some workers worry about data collection and privacy. https://wapo.st/3IXGv7K

Meta starts task force in fight against child pornography on Instagram

A Stanford University report found large networks of accounts operated by minors advertising self-generated child sexual abuse images. https://wapo.st/45MNcTX

Apple says new iPhone autocorrect will know you don’t mean ‘duck’

Apple announced the iPhone autocorrect adjustment at the Worldwide Developers Conference, where it also unveiled its mixed reality headset Vision Pro. https://wapo.st/3WSWWYw

Vision Pro first look: Apple makes its case for a computer on your face

Apple’s first major new product in nearly a decade has impressive technology, but what will you use it for? https://wapo.st/3OYgIjs

Apple’s new headset isn’t the first. Check out what came before it.

The VR headsets and other eyewear that came before the expected announcement of the Reality Pro at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. https://wapo.st/3qji8uu

Instagram reinstates Robert Kennedy Jr. after launch of presidential bid

Instagram lifted its suspension against Robert Kennedy Jr. after he announced he is running for president. https://wapo.st/3MRfaoB

The tech industry was deflating. Then came ChatGPT.

In 2022, stock prices fell off a cliff, thousands of tech workers lost their jobs and a recession seemed just around the corner. Now the gloom is gone. Thank AI. https://wapo.st/43hrpBY

Montana banned TikTok. Now these Montanans are fighting back.

How a highly politicized social media ban in Big Sky Country sparked a nationwide fight over freedom of speech. https://wapo.st/3CdbFE4

Detecting AI may be impossible. That’s a big problem for teachers.

Turnitin has acknowledged a reliability problem with Ai cheating-detection software used on 38 million student papers. https://wapo.st/3IWvymF

ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners.

Meet the people who have already lost their jobs to AI. https://wapo.st/3MK5uwh

Boeing crewed spaceflight for NASA delayed again in another setback

Ten years after it was awarded a $4.2 billion contract by NASA, Boeing has yet to fly any NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. https://wapo.st/3MJ0Tuh

New features from Google make Android phones better wallet replacements

Your phone can replace lots of things you keep in your wallet, but not always elegantly. With new updates to its Wallet app, Google is trying to fix that. https://wapo.st/43eVsKw

Eating-disorder group’s AI chatbot gave weight loss tips, activist says

The National Eating Disorders Association suspended use of its Tessa chatbot after a complaint that it suggested taking body measurements and regular weigh-ins. https://wapo.st/43AKZsJ