I helped a lost dog’s AirTag ping its owner: An ode to replaceable batteries

Out of all the books I read for my formal education, one bit, from one slim paperback, has lodged the deepest into my brain. William Blundell’s The Art and Craft of Feature Writing offers a “selective list of what readers like.” It starts with a definitive No. 1: “Dogs, followed by other cute animals and well-behaved small children.” People, Blundell writes, are your second-best option, providing they are doing or…

May 21, 2025
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“Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall

Signal Messenger is warning the users of its Windows Desktop version that the privacy of their messages is under threat by Recall, the AI tool rolling out in Windows 11 that will screenshot, index, and store almost everything a user does every three seconds. Effective immediately, Signal for Windows will by default block the ability of Windows to screenshot the app. Signal users who want to disable the block—for instance…

May 21, 2025
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Google pretends to be in on the joke, but its focus on AI Mode search is serious

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Google used to be all about the 10 blue links, but that was then, and this is now. You have to scroll farther than ever to get to the links in Google search results, and now this trend is being taken to its ultimate conclusion. At I/O, the company has announced a major expansion of AI Mode search, which heralds a new era for its signature product. There…

May 21, 2025
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Apple legend Jony Ive takes control of OpenAI’s design future

On Wednesday, OpenAI announced that former Apple design chief Jony Ive and his design firm LoveFrom will take over creative and design control at OpenAI. The deal makes Ive responsible for shaping the future look and feel of AI products at the chatbot creator, extending across all of the company’s ventures, including ChatGPT. Ive was Apple’s chief design officer for nearly three decades, where he led the design of iconic…

May 21, 2025
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Self-hosting is having a moment. Ethan Sholly knows why.

Self-hosting is having a moment, even if it’s hard to define exactly what it is. It’s a niche that goes beyond regular computing devices and networks but falls short of a full-on home lab. (Most home labs involve self-hosting, but not all self-hosting makes for a home lab.) It adds privacy, provides DRM-free alternatives, and reduces advertising. It’s often touted as a way to get more out of your network-attached…

May 20, 2025
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Gemini 2.5 is leaving preview just in time for Google’s new $250 AI subscription

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Google rolled out early versions of Gemini 2.5 earlier this year. Marking a significant improvement over the 2.0 branch. For the first time, Google’s chatbot felt competitive with the likes of ChatGPT, but it’s been “experimental” and later “preview” since then. At I/O 2025, Google announced general availability for Gemini 2.5, and these models will soon be integrated with Chrome. There’s also a fancy new subscription plan to…

May 20, 2025
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Windows 11’s most important new feature is post-quantum cryptography. Here’s why.

Microsoft is updating Windows 11 with a set of new encryption algorithms that can withstand future attacks from quantum computers in a move aimed at jump-starting what’s likely to be the most formidable and important technology transition in modern history. Computers that are based on the physics of quantum mechanics don’t yet exist outside of sophisticated labs, but it’s well-established science that they eventually will. Instead of processing data in…

May 20, 2025
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Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books

On Sunday, the Chicago Sun-Times published an advertorial summer reading list containing at least 10 fake books attributed to real authors, according to multiple reports on social media. The newspaper’s uncredited “Summer reading list for 2025” supplement recommended titles including “Tidewater Dreams” by Isabel Allende and “The Last Algorithm” by Andy Weir—books that don’t exist and were created out of thin air by an AI system. The creator of the…

May 20, 2025
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Microsoft closes 9-year-old feature request, open-sources Windows Subsystem for Linux

Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux has become an important tool for developers and power users since it was introduced in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update back in 2016, giving them access to a built-in Linux command line and Linux applications from within Windows. The company has steadily improved WSL since then, improving performance, making it easier to install and use, and adding features like GPU and audio support. But today…

May 19, 2025
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The empire strikes back with F-bombs: AI Darth Vader goes rogue with profanity, slurs

For a short period of time on Friday, Darth Vader could drop F-bombs in the video game Fortnite as part of a voice AI implementation gone wrong, reports GameSpot. Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language. In Fortnite, the AI-voiced Vader appears as both a boss in battle royale mode and an interactive character. The official…

May 16, 2025
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