Anyone checking into their Instagram or Facebook pages in the last few days, will have no doubt noticed the presence of Meta’s AI “assistant”, named, um, Meta AI. Britney Nguyen, writing for Quartz: The tech giant said on Thursday that it is bringing Meta AI to all of its platfor … | Continue reading
The surging costs reflect crop shortages, and there are fears the changing climate will make things worse. Concerns over poor growing conditions and coffee bean shortages send prices to record highs: 'Crippling supplies amid ever growing demand' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading
Volkswagen Group set out several years ago to be a leader in the transition to electric vehicles. Not everything has gone according to plan, but it’s been moving forward — to be honest, at quite a fast clip for a company of its size. Two of its electric vehicle (EV) ... [continue … | Continue reading
One expert believes this technology is versatile enough to become a part of a wide range of industries as well, like fashion, robotics, medicine, and vehicle manufacturing. Scientists develop self-healing material that could transform the plastic industry: 'We could solve many of … | Continue reading
Nick Bostrom’s new tome comes out today, and what can I say — it has a great cover with a number of interesting questions and a subtitle that hints that it might address the meaning of life in a future where AI and robots can do everything. But alas, after much build up and antic … | Continue reading
"Our projections show that within 10 years, we will be able to protect around 70 million Brazilians across various cities." Health officials to release millions of insects to fight outbreak of 'break-bone' fever — here's how they'll help first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading
Way back in March 2013, I recorded the Tuesday noon siren that used to resound throughout San Francisco. The siren has since been silenced for municipal budgetary reasons, but the recording lives on. It is one my most listened-to tracks on SoundCloud, and it’s been sampled by var … | Continue reading
The rules vary from state to state, but there is at least some ammunition for residents who want to make the most of zero-tailpipe pollution cars. New multistate laws limit power of homeowners associations to dictate residents' vehicles — here's why that's important first appeare … | Continue reading
On this week’s episode of Aftermath Hours (which is coming to you a little after hours, a choice I obviously made on purpose so I could make this joke), Riley and Chris are joined by freelance games journalist Ian Boudreau to talk about AI, layoffs, and just how much Fallout is i … | Continue reading
The tech podcast that just had its gears oiled! Audio narration generated using Shortcuts. ⏱️⏱️⏱️ Mikah Sargent: What is one of the first delightful things you remember doing on the World Wide Web? Tinkering with, breaking, and eventually fixing my iServ webmail. Turns out email … | Continue reading
The ultimate coffee scale for pour-over fanatics. | Continue reading
The alleged masking of the problem is troublesome, and the lawsuit charges Samsung with poor design, engineering, and manufacturing. Lawsuit filed against Samsung over appliance malfunction: 'Knew about the defect ... as early as 2013' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is my second time reading the book. I lowered the rating from 5 to 4 stars mostly because 5 stars is “it was amazing” and 4 stars is “really liked it” so that’s a more honest assessment. This is a book that I […] | Continue reading
The much-anticipated line has been in development for more than a decade. Biden eyes Japanese technology to revive high-speed rail project connecting major cities — here's why it's important first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading
In the absence of strong net neutrality protections, internet service providers (ISPs) have made all sorts of plans that would allow them to capitalize on something called "network slicing." While this technology has all sorts of promise, what the ISPs have planned would subvert … | Continue reading
EPA action designates two widely used PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, improving transparency and accountability to clean up PFAS contamination in communities WASHINGTON — Today, April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking another … | Continue reading
Part of the "New Atheist" movement, best known for work on consciousness, free will. | Continue reading
While ransomware attacks decreased after the LockBit and BlackCat disruptions, they have once again started to ramp up with other operations filling the void. [...] | Continue reading
Eating light: Finnish startup begins making food ‘from air and solar power’ | Food & drink industry | The Guardian Eating light: Finnish startup begins making food ‘from air and solar power’ | Continue reading
Earlier today, David and I shipped version 6.2 of Widgetsmith. This release is for both iOS and visionOS, and packs some cool goodies: Widgetsmith 6.2 brings a brand-new widget type: Background Sounds! Beyond the standard White and Brown Noises, this release includes sounds from … | Continue reading
Electric vehicle fast chargers are growing strongly in the United States. Thanks in large part to Joe Biden’s $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, the number of public EV fast chargers in the country grew by 7.6% in the first quarter, to nearly 8,20 … | Continue reading
A week ago, Big Think released this video featuring philosopher Daniel Dennett talking about the four biggest ideas in philosophy. Today, we learned that he passed away at age 82. The New York Times obituary for Dennett reads: “Espousing his ideas in best sellers, he insisted tha … | Continue reading
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The harvest is expected to bring in only a little more than half of what is needed to feed the nation. Zimbabwe declares national disaster amid grueling drought and barren croplands: 'No [one] must succumb or die from hunger' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading
Among my workmen and then to the office, and after that dined with Sir W. Batten, and then home, where Sir W. Warren came, and I took him and Mr. Shepley and Moore with me to the Mitre, and there I cleared with Warren for the deals I bought lately... | Continue reading
People collect comics for many different reasons; nostalgia, artistic appreciation, investment potential, and cultural significance. For many, comic books serve as gateways to cherished memories of adolescence, bringing them back to a happy time through stories, characters, and t … | Continue reading
At Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters, our passion for superb coffee is matched by our love for music, making Record Store Day a highlight of our year. Celebrated on 20 April 2024, this day is a tribute to the indispensable role of independent record stores like our neighbours at Thor … | Continue reading
If you excitedly went to Peacock on Thursday to watch the latest episode of Chucky, only to find it was not yet available to stream—and then screamed with the wrong kind of horror—you are not alone among the killer doll’s legions of fans. Read more... | Continue reading
Trump Media, the parent company that owns Truth Social, has filed a formal complaint with the Nasdaq, expressing concern for potential market manipulation impacting the stock. Read more... | Continue reading
President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Supports New Projects Building Grid Transformers, Manufacturing EV Chargers and Solar Components, and Processing Critical Minerals, Helping Revitalize Local Economies with Clean Energy Jobs WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of En … | Continue reading
Many companies that put their products on sale for Earth Day are greenwashing more often than not, as the products usually have nothing to do with sustainability. But if those products actually do contribute to a cleaner and greener future, such as e-bikes, then putting them on s … | Continue reading
The wind comes like a whispering ghost a quiet shush, a long breath out down the path, behind my back. I turn and last years leaves are lifting up from the path they float and swirl I watch until the last two slowly dance their way back and forth to the forest floor The post Shhh … | Continue reading
Last week we disturbed these turkeys while walking in the woods. One turkey flew in the opposite direction, crashing through the tree tops. I imagine it was trying to distract us from the flock. It worked, Fate and Zinnia ran towards it and not the turkeys running on the ground. … | Continue reading
"I never knew." Garden expert shares unlikely source of free compost that could be piling up in your backyard: 'The soil is first class' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading
Meta has upgraded its AI assistant, Meta AI, with a new LLM (Llama 3) and made it available in far more places. | Continue reading
Someone at Kia is apparently a big NBA fan. The award-winning EV9 is getting an update that allows those with exceptional amounts of team spirit to show what NBA team they support — just in time for the playoffs. Unfortunately, the sample images include a big error — they support … | Continue reading
The study is small and imperfect but offers more data on how time-restricted diets work. | Continue reading
While cold winters in the south and hot summers across the country are the most dramatic times for electricity usage — with air conditioners blasting as weary workers return home or inefficient electric heaters strain to keep toes warm from Chattanooga to El Paso before the sun i … | Continue reading
Transformers is known for being “more than meets the eye.” But when it comes to the characters from Transformers One, it’s more than meets the eyes, nose, and mouth. Read more... | Continue reading
New CNN head thinks CNN+ "was abandoned rather briskly." | Continue reading
Since Kathy asked, I spent my morning making another Cat Face Pillow. Kathy, who sent me the linen towel with those great cat faces on it, left a message saying if I made any more she’d like one for her sister who just rescued a cat. I have to admit, framing those individual cat … | Continue reading
Farmers spread treated human waste on their crops. It's full of forever chemicals. | Continue reading
GM pushes the electric pickup truck envelope with new vehicle-to-home EV charging package, starting with the new Chevy Silverado EV. The post GM Picks Up The Electric Pickup Truck Torch Dropped By Cybertruck appeared first on CleanTechnica. | Continue reading
These days the hens are up early. It’s as if they’re just waiting for me to open the door of the chicken coop. They follow me into the muddy barnyard where there are lots of good insects to eat. Or maybe they’re expecting me to feed them the way I feed the donkeys and sheep.... R … | Continue reading
It's time to stop maligning gefilte fish. Good gefilte fish is light and tender with a delicate, balanced flavor. And we can think of no other food that makes prepared horseradish taste so good—not even roast beef. Here's how to make gefilte fish you'll be proud to serve and happ … | Continue reading
I’ve used Zoom audio recorders for many years, including the Podtrac P4 I wrote about here a couple of years ago. I carry a Zoom H4n Pro in my backpack for radio field work.… | Continue reading
A new bioadhesive makes it easier to attach trackers to squid. Note: the article does not discuss squid privacy rights. As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered. Read my blog posting guidelines here. | Continue reading
It showed up in an eBay listing; now Roddenberry's son wants to show it to fans. | Continue reading