I grew up in a Star Trek household, not a Star Wars one. More to the point, I wasn’t even allowed to watch Star Wars when I was a kid, so I didn’t see the original trilogy until I was nearly an adult—about 17 years old, as I recall. For my then-fundamentalist Christian family, the … Read more
A rock counts as a tool. Credit: Matthew Molter A rock counts as a tool. Credit: Matthew Molter In the end, Wolff was able to get his car drivable by hitting the steering components with a rock and using a ratchet strap to hold it in place. He then manhandled the heavy car to his … Read more
Flash floods are among the deadliest weather events in the world, killing more than 5,000 people each year. They’re also among the most difficult to predict. But Google thinks it has cracked that problem in an unlikely way — by reading the news. While humans have assembled a lot of weather data, flash floods are … Read more
Elon Musk’s Neuralink and OpenAI-backed Merge Labs are pushing forward with brain–computer interface (BCI) technology in the U.S. Meanwhile, Chinese serial entrepreneur Phoenix Peng is building rival efforts through two startups: NeuroXess, which develops implantable BCI systems, and a second company, Gestala, developing non-invasive ultrasound-based BCIs. Gestala has raised $21.6 million (CN¥150 million) just two … Read more
When the production company Particle6 debuted its AI-generated “actor” Tilly Norwood last fall, the move was not warmly welcomed by Hollywood. “Good Lord, we’re screwed,” Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt said in an interview with the industry publication Variety. “Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop.” If only Particle6 followed Blunt’s advice. Instead, the … Read more
Buy once (or more) to play anywhere While Google announced last year it was opening the door to all Android games on Windows, things haven’t exactly worked out like that. It should have been easy, though. None of these “Windows” games is actually built for Windows—Play Games uses virtualization to run a lightweight Android OS … Read more
Nuro, the Silicon Valley-based startup backed by Nvidia, Uber, and Softbank, is testing its autonomous vehicle technology in Japan. Toyota Prius vehicles equipped with Nuro’s self-driving software — and human safety operators behind the wheel as backup — began testing on public roads in Tokyo last month. The testing marks the first overseas expansion for … Read more
For months, Grammarly has been using the identities of real people (including us) for its “Expert Review” AI suggestions without getting their permission, and now it’s facing a lawsuit from one of the journalists included, as previously reported by Wired. The class-action complaint filed by journalist Julia Angwin on Wednesday alleges that Superhuman violated the … Read more
Google on Wednesday announced a slew of new gaming-focused updates to Google Play at GDC 2026. The tech giant revealed that Google Play is expanding its catalog to include anticipated paid and PC indie games, launching game trials, introducing “buy once, play anywhere” pricing, rolling out a wishlist tool, and adding community posts. The updates … Read more
Zendesk is acquiring Forethought, a company that builds software to automate customer service interactions, the companies announced on Wednesday. The deal is expected to close by the end of March. While AI agents, particularly for customer service, may be all the rage now, Forethought was years ahead of its time. In fact, it was the … Read more