Can you monitor a situation without monitors? The Polymarket sports bar tried
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I was taking Friday off in Maine when two major pieces of tech news dropped: first, the White House released its framework for a comprehensive national AI bill with the intent of passing it through Congress. (Hayden Field, our AI reporter, has a thorough analysis of it here.) Second (and clearly more important), Polymarket opened th …
The United States router ban, explained
You've probably heard the US government has banned foreign-made consumer Wi-Fi routers over national security fears.
You might be wondering: WTF is going on?
Just another day in America under Donald Trump and FCC chairman Brendan Carr. You're probably fine for now, but if you want to know why there's so much chaos, read on.
The government's not taking away my router, right?
No, you can keep using your router in the United States of America no matter where it was made - the FCC is crystal-clear about that. You can even go buy a replacement: "Consumers will continue to be able to purchase previously authorized routers," it writes.
Is the …
Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction case
The jury in a landmark trial testing claims about social media addiction against Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube determined that the two companies failed to warn users about the risks of using their products. The jury found the companies' negligence was a substantial factor in harms like the mental health issues sustained by a now 20-year-old woman Kaley G.M., who used Instagram and YouTube.
The jury ordered both companies to pay a total of $3 million in compensatory damages, with Meta responsible for 70 percent of that balance, according to jurors' responses shared by a firm representing plaintiffs including Kaley. Jurors found that …
Nintendo is going to charge less for digital Switch 2 games
Nintendo is planning to charge less for digital titles exclusive to the Switch 2 starting in May, the company announced on Wednesday. The new pricing is already in effect for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which costs $59.99 to preorder a digital copy and $69.99 for the physical version.
In its announcement, Nintendo says both physical and digital copies of its Switch 2 games will offer the same experiences, adding that the price change "simply reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format." It's not clear if Nintendo is tweaking prices in other regions, however, as Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is stil …
X tries to limit creator revenue for foreign influencers but Musk intervenes
X's Head of Product, Nikita Bier, announced a change to the platform's creator payouts on Tuesday, but according to Elon Musk, the change isn't going live just yet.
Bier shared a post announcing that in determining payments, X "will be giving more weight to impressions from your home region." The motivation appears to be discouraging engagement farming via political posts, with Bier adding that, "While we appreciate everyone's opinion on American politics, we hope this will disincentivize gaming the attention of US or Japanese accounts."
The TSA is broken — is privatization next?
KC Guidry usually gets to the airport two hours before a flight to give herself enough time to get through security. But she knew her flight on the morning of Monday, March 23, out of Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport was going to be anything but routine.
"I heard the lines were long through TikTok and through the news," she said. "The day before, I saw the wait time for the terminal I needed to leave from was 200 minutes. I saw they were not doing PreCheck or CLEAR, so I adjusted my schedule."
She arrived at the airport at 12:30AM for a 7:20AM flight and joined a security line that was already looping around Houston's Termina …
Cox Communications not liable for pirated music, Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court has issued its ruling in a lengthy copyright battle between Cox Communications and major record labels, determining that the cable and internet service provider isn't responsible for illegally downloaded music, as reported earlier by the Associated Press. The unanimous decision says Cox "neither induced its users' infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement."
Several record labels, led by Sony Music, sued Cox in 2018, alleging the company allowed 60,000 internet subscribers to download over 10,000 copyrighted songs illegally. A jury found Cox liable for piracy in 2019 and granted Sony $1 billion in damages …
Seiko resurrected a 44-year-old digital watch NASA astronauts wore to space
The Omega Speedmaster Professional, worn by Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 lunar landing, is the most recognized watch to go to space. But the Seiko Rotocall, featuring a unique design that made it easier to switch between the watch's various modes, could be a close second. Seiko has resurrected and rereleased the watch used by several NASA astronauts up until 2002, including Sally Ride. The new version has a slightly updated design, but it carries forward the same basic LCD display and functionality as the original.
The original version of the Seiko Rotocall debuted in 1982 for $125. The new version, available in three versions called th …
Reddit accounts with ‘fishy’ bot-like behavior will soon need to prove they’re human
Reddit is taking new steps to identify bots on the platform - a process that may require some users to confirm that they're human. In a post on Wednesday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman writes that the company will introduce a labeling system for accounts registered as bots, and ask users with "automated" or "fishy behavior" to verify that they're human using methods like fingerprint scanning or submitting their ID.
With this update, developers can register automated accounts with Reddit, which will then receive an "[APP]" label. However, Reddit also notes that it will be on the lookout for unlabeled accounts with suspicious behavior. "If somethi …
Google Lyria 3 Pro makes longer AI songs
Google is expanding the capabilities of its Lyria 3 music-making AI, enabling it to create tracks up to three minutes long and from within multiple other Google Products. Until now, Lyria had been limited to 30-second clips. Lyria 3 Pro not only increases the maximum length sixfold, it also allows the user to prompt for specific elements like intros, choruses, and bridges for greater control over arrangements.
Lyria 3 Pro works much like other popular music generation tools, such as Suno and Udio. Describe a mood, style, or instrumentation, and it spits out a track. It can also generate lyrics based on your prompt, or even a reference photo …