Technology

Congress dives into UFOs in a hearing featuring eyewitness testimony

July 26, 2023
A year after the first Congressional hearing on UFOs in 50 years, a House subcommittee revisited some enduring questions around a topic that once would have been laughed off. The hearing, held Wednesday by the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, explored a range of issues related to the baffling realm […]

Waymo puts the brakes on self-driving trucks program

July 26, 2023
Waymo is tapping the brakes on self-driving trucks and shifting most of its capital, resources and talent to one commercial bet: ride-hailing. The move, which was announced Wednesday in a company blog post, comes six years after Waymo first tested its autonomous vehicle system in Class 8 trucks. The company emphasized the decision was driven […]

This new tool could protect your pictures from AI manipulation

July 26, 2023
Remember that selfie you posted last week? There’s currently nothing stopping someone taking it and editing it using powerful generative AI systems. Even worse, thanks to the sophistication of these systems, it might be impossible to prove that the resulting image is fake.  The good news is that a new tool, created by researchers at…

Generative AI capabilities come to Amazon QuickSight

July 26, 2023
Amazon QuickSight, Amazon’s business intelligence service, is getting a few upgrades — courtesy of generative AI. Announced at AWS Summit New York this afternoon, QuickSight will soon be able to generate visuals, fine-tune and format those visuals when given instructions in natural language and create calculations from commands without specific syntax. On the QuickSight home […]

Twitter, now X, took over the @x handle without warning or compensating its owner

July 26, 2023
The owner of the @x Twitter handle confirmed that the company, now known as X, took over his account without warning or financial compensation, telling him the handle is a property of X. The handle had previously belonged to Gene X Hwang of the corporate photography and videography studio Orange Photography. In a letter, the company […]

Shopify Sidekick is like ChatGPT, but for ecommerce merchants

July 26, 2023
Shopify, like countless other Big Tech brands, is leaning into generative AI. At its bi-annual Editions conference, the ecommerce company announced an expanded set of features under Shopify Magic, Shopify’s catchall brand for generative AI. As of today, Shopify Magic can provide answers to merchants’ customers tailored to their conversation histories and store policies, and […]

Mirrorscape’s new AR tabletop platform could enhance your D&D campaign

July 26, 2023
Yet another virtual tabletop (VTT) tool has joined the fray, giving Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder and tabletop role-playing gamers alike a new augmented reality experience. Mirrorscape, a mixed reality and gaming development company, announced the open beta launch of its app, letting users experience their favorite tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) in AR. The new VTT […]

Walmart+ adds travel benefits to its list of perks

July 26, 2023
Walmart+, the U.S. retailer’s Prime competitor, is adding travel benefits to its list of perks. The company has announced that members can book getaways through WalmartPlusTravel.com and get Walmart Cash. Walmart+ members will receive 5% Walmart Cash on hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals and activities bookings, 2% Walmart Cash on all flights and a blended rate of […]