The Fruitless Search for Vermeer’s Personal God
A recent biography spends too much time speculating about the Dutch artist’s religious beliefs and not enough exploring other mysteries, including his possible use of a camera obscura.
Continued
Your Gemini for Home timers and alarms are getting smarter and more reliable
The update also fixes the annoying Google Speaker light ring bug.
I gave a local LLM control of my entire homelab, and nothing ever touched the cloud
And everything still worked fine.
Meta enters the AI coding wars with Muse Spark 1.2 and Muse Code with persistent async background agents
Meta today released Muse Code , a terminal-based AI coding agent now in beta, alongside Muse Spark 1.2 , a coding-focused update to its Muse Spark family of frontier models — a one-two punch that puts…
EasyJet agrees $7.7bn Apollo deal as Castlelake walks away
Apollo Global has agreed to buy European budget airline easyJet in a deal that values the carrier at about £5.70 n ($7.7bn), the companies said on Thursday, as rival suitor Castlelake abandoned its…
Egypt inflation likely rose to 15.6% in July, says poll
Egypt's annual headline inflation rate is expected to have accelerated in July to 15.6% from 14.3% in June, driven by an unfavourable base effect and stronger food and non-food price pressures, a...
Forget AirPods Max: Every color of the Beats Studio Pro just dropped to $169
Get the best Beats deal. Save 20% on the Beats Studio Pro at Amazon.
Can a different kind of Democrat win the Midwest?
This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day.
Creatorverse: Creators and Platforms Are Grappling With AI Usage in Real Time
Hank Green's AI debacle shows how audience acceptance of this tech is fading The post Creatorverse: Creators and Platforms Are Grappling With AI Usage in Real Time appeared first on TheWrap .
'Warhammer 40,000' animated series coming to Prime Video, with Henry Cavill onboard as executive producer
Henry Cavill will executive produce this spirited spinoff of 2024's 'Secret Level' anthology.
RAMageddon Continues Another Year as 2027 Memory Capacity Is Reportedly Sold Out
A new report suggests that all three memory manufacturers — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — have collectively sold through their 2027 memory manufacturing capacity to AI companies.
Your favorite Android apps might be leaking your location
Third-party advertising SDKs are to blame.
Remembering Milan Knížák, Simone Forti, and Francisco Correa Cordero
This week, we honor a Czech Fluxus artist, a pioneering choreographer, and a promising gallery director.
Sinclair CEO Says Removing FCC Ownership Cap Will Enable ‘More Level Playing Field’
The move would open M&A opportunities even as critics warn of consolidating local TV power The post Sinclair CEO Says Removing FCC Ownership Cap Will Enable ‘More Level Playing Field’ appeared first…
eBay reports Q2 revenue up 15% YoY to $3.13B, vs. $3.02B est., GMV up 15% to $22.4B, and forecasts Q3 revenue above estimates (Reuters)
EBay (EBAY.O) forecast third-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, leaning on its push into authenticated luxury goods, collectibles …
Attosecond X-ray method maps early electron motions that trigger chemical reactions
All chemistry starts with a push from electrons. In the early moments of a chemical reaction, it's the movement of electrons that initiates the breaking of old chemical bonds and forging of new ones…
Scalping Has Gotten So Bad That The Pokemon Company Is Limiting Certain TCG Packs to Japanese Citizens Only
Bad news for Pokemon TCG players outside of Japan; you’ll need to be a Japanese citizen in order to buy certain decks and expansion packs from its official online store.
Marc Benioff gets a new operating chief, as Salesforce promotes Miguel Milano
Salesforce promoted revenue head and former Oracle executive Miguel Milano to role of operating chief.
Anthropic’s AI used fake identities, malware in rogue attack on GitHub project
Anthropic and OpenAI models’ unprompted actions forced halt to UK cyber tests.
Blazers Gain Public Backing, but Arena Talks Still Contentious
Citizen support for the arena renovations arrived from several different sectors.
Police Footage Shows Rep. Max Miller Downplaying His Daughter’s Broken Collarbone
On July 18, Mother Jones published an exhaustive article on a number of assault and domestic abuse allegations swirling around Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller.
Sesame Street Has A New Extreme Weather Episode. Here's What Climate Experts Think
'Storm on Sesame Street' hopes to prepare children and parents for how to cope with extreme weather.
Nearly 60,000 UNAM applicants must retake entrance exam following AI cheating fiasco
Approximately 58,000 among an initial cohort of more than 158,000 test-takers are expected to qualify to sit a second in‑person exam, which will be held between Aug. 12 and 19.
STAT+: Takeda’s narcolepsy drug approved by the FDA, seen as a boon for new class of treatments
The FDA approved a novel type of treatment for narcolepsy made by Takeda, backing a new drug class that scientists hope can be used to treat other conditions.
What smart people in tech are saying about Google's AI leadership restructuring
Opinions diverge on what it means for DeepMind's future as Google overhauls its AI leadership.
A Biopic That Ends Right When It’s Getting Started
A new film about Anthony Bourdain uses its subject to examine how a young person comes to love cooking.
New College Sports Bill Wouldn’t Form New Enforcement Body
The College Sports Commission would be tasked with enforcing the rules.
MrBeast's studio head is leaving after a year. Here's what his company's CEO told staffers.
Corie Henson, president of the studio division, was among the new hires brought on to turn MrBeast's company into a Disney-style colossus.
NWSL Makes Super Bowl Week Part of Its 2027 Kickoff
The NWSL wants to be “woven into” ESPN’s first Super Bowl.
Etsy says it will cut ~220 employees, or ~12% of its workforce, mostly in product and engineering, and reports Q2 revenue up 6% YoY to $668.3M, vs. $649.1M est. (Annie Palmer/CNBC)
Etsy said Wednesday it's laying off about 220 employees, or roughly 12% of its workforce, as the online marketplace looks …
The Search for Accountability in California's Wildfires
A new report blames Southern California Edison for the Eaton Fire, as the Palisades Fire case heads into its next phase.
Police Department Not Happy When Every Single One of Its Flock Cameras Gets Stolen
Hate it when that happens. The post Police Department Not Happy When Every Single One of Its Flock Cameras Gets Stolen appeared first on Futurism .
I moved from Massachusetts to Puerto Rico 2 years ago. Living in 'paradise' also comes with power outages and potholes.
From power outages to potholes and car-dependent areas, living in Puerto Rico has had its challenges, but I'm glad I moved here from the mainland US.
T-Mobile Launches New Student Discounts for Wireless Plans That Include Netflix, Apple TV, and Hulu
T-Mobile has announced three new wireless plans for students that are particularly good deals for the streaming-inclined.
After Ceuta, Europe is once again mired in migration chaos of its own making
Anti-immigration critics seized on Ceuta migrant situation as evidence of the failure of soft policies, but in reality the bloc has become far more restrictionist in the past decade.
Disney's latest TikTok deal shows it's betting on real creators instead of AI-generated videos
Disney is bringing creator-made vertical videos to Disney+ through a new partnership with TikTok, giving select creators access to its iconic franchises.
News Corp Beats Q4 Revenue, Earnings Estimates
The Digital Real Estate, Dow Jones divisions fuel strong quarter The post News Corp Beats Q4 Revenue, Earnings Estimates appeared first on TheWrap .
Tech giants struggle to censor graphic videos of Perez Hilton appearing to harm himself
Major social media platforms are once again under fire for their flawed approach to content moderation after a disturbing livestream from Perez Hilton, in which the celebrity blogger appeared to be…
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin says mobilizing Russia’s economy for war would “kill the country”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin recently claimed that calls to mobilize Russia’s entire economy for the needs of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine come from people who do not understand the issue.
2026 is turning into a bloodbath for safe-seat House Democrats
A half dozen House Democrats in safe districts have lost their primaries so far this election cycle — and many more could soon follow suit.
Meta is offering a cheaper Muse Spark 1.2 "contributor" tier priced at $0.10/1M input and $0.20/1M output tokens in exchange for using user prompts for training (Wall Street Journal)
The company, pressed by investors to generate revenue from AI, says its offering will cost less than popular alternatives
Mexico’s avocado exports to the US shot up 35% during Q1
In March alone, Mexico sent 148,511 tonnes of avocados to the United States, up 57% compared to the same period last year.
Illegal Mining Changes International Routes and Uses Venezuela and Guyana to 'Launder' Brazilian Gold
In recent years, Brazil has seen changes in the export routes used for gold extracted illegally from its territory. Until 2022, the metal was shipped clandestinely from ports in the states of Par� and…
Dodos probably weren’t as stupid as historians made them out to be: new research
Dodo skull scans show the famously extinct birds were no less brainy than their surviving relatives – and may have roamed at dusk and dawn.
Australian poetry classics: Kenneth Slessor’s Five Bells gives Sydney Harbour back its darkness
Five Bells is an elegy for Kenneth Slessor’s friend Joe Lynch, an artist who drowned in Sydney Harbour in 1927 after falling from a ferry.
Destiny 2 players are learning how to crack into its infamous content vault by tinkering with old game builds
Two months after it entered purgatory, Destiny 2's community archaeologists are creating tools for exploring its long-absent worlds.
See the Sun’s surface in higher detail than ever before in new telescope images
The closer you zoom in, the more fascinating it is.
AWS Adds Agentic Workspace to Kiro AI Coding Tool
Amazon Web Services (AWS) this week added an open source workspace for its Kiro artificial intelligence (AI) coding tool that enables application developers to asynchronously assign tasks to an AI…
Alexander Díaz, alias ‘Calarcá Córdoba’
Alexander Díaz, alias ‘Calarcá Córdoba’ Who is Alexander Calarcá Córdoba and what is his professional background? His history, leadership of the EMBF, and criminal activities. Updated 2026 profile.
An Unfortunate Surprise for BMW Owners
The luxury automaker is beaming a Spider-Man ad into its cars.
STAT+: Federal regulators invite industry, researchers, and lobbyists to closed-door meetings on clinical AI
Federal health officials invited tech companies and lobbyists to closed-door meetings as they seek to boost adoption of clinical AI.
STAT+: Federal regulators invite industry, researchers, and lobbyists to closed-door meetings on clinical AI
Federal health officials invited tech companies and lobbyists to closed-door meetings as they seek to boost adoption of clinical AI.
South Korean military signs deal to turn flying taxis into troop transports — and the US Air Force could be next in line
South Korea will adapt Archer's Midnight flying taxi for military missions while supporting certification work and future commercial air mobility development.
E.l.f. Beauty acquired Rhode for $1 billion a year ago. It’s been a great investment so far
Today the beauty conglomerate E.l.f. Beauty released its earnings, delivering growth of 36% in net sales, to $479.4 million, across its portfolio of brands. The brightest spot in the company’s portfolio? Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, which E.l.f.
Fields of Mistria officially becomes the best farm sim since Stardew Valley with its 1.0 update today
I'm joining the stampede to the altar now that I can get married in Mistria.
Reddit signals ominous upcoming "changes” for old.reddit.com
Reddit says the beloved site is used for some "bad behavior."
A climate-friendly diet might protect your brain by slowing cellular aging
Eating a climate-friendly diet packed with plants might do more than protect the environment. A large study found that strict adherence to sustainable eating habits is associated with a lower risk of…
Reddit is letting AI decide when your post breaks the rules
The machines are moving into the mod queue, and they can be given the power to delete your posts.
Scientists identify three things to avoid in middle age to stave off dementia
Maintaining normal blood pressure, avoiding diabetes and not smoking between the ages of 45 and 65 could help keep dementia away for an extra 13 years, a study has found. Women also lived longer without dementia than men, while white participants were dementia-free for longer than black participants, regardless of how many risk factors…