Tech

7,225 stories/6 topics

A judge just sealed the Jane Doe v. Cornell complaint.

Another person was doxxed because of the Cornell rape lawsuit — this time, it was a man who shares a name with one of the defendants, and who didn’t attend Cornell at all. In the order to seal the complaint and other documents, judge Phaedra F. Perry Bond wrote that “everyone involved, be it the public, parties, or their attorneys, needs to do their part in bringing the temperature down before someone gets hurt.” [Media: https://twitter.com/Uebey/status/2108622657814172079]

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Software & security

Ohio blogger found guilty of harassment for sending Shrek nude to senator

Ohio political blogger DJ Byrnes was found guilty of harassment after sending a naked Shrek picture to Republican state Sen. Jerry Cirino.

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Artificial intelligence

An Anthropic AI model sent a false homicide tip to Philadelphia police | TechCrunch

Anthropic did not discover this behavior until over two months after its AI submitted the false tip.

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Artificial intelligence

Laura Reiley on Sam Altman’s “unsatisfying” Vanity Fair interview answer.

It was Reiley’s question for the OpenAI CEO about releasing logs from ChatGPT users who’ve taken their own lives that was nearly interrupted recently. Now she writes that while Altman was “gracious” to answer, she says he chose the wrong one: > Altman claiming the privacy high road is a little rich. Companies like Google, Meta, and now OpenAI earn revenue from advertising that depends on extensive use of personal information. And Altman’s assertion that experts “aren’t sure what to do” is either disingenuous or misinformed. Part of our collective mounting dread is that this technology is far outstripping the ability, access, and time required to study its effects on human beings. > Researchers have been saying loud and clear: We need user data and chatbot interactions to conduct research. If you or anyone you know is considering self-harm or needs to talk, contact the following people who want to help: In the US, text or call 988. Outside the US, contact https://www.iasp.info/.

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Software & security

Southwest Airlines says ‘brief’ system outage affected boarding, checked bags

Southwest confirmed the news shortly after travelers began to report delays on Friday morning.

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Artificial intelligence

‘Pure insanity’: Mathematicians will need years to make sense of OpenAI’s latest drop

Careers upended overnight, academics will have to separate solutions from slop while OpenAI moves on.

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Software & security

Russia will supply US and global markets with diesel, Trump says

Russia will supply the U.S. and global market with diesel, President Trump announced Friday, responding to sky-rocketing prices exacerbated by both the Russia-Ukraine and U.S.-Iran wars. The president’s move comes less than a month from the midterm elections, where rising energy prices are dominating voters’ concerns. Trump on Friday said that Russia would “immediately” supply…

14h ago

Gadgets

PC shipments dropped around 20 percent in Q3, analyst firms say.

As noted by Windows Central, IDC reported a 20.1 percent decline while Omdia reported that shipments fell 21.2 percent. Both said that the lowered shipments followed a pull-forward in shipments earlier in 2026. “Vendors and channels bought ahead of price hikes, which inflated early year shipments and left Q3 starved of demand,” according to IDC. “The result is a broken seasonal pattern: the third quarter is normally larger than the second, and this year it fell short.” [Link: HP, Lenovo, and Dell took the biggest hit as global PC shipments dropped a massive 20% in Q3 | https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/global-pc-shipments-drop-20-yoy | Windows Central]

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Science & space

Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines used at many data centers | TechCrunch

Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines as the data center boom pushes prices up.

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Software & security

Brendan Carr says he’ll let Pete Hegseth decide whether TV networks can air the public execution

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that he would defer to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on whether TV networks can air the planned execution of the Fort Hood shooter by firing squad, which the Pentagon says will be livestreamed.

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Artificial intelligence

Nikon microscopic video competition winner disqualified for using generative AI

The first place winner of Nikon’s Small World in Motion video contest has been disqualified after admitting the video used AI in post-processing.

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Software & security

Ossoff: Hegseth ‘deeply unwell’

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) on Friday called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “a deeply unwell person” over his plan to livestream a firing squad execution next month. “I think Pete Hegseth is, frankly … a deeply unwell person who seems to relish this kind of brutality,” Ossoff said on MS NOW. The Pentagon a day prior…

15h ago

Gadgets

Google teases Fitbit Edge launch next week

Google is getting ready to launch its rumored fitness tracker, the Fitbit Edge, on October 12th.

15h ago

Gadgets

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is down to $950 after Prime Day

The S26 Ultra’s privacy display is the headlining feature.

16h ago

Gadgets

Amazon’s new Kindles appear to have a light leak problem

Reddit users are reporting shadows and visible LEDs around screen edge of new Kindles.

16h ago

Science & space

White House on Trump purchasing SpaceX debt before space order: ‘No conflicts of interest’

The White House said Friday there was no conflict of interest when President Trump’s accounts bought more than $1 million in SpaceX debt two days before he signed an executive order on space transportation policy. The president’s financial disclosure for August, published Thursday, shows Trump’s accounts purchased between $1 million and $5 million in senior…

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Software & security

Billy Joel's Social Security Check vs. the Average American's

Even millionaires collect Social Security. Billy Joel’s likely benefit highlights an important retirement planning lesson.

17h ago

Companies

LumenUs helps automate tedious paperwork in times of grief | TechCrunch

"The day your loved one passes away, you also get this honorary badge of a project manager for a project you had no idea about," said founder Sara Tashakorinia.

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