If you were born after 2000, or know someone who is, the chances are you’ve come across this ludicrous AI-generated meme. If not, be reassured that its chaotic, nonsensical banality is the point When one of Tim’s year 8 pupils asked him about his “favourite Italian brain rot animal”, he thought he’d misheard. “My hearing …
A conference in Cambridge this week will explore a raft of geoengineering ideas to cool the region down – and attempt to address the fears of those who argue the risks outweigh the benefits When the glaciologist John Moore began studying the Arctic in the 1980s there was an abundance of suitable sites for him …
In Kojima’s latest epic, the Australian outback becomes a shifting, spectral landscape that you can get lost in As a teenager in the late 1980s, I became obsessed with Australian new wave cinema, thanks partly to the Mad Max trilogy, and partly to an English teacher at my high school, who rolled out the TV …
How Hideo Kojima created yet another weird, wonderful world in Death Stranding 2 Read More »
Desperate for news on war with Israel, people search for proxy links to route messages through servers outside Iran • Middle East crisis – live updates Amir* hasn’t slept much in days. From his apartment in northern Tehran, the 23-year-old spends his nights searching for proxy links, fragile digital lifelines that briefly break through the …
‘It’s like being walled in’: young Iranians try to break through internet blackout Read More »
US academics say computer code systematically raised fares at expense of drivers and passengers A second major academic institution has accused Uber of using opaque computer code to dramatically increase its profits at the expense of the ride-hailing app’s drivers and passengers. Research by academics at New York’s Columbia Business School concluded that the Silicon …
Second study finds Uber used opaque algorithm to dramatically boost profits Read More »
Xbox is putting a lot behind its new space action-RPG sequel – which will be the first $80/£70 video game from Microsoft. Does it earn its price tag? We asked the developer what went into it The Outer Worlds 2, from RPG makers Obsidian, will be the first first-party Xbox game to cost $80 (£70). …
The Outer Worlds 2, the most expensive Xbox game yet Read More »
The limited rollout in Austin, Texas, included pro-Tesla influencers using the paid ride service The main transportation safety regulator in the US is requesting information from Tesla after videos showed the company’s self-driving Robotaxis exceeding the speed limit or veering into the wrong lane. The company launched the service in Austin, Texas, over the weekend. …
US investigates Tesla’s Robotaxi launch after videos show erratically driving cars Read More »
The Last Week Tonight host went deep on the creative bankruptcy and long-term concerns over AI images and videos flooding the internet John Oliver covered the dangers of AI on his weekly HBO show, calling it “worryingly corrosive” for society. On Last Week Tonight, Oliver said that the “spread of AI generation tools has made …
John Oliver on AI slop: ‘Some of this stuff is potentially very dangerous’ Read More »
After a video calling a can of Diet Coke a ‘fridge cigarette’ went viral, people have been discussing how they find moments of relief amid the pressures of work Name: Fridge cigarette. Age: As a thing, not so new, but the term has only really been knocking about for a few weeks, since a user …
The ‘fridge cigarette’: how gen Z reframed the smoking break Read More »
Iran, clearly fearful of an online Israeli incursion, imposed a near-total internet blackout early last week The war between Israel and Iran, though largely a fight of fighter planes, drones and bombs, is erupting in the digital realm as well. Both countries have long histories with digital warfare. The particular focus of the current conflict, …
