Meta confirms it is blocking EU-based users from accessing Threads via VPN (techcrunch.com)
Why AI detectors think the US Constitution was written by AI (arstechnica.com)
Chinese company wins race for first methane-fueled rocket to orbit
Chinese company wins race for first methane-fueled rocket to orbit...
TV producers wanted AI rights of extras forever, says union (www.theregister.com)
Hollywood's 'Groundbreaking' AI Proposal for Actors Is a Nightmare (gizmodo.com)
SAG-AFTRA said that AMPTP’s AI plan included scanning background actors and using their likenesses “for the rest of eternity.”
Producers allegedly sought rights to replicate extras using AI, forever, for just $200 (www.theregister.com)
Union prez Fran Drescher thinks Hollywood’s digital desires have no style or flair
Meet Microsoft Office’s new default font: Aptos (www.theverge.com)
I am trying to move my Discord community to other platform, due to privacy issue, any recommendation?
Apple introduces offline Maps—but how does it compare with Google Maps? (arstechnica.com)
Virgin Galactic's first private passenger spaceflight will launch as soon as August 10th (www.engadget.com)
Reddit is getting rid of its Gold awards system (www.theverge.com)
Reddit is going to sunset its current coins and awards systems, meaning you won’t be able to buy Reddit Gold for posts you like. However, it is working on a new system for awards.
Firmware. (seemel.ink)
We should not let the open web die a quiet death (www.wired.com)
Is Flatpaks the future for Linux?
So a few popular Linux distros decided to drop a few major packages like how red hat dropped rpm packages for libreoffice in favor for the flatpak packages....
Twitter Inc. is starting to provide revenue for impressions (twitter.com)
While there's nothing inherently wrong with this, the current state of the social media meta is to purposefully stir up drama and ragebait for clicks. Now aside from just impressions and clout, people will have an actual monetary incentive to do so....
GM ditches Apple CarPlay: a smart drive or a dead end? (www.arenaev.com)
Remember that old BSOD screensaver from back in the day? TIL it's actually published by Microsoft (learn.microsoft.com)
I remember installing this or a similar one on a friend’s laptop, just setting it as the screen saver for later chaos. Must have been around Vista era....
Sega workers form largest multi-department video game union in the US (www.theverge.com)
Workers at Sega of America’s Burbank and Irvine, California, offices have voted to form the country’s fifth video game union and the largest multi-department union.
Why SUSE is forking Red Hat Enterprise Linux (techcrunch.com)
A storm is brewing in open-source land that could change the Linux distro landscape
PC market shows signs of a turnaround after historic slide (www.computerworld.com)
Business demand for desktops and laptops is expected to return to growth early next year after a series of declines in recent quarters. But uncertainty remains, as macroeconomic concerns persist.
Why the Early Success of Threads May Crash Into Reality (www.nytimes.com)
Mark Zuckerberg has used Meta’s might to push Threads to a fast start — but that may only work up to a point.
Opinion: After Microsoft defeat, ‘toothless’ FTC needs to pick better battles if it wants to rein in Big Tech (www.marketwatch.com)
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s defeat as it sought to block Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of videogame maker Activision Blizzard is yet another setback for an increasingly toothless regulator that needs to pick better battles with Big Tech.
FTC appeal in Microsoft/Activision case shows US regulator isn’t giving up yet (arstechnica.com)
The Federal Trade Commission has given legal notice that it intends to appeal a recent district court decision that denied a temporary injunction in Microsoft’s proposed merger with Activision.
New EU regulations mandate user-replaceable batteries in Apple products (appleinsider.com)
Regulations approved by the European Council now mandate that companies, including Apple, must ensure that batteries in the iPhone and other products are replaceable by users.