On September 19, 1982, Carnegie Mellon University computer science research assistant professor Scott Fahlman posted a message to the university’s bulletin board software that would later come to shape how people communicate online. His proposal: use 🙂 and 🙁 as markers to distinguish jokes from serious comments. While Fahlman describes himself as “the inventor ……
As sentences go, “Apple Intelligence now works in Apple Shortcuts” isn’t the most likely to inspire a lot of people to click a link. And that’s too bad: This change, one of the more overlooked new features in macOS 26, means you can use Apple’s on-board AI to do all kinds of things while designing…
It turns out that when an AI-friendly super PAC with $100 million in backing from Silicon Valley bigwigs identifies you as its first target, it ends up generating a lot of attention. “I want to thank [the PAC] for their partnership in raising up the issue of how we regulate an incredibly powerful technology so…
Elevated levels of CO2 lead to reduced cognitive ability and facilitate transmission of airborne viruses, which can linger in poorly ventilated spaces for hours. The more CO2 in the air, the more virus-friendly the air becomes, making CO2 data a handy proxy for tracing pathogens. In fact, the Australian Academy of Science described the pollution…
Someone needs to say it. Someone has to speak up in defense of being mid. I am a mid runner. Most of us are, as that is the definition of being mid. I work out every day, but I have a full-time job, two kids, a dog, and a spouse. I volunteer, and I have…
Forget coffee, you can now stay alert by strapping on a wristband that lightly zaps you awake. That’s what eCoffee Energyband, a Chinese gadget that sells for just over $100, is claiming to do. First released in late 2023, the product is a lightweight wearable with two electrode pads that sit against the inner wrist.…
KitchenAid’s strategy is one that maybe we should all live by—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Remaining nearly unchanged since its introduction in 1914, KitchenAid’s stand mixer has become such a legendary kitchen staple that we called the KitchenAid Artisan 7-Quart Lift Stand Mixer an “everlasting” kitchen must-have and put it on our Buy…
Named after NBC’s iconic logo, Peacock is a video streaming service primarily featuring series and film content from NBC Universal studios, as well as news and sports programming. Premium tiers include a larger content library and access to additional NBC Sports, Hallmark Channel, and WWE content—yes, we’re talkin’ wrasslin.’ And right now, you can get…
Thanks to the COVID pandemic and seemingly never ending wildfires, air purifiers have become an essential home appliance for overall health. Pretty much every building lets in a lot of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and vaporous chemicals. Not to mention off-gassing from indoor plastics, furniture, and paint. It’s important to ensure that the air…
Corporate AI slop feels inescapable in 2025. From website banner ads to outdoor billboards, images generated by businesses using AI tools surround me. Hell, even the bar down the street posts happy hour flyers with that distinctly hazy, amber glow of some AI graphics. On Thursday, Google launched Nano Banana Pro, the company’s latest image-generating…