This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Are we there yet? A reality check on six big tech promises Some seemingly impossible feats are too good to give up on. Decoding a pet’s yowls and yips? Absolutely. Scrubbing…
The Download: testing six tech promises and biotech’s blind spots
Source: MIT Technology Review
Original reporting
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The Verge
Netflix can’t fire its way out of this downward spiral
Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters assured investors this week that they have nothing to be concerned about. Sure, the company was going to lay off 1,000 employees, downsizing its product, tech, and legal departments, and was ousting its chief content officer, film chairman, and film vice president. But it had also hired a […]
The Verge
People are vibe coding their way to better TVs
Vibe coding has reached TVs. Social media is awash with posts from people using LLMs and open-source tools to remove ads and tracking, trim bloat so the OS runs faster, and even completely change the look and organization of their homescreens. While a lot of it is fun - one user turned their TV homescreen […]
The Verge
Brick’s new app blocker is designed for bedtime doomscrolling
Brick, the company behind the $59 gadget that blocks you from using apps on your phone, has launched a new device that's designed to help you cut back on doomscrolling in bed. The $129 Brick Night introduces a location-based element: instead of requiring you to tap your phone against the device, like the OG Brick, […]
BBC Technology
'It's been relentless' say IT workers on frontline of PHP cyber-security scramble
IT and cyber experts have told the BBC about their struggles in the last 48 hours to update their systems.
The Verge
Retro gaming is being overrun with AI
Retro video games are everywhere lately - especially in places where they aren't supposed to be. Halo in a web browser, Wind Waker on the iPhone, Super Smash Bros. in mixed reality. Over the past month or so, these kinds of unexpected projects have gone viral with incredible frequency thanks to new AI tools, as […]
Ars Technica
Ukraine learns to fight without Starlink as Musk plays politics with satellites
Ukraine has changed drones and war-fighting tech to reduce reliance on Starlink.