Tech Boys

The first-ever World Humanoid Robot Games have come to a close with some new world records, but don't expect them to beat humans in a 100-meter dash any time soon. The three-day robotics event in Beijing, China that saw humanoid robots compete in everything from boxing to cleaning concluded this weekend. According to the World Humanoid Robot Games, more than 280 teams from 16 countries, including the US, Germany, Brazil and the host country, entered their robots into the event. A majority of the teams came from universities, but several teams came from established robotics companies like Unitree and Fournier Intelligence. Hundreds of robots competed in traditional sporting events like running, soccer and table tennis, along with events for more practical tasks, like cleaning or sorting medicine. Unitree snagged gold medals in four categories, including the 1,500-meter, 400-meter, 100-meter, and 4x100-meter dash events. According to Unitree, the fastest speed achieved by one of ...

A quirk of nature that helps magnify extremely distant cosmic objects allowed a space telescope to see a star that existed when the universe was only 900 million years old.  NASA's Hubble observatory made the discovery in 2022, making it the farthest and earliest star ever seen. Astronomers named it Earendel , meaning "morning star" in Old English.  A year later, scientists followed up with the James Webb Space Telescope because it has a larger mirror and collects light at longer infrared wavelengths. At that point, scientists thought they may have spotted a companion star, something they were surprised was technically possible, even with Webb's unprecedented power.  Now, a new study suggests that the astonishingly distant starlight of Earendel may be coming from more than just a single star or close pair. The paper, published   in  The Astrophysical Journal Letters , analyzes the previous Webb telescope data with computer models and finds a compelling c...

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle . As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for August 4 Where did Wordle come from? Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble , music identification game Heardle , and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once .  Wor...

A day after Reuters reported that Meta's AI rules permitted children to have "sensual" chats , a Republican senator launched an investigation into the tech giant. On Friday, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley posted a letter he sent to Mark Zuckerberg along with the announcement of the investigation. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. "Is there anything - ANYTHING - Big Tech won't do for a quick buck?" Hawley asked on X. "Now we learn Meta's chatbots were programmed to carry on explicit and 'sensual' talk with 8 year olds. It's sick." SEE ALSO: Meta’s AI rules permitted suggestive behavior with kids The letter goes into more detail on this point: To take but one example, your internal rules purportedly permit an AI chatbot to comment that an eight-year-old's body is "a work of art" of which "every inch… is a masterpiece—a treasure I cherish deeply." Similar conduc...

The Kobo Clara Colour is small, colorful, and built for library lovers. With OverDrive integration, you can borrow books directly from your e-reader — no phone or computer required. Its six-inch glare-free display, waterproof design, and lightweight build make it easy to take anywhere, while annotation tools and solid battery life round out the package. In this Pocket Worthy review, Mashable takes a closer look at why the Kobo Clara Colour is one of the most versatile and reader-friendly e-readers of 2025. from Mashable https://ift.tt/gxazV5i via IFTTT

If someone five years ago told me I’d be an influencer, I would have never believed them.  I’ve been cooking all my life. When I was a little girl, my grandmother would pull a chair up to the kitchen counter for me to stand on so I could see what she was doing and she would put me to work. Cooking for friends and family, experimenting with new recipes, and discovering delicious food has always been my passion. Today, I’m a one-woman show and run my business Big Delicious Life at home, most of it right in my kitchen. I shoot and edit all of my own photos and videos, actively manage my website, create content for big brand campaigns, and balance being a full time mom and homemaker. I still can’t believe that this is now my business. Technology helps me balance work and family Technology is always changing, and when you depend on it as a creator to run your business, you are constantly learning new things. From work, to baby gear, to home management and entertainment, tech is at...

This week's Meta AI chatbot leak could have repercussions for the company beyond bad PR. On Friday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said the Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he chairs, will investigate the company. "Your company has acknowledged the veracity of these reports and made retractions only after this alarming content came to light," Hawley wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg. "It's unacceptable that these policies were advanced in the first place." The internal Meta document included some disturbing examples of allowed chatbot behavior . This included "sensual" conversations with children. For example, the AI was permitted to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that "every inch of you is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply." The document dealt with race in similarly jarring ways. "Black people are dumber than White people" was an allowed response if the bot cited IQ tests in its r...

Intel has had some recent struggles in delivering results for its shareholders, but the company could soon be answering to an additional boss. The current administration is reportedly in talks to have the US government acquire a stake in the chipmaker. No specifics about the size or value of the potential share in the company have been disclosed, but the focus appears to be on increasing Intel's manufacturing footprint in the US. Bloomberg first reported the news, but at least one source cautioned the publication that the situation is still in flux. Intel initially shared plans to construct a semiconductor facility in Ohio in 2022 while Pat Gelsinger was still at the helm of the company. Since then, the project has faced delays , and at its latest quarterly earnings report, execs said Intel would " slow the pace " on the Ohio construction, as well as scrapping other international building plans and making workforce cuts. The potential for government ownership of Int...

Out of all the kitchen products we've put to the test, these 12 are the ones we'll always recommend — over and over again. Here's why we love them. from Mashable https://ift.tt/6bKjRzJ via IFTTT

Apple is still hard at work on becoming a relevant player in AI. The latest missive from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg suggests that Apple is shifting its artificial intelligence goals to center on new device segments. Sources reportedly told the publication that Apple has a slate of new smart home products in the works that could help pivot its lagging AI strategy. The center of the new lineup is a tabletop AI companion that has been described as an iPad on a movable robotic arm. It would be able to swivel to face the screen toward a user as they move around their home or office. Sources said the current prototype uses a horizontal display that's about seven inches while the motorized arm can move the screen about six inches away from the base in any direction. Equipped with a long-promised overhaul to the Siri voice assistant, this device could act like an additional person, recalling information, making suggestions and participating in conversations. According to Bloomberg , Apple...