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Showing posts from September, 2026

Trump rebrands AI as ‘super intelligence’ as tech giants sign White House accord

The White House has a new name for artificial intelligence and a new promise for the future of "Super Intelligence." President Donald Trump and leaders of several major American technology companies signed a voluntary agreement on Sept. 29, 2026, known as the White House Accord on Super Intelligence . The accord was signed after a "Super Intelligence Luncheon" in the White House's East Room featuring the biggest players in tech and the AI industry. Attendees included Elon Musk (xAI), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Sundar Pichai (Google), Greg Brockman (OpenAI), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Lisa Su (AMD), and Alex Karp (Palantir). Notably, Apple was not. SEE ALSO: Trump's AI-powered America.gov is here. It was built by DOGE alumni and runs on Grok. No one from the company appeared on the chart, even though then-CEO Tim Cook had been a fixtur...

Did Muse read private texts without permission? Meta says it couldn’t.

Meta's Muse is supposed to help with your digital life. But a dispute over its access to private messages raises a basic question about exactly how much users are letting it see. In a Sept. 19 column for Inc. , tech writer Jason Aten said he installed Muse on his iPhone and Mac and asked it to research his background and suggest ways it could help. Later, he said, the agent suggested a story idea based on a private text conversation with his podcast co-host, Stephen Robles, about the new iPhones. It also flagged a message from his editor about a deadline. "I never gave it permission to read my messages," Aten wrote. He said he remembered explicitly declining access to his messages, calendar, and other personal information during setup. So he asked how it knew what he was texting. Muse claimed the Mac app was passing along incoming notification banners. "It’s the incoming notification stream only, not access to your texts," the agent told him, according to Aten....

Singapore pilots a government-built dating service

Singapore's government is trying its hand at matchmaking again. The country's Government Technology Agency (GovTech) has launched FirstDate , a pilot dating service for singles aged 21 to 35. For now, it's open only to public officers, according to the service's website. Applications close Oct. 5. FirstDate is designed as an alternative to endless swiping. Instead of browsing a stream of profiles, users fill out a questionnaire about their interests, habits, values, and preferences. The service then sends them one match per cycle (the time it takes to mutually accept and presumably meet up). Each match includes a compatibility score, a brief description of the person, and a personal note. SEE ALSO: The best hookup apps for 2026: I swiped until my thumb hurt The matching relies on the Gale-Shapley algorithm , a well-known mathematical method for pairing people based on their ranked preferences. It's the same...

PSA: Avengers: Endgame Encore features one less Doomsday tease in non-IMAX theaters

If you want to catch every Avengers: Doomsday teaser in Avengers: Endgame Encore , be warned. Not every theater is showing all four extra scenes. SEE ALSO: 'Avengers: Endgame Encore' sets up 'Doomsday' with 4 new scenes. Here's what happens. Instead, only IMAX screenings of Avengers: Endgame Encore are showing all of the extra scenes, along with Infinity Vision theaters. Infinity Vision is not a new film format, but rather a certification program created by Disney to tell audiences which Premium Large Format theaters have met their criteria for an "exceptional" moviegoing experience. Audiences were disappointed by the fact that IMAX and Infinity Vision screenings of Avengers: Endgame Encore got exclusive content, especially since the missing scene amounts to a good chunk of the extra four minutes tacked on to Avengers: Endgame . In an Aug. 25 press release, Disney did make note of the difference ...

Leaked photos appear to show a new Kindle is coming — heres what we know

After two years, it appears we're getting a new Kindle . The news comes from leaked photos posted by Roland Quandt on WinFuture , showcasing 25 new photos of a new Kindle. In the photos, there appears to be a redesigned 12th generation of Kindle, an update to its 2024 predecessor . From the photos, it appears the new Kindle e-reader will come in three different shades: black, light blue, and purple. It also appears that the device received an overall redesign. The most exciting change is something I'd hoped would come to a new batch of Kindles — a redesigned power button. Here's your first look at the 12th Gen #Amazon #Kindle (s?). New colors, new design, Power button is now on the side. I know there are visual differences in the pics re the display and it's rounded corners. So this might be more than one new device. Official pics: winfuture.de/news,161586.... [image or embed] — Roland Quandt ( @rquandt.bsky.social ) September 28, 2026 at 8:24 AM In the leaked ...

One encryption tool can lock down 10GB in 35 seconds, and a lifetime subscription is only $40

TL;DR: Encrypt and privately share Windows files with an EncryptPro Personal Plan lifetime subscription for $39.99 (reg. $139). Opens in a new window Credit: EncyptPro EncryptPro Personal Plan for Windows: Lifetime Subscription ...

How to improve your FPS for better gaming (without buying new hardware)

Frame rates and graphical fidelity have an inverse relationship, so making your games look a little less beautiful runs them much better. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/jeWfJmh via IFTTT

How to improve CarPlay navigation if you use Google Maps over Apple Maps

Google Maps can't be set as the default GPS app in CarPlay in most regions, but you can still make it easier to use while driving. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/Md9mLRX via IFTTT

When is it worth using a bike computer over a smartphone?

Your phone may be all you need until battery life, navigation or rough conditions start getting in the way. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/Jv19SLT via IFTTT

How to turn your old MacBook into a home NAS server

If you have a MacBook sitting around collecting dust, you can give it new life by turning it into a home NAS server. Here's how to get started. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/RTlqcWH via IFTTT

Here's what happens to your old computer parts you donate to Goodwill

Goodwill has a pretty robust electronics refurbishment program. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/ZThW7A6 via IFTTT

How to factory reset your Google Home Mini

Google Home Mini speakers may have been discontinued, but there are plenty still being used. If you have one, let's talk about how to reset it. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/0god21I via IFTTT

iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro: What's new?

The iPhone 18 Pro iterates on the iPhone 17 Pro while making some minor improvements, but what exactly is different? from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/0ob2B5p via IFTTT

How high is too high for speakers in your home sound system?

Too much height makes dialogue and fine details sound less direct. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/QIHLTVl via IFTTT

Stop bringing your phone in the shower: How steam can ruin 'waterproof' phones

Phone manufacturers are pretty direct in their guidance on this one. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/rSMGWBa via IFTTT

This TikTok trend has users blockin the street

A new TikTok trending audio has people humorously complaining about others "blockin' the street" and preventing them from getting where they need to go. The audio originated in Family Guy Season 15 Episode 18, "The Peter Principal," which first aired in 2017. In this episode, humanoid dog Brian recalls being hindered by a marching band while attempting to deliver pizza for his previous job. A cutaway gag shows the sizable band singing that they are "blockin' the street" as they gradually make their way down a long road , obstructing Brian's path despite his gripes about needing to deliver the pizza in under 30 minutes. Nearly a decade later, TikTok users are using the earworm to illustrate the frustration of being physically hindered from getting to their destination, typically by others thoughtlessly monopolizing a thoroughfare. In one example viewed 2.5 million times, @ karoline.io used the song to convey "how it feels living...

How to stop Meta training its AI models on your smart glasses' visual data

The setting affects whether workers can review photos and videos from your glasses. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/rfl5biM via IFTTT

Discord now checks your age based on your activity and other factors

Back in early February, popular messaging app Discord announced that it would roll out age verification in order to keep its teenage users safe on the platform. By the end of the month, after facing significant backlash, Discord announced that it would be pausing that rollout while addressing some of the issues. According to Discord, those age verification checks will now be rolling out. Discord has launched a system that already estimates users' ages based on several factors, such as general activity levels, communities and servers joined, games that an account is connected to, and how old a user account is. The company has also assured users that no messages, calls, or other content have been analyzed to make an age determination. SEE ALSO: Discord defaults to teen experience for all users Discord must believe in its model, as the company says that 90 percent of its users will not have to do or change a thing. However,...

Bungie shares more detail about Marathon's Symbiosis update and 2027 plans

Another big overhaul to the game is now due in March. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/edyQ4Ta via IFTTT

How this lesbian watering hole became the most (in)famous bar in the world

The nightlife minutiae of a small town in Massachusetts may not seem like traditional fodder for a 24-hour news cycle. But turn that drama into a more-than-1,500-word Boston Globe article, sprinkled with apéritifs for online discourse? Well, that's a recipe for virality. That's what happened when the Globe reported on a recent public skirmish between community members and the owners of Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, a lesbian bar and event space in Greenfield, a town of just 17,000 people. SEE ALSO: YouTube's microdrama boom is getting bigger The Last Ditch is one of just 36 lesbian bars in the U.S. , as chronicled by the Lesbian Bar Project. It's a nightlife outlier amid a post-COVID bar and club scene that has had to reckon with a decline in public socialization — let alone one that has addressed the alarming decline of number of lesbian bars across the country long before the global pandemic. But the bar...

Microsoft's new Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 13 feature Snapdragon X2 Plus chips

Microsoft's smaller Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 13 are getting a much-needed chip upgrade. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/FnX4u9v via IFTTT

Discord rolls out its revised age verification policy

It will offer several privacy-focused options for users who aren't automatically confirmed as adults. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/rSoH1vt via IFTTT

Elon Musks X launches X Numbers

X has introduced a new way for users to be contacted on its messaging service without sharing a phone number or following each other. The company launched X Numbers on Tuesday , giving XChat users a private code they can share with people who need to message or call them without a mutual follow. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. According to X's Help Center , anyone who enters a user's enabled X Number can message them even if the user doesn't follow them or has a closed inbox. Those conversations go straight to the inbox instead of message requests, and the sender can also place calls, depending on the recipient's call settings. Despite its name, X says an X Number isn't a phone number. It's also separate from the safety numbers Chat uses to verify identities in encrypted conversations. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's SpacexAI faces another lawsuit from child sexual abuse ...