AI tools are flooding the culture ecosystem — and no corner of the arts space is immune. In this series, we’re looking at the ways artists are embracing AI, pushing back on it, or trying their best to find an equilibrium with a new technology that’s both sweeping and destabilizing. We talk to perfumers questioning…
Tap-to-pay wont actually require a tap soon thanks to extended NFC range capabilities. | Image: Leonie Asendorpf/picture alliance via Getty Images The next version of the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard aims to make it easier to make payments, pair devices, and unlock doors using your phone or smartwatch. The most notable improvement is a…
The game’s updated artwork was made by illustrator Henning Ludvigsen. | Image: Evil Trout Inc. Robin Ward was recovering from a broken arm when he fell in love with The Roottrees are Dead, a free browser game hosted on itch.io, an indie games salesfront. He reached out to its creator, Jeremy Johnston, and told him,…
A Waymo vehicle waits on a street on May 14, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. | Photo: Getty Images Waymo announced today that it intends to launch a fully autonomous robotaxi service in New York City — but first it needs to change state law to permit its vehicles to operate with safety drivers behind…
Tapping the sparkle button beneath the search bar will open Search Live. Google is building Search Live into AI Mode, allowing you to have a back-and-forth voice conversation with the company’s AI chatbot right from its search engine. The test, which is rolling out now to Labs users in the US, currently doesn’t support camera-sharing,…
Gerard Butler’s action movie Plane is heading for orbit: after just one week, it has racked up 6.3 million views, making it the second most popular movie on Netflix in the US and setting a course for #1 in the global charts (it’s currently sitting at number three for the week ending June 15). It’s…
CISA flags security issue affecting multiple TP-Link models It allows threat actors to execute arbitrary system-level commands Affected models have all reached end of life, so should be replaced anyway Multiple TP-Link routers, which have long reached end-of-life (EoL) status, are being abused in real-life attacks, the US government is warning. The US Cybersecurity and…
Sensay, a creator of AI-powered digital replicas of people, has established an AI-powered government on a real island it purchased off the coast of the Philippines. Previously known as Cheron Island, it’s been renamed Sensay Island. The Head of State (effectively, the President) of Sensay Island is Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of The Five…
I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten back into Animal Crossing: New Horizons in a pretty big way since the Switch 2 arrived. I’ve started a new island (the game loads faster and runs better on that console), and I’ve been doing house chores to the relaxing music. The natural progression of my invigorated…
The Great Cassette Rewind continues, as more affordable tape-playing options capitalize on the love for collectible physical media, which has only grown in the wake of the vinyl revival. Earlier in 2025, We Are Rewind announced a metal Walkman-like portable player that can play cassettes over Bluetooth or with the best wired headphones, and then…
