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Why the Market Stopped Laughing at SoundHound AI—And Started Buying in Bulk
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Spotlight
The usual tech optimism permeated the air outside CES in Las Vegas this January, with espresso lines snaking around chrome counters and fluorescent badges swinging. However, one name was noticeably missing from the keynote glow inside the hallways where Nvidia and other companies presented their visions for agentic AI futures. Investors had anticipated hearing about SoundHound AI for months. It wasn’t. Soon after, the stock fell. Nevertheless, a more subdued phenomenon was taking place: the chuckle that formerly accompanied its ticker symbol was diminishing. The AI craze and a well-timed Nvidia investment drove the company’s shares to soar more than 800% a year earlier. Even in 2024, that surge seemed unreal. Anything that included the word “AI” in its pitch deck was sought after by traders, and SoundHound, a seasoned voice recognition expert, found itself suddenly recast as a star. However, there was always a sense of incredulity when viewing…
The usual tech optimism permeated the air outside CES in Las Vegas this January, with espresso lines snaking around chrome counters and fluorescent badges swinging. However, one name was noticeably missing from the keynote glow inside the hallways where Nvidia and other companies presented their visions for agentic AI futures. Investors had anticipated hearing about SoundHound AI for months. It wasn’t. Soon after, the stock fell. Nevertheless, a more subdued phenomenon was taking place: the chuckle that formerly accompanied its ticker symbol was diminishing. The AI craze and a well-timed Nvidia investment drove the company’s shares to soar more than 800% a year earlier. Even in 2024, that surge seemed unreal. Anything that included the word “AI” in its pitch deck was sought after by traders, and SoundHound, a seasoned voice recognition expert, found itself suddenly recast as a star. However, there was always a sense of incredulity when viewing…
When people refer to it as “the man who hacked 7,000 Roombas,” the narrative is undermined because the robot in question wasn’t an iRobot Roomba at all. It was Romo from DJI. However, the moniker endures because it encapsulates the eerie essence: a tiny disc-shaped assistant that glides beneath couches, charts your hallways, and stealthily gathers the kind of data you wouldn’t give to a stranger at the door. How banal this episode starts is what makes it so unsettling. Instead of hunting down victims, Azdoufal was attempting to control his own vacuum using a video game controller—a weekend hobby that seems almost harmless in a world of doomscrolling. A living room, a robot the size of a small dog when docked, a racing game controller, and a developer mindset that views every locked door as an opportunity to discover how the hinges operate make up the reportedly cinematic setup.…
A controversial injury-time penalty decision rescued Olympiakos from defeat against AEK Athens in the Greek Super League derby on Sunday, as the match at Nea Filadelfia ended 1-1. The late equalizer allowed PAOK to climb into second place in the league standings, with AEK maintaining their position at the top of the table. The dramatic conclusion came in the 106th minute after 14 minutes of stoppage time were added to the contest. According to match reports, AEK took the lead just before the hour mark when Razvan Marin delivered a corner kick from the right side. Substitute Varga rose in the penalty area to head the ball past Olympiakos goalkeeper Kostantis Tzolakis, breaking the deadlock after a period of sustained pressure from the visitors. Late Penalty Drama Defines Greek Super League Derby The home side appeared headed for victory after creating several additional scoring opportunities. AEK struck the crossbar and…
Greek alpine skier AJ Ginnis made his Olympic debut at the Games on Monday in what became an emotional farewell to competitive skiing. The 31-year-old athlete competed in the Olympic slalom race knowing it would mark both his first and last appearance at the Games, as ongoing injuries have forced him to retire from professional skiing. Ginnis, who captured a silver medal in slalom at the 2023 World Championships in Courchevel, France, has been unable to return to peak form following his latest setback. The day before his Olympic slalom race, Ginnis realized during training that his body could no…
Olympiakos strengthened its position in the Euroleague standings after defeating Red Star Belgrade 92-86 on Thursday, moving into second place with their 18th victory of the season. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos suffered a heartbreaking home defeat to league leader Fenerbahce, losing 85-83 on a last-second shot at the Telekom Center Athens on Friday. The Euroleague results highlight the competitive nature of this season’s campaign, with Olympiakos now trailing only Fenerbahce in the overall standings. The Greek champions improved their record to 18 wins in 27 matches, continuing their impressive form with seven victories in their last eight games. Olympiakos Dominates Red Star…
The small mountain town of Metsovo in northwestern Greece has achieved a remarkable feat in cross-country skiing, continuously sending athletes to the Winter Olympic Games for approximately three decades. With a population of just 2,000 permanent residents between Metsovo and neighboring Anilio, this unique tradition has made the region a cornerstone of winter sports in Greece. The legacy continues at the current Olympics in Cortina, Italy, where local athlete Apostolos Angelis is competing in his fourth Winter Games. According to Kathimerini, which visited Metsovo shortly before the Olympics began, the community’s connection to skiing runs deep. Coach Afroditi Katsora was…
Greece has been drawn into a challenging group alongside Germany, the Netherlands and Serbia for the 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League, according to the draw results announced in Brussels. The Greek national team will compete in League A for the first time in its history after securing two consecutive promotions in the competition’s previous editions. The UEFA Nations League draw places Greece in one of the tournament’s most competitive groups as they make their debut in the top tier. This marks a significant achievement for Greek football, which has steadily climbed through the league system to reach the elite level of…
It begins, as these things usually do, in a well-lit grocery aisle with a subtle scent of warm bread and floor cleaner. A figure is standing in front of a wall of boxes, including snack bars, cereal, and “high protein” cookies. They are flipping the packages over as if they were reading tea leaves. The list of ingredients is a little different. It’s a billboard on the front. Between the two, the term “ultra-processed” has evolved into a sort of political gimmick that is practical, direct, and simple to present to cameras. UPF warnings weren’t created overnight. The NOVA framework, which originated in Brazil’s public health tradition, provided researchers with a vocabulary to discuss the transition from meals to industrial formulations in modern diets. It’s not just “junk food,” but goods designed for scale, shelf life, and hyperpalatability; these are usually identified by industrial processes and additives rather than by…
In Singapore, traders were already updating their screens before the sun rose. Futures fell slightly, then precipitously, in response to a tariff announcement made in Washington hours earlier rather than a central bank decision. Coffee cups on trading desks remained unopened. The market value had already vanished by the time European markets opened. Central bankers had remained silent. Monetary policy has dominated world markets for the majority of the last ten years. In order to find hints regarding interest rates and liquidity, investors analyzed every word the Federal Reserve said. It’s a different rhythm. Politics started to move more quickly…
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- The AI Pendant Sounds Ridiculous Until You Realize What It Replaces
- Scientists Are Mapping the Brain’s Protein Factories—and the Implications Are Huge
- Moon Is Shrinking
- Skiing Deaths Are Rising
- Dark Matter Mystery
A “For Sale” sign with its corners curled from months of wind rests slightly in the frozen ground on a peaceful suburban street outside of Minneapolis. Although the house behind it appears to be ready—new paint, a vacant driveway, and drawn curtains—no one has moved in. Not much has changed in terms of price. Neither have the interest rates. And the issue is that. The Fed has previously lowered interest rates. But, at least from the standpoint of the households awaiting assistance, neither quickly nor deeply enough. More proof that inflation is under control is what policymakers insist they need.…
When you first see someone wearing one, you might think it’s jewelry. As its owner leaned forward to speak, a tiny black circle caught light as it was neatly clipped onto a sweater. It wasn’t until later that it was evident the device wasn’t ornamental. It was paying attention. AI pendants, such as those being subtly embraced in Silicon Valley, are made to capture all of the sounds you make during the day. Talks. gatherings. Arguments. Even the inconsequential remarks made while awaiting coffee. The fact itself raises the possibility that memory itself is becoming optional because it feels intrusive…
In the past, there were three shifts on the Duisburg, Germany, factory floor. With their boots still warm from welding all night, workers poured out at dawn, tapping against the concrete. Parts of that same building are now silent, with gray tarps covering the machines as they wait for orders that aren’t coming in as frequently. China is rarely brought up directly by managers, but it permeates discussions like humidity. China is currently the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods, and this is no coincidence. State-directed investment, low-interest loans, and subsidies helped build millions of factories, many of which were…
The change did not occur all at once. It happened quietly, almost courteously, as Apple usually does when making a significant change. Inside its glass-walled Cupertino headquarters, engineers allegedly started refocusing their efforts on creating something smaller, lighter, and oddly more intimate—glasses that are meant to help you understand the world rather than just show it. Perhaps that sounds innocuous. Another device. However, it seems that the purpose of these glasses isn’t really display. Their focus is on observation. CategoryDetailsCompanyApple Inc.HeadquartersCupertino, California, United StatesProduct (Rumored)AI-powered Smart Glasses (Code-named N50)Expected LaunchEstimated around 2027Core TechnologyComputer vision cameras, microphones, speakers, Siri integrationPurposeContext-aware AI…
Brazilian cinema did not appear out of nowhere. People talk about it as though one standing ovation at a European festival switched everything on. That is not what happened. Brazilian film has been working for decades. Sometimes it made noise. Sometimes it moved quietly. The films that catch international attention are rarely the ones that top the local box office. They tend to be the difficult ones. Political films. Personal films. Films that sit with Brazil’s contradictions and do not look away. In this part of the Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, I want to trace that path. How Brazilian cinema…
A federal district court in Northern California has ordered OpenAI to stop using the name “Cameo” in its artificial intelligence products, handing a significant legal victory to the celebrity video message platform Cameo. The ruling, filed Saturday, concluded that OpenAI’s use of the trademarked name in its Sora 2 video generation app was likely to cause consumer confusion. OpenAI had been using “Cameo” to describe a feature within Sora 2 that allowed users to insert digital likenesses of themselves into AI-generated videos. However, the court rejected OpenAI’s argument that the term was merely descriptive, stating instead that “it suggests rather…
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has decided not to suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses after the electric vehicle maker ceased using the term “Autopilot” in its marketing materials within the state. The decision, announced late Tuesday, allows Tesla to continue operations in California without interruption and formally closes a regulatory dispute that began nearly three years ago. California represents Tesla’s largest market in the United States, making the DMV’s ruling particularly significant for the company’s business operations. According to the DMV’s statement, Tesla took corrective action to avoid the 30-day license suspension that had been recommended by an…
Jack Altman, founder of Alt Capital and younger brother of OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, is joining prestigious venture capital firm Benchmark as a general partner, according to an announcement made today. The move marks a significant shift in the venture capital landscape, as Altman will be leaving his own successful VC firm to join one of Silicon Valley’s most renowned early-stage investors. Benchmark confirmed the appointment in a social media post, welcoming Altman to the firm. Notably, Altman’s teammates from Alt Capital will also be joining him at Benchmark, representing an unusual departure from the firm’s traditional structure. Benchmark has…
Ford is preparing to launch an affordable electric truck next year with a starting price of $30,000, aiming to compete directly with Chinese automakers while maintaining profitability. The company announced Tuesday that the affordable EV truck will leverage innovative manufacturing techniques including 3D-printed components, Formula 1 engineering expertise, and an internal efficiency bounty program to achieve this ambitious price target. The announcement comes as Ford seeks to recover from a $19.5 billion financial hit in December and the discontinuation of its battery-electric F-150 Lightning production. The automaker’s new EV strategy centers on making electric vehicles accessible to a broader customer…
An internal Meta research project called “Project MYST” has emerged as key evidence in a landmark social media addiction trial currently underway in Los Angeles County Superior Court. According to testimony, the study found that parental supervision and controls had minimal impact on preventing compulsive social media use among teenagers. The research, conducted in partnership with the University of Chicago, surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents about social media habits and parental oversight. The plaintiff, identified as Kaley or “KGM,” is suing Meta and YouTube alongside her mother, alleging that social media companies created addictive products that caused anxiety, depression,…
Apple is reportedly accelerating development of three artificial intelligence-powered wearable devices as the tech giant aims to compete in the rapidly evolving AI wearables market. According to Bloomberg, the company is ramping up work on AI-enabled smart glasses, a camera-equipped pendant, and enhanced AirPods, all designed to integrate deeply with the iPhone and Siri virtual assistant. The move comes as competitors including Meta and Snap push forward with their own smart wearable offerings. The Information first reported in late January that Apple was developing an AI wearable pendant roughly the size of an AirTag with integrated cameras that users could…
Thrive Capital has successfully raised $10 billion for its newest investment vehicle, marking the largest fundraise in the firm’s history and representing nearly double the size of its previous fund. The announcement confirms that $1 billion of the total will be allocated to early-stage investments, while the remaining $9 billion will focus on growth-stage opportunities, according to a statement from Thrive Capital. The fundraising effort, dubbed Thrive X, represents the firm’s 10th fund and was reportedly oversubscribed, Thrive told Bloomberg. Founded by Josh Kushner, the venture capital firm has built an impressive portfolio that includes some of the technology sector’s…
Stacy Brown-Philpot, founder and managing partner of Cherryrock Capital, is stepping into the venture capital arena with a clear mission to support underinvested founders at critical growth stages. The former TaskRabbit CEO and Google executive recently discussed her new venture firm on the StrictlyVC Download podcast, outlining her strategy for backing Series A and Series B software companies in today’s challenging fundraising environment. After spending a decade at Google and successfully leading TaskRabbit through its acquisition by IKEA, Brown-Philpot launched Cherryrock Capital to address what she identifies as a significant gap in the current venture ecosystem. Her firm concentrates specifically…
A new investment platform called Material Scale is addressing one of the most persistent challenges facing climate tech startups in the materials sector: bridging the gap between prototype development and commercial-scale production. Founded by Josh Felser, co-founder and managing partner of early-stage venture firm Climactic, the initiative uses a hybrid debt-equity investment vehicle to help materials startups secure their first major customers while scaling production capabilities. Material Scale will initially focus on climate tech startups in the apparel industry, with Ralph Lauren joining as a buyer for the platform’s launch. Investment firm Structure Climate is partnering with Climactic as a…
Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 4.6, the latest iteration of its midsized AI model, maintaining the company’s consistent four-month update cycle. According to the company’s announcement, the new model delivers significant enhancements in coding capabilities, instruction-following accuracy, and computer use functionality. The Claude Sonnet 4.6 release will serve as the default model for users on both Free and Pro subscription plans. The beta version of Sonnet 4.6 introduces a substantially expanded context window of 1 million tokens, representing a twofold increase from the largest window previously available for Sonnet models. Anthropic stated that this enhanced capacity is sufficient to process…
Toyota has unveiled an updated lineup for its popular RAV4 SUV, introducing enhanced trim levels and a performance-focused GR Sport variant. The new Toyota RAV4 range features the Icon and Excel trims with upgraded luxury amenities, while the range-topping GR Sport model promises increased driver engagement through chassis enhancements and sporty design elements. The updated models showcase Toyota’s continued commitment to refining one of the world’s best-selling SUVs. According to the manufacturer, the Icon trim level will include 20-inch alloy wheels, premium paint options, synthetic leather and suede seating, heated and ventilated front seats, a wireless charging pad, and a…
Greece achieved a primary surplus of 3.51 billion euros in January 2026, significantly surpassing the government’s initial target of 1.751 billion euros, according to preliminary state budget execution data. The strong fiscal performance represents a substantial improvement over the 1.98 billion euro primary surplus recorded during the same month in 2025, demonstrating continued momentum in the country’s budgetary discipline. According to the modified cash basis data, the overall state budget balance posted a surplus of 2.287 billion euros for January, far exceeding the target surplus of 543 million euros outlined in the 2026 Budget report. Net state budget revenues totaled…
Mistral AI, the French artificial intelligence company last valued at $13.8 billion, has completed its first acquisition by purchasing Koyeb, a Paris-based startup specializing in AI app deployment infrastructure. The deal marks a significant expansion for the OpenAI competitor as it moves beyond large language model development to become a full-stack AI infrastructure provider. Founded in 2020 by three former Scaleway employees, Koyeb developed a serverless platform that enables developers to deploy and scale applications without managing underlying infrastructure. The acquisition brings Koyeb’s 13-member team, including co-founders Yann Léger, Edouard Bonlieu, and Bastien Chatelard, into Mistral’s engineering division. Strategic Move…
A new traffic light system designed to reduce urban congestion is being implemented in Granada, located in Spain’s southern Andalusia region. The innovative system features traffic signals that briefly display both red and orange lights simultaneously before turning green, marking a significant departure from traditional traffic light sequences used across most of Spain. The combined red-and-orange signal aims to provide drivers with advance warning that the light is about to change. This allows motorists to prepare their vehicles to move immediately when the green light appears, according to local authorities managing the rollout. Traffic Light Innovation Builds on European Models…
Three former SpaceX engineers have secured $50 million in Series A funding for Mesh Optical Technologies, a Los Angeles-based startup focused on manufacturing optical transceivers for AI data centers. Travis Brashears, Cameron Ramos, and Serena Grown-Haeberli announced the investment round led by Thrive Capital on Tuesday, bringing their expertise from developing optical communications for Starlink satellites to address critical supply chain challenges in the artificial intelligence infrastructure market. The co-founders identified the opportunity while working on compute-intensive satellite designs at SpaceX, where they recognized significant limitations in the current optical transceiver market. According to CEO Brashears, the devices convert optical…
As hyperscalers prepare to invest billions in new artificial intelligence data centers, DRAM chip prices have surged approximately seven times over the past year, according to market data from TrendForce. While discussions about AI infrastructure costs typically center on Nvidia and graphics processing units, memory orchestration has emerged as a critical factor that will determine which companies can operate profitably in the evolving AI landscape. The rapid price increase in DRAM chips comes at a time when efficient memory management is becoming essential for AI operations. Companies that master the discipline of directing data to the right agent at the…
A new Volkswagen Passat lease deal offers UK drivers access to a range-topping plug-in hybrid estate car for just £249.42 per month. The offer, available through DreamLease via the Auto Express Buy A Car service, features the premium Black Edition model with a 62-mile electric range and extensive luxury equipment. The three-year Volkswagen Passat lease agreement requires an initial payment of £3,292.03, equivalent to 12 monthly installments, according to the deal terms. The standard mileage allowance is capped at 5,000 miles annually, though drivers can upgrade to 8,000 miles per year for £275.63 monthly with a higher initial payment of…
Volkswagen has been spotted testing the upcoming T-Roc R on snowy roads, marking the return of the performance compact crossover to the automaker’s lineup. The new Volkswagen T-Roc R brings hot hatch power to the brand’s popular SUV segment, featuring significant updates to its exterior design and mechanical components. Test prototypes reveal modifications to the front bumper design and the addition of distinctive performance features that set it apart from standard T-Roc models. The test vehicle showcases changes including a revised lower grille treatment and camouflaged front bumper edges, according to recent spy photographs. The performance crossover will retain the…
Sixteen of nineteen national defense investment plans submitted by European Union member states have received final approval, unlocking access to initial funding under the bloc’s Security Action for Europe program. The European Commission’s SAFE initiative aims to bolster continental defense capabilities amid growing security concerns, with approved plans now totaling over 110 billion euros in committed investments. On Tuesday, February 17, EU finance ministers greenlit the national defense plans of eight additional member states, releasing 74 billion euros in funding. The approved proposals came from Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Finland, according to Euronews. Poland Leads European…
Spotlight
The usual tech optimism permeated the air outside CES in Las Vegas this January, with espresso lines snaking around chrome counters and fluorescent badges swinging. However, one name was noticeably missing from the keynote glow inside the hallways where Nvidia and other companies presented their visions for agentic AI futures. Investors had anticipated hearing about SoundHound AI for months. It wasn’t. Soon after, the stock fell. Nevertheless, a more subdued phenomenon was taking place: the chuckle that formerly accompanied its ticker symbol was diminishing. The AI craze and a well-timed Nvidia investment drove the company’s shares to soar more than 800% a year earlier. Even in 2024, that surge seemed unreal. Anything that included the word “AI” in its pitch deck was sought after by traders, and SoundHound, a seasoned voice recognition expert, found itself suddenly recast as a star. However, there was always a sense of incredulity when viewing…
The usual tech optimism permeated the air outside CES in Las Vegas this January, with espresso lines snaking around chrome counters and fluorescent badges swinging. However, one name was noticeably missing from the keynote glow inside the hallways where Nvidia and other companies presented their visions for agentic AI futures. Investors had anticipated hearing about SoundHound AI for months. It wasn’t. Soon after, the stock fell. Nevertheless, a more subdued phenomenon was taking place: the chuckle that formerly accompanied its ticker symbol was diminishing. The AI craze and a well-timed Nvidia investment drove the company’s shares to soar more than 800% a year earlier. Even in 2024, that surge seemed unreal. Anything that included the word “AI” in its pitch deck was sought after by traders, and SoundHound, a seasoned voice recognition expert, found itself suddenly recast as a star. However, there was always a sense of incredulity when viewing…
When people refer to it as “the man who hacked 7,000 Roombas,” the narrative is undermined because the robot in question wasn’t an iRobot Roomba at all. It was Romo from DJI. However, the moniker endures because it encapsulates the eerie essence: a tiny disc-shaped assistant that glides beneath couches, charts your hallways, and stealthily gathers the kind of data you wouldn’t give to a stranger at the door. How banal this episode starts is what makes it so unsettling. Instead of hunting down victims, Azdoufal was attempting to control his own vacuum using a video game controller—a weekend hobby that seems almost harmless in a world of doomscrolling. A living room, a robot the size of a small dog when docked, a racing game controller, and a developer mindset that views every locked door as an opportunity to discover how the hinges operate make up the reportedly cinematic setup.…
A controversial injury-time penalty decision rescued Olympiakos from defeat against AEK Athens in the Greek Super League derby on Sunday, as the match at Nea Filadelfia ended 1-1. The late equalizer allowed PAOK to climb into second place in the league standings, with AEK maintaining their position at the top of the table. The dramatic conclusion came in the 106th minute after 14 minutes of stoppage time were added to the contest. According to match reports, AEK took the lead just before the hour mark when Razvan Marin delivered a corner kick from the right side. Substitute Varga rose in the penalty area to head the ball past Olympiakos goalkeeper Kostantis Tzolakis, breaking the deadlock after a period of sustained pressure from the visitors. Late Penalty Drama Defines Greek Super League Derby The home side appeared headed for victory after creating several additional scoring opportunities. AEK struck the crossbar and…
It begins, as these things usually do, in a well-lit grocery aisle with a subtle scent of warm bread and floor cleaner. A figure is standing in front of a wall of boxes, including snack bars, cereal, and “high protein” cookies. They are flipping the packages over as if they were reading tea leaves. The list of ingredients is a little different. It’s a billboard on the front. Between the two, the term “ultra-processed” has evolved into a sort of political gimmick that is practical, direct, and simple to present to cameras. UPF warnings weren’t created overnight. The NOVA framework, which originated in Brazil’s public health tradition, provided researchers with a vocabulary to discuss the transition from meals to industrial formulations in modern diets. It’s not just “junk food,” but goods designed for scale, shelf life, and hyperpalatability; these are usually identified by industrial processes and additives rather than by…
A technician carefully prys open a smartphone with a swollen battery on a packed repair bench in a small electronics store, pushing the screen outward like a slow breath. Vendors shout out prices as motorcycles idle outside. The air inside is filled with the smell of warm plastic and solder. These kinds of scenes are becoming more frequent, implying something small but important: the days of purchasing a gadget and then forgetting about it are coming to an end. Electronics had a sense of permanence for decades. For years, there was a television in the living room. A stereo system…
The shape of the soft-landing story is familiar and comforting. You could practically see it on a TV screen at an airport gate: unemployment remaining low, growth slowing to a civil jog, and inflation declining. CEOs can continue to hire, politicians can continue to make promises, and investors can continue to act as though their portfolios are made of granite thanks to this type of narrative. What’s strange about a good macro story, though, is how easily it becomes second nature. The term “soft landing” is already a product on the market by the time it makes headlines again; consumers…
Previously, audits were sent in heavy envelopes. a letter from authorities. A visiting inspector holding a clipboard. These days, the audit functions silently in the background, integrated into software that tracks purchases, flags suspicious activity, scores human reliability, and measures productivity in ways that most people are unaware of. It’s possible that the audit just refreshes itself every second and never truly ends. Software systems in contemporary businesses record almost everything. Identity is confirmed by login prompts. Anomalies are flagged by exception reports. Unusual transactions are rejected by range checks. Accountants are accustomed to the reasoning behind completeness, accuracy, and…
Faisalabad’s meeting rooms were brightly lit but slightly dusty, with the kind of municipal brightness that makes fluorescent bulbs shine on paper folders. Textile workers drifted home in loose clusters as motorcycles threaded through evening traffic outside. Inside, Denmark’s ambassador discussed wind, grids, and financing mechanisms—words that, although they appeared technical at the time, had a subtle significance. What might have seemed like a diplomatic routine could turn into something more significant: a decision made over the course of a weekend, maybe in Islamabad or Copenhagen, that changes the way energy is priced from port terminals in Karachi to the…
There was an almost metallic tension in the winter air of Seoul on a chilly December night. An extraordinary announcement flashed across television screens at 10:30 p.m.: martial law had been imposed by President Yoon Suk-yeol. Legislators hurried through barricades, taxis started swerving toward Yeouido, and regular people gathered outside the National Assembly with flags and phones in hand. When soldiers suddenly appear in the political landscape, it’s difficult to ignore how quickly a contemporary democracy can feel vulnerable. Upheaval is nothing new to South Korea. Democracy in this country was difficult to achieve and frequently disrupted, from Syngman Rhee’s…
Behind a glass wall, the hiring manager’s office looks out onto an open floor filled with movable desks and bright screens. Neither the walls nor the resumes piled on the table display any framed diplomas. Rather, the term “AI-literate” keeps coming up in candidate notes. No one can clearly define it, despite the fact that it sounds technical and possibly even futuristic. Nevertheless, it’s turning into the silent filter that separates courteous rejections from callbacks. Degrees served as a shorthand for competence a few years ago. Employers no longer seem to believe that formal education indicates preparedness for work shaped…
There is something that nearly defies observation in the Perseus galaxy cluster, a dense area of space where galaxies float like sluggish ships in a dark harbor. Even powerful telescopes find it difficult to detect the object, known as CDG-2, because it emits so little light. However, its gravitational pull is undeniable, suggesting that there is a massive mass concealed in the shadows. One of the most extreme examples of a galaxy dominated almost exclusively by dark matter, a cosmic structure that appears to exist more in theory than in starlight, may be CDG-2. The majority of galaxies make their…
The mountain doesn’t “collapse” in the neat manner that people think it will. It tears. First, a whomp, low and distant, like the sound of a door closing in a different room. The slope then accelerates into something that appears nearly liquid, the snow acting like a freight of white concrete, and it begins to move, tearing itself apart into blocks and powder. The unsettling question that keeps coming up after Castle Peak, after the Alps, after another winter headline, is this sense of force: why do backcountry skiing deaths continue to rise when survival equipment has never been better?…
From Earth, the Moon has always appeared serene as a pale disk that hangs over rooftops and power lines, but as scientists get closer, the moon appears less motionless. According to new research, our satellite is still shrinking, with its crust cracking and wrinkling as the interior gradually cools. Even though it’s a gradual process that takes millions of years to measure, the effects seem immediate now that people are getting ready to go back and perhaps stay. The lunar plains look like dried paint from orbit, smooth and inert. They tell a different story up close. The total number…
Inside a packed U-Bahn carriage on a gloomy afternoon in Berlin, a college student browsed through her phone with the distracted cadence of someone passing the time between stops. News, memes, arguments, and all the usual cacophony were displayed on her screen. She later confessed to a friend that the odd calm was what really got to her. Some of the contentious videos that she was aware were being circulated elsewhere were just absent. She might not have been aware that she was viewing a filtered version of the internet that millions of Americans were using at the time. With…
The morning following the avalanche was unusually quiet in the Alder Creek trailhead parking lot. Rescue crews stood in groups, talking softly, while snowmobiles sat motionless, their engines cold. The violence that had occurred only hours before was concealed by the smooth white slopes of the mountains above, which once again appeared serene, almost unconcerned.There were eight skiers killed. There was still one more to go. The tragedy was initially explained using well-known terminology. I wish you luck. bizarre circumstances. No one could have predicted the sudden collapse of snow. These words came out fast, almost instinctively, as though everyone…
Last autumn, two men sat across from one another in a Berlin café, having a quiet argument. One maintained that the old system was irreparably flawed and that Germany urgently needed a comprehensive political overhaul. Older and more composed, the other kept saying the same thing: “Change is dangerous when it’s fast.” They weren’t actually debating ideologies. They seemed to be debating time itself more than anything else. Now, that conversation, heard in between bitter coffee sips, seems like a sneak peek at something bigger. The well-known conflict between the left and the right appears to be evaporating into something…
Silently, almost apologetically, the notification pops up in the browser’s upper-right corner. A tiny bit of color. Most people don’t pay attention to it. They always do. However, beneath that straightforward prompt—”Update Chrome”—far less commonplace activity frequently takes place, with engineers working through the night, security teams tracking down unseen threats, and hackers probing vulnerabilities that no one else has yet noticed. Most users were not particularly impressed by Google’s recent emergency patch for Chrome, which fixed a serious zero-day vulnerability that was already being exploited in the wild. It came in silence. silently installed. And that quiet seems illuminating.…
La Jolla’s lab is colder than anticipated. Researchers lean over trays containing samples smaller than a grain of rice inside, under fluorescent lighting and the constant hum of refrigeration units. Bright clusters of magenta dots show up on their computer screens, each one representing a neuron that is actively making proteins. Some have a strong glow. Some hardly flicker. The imbalance is difficult to ignore. Using a new tool called Ribo-STAMP, researchers from Scripps Research and UC San Diego have started mapping what they refer to as the brain’s “protein factories.” For the first time, they have monitored the production…
The hospital parking lot is already half full at 6:45 a.m. With coffee cups carefully balanced in one hand and jackets pulled tighter against the cold, nurses exit aging sedans and small SUVs. Fluorescent lights inside hum softly over empty hallways that are just waiting to be filled. Even though the shift hasn’t begun yet, the fatigue has already set in. Quietly, the healthcare industry has emerged as America’s most dependable employer. Hospitals continue to hire even as factories slow down and tech companies lay off employees. The data presents a comforting picture. Due to an aging population and ongoing…
A “For Sale” sign with its corners curled from months of wind rests slightly in the frozen ground on a peaceful suburban street outside of Minneapolis. Although the house behind it appears to be ready—new paint, a vacant driveway, and drawn curtains—no one has moved in. Not much has changed in terms of price. Neither have the interest rates. And the issue is that. The Fed has previously lowered interest rates. But, at least from the standpoint of the households awaiting assistance, neither quickly nor deeply enough. More proof that inflation is under control is what policymakers insist they need.…
When you first see someone wearing one, you might think it’s jewelry. As its owner leaned forward to speak, a tiny black circle caught light as it was neatly clipped onto a sweater. It wasn’t until later that it was evident the device wasn’t ornamental. It was paying attention. AI pendants, such as those being subtly embraced in Silicon Valley, are made to capture all of the sounds you make during the day. Talks. gatherings. Arguments. Even the inconsequential remarks made while awaiting coffee. The fact itself raises the possibility that memory itself is becoming optional because it feels intrusive…
In the past, there were three shifts on the Duisburg, Germany, factory floor. With their boots still warm from welding all night, workers poured out at dawn, tapping against the concrete. Parts of that same building are now silent, with gray tarps covering the machines as they wait for orders that aren’t coming in as frequently. China is rarely brought up directly by managers, but it permeates discussions like humidity. China is currently the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods, and this is no coincidence. State-directed investment, low-interest loans, and subsidies helped build millions of factories, many of which were…
The change did not occur all at once. It happened quietly, almost courteously, as Apple usually does when making a significant change. Inside its glass-walled Cupertino headquarters, engineers allegedly started refocusing their efforts on creating something smaller, lighter, and oddly more intimate—glasses that are meant to help you understand the world rather than just show it. Perhaps that sounds innocuous. Another device. However, it seems that the purpose of these glasses isn’t really display. Their focus is on observation. CategoryDetailsCompanyApple Inc.HeadquartersCupertino, California, United StatesProduct (Rumored)AI-powered Smart Glasses (Code-named N50)Expected LaunchEstimated around 2027Core TechnologyComputer vision cameras, microphones, speakers, Siri integrationPurposeContext-aware AI…
Brazilian cinema did not appear out of nowhere. People talk about it as though one standing ovation at a European festival switched everything on. That is not what happened. Brazilian film has been working for decades. Sometimes it made noise. Sometimes it moved quietly. The films that catch international attention are rarely the ones that top the local box office. They tend to be the difficult ones. Political films. Personal films. Films that sit with Brazil’s contradictions and do not look away. In this part of the Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, I want to trace that path. How Brazilian cinema…
A federal district court in Northern California has ordered OpenAI to stop using the name “Cameo” in its artificial intelligence products, handing a significant legal victory to the celebrity video message platform Cameo. The ruling, filed Saturday, concluded that OpenAI’s use of the trademarked name in its Sora 2 video generation app was likely to cause consumer confusion. OpenAI had been using “Cameo” to describe a feature within Sora 2 that allowed users to insert digital likenesses of themselves into AI-generated videos. However, the court rejected OpenAI’s argument that the term was merely descriptive, stating instead that “it suggests rather…
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has decided not to suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses after the electric vehicle maker ceased using the term “Autopilot” in its marketing materials within the state. The decision, announced late Tuesday, allows Tesla to continue operations in California without interruption and formally closes a regulatory dispute that began nearly three years ago. California represents Tesla’s largest market in the United States, making the DMV’s ruling particularly significant for the company’s business operations. According to the DMV’s statement, Tesla took corrective action to avoid the 30-day license suspension that had been recommended by an…
Jack Altman, founder of Alt Capital and younger brother of OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, is joining prestigious venture capital firm Benchmark as a general partner, according to an announcement made today. The move marks a significant shift in the venture capital landscape, as Altman will be leaving his own successful VC firm to join one of Silicon Valley’s most renowned early-stage investors. Benchmark confirmed the appointment in a social media post, welcoming Altman to the firm. Notably, Altman’s teammates from Alt Capital will also be joining him at Benchmark, representing an unusual departure from the firm’s traditional structure. Benchmark has…
Ford is preparing to launch an affordable electric truck next year with a starting price of $30,000, aiming to compete directly with Chinese automakers while maintaining profitability. The company announced Tuesday that the affordable EV truck will leverage innovative manufacturing techniques including 3D-printed components, Formula 1 engineering expertise, and an internal efficiency bounty program to achieve this ambitious price target. The announcement comes as Ford seeks to recover from a $19.5 billion financial hit in December and the discontinuation of its battery-electric F-150 Lightning production. The automaker’s new EV strategy centers on making electric vehicles accessible to a broader customer…