Tootfinder

The data industry is consolidating, with Databricks' $1B Neon purchase, Salesforce's $8B Informatica deal, and more, fueled by the need for quality data for AI (Rebecca Szkutak/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/07/ai-i

AI is forcing the data industry to consolidate — but that's not the whole story | TechCrunch
While AI may be the catalyst behind the recent wave of data company M&A, the market was ripe for consolidation.

Trump regime intensifies war on renewables, Moves to Cancel $7 Billion in Grants for Solar Energy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/climate/epa-cancels-solar-energy-grants.html
H/t Elizabeth Kolbert on Bluesky

E.P.A. Moves to Cancel $7 Billion in Grants for Solar Energy
If finalized, the move would escalate the Trump administration’s efforts to claw back billions of dollars in climate grants awarded under President Biden.

Top U.S. consulting firm provided modelling for a plan to forcibly relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to Somalia and Somaliland
As Donald Trump was promoting his plan to build the “Riviera of the Middle East” on the ruins of Israel’s genocide
Financial Times reports that Boston Consulting Group (BCG) -- one of the most prestigious consulting firms in the U.S.,
had mapped out multiple scenarios for relocation, with the supposed aim of providing estimates…

BCG consultants modelled relocating Gazans to Somalia
Cost estimates of moving Palestinians to five destinations were included in project on postwar plans

Digital Foundry, known for in-depth game console analysis, is now an independent entity after its founder, Richard Leadbetter, bought the publication from IGN (Sean Hollister/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/games/743535/digital-foundry-game-c…

Digital Foundry, the most trusted name in game console analysis, is going independent
Digital Foundry is no longer controlled by IGN. Its founder has purchased the publication and its complete archives, and they’re taking it all independent.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow canceled Batmobile purchase after home burglary

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bengals-qb-joe-burrow-canceled-batmobile-pur…

A weaponized AI chatbot is flooding Canadian city councils with climate misinformation, and already having some 'success'.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/05/28/investigations/weaponized-ai-chatbot-…

A weaponized AI chatbot is flooding city councils with climate misinformation
Internal instructions accessed by Canada’s National Observer show that the chatbot produces tailored scripts, petitions, reports and even speeches for council chambers. The messaging is all framed to resonate with municipal officials’ duty to represent local interests. The chatbot drops the cost of misinformation to "close to zero."

The vacated rule, meant to go into effect on 14 July, would have covered all forms of negative option marketing
– programs that allow sellers to interpret customer inaction as acceptance of subscriptions,
often leading to unintended charges.
The FTC’s original 1973 rule only covered limited forms of these practices.
It would have also stopped businesses from forcing customers through lengthy chat sessions with agents or creating other barriers to cancellation.
The…