Tootfinder

Sources: ByteDance and Alibaba both plan to release flagship AI models around China's mid-February Lunar New Year holiday, including ByteDance's Doubao 2.0 (The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/bytedance-alibaba-…

ByteDance, Alibaba to Launch New Models in Race for AI Supremacy in China
The battle for AI dominance in China is reaching new heights. Tech giants ByteDance and Alibaba Group are both poised to release their next flagship AI models around the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, in what could be the most consequential battle in the country’s tech sector. ByteDance ...

new_zealand_collab: New Zealand scientific collaborations (2015)
A network of scientific collaborations among institutions in New Zealand. Nodes are institutions (universities, organizations, etc.), and two nodes i,j are connected if Scopus lists at least one publication with authors at institutions i and j, in the period 2010-2015. Edges are weighted by the number of such collaborations. Nodes are annotated with the categorical type of institution.
This network has 1511 nodes an…

Netflix opens a new office in São Paulo, and co-CEO Greg Peters announces that Netflix will stream the Oscar-nominated Brazilian film The Secret Agent in Brazil (Stewart Clarke/Deadline)
https://deadline.com/2026/01/greg-peters-brazil-netflix-new-o…

Netflix Expands In Brazil: Greg Peters Hits Town As Streamer Opens New São Paulo Office
Greg Peters is in Brazil as Netflix opened up a new office in São Paulo, which the co-CEO said marked the next step for the streamer in the country.

Russia plans new missile and drone strikes to bolster leverage ahead of UAE talks: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/27/russia-plans-new-missile-and.html

📉 Opinion: China's new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country's declining fertility rate
https://theconversation.com/chinas-new-condom-tax-will-prove-no-effective-barrier-to-countrys-declinin…

China’s new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country’s declining fertility rate
The Asian giant is grappling with a dramatic population decline, with a fertility rate of 1.0, well below the 2.1 replacement rate.

The rolling robots that deliver groceries and hot meals across Los Angeles are getting an upgrade.
Coco Robotics, a UCLA-born startup that's deployed more than 1,000 bots across the country, unveiled its next-generation machines on Thursday.
The new robots are bigger, tougher and better equipped for autonomy than their predecessors.
The company will use them to expand into new markets and increase its presence in Los Angeles, where it makes deliveries through a partners…

A new delivery bot is coming to L.A., built stronger to survive in these streets
Coco Robotics launched a new generation of delivery bots

from my link log —
Data isn't the new oil, it's the new CO₂.
https://luminategroup.com/posts/blog/data-isnt-the-new-oil-its-the-new-co2
saved 2019-07-26

Chargers hire Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary as new DC https://www.nfl.com/news/chargers-hire-western-michigan-defensive-coordinator-chris-o-leary-as-new-dc

Cowboys New DC Already Eyeing Team’s 2025 Draft Bust https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/new-dc-already-eyeing-teams-2025-draft-bust/

"First of nine new river walks in England announced for north-west"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #Nature

Are they going to call it Hoth? Will it have taun-tauns on it?
A potentially habitable new planet has been discovered 146 light-years away – but it may be -70C | Science | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/sc…

Wegen Lootboxen: New York verklagt Valve
Die Generalstaatsanwältin von New York verklagt Valve wegen Lootboxen in Spielen wie „Dota 2“ und „Counter-Strike“. Damit fördere Valve Glücksspiel.
https://www.

India and the EU signed a security and defense pact yesterday, covering a lot of cyber territory. But Intelligence Online says the EU wanted India to rein in its hacking-for-hire industry, which India denies even exists. So that was left out of the deal.

Europe/India • Indian 'hackers for hire' to continue to thrive under Brussels-New Dehli trade deal
The major trade and strategic agreement signed on 27 January between the European Union and India includes a cyber component, which has been subject to a discreet tug-of-war between cyber diplomats

Was originally going to upgrade the VM server CPU today since the new heatsink came in, but changed my mind: I don't have an extra LGA 4189 plastic mounting clip so I'd need to remove the old CPU from the heatsink, clean it, and apply new thermal compound etc.
Better to wait until tomorrow when the motherboard I ordered for the microscope bench box comes in. Then I can use its bracket with the new heatsink and CPU, and pull the existing VM server processor/heatsink assembly and…

new_zealand_collab: New Zealand scientific collaborations (2015)
A network of scientific collaborations among institutions in New Zealand. Nodes are institutions (universities, organizations, etc.), and two nodes i,j are connected if Scopus lists at least one publication with authors at institutions i and j, in the period 2010-2015. Edges are weighted by the number of such collaborations. Nodes are annotated with the categorical type of institution.
This network has 1511 nodes an…

Raiders, Giants, Steelers and Cowboys could have interest in new Packers free agent https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/news/raiders-giants-steelers-cowboys-interest-new-packers-fr…

Got my new iPhone. Love the replaceable battery.
(from https://old.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/1rhbefu/my_new_phone_has_arrived/)

Got my new iPhone. Love the replaceable battery.
(from https://old.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/1rhbefu/my_new_phone_has_arrived/)

Bands of crazed religious fanatics murdering each other is nothing new. What’s new is they now have nuclear weapons.
21st century technology wielded by 1st century minds is the surest recipe for extinction I can think of.

New AirSnitch attack breaks Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises
That guest network you set up for your neighbors may not be as secure as you think.
🛜 https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/02/new-air…

New AirSnitch attack breaks Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises
That guest network you set up for your neighbors may not be as secure as you think.

Today, the European Council approved the new version of the Measuring Instruments Directive. The Parliament had already approved the compromise reached.
48 months after publication (i.e. mid-2030), new EV charging points in the European Union must comply with the new, harmonised requirements.

Technical harmonisation: Council approves new requirements for car chargers and other measuring instruments
Council gives its final approval to the amended measuring instruments directive.

Do prawns feel pain? Why scientists are urging a rethink of Australia’s favoured festive food https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/22/crustaceans-feelings-sentient-christmas-new-year-prawns-australia

Ultraviolet Completion of the Big Bang in Quadratic Gravity: #QuantumGravity.

A look at a local group's lawsuit against Micron over its $100B New York manufacturing complex, alleging a rushed permitting process and environmental review (Fast Company)
https://www.fastcompany.com/91495639/micro

Micron’s $100 billion New York semiconductor manufacturing project is facing local pushback
The notoriously dirty semiconductor industry poses potential environmental and health risks for surrounding areas.

If you’re on Wi-Fi, including your own network, you should always use a VPN.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/02/new-airsnitch-attack-breaks-wi-fi-encryption-in-homes-offices-and-enterprises/

ready to be infected?
Shuffalo, 8m 20s
🟡🟡🟡🟡
🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡
🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡
🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡
🟡🔘🔘🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡
https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/shuffalo/2026/01/26#i…

Play Shuffalo: Monday, January 26, 2026
Play The New Yorker’s daily anagramming game by unscrambling the letters to make a word—but every time you do, an additional letter gets added to the set.

Anyone else loving the new Raye album, "This Music May Contain Hope"? It really does give me strength: joy, hope, empathy, some sadness. Sweeping tunes, great narrative, and I'm a sucker for a real orchestra.
#music #Raye

RAYE - 'THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.'
New album ft. 'WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!' & new single 'Click Clack Symphony.' out now! Stream / Buy:

Alright, I'm starting to be kind of impressed by this Mamdani guy.
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-zohran-mamdani-new-york-housing-3835daca395dbe46c2f3da2433ec24f4

Mamdani pitches Trump on housing in latest White House visit
President Donald Trump has met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House to talk about big federal housing investments. Mamdani on Thursday presented Trump with a mock New York Daily News cover that reads “Trump to City: Let’s Build.” His team says the goal is to show Trump the positive headlines a deal could generate. Mamdani’s office did not detail the housing plan, but his spokesperson says Trump responded with enthusiasm. Mamdani also asked Trump to release a detain…

So got a new laptop, ("new" as in new for me, still 6 years old but far newer than my other laptop), and opted to try a gaming distro since it has a dedicated GPU.
Tried Bazzite, failed miserably as it installed on a 1TB rotational drive and was horribly slow.
Replaced drive with a solid state and tried again, this time trying to install on it and the NVME which evidently it came with too. Didn't see the drive but a quick update in the bios resolved that. Got it i…

Starmer gives an average man's response to Carney's call for everyday heroes
But it isn't Britishness that makes him average. It's his refusal to stand up to the position he was elected at.
https://www.politico.eu/article/keir-starm

Starmer to Carney: No new world order please, we’re British
U.K. leader says he’s ‘a British pragmatist applying common sense’ after Canadian counterpart called for mid-sized countries to team up in the era of Trump.

Zelensky warns Russia preparing new large-scale strike: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/29/zelensky-warns-russia-preparing-new.html

An article about using "AI" for drug discovery (that fails to distinguish ML from LLMs from…), but nicely profiles Matt Might's work!
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/well/ai-drug-repurposing.html

A.I. Saved His Life by Discovering New Uses for Old Drugs
Scientists are using machine learning to find new treatments among thousands of old medicines.

Interesting and probably controversial observation for many by Andrew Ng,
" I’ve stopped writing code by hand. More controversially, I’ve long stopped reading generated code. I realize I’m in the minority here, but I feel like I can get built most of what I want without having to look directly at coding syntax, and I operate at a higher level of abstraction using coding agents to manipulate code for me."

The New Open-Weights Leader, Big AI’s Political Influence, Predicting Illness, and more...
The Batch AI News and Insights: Will AI create new job opportunities? My daughter Nova loves cats, and her favorite color is yellow.

Musk joined Trump and Modi call on Iran, says New York Times - Reuters
Elon Musk joined ‌a phone call between Donald Trump and ​India's Prime Minister Narendra ​Modi on Tuesday about ⁠the war in ​Iran, the New York Times ​reported on Friday, citing two U.S. officials.
It was unclear ​why Musk was ​on the call or whether he ‌spoke, ⁠the newspaper said.

Musk joined Trump and Modi call on Iran, says New York Times — Reuters
Elon Musk joined ‌a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and ​India's Prime Minister Narendra ​Modi on Tuesday about ⁠the war in ​Iran, the New York Times ​reported on Friday, citing two U.S. officials.

A judge orders the US Defense Department and NYT back to court Monday after NYT said US officials "are contemptuously defying" a ruling restoring press access (Michael Calderone/The Wrap)
https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/jo

New York Times, Pentagon Return to Court Monday Over Press Restrictions
The hearing follows the New York Times arguing that the Defense Department isn’t complying with a judge’s earlier ruling on Pentagon access

Bucs new OC Zac Robinson 'fired up' to work with 'true igniter' Baker Mayfield again https://www.nfl.com/news/bucs-new-oc-zac-robinson-fired-up-to-work-with-true-igniter-baker-mayfield-again

⭐ Promising new superconducting material discovered with the help of AI
#materials

Promising new superconducting material discovered with the help of AI
Tohoku University and Fujitsu Limited have successfully used AI to derive new insights into the superconductivity mechanism of a new superconducting material.

Raiders, Giants, Steelers and Cowboys could have interest in new Packers free agent https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/news/raiders-giants-steelers-cowboys-interest-new-packers-fr…

"New filtration technology could be gamechanger in removal of Pfas ‘forever chemicals’"
#PFAS #ForeverChemicals

Snap launches a wholly-owned subsidiary called Specs Inc. for its upcoming AR glasses, in a bid to facilitate minority investment and offer distinct branding (Jess Weatherbed/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/news/869210/snap-specs-smart-ar-glasses-new-subsi…

Snap is turning its smart glasses team into its own company
Snap is launching a separate business for its upcoming Specs augmented reality glasses in a bid to lure new investors to the project.

new_guinea_tribes: New Guinea Highlands tribes (1954)
A network of friendships among tribes of Gahuku-Gama alliance structure of the Eastern Central Highlands region in New Guinea. Edge sign indicates either friendship ("rova") or enmity ("hint”).
This network has 16 nodes and 58 edges.
Tags: Social, Offline, Signed
h…

🎥 Highlights: New York Giants 34, Las Vegas Raiders 10 https://www.giants.com/video/highlights-new-york-giants-34-las-vegas-raiders-10

On the Divergent Evolution of Io and Europa as Primordial Ocean Worlds: #GalileanMoons set at birth: https://www.swri.org/newsroom/press-releases/new-study-finds-water-makeup-of-jupiter-s-galilean-moons-set-birth

So here’s a little JavaScript initialisation order quiz.
Take the following code:
```js
class A {
constructor (parameters = {}) {
Object.assign(this, parameters)
}
}
class B extends A {
foo
constructor (parameters) {
super(parameters)
this.foo ??= ‘no’
}
}
const b1 = new B()
const b2 = new B({ foo: ‘ok’ })
console.info(`${b1.foo}, ${b2.foo}`)
```
What output would you s…

Sources: Paramount's Dane Glasgow told staff that Paramount gained ~1M subscribers on the day of its first UFC event; Paramount calls the figures "unverified" (James Faris/Business Insider)
https://www.businessinsider.com/ufc-paramo

Paramount+ got about 1 million new subscribers the day of its first UFC event, an exec told staffers
Paramount+ snagged about a million new customers on the day of its first UFC event, an exec told employees, as close to 5 million viewers tuned in.

World enters 'era of global water bankruptcy': UN scientists formally define new post-crisis reality for billions https://phys.org/news/2026-01-world-era-global-bankruptcy-scientists.html
UN report declares global state of 'water bankruptcy…

World enters 'era of global water bankruptcy': UN scientists formally define new post-crisis reality for billions
Amid chronic groundwater depletion, water overallocation, land and soil degradation, deforestation, and pollution, all compounded by global heating, a UN report today declared the dawn of an era of global water bankruptcy, inviting world leaders to facilitate "honest, science-based adaptation to a new reality."

McCarthy 'definitely' would like Rodgers to return https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47746811/new-steelers-coach-mccarthy-rodgers-return

Health care, new cars and new homes feel unaffordable to most Americans,
a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll shows.

Most Americans say that they can afford basic necessities like their current housing costs, groceries, utilities and gasoline.
But large numbers across income levels also say larger expenses and the cost of things associated with an enjoyable life
— including taking a weeklong vacation
— are out of reach.
Overall, 53 percent of adults say…

A new car, home feel out of reach for middle-class Americans, poll finds
Most renters — including those earning six figures — doubt they could afford a home in the foreseeable future.

So, users in Korea will now be notified if they are involved in “possible” data leaks, not just definitive cases, and potential threats to their personal information under a new set of data protection measures.
This is like pre-crime for data breach notification.
…

Gov't to notify people of possible data leaks, not just confirmed cases
Users will now be notified if they are involved in “possible” data leaks, not just definitive cases, and potential threats to their personal information under a new set of data protection measures.

A Kapwing study of the 15,000 top YouTube channels finds 278 of them have only posted AI-generated "slop" videos, amassing 63B views and 221M subscribers (Aisha Down/The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/202

Mirror Group lawyers say the publisher "accepts the allegations" of phone hacking but the claimants failed to file within the six-year statute of limitations (Press Gazette)
https://pressgazette.co.uk/media_law/mirror-acc…

Mirror accepts hacking took place but says new claims brought too late
The Mirror has admitted hacking took place at the paper but has said new claims against it have been brought too late.

Sources: Browns hiring Monken as new coach https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47754909/browns-hiring-todd-monken-new-coach

Raiders lose 2 head coach candidates as Joe Brady and Brian Daboll take new roles https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nfl/raiders-lose-2-head-coach-candidates-as-joe-brady-and-brian-daboll-take-new-roles

A frame-by-frame assessment of actions by Alex Pretti and the two officers who fired 10 times shows how lethal force came to be used against a target who didn’t pose a threat.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010…

Video: New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti
A frame-by-frame assessment of actions by Alex Pretti and the two officers who fired 10 times shows how lethal force came to be used against a target who didn’t pose a threat.

SK Hynix announces a new US-based "AI Company" from a restructuring of its California-based subsidiary Solidigm, and commits at least $10B to the new entity (Dylan Butts/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/28/sk-hynix-ai-company-us.html

South Korea's SK Hynix to establish a special ‘AI Company’ in the U.S.
SK Hynix will set up a new U.S.-based company focused on artificial intelligence solutions, with $10 billion committed to the project.

Browns to hire former Ravens OC Todd Monken as new head coach https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-to-hire-former-ravens-oc-todd-monken-as-new-head-coach

"New datacentres risk doubling Great Britain’s electricity use, regulator says"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #Technology

Ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline, Democrats laid out their conditions for funding the Department of Homeland Security,
including new restrictions on immigration officers.
In addition to a prohibition on federal officers wearing masks,
they also demanded that the agents wear body cameras and carry identification.
Their proposal would put an end to roving patrols
and require warrants issued by a judge for arrests and searches.
Democrats also want the fe…

Democrats Demand Unmasked Agents, New Limits to Fund D.H.S.
Ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline, Democrats laid out their conditions for funding the Department of Homeland Security, including new restrictions on immigration officers.

Privacy-focused MVNO Cape, which has raised $61M from a16z and others, launches across the US following a March 2025 beta, offering a $99 monthly plan (Steven Melendez/Fast Company)
https://www.fastcompany.com/91481000/this-

This new privacy-focused phone service is designed to keep your phone from getting hacked
Cape, which offers a range of enhanced privacy and security measures, is now offering service across the United States. 

An interview with Audrey Cooper, EIC of The Baltimore Banner, on local news decline, growing regionally, paywalls, experimenting with AI, and more (Editor and Publisher)
https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories

The Baltimore Banner enters a new year — and a new chapter — with a new editor-in-chief
Local journalism is shrinking in much of the country — but The Baltimore Banner is moving in the opposite direction. In just two years, the nonprofit newsroom has grown into Maryland’s largest reporting operation, expanded beyond Baltimore, and built a fast-growing base of paying subscribers. Now, with their new editor-in-chief, Audrey Cooper, at the helm, The Banner is doubling down on a belief that many in the industry have quietly abandoned: scale still matters. In this wide-ranging conv…

Packers hiring Cam Achord as new special teams coordinator https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7076344/2026/02/27/packers-hiring-cam-achord-as-new-special-teams-coordinator/

AI Whistleblower Initiative says OpenAI recently updated its whistleblower policy, addressing 8 of 13 recommendations and going further than Anthropic's policy (Rocket Drew/The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-one-ups-a…

OpenAI One-Ups Anthropic with New Whistleblower Policy
OpenAI recently updated its policy for handling whistleblower complaints, following concerns about AI startups ignoring what are standard rules applying to all companies. It follows similar steps from Anthropic and could pressure other AI companies to follow suit.Federal government rules mandate ...

"New diets, bubble tricks and learning to share: The fascinating ways whales adapt to climate change"
#Whales #Animals #Climate

Whales may ‘divide resources’ to cope with climate change - study
Scientists have analysed almost 30 years of data to discover how whales in the North Atlantic Ocean are learning to co-exist in a warming world.

A Kapwing study of the 15,000 top YouTube channels finds 278 of them have only posted AI-generated "slop" videos, amassing 63B views and 221M subscribers (Aisha Down/The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/202

Source: Jets hire DC but Glenn likely to call play... https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47755208/sources-jets-hire-duker-new-dc-glenn-likely-call-defense

A new space race could turn our atmosphere into a ‘crematorium for satellites’
https://theconversation.com/a-new-space-race-could-turn-our-atmosphere-into-a-crematorium-for-satellites-276366

A new space race could turn our atmosphere into a ‘crematorium for satellites’
Planned ‘megaconstellations’ of satellites could cause unforeseen harm to the ozone layer and climate systems. Global regulation is needed before it’s too late.

Fidelity Investments announces its own stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar, or FIDD, available to institutional and retail clients in the coming weeks (Jeff John Roberts/Fortune)
https://fortune.com/2026/01/28/fidelity-enters-crowded-stablecoi…

Fidelity enters crowded stablecoin field with new FIDD token
The upscale brokerage has a long history of working with digital assets.

NFL salary cap hits new high of $301.2M in 2026 https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48055711/nfl-salary-cap-hits-new-milestone-3012-million-2026

Financial markets fall to new 2026 low as oil rises again
The longer oil prices remain elevated, it’s going to be harder to avoid a bad economic outcome,”
said Tom Porcelli, chief economist at Wells Fargo.
If the increase in oil prices holds for the next several months, that economic headwind could cancel out the tax cuts and other stimulus that the Trump administration was counting on, he added.

Financial leaders around the world have begun to warn that the global econo…

Financial markets fall to new 2026 low as oil rises again
Consumer sentiment in the economy dropped to its lowest level since December, as investors, businesses and consumers worry about the Iran conflict.

Tyler Shough for Rookie of Year? The Saints QB is making his case https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47439147/tyler-shough-2025-rookie-year-new-orleans-saints-quarterback-making-case

TikTok says the new US entity has not updated its algorithm since the joint venture was announced, after users accused it of suppressing posts related to ICE (David McCabe/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/us/tiktok-ice-minneapolis-techni…

TikTok Blames Technical Problems After Users Claimed It Blocked ICE Posts
Some users had accused the app of blocking them from posting videos about Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The app said it was a power outage issue.

The government of California is implementing a law that requires operating system providers to implement some form of age verification into their account setup procedures.
Assembly Bill No. 1043 was approved by California governor Gavin Newsom in October of last year, and becomes active on January 1, 2027 (via The Lunduke Journal).
The bill states, among other factors, that "An operating system provider shall do all of the following:"
"(1) Provide an accessib…

A new California law says all operating systems, including Linux, need to have some form of age verification at account setup
It's basic, and by the looks of it, near unenforceable.

Google updates Gemini in Chrome with a new side panel, an auto browse feature that can navigate pages and take actions for AI Pro and AI Ultra users, and more (Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET)
https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/work-life/google-chrome-auto-browse/

Your Google Chrome browser just got a useful autopilot feature - here's how it works
Google's new Auto Browse feature aims to handle your digital chores by taking actions on your behalf.

The 30th anniversary celebration of Democracy Now!, held in New York City’s historic Riverside Church this week, featured live performances and appearances from writers and musicians including Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith. The musical performances were kicked off by singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra and their band Hurray for the Riff Raff, performing the Puerto Rico-inspired anthem “Pa’lante.”

Hurray for the Riff Raff Performs “Pa’lante” at Democracy Now!’s 30th Anniversary
The 30th anniversary celebration of Democracy Now!, held in New York City’s historic Riverside Church this week, featured live performances and appearances from writers and musicians including Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith. The musical performances were kicked off by singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra and their band Hurray for the Riff Raff, performing the Puerto Rico-inspired anthem “Pa’lante.”

A Google bug report apparently leaks the planned Android desktop interface, showing a taller status bar, a new mouse cursor, Chrome extensions, and more (Abner Li/9to5Google)
https://9to5google.com/2026/01/27/android-desktop-leak/

Android’s full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions, more [Video]
A Google bug report on the Chromium Issue Tracker today has inadvertently leaked the Android desktop interface for the first time.

Rising carbon dioxide levels are being detected within the human body,
with new research warning a key blood marker for the gas could near its healthy limit within decades if current trends continue.
The findings are especially relevant for children and adolescents, whose developing bodies will experience the longest cumulative exposure to rising atmospheric CO₂
Bicarbonate plays a central role in maintaining the body's acid–base balance.
When CO₂ levels rise, t…

Rising carbon dioxide levels now detected in human blood
Rising carbon dioxide levels are being detected within the human body, with new research warning a key blood marker for the gas could near its healthy limit within decades if current trends continue. The findings are especially relevant for children and adolescents, whose developing bodies will experience the longest cumulative exposure to rising atmospheric CO₂.

Jets reached out to Jon Gruden about joining Aaron Glenn's coaching staff: Sources https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7003090/2026/01/27/new-york-jets-jon-gruden/

Sources: Nvidia plans to unveil a new AI inference chip at its GTC conference in March; the system will have a Groq-designed chip and OpenAI is a customer (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/nvidia-pla…

The recruitment drive for new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers
is putting strain on the vetting process,
Reuters reported, citing an internal email from the agency that was sent on Monday.
ICE leaders have now put in place a process to handle allegations of
historic misconduct against new recruits, the report said.
The email was sent to supervisors with ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division, Reuters reported.
It cited…

Leaked ICE Memo Reveals Problems Vetting New Recruits—Report
The Trump administration has sought to rapidly hire new ICE officers to see through its aggressive deportation targets.

Google expands its AI Plus subscription to 35 new countries and territories, including the US at $7.99/month, with "enhanced access" to Gemini 3 Pro and more (Abner Li/9to5Google)
https://9to5google.com/2026/01/27/google-ai-plus-us/

Google AI Plus comes to US for $7.99, Google One 2 TB upgraded
After introducing the plan internationally in September, Google is bringing its AI Plus subscription to 35 new countries, including the US. 

How much difference will the Giants' focus on special teams make? https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48323578/how-much-difference-new-york-giants-john-harbaugh-focus-special-teams-make

India-based Ultrahuman launches the $479 Ring Pro, available for pre-order globally, excluding the US, after the ITC ruled in favor of Oura in a patent dispute (Jagmeet Singh/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/27/ultr…

Ultrahuman bets on redesigned smart ring to win back U.S. market after Oura dispute | TechCrunch
Ultrahuman’s Ring Pro promises 15-day battery life and a $479 price tag as the wearables maker expands its health-tech push.

Ariana Grande urges followers
to call senators about ICE
and shares a hotline for reporting ICE activity in New York.
https://bsky.app/profile/popcrave.com/post/3mdgcejhxs22p

Pop Crave (@popcrave.com)
Ariana Grande urges followers to call senators about ICE and shares a hotline for reporting ICE activity in New York.

Jets part ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand: Aaron Glenn to look for new playcaller

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jets-offensive-coordinator-tanner-engstr…

ByteDance launches its Dreamina Seedance 2.0 audio and video model in its CapCut editing platform, supporting clips up to 15 seconds across six aspect ratios (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/26/bytedance…

ByteDance's new AI video generation model, Dreamina Seedance 2.0, comes to CapCut | TechCrunch
The new model in CapCut will have built-in protections for making video from real faces or unauthorized intellectual property.

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran,
U.S. officials said,
as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become
a dangerous new phase of the war should Trump choose to escalate.

Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion
and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops,
said the officials.

Such …

Pentagon prepares for weeks of ground operations in Iran
If President Trump approves the plans, such an effort would mark a new phase of the war that could be significantly more dangerous to U.S. troops than the first four weeks.

Jets, Aaron Glenn change course and part ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand: Sources https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6952099/2026/01/27/tanner-engstrand-fired-new-york-jets/

Nothing CEO Carl Pei says the company's flagship Phone 4 won't launch in 2026: "We're not just going to churn out a new flagship every year for the sake of it" (Dominic Preston/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/tech/869975/nothing-phon…

There won’t be a Nothing Phone 4 this year
CEO Carl Pei says there’s no new flaghip on the way, but teased improvements for the 4A series instead.

Sources: crypto investment firm Paradigm is looking to raise up to $1.5B for a new fund to expand into AI, robotics, and other forms of frontier tech (Yuliya Chernova/Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-firm-paradigm-to…

CISA's interim director Madhu Gottumukkala is reassigned as DHS' director of strategic implementation; executive assistant director Nick Andersen will take over (Luke Barr/ABC News)
https://abcnews.com/Politics/us-cybersecurity-agency-new-a…

US cybersecurity agency to get new acting director
The nominee to serve as CISA director has not yet received a hearing.

Battery recycling and cathode production startup Redwood expands its Series E to $425M, sources say at a $6B valuation, adds Google as a new strategic investor (Kirsten Korosec/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/redwood-attra…

Redwood attracts Google for its $425M Series E as AI power needs rise | TechCrunch
Google is the latest investor to back Redwood Materials as the battery recycling startup scales a new energy storage venture to power AI data centers and other industrial sites.

Samsung says it will introduce a display feature for the Galaxy S26 series that improves "privacy at a pixel level" to protect users from "shoulder surfing" (Abhijeet Mishra/SamMobile)
https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-teases-gala…

Samsung confirms Galaxy S26’s insane ‘pixel level’ privacy feature
Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S26 series will introduce a new display feature designed to improve privacy when using your phone in public. The company stopped short of directly calling it a “privacy display,” but its wording leaves little room for doubt. In a new press release, Samsung talks about “privacy at a pixel