mastodon 4.7.3Stories we're following for the TWiT tech podcasts. https://twit.tv
darrylmorley/whatcable: macOS menu bar app that tells you, in plain English, what each USB-C cable plugged into your Mac can actually do - https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable
macOS menu bar app that tells you, in plain English, what each USB-C cable plugged into your Mac can actually do - darrylmorley/whatcable
John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement - https://www.thedrive.com/news/john-deere-to-pay-99-million-in-monumental-right-to-repair-settlement
The ag manufacturing giant will also make digital diagnostic, maintenance, and repair tools available to third parties for 10 years.
I Left Port 22 Open for 54 Days: An SSH Honeypot Study - https://arman-bd.hashnode.dev/i-left-port-22-open-on-the-internet-for-54-days-here-s-who-showed-up
Field report from an SSH honeypot left open for 54 days: 269K login attempts, 48K unique passwords, and a surprising cast of attackers.
Artemis II Live Tracker – Real-Time Orion Spacecraft Position, Speed & Trajectory | ISSINFO - https://issinfo.net/artemis.html
Track NASA's Orion spacecraft in real-time on a live 2D map of the Earth-Moon system. See mission elapsed time, trajectory, speed, and crew info for Artemis I, II and beyond.
Xbox CEO confirms next-gen 'Project Helix' console will play PC games - https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-ceo-confirms-next-gen-project-helix-console-will-play-pc-games-204654357.html?src=rss
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is gearing up to spill the beans on Microsoft’s next-generation console.
California to begin ticketing driverless cars that violate traffic laws - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clypjx3rg2go
Under the new rules, police will be able to issue tickets directly to the car's manufacturer when an autonomous vehicle breaks a traffic law.
#TWiT, IM
Jeeves and Ask.com Shut Down After Almost 30 Years - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/business/ask-jeeves-shuts-down-internet-search-engine.html
The pioneering search engine shut down on May 1, after nearly 30 years in operation.
Ask.com has shut down, marking the official farewell to the Internet's favorite butler - Engadget - https://www.engadget.com/2163129/ask-com-has-shut-down-marking-official-farewell-to-internet-favorite-butler/
RIP to the original AI search bot.
DeepSeek previews new AI model that ‘closes the gap’ with frontier models - https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/deepseek-previews-new-ai-model-that-closes-the-gap-with-frontier-models
How NASA Built Artemis II’s Fault-Tolerant Computer – Communications of the ACM - https://cacm.acm.org/news/how-nasa-built-artemis-iis-fault-tolerant-computer/
How many products does Microsoft have named ‘Copilot’? I mapped every one - https://teybannerman.com/strategy/2026/03/31/how-many-microsoft-copilot-are-there.html
A few weeks ago, I tried to explain to someone what Microsoft Copilot is. I couldn’t… because the name ‘Copilot’ now refers to at least 75 different things.
Iranian missile blitz takes down AWS data centers in Bahrain and Dubai — Amazon reportedly declares “hard down” status for multiple zones - https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/iranian-missile-blitz-takes-down-aws-data-centers-in-bahrain-and-dubai-amazon-declares-hard-down-status-for-multiple-zones
Iranian strikes are taking out AWS servers in the region.
Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S. - https://www.axios.com/2026/04/05/phone-free-restaurants-bars-bans-restrictions-offline
A "societal shift" to disconnect is under way, experts say.
This interactive timeline details every iPhone model ever released - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/03/this-interactive-timeline-shows-every-iphone-size-color-spec-and-model-ever-released/
A new interactive data project from sheets.works lets you scroll through every iPhone model ever released, complete with tech specs.
ChatGPT did not cure a dog’s cancer - https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/896878/ai-did-not-cure-this-dogs-cancer
[AI doctor with computer for head.]
When an Australian tech entrepreneur with no background in biology or medicine
said ChatGPT helped save his dog from cancer, the story spread with the kind...
GPT-5.4 is available in Pro and Thinking versions; its API version has improved tool calling and will be available with context windows of up to 1M tokens - http://www.techmeme.com/260305/p45#a260305p45
By Russell Brandom / TechCrunch. View the full context on Techmeme.
Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester - https://www.404media.co/proton-mail-helped-fbi-unmask-anonymous-stop-cop-city-protestor/
A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the FBI.
Apple geoblocking downloads of ByteDance-owned apps in the US - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/05/apple-reportedly-geoblocking-downloads-and-updates-of-bytedance-owned-apps-in-the-us/
Apple is blocking US users from downloading or updating several ByteDance-owned apps, even when they have a valid Chinese App Store account.
Apple no longer offers M3 Ultra Mac Studio with original highest RAM configuration - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/05/apple-no-longer-offers-m3-ultra-mac-studio-with-original-highest-ram-configuration/
A year ago today, Apple unveiled the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studio desktop computer. In addition to Thunderbolt...
NASA: Artemis II - https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/
Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a sustained human presence at the Moon for decades to come.
Anthropic launches new corporate PAC to ramp up election spending - https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5815439-anthropic-launches-corporate-pac/
The artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is launching a new corporate political action committee, becoming the latest technology firm to start an employee-funded PAC for election season. An…
Anthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra - https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/907074/anthropic-openclaw-claude-subscription-ban
Claude vs. Claw.
#twit, im
New AirPods Pro are coming this year: Here are three rumored upgrades - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/03/new-airpods-pro-are-coming-this-year-here-are-three-rumored-upgrades/
AirPods Pro 3 launched last fall, but reporting says another new AirPods Pro model is coming this year. Here are three rumored new features.
Google AI Edge Gallery App - App Store - https://apps.apple.com/app/id6749645337
Download Google AI Edge Gallery by Google on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Google AI Edge Gallery.
Apple releases public betas for iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and more - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/03/apple-releases-public-betas-for-ipados-26-5-watchos-26-5-and-more/
Apple has released public beta 1 for iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and more, here’s what to expect from the new updates.
AI 'vibe-coded' war dashboards are flooding social media - Fast Company - https://www.fastcompany.com/91502098/ai-vibe-coded-war-dashboards-iran
Developers are vibe-coding tools to track the Iran conflict in real time, though some question whether the dashboards offer insight or just spectacle.
Tech Companies Are Trying To Neuter Colorado's Landmark Right-to-Repair Law - Slashdot - https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/04/03/1845258/tech-companies-are-trying-to-neuter-colorados-landmark-right-to-repair-law
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Today at a hearing of the Colorado Senate Business, Labor, and Technology committee, lawmakers voted unanimously to move Colorado state bill SB26-090 -- titled Exempt Critical Infrastructure from Right to Repair -- out of committee and into the state s...
GPT-5.4 Thinking and GPT-5.4 Pro are rolling out now in ChatGPT. - https://twitter.com/OpenAI/status/2029620619743219811
GPT-5.4 is also now available in the API and Codex.
GPT-5.4 brings our advances in reasoning, coding, and agentic workflows into one frontier model.
#twit, im
OpenAI Releases New ChatGPT Model For Working In Excel and Google Sheets - Slashdot - https://slashdot.org/story/26/03/05/1859243/openai-releases-new-chatgpt-model-for-working-in-excel-and-google-sheets
OpenAI today released GPT-5.4, an upgraded ChatGPT model designed to be faster, cheaper, and more accurate for workplace tasks. The update also introduces tools that let ChatGPT work directly inside Excel and Google Sheets. Axios reports: GPT-5.4 is designed to be less error-prone, more efficient a...
Spirit Airlines’ Demise Could Help Other Airlines - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/business/spirit-airlines-shutdown-fares-industry-impact.html
Even in its reduced state, the company played an important role in forcing other airlines to keep fares low, some experts said.
<<https://thenextweb.com/news/openai-gpt-54-launch-computer-use-benchmarks
The new model introduces native computer use, a 1-million-token context window, and a reworked tool-calling system. Whether it actually holds off Anthropic and Google is less clear.
OpenAI ...
#im>>>
iFixit tears down the new AirPods Max 2, isn’t surprised - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/03/ifixit-tears-down-the-new-airpods-max-2-isnt-surprised/
You know the drill: new Apple product, new iFixit teardown. Here’s what they found when they dug into the new AirPods Max 2.
Epic Earth: 3D Adventure Films App - App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epic-earth-3d-adventure-films/id6740282714
Download Epic Earth: 3D Adventure Films by MacGillivray Free Films on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Epic…
The Vibe Coding Effect? Apple’s App Store Saw 84% Jump in New Apps in Quarter - https://www.theinformation.com/articles/vibe-coding-effect-apples-app-store-saw-84-jump-new-apps-quarter
For much of the last decade, the number of new apps launching in Apple’s App Store each year went into a tailspin, falling a whopping 48% between 2016 and 2024, according to data from research firm Sensor Tower. At least that was the case until last year. In 2025, the number of new apps that ...
#twit, mbw, im
Pentagon Officially Tells Anthropic It Is a Supply Chain Risk - https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/pentagon-officially-tells-anthropic-supply-chain-risk
The Defense Department has officially told Anthropic that the artificial intelligence company and its products “are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately,” according to a senior defense official.
The declaration follows an announcement on social media last Friday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he was directing the government to deem Anthropic a “supply chain risk ”
#twit, im
Developer behind controversial AI apps sues Apple over App Store takedowns - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/03/developer-behind-controversial-ai-apps-sues-apple-over-app-store-takedowns/
Ex-Human, developer of the Botify and Photify AI apps, is suing Apple over “arbitrary” enforcement of the App Store rules.
JuliusBrussee/caveman: 🪨 why use many token when few token do trick — Claude Code skill that cuts 75% of tokens by talking like caveman - https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman
🪨 why use many token when few token do trick — Claude Code skill that cuts 75% of tokens by talking like caveman - JuliusBrussee/caveman
Microsoft to force updates to Windows 11 25H2 for PCs with older OS versions — 'intelligent' update system uses machine learning to determine when a device is ready - https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-forces-updates-to-windows-11-25h2-update-for-pcs-running-on-24h2
Microsoft forces 25H2 rollout ahead of 24H2 end-of-support
Halide makers just made Kino the ultimate iPhone 17 Pro video app - 9to5Mac - https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/05/kino-apple-log-2/
Kino, the pro video capture app for iOS, just received an update that makes it the ultimate filmmaking app for...
AMD or Nvidia eGPUs can work on Apple Silicon Macs, but not for graphic acceleration - https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/04/04/amd-or-nvidia-egpus-can-work-on-apple-silicon-macs-but-not-for-graphic-acceleration
Apple has signed a driver for AMD or Nvidia eGPUs connected to Apple Silicon but there are some big caveats, and it won't improve your graphics. Here's what they're for.
Firm quietly boosts H.264 streaming license fees from $100,000 up to staggering $4.5 million — backbone codec of the internet gets meteoric increase, AVC hikes follow disastrous H.265 licensing increases - https://www.tomshardware.com/service-providers/streaming/h264-streaming-license-fees-jump-from-100000-to-4-5-million
Existing licensees are grandfathered.
