63 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Tech Archive

Archives for October 2024

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to machine learning pioneers.

John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton were honored for their work on artificial neural networks, which created the foundation for AI tools that humanity can use “for good purposes” according to the Nobel Prize X account.

Hinton, a “Godfather of AI,” notably left Google’s Research team to speak freely about the risks of the technology and said he partially “regrets his life’s work.”

Nilay Patel
Nilay Patel
The AI-generated ads are coming.

If you thought standard-issue ad tech was a little weird and creepy, get ready for the future: platforms letting marketers use all their data to make an infinite number of AI-generated ads specifically targeted to individual viewers. Digiday reports on TikTok’s Smart+, which competes with similar offerings from Meta and Google:

Marketers can let TikTok’s AI handle the heavy lifting — building and delivering ads to drive conversions, leads, or app downloads. […] The pitch is all about simplicity and speed — no more weeks of guesswork and endless A/B testing, according to Adolfo Fernandez, TikTok’s director, global head of product strategy and operations, commerce.

Super normal, everyone! No potential issues here!

Jacob Kastrenakes
Jacob Kastrenakes
The new Caribou album is filled with AI vocal effects.

Some turned out great, but others highlight just how messy this technology is, according to Pitchfork. From Shaad D’Souza’s review:

AI is simply another tool that will sometimes be used badly and sometimes be used well, and on Honey I think it’s used well—to complicate and expand the abilities of an artist well into his career, whose creative impulses can no longer be entirely satiated through the means previously available to him. There is one exception: The rap verse on “Campfire” is also Snaith, and it edges toward racial ambiguity in a way that feels queasy. At best, it’s a misguided experiment; at worst, outright minstrelsy.

Caribou: Honey

[Pitchfork]

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
GOP-led House Committee looks into why the FCC rejected Starlink’s funding request.

The House Oversight Committee will investigate the FCC’s decision to deny the Elon Musk-owned Starlink $885.5 million in federal subsidies through the Rural Digital Opportunity fund in 2022.

Last week, Musk claimed the satellite internet company “would probably have saved lives” in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina if the FCC didn’t “illegally” revoke Starlink’s funding.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
FTX’s plan to repay customers $16 billion gets court approval.

Following a lengthy bankruptcy process, FTX says 98 percent of customers who lost assets in the collapsed crypto exchange will receive their money back within 60 days. Delaware Judge John Dorsey called the outcome a “model case for how to deal with a very complex Chapter 11 proceeding.”

How to set up sleep schedules in iOSHow to set up sleep schedules in iOS
Victoria Song
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
You can now accessorize your Framework laptop with Lego.

If you’re a Framework laptop user with access to a 3D printer you’ve now got an important question to ask yourself. Do you prioritize being able to accessorize your machine with Lego using this 3D-printed adapter with studs and tubes that fits into the Framework’s expansion card port? Or is adding another USB-C or HDMI port a higher priority? Decisions, decisions...

Two examples of Lego used to upgrade a Framework laptop.
Got Lego? You can use it to further upgrade your Framework laptop with this 3D-printed adapter.
Image: Printables
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Google wants to block Epic’s requested changes while it appeals antitrust verdict.

Following a final ruling that says Google will have to open up the Play Store to third-party marketplaces, Google reaffirmed its plans to appeal the decision.

At the same time, Google is also asking the court to pause Epic Games’ requests to distribute rival app stores and adjust its payment system. Apple was granted a reprieve during its Epic legal battle last year.

Wes Davis
Wes Davis
iPhones now support wired Xbox controllers.

With the latest iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia updates, wired gaming with an Xbox controller is now supported, even for devices with Lightning ports (using an adapter), MacRumors reports, giving Xbox-preferring gamers a way around latency and wireless interference.

Apple devices had previously supported PlayStation controllers but not Xbox, which MacRumors notes use a proprietary USB protocol, so support for it needed to be custom, as well.