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Wes Davis

Wes Davis

Former Weekend Editor

Former Weekend Editor

    More From Wes Davis

    Seven big tech companies say they’re platform gatekeepers under EU lawSeven big tech companies say they’re platform gatekeepers under EU law
    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    OpenAI has already disabled Browse with Bing in ChatGPT.

    Apparently users could get around paywalls by using ChatGPT’s Bing integration, which the company just introduced in May (via Windows Central). Today, OpenAI announced it was disabling the beta integration so it could fix the issue:

    We have learned that the ChatGPT Browse beta can occasionally display content in ways we don’t want. For example, if a user specifically asks for a URL’s full text, it might inadvertently fulfill this request.

    As of July 3, 2023, we’ve disabled the Browse with Bing beta feature... while we fix this in order to do right by content owners. We are working to bring the beta back as quickly as possible...

    Oh, Bing. You’re always a good time.

    How do I use ChatGPT Browse with Bing to search the web? | OpenAI Help Center

    [help.openai.com]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    You can watch 2001: A Space Odyssey in extremely slow motion on Mastodon for the next five years.

    Software Engineer PJ Evans put a bot on Mastodon that posts a single frame from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey once an hour, and has been for a month. 1,300 toots in, it just reached the title card yesterday.

    Evans says it’ll take, oh, about five years to complete. That’s quite an odyssey.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    The 2022 13-inch MacBook Air now has Bluetooth 5.3.

    The 2022 13-inch MacBook Air launched with Bluetooth 5.0, but the tech specs page for the laptop now says it has version 5.3, as reported by MacRumors.

    It doesn’t look like this is a quiet mid-cycle hardware swap, as the 2022 model’s Broadcom 4387 now supports Bluetooth 5.3.

    So if your 2nd-gen AirPods Pro have been working a little better with your laptop lately, that might be why!

    Update July 3rd, 3:24PM ET: Added a link to the last Internet Archive snapshot of the 2022 MacBook Air.

    Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) review: all-new Air

    Dan Seifert
    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    TikTok’s owner is apparently getting into the book publishing business.

    #BookTok is evidently a big thing, and seeing how influential its platform is, TikTok owner ByteDance has begun to court writers to publish their books under its new 8th Note Press, according to The New York Times.

    Not everyone sees this as good news. Though it is offering rates “competitive with industry standards,” some worry ByteDance will push its own books at the expense of others.

    TikTok Sells A Lot of Books. Now, Its Owner Wants to Publish Them, Too.

    [The New York Times]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    DirecTV might owe you $400.

    The company settled a class action lawsuit for $16.84 million after Ohio-based DirecTV dealer AC1 called 113,997 people whose numbers are on the National Do Not Call Registry. Individual payments will average over $464.

    You can find out if your number is on the list using the link below. It’s in a box labeled “Phone Number Check.”

    Vance v. DIRECTV

    [www.directvclassactionsettlement.com]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Over 100 artists and bands are boycotting big venues over facial recognition tech.

    Responding to the spread of facial recognition technology at concert venues, over 100 bands and artists like Rage Against the Machine and Boots Riley are participating in a boycott orchestrated by digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future.

    Madison Square Garden has made headlines as lawyers for firms actively litigating against venue owner MSG Entertainment reported being kicked out or denied entry after being flagged by the tech.

    Ban Facial Recognition at Live Events

    [Fight for the Future]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Here’s why the Pixel Fold has more letterboxed apps than Samsung’s foldables.

    Mishaal Rahman writes on Android Central explaining why Google’s Pixel devices — like the Pixel Fold — tend to be more constrained than others, specifically Samsung’s Galaxy Fold series. It comes down to developer expectations versus user preferences:

    Google’s decision to letterbox apps, in my view, is the correct one: It compromises between the desire of developers to not have their apps’ aspect ratios distorted and the desire of users to use their apps in their preferred orientation.

    Google is Android’s steward, and as such, it’s important for it to make sure apps behave the way developers intended — even if it means running afoul of user preferences.

    As foldables go mainstream, perhaps developers will feel more pressure to optimize for larger screens.

    Pixel's ties to Google is its biggest strength—but also a weakness

    [Android Central]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Walmart has a 1080p Google TV streaming device on the way.

    A new FCC filing shows Walmart readying a “Full HD” Google TV streaming device coming under its Onn brand, as spotted by Zatz Not Funny! today.

    Walmart’s Onn 4K Google TV streaming box, at $20, is already the best deal in streaming today, so it’s likely this one would be an even cheaper way to add Google’s streaming OS to your TV.

    Walmart To Release Google TV Streaming Stick

    [Zatz Not Funny!]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Tesla nearly doubled its year-over-year deliveries in the second quarter of 2023.

    The company announced it delivered 466,140 cars in this quarter, of a total 479,700 produced, ahead of its financial results, expected July 19th (via CNBC).

    That’s an 83 percent increase over the number reported by Tesla in the same quarter last year. Tesla has recently been ramping up production at its Austin, Texas plant that will also build the Cybertruck, and has plans to open another plant in Monterrey, Mexico.

    Tesla Vehicle Production & Deliveries and Date for Financial Results & Webcast for Second Quarter 2023

    [ir.tesla.com]

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