Friday, August 14

Life Style

‘Clawdbot’ Is Now ‘Moltbot,’ but Still Carries the Same Security Concerns
Life Style

‘Clawdbot’ Is Now ‘Moltbot,’ but Still Carries the Same Security Concerns

On Monday, I was introduced to "Clawdbot," the latest AI craze taking over tech social media channels. Clawdbot is designed to be an agentic personal assistant. In layman's terms, that means the bot can perform tasks on your behalf: You give it full access to your computer, and it can organize your inbox, code for you, or clear your calendar (allegedly, anyway). You can also talk to it from a chat app of your choice, like WhatsApp or iMessage, rather than it's own interface. Some people are even buying Mac minis exclusively to run Clawdbot from. If you're wondering where that name came from, it takes after another AI company's product. Creator Peter Steinberger says he was inspired by the monster that appears when users reload Claude Code—Claude being one of the big AI products in the spac...
We Now Know What Caused the TikTok Outage
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We Now Know What Caused the TikTok Outage

If you tried hopping on TikTok Sunday, you might have noticed something odd: the app wasn't working. Outages happen, of course, as anyone who has Verizon can attest. But in the moment, theories were flying left and right. TikTok had just officially moved into U.S. control, leading some to speculate that the outage had something to do with this change in ownership. As one user put it, "TikTok being down days after the people they were forced to sell to take it over does not feel like a coincidence." As it happens, it does appear that the changing of the guard was responsible for the outage—just not in the way that some conspiracy theories might suggest. TikTok finally released a statement on X Monday morning, attributing the outage to issues at a U.S. data center. The statement is as follow...
This Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker Is $75 Right Now
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This Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker Is $75 Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Soundcore Boom 3i is clearly built with water-first trips in mind. It has an IP68 rating, so it’s fully resistant to dust and water, and it’s also designed to handle saltwater, which in itself is pretty rare even for outdoor speakers. That’s the kind of detail that matters if your idea of “outside” means beaches, boats, or time near the ocean. It also floats, and it does so with the speakers facing upward, which keeps the sound usable instead of muffled when it’s bobbing around. In practice, that makes it less annoying to live with than other floating speakers that constantly flip or drift sideways. The Boom 3i normally sits at $...
Google Chrome Is About to Drop Support for These Macs
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Google Chrome Is About to Drop Support for These Macs

Nothing lasts forever, and technology is no exception. As shiny and new as your computer was when you first bought it, eventually, developers will drop support for it. There's no telling when exactly, but at some point, you'll open an app to find a message that reads something like: "This device does not support the latest version of this app. Please update your hardware."That goes for Macs, as well. You might forget that fact, since Apple's computers tend to stick around for a long time. But inevitably, the shadow of end-of-life policies comes for them, too. If you're still rocking an older Mac, I have some bad news, specifically if you use Chrome: Google is officially planning its last supported version of the browser. Google Chrome is dropping support for macOS Monterey Google quietly...
Google’s AI-Generated Headlines Are Here to Stay
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Google’s AI-Generated Headlines Are Here to Stay

Last month, Google told online publishers that it had started testing AI-generated headlines in Google Discover, replacing stories' carefully handcrafted titles with truncated alternatives made up by Gemini. Some journalists were predictably unhappy, but now, the company says that the AI headlines are no longer an experiment—they're a "feature."Back when the testing began, the results ranged from poorly worded to straight up misinformation. For instance, one AI-generated headline promised "Steam Machine price revealed," when the original article made no such claim. Another said "BG3 players exploit children," which sounds serious, until you click through to the article and see that it's about a clever way to recruit invincible party members in Baldur's Gate 3 (which, to be fair, does invol...
The GoPro Max2 Is $100 Off Right Now
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The GoPro Max2 Is $100 Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 360-degree cameras like the GoPro Max2 are designed for creators who want to capture more than what a single-lens camera, like the GoPro Hero series, can handle. Right now, the GoPro Max2 action camera is down from $499 to $399 on Amazon, marking its lowest price ever.  Compared to the Max1, the Max2 has a higher 8K resolution and 29MP stills, resulting in sharper, more detailed footage and photos, while 10-bit color, GP-Log, and up to 14FPS Raw capture with 3D Tracking focus make it appealing for pros or anyone who wants more flexibility in post-production. It shoots 360-degree spherical video, unlike the single-lens action cams lik...
The AirPods Pro 3 Are $50 Off Right Now
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The AirPods Pro 3 Are $50 Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Credit: Illustration by Rene Ramos. The latest AirPods Pro are a big step up from the first-generation buds. The third (and newest) generation comes with OTA updates that the AirPods Pro 2 also get to enjoy—but considering the second and third generations are the same price right now, why not go with the newer version? If you want the latest Apple has to offer, this is a great time to do so. The AirPods Pro 3 are down to $199 (originally $249.99) for the first time since their September release—the lowest price yet, according to price tracking tools. The...
10 Shows Like ‘Landman’ You Should Should Watch Next
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10 Shows Like ‘Landman’ You Should Should Watch Next

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Taylor Sheridan and Billy Bob Thornton are such a natural pairing that it's not at all surprising that Landman has been yet another hit for the creator behind Yellowstone and it's many spin-offs. Thornton plays Billy Norris, a crackerjack consultant, fixer, and general hired gun for a major oil conglomerate in present-day West Texas. Beyond the complicated economics and politics of the oil industry, the poor guy's also dealing with extremely complicated family drama, debt, criminal ties, and substance-abuse issues. Call it Dallas for a new generation.You can stream Landman on Paramount+, and check out these similar shows after your binge is complete.Mayor of Kingstown (2021– ) Another Taylor Sheridan creation, this o...
A Study Found Diet Coke Is Better for You Than Water (Sort Of)
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A Study Found Diet Coke Is Better for You Than Water (Sort Of)

I’m sure you’ve seen the studies that come out from time to time showing that diet sodas are arguably kinda-sorta bad for you. (Their evidence is never very strong.) But did you see the new study that found diet soda was better than water for people with type 2 diabetes? Not only is it a real study, it was well-designed and we should be paying attention to it, according to an epidemiologist I talked to who was not involved in the study. That epidemiologist is Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz of the University of Wollongong, who wrote about it here. When I asked him if it was a good or a bad thing that this study had mostly escaped notice by news media, he said “this is far more robust than most of the science that gets media coverage.” The study was not sponsored by any commercial drink company.What...
Fitness Culture Has a Hyper-Personalization Problem
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Fitness Culture Has a Hyper-Personalization Problem

Credit: René Ramos / Lifehacker / NatalyaBurova / iStock / Siri Stafford / DigitalVision / Getty The latest craze in the fitness world—from gym culture, to nutrition planning, to recovery protocols— is hyper-personalized optimization. But is there really a benefit to at-home microbiome tests that reveal the optimal diet for your gut bacteria? How about a device that tells you whether you're burning carbs or fat with each breath? Personalized fitness advice used to be largely limited to factors like height and weight, but now you might have a Whoop, Oura, or Apple Watch wearable tracking your track heart rate variability, skin temperature, blood oxygen, and so much more. Continuous glucose monitors, once reserved for diabetics, are now worn by b...