Incredibly Versatile, and Incredibly Talented: Dame Maggie Smith, Dead at 89

Even MSNBC Admits That Kamala Has a Big Problem With Male Voters - Their Solution Is Truly Funny

Multiple Indictments Returned in Iranian Hacking Plot Against Trump Campaign

An illustration of DRACO getting destroyed in Earth’s atmosphere. | Image: ESA The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch a satellite into Earth’s orbit in 2027 to watch it get wrecked as it reenters the atmosphere. The project is intended to help understand how exactly satellites break apart so that scientists can learn how to prevent the creation of more space debris. Space junk is becoming a bigger problem as we send more satellites into orbit, but there are efforts to try and address it. This mission is part of the ESA’s Zero Debris Charter initiative to stop the creation of additional space debris by 2030. The mission is called the Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object (DRACO), and the insides of the satellite will collect data as the craft gets destroyed during reentry into the atmosphere. It... Continue reading…

This robotic arm’s articulated hand can detach and crawl around on its own. | Screenshot: YouTube Researchers from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed an articulated hand that can extend the reach of a robotic arm by detaching and crawling away on its own to grab things. The research was recently presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), and spotted by IEEE Spectrum. Due to their strength and speed, robotic arms are typically permanently attached to floors or other structures for added stability, which limits their reach. The goal of the research, conducted at the EPFL’s Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA), was to develop a bimodal robotic hand with expanded grasping capabilities, including occasional independence from the robot arm it’s... Continue reading…

During its Opera Browser Days event in Bristol, England, browser company Opera revealed some of its latest AI developments. According to Joanna Czaja, product director for the Opera Browser, the browser experience users have today will be vastly different in two years. So far, the Opera browser has led this change by being the first browser to integrate ChatGPT, add multi-LLMs AI browser solution, and offer local LLMs on its desktop app. She also teased the upcoming Opera One R2 update, which is due to be released in mid-October. Image source: Opera Opera's first major update to Opera One focuses on multimedia playback, tab management, and innovative design. Thanks to its built-in Aria assistant, Opera One also offers new free AI features. For example, Aria will give a page context, analyze an image, and reply based on what it sees, with more coming soon. The new Opera One update will also bring Tab Emojis, which is a more convenient way to interact with your tabs. It also includes a new split-screen mode inside the browser, and music player integration, so you can always have Spotify ready for you. Opera GX update will be heaven for gamers Image source: José Adorno for BGR Opera GX update will improve gamers’ experience. The company is betting heavily on modes, in addition to popular sites available in the sidebar, such as Twitch and Discord, and the ability to play games while watching YouTube in a floating window. With over 8,000 mods, users can mod the public mods by adding live wallpapers, themes, browser sounds, keyboard sounds, and even take advantage of shaders, with a very useful magnifier feature. Alongside the features coming to Opera One R2, GX users will have other perks like pressing F12 to hide their activity and instantly open Wikipedia. Also, there's a new Fake History Mode feature to help "distract" trackers with fake search history. Privacy features and changes after DMA Image source: José Adorno for BGR One of the key features of the Opera browser is the free VPN. More recently, the company revealed that an independent firm reaffirmed that its VPN doesn't track users’ data. In addition, it follows Europe's strong GDPR standards globally to ensure its privacy tools and no-log policies are the same for all users. Jona Bolin, product manager of Opera for iOS, spoke to BGR about the browser's recent boom after the DMA came into force in Europe. From February to March 2024, it had a 63% increase in monthly users in Europe, with 146% more active users in France. Still, some of the changes available with the DMA feel obscured, and Opera, alongside many browsers, won't follow. Jona Bolin, product manager of Opera for iOS Image source: José Adorno for BGR With the law, Apple needs to offer developers the ability to introduce their own browser engine. However, most of them have stuck with WebKit. "We have found that creating a third-party browser engine would offer too much risk and could cost a lot. Apple could change the rules very easily, and we wouldn't have a compatible browser available,“ said Bolin. "Still, we expect new growth with users since iPadOS is also under the DMA." For the executive, Opera offers more compelling features to users, like the free VPN, ad block, and a better UI. With iOS 18, Apple added several new features for its browser, including: Highlights: That’s an easier way to discover information on the web, such as directions, summaries, or quick links to learn more about people, music, movies, and TV shows; Reader: A redesigned Reader includes even more ways to enjoy articles without distractions, featuring a streamlined view of the article a user is reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles; Video detection: When Safari detects a video on the page, Viewer helps users put it front and center while still giving them full access to system playback controls, including Picture in Picture. BGR will let you know once Opera's latest features become available to users. Don't Miss: AI-focused Opera One browser comes to iPhone The post Opera wants its new AI to change how people use web browsers appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Today’s deals: Pitaka iPhone 16 cases, $10 off Starbucks coffee, $199 iPad 9, $36 Dreo space heater, more Today’s deals: $510 M1 MacBook Air, $54 11-piece cookware set, $40 Anker MagSafe battery pack, more Today’s deals: $449 Apple Watch Ultra, first deal on iPhone 16 Pro official Apple cases, $179 Roomba, more

Conservatives are complaining that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is wielding too much power over fundraising after reports that the Senate Leadership Fund is not helping two of his biggest critics with their reelection campaigns. 

A settlement was reached Thursday in a defamation lawsuit brought by electronic voting machine manufacturer Smartmatic against Newsmax for airing accusations about vote manipulation in the 2020 election made by allies of former President Donald. Trump.

In a stunning but entirely predictable announcement, the Federal Reserve proudly reported that the latest batch of completely made-up economic data has miraculously aligned with its previously fabricated economic forecasts, marking a triumphant moment for government statistics enthusiasts everywhere. “We’ve done it!” exclaimed Fed Chair Jerome Powell in a press conference that had all the sincerity of a staged reality TV proposal. “This morning, our team of highly trained statisticians and creative writers successfully managed to align our imaginary economic numbers with the fantasy projections we published last quarter. It’s a remarkable achievement in the field of creative economics.” The latest data, which claims that inflation is somehow both at 2% and “not that big of a deal,” unemployment is at a record low of “whatever number feels right,” and GDP growth is at “you know, something positive,” was released alongside a new Fed forecast that promises nothing short of economic utopia by 2025. “Our data shows that everything is fine. Better than fine, even—bordering on magical,” Powell continued. “And if you squint hard enough, you might even believe it, just like we do.” The Fed’s commitment to the imaginative numbers game has earned it accolades from other government agencies, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics commending the Fed’s “dedication to keeping the public blissfully ignorant.” Meanwhile, the White House praised the latest figures as “a vindication of our policy of saying things are great until people stop asking questions.” Critics have questioned the suspiciously rosy data, pointing out that the figures bear no resemblance to the actual lived experiences of Americans, who are currently navigating grocery bills that double as cardiovascular workouts and housing prices that make Monopoly seem realistic. However, the Fed has swiftly dismissed these concerns, labeling them as “irrelevant facts from people who just don’t get it.” “We’ve got an entire team working around the clock to massage these numbers into something we can all pretend to believe,” said Ima Fumble, Chief Data Reimaginer at the Fed. “If the data doesn’t match the forecast, we just tweak it until it does. It’s not rocket science—it’s government economics.” To maintain the illusion, the Fed has announced a new initiative called “Reality Alignment Therapy,” where conflicting real-world evidence will be vigorously ignored, and any data that threatens the Fed’s cheerful outlook will be reclassified as “disinformation.” “We’re not just setting economic policy; we’re crafting a narrative,” Powell said, beaming with the confidence of a man who knows he’ll never be held accountable. “And as long as the data we make up matches the predictions we pull out of thin air, then we’re doing our job.” At the close of the press conference, Powell encouraged Americans to continue doing their part by ignoring their empty wallets and simply embracing the Fed’s feel-good numbers. “Just trust the process,” Powell advised, before taking a celebratory sip from a mug that read, “Data Schmata.” With the Fed’s unwavering commitment to its house of cards, it’s clear that the future of America’s economy is in, well, imaginary hands. The post BREAKING: New made-up government economic data in line with completely fabricated economic forecast appeared first on Genesius Times.

U.S. — Evangelicals are calling on Phil Vischer, creator of VeggieTales, to repent after it was discovered he deliberately tricked millions of kids into believing historic Biblical figures were talking vegetables.