No Longer Business Critical: Microsoft Lays Off a DEI Team Sending DEI Staff Spiraling and You Did It

Coming Soon to an EV Charging Station Near You: Extra Fees for Taking Too Long to Charge Your Car

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 3 Pro underwent a major redesign, making them look much more like AirPods and any number of other stemmed earbuds. So far, my impressions have been quite positive — full review coming soon — but even before the earbuds are widely released on July 24th, early buyers have been running into a frustrating issue. Apparently, the ear tips are quite fragile and can be prone to breaking if you’re not careful. Reddit is already starting to light up with examples: “How are you supposed to remove the tips?” “Rant: Buds 3 Pro Eartips” The Zuyoni Tech YouTube channel also fell victim to the issue. GIF: Zuyoni Tech Not the ideal first impression. With the switch to an AirPods-like design, Samsung... Continue reading…

Premium Spotify subscribers can switch between DJ’s English and Spanish voice options. | Image: Spotify Spotify is launching a Spanish-language version of its “AI DJ” feature. The new Spanish-language voice has been provided by Spotify’s senior music editor, Olivia “Livi” Quiroz Roa, with users able to switch between hearing Livi or Xavier “X” Jernigan, another Spotify staffer who voices the English-speaking DJ variant released in February 2023. The feature uses an AI-generated voice to create radio-like commentary that provides users with additional context and information about the song they’re hearing, which Spotify says makes listeners less likely to skip to another track. This commentary is paired with an endless playlist of personalized music recommendations that change based on user activity, such as if users switch to different... Continue reading…

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge; Photos by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images The fallout from the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally over the weekend is seeping into even the most tangential circles — in this case, the print-on-demand custom sticker industry. This week, Sticker Mule, a popular option for companies, creators, event organizers, and others wanting branded merchandise, shared a long message expressing support for Trump. “People are terrified to admit they support Trump. I’ve been scared myself,” cofounder Anthony Constantino wrote in a post on the social media platform X. “The more people realize that kind-hearted, compassionate people support Trump, the sooner the hate will end.” The company also sent an email and text message to customers containing much of the... Continue reading…

Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for WIRED Fei-Fei Li, the renowned computer scientist known as the “godmother of AI,” has created a startup dubbed World Labs. In just four months, its already valued at more than $1 billion, the Financial Times reported. World Labs hopes to use human-like processing of visual data to make AI capable of advanced reasoning, Reuters reported in May. The research to make it human-like, much like what ChatGPT is trying to do with generative AI, is still ongoing. Li is best known for her contributions to computer vision, a branch of AI dedicated to helping machines interpret and comprehend visual information. She also spearheaded the development of ImageNet, an extensive visual database used for visual object recognition research. Li headed AI at... Continue reading…

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge While I edit and write “how-to” articles, I also sometimes find myself in the need of how-to directions myself. But when I do a search for guidance on, say, a difficult crochet stitch, it often helps to have a blow-by-blow text explanation that I can have handy without having to sit and watch a video over and over again. For that, there’s YouTube’s automatically generated transcript. A transcript is not only useful when you want to view a text scroll of what’s being said while you’re watching the video, but is handy as a reference point afterward. For example, if you don’t have the time or patience to sit through an entire video, then you can simply glance through the transcript to get the gist of the subject, and save it for future... Continue reading…

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient textile dyed with the Kermes vermilio insect, from the Cave of Skulls in Israel. This significant find dates back to the Middle Bronze Age (1954–1767 BC) and provides one of the earliest known instances of textile dyeing using insects. This discovery bridges a crucial gap between ancient literature and archaeological evidence, offering insights into the technological capabilities and economic conditions of early societies. Excavations in the Cave of Skulls The Cave of Skulls, located in Nahal Ze’elim in the Judean Desert, has been a site of archaeological interest since its initial excavation in 1960 and subsequent explorations in 2016. The cave's dry, stable conditions have preserved numerous organic artifacts, including over 430 textiles spanning various historical periods. Most textiles found there date to the Chalcolithic period (4500–3800 BC) or the Roman period, particularly the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the 2nd century AD. However, among these artifacts, a textile fragment dating to the Middle Bronze Age stood out due to its unique red dye. The detailed report has just been published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Read moreSection: ArtifactsAncient TechnologyNewsHistory & ArchaeologyRead Later 

Democratic Party ultradonors are gearing up to try to push President Joe Biden out of his reelection race, trying every angle to get members of Congress to call for Biden's removal.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced an investigation into the policies and procedures of the Secret Service following Saturday's assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.