Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge What is a photo? No, like really. What is a photo? What is a photo? What is a photo? What is a photo? When you tap the shutter button on your phone, and it grabs nearly a dozen frames out of a cache that was capturing data well before you pressed anything, then stitches together the “best” bits of each one before allowing you to edit everything about all of them, is any of that process you taking a photo? And in a world where AI is good enough to make everything look good, does it even matter? When you ask the question enough times, it becomes the size of the universe — and we’ve definitely asked the question enough times to get there. On this episode of The Vergecast, we dig into the question again from two different angles. First, we... Continue reading…

Image: Roblox Roblox is facing accusations that it lied to investors about the number of people who use the platform. In a report published on Tuesday, the investment firm Hindenburg Research claims Roblox is “consistently overstating the amount of people on its platform by 25 percent to 42 percent or more.” Roblox, which went public in 2021, reported having 79.5 million daily active users in its most recent earnings report. However, Hindenburg claims Roblox “intentionally conflates” actual people with daily users, as that number could also include alt accounts and bots. The research alleges that Roblox can separate alt accounts from single users, even though the company’s disclosure says daily active users “are not a measure of unique individuals... Continue reading…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Attorneys general from 14 states and districts sued TikTok for allegedly harming kids’ mental health and misleading the public about how safe its platform is. The bipartisan group of AGs, led by New York’s Letitia James and California’s Rob Bonta, each filed lawsuits alleging violations of their own state’s law. “Our investigation has revealed that TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” Bonta said in a statement. “TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.” James called the lawsuits part of an effort “to protect young people and help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis.” The suits... Continue reading…

The second-gen AirPods Pro offer the most complete package in Apple’s earbuds lineup, and they’re only improving with time. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Amazon’s second Prime Day of the year is bringing serious savings across the board, but some deals truly stand out. Take the AirPods Pro 2, for example — the pair that comes with a USB-C charging case has plummeted all the way to $168.99 (about $81 off) for Prime members, matching the all-time low. Notably, that price is about $10 cheaper than the recently released $179 AirPods 4, which also has active noise cancellation. Although the AirPods 4 is the newer product, the AirPods Pro get you more functionality for your money, so it’s clearly the better buy right now. In fact, if you need ANC, you should absolutely spring for the second-gen AirPods Pro. While we found the AirPods 4’s ANC to be pretty effective in our review, you should... Continue reading…

Amazon’s throwing in a free smart color bulb with many of its smart speakers, including the new Echo Spot. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Once again, Amazon is holding a second Prime Day under the guise of Prime Big Deal Days, which runs through tomorrow, October 9th. While the naming convention might be terrible, the sale isn’t. In fact, many of our favorite gadgets and goods are receiving notable discounts right now, which we’ve highlighted in our larger roundup of the best Prime Day deals. However, if you’re looking to stick to a budget, here’s where you’ll find our top picks under $50. Below, we’ve compiled a selection of sub-$50 items we can personally vouch for. Naturally, they include many of Amazon’s own devices, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, the latest Echo Spot, and Amazon’s inexpensive smart plug. There are also plenty of notable deals on non-Amazon... Continue reading…

More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing its platform to be addictive to kids.

Harris PAC Launches $50 Million Ad Buy

U.S. intelligence officials this week sounded the alarm about "foreign efforts to undermine America's democracy" by casting doubts on the results of the upcoming general election.

Newfound comet C/2024 S1 will light up Earth's skies in late October before a super close slingshot around the sun.

Tom Selleck was spotted out in San Fernando Valley days ago, likely leaving a friend’s house, wearing a casual outfit consisting of shorts, sneakers, and a black top underneath an unbuttoned blue shirt. The 79-year-old was sporting his full salt-and-pepper hair and beard as he walked past, paying little attention to admirers around. This comes after the cancellation of Blue Bloods after 14 seasons, which hurt Tom very much. He did not hold back his feelings, noting that he was frustrated and disappointed by the sudden move since the series performed well as one of the top 100 shows of 2023/2024. Tom Selleck looked sad during his walk Tom Selleck doesn’t look like Tom Selleck anymore… pic.twitter.com/G4scmZbdqN — David (@Dewi_Ioan) October 8, 2024   Tom believed so much in Blue Bloods and is rightfully enraged at how easily the network executives dropped it without second thoughts. He noted that the series was so promising that one could give it the wrong time slot and still get a “winning Friday night” for years. Although Tom’s reason for visiting his friend is unknown, he was seen carrying an envelope with documents in it as he strutted the streets. The actor has requested some time to recover from the shock and frustration he feels towards Blue Bloods’ cancellation while he works on other projects. Tom Selleck / Everett Fans call for a ‘Blue Bloods’ comeback  The 14th and final seasons of Blue Bloods will air in two parts to wrap up this fall, and like Tom, fans are not happy to say goodbye. He believes CBS will go back on its decision while the cast members are still willing and present to reunite. While Tom does not know what is next for him, he is willing to take on more offers as they come. Tom Selleck / Everett Fans have taken to social media to plead for a comeback since the cancellation announcement, but to no avail. “We need more shows like this one! Hey!! Why don’t you bring this one back?! PLEASE,” an Instagram user pleaded. “Love Blue Bloods. It needs to have some more seasons!” another suggested. Next up: Cher And Her Son Reunite After He Allegedly Uninvited Her From His Wedding The post Tom Selleck Has Lost His Shine After ‘Blue Bloods’ Cancellation In New Photos appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Peace A