Posts

Judge pauses Paramount’s attempt to buy Warner Bros. Discovery

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A judge partially granted the request from a dozen state attorneys general to temporarily place the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery on hold, as reported by Variety and Reuters . US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said that based on the new company's market share, "the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws," and that the states showed "irreparable harm" could occur without a temporary restraining order. A week ago , California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington sued … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/business/968055/paramount-wbd-merger-pause-tro

Adobe’s ‘natural look’ camera app embraces generative AI

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Welcome to the “what is a photo” debate, Adobe. | Image: Adobe Adobe's experimental camera app has taken an unexpected turn. After Project Indigo was launched last year to provide a "more natural (SLR-like) look" for iPhone photography, the Indigo camera app is now being updated with a suite of generative AI tools. And the change doesn't rely upon Adobe's own Firefly AI models. Adobe describes the new "AI Playground" tooling suite as an experiment and says there's a button that allows users to opt out and continue using the app as before. Free access to the suite with no sign-on requirement is being tested with a small percentage of Indigo users over the next few weeks. "Our goal is to learn how people … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/967791/adobe-indigo-camera-app-ai-playground-update

This unpronounceable series of glyphs is an incredible side project from Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet)

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Sure is a lot of porcelein in there. | Image: Kieran Hebden Just why? ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌ ҉     ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ●  ࿀  ●   ҉⃝    ⃝͢ ͞   ͘ ͞⃝̕ ͢    ̛ ⃝    ̸ ̡  ͢⃝̧  ͡ ͡  ̀ ̧ ̢⃝͜    ҉  ͞...

Kodak EC35 is a dirt-cheap point-and-shoot film camera

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I’m partial to that avocado green one. | Image: Reto Project Following the success of its $99 Kodak-branded Snapic A1 , Reto Project is releasing the Kodak EC35 , an even more affordable 35mm film camera for just $34.99. The EC35 certainly isn't fancy. Its 25mm acrylic lens with a fixed f/10 aperture and 1/100 shutter speed basically put it on par with a drugstore disposable. The fact that it has a manual wind and rewind only emphasizes that. And you can really lean into that disposable aesthetic thanks to its built-in automatic flash. Unlike the A1, there's no double exposure feature here or zone focusing. The EC35 is designed to require almost no thought to use. Its one special feature is the sliding … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/967687/kodak-ec35-point-and-shoot-film-camera

I hate that I don’t hate this song made with Suno

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1010Benja won’t apologize for using AI. | Image: 1010Benja / Instagram I would never go so far as to say there's no place for AI in music (I'm a fan of Holly Herndon, after all). But I generally find music made with generative AI to be offensively boring , especially the outputs of Suno . So I'm having a bit of a tough time processing the fact that I actually quite enjoy 1010Benja's " Semiramis' Dream ." Benja has been unapologetic about his use of generative AI on his latest EP, Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose… The other three tracks can't quite hold a candle to what you find on 2024's Ten Total . But the opener "Semiramis' Dream" is infectious. It explodes out of the speakers with a jungle beat and Be … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/967678/1010benja-semiramis-dream-suno-ai-music

The FBI reportedly won’t investigate ICE anymore

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ICE agents hide behind masks while skulking through the halls of immigration court | Image: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images According to the New York Times , federal agents have been told that the FBI will no longer be investigating confrontations involving ICE agents. The DHS and DOJ denied the change in policy to The Times. The reported change in guidance follows renewed scrutiny of violence by ICE agents who have killed two people in the last two weeks. The shootings in Maine and Texas were just the latest civilian deaths at the hands of ICE agents, who have attempted to intimidate witnesses following its recent spate of high-profile killings. The new guidance would end FBI investigations of assaults against DHS agents. The government has aggressively pursu … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/967674/fbi-wont-investigate-ice-assaults

The grueling, 630-mile road race where the only fuel is sunlight

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The 2018 Solar Car Challenge was the last time participants took their designs out on the open road. | Image: Lehman Marks / Solar Car Challenge On July 19th, dozens of teams of high school students will begin a five-day, 630-mile road race from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton in Texas. But this is not your typical contest. The students design and build the cars themselves, using off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed materials. The winner is the team that accumulates the most driven miles. And the only fuel they can use to power their Frankenstein-looking vehicles comes from that mass of incandescent gas that hangs in our sky: the Sun. This year is the 30th anniversary of the annual Solar Car Challenge , a contest that brings together high school students from around the country with the on … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/transportation/966701/solar-car-challenge-high-school-student-race-texas