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Updated 2025-12-19 00:17
The best LED face masks in the UK, tested: 10 light therapy devices that are worth the hype
They claim to fix fine lines, blemishes and redness - but which stand up to scrutiny? We asked dermatologists and put them to the test to find out The best anti-ageing creams, serums and treatmentsLED face masks are booming in popularity - despite being one of the most expensive at-home beauty products ever to hit the market. Many masks are available, each claiming to either reduce the appearance of fine lines, stop spots or calm redness. Some even combine different types of light to enhance the benefits.But it's wise to be sceptical about new treatments that are costly and non-invasive, and to do your research before you buy. With this in mind, I spoke with doctors and dermatologists to find out whether these light therapy devices actually work.Best LED face mask overall:
Inside Fallout, gaming’s most surprising TV hit
With a blend of retro-futurism, moral ambiguity and monster-filled wastelands, Fallout became an unlikely prestige television favourite. Now there is something a bigger, stranger and funnier journey ahead Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Fallout TV series returns to Prime Video today, and it's fair to say that everyone was pleasantly surprised by how good the first season was. By portraying Fallout's retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic US through three different characters, it managed to capture different aspects of the game player's experience, too. There was vault-dweller Lucy, trying to do the right thing and finding that the wasteland made that very difficult; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel rookie, who starts to question his cult's authority and causes a lot of havoc in robotic power armour; and the Ghoul, Walton Goggins's breakout character, who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the irradiated wilderness.The show's first season ended with a revelation about who helped cause the nuclear war that trapped a group of people in underground vaults for a couple of centuries. It also left plenty of questions open for the second season - and, this time, expectations are higher. Even being not terrible" was a win for a video game adaptation until quite recently. How are the Fallout TV show's creators feeling now that the first season has been a success? Continue reading...
Amazon in talks to invest $10bn in developer of ChatGPT
OpenAI seeking to strike latest deal in its efforts to pay for huge spending on datacentres
Simogo Legacy Collection review – remember when phone games were this wonderful?
PC, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2; Simogo
Ghost jobs, robot gatekeepers and AI interviewers: let me tell you about the bleak new age of job hunting | Eleanor Margolis
In my six months of looking for work, I've found that from fake ads to AI screening software, the search is more soul-destroying than everAs I apply for yet another job, I look at the company's website for context. I've now read their what we do" section four or five times, and I have a problem - I can't figure out what they do. There are two possibilities here. One: they don't know what they do. Two: what they do is so pointless and embarrassing that they dare not spell it out in plain English. We forge marketing systems at the forefront of the online wellness space" translates to something like we use ChatGPT to sell dodgy supplements".But understanding what so many businesses actually do is the least of my worries. I'm currently among the 5% of Brits who are unemployed. In my six months of job hunting, my total lack of success has begun to make me question my own existence. Just like when you repeat a word over and over until it loses all meaning, when you apply repeatedly for jobs in a similar field, the semantics of the entire situation begin to fall apart like a snotty tissue. About one in five of my job applications elicit a rejection email, usually bemoaning the sheer number of quality applicants" for the position. For the most part, though - nothing. It's almost like the job never existed in the first place, and it's possible that it didn't.Eleanor Margolis is a columnist for the i newspaper and Diva Continue reading...
‘Music needs a human component to be of any value’: Guardian readers on the growing use of AI in music
AI promises to have far-reaching effects in music-making. While some welcome it as a compositional tool, many have deep concerns. Here are some of your responsesAI-generated music is flooding streaming platforms, and it seems to be here to stay. Last month, three AI songs reached the highest spots on Spotify and Billboard charts. Jorja Smith's label has called for her to receive a share of royalties from a song thought to have trained its original AI-generated vocals on her catalogue, which were later re-recorded by a human singer.With this in mind, we asked for your thoughts on music composed by AI, the use of AI as a tool in the creation of music, and what should be done to protect musicians. Here are some of your responses. Continue reading...
This is Europe's secret weapon against Trump: it could burst his AI bubble | Johnny Ryan
Growth in the US economy - and the president's political survival - rest on AI. The EU must use its leverage and stand up to himThe unthinkable has happened. The US is Europe's adversary. The stark, profound betrayal contained in the Trump administration's national security strategy should stop any further denial and dithering in Europe's capitals. Cultivating resistance Europe's current trajectory in European nations" is now Washington's stated policy.But contained within this calamity is the gift of clarity. Europe will fight or it will perish. The good news is that Europe holds strong cards.Johnny Ryan is director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties Continue reading...
UK insists US tech deal not dead as Trump threatens penalties against European firms
Keir Starmer's office claims UK still in active conversations' about deal for tech industries in both countries to cooperateDowning Street insists the $40bn Tech Prosperity Deal between the US and UK that is on hold is not permanently stalled. The BBC reported on Tuesday evening that the prime minister's office claimed that the UK remains in active conversations with US counterparts at all levels of government" about the wide-ranging deal for the technology industries in both countries to cooperate.The agreement, previously billed as historic, was paused after the US accused the UK of failing to lower trade barriers, including a digital services tax on US tech companies and food safety rules that limit the export of some agricultural products. The New York Times first reported British confirmation that negotiations had stalled. Continue reading...
Water levels across the Great Lakes are falling – just as US data centers move in
Region struggling with drought now threatened by energy-hungry facilities - but some residents are fighting backThe sign outside Tom Hermes's farmyard in Perkins Township in Ohio, a short drive south of the shores of Lake Erie, proudly claims that his family have farmed the land here since 1900. Today, he raises 130 head of cattle and grows corn, wheat, grass and soybeans on 1,200 acres of land.For his family, his animals and wider business, water is life. Continue reading...
Musicians are deeply concerned about AI. So why are the major labels embracing it?
Companies such as Udio, Suno and Klay will let you use AI to make new music based on existing artists' work. It could mean more royalties - but many are worriedThis was the year that AI-generated music went from jokey curiosity to mainstream force. Velvet Sundown, a wholly AI act, generated millions of streams; AI-created tracks topped Spotify's viral chart and one of the US Billboard country charts; AI artist" Xania Monet signed" a record deal. BBC Introducing is usually a platform for flesh-and-blood artists trying to make it big, but an AI-generated song by Papi Lamour was recently played on the West Midlands show. And jumping up the UK Top 20 this month is I Run, a track by dance act Haven, who have been accused of using AI to imitate British vocalist Jorja Smith (Haven claim they simply asked the AI for soulful vocal samples", and did not respond to an earlier request to comment).The worry is that AI will eventually absorb all creative works in history and spew out endless slop that will replace human-made art and drive artists into penury. Those worries are being deepened by how the major labels, once fearful of the technology, are now embracing it - and heralding a future in which ordinary listeners have a hand in co-creating music with their favourite musicians. Continue reading...
Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan
Liz Kendall faces pressure from campaigners as she tells parliament there is no clear consensus on issueA campaign fronted by popstars including Elton John and Dua Lipa to protect artists' works from being mined to train AI models without consent has received a boost after almost every respondent to a government consultation backed their case.Ninety-five per cent of the more than 10,000 people who had their say over how music, novels, films and other works should be protected from copyright infringements by tech companies called for copyright to be strengthened and a requirement for licensing in all cases or no change to copyright law. Continue reading...
US puts £31bn tech ‘prosperity deal’ with Britain on ice
Pledge to invest billions in UK paused, with Washington citing lack of progress on trade barriers across pondThe US has paused its promised multi-billion-pound investment into British tech over trade disagreements, marking a serious setback in US-UK relations.The 31bn tech prosperity deal", hailed by Keir Starmer as a generational stepchange in our relationship with the US" when it was announced during Donald Trump's state visit, has been put on ice by Washington. Continue reading...
Google AI summaries are ruining the livelihoods of recipe writers: ‘It’s an extinction event’
AI Mode is mangling recipes by merging instructions from multiple creators - and causing them huge dips in ad trafficThis past March, when Google began rolling out its AI Mode search capability, it began offering AI-generated recipes. The recipes were not all that intelligent. The AI had taken elements of similar recipes from multiple creators and Frankensteined them into something barely recognizable. In one memorable case, the Google AI failed to distinguish comments on a Reddit thread from legitimate recipe sites and advised users to cook with non-toxic glue.Over the past few years, bloggers who have not secured their sites behind a paywall have seen their carefully developed and tested recipes show up, often without attribution and in a bastardized form, in ChatGPT replies. They have seen dumbed-down versions of their recipes in AI-assembled cookbooks available for digital downloads on Etsy or on AI-built websites that bear a superficial resemblance to an old-school human-written blog. Their photos and videos, meanwhile, are repurposed in Facebook posts and Pinterest pins that link back to this digital slop. Continue reading...
He wrote the world’s most successful video games – now what? Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser on life after Grand Theft Auto
He rewrote the rule book with Rockstar then left it all behind. Now Dan Houser is back with a storytelling-focused studio to take on AI-obsessed tech bros and Mexican beauty queensThere are only a handful of video game makers who have had as profound an effect on the industry as Dan Houser. The co-founder of Rockstar Games, and its lead writer, worked on all the GTA titles since the groundbreaking third instalment, as well as both Red Dead Redemption adventures. But then, in 2019, he took an extended break from the company which ended with his official departure. Now he's back with a new studio and a range of projects, and 12 years after we last interviewed him, he's ready to talk about what comes next.Finishing those big projects and thinking about doing another one is really intense," he says about his decision to go. I'd been in full production mode every single day from the very start of each project to the very end, for 20 years. I stayed so long because I loved the games. It was a real privilege to be there, but it was probably the right time to leave. I turned 45 just after Red Dead 2 came out. I thought, well, it's probably a good time to try working on some other stuff." Continue reading...
The US supreme court’s TikTok ruling is a scandal | Evelyn Douek and Jameel Jaffer
The decision means TikTok now operates under the threat that it could be forced offline with a stroke of Trump's penJudicial opinions allowing the government to suppress speech in the name of national security rarely stand the test of time. But time has been unusually unkind to the US supreme court decision that upheld the law banning TikTok, the short-form video platform. The court issued its ruling less than a year ago, but it is already obvious that the deference the court gave to the government's national security arguments was spectacularly misplaced. The principal effect of the court's ruling has been to give our own government enormous power over the policies of a speech platform used by tens of millions of Americans every day - a result that is an affront to the first amendment and a national security risk in its own right.Congress passed the TikTok ban in 2023 citing concerns that the Chinese government might be able to access information about TikTok's American users or covertly manipulate content on the platform in ways that threatened US interests. The ban was designed to prevent Americans from using TikTok starting in January 2025 unless TikTok's China-based corporate owner, ByteDance Inc, sold its US subsidiary before then.Evelyn Douek is an assistant professor at Stanford Law SchoolJameel Jaffer is inaugural director of the Knight first amendment institute at Columbia University Continue reading...
‘Our industry has been strip-mined’: video game workers protest at The Game Awards
Outside the lavish event, workers called out the greed' in the industry that has left games being sold for parts to make a few people a lot of money'It's the night of the 2025 Game Awards, a major industry event where the best games of the year are crowned and major publishers reveal forthcoming projects. In the shadow of the Peacock theater in Los Angeles and next to a giant, demonic statue promoting new game Divinity, which would be announced on stage later that evening, stands a collection of people in bright red shirts. Many are holding signs: a tombstone honouring the death" of The Game Awards' Future Class talent development programme; a bold, black-and-red graphic that reads We're Done Playing"; and wanted" posters for Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick and Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer. This is a protest.The protesters, who were almost denied entry to the public space outside the Peacock theater (they knew we were coming," one jokes), are from United Videogame Workers (UVW), an industry-wide, direct-join union for North America that is part of the Communications Workers of America. We are out here today to raise awareness of the plight of the game worker," says Anna C Webster, chair of the freelancing committee, in the hot Los Angeles sun. Our industry has been strip-mined for resources by these corporate overlords, and we figured the best place to raise awareness of what's happening in the games industry is at the culmination, the final boss, as it were: The Game Awards." Continue reading...
Conservatives would end 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars
Party would also abolish zero-emission vehicle mandate, cutting legal requirement on carmakers to sell EVsThe Conservatives have announced proposals to end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars and cut the legal requirement on car manufacturers to sell electric vehicles.A Conservative government would abolish the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, ending the legal requirement for manufacturers to sell a fixed rising percentage of zero-emission vehicles each year - 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035. It would also completely end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. Continue reading...
The best cordless leaf blowers in the US to cut down time without bothering neighbors
Battery-powered leaf blowers from Ryobi, Ego and Stihl quickly clean up leaves with no gas, no smell, and dramatically less noise
What is – or was – the best-ever internet meme?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsThe dramatic chipmunk, distracted boyfriend, the raccoon with the candy floss or success kid", what is - or was - the absolute top, world-beating, best-ever internet meme? Antony Scacchi, Los Angeles, USPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...
Why celebrities are loving crypto again in Trump’s second term
From athletes such as Tristan Thompson to artists such as Iggy Azalea, celebrities have returned to hawking cryptoFollowing the numbers suggests Tristan Thompson is nearing the end of his basketball career. While the 6ft 9in center once regularly played more than 80 games in a regular season, he's hit new career lows, appearing just 40 times on court during the 2024-2025 season. Following the money, however, suggests Thompson is pivoting into a new career. He's rebranded as a crypto investor, consultant and brand ambassador, bringing his relative cultural cache to the blockchain. Now the host of his own podcast, Courtside Crypto, he has made frequent appearances with other crypto celebrities, such as at the Nasdaq in September, when he celebrated the IPO of an explicitly nationalist Bitcoin mining operation alongside Eric Trump; Thompson has also developed a crypto startup slated to launch in 2026.In 2025, crypto is back in style in Washington and among a growing set in Hollywood, where Thompson lives adjacent to the Kardashian clan, some of whom have been crypto spokespeople. Donald Trump has reversed Joe Biden's legal offensive against crypto, debuting his own token, $Trump, before his inauguration, and rolling back government actions against the industry, which heavily supported him during his bid for the presidency. Celebrities have likewise returned to hawking cryptocurrency projects or launching tokens of their own. Continue reading...
In a shocking twist, Keir Starmer’s TikToks are borderline competent
The PM's social media sortie has not been a total embarrassment, which may be a shame for himThe scene opens on the interior of an aeroplane.A suited man in a luxurious seat looks pensively out the window, his face partially obscured, his chin delicately resting on his hand. Continue reading...
‘If we build it, they will come’: Skövde, the tiny town powering up Sweden’s video game boom
It started with a goat. Now - via a degree for developers and an incubator for startups - the tiny city is churning out world-famous video game hits. What is the secret of its success?On 26 March 2014, a trailer for a video game appeared on YouTube. The first thing the viewer sees is a closeup of a goat lying on the ground, its tongue out, its eyes open. Behind it is a man on fire, running backwards in slow motion towards a house. Interspersed with these images is footage of the goat being repeatedly run over by a car. In the main shot, the goat, now appearing backwards as well, flies up into the first-floor window of a house, repairing the glass it smashed on its way down. It hurtles through another window and back to an exploding petrol station, where we assume its journey must have started.This wordless, strangely moving video - a knowing parody of the trailer for a zombie survival game called Dead Island - was for a curious game called Goat Simulator. The game was, unsurprisingly, the first to ever put theplayer into the hooves of a goat, who must enact as much wanton destruction as possible. It was also the first massive hit to come out of a small city in Sweden by the name of Skovde. Continue reading...
The Game Awards 2025: the full list of winners
Every prize at the The Game Awards from the Peacock theater in Los Angeles
Star Wars, Tomb Raider and a big night for Expedition 33 – what you need to know from The Game Awards
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won nine awards, including game of the year, while newly announced games at the show include the next project from Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios
Reddit launches high court challenge to Australia’s under-16s social media ban
Platform fighting world-leading ban on grounds it contravenes implied freedom of political communication in constitution
‘Charismatic, self-assured, formidable’: Lara Croft returns with two new Tomb Raider games
An all-new Croft adventure, Tomb Raider Catalyst, will be released in 2027 - and a remake of the action heroine's first adventure arrives next yearAfter a long break for Lara Croft, a couple of fresh Tomb Raider adventures are on their way. They will be the first new games in the series since 2018, and both will be published by Amazon.Announced at the Game Awards in LA, Tomb Raider Catalyst stars the charismatic, self-assured, formidable Lara Croft" from the original 1990s games, says game director Will Kerslake. It's set in the markets, mountains, and naturally the ancient buildings of northern India, where Lara is racing with other treasure hunters to track down potentially cataclysmic artefacts. It will be out in 2027. Continue reading...
Elon Musk teams with El Salvador to bring Grok chatbot to public schools
President Nayib Bukele entrusting chatbot known for calling itself MechaHitler' to create AI-powered' curriculaElon Musk is partnering with the government of El Salvador to bring his artificial intelligence company's chatbot, Grok, to more than 1 million students across the country, according to a Thursday announcement by xAI. Over the next two years, the plan is to deploy" the chatbot to more than 5,000 public schools in an AI-powered education program".xAI's Grok is more known for referring to itself as MechaHitler" and espousing far-right conspiracy theories than it is for public education. Over the past year, the chatbot has spewed various antisemitic content, decried white genocide" and claimed Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Continue reading...
Disney wants you to AI-generate yourself into your favorite Marvel movie
The media company is investing $1bn in OpenAI - and allowing its characters to be used in generated videosUsers of OpenAI's video generation app will soon be able to see their own faces alongside characters from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and Disney's animated films, according to a joint announcement from the startup and Disney on Thursday. Perhaps you, Lightning McQueen and Iron Man are all dancing together in the Mos Eisley Cantina.Sora is an app made by OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, which allows users to generate videos of up to 20 seconds through short text prompts. The startup previously attempted to steer Sora's output away from unlicensed copyrighted material, though with little success, which prompted threats of lawsuits by rights holders. Continue reading...
Disney to invest $1bn in OpenAI, allowing characters in Sora video tool
Agreement comes amid anxiety in Hollywood over impact of AI on the industry, expression and rights of creatorsWalt Disney has announced a $1bn equity investment in OpenAI, enabling the AI startup's Sora video generation tool to use its characters.Users of Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that draw on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters as part of a three-year licensing agreement between OpenAI and the entertainment giant. Continue reading...
Teenagers are presenting Christmas wishlists, Powerpoint-style – my daughter included
A far cry from hand-scrawled letters to Santa, on graphic design platform Canva users have created a whopping 1.4m Christmas wishlist presentations
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – how a tiny studio developed the Belle Époque-set gaming blockbuster
What started as Guillaume Broche's personal project has been nominated for 12 Game awards, sold more than 2m copies and been praised by Emmanuel Macron as a shining example of French audacity'The record-breaking 12 nominations at the Game awards this year was beyond the wildest dreams of Guillaume Broche when he first began inking out Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a personal project while working at Ubisoft.Before selling more than 2m copies, the narrative-driven roleplaying game with a unique world, challenging combat and great writing" was a technical demo called We Lost. It was Broche's appetite for risk and a few hopeful Reddit posts that would create the game's world of Lumiere and its struggle against the Paintress. Continue reading...
14 unexpected US gifts to give the men in your life this holiday season
From Crocs to indestructible wallets, we rounded up the best guy-approved gifts they won't know how they lived without
‘Already had a profound effect’: parents react to Australia’s social media ban
We asked you to share your views on your children's use of social media and how the ban is affecting your family. Here is what you told usFor some parents, social media sucks up their children's time and steals them away from family life, instilling mental health issues along the way. For others, it provides their children with an essential line to friends, family, connection and support.When Australia's social media ban came into effect on Wednesday, millions of under-16s lost access to their accounts and were prevented from creating new ones. Continue reading...
As AI floods our culture, here’s why we must protect human storytelling in games
Buying the Zombies, Run! studio wasn't part of my plan, but our post-apocalypse game has a story that makes people feel seen Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereA few days ago, I clicked a button on my phone to send funds to a company in Singapore and so took ownership of the video game I co-created and am lead writer for: Zombies, Run! I am a novelist, I wrote the bestselling, award-winning The Power, which was turned into an Amazon Prime TV series starring Toni Collette. What on earth am I doing buying a games company?Well. First of all. Zombies, Run! is special. It's special to me - the game started as a Kickstarter and the community that grew up around it has always been incredibly supportive of what we're doing. And it's special in what it does. It's a game to exercise with. You play it on your smartphone - iPhone or Android - and we tell stories from the zombie apocalypse in your headphones to encourage you to go further, faster, or just make exercise less boring. Games are so often portrayed as the bad entertainment form, but I made a game that fundamentally helps people to be healthier. Continue reading...
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labor and deliveryIn early September, a woman, nine months pregnant, walked into the emergency obstetrics unit of a Colorado hospital. Though the labor and delivery staff caring for her expected her to have a smooth delivery, her case presented complications almost immediately.The woman, who was born in central Asia, checked into the hospital with a smartwatch on her wrist, said two hospital workers who cared for her during her labor, and whom the Guardian is not identifying to avoid exposing their hospital or patients to retaliation. Continue reading...
‘What to buy Dad for Christmas’: is retail ready for the AI shopping shift?
As shoppers ask ChatGPT for inspiration, brands scramble to ensure their products appeal to the bots calling the shots
From ‘glacier aesthetic’ to ‘poetcore’: Pinterest predicts the visual trends of 2026 based on its search data
If search interest holds, glitchy glam, cool blue, aliencore and gummy bear aesthetics are among the vibes set to rock the creative world next yearNext year, we'll mostly be indulging in maximalist circus decor, working on our poetcore, hunting for the ethereal or eating cabbage in a bid for individuality and self-preservation", according to Pinterest.The organisation's predictions for Australian trends in 2026 have landed, which - according to the platform used by interior decorators, fashion lovers and creatives of all stripes - includes 1980s, aliens, vampires and forest magic". Continue reading...
EU opens investigation into Google’s use of online content for AI models
European Commission to assess whether Gemini owner is putting rival companies at a disadvantage
Skate Story review – hellish premise aside, this is skateboarding paradise
PC, PS5, Switch 2; Sam Eng/Devolver Digital
‘I feel it’s a friend’: quarter of teenagers turn to AI chatbots for mental health support
Experts warn of dangers as England and Wales study shows 13- to 17-year-olds consulting AI amid long waiting lists for servicesIt was after one friend was shot and another stabbed, both fatally, that Shan asked ChatGPT for help. She had tried conventional mental health services but chat", as she came to know her AI friend", felt safer, less intimidating and, crucially, more available when it came to handling the trauma from the deaths of her young friends.As she started consulting the AI model, the Tottenham teenager joined about 40% of 13- to 17-year-olds in England and Wales affected by youth violence who are turning to AI chatbots for mental health support, according to research among more than 11,000 young people. Continue reading...
Reddit to comply with Australia’s ‘legally erroneous’ under-16 social media ban
Platform to introduce age-prediction model analysing users but argued to eSafety commissioner it was a source of information not a social media platform
Social media use damages children’s ability to focus, say researchers
Study of 8,300 US children suggests social media may be contributing to a rise in ADHD diagnosesIncreased use of social media by children damages their concentration levels and may be contributing to an increase in cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a study.The peer-reviewed report monitored the development of more than 8,300 US-based children from the age of 10 to 14 and linked social media use to increased inattention symptoms". Continue reading...
‘It has to be genuine’: older influencers drive growth on social media
As midlife audiences turn to digital media, the 55 to 64 age bracket is an increasingly important demographicIn 2022, Caroline Idiens was on holiday halfway up an Italian mountain when her brother called to tell her to check her Instagram account. I said, I haven't got any wifi. And he said: Every time you refresh, it's adding 500 followers.' So I had to try to get to the top of the hill with the phone to check for myself."A personal trainer from Berkshire who began posting her fitness classes online at the start of lockdown in 2020, Idiens, 53, had already built a respectable following. Continue reading...
More than 200 environmental groups demand halt to new US datacenters
Exclusive: Congress urged to act against energy-hungry facilities blamed for increasing bills and worsening climate crisisA coalition of more than 230 environmental groups has demanded a national moratorium on new datacenters in the US, the latest salvo in a growing backlash to a booming artificial intelligence industry that has been blamed for escalating electricity bills and worsening the climate crisis.The green groups, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Food & Water Watch and dozens of local organizations, have urged members of Congress to halt the proliferation of energy-hungry datacenters, accusing them of causing planet-heating emissions, sucking up vast amounts of water and exacerbating electricity bill increases that have hit Americans this year. Continue reading...
‘Kids can’t buy them anywhere’: how Pokémon cards became a stock market for millennials
A surprising economic bubble is making it hard for anyone to buy Pokemon cards - especially childrenPokemon has been huge since the late 90s. Millions of people have fond memories of playing the original Red and Blue games, or trading cards in the playground for that elusive shiny Charizard (if your school didn't ban them). The franchise has only grown since then - but, where the trading cards are concerned, things have taken an unexpected and unfortunate turn. It's now almost impossible to get your hands on newly released cards thanks to an insane rise in reselling and scalping over the past year.Selling on your old cards to collectors has always been part of the hobby, and like baseball cards or Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon cards can sometimes go for thousands of pounds. However, the resale market for Pokemon has climbed so high that even new cards are valued at hundreds, before they've even been released. The latest set, Phantasmal Flames, had a rare special illustration Charizard that was being valued at more than 600 before anyone had even found one. When a pack of cards retails at about 4, there's a huge potential profit to be had. Continue reading...
Scores of UK parliamentarians join call to regulate most powerful AI systems
Exclusive: Campaign urges PM to show independence from US and push to rein in development of superintelligenceMore than 100 UK parliamentarians are calling on the government to introduce binding regulations on the most powerful AI systems as concern grows that ministers are moving too slowly to create safeguards in the face of lobbying from the technology industry.A former AI minister and defence secretary are part of a cross-party group of Westminster MPs, peers and elected members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish legislatures demanding stricter controls on frontier systems, citing fears superintelligent AI would compromise national and global security". Continue reading...
Is AI a bubble that’s about to pop? – podcast
Should we be worried about the vast amounts of money pouring into AI? And what will happen if the bubble bursts? Blake Montgomery reportsFor months there have been fears that artificial intelligence is a bubble and that it is about to burst.As the Guardian US tech editor Blake Montgomery explains, the magnificent seven - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla - make up one-third of the value of the S&P 500, the index of the 500 biggest stocks in the US market. All are heavily invested in AI. Continue reading...
A US psychologist prescribed a social media ban for kids. How did Australia become the test subject?
From nascent policy idea in one state to passing federal parliament in just days, it has been a whirlwind journey for the world-first legislation that will take effect from 10 December
A robot walks into a bar: can a Melbourne researcher get AI to do comedy?
Machines can be funny when they mistakenly bump into things - but standup is a tough gig even for humansRobots can make humans laugh - mostly when they fall over - but a new research project is looking at whether robots using AI could ever be genuinely funny.If you ask ChatGPT for a funny joke, it will serve you up something that belongs in a Christmas cracker: Why don't skeletons fight each other? Because they don't have the guts."Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
Don’t use ‘admin’: UK’s top 20 most-used passwords revealed as scams soar
Easy-to-guess words and figures still dominate, alarming cysbersecurity experts and delighting hackersIt is a hacker's dream. Even in the face of repeated warnings to protect online accounts, a new study reveals that admin" is the most commonly used password in the UK.The second most popular, 123456", is also unlikely to keep hackers at bay. Continue reading...
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