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The hip-hop mogul who signed Tupac talks about 90s rap from a San Diego correctional facility. Plus: five of the best nostalgic podcasts Don't get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereOne of the greatest joys of podcasting is that anyone can have a go. This week Suge Knight, the record label boss that signed Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre, launched his own series from prison, while serving 28 years for killing a man with a car. Collect Call With Suge Knight is a crackly recording of phone conversations from San Diego's RJ Donovan correctional facility. Might this year's hottest new podcasting genre involve 90s rap moguls settling scores from behind bars? Probably not, judging by this meandering episode. But it's certainly a colourful addition to the world of podcasts.In other, less incarceration-based retro thrills, we've got a look at the best nostalgic podcasts out there, from odes to 90s pop culture to a homage to the neon glitz and glamour of the 80s. It's joined by a review of Jason Derulo's new romantic thriller podcast (yes, really) and a new series from Alexi Mostrous, the host of our favourite podcast of 2022. It's another diverse week.

Game developers, musicians and artists reflect on Hideo Kojima's landmark political stealth-thriller on its 25th anniversaryFor me, there are few games that encapsulate the turn of the millennium better than Metal Gear Solid. This month marks the 25th anniversary of its release on PlayStation in Japan, but it hit UK shelves a few months later in 1999, the same year as the first Matrix movie. While my school peers were mimicking Keanu and dodging invisible bullets, whispers reverberated around the playground of a PlayStation game that was somehow even cooler. You played a grizzled spy who snarled at you through the speakers. You took out helicopters, duelled with cyborg ninjas and spent a lot of time hiding under cardboard boxes. It was all exhilaratingly bizarre, and the hype seemed almost impossible to live up to.Booting up the game 25 years later, and somehow it still conjures awe. From its wonderfully delivered voice acting (a technical marvel on PlayStation 1) to its inimitable character design, it's an endearingly bonkers fiction unlike any other. It influenced a generation of game designers, played a huge part in the invention and establishment of the stealth genre, and made a celebrity out of its idiosyncratic creator Hideo Kojima, who remains one of game design's most recognisable figures. Continue reading...

MIT professor behind influential letter says unchecked development is allowing a few AI firms to jeopardise society's futureA handful of tech companies are jeopardising humanity's future through unrestrained AI development and must stop their race to the bottom", according to the scientist behind an influential letter calling for a pause in building powerful systems.Max Tegmark, a professor of physics and AI researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the world was witnessing a race to the bottom that must be stopped". Tegmark organised an open letter published in April, signed by thousands of tech industry figures including Elon Musk and the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, that called for a six-month hiatus on giant AI experiments. Continue reading...

It has Wear OS 4, new chip and better apps - but still lags behind rivals on workouts and can't be repairedGoogle's second-generation Pixel smartwatch fixes many of its predecessor's problems, with a much faster chip, longer battery life and better health features - but it still isn't repairable, which is a huge shame.The Pixel Watch 2 costs 349 (399/$349.99/A$549) and aims to be the Apple Watch for Android, but faces stiff competition from Samsung's longstanding Galaxy Watch line. Continue reading...

Government document says impossible to rule out technology poses existential threatArtificial intelligence brings new dangers to society that must be addressed head on", the prime minister will warn on Thursday, as the government admitted it could not rule out the technology posing an existential threat.Rishi Sunak will refer to the new opportunities" for economic growth offered by powerful AI systems but will also acknowledge they bring new dangers" including risks of cybercrime, designing of bioweapons, disinformation and upheaval to jobs. Continue reading...

Company reports third-quarter revenue of $34.15bn, beating expected $33.56bn, and shares jumped in after-hours tradingMeta soared past analyst expectations in its third-quarter earnings report, solidifying investor confidence that the previously embattled tech company is out of the woods after several volatile years. Its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said the company enjoyed its highest operating margin in two years".The company reported a third-quarter revenue of $34.15bn, beating the expected $33.56bn, up 23% year-over-year. Shares jumped in after-hours trading, with results boosting investor confidence after Meta spent several years in volatility as it attempted to restructure its business model and expand beyond the social media products it built its empire upon. That said, advertising remains its primary revenue driver. Continue reading...

In this week's newsletter: The chilling genius of horror games like Remedy Entertainment's Stephen King-inspired sequel is what their warped heroes tell us about our own neuroses Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWith Halloween fast approaching there was only one game release to talk about this week: Alan Wake 2. The sequel to Remedy Entertainment's cult action-adventure promises a chilling next-gen horror experience with the eponymous hero trapped in a nightmarish alternate dimension tied to Bright Falls, Washington, the tiny town from which he disappeared 13 years ago.The original game was heavily inspired by Stephen King, its troubled horror-writer protagonist providing a cipher for the bestselling author himself and the psychologically damaged heroes of his novels, especially The Shining and The Dark Half. But Alan Wake also slots into a long history of incredibly messed-up horror-game heroes who often manifest the very monsters they're looking to destroy. Continue reading...

The TikTok creator shares what's rotting his brain lately. It's mostly chaos and early memes

Discussions about AI often focus on the futuristic threat posed by superhuman intelligence. But AI is already woven into the fabric of our daily lives. The way we travel, the food we eat, how we spend our money, the news we read and our social interactions - the influence of AI is everywhere ...

Internet Watch Foundation finds 3,000 AI-made abuse images breaking UK lawThe worst nightmares" about artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse images are coming true and threaten to overwhelm the internet, a safety watchdog has warned.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said it had found nearly 3,000 AI-made abuse images that broke UK law. Continue reading...

Complaint filed in California accuses company of knowingly inducing children and teenagers into addictive social media useThe attorneys general of dozens of US states are suing Instagram and its parent company Meta over their impact on young users, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis through the addictive nature of their social media platforms.Filed in federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, the lawsuit claims Meta, which also operates Facebook, has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its platforms and knowingly induced young children and teenagers into addictive and compulsive social media use. Continue reading...

Drago Tudorache, MEP who has spent four years drafting AI legislation, is optimistic final text can be agreed by WednesdayThe EU is within touching distance" of passing the world's first laws on artificial intelligence, giving Brussels the power to shut down services that cause harm to society, says the AI tsar who has spent the last four years developing the legislation.A forthcoming EU AI Act could introduce rules for everything from homemade chemical weapons made through AI to copyright theft of music, art and literature, with negotiations between MEPs, EU member states and the European Commission over final text coming to a head on Wednesday. Continue reading...

CEO of DeepMind is not a pessimist' but warns of threat from AI and says we must be active in shaping a middle way'

Demis Hassabis calls for greater regulation to quell existential fears over tech with above-human levels of intelligence

It's complicated, contentious and sweeping. As the landmark legislation becomes law, here's a guide to its key rules on everything from pornographic content to protecting children Don't get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereDeepfakes, viral online challenges and protecting freedom of expression: the online safety bill sprawls across many corners of the internet and it's about to become official. The much-debated legislation is due to receive royal assent, and therefore become law, imminently.The purpose of the act is to make sure tech firms have the right moderating systems and processes in place to deal with harmful material. This means a company cannot comply by chance," says Ben Packer, a partner at the law firm Linklaters. It must have systems and processes in place to, for instance, minimise the length of time for which illegal content is present." Continue reading...

Believe it or not, battery-powered vehicles have been around since Victorian times - everything from private automobiles to taxis, ambulances and tricycles. We've got the photos to prove itThe history of the electric car is surprisingly enraging. If you imagine early electric vehicles at all (full disclosure: I didn't until recently), it will probably be as the quixotic and possibly dangerous dream of a few eccentrics, maybe in the 1920s or 1930s, when domestic electrification became widespread. It's easy to imagine some stiff-collared proto-Musk getting bored of hunting and affairs, eyeing his newly installed electric lights speculatively, then wreaking untold havoc and mass electrocutions.The reality is entirely different. By 1900, a third of all cars on the road in the US were electric; we're looking at the history of a cruelly missed opportunity, and it started astonishingly early. The Scottish engineer Robert Anderson had a go at an electric car of sorts way back in the 1830s, though his invention was somewhat stymied by the fact rechargeable batteries were not invented until 1859, making his crude carriage something of a one-trick pony (and far less useful than an actual pony).Thomas Edison with his electric car, circa 1895. Continue reading...

Authors and academics also warn development of advanced systems utterly reckless' without safety checksPowerful artificial intelligence systems threaten social stability and AI companies must be made liable for harms caused by their products, a group of senior experts including two godfathers" of the technology has warned.Tuesday's intervention was made as international politicians, tech companies, academics and civil society figures prepare to gather at Bletchley Park next week for a summit on AI safety. Continue reading...

Dating app users will be able to show possible matches to others for their opinions and recommendationsOne of the most gruelling hurdles in any new relationship is when it becomes time to meet the parents. But now Tinder has come up with a way to make sure your partner has the familial seal of approval before they've even been introduced.The dating app has created a tool called Matchmaker, which allows users to offer up to 15 friends, family members or guardians 24 hours to scrutinise their possible matches. They can view the profiles and make suggestions without having an account of their own - and, fortunately, cannot start messaging on your behalf. Continue reading...

Tax audits and land use inquiries follow company founder announcing run for Taiwan presidency

Systems operating across government departments and police forces raise concerns about accountability and discrimination

Exclusive: findings show uncontrolled and potentially discriminatory way technology used in Whitehall and some police forces

Exclusive: Hikvision, whose kit is banned in US, receives clarification about where its cameras can be placedHikvision, the Chinese surveillance firm identified by the UK government as a security threat, has recommitted" to Britain after receiving clarification that a ban on its cameras being positioned at sensitive sites does not extend to public authorities or police stations.In a message to clients, the Chinese state-owned company, whose equipment is prohibited in the US on national security grounds, said the new guidance would allow it to move forward with our mission". Continue reading...

Travellers are getting seemingly convincing messages asking them to provide bank card details and threatening their reservation will be cancelledTravellers using the popular hotel website Booking.com are being warned not to fall for scam emails asking them to confirm their hotel payment, after a hack of Booking.com's email system.In recent weeks the Observer has been contacted by a number of customers claiming that they had received scam emails from within the Booking.com system. Continue reading...

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by employers to help decide who to hire. What does it mean for candidates - and their future bosses?

An Australian company that helped the website remain accessible has been ordered to pay damages - but the legal arguments remain unsettled

Businesses keep trying to prove AI's superior creativity, but haven't proved it can compete with human inspirationProve you're not a robot. It's (fairly) easy if you try. You could scroll down or click the little x in the corner of the screen to get rid of me. If you are reading the print edition you could just turn the page.One of the indignities of the digital age is being asked, constantly, to confirm we are who we say we are, that we are indeed a human being. Something feels slightly amiss when the (non-human) technology demands that we convince it that we are not the same as them. Big (and sometimes overexcited) claims are being made for artificial intelligence, the most recent being the claim from Wharton business school in Philadelphia that ChatGPT is more creative than human beings (well, more creative than MBA students, anyway). Continue reading...

With the intentions of Xi Jinping uncertain, there is a rush to build advanced chip-fabrication plants outside Taiwan. But it is proving a bigger challenge than anticipatedWhen the history of our time comes to be written, one thing that will amaze historians is how an entire civilisation managed to impale itself on its worship of optimisation and efficiency. This obsession is what underpinned the hubris of globalisation. Apple's famous slogan Designed by Apple in California, manufactured in China" became its guiding light. So long as products could be made available to consumers everywhere, it no longer mattered where they were made. Until it did.We first twigged this when the pandemic struck, and we became suddenly aware of how fragile supply chains built to maximise efficiency could be. Shouldn't we be optimising for resilience rather than efficiency, people wondered. And maybe our obsession with offshoring" production to low-wage countries might not be such a good idea after all. Continue reading...

The billionaire's posts began with a laboured gag and ended with a dangerous intervention into the reporting of the conflict in GazaA year ago this week, when he completed the purchase of Twitter for $44bn, Elon Musk tweeted the bird is freed". Billionaires like nothing more than casting themselves as popular liberators, but the acquisition fitted the pattern of his ever-expanding empire.Musk has colonised areas of the economy from which public funding and regulation have been in retreat. His carmaker, Tesla, is shaping the future of transport; SpaceX, meanwhile, has in many ways replaced Nasa on the final frontier (so far this year it has launched 75 spacecraft). Continue reading...

The AP photographer captured two friends meeting as the sun set on a torrid evening near GironaIn the countryside just outside Girona, a group of friends share a 300-year-old farmhouse. They spend their weekends and holidays here, with their kids. What began as a way to disconnect from the big city of Barcelona evolved into something quite different for Isaac, nine, and Pau, seven, pictured here; it's where they laid the bedrock of their friendship.Pau's dad, Emilio Morenatti, AP's chief photographer for Spain and Portugal, took the shot on his iPhone 14 while unpacking the car for a visit in August. We'd just arrived on this torrid, midsummer evening and were planning a few days of rest. I saw this scene in the courtyard, under the trees, and knew it was special: this moment where two lifelong friends met under a wonderful sunset. I'd have missed it had I gone inside for my camera." Continue reading...

Bidding wars appear to be over as BT and Sky share content and heat goes out of auctions in continental EuropeEight years ago a triumphant Richard Scudamore revelled in a record 5.14bn haul from the sale of Premier League TV rights, after a second consecutive high-stakes auction where eye-watering bidding fuelled another 70% increase in value.I continue to be surprised by every television deal," said the then chief executive of the body that runs and monetises the UK's crown jewel sports rights. Continue reading...

As Amazon announces it is expanding its drone delivery service to the UK and Italy, other companies are jostling to gain altitude with ultra-fast shippingJeff Bezos likes to surprise. Roaming Amazon's global headquarters in 2013, the tycoon promised a television crew half his fortune if they could guess his company's latest innovation. They did not.Oh my God," one of his wide-eyed guests exclaimed, as they caught sight of autonomous delivery drones. Continue reading...

The famous Austin festival picked the Harbour City for its first foray overseas, bringing an eclectic mix of AI, celebrities and cutting edge ideas

From Asia to Europe, AI presenters are now reading the bulletins. They're attractive, ageless and work 24/7 without being paid. Should their human counterparts be worried? And what about the rest of us?Like most newsreaders, Zae-In wears a microphone pinned to her collar and clutches a stack of notes - but unlike most, her face is entirely fake. A virtual human" designed by South Korean artificial intelligence company Pulse9, Zae-In spent five months this year reading live news bulletins on national broadcaster SBS. That, you might think, is it then. To adapt the words of another animated newscaster: I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords." The future is now. The world belongs to the artificially intelligent and the News at Ten will never be the same again.Are things really that simple? Since spring, country after country have debuted their first AI news anchor: India has Sana and Lisa, Greece has Hermes, Kuwait has Fedha and Taiwan has Ni Zhen. She is bright, gorgeous, ageless, tireless and speaks multiple languages, and is totally under my control," said Kalli Purie, the vice chairperson of the India Today Group, when Sana first appeared in March. For broadcasters, it's easy to see the appeal of AI: virtual presenters can read rolling news for 24 hours unpaid and unfed, and it's unlikely they'll ever skip the queue at a lying-in-state. Continue reading...

Parent company Meta says bug caused inappropriate' auto-translations and was now fixed while employee says it pushed a lot of people over the edge'Meta has apologised after inserting the word terrorist" into the profile bios of some Palestinian Instagram users, in what the company says was a bug in auto-translation.The issue, which was first reported by 404media, affected users with the word Palestinian" written in English on their profile, the Palestinian flag emoji and the word alhamdulillah" written in Arabic. When auto-translated to English the phrase read: Praise be to god, Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom." Continue reading...

The music publishers' lawsuit appears to be the first copyright case over AI's use of song lyricsMusic publishers Universal Music, ABKCO and Concord Publishing sued the artificial intelligence company Anthropic in Tennessee federal court on Wednesday, accusing it of misusing innumerable" copyrighted song lyrics to train its chatbot Claude.The lawsuit said Anthropic violates the publishers' rights through its use of lyrics from at least 500 songs ranging from the Beach Boys' God Only Knows and the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk and Beyonce's Halo. Continue reading...

Attorney general Letitia James brings lawsuit against Genesis Global - and parent DCG - and GeminiThe New York attorney general, Letitia James, on Thursday sued the cryptocurrency firms Genesis Global, and its parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG), and the Winklevoss twins' Gemini for allegedly defrauding" investors of more than $1bn.At the heart of the lawsuit is a program Gemini ran in partnership with Genesis. Dubbed Gemini Earn", the program let customers lend crypto assets such as bitcoin to Genesis. Gemini had billed the program as a low-risk investment" even when its internal analyses had found Genesis was on risky financial footing, James alleged. Continue reading...

The Fresh Prince, sidekick DJ Jazzy Jeff and more take a trip down memory lane and explore how 1988 revolutionised music forever. Plus: five of the best spin-off podcasts Don't get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt's intimate, it's engaging, it's a medium that feels somehow perfect for the confessional: podcasts and biopics are a really great fit. Perhaps that's why this week's two biggest releases are musical biographies of two megastars: Take That and Will Smith. The latter's new series Class of 88 is supposed to be a look at one year in hip-hop's history, but his back-and-forth with DJ pal Jazzy Jeff about scrapes involving an attempt to hack a plaster cast from Jeff's broken leg with a butterknife are far and away the highlight. The easy banter between Take That's remaining members also makes it clear why they've chosen to share their story in a medium that's recently seen Paul McCartney launch into mini biographies for a number of his biggest hits.As well as looking at Take That and Smith's podcasts, we'll be rounding up five of the finest ever spin-off podcasts (yes, S-Town is in there) and taking a look at the week's other great shows. Special mention goes to Ghost Story, which is one of the wildest real-life tales we've come across in a long, long time. Enjoy.

The whole world is warping to fit the screens of our mobile phones. I'm bracing myself for a wave of dramas set on ladders and staircasesThe phone is king. We are its subjects. Phone screens are vertical, set up for portrait mode, and our world must change to fit that frame. Cricket, of all things, is leading the way. The World Cup is presently being televised longways, so to speak, so you can watch it on your phone like you might watch TikTok. This offering comes to us courtesy of the streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar. Zeebiz.com says this feature facilitates a one-handed viewing experience, aligning with the way most users consume content". Makes it sound a tad smutty if you ask me.To be fair, cricket does lend itself to portrait mode because the action is generally shown from behind the stumps, so the wicket fits the up-down format. It is the same with tennis. Lucky for cricket, lucky for tennis. But whither football, which is televised side on? Radical change is necessary. To optimise phone viewing in portrait mode, we must move the goals from the short sides of the pitch to the long sides, and televise it from one of the short ends. The new playing area will be very short and very wide. The corner kicks will have to be more like goal kicks and keepers will be well within shooting range of the other goal. Chaos. But football must change or die.Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Spec bumps keep Apple top of smartwatch pack, with faster Siri and new hands-free gestureApple's smartwatches get their first speed increase in years along with brighter screens and new hands-free gestures - keeping the market leader still miles ahead of the pack.The Apple Watch Series 9 comes in various sizes and materials and starts at 399 (449/$399/A$649) - a 20 price cut in the UK. It launches alongside the Ultra 2 costing 799 (899/$799/A$1,399), which is 50 cheaper than last year's model. Continue reading...

Digit will begin its time on the floor by shifting empty tote boxes amid concerns humans will be shifted out of jobsAmazon is experimenting with a humanoid robot as the technology company increasingly seeks to automate its warehouses.It has started testing Digit, a two-legged robot that can grasp and lift items, at facilities this week. The device is first being used to shift empty tote boxes. Continue reading...

We try Tastilux, an Australian product that promises to mimic the flavour and mouthfeel of meat

There are three key drivers to get companies to change their behaviour: reputation, regulation and revenue,' the e-safety commissioner says

Revenue falls short of predictions as Elon Musk seeks to temper expectations' of Cybertruck, company's super-vehicle in prototypeTesla shares slid nearly 5% in after-hours trading Wednesday after several misses of Wall Street expectations in its third quarter earnings of 2023.Revenue for the third quarter was $23.4bn compared with analyst predictions of $24.09bn, with total gross profit declining 22% year-over-year. Earnings per share were $0.66 compared with a predicted $0.74, translating to a net income of $1.9bn - compared with $3.3bn one year ago. Continue reading...

Nintendo; Switch

Users say their posts no longer appear at top of feeds and some suspect platform is shadow-banning, or demoting contentInstagram users are accusing the social network of purposefully censoring posts in support of Palestine - underscoring longstanding concerns about unfair moderation as war rages in Gaza.Hena Mustafa, an Instagram user with 866 followers based in New York City, said that since she began posting about developments in Palestine as Israel mounted its siege in the past week, her Stories - photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours - have been receiving significantly less views". Friends and followers have messaged Mustafa to tell her that her posts are no longer appearing at the top of their Instagram feeds, her name has become unsearchable on the social network, and they are unable to interact with her posts. Continue reading...

Suit claims app features like disappearing messages and geolocating users make kids easy targets for dealersHanh Badger was working from home the morning of 17 June 2021. She went to the kitchen to grab a second cup of coffee and noticed her daughter's bedroom door was still shut. Badger found Brooke, 17, pale and motionless in bed.Soon, the sheriff arrived and immediately administered Naloxone, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. But Badger, a pharmacist, was confused. Brooke was a talented student who couldn't wait to begin college that fall. Continue reading...

Platform owned by Elon Musk says subscription trial is aimed at combating bots on the serviceX, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has begun rolling out a US$1 annual charge to new users in New Zealand and the Philippines in a move the service owned by Elon Musk says is aimed at combating bots.Fortune first reported the subscription plan, which costs US$1 a year for access to key functions including tweeting, replying, retweeting and liking. After Fortune's report, X revealed the details. Continue reading...

In this week's newsletter: The Twitter alternatives are gaining ground, and it wouldn't take much to steal X's crown as a news-sharing service Don't get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the full article hereEvery time Elon Musk does something bad, you can see an influx of new users to Bluesky - one of the many social media sites to pop up as a potential Twitter/X alternative.The platform, still invite-only, has more than 1.5 million users but it is slowly growing. A website called Twexit, which tracks the exodus of users from Twitter to Bluesky, has noted spikes of people activating their invite codes in the past couple of months. Continue reading...

Double booking is the least of the worries awaiting the vacationers arriving at this desert homeWhether or not you think it deserves it, the online property-hire business Airbnb is taking a pasting of late, and now even horror films are piling in to sully its name. In this snappily edited film, a house in the desert near Joshua Tree national park (judging by the local flora) appears to have been double-booked, leading to murderous results. They complain about the circular frustration created by their inability to compare booking confirmations because they don't have the code for the house's wifi, which is accessible only on the Airbnb app, which they can't access because of lack of wifi or phone signal. Typical first-world problems.But the director, Travis Greene, and the screenwriter, Jonathan Buchanan, have more on their minds than shaming the booking service, mainly how to make the different crisscrossing timelines in the story make narrative sense without continuity errors, as the film cuts between four time periods in a single day. In the first, property co-owner Jessie shows up to clean a bungalow full of twee, millennial-friendly knick-knacks, as if the set designer went mad with a credit card in Urban Outfitters. At a different point that day, we see Instagram influencer Sam (Alisha Soper) and her actor boyfriend Dwayne (William Gabriel Grier)arrive at the house and unexpectedly meet a creepy middle-aged couple named Liz (Rosanne Limeres) and Richard (Tim Simek) already there, and insistent they have hired the place. Continue reading...

Large language models gave advice on how to conceal the true purpose of the purchase of anthrax, smallpox and plague bacteriaThe artificial intelligence models underpinning chatbots could help plan an attack with a biological weapon, according to research by a US thinktank.A report by the Rand Corporation released on Monday tested several large language models (LLMs) and found they could supply guidance that could assist in the planning and execution of a biological attack". However, the preliminary findings also showed that the LLMs did not generate explicit biological instructions for creating weapons. Continue reading...