https://www.afterdawn.com/ Daily updated technology news en-us Fri, 2 Oct 2026 18:15:21 GMT Sun, 4 Oct 2026 01:02:39 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/02/youtube-shorts-original-content-prioritization https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/02/youtube-shorts-original-content-prioritization Janne Yli-Korhonen <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/youtube-shorts.png" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Shorts feed cleans up: YouTube cuts visibility for channels recycling others&apos; videos" /></p><b>YouTube</b> has announced that it is updating the recommendation system for its Shorts short-video service. With the update, algorithms will increasingly favor original content while simultaneously reducing the visibility of videos that have been copied or re-uploaded from other creators without adding their own value. <br/> <br/>According to the company, the recommendation systems constantly process billions of different signals, including watch history, topics, and user engagement, to provide viewers with genuinely meaningful content. <br/> <br/><a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/470890423" target="_blank">According to YouTube</a>, fine-tuning the recommendation algorithm improves the viewer experience and simultaneously ensures that creators publishing original content have the best opportunities to grow and succeed on the platform. The company notes that the change is also in line with its current rules and policies. <br/> <br/>In practice, the change specifically targets channels whose operations are primarily based on re-publishing material from other creators or compiling videos without significant alterations. <br/> <br/>YouTube warns that such accounts are likely to see a significant drop in the distribution and visibility of their videos in the Shorts feed. <br/> <br/>If a creator uses clips from another creator in their videos, genuine added value must be brought in going forward. YouTube requires that the borrowed material be combined with the creator's own original commentary, unique editing, or personal storytelling. <br/> <br/>The platform also makes it clear that small cosmetic tricks are no longer enough. YouTube emphasizes that mere minor technical modifications or the use of ready-made templates to change a video's appearance are not sufficient; creators must bring in their own voice, a clear perspective, or their own narration.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/02/youtube-shorts-original-content-prioritization" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/02/youtube-shorts-original-content-prioritization#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Fri, 2 Oct 2026 18:15:21 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/02/youtube-shorts-original-content-prioritization#comments 0 Shorts feed cleans up: YouTube cuts visibility for channels recycling others' videos https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/01/firefox-157-major-visual-redesign https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/01/firefox-157-major-visual-redesign Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/firefox-cartoon-midjourney.png" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Firefox 157: major visual redesign - some love it, some hate it" /></p>The open-source browser <strong>Firefox</strong> has been completely revamped its appearance. <br/> <br/>Firefox version 157, or <strong>FX 157</strong>, introduces the new visual look that has been in test use for some time, which Firefox developer <strong>Mozilla</strong> praises as being modern, yet not generic. <br/> <br/><center><a target='_blank' href='https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/storage/pictures/1920/firefox-nova-fx-157.jpg'><img src='https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/storage/pictures/550/firefox-nova-fx-157.jpg' width='550' height='281' alt='Firefox 157' loading='lazy' style='height:auto;'/></a> <br/><i>Firefox's Nova look</i></center> <br/> <br/>The new visual look is named <i>Nova</i> and is the product of long development. However, some users have not exactly fallen in love with the new look on social media, and tips have already been shared online on how to revert the appearance to the previous version. <br/> <br/>The trick is done by typing <i>about:config</i> into the browser's address bar and then navigating to the settings hidden under the browser's hood. By finding the setting <i>browser.nova.enabled</i> and changing it from <i>true</i> to <i>False</i>, the browser will revert to the previous Firefox appearance when restarted. <br/> <br/><center><a target='_blank' href='https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/storage/pictures/1920/firefox-nova-fx-157-compact.jpg'><img src='https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/storage/pictures/550/firefox-nova-fx-157-compact.jpg' width='550' height='309' alt='Firefox 157 compact mode' loading='lazy' style='height:auto;'/></a></center> <br/> <br/>Firefox 157 also brings back the <i>compact</i> mode, where the browser's navigation elements take up less space. <br/> <br/>The revamped Firefox is available for download on all supported computer operating systems <i>(Windows, macOS, Linux)</i> and mobile phones <i>(iOS, Android)</i>. Download links can be found directly on <a href="https://www.firefox.com/download/all/" target="_blank">Firefox's website</a>.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/01/firefox-157-major-visual-redesign" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/01/firefox-157-major-visual-redesign#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Thu, 1 Oct 2026 18:06:25 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/10/01/firefox-157-major-visual-redesign#comments 0 Firefox 157: major visual redesign - some love it, some hate it https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/30/windows-11-26h2-released https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/30/windows-11-26h2-released Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/windows-11-official.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Windows 11 26H2 released - Start menu changes, improved search, Task Manager changes, .." /></p><strong>Microsoft</strong> has started distributing <strong>Windows 11 26H2</strong>, also known as the 2026 update, to all compatible computers. This update continues the company's model adopted in recent years, where an annual update does not necessarily mean a heavy system reinstallation, but rather arrives for most users as part of regular monthly updates. <br/> <br/>The reduction in update size is also evident in that the installation of the new "major" Windows 11 update might almost go unnoticed, as the installation process differs little from typical security updates - even in duration. The reason, of course, is that most of the functionalities included in the update have already been distributed to computers with previous monthly updates, meaning that if Windows updates have been kept up to date, 26H2 merely packages everything together in the form of the <i>KB5121794</i> update - and raises the Windows version number. <br/> <br/>Although a large part of the new features has already been distributed to Windows users, they have not been enabled for most users before, meaning that despite its small physical size, the update significantly changes Windows' operation. <br/> <br/>Perhaps the most visible innovation is the deeper integration of AI functionalities into the operating system's core components. An AI assistant has been added to the Windows Settings view, capable of searching for and modifying system settings using natural language commands. This means that in the future, you no longer need to know exactly where a specific setting is located; instead, you can describe the desired item to the AI assistant, which can automatically find the correct location. <br/> <br/>Also, <i>Task Manager</i> has received new views, specifically designed for monitoring AI workloads and the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) chip. These allow the user or administrator to see more precisely how many resources locally run language models consume and how the NPU is utilized compared to the computer's traditional processor and graphics card. <br/> <br/>Windows' <i>Start Menu</i> has also been revamped to be more flexible. Now, the size of the Start Menu can be adjusted more freely, and default visible sections can be chosen - additionally, one's profile picture and user account information can be hidden from the Start Menu if desired. Microsoft also promises that Windows' internal search, which has been the subject of jokes and ridicule for years, has significantly improved from before. <br/> <br/>Among the hardware-level innovations, <i>Shared Audio</i> allows audio to be played simultaneously on multiple compatible Bluetooth devices. This enables, for example, listening to music with multiple headphones or Bluetooth speakers from the same computer. <i>Multi-App Camera</i>, in turn, allows multiple applications to use the computer's camera simultaneously, which facilitates, for example, the parallel use of video conferencing and recording software. Windows' Xbox integration has also been deepened, which is reflected, among other things, in better interplay between game management and performance profiles with Windows. <br/> <br/>The update began distribution on 29th of September, 2026, and its availability for your computer can be checked via <i>Windows Update</i> in Windows settings.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/30/windows-11-26h2-released" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/30/windows-11-26h2-released#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:48:52 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/30/windows-11-26h2-released#comments 0 Windows 11 26H2 released - Start menu changes, improved search, Task Manager changes, .. https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/meta-vr-glasses-revealed https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/meta-vr-glasses-revealed Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/meta-vr-glasses.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Meta VR Glasses revealed - very light, tons of 3D content coming up" /></p>Although <strong>Meta</strong> has received a lot of flak regarding its smart glasses lately, the company also has another, parallel series of glasses: virtual reality glasses. <br/> <br/>Virtual reality glasses are not used like smart glasses when moving outdoors and communicating with people; instead, they immerse their wearer completely into a separate virtual world, with the inner surface of the glasses acting as displays. The new <strong>Meta VR Glasses</strong> are unprecedentedly lightweight, as the glasses themselves weigh only 100 grams. For comparison, <i>Apple's</i> badly flopped <i>Vision Pro glasses</i> weighed 650 grams, and one of the biggest complaints from testers was their weight. <br/> <br/>Meta has managed to lighten the glasses by ensuring that the glasses themselves only contain the displays, sensors, and control system, while computing power, battery, and storage have been moved to a separate, so-called puck unit that can be attached to a pocket or bag, which connects to the glasses via an optical cable. <br/> <br/><center><img src='https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/storage/pictures/550/meta-vr-glasses-lenses.jpg' width='550' height='479' alt='Meta VR Glasses from the inside' loading='lazy' style='height:auto;'/></center> <br/> <br/>As display technology, Meta VR Glasses utilize a 5K Infinite Display system, which is based on micro-OLED panels. The resolution is stated as 37 pixels per degree of field of view, which Meta considers sufficient for tasks such as reading text and office work in a virtual workspace. The glasses use compact pancake lenses designed for them, and Dolby Vision image and Dolby Atmos spatial audio via integrated sound in the frames are supported. <br/><!-- inStream --> <br/>The performance of the glasses is handled by <i>Qualcomm's</i> new <i>Snapdragon Reality Elite</i> system-on-chip, and the separate battery unit is said to enable up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media content viewing, with 45-watt fast charging. <br/> <br/>The glasses naturally also feature the company's own Meta AI assistant, which can be controlled by voice, gaze, and natural hand gestures, which, according to Meta, reduces the need for separate controllers. For example, users can open applications, start movies, or adjust their virtual workspace without physical controllers. The glasses also offer full passthrough when needed. At launch, over 75 games that can be played with hand gestures are promised for the glasses, and hundreds of additional games will be available via <i>Microsoft's</i> <i>Xbox Cloud Gaming</i>. <br/> <br/>Meta strongly positions its new VR device also as an entertainment platform. According to the company, the glasses are also the world's first IMAX Enhanced-certified VR device. The company is collaborating with <i>Disney+</i>, <i>Prime Video</i>, <i>HBO</i>, and <i>YouTube</i>, and numerous services have promised to bring 3D content to the glasses. <br/> <br/>However, the glasses are also marketed as a "next-generation computer". Users can construct one or more large virtual screens in front of them and create a private workspace, for example, on an airplane. A regular flat surface can be transformed into a virtual keyboard and trackpad without additional accessories. <br/> <br/>The glasses will go on sale in the United States in spring 2027, and their retail price has been stated as 1299 dollars. The schedule or prices for Europe and Finland have not yet been specified. <br/> <br/>Below is the introduction video for the glasses: <br/><!-- inStream --> <br/><center><iframe width="2036" height="549" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xyD_bmMy5nQ" title="Meta VR Glasses - Introduction Video" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></center><p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/meta-vr-glasses-revealed" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/meta-vr-glasses-revealed#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Thu, 24 Sep 2026 19:23:59 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/meta-vr-glasses-revealed#comments 0 Meta VR Glasses revealed - very light, tons of 3D content coming up https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/samsung-smart-refrigerators-software-update-stopped-working https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/samsung-smart-refrigerators-software-update-stopped-working Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/Samsung-Refrigerators-Laundry-tizen-10.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Samsung smart refrigerators received a software update - stopped working, food spoiled" /></p>According to Korean news sources, a recently released <strong>Samsung</strong> software update for the company's <strong>smart refrigerators</strong> has gone badly wrong. <br/> <br/>The update arrived just before the important <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuseok" target="_blank">Chuseok holiday</a> for Koreans and is most likely the very recent <i>Tizen 10</i> update for the company's smart products, which we also recently reported on. <br/> <br/>According to media reports <a href="https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20260923104525" target="_blank"><i>(in Korean)</i></a>, immediately after the update, some consumers' Samsung smart refrigerators completely stopped working. This means the update not only affected the smart functions of the refrigerators, but also caused the basic cooling function of the refrigerator to cease working. <br/> <br/>For some consumers, the refrigerator door would no longer close after the update, even though the refrigerator's cooling itself was still working. Several consumers report that <a href="https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1008767320" target="_blank">the food in the refrigerator spoiled</a> <i>(in Korean)</i>. <br/> <br/>According to <i>ZDNet Korea</i>, Samsung has temporarily halted the distribution of the software update and hired additional service personnel to help fix the refrigerators that malfunctioned due to the update before this year's Chuseok begins <i>(September 24 - September 26, 2026)</i>. <br/> <br/>Sometimes, perhaps, "smartness" shouldn't be added to absolutely everything possible.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/samsung-smart-refrigerators-software-update-stopped-working" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/samsung-smart-refrigerators-software-update-stopped-working#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Thu, 24 Sep 2026 19:17:58 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/24/samsung-smart-refrigerators-software-update-stopped-working#comments 1 Samsung smart refrigerators received a software update - stopped working, food spoiled https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/22/sharing-links-to-facebook-costs-money https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/22/sharing-links-to-facebook-costs-money Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/Facebook-logo-faucet.jpeg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Now sharing links to Facebook costs money" /></p>Just recently <strong>Meta</strong> introduced a variety of <strong>Meta One</strong> subscription bundles, packaging various AI features and random paid features of <i>Facebook</i>, <i>Instagram</i> and <i>WhatsApp</i> together. <br/> <br/>However, with the launch of Meta One, an exceptionally drastic measure was revealed too: from now on, sharing links on Facebook pages requires the Meta One subscription. So, from now on, sharing links costs money. <br/> <br/>According to Facebook's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/1929252614431792/" target="_blank">own help pages</a> and practical observations, Facebook pages can now only share two external links per month for free - after that limit is reached, a Meta One subscription is required. <br/> <br/>The default limit resets on the first day of each month, and "unused links" do not carry over to the next month. This strict restriction directly affects businesses, organizations, and content creators who use their Facebook pages to grow their website traffic or e-commerce. <br/> <br/>There are handful of exceptions to this rule: normal people, who don't have a separate Facebook business or organization page, can still freely post as many links as they want to. Also, registered news organizations are exempt, too - at least, for now. <br/> <br/>But for everybody else, the two links per month rule is in place: whether it is a junior soccer team wishing to link to their latest match results or a local business wanting to post links to posts on their own website. <br/> <br/>And to get the access to more links costs quite a lot of money. The cheapest Meta One subsription tier is called <i>Meta One Essential</i> and it costs �16.99 / $14.99, but it doesn't include any additional links per month, so that subscription level wont solve the problem at all. <br/> <br/>The more expensive subscription tiers increase the link post limits: the first one to do so is called <i>Advanced</i> tier, costing �54.99 / $49.99 and it allows eight posts or comments with a link each month. <i>Expert</i> tier allows posting 20 posts or comments with links each month, costing �169 / $149. To be able to post unlimited number of external links, there's <i>Max</i> subscription tier available, costing �549 / $499 a month. <br/> <br/>Obviously, the key here is the phrase "external links". That means that linking to any other Meta-owned property, like Instagram or <i>Threads</i> is unlimited. The restrictions kick in when one tries to link any non-Meta site. <br/> <br/>So, it seems that Meta is truly turning its social media empire into a well-guarded walled garden.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/22/sharing-links-to-facebook-costs-money" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/22/sharing-links-to-facebook-costs-money#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:57:53 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/22/sharing-links-to-facebook-costs-money#comments 0 Now sharing links to Facebook costs money https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/20/winamp-comeback-streaming-and-mp3-player https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/20/winamp-comeback-streaming-and-mp3-player Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/winamp-screenshot.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Winamp makes a comeback - combines streaming and MP3 player" /></p>The legendary MP3 player <strong>Winamp</strong> is making a comeback. Once again. <br/> <br/>This time, the arrangements have been completely revamped compared to before, and the new Winamp, set to be released in 2027, is a combination of the iconic MP3 player and a modern streaming service. This means that, in practice, Winamp can retain its late-90s look if desired, while simultaneously enjoying the ease of streaming - without forgetting MP3 file playback. <br/> <br/>Winamp will not build its subscription-based streaming service from scratch; instead, the company has licensed the music catalog and streaming technology of French <strong>Deezer</strong> for its use. <br/> <br/>To avoid scaring off current users of the original Winamp too much, Winamp promises <a href="https://winamp.com/press/winamp-announces-strategic-partnership-with-deezer-to-power-the-next-generation-of-its-iconic-music-player" target="_blank">in its press release</a> that the original Winamp application, which operates without a streaming service, will also continue to exist, meaning there will be two separate versions of Winamp available in the future. <br/> <br/>This move is likely quite smart, as, surprisingly, according to Winamp, the original MP3 player still has about 40 million active users. The new Winamp, set to be released next year and coexisting with the traditional version, is also promised to support MP3 file playback, internet radio playback, and Winamp's traditional playlists. <br/> <br/>Winamp was originally released in 1997 and quickly became the world's most popular MP3 player, at a time when MP3's popularity was at its peak. The player was sold during the dot-com boom to the then-internet giant <i>AOL</i>. Since then, the player has changed ownership several times throughout its history, while the popularity of local music files has waned as streaming has conquered the music market. <br/> <br/>The company has made several different "comebacks" and attempts over the years. Perhaps the most unsuccessful was the most recent one, where <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2024/05/17/winamp-goes-open-source">Winamp was promised to become an open-source program</a>. However, the company only wanted external development assistance for the player's development, without actually releasing the program as open source. The experiment <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2024/10/20/winamp-ends-its-open-source-project">was almost immediately terminated</a>, and since then, nothing has been heard from Winamp. Until now. <br/> <br/>French Deezer, on the other hand, is increasingly investing in Winamp-style licensing partnerships, i.e., "white label" packaging, where it provides the technology and music catalog, but the actual streaming service is run by an external party.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/20/winamp-comeback-streaming-and-mp3-player" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/20/winamp-comeback-streaming-and-mp3-player#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Sun, 20 Sep 2026 19:37:11 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/20/winamp-comeback-streaming-and-mp3-player#comments 0 Winamp makes a comeback - combines streaming and MP3 player https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/13/common-fruit-fly-brain-taught-to-play-doom https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/13/common-fruit-fly-brain-taught-to-play-doom Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/doomfly.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Common fruit fly&apos;s brain was taught to play Doom" /></p><strong>Google's</strong> researchers succeeded at the beginning of September in creating a <a href="https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/male-fruit-fly-brain-map/" target="_blank">complete 3D model</a> of the brain of a common adult, male <a href="hhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster" target="_blank">fruit fly</a>. <br/> <br/>It was the first time that the entire brain structure of a reasonably complex animal was digitized into a 3D model containing over 166,000 neurons. The achievement is considered a significant milestone for brain research and is hoped to help researchers understand brain function more precisely. <br/> <br/>But because humans are, after all, humans, such a fine scientific achievement was also harnessed for a rather perplexing use. <br/> <br/>A few days later, programmer <i>Alex Wormuth</i> announced on <a href="https://x.com/nftechie_/status/2096409780961059119" target="_blank">social media</a> <i>(link leads to X/Twitter)</i> that he had taken the fruit fly brain model created by Google and taught it to play <strong>Doom</strong>. <br/> <br/>Because why not. <br/> <br/>Wormuth states that the teaching process was based on brain stimulation, where each game frame <i>(frame)</i> is sent to the fruit fly's brain neurons that process external stimuli. The subsequent brain activity is then returned to Doom for character control. Correspondingly, whenever enemies are successfully damaged in the game, a reward-indicating stimulus is fed to the brain, stimulating its dopamine-sensitive cells. <br/> <br/>The fruit fly's Doom gameplay can also be followed in real-time on <a href="https://fly-brain-doom.awormuth.chatgpt.site/" target="_blank">Wormuth's website</a>. <br/> <br/>According to many commentators, the case of the Doom-playing fruit fly is a classic <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220305174531/https://twitter.com/AlexBlechman/status/1457842724128833538" target="_blank"><i>Torment Nexus</i> example</a>.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/13/common-fruit-fly-brain-taught-to-play-doom" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/13/common-fruit-fly-brain-taught-to-play-doom#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Sun, 13 Sep 2026 18:23:20 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/13/common-fruit-fly-brain-taught-to-play-doom#comments 0 Common fruit fly's brain was taught to play Doom https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/12/millions-of-websites-might-disappear-from-google https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/12/millions-of-websites-might-disappear-from-google Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/cloudflare-logo.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Soon, millions of websites might disappear from Google" /></p>The world's largest so-called content delivery network, American <strong>Cloudflare</strong>, has set a deadline that is fast approaching. <br/> <br/>On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Cloudflare will by default start blocking all <i>bots</i> that use the data they collect for training or developing AI services. <br/> <br/>Cloudflare itself may not mean anything to the average internet user, but <a href="https://increv.co/academy/cloudflare-users/" target="_blank">about a third</a> of all significant websites in the world use Cloudflare as a kind of doorman for their content, which lightens the load on the sites' own servers - and blocks unwanted bot traffic. <br/> <br/>And starting September 15, bots that collect data for <i>"mixed use"</i> purposes will also be included in that group of "unwanted bot traffic". <br/> <br/>This category includes advertising giant <strong>Google's</strong> own bot, <i>Googlebot</i>. <br/> <br/>Google uses its data-collecting bot to create the index for its traditional search engine, but the same bot also collects data for Google's AI search. <br/> <br/>As Cloudflare's <a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/content-independence-day-ai-options/" target="_blank">rules change on September 15</a>, Google's bots that collect and index website content will therefore be blocked by default, unless the site administrator has decided to specifically allow them. Cloudflare calls the upcoming change day <i>Content Independence Day</i>. <br/> <br/>It is assumed that a fairly large portion of website administrators will do nothing about the default settings - and some sites may block Google's bot in the future for principled reasons. This means they will practically disappear from Google - and also from Bing, among others - immediately. <br/> <br/>The background, of course, is the fact that after Google shifted from its traditional link-based search results to AI-generated summaries, which kind of "broke the unspoken contract" between websites and Google. <br/> <br/>Previously, websites gladly provided their content for Google's search engine, because Google reciprocally sent vast numbers of users from its search results back to the websites. And because the internet largely operates on advertising revenue, the arrangement was profitable for both sides: virtually all websites could be found through Google's search engine, and websites gained more readers via Google. <br/> <br/>But in the new world of AI summaries, a large portion of users already get the information they are looking for directly from Google's AI summary - meaning they have no reason to click through to the source of the information. Thus, websites whose information forms the basis of the answers receive no readers from Google - and consequently no advertising revenue either. <br/> <br/>Cloudflare has strongly sided with website publishers in this matter and aims to, for its part, force AI companies to pay for the content they scrape from websites for use in their AI models. The upcoming change to default settings is therefore the first serious challenge to Google and other AI companies, through which they will be pressured to pay for the data they collect from the web for their use. <br/> <br/>Cloudflare's setting, which blocks "mixed-use" data collection, <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/report-that-cloudflare-ai-bot-blocking-prevents-googlebot-from-indexing-sites/584673/" target="_blank">is already available to websites</a>, but now that it's becoming the default, it could indeed happen that millions of websites disappear from Google in one fell swoop after September 15.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/12/millions-of-websites-might-disappear-from-google" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/12/millions-of-websites-might-disappear-from-google#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Sat, 12 Sep 2026 20:51:56 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/12/millions-of-websites-might-disappear-from-google#comments 1 Soon, millions of websites might disappear from Google https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/10/lg-tvs-listen-to-conversations-collect-data-from-home-network https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/10/lg-tvs-listen-to-conversations-collect-data-from-home-network Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/LG-2022-OLED-evo-C2-77-inch.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="LG&apos;s TVs listen to conversations, collect data from home network devices, .." /></p>Korean giant <strong>LG</strong> is once again at the center of a privacy scandal, as it was revealed that the company's smart TVs collect a frightening amount of data. <br/> <br/>A two-hour <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IFVTcM28KA" target="_blank">video</a> from the <i>Gamers Nexus</i> channel goes through all the alarming revelations that emerged when LG's televisions were examined more closely. <br/> <br/>Firstly, the company's smart TVs constantly scan the local network to which they are connected and gather information about other devices found on the same local network. This means, for example, data from home phones, printers, and computers is collected and stored by the TV. <br/> <br/>In addition, the TV's WiFi constantly collects information about other nearby WiFi networks, even when WiFi has not been used to connect the TV to the home's local network. The TV also stores this information in its own storage with timestamps. <br/><!-- inStream --> <br/>Another observation concerned the operation of smart TV voice control. After voice control is activated and a voice command is given to the TV about what it should do, the TV does not stop listening. Instead, it actively listens to conversations for an extended period and transcribes the speech into text format, which is stored in the TV's storage. <br/> <br/>In certain situations, the TV did not stop recording audio even when "turned off," meaning in power-saving mode, which is how most users switch off their TVs - few smart TVs can actually be truly turned off with a remote control anymore. <br/> <br/>Furthermore, like many other TV manufacturers, TVs use technology that recognizes what is displayed on the screen <i>(Automated Content Recognition, ACR)</i>. In practice, the TV periodically takes screenshots of the content displayed on the screen. <br/> <br/>The TVs send the collected data to LG's subsidiary, <a href="https://lgads.tv/">LG Ad Solutions</a>, which provides advertising solutions. With the collected data, LG Ad Solutions can target advertising very precisely to its smart TVs, as the company knows an extreme amount about the household using the TV. <br/> <br/>If the TV is completely disconnected from the internet, it naturally cannot send data forward. However, it continues to collect and store data in its storage. When the TV is then reconnected to the network, all data collected in offline mode is immediately sent to LG Ad Solutions. <br/> <br/>This privacy scandal is the second for LG in a short period, as it was revealed this summer how <a href="https://cybersecuritynews.com/lg-monitor-app-installs-adware/" target="_blank">LG-manufactured computer monitors brazenly exploit a mechanism intended for installing Windows device drivers</a>. <br/> <br/>The full video from Gamers Nexus, which made the revelations, is below: <br/><!-- inStream --> <br/><center><iframe width="1093" height="544" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6IFVTcM28KA" title="216,000,000 Spy TVs | The LG Smart TV Problem" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/10/lg-tvs-listen-to-conversations-collect-data-from-home-network" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/10/lg-tvs-listen-to-conversations-collect-data-from-home-network#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:52:51 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/10/lg-tvs-listen-to-conversations-collect-data-from-home-network#comments 2 LG's TVs listen to conversations, collect data from home network devices, .. https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-play-games-from-original-discs https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-play-games-from-original-discs Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/RPCS3-logo.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="PS3 emulator got a significant update - PS3 discs work directly on the computer" /></p>The Playstation 3 emulator for PC, <strong>RPCS3</strong>, has received a significant update, allowing PlayStation 3 games to now be played on PC directly from original PS3 game discs. <br/> <br/>The new feature works on Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD, bringing the emulator closer to its original goal: preserving the entire PS3 game library for future generations, even in a future where PS3 consoles no longer exist. <br/> <br/>Previously, PS3 games had to be transferred from the original game discs to the computer's hard drive, which often required tools classified as illegal in Europe, for example, that bypassed PS3 game disc copy protections. At the same time, the content of the game discs naturally consumed computer storage space, and the transfer itself took quite a lot of time. After the update, RPCS3 works on the same principle as the original PS3 console: disc in and game starts. <br/> <br/>The process doesn't work effortlessly on every computer, as a Blu-Ray drive must, of course, be present. Additionally, PS3 games use their own disc format, which not all Blu-ray drives can read - the RPCS3 project website <a href="https://rpcs3.net/quickstart#dumping_drives" target="_blank">lists all compatible Blu-Ray drives separately</a> that are known to work reliably with the emulator. According to the developers, this is a hardware-level limitation that developers simply cannot bypass programmatically. <br/> <br/>According to the emulator's developers, the solution allows playing games that are almost 20 years old without reliance on external servers, as long as the user still possesses a working disc and a compatible drive. At the same time, RPCS3's compatibility is constantly being improved: a milestone was recently reached when <a href="https://www.techspot.com/news/113147-ps3-emulator-shouldnt-exist-can-now-play-75.html" target="_blank">about 75 percent of all PS3 games</a> have been made to work with the emulator. <br/> <br/>You can learn more about the open-source PS3 emulator and its requirements on <a href="https://rpcs3.net/" target="_blank">its homepage</a>.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-play-games-from-original-discs" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-play-games-from-original-discs#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Tue, 8 Sep 2026 20:25:35 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/rpcs3-ps3-emulator-play-games-from-original-discs#comments 0 PS3 emulator got a significant update - PS3 discs work directly on the computer https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/google-search-changed-across-europe https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/google-search-changed-across-europe Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/google-logo-midjourney.png" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Google accepted its defeat: Search changed today across Europe - claims to now offer a &quot;weaker experience&quot;" /></p><strong>Google</strong> has yielded to the fear of massive fines from the <strong>European Union</strong> and significantly changed its search engine's operations across the entire EU area. <br/> <br/>The advertising giant, which owns by far the world's largest search engine, has been under investigation by EU competition authorities for a long time. <br/> <br/>Criticism has focused on Google seizing a large share of the revenue from brokering hotels, flights, restaurants, and sports events by displaying its own price comparisons at the top of its search results when a user searches for, say, hotel nights. <br/> <br/>For this reason, the company was slapped with <a href="https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/commission-fines-google-eur890-million-breaches-digital-markets-act-2026-07-23_en" target="_blank">a 460 million euro fine</a> in July for violating the <i>Digital Markets Act</i> legislation. However, the company was given the opportunity to avoid paying the fine if it permanently changes its operating model. <br/> <br/>According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/google-warns-lower-quality-it-revamps-europe-search-results-avoid-eu-fines-2026-09-08/" target="_blank">information obtained by <i>Reuters</i></a>, Google has today changed its search engine's operations in these respects across the entire European Union. <br/> <br/>From today onwards, when searching for hotels, the top of the search results will no longer display featured snippets with images and prices from Google's own price comparison services; instead, search results will now show a traditional list of links. <br/> <br/>According to Google, <i>"the changes weaken the user experience for European users"</i> and <i>"money will shift to intermediaries"</i>. <br/> <br/>of course, in this case, Google itself has been the intermediary - and now other price comparison services will have the opportunity to appear fairly in search results, without Google's own, always top-ranking snippets. In both cases, hotels, restaurants, and airlines have paid for visibility: either to other price comparison services or to Google. <br/> <br/>Google has been hit hard recently in both Europe and the United States. Earlier this summer, the EU also decided that <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/07/16/eu-google-search-data-must-be-shared-and-android-to-allow-ai-services">Google must open its search data to competing search engines</a> by 2027 at the latest.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/google-search-changed-across-europe" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/google-search-changed-across-europe#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Tue, 8 Sep 2026 18:20:24 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/09/08/google-search-changed-across-europe#comments 1 Google accepted its defeat: Search changed today across Europe - claims to now offer a "weaker experience" https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/30/finland-bans-ai-music-from-its-official-music-charts https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/30/finland-bans-ai-music-from-its-official-music-charts Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/robot-singing-on-stage-midjourney.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Finland bans AI music from its official music charts" /></p><strong>IFPI Finland</strong> has updated the acceptance criteria for Finland's official single and album charts, effectively banning all AI-generated music. <br/> <br/>According to the <a href="https://ifpi.fi/app/uploads/2026/07/Suomen-Virallinen-Lista-Saannot-heinakuu-2026.pdf" target="_blank">revised rules</a> <i>(PDF, in Finnish)</i>, songs and albums that have been entirely created or produced with the help of artificial intelligence will not be accepted on the Official Finnish Chart. The criterion for acceptance on the chart has been set in the rules as follows: <i>"AI-generated recordings are accepted on the Official Finnish Chart only when they are predominantly made by humans and the services used in their creation are properly licensed and legal."</i> <br/> <br/>If there is any ambiguity about how songs were created, the chart committee will decide whether or not the song or album is accepted on the chart. If a song or album that is later found to be AI-generated ends up on the charts, it can also be retroactively removed from previous charts. <br/> <br/>IFPI Finland also published <a href="https://ifpi.fi/app/uploads/2026/07/Liite-1-SVL-saannot-tekoalya-hyodyntavat-tallenteet.pdf" target="_blank">quite detailed instructions</a> <i>(PDF, in Finnish)</i> regarding the criteria for AI music that <b>can</b> be accepted on the chart. <br/> <br/>Particularly interesting is the section of the rules that requires partially AI-generated songs to comply with all existing copyrights. This practically limits even partial use of AI, as only AI services that use officially licensed material can be used to create music that meets the new criteria. <br/> <br/>Similar policies have also been made recently elsewhere in the world: the <strong>Australian Recording Industry Association</strong> <i>(ARIA)</i>, representing the Australian music industry, has also <a href="https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2026/aria-bans-ai-generated-music-from-australian-charts.html" target="_blank">decided</a> that <b>AI-generated music</b> will no longer be accepted on Australia's official charts. <br/> <br/>Earlier this year, in Sweden, the music industry's interest group came to a <a href="https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/a/8p6R41/virala-ai-laten-stoppas-pa-topplistan" target="_blank">similar decision</a> <i>(in Swedish)</i> when an AI-generated song topped the official chart in our neighboring country.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/30/finland-bans-ai-music-from-its-official-music-charts" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/30/finland-bans-ai-music-from-its-official-music-charts#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:30:10 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/30/finland-bans-ai-music-from-its-official-music-charts#comments 0 Finland bans AI music from its official music charts https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/19/google-bought-spirit-airlines-data-emails-teams-messages https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/19/google-bought-spirit-airlines-data-emails-teams-messages Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/google-logo-pixelated.jpg" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Google bought a bankrupt airline&apos;s emails, documents, even Teams messages - for AI training" /></p><strong>Google</strong> has acquired all documents from the bankrupt American airline <strong>Spirit Airlines</strong>. <br/> <br/>And the emphasis is on the word "all", as the deal includes the company's internal documents, spreadsheet files, email messages, and even <i>Teams</i> messages. <br/> <br/>The seller was Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy estate, which auctioned off the data mass accumulated by Spirit Airlines over decades. There were several bidders in the auction, and Google's offer of 10 million dollars was ultimately the highest bid <a href="https://document.epiq11.com/document/getdocumentbycode?docId=4606206&projectCode=SPJ&source=DM" target="_blank">according to court records</a> <i>(PDF)</i>. <br/> <br/>According to a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/18/business/google-spirit-airlines-data" target="_blank">statement given to <i>CNN</i></a>, Google plans to use the acquired data <i>"to improve its products and develop its AI models"</i>. The second highest bid came from a company that also intended to use the data for developing its own AI models. <br/> <br/>According to information submitted to the court, all personal and individually identifying data will be removed from the delivered information, meaning they do not violate anyone's privacy under US law. <br/> <br/>The deal is still awaiting final approval from the court. Spirit Airlines began operations under that name in 1992, meaning it operated for a total of 34 years. The company was the largest low-cost airline in the United States.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/19/google-bought-spirit-airlines-data-emails-teams-messages" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/19/google-bought-spirit-airlines-data-emails-teams-messages#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:07:00 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/19/google-bought-spirit-airlines-data-emails-teams-messages#comments 0 Google bought a bankrupt airline's emails, documents, even Teams messages - for AI training https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/17/cursor-is-now-part-of-spacex https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/17/cursor-is-now-part-of-spacex Petteri Pyyny <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/news/600x400/programming-code-midjourney.png" hspace="0" vspace="0" border=0 alt="Cursor is now part of SpaceX, acquisition finalized" /></p><strong>SpaceX</strong> has completed the acquisition of AI coding startup <strong>Cursor</strong>, one of the largest technology deals in recent months. The deal is valued at $60 billion and will be paid in new SpaceX shares. The arrangement concerns Cursor's parent company, Anysphere, and was finalized on Friday, August 14, well before the previously announced third-quarter deadline. <br/> <br/>The corporate arrangement was prepared in several stages. Already in April, <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/04/27/spacex-cursor-deal">SpaceX signed an agreement with Anysphere</a>, which gave SpaceX two options: either acquire the company for $60 billion during the current year or pay $10 billion for collaboration without an acquisition. According to information, the acquisition was not intended to be finalized before SpaceX's stock market listing in early June, to avoid delaying the listing process. <br/> <br/>Cursor <a href="https://cursor.com/blog/joining-spacex" target="_blank">confirmed in its blog</a> that it is now officially part of SpaceX. The announcement particularly highlighted SpaceX's managed data centers, which SpaceX has recently leased with large contracts to companies such as Anthropic and Google. According to Cursor, the acquisition gives it access to SpaceX's available computing capacity, meaning Cursor will be able to freely use its parent company's data centers in the future. <br/> <br/>Cursor is particularly known for its AI-powered software development tools, which assist programmers in writing, refactoring, and debugging code. Previously, Cursor has partly relied on models and technology from other players, such as OpenAI and Anthropic. However, both of these companies are developing their own programming tools, which has made Cursor's reliance on their platforms strategically challenging. With the SpaceX collaboration, Cursor aims to break free from these dependencies and build a solution that relies more strongly on its own <i>(i.e., SpaceX's)</i> technology.<p><a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/17/cursor-is-now-part-of-spacex" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/17/cursor-is-now-part-of-spacex#comments" title="View user comments on this article">Comments</a></p><hr /> Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:04:00 GMT https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2026/08/17/cursor-is-now-part-of-spacex#comments 1 Cursor is now part of SpaceX, acquisition finalized