Feed aggregator
Democrats Warn Their Party May Try To Unravel Any Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Deal
As the battle over Warner Bros. Discovery grows, two Democratic lawmakers are warning that their party may try to block or unravel any
acquisition by Paramount when it returns to power. Semafor: In a letter to the WBD board and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent first shared with Semafor, Reps. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said they were concerned about the national security risk of letting foreign entities control a large portion of the US entertainment and media industry.
They also hinted that a future Democratic Congress and administration could try to unravel any Paramount-WBD deal. "Future Congresses ... will review many of the decisions of the current Administration, and may recommend that regulators push for divestitures, which would undermine the strategic logic of this merger," they wrote. "We urge the Board to weigh these national security and regulatory liabilities in evaluating a transaction burdened by uncertain but potentially extensive mitigation obligations, foreign influence risks, or adverse regulatory action."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Amazon Changes How Copyright Protection is Applied To Kindle Direct's Self-Published Ebooks
Amazon says it will allow authors to offer their DRM-free ebooks in the EPUB and PDF formats through its self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing. Starting on January 20, 2026, authors who set their titles as DRM-free will see their books made available in these more open formats. From a report: The decision to use Digital Rights Management (DRM), a copyright protection mechanism, is set by the authors when they publish their ebooks on Amazon's platform. The company notes these changes won't impact previously published titles. If authors want to change the status of older titles, they'll have to log into the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) author portal and change an option in the settings. (Instructions on how to make that change are on Amazon's KDP support site here.) This move may actually incentivize authors to apply DRM to their ebooks.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
These developers are changing lives with Gemma 3nThese developers are changing lives with Gemma 3nSr. Product Marketing ManagerProduct Marketing Manager
From enhancing assistive technology to addressing the digital divide, developers built mobile-first solutions to address real-world problems in the Gemma 3n Impact Chall…From enhancing assistive technology to addressing the digital divide, developers built mobile-first solutions to address real-world problems in the Gemma 3n Impact Challenge.
Categories: Technology
Improving Gemini Text-to-Speech models for better control and capabilitiesImproving Gemini Text-to-Speech models for better control and capabilitiesProduct Manager
New Gemini 2.5 Flash and Gemini 2.5 Pro Text-to-Speech (TTS) preview models bring enhanced style and tone versatility, pacing control, and multi-speaker capabilities.New Gemini 2.5 Flash and Gemini 2.5 Pro Text-to-Speech (TTS) preview models bring enhanced style and tone versatility, pacing control, and multi-speaker capabilities.
Categories: Technology
Bring your app ideas to life with Gemini 3 in Stitch.Bring your app ideas to life with Gemini 3 in Stitch.Product Manager
Starting today, we’re bringing the power of Gemini 3 to Stitch, our experimental AI-powered design tool. Gemini 3 in Stitch will mean higher quality UI generation to hel…
Categories: Technology
The 7 finalists in the XPRIZE Quantum Applications competitionThe 7 finalists in the XPRIZE Quantum Applications competitionDirector of Research, Quantum Algorithms and Applications
Google announces the 7 finalists in the XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition.Google announces the 7 finalists in the XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition.
Categories: Technology
Supporting the web with new features and partnershipsSupporting the web with new features and partnershipsVP of Product, Google SearchVP, Global News Partnerships
We are announcing new tools and partnerships to help connect you with your favorite sources and explore the web.We are announcing new tools and partnerships to help connect you with your favorite sources and explore the web.
Categories: Technology
New updates make Jules a proactive AI partnerNew updates make Jules a proactive AI partnerProduct Management
We’re evolving Jules to be a more proactive coding agent, where it can operate alongside you.We’re evolving Jules to be a more proactive coding agent, where it can operate alongside you.
Categories: Technology
Share live video with emergency services to get the help you needShare live video with emergency services to get the help you needSoftware Engineer
During an emergency call or text, a dispatcher can send a request to your Android phone to share live video.During an emergency call or text, a dispatcher can send a request to your Android phone to share live video.
Categories: Technology
HDMI Forum Continues To Block HDMI 2.1 For Linux, Valve Says
New submitter emangwiro shares a report: The HDMI Forum, responsible for the HDMI specification, continues to stonewall open source. Valve's Steam Machine theoretically supports HDMI 2.1, but the mini-PC is software-limited to HDMI 2.0. As a result, more than 60 frames per second at 4K resolution are only possible with limitations. In a statement to Ars Technica, a Valve spokesperson confirmed that HDMI 2.1 support is "still a work-in-progress on the software side." "We've been working on trying to unblock things there."
The Steam Machine uses an AMD Ryzen APU with a Radeon graphics unit. Valve strictly adheres to open-source drivers, but the HDMI Forum is unwilling to disclose the 2.1 specification. According to Valve, they have validated the HDMI 2.1 hardware under Windows to ensure basic functionality.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Categories: Linux
HDMI Forum Continues To Block HDMI 2.1 For Linux, Valve Says
New submitter emangwiro shares a report: The HDMI Forum, responsible for the HDMI specification, continues to stonewall open source. Valve's Steam Machine theoretically supports HDMI 2.1, but the mini-PC is software-limited to HDMI 2.0. As a result, more than 60 frames per second at 4K resolution are only possible with limitations. In a statement to Ars Technica, a Valve spokesperson confirmed that HDMI 2.1 support is "still a work-in-progress on the software side." "We've been working on trying to unblock things there."
The Steam Machine uses an AMD Ryzen APU with a Radeon graphics unit. Valve strictly adheres to open-source drivers, but the HDMI Forum is unwilling to disclose the 2.1 specification. According to Valve, they have validated the HDMI 2.1 hardware under Windows to ensure basic functionality.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Zorin OS vs. AnduinOS: How to pick the right Windows-like Linux distro for you - ZDNET
Categories: Linux
Meta's New AI Superstars Are Chafing Against the Rest of the Company
Meta's newly recruited AI "superstars" have developed an us-versus-them mentality against the company's longtime executive leadership, creating internal friction over whether the team should focus on catching up to rivals like OpenAI and Google or improving Meta's core advertising and social media businesses. Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg hired in June to be chief AI officer, leads a team called TBD Lab from a siloed space next to Zuckerberg's office. In meetings this fall, Wang privately told people he disagreed with chief product officer Chris Cox and chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth, according to the New York Times.
Cox and Bosworth wanted Wang's team to use Instagram and Facebook data to train Meta's new foundational AI model for improving feeds and advertising. Wang pushed back, arguing the goal should be catching up to rival models before focusing on products. TBD Lab researchers view many Meta executives as interested only in the social media business, while the lab's ambition is to create "godlike A.I. superintelligence." Bosworth was recently asked to slash $2 billion from Reality Labs' proposed budget for next year to fund Wang's team -- a claim Meta disputes.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
New updates to YouTube Shorts will help brands maximize their holiday budgets.New updates to YouTube Shorts will help brands maximize their holiday budgets.Director, Product Management
YouTube Shorts can help you get more from your short-form video strategy this holiday season. According to Kantar, on average, YouTube Creator Ads on Shorts increase pur…
Categories: Technology
Same Product, Same Store, but on Instacart, Prices Might Differ
A study this week has found that shoppers using Instacart are often charged different prices for identical products at the same store at the same time, even when selecting in-store pickup rather than delivery. The Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive policy group, and Consumer Reports organized nearly 200 volunteers across four cities to simultaneously check prices on 20 grocery items. Price differences appeared on nearly three-quarters of the items tested. In one test, more than 40 participants selected the same Safeway in Washington, D.C. and the same brand of eggs. Prices ranged from $3.99 to $4.79 -- a 20% spread. At a Target in North Canton, Ohio, Skippy peanut butter was $2.99 for some shoppers and $3.59 for others. The full 20-item basket varied by about 7% within each store.
An Instacart spokeswoman said retailers on its platform set their own prices and that some run short-term, randomized pricing tests. The company said tests were "never based on personal or behavioral characteristics." Instacart acquired Eversight, an AI-driven pricing optimization company, in 2022. A Target spokesman said the company is not affiliated with Instacart and bears no responsibility for prices on the platform. Safeway and parent company Albertson's declined to comment.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Nvidia Builds Location Verification Tech That Could Track Where Its AI Chips End Up
Nvidia has developed location verification technology that could determine which country its AI chips are operating in, Reuters reports, citing a source, a capability that may help address ongoing concerns about the smuggling of advanced semiconductors to restricted markets like China. The feature, which Nvidia has demonstrated privately in recent months but has not released, would be an optional software tool that customers install. It taps into the confidential computing capabilities of Nvidia's GPUs and uses the time delay in communicating with Nvidia-run servers to approximate a chip's location.
The technology will first be available on Nvidia's newest Blackwell chips, though the company is examining options for its older Hopper and Ampere generations. U.S. lawmakers and the White House have pushed for location verification measures as the Department of Justice has brought criminal cases against smuggling rings allegedly attempting to move more than $160 million worth of Nvidia chips to China.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A Linux-Powered Smartphone That Has Features You Won't Find on Most Phones - It's FOSS
Categories: Linux
