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A new study [PDF] examining the United States between 1850 and 1920 found that expanded market access -- driven largely by railroad expansion -- made Americans more trusting of strangers and more outward-looking, but weakened family-based care for the vulnerable. Researchers Max Posch of the University of Exeter and Itzchak Tzachi Raz of Hebrew University compared places and people gaining different levels of commercial connectivity. In better-connected regions, Americans became more likely to marry outside their local communities, and parents more likely to pick nationally common names for children. Trust toward others rose, as measured through language in local newspapers. The researchers used multiple tests to rule out the possibility that these shifts simply reflected places getting richer. The cultural changes were concentrated among migrants in trade-exposed industries; workers in construction and entertainment showed no effect. But market access also meant orphans, the disabled, and the elderly became less likely to be cared for by relatives at home.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Windows PowerToys To Get "Command Palette Dock," a Top Bar À La macOS and Linux  TechPowerUp

Windows PowerToys To Get "Command Palette Dock," a Top Bar À La macOS and Linux  TechPowerUp

AudioThing Space Strip: modular multi-FX plugin for mac, linux, win, and now iOS  synth anatomy

AudioThing Space Trip: modular multi-FX plugin for mac, linux, win, and now iOS  synth anatomy

I wouldn’t install Linux on these laptops (here’s why)  MakeUseOf

Gemini Drops is our regular monthly update on how to get the most out of the Gemini app.

RISC-V User-Space Control Flow Integrity / Shadow Stack Appears Finally Ready  Phoronix

Microsoft says it will fix "pain points" in Windows 11 this year, and has already proposed a Linux-like menu bar  PC Guide

Microsoft says it will fix "pain points" in Windows 11 this year, and has already proposed a Linux-like menu bar  PC Guide

Apple's call-screening feature, introduced in iOS 26 last year, was designed to combat the more than 2 billion robocalls placed to Americans every month, but as WSJ is reporting, it is now creating friction for the rich and powerful who find themselves subjected to automated interrogation when dialing from unrecognized numbers. The feature uses an automated voice to ask unknown callers for their names and reasons for calling, transcribes the responses, and lets recipients decide whether to answer -- essentially giving everyone a pocket-sized executive assistant. Venture capitalist Bradley Tusk said his first reaction when encountering call screening is irritation, though he understands the necessity given the spam problem. Ben Schaechter, who runs cloud-cost management company Vantage, said the feature "dramatically changed my life" after his personal number ended up in founding paperwork and attracted endless sales calls.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

These gaming Linux distros are teaming up to fix bigger problems [Updated]  How-To Geek

Some Of Linux's Biggest Players Are Unifying Their Gaming Efforts  GameSpot

The UK government paid consulting firm PwC $5.65 million to build its new AI Skills Hub, a site meant to help 10 million workers gain AI skills by 2030 that functions largely as a bookmarking service, directing users to external training courses that already existed before the contract was awarded. The hub links to platforms like Salesforce's free Trailhead learning system rather than offering original educational content. PwC has acknowledged the site does not fully meet accessibility standards. The platform also contains factual errors in its course on AI and intellectual property, which references "fair use" -- a legal doctrine specific to the U.S. -- rather than the UK's "fair dealing" framework.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

No, Linux is not "more secure" than Windows  How-To Geek

Learn more about how Google shut down the proxy network used by more than 550 bad actors and what it means for consumers.

Your Windows habits are dangerous on Linux—here are 4 things to avoid  How-To Geek

Nvidia Launches Native GeForce Now App For Linux In Growing Support For The Operating System  GameSpot

Nvidia Launches Native GeForce Now App For Linux In Growing Support For The Operating System  GameSpot

Nvidia Launches Native GeForce Now App For Linux In Growing Support For The Operating System  GameSpot