This is a timelapse video of a 1,200 pound pumpkin being grown by northeastgiantpumpkin over the course of two months. It starts so little! Then it’s briefly the size of one of the pumpkins I’ll butcher trying to carve for Halloween before topping out at over a half ton and change. Damn that’s a big pumpkin! But is it good for making pies? I wonder how many pies you could make with it. Trick question — just one big one.
Bonus video of getting the pumpkin in a truck:
Google will discontinue Gmailify and POP email support in January 2026, forcing users who rely on these features to switch to IMAP. PCWorld reports: These changes only affect future emails. Emails that have already been synchronized in the Gmail account will remain the same. External accounts can still be used in the Gmail app, but only via IMAP. Google also recommends that users with work or education accounts contact their administrators if a Google Workspace migration is needed.
For many Gmail users, these changes will likely mean getting used to the new system. Anyone who previously upgraded their external email accounts with Gmailify or integrated them via POP will have to switch to IMAP by January 2026 at the latest and do without some convenient functions, like spam filters and automatic sorting.
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The University of San Francisco issued a campuswide alert after reports of a man using Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses to film students while making “unwanted comments and inappropriate dating questions.” Although no violence has been reported, officials said he may be uploading footage to TikTok and Instagram. SFGate reports: University officials said “no threats or acts of violence” have been reported, but they have been unable to identify all students who appear in the videos. They urged any school members affected to alert the app platform and the USF Department of Public Safety. “As a community, we share the responsibility of caring for ourselves, each other, and this place,” school officials said in the alert. “By looking out for one another and promptly reporting concerns, we help ensure a safe and supportive environment for all.”
The glasses feature a small camera that can be used for recording by pressing a button or using voice controls. Meta advises users to act “responsibly” when using the glasses. “Not everyone loves being photographed. Stop recording if anyone expresses that they would rather opt out, and be particularly mindful of others before going live,” the company said.
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Just a friendly heads-up that some brief downtime of Phoronix.com will happen overnight due to replacing a drive in the web server’s RAID array…
The SEC has approved the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), the first new fully integrated U.S. stock exchange in decades and the only one based in Texas. TXSE is set to launch trading services, as well as exchange-traded products, known as ETPs, and corporate listings, in 2026. CBS News reports: Exchange-traded products are financial instruments that follow the performance of underlying assets such as stocks, indexes or other financial benchmarks. Like stocks, ETPs are traded on public exchanges, allowing investors to buy and sell them throughout the trading day at market prices that fluctuate in real time.
TXSE was backed by wealth management giant BlackRock and market maker Citadel Securities, among other firms. The Texas company said in June 2024 that it raised a total of $120 million from more than two dozen investors. TXSE’s headquarters in Dallas opened this spring, the group said.
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Wine 10.16 is out today as a very exciting bi-weekly development release of this software for enjoying Windows games and applications under Linux…
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Google is bringing its AI coding agent Jules deeper into developer workflows with a new command-line interface and public API, allowing it to plug into terminals, CI/CD systems, and tools like Slack — as competition intensifies among tech companies to own the future of software development and make coding more of an AI-assisted task.
Until now, Jules — Google’s asynchronous coding agent — was only accessible via its website and GitHub. On Thursday, the company introduced Jules Tools, a command-line interface that brings Jules directly into the developer’s terminal. The CLI lets developers interact with the agent using commands, streamlining workflows by eliminating the need to switch between the web interface and GitHub. It allows them to stay within their environment while delegating coding tasks and validating results. “We want to reduce context switching for developers as much as possible,” Kathy Korevec, director of product at Google Labs, told TechCrunch.
Jules differs from Gemini CLI in that it focuses on “scoped,” independent tasks rather than requiring iterative collaboration. Once a user approves a plan, Jules executes it autonomously, while the CLI needs more step-by-step guidance. Jules also has a public API for workflow and IDE integration, plus features like memory, a stacked diff viewer, PR comment handling, and image uploads — capabilities not present in the CLI. Gemini CLI is limited to terminals and CI/CD pipelines and is better suited for exploratory, highly interactive use.
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Last month, federal investigators said they dismantled a China-linked plot that aimed to cripple New York City’s telecommunications system by overloading cell towers, jamming 911 calls, and disrupting communications. According to law enforcement sources, the plot was even bigger than first thought. “Agents from Homeland Security Investigations found an additional 200,000 SIM cards at a location in New Jersey,” according to ABC News. “That’s double the 100,000 SIM cards, along with hundreds of servers, that were recently seized at five other vacant offices and apartments in and around the city.” From the report: Investigators secured each of those locations, seized the electronics, and are now trying to track down who rented the spaces and filled them with shelves full of gear capable of sending 30 million anonymous text messages every minute, overloading communications and blacking out cellular service in a city that relies on it for emergency response and counterterrorism.
According to sources, the investigation began after several high-level people, including at least one with direct access to President Donald Trump, were targeted not only by swatters but also with actual threats received on their private phones. “The potential threat these data centers pose to the public could include shutting down critical resources that the public needs, like the 911 system, or potentially impacting the public’s ability to communicate everything, including business transactions,” said Don Mihalek, an ABC News contributor who was formerly with the Secret Service.
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OpenAI’s valuation has surged to $500 billion after a $6.6 billion secondary stock sale, briefly making it the world’s most valuable startup ahead of SpaceX and ByteDance. The Associated Press reports: Current and former OpenAI employees sold $6.6 billion in shares to a group of investors, pushing the privately held artificial intelligence company’s valuation to $500 billion, according to a source with knowledge of the deal who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The investors buying the shares included Thrive Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group and T. Rowe Price, along with Japanese tech giant SoftBank and the United Arab Emirates’ MGX, the source said Thursday.
The valuation reflects high expectations for the future of AI technology and continues OpenAI’s remarkable trajectory from its start as a nonprofit research lab in 2015. But with the San Francisco-based company not yet turning a profit, it could also amplify concerns about an AI bubble if the generative AI products made by OpenAI and its competitors don’t meet the expectations of investors pouring billions of dollars into research and development.
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According to new polling data, nearly 80 percent of Americans support extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of this year—and are at the center of a funding dispute that led to a shutdown of the federal government this week.
The poll, conducted by KFF and released Friday, found that 78 percent of Americans want the tax credits extended, including 92 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of Republicans—and even a majority (57 percent) of Republicans who identify as Donald Trump-aligned MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters.
A separate analysis published by KFF earlier this week found that if the credits are not extended, monthly premiums for ACA Marketplace plans would more than double on average. Specifically, the current average premium of $888 would jump to $1,904 in 2026, a 114 percent increase.
Because if there’s one thing LEGO is good at, it’s printing money, the interlocking plastic giant has just announced a 697-piece Star Wars Gingerbread AT-AT build set. The $70 kit includes all the pieces you need to construct an approximately 8″ tall gingerbread AT-AT decorated with Christmas lights, candy canes, icing, bows, and a gingerbread Darth Vader. Honestly, I’d buy it just for ginger Vade alone. I’m a sucker like that. And in every other way. Still, I can’t help but feel LEGO missed the mark not including a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Tauntaun minifig.
Dozens of countries have yet to secure accommodation at next month’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil and some delegates are considering staying away as a shortage of hotels has driven prices to hundreds of dollars per night. Reuters: Small island states on the frontline of rising sea levels are confronted with having to consider reducing the size of delegations they send to Belem, while two European nations said they were considering not attending at all.
COP30 organisers are racing to convert love motels, cruise ships and churches into lodgings for an anticipated 45,000 delegates. Brazil chose to hold the climate talks at Belem, which typically has 18,000 hotel beds available, in the hope its location on the edge of the Amazon rainforest would focus attention on the threat climate change poses to this ecosystem, and its role in absorbing climate-warming emissions.
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An anonymous reader shares a report from The Verge: Microsoft is getting ready to announce an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software maker has started testing ad-supported games streaming internally, allowing employees to play select titles free without a Game Pass subscription.
I understand that the free ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming will include the ability to stream some games you own, as well as eligible Free Play Days titles, which let Xbox players try games over a weekend. You’ll also be able to stream Xbox Retro Classics games. Sources tell me the internal testing includes around two minutes of preroll ads before a game is available to stream for free through Xbox Cloud Gaming. […] The ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming version will be available on PC, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and via the web.
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A new listing of the 50 most concerning pieces of space debris in low-Earth orbit is dominated by relics more than a quarter-century old, primarily dead rockets left to hurtle through space at the end of their missions.
“The things left before 2000 are still the majority of the problem,” said Darren McKnight, lead author of a paper presented Friday at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney. “Seventy-six percent of the objects in the top 50 were deposited last century, and 88 percent of the objects are rocket bodies. That’s important to note, especially with some disturbing trends right now.”
The 50 objects identified by McKnight and his coauthors are the ones most likely to drive the creation of more space junk in low-Earth orbit (LEO) through collisions with other debris fragments. The objects are whizzing around the Earth at nearly 5 miles per second, flying in a heavily trafficked part of LEO between 700 and 1,000 kilometers (435 to 621 miles) above the Earth.
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Earlier this week, Peloton unveiled a whole host of new app features and updates to its equipment, from AI coaching to enhanced bikes and treadmills.
I’ve spent the last few days playing around with all of the new stuff (Peloton devotee that I am) and was especially curious about the little rank that suddenly appeared on my profile. It’s a signifier of my progression through Club Peloton, a new member recognition program that comes with some solid rewards.
Club Peloton is a new ranking system that’s meant to reflect a person’s efforts and participation with Peloton workouts. Progress is applied retroactively (good news for my 201-day streak) which means I’ve achieved the rank of Silver III. The ranks are as follows:
Bronze (I, II, and III)
Silver (I, II, and III)
Gold (I, II, and III)
Champion
Legend
Within each of the first three ranks, there are three tiers, and Champion and Legend each stand alone, so there are 11 levels to work through overall.
Importantly, you can never be demoted on Club Peloton; you can only move up. If you miss a week’s worth of workouts while you’re in Bronze III, you won’t log in to find that you’ve been bumped down to Bronze II. It’s meant to encourage you, not shame you.
The purpose of this new ranking system is to encourage members, make people try new things, and give recognition and rewards to participants. The methods of earning points demonstrate that. Here’s what you can do to rise the ranks:
Earn two points for each day you work out with Peloton, whether using the company’s equipment, its app, or Strength+.
Earn points corresponding to your weekly streaks, so three points for a three-week streak, etc. If you work out two weeks in a row, you’ll get two points. If you work out 40 weeks in a row, that week is going to end with a 40-point boost.
Earn points for yearly streaks, too. If you work out 52 weeks in a row, you end up with a year-long streak, which earns you double points. Instead of 52 points at the end of that year, you get 104.
Earn points for milestones. Milestones can be found on your Peloton profile and include things like taking 10 or 25 of a certain kind of class. When you achieve a milestone in a second activity beyond one you’ve already got one in, you get a 10% boost. Milestones in three or more give you a 20% boost.
Earn points for participating in programs. Every week you are actively involved in one, like Peloton’s FTP program, you get two points. You get one point for every class you complete in your new, AI-generated personal plan and 10 points any time you undertake a Peloton challenge.
Earn points for being a team player. Every week, you can earn up to one point each for giving someone a virtual high five during class, taking a live class, or participating in a Team.
Want to know how many points are required to raise your rank? Here’s the breakdown:
Bronze is your level if you have zero to 99 points.
Silver is for 100 to 1,999 points.
Gold covers 2,000 points to 14,999 points.
Champion is 15,000 to 29,999 points.
Legend is for anyone with over 30,000 points.
Like I said, I’m on a daily streak that stretches almost two-thirds of a year and I’m only in Silver III with just 1,205 points and 795 to go until I hit Gold I. You can tap into your point history to see a breakdown of how you got to where you are.
To me, this is awesome, but I am a well-known lover of all manner of streak-based app gimmicks. I will do anything for the pleasure of a digital badge, like go to Dunkin’ Donuts every day or keep track of my to-do list on an app that forces me to report my progress to a little cartoon bird. Simply put, I find it motivating to compete for something, even if I’m just competing with myself to earn what amounts to little more than pixels.
Club Peloton, however, amounts to more than that: The company promises that as you work through ranks, you’ll unlock “surprises.” Future surprises notwithstanding, some of the rewards are already known. You can get early access to new classes or challenges, discounts on apparel or other retail goods, instructor shoutouts during class, and invitations to exclusive in-person events.
Valve released a new stable Steam Client update today for all supported platforms that improves support for DualSense controllers on Linux systems and brings various other changes.
On Thursday, a team of researchers led by Microsoft announced that they had discovered, and possibly patched, what they’re terming a biological zero-day—an unrecognized security hole in a system that protects us from biological threats. The system at risk screens purchases of DNA sequences to determine when someone’s ordering DNA that encodes a toxin or dangerous virus. But, the researchers argue, it has become increasingly vulnerable to missing a new threat: AI-designed toxins.
How big of a threat is this? To understand, you have to know a bit more about both existing biosurveillance programs and the capabilities of AI-designed proteins.
Biological threats come in a variety of forms. Some are pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. Others are protein-based toxins, like the ricin that was sent to the White House in 2003. Still others are chemical toxins that are produced through enzymatic reactions, like the molecules associated with red tide. All of them get their start through the same fundamental biological process: DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is then used to make proteins.
The blackout that left Spain without power last April was the most severe incident to hit European networks in two decades and the first of its kind, according to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity. Damian Cortinas, the organization’s chairman, said the April 28 outage was Europe’s first blackout linked to cascading voltages. More than 50 million people lost electricity for several hours.
A preliminary report published in July attributed the outage to a chain of power generation disconnections and abnormal voltage surges. The final assessment will be released in the first quarter of next year and presented to the European Commission and member states. A government probe in June found that grid operator Red Electrica failed to replace one of 10 planned thermal plants, reducing reserve capacity. Spain spent only $0.3 on its grid for every dollar invested in renewables between 2020 and 2024, the lowest ratio among European countries and well below the $0.7 average.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Google doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to user privacy, but every once in a while, they do something surprising. Back in April, the company began testing end-to-end encrypted email messaging for enterprise users. On Thursday, it officially rolled out the feature. If you have a Google Workspace through work, you should now be able to send emails protected by E2EE, even if you’re sending the email outside of Gmail. That should make it possible to send emails that only you, the recipient, and the IT department that manages your account can access.
E2EE is essential for anyone who wants to ensure that their communications are totally private. To simplify a complex technology, encrypting something like an email essentially means scrambling all of the code into something completely unrecognizable. In order to unscramble it, you need a “key.” In the case of Gmail’s E2EE, you have a key, the recipient has a key, and whoever manages your Google Workspace account has a key. The keys to decrypt these emails aren’t saved on Google’s servers, so even Google should have no way to access your encrypted emails. You can send things like sensitive company information or medical information protected by HIPAA without worrying about prying eyes intercepting the message.
The only bummer here is that E2EE in Gmail is restricted to business accounts at this time. That said, there is a way to send more secure messages over a standard Gmail account—just don’t expect E2EE-level protections.
In order to send E2EE emails through your enterprise Gmail account, you need to ensure your Workspace admin turns it on. Once they do, you’ll need to tell Gmail you want to send your email with E2EE. To do so, open Gmail, and choose “Compose” to start a new email. Choose “Message security,” then, under “Additional encryption,” choose “Turn on.” From here, you can compose your message as you normally would, adding your recipients to the list.
If your recipient is another Google Workspace user, the message will automatically be decrypted when it reaches their inbox. If they aren’t a Gmail user, they won’t be able to decrypt the email in their client. Instead, they’ll receive a link that opens a “restricted” version of Gmail. Once they sign in, the message will decrypt, and they’ll be able to read and respond to it from this restricted window. Note that IT departments can choose to have all E2EE messages open in restricted Gmail windows, even if the recipients are Google Workspace users.
If you don’t have an enterprise account, there really isn’t any way to send E2EE emails through Gmail. For that, you’d need a dedicated encrypted email service, like Proton. However, you can add an extra layer of security to your messages before you send them out.
To do so, start a new email in Gmail, then choose “Confidential mode” from the options. This mode blocks recipients from forwarding, copying, printing, or downloading the email. You can also choose to have the message expire after a set period of time—including one day, one week, one month, three months, or five years—as well as password protect the email. If you choose the latter, Gmail will automatically generate a password and send it to the recipients via SMS.
These added protections are certainly helpful when sending sensitive information over Gmail, but they’re imperfect. Again, this is not end-to-end encryption, which means it’s possible to intercept and read messages sent this way. More practically, there’s nothing stopping users from taking photos of the message with another device—though the same could be said with E2EE messages.
Unless you have an enterprise account, I’d avoid sending anything too important via Gmail at this time. You’re better off using a dedicated E2EE platform, like Signal, WhatsApp, or iMessage.
Following Apple’s removal of ICEBlock from the App Store, an app used to report on the activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 404 Media reports that Google is also removing similar apps from the Play Store. In a statement to Engadget, Google said “ICEBlock was never available on Google Play, but we removed similar apps for violations of our policies.”
Google says that it decided to remove apps that shared the location of a vulnerable group following a violent act that involved the group and a similar collection of apps. It suggests the apps were also removed because they didn’t appropriately moderate user-generated content. To be offered in the Play Store, apps with user-generated content have to clearly define what is or isn’t objectionable content in their terms of service, and make sure those terms line up with Google’s definitions of inappropriate content for Google Play.
404 Media report specifically focuses on Red Dot, an app that both Google and Apple removed. Like ICEBlock, Red Dot designed to let users report on ICE activity in their neighborhood. Rather than just rely on user submissions, the app’s website says that it “aggregates verified reports from multiple trusted sources” and then combines those sources to determine where to mark activity on a map of your area. “Red Dot never tracks ICE agents, law enforcement, or any person’s movements” and the app’s developers “categorically reject harassment, interference, or harm toward ICE agents or anyone else.” Despite those claims, the app is not currently available to download from the Play Store or the App Store.
The pushback against ICE tracking apps seemed to begin in earnest following a shooting at a Dallas ICE facility that injured two detainees and killed another on September 24. According to an FBI agent that spoke to The New York Times, the shooter “had been following apps that track the location of ICE agents” in the days leading up to the event.
Apple pulled the ICEBlock app from the App Store yesterday following a request from US Attorney General Pam Bondi. In a statement shared with Fox Business, Bondi said that “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed.” Apple’s response was to remove the app. “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store,” Apple told the publication.
Google says it didn’t receive a similar request to remove apps from the Play Store. Instead, the company appears to be acting proactively. The test for either platform going forward, though, is if there’s a way that developers can offer these apps without them being removed again.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-is-also-removing-apps-used-to-report-sightings-of-ice-agents-192940612.html?src=rss