The smiling billionaire’s pleasant suggestion is to privatize government services.
Mark Cuban Suggests Fired Federal Employees Turn Into Government Consultants
Category Archives: Technology
Graduates From Top MBA Programs Are Struggling To Land Jobs
Job placement rates have declined at all top U.S. business schools [non-paywalled source] since 2021, leaving MBA graduates anxious about their expensive degrees’ return on investment. Harvard Business School, which produced Wall Street titans like Bill Ackman and Ray Dalio, saw the percentage of graduates without job offers three months post-graduation rise from 4% in 2021 to 15% currently.
Similar trends are evident at Stanford, Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, and Wharton, where 7% of 2024 graduates lacked offers within three months of completing their programs. Industry experts cited in a Bloomberg report attribute the downturn to tepid white-collar job growth, declining private-sector wages, and high-profile layoffs at companies including Meta and JPMorgan.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
These hot oil droplets can bounce off any surface
Burning droplets bounce back. Credit: Zulu et al., 2025
Droplets bouncing off surfaces are an everyday phenomenon, like raindrops bouncing off lotus leaves or water drops sizzling in a hot pan, levitating and sliding around—aka the Leidenfrost effect. There is also an inverse Leidenfrost effect, first described in 1969, that involves a hot object such as a droplet levitating above a cold surface. Understanding the mechanisms behind these phenomena is crucial to a broad range of practical applications, such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-fogging, surface charge printing, or droplet-based logic systems.
Droplets usually only bounce if the surface is superheated or engineered in some way to reduce stickiness. Physicists from the City University of Hong Kong have figured out how to achieve this bouncing behavior of hot oil droplets off almost any surface, according to a new paper published in the journal Newton.
As we’ve reported previously, in 1756, a German scientist named Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost reported his observation of the unusual phenomenon. Normally, he noted, water splashed onto a very hot pan sizzles and evaporates very quickly. But if the pan’s temperature is well above water’s boiling point, “gleaming drops resembling quicksilver” will form and skitter across the surface. It’s called the “Leidenfrost effect” in his honor.
Beats Studio Buds Are Flying Off Amazon’s Shelves, Now Under $100
At 33% off, these buds can go with you to workouts, on your commute.
Apple’s Long-Promised AI-Enhanced Siri May Be Delayed Even Longer
Apple’s next WWDC could be a repeat of 2024, with talk of upcoming Siri capabilities in iOS 19.
Nvidia and Broadcom Testing Chips on Intel Manufacturing Process
Nvidia and Broadcom are conducting manufacturing tests using Intel’s advanced 18A chip production process, according to Reuters, signaling potential confidence in the struggling chipmaker’s contract manufacturing ambitions. The previously unreported tests could lead to significant manufacturing contracts for Intel, whose foundry business has suffered delays and lacks major chip designer customers.
AMD is also evaluating Intel’s 18A technology, which competes with Taiwan’s dominant TSMC, according to the report. The current tests focus on determining capabilities of Intel’s process rather than running complete chip designs. Intel faces additional setbacks, with qualification of critical intellectual property for 18A taking longer than expected, potentially delaying some customer chip production until mid-2026.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Water Existed in the Universe Billions of Years Earlier Than Thought, Astronomers Say
Water was present just a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang, according to a new study, shaking up the timeline of planetary evolution.
The modern era of low-flying satellites may begin this week
The idea of flying satellites in “very” low-Earth orbit is not new. Dating back to the dawn of the space age in the late 1950s, the first US spy satellites, as part of the Corona program, orbited the planet as low as 120 to 160 km (75 to 100 miles) above the Earth.
This low vantage point allowed the Kodak cameras on board the Corona satellites to capture the highest-resolution images of Earth during the height of the Cold War. However, flying so close to the planet brought a number of challenges, most notably that of atmospheric drag.
For much of the space age, therefore, satellites have flown much higher orbits. Most satellites today fly at an altitude of between 400 and 800 km (250 and 500 miles), which is high enough to avoid the vast majority of atmospheric drag while still being close enough to offer good communications and a clear view of the planet.
Anker power banks and charging stations are up to 35 percent off right now
It’s your lucky day if you’ve been looking for a good deal on a power bank or charging station. A sale on many Anker products is taking place at Amazon. One power bank, the Anker 621, is 35 percent off. That discount brings it down to $26, which is almost a record low. The device typically costs $40.
This model is MagSafe-compatible, meaning it’ll attach magnetically to an iPhone 12 and above (but, annoyingly, not the new iPhone 16e unless you resort to a workaround) and charge your phone wirelessly. However, if you plug a cable into the Anker 621’s USB-C port, you can top up your phone’s battery a little faster — at a rate of 12W vs. 7.5W for wireless charging. The power bank has a capacity of 5,000mAh, which Anker says is enough to charge an iPhone 15 to 85 percent of its capacity from zero and an iPhone 14 to 80 percent.
Anker makes some of the best power banks and best portable chargers around, in our opinion. There are lots of options to consider as part of this sale.
A new power bank that Anker introduced at CES has a large enough capacity to top up an M3-powered MacBook Air’s battery approximately 1.3 times, per the brand. This model has dropped by 18 percent from $110 to $90. This particular power bank can charge four devices simultaneously — it has two built-in USB-C cables, another USB-C port and a USB-A port. It supports fast charging at up to 100W as well.
Elsewhere, a 3-in-1 charging cube is down to $104, which marks a 31 percent discount given that it usually costs $150. This compact device can charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time.
There are a few other deals that caught our eye. An Anker Zolo power bank with a built-in USB-C cable is just $13, which is half off. It has a capacity of 10,000mAh, which Anker says is enough to fully charge an iPhone 15 Pro twice over. Meanwhile, Prime members can pick up a travel-friendly 3-in-1 charging station (that can top up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods batteries simultaneously) for $88, which is a $21 discount.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/anker-power-banks-and-charging-stations-are-up-to-35-percent-off-right-now-155626053.html?src=rss
App Development Suite Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 Is Virtually Free, $28 Down From $499
Get the industry-leading cross-platform development and programming software for just $28 after a massive 94% markdown.
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air refresh may be imminent, with iPads likely to follow
Apple’s slow trickle of early 2025 product announcements is apparently set to continue this week, following the introduction of the iPhone 16e a couple of weeks ago. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company plans to refresh its 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops “as early as this coming week,” adding the M4 processor that Apple put in the iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro lineups last fall.
An M4 refresh for the MacBook Air was always likely, but Apple has kept us guessing about the timing. Usually, the MacBook Airs are among the first devices to get new M-series processors from Apple, but Apple surprised us by bringing the M4 to the iPad Pro just a few months after introducing the M3. In mid-December, concrete references to the M4 MacBook Air appeared in the macOS 15.2 update, suggesting that the laptops were in testing, even if they weren’t ready for a public launch yet.
The laptops are unlikely to look too different from the current M2 or M3 MacBook Airs, which got an “update” of sorts last fall when Apple discontinued the versions with 8GB of RAM in favor of 16GB versions that kept the same prices.
UK watchdog investigates chidren’s safety on TikTok and Reddit
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced it’s investigating how TikTok, Reddit and Imgur protect children on their platforms.
The probe into TikTok is looking at how the platform uses it young users’ (13 to 17 year olds) personal data for recommendations and suggested content, while the investigation into Reddit and Imgur focuses on both how the platforms are using children’s personal information and how they’re using measures that estimate or confirm a child’s age.
“If social media and video sharing platforms want to benefit from operating in the UK they must comply with data protection law,” UK Information Commissioner John Edwards stated. “The responsibility to keep children safe online lies firmly at the door of the companies offering these services and my office is steadfast in its commitment to hold them to account.” The UK doesn’t yet know if these companies have infringed on personal data protections.
In 2023, the ICO handed down a £12.7 million ($16.1 million) fine to TikTok. The platform had allowed up to 1.4 million children under 13 on it in 2020, and used their data without parental consent. The ByteDance-owned company has also faced backlash in the US around young users, with mixed results.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/uk-watchdog-investigates-chidrens-safety-on-tiktok-and-reddit-153052793.html?src=rss
Lenovo’s ThinkBook Flip Puts an Extra-Tall Folding Display On a Laptop
Speaking of some concept devices that Lenovo has unveiled, the company today teased its ThinkBook “codename Flip” AI PC Concept at Mobile World Congress, featuring a flexible 18.1-inch OLED display that can transform between three configurations: a traditional 13.1-inch clamshell, a folded 12.9-inch tablet, or a laptop with an extra-tall vertical screen.
Unlike the motorized ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 expected in June, the Flip uses the display’s flexibility to fold behind itself, eliminating motors while gaining 0.4 inches of additional screen space. Users can mirror content on the rear-facing portion when folded or enjoy the full 2000×2664 resolution display in vertical orientation. The concept also features a SmartForcePad trackpad with LED-illuminated shortcut layers. While still in prototype phase, Lenovo has specs in mind: Intel Ultra 7 processor, 32GB RAM, PCIe SSD storage, and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Gemini live video and screensharing arrive on Android devices later this month
Mobile World Congress 2025 has officially kicked off in Barcelona. Google is on the ground previewing two AI features that will begin rolling out to Android devices starting later this month.
The first is Live Video, which Google first showed at I/O 2024 last May. The tool takes advantage of Gemini’s multi-modal capabilities to allow users to show the chatbot what their phone’s camera sees. As you can see from the demo Google shared, Gemini is able to answer a question about mid-century modern decor and offer a suggestion when it comes how to apply that knowledge to pottery.
The other new feature, screensharing, works exactly as you would imagine. You can share your screen with Gemini to ask questions about what you see in front of you on a website or app. Google isn’t exactly pushing the envelope with either feature. ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode has offered both live video and screensharing since the end of last year, but the nice thing here is you won’t need to jump into a separate app to take advantage of Gemini’s new capabilities.
As mentioned, Google will begin rolling out live video and screensharing to Gemini Advanced subscribers starting later this month. Gemini Advanced is included in the company’s $20 per month Google One AI Premium plan. If you’re a Verizon customer, the carrier recently added the subscription as a perk for some plans.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-live-video-and-screensharing-arrive-on-android-devices-later-this-month-151743457.html?src=rss
Crypto Soars Then Plunges Following Trump’s Post About a Strategic Reserve
The Trump Pump briefly sent the prices of five cryptocurrencies soaring, but they’re already coming back down to Earth.
Tax Day Is Coming, TurboTax Deluxe 2024 Is 30% Off to Help You Beat the Deadline
Save $24 on your TurboTax Deluxe 2024 software license for federal and state tax returns.
Dune: Part Two, Wicked, and The Substance Pick Up Wins In a Quiet Genre Night at the Oscars
Anora swept the proceedings at the 2025 Oscars with five wins across the biggest categories of the night.
How Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show? A Statistical Analysis
Daniel Parris: Some TV shows take a while to “get good.” Modern classics like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Community, and Bojack Horseman are notorious for “starting slow” and are often recommended with a disclaimer like “Give it a few episodes; I promise it gets good!”
At the same time, some shows never get good. Recently, I started a spy series called The Agency, which could best be characterized as premium mediocre (at least so far). There are big-name actors (Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere), expensive sets, and glossy camerawork — but after a few installments, I’m trapped in a liminal space between engaged and listless. At the end of each episode, I’m left with the same thought: “Maybe the next one will get good.”
Committing to a mediocre program or continuing with a floundering series elicits a state of (mildly) torturous ambiguity. Should you cut your losses, or is this show some late-blooming classic like Breaking Bad? What is the optimal number of episodes one should watch before cleansing a subpar series from their life? Surely, a universal number must exist! Like 42, but for television. So today, we’ll explore how long it takes a new show to reach its full potential and how many lackluster episodes you should grant an established series before cutting ties. His analysis reveals that viewers should watch six episodes before quitting TV shows. The study, based on IMDb user ratings, found most series require six to seven episodes before early ratings match or exceed the show’s long-term average. After six consecutive subpar episodes, the likelihood of permanent decline exceeds 50%, making it the optimal point to abandon disappointing series.
Several acclaimed shows including Breaking Bad, Friends, and Seinfeld required multiple episodes before reaching their quality potential, with Seinfeld needing 16 episodes to match its series average. The research also identified a pattern where long-running shows typically experience quality decline around seasons five and six, with ratings dropping below first-season averages and continuing to fall.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The iPad mini 7 is back on sale for $100 off
Apple’s iPad mini 7 (A17 Pro) from 2024 is currently on sale for $399, a record low for this compact iPad. It’s perfect for those who find a full-sized iPad too large for their needs, but make no mistake this tablet can punch above its weight.
The iPad mini 7 runs on the same Apple A17 Pro chip found in iPhone 15 Pro series devices. It’s not the most powerful chipset available, but it’s enough for daily tasks, light gaming, reading and streaming content. Apple claims that the iPad mini 7’s battery can last 10 hours, but our tests revealed that the number was usually closer to eight, depending on the apps you’re running.
If you have an Apple Pencil Pro (sold separately), this iPad mini supports it. You can quickly start writing notes with the tap of a button, which calls up a blank document. It’s the perfect tool for artists or those who prefer a tablet stylus.
Despite the absence of features like Face ID or refresh rates above 60Hz, the iPad mini 7 is a convenient yet powerful device you can bring anywhere. That’s why it’s on our best iPads list.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-ipad-mini-7-is-back-on-sale-for-100-off-143830970.html?src=rss
AI firms follow DeepSeek’s lead, create cheaper models with “distillation”
Leading artificial intelligence firms including OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta are turning to a process called “distillation” in the global race to create AI models that are cheaper for consumers and businesses to adopt.
The technique caught widespread attention after China’s DeepSeek used it to build powerful and efficient AI models based on open source systems released by competitors Meta and Alibaba. The breakthrough rocked confidence in Silicon Valley’s AI leadership, leading Wall Street investors to wipe billions of dollars of value from US Big Tech stocks.
Through distillation, companies take a large language model—dubbed a “teacher” model—which generates the next likely word in a sentence. The teacher model generates data which then trains a smaller “student” model, helping to quickly transfer knowledge and predictions of the bigger model to the smaller one.