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Category Archives: Technology
A Mystery Disease Has Killed Dozens So Far in Northwestern Congo
WHO officials have identified two outbreaks of a mystery illness in the area that has sickened hundreds and killed over 50 people to date.
Amazon Takes on Google Gemini AI With Alexa+
Amazon has finally updated its digital assistant to bring it up to par with the masses.
Early Humans Returned to the Rainforests Far Earlier Than Previously Thought
A new study challenges the notion that anatomically modern humans began inhabiting rainforest habitats just 70,000 years ago.
The Star Wars Massacre That Could Play a Big Part in Andor Season 2
Fans are convinced that one of the big storylines in season 2 of the hit Star Wars show will bring a major turning point in the Rebel Alliance’s history to screen for the first time.
Amazon Revamps Alexa With Generative AI After Year-Long Delay
Amazon has launched a comprehensive AI overhaul of Alexa, representing the voice assistant’s most significant update since its 2014 debut. The new “Alexa Plus” enables multi-turn conversations without repeating wake words, replacing the previous command-response interaction model.
The system now handles complex tasks including booking concert tickets, making restaurant reservations via Yelp integration, and creating smart home routines autonomously. Technical capabilities include image analysis, content-aware movie navigation, and semantic music search that processes vague descriptors rather than exact titles. Originally announced in September 2023 for early 2024 release, the update faced prolonged delays as Amazon engineers struggled with technical challenges.
Internal testing revealed the new AI-powered assistant performed inconsistently against OpenAI’s ChatGPT and suffered from verbose responses. Amazon’s legacy architecture — designed to retrieve predefined answers rather than generate responses dynamically — complicated the transition to generative AI models. The launch represents a critical test for Devices & Services chief Panos Panay, who replaced Dave Limp amid reorganization following layoffs that affected the division.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
This Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo Just Cleaned Up Its Price, Almost 50% Off
Shark Robot Vacuum & Mop Combo works hard so you don’t have to—Now it’s $300 off on Amazon.
‘Does Our Code Kill Kids?’: Microsoft Employees Protest Selling AI to Israel
The tech giant is facing pushback from employees following a report that it’s making a lot of money helping Israel decide where to drop bombs in Gaza.
Alexa+ is a smarter, more conversational AI version of Amazon’s digital assistant
Following years of development, Amazon’s next-generation digital assistant is ready for public use. Panos Panay, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, demoed Alexa+ at the company’s 2025 devices event.
The model powering Alexa+ can detect tone and mood and respond accordingly, with a completely new voice — one that sounds more natural. Moreover, it’s only necessary to say “Alexa” once to wake the assistant. It will then follow the conversation. Panay said Alexa+ has contextual awareness, with the ability to “remember” earlier parts of a conversation. “There’s no more Alexa speak” with Alexa+, Panay said. “You can have almost any conversation — that intimidation factor of AI is gone.”
In one of the more impressive demos Amazon showed off, Panay asked Alexa+ to play a song without actually naming it properly. “What’s the song Bradley Cooper sings.. it’s like a duet?” Alexa+ correctly answered “Shallow,” said he sang it with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born. Panay then asked Alexa to “move” the music to the “right side of the room,” and the assistant properly identified the correct speaker and played the music there. According to Panay, it will even understand requests like “play the music everywhere but don’t wake the baby.” In that case, Alexa+ will be able to reason that it shouldn’t cast the music to the nursery.
Developing…
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-is-a-smarter-more-conversational-ai-version-of-amazons-digital-assistant-154349563.html?src=rss
Volvo added plenty of charm to the EX30 Cross Country EV
When Volvo first announced its small, all-electric EX30, I was excited. Regardless of powertrain, a brand-new Volvo starting at approximately $35,000 was a big deal to me. I might have even suggested online that the EX30 was the most important Volvo ever, full stop. There’s no reason why this vehicle shouldn’t be a global sales success.
Then, former-President Joe Biden gave the Volvo a reason why it wouldn’t be a sales success: He attached a 100 percent tariff on all-electric vehicles coming from China. With Volvo’s parent Geely manufacturing the EX30 in China, the value proposition quickly vanished. Fortunately for Volvo, there is a production facility in Ghent, Belgium, that can pick up the slack for export to the United States. The plant currently builds the EC40 and XC40 Recharge, so adding another battery-electric vehicle shouldn’t take too much time.
Why do I care? Because the EX30 I was the most excited about wasn’t the street-focused standard model but the off-the-beaten-path-but-not-really-off-road Cross Country variant.
Today’s Stacked SpaceX Launch Is Sending Groundbreaking Science to the Moon and Beyond
The Falcon 9 rocket, packed with exploratory payloads, is scheduled to blast off at 7:17 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 26. Watch it live right here.
Surge in UK University Students Using AI To Complete Work
More than 90% of UK undergraduate students now use AI in their studies, up from two-thirds a year ago, according to a Higher Education Policy Institute survey released Wednesday. The poll of 1,041 full-time undergraduates found 88% used generative AI such as ChatGPT for assessments, compared with 53% in 2024, with science students more likely to use the technology than humanities peers. Half of students cited “saving time” and “improving work quality” as their primary motivations.
The proportion considering it acceptable to include AI-generated text after editing rose to 25% from 17% last year, while only 6% approved using AI content without editing. “Every assessment must be reviewed in case it can be completed easily using AI,” said Josh Freeman, policy manager at Hepi. The report identified “persistent digital divides” in AI competency, with men and students from wealthier backgrounds more likely to be frequent users.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Windows 11 Pro Is Now Just $10 (95% Off), Cheaper Than a Monthly Netflix Subscription
You can score yourself a license for Windows 11 Pro for just $10 with code “UPGRADE” at StackSocial.
The Fight for Doctor Who‘s Future Begins on April 12
Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu star in the latest season of the show–which comes at a crucial time for the long-lived sci-fi series.
Half of UK homes will need heat pumps by 2040 to hit climate goals
The UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised the government to ensure half of all homes in the UK have heat pumps — electric replacements for gas boilers — by 2040 as part of its Seventh Carbon Budget to reach net zero by 2050. It also recommended making four out of five cars electric.
The UK’s carbon budgets are intended to help it achieve a balance between the greenhouse gasses it produces and how much is taken out of the atmosphere. Besides switching to electric cars and heat pumps and moving away from fossil fuels, the CCC added that reducing consumption of meat and dairy would also help. Although the UK government isn’t bound to accept the CCC’s guidance, doing so makes the carbon target legally binding. The government can decide how it wants to hit the goal.
The UK has been pushing for heat pumps since 2021, especially ones powered by hydrogen. Engadget senior editor Dan Cooper also broke down how difficult it was for him to completely eschew natural gas in 2022, citing how expensive it was to install a heat pump even with government discounts. While technology is rapidly becoming more efficient, the CCC’s plans aren’t guaranteed to work.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/half-of-uk-homes-will-need-heat-pumps-by-2040-to-hit-climate-goals-151406654.html?src=rss
These 7 Wild Concepts Are in the Running For NASA’s Next Big Mission
The document builds on the academies’ decadal survey, outlining recommended missions for NASA’s next New Frontiers program.
Google is making it even easier to remove your personal information on Search
Google has been offering the Results About You tool since 2022 and updated it once in 2023. A part of Google Search, the tool looks for your personal information online and lets you request its removal. Today, the tech giant is announcing the latest changes, including a redesigned hub and the ability to update outdated search results to reflect the latest changes.
The redesign isn’t only for show. You can now submit removal requests directly from Search with fewer actions by clicking or tapping the three dots beside a search result. If you manage to have content about you deleted or changed from a website but Google Search hasn’t caught up, you can refresh the search, which will ”recrawl the page and obtain the latest information.” In other words, you can always see the most up-to-date results about you.
While these updates are helpful, they don’t introduce any major changes. The 2023 update to Results About You was more substantial, introducing proactive searches containing your info and the ability to remove consensual explicit images of yourself.
While Google didn’t introduce any significant changes to “results about you” last year, it did become available in Australia and South Africa last May. However, this helpful privacy feature remains inaccessible in many countries, including Malaysia, where I’m from. Google also doesn’t say where it’s available, so you’ll have to check your Google account to see if it works for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/google-is-making-it-even-easier-to-remove-your-personal-information-on-search-145326075.html?src=rss
Long-time advocate of SLS rocket says it’s time to find an “off-ramp”
The lights may be starting to go out for NASA’s Space Launch System program.
On Wednesday, one of the Republican space policy leaders most consistently opposed to commercial heavy lift rockets over the last decade—as an alternative to NASA’s large SLS rocket—has changed his mind.
“We need an off-ramp for reliance on the SLS,” said Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, in written testimony. He issued the statement in advance of a hearing about US space policy, and the future of NASA’s Artemis Moon program, before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Early Seafarers Ruled the Oceans With Sophisticated Boats 40,000 Years Ago, Study Suggests
With no direct archaeological evidence of prehistoric boats, researchers instead analyzed tools and the remains of fish, leading to a surprising conclusion.
JBL PartyBox 310 Is Back to Its Holiday Price and One of Amazon’s Most Popular Portable Speakers
Grad parties will be here before you know it, so lock in your sound system and light show while the PartyBox is 33% off.