FDA To Use AI In Drug Approvals To ‘Radically Increase Efficiency’

The FDA plans to use AI to “radically increase efficiency” in deciding whether to approve new drugs and devices, drawing on lessons from Operation Warp Speed to reduce review times to weeks. The plan was laid out in an article published Tuesday in JAMA. The New York Times reports: Another initiative involves a review of chemicals and other “concerning ingredients” that appear in U.S. food but not in the food of other developed nations. And officials want to speed up the final stages of making a drug or medical device approval decision to mere weeks, citing the success of Operation Warp Speed during the Covid pandemic when workers raced to curb a spiraling death count. […]

Last week, the agency introduced Elsa, an artificial intelligence large-language model similar to ChatGPT. The FDA said it could be used to prioritize which food or drug facilities to inspect, to describe side effects in drug safety summaries and to perform other basic product-review tasks. The FDA officials wrote that A.I. held the promise to “radically increase efficiency” in examining as many as 500,000 pages submitted for approval decisions.

Current and former health officials said the A.I. tool was helpful but far from transformative. For one, the model limits the number of characters that can be reviewed, meaning it is unable to do some rote data analysis tasks. Its results must be checked carefully, so far saving little time. Staff members said that the model was hallucinating, or producing false information. Employees can ask the Elsa model to summarize text or act as an expert in a particular field of medicine.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A Mathematician Calculated The Size of a Giant Meatball Made of Every Human

A mathematician on Reddit calculated that if all 8.2 billion humans were blended into a uniform goo, the resulting meatball would form a sphere just under 1 kilometer wide — small enough to fit inside Central Park. ScienceAlert reports: “If you blended all 7.88 billion people on Earth into a fine goo (density of a human = 985 kg/m3, average human body mass = 62 kg), you would end up with a sphere of human goo just under 1 km wide,” Reddit contributor kiki2703 wrote in a post … Reasoning the density of a minced human to be 985 kilograms per cubic meter (62 pounds per cubic foot) is a fair estimate, given past efforts have judged our jiggling sack of grade-A giblets to average out in the ballpark of 1 gram per cubic centimeter, or roughly the same as water. And in mid-2021, the global population was just around 7.9 billion, give or take.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

CineGo APK Download Latest Version Official For Android 2025

CineGo APK is a popular entertainment application designed for Android users who want seamless access to a wide range of movies, TV shows, and web series from around the world. With its user-friendly interface and rich content library, CineGo offers a premium streaming experience without the need for costly subscriptions. Whether you’re a fan of Hollywood blockbusters, Bollywood hits, or international cinema, CineGo provides an all-in-one platform to enjoy your favorite content on demand.

One of the standout features of CineGo APK is its high-quality video playback. Users can stream content in resolutions ranging from standard definition (SD) to full high definition (HD), depending on their preferences and internet speed. The app also supports subtitles in multiple languages, making it accessible to a global audience. Frequent updates ensure that the latest releases are available quickly, keeping users engaged with fresh content.

CineGo APK is designed with performance in mind. Its lightweight nature ensures fast loading times and smooth navigation, even on older Android devices. The intuitive layout categorizes content by genre, language, and popularity, making it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. You can also download movies and shows to watch offline, a convenient feature for travelers or users with limited internet access.

Security and privacy are also a priority. CineGo APK does not require unnecessary permissions, and it’s regularly updated to improve stability and protect user data. While it isn’t available on the Google Play Store, CineGo can be safely downloaded from trusted third-party sources.

In summary, CineGo APK is a reliable and feature-rich app that brings the cinema experience to your fingertips. With its vast collection, high-quality streaming, and intuitive design, CineGo is a top choice for movie lovers seeking flexible, on-the-go entertainment.

Features OF CineGo APK

Related APP

NekoPoi
DooFlix

Vast Library of Movies and Shows

CineGo APK offers an extensive collection of movies, TV shows, and web series from across the globe. Whether you’re into Hollywood action films, Bollywood dramas, South Indian thrillers, or international indie cinema, CineGo has content to suit all tastes and genres. The app is regularly updated, so users can enjoy the latest releases as soon as they become available.

High-Quality Streaming

One of CineGo’s standout features is its support for high-resolution streaming. You can enjoy content in SD, HD, or even Full HD quality depending on your internet speed and preference. The clear visuals and smooth playback ensure an immersive viewing experience comparable to premium streaming platforms.

Multi-Language Support

CineGo APK caters to a global audience by offering content in various languages and providing subtitles in English and several other languages. This inclusivity makes it easier for non-native speakers to enjoy foreign films without language barriers.

Offline Download Option

For users who travel or have limited access to internet, CineGo provides the ability to download movies and shows directly to your device. This allows you to watch your favorite content offline, anytime and anywhere, without needing a live internet connection.

User-Friendly Interface

The app features a clean, intuitive interface designed for ease of use. Content is neatly categorized by genre, release year, and popularity. The search function is fast and accurate, helping users find specific titles quickly.

No Subscription Required

Unlike major streaming platforms that require monthly payments, CineGo APK is completely free. Users can access its entire library without signing up or purchasing a subscription, making it a budget-friendly alternative for movie lovers.

Regular Content Updates

CineGo’s development team frequently updates the app to add new content and improve performance. This ensures that users always have access to the latest movies and episodes without having to wait long after official releases.

Lightweight and Fast

Despite its rich feature set, CineGo APK is a lightweight application that doesn’t consume much storage space. It loads quickly, performs smoothly, and works well even on older Android devices, ensuring a hassle-free experience for all users.

Chromecast Support

CineGo supports casting to smart TVs and Chromecast-enabled devices, allowing you to watch your favorite shows and movies on a larger screen for a full cinematic experience at home.

Safe and Secure

While CineGo isn’t available on the Google Play Store, it is frequently scanned for viruses and malware. It requires minimal permissions, reducing privacy concerns. When downloaded from a trusted source, it offers a secure way to stream content.

Ad-Lite Experience

Though the app is free, CineGo offers a relatively ad-lite experience compared to many free streaming apps. This makes viewing more enjoyable and less interrupted by constant ads or popups.

Bookmark and Favorites Feature

Users can bookmark or save their favorite shows and movies for quick access. This feature is useful for building a watchlist or keeping track of series you want to continue later.

How To Download

  1. Go to your phone’s Settings > Security and enable “Install from unknown sources.”
  2. Visit a trusted third-party website and download the latest CineGo APK.
  3. Open your File Manager and find the APK in the “Downloads” folder.
  4. Click on the APK file to begin the installation process.
  5. Tap “Install” when prompted to confirm your action.
  6. Allow a few moments for the app to install on your device.
  7. Once installed, tap “Open” to launch CineGo.
  8. Grant any necessary permissions requested by the app.
  9. Start exploring movies, shows, and more right from the home screen.
  10. Select your favorite content and enjoy high-quality streaming instantly.

How to use

  1. Tap the CineGo icon to launch the app.
  2. Scroll through trending movies, shows, and categories.
  3. Type in a title or keyword to find specific content.
  4. Choose from genres like Action, Drama, Comedy, or Regional.
  5. Click any movie or show to open its detail page.
  6. Review synopsis, release year, and language info.
  7. Select your preferred streaming resolution (SD, HD, etc.).
  8. Turn on subtitles in your chosen language if needed.
  9. Tap “Play” to stream or “Download” to save for offline viewing.
  10. Use the bookmark icon to save content for later.

Conclusion

CineGo APK is a feature-rich, user-friendly streaming app that brings movies, TV shows, and web series from around the world directly to your Android device — completely free. With high-quality streaming, offline downloads, multi-language support, and a clean interface, it’s an excellent alternative to paid platforms. Whether you’re a casual viewer or a binge-watcher, CineGo makes entertainment accessible, convenient, and enjoyable. Just download, install, and start exploring a world of unlimited content at your fingertips.

FAQs

Is CineGo APK free to use?

Yes, CineGo APK is completely free and does not require any subscription or payment to access its content.

Is CineGo available on the Google Play Store?

No, CineGo APK is not available on the Play Store; it must be downloaded from a trusted third-party website.

Is CineGo APK safe to install?

Yes, if downloaded from a reputable source, CineGo is safe. Always scan the APK file before installing and avoid shady websites.

Can I watch movies offline with CineGo?

Yes, CineGo allows you to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing anytime.

Tech Giants’ Indirect Emissions Rose 150% In Three Years

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Indirect carbon emissions from the operations of four of the leading AI-focused tech companies rose on average by 150% from 2020-2023, due to the demands of power-hungry data centers, a United Nations report (PDF) said on Thursday. The use of artificial intelligence by Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta drove up their global indirect emissions because of the vast amounts of energy required to power data centers, the report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the U.N. agency for digital technologies, said.

Indirect emissions include those generated by purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by a company.
Amazon’s operational carbon emissions grew the most at 182% in 2023 compared to three years before, followed by Microsoft at 155%, Meta at 145% and Alphabet at 138%, according to the report. The ITU tracked the greenhouse gas emissions of 200 leading digital companies between 2020 and 2023. […] As investment in AI increases, carbon emissions from the top-emitting AI systems are predicted to reach up to 102.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, the report stated.

The data centres that are needed for AI development could also put pressure on existing energy infrastructure. “The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving a sharp rise in global electricity demand, with electricity use by data centers increasing four times faster than the overall rise in electricity consumption,” the report found. It also highlighted that although a growing number of digital companies had set emissions targets, those ambitions had not yet fully translated into actual reductions of emissions.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

FreeBSD 14.3 Released

Michael Larabel of Phoronix highlights the key updates in today’s stable release of FreeBSD 14.3: FreeBSD 14.3 has back-ported a number of improvements from FreeBSD 15 back to the FreeBSD 14 series. Plus a number of routine package updates and other fixes. Some of the FreeBSD 14.3-RELEASE highlights include:

– Updating the ZFS support against OpenZFS 2.2.7.
– Merging of the Realtek RTW88 and RTW89 WiFi drivers based on the Linux 6.14 kernel code.
– The LinuxKPI code has been improved to support crypto offload as well as the 802.11n and 802.11ac standards.
– The Intel IX Ethernet driver has added support for the x550 1000BAS-BX SFP modules.
– Thor2 PCI IDs added to the Broadcom NetXtreme “BNXT” driver along with support for 400G speed modules.
– XZ 5.8.1, OpenSSH 9.9p2, OpenSSL 3.0.16, and many other package updates.
– Syscons as the legacy system console driver is now considered deprecated. Syscons is not compatible with UEFI, lacks UTF-8 support, and is Giant-locked. You can download and learn more about FreeBSD 14.3 via FreeBSD.org.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

‘Bitcoin Baby’ Soon To Be a Teenager

“Twelve years ago, a baby was born after someone used bitcoin to pay for a frozen egg IVF,” writes longtime Slashdot reader bobdevine. “I, for one, welcome…”

Blockworks tells the story of how it all came to be: In February 2012 — almost two years after Laszlo’s pizzas — a fertility doctor named C. Terence Lee set about a personal and professional quest to onboard his patients to Bitcoin by accepting BTC for his services. He started with a “Bitcoin accepted here” sign in his window, and then a Reddit post.

“Jumping in to do my part to support the BTC economy. This may be a historic first?” Lee wrote in a post on the BitMarket subreddit, titled: “[WTS][USA] Male Fertility Evaluation.” Lee was offering a 15-minute consultation to discuss fertility questions and a sperm analysis in exchange for 15 BTC, valued at $70 or so at the time. “Actual value over $100,” he wrote. Within three months, he’d found a Bitcoin customer.

“The patient turned out not… so much having a burning desire to know about his fertility, but he was a Bitcoin enthusiast, and he liked the idea of participating in history, in this ritual ceremony of what could be perhaps the world’s first Bitcoin medical transaction,” Lee explained at a 2013 conference in San Jose. “So we chatted about Bitcoin. He taught me a lot about mining. That’s how he acquired bitcoin. And we did a sperm test, and it turned out he had really good sperm … after it was done he sent me 15 bitcoins… ”

Lee changed up his strategy to only quiz his most trusted patients. There was one couple, who, on their fourth attempt at IVF, agreed to pay in bitcoin for a 50% discount, with Lee walking them through exchanging U.S. dollars for bitcoin via CryptoXChange, a now-defunct exchange operating out of Australia. The sperm stuck, leading CNN to reveal, on this day in 2013, “the world’s first Bitcoin baby” — a baby bought entirely with bitcoin. Thirty bitcoin to be exact, an amount then worth $500, or $3 million today.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

News Sites Are Getting Crushed by Google’s New AI Tools

“It is true, Google AI is stomping on the entire internet,” writes Slashdot reader TheWho79, sharing a report from the Wall Street Journal. “From HuffPost to the Atlantic, publishers prepare to pivot or shut the doors. … Even highly regarded old school bullet-proof publications like Washington Post are getting hit hard.” From the report: Traffic from organic search to HuffPost’s desktop and mobile websites fell by just over half in the past three years, and by nearly that much at the Washington Post, according to digital market data firm Similarweb. Business Insider cut about 21% of its staff last month, a move CEO Barbara Peng said was aimed at helping the publication “endure extreme traffic drops outside of our control.” Organic search traffic to its websites declined by 55% between April 2022 and April 2025, according to data from Similarweb.

At a companywide meeting earlier this year, Nicholas Thompson, chief executive of the Atlantic, said the publication should assume traffic from Google would drop toward zero and the company needed to evolve its business model. […] “Google is shifting from being a search engine to an answer engine,” Thompson said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We have to develop new strategies.”

The rapid development of click-free answers in search “is a serious threat to journalism that should not be underestimated,” said William Lewis, the Washington Post’s publisher and chief executive. Lewis is former CEO of the Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones. The Washington Post is “moving with urgency” to connect with previously overlooked audiences and pursue new revenue sources and prepare for a “post-search era,” he said.

At the New York Times, the share of traffic coming from organic search to the paper’s desktop and mobile websites slid to 36.5% in April 2025 from almost 44% three years earlier, according to Similarweb. The Wall Street Journal’s traffic from organic search was up in April compared with three years prior, Similarweb data show, though as a share of overall traffic it declined to 24% from 29%. Further reading: Google’s AI Mode Is ‘the Definition of Theft,’ Publishers Say


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Trump Quietly Throws Out Biden’s Cyber Policies

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Axios: President Trump quietly took a red pen to much of the Biden administration’s cyber legacy in a little-noticed move late Friday. Under an executive order signed just before the weekend, Trump is tossing out some of the major touchstones of Biden’s cyber policy legacy — while keeping a few others. The order preserves efforts around post-quantum cryptography, advanced encryption standards, and border gateway protocol security, along with the Cyber Trust Mark program — an Energy Star-type labeling initiative for consumer smart devices. But hallmark programs tied to software bills of materials, zero-trust implementation, and space contractor cybersecurity requirements have been either rescinded or left in limbo. The new executive order amends both the Biden cyber executive order signed in January and an Obama administration order.

Each of the following Biden-era programs is now out the door or significantly rolled back: – A broad requirement for federal software vendors to provide a software bill of materials – essentially an ingredient list of code components – is gone. – Biden-era efforts to encourage federal agencies to accept digital identity documents and help states develop mobile driver’s licenses were revoked. – Several AI cybersecurity research mandates, including those focused on AI-generated code security and AI-driven patch management pilots, have been scrapped or deprioritized. – The requirement that software contractors formally attest they followed secure development practices – and submit those attestations to a federal repository – has been cut. Instead, the National Institute of Standards and Technology will now coordinate a new industry consortium to review software security guidelines.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

40,000 IoT Cameras Worldwide Stream Secrets To Anyone With a Browser

Connor Jones reports via The Register: Security researchers managed to access the live feeds of 40,000 internet-connected cameras worldwide and they may have only scratched the surface of what’s possible. Supporting the bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) earlier this year, which warned of exposed cameras potentially being used in Chinese espionage campaigns, the team at Bitsight was able to tap into feeds of sensitive locations. The US was the most affected region, with around 14,000 of the total feeds streaming from the country, allowing access to the inside of datacenters, healthcare facilities, factories, and more. Bitsight said these feeds could potentially be used for espionage, mapping blind spots, and gleaning trade secrets, among other things.

Aside from the potential national security implications, cameras were also accessed in hotels, gyms, construction sites, retail premises, and residential areas, which the researchers said could prove useful for petty criminals. Monitoring the typical patterns of activity in retail stores, for example, could inform robberies, while monitoring residences could be used for similar purposes, especially considering the privacy implications. “It should be obvious to everyone that leaving a camera exposed on the internet is a bad idea, and yet thousands of them are still accessible,” said Bitsight in a report. “Some don’t even require sophisticated hacking techniques or special tools to access their live footage in unintended ways. In many cases, all it takes is opening a web browser and navigating to the exposed camera’s interface.”

HTTP-based cameras accounted for 78.5 percent of the total 40,000 sample, while RTSP feeds were comparatively less open, accounting for only 21.5 percent.

To protect yourself or your company, Bitsight says you should secure your surveillance cameras by changing default passwords, disabling unnecessary remote access, updating firmware, and restricting access with VPNs or firewalls. Regularly monitoring for unusual activity also helps to prevent your footage from being exposed online.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Starbucks To Roll Out Microsoft Azure OpenAI Assistant For Baristas

Starbucks is piloting a generative AI assistant called “Green Dot Assist” to streamline barista tasks and improve service speed, with plans for a broader rollout in fiscal 2026. The assistant is built on Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform. CNBC reports: Instead of flipping through manuals or accessing Starbucks’ intranet, baristas will be able to use a tablet behind the counter equipped with Green Dot Assist to get answers to a range of questions, from how to make an iced shaken espresso to troubleshooting equipment errors. Baristas can either type or verbally ask their queries in conversational language.

As the AI assistant evolves, Starbucks has even bigger plans for its next generation. Those ideas include automatically creating a ticket with IT for equipment issues or generating suggestions for a substitute when a barista calls out of work, according to [Starbucks Chief Technology Officer Deb Hall Lefevre]. […] Lefevre said tenured baristas have been learning to use the new POS in as little as an hour. Plus, the technology can offer personalized recommendations and loyal customers’ repeat orders, helping Starbucks achieve the personalized touch it’s looking to bring back to its cafes.
“It’s just another example of how innovation technology is coming into service of our partners and making sure that we’re doing all we can to simplify the operations, make their jobs just a little bit easier, maybe a little bit more fun, so that they can do what they do best,” Lefevre told CNBC.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Android 16 Is Here

An anonymous reader shares a blog post from Google: Today, we’re bringing you Android 16, rolling out first to supported Pixel devices with more phone brands to come later this year. This is the earliest Android has launched a major release in the last few years, which ensures you get the latest updates as soon as possible on your devices. Android 16 lays the foundation for our new Material 3 Expressive design, with features that make Android more accessible and easy to use.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

OpenAI adds the o3-pro model to ChatGPT today

OpenAI is keeping up its rapid-fire pace of new AI releases. The company introduced the o3 and o4-mini models to its ChatGPT platform in April. At the time, the business promised that a pro model of the o3 was on the way, and that version became available today.

Both the o3 and o4-mini models are meant to use and combine all the tools under ChatGPT’s umbrella. When OpenAI adds the “pro” designation to a model, it’s a version that has been built to spend longer answering queries to provide better and more accurate responses. “We recommend using it for challenging questions where reliability matters more than speed, and waiting a few minutes is worth the tradeoff,” the company said in the release notes for the o3-pro. In the testing assessments shared, the o3-pro delivered better benchmarks than the o3 and the o1-pro options.

There are some restrictions on the other ChatGPT services the o3-pro can use. Image generation and Canvas are not supported, so users will need to turn to different models for those features. The o3-pro is available today for ChatGPT Pro and Team users, while Enterprise and Edu customers will have access to this option next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-adds-the-o3-pro-model-to-chatgpt-today-212126136.html?src=rss

False claims that ivermectin treats cancer, COVID leads states to pass OTC laws

Modern medicine’s loss is social media’s gain. Since the pandemic hit, public trust in science and evidence-based medicine, like lifesaving vaccines, has declined. Yet, trust in the anecdotal and often bonkers health advice that endlessly swirls on social media only seems to have risen—and that trust seems unshakeable.

A perfect example of this is ivermectin. In the early stages of the pandemic, some laboratory data suggested that ivermectin—a decades-old deworming drug—might be able to prevent or treat COVID-19. The antiparasitic drug was initially used in the 1970s to treat worm infections in animals, but years later, it gained FDA approval as a prescription drug for treating parasitic infections in humans, including river blindness.

Before scientists could conduct clinical trials to know if ivermectin could also treat the new viral infection, COVID-19, the idea took off, mainly among conservatives. Anecdotes and misinformation ballooned.

Read full article

Comments

Bluesky’s Decline Stems From Never Hearing From the Other Side

Bluesky’s user engagement has fallen roughly 50% since peaking in mid-November, according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, as progressive groups’ efforts to migrate users from Elon Musk’s X platform show signs of failure. The research found that while many news influencers maintain Bluesky accounts, two-thirds post irregularly compared to more than 80% who still post daily to X. A Washington Post columnist tries to make sense of it: The people who have migrated to Bluesky tend to be those who feel the most visceral disgust for Musk and Trump, plus a smattering of those who are merely curious and another smattering who are tired of the AI slop and unregenerate racism that increasingly pollutes their X feeds. Because the Musk and Trump haters are the largest and most passionate group, the result is something of an echo chamber where it’s hard to get positive engagement unless you’re saying things progressives want to hear — and where the negative engagement on things they don’t want to hear can be intense. That’s true even for content that isn’t obviously political: Ethan Mollick, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School who studies AI, recently announced that he’ll be limiting his Bluesky posting because AI discussions on the platform are too “fraught.”

All this is pretty off-putting for folks who aren’t already rather progressive, and that creates a threefold problem for the ones who dream of getting the old band back together. Most obviously, it makes it hard for the platform to build a large enough userbase for the company to become financially self-sustaining, or for liberals to amass the influence they wielded on old Twitter. There, they accumulated power by shaping the contours of a conversation that included a lot of non-progressives. On Bluesky, they’re mostly talking among themselves.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Razer launches its first barebones mechanical keyboard

On Tuesday, Razer launched its first keyboard for the DIY set. As its name implies, the BlackWidow V4 75% Barebones is the popular mechanical keyboard, only without keys and keycaps. It could be a solid option if you like Razer’s design and Chroma RGB but want to bring your own keys.

Otherwise, the Barebones BlackWidow is identical to the fully assembled variant. It still supports 3-pin or 5-pin mechanical switches and custom keycaps. It offers a polling rate of up to 8,000Hz with Razer’s HyperPolling tech.

Photo of a person assembling the BlackWidow V4 75% Barebones keyboard.
Razer

Other details include factory-lubricated stabilizers for smoother keystrokes and dual-layer dampening foam. It even has pre-applied tape to soften higher frequencies. For a full rundown of the keyboard’s feature set, Engadget’s Igor Bonifacic reviewed it for IGN in 2023.

At $140, the black barebones version is $60 cheaper than the pre-assembled version. The white variant is slightly less thrifty at $150. (Unfortunately, you can’t get a barebones one in phantom green.) You can order the BlackWidow V4 75% Barebones today on Razer’s website.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/razer-launches-its-first-barebones-mechanical-keyboard-205043334.html?src=rss

Mario Kart World review: Getting there is half the game

It would have been exceptionally easy for Nintendo to stick with an established formula for Mario Kart World. While the series has added a few crucial new features here and there since its Super NES debut, it has settled into an extremely comfortable groove since the 2014 release of Mario Kart 8 on the ill-fated Wii U. Since then, we’ve seen the franchise lean on nostalgia-rich DLC as it introduced a barely differentiated Switch port and a series of course-packed expansions rather than another distinct sequel. Save for the expert-level, ultra-fast 200cc racing mode, the broad strokes of a Mario Kart game have gone from staid to practically frozen in amber in recent years.

Mario Kart World doesn’t completely abandon the basic structure of those previous Mario Kart games; there are still twisty, turny, shortcut-filled courses loaded with items and opportunities to power slide. But it builds on that skeleton more than any Mario Kart game ever has, adding new modes, new driving techniques, and a new focus on the vast swathes of land between the intricately designed race courses. The result can feel a little inconsistent but also like a necessary shot of new ideas into a series that has been growing stale.

Too many karts

The first thing you’re liable to notice loading up a race in Mario Kart World is just how crowded things have gotten. The expansion to 24 racers on each track (from 12 in Mario Kart 8 and eight in previous franchise titles) serves as a good way to show off the added processing power of the Switch 2. It also provides a good excuse to greatly expand the number of selectable characters and outfits available in the game, which dredge up options from some of the deeper depths of the Mario catalog (your day has finally arrived, Sidestepper fans).

Read full article

Comments

You Can ‘Fix’ Apple’s Liquid Glass Transparent Design

Change isn’t always easy. Case in point: “Liquid Glass.” Apple’s upcoming “26” updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro introduce this new design language that adds a transparent, glassy look to icons, menus, and windows. Some people are digging it, while others are hating on it. And the haters are hating.

I generally like the new look, though perhaps what I like best is that it matches across all of Apple’s products. It’s also nice to have a fresh look on Apple devices—especially the iPhone—for the first time in years. That said, I understand some of the criticisms: In the right conditions, these icons and menus look great, but depending on the background, it can be very difficult to read text or view certain elements.  

Unless you download the latest Apple betas (which I don’t recommend you do), you won’t be dealing with these changes until the fall, when the company releases the official updates to the general public. But if you do decide to try out the updates at some point during the beta cycle, or you install iOS 26 or macOS Tahoe this fall and find you really can’t stand how transparent some of these windows are, there’s something you can do about it.

“Reduce Transparency”

As it turns out, a setting that has existed on Apple devices for years is now responsible for limiting the effects of Liquid Glass’ most overt design: “Reduce Transparency.” This is an accessibility feature present on most Apple devices that swaps the transparent effect on some UI elements with a solid background. The idea is to boost contrast and visibility for readers who have trouble viewing items through the transparency effect, even before Liquid Glass was ever a concept. 

According to users who are experimenting with the beta, toggling on Reduce Transparency goes a long way to, well, reducing the transparency of the Liquid Glass design. You can see that here: Before the setting is enabled, the menu bar lets in all the colors and graphics of the items beneath it. Once Reduce Transparency kicks in, the menu bar is much flatter, which makes the text within it (especially the artist name) much easier to read.

If you find yourself drawn to the latter option, just enable Reduce Transparency when you update your devices. On iOS and iPadOS, you’ll find the option in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. On macOS, you’ll find it in System Settings > Accessibility > Display.

Because these OS updates are currently in beta testing, there’s no telling how things will change by the time Apple finally releases them to the public. For all we know, the final iteration of Liquid Glass will be much more legible than it is now. But in case you still find it difficult to use, or you just don’t like it, this setting should help.

Matrox Unveils Wild LUMA Pro A380 Octal Graphics Card With Dual Intel Arc GPUs

Matrox Unveils Wild LUMA Pro A380 Octal Graphics Card With Dual Intel Arc GPUs
If you read that headline and thought “Who, now?” then you’re probably not a PC enthusiast or under the age of 30. If you instead thought “That’s a name I haven’t heard,”  then you clearly don’t work in the medical imaging or digital signage industries. Matrox might not be a direct competitor with AMD or NVIDIA anymore—not since the fateful

2020s on Course To Be Weakest Decade for Global Economy Since 1960s, Says World Bank

The World Bank sharply reduced its global economic growth forecast for 2025 to 2.3% from 2.7%, warning that the current decade is on track to become the weakest for the global economy since the 1960s. The Washington-based lender attributed the downgrade to mounting costs from “international discord — about trade, in particular,” as Donald Trump’s tariff policies create unprecedented uncertainty.

The revised forecast would mark the slowest growth rate outside full-blown recessions since 2008. Even with a modest recovery to 2.4% expected in 2026, the bank characterized the outlook as merely “tepid.” Chief economist Indermit Gill said “outside of Asia, the developing world is becoming a development-free zone.” Growth in developing economies has steadily declined from 6% annually in the 2000s to 5% in the 2010s, now falling below 4% in the 2020s. The bank said that “many of the forces behind the great economic miracle of the last 50 years” have reversed, with more than half of low-income countries either in debt distress or at high risk.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Alarming Google Bug Exposes Account Phone Numbers Via Brute-Force Attack

Alarming Google Bug Exposes Account Phone Numbers Via Brute-Force Attack
A few weeks ago, we reported on Google adding a privacy feature that helps users remove personal information from search engines. To further protect users’ personal information, Google has patched a vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass key security features and steal Google users’ phone numbers.

To exploit this vulnerability, malicious