Monthly Archives: March 2025

Mozilla Responds To Backlash Over Data Collection Policy In Firefox

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Mozilla Responds To Backlash Over Data Collection Policy In Firefox
Last Wednesday, Mozilla revealed a new Terms of Use and Privacy Notice regarding Firefox. However, the wording of the Terms of Use appears to suggest that by agreeing to use its services, the company had exclusive rights to all the information that users processed through its web browser. However, in an effort to respond to the criticism that

Former Intel CEO Barrett Calls for Board Dismissal and Gelsinger’s Return

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Former Intel CEO Craig Barrett urged the rehiring of Pat Gelsinger, who was abruptly fired two months ago, arguing he should “finish the job he has aptly handled over the past few years.”

“Pat Gelsinger did a great job resuscitating the technology development team,” Barrett wrote, criticizing the company’s current leadership under “a CFO and a product manager.” He suggested firing the Intel board rather than splitting the company.

Barrett’s comments come in response to proposals from four former board members advocating for Intel’s separation into design and manufacturing businesses. Barrett dismissed these board members as “two academics and two former government bureaucrats” lacking semiconductor industry expertise.

The former CEO praised Intel’s technological resurgence under Gelsinger, noting its capabilities now match industry leader TSMC’s 2nm technology, with additional advances in imaging technology and backside power delivery to complex chips. “Intel is backâ”from a technology point of view,” Barrett wrote, arguing the best path forward is building on current momentum rather than organizational restructuring that would disrupt the company’s 100,000-plus employees across multiple continents.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Call Centers Using AI To ‘Whiten’ Indian Accents

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The world’s biggest call center company is using artificial intelligence to “neutralise” Indian accents for Western customers. From a report: Teleperformance said it was applying real-time AI software on phone calls in order to increase “human empathy” between two people on the phone. The French company’s customers in the UK include parts of the Government, the NHS, Vodafone and eBay.

Teleperformance has 90,000 employees in India and tens of thousands more in other countries. It is using software from Sanas, an American company that says the system helps “build a more understanding world” and reduces miscommunication. The company’s website says it makes call center workers more productive and means customer service calls are resolved more quickly. The company also says it means call center workers are less likely to be abused and customers are less likely to demand to speak to a supervisor. It is already used by companies including Walmart and UPS.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The iPhone 15 Pro will get Visual Intelligence with iOS 18.4

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What started as an Apple Intelligence feature exclusive to the Camera Control-endowed iPhone 16 line is coming to older iPhones, and soon. We already knew that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would get Visual Intelligence at some point in the future, and thanks to 9to5Mac, we now know it’s one of several options you can assign to the Action Button in the second iOS 18.4 beta. That likely means the feature could end up in the final release of the update.

Visual Intelligence lets you draw on AI models from Google and OpenAI to find information (and websites) about anything you point your iPhone’s camera at. You can also use the feature to add information from a flyer to your calendar and oddly, identify dog breeds. Until recently, the feature had to be summoned with a long-press of Camera Control on an iPhone 16, but as of the release of the iPhone 16e, Apple made it possible to use an Action Button to pull it up, too. Considering the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chip offers enough RAM to enable other Apple Intelligence features, it makes sense that its ACtion Button shouldn’t be left out of the fun.

iOS 18.4 is currently in beta and is expected to launch in early April. Alongside expanding the number of phones that can run Visual Intelligence, Apple is also using the update to launch a new recipe section in Apple News called Apple News+ Food. Previously, Bloomberg reported that iOS 18.4 was supposed to also mark the launch of Apple’s upgraded Siri, which is supposed to have the ability to see and take action inside of apps, but that feature is now coming later.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-iphone-15-pro-will-get-visual-intelligence-with-ios-184-204658321.html?src=rss

visionOS 2.4 Beta 2 Brings Apple’s New Spatial Gallery Platform To Vision Pro

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visionOS 2.4 beta 2 is now available for Apple Vision Pro, and it brings Apple’s new Spatial Gallery platform.

Apple announced Spatial Gallery in February as part of visionOS 2.4, which is set to ship in April. The first beta was released alongside the announcement, but didn’t include Spatial Gallery. The second beta, available now, does.



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Spatial Gallery is a new visionOS app from Apple that features a curated collection of spatial photos, spatial videos, and panoramas. Spatial photos and spatial videos are Apple’s term for stereoscopic 3D photos and videos.

Apple promises Spatial Gallery will offer “remarkable perspectives from photographers like Jonpaul Douglass and Samba Diop; new stories and experiences from iconic brands including Cirque du Soleil, Red Bull, and Porsche; behind-the-scenes moments from Apple Originals like Disclaimer, Severance, and Shrinking; and special moments from top artists.”

Rather than being an open platform like YouTube or Vimeo, which added spatial video support in October, Apple’s Spatial Gallery is highly curated closed platform, offering quality over quantity.

How To Install visionOS Developer Betas

To enable downloading beta Apple operating systems you just need to sign in with your Apple ID on the Apple Developer Center website at least once. You don’t need to join the paid Apple Developer Program, but you will need to accept the terms of the Apple Developer Agreement.

Then, in the headset, navigate to Settings -> General -> Software Update -> Beta Updates and select “visionOS 2 Developer Beta”.

Note that installing a beta version of an operating system is only recommended if you’re willing to accept bugs, instability, and the small chance it could put your device in a state requiring a factory reset. Some apps may even stop working. In exchange, you’ll get to try out the new features and improvements in advance.

Spatial Gallery is available as part of visionOS beta 2 in all Apple Vision Pro countries except for mainland China.

The US Cities Whose Workers Are Most Exposed to AI

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Silicon Valley, the place that did more than any other to pioneer artificial intelligence, is the most exposed to its ability to automate work. That’s according to an analysis by researchers at the Brookings Institution, a think tank, which matched the tasks that OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 could do with the jobs that are most common in different US cities. From a report: The result is a sharp departure from previous rounds of automation. Whereas technologies like robotics came for middle-class jobs — and manufacturing cities such as Detroit — generative AI is best at the white-collar work that’s highly paid and most common in “superstar” cities like San Francisco and Washington, DC.

The Brookings analysis is of the US, but the same logic would apply anywhere: The more a city’s economy is oriented around white-collar knowledge work, the more exposed it is to AI. “Exposure” doesn’t necessarily mean automation, stressed Mark Muro, a senior fellow at Brookings and one of the study’s authors. It could also mean productivity gains. From the Brookings report: Now, the higher-end workers and regions only mildly exposed to earlier forms of automation look to be most involved (for better or worse) with generative AI and its facility for cognitive, office-type tasks. In that vein, workers in high-skill metro areas such as San Jose, Calif.; San Francisco; Durham, N.C.; New York; and Washington D.C. appear likely to experience heavy involvement with generative AI, while those in less office-oriented metro areas such as Las Vegas; Toledo, Ohio; and Fort Wayne, Ind. appear far less susceptible. For instance, while 43% of workers in San Jose could see generative AI shift half or more of their work tasks, that share is only 31% of workers in Las Vegas.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

GORN 2 Hands-On: Absurdly Hilarious Combat Builds Upon The Original Game Well

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GORN 2 expands upon the original game well so far, delivering absurdly hilarious combat in our preview while remaining distinctly familiar.

Nearly a decade after Free Lives’ brutal gladiatorial hit GORN first appeared in early access, last week’s GORN 2 announcement took many of us by surprise. Co-developed by Cortopia Studios (Escaping Wonderland) and the original studio, this upcoming sequel has a clear goal of delivering “everything GORN was but more.” After spending 45 minutes with a preview build, I’d say it’s currently doing a fine job.



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GORN 2 – PC VR footage captured by UploadVR

Having ascended to the afterlife following the first game, GORN 2 now finds you in a heavenly realm where we’re killing the gladiators we previously killed yet again. You’d almost feel sorry for them, were it not for the whole “repeatedly trying to kill you” deal they’ve got going on. Our main task involves assisting the deposed God of the Afterlife as we stop his five bastard sons across five realms.

This demo only featured the second realm alongside a small hub area, our only companions being the God of the Afterlife and the gladiator ghosts sometimes spawning from a soul pool. Learning that access to each realm is gated by your ‘epicness’ meter tells you what to expect with GORN 2’s humor, to say nothing of the fact you can give enemies the middle finger.

Levels are fittingly selected by skewering a gladiator’s head on a pike, though you can’t freely choose your weapons. Finding new ones across realms unlocks them in a Custom Mode that I couldn’t access. Ranged options like bows are my usual choice in VR games, though a strong selection of bendable melee weapons like cleavers, maces, axes, and swords back this up. One sword even grows as you earn more kills, letting you wield your ridiculously oversized weapon (behave) in full glory. Frankly, it puts Cloud Strife’s Buster Sword to shame.

There’s something much more satisfying about getting up close for the cartoonish violence over ranged strikes. Dismemberment, decapitations, watching the fallen fighter’s eyes pop out would normally make for a grim spectacle, yet GORN 2’s stylish cel-shaded visuals do this bloody spectacle justice. On Steam, the presentation looks gorgeous and while there’s a bit of jank currently – some weapons jitter a lot when being used – the performance ran smoothly.

PC Specs And Headset Used

My desktop uses an Intel i9 16-Core Processor i9-12900 (Up to 5.1GHz), 32GB RAM – Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz, and a 16GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super. This preview was conducted using a Meta Quest 3 via Virtual Desktop. The minimum/recommended specs on Steam are currently unconfirmed.

Each event is split into four different rounds that culminate with a trickier fight, starting by raising your fists. This formulaic structure is broken up with bonus objectives in round three that can be easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention. That’s usually some variation of “kill x number of enemies” with a particular weapon, so I’d love to see some more creative objectives.

Each arena comes with its own distinct traps and for the second realm, this lava-filled domain is big on cooking. Watching giant spatulas swatting people below keeps me on my toes, whereas pushing enemies into the lava creates some hilarious ragdoll moments. Using a Warhammer-like weapon that’s honestly just a leg of meat, slapping opponents into these fiery pools and watching their corpses bounce away to the after-afterlife (let’s call it that) is hilarious.

My biggest criticism so far relates to the AI behavior, which isn’t typically a concern until traps emerge. These foes have no self-preservation instincts, and enemies will blindly walk into obvious traps just because I’m in the direction they’re heading towards. That made some fights all too easy, so I hope that gets adjusted in the full release.

Speaking of difficulty, anyone after a challenge should turn on the hardcore mode from the settings for less health and to make enemies appear faster. The standard setting is a bit easy, and I only died once on the default settings. Killing enemies restores health, as does killing the chickens that are also out to hurt you. Defeating these fowl-tempered foes quickly roasts them into an edible snack.

If you’re interested in seeing more gameplay directly, check out Don’s recent livestream below.

As for me, GORN 2 promises the sequel I never realized I wanted. What I’ve seen so far is delivering satisfying evolutionary changes that should appeal to fans of the original game. The comedic over-the-top brutality ties together well, the visuals look great, and a strong sense of humor ties it all together. There’s still plenty more to try and right now, I’m optimistic about the full game.

GORN 2 launches in 2025 on the Meta Quest platform, Steam, and PlayStation VR2.

The Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Max This Month

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I’ve looked into everything coming to Max this month, and the below TV shows and movies are the best of the bunch, or at least the most interesting. My top pick: HBO’s fearless, acerbic comedy The Righteous Gemstones is coming back for its fourth and final season. There’s also The Parenting, an HBO original horror movie with an intriguing premise and an all-star cast, and a trio of movies produced by A24: Queer, Heretic, and Sing Sing.

The Righteous Gemstones, season 4

The fourth and final season of HBO original comedy The Righteous Gemstones features the titular family of scummy televangelists fighting America’s “war on Christianity” while continuing to grift suckers hilariously. The show’s talented cast—including Danny McBride, Adam DeVine, Edi Patterson, and John Goodman—will be returning, and a couple of new faces will be onhand to keep things fresh. Will & Grace star Megan Mullally plays Lori, an old family friend of the Gemstones, and Sean William Scott from American Pie plays her son.

Starts streaming March 9.

The Parenting

Max original horror/comedy The Parenting features a stacked cast that includes Brian Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Edie Falco, Parker Posey, Nik Dodani, and Brandon Flynn. Dodani and Flynn play a young couple who plan a weekend getaway so their parents can meet and they can announce their engagement. Tensions between the future in-laws flare, but that’s the least of the family’s problems. The malevolent poltergeist that haunts the isolated country house is much more serious issue, especially when it starts possessing people.

Starts streaming March 13.

Queer (2024)

Daniel Craig turns in an unforgettable performance in this A24-produced film based on the novel from iconoclastic writer William S. Burroughs. Set in Mexico City in 1950s, Queer tells the story of an America expat William Lee (Craig) who spends his days drinking and chasing younger men, but falling in love with an American GI, played by Drew Starkey, complicates his life immensely. Queer was directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), and he makes fantastic movies.

Starts streaming March 28.

Heretic (2024)

In this critically acclaimed horror movie, a pair of idealistic Mormon missionaries knock on the wrong man’s door. Hugh Grant is extremely charming when Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East) stop by; he even invites them in for a slice of pie and a conversation about spirituality. But things soon turn ugly. The smart, sharp script and masterful performance from Grant may transcend the genre, but the brutality and suspense won’t let you forget you’re watching a horror movie, “elevated” or not.

Starts streaming March 7.

Sing Sing (2024)

Sing Sing earned nearly universal acclaim for its depiction of Sing Sing prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, in which hardened prisoners stage dramatic productions behind bars. Colman Domingo won an Oscar for his portrayal of John Whitfield, a real person who was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Much of the rest of Sing Sing‘s cast are former convicts playing versions of themselves, which gives Sing Sing a raw, almost documentary feel. This unique, powerful film should be at the top of your must-watch list.

Starts streaming March 21.

Paul American

If you haven’t had enough of YouTube superstars Jake and Logan Paul, this eight part reality show will take you deep inside the over-the-top lives and careers of these uniquely American entertainment and sports superstars. Along with the famous brothers, Paul American will introduce the nation to the extended Paul family so that new stars may emerge. God bless America!

Starts streaming March 27.

Celtics City

This sports reality series takes viewers inside the locker rooms and boardrooms of the Boston Celtics, the winningest team in NBA history. From its founding back in 1946, through the 1980s Larry Bird years, to the triumphant 2024 season, Celtics City examines the complex forces that shapes the squad into an enduring sports legacy.

Starts streaming March 3.

When No One Sees Us

Based on the novel by Sergio Sarria, When No One Sees Us is Max’s first original Spanish language series. It stars Maribel Verdú (The Flash) as local Spanish police officer Lucía Gutierrez. When a series of disturbing murders take place around Holy Week in Morón de la Frontera (Seville), Gutierrez must work with lieutenant Magaly Castillo from the American military base nearby. More than a thriller and police procedural, When No One Sees Us explores the clash of culture between “deep Spain” and one of the largest U.S. military bases in the world.

Starts streaming March 7.

Last month’s picks

The White Lotus, Season 3

Mike White’s Emmy-winning series The White Lotus is the best. Its mix of biting commentary on wealth and privilege, well-drawn (but nearly always reprehensible) characters, and pitch-black humor add up to a nothing-else-like-it TV series. Season 3 sees a new group of pampered Americans arriving at a White Lotus luxury resort in Thailand. I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing they’ll have unexpected and troubling times instead of a restful vacation. Season 3 also see the return of Natasha Rothwell, who played the spa owner from season one—one of the few sympathetic characters in the show’s run. Other notable cast members include Walton Goggins (The Ghoul in Prime’s Fallout series), Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, and Parker Posey.

Starts streaming February 16.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 12

There’s a new season of Last Week Tonight premiering this month, and I’m pretty sure sardonic host John Oliver will have a lot to talk about in 2025 America. Oliver promises to ask the hard questions, like “Have two presidents ever kissed?” and “Did Tucker Carlson’s mom really leave him $2 in her will?” (She actually left him $1.) Don’t miss it if you like pointed political humor, because who knows how long pointed political humor will remain legal.

Starts streaming February 16.

Common Side Effects

This Adult-Swim-produced cartoon looks intriguing. Common Side Effects‘ executive producer, Mike Judge, created both King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead, but Common Side Effects is not really a comedy. It’s a moody, stylish looking drama about a pair of high school friends who discover both a drug that cures literally everything and a vast conspiracy from the pharmaceutical industry and the government to cover up its existence.

Starts streaming February 3.

Have I Got News for You, Season 2

If John Oliver doesn’t provide enough comedic news coverage, why not give Have I Got News for You a try? Hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, this show takes the grinding misery out of “following the news” and makes it fun. Each episode features a different pair of celebrity guests who compete against each other in games and quizzes that test their knowledge of current events. It’s a little like a TV version of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.

Starts streaming February 15.

We Live in Time (2024)

If you’re in the mood for a tragic drama about doomed romance in the vein of The Notebook, this is the movie for you. Anchored by solid performances from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, We Live in Time takes risks with structure, jumping around in time to tell the story of Pugh’s character’s cancer diagnoses and her decision to skip treatment to live her last days as fully as possible instead. We Live in Time was produced by A24, a company that rarely misses.

Starts streaming February 7

The Takedown: American Aryans 

This HBO original docu-series details law enforcement’s battle with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a neo-Nazi street and prison gang responsible for dozens of murders and hundreds of other crimes, including the brutal killing of Breanna Taylor. Through interviews with cops, Taylor’s family, and members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, The Takedown: American Aryans examines the investigation, arrests, and trials that crippled the notorious criminal enterprise.

Starts streaming February 6.

We are the Best! (2014)

There are no recognizable actors in We are the Best! It was made for very little money in Sweden. Although it got good reviews, hardly anyone saw it—it barely broke a million dollars at the box office. It’s hard to explain why anyone would care about three twelve-year-olds in Stockholm starting a terrible punk rock band in 1982, but I promise you will care if you watch it. It captures something elusive and true about youth and hope in a way that few films ever have. Seriously, watch this movie.

Starts streaming February 1.

How I Left the Opus Dei 

I was brought up Catholic, but it was “try to go to church on Sunday because it makes your mom happy” style Catholicism, a world of the difference from the hardcore Catholics in Opus Dei: They mean it. Among other things, they sleep on boards instead of beds and are into “mortification of the flesh,” and not in a fun/kinky way. Anyway, How I Left Opus Dei is a docu-series that tells the story of 13 women who got sick of being abused and left the group. I’m definitely checking it out.

Starts streaming February 7

Puppy Bowl XXI

If you want a little break from the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles, you can switch over to HBO’s coverage of The Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday, and watch cute little puppies on Teams Ruff and Fluff play with dog toys and wrassle around with each other, totally unaware that they’re on TV and people are saying, “awwwwww.” Don’t miss the cat-centric halftime show, either.

Starts streaming February 9.

iPhone 16e Vs Android Phones: Benchmark Showdown, Testing Apple’s Mettle

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iPhone 16e Vs Android Phones: Benchmark Showdown, Testing Apple's Mettle
Apple recently put its budget-minded iPhone SE lineup out to pasture while simultaneously increasing the cost floor of its historically $429 entry level smartphone lineup to a loftier $599 price point. The new baseline is the iPhone 16e, and it also marks the first time an iPhone has hit the market with the company’s own 5G modem technology.