Intel is selling off its majority share in chip-maker Altera as part of its new CEO’s first steps toward stabilizing the company. The 51 percent stake sold today for $4.46 billion in a deal that is expected to close in the second half of this year. “Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to sharpening our focus, lowering our expense structure and strengthening our balance sheet,” CEO Lip-Bu Tan said of the sale.

Altera makes field programmable gate array chips, which are often used to power retro gaming hardware such as the Analogue consoles. The company’s other products have applications ranging from military to telecom sectors. Intel acquired Altera in 2015 for a hefty $16.7 billion, which means its current valuation has taken quite a dive since that purchase. However the sale should still provide some cash flow to Intel at a critical juncture.

Tan was appointed Intel’s CEO in March, following the departure of Pat Gelsinger as the company’s top exec. He is expected to help change course for the company following a long string of poor decisions, and from the start of his appointment, it seemed likely that Intel would see some streamlining of its business.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/intel-is-selling-off-a-majority-stake-in-chip-maker-altera-for-446-billion-205015269.html?src=rss

Several crosswalk buttons in Palo Alto and nearby cities were hacked over the weekend to play deepfake-style satirical audio clips mimicking Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Authorities have disabled the altered systems, but the identity of the prankster remains unknown. SFGATE reports: Videos of the altered crosswalks began circulating on social media throughout Saturday and Sunday. […] A city employee was the first to report an issue with one of the signals at University Avenue and High Street in downtown Palo Alto, Horrigan-Taylor told SFGATE via email. Officials later discovered that as many as 12 intersections in downtown Palo Alto had been affected.

“The impact is isolated,” Horrigan-Taylor said. “Signal operations are otherwise unaffected, and motorists are reminded to always exercise caution around pedestrians.” Officials told the outlet they’ve removed any devices that were tampered with and the compromised voice-over systems have since been disabled, with footage obtained by SFGATE showing several were covered in caution tape, blinking constantly and unpressable.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

In one way or another, the Lunar Gateway has lingered around the periphery of NASA’s human exploration program since the Obama administration.

Back then, the elements that eventually coalesced into the Gateway were geared toward a nebulous initiative to capture a small asteroid and reposition it closer to Earth. Under direction from the first Trump administration, NASA ditched the asteroid idea and repackaged the concept to become a mini-space station in orbit around the Moon.

NASA officials justified the Lunar Gateway program by highlighting its utility as a staging point or safe haven for astronauts traveling to and from the surface of the Moon. Crews could launch from Earth and travel to the Moon’s vicinity inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft, connect with the Gateway, and then float into their lunar lander already docked with the outpost.

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Meta said the company plans to start using data collected from its users in the European Union to train its AI systems. Engadget reports: Starting this week, the tech giant will begin notifying Europeans through email and its family of apps of the fact, with the message set to include an explanation of the kind of data it plans to use as part of the training. Additionally, the notification will link out to a form users can complete to opt out of the process. “We have made this objection form easy to find, read, and use, and we’ll honor all objection forms we have already received, as well as newly submitted ones,” says Meta.

The company notes it will only use data it collects from public posts and Meta AI interactions for training purposes. It won’t use private messages in its training sets, nor any interactions, public or otherwise, made by users under the age of 18. As for why the company wants to start using EU data now, it claims the information will allow it to fine tune its future models to better serve Europeans. “We believe we have a responsibility to build AI that’s not just available to Europeans, but is actually built for them. That’s why it’s so important for our generative AI models to be trained on a variety of data so they can understand the incredible and diverse nuances and complexities that make up European communities,” Meta states.

“That means everything from dialects and colloquialisms, to hyper-local knowledge and the distinct ways different countries use humor and sarcasm on our products. This is particularly important as AI models become more advanced with multi-modal functionality, which spans text, voice, video, and imagery.”

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Razer, maker of green-hued gaming hardware and accessories, has entered the game-streaming space with its new—but not entirely new—app, PC Remote Play. It’s based on very good existing streaming tech and makes connecting a PC to mobile devices fairly simple. It’s worth checking out unless you have a hard-and-fast policy about avoiding software “utilities” from RGB-obsessed gaming companies.

That, or you’re already using and comfortable with Moonlight. Moonlight and Sunshine are the open source game-streaming client and server that wonderfully picked up where Nvidia’s Gamestream left off. PC Remote Play is based on Moonstream’s open source code, and Razer has made much of its own version’s code available.

You’re getting a few small upgrades when using PC Remote Play:

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It’s a well documented fact that skulls make everything cooler. As you may or may not know, I’m somewhat of a skull collector myself. I don’t actually own any real ones, but I’m not foolish enough to keep evidence after battling a mortal enemy to the death. Please don’t put me on a list. These are the skull themed kitchen utensils available from Suck UK. Constructed of stainless steel, they’re available individually in (from left to right) sugar spoon, pickle fork, bar spoon, serving spoon, spatula, and tongs. They’re all $15 except the sugar spoon, which is $8. I only bought the sugar spoon because it’s all I can afford and I’m going to complain about the dribbling every time I try to eat cereal with it, which will be at least three times a day (I’m a huge cereal guy).

The Trump administration’s tariffs are having swift and serious consequences on global markets. Companies are pausing sales to the United States, while others are thinking about price increases to compensate for the added tariff fees. Combine that instability with inflation and other financial insecurities, and it’s a tough time for economies everywhere.

Unfortunately, these increased costs of doing business don’t usually end up benefitting the consumer. In fact, quite the opposite: We end up eating the extra cost. Such is the case with the PlayStation 5. Depending on where you live, it’s now more expensive than ever—despite being more than four years old.

PS5 prices are going up

In a Sunday post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony announced that SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment) made the decision to bump the MSRP for the PS5 in “select markets.” That includes Europe, Middle East and Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. (However, Sony did not specify price increases for its Middle East and Africa markets.) The company did not mention tariffs as part of its reasoning, and, to that point, spared the U.S. from a price increase—as well as the rest of North America.

These are not incremental price increases, either. Australia, for example, gets a AUD $100 increase on the Digital Edition PS5, while its standard PS5 is now above AUD $800. I suppose the small silver lining is Sony reduced the price of the Disc Drive accessory in these markets, but I doubt that will come as too much comfort for affected consumers here:

Here’s what the PS5 now costs in these regions:

Europe

• PS5 Digital Edition: €499.99 (€50 increase)

• Disc Drive: €79.99 (€40 decrease)

UK

• PS5 Digital Edition: £429.99 (£40 increase)

• Disc Drive: £69.99 (£30 decrease)

Australia

• PS5 Digital Edition: AUD $749.95 (AUD $100 increase)

• PS5 with disc drive: AUD $829.95 (AUD $30 increase)

• Disc Drive: AUD $124.95 (AUD $30 decrease)

New Zealand

• PS5 Digital Edition: NZD $859.95 (NZD $90 increase)

• PS5 with disc drive: NZD $949.95 (NZD $50 increase)

• Disc Drive: NZD $135.95 (NZD $30 decrease)

Could the U.S. be next?

It’s definitely possible. The U.S. under the Trump administration is roiling global markets with inconsistent and severe tariffs. If Sony finds they’re on the hook for importing PS5 units into the U.S., they very well may pass the increased costs onto American consumers.

Experts believe the situation could go either way. Christopher Dring of The Game Business thinks Sony won’t increase PS5 prices in the U.S. even if they’re affected by tariffs. Dring believes Sony wants to “protect” the U.S. market, and, as such, is willing to increase global prices instead. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games thinks the opposite, that Sony will likely raise prices and soon, as the timing is “right.”

The Li-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric cars are usually packed in rigid, sealed enclosures that prevent stresses from damaging their components and keep air from coming into contact with their flammable and toxic electrolytes. It’s hard to use batteries like this in soft robots or wearables, so a team of scientists at the University California, Berkeley built a flexible, non-toxic, jelly-like battery that could survive bending, twisting, and even cutting with a razor.

While flexible batteries using hydrogel electrolytes have been achieved before, they came with significant drawbacks. “All such batteries could [only] operate [for] a short time, sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days,” says Liwei Lin, a mechanical engineering professor at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study. The battery built by his team endured 500 complete charge cycles—about as many as the batteries in most smartphones are designed for.

Power in water

“Current-day batteries require a rigid package because the electrolyte they use is explosive, and one of the things we wanted to make was a battery that would be safe to operate without this rigid package,” Lin told Ars. Unfortunately, flexible packaging made of polymers or other stretchable materials can be easily penetrated by air or water, which will react with standard electrolytes, generating lots of heat, potentially resulting in fires and explosions. This is why, back in 2017, scientists started to experiment with quasi-solid-state hydrogel electrolytes.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from DefenseScoop: NATO announced Monday that it has awarded a contract to Palantir to adopt its Maven Smart System for artificial intelligence-enabled battlefield operations. Through the contract, which was finalized March 25, the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) plans to use a version of the AI system — Maven Smart System NATO — to support the transatlantic military organization’s Allied Command Operations strategic command. NATO plans to use the system to provide “a common data-enabled warfighting capability to the Alliance, through a wide range of AI applications — from large language models (LLMs) to generative and machine learning,” it said in a release, ultimately enhancing “intelligence fusion and targeting, battlespace awareness and planning, and accelerated decision-making.” […] NATO’s Allied Command Operations will begin using Maven within the next 30 days, the organization said Monday, adding that it hopes that using it will accelerate further adoption of emerging AI capabilities. Palantir said the contract “was one of the most expeditious in [its] history, taking only six months from outlining the requirement to acquiring the system.”

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Starting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust trial Monday with a bang, Daniel Matheson, the FTC’s lead litigator, flagged a “smoking gun”—a 2012 email where Mark Zuckerberg suggested that Facebook could buy Instagram to “neutralize a potential competitor,” The New York Times reported.

And in “another banger of an email from Zuckerberg,” Brendan Benedict, an antitrust expert monitoring the trial for Big Tech on Trial, posted on X that the Meta CEO wrote, “Messenger isn’t beating WhatsApp. Instagram was growing so much faster than us that we had to buy them for $1 billion… that’s not exactly killing it.”

These messages and others, the FTC hopes to convince the court, provide evidence that Zuckerberg runs Meta by the mantra “it’s better to buy than compete”—seemingly for more than a decade intent on growing the Facebook empire by killing off rivals, allegedly in violation of antitrust law. Another message from Zuckerberg exhibited at trial, Benedict noted on X, suggests Facebook tried to buy yet another rival, Snapchat, for $6 billion.

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With Tax Day 2025 finally here, many of us are pressed for time to file our returns. You might be wondering, “Hey, what if I just… don’t pay my taxes at all?” And you’re not alone in this line of thinking. But even if you can’t pay right now, you absolutely want to file before the deadline.

Fortunately, the IRS offers taxpayers an easy way to get more time: by filing for an extension. Let’s take a look at how to properly request an extension, what it means for your tax obligations, and important considerations to avoid penalties.

What a tax extension actually gives you

Let’s start with a critical point: A tax extension grants you additional time to file your tax return, not additional time to pay any taxes you owe. More specifically:

• You get six more months to complete and submit your tax forms (until Oct. 15, 2025).

• You still must estimate and pay any taxes due by April 15, 2025.

• An extension helps you avoid the failure-to-file penalty, which is much more severe than the failure-to-pay penalty.

Anyone can request an extension for any reason—whether you’re missing documentation, traveling, or simply need more time to organize your finances. You don’t need a “good reason” or to submit any explanation. Plus, filing an extension does not increase your chances of being audited. The IRS treats extended returns the same as timely filed returns.

How to file for an extension

You have a few options to secure that six-month extension.

Option 1: File Form 4868

The official way to request an extension is by submitting IRS Form 4868, “Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.”

1. Download Form 4868 from the IRS website.

2. Complete the form with your personal information.

3. Estimate your total tax liability for 2024.

4. Determine if you owe any remaining tax.

5. Submit the form by April 15, 2025, along with payment for any estimated taxes due.

The form is relatively straightforward and requires basic information like your name, address, Social Security number, and estimated tax figures.

Option 2: Electronic filing

You can also file for an extension electronically. The IRS Free File program offers an extension here. Commercial tax softwares, like TurboTax and H&R Block, should also have “File an extension” options on their sites. Electronic filing offers confirmation that your extension request was received and processed.

Option 3: Payment method as extension request

If you’ll be making a payment, you can get an extension without filing Form 4868. Let’s say you make a payment through the IRS Direct Pay system, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), or using your credit/debit card through an approved payment processor. When using these methods, indicate the payment is for an extension, and the IRS will automatically process an extension for your filing.

Estimating your tax liability

The challenging part of filing an extension is estimating your tax liability when you don’t have all your documentation ready. To tackle this, some strategies include:

1. Use last year’s return as a baseline, adjusting for major changes in income or deductions.

2. Gather whatever documents you do have (W-2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements) and make a best-effort calculation.

3. When in doubt, overestimate rather than underestimate (you’ll get any overpayment back as a refund).

And going forward, I recommend you start using a spreadsheet to track all your tax-related information throughout the year. I’ve created a basic template to get you started here. The purpose is to create a handy archive of all your tax records in one spot, making it much easier to file on time next year.

State tax extensions

Most states grant automatic extensions if you’ve received a federal extension, but rules vary widely. Key points:

• Some states require their own extension forms

• Many states have different deadlines than the federal extension

• Some states require payment of estimated taxes with the extension request

Check with your state’s tax agency for specific requirements.

Special situations

Filing for an extension typically means an automatic Oct. 15 deadline, except in some specific circumstances.

Americans living abroad

U.S. citizens living abroad automatically receive a two-month extension until June 15 without filing a formal request. (Filing Form 4868 extends this deadline to Oct. 15.)

Military personnel in combat zones

If you’re serving in a combat zone, you receive an automatic extension for both filing and paying for the duration of your service plus 180 days.

Disaster victims

The IRS often provides special extensions for taxpayers affected by federally declared disasters. Check the IRS website for announcements if you’ve been impacted.

What happens if you still miss the extended deadline

If you obtain an extension but still fail to file by Oct. 15, you’re in a tough spot. From here, the failure-to-file penalty starts accruing. That means 5% of unpaid taxes per month, up to 25%. You may lose the ability to make certain elections on your tax return, and you risk losing any unclaimed refund if you wait more than three years to file.

The bottom line

Filing an extension is a straightforward process that can save you from significant penalties if you need more time. Remember these key points:

1. File Form 4868 or make an extension-related payment by April 15.

2. Pay your estimated tax liability by April 15 to avoid failure-to-pay penalties.

3. Complete your actual tax return by Oct. 15.

An extension gives you breathing room to file an accurate tax return rather than rushing and potentially making costly errors. If you’re not ready to file by Tax Day, taking a few minutes now to request an extension is a smart financial move that can save you from much larger penalties down the road.