In 1979, Atari released the Atari 400 and 800, groundbreaking home computers that included custom graphics and sound chips, four joystick ports, and the ability to run the most advanced home video games of their era. These machines, which retailed for $549 and $999, respectively, represented a leap in consumer-friendly personal computing, with their modular design and serial I/O bus that presaged USB. Now, 46 years later, a hobbyist has shrunk down the system hardware to a size that would have seemed like science fiction in the 1970s.

Polish engineer Piotr “Osa” Ostapowicz recently unveiled “Atarino,” which may be the world’s smallest 8-bit Atari computer re-creation, according to retro computing site Atariteca. The entire system—processor, graphics chips, sound hardware, and memory controllers—fits on a module measuring just 2×1.5 centimeters (about 0.79×0.59 inches), which is roughly the size of a postage stamp.

Ostapowicz’s creation reimplements the classic Atari XL/XE architecture using modern FPGA (field-programmable gate array) technology. Unlike software emulators that simulate old hardware (and modern recreations that run them, like the Atari 400 Mini console) on a complete computer system of another architecture, Atarino reproduces the original Atari components faithfully at the logic level, allowing it to run vintage software while maintaining compatibility with original peripherals.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Latin Times: A once-hyped AI startup backed by Microsoft has filed for bankruptcy after it was revealed that its so-called artificial intelligence was actually hundreds of human workers in India pretending to be chatbots. Builder.ai, a London-based company previously valued at $1.5 billion, marketed its platform as an AI-powered solution that made building apps as simple as ordering pizza. Its virtual assistant, “Natasha,” was supposed to generate software using artificial intelligence. In reality, nearly 700 engineers in India were manually coding customer requests behind the scenes, the Times of India reported.

The ruse began to collapse in May when lender Viola Credit seized $37 million from the company’s accounts, uncovering that Builder.ai had inflated its 2024 revenue projections by 300%. An audit revealed the company generated just $50 million in revenue, far below the $220 million it claimed to investors. A Wall Street Journal report from 2019 had already questioned Builder.ai’s AI claims, and a former executive sued the company that same year for allegedly misleading investors and overstating its technical capabilities. Despite that, the company raised over $445 million from big names including Microsoft and the Qatar Investment Authority. Builder.ai’s collapse has triggered a federal investigation in the U.S., with prosecutors in New York requesting financial documents and customer records.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Everyone knows that a lottery is a tax on people who can’t do math—your odds of ever winning are laughably low. That doesn’t stop a lot of people from playing, whether it’s the occasional scratcher for fun or an organized effort to win a billion bucks or so.

But a lottery is just a system of collecting entry fees and awarding a prize—a price that doesn’t have to be money. Sometimes the best and most equitable way to award something, sell something, or give access to something is a lottery, because it leaves everything up to chance, removing bias—and because it can actually be a more profitable way to transfer property than through a straightforward sale. Here are some of the coolest lotteries where you won’t win any cash.

Liquor

You might not think you’d need a lottery to buy whiskey, a product that’s available in most places at relatively reasonable prices. But what about rare and expensive whiskies? A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Years Old will run you thousands of dollars at a store, for example—but this year the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board holds a lottery of limited-release whiskies, and the 2025 lottery included the chance to buy a bottle for just $400.

Other states have similar lotteries for rare liquors—Ohio holds an annual Bottle Lottery in the fall, and the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority holds one every year as well. These lotteries aren’t restricted to whiskey—tequilas and other spirits are often included—but they all operate similarly: Winners get the chance to purchase extremely rare and pricey bottles at heavy discounts.

A house

If you’ve thought about buying a house recently, you may have noticed that they are a bit expensive—housing prices have risen 30% in five years, on average. One solution might be to win a house in a lottery.

This is a thing that actually happens. Recently, a woman in Ireland put her house up in a lottery using the site Raffall.com. She charged people $7 per ticket, figuring she’d actually make more from ticket sales than she would from a traditional sale—and it seems to have worked, as an American woman won the lottery, and the house.

Other house lotteries pop up from time to time—the CHEO Foundation holds an annual lottery that includes a “dream home,” for example, and in some communities, lotteries are being used to help people afford houses. In Uniondale, N.Y., for example, the Uniondale Community Land Trust uses a lottery to sell houses in the town—though the house isn’t free. The final price tag is determined by the lottery winner’s income, though it’s expected to be about one-third of market value. And Newark, N.J. recently held a lottery to sell homes for just $1.

Fireflies

If you’ve never lived in an area where fireflies thrive—or if you live in an area where the fireflies have vanished—you know how cool they are. If you want the chance to see some truly spectacular firefly displays out in nature, however, you’ll need to enter a lottery to win the chance.

Every year some national parks hold lotteries to grant a limited number of people access to prime firefly viewing. The Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing Lottery is held every year for dates in late May and early June when the bugs’ mating season is in high gear. Similarly, Congaree National Park hosts firefly events around the same time of year. Access to both events is granted through a lottery.

Some state parks are getting in on the firefly action as well—this year Lamar Alexander Rocky Form State Park in Tennessee launched its own lottery to view nature’s tiny light show.

Outdoor activities

Keeping our natural wonders clean and well-maintained typically means restricting access. Too many visitors to national parks and protected wilderness areas leads to erosion, damage, and pollution. Since the best way to lessen the damage is to restrict the number of people with access, lotteries are often used to limit access in an equitable way. A few examples of outdoor activities you won’t be able to experience unless you win a lottery include:

• The challenging Half Dome hike in Yosemite National Park requires a permit you can only get via lottery.

• Rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon can only be done if you get a permit via lottery.

• Hiking the Left Form North Creek (aka the Subway Hike) canyon requires winning a seasonal lottery.

You can check recreation.gov for open lotteries if you don’t have a specific plan in mind; if something is managed via lottery, it’s probably pretty special.

Broadway shows

Broadway Shows remain an exciting experience for both native New Yorkers and tourists—and an expensive one. The average ticket price for a Broadway show is about $119, and nothing is getting any cheaper. Even if you live in or near New York, the cost of seeing a show could easily be $1,000 depending on how many people are going and other details.

If that’s too rich for your blood, you can always try the lottery. Individual shows frequently hold ticket lotteries (Hamilton is probably one of the best-known, offering $10 tickets to all performances), so doing a little research on the shows you want to see might reveal a chance to win. The site Broadway Direct maintains a listing of open lotteries you can enter as well.

Winning a lottery is always a thrill—but since winning huge amounts of money isn’t the slam dunk of happiness and problem-solving you might think it is, winning a non-cash prize in one of these lotteries is probably a better experience.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney anticipated his company’s battle with Apple would create “fireworks,” but he never expected Fortnite to disappear from the iOS App Store for nearly five years. When Epic deliberately violated App Store rules in 2020 by inserting its own payment system into Fortnite, Sweeney thought the resulting legal clash would be brief. “I had actually hoped that we would get an injunction against Apple blocking Fortnite and that we’d only be off for a few weeks,” Sweeney told The Verge. “But the court process dragged out, and we were off for five years.”

Fortnite returned to iOS last month and has quickly reclaimed its position as the top free game in the App Store, accumulating roughly 10 million downloads since May 20th. The game now offers players a choice between Epic’s payment system, which provides 20% back in Epic Rewards, and Apple’s traditional in-app purchase system. About 60% of users have chosen Apple’s system while 40% have opted for Epic’s alternative, according to Sweeney. He expects that ratio to shift toward Epic’s system as more players associate payment methods with their Epic accounts.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

In a modified version of the Stanford marshmallow experiment (in which children were told they would receive a second marshmallow if they could avoid eating a first for a certain period of time), researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory at the University of Chicago have determined that cuttlefish can pass delayed gratification tests. This puts them in the ranks of humans and other primates, dogs, and some birds. Of course the experiment’s design seems flawed to me because they used a piece of far less desirable raw shrimp as the instant gratification reward, and a much more appetizing live shrimp as the delayed gratification reward. What cuttlefish wouldn’t be more attracted to a dinner that’s still moving? This isn’t hibachi, the chef isn’t about to flip a piece of shrimp into my mom’s hair. Also, just for the record, I have zero tolerance for delayed gratification. I will eat that first marshmallow as soon as you set it down and fight you for the second while I’m chewing.

If you have your PayPal account linked to your Google Wallet for purchases, you need to update your payment method ASAP. Google is ending its support for PayPal integration, and users in the U.S. will see their PayPal accounts and transaction histories deleted from their digital wallets on June 13.

That means that Google Wallet users will need to replace PayPal with an alternative payment method. If you have recurring payments, such as subscriptions, set up with a linked PayPal account, you’ll also need to go to the individual merchant site to manually update your payment information.

Connecting PayPal to Google Wallet allowed users to maintain and manage their cards and bank accounts centrally in PayPal rather than separately in their digital wallets. Google had already stopped new PayPal links as of April 11, though users were still able to pay via previously connected PayPal accounts from their Google Wallet.

Note that Google Wallet will support PayPal-branded debit cards, and full PayPal integration will still be available for Google Wallet users in Germany.

How to update your payment method in Google Wallet

To continue using Google Wallet after the PayPal integration ends, you need to have at least one credit or debit card added to your Google account.

To add a card, open the Google Wallet app and tap Add to Wallet at the bottom of the screen. Tap Payment card > New credit or debit card and either add the card information manually or use your camera to do so automatically. Tap Save and continue > Accept after reading the issuer terms and conditions. You may need to verify the payment method—via email, text, bank app, or temporary deposit, for example—to complete the link.

Alternatively, you can add cards from your bank’s app or website if “Add to GPay” is supported.

Reddit will now allow its users to do something it never before has permitted: to selectively “curate” their public-facing profiles by hiding some of their posting and commenting activity from other users.

Up to now, Reddit has included users’ full commenting and posting activity in profiles. So while most users are anonymous, others could easily check out their post history and see what communities they’re active in. The feature, which many users see as a key part of Reddit’s openness, has helped Redditors ferret out trolling, lying and numerous other types of bad (or merely embarrassing) behavior on the platform.

With the update, however, Reddit users will be able to “curate” their profile. The additional control will allow people to hide all their public posts and comments from their profile or hide public posts and comments in specific subreddits from their profiles. There is also a “NSFW” toggle, which would hide posts and comments in NSFW subreddits. The setting won’t hide a comment or post in the subreddit where it originally appeared, but it won’t be visible on a user’s profile.

The company notes that there will be some carveouts to these settings for moderators, who may rely on users’ past activity to suss out rule-breakers or decide who is eligible to join their community. “If you post, comment, send modmail, request to be an approved poster, or request to join a private subreddit, that mod team will have access to your full profile content history for 28 days after the interaction – regardless of your settings,” Reddit says in an FAQ.

Reddit

Despite that concession, many Redditors aren’t exactly happy about the changes, which could alter some of the core dynamics of the platform. “This seems like it’s going to lead to bad actors being able to more easily hide their behavior from the average user,” one of the most-upvoted comments on Reddit’s post says. “Unless you’re a mod, you won’t be able to see that they’re posting inflammatory misinformation across a dozen different subs, for instance.”

Others have noted the feature also means that creating an alt or throwaway account is somewhat less necessary, as it’s easier to hide posts you don’t want linked to your presence on the app. While that may be an added convenience for some, it also raises questions about the company’s approach to making new accounts. During the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Steve Huffman suggested that Reddit was considering ways to “evolve” its “historically permissive account creation” process. Huffman didn’t elaborate on what that may look like, but said changes would be necessary to fight AI-powered “abuse or manipulation” of the platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-will-let-you-hide-posts-comments-and-nsfw-activity-from-your-public-profile-191956773.html?src=rss

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This year, Global Running Day is on June 4. Like most unofficial holidays, it is a day not only about celebrating our shared love of running—it’s also an excuse for brands to roll out deals and promotions on everything from shoes, to gear, to race registrations.

Whether you’re a beginner looking for your first real pair of running shoes or a veteran runner planning your next big race, it’s worth checking out the sales and discounts on offer before you stock up on gear or register for that half-marathon. I’ve scoured the web for this year’s best deals, found below, so you can celebrate Global Running Day with a fatter wallet (just don’t let it weigh you down during your next run).

Race registration deals for Global Running Day 2025

You might think you’ll never get into running organized races. I was like you, once: a casual runner who scoffed at the idea of paying money to run. Then I was coerced into running a 5k for charity. Then I experienced the high of crossing the finish line. Now, six marathons later, I understand why people budget races into their life. Because once you enter the world of racing, costs can quickly add up.

If you want to save on signup fees, Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series is hosting a 24-hour sale on race registrations, and offering some of the best prices of the year. These aren’t just any races—Rock ‘n’ Roll events are known for their incredible atmosphere, live music on the course, and post-race celebrations that make crossing the finish line even sweeter.

The timing couldn’t be better if you’re looking to sign up for a fall marathon or half-marathon. These races typically sell out, and with savings that can reach up to $130 off regular pricing, it’s worth checking out their destination events if you’re planning a run-cation. Think locales like Las Vegas, San Diego, Nashville, and Washington D.C. The sale starts June 4 at 12 a.m. PT.

The best Global Running Day sales on running shoes and gear

As someone who goes through two to three pairs of running shoes per year, I’ve learned to time my purchases well. I’ve done some digging, and can report there are significant discounts taking place in the running world right now, even if the shoe sales aren’t always explicitly tied to Global Running Day.

Running shoe sales

I’m a huge advocate for Saucony in general, and specifically the Ride 18 model, so I always speak up when they’re on sale. Light, soft, and responsive, these were my shoes of choice when I ran the NYC Marathon in 2023, and you can find them for a good discount at the moment.

Saucony Women’s Ride 18

$139.95
at Amazon

$139.95
at Amazon

Saucony Men’s Ride 18

$139.95
at Amazon

$139.95
at Amazon

Alternately, the HOKA Clifton 10 is perfect for runners seeking a comfortable running shoe that seamlessly transitions to casual wear. Right now, they are available for as low as $147.86 (women’s) and $149.18 (men’s).

Sales on running gear and Garmin fitness watches

Speaking of Hoka, their site has a “Global Running Day “tag filled with offers on shoes, shirts, and caps. Amazon similarly has a Global Running Day sale, and although it’s skimpy, it does feature a selection of lightweight shoes available for under $100.

There are also solid deals on running watches right now—specifically the Garmin Forerunners, aka the best dedicated running watches on the market. Here are the strongest deals I’ve seen as of this writing:

• The Forerunner 265 is $349.99 (down from $449.99)

• The Forerunner 255 is $299 (down from $399.99)

• The Forerunner 955 is $369.99 (down from $499.99)

Garmin Forerunner 265

$349.99
at Amazon

$449.99
Save $100.00

$349.99
at Amazon

$449.99
Save $100.00

Digital motivation and community

I do this one every year: Visit globalrunningday.org to sign up for the official NYRR Virtual Global Running Day 5K so you can “run with the world.” There’s something incredibly motivating about knowing runners across the globe are lacing up their shoes for the same celebration. Plus, it feels good to be part of all those names on the Strava leaderboard.

You can run the virtual 5K anywhere, anytime between May 31 and June 8. Race results will be available on the NYRR Results site and in your NYRR dashboard by Thursday, June 12.

My shopping strategy for maximizing my savings on running gear

Having navigated countless running sales over the years, I want to share my approach for scoring a deal: prioritize shoes first (they’re your most important and expensive piece of gear), then look for discounts on upcoming races you want to register for, and finally browse deals for gear and other items you’ve been putting off purchasing. In general, keep an eye out for curated packages from specialty running stores—they often provide great value and introduce you to products you might not have discovered otherwise.

Don’t get caught up in buying something just because it’s on sale. Stick to brands and models you’ve researched or used and loved before. The key is knowing what you need and acting quickly—the best deals tend to sell out fast, especially in popular sizes and colors. Set those alarms for early morning shopping, just like you would for a long training run.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some online shopping to do before I head out to log my Global Running Day miles.

Microsoft cut hundreds more jobs just weeks after its largest layoff in years, underscoring the tech industry’s efforts to trim costs even as it plows billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. From a report: More than 300 employees were told their positions had been eliminated on Monday, according to a Washington state notice reviewed by Bloomberg.

The cuts impacted a range of positions, including software engineers, marketers, product managers, lawyers and research scientists, a state document showed. A Microsoft spokesperson said the latest headcount reduction is in addition to the 6,000 job cuts announced last month.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Splitgate 2 will officially launch on June 6, after what must’ve been a successful beta. It’ll be available on a whole bunch of platforms, including PC via Epic, Windows and Steam. The game will also be playable on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It’s free, with optional in-game purchases.

As the name suggests, this is a sequel to the extremely popular 2021 arena shooter. Both the original and its sequel offer a fun gameplay hook. Players can create and jump through portals to surprise enemies or to traverse locations quickly. Otherwise, it’s a first-person shooter, so imagine a nice combination of Quake with, well, Portal.

There’s a new trailer to commemorate the official launch, which zeroes in on the story. Developer 1047 Games promises there will be a “metric ton of maps, weapons and modes” on June 6. It has also announced that any progression made during the beta period will carry over to the full release. Version 1.0 will include a map creator and “so much more.”

To that end, the dev team says there’s “one surprise left in store.” This will be revealed at Summer Game Fest, so stay tuned. The first Splitgate was a legit phenomenon, with over 10 million beta downloads before it was officially released.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/splitgate-2-will-exit-its-beta-and-get-an-official-release-on-june-6-185839801.html?src=rss

Senate Democrats are pleading with the Trump administration to stop delaying distribution of $42 billion in grants for construction of broadband networks in areas with poor Internet access.

The Biden administration spent about three years developing rules and procedures for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) fund and then evaluating plans submitted by each US state and territory. Republicans repeatedly alleged that Democrats should have distributed the grants more quickly, but the Trump administration halted progress after taking over.

“States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started… Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind,” Senate Democrats wrote in a May 30 letter to President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The letter was sent by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).

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If you’re still waiting on access to Google’s AI-driven Ask Photos feature, you’ll need to hold tight a little longer. Jamie Aspinall, a product manager for Google Photos, chimed in to a conversation on X to address some complaints about the feature. “Ask Photos isn’t where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality and ux,” Aspinall wrote. He said the rollout was being paused “at very small numbers” and that a new version of Ask Photos is slated to ship in about two weeks.

Ask Photos was introduced at last year’s I/O conference and began select early access availability in September. The feature uses the Gemini AI chatbot to find images from a photo library based on natural language queries.

As with so many tech giants, Google’s implementation of AI-powered features to its services has hit several snags. The AI Overviews feature in search had a notoriously bad introduction to users and its image-generation tool offered some baffling results at launch. Google has also seen critiques from former leaders and current employees about its approach to artificial intelligence.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-has-paused-the-ask-photos-rollout-182409437.html?src=rss

T-Mobile announced Tuesday it will expand its fiber internet service to more than 500,000 households nationwide, offering three symmetrical speed tiers with five-year price locks starting June 5th. The plans range from 500 Mbps at $80 monthly to 2 Gbps at $110 monthly, with $5 autopay discounts for debit card payments. The expansion follows T-Mobile’s joint venture with fiber provider Lumos and its pending Metronet acquisition, positioning the wireless carrier to reach 12 to 15 million households by 2030 as it challenges AT&T and Verizon’s multibillion-dollar fiber investments.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

There’s a new tactical RPG coming down the pike, and it’s a doozy. Never’s End has a retro look that’s sure to please fans of iconic titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and boasts a fantastic pedigree. Masayoshi Nishimura, from Octopath Traveler, is on character design duties and the rapper/multi-instrumentalist Doseone made the soundtrack. He previously composed the music for Enter the Gungeon.

Indie developer Hypersect is making the game. It previously developed the creative puzzler Inversus, which ended up becoming a sleeper hit. The company hopes this will be something more than a clone of Tactics Ogre or the aforementioned Final Fantasy Tactics. Founder Ryan Juckett says that Never’s End was also inspired by the freeform gameplay of stuff like Divinity: Original Sin 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

To that end, the game features an open world and plenty of creative ways for players to tackle turn-based battles. The battle grids can be transformed via elemental magic. Players can drain rivers in the middle of a battle, for the purposes of navigation, or melt the ground to turn it into lava. Enemies can be frozen or set aflame. The company promises that “every battleground is unique, challenging you to find new ways to use magic and shift the odds in your favor.”

Hypersect

Customization seems to be the order of the day here. Players can “upgrade towns, temples and other locations to build businesses, establish trade routes, and recruit new companions.” As the story progresses, these locations will attract a growing community of weaponsmiths, tavern keepers, tanneries, logging camps and more.” Characters can also team up to unleash “tactical synergies.” Check out the trailer. It looks pretty fun.

Never’s End comes out in late 2025. It’ll be available for PlayStation consoles and PC via Steam. We don’t have a price yet but it can already be wishlisted on Steam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nevers-end-is-a-retro-tactical-rpg-with-a-fantastic-pedigree-180020441.html?src=rss