NYSE Eyes 24/7 Tokenized Stock Trading With Weekend Access and Same-Day Settlement

BrianFagioli writes: The New York Stock Exchange, owned by Intercontinental Exchange, is developing a platform for trading tokenized versions of U.S. listed stocks and ETFs around the clock, pending regulatory approval. The system would combine the NYSE’s existing matching engine with blockchain-based settlement, enabling 24×7 trading, instant settlement, and fractional share purchases priced in dollar amounts. Shares would remain fully regulated securities, with dividends and voting rights intact, rather than cryptocurrencies, even though the backend would run on blockchain-style infrastructure.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Take‑Two CEO Responds To Plea For Terminally Ill Fan To Play GTA 6 Early

Take‑Two CEO Responds To Plea For Terminally Ill Fan To Play GTA 6 Early
Life can be wildly unfair and at times immensely sad, but in a gracious act of kindness, Take-Two Interactive may be putting pieces in motion to allow a terminally ill gamer stricken with cancer to playtest Grand Theft Auto VI long before it comes out. While nothing has been confirmed, the latest update to a now-deleted LinkedIn post on behalf

Sigma’s new radar-equipped smart light has emergency braking function for maximum safety

Sigma’s new Reco 81 Link smart light has a built-in radar that can detect up to eight vehicles at a range of 140 meters.

The rear smart bike light, released last month, also features a brake light function that recognises when you’re decelerating and has an emergency function that lets other road users know when you’ve slammed on the anchors.

Sigma says the radar technology ensures approaching vehicles do not overlook you, with a bright warning light signalling to motorists that they are approaching a cyclist.

Sigma Reco 81 Link with computer
The Reco 81 Link should be compatible with a wide range of cycling computers. Sigma

Like other radar bike lights, the Reco 81 Link connects to your cycling computer to notify you of any cars coming up from the rear.

Sigma says all bike computers with an ANT+ radar profile are compatible with the light, with a BLE connection used to connect to the Sigma Ride App for updates and status display.

While the brand doesn’t list the lumens of the light, it says it can be seen up to 500m away.

Sigma Reco 81 Link on bike
Sigma doesn’t say how bright the light is. Sigma

There are six light modes, with varying intensity and battery life – with the High mode said to last around 15 hours and the Eco Mode up to 27 hours.

You can also use the Reco 81 Link exclusively as a radar, where battery life increases to 30 hours.

The light charges via USB-C and is IP67 certified, meaning it should stand up to wet rides.

The Reco 81 Link is priced at €179.95.

Best Buy Winter Sales Event Delivers Deals On OLED TVs, Gaming PCs And More

Best Buy Winter Sales Event Delivers Deals On OLED TVs, Gaming PCs And More
It’s cold out there in parts of the country, but do you know what really warms our heart? Yes, hot cocoa, but we’re also smitten with savings. If you are too, then do yourself a solid and check out Best Buy’s Winter Sale event, with deep discounts on a wide range of electronics, including OLED TVs, gaming PCs, headphones, and a whole lot more.
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Threads has more global daily users than X on mobile for the first time

Meta’s Threads is pulling further ahead of Elon Musk’s X on mobile, based on recent estimates from analytics firm Similarweb, Forbes reports. In the first stretch of January, Threads averaged roughly 143 million daily active users worldwide on mobile devices, compared with about 126 million for X.

Similarweb’s year-over-year snapshot shows Threads growing sharply, up 37.8 percent year-over-year, while X’s daily mobile audience fell 11.9 percent across the same period. The picture is more mixed in the US, where X still holds a narrow edge on mobile. Similarweb data puts X at about 21.2 million daily active US mobile users in early January versus roughly 19.5 million for Threads.

However, Threads’ US mobile usage has risen substantially faster over the past year, surging almost 42 percent to X’s 18 percent. X remains far larger on desktop, where it draws around 150 million daily users or visits worldwide, while Threads’ web presence sits at just 9 million.

Forbes also reported on Similarweb data for Bluesky, another competing text-based platform started by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Dorsey left the board in the summer of 2024, later telling Pirate Wires he believed Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes we made as a company,” in reference to Twitter. The social network opened registrations in 2024, and sits now with a daily mobile user base of 3.6 million, which Similarweb says is down 44.4 percent year-over-year.

X has found itself in hot water yet again over xAI’s Grok chatbot, which was altering pictures of women on the platform to create lewd images at the request of users without the consent of those pictured. In some cases, the chatbot also altered the images of underage girls. The uproar in response led the company to shut off image generation for nonsubscribers and place firmer guardrails on what types of images can be generated. The delayed action came after weeks of Grok creating tens of thousands of these images, and after the Attorney General of California launched an investigation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-has-more-global-daily-users-than-x-on-mobile-for-the-first-time-144936831.html?src=rss

IMF Warns Global Economic Resilience at Risk if AI Falters

The “surprisingly resilient” global economy is at risk of being disrupted by a sharp reversal in the AI boom, the IMF warned on Monday, as world leaders prepared for talks in the Swiss resort of Davos. From a report: Risks to global economic expansion were “tilted to the downside,” the fund said in an update to its World Economic Outlook, arguing that growth was reliant on a narrow range of drivers, notably the US technology sector and the associated equity boom.

Nonetheless, it predicted US growth would strongly outpace the rest of the G7 this year, forecasting an expansion of 2.4 per cent in 2026 and 2 per cent in 2027. Tech investment had surged to its highest share of US economic output since 2001, helping drive growth, the IMF found.

“There is a risk of a correction, a market correction, if expectations about AI gains in productivity and profitability are not realised,” said Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, IMF chief economist. “We’re not yet at the levels of market frothiness, if you want, that we saw in the dotcom period,” he added. “But nevertheless there are reasons to be somewhat concerned.”


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

ROG Gaming Phone And Zenfone Future In Doubt As ASUS Puts New Models On Ice

ROG Gaming Phone And Zenfone Future In Doubt As ASUS Puts New Models On Ice
ASUS is not planning to release any new smartphones this year, and may be exiting the mobile phone business altogether. That means no more new ROG Phone iterations (making the ROG Phone 9 we reviewed its last gaming handset) and no more premium Zenfone handsets (the last Zenfone model we reviewed was the Zenfone 9 in 2022).

News of the

China Birth Rate Falls To Lowest Since 1949

China’s birth rate fell to 5.6 per 1,000 people in 2025, the lowest figure since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, and the country’s total population contracted by 3.39 million, the sharpest decline since the Mao Zedong era. The drop marks the fourth straight year of population decline and comes despite government efforts to encourage childbearing, including subsidies of about $500 annually per child born on or after January 1, 2025.

Beijing has also imposed a 13% value-added tax on contraceptives this year. The government is betting on automation and productivity to offset the shrinking workforce — China already leads the world in robot installations — and President Xi Jinping has written that population policy must transition “from being mainly about regulating quantity to improving quality.”


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Schwalbe is “fully convinced” by 32in tyres – and not only for mountain bikes

The cycling industry seems to be grappling with new standards all the time, and the latest to cause a stir is 32in wheels.

Now tyre manufacturer Schwalbe has revealed it is “fully convinced” by the extra-large size and BikeRadar can reveal it will be releasing 32in tyres in 2027.

The tyre size has mostly been discussed in the world of mountain biking. Last year, Maxxis revealed 32in tyres at Eurobike and BMC athletes were spotted riding prototype 32in wheels. Then, in November, the UCI said the new size would be permitted in XC racing from 2026. 

During a presentation at the Velofollies tradeshow last week, Schwalbe’s product manager Jakob Maßen said the company would be introducing 32in tyres “for nearly all cycling categories”. 

On display at Schwalbe’s stand at Velofollies was a gravel bike from Unpaved Cycles with 32in wheels and prototype Schwalbe G-One RX Pro tyres.
On display at Schwalbe’s stand at Velofollies was a gravel bike from Unpaved Cycles with 32in wheels and prototype Schwalbe G-One RX Pro tyres. Stan Portus / Our Media

Schwalbe has been experimenting with 32in tyres in its lab. “The Schwalbe lab gives us the freedom to experiment and to test new ideas and innovate things without any pressure,” Maßen said.

Testing ideas in the lab is a way for Schwalbe to see if they could become products. One example Maßen cites that started in the lab is Schwalbe’s Radial mountain bike tyres, which have carcass threads at a more obtuse angle to increase the tyre’s contact area. 

Schwalbe began testing 32in tyres in the lab with the same mindset, to see if the size would make a viable product. 

“We went into this with an open mind. Some of us were sceptical but with field and lab testing, we saw that there are advantages and these will also be a benefit for the consumer,” Maßen said.

Schwalbe found 32in tyres provide more grip due to a larger contact patch with the ground, increase stability, allow for higher cornering speeds and improve comfort. 

“We could also prove, scientifically, an improved lower rolling resistance, especially on uneven surfaces,” added Maßen. 

This led Schwalbe to commit to the new size. “We are fully convinced of this new technology, and we will be introducing new products in this size in 2027,” said Maßen. 

One question that remains is whether Schwalbe will produce 32in road bike tyres

“Road cycling is heavily restricted by the UCI and there is a rule that the diameter of the overall wheel and tyre is not supposed to exceed 700mm,” Maßen said, adding that a 700c wheel – the wheel size found on the majority of road bikes – is already at this limit when fitted with a 35mm tyre. 

Maßen said Schwalbe doesn’t know whether this UCI restriction will be lifted. He added that: “We don’t know what the future holds, but we’re exploring all options.” 

Alongside discussing its plans for 32in tyres, Schwalbe revealed its new Pro One Allroad road bike tyre at Velofollies. The tyre is said to ‘close the gap’ between road and gravel bike tyres for the extreme conditions of races such as Paris–Roubaix. The tyre is available in sizes up to 40mm wide. 

Addressing the trend for wider road bike tyres, Maßen said: “I think this year we will see more really big options, but it really depends on the frame manufacturers – if they can offer a bike that is fast and account for these figures.” 

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