According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is reportedly planning a major Siri overhaul in iOS 27 and macOS 27 where the current assistant interface will be replaced with a deeply integrated, ChatGPT-style chatbot experience. “Users will be able to summon the new service the same way they open Siri now, by speaking the ‘Siri’ command or holding down the side button on their iPhone or iPad,” says Gurman. “More significantly, Siri will be integrated into all of the company’s core apps, including ones for mail, music, podcasts, TV, Xcode programming software and photos. That will allow users to do much more with just their voice.” 9to5Mac reports: The unannounced Siri overhaul will reportedly be revealed at WWDC in June as the flagship feature for iOS 27 and macOS 27. Its release is expected in September when Apple typically ships major software updates. While Apple plans to release an improved version of Siri and Apple Intelligence this spring, that version will use the existing Siri interface. The big difference is that Google’s Gemini models will power the intelligence. With the bigger update planned for iOS 27, the iOS 26 upgrade to Siri and Apple Intelligence sounds more like the first step to a long overdue modernization.

Gurman reports that the major Siri overhaul will “allow users to search the web for information, create content, generate images, summarize information and analyze uploaded files” while using “personal data to complete tasks, being able to more easily locate specific files, songs, calendar events and text messages.” People are already familiar with conversational interactions with AI, and Bloomberg says the bigger update to Siri will be support both text and voice. Siri already uses these input methods, but there’s no real continuity between sessions.

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Because apparently people will buy anything except what I’m selling, Bravest Studios and artist Canyaon have made Toe Slides. They’re slides that look like big toes. They’re…what’s the word I’m looking for? “Not to be worn around foot fetishists?” Unnerving. That’s the word. Available in men’s sizes 4 – 15 (size down two for women’s), they cost $110. But the looks on people’s faces when they see you wearing them! And can you really put a price on your feet being the stars of tens of poorly viewed Instagram stories?

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: Spotify and several major record labels, including UMG, Sony, and Warner, have taken legal action against the unknown operators of Anna’s Archive. The action follows the shadow library’s announcement that it would release hundreds of terabytes of scraped Spotify data. Unsealed documents reveal that the court already issued a broad preliminary injunction, ordering hosting companies, Cloudflare, and domain name services, to take action. […] All these documents were filed under seal, as the shadow library might otherwise be tipped off and take countermeasures. These documents were filed ex-parte and kept away from Anna’s Archive. According to Spotify and the labels, this is needed “so that Anna’s Archive cannot pre-emptively frustrate” the countermeasures they seek.

The lawsuit (PDF), which was unsealed recently, explains directly why Anna’s Archive lost several of its domain names over the past weeks. The .ORG domain was suspended by the U.S.-based Public Interest Registry (PIR) in early January, while a domain registrar took the .SE variant offline a few days later. “We don’t believe this has to do with our Spotify backup,” AnnaArchivist said at the time, but court records prove them wrong. The unsealed paperwork shows that the court granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) on January 2, which aimed to target Anna’s Archive hosting and domain names. The sealed nature of this order also explains why the .ORG registry informed us that it could not comment on the suspension last week. While the .ORG and the .SE domains are suspended now, other domains remain operational. This suggests that the responsible registrars and registries do not automatically comply with U.S. court orders.

[…] While the unsealed documents resolve the domain suspension mystery, it is only the start of the legal battle in court. It is expected that Spotify and the music companies will do everything in their power to take further action, if needed. Interestingly, however, it appears that the music industry lawsuit may have already reached its goal. A few days ago, the dedicated Spotify download section was removed by Anna’s Archive. Whether this removal is linked to the legal troubles is unknown. However, it appears that Anna’s Archive stopped the specific distribution of Spotify content alleged in the complaint, seemingly in partial compliance with the injunction’s ban on ‘making available’ the scraped files.

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A federal judge today ordered the US government to stop searching devices seized from the house of a Washington Post reporter. It may be only a temporary reprieve for the Post and reporter Hannah Natanson, however. Further proceedings will be held on whether the search can resume or whether the government must return the devices.

Natanson herself isn’t the subject of investigation, but the FBI executed a search warrant at her home and seized her work and personal devices last week as part of an investigation into alleged leaks by a Pentagon contractor. The Post filed a motion to force the return of the reporter’s property, and a separate motion for a standstill order that would prevent review of the seized devices until the court rules on whether they must be returned.

“Almost none of the seized data is even potentially responsive to the warrant, which seeks only records received from or relating to a single government contractor,” a Post court filing today said. “The seized data is core First Amendment-protected material, and some is protected by the attorney-client privilege.”

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Websites that authenticate users through links and codes sent in text messages are imperiling the privacy of millions of people, leaving them vulnerable to scams, identity theft, and other crimes, recently published research has found.

The links are sent to people seeking a range of services, including those offering insurance quotes, job listings, and referrals for pet sitters and tutors. To eliminate the hassle of collecting usernames and passwords—and for users to create and enter them—many such services instead require users to provide a cell phone number when signing up for an account. The services then send authentication links or passcodes by SMS when the users want to log in.

Easy to execute at scale

A paper published last week has found more than 700 endpoints delivering such texts on behalf of more than 175 services that put user security and privacy at risk. One practice that jeopardizes users is the use of links that are easily enumerated, meaning scammers can guess them by simply modifying the security token, which usually appears at the right of a URL. By incrementing the token—for instance, by first changing 123 to 124 or ABC to ABD and so on—the researchers were able to access accounts belonging to other users. From there, the researchers could view personal details, such as partially completed insurance applications.

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According to a report by The Information (paywalled), Apple is reportedly developing an AirTag-sized, camera-equipped AI wearable pin that could arrive as early as 2027.

“Apple’s pin, which is a thin, flat, circular disc with an aluminum-and-glass shell, features two cameras — a standard lens and a wide-angle lens — on its front face, designed to capture photos and videos of the user’s surroundings,” reports The Information, citing people familiar with the device. “It also includes three microphones to pick up sounds in the area surrounding the person wearing it. It has a speaker, a physical button along one of its edges and a magnetic inductive charging interface on its back, similar to the one used on the Apple Watch…” 9to5Mac reports: The Information also notes that Apple is attempting to speed up development in hopes of competing with OpenAI’s first wearable (slated to debut in 2026), and that it is not immediately clear whether this wearable would work in conjunction with other products, such as AirPods or Apple’s reported upcoming smart glasses. Today’s report also notes that this has been a challenging market for new companies, citing the recent failure of Humane’s AI Pin as an example.

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This is a video documenting Youtuber The Lab-X’s quest to build an AI-powered water turret to keep his cat Cookie off the kitchen counter. The 3D printed bot, named Puffy, uses computer-vision to track the cat’s movement and spray him when he’s detected on the counter. Lab-X plans to sell build-it-yourself kits and assembled units in the future if you’re interested. Over the course of six weeks, Cookie, who is far more calm than my cats (but equally stubborn) took fewer and fewer sprays to get down. Eventually, just the sound of Puffy opening was enough to deter him. How about that! Alternatively, keep your cats off the kitchen counters the same way I do: not having counters. Plus I don’t have to open drawers, I can just reach right in there for a spoon. “Do you rent or own?” Right now I’m squatting.

Last week, Apple finally admitted it will need to team up with Google to finally make good on that contextual Siri promise it made two years ago, which would have allowed the virtual assistant to integrate with content like your texts or emails to answer personal questions and take actions for you. Now, according to a new report, the iPhone company might actually go one step further and turn Siri into a full-fledged AI chatbot—one on par with the likes of ChatGPT, and perhaps even more sophisticated.

Currently, Siri has AI implementation, but only technically, and it’s certainly underwhelming: You can use it to get tech support on Apple products or shunt questions off to ChatGPT, but otherwise, Siri basically works as it always has. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has reliably reported on insider information at Apple before, the company is finally not only looking to make Siri smarter, but also change the way you interact with it. Currently planned for iOS and macOS 27 under the name “Campos,” Siri’s new chatbot interface will still be powered by Gemini, but will allow you to both type and talk to Siri, with full continuity between your conversations. This upgrade will be in addition to the overdue features that were already announced.

In other words, it’ll look something like the chatbot interface from the ChatGPT app or the standalone Gemini app. Yes, you can technically type to Siri right now, but it mostly works like a separate input method, rather than as a full conversation. You can’t scroll through your previous questions to Siri or peruse the assistant’s previous answers, and if you ask Siri to reference a message you sent it two weeks ago, it’ll have no idea what you mean. That’s far behind what other AI chatbots offer right now.

The update will also apparently further expand Siri’s capabilities even beyond the contextual or personalization upgrades that were already revealed. Gurman says that, while the contextual upgrades will be able to pull information from other apps like Messages, the chatbot-style Siri will be “integrated into all of the company’s core apps, including ones for mail, music, podcasts, TV, Xcode programming software and photos.” Essentially, Siri will have more access to your iPhone than other AI chatbots, and those integrations will go beyond what was previously promised. That could make it more or less appealing to you, depending on your tastes in AI integration.

When the new Siri could arrive

With the chatbot interface planned for iOS 27, it’s likely to come after the contextual upgrades, rather than at the same time. That’s because, as Gurman said previously, those upgrades are set for the spring. He predicts we’ll learn more about it during this year’s WWDC, which, if it follows the standard set by previous years, will take place in June.

The move to turn Siri into a chatbot could come across as a a much-overdue modernization, as Google has already done the same with Gemini over on Android, but it’s also a bit of a surprise, as Apple had previously said it did not intend to turn Siri into a “bolt-on chatbot on the side” for Apple Intelligence.

But Apple was likely talking about quality of the experience rather than expressing any significant anti-chatbot bias among the development team, meaning the fact that Siri is turning into a chatbot could mean the company is finally happy with the direction it’s headed. But it’s also possible that the professed skepticism about turning Siri into a chatbot was meant to appeal to AI skeptics in general. Unfortunately, if you’re still skeptical about AI, it currently seems like iOS 27 will be a boring update for you, as Gurman indicated the new Siri chatbot will be the “primary new addition” to the operating system.

However you feel about it personally, Siri as a full-fledged AI chatbot could seriously upset ChatGPT’s market dominance—ironic, given its early integration with Apple Intelligence. Currently, OpenAI has reportedly admitted it’s in a Code Red situation, as it is losing market share to Google and introducing ads to bolster its bottom line. The new Siri, being powered by Gemini, is unlikely to hurt Google (although it will have more access to your phone than the standalone Gemini app), but its ease-of-access might make it the new go-to for iPhone users, and that could hurt pretty much every AI company Apple isn’t in business with directly.

In a small clinical trial, customized mRNA vaccines against high-risk skin cancers appeared to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and death by nearly 50 percent over five years when compared with standard treatment alone. That’s according to Moderna and Merck, the two pharmaceutical companies that have collaborated on the experimental cancer vaccine, called intismeran autogene (mRNA-4157 or V940).

So far, the companies have only reported the top-line results in a press release this week. However, the results align closely with previous, more detailed analyses from the trial, which examined rates of recurrence and death at earlier time points, specifically at two years and three years after the treatment. More data from the trial—a Phase 2 trial—will soon be presented at a medical conference, the companies said. A Phase 3 trial is also underway, with enrollment complete.

The ongoing Phase 2 trial included 157 patients who were diagnosed with stage 3 or stage 4 melanoma and were at high risk of having it recur after surgical removal. A standard treatment to prevent recurrence after such surgery is immunotherapy, including Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab). This drug essentially enables immune cells, specifically T cells, to attack and kill cancer cells—something they normally do. But, in many types of cancers, including melanoma, cancer cells have the ability to bind to receptors on T cells (called PD-1 receptors), which basically shuts the T cells down. Keytruda works by physically blocking the PD-1 receptors, preventing cancer cells from binding and keeping the T cells activated so they can kill the cancer.

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Nova Launcher has been acquired by Instabridge, which says it will keep the app maintained but is evaluating ad-supported options for the free version. Android Authority reports: Today, Nova Launcher announced that the Swedish company Instabridge has acquired it from Branch Metrics. Instabridge claims it wants to be a responsible owner of Nova and does not want to reinvent the launcher overnight. However, the launcher still needs a sustainable business model to support ongoing development and maintenance. To this end, Instabridge is exploring different options, including paid tiers and ad-supported options for the free version. The new owners claim that if ads are introduced, Nova Prime will remain ad-free. However, this is misleading, as ads are already here for some users. Last year, the founder and original programmer of Nova Launcher left the company, signaling its “death” as he had been the sole developer working on the launcher for the past year.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: The Belarusian government is threatening three HAM radio operators with the death penalty, detained at least seven people, and has accused them of “intercepting state secrets,” according to Belarusian state media, independent media outside of Belarus, and the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna. The arrests are an extreme attack on what is most often a wholesome hobby that has a history of being vilified by authoritarian governments in part because the technology is quite censorship resistant.

The detentions were announced last week on Belarusian state TV, which claimed the men were part of a network of more than 50 people participating in the amateur radio hobby and have been accused of both “espionage” and “treason.” Authorities there said they seized more than 500 pieces of radio equipment. The men were accused on state TV of using radio to spy on the movement of government planes, though no actual evidence of this has been produced. State TV claimed they were associated with the Belarusian Federation of Radioamateurs and Radiosportsmen (BFRR), a long-running amateur radio club and nonprofit that holds amateur radio competitions, meetups, trainings, and forums. Siarhei Besarab, a Belarusian HAM radio operator, posted a plea for support from others in the r/amateurradio subreddit. “I am writing this because my local community is being systematically liquidated in what I can only describe as a targeted intellectual genocide,” Besarab wrote. “I beg you to amplify this signal and help us spread this information. Please show this to any journalist you know, send it to human rights organizations, and share it with your local radio associations.”

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So many things can go wrong with your home at any given moment—and those problems won’t exactly wait for you to be prepared to deal with them before they hit. Plus, they often happen when it’s difficult or impossible to get a professional to come help you—like during storms, or in the middle of the night.

If you wake up to a burst pipe or a leaking roof and you can’t get a pro to come for a while, you don’t want to be powerless in your efforts to stave off further disaster. Having a basic set of tools is a great start, but you need to keep a few more items on hand if you truly want to be able to respond with a quick fix. Here’s the short list of everything you should have in your home in case you need to do some emergency repairs.

Essential items for plumbing emergencies

Water is incredibly destructive, and leaks that seem minor can do major damage to your house. Making sure you have basic tools like wrenches and knowing where the water shutoffs are in your house is essential, but here are a few more items that can hep you respond to emergencies:

• Snake auger. A plunger will take care of a clogged drain or toilet (and if you lack a plunger, don’t forget you can use a garbage bag on the toilet in a pinch), but if plunging doesn’t stop the water’s inexorable rise, you need to have a snake auger on hand. It’s a simple tool that anyone can operate, and it will break up most clogs pretty quickly, potentially averting disaster.

• Battery powered pumps. You may already have a sump pump installed to keep things dry in your basement and crawl space. If the power goes out, however, your sump won’t do you much good. And battery backup power typically doesn’t last long, so having a cordless transfer pump could be a lifesaver. Even something like a DrillPump (for $17) can stave off a flood long enough to get a professional in there.

• Pipe clamps. Water pipes always seem to burst at the worst possible time—and shutting off the water to the whole house isn’t ideal if you have to wait a few days for a plumber. Having a few pipe repair clamps on hand will get you through those days. These clamps are pretty simple: You just slip them onto the pipe and tighten the clamp until the leak is sealed by the rubber backing. This fix won’t last forever, but it will probably let you keep the water on for a few days while you sort out a more permanent repair.

Handy items for roofing emergencies

Roof leaks often stay hidden until a bad storm suddenly reveals them—and roof repairs have to wait until the weather clears. Here’s what you need if your roof starts leaking at the worst possible moment:

• Roof cement. Roof cement (like the Henry 208R) can be a lifesaver. If you notice that your roof has obvious damage, or it has leaked recently, applying a layer of roof cement to the affected area is a fast, easy repair that will keep the water out until you can do something more permanent.

• Tarp. A durable tarp is useful in a lot of emergencies, but essential for a surprise roof leak. Along with some plastic-cap nails, you’ll be able to quickly cover any damaged section of your roof and keep things as dry as possible until a roofer can make an assessment. Tarping a roof isn’t hard, though you should always use extreme caution when on your roof—especially if it’s raining.

Other items to deal with miscellaneous house emergencies

There are a bunch more things you might not need every day, but should have on hand in case of emergency:

• Spray sealant. Clear waterproof sealant spray can be used to seal off cracked windows, minor roof damage, and anything else that suddenly starts leaking.

• Zip ties. These plastic ties are incredibly useful because they’re easy to deploy quickly, can be linked together, and are strong enough for most temporary repairs when you need to hold things together. They can even be fashioned into a DIY drain cleanout tool in a pinch if you don’t have that snake auger.

• Duct tape and electrical tape. No, duct tape can’t fix everything, but this strong, sticky tape can temporarily fix tools, hold stuff together, stop minor leaks—and, yes, seal up broken ductwork. Electrical tape is essential if you’re going to attempt any DIY electrical repair, whether it’s braiding wires together, covering exposed wire when the insulation has worn off, or securing a loose connection.

• Plastic sheeting. Plastic sheeting is useful when a tarp is too heavy and cumbersome. It can be used in just about any application where you want to keep water or the weather out of a space, like covering a broken window in a storm or on the floors under a roof leak.

• Super glue. Super glue is useful stuff—it can bond just about anything, and it can even be used to seal small leaks in pipes in a pinch.

• Twine. Having some strong twine rope will definitely come in handy. It can be used to lash things down, to reinforce repairs and connections, to tie down a tarp, or in a million other ways.

• Bucket. The classic 5-gallon bucket has so many uses you probably already have one—but if you don’t, it’s time to pick one up. Catching leaks, hauling debris, water, or even tools, mixing—they can even be used as ersatz step stools in a pinch.

• Multitool. You have a whole set of hand and power tools, but when an emergency strikes, you don’t always have the time to gather everything you need. Having a high-quality multitool gives you a range of tools in your pocket, letting you get to fixing things immediately without delay.

The Federal Communications Commission today issued a warning to late-night and daytime talk shows, saying these shows may no longer qualify for an exemption to the FCC’s equal-time rule. Because the FCC is chaired by vocal Trump supporter Brendan Carr, changing how the rule is enforced could pressure shows into seeking out more interviews with Republican candidates.

The public notice providing what the FCC calls “guidance on political equal opportunities requirement for broadcast television stations” appears to be part of the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged liberal bias on broadcast TV. Carr, who has eroded the FCC’s historical independence from the White House, previously pressured ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel and threatened ABC’s The View with the equal-time rule.

The Carr FCC’s public notice today said that federal rules “prevent broadcast television stations, which have been given access to a valuable public resource (namely, spectrum), from unfairly putting their thumbs on the scale for one political candidate or set of candidates over another.” These rules come from “the decision by Congress that broadcast television stations have an obligation to operate in the public interest—not in any narrow partisan, political interest,” the Carr FCC said.

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