iPhone Fold May Be on Track for September; Google Photos Adds ‘AI Enhance’ Button; Anthropic Launches Initiative to Prevent AI Cyberattacks; Spotify-Big Upgrade for Podcast Listeners

Posted: April 7, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We have seen a couple reports that say Apple’s folding phone is being tested out right now after a small production run, but that it may not be out until around December. Now, techcrunch.com reports that highly reliable Apple tout Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says it is on track to bow in September along with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. As with numerous brand new Apple products, it may not get into users’ hands until October, though. Apple apparently has resolved issues with screen quality and durability, and it has a notably less visible crease when it is unfolded. If it doesn’t cost over $2400, I’ll eat my hat…that is if I can find a nice, dark chocolate hat!

Google Photos gets an ‘AI Enhance button, and video playback speed controls. The features are being rolled out now according to 9to5google.com. The AI Enhance tool will work for Google Photos for all Android users. The button gives users an option to apply a magic fix to their photos, using AI, of course. It’s a sort of do-it-all button and gives users the option to skip over extensive editing with a quick fix that focuses on adjusting lighting and contrast levels. As for the video feature for Photos,  in each video, the three-dot menu will present “playback speed” among the other tools. Users can choose speeds from 0.25x to 2x. Google says this has been a long-requested feature. The video rollout isn’t global as yet…but should show up on Android devices everywhere shortly. 

Anthropic has launched Project Glasswing, which will use AI to try to prevent AI-powered cyberattacks. Engadget.com notes that they are joined in the effort by Amazon Web Services, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Google, JPMorganChase, the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Palo Alto Networks as partners. The participants will use Claude Mythos Preview, n unreleased, general-purpose model from Anthropic, to enhance their own security projects. Anthropic claims that this model has found thousands of exploitable vulnerabilities, “including some in every major operating system and web browser.” Let’s hope that this does help prevent or minimize AI cyberattacks. 

There is such a flood of podcasts out there, it’s hard to sift through all of them to find things that interest you. It’s kind of like scrolling through all the old movies on Netflix. Well, now Spotify has a potential solution. Androidpolice.com reports that they have expanded the Prompted Playlist feature to work with podcasts. You can create a playlist of podcasts with a text prompt. You give it a prompt, just like with music, and it uses AI to generate a playlist around it. The feature is rolling out to US users of Premium right now. You can set it up to refresh daily or weekly if you like. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Apple is 50; SpaceX Files for IPO; 100 Baidu Robotaxis Froze in Traffic; Claude Code Leak Was an Accident, Not a Hack

Posted: April 1, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s not an April Fool’s Day joke. Apple Computer got its start 50 years ago. They have been able to come up with a couple of truly world-changing devices.,.the iPod and the iPhone. Will they eventually come out with a third device that can have that kind of impact like some smart glasses? Time will tell. Meanwhile, mashable.com notes that there is a really cool graphic sequence on Apple’s home page celebrating the company’s devices using colorful brush strokes. It’s a bit Google-like, frankly. Imitation as the fabled sincerest form of flattery. 

SpaceX has filed for an IPO…initial public offering of its stock. Engadget.com reports that while this was expected, most saw it happening in July. The Musk-owned company is looking for an IPO valuation of $1.75 trillion, which would make it the biggest IPO in history. SpaceX is the parent of X (formerly Twitter) and Grok, as well as xAI. The company is wanting to get its Starship rocket program on track, and has aspirations to build a base on the moon…and of course, Mars one day. They also plan for data centers for AI in space, orbiting the planet, as is in the works at several other tech companies. 

We have had a few instances of some robotaxis stalling out and jamming up traffic…notably in San Francisco. Now, according to thenextweb.com, the US robotaxi makers like Google’s Waymo have been one-upped big time…and not in a good way. Over 100 Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis froze mid-traffic in Wuhan…blocking many hundreds of commuters. There were some crashes, although police say there were no injuries. This is really scary when you know that Wuhan has over 1,000 driverless vehicles rolling around the city. It’s an embarrassment for Baidu, which has vehicles in 26 cities globally, and claims to have orders for some 20 million vehicles. Welcome to the future…where you can have 100 instantaneous, random traffic jams to ruin your commute.

Claude’s source code got into the wild, and it turns out that it wasn’t due to hackers. 9to5google.com says the code was mistakenly published by Anthropic in the middle of the night. That’s a hell of a mistake! Ahthropic has been aggressively promoting Claude as superior to ChatGPT, and touting tools to migrate your ChatGPT work over to Claude. So how did this massive screw up happen? Well, apparently at about 4 am Tuesday morning, Anthropic pushed out what was supposed to be a routine update to Claude. Apparently, included in that update was a source map file that led right to Claude’s source code. The debugging file contained 512,000 lines of proprietary TypeScript code, which was initially spotted and posted by someone on Twitter/X. It wasn’t long before that entire code package was downloaded and circulated to thousands, though this leak doesn’t seem to include Claude’s model data. Still, this interface code is a costly loss for the company. In other words, a pretty gigantic ‘Oops.’

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Discord Delays Global Age Verification; Touchscreen MacBook Pros; App Warns if Smart Glasses are Present; The Pentagon-Anthropic Drama Continues

Posted: February 25, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Discord delayed its worldwide age verification due to tremendous blowback. Now, they have kicked the can down the road a bit more. Theverge.com reports that instead of rolling out global age verification next month, it will be delayed until the second half of 2026. Discord has flatly denied rumors that they will require face scans and ID uploads from everyone just to use the platform. Discord says that before it rolls out age verification globally, it will add more options for users to verify their age (including with a credit card), include documentation of every verification vendor used, add an option for “spoiler channels” in Discord as an alternative to age-gated channels for walling off certain topics, and publish a technical blog post explaining how its age estimation systems work. Discord users are still angry and skeptical, so we will see if this gets delayed again. 

As we have reported, up to 5 new Apple devices will be coming in the next few weeks. Also, Apple has been working on perfecting a touchscreen Mac. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple seems to have developed a way to support touchscreen use without making the interface elements gigantic. When user touch a button or control, the interface will bring up a new type of menu surrounding their finger that provides more relevant options for touch commands. When the user taps an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the set of controls will enlarge to be more easily selectable with a finger. It sounds a lot like what Apple does with the size and shape changing Dynamic Island on iPhones. According to reports, the screen will look just like a normal MacBook screen unless you touch it…so if typing is your preferred input, you are good to go…but you can also reach up and tap something on the screen to get to an item or app quickly. We’ll see how it all works…it sounds much like an iPad with a keyboard, actually. 

Remember Google’s Glass, and how bars, restaurants, and other establishments had signs banning them? The wearers were called ‘Glassholes.’ Apparently, the apprehension of being furtively filmed by someone in smart glasses is still around. It seems a bit overly paranoid to me…considering the proliferation of cameras on the streets, and in businesses at this point. One big retailer even has had cameras at their entrances, as well as scanners, and then serves people with bargains they think the person might like on their app. Well, if you are one who is freaked out by smart glasses, rejoice! A new app will let you know if there is a pair close to you. Engadget.com says the app is called Nearby Glasses. It will user the unique Bluetooth signature transmitted by smart glasses and send a push alert to notify you that someone is wearing the glasses nearby. The app maker claims that his app is particularly important for your privacy (what privacy?), as Meta is working to add facial recognition to its Meta Ray-Bans. Right now, Nearby Glasses is available at the Google Play Store, but not on Apple’s App Store. 

We reported that the Department of Defense has now allowed Musk’s xAI into its classified systems. FT.com reports that Pete Hegseth is going to also allow ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini into the classified systems, which had…up to now…only seen Anthropic’s Claude available. The Secretary has now threatened to cut Anthropic from the DoD supply chain unless the company agrees to letting DoD use its tech for ‘all lawful military applications’ by Friday. Anthropic has refused to let its AI be used for domestic surveillance and for lethal autonomous weapons systems. Hegseth has threatened to not only drop Anthropic from its supply chain, but he says he will invoke the Defense Production Act…which allows the president to exert control over domestic industry in the interest of national defense. The cutting Anthropic from the Defense Department supply chain would cost the company $200 million. We will have to wait for Friday to see if the DoD follows through with its threats. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Galaxy Unpacked This Week, Apple Multi-Day Product Reveal; Conduent Data Breach Expands; New Gaming Head at Microsoft

Posted: February 23, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

There are tech announcements pretty much continuously, but not many that get as much attention as those from Samsung and Apple. Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked is This Thursday…February 26th. The event is at 10am Pacific in San Francisco. In addition to new AI announcements, refreshed hardware is expected. Word is, the Galaxy S26, 26+, and Ultra will keep similar physical designs as the S25 models. The upgrades will be to screens, chips, and cameras sensors. The screens should grow slightly from 6.2 to 6.3 inches, and batteries will have a bit more life. One notable advance: the entry level S26 will get the 50 megapixel main cam its big brothers have. The Galaxy Z Trifold will probably get a mention, but as it was available in the US on January 30th- for the hefty price of $2900, don’t expect a lot of time to be spent on it.

What about Apple? Cupertino has announced that it will have the latest product introduction on March 4th. Unlike in the past, this looks to be a 3 day event instead of a single keynote rolling out all the new or upgraded hardware. According to techcrunch.com, some devices will be announced online, with the big finale being on March 4th. The events are going to begin New York, London, and Shanghai, instead of Cupertino. What is coming? It looks like the low-cost MacBook, iPhone 17e, iPad Air, a new entry-level iPad, and upgraded MacBook Air and Pro models. 

Don’t you just love when you get a letter saying some of your data was leaked. I just got one a few days ago. Now, Mashable.com says that the data breach by Conduent…an intermediary that handles data for corporations…had a bigger breach than originally announced. A LOT bigger. At least 25 million have been affected by the breach in just Texas and Oregon! Conduent handles data for corporations, Clients include: Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Data leaked includes users’ names, Social Security numbers, medical information, and health insurance information. One has to wonder at this point what…if any…of our data hasn’t been hacked and aggregated somewhere on the dark web. 

Microsoft had a shakeup after the head of gaming Phil Spencer exited after 38 years at the company. Now, Asha Sharma steps into that role. Geekwire.com notes that the new CEO of gaming will be tasked with turning around the ailing division. Sharma has been an exec at Facebook, Instacart, a startup, and finally Microsoft’s AI Platform. Although Sharma doesn’t have any video game industry experience, what she does bring to the table is decades of experience in running large tech platforms. She did say in an opening statement something that resonated with employees and gamers in this age of AI  and ‘soulless AI Slop.’ Sharma wrote that  “Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.” 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Apple Folding Phone-Most Battery Life; Music Publishers Sue anthropic; Ring Opens Search Party for Lost Dogs to Non-Ring Cams; A So-Called AI Mouse

Posted: February 2, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Along with numerous others, we have been following reports of Apple’s rumored folding phone, due out in September with the other iPhones. Apple is now revisiting making a ‘flip’ phone like Samsung has as a companion to the book type folder they will bow this fall. The big hype so far has been that Apple’s phones will have no visible crease on the inside screen when opened. Now, macrumors.com reports that the folding iPhone will have another major plus that all phone users crave…more battery life. Up to now The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has had a 4400 mAh battery, and the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold has a battery capacity of 5015 mAh. Apple’s folder is rumored to have a powerful 5500 mAh battery, easily putting it at the top of the heap as far as battery life. The folding iPhone will apparently use high-density cells in the battery to get this great battery life. Besides no visible crease, and long battery life…expect the folding iPhone to have a 7.8 inch inner screen, and a 5.5 inch outside screen. It will also have Touch ID, 2 rear cams, and Apple’s own modem chip which they started using in their products last year. Rumors still have the price at around $2000 to $2200. 

A number of music publishers have teamed up to sue Anthropic…maker of the Claude AI products…for $3 billion dollars for what they describe as ‘Flagrant piracy.’ According to engadget.com, the group is lead by Concord Music Group and Universal Music Group. Anthropic is accused in the suit of illegally downloading more than 20,000 copyrighted songs, including sheet music, lyrics and compositions. These songs were then allegedly fed into the chatbot Claude for training purposes. There are some iconic tunes named by Universal in the suit, including tracks by The Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond and Elton John, among many others. Concord is an independent publisher that handles artists like Common, Killer Mike and Korn. At $3 billion, this is one of the biggest non-class action copyright cases in US history. Anthropic was already nicked to the tune of $1.5 billion in a case called Bartz v Anthropic when they cut an agreement. There has been a rising uproar about AI companies basically stealing creative material from artists and writers to train their AI models.

Nothing freaks out pet owners more than when their dog or cat gets away outside and doesn’t return. Ring has had a ‘Search Party’ feature that uses to network of cams to find lost dogs. The feature has been available to most customers, but now is available to all Ring customers in the US AND those who don’t use Ring cams. Sharing video with police may be controversial, but everyone ought to be able to get behind this. Techcrunch.com notes that Search Party uses AI to find possible matches for lost dogs across neighbors’ camera footage. When a neighbor reports a lost dog in the Ring app, nearby outdoor cameras use AI to scan for possible matches. If a match is found, that camera owner receives an alert and can optionally choose to share any related video clips with their neighbor who reported the pet missing. They’ll also have an option to call the owner or send them a message, without sharing their own phone number. So far…since launch, the Search Party feature has reunited a dog a day with their owners. 

I was looking at getting a mouse, since the trackpad on my PC laptop is getting flaky. On Amazon’s first page of results, there were wired mice starting at $6.99 and wireless ones for under $10 bucks. THEN, there’s a mouse that is ChatGPT AI compatible, takes notes, and so forth. $109! Gad, are there really people stupid enough to buy that? EVERY mouse is compatible with ChatGPT and AI.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Microsoft Bows New AI Chip; Apple Unveils AirTag 2; EU is Probing Grok & X Over AI Deepfakes; ICE Using Phone & Web Data to Identify & Track People

Posted: January 26, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft has bowed a new chip designed for scaling AI inference. TechCrunch. com reports that the Maia 200 chip has been technically outfitted to run powerful AI models at faster speeds and with more efficiency, that according to Microsoft. Inference refers to the computing process of running a model, in contrast with the compute required to train it. As AI companies mature, inference costs have become an increasingly important part of their overall operating cost, leading to renewed interest in ways to optimize the process. Importantly, this chip is designed to be less of a power hog. It is noted that with the new chip, Microsoft is lessening their dependence on NVIDIA. Both Google and Amazon are running some of their own chips now. 

Apple has rolled out without any fanfare the AirTag 2. The upgraded AirTags have better range, and a louder speaker. According to 9to5mac.com, the AirTag 2 has Apple’s 2nd gen Ultra Wideband chip..which is already in the iPhone 17 handsets, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11. It will work 50% further away than the older AirTag. You will be able to use Precision Finding on Apple Watch 9 and newer as well as the Watch Ultra 2 or later to find an Air Tag. The tiny speaker is also 50% louder. The AirTag 2 is available for order today, and ships this week. Pricing is the same as before, $29 for one, and $99 for a 4 pack. You can still get free personalization.

The EU is investigating X and Grok because they have failed to take action to stop the spread of AI generated sexually explicit images…including child sexual abuse material. Engadget.com says the probe could result in ‘further enforcement steps’ against X. The EU has already fined X $140 million. X did put out a statement regarding X and Grok, claiming “We remain committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity and unwanted sexual content.” 

ICE is using a couple of programs to track people in entire neighborhoods and monitor people on social media. Minnesota Public Radio reports that ICE is using Tangles to scrape sites like X and Bluesky, but are also using that tool in conjunction with Webloc. They can add people to a watch list so they are alerted every time a person posts something. If you are going to a protest area, whether to protest or to film, turn off location services on your phone. the camera will still work. Also, turn off Bluetooth. The Danish intelligence service has found that the US can use the ‘instant pairing’ feature that Google and Apple have…instead of having to key in a code like you used to…to pair with your phone and get your data. Just a word to the wise. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Android Warns if Scammer Asks to Share Screen; iPhone Testing Under Screen Face ID; OpenAI Brags of Time Savings for Workers; ICEBlock Sues Trump Administration for Censorship

Posted: December 8, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Google has a new feature for in-call scam protection. Bgr.com reports that should you be on a call and share your screen with someone…then open a financial application like one of your bank apps, the feature in Android will check to see if the person you are talking with is in your contacts. If not, Android will pop up a warning that the call is likely a scam. It is hoped that this will stop a lot of social engineering attacks that allow bad buys to steal your info and drain money out of your bank accounts. The feature has been released in the UK first as a pilot program, but it appears to be a big success…so look for it in a release in the US soon. 

A new leak says Apple is now actively testing under-screen FaceID for next year’s iPhone 18 Pro models…using a special ‘spliced micro-transparent glass’ window built into the display. according to macrumors.com, a Chinese leaker going by ’Smart Pikachu’ is the source. This source has previously put out accurate supply chain details on Chinese Android hardware. This does confirm what a report from the Information put out in May of this year saying that the upcoming iPhone won’t have a dynamic island…just a pinhole in the upper left corner of the screen. Others say there will still be a dynamic island, but the pill shape will be smaller. We will know for sure in September.

For those who have continued to ask ‘What can AI really do for me,’ OpenAI has put out new data extolling the virtues of ChatGPT in enterprise use. TechCrunch.com says that the report from OpenAi shows 8 times growth in usage since November 2024, and close to 36% of us businesses using ChatGPT enterprise…compared to 14.3% for competitor Anthropic. OpenAI says based on the data that participants are saving 40 to 60 minutes a day with their enterprise products. This doesn’t take into consideration the amount of time spent learning the systems, prompting, or correcting the AI output though!

The ICEBlock app developers have sued the Trump administration for censorship and ‘unlawful threats. NPR notes that a suit filed in federal court today…Monday…in D.C. asks a judge to declare that the administration violated the First Amendment when it threatened to criminally prosecute the app’s developer and pressured Apple to make the app unavailable for download, which the tech company did in October. After Apple removed ICEBlock from the App Store, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that “we reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so.” The justice department has not commented so far. Although Apple isn’t named in the suit, the legal action claims “For what appears to be the first time in Apple’s nearly fifty-year history, Apple removed a U.S.-based app in response to the U.S. government’s demands.”  It is worth mentioning that even though the app is no longer available for download, the app actually still works for those who have it. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Intel Will Make Non-Pro iPhone Chips; Netflix Drops Cast Support from Phones on ‘Most TVs; Amazon Chatbot Rufus Drove Black Friday Sales; Google Testing Big Gemini App Revision

Posted: December 1, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple has relied on Taiwan Semiconductor for essentially all its system chips for some time now. That is about to change. Bgr.com reports that now Intel will produce non-Pro Apple iPhone chips. Intel is also readying to make lower-end Apple M chips for Macs and MacBooks. Those should be out in 2027. For now, anyway, Apple will still rely in TSMC to make its most powerful A chips for mobile and M chips for Macs. If Intel is able to ensure quality, not only can Apple negotiate the price of future chips, but it can also promote some of its processors being manufactured in America. It is rather ironic to use Intel to make Apple’s own silicon, as Apple will phase out actual Intel chips in Macs when it releases macOS 27. 

Netflix has now dropped support for Google Cast on most products. According to 9to5google.com, with its latest mobile app updates Netflix has all-but-removed the ability to use Google Cast to your TV. Instead, the streamer requires that you use the native app on your TV. Users started noticing the change over the past two weeks or so, and the folks at Android Authority highlighted a support page where Netflix confirms the change. You can still used the remote from your TV to navigate to the Netflix app and launch it on your TV. Netflix had already dropped support for AirPlay on iOS. Better hunt around for that TV remote if you don’t have it handy. Mine is right by my cable remote (yes, I still have cable), but except for selecting apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon…it’s pretty useless. 

Amazon has had a button for its AI chatbot Rufus since 2024, and not that many people have used it. Apparently got a workout on Black Friday…with Amazon saying it got a ‘surge’ of adoption. TechCrunch.com notes that data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower indicates that in the US, Amazon sessions using the chatbot were up 100% on Black Friday, compared to the previous 30 days. Sessions that didn’t include Rufus were just up 20%. Amazon also saw a 75% day-over-day increase for sections that included Rufus and resulted in a purchase. That compares with just a 35% day-over-day increase for sessions without Rufus that had resulted in a purchase. For overall shopping, Adobe Analytics, which tracks more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites, AI traffic to U.S. retail sites increased by 805% year-over-year on Black Friday. 

Google has been at work, making incremental improvements to its’ Gemini app. Still, it hasn’t been as useful as ChatGPT…but that may be changing. Androidpolice.com reports that Google is making a huge investment in the mobile app…giving it a revamped interface that will open up more of Gemini’s power to users. Besides Android, lead producer for Google AI Studio Logan Kilpatrick says Google is working on a native Gemini app for MacOS. Right now, the only way to access it is via a browser. I can confirm that it is clunkier to use with the button on Chrome. Over the weekend I tried this in a search for an ancient car logo. I finally gave up on the Gemini via browser and dropped the graphic into ChatGPT and got a result in seconds. Let’s hope Google gives us that kind of power when they upgrade the mobile Gemini app interface and release a native app for MacOs as well as Android. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

iPhone Reclaims Top Spot After 14 Years; RAM Prices Astronomical As GPU Prices Drop; Bug in Jury Software Exposes Personal Info; OpenAI Claims Teen Violated Their Rules in Suicide Case

Posted: November 26, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

For the first time in 14 years, Apple has taken back the crown as the world’s top smartphone maker from Samsung. Macrumors.com reports that the move is due to the popularity of the iPhone 17, particularly in China. Overall iPhone shipments are projected to grow 10% in 2025, compared to Samsung’s 4.6% growth..according to Counterpoint Research. For 2026, it looks like the more budget conscious are also going to be eyeing the iPhone 17e. The well-heeled will make up a small bump as we noted yesterday…Apple will likely sell only about 5.4 million of the pricy folding phone starting next September. Adding to Apple’s predicted strong continuing sales…the 2027 model will be they 20th anniversary, and it is expected that Apple will make some spectacular changes to the iPhones…or at least hype features to make us think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I was just talking with my son the IT guy last night about the crazy high pricers of computer RAM. He was complaining that in trying to buy a DDR5 RAM kit to upgrade a laptop, the prices were much higher than before. According to arstechnica.com, there is a shortage mainly caused by the AI boom. Prices are more than double in a number of cases than they were just a few months ago. Keep in mind that this won’t affect your purchase of a PC or laptop…the big manufacturers have deals in place to buy massive numbers and their prices will not be affected under their contracts. On the plus side, as memory prices have gone nuts, GPU prices have actually dropped. You can actually buy high end graphics cards for less than suggested retail prices right now should you be in the market for one of those. 

Most people get them at some point or another…a postcard with a jury summons. Now, TechCrunch.com says that a bug has been found in the systems used by several states that exposed peoples’ personal information. At least a dozen juror websites made by government software maker Tyler Technologies appear to be vulnerable to the exploit, according to a security researchers. Some of the states include California. Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. Tyler has said it is fixing the flaw now. The bug meant it was possible for anyone to obtain the information about jurors who are selected for service. To log into these platforms, a juror is provided a unique numerical identifier assigned to them, which could be brute-forced since the number was sequentially incremental. The platform also did not have any mechanism to prevent anyone from flooding the login pages with a large number of guesses, a feature known as “rate-limiting.”

ChatGPT argues in a court filing that it shouldn’t be held liable in the death of a 16 year old because the youngster violated their rules. Gizmodo.com notes the AI company said in the document that there was “[M]isuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use of ChatGPT.” Those are potential causal factors that could have led to the “tragic event” that was the death by suicide of 16-year-old Adam Raine. The firm apparently denies responsibility, and is reportedly skeptical of the “extent that any ‘cause’ can be attributed to” Raine’s death. Raine’s family is suing OpenAI over the teen’s April suicide, alleging that ChatGPT drove him to the act. An attorney for the Raines family, Jay Edelson, said in an email that OpenAI “tries to find fault in everyone else, including, amazingly, saying that Adam himself violated its terms and conditions by engaging with ChatGPT in the very way it was programmed to act.” He also claims that the defendants, “abjectly ignore” the “damning facts” the plaintiffs have put forward. We’ll keep an eye on this case, which is really what they call an issue of first impression…AI assisting a user to commit suicide.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Apple-Working on More iPhone Satellite Features; Spyware ‘Landfall’ Was on Samsung Phones for a Year; AI Isn’t Replacing Jobs-AI Spending Is; Lawyers- Not Checking AI Writing Means Bad Legal Briefs

Posted: November 10, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Satellite features have been pretty limited on phones to now. Apple’s iPhones have really only been able to send a call for emergency help or send messages via satellite when a cellular connection is unavailable….like at the beach, or hiking in the woods. Now, engadget.com reports that Mark Gurman says Apple is planning on adding to their satellite feature offerings. Personally, I’m betting this is ahead of making satellite connection a paid monthly charge, adding to Apple’s quiver of monthly charges that give them a nice cash flow! Right now, you can send and receive texts via the Messages app over satellite when you are out in the boonies. Now Apple is looking to let you send photos, too. They are also aiming to enable 5G NTN support. That allows cell towers to get a coverage boost by tapping into satellites. For anyone who needs directions in a remote area without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, Apple reportedly has plans to introduce satellite connectivity to Apple Maps. Boy, I could have used that a few times! In a really cool possible upgrade, Apple is working on ‘natural usage.’ That would mean you won’t have to hold the phone up and point it towards a spot in the sky to connect to a satellite. They are working to make it possible to stay connected even without a clear view of the sky or indoors. All this could be a couple years away…and some features no doubt will be needing the latest greatest iPhone hardware. As a friend of mine frequently says, ‘That’s how they getcha!’ 

It has reportedly been patched as of last April, but for over a year, a very sophisticated spyware called ‘Landfall’ was making the rounds on Samsung Galaxy phones. According to arstechnica.com, it was one of those nasty ‘zero-click’ hacks, which can get into your phone without your direct involvement. The spyware was picked up by Researchers at Unit 42, the intelligence arm of Palo Alto Networks. They only found it because of a couple of similar bugs found in Apple’s iOS and on WhatsApp. The hack involved images. The attackers used modified DNG files, which are a modified type of file based on the TIFF format. They imbedded ZIP archives with the bad programs in them. The hack basically gave the bad actors pretty complete access to user information on the phones. It is pretty tough to remove, too. The good news…the hack was mainly confined to Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Morocco. If you didn’t travel to those countries, you are probably fine, but these zero-click hacks are pretty scary. 

Lately, there has been a pretty substantial number of layoffs across industry. A good deal of them have been blamed…at least partially, on AI. As it turns out, that isn’t exactly accurate. AI itself isn’t replacing jobs, so much as spending on AI. Fastcompany.com notes that an MIT Media Lab study has found that 95% of generative AI pilot business projects were failing. Another survey by Atlassian concluded that 96% of businesses “have not seen dramatic improvements in organizational efficiency, innovation, or work quality.” Still another study found that 40% of the business people surveyed have received “AI slop” at work in the last month and that it takes nearly two hours, on average, to fix each instance of slop. In addition, they “no longer trust their AI-enabled peers, find them less creative, and find them less intelligent or capable.” What IS sucking up money that had been going to salaries is the massive amount of money being poured into spending on AI infrastructure. Just Amazon…which chopped some 14,000 last month with another 14,000 jobs to go in January…has increased capital spending from $54 billion in 2023 to $118 billion in 2025! Meta is working to lock up at $27 billion credit line to build data centers. Oracle will borrow $25 billion a year the next few years to cover its AI contracts. Financial stress…especially in the tech sector makes the C Suite folks look for some easy cuts…it’s always headcount…the employees that take it in the tail. 

A bit more AI-related news. Attorneys have been using AI to more quickly turn out legal briefs, and the stories continue to come out about those who aren’t double checking the work of the AI bots, and ending up with the likes of fake case citations. Gizomdo.com reports that more courts are levying fines or the like. Now, some lawyers have started a tracking system to compile information on cases involving AI misuse. A French attorney is presently in the forefront of this with a website…Damien Charlotin has listed some 509 cases so far. At this point, sadly, no bar association has meted out any punishment for the sloppy briefs, only some courts.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

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