Next MacOS Name etc Leaked; Samsung May Incorporate Perplexity’s AI; Meta Moving Product Risk Assessment to AI form Humans; 30% of Americans are Active AI Users

Posted: June 2, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference is imminent, and a bit more has trickled out. We already reported that the operating systems will assume years as part of their naming system, as in macOS26. Now, macrumors.com reports that macOS26 will be named Tahoe. Apple burned through a number of names of big cats for its OS names for years, then switched to California names….like Yosemite, Monterey, and Sonoma. Along with the name, Apple will bow a more glass-like design with more translucent windows, buttons and icons…thus the connection to Lake Tahoe…famous for its clarity and being able to see deep down into the water. WWDC kicks off a week from today, on Monday June 9th, at 10am Pacific. 

Samsung is moving forward on an investment in AI startup Perplexity, which would lead to the smartphone maker integrating the AI company’s tech into their devices. According to techcrunch.com, Samsung would use Perplexity’s AI brawn to power some of Samsung’s Bixby assistant features. A partnership deal with Perplexity may be sealed yet this year. Interestingly, Apple has also thought about adding Perplexity as a search engine to its Safari browser. Motorola already has a partnership with the AI firm.

Meta is planning to move assessment of its products’ potential harms from human reviewers to AI, aiming to speed up the process. Engadget.com notes that Meta is wanting to have up to 90% of risk assessments taken care of by AI…even considering it in areas like youth risk and ‘integrity,’ which includes violent content, misinformation and more. Meta employees who spoke with NPR warned AI may overlook serious risks that a human team would have been able to identify. It appears the old slogan of ‘move fast and break things’ is still well entrenched at Meta.

The folks at ComScore have done the analytics, and says that 30% of US people are actively using AI at least monthly. Top AI tools on the desktop are OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and the Canva designer. ComScore notes that 67 million people in the US are using AI on their mobile devices. Top categories on the desktop…besides AI assistants…are Audio with 23.8 million users, image generation with 23 million, and designs also with 23 million. Video generation shows up with 22.4 million. For mobile, ChatGPT has the highest number of visitors. In #2 is marketing platform Octane AI, followed by Canvas, Gemini, and social marketing tool Beacons. 

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

Samsung Upgrading Hinges on Z Fold 7; Apple Easing Apple Intelligence Away from Siri; Microsoft-AI to Accelerate Scientific Discovery; Sesame Street to Air on PBS & Netflix Simultaneously 

Posted: May 19, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung is apparently going to upgrade the hinges on the Galaxy Z fold 7 and ti-fold…but not the Z Flip 7. 9to5google.com reports that Samsung will use titanium in the new hinges, strengthening them. The tri-fold gadget…possible to be called the Galaxy G Fold will get the hinges in addition to the Z Fold 7. The Z Flip 7 will not get the new hinge, and won’t get any slimmer. It should be noted that Motorola put a titanium hinge on the 2025 Razr, and Apple is going titanium combination on their upcoming folding phone. Up to now, Samsung has used a stainless steel hinge on all its folders. Last year’s Z Fold SE got titanium, and now the tech will spread. As for the Z Fold? Maybe on the 8…

It appears that hapless Siri will not get a lot of time during Apple’s WWDC coming up next month. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple was caught somewhat flat-footed with the rapid trend towards generative AI. The net is, with Siri AI upgrades delayed, Apple will be adding Apple Intelligence to other apps, and introduce an AI battery optimization tool, in addition to a virtual health coach. Poor Siri…Cupertino is even working on implementing a new capability for European Union residents: the ability to ditch Siri entirely. Instead of having Siri as your voice assistant, you’ll be able to use third-party options. Specific third-party options weren’t named, but it’s worth noting that this will be a distinct feature from the already-existing ChatGPT integration in Siri. Honestly, I swear at Siri half the time when it fails to do the simplest things when dealing with my very simple home automation…which is primarily lights and cameras. It’s not surprising that Apple wants to distance Apple Intelligence as much as possible from Siri. 

Among a slew of announcements from Microsoft today at their Build 2025 conference, one interesting reveal is Microsoft Discovery. TechCrunch.com notes that Redmond is claiming that Discovery is a platform that taps agentic AI to “transform the [scientific] discovery process,” according to a press release provided to TechCrunch. Microsoft Discovery is “extensible,” Microsoft says, and can handle certain science-related workloads “end-to-end.” They are saying that “The platform enables scientists and researchers to collaborate with a team of specialized AI agents to help drive scientific outcomes with speed, scale, and accuracy using the latest innovations in AI and supercomputing.” Other AI purveyors are also on the science bandwagon, with Google rolling out ‘AI co-scientist’ earlier this year, and Anthropic and OpenAI also crowing that AI tools will massively accelerate scientific discovery…particularly in medicine. 

With the uncertainty of funding coming out of the present administration, Sesame Street is taking a proactive move…they will air on PBS and now on Netflix at the same time. Engadget.com reports that the beloved kids’ show will be available worldwide on Netflix and on PBS in the US. Episodes will be released the same day on Netflix, PBS stations and PBS kids. The deal also includes some 90 hours of prior Sesame Street episodes. Sesame Street had lived on HBO for the last 10 years in addition to PBS, but HBO didn’t renew its deal. 

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

US and China Cut Tariffs-90 Days; Apple Considering Price Hikes for iPhone 17; Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7-Bigger Outer Display; OpenAI & Microsoft Renegotiating Partnership

Posted: May 12, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

It what may have been the most telegraphed alleged deal in a long time, the Trump administration and China have issued a joint statement cutting tariffs for the next 90 days. Theverge.com reports that the Trump US import tax on Chinese goods drops from 145% to 30%, while China will reduce theirs from the 145% down to 10% on what they import from the US. In the next 90 days, the two nations will continue to work to finalize a trade deal. 

Apple is looking to hike iPhone 17 prices this fall, claiming it has nothing to do with the Trump tariffs. According to macrumors.com, Cupertino plans to try to justify the increases in cost by touting new features and design changes. It may be something of a big lift to convince people that the tariffs have nothing to do with it…even though Apple had already planned to import most iPhones from India instead of China to get around the heavy tariffs. Apple hasn’t raised prices notably on iPhones in a while, so really they were probably due for an increase anyway…but you know people will still blame the Trump import tax anyway.

A new leak points to the Samsung Z Flip 7 getting a bigger cover display…similar in size to the one on the Moto Razr. Androidpolice.com notes that even with the bigger screen, there aren’t any planned new usability features for the outside screen. That means they still won’t directly run apps on the outer screen. You can utilize a Good Lock module to increase functionality. The change in size isn’t dramatic, but at least it will be a head to head match with a main competitor. 

OpenAI and Microsoft are revamping their partnership, with Microsoft reducing its equity state in OpenAI in exchange for extended access to OpenAI’s technology beyond the previously agreed upon 2030 cutoff. Geekwire.com reports that the changed deal will also make a future IPO for OpenAI possible. Microsoft has plowed over $13 billion into OpenAI since 2019, and it provides computing capacity for OpenAI’s services. Microsoft uses OpenAI tech for Microsoft Copilot. OpenAI will continue with its restructuring to create a for-profit public benefit corporation, controlled by its nonprofit parent. 

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

Samsung Galaxy S25’s at Unpacked; Netflix Announces Price Hikes for All 3 Levels; Microsoft No Longer Open AI Exclusive Cloud Provider; Meta-First True AR Headsets by 2027

Posted: January 22, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung held their Unpacked event this morning. With all the leaks, we weren’t really surprised by a lot. We do have pricing though…Mashable.com reports that the Galaxy S25 will be $799, the S25 Plus is $999, and the S25 Ultra runs $1299. The base model has a 6.2 inch AMOLED screen, 12 gigs of ram, either 128 or 256 gigs of storage, and 3 rear cams…50 MP wide, 12 MP ultra-wide, and 10 MP telephoto. It has a 4,000 mAh battery. The extra 4 gigs of RAM will help it run Samsung’s AI. The S25 plus has a 6.7 inch screen, with the same RAM and processor, and same cameras…but a 4,900 mAh battery…and you can opt for 512 gigs of storage. For the S25 Ultra, you will get the biggest 6.9 inch display, 12 gigs of RAM, either 256, 512, or 1 TB or storage, and better cameras…200 MP wide, 50 MP ultra-wide, and 10MP/50MP telephoto. The Ultra also has a fat 5,000 mAh battery. Look for AI in the photos and videos, improved generative editing, and Audio Eraser like on the Pixel phones. As we had heard, no price hike..that’s maybe the best thing of all.

Netflix is hiking prices again…this time on all three of its plans. According to 9to5mac.com, the cheapie plan will go to $7.99 a month, while the top-line, gold-plated Premium plan with 4K streaming will whack your pocketbook for a princely $24.99 a month. The Standard plan without Ads is now going to be $17.99 a month. These price boosts will be for the US, Canada, Portugal, and Argentina. 

Microsoft has inked a new deal with OpenAI giving Redmond the ‘right of first refusal’ on any new OpenAI cloud computing capacity. That means that if Microsoft can’t meet OpenAI’s needs, it is free to use a rival cloud provider. Techcrunch.com notes that OpenAI has made a larger new Azure commitment with Microsoft, so it’s not like they are completely splitting the sheets. OpenAI has griped about a lack of available compute space that delayed its products, and that has been a source of tension with the company and Microsoft. Last June, in fact, Microsoft let them sign a deal with Oracle for additional capacity. The new Microsoft OpenAI agreement runs through 2030.

A report out by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Meta is working on at least 3 new smart glasses models and is on the road to making their first true augmented reality glasses. Of course, Meta presently has the Ray-Ban smart glasses, and it is expected that there will be a newer model of those with a display. One new model may have a cam in the middle of the frames, with the target users being cyclists and other athletes. Those will be produced in partnership with Oakley. Another model called Hypernova internally will run simple software apps, let the user view notifications, and display photos taken. The price target is $1000. The true AR glasses may hit the market as soon as 2027.

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

Smartphone Sales Uptick in 2024; Biden Proposes Export Controls on GPUs; Apple Watch SE Gets Refresh; Government Turns Down Tesla Big Rig Charge Station Money Request

Posted: January 13, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The year 2024 showed a sales uptick in smartphones after a tough 2023. Smartphone sales overall grew by 4% year over year. Androidauthority.com reports that Chinese maker Xiaomi had the top growth, increasing market share by 1%. Both Apple and Samsung saw their 2024 market share drop by 1%. Xiaomi does not have a footprint in the US, either, which makes the increase more notable. Samsung and Apple still lead the smartphone market globally…Samsung with 19% market share, and Apple with 18%. Apple sales in China were apparently hurt by the lack of AI features in that country on the iPhone 16 Pro models. Counterpoint Research sees Generative AI capabilities being on some 90% of smartphones that sell for over $250 by the year 2028.

The Biden administration has revealed what it is calling its ‘AI diffusion rule,’ which is intended to restrict the export of GPUs that are most coveted for AI applications. Although it does not mention the nation by name, it’s widely viewed as a means to prevent China from outpacing the US in AI development. According to engadget.com, there are 3 licensing tiers. The first is unrestricted, and that’s for the US domestic market and 18 strategic allies. The second tier will have caps on computing power, and that will be for most countries. The third tier includes China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The government will effectively bar sales of the most powerful GPUs in those nations. The Semiconductor Industry Association objects to the rule making, as does AI chip industry leader NVIDIA. It’s not clear that the incoming Trump administration will let the rule survive. 

Apple will launch an updated SE Watch later this year with an updated look. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that it is likely that the design may be more in line with  the 2021 Watch Series 7…but it is possible it will be completely different…Apple is apparently considering a plastic case for the Watch SE…which could be available in a rainbow of bright colors. Think of the old iMac computers. The Watch 11 and Ultra 3 models will keep the present look but will get some upgrades. The Ultra 3 will probably get satellite connectivity and both the 11 and the Ultra 3 will likely get high blood pressure detection..not exact numbers, but just a warning to the wearer. The blood pressure feature was supposed to be out for the Watch 10, but was delayed. 

The Department of Transportation has turned down a request by Tesla for $100 million in funding for big rig EV charging. Techcrunch.com reports that $636 million in funding will be split by 49 applicants for EV charging infrastructure. Tesla has only produced a small number of electric big rigs in Texas, and is building out their facility in Nevada to make the electric trucks…which they first showed 8 years ago in 2017. The company wants to build 9 semi-truck charging stations between its former headquarters in the Bay Area and its present one near the southern border of Texas. There will probably be a third round of funding released from the bipartisan infrastructure law, which originally allocated $2.5 billion in funds for charging infrastructure. Presumably, the incoming Trump administration will want to dole out more money to Tesla.

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

New Smart Glasses at CES-Project Screen Not on Lenses; Open AI Moving to ‘Superintellegence’; Samsung Galaxy S25 Leak; United-Tests Starlink on Flights Starting in Feb.

Posted: January 6, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Most smart glasses or goggles display on the lenses. Now, a startup at CES is showing something a bit different. Halliday is planning to start shipping their new smart glasses by the end of the first quarter of 2025. These glasses actually project a 3.5 inch ‘screen into the wearer’s upper right field of view.’ Bgr.com reports that there is a tiny projector in the frame. This allows viewing the screen with minimal interference and without needing specific lenses. The system works for people with or without prescription lenses, and is allegedly visible even in bright sunlight. The glasses feature Halliday’s built in AI. You control them with voice commands or buttons built into the frame. They also plan to ship a ring-like track pad you can wear on your finger to control them. They will launch on Kickstarter, and the glasses will retail for $489.

Open AI CEO Sam Altman has posted to his personal blog that he believes OpenAI “know[s] how to build [artificial general intelligence]” as it has traditionally understood it — and is beginning to turn its aim to “superintelligence.” According to techcrunch.com, Altman continued with “We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future,” Altman wrote in the post, which was published late Sunday evening. “Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity.” That all sounds amazing, but a lot of us would love to see actual artificial intelligence, not the artificial stupidity we get in answers a lot of the time from these products. You have to give it to Sam, though…he doesn’t lack for confidence in himself or in OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Samsung has never been known for its tight grip on information when it comes to products in the works, and now we have a couple more leaks describing the upcoming Galaxy S25…which should bow later this month. Androidpolice.com says that like the Google Pixel 9 Pro, the Galaxy S25 series will include a free Gemini Advanced subscription. The handsets will also have new blue colors and some MagSafe-type case options. The colors are reportedly ‘Icy Blue’ for the Galaxy S25 Plus and ‘Titanium Blue’ for the S25 Ultra. The latter is a lighter shade of blue. As for the wireless charging, the case images show a MagSafe-line ring, but word is the Galaxy S25 won’t natively support Qi2 charging, but will rely on external accessories to do so. This is also true with other Android lines…they rely on cases for the charging abilities. 

United is going to start testing out Starlink satellite connectivity on flights next month. Engadget.com notes that UA announced a partnership with SpaceX back in September. If the testing goes as expected, United plans to have the first commercial flight with Starlink to be in place by later this spring. It will start out on an Embraer E-175. The rest of the airlines ‘two-cabin regional fleet’ should have Starlink installed through 2025, with the first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of 2025. Starlink will be free to all members of United’s Mileage Plus program. 

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

Chinese Government Hackers Hit US Treasury Office; Meta-Plans to Flood Social Media with AI Generated Users and Content; Tesla Deliveries Drop-First in a Decade; Samsung A16 Launches in US for $199

Posted: January 2, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Over the holiday, we found out that Chinese government hackers targeted the very sensitive sanctions office for the US Treasury. Techcrunch.com reports that the hackers were able to access employee workstations and unclassified documents. The situation, which happened in December, was called ‘a major cybersecurity incident’ by the Treasury. A third party software provider called Beyond Trust, that provides identity management tools, tipped off Treasury about the attacks. The US Treasury Department has had no further comment so far. 

From the ‘whoever thought this was a good idea’ department…Meta plans to flood Facebook and other social media platforms with AI powered user profiles. According to Siliconangle.com, Connor Hayes, VP of product of Generative AI said in an interview with Financial Times “We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do. They’ll have bios and profile pictures and they’ll be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform. That’s where we see all of this going.” Hey, they want to see some return on the billions they are pumping into AI…so brace yourself.

Tesla had its first drop in yearly deliveries in a decade. Yahoo.com says that the EV maker got 495,570 vehicles to customers in the last quarter, missing estimates of 503,269 which meant a 1.1% drop year over year. This all according to 15 analysts polled by LSEG. The stock is down over 100 from a high of 486 December 17th to 379.70 as of this report on January 2nd. 

One thing Samsung does well that Apple can’t or won’t master is maintaining a line of cheap Android phones in addition to their more state-of-the art and therefore pricy phones. 9to5google.com reports that Samsung has started 2025 with the US launch of its budget Galaxy A16 phone…for $199! The phone is no dog…it has a 6.7 inch screen and runs an Exynos 1330 system. The A16 also rocks a big 5,000 mAh battery. Where it does lack is in memory…only 4 gigs. It does have a 50MP rear cam and a 5 MP ultra wide, as well as a 2 MP macro cam. The Selfie cam is 13 MP, so you aren’t going to get top notch photos with this…but hey, $199! It comes with 6 major Android updates too. You can get it in black or blue starting January 9th from Samsung.com and many retailers and carriers.

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

Lower Priced Galaxy Flip Rumor; Bluesky Passes 20 Million Users; GrayKey Police Hack Having Trouble With iOS 18; Starlink Back to Waitlisting Some Places

Posted: November 20, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Folding phones are growing more popular, especially with a less noticeable crease on the screens, but they are still really expensive. Now, bgr.com reports that we may be seeing a relatively cheap Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE sometime in 2025. In addition, Samsung is reportedly working on a thin Z Flip 7 SE. If the rumors are true, Samsung may field 4 Galaxy Z foldable in 2025: the regular Flip 7 and Fold 7, and the cheaper Flip SE, and ultra-thin Fold 7 SE. If they keep making the crease less visible, and can drop prices, folding phones may become relatively mainstream. Since Apple is reported to be working on a folder, you can expect they will join the party just as that mainstreaming occurs!

Bluesky, the app that would replace old Twitter, has now blown past 20 million users. It is now gaining on Meta owned Threads, as well as X, which continues to bleed users. TechCrunch.com notes that Threads still has a massive lead at 275 million monthly active users, but up to the election they had 5 times more daily users than Bluesky. That has not been cut to 1.5 times! Even with the recent exodus from X, the Musk-owned app still has 10 times the users of Bluesky for now. Bluesky has been #1 at the US Apple App Store since the election, while Threads is now #4, and X has ominously dropped to #41!

You may have heard of Graykey…we’ve reported on it here…it’s something law enforcement and government agencies can use to break into locked iPhones. Now, macrumors.com says officials are having issues trying to hack into phones running iOS 18 and 18.01. Apparently, the product can ‘partially’ unlock some phones…in fact iPhone 11 models can be unlocked in full. Newer iPhones are more hack proof. Magnet Forensics, maker of Graykey, had no comment, but Israel-based Cellebrite reportedly can’t unlock iPhones running iOS 17.5.1 and later. Apple has said that the idea is to make the phones worth less and less of a theft item since a locked phone you can’t hack into is not worth much. For some, the fact that governments and police agencies can’t get in either is a plus. 

Only about a year after dropping waitlisting, Starlink is back to ‘sold out’ in parts of the US. Arstechnica.com reports that the areas you’ll be waiting in include the areas around Seattle, Spokane, Portland, San Diego, Sacramento, and Austin, Texas. There are also some sold-out areas in parts of Colorado, Montana, and North Carolina. Worldwide, there is still little availability in Africa. If you are so inclined, you can jump the wait list by subscribing to the pricier Starlink Roam tier. Be aware though, that they may block Roam service in specific areas due to lack of capacity. 

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

Twitter Vanishes from Mac App Store; Samsung Markets Galaxy Z Flips as Cop Body Cams; Feds Propose Deepfake Law; Android Malware-Steals Cash Then Wipes Your Device

Posted: August 1, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a good bet there will be some angry Tweets from Elon Musk…and yes, I’m still calling them Tweets. X can no longer be accessed in the Mac App Store, and that may mean it has been officially delisted. Techcrunch.com reports that searches for both ‘Twitter’ and ‘X’ on Apple’s platform no longer surface the app. The URL no longer works either…you get a pop up saying it is unavailable. X has not confirmed that the app was delisted. 

Here’s an interesting idea you might not have thought of, but Samsung has. Apparently, Samsung is marketing its Z Flip phones as a body cam to police agencies. According to engadget.com, Samsung started doing this a couple years ago as a pilot program with some police in Missouri.  The program was the first time a foldable device was used by police as a body cam. After the end of the pilot program, two more police departments signed on to use the Flip devices as body cams. The solutions from those pilot tests are also being extended to 25 metro police departments in five states. 

The US government has formed an Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium, and now there is a bipartisan law proposed that would outlaw the use of deepfakes. 9to5mac.com notes that one of the biggest concerns about AI is the ease with which deepfakes can be created. These are convincing-looking photos, audio, and video recordings of real people made to look like they are doing or saying completely fake things. The law was introduced yesterday in the Senate. Called the No Fakes Act, it would hold individuals and companies liable for damages for producing, hosting, or sharing a digital replica of an individual performing in an audiovisual work, image, or sound recording that the individual never actually appeared in or otherwise approved. The Actor and Broadcast union SAG-AFTRA backs the bill, and so do I…I approve this message. I don’t want some voice clone doing mortuary or male enhancement commercials, to name just a couple categories I would nix. 

A very nasty piece of malware for Android has been uncovered. Researchers at Cleafy Labs are calling it BingoMod. Bgr.com reports that the victim is tricked into installing the bad boy app posing as legit antivirus software. Right after that, the app asks for access to Accessibility Services. As soon as you do that it unpacks and executes its malicious payload. It goes after credentials using key logging and SMS interception. Once that’s done, hackers take over your device and start money transfers. But wait…there’s more. When you are cleaned out, they can wipe your device by remote command! Stick with main brand antivirus software and get it from the actual maker…don’t take a chance.

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

Samsung All In With Google Messages; CrowdStrike Mess-Delta Cancels 1,000 More Flights; Astronomers Find New Way to Spot AI Deepfakes; EVs-New Battery Tech is 50% Lighter

Posted: July 22, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung will stop pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones, and just go with Google Messages. 9to5google.com reports that…starting with the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, you will just get Googles Messages. RCS will be enabled by default on the phones in the Google Messages app. The Samsung app will still be available for download at the Galaxy Store, but with a note that ’some features will be excluded.’

Although it’s been since Thursday, some users are still dealing with the aftermath of the corrupt CrowdStrike download that screwed up what Microsoft claims was a little over 8 million computers. Microsoft says that is about 1% of the installed base. That noted, according to engadget.com, Delta has had to cancel over 1,000 more flights…it’s a total of about 5,000 flights cancelled now, and around 1,700 delayed. That amounts to around a third of Delta’s scheduled flights. Delta was the worst hit US airline, with United a distant second…at 266 flights cancelled on Sunday. At first, United and Delta told stranded travelers that they wouldn’t cover bills since the CrowdStrike crash was out of their control. However, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg later stepped in and said that he considered the situation self-inflicted, so carriers would need to cover food, transportation and lodging costs for any delays longer than three hours as required by law. Secretary Pete also said don’t let them talk you into a credit…you can get the cash back…that’s the law!

In an interesting application of one tech to another, astronomers and researchers at the University of Hull have shown a novel way to detect AI Deepfakes. Arstechnica.com says it involves analyzing the reflections in human eyes. The technique was shown at the Royal Astronomical Society meeting last week. It utilizes tools used by astronomers. A pair of eyes being illuminated by the same set of light sources will normally have similarly shaped light reflections in each eyeball. Most AI deepfakes so far don’t account for eyeball reflections, so they show up inconsistently between the eyes. Some differences can be detected with the naked eye…like when one eye has white lights and the other red, but the astronomical tools can detect automatically and much faster…and with detail that a person can’t match. One down side…the technique requires a clear, up-close view of the eyeballs to work. It isn’t 100% yet…there are a few false negatives and false positives…but it’s a new tool in the battle against deepfakes.

A Swedish firm, using research from Chalmers University of Technology, has developed carbon fiber-based structural batteries that not only store energy but also become an integral part of a product’s structure. Their possible span of energy density is said to be around 25-50% of a conventional lithium-ion battery at current technology level. Bgr.com notes that by integrating the batteries into the actual structure of the car (or aircraft), these batteries could lighten the weight of the vehicle by up to 50%! This tech is the first that has given good mechanical strength plus good electrical properties. Previous tries have had one or the other, but not both.

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

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