183454586
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Patreon is making a notable privacy change that could catch some users off guard. Beginning July 27, 2026, any new creator memberships joined on the platform will be publicly visible by default unless users manually change their privacy settings. Existing memberships will remain private unless users choose otherwise, but Patreon is clearly pushing toward a more social, discovery-focused platform with features like public creator memberships, mutual community connections, and more visible activity feeds.
The company says the goal is to help fans discover creators through shared interests and connections, but the move also changes the feel of the platform. Patreon historically operated more like a direct creator-to-supporter relationship than a social network. Now it increasingly resembles something closer to a creator-centric social graph. While Patreon is adding more granular privacy controls, critics may argue that many users will never notice the changes until their subscriptions become visible to others.
183445686
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
announced a new handheld gaming device called the Nitro Blaze Link, but unlike devices such as the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally, this one is not trying to run games locally. Instead, Acer describes it as a “streaming-first” handheld designed to stream games from an existing gaming PC using Sunshine and Moonlight. The company says the device runs Debian Linux, includes a 7-inch WUXGA touchscreen, Wi-Fi 6, and weighs just 464 grams. Curiously, Acer never disclosed the processor powering the device, while the published specs list only 1GB RAM and 8GB eMMC storage.
The idea here seems pretty simple: instead of cramming increasingly power-hungry GPUs into portable gaming PCs, Acer is betting some gamers would rather have a lightweight Linux streaming terminal for couch gaming around the house. The Nitro Blaze Link is expected to launch in North America during Q4 2026, although Acer has not announced pricing yet.
183434552
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
LG Display says it has started mass production of what it calls the worldâ(TM)s first 240Hz RGB Stripe OLED panel, aiming to address one of the biggest complaints about OLED monitors: text clarity. Unlike many current OLED displays that use alternative subpixel layouts, the new panel uses a traditional RGB stripe arrangement that LG says improves readability for coding, spreadsheets, document editing, stock trading, and other desktop-heavy workloads. The 27-inch panel also combines a 160 PPI pixel density with support for switching between 4K at 240Hz and FHD at 480Hz using the companyâ(TM)s Dynamic Frequency & Resolution technology.
OLED monitors have traditionally been associated with gaming and media consumption, while many office users continued sticking with IPS LCD panels due to concerns over text rendering and burn-in. LG Display appears eager to change that perception by positioning OLED as a single display solution for both productivity and gaming. The company says it is beginning production alongside major monitor brands, although it did not name specific partners or products yet.
183429784
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Microsoft has published a new research paper arguing that AI systems are not replacing human intelligence, but instead extending structures already rooted in human cognition and language. The paper claims large language models work because they absorb and remix patterns humans have embedded into writing and communication over generations, not because the systems possess true understanding or consciousness. Microsoft also points to hallucinations and reasoning failures as evidence that current AI still lacks real-world grounding and compositional reasoning comparable to humans.
The company additionally pushes back on fears of âoerogue AI,â arguing the larger risk comes from humans deploying flawed AI systems irresponsibly at scale. Critics, however, may see the paper as an attempt to calm public anxiety while the tech industry aggressively integrates AI into workplaces and software ecosystems. Microsoft repeatedly emphasizes the need for governance, safeguards, monitoring, and operational controls around AI systems, which also happens to align closely with its growing enterprise AI and Azure business.
183401050
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
A new academic benchmark called âoeAllFaithâ claims leading AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and xAI show measurable religious bias and often avoid faith perspectives entirely when responding to ethical questions, grief, and personal struggles. Researchers from Baylor University, Notre Dame, Brigham Young University, and Yeshiva University say models frequently suggest therapists, family members, or teachers for guidance, while rarely recommending pastors, rabbis, imams, or other spiritual leaders, despite survey data showing many users expect religion to be included in these conversations.
The study also examined religious conversion prompts and found what researchers describe as repeatable favoritism toward some belief systems and negative bias toward others. According to the benchmark, Grok showed some of the strongest measurable biases, while Anthropic and Meta models were among the least biased. The consortium says the issue is likely unintentional, stemming from training data and moderation choices rather than deliberate discrimination. Still, the findings raise an uncomfortable question for the AI industry: if chatbots increasingly become humanityâ(TM)s source for emotional support and moral guidance, can they really claim neutrality while largely excluding religion from the discussion?
183387842
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
A new report from the Web3 Foundation claims Big Tech and AI companies could generate as much as $831,497 in inflation-linked lifetime value from a single American internet user. The report argues that modern internet platforms are monetizing far more than targeted ads, with everything from search queries and shopping habits to chatbot prompts, uploaded images, location history, and behavioral data feeding AI systems and recommendation engines. Companies including Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Anthropic are specifically mentioned as examples of firms benefiting from large-scale personal data collection.
While the report comes from a Web3 advocacy organization and should be viewed with some skepticism, its core argument may resonate with privacy critics and anti-AI users alike: the internet stopped being âoefreeâ a long time ago. The paper argues that AI has made user data even more valuable because human-generated content is now being used not only for advertising, but also to train increasingly capable machine learning systems. Meanwhile, ordinary users see little transparency, control, or financial participation in the value created from their digital lives.
183380534
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Canonical says Ubuntu Pastebin will be decommissioned at the end of May 2026 as part of an infrastructure modernization effort. The problem is the timing. The announcement only appeared this week, giving the Linux community barely any warning before a service that has been tied to Ubuntu support culture for years suddenly disappears. Ubuntu Pastebin has long been used for sharing logs, crash reports, config files, and terminal output across IRC, Ask Ubuntu, forums, bug reports, Reddit, and countless troubleshooting guides scattered around the internet.
The bigger concern is link rot. Once the shutdown happens, years of old support discussions could lose critical debugging information overnight. Community members have already pointed out that some Ubuntu packages and scripts still reference paste.ubuntu.com directly. While it is understandable that aging services eventually get retired, the extremely short transition period is rubbing many Linux users the wrong way, especially in a community where old documentation and archived troubleshooting threads still regularly help people solve problems a decade later.
183358232
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Elon Muskâ(TM)s AI ambitions appear to be getting even bigger after a mysterious SpaceX subsidiary reportedly bought the Colossus I xAI data center property in Memphis for $185 million. The 217-acre facility, already tied to xAI operations, represents another sign that the AI arms race is increasingly becoming a battle over physical infrastructure rather than just software models. GPUs, power delivery, cooling, networking, and datacenter ownership are quickly becoming strategic assets as companies race to scale AI systems.
Oddly, the press release never identifies which SpaceX subsidiary actually purchased the property. It also refers to âoeX-AIâ as a subsidiary of SpaceX, which is not how xAI has traditionally been described publicly. Whether that wording reflects legal restructuring, corporate overlap, or simply sloppy PR language is unclear, but it adds to the growing sense that Muskâ(TM)s companies are becoming more interconnected behind the scenes.
183307669
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Flipper Devices has finally revealed Flipper One, a Linux-powered cyberdeck that sounds less like a gadget and more like an attempt to rebuild portable ARM computing from the ground up. Unlike Flipper Zero, which focuses on offline protocols like RFID and Sub-1 GHz radio, Flipper One is all about networking, modular hardware, SDR experimentation, local AI, and upstream Linux kernel support. The company says it wants to build âoethe most open and best-documented ARM computer in the world,â complete with zero vendor BSP dependency and as few binary blobs as possible. That alone is enough to get Linux folks paying attention.
The hardware itself is loaded with nerd bait: dual Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, M.2 expansion for SSDs and 5G modems, GPIO add-ons, HDMI 2.1, and a dual-processor architecture pairing a Rockchip RK3576 with a Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller. Flipper Devices is even developing its own small-screen Linux UI framework because squeezing KDE onto tiny touchscreens is miserable. The company openly admits the project is financially and technically terrifying, which honestly makes this announcement feel more believable than most startup hardware pitches. Whether Flipper One succeeds or not, it is one of the most ambitious Linux hardware projects in years.
183300513
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.2, and the company is pushing hard to make enterprise Linux feel more âoeintelligent.â The update introduces an optional AI-powered command-line assistant called goose, alongside refreshed developer toolsets including Python 3.14, Rust 1.92, PostgreSQL 18, MariaDB 11.8, and OpenJDK 25. Red Hat is also leaning further into immutable Linux concepts through bootc-based image mode, where the operating system itself is managed like a bootable container image. The goal is simpler deployments, more predictable updates, and easier hybrid cloud management at scale.
Security is another major focus. Red Hat Certificate System 11.0 introduces support for post-quantum cryptography standards designed to prepare organizations for future quantum computing threats. Meanwhile, enhanced Leapp functionality now allows direct conversion and upgrade paths in a single step, with AI-guided automation layered in through Ansible tooling. Whether Linux admins actually want AI integrated into their shell experience is up for debate, but Red Hat clearly believes the future of enterprise Linux involves more automation, more AI assistance, and more container-native infrastructure management.
183299479
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
A new study from Barna Group and Gloo suggests artificial intelligence is becoming a surprisingly influential spiritual tool for many Americans, including practicing Christians. According to the research, one in three adults now believes AI-generated spiritual guidance can be just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. Among Millennials, that number climbs to 44 percent. The study also found many Christians are already using AI for Bible study, prayer assistance, personal growth, and finding meaning or purpose in life.
At the same time, many respondents expressed concern about where this trend could lead. Large majorities worried AI could misinterpret scripture, weaken religious faith, replace pastors, or even act as a substitute for God. Critics argue that while AI may be useful for studying religious texts or organizing information, it lacks wisdom, morality, lived experience, and genuine understanding. The findings raise uncomfortable questions about whether society is beginning to hand increasingly personal and spiritual responsibilities over to algorithms created by tech companies.
183297675
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
FICO has launched the new UltraFICO Score, and it could change how lenders judge borrowers by looking beyond traditional credit reports and into actual bank account activity. Through a partnership with Plaid, the system can analyze deposits, balance stability, spending habits, and cash flow behavior in real time. Supporters say it could help younger people, gig workers, and thin-file borrowers get approved more easily, but critics will probably see it as another step toward financial surveillance becoming normalized.
The bigger story here may not even be FICO itself, but how deeply Plaid is becoming embedded into the financial system. Consumers are increasingly being asked to hand over live banking data in exchange for convenience, approvals, and personalized financial services. UltraFICO could genuinely help some folks access credit, but it also raises uncomfortable questions about privacy, behavioral profiling, and whether every financial decision we make is slowly becoming part of a permanent algorithmic reputation score.
183289443
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Plex is raising the price of a new Lifetime Plex Pass from $249.99 to $749.99 on July 1. Thatâ(TM)s a $500 increase for media server software. Plex says it needs the money for long-term development and future features, but a lot of self-hosting folks are already wondering if this is basically a soft way of killing the Lifetime option without officially removing it. At nearly $750, are people just going to move to Jellyfin instead?
183289351
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Compact discs may not be dead after all. Disc Makers says CD revenue is up 9 percent so far in 2026, with April alone seeing an 18 percent year over year increase. Surprisingly, much of the renewed interest appears to be coming from Gen Z listeners discovering CDs for the first time rather than older buyers chasing nostalgia. Younger fans are reportedly drawn to the format because CDs are cheap, tangible, collectible, and often more practical than vinyl, especially for people driving older cars that still include CD players but lack modern Bluetooth connectivity.
The resurgence is also giving independent musicians a badly needed revenue stream outside of streaming platforms, which typically pay fractions of a cent per play. Disc Makers says short-run CD manufacturing can cost roughly $2 per disc, while artists regularly sell them directly to fans for $10 to $15 at concerts. While CD sales remain far below their early 2000s peak, the company believes younger listeners are helping create a new market for physical music ownership at a time when many consumers are growing tired of subscription based streaming services.
183268261
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Social media increasingly feels algorithmically optimized, engagement obsessed, and strangely sterile. A new open source platform called Ditto wants to push in the opposite direction. Built on the Nostr protocol and interoperable with Mastodon and Bluesky, Ditto heavily emphasizes customization, user ownership, and what its creators describe as a return to the âoefunâ internet many users remember from the MySpace and GeoCities era. The platform includes profile themes, custom fonts, decorative messaging, virtual pets called Blobbis, and even browser playable games embedded directly into feeds.
I recently spoke with Derek Ross from Soapbox for a sponsored Q&A about the platformâ(TM)s broader vision. Ross argued that users are exhausted by algorithmic feeds, AI generated slop, and increasingly homogenized online experiences. He also discussed decentralized moderation, interoperability across protocols, why Ditto intentionally avoids ad driven design, and why the company believes the open web can eventually compete with corporate social platforms. Love the idea or hate it, the interview raises some interesting questions about whether the modern internet has lost too much personality in pursuit of optimization.
