Articles[tech] (Page 4)

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His house burned down. He used the insurance money to build PopSockets.

(TechCrunch / 2026-03-04 19:34)

PopSockets, a global consumer hardware brand, has demonstrated that a bootstrapped, low-dilution path to success is viable, having sold 290 million products without relying on institutional venture capital. The company was built with less than $500,000 from its founder, former CEO David Barnett, who scaled it from a garage in Boulder.

The article highlights Barnett's journey, including standing up to Amazon at a significant cost and eventually transitioning the CEO role to an internal successor. The piece also promotes an interview with Barnett on the podcast Equity.

The main topics covered are PopSockets' bootstrapped business model, its growth and scale, and the leadership transition from its founder.

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After a rocky six years, Sony cancels future single-player PC game releases

(Ars Technica / 2026-03-04 19:17)

Sony has reportedly canceled plans to release current and future first-party single-player games, like Ghost of Yotei and the upcoming Saros, on PC. This strategic shift is driven by internal concerns that PC releases could hurt PlayStation 5 and future console sales, and potentially benefit competitors if future Xbox hardware plays PC games.

The new policy includes notable exceptions. Multiplayer titles, such as Bungie's Marathon, will still launch simultaneously on PlayStation and PC.

Additionally, some games developed by external studios, including Death Stranding 2 and Kena: Scars of Kosmora, will still come to PC despite their close association with PlayStation.

Main topics: Sony's PC release strategy change, reasons for the shift (console sales, competition), and the exceptions to the new policy (multiplayer and externally developed games).

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Dem Candidate for Rep. Eric Swalwell’s Seat Donated to Far-Right Republicans — Including Laura Loomer

(The Intercept / 2026-03-04 19:14)

A new Democratic congressional candidate in California, Rakhi Israni, has raised an unusually large $2 million in her campaign's first two weeks, with donor identities currently undisclosed. Public records reveal Israni has a personal history of donating to far-right Republican candidates and figures, including MAGA supporters and anti-abortion politicians, which contrasts with her current Democratic platform.

Her progressive opponents in the primary are sharply criticizing these past donations, calling them disqualifying and questioning her alignment with the district's Democratic values. Israni defends her donation history as broad political engagement rather than ideological endorsement, stating she opposes MAGA politics.

The main topics covered are the surprising campaign fundraising, the controversy over Israni's past donations to far-right figures, and the resulting political criticism from her Democratic primary opponents.

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Serpro tem nova DPO

(Capital Digital / 2026-03-04 19:11)

Débora Sirotheau Siqueira Rodrigues, superintendent of Personal Data Protection and Cyber Fraud at Serpro, has been appointed as the company's Data Protection Officer (DPO). This appointment fulfills a requirement of Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD), particularly relevant as Serpro operates critical government systems handling vast amounts of citizen data in areas like taxation and civil identification.

In this structure, Serpro primarily acts as a data processor for government agencies, which remain the data controllers. The DPO's role is focused on internal governance, promoting a privacy culture, and ensuring data protection is integrated into processes, without assuming the legal responsibilities of the controlling agencies.

The article outlines that inquiries about data processing should be directed to the controller agency when Serpro is a processor, while the DPO becomes the contact point when Serpro acts as a controller. Débora Sirotheau's extensive qualifications in IT, law, and data privacy are also highlighted.

Main Topics: Appointment of a Data Protection Officer at Serpro; Compliance with Brazil's LGPD; Roles and responsibilities of data processor vs. controller; Serpro's function in operating government systems; The DPO's specific duties and contact information.

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Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers

(Science Latest / 2026-03-04 19:08)

Global oil and gas prices have surged following a US attack on Iran, but the conflict is also severely disrupting the global fertilizer supply chain ahead of the crucial spring planting season. The shutdown of Qatari natural gas production, a key input for nitrogen fertilizers, and export halts from the region are causing significant price spikes and shortages, particularly for urea and ammonia.

The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is further preventing regional exports, with nearly 50% of global urea production now at risk. Other critical fertilizers like phosphates are also threatened, as the US relies heavily on imports from Middle Eastern suppliers like Saudi Arabia.

Main topics: Middle East conflict, disruption to global fertilizer supply (specifically nitrogen, phosphates, and potash), impact on US farmers and agriculture, and risks to global trade routes.

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US and EU police shut down LeakBase, a site accused of sharing stolen passwords and hacking tools

(TechCrunch / 2026-03-04 19:01)

U.S. and European authorities have seized the database and shut down LeakBase, a major cybercrime forum operating since 2021. The forum had over 142,000 members and hosted a vast archive of stolen data, including hundreds of millions of account credentials and financial details.

This coordinated takedown involved around 100 global enforcement actions, including measures against top users, and resulted in over a dozen arrests and interviews. The FBI has taken control of the site's domain, which now displays a seizure notice confirming that all forum data has been preserved.

The main topics covered are the law enforcement operation against the cybercrime forum, the scale of the seized criminal database, and the resulting arrests and site seizure.

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MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, and everything else Apple announced this week

(TechCrunch / 2026-03-04 19:00)

Apple announced a series of new products across three days, including the budget-friendly iPhone 17e with an A19 chip and improved modem, and an M4 iPad Air with enhanced performance for AI tasks.

The company also unveiled new MacBook Pro models featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which are designed to significantly accelerate AI workloads like LLM processing and image generation compared to prior generations.

Additionally, Apple introduced a more affordable MacBook Neo and updated its Studio Display lineup.

The main topics covered are new product announcements for the iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, and other Apple hardware, with a focus on performance improvements, particularly for artificial intelligence applications.

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Re-creating the complex cuisine of prehistoric Europeans

(Ars Technica / 2026-03-04 19:00)

A new study analyzing residues on prehistoric pottery from Eastern Europe reveals that early hunter-gatherer-fishers had a mixed diet of foraged plants and hunted animals, often combined in region-specific recipes. Researchers used multiple analytical techniques on 58 pottery fragments to identify both plant and animal remains, a challenge in prior studies focused mainly on animal fats. The team also conducted cooking experiments to better understand how residues form and to validate their findings on ancient culinary practices.

The main topics covered are archaeological research methods for analyzing ancient diets, the specific findings on Eastern European hunter-gatherer-fisher cuisine, and the scientific techniques used to study pottery residues.

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Google’s AI-powered workspace is now available to more users in Search

(The Verge / 2026-03-04 18:57)

Google is expanding access to its AI-powered Canvas workspace within Search to all users in the United States. The feature, which was previously tested for travel planning, now also supports creative writing and coding tasks, organizing information or prototypes in a side panel.

Users can access Canvas by entering AI Mode in Search and selecting it from the chat interface to generate content based on their prompts. The feature is currently available only in English.

The main topics covered are the expansion of Google's Canvas AI workspace, its new functionalities for writing and coding, and its availability and access method.

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Google Search rolls out Gemini’s Canvas in AI Mode to all US users

(TechCrunch / 2026-03-04 18:50)

Google has expanded access to its Canvas in AI Mode feature to all users in the U.S. in English, moving it out of its experimental Labs phase. The tool helps users organize projects, draft documents, and create custom tools or apps directly within Google Search by describing their ideas.

Canvas can generate code for apps or games, refine creative writing, and transform materials like research reports into various formats. Its integration into the widely used AI Mode in Search exposes it to a massive audience, which is a strategic advantage for Google.

The main topics covered are the launch and capabilities of Canvas in AI Mode, its integration into Google Search, and its competitive positioning against similar AI tools from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.

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The US Senate empowers NASA to fully engage in lunar space race

(Ars Technica / 2026-03-04 18:50)

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee advanced new NASA authorization legislation after a brief hearing. The bill endorses significant changes to the Artemis Moon program, following NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's recent strategic shuffle.

The revised plan aims to ensure the U.S. beats China back to the Moon and establishes a long-term presence at the lunar south pole. The legislation authorizes funding and provides strategic direction aligned with this accelerated goal.

The main topics covered are the Senate committee's action on NASA authorization, the strategic overhaul of the Artemis program, and the intensified focus on lunar competition with China.

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MacBook Neo hands-on: Apple build quality at a substantially lower price

(Ars Technica / 2026-03-04 18:44)

Apple has introduced the MacBook Neo, its first MacBook actively marketed and sold below the $1,000 price point, starting at $599. This represents a strategic shift to attract new customers with a more affordable entry into the Mac ecosystem.

The laptop features a new design aligned with current MacBook Air and Pro models, though it is slightly thicker and uses a non-backlit keyboard. It maintains a familiar Apple build quality but makes some compromises, such as a trackpad without Force Touch and spec sheet shortcomings compared to more expensive models.

The main topics covered are the new low-cost MacBook Neo's pricing and market strategy, its design and build quality, and its specific feature compromises compared to higher-end MacBooks.

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Vatican warns AI could lead to 'social control'

(Tech-Economic Times / 2026-03-04 18:35)

The Vatican has issued a warning that artificial intelligence poses significant risks, including increased social control, manipulation, and the creation of an uncontrollable, hyper-connected world. It argues digital culture dehumanizes society by eroding historical sense and reducing experiences to fleeting moments.

The document emphasizes that strong human relationships, particularly within families, act as a crucial barrier against homogenizing globalization and the negative impacts of technology. It was approved by Pope Leo XIV, who has consistently cautioned that AI can reproduce creator biases and should not be used for military life-and-death decisions.

These warnings coincide with rapid advancements in generative AI, which is becoming increasingly adept at replicating human-made works.

Main topics: Vatican's warning on AI risks, dehumanizing effects of digital technology, the importance of human relationships, Pope Leo XIV's stance on AI, advancements in generative AI.

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Setor de Informação e Comunicação cresce 6,5% em 2025 e impulsiona PIB brasileiro

(Capital Digital / 2026-03-04 18:35)

The information and communication sector was a key driver of Brazil's economy in 2025, growing 6.5% and outperforming the national GDP growth of 2.3%. This growth is linked to a major expansion in telecommunications, fueled by a 20.4% increase in foreign direct investment, which reached US$7.44 billion.

The sector's dynamism also resulted in significant formal job creation, adding tens of thousands of positions between 2023 and 2025. A central government focus is using this investment to expand digital infrastructure, like broadband and 5G, to remote and underserved regions to reduce regional inequalities.

A flagship program is "Norte Conectado," a R$1.3 billion project to install fiber-optic networks along Amazon rivers, aiming to connect approximately 7.5 million people. The government expects this infrastructure to enable digital public services, telemedicine, education, and new tech-based economic activities in remote areas.

Main Topics: Economic growth of the ICT sector; Foreign investment in telecommunications; Job creation; Digital infrastructure expansion to reduce regional inequality; The "Norte Conectado" project for the Amazon region.

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Decagon completes first tender offer at $4.5B valuation

(TechCrunch / 2026-03-04 18:32)

Decagon, an AI customer support startup, is conducting a tender offer allowing over 300 employees to sell vested shares at a $4.5 billion valuation. This move, led by recent investors, highlights a growing trend where AI startups use such liquidity events to attract and retain top talent amid intense competition.

The company's valuation has tripled since June, indicating rapid growth, though recent revenue figures are undisclosed. Decagon provides AI "concierge" agents to large enterprises, operating in a massive market aimed at automating millions of global contact center agents.

The main topics covered are: Decagon's employee tender offer and valuation; the trend of liquidity for talent retention in AI startups; and the competitive landscape of AI customer support agents.

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