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February 20, 2025, 8:40 AM
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| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft unveils the Majorana 1, its first quantum processor that uses Majorana particles instead of electrons, with the potential to fit a million qubits — Microsoft has spent 17 years researching a new material and architecture for quantum computing.
More: Microsoft Azure, Microsoft on YouTube, Nature, Silicon Republic, Microsoft, InfoWorld, Fast Company, The Guardian, Daily Sabah, MIT Technology Review, Silicon UK, Microsoft on YouTube, en.ain.ua, The Indian Express, New York Times, Trak.in, Proactive, Hindustan Times, The National, EE Times, Business Standard, Decrypt, Business News Australia, Digital Trends, eeNews Europe, Verdict, The Post-Quantum World on YouTube, BetaNews, Defense One, WebProNews, CNBC, SC Media, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, Maginative, Forbes, The Register, insideHPC, Microsoft, and Constellation Research
Bluesky: @quinnypig.com and @graemesmith
Mastodon: @mathewi@journa.host, @Jason_W_Karpf@mastodon.social, @jschauma@mstdn.social, and @johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz
X: @satyanadella, @tomwarren, @iancutress, @iohk_charles, @peteratmsr, @satyanadella, @jezcorden, @yusuf_i_mehdi, @basedbeffjezos, @preskill, @6a6763, @bradsmi, @elonmusk, @gillverd, @thomasgwong, @0xlac, @basedbeffjezos, @bdsams, @tomwarren, @konstanthacker, @morningbrew, @fxshaw, @ijustine, @aubreystrobel, @fxshaw, @ccatalini, @konstanthacker, @dr_chetan_nayak, @stockmktnewz, @jaguaranalytics, @konstanthacker, @aureliensacaze, @microsoft, @elliotthetrainr, and @satyanadella
LinkedIn: Hadi Partovi, Rick Barnes, Mikael Ekman, Bruno Couillard, Ramon Aguado, Ben Blaiszik, Maciej Malinowski, Dr. Renata Jovanovic, Bela Bauer, John Preskill, Christian Dickel, Chetan Nayak, Krysta Svore, and Zulfi Alam
Forums: r/technology, r/hardware, r/Futurology, r/technology, r/Physics, and r/accelerate
| Dwarkesh Patel / Dwarkesh Podcast: |
| Financial Times: |
More: MIT Technology Review, The New Stack, Nature, Tech Monitor, arXiv.org, Motley Fool, Microsoft, Business Today, Business Standard, The Hill, and Proactive. Bluesky: @chicagomike
| Ben Schoon / 9to5Google: |
Google is removing Gemini support from the main Google app on iOS, pushing users to download the standalone Gemini app that launched in November 2024 — Google is informing iOS users that it will be removing Gemini support from the main Google app as it pushes users over to the full Gemini app.| Adamya Sharma / Android Authority: |
More: The Keyword, Tech Advisor, 9to5Google, Digit, GSMArena.com, The Indian Express, Trusted Reviews, Android Central, Android Headlines, Engadget, How-To Geek, MakeUseOf, The Irish Sun, Pocket-lint, Tom's Guide, Android Central, BGR, Cult of Mac, CNET, TechRadar, PCMag, Search Engine Journal, Android Police, PhoneArena, iPhone in Canada Blog, MacRumors, TechCrunch, and The Verge
Mastodon: @glenngabe@mas.to. X: @googlechrome, @richontech, @google, and @newsfromgoogle. LinkedIn: Max Christoff
| Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg: |
Palantir's stock fell 10% on February 19 after the WaPo reported US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to cut military spending; PLTR is up 50%+ in 2025 — - Spending shift would affect 8% of US defense spending — AI-focused Palantir has become major government contractor| Andy Chalk / PC Gamer: |
Valve releases a Team Fortress 2 SDK with the game's client and server code, letting users build new Team Fortress 2-based games licensed for non-commercial use — Valve has also released major updates to all Source-engine multiplayer games adding 64-bit support, scalable HUDS, “and a lot of other improvements.”
More: TF2 Official Blog, Ars Technica, TheGamer, Eurogamer.net, Game Rant, Neowin, GameSpot, OC3D, ReadWrite, Engadget, Digital Trends, Destructoid, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, GamesRadar, and TechSpot
Bluesky: @steinmakesgames. X: @jonsyishere, @ultr4nima, @heyitscookie, @ultr4nima, @xradicald, @phisnom, @4g_b4nny, @teamfortress, @ultr4nima, @micahtischler, @skyminslash, @steamdb, @shoun1c, and @interneth0f
Forums: r/Chivalry2, r/gaming, r/pcmasterrace, r/Steam, r/Games, r/pcgaming, r/TwoBestFriendsPlay, r/tf2, and Slashdot
| Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: |
Global Witness: ahead of German elections, TikTok's and X's For You feeds showed a substantial far-right bias; 78% of TikTok's recommendations supported the AfD — Recommendation algorithms operated by social media giants TikTok and X have shown evidence of substantial far-right political bias … | Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer: |
CISA and the FBI: attackers deploying Ghost ransomware breached victims from multiple industry sectors across 70+ countries, including critical infrastructure — CISA and the FBI said attackers deploying Ghost ransomware have breached victims from multiple industry sectors across over 70 countries … | Jon Keegan / Sherwood News: |
Perplexity open sources R1 1776, a version of the DeepSeek R1 model that Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says was “post-trained to remove the China censorship” — But shortly after its release, attention turned to how compliant the model was with Chinese censorship laws.
More: Perplexity and WinBuzzer
Bluesky: @edzitron.com. X: @bill_drexel, @perplexity_ai, @localghost, @nathanbenaich, @aravsrinivas, @perplexity_ai, @perplexity_ai, and @aravsrinivas. LinkedIn: Ipek Ceylan. Forums: Hacker News
| Nikkei Asia: |
Tokyo-based Sakana AI details its AI CUDA Engineer, which it says can speed up AI training and inference by 10x to 100x by “breeding” efficient instructions — TOKYO — Tokyo-based startup Sakana AI says it has developed a system capable of accelerating artificial intelligence development …
More: Sakana AI, pub.sakana.ai, Hugging Face, and Analytics India Magazine
| RT Watson / The Block: |
Nansen: 86% of traders lost $251M in total on the Solana memecoin Libra that Argentine President Milei promoted, while the remaining traders profited $180M — - Citing onchain data, Nansen Research said that through Tuesday, 86% of traders lost a total of $251 million on the LIBRA token … | Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft announces Muse AI, a first-of-its-kind generative AI model that can generate a game environment based on visuals, players' controller actions, or both — Microsoft Research and Xbox game studio Ninja Theory have partnered to create a new AI model for gaming.
More: Xbox Wire, Nature, Xbox on YouTube, Microsoft Research, Wired, Aftermath, Bloomberg, The Register, Beebom, WinBuzzer, Android Headlines, Neowin, Polygon, and Engadget
Bluesky: @tomwarren.co.uk. Mastodon: @mads@fedi.mvpgame.dev. X: @xboxwire, @satyanadella, @mustafasuleyman, @alacremeox, @protosphinx, @coreybrickley, @yacinemtb, @reach_vb, @natureportfolio, @lukasschaefer96, @katjahofmann, @teknium1, @tomwarren, @tomwarren, @peteratmsr, @rowancheung, @theturingpost, @msftresearch, @wario64, @rowancheung, @azed_ai, @peteratmsr, @howfxr, @knoebelbroet, @rowancheung, and @rowancheung
Forums: Hacker News, r/technews, r/singularity, r/gaming, r/xbox, r/Games, and r/xbox
| Lawrence Bonk / Engadget: |
Twitch rolls out changes to its violation enforcement system, including letting minor infractions expire after 90 days and serious ones in one or two years — Depending on severity, this will take 90 days to two years. — Twitch has rolled out a number of changes to its violation enforcement system.
More: Twitch Safety Center, The Verge, Tech Times, Game Rant, Dexerto, and Dexerto
| Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: |
Apple unveils the $599+ iPhone 16e with a 6.1" display, A18, 48MP camera, Apple Intelligence, the C1 cellular modem, USB-C, and no MagSafe, shipping February 28 — Apple has officially taken the wraps off of the all-new iPhone 16e. The device features an all-new design paired with the A18 chip inside …
More: Apple, Apple on YouTube, Moneycontrol, MacRumors, The Standard, MacRumors, The Verge, MacRumors, Engadget, Ghacks, International Business Times, Wall Street Journal, Ars Technica, Tom's Guide, Android Headlines, Digital Trends, CNBC, TrendForce News, TechSpot, The Verge, Forbes, Radio Free Mobile, designboom, Stuff, Gulf Business, Telecoms Tech News, IGN, Techsponential, MacTrast, Brandon Butch on YouTube, zollotech on YouTube, Brian Tong on YouTube, 9to5Mac, TechRadar, Bloomberg, Redmond Pie, mjtsai.com, Six Colors, OS X Daily, Press Start, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, Trak.in, PhoneArena, Cult of Mac, Washington Post, 9to5Mac, MacStories, MacRumors, TechCrunch, TechRadar, 9to5Toys, 9to5Mac, and MacRumors
Bluesky: @dompreston.com. Mastodon: @corbin@toot.community. Threads: @davidimel, @joannastern, and @davidimel
X: @markgurman, @munster_gene, @aaronp613, @varunkrish, @tim_cook, @film_girl, @aaronp613, @deedydas, @shishirshelke1, @aaronp613, @film_girl, @aaronp613, @gregorymcfadden, @microsoftvapple, @maxwinebach, @willguyatt, @dylanmcd8, @caro_milanesi, @parkerortolani, @mgsiegler, @joannastern, @film_girl, @joannastern, @film_girl, @wongmjane, @parkerortolani, @firstadopter, @markgurman, @dylanmcd8, @zollotech, @benbajarin, @maxwinebach, @markgurman, @mkbhd, @aaronp613, @zollotech, and @maxwinebach. LinkedIn: Raffaele Cetrulo
| Wired: |
Investigation: Google's Display & Video 360 ad platform lets users target Americans' sensitive personal data, despite Google's rules against such practices — Google enables marketers to target people with serious illnesses and crushing debt—against its policies—as well as the makers … | Dominic Preston / The Verge: |
Oppo launches the Find N5, the world's thinnest foldable at 8.93mm closed and 4.21mm open, with IPX6, X8, and X9 ratings, in Europe and Asia for ~$1,870 — Oppo's Find N5 is the thinnest book-style foldable yet, and it's launching worldwide — but it's another foldable the US just won't get.
More: CNET, 9to5Google, Multicore, The Verge, T3, ZDNET, The Verge, Android Police, Engadget, Android Authority, Android Central, CNBC, PhoneArena, Android Headlines, GSMArena.com, and Xiaomiui.Net
X: @bencsin, @oppo, @alexmaxham, @bencsin, and @345triangle
| Angus Whitley / Bloomberg: |
Australia eSafety Commissioner study: social media platforms likely have ~1.3M under-13 Australian users, suggesting a lack of preparation for the under-16 ban — - Study indicates over 1 million underage social media users — Findings show lack of preparation for Australia's under-16 ban| Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: top X executives hinted to Interpublic and other ad firms that not spending on X could lead to legal woes, due to X's lawsuit against some advertisers — Interpublic recently signed an advertising agreement with the platform; other agencies are also in negotiations
More: TVNewsCheck. Bluesky: @wikisteff, @whetmoser.com, @chronotope.aramzs.xyz, @pppgrifter, @mediaevan, and @baymama
| Pew Research Center: |
US survey: views of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk tilt negative; Democrats and Republicans view Zuckerberg unfavorably; Musk is polarizing along party lines — Americans' views of two prominent tech executives - Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg - tilt more negative than positive.
More: New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, Poynter, TechSpot, PCMag, and Mediaite
Bluesky: @justinbaragona, @mims, @paularmstrongtbd, @kenlowery, @stevierea, @daveweigel, @ericcolumbus, and @stevierea
X: @johngramlich, @sr_lazarus, @johngramlich, @maxwelltani, and @brianstelter. Forums: r/EnoughMuskSpam
| Wes Davis / The Verge: |
Rabbit R1 maker Rabbit demos its “generalist Android agent”, showing it controlling apps on a tablet, building on its LAM Playground, a “generalist web agent” — Watch Rabbit's AI agent, but not the Rabbit R1, do things in Android apps.
More: rabbit and rabbit on YouTube
| Reuters: |
The European Commission approves €920M in German state aid to Infineon to build a new chip plant in Dresden, set to reach full capacity in 2031 — The European Commission said on Thursday it had approved a 920 million euro German state aid to Infineon for the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Dresden.
More: eeNews Europe, Seeking Alpha, and TechPowerUp
| Kim Zetter / Wired: |
Source: 19-year-old Edward Coristine and Kyle Schutt, both DOGE engineers, are now on staff at the CISA; Coristine was briefly an intern for Neuralink — DOGE technologists Edward Coristine—the 19-year-old known online as “Big Balls”—and Kyle Schutt are now listed as staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
More: Nextgov/FCW. Bluesky: @couts and @kimzetter
X: @watermanreports and @erratarob
Forums: r/espionage, r/craftofintelligence, and r/politics
| Paayal Zaveri / Bloomberg: |
Together AI, which provides users access to AI computing, raised $305M co-led by General Catalyst and Saudi Arabia's Prosperity7 at a $3.3B valuation — Startup Together AI, which provides users access to artificial intelligence computing, has raised $305 million from investors in deal led … | Emily Birnbaum / Bloomberg: |
Meta says Mark Zuckerberg went to the US Capitol on February 19 to lobby Senators on AI and talk about issues like US tech leadership — Zuckerberg met with senators one day after his personal charity announced it was ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
More: Cryptopolitan and Tech in Asia
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