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Spotify criticized for letting fake albums appear on real artist pages

This fall, thousands of fake albums were added to Spotify, with some appearing on real artist pages, where they're positioned to lure unsuspecting listeners into streaming by posing as new releases from favorite bands. An Ars reader flagged the issue after finding a fake album on the Spotify page of an UK psych rock band called Gong. The Gong fan knew that the band had begun touring again after a surprise new release last year, but the "latest release" listed by Spotify wasn't that album. Instead, at the top of Gong's page was a fake self-titled album supposedly released in 2024. The real fan detected the fake instantly, and not just because the generic electronic music sounded nothing like Gong's experimental sounds. The album's cover also gave the scheme away, using a generic font and neon stock image that invoked none of the trippy imagery that characterized Gong's typical album covers. Read full article

Business Read on Ars Technica
News Image James Gunn Shares Impossibly Adorable Inspiration for Key Superman Character

Gunn's own rescue pup Ozu helped shape the portrayal of Krypto the Superdog in next summer's DC Studios release.

Entertainment Read on Gizmodo
Less cannabis grown in Netherlands as more countries allow cultivation

Cannabis cultivation in the Netherlands is declining as more and more countries allow the cultivation of the soft drug, the police said in a

Economy Read on NL Times
News Image Video game actors and publishers are finally negotiating again

The video game voice actor strike could be over soon. SAG-AFTRA, which negotiates the interactive media agreement that governs video game performances, has announced that negotiations on the agreement will resume on Wednesday, October 23rd. SAG-AFTRA and members of the interactive media bargaining group — which includes video game companies like Activision, Insomniac Games, Take Two, Electronic Arts, and more — had been negotiating a new interactive media agreement for almost two years. In September of last year, SAG-AFTRA members voted for strike authorization, warning that a strike would be forthcoming if the two parties could not reach a deal. This summer, a strike was formally authorized and SAG-AFTRA members began picketing on July...

Entertainment Read on The Verge
News Image The Best Android 15 Features Are Finally Coming to Pixel Phones

Google’s Android 15 update also brings Gemini Live to past Pixel Buds and a host of additions to Pixel 6 phones or later.

Politics Read on Gizmodo
News Image Parents Sue School That Gave Bad Grade to Student Who Used AI to Complete Assignment

A Massachusetts couple claims that their son's high school attempted to derail his future by giving him detention and a bad grade on an assignment he wrote using generative AI.

Education Read on Gizmodo
Google and Kairos sign nuclear reactor deal with aim to power AI

On Monday, Google announced an agreement with Kairos Power to purchase nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors (SMRs), marking the first deal of its kind. The partnership aims to bring Kairos Power's initial SMR online by 2030, with additional reactor deployments planned through 2035, though no working SMR has yet been constructed in the US. With the energy demands of AI growing, Google has not been alone in encouraging new development of alternative, no-emission power sources. "The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies," Google Senior Director of Energy and Climate Michael Terrell said in a press statement. "This agreement helps accelerate a new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone." If the Google-Kairos plan succeeds in creating working reactors, it will reportedly enable up to 500 MW of carbon-free power to be added to US electricity grids. For Google, it's a key step toward making its headlong rush into power-hungry (and sometimes dubious) AI applications seem environmentally clean and ethical at a time when the world has seen devastating meteorological effects from climate change. Read full article

Environment Read on Ars Technica
Some Americans are still using Kaspersky’s antivirus despite US government ban

Not everyone in the U.S. has given up on the Russian-made antivirus. Some Americans have found ways to get around the ban and are still using Kaspersky’s antivirus.

Economy Read on TechCrunch
News Image Invincible Wants Mark to Get His Head in the Game for Season 3

Prime Video's hit superhero series makes its grand return with a brand new (and midseason-free) season in February 2025.

Entertainment Read on Gizmodo
Google adds new features for Pixel along with Android 15 rollout

Google is rolling out Android 15 today to Pixel devices. It is also adding new features through the October Pixel drop, including improved low-light photography on Instagram and support for underwater photography and video. Android 15 updates Android 15 has a private space feature that lets you hide and lock apps behind a separate PIN […]

Politics Read on TechCrunch
News Image The Nuio Flow split ergonomic keyboard uses magnets to help you find your ideal layout

A new company called Nuio, founded by two brothers with backgrounds in design and manufacturing, is rethinking desk accessories with the goal of making our computers more comfortable to use. It’s debuting today with a collection of magnetic peripherals called Flow that’s centered around a wireless split keyboard, all designed to make it easier to find your perfect ergonomic layout, even if that’s constantly changing throughout the day. Tom Wilson, the CEO of Nuio (a combination of new and I/O), previously worked at companies including Apple, Google, and Frog Design, while Greg Wilson, the company’s CMO, spent years at Frog Design and the creative agency Digitas. The brothers cofounded Nuio with the goal of improving how we physically...

Business Read on The Verge
News Image Android 15 is now available for Pixels

Android 15 is now rolling out to Pixel devices, bringing them new privacy features, security tools, and improvements for foldables and tablets. The operating system first launched last month through the Android Open Source Project, but at the time, it wasn’t yet available on Pixel phones and tablets — or other major Android devices. Google announced today that it’s finally coming to Pixels alongside a series of Pixel feature drops. One major new feature in Android 15 is the ability to make a “private space” for apps you might want to keep hidden from other people who get ahold of your phone. (Google gives the examples of social, dating, or banking apps.) Apps you put in the private space won’t show up in your recent apps, notifications,...

Economy Read on The Verge
News Image Save 20% on a Trip to the Wizarding World With This Lego Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets Set

This Lego Harry Potter set is perfect for kids and adults, so grab one as a gift or for yourself at this low price.

Entertainment Possible ad Read on Gizmodo
What do planet formation and badminton have in common?

The birth of a planet starts with a microscopic grain floating in a protoplanetary disk, a swirling cloud of gas and other particles surrounding a young star. How the gas and dust interact has implications for the formation of new worlds. “Those teeny grains—those are the building blocks of planets,” said Zhe-Yu Daniel Lin, an astrophysicist at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He describes the shape of the grains as “potatoes.” It’s hot and breezy in the interstellar cloud, but it's not entirely chaotic. Astronomical observations have found that the grains, instead of tumbling through space, are oriented neatly along their orbital trajectories. To explain how the grains float in formation, new research led by Lin leans on the working principle behind an Earthly object: the badminton shuttle. Read full article

Environment Read on Ars Technica
News Image Anbernic has announced its first wireless controller

Anbernic is expanding its extensive lineup of handheld consoles to include wireless controllers with the reveal of its new RG P01, which features Hall effect triggers and joysticks “with minimal drift,” according to the company. The Anbernic RG P01 features an Xbox-style Y, B, A, and X button layout that can be switched to a Nintendo-style layout through software, but it’s not yet known if reconfiguring the controller is done through a desktop or mobile app. The controller is compatible with PCs, the Nintendo Switch, Steam devices, iOS, and Android; wireless connectivity includes support for Bluetooth 5.3 as well as a 2.4GHz connection for reduced lag. Anbernic hasn’t confirmed if a 2.4GHz USB dongle is included for gaming devices that...

Entertainment Read on The Verge
News Image Spotify’s music videos are coming to more subscribers — but not yet in the US

Spotify is rolling out the beta test of music videos to 85 additional markets globally, allowing Premium subscribers to watch a “limited catalog” of videos from artists like Charlie XCX, Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, Fontaines D.C., LISA, and more. However, that list of available areas doesn’t include the US yet, and it’s unclear when it will reach us here. “As with all of our features, availability can vary across markets and tiers,” Spotify spokesperson Brittany Le Roy said in a statement to The Verge. “Music videos on Spotify are still in beta and we look forward to bringing it to even more users across more markets, including the US, in the future.” With the wider rollout, Spotify is also adding the ability to instantly switch between audio...

Entertainment Read on The Verge Tech