News
Bodycam Shows Moment Cops Arrested a Man for Speaking Too Long at Data Center Meeting
We spoke to Darren Blanchard, the man arrested while speaking out against data centers at a community meeting. He's sharing the bodycam footage of his arrest for the first time with 404 Media.
Podcast
Podcast: AI-Powered TikTok Hustlers
The wild world of AI-powered content hustlers on TikTok and Instagram; Etsy ripoffs; and a development in Oregon that could have global ramifications for Apple.
repair
Oregon Passes Bill That Would Make iPhones More Repairable Everywhere
The bill was passed over the objections of Apple lobbyists and would ban Apple's favorite repair restriction.
TikTok
Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them
This is where AI generated formats, Minecraft splitscreens, Reddit stories, 'Would You Rather' videos, and deep sea story spam come from.
News
Google’s Gemini AI Doesn’t Want to Talk About Palestine
Google’s supposedly “woke” AI will also not say where Gaza is, but will locate Israel and Tel Aviv.
nypd
That Cosplay Steampunk Gun Blade the NYPD Confiscated Could Be Yours
The gun blade is for sale on Amazon and other retailers, but maybe don't go swinging it around in Queens.
News
A Small Steam Game Shows How LLMs Could Kill the Dialogue Tree
Verbal Verdict is the best use of generative AI I’ve seen.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Corporate PR Stonewalling and The Sandwich Simulacrum
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss the corporate PR strategy of stonewalling the press, digital comradery, and the AI sandwich simulacrum.
automattic
A WordPress ‘Firehose’ Allows AI Companies to Buy Access to a Million Posts a Day
There is a complex chain of companies buying access to WordPress and Tumblr posts through a company called SocialGist.
YouTube
Unionized YouTube Workers Learn Google Laid Them All Off During City Council Meeting
“They just laid us all off. Our jobs are ended today. Effective immediately.” A bell rings. “I’m sorry, your time has expired."
News
Israeli Soldiers Are Posting Tinder Profile Pictures From Gaza
“This is contributing to the whole normalizing of anti-Palestinian racism, and downgrading of Palestinians as if they are not human beings.”
doom
Watch This Guy Play ‘Doom’ on a Toothbrush
The three million toothbrush botnet wasn’t real, but this toothbrush hacked for blasting demons between brushes is.