Tech

RedNote: what it’s like using the Chinese app TikTokers are flocking to

Instead of wallowing in misery about potentially losing access to their favorite short-form video app, many TikTokers are flocking to RedNote, a Chinese social media platform also called Xiaohongshu. I’ve decided to spend some time on the platform myself, and it looks like so-called “TikTok refugees” are excited about interacting with a community mainly comprised of Chinese-speaking users — and …

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Parallels is testing x86 emulation on Apple silicon Macs

Parallels has added support for x86 emulation in Parallels Desktop 20.2, product manager Mikhail Ushakov wrote in a blog post last week. The “early technology preview” will let you emulate Intel-based hardware on an M1-or-greater Mac, a first for Parallels since Apple’s Arm transition in 2020 — but don’t expect stellar performance. Parallels says users will be able to: Run …

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North Korea linked to crypto heists of over $650 million in 2024 alone

Hackers in North Korea stole a total of $659 million in crypto across several heists in 2024, according to a joint statement issued today by the US, Japan, and South Korea. The report specified five such incidents, like the $235 million theft from the Indian crypto exchange WazirX that is being newly attributed to the Lazarus Group. That organization is …

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Comics distributor Diamond is filing for bankruptcy

Diamond Comics Distributors, one of the biggest companies involved in getting graphic novels into physical retailers for purchase, is filing for bankruptcy and scaling its business back as the industry braces itself for a new wave of economic challenges. In a letter sent to comics retailers and publishers today, Diamond president Chuck Parker announced that the company has filed for …

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Instagram alternative Pixelfed now has apps

The platform is seeing a surge in popularity following Meta’s announcement last week that it would be drastically changing its content moderation policies; over the weekend, Pixelfed said that it’s seeing “unprecedented levels of traffic” to the pixelfed.social server and was working to increase resources. Pixelfed was also in the news this week because some users claimed that Meta randomly …

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OpenAI’s ChatGPT adds scheduled tasks feature in beta

OpenAI is launching a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks that lets users schedule future actions and reminders. The feature, which is rolling out to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers starting today, is an attempt to make the chatbot into something closer to a traditional digital assistant — think Google Assistant or Siri but with ChatGPT’s more advanced language …

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US finalizes rule to effectively ban Chinese vehicles, which could include Polestar

The Biden administration finalized a new rule that would effectively ban all Chinese vehicles from the US under the auspices of blocking the “sale or import” of connected vehicle software from “countries of concern.” The rule could have wide-ranging effects on big automakers, like Ford and GM, as well as smaller manufacturers like Polestar — and even companies that don’t …

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Joe Biden signs executive order to speed data center construction

President Biden issued an executive order today aimed at speeding the development of AI data centers in the US. It directs the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) to lease federal sites to private companies building gigawatt-scale AI data centers and clean power facilities. It also tells federal agencies to “prioritize” and speed up permitting of AI infrastructure. …

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TikTok ban: Sen. Markey tries to give a 270 day extension

TikTok’s luck might not run out just yet, if a new bill extending its January 19th deadline for a sale is approved by Congress. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), announced on the Senate floor Monday that he plans to introduce the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act to give the company an extra 270 days to divest from its Chinese parent company …

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Meta Quest 3S review: probably the one we’ve been waiting for

Meta’s best decision with the Quest 3S? It comes with Batman: Arkham Shadow. Yes, the Quest 3S is Meta’s step-down headset from the Quest 3, but it can play all of the same games. Meta mostly made the right tradeoffs with its newer and cheaper headset, so being Batman will ultimately feel pretty similar across both devices. The Quest 3 …

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