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4 (more) chefs tell us the favorite Portland dishes they didn’t make themselves
Plus eight additional recommendations for can't-miss food in the city and beyond.
Maine’s public universities on verge of closing $1.39M deal for first systemwide AI tool
A 2-year contract to use the OpenAI artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT Edu is likely to start July 1.
The Best Action Cameras for All Your Craziest Adventures (2026)
Gearing up to shred the slopes or dive into the seas? These photography tools are made for danger.
Zoe Kleinman: Why the AI industry is the real winner of the Musk-Altman trial
The trial in Oakland, California has helped lift the veil on the AI sector - and the huge egos of the men at the heart of it.
Amazon's Alexa+ Now Produces AI-Generated Podcasts
Amazon is adding AI-generated "podcasts" to Alexa+, letting users request custom audio explainers on any topic featuring two synthetic co-hosts. Variety reports: Seemingly to dispel the notion that these "podcasts" will be AI audio slop, Amazon emphasized that it has deals with major news organizations to ensure "accurate, real-time news and information." Those include the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, Time magazine, Forbes, Business Insider, Politico and USA Today; publications from Conde Nast, Hearst and Vox Media; and more than 200 local newspapers across the U.S.
In an example clip shared by Amazon of the new Alexa Podcasts feature, the two AI-generated hosts discuss "the latest music releases." A male Alexa+ narrator says more than 50% of music listening now comes from unsigned artists. "The monoculture is just gone," a female-voiced Alexa+ narrator chimes in. The male Alexa+ host says there has been "stoner metal," indie pop and experimental hip-hop music "all dropping on the same Friday," and adds, "That's not chaos -- that's the healthiest the music ecosystem has ever been."
[...] To use Alexa Podcasts, users can simply tell Alexa what topic they're curious about and "it does the rest in minutes." Alexa+ will provide an overview of what it plans to cover, and let you adjust the length and direction before it generates the podcast. When your episode is ready, you'll get a notification on your Echo Show device and the Alexa app.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Herman Miller Coyl Standing Desk Is Built Just for Gamers
The Coyl uses a coil design for the power cable, keeping it neat and taut between the desk and the wall. And instead of relying on boring levers to adjust the height, it has a nifty rotary dial.
Set Up Your Phone’s Always-On Display So You’re Unlocking It Less Often
Break the pattern of unlocking your phone for one thing and then getting sucked into something else. Set up your lock screen to show all the information you need at a glance.
Google I/O 2026 Live Blog: All the Gemini and Smart Glasses Updates as They Happen
Follow our live coverage of Google’s annual developer keynote, where the company will announce updates to its Gemini suite of AI tools and more details about Android XR smart glasses.
New healthcare investment firm launches in Boston
A Boston and Kansas City based duo have launched a new investment firm focused on funding tech-enabled healthcare companies.
Europe Tests Laser Links As Satellite Comms Outgrow Radio
Europe is testing laser-based satellite communications through a new mountaintop ground station in Greece, aiming to deliver faster, more secure links than traditional radio systems as bandwidth demand grows. The Register reports: Lithuanian space and defense biz Astrolight says that it has commissioned a new optical ground station in Greece that will support ESA-backed CubeSat missions testing laser-based communications between satellites and Earth. The Holomondas Optical Ground Station was built through the PeakSat project, led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with backing from the European Space Agency and Greece's Ministry of Digital Governance. Its job is to receive data from satellites via infrared laser links rather than the radio systems that space operators have relied on for decades.
PeakSat and ERMIS-3, two Greek CubeSats launched in March under ESA's wider Greek IOD/IOV mission program, both carry Astrolight's ATLAS-1 optical communication terminal. Astrolight also built the ground segment, giving the project a fully integrated end-to-end optical communications setup. [...] The company says the station uses an 808-nanometer laser beacon and an optical C-band receiver capable of receiving data at up to 2.5 Gbps. Unlike traditional RF systems, optical links use tightly focused infrared beams that are harder to intercept or jam while also supporting significantly higher throughput.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Lenovo Coupon Codes and Deals in May 2026
Whether you’re shopping for a ThinkPad, Yoga laptop, or Legion gaming PC, these Lenovo discount codes and promotions can help you save big on your next tech upgrade.
50% Off Home Depot Promo Codes | May 2026
Save up to 50% today with the latest Home Depot promo codes for appliances, power tools, and more this May.
iRobot Promo Code: 15% Off
Save on iRobot products, including robot vacuums and mops designed to handle pet hair, daily messes, and hands-free cleaning with smart home integration.
30% Off Tempur-Pedic Promo Codes | May 2026
Whether you’re looking to upgrade your mattress or swap out your bedding, browse our Tempur-Pedic coupons for up to $300 off and the best sleep of your life.
PlayStation Exclusives Aren't Coming To PC Anymore
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Sony reportedly won't release its major single-player PlayStation games on PC anymore. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Hermen Hulst, who heads up PlayStation's studios business, informed employees in a town hall on Monday about the change in strategy. Schreier had previously reported on the shift in March, saying that Sony scrapped plans to launch PC versions of last year's Ghost of Ytei and "other internally developed games." Online games will still come to multiple platforms following this change in strategy, Schreier reported at the time.
In recent years, Sony has released many of its biggest games on PC, including Spider-Man 2, Ghost of Tsushima, both The Last of Us games, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and multiplayer titles like Helldivers 2 and Marathon. Two years ago, Hulst committed to releasing PlayStation's live-service games "day and date" on PC and PS5, but its single-player PC releases have been less consistent, with Hulst saying that the company takes a "more strategic approach." In April, Microsoft's new Xbox chief Asha Sharma said the company is "reevaluating" exclusive games for the platform. "Players are frustrated," she wrote in a memo. "New feature drops on console have been less frequent. Our presence on PC isn't strong enough. Pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with. And core experiences like search, discovery, social, and personalization still feel too fragmented."
"The model that got us here won't be the one that takes us forward," the memo adds.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Standard Chartered to cut thousands of roles as AI use increases
The UK-headquartered banking giant aims to move some of the effected workers to other roles in the business.
Robo-top: The machines that could make your next t-shirt
Most clothes are made in Asia, but new machines could bring some of that work back to the West.
Satellites and AI used to track UK hedgehogs in bid to slow decline
Researchers hope the project will also help to identify barriers preventing hedgehogs from finding food and mates in the wild.
FBI Wants to Buy Nationwide Access to License Plate Readers
The FBI is seeking up to $36 million for nationwide access to automated license plate reader (ALPRs) data, which could let it query vehicle movements across the U.S. and its territories through a commercial database. 404 Media reports: "The FBI has a crucial need for accessible LPRs to provide a diverse and reliable range of collections across the United States. This data should be available across major highways and in an array of locations for maximum usefulness to law enforcement," a statement of work, which describes what data the FBI is seeking access to, reads. ALPR cameras generally work by constantly scanning the color, brand, model, and license plate of vehicles that drive by. This creates a timestamped record of where a particular vehicle was at a specific time that law enforcement can then query, effectively letting them see exactly where someone drove across time. The technology has existed for decades, but has become more pervasive in recent years.
The FBI says it is looking for a vendor that will let it log into a Software-as-a-Service system and then query the collected ALPR data with license plate information, a description of the vehicle, a time or date, and geolocation information. The FBI says it is looking for ALPR coverage in the following areas: Eastern 48 (East of the Mississippi River); Western 48 (West of the Mississippi River); Hawaii; Puerto Rico; Alaska; and outlying areas such as Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Tribal Territories. In effect, the FBI is looking for ALPR data nationwide and even beyond. An attached price template indicates the FBI is willing to pay $6 million for each of those broad areas, bringing the total to $36 million.
The FBI says it intends to award the contract to a single vendor, but if any such vendor is unable to fulfill all of the requirements, the agency may award the contract to up to two vendors. The contract is specifically for the FBI's Directorate of Intelligence, which oversees the agency's intelligence mission. The FBI is not only a law enforcement agency, but also part of the Intelligence Community. The report notes that the contract appears aimed at vendors like Flock or Motorola Solutions, since they're some of the only companies able to provide the sort of data the FBI is seeking.
Further reading: Small Town Fights Over Flock's AI-Enhanced Network of License Plate-Reading Cameras
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Musk loses OpenAI court battle after jury finds he waited too long to sue
Jurors spent weeks hearing about Musk's claim that Altman had "stolen a charity."
