All posts tagged: Forget

Forget the AI Slowdown—the Vulnerability Explosion Is Already Happening

Forget the AI Slowdown—the Vulnerability Explosion Is Already Happening

Published by skeptic

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Kernel Panic! A weekly newsletter by Lily Hay Newman and Matt Burgess from inside the new world of privacy and digital security. To receive this newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up here. AI doomers have recently traded one worst-case scenario for another, putting aside a potential software vulnerability apocalypse to focus on the possibility of rogue AI causing mass human death in the next decade. As AI leaders consider a cooperative slowdown on frontier model development, though, one aspect of the cybersecurity sea change has already arrived thanks to existing, broadly available capabilities in mainstream AI products, including open weight models. A tidal wave of vulnerabilities uncovered using AI has only accelerated in recent months—piling more pressure on under-resourced, and very human, IT and security teams and straining volunteers who maintain crucial open source software. Researchers found and disclosed a vast array of vulnerabilities before the rise of AI-enhanced bug hunting as well, but the recent surge is clear. Microsoft said last week that it has issued …

When prepping for disaster, don’t forget to pack your teddy bear

When prepping for disaster, don’t forget to pack your teddy bear

Published by skeptic

Imagine it’s the dead of night. Your phone pings with a text – it’s a government emergency alert: “Leave your home immediately! Only take with you enough supplies for the next three days.” What would you want in your go-bag? Our new survey of UK adults (results not yet published) has found a surprising number of people prioritised sentimental belongings such as a childhood teddy bear. In the face of climate change and growing geopolitical instability, governments have started to advise citizens to prepare now for disaster. In 2024, the UK government launched its Prepare initiative. This was followed by preparEU, a flagship EU project which argued: “Today’s threats are fast, complex and interconnected; our response must be more proactive.” These initiatives typically recommend that people should have enough food, water and medicine to last 72 hours. In addition, they need ready access to documents, cash, batteries or power banks and a wind-up radio, plus a working knowledge of emergency support in their local area. But when that message pings in the night, will you …

Forget the iPhone Duo — the First iPhone Had More Hype and a More Shocking Price

Forget the iPhone Duo — the First iPhone Had More Hype and a More Shocking Price

Published by skeptic

I’ve been reviewing the iPhone since 2020 and wasn’t even working at CNET when the original iPhone launched in 2007. Fortunately, Kent German and Donald Bell were, and their wonderfully written review of the first iPhone shows off the pair’s thorough testing. “The iPhone is noteworthy not for what it does, but how it does it,” wrote German and Bell. As CNET waits to test Apple’s newest devices, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, it’s insightful to revisit our review of the first iPhone, especially since the company’s announcement of its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, seems to be swirling in the same mix of hype, wonder and shock that German and Bell so artfully navigated in 2007. Is it easy to use? Certainly. Does it live up to the stratospheric hype? Not so much. Kent German and Donald Bell Remember, back then, touchscreen phones and smartphones we nowhere as common as they are now. “Is it easy to use? Certainly. Does it live up to the stratospheric hype? Not so much. Don’t …

Forget Spotify and Overcast, this free app is where I find exciting new podcasts

Forget Spotify and Overcast, this free app is where I find exciting new podcasts

Published by skeptic

There’s a paradox about podcast discovery that always bothers me: I want to explore new shows and ideas, but most apps keep recommending the same ones in a loop. It’s also one reason I don’t love options like Spotify and Overcast as much as I used to. Recently, however, I came across a podcast app that actually finds exciting new podcasts: boxlore. Since then, I’ve relied on it instead of Spotify and Overcast to listen to my favorites and broaden the range of shows I listen to. Related I generated a research podcast using Claude Opus and it embarrassed every NotebookLM episode I’d saved All it took was swapping the model underneath. boxlore’s AI feed recommendations are exceptionally good You can type a mood, an idea, or a question to find shows For starters, boxlore is a completely free, ad-free podcast companion app available for Android, and you can download it from the Google Play Store. At its core, boxlore offers almost all the features you expect from a podcast app, including playback, queueing, downloads, …

The pet I’ll never forget: Polly, the golden retriever who saved my husband’s life | Dogs

The pet I’ll never forget: Polly, the golden retriever who saved my husband’s life | Dogs

Published by Sam Flores

My husband, Adam, and I had always planned to have a big family and that journey began when we got our dog, Polly, five years ago. I’ve loved golden retrievers since I was a child because I grew up with one. We got Polly as a puppy and she was everything we’d hoped for: loving and smart. She immediately connected with both of us, but became inseparable from Adam. They would go for morning runs together; Polly could always be found wagging her tail by his side. This bond proved to be lifesaving. It was a normal Monday night in March 2024 at our home in County Fermanagh. Adam and I had put our one-year-old son, Alfie, to sleep, Polly was resting in her bed in the utility room directly below our bedroom, and we went up to sleep. At around half past one, I was woken up by the sound of Polly barking. I was startled and confused – it was unusual for her to bark so loudly in the middle of the night. …

Empathetic People With Strong Social Skills Say 11 Phrases When They Forget Someone’s Name

Empathetic People With Strong Social Skills Say 11 Phrases When They Forget Someone’s Name

Published by Jenni Sidey

Forgetting someone’s name is a common experience we all go through.  If you’re the type of person who doesn’t feel comfortable just owning the fact that you forgot, there are subtle ways to get someone to give you their name without them knowing you ever forgot it, using only your social skills and a little humor.  People with exceptionally strong social skills usually say these things when they forget someone’s name: 1. ‘Would you mind putting your contact in my phone so we can stay in touch?’ Antonio Guillem | Shutterstock Asking someone to put their name and number in your phone is an easy way to learn their name. This can be tricky, as some people don’t readily give their phone numbers to just anyone. A great alternative is to ask for their Insta or other social handle, if that feels more organic.  You have to feel it out in the moment and see what would seem less awkward, but these days everyone has a social media account of some sort. To help bring …

Trump Honors 9/11 Victims at the Ellipse, Pledging to ‘Never Forget’

Trump Honors 9/11 Victims at the Ellipse, Pledging to ‘Never Forget’

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly a quarter century after a day “etched forever into the memories of Americans,” President Donald Trump honored the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Tuesday by vowing to “never forget.” The event at the Ellipse was spearheaded by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and showcased a massive, 21-foot, nearly 17,000-pound steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, which had traveled for months across the country as part of the Steel Across America tour. The steel beam will make its way through New York in a procession on Friday by retracing the steps of fallen New York City firefighter Stephen Siller. Trump’s presence at the event on Tuesday just outside the White House began a week of commemorations that will culminate in several events on Friday, including one at the Pentagon that Trump will attend. “This battered piece of steel here today on the Ellipse is a reminder that America is blessed with a strength no fire can consume, no evil can …

The pet I’ll never forget: Harold, the halls of residence cat, who looked after me when I first left home | Cats

The pet I’ll never forget: Harold, the halls of residence cat, who looked after me when I first left home | Cats

Published by Sam Flores

In 2022, when I moved into halls of residence at the University of Sheffield, my biggest concern was no longer having a furry friend to come home to, as I’d had a cat since I was 11 years old. Then I met Harold. My first encounter with this gorgeous tabby was quite unusual. One day, in our 10-bed flat, a flurry of messages appeared on the group WhatsApp chat after my fellow roommates caught an intruder on the sofa, innocently munching on my leftover pizza. As in many homes for first year university students, there were plenty of unfinished takeaways lying around the kitchen. And Harold was a smart cat with a clear goal: food. Any time he saw a snack or sensed one from a distance, he would come running. A can of tuna. A block of cheese. The occasional pancake. And I was more than happy to feed him – he probably had a better diet than me. Harold eyes up some food. Photograph: Instagram/harold.theendcliffecat With the area housing more than 4,000 students, …

People Who Forget What They Were Going To Say Right Before They Say It Often Have 8 Stressful Things Going On

People Who Forget What They Were Going To Say Right Before They Say It Often Have 8 Stressful Things Going On

Published by Jenni Sidey

We all forget what we wanted to say to someone from time to time, but under certain circumstances, it can happen so often that it becomes concerning. Dealing with stressful experiences often makes it harder for us to recall things and communicate effectively. If someone finds that they keep forgetting what they were just about to say right before they say it, there’s a good chance it’s not as simple as just being spacey or as worrying as entering dementia. It’s more likely that they might have some pretty stressful things going on that are taking up precious resources in their minds. People who keep forgetting what they were going to say just before they say it usually have these stressful things happening 1. They’re hiding something DimaBerlin | Shutterstock.com It often takes a lot more energy to be deceitful and hide a secret than to simply tell the truth. If someone’s trying to hide something from the person they’re having a conversation with, they have to sift through more information and stress than the …