All posts tagged: Locks

Microsoft Bans the Word “Microslop” on Copilot Discord, Gets So Humiliated That It Locks Down the Whole Server

Microsoft Bans the Word “Microslop” on Copilot Discord, Gets So Humiliated That It Locks Down the Whole Server

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Last year, the editors of Merriam-Webster’s dictionary anointed their word of the year as “slop,” a term denoting the low-quality flood of AI output that’s been jamming up feeds for years now. The latest victim? Software giant Microsoft. After infuriating vast swathes of its user base with an unrelenting barrage of AI-enhanced features — even declaring its latest Windows 11 operating system as an “agentic OS” — the company has garnered a reputation for doubling down on the tech with little regard for whether it’s actually benefiting customers. The ensuing blunders have represented a massive hit for Microsoft’s brand, ranging from maddeningly ineffective search tools to intrusive chatbots and bugs that leaked confidential emails. To sum it all up, netizens came up with a pejorative term: “Microslop,” which clearly infuriated executives at the company. In the latest sign that it’s getting under Microsoft’s skin, the company banned the phrase on its over-one-year-old Discord server dedicated to the company’s …

First Solar locks in key perovskite tech with a new Oxford PV deal

First Solar locks in key perovskite tech with a new Oxford PV deal

Published by skeptic

Photo: First Solar US solar giant First Solar signed a patent licensing agreement with the UK’s Oxford PV, a University of Oxford spin‑off, giving it access to issued and pending patents covering perovskite materials, one of the most important next‑gen solar technologies. The non‑exclusive deal allows First Solar to continue developing photovoltaic devices that use a perovskite semiconductor. It covers potential manufacturing and distribution in the US and excludes crystalline silicon semiconductors. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Why this deal matters First Solar is the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere and the world’s biggest producer of thin‑film modules. It has been working on ways to combine its thin‑film expertise with perovskite materials, which many researchers see as the next major leap in solar efficiency. CEO Mark Widmar said the agreement allows First Solar to keep pursuing “viable pathways” to manufacturing and commercializing thin‑film perovskite products for utility‑scale, commercial, industrial, and residential markets. He said the company believes it’s making progress toward an efficient, stable, and manufacturable perovskite device. Advertisement – scroll for more content …

7 Best Hair Growth Products of 2026 to Keep Your Precious Locks

7 Best Hair Growth Products of 2026 to Keep Your Precious Locks

Published by Jenni Sidey

Is your hair parting like the Red Sea? A few extra chunks of hair blocking the tub drain lately? Nobody wants to look for the best hair growth products, but you’ve come to the right place to finally address those few extra millimeters of forehead you’ve been seeing of late. Do these things actually work, though, or is Big Hair just looking for a way to sell you snake oil? “The efficacy of hair growth products depends on the active ingredients and the underlying cause of hair loss,” Dr. Daniel Gould, a board-certified Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, says. “I advise patients to be wary of exaggerated marketing claims and to consult with a qualified physician to determine the best evidence-based treatment plan.” That’s not to say that a bunch of hair growth products don’t work, because, well, we’ve tried them—and many of them can seriously help your hair loss efforts. From serums to sprays to supplements, these hair growth products will (hopefully) help you sprout some new strands rather than going full George Costanza. The …

Best Ebike Locks (2026): Kryptonite, Litelok, Abus, Hiplok

Best Ebike Locks (2026): Kryptonite, Litelok, Abus, Hiplok

Published by skeptic

Some bike lock makers provide their own internal security ratings for guidance. Those can be helpful, but the most secure locks we’ve tested use standard ratings from objective sources, including Sold Secure, which offers ratings of multiple vehicle types between Bronze and Diamond, and ART, which uses a number scale from 1 to 5. So what do these ratings actually mean? Here’s a guide to two of the top lock-security firms and their rating systems: Sold Secure was established in 1992 by Northumbria and Essex police in the UK. The brand is now owned and operated by the Master Locksmiths Association, a not-for-profit trade group. It uses a four-level rating system, as listed below. Sold Secure Rating Levels: Bronze (lowest, secure against basic tools); Silver (midrange, secure against enhanced tools/determined attacks); Gold (second best, resistant against dedicated tools/attacks); Diamond (highest, resistant against destructive attacks and “special tools”). The firm also uses separate ratings for different vehicle types, like bikes versus motorcycles (which it now calls pedal cycles and powered cycles, respectively). For example, the Hiplok …

Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Last Slalom Before Olympics and Locks up Record Ninth Season Discipline Title

Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Last Slalom Before Olympics and Locks up Record Ninth Season Discipline Title

Published by Sam Flores

SPINDLERUV MLYN, Czech Republic (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has locked up the slalom season title with the Olympics looming to become the first skier in the six-decade history of the World Cup with nine season titles in one discipline. The American star might have to share her record soon, though, as teammate Lindsey Vonn has eight downhill titles and currently holds a commanding lead in those standings in her second season back from her initial retirement in 2019. On the men’s side, Ingemar Stenmark won the slalom globe and Marcel Hirscher the overall title eight times each. Shiffrin dominated the last slalom before the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday, securing top spot in the discipline standings with two races to spare. Shiffrin won both runs to beat runner-up Camille Rast, the world champion from Switzerland, by 1.67 seconds. The rest of the field, led by Germany’s Emma Aicher, trailed by more than two seconds. But the American was reluctant to read too much into those results and how they may translate to her form for …

7 Best Smart Locks (2026) for Front Doors, Side Doors, and Even Garages

7 Best Smart Locks (2026) for Front Doors, Side Doors, and Even Garages

Published by skeptic

Ultraloq Bolt Fingerprint for $200: I have now tested three different Ultraloq smart locks over a year and a half, and while I think the company offers excellent hardware for the money, there are just a few too many software quirks that put these locks a rung below our top picks. I first began with the Bolt Fingerprint, which has been the most reliable of all the Ultraloq smart locks. If you have a standard door with a borehole for the dead bolt, it’ll be quick to install (Ultraloq has a Thick Door Kit ($10)). I initially had several issues getting the lock to connect to my Wi-Fi, but after multiple attempts and a few choice words, it connected. I’ve had no connectivity problems since. The app isn’t the prettiest, but it’s functional. You can add multiple user profiles, remotely unlock, get notifications when the doors are unlocked, share codes, and register fingerprints. There’s even an auto-unlock function for when you walk up to the door, but I found it a little inconsistent and left …

OpenAI Locks Down Office After Violent Threat

OpenAI Locks Down Office After Violent Threat

Published by José Betancourt

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism With so much doomsaying over the existential threat of AI — nevermind its toll on environmental, economic, and mental health — it was perhaps only a matter of time before heated rhetoric spilled out of the internet and into the real world. Case in point, OpenAI reportedly locked down its offices in San Francisco after it allegedly received a violent threat from an anti-AI diehard. “Our information indicates that [an activist] from StopAI has expressed interest in causing physical harm to OpenAI employees,” an OpenAI employee wrote on Slack, according to Wired. “He has previously been on site at our San Francisco facilities.” Though Wired didn’t identify the individual by name, the publication City Journal later reported that the group StopAI — an activist organization struggling for a permanent ban on AI development — posted a lengthy statement indicating it may be Sam Kirchner, one of the group’s cofounders. In its statement, StopAI distanced itself from Kirchner, stressing the group is “deeply committed to nonviolence.” Just before OpenAI went …