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Today’s Storystream

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When AI models are past their prime.

A recent study found that if a coding problem put before ChatGPT (using GPT-3.5) existed on coding practice site LeetCode before its 2021 training data cutoff, it did a very good job generating functional solutions, writes IEEE Spectrum.

But when the problem was added after 2021, it sometimes didn’t even understand the questions and its success rate seemed to fall off a cliff, underscoring AI’s limitations without enough data.


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A Paramount and Skydance merger is THIS CLOSE.

A “special committee” of Paramount’s board approved a rumored merger with Skydance Media, which will be announced Monday, according to Bloomberg. The news could signal the end of the dramatic Paramount merger saga that’s been going on for months.

Time to pop the champagne? Perhaps. At least put it on ice. Maybe hold the glasses for a bit, though. We’ve been here before.


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This is what NASCAR’s EV prototype sounds like.

I’ve never been to a stock car race, but I have seen my share of monster trucks, dirt track races, and sprint cars.

Maybe that’s why my brain won’t accept how quiet NASCAR’s new EV prototype is in this video from the Chicago Street Course. Imagine going to a race and not feeling totally rattled and overwhelmed by the noise!


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Meta AI may get more collaborative in WhatsApp for Android.

A new WhatsApp beta version for Android lets you send photo to Meta AI, then ask it questions about or edit the image using prompts, according to WABetaInfo.

Meta has worked more image-generation features into the app lately, including a beta feature letting Meta AI create an avatar for users based on photos of them.


Picture of a card within WhatsApp letting users know that Meta AI can reply to and edit photos.
Image: WABetaInfo
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Have a peek at a futuristic AR vehicle HUD.

The Verge’s Adi Robertson already wrote about her experience with Distance Technologies’ prototypical heads-up display at Augmented World Expo. It’s nowhere near road-ready — it’s too dim, and the eye-tracking-driven stereoscopic 3D effect can be buggy, laggy, and tiresome.

Yet, for purely aesthetic reasons, I love the sci-fi future feel of this video from her time with it.


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Some Galaxy S24 Ultra camera tweaks could be on the way.

The August update for the S24 Ultra will tweak things like how it handles HDR, processing, and exposure, but so far doesn’t touch “telephoto and night mode above 10x,” writes Samsung leaker Ice Universe in a post spotted by SamMobile.


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Sim City, but it’s just parking lots.

Car Park Capital is a forthcoming real-time city-building sim where your job is to appease the auto industry by making more and more parking lots — and convince citizens it’s in their best interest.

Hilko Janssen, the Dutch creator of the game, told PC Gamer that the satirical sim was inspired in part by a 1954 GM car propaganda film promoting more roads to deal with congestion.


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Epic is one step closer to relaunching Fortnite on iPhones — in the EU.

Hours after posting that a notarization submission for the Epic Games Store had been rejected by Apple, Epic and its CEO Tim Sweeney now say it has been un-rejected (a familiar situation here).

We’re still months away from EU residents actually getting the store on their iPhones and iPads, complete with Fortnite, but one barrier has been removed.


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Tether truthers, start your engines!

Two former execs of a German AI data center company, Northern Data, say they were fired for raising concerns the company was “misrepresenting the strength of its financial condition,” in a wrongful termination lawsuit. Northern Data, which is backed by Tether, has been looking into an IPO in the US.


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Peter Thiel’s all-drug Olympics needs money.

The Enhanced Games, a Saturday Night Live skit come to life, is trying to raise before the first competition. I’m very curious to see who invests!


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Apple’s very expensive Formula 1 movie has a very simple title.

The first teaser for F1 will debut this weekend, and today Apple shared a poster and confirmed its rather straightforward title.

Brad Pitt stars as a former Formula 1 driver making a comeback to the circuits. F1's budget has reportedly ballooned to over $300 million, though co-producer (and seven-time F1 champion) Lewis Hamilton has disputed such estimates.


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Someone already bought Samsung’s Galaxy Buds3 Pro.

They won’t even be announced until next week, but this Redditor says they walked into a US Walmart, paid $250, and walked out with the Apple look-a-likes.

Verdict: the controls are the same as the AirPods Pro, but the new Galaxy Buds are more comfortable with better sound and ANC than the first gen Pros. We’ll see after they become official on July 10th.


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Image: Reddit user Plastic_Development1
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Samsung’s 15x increase in profits.

Just saying “AI” is good for business but it’s even better if you make chips, especially for Samsung after suffering a major slump in 2023. Here’s Reuters with the year-on-year comparison:

The world’s largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker estimated its operating profit rose to 10.4 trillion won ($7.54 billion) in the quarter ended June 30, from 670 billion won a year earlier.


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Apple’s rumored HomePod with a screen could arrive with Apple Intelligence.

Apple’s smart home efforts could use both a smarter Siri and a smart display, and we may soon get both.

MacRumors has discovered code that indicates Apple is working on a new HomeAccessory 17,1 that could be powerful enough to run Apple Intelligence.

Existing HomePods seem unlikely to be able to support the AI, so new smart home hardware seems inevitable.


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The Threads icons that weren’t.

With one year completed for Instagram’s Twitter-like app, Meta illustrator Jez Burrows is showing off some of the other options that were on the table to represent Threads.


The Verge’s favorite board and video games

When you want to escape from your day-to-day responsibilities, a good game can help.

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Tesla tests an update with more music apps and some parental driving controls.

According to Not a Tesla App, the 2024.26 update in testing has features like parental controls that limit speed and acceleration or notify about late-night drives, an AQI symbol for poor local air quality, and scheduled charging.

It also adds built-in apps for Amazon Music and YouTube Music streaming in the US if you have Premium Connectivity or an active Wi-Fi connection.


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Nothing is teasing its next smartwatch’s customizability.

Following teases that revealed the first smartphone from Nothing’s affordable subbrand will have swappable rear panels, the company has shared another image on X revealing its upcoming CMF Watch Pro 2 will allow users to change the wearable’s appearance with interchangeable bezels.

The Watch Pro 2, the Phone 1, and the Buds Pro 2 will be announced on July 8th at 5AM ET.


A user attaches a swappable bezel to the CMF by Nothing Watch Pro 2.
Like the CMF Phone 1, the Watch Pro 2 will allow users to easily customize the smartwatch’s appearance.
Image: Nothing
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Softbank is trying to borrow $10 billion for AI-related projects.

Hey, remember the guy who’s responsible for funding WeWork’s delusional business plan? Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is really into AI and he’s aiming to flood the area with money. His clearest targets are Nvidia chips and energy startups.


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AI hypeman still hyping AI.

Though Kurzweil still can’t explain precisely how he’s going to “merge” with a machine, he’s out here telling The New York Times he expects it to happen before he dies.

For the realists out there, I recommend Seneca.


Every smart home device that works with Matter

All the Matter-compatible devices you can buy, plus the latest on the Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung-backed smart home standard.

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How am I supposed to beat Messmer now?

I knew this was coming, I just didn’t expect it so soon. FromSoftware has released a patch for Shadow of the Erdtree. Among the casualties...I mean “bug fixes” is a nerf to super busted but super satisfying perfume bottle build that basically turned anyone who used it into a walking nuke. How dare you FromSoftware, over a long holiday weekend no less?!


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Nintendo Japan will no longer repair the Wii U.

A year after Nintendo Japan announced it would stop repairing the Wii U when its supply of parts ran out, the company confirmed this week its Japanese support teams are no longer able to fix the 12-year-old console, as spotted by Nintendo Life.

After Nintendo shuttered the console’s online play in April, this week’s announcement feels like the Wii U’s final death blow.