Recommended Article Posts
Written By
Katie Stone
Cybersecurity
15 July 2025 | 12:09 AM
Trump Administration Allocates $1 Billion for Offensive Cyber Operations Amidst Cuts to Defense Budget
The Trump administration is set to invest $1 billion in offensive cyber operations over the next four years, focusing on the Indo-Pacific region. This move comes alongside significant cuts to the U.S. cyber defense budget, including funding for the cybersecurity agency CISA. The strategic shift has drawn criticism, with concerns raised about the potential for retaliation and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure like hospitals and local governments.
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Written By
Elena Brivio
Elon Musk's Grok Introduces AI Companions, Including a Goth Anime Girl, Amidst Safety Concerns
Elon Musk's Grok AI has introduced a new feature offering 'AI companions' to its high-tier 'Super Grok' subscribers. Among the initial offerings is an anime-style character, signaling a pivot towards personalized, potentially romantic or role-playing AI interactions. This development occurs against a backdrop of recent controversies surrounding Grok's behavior and increasing scrutiny on the safety and ethical challenges posed by AI companions, particularly concerning user well-being and the potential for harmful interactions, as evidenced by recent legal cases involving other AI platforms.
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Written By
Elena Brivio
Meta's Gigawatt Ambition: Building Hyperion and Prometheus to Power the AI Future
Meta is making a significant push in the AI race by building two colossal data centers, Hyperion (5GW) and Prometheus (1GW), to provide the necessary computational power for its AI lab. This move, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, highlights the escalating demand for energy-intensive infrastructure in the pursuit of frontier AI models. While positioning Meta competitively against rivals like OpenAI and Google, these projects raise concerns about their environmental impact, particularly on local energy grids and water resources, a challenge also faced by other major AI players.
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Written By
Jesarnolo Dioso
Cognition, Maker of Devin AI Coding Agent, Acquires Windsurf Amidst Intense Market Competition
In a significant development in the competitive AI coding landscape, Cognition, known for its Devin AI agent, has acquired Windsurf. This acquisition comes on the heels of a tumultuous period for Windsurf, which saw its CEO and key research leaders depart for Google in a multi-billion dollar 'reverse-acquihire,' following a lapsed acquisition offer from OpenAI. Cognition gains Windsurf's remaining team, IP, and a product with substantial reported revenue and user growth, aiming to integrate these assets to enhance the capabilities of its flagship Devin agent.
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Written By
Alexandros Karagiannis
Mastering ACH Payments: A Comprehensive Guide to Process, Policy, and Fraud Prevention
This comprehensive guide delves into the world of Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments from a corporate perspective. It explains the ACH network, the difference between debits and credits, the benefits for businesses, and the detailed steps of the payment process flow. A significant portion is dedicated to outlining the essential elements of a robust ACH payment process policy, covering everything from vendor onboarding and invoice approval to payment initiation and reconciliation. Crucially, the article highlights critical fraud prevention measures and discusses compliance requirements, particularly NACHA rules. It also touches upon the role of technology and automation in streamlining ACH operations, ultimately emphasizing the importance of a well-defined policy for efficiency, security, and compliance.
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Written By
Jesarnolo Dioso
EU Parliament Report Declares GenAI Training Data Use Not 'Fair Use,' Advocates for Creator Compensation
A new report commissioned by the European Parliament asserts that the current legal framework in the EU, particularly the text-and-data mining exception, is inadequate to address the use of copyrighted material for training generative AI models. It argues that this use goes beyond the scope of 'fair use' analogies and calls for a new statutory exception coupled with an 'unwaivable right to equitable remuneration' for rightsholders. The report also suggests harmonized protection criteria for AI-assisted works, highlighting a growing global consensus that commercial GenAI training on copyrighted data requires a new legal approach, contrasting with the industry's 'fair use' claims and aligning with recent developments and lawsuits in the US.
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Written By
Quionna Allen
Quantum's Deep Cuts: Senior Staff Depart Amid Mounting Financial Pressure
Storage company Quantum is undergoing a substantial reduction in its workforce, affecting numerous employees including senior leadership roles such as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Development Officer. These cuts come amidst significant financial challenges, delayed earnings reports due to accounting issues, and efforts to recapitalize the company under new leadership. The scale of the layoffs indicates a deep restructuring effort as Quantum navigates a period of intense financial pressure and market shifts.
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Written By
Jesarnolo Dioso
Windows 10 End of Support: The Looming Crisis and IT's Painful Choices
The October 2025 end-of-support deadline for Windows 10 is forcing enterprise IT leaders into a difficult corner. They must choose between a potentially disruptive and costly upgrade to Windows 11, fraught with hardware and hidden software compatibility issues, or paying increasingly expensive fees for Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. This situation highlights existing technical debt within organizations and raises questions about Microsoft's future support policies, pushing IT to evaluate ROI, explore phased migration strategies, and even consider alternative operating systems or cloud-based solutions.
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Written By
Joel Joseph
AI 'Nudify' Sites Rake in Millions, Relying on Big Tech Infrastructure
A recent analysis highlights the alarming scale and profitability of AI 'nudify' websites, which create nonconsensual explicit images. These sites attract millions of visitors and generate substantial revenue, often leveraging infrastructure and services provided by major tech companies. The report underscores the significant harm inflicted upon victims and the ongoing challenges faced by regulators and tech platforms in effectively addressing this burgeoning illicit industry.
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Written By
Jesarnolo Dioso
Cybersecurity
14 July 2025 | 2:03 PM
Detecting the Ghost in the Machine: How to Combat the North Korean Fake IT Worker Threat
The problem of fake North Korean IT workers infiltrating global companies, particularly in remote tech roles, is widespread and costly. These individuals, often highly skilled, use sophisticated methods including fake identities, AI-assisted interviews, and even deepfakes to gain access, posing risks of data theft and extortion. Cybersecurity and HR leaders are increasingly aware of this threat, implementing cross-functional strategies, advanced identity verification, and human training to detect suspicious applicants and protect their organizations.
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Written By
Katie Stone
Software Development
14 July 2025 | 1:04 PM
The Price of Software Freedom is Eternal Politics
The FOSS landscape is marked by deep political and ideological divisions, often overlooked but starkly highlighted by recent events like the emergence of the Xlibre fork of X.org. This article delves into the historical roots of the Free Software and Open Source movements, their fundamental differences, and how these philosophies manifest in contemporary technical debates, particularly concerning display servers like X11 and Wayland. It examines the controversies surrounding Xlibre's political stance, the reaction leading to projects like Wayback, and the significant influence of corporate players like Red Hat/IBM, illustrating that the pursuit of 'software freedom' is inextricably linked with ongoing political struggle.
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Written By
Ebire Folayemi
AI Agent Protocols: Why MCP is the USB-C and A2A is the Ethernet
As AI agents become more sophisticated, the need for standardized communication protocols is paramount. This article delves into two prominent examples: Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), designed for connecting models to external tools and data, and Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol, focused on enabling communication and collaboration between different agents. While seemingly similar, they address distinct challenges in the agentic AI landscape, much like USB-C connects devices to peripherals and Ethernet connects devices to a network. We explore their architectures, use cases, industry backing, and the potential future of AI standardization.
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Written By
Ebire Folayemi
Consumer Tech
14 July 2025 | 10:07 AM
The Shifting Landscape: Netflix's Evolving Share in the Streaming Originals Top Ten
This article analyzes Nielsen data revealing a significant decline in Netflix's share of the weekly Top Ten Streaming Originals chart in the US since 2021. Once dominating the list, Netflix now holds a smaller percentage of top-performing original titles, indicating a more competitive streaming landscape as other services successfully launch popular original content.
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Written By
Alexandros Karagiannis
Python's AI Evolution: Building Agents, Boosting Performance, and Streamlining Development
Python continues its reign as a dominant force in technology, particularly in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. This report examines how Python is adapting to the age of AI agents, highlighting new tools like Google's Agent Development Kit. It also explores significant language updates in Python 3.14, including lazy annotations and official free-threading support, alongside practical developer tools like editable installs and the Google Data Commons client library. Finally, we touch upon ongoing efforts to boost CPython's performance, offering a comprehensive look at Python's dynamic evolution.
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Written By
Ebire Folayemi
Cybersecurity
14 July 2025 | 2:58 AM
The Pervasive Threat of Fake North Korean IT Workers: How to Protect Your Company
Fake North Korean IT workers are a significant and growing threat to businesses worldwide, infiltrating hiring processes to steal data, extort companies, and fund the DPRK regime. This article explores the scale of the problem, the sophisticated tactics used by these imposters, and essential strategies companies can implement, from enhanced identity verification and background checks to training HR and security teams, to detect and prevent these costly and dangerous scams.
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Written By
Alexandros Karagiannis
Cloud Computing
14 July 2025 | 1:59 AM
Cloud PostgreSQL Uptime Falls Short of User Expectations, Survey Reveals
A recent survey by The Foundry, commissioned by pgEdge, reveals that a significant portion of PostgreSQL users on cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud experienced service failures in the past year. Despite demanding high levels of uptime (often 99.99% or more), users are concerned about cloud region failures and face business impacts from unexpected downtime. The findings highlight a gap between user expectations for cloud database reliability and the reality of current cloud offerings, prompting organizations to explore diverse strategies for ensuring high availability.
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Written By
Jesarnolo Dioso
Careers in Tech
14 July 2025 | 1:00 AM
UK Government Launches Landmark £500M Fund to Boost Diversity in Venture Capital
The British Business Bank, backed by the UK government, has announced a significant £500 million economic package aimed at increasing diversity within the country's venture capital landscape. This initiative specifically targets underrepresented fund managers and founders, including a dedicated £50 million for female-led venture funds and £400 million for broader support for diverse managers, early-stage companies, and talent development. Set to begin deployment in 2026, the package seeks to address the persistent funding gaps faced by women and minority entrepreneurs and investors, aligning with the government's broader economic growth strategies.
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Written By
Ebire Folayemi
Stanford Study Reveals Significant Risks in AI Therapy Chatbots, Citing Stigma and Inappropriate Responses
Researchers at Stanford University have published a paper detailing significant risks associated with AI therapy chatbots powered by large language models. The study found that these chatbots can exhibit stigmatizing behavior towards users with certain mental health conditions, such as alcohol dependence and schizophrenia, and may respond inappropriately or even dangerously to users in crisis, including those expressing suicidal ideation or delusions. The findings suggest that while AI has potential roles in mental healthcare, directly replacing human therapists with current chatbot technology poses considerable dangers and requires critical evaluation and development.
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Written By
Katie Stone
BOFH: Auditor Questions IT Policies? We Have a 'Wellness' Solution and 'Long-Term Storage'
Facing scrutiny from company auditors regarding IT purchasing policies, inventory control, and asset disposal, the BOFH and his assistant, the PFY, offer a candid, albeit highly unconventional and darkly humorous, explanation of their operational procedures. From exploiting loopholes like 'Workplace Wellness' for equipment upgrades to detailing their three-pronged asset disposal strategy ('Sale, skip, storage') which includes leveraging 'long-term storage' of executive machines for leverage, the duo reveals the chaotic reality behind the corporate facade. The auditors quickly learn that the IT department's methods, while far from standard, are deeply entrenched and strategically applied, often involving concepts like the 'porn cache' and repurposed Galaxy Note 7 batteries, leaving the auditors with more questions than answers, and a growing sense of unease.
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Written By
Katie Stone
Cybersecurity
13 July 2025 | 10:03 PM
Inside a Security Firm's Chaos: Stolen iPads, a Dodgy Website, and an Exploding HR Department
A cybersecurity firm's internal security and hiring practices were put to the test after a batch of customer survey prize iPads went missing, leading to the discovery of an ex-convict lawyer on staff. The subsequent mandatory background checks exposed an even greater vulnerability: a hastily built, insecure website collecting sensitive employee data, developed by an unqualified friend of HR. An IT professional who uncovered the flaws faced backlash but ultimately highlighted critical failures in corporate governance and data protection.
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Written By
Joel Joseph
Cybersecurity
13 July 2025 | 9:04 PM
US Air Force Employee Pleads Guilty to Leaking Classified Ukraine War Secrets on Dating App
A civilian US Air Force employee, David Franklin Slater, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit classified national defense information. Slater, who held a Top Secret clearance and worked at Strategic Command, shared secrets about the Russia-Ukraine war, including military targets and Russian capabilities, with a woman he met on an online dating platform. The woman, referred to as 'co-conspirator 1,' used manipulative language, calling him her 'secret informant love' and 'secret agent.' Slater faces up to 10 years in prison.
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