Author: InfoForTech
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: As the Musk v. OpenAI trial heads to the jury, we dig into what Microsoft’s internal board memos and executive testimony revealed about the origins of the company’s massive bet on AI, and why this case matters beyond the billionaire drama. Plus, Howard Schultz, a former Washington governor, and the tech community weigh in on whether Seattle is squandering its edge as an innovation capital. Finally, the GeekWire Trivia Challenge explores the modern mysteries of Microsoft’s naming conventions. And in the opening, Todd owes John and the United Kingdom an apology. RELATED STORIES AND…
The iPhone Shortcuts app reminds me of Minecraft. It might be relatively easy to jump into, but it offers nearly limitless potential, allowing you to build anything you want. The same holds true for the Shortcuts app, and that endless possibilities are what many iPhone users might find intimidating. But you don’t have to. If you are new to iPhone shortcuts, think of them as little automated helpers. You can build them yourself or find ones that others have built and use them. And that’s the beauty of shortcuts. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you can…
Ravie LakshmananMay 16, 2026Vulnerability / Website Security A critical security vulnerability impacting the Funnel Builder plugin for WordPress has come under active exploitation in the wild to inject malicious JavaScript code into WooCommerce checkout pages with the goal of stealing payment data. Details of the activity were published by Sansec this week. The vulnerability currently does not have an official CVE identifier. It affects all versions of the plugin before 3.15.0.3. It’s used in more than 40,000 WooCommerce stores. The flaw lets unauthenticated attackers inject arbitrary JavaScript into every checkout page on the store, the Dutch e-commerce security company said.…
Make no mistake: Americans hate data centers.A recent poll from Gallup shows 70 percent of Americans oppose a data center in their local area, including 48 percent who are strongly opposed. That 70 percent number is tied to several concerns, environmental questions and quality of life chief among them, and it’s up 18 percent (!) in just two months, when Gallup asked the same question in March.Nonetheless, data centers keep going up at a rate that is nothing short of astonishing.According to one estimate, more than 4,000 data centers have already been built across the country. More than 2,000 that…
As states seek out much-needed supplies of clean, reliable energy, some are looking to an unconventional source: abandoned oil and gas wells harnessed for geothermal heat.Millions of inactive wells are littered across the United States, the relics of earlier eras of fossil fuel production. A large number of the sites have no official owner, and many are still polluting groundwater and leaking heat-trapping methane. The country has barely scratched the surface in dealing with this problem.Policymakers in both Republican- and Democratic-led states are exploring whether these sites could instead be converted into new wells for producing geothermal energy. The holes are…
YouTube In the coming weeks, YouTube is giving all creators 18 and over access to a tool that can detect whether their likeness has been copied and used in AI videos uploaded to the website. Team YouTube made the announcement on the platform’s community page, explaining that their “goal is to provide [users] with more peace of mind by giving [them] easy access to request the removal of unauthorized content.” While the likeness detection tool is technically only available to creators, spokesperson Jack Malon told The Verge that anybody can use…
OpenAI Group PBC has added a set of personal finance features to ChatGPT Pro, the priciest consumer tier of its popular chatbot service. On launch, the capabilities are available in preview to a limited number of U.S. users. OpenAI will collect feedback from the testers to refine the features before making them more broadly accessible. The company stated in a blog post today that it plans to make the features “available to everyone,” which hints they may eventually roll out to free accounts. Before consumers can start using ChatGPT for personal finance tasks, they have to connect it to their…
Key Takeaways Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) are essential for modern cybersecurity, providing real-time visibility into network traffic and helping detect threats before they escalate into major breaches. NIDS works through a combination of techniques such as traffic monitoring, packet inspection, signature-based detection, and behavioral analysis to identify both known and unknown threats. A well-structured NIDS includes sensors, analyzers, and a user interface, working together to monitor, analyze, and respond to suspicious activities effectively. Businesses benefit from NIDS through early threat detection, real-time alerts, compliance support, and forensic analysis, making it a critical component of a strong security strategy. With…
I’ve seen a lot of power banks, from the chunky rectangular bricks, round puck-shaped ones, and the flat ones that sit awkwardly next to a laptop in a bag, but none of them has ever looked like this. The Krafted Edge is a 20,000 mAh power bank built into an aluminum slab measuring 27 x 19 x 1.28 cm, which is almost exactly the footprint of a closed laptop, and that’s intentional. Krafted / Notebookcheck What does Krafted Edge 20,000 mAh power bank do differently? You can slide the power bank under your notebook while you work, connect it via…
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Hey, it’s another all-symbols puzzle! You either love these or hate them. I would guess this one is to celebrate that today’s Connections: Sports Edition is No. 600, a nice, even number. If you’re struggling with the puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t…