News
Tree Rings Reveal Origins of Some of the World’s Best Violins
2+ hour, 59+ min ago (550+ words) Everyone wants a piece of some of the world's famous violins. Switzerland, France, Slovenia and other European countries have all claimed that the wood used in the celebrated stringed instruments of Antonio Stradivari came from their forests. But now, a…...
These Official ChromeOS Flex USB Sticks Can Give Your Old Mac or Windows PC a Second Life
9+ hour, 24+ min ago (487+ words) Google and refurbished-tech marketplace Back Market have a plan to help keep old laptops and computers running longer. Part of a pilot program, Back Market will soon sell USB sticks housing software that people can use to plug into their…...
I’m a Google engineer, and AI keeps changing my job. Here’s how I learn new skills without burning out.
1+ day, 1+ hour ago (642+ words) This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Pratiksha Patnaik, a 30-year-old cloud infrastructure engineer at Google Cloud Consulting, based in Seattle. Her identity and employment have been verified by Business Insider. The following has been edited for length…...
Stripe CEO’s AI-era software pitch: Start serving it like pizza
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (283+ words) Stripe's CEO, Patrick Collison, delivered a provocative thesis about the future of software in the age of AI. Appearing on the "TBPN" podcast last week, Collison told show hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays that software shouldn't be mass-produced but…...
The Untold Story of the Birth of the iPhone
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (1462+ words) The invention that turned Apple into a world-beating, billion-selling, society-changing colossus was not a laptop or a music player; it was the iPhone. It seemed to appear in 2007, fully formed, beautifully conceived, self-assured, and conceptually obvious. But behind the scenes,…...
Thinking of switching chatbots? Here’s which features you’d gain or lose
2+ day, 43+ min ago (172+ words) Switching chatbots comes with tradeoffs " just ask recent ChatGPT users who defected to Claude. A Washington scuffle between Anthropic and the Pentagon has some users changing their chatbot of choice after OpenAI swooped in and reached an agreement of its…...
Anthropic is seizing the moment by promoting how easy it is to switch to Claude
2+ day, 59+ min ago (442+ words) Anthropic wants you to use Claude, even as President Donald Trump moves to kick the company out of Washington. Now, Claud says it's easier to move their history from a rival competitor into Claude. While Anthropic initially offered users the…...
Pico’s Project Swan XR Headset Wants to Go Where the Apple Vision Pro Failed
2+ day, 3+ hour ago (182+ words) If Pico's 3D workspace focus feels familiar, it is probably because Apple had a very similar approach when it launched its Apple Vision Pro headset in 2024. "It's a little odd, their timing," says Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager at the analyst…...
The Glorious Birds We Saved
2+ day, 5+ hour ago (678+ words) I probably wouldn't have made the drive to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in North Alabama back in January if I hadn't gotten an email bearing this subject line: "Whooping Cranes." I don't keep a life list of birds I've seen,…...
Watch the Moon Turn Blood Red During a Total Lunar Eclipse
2+ day, 6+ hour ago (549+ words) Early Tuesday morning, the moon will flush crimson as it creeps through Earth's shadow during a total lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses occur when our planet slides between the sun and moon, which temporarily prevents the sun's light from falling on…...