• Netflix will air new video podcasts from Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin this month

    January 15, 2026

    Netflix is continuing to double down on podcasts, with the streaming service’s announcement that it has hired talent to host two original shows for its platform. The first show stars NFL Hall of Famer-turned-analyst Michael Irvin and the second is a talk show for former Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The White House with Michael Irvin premieres January 19. The abode in the title refers to a building near the Dallas Cowboys facilities rather than the seat of US presidential power, but the overlap was intentional. “In a crowded media landscape, recognition matters — and few names carry…

  • The FTC’s data-sharing order against GM is finally settled

    January 15, 2026

    The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it has finalized an order that bans General Motors and its OnStar telematics service from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. The finalized order, which comes a year after the agency reached a proposed settlement with GM, also requires the automaker to be more transparent with its consumers and obtain their explicit consent on any data collection. The finalized order comes nearly two years after a New York Times report showed how GM and OnStar collected, used, and sold drivers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior to third parties, including data brokers…

  • Kia driving Australian Open 2026 with more EVs than ever before

    January 15, 2026

    Kia is partnering with the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam for the 25th year, and its 130-strong vehicle fleet for the event has more electric vehicles (EVs) than ever. As with last year’s tournament, the Kia tournament vehicle fleet is all-electrified – with 55 EVs and 75 hybrids driving players and officials throughout Melbourne during the major sporting event. Making up those 55 all-electric vehicles are the EV5 and EV9 SUVs, while the 75 hybrids will be divided across the Carnival MPV and Sportage SUV. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. It’s…

  • 2027 Skoda Peaq: Upcoming flagship EV named

    January 14, 2026

    The 2027 Skoda Peaq will debut later this year, becoming the brand’s new flagship and “in fact the largest Skoda model overall”. Riding on the MEB dedicated electric vehicle (EV) architecture, the Skoda Peaq will take the form of a circa-5.0-metre-long all-electric seven-seat SUV, based on the 2022 Vision 7S concept. The Peaq will be to the Kodiaq what the Elroq is to the Karoq – it’s an EV alternative to a similarly sized combustion-powered model in Skoda’s lineup. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Skoda Peaq Skoda Vision 7S Skoda Peaq…

  • X says Grok will no longer edit images of real people into bikinis

    January 14, 2026

    X says it is changing its policies around Grok’s image-editing abilities following a multi-week outcry over the chatbot repeatedly being accused of generating sexualized images of children and nonconsensual nudity. In an update shared from the @Safety account on X, the company said it has “implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis..” xAI is also moving all of Grok’s image-generating features behind its subscriber paywall so that non-paying users will no longer be able to create images. And it will geoblock “the ability of…

  • Musk denies awareness of Grok sexual underage images as California AG launches probe

    January 14, 2026

    Elon Musk said Wednesday he is “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok,” hours before the California Attorney General opened an investigation into xAI’s chatbot over the “proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material.”  Musk’s denial comes as pressure mounts from governments worldwide — from the UK and Europe to Malaysia and Indonesia — after users on X began asking Grok to turn photos of real women, and in some cases children, into sexualized images without their consent. Copyleaks, an AI detection and content governance platform, estimated roughly one image was posted each minute on X. A separate…

  • 28 advocacy groups call on Apple and Google to ban Grok, X over nonconsensual deepfakes

    January 14, 2026

    Elon Musk isn’t the only party at fault for Grok’s nonconsensual intimate deepfakes of real people, including children. What about Apple and Google? The two (frequently virtue-signaling) companies have inexplicably allowed Grok and X to remain in their app stores — even as Musk’s chatbot reportedly continues to produce the material. On Wednesday, a coalition of women’s and progressive advocacy groups called on Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai to uphold their own rules and remove the apps. The open letters to Apple and Google were signed by 28 groups. Among them are the women’s advocacy group Ultraviolet, the parents’ group…

  • App downloads declined again in 2025, but consumer spending soared to nearly $156B

    January 14, 2026

    The subscription economy helped boost mobile app revenues in 2025, even as app downloads declined for the fifth consecutive year, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures‘ annual report. In 2025, global downloads of all mobile apps and mobile games via the App Store and Google Play reached an estimated 106.9 billion, 2.7% lower than the year prior. Consumer spending, meanwhile, climbed 21.6% to reach an estimated $155.8 billion during the same period. The data indicates that app developers, marketers, and publishers have been successful in getting their users to make in-app purchases or activate subscriptions, even as the number of…

  • How to Build a Stateless, Secure, and Asynchronous MCP-Style Protocol for Scalable Agent Workflows

    January 14, 2026

    In this tutorial, we build a clean, advanced demonstration of modern MCP design by focusing on three core ideas: stateless communication, strict SDK-level validation, and asynchronous, long-running operations. We implement a minimal MCP-like protocol using structured envelopes, signed requests, and Pydantic-validated tools to show how agents and services can interact safely without relying on persistent sessions. Check out the FULL CODES here. import asyncio, time, json, uuid, hmac, hashlib from dataclasses import dataclass from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Literal, List from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, ValidationError, ConfigDict def _now_ms(): return int(time.time() * 1000) def _uuid(): return str(uuid.uuid4()) def _canonical_json(obj): return…

  • Civilization VII comes to Apple Arcade in February

    January 14, 2026

    The App Store is a home for many kinds of apps (including, inexplicably, one that lets users undress strangers without their consent). But hey, it also has games! And soon the store’s Apple Arcade service will include one more: the not-so-highly rated Civilization VII. Apple announced on Wednesday that Sid Meier’s Civilization VII will arrive almost exactly a year after launch. The game is already available for Apple devices, but its arrival on Apple Arcade will be a first. Civilization VII arrives on Apple Arcade on February 5. (Firaxis Games / Apple) “Free (for Apple Arcade subscribers)” may be the…