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Did the Pope use AI to write about the dangers of AI?

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It's possible that AI was used to write parts of Pope Leo XIV's latest encyclical about AI's impact on humanity. An analysis by Linch Zhang posted on the forum LessWrong found certain paragraphs of Magnifica Humanitas to be between 40 percent and 100 percent written by AI, according to the popular AI detector Pangram. The document includes known traits that appear in AI-generated writing, such as a higher use of the word "genuinely" - which crops up in writing by Anthropic's Claude - than previous encyclicals, Zhang says. Another person ran the text of the document section by section through Pangram , finding that 62 percent of its first cha … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/FZGRPVu

NASA’s permanent Moon base plans start with three missions this year

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On Tuesday, NASA announced several upcoming lunar missions to the Moon's South Pole region. These missions will pave the way for the crewed Artemis landing slated for 2028, starting with three Moon Base missions NASA says are "the first of more than a dozen missions that will be announced this year." Moon Base I, launching "no earlier than fall 2026," will use Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to bring NASA payloads to the Moon, including the Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies instrument and the Laser Retroreflective Array. NASA will use these "to study how thrusters interact with the Moon's surface" and help "orbi … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/XthKUH3

GE’s nugget ice maker is nearly half off if you buy it refurbished

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GE’s nugget ice maker is simple to set up. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge If you’re looking for ways to make staying cool and hydrated easier this summer, Woot is currently selling a refurbished GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker for $264.99 through June 3rd. That’s $184 less than buying new at its full price, and comes with a 90-day warranty. If you want a brand new model, it’s also on sale for $359 ($90) at Best Buy , or $449 ($50 off) with a side tank included ( Amazon , Best Buy ,  GE ). GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Where to Buy: $449 $264.99 at Woot (Refurbished) $449.99 $359.99 at Best Buy $499 $449 at Amazon (with side tank) If you’re unfamiliar with nugget ice, it’s the soft, chewable ice that cools drinks quickly and  doesn’t melt as fast as crushed ice. In the week she spent testing it , my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy said the countertop appliance quickly became her family’s “favorite kitchen gadg...

A battery-powered Starlink Mini is likely on the way

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This, but no cable. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Code in recent Starlink firmware suggests that SpaceX might soon release a version of its smallest internet dish with an integrated battery. A battery-powered Starlink Mini would offer untethered portability for vanlifers, emergency responders, and anyone who wants fast, low-latency internet from almost anywhere on the planet. University researcher Jinwei Zhao spotted a number of strings hinting at the integrated battery in a May firmware release, according to PCMag . The " message DishBatteryStats " line suggests code designed to return specific fields from an integrated battery, including the current state_of_charge. If the dish were simply … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/CRA9M0x

Ferrari reveals its first EV, with design help from Jony Ive

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The Ferrari Luce will start at €550,000 in Italy, but US pricing hasn’t been announced. | Image: Ferrari After months of teasers , Ferrari is offering the first full view of its Luce electric vehicle . The Luce is notable not just for being Ferrari's first EV, but for being designed in collaboration with Jony Ive and Mark Newson at their collective LoveFrom. It's also going to be Ferrari's second four-door car and its first five-seat one. We already knew Ive and Newson were working on the Luce's interiors, which were shown off earlier this year. Now Ferrari says LoveFrom was allowed to "define the design direction of the project from the outset," inside and out. Tim Stevens reporting for Engadget offers a few firsthand impression … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/GK5QUrI

Cox Media fined after bragging it spied on users through their phones

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An exceptionally weird controversy has come back to haunt Cox Media and a pair of marketing firms, which claimed they were secretly listening to users via phones and smart devices - despite little evidence they actually could. On Thursday the Federal Trade Commission announced that Cox, MindSift, and 1010 Digital Works would pay a total of $930,000 to settle allegations that they were in fact lying about spying on people to target ads. As chronicled by Techdirt a couple of years ago, Cox publicly boasted about a system called Voice Data back in 2023, telling potential digital marketing clients they could ensure "every casual conversation be … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/G2gKCMs

Here are our favorite last-minute deals from REI’s giant Anniversary Sale

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REI’s annual Anniversary Sale — the retailer’s biggest of the year — is still going strong , letting you save on all kinds of outdoor essentials. If you’ve got a camping trip coming up, now is a good time to stock up on the basics, whether it be a tent , sleeping pad , or stove . If your summer plans involve hiking or heading into the backcountry, there are also savings to be had on everything from Garmin watches to water filters , some of which are also discounted at retailers like Amazon. The sale runs through the end of today, May 25th, and to save you time scrolling, we’ve rounded up the best deals you can still grab below. Additionally, as in previous years, REI members ge t 20 percent off one full-price item or one REI Outlet item with code  ANNIV26 , giving those who pay for a lifetime membership ($30) even more ways to save through the end of Memorial Day. Smartwatches and fitness trackers Garmin Fenix 8 The Garmin Fenix 8 is a pr...