Meta's Threads has started rolling out on the web. The web version will be improved to look more like the mobile app over the coming weeks. Meta is currently working on a search feature to improve functionality on Threads and make it more of a competitor to X. The company has no plans to monetize the service until it is more established.
Netflix is shutting down its DVD rental service on September 29. Customers can keep any remaining DVDs they have after the service shuts down. Subscribers can potentially receive up to 10 discs for free as Netflix clears out its inventory. Netflix will allow people to sign up to its DVD plan until midnight on August 28 for a chance to win the DVDs.
Embryonic stem cells are difficult to obtain and they can be rejected following transplants if they don't match the recipient's DNA. Australian researchers have developed a technique to reprogram adult cells to be more like embryonic stem cells. These cells can then be reprogrammed to become any kind of cell. The technique potentially unlocks an endless supply of stem cells for research or treatment.
SeamlessM4T is a multimodal AI model for speech and text translations. It can perform text-to-speech, speech-to-text, speech-to-speech, and text-to-text translations for up to 100 languages. Meta developed the model to help people who speak different languages communicate with each other more effectively. SeamlessM4T has been released under a research license. Its code and weights are available on Hugging Face.
Flakes are libraries for deployment, packaging, secrets management, system compatibility, and more. FlakeHub is a collection of ready-to-use flakes designed to help developers get to production faster. It brings modern development practices to Nix. FlakeHub allows developers to improve their APIs without disturbing user stability.
Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel. A public preview of the feature is now available. Excel users can now manipulate and explore data in Excel using Python plots and libraries in combination with Excel's formulas, charts, and PivotTables. No additional software is required to access the functionality. Microsoft plans to add a feature that will expose Python data within the grid of an Excel spreadsheet.
This article introduces readers to the world of game development and compares it to the software engineering approaches at tech companies. The game development world is very different from the software development world. Video games are very complex pieces of software and are built in different conditions under different constraints than business applications. The article covers typical roles within game development, how games typically get built, and the game development lifecycle.
Hackers have obtained personal information from credit bureaus and are advertising access to the data in group chats used by violent criminals. The information includes names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, data contained within driver's licenses, and social security numbers. It only costs around $15-$20 in Bitcoin to access the information. The data includes information on high-profile targets, such as Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and President Joe Biden.
Netflix's new series of story games puts players in the center of their favorite shows and movies, allowing them to interact with characters and immerse themselves into different worlds.