Elon Musk fanaticism has reached ludicrous levels.In a new music video, an online personality by the name of Alessandra Basher a self-professed "stay-at-home mom," who dreams about "being a stand-up comedian one day" praised Musk and his businesses while crooning from the bed of a Cybertruck.To call it a cringeworthy attempt to get the attention of the richest man in the world would be an understatement. The almost three-minute video is a hard watch.The lyrics are chock full of painful one-liners, sounding suspiciously like they were spit out of ChatGPT."SpaceX flies, Tesla self-drives, Starlink beams with laser dreams," Basher warbles. "What can't this man do? It's taxes, fraud, some solid memes, corruption won't stay, and DOGE saving USA!"In many ways, the song is the perfect encapsulation of Tesla fanboy self-delusion. Whether it's a self-aware stunt to poke fun at herself or a legitimate attempt to sing the praise of Musk is unclear at best.Predictably, her husband, Cern Basher, a cofounder of a financial advice firm, appears to be a big fan of Tesla, with Basher gushing over getting retweeted by Musk last week. He's also argued that Musk's EV maker's stock remains undervalued.Basher's choice to stand in the back of a Cybertruck sends a particular message, considering how the divisive vehicle has turned into the number one symbol of the cult surrounding Musk, quickly becoming a huge target of vandalism as a result.If there's one certainty, it's that the song has us crawling out of our skin in second-hand embarrassment, with Reddit users calling the video out for being "cringe propaganda."A different account called it out for having "a 'dear leader' type vibe," referring to North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong II, who had countless songsand even operas dedicated to him.Predictably, the song had a dramatically different reception on Musk's social media platform."Alessandra, you are a star," one user responded. "That is fantastically good. Superbly done. On point and uplifting. Terrific!"Others, however, were put off by it, even inside Musk's echo chamber."I'm a big Elon fan, but this is just edging into creepy territory," one user wrote.The odd-sounding song also led to plenty of discussion surrounding the possible use of generative AI. Basher's vocals sound extremely processed, hinting at the possibility that her performance was the result of an AI. Given how far the tech has come in recent years, it's no longer a stretch to consider the possibility that Basher lip-synced to an entirely AI-generated performance."The lyrics and vocals of this song sound like they were generated by AI," one X user suggested."I know this is a common criticism but this sounds exactly like AI lyrics," one Redditor argued.Basher, though, is taking it all in stride."Thank you for all the support!" Basher tweeted, telling the "Tesla haters" that she's "not trying to have a baby with Elon.""I'm just having fun creating and performing a song to say thanks for what he did and is doing for this country and the world," she added. "I had to do this because all the nonsense hate he is getting."Whether Musk deserves to have his praises literally sung for gutting the federal government, enriching himself through government contracts, and leading to a surge in far-right extremism we'll leave that up to you to decide.Lately, even blue-collar, working-class Trump supporters in rural America are starting to get pretty tired of his antics.Share This Article

The reasoning AI race is getting heated.

The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was mistakenly added to a government Signal group chat discussing war plans. Meme-makers could not leave that alone.

March 25, 20253 min readScientists Record First Known Shark SoundsClicklike noises made by a small species of shark represent the first instance of a shark actively producing soundBy Jack Tamisiea edited by Andrea ThompsonRig (Mustelus lenticulatus). Paul CaigerThanks to Jaws pulse-pounding theme, sharks are synonymous with a spine-chilling sound. In reality, they silently swim and scarf down prey without making a peepuntil now, that is.These fish have just broken their silence. A team of researchers recently recorded sharks of one species making short, high-frequency clicks when the animals were handled underwater. The study results, published this week in Royal Society Open Science, represent the first known occurrence of a shark actively producing sound.The sounds were first observed by marine biologist Carolin Nieder, lead author of the new study, while she was working on her Ph.D. at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Her project was focused on the hearing capabilities of several sharks, including the rig shark, a small species that is native to the coastal waters around New Zealand. But something odd happened when Nieder handled the rig sharks between tests: they would start to crackle.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.At first we had no idea what it was because sharks were not supposed to make any sounds, says Nieder, who is now at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. I remember coming home and just thinking more and more about how weird those sounds were.Listen to the sharks crackle:More than 1,000 fish species are known to produce sounds, usually by vibrating their swim bladder, a gas-filled organ that helps the animals stay buoyant and can also act as an amplifier. But rigs and other sharks lack a swim bladder.To determine if the rigs were actually generating the crackling sounds, Nieder and her colleagues placed 10 juveniles, one at a time, into tanks that were outfitted with sound recorders. The researchers held each rig for 20 seconds and analyzed the resulting audio recordings.Each of these sharks produced high-frequency clicks, which lasted only a fraction of a second. The researchers recorded significantly more clicks in the first 10 seconds of the handling session than they did in the last 10 seconds, suggesting the sounds represented the rigs response to being startled by their handlers, Nieder says.Listen to more high-frequency shark clicks:The frequencies of the clicks were mostly outside the rigs hearing range, which casts doubt that the sharks use them to communicate. They do fall within the hearing range of several toothed whales that hunt rigs, however. Researchers have observed cod making similar clicking sounds to potentially spook nearby seals.To determine how the rigs were making the clicklike sounds without a swim bladder, the team created three-dimensional reconstructions of the fishs jaws and teeth. Rigs have a distinctive set of flattened teeth, which are arranged in overlapping rows to allow the animals to crack open crab shells. The team hypothesizes that the rigs mosaic of teeth produce the clicks as the fish snap their jaws together.According to Dennis Higgs, a marine biologist at the University of Windsor in Ontario, the paper presents a compelling case that some sharks produce sounds. He thinks that more work needs to be conducted, however, to determine whether these sounds are part of rigs audible repertoire or just their response to being handled. The open question is Would the sharks make the noises in more natural circumstances? says Higgs, who has studied the auditory capabilities of sharks but was not involved in the new research.Nieder agrees and plans to conduct additional behavioral experiments to learn more about what triggers the sharks clicks. She also hopes to conduct similar experiments with rigs and other shark species in natural environments.Though the new paper presents the first evidence of a shark making a sound, recent research has revealed that two other types of cartilaginous fish, rays and skates, also make noise. Scientists have observed multiple species of wild stingrays in both Indonesia and Australia and rays and skates in the Mediterranean making clicklike noises when they have been approached by divers.Sharks and stingrays diverged more than 200 million years ago. This presents the possibility that sound production is an ancient trait that is widespread among sharks and their cartilaginous kin.We used to think these fish couldnt do it, but they are proving us wrong, Higgs says. Its worth listening in on more shark species.

How the Kremlin has targeted Signal app at heart of White House group chat leakJames TitcombTelegraph Media Group Holdings LtdToday at 12:04Russian military hackers have targeted the messaging app at the centre of the White House group chat fiasco, raising further fears about the security of US secret communications.Researchers at Google found cyber attackers linked to the Kremlins military intelligence agency had sought to gain access to Signal accounts in Ukraine and were likely to use the techniques on other targets to snoop on conversations.

Fintech Block laid off 931 people, roughly 8% of the companys staff, on Tuesday, according to a leaked message from the company seen by TechCrunch.The news was announced to staff in an email from Blocks co-founder and CEO, Jack Dorsey. Dorsey told staff that on Tuesday, Block will be making some org changes, including eliminating roles and beginning the consultation process in countries where required.These are the latest changes to hit Block, Dorseys financial services giant that owns Cash App and Square. The company provides mobile payments services for consumers, as well as point-of-sale hardware and software for businesses.In the email, Dorsey explained that Block is cutting roles across three broad buckets. The first he lists is 391 people being cut for strategy reasons. The second and biggest bucket, 460 people, is for performance reasons, with Dorsey explaining that Block is laying off employees who score a below rating on the companys internal performance tracking metrics, or were trending towards it.The third bucket is managers, 80 of whom are being cut in order to flatten Blocks hierarchy to innercore+4, which refers to Dorseys direct reports and then four levels of direct reports beyond that, according to a source familiar. Dorsey also said that 193 managers are being moved to individual contributor roles.Dorseys email denies that the layoffs are for financial reasons or to replace workers with AI. Rather, he said that Block is cutting the roles owing to shifting strategic needs while raising the bar and acting faster on performance.Dorsey also noted that Block is closing 748 open roles at the company, with the exception of those that have progressed to an offer stage, critical operations roles, and key leadership roles, among others.Block last underwent major layoffs in January 2024, when it cut around 1,000 roles. As of December 2024, the outfit had around 11,300 staff members worldwide, according to the companys latest 10K filing.Block didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.Below is the entire email Dorsey sent to Block employees on Tuesday. The grammar and format of this text has been modified slightly to protect the sources who shared it with TechCrunch. The email follows:hi all. today well be making some org changes, including eliminating roles and beginning the consultation process in countries where required. i want to give you all the straight facts.as I said at the last Block, there are three areas wed like to address:strategy: reducing from teams that are off strategy, and fixing our discipline ratios.performance: parting ways with people with a below or trending towards below.hierarchy: driving to flattening our org to a max depth of innercore+4what that translates to in actual numbers of people:strategy: 391 peopleperformance: 460 peoplehierarchy: 80 managers (with 193 moving it individual contributor roles)were also closing all the 748 roles we had open with the exception of:roles progressed to offer stage.critical operational rolesstart/accelerate roleskey leadership rolesnone of the above points are trying to hit a specific financial target, replacing folks with AI, or changing our headcount cap. they are specific to our needs around strategy, raising the bar and acting faster on performance, and flattening our org so we can move faster and with less abstraction.why do this all at once instead of over time? were behind in our actions, and thats not fair to the individuals who work here or the company. when we know, we should move, and there hasnt been enough movement. we need to move to help us meet and stay ahead of the transformational moment our industry is in.this is the toughest part of my job, and I fight hard against any of these considerations. we must have a very high bar of correctness for us to take any action, which takes iteration and time to get right. i always balance this with the fact that everyone here, and those that are departing, has equity in our company. its my job to increase that value. we believe this will help us focus and execute better to do just that.were working to give clarity to everyone as quickly, with as much context and support, as possible. youll receive an email soon about what this means for you. if there are areas where you think we could do better, please send me a note. direct feedback makes us better, and I always act when it makes sense.thank you to all those leaving us. i am grateful and appreciative for you and your work, which has built us up to this point. we will continue to honor that by increasing our value to our customers, and therefore to all of our shareholders, including you.thank you,jackThis story was updated at 4:28pm on Tuesday to include the full email announcing the layoffs.

alotofpeople - stock.adobe.comNewsPublic Accounts Committee calls out legacy ITUnsupported and out-of-date software and hardware are hindering the governments artificial intelligence plans for the public sectorByCliff Saran,Managing EditorPublished: 26 Mar 2025 0:01 The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has urged the government to fix legacy IT issues if it wants to succeed with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered public sector initiatives.The PACs Use of AI in government report noted that AI relies on high-quality data to learn. However, the committee was told by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) that government data is often of poor quality and locked away in out-of-date legacy IT systems.An estimated 28% of IT systems used by the government are legacy systems, covering both software and hardware. These, as defined by DSIT, include IT products that have reached end-of-life, are no longer supported by the supplier and are impossible to update. According to DSITs definition of legacy IT, these systems are no longer cost-effective or are considered to be above the acceptable risk threshold.In its Digital and Data Roadmap 2022-25, the government committed to ensuring that all of the 72 highest-risk red-rated legacy systems across the government have remediation plans in place. However, the PAC reported that 21 legacy IT systems still lack remediation funding.DSIT told us that it was a matter of urgency that the issue of legacy systems in government is addressed, not only to take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI, but also to address other risks, including cyber security vulnerabilities, the PAC report stated.DSIT said it would prioritise the systems that have the most valuable data and the highest levels of security vulnerability.From a legacy hardware perspective, the PAC said DSIT considers cloud services as a way for the government to move away from maintaining large datacentres. However, it noted that there is a trade-off between concentrating usage to achieve greater value for money and diversifying providers to seek greater resilience and security.As part of our inquiry into government cyber resilience, the Cabinet Office told us that, quite a lot of our legacy systems are operating off a very small number of cloud providers, and until you fix some of the legacy issues, it is very difficult to move off some of the cloud services that are there, wrote the report authors.According to DSIT, the new Government Digital Service (GDS) will work with HM Treasury to review all spending bids for legacy remediation to assess their credibility and ambition. The PAC noted that GDS will also be tracking the allocated money, which had too often been reallocated elsewhere in the past. There are also plans for pilots of funding on a continuous improvement basis to ensure that IT systems are maintained over the long term.While the main issues in the list of barriers to public sector AI deployments concern legacy IT, the PAC warned that data sharing in government remains a problem.A recently published blueprint for modern digital government sets out the governments intention to work to reduce the barriers to sharing data by implementing standards, frameworks and tools. This includes the creation of a national data library to make it easier to find and reuse data across the public sector.The PAC report recognises the importance of data transparency to improve trust. However, the report noted that as of January 2025, only 33 records had been published on the government website set up to provide greater transparency.Along with the issues of legacy IT, data sharing and trust, the Public Accounts Committee also raised concerns about the digital skills gap. Despite government efforts to bolster digital skills in the public sector, the PAC said it remained sceptical that these reforms would address the issue where previous attempts have failed.Among the recommendations made by the PAC, which include measuring the cost of legacy IT, the report said the government needs to establish a mechanism for systematically gathering and disseminating intelligence on pilots and their evaluation. The PAC also recommended the government identify common and scalable AI products and support their development and roll-out at scale.Looking specifically at the procurement of AI, the reports authors urged DSIT, in collaboration with the Cabinet Office, to set out publicly how its proposed AI sourcing and procurement framework will get the best from all suppliers in a market dominated by a small number of global technology companies and ensure opportunities are available for small suppliers.Read more about legacy ITAddressing the legacy modernising creaky cloud infrastructures for data benefits: With so many enterprises reliant on outdated IT assets that lack resilience, where should organisations start with infrastructure modernisation projects?Major obstacles facing Labours AI opportunity action plan: Skills, data held in legacy tech and a lack of leadership are among the areas discussed during a recent Public Accounts Committee session.In The Current Issue:Can a future digital NHS survive another change?Digital twins drive efficiency across machines and infrastructureDownload Current IssueSLM series - Memgraph: The SLM-knowledge graph combo CW Developer NetworkHonor Magic7 Pro, a smartphone with an eye for AI Inspect-a-GadgetView All Blogs

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The Samsung Galaxy S24. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg 2024 Bloomberg Finance LPAfter handing out free Chromebooks, Samsung is now offering another generous device giveaway to Galaxy S24 buyers.The promotion gifts a free Galaxy Fit 3 and Galaxy Buds FE to people who buy the Galaxy S24 or S24 FE. Combined, both devices are worth 158 ($203) and Samsung has also discounted last years flagship by 100 ($129). The promotion ends on April 15th and only applies to shoppers in the U.K.The deal can be picked up at a wide range of shops, including Argos, Asda, Currys and others. Its available widely because the devices are not bundled with the phone when purchased. Instead, buyers will have to submit a claim form to Samsungreceiving the watch and earbuds a month later.Samsung has a dedicated giveaway site that details the process. But in essence, you will have to provide your proof of purchase, the devices IMEI number and some personal details. This must be submitted within 30 days of purchase and if everything is done properly, Samsung says the gifts will be sent out within 45 days.More Samsung Galaxy S24 Deals On The WayThis is not the first time Samsung has given away a free device, or service, to U.K. shoppers. Previously, the Korean company has handed out a free Chromebook, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Watch FE and a 12 month subscription to Disney Plus to Galaxy S24 buyers. This is alongside repeated device discounts.U.S. Galaxy buyers arent so lucky, with free accessory devices rarely bundled with smartphones. Samsung U.S. does, however, offer some huge price cuts and eye-wateringly high trade-in prices. A recent Galaxy Z Flip 6 sale combined a straight $120 off the handset and up to $700 in trade-in value.Bundling more than one freebie with the Galaxy S24 is particularly generous, even considering Samsungs penchant for giveaways. I suspect this is a way of silencing any doubts about buying last years tech, whilst also crowbarring people into the companys ecosystem. The Galaxy Fit 3 and Galaxy Buds FE are Samsungs cheapest wearables that are perennially discounted and often used as makeweights in promotions.I dont think its worth buying the Galaxy S24 just for these freebies, which are individually cheap anyway. Combined with the 100 off, its a solid deal. But the Galaxy S24s price will only continue to drop as it moves further away from its release date. You will find better straight discounts over the coming months, either from Samsung or retailers looking to clear their remaining stock. Keep an eye on Amazon because it has repeatedly undercut manufacturer pricing in the last six months.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsWhy the Oppo Find N5 is my favorite foldableHow the Find N5 compares to the competitionThe biggest issue with the Oppo Find N5Price is the final frontier still to crossA phone maker can rarely repeatedly surprise you, but Oppo and OnePlus have done that with their folding phones. The OnePlus Open OnePluss first foldable and based on the Oppo Find N3 has been widely regarded as the best folding phonesince its launch in October 2013.The successor was meant to be the Oppo Find N5. Ive spent the past month using Oppos latest folding phone, and its my favorite folding phone right now. It offers a significantly improved experience over the OnePlus Open, but theres one problem: you cant buy it.Recommended VideosJust days before the Find N5 launch, Oneplus announced that it wouldnt launch a folding phone in the US this year, essentially also handing the US market to Samsung and Google. Ive used the Find N5 for the past month, and it stands out in many ways, just like the original OnePlus Open did. Heres why it would be the perfect OnePlus Open 2.RelatedNirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsOppo has perfected the hardware design of the Oppo Find N5. At 4.21 mm thick when unfolded, its the worlds thinnest folding phone, yet it has the fastest charging, the biggest battery, and the smallest crease on the main display of any folding phone.The triple-camera setup has two flagship-quality main and telephoto sensors and an ultrawide that leaves something to be desired. The 50MP main sensor is comparable to the Oppo Find X8 Pro, as is the 50MP telephoto, which offers 3x optical zoom and can take excellent photos even at 30x zoom. The 8MP Ultrawide is technically a downgrade from the OnePlus Open, but it is one of only a few downsides to a compelling product.Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsThe 8.12-inch main display is the largest of any folding phone and larger than the 8-inch display found on the iPad Mini. Like the OnePlus Open, the Find N5 is equipped with Open Canvas, a virtualized multitasking feature that expands your screen to run multiple large app windows side-by-side. Both displays also support stylus use, a feat unique to the Find N5 compared to the competition.The Oppo Find N5 is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor albeit the 7-core version and has 16GB of RAM with 256GB or 512GB of storage. The 5,600 mAh battery is the largest of any book-style folding phone, with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging.The Oppo Find N5 is one of the most feature-rich phones Ive ever used, so I believe it was a mistake not to launch it in more markets. Theres just one fairly large problem to overcome.Oppo Find N5 vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsThe appeal of the Find N5 is how much further it pushes folding phones from the key competition. It sets new expectations for thickness, battery life, and charging, bringing folding phone cameras closer to the non-folding competition.At 4.21mm thick when unfolded and 8.78mm when folded, its thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Samsungs latest foldable measures 5.6mm thick when unfolded and over 3mm thicker than the Oppo Find N5 when folded. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold measures 5.1mm thick when unfolded and 10.5mm when folded, making it thinner than Samsungs folding phone but considerably thicker than the Oppo Find N5.1 of 4vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends Until the Find N5, it was widely accepted that folding phones would be thicker, but the Find N5 is the least compromised and has changed my expectations for future folding phones. Its just 0.6mm thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro, and Ive often mistaken the two in my pockets.The camera wont beat the best phone cameras but is comparable to other book-style folding phones. Heres how the camera stacks up to the chief competition:Oppo Find N5Galaxy Z Fold 6Pixel 9 Pro FoldMain Camera50MP, f/1.9, 21mmPDAF, OIS50MP, f/1.8, 23mmdual pixel PDAF, OIS48MP, f/1.7, 25mmdual pixel PDAF, OISUltrawide Camera8MP, f/2.2m, 11612MP, f/2.2, 12310,5MP, f/2.2, 127Telephoto camera50MP, f/2.7, 75mm3x Optical Zoom, OIS10MP, f/2.7, 66mm3x Optical Zoom, OIS10.8MP, f/3,1, 112mm5x Optical Zoom, OISSelfie camera (Cover)8MP, f/2.4, 21mm10MP, f/2.2, 24mm10MP, f/2.2, 23mmSelfie camera (Main)8MP, f/2.4, 21mm4MP, f/1.8, under display10MP, f/2.2, 23mmThe main camera across all devices is fairly standard, and all offer 3x or 5x optical zoom through a telephoto or periscope telephoto lens. All three companies have opted to use similar camera sensors on the ultrawide, which are all less capable than the 50MP sensors used by their non-folding cousins.Two split windows and one big expanded window underneath Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsMy Oppo Find N5 review featured a few negatives, such as the ultrawide camera and the need for a proprietary charger to achieve the fastest charging speeds. Yet, the biggest issues are the lack of availability and the price. Simply put, its expensive.Outside of China, the Find N5 is currently only available in Singapore and costs SG$2,499, which equates to $1,870 US dollars. However, a higher bill-of-materials cost the raw cost of the components plus the local cost around marketing, logistics, and supply chain, as well as local taxes, fees, and tariffs, means it would likely be more expensive in the US.OnePlus, in particular, is known for offering more value for money in its devices. These devices are usually the same price with better features or provide the same feature set at a better price for consumers.The higher cost of the materials in the Oppo Find N5 means it would have to launch at a higher price than the competition, which goes against the characteristics that make OnePlus successful. Ultimately, I suspect this was a key reason the Find N5 is not launching in more markets.The almost-creaseless display Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsThe Oppo Find N5 has the ideal form factor for a folding phone and ticks the boxes for the perfect folding phone in terms of design, battery life, and productivity. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same problem as the competition: the best folding phones can cost twice the price of a non-folding phone.The Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799, while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899 in the US. While both companies offer considerable trade-in deals and promotions through carrier partners, these are still too expensive for most people.These will ultimately be niche products until folding phone technology is available at a lower price. This ultimately disappoints consumers because it means that the competition doesnt have to innovate as much, and were no closer to the best folding phones becoming accessible to more people.Editors Recommendations