The new Operator tool is available only to ChatGPT Pro subscribers, for now.

American PrimevalNetflixThere are obvious dethronings that happen every so often in the Netflix top 10 list, and this time around, it was easy to see this one coming. After two weeks of mostly being on top of Netflixs Top 10 list, The Night Agent has returned for its second season and immediately planted itself at #1 on the chart.This is the furthest thing from a surprise given that The Night Agent season 1 is the seventh most popular English language series in Netflix history, despite being less high profile than many others. Id probably classify it as a sleeper hit, but it may be breaking out of that categorization at this point as it did end up putting up huge numbers, not just good ones.Netflix knows this, which is why season 3 of The Night Agent was greenlit a month before season 2 even aired here. Given that was the case, hopefully it means that the gap between seasons could be shortened, as the wait between season 1 and season 2 was 22 months, nearly two years. Not all that unusual for Netflix but I think people are certainly getting sick of these kinds of waits.Top 10NetflixThe rest of the list is full of old and new programming. XO Kitty season 2, a former #1, is down to #4 and it has not been renewed yet. I would not be shocked if it was, however, as its a cheap series, performs well and is a part of Netflixs To All the Boys I Loved Before cinematic universe which yes, is a thing.MORE FOR YOUHitting the list at #3 is a new reality show, WAGs to Riches, which stands for Wives and Girlfriends, and it follows the significant others of Miami celebrities who are now trying to turn into celebs themselves via a Netflix reality show. Being the third most-watched series in America right now puts them on that path, certainly. All eight episodes are already out, which is sometimes not the case with Netflix reality shows, but this one isnt a competition or dating experiment. Well, not in the traditional sense anyway.Squid Game is at #5 and well see if its still putting up viewership speed records soon. Younger is doing great at #6 still and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is staying on the list at #8, a great performance. Bringing up the rear at #10 is Missing You, the new Harlan Coben series when those usually do really well on Netflix. This one? Not quite as good, it seems. Well see how all this develops and just how long The Night Agent is going to stay on top.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

For organizations considering the adoption of scalable AI for demand forecasting, its essential to approach implementation strategically.

Home Elon Musk and Sam Altman Battle on X over Trumps Data Center Project Stargate News Elon Musk and Sam Altman Battle on X over Trumps Data Center Project Stargate4 min read Published: January 24, 2025 Key TakeawaysElon Musk questioned the financial capacity of Stargate backers, including SoftBank, sparking a public spat with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.The $500 billion AI infrastructure project Stargate is aimed at advancing physical and virtual AI capabilities, with $100 billion already invested.Musks xAI competes with OpenAI and Stargate, with ongoing legal disputes over OpenAIs shift from its non-profit roots.Just hours after Trump announced Stargate in tandem with the top members of OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, Elon Musk took to Twitter to question the legitimacy of the value of the investment that the investors had pledged.Stargate is a $500 billion AI infrastructure project thats expected to take the physical and virtual AI infrastructure to the next level. Companies have already invested $100 billion to get the project started.Musk Claims the Backers Dont Have the Money RequiredSoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority, said Elon Musk on X shortly after the largest-ever investment in AI was announced. This led to a thread of sarcastic Xeets (we cant call them tweets anymore, can we?) between Elon Musk and the CEO of Open AI, Sam Altman.In response to Musks comments, the CEO of OpenAI, who was present at the White House alongside Donald Trump on the day of the Stargate launch, said, Wrong, as you surely know. Want to come visit the first site already underway?The said site is a data center under construction in Abilene, Texas. [Stargate] is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isnt always whats optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope youll mostly put [America] first, Altman wrote, after dismissing Musks tweet.Altman later added a sweet note saying that he genuinely admires Musks accomplishments and is of the opinion that hes the most inspiring entrepreneur. I dont think [Musk is] a nice person or treating us fairly, but you have to respect the guy, and he pushes all of us to be more ambitious. Sam AltmanTrump stepped in and shrugged off the comments of his prominent ally, Elon by saying the criticism was not an indictment of the deals viability but a clear case of bad blood with one of the members of this deal ( which evidently, is Altman).He further clarified to the reporters, I dont know if they do [have the funds], but you know, theyre putting up the money the governments not putting up anything, theyre putting up money. Theyre very rich people, so I hope they do.The Actual Context Behind This FiascoThis controversy starts to make a little more sense when we take into account that Musks company, xAI, is not just a competitor of Stargate but also in a lawsuit with OpenAI alleging that the latter had betrayed its founding aim as a non-profit research lab.Elons xAI is currently building its own big data center in Memphis, Tennessee, and he continues to escalate the dispute by adding claims and asking for a court order to prevent OpenAI from converting into a for-profit business.In the past, Musk has openly said that he feels his company faces unfair competition from OpenAI, seeing as the latter has access to a larger pool of computing resources. Consequently, xAI is also looking for infrastructure to develop its AI systems.The Ground RealityAs for the actual truth, a source familiar with Stargate said that the assertion isnt true, as Softbank has $24.3 billion of cash on its balance sheets per its latest earnings and is comfortable taking debt to fund the project.Additionally, Oracle has $11 billion in cash on its balance sheet, MGX has $100 billion in capital commitments, and OpenAI recently announced it has more than $10 billion from its recent round of venture capital funding.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Vlad is Tech Report's Executive Editor. With over a decade of experience in tech content, he's passionate about computer hardware, an advocate of online privacy, and strongly believes in the open-source, scarce-money nature of cryptocurrency.When hes not working, hes traveling with his partner and their cat, learning Python, or reading good books. He never owned a PC he did not build. View all articles by Vlad Melnic Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.More from News View all News TikTok Makes a Comeback After Trump Assumes Office Alpa SomaiyaJanuary 22, 2025 View all

Facepalm: Italy's Piracy Shield anti-piracy system has become a subject of intense debate and scrutiny since its launch in early 2024. Designed to combat live sports piracy by rapidly blocking piracy-related domain names and IP addresses, the system is being criticized for its broad powers and unintended consequences. While Piracy Shield has successfully blocked numerous pirate sources, it has also been plagued by incidents of overblocking. Reports indicate that legitimate services such as Google Drive and Cloudflare have been inadvertently blocked, causing disruptions for Italian internet users. These incidents have raised concerns about the system's accuracy and its potential impact on lawful online activities.The tech industry has recently voiced its apprehensions about Piracy Shield. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), representing major tech companies like Amazon, Cloudflare, and Google, expressed serious concerns in a letter to the EU Commission. While acknowledging the system's intent to protect intellectual property rights, the CCIA argues that the DNS and IP-level blocking measures employed by Piracy Shield are overly broad and potentially harmful.One of the most significant incidents occurred on October 20, 2024, when Google Drive was mistakenly blocked by Piracy Shield. This error resulted in a three-hour blackout for all Italian users, with lingering effects for a substantial portion of users even after 12 hours.The CCIA has also raised concerns about the lack of transparency and adequate safeguards in Piracy Shield's implementation. The fact that the system was developed by a company affiliated with soccer league Serie A, one of the few rightsholders currently authorized to use it, has led to questions about potential conflicts of interest.In addition to blocking concerns, recent amendments to Italian copyright law have introduced new reporting obligations for intermediary providers. These changes, which include potential criminal penalties for non-compliance, have been criticized for potentially conflicting with EU law and creating a chilling effect on online expression and innovation. // Related StoriesThe tech industry is calling for significant reforms to Piracy Shield, including more robust verification protocols, enhanced transparency, and improved redress mechanisms for affected users. The CCIA has gone so far as to urge the EU Commission to engage with the Italian government to halt the anti-piracy measures pending a thorough review of their legality under EU law.As Piracy Shield approaches its first anniversary, its effectiveness in reducing illegal sports streaming remains debatable. While some data suggests a potential decrease in pirate traffic, conclusive evidence of its impact on new subscriber uptake and customer retention for legal services is still lacking.

The big picture: Sony, LG, Panasonic, and retailers in general have been gradually withdrawing from the Blu-ray business for years as consumers increasingly favor streaming and other forms of digital distribution. However, some market indicators suggest that demand for physical media hasn't completely evaporated, with many consumers harboring concerns over quality and ownership. Sony recently announced plans to end Blu-ray media production in February, delivering yet another heavy blow to the future of physical media. The company will also cease manufacturing recording MiniDiscs, MD data, and MiniDV cassettes.This news follows Sony's decision last year to stop producing writable 25GB BD-REs, 50GB BD-RE DLs, 100GB BD-RE XLs, and 128GB BD-R XLs for consumers. In this week's brief announcement, Sony confirmed that "Blu-ray media production" will halt, though the exact formats affected were not specified.Manufacturers have been steadily exiting the Blu-ray market for years, as physical media sales continue to decline in favor of digital distribution. Panasonic, for example, stopped producing Blu-rays in 2023, citing weakening demand amid the growing popularity of streaming. Similarly, Best Buy discontinued sales of Blu-rays, Ultra-HD Blu-rays, and DVDs later that year.Sony has also acknowledged that the Blu-ray storage market never lived up to expectations. When the company announced the end of BD-R production last year, LG followed suit by exiting the Blu-ray player market a few months later. Currently, Sony and Panasonic are the last remaining major manufacturers of Blu-ray drives.It remains unclear how Sony's decision to end Blu-ray production will affect the distribution of physical games for its PlayStation consoles. The recently launched PlayStation 5 Pro does not include an optical drive by default, but demand for one was so strong that Sony's optional $80 Blu-ray drive attachment sold out quickly after the PS5 Pro's launch last fall. // Related StoriesThe retreat from Blu-ray manufacturing also carries significant implications for the home video market. While streaming dominates the landscape, many consumers continue to prefer physical discs for various reasons.Although the quality of 4K streaming is likely good enough for most viewers, Ultra-HD Blu-rays offer substantially higher bitrates. Furthermore, retaining a physical disc signifies true ownership of media, as content is never permanently available on streaming services.For now, major Hollywood films still receive physical home video releases. Meanwhile, consumer demand for discs has spurred a wave of Ultra-HD Blu-ray remasters of classic films from distributors like the Criterion Collection and others.

Its a brand new generation of Nvidias best graphics cards, but it still feels like dj vu. The RTX 5090 comes with a recommended list price (MSRP) of $2,000 and its set to hit the market on January 30, but some scalpers are already selling the card on eBay. Were no strangers to scalper prices, what with the GPU shortage weve all witnessed during the RTX 30-series, but the RTX 5090 is truly hitting new heights here, with some models priced at a whopping $7,000.As spotted by VideoCardz, some people have already gotten their hands on the RTX 5090, and they took to eBay to sell those cards at a premium. Many sellers dont actually have inventory right now, which is not surprising, given that the card isnt available yet; only reviewers got their GPUs early. Some listings say that the cards wont ship until February 5, which is a week after the release date, at which point it makes little sense to already buy an RTX 5090 at such a huge markup.Recommended VideosAnd when I say huge, I meanhuge. Scalper prices are never fun, but these cards are being sold for up to $7,000. Those offers dont have any bids wonder why but there are some listings ranging from $2,750 to $3,950 which have up to 30 bids each. This means that people are out there, buying these cards at nearly half the price, from sources that are often pretty dubious.The listing I shared above, which is currently at $3,950 and has a shocking 10 bids, was posted by a person who claims to be an employee of a certain technology retailer. They claim that they have a few guaranteed slots for the RTX 5090, which means that theyll be able to snag them early. The store expects to receive a shipment of RTX 5090s around January 30, and the seller warns that therell be a minimum waiting period of ten days between the retailer getting the cards and the buyer receiving their GPU.Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Whats worse, this $4,000 GPU comes with no refunds or returns. The seller notes: Any potential faults with the product cannot be attributed to me, the seller. Any lack of functionality is considered a manufacturer defect, and as the seller, we cannot be attributed to fault. By purchasing this item, you agree to these terms. We do not provide refunds or accept returns.Needless to say, we dont recommend buying the RTX 5090 at scalper prices. It does seem like the RTX 50-series might have limited availability at first, which means that these cards will be sold in this manner, but its almost always better to wait it out even if it takes a few months.Editors Recommendations

If youre looking for great gaming PC deals, head over to HP. While it might seem a more likely outlet for standard desktop computer deals, HP is great for gaming through its HP Omen line of gaming desktops. Right now, you can buy the HP Omen 35L gaming desktop for $450 off, meaning instead of paying $1,400, you pay $950. That works out as a 32% price cut, so its a pretty sweet deal. In part, this is due to the launch of the GeForce RTX 50-series of GPUs, but investing in a 40-series GPU is still a good option. Heres what it has to offer.HP isnt a big name in the best gaming PCs world, but it has featured there in the past with its HP Omen range. With the HP Omen 35L, theres a lot to like. It has a 14th-generation Intel Core i5-14400F CPU teamed up with 16GB of Kingston Fury DDR5 and 512GB of SSD storage. For the graphics card, theres an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060. Understandably, none of this is top of the range, but its a good selection of hardware for $950.The HP Omen 35L has been designed well, with upgradeability in mind. Its simple to expand or customize yourself over time, and theres some great RGB lighting to accent how cool your setup looks. Fans promise improved temperatures while still sounding fairly quiet. Thats further helped by the cable management, which keeps things running smoothly with minimal issues with temperatures.RelatedThat all means the HP Omen 35L looks cool the kind of setup you want to show off (especially if you stream) while still being highly competent. Unless youre super neat with cable management, its unlikely youll build something that looks this sleek. Just remember to add one of the best gaming monitors and youre all set.This HP Omen 35L ordinarily costs $1,400. Today, its enjoying a hefty discount at HP bringing it down to $950. That means a saving of $450, which is perfect for investing in a great monitor and more. Its all thanks to companies clearing excess stock ahead of new graphics cards from Nvidia, but this one is still worth checking out now. If that sounds good to you, buy it quickly before the deal expires soon.Editors Recommendations

The European Commission is planning to go much further than before in reducing red tape for businesses, as part of a sweeping policy proposal to revive the blocs economy.

Selected by Scott Turow, the author, most recently, of Presumed Guilty.