Here are today’s 6 verified tech & science stories, covering Tech & Apps, AI Tools and Science & Space.
Table of Contents
Every item below links to its original source.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: Google Discover Feeds Are About to Learn to Take Instructions
- AI Tools: Pew Study: About a Third of Web Pages Now Show Signs of AI Authorship
- Science & Space: SpaceX’s First Starship Tower Catch Attempt Now Months Away, Musk Says
Tech & Apps
Google Discover Feeds Are About to Learn to Take Instructions
Google is rolling out a new way to steer your Discover feed in the Google app: describe what you want to see more or less of, and an AI tool will adjust and remember your preferences, according to The Verge. The option will live in the three-dot menu on Discover cards and is rolling out over the coming days.
Microsoft Investigating Windows 11 Update That’s Crashing Games
Microsoft has confirmed it’s investigating reports that a recent Windows 11 update is causing game crashes and other problems on PCs, according to Engadget. No fix has been released yet, so if your gadgets have been acting up lately — like an Android phone overheating while charging — it’s worth checking for pending updates before assuming the worst.
Nevada Clears Uber, Tesla, and Waymo to Charge for Robotaxi Rides
Nevada transportation regulators have approved Tesla, Waymo, and Uber to begin charging passengers for autonomous robotaxi rides in Clark County, according to Engadget. Tesla’s permit allows for the largest fleet of the three, while Uber’s rides will be operated through its partnerships with Zoox and Motional. If you’re curious about the tech riding along in ordinary cars too, check out our guide on fixing a choppy Bluetooth connection in your car.
AI Tools
Pew Study: About a Third of Web Pages Now Show Signs of AI Authorship
A new Pew Research Center study, using an AI-detection tool called Pangram, found that roughly a third of English-language web pages published since ChatGPT’s November 2022 debut show signs of being written or heavily edited by AI, according to TechCrunch. The researchers analyzed close to half a million pages pulled from the Common Crawl web archive.
Science & Space
SpaceX’s First Starship Tower Catch Attempt Now Months Away, Musk Says
Elon Musk says SpaceX’s first attempt to catch a returning Starship upper stage with its launch tower is now likely a few months out, walking back his earlier suggestion that the milestone could come as soon as late August, according to Space.com.
This Week in Space History: Voyager 2 Launched in 1977
On August 20, 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft on a mission to explore the outer planets, taking advantage of a rare planetary alignment for what became a “Grand Tour” of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, according to Space.com. It remains the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune.
Explore more: Android phone overheating while charging, fixing a choppy Bluetooth connection in your car.
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Photo: ChatGPT / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.