2026-05-15 19:00:00

Last summer, Peter Degen's postdoctoral supervisor came to him with an unusual problem: One of his papers was being cited too much. Citations are the currency of academia, but there was something unusual about these. Published in 2017, the paper had assessed the accuracy of a particular type of statistical analysis on epidemiological data and had received a respectable few dozen citations in other research papers over the years, but now it was being referenced every few days, hundreds of times, placing it among the most cited papers of his career. Another professor might be thrilled. Degen's adviser asked him to investigate.
Degen, a postd …
2026-05-15 06:46:55

Honda revealed prototypes of two new hybrid models, an Accord sedan and the Acura RDX SUV, during its annual business briefing this week, built on a platform that it says will begin launching next year. The RDX was announced earlier this year as Honda's first SUV to feature the next-gen version of its two-motor hybrid system.

Honda also announced it's dropping the goal of having one-fifth of its sales be EVs by 2030 and for 100 percent of its sales to come from EVs and fuel cell vehicles by 2040. Honda now plans to "reallocate more development and production resources into hybrid models."
2026-05-15 06:21:46

Today was closing arguments in the Musk v. Altman trial, and I almost feel bad writing about the unbelievable demolition derby I just witnessed. Steven Molo, Musk's lawyer, stumbled over his words. He at one point called Greg Brockman - a co-defendant - Greg Altman. He erroneously claimed that Musk wasn't asking for money and had to be corrected by the judge. He made it clear we've heard from many liars over the past few weeks, but offered little evidence for Musk's actual legal claims.
OpenAI's lawyer, Sarah Eddy, countered this by simply arranging the mountain of evidence that the company introduced in chronological order. She didn't spen …
2026-05-15 05:38:45

The most graphically-impressive first-person shooter made for the Nintendo Switch is $20 off at Best Buy. Right now, you can buy the physical version of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for $39.99 ($20 off). The game looks surprisingly good on the 2017 hardware, but runs way better on the Switch 2 with the additional $10 upgrade pack that unlocks hi-res textures, faster loading times, and Joy-Con mouse mode.
If you’re gaming on a Switch 2, getting the discounted game and the digital upgrade pack costs $50 versus its normal $70 price for the Switch 2 Edition version. Yeah, it’s a little confusing.
The latest Prime game is a departure from the previous entries, the last of which was released all the way back in 2007. Beyond features an open-world design with plenty of associated trappings. There are map markers, collectibles, and a slick motorcycle to take bounty hunter Samus Aran across the huge desert where Beyond’s story unfolds. I agree with our review by Andrew Webster that these new additions feel out of place in the franchise, but I still had a good time, and the campaign doesn’t overstay its welcome.
2026-05-15 05:08:46

Meta is rolling out new features to its Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, including bringing the ability to write messages just with hand gestures to all users. You'll be able to use the feature in WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and with "native Android and iOS messaging," Meta says.
The feature, which relies on the Meta Ray-Ban Display's included neural wristband, was one of the most impressive features of the Meta Ray-Ban Display when it was first announced. However, it wasn't available at launch, but in January, Meta launched it in early access for WhatsApp and Messenger.
Meta is bringing a few other upgrades to the Meta Ray-Ban Dis …
2026-05-15 04:59:23

Yesterday, in Musk v. Altman, before the jurors came in, Sam Altman's team passed up what looked - from a distance - like a little league trophy. It was not. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had the lawyers read the inscription aloud for the press: "Never stop being a jackass." It's a commemoration OpenAI employees bought for research scientist Josh Achiam, who testified yesterday.
How exactly did this come up in a trial about nonprofit contract law? Allegedly, when Elon Musk was leaving OpenAI, he talked about wanting to race ahead of Google. Achiam, who worked on AI safety, asked if that was really such a good idea. Musk called him a jackass. Years …