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Showing posts from December, 2025

What's behind rising electricity bills? Experts say it's a lot more than data centers.

Electricity bills are rising in the US — and politicians are mostly blaming either renewable energy or data centers and AI. But do either of those really explain the problem? Recent research points to a slew of other factors, including delays in bringing new energy sources online, an aging grid, extreme weather, and supply chain challenges. But with new technology and reforms, there might still be a way to come back from this. Business Insider producer Elizabeth McCauley sifts through the noise and talks to experts to find out the truth. If you want to check out the sources that informed this video, check out this reading list . Read the original article on Business Insider from Business Insider https://ift.tt/FIRwtDk

Italy's competition watchdog fines Apple €98.6M, saying the company's ATT rules are "disproportionate" and "harmful" to app developers and advertisers (Joe Rossignol/MacRumors)

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Joe Rossignol / MacRumors : Italy's competition watchdog fines Apple €98.6M, saying the company's ATT rules are “disproportionate” and “harmful” to app developers and advertisers   —  Italy's Competition Authority (AGCM) has imposed a €98.6 million ($116 million) fine on Apple over its App Tracking Transparency feature. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/zvPNMei

Echo, which uses AI agents to build Docker images that eliminate vulnerabilities at the source, raised a $35M Series A, bringing its total funding to $50M (Ionut Arghire/SecurityWeek)

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Ionut Arghire / SecurityWeek : Echo, which uses AI agents to build Docker images that eliminate vulnerabilities at the source, raised a $35M Series A, bringing its total funding to $50M   —  Echo today announced raising $35 million in a Series A funding round that brings the total raised by the company to $50 million. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/tkjoTHS

I stopped expecting the holidays to be perfect. Four kids and a pilot's schedule taught me that Christmas morning can happen at midnight.

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The author's husband was a pilot, and his schedule made the holidays non-traditional. Courtesy of the author I learned to embrace non-traditional holidays with my pilot husband's unpredictable schedule. My childhood was filled with consistent Christmas traditions, unlike my adult family life. Creating unique holiday memories taught my kids and me that special moments can happen anytime. There is so much pressure on women to make the holidays perfect for everyone. I had to accept the fact that I was unable to provide the consistent traditions that I enjoyed as a child. Instead, I learned to create memories while my pilot husband flew during the holidays. With my husband's flight schedule , holidays never looked traditional or perfectly planned. There were tears, and some years were harder than others. As hard as some of those years were, they became the memories we still talk about and cherish today. Being married to a pilot meant not knowing if he'd be home ...

Sources: The US DHS is investigating whether 6 CISA staffers who were suspended in July misled CISA's acting director into taking a polygraph, which he failed (John Sakellariadis/Politico)

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John Sakellariadis / Politico : Sources: The US DHS is investigating whether 6 CISA staffers who were suspended in July misled CISA's acting director into taking a polygraph, which he failed   —  The incident this July and the subsequent fallout — which has not been reported before — have angered career staff … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/QRUtFqh

Source: OpenAI's compute margin has jumped to about 70% in October from about 52% at the end of 2024 and roughly 35% in January 2024 (Sri Muppidi/The Information)

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Sri Muppidi / The Information : Source: OpenAI's compute margin has jumped to about 70% in October from about 52% at the end of 2024 and roughly 35% in January 2024   —  As OpenAI discusses raising an unprecedented investment round of up to $100 billion, it can crow about some key improvements to how it runs its business. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/lEozrWc

5 things we learned from the latest Epstein files drop

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Jeffrey Epstein with Ghislaine Maxwell Department of Justice The Justice Department released new documents related to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. They included photos featuring celebrities and politicians, as well as flight logs and documents. Here are five things we learned from the latest release. The Justice Department's long-awaited release of the Epstein files on Friday offered a deeper look at the jet-setting lifestyle of the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein — but few major revelations. The data dump included thousands of files, mostly images, many of which were heavily redacted. The Justice Department released the documents to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month. The department, citing the task of ensuring no information included in the release could be used to identify victims, did not make public its entire database on Friday, as the law required. The department said it would turn...

The RAISE Act requires AI companies with $500M+ in revenue to publish safety protocols and disclose safety incidents within 72 hours, with fines up to $3M (Isabelle Bousquette/Wall Street Journal)

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Isabelle Bousquette / Wall Street Journal : The RAISE Act requires AI companies with $500M+ in revenue to publish safety protocols and disclose safety incidents within 72 hours, with fines up to $3M   —  Days after President Trump moved to block states from regulating AI, New York's governor signs what the bill's sponsor calls the strongest AI safety law in the U.S. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/YUISwKG

I thought the best holidays were going to be when my kids were little. I was wrong.

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Thomas Barwick/Getty Images Christmas with adult kids brings new joy and less pressure for parents during the holidays. The author reflects on past Christmases, realizing adult children create lasting family traditions. Blending old and new holiday rituals with grown children can strengthen family bonds and increase happiness. My daughter-in-law called me recently to ask about Secret Santa . She was wondering if everyone would get involved, if I had any thoughts on stocking stuffers, and if there was anything in particular I might want, other than the Costco-sized jar of peanut M&Ms I had mentioned about 1,000 times. My youngest son texted not long after to let me know he got three full days off for Christmas . He'll be bringing his cat for a visit. We'll all buy him cat treats. We will prepare casseroles and cookies, as well as overnight cinnamon rolls for the morning. We will wait to watch the main event, the Christmas movies, until we are all together. This i...

Morgan Stanley: ad tiers account for 30% of Netflix subscribers and 50% of Disney+ subscribers; ad tiers accounted for all net subscriber additions in 2025 (Max Knoblauch/Sherwood News)

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Max Knoblauch / Sherwood News : Morgan Stanley: ad tiers account for 30% of Netflix subscribers and 50% of Disney+ subscribers; ad tiers accounted for all net subscriber additions in 2025   —  As streaming prices climb, ad-free subscribers are becoming a rarity.  —  A mass digital migration is taking place … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/r24Hd3g

Best Paramount Plus coupon and promo codes we've tested in December 2025

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When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Paramount Plus can be even more affordable when you use one of these vetted coupon codes. Paramount Plus Update: We scoured the internet for coupons and found no active Paramount Plus promo codes at this time. We'll add more to this page as they come up, so check back soon. In the meantime, check out Paramount Plus's deals on annual plans below or head back to checkout . With so many streaming services vying for your attention, figuring out which one is worth your money can be tough. But if CBS favorites like "NCIS" and "Survivor" dominate your watchlist, Paramount Plus is an obvious choice. Even better, you can lower the cost of your subscription by using a Paramount Plus coupon code at checkout. Paramount Plus goes far beyond network staples. The platform is home to buzzy original series like "1923," Oscar-nominated films such as "Gladiat...

Netflix acquires avatar creation platform Ready Player Me to let its subscribers carry their personas and fandoms across games; the startup raised $72M (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

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Sarah Perez / TechCrunch : Netflix acquires avatar creation platform Ready Player Me to let its subscribers carry their personas and fandoms across games; the startup raised $72M   —  After shifting its gaming strategy to focus more on games played on the TV, Netflix announced it's acquiring Ready Player Me, an avatar creation platform based in Estonia. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/9MGIb2w

I did more childcare and chores than my husband, despite working full-time. Swapping roles for a week helped us find balance long-term.

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Tracy Gunn swapped roles with her husband for a week. Tracy Gunn Tracy Gunn, who is married with two kids, used to run her business full-time and her household. She asked her husband to swap roles so he could better understand the domestic load she was carrying. Now, they assign days when one is the "on" parent and the other can focus on work. This essay is based on a conversation with Tracy Gunn, 50, who is based in Dublin. In 2021, she cofounded Platform55, which helps businesses create more equal and diverse environments. It has been edited for length and clarity. Before my husband and I had children, I earned more than him . I had a senior role at a well-known brand and then, 20 years ago, started a leadership development consultancy. When we had children, I decided to work fewer hours to take care of our boys, who are now 14 and 12. As I was self-employed and could therefore be more flexible with my work hours, I took charge of everything at home, including ...

Netflix hires ESPN anchor Elle Duncan as its first on-air host for live sports and cultural events; she has appeared on SportsCenter, College GameDay, and more (Todd Spangler/Variety)

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Todd Spangler / Variety : Netflix hires ESPN anchor Elle Duncan as its first on-air host for live sports and cultural events; she has appeared on SportsCenter, College GameDay, and more   —  Netflix execs used to dismiss the idea that they would acquire live sports rights.  Now the world's biggest premium streamer … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/DvB2CMm

Nirvana, which uses real-time driving telematics to build insurance policies for truckers, raised a $100M Series D at a $1.5B valuation, up from $830M in March (Mary Ann Azevedo/Crunchbase News)

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Mary Ann Azevedo / Crunchbase News : Nirvana, which uses real-time driving telematics to build insurance policies for truckers, raised a $100M Series D at a $1.5B valuation, up from $830M in March   —  Nirvana Insurance, an AI-based commercial insurance platform for the trucking industry, has raised a $100 million Series D round … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/5jFP7sZ

I was Rob Reiner's first assistant director on 'Misery.' He cared about people and taught me an important lesson.

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Dennis Maguire, who worked alongside director Rob Reiner on his films "Misery" and "Stand by Me," remembers Reiner as a caring, gregarious person. Dennis Maguire Dennis Maguire worked on "Misery" and "Stand By Me" with director Rob Reiner, who was found dead Sunday. He remembers him as a caring, gregarious person who kept a reasonable schedule for the cast and crew. Both of their fathers also worked in film, and the two discussed father-son relationships on set. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dennis Maguire, who worked as Rob Reiner's first assistant director on "Misery" and the reshoots for "Stand By Me." On Sunday, Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home. The following has been edited for length and clarity. People liked Rob, and Rob liked people. He enjoyed life, and I know he gave back. Rob wasn't really flashy. Yes, he was born into r...

Meta says it has frozen its third-party Horizon OS headset program, announced in 2024 with Asus and Lenovo as the first partners to build headsets (Ben Lang/Road to VR)

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Ben Lang / Road to VR : Meta says it has frozen its third-party Horizon OS headset program, announced in 2024 with Asus and Lenovo as the first partners to build headsets   —  Meta has “paused” its initiative to bring third-party Horizon OS headsets to the market.  The company says it has shifted focus to … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/4JFrGh5

OpenAI hires former UK chancellor George Osborne to lead OpenAI for Countries, the global expansion arm of its $500B Stargate data center initiative (Financial Times)

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Financial Times : OpenAI hires former UK chancellor George Osborne to lead OpenAI for Countries, the global expansion arm of its $500B Stargate data center initiative   —  Former UK chancellor to lead start-up's effort to spread ‘democratic’ AI across the world  —  OpenAI has hired former UK chancellor George Osborne … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/oPMbW4G

Source: OpenAI rolled back ChatGPT's model router, which sent some queries to reasoning models, for Free and $5/month Go tiers, as it was costly and hurt DAUs (Maxwell Zeff/Wired)

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Maxwell Zeff / Wired : Source: OpenAI rolled back ChatGPT's model router, which sent some queries to reasoning models, for Free and $5/month Go tiers, as it was costly and hurt DAUs   —  As OpenAI scrambles to improve ChatGPT, it's ditching a feature in its free tier that contributed to last summer's user revolt. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/bqpxZWG

Event software company Cvent acquires video content platform Goldcast; source: Cvent paid just under $300M to acquire Goldcast, which had raised around $38M (Dan Primack/Axios)

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Dan Primack / Axios : Event software company Cvent acquires video content platform Goldcast; source: Cvent paid just under $300M to acquire Goldcast, which had raised around $38M   —  - The deal was announced Monday morning without a price tag. … - Goldcast was founded as a virtual events company at around … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/moKxp5c

DoorDash launches Zesty, a standalone AI-powered social app for users to find nearby restaurants, in public testing in San Francisco and New York (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)

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Natalie Lung / Bloomberg : DoorDash launches Zesty, a standalone AI-powered social app for users to find nearby restaurants, in public testing in San Francisco and New York   —  DoorDash Inc. is experimenting with a standalone artificial intelligence-powered app for users to find new restaurants, expanding its reach beyond its flagship food-delivery service. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/oEkq3LT

Mexico-based fintech Plata raised up to $500M in a financing deal arranged by Nomura Securities International, as it moves toward becoming a full-fledged bank (Prakhar Srivastava/Reuters)

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Prakhar Srivastava / Reuters : Mexico-based fintech Plata raised up to $500M in a financing deal arranged by Nomura Securities International, as it moves toward becoming a full-fledged bank   —  Mexican financial technology company Plata said on Monday it has raised up to $500 million in a financing deal arranged … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/l4rufwZ

Google is shutting down its dark web monitoring tool, launched in 2024 to alert users when their personal info is detected on the dark web, on February 16, 2026 (Ben Schoon/9to5Google)

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Ben Schoon / 9to5Google : Google is shutting down its dark web monitoring tool, launched in 2024 to alert users when their personal info is detected on the dark web, on February 16, 2026   —  One of the lesser-known features that Google offers is a “Dark Web Report” monitoring tool, but it's about to shut down in early 2026. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/GEzxs3i