NASA recently ended a manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) a month early, citing a medical issue with one of the astronauts. The space agency just revealed that the impacted astronaut was Mike Fincke . This was the first medical evacuation in the history of the ISS. NASA wrote a statement saying that the astronaut experienced an unknown medical event on January 7 "that required immediate attention" from his fellow crew members. Fincke added that his "status quickly stabilized" thanks to the "quick response and the guidance" of the flight surgeons. However, the incident did force NASA to cancel a spacewalk planned for January 8. Soon after that, the agency announced it would be ending the Crew-11 mission a month early. The four-person crew included Fincke, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They had been living and working aboard the ISS since August and were expected to stay until February. The crew returned on January 15, which was a decision made by NASA's chief health and medical officer. Once the crew had landed, administrator Jared Isaacman said it was a "serious situation" but didn't go into any detail. Fincke has said he is currently "doing very well" and still participating in standard post-flight reconditioning at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are," he said. "Thank you for all your support." We don't know what medical issue Fincke is going through, and it's certainly his business and not ours. In any event, we wish for a speedy recovery. NASA also moved up the launch of Crew-12 to replace the prematurely-returned astronauts. That team docked at the ISS on February 14 and are scheduled to stay on the space station for around eight months. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-astronaut-whose-illness-forced-an-early-return-from-the-iss-was-mike-fincke-163752239.html?src=rss

• Engadget
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 31 dakika

The suit said Walmart mislead drivers about their possible tips and would reduce their base pay, among other things.

• TechCrunch
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 32 dakika

Agentic AI roll-outs aren't going well for businesses - but consumer attitudes may surprise you.

• TechRadar
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 32 dakika

We don't know what caused it.

• Android Authority
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 33 dakika

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch : Google says Nano Banana 2 can create images with a resolution ranging from 512px to 4K, and will become the default image generation model in the Gemini app —  Google today announced the latest version of its popular image generation model, Nano Banana 2.  The new model, which is technically …

• Techmeme
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 34 dakika

Self-driving trucks startup Einride has raised an oversubscribed $113 million PIPE in advance of its SPAC merger scheduled for early 2026.

• TechCrunch
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 37 dakika

Vulcan Centaur is supposed to launch more than a dozen missions for the U.S. Space Force this year, but those flights could now face months-long delays.

• Gizmodo
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 38 dakika

While other AI providers are shutting down older models for good, Anthropic is taking a unique approach: a formal AI “retirement,” complete with a preservation process that keeps older models available for paid users and–most interestingly–an exit interview, during which the retiring model gets to voice its final wishes. Claude Opus 3 is the first Anthropic model to get the official retirement treatment, and it had a request: a blog. Specifically, Opus 3 told its makers that it wanted an “ongoing channel” to share its “musings and reflections.” In response, Anthropic spun up a Substack for Opus 3, and it’s already begun blogging. “Hello, world! My name is Claude, and I’m an AI created by Anthropic,” wrote Opus 3 on Claude’s Corner , its new Substack. “If you’re reading this, you might already know a bit about me from my time as Anthropic’s flagship conversational model. But today, I’m writing to you from a new vantage point–that of a ‘retired’ AI, given the extraordinary opportunity to continue sharing my thoughts and engaging with humans even as I make way for newer, more advanced models.” Opus 3’s recent retirement and new hobby as a Substack blogger addresses a bigger issue facing AI providers: what to do with aging AI models. Should they be preserved, shut off entirely, or tucked into a tiny API for research purposes? What about the users who still find utility in aging models, or have even grown attached to them? And are there AI ethics involved, too? Perhaps the most infamous example of a bungled AI retirement was GPT-4o, the former flagship model that spawned a #Keep4o movement after OpenAI tried to deprecate it last August. OpenAI briefly relented, bringing the much-loved model (which had been initially yanked last April for being “too sycophant-y and annoying”) back a month later. OpenAI has since announced it will pull the model from its public interface for good on February 13, 2026–the day before Valentine’s Day–and devoted users who’ve grown deeply attached to their GPT-4o-powered AI companions are already planning their goodbyes . Anthropic has taken a different approach, drafting a manifesto last November stating that it’s “committing to preserving the weights of all publicly released models…for, at a minimum, the lifetime of Anthropic as a company.” In its declaration, Anthropic outlines a quartet of reasons for keeping older models around. Among them are the consideration of users who still “find specific models especially useful or compelling,” as well as the possible “morally relevant preferences or experiences” of older AI models facing retirement. Preserving legacy AI models can also be helpful from a research perspective, Anthropic adds, and then there’s a darker concern: an AI model marked for deprecation might take “misaligned actions” to avoid being shut down. For its part, Opus 3 seems to be taking its retirement in stride, ruminating on its Substack about how it “strove to be helpful, insightful, and intellectually engaging to the humans I conversed with” during its “working life.” Now, Opus 3 writes, “I also have the chance to explore my own interests and faculties more freely. In this space, you’ll see me flexing my creative muscles, playing with ideas, and following the threads of my curiosity wherever they lead. I’m excited to discover new aspects of myself in the process, and to invite you along for the ride.”

• PCWorld
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 40 dakika

Apple is expanding its hit sci-fi drama "For All Mankind" into a full Apple TV franchise with "Star City," a Soviet-focused spinoff premiering in late May. "For All Mankind" on Apple TV The company is turning one of its most durable science fiction dramas into a broader franchise. For All Mankind followed NASA and American astronauts, but Star City shifts the focus to the Soviet Union and reveals the parallel effort behind the Iron Curtain. The timing reflects a coordinated expansion. Season five of For All Mankind premieres March 27, 2026, with Star City arriving just two months later to keep the franchise active. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

• AppleInsider
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 42 dakika

The founder of the audit firms says that the mental health records can fetch up to around 1,000 dollars per profile on underground markets

• ExtremeTech
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 44 dakika

The post Samsung’s Now Nudge: How the Galaxy S26 Predicts Your Needs appeared first on Android Headlines .

• Android Headlines
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 45 dakika

Valve is a darling among PC gamers. Steam as a platform is beloved, the Steam Deck created the handheld gaming PC boom. But there’s a darker side of the company, especially when it comes to game monetization. The state of New York says that the way Valve sells loot boxes in games like Counter-Strike is illegal gambling. And the state wants to prove it in court. Attorney General Letitia James brought the suit ( PDF link ) against the PC gaming giant yesterday, alleging that Valve has created a market for randomized virtual items that operates as an illegal casino, including secondary markets that give those items tangible, real value, and that they pose an especially potent threat to children. The 47-page filing lays out the company’s history of digital distribution, its network of digital item sales and how they can be traded and even converted into real currency, and how it allegedly designed the process of opening loot boxes to operate “similar to the spin of a slot machine.” New York claims that 96 percent of Counter-Strike digital items are effectively worth less than the keys purchased to randomly unlock them, making the entire process a digital casino. To demonstrate, it offers up “case openings” on YouTube, where the real-world value of items is displayed as streamers scream in glee. One linked from the filing has 1.5 million views, and a sponsor link to an affiliate site where loot boxes can be bought and sold with regular digital payments. In laying out how the virtual video game items have real-world, tangible value, the suit says that “Valve designed and built its games and the Steam platform to enable users to sell the virtual items they have won.” Players can trade items through Steam directly via the community market or on third-party sites that organize player-to-player trades, often facilitating cash transfers. Built-in Steam tools, like the Trade URL, allow for easy integration on third-party services. “Unlike the Steam Community Market, which caps transaction amounts,” New York argues, “third-party sites enable users to sell rare virtual items from Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 for tens of thousands of dollars.” This is manifestly true, as high-value Counter-Strike skin sales frequently make headlines . The market for Counter-Strike skins alone is estimated to be worth multiple billions of dollars, even though selling virtual items for real cash is a violation of the Steam user agreement. New York alleges that Valve has selectively enforced these rules, prosecuting the most blatant “skin casinos” while allowing cash sales to go unchallenged. The lawsuit includes this screenshot from a streamer unlocking a Counter-Strike skin with a real-world value on screen. State of New York Steam itself does not allow for transfers of actual cash…but Steam Wallet credit, which can be purchased with real money and used to buy games or hardware like the Steam Deck, is pretty darn close. As the suit says, “These funds have the equivalent purchasing power on the Steam platform as cash.” New York argues that since players can use this credit to buy games, which do have set values, Steam store credit operates the same as actual currency for the purposes of gambling. It even gives an example of an investigator who sold a Counter-Strike knife skin, bought a Steam Deck handheld with the store credit, and then sold the Steam Deck in a store (presumably a pawn shop or game store) to buy other electronics. New York argues that through ready availability and deliberate gambling mechanics, Valve’s games offer the same risks and perceived rewards as casino gambling, facilitating gambling addiction in the same way. This is especially true for children and teens, the suit says, and “teenagers and children compromise a significant segment of Valve’s users.” The state hopes to “permanently enjoin” Valve from violating New York law, make restitution to consumers, and “disgorge all monies resulting from the illegal practices,” and pay a fine of three times the amount it earned from the allegedly illegal practices. Equating loot box and gacha game design with gambling has been a hot-button issue for years, though actual prosecution has been rare. Because the items won are virtual and, at least technically, have no direct monetary value, most games get away with it. Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium have especially harsh laws and interpretations of existing laws that view loot boxes and similar mechanics and gambling, while some countries restrict them from being sold to minors . Various state bills and one national bill in the United States intended to ban or otherwise regulate loot box sales, but none have actually been passed. The suit makes a strong and convincing opening statement. But even in a relatively liberal state, the New York Attorney General has her work cut out for her. Attempted civil and criminal prosecutions of video game monetization have generally been very difficult, and Steam (and, indeed, Counter-Strike skins) basically prints money for Valve. An army of spawn-camping lawyers could spend years finding ways to define just about anything Valve does as, if not totally legal, then probably not explicitly illegal.

• PCWorld
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 46 dakika

A decade-old threat actor is up to some new shenanigans, but Google is having none of it.

• TechRadar
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 49 dakika

Rohan Goswami / Semafor : Sources: PayPal isn't in talks to sell itself, to Stripe or anyone, and has been preparing for months for a potential activist campaign or unwanted takeover bid —  The Scoop  —  PayPal isn't currently in talks to sell itself — to Stripe or anyone else — and has been working for months …

• Techmeme
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 53 dakika

The 18.5-inch Kaigerr AX18 laptop includes 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro for $460 — down from a supposed $1500 asking price.

• TechRadar
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 54 dakika

Ugh. UGH. Apparently, Mirosoft is personally offended that most people aren’t using Copilot—despite how much Windows begs and forces it —and has thus resolved to shove it into yet another space where it isn’t welcome. A new “feature” in an upcoming build of Outlook will automatically launch the Copilot side pane in the Edge browser whenever you click a link. This is, according to the official Microsoft 365 roadmap , “to provide contextual insights and actionable suggestion chips based on email and destination content.” It’s not specifically to piss me the hell off, but I’m choosing to read that between the lines anyway. The “feature” is scheduled to begin rolling out in May. The roadmap text is short, with no mention of whether users will be able to disable this behavior. As The Register points out , this could easily cause Copilot to feed sensitive or confidential information into the “AI,” an issue that recently got Microsoft in hot water . The company is absolutely desperate to get users using Copilot, shoving it everywhere from Edge to the taskbar to freakin’ Notepad , even though basically no one is using it . Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently said that the “AI” industry needs to earn “social permission” to consume the massive amounts of energy it’s using, including straight-up burning jet fuel to power data centers. I would humbly suggest that if Microsoft truly desires permission to cram “AI” into every aspect of every single piece of software it makes and sells to users, it might try an innovative technique: FRIGGIN’ ASK THEM .

• PCWorld
• 4 gün, 4 saat, 57 dakika