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The Download: Big Tech’s carbon removals plans, and the next wave of nuclear reactors

The Download: Big Tech’s carbon removals plans, and the next wave of nuclear reactors

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Big Tech’s big bet on a controversial carbon removal tactic Microsoft, JP MorganChase, and a tech company consortium that includes Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and Stripe have all recently struck multimillion-dollar deals to pay…

Wizarding Life Sim Witchbrook Delayed To 2026

Wizarding Life Sim Witchbrook Delayed To 2026

Witchbrook , the role-playing life sim game set in a living, breathing wizarding world, has been delayed to 2026. The game, first teased way back in 2017 , was slated to release this winter. Witchbrook has been described as a mix of Stardew Valley and Harry Potter, placing players in the shoes of an aspiring witch/wizard who is a new resident in the magical city of Mossport, where they attend Witchbrook College. Here, players can form friendships, engage in romantic relationships, and interact with citizens who have fully fleshed-out daily schedules and lives. As a student at Witchbrook, you’ll attend classes, complete assignments, and sharpen your spellcasting and potion-making skills to become top of your class. Outside of classes, you can freely explore Mossport to engage in activities such as starting a business, renovating your home, and more leisurely excursions. As the school year progresses, Mossport and its residents change throughout the seasons. Witchbrook can also be played with others in four-player online co-op. Witchbrook is an ambitious game, and developer Chucklefish posted a developer update stating that, despite making good progress en route to launching this year, the team realized it needs more time to ensure Witchbrook lives up to its years-long hype. “Witchbrook is a big project – and it’s taking shape exactly as we hoped; full of charm, depth and detail! In our first blog, we shared our goal to create a living, breathing world for you to explore, and as we bring all those elements together, we’re taking the time needed to ensure the world feels rich, immersive, and alive,” reads Chucklefish’s statement. The developer update also revealed the game’s world map. Chucklefish also says a silver lining of the delay is that it allows them to explore the possibility of bringing Witchbrook to more platforms. The game is currently slated to launch on Xbox, PC, and was recently confirmed for Switch and Switch 2 . The team is also looking to add additional language support and promises more developer updates in the future, including a blog post focused on character customization.

Tim Cook vows to boost China investment, despite Trump pressures

Tim Cook vows to boost China investment, despite Trump pressures

Chinese officials say that Tim Cook has committed to increasing both investment and cooperation with the country. Apple CEO Tim Cook - Image credit: Apple Tim Cook is in China promoting the delayed launch of the iPhone Air there. On October 15, 2025, he also met with the Li Lecheng, the country's industry minister who is also in charge of information technology issues. The official ministry has released a summary of remarks from the Beijing meeting, that Reuters has cited. Cook reportedly told the minister specifically that Apple will increase its investment in China, and that it intends to further step up cooperation. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Japan asks OpenAI not to infringe on 'irreplaceable' manga and anime content

Japan asks OpenAI not to infringe on 'irreplaceable' manga and anime content

Japan's government has asked OpenAI not to infringe on anime and manga content that it called "irreplaceable treasures," according to a report from ITMedia seen by IGN . The request was made by a key minister in charge of AI and IP in response to numerous videos from OpenAI's Sora 2 generator that use copyrighted material from Japanese studios. "We have requested OpenAI not to engage in any actions that could constitute copyright infringement," said cabinet minister Minoru Kiuchi at a press conference last week. "Anime and manga are irreplaceable treasures that we can be proud of around the world." Launched on October 1, OpenAI's Sora 2 can generate 1080p videos up to 20 seconds long with sound. The company also released the Sora app that uses Sora 2 to generate TikTok-style videos of nearly anything. Anime has been a key theme, with many short videos replicating copyrighted materials from franchises like DragonBall and Pokémon. Despite the demand, Japan has been one of the more progressive nations when it comes to artificial intelligence. The nation's AI Promotion Act aims to boost the use of AI as an economic growth driver, while also outlining guidelines around copyright infringement. However, the topic of enforcement is still fuzzy so the government is trying to get a better grip on it. "Japan bears a responsibility to take the lead on making rules [around AI and copyright], precisely because we are a country... [that creates] anime, games, and music," said parliament member Akihisa Shiozaki on his blog . Last month, OpenAI said it had contacted studios to give them the option of opting out of Sora 2 training on their materials, Reuters reported. The new process requires movie studios and other content owners to explicitly ask OpenAI to exclude their copyright material from videos generated by Sora. It's not known which, if any, Japanese studios the company has contacted. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/japan-asks-openai-not-to-infringe-on-irreplaceable-manga-and-anime-content-120008580.html?src=rss

Hate Windows 11’s centered taskbar? Here’s how to change it

Hate Windows 11’s centered taskbar? Here’s how to change it

If you’ve only just adopted Windows 11, one of the things that will jump out at you is the placement of the Start button on the desktop. It’s now towards the middle of the screen. I actually like it in the center position, because it’s easier to orientate my searches without having to drag my mouse pointer all the way to the side of the screen. That said, not everyone feels the same way. It bugs some long-time users of Windows 10 who are used to the far left-hand side placement. But fret not, because you can change it back to the left in just a few clicks. What to do: Right click on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings . Find the submenu “Taskbar behaviors” and click the dropdown arrow next to it. Now next to “Taskbar alignment” change Center to Left . Close the window and watch your taskbar magically shift position. Dominic Bayley / Foundry And voila! Your taskbar should be back in left-hand placement. Don’t worry if you’re not sold on it being there, because you can always change it back again in a jiffy. If you’re coming to Windows 11 due to Windows 10’s end of support, you can find more helpful tips like this in our Windows 11 guide for Windows 10 refugees . That’s all for this Try This. If you want more tips like this one sent to your inbox each week be sure to sign-up to our PCWorld Try This newsletter .