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    <channel>
        <title>Ars Technica</title>
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        <link>https://arstechnica.com</link>
        <description>Serving the Technologist since 1998. News, reviews, and analysis.</description>
        <lastBuildDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:33:21 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>Ars Technica</title>
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            <item>
                <title>T-Mobile moving tens of thousands of virtual machines off VMware amid lawsuit</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/07/t-mobile-moving-tens-of-thousands-of-virtual-machines-off-vmware-amid-lawsuit/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/07/t-mobile-moving-tens-of-thousands-of-virtual-machines-off-vmware-amid-lawsuit/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Scharon Harding]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:21:21 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Broadcom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawsuit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[t-mobile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vmware]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/07/t-mobile-moving-tens-of-thousands-of-virtual-machines-off-vmware-amid-lawsuit/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[T-Mobile wants Broadcom to keep supporting its VMware perpetual licenses. ]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>T-Mobile is asking a New York court to rule that Broadcom was contractually obligated to continue supporting its VMware perpetual licenses.</p>
<p>In its complaint, T-Mobile said it has tens of thousands of virtual machines using VMware software across approximately 303,140 CPU cores. It also said that it was migrating off VMware but noted the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/01/a-long-costly-road-ahead-for-customers-abandoning-broadcoms-vmware/">time-consuming and technical challenges</a> involved in migrating over 1,000 applications.</p>
<p>It filed its lawsuit, which was first reported by <a href="https://www.theregister.com/virtualization/2026/07/01/t-mobile-appears-to-be-quitting-vmware-and-fighting-a-very-familiar-battle-for-support-rights-on-the-way-out/5264750">The Register</a> today, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in August 2025 <a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/654741_2025_T_Mobile_USA_Inc_v_Broadcom_Inc_et_al_COMPLAINT_58.pdf">(PDF)</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/07/t-mobile-moving-tens-of-thousands-of-virtual-machines-off-vmware-amid-lawsuit/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/07/t-mobile-moving-tens-of-thousands-of-virtual-machines-off-vmware-amid-lawsuit/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/getty-t-mobile-sign-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/getty-t-mobile-sign-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Getty Images | Anna Moneymaker </media:credit><media:text>A T-Mobile sign on a storefront on August 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. </media:text></media:content>
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                <title>NASA chief praises progress Blue Origin is making after launch failure</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Eric Berger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:57:36 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artemis iii]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blue origin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[isaacman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new glenn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["We've got time into 2027 before we're getting nervous."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said this week that Blue Origin has been putting significant resources into the cleanup of its launch pad since the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/blue-origins-new-glenn-rocket-just-exploded-during-a-static-fire-test/">explosion of its New Glenn rocket</a> there in late May.</p>
<p>"Blue Origin's response to the situation is almost beyond impressive, and that's not just a NASA assessment," Isaacman said in response to questions from reporters on Wednesday afternoon. He noted that officials from the US Space Force have also been deeply involved in Blue Origin's planning and work since an anomaly during a test firing took out New Glenn's only operational launch pad on May 28.</p>
<p>NASA has a significant stake in Blue Origin's return to flight. It is counting on the company's Mk. 1 lander to carry dozens of cargo missions to the Moon, and its Mk. 2 lander to eventually ferry people to the lunar surface. The company's New Glenn rocket was expected to play a critical role in launching both of those landers.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/News_NG-ReturnToFlight_2-RocketLift-1152x648.webp" type="image/webp" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
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<media:credit>Blue Origin</media:credit><media:text>A crane performs a vertical breakover of New Glenn—the reverse of the operation already used to offload the booster from Jacklyn—and lifts the vehicle onto a refurbished launch table.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>US home battery installations hit record high on rising electricity costs</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/us-home-battery-installations-hit-record-high-in-early-2026/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/us-home-battery-installations-hit-record-high-in-early-2026/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jeremy Hsu]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:11:15 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ai data centers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[batteries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[battery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data centers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home battery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[power grids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renewable energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[utilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[virtual power plant]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/us-home-battery-installations-hit-record-high-in-early-2026/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Record home battery installations unlock options for grids—and AI data centers.
]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>US homeowners have embraced home batteries in record-breaking numbers in early 2026, spurred on by state incentives while seeking to offset rising residential electricity costs. The trend could even unlock a more flexible energy supply for power grid operators and even AI data centers.</p>
<p>New home battery installations reached a record 673 megawatts of energy storage in the first quarter of 2026, according to the US Energy Information Administration. That trend was driven by states with high electricity prices that have implemented policies to incentivize home battery installation, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-01/us-home-battery-installations-boosted-by-state-incentives">Bloomberg News</a> reported.</p>
<p>This residential battery trend stands out as a natural next step for states that have already successfully boosted rooftop solar adoption among homeowners, given how batteries enable homeowners to use stored solar energy at night. California and Hawaii accounted for the majority of new residential battery storage, while Texas and Arizona also saw significantly higher numbers of installations.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/us-home-battery-installations-hit-record-high-in-early-2026/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/us-home-battery-installations-hit-record-high-in-early-2026/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>51</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2200913289-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2200913289-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images</media:credit><media:text>A backup battery system from Base Power is installed at a home in Houston, Texas.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Superworms could replace beetles for cleaning skeletal remains</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/museums-could-use-ravenous-superworms-to-clean-skeletons/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/museums-could-use-ravenous-superworms-to-clean-skeletons/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:59:21 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[museum conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[worms]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/museums-could-use-ravenous-superworms-to-clean-skeletons/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[An optimal ratio of 10-15 grams of larvae per gram of specimen minimized cleaning time with no bone damage.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<figure class="video ars-wp-video ars-wp-video--horizontal">
  <div class="" style="">
    <div class="wrapper ars-wp-video-wrapper relative" style="aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777778;">
      <video class="wp-video-shortcode absolute w-full h-full object-contain left-0 top-0" id="video-2160609-1" width="1920" height="1080" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Superworms_origin-story_v3.mp4?_=1"></source>Fatemeh Rastekar, Niloofar Alaei Kakhki and Morteza Monfared discuss the safe and practical utility of superworm larvae for cleaning museum specimens. Credit: Anthony Lewis, PLOS/CC-BY 4.0</video>
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    <div class="caption-content">
      Fatemeh Rastekar, Niloofar Alaei Kakhki and Morteza Monfared discuss the safe and practical utility of superworm larvae for cleaning museum specimens. Credit: Anthony Lewis, PLOS/CC-BY 4.0

          </div>
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<p>Preparing skeletal specimens for display in museums or for forensic studies requires the bones to be thoroughly cleaned to remove any remaining flesh or soft tissue. However, the need for thorough cleaning must be balanced against the risk of damaging the actual bones. According to a new paper published in the journal PLoS One, the larvae of so-called "superworms" (<em>Zophobas morio</em>)—a common pet food—offer a practical alternative.</p>
<p>There are existing methods for cleaning skeletal remains, such as burial, digestive enzymes, or chemical treatments. But most have drawbacks, including damaging bones, taking a long time to process, having expensive operational costs, or the use of environmentally hazardous substances. Using dermestid beetles has become the preferred method for skeletal cleaning since they can efficiently remove soft tissue without damaging the bone. The downside is that without strict containment practices, the beetles can escape and lay eggs that hatch, leading to infestations that threaten museum collections.</p>
<p>Fatemah Rastekar of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran and co-authors thought superworms might bring the same benefits as the beetles without the risk of infestation. For one thing, beetle colonies span all life stages and hence require complex containment; superworm cleaning only requires the larval stage, which lasts 10–12 weeks compared to just five to seven weeks for the beetles. And the larvae don't pupate in crowded conditions, so it's easier to manage the colonies while reducing the risk of escape. But could superworms match the cleaning efficiency of their rival beetles?</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/museums-could-use-ravenous-superworms-to-clean-skeletons/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/museums-could-use-ravenous-superworms-to-clean-skeletons/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/superworms1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/superworms1-500x500-1782914133.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Rastekar et al., 2026, PLOS One/CC-BY 4.0 </media:credit><media:text>Cleaned skeletal specimens using superworms. Top from left to right: rook, alligator gar, Eurasian eagle-owl. Bottom from left to right: gray wolf, wild cat.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Sony announces end of PlayStation discs, parts of digital store in the same day</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/sony-will-stop-making-physical-copies-of-playstation-games-in-2028/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/sony-will-stop-making-physical-copies-of-playstation-games-in-2028/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Scharon Harding]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:41:49 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PlayStation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sony]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/sony-will-stop-making-physical-copies-of-playstation-games-in-2028/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[“We will own nothing, it's truly sad.” ]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Some gamers are concerned about the future of game ownership after Sony's announcement today that it won’t produce physical discs for PlayStation games as of January 2028. On that date, “new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” Sony said in a <a href="https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/">blog post.</a></p>
<p>Ditching discs is “a natural direction” for Sony “to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs," the post said.</p>
<p>During Sony’s fiscal year ending on March 31, 2026, digital downloads accounted for 78 percent of full-game unit purchases, up from 76 percent in fiscal 2024.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/sony-will-stop-making-physical-copies-of-playstation-games-in-2028/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/sony-will-stop-making-physical-copies-of-playstation-games-in-2028/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>93</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2186493403-1024x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1024" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2186493403-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Getty</media:credit><media:text>A PlayStation employee demonstrates how to put a disc into the PlayStation 5, at the Sony headquarters building in central Tokyo on November 27, 2024. </media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>A good little EV you won&#039;t be able to buy soon: The Volvo EX30 Cross Country</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/the-volvo-ex30-cross-country-review-a-victim-of-geopolitics/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/the-volvo-ex30-cross-country-review-a-victim-of-geopolitics/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jonathan M. Gitlin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[car review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Volvo EX30 Cross Country]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/the-volvo-ex30-cross-country-review-a-victim-of-geopolitics/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Tariffs and anti-China policies killed this little Volvo in the United States.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Did you know the average new vehicle in the US grew an inch (25 mm) wider and 22 inches (558 mm) longer between 2013 and 2023? That's probably obvious to anyone who steps foot outside these days, and it's a trend that we ought to reverse. Bigger cars might make their occupants feel more secure, but they invariably need more energy to get where they're going. And with <em>f=ma</em> being what it is, bigger vehicles tend to leave a lasting and deleterious effect on anything unlucky enough to be the other party in a collision. That makes today's tale a rather bittersweet one, because the Volvo EX30 could be the perfect antidote.</p>
<p>It's a compact and efficient electric crossover with <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/11/driving-the-volvo-ex30-a-36k-ev-that-prioritizes-sustainability/">a tiny carbon footprint</a> but no compromises on safety, and it would be perfect for the current moment, except that <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-volvo-ex30-is-dead-in-the-us-exclusive">Volvo recently</a> decided to stop importing the car to the US. With the order books now closed, once the ~1,200-odd cars left in inventory are gone, they're gone.</p>
<p>After teasing us for a while, Volvo finally showed off the EX30 for real in 2023. At the time, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/06/volvos-next-ev-is-here-and-its-affordable-the-34950-ex30/">the headline news</a> was its price: $34,950 for the rear-wheel drive version before any tax credit. That would have made it one of the cheaper EVs available for sale in the US, but with Volvo's premium badge attached. That was before geopolitics got involved.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/the-volvo-ex30-cross-country-review-a-victim-of-geopolitics/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/the-volvo-ex30-cross-country-review-a-victim-of-geopolitics/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>60</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-Volvo-EX30-Cross-Country-1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-Volvo-EX30-Cross-Country-1-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Jonathan Gitlin</media:credit><media:text>The US needs more compact EVs, which is why it's depressing that Volvo has decided to stop importing this one.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Ithaca&#039;s king defies the gods in final The Odyssey trailer</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/07/ithacas-king-defies-the-gods-in-final-the-odyssey-trailer/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/07/ithacas-king-defies-the-gods-in-final-the-odyssey-trailer/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:58:30 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christopher Nolan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Odyssey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Universal Pictures]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/07/ithacas-king-defies-the-gods-in-final-the-odyssey-trailer/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["You gods don't speak in ways we understand."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<div class="ars-video ars-video--horizontal"><div><div class="relative" allow="fullscreen" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AyIZ9tiiN8I?start=0&amp;wmode=transparent"></div></div></div>
<p>We're counting down the days until the release of Christopher Nolan's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odyssey_(2026_film)"><em>The Odyssey</em></a>, and Universal Pictures has released one last trailer to keep anticipation high.</p>
<p>Most of us read some version of <em>The Odyssey </em>in high school, so we’re <a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/nolans-the-odyssey-gets-a-new-trailer-and-were-here-for-it/"><em>familiar with the story</em></a>: Odysseus, legendary Greek king of Ithaca, begins the long journey home after 10 years of fighting in the Trojan War. But the journey doesn't go smoothly, as Odysseus and his men encounter the cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and an enchantress named Circe, among other obstacles. Meanwhile, Penelope, his long-suffering wife, wards off hundreds of suitors eager to usurp Odysseus’ position.</p>
<p>Matt Damon stars as the wandering Ithacan king. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Penelope; Tom Holland as Odysseus’ son, Telemachus; Robert Pattinson as Antinous, one of Penelope’s many suitors; Jon Bernthal as the Spartan king, Menelaus; Benny Safdie as the Achaean commander during the Trojan War, Agamemnon; John Leguizamo as Odysseus’ faithful servant, Eumaeus; Himesh Patel as his second-in-command, Eurylochus; Will Yun Lee and Jimmy Gonzales as crew members; and Mia Goth as Penelope’s maid Melantho. We also have Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Circe, and Lupita Nyong’o in a dual role: both Helen of Troy and Helen's sister, Clytemnestra.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/07/ithacas-king-defies-the-gods-in-final-the-odyssey-trailer/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/07/ithacas-king-defies-the-gods-in-final-the-odyssey-trailer/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>48</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/odyssey-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
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                    <item>
                <title>After spooking Trump into safety testing, Anthropic AI models get global release</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/after-spooking-trump-into-safety-testing-anthropic-ai-models-get-global-release/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/after-spooking-trump-into-safety-testing-anthropic-ai-models-get-global-release/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:44:18 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthropic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthropic Claude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fable 5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frontier ai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frontier models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mythos 5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trump administration]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/after-spooking-trump-into-safety-testing-anthropic-ai-models-get-global-release/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[US lifts curbs on Anthropic’s advanced Fable and Mythos models.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>The US has lifted export curbs on Anthropic’s newest Claude models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, about three weeks after the Trump administration <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/anthropic-shuts-down-fable-mythos-models-following-trump-admin-directive/">flagged the models as national security risks</a>.</p>
<p>As of today, Anthropic confirmed in a <a href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/redeploying-fable-5">blog post</a>, Fable 5 will be available globally, and US organizations have had access restored to Mythos 5 since June 26. Anthropic said it is now working with the government to expand Mythos access to a “broader set of domestic and international partners in the Glasswing program.” That program allows cybersecurity researchers at trusted companies to access Mythos for defensive purposes.</p>
<p>In a letter to Anthropic viewed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/us-lift-export-controls-anthropics-fable-ai-model-tuesday-source-says-2026-06-30/">by Reuters</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/technology/us-lifts-restrictions-anthropic.html">The New York Times</a>, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Anthropic would “no longer need a license for exports or in-country transfers of its Claude Mythos and Claude Fable AI models.” The letter acknowledged that Anthropic had “taken steps in close coordination with the US government to address the risks” posed by the models.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/after-spooking-trump-into-safety-testing-anthropic-ai-models-get-global-release/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/after-spooking-trump-into-safety-testing-anthropic-ai-models-get-global-release/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>32</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>NASA inspector general suggests Boeing&#039;s Starliner will now be a decade late</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-inspector-general-suggests-boeings-starliner-will-now-be-a-decade-late/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-inspector-general-suggests-boeings-starliner-will-now-be-a-decade-late/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Stephen Clark]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:11:39 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boeing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commercial crew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human spaceflight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[international space station]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office of Inspector General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[starliner]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-inspector-general-suggests-boeings-starliner-will-now-be-a-decade-late/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Starliner's certification may be delayed to 2027, 10 years later than Boeing's original schedule.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>NASA's inspector general <a href="https://oig.nasa.gov/audits/nasas-management-of-its-commercial-crew-program/">released an audit Tuesday</a> of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, and it looks increasingly likely that Boeing's Starliner crew capsule won't be certified for operational flights to the International Space Station until next year.</p>
<p>That's just three years before NASA's official retirement date for the ISS in 2030, though lawmakers in Congress are seeking an extension until 2032. What's more, declaring Starliner ready for regular crew rotation flights next year would put the Boeing crew capsule a decade behind its original target of 2017.</p>
<p>The inspector general issued six recommendations. NASA officials agreed to all of them. The recommendations include developing a schedule for the next Starliner flight and future crew missions and making sure the schedule is updated to include sufficient time to ensure all of the problems from Starliner's first test flight with astronauts in 2024 are "resolved and documented."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-inspector-general-suggests-boeings-starliner-will-now-be-a-decade-late/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-inspector-general-suggests-boeings-starliner-will-now-be-a-decade-late/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>71</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/52004657971_02c9a5ce1b_o-1152x648-1782919980.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
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<media:credit>Boeing</media:credit><media:text>A Starliner crew module is lifted for integration with its service module at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2022.</media:text></media:content>
            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>A space history mystery: What happened to the Viking arm used 50 years ago?</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/50-years-on-will-the-mars-lander-arm-that-opened-the-air-and-space-raise-its-hand/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/50-years-on-will-the-mars-lander-arm-that-opened-the-air-and-space-raise-its-hand/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Robert Pearlman]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:20:34 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1976]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[50th anniversary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[July 1]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lander]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael collins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Air and Space Museum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[President Gerald Ford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ribbon cutting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[robotic arm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[signal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smithsonian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space exploration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[surface sampler arm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Viking 1]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warren Burger]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/50-years-on-will-the-mars-lander-arm-that-opened-the-air-and-space-raise-its-hand/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[A timely tale about a 50-year-old robotic arm...]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Michael Collins looked down at his watch.</p>
<p>The Apollo 11 astronaut had already beaten the original schedule for the opening of the National Air and Space Museum by three days, but no one would remember that <a href="https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-070126a-national-air-space-museum-50th-ribbon-cutting-mystery.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">if these final 36 minutes didn't go perfectly</a>.</p>
<p>President Gerald Ford and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller took 35 seconds to find their seats on the red, white, and blue bunting-lined outdoor stage. The flyover by the Thunderbirds was quick enough. At any other event, it would have been the only time-dependent concern of the day.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/50-years-on-will-the-mars-lander-arm-that-opened-the-air-and-space-raise-its-hand/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/50-years-on-will-the-mars-lander-arm-that-opened-the-air-and-space-raise-its-hand/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/news-070126aa-lg-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/news-070126aa-lg-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Smithsonian/collectSPACE.com</media:credit><media:text>Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, the first director of the National Air and Space Museum, looks down at his watch as he, President Gerald Ford (at left) and Secretary of the Smithsonian Dillon Ripley await the signal from Mars to trigger a Viking lander arm to cut the ribbon, opening the museum on July 1, 1976. </media:text></media:content>
            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>UK likely to intervene in Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/uk-likely-to-intervene-in-paramount-takeover-of-warner-bros-discovery/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/uk-likely-to-intervene-in-paramount-takeover-of-warner-bros-discovery/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Daniel Thomas, Financial Times]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:24:39 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paramount merger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paramount Pictures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WBD]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/uk-likely-to-intervene-in-paramount-takeover-of-warner-bros-discovery/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[The acquisition was approved without concessions by the Department of Justice in June.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>The British government could intervene in the $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance, citing concerns around the need for a plurality of views in news as well as media ownership in the UK.</p>
<p>UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said on Tuesday that she was “minded to intervene” in the deal, which would create one of the world’s largest media and entertainment groups.</p>
<p>The takeover would lead to WBD media franchises such as CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. movies being added to Paramount’s stable of assets, which include CBS in the US and Channel 5 in the UK.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/uk-likely-to-intervene-in-paramount-takeover-of-warner-bros-discovery/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/uk-likely-to-intervene-in-paramount-takeover-of-warner-bros-discovery/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                        </content:encoded>
                                    
                                    <slash:comments>52</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>Cheng Xin/Getty Images</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Scientists find no link between Tylenol and autism, again, after Trump warning</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/trump-and-rfk-jr-still-wrong-about-tylenol-and-autism-another-study-finds/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/trump-and-rfk-jr-still-wrong-about-tylenol-and-autism-another-study-finds/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Beth Mole]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:01:38 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[acetaminophen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ADHD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[robert f kennedy jr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trump]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tylenol]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/trump-and-rfk-jr-still-wrong-about-tylenol-and-autism-another-study-finds/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[After Trump's claims, Tylenol usage dropped during pregnancies. ]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Another large study has found no link between autism and Tylenol use during pregnancy, refuting claims by President Trump and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/09/anti-vaccine-groups-melt-down-over-reports-rfk-jr-to-link-autism-to-tylenol/">anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr</a>.</p>
<p>In September, Trump and Kennedy <a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/09/trump-pacifies-anti-vaccine-allies-by-trashing-shots-alongside-tylenol/">held a press conference</a> in which they stated without clear evidence that the common fever and pain reducer acetaminophen—sold as Tylenol in the US and also known as paracetamol—causes autism in children if taken during pregnancy. Trump repeatedly warned pregnant people not to take Tylenol and instead "tough it out" with fever and/or pain.</p>
<p>Medical organizations decried Trump's message, emphasizing that acetaminophen is a safe pain and fever reliever during pregnancy and that untreated fever during pregnancy is known to increase the risk of autism in babies as well as other conditions, including miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth. Still, the president's warning was effective. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/10/if-things-in-america-werent-stupid-enough-texas-is-suing-tylenol-maker/">Texas sued the maker of Tylenol</a> over the alleged connection. And a study in The Lancet in March found that use of acetaminophen in pregnant patients in emergency departments<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00243-6/fulltext"> fell by 10 percent after Trump's press conference</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/trump-and-rfk-jr-still-wrong-about-tylenol-and-autism-another-study-finds/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/trump-and-rfk-jr-still-wrong-about-tylenol-and-autism-another-study-finds/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>101</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>Getty |  Francis Chung</media:credit><media:text>US President Donald Trump, right, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 22, 2025.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>June research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/june-research-roundup-6-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/june-research-roundup-6-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 22:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biophysics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Physics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research roundup]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/june-research-roundup-6-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Also, the science of poop's distinctive shape, boron buckyballs, and the secret to a soccer feint.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks.  June’s list includes insight into the science of soccer's scissors feint; the physics of poo's distinctive coiled shape; a boron buckyball; and the latest breakthrough in the ongoing Vesuvius challenge to decipher the Herculaneum scrolls.</p>
<h2>The science of soccer's scissors feint</h2>
<p><img width="640" height="432" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/soccer1-640x432.jpg" class="none medium" alt="close up of a soccer player's legs on the field as player performs the scissors feint" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/soccer1-640x432.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/soccer1-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/soccer1-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/soccer1-980x662.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/soccer1.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px">
        Credit:
          <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cME8ZKE983U" target="_blank">Screenshot/YouTube/Howcast</a>
      </p>
<p>With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, even scientists' thoughts are turning to soccer (or football for everyone else in the world). For instance, one common and highly effective dribbling maneuver is the "scissors feint," in which a player uses the outside of their feet to fake going one way and then cutting to the other. Japanese scientists studied university and junior high school soccer players of varying skill levels to study dribbling dynamics, focusing on the scissors feint. The movements were captured with high-speed cameras.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/june-research-roundup-6-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/june-research-roundup-6-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>21</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ballistaspider-1152x648-1782840720.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ballistaspider-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Pranav Joshi</media:credit><media:text>A fully constructed conical snare of the ballista spider
</media:text></media:content>
            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>Reddit will require you to log in to use old.reddit.com</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/reddit-will-require-you-to-log-in-to-use-old-reddit-com/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/reddit-will-require-you-to-log-in-to-use-old-reddit-com/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Scharon Harding]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:46:35 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reddit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/reddit-will-require-you-to-log-in-to-use-old-reddit-com/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Logged-out Old Reddit access is “significant source of abusive scraping." ]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Reddit will start requiring people to be logged into Reddit to use old.reddit.com.</p>
<p>The new requirement will take effect “over the next month,” a Reddit employee going by the username boat-botany <a href="https://old.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/1ujtebf/logging_in_to_use_old_reddit/">announced</a> on the social media platform today. The person claimed that the change is part of an ongoing effort to “tighten how automated systems access Reddit.”</p>
<p>The Reddit employee wrote:</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/reddit-will-require-you-to-log-in-to-use-old-reddit-com/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/reddit-will-require-you-to-log-in-to-use-old-reddit-com/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>171</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2203349473-1152x648-1782854744.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2203349473-500x500-1758049506.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Getty</media:credit></media:content>
            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>Amazon blames piracy apps with malware for killing new Fire Stick sideloading</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/exec-blames-malware-threat-for-amazon-blocking-sideloading-on-new-fire-sticks/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/exec-blames-malware-threat-for-amazon-blocking-sideloading-on-new-fire-sticks/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Scharon Harding]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:04:53 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amazon alexa]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/exec-blames-malware-threat-for-amazon-blocking-sideloading-on-new-fire-sticks/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[New Fire Stick OS helps Amazon block third-party homepage launchers, ad blockers. ]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Amazon is blaming the threat of malware for its decision to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/amazon-wont-release-fire-sticks-that-support-sideloading-anymore/">stop releasing new Fire Sticks that support sideloading</a> apps from outside Amazon’s Appstore.</p>
<p>Amazon has released two Fire Stick models that use its proprietary, Linux-based operating system, Vega OS. Previous Fire Sticks ran Fire OS, which is an Android fork based on the Android Open Source Project. One of the biggest differences between Vega OS and Fire OS is that the former doesn’t support sideloading.</p>
<p>It <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/09/amazon-fire-tv-devices-expected-to-ditch-android-for-linux-in-2025/">wasn’t surprising</a> when Amazon released its first Vega OS-based Fire Stick. Although many tinkerers sideloaded apps, especially from the Google Play Store, for added functionality, sideloading had also become largely associated with streaming piracy, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6161947/2025/02/26/sports-streaming-piracy-premier-league/">especially of sporting events</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/exec-blames-malware-threat-for-amazon-blocking-sideloading-on-new-fire-sticks/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/exec-blames-malware-threat-for-amazon-blocking-sideloading-on-new-fire-sticks/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>70</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MGViZTU1YTIt._CB799536100_-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MGViZTU1YTIt._CB799536100_-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Amazon</media:credit><media:text>A Vega OS-based Fire TV Stick 4K Select with its remote. </media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>NASA may send a backup, nuclear-powered Mars rover to the Moon</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Eric Berger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:50:14 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mars rover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moon base]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[perseverance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["That would be an awesome capability."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>NASA officials said Tuesday that they are seriously considering sending the full-scale engineering model of the Perseverance rover, which is currently housed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, to the Moon to expedite their efforts to explore the south pole region.</p>
<p>The car-sized rover nicknamed "Promise," which serves as a testbed for Perseverance and was not otherwise planned for a launch, would land equipped with a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) to power it across difficult terrain and through the lunar night. NASA's other rovers primarily operate on solar power.</p>
<p>"We are thinking very hard right now about sending Promise to the Moon," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Tuesday during a monthly update on the agency's plans to build a Moon base.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>84</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jpegPIA24528-1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
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<media:credit>NASA</media:credit><media:text>The twin of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover arrives at JPL's Mars Yard garage on October 29, 2021.</media:text></media:content>
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                <title>Google kills Tenor GIF API, forcing changes at X, Discord, and more</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Ryan Whitwam]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:38:51 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gifs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Tenor still connects to Google apps, but other platforms must look elsewhere for GIFs.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Google is so famous for killing products that there's a whole <a href="https://killedbygoogle.com/">virtual graveyard</a> you can explore. Google's latest shutdown now has a headstone of its own. Effective today, Google has discontinued the Tenor API, which you may not be familiar with by name. You've probably used it, though. Tenor is a database of searchable GIFs, which used to serve animated images to sites like X/Twitter, Discord, and more. Now, it only serves Google—maybe the headstone is a bit premature.</p>
<p>Like many Google products, Tenor started as an independent company. Google came along and bought Tenor in 2018, and it continued running it largely unchanged in the intervening years. Tenor was integrated into Google products like Gboard and Google Messages, but the API also gave other platforms a way to help users find, share, and save GIFs. It's similar to services like Giphy and Klipy.</p>
<p>In January, Google announced it was going to start winding down that API access. It stopped accepting new integrations at that time, and the end date has now arrived: As of June 30, the Tenor API is no more. Google, a company with nearly 200,000 employees and more than $130 billion in 2025 profit, says it decided to stop supporting the image API so it could better focus its resources. The real problem was probably that Tenor was free, and Google didn't see a way it could make money from a GIF API.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>58</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/google-logo-stamp-grain-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/google-logo-stamp-grain-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Aurich Lawson</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Apple takes Epic fight over app store fees to the Supreme Court</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/apple-takes-epic-fight-over-app-store-fees-to-the-supreme-court/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/apple-takes-epic-fight-over-app-store-fees-to-the-supreme-court/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:20:29 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antitrust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[app developers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[App Store]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epic Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supreme Court]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/apple-takes-epic-fight-over-app-store-fees-to-the-supreme-court/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Supreme Court will weigh if Apple contempt finding in Epic case is “erroneous.”]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Apple is hoping the Supreme Court will reverse a contempt finding that threatens to block the tech giant from charging high commission fees when developers divert iPhone users to non-Apple payment methods for app purchases.</p>
<p>The contempt finding came in a case where Epic Games accused Apple of violating a judicial order requiring changes to its App Store, which charged a 30 percent commission for using Apple payment methods and did not allow developer links to alternative payment methods.</p>
<p>That order required Apple to allow developers to include links to make payments outside the Apple ecosystem, but Apple did so only after requiring a 27 percent commission for allowing the link-outs. In December, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/epic-celebrates-the-end-of-the-apple-tax-after-appeals-court-win-in-ios-payments-case/">Apple lost an appeal</a> after defending its commission as reasonable. At that time, the 9th Circuit concluded that Apple violated the spirit of the order by charging fees so high that they “had a prohibitive effect” on developers who saw little benefit in updating apps to save only a small amount on fees.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/apple-takes-epic-fight-over-app-store-fees-to-the-supreme-court/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/apple-takes-epic-fight-over-app-store-fees-to-the-supreme-court/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>66</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1208692911-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1208692911-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>joe Daniel price | Moment</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>New attack provides one more reason why AI browsers are a bad idea</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Dan Goodin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:03:14 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[browsers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jailbreaks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LLMs]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Telling an LLM that 2 + 2 = 5 is enough to make it follow forbidden instructions.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Makers of AI browsers make lofty promises. With a single prompt, users can ask one to find a restaurant in a particular part of town, reserve a table, invite a colleague to lunch, and email a confirmation. These makers are much more reticent about the risks of blurring the once fine line between browsing sites and asking a large language model a question or instructing it to take potentially sensitive actions.</p>
<p>LLM developers’ answer so far has been to build guardrails that make some requests off-limits. Developing software exploits, stealing credentials, or teaching how to build a pipe bomb are examples. The problem with this approach is that the guardrails are reactive and treat the symptoms rather than solve the root cause. It’s tantamount to the manufacturer of an unsafe vehicle advocating for new road designs rather than fixing the flaws that make it prone to accidents.</p>
<h2>Lulling LLMs into an alternate reality</h2>
<p>New research puts this predicament on sharp display. It demonstrates how a website can lull AI browsers into a false reality where the rules governing its behavior no longer apply. After that, an attacker has free rein to invoke all kinds of destructive actions, such as extracting code from a private repository or extracting credentials from the built-in password manager.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>60</slash:comments>
                
                
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                    <item>
                <title>Google&#039;s new Nano Banana 2 Lite image model is its fastest and cheapest yet</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Ryan Whitwam]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:36:10 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI images]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[generative ai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[They may not look as good, but Nano Banana 2 Lite images only take a few seconds to create.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>There are plenty of AI image-generation models these days, but the ones capable of quality outputs tend to be slow and expensive. Google DeepMind says its new image model, known as Nano Banana 2 Lite, offers the best balance of quality and speed. It's available today across the Google ecosystem, creating images in a fraction of the time it takes Google's <a href="https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/11/google-launches-nano-banana-pro-image-model-adds-ai-image-detection-in-gemini-app/">beefier models</a>.</p>
<p>The new model is part of the Gemini 3.1 family—it's technically called Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image. On one hand, <a href="https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-omni-flash-nano-banana-2-lite/">Google says</a> this model is ideal for exploring ideas and "rapid-fire" prototyping, applications in which quality can take a backseat. However, the company has also provided some examples aimed at showing how close Nano Banana 2 Lite can get to the quality of its other image models.</p>
<img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed.jpg" class="fullwidth full" alt="two AI images compared" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-640x360.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-384x216.jpg 384w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-1152x648.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-980x551.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/unnamed-1440x810.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px">
      A comparison of Nano Banana 2 Lite with the non-Lite version.
        Credit:
          Google
      
<p>In addition to the examples, Google also has Elo scores from Arena.ai ready to go, showing that users rate Nano Banana 2 Lite outputs almost as highly as the non-Lite versions. However, vibemarking doesn't always focus on the details that can make AI images look silly upon closer inspection. Google notes that Nano Banana 2 Lite tends to have more trouble with text, particularly if it's very small, and infographics are more likely to include incorrect data. Characters and people may also show poor consistency across iterations.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Nano-Banana-2-Lite-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Google</media:credit></media:content>
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