Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have shown that the sensors in high-resolution optical computer mice can detect tiny desk vibrations and translate them into speech. Their project, called Mic-E-Mouse, demonstrates how an ordinary mouse can become a listening device when paired with the right software.

High-performance optical mice – especially those with resolutions of 20,000 dpi or higher and rapid polling rates – are sensitive enough to capture minute surface vibrations. In gaming and graphic design contexts, this sensitivity enables highly precise control.

More than a decade ago, Europe rewrote internet rules which effectively forced the entire internet to adopt stricter rules on cookie consent by amending the ePrivacy Directive. Since 2009, from big tech giants, to small personal blogs, and virtually any internet-based organization had to display a "cookie banner" to first-time visitors. Collectively, European users spend an estimated 575 hours every year clicking through those pesky prompts.

Cybercriminals are increasingly using portable devices known as SMS blasters to flood phones with fraudulent text messages, marking a shift in how large-scale phishing scams are carried out. Instead of relying on lists of numbers and automated delivery systems routed through mobile networks, criminals have begun installing fake cell towers in cars or backpacks to beam scam texts directly to nearby phones. These devices, often disguised inside vehicles, impersonate cellular base stations and force surrounding phones into insecure connections.

The company is favoring a handful of more "friendly" outlets with early access, under strict conditions. These outlets were given preview drivers – but only under guidelines that make their products shine beyond what's real-world testing would conclude. To cite two examples:

• One of the restrictions is not comparing the new RTX 5060 to the RTX 4060. Don't even need to explain than one.
• Another restriction or heavy-handed suggestion: run the RTX 5060 with 4x multi-frame generation turned on, inflating FPS results, while older GPUs that dont support MFG look considerably worse in charts.

The result: glowing previews published just days before the official launch, creating a first impression based almost entirely on Nvidia's marketing narrative.

Speaking during an interview earlier this month that was aired on CBS Saturday morning, Hinton, who jointly won the Nobel Prize in physics last year, issued a warning about the direction that AI development is heading.

"The best way to understand it emotionally is we are like somebody who has this really cute tiger cub," Hinton said. "Unless you can be very sure that it's not gonna want to kill you when it's grown up, you should worry."

"People haven't got it yet, people haven't understood what's coming," he warned.

It was Hinton's ideas that created the technical foundations that make large-scale models such as ChatGPT possible, including the first practical way to train deep stacks of artificial neurons end-to-end.

There have been several stories over the years about different governments creating crime-predicting algorithms, leading to comparisons to the 2002 movie Minority Report – even though that film involved clairvoyant humans. The UK government is the latest to come under the spotlight for working on this technology, but officials insist it is only a research project – at least for now.

Civil liberties group Statewatch uncovered the project through the Freedom of Information Act. It claimed that the tool was developed using data from between 100,000 and 500,000 people. Statewatch says the group includes not only those with criminal convictions, but also victims of crime, though officials deny this is the case, claiming it only uses existing data from convicted offenders.

Modern PC peripherals are jam-packed with features and customization options, so they usually require bloated software tools to express their full potential. Corsair, one of the worst offenders in the bulky software business, is now offering an alternative – at least when it comes to updating a device's firmware.

Corsair Vice President Tobias Brinkmann said they developed the new tool in response to customer feedback. The web-based installer is lightweight and flexible – though accessing a device's low-level hardware over the internet might sound counterintuitive to many. Corsair already offers its iCUE software suite for customizing keyboards, mice, and other compatible gear, including RGB lighting effects.

While supporters argue that the policy will spur growth, attract investment, and create jobs domestically, critics warn that it will lead to significantly higher prices for shoppers.

The new tariff on imported cars will take effect on April 2, while the import duty on car parts will go into effect on May 3. The components subject to the new policy include engines and engine parts, transmissions and powertrain components, and electrical systems.

Under the plan, imported vehicles will be taxed only on their non-US content.

AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed that the company's new Radeon RX 9000 graphics cards have been a massive success, selling 10 times more units than their predecessors in just one week on the market. Su also stated that more RDNA 4 cards are on the way, but did not confirm whether the lineup will include the rumored Radeon RX 9060.

When asked about the limited availability of the new cards, Su said that AMD is ramping up production to ensure greater supply at retailers worldwide. She also expressed hope that increased availability would help stabilize pricing by discouraging scalping and price gouging.

The patient, a man in his 40s from New South Wales, received the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) during a six-hour procedure at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney on November 22, 2024. The operation, led by cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon Paul Jansz, was part of the Monash University-led Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, which aims to develop three key devices to treat common forms of heart failure.

Globally, more than 23 million people suffer from heart failure each year, yet only about 6,000 receive a donor heart. To support the development and commercialization of the BiVACOR device, the Australian government has invested $50 million in the program. While still in clinical trials and awaiting regulatory approval, the device's ability to sustain patients for extended periods suggests it could become a long-term solution for those facing heart failure.

You'd be forgiven for thinking TCL is behind LG when it comes to premium TV shipments. TCL, known for its affordable yet high-quality 4K, QLED, and Mini-LED TVs, shipped more than twice as many premium TVs YoY in Q4 2024. It captured 20% of global premium TV shipments. That puts it ahead of LG, which held a 19% share.

The two companies' shipment figures have gone in opposite directions since Q4 2023, when LG held a 26% share and TCL was on 12%.

In reality, the RTX 4090 is, on average, 63% faster than the RTX 5070 across our 16-game sample at 1440p. But the deception gets even worse when we turn to ray tracing, as there are cases where the RTX 5070 doesn't work at all due to its much more limited 12GB VRAM buffer.

We looked at the hardware configurations in each class and compared them relative to the flagship of the era. This allowed us to create a "typical" Nvidia GPU generation – an average of what we saw over the last six generations. Now that we know for sure what the hardware of the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 is, we can slot this into the comparison and see how Nvidia's latest generation is stacking up.

Spoiler alert: it doesn't stack up well at all.

This summary of the six-generation average Nvidia GPU configuration shows the issue perfectly. The GeForce RTX 5080 has a configuration that would normally sit around or slightly below the level of a 70-class GPU, yet the price is more in line with what is charged for a model between the 70 and 80-class. In effect, this makes the RTX 5080 a slightly worse-than-normal 70-class GPU in its hardware configuration, for which Nvidia is charging 70 Ti relative money. This mismatch between hardware configuration – which drives performance – and the price is why most reviewers and many people in the community feel Blackwell is an extremely underwhelming generation.