Kalshi tried to ignore gambling laws on its prediction market, NY governor says.

The author (not pictured) sent her kids away in the summer. Henglein and Steets/Getty Images Summer break created childcare and scheduling challenges as a single parent. I relied on community programs, friends, siblings, and extended support networks. Looking back, I believe those summers helped surround my children with people who cared for them. More than New Year's celebrations and their birthdays, the first and last days of school each year were the greatest markers of time's passage in my five children's lives. I can still recall their nervous excitement as they anticipated the start of school each fall and their relief as it ended nine months later. I loved their enthusiasm for learning, especially during their earliest years in a classroom. They took their jobs as students seriously but were always eager to celebrate that final assignment and 10 weeks off before starting the cycle over again. I had a different response. For me, watching the months tick by brought on waves of melancholy. It made me sad to realize how quickly the years were passing. On top of that, as a single mother, it was up to me to find ways to keep them safe and occupied during the weeks the school doors were locked. My flexible work schedule allowed me to be with my kids in the summer I was fortunate to have a flexible work-from-home schedule that could accommodate all their activities. It worked well during the three seasons they were at school. It was more challenging during the summer. The author felt guilty for working through the summer months. Courtesy of the author It's not that I didn't welcome the slower pace of the warmer months when we swapped the frenzy of early-morning wake-ups for a calmer, more relaxed entry into a less structured day. It was the tension I felt while sequestered in my home office, wondering what they might be doing and feeling guilty for not offering them an enhanced experience while they were home. With the promise of afternoons at the community pool if they allowed me to work uninterrupted in the mornings, we created a system that served us all well until I transitioned to a full-time, office-based job. I did not want my kids to be home alone while I was at work My two oldest sons had summer jobs when I started a new job, but the three younger kids didn't. Our very small town, only 3 square miles in size, offered daily activities in the park for school-aged children up to age 12. Believing in safety in numbers, I allowed my younger children to walk to the park together to participate. That worked for a few years, but given the spread in ages — my oldest and my youngest share the same birthday, 16 years apart — they quickly aged out of the program, and I had to find alternatives. The author didn't want to leave her kids alone at home during the summer. Courtesy of the author When my daughter entered her teens, she decided to adopt a family with an actively involved father. She missed having a dad in her life, so she latched onto a classmate and was welcomed as a part-time member of their household. She frequently slept at their home, attended events with their extended family, and even went camping with them. Occasionally, my youngest son would join them, but he did not feel as attached as she did. I let my youngest son travel out-of-state during the summer By the time my youngest was a preteen, his older siblings had moved from our home. They were forging lives as young adults, making him an only child in a large family. That's when I started sending him on vacation with others. For two consecutive summers, I sent him to Michigan with his best friend's family. I felt relieved that he wasn't sitting home alone while I was at work. He enjoyed these trips to a lakefront house where he could fish, pick berries, and just hang out. When he turned 12, I started sending him to San Francisco each summer to celebrate the July birthday he shared with his oldest brother. He would fly across the country on his own to spend a month in the Bay Area. He turned 16 in a college dorm there while attending a summer semester at the university where he eventually enrolled after high school. After class, he'd walk to his brother's apartment, where they'd share dinner before returning to his room on campus. I was lonely during the summer, but I think it was a good decision to let them go. Even though I missed them, I knew they were having fun with people who cared about them. It was the solution that resolved our problem, but also enveloped them in the love of more people who cared about their well-being. Read the original article on Business Insider

Both vulnerabilities allow untrusted users to gain root privileges.

Azure Synapse has served as a reliable foundation for SQL analytics at scale, and...

I compared grocery prices at Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon using Walmart's recently price-dropped items as my guide. Savannah Born Walmart recently dropped prices on over 250 items, so I took a closer look at nine of them. I compared their prices to what I found at competitors Kroger and Amazon. Amazon didn't impress me. Walmart had the lowest prices, and Kroger was close behind — but I may have gotten lucky. When Walmart announced rollbacks on more than 250 items, my ears naturally perked up. The chain shared the featured price drops in a press release on Monday, highlighting a few of the specific products that will have lower prices for summer. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump credited the price reductions to his administration's "request to celebrate our great Country's 250th birthday". Walmart didn't mention the White House or the celebration as motives in its press release and has declined to comment on whether the sales resulted from a meeting with the administration. No matter how these savings came about, I was just happy to see them. Walmart's known for having low prices, and I was curious how its newly reduced ones would compare with other major grocers'. So, I wrote down the specific items mentioned in the price-drop announcement and headed to Walmart and two of its biggest competitors: Kroger and Amazon. Here's how the prices measured up as I shopped the same list at each retailer. Ground beef prices were basically the same across the board. Savannah Born Walmart's press release specifically mentions a rollback on the 1-pound roll of 73% ground beef, so that's what I selected. As promised, Walmart's beef, originally $6.94, came to $5.94 for a 1-pound roll. Kroger's was very close behind at $5.99. I couldn't find any 1-pound packages of 73% lean ground beef on Amazon, only a bulky 3-pound roll. It worked out to $6.15 per pound. Walmart's price was the lowest, but I wasn't particularly impressed by any of them. Walmart had the sweetest corn prices. Savannah Born I can't comment on the actual sweetness in terms of taste, but Walmart's sweet corn was a bargain. It cost just $0.25 per ear, compared to $0.40 per ear at Kroger and a whopping $1.25 per ear on Amazon. I added four ears to my cart at each retailer. Neither Amazon nor Kroger could compete with Walmart on cherries. Savannah Born The Walmart press release specifically mentioned 2.2-pound bags of fresh red cherries would be reduced from $11.18 to $5.63. My local store only carried 1-pound bags, but they also came to $2.50 per pound like the ones mentioned. Kroger's red cherries were on sale, discounted from $4.49 to $2.99 per pound. Amazon tied with Kroger at $2.99 per pound. It's worth noting that Kroger deals like these are only valid with a Kroger Plus Card — which I have, since it's a free loyalty card. Without it, they'd have cost me the full $4.49. I was also surprised to find such a great sale in the store since I hadn't seen it mentioned in Kroger's weekly flyer. I wondered if it may have been a more last-minute discount to compete with Walmart after the Monday announcement. Kroger did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. To my delight, all three retailers had generic 48-ounce tubs of ice cream for under $3. Savannah Born Walmart highlighted 48-ounce tubs of its store-brand Great Value ice cream being reduced from $2.97 to $2.50. That's exactly what I found in the store. Amazon had the same-sized tubs of Amazon Grocery ice cream available for $2.97, the price Walmart's was before the cut. Kroger had the cheapest 48-ounce tubs on sale for $1.99 — marked down from $2.99. With prices this good, I would have happily bought ice cream from all three retailers. An 8-ounce bag of Lay's classic potato chips felt like a steal at Kroger, but the deal's already gone. Savannah Born An 8-ounce bag of Lay's classic potato chips cost $2.50 at Walmart, marked down from $2.97. The same bag of chips was also $2.50 on Amazon. At Kroger, these chips had several prices in front of it. The 8-ounce bag was originally priced at $3.99, listed at $3.29 with card, and then labeled $1.99 with card and a clipped digital coupon as part of a weekly deal. Kroger's price was the best, but I only just caught this deal, which expired July 7. (Kroger's digital deals refresh every Wednesday, and I visited Kroger on a Tuesday.) At the time of writing, the deal is already gone. Frito-Lay Family Fun boxes were comparable at Kroger and Walmart, but I didn't find the same deal on Amazon. At Walmart (left) and Kroger (right), I could get a Frito-Lay Family Fun variety pack for under $10. Savannah Born Walmart reduced the price of the Frito-Lay Family Fun 18-bag variety pack including a mix of Cheetos, Fritos, Funyuns, Lay's, and Ruffles from $9.97 to $8.97. Kroger originally listed the variety packs at $10.99, but price-drop stickers now had them marked $9.99. On Amazon, this pack was available for $9.99 through Amazon Fresh, which I didn't use because I'm already a Prime member and wasn't ordering enough to hit the minimum spend and avoid a delivery fee. My other option was to order this pack through a low-rated third-party seller for a whopping $21. Walmart and Amazon had great prices on disposable plates. Savannah Born Walmart's release highlighted a 200-pack of Great Value disposable plates being marked down from $9.97 to $8.97, or $0.04 per plate. On Amazon, the same quantity of Amazon Basics plates was $10.60, or $0.05 per plate. My local Kroger didn't have any 200-packs, and the closest I found was 150 plates for $9.99. They worked out to $0.07 per plate. If I ever need such a large quantity of disposable plates, I'm totally turning to Walmart or Amazon. I got lucky with Coca-Cola and Pepsi deals at Kroger. Savannah Born Walmart marked down select 24-packs of sodas, including Coca-Cola and Diet Pepsi. With the rollback prices, they worked out to $0.42 per can. My local Kroger didn't have any 24-packs of these drinks, so 12-packs were the next best option. Kroger's a 12-pack of Coca-Cola or Pepsi cans typically costs $11.99, or $1 per can. However, when I visited, the store was running a "buy two, get three free" deal, which meant I could get 60 cans for the price of 24. It brought the price per can down to $0.40. Amazon didn't have any 24-packs readily available to me, either. I could buy 12-packs, though, so I grabbed two of each. On Amazon, my Coca-Cola came to $0.70 per can, whereas Diet Pepsi was $0.66 per can. Shopping at Kroger felt like a gamble — and Amazon's prices seemed to be all over the place. Savannah Born Unlike Walmart, where rollbacks tend to last several weeks and are available to any shopper, many of Kroger's sale prices only last for seven days and require a (free) rewards membership to claim them. If I hadn't gotten lucky with the deals running that week, or if I didn't have a Kroger card, I could have easily shelled out about $30 or more for the same cart. Like Kroger, Amazon's prices change often, for better or for worse. I could see exactly how much by using the "price history" feature. For example, the 12-pack of Coca-Cola alone ranged in price from $6.29 to $8.89 over the past 30 days. Price-wise, Amazon was out of the running for me early on as my cart passed $70. On the bright side, the higher price came with the most convenience: I wouldn't have to drive anywhere or pay for delivery, given that I'm already a Prime member. (The membership costs about $139 a year and comes with other perks.) My Walmart haul came out the least expensive overall, but Kroger was very close behind. Savannah Born My Walmart cart, complete with all nine categories of items, came to $52.32. In an attempt to match the Walmart quantities as closely as possible, my Kroger cart — using my card and the deals available at the time —came to $58.52. I had 150 plates instead of 200, though, and an extra dozen cans of soda (given I wanted 48 cans but got three 12-packs free with my purchase of two). Sure, this isn't a perfect science, but the closeness of the totals made Walmart's price reductions feel a little less impressive — especially since Walmart had a slight advantage in dictating which items I compared. For reliably low prices, I'd go back to Walmart — but I'm keeping a close eye on Kroger's rotating deals. Savannah Born None of the retailers had the cheapest item in every category, but if it weren't for my seemingly lucky week and Kroger card, Walmart would have. Walmart got me the lowest-priced basket this time — though the savings weren't as big as I'd expected, given that I specifically shopped the chain's price-dropped items. Kroger really held its own in this battle. Even so, I'd definitely keep an eye out for Walmart's future rollbacks and Kroger's weekly coupons and deals. This particular price drop aside, I've often found competitive grocery prices at Walmart, and I appreciate how the chain's rollbacks typically last at least a few weeks. Since most of Kroger's deals change weekly, I sometimes miss discounted prices before I even realize they're available. Amazon's prices seem to fluctuate fairly often. In the end, the best value comes down to what groceries you need and the current deals available at each place when you buy them. And, hey, I certainly wouldn't complain if other retailers want to follow Walmart's lead and drop more prices this summer. Read the original article on Business Insider

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Meta Muse Image brings AI image generation to Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta AI. Here’s what users should know about features and privacy. The post Meta’s Muse Image Explained: What to Know About the New AI Image Model appeared first on TechRepublic.

OpenAI is set to launch GPT-5.6 after a US security review, raising new questions for enterprise AI access, safeguards, and governance. The post OpenAI’s New GPT-5.6 Is Coming Sooner Than You Think appeared first on TechRepublic.

OpenAI launched a new update to make its Chatbot less awkward. OpenAI OpenAI's new GPT-Live model promises more natural human-to-AI conversations. It will add "mmhm" or "sure" while the user talks — and nixes its signature pregnant pauses. The update is part of a trend. AI labs are trying to make conversations feel less like passing batons. OpenAI wants ChatGPT to stop waiting for its turn. During a Wednesday livestream, the company unveiled GPT-Live, a new voice model powering ChatGPT Voice. OpenAI says the update is built to make talking with AI feel more like talking to a human. Instead of waiting for a clean pause at the end of every sentence before responding, for example, the assistant can listen and speak simultaneously, OpenAI says. It will also acknowledge the user with an intermittent "mmhm," "yeah," and "got it" while the human is still talking. In one demo, a user asked ChatGPT to fact-check the date of a coming meeting while also checking the weather and traffic along their route. ChatGPT responded with short acknowledgments like "hmm" and "sure," then continued working through the request without losing the thread as the user added more information requests. OpenAI also showed off ChatGPT's ability to translate language in real time. Previous turn-based assistants had to wait for the speaker to finish before translating. Now, a full-duplex assistant — one that can listen and talk at the same time — can keep pace more naturally as a conversation unfolds, the company said. Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, described the update during the livestream as a "much more natural way of interacting with your computer." OpenAI is not the only company trying to make AI voice assistants feel less like a baton-passing chatbot and more like an active listener. In May, Thinking Machines, the AI lab led by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, teased similar technology. The company said its interaction models are designed to handle input and output continuously across audio, video, and text, instead of relying on the stop-and-start rhythm of traditional chatbots. Thinking Machines said the updated models can "handle interaction natively" and smooth out human-to-AI interactions "rather than forcing humans to contort themselves to AI interfaces." The update also arrives as AI language models have become an internet punchline. Creators regularly mock their oddly chipper tone, their overuse of phrases like "awesome," and the awkward little pause before an answer arrives. @huskistaken I think I’m onto something ♬ original sound - Husk Read the original article on Business Insider

Modern AI can identify forests all the way from space. It can estimate tree heights to an astonishing level of accuracy. It can predict wildfire risk. It can even model […] The post How Scientists Are Turning Satellite Imagery into AI-Ready Data appeared first on BigDATAwire.

Agentic systems often face a trade-off between accuracy and cost. The highest-performing proprietary frontier models and harnesses provide top accuracy but are... Agentic systems often face a trade-off between accuracy and cost. The highest-performing proprietary frontier models and harnesses provide top accuracy but are expensive. Fine-tuning offers one way to address this problem. Smaller or more efficient open models starting with lower accuracy are taught to perform better with specific agents. However, fine-tuning requires expertise and hardware for… Source

But the devices could "easily be reflashed."

Axios: Grok 4.5 is available in Grok Build, in Cursor, and from the SpaceXAI console, but not in the EU; it costs $2 per 1M input tokens and $6 per 1M output tokens  —  Elon Musk's SpaceXAI is launching Grok 4.5, its smartest model yet, and its first release since going public and acquiring the AI coding startup Cursor.

The "not interested" feature is your friend, but users must intentionally and constantly curate their FYPs

Carmen Arroyo / Bloomberg: SpaceXAI launches Grok 4.5, its first model built in partnership with Cursor, designed to “handle difficult, long-running” legal, finance, and coding tasks  —  SpaceXAI has unveiled a new artificial intelligence model built in partnership with AI coding startup Cursor that's meant …

When it comes to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), large language models just don’t have what it takes. Models like ChatGPT and Claude are great at text, but they’re less skilled at understanding how things actually move through space and time — an essential skill for producing intelligence that generalizes. That gap, it turns out, might be filled by gaming data. That’s the bet behind General Intuition, a […]

US military drone losses in Iran war spur Pentagon call for cheap replacements.

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Samsung Heavy Industries plans to commercialize a floating AI data center by 2028 as power, land, and cooling constraints squeeze AI infrastructure. The post Samsung Plans Floating Data Center Launch by 2028 appeared first on TechRepublic.

"The BOHR mission serves as a pathfinder for future nuclear-powered spacecraft."