NASA beamed a cat video from deep space to Earth

It's Tuesday, December 26, 2023.

A video of Taters the cat beamed across 19 million miles of space because NASA had to try it. It was a successful demonstration of new laser communication technology, through which NASA beamed an ultra-high-definition video across deep space, from the Psyche spacecraft back to Earth. The signal from the video, sent on December 11, made it to Earth in 101 seconds.

That data speed — through space — is faster than most broadband connections on Earth.

— Mat Smith

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Apple reportedly wants to team up with news publishers to train its AI

It’s offering publishers deals worth at least $50 million, according to The New York Times.

Apple has apparently started negotiating with major publishers and news organizations to use their content to train its generative AI system. The company doesn’t expect to get its hands on content for free, though, and The New York Times says it’s offering them multi-year deals worth at least $50 million. While some of the publishers are reportedly concerned about the repercussions of letting Apple use their news articles throughout the years, the company is building goodwill simply by asking for permission and showing willingness to pay.

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Humane Ai Pin orders will start shipping in March

The next-gen wearable, which taps into artificial intelligence, starts at $699.

Humane

The Humane Ai Pin is expected to start shipping in March. On Friday, the company posted on X that “those who placed priority orders will receive their Ai Pins first when we begin shipping in March.” The company previously gave an “early 2024” estimate for the screen-less, $66 wearable device, which Humane believes is the next-gen hardware to replace smartphones.

Instead of a screen, the Ai Pin relies on voice cues and a projector that beams info onto the user’s hand.

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Mint Mobile says hackers accessed customer information during a security breach

Affected customers have been notified by email.

Mint Mobile, the prepaid mobile carrier backed by Ryan Reynolds, notified customers via email this weekend that their information may have been stolen in a security breach. That information includes names, phone numbers, email addresses and SIM and IMEI numbers. Hackers did not access customers’ credit card information, which Mint says is not stored, nor were passwords compromised.

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