Author: Richard

Noah Wyle Played Steve Jobs in a Premier Silicon Valley Movie

Long before Michael Fassbender and Ashton Kutcher brought to life Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Noah Wyle assumed the character in the 1999 feature “Pirates of Silicon Valley.” Directed by Martyn Burke, this made-for-television movie delved into the competition between Jobs and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, portrayed by Anthony Michael Hall. The cast also included Joey Slotnick as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

While it didn’t garner as much attention as Danny Boyle’s “Steve Jobs” or Ashton Kutcher’s “Jobs,” “Pirates of Silicon Valley” was favorably received by critics. It boasts an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, outpacing both Kutcher’s “Jobs” at 27% and Boyle’s movie at 85%. Furthermore, Noah Wyle had a distinctive experience that neither Fassbender nor Kutcher had—the opportunity to meet Steve Jobs personally.

Wyle recounted to Fortune how he met Jobs over dinner with a group of designers. During the occasion, Jobs revealed an idea that would eventually evolve into the iPad. He illustrated a picture frame where the image was a moving video, sketching the concept out on a napkin. The designers endorsed the idea without alterations. Although Wyle tried to keep the napkin, he was beckoned away by Jobs, missing the opportunity to possess a piece of tech history. Regardless, it remains a memorable anecdote for Wyle.

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Creative Methods to Reutilize Your Old TV Soundbars

essential television accessories. However, when you decide to enhance your audio experience with something like a home theater system, it shouldn’t mean saying goodbye to your old TV soundbar. Although your soundbar may not fulfill your requirements for watching movies and television series or enjoying music on a Saturday morning while you tidy up, don’t toss it out just yet or let it collect dust in a drawer.

Your previous TV soundbar can still be useful in different parts of your home since, thankfully, it’s one of those clever gadgets that connects without needing an HDMI cable. If you are uncertain about how to utilize your old TV soundbar or if it’s already gathering dust, we will present four innovative ways to repurpose it in your household. Your soundbar might even be excessive for some of these applications, but it’s certainly preferable to having it idle.

Repurpose it as a computer speaker

Android 16 Unveils Tool to Handle Notification Excess and Eliminate Unwanted Icons

Android 16 finally addresses your notification clutter using AI.

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Key information

  • Android 16 signifies a significant change in Google’s feature rollout strategy, shifting from annual releases to quicker, ongoing updates.
  • A novel “Notification organizer” automatically categorizes and mutes low-priority alerts such as news and promotions, while AI-generated summaries streamline lengthy chat discussions for quick comprehension.
  • Stylized icons are now instantly applied throughout all your applications for a unified, minimalist look.
Notice

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ChatGPT Encounters Downtime Impacting Some Users

**Intermittent Challenges with ChatGPT: Essential Information for Users**

Lately, numerous users have reported facing obstacles while attempting to access ChatGPT. The service seems to be undergoing intermittent challenges, impacting its functionality across different platforms.

**Present Condition of ChatGPT**

While users on Mac have observed that the application reacts to prompts as anticipated, those utilizing ChatGPT through the web have faced considerable unresponsiveness. This difference indicates that the issues might be specific to certain platforms, causing frustration among users attempting to use the service.

Social media channels have been filled with accounts from users facing comparable issues, suggesting that the problem is widespread. Initially, OpenAI did not recognize any service interruptions; however, as the situation progressed, they enhanced their system status website to acknowledge the ongoing downtime.

**User Interaction and Troubleshooting**

For individuals experiencing difficulties, it is crucial to realize that these challenges are not confined to single users. If you notice that ChatGPT is not loading or reacting, it’s likely due to the current service interruptions rather than a problem on your part.

While there is hope that the issue will be addressed swiftly, users are encouraged to stay patient and monitor updates from OpenAI concerning the service status.

**Conclusion**

In summary, if you are encountering difficulties with ChatGPT today, you are not by yourself. The service is facing intermittent challenges that are impacting numerous users. Keep an eye on official announcements from OpenAI for updates and possible solutions.

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A Compilation of 11 Environmental Chemicals and Compounds Associated with Cancer

World Health Organization (WHO) reports indicate that around 20 million new cancer cases were documented in 2022, with an estimated 9.7 million fatalities. With the advent of advanced AI technology demonstrating the potential for up to 99% accuracy in cancer detection tests, timely diagnosis is crucial for enhancing outcomes.

If the threat of cancer wasn’t severe enough, one can inadvertently consume, breathe in, or ingest substances laced with carcinogens without even realizing it. For instance, a plastic container made from polyethylene terephthalate may emit harmful chemicals when exposed to sunlight. These compounds can harm cellular DNA, which may trigger mutations that facilitate the growth of cancer cells. Long-term exposure to tobacco smoke and dense traffic can also lead to certain blood cancers, and carcinogenic substances may come from wood dust, burning PVC materials, or tainted foods.

You might unwittingly expose yourself to numerous carcinogenic substances through interactions that seem mundane. Let’s delve into 11 of the most prevalent cancer-inducing chemicals located in the environment.

Asbestos

Google’s Winter Android Update Improves Accessibility and User Experience

Enhancing the Android experience for all.

(Image credit: Google)

Essential Information

  • Google has revealed its Android update for December, enhancing accessibility features like Guided Frame, which has received significant improvements for more comprehensive descriptions.
  • Hearing Aids can now utilize Fast Pair, offering users requiring these devices a single-tap method for connecting to their gadgets.
  • The update enhances emotional clarity in Expressive Captions, allowing users to grasp the feelings being conveyed by the speaker.

Notice

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Top 5 Options to Google Photos

Google One), or to choose another option.

Google One represents the company’s premium storage plan that enables users to enhance their storage capacity shared across essential Google services, such as Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos. All Google accounts initially provide 15 GB, which can be quickly exhausted when it comes to photos. To gain an additional 100 GB, the fee is $1.99 per month and increases from there.

What if you want to move away from the subscription approach and still desire access to all your significant photos across various devices? The solution involves multiple factors. Firstly, there are alternative first-party options based on the smartphone or device ecosystem you utilize. Secondly, various third-party applications may possess sufficient features to justify making the switch. Additionally, there are unconventional solutions like setting up your own storage server.

Existing first-party apps on devices

Factors Leading to Ford’s Termination of the Legendary Focus Following Almost 30 Years

Ford is not adopting Apple CarPlay Ultra. Frequently presented at a reasonable cost, some viewed it as an ideal family vehicle for local travel. 

Ford consumers are currently left contemplating the future of the automaker. It has been concentrating on electric vehicles (EV) with ambitious strategies for establishing production facilities. Nevertheless, not all of Ford’s EVs have remained available for long, and recent progress has faced setbacks. For the time being, Ford finds itself with a void in its vehicle range that no imminent offerings seem prepared to address.

Ford is focused on the future of EV innovation

Google Unveils Fresh Android Features Featuring Circle for Scam Identification

Android 16 updates are being rolled out for eligible Pixel devices; new functionalities are now accessible on Android regardless of the operating system version; along with several accessibility enhancements. One of the standout features, Circle to Search, is being introduced to Android users without being dependent on the Android 16 upgrade. Circle to Search allows you to check if content displayed on your screen, such as an incoming message, is a scam. An AI Overview will pop up on your screen, providing details about the scam message and offering useful steps to safeguard yourself when you use Circle to Search. This eliminates the need to switch apps in search of information regarding a possible scam.

Circle to Search isn’t the only new safety enhancement being introduced to Android. Call Reason is a fresh feature in the Phone app that enables users to label a call to a contact as “urgent.” The contact will notice the urgent label on their call screen. If they fail to answer right away, the urgent notification will remain in their call history. Additionally, Google has implemented an anti-spam feature in Google Messages. You can now exit and report group chats in Google Messages if you suspect an unknown number has invited you to a group for harmful reasons. When you receive the group join notification, an alert will appear displaying information about the group along with safety tips. You will have the option to exit the chat, report it, and block the number, all through simple one-tap actions.

To wrap up, Android users will be introduced to several appealing features, such as pinned tabs in Google Chrome, brand new Emoji Kitchen stickers for the holiday season, and emotion tags in Expressive Captions like [joy] or

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Google Broadens Worldwide Access to Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro for AI Mode in Search

Following a statement made last month, users can now experience the AI Mode in the Search environment across nearly 120 nations. Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro are progressively being introduced in additional countries and regions starting this week. This broader access is available for subscribers of Google AI Pro and Ultra. The change follows Google’s adjustment of rate limits for Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro on free accounts last week.

Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro launched at the end of last month and quickly captured user interest. Indeed, Google rapidly modified the rate limits for Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro for free users due to an influx in user demand. Just a few days later, Google is broadening the availability of Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro, but solely for paid subscribers in AI Mode within Google Search.

As of December 1, Gemini 3 can be accessed in Google AI Mode in nearly 120 countries and territories in English, as per a blog entry. However, this extended availability is exclusively for Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra subscribers. Users can begin exploring Gemini 3 Pro by opening the model picker in AI Mode and selecting Thinking with 3 Pro. This option will replace the Gemini 2.5-series models typically used in AI Mode.

“Due to Gemini 3’s cutting-edge reasoning abilities, AI Mode can comprehend the subtleties of your most intricate queries,” Google states. “And Gemini 3’s unmatched multimodal comprehension and robust agentic coding features are enabling new generative user interfaces — allowing you to receive dynamic visual layouts, interactive tools, and custom simulations — all created instantaneously, tailored specifically to your query.”

Google is also launching Nano Banana Pro availability in AI Mode today, broadening the list of supported nations to include: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, United States, and Venezuela.

Similar to the Gemini 3 expansion, this broader availability initiates with Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers. AI Pro is priced at $20 monthly, whereas AI Ultra is set at a steep $250 each month. Google states that Nano Banana Pro “leverages Gemini’s sophisticated reasoning and connects to Search’s extensive knowledge base to assist you in visualizing infographics and more.”

With Gemini 3, AI Mode can more efficiently employ the query fan-out strategy to conduct multiple searches simultaneously, discovering new suggestions aligned with your search objective. Furthermore, it utilizes Google’s innovative generative UI feature to produce interactive images, tables, and grids that are specialized to your search.

This week’s announcement validates that Google is consistently broadening Gemini 3 availability over time, as previewed alongside the initial Gemini 3 rollout.

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