mysticpickle, mysticpickle@lemmy.ca

In an interview with The Times, Meta’s chief executive took aim at Anthropic and OpenAI, which have pushed to tightly control A.I. development, and said he supported “more openness.”

When the “woke” mania swept the country in 2020, I took a step back and reevaluated where I stood and why I stood there. To my surprise, I found that I agreed with conservatives and libertarians on a number of issues. I opposed childhood gender transitions, unlawful and divisive DEI mandates, and the excesses of Critical Race Theory. I argued against biological males competing in women’s sports and being housed in women’s prisons. I did so loudly and publicly, losing many friends along the way. My stance wasn’t rooted in hate or fear but in a commitment to reason and fairness. My loyalty was to the truth, not to political tribes. Maintaining my integrity cost me greatly, but I believed it was worth it.

The Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) for 2026 is Dito, by Martin Ang, with art by Untai Studio Surabaya, published by Game Factory.

Although lessons about particular weapons systems are relevant, the more important lesson is about the ecosystem necessary for these new tools to be effective. Ukraine, for instance, has developed Sky Fortress, a network of 14,000 acoustic sensors that locate Russian drones by sound, even at altitudes radar cannot see, to provide a high-fidelity picture of incoming threats. It also has its own battle-management software systems that direct unmanned surveillance, as well as the Unmanned Services Force, an entirely new military service—alongside the army, navy, and air force—that is dedicated to drone warfare, with its own doctrine, leader development, procurement processes, and even recruiting and basic training. Perhaps most critically, the ecosystem in Ukraine also includes manufacturers that can produce enormous quantities of unmanned systems and constantly refine the software and hardware of those systems in response to developments on the battlefield.

It’s pretty much all bad 😬

It’s an interview with Tom Vasel

A 50 year-old Florida woman was viciously mauled to death by a pair of bloodthirsty pit bulls, only to be found by her heartbroken husband who said he’ll “never get the image out of my mind.”

According to The Korean Economic Daily, citing insider sources, Krafton has now been forced to pay out that bonus, which equates to $3.12 for every $1 every month that Unknown Worlds surpasses $69.8 million in revenue, with an upper limit of $250 million. This amounts to around 35% of Krafton’s operating profit in 2025, which may explain why Krafton fought tooth and nail to avoid paying the sum.

BoardGameGeek has fired advertising manager Chad Krizan after almost 20 years with the company, after he cited his personal experiences of demonic possession as grounds for rejecting an ad campaign.

The nominees for Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) 2026 are:

OG Post:

Increasingly, Meta has been using debt to fuel its spending, amassing $59 billion in long-term debt on its balance sheet by the end of 2025, double the prior year’s total. And that doesn’t count the “aggressive” accounting it has used to keep the cost of a $27 billion Louisiana data center off its books. “The spending growth looks increasingly unsustainable,” The Wall Street Journal’s “Heard on the Street” columnist Asa Fitch wrote this week.

Shopping visits to Costco warehouses ticked up by more than 18% from the first quarter of 2019 to 2026 as US consumers have turned to the club for relief from rising prices (and the occasional free sample).

Taylor said he’s a lifelong Republican. He voted for President Trump in 2024. He applied to receive relief from the administration’s $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program — a one-time payment designed to offset tariff losses.

The man admired by many Spaniards as the finest bullfighter ever seen is recovering in hospital after being gored by a bull during his comeback from retirement.

Prankster Yevhan Volnov remotely hacked into the high level meeting of Putin’s Industry and Trade Ministry. The meet heard how the Russian economy is struggling and can no longer make copper wire or plastic for unmanned planes, deemed essential to their war efforts.

What’s especially upsetting to Figg is that the dogs were involved in a second attack two weeks later. In that case, neighbors had to intervene after the three pit bull mixes attacked a little dog named Daisy. It took two neighbors to fend them off (one neighbor put one of the dogs in a sleeper hold). Daisy, like Figg, was badly injured.

Putin shaking down the oligarchs again to keep Russia afloat 🤭

https://youtu.be/qAMoWEwK-4A