Latest Stories from Charlie
UK and US fail to sign international AI declaration
Both the UK and US have refused to sign an international agreement on AI at a global summit in Paris. The documents called for ‘open,’ ‘inclusive’ and ‘ethical’ practices within this new, emerging industry. The UK and US have not signed an international agreement on AI at a global summit in Paris. Having been signed by dozens of countries including France, China and India, the statement called for ‘open,’ ‘inclusive’...
Google’s Gemini AI advert coughs out incorrect cheese facts
In the first version of its latest advert for AI, Google’s Gemini can be seen providing incorrect information on cheese. It’s an excellent example of why we shouldn’t rely entirely on AI to do the thinking for us. Honey, the Large Language Model (LLM) AI program is hallucinating again! It looks like Google’s own AI model – Gemini 2.0 - has been playing up, and no actual human being within...
Ed Sheeran street concert shut down by police in India
In widely-shared footage online, a police officer can be seen unplugging Ed Sheeran’s microphone at a street performance in India. Ed Sheeran had his street performance in India cut short over the weekend, despite reportedly asking permission before starting. A police offer unplugged his microphone and ushered him away, leaving onlookers disappointed. The incident occurred before Ed was scheduled to play in the city of Bengaluru later that evening. He...
let it go, it’s already happened
turns out there is such a thing as too much nostalgia. Hi there, folks! This is my first venture into The Common Thred, an honour that is bestowed upon only a select few. I embrace this newfound responsibility with absolute seriousness and I intend to come out swinging. Before I get too deep into the weeds, it’s worth mentioning that I used to be a regular employee at Thred. I was...
Mysterious PlayStation outage sparks security fears over weekend
Sony’s PlayStation network went down for over a full day with no formal explanation, leaving customers worried over their personal information. If you were hoping to stay in over the weekend and wind down with some online gaming, you may have been disappointed. Sony’s PlayStation network went down for 24 hours with no tangible explanation on Saturday, rendering all PS4 and PS5 online features inaccessible. Predictably, many gamers took to...
Hawk Tuah girl returns after crypto scam controversy
Haliey Welch went viral last year for her ‘hawk tuah’ TikTok interview moment. Since then, she’s amassed over 2 million Instagram followers, launched a podcast, and faced controversy for a pump-and-dump crypto currency scheme. She’s now returned after two months offline. ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl is back, everyone! 22-year-old Haliey Welch went viral last year for a street interview she did with TikTok content creators Tim Dickerson and DeArius Marlow. When...
Trump appears to have killed the Green Proving Ground program
The Green Proving Ground program was established in 2011 and was designed to test and implement emerging technologies for reducing energy waste in buildings. It appears the Trump Administration has cancelled it. According to a new report by Fast Company, it seems the Trump Administration has cancelled the Green Proving Ground program. Launched in 2011 and run by the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), the...
New survey says Gen Z prefer Instagram and TikTok for shopping
Research by influencer marketing company GRIN indicates that Gen Z prefer to shop on social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok rather than Google. A new study by influencer marketing firm GRIN has found that Gen Z shoppers tend to prefer TikTok and Instagram over more traditional online platforms such as Google. When asked where they most often discover new products, 18-to-27-year-old consumers said: 30.4% for Instagram, 23.2% for...
Google’s parent company Alphabet misses targets but invests in AI
Alphabet has announced plans to spend $75 billion USD on capital expenditures in 2025 with a focus on AI. In its latest earnings report, the company’s revenue grew but slightly missed market expectations. In 2025, Google’s parent company Alphabet says it plans to spend $75 billion USD on capital expenditures, which is a sharp increase over Wall Street’s original estimates. It is a major jump in spending over 2024, with...
New research finds high levels of microplastics in human brains
A new study has found that human brains contain high levels of microplastics that are increasing over time. It has higher concentrations of the material than any other organ. The human brain contains higher concentrations of microplastics than other organs, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiEBEGKQp_I The new research found that microplastics in human brains have increased...
