Author: dailyguardian.ae

Letterboxd, the fast-growing social network for film lovers, could soon have a new owner. According to a report by Puck News, the New Zealand-based platform has been exploring a potential sale, attracting interest from several major entertainment companies, including Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Paramount Skydance. While no deal has been confirmed, the discussions highlight how valuable online fan communities have become as streaming platforms compete not just for viewers, but also for the audiences that influence what people watch next. Hollywood heavyweights are reportedly circling Letterboxd Founded in 2011, Letterboxd has evolved from a niche movie diary into one…

The Volkswagen Beetle may be long gone, but one of its most obvious spiritual successors isn’t ready to disappear just yet. Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) is preparing to relaunch the Ora Ballet Cat, its retro-styled electric hatchback that famously drew comparisons with the iconic Beetle. This time, however, the company is hoping extra performance and a fresh identity will succeed where clever marketing couldn’t. According to a report by Car News China, the latest regulatory filings published in China reveal that the Ora Ballet Cat is receiving a more powerful electric motor, a higher top speed, and could…

When I first saw “scientists propose dimming the sun,” I rolled my eyes. It sounds like a science fiction movie cooked up after watching many climate documentaries. But a new study, published on July 8, 2026, in the journal Science Advances, seems to have a genuinely compelling argument. A Super El Niño is currently forming in the Pacific, feared to be the most intense in decades. It could escalate floods, wildfires, and extreme heat events worldwide. However, Researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, led by climate scientists Kate Ricke and Jessica Wan, are now proposing one of…

An AI hiring system can treat every applicant the same and still leave some people feeling targeted. Researchers found that rejected candidates judged an automated interview differently depending on the race and gender of the avatar delivering the result. Around 220 participants completed a simulated interview for a fictional customer support role with one of four photorealistic AI avatars. Everyone was rejected, yet perceptions of fairness shifted with the interviewer’s appearance. An algorithm audit could miss that reaction because candidates don’t experience the system as raw code. They experience a face asking questions and judging their answers. Why partial matching…

DJI may have found creative ways to keep some of its products flowing into the US, but those efforts are now drawing increased attention from regulators. According to The Verge, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has started cracking down on several companies it believes could be helping DJI continue selling products in the country. These businesses have been described by industry observers as “DJI front companies” because they market or import products that appear to be closely tied to the Chinese drone maker while operating under different brand names. DJI’s alleged back door may be closing One of those companies…

AI coding assistants like Claude are becoming every developer’s favorite coworker. They can review code, explain confusing functions, and even write entire features with a single prompt. But new research suggests that this growing trust could also become their biggest weakness. A team of security researchers (professor Sudipta Chattopadhyay and researcher Murali Ediga) has demonstrated an unusual attack that doesn’t target the AI model directly. Instead, it targets what the AI doesn’t pay enough attention to during code reviews. Rather than hiding malicious instructions in lines of code, the researchers tucked them inside an image file. Since many AI review…

Artificial intelligence has quickly become the go-to tool for everything from writing emails and summarizing meetings to helping students study or developers debug code. But the same technology that saves people time can also be misused, and a new report suggests that terrorist organizations are finding ways to do exactly that. According to a research paper shared with The New York Times ahead of its publication, researchers found evidence that members of Boko Haram have been using popular AI chatbots to support both day-to-day activities and combat-related tasks. Interviews with 27 former members conducted in Nigeria over the past two years suggest…

Google has quietly published a new Play Store listing for Magic Pointer, an unannounced app built for Googlebooks. Updated on July 10, the app turns the cursor into a Gemini shortcut that can act on whatever a user selects on screen. Magic Pointer can send an image to Lens, generate a related image, or surface a shopping action without forcing users to open a separate chatbot. Regular Android devices currently show as incompatible, so the listing offers an early preview rather than a broad release. What Magic Pointer actually does Magic Pointer adds a Gemini spark to the cursor and…

More people are trying to use less AI, but avoiding it altogether may already be impossible. A survey of 2,055 UK adults found that 42% deliberately limit how much AI they use. Another 70% said avoiding AI exposure would be difficult or impossible, even when they actively wanted less of it. Deleting a chatbot app only removes the most obvious form. People have far less control when automated systems sit inside workplace software or services they already depend on. Why are people cutting back Privacy is the clearest reason people are drawing boundaries. Twenty-nine percent cited concerns about data privacy,…

Google may be preparing its biggest Tensor hardware split yet. As spotted by Android Authority, FCC testing for an unreleased foldable Google phone includes a reference to MediaTek radio-frequency software, adding weight to reports that the Pixel 11’s Tensor G6 could leave Samsung’s Exynos modem behind. Every previous Tensor chip has used Samsung modem hardware. Changing suppliers won’t guarantee better battery life or reception, but it gives Google a fresh path after years of leaning on the same underlying technology. What the FCC paperwork reveals The clue sits on page 30 of the phone’s SAR test report, which measures radio-frequency…