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Chief Sundar Pichai also reveals autonomous agents at annual event as tech giant seeks to re-establish AI leadershipView the full article

Google is rapidly expanding its AI search capabilities, as reflected in the announcements it made Tuesday at its Google I/O developer conference. The search giant announced the general availability of AI Mode, its chatbot-format AI search product; some changes to its AI Overviews search results; and its plans to add new visual and agentic search features this summer. Google’s biggest announcement in the realm of search was the general availability of its AI Mode, a chatbot-style search interface that allows users to enter a back-and-forth with the underlying large language model to zero in on a complete and satisfying answer. “AI Mode is really our most powerful version of AI search,” Robby Stein, Google’s VP of Product for Search, tells Fast Company. The tool had been available as an experimental product from Google Labs. Now it’s a real product, available to all users and accessible within various Google apps, and as a tab within the Google mobile app. AI Mode is powered by Gemini 2.5, Google’s most formidable model, which was developed by DeepMind. The model can remember a lot of data during a user interaction, and can reason its way to a responsive answer. Because of this, AI Mode can be used for more complex, multipart queries. “We’re seeing this being used for the more sophisticated set of questions people have,” Stein says. “You have math questions, you have how-to questions, you want to compare two products—like many things that haven’t been done before, that are probably unique to you.” The user gets back a conversational AI answer synthesized from a variety of sources. “The main magic of the system is this new advanced modeling capability for AI Mode, something called a query fan-out where the model has learned to use Google,” Stein says. “It generates potentially dozens of queries off of your single question.” The LLM might make data calls to the web, indexes of web data, maps and location data, product information, as well as API connections to more dynamic data such as sports scores, weather, or stock prices. New shopping tools Google also introduced some new shopping features in AI Mode that leverage the multimodal and reasoning capabilities of the Gemini 2.5 models. Google indexes millions of products, along with prices and other information. The agentic capability of the Gemini model lets AI Mode keep an eye out for a product the user wants, with the right set of desired features and below a price threshold that the user sets. The AI can then alert the user with the information, as well as a button that says “buy for me.” If the user clicks it the agent will complete the purchase. Google is also releasing a virtual clothing try-on function in AI Mode. The feature addresses perhaps the biggest problem with buying and selling apparel online. “It’s a problem that we’ve been trying to solve over the last few years,” says Lilian Rincon, VP of Consumer Shopping Products. “Which is this dilemma of [where] users see a product but they don’t know what that product will look like on them.” Virtual Try-on lets a user upload a photo of themself, then the AI shows the user what they’d look like in any of the billions of clothing products Google indexes. The feature is powered by a new custom image generation model for fashion that understands the nuances of the human body and how various fabrics fold and bend over the body type of the user, Rincon says. Google has released Virtual Try-on as an experimental feature in Google Labs. New features coming to AI Mode this summer Google says it intends to roll out further enhancements to AI Mode over the summer. For starters, it’s adding the functionality of its previously announced Project Mariner (an AI agent prototype that works with the Chrome browser) to AI Mode. So the LLM will be able to control the user’s web browser to access information from websites, fill out and submit forms, and use websites to plan and book tasks. Google is going to start by enabling the AI to do things like book event tickets, make restaurant reservations, and set appointments for local services. The user can give the AI agent special instructions or conditions, such as “buy tickets only if less than $100, and only if the weather (if its an outdoor event) forecast looks good.” The AI will not only find the best ticket prices to a show, but will also submit the data needed to buy the ticket for the user. (The user gets final sign-off, of course.) Google will be adding a new “deep search” function in which the model might access, and reason about, hundreds of online, indexed, or AI data sources. The model might spend several minutes thinking through the completeness of its answer, and perhaps make additional data queries. The end result is a comprehensive research report on a given topic. At last year’s I/O, Google revealed its Project Astra, a prototype of a universal AI assistant that can see, hear, and reason, and converse with the user, out loud, in real time. The assistant taps into search in several ways. A user could show the assistant an object in front of the phone camera and ask for more information about it, which the agent would get from the web. Or the assistant might be shown a recipe, and help the user shop for the ingredients. Google also plans to launch enhanced personalization features to AI search as a way of delivering more relevant search results. “The best version of search is one that knows you well,” Stein says. For example, AI Mode and AI Overviews soon might consult a user’s search history to use past preferences to inform the content of current queries. That’s not all. Google also intends to consult user data from other Google services, including Gmail, to inform searches, subject to user opt-in. Finally, the company will add data visualizations to search results, which it believes will help users draw meaning from data returned in search results. It will start by modeling sports and financial data this summer, Stein says. AI Overviews now reaches almost all Google users AI Overviews is Google’s original AI search experience. For some types of search queries, users see an AI-generated narrative summary of information synthesized from various web documents and Google’s information graphs. Stein says Google is now making AI Overviews available to 95 more countries and territories, bringing the total to around 200, and in 40 languages. Google claims that AI Overviews, its generative AI search experience, now has 1.5 billion users. Where search is concerned, Google is a victim of the “inventor’s dilemma.” It built a massive business placing ads around its search results, so it has a good reason to keep optimizing and improving that experience, rather than pivoting toward new AI-based search, which nobody has reliably monetized with ads yet. Indeed Google’s core experience still consists of relatively short queries and results consisting of ranked websites and an assortment of Google-owned content. But development of AI search products and functions seems to be accelerating. Google is protecting its cash cow (traditional search with ads) while keeping pace with the chatbot search experiences offered by newcomers like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But it’s more than that. Google’s VP and Head of Search Liz Reid suggests that we may be looking at the future of Google Search—full stop. “I think one of the things that’s very exciting with AI Mode is not just that it is our cutting-edge AI search, but it becomes a glimpse of what we think can be more broadly available,” Reid tells Fast Company. “And so our current belief is that we’re going to take the things that work really well in AI Mode and bring them right to the core of search and AI Overviews.” View the full article

If the US president is walking away from Ukraine, other allies must step up View the full article

I never considered myself a walking girl. I never engaged in the "hot girl walk" trends on social media or went on "mental health walks" during the pandemic lockdown. In fact, I long thought walking—the milestone most of us reach as babies, the activity the majority of us do each day to accomplish all the other basic tasks of living—had a little too much PR hype, especially after learning that the much-ballyhooed "10,000 steps" we're supposed to take every day relied on an arbitrary, made-up figure for marketing pedometers. If I am going to do cardio, I reasoned, I'm going to do cardio: cycling, running, swimming, or playing sports with my friends. If I'm not sweating, what's the use? After trying out Peloton's guided walks, available in the at-home fitness giant's incredibly versatile app, I have learned the use. I am now, finally, a walking girl. Is walking good cardio?The reductive view I formerly held of cardio—that I have to be sweaty and tired for it to matter—is and was always false, which I knew, intellectually. As Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki has explained before, walking is cardio—and it's actually a pretty good form of it, too. How fast you walk can even be used to measure your health and capacity. Different intensities of cardio do different things for your body, but at its most basic level, walking still burns calories. It's also a great, easy way to work a little extra movement into your life, especially if you're a fitness beginner or have an injury. The catalyst for me checking out Peloton's walking offerings was actually my mom being "prescribed" walking as a treatment for an issue she's been having with her back. The issue prevented her from walking long periods of time or walking fast, so after addressing it medically with doctors and physical therapists, her at-home assignment was to walk longer and longer durations on a walking pad in the living room. As an able-bodied person living in a walkable city (by which I mean a city where I am basically forced to hit my arbitrary 10,000 steps per day whether I want to or not), I have definitely taken the ability to walk for granted. I decided to check out Peloton's walking workouts to see if they'd be useful for my mom—but they ended up being useful for me. What are Peloton's walking workouts all about?To find walking workouts on the Peloton app, select Walking from the top of your home screen or type "walking" into the search bar. Peloton's walking workouts are designed for use on their Tread treadmills (or any treadmill, really)—but I've found that I enjoy them just as much if I go outside, although I obviously can't control the incline if I do that. The guided walks available in the app are like any class Peloton offers: They come in a variety of lengths and formats, are led by a certified instructor who encourages you and reminds you of safety cues, and feature playlists of music that keep the energy going. I start off nearly every weekday morning by walking to Dunkin' Donuts and then to the post office to drop off whatever I've sold on resale apps, so I queue up a Peloton walk for my journey. While I don't necessarily need to have an instructor in my ears reminding me to, well, walk, it encourages me to keep my pace up; I just ignore whatever they're saying about messing with incline and resistance buttons, as I'm not on a treadmill. This morning, I walked along with a five-minute warmup walk routine from instructor Logan Aldridge, who shared encouraging reminders that walking, even if it feels easy, is "massively worth it" for a person's health. He also gave speed cues using practical, real-world examples instead of just relying on cues built around treadmill functions. At one point, he described the pace goal as "not Manhattan walking, not New York City walking," which was funny because I was, in fact, Manhattan-walking my way to a Dunkin', so I slowed down a bit. You can enable location sharing for more accurate measurements and, of course, I have my Apple Watch paired with my Peloton app to give me better data on my heart rate, output, and speed, too. I forgot to enable my location tracking at the beginning of the walk (I don't have it set to automatically track that, though you can), so at the end, it prompted me to enter in my distance walked for better measurements. I glanced at my watch, which told me how far I'd walked, entered in that number, and was taken to a screen where I could review my output. You can absolutely do this on a treadmill, too, and the workouts are more or less designed for you to. There are live classes available, which enter the on-demand archive when they're finished, and you can choose from cool-down walks, power walks, hikes, walks set to certain kinds of playlists (like '90s music or EDM), or even "walk & talk" walks that have two instructors if you like that chatty, podcast kind of feel. Some classes feature walking and running and their titles tell you that upfront. As you're scrolling the options, you'll mostly see title cards with instructors on Treads in the Peloton studio, but you'll also see a few where the instructors are outside. These guided walks are designed more for outdoor walks and the instructors will call out the half-way point so you always know when to turn around and head home (or back to the office or whatever). The workouts come in all kinds of lengths, from five minutes up to 75, with the longer ones often incorporating both walking and running. Why I like Peloton's walking workoutsThese workouts are an easy way to slot some extra intentional movement into my day. I'm already walking around a lot, but I'm not always doing it with purpose. Having an instructor reminding me to connect with my steps and a playlist designed to keep me on a certain pace turns a standard coffee run into a mindful exercise. Walking is also low-impact and accessible, so even on a day you're tired or even if other forms of cardio are beyond your reach, this opens up a whole world of fitness opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, this is the most accessible kind of workout on the app because you really don't need anything special. You don't need a floor mat, yoga blocks, or weights, let alone a fancy treadmill. As long as you have some good shoes, you can walk around all you want while still getting the company's signature encouragement and guidance from trained pros. View the full article

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and health officials in several states are investigating a multistate Salmonella infection outbreak linked to whole cucumbers grown in Florida and shipped around the country. As a result of the ongoing investigation, health officials have recalled whole cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc. between April 29, 2025, and May 19, 2025. As of Monday, 26 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella. Cases have been reported in 15 states. Nine people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported. Several people reported feeling ill after being on cruises that departed from Florida. Which products were impacted? The outbreak is linked to whole, nonorganic varieties. Cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages and may be within shelf life for the rest of this week. Cucumbers were distributed to stores, restaurants, and other facilities. The FDA is working to determine where potentially contaminated products were distributed. Businesses that purchased whole cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc. between April 29 and May 19 should not sell or serve them and should notify their customers of the potential health concern, health officials said. Illnesses were reported in the following states: Alabama California Colorado Florida Illinois Kansas Kentucky Michigan New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Virginia Additional information regarding the outbreak can be found here. What if I bought whole cucumbers recently? If you have whole cucumbers at home and don’t know where they’re from, throw them out. You should also wash and sanitize surfaces and items that they may have come in contact with. If you experience severe symptoms of Salmonella, such as diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F, or diarrhea that doesn’t improve after three days, contact a healthcare provider. Most people recover within a few days. Why does this sound familiar? This is not the first time that produce grown by Bedner Growers, Inc. has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak. A 2024 investigation found that cucumbers from Bedner Growers, Inc. and Thomas Produce Company, of Boca Raton, Florida, were likely sources of a Salmonella outbreak that resulted in 551 illnesses across 34 states and the District of Columbia. As part of a follow-up investigation, the FDA said it collected an environmental sample from Bedner Growers, Inc. in April 2025. The sample was positive for Salmonella and matched recent clinical samples of sick individuals impacted by the current outbreak. Fast Company has reached out to Bedner Growers for comment. We will update this post if we receive a response. View the full article

On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin launched six women—Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez—on a suborbital journey to the edge of space. The headlines called it a historic moment for women in space. But as a tourism educator, I paused—not because I questioned their experience, but because I questioned the language. Were they astronauts or space tourists? The distinction matters—not just for accuracy, but for understanding how experience, symbolism and motivation shape travel today. In tourism studies, my colleagues and I often ask what motivates travel and makes it a meaningful experience. These women crossed a boundary by leaving Earth’s surface. But they also stepped into a controversy about a symbolic one: the blurred line between astronaut and tourist, between scientific achievement and curated experience. This flight wasn’t just about the altitude they flew to—it was about what it meant. As commercial space travel becomes more accessible to civilians, more people are joining spaceflights not as scientists or mission specialists, but as invited guests or paying participants. The line between astronaut and space tourist is becoming increasingly blurred. In my own work, I explore how travelers find meaning in the way their journeys are framed. A tourism studies perspective can help unpack how experiences like the Blue Origin flight are designed, marketed and ultimately understood by travelers and the tourism industry. So, were these passengers astronauts? Not in the traditional sense. They weren’t selected through NASA’s rigorous training protocols, nor were they conducting research or exploration in orbit. Instead, they belong to a new category: space tourists. These are participants in a crafted, symbolic journey that reflects how commercial spaceflight is redefining what it means to go to space. Space tourism as a niche market Space tourism has its origins in 1986 with the launch of the Mir space station, which later became the first orbital platform to host nonprofessional astronauts. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Mir and its successor, the International Space Station, welcomed a handful of privately funded civilian guests—most notably U.S. businessman Dennis Tito in 2001, often cited as the first space tourist. Space tourism has since evolved into a niche market selling brief encounters to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. While passengers on the NS-31 flight did not purchase their seats, the experience mirrors those sold by commercial space tourism providers such as Virgin Galactic. Like other forms of niche tourism—wellness retreats, heritage trails or extreme adventures—space travel appeals to those drawn to novelty, exclusivity and status, regardless of whether they purchased the ticket. These suborbital flights may last just minutes, but they offer something far more lasting: prestige, personal storytelling and the feeling of participating in something rare. Space tourism sells the experience of being somewhere few have visited, not the destination itself. For many, even a 10-minute flight can fulfill a deeply personal milestone. Tourist motivation and space tourism’s evolution The push-and-pull theory in tourism studies helps explain why people might want to pursue space travel. Push factors—internal desires such as curiosity, an urge to escape or an eagerness to gain fame—spark interest. Pull factors—external elements such as wishing to see the view of Earth from above or experience the sensation of weightlessness—enhance the appeal. Space tourism taps into both. It’s fueled by the internal drive to do something extraordinary and the external attraction of a highly choreographed, emotional experience. These flights are often branded—not necessarily with flashy logos, but through storytelling and design choices that make the experience feel iconic. For example, while the New Shepard rocket the women traveled in doesn’t carry a separate emblem, it features the company’s name, Blue Origin, in bold letters along the side. Passengers wear personalized flight suits, pose for preflight photos and receive mission patches or certificates, all designed to echo the rituals of professional space missions. What’s being sold is an “astronaut-for-a-day” experience: emotionally powerful, visually compelling and rich with symbolism. But under tourism classifications, these travelers are space tourists—participants in a curated, short-duration excursion. Representation and marketing experience The image from the Blue Origin flight of six women boarding a rocket was framed as a symbolic victory—a girl-power moment designed for visibility and celebration—but it was also carefully curated. This wasn’t the first time women entered space. Since its inception, NASA has selected 61 women as astronaut candidates, many of them making groundbreaking contributions to space science and exploration. Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir not only entered space—they trained as astronauts and contributed significantly to science, engineering and long-duration missions. Their journeys marked historic achievements in space exploration rather than curated moments in tourism. Recognizing their legacy is important as commercial spaceflight creates new kinds of unique, tailored experiences, ones shaped more by media performance than by scientific milestones. The Blue Origin flight was not a scientific mission but rather was framed as a symbolic event. In tourism, companies, marketers and media outlets often create these performances to maximize their visibility. SpaceX has taken a similar approach with its Inspiration4 mission, turning a private orbital flight into a global media event complete with a Netflix documentary and emotional storytelling. The Blue Origin flight sold a feeling of progress while blending the roles between astronaut and guest. For Blue Origin, the symbolic value was significant. By launching the first all-female crew into suborbital space, the company was able to claim a historic milestone—one that aligned them with inclusion—without the cost, complexity or risk associated with a scientific mission. In doing so, they generated enormous media attention. Tourism education and media literacy In today’s world, space travel is all about the story that gets told about the flight. From curated visuals to social media posts and press coverage, much of the experience’s meaning is shaped by marketing and media. Understanding that process matters—not just for scholars or industry insiders, but for members of the public, who follow these trips through the narratives produced by the companies’ marketing teams and media outlets. Another theory in tourism studies describes how destinations evolve over time—from exploration, to development, to mass adoption. Many forms of tourism begin in an exploration phase, accessible only to the wealthy or well connected. For example, the Grand Tour of Europe was once a rite of passage for aristocrats. Its legacy helped shape and develop modern travel. Right now, space tourism is in the exploration stage. It’s expensive, exclusive and available only to a few. There’s limited infrastructure to support it, and companies are still experimenting with what the experience should look like. This isn’t mass tourism yet, it’s more like a high-profile playground for early adopters, drawing media attention and curiosity with every launch. Advances in technology, economic shifts and changing cultural norms can increase access to unique destinations that start as out of bounds to a majority of tourists. Space tourism could be the next to evolve this way in the tourism industry. How it’s framed now—who gets to go, how the participants are labeled and how their stories are told—will set the tone moving forward. Understanding these trips helps people see how society packages and sells an inspirational experience long before most people can afford to join the journey. Betsy Pudliner is an associate professor of hospitality and technology innovation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. This week, Zillow economists published their updated 12-month forecast, projecting that U.S. home prices—as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index—will fall by 0.9% between April 2025 and April 2026. After a series of downward revisions—beginning in January, when Zillow’s 12-month national home price forecast was +2.9%, and subsequently lowered each month until reaching -1.7% last month—Zillow has finally stopped downgrading its outlook. That said, it’s fair to call the Zillow economist bearish, given that for this forecast to be correct, 2025 would mark the first calendar-year home price decline since 2011. Why did Zillow downgrade its forecast for national home prices so many times this year? “The rise in [active] listings is fueling softer price growth, as greater supply provides more options and more bargaining power for buyers,” Zillow economists wrote in March. “Potential buyers are opting to remain renters for longer as affordability challenges suppress demand for home purchases.” Zillow thinks strained housing affordability—caused by U.S. home prices rising over 40% during the pandemic housing boom and mortgage rates spiking from 3% to 6% in 2022—is weighing on price growth. “Affordability is still challenging buyers. A mortgage payment on a typical home in March required about 35.3% of median household income nationwide when using a 20% down payment,” wrote Zillow chief economist Skylar Olsen last month. “That’s a slight improvement over last year, but is still unaffordable. Spending more than 30% of income on housing is considered a financial burden, and a 20% down payment is a steep entry fee, coming out to about $72,000 on the typical U.S. home.” According to Zillow’s home price model, the listing site also believes that weakening and softening housing markets across the Sun Belt will weigh on nationally aggregated home prices this year. Among the 300 largest U.S. metro area housing markets, Zillow expects the strongest home price appreciation between April 2025 and April 2026 to occur in these 10 areas: Atlantic City, NJ: 3.2% Kingston, NY: 2.6% Torrington, CT: 2.4% Knoxville, TN: 2.3% Rochester, NY: 2.2% Syracuse, NY: 2.0% Vineland, NJ: 2.0% Fayetteville, AR: 1.9% Concord, NH: 1.9% Hilton Head Island, SC: 1.8% And these are the 10 housing markets where Zillow expects the weakest home price appreciation over that time period: Houma, LA: -10.2% Lake Charles, LA: -8.4% Alexandria, LA: -7.5% New Orleans, LA: -7.1% Lafayette, LA: -7.0% Shreveport, LA: -6.9% Beaumont, TX: -6.2% Midland, TX: -6.1% Monroe, LA: -5.5% Odessa, TX: -5.3% Below is what the current year-over-year rate of home price growth looks like for single-family and condo home prices. Florida is currently the epicenter of housing market weakness right now. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. For anyone looking for a straightforward, budget laptop for school, writing, or browsing, this open-box Microsoft Surface Laptop SE sale is worth a look. It’s priced at $189.99 right now on StackSocial, down from its original $378.99 listing. Even Amazon has it for about $20 more at the moment. Being an open-box item means you're not getting the out-of-the-plastic wrap experience—these units were likely returned, displayed, or pulled from shelves—so the box might be bruised or have a sticker or two, but the product itself is tested, verified, repackaged, and it still comes with a one-year warranty. This 11.6-inch model runs on the Intel Celeron N4120 chip and comes preloaded with Windows 11 SE—a version of the OS designed for school environments. It's lightweight and compact, making it ideal for students or anyone looking for something they can carry around all day. The screen isn’t high-res and you’re not getting a touchscreen here, but for folks who don’t need that and prefer typing on a traditional keyboard, it does the job. Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours, which sounds great on paper, though real-world use is probably a few hours shy of that if you’ve got multiple tabs or videos going. It's not a powerhouse, but with 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD, it should hold up fine for most basic tasks like video calls, typing assignments, or streaming. That said, it’s not ideal for anyone needing apps outside the Microsoft Store or planning to multitask heavily. You’re not getting premium design or high-end specs, but you are getting a lightweight, functional machine with solid battery life and basic performance. For under $200, that’s not a bad trade-off. View the full article

Profits for Big Four firm come in ‘below our original plan’, says internal memoView the full article

President tells members of congress they will face significant increase in taxes if they fail to pass the legislation View the full article

DoorDash has announced the launch of its new Preferred Integrations Program (DPIP), a tool designed to help restaurants make better-informed decisions about their technology partners. The program, unveiled on May 19, gives merchants clearer visibility into how well different point-of-sale (POS) and middleware providers perform on the DoorDash platform, aiming to streamline tech selection and improve restaurant operations. According to DoorDash, DPIP is part of its larger effort to support restaurant partners by offering increased operational transparency. The program highlights high-performing providers based on real-time metrics and available features that directly affect restaurant workflows. “We created the DoorDash Preferred Integrations Program to make life easier for restaurants,” said Ruth Isenstadt, Head of U.S. Restaurants at DoorDash. “Merchants have told us that choosing the right tech partner can be overwhelming, especially when trying to understand which integrations will work best for their store, team, and customers. Whether you’re a single-store location, or a growing brand, we want every merchant to feel confident in the decisions they make and to know they’re supported by a reliable, high-performing integration provider.” To earn the Preferred status, integration partners must meet stringent performance benchmarks, including maintaining order and error rates below 1%, as well as offering key features. These include self-serve onboarding, real-time menu synchronization, live item availability, and order ready notifications, all of which are intended to streamline order processing and improve customer service. The initial list of 2025 Preferred Integration Partners includes: Checkmate Chowly ChowNow Deliverect Otter PAR Qu Square Stream Toast UrbanPiper These companies represent what DoorDash calls some of the most reliable integration providers currently available on its platform. The DPIP not only aims to save time for restaurant operators but also to promote partnerships that drive efficiency and accuracy. DoorDash says the program will continue to evolve in real time, expanding its list of recognized providers as more companies meet or exceed performance expectations. Merchants can explore and compare integration providers through DoorDash’s integrations resource hub, which also includes information on tools like POS Order Manager, allowing restaurants to manage DoorDash orders within their existing POS systems. DoorDash emphasized that the program was developed in close collaboration with its integration partners and shaped by direct feedback from merchants. The company sees this as a proactive step toward simplifying complex tech decisions for restaurants of all sizes. This article, "DoorDash Launches Preferred Integrations Program to Help Restaurants Choose Better Tech Partners" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

DoorDash has announced the launch of its new Preferred Integrations Program (DPIP), a tool designed to help restaurants make better-informed decisions about their technology partners. The program, unveiled on May 19, gives merchants clearer visibility into how well different point-of-sale (POS) and middleware providers perform on the DoorDash platform, aiming to streamline tech selection and improve restaurant operations. According to DoorDash, DPIP is part of its larger effort to support restaurant partners by offering increased operational transparency. The program highlights high-performing providers based on real-time metrics and available features that directly affect restaurant workflows. “We created the DoorDash Preferred Integrations Program to make life easier for restaurants,” said Ruth Isenstadt, Head of U.S. Restaurants at DoorDash. “Merchants have told us that choosing the right tech partner can be overwhelming, especially when trying to understand which integrations will work best for their store, team, and customers. Whether you’re a single-store location, or a growing brand, we want every merchant to feel confident in the decisions they make and to know they’re supported by a reliable, high-performing integration provider.” To earn the Preferred status, integration partners must meet stringent performance benchmarks, including maintaining order and error rates below 1%, as well as offering key features. These include self-serve onboarding, real-time menu synchronization, live item availability, and order ready notifications, all of which are intended to streamline order processing and improve customer service. The initial list of 2025 Preferred Integration Partners includes: Checkmate Chowly ChowNow Deliverect Otter PAR Qu Square Stream Toast UrbanPiper These companies represent what DoorDash calls some of the most reliable integration providers currently available on its platform. The DPIP not only aims to save time for restaurant operators but also to promote partnerships that drive efficiency and accuracy. DoorDash says the program will continue to evolve in real time, expanding its list of recognized providers as more companies meet or exceed performance expectations. Merchants can explore and compare integration providers through DoorDash’s integrations resource hub, which also includes information on tools like POS Order Manager, allowing restaurants to manage DoorDash orders within their existing POS systems. DoorDash emphasized that the program was developed in close collaboration with its integration partners and shaped by direct feedback from merchants. The company sees this as a proactive step toward simplifying complex tech decisions for restaurants of all sizes. This article, "DoorDash Launches Preferred Integrations Program to Help Restaurants Choose Better Tech Partners" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Americans largely agree that women have made significant gains in the workplace over the past two decades. But what about men? While many Americans believe women are thriving, over half believe men’s progress has stalled or even reversed. To make matters more complex, recent research has revealed a massive divide along gender and partisan lines. The majority of Republican men think full gender equity in America has been achieved, while the majority of Democratic women think there’s still work to be done. As researchers at the Rutgers Center for Women in Business, we think this divide matters a lot. And for business leaders, this gap isn’t just a social or political issue. It’s a leadership challenge with direct implications for team cohesion and morale. If gender equity efforts are seen by some employees as a loss rather than a collective gain, leaders risk inadvertently entrenching division. When equity feels like a loss Efforts to advance gender equity often come with the reassurance that equality isn’t a zero-sum game—that women’s advancement need not come at men’s expense. Data backs this up, showing, for example, that having gender-diverse executive teams can boost company profits by as much as 21%. Yet workers’ perceptions of gender equity efforts tell another story. For example, 61% of Americans believe changing gender norms have made it easier for women to be successful at work, but only 36% say the same for men. What’s more, 61% of men think women have equal job opportunities, but only 33% of women believe the same thing. These differences reveal an important truth: Perception, not policy alone, shapes how equity efforts are received. Involving men in the equity conversation Research suggests men and women associate power with different psychological outcomes. Men are more likely to associate power with control, while for women, power is more often linked to a feeling of freedom. As a result, efforts to share power may feel more liberating to women but destabilizing to men—particularly to those already in power. But this doesn’t mean one’s gain needs to come at another’s expense—just that people make sense of change through the lens of their own identities and experiences. When men perceive progress for women as a threat to their status or opportunity, resistance grows, even in the face of data suggesting otherwise. This cycle becomes especially difficult to break because it requires challenging one’s own beliefs, which isn’t always easy. This is why learning about others’ experiences is so useful. For example, a man and a woman might be equally ambitious and capable, but perhaps only one of them experiences being routinely interrupted in meetings. These differences in personal history and lived experience shape how work environments are interpreted and therefore navigated. Understanding this diversity of perspectives and discussing lived experiences can help gender equity efforts become more effective. Building a truly equitable future requires acknowledging that feelings about efforts required to reach that future may differ widely. With that in mind, here are some best practices for leaders to consider as they navigate the changing landscape. Preparing for differences in perspective Avoid zero-sum thinking. If men think gender equity efforts will erode their opportunities or diminish their own power, they’ll disengage. Leaders should instead frame equity as essential to team and business success—and ground conversations in metrics that show how inclusion drives outcomes. Know that the stakes may vary. Women may see gender equity as a matter of justice or even survival, and when stakes are existential, compromise can be difficult. At the same time, they may experience organizational progress toward gender equity as a personal win. Publicizing these changes and their mutually beneficial gains can help to create a more cohesive team where everyone can thrive. Be aware that different clocks are ticking. Some men may view change as happening too quickly, destabilizing established norms. Women, on the other hand, may feel progress is too slow, given centuries of systemic inequity. Holding both views as worthy of respect requires teamwork. Encourage dialogue where the goal is mutual understanding rather than unity. Building coalitions around shared experiences Promote policies that benefit everyone. By promoting policies such as hybrid work and parental leave that benefit everyone, workplaces will attract and retain a more diverse workforce, which leads to greater innovation. Encourage men to take advantage of these policies and ensure your company culture makes it acceptable to do so. This enables men to actually experience the benefit of these initiatives. Align efforts around shared values—such as the desire for healthier families, better education or stronger economies. Use both/and thinking. Supporting men who express fears about status loss can open space for dialogue. Provide that space. At the same time, acknowledge the ongoing struggles women continue to face and their fears about workplaces returning to “the way they used to be.” One viewpoint does not need to negate the other. Prioritize lived experience. Rather than insisting that everyone see gender equity the same way, find ways for men to experience mutually beneficial initiatives. Then, encourage dialogue about experiences rather than ideas. Bridge divides with dialogue Mixed mentorship matters. Pairing employees with mentors of different backgrounds—across gender, race, age, department or seniority level—can help them cultivate curiosity and learn from one another. Activate resource groups. Groups focused on cross-cultural engagement provide employees with a platform to discuss challenges, share experiences and collaborate on inclusion initiatives. Additionally, encouraging allies to participate in employee resource groups and business resource groups fosters increased openness and understanding. Leaders can support groups by providing resources, visibility and executive sponsorship. Embrace discomfort. In general, people work to avoid feeling uncomfortable. However, discomfort is often necessary for growth. Starting with this premise and encouraging thoughtful, open and honest discussions about sensitive topics and potential fears can help foster transparency and build trust. Leaders can facilitate these conversations through town halls, roundtable discussions or dedicated dialogue sessions. Progress depends not just on metrics and policies but on trust, communication and humility. When people feel seen and heard—whether they’re feeling empowered or uncertain—they’re more likely to engage. In other words, the real opportunity isn’t to win an argument about whether gender equity is “done,” but to build organizations where everyone can see a future for themselves in the workplace—and feel as if they have a role in shaping it. Colleen Tolan is a postdoctoral researcher for the Center for Women in Business at Rutgers University. Lisa Kaplowitz is an associate professor and the executive director at the Center for Women in Business at Rutgers University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

JCPenney said it will close seven stores this weekend in California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and West Viriginia, according to USA Today, and will be running sales in those locations up until Sunday, May 25. It’s the latest set of JCPenney store closures since the long-struggling retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in May 2020 during the pandemic (it announced later that year it would close 200 of its 850 stores). The chain was then purchased by property managers Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management. Fast Company has reached out to JCPenney for comment. Which JCPenney store locations are closing? A JCPenney spokesperson told USA Today the following seven stores will close this Sunday, May 25: The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno, California The Shops At Northfield in Denver, Colorado Pine Ridge Mall in Pocatello, Idaho West Ridge Mall in Topeka, Kansas Fox Run Mall in Newington, New Hampshire Asheville Mall in Asheville, North Carolina Charleston Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia In February, JCPenney said it would be closing a “handful” of stores by mid-2025, but did not disclose which ones. The news came just one month after the retailer announced it was partnering with Forever 21 to create a new company, Catalyst Brands, in a merger that would also include Brooks Brothers, Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, Nautica, and Eddie Bauer. (JCPenney said the closures were unrelated.) The iconic department store chain, like many major retailers, has been struggling in recent years as American consumer foot traffic decreases and more shoppers go online. This, coupled with increasing prices, inflation, and the high cost of living, have led many retailers to file for bankruptcy or initiate waves of store closings. Some have even gone out of business, including: Joann fabrics, Macy’s, Party City, Big Lots, Walgreens, and 7-Eleven. View the full article

A fintech company called Slash offers business banking accounts tailored to the needs of specific kinds of entrepreneurs. Slash provides business checking accounts with funds held at FDIC-insured banks, detailed spending analytics dashboards, free or low-cost wire and ACH transfers, easy access to lending options, and unlimited virtual cards. These cards can be configured with specific spending limits, merchants, and merchant categories to prevent unauthorized or erroneous employee purchases. That control, along with metadata from Slash’s integrations with popular accounting platforms, makes it easier for bookkeepers to classify transactions. The company also offers a range of add-ons built for particular industries—something like an app store for banking—designed to address the unique pain points of different types of businesses. “The insight behind Slash is the work that an accountant [does] at a construction company, or a marketing agency, or a property manager looks very, very different from one another,” says CEO Victor Cardenas. Marketing agencies, for example, often take money from clients to spend on platforms like Google and Facebook. Traditionally, they would use a single business checking account and rely on internal systems to track how much was received, how much had been spent, and when to request more funds. With Slash, agencies can create virtual accounts for each client, allowing both parties to see the remaining balance. They can even trigger automatic billing for more marketing funds—plus the agency fee—when the balance runs low. The approach is popular: Slash reports that more than 1% of global ad spending on Facebook is conducted using a Slash card. “We basically make it much easier for agencies to put their accounts receivable on autopilot,” Cardenas says. Other industries have their own challenges. Contractors in fields like plumbing or HVAC often give technicians credit cards for fueling up, but want to prevent personal purchases—even inside gas stations. Slash enables businesses to restrict cards to fuel purchases only and ties each transaction to a specific driver or vehicle. “We can make it so an owner can basically say, I want this card to only be able to be used to buy gas at the pump and not inside of the station,” Cardenas says. “And then we get data at the time of clearing of the transaction around the actual fuel grade, what the kind of fuel was, and we’re able to pass that on and show that to our customers.” Other users include online travel agents, who generate virtual cards to pay hotels and vendors. For businesses dealing with cryptocurrency, Slash enables sending and receiving stablecoin payments—without needing a separate crypto platform. Slash also offers an API that lets customers build custom dashboards, trigger payments through internal systems, or, in the case of e-commerce marketplaces, automatically transfer funds to vendors when goods are sold. Cardenas says the rise of AI-powered coding tools has allowed Slash to rapidly release features tailored to different industries. The company started in 2021 with a focus on sole proprietors, but pivoted in late 2023 to serve larger businesses in specific verticals. On Tuesday, it announced a $41 million Series B funding round, valuing the company at $370 million. Thanks to AI, Slash can now ship features at a pace that would have been difficult just a few years ago, while leveraging its existing banking infrastructure and relationships. “It’s becoming trivial to build software, but it’s not trivial to stand up a card issuing and banking program,” Cardenas says. “And so while we’re ahead, we want to build solutions for as many industries as quickly as possible.” View the full article

In 1918, as World War I intensified overseas, the U.S. government embarked on a radical experiment: It quietly became the nation’s largest housing developer, designing and constructing more than 80 new communities across 26 states in just two years. These weren’t hastily erected barracks or rows of identical homes. They were thoughtfully designed neighborhoods, complete with parks, schools, shops and sewer systems. In just two years, this federal initiative provided housing for almost 100,000 people. Few Americans are aware that such an ambitious and comprehensive public housing effort ever took place. Many of the homes are still standing today. But as an urban planning scholar, I believe that this brief historic moment—spearheaded by a shuttered agency called the United States Housing Corporation—offers a revealing lesson on what government-led planning can achieve during a time of national need. Government mobilization When the U.S. declared war against Germany in April 1917, federal authorities immediately realized that ship, vehicle and arms manufacturing would be at the heart of the war effort. To meet demand, there needed to be sufficient worker housing near shipyards, munitions plants and steel factories. So on May 16, 1918, Congress authorized President Woodrow Wilson to provide housing and infrastructure for industrial workers vital to national defense. By July, it had appropriated US$100 million—approximately $2.3 billion today—for the effort, with Secretary of Labor William B. Wilson tasked with overseeing it via the U.S. Housing Corporation. Over the course of two years, the agency designed and planned over 80 housing projects. Some developments were small, consisting of a few dozen dwellings. Others approached the size of entire new towns. For example, Cradock, near Norfolk, Virginia, was planned on a 310-acre site, with more than 800 detached homes developed on just 100 of those acres. In Dayton, Ohio, the agency created a 107-acre community that included 175 detached homes and a mix of over 600 semidetached homes and row houses, along with schools, shops, a community center and a park. Designing ideal communities Notably, the Housing Corporation was not simply committed to offering shelter. Its architects, planners and engineers aimed to create communities that were not only functional but also livable and beautiful. They drew heavily from Britain’s late-19th century Garden City movement, a planning philosophy that emphasized low-density housing, the integration of open spaces and a balance between built and natural environments. National Archives Importantly, instead of simply creating complexes of apartment units, akin to the public housing projects that most Americans associate with government-funded housing, the agency focused on the construction of single-family and small multifamily residential buildings that workers and their families could eventually own. This approach reflected a belief by the policymakers that property ownership could strengthen community responsibility and social stability. During the war, the federal government rented these homes to workers at regulated rates designed to be fair, while covering maintenance costs. After the war, the government began selling the homes—often to the tenants living in them— through affordable installment plans that provided a practical path to ownership. National Archives Though the scope of the Housing Corporation’s work was national, each planned community took into account regional growth and local architectural styles. Engineers often built streets that adapted to the natural landscape. They spaced houses apart to maximize light, air and privacy, with landscaped yards. No resident lived far from greenery. In Quincy, Massachusetts, for example, the agency built a 22-acre neighborhood with 236 homes designed mostly in a Colonial Revival style to serve the nearby Fore River Shipyard. The development was laid out to maximize views, green space and access to the waterfront, while maintaining density through compact street and lot design. At Mare Island, California, developers located the housing site on a steep hillside near a naval base. Rather than flatten the land, designers worked with the slope, creating winding roads and terraced lots that preserved views and minimized erosion. The result was a 52-acre community with over 200 homes, many of which were designed in the Craftsman style. There was also a school, stores, parks and community centers. Infrastructure and innovation Alongside housing construction, the Housing Corporation invested in critical infrastructure. Engineers installed over 649,000 feet of modern sewer and water systems, ensuring that these new communities set a high standard for sanitation and public health. Attention to detail extended inside the homes. Architects experimented with efficient interior layouts and space-saving furnishings, including foldaway beds and built-in kitchenettes. Some of these innovations came from private companies that saw the program as a platform to demonstrate new housing technologies. One company, for example, designed fully furnished studio apartments with furniture that could be rotated or hidden, transforming a space from living room to bedroom to dining room throughout the day. To manage the large scale of this effort, the agency developed and published a set of planning and design standards—the first of their kind in the United States. These manuals covered everything from block configurations and road widths to lighting fixtures and tree-planting guidelines. National Archives The standards emphasized functionality, aesthetics and long-term livability. Architects and planners who worked for the Housing Corporation carried these ideas into private practice, academia and housing initiatives. Many of the planning norms still used today, such as street hierarchies, lot setbacks and mixed-use zoning, were first tested in these wartime communities. And many of the planners involved in experimental New Deal community projects, such as Greenbelt, Maryland, had worked for or alongside Housing Corporation designers and planners. Their influence is apparent in the layout and design of these communities. A brief but lasting legacy With the end of World War I, the political support for federal housing initiatives quickly waned. The Housing Corporation was dissolved by Congress, and many planned projects were never completed. Others were incorporated into existing towns and cities. Yet, many of the neighborhoods built during this period still exist today, integrated in the fabric of the country’s cities and suburbs. Residents in places such as Aberdeen, Maryland; Bremerton, Washington; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Watertown, New York; and New Orleans may not even realize that many of the homes in their communities originated from a bold federal housing experiment. Google Street View The Housing Corporation’s efforts, though brief, showed that large-scale public housing could be thoughtfully designed, community oriented and quickly executed. For a short time, in response to extraordinary circumstances, the U.S. government succeeded in building more than just houses. It constructed entire communities, demonstrating that government has a major role and can lead in finding appropriate, innovative solutions to complex challenges. At a moment when the U.S. once again faces a housing crisis, the legacy of the U.S. Housing Corporation serves as a reminder that bold public action can meet urgent needs. Eran Ben-Joseph is a professor of landscape architecture and urban planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

With the weather warming up, your thoughts may be turning to spending lazy summer afternoons at the beach with a good book. Tina, an online creator and co-host of the podcast Book Talk, Etc., opened her edition of the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday to find the newspaper's "Summer reading list for 2025." If Tina were me, someone who isn't in-tune with the latest in literature, this article might have seemed like a useful jumping-off point for some new book recommendations. But seeing as Tina creates content all about books, I imagine she is acutely aware of which authors are writing which books—which is why she was able to immediately spot a number of books on the list that simply do not exist. Tina took a photo of the article and posted it to her Threads account, accusing the newspaper of using AI to generate its recommendations. That image of the article is now circulating on Bluesky, as well as the Chicago subreddit. I'm not a subscriber, and the article doesn't appear to be on the Sun-Times' website, so I can't verify the list myself. But based on the photograph, it doesn't look good for the Sun-Times. Of the 15 "books" on this summer reading list, only five are real books you can actually, you know, read: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan; Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter; Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury; Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman; and Atonement by Ian McEwan. Coincidentally, they are the last five books on the list, and are not new. The other 10 are totally made up, including such "hey, I'd read that" entries as The Last Algorithm, a new AI thriller from The Martian author Andy Weir; and Boiling Point, a smart-sounding story of environmental ethics by critical darling Rebecca Makki. Alas. Given these fake books have real authors attached to them, fans of those authors may believe their favorite writer has a new, intriguing novel out. Even if you have no idea who any of the named authors are, you might use this piece to head to your library or book store to get a jump on your summer reading list—and if you're pulling from the first 10 recommendations, you're going to be looking for a long time. What happened here?Like I said, this article does not appear on the Chicago Sun-Times' website, nor does it appear in the archives for May 18 (the date on the image in question). I'm only working off of Tina's picture of a physical copy of the newspaper, since I can't find another image of it anywhere online. Hopefully, another reader can upload their copy as supporting evidence. If this list is real, and it was published in the Sunday edition of the Sun-Times, it does strongly suggest the newspaper used generative AI to write it. (I've reached out to the paper for comment, and will update this piece if I receive a response.) That's not just because the writing is stilted. AI often hallucinates, or, in other words, sometimes makes things up. It's not totally clear why the models do this—it could be an issue with the training data, or the conclusions the models draw from that training—but the problem is only getting worse even as AI models ostensibly improve. This isn't something you can avoid with better prompts, either: If you use generative AI, it's going to hallucinate sometimes, which means you need to check the outputs for inaccuracies (or straight-up lies). I follow that someone who doesn't understand this technology would see what a program like ChatGPT can do and want to use it to generate articles like this, but as many writers and artists have been arguing for years now, you can't replace a human worker with an AI chatbot and expect the same quality work. Sure, ChatGPT will happily generate you a list of 15 book recommendations in under a minute—but it's possible some (if not most) of those recommendations will be garbage. I don't believe in using generative AI to publish stories like this. But if a newspaper is going to outsource the writing to a bot, it needs a human fact-checker (or perhaps, I don't know, an editor) to review the generation and make sure everything is correct. Though at that point, I'd suggest just just paying a human writer to offer the book recommendations themself. I gaurantee you there are plenty of out-of-work or underemployed journalists who would jump at the chance. Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT for the synopsis of The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir. The bot searched the web for an answer, and, to its credit, accurately reported that the book doesn't actually exist. It made some assumptions, saying the Sun-Times definitely used AI to generate the article (though I suppose a very lazy intern who was hoping to be fired could have made up the books as well), likely because the social media posts it was pulling from suggested as much. But I also found its final thought to be particularly on-point (and accidentally self-aware): "This incident underscores the importance of verifying information, especially when AI-generated content is involved," ChatGPT wrote. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When I first reviewed the Boox Palma e-reader, I called it the ideal solution to your doomscrolling habit—a device as portable and pocketable as a phone, with an adaptable Android operating system that allows you to run any apps you want, but with an e-ink screen that is both easier on the eyes and not nearly as stimulating to stare at as your smartphone’s LED display. Weirdly, by looking like a smartphone but feeling just a little bit worse to use (complimentary), this little device helped me smash my 2025 reading goal in fewer than six months. But doomscrolling isn’t a mobile-only problem (at least, not for me)—it’s just as easy to get sucked into the latest political outrage when I’m scrolling Bluesky on my laptop via my web browser, never mind that I'm supposed to be writing. So I decided to take a cue from the Palma fans on Reddit and explore transforming my Palma into an on-the-go productivity device: a coffee shop-friendly word processor that wouldn’t leave me pretending to work while I was really scrolling social media or wandering down another Wiki-hole. To put it to the test, I decided I would write up my findings on the Palma itself—yes, I wrote this entire article on an e-reader. BOOX Palma 2 Mobile ePaper Fingerprint Recognition Smart Button Dual Speakers Microphones (White) $299.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $299.99 at Amazon iClever Foladable Bluetooth Keyboard $54.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $54.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg SEE -1 MORE How to turn your Boox Palma (or other Android e-reader) into a mini-word processorBecause the Palma runs on an open version of Android, using it as a replacement for your laptop is as simple as connecting a Bluetooth keyboard. (While the Palma is my favorite e-reader, you can use a similar setup on any open Android e-ink device—not just those from Boox, like the Note Air 4C and Note Max, but also from competitors like Bigme and Hisense.) In the interest of keeping my setup as svelte and portable as possible, I opted for the iClever BK08, a slim foldable that, when stored, is roughly the size and thickness of the Palma itself. It even has a trackpad and comes with a little cloth carrying case that has enough room to fit my favorite little e-reader. (Annoyingly, it does not fit the little foldable stand that comes with the keyboard.) Credit: Joel Cunningham Getting it set up was simply a matter of enabling Bluetooth on my Palma, putting the keyboard in pairing mode, and opening up Google Docs. (Well, and also spending five minutes looking for the setting to disable the onscreen keyboard when a physical keyboard is attached.) To do this on the Palma, you'll need to go into the system-level Settings app, scroll to More Settings, then tap Language and Input. Tap Current and select ONYX Keyboard as your default. Next, connect the keyboard via Bluetooth, open your Google Doc, and tap on the screen to bring up the onscreen keyboard. Tap the settings icon (it looks like a hexagon with a hole in the center) and then Switch Keyboard. Turn the slider next to Show virtual keyboard to off. (These directions will obviously vary if you're using a different Android-based e-reader, like the Bigme B751C, which I have yet to test out.) With this accomplished, you're all set to begin treating your e-reader like a teeny tiny laptop. What it's like to write on the Boox PalmaIf you’ve ever tried to search for something on your Kindle using the clunky onscreen keyboard, you might be expecting the experience of typing onto an e-ink screen would be a similar exercise in frustration. I had my own doubts, given I wasn’t thrilled with the performance of Boox’s own keyboard dock for the Note Max tablet I tested last year. But the iClever keyboard impressed me–the build quality feels good, it's small but not unreasonably so for shorter writing sessions, and it even has a small touch-sensitive trackpad that allowed me to click around within Google Docs (though to be honest, just using the touch screen is faster and easier). Performance-wise, I noticed no significant delay between pressing the keys and the characters appearing on the screen. To be fair, this likely has less to do with the keyboard (which is a sturdy little device, and fun to fold and unfold, but likely any Bluetooth keyboard will perform similarly) and more to do with Boox’s speedy refresh modes, which do their darnedest to make the Palma's e-ink screen as responsive as the LED on your smartphone. Do they get there? Kinda. Ish. If you put the Palma in “speed” mode, you can watch YouTube on the Palma and almost make out what’s happening onscreen. But typing is way less graphically intense, and as a word processor, this little e-reader is as speedy as you need it to be. The setup is great for writing without distractions: No intrusive notifications, no new tabs to click away to just for a second. Depending on how you configure your settings, the smaller display can also mean you'll only see a few lines of text at any given time, which can be a boon if you're the kind of person who gets caught up in obsessive on-the-fly editing: You'll be able to quickly get the words out, and leave the revisions for later, when you're back in front of a "real" computer. The biggest hiccup I experienced had nothing to do with the keyboard at all. For some reason, the Palma didn’t want to play nice with the free wifi at Starbucks. I could connect to it, but the popup menu where you agree to the terms of use kept crashing before I could enter my email address and click “agree.” One could argue this is a feature and not a bug—you can’t waste time online if you can’t get online—but I also wasn't able to back up my writing to the cloud without connecting to my iPhone's hotspot. The bottom lineAs fun and functional as I found this setup, I’m not suggesting you toss out your laptop in favor of an e-reader—full disclosure, I did not edit and insert the images into this review using the Palma, and I didn’t even bother trying to connect it to the Lifehacker CMS. But if you just want to be left alone with a blinking cursor, it’s kind of ideal. I wrote the preceding 1,000 words more or less in one go, without navigating away from Google Docs to check my email or respond to texts or a notification from Instagram, which is, er, not my usual workflow (no one tell my boss; I am very good at staying on task, I swear). View the full article

Crisis talks with regulator and government led to agreement to pause controversial payoutsView the full article

A humanoid robotics startup co-founded by prominent artificial-intelligence futurist Ray Kurzweil said on Tuesday that venture capital firm Gauntlet Ventures will back its $100 million Series B funding round. The company, Beyond Imagination, will be valued at $500 million, and venture capital firm Gauntlet Ventures will be the round’s sole investor. Kurzweil is known for popularizing the term “the singularity,” when he predicted two decades ago that by 2045, artificial intelligence would surpass human intelligence and embark on a path of accelerating self-enhancement. These ideas, which once seemed like science fiction, are now viewed as mainstream by many technologists. Beyond Imagination is co-founded by scientist, entrepreneur and filmmaker Harry Kloor. The company has developed a humanoid robot—the Beyond Bot—and accompanying AI models that it intends to deploy in industrial settings such as factories, pharmaceutical plants and chip manufacturing facilities, said Gauntlet Ventures co-founder Oliver Carmack. The company has been testing its robots and is now looking for large enterprises into which they can be deployed, Carmack said, adding that he chose to back Beyond Imagination because of its potential to revolutionize U.S. manufacturing and address the projected global shortage of skilled labor. Major tech companies including Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Tesla, alongside various startups, are rushing to make humanoid robots, and are betting that recent advances in AI will also lead to breakthroughs in robots and automation. In October last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that “a lot of progress” has been made with its humanoid robot, Optimus, which could perform many daily tasks. Progress on robots has been slow, however, as researchers have found that the language-related AI breakthroughs driving chatbot development have not necessarily helped with understanding of the physical world. Many companies are spending enormous sums to collect the real-world training data necessary to train models that can power robots. In addition to humanoid robots, Beyond Imagination is also developing Aura, which co-founder Kloor described as a universal operating system for intelligent manufacturing, allowing humans, robots and legacy machines to work together. Beyond Imagination has attracted an eclectic roster of advisers, including former Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and onetime Paramount Pictures chairman Jim Gianopulos. —Dawn Chmielewski and Anna Tong, Reuters View the full article

Women may be at a heightened risk for being edged out of their job (or having their duties change) due to AI. According to a new study, jobs disproportionately done by women, especially in higher income countries, are more steadily becoming automated. The joint study, which comes from the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) and Poland’s National Research Institute (NASK), was released today. It assessed the ways in which generative AI is reshaping the world, as well as how it changes the role of human beings. “We went beyond theory to build a tool grounded in real-world jobs. By combining human insight, expert review, and generative AI models, we’ve created a replicable method that helps countries assess risk and respond with precision,” said Pawel Gmyrek, ILO senior researcher and lead author, in a statement included in the study. How AI is changing jobs The report found that globally about one in four people have a job with generative AI exposure, meaning their jobs had the potential to be performed by AI. Researchers also found a significant contrast between how at-risk women’s jobs were versus men’s. They found that the jobs that had the greatest risk of being performed by AI made up 9.6% of female employment compared to just 3.5% of jobs typically held by men. Administrative tasks, most commonly performed in clerical jobs, were at the greatest risk, but jobs in media, software, and finance were also at notable risk, as well. The researchers noted that rather than AI taking over employees’ jobs completely, human roles will, more commonly, evolve with the technology. “We stress that such exposure does not imply the immediate automation of an entire occupation, but rather the potential for a large share of its current tasks to be performed using this technology,” the report explained. Shaping the future of work The study’s authors also noted that governments, social dialogue, and worker organizations will be important in determining AI’s growing impact on the workforce in the future. “This index helps identify where GenAI is likely to have the biggest impact, so countries can better prepare and protect workers,” said Marek Troszyński, one of the researchers and a senior expert at NASK. Still, when it comes to women’s work, it’s not the first bad news about the impact of AI. A 2025 report from the World Economic Forum and LinkedIn found that AI is making the gender gap worse. It showed that women are currently in fewer roles being augmented by AI, and more in those disrupted by the technology. Currently 33.7% of women work in occupations that are being disrupted, compared to just 25.5% of men. View the full article

There is a new landmark at the home of the Chicago White Sox—Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2. That’s where Father Bob—the future Pope Leo XIV—sat for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The White Sox unveiled a graphic installation Monday that pays tribute to the new pontiff and that moment during their last championship run. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie. The team also is planning to do something to commemorate the Rate Field seat the pope occupied during the 2005 World Series opener. “When people come into the ballpark, it’s an interesting piece of our history and they’re going to want to see it,” said Brooks Boyer, the chief executive and marketing officer for the White Sox. “So we’re going to be able to put something on that seat.” Robert Prevost became the first pope from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Church when he was elected on May 8. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo XIV, is a White Sox fan, according to his friends and family. Prevost attended the World Series opener with Schmit, a longtime season-ticket holder who died in 2020. The White Sox beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on their way to a four-game sweep for the title. Eddie Schmit, 25, who works in the family’s day-care business, described the future pope as a great guy and kindhearted. “A lot of this is about the White Sox. It should be more about what kind of guy the pope is,” Schmit said. “You look at some of the things he’s done with his missions, I mean it’s incredible. He’s been in places that are so poor, just trying to help other people.” Prevost and Schmit knew each other through their work at a Catholic high school on Chicago’s South Side, and Schmit’s son, Nick, remains the account holder for the pope’s World Series seat. Ed Schmit used to tell Father Bob he was going to be the next pope, Schmit’s daughter, Heidi Skokal, said. “Right around when my dad was passing, Father Bob made sure, he couldn’t be there, but made sure he spoke with him and everything,” an emotional Skokal said. “And he said, ‘Father Bob, Father Bob, I know you’re going to be the next pope. I may not be here to see it.’ And he goes, ‘But I’ll be definitely looking down.’ And I’m sure he is today.” The White Sox, who have struggled on the field in recent years, and their fans have embraced their connection to the new pope since he was elected. The team said it sent a jersey and a hat to the Vatican after the announcement. Some fans have been dressing as the pope for White Sox games, and there are several different T-shirts that celebrate the team’s most famous fan. “The pope absolutely has an open invite to come back,” Boyer said. “To come sit in Section 140, to throw out a first pitch. Heck, maybe we’ll let him get an at-bat.” AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb —Jay Cohen, AP Baseball Writer View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Tariffs on products being imported to the U.S., especially from China, Canada, and Mexico, have been a hotly debated topic in the news, and many people are predicting a hike in prices on things like tools and materials for DIY projects as the tariffs are enacted. There is a lot of conjecture about how to keep your home improvement and DIY projects prices down, with many commentators advising people to simply “buy American"—but that probably won’t work. The economy is increasingly international, with parts of almost everything made in the U.S. being imported from all over the world. Most tools made in the U.S., even from brands that have a reputation for being American-made, are actually “made in the USA from globally sourced parts,” meaning that at least some of the components of these tools are made elsewhere. A few exceptions to this rule exist, like Estwing hammers and hatchets, and Channellock, which makes a large selection of tools mostly in the U.S. from U.S.-sourced materials and parts. But most tools are affected at some point along the supply chain by tariffs on imported materials and parts. Because of an overall increase in the cost of manufacturing due to tariffs on things like fuel and electricity, as well as materials and parts, and a decrease in demand for American products abroad, manufacturing in the U.S. has slowed significantly over the last few months. As a result of this lull in activity and the lack of international demand for American goods, prices on tools made in the U.S. aren’t likely to be much cheaper than imported products. Whether companies are battling higher costs, lower demand for their products, or both, their prices won’t be going down as compared to other products as long as their business operates in the global economy. Here's what you can do if the prices get too high. Buy used toolsDon’t get me wrong: Estwing still makes my favorite hammer, and Klein still makes my favorite tool bag right here in the U.S., and I would never advise people not to buy these things; ultimately, the reason I like them isn’t because of tariffs but because they’re well-made and they last a long time. But if you want to save money in the economic storm caused by tariffs, consider buying used. Buying good-quality used tools is a better bet than buying low-quality new tools—they will likely last longer. For more information on how to identify quality used tools, read my article on buying tools from estate sales. Repair broken tools instead of buying new onesWhile parts might be more expensive because of tariffs, you can likely still save some money by fixing power tools when they break rather than replacing them. Sharpening saw blades for a table saw can range from $15 to about $50 per blade, which is much cheaper than replacing them, especially for specialty blades. If you have a tool with a power cord that has become worn, you can get a replacement cord for between $10 and $40, depending on the length and gauge. Even if you don’t feel comfortable replacing the cord yourself, the cost of having the repair done is likely still cheaper than buying a new drill press or bench sander. Join a makerspaceYou might be able to find a makerspace locally at a school, community center, or one that's run as its own business. Depending on the size and scope of the space, membership can cost anywhere from $10/month to $200/month and includes access to on-site tools for a variety of DIY projects. Some of these communal shops also have tools you can check out and take home. While the price of membership for some of these spaces can seem expensive, it's still likely cheaper than the cost of buying all the tools you would have access to, especially if you consider the cost of maintenance and electricity for some of the larger ones, like table saws. Rent your toolsWhile renting smaller power tools like drills and drivers might not be worth it—the minimum rental on those is around $27—larger tools like power washers, floor sanders, and tillers can be rented for between $80 and $90 per day. This is a significant savings on buying a large tool like this, but make sure to check your rental contract to see what's included. Sometimes you'll be responsible for providing sanding discs and other needed accessories for the rented tool. Auto repair stores like Autozone also sometimes have tools to loan out for a deposit, as long as you return the tools within the 90-day loan period. If you have a DIY project that only requires the use of a particular tool for a short period of time, this type of rental or loan can result in significant savings. Where to borrow toolsIf you want to avoid tariffs altogether, you can try borrowing tools through a local tool library or neighborhood swap group. This is by far the most tariff-resistant way to get your DIY projects done on a budget—and build community while you work. Tool libraries can often be a resource for more than just tools—they often host classes and repair workshops, too, making them a perfect place to start if you’re a DIY beginner or you just want to make some DIY friends. View the full article

Donald The President’s biggest donor has already pulled back from White House roleView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve been waiting for a chance to grab a MacBook without wrecking your budget, this refurbished 2020 M1 Apple MacBook Air deal is worth your time. It’s currently on sale for $499.99 on StackSocial, which is a huge drop from its original $1,499.99 price. Since it's a Grade "A" refurbished unit, it should arrive looking almost brand new, with little to no visible wear. You’re getting the 13.3-inch model in the Gold finish, with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD—pretty much the combo most people need for everyday work, casual creative projects, and lighter multitasking. The M1 chip is really what keeps this 2020 model relevant. Even though it's not the latest, it still handles tasks like browsing, document editing, and basic video or photo editing without breaking a sweat. Its battery life also holds up well, with about 15 to 18 hours on a single charge, depending on your usage. The fanless design means it's whisper-quiet even when you have a dozen tabs open or you’re running a marathon Zoom call. However, storage might feel a little tight if you’re into heavy media projects or like to hoard large files, and the 8GB RAM could start to show its limits if you run dozens of apps at once. One thing worth keeping in mind is that the port situation is basic—just two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and a headphone jack. You’ll probably need a dongle or hub if you regularly plug in USB-A accessories or an SD card. But in return, you get that lightweight, durable aluminum body, a crisp Retina display, and the Magic Keyboard. If you’re not chasing after the latest M3 or M4 upgrades and just want a solid MacBook for everyday tasks, this refurbished MacBook Air is hard to beat at this price. And for those who care about looks, the Gold finish definitely stands out without being too flashy. View the full article