Lithium-ion Batteries and Forever Chemicals Lithium-ion Batteries Have a Forever Chemical Problem Photo by Jens Büttner / picture alliance via Getty Images Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in everyday gadgets, electric vehicles, and to store renewable energy could be a growing source of the “forever chemicals” that pollute soil and waterways, new research suggests. “Forever chemicals” encompass thousands of different kinds of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). For decades, they’ve been used to make products more resistant to water, stains, and heat. More recently, a particular subclass of PFAS called bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs) has been used as electrolytes and binders in lithium-ion batteries. Those bis-FASIs are now showing up in soil, sediment, water, and snow surrounding manufacturing facilities, according to research published yesterday in the journal N... Continue reading… source: https://www.theverge.com/24194493/forever-chemicals-pfas-lithium-ion-ev-rechargeable-batteries

DOJ Seizes Russian 'Bot Farm' DOJ Seizes ‘Bot Farm’ Operated by the Russian Government Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it seized two domain names and more than 900 social media accounts it claims were part of an “AI-enhanced” Russian bot farm. Many of the accounts were designed to look like they belonged to Americans and posted content about the Russia-Ukraine war, including videos in which Russian President Vladimir Putin justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Justice Department claims that an employee of RT — Russia’s state media outlet — was behind the bot farm. RT’s leadership signed off on a plan to use the bot farm to “distribute information on a wide-scale basis,” amplifying the publication’s reach on social media,”…

The game is an oldie but goodie, especially with multiple people playing. | Screenshot: Nintendo If you have a sudden or anticipated need for Joy-Con replacements or additional controllers to supplement the pair that came with your Nintendo Switch, the ongoing Walmart Deals event is where you want to be. Until July 11th, the retailer is selling the red and blue Joy-Con bundled with a copy of Super Mario Party for $69 ($31 off). The Joy-Con controllers retail for about that much on their own, and the game is usually around $40 to $50 when it’s on sale, so the game is effectively free. Super Mario Party for Switch (the 11th in its long history, though there’s a newer title in Mario Party Superstars) offers four-player fun with 80 different…

The UK Politician Accused of Being AI is Actually a Real Person Mark Matlock, a political candidate for the right-wing Reform UK party, clarified in The Independent that he is a real person, not an AI bot, as some suspected. It all started with a glossy, hyper-smooth image of Matlock from his campaign. Combined with his apparent absence at several events, including a crucial election count, some began to question his very existence. Earlier this week, a thread on X questioned whether Matlock existed at all. "We might be on the verge of a HUGE SCANDAL," the post read. We might be on the verge of a HUGE SCANDAL. Suspicions have been raised that Reform have fielded election candidates that aren’t real people. Is there any evidence that Mark Matlock…

Best Deals from Walmart's Rival Prime Day Sale The Best Deals You Can Get from Walmart’s Rival Prime Day Sale The second-gen AirPods Pro are one of several Apple devices that have dropped to an all-time low ahead of Prime Day. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Amazon Prime Day may kick off on July 16th, but if you can’t wait or you’re not a Prime member, Walmart’s competing sales event is worth a look. Now until July 11th, the retailer is discounting a whole bunch of gadgets and goodies, from the latest AirPods Pro to the Nintendo Switch OLED. What’s more, Walmart is offering half-price yearlong Walmart Plus memberships ($49) throughout the sale, which grants you access to free delivery, a complimentary subscription to Paramount Plus, and…

The Pixel Watch 3 Could Get Ultra Wideband and a Brighter Screen The Pixel Watch 3 Could Get Ultra Wideband and a Brighter Screen Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Google’s Pixel Watch 3 may have a brighter 2,000-nit display with smaller bezels and an ultra wideband (UWB) chip, according to a new report from Android Authority. And it won’t just be a new display and chip — the Pixel Watch could be getting a battery boost, too. The rumored 45mm Pixel Watch will have a 420mAh battery, up from the 306mAh of last year’s watches, while the 41mm model will only get a 310mAh battery. Over the weekend, an FCC filing appeared to confirm a UWB chip for the Pixel Watch 3. (FCC documents shut down the…

The Highlight of Summer Games Done Quick Was a Very Good Dog Playing 16-Bit Baseball Summer Games Done Quick concluded over the weekend, raising $2.5 million for Doctors Without Borders. While the figure didn’t break any records, the speedrunning charity event hit a major milestone, reaching a lifetime total of over $50 million raised across all events and charities in its 10-plus-year history. With the general news out of the way, let’s talk about the highlight of the weeklong stream: a shiba inu named Peanut Butter. You may remember him. He was a major highlight of Awesome Games Done Quick 2024, when he became the first dog to participate, running Gyromite with the assistance of his owner, JSR, and a custom controller. Peanut Butter and JSR completed the run remotely,…

There’s an AMD Ryzen 7 PC Hiding Inside This Folding Keyboard There’s an AMD Ryzen 7 PC Hiding Inside This Folding Keyboard You can fit this PC in your pocket. Headless portable PCs packing everything except a display are growing in popularity among enthusiasts who don’t want to settle for a laptop they can’t easily upgrade — and now Chinese manufacturer Linglong is taking things further with this folding keyboard PC. Tom’s Hardware points to a presentation posted by the company showing the tiny PC that’s reminiscent of the folding wireless keyboards that were popular with PDAs like the PalmPilot. But this one’s quite a bit thicker, with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor, 16GB or 32GB of RAM, up to 1TB of SSD storage, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity all…

Google’s Dark Web Monitoring Service Will Soon Be Free for All Users Google’s Dark Web Monitoring Service Will Soon Be Free for All Users Illustration: The Verge Since last year, Google has monitored dark web leaks of stolen account information for Google One subscribers, such as phone numbers and physical addresses. But, starting later this month, Google’s dark web reports will be available to anyone with a Google account. According to a Google support page about the transition, the free service will be part of Google’s “results about you” page. This is where you can currently check for information Google has indexed that contains personal contact info like your home address, phone number, or email address and request it be removed so that it doesn’t surface in search results. Google…

HP Is Ditching Its Bait-and-Switch Printer DRM — But Only for LaserJets Last May, I told you how HP’s bestselling printer can lock you to the company’s own subscription ink for life, with no way to cancel, with its dastardly HP Plus scheme. But HP has decided to remove those shackles from future laser printers, at least. “We will no longer be offering HP+ on any LaserJet series products moving forward,” spokesperson Nick Lucido tells The Verge. Druckerchannel reports that HP is also quietly discontinuing all of its budget “e”-series LaserJet printers that straight-up mandated an HP Plus subscription, and HP confirms it’s discontinuing its Instant Ink subscription for laser printer toner as well. (Existing customers shouldn’t be affected.) But HP’s e-series inkjet printers (like the one I wrote about)…