### Volvo Teams Up with Aurora to Unveil Production-Ready Autonomous Semi Truck  In a significant milestone towards the future of autonomous transportation, Volvo has unveiled its first “production-ready” self-driving truck, developed in collaboration with Aurora, the autonomous driving technology company founded by veterans from Google, Uber, and Tesla. #### A New Era for Long-Haul Transportation The new autonomous truck is based on Volvo’s VNL, a Class 8 semi designed specifically for long-haul cargo transportation. What sets this truck apart is its incorporation of an advanced array of sensors and cameras, all designed to integrate seamlessly with Aurora’s Level 4 autonomous driving system. Level 4 autonomy means that the truck can operate without any human intervention, a groundbreaking step towards fully autonomous road transport. #### Purpose-Built for Autonomy…

## The Best Deals on MacBooks Right Now  *Some of the latest M3 MacBooks are on sale, and you can find great discounts on older models, too. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge* Purchasing a new MacBook can be quite an investment, but getting your hands on a high-quality Apple laptop doesn’t have to break the bank. With Apple's continuous innovation in its M-series chips, there are various models available across different price points—all promising a seamless and powerful user experience. ### A Range of Options: M-Series MacBooks Apple’s own M-series chips have significantly boosted the performance and efficiency of the MacBooks. The recently unveiled M3 MacBook Air has already begun to make waves with its top-tier performance. While the newer models boast advanced features,…

# How Belle Delphine's Bathwater Went Viral — And How PayPal Held Her $90K Profits In the whirlwind world of internet stardom, few names have made as peculiar an impact as Belle Delphine. The adult content creator and model struck viral gold in 2019 by selling jars of her bathwater, a stunt that earned her widespread notoriety and, more tangibly, a staggering $90,000 in profits. Yet, the tale didn't end happily — at least not at first. ## The Viral Sensation Belle Delphine, whose real name is Mary-Belle Kirschner, became a household name virtually overnight. The internet was abuzz with her quirky, unconventional marketing strategy of selling her bathwater to fans. It was the kind of bizarre novelty that perfectly epitomized the realm of internet culture, and it paid off…

## Scarlett Johansson Takes a Stand Against OpenAI's Unauthorized Use of Her Voice *Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images* In an unexpected turn of events, renowned actress Scarlett Johansson finds herself at the center of an AI-related controversy. According to a recent statement given to NPR, Johansson revealed that OpenAI approached her with an offer to become the voice behind their leading language model, ChatGPT. Upon her refusal, the company, undeterred, allegedly went ahead and created a voice eerily similar to hers. Johansson shared that she initially received the proposition from Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, last September. Despite declining the offer, her agent was approached again just two days before OpenAI introduced the new ChatGPT voice, imploring her to reconsider. Refusing to relent, Johansson discovered that the…

# Apple’s Resurfaced Deleted Photos Bug: A Deep Dive Earlier today, Apple issued a fix in the latest updates of iOS and iPadOS 17.5.1. While patching buggy software is a routine occurrence, the underlying issue in this case is anything but routine. The fix “addresses a rare issue where photos that experienced database corruption could reappear in the Photos library even if they were deleted”—but that’s all Apple has disclosed about it.  In the iOS ecosystem, deleted photos typically linger for 30 days in the Recently Deleted folder before being completely erased. This temporary safety net is designed to allow users to recover photos if they change their minds. However, once a user decides to delete a photo, the expectation is crystal clear: the photo should stay deleted. So,…

### OpenAI Engages With Scarlett Johansson Over AI Voice Misrepresentation Concerns --- **By [Your Name]** ---  In a recent development that has captured widespread attention, OpenAI has initiated discussions with representatives of renowned actress Scarlett Johansson over concerns that one of their AI voices bears an uncanny resemblance to her own. ### The Controversy The issue emerged when OpenAI’s ChatGPT featured a default voice named Sky, which reportedly sounded remarkably similar to Johansson’s character in the film *Her*. In the movie, Johansson lends her voice to an intelligent AI assistant, a role characterized by its distinct sultry tone. This similarity has not gone unnoticed, leading to public and media scrutiny. ### OpenAI's Response “We’ve been in conversations with ScarJo’s team because there seems to be some confusion. We…

## Intel’s Lunar Lake Chips Are Set to Revolutionize AI PCs: A Game-Changer in the AI Space **Image: Intel** In an exciting development for tech enthusiasts and industry insiders, Intel has announced the release window for its highly anticipated Lunar Lake laptop processors. Slated for launch in the third quarter of this year, these cutting-edge x86 chips promise to usher in a new era of AI-driven functionalities in Copilot Plus PCs. ### Intel's Leap into AI-Powered PCs Today's announcement from Intel aligns perfectly with Microsoft's recent Surface and AI event, which showcased Microsoft’s commitment to integrating AI capabilities into its hardware. During the event, Microsoft highlighted the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips to power its next-generation Copilot Plus PCs, boasting high performance and enhanced battery life.…

## Samsung Launches Galaxy Book4 Edge with Free 50-Inch TV Offer  Microsoft unveiled a series of new Copilot Plus PCs at its Surface event on Monday, and among the highlights were Samsung's contributions—two 16-inch laptops and a 14-inch model, collectively known as the Galaxy Book4 Edge. Adding to the excitement, if you preorder any of these models today, Samsung will sweeten the deal with a free 50-inch TV. Yes, you read that right! ### The Galaxy Book4 Edge Overview The 14-inch Galaxy Book4 Edge starts at $1,349.99 and comes packed with impressive specs that will delight both professionals and tech enthusiasts. Here's a quick rundown of what you can expect: - **Processor:** It features a 12-core 3.4GHz Snapdragon X Elite processor, capable of hitting up to 4.0GHz with Dual-Core…

# All the Copilot Plus PCs Announced at Microsoft’s Surface Event  *Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge* Microsoft’s recent Surface event was more than just a showcase of Surface Pro and Surface Laptop updates. It also featured announcements about a range of Copilot Plus PCs from major OEMs, signaling a significant step in integrating AI across various hardware. Here’s a rundown of all the Copilot Plus PCs unveiled at the event. ## Acer Swift 14 AI A notable highlight from Acer was the **Swift 14 AI**. Unlike its predecessors, the Swift 14 AI stands out with its Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processor. Buyers can choose between the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip or the 10-core X Plus chip. It’s also equipped to handle up to 32GB…

# Where to Preorder Microsoft’s New Surface Laptop and Surface Pro **Microsoft’s 13.8-inch Surface Laptop starts at a cool $999.99. | Image: Microsoft** --- Does it feel like forever since the last time you laid eyes on a brand-new Surface laptop? Well, the wait is over. Microsoft's latest hardware event, held on Monday, introduced a slew of 2024 refreshes, including the newest versions of the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro aimed at consumers. Both devices are priced starting at $999.99 and are set to launch on June 18th. Microsoft has branded these new additions as Copilot Plus PCs, proudly stating that they are “the most powerful Windows PCs ever built.” Given this bold claim, it's exciting to see how these devices will be among the first to leverage Windows 11’s…