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Texas Governor Abbott blocks funding for more Flock cameras

As backlash grows over Flock's AI surveillance cameras, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen state spending on them. The move came just ahead of the publication of a Texas Tribune investigation that revealed the state spent over $30 million on Flock cameras. That money was primarily raised by tacking a $1 fee onto insurance policies, allegedly to help fight catalytic converter theft. Flock cameras have increasingly drawn ire from across the political spectrum as they've become the subject of privacy concerns. There have been multiple incidents of officers being placed on leave or criminally charged for misusing Flock systems, including at … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/1iDw9MW
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Chess.com launched a poker site and is planning even more classic games

Chess.com has done one thing, and one thing very well, for almost 20 years, but now it's going beyond its domain name. The biggest name in online chess quietly launched its first companion site in beta back in May: Gambit , a free online poker website where players can learn the game without risking any real money. Now Gambit's ready to really get the ball rolling with its first livestreamed event and collaborations with content creators, and Chess.com is planning to branch out into even more games from here. Chess.com's chief growth officer, Albert Cheng, told The Verge the company chose poker for its first companion site because, like ches … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Ghk145X
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Two new small, powerful Macs

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 142, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, how is it almost September already, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been remembering Dolly Parton , Tim Curry , and Peter Cullen , absorbing everything in Rockstar's big GTA VI preview , wondering if Apple will announce a foldable iPhone at its September event , getting sucked into Summoning Salt's latest speedrunning documentary about competitive Tetris , listening to Weird Al's new Tiny Desk concert ("The Saga Begins!"), and getting a Reuben from my favorite lo … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/fagP9ij
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Distraction-free writing gadget BYOK is adding custom extensions

BYOK is a no-frills, single-purpose gadget that 90 percent of people will find absolutely frivolous. But for those who spend a significant chunk of their lives putting words to virtual paper, there is an obvious allure. Personally, I think it's at its best when you just stick to the bare minimum, focusing on pure text drafting. Certain users, though, need more. They want BYOK to take notes, they want to use it for writing screenplays, or maybe they want to organize a sprawling novel. Balancing the wants and needs of these more demanding users has been a challenge that BYOK founder Nick Sjolinder has been trying to figure out how to tackle. … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/70qXFc3
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Welcome to Night Vale cocreator Joseph Fink learned storytelling from Grim Fandango 

10 out of 10 beard. | Photo: Ben Mekler Joseph Fink is the cocreator and cowriter of Welcome to Night Vale , arguably the most important fiction podcast ever. He's also the creator of the noir podcast Unlicensed and Alice Isn't Dead , which takes some of the conspiratorial cosmic horror of Night Vale and turns it into fodder for a more serious series about relationships, trauma, and the open road. There's also a sequel series out now called Don't Tell Alice that takes the story down an even darker path in which protagonist Keisha is the one with a secret. Joseph is also an accomplished author. In addition to co-writing the three Welcome to Night Vale novels, he's also penned the Al … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/W62D1sO
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The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is at its best when there’s friction

The Z Flip 8 is designed to be used shut more than ever before. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge What do you want from a flip phone when it's closed? A simple interface, perhaps notifications and a widget or two, for handling the basics? Or a fully fledged Android experience shrunk down for the Flip form factor? For years, Samsung has insisted on the former, even as some fans - and Razr rival Motorola - have pushed for the latter. With the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung has given in. Although the Z Flip 8's hardware is almost unchanged year-on-year, Samsung has fundamentally rethought how this phone is meant to be used when shut. The cover screen feels more like a regular Android phone, with easier access to the full versions of every single … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/loM21Is
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Musicians-turned-detectives are hunting for AI grifters

As audio-focused generative tools and platforms have gotten more sophisticated , the internet has become increasingly filled with AI-generated music whose melodies and vocals are algorithmically derived from the work of human artists. While some of the people pumping out this kind of content immediately own up to using AI , others have denied using the technology until increasing public scrutiny forced them to tell the truth . For musicians - especially those creating art in technologically-focused spaces like electronic dance music - the increasingly complicated question of what is "real" and what isn't feels particularly urgent and personal … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/1X2Uqfz
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