2026-08-16

Optima tackles AI benchmarking's biggest flaw by letting users test models against their own data

Artificial Analysis has launched Optima, a platform that lets users build custom AI benchmarks from their own data and workflows. Models can be compared not just on quality but also on cost and time per task. For agent-based applications, those metrics often tell you more than raw token pricing.<br /> The article Optima tackles AI benchmarking's biggest flaw by letting users test models [...]

2026-08-16

From styling your hair to drying your socks — 5 ways to use your portable fan in between heatwaves

Don't toss your fan in a drawer when the temperature eventually starts to drop a little — it can do so much more than just keep you cool. [...]

2026-08-16

Photoroom AI photo editor review: A one-click wonder for making product shots unmissable on your ecommerce store

With an emphasis on the pro-side of photo editing now, Photoroom is designed for anyone running an online business looking to make product images more enticing. [...]

2026-08-16

Want delicious lattes the easy way? I'm a certified barista, and these are the top 3 milk frothers I recommend for perfect results every time

Whether you prefer dairy or plant-based milk, an electric milk frother is your shortcut to perfect cappuccinos and lattes. [...]

2026-08-16

Anthropic's bio-weapons filter was down for nearly a year, exposing 133 million requests

In a safety report, Anthropic reveals that its internal filtering system for biological and chemical weapons risks was inactive for nearly a year. During that time, around 50,000 external feedback contractors ran about 133 million unfiltered interactions with the models.<br /> The article Anthropic's bio-weapons filter was down for nearly a year, exposing 133 million requests appeared f [...]

2026-08-16

Qwen is the world’s most downloaded open model, by a smaller margin than Alibaba says

Alibaba says its Qwen models have passed 3 billion downloads, making them the most used open-weight family in the world. The Hugging Face report published a day earlier counts 2,045 million for Qwen this year, and 151,448 derivatives against Alibaba’s claim of more than 300,000. Alibaba says its Qwen models have passed 3 billion downloads, […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]

2026-08-16

3 places you can't install plug-in solar panels — the new planning rules that could ruin your grand designs for your balcony

If your planned location doesn't qualify as "permitted development" then you'll need to apply for planning permission before getting started. [...]

2026-08-16

OpenAI dissolved the team built to catch catastrophic AI risks, reassigning its work to other groups

OpenAI shut down its "Preparedness" team, which evaluated whether the company's own AI models could pose catastrophic risks. The work has been parceled out to existing groups, and several safety staffers have left. Internally, unease is building, with one source describing a "burbling sense of responsibility and dread" that OpenAI isn't doing enough on safety.<br / [...]

2026-08-16

Mastercard took down payments across Australia with a scheduled update

Mastercard transactions were declined across Australia on Saturday afternoon after what the company describes as a scheduled system update, with more than 1,900 outage reports logged by mid-afternoon. Mastercard says the problem is resolved and all systems are working normally. Mastercard payments stopped working across Australia on Saturday afternoon. “A scheduled system update caused Mastercar [...]