The Verge

Source: The Verge Uber is getting into the holiday spirit with a new update that will enable customers to order on-demand Christmas trees, and even a troupe of carolers, to their front door. The company is also rebranding its same-day delivery service as Uber Courier and expanding its feature that allows parents of small children…

Source: The Verge Vodafone and Three have been cleared to create the UK’s biggest mobile operator after committing to address concerns around network upgrades and price hikes. The proposed £16.5 billion merger (about $20.9 billion) was approved by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Thursday following months of regulatory scrutiny, and is expected to…

Source: The Verge Bitcoin has passed $100,000, marking its highest price since the cryptocurrency launched more than a decade ago, and as of this writing, it has reached $103,359.00, according to Kraken. Despite its triumphs, Bitcoin’s value is still being measured in USD, emerging as an alternate payment option or investment rather than a replacement…

Source: The Verge Humane, which makes the not-great AI Pin, wants other companies to build AI devices and gadgets that use its CosmOS operating system, and it has released a video that appears to show that the company already has it working in a car, TV, smart speaker, and phone. But note that the video,…

Source: The Verge On Wednesday morning, someone shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan before walking away and then getting on a Citi Bike that they rode to Central Park, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney during a press conference. Thompson was scheduled to appear at the…

Source: The Verge Jeff Bezos and President-elect Donald Trump famously didn’t get along the last time Trump was in the White House. This time, Bezos says he’s “very optimistic” and even wants to help out. “I’m actually very optimistic this time around,” Bezos said of Trump during a rare public appearance at The New York…

Source: The Verge US officials are urging Americans to make calls and send text messages over encrypted apps to minimize the risk of private information falling into the hands of foreign adversaries who might still be lurking in America’s telecommunications networks, NBC News reports. Two officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the…

Source: The Verge Verizon customers will soon see yet another fee increase on their next bill, a game that wireless carriers love to play. As spotted by Android Police, Verizon customers on reddit noticed the small fee bump — just 20 cents extra per line. But it comes only a couple of years after a…

Source: The Verge As part of the partnership, OpenAI will integrate its software into Anduril’s counterdrone systems, which detect and take down drones. It’s OpenAI’s first partnership with a defense contractor — and a significant reversal of its earlier stance towards the military. OpenAI’s terms of service once banned “military and warfare” use of its…

Source: The Verge Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films become much more disturbing once you start to consider exactly what makes the Bene Gesserit one of the most formidable forces in the Imperium. The Sisterhood’s secrecy and cultivation of strange powers are part of why those outside of the order see Reverend Mothers as almost superhuman beings….