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The library rules (and so do library streaming services)

11 June 2026 at 12:30
Illustration of different forms of media at the library.

Summer is almost here, and that means getting outside, having fun in the sun, and touching grass. But if you need to cool down for a bit, allow me to sing the praises of the library. If your local library system is anything like mine, it probably offers a lot of great things for you to do, both tech-related and not, at no extra cost.

I'm part of the Multnomah County Library system, and I'm frankly spoiled by all of the things available with just a free library card. The perk I use most is the ability to fill up my Kindle with the wide selection of ebooks made available through OverDrive, a platform that partners with thousands of libraries …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Bluesky is getting β€˜communities’

11 June 2026 at 01:05
An illustration of the Bluesky logo

Bluesky will be getting "communities," which will function as smaller spaces where you can "go deeper and hang out with people who care about the same stuff" sometime this year, according to head of product Alex Benzer. They will be built on the decentralized AT Protocol that underpins Bluesky, with Benzer saying that "it's a new structure for everyone" that's part of the "Atmosphere" (a shorthand for the AT Protocol ecosystem).

Benzer listed out a "few ideas we have in mind so far" in a thread. "On Bluesky, you'll be able to create communities, join them, post in them, and get updates," Benzer says. "The core features on Bluesky stay simpl …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple’s new Siri AI knows when to shut up

10 June 2026 at 23:52

Apple's new Siri AI is finally here, and so far, it seems like it works. I have access and have been messing around with it, and my biggest impression so far is that Siri AI is quite curt - which I mean as a compliment.

Many AI chatbots are cheery and wordy. While a more verbose and casual personality can make a chatbot seem friendlier and more fun to talk to, there are instances of users becoming extremely attached to their chatbot of choice. People have fallen in love with chatbots. When OpenAI suddenly shut down GPT-4o, users grieved its loss, and the company brought the model back for paid users. And while some companies have dialed bac …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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