Tools

Google is rolling out a new feature in its search engine that aims to help people stay safe during extreme heat waves. The feature, known as "extreme heat alerts," will provide users with information on how to be safe during intense heat.The company made the announcement in a blog post, stating that the new feature is part of its broader efforts to help people access accurate and timely information on important topics. The alerts will be triggered when the local temperature reaches a certain threshold, and they will…

It’s no secret: the world is heating up. Inevitably, people are starting to take notice. More people are searching for information on extreme heat than ever before, according to Google—and the company is hoping to make those search results clearer.The U.S. In For A Dry Winter | Extreme EarthWith a new search feature, Google says it wants to help its users stay cool (and safe) during increasingly common and intense heat waves. The tech giant is adding extreme heat alerts to its search results, as announced in a Wednesday…

With extreme weather events regularly flooding our coastal cities and burning out our rural communities, Google in its magnanimity has developed a new set of online tools that civil servants and community organizers alike can use in their efforts to stave off climate change-induced catastrophe. Google already pushes extreme weather alerts to users in affected locations, providing helpful, easy-to-understand information about the event through the Search page — whether its a winter storm warning, flood advisories, tornado…

The metaverse that was the hot thing in tech less than two years ago has cooled.  Meanwhile, the price for virtual real estate in some online worlds, where users can hang out as avatars, has cratered. The median sale price for land in Decentraland has declined almost 90% from a year ago, according to WeMeta, a site that tracks land sales in the metaverse. Meta’s name change in October 2021 spurred excitement about metaverse experiences, products and platforms. But slow user adoption, driven in part by…

Microsoft Corp., extending a frenzy of artificial intelligence software releases, is introducing new chat tools that can help cybersecurity teams ward off hacks and clean up after an attack.The latest of Microsoft's AI assistant tools — the software giant likes to call them Copilots — uses OpenAI's new GPT-4 language system and data specific to the security field, the company said Tuesday. The idea is to help security workers more quickly see connections between various parts of a hack, such as a suspicious email,…

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. META -1.06% plans to lower some bonus payouts and to assess employee performance more frequently, according to an internal memo, amid a sweeping revamp of the social-media company that includes large head-count reductions.  Employees who are given a rating of “met most expectations” in their 2023 year-end reviews are set to receive a smaller percentage of their bonus and restricted stock award due in…

It’s been three years since Google and security firm ADT to develop Nest-integrated products, and we’re finally seeing the fruits of this team-up. ADT just announced a under the ADT Self Setup umbrella, and each of these products boasts deep integration with the Google Nest platform. The ADT Self Setup system includes components from both companies. On the ADT side, they just announced a slew of compatible products like door and window sensors, standalone motion sensors, smoke detectors, temperature sensors, flooding…

Google is making it easier for people with reading challenges, such as dyslexia, to be able to make out articles and text posts online. The tech giant has launched "reader mode" for Chrome, which takes a site's primary content and puts it into the sidebar to reduce clutter and distractions. Users will also be able to change the text's typeface, font size and spacing, as well as its color and background color, to find the combination that works best for them.  Reader mode is but one of the new features and updates Google…

WASHINGTON—TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew has navigated both Western and Chinese business over the course of his fast rise to the corner office. But on Thursday, the 40-year-old Singaporean army reservist and former Goldman Sachs banker faced a hostile House panel as he tried to reassure Americans their data is safe and Beijing won’t be able to influence what viewers see on TikTok. Hours before the testimony, Beijing said it would oppose a forced sale of the app from its Chinese owners, something the Biden…

Twitter Inc. said it would start taking away legacy blue check marks on April 1 for users whose accounts were verified before Elon Musk took over the platform. Twitter verified accounts for free under its former leadership that it deemed notable and trustworthy, including those belonging to politicians, journalists, entertainers and others. The company placed a blue check next to those users’ names, allowing them to stand out in interactions on the platform. Legacy blue check…