Samsung makes ads on $3,499 smart fridges official with upcoming software update

Update introduces two ways for the fridges to show ads.

After kicking off an unpopular pilot test last month, Samsung made the practice of having its expensive smart fridges display ads official this week.

The ads will be shown on Samsung’s 2024 Family Hub smart fridges. As of this writing, Samsung’s Family Hub fridges have MSRPs ranging from $1,899 to $3,499. The ads will arrive through a software update that Samsung will start issuing this month and display on the fridge’s integrated 21.5- or 32-inch (depending on the model) screen. The ads will show when the fridges are idle and display what Samsung calls Cover Screens.

As part of the Family Hub software update, we are piloting a new widget for select Cover Screens themes of Family Hub refrigerators. The widget will display useful day-to-day information such as news, calendar and weather forecasts, along with curated advertisements.

Samsung also said that its fridges will only show contextualized ads, instead of personalized ads, which rely on collecting data on users.

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Melissa strikes Jamaica, tied as most powerful Atlantic storm to come ashore

The storm was so strong a hurricane hunter had to end its mission early.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica, near New Hope, on Tuesday at 1 pm ET with staggeringly powerful sustained winds of 185 mph.

In the National Hurricane Center update noting the precise landfall time and location, specialist Larry Kelly characterized Melissa as an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening” hurricane. Melissa is bringing very heavy rainfall, damaging surge, and destructive winds to the small Caribbean island that is home to about 3 million people.

The effects on the island are sure to be catastrophic and prolonged.

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Python plan to boost software security foiled by Trump admin’s anti-DEI rules

National Science Foundation said grantees must not operate any DEI programs.

The Python Software Foundation has rejected a $1.5 million government grant because of anti-DEI requirements imposed by the Trump administration, the nonprofit said in a blog post yesterday. The grant would have been the largest in the organization’s history.

Hoping to “address structural vulnerabilities in Python and PyPI,” the foundation submitted a grant proposal in January 2025 to the National Science Foundation’s Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open Source Ecosystems program. After a “multi-round proposal writing process” and a “months-long vetting process,” it appeared the foundation was close to obtaining a two-year grant worth $1.5 million.

But what at first seemed like good news quickly turned sour due to rules against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, the foundation said:

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Für 1,1 Milliarden Euro: Globalfoundries startet Ausbau der Fab 1 in Dresden

Mit einem neuen Reinraum will Globalfoundries die Produktion der Fabrik deutlich steigern. Die Fab 1 soll so helfen, Europas Versorgung mit Halbleitern zu sichern. (Halbleiterfertigung, Globalfoundries)

Mit einem neuen Reinraum will Globalfoundries die Produktion der Fabrik deutlich steigern. Die Fab 1 soll so helfen, Europas Versorgung mit Halbleitern zu sichern. (Halbleiterfertigung, Globalfoundries)

Here’s how Slate Auto plans to handle repairs to its electric trucks

The startup has partnered with RepairPal to service its affordable EV truck.

Earlier this year, Slate Auto emerged from stealth mode and stunned industry watchers with the Slate Truck, a compact electric pickup it plans to sell for less than $30,000. Achieving that price won’t be easy, but Slate really does look to be doing things differently from the rest of the industry—even Tesla. For example, the truck will be made from just 600 parts, with no paint or even an infotainment system, to keep costs down.

An unanswered question until now has been “where do I take it to be fixed if it breaks?” Today, we have an answer. Slate is partnering with RepairPal to use the latter’s network of more than 4,000 locations across the US.

“Slate’s OEM partnership with RepairPal’s nationwide network of service centers will give Slate customers peace of mind while empowering independent service shops to provide accessorization and service,” said Slate chief commercial officer Jeremy Snyder.

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Australia’s social media ban is “problematic,” but platforms will comply anyway

Platforms expect to monitor a range of signals, but age detection will be spotty.

Social media platforms have agreed to comply with Australia’s social media ban for users under 16 years old, begrudgingly embracing the world’s most restrictive online child safety law.

On Tuesday, Meta, Snap, and TikTok confirmed to Australia’s parliament that they’ll start removing and deactivating more than a million underage accounts when the law’s enforcement begins on December 10, Reuters reported.

Firms risk fines of up to $32.5 million for failing to block underage users.

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