Month: November 2023

Enlarge / Then-OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at APEC CEO Summit at Moscone West on November 16, 2023, in San Francisco. (credit: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan )

Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in talks to return to the company's top job days after he was fired, but nothing has been finalized, according to news reports today.

"Discussions are happening between Altman, CEO Emmett Shear and at least one board member, Adam D'Angelo," Bloomberg wrote, citing anonymous sources. "The talks also involve some of OpenAI's investors, many of whom are pushing for his reinstatement." OpenAI shareholders reportedly lobbying for Altman's reinstatement include Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Tiger Global Management.

Altman was fired on Friday by the board of directors of OpenAI, Inc., the nonprofit that controls the for-profit subsidiary OpenAI Global. An Altman return could be paired with changes to the board.

Enlarge / Google is looking pretty dilapidated these days. (credit: Aurich Lawson)

Chrome's new adblock-limiting extension plan is still on. The company paused the rollout of the new "Manifest V3" extension format a year ago after an outcry over how much it would damage some of Chrome's most popular extensions. A year later, Google is re-starting the phase-out schedule, and while it has changed some things, Chrome will eventually be home to inferior filtering extensions.

Google's blog post says the plan to kill Manifest V2, the current format for Chrome extensions, is back on starting June 2024. On that date (we'll be on "Chrome 127" by then) Google will turn off Manifest V2 for the pre-stable versions of Chrome—that's the Beta, Dev, and Canary channels. Google says "Manifest V2 extensions [will be] automatically disabled in their browser and will no longer be able to install Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store."

The timeline around a stable channel rollout is worded kind of strangely. The company says: "We expect it will take at least a month to observe and stabilize the changes in pre-stable before expanding the rollout to stable channel Chrome, where it will also gradually roll out over time. The exact timing may vary depending on the data collected, and during this time, we will keep you informed about our progress." It's not clear what "data" Google is concerned with. It's not the end of the world if an extension crashes—it turns off and stops working until the user reboots the extension. Maybe the company is concerned about how many people Google "Firefox" once their ad-blocker stops working.

Humans have lived aboard the International Space Station for more than two decades. (credit: NASA)

Just in case you were under any illusions about the age of the International Space Station, Monday marked the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Zarya module. This Russian-built power and propulsion module formed the cornerstone of the space station, and the first residents arrived two years later.

In other words, some hardware on the space station has now been in the harsh environment of outer space for a quarter of a century. Questions about how long it can last are, increasingly, more than theoretical.

NASA has been grappling with how to move on from the International Space Station for some time. There is a general sense that, given that we've had humans living in low-Earth orbit for more than two decades, it would be good to keep that streak going.

Enlarge / Travelers walk through Union Station as they travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Washington, DC, November 21, 2023. (credit: Getty | Saul Loeb)

As Americans prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday this week, respiratory viruses are ramping up, creating hazardously infectious conditions for mass travel and multi-generational family gatherings.

Flu is on the rise in most of the country, with six Southern states and the District of Columbia already seeing high levels of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) activity. Louisiana has reached "very high" ILI activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the latest flu surveillance update. The percentage of flu tests coming back positive is also increasing nationwide, with only one region, the Mid-Atlantic region, showing a stable week-over-week positivity rate. But the CDC noted that its rate overall is trending upward.

This year's flu season is again starting early; the current flu activity levels are about four to six weeks ahead of when we usually see them. And with activity already at highs in many states, there's a good chance that we'll once again see extremely high levels in some places—moving from red to the dreaded deep purple on CDC's scale, which we saw last year.

Enlarge / Zork running on a Commodore 64 at the Computerspielemuseum in Berlin, Germany. (credit: Marcin Wichary (CC by 2.0 Deed))

The source code for many of Infocom's foundational text-parsing adventure games, including Zork, has been available since 2019. But that code doesn't do anything for modern computers, nor even computers of the era, when it comes to actually running the games.

Most of Infocom's games were written in "Zork Implementation Language," which was native to no particular platform or processor, but ready to be interpreted on all kinds of systems by versions of its Z-Machine. The Z-Machine could be considered the first real game development engine, so long as nobody fact-checks that statement too hard. Lots of work has been done in open source realms to create modern, and improved, versions of these interpreters for pretty much every device imaginable.

The source code for these Z-Machine implementations (virtual machines, in today's parlance) appeared like a grue from the dark a few days ago in a GitHub repository owned by Andrew Plotkin. Plotkin, a major figure in modern and classic text adventure realms (and lots in between), details what they are and how he found them in a blog post on his site.

Enlarge (credit: Microsoft )

Whether you want to upgrade your computing clamshell for work or play this holiday, or you'd like to gift one, Black Friday is the perfect place to start. There are plenty of discounts on popular laptop brands from Apple, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, and more. We'll also be updating this post throughout the week for the latest savings and deals, so check back frequently.

Apple

• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop (M2) for $1,049 (was $1,299) at Best Buy
• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop (M1) for $750 (was $1,000) at Best Buy
• Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop (14-inch, M3) for $1,449 (was $1,599) at Amazon
• Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop (14-inch, M3 Pro) for $1,849 (was $1,999) at Amazon
• Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop (16-inch, M3 Pro) for $2,299 (was $2,499) at Amazon
• Apple 2023 MacBook Air Laptop (15-inch, M2) for $1,049 (was $1,299) at Amazon
• Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop (13-inch, M1) for $750 (was $999) at Amazon
• Apple iPad (10th Generation) for $349 (was $449) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Air (5th Generation) for $500 (was $599) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th Generation) for $999 (was $1,099) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation) for $400 (was $499) at Amazon
• Apple Magic Keyboard: iPad Keyboard case for iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Generation) and iPad Air (4th, 5th Generation) for $200 (was $299) at Amazon
• Apple Magic Keyboard: iPad Keyboard and case for iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Generation) for $249 (was $349) at Amazon

Dell

• G15 Gaming Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i5-13450HX and RTX 3050) for $700 (was $900) at Dell
• Alienware m16 Gaming Laptop (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4060) for $1,250 (was $1,700) at Dell
• Alienware m16 Gaming Laptop (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4070) for $1,400 (was $2,000) at Dell
• Alienware m18 Gaming Laptop (18-inch, Intel Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4060) for $1,600 (was $1,900) at Dell
• Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop (Intel Core i7-13700F and RTX 4060) for $1,100 (was $1,350) at Dell
• Alienware x16 Gaming Laptop (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX 4060) for $1,600 (was $2,100) at Dell
• Alienware Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor AW3423DWF (34-inch) for $800 (was $1,000) at Dell
• Inspiron 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i3-1215U) for $260 (was $330) at Dell
• Inspiron 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i3-1215U) for $330 (was $430) at Dell
• Inspiron 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i7-1255U) for $550 (was $700) at Dell
• Latitude 3540 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $679 (was $1,243) at Dell
• Inspiron 16 Laptop (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $550 (was $850) at Dell
• Inspiron 27 All-in-One (27-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U and Nvidia MX550) for $1,450 (was $1,550) at Dell
• XPS 13 Laptop (13-inch, Intel Core i7-1250U) for $799 (was $1,099) at Dell
• XPS 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX 4050) for $1,549 (was $1,999) at Dell
• XPS 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and Intel Arc A370M) for $1,199 (was $1,499) at Dell
• XPS 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i9-13900H and RTX 4060) for $1,999 (was $2,499) at Dell
• XPS 15 Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i9-13900H and RTX 4070) for $2,399 (was $2,999) at Dell
• XPS 13 Plus Laptop (13-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P) for $1,499 (was $1,949) at Dell
• Inspiron 14 2-in-1 Laptop (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $500 (was $730) at Dell
• Inspiron 14 2-in-1 Laptop (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $700 (was $1,000) at Dell
• Inspiron 16 Laptop (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P) for $750 (was $1,150) at Dell
• Inspiron 16 2-in-1 Laptop (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P) for $800 (was $1,100) at Dell
• Inspiron 24 All-in-One (24-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) for $700 (was $950) at Dell
• XPS Desktop (Intel Core i7-13700 and RTX 4060 Ti) for $1,360 (was $1,890) at Dell

HP

• HP Envy Laptop 17t-cw000 (17-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H) for $800 (was $1,300) at HP
• HP Pavilion Laptop 15t-eg300 (15-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $550 (was $1,010) at HP
• OMEN 45L Gaming Desktop GT22-1470se (Intel Core i7-13700K and RTX 4060 Ti) for $1,500 (was $2,050) at HP
• HP Pavilion Laptop 15t-eg300 (15-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $430 (was $910) at HP
• HP Envy x360 2-in-1 Laptop 15t-fe000 (15-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $700 (was $1,100) at HP
• HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-3055xt (Intel Core i7-12700) for $700 (was $1,000) at HP
• HP EliteBook x360 1040 G8 Notebook PC Wolf Pro Security Edition (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1185G7) for $999 (was $3,693) at HP
• HP Laptop -15t-fd000 (15-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $400 (was $820) at HP
• HP Envy All-in-One 34-c1045t (34-inch, Intel Core i5-12400 and GTX1650) for $1,400 (was $2,000) at HP
• HP Laptop 17-cn3097nr (17-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $600 (was $920) at HP
• OMEN by HP 31.5 inch QHD 165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor - OMEN 32c for $250 (was $380) at HP

Lenovo

• Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 3 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 5675U) for $629 (was $2,688) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1345U) for $910 (was $2,529) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1365U) for $1,655 (was $4,039) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Yoga C940 (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1035G4) for $615 (was $1,250) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700HX and RTX A1000) for $1,749 (was $3,899) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1365U) for $1,393 (was $3,319) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (14-inch, AMD Lyzeen 7 Pro 7840U) for $1,099 (was $2,199) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16s Gen 2 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P and RTX A500) for $1,629 (was $3,629) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Yoga 7i (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $950 (was $1,350) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $710 (was $1,130) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $585 (was $900) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $797 (was $1,449) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16v (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX A500) for $1,499 (was $3,339) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX A2000) for $1,979 (was $4,389) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $585 (was $860) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500HX and RTX 4050) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U) for $605 (was $960) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $775 (was $1,409) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $715 (was $1,140) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 (13-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P) for $1,209 (was $2,159) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U) for $956 (was $1,739) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (15-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX 4050) for $1,030 (was $1,400) at Lenovo

Microsoft

• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 for $798 (was $1,100) at Amazon
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 for $1,200 (was $1,500) at Amazon
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 for $900 (was $1,300) at Amazon
• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 starting from $800 (save up to $800 on select configurations) at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Pro Keyboard bundle from $1,000 (save up to $540 on select configurations) at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 from $2,000 (save up to $400 on select configurations) at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 from $800 (save up to $650 on select configurations) at Microsoft

Asus

• Asus TUF Gaming A17 (17-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS and RTX 4060) for $1,200 (was $1,500) at Amazon
• Asus TUF Gaming A17 (17-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 4600H and GTX 1560) for $700 (was $800) at Amazon
• Asus ROG Strix G15 (15-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H and RTX 3060) for $997 (was $1,200) at Amazon
• Asus Chromebook CM14 Laptop (14-inch, MediaTek Komanio 520) for $180 (was $280) at Amazon
• Asus Vivobook 16 Laptop (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 5625U) for $420 (was $550) at Amazon
• Asus ROG Strix G16 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13650HX and RTX 4060) for $1,100 (was $1,400) at Amazon
• Asus TUF Dash 15 (15-inch, Intel Core i7-12650H and RTX 3050 Ti) for $1,140 (was $1,200) at Amazon
• Asus TUF F17 (17-inch, Intel Core i5-11400H and RTX 3050) for $700 (was $900) at Amazon
• Asus Vivobook 15 (15-inch, Intel Core i3-1215U) for $600 (was $650) at Amazon
• Asus TUF Gaming F15 (15-inch, Intel Core i5-12500H and RTX 4050) for $1,000 (was $1,100) at Amazon
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Alan Walker Special Edition Gaming Laptop (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS and RTX 3050 Ti) for $1,099 (was $1,239) at Amazon
• Asus ROG Zephyrus Gaming Laptop (15-inch, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and RTX 3060) for $1,150 (was $1,250) at Amazon
• Asus Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip (15-inch, Intel Core i5-1135G7) for $590 (was $700) at Amazon

Framework laptop

• Framework Laptop prices go as low as $639 thanks to refurbs and “factory seconds”

Laptop accessories

• Samsung Portable SSD T7 USB 3.2 1TB for $90 (was $110) at Samsung
• Samsung Portable SSD T7 USB 3.2 2TB for $135 (was $180) at Samsung
• Samsung USB Type-C Flash Drive 256GB for $25 (was $38) at Samsung
• Samsung USB Type-C Flash Drive 128GB for $15 (was $20) at Samsung
• Samsung BAR Plus USB 3.1 Flash Drive 256GB Titan Grey for $27 (was $35) at Samsung
• Samsung BAR Plus USB 3.1 Flash Drive 128GB Titan Grey for $15 (was $20) at Samsung
• Samsung BAR Plus USB 3.1 Flash Drive 256GB Champagne Silver for $27 (was $35) at Samsung
• Crucial X10 Pro 2TB Portable SSD for $130 (was $178) at Amazon
• SK hynix Beetle X31 1TB Portable SSD for $65 (was $93) at Amazon
• Samsung 990 PRO Series - 2TB for $120 (was $136) at Amazon
• Samsung T9 Portable SSD 1TB for $110 (was $140) at Amazon
• Samsung T9 Portable SSD 4TB for $250 (was $440) at Amazon
• Samsung T7 Portable External Solid State Drive 2TB for $100 (was $122) at Amazon

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