Affirm: A Solid Footing or More Volatility Ahead?
Affirm Holdings posted a strong Q2, with gross merchandise volume climbing 36% to $13.8 billion and revenue rising 30% to $1.12 billion, while net income surged 61% to $130 million. The company expanded its merchant network to 478,000 partners and grew its active user base to 25.8 million, underscoring a network effect in the buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) space. Management projects full‑year GMV of $48.3‑$48.85 billion and revenue near $4.1 billion, backed by partnerships with Shopify, Stripe, and other major platforms. Despite bullish analyst coverage, rising delinquency rates and stiff competition keep the stock volatile.
KPPU Slaps $44m Fine on P2P Lenders over Cartel Scheme
Indonesia's Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) has fined 97 peer‑to‑peer fintech lenders a combined Rp 755 billion (approximately US $44.6 million) for operating an interest‑rate cartel. The firms were found to have colluded on rate caps set well above market equilibrium, violating Article 5 of...
Cybersecurity AI Awareness Training for Texas Government Agencies: How Kratikal’s Threatcop Meets the DIR Mandate
Texas’ Department of Information Resources (DIR) has mandated AI‑aware cybersecurity awareness training for all state and local government employees, with a certification deadline of August 31. Kratikal’s Threatcop platform is one of only five vendors approved under the DIR certification, offering...
Smartphone PLI Surpasses Targets, Turns Out to Be Right Call for India
India’s smartphone Production‑Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has generated over ₹24 lakh crore (≈$250 billion) in mobile phone output since FY 2020‑21, while the government disbursed roughly ₹21,000 crore (≈$2.5 billion), less than 1% of that value. The program surpassed its original targets of ₹10.5 lakh crore in production...
Africa’s AI Future to Be Defined by Data Governance Across the Continent— Gyekye
Microsoft’s Africa government affairs director Akua Gyekye says the continent’s AI future hinges on effective data governance rather than just technology adoption. While 76 % of African nations now have data‑protection laws, fragmented policies and restrictive localisation impede cross‑border data flows....
AI-Driven Border Surveillance Is Spreading Across West Africa. What This Means for Migrants’ Rights
AI-driven surveillance systems are rapidly being deployed at West African borders, replacing the historically low‑tech checkpoints that relied on trust and simple travel documents. Governments such as Nigeria have introduced biometric passports and facial‑recognition cameras, while the EU’s Emergency Trust...
How Australia Is Supporting NASA's First Moon Flight in 50 Years
Australia will underpin NASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled for 1 April, by providing critical communications and tracking support. The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, managed by CSIRO, will handle roughly 95% of the mission’s data links alongside stations in the United States...
Amazon Is Selling Vintage-Style ChatGPT AI Smart Glasses for $14 with a Translator Function
Amazon is offering the Monfolroy ChatGPT AI Smart Glasses for $14, a 30% discount from the regular $20 price. The retro‑styled, photochromic glasses run on Android and embed dual stereo speakers, a noise‑cancelling mic, and a ChatGPT‑powered voice assistant. They...
Researchers Turn Ocean Dead Zones Into Talking Skies for Pilots
European researchers in the EU‑funded ECHOES programme have proved that space‑based very high frequency (VHF) radio can deliver real‑time voice and data links to aircraft over oceanic airspace. Two low‑Earth‑orbit satellites, weighing 35 kg and 100 kg, relayed standard VHF signals, enabling...
PM-KUSUM 2.0 Must Address the Overdependence on State Procurement
India’s PM‑KUSUM scheme has installed over 1 million solar irrigation pumps, proving that decentralized renewable energy can scale in agriculture. The current tender‑driven, state‑led procurement model, however, creates episodic demand spikes and leaves manufacturers and farmers waiting for the next tender...
Do Emergency Microsoft, Oracle Patches Point to Wider Issues?
Microsoft and Oracle have each released emergency out‑of‑band patches this week, drawing attention to the fragility of enterprise update cycles. Microsoft’s KB5085516 fixes a sign‑in error that showed a “no internet” message for standard Microsoft accounts after the latest Patch...
Balcony Solar Is Spreading Across The US
The plug‑in balcony solar market, pioneered in Ukraine and exploded in Germany, is now entering the United States as households seek portable, low‑cost renewable power. German installations topped one million units in 2023‑24, spurring Enphase to launch a dedicated IQ...
3 Handy Ways To Use A UV Flashlight Around The Home And Garage
A portable UV flashlight, often called a black light, can be repurposed for everyday tasks beyond novelty. It helps hobbyists spot glowing insects, fungi, and fluorescent minerals, while DIYers use it with dye kits to locate automotive, HVAC, or plumbing...
Who in Big Tech Is Ready for Agentic AI?
Amazon won a court ruling preventing Perplexity from scraping its site, a move aimed at safeguarding its $40 billion advertising engine as AI agents threaten to sideline sponsored product revenue. Meta announced an acqui‑hire of the Moltbook team, positioning itself to...
System-Wide Algorithm Boosts Blood Pressure Control Across 90,000 Patients
A UC Health‑wide hypertension algorithm was embedded in electronic health records for roughly 90,000 patients, raising the proportion of controlled blood pressure from 68.5% to nearly 74% by mid‑2025. The stepwise, clinician‑guided tool, called the UC Way Hypertension Medication Algorithm,...
This New Therapy Turns Off Pain without Opioids or Addiction
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators have developed a preclinical gene therapy that selectively silences pain‑processing circuits in the brain, mimicking morphine’s analgesic effect without activating reward pathways. Using an AI‑driven system to map morphine‑responsive neurons in mice,...
Dyson Hot+Cool HF1 Review: Looks Great and Earns Its Keep in Both Hot and Cold Weather
Dyson’s Hot+Cool HF1 fan heater delivers rapid heating and effective cooling in a compact, Wi‑Fi‑enabled design. Priced at £449 (approximately $570), it features a responsive on‑off button, oscillation, tilt, and a quiet sleep mode under 26 dB. Reviewers praise its quick...
AI in Recruitment: Transforming Employer Branding and Talent Attraction Strategies
AI-driven creative platforms are reshaping employer branding by automating the production of job descriptions, social posts, visuals, and video content. Recruiters can generate multiple, platform‑specific variations in minutes, ensuring a unified tone and visual identity. Personalization at scale, powered by...
What Are Missile Warning Systems, and Why Are They Important?
Missile warning systems now rely on a layered architecture that fuses space‑based infrared sensors, ground radars, and fast‑moving data links to give commanders minutes‑long decision windows. The United States is transitioning from legacy DSP and SBIRS satellites to a Next‑Gen...
Latin Grammys 2026: Academy Tackles AI, Sets Category And Eligibility Changes
The Latin Recording Academy announced sweeping rule changes for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards, mandating that only works with meaningful human authorship are eligible, even when AI‑generated elements are used. It also renamed several categories, such as converting Best Portuguese...
10 AI-Powered Platforms Helping Recruiters Attract Talent in 2026 (Tested & Ranked)
The article ranks the ten leading AI image‑to‑video generators for 2026, highlighting Pollo.ai as the top‑overall solution due to its all‑in‑one workflow, multi‑model integration, and cross‑platform availability. Luma Dream Machine shines for smooth motion, Runway (Gen‑4) offers professional‑grade control, and...
Motorola Teases Razr Fold Pre-Orders that Start Pretty Soon
Motorola announced that pre‑orders for its Razr Fold will begin in 15 days, targeting April 11, 2024. The device, unveiled as a FIFA‑edition at Mobile World Congress, marks Motorola’s first book‑style foldable phone. Pricing in Europe is set at €1,999,...
Windows Wrap — 4 Steps to Save the Surface Brand
Microsoft is poised to unveil new Surface devices this spring, but industry analysts warn that the timing is poor for current‑generation buyers. The article argues that Surface’s fragmented launch schedule, processor‑specific feature gating, and lack of standout design risk eroding...
Very Low LDL Levels Best in Secondary Prevention: Ez-PAVE
New randomized data from the Ez‑PAVE trial in South Korea show that lowering LDL cholesterol to below 55 mg/dL in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease reduces major cardiovascular events by 33% compared with a target of less than 70 mg/dL. The...
Android Is Finally Cracking Down on Battery Drain—And Apps that Don't Fix It Will Pay the Price
Google began enforcing a new "wake lock technical quality" policy on the Play Store as of March 1, flagging apps that hold non‑exempted partial wake locks for two hours or more in over 5 % of user sessions. Affected apps receive a...
Singapore’s Tazapay Secures $36m Series B to Expand Cross-Border Payment Rails
Singapore fintech Tazapay closed a $36 million Series B extension led by Circle Ventures, bringing its total Series B to $36 million. The round added new backers Coinbase Ventures, CMT Digital and others, while existing investors like Ripple also participated. Funds will fuel licensing...
K-12 EdTech Startup Qweebi Raises $500k To Bring Hands-On STEM & Robotics To Millions Of Students
Qweebi, a Singapore‑based EdTech startup, secured $500,000 seed funding led by Inflection Point Ventures, with participation from industry veterans. The browser‑based platform now serves over 5,200 U.S. schools—about 4% of the market—and more than 100,000 K‑12 students, delivering hands‑on STEM...
UCL and RAD Publish Study on Quiet Electric Marine Technology
University College London and electric marine propulsion firm RAD have released a peer‑reviewed study demonstrating that RAD’s 40 kW electric outboard reduces underwater noise by up to 43 dB compared with a comparable internal combustion engine. Tests on the River Hamble and...
#AAD26: Biogen Declares Phase 2 Lupus Success for Anti-BDCA2 Antibody
Biogen announced positive Phase 2 results for litifilimab, its anti‑BDCA2 antibody targeting systemic lupus erythematosus. After 24 weeks, 14.7% of patients achieved complete clearance of skin lesions, meeting the trial’s primary endpoint. The data suggest the drug could become a...
5 Clever Gadgets Under $100 To Upgrade Your Bathroom
A roundup of five bathroom gadgets priced at $100 or less promises practical upgrades for everyday routines. The hOmeLabs SwiftLid touchless trash can retails for just under $50 and saves floor space, while the Luxe Bidet NEO 120 offers spa‑level cleansing...
STH Q1 2026 Letter From the Editor AI Got Scary Good
Serve The Home’s Q1 2026 editor’s letter highlights a breakthrough in agentic AI, where autonomous agents assembled an 8‑node NVIDIA GB10 cluster without human resets. The OpenClaw framework demonstrated multi‑step code generation, from reading research papers to implementing KV‑cache extensions in...
KARDINAL: Monthly Tonlamarsen May Not Enhance BP Lowering in Resistant Hypertension
The phase II KARDINAL trial evaluated monthly versus single‑dose tonlamarsen, an angiotensinogen‑targeted nucleic‑acid therapy, in patients with resistant hypertension on multiple drugs. While monthly injections achieved a 67% reduction in plasma AGT compared with 23% after a single dose, both regimens...
Your Nearly Full SSD Is Tanking Your Performance—Here's Why
A nearly full NVMe SSD dramatically slows down as free space dwindles, especially beyond the 80%‑filled mark. The author’s tests on a 2 TB drive showed performance throttling at 95% and 89% capacity, with a sharp recovery once usage fell to...
Could Ukraine’s Drone Expertise Serve Gulf Countries?
Ukraine’s four‑year development of low‑cost interceptor drones is drawing interest from Gulf states under pressure from Iranian missile and drone attacks. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already signed defense agreements with Kyiv to access the technology, while other Gulf nations...
Thankfully, the Infinite Campus Incident Did Not Involve a Lot of Non-Directory Student Information
DataBreaches downloaded the Infinite Campus leak posted by ShinyHunters and examined its contents. The majority of files were proprietary or client‑related and did not contain personal student information. Approximately two dozen support tickets referenced students by name, with two tickets...
Starfish Space Finds a New Partner for Docking Demonstration Mission
Starfish Space announced that its Otter Pup 2 docking demonstration will target a new, still‑undisclosed partner after D‑Orbit withdrew in late 2025. The spacecraft, launched in June 2025, uses an electrostatic capture system to attach to flat surfaces on satellites lacking a...
How Platform Teams Are Eliminating a $43,800 “Hidden Tax” On Kubernetes Infrastructure
Platform teams are tackling a hidden $43,800 annual tax caused by provisioning separate managed Kubernetes control planes for each tenant. A single Amazon EKS control plane costs about $0.10 per hour, which scales linearly with the number of clusters. Virtual‑cluster...
Creating a DIY Homelab: Fast, Free, and Beginner-Friendly
Dibakar Ghosh shows how to convert a spare PC into a fully functional homelab using ZimaOS, a free, GUI‑driven NAS and home‑server platform. The installation, from downloading the ISO to configuring services, takes about 45 minutes and requires no terminal...
Stop Overpaying for Car Stereos: Budget Android Auto Units Now Rival the Expensive Ones
Budget Android Auto head units priced $90‑$200 now match features of premium models. The author upgraded a 2000s BMW with a $100 unit, gaining wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a 7‑inch touchscreen, backup camera, and steering‑wheel control. These units act...
I Took a Ride in an Nvidia-Powered Autonomous Mercedes at GTC 2026 - and It’s Convinced Me This Is the...
At Nvidia’s GTC 2026 event, a Mercedes CLA equipped with Nvidia’s Hyperion 8 platform completed a 45‑minute autonomous drive through downtown San Jose. The vehicle operated at Level 2, using ten cameras, five radars and Nvidia’s Alpamayo end‑to‑end stack to navigate urban traffic, detect...
Thousands of Americans Treated With Psilocybin in 2025
Psilocybin therapy is rapidly expanding across U.S. states, with Oregon reporting 5,935 patients in 2025 and Colorado opening its first regulated healing center. New Mexico is developing its own medical program while the federal government maintains prohibition. Scientific evidence shows...
SA Asks: What's the Most Attractive Space Stock Right Now?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing what could become the largest IPO in history, prompting investors to look for alternative space equities. Seeking Alpha analysts Oakoff Investments and Michael Del Monte highlight Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Firefly Aerospace (FLY) as the most attractive...
Takeda’s Zasocitinib Delivered Rapid and Durable Skin Clearance in a Convenient Once-Daily Pill, Affirming Promise to Reshape Psoriasis Care
Takeda announced Phase 3 data for its oral TYK2 inhibitor, zasocitinib, showing rapid and durable skin clearance in moderate‑to‑severe plaque psoriasis. At week 16, 71% of patients achieved clear or almost clear skin (sPGA 0/1) versus roughly 10% on placebo and 30% on...
Takeda’s Zasocitinib Delivered Rapid and Durable Skin Clearance in a Convenient Once-Daily Pill, Affirming Promise to Reshape Psoriasis Care
Takeda announced that its oral TYK2 inhibitor zasocitinib delivered rapid and durable skin clearance in two global Phase 3 LATITUDE trials involving 693 and 1,108 moderate‑to‑severe plaque psoriasis patients. The drug met both co‑primary endpoints—sPGA 0/1 and PASI 75 at week 16—showing statistically significant...
LNG Won’t Shield Hawaiʻi From the Next Energy Crisis
Hawaii’s recent HSEO study claimed an interim shift to LNG could lower costs and emissions, estimating a $150 million net present value and $10.2 /MWh savings. The analysis, however, excluded fuel‑price volatility and assumes LNG prices stay within a tight 10 % margin—an...
Can You Change an 88-Year-Old Brain?
An 88‑year‑old civil‑rights veteran used an AI‑powered dyslexia program and saw his reading accuracy jump from 50 % to 80 % in phonemic awareness. Clinical evidence shows that neuroplasticity remains viable in seniors, allowing language‑based cognitive training to improve reading and memory...
Two in Five Australian GPs Use AI Scribes to Record Patient Notes – but Do They Trade Care for Convenience?
Australian general practitioners are rapidly adopting AI‑powered medical scribes, with usage climbing from 22% in August 2024 to 40% by November 2025. Start‑up Heidi leads the market, having logged over 115 million transcription sessions in the past 18 months. Proponents argue the technology...
Android's Hidden Notification History Saves Everything You Swiped Away by Accident
Android includes a hidden Notification History feature that records every alert received in the last 24 hours. Users can view the list through Settings > Notifications > Notification history on devices such as Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Google Pixel. Tapping an entry reopens the originating...
Icotrokinra Delivers Complete Skin Clearance Through Week 52 With Strong Safety Profile: Linda Stein Gold, MD
FDA approval of icotrokinra introduces a new oral therapy for moderate‑to‑severe psoriasis. In the ICONIC‑ADVANCE trials, 100 % of patients achieved complete skin clearance through week 52, outperforming the oral benchmark deucravacitinib. The drug’s safety profile matched placebo, with fewer infections and...
New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Positive Phase 3 VALOR Trial Results of Brepocitinib in Dermatomyositis
Priovant Therapeutics announced that its TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor brepocitinib met the primary endpoint in the Phase 3 VALOR trial for dermatomyositis, showing a 15.3‑point improvement in Total Improvement Score at week 52 versus placebo. The 30 mg dose also delivered significant steroid‑sparing effects, with...