News World That's Worth

  Facebook has confirmed a test of "limiting" direct link posting, affecting Professional Mode accounts (also known as monetizing creator accounts) and Pages. Only two links per month will be allowed (organic posts only), unless the account pays for Meta Verified. Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, posted more details about the test, including information he gathered from Meta. He learned that the company wants to test whether limiting link posting would increase the value of Meta Verified. Several aspects are being considered, such as increased link clicks if the posting account has the blue Verified checkmark, and the fact that while external links take traffic away from the platform, Meta benefits from subscription fees. However, this test is on a limited scale and there are no plans to expand it to all creators.

Coursera and Udemy, two online learning platforms, have announced a planned merger. Coursera will acquire Udemy through a stock purchase, with the total deal valued at approximately $2.5 billion. Greg Hart, CEO of Coursera , stated that combining Udemy's strengths in the context of the AI-driven era, which increases the demand for AI-powered skills, will allow the company to deliver knowledge to users more quickly. Hugo Sarrazin, CEO of Udemy, said the merger will accelerate AI-powered product development and expand into new opportunities.

Bungie announced a new release date for Marathon , which was postponed from its original September 23, 2025 date to March 2026. The game will be priced at $39.99, the same as other live-service shooters like Helldivers 2. Bungie also showcased an improved version of Marathon, based on feedback from the Alpha testing. This version includes several new features such as enhanced graphics, sound, gameplay systems, a new zone system on the map, and weapon customization options.   Amazon 90-Day Emergency Plan to Curb AI-Generated Code Errors.

  Counterpoint Research has released its forecast for the smartphone market in 2026, predicting a 2.1% contraction due to the high cost of memory, which is expected to rise by up to 20% in the second quarter of 2026. Counterpoint's forecast indicates a decline in sales across all smartphone brands, with Chinese brands like Oppo and Honor being hit hardest, as the increased cost of memory will impact the price of low-end smartphones more than mid-range and high-end models. Counterpoint's figures show Apple still holding the largest market share in 2026 at 19%, followed by Samsung with a similar share, and Xiaomi in third place at 14%.     Mira Murati Thinking Machines Lab Partners with NVIDIA to Build an AI Powerhouse.  

  U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a significant escalation in foreign policy, officially designating the Venezuelan government as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization." Citing reasons such as the theft of U.S. assets, narco-trafficking, and human trafficking, Trump has ordered a "total and complete" naval blockade of all sanctioned tankers entering or leaving the nation. In a post on Truth Social , Trump stated that Venezuela is now "completely surrounded by the largest fleet ever assembled in the history of South America." He warned that the blockade would continue to expand, adding, "They are in for a shock like they’ve never seen before." Venezuela’s Reaction The Venezuelan government swiftly condemned the statement as "loathsome." Officials argued that the U.S. actions constitutes a "grave threat to a sovereign nation" and a direct violation of international law, free trade, and freedom of navigation. The...

  The British government, or the UK government, has always been very sensitive about issues of sex and violence, as evidenced by its recurring bans on games and media with sensitive content. Now, the British government has requested that Apple and Google block the taking and sharing of nude images on their operating systems. According to the Financial Times, the UK Home Secretary and other government officials want Apple and Google to prevent users from taking or sharing nude images. Users wishing to take, view, or share such images would need to verify their adult identity by showing identification or using facial scanning. This might imply that the British government wants such a protection system to be built into Android and iOS operating systems. From a privacy perspective, this request might be excessive, as such a system could be seen as tantamount to surveillance. However, from a cybersecurity standpoint, this system could significantly protect children from pedophilia. ...

  Microsoft released its December 2025 security update (Patch Tuesday) containing a total of 57 updates for Windows 11, including KB5072033 and KB5071417. This update addresses one zero-day vulnerability that has been actively exploited and two publicly disclosed vulnerabilities. This update includes three critical vulnerabilities, all of which are Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities. Details of the vulnerabilities addressed are as follows: * Privilege Elevation Vulnerabilities: 28 * Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities: 19 * Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities: 4 * Denial of Service Vulnerabilities: 3 * Spoofing Vulnerabilities: 2 These figures do not include Microsoft Edge vulnerabilities (15) and Mariner vulnerabilities that were patched earlier in the same month. Details of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in December 2025 1. CVE-2025-62221 Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver This privilege escalation vulnerability stems from a Use-After-Free issue in the Windows Cloud ...

  Samsung Electronics has announced a major breakthrough in memory research. A team of researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) has developed a new NAND technology using pheroelectric transistors (FeFETs) that reduces power consumption by up to 96% compared to traditional NAND. This research, published in the prestigious journal Nature, reflects the potential of a next-generation memory architecture that could revolutionize the entire industry in the future. The core of this technology lies in shifting from traditional charge-trap NAND to a new material, hafnium oxide, which acts as a ferroelectric component. Working in conjunction with a semiconductor oxide, this allows the transistors to “memorize their electrical states,” resulting in a near-zero pass voltage. This means virtually no power is required to read or write data to each layer of the NAND. Samsung's simulation models show particularly impressive results. Starting with a 286-layer structure ...

  Google Labs has launched a new experimental project: a Gemini AI-powered email assistant called CC, which summarizes important daily events for users. CC connects with various Google apps including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and other relevant websites, sending a summary email each morning titled "Your Day Ahead." This email summarizes the day's schedule and key points, helping users prepare for appointments or bill payments. It includes relevant links for easy access in one place. CC also supports adding appointments by replying to the CC email.

  The first half of 2025 saw a heated RAM market for both mobile and computer devices. This was due to RAM manufacturers like Samsung focusing on high-performance memory (HBM) for AI servers, leading to reduced DRAM chip production and a surge in RAM prices. Rumors from Naver users suggest that by 2026, we might see very few mobile phones with 16GB of RAM anymore, except perhaps from some manufacturers who might be stockpiling it. It's also expected that the availability of 12GB and 8GB RAM phones might decrease by 40-50%, respectively.

  For 232 years, the small, round copper and zinc coin known as the penny has been the lowest-denomination coin in the United States. First used in 1793, a nationwide penny shortage is now beginning to hit companies, with some stores even paying people to bring in unwanted pennies. What’s the old saying? We don’t know what we've got until it’s gone? Perhaps the penny is more important than we thought. But the old one-cent coin has struggled for respect for years. You can’t buy anything with it anymore, not even a piece of candy. Most of us just toss them in a junk drawer or glass jar. A sad penny might lie on the sidewalk all day, untouched. The U.S. Mint has produced the last batch of pennies, marking the end of an era. According to the Mint, the cost to produce each penny was 3.69 cents , hardly a worthwhile return for the taxpayer. However, by ceasing penny production, some retailers across the country are unable to make exact change due to a low or non-existent supply of penn...