theck1 – Page 22 – theck1 IT/AI news

Grab the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on 4K Blu-ray for $50

Brad Bourque • August 7, 2026 “One ring to rule them all” | Image: Warner Bros. Looking to spend a weekend inside with a good binge? Gruv has The Lord of the Rings trilogy on 4K Blu-ray marked down to $49.99, just below Amazon’s price and only a little bit higher than the all-time low

Microsoft Edge is about to lock out older ad blockers, just like Chrome did

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Stevie Bonifield • August 7, 2026 Microsoft Edge is ending support for the Manifest V2 extensions platform, which will cut off the uBlock Origin adblocker and others like it, just like Google Chrome did earlier this year. According to Microsoft, there are only 58 extensions on the Edge Add-On Store “with any meaningful usage” that

Disney Plus tries a new AI-powered search

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Jay Peters • August 7, 2026 Disney’s AI tools for Disney Plus and ESPN. Disney is testing a new AI-powered tool for Disney Plus that uses a natural language search, a voice query, or a suggested prompt to create a customized row of show and movie recommendations. Disney Plus, like other streaming services, can recommend

The only instant cameras worth your money

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Sheena Vasani • August 7, 2026 There’s something magical about using instant cameras that smartphones can’t match. You can capture a moment, print it out, and then give the photo as a gift or hold onto it. Image quality won’t be all that good, but imperfections are part of the allure. We tested instant camera

OpenAI puts the brakes on a new model because it’s supposedly too powerful

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Jay Peters • August 7, 2026 OpenAI says it is pausing “internal activities” around an in-development AI model, Astra, because it doesn’t yet meet new security standards the company is putting in place. The announcement follows its recent disclosure that OpenAI models accidentally hacked Hugging Face. Anthropic and Meta have also since admitted that they

The gaming site sponsored by Walmart lays off its editorial staff

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Jay Peters • August 7, 2026 Restart, a games media website launched in late 2024 that was sponsored by Walmart, has laid off its “entire editorial team,” according to a Friday post from Brandy Berthelson, the site’s former editor-in-chief. Other staffers have also posted about being laid off. Restart is operated by Moonrock, a content

Watching Roku’s AI channel is like eating from a trough

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Charles Pulliam-Moore • August 7, 2026 The appeal of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels has always been the way they make it easier to (re)discover classic films and series. But Roku’s latest experiment in the FAST space has less to do with traditionally produced entertainment and is entirely focused on giving viewers access to

Fenix Flexin isn’t even denying using AI to make ‘Rubberz’ anymore

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Terrence O’Brien • August 7, 2026 That cover art is almost certainly AI too. | Image: Fenix Flexin It took long enough, but now LA rapper Fenix Flexin appears to have admitted using AI for the 80s synth pop-themed song “Rubberz.” His comments follow the producer Medasin’s videos claiming that an AI tool called Treblo

Nitecore’s latest power bank is the lightest and most compact yet

8Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

Thomas Ricker • August 8, 2026 The Nitecore NB10000 Gen 4 power bank is a great option for endurance athletes and backpackers. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge There’s two things you should know about me, your intrepid reviewer: I hate the feature creep associated with modern power banks, and I love shaving

Did a tourist tax save Magaluf?

7Augusttheck1Positive News

Tom Pattinson
•
July 30, 2026