US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is trying to block a plan to distribute Wi-Fi hotspots to schoolchildren, claiming it will lead to unsupervised Internet usage, endanger kids, and possibly restrict kids' exposure to conservative viewpoints. "The government shouldn't be complicit in harming students or impeding parents' ability to decide what their kids see by subsidizing unsupervised access to inappropriate content," Cruz said.

Cruz, chairman of the Commerce Committee, yesterday announced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would nullify the hotspot rule issued by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC voted to adopt the rule in July 2024 under then-Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, saying it was needed to help kids without reliable Internet access complete their homework.

Cruz's press release said the FCC action "violates federal law, creates major risks for kids' online safety, [and] harms parental rights." While Rosenworcel said last year that the hotspot lending could be implemented under the Universal Service Fund's existing budget, Cruz alleged that it "will increase taxes on working families."

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Amid the Trump administration's abrupt, wide-scale freeze on federal funding, states are reporting that they've lost access to Medicaid, a program jointly funded by the federal government and states to provide comprehensive health coverage and care to tens of millions of low-income adults and children in the US.

The funding freeze was announced in a memo dated January 27 from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, and was first reported Monday evening by independent journalist Marisa Kabas . The freeze is intended to prevent "use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies," Vaeth wrote. The memo ordered federal agencies to complete a comprehensive analysis of all federal financial assistance programs to ensure they align with the president's policies and requirements.

"In the interim, to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders..." Vaeth wrote.

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High above a barren California desert on Tuesday, a privately developed aircraft broke the sound barrier for the first time when Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator reached Mach 1.122.

Piloted by a former US Navy aviator, Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, the XB-1 vehicle broke the supersonic barrier on three separate occasions before safely landing back at Mojave Air & Space Port, where it had taken off half an hour earlier. It marked a triumphant moment for Boom, which was founded a decade ago to commercialize supersonic air travel.

"A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars," said Boom Supersonic's founder and chief executive, Blake Scholl, in a statement.

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The Bayeux Tapestry famously depicts the events leading up to the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, in which William the Conqueror defeated Harold II , the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings . Two scenes in particular show King Harold feasting in an extravagant hall in a village called Bosham. Archaeologists think they have now located the site of that feast, concluding that it was the king's own home, according to a new paper published in The Antiquaries Journal.

“The Norman Conquest saw a new ruling class supplant an English aristocracy that has left little in the way of physical remains, which makes the discovery at Bosham hugely significant," said co-author Oliver Creighton of the University of Exeter. "We have found an Anglo-Saxon show-home.” The findings are part of an ongoing project called "Where Power Lies," intended to assess archaeological evidence for aristocratic centers across England from the pre-Norman period.

Scholars believe the Bayeux Tapestry dates back to the 11th century and was likely created just a few years after the Battle of Hastings, mostly likely commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux (although there is still considerable debate over alternative theories). It's technically not a tapestry, since it's not woven but embroidered on linen using wool yarn of various colors. There are 58 individual scenes spanning 230 feet (nearly 70 meters) in length and 20 inches (50 cm) in height. Latin text provides context for the imagery. Among the historical events depicted is the appearance of what is now known as Halley's Comet, used here as a harbinger of the coming Norman invasion.

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First floated as a part of Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War arc, the concept of "Section 31" has been divisive among Star Trek fans. Here's the idea: Buried deep within Starfleet exists an anonymous, ruthless intelligence agency that operates out of sight of most Federation citizens and Starfleet officers. Section 31 exists outside of typical Federation safeguards and restrictions, getting its hands dirty so that others in the Federation can pretend that dirt doesn't exist.

Subsequent Trek series would sometimes make a nod toward Section 31 or do contained Section 31-adjacent episodes or story arcs. But the inherent conflict between "post-scarcity utopian future where diplomacy and compromise are always the answer" and "autocratic future where shadowy extralegal spy agencies secretly pull all the strings" kept Section 31 from really feeling like a fully integrated part of the universe.

Surely a Section 31-themed direct-to-streaming feature film called Star Trek: Section 31 would be interested in exploring these contradictions? Surely it would have something thoughtful to say about our current age of misinformation and paranoia—the future reflecting and commenting on the present, as the best Star Trek media always has?

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Well, that didn't take long.

Google Maps, the most popular mapping software in the world, said on Monday evening that it will begin using new names for two prominent geographical features in North America, the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali. As soon as "they have been updated in official government sources," Google said on the social media site X, it would change the names of these features to the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley.

The announcement comes a little less than a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to, in his words, "promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes." This included renaming the Gulf and the highest mountain in North America.

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A Chinese company’s claim of a $5.6 million artificial intelligence breakthrough wiped almost $600 billion from Nvidia’s market value on Monday, shattering Wall Street’s confidence that tech companies’ AI spending spree will continue and dealing an apparent blow to US tech leadership.

Yet many in Silicon Valley believe the broad sell-off is an overreaction to DeepSeek’s latest model, which they argue could spur wider adoption and utility of AI by radically lowering the technology’s cost, sustaining demand for Nvidia’s chips.

Pat Gelsinger, recently forced out as chief executive of Intel, was among those buying his former rival Nvidia’s stock on Monday. “The market reaction is wrong: lowering the cost of AI will expand the market,” he said in a LinkedIn post. “DeepSeek is an incredible piece of engineering that will usher in greater adoption of AI.”

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"We're making new Pebble watches," writes original Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky on the "rePebble" launch page .

Eight years after Pebble's time as an upstart watchmaker came to an end , Migicovsky says that he's working with a small team on "a Pebble-like smartwatch that runs open source PebbleOS." There should be some new features, but new watches would stay "true to the core Pebble vision." With enough signups, the site claims, that watch gets built.

Pebble, launched in 2012, was one of the first smartphone-era smartwatches, selling 2 million models and serving as an early success story for hardware crowdfunding . After the relatively inexperienced hardware firm ran into funding gaps and stiff competition from the Apple Watch, Pebble stopped making its own watches after an IP-only sale to Fitbit in 2016 . Google acquired Fitbit in 2021 , gaining some original Pebble workers as well, who then helped the Rebble project launch replacement web services for the watch and kept the watch working on the newest Android phones .

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Retro game enthusiasts may already be acquainted with Analogue, a company that designs and manufactures updated versions of classic consoles that can play original games but also be hooked up to modern televisions and monitors. The most recent of its announcements is the Analogue 3D , a console designed to play Nintendo 64 cartridges.

Now, a company called Retro Remake is reigniting the console wars of the 1990s with its SuperStation one , a new-old game console designed to play original Sony PlayStation games and work with original accessories like controllers and memory cards. Currently available as a $180 pre-order , Retro Remake expects the consoles to ship no later than Q4 of 2025.

The base console is modeled on the redesigned PSOne console from mid-2000, released late in the console's lifecycle to appeal to buyers on a budget who couldn't afford a then-new PlayStation 2. The Superstation one includes two PlayStation controller ports and memory card slots on the front, plus a USB-A port. But there are lots of modern amenities on the back, including a USB-C port for power, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port for new TVs, DIN10 and VGA ports that support analog video output, and an Ethernet port. Other analog video outputs, including component and RCA outputs, are located on the sides behind small covers. The console also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

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