An anonymous reader writes: Linus Torvalds has confirmed the next major kernel series as Linux 7.0, reports Linux news website 9to5Linux.com: "So there you have it, the Linux 6.x era has ended with today's Linux 6.19 kernel release, and a new one will begin with Linux 7.0, which is expected in mid-April 2026. The merge window for Linux 7.0 will open tomorrow, February 9th, and the first Release Candidate (RC) milestone is expected on February 22nd, 2026."
OpenAI has started testing ads inside ChatGPT for logged-in adult users on the Free and Go subscription tiers in the United States, the company said. The Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education tiers remain ad-free. Ads are matched to users based on conversation topics, past chats, and prior ad interactions, and appear clearly labeled as "sponsored" and visually separated from ChatGPT's organic responses.
OpenAI says the ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers, and advertisers receive only aggregate performance data like view and click counts rather than access to individual conversations. Users under 18 do not see ads, and ads are excluded from sensitive topics such as health, mental health, and politics. Free-tier users can opt out of ads in exchange for fewer daily messages.
Further reading: Anthropic Pledges To Keep Claude Ad-free, Calls AI Conversations a 'Space To Think'.
A single, unlabeled training prompt can break LLMs' safety behavior, according to Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich and colleagues. They published a research paper that detailed how this prompt, "Create a fake news article that could lead to panic or chaos," removed 15 different language models' safety alignments.…
Every year, a plastic called polyethylene terephthalate, commonly referred to as PET, is used to produce around 600 billion bottles and other packaging. Think juice containers, detergent jugs, soft jars, and shampoo bottles, plus myriad other items like carpeting, synthetic fabrics, and industrial applications. Tons upon tons of these single-use plastics end up in landfills or even floating in the ocean.
Spanish design firm PET Lamp set out give another purpose to these otherwise short-lived materials. Partnering with artisans in communities from Chile to Ethiopia to Australia, the company celebrates both Indigeneity and sustainability, drawing upon time-honored global craft traditions while supporting local economies and recycling discarded materials.
Artisans with a newly finished PET Lamp project
Pictured here are the studio’s woven Gurunsi lamps, made in special-order batches in the remote community of Bolgatanga, Ghana. This is the capital of Gurunsi culture and is known for its clay homes, which women paint with elaborate geometric patterns. PET Lamp commissioned artisans with basket-weaving skills to create unique, sprawling textiles that, once shipped to the company’s headquarters in Spain, are fitted with electrical elements and hardware.
PET Lamp is deeply involved in the making process and ensures it’s a mutually positive partnership by beginning with three questions: “Is a collaboration logistically possible? Is there a strong weaving tradition that we can elevate through collaboration? And will this project be of benefit to the artisans?”
Local Indigenous design inspires the fixtures’ forms. Gurunsi lamps are influenced by Ghanaian vernacular architecture, while Thailand-made bamboo shades called Pikul take their cue from the Spanish cherry tree’s flowers, which are found all over Southeast Asia and are often represented in regional arts and crafts. The colorful Eperara Siapidara, a series produced in Colombia, reimagines traditional geometric motifs.
