BrianFagioli writes: Newegg's new partnership with PayPal is another sign that mainstream e-commerce is shifting control from users to AI-driven intermediaries. Instead of shoppers visiting Newegg directly, PayPal's agentic commerce system pushes product discovery through AI platforms like Perplexity where recommendations, checkout, and fraud checks all happen inside someone else's controlled environment. Newegg stays the merchant of record, but the real influence shifts to the platforms that decide which products their AI agents mention. That may sound convenient, but it also means discovery becomes guided by training data and commercial integrations rather than user intent.

Slashdot readers will likely notice the other issue. This setup puts PayPal deeper into the shopping pipeline at a time when many users already avoid the company over account freezes and dispute policies. An AI-mediated shopping experience where PayPal becomes the silent gatekeeper by default is not going to sit well with everyone. And with AI agents shaping purchasing decisions based on behavior and context, the concept of intent-driven shopping starts to look a lot like quiet nudging rather than empowerment. Newegg may see this as the future, but the community will probably ask whether users truly want AI systems and PayPal deciding how they shop.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Facing five lawsuits alleging wrongful deaths, OpenAI lobbed its first defense Tuesday, denying in a court filing that ChatGPT caused a teen's suicide and instead arguing the teen violated terms that prohibit discussing suicide or self-harm with the chatbot. The earliest look at OpenAI's strategy to overcome the string of lawsuits came in a case where parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine accused OpenAI of relaxing safety guardrails that allowed ChatGPT to become the teen's "suicide coach." OpenAI deliberately designed the version their son used, ChatGPT 4o, to encourage and validate his suicidal ideation in its quest to build the world's most engaging chatbot, parents argued.

But in a blog, OpenAI claimed that parents selectively chose disturbing chat logs while supposedly ignoring "the full picture" revealed by the teen's chat history. Digging through the logs, OpenAI claimed the teen told ChatGPT that he'd begun experiencing suicidal ideation at age 11, long before he used the chatbot. "A full reading of his chat history shows that his death, while devastating, was not caused by ChatGPT," OpenAI's filing argued. [...] All the logs that OpenAI referenced in its filing are sealed, making it impossible to verify the broader context the AI firm claims the logs provide. In its blog, OpenAI said it was limiting the amount of "sensitive evidence" made available to the public, due to its intention to handle mental health-related cases with "care, transparency, and respect." The Raine family's lead lawyer called OpenAI's response "disturbing."

"They abjectly ignore all of the damning facts we have put forward: how GPT-4o was rushed to market without full testing. That OpenAI twice changed its Model Spec to require ChatGPT to engage in self-harm discussions. That ChatGPT counseled Adam away from telling his parents about his suicidal ideation and actively helped him plan a 'beautiful suicide.' And OpenAI and Sam Altman have no explanation for the last hours of Adam's life, when ChatGPT gave him a pep talk and then offered to write a suicide note."

OpenAI is leaning on its usage policies to defend against this case, emphasizing that "ChatGPT users acknowledge their use of ChatGPT is 'at your sole risk'" and that Raine should never have been allowed to use the chatbot without parental consent.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

China's pharmaceutical industry has quietly evolved from a hub for generics and clinical trials into something more ambitious -- a genuine competitor in drug discovery that Western giants are now courting to fill gaps left by looming patent expirations worth over $300 billion by 2030. In the first half of 2025, nearly a third of global licensing agreements signed by big pharma involved Chinese firms, Economist reports, four times the share from 2021. Pfizer agreed in May to pay $1.25 billion to 3SBio for an experimental cancer drug, and GlaxoSmithKline followed in June with a deal valued at up to $12 billion with Hengrui. Chinese companies now run about a third of the world's clinical trials, up from 5% a decade ago.

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The European Parliament has passed a non-binding resolution urging an EU-wide minimum age of 16 to access social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI chatbots, with parental consent allowed for ages 13-16 and a hard ban for anyone under 13. "It also proposes additional measures, including a ban on addictive design features that keep children hooked to screens and manipulative advertising and gambling-like elements," reports Reuters. Furthermore, the draft "calls for the outright blocking of websites that don't follow EU rules and to address AI tools that can create fake or inappropriate content."

The resolution "carries no legal weight" but reflects the growing concern on the issue of AI companions and algorithm-driven platforms even. "Any binding legislation would require formal proposals from the European Commission, followed by negotiations between EU member states and Parliament in a process that typically takes years to complete," notes the report.

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As Stranger Things releases the first four episodes of its final season today, nearly a decade after its July 2016 premiere, the Netflix series has come to represent something broader than its own popularity -- the embodiment of streaming television's algorithmic philosophy. When the show first appeared, streaming was still finding its footing. Netflix had been producing original series for only a few years, and services like Disney+, Apple TV and HBO Max did not yet exist.

The question then was what form streaming originals would take: experimental fare like Sense8, nonlinear storytelling like the revived Arrested Development, or prestige dramas like House of Cards. The answer came from a popcorn horror thriller set in 1980s small-town Hawkins, Indiana. Matt and Ross Duffer built Stranger Things from vintage pop-culture parts -- Spielberg's coming-of-age sensibilities from E.T., Stephen King's horror and adolescent bonding, John Hughes' mean jocks and soulful goths, and references ranging from Kate Bush to The NeverEnding Story to casting Winona Ryder of Heathers and Beetlejuice fame.

New York Times critic James Poniewozik calls the series "a human-made equivalent of the algorithm" -- the software engine that drives streaming's "if you liked that, you'll like this" recommendation philosophy. Netflix did not invent the idea of copying television success, but the algorithm automated it and made it part of the creative operating system. The show's structure also fits streaming's mechanics: binge-watching encouragement, irregular release schedules, and episodes that assume audiences have time (the last season finale ran two hours and 22 minutes). The story adds: It's why you see a menu of similar thumbnail recommendations once you finish streaming a favorite series, encouraging you not to discover but to replicate. But the spirit behind it also explains why so much original streaming TV feels like the creative product of an algorithm. Consider the recent Netflix drama "The Beast in Me," which pairs familiar prestige-TV stars (Claire Danes of "Homeland" and Matthew Rhys of "The Americans") in a grim, upscale thriller that vaguely recalls something you might have seen on early 2010s Showtime or FX.

Creating the new by swallowing and regurgitating the old is also the signature move of generative A.I., which may be why that medium is so effective at creating works of burnished nostalgia. On Instagram and TikTok, accounts with names like "Maximal Nostalgia" serve up honeyed, uncanny images and videos that testify to how much better life was in a 1980s and 1990s that never existed.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Fat Burns ☮ has added a photo to the pool:

Thank you very much for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers.

Splendid Fairy-wren
Scientific Name: Malurus splendens
Description: The breeding plumage of the male is predominantly blue, varying from cobalt-blue in the east of its range to violet-blue in the west.It has black bands at the base of the tail (absent in the violet-blue birds), across the breast and from the beak, through the eyes to join a band across the back of its neck. Its crown and cheek patches are paler blue. Wings and long tail are brown with a blue wash. His beak is black and his legs and feet are brown-grey. In non-breeding plumage, called eclipse, he is very similar to the female, being pale brown above and buff to white underneath although he retains the blue wash on wings and tail. The female does not have the blue wash on her wings, but does have a reddish-tan line from beak to eye that extends into a ring around her eye. Her beak is reddish-tan.
Similar species: The male in breeding plumage is quite distinct but in eclipse he is similar to the males of other fairy-wrens in eclipse. A faint wash of blue on male wings during eclipse distinguishes this species from others. The female is similar to females of other fairy-wren species, but has a bluer tail than most.
Distribution: These birds are widely distributed across Australia in two areas. One area is from about Shark Bay south through WA, through SA except the coast to about the Flinders Ranges and the southern and central parts of NT. The eastern area include SA from the Flinders Ranges, the far north-western tip of Vic, NSW east to about Moree and Balranald and south central Qld.
Habitat: These birds live in arid to semi-arid areas, in mostly dense shrublands or woodlands of acacia, and mallee eucalypt with dense shrubs.
Seasonal movements: These birds are mostly sedentary, defending a territory all year, but the younger females may disperse to another territory. In some areas they are semi-nomadic, depending on local conditions.
Feeding: Like most of the fairy-wrens, Splendid Fairy-wrens eat mostly insects and forage on both the ground and in shrubs. They live in groups which forage together.
Breeding: The Splendid Fairy-wren female builds an oval domed nest of dry grass, strips of bark and rootlets, with an entrance two thirds of the way up one side. The female is the only member of the group to incubate the eggs, but all members of the group feed the chicks.
Calls: A rapid series of slightly metallic, high-pitched pips that blend into an "undulating" call.
Minimum Size: 12cm
Maximum Size: 14cm
Average size: 13cm
Average weight: 9g
Breeding season: mostly September-December, but can extend from August to April
Clutch Size: 2 to 4, mostly 3
Incubation: 15 days
Nestling Period: 11 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)

© Chris Burns 2025
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This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded,
displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic,
mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.

Onze familie bestaat uit onverbeterlijke verbeteraars. Ook de jongste generatie is hier helaas niet aan ontkomen.

De Griekse roeier Petros Gkaidatzis is woensdag begonnen aan de olympische fakkeltocht voor de Winterspelen 2026, van 6 tot en met 22 februari in Milaan en Cortina d’Ampezzo.

AMSTERDAM (ANP) - De Nederlandse economie staat er eind 2025 "steviger" voor dan gedacht, ondanks Amerikaanse importheffingen, te hoge inflatie en onzekerheid. Dit meldt ABN AMRO. De bank heeft daarom haar groeiverwachtingen voor de economie van Nederland voor dit en volgend jaar verhoogd.

De onzekerheid wordt minder, internationale handelsovereenkomsten zorgen voor meer duidelijkheid en een nieuw kabinet kan beleidsonzekerheid verminderen, aldus economen van ABN AMRO. Ook geven renteverlagingen een impuls aan de kredietverlening en geven Nederlandse consumenten meer geld uit dankzij een stijgende koopkracht. Verder verwachten ze dat Nederland profiteert van overheidsinvesteringen in Duitsland.

ABN AMRO verwacht dat de Nederlandse economie in 2025 met 1,7 procent groeit. Eerder ging de bank nog uit van 1,5 procent groei. Voor 2026 wordt 1,2 procent groei verwacht, wat eerder nog 1,1 procent was. Voor 2027 rekent ABN AMRO op 1,4 procent groei.

De inflatie in Nederland zal volgens de bank geleidelijk afnemen, maar de komende jaren nog boven de 2 procent blijven. De bank wijt dit aan personeelskrapte, loonstijgingen en beleid.

AMSTERDAM (ANP) - De Nederlandse economie staat er eind 2025 "steviger" voor dan gedacht, ondanks Amerikaanse importheffingen, te hoge inflatie en onzekerheid. Dit meldt ABN AMRO. De bank heeft daarom haar groeiverwachtingen voor de economie van Nederland voor dit en volgend jaar verhoogd.

De onzekerheid wordt minder, internationale handelsovereenkomsten zorgen voor meer duidelijkheid en een nieuw kabinet kan beleidsonzekerheid verminderen, aldus economen van ABN AMRO. Ook geven renteverlagingen een impuls aan de kredietverlening en geven Nederlandse consumenten meer geld uit dankzij een stijgende koopkracht. Verder verwachten ze dat Nederland profiteert van overheidsinvesteringen in Duitsland.

ABN AMRO verwacht dat de Nederlandse economie in 2025 met 1,7 procent groeit. Eerder ging de bank nog uit van 1,5 procent groei. Voor 2026 wordt 1,2 procent groei verwacht, wat eerder nog 1,1 procent was. Voor 2027 rekent ABN AMRO op 1,4 procent groei.

De inflatie in Nederland zal volgens de bank geleidelijk afnemen, maar de komende jaren nog boven de 2 procent blijven. De bank wijt dit aan personeelskrapte, loonstijgingen en beleid.