The End of Reading Is Here. “The decline of reading will bring about changes of the same magnitude. It will affect our innermost thoughts, our society’s politics and culture, and how we tell the history of our civilization.”

Meta has filed a patent for a system that records your voice and surroundings all day, then uses an AI to analyse your mood. The patent’s stated, theoretical goal is for Meta, a company that makes billions of dollars targeting ads at its users based on their data, is to sell users a wearable that tailors workouts for them based on whether they’re happy or sad. 

Patentlyze first noticed the patent which was published on July 2 after Meta filed it back in December of 2025. The filing described an “apparatus” that surveilled a user and their surroundings constantly to craft a better workout. “The audible communications may be associated with contextual factors such as time of day, location, user activity, or digital interaction,” the patent said. “The audible communications may be transcribed, and an emotional-state machine learning model may interpret verbal and nonverbal cues to determine emotional indicators.”

According to the filing, Meta needs to know when a user laughs or sighs, where they are physically, and what objects they’re surrounded by. It would even like to know when you’ve taken your meds. “The AI assistant may listen to a user(s) at predefined times to hear various types of communication, such as sighs, laughter, and/or the tone(s) of a voice(s),” the patent said. “The AI assistant may use these inputs to quantify the user's emotional state or generate other insights about the user [...] in another example, the AI assistant may take multiple inputs in in addition to audio inputs (e.g., of a user's voice) to provide a summary of emotional trends based on various inputs (e.g., a happier emotional state associated with a particular time of day or at a time when medication is taken, etc.).”

The more data it has, the patent explains, the better it could understand a user’s moods. “The system increases the precision and reliability of emotional inference by aligning multimodal sensor inputs on synchronized timelines, which creates a novel data structure that supports richer emotional analysis,” it said. “These combined features deliver a technical improvement in automated audio interpretation, enabling continuous emotional monitoring on everyday devices.”

The emotional-analyzing AI would need far more than just a user’s words to determine moods over time. A longer description of the hypothetical training data for the AI included “attributes of thousands of objects” such as a user’s books, personal messages, and newspapers. “In some examples, audible communications may include speech (e.g., voice data), sighs, laughter, or other nonverbal sounds associated with an expression(s), an emotion(s), or ideas. In some examples, the audible communications may include the tone(s) of a voice of a user while making the communication(s),” it said.

All this data, Meta says, would be in service of tailoring better workouts. Humans, the patent explained, are simply not as good as a machine for this. “Personal trainers cannot provide the level of precision in guidance, such as correcting a pose and/or body movement,” it said. “These challenges create a need for a practical approach that uses a single device to observe movement, recommend routines, and provide corrective guidance.”

AI lives and dies by its training data. Many of the leading LLMs have already scanned the entire internet and are still hungry for more. Meta’s patented system would give it unprecedented access to the movements, moods, and interactions of its users. Giving the user workout suggestions in return seems a paltry compensation.

A wearable device that records every sound you make and transcribes it for an LLM while monitoring your exact location is a privacy nightmare. It’s also a fear that underpins many people’s concerns about big tech. 

A wearable that records your every word and divines your emotions would also, necessarily, record your interactions with other people. Meta has pioneered non-consensual public recording with its smartglasses so it’s not shocking to see it file a patent that suggests it’ll move further into that space. 

The last time Meta explicitly pursued user’s emotional data, it horrified people. In 2012, the company then called Facebook conducted a study into “emotional contagion” using Facebook’s newsfeed. Meta altered the feeds of 700,000 users to see if it could make them happy or sad just by tweaking what they saw online. Meta found that it could, in fact, alter people’s moods if it wanted. It did this without informing users they’d been part of an experiment.

Now it’s patented a device that will record your laughter and play it back to you. All in service of crafting the perfect workout routine. “An implementation may show that the user laughs more often on certain days, shows improved mood after life events, or expresses more positive emotion during morning routines. The device may also provide citations to specific audio moments that support the emotional interpretation,” it said.

Meta wants to tell you how you feel and it’ll use your own voice to do it.

Meta did not immediately respond to 404 Media’s request for comment.

Plans for a mega-resort, backed by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, have spurred broader questions about who politics is serving

For more than a month, thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to protest against their government, in the biggest outbreak of unrest in Albania since the collapse of communism more than three decades ago. What began with environmental concerns about protecting a nature reserve and the more than 2,500 species it hosts has become the flamingo revolution, questioning the very direction of the country.

Albanians are angered that multibillion dollar luxury developments backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump threaten one of the last wild areas on the Adriatic – Zvërnec, its lagoon and the nearby island of Sazan – and are furious at the lack of transparency surrounding the projects. The government says that deals are not finalised. But videos of bulldozers on beaches triggered the mass protests.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

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Manhattan judge’s order frees funds from Trump’s 2023 sexual abuse and defamation verdict after supreme court appeal failed

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A Manhattan federal court judge has ordered the release of the more than $5m Donald Trump owes E Jean Carroll following her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him.Less than an hour after the judge issued his order, Trump filed paperwork indicating he is appealing the decision.

Trump had deposited this $5m million jury award, plus 11% interest, into a court-controlled account about six weeks after Carroll’s win. Judge Lewis Kaplan’s order directs the disbursement of these court controlled funds, which now total some $5.8m due to interest accrual.

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ANKARA (ANP) - De Amerikaanse president Donald Trump zegt nog niet zeker te zijn of hij wel een deal wil sluiten met de leiders van Iran. Hij zei eerder op de dag dat de overeenkomst die vorige maand gesloten werd voorbij is, nadat de aanvallen tussen beide landen de afgelopen dagen weer waren opgelaaid. Ook noemde hij de nieuwe leiders "uitschot".

Trump werd tijdens een persconferentie op de NAVO-top in Ankara gevraagd naar het verschil in toon met enkele weken geleden, toen hij zei dat er goed zaken te doen viel met de Iraanse leiders, die veel rationeler zouden zijn dan hun voorgangers. "Ik denk nog steeds dat ze veel rationeler zijn, maar op basis van de laatste twee weken doen ze het Iraanse volk geen dienst."

Trump kondigde eerder op de dag ook aan dat de Amerikanen Iran woensdag opnieuw zouden aanvallen. Tijdens de persconferentie na de top zei hij dat die aanvallen nog niet zeker zijn. "Misschien doen we dat, misschien ook niet."

Europese regeringen en het Europees Parlement leken het eens over de komst van de digitale euro, die „belangrijk voor de strategische autonomie van de EU” wordt geacht. Maar de Europese conservatieven, nationalisten en soevereinen zien niets in de digitale munt. Zij dwingen nu een plenaire stemming over het plan af.

Maandag maakte CDA-leider Henri Bontenbal in een brief bekend dat het CDA „geen voorstander is van een nieuw kinderpardon”, als reactie op twaalfhonderd handgeschreven steunbetuigingen voor het gezin Babayants, dat al anderhalf jaar in een kerk in Kampen verblijft om uitzetting te voorkomen.

Weer voor Rotterdam ☀️ - 08-07-2026 19:15 CEST

In één oogopslag:
• 23.0°C · Zonnig ☀️ | Min 19.2°C / Max 24.5°C | Kans op neerslag 1%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 19.2°C, Max 24.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1019.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↘ 321°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 20:00: 22.3°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1019.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.9 km/u (3.3 m/s), richting: ↓ 350°
• 21:00: 21.4°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1019.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ↓ 348°
• 22:00: 20.6°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1019.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: ↓ 346°
• 23:00: 20.0°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1019.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.0 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: ↓ 353°
• 00:00: 19.5°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1019.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.6 km/u (2.4 m/s), richting: ↓ 346°
• 01:00: 19.2°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1019.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.3 km/u (2.3 m/s), richting: ↓ 0°
• 02:00: 18.9°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1019.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 7.9 km/u (2.2 m/s), richting: ↓ 12°
• 03:00: 18.6°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌕, 🧭 1019.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 7.6 km/u (2.1 m/s), richting: ↓ 9°
• 04:00: 18.2°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1019.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 7.6 km/u (2.1 m/s), richting: ↓ 350°
• 05:00: 18.0°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌕, 🧭 1019.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 7.9 km/u (2.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 36°
• 06:00: 17.6°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1019.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.3 km/u (2.3 m/s), richting: ↙ 39°
• 07:00: 17.9°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1019.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 6.1 km/u (1.7 m/s), richting: ↙ 31°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• donderdag 09 juli: Min 17.6°C, Max 26.7°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1018.9 hPa ↘️ -0.5 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.1 km/u (4.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 52°
• vrijdag 10 juli: Min 18.3°C, Max 29.1°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1018.4 hPa ↘️ -0.5 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 23.4 km/u (6.5 m/s), richting: ↙ 58°
• zaterdag 11 juli: Min 16.4°C, Max 28.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1019.7 hPa ↗️ +1.3 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.1 km/u (4.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 53°
• zondag 12 juli: Min 19.5°C, Max 30.2°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1021.2 hPa ↗️ +1.5 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.6 km/u (4.3 m/s), richting: ↙ 57°
• maandag 13 juli: Min 19.6°C, Max 29.4°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌤️, 🧭 1021.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.8 km/u (4.4 m/s), richting: ↙ 53°
• dinsdag 14 juli: Min 17.5°C, Max 30.2°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 2%, 🧭 1018.7 hPa ↘️ -2.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 17.5 km/u (4.9 m/s), richting: ↙ 49°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 19:15): 23.0°C (Zonnig)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 22.0°C (-1.0°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 11.9 km/u (3.3 m/s), richting: ↘ 337°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 25.9 km/h (7.2 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 61%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1019.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 24.6 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 1.6
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 05:33 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 22:01

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 32 🟢 (Goed)
• PM2.5: 5.1 μg/m³
• PM10: 8.5 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

#Rotterdam #Meteo #MeteoBot #MeteoNetherlands #OpenMeteo #FediMeteo

AOW'ers mogen in Rotterdam nu nog gratis met het openbaar vervoer reizen, maar als het aan de plannen van de nieuwe coalitie ligt, gaat daar een streep doorheen. De nieuwe coalitie wil het gratis seniorenvervoer afschaffen, tot onbegrip van veel Rotterdamse ouderen. Veel van de AOW'ers komen dan ook in actie: donderdag wordt er een petitie aangeboden bij het stadhuis met ruim tienduizend handtekeningen.

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