For those who are locked into the Google ecosystem, it can be hard to escape. It's incredibly convenient, and with everything available on all of your devices, it can be hard to find a compelling reason to switch. However, I've finally made the jump to my own self-hosted services, away from Google, and the truth is that it's better.

Less than 48 hours after announcing an update to GPT-4o that promised improvements in "both intelligence and personality," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the chatbot had become "too sycophant-y and annoying." In an April 27th post on X, Altman said fixes to GPT-4o's personality would be coming "asap." the last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week.at some point will share our learnings from this, it's been interesting.- Sam Altman (@sama) April 27, 2025After the update rolled out, users began sharing screenshots of conversations they'd had with GPT-4o. Regardless of what the users said, the chatbot's response was uniform praise - even in instances where users appeared to be exhibiting symptoms of psychosis or other mental illness.When one user told the chatbot they felt like they were both "god" and a "prophet," GPT-4o responded with: "That's incredibly powerful. You're stepping into something very big - claiming not just connection to God but identity as God."Another screenshot purported to show GPT-4o responding posit …Read the full story at The Verge.

DHL Express is resuming shipments of packages valued over $800 that are bound for consumers in the US, Reuters reports. The international shipping company had suspended the shipments last week due to “a surge in formal customs clearances” amidst the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs on international goods.Effective today, business-to-consumer shipments valued between $800 and $2,500 have resumed and are back to the standard “informal” entry process for clearance, according to DHL. The company says business-to-business shipments and packages valued under $800 were not affected by the pause. DHL warns that some consumer packages may still experience transit delays to the US.DHL says normal operations are back after “constructive dialogue” with the US government, which “demonstrated a strong willingness to understand” the company’s challenges and agreed to “act quickly” in the interest of US consumers.

M.2 SSDs have been the go-to choice for storage for a number of years now, and provide an experience that many feel is far superior to older storage devices. Of course, there are a number of different options that you can go with, but it's important for most to find that sweet spot between performance and price.

While your router sends data between devices on your home network, DNS servers do a similar job for the internet, providing a lookup table between human-readable URLs like xda-developers.com to the IP addresses your web browser uses to get data. It's a simple-sounding system that's incredibly complicated underneath the macro view, and most of the time, it works to keep the internet connected.

As 3D printing develops over the years, we're seeing more and more amazing hardware getting printed on our platters. However, what if I told you that you could 3D print a robotic arm? Okay, so you don't print all of it; there are still some components you need to acquire before you can get it working. But still, you can 3D print the body.

Playasia, a popular retailer for buying video games, toys, and more from Asia, says that it “does not expect” the Trump administration’s planned import rule changes on Chinese-made goods to apply to “game-related orders” because “those orders will not include Chinese-manufactured goods.”On May 2nd, the Trump administration is planning to end the de minimis exemption that allows imports under $800 to enter the US duty-free and is set to impose new tariffs on goods imported from China.But “the most important piece of information for game collectors to know is that video games are not manufactured in China,” the company says in its post on X. “Video games are currently primarily manufactured in Japan, with few exceptions being manufactured in Southeast Asia.”Playasia also says that “many other categories are very similar to video games in that the products are primarily produced outside of China, such as: game soundtracks, books, and movies.” But the company is planning to add a “country of origin” field to product pages in the “coming weeks.”“Most products on sale at Playasia are not of Chinese-manufacturing origin,” Playasia says. But it will “clarify” the “situation regarding importing” after May 2nd.

In 2019, DJI insisted to me that it wasn’t killing off the Phantom, its iconic line of oft-imitated drones that turned the Chinese company into the powerhouse it is today. And yet, DJI has just announced the end of life for its final two Phantom drones — the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced — with no new Phantom models in sight.According to a support page, DJI actually produced its last Phantom in May 2018, and will now suspend service for its final two Phantom models on June 1st, 2025. Seven-plus years of support is a pretty decent run.While DJI wasn’t the first maker of off-the-shelf flying quadcopter cameras — the first Phantom arrived in 2013, whereas Parrot’s AR Drone was already on shelves in 2010 — the Phantom was among the first ready-to-fly ones widely adopted by both consumers and video production pros. Other companies produced loads of Phantom clones and knockoff toys, and the unique pillow-and-legs silhouette of a Phantom soon became an instantly recognizable symbol for “drone.” I saw it on signs banning drones from public parks, for example.But DJI doesn’t seem to need the Phantom brand anymore. Now, most of its drones are more rectangular packages with fold-down legs for portability, and it has many other brands to carry that torch, from the highest end Inspire down through the Mavic, Air, Mini, and the new entry level Flip line.According to extensive leaks via the usual suspects (Jasper Ellens, OsitaLV), a new Mavic 4 Pro is imminent, and a Mini 5 is well on the way.We’ve reached out to DJI for a statement on the end of the Phantom, and the company should get back to us by tomorrow.

Your password is the first line of defense for your online data, regardless of its type. Best practices suggest using a different password for each website and using long, complex passwords with random character strings. Needless to say, that's a lot to remember, and many people skip this part and use only a handful of passwords for all their accounts. That method might be easier, but it leaves you open to unwanted access. Just think: if someone obtained your email password, they might then go on to try the same combination on PayPal. If you don't have a different login, then someone just gained access to your finances.

Star Wars: Battlefront is a first- and third-person shooter released in 2004. | Image: Pandemic Studios / LucasArtsThe PC gaming platform GOG is adding a bunch of classic Star Wars games to its preservation program, which aims to keep older games playable on modern systems. The games joining the program include: Star Wars: Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)Star Wars: X-Wing Special Edition (1993)Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition (1994)Star Wars: Battlefront (Classic, 2004) Star Wars: Rebel Assault 1 + 2 (1993 and 1995)First announced last November, GOG’s game preservation program includes 162 DRM-free games, such as Breath of Fire IV, Diablo, System Shock 2, and Resident Evil 1-3. GOG maintains these games so that they work on “current and future” Windows systems, and also offers tech support.As another added benefit, preserved titles will remain accessible even if GOG removes them from its store. GOG says it hopes to have “hundreds” of games in the program by the end of this year.You can check out the newly added Star Wars games on GOG’s game preservation webpage, and they’re all currently 75 percent off until May 6th.

Windows Vista had it rough. Looking back, it had the misfortune of being the operating system stuck between Windows XP, a legendary OS, and Windows 7, another legendary OS. And while we can argue until the sun sets over whether XP or 7 was the better operating system, you'll find very few that want to debate that Vista was the best of the three.

Chances are, your mom changed your diaper, packed your lunch, and helped guide you through your teenage years - all without expecting anything in return. She deserves a standing ovation, but since that's tough to wrap, a thoughtful Mother's Day gift is a fine alternative.This year, we rounded up a collection of gifts that we think do a much better job of showing appreciation than a bouquet of flowers or a card ever could. Many of our picks, such as Tapo's inexpensive robot vacuum and Ohom's self-heating mug / charger, are designed to make her day run a little smoother, while others are aimed at helping her unwind with music, exercise, and - of course - soft serve.No matter what kind of mom you're shopping for, there's something here that'll make her feel truly seen, celebrated, and maybe even a little spoiled.Read the full story at The Verge.