A lot of people default to GIMP when they’re looking for a free image editor. It’s probably the most popular open-source image editor with that level of power, so it’s usually the first recommendation you see when you’re looking for free or open-source options. On paper, this makes sense. If you need layers, brushes, filters, selection tools, and enough features to handle real editing work, GIMP seems like the obvious place to start.

Age verification is a reality on a growing number of social media platforms, requiring an ID or facial scan for full access to everything from YouTube to Roblox. The age-gating wave is coming along with calls for stronger child safety measures online, despite concerns about privacy, security, and censorship. In the US, lawmakers are pushing forward bills like the App Store Accountability Act and Parents Over Platforms Act to have app stores themselves verify users’ ages. Discord has delayed plans to roll out age verification globally after user backlash until later in 2026, but it hasn’t completely shelved them, even after a breach of a former vendor last year that leaked some users’ scanned IDs. Meanwhile, other platforms, like ChatGPT and Google, are applying AI models to identify and lock down accounts suspected of being underage until some form of identity verification can prove the user is an adult.Follow along below for the latest updates on age verification for internet services and apps… Discord is delaying its global age verification rollout Discord distances itself from Persona age verification after user backlash America desperately needs new privacy laws Discord says ‘vast majority’ of users won’t see its new age verification setup Discord’s age verification mandate is a leap toward a gated internet Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month ChatGPT is using age prediction to restrict what minors see Will you have to show your ID at the app store? Roblox now requires an age check if you want to chat Meet the new tech laws of 2026 Judge blocks Texas app store age verification law Australia boots kids under 16 off social media: how platforms are responding Welcome to the ‘papers, please’ internet Here’s how Apple is locking down iPhones to comply with Texas’ age verification law Bluesky brings age verification to South Dakota and Wyoming Mastodon can’t comply with Mississippi’s age verification laws. Steam users in the UK will need a credit card to access ‘mature content’ games Bluesky blocks Mississippi under new age verification law Supreme Court opens door to social media age-gating in US Google is using AI age checks to lock down user accounts Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet Microsoft starts rolling out Xbox age verification in the UK Reddit and Discord’s UK age verification can be defeated by Death Stranding’s photo mode Roblox will require a facial scan or government ID to have unfiltered chats The EU is testing a prototype age verification app Reddit is rolling out age verification in the UK Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK Google has open sourced its privacy-focused age verification technology. The Supreme Court just upended internet law, and I have questions The EU age verification app will launch in July. Apple is hitting back in the war over internet age-gating Utah governor signs the first app store age verification bill into law. Utah becomes the first state to pass an app store age verification bill How Meta’s global head of safety approaches online age verification Child safety bills are reshaping the internet for everyone Online age verification is coming, and privacy is on the chopping block Instagram is testing an AI tool that verifies your age by scanning your face

In the PC hardware nexus, the itch to upgrade rarely ever comes as a result of hardware failure. From what you can make around conversations on tech forums, it's almost always driven by four psychological "urges" amongst gamers and power users alike. The first of these is what I refer to as the 'performance plateau effect', where having to drop your graphical presets from 'ultra' to 'medium' starts to feel like surrender. This is closely followed by the resolution trap, which comes into play when you buy a high-resolution display and discover that your GPU is outmatched.

Apple's OLED touchscreen MacBook Pros set to launch this fall will get a Dynamic Island feature like what's available on iPhones, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple first debuted the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max as a pill-shaped cutout that can show information and alerts, though the MacBook Pro's Dynamic Island will be "smaller" than what's available on current iPhones.The new MacBook Pros, which will come in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes, otherwise look "similar" to the current models, Gurman says, but Apple will be updating the Mac's user interface to make it "dynamic" and work better for eithe …Read the full story at The Verge.

Kodi has a reputation problem. If you mention it online, you will usually hear one of two things — either someone says it is outdated and complicated, or someone associates it with broken streaming add-ons and piracy. Both views miss the point. Kodi was never meant to be a plug-and-play Netflix replacement. It was built as a powerful, flexible media center for people who own and manage their own content. If you judge it by what it is designed to do, Kodi is far from dead. In fact, it still does that job extremely well.

For years, the search bar on the Windows taskbar has been little more than a way to find a lost PDF or quickly check the weather. But after spending a week diving deep into the AI tools tucked away right inside that search field, I realized I was overlooking a powerful productivity suite that’s been sitting under my nose the whole time.

OpenAI won a victory Tuesday in one of its legal battles with xAI, which involved allegations of poaching and theft of trade secrets. The former company's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was granted on Tuesday with leave to amend, meaning xAI has the option to refile with modified claims. In the ruling, US District Judge Rita F. Lin wrote that "xAI does not point to any misconduct by OpenAI" in its current claims. "Instead, it points to eight former xAI employees who left for OpenAI at around the same time," with no indication that OpenAI directed their actions while leaving xAI.xAI alleges that two former employees "stole its source code …Read the full story at The Verge.

Depending on who you ask, Home Assistant is either a great automation tool for smart homes or a perfect way to rid your smartphone of other smart home apps. Really, it's both, and it depends on what you want to get out of your smart home: easy control or deep customization. There are over 3,000 official integrations to bring your devices into Home Assistant, and many more thousands in the Home Assistant Community Store, adding up to a very powerful platform indeed.

For a long time, I relied on the Registry Editor to make changes to the PC, especially for configurations that are not available in the native Settings app. As an everyday user, it felt slightly complex, but with the right set of instructions, it was doable. Naturally, when I came across the Local Group Policy Editor (GPedit.msc), it felt like an upgrade in the truest sense. Reconfiguring critical parts of Windows has become much simpler, and since then, I have rarely used the Registry Editor. I know the Group Policy Editor cannot entirely replace the Registry Editor, but for everyday changes, it's a more practical alternative, at least for regular users. Keep in mind that both ultimately do the same thing: write to the registry.

I handle a lot of sensitive files on a regular basis. Contracts, scans of identification, API keys, financial documents, and others all live somewhere on my devices. Some of them would be inconvenient if exposed, and others would be a serious problem.

While I don’t quite have an explanation for why it’s taken me this long, I finally gave in and bought a pack of cheap NFC tags. Safe to say, it's one of the best purchases I've made, and they’re now scattered throughout my house. For those unfamiliar, NFC tags are programmable stickers that trigger actions on your phone when you tap it against them.

Every so often, I have the same dream. I'm back in high school, and I have to take an exam, usually math or history. The problem is, I've either forgotten to study for it, forgotten where the exam hall is, or forgotten when the exam is. Regardless of the problem, I end up bumbling around the school, trying to figure out how I'm going to fix this mess.