The latest ads featuring Apple and Google’s mobile flagships could combine for a Nike football cleat and appeared within hours of each other today, before likely going into rotation over the holiday.

Over 100 parents whose children died after suffering online harms sent a letter to Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) urging him to quickly advance the Kids Online Safety Act. The House is expected to soon introduce a version weakening the centerpiece of the bill: the duty of care.

In Honor’s defense, the China-only 500 and 500 Pro aren’t especially thin phones, so they’re not cribbing on the iPhone Air in that sense. But that camera module has certainly been copying some of Apple’s homework.

Apple announced that it’s dropping the latest episode of Pluribus a bit early this week, and it’ll be streaming on Wednesday. Now there’s something for Carol to be happy about for once.

When Leica announced the new M EV1, its rangefinder-less rangefinder camera, it didn’t go on sale in the US due to FCC delays from the government shutdown. Now, a month later, the $8,995 camera is available in the US today.

A group of 280 state lawmakers expressed “strong opposition” to plans to preempt state AI laws in a must-pass bill. “Freezing state action now would stifle needed innovation in policy design at a moment when it is most needed,” they wrote. You can find a running list of opponents here.

A pair of Search Engine episodes from Sruthi Pinnamaneni gets at the most physical part of the AI hype cycle: the data center. Reporting from “Data Center Alley” and Memphis, TN — home of Elon Musk’s Colossus — Pinnamaneni reveals how these massive infrastructure works get sold to communities, built by communities, and ultimately, what they will cost those communities.

The company’s drones and cameras will be banned by default unless a national security audit is completed by December 23rd, which is highly unlikely. Sure Trump has extended the TikTok ban several times, but Don Jr’s monetary stake in miniature drones made by competitors suggests the end is nigh.

Boing Boing plunged the depths of Etsy to find this 3D-printed replica of the Chernobyl power plant, complete with a ruined reactor that lights up and spews “smoke” when you use it as a diffuser or humidifier.

A story about a time-traveling, game-breaking Half-Life 2 door bug is as good a reminder as any that programming is neither an art, nor a science, but one of the deep magicks.

Members can now post under a nickname, along with a custom avatar, though admins have to approve them first. It’s a small step towards Discordification for Facebook, which has otherwise always insisted on posting under real names.

Cameo, the service that gives purpose to has-beens, has secured a temporary restraining order that prohibits Altman and Co from using “Cameo” to name a Sora feature that lets people insert themselves and characters into AI-generated videos. The TRO expires shortly after a trademark hearing scheduled for December 19th.

Stopping to watch the race from outside the track can get you fined, but as long as you keep moving, security can’t do anything about it. Most of the view is obstructed along the pedestrian areas. One of the few exceptions is a pair of escalators at Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Blvd, which are closer than any of the seats and at one of the best turns.

Last week, rumors started flying that Tim Cook might step down as CEO next year and be replaced by John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering. Well, Bloomberg’s Marc Gurman says, not so fast. He claims those reports are simply false, and that while the company is certainly planning for Cook’s eventual retirement, it’s unlikely to happen in 2026.