Arlin Schaffel – Tech News

Explosive new game aims to teach the iPad generation to type

Handwriting is becoming a lost skill for many Gen Xers like me (as a former news hack. I can scrawl a shopping list in shorthand). But for Younger generations, even typing is in decline, with studies having shown a decline in touch-typing proficiency due to the shift towards touchscreen devices, voice-controlled interfaces and AI. One indie dev was concerned enough to start making a game to help his kids learn to type. It quickly took on a life of its own (and may have created a genre of its own too).
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/explosive-new-game-aims-to-teach-the-ipad-generation-to-type

How AI Will Smith eats spaghetti in 2026

If you want a glimpse at how far AI video generation has come since 2023, look no further than the "Will Smith eating spaghetti" test, which has basically become the Hello World of generative AI.
https://mashable.com/article/ai-will-smith-eating-spaghetti-in-2026

How Many Times Do You Fart a Day? ‘Smart Underwear’ Says It’s Way More Than You Think

From the lab that brought you the reason behind yellow pee comes another monumental advance in digestive science: a fart-tracking sensor to be attached to your underwear. As it turns out, farts are also part of the mundane things that science has yet to fully explain—an issue this sensor purports to address.
https://gizmodo.com/how-many-times-do-you-fart-a-day-smart-underwear-says-its-way-more-than-you-think-2000719805

Creeped Out by Ring’s Lost Dog ‘Search Party’ Feature? Here’s How to Turn It Off

'Search Party' uses nearby Ring cameras to scan for missing pets in your yard. However it's on by default, prompting some Big Brother comparisons. Here's how to shut it down.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/creeped-out-by-ring-lost-dog-search-party-heres-how-to-turn-it-off?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=A

Super Bowl LX ads: all AI everything

Last year’s Super Bowl featured a Google Gemini ad that fumbled a Gouda cheese stat, and this year’s game is already slated to include an ad for Anthropic’s AI platform that takes jabs at its competitors, namely OpenAI. AI-generated ads could make an appearance, too.
https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/874504/super-bowl-lx-ads-big-game

An artist backlash just saved Adobe Animate

The software giant dropped a bombshell for animators this week when it sent out an email announcing with a month's notice that it would discontinue Adobe Animate from 1 March. Existing users were told they would lose the ability to download their content 12 months later. Today, Adobe posted a statement on its website saying: “Animate will continue to be available for both current and new customers, and we will ensure you continue to have access to your content. There is no longer a deadline or date by which Animate will no longer be available. These are changes from what we shared in our original email.
https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/an-artist-backlash-just-saved-adobe-animate