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WordPress.org bans WP Engine, blocks it from accessing its resources | TechCrunch

WordPress drama went up another notch on Wednesday after WordPress.org banned hosting provider WP Engine from accessing its resources. “WP Engine wants to control your WordPress experience, they need to run their own user login system, update servers, plugin directory, theme directory, pattern directory, block directory, translations, photo directory, job board, meetups, conferences, bug tracker, forums, Slack, Ping-o-matic, and showcase. Their servers can no longer access our servers for free."
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/25/wordpress-org-bans-wp-engine-blocks-it-from-accessing-its-resources/

Flappy Bird’s creator disavows ‘official’ new version of the game

A decade after the wildly popular game Flappy Bird disappeared, an organization calling itself the Flappy Bird Foundation announced plans to “re-hatch the official Flappy Bird® game.” But this morning, the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, posted a characteristically terse comment stating that he has nothing to do with the revival and that he “did not sell anything.” He added, “I also don’t support crypto.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/15/flappy-birds-creator-disavows-official-new-version-of-the-game/

Canva is increasing its Teams prices by 300%

The company has established itself as a simpler, more affordable alternative to legacy design software, but the “more affordable” part of the equation is becoming a little less true, with some Canva Teams subscribers seeing their pricing go from $120 per year to $500 per year — an increase of 300%.
https://techcrunch.com/video/techcrunch-minute-canva-faces-backlash-over-price-hikes/

Why AI can’t spell ‘strawberry’

How many times does the letter “r” appear in the word “strawberry”? According to formidable AI products like GPT-4o and Claude, the answer is twice. Large language models (LLMs) can write essays and solve equations in seconds. They can synthesize terabytes of data faster than humans can open up a book. Yet, these seemingly omniscient AIs sometimes fail so spectacularly that the mishap turns into a viral meme, and we all rejoice in relief that maybe there’s still time before we must bow down to our new AI overlords.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/27/why-ai-cant-spell-strawberry/

Could Trump’s AI-generated Taylor Swift endorsement be illegal?

On Sunday, former President Donald Trump posted a collection of memes on Truth Social — the platform owned by his media company — that make it seem like Taylor Swift and her fans are coming out in support of his candidacy. But as new legislation takes effect, these images could have deeper implications about the use of AI-generated images in political campaigns, especially when those images misrepresent a celebrity’s likeness.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/19/could-trumps-ai-generated-taylor-swift-endorsement-be-illegal/