Rex Freiberger
California
As seen in:
MSN,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Life,
Yahoo Finance,
Flipboard,
Yahoo,
Gadget Review,
DataQuest India,
Gear Open
Covers:
health, spirituality, technology, media, politics
sacred rebel on a mission to deprogram, detox and prepare humanity for the future.
Articles by Rex Freiberger
OpenAI Reveals Its First AI Chip: Jalapeño Original
OpenAI and Broadcom’s inference-only Jalapeño ASIC targets data-center deployment by end of 2026, challenging Nvidia’s pricing grip OpenAI just became a chip company. After years of heavy reliance on Nvidia GPUs — sourced through cloud providers like Microsoft Azure, at prices set by a market with few real alternatives — the company has unveiled Jalapeño, its first custom processor built with Broadcom. This isn’t a general-purpose GPU.
London’s West End Is Getting Permanent Facial Recognition Cameras Original
Met’s Croydon pilot scanned 470,000 faces and made 173 arrests before permanent West End cameras go live by December 2026 On a Friday night in Soho, crowds spill past neon signs and rainbow flags onto Old Compton Street — and, bolted to a lamppost above them, a surveillance app-era debate made physical: a camera is already scanning faces against a police watchlist. That is not speculation. It is the Metropolitan Police‘s plan for before December 2026.
19 Kitchen Gadgets That Make Cooking Effortless
Smart kitchen gadgets that streamline cooking, from motion-sensor range hoods to air fryers with steam infusion and one-touch pasta makers. Most kitchens feel like a battlefield between efficiency and style. You’re either wrestling with clunky tools or staring at appliances that look like they belong in a museum. This collection cuts through that noise with smart gadgets that simplify your life, not just add more buttons to push.
Microsoft Is Force-Installing Its Copilot App on Windows 11… Again Original
Resumed six months after a technical pause, the default-on rollout hits commercial Microsoft 365 devices worldwide by early July Company laptops across commercial organizations sprout a new app nobody requested. No ticket, no approval, no heads-up from IT. That’s the reality rolling out right now across commercial Windows 11 machines worldwide.
Wikipedia’s Cofounder Has Been Banned From Wikipedia Original
Wikipedia blocked Sanger in June 2026 over off-platform canvassing after he directed X followers to an internal editorial vote Larry Sanger helped build the world’s largest encyclopedia. Now he can’t edit a single comma on it. The Wikipedia cofounder received an indefinite block from English Wikipedia in June 2026, and the reason wasn’t his well-known criticism of the platform’s neutrality. It was canvassing.
MSG Built a Dossier on Facial Recognition Critics – Then Got Hacked Original
ShinyHunters’ 45GB breach exposed MSG’s internal dossier on three named EFF and Fight for the Future advocates A 45-gigabyte data breach just proved the activists right. When cybercrime group ShinyHunters dumped Madison Square Garden’s internal files online after a missed ransom deadline, buried in the haul was a Word document titled “Facial Recognition Activists.docx.” Not a security threat assessment. Not an incident report.
California Drones Are Now Grabbing Weapons From Criminals
Follow California Drones Are Now Grabbing Weapons From Criminals Tue, June 23, 2026 at 2:41 PM UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Image: Flickr - Don McCullough Key takeawaysPowered by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo is using AI to generate key points from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Jaredfromsubway.eth Just Got Hacked For $7.5 MILLION Original
Blockaid traced the June 2026 heist to 66 fake token contracts that exploited the bot’s own approval logic You know the guy at the poker table who reads everyone else’s tells? Someone just stacked the deck specifically for him. Jaredfromsubway.eth — the MEV bot reportedly behind roughly 70% of Ethereum sandwich attacks over a roughly one-year window ending October 2025, according to Cointelegraph Research — got drained for more than $7.5 million.
5 Incredibly Weird Kitchen Gadgets That Actually Work
5 weird kitchen gadgets that actually work include peelable plates, garlic rollers, and cherry pitters that solve real cooking problems for under $25. Anyone who’s ever tried to be creative in the kitchen knows the drill: you spot some oddball gadget online, wonder if it’s genius or garbage, and end up in a rabbit hole of Amazon reviews. These five weird contraptions actually deliver on their promises, even if they look like they were designed by someone who’s never seen a normal kitchen.
Google Invests $75 Million In A Movie Studio – And It’s A24 Original
Google DeepMind’s $75 million equity deal with A24 targets AI editing and VFX tools, with no access to the studio’s film library Google owns YouTube, the largest video platform on Earth with nearly three billion monthly users. Yet until this week, Alphabet had never owned a single share of a movie studio. That changed with a roughly $75 million equity stake in A24 — the indie studio behind Everything Everywhere All at Once and Hereditary.
29 Portable Amazon Gadgets That Solve Real Problems Anywhere
29 portable gadgets that fit in your pocket and work anywhere, from magnetic cable organizers to AI translators with global data coverage. Hunting for gadgets that actually earn their space in your bag can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack of overpriced plastic. This collection cuts through the noise with 29 genuinely useful pocket-sized tools that work anywhere life takes you.
That “What’s Your Superhero Name?” Facebook Quiz Is Stealing Your Bank Details Original
Cybercriminals harvest bank security-question answers from viral personality quizzes, and the stolen data never expires Your first pet plus the street you grew up on equals your superhero name. It also equals the answers to two of your bank’s most common security questions.
Discord Tests Wallet and Card Age Checks – Face Scans On The Table Original
After a 70,000-photo vendor breach, Discord adds Google Wallet and credit card checks to its age-verification trial through July 2026 Four months ago, Discord told its users to smile for the camera — literally. Mandatory face scans or government ID uploads were coming for anyone wanting adult-only content access. Then roughly 70,000 ID photos from a prior verification vendor leaked, according to XDA Developers and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The backlash was swift and public.
8 Car Camping Gadgets Actually Worth Taking Along (and 5 To Avoid)
13 car camping gadgets tested and ranked from game-changing gear to overpriced junk, helping you skip the duds and find what actually works on the road. The car camping scene has exploded, with everyone from weekend warriors to Instagram influencers turning their vehicles into rolling four-season resorts.
Reclaim Your Time: 22 Smart Home Gadgets for Effortless Living
Smart home gadgets that actually save time include window cleaners, laundry folders, and 22 other clever devices to automate your daily chores. Saving time used to feel like a myth, right up there with affordable housing or a fully charged phone by 3 PM. But in our perpetually busy world, smart home gadgets are stepping out of the novelty phase and becoming genuine time-saving superheroes.
Your Grocery Cart Now Has Cameras, Trackers, and Targeted Ads Original
Instacart’s Caper Carts use basket cameras and purchase history to serve brands real-time ads in 100-plus U.S. cities You’re halfway through the cereal aisle when the screen on your shopping cart suggests Dreyer’s ice cream. Not because there’s a sale sign overhead. Because the cart’s cameras just watched you drop ice cream cones into the basket, and a brand paid for that moment — the kind of covert targeting that a surveillance app in another context would envy.
China’s Flexible Brain Chip Holds 94% Signal After 18 Months Original
Tsinghua-led team’s organic hydrogel electrode array retained clear signal in rabbits over 550 days, outpacing metal implants Most brain implants work brilliantly on day one. By year two, many are going quiet. The culprit isn’t bad engineering — it’s biology fighting back against foreign hardware.
Your Grocery Cart Now Has Cameras, Trackers, and Targeted Ads
You’re halfway through the cereal aisle when the screen on your shopping cart suggests Dreyer’s ice cream. Not because there’s a sale sign overhead. Because the cart’s cameras just watched you drop ice cream cones into the basket, and a brand paid for that moment — the kind of covert targeting that a surveillance app in another context would envy. Instacart’s Caper Carts pack cameras, scales, and location tracking into grocery store hardware now live in over 100 U.S. cities across 15 states.
Imperial County California Hits the Brakes on Its Largest Planned AI Data Center Original
Imperial County supervisors enacted an emergency moratorium in June 2026 after the project’s daily water and power demands alarmed residents Four months ago, Imperial County supervisors voted 4–1 to fast-track what would have been California’s largest data center — a $10 billion, nearly one-million-square-foot AI complex promising jobs and tax revenue to one of the state’s poorest regions. Now those same supervisors have pulled the emergency brake on the entire category.
The FDA Just Cleared a Second Carcass-Eating Fly as Medicine
A second fly species just earned FDA clearance to eat dead human tissue for a living. On June 15, 2026, Cuprina Holdings announced that MEDIFLY Maggots — sterile larvae of the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina — received 510(k) clearance for debriding chronic, non-healing wounds. That includes diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and post-surgical wounds that refuse to cooperate. The mechanism sounds like a horror movie pitch that accidentally works.
Premium Vs. Knockoff Kitchen Gadgets: What Works?
Premium kitchen gadgets vs budget alternatives tested head-to-head to see where your money actually matters and where cheap options deliver. Anyone who’s wrestled with a cheap blender knows the drill: you end up with chunky bits or a motor that smells like it’s about to call it quits. Today, we’re diving into whether splurging on kitchen tech actually matters, or if the bargain bin can deliver.
Apple Opens Brazil’s App Store to New Competition Original
Brazil’s CADE secured a binding three-year agreement forcing Apple to allow rival app stores and third-party payments on iOS by July 6, 2026 Somewhere in the Settings menu of iOS 26.5, Brazilian iPhone users recently noticed a new option: “App Installation,” tucked under Settings > Apps. It looks mundane. It isn’t. That toggle represents the end of a three-year antitrust fight between Apple and CADE, Brazil’s competition regulator — and the beginning of a forced experiment in openness.
Dirty to Make, Cleaner to Drive: EVs Beat Gas Cars on Emissions in About Two Years
EVs erase their higher manufacturing carbon debt within 21,000 miles, then cut lifetime emissions by up to 70 percent Building an EV battery is not clean. Nobody serious pretends otherwise. A single battery pack can emit anywhere from 2.4 to 16 metric tons of CO₂ during manufacturing, according to MIT Climate Lab. An electric vehicle rolls off the assembly line carrying roughly 1.3 to 2 times the embedded emissions of a comparable gas car.
28 Dumbest and Weirdest Vintage Car Prototypes That Didn’t Go Anywhere Original
28 weirdest car prototypes showcase automotive history’s boldest failures, from nuclear-powered concepts to snail-shaped vans that missed the mark spectacularly. The 20th century automotive landscape was a playground for audacious ideas, where innovation often clashed with practicality. From vehicles designed to be “accident-proof” to those mimicking the shape of a snail, these automotive concepts ranged from visionary to downright bizarre.
License Plate Cameras Now Track Your Phone, Wearables, and… Your Pets Original
Leonardo US’s SignalTrace harvests Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID data from passing vehicles, building trackable profiles with no federal law to stop it Existing license plate readers already scan thousands of plates per minute across American roads. Now defense contractor Leonardo US wants to bolt wireless sensors onto that same infrastructure.
19 Kitchen Gadgets Perfect For People That Hate Cooking Original
Kitchen gadgets that actually work transform tedious cooking prep into quick, manageable tasks – from self-sharpening knives to dual-basket air fryers. Cooking doesn’t have to feel like assembling IKEA furniture without the manual. For those who view the kitchen as more battleground than sanctuary, the right tools can transform dreaded meal prep into something surprisingly manageable.
Mark Zuckerberg Orders His Employees Have Fun Again – After Devastating Layoffs Hit Their Colleagues Original
After cutting 8,000 jobs and drawing a 1,600-person surveillance petition, Zuckerberg’s July hackathon falls flat with exhausted staff Weeks after watching 8,000 colleagues get escorted out, Meta’s remaining workforce received a peculiar assignment from Mark Zuckerberg: enjoy yourselves. A company-wide memo acknowledged the company “made mistakes and will almost certainly make more” in its AI transformation, according to Reuters. The remedy?
16,000 SAG-AFTRA Members Demand Congress Crack Down on AI Fakes
SAG-AFTRA's open letter campaign has drawn signatures from actors, students, parents, and everyday people — not just union members. Voices are being cloned in scam calls. Faces are selling supplements without consent. Fabricated videos put words in mouths that were never opened. That's not a Black Mirror premise anymore — it's a regular Thursday on the internet, with platforms secretly tracking users and exploiting consent at every turn.
10 RV Secrets They Don’t Tell You Original
Full-time RV living requires mastering water management, tank dumping, safety planning, and dealing with cramped spaces before hitting the road. Embarking on full-time RV living promises an escape from the mundane and a life of constant adventure, but the reality on the road often presents hurdles not captured in glossy brochures. This guide dives deep into the less-talked-about aspects of life on wheels, equipping you with the honest insights needed to navigate the nomadic lifestyle successfully.
Commodore Built a Flip Phone That Blocks the Internet on Purpose Original
Commodore’s $500 Callback 8020 flip phone uses DNS-level blocks to permanently cut off browsers and social media A brand famous for putting computers in living rooms is now selling a phone designed to keep you off the internet. Commodore — yes, the C64 Commodore — has announced the Callback 8020, a clamshell flip phone with a T9 keypad, no touchscreen, and patent-pending technology that blocks social media and web browsers at both the system and DNS level.
37 Camping Gadgets To Help Make Your Summer Camping Effortless
Best camping gadgets on Amazon upgrade your outdoor experience with gear like self-inflating hammocks, portable power stations, and ultralight tents that actually work. Camping used to be about enduring the elements, not befriending them. Now, thanks to Amazon, your next outdoor trip can feel less like survival training and more like a glamping spa day.
Trump Threatens 100% Tariff on French Wine Over Big Tech Tax Bill Original
President Trump warns of 100% tariffs on $2 billion French wine industry over $700 million tech tax before G7 summit Threatening a $2 billion wine industry over a $700 million tech tax reveals the breathtaking asymmetry of modern trade warfare. President Trump just warned France he’ll slap 100% tariffs on wine and champagne imports unless President Macron scraps the country’s 3% digital services tax—timing the ultimatum perfectly before G7 talks on French soil.
The FBI Built a Fake Town to Train Hackers Original
FBI’s 22,000-square-foot facility in Alabama trains 1,400+ agents on ransomware and infrastructure attacks Twenty-two thousand square feet of fake Americana sprawls across the FBI’s Huntsville campus. Houses with working doorbells. A grocery store stocked with products. Traffic lights that actually cycle through red, yellow, and green. Even a trailer park and an arcade, because apparently cybercriminals target every corner of American life. This isn’t some dystopian theme park.
South Korea’s Fake Shopping Sites Let You Get Your Dopamine Hit Without Buying Anything Original
Korean Gen Z uses fake e-commerce platforms to experience shopping thrills without spending money or receiving products You know that 2 AM feeling when your phone glows with delivery app notifications and your brain whispers “just one order”? South Korean Gen Z found the perfect hack: dopamine sites that recreate the entire shopping ritual—browsing products, reading reviews, adding to cart, tracking a courier—without charging your card or delivering anything.
AI Job Cuts: They’re Firing the Kids and Keeping the Vets Original
Three-quarters of jobless Americans skip unemployment benefits as AI cuts eliminate entry-level tech roles for workers 22-25 Three-quarters of unemployed Americans don’t even apply for unemployment benefits—a shocking gap that’s about to collide head-on with AI’s targeted job destruction. While tech executives predict mass layoffs ahead, the workers getting axed right now are discovering that the safety net everyone assumes exists is more like a badly maintained trampoline.
Congress Just Let Your Digital Privacy Shield Expire Original
House vote blocks surveillance renewal, leaving NSA’s warrantless searches of Americans’ overseas communications in legal limbo Your international phone calls, emails, and texts have been fair game for warrantless government surveillance since 2008. That authority just expired for the first time after Congress failed to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The House vote fell short 198-218, with some 20 Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in opposition.
Verizon Sent Man A Refurbished Phone, Then Nuked His Life Original
Verizon sent customer a demo phone still enrolled in corporate management system, wiping 10 days of personal data Dead phone batteries during emergencies are dangerous, but imagine your carrier remotely wiping years of irreplaceable memories without warning. That nightmare became reality for Tom Collery, a 22-year Verizon customer who lost everything when the company’s corporate controls accidentally targeted his personal device.
South Portland Is Pulling the Plug on Flock Cameras Original
Council votes 5-2 to remove seven Flock Safety cameras after residents raise concerns about federal data access When you can’t track where your data goes, the safest choice is not to collect it at all. South Portland’s City Council just proved this point, voting 5-2 to immediately terminate their contract with Flock Safety’s AI-powered license plate cameras—despite the system helping catch child predators and solve bank robberies.
6 Charcoal Grill Setups to Learn Before Summer Grilling Season Starts Original
Master 6 charcoal grill setups from snake method to vortex for perfect BBQ heat control, whether searing steaks or smoking brisket for 16 hours. Anyone who’s wrestled with a charcoal grill knows that setup is less about tossing coals around and more about strategic engineering. Get it wrong, and you’re in for wild temperature swings and the dreaded meat-ruining char. But nail it? That’s where the magic happens.
Solar Beats Coal for First Time in US Electricity History Original
Solar generated 45.5 terawatt-hours in May 2026, surpassing coal’s share for first time in US history America’s historical reliance on coal just hit a symbolic milestone. Solar power supplied 12.8% of US electricity in May 2026, while coal managed only 12.2%—marking the first month on record where sunshine beat black rock in the generation mix, according to energy think tank Ember’s analysis of Energy Information Administration data.
18 of the Best Budget Bikes For Summer Riding
Budget motorcycles for 2026 offer serious performance and reliability from $3,200-$6,500, proving you don’t need deep pockets for open-road thrills. Soaring gas prices and inflation have squeezed wallets tighter than a new riding glove, but the 2026 market offers some seriously cool, accessible machines that won’t require a second mortgage.
Police License Plate Searches Leak Into Public Search Results Through Flock Safety URLs Original
Colorado privacy advocates found police license plate searches exposed in DuckDuckGo after Flock Safety URLs leaked investigation details Northern Colorado privacy advocates made an unsettling discovery while browsing search results: police license plate searches were appearing in DuckDuckGo and Bing.
Residents Living Near xAI’s Data Centers Are Furious About the SpaceX IPO Original
Memphis residents battle air quality issues as xAI expands operations and SpaceX prepares major public offering As SpaceX eyes a massive IPO, residents near xAI’s data centers face environmental concerns and broken promises about protection. The air quality concerns are mounting. Since xAI expanded its Memphis operations, residents in the historically Black Boxtown neighborhood have raised serious questions about environmental impacts alongside the company’s growing revenue.
DoorDash Turns Photos Into Orders With New AI Shopping Assistant Original
DoorDash’s iOS feature launches in select regions, letting users snap cookbook photos to skip menu browsing entirely Craving Thai food but can’t remember that dish name you loved? DoorDash’s new AI assistant eliminates the guesswork entirely. The feature, rolling out on iOS in select regions, lets you snap photos of cookbook pages or grocery lists and transforms them directly into cart items. This isn’t another generic chatbot spouting restaurant recommendations.
Texas Governor Pushes Data Centers to Fund Their Own Power
Abbott reverses course on $40 billion tech incentives after 248 planned projects threaten higher bills Texas electricity bills face relief as Governor Greg Abbott targets data center costs. Governor Abbott, who previously championed the state as the “epicenter of AI development,” now demands data centers stop shifting their infrastructure expenses onto residential ratepayers. His directive to Big Tech: fund your own power infrastructure or reconsider your location.
Texas Governor Pushes Data Centers to Fund Their Own Power
Image: Flickr - LBJ Library photo Texas electricity bills face relief as Governor Greg Abbott targets data center costs. Governor Abbott, who previously championed the state as the “epicenter of AI development,” now demands data centers stop shifting their infrastructure expenses onto residential ratepayers. His directive to Big Tech: fund your own power infrastructure or reconsider your location. Abbott’s regulatory shift prioritizes consumer protection over tech industry incentives.
21 Amazon Kitchen Gadgets That Are Worth Clearing Off the Counter For
Clever Amazon kitchen gadgets that solve real cooking problems – from electric vegetable choppers to dumpling cutters that make prep faster and cleanup easier. Stop scrolling through endless product listings wondering which kitchen gadgets actually deliver. We’ve done the heavy lifting, scouring Amazon for tools that solve real problems without cluttering your counters with useless junk.
The FSD Transfer Heist: How Tesla Just Stole A $20,000 Feature From Its Most Loyal Buyers Original
Tesla blocks FSD transfers on base $60k Cybertruck trim unless buyers upgrade or pay $99 monthly subscription Tesla just pulled a classic streaming service move on Cybertruck buyers. You know the drill: promise something to get you hooked, then change the terms once you’re committed. Except instead of losing your favorite show, you’re facing a $20,000 upcharge to keep software you already paid for.
Apple burned $10B on a car that never shipped. Waymo just bought the graveyard for $220M
; ; Continue reading More for You
World Cup 2026 Security Normalizes Mass Surveillance Original
FIFA’s $365 million security investment brings military-grade facial recognition and robot patrols to 16 stadiums Soccer’s biggest party is turning into surveillance theater. The 2026 FIFA World Cup across 16 North American venues isn’t just deploying typical event security. We’re talking military-grade facial recognition, robot dogs with AI cameras, and counter-drone systems that might sweep up your phone data.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Rex
Contact Rex, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack