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The first medical treatment to use Crispr gene editing has been on the market for a year. Its complexity means few patients in the US have received it yet.

• A researcher found a flaw in a McDonalds API which allowed them to hijack orders
• The bug also leaked sensitive information
• It was fixed in September 2024, but users should still be careful

A delivery system for McDonalds in India was flawed in a way that exposed sensitive customer information, and allowed people to make fraudulent orders, experts hae claimed.

Cybersecurity researcher Eaton Zveare from Traceable AI, who found a bug in the API of the delivery system in McDonalds India (West & South).

The delivery system, which is apparently owned by a company called Hardcastle Restaurants, had a vulnerability which exposed delivery customer names, email addresses, and phone numbers. For the drivers, it exposed vehicle numbers, profile pictures, and tracked real-time location of their deliveries. Besides, the bug allowed people to access, hijack, redirect, or track orders in real-time. They could also make orders for as little as $0.01.

No data breach recorded

Zveare found the vulnerabilities in June 2024, and McDonalds fixed it in September. Allegedly, no threat actors stumbled upon this bug, and no customers were actually exposed.

McDonald’s India said a “thorough verification of systems and logs” showed the flaws did not result in a breach of its customer data.

“We conduct regular audits and assessments to continuously strengthen our security measures, and have all the necessary enhancements implemented, ensuring all our systems are up to date and secure,” Sulakshna Mukherjee, a spokesperson at McDonald’s India (West & South), said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch.

While we don’t know exactly how many people were put at risk through the bug, TechCrunch was told “hundreds of millions” of orders were exposed.

“The McDelivery (West & South) mobile app uses the same exact back-end APIs as the website. As a result, both were vulnerable to the same exploits,” the researcher told the publication.

Since the delivery system for India North & East is different, these parts of the country were not affected, and other countries are safe, too.

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• The Nintendo Switch 2 is likely to be a huge success
• DFC Intelligence claims that there is only room for one Nintendo competitor in the next console generation
• It's unclear whether this will be Sony or Microsoft

With the Nintendo Switch 2 looming ever closer, everyone is wondering whether Sony or Microsoft will be the Japanese giant’s biggest competitor in the next console generation.

According to industry analysts at market research firm DFC Intelligence, it’s still too early to tell though Sony hardware currently has a “slight edge” thanks to its strong following and compelling IP catalog.

The information comes from the firm’s recent 2024 video game market report and forecast, which details the trajectory of the gaming industry over the past year and predicts where it might go next. Importantly, the report does not consider the mobile gaming market which is estimated to bring in roughly $75 billion revenue.

The report suggests that we’re on the cusp of record growth in the rest of the gaming industry, driven largely by the launch of "two of the biggest products ever” - the Nintendo Switch 2 and Grand Theft Auto 6. According to the report, the Nintendo Switch 2 could have "significantly stronger launch sales” than its predecessor, though it will be difficult to beat the record 27 million Nintendo Switch sales back in 2020.

It goes on to question which company will be Nintendo’s biggest competitor, suggesting that “it is likely only one system will be successful” in addition to the Nintendo Switch 2. Sony and Microsoft are both predicted to release new consoles between 2026 and 2028.

The firm states that is “too early to know which other system will succeed” though claims that Sony has a “slight edge” thanks to its “loyal base and strong Sony IP”.

That said, Microsoft is still reportedly in a strong position thanks to its status as a software publisher. It may have “failed” with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but a series of "major acquisitions”, such as the Activision Blizzard acquisition completed in 2023, mean that it now has the option of focusing on software distribution rather than hardware.

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• Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonist Naoe will be the 'fastest Assassin' in series history
• She'll also have a Naturo-esque run animation when traveling across rooftops
• The game is currently slated to launch on February 14, 2025

Yes, Naoe can seemingly do the Naruto run in Assassin's Creed Shadows, as the game's creative director describes her as being the fastest playable character the series has seen yet.

That's per an Entertainment Weekly interview with Shadows creative director Jonathan Dumont (via PC Gamer). Dumont describes the shinobi as "the fastest Assassin we ever made." He adds: “She runs super fast, she has a lot of gadgets to keep her stealth so that she doesn't have to fight often. We wanted to satisfy that for players that come in for that ninja-Assassin game.”

Dumont also explains that she'll also have a 'Naruto run' of sorts - an iconic sprint from the popular anime series that sees the characters leaning forward while running with their arms fully behind them. "We do have a run on top of buildings that has a little bit of a wink-wink to it," he says.

As a big fan of the Tenchu series and stealth games in general, I'm happy to see the Assassin's Creed series attempt to fully embrace a more shadowy playstyle once again. While I've enjoyed recent entries like Odyssey and Valhalla, it was all too easy to overpower most enemies with their protagonists' aggressive combat abilities.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is currently scheduled to launch on February 14, 2025 after a delay. It's coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and Amazon Luna.

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• More details of the Galaxy S25 have leaked
• The phones may go on sale on February 7, 2025
• Pricing is rumored to go up this time

As the big Samsung Galaxy S25 launch day gets closer – which is rumored to be January 22, 2025 – we're hearing some more rumored details about the specs and pricing to expect, as well as a leak about a potential on-sale date for these handsets.

A new report from ET News (via @Jukanlosreve) backs up some of the rumors we've previously heard: including that the standard Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25 Plus, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra will start with 12GB of RAM this time around.

In addition, there will be a 16GB of RAM option for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the 128GB storage configuration will be removed for that model – so it's going to start with 256GB of storage space. This fits in nicely with what we've previously heard.

However, the same report predicts a price increase for the series, in part due to the increased cost of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.

For reference, the Galaxy S24 started at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the Galaxy S24 Plus at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra started at $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199.

Mark your calendars

Samsung is officially launching the S25 series in Korea on February 7. Also, it has been confirmed that the Slim model will be revealed at the Unpacked event.The article once again mentions that the S25 Ultra will feature 16GB of RAM in the 512GB and 1TB variants, just as I…December 23, 2024

There's another report out of South Korea to talk about too, this time from Financial News (via @Jukanlosreve). We have got some overlap here with previous rumors, including the prediction that the phone series announcement will be on January 23 in Korea (so January 22 in the US, matching what we've already heard).

The report does add some detail on scheduling though: pre-orders will run to Monday, February 3, with the phone finally going on sale in stores on Friday, February 7 (again, those are the dates for Korea).

According to this report, the Galaxy S25 Slim model we're expecting to be added to the range this year will indeed be unveiled with the other handsets. Whether it goes on sale at the same time or later in the year, however, remains to be seen.

There are more mentions of 16GB of RAM for the Ultra model in this article, and of an increase in prices. No doubt we'll get a few more leaks between now and launch day, but we already have a pretty comprehensive picture of what's coming.

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Dealing with neck pain? You might have tech neck. Here's what experts have to say about it.

In a remote corner of southeastern Syria near the border with Jordan, some 7,000 people have been trapped in a refugee camp for more than nine years. They had fled Syrian regime forces and ISIS attacks and had nowhere else they could go. Our reporter is the first person to visit the camp and learns what the future of the residents looks like now that the regime has fallen.

Support our non-profit journalism by joining NPR+

When I happened across the Govee Table Lamp 2 while looking for exciting new products to review, I can’t say that I didn’t initially scoff at the price. “$69.99 / £69.99?” I thought. “Who would want to pay that much for some ambient lighting?”. Well, I’m certainly eating my words now.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m all for anything remotely eye-catching and colorful, and the Govee Table Lamp 2 has gifted me with all the uplifting color and distraction I’ve needed, whether I’m working away at my desk, or chilling during an evening.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite my penny-pinching ways, the Govee smart lighting system has often attracted me thanks to the potential price savings when compared to higher-priced brand options, such as the Philips Hue range. Cost saving aside, to date I’ve not seen anything available from Philips that delivers as much whimsical playfulness as is packed into the Govee Table Lamp 2, with Philips offerings tending to focus more on singular colors and gradients, rather than developing products with the extra novelty that some of Govee’s lighting provides.

I quickly fell head over heels when I began reviewing the Govee Table Lamp 2, continuing to use it daily even after my work was completed, and I’ve become so fond of it that I would consider purchasing one myself despite my initial reaction to the price. It’s been so easy to set scenes or colors to match my mood whether I need a brighter light to help me through my work tasks in the daytime, or soft and calmingly colorful visuals to help me wind down in the evening.

I found the Govee Table Lamp 2 to be fantastic sensory stimulation, bringing me calmness or a little hit of dopamine depending on which scene I settle on. The Govee Home companion app has been effortless to use, making it easy to change things up, and the programmable onboard buttons have meant that I’ve been able to set off my favorite scenes without needing to pick up my phone, making it a cherished companion during an evening of self-care.

(Image credit: Future) Why do I love the Govee Tale Lamp 2 so much? Here are my top three reasons:

It boosts my mood

Whether I’m feeling low or a little stressed, I’ve found the Govee Table Lamp 2 to be an essential sensory tool to help me take the focus away from negative thoughts or emotions. I’ve found it hard not to become captivated by the pretty, swirling scenes available, and I’ve loved the added value of being able to create my own.

It’s a great prop to use in content creation

Whether I’m perfecting photos or recording Reels for work or leisure, the Govee Table Lamp 2 is a fun and versatile feature that can add visual interest to a scene in seconds. It’s quick and easy to switch between scenes using the Govee Home app, and it’s Matter compatible too, so it’s possible to go completely hands-free, which has been a game changer for me.

I can choose a scene to get me energized or to help me wind down

Different lighting can have different effects on many of us, and this effect can be even more prominent in darker winter months. I personally enjoy utilizing the brighter whites, or bright and colorful static scenes to help buoy me up during the working day, switching to slow, gentle swirls of pastel colors to help me achieve a sense of calm in the evenings.

While I say that I’d be happy to spend on the Govee Table Lamp 2, in honesty I’m keeping my fingers crossed that someone is kind enough to add it to their Christmas shopping list. But even if my luck doesn’t stretch that far, at least it’s a good time to buy, as there are some savings to be had from the likes of Govee in the US and the UK, as well as Target, and Currys, so that’s worth keeping in mind whether you’re shopping for yourself, or you’re adding last-minute ideas to your own Christmas wish list.

• Open source software is now worth an estimated $7.7 billion annually
• Median organizational spend stands are more than half a million
• Most investments are in the form of human labor, not cash

The continued rise in popularity for open source software (OSS) has made it a multi-billion dollar industry attracting investments from companies all over the world, new reseach has claimed.

The 2024 Open Source Software Funding Survey found organizations across the world are contributing an estimated $7.7 billion to open source projects every year.

The research, which came from Github, the Linux Foundation and Harvard University, noted a clear split, with most (86%) investments coming in the form of workers' time. Only 14% revolved around direct financial contributions.

Businesses are backing open source

The research used data from 501 survey respondents, who together contribute a combined $1.7 billion to OSS annually. Median organizational spend on OSS was valued at more than $520,0000 – $345,000 to labor and $175,000 for direct financial contributions.

More than half (57%) of direct financial contributions went to contractors, with less than a fifth each going to specific projects (17%) and foundations (16%). Communities (4%), maintainers (4%) and bounty platforms (1%) also received cash injections.

However it also raised so-called blind spots in investments. More than two in three (68%) failed to answer how much financial support they gave different OSS targets, and nearly four in five (78%) didn’t (or couldn’t) share how much of their organization’s budget is destined for OSS.

Despite best efforts to quantify the market, the figures come from a handful of organizations, and are a mere estimation, or best guess. Consequentially, the researchers are calling for employees to self-report contributions and for contribution tracking to be incorporated into organizational workflows.

That said, there is a clear understanding that open-source software helps drive innovation, and GitHub, the Linux Foundation and Harvard want to encourage better monitoring and transparency to ensure OSS sustainability looking ahead.

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• Monotype surey finds 91% of creatives say AI tools are useful for their work
• Only 21% are pessimistic about the technology
• The research challenges the myth that creatives are ‘anti-AI'

Creatives are surprisingly optimistic about artificial intelligence’s impact on their industries, with many excited about the tech’s transformative benefits, new research has found.

Data from nearly 5,000 creatives sureyed by Monotype looked to address the theme of creatives feeling threatened by AI – a concern that was initially shared by many workers.

Nine in 10 (91%) workers claimed AI tools are beneficial to their creative tasks, suggesting that a degree of automation can help accelerate workflows and free up more time to spend on genuinely creative work, rather than administrative tasks.

Creatives are fans of AI and automation

More than a third (34%) of respondents said they were optimistic about artificial intelligence, compared with the one in five (21%) who said they were pessimistic. A further 23% said that they were neutral, with 18% undecided and 4% selecting ‘other.’

“This new research from Monotype challenges the prevailing view that most creatives are somehow inherently ‘anti-AI’," noted Monotype CEO Ninan Chacko.

The survey’s respondents revealed that visualizing typography in real-world scenarios (45%), suggesting font pairings (45%), speeding up more routine elements of workflows (43%) and improving the discovery of new fonts (43%) were all benefits of artificial intelligence.

Senior Director of Partner Experience and Inventory Lifecycle Mary Catherine Pflug added: “Our research shows creatives view font choice as one of the most important elements of their creative process, and Monotype’s AI-enabled discovery tools like search and font pairing are helping designers make better decisions, faster.”

Moreover, the research highlighting the rising prevalence of subscription-based software, with 89% currently paying for at least one platform and the average worker paying for four. Software like Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Shutterstock, Picsart, Kittl, Monotype Fonts emerged as popular options.

“Most creatives and designers are positive about the potential of AI and AI-enabled tools for their work when they understand its power to democratize design through enhancing, amplifying, and accelerating human creativity," Chacko added.

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