Amazon's Emails Reveal How to Politely Ask Your Rivals to Please Raise Prices
Internal emails show Amazon allegedly orchestrating price hikes with competitors on everything from pants to pet treats, because why compete when you can collude?
X Decides Links Are Worth 1,900% More, Publishers Decide They're Worth Less
X's 1,900% API price hike for posting links has publishers like Techmeme fleeing, while the platform insists it's just fighting spam, not deboosting journalism.
Scientists Sculpt Einstein Onto a Crystal Using Only Light, Because Why Not?
Researchers use light to permanently etch a tiny Einstein portrait into a crystal, showcasing a material that could revolutionize photonics by being its own nanoscale art studio and factory.
Scientists Confirm Trees Do Glowy Thing During Storms, Just Like Everyone Guessed For 70 Years
After 70 years of suspicion, scientists finally caught trees glowing with UV light during storms, proving a long-held theory and opening new questions about forest-atmosphere chemistry.
The Guardian
Man's Pasta-for-Lego Return Scheme Proves He Wasn't the Sharpest Noodle in the Box
A California man's alleged scheme to return Lego boxes filled with pasta has police saying his plan didn't hold together, costing Target $34,000.
AI Barista Proves Ordering Coffee Shouldn't Require a Ph.D. in Prompt Engineering
Starbucks's new ChatGPT integration turns a simple coffee order into a labyrinth of pop-ups, wrong locations, and AI message limits, proving some transactions are better left un-chatted.
Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty to Being Ransomware Negotiator's Worst Enemy
A ransomware negotiator admits he was negotiating for the wrong side, because why have one job when you can betray everyone and go to jail?
Ars Technica
Solar Power Achieves 'Largest Growth Ever' Because Apparently Sunlight Is Still Free
The sun did more work than ever in 2025, with solar power's growth outpacing every other energy source in history during a non-crisis year, because apparently harnessing a giant ball of fusion is a…
ScienceDaily
Scientists Confirm Uranus and Neptune Are Even Weirder Than We Thought
New simulations suggest the deep interiors of Uranus and Neptune contain a bizarre 'quasi-one-dimensional superionic' form of carbon hydride, because of course they do.
President Who Called Press 'Enemies' Accepts Invitation to Their Party
After years of calling journalists 'enemies,' President Trump will attend their annual awkward dinner, where he'll be the keynote speaker and they'll have to listen.
TechCrunch
Cash App Discovers Untapped Market: Children Who Can't Yet Read Terms of Service
Cash App is now targeting 6-12 year olds with parent-managed accounts, because building brand loyalty before puberty is just sound business.
BBC World
Madonna Offers Reward for Return of Missing Coachella Costume, Because Apparently Golf Carts Are Unreliable
Madonna is offering a reward for her missing Coachella costumes, last seen on a golf cart, proving that even pop icons have mundane logistical problems.
Ars Technica
Beakless Parrot Becomes Alpha by Inventing 'Beak-Jousting', Proving Nature's Underdogs Can Still Win
A beakless parrot named Bruce became the undisputed alpha of his flock by inventing a unique 'beak-jousting' fighting style, proving that sometimes the best help is no help at all.
ScienceDaily
Scientists Discover Termites Will Gladly March to Their Own Death for a Nice Smell
Researchers found that adding a pleasant pine scent to insecticide lures termites to their doom with 95% efficiency, proving even pests have fatal aesthetic preferences.
North Korean Hackers Achieve New Personal Best in Annual Crypto Heist
North Korean hackers allegedly exploit a simple security flaw to steal a record $290M, continuing their multi-billion dollar crypto crime spree while the victims argue about who's to blame.
Japan Quietly Puts 'Pacifist' in Scare Quotes, Opens Arms Export Shop
Japan decides that in today's tense neighborhood, the best way to uphold 80 years of peace-loving principles is to start selling lethal weapons to its allies.
Pentagon Finally Admits $6.27 Billion GPS Control System Was a Lost Cause
After 16 years and $6.27 billion, the US military has decided that fixing its broken GPS control system is less sensible than just using the old one.
ScienceDaily
Humanity's Coastal Real Estate Investment Sinks Faster Than It Can Blame the Ocean
A new study finds the ground beneath hundreds of millions of coastal residents is sinking faster than seas are rising, largely thanks to our own brilliant engineering.
Amazon Allegedly Asked Vendors to Make Everyone Else's Prices Worse, Because Of Course
California's AG alleges Amazon had vendors like Levi's and Scotts pressure Walmart and Target to raise prices, all to make Amazon look like the hero of Prime Day.
San Francisco Solves Vandalism With One Neat, Expensive, Politically Fraught Trick
BART installed fancy new fare gates and, in a shocking twist, found that making it harder to steal a ride also made it harder to trash the place.
The Good Times
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