Technology News for Wednesday 16th April 2025

1. Breakthrough retina mapping sheds light on visual processing pathways

Just like other brain functions, vision also depends on a balanced and controlled interaction between the chemical signals that "activate" and "brake" activity in the eye's cells – much like the accelerator and brake of a car.

2. How 'South of Midnight' captured the sound of the American South

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: Music can transform an entire gaming experience. And that's the case with "South Of Midnight," a new title from Compulsion Games. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TWO-TOED TOM"). CAROLINE OWENS: (Singing) The storm passed on, but the river's ...

3. Apple: Since you care about yOuR pRiVaCy, we'll train our AI on made-up emails

The iGiant says it will soon start using synthetic data – that is, data generated by computers instead of actual humans – to improve email summaries generated by Apple Intelligence for those who have opted into Device Analytics.

4. Living with a BMW M5 Touring: Is this the perfect estate car?

Does the BMW M5 Touring really make for the perfect family car? Carwow's senior reviews writer Mario Christou subjects the big BMW to trial by daily life in order to find out. There are plenty of cars which are supremely powerful and immensely fast, ...

5. This Genesis X Gran Equator concept is a cool four-seat off-roader

No mention has been made of its powertrain – likely electric, likely 4WD – but Genesis reckons it'll be acceptable both on-road and very much off it. The latter is helped in part by the concept's 24in beadlock wheels, wheel-arch cladding and raised ride ...

6. Mario Kart World Direct 4.17.2025

Join us on April 17 at 6 a.m. PT to learn more about Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2 in the Mario Kart World Direct. The livestream will be roughly 15 minutes. Go to the Nintendo Direct Archive ...

7. OpenAI Unveils Technology That Can 'Reason' With Images

Now, this technology can tackle similar tasks that involve images, including sketches, posters, diagrams and graphs. On Wednesday, the company unveiled two new versions of its reasoning technology called OpenAI o3 and OpenAI ...

8. Spotify Down: Users Report Widespread Streaming Outages

As of 9:16 a.m. ET, more than 40,000 users had logged complaints with uptime-monitoring site Downdetector.com about Spotify, indicating they were have issues with the Spotify app and website. Error reports about Spotify began to spike on the site at around ...

9. Lab-grown chicken 'nuggets' hailed as 'transformative step' for cultured meat

Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in lab-grown meat after producing nugget-sized chunks of chicken in a device that mimics the blood vessels that make up the circulatory system. The approach uses fine hollow fibres ...

10. In last minute reversal, US agency extends support for cyber vulnerability database

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - U.S. officials will extend support for 11 months for a database of cyber weaknesses that plays a critical role in fighting bugs and hacks, a spokesperson said on Wednesday - just as the funding was due to run out.

11. RECORD Talks with Carlo Ratti, Curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale

His theme for the 2025 Biennale, Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., is an attempt to extend that process of exploration, inviting architects to consider not just the potential of emerging digital tools but of ...

12. Is Zoom down? Outage reported by thousands of users on April 16

You may be able to skip your next meeting. Zoom appears to be down for many. Users began reporting outages on the popular video conferencing platform to Downdetector.com midday on April 16, according to the website. Reports of outages peaked at 3 p.m. ...

13. Aussie gamers out of pocket from 'manipulative' tactics: research

The study from Monash University and the Consumer Policy Research Centre has found nearly half of the 800 adult gamers surveyed, experienced financial harm due to manipulative designs built into gaming platforms. Guest: ...

14. Black Ops Tribute Event: What we know about schedule, duration and rewards

The Black Ops Tribute event starts on April 17, 2025, and runs for two weeks. Players earn rewards by collecting XP in any game mode in Black Ops 6 or Warzone. Exclusive items, including the John Black Ops Operator, are available after completing all 10 ...

15. Spotify outage affects thousands of users. Company denies it's been hacked.

Spotify was experiencing technical issues on Wednesday, with thousands of users reporting difficulty accessing the music streaming platform. "Spotify experienced an outage today beginning around 6:20am EDT," a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch in an ...