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Japan has long harvested a shrub called mitsumata for its money supply. But when mitsumata started dying out, Japan frantically searched for alternatives to make yen.

It found a lifeline in the foothills of the Himalayas. A low-value crop called argeli grew abundantly and served as a perfect replacement for mitsumata.

Argeli was worth very little and was often the only option for farmers who'd lost


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Instagram has long limited users' ability to share links, restricting link-sharing to Stories, Reels and user profiles. But that might now be changing. The company has started to test clickable links inside of post captions for subscribers to Meta Verified. 

The new feature, which has been a long-requested update from creators, was spotted by blogger Andrea Valeria, who posted screenshots of a


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European regulators are continuing to crack down on loot boxes and gaming features it classifies as "interactive risk categories." The Pan-European Game Information, better known as PEGI, is rolling out new rules that will apply age ratings based on the presence of loot boxes and other in-game purchases or systems that could be tied to gambling or addictive behavior. The exact policies are as


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Tilly Norwood music video
Tilly Norwood's "Take the Lead" music video debuted on Tuesday.
  • AI performer Tilly Norwood released her debut music video on Tuesday.
  • The song drew mixed reactions, but its maker says topping the charts wasn't the goal.
  • At one point, Norwood sings: "AI's not the enemy, it's the key."

Pop stars, you can breathe easy. The debut single from AI-generated triple-threat Tilly Norwood is


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Bumble is testing an AI dating assistant called "Bee" that it hopes will get users on dates without them having to swipe through profiles, Bloomberg writes. The company announced the AI assistant during its fourth quarter earnings, and intends to use the AI in a new experience it calls "Dates."

When a user opts in to Bumble's Dates feature, Bee performs an onboarding chat where it learns about the


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The Atlassian logo on a Formula 1 car
The Atlassian logo on a Formula 1 car
  • Atlassian and Block announced massive layoffs. Is this AI or something else?
  • One thing is certain: The software industry is changing fast, and financial discipline is key.
  • Stock-based compensation will be a big driver of job cuts across the industry.

On a recent weekend, I was playing with my new puppy when my phone rang. On the other end


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Anker’s Soundcore projectors have become an attractive option for buyers thanks to models like the P1 and Nebula X1 that combine performance and portability. Now, the company has added "affordability" to that equation with its latest model, the $369 P1i. Instead of being detachable like on the P1, its speakers fold out toward listeners, promising better and louder sound than most cheap projectors


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It’s already been a busy year for high-profile Microsoft departures, with longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer bowing out last month alongside his expected successor Sarah Bond. Today it’s the turn of Microsoft's head of Experiences + Devices, Rajesh Jha, who leaves after more than 35 years at the company.

Jha, who oversaw some of Microsoft’s most important products and services, including Windows


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Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff is pictured.
Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff told Business Insider how the company is courting Gen Z.
  • Tinder announced a slew of new products for 2026, including an astrology mode, AI photo enhancements, and IRL events.
  • CEO Spencer Rascoff told Business Insider that Tinder couldn't "put our heads in the sand and stay wedded to past practice."
  • Rascoff hopes the Events feature will bring in users who have soured



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Amazon just unveiled a new personality type for Alexa+. The "sassy" option is reserved for adults and the company claims it will throw out censored curse words from time to time. Amazon describes this option as a combination of "unfiltered personality" and "razor-sharp wit, playful sarcasm and occasional censored profanity."

We aren't yet sure how the chatbot handles the censoring. Does it use a


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