Casio made a furry robot designed to cuddle and calm you down

The Verge
A person pets the top of Casio’s Moflin robotic pet.
Unlike Sony’s robotic dog, Aibo, Casio’s Moflin can’t run away on its own. | Image: Casio

Casio has opened preorders for its robotic pet called Moflin that looks like a cross between a hamster and Star Trek’s Tribbles. Unlike Sony’s robot dog Aibo that can follow you around, Moflin is designed to be held and cuddled, and over time, Casio says it will learn who you are and

Photos show some houses survived Hurricanes Helene and Milton while their neighbors crumbled. Homeowners can learn from them.

Tech Insider
yellow house toppled over crooked next to a standing red and white house
A house lies toppled off its stilts after the passage of Hurricane Milton, in Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island, Florida.

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

  • Photos from Hurricanes Helene and Milton show some homes standing despite destruction next door.
  • Garage doors, windows, and roofs can make or break a house being battered by powerful winds.
  • A few key upgrades and DIY projects can save a home from

Florida man who refused to leave his $1.25 million 'hurricane-proof' home said it was basically unharmed

Tech Insider
A car drives down a flooded highway as a resident wades in the water walking towards a blue house.
A car drives through a neighborhood in Central Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

  • William Fulford chose to stay in his $1.25 million Tampa Bay-area home in Hurricane Milton's path.
  • He told BI Friday that the home had minimal damage and is being powered by a backup solar system.
  • He said parts of his area are "devastating," with roofs torn off trailer-park homes and down power

I'm a wedding planner. Here are answers to 7 questions guests are often too embarrassed to ask.

Tech Insider
Bride putting ring on another bride's finger
It's normal to have questions about such an important event as a wedding.

Geoff Goldswain/Shuttershock

  • As a wedding planner, I've heard my fair share of questions some guests feel embarrassed to ask. 
  • You shouldn't ask to bring a plus-one unless you're a VIP or need one for accessibility reasons.
  • If you already gave the couple a wedding gift, you don't need to bring another to the event.

Planning a

A string of failures ended with 2 Navy SEALs drowning on a dangerous mission to intercept smuggled weapons, investigation finds

Tech Insider
US forces raided a small vessel off the coast of Somalia in January. Two Navy SEALs died during the mission.
US forces raided a small vessel off the coast of Somalia in January. Two Navy SEALs died during the mission.

US Central Command photo

  • Two US Navy SEALs drowned during a January raid on a vessel smuggling weapons to the Houthis.
  • A new investigation outlines a string of failures that led to that fatal outcome.
  • "This incident, marked by systemic issues, was preventable," a top commander said.

Two US Navy

Best Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 games 2024

Android Central
We've selected the best Oculus Quest, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest 3 games in every category: shooters, rhythm, exercise, puzzle, action, horror, and more!

The Internet Archive is still down but will return in ‘days, not weeks’

The Verge
Illustration of a computer screen with a blue exclamation point on it and an error box.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Internet Archive will come back within “days” following a cyberattack that brought down the organization’s vast digital library and the Wayback Machine, according to an update from founder Brewster Kahle. It’s been struggling due to a data breach and DDoS attack earlier this week that revealed the email addresses, screen names

NLRB accuses Apple of illegally restricting employee Slack and social media use

Engadget

The National Labor Relations Board has accused Apple of infringing on its employees’ rights to advocate for better working conditions. In a complaint spotted by Reuters, the agency alleges Apple illegally fired an employee who had used Slack to advocate for workplace changes at the company. Separately, the NLRB accuses Apple of forcing another worker to delete a social media post.

The case stems

Our toothbrushes are home to hundreds of new viruses. They could be the future of biotech.

Tech Insider
A closeup image of a hand holding a toothbrush under the running water of a sink faucet
New research founds hundreds of previously unseen viruses are hanging out on our toothbrushes and shower heads, but that might be a very good thing for future biotech innovation.

Sally Anscombe/Getty Images

  • A new study found hundreds of unique viruses called bacteriophage on toothbrushes and shower heads.
  • Phage target bacteria, not humans, and could be a useful tool against disease.
  • Phage research may