There are many tech irritants that are a scourge of modern life, yet we have lacked the vocabulary to describe them ... until now T he "dickover" is the scourge of the modern age. Coined in May by John Gruber, a tech writer, it is defined as "a modal panel, popover, or curtain presented by a website or app, deliberately obscuring its own content to frustrate the user". Essentially, it is the thing (or more often, things) you have to click away in order to read the thing you wanted to read. It is the "accept cookies" box, the "allow notifications?" box, the "sign in with Google" box, the pop-up video box, etc. We shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking that dickovers are the only terrible thing about technology in 2026.

The property was originally listed for $88m and sat on the market for only about five months. The property was originally listed for $88m and sat on the market for only about five months. A luxury Lake Como-inspired estate in the San Francisco Bay Area has sold to a buyer "in the AI world" for a record $70m, in the latest sign of a new tech wealth boom that's pushing home prices to extraordinary heights in the region The property south of San Francisco not only becomes the most expensive sale in its affluent town of Hillsborough, doubling a previous record, but is also the most expensive sale in northern California this year, according to listing agent Jennifer Gilson of Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty. Gilson declined to share any details about the buyer, other than that the new owner of 3000 Ralston Avenue is a man in the AI industry. It is the latest sign of a housing boom across Silicon Valley being driven by AI wealth.

Why does everything feel so joyless? Do you want to have a good time? You know, really enjoy yourself? Click here, and tell us your desires. Maybe it's a new outfit, or some exotic cuisine delivered anonymously and steaming hot to your door. Perhaps you prefer the infinite scroll, the endlessly unfurling ribbon of glossy images and videos starring people you'll never meet doing things you'll never do. Or maybe you favor talking to a chatbot who will assure you that you are the most special of all its users.

UK fears a'triple whammy': oversized investment in AI stocks, slower adoption of AI than predicted and the breakneck pace of AI's development The UK wants a piece of the mammoth global investment in AI but fears it as well. In the coming weeks, the Bank of England is planning to ease capital rules to help encourage more lending. But the central bank simultaneously expressed concerns that there are too many loans going to investors like hedge funds, who are using that money to buy up AI stocks. The central bank's moves reflect the country's global position: hoping to catch up to the US and China in the AI race, struggling to mobilize its resources to do so, and too wary of the risks to go full bore. UK banking regulators have recently been under enormous pressure to do more to stimulate growth, my colleague Kalyeena Makortoff this week reports.

Race to develop'embodied AI' focuses on creating dextrous hands to transform humanoid robots from gimmicks into useful products Human hands - nimble, nerve-filled appendages that are the most flexible part of the human skeleton - are exceptionally complex. Many tasks that most people can do largely without thinking, from tying a pair of shoelaces to buttoning up a shirt, in fact require a complex set of neurological instructions and precise choreography. In thousands of years of human history, no machine has been able to truly replicate human's greatest tool. But now, as artificial intelligence (AI) races forwards, some companies think they are close to surpassing this final but most difficult hurdle in robotics. Most of them are in China . A new suite of Chinese start-ups are leveraging China's advantages in manufacturing and enthusiasm for what the government calls "embodied AI" to build the fully dextrous robotic hands that are needed to transform humanoid robots from dancing gimmicks into useful products.

The Oura Ring 5 is the smallest, most discreet and best smart ring available. The Oura Ring 5 is the smallest, most discreet and best smart ring available. Tue 30 Jun 2026 02.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 30 Jun 2026 02.02 EDT The Guardianâ s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Ouraâ s new Ring 5 is a massive upgrade for smart rings, dramatically shrinking in size and weight to bring them right into line with standard wedding bands and other jewellery.

Camera, wifi and design updates bring welcome upgrades to Ring's top model in wired or battery flavour The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. R ing's recent revamp of its popular video doorbells with a more modern design is led by the top-of-the-line Video Doorbell Pro 3, which gains much-needed upgrades with a 4K camera and better wifi plus new interesting AI features. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.

Seekers then come and try to find the hiders and, this being an online video game, shoot them. It's frantic, silly and fiendishly creative: finding a spot on one of the maps that you feel confident to paint yourself into - whether it's a laundry room or a farm outbuilding - is a challenging artistic and perceptual task, as well as a neat game mechanic. Meccha Chameleon perfectly encapsulates two popular and interconnected indie genres - prop games (hide and seek, but people disguise themselves as everyday objects) and the slightly pejoratively named "friendslop" (accessible, crudely designed multiplayer titles). So no wonder it has sold 7m units in less than a month.

Our dictionary of gaming terms helping you make sense of video game'slopaganda'. Our dictionary of gaming terms helping you make sense of video game'slopaganda'. As phrases like easter eggs and looksmaxxing enter everyday language, what other words from the world of video games might soon be mainstream? T wenty years ago, video games were seen as a niche hobby dominated by hardcore enthusiasts, tucked away in obscure online forums and gaming meet-ups. Back then, the idea that governments would use footage from Call of Duty and gaming terms such as "killstreaks" as war propaganda would have been absurd.

'Musk profits where there are as few regulations as possible and he can dominate.' 'Musk profits where there are as few regulations as possible and he can dominate.' Ten years ago, after complaining that traffic was'driving him nuts', Musk's Boring Company began building underground tunnels to ease congestion on the roads. I t's another blindingly bright day in Las Vegas but I'm 30ft underground and strapped in for a rocket ride to the future. And it's pretty slow - my driver tells me the speed limit down here is 30mph. It's also pretty short: the journey is over in a matter of minutes.