Anthropic's Claude Code and Cowork can control your computer

"Anthropic has updated Claude to perform tasks in its Code and Cowork AI tools autonomously by using your computer for you. The new feature can be used to automatically open files, use web browsers and apps, and run dev tools 'with no setup required,' even when you're away from your computer … To access the feature, the Claude desktop app must be running on a supported macOS device and paired with the chatbot's mobile app. The update works by prioritizing connectors to supported services first, such as Slack and Google Workspace apps, but will still execute tasks if a connector isn't available by directly controlling your browser, mouse, keyboard, and display. Anthropic says Claude will 'always ask for your explicit permission' before exploring, scrolling, and clicking as needed to complete a task."

The Verge »

An iPhone loophole just appeared

Buying a new iPhone usually involves a sad understanding that your bank account is about to take a massive hit — because they get more expensive with each model. But now the iPhone 17e is… wait… $299.99? Doesn't sound right, but it is. Buy the iPhone 17e for $299.99 and activate the Total 5G+ Unlimited plan from Total Wireless, and you'll receive $25 in service credits applied to your bill every month for 12 months. For once, the "should I upgrade?" conversation is a lot shorter and way easier to say yes to. [Ad]

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'At the edge of what we thought possible': Astronomers find extremely rare star from ancient universe

"Scientists have adopted the role of 'cosmic archaeologists' to discover a rare, iron-deficient second-generation star — essentially a fossil record of our universe's chemical evolution. Just as uncovering artifacts here on Earth teaches us about lost generations of humans, this observation provides hard evidence of how the first generation of stars died to chemically enrich their successors. … Designated PicII-503, the star has only 1/40,000th of the iron contained within the Sun, which is a third-generation, or (somewhat confusingly) POP I, star. The fact that PicII-503 has the lowest concentration of iron ever seen beyond the Milky Way makes it one of the most primordial stars ever discovered. That deficit isn't the most extraordinary about PicII-503, however."

Space.com »

Confessions of a serial houseplant killer trying again

"It all started when I was strolling around downtown Staunton, after a nice breakfast and that newfound feeling of Today, I'm becoming a better person. I saw an inviting plant store on the corner and, in a spur-of-the-moment moment, I went in childless and came out a mother — the mother of a Peperomia caperata, 'Rosso,' that is. Decidedly a 'he.' The future looked bright with my brand-new green thumb. Except for one teeny tiny problem: I've never had a green thumb. … But as soon as I began researching Rosso and what Peperomia caperata would require, a feeling of dread crept over me. There were light requirements, liquid fertilizers, misting, and repotting. I was overwhelmed. How was I to know that a plant this small was such a big responsibility?"

Virginia Living »

Your plant deserves better (and now it might get it)

You had good intentions as a plant parent. You thought it would be as easy as plopping it in front of a window and watering occasionally. And it can be — after you do the right research. But if you want to skip the full-blown pothos-panic, just let Plantum do the heavy lifting. Snap a photo and get straightforward, actually helpful care instructions. So instead of second-guessing every droop and discoloration, you're confidently keeping things alive (and maybe even thriving). [Ad]

Keep plants alive »

Mining the deep ocean

"More than 13,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, a more-than-70-ton machine trundled like a tank on its caterpillar tracks for a tenth of a mile — sucking up potato-sized nodules of rock packed with copper, manganese, cobalt, and nickel. It was 2022, and that pilot run of a subsea harvester by a Canadian business, The Metals Company, was pronounced a success. The company is working to get a green light to deploy similar machines for commercial harvesting over an area of 65,000 square kilometers, to extract over 600 million metric tons of nodules. There are riches on the ocean floor — round deposits made up of tightly packed layers of critical minerals that have long been out of reach. But not anymore."

Knowable Magazine »