The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Imagine a town with two widget merchants. Customers prefer cheaper widgets, so the merchants must compete to set the lowest price. Unhappy with their meager profits, they meet one night in a smoke-filled tavern to discuss a secret plan: If they raise prices together instead
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Before we jump in, a quick housekeeping item. The transportation newsletter won’t run next Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday. For
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re always at the stables. Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky
9 Best Chromebooks Compared Other Good Chromebooks We’ve Tested Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 for $711: Acer’s Chromebook Spin line has made a name for itself over the years, and its latest entry, the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (9/10, WIRED Recommends), keeps that reputation alive. For $699 (or less if you find
X recently began rolling out a new feature that seemingly revealed many right-wing “America First” accounts are actually based outside the United States. Except the data might not be reliable. While X’s new “About This Account” feature includes information about when a user joined and how they downloaded the app, geographic location is getting the
TL;DR: Dive into a book in just 15 minutes with a lifetime subscription to Headway Premium, now only $39.99 (reg. $299.95) — the best price online — through Jan. 31. $39.99 $299.95 Save $259.96 Let’s face it, most of us aren’t reading all the books we’d like. A busy life gets in the way,
Space is the right environment for a TV with this level of staggering contrast, and it’s not just the dramatic moments, but also the more subtly lit scenes that stand out. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 is full of searing highlights and colorful bursts of space glow, but moments like the crisp sunrise on
Roblox CEO Dave Baszuki joined The New York Times’ Hard Fork podcast to discuss the gaming platform’s new age verification feature — but he seemed to get frustrated at the number of questions focused on child safety. The interview began with Baszuki describing the feature, which will require all users who want to submit a
U.S. states can craft their own AI regulations without intervention from the federal government, for now, at least. Reuters reported that the Trump administration has paused a proposed executive order that would have preempted states from enacting their own AI laws. The draft order became a matter of public concern early last week, but the
Today is the last day of REI’s Holiday Sale. For the past 10 years REI has shut its doors for Black Friday, suggesting that instead potential customers should get outside and enjoy the world around you. That’s great advice, but of course Black Friday is also one of the biggest retail spending days of the