LLMs can write and answer quizzes – but aren't quite ready to disrupt trivia night
Feed AutoQuizzer a URL and it will use LLaMa-3 to make a decent multiple-choice test
AI + ML29 May 2024 | 10
Bootnotes
Bored students can now enjoy Sonic 2 on TI-84 Plus CE calculators, thanks to port
Retro interview Blast (processing) from the past
Bootnotes26 May 2024 | 21
Pew: Quarter of web pages vanished in past decade
Luckily we have the Wayback Machine
Personal Tech20 May 2024 | 24
Really? A sarcasm detector? Wow. You shouldn't have
Computers learning to spot sass – what could go wrong?
Bootnotes20 May 2024 | 41
Samsung takes bite out of Apple over its mega marketing misstep
'We would never crush creativity,' says South Korea megacorp
Bootnotes16 May 2024 | 26
Forget feet and inches, latest UK units of measurement are thinking bigger
Reg Standards Bureau Testing wind turbine blades the size of three rusty angel wingspans
Bootnotes16 May 2024 | 90
Dublin debauchery derails Portal to NYC in six days flat
Webcam art installation quickly descends into public Chatroulette
Bootnotes15 May 2024 | 62
Destroying offshore wind farms is top priority for Trump if he returns to presidency
It’s definitely to protect the whales and not the fossil fuel industry
Bootnotes14 May 2024 | 283
Cops developing Ghostbusters-esque weapon to take out e-bike thugs
'Who you gonna call?' Dunno, my phone's been stolen
Bootnotes14 May 2024 | 67
Blue screen of death or Eurovision's Windows95man performance – what's less annoying?
Those with a delicate constitution, look away now
Bootnotes13 May 2024 | 179
Apple crushes creativity and its reputation in new iPad ad
Comment Someone in marketing may be getting fired for this
Bootnotes10 May 2024 | 125
UK's National Cyber Security Centre entry code cracks up critics
One, two, three, four is all you need to pass that door
Bootnotes10 May 2024 | 51
I told Halle Berry where to go during a programming gig in LA
On Call Five-star techies share stories of working from the lap of luxury
Devops10 May 2024 | 95
Baidu's PR head has a PR problem after workaholic social media posts
Updated Praising 996 culture is so Jack Ma 2019
Bootnotes09 May 2024 | 15
Tesla devotee tests Cybertruck safety with his own finger – and fails
Faith in frunk flunks
Bootnotes08 May 2024 | 136
AI Catholic 'priest' defrocked after recommending Gatorade baptism
Devotees were speaking to an entity who didn't exist – imagine that
Bootnotes03 May 2024 | 139
Cloudflare CEO sues over free-roaming fidos at his ski resort paradise
Who let the dogs out?
Bootnotes29 Apr 2024 | 32
Throwflame launches fire-spitting robo-dog from Hell
The Thermonator can be yours for just $9,420
Bootnotes25 Apr 2024 | 54
Silicon Valley roundabout has drivers in a spin
Accidents at intersection quadruple
Bootnotes23 Apr 2024 | 88
Crypto conferences liquidated after biblical flooding in Dubai
There's something nice about seeing Web3 fanatics in ankle-deep water
Bootnotes17 Apr 2024 | 17
Popular
Google’s in-house docs about search ranking leak online, sparking SEO frenzy
Updated GitHub trove details API features that 'contradict' Big G’s public statements about how its engine works
Why RISC-V must get its messaging right on open standard vs open source
Feature It's the difference between export limits on specific chips – and a problematic blanket ban
PayPal is planning an ad network built off your purchase history
You are the product, after all
Multi-day DDoS storm batters Internet Archive
Updated Think this is bad? See what Big Media wants to do to us, warns founder
China shows off machine-gun-toting robot dog and its AI-powered puppy
Training exercises test suitability for both reconnaissance and lethal kinetic action
BreachForums returns just weeks after FBI-led takedown
Website whack-a-mole getting worse
MIT professor hoses down predictions AI will put a rocket under the economy
It's easier to foresee growing inequality than surging growth
Fancy climbing the peaks of Alpine Linux? 3.20 is out
Tiny, powerful, uncluttered: not easy, but a lot to like
North Korea building cash reserves using ransomware, video games
Microsoft says Kim’s hermit nation is pivoting to latest tools as it evolves in cyberspace
Chinese national cuffed on charges of running 'likely the world's largest botnet ever'
DoJ says 911 S5 crew earned $100M from 19 million PCs pwned by fake VPNs
STORIES
Judge refuses to Ctrl-Z divorce order made by a misclick
Computer says you're single
Bootnotes16 Apr 2024 | 57
X fixes URL blunder that could enable convincing social media phishing campaigns
Poorly implemented rule allowed miscreants to deceive users with trusted URLs
CSO10 Apr 2024 | 27
Sleuths who cracked Zodiac Killer's cipher thank the crowd
Fifty-one years of community contributions, software, and clever cryptanalysis contributed
Bootnotes04 Apr 2024 | 38
Rancher faces prison for trying to breed absolute unit of a sheep
Ewe-nique endeavor aimed to create Jurassic Baaa-rk experience for hunters
Bootnotes14 Mar 2024 | 111
'Chemical cat' on the loose in Japanese city
Unlikely to survive hexavalent chromium dip, officials ask residents to keep an eye out
Bootnotes13 Mar 2024 | 69
Olympic-level server tossing contest seeks entrants – warranty voiding guaranteed
It's geeks gone wild
Bootnotes06 Mar 2024 | 16
Willy Wonka event leaves bitter taste with artificially sweetened promises
Charlie and the AI factory flop compared to 'meth lab'
Bootnotes28 Feb 2024 | 46
Palantir boss says outfit's software the only reason the 'goose step' has not returned to Europe
Motor-mouth CEO Alex Karp claims biz stopped 'innumerable' terror attacks in Europe
Bootnotes28 Feb 2024 | 97
Google Maps leads German tourists to week-long survival saga in Australian swamp
Pair had to dodge croc on trek back to civilization
Bootnotes23 Feb 2024 | 77
Google releases Gemma – LLMs small enough to run on your computer
Your own personal chatbot awaits
Bootnotes22 Feb 2024 | 8
London's famous BT Tower will become a hotel after £275M sale
Hello room service? Can you call your provider? The Wi-Fi is down. Hello?
Bootnotes21 Feb 2024 | 67
Tesla's Cybertruck may not be so stainless after all
'Literally bulletproof' but needs constant cleaning to stave off corrosion
Bootnotes13 Feb 2024 | 212
Quarter of polled Americans say they use AI to make them hotter in online dating
Roses are red, violets are blue, a machine made my profile alluring to you
AI + ML12 Feb 2024 | 26
Building a 16-bit CPU in a spreadsheet is Excel-lent engineering
But can it run Doom?
Bootnotes02 Feb 2024 | 23
Add bacteria to the list of things that can run Doom
Frame rate would be even worse than the original, though. MUCH worse
Bootnotes31 Jan 2024 | 28
Robots with a 'Berliner Schnauze' may appear more trustworthy to locals
Dialect study a mixed bag when it comes to droids speaking highbrow German
Bootnotes31 Jan 2024 | 22
Windows 3.11 trundles on as job site pleads for 'driver updates' on German trains
Remember making Windows and DOS talk to a network? You could go back to the future with this assignment
Bootnotes30 Jan 2024 | 107
Techie resurrects teletext on a vintage BBC Master
You can get Ceefax via a Pi, but behold it in its most exotic of habitats
Bootnotes30 Jan 2024 | 20
We put salt in our tea so you don't have to
Poll Despite US chemistry boffin claiming it improves the taste, we respectfully disagree
Bootnotes27 Jan 2024 | 204
AI-driven booze bouncers can ID you with face scan
Cheerio to cheeky Chardonnay chancers
Bootnotes25 Jan 2024 | 27
Apple's Vision Pro costs big bucks to buy and repair ... just don't mention the box design
Still, up to 180,000 units sold under pre-order and China gray market prepping locals
Bootnotes25 Jan 2024 | 7
'Birthplace of Amazon' on the market for $2.28M
'Affordable' for the neighborhood
Bootnotes24 Jan 2024 | 21
DPD chatbot blasts courier company, swears, and dabbles in awful poetry
So this is the AI revolution
Bootnotes23 Jan 2024 | 48
Tech bros are playing God, Catholic Church's AI priest complains
Effective altruism blamed for Silicon Valley's desire to heal humanity's woes
Bootnotes22 Jan 2024 | 14
Silicon Valley weirdo's quest to dodge death – yours for $333 a month
Wonder when he's going to give that 28-year-old their skin back
Bootnotes11 Jan 2024 | 87
Michael Dell: Don't worry about AGI, after all we solved that ozone layer thing
Budget, schmudget, when it comes to AI-enabled productivity gains, says exec
Bootnotes11 Jan 2024 | 10
Data wrangler Zuckerberg becomes world's least likely cattle rancher
What a cowboy!
Bootnotes10 Jan 2024 | 19
The Register's 2023 in gaming had one final boss: Baldur's Gate 3
The RPG But we also have a bit to say about Dark Souls, Starfield, Foxhole, and more
Bootnotes05 Jan 2024 | 30
How the Xbox Series X fridge chilled our holiday spirits
But not enough sodas
Bootnotes04 Jan 2024 | 15
How do you teach a robot dog new tricks? Throw it a string of hex, a crayon, and a canvas
Artist Agnieszka Pilat tells The Register how she gets Spot to paint, not pant
Bootnotes31 Dec 2023 | 17
Philips recalls 340 MRI machines because they may explode in an emergency
Rapid unscheduled disassembly not exactly a desirable quality for medical imaging equipment
Bootnotes21 Dec 2023 | 43
SEC charges ex-medtech CEO with fraud for selling plastic fake implants
Sure, bogus blood tests are bad, but have you considered tricking doctors into embedded useless tubes?
Bootnotes20 Dec 2023 | 14
This could still wing its way to you, if you have the dosh: One Concorde engine seeks new home
That'll make a lot of expensive ashtrays
Bootnotes20 Dec 2023 | 39
California approves lavatory-to-faucet water recycling
'Water? Like out of the toilet?' It will get cleaned first and it'll be better than Brawndo
Bootnotes19 Dec 2023 | 46
Musk floats idea of boat mod for Cybertruck
Oh yes, please, get in the sea
Bootnotes19 Dec 2023 | 123
Zuckerberg hunkers down in Hawaii to wait out apocalypse
$270M secret building project includes 5,000 sq ft bunker
Bootnotes18 Dec 2023 | 82
Last Vega rocket launch delayed over fuel tank vanishing act
Choose your own adventure: Use the old qualification tanks, or squeeze in some from Vega-C?
Bootnotes15 Dec 2023 | 26
Is it 2000 or 2023? Get ready for AI-anchored news. Again
'Cos Ananova worked out so well
Bootnotes15 Dec 2023 | 36
GM, Komatsu partner to build hydrogen-powered monster mining truck
Mining industry looking for greener credentials in the future
Bootnotes12 Dec 2023 | 23
Time for a Geeko remix: openSUSE is looking for a new logo
LOGOWATCH Days left to decide chameleon's fate ... vote now
Bootnotes08 Dec 2023 | 9
HP TV ads claim its printers are 'made to be less hated'
Apparently they're being serious
Bootnotes07 Dec 2023 | 94
YouTuber who crashed plane for sponsorship dollars earns 6 months behind bars
There's an idiotic stunt, then there's obstructing a federal investigation
Bootnotes05 Dec 2023 | 34
From Joaquin Phoenix to Rowan Atkinson, we enjoyed your Musk movie casting calls
Although since it's the height of ridiculousness why not just Will Farrell?
Bootnotes02 Dec 2023 | 20
Nostalgia for XP sells out Microsoft's 2023 'Windows Ugly Sweater'
Bliss not your thing? You could win the Paint version
Bootnotes30 Nov 2023 | 25
We challenged you to come up with tech predictions for 2024 (wrong answers only) – here are some favorites so far
Kettle Plus some of our own and the ugly Microsoft sweater one of you will win. Please take it off our hands...
Bootnotes30 Nov 2023 | 38
AI threatens to automate away the clergy
Is divine intervention next on the tech to-do list?
Bootnotes29 Nov 2023 | 76
Zuckerberg accused of OK'ing Insta plastic surgery filters despite fears of harm to kids
'Meta knows what it is doing is bad for children ... it is now there in black and white'
Bootnotes29 Nov 2023 | 15
Either the FBI is recruiting in Iran – or some govt Google ad buyers are getting a lousy deal
Advertisers may be surprised to find where their banners appear
Bootnotes29 Nov 2023 | 5
Virgin Atlantic flies 'world's first fossil-fuel free' transatlantic commercial flight
Sustainable kerosene-alt is hot right now as low-emission aviation takes off
Bootnotes28 Nov 2023 | 40
Share your 2024 tech forecasts (wrong answers only) to win a terrible sweater
Competition OpenAI led by the Swedish Chef? Musk aims for Mars and hits Venus instead? What are your predictions?
Bootnotes28 Nov 2023 | 311
USB Cart of Death: The wheeled scourge that drove Windows devs to despair
Stout heart a requisite for software engineers in days of yore
Bootnotes25 Nov 2023 | 89
Surface Duo crashes the party as Doctor Who celebrates 60th birthday
Hey Cortana: Why is David Tennant back as the BBC's longest lived space alien?
Bootnotes25 Nov 2023 | 57
Long-term space missions may make liftoff harder for male astronauts
Study suggests galactic cosmic radiation could damage below-the-belt tissues
Bootnotes23 Nov 2023 | 35
Remembering the time Windows accidentally sent Poland to the bottom of the sea
Geopolitics and operating systems are hard
Bootnotes21 Nov 2023 | 30
Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean AI's not after you
Brit telco BT's digital boss asks people 'how did horses feel when cars were invented? They didn't complain or go on strike'
Bootnotes14 Nov 2023 | 62
AWS staffer shows off the workplace that used to be a prison
Panopticon design gains new meaning for the all powerful cloud platform
Bootnotes13 Nov 2023 | 15
CEOs of crashed tech upstart Bitwise accused of swindling $100M from investors
Duo paid themselves $600K salaries as the cupboard was emptying
Bootnotes10 Nov 2023 | 13
Mac daddy Woz hospitalized in Mexico over mystery malady
State of Apple co-founder's health is unclear – it could be a stroke or vertigo
Bootnotes09 Nov 2023 | 17
Pentagon seeks government gossips to dish dirt on UFOs
Online form isn't for just anyone, so stow your crackpot theories for now
Bootnotes02 Nov 2023 | 19
Where do people feel most at risk of being pwned? The pub
Pints, pork scratchings, and password-free Wi-Fi: The nearly perfect brew
Bootnotes01 Nov 2023 | 36
Pope tempted by Python! Signs off on coding scheme for kids
In the name of the firewall, the server, and the home page default, amen
Bootnotes28 Oct 2023 | 41
Larry Ale-ison institute invests in Oxford pub linked to Tolkien, CS Lewis
DBAs come in for beer but struggle to find a table, query imaginary world in wardrobe
Bootnotes26 Oct 2023 | 33
Teens take a million metaverse Ryanair flights in Roblox
They do this in their free time
Bootnotes24 Oct 2023 | 41
The problem with Jon Stewart is that Apple appears to have cancelled his show
Planned episodes on China and AI reportedly worried Apple top brass
Bootnotes20 Oct 2023 | 51
You snooze, you lose? It's not quite as simple as that
Actually it might give you a brief edge on those weird morning people
Bootnotes18 Oct 2023 | 14
Never mind SETI and NASA, if your Ring somehow snaps ET, Amazon might give you $1M
Fly light-years to our planet and get the real Earth experience: Privacy invaded by doorbell cam
Bootnotes06 Oct 2023 | 24
You've just spent $400 on a baby monitor. Now you need a subscription
Internet of Stings Once upon a time there was a company called Miku who wasn't making quite enough money...
Bootnotes06 Oct 2023 | 183
EPIC urges watchdog to probe Grindr's data privacy – or alleged lack thereof
Dating app kept sensitive info even after peeps deleted accounts, complaint claims
Bootnotes05 Oct 2023 | 3
Meet Honda's latest electric vehicle: A rideable suitcase
The Motocompacto is a successor to the '81 Motocompo, but with greater ability to deprive its rider of dignity
Bootnotes15 Sep 2023 | 91
Long-lost 1977 Star Wars X-Wing prop discovered – lock s-foils in bid position
Hundreds more iconic props set to go on sale from collection of late Hollywood model maker Greg Jein
Bootnotes12 Sep 2023 | 29
Grant Shapps named UK defense supremo in latest 'tech-savvy' Tory tale
Comment He praised Apple for its 'open source' tech – now he'll oversee AI use to defend Britain from its foes
Bootnotes31 Aug 2023 | 98
Let's give these quadruped robot dogs next-gen XM7 rifles, says US Army
Black Mirror? Never heard of it
Bootnotes30 Aug 2023 | 34
IBM shows off its sense of humor in not-so-funny letter leak
Internal memos detail discontinued Dad-joke products
Bootnotes23 Aug 2023 | 55
North Korea's neighbors issue warnings ahead of attempted 'satellite' launch
The last one splashed down badly, but this is no laughing matter – Japan's PM thinks it could be a missile
Bootnotes22 Aug 2023 | 8
Need a decent dining spot in Ottawa? Microsoft suggested a food bank
Azure giant blames human error, not AI – up to you to swallow that
Bootnotes18 Aug 2023 | 27
Cage match: Zuck finally realizes Elon is full of twit
How can a billionaire in his 50s be this much of a dweeb?
Bootnotes14 Aug 2023 | 50
Official science: People do less, make more mistakes on Friday afternoons
Why 'dont deploy on Frday' is a thnng
Bootnotes04 Aug 2023 | 63
US Air Force burns more money on electric flying taxis
Waiting on that thumbs up from the FAA
Bootnotes31 Jul 2023 | 14
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's pop artifact stash now heads to a museum
Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix's guitars, Vader's helmet, Captain Kirk's chair, and more
Bootnotes29 Jul 2023 | 15
On the record: Apple bags patent for iDevice to play LPs
From Norman Cook to Tim Cook
Bootnotes28 Jul 2023 | 81
Biting the hand that feeds IT
