You can now preview thousands of audiobooks from the Google Play Books channel on YouTube — in addition to the previews already available in the Play Store. Google has also expanded its selection of free nonfiction ebooks for kids.

The National Archives and Records Administration tells its employees that ChatGPT could leak confidential data. It will block access to the chatbot on agency-issued laptops. The agency is considering using Microsoft Copilot or Google’s Gemini instead “because they protect data input by federal agencies.”

It’s not alone in banning ChatGPT; the House of Representatives restricted access to the chatbot last year.

Our pals over at Polygon put together a short list of newer tabletop games they’re digging so far this year. I think I’m mostly interested in Wyrmspan, where there be dragons.

But I also wonder how much Star Wars: Unlimited, which also made the cut, resembles that Star Wars card game I played a few times in middle school. Who can tell me?

As a part of its five percent reduction in workforce, Take Two is closing down Roll7, a London-based studio that developed the OlliOlli games, and the Seattle-based Intercept Games that made Kerbal Space Program 2. In a statement to Game Developer, a Take Two spokesperson confirmed that the company would still support the popular, if goofy, flight simulator.

As previously reported in Alex Heath’s Command Line newsletter, layoffs at the $2 trillion company have cut “at least 200 employees” in the Core engineering group, according to CNBC.

That division handles “building the technical foundation behind Google’s flagship products, protecting our users’ online safety, and maintaining our global IT infrastructure.” Some roles moved to India or Mexico, and includes at least 50 in Google’s Sunnyvale offices.

Maybe this was an inevitable step from the camera brand that hangs its hat on film simulations that look wonderful straight out of camera.

According to FujiRumors, the upcoming mid-range X-T50 will have a physical dial for switching between different film sims. A bit unconventional? Definitely. But at least it’ll encourage people to try more of them.

CNBC reports a tie-in with Lucra Sports will eventually enable customers to bet against each other on games like Skee-Ball.

But even if you’re a degenerate with money on the line trying to convince a kid to Jontay Porter their next game, why use some app instead of cash? Also, in some places, D&B already has real gambling.

Crossovers between Fortnite and Star Wars are nothing new, but the latest is the most expansive so far. And that’s because it covers not just battle royale, but also Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival. Importantly, that means you can now rock out as Lando — who we already knew was a great dancer.

Fifty-seven-year-old James Smelko of Pittsburgh was sentenced to 14 years and seven months in prison for possessing deepfake child sexual abuse material of child stars. The sentencing comes as legislatures are racing to deal with the issue of deepfake CSAM and how AI companies are trying to ensure CSAM isn’t used to train their models.

Instagram rolled out sprawling changes to how it ranks content this week — and some of those updates could be applied to Threads, says Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

The updates are around how content gets recommended, and Meta says small creators will have a better shot at breaking through.

NBC News reports that a former Block employee is talking to the feds about apparent sanctions violations.

Prosecutors are allegedly finding that Square and Cash App failed to report certain Bitcoin, credit card transactions, and dollar transfers — some originating from terror groups. Block leadership apparently knew, according to internal documents.

Though Apple TV Plus has been crushing it on the sci-fi front lately, the streamer is gearing up for a crime thriller turn with a new series adaptation of author Scott Turow’s novel Presumed Innocent from David E. Kelley starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga. The series debuts on June 12th.

If you’re juggling numerous 1Password accounts, it’s not hard to understand how you could potentially mix up your personal and business “private vaults” and put something sensitive in the wrong place. That could get very risky — both for you and your company.

To make things clearer, 1Password has renamed “private vaults” to “employee vaults” for teams / business accounts.

Chevy dealers are already catching flack from customers for GM’s decision to remove popular phone-mirroring services Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from their lineup of EVs. Maybe it would have gone down better if their native infotainment software didn’t immediately shit the bed, resulting in a stop-sale order for the Chevy Blazer EV? Just sayin.

The Treasury Department is set to announce later this week the final set of rules around critical minerals in EV batteries, that will likely target “foreign entities of concerns” — which is government jargon for China. The rules won’t kick in until 2025, at which point the list of EVs eligible for the $7,500 credit is likely to shrink even more.

The move is supposed to save the average household at least $100 a year in lower utility bills. As new water heaters are shipped out over 30 years, energy savings from the tougher standards are also expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 332 million metric tons. That’s like erasing the annual planet-heating pollution of nearly 43 million homes, the Department of Energy says. 

The partnership follows a similar one with Hilton announced in 2022. “Select” luxury and lifestyle hotels in the US are getting the Peloton Row, while there are also rewards for World of Hyatt members, and equipment-less workouts via hotel TVs.

This news comes ahead of Peloton’s next earnings report on Thursday, and rumors of “financial distress” that could lead to bankruptcy.