Cristian Dina / The Next Web:
San Diego-based Aether AI, which is building “causal world models” to teach robots cause and effect instead of pattern-matching, raised a $20M seed led by MPCi  —  Aether AI, founded by UC San Diego causality researcher Biwei Huang, has raised a $20mn seed round to build “causal world models” for robots.

Nikkei Asia:
Toto, Japan's largest toilet maker, plans to invest $495M by 2030 to expand its semiconductor materials unit, targeting R&D for next-gen 1nm chip production  —  TOKYO/KITAKYUSHU, Japan — Bathroom fixtures maker Toto plans to invest 80 billion yen ($495 million) in the next five years …

A list of movie recommendations for fans of Obsession

Toy Story 5's message of "toys vs. tech" isn't as simplistic or preachy as the trailers have made it seem

Basic Apple Guy, back during WWDC:

WWDC always brings a torrent of new content, details, and platform-wide changes. One of the first things I noticed after installing the macOS Golden Gate beta was the updated icon design. The colours are much bolder, several icons have been adjusted, and the refraction in the Liquid Glass effect has changed significantly, especially in icons like Journal.

There’s also a noticeable sharpness to the icons, along with a flattening of the Liquid Glass effect. I’m not sure yet whether this is simply an early-beta artifact or the intended final look.

I think it’s definitely the intended look, and I like it. The changes in these app icons are all subtle, but they’re all changes for the better. I still don’t like the primitive flat shapes and mandated squircle, but at least the trend is finally moving in the right direction again.