WORLDGreg Hyman, Co-Creator of Tickle Me Elmo, Dies at 78An electronics wizard, he was already a veteran inventor when he collaborated with Ron Dubren on an idea for a toy that giggled. The rest is retail history.NY Times·May 19, 2026
WORLDThe future of Google is a search box that does everythingLast year, after watching Google's I/O keynote, I wrote that it felt like Google's future was Google googling. After watching this year's I/O keynote on Tuesday, I don't think Google just wants to google for you - I think it wants to do everything for you, all from a search box. Take the trusty GoogThe Verge·May 19, 2026
WORLDDiscord enables end-to-end encrypted voice and video calling for every userGood news! Discord's hundreds of millions of users now have their communications scrambled, so not even Discord can see them.TechCrunch·May 19, 2026
WORLDNAACP urges athletes to boycott southern US universities over voting rightsOrganisation calls for Black athlete fan boycott over Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling, southern redistricting.Al Jazeera·May 19, 2026
WORLDVideo shows oil spill on Iranian island after refinery attack last monthThe impact of an oil spill caused by an attack on Iran’s Lavan refinery last month has been revealed.Al Jazeera·May 19, 2026
WORLDBoats, fire and a TikTok song - inside Arsenal's title winThe inside story of how Mikel Arteta turned Arsenal from 'nearly men' into Premier League winners.BBC News·May 19, 2026
WORLDHere are our favorite Memorial Day deals (so far)Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and the holiday’s sales include plenty of deals on gadgets that can help you make the most of the season. If your plans involve beach days, pool parties, or backyard barbecues, now’s a great time to pick up a portable Bluetooth speaker, as many of oThe Verge·May 19, 2026
WORLDDemocrats preview how they’d go after the Ticketmaster settlement if they regain powerA handful of Democrats called an unofficial hearing on Capitol Hill Monday to slam the Department of Justice's "trivial" and "pathetic" settlement with Live Nation-Ticketmaster, previewing how they might go after Trump administration antitrust deals if they win back congressional power in November. The Verge·May 19, 2026
WORLDElon Musk said Sam Altman ‘stole’ a non-profit — but the trial showed he had similar aimsThe jury's speedy decision to reject Elon Musk's lawsuit against the other founders of OpenAI and Microsoft confirmed what we saw in the courtroom: Musk's case was a weak one, in part because he waited so long to file it.TechCrunch·May 19, 2026
WORLDGoogle takes a page out of Meta’s book, announces new audio-powered smart glasses at IO 2026Google is calling the new devices "audio glasses," in that users will be able to issue verbal commands to them and get things done via its ecosystem of apps and services, including Gemini.TechCrunch·May 19, 2026
WORLDMeta Employees Are Scrambling to Use Up Benefits Ahead of LayoffsOn the eve of about 8,000 jobs being cut, employees are cashing in on headphone stipends and other perks while they still can.Wired·May 19, 2026
WORLDGoogle’s Genie world model can now simulate real streets with Street ViewGoogle DeepMind is integrating Street View with Project Genie to create immersive, interactive world simulations for robotics, gaming, and travel, allowing users to explore environments, weather changes, and rare scenarios.TechCrunch·May 19, 2026
