News
- Google introduces featured notebooks into NotebookLM
- The curated content comes from sites like The Economist and The Atlantic
- You can ask questions about each notebook
Tired of waiting for you to use NotebookLM to make fantastic learning resources of your own, Google has decided to take matters into its own hands and produced a series of carefully curated Notebooks from respected authors, researchers, publications, and nonprofits, including The Economist and The Atlantic.
With NotebookLM, you can read the original source material, but also pose questions to a chatbot that’s versed in the material, so you can explore specific topics in greater depth.
And of course, you can listen to the AI-generated audio overviews, which sound like podcasts, that NotebookLM is famous for, or explore the newer Mind Maps feature.
The initial lineup of curated notebooks includes longevity advice from Eric Topol, bestselling author of Super Agers, expert analysis and predictions for the year 2025 as shared in The World Ahead annual report by The Economist, and an advice notebook based on bestselling author Arthur C. Brooks' How to Build A Life columns in The Atlantic.
As if that wasn’t enough, they’re throwing in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare for anybody who needs help exploring the works of the Bard.
You can expect the list of featured notebooks to grow, too. Google says it will continue to introduce new featured notebooks, including additional collections from its partnerships with The Economist and The Atlantic.
(Image credit: Apple/Google)The books of the futureGoogle says that since introducing the ability to share notebooks last month, ”more than 140,000 public notebooks have been created, on a wide range of topics”.
I find these featured notebooks dangerous myself because each one is a little rabbit hole I can happily disappear down for over an hour.
For example, I opened the How to Build a Life notebook based on Arthur Brooks' columns in The Atlantic and asked it what age was best to buy a house, and I didn’t emerge for another hour!
It's a different experience from reading a book, as you're constantly switching to an interactive way of consuming media, which makes the learning so much more fun.
Commenting on the new featured notebooks Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic said, "The books of the future won’t just be static: some will talk to you, some will evolve with you, and some will exist in forms we can’t imagine now. We’re delighted to partner with Google in its pioneering work on this front.”
You might also like- A new line of code has been found in the HeyMelody app that suggests the Spotify Tap function could be coming to Oppo and OnePlus earbuds
- Android Authority managed to activate the feature, but it has several setbacks
- We don't know when it could be released, or which OnePlus and Oppo audio accessories will be compatible with Spotify Tap
OnePlus and Oppo are solid audio brands if you’re after a decent pair of mid-range earbuds, and now they could be getting a new handy Spotify integration, which could be a big convenience upgrade for Android users.
A new Android Authority teardown of the HeyMelody app highlights that the Spotify Tap function, which is supported on most audio devices from Sony, Bose, and Jabra, could be coming to OnePlus and Oppo earbuds. For those of you who are unaware, HeyMelody is the native app for setting up OnePlus and Oppo audio tech, similar to Sony’s Sound Connect app.
But what is Spotify Tap? It’s essentially a convenience feature that allows you to play music directly from Spotify by double or triple-tapping compatible audio accessories such as the brand new Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. If you’re already an owner of the best headphones and best earbuds alike, you’ll be more than familiar with this function.
As for Android Authority’s findings, the outlet dove into the HeyMelody app v115.8 and found a code related to a possible new integration with OnePlus and Oppo earbuds, and even managed to activate the feature.
(Image credit: Android Authority )For starters, the teardown shows two different options (double and triple tap) for Spotify music playback in each earbud. The outlet also states that you can redo this gesture so that Spotify plays you a recommended song, but there were a few setbacks.
While Android Authority was able to activate Spotify Tap, the outlet noted that changes to background settings were required to get the options to show, adding that you might only be able to set this feature for one earbud at a time, and not both. However, this is likely to change if Spotify Tap is ever rolled out to OnePlus and Oppo earbuds, it added.
As it stands, the teardown doesn’t explicitly state when this feature could roll out, or which OnePlus and Oppo earbuds will receive the Spotify Tap treatment if it does. According to Android Authority, it wouldn’t be surprising if Spotify Tap is only available to selected upcoming hardware.
In that case, we’re taking this lightly and are waiting to see what other findings emerge – but we’ll certainly have our ears to the ground in the meantime.
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- Startup’s ribbon-based holographic tape promises 200TB per LTO cartridge
- The tech uses polymer film and $5 laser to write optical voxels
- Integrates into LTO systems with no upstream software or hardware changes
UK startup HoloMem is developing a holographic storage system aimed at replacing or supplementing LTO tape.
The company, founded by former Dyson engineer Charlie Gale, uses polymer ribbon cartridges written with $5 laser diodes. Each 100-meter cartridge could store up to 200TB in a write-once, read-many format.
The cartridges match LTO dimensions and work in existing tape libraries without changes to upstream software. Drives function as drop-in shelves, allowing libraries to operate in a hybrid LTO and HoloMem setup.
HO1OThe idea began at Dyson, where Gale helped create a holographic label system called HO1O. It embedded multiple QR codes in a single hologram, readable from different angles or light sources.
“What we originally did at HO1O for prototypes was to use a light-sensitive polymer material that you just exposed to laser light… it locks polymer change and retains that image,” Gale told Blocks & Files.
This concept evolved into multi-layer data storage using similar materials.
Unlike other optical approaches that use glass or ceramics, HoloMem writes data as holographic voxels into polymer film. The film uses a 16-micron thick polymer sheet laminated between PET layers, forming a 120-micron ribbon.
The prototype HoloDrive writes and reads holograms using a 3D-printed lens and a digital micromirror device.
“We are writing data pages of thousands of bits,” Gale said. Throughput hasn’t been disclosed, although it reportedly operates at LTO-9 speeds. The drive uses £30 circuit boards and modified LTO mechanics.
HoloMem has received £900,000 in UK innovation grants and is partnering with TechRe and QStar for field trials and integration testing. It holds patents for the optical engine, media design and volumetric storage method.
Blocks & Files reports: “We understand TechRe will deploy prototype Holodrives inside LTO libraries in its UK data centers to test out the product’s performance, reliability and robustness. HoloMem has written device firmware so that, we understand, it presents itself as a kind of LTO drive.”
Future capacity increases may come through multi-channel recording, using multiple light wavelengths to layer data. Each added channel could multiply storage with no hardware change.
You might also like- Only 2% of enterprises are highly ready for AI, report claims
- Fewer than one-third have deployed AI firewalls to date
- Another one in three could do with diversifying their AI models
Although more and more applications are getting AI overhauls, new F5 research had claimed only 2% of enterprises are highly ready for AI.
More than one in five (21%) fall into the low-readiness category, and while three-quarters (77%) are considered moderately ready, they continue to face security and governance hurdles.
This comes as one in four applications use AI, with many organizations splitting their AI usage across multiple models including paid models like GPT-4 and open-source models like Llama, Mistral and Gemma.
Enterprises aren't benefitting from the AI they have access toAlthough 71% of the State of AI Application Strategy Report respondents said they use AI to enhance security, F5 highlighted ongoing challenges with security and governance. Fewer than one in three (31%) have deployed AI firewalls, and only 24% perform continuous data labelling, potentially increasing risks.
Looking ahead, one in two (47%) say they plan on deploying AI firewalls in the next year. F5 also recommends that enterprises diversify AI models across paid and open-source opens, scale AI usage to operations, analytics and security, and deploy AI-specific protections like firewalls and data governance strategies.
At the moment, it's estimated that two-thirds (65%) use two or more paid models and at least one open-source model, demonstrating considerable room for improvement.
"As AI becomes core to business strategy, readiness requires more than experimentation—it demands security, scalability, and alignment," F5 CPO and CMO John Maddison explained.
The report highlights how enterprises that lack of maturity can stifle growth, introduce operational bottlenecks and present compliance challenges.
"AI is already transforming security operations, but without mature governance and purpose-built protections, enterprises risk amplifying threats," Maddison added.
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