MetatoldTechCrunchit’s notactuallytesting ads in Threads yet, but it’s gettingmore underpinningsin place — now including this “Sponsored” badge that might appear next to an advertiser’s (or sponsored creator’s) username. It wasspotted by developer Alessandro Paluzzi.

Threads boss Adam Mossericonfirmed in Aprilthat ads are coming;last we heard,it might not be till next year.

In a letter seen byThe Wall Street Journal,Skydance’s lawyers accuse Paramount of breaking theirmerger agreementby dragging out the amount of time it can review other bids. “While Skydance is not currently exercising its right to terminate the Transaction Agreement, we reserve the right to do so in the future,” the letter says.

Paramount extended its “go shop” period afterreceiving a $6 billion bidfrom media investor Edgar Bronfman Jr.

Colorado tech law professor Blake Reid hasa good Bluesky thread(note: requires login) on the complicated gamesmanship behindAI content dealsand copyright law. His conclusion:

At the end of the day, copyright just doesn’t give a lot of people positively and negatively impacted by copyright a seat at the table. And these deals are a powerful reminder of that.

Tesla quietly removed acontroversial no-resale-for-a-yearclause in the Cybertruck purchase contract.

There’s no indication that the automaker ever enforced the clause, but Tesla didcancel someone’s other two Cybertruck reservationswhen they tried to sell their first Cybertruck.

We haven’t seen much ofBoston Dynamics’ new all-electric version of Atlassince itsdebut back in April.But today the company shared another brief look at the highly articulated humanoid doing a quick round of pushups.

Boston Dynamicsoriginally described the new Atlasas being able to “move in ways that exceed human capabilities.” Doing seven pushups already exceeds this human’s capabilities.

Sonos’ Patrick Spence said on Reddit this week that the companywouldn’t be able to bring back the old app,and today, he madea series of posts on Threadsabout the company’s efforts and what it has learned.

“In hindsight, one thing that is clear is that we shouldn’t have introduced such a big change so quickly,”he said.

Following the release ofMarathonin MayandMarathon 2in July,the third game in the trilogy,Marathon Infinity,is out now on Steam.

It’s been a good yearfor classic FPS games.

Kamala Harris is the latest participant on Track Star, a TikTok game show where players identify a song for money.

Internet shows like Track Star are a new kind of media circuit for public figures. Democrats want these viral moments —and they’re trying hard to make them happen.

Mineral, whichAlphabet shut down last month,says it has sold some of its technology to John Deere to support the company’s See & Spray product,according to a memoposted last week. The startup also confirms that the berry company Driscoll will use Mineral’s tech to “better forecast yields, optimize quality inspections, and reduce food waste.”

Rather than celebrating the ten year anniversary ofBoJack Horseman’s premiere by bringing the show back, Netflix hasgreenlit a new animated seriesfrom Raphael Bob-Waksberg that will feature art from Lisa Hanawalt.

The change will kick in starting October 4th if you send more than a total of $500 (including in previous transactions),reports9to5Mac.

The music producerrecently confirmed thathe composed two ringtones for Apple:“Daybreak”and “Chalet”.The tones were released back in 2019 putting them on iOS version 13 and later. Both tones have a relaxing vibe to them that would have fit right in withFlylo’s Adult Swim bumpsthat rewired an entire generation’s musical tastes...or at least just mine.

The404crew has done great work over the last year, and their anniversary note is full of both good links to stories and good news aboutthe team-owned media biz:

We have learned that there is an audience that is happy to pay for fearless journalism and fun blogs that are written by real human journalists who prioritize the interests of their readers, not search algorithms and AI bots.

You love to see it.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say US whistleblower laws weren’tintendedto be used by people like “Richard Overum,” who has turned himself into a super spy one whistleblower reward at a time. But he’s making it work! And he’s recruiting.

I can’t decide if this is a Robin Hood story or kind of scammy or both, but I can’t get enough.

Media investor Edgar Bronfman Jr. increased his offer to acquire Paramount from$4.3 billionto $6 billion, according to CNBC. Paramount has sinceextended its “go shop” periodto 15 days, which allows it to review offers from other potential buyers. The offer could potentially upend the sweetened dealit reached with Skydancelast month.