Hasta La Gadget!

“It’s not safe here,” said one man, staring straight at representatives of Norfolk Southern. “I’m begging you, by the grace of God, please get our people out of here.”

There’s only one more season left before Star Trek: Discovery bids farewell. The Paramount+ series is ending after season 5, which according to its official summary, “will find Captain Burnham (Martin-Green) and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.” According to Variety, Paramount+ is also streaming the fifth season in 2024 as opposed to this year as previously expected. 

Star Trek: Discovery marked the first time the franchise has had a Black female lead and has prominently featured LGBTQIA+ characters. It also largely took on a more serialized format, wherein each episode is its own installment in a season’s main storyline, unlike other entries in the franchise. That became a point of criticism about the series, however, until the showrunners changed course and embraced storytelling with an overarching plot in season four. 

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the series currently holds the distinction for being the longest-running drama on Paramount+ so far. Its debut back in 2017 led to record sign-up numbers for the streaming service then known as CBS All Access, and its success paved the way for other Trek shows, including Lower Decks and Prodigy.

Tanya Giles, chief programming officer at Paramount Streaming, said in a statement: “Star Trek: Discovery is a perennial favorite on the service, near and dear to the hearts of legions of ‘Star Trek’ fans as well as all of us here at Paramount+. The series and its incredible cast and creatives ushered in a new era for Star Trek when it debuted over six years ago, embracing the future of streaming with serialized storytelling, bringing to life deep and complex characters that honor Gene Roddenberry’s legacy of representing diversity and inclusion, and pushing the envelope with award-winning world-building. This final season will see our beloved crew take on a new adventure and we can’t wait to celebrate the series’ impact on the franchise leading up to its final season early next year.”

At the moment, Trek fans can watch Star Trek: Picard, which is streaming on Paramount+. Its third season will also be its last, but there are rumors going around that the service is developing spinoffs centering on characters from the show.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-discovery-ending-season-5-next-year-070320271.html?src=rss

Today’s Wordle answer involves a tricky letter combination, but the word itself is so common that you’ll figure it out with these hints and tips.

Minhaj exposes the “clout-chasing sociopaths” trying to get your dough.

Microsoft has quickly acted on its promise to give you more control over the Bing AI’s personality. Web services chief Mikhail Parakhin has revealed that 90 percent of Bing preview testers should see a toggle that changes the chatbot’s responses. A Creative option allows for more “original and imaginative” (read: fun) answers, while a Precise switch emphasizes shorter, to-the-point replies. There’s also a Balanced setting that aims to strike a middle ground.

The company reined in the Bing AI’s responses after early users noticed strange behavior during long chats and ‘entertainment’ sessions. As The Vergeobserves, the restrictions irked some users as the chatbot would simply decline to answer some questions. Microsoft has been gradually lifting limits since then, and just this week updated the AI to reduce both the unresponsiveness and “hallucinations.” The bot may not be as wonderfully weird, but it should also be more willing to indulge your curiosity.

The toggle arrives as Microsoft is expanding access to the Bing AI. It brought the technology to its mobile apps and Skype in late February, and days ago made the feature available through the Windows 11 taskbar. The flexibility could make the AI more useful in these more varied environments, and adds a level of safety as more everyday users give the system a try. If you choose Creative, you likely know not to explicitly trust the results.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-gives-bings-ai-chatbot-personality-options-155521297.html?src=rss