June 13 & 14, 2026 Show Notes
World Cup Opening Weekend Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
on C-FAX 1070 in Victoria and
on CKFR AM 1150 in Kelowna
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm PT
on C-FAX 1070
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
anywhere you get your podcasts
Your crew this weekend:
Kyle Wilson
Colwood-based IT Specialist, Wikipedia Administrator, and a Business Insider contributor
X & BlueSky: @KWilsonMG
The Podcast
Listen now: (podcast will appear here once its been uploaded)
Or, you can subscribe to "Tech Talk with Alan Perry" (it's free) on any podcast app including these…
1) Watch out for new scam Canada Revenue Agency texts
With income tax season just past, scammers are busy pumping-out scam texts in hopes of gaining access to your money and identity.
One of the newest ones avoids scam filters by sending the scam message as an image, as shown in the screenshot below,…
The text of the scam CRA image is immediately followed by a text containing a link they hope you'll click on, in this case, the link is for gov3d.com — which takes you to a fake CRA sign-in page that looks just like the real CRA sign-in page (see screenshot below) — except this one is hosted on a website in Thailand (most browsers will flag this as being Dangerous)……
If you click on the Sign-In Partner button, it takes you to a page with logos for all the main banks and credit unions here in Canada…
…and if you click on your bank or credit union, it takes you to a realistic-looking but fake sign-in page for your institution (mine is Royal Bank)…
If you type in your log-in info, you've just given the overseas scammers access to your account.
In most cases, your bank or credit union will text or email you a code before granting access, but the scammers know that, and you'll be redirected to a screen asking you to put in that code.
If you do, the scammers will be into your account and will immediately start initiating money transfers to themselves via untraceable crypto-currency.
NEVER click or tap on links in texts or emails like this!
2) If you're getting dozens of iPhone or iPad password reset notifications, hackers are trying to get into your account.
iPhone and iPad users are the target of a new wave of phishing attacks called "MFA Bombing" that relies on user impatience, and a bug in Apple's password reset mechanism.
Victims are inundated by "Reset Password" notifications, including the text "Use this iPhone to reset your Apple ID password," and the options to allow or reject the request. This notification is genuine. It's displayed once to the user when they attempt to reset their Apple ID password, as a form of multi-factor authentication on an iPhone, Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch.
The problem with the attack is that the attacker is bombarding the target with so many notifications. They're hoping you'll either accidentally select Allow instead of Don't Allow, or will be annoyed by the deluge of notifications that you'll select Allow in order to make it stop.
Don't do that! Selecting Allow would let the attacker reset your Apple ID password, granting them access to your account, and locking you out.
It's hoped that Apple will make a system change to limit the number of Reset Password notifications that can be sent within a set period of time.
3) Watch out for scam Facebook texts, advising that your account is to be permanently deleted because of a trademark violation.
A screenshot of one of these scam texts is on the left.
Note the link they want you to click on to request a review of their "decision" (yellow arrow)…it'll take you to a fake Facebook log-in page hosted on a website in Brazil (.br red circle).
If you put in your Facenbook password, the scammers will send you a message advising that you are going to be sent a security code to confirm your identity, and to type that code in the reply to them.
If you do that, you will be giving the scammers what they need to change your password and take over your Facebook account and lock you out!
NEVER click on links in texts or emails like this.
If you think a message like this is real — it never is — you could go to your Account Status within your Facebook app and look for any Notifications there.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Freedom Mobile has Samsung phones on sale this weekend
Freedom is offering the Samsung Galaxy S26 for $10 a month for two years, or the Galaxy S25 FE for $5 a month for two years. To qualify for those deals, you have to sign-up for a $50/month plan that would give you 175GB/month of Canada/USA/Mexico calling and data, plus 10GB/month of calling and "Roam Beyond" data in more than 120 countries.
At the end of two years, you either return the phone, or pay $360 and keep the S26, or pay $359 and keep the S25 FE. As the S26 costs $1250 outright, that's a $650 saving, and for the S25 FE, which costs $920 outright, that's a $441 saving. You could turn around and sell the phone after two years, and pocket a tidy profit!
Freedom Mobile is the only carrier still offering great mobile deals
Flanker brands — Fido, Virgin+, Public Mobile, and Koodo — have all changed their wireless plans, cutting data and raising prices after a short-lived price war dominated by Freedom Mobile.
Last month, the flanker brands rolled out $40/60GB plans, but now those deals are gone. They've now all upped their rates while cutting or entirely removing CAN/US/MEX options.
Fortunately, Quebec-based Freedom Mobile, which is owned by Quebec-based Vidéotron, is still offering deals, although their rates are not as great as they were a few weeks ago...
Freedom's plans all include Canada/USA/Mexico calling and data roaming, but also include a monthly allotment of "Roam Beyond" data good in 120+ countries, as well as unlimited calling in any included country and back to Canada. The best part is, all the plans are available to current customers as well as to new customers.
Freedom's coverage is also the best of the big four carriers, because the agreement that saw them sold by Shaw when Rogers bought Shaw, allows Freedom customers to roam seamlessly at no charge onto the networks of Rogers, Telus, and Bell when they're beyond the reach of the fast-growing network of Freedom towers. That deal will continue for seven more years to give Freedom time to build-out its nationwide network.
Weekend special: if you're adding a second person to your Freedom account, you can get $10/month off if both of you are on a plan that would be $40/month before discounts.
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) How to watch the 2026 World Cup here in Canada
Bell Media (the parent company of C-FAX 1070) holds the exclusive Canadian broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, covering all 104 matches across its English, French, and digital platforms.
TSN (English)
TSN is the primary broadcaster, airing all 104 matches live on its cable TV channels. You can also stream every game through TSN.ca or the TSN app. Cord-cutters can subscribe to TSN+ for standalone streaming access, which also includes multi-language feeds with commentary from competing nations. TSN+ costs $8/month or $80/year.
CTV and Crave (English)
CTV is broadcasting 30 select matches for free over the air, including all of Canada’s group stage games and key knockout round fixtures. Those same matches are available to stream free on Crave through its live CTV channel hub.
RDS and Noovo (French)
French-language viewers can catch all 104 matches on RDS, with select games also airing on Noovo.
TSN/Crave Bundle Deal
There’s currently a three-month TSN/Crave bundle available for $70, which works out to $23.33 per month. That’s a solid option if you want full tournament coverage in one package.
Canada’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Schedule
- Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina: Friday, June 12, BMO Field in Toronto: it ended in a 1-1 tie.
- Canada vs. Qatar: Thursday, June 18 at 3PM PT, BC Place in Vancouver (TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, CTV, Crave)
- Switzerland vs. Canada: Wednesday, June 24 at Noon PT, BC Place in Vancouver (TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, CTV, Crave)
There are free outdoor public watch parties in numerous locations:
- Market Square in downtown Victoria
- Langford Station in Langford
- The new Freedom Mobile Amphitheatre at the PNE in Burnaby
- numerous locations in Surrey and Richmond
11) At long last, Activation Fees are gone — although some carriers have, not surprisingly, replaced them with other fees
Friday was the deadline for carriers here in Canada to stop charging Activation Fees or any other add-on fees to people signing-up for service, or switching carriers, and all the carriers appear to have complied.
Those fees ranged from $45 to $80 depending on the carrier.
However, Bell (the parent company of C-FAX) and Telus, have both instituted other fees in an effort to recoup some of that lost revenue.
Bell and its budget brand Virgin+ have started charging a $40 Device Handling Fee — but only when you buy a new phone — while Telus and its budget brand Koodo have started charging a $15 SIM fee. Telus is making it mandatory that this $15 SIM card fee be charged, even for eSIMs, for all new activations online or in-store. This cannot be waived this time around by dealers during promo periods, according to Telus documentation to employees.
Canada's communications regulator, the CRTC, has fired back, demanding the carriers scrap those new fees, saying it'll take action to force them to if they don't comply, but so far, those fees are both listed on their respective websites.
Freedom Mobile has gone beyond scrapping its $45 activation fee, and has also scrapped the $30 fee it was charging if you wanted to switch to a cheaper plan.
The big so-far-unanswered question is whether the carrier will up their monthly rate to make-up for the lost revenue.
iPhone in Canada | Canada’s source for Apple, telecom, tech news, and deals
The CRTC Just Warned Telus. That New $15 SIM Fee May Already Be Illegal. | iPhone in Canada
The CRTC has issued a warning to Telus regarding a new $15 SIM card fee scheduled to take effect on June 11, 2026, that iPhone in Canada first told you about. In a nutshell, Telus is making it mandatory that $15 SIM card fee be charged, even for eSIMs, for all new activations online or
12) Canada's communications regulator — the CRTC — wants to know if you find your telecom bills confusing
The CRTC is launching a public consultation (yes, another one) today with the goal of rolling all of its consumer protection rules into one unified code covering internet, cellphone, home phone, and TV services.
Right now the rules for each of those services exist separately because they were each developed at different times. The problem is that most Canadians bundle these services together, so having four different sets of rules makes things unnecessarily confusing. The CRTC wants to fix that by consolidating everything into a single, easier-to-understand framework that reduces billing surprises and makes it clearer what your rights actually are.
CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides summed it up plainly: “Consumer protections should be simple. Through this consultation, we want to help Canadians understand their rights so they can make informed choices and better manage their bills
If you want to weigh in, the CRTC is acceptin public comments until August 11, 2026. You can submit through the CRTC’s online form, which I've linked below, by mail to the CRTC Secretary General in Gatineau, or by fax (yes, fax) to 819-994-0218.
13) Apple has unveiled its new OS 27 family of operating systems, including its long-awaited new Siri and Apple Intelligence services
13a) The all-new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence
After failing to deliver a promised AI-powered version of Siri two years ago, Apple has spent the time since them working feverishly to develop a system that works, more recently in partnership with Google Gemini, but while making privacy paramount.
Early feedback is that the wait was worth it — Apple appears to have got it right.
This new version of Siri — called Siri AI — will have its own app, and is built on Apple Intelligence, allowing Siri to draw on personal context understanding and help users find what they need in the moment across messages, emails, photos, and more. For example, users can ask Siri to find a restaurant recommendation a friend messaged them about, surface a hotel confirmation number from an old email, or pull up photos with friends and family from a recent trip.
Users can take advantage of this new version of Siri from anywhere across the system. In addition to saying “Hey Siri,” iPhone users can invoke Siri with the side button, or swipe down from the Dynamic Island to start a conversation and get an in-depth answer. On iPad and Mac, Siri AI is integrated into Spotlight so users can search for answers to almost any question.
While Apple is partnering with Google Gemini to train its Apple Foundation Models, Apple has made it clear that Siri AI and Apple Intelligence will all run either on your device, or in the case of complex requests, on Apple Private Compute Cloud, and in all cases, no info from Apple users will be sent back to Google…
iPhone in Canada | Canada’s source for Apple, telecom, tech news, and deals
Everyone Assumed Siri AI Was Just Gemini. Apple’s Craig Federighi Says Otherwise. | iPhone in Canada
Apple’s Craig Federighi and his team recently held a technical briefing following the WWDC keynote to pull back the curtain on iOS 27 and the new Siri AI. A major focus was clarifying the company’s collaboration with Google, as Apple aims to differentiate its new Apple Intelligence from existing chatbot experiences. The technical talk was
If your iPhone, iPad, or Mac has Apple Intelligence, you'll be able to get the new Siri AI this fall (unless you're in Europe)
There's been a lot of confusion about this, because Apple this week announced it's 'most advanced on-device AI core ever", and that will only run on the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. For iPad, you'll need any of the models with an M5 chip or newer with 12GB of RAM, and Mac owners will need a Mac with an M3 or newer, and only with 12GB of RAM or more.
Unfortunately, that's where far too many people stopped paying attention. If they hadn't, they'd know that the AFM Core Advanced model Apple was talking about is only actually used for two Siri AI features: one to customize the way Siri sounds, while the other brings improved system-wide dictation. That's it. Nothing more, and nothing less.
All the other new Siri AI features and Apple Intelligence will be available on any Apple device that can run the current version of Apple Intelligence…
If you're reading this in Europe, Apple says you will NOT be able to use any of the new beefed-up Apple Intelligence when it's turned-on this fall, because the EU has refused to approve it. The EU is trying to force Apple to build in compatibility with other AI assistants, which Apple says is not possible…
13b) The new OS 27 family of operating systems
As for the new OS 27 family of operating systems which will be released this fall for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, and Vision Pro headsets, Apple is putting a huge emphasis on small tweaks — hundreds of them — to make their devices work better, instead of rolling-out a raft of new features and design changes.
Take the popular "Find My" app, for example: we'll have more control over how we share our location with friends and family using Find My, with new options to share for a custom duration — either for a number of minutes, hours, or days — or even set a date and time for when sharing will stop. This will make it easy for us to share our location while attending an event, or for a long weekend getaway with friends and family. Users can also pause location sharing until the end of the day for specific people, so a user can shop for an anniversary present or show up for a surprise party without spoiling the reveal.
Another sure-to-be-popular tweak: iPhone and Apple Watch users will be able to create and store passes in Apple Wallet from physical cards, like loyalty or membership cards, eliminating the need to fumble through pockets and bags, or to use a third-party app like SuperCards. With Siri mode in the Camera app, you'll simply point your iPhone at any physical card with a barcode or even screenshot a digital one, and youy’ll be prompted to save it to Apple Wallet. You'll also be able to create and add a pass directly from Apple Wallet. Once added, passes are ready to present as a barcode or QR code right from their iPhone or Apple Watch.
14) It’s official: the Government of Canada is moving to ban the use of social media by those under 16 years of age
Under the Safe Social Media Act that was introduced on Wednesday, social media companies like Meta and X (Twitter), livestreaming services, and adult content services would all be required to prevent Canadians under 16 from creating accounts on their platforms.
However, the federal government says social media platforms and livestreaming services — but not adult content services — could be exempted if they implement “sufficient safeguards.” There was no confirmation on what, exactly, those would entail, with the government saying this would be determined in the future through a regulation process.
AI chatbots would also need to have measures in place to respond when a user is expressing ideas related to harming others or themselves.
It should be stressed, however, that the youth social media ban and AI chatbot regulations are only proposed as part of the Safe Social Media Act. It remains to be seen if and when it will become law, although the government notes that this process could take as long as 18 months.
Meanwhile, Australia in December became the first country to enact a ban, while Malaysia rolled out its own ban last week. Throughout all of this, governments in the likes of the UK, South Korea, and Spain have been looking into similar legislation. All of this comes amid concerns about the well-documented negative impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of youth social media users.
6) You can now create a custom ringtone right on an iPhone using GarageBand, or on a Mac or Windows PC using iTunes
While there are thousands of ringtones that you can buy from Apple's online Ringtone Store, with GarageBand on your iPhone, you can now create free ringtones from an audio file, from a song from your Apple Music library, or from a song that you made.
The instructions are below…
If you prefer to create your custom ringtone on a Mac or Windows PC, you can now do that for free
Here are the instructions for doing that on a Windows PC…
…and here are the instructions for creating a custom ringtone on a Mac…
17) If your iPhone is acting-up, you can use Apple's hidden diagnostics tools to try to identify and fix the problem
If your iPhone is not behaving properly, you can use the free Apple Support app to connect with a real person at Apple, and they can remotely trigger diagnostic tests to try to identify the problem.
But, we've discovered you can actually run those tests yourself!
Here are the instructions on how to access the hidden Apple Diagnostic Toolkit…
- Power off your iPhone
- Press and hold both the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons at the same time, and while doing that, with your other hand, plug a charge cable into your iPhone, and keep holdimg down both Volume buttons until an Apple logo appears
- After a bit, the Apple Diagnostic Mode screen will appear…
- Tap Continue and choose a Wi-Fi network
- It'll then connect to Apple Support, and then to a Diagnostics and Repair server
- Agree, and then Run Diagnostics
- You can now scroll down and choose from various diagnostic tests: Mobile Resource Inspector, Audio for Self-Service Repair, Display Anomalies, Multi-Touch Issues, Face ID Issues, and Camera Image Quality.
- Each test you choose will take a minute or two to complete, and will then present you with the results, and options on how to fix a problem, or to get it fixed.
18) Amazon's new colour Kindle Scribe note-taking eReader has just launched here in Canada — but it's rediculously expensive
Amazon’s redesigned Kindle Scribe lineup is now available here in Canada, including the first-ever colour version of the popular note-taking e-reader, which is shipping out today for those that pre-ordered last month.
The new Scribe is noticeably thinner and faster than before, coming in at 5.4mm and 400g. A new quad-core chip makes writing and page turns 40% faster, and the 11-inch display is proportioned to match a standard sheet of paper. Amazon also added a texture-molded glass surface to give the pen a more paper-like feel, and reduced the parallax gap between the pen tip and where ink appears on screen to nearly nothing.
The Colorsoft model uses Amazon’s custom display technology with a colour filter and nitride LEDs, supporting 10 pen colours, five highlighter colours, and a new shading tool for gradients. Battery life is still measured in weeks.
But, all this comes at quite a hefty cost: the original Kindle Scribe launched here in Canada in December 2024 starting at $499, but the new Kindle Coloursoft is $830!
iPhone in Canada | Canada’s source for Apple, telecom, tech news, and deals
The First Colour Kindle Scribe Just Launched in Canada. It’s Nearly $1,000. | iPhone in Canada
Amazon's redesigned Kindle Scribe lineup is now available in Canada, including the first-ever colour version of the popular note-taking e-reader, which is shipping out today for those that pre-ordered last month. Here's what you'll pay: Kindle Scribe Colorsoft: $829.99 Kindle Scribe: $679.99 Kindle Scribe without front light: $579.99 The new Scribe is noticeably thinner and
19) If you have fond memories of how Windows operated 30 years ago, you can now go back in time with Windows93.net
If the screenshot above brings back fond memories, or if you're too young to remember this and are curious, two geeks who go by the handles of Jankenpopp & Zombectro have created a website that triggers a fully-functional Windows OS from 30 years ago.
Try it for yourself at Windows93.net
20) MrBeast has officially become the first YouTuber to have more than half a billion subscribers
Jimmy Donaldson, globally known to millions as MrBeast, has officially become the first individual creator to cross the staggering milestone of 500 million subscribers on YouTube.
To celebrate the historic occasion, Donaldson did what he does best: he turned it into a massive digital event. The creator set up a live subscriber counter on his channel, allowing over 600,000 concurrent viewers to watch the final moments tick down in real time.
As the counter hovered at exactly 499,999,999 subscribers, mischievous fans decided to troll the creator by unsubscribing all at once, temporarily dropping the number before resubscribing a few moments later to push him over the finish line. It was a playful echo of his 100 million subscriber milestone back in 2022, when viewers pulled the exact same stunt.
This achievement cements Donaldson as an unmatched force in modern media. He initially took the crown as the most-subscribed individual creator in November 2022 after overtaking PewDiePie. By June 2024, his main channel surpassed the Indian music label T-Series to become the most-subscribed channel overall on the entire platform.
When he initially hit the 20 million subscriber mark years ago, he launched the #TeamTrees campaign, successfully raising over $25 million to plant more than 25 million trees around the world. He followed that success with #TeamSeas, raising $30 million to pull millions of pounds of plastic and trash out of beaches, rivers, and oceans.
Donaldson’s journey to half a billion subscribers is fueled by a relentless drive to reinvent online entertainment. Videos like his real-life recreation of Squid Game, which is currently nearing one billion views, proved that independent creators could match the production values of major Hollywood television networks.
While traditional television networks continue to see declining audiences, the rise of the MrBeast empire proves that digital-first creators are the new gatekeepers of global entertainment.
How much does he earn from all this? MrBeast earned around $80–100 million per year from YouTube ad revenue alone in 2025–2026. His total yearly income across all businesses is far higher, though; his other main revenue streams are:
- Feastables: $100M+ revenue
- Brand deals: $50M+
- MrBeast Burger: $20M
- Merch: $10M
- Streaming deals (Amazon/Netflix): $5M+
His total annual revenue across all businesses is estimated at $250M+ USD per year.
21) SpaceX stock soars on first day of trading following record-breaking IPO, making Elon Musk the first trillionaire
SpaceX made a blockbuster stock market debut on Friday, with its shares taking flight after the Elon Musk-controlled company completed the largest initial public offering in history.
SpaceX shares, which opened at $150 on Friday, closed at $160.95, up 19% from the IPO's $135 offer price. The stock peaked at $176.52 in intraday trading, a gain of nearly 31% from the offering price.
MoSpaceX is trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SPCX.
SpaceX on Thursday priced its shares at $135, raising $75 billion to finance its ambitious plans, including establishing a human colony on Mars and deploying solar-powered data centers in space.
SpaceX's IPO comes as the stock market continues to notch record highs, propelled by surging corporate profits and the artificial intelligence boom. SpaceX will eventually be joined by AI players OpenAI and Anthropic, which have both announced plans for their own IPOs.
SpaceX's IPO has turned Musk, already the world's richest person, into a trillionaire — at least on paper. He owns 4.8 billion shares, or about 42% of the company, as well as 350 million stock options, according to the IPO filing. With 82.4% of the company's voting power, he'll continue to wield significant control over SpaceX's future.
CBC
SpaceX stock jumps after record IPO, making Musk the first trillionaire | CBC News
SpaceX soared in its Nasdaq debut on Friday, making the company worth more than $2 trillion US. It's expected to be included in the Nasdaq 100 within weeks, making it a major holding for passive funds and ETFs that track the index.
22) Apple says it's no longer approving apps that are low quality or that just duplicate what other apps do
Apple has updated its App Store guidelines, adding stricter enforcement against developers publishing low-effort apps. The company is now ensuring that those deemed low quality can be pulled from the App Store entirely.
Within the App Store Guidelines support page, Apple urges developers not to “submit apps that are indistinguishable from what’s already widely available.” The new App Store guidelines now prohibit the publication of apps that oversaturate categories within the ecosystem. Apps that are not updated, do not offer improvements, or do not meet a consumer threshold may also be removed.
Apple goes on to state that it won’t approve submissions for new fart, burp, flashlight, fortune-telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps unless they are significantly different from what’s currently available on the App Store. Apple deems these apps to be “mediocre, low-quality, or low-effort.” Any developer repeatedly submitting these kinds of apps may be removed from the Developer Program by Apple.
These apps typically clog up the App Store and reduce the discoverability of authentically unique apps. Apple’s latest updates make it clear that the company is taking a stronger stance to clean up its App Store, not only to improve the customer experience but also to assist developers.
iPhone in Canada | Canada’s source for Apple, telecom, tech news, and deals
Apple Updates App Store Guidelines With Enforced Rules Against Low-Effort Apps | iPhone in Canada
Apple has updated its App Store guidelines, adding stricter enforcement against developers publishing low-effort apps. Low-quality apps may be removed by Apple.
23) Trump Phone is a gold-painted HTC phone from two years ago
After getting its hands on a Trump phone and tearing it apart, iFixit has confirmed that the T1 Phone is an almost exact duplicate of the Chinese-made HTC U24 Pro, which was released two years ago.
iFixit partnered with NBC to get hold of the network’s media sample of the Trump phone, along with a U24 Pro. They ran the phones through a CT scanner, tore them down to parts, and even put them back together into a functional Frankenstein phone with the U24 Pro’s board inside the T1 Phone’s chassis, confirming along the way that the two phones are functionally identical.
There are minor differences: The flash has been moved slightly, the speaker grille was tweaked, and the chipset package — while the same in specs — was supplied by Micron for the Trump phone, and SK Hynix for the HTC. The bigger change is to the battery: The Trump phone’s cell is slightly larger and made in the Philippines rather than China, and it only supports slower 30W charging.
26) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
27) Kathryn's Paleontology News Item of the Week: paleontologists have found traces of a new species of prehistoric bear-dogs in Spain
Paleontologists have identified a previously unknown species of amphicyonid — the extinct family of carnivorous mammals popularly known as bear-dogs — from two specimens unearthed at a rich fossil site in the Vallès-Penedès Basin near Barcelona, in Spain.
Dubbed Paludocyon moyasolai, the new species lived during the Middle Miocene epoch, roughly 15.9 million years ago, in what was then a warm, forested landscape dotted with shallow lakes.
The animal belonged to the family Amphicyonidae, an extinct group of predators commonly known as bear-dogs because they combined features seen in both modern bears and dogs, though they were neither.
Sci.News: Breaking Science News
New Species of Ancient Bear-Dog Identified in Spain | Sci.News
Paleontologists have identified a previously unknown species of amphicyonid -- the extinct family of carnivorous mammals popularly known as bear-dogs -- from two specimens unearthed at a rich fossil site in the Vallès-Penedès Basin near Barcelona, Spain.
Homework videos (a.k.a. "time well wasted"!)
Check out our new YouTube Favourites playlist #2:
Our original Favourites playlist maxxed-out at 5000 videos; it's here…
Videos start at #40, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more tech news items above!
40) Watch Apple's full "All Systems GLOW" keynote here…
…or skip to the segment on Siri AI and Apple Intelligence…
01:16:14
YouTube
Apple WWDC 2026 June 8: Introducing Siri AI and more
Watch the WWDC26 keynote introducing Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence — our most personal Siri update ever. You’ll also learn about expanded trust and safety features, and improvements to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. To watch the event interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) or hear it narrated via Audio Descriptions, please click here: https://youtu.be/QTL_we3HspI Tune in to the Platforms State of the Union livestream here: https://www.youtube.co
41) Watch a quick demo of the new Siri AI coming this fall…
42) Watch Joanna Stern run through the five best new non-Siri features and tweaks coming to iPhones with iOS 27 this fall…
43) Watch an insightful behind-the-scenes look at where they hide all the microphones on the performers in "Hamilton" on Broadway…
44) Watch Cher join Dua Lipa to perform "Believe" at Cher's induction onto the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…
45) Watch the Starbugs comedy guys perform "We Are The World: on rubber chickens, and try to not laugh…
It's the final days with our awesome Grade 10 international homestay students — Sofía from Madrid in Spain and Natsuki from Osaka in Japan — and we're trying to fit in as many activities as we can before they fly home.
Last night, we, along with our good friend Rick, took Sofía and Natsuki to their first-ever baseball game, as the Victoria Harbourcats hosted the Springfield Drifters at Royal Athletic Park…
It was an action-packed game, but the Harbourcats lost 18-9. They host the Drifters agains Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, and kids get in free this weekend!
Earlier this week, our good friend John invited us to join him and his family at their campsite at Island View Beach Park, where the girls got to experience their first campfire and first S'mores!
Of all the restaurants to which we've taken the girls, their hands-down favourite is The Old Spaghetti Factory, where Sofía's cousin, Adrián, who's in Grade 9 and SMU, took us earlier this week…
Adrián and Sofía fly home together on the 17th. 🙁
On Thursday night, we enjoyed Hungarian Langos and Filipino food at the Sidney Night Market…
Last weekend, Natsuki and I attended AfricaFest at Ships Point in the Victoria Inner Harbour, and tried Ethopian food — a fist for both of us — which was delicious and spicy…
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…