Americans now spend an average of 35 minutes a day socializing, down from 45 minutes two decades ago, according to American Time Use Survey data. The decline spans all age groups but is sharpest among 15- to 24-year-olds, whose daily socializing has fallen from about an hour to 35 minutes. Axios reports: Sociologists and psychologists point to several trends driving this phenomenon, which Substack writer Derek Thompson dubbed "The Anti-Social Century" in the Atlantic last year. We're all on our smartphones, often interacting through screens instead of face to face -- even though social media is no substitute for spending time together in person. Teens, in particular, spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, according to Gallup. The shift to remote work -- and life -- during the pandemic has persisted, keeping more of us homebound. Longer-term trends are reshaping daily life in ways that make isolation easier. Homes are bigger and more comfortable, with larger TVs. Virtually every restaurant is on a food delivery app, making it easier than ever to stay in. Also contributing to the trend is the decline of gathering spaces, Axios' Avery Lotz writes. A 2025 report from CU Boulder researchers uncovered widespread closures of all kinds of hangout spots -- from libraries to coffee shops to museums -- in the last decade or so. Churches are also shuttering at unprecedented rates, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.

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The CreateFile function has a flag called FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE, which means that the file will be deleted when the last handle to the file is closed. But what if you pass that flag and then change your mind? Is there a way to call take-backs?

No, there are no take-backs. The FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE flag is permanent.

So what do you do if you want to make a file deleted when the last handle is closed, but only based on some condition determined later?

What you can do is open the file normally, and then once you realize that you want to delete it on last close, you can turn the “delete on close” flag on.

BOOL MarkFileAsDeleteOnClose(HANDLE file)
{
    FILE_DISPOSITION_INFO info{};
    info.DeleteFile = TRUE;
    return SetFileInformationByHandle(hfile,
        FileDispositionInfo, &info, sizeof(info));

Unlike FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE, you can take back the DeleteFile disposition.

BOOL MarkFileAsNoLongerDeleteOnClose(HANDLE file)
{
    FILE_DISPOSITION_INFO info{};
    info.DeleteFile = FALSE;
    return SetFileInformationByHandle(hfile,
        FileDispositionInfo, &info, sizeof(info));

The post I opened a file with <CODE>FILE_<WBR>FLAG_<WBR>DELETE_<WBR>ON_<WBR>CLOSE</CODE>, but now I changed my mind appeared first on The Old New Thing.

USA Today reports on a Facebook post from a Washington state sheriff's office: Four residents of Clallam County, a coastal region west of Seattle along northern Washington's peninsula, lost more than $673,000 in just three days, according to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office... The smallest amount lost was $3,500, which someone purchased in Apple gift cards for a scammer posing as an employee with Microsoft technical support, the sheriff's office wrote. Another person lost $50,000 after they clicked on a malicious email and unwittingly granted the scammers access to their financial accounts. The local Peninsula Daily News reports another scam involved a 64-year-old resident who attempted to contact Coinbase after seeing their account displayed shown as closed: "Believing they were speaking with a legitimate Coinbase representative, the victim was told there was fraudulent activity on the account and was instructed to download a 'rescue' application," the [sheriff's] release states. "The application allowed the scammer to remotely access the victim's phone." They then convinced the victim to transfer approximately $200,000 worth of cryptocurrency to what was described as a secure wallet. The funds were instead transferred to the scammer and could not be recovered... In one scam, reported Monday, an 84-year-old Clallam County resident believed they had received an email from their daughter with a photo. After opening the email, a fake Microsoft security alert appeared on the computer directing the victim to call a support number, according to the release. "The victim was transferred to someone claiming to represent the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and was falsely told they were under investigation in a child pornography and money laundering case," the release states. "The scammers instructed the victim not to contact local law enforcement and claimed local banks were also under investigation. The victim was told their bank accounts were in danger of being seized and was instructed to purchase gold to protect their assets." In three separate transactions, the victim purchased approximately $420,000 worth of gold and gave it to an unknown man waiting at the end of their driveway. "Only after speaking with bank officials did the victim realize they had been defrauded," the release states. USA Today offers this advice from the sheriff's press release. "These criminals are professional manipulators who prey on fear, trust and urgency. We encourage everyone to pause before sending money, purchasing gold or gift cards, or transferring cryptocurrency. A simple phone call to a trusted family member, your bank or local law enforcement can prevent a life-changing financial loss."

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247,000 miles on an EV battery? So says the owner of a U.K.-based used-car sales company that specializes in Evs, who tells the Wall Street Journal EV batteries keep performing well even after several hundred thousand miles. "They are proving themselves to be exceptionally reliable." After five years on the road, the average EV will still be able to drive up to 95% of its original range, according to Recurrent, a data-science company that provides a battery-monitoring tool for EVs — better than many in the auto industry expected... Potential new car buyers' fear of having to pay for a battery replacement is the number one reason they choose to steer clear of EVs, according to a 2025 survey from industry research firm AutoPacific. When early EVs hit the market, buyers' concerns were well-founded. Roughly one in 12 EVs built from 2011 to 2016 have had to have battery replacements. But new data shows that more modern EVs are doing better so far. Among EVs built from 2022 on, 0.3% have had battery replacements, according to a 2025 study from Recurrent. As battery technology has advanced, EVs have avoided problems like the ones that plagued the original Nissan Leaf when it hit the market in 2010, for example. Those cars lacked the battery-cooling technology that is in newer EVs, and they made headlines for wearing down quickly. Buyer perception hasn't quite caught up, according to Scott Case, co-founder and chief executive of Recurrent... The newest battery-powered EVs have lifespans comparable to internal-combustion-engine vehicles, even when driven more miles, according to Viet Nguyen-Tien, a research officer at the London School of Economics who focuses on Evs. Improvements in car batteries' chemical contents, battery-management systems and thermal regulation have been the difference in making batteries last longer and cost less, Nguyen-Tien said. Battery prices have fallen more than 90% since 2010, according to a BloombergNEF report from late last year. Industry analysts say battery-replacement costs are also improving as more EVs are designed for repairability in the long-haul. An out-of-warranty battery replacement can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $16,000, depending on the manufacturer, according to Recurrent. But many EV manufacturers have shifted to allow smaller components of their battery packs to be repaired, which can allow owners to avoid the full costs of a battery replacement, Case said. EV batteries aren't without their challenges, though. A battery that is frequently fast-charged with high power loses its range, on average, at twice the rate of a battery charged at a lower power, according to telematics company Geotab. Frequently charging a battery to 100%, or letting it rest at 0% for extended periods, can also reduce range long-term. And EVs regularly deliver less range in extreme cold or heat. The article also includes two new projections on EV adoption: "The share of new EVs sold is expected to nearly double to 11% of new-car sales in the U.S. by 2030, according to industry consulting firm AlixPartners." "Globally, EVs already make up 15% of new-car sales and are expected to form nearly a quarter of the global market by 2030, according to AlixPartners."

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The spacecraft has been in LA since 2012, but now it's moving to a new permanent home at the California Science Center.

On a Sunday evening in the middle of Tompkins Square Park in New York City’s East Village, hundreds of people gather in front of a giant papier-mâché face of a woman wearing a crown. She’s the backdrop of a play, her body made up of curtains that look like a dress but serve a dual purpose, allowing actors to scurry on and offstage.

I’m here to watch a performance called “Luddite Recreations,” which is a history of the Luddite movement—a group of artisans and textile workers who resisted the adoption of machines during the early years of the Industrial Revolution in England and whose resistance to being displaced from their work was met with violence by the British monarchy.

It’s one of the opening events of the Summer of Ludd, a weeklong series of talks and activities like how to flirt and date offline, mending, and learning to fight against data centers, all focused on getting people off their phones and into community.

Everything is so evidently handcrafted, giving it the energy of a high school production (complimentary). A small orchestra, manned by people dressed in Pride regalia, sits off to one side. Behind them, a table holds 10 different zines covering everything from how to get off Spotify to the role of surveillance technology in schools to “Why GenAI Sucks.”

The events will continue through July 5, with most major parts concentrated in Tompkins Square Park. (There will be a beach day cookout on July 4 as well as events in nearby locations in the East Village.)

At the beginning of the play, the actor playing Lord Byron, the famous British poet who supported the Luddite movement, tells the crowd of about 300 the rules for the week: Be present, and absolutely no phones, recording, or photos allowed.

None of the week’s events, including the play, are advertised online. Posters around the neighborhood advertise the Summer of Ludd, declaring “only in real life!” and booklets with the week’s schedule of events have been placed in community spaces around the area.

I found out about the event in a serendipitously offline way. Earlier in June, I was with a friend in the East Village, and we got caught in a summer downpour. As I was waiting it out in the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, a small venue that documents the neighborhood’s history of activism, I found the booklet outlining the Summer of Ludd’s events among several other zines, posters, and pamphlets. So here I am, phone tucked away, notebook out, playbill in hand.

The new Luddite movement has become heavily associated with Gen Z, the first generation to grow up entirely with digital technology. Despite this fact, or perhaps because of it, some young people are becoming increasingly critical of tech’s omnipresence in society. A 2025 Pew Research study found that in 2024, 48 percent of teen respondents said social media has negative effects on people their age—up from 32 percent in 2022.

In addition to young people, there are Pride-goers, families, and some older East Village veterans in attendance, one of whom explains to the young woman next to her the significance of “Bella Ciao,” which the orchestra has just played, an Italian resistance song created in response to fascism under Benito Mussolini.

The whole affair has an earnestness to it that the internet frequently loves to punish. It is, in fact, fun.

The Summer of Ludd was preempted with a press conference conducted by the organizers’ spokesperson, Gowanus the media puppet (yes, I am serious), a blue cloth being with soda-cap eyes, manned by a masked puppeteer. Gowanus was conceived of as a way for the movement to speak to the public and the media without compromising the identities of the event’s organizers, who wish to remain anonymous. According to Gowanus, New York’s Luddite Renaissance is a “loose group of organizers that have no formal affiliation as of now but have been coalescing around noticing similar problems of alienation and overreliance on Big Tech.”

The group says it began planning the summer’s events in January, trying to include off-tech alternatives for everything from movies (they’ve partnered with the Museum of Interesting Things to show 16-mm films) to long-distance chatting (there’s a hands-on shortwave radio and walkie-talkie workshop).

“We believe that the event is the medium to enact social change, where people can meet up in physical space. When we are trying to organize online, we have Mark Zuckerberg’s eyeballs and Silicon Valley’s fingers in the sacred human interactions of our lives,” Gowanus says. “We are striving to create an event that defies consumption.”

In many ways, the Summer of Ludd is political—teaching people how to get off Big Tech products, overlapping with the Luddite conference at the New School, a New York City–based university, where speakers are discussing the role of AI in the “kill chain,” a military concept describing all the steps taken before an attack. On Tuesday evening, Dan Fox, who works for a dumbphone company and hosts phone-free meetups at his Brooklyn home for other people interested in getting offline, announces his “platformless” run for president as part of the festival. But it is the desire to “defy consumption” on a personal level that animates several of the people who speak to WIRED.

“I really like that [the event] is critical of the role of technology in our lives,” says staoue, an attendee who asks to be identified by their chosen name. They started out as a computer science student at Rutgers but “accidentally ended up in humanities classes” that made them start to take an interest in the intersection of technology, politics, and art. They found the School of Radical Attention, a nonprofit focused on helping people resist “the fracking of human attention” by tech products. “Society is getting faster, and it means that we are pressured to get faster, and we’re scrolling to cope when what we really might want is to learn a new language or new hobby,” says staoue.

Andrew Maynard, a professor of advanced technology transitions at Arizona State University, says the Luddite movement was initially about labor rather than being specifically “anti-tech.” But he sees the modern use of the term as a positive way to describe someone who is “pushing back against the prevalence of tech and how it pulls away from their autonomy on multiple fronts.”

staoue says pulling back on their engagement with social media led them to be more active out in the world, particularly going to more protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “There’s a tension, because I want to stay online to talk about these things, so I’m always thinking about how you hold that contradiction,” they say.

At an event called “Google in Real Life,” people can ask questions of their fellow attendees about their personal expertise. Mara McGuire, a 20-year-old student currently taking a break from school, read tarot cards for anyone interested. McGuire says she came across the group as it rehearsed the play in the park and asked how she could get involved.

“The main thing that interested me was the emphasis on human connection and finding ways to really gain other perspectives from getting out in the world,” she says. The online world, McGuire adds, is overwhelmed with information. “I wanted to be able to learn from other people.”

After an hours-long jam session, a discussion takes on a more practical flavor: how to find events without using social media.

Damian Thomas, a web developer who runs Unplatform, “the definitive guide for escaping social media and joining the indie web,” says his experience working with technology has directly inspired his involvement in the Summer of Ludd. “Most Luddites were technicians in some way, but they had to rent the infrastructure, the big machines. With things like Claude Code and SaaS, that’s what we are seeing now,” he says. Thomas says that he realizes most people can’t exactly quit social media or other tech products wholesale, but that “it’s about building infrastructure” that doesn’t push people to social media and allows them to change their personal habits.

An attendee and former Big Tech employee, who asks not to be named for fear of retaliation, says his experience working for both startups and one of the world’s biggest tech firms made him sympathetic to the Luddite movement, and concerned about the way companies are using new technology. “I quit my last job because our leadership was encouraging non-technical people to write code with AI-assisted tools and pushing them to production,” he says. “As a security engineer, that is just so concerning.”

Having worked in tech, the attendee says he knows exactly how hard it is to encourage people to change. “If you leave Facebook but all your friends are still on Facebook, you’ve just cut yourself off from your friend circle,” he says. Having alternatives is important, but the gravitational pull of big platforms or pressure from employers is likely to stymie real progress away from these tools.

This hostility toward the outsized role of technology in every part of life is part of a larger trend. More people are quitting dating apps, opting to meet people at in-person gatherings like run clubs. Commencement speakers who extol the virtues of AI have found themselves booed by college graduates. Analog technologies like cyberdecks are growing in popularity.

But, despite the high hopes at the Summer of Ludd, Maynard says that he doubts it will move the needle in a substantial way. “Even when people agree that they think these technologies are harmful, it rarely impacts the way they live their lives. They’re still using their phones, social media, AI,” he says. “But the questions a movement like this raises are critically important.”

That is what Thomas believes is the case. Even if not everyone can join the festivities or even get off social media entirely, “we are where public opinion is.”

This story originally appeared at wired.com.

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