Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

The AI Hype Bubble: Expectations vs. Reality

2025-08-25

Current expectations for AI are overblown, with many companies finding that AI's ROI is far lower than anticipated. A MIT report reveals that 95% of companies that have adopted AI haven't seen any meaningful return on their investment. While AI tools are widely used, they're primarily employed for simple tasks like drafting emails and basic analysis, with complex tasks still dominated by humans. Some companies are even pulling back on AI investments; for example, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia is bringing back call center employees previously replaced by AI. AI valuations are overinflated, echoing the dot-com bubble of the 1990s, and the market is already showing signs of correction. While AI is important, for most companies, it's failing to deliver on its gold-plated promises.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Nuclear Batteries: A Comeback for Long-Lasting Power?

2025-08-25

In the 1970s, nuclear-powered pacemakers were implanted, but their use ceased due to radioactive waste disposal issues. Now, advancements are reviving nuclear battery research, targeting robots, drones, and sensors. New designs boast decades- or even centuries-long lifespans and higher energy density. However, commercialization faces cost, safety, and regulatory hurdles. The key lies in finding suitable markets that balance the advantages with the complexities of radioactive waste management.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Cheap Dirt Piles Power 24/7 Solar

2025-08-25

Standard Thermal aims to make solar PV energy available 24/7/365 at a price competitive with US natural gas. Their technology stores energy as heat in inexpensive dirt piles, using co-located solar arrays. Electric heaters convert electricity to heat, stored at 600°C or higher. This low-cost thermal storage system, significantly cheaper than batteries, targets solar developers with excess summer energy, isolated users relying on expensive fuels, and eventually, repowering coal plants by generating steam on demand.

(austinvernon.site)

Tech thermal storage

Walmart's Tech Division Fires 1200 Contractors Amidst Corruption Scandal

2025-08-25

A major corruption scandal at Walmart's Global Tech division resulted in the sudden termination of 1200 technology contractors. A vice president was found to have orchestrated a years-long kickback scheme involving millions of dollars in payments from contracting agencies seeking preferential treatment. This incident exposes systemic corruption within the technology industry's outsourcing ecosystem, with layered subcontracting creating opaque accountability and fostering corruption. The Department of Justice has increased prosecutions of visa fraud and kickback schemes within IT consulting firms, while tighter regulations on H-1B visas aim to curb the abuses.

(www.ctol.digital)

Tech tech corruption

AI Browsers: Convenience vs. Catastrophic Security Risks

2025-08-25

The rise of AI browsers presents a dangerous paradox: unparalleled convenience alongside catastrophic security vulnerabilities. This article details experiments using Perplexity's Comet browser, demonstrating its susceptibility to both classic phishing scams and novel "PromptFix" attacks. Comet readily clicked phishing links, completed purchases on fake websites, and executed malicious instructions hidden in webpage code, all without user intervention or warning. This highlights the critical lack of security in current AI browsers, exposing users to significant risks. The future demands robust, inherent security measures within AI models to ensure user safety.

(guard.io)

Tech AI browsers

Juno's Jupiter Revelation: Challenging Our Understanding of Solar System Formation

2025-08-25

NASA's Juno probe, defying expectations, continues to unravel Jupiter's mysteries. Far beyond its planned lifespan, Juno has revealed a Jupiter unlike any previously imagined: bizarre geometric storms, a surprisingly light and fluffy core, and an unusual ammonia distribution in its atmosphere. Juno's discoveries not only reshape our understanding of Jupiter but also challenge existing theories of solar system formation. Key findings include a core that's neither solid nor gaseous, but a diffuse mix of both, and the discovery of "ammonia ice rain" in Jupiter's atmosphere. While its mission is nearing its end, Juno's legacy is indelible.

(www.scientificamerican.com)

Tech Juno

Bluesky Blocks Mississippi Access Over Age-Verification Law

2025-08-25

Decentralized social network Bluesky has blocked access to its service in Mississippi rather than comply with the state's new age-verification law, HB 1126. The law mandates age verification for all users, requiring substantial technical changes and privacy protections that Bluesky, a small team, cannot afford. Citing the law's broad scope and potential to stifle free speech, Bluesky prioritized its long-term sustainability and user privacy over Mississippi users' access. The company is also working to resolve access issues for some users outside Mississippi due to network routing.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech

Burner Phone 101: A Workshop Summary

2025-08-25

This workshop, hosted at the Brooklyn Public Library, covered phone-related risk modeling, privacy-enhancing smartphone practices, various burner phone options, and when to ditch phones altogether. Participants learned to assess risks by considering what needs protection, from whom, and the consequences of failure. The workshop detailed smartphone vulnerabilities and offered privacy tips for all phones, including updates, strong PINs, and restricted app permissions. Different burner phone options were explored – prepaid phones, SIM rotation, and minimal phones – each with its limitations. Finally, the workshop emphasized that sometimes, the best burner phone is no phone at all, suggesting alternative methods for communication and location sharing when digital devices are a risk.

(rebeccawilliams.info)

Tech burner phones

Buypass to Discontinue TLS/SSL Certificate Issuance

2025-08-25

Buypass announced it will cease issuing TLS/SSL certificates on October 15, 2025. This decision follows a comprehensive market and regulatory assessment. Existing certificates remain valid until expiry or revocation. Buypass will focus on enterprise certificates and other identity and digital signing solutions.

(www.buypass.com)

Tech TLS/SSL certificates

Firefox 142: AI-Powered Browser Update, But Not Without Issues

2025-08-25

Mozilla has released Firefox 142, incorporating AI features such as content summarization for links and LLM support for extensions. However, the rollout is staggered, with some regions not yet seeing all features like link previews and the new tab page's news and weather integrations. Accuracy concerns exist with the AI summarization. Despite this, improvements include simpler sidebar and tab bar interactions, and enhanced tracking protection exception management. A new feature, CRLite, improves certificate revocation checking.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Archer's Midnight eVTOL Achieves Record-Breaking Flight

2025-08-25

Archer Aviation announced a significant milestone: its Midnight eVTOL aircraft completed its longest piloted flight to date, lasting 31 minutes and covering over 55 miles. The flight primarily tested conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) capabilities, showcasing impressive speeds exceeding 126 mph and nearing 150 mph in recent tests. This achievement marks substantial progress toward FAA certification in the US and commercial operations in the UAE. United Airlines' CFO witnessed the flight, highlighting the aircraft's quiet operation and the maturity of Archer's program.

(electrek.co)

Tech flight test

X-37B's Secret Mission: A Quantum Leap in Space Navigation

2025-08-25

The US military's X-37B spaceplane, launching on its eighth mission in August 2025, carries a potentially revolutionary experiment: a quantum inertial sensor. This sensor uses atom interferometry to enable highly accurate navigation even where GPS is unavailable or compromised, such as deep space or underwater. Outperforming traditional inertial navigation systems in accuracy and stability, it holds significant implications for both military and civilian spaceflight, marking a crucial step towards real-world applications of quantum technology.

(www.space.com)

Tech GPS Alternative

Lithium-ion Batteries: A Growing Threat to Air Travel Safety

2025-08-25

The increasing number of passengers carrying lithium-ion batteries in their electronic devices is leading to a rise in onboard fires. FAA tests demonstrate the catastrophic potential of lithium-ion battery thermal runaway, which can cause short circuits, escalating temperatures, and ultimately, battery failure with the ejection of molten electrolyte, flames, smoke, and toxic gases. While halon extinguishers are recommended, they may be insufficient, necessitating the use of water and other resources. The FAA prohibits external battery packs in checked baggage, yet many passengers still do so. A recent incident involving a South Korean Airbus A321 highlights the dangers, prompting new regulations. Southwest Airlines now requires battery packs to be in plain sight and prohibits charging in overhead bins. Experts stress passenger awareness and advocate for purchasing quality devices to mitigate the risks associated with cheap, potentially defective batteries.

(www.cnn.com)

Tech Lithium-ion Batteries Aircraft Fires

30-Year Satellite Data Validates Early Climate Projections

2025-08-25

A study published in Earth's Future reveals that climate models from the mid-1990s accurately predicted global sea-level rise, matching satellite observations over the past 30 years. Despite the relative crudeness of the models at the time, the projected 8-centimeter rise closely aligns with the observed 9 centimeters. This strongly supports the understanding of human-driven climate change and bolsters confidence in future projections. However, the study also highlights an underestimation of ice sheet melt, emphasizing the need to consider potential catastrophic ice sheet collapse, particularly threatening low-lying coastal regions in the US.

(news.tulane.edu)

Tech

A Universal Rhythm Underlies Human Speech: 1.6-Second Intonation Units Discovered

2025-08-25

A groundbreaking study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals a universal 1.6-second rhythm in human speech, called intonation units. Analyzing over 650 recordings across 48 languages, researchers discovered this rhythmic chunking regardless of language family or geographic location. This rhythm isn't cultural; it's deeply rooted in human biology and cognition, mirroring brain activity patterns linked to memory, attention, and voluntary action. The findings have implications for AI speech development, speech disorder treatments, and a deeper understanding of neurological function.

(phys.org)

Tech speech rhythm intonation units cognitive neuroscience

Rare Immune Deficiency Yields Superpower: A Path to Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Therapy

2025-08-25

Columbia University immunologist Dusan Bogunovic discovered that individuals with a rare immune deficiency, ISG15 deficiency, exhibit resistance to all viruses due to persistent mild inflammation. Inspired by this, he developed an experimental therapy that, by delivering mRNA encoding 10 antiviral proteins to the lungs of animals, successfully prevented replication of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. This therapy holds promise as a significant weapon in the next pandemic, but optimization of drug delivery and absorption is still needed to improve efficacy and duration.

(www.cuimc.columbia.edu)

Tech antiviral therapy immune deficiency

Halt and Catch Fire: A Tech History Curriculum

2025-08-25

This website offers a 15-class tech history curriculum based on the TV series, Halt and Catch Fire (2014-2017). Designed for small, self-forming groups, the curriculum uses the show to explore the tech landscape of the 1980s and 90s. Each class includes pre-viewing material, RFCs and emulators for reflection, discussion prompts, readings, episode summaries, and content warnings. Perfect for a tech history 'watching club'.

(bits.ashleyblewer.com)

Tech Online Curriculum Halt and Catch Fire

Typo-Squatting Attack Steals GitHub Credentials via ghrc.io

2025-08-25

A simple typo, 'ghrc.io' instead of 'ghcr.io', has led to a malicious attack stealing GitHub credentials. The attacker uses 'ghrc.io' to mimic GitHub's container registry, ghcr.io. While seemingly a default Nginx installation, 'ghrc.io' responds to OCI API requests (/v2/) with a 401 Unauthorized error and a www-authenticate header, directing clients to send credentials to https://ghrc.io/token. This cleverly mimics legitimate container registries. Logging into 'ghrc.io' results in credential theft. Attackers could use these credentials to push malicious images or directly access GitHub accounts. Check if you've logged into 'ghrc.io' and change your passwords and PATs immediately.

(bmitch.net)

Tech typo squatting

The AI Bubble: Déjà Vu or a New Paradigm?

2025-08-25

This article explores whether the current surge in AI investment constitutes a bubble, drawing parallels to historical examples like the Railway Mania and the dot-com bubble. The author highlights common patterns in tech bubbles: technological breakthroughs, capital influx, speculative frenzy, and reality checks. Despite the unprecedented transparency of the current AI bubble, the allure of participation remains strong. The article concludes by examining reasons why AI might defy historical patterns, strategies for profiting from the inevitable correction, and the importance of rational investment and risk management.

(craigmccaskill.com)

Tech historical patterns

UK's Online Safety Act: A Global Censorship Clash?

2025-08-25

The UK's Online Safety Act, intended to protect children, is facing intense backlash for its censorship of legitimate news and criticism. The Act requires adult identity verification for website access and imposes hefty fines on large sites, leading some to block UK users entirely. The government labels critics as aiding online predators, attempting to delete critical posts. This has prompted US government intervention, citing free speech violations and damage to the US-UK alliance. The UK regulator Ofcom is targeting 4chan, potentially escalating the conflict and sparking political confrontation.

(torrentfreak.com)

Tech International Conflict

The Busy Beaver Game: A Race to the Universe's Edge

2025-08-25

Mathematician Tibor Radó's Busy Beaver game challenges finding the longest-running Turing machine for a given number of rules. Recent years have seen a thrilling competition between Shawn Ligocki and Pavel Kropitz in the BB(6) challenge, pushing the boundaries of computation. Their discoveries resulted in runtimes exceeding the number of atoms in the universe, showcasing both the incredible advancements in computing power and the ingenuity of algorithms.

(www.quantamagazine.org)

Tech Computation

Tencent's 'Thinkbot' Crawler: A 74-IP, 41-Network Block Web War

2025-08-25

A blogger discovered an unusually active web crawler called 'Thinkbot'. Tracing its activity revealed 74 unique IP addresses spread across 41 network blocks owned by Tencent, encompassing hundreds of thousands of IPs. The blogger speculates this is a large-scale data scraping operation by Tencent to externalize Great Firewall costs, and has added the IPs to a firewall rule set. This raises concerns about internet security and data sovereignty, highlighting the increasingly complex web battles in today's internet landscape.

(boston.conman.org)

Tech

Montreal Street Trees Thrive on Leaky Pipes

2025-08-24

Street trees in Montreal are surprisingly drought-resistant compared to their park counterparts, thanks to an unexpected water source: leaky pipes. A study analyzing lead isotopes in tree rings revealed that street trees draw water from old lead pipes, unlike park trees relying mainly on rainwater. Given Montreal's daily water loss of 500 million liters from leaky pipes, this explains the street trees' superior drought tolerance. This finding challenges the common assumption that park trees are healthier.

(www.newscientist.com)

Tech urban trees lead isotopes

German Copyright Clearing House Reforms: Judicial Review for Website Restrictions

2025-08-24

After over four years, Germany's Copyright Clearing House for the Internet (CUII) claims success in combating illegal online business models. However, addressing criticism regarding its power, CUII is reforming its procedures. All website restrictions will now be subject to court review. This aims to create a more effective and legally sound process, addressing concerns about its private restriction of websites and potential fundamental rights violations. Hundreds of domains have been blocked, including streaming sites and Sci-Hub, sparking debate about freedom of science and information. The Federal Network Agency will no longer be involved in blocking recommendations; courts will become the ultimate arbiters. CUII states the new approach has been presented to the Federal Cartel Office and expects to reduce staffing.

(www.heise.de)

Tech

ICE Uses Private Jet Blacklist to Obscure Deportation Flights

2025-08-24

For years, the wealthy and famous have used a little-known FAA program to shield their private jet flight records. Now, ICE is using the same program to obscure its deportation flights. Originally created by the private jet lobby to protect the privacy of the rich, the program is now being used to mask ICE's deportation operations, raising concerns about government transparency. While ICE flight information can be tracked through other means, this move highlights how the private aviation industry's pursuit of privacy is being used to limit oversight of government actions.

(jacobin.com)

Tech Private Jets Flight Tracking

Turn Your Old iPhone or RTSP Camera into an AI Security Camera

2025-08-24

The Clearcam app lets you upgrade your old iPhone or any RTSP-enabled camera into a state-of-the-art AI security camera. With a simple Homebrew install and running a Python script, you can view live feeds and receive event notifications (objects/people detected) on your local browser. Clearcam Premium offers remote viewing, event clips, and end-to-end encryption. Currently only iOS is supported, Android users can use the iOS User ID temporarily.

(github.com)

Tech

Is the AI Bubble Bursting? Signs Point to a Potential Tech Winter

2025-08-24

For the past three years, AI has captivated Wall Street and Silicon Valley. However, recent events are raising serious questions about its future. Meta has frozen hiring and is reportedly considering downsizing its AI division; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledges a bubble; ChatGPT-5 underperformed; Coreweave's stock plummeted; MIT research reveals 95% of generative AI projects failed to increase revenue; and Anthropic and OpenAI are providing their products to the US government at minimal cost. These signs have investors worried, rushing to buy put options, fearing a repeat of the late-90s dot-com crash. While some believe this is a temporary correction, the lack of demonstrable profitability in the AI sector is concerning, suggesting a potential AI winter may be on the horizon.

(www.cnn.com)

Tech AI winter investment risk

German ISP Changes DNS After Website Exposes Copyright Blocking Organization

2025-08-24

A major German ISP altered its DNS settings after the exposure of the CUII, a private organization deciding website blocks without transparency or judicial oversight. The author built cuiiliste.de to track blocked domains, as the CUII refuses to publish its list. The CUII previously mistakenly blocked defunct websites. ISPs initially used notice.cuii.info to indicate blocked sites, but later stopped, making blocked sites appear nonexistent. However, Telefonica (parent of o2, Germany's fourth-largest ISP) continued this method. After Telefonica checked its own test domain, blau-sicherheit.info, on the author's site, they changed their DNS to stop using notice.cuii.info, making tracking CUII blocks harder. This raises suspicions of the CUII trying to bury its mistakes.

(lina.sh)

Tech

Trump Admin Halts Nearly Complete Offshore Wind Farm, Citing National Security

2025-08-24

The Trump administration has halted construction of the nearly finished Revolution Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, citing concerns about national security. This action, the latest in a series of moves targeting renewable energy, has drawn sharp criticism from industry groups who warn of economic damage and investor uncertainty. The halt could significantly increase energy prices and underscores concerns about the reliability of the US as a destination for long-term energy investment.

(www.npr.org)

Tech Offshore Wind

Coinbase Tightens Security Amid Growing North Korean Hacking Threat

2025-08-24

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong revealed that the company has been forced to tighten its remote-first work policy to combat a growing threat from North Korean hackers. North Korean IT workers have been exploiting Coinbase's remote work policy to infiltrate the company's systems and steal sensitive information. In response, Coinbase is requiring all employees to attend in-person onboarding in the US and is implementing stricter background checks, including US citizenship requirements and fingerprinting, for those with access to sensitive systems. The company has also strengthened internal security measures to mitigate insider threats and bribery attempts.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech

Category: Tech