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The AI Hype Bubble: Expectations vs. Reality

2025-08-25

The AI Hype Bubble: Expectations vs. Reality

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

PEP: A New Ultra-Efficient Compression Format for Pixel Art

2025-08-25

PEP: A New Ultra-Efficient Compression Format for Pixel Art

PEP is a novel image compression format specifically designed for low-color pixel art (≤16 colors is optimal, up to 256 colors are supported). It uses "Prediction by Partial Matching, Order-2" compression, which is 2-10x slower than GIF, PNG, and QOI, but often compresses images 20-50% smaller than GIF/PNG (and multiple times smaller than QOI). If compressed image size matters, PEP is for you. It sits somewhere between GIF and WEBP in terms of speed/compression tradeoff. This is currently experimental, but a C header is provided for use.

(github.com)

Development

decode-kit: A Lightweight TypeScript Runtime Data Validation Library

2025-08-25

decode-kit: A Lightweight TypeScript Runtime Data Validation Library

decode-kit is a lightweight, zero-dependency TypeScript library for validating arbitrary runtime data. It uses assertion-based validation that refines your types in-place—no cloning, no transformations, and minimal runtime overhead. decode-kit validates your data and narrows its type directly; your original values remain unchanged. It employs a fail-fast approach, throwing a detailed error on the first validation failure, including the location and expected schema. Supporting various data types (strings, numbers, booleans, arrays, objects) with configurable rules, decode-kit outperforms libraries like Zod due to its in-place type assertion, making it ideal for performance-critical applications.

(github.com)

Development

Nuclear Batteries: A Comeback for Long-Lasting Power?

2025-08-25

Nuclear Batteries: A Comeback for Long-Lasting Power?

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

Firefox Extension: One-Click Highlighted Elements for Enhanced Keyboard Navigation

2025-08-25

A developer, h43z, created a small Firefox extension to address the shortcomings of keyboard navigation in modern websites. The extension allows users to click highlighted elements with the Enter key after using the browser's find feature, significantly improving efficiency, especially on sites using buttons and divs instead of links for navigation. It achieves this by listening for keyboard events, getting the parent element of the selected text, and simulating a click.

(b.43z.one)

Development keyboard navigation

OAuth 2.0: Securely Authorizing Third-Party App Access to Your Data

2025-08-25

OAuth 2.0: Securely Authorizing Third-Party App Access to Your Data

OAuth 2.0 is an authorization protocol allowing users to grant third-party apps access to their account data without sharing passwords. This article details the OAuth 2.0 workflow, including user authorization, authorization code retrieval, access token exchange, and emphasizes security measures like avoiding direct access token transmission in URLs. Key OAuth 2.0 terminology is explained, such as resource owner, OAuth client, authorization server, and resource server, along with front-channel and back-channel concepts. The article also covers PKCE for backend-less applications.

(www.ducktyped.org)

Development

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

Walmart's Tech Division Fires 1200 Contractors Amidst Corruption Scandal

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

The Limits of Remote Work: Why Companies Are Pushing for a Return to the Office

2025-08-25

The Limits of Remote Work: Why Companies Are Pushing for a Return to the Office

Four years after the pandemic sent workers home, companies are increasingly demanding a return to the office. However, many employees value flexible work arrangements. A new book, "In Praise of the Office," argues the business case for in-office work. The authors highlight the low attendance rates and high management overhead associated with hybrid work models. Shifts in the labor market and changing CEO expectations are also driving this push. In-person work fosters collaboration, knowledge transfer, and social connections, while remote work can lead to unproductive meetings and social isolation. The authors advise new employees to prioritize in-office roles and remind employers that remote work requires significantly more management effort.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Startup

Cornell's Microwave Brain: An Analog Chip Revolutionizing AI

2025-08-25

Cornell's Microwave Brain: An Analog Chip Revolutionizing AI

Researchers at Cornell University have unveiled a groundbreaking analog chip, dubbed the "microwave brain," capable of simultaneously processing ultrafast data and wireless communication signals. Unlike traditional digital computers, this chip leverages the physics of microwaves to mimic the human brain's neuronal pattern recognition and learning, achieving higher efficiency with lower power consumption. Operating at tens of gigahertz with a mere 200 milliwatts, it boasts 88% accuracy in classifying wireless signals. Its compact size allows integration into smartwatches and phones, enabling AI capabilities without cloud connectivity. Further applications include enhanced hardware security, anomaly detection in wireless communication, and improved radar and radio signal processing.

(newatlas.com)

AI analog chip microwave neural network

4.4KB Ultra-Lightweight AI Agent Executes Shell Commands via OpenRouter API

2025-08-25

4.4KB Ultra-Lightweight AI Agent Executes Shell Commands via OpenRouter API

An ultra-lightweight AI agent written in C that communicates with the OpenRouter API and executes shell commands. Key features include: direct shell command execution via AI responses; optimized binaries (4.4KB on macOS, ~16KB on Linux); sliding window memory management for efficiency; cross-platform support for macOS and Linux. Requires GCC, curl, and an OpenRouter API key. The build system auto-detects your platform and applies optimal compression (GZEXE for macOS, UPX for Linux). The code is public domain, with no license.

(github.com)

Development shell commands

Medieval Water Myth Busted: Did People Really Avoid Drinking It?

2025-08-25

A long-held belief paints a picture of medieval people guzzling beer and wine to avoid contaminated water. New research challenges this, revealing extensive historical records showing widespread water consumption. Concerns from doctors existed, but not about clear water causing disease; rather, wine was considered more nutritious. The myth is debunked, revealing a more nuanced understanding of medieval drinking habits.

(leslefts.blogspot.com)

Misc Water Consumption

AI Browsers: Convenience vs. Catastrophic Security Risks

2025-08-25

AI Browsers: Convenience vs. Catastrophic Security Risks

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

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

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

Linux SD Card Formatter: Optimized for Performance

2025-08-25

Linux SD Card Formatter: Optimized for Performance

The SD Memory Card Formatter, developed by Tuxera, is a Linux-based utility designed to format SD, SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards according to SD Association specifications. It's recommended over OS-provided tools for optimal performance. Note that it doesn't support BitLocker To Go encrypted cards and leaves the protected area untouched. Supports various Linux distributions and SD interfaces. Download and manual available on the official website.

(www.sdcard.org)

Hardware SD card formatting tool

Provider-Agnostic CAS Cache with Pluggable Codecs and Generation Store

2025-08-25

Provider-Agnostic CAS Cache with Pluggable Codecs and Generation Store

cascache is a provider-agnostic Compare-And-Set (CAS) cache featuring pluggable codecs and a generation store. It offers safe single-key reads (no stale values), optional bulk caching with read-side validation, and an opt-in distributed mode for multi-replica deployments. Cascache ensures CAS safety using generation snapshots, supports various underlying stores (Ristretto, BigCache, Redis) and codecs (JSON, Msgpack, CBOR, Proto), and provides both local and distributed generation storage modes for high performance and availability.

(github.com)

Development

Bluesky Blocks Mississippi Access Over Age-Verification Law

2025-08-25

Bluesky Blocks Mississippi Access Over Age-Verification Law

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

SmallJS: An Elegant Smalltalk-80 Compiler for JavaScript

2025-08-25

SmallJS is a free and open-source implementation of the elegant Smalltalk-80 language, compiling to JavaScript that runs in modern browsers or Node.js. Its file-based architecture allows development in your favorite IDE, with default support for Visual Studio Code, including syntax highlighting and debugging. Fully object-oriented and highly customizable, SmallJS maintains familiar JS counterparts for class and method names. It boasts built-in libraries for both browser (DOM manipulation, events, CSS) and Node.js (HTTP server, Express, databases, file system, multi-threading) environments. Several example projects are provided to get you started quickly.

(small-js.org)

Development

Libya on Screen: Distorted Visions and a Call for Authentic Storytelling

2025-08-25

Libya on Screen: Distorted Visions and a Call for Authentic Storytelling

This personal essay recounts a Libyan author's journey from childhood piracy of Hollywood films to a critical reflection on Libya's distorted portrayal in Western cinema. From the depiction of Libyans as terrorists in 'Back to the Future' to other films' misrepresentations of Libyan history and culture, the author expresses disappointment with how Libya is portrayed. The essay also reflects on the shortcomings of Libya's own film industry and the Libyan people's love for global cinema alongside their unfamiliarity with their own rich culture. It concludes with a call for Libyan filmmakers to create authentic stories that resonate with Libyans and showcase the country's diverse narratives to the world.

(newlinesmag.com)

Misc Libyan Cinema

The Art of API Design: Balancing Simplicity and Flexibility

2025-08-25

This article delves into the crucial principles of API design, emphasizing the importance of avoiding breaking changes to existing user code. The author argues that good APIs should be simple and easy to use, yet maintain long-term flexibility. The article details technical aspects such as API versioning, idempotency, rate limiting, and pagination, and recommends using API keys for authentication to make it easier for non-engineer users. It concludes that a great product outweighs a perfect API, but a poorly designed product will inevitably lead to a poor API.

(www.seangoedecke.com)

Development

Burner Phone 101: A Workshop Summary

2025-08-25

Burner Phone 101: A Workshop Summary

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

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

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's Midnight eVTOL Achieves Record-Breaking Flight

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

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

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

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

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

30-Year Satellite Data Validates Early Climate Projections

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

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

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

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

Python 2025: Data Science Dominates, Async & Rust Rise

2025-08-25

Python 2025: Data Science Dominates, Async & Rust Rise

The 2025 Python Developers Survey reveals data science now comprises over half of Python development, with Pandas and NumPy leading the way. Despite many using older Python versions, significant performance gains (up to 42%) are available in newer releases. Web development shows resurgence, with FastAPI framework surging in popularity. Rust is increasingly integrated for performance boosts. Async programming and multithreading are gaining traction, with Python 3.14 fully supporting GIL-free threading. Documentation is the top learning resource, and AI tools are rapidly gaining adoption.

(blog.jetbrains.com)

Development

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