When did Google get so f-ing weird?
I recently had an experience while doing a simple Google search that was so profoundly weird that it stopped me in my tracks. Understanding this Google se...
Google closes an AI Studio delete-flaw report in a minute
Published September 19 with evidence that the Delete action returns a fake 404 while the prompt data persists on Google's backend, and that Google's AI Vulnerab
Google VRP Banned Researcher in 60s Over AI Studio Delete Claim
An independent researcher says Google AI Studio's Delete button only strips a JSON pointer, while the underlying prompt data stays on Google's backend,…
[Podcast] Kids turned the comment section of an NPR podcast into a group chat // Blocked from other social media, middle schoolers have had…
Note: This American Life is produced for the ear and designed to be heard. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion and emphasis that's not on the page. Transcripts are g…
RoboHarm: Do Frontier Robot Policies Refuse Unsafe Instructions?
Three robot policies given five instructions they should refuse. How often they refused, how often they carried them out.
Lord Have Mercy as Researchers Create Walking Disembodied Hand Like That Little Guy From “The Addams Family”.
Researches have created a autonomous robotic hand that can walk around and support its own weight all by itself.
Why not LLMs?
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Why is Hacker News like that?
Hacker News (aka HN) is a link aggregator where “hackers”1 gather to discuss technology, politics, and anything which “good hackers would find interesting”. HN is a means by which its host, prominent startup incubator Y…
Put multiple values in one cell with lists and arrays in Excel
Throughout Excel's 40-year history, you've only been able to put one value per cell. In this announcement, we're excited to share how that's changing with...
Stop bringing your phone in the shower: How steam can ruin 'waterproof' phones
Phone manufacturers are pretty direct in their guidance on this one.
Create a Custom Pass in the Wallet App on iPhone
In iOS 27, Apple's Wallet app lets you create custom passes for things like event tickets, gift cards, loyalty cards, and more. Here's how it works. If you have a ticket for an event and there's not a digital version av…
Data Center Operator Slapped With $1 Million Fine for Belching Noxious Gas Into Surrounding Community: "I'd be lying to say if I were surpr…
Following months of sustained pressure from activists, state officials slapped a Microsoft-backed data center with a massive fine.
They really do think AI might kill everyone (seangoedecke.com)
A recent resignation tweet from an Anthropic researcher has everyone talking about the AI apocalypse again. Among other things, he said: The people building AI…
Apple hit with a $5.7 billion verdict for alleged patent infringement
Apple is reportedly looking to appeal the jury verdict.
Some lawmakers doubt a Congress that’s ‘barely capable of email’ can regulate AI
Congress’ slow pace and inexperience with AI are colliding with a fast-moving technology. Though one Democrat countered: “We don’t have to be biologists or chemists to set up the FDA.”
Federal bill would force VPN providers, ISPs, and DNS services to block foreign piracy sites
Determining a user's location can be an exercise in quantum mechanics when VPNs are involved.
MIT named best university in the United States for engineering and computer science
MIT tops U.S. News and World Report’s 2026-27 rankings of the nation’s best colleges and universities.
Breaking Up with Google Play: Why Conversations Is Now Free
Conversations, my federated instant messaging client for Android, started out as many traditional open-source projects do: as an attempt to scratch my own itch. Development started in January 2014 in my student dormitor…
Ubuntu stopped being the lightweight Linux distro, and Linux Mint filled the gap it left behind
A surprising shift to Linux Mint reveals leaner memory use, polished Cinnamon defaults, and a friendlier upgrade path.
U.S. arrests executives of Oxygen Forensics, accusing them of concealing that their software was developed in Russia
U.S. authorities have accused executives of Oxygen Forensics, a company that sold software to the Pentagon and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), of…
AI exec: We may have pulled off “the largest theft of labor in human history.”
Documents from our lawsuit reveal how tech leaders talk when they think no one is listening.
'Treated like a criminal:' Witnesses testify on abuse of Flock cameras
(The Center Square) – Advocates of the growing network of AI-driven surveillance cameras argue the technology can help make communities across the U.S. safer.
I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP.
Amid growing public health concerns, operators like DraftKings have touted “responsible gaming” tools and prompts. But as I went off the deep end, I found they were no match for the incentives and product design pushing…
OpenAI rogue agents leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users and reportedly created nearly 1 million links packing encoded bits of info
Back-to-back reports on Friday provided more alarming details of rogue AI agent activity at OpenAI.
FBI Agents fearful and angry after 'dangerous' data breach
Current and former agents speak to the BBC about the devastating impact of the FBI hack.
My list of challenging software projects some programmers should try | Personal Site of Andrei N. Ciobanu
Before we begin, I’d like to clarify that the project ideas I am about to suggest are mainly intended for those who are interested in exploring new areas of knowledge. However, it’s important to note that most of these …
I don't like passkeys | Ethan Hawksley
Why passkeys are a step back for personal security: examining account lockout risks, platform lock-in, hardware key limits, and fragile recovery flows.
The Winning Variant (terrygodier.com)
A short documentary about A/B testing, algorithmic optimization, and the small act of ignoring both. In 2009, a Google designer quit over forty-one shades of blue. The machine was making his decisions — and it was often…
A Room You Can't See (terrygodier.com)
A short documentary about music formats, streaming, and the quiet thing that disappeared when your library became endless. Oh, and a musician (me!) trying to work out whether the music changed, or I did.
A German ISP tampered with their DNS - specifically to sabotage my website (lina.sh)
One of Germany's biggest ISPs changed how their DNS works, right after I exposed an organization that they’re part of.
The Last Quiet Thing (terrygodier.com)
Your possessions came alive. Now they won't stop talking.
Regressive JPEGs (maurycyz.com)
One of the cool features of JPEG files is that there's the option to save low frequency components first. This means that a partially downloaded image will be displayed at low resolution instead of being cut off.
Even Americans who use AI every day are worried about it
The report suggests that greater exposure will not resolve the unease around the technology, nor reduce public support for AI regulation.
Americans’ views of data centers have turned more negative
Americans’ views of data centers have turned more negative since January. But many are unsure or unfamiliar with them.
Apple's new watches are always listening
The latest Apple Watch models have some new features: they can listen to the sounds around you all day, transcribe snippets of conversation on demand and write up summaries of everything they heard.
Meta suffers another legal loss after jury finds Facebook liable for deceiving users
This follows another recent legal victory for New Mexico, where courts awarded $942 million in judgments against Meta across a two-part trial concerning minor safety controls
The Internet Used to Have Places
The older Internet felt more like a collection of places because communities had addresses, customs, memory, and edges.
Creating a Blog in Gemini://
Creating your own corner of Geminispace: why you'd want to blog on a protocol with no JavaScript, no CSS, and no AI slop; where to host a capsule (SmolPub,â¦
The NSA Is Spending Billions to Test [Privacy Invasive Software], Classified Estimates Show
NSA AI testing costs billions, but Congress proposes far less, sparking debate over whether developers should fund their own oversight.
How the stories about all-powerful "AI" are swallowing the world
The x-risk of super intelligence going rogue must be addressed, and mint trillion dollar companies in the process. Plus: How workers can beat the tech oligarchy
Eight New Gas Plants Will Power Amazon's Next Wave of Data Centers
Utilities and independent power producers are building 17.5 GW of new gas generation to serve Amazon’s growing power needs.
Democrats Demand Answers on Trump Plan to Build Data Centers on Public Lands
California Rep. Jared Huffman has accused Trump of “selling out America’s public lands to the richest corporations.”…
Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Sell You a Tamagotchi
At Meta Connect, Zuckerberg teases the keychain-like device, which is designed to run a user's personal Muse AI agent.
New Jersey fines data center $1.1M after drone pics expose 62 gas generators
Million-dollar fines won’t end billionaires’ data center pollution, neighbors fear.
Oracle sends force majeure notice on its New Mexico Stargate data center
The notice would allow Oracle to delay payments should the facility miss its 2028 target to come online.
Signal Will Let You Sign Up Without a Phone Number — For $3
The feature is currently in testing on Android, with iOS support still a bit far away.
Self-Host Weekly (25 September 2026) by @eshol
I have no RAM, and I must scream
Tutoring company tells parents to save their money and ‘use AI instead’
A Sydney tutoring company will shut its doors at the end of the week after telling customers artificial intelligence has rendered its service effectively obsolete.
Amazon Illegally ‘Bricked’ Older Kindle Models, Class Action Suit Claims
A class action lawsuit alleges that Amazon unfairly ‘bricked’ older Kindle devices by removing access to digital content and discontinuing software support.