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Astroscale executive Ron Lopez discussed the company's upcoming ISSA-J1 mission for JAXA, which will require rendezvousing with two decommissioned Japanese satellites rather than a rocket body. Unlike the ADRAS-J2 mission targeting a stable rocket stage, ISSA-J1 must approach satellites with protruding solar arrays that are likely tumbling, demanding more advanced rendezvous and proximity operations technology.
Leaker Instant Digital reports that Apple and Samsung Display have signed a three-year exclusive supply agreement covering foldable displays for the upcoming iPhone Duo and future models. Each panel is said to cost roughly $250, making it one of the priciest single components in the device. No official bill-of-materials breakdown exists yet, though Apple has detailed the device's recycled materials and sustainability specs.
Mecka AI, a startup that pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks to generate motion data for training humanoid robots, is close to finalizing a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital valuing the company at roughly $500 million. The deal comes just three months after Mecka raised $60 million in a round led by Framework Ventures, though the exact size of the new round remains unknown and terms could still change.
Project Blinkenlights, started by the Chaos Computer Club in 2001 with the Haus des Lehrers installation in Berlin, has expanded into a series of large-scale interactive light installations across three continents, including Arcade in Paris, Stereoscope in Toronto, and the newer color-capable Polychrome. The project also offers a Movie Converter tool letting anyone turn their own videos into low-resolution GIFs or WebP animations matching the installations' pixelated style.
GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu says Apple's $100 price increase on iPhone 18 Pro models was less than the $200-250 markets anticipated, while the new $1,999 iPhone Duo landed at the low end of expected pricing. Pu forecasts Apple will ship about 7 million iPhone Duo units by year-end, citing strong early consumer interest in the foldable-style device.
Sony has pulled the plug on Physint, Hideo Kojima's ambitious spy-thriller project for PlayStation, according to reports citing internal budget overruns and repeated missed deadlines. The game had been teased as a major star-studded production but apparently failed to progress fast enough to justify continued investment.
Polyarc, the Seattle developer behind the Moss and Moss: Book II virtual reality games, has announced its closure via a LinkedIn post. At least 29 former staff members are now searching for new jobs, according to a shared recruiting sheet. The studio said its work was 'now finished' after nearly 12 years of operation.
A new episode of Dwarkesh Patel's podcast features researchers John Schulman, Beren Millidge and Charlie O'Neill discussing how close AI systems are to achieving recursive self-improvement, where models could enhance their own capabilities without human intervention. The conversation, drawn from researchers at leading AI labs, opens with arguments against the idea that such self-improvement is imminent.
A hobbyist using a metal detector in Finland found a large cache of Iron Age silver coins, marking the biggest such hoard ever recorded in the country. Experts have not finished analyzing the find, but the raw silver alone is estimated to be worth close to $10,000 at current prices.
A DC Circuit Court of Appeals panel unanimously ruled that the Department of Energy's use of emergency wartime powers to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan running past its scheduled closure was unlawful. The DOE had issued five consecutive 90-day emergency declarations under the Federal Power Act to prevent the plant from shutting down, despite no actual power shortage.
A new leak reported by MacObserver reveals specifications for the Lenovo Googlebook 15, one of the first Android-based laptops arriving under Google's upcoming Googlebook platform. The device reportedly includes a 15.3-inch 120Hz OLED screen with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. It also carries a distinctive LED accent called a 'glowbar' and support for Gemini AI features like Magic Cursor.
At its annual Developers Conference, Roblox announced plans to let players jump into games directly from a browser without downloading anything, starting with Chrome by the end of 2026. In mid-2027, the platform will also add offline solo play for spotty-connection areas, with early access arriving sooner, alongside a push to let creators publish standalone apps across mobile, PC and consoles under a 'Play Roblox Everywhere' initiative.