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Mophie launches PowerStation Plus battery banks with built-in USB-C cables

Mophie has released four new PowerStation Plus power banks in Standard and Signature finishes, each available in 5000mAh and 10000mAh capacities. Every model includes at least one integrated, non-retractable USB-C cable, with the top-tier Signature 10K version offering two braided cables and support for charging three devices simultaneously. Prices range from $29.95 to $59.95 on Amazon.

Apple offers iPhone settings to stop Siri interrupting CarPlay drives

Apple's iOS settings allow drivers to customize or silence Siri's behavior during CarPlay use, including disabling announced messages, skipping reply confirmations, and preventing Siri from stopping mid-sentence due to background noise. Options are found under Notifications, Accessibility, and Apple Intelligence & Siri menus in the iPhone's Settings app.

AI Art Training Rubric Failure Traced to Redundant Reward Signals

A team training a generative model to paint with code (using p5.brush) found their nine-signal reward rubric caused the model to plateau at flat, repetitive outputs. Investigation revealed four quality judges and prompt adherence were nearly identical measurements, while a code-length metric saturated early and stopped providing useful feedback, leaving only one signal actually driving learning. The fix replaced absolute 0-10 scoring with pairwise comparisons against a curated pool of 1,664 hand-rated reference images.

Microsoft's Nonprofit License Cuts Wipe Out Data for Over 170,000 Small Organizations

Microsoft ended free premium Office licenses for smaller nonprofits worldwide, and many organizations discovered their stored data—including Word, Excel, and OneDrive files—had been permanently deleted without adequate warning. Ronald Khosla, who runs the environmental venture fund Canopy, says he was told by Microsoft support that his data could be recovered, only to later learn it was gone for good.

USB Power Delivery emerges as the common thread across phone fast-charging systems

USB PD, especially its PPS feature, now underpins fast charging on most major phones, including Apple's iPhone 17 and Android flagships like Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and Google's Pixel 11 series. Qualcomm Quick Charge, once dominant, has largely folded into USB PD compatibility, while brands like OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi still rely on proprietary systems such as SuperVOOC and HyperCharge for their fastest speeds.

Essay Argues AI Agents Won't Replace Infrastructure Engineers, Just Shift Their Focus

A new essay compares today's push for AI-readable documentation (AGENTS.md files) to the earlier evolution from manual server configuration to Kubernetes and serverless platforms. The author argues that just as Kubernetes didn't eliminate infrastructure work but abstracted it—moving focus from individual machines to workloads—AI agents are likely to automate lower-level tasks while engineers retain decision-making responsibility over higher-level architecture.

Atlas of Surveillance Database Lets Public Locate Flock Safety Cameras

A public research project called the Atlas of Surveillance has compiled the largest known database tracking police surveillance tools used across the United States, including automated license plate readers made by Flock Safety. The tool lets residents search by location to see whether local law enforcement agencies have deployed these camera systems in their area.

Developer shares custom agent.md file to curb messy LLM-generated code

A developer recounts a year of experimenting with LLM coding assistants, from unusable output in mid-2025 to functional but messy 'spaghetti code' by early 2026. After growing tired of repeatedly correcting the same style issues in agentic tools like Antigravity and Claude Code, they created a persistent instruction file called agent.md that encodes coding style preferences so the AI applies them automatically in every session.

Twitch Streamer Sues Twitch and Amazon Over AI Training Data Use

Connecticut-based streamer Warren Pandiscia has filed a class action lawsuit against Twitch and Amazon, alleging the companies used his streams and videos to train AI models without licensing or consent. The suit follows Twitch's recent rollout of an opt-out (rather than opt-in) setting for AI training use of channel content, with a Twitch executive admitting few users would opt in if given the choice upfront.

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