Rhizomatica, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit founded by Peter Bloom, has open-sourced HERMES, a digital shortwave radio system paired with its Mercury modem, to help connect remote and indigenous communities in places like Bangladesh, Brazil, and Ecuador. The system uses the ionosphere to bounce signals across 400 to 600 kilometers using just 20 watts of power, letting users send files such as photos, emails, and voice memos over high-frequency radio.
Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station claims Apple is prototyping two new iPhone displays—6.41 inches and 6.96 inches—for what may become the iPhone 20 Pro and Pro Max. The panels reportedly feature a bezel-less design that curves on all four edges, paired with a new punch-hole camera cutout, though no actual images of the hardware have surfaced.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist has released a new work examining how governments and tech-driven bureaucracies are increasingly automating public administration, raising questions about accountability. The book, titled around the concept of an 'artificial state,' traces how digital systems have reshaped the mechanics of governance over recent decades.
The European Commission unveiled a plan to bar children under 13 from social media, allowing parent-supervised accounts for ages 13 to 15. To enforce this, Brussels has built its own free, open-source age-verification app, being piloted in Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain, with full EU rollout expected by end of 2026.
A new analysis reports that as generative AI tools take over drafting, analysis and content creation, founders are spending less time producing work and more time deciding what should represent their business. Citing Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index, the piece notes 82% of business leaders see this as a pivotal year for rethinking operations due to AI, with nearly half expecting to expand capacity through digital labor within 12-18 months. The core argument is that AI can generate output but cannot take responsibility for it, leaving leaders accountable for outcomes.
A Taiwanese husband suspected his wife of an affair after finding a stray toothbrush and garage footage of an unknown man driving her to their holiday home. Months later he opened his robot vacuum's companion app hoping to talk to his wife remotely and instead watched a live camera feed capturing her with another man. The incident highlights how ordinary smart-home devices now silently collect footage and data that can become unexpected evidence in personal disputes.
A newly published online text presents an unconventional, visually driven introduction to the Discrete Fourier Transform, aimed at digital signal processing learners. Rather than relying on dense mathematical proofs, it uses interactive diagrams, animations, and audio examples across roughly 30 pages to build intuition. The author frames it as a supplementary, pop-science style resource rather than a rigorous textbook replacement.
More than 30 members of the European Parliament have asked the European Commission to investigate whether Meta violated the Digital Services Act after accounts posting about Albania's anti-government 'Flamingo Revolution' protests were mass-suspended. The suspensions, traced largely to copyright complaints starting in late August, are suspected by researchers to stem from a coordinated brigading campaign rather than genuine infringement claims.
Napster, once known as a pioneering music-sharing service shut down after copyright lawsuits, has been relaunched as an AI company under new owner Infinite Reality. It has struck a partnership with Gems Education in Dubai to develop AI agents and digital personas aimed at classrooms, with former Landvault CEO Samuel Huber now leading Napster's Middle East and Africa operations.
Leaker Digital Chat Station shared a near-complete spec list for the OnePlus 16 after it cleared network access certification in China. The phone is tipped to pack a 9,000mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, a 200MP primary camera alongside 50MP ultrawide and telephoto lenses, and a 165-185Hz display. It's expected to run on a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip with up to 16GB of RAM.
A new device called Minimal Phone 2 is being positioned around statistics showing people average 186 phone pickups, 4.5 hours of screen time, and 152 notifications daily. The product's messaging frames modern smartphones as engineered to maximize engagement through feeds and alerts rather than genuine utility.
Ask A Monk is a website where users can anonymously post personal questions or reflections they've long carried, then have them answered by real people rather than AI. The service is free, allowing anyone to either submit a question or volunteer to respond to one drawn at random from a queue of waiting entries.
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