Michele Spagnuolo, the Google engineer charged with commodities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering over Polymarket bets made using the alias 'AlphaRaccoon,' has filed a motion to dismiss. His lawyers argue the wagers, which reportedly netted him over $1.2 million including a correct bet on singer D4vd, are informal gambling rather than regulated financial swaps, and that U.S. authorities lack jurisdiction since he is a non-U.S. citizen.
John Perkins was removed from the Independence City Council after 68.05% of voters backed his recall in a special election tied to his support for roughly $6 billion in tax incentives for a Nebius data center. He is the third official connected to the March council vote to lose his seat, following losses by a fellow councilman and a mayoral candidate. Only about 11.5% of Jackson County's registered voters cast ballots in the recall.
The latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, titled 'Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass,' places the Enterprise crew amid medical crises and paternity drama. The episode leans heavily into soap opera-style storytelling conventions rather than the show's usual sci-fi adventure format.
Chinese company Niutech has signed a contract with an unnamed global energy major to construct an industrial-scale pyrolysis facility that converts waste plastic into sustainable aviation fuel. The plant is designed to produce between 10,000 and 50,000 tons of SAF annually by heating plastic waste at high temperatures in an oxygen-free chamber.
Lego has officially unveiled a buildable replica of the original PlayStation console, product number 72306, confirming an earlier online leak. The 1,911-piece kit recreates the console's grey color scheme, includes a plug-in brick controller, and hides two small dioramas referencing Gran Turismo and Ape Escape. It goes on sale October 1 for early access members and October 4 for the general public at $179.99.
The EPA has proposed eliminating a federal rule that requires states to notify the public and accept comments before issuing air pollution permits for data centers and other industrial facilities. States would still be allowed to hold public comment periods voluntarily, but would no longer be required to do so as a condition of granting permits. The proposal comes amid growing local opposition to the rapid construction of AI-driven data centers nationwide.
Amazon is running a Labor Day sales event through Monday, September 7, 2026, offering discounts of up to 46% across PC hardware categories. Deals span SSDs, gaming monitors, laptops, headsets, keyboards, mice, webcams and networking gear like mesh routers and switches.
Greenway Institute is a new startup school that strips away traditional campus amenities like clubs, sports teams and dining halls, focusing spending instead on hands-on academic instruction. The model aims to lower tuition by eliminating costs tied to nonacademic student life, betting that students prioritize career-ready skills over the traditional campus experience.
At IFA 2026, Hohem introduced the Eyepic, a pocket gimbal camera whose camera unit can pop off the gimbal and function independently as a waterproof action camera. It shoots 4K video at 60fps, supports true vertical 4K recording via a rotating touchscreen, and works underwater to 10 meters. Hohem also showed two new gimbals and a multi-mic system, though no pricing or release dates were given for any device.
Ernst & Young's U.S. arm is spending $100 million this fiscal year on bonuses for employees who demonstrate distinctly human traits like adaptability, judgment and innovation. Payouts range from small $500 awards to as much as $25,000 for major contributions, five times the previous cap, and any employee can nominate a colleague with no upper limit on total rewards. The move comes even as EY's AI-related revenue jumped 30% year-over-year in 2025.
Hohem announced the Eyepic, a hybrid device combining a 4K/60fps wearable camera with a detachable three-axis gimbal for stabilized shooting. The camera can rotate its 2.5-inch touchscreen for cropless horizontal or vertical video, is waterproof to nearly 33 feet, and can be worn via lanyard, hat clip or magnetic mount. Hohem also revealed two new smartphone gimbals with Apple DockKit tracking and a multi-transmitter wireless mic system, though pricing and release dates remain unannounced.
A team led by Agustín Sánchez-Lavega of the University of the Basque Country has identified a giant ten-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole, mirroring the famous six-sided hexagon long observed at the planet's north pole. The feature was first glimpsed in amateur astronomer images from 2024 and confirmed through further analysis in 2025.
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