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.
A developer released Thoreau BASIC, an interpreter compatible with GW-BASIC that can boot directly on bare-metal UEFI machines, with a Windows version also available. It supports classic BASIC constructs like DEF FN, GOSUB, error trapping, and graphics commands such as PSET, LINE, CIRCLE, and PAINT, working at native framebuffer resolution with 16-color EGA or 24-bit RGB.
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.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is preparing a new iMac powered by the M6 chip, its first Mac processor built on a 2nm process, along with some unspecified new color options. The redesigned iMac is expected to ship before the end of the year, ending a roughly two-year gap since the last update and skipping the M2 and M5 generations entirely.
Following the Wi-Fi Alliance's early 2024 rollout of the Wi-Fi 7 standard, routers and devices supporting it have become increasingly widespread. The new standard offers faster speeds and better performance in crowded network environments, while remaining backward compatible so older gadgets still connect without issues, albeit without accessing the newest features like 4K-QAM and Multi-Link Operation.
During Project Sandhills 2.0 live-fire testing on August 18, the U.S. Army evaluated self-driving Ford F-250 trucks fitted with Forterra's AutoDrive system, some carrying a computer-controlled shotgun turret called Edda from 9 Mothers. The turret detects drones acoustically before visually tracking and firing at aerial threats 7 inches or larger in diameter, engaging targets between 10 and 100 meters away.
An Exxact listing has confirmed pricing for Nvidia's DGX Station desktop tower, the Valence VWS-158270643, at $94,930 to start. The system pairs a GB300 Superchip—Blackwell Ultra GPU with 252GB of HBM3e memory—with a 72-core Grace CPU over NVLink-C2C, adding 496GB of LPDDR5x RAM for a combined 748GB of unified memory. Nvidia had unveiled the machine at Computex 2026 without disclosing a price, leaving partners like Dell, HP and Exxact to quote figures individually.
Most wireless earbuds ship with silicone ear tips, which are cheap to produce but often fail to seal properly given how much ear shapes vary from person to person. Because earbuds rely on the ear tips alone to create a seal, a poor fit lets sound leak out and outside noise in, weakening bass response and noise cancellation performance. Swapping to a better-fitting tip, particularly memory foam versions, can significantly improve both comfort and audio quality without buying new earbuds.
A file claiming to be a 113GB build of Grand Theft Auto VI has been spreading on torrent sites following recent leaks of the game. Independent analysts who examined the download say it is almost entirely padded with empty zeroes and contains a hidden 50KB malicious payload rather than actual game code. The malware reportedly tries to disable Windows Defender protections and kill security processes once executed.
Tom's Hardware reviewed TP-Link's Deco 7 Pro BE13000, a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh system sold exclusively at Costco as a three-pack for $399, covering up to 8,100 square feet. The satellites share the familiar white cylindrical Deco design but include only three 2.5 GbE LAN/WAN ports each, fewer than the lower-tier Deco BE63, with mismatched port speeds on the back.
At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, the bipedal robot Tiangong Ultra clocked a 9.39-second 100-meter sprint, edging out Honor's Lightning at 9.47 seconds and both beating Usain Bolt's 2009 world record of 9.58 seconds. Neither robot could stop cleanly, with each crashing into padded foam barriers past the finish line.
A former Netflix subscriber who canceled the service a year ago tried several alternatives before unexpectedly settling on Apple TV+. The writer had long avoided the platform due to its high price, limited content library, and lack of perks like free trials or Family Sharing for non-Apple device owners.
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