An independent AI enthusiast known as CozyBlaze ran OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra model through Valve's Portal, letting it control the game via Model Context Protocol and a modified SourcePauseTool. The model paused the game to analyze screenshots and plan moves before executing them, requiring over 3,300 tool calls and roughly 24 hours of streamed footage, condensed into a two-hour highlight video, at a stated API cost of $571.18 covered by a Codex Pro subscription.
GrapheneOS is rebuilding its Messaging app with a new Android Compose interface, along with numerous fixes and improvements. The project also confirmed plans to implement RCS messaging natively, eventually letting users message over RCS without depending on Google Messages, and it's developing a secure paste feature to stop apps from reading clipboard data left by other apps.
Google is extending its Sensitive Content Warning system, currently used in Google Messages, into the native Android Photo Picker. The feature relies on Android System SafetyCore, which analyzes images and videos on-device to flag likely nudity before a user shares them through any app that adopts the Photo Picker.
A parent on Ask HN is trying to restore a 1991 DOS educational title, Spellbound by The Learning Company, for their children, but a modern USB 3.5-inch diskette drive is producing read errors that prevent Linux from mounting the disks. Using ddrescue they managed to extract some data, though it remains unverified, and they still have unread 5.25-inch disks from the same box. They're asking whether switching to a period-correct IDE floppy drive, such as one built into an old Leading Edge WinPro 486, would read the aging media more reliably.
Apple hardware is heavily discounted as part of Amazon and Best Buy's Labor Day 2026 sale, with under 24 hours remaining. Deals include AirTag 2 at $20, AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off, AirPods Max 2 at $100 off, a $150 cut on the M5 MacBook Air, record-low pricing on the new M6 Mac mini ahead of shipping, and Amazon lows on iPhone 17 Pro models.
A software engineer reflects on how years of routine coding work and constant smartphone distractions have dulled their thinking and reading habits compared to their more intellectually demanding early career and university years. They describe attempting to counter this decline by deliberately unplugging and cutting back on short-form content, games, and other low-effort entertainment during a recent vacation.
A CNET survey found 55% of US adults say a lower price would push them to upgrade their phone, while 52% cite longer battery life and 38% want more storage. Only 12% said AI features would motivate an upgrade, and just 13% said a new form factor like a foldable would sway them. The findings come ahead of Apple's Sept. 9 event, where the company is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone alongside new iPhone 18 Pro models.
Singaporean startup Lingverse unveiled iKairos at IFA Berlin, a modular AI gadget built around a circular 'neural core' that can be worn as a necklace pendant or plugged into a small desktop robot body. The core module features a display with cartoon eyes and a hidden camera that slides open only when needed, letting it record photos or video. Lingverse says the device ambiently tracks conversations, surroundings and habits to log memories and offer personalized suggestions.
Apple currently allows iPhone and iPad users to change Siri's voice and accent through Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Voice, with new options downloading over WiFi or cellular. Users can also adjust how Siri communicates—aloud, quietly, or via on-screen text—through separate settings menus, ahead of a more comprehensive Siri redesign expected with iOS 27 in September.
Xiaomi has released the Xiaomi 18 Fold in China, its first wide-format foldable, featuring a 5.38-inch cover screen and a 7.58-inch inner display with a 2:1 aspect ratio, both running at up to 120Hz and 4,000 nits brightness. The phone runs on Xiaomi's own XRing 03 chipset, up to 16GB RAM, 1TB storage, and a 6,000mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging, starting around $1,639 with no confirmed global launch yet.
Yugoslav manufacturer Iskra Delta built its Partner microcomputer in the 1980s by assembling widely available components rather than designing everything in-house, following the industry shift pioneered by minicomputers and cemented by the IBM PC. The report traces the Partner's case specifically to a UK design origin, illustrating how even locally branded machines relied on components and designs sourced from elsewhere.
Security firm Sansec has detected active exploitation of an unpatched vulnerability, dubbed StyleSmuggler, affecting all versions of Magento and Adobe Commerce. Attackers inject PHP code through the platform's template system by triggering a fake failed-payment email, which then installs a Rust-based backdoor disguised as a legitimate Linux process and sets up a cron job for persistence. Adobe has confirmed it is working on a patch but has not given a release date.
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