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The Free Software Foundation is sponsoring GNU Boot, a project aiming to provide a fully free and open replacement for proprietary BIOS and UEFI firmware. The initiative positions itself as an 'ethical' option for users seeking to avoid nonfree boot firmware on their computers.
A weekend Apple deals roundup lists AirPods Pro 3 at $179 (down from $249), a $200 discount on the M5 MacBook Air, and a $500 price cut on a 2TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro. The roundup also covers AirTag 2 pricing on Amazon, Apple Watch Ultra 3 clearance, and early fall Prime Day discounts on HomeKit brands like ecobee and Eve, plus chargers from Anker, UGREEN, Baseus and Belkin.
IEEE Computer Society announced that IEEE Day 2026 will be observed on 6 October, the first Tuesday of the month, as is customary each year. Celebrations will extend over a two-week window from 4 to 17 October, with local chapters and student branches hosting both online and in-person gatherings.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple CEO John Ternus has taken direct oversight of the company's industrial design and human interface teams, a responsibility he assumed even before formally becoming CEO following Jeff Williams' departure as COO. Gurman reports Ternus visits the design studio multiple times a week, sometimes more than once a day, far more frequently than Tim Cook's roughly monthly visits. Apple has not launched a search for a Chief Design Officer to replace Jony Ive, instead relying on internal leaders like Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay alongside Ternus's hands-on involvement.
President Trump announced via Truth Social the formation of a Super Intelligence Force to coordinate federal AI efforts, naming national intelligence director Jay Clayton as chair. Vice chairs include FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and OPM Director Scott Kupor. The task force reportedly has 120 days to produce a report on AI risks and opportunities.
A comparison of gaming routers against standard consumer models finds the underlying hardware—Wi-Fi 7 support, tri-band radios, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, QoS prioritization—is largely identical, citing TP-Link's non-gaming Archer BE550 as having the same feature set. The main differentiator is software, such as Netgear's Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 dashboard and its Geo-Filter tool for restricting connections to low-latency game servers.
According to a Reuters investigation, McDonald's is using machine learning models that analyze millions of daily transactions to generate an 'optimal price' for menu items at nearly 14,000 US restaurants. Reuters found a Big Mac priced at $5.69 at one Fresno location and $6.89 at another just two miles away, a 21 percent difference, with three franchisees saying the AI tool has widened price gaps between nearby stores.
A technology newsletter compiled several stories, including a look at 'swarm chasers,' research questioning whether AI models' stated 'thought' processes reflect their actual reasoning, observations that teenagers are losing their sense of time, and concerns from students about Google's expanding use of AI tools in schools.
Reddit user DallasGrave, linked to GRAVEPC.com, posted images of a custom module screwed onto an RTX 5090 that splits current across additional wires to reduce 12VHPWR connector temperatures. The fix involves soldering extra connections to the power rails on the card's PCB and routing them through the external distributor. He stated GRAVEPC, a PNY partner, plans to sell a PNY-specific version of this modified card with full warranty coverage, though it isn't yet listed on the site.
Wi-Fi calling quality depends heavily on network strength, with T-Mobile requiring at least 2 Mbps upload and download speeds and excluding satellite internet or hotspot connections. Switching between Wi-Fi and cellular mid-call relies on VoLTE support, and emergency calls are only routed over Wi-Fi when no cellular signal exists. A 2024 CISPA study found encryption vulnerabilities that exposed roughly 140 million Wi-Fi calling users before carriers patched the issues.
Georgetown space law professor Steve Mirmina argues in a new paper, published Sept. 19 in Air and Space Law, that no US agency has legal authority to regulate what companies send to the lunar surface. He cites examples including Celestis's $3,495 pet-ashes memorials, a beverage company's drink-shaped payload, Jeff Koons's 125 mini-sculptures tied to NFTs, and a crowdfunded cross, noting humans have left roughly 500,000 pounds of material on the moon.
The California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to robotics startup REK after it staged a human-versus-humanoid robot cage fight in San Francisco on September 18, 2026. REK founder Cix Liv posted the order on social media, which warns that organizing such unsanctioned fights without a license is a misdemeanor. The fight pitted YouTuber Frankie LaPenna against three robots and had been promoted by REK as full-contact combat between humans and humanoid machines.