The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes, which recognize offbeat but scientifically valid research, were awarded for studies including a splash-free urinal design, using mosquito mouthparts to print tiny nozzles, decomposition rates of buried underwear, and the physics of blowing one's nose. For the first time in 35 years, the ceremony left Boston and was held in Zurich, Switzerland, with future events planned for Antwerp in 2027 and returning to Zurich in even-numbered years after.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-03
Tecno, sister brand to Itel and Infinix, revealed a concept device called the Bezelless featuring a 6.78-inch, 144Hz, 1.5K OLED display with no visible bezel at all. The company achieved this by using two layers of cover glass, hiding the display's inactive edge beneath a slightly thicker surrounding frame rather than eliminating it. The device was shown to press ahead of its formal unveiling at the IFA trade show in Berlin and is not intended for commercial sale.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-03
A reply-post analyzing a reader's use-after-free bug in a limit-order matching engine argues that object pools change the nature of memory bugs rather than eliminating them. The author explains that without pooling, a freed-and-reused memory slot can let two different object types collide, potentially turning a stale pointer into a code-execution exploit via a mismatched function pointer. With pooling, the same logical use-after-free persists, but because the recycled memory always holds the same type, the dangerous type confusion is avoided—unless the object itself contains an inline tagged union, which reopens the original hazard.
matklad.github.io
· 2026-09-02
Sony has rolled out a new free, ad-supported Live TV feature on PS5, offering more than 100 channels spanning news, sports, movies, TV shows and anime from partners like NBC, Fox News, Crunchyroll and FilmRise. Users can access it through the Media tab on the PS5 home screen, and Sony says the service will later expand to Bravia TVs and to Canada.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-31
The Italian volunteer-run collective Autistici/Inventati, known as A/I, has become subject to U.S. sanctions. A/I provides free, privacy-protective communication tools and hosting to activists and grassroots groups, funded solely by donations and staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers.
inventati.org
· 2026-08-28
At the FOSSY conference held this year at the University of British Columbia, developer Timothy Sample presented on bootstrappable builds, a lesser-known cousin of reproducible builds. He explained the concept as a chain of increasingly capable compilers that starts from a tiny, fully auditable seed program and eventually builds an entire modern Linux user space. Sample traced his own decade-long involvement in the effort back to his early use of GNU Guix, a functional package manager similar to Nix.
lwn.net
· 2026-08-28
Aphantasia Network has released an introductory guide explaining aphantasia, the inability to voluntarily visualize mental images, aimed at people who have just learned they have the condition. The guide uses a simple 'apple test' where readers try to picture a red apple, with the inability to conjure any image signaling likely aphantasia. It also clarifies that phrases like 'mind's eye' or 'counting sheep' are literal experiences for most people, not just figures of speech.
aphantasia.com
· 2026-08-27
At FOSSY 2026, Software Freedom Conservancy members Bradley Kühn, Karen Sandler, and Denver Gingerich detailed an unresolved license violation involving Bambu Lab's 3D-printer software, which is licensed under the AGPLv3. They explained that the company's method of restricting user control over the software is exactly the kind of network-based circumvention the AGPL was designed to block, and described SFC's outreach to build alternatives for affected users.
lwn.net
· 2026-08-26
Leaks ahead of Apple's confirmed September 9 event point to a foldable iPhone Ultra launching seven years after Samsung's first foldable phone. Reports describe a nearly crease-free inner display, an ultra-thin body powered by the A20 Pro chip and a vapor chamber for cooling, and a liquid-metal hinge built on technology Apple licensed more than 15 years ago.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-08-26
New reactor designs, including smaller modular units, are being developed to make nuclear fission a more flexible and reliable source of carbon-free electricity. This shift comes after decades in which nuclear power failed to deliver on early promises of cheap, abundant energy following its transition from wartime use to civilian power generation.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Entrepreneur contributors argue that in today's tighter, more expensive financing environment, buyers and lenders are shifting focus away from EBITDA and toward how much actual cash a business generates. While EBITDA remains useful for gauging operating performance, it excludes real costs like working capital needs and capital expenditures that determine whether cash truly reaches the bank account.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-08-24
A Deltapoll survey commissioned by Liberty found that 51% of over 2,000 British adults believe the government's ability to protect free expression has worsened since Labour took office, while only 10% saw improvement. Liberty pointed to Home Office actions including travel bans on activists, mass arrests of Palestine Action protesters, and stricter protest law enforcement as contributing factors.
gbnews.com
· 2026-08-24
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