Archive

Lauren FeinerOct 19

Dozens of towns have found ways to install Flock cameras before residents even know.

A massive review of local contracts by NBC News found 55 places where Flock entered no-bid contracts that escaped public scrutiny by claiming its products couldn’t be compared to others on the market. Another 11 were priced just below thresholds that would have required local council votes.

Navigating local procurement laws is up to each public agency, Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel said in statement, and the company provides “sole-source letters” when requested that help agencies determine if they meet the criteria.

Update: Added statement from Flock.

How Flock’s cameras spread through government deals that bypassed public scrutiny

[NBC News]

Amazon is funding a new nuclear plant in Indiana

Jess WeatherbedOct 19

Lauren FeinerOct 19

Trump officials reportedly asked staffers to secretly hack a voting machine.

The request from political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was never fulfilled, ProPublica found, but staffers were shocked at the directive not to report flaws back to the voting machine company. It demonstrates why state officials’ trust in CISA has eroded.

This Cybersecurity Agency Is Supposed to Protect U.S. Elections. Officials Fear It’s Been Compromised by Trump.

[ProPublica]

Jay PetersOct 19

Saros’ new “Zenith” update adds a boss rush mode, a slo-mo mode, New Game Plus, and more.

The update for Housmarque’s intense PS5 shooter is out today.

Andrew LiszewskiOct 19

Watch Adam Savage nerd out with legendary ILM model maker Lorne Peterson.

In the latest episode of Adam Savage’s Tested the former model maker sits down with Lorne Peterson who discusses the earliest days of ILM, his work on Star Wars, and how off-the-shelf model kits were integral to the design and construction of iconic vehicles like the Millennium Falcon and Jawa Sandcrawler.

Emma RothOct 19

OpenAI staffer accused of planting bug was allegedly in “frequent” communication with a Saudi royal.

The suspect, Abdulrahman Alfozan, used WhatsApp to communicate with the unnamed royal throughout 2025 and 2026, according to a court filing spotted earlier by CNBC.

Among other things, the individual [Saudi Royal Family member] told the defendant [Alfozan] that an artificial intelligence initiative was being launched in Saudi Arabia and wanted the defendant to join it.

Alfozan allegedly contacted the individual on October 5th, just days before he was arrested on suspicion of planting a bug in an OpenAI conference room.

Apple’s last-gen Mac Mini is $649

Cameron FaulknerOct 19

Andrew LiszewskiOct 19

Analogue’s upgraded SNES and Genesis consoles go up for preorder today.

If you missed the original versions, starting at 9AM PT/11AM ET today you’ll be able to preorder Analogue’s new Super Nt Plus and Mega Sg Plus retro consoles compatible with the cartridges from each respective platform. The new Plus versions come with several quality of life improvements including built-in wireless controller connectivity, USB-C power ports, and cartridge hot swapping.

The Analogue Super Nt Plus and Mega Sg Plus consoles surrounded by games and controllers.

Image: Analogue

JB Pritzker thinks AI could help us live to 100 — or threaten us like nukes

The Illinois governor on AI, data centers, privacy, and Trump.

Nilay PatelOct 19

Major European mobile carriers are teaming up for a ‘direct’ satellite program without Starlink

Stevie BonifieldOct 19

Elon Musk promises to give one SpaceX share to every child in the US

Emma RothOct 19

It’s hard to imagine wireless headphones ever getting lighter than these

Andrew LiszewskiOct 19

A hacker broke into John Deere and SharkNinja with an army of AI agents

Emma RothOct 19

Andrew LiszewskiOct 19

TP-Link plans to assemble Wi-Fi routers in the US.

Following an FCC ban on consumer routers made outside the US last March, TP-Link announced today that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the US-based Key Tronic to “bring next-generation product assembly to the United States.“ Starting as early as next year, pending US regulatory approval, Key Tronic will begin assembly of TP-Link’s Wi-Fi 8 networking products in Corinth, Mississippi.