Daily Tech News 12 March 2026

Top Story

Pioneer has been overwhelmed with orders for its $2300 flagship Blu-Ray recorder now that competitors have stopped competing. (Tom's Hardware)

I already have a couple of external Blu-Ray burners and the drive in my Xbox, so I think I'm good for now. And the three of those didn't add up to anything like $2300.

Tech News

The rise of scientific fraud isn't due to a small percentage of rogue scientists. It's something worse. (PNAS)

Profit-driven and systemic.
The 9-year journey to fix time in JavaScript. (GitHub)

It's taken that long because (a) JavaScript is broken and (b) time is broken. There's a book called Calendrical Calculations that covers all the ways time is broken and how to deal with it. Originally a slim paperback, the fourth edition (which I own) is a hefty 662 pages.

JavaScript is its own problem.
It's Patch Tuesday and your computer just got rebooted. (Bleeping Computer)

Microsoft fixed two zero day vulnerabilities this time and 79 other bugs.
Funny thing about AI: It loves the command line and hates the convenience of graphical interfaces. (The Register)

LLMs work with words and so does the command line, so it makes sense. The Unix command line is a mess and something more structured would perhaps be better, but it's still orders of magnitude easier for automated tools - AI or just regular code - to deal with that than to try to parse the bitmap on your screen and move and click the mouse.
Apple's MacBook Neo edges out AMD's 9950X3D on single-core Cinebench tests. (Notebook Check)

That's one benchmark, and of course the Neo gets creamed in multi-core tests. It is nonetheless an impressive result for what is after all a phone CPU.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: I know nothing.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 so ... good evening, Pixy!, good afternoon(?) Biden's Dog!, & g'mornin' to the rest of the horde!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 12, 2026 04:01 AM (MIIRH)

2 Morning all

Posted by: Tuna at March 12, 2026 04:01 AM (lJ0H4)

3 Ghost Ship was Adolf Hitler's favorite movie!

Posted by: renob at March 12, 2026 04:02 AM (7hFrd)

4 Evenin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at March 12, 2026 04:03 AM (sAmhv)

5 Mornin'

(I work mids. Morning and Evening are opposite for me).

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at March 12, 2026 04:04 AM (sAmhv)

6 Ghost Ship had that Italian actress in a tight red dress in it. That's all I remember about it. Well, that, and all the wonderful violence.

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at March 12, 2026 04:07 AM (sAmhv)

7 Calendrical Calculations huh ...

*wanders off to find his Kindle and order a physical copy*

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 12, 2026 04:11 AM (MIIRH)

8 Do people in Australia actually say crikey?

Has the government considered a series of increasingly harsh punishments to make it stop?

Posted by: renob at March 12, 2026 04:21 AM (7hFrd)

9 Morning guys,

The launch this morning is rescheduled for March 13th. We do have a cargo departure from ISS this morning.

Northrop Grumman/NASA - Cygnus NG-23
Departure from the ISS - Space Affairs Live
Date: March 12, 2026
Departure time: 7 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC, 13:00 CET)

https://youtu.be/12zqJmWPPe4

Posted by: Joyenz at March 12, 2026 04:23 AM (2F0/Y)

10 Man from Florida reflects on "A Calf's cry" and God's provision. Scripture is Isaiah 30:19-22

https://tinyurl.com/2bnezm5y

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 04:24 AM (PFs9e)

11 Gone With the Wind was another of Hitlers favorite movies.
I think Blu Ray will make a mild comeback. I love my collection and it beats streaming by a lot.
I had a new water heater installed and the kid was looking at my old record player and wondered what it did. I said it played music and showed him a record, he was amazed.

Posted by: Colin at March 12, 2026 04:29 AM (e8qy3)

12 Woman from MO sings a gospel song, "Go rest on that high mountain" to honor her late grandfather and his valuing of faith and music:

Faithpot site, scroll down for video:

https://tinyurl.com/5csnznf9

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 04:30 AM (PFs9e)

13 Marcus Brownlee did a really good and honest review of the MacBook Neo.

https://youtu.be/iGeXGdYE7UE

At the end he gives a grade for each type of user.
You can watch for yourself if you're interested in the details but here are the grades.

Student (H.S.): A+
Student (College): A
Writers: A+
Photographers: B-
Coders: B
Video Editors: C+
Podcasters: B+
Gamers: D+
Grandma: A

He expects/hopes Apple will upgrade to the A19 processors in the next Neo version which will come with 12GB RAM, for it to include an ambient light sensor to enable a better 'TrueTone' display, and add a backlight for the keyboard as the best "quality of life improvements" for these laptops.

I'd add they need to upgrade the USB ports to at least USB 3.2 or USB4 for 10 or 20gbps speeds on both ports.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at March 12, 2026 04:30 AM (6ydKt)

14 oops... Marques Brownlee.

(I always get this cat's name wrong)

Posted by: SpeakingOf at March 12, 2026 04:31 AM (6ydKt)

15 G'Day everyone
Ladt day at this job thankfully

Posted by: Skip at March 12, 2026 04:31 AM (Ia/+0)

16 Truck driver helps teen pilot land plane safely on busy road:

https://tinyurl.com/27ue939p

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 04:32 AM (PFs9e)

17 Belated BOING!

Big supermarket shop with Mrs. BD. Included sheltering due to incoming. That was one gigantic shelter! Nice big BOOM! Intercepted and no harm done.

Now back home. Work to be done!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 12, 2026 04:34 AM (5UTWB)

18 Microsoft's commitment to shoving AI and advertising into everything is causing users to actively work to cut all communications between Windows and the mother(fscker)ship.

So, yeah, who wants to update anything from Microsoft?

I just got a new Windows Laptop. I will be changing it's update settings to Linux Mint.

Posted by: meh at March 12, 2026 04:37 AM (7Wsrz)

19 Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 12, 2026 04:34 AM (5UTWB)

Glad all are safe.

Posted by: Joyenz at March 12, 2026 04:37 AM (2F0/Y)

20 Glad all are safe.

Posted by: Joyenz at March 12, 2026 04:37 AM (2F0/Y)
-

Yup, plus pups coming home from the army, at least for the weekend.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 12, 2026 04:44 AM (5UTWB)

21 Apple's MacBook Neo edges out AMD's 9950X3D on single-core Cinebench tests...That's one benchmark, and of course the Neo gets creamed in multi-core tests. It is nonetheless an impressive result for what is after all a phone CPU. - Pixy

Andrew Cunningham from Ars Technica published an extensive review of the MacBook Neo. The CPU used is quite capable and the fact that Apple has produced such a lovely daily driver machine for $600 to $700 it's something I never thought Apple would do.

The article stirred up the lunatic commenters and as of tonight it's generated 380 comments which tells me Apple has hit a nerve with this specific machine. It seems obvious to say this machine is going to sell like hotcakes.

It is also the last puzzle piece of Apple blowing up the budget computer market segment with well executed capable devices that also includes the Mac Mini desktop, the Mid-Range iPhone and entry level iPad, all of which can be for around $2000 all in.

As a hedge against Microsoft's dumbassery with Windows I'm going to pick up one of these Neos as my first Apple product since an iPod. I have a sneaky feeling I'm going to be impressed with this box.

https://is.gd/AZUWeB

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions. at March 12, 2026 04:54 AM (BnDlA)

22 another interesting read, Pixy, thx!

(the 9 year journey, that is) I had no idea ...

Brendan Eich, haven't seen that name in a while ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 12, 2026 04:56 AM (MIIRH)

23 "Some men just want to watch the world burn."

IMHO, IRGC are assholes.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 12, 2026 05:02 AM (qFwJc)

24 "time is broken."

Now I've got Zathras quotations from Babylon 5 running through my head.

G'Morning Pixy.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at March 12, 2026 05:13 AM (O7YUW)

25 Time is certainly arbitrary if you can just change it

Posted by: Skip at March 12, 2026 05:20 AM (Ia/+0)

26 I've never bought an Apple product, mostly due to price. This MacBook Neo looks ok. Just pricey

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at March 12, 2026 05:22 AM (sAmhv)

27 Ghost Ship was Adolf Hitler's favorite movie!
Posted by: renob

Chuck Conners was Brezhnev's favorite actor. I remember reading that back in the day.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at March 12, 2026 05:22 AM (cxFcK)

28
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at March 12, 2026 05:23 AM (tljrc)

29 We're going through a pretty severe windstorm right now and my regular starlink secured network is down....

But I hooked on to an available network, starlink too....but it's unsecured.

I'm in a pretty remote place... could that unsecured starlink be MY CAR?

What are the ramifications of using an unsecured starlink Wi-Fi? Should I sign off?

Posted by: Derak at March 12, 2026 05:27 AM (hFrb/)

30 IMHO, you are okay. Just don't do any banking transactions. Don't buy anything online. Don't login to your email.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 12, 2026 05:33 AM (qFwJc)

31 See a YouTube short with a T shirt

America is so great even the haters won't leave

Posted by: Skip at March 12, 2026 05:36 AM (Ia/+0)

32 w00t

Posted by: m at March 12, 2026 05:38 AM (+YA9H)

33 Actor David Suchet reads psalm 46:

https://tinyurl.com/yvh9xk96

"Be still and know that I am God."

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 05:38 AM (PFs9e)

34 11 ... kid was looking at my old record player and wondered what it did. I said it played music and showed him a record, he was amazed.
Posted by: Colin at March 12, 2026 04:29 AM (e8qy3)

haha!

Posted by: m at March 12, 2026 05:41 AM (+YA9H)

35 “ The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise as some people think. He is waiting for you. The Lord does not want any person to be punished forever. He wants all people to be sorry for their sins and turn from them.”

2 Peter 3:9

Posted by: Marcus T at March 12, 2026 05:44 AM (EWq0C)

36 ordered the book, 4th ed., 2018
all the algorithms in LISP, ay carrumba!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at March 12, 2026 05:44 AM (MIIRH)

37 Evening and morning, Thor's Day late toilers and early risers. The rain happened last evening as I was going to bed, and the overnight temp has dropped since yesterday . . . a big *eight* degrees, to 65 F. So much for a "cold" front.

I've slept enough. Stirling tried his jumping across me hobby for the first time this week, but he didn't do it until about twenty minutes before I usually get up anyway.

Trying to decide if I want to drive out in the "fall" weather for breakfast, or just shrug and have my morning chow here.

Howzabout choo?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 05:46 AM (wzUl9)

38 Chuck Conners was Brezhnev's favorite actor. I remember reading that back in the day.
Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at March 12, 2026

***
Now I picture a line of Russian dancers, the guys in the red coats and Cossack hats with folded arms kicking in unison, to the Rifleman theme.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 05:47 AM (wzUl9)

39 Greetings and good morning, Horde. I was talking to my mom yesterday. She's fighting Charles Schwab to get the Power of Attorney noted in dad's account. The one page that has the signatures isn't enough; they want all 19 pages of documentation. Between that, fighting with the VA and having to keep an eye on dad it's been a rough week.

I told my wife to make sure her mother has a POA ready to go. Apparently she does but she has no idea where the paperwork is. Caring for older parents is not for amateurs.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 12, 2026 05:51 AM (BpO1e)

40 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 05:46 AM

Had you thought of entering Stirling in the cat Olympics so he could compete against other felines in the long jump?

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 05:52 AM (PFs9e)

41 Posted by: NR Pax at March 12, 2026 05:51 AM

I'm sorry. It sounds stressful. I will pray rough places are made smooth.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 05:54 AM (PFs9e)

42 Had you thought of entering Stirling in the cat Olympics so he could compete against other felines in the long jump?
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026

***
Yeah, but I'd have to lie on the field to give him -- and the other cats -- something to jump over!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 05:55 AM (wzUl9)

43 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 05:55 AM (wzUl9

LOL.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 05:55 AM (PFs9e)

44 Puddleglum, be sure to check out the latest comments in the ONT!

Posted by: m at March 12, 2026 05:58 AM (+YA9H)

45 41: Thanks, Fen. I'm thankful my folks are living in a retirement community that looks out for them and he's getting regular PT and OT sessions but it's tough knowing that I can't just hop in my car and go over.

As for my mother-in-law, we're going to have to force things and make sure that all the documents are in one place.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 12, 2026 05:58 AM (BpO1e)

46 Movies! has Daisy Kenyon, a romance drama from 1947 with Joan Crawford, Henry Fonda, and Dana Andrews, at 7:30 am. I'm not a big Crawford fan and prefer crime-oriented stories -- though there could be a murder or other crime buried in this one. Still, it sounds interesting.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 05:59 AM (wzUl9)

47 The other thing to marvel at at Apple is how far they advanced their an and m processors in such a short period of time.

The m series is only 6 years old and the a processors are only 15

Posted by: Thomas Bender at March 12, 2026 06:01 AM (Bhqj8)

48 Wolfus as you like movies too, do you watch TJM's Oscar video?

Posted by: Skip at March 12, 2026 06:03 AM (Ia/+0)

49 Wolfus as you like movies too, do you watch TJM's Oscar video?
Posted by: Skip at March 12, 2026

***
I haven't yet; I should!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 12, 2026 06:06 AM (wzUl9)

50 47 The m series
Posted by: Thomas Bender at March 12, 2026 06:01 AM (Bhqj

; )

Posted by: m at March 12, 2026 06:06 AM (+YA9H)

51 Yeah, the whole POA has to be presented.

And don't show up at Probate court with a photocopy of the Will. Only the original will be accepted.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 12, 2026 06:07 AM (qFwJc)

52 51 Yeah, the whole POA has to be presented.

I get it but Charles Schwab is the only organization that demanded it. Every other bank, investment company and government agency she's dealing with was fine with just the signature.

And don't show up at Probate court with a photocopy of the Will. Only the original will be accepted.
Posted by: no one of any consequence

Mom is keeping all that in a safe place and she'll be sending my brother and I digital copies. As for my MIL, we will have to push things.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 12, 2026 06:09 AM (BpO1e)

53 I have a POA so my daughter can do my business. A Durable POA that is in effect now. No need to have a physician involved. I set this up 18 years ago. My B of A account was sold when B of A closed shop here. I went to new bank and inquired about it. They had to have their IT department find it. They did. She can sign my checks, etc.

Bottom line: find a good lawyer experienced in these matters.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 12, 2026 06:11 AM (qFwJc)

54 I imagine J.J. Might have this for the MR, but I won't be here then. And I thought it was well written and dryly amusing. From "Frontpage" about cardboard cutout Khamenei (so)

https://tinyurl.com/44pbvnya

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 12, 2026 06:13 AM (Nx5jP)

55 Here’s my tech gripe: A while ago, we were told that all communication with fed gov services would be with a new account system called login dot gov.

But nooooo! The IRS has a totally different login system, with a convoluted process to establish your identity. It appears their software locks up, although I wouldn’t put it past my Microsoft stuff.

I guess I shouldn’t have started the process right when Microsoft wanted to “update” my desktop in four minutes.

Posted by: Fenderbender at March 12, 2026 06:22 AM (1FEc1)

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