Daily Tech News 2 August 2026

Top Story

Microsoft has vowed to make Windows 11 actually work in 8GB of RAM, which is timely given that the company is shipping Windows PCs with 8GB of RAM. (Tom's Hardware)

Before the DRAM Apocalypse advice was simple: Do not buy a system with 8GB of RAM unless it is user-upgradable and you plan to immediately upgrade it.

Now the advice is more along the lines of: Buy a Mac, or run Linux.

Since both of those options hit Microsoft below the water line, the company is finally bothering to start to unshit its bed. Long overdue and the outcome remains to be seen, but at least they're trying. Or claiming to try.

Tech News

Scanning 7.6 petabytes of AI data for secrets. (Truffle Security)

This is the entire public repository of AI models at Hugging Face.

The scan found 221,303 live credentials, $3.67 in change, and a Werther's Original that is presumed to still be edible.
Is this Billboard Hot 100 hit AI slop? (The Verge)

(shake shake)

Signs point to yeah, baby.
Major record labels are proposing to join forces to force AI slop out of the charts. (The Verge)

Replacing it with regular slop.
Apple's stock price has slid by 10% as the company notices that hey, they also need to pay more for memory. (Yahoo)

Apple does have long-term agreements in place, but those agreements aren't all that long term, and as the sign new agreements during the ongoing drought they find that they no longer have a decisive upper hand.
Google plans to exempt Android developers in sanctioned nations from otherwise required verification. (Ars Technica)

So if you're a hacker based in North Korea, Cuba, or the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, it's business as normal.

That makes sense.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Chicago?

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 w00t

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 04:31 AM (odBC9)

2 Thank you, Pixy!

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 04:32 AM (odBC9)

3 Morning all

Posted by: Tuna at August 02, 2026 04:32 AM (lJ0H4)

4 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at August 02, 2026 04:34 AM (c711F)

5 G'Day everyone
Thought is aas Monday for a minute when I woke up

Posted by: Skip at August 02, 2026 04:36 AM (Ia/+0)

6 >>>Is this Billboard Hot 100 hit AI slop? (The Verge)

"The drum reverb is full of unnatural digital artifacting reminiscent of a 64kbps MP3 downloaded off of Napster."

*having flashbacks*

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 04:37 AM (odBC9)

7 from the AI slop article:

The lyrics are the sort of logical near-gibberish that AI often spits out. ...

Swipin’ cards and stackin’ chips,
I saw you sinkin’ ships
Left me standin’ in the pourin’ rain,
now I bought a heavy diamond chain
Bankrolls on the table
Watchin’ local cable
Hatin’ that I’m able
Hatin’ that I’m able

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 04:45 AM (odBC9)

8 No reason to get up up other thsn sausages and pancakes

Posted by: Skip at August 02, 2026 04:46 AM (Ia/+0)

9 from Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars

It's late and I'm awake
Staring at the wall
Open up my window
Head floats out the door
No one else around
And a shimmer takes my eye
I lift my head, blinded by the sky
Feel my weight in front
Following the sound
It moves away so fast
Fall down to the ground
I know there's more to come
Jump back to my feet
And I only see ahead of me
Chasing down the street

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 04:46 AM (odBC9)

10
Boy George
@BoyGeorge
Jul 31
In Buddhism we understand that every action comes with a consequence. Due to my decision to stand up for my Jewish friends I am losing a few people from my life.

Today I parted company with Tony Pontius who has run my record label BGP for a number of years. I wanted to release 'We Will Dance Again' but he was unequivocal and said 'I want nothing to do with this song' and I responded 'ok, we are done'.

When someone is gutless it really does not hurt to say goodbye. My faith in humanity will not diminish and the truth will always win.

I will release it!

(audio at the link)

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 04:53 AM (odBC9)

11 Guten morgen, horde.

Posted by: clarence at August 02, 2026 04:59 AM (oB8bm)

12 genius.com

“We Will Dance Again (עוד נרקוד

” is an AI-generated reggae track by British musician Boy George.

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 05:03 AM (odBC9)

13 That was an unfortunate smiley face.

We Will Dance Again ( עוד נרקוד )

Posted by: m at August 02, 2026 05:06 AM (odBC9)

14 A dull-witted evening and morning to all from yours truly on this first Sunday of August.

My dream veered close to nightmare. I was moving into an apartment with a garage on the same day I was slated for an oral surgeon visit. Somehow I got everything moved in, and was tiredly trying to put things into place in the living room, when i realized I was late. So I backed my car -- a dark red 1980s Mercedes station wagon (?) -- out of the garage, which had an inch to spare for the wagon's roof, and hurried to my 7 pm. appointment. I woke realizing that in the dream I'd had no one to drive me home from the surgeon's office. Uh-oh. . . .

Anyway: coffee. Howz aboutchoo?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 02, 2026 05:09 AM (wzUl9)

15
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at August 02, 2026 05:10 AM (AMvSw)

16 We ate at Chik-Fil-A last night, and somehow I came away with change (albeit small) from a $20. Then we watched the 1974 The Great Gatsby on Movies!, which I had never seen. (Darned if I know why Mia Farrow was considered a movie star even then.) In the early '70s, I recall, there was a brief fad of nostalgia for the Twenties and Thirties -- Chinatown, Gatsby; a TV series about a Thirties private eye, Banyon, set in LA; revivals of old Bogart movies.

Then along came Happy Days and Elton John's "Crocodile Rock," and suddenly everything was the Nifty Fifties all the time and the Thirties were forgotten. Dang.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 02, 2026 05:15 AM (wzUl9)

17 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at August 02, 2026 05:17 AM (V0/Sp)

18 >>> brief fad of nostalgia for the Twenties and Thirties

Paper Moon, Bonnie & Clyde

Sgt Pepper, Bonzo Dog Band and Donavan were yearning for more Edwardian times, I think.

Posted by: fluffy at August 02, 2026 05:21 AM (V0/Sp)

19 brief fad of nostalgia for the Twenties and Thirties

Paper Moon, Bonnie & Clyde

Sgt Pepper, Bonzo Dog Band and Donavan were yearning for more Edwardian times, I think.
Posted by: fluffy at August 02, 2026

***
Yes. Come to think of it, Bonnie and Clyde (1967) might have started the fad. There was a comedy TV series called The Chicago Teddy Bears about 1970, I think. Paper Moon was early Seventies.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 02, 2026 05:26 AM (wzUl9)

20 Yesterday, kid and I stopped at Chik Fil A in Forest Hills, NY: Large 4 piece chicken strip meal and one spicey deluxe with extra pickle sandwich only:26$

Posted by: Accomack at August 02, 2026 05:31 AM (m6Eem)

21 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at August 02, 2026 05:33 AM (7IlZh)

22 Yesterday, kid and I stopped at Chik Fil A in Forest Hills, NY: Large 4 piece chicken strip meal and one spicey deluxe with extra pickle sandwich only:26$
Posted by: Accomack at August 02, 2026

***
We just had water to drink, and a large waffle fries sufficed for both of us. You gotta economize in small ways sometimes.

But for somebody like me, who remembers when two people could eat at Bennigans in 1982, with iced teas and maybe a small appetizer, and get back a little change from a $20: This is horrifying.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 02, 2026 05:38 AM (wzUl9)

23 olddog, Good morning to you and yours .

Posted by: Ben Had at August 02, 2026 05:39 AM (abScH)

24 I can cook a 2 in filet, baked potato and a salad at home for 20 bucks

Posted by: Ben Had at August 02, 2026 05:41 AM (abScH)

25 { Microsoft } is finally bothering to start to unshit its bed.

Not even two diverted rivers' worth of water could clean up dung of that magnitude.

(Also, I'm on permanent vacation, and you're going to need a bigger shovel!)

Posted by: Hercules at August 02, 2026 05:44 AM (O7YUW)

26 Going to work out in a little bit. I plan to take it easy: only a mile, walking/trotting, about 67/33 breakdown. Then a shower, breakfast, a pipe, and the Book Thread!

In theory, we are supposed to get some rain this afternoon or evening, and a little less humidity tomorrow. Ah believes it when Ah feels it. Though it does happen, and it's memorable. When I bought my '97 Mercedes C-Class in early August '03, the next few days had a drop in humidity, and I was able to wash and wax the whole car without heatstroke.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 02, 2026 05:45 AM (wzUl9)

27 @Wolfus: "But for somebody like me, who remembers when two people could eat at Bennigans in 1982, with iced teas and maybe a small appetizer, and get back a little change from a $20: This is horrifying."

No kidding. The "covenant" for fast food used to be:
- Cheap
- Fast
- Not exactly good, but at least tasty enough to pass for good.

That's what made it attractive. 'Do you want to cook?' "Nah." 'Me neither. Let's go grab something at {fast food dive}.' "Sounds good, I'll grab my coat."

Now it's:
- Expensive
- Why the hell is it taking 20 minutes, I have places to be!
- "Y'know, I could make something a lot tastier and better at home..." (and in less than 20 minutes!)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at August 02, 2026 05:57 AM (O7YUW)

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