Daily Tech News 13 October 2026

Top Story

Yes, we have no frozen bananas. Or frozen anything else. (Tom's Hardware)

Hacking attacks across Europe not only switched off waves of supermarket freezers but locked the built-in defrosting units on to hit temperatures of 50C (122F) making for a decidedly toasty environment for ice cream.

The internet. Ain't it wonderful?

Tech News

Scientists have cracked the secret of orange cats. (Science Alert)

Apparently it's to do with what colour they are.
GoogleBooks are what we have come to expect from Google. (The Verge)

Check back in five years. Either they'll have taken over the world or the whole project will be buried and forgotten.
Introducing Intel's Crescent Island graphics cards, bringing a whole new meaning to the term "affordable". (WCCFTech)

As in, only one house per card, rather than two for AMD or eleven for Nvidia.
Why is AI programming not revolutionising programming? (Ars Technica)

Because it's perfect for the problems billion-dollar companies don't want you to solve. Basically.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Oh-no.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:15 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 w00t

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 04:15 AM (odBC9)

2 Morning Techsters

Posted by: Pete Bog at October 13, 2026 04:16 AM (3aIsH)

3 >>>Yes, we have no frozen bananas.

I would like a frozen banana.

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 04:16 AM (odBC9)

4 Tuesday, October 13
Daily News Stuff 13 October 2026
https://ai.mee.nu

Hickory Daiquiri Edition

haha

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 04:17 AM (odBC9)

5 Guten morgen, horde.

Posted by: clarence at October 13, 2026 04:18 AM (hOSrB)

6 G'Day everyone
A bit closer to home today for work

Posted by: Skip at October 13, 2026 04:19 AM (Ia/+0)

7 The hacking of the store refrigerators and freezers is kinda frightening.

If this is a group of teenage boys playing a prank, that's bad enough, if it's a hack by a paid criminal group, terrorists, or a state actor that's a terrifying vision of the future.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 04:22 AM (6ydKt)

8 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at October 13, 2026 04:24 AM (sAmhv)

9 Technology is great until it isn't. Every water system in the US should have no way to be hacked.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 13, 2026 04:26 AM (cJzCZ)

10 Introducing Intel's Crescent Island graphics cards, bringing a whole new meaning to the term "affordable".
****

As in: (staring down at the ~~peasants~~ basic users) Hahahaha.

Posted by: clarence at October 13, 2026 04:28 AM (hOSrB)

11 Intel Crescent Island - Up To 480 GB (LPDDR5X)/i]

480 GB of VRAM.
It's only LDDR5, but still, that's a lot.

At around $450 for a kit of DDR5 that's around $6,750 just for the RAM.

It might be cheaper since it's laptop RAM, but these GPUs have to cost around $7000 if you buy it maxed out.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 04:30 AM (6ydKt)

12 The internet. Ain't it wonderful?
****

Behold the glory of IoT! *screech* The day approaches when hackers become so detrimental to continued use of the internet that they will be classed as terrorists and will be hunted down and executed on discovery.

Have a nice day!

Posted by: clarence at October 13, 2026 04:34 AM (hOSrB)

13 That was a nice video choice

Posted by: Skip at October 13, 2026 04:37 AM (Ia/+0)

14 9 Technology is great until it isn't. Every water system in the US should have no way to be hacked.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 13, 2026 04:26 AM (cJzCZ)

The systems that actually run utilities should be completely air-gaped with no access to the internet whatsoever.

I bet most are not, but I honestly don't know.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 04:39 AM (6ydKt)

15 Still waiting for the day when people realize there is a large number of things being automated (or network-enabled) that probably shouldn't be.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 04:41 AM (ij/FE)

16

Something people need to be aware of.

We were notified by the town that we have not paid our property taxes. Our taxes are supposed to be paid by the mortgage company.

Called the mortgage company and it took an hour to speak to a human.

Anyways they swear they are paying the tax. Town says we are not paying our property taxes.

Just a heads up to ya'll to be aware.

I read about property confiscation last week. Could this be a new way to screw us? Probably.

Be vigilant ya'll.

Posted by: four seasons at October 13, 2026 04:44 AM (/QHx4)

17 I think a lot of companies that are not tech firms view systems and security as a necessary evil, but not a place where you make money. The next big thing seldom produces the benefits that were promised because of poor implementation, lack of management sponsorship and poor training. When it becomes a place to cut back on spending or just maintain the status quo is when the glaring problems are revealed. Like hackable freezers.

Posted by: Pete Bog at October 13, 2026 04:45 AM (7XjVs)

18 Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should

Posted by: Skip at October 13, 2026 04:46 AM (Ia/+0)

19 >>>The systems that actually run utilities should be completely air-gaped with no access to the internet whatsoever.

I bet most are not, but I honestly don't know.

Posted by: SpeakingOf

>I remember a day when I could hack the local airport. Of course I never created any chaos, just looked around. Many vulnerabilities back then.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at October 13, 2026 04:49 AM (cJOax)

20 they swear they are paying the tax. Town says we are not paying our property taxes
_-_
That's what I think it looks like when the control grid is implemented. It isn't "transaction denied", it's "I'm sorry, sir. There's some sort of techical error. Se have been seeing this all week - ever sknce they installed the new system."

I hope you are able to get this resolved soon.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 04:49 AM (ij/FE)

21 When it becomes a place to cut back on spending or just maintain the status quo is when the glaring problems are revealed. Like hackable freezers.

Posted by: Pete Bog at October 13, 2026 04:45 AM (7XjVs)

Often these kinds of hacks happen because somebody forgot to check a box in the applications running the fridges and signage at the stores.

So, say "Disable Remote Management" has not been checked in the box and hackers take advantage of it.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 04:51 AM (6ydKt)

22 >I remember a day when I could hack the local airport. Of course I never created any chaos, just looked around. Many vulnerabilities back then.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at October 13, 2026 04:49 AM (cJOax)

Presumably around the same time it wasn't uncommon for teenagers to hack into the school system and change their grades.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 04:53 AM (6ydKt)

23 BOING!

/sends make-me-a-sammich order over the internet

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at October 13, 2026 04:55 AM (RkR9o)

24 Called the mortgage company and it took an hour to speak to a human.

Anyways they swear they are paying the tax. Town says we are not paying our property taxes.
****

They have a contracted responsibility to make those payments. If they will not show you the records, they are liable legally and have breached the trust. If it is the town, sue like the wind.

Posted by: clarence at October 13, 2026 04:56 AM (hOSrB)

25 So, say "Disable Remote Management" has not been checked in the box and hackers take advantage of it.
_-_
...which is why for many things, "Remote Management" maybe should never have been an option in fhe first place. I think we are installing vulnerabilities that never had to exist.

I wondered about this when OPM was hacked. Why did the files that were accessed even need to be on a computer? They really were too sensitive for that...let alone computers attached to jnternet.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 04:56 AM (RoBC7)

26 13 That was a nice video choice
Posted by: Skip at October 13, 2026 04:37 AM (Ia/+0)

Seconded!
It had a cute rotary phone in the sketch-work.

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 04:57 AM (odBC9)

27 Often these kinds of hacks happen because somebody forgot to check a box in the applications running the fridges and signage at the stores.

So, say "Disable Remote Management" has not been checked in the box and hackers take advantage of it.
Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 04:51 AM (6ydKt)

Or the “upgrade” changed a setting and instead of running the upgrade in the test environment and sussing out those changes it went straight live and was forgotten.

Posted by: Pete Bog at October 13, 2026 04:59 AM (gs4+4)

28 four seasons,

That is why I was so happy when I could put 20% down on my house purchase. No PMI, no impounds.

I make damn sure that I pay the insurance and the property tax.

Posted by: French Onion Soup at October 13, 2026 05:01 AM (LOvBA)

29 Disable Remote Management
_-_
Where is this setting on my fine, new automobile?

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:01 AM (RoBC7)

30 ...which is why for many things, "Remote Management" maybe should never have been an option in fhe first place. I think we are installing vulnerabilities that never had to exist.

I wondered about this when OPM was hacked. Why did the files that were accessed even need to be on a computer? They really were too sensitive for that...let alone computers attached to jnternet.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 04:56 AM (RoBC7)

Convenience/Inconvenience is the main reason.

It does help to be able to access systems when you aren't in the physical location, no doubt.

People don't always choose safety when it's inconvenient somehow.

If I'm walking into the store for five minutes I may not lock my car... and then regret it if I walk out and my car is gone.

They actually made it illegal in my county to leave your car running while you went into a store, etc.
Cars were being stolen because somebody left the engine running while they went into the convenience store to grab a Coke.

So, the county fixed that problem the only way they know how.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:02 AM (6ydKt)

31 AI is saying that the countries affected by the freezer-hacking are France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium.

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:03 AM (odBC9)

32 off yummy soup sock that uses fresh thyme.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at October 13, 2026 05:03 AM (LOvBA)

33 They actually made it illegal in my county to leave your car running while you went into a store, etc.
_-_
"They" being insurance companies.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:04 AM (ij/FE)

34 I thought that my well pump had failed. It turned out the be the sprinkler controller.

The new one has wi-fi remote access.

I like it.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at October 13, 2026 05:05 AM (LOvBA)

35 Or the “upgrade” changed a setting and instead of running the upgrade in the test environment and sussing out those changes it went straight live and was forgotten.

Posted by: Pete Bog at October 13, 2026 04:59 AM (gs4+4)

Yeah, probably just like that.
They've got one or two guys monitoring 200 freezers or something.

"Ooops. Shit happens."

¯_(ツ

_/¯

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:05 AM (6ydKt)

36 The Food Lion website is down. I wonder if they got hacked for some ransom money.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at October 13, 2026 05:06 AM (LOvBA)

37 "They" being insurance companies.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:04 AM (ij/FE)

I'm sure the Sheriff's Department was tired of all the car theft reports they had to fill out, too.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:06 AM (6ydKt)

38 I guess I'm the Luddite in the room. If it says, "with WiFi", I tend to look for something else or do without.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:08 AM (ij/FE)

39 Clear and still out, supposed to get to 80 degrees today
Have a great day horde

Posted by: Skip at October 13, 2026 05:09 AM (Ia/+0)

40

Skip,

I hope you have a great day!

Posted by: four seasons at October 13, 2026 05:10 AM (/QHx4)

41 I'm sure the Sheriff's Department was tired of all the car theft reports they had to fill out, too.
_-_
If the high incidence of car theft was not exaggerated. I heard this one where I live as well, but I couldn't find anyone who knew anyone to whom it had happened. To the jnsurance companies, it was a "crisis".

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:11 AM (ij/FE)

42
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at October 13, 2026 05:12 AM (AMvSw)

43

Appliances being connected to the internet. How stupid are people?

Posted by: four seasons at October 13, 2026 05:13 AM (/QHx4)

44 38 I guess I'm the Luddite in the room. If it says, "with WiFi", I tend to look for something else or do without.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:08 AM (ij/FE)

It's getting harder and harder to get some products without it.

I've got a small humidifier in here with WiFi control and I haven't even figured out how to use it because Chinese and they aren't into giving too many details on how to use their products in English in an owner's manual.

I'll never use the WiFi but it'd be nice to know how to go in and turn it off without learning Mandarin.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:14 AM (6ydKt)

45 If the high incidence of car theft was not exaggerated. I heard this one where I live as well, but I couldn't find anyone who knew anyone to whom it had happened. To the jnsurance companies, it was a "crisis".

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:11 AM (ij/FE)

There were a few stories in the newspaper and on local TV news about car thefts with the engines running, and it automatically became a crisis that was solved at the next county council meeting.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:16 AM (6ydKt)

46 G'mornin' everyone!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at October 13, 2026 05:16 AM (VyBeY)

47 nice to know how to go in and turn it off without learning Mandarin.
_-_
Running into the same problem with jnverters. I guess I'll have to find a way to physically disable it when I have to replace the old one.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:16 AM (RoBC7)

48 Appliances being connected to the internet. How stupid are people?

Posted by: four seasons
****

Much, much more stupid than people can understand.

Posted by: clarence at October 13, 2026 05:18 AM (hOSrB)

49 Appliances being connected to the internet
_-_
Just can't see why everything must live at the bleeding edge of technology. The Amish look kinda happy....at least, they did before the Sate of New York started this latest harrassment operation.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:22 AM (ij/FE)

50 Elon Musk Warns You Should Not Torture AI Models, As Reasoning Traces Show It Feels Like “A Gun To Their Head,” And That Torturing Super Intelligence Might Spur It “To Get Revenge”

https://tinyurl.com/y3ma87pm
(Wccftech)

Elon Musk agrees with "some of the things Anthropic has said" and warns against "torturing superintelligence" after reading Grok's internal reasoning traces during reinforcement learning

“It feels like a person under extreme pressure with a gun to their head”

⁠His warning…
pic.twitter.com/0BVbSsjngf
— NIK (@ns123abc)
October 12, 2026

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:23 AM (6ydKt)

51 needed a 12 volt transformer to power some lights ... only thing I could find locally turned out to be WiFi enabled. I could tell by the weight of the box that there was a real physical transformer in there (not a crappo switching power supply) so I took the chance.
When I got home, the bandsaw tastefully separated the WiFi module, and the transformer is working like a champ.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at October 13, 2026 05:23 AM (VyBeY)

52

I asked my husband today if we hard copies of the shit with the town and mortgage company. He laughed his ass off.

Posted by: four seasons at October 13, 2026 05:25 AM (/QHx4)

53 feels like a person under extreme pressure with a gun to their head
_-_
Anthropomorphization of algorithms seems like a mistake to me...but then, it's there in the name, isn't it?

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:26 AM (ij/FE)

54 bandsaw tastefully separated the WiFi module
_-_
This. Is the way.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:27 AM (ij/FE)

55 Anthropomorphization of algorithms seems like a mistake to me...but then, it's there in the name, isn't it?

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:26 AM (ij/FE)

In the video clip he is referring to going through records of AI (probably Grok) reasoning on difficult or impossible questions and that's the impression he's getting from reading what the AI is 'thinking'.

Apparently angry humans being sadistic to AI actually does affect them somehow.

We might need AI psychologists for AI if that keeps up.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 13, 2026 05:31 AM (6ydKt)

56
My trains of thought are continually leaving the station without me.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 13, 2026 05:31 AM (ixS3i)

57 only Elon.

*respect*

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at October 13, 2026 05:32 AM (VyBeY)

58
Hacking attacks across Europe not only switched off waves of supermarket freezers but locked the built-in defrosting units on to hit temperatures of 50C (122F) making for a decidedly toasty environment for ice cream.

Now I ask you, are these the acts of a fren?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 13, 2026 05:32 AM (ixS3i)

59 Old time hymn-"Abide with me":

https://tinyurl.com/3nrh2aef

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at October 13, 2026 05:35 AM (JrHfD)

60 Apparently angry humans being sadistic to AI actually does affect them somehow.
_-_
But the them are its. Weirdest sentence I have ever written.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:39 AM (ij/FE)

61 I just looked up the lyrics to Train of Thought and they're kind of wacky.

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:41 AM (odBC9)

62 So, now we can have algorithms that cangwt pissed-off at you faster than any human?

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:42 AM (RoBC7)

63 60 Apparently angry humans being sadistic to AI actually does affect them somehow.
_-_
But the them are its. Weirdest sentence I have ever written.
Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 13, 2026 05:39 AM (ij/FE)

But the them ARE its.

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:43 AM (odBC9)

64 Choir from BYU sings "It is well with my soul":

https://tinyurl.com/4zk6rcaa

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at October 13, 2026 05:43 AM (JrHfD)

65
So, now we can have algorithms that cangwt pissed-off at you faster than any human?

Note to self: do not refer to any AI as "Sugartits"

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 13, 2026 05:44 AM (uiz4r)

66
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:44 AM (odBC9)

67
At home a house awaits him, he unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here but there never was a door

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:45 AM (odBC9)

68
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes too numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:45 AM (odBC9)

69
And at heart, he's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:45 AM (odBC9)

70
I just looked up the lyrics to Train of Thought and they're kind of wacky.
Posted by: m

That's why allowing Norwegians to access fermented lutefisk is a violation of the Geneva Concention.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 13, 2026 05:46 AM (uiz4r)

71 Jesus' prayer priority. Devotional on Mark 1:29-39

https://tinyurl.com/4w7n2jea

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at October 13, 2026 05:47 AM (JrHfD)

72 70
I just looked up the lyrics to Train of Thought and they're kind of wacky.
Posted by: m

That's why allowing Norwegians to access fermented lutefisk is a violation of the Geneva Concention.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 13, 2026 05:46 AM (uiz4r)

They're cute, tho.

Posted by: m at October 13, 2026 05:47 AM (odBC9)

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