Daily Tech News 18 April 2026

Top Story

Intel's new Core Series 3 is its answer to the MacBook Neo. (PC World)

The A18 CPU used in the MacBook Neo uses 6W maximum, and typically throttles down to 4W since the laptop is passively cooled.

All models in the Core Series 3 range use 35W maximum and a base of 15W, which is rather more than that. So while it may be Intel's answer, it is not necessarily a good answer.

The first laptop announced with the Core Series 3 is Honor's Magicbook 14. That costs around $1000, but on the other hand it comes with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD, which is more than is even possible in the MacBook Neo.
Meanwhile AMD's legendary 5800X3D may be making a return. (Tom's Hardware)

AMD has officially made non-committal noises about this. The chip was taken off the market allegedly because it was too competitive with the newer 7800X3D. But with DDR5 prices in cislunar orbit, and the slower 5700X3D and 5600X3D also retired from the market, it would be a very welcome sign.

But it's allegedly a 10th anniversary special edition, and Ryzen's 10th anniversary is in December, counting from the announcement, or next March counting from retail availability. Hope we're not going to have to wait that long.

I mean, it's not like I have 384GB of DDR4 RAM lying around, but if I did I might be interested.

Tech News

Is the hourly cost for AI agents rising exponentially? (Toby Ord)

Good question. And the answer is, if you read all the way through that article, we don't know.
Smolvm is a full virtual machine with hardware isolation for running untrusted tasks - that boots in 200 milliseconds. (GitHub)

That's pretty useful, given how many untrusted tasks there are running around the internet these days. The CPU and memory overheads are small enough that for any task that takes even a second or two it's a viable solution.
A middle-schooler has found a Trojan coin in Berlin. (The History Blog)

What a Trojan coin was doing in Berlin we may never know, but the location it was found in does have burial remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages and artifacts from the Roman era.

The coin itself dates to the third century BC, almost a thousand years after the historical events of Trojan War. But it's definitely from Ilion, the Greek name for Troy of that period.
Even cat readme.txt is not safe. (blog.calif)

Anyone who has ever used a terminal, or an accurate terminal emulator, should already know this.
Anthropic says its MCP specification for AI communication is just fine - despite 10 critical vulnerabilities so far relating to a specific flaw in the design. (The Register)

The flaw is that MCP clients spawn processes as required - just like CGI of old - and that is a fast path to security disaster.
Another obviously bad idea is "tokenmaxxing" - where developer productivity is measured by how much they cost their employers in AI API fees. (Tech Crunch)

Similar to lines of code, but worse, because rather than trying to capture productivity and inadvertently capturing cost, it directly captures cost.

Also as the article notes, while there's a correlation between tokens used and lines of code generated, widespread adoption of AI leads to massive increases in code churn - were new code is added and then immediately changed or removed.

And every change adds to the cost in tokens.
Everybody hates Adobe. (The Verge)

And competitors are taking advantage of this by offering semi-professional version of their products for free, a price that soundly beats even Adobe's cheapest subscription plans.
ASRock has announced a breakthrough to make DDR5 memory cheaper: Half-channel memory. (WCCFTech)

Which is exactly what it sounds like. PCs commonly use dual-channel, 128-bit memory - a misnomer since DDR5 uses dual 32-bit logical channels per physical channel.

What ASRock does here is reduce that further to only a single 32-bit logical channel per physical channel, which of course cuts memory bandwidth in half.

It's a BIOS update for Intel motherboards, so it doesn't break anything, and if you have proper 64-bit DIMMs you can use them just fine, but it's a move of desperation and not something anyone would want to use if they could avoid it.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Off with their heads!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 04:31 AM (Ia/+0)

2 Wait

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 04:33 AM (Ia/+0)

3 It is not Summer vacation just yet Young Man

Posted by: Aunt Miklos to encourage Young Skip to focus on school at April 18, 2026 04:36 AM (MABMQ)

4 Morning all.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 18, 2026 04:37 AM (BLOW1)

5 Felt like summer this week, only going to 70 today

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 04:41 AM (Ia/+0)

6 "Everybody hates Adobe. "

Affinity is a solid alternative for Photoshop.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions at April 18, 2026 05:00 AM (glnUu)

7 1 1/2 hours up,

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 05:03 AM (Ia/+0)

8 I remember hearing the name "Boney M" in the late 70's. I didn't know what they sang, however. We were reading "Nicholas and Alexandra" in my high school history class at the time so I knew about Rasputin.

That was quite a lively song, "Rasputin" ( I enjoyed it ) and the lead singer must have kept very fit performing. He and his back up singers look rather like - considering how they are dressed/they should be singing something about "Aladdin", however. Thanks, Pixy.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 05:22 AM (rZCVI)

9 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at April 18, 2026 05:33 AM (AN2gy)

10 Woman from AL who does crafts reflects on Psalm 119 vs 169-176 in this devotional, "Stitched on my heart":

https://tinyurl.com/28fpaa69

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 05:33 AM (rZCVI)

11 >>> I remember hearing the name "Boney M" in the late 70's.

In the movie "Touching the Void" one of the mountain climbers, probably Joe Simpson, got an ear worm as he was limping his way down the mountain. He recounted his horror as he thought to himself, "I'm going to die to Boney M!"

The movie is both re-enactment as well as interviews with the participants.

Posted by: fluffy at April 18, 2026 05:38 AM (AN2gy)

12 One more full day in the Netherlands. Tired of the rehashing of the Catholics invading our Protestant homeland and all things green. They generate 55% of energy from turbines, or so I’ve been told. I’m happy for them. They have a small land mass and population, plus lots of wind on the North Sea.
I will be happy to return to my oil/coal generated electricity and land where we aren’t still complaining about events that happened 400 years ago. And no I don’t want to talk about the war of northern aggression.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 05:40 AM (kxiH3)

13 Story behind old time hymn, "The Solid Rock"

https://tinyurl.com/mr3vhv4h

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 05:43 AM (rZCVI)

14 "Intel's new Core Series 3 is its answer to the MacBook Neo."

The Neo has a singular advantage over anything coming from the WinTel manufacturers: it is a frictionless purchase.

My framing here is would you rather spend a week muddling around trying sort out the differences between 47 barely differentiated plastic fantastic PCs that have prices that change all the time -OR- would you rather walk in to a Best Buy and tell the salesperson, "I'll take a Neo in citrus with a finger print reader." Plus that cell phone CPU is completely capable of doing the main things we do with PCs all the time which are email and cat videos. Plus it comes in pink too!

If I am that buyer who is looking for a Neo in blue, the second anybody starts squeaking about Intel's watts and core advantages I would be jamming pencils into my ears. If the Core 3 CPUs are Intel's answer to the Neo they are quickly going to figure out they a better answer.

My best guess is the Neo has the potential to be as disruptive and iconic, in its particular market space, as the original MacBook Air that more or less defined modern laptops.

Apple crushed it with this box.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions at April 18, 2026 05:45 AM (glnUu)

15 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at April 18, 2026 05:46 AM (G1ktt)

16 13- and the hymn- "Solid Rock"-This man does a nice job with it

https://tinyurl.com/2hezsft8

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 05:47 AM (rZCVI)

17 Ooops.

If the Core 3 CPUs are Intel's answer to the Neo the Team WinTel are quickly going to figure out they *going to need* a better answer.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions at April 18, 2026 05:48 AM (glnUu)

18 Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 05:40 AM (kxiH3)

Do you go someplace else or will you be flying home?. May the lord bless your return.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 05:50 AM (rZCVI)

19 I guess Dos XX has brought back the Most Interesting Man in the World for their commercials.

I read somewhere the actor was a red shirt in an original Star Trek episode. And he lived. Pretty interesting.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at April 18, 2026 05:52 AM (cxFcK)

20 Fen. Amsterdam to JFK and an overnight stay. Next day home to MT. Our last overseas trip.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 05:53 AM (kxiH3)

21 Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 05:53 AM (kxiH3

And what did you see that you liked the most?. I remember some beautiful art museum in Amsterdam as well as one of the the big old cathedrals. I am forgetting its name.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 05:55 AM (PFs9e)

22 Brugge in Belgium was quite lovely. We also are spending today in Zeeland in the Netherlands. We are on a river cruise and the trip here was beautiful. No museums, however we will tour Keukenof gardens tomorrow and the tulips should be at their peak, a nice ending to our final trip across the Atlantic.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 05:59 AM (kxiH3)

23 This cultural appropriation must be stopped and reparations must be made.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 18, 2026 06:02 AM (Fbc0I)

24 Have a good day Horde. Off to lunch where the food has been fabulous.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 06:02 AM (kxiH3)

25 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Rejoinder: Try the vodka. And cheesecake.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 18, 2026 06:04 AM (NSMyg)

26 What a Trojan coin was doing in Berlin we may never know,
----------------
Fell out of Heinrich Schliemann's pocket?

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 18, 2026 06:05 AM (NSMyg)

27 Birdbath status?

Posted by: Just Wondering at April 18, 2026 06:14 AM (2Ez/1)

28 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at April 18, 2026 06:20 AM (bQ4nt)

29
I will be happy to return to my oil/coal generated electricity and land where we aren’t still complaining about events that happened 400 years ago.

__________

Irish Alzheimer's: You forget everything except your grudges.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 06:21 AM (tgvbd)

30 Lots to do outside today, and so far have nothing to show but 1 less cup of coffee

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 06:21 AM (Ia/+0)

31 Evening and morning, people of the blog! As usual in a hotel or other strange-to-me place, I did not sleep as well as I hoped, but I feel pretty good. Time to shave, shower, and head downstairs for the breakfast buffet. Then I'll head out.

Wunderground dot com's radar indicates some rainstorms approaching the area I'll be traveling through. I brought my rain jacket and umbrella up from the car last night just in case, and will have them next to me.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 18, 2026 06:33 AM (0SlUx)

32 Wolfus keep us posted on your travelog

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 06:39 AM (Ia/+0)

33 What a Trojan coin was doing in Berlin we may never know

Same thing I thought when I saw the Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon.

Posted by: t-bird at April 18, 2026 06:39 AM (7kply)

34
Remarkable to say, I have nothing - nothing! - scheduled for today. I sincerely doubt this means that I'll be allowed to do nothing today, but there are no dogs to be washed, no errands to run and no professional work on the slate.

The weather is forecast to turn bad this evening and into tomorrow. Her Majesty doesn't like me making the 45 mile trip to my 7:00 Sunday Mass, so I'd just as soon go to the 4:00 Mass this afternoon at my local parish (oops! "Catholic community").

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 06:42 AM (tgvbd)

35 Powerline Week in Pictures:
https://tinyurl.com/4czwfh29

Midwest Chick:
https://tinyurl.com/bd4b4uv2

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at April 18, 2026 06:49 AM (skR0U)

36 Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 06:42 AM (tgvbd)

II am glad that you have nothing scheduled today. I hope it continues to be a slow day which you can enjoy.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 18, 2026 06:52 AM (RDpV/)

37 mornin yall. in local news, Asharayah Mitchell-Barak Yisrael was arrested for shoplifting. Seems he was trying to steal another name.

Posted by: fd at April 18, 2026 06:54 AM (vFG9F)

38 Good morning everyone.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at April 18, 2026 06:55 AM (S+2Xo)

39 *What a Trojan coin was doing in Berlin we may never know,*
####

I think it had something to do with an elephant and pajamas.

Posted by: Groucho at April 18, 2026 06:56 AM (2Ez/1)

40 I don't have much scheduled today, tear down the rear end of the F-150, paint the North side of the house, lift some bales, tote some barges, stuff like that.

Posted by: fd at April 18, 2026 06:57 AM (vFG9F)

41 Good morning!

Let's smile & be happy & strike fear in the hearts of killjoy leftists everywhere.

Here is a mellow introduction to the day.
This is the Stranglers Golden Brown with A/I use of David Brubeck's Take Five video and no funky harpsichord. https://youtu.be/2Qs1J612nZs

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:11 AM (u82oZ)

42
If they found a used Trojan in Berlin, that would be commonplace.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 07:11 AM (tgvbd)

43 {{{I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper}}}

Thank you. You are a giver.

BarnhardtMemes has been deleted from my links. She is too far gone, and unwatchable.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:17 AM (u82oZ)

44 29 Irish Alzheimer's: You forget everything except your grudges.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 06:21 AM (tgvbd)

Ha!

Posted by: m at April 18, 2026 07:19 AM (yJfQg)

45 G'mornin' everyone!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 18, 2026 07:21 AM (VyBeY)

46
BarnhardtMemes has been deleted from my links. She is too far gone, and unwatchable.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:17 AM (u82oZ)

That's the problem with "Trad Catholics". You arrive at Nut City PDQ.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 07:22 AM (tgvbd)

47 It's a crying shame when Congress can resupply our warships with quality food. They're not in too bad of shape, but let's not withhold funding during a situation that effects all future global commerce.

I'm sure our NATO partners would agree.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 18, 2026 07:24 AM (Fbc0I)

48 Good morning morons

Soft landing Wolfus.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 18, 2026 07:25 AM (RIvkX)

49 47 It's a crying shame when Congress can resupply our warships with quality food.
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 18, 2026 07:24 AM (Fbc0I)

?

Posted by: m at April 18, 2026 07:28 AM (yJfQg)

50 Just because Ann Barnhardt is extreme, she is right about a lot of stuff.

I visit her site about once a week, just to gather the good stuff.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at April 18, 2026 07:30 AM (qFwJc)

51 Morning, 'rons and 'ronettes. 48 gloomy degrees here at Stately Poppins Manor. No rain really scheduled for today, but the clouds are out and the air has that slimy feeling that warns you it could happen at any moment.

I was going to take a drive out to western MA today, but it's really not the sort of day to enjoy traveling, so I'll probably work on my book, which I really ought to do.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 18, 2026 07:31 AM (qRla/)

52 m

I watched a box labeled steaks being carried from the pier to the ship by a working party, one time at the D &S piers in Norfolk Naval Base back in the day. There was a red stamp on the box. "Rejected by Arizona State Prison."
Presumably it was cooked and eaten while we were underway.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:31 AM (u82oZ)

53 BarnhardtMemes has been deleted from my links. She is too far gone, and unwatchable.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:17 AM (u82oZ)

That's the problem with "Trad Catholics". You arrive at Nut City PDQ.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 18, 2026 07:22 AM (tgvbd)

It depends, I suppose. She's pretty hardcore, but she had Frankie Fabulous' number and she's spot on about his fellow heresiarch Leo.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 18, 2026 07:33 AM (qRla/)

54 m

Mostly, the food was good at sea. Fresh milk and veggies only lasted a week. But the cooks did wonders.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:33 AM (u82oZ)

55 yikes

Posted by: m at April 18, 2026 07:34 AM (yJfQg)

56
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at April 18, 2026 07:34 AM (2/MrR)

57 Watching a new video on Bayeau Tapestry

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 07:34 AM (Ia/+0)

58 w00t forgot to w00t

Posted by: m at April 18, 2026 07:34 AM (yJfQg)

59 I had a friend in the Navy. The food was great. Until the day they ate bad shrimp.

Everyone had the trots.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at April 18, 2026 07:35 AM (qFwJc)

60 Yonder Horde

Back in the day it used to be coffee and Sunday comics.

Now it's Saturday memes and coffee. I stayed away from the "Trump as Christ" and the whole biz with the Pope, but some of these memes are hilarious.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at April 18, 2026 07:36 AM (AkEZC)

61 The "Kill A Commie For Mommy" bit at the end of the ONT reminded me of the Chread Mitchell Trio song "The John Birch Society," with its line "If Mommy is a Commie, then you gotta turn her in!"

The song's supposed to be a smug 1960s dig at the group, but looking back, the JBS was right about a lot more than they're given credit for. Anyway, here's the song:

https://tinyurl.com/bd7ducys

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 18, 2026 07:38 AM (qRla/)

62 "CHAD Mitchell Trio." Sheesh.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 18, 2026 07:39 AM (qRla/)

63 LOL. The Protestants need not criticize the Pope. There are plenty of Catholics willing to carry that load and do the job.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at April 18, 2026 07:39 AM (qFwJc)

64 Ann Barnhardt is a jew hater.

In case it wasn't clear.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 18, 2026 07:40 AM (RIvkX)

65 Dear old Dad served on the USN diesel subs. He said the food was good, much better than regular surface Navy. First thing they did when they got out to sea, was throw all the “Cutters and Canners” grade beef over the side. They had very little room to begin with, and at the beginning of a voyage every usable space was filled with chow and supplies. That stuff was barely edible, so over the side it went. Lucky Strikes, nickel a pack from “ship’s stores”.

Posted by: Common Tater at April 18, 2026 07:40 AM (ICnaH)

66 Kill a Commie, you might save a million lives

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 07:42 AM (Ia/+0)

67 Boney M was the 1970's Milli Vanilli.

The krauts love some weird shit.

Posted by: David Hasselhoff at April 18, 2026 07:44 AM (onPc6)

68 The Catholics have a Pope problem, I don't

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 07:44 AM (Ia/+0)

69 Very entertaining video. Thanks Pixy!

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 18, 2026 07:45 AM (2Ez/1)

70 JBS always seemed sensible to me. They sounded a little wacky on the Fluoride in the water supply. Maybe not? lol.

It is certainly true the State department was riddled with Reds in the 30s and 40s and helped communists, notably in China, and elsewhere. There was a serious blind spot or naïveté on the part of FDR, and the Brits had so many spies it was pointless telling them anything.

Posted by: Common Tater at April 18, 2026 07:46 AM (ICnaH)

71 Posted by: Common Tater at April 18, 2026 07:46 AM (ICnaH)

The JBS song also had the lines "The CIA's subversive / And so's the FCC! / There's no one left but thee and we / And we're not sure of thee!"

I'm sure that sounded pretty paranoid and comical in the 60s, but post-Trump, it sounds damned prescient.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 18, 2026 07:48 AM (qRla/)

72 >>>?

Posted by: m

>Somehow 'can't' became 'can', but sometimes it's important to follow the talking points when it comes back to Congress and the Pentagon not doing their jobs. NATO is a shitstain and even they are too feckless to resupply the country looking out for their interest.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 18, 2026 07:49 AM (Fbc0I)

73 Have a great day, everyone.

May there be relaxation and thriving.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 18, 2026 07:52 AM (u82oZ)

74 AP reports in the last hour British navy says Iranian gunboats opened fire on a tanker traversing the Strait.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 18, 2026 07:55 AM (RIvkX)

75 I've just noticed that I have a new hash which is close as dammit to 'querulous.' Pretty appropriate in my case.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 18, 2026 07:57 AM (qRla/)

76 There was a serious blind spot or naïveté on the part of FDR, and the Brits had so many spies it was pointless telling them anything."

State pulled a great deal of weight, and they were hardcore britlovers. Sad, really.

Posted by: man at April 18, 2026 07:59 AM (XuXeR)

77 Skip. The Pope has a Pope problem. I ignore him and follow Christ, no problem in my world.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 18, 2026 08:00 AM (kxiH3)

78 Well looks like Iran still has some kind of navy left.

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 08:00 AM (Ia/+0)

79 nood coffee, don't scald yourself

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 18, 2026 08:01 AM (w/O5Q)

80 80
; )

Posted by: m at April 18, 2026 11:51 AM (yJfQg)

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