Daily Tech News 25 June 2026

Top Story

Walmart has signed a deal to buy 176 megawatts of nuclear power for 15 years. (MSN)

Enough, says the article, to power 150,000 homes, assuming those homes have gas heating and no gaming PCs.
The Trump administration has announced $17.5 billion in loans for 10 new nuclear reactors. (AP News)

Coming soon to a Walmart near you. Well, soon is about ten years from now. Soonish.

Tech News

Grand Theft Auto VI will come in an empty box and cost $80. (The Verge)

They promised a physical edition. Technically they didn't promise to put anything in it.
Disney Wanted to buy Twitter and the James Bond franchise and to merge with Apple. (The Verge)

None of this came to pass, and considering the train wrecks they made of everything they did acquire during Bob Iger's tenure, we can be glad of that.
Slate Auto's new electric truck is here, starting at $24,950. (Tech Crunch)

Any colour so long as it's gray.
Robot from the future Mike Pall is working on LuaJIT 3.0. (GitHub)

LuaJIT is a compiled version of the Lua programming language, that is tiny, bug-free, and impossibly fast. That's why its creator got termed "a robot from the future".
Microsoft's Majorana is poop, says a quantum computing researcher. (The Register)

Microsoft recently announced Majorana 2, a major breakthrough in quantum computing. A new paper in Nature says not so fast, and maybe not at all.
The memory crunch is paying off for this US company. (Tech Crunch)

Spoiler: It's Micron, the only major US player in the memory space. I was hoping for some story about a plucky startup recycling e-waste into working components or, well, literally anything else. I am disappoint.
My new tablet arrived. They said it would, but deliveries to country towns in Australia can often take years. It has 12GB of RAM.
Apple was infamous for years for slapping a 1000% markup on memory in their phones and computers. Now the memory companies are doing exactly the same thing to Apple. (WCCFTech)

If Apple wants to keep its old margins you could end up paying $200 per GB.
The RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro is a new small Android tablet. (Notebook Check)

I'm a big fan of small Android tablets, but I just got one today - on top of the one I already have, and the other one I have that sucks so I never use it - so I don't need to care for five years of so.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Stare at a wall.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 w00t

Posted by: m at June 25, 2026 04:30 AM (6wpGE)

2 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2026 04:30 AM (Ia/+0)

3 Morning all.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 25, 2026 04:33 AM (BLOW1)

4 G'mornin' everyone!

Thank you, Pixy!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 25, 2026 04:38 AM (VyBeY)

5 Howdy!

>>>soon is about ten years from now. Soonish.

Just think-- if we'd raised middle fingers to the "oh, but it'll take TEN YEARS to build more power generation" 20 or 30 years ago-- where we'd be *now*....

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 04:42 AM (rdVOm)

6 another musical interlude:

@redsteeze retweeted
@ritajeswnt
18h
Mazzy Star-
Fade Into You❤️❤️
Blessed 60th Birthday to Hope Sandoval

Posted by: m at June 25, 2026 04:44 AM (6wpGE)

7 no kidding, JQ ... here we are a few decades into an era where "long term planning" mostly means "until the end of the next corporate bonus cycle".

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 25, 2026 04:47 AM (VyBeY)

8 Ugh, I'm not supposed to be awake to read the tech thread live.

Posted by: IS Roth at June 25, 2026 04:48 AM (Ytm3F)

9 Long commute again
Back when I get there

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2026 04:48 AM (Ia/+0)

10 Ugh, I'm not supposed to be awake to read the tech thread live.
Posted by: IS Roth

Heh. You & me both, IS Roth!

But here we are. Happy Thursday!

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 04:50 AM (rdVOm)

11 5
>>>soon is about ten years from now. Soonish.

Just think-- if we'd raised middle fingers to the "oh, but it'll take TEN YEARS to build more power generation" 20 or 30 years ago-- where we'd be *now*....
Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 04:42 AM (rdVOm)

That's how Elon Musk thinks.

Posted by: m at June 25, 2026 04:52 AM (6wpGE)

12 >>>The Trump administration has announced $17.5 billion in loans for 10 new nuclear reactors.

SPCX nuclear coming soon.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at June 25, 2026 04:53 AM (dK+Kv)

13 Evening and morning for the last Thor's Day of June!

Ugh, I'm not supposed to be awake to read the tech thread live.
Posted by: IS Roth
*
Heh. You & me both, IS Roth!

But here we are. Happy Thursday!
Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026

***
Me three. Morning, JQ!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 04:53 AM (wzUl9)

14 Enough, says the article, to power 150,000 homes, assuming those homes have gas heating and no gaming PCs.

.. and no air conditioning.

Posted by: m at June 25, 2026 04:54 AM (6wpGE)

15 Mornin' Wolfus! How goes the house-hunting?

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 04:56 AM (rdVOm)

16 .. and no air conditioning.
Posted by: m

Well now, we wouldn't want to embarrass our *betters* in yurrup would we?

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 04:57 AM (rdVOm)

17 eh, all 150 k will get to have a dorm refrigerator, a phone charger, and a couple of LED lightbulbs ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 25, 2026 04:58 AM (VyBeY)

18 Woke up early on my own from a dream in which a maintenance ("physical plant") worker from my old employer, a guy who looked like Liam Neeson, was guiding me to the location of some kind of staff meeting on the campus.

The casting of LN in my dream is no surprise -- Miss Linda and I watched the 1993 Ethan Frome movie with him and Patricia Arquette last night. A beautiful film, a tragedy in white, so to speak. I'd never been forced to read the Edith Wharton novella or read it on my own; the story was new to me.

Whatchoo got on yer plates for today?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 04:59 AM (wzUl9)

19 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at June 25, 2026 05:00 AM (ntk8v)

20 25k homes will get to have heat, full lighting, and air conditioning! Woot!

Wait. 150k? What?! Matches and mantles and candles?

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 05:01 AM (rdVOm)

21 Mornin' Wolfus! How goes the house-hunting?
Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026

***
Poorly, JQ. Not much that appeals to me is turning up on Realtor in Terre Haute. Someone here suggested that more properties may be available in fall and winter, because families buy less often then -- they don't want to disrupt the kids' schooling -- and I'd have less competition for a property that I like.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 05:03 AM (wzUl9)

22 slow Thursday morning; up to chapter 341 of First Contact ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 25, 2026 05:03 AM (VyBeY)

23 "They promised a physical edition. Technically they didn't promise to put anything in it."

And I didn't promise to put any money in their hands, so that works out just fine.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 25, 2026 05:04 AM (O7YUW)

24 LOL, Wolfus!

My last crazy dream featured my car *not shutting off* when I turned it off & removed key, and then it was chasing me & Cat around the yard! (I don't park my car in the yard)

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 05:05 AM (rdVOm)

25 Belated BOING!

Just back from a major shop with Mrs. BD. No pups this weekend but good friends driving up to us at our northern Israel vacation home for a few days of good food, rest, and relaxation.

Maybe l8r. Haven't even had time to read the ONT.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at June 25, 2026 05:06 AM (Y+4g7)

26 The car's spark plug change I've been forced to reschedule. My mechanic looked at the car and told me that the intake manifold has to come off to get to the rear three plugs. It'll be a six-hour job instead of about two and a half. I'll need to get a cab back home ($$) and then another to return (also $$). Possibly I'd just leave the car overnight and come back in mid-morning the next day. Next month, I guess.

My IRS refund should be here by then, and will cover the job with a little left over (I hope).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 05:07 AM (wzUl9)

27 Ugh, I'm not supposed to be awake to read the tech thread live.
Posted by: IS Roth
*
Heh. You & me both, IS Roth!

But here we are. Happy Thursday!
Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026

I thought that was why we were all here.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at June 25, 2026 05:10 AM (dK+Kv)

28 Need to go work out in a bit. Later this morning I'll bring the new eyeglasses back to the shop and ask them to put only the distance Rx in, instead of the bifocals. The distance lens parts work fine for watching TV and reading signs; the close-up inserts are disorienting.

The Buick needs a bath and spray wax too. By ten I'llbe ready to stagger indoors and detail *me*.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 05:11 AM (wzUl9)

29
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at June 25, 2026 05:11 AM (AMvSw)

30 bingo, G&R, same here

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 25, 2026 05:12 AM (VyBeY)

31 Sorry the house-hunt is going poorly, Wolfus. Hope prospects brighten and expand soon!

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 05:13 AM (rdVOm)

32 Never wanted to live in the midwest. After a visit to the Fed Ammo facility in Anoka, that was *it* for me, LOL. They had "severe weather shelter" in the basement. No thanks!

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 05:16 AM (rdVOm)

33 Sorry the house-hunt is going poorly, Wolfus. Hope prospects brighten and expand soon!
Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026

***
I'm being reasonable, JQ. Not expecting to find a place in my price range with a pool, terrace, guest house, and 4-car garage. I just want something I'm going to like the look of from the start, that doesn't need $$$ work or more than average refinishing (paint, flooring) to get it to "love" status.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 05:17 AM (wzUl9)

34 Ce Ce Winans sings "Great is thy Faithfulness", an old time hymn:

https://tinyurl.com/3jfbd7w9

Sunny Skyz site

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 25, 2026 05:18 AM (Yl2Ob)

35 Well g'morning JQ! Rare day when you're hanging out with us here in the tech thread. :-)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 25, 2026 05:18 AM (O7YUW)

36 Greetings and good morning one and all. It's a gorgeous day out here in the GPROMD. I'm going to be at the airport in a few hours to go see my folks for the weekend. And I have a feeling part of the trip will be spent helping my mom reach a human being with certain companies.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 25, 2026 05:18 AM (BpO1e)

37 Never wanted to live in the midwest. After a visit to the Fed Ammo facility in Anoka, that was *it* for me, LOL. They had "severe weather shelter" in the basement. No thanks!
Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026

***
I'd prefer the Mountain West too. But I'm not seeing anything in my price range. The Californians have driven up the prices, I guess. At least the MW *has* shelters. Da Swamp used to have hurricane shelters, but not any more: All you can do is flee.

Which I am doing, permanently.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 25, 2026 05:20 AM (wzUl9)

38 I just want something I'm going to like the look of from the start, that doesn't need $$$ work or more than average refinishing (paint, flooring) to get it to "love" status.
Posted by: Wolfus

Sounds reasonable to me, too. Good luck! Wish I could move too. Not far-- just to smaller, more manageable digs. Ain't gonna happen... savings is getting sucked dry by nursing home expense.

*sigh*

Come on, lottery!

Posted by: JQ at June 25, 2026 05:20 AM (rdVOm)

39 >>>Slate Auto's new electric truck is here, starting at $24,950.

Just in time for nobody to want them. Make it a diesel hilux, and people would sell their left arms to get one.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at June 25, 2026 05:20 AM (dK+Kv)

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