Daily Tech News INDEPENDENCE DAY 2026

Top Story

Happy birthday, America! You don't look a day over 240!

(Actually you look a lot better than you did at 240, but we won't go into that.)
US life expectancy is expected to hit a record high as drug overdoses decrease. (CNN)

Unexpectedly. Turns out you can just do things.
Sitting - or lying down - for more than 30 minutes at a time has been linked to an increased risk of dying of cancer. (The Guardian)

So has drinking water and breathing air.

Tech News

Looks like I need to buy another PC case. (Hyte)

(Checks price.)

(Checks shipping rates.)

Uh. Yeah, at close to $1200 delivered I'll wait and see if this shows up at local retailers.
GitHub has announced plans to distribute physical media of popular repositories. (Tom's Hardware)

This is Microsoft poking fun at Sony.
Intel has added a 65W 22 core Nova Lake part with BLERK to its upcoming lineup. (Tom's Hardware)

Allegedly. BLERK stands for "Big Last-Level Cache" and is Intel's answer to AMD's X3D parts. 65W stands for, probably, about 150W. (AMD's 65W parts use 89W peak, for comparison.)

We'll see.
Intel just increased the price on a broad range of its CPUs. (Tom's Hardware)

Mostly its server chips - which have increased by closed to 30% in some cases - but also its desktop parts.
Bloober Team Ditches Cronos Survival Dread for Aggressive Combat as Lazarus Lands on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2. (WCCFTech)

I recognised at least one of those words.
AOOOSTAR has launched its own competitor to Valve's Steam Machine, priced at $849. (Liliputing)

It's a compact system measuring 8"x8"x3", and features Radeon 7600 XT graphics (a little faster than the Steam Machine's 7600M), and a Ryzen 7940HX CPU, which is dramatically faster than the semi-custom processor in the Steam Machine.

What it doesn't have is any memory (apart from the 8GB on the graphics card) or storage. Well, I assume it's 8GB; I doubt they've included a 16GB card.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Did you do something with your hair?

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 04:34 AM (6wpGE)

2 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at July 04, 2026 04:37 AM (ntk8v)

3 w00t

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 04:39 AM (6wpGE)

4 Sitting - or lying down - for more than 30 minutes at a time has been linked to an increased risk of dying of cancer. (The Guardian)

So has drinking water and breathing air.

Living is bad for your health.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at July 04, 2026 04:40 AM (ntk8v)

5 Living is bad for your health.
Posted by: Puddleglum

So is dying.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions. at July 04, 2026 04:41 AM (obVEo)

6 When you die, your health issues end.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at July 04, 2026 04:44 AM (ntk8v)

7 I am assuming the Guardian is UK based? They nicely provided a picture of some ladies in burqas and sneakers out walking. Lovely

Posted by: Molly k. at July 04, 2026 04:45 AM (j/yko)

8 The Champs - Tequila

Could not have named that band to save my life.

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 04:46 AM (6wpGE)

9 Guten morgen, horde.
****
'I recognised at least one of those words.'

I recognized all of them and it made me think about trying marijuana again.

Posted by: clarence at July 04, 2026 04:47 AM (xyH2B)

10 7 I am assuming the Guardian is UK based? They nicely provided a picture of some ladies in burqas and sneakers out walking. Lovely
Posted by: Molly k. at July 04, 2026 04:45 AM (j/yko)

It's The Grauniad.

https://tinyurl.com/2dxkue4s

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 04:48 AM (6wpGE)

11 Sitting - or lying down - for more than 30 minutes at a time has been linked to an increased risk of dying of cancer. (The Guardian

That is one stupid headline.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 04, 2026 04:49 AM (D+BhG)

12 I had to look up "Bloober Team" which is apparently a Polish game developer, not that I knew what the other things were.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 04, 2026 04:52 AM (D+BhG)

13 I have some margarita mix that says happy independence day to mexico because we didn't annex you for your tequila. Keep an eye looking over your shoulder.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at July 04, 2026 05:00 AM (fkjGs)

14 9
'I recognised at least one of those words.'

I recognized all of them and it made me think about trying marijuana again.

Posted by: clarence at July 04, 2026 04:47 AM (xyH2B)

"All" is "at least one."

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:02 AM (6wpGE)

15 Happy 4th everybody

Posted by: actually inside the beltway at July 04, 2026 05:03 AM (S8cdb)

16 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at July 04, 2026 05:07 AM (V0/Sp)

17
Posted by: Puddleglum at work at July 04, 2026 04:44 AM (ntk8v)
Posted by: actually inside the beltway at July 04, 2026 05:03 AM (S8cdb)

Both of you are inside the beltway!

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:08 AM (6wpGE)

18 Happy Birthday America

Posted by: Skip at July 04, 2026 05:12 AM (Ia/+0)

19 >>> The Champs - Tequila
Could not have named that band to save my life.

But I bet you would hear the song in your head if you saw someone doing the Pee Wee Herman dance.

Posted by: fluffy at July 04, 2026 05:13 AM (V0/Sp)

20 Lots of good Independence Day links up at

@LOLNeverTweet

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:21 AM (6wpGE)

21 ... including

NeverTweet
@LOLNeverTweet
19h
This thing just gave me a hippie seizure, man.

Nick Gillespie
@nickgillespie
Jul 2
Happy 250th. Watch this incredible, psychedelic film created by Vince Collins for the Bicentennial. This is about the greatest film any government anywhere ever produced.

(3:25)

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:22 AM (6wpGE)

22 A bang and a flash
Cut and slash
The night air's peace
Like water and grease
The light and fire sings
As our freedom rings

fin

Posted by: clarence at July 04, 2026 05:23 AM (xyH2B)

23 Disclaimer: Did you do something with your hair?

Set it on fire?

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:28 AM (6wpGE)

24 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at July 04, 2026 05:30 AM (dmoni)

25
Mount Rushmore fireworks show 2026 finale follows Trump speech commemorating America's 250th

https://tinyurl.com/2bdyrp5t

(2:27)

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:35 AM (6wpGE)

26 A shoutout to Ace!

NeverTweet retweeted
Aelfred The Great
@aelfred_D
Jul 2
Watching Kill Bill for the nth time and just realized that when Vivica A. Fox’s character pulls the gun in the cereal box move, the cereal is called “Kaboom”.

Only related by name, Ace’s Kaboom piece is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.

https://tinyurl.com/4snt7shc

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:40 AM (6wpGE)

27 Detail of Kaboom Cereal.
Nothing says "part of a balanced breakfast"
like the Faces of the Unquiet Dead.

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 05:40 AM (6wpGE)

28 Good morning. The wife waxes more full by the day.

Posted by: meh at July 04, 2026 05:42 AM (zZxsY)

29 International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

Devotional on Proverbs 14:30- " A peaceful heart"

https://tinyurl.com/bdfeu68h

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 04, 2026 05:45 AM (D+BhG)

30 Posted by: meh at July 04, 2026 05:42 AM (zZxsY

May the Lord bless all three of you!

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 04, 2026 05:50 AM (D+BhG)

31 Thanks, Fen. I prayed that God would send something happy into your life to occupy your thoughts.

Posted by: meh at July 04, 2026 05:55 AM (zZxsY)

32 Posted by: meh at July 04, 2026 05:55 AM (zZxsY)

Thanks. That's kind of you. I think I'm usually a happy person, aside from being irritated by stupid headlines from "The Guardian" about needing to move every thirty minutes to avoid getting cancer.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 04, 2026 05:59 AM (7RYym)

33 "The Guardian" is a misnomer. Who are they guarding?

The fascist police state.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at July 04, 2026 06:01 AM (qFwJc)

34 ‘MURICA ! Heck yes !!!

Posted by: Fenderbender at July 04, 2026 06:06 AM (1FEc1)

35 34 ‘MURICA ! Heck yes !!!
Posted by: Fenderbender at July 04, 2026 06:06 AM (1FEc1)

🇺🇸

Posted by: m at July 04, 2026 06:09 AM (6wpGE)

36 "Intel just increased the price on a broad range of its CPUs."

And with that comes the realization that I'm probably not building a new system for myself for years until the computing components market finally trips over its own greed and faceplants in the dust for a while.

I'll spend my money once they're forced to show humility and reasonableness in pricing again. Not before.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 04, 2026 06:16 AM (O7YUW)

37 Evening and morning for the late (and holiday) toilers and early risers! America is 250!!! Long may she reign!

(Pixy is right. America does look better than she did at 240.) (And the redhead grilling girl in the cartoon atop last night's ONT is hot.)

We watched Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes last night. Not a fast-paced film, but despite depicting Sherlock at 93 (in 1947 England) as having recurrent dementia symptoms -- part of the plot; the movie is based on a novel -- it's pretty respectful to the original material. And there are even two deductive surprises delivered neatly by Mr. Holmes.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 04, 2026 06:19 AM (wzUl9)

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