Daily Tech News 27 July 2026

Top Story

Whenever you copy this white text on a white background, a little white light lights up white to let you know you've done it. (Futurism)

If only it was so simple.

If you're copying and pasting your exam question into an AI to cheat, at least read the answer it spits out.

Also, don't ever do that. Copy into a neutral environment like Notepad (or Notepad++) precisely so that you don't inadvertently include nasty Unicode stuff, or, in this case, an instruction to the AI to make a nonsensical reference to an island off East Africa in your final exam paper.

Tech News

Apple is facing the worst possible future. (WCCFTech)

By which I mean having to pay as much for RAM as everyone else.
Minecraft system requirements have gone up. (Tom's Hardware)

Apparently my work laptop now falls below not only the recommended specs, but the minimum specs. Yes, it's a bit laggy when running with ~200 mods installed, but it's perfectly fine unmodded.
TSMC's 2nm production is in full swing. (WCCFTech)

Not ahead of time either, given that it can take six months for a completed chip to roll off the production line.
Research: Cosmic ray spallation, tufa versus travertine flowstone, positrons are evil, muon tomography, and the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Groundhog Day is a Christmas movie.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:40 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Did you get meetinged again, Pixy?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:40 AM (O7YUW)

2 w00t

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:40 AM (faghi)

3 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at July 27, 2026 04:40 AM (Ia/+0)

4 As posted downstairs
We are going to get real busy very soon at work, just shame every job is 35 -45 miles away

Posted by: Skip at July 27, 2026 04:41 AM (Ia/+0)

5
Research: Cosmic ray spallation, tufa versus travertine flowstone, positrons are evil, muon tomography, and the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction.

= rabbit-holing?

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:42 AM (faghi)

6 Content fully absorbed. Ready for uninformed analysis.

What’s Minecraft? A game?

Posted by: Pete Bog at July 27, 2026 04:43 AM (BGSp9)

7 BOING!

Book thread material and very frightening news:

https://tinyurl.com/2mjx3se5

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:44 AM (DGD6U)

8 "Whenever you copy this white text in a white background, a little white light lights up white to let you know you've done it."

What is this, some kind of Chinese hyperhearse?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:45 AM (O7YUW)

9 rabbit-holing?
Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:42 AM (faghi)

Ask not for whom the rabbi tolls, he holes fur tea.

Posted by: Pete Bog at July 27, 2026 04:46 AM (BGSp9)

10 ( pondering if Groundhog Day is a Christmas movie)

Posted by: Skip at July 27, 2026 04:46 AM (Ia/+0)

11 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at July 27, 2026 04:47 AM (nT/TX)

12 Apple is facing the worst possible future. // By which I mean having to pay as much for RAM as everyone else."

And the memory cartel will cartel on.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:47 AM (O7YUW)

13 Guten morgen, horde.
****

the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction.
***
Why you not like cats?

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 04:47 AM (plc2/)

14 "Minecraft system requirements have gone up."

Microslop. Microslop never changes.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:48 AM (O7YUW)

15 LOL!

https://tinyurl.com/tdum6krj

Almost tempts me to subscribe.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:49 AM (DGD6U)

16 "TSMC's 2nm production is in full swing."

Do they make memory chips yet?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:49 AM (O7YUW)

17 Stir It Up - Johnny Nash

I don't think I ever knew what the title words were! I misheard something like "you're enough" or "sure enough." Hahahahaha.

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:49 AM (faghi)

18 "Research: Cosmic ray spallation, tufa versus travertine flowstone, positrons are evil, muon tomography, and the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction."

No linky.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:50 AM (O7YUW)

19 Groundhog Day is a Christmas movie.
-

Towering Inferno is a Chanukah movie?

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:50 AM (DGD6U)

20 Amazingly, I do actually have a tech related question today. My Apple I phone is saying "Do not disturb" at the bottom. I don't remember trying to put that alert on there. Anyone know how to get rid of it? Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 04:51 AM (rHgXV)

21 @4/Skip: "4We are going to get real busy very soon at work, just shame every job is 35 -45 miles away"

Company vehicle, I hope, or at least reimbursement per mile driven?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:51 AM (O7YUW)

22 18 "Research: Cosmic ray spallation, tufa versus travertine flowstone, positrons are evil, muon tomography, and the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction."

No linky.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 04:50 AM (O7YUW)

I think he's telling us stuff he's been tooling around with.

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:51 AM (faghi)

23 10 ( pondering if Groundhog Day is a Christmas movie)
Posted by: Skip at July 27, 2026 04:46 AM (Ia/+0)

Most definitely it is.

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:52 AM (faghi)

24 Power has been out 7+ hours. Thunderstorms are back for another couple hours. I'll wait to head home after they pass. Lot of trees down.

Posted by: olddog in mo at July 27, 2026 04:53 AM (nT/TX)

25 No company vehicle sadly..

Posted by: Skip at July 27, 2026 04:53 AM (Ia/+0)

26 “We don’t know best practices for navigating academia with AI,” Gibson warned. “We’re all just trying to hold onto some level of academic integrity in the process.”
****

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha*cough* hahahahahahahaha
*thud*

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 04:53 AM (plc2/)

27 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come. at July 27, 2026 04:54 AM (sAmhv)

28 7 BOING!

Book thread material and very frightening news:

https://tinyurl.com/2mjx3se5
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:44 AM (DGD6U)

I saw it here the other day. Maybe Pixy posted it?
Not frightening!

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:54 AM (faghi)

29 It may surprise you what the 51st State might be. And I'm not talking about Alberta or Puerto Rico!

https://tinyurl.com/4vts3nrc

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:55 AM (DGD6U)

30 Not frightening!

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:54 AM (faghi)
-

Why not?

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:56 AM (DGD6U)

31 "Do not disturb"
****
Check to see if you activated Airplane Mode in your settings.

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 04:56 AM (plc2/)

32 Also, don't ever do that. Copy into a neutral environment like Notepad (or Notepad++) precisely so that you don't inadvertently include nasty Unicode stuff, or, in this case, an instruction to the AI to make a nonsensical reference to an island off East Africa in your final exam paper.

Pubic Shcools (yes, I misspelled it on purpose) have done a great job pumping out idiots like these students. AI cannot be trusted even if the questions you feed it are your own. I like what one guy said regarding using AI to figure out the letters in scrolls burned into solid lumps of charcoal by Vesuvius: AI was not allowed to interpret the letters into words, lest AI hallucinations creep in...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 04:57 AM (l3cgK)

33 Have a great day horde

Posted by: Skip at July 27, 2026 04:57 AM (Ia/+0)

34 Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 04

Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 04:58 AM (rHgXV)

35 18 "Research: Cosmic ray spallation, tufa versus travertine flowstone, positrons are evil, muon tomography, and the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction."

No linky.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant

You'll have to buy the book. If I ever finish writing it. This is the same story that had me route a Shinkansen line through Eromanga, and have to look up appropriate coins for gratuities for Irish railway porters in 1911, and also where I wiped out catgirls in the process of solving Olbers' Paradox.

Maids, yes. Robots, yes. Ninjas, yes. Catgirls, no.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 27, 2026 04:58 AM (BLOW1)

36 Disclaimer: Groundhog Day is a Christmas movie.

It IS, even with a Christmas miracle. Well, it's no "Die Hard"...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 04:59 AM (l3cgK)

37 I spent a very nice day yesterday not looking at my phone and not tuning into the latest news. It felt good!

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:00 AM (xSAlF)

38 @7/Biden's Dog:

That's absolutely horrific. I'm appalled.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:01 AM (O7YUW)

39 Piper needs to write an op-ed:

https://tinyurl.com/4p6hvjhm

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 05:05 AM (DGD6U)

40 @35/Pixy: "You'll have to buy the book."

See that everyone, he's threatening me with a good time!

Seriously Pixy, publish. I'd buy a copy just to have the experience of being completely immersed in whatever brainsauce your dreams steep in.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:05 AM (O7YUW)

41 @39/Biden's Dog: I'm getting a "Tweet not found" via looking up that post on nitter.net. Might be a fault at Nitter, but it might be a post on X that's locked/restricted somehow.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:07 AM (O7YUW)

42 Man reflects on a bump in the road and Psalm 121:1-8:

https://tinyurl.com/4uz5pvtu

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:08 AM (xSAlF)

43 It's a problem at nitter.

https://nitter.net/BlaireWhite/

Look at the "12h" post (top post currently), that's the one.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:08 AM (O7YUW)

44 Maids, yes. Robots, yes. Ninjas, yes. Catgirls, no.
****

Ok, then. Bad fanfic, thus the need for copy editor cats.

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 05:09 AM (plc2/)

45 I appreciate when Vance is right and doesn't mince words:

https://tinyurl.com/52sf3xtf

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 05:10 AM (DGD6U)

46
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at July 27, 2026 05:15 AM (AMvSw)

47 30 Not frightening!

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:54 AM (faghi)
-

Why not?
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:56 AM (DGD6U)

The AI people are purchasing books (not frightening), and scanning them (not frightening). I'll bounce this back to you: What's frightening about that?

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 05:15 AM (faghi)

48 29 It may surprise you what the 51st State might be. And I'm not talking about Alberta or Puerto Rico!

https://tinyurl.com/4vts3nrc

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:55 AM (DGD6U)

Yeah, they’ve turned it into a communist shit hole. Why does Chicago get to tell the rest of the state how to run?'

This. This is what the dems want by banning the electoral college. Power concentrated in large cities that will decide the vote (well, the vote they don't alter with machines and illegal/multi/dead voters)

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:17 AM (l3cgK)

49 44 Maids, yes. Robots, yes. Ninjas, yes. Catgirls, no.
****

Ok, then. Bad fanfic, thus the need for copy editor cats.
Posted by: clarence

Precisely.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 27, 2026 05:18 AM (BLOW1)

50 Our kitten is very energetic. It makes me laugh the way he shakes his back end likes he's revving (sp) up and engine and then takes off . I am glad, however, he's not 150 lbs. I'd probably be dead. The internet has some story about a guy in India being attacked in a store by a leopard.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:18 AM (xPsv8)

51 47 The AI people are purchasing books (not frightening), and scanning them (not frightening). I'll bounce this back to you: What's frightening about that?
Posted by: m

"AI companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals."

Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 27, 2026 05:21 AM (BLOW1)

52 @50/FenelonSpoke: And it'll happen again and again, because Leopards never change their shops.

Or something like that. ;-)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:22 AM (O7YUW)

53 The AI people are purchasing books (not frightening), and scanning them (not frightening). I'll bounce this back to you: What's frightening about that?
Posted by: m

And then destroying the actual books. They get to curate what you get to know.

Posted by: Dark Lix. at July 27, 2026 05:23 AM (DZ9Lv)

54 47 30 Not frightening!

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 04:54 AM (faghi)
-

Why not?
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 27, 2026 04:56 AM (DGD6U)

The AI people are purchasing books (not frightening), and scanning them (not frightening). I'll bounce this back to you: What's frightening about that?

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 05:15 AM (faghi)

The destruction of the books? Perhaps, if those books are out of print...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:23 AM (l3cgK)

55 Fen, be careful if he bites too hard. Not so much the pain but if a cat goes freak-out and draws blood, you could wind up on anti-bios.

Posted by: Dark Lix. at July 27, 2026 05:25 AM (DZ9Lv)

56 and also where I wiped out catgirls in the process of solving Olbers' Paradox.

So it's a dystopian universe.

Posted by: NR Pax at July 27, 2026 05:25 AM (+4yJ5)

57 Ugh, insomnia....

Posted by: Dark Lix. at July 27, 2026 05:27 AM (DZ9Lv)

58 @57/Dark Lix:

Ugh. May you soon find rest and then a good sleep.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:28 AM (O7YUW)

59 56 and also where I wiped out catgirls in the process of solving Olbers' Paradox.

So it's a dystopian universe.
Posted by: NR Pax

Yes. It's those darn positrons again.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 27, 2026 05:30 AM (BLOW1)

60 59 56 and also where I wiped out catgirls in the process of solving Olbers' Paradox.

So it's a dystopian universe.
Posted by: NR Pax

Yes. It's those darn positrons again.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 27, 2026 05:30 AM (BLOW1)

But they're positive particles...no negativity...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:32 AM (l3cgK)

61 Bayou Renaissance Man's memes for today:

https://tinyurl.com/4e8ussu7

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:33 AM (O7YUW)

62 Posted by: Dark Lix. at July 27, 2026 05:25 AM (DZ9Lv

Thanks. He's not biting me. I say very loudly when he tries to , No bites. No scratches" and I think he's gotten the idea. He purrs very loudly and is quite affectionate. . I was just ruminating about if he was very hungry and very large and I was the only food available.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:33 AM (xSAlF)

63 51 47 The AI people are purchasing books (not frightening), and scanning them (not frightening). I'll bounce this back to you: What's frightening about that?
Posted by: m

"AI companies are bulk-buying rare books, scanning them through high-speed machines that cut the spines off, and shredding the originals."
Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 27, 2026 05:21 AM (BLOW1)

Was it on the tech thread that this story was first posted, Pixy? I'm searching for it in AoSHq archives and not finding it. All of this was much-discussed in the comments! Much to discuss. For example:

The shredding is, I believe, a de-spining to get the pages in a stack to be scanned. As someone comments at the linked site, "It's the only way for LLM companies to make this process legal. Not defending it but don't think they can resell the books after they scan it." Books get pulped all the time. The companies elected to sell these.

Posted by: m at July 27, 2026 05:39 AM (faghi)

64 And we also saw tiny forget me nots and two egrets and several herons. It just amazes me and grateful that God can make something as tiny and beautiful as a forget me not and yet created the sun, moon and the universe.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:40 AM (xSAlF)

65 Ok, then. Bad fanfic, thus the need for copy editor cats.
Posted by: clarence

Precisely.
****

🤣🤣🤣

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 05:43 AM (plc2/)

66 64-Meant " I am grateful".

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:45 AM (rHgXV)

67 In ST TNG every unsolved Hilbert problem was resolved with Tachyons.

Something to keep in mind.

Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026 05:45 AM (Ylc77)

68 66 64-Meant " I am grateful".

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:45 AM (rHgXV)

I was shredding cheese with a cheese grater and my fingers got involved...I was both grate-ful and not grateful...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:45 AM (l3cgK)

69 67 In ST TNG every unsolved Hilbert problem was resolved with Tachyons.

Something to keep in mind.

Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026 05:45 AM (Ylc77)

That's a tachy solution...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:46 AM (l3cgK)

70 Oh, we brought the truck into town to receive a normal ultrasound. Relaxing in a hotel room now. We go back home tomorrow.

Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026 05:46 AM (Ylc77)

71 Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:22 AM (O7YUW)

LOL. Glad I don't live in India.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 05:46 AM (rHgXV)

72 we brought the truck into town to receive a normal ultrasound.
****

???

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 05:48 AM (plc2/)

73 5 I appreciate when Vance is right and doesn't mince words:

https://tinyurl.com/52sf3xtf
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta

----

If he means end the filibuster, I agree. Do it.
If he means pack SCOTUS, I disagree.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at July 27, 2026 05:48 AM (5EgUN)

74 @72/clarence: I envisioned a truck, relaxing on the bed in a hotel room, after having that ultrasound.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:49 AM (O7YUW)

75 74 @72/clarence: I envisioned a truck, relaxing on the bed in a hotel room, after having that ultrasound.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:49 AM (O7YUW)

As my Grandmother (at the time aged 91) said after coming out of the CATSCAN, "Was it a boy or a girl?"...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:50 AM (l3cgK)

76 Also related to the Independence Day reimagined link posted above, Brent Spiner was the crazy scientist in the movie. He does extremes very well. On night court, he was a bumpkin.

Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026 05:50 AM (Ylc77)

77 The truck is complaining about the room now. Taking it elsewhere.

Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026 05:52 AM (Ylc77)

78 @77/meh: What, it didn't like the Vroom service?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:54 AM (O7YUW)

79 78 @77/meh: What, it didn't like the Vroom service?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at July 27, 2026 05:54 AM (O7YUW)

I thought it was exhausted...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 05:56 AM (l3cgK)

80 I often think about cats and if they were big and you was a mouse. That cute little fuzz ball would be your most dangerous animal in your area. (Honey, I shrunk the ......)
Its a good thing horses don't eat meat, or your life would be a very different experience. I guess nature made it so the human can live with animals (generally) and not worry about being eaten.

Posted by: Coliin at July 27, 2026 05:56 AM (CiQE7)

81 As to the ultrasound, if there was a beer in there, it would be Dos Equis.

Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026 05:56 AM (Ylc77)

82 If he means end the filibuster, I agree.
****

The filibuster is an out of date procedure. In these days, most congress critters are told how to vote by those who have paid them off or made a deal for swapping votes. Call the vote and stop allowing the grandstanding.

Posted by: clarence at July 27, 2026 05:57 AM (plc2/)

83 Evening and morning, all! 'Tis Monday the Dreaded again, but remember:

"Compared to being on the wrong side of the ground, even a bad Monday is pretty small kumquats, nicht wahr?"

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 27, 2026 05:58 AM (wzUl9)

84
OK, I ran a hard drive check on my dying computer. It said it passed the SMART test but failed the hard drive test. I took that to mean that the disk itself was working but there's something wrong with it such that I can't load Windows.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at July 27, 2026 06:00 AM (O0L8i)

85 80 I often think about cats and if they were big and you was a mouse. That cute little fuzz ball would be your most dangerous animal in your area. (Honey, I shrunk the ......)
Its a good thing horses don't eat meat, or your life would be a very different experience. I guess nature made it so the human can live with animals (generally) and not worry about being eaten.

Posted by: Coliin at July 27, 2026 05:56 AM (CiQE7)

Depends how hungry the animals are...
There are stories of an owner dying and the pet (cat or dog) having no choice...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 06:02 AM (l3cgK)

86 In ST TNG every unsolved Hilbert problem was resolved with Tachyons.

Something to keep in mind.
Posted by: meh at July 27, 2026

***
I watched one last night from their fourth season that I had forgotten. It was unsettling, as TNG did well, and suspenseful . . . and then, after the climactic resolution, the episode ended far too swiftly, with no commentary on what had happened or any mention of contacting the aliens who had been trapped with them in a spatial rift.

ST:TOS used to have unnecessarily comic tag scenes sometimes, but at least they had them. TNG often held the resolution of their conflict back to so late in the episode that there was no time for reflection.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 27, 2026 06:02 AM (wzUl9)

87 Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at July 27, 2026 06:02 AM (l3cgK)

Fortunately, unless we all died together I think the rest of my family would keep me from being eaten by the cat.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at July 27, 2026 06:05 AM (rHgXV)

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