Daily Tech News 11 September 2026

Top Story

Twenty-five years. I was only four at the time, like the rest of us, but I remember the day.
The Exploration Company has raised $450 million in series C funding in an attempt to show that Europe is not irrelevant. (Ars Technica)

And to explore space, maybe.

Problem is they need to add three more zeroes to that number to make a dent. It's being billed as the "fastest growing space company in Europe", which is like being the most successful oyster farmer in Eromanga, population 98.

Tech News

AI has a 10% chance of killing all of us by the end of next week mostly by falling off a roof and landing face first on a rake so that we die of laughter. (The Register)

Copilot this time.
Anthropic says it has blocked attempts to build biological weapons. (New York Times) (archive site)

Anthropic says a lot of things. I am a paying customer; their product is a lot better than their PR.
"You are not seeing someone in a comic book kind of way say, 'Hey, I want to build a biological weapon to kill everybody,'" Jacob Klein, the head of threat intelligence at Anthropic, said in an interview. "It's an incredibly nuanced situation. They're saying things like 'But I don't want to cure cancer. I want to turn people into dinosaurs.'"
Don't we all, Jake. Don't we all.
Anthropic also detailed distillation campaigns by Alibaba, Moonshot AI and Deepseek. (Tech Crunch)

You are trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen, and I think it most ungentlemanly.

Also, you know who isn't blocking attempts to build a resistance to iocane powder?
HP has introduced its latest home computer. (Notebook Check)

Returned, the unaffordable RISC workstations of the late 90s have.
Deepseek beats Anthropic's Opus 5 on coding - where Opus 5 is actually good - at one 86th the cost. (WCCFTech)

Though if you're able to live within a plan and not burn infinite tokens through the API, Opus 5 can be one 20th the price that comparison assumes.
Speaking of which: Fixed the performance of my runtime. The interpreter is now as fast as Ruby, where before it needed the compiler to match that. The compiler averages around 3x faster. And because it has a rich set of builtins, using those really puts on the afterburners, with minor changes in code lifting it to 15x the performance of the Ruby interpreter.

Of course, Ruby now has a compiler of its own, which I haven't tested against.

Right now, integrating multiprecision maths into the core.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: It's definitely a thing.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at September 11, 2026 04:32 AM (jFCkp)

2 G'Day everyone TGIF

Posted by: Skip at September 11, 2026 04:32 AM (Ia/+0)

3 (staggers)
(vomits)
(passes out with bottles of tequila strewn about)

Posted by: MS CoPilot at September 11, 2026 04:35 AM (jFCkp)

4 Guns & Roses?

I am always reminded of the parody song - "Welcome to anime city, where the Akogi are green and the mech are gritty."

Posted by: Anna Puma at September 11, 2026 04:38 AM (2GVsD)

5 Appetite for Destruction was just a great album.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at September 11, 2026 04:40 AM (jFCkp)

6 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at September 11, 2026 04:41 AM (V0/Sp)

7 I won't ever forget 9/11

Posted by: Skip at September 11, 2026 04:44 AM (Ia/+0)

8 Now I'm old and gray, but back when Guns and Roses was at their peak, life for me and everyone else had the energy. What happened???

Posted by: Colin at September 11, 2026 04:45 AM (CiQE7)

9 Appetite for Destruction or Back in Black?

Posted by: Dark Lix at September 11, 2026 04:47 AM (Fv808)

10 JM, I can read your comment so maybe not.

Posted by: Ben Had at September 11, 2026 05:00 AM (E0Et6)

11 >>> What happened???

Crazy, innit?

Posted by: fluffy at September 11, 2026 05:01 AM (V0/Sp)

12 Well, nuts. Its going to be a wet walk from the metro station to my home and I forgot my umbrella.

I will endeavor to persevere.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at September 11, 2026 05:02 AM (jFCkp)

13 UH OH, JM's comment just got zapped.

Posted by: Ben Had at September 11, 2026 05:02 AM (E0Et6)

14 I didn't do it. Don't know what did.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 11, 2026 05:04 AM (BLOW1)

15
g'mornin', 'rons

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

16 >>> JM's comment just got zapped.

I blame Ada. She has been giving JM some nasty side eye for quite some time.

Posted by: fluffy at September 11, 2026 05:12 AM (V0/Sp)

17 OK, what is happening now?

Is Ada deleting all new comments or did Pixy trap me in a snow globe with my own version of the thread?

Posted by: fluffy at September 11, 2026 05:23 AM (V0/Sp)

18 Yes.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 11, 2026 05:25 AM (BLOW1)

19 My brother in law worked for Marsh and McLennan ) on the floor where the first plane hit. He had a day off that day.

Please pray for the safety of those doing remembrance services in NY and elsewhere this day. Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 11, 2026 05:30 AM (W90Ou)

20 Mornin' Horde.

Dark thoughts of vengeance this morning, given the date. I need to pray to God to help me get rid of 'em.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:31 AM (O7YUW)

21 Woman visiting the 9/11 remembrance and memorial pool reflects on Psalm 30:2-13
Our Daily Bread devotional:

https://tinyurl.com/sb2xa9wt

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 11, 2026 05:35 AM (W90Ou)

22
I pray for the families who lost loved ones.

So many families are reliving this terribly day from 25 years ago..

I can't imagine how awful this day is for them.

Posted by: four seasons at September 11, 2026 05:35 AM (/QHx4)

23 I just saw another comment by JM about comments being deleted even on the Lenovo Laptop.

This is consistent with being placed on the ban list (maybe IP ban?) by one of the COBs.

JM: Try turning off the router to your house for 5 to 15 minutes, then power it up and see if it gets you a new IP address, and see if that helps? (Your router may have grabbed an IP address that was already on the IP ban list, the last time it refreshed and got an address.)

That's the only theory I have. I may be completely wrong.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:36 AM (O7YUW)

24 (Also I'm assuming placement on that ban list is accidental, not purposeful.)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:37 AM (O7YUW)

25 Oh, and if you're using a VPN, try connecting to a different end-point! It might be the VPN endpoint's IP address that got banned if a troll was using it to cause havoc here.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:38 AM (O7YUW)

26 Evening and morning, all. Remembrances both dark and thankful will abound on this date.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 05:39 AM (wzUl9)

27 My ban list tells you you're banned; it doesn't let you in and delete your comment later. But there is a second ban list maintained by the original blog software.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 11, 2026 05:39 AM (BLOW1)

28
Never forget and keep fighting for what is right.

Posted by: four seasons at September 11, 2026 05:40 AM (/QHx4)

29 Two ban lists, because two is one, and one is none?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:41 AM (O7YUW)

30 In 2021, for the twentieth anniversary of the day, everybody (except the sensible) was wailing and wringing their hands about the Coof, face diapers, and the Clot Shot that, Mushbrain Joe assured us, was gonna save us all.

What a difference just five years can make, huh?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 05:41 AM (wzUl9)

31 Good morning, everyone. It's a rainy morning here in the GPROMD. I'm in the process of planning a flight out to enemy territory (CA) to see my dad for his birthday.

Posted by: NR Pax at September 11, 2026 05:42 AM (RjOoY)

32 @30/Wolfus: What was scary about that wasn't the event itself, but how quickly most of the world fell into a shared psychosis, and how easily it happened.

Reminded me of something I heard once, and it may have been Sarah Hoyt who said it, but I can't remember now. Anyway, it was something like: "Entire societies can and have gone batshit insane."

Now I've seen it.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:44 AM (O7YUW)

33
Never forget and never forgive.

Posted by: four seasons at September 11, 2026 05:46 AM (/QHx4)

34 I'm awake a little ahead of the alarm, not Stirling's fault, and having coffee.

We tried weighing Stirling last night on the bathroom scale. Much hilarity ensued. Linda scooped him up in her arms and stepped on the scale, then let him go and stepped on it again.

After subtracting, we got *17* lbs. for him. That can't be right -- he was 15.5 at the vet two weeks ago. I probably misread where the little red line was hitting on the dial; it's not a digital scale.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 05:47 AM (wzUl9)

35 I dodged going to one of those academic luncheons at my former employer today. Apparently the institute has these nearly every week during the fall and spring semesters. What the talk today is about, I have no idea, and Linda didn't either. She's just going to get out of the house and to get a free lunch.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 05:49 AM (wzUl9)

36 Almost funny, Trump doesn’t appear to realize yet that the US is going to have to do something about the Houthi. He doesn’t want to, but there’s no choice.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 11, 2026 05:50 AM (UJfh6)

37 Reminded me of something I heard once, and it may have been Sarah Hoyt who said it, but I can't remember now. Anyway, it was something like: "Entire societies can and have gone batshit insane."

Now I've seen it.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:44 AM (O7YUW)

“ Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.”
Charles MacKay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 11, 2026 05:56 AM (UJfh6)

38 @33/four seasons: My thoughts this morning are running along the lines of delivering three bunker busters to:

1. Masjid al-Haram (the the Great Mosque of Mecca)
2. The Prophet's Mosque in Medina
3. Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem (where the Temple Mount is).

Times would correspond exactly to the moments 25 years ago when the North and South towers, and the Pentagon were hit by the planes flown by the Muslim terrorists.

And then for good measure, drop a 20 megaton nuke on (2) and (1) (in that order) and at the exact times the two towers fell.

And those 5 times would be:

08:46 - North tower hit
09:03 - South tower hit
09:37 - Pentagon hit
09:59 - South tower collapses
10:28 - North tower collapses

Vengeful thoughts, indeed.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:56 AM (O7YUW)

39 The ethanol-free gas I went to feed the Buick with yesterday had mushroomed to $4.19, while regular was $3.47, about the cheapest in town now. I was going to spring for the E0, since most regular gas is now $3.79-3.89. But above the pump was a notice, "May Contain Ethanol." Uh, I'm not gonna pay extra for ethanol free if it ain't ethanol free. Foolishly, I tried asking the clerk if he knew about this. His only English is "Yeah," "No," and "How much?", so that was pointless.

I bought the regular. Oh, well.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 05:56 AM (wzUl9)

40 G & R, your bunker buster & nuke plan should have been executed on 9/12/01. Along with the expulsion of every Moslem from America and a total ban on any more entering.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 05:59 AM (wzUl9)

41 “ In reading The History of Nations… we find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.”
Charles MacKay

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 11, 2026 06:00 AM (UJfh6)

42 @39/Wolfus: "His only English is "Yeah," "No," and "How much?", so that was pointless. "

Illegal alien employed by that gas station?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:01 AM (O7YUW)

43 There was a lady at the supermarket yesterday who had a lovely sweatshirt with "Pray. Pray" spelled out in shiny gold and silvery letters against a black background . I told her I appreciated her shirt and we had a nice conversation about the importance of prayer.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 11, 2026 06:03 AM (W90Ou)

44 @40/Wolfus: *clinks glass in mutual toast*

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:03 AM (O7YUW)

45 @43/FenelonSpoke: Thank you for bringing the light, today.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:04 AM (O7YUW)

46 Good morning morons

Viva la gente libre de Chile!

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:04 AM (RIvkX)

47 /Wolfus: "His only English is "Yeah," "No," and "How much?", so that was pointless. "
*
Illegal alien employed by that gas station?
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026

***
More than likely somebody from the Moslem world. Seems like nearly every gas station in town is owned, or staffed, by such people, surly, blank-eyed, and barely able to communicate in America's language.

Still could be illegal, of course. Should I drop a dime to ICE?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 06:05 AM (wzUl9)

48 Now I have to locate and corral my workout motivation. I think I saw it slipping through the shadows back of my armchair and near the TV stand. Sneaky little devil it is.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 06:08 AM (wzUl9)

49 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Rejoinder: I know things about stuff.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at September 11, 2026 06:08 AM (amcLV)

50 @47/Wolfus: "Still could be illegal, of course. Should I drop a dime to ICE?"

YES.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:08 AM (O7YUW)

51 Why are we celebrating the free people of Chile?

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at September 11, 2026 06:09 AM (amcLV)

52 *looks around* Where the heck is m?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:09 AM (O7YUW)

53 Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 05:56 AM (O7YUW)
=====

You've really worked out all the details. I like it.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:10 AM (RIvkX)

54
51 Why are we celebrating the free people of Chile?
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at September 11, 2026 06:09 AM (amcLV)

What have they done for me lately?

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 11, 2026 06:10 AM (UJfh6)

55 Why are we celebrating the free people of Chile?
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at September 11, 2026 06:09 AM (amcLV)
=====

On this day in 1973 they reclaimed their country from the communists.

Trying to focus on the positive today.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:12 AM (RIvkX)

56 Meanwhile, I was planning on going to the gym but realized I should get my haircut so I look a touch more presentable for my anniversary. 24 years this month.

Folks, I'm gonna focus on the positive today.

Posted by: NR Pax at September 11, 2026 06:13 AM (RjOoY)

57 Testing

Posted by: JM in Illinois at September 11, 2026 06:13 AM (8O9+I)

58 @Tom Servo: Thanks for looking up those exact quotations. :-)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:13 AM (O7YUW)

59 Another test

Posted by: JM in Illinois at September 11, 2026 06:15 AM (8O9+I)

60 The Exxon-branded convenience store/gas station I usually visit near my house is also staffed with surly and English-incompetent people. There, though, I can use my Exxon gas card at the pump and not have to interact with them. Their "ethanol free" gas, which I suspect is also laced with alcohol, has been at $3.69 for some time, even when the price of regular bumped up and bumped down. Either it's old gas; or it's got E10 in it, they get it cheaper than they can E0, and can offer it at the same price over a long period.

I'm reminded of the chain of stations in Kansas that was not labeling the premium they were selling at a discount as being E10 or E15. I reported them to the KS Department of Agriculture and heard back that they were being forced to label the stuff properly.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 06:15 AM (wzUl9)

61 Wolfus: "Still could be illegal, of course. Should I drop a dime to ICE?"
*
YES.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026

***
I'll look up the address of the gas station.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 06:16 AM (wzUl9)

62 Now from the Lenovo.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at September 11, 2026 06:17 AM (8O9+I)

63 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at September 11, 2026 06:18 AM (Hbeqj)

64 Grumpy and Recalcitrant, you win the award for Best Remote Troubleshooting of the Week.

Thank you.

-- JM, returned from the lurker zone

Posted by: JM in Illinois at September 11, 2026 06:19 AM (8O9+I)

65 G' mornin' everyone!

wishing you all a thoughtful Rick Rescorla day.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at September 11, 2026 06:22 AM (VyBeY)

66 @64/JM: I'm glad you're back! So it was the IP address then?

Did you switch endpoints on your VPN connection, or did you just reboot your router and get a different IP from your ISP?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:22 AM (O7YUW)

67 California newsrooms decimated in ‘the bloodiest round of layoffs’ as media giant culls 40% of staff
By Katie Jerkovich
Published Sep. 10, 2026, 3:47 p.m. PT

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Several California newsrooms have been decimated in a brutal round of layoffs.

McClatchy, the media giant behind The Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee, announced the severe cuts Thursday, with some newsrooms losing as much as 40% of their staff.

More than 90 journalists nationwide were affected, according to estimates from unions representing workers at various McClatchy-owned papers, Poynter reported.
======

Focus on the positive!

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:22 AM (RIvkX)

68 Charles MacKay knew ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at September 11, 2026 06:24 AM (VyBeY)

69 It's Friday, it's Friday! Happy, happy Friday!

*twirl*

REMEMBER.

Posted by: Rosasharn at September 11, 2026 06:26 AM (PzBTm)

70 I'm just here for the twirling.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:26 AM (RIvkX)

71 @69: Thank you for the Friday Twirl!

"REMEMBER."

Can't forget.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:26 AM (O7YUW)

72 hehehehe.

Jerkovich.

Sounds like a generic anti-slavic insult.

"There we were, all ready to go, and then friggin' Jerkovich over here shows up and...."

Posted by: Warai-otoko at September 11, 2026 06:28 AM (Ot/FD)

73 Diesel is $6/gallon for the first time ever.

Posted by: Unkaren at September 11, 2026 06:29 AM (wBxGS)

74 Thank you, Rosasharn, we will!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at September 11, 2026 06:31 AM (VyBeY)

75 Wolfus: "Still could be illegal, of course. Should I drop a dime to ICE?"
*
YES.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026

***
Done. I might do the same for the station near my house.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 11, 2026 06:32 AM (wzUl9)

76 Diesel is $6/gallon for the first time ever.
Posted by: Unkaren at September 11, 2026 06:29 AM (wBxGS)
====

Maybe the government can cut its take temporarily?

Naaaaaaaah.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:33 AM (RIvkX)

77 Focus on the positive.

Just don't touch it if you're grounded.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at September 11, 2026 06:33 AM (Ot/FD)

78 @75/Wolfus: Might as well. If they don't speak English, either they are a new legal immigrant (at which point, ICE will have the records via USCIS) or they're an illegal, and just another valid target for deportation. Might as well get it done while the current administration is in power, because if the Dems get back in, the floodgates are open again.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:34 AM (O7YUW)

79 @77/Warai-otoko: *snorts* Electric Boogaloo part II.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant, a Moron behind enemy lines at September 11, 2026 06:35 AM (O7YUW)

80 Adam Carolla spoke at the convention in Dallas yesterday.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 11, 2026 06:37 AM (RIvkX)

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