Daily Tech News 6 October 2026

Top Story

Hacking group Shiny Hunters hacked the FBI. So the FBI arrested them. (The Register)

What did they think was going to happen?

Tech News

AI is junk food for the mind: Easy, tempting, and ultimately very bad for you. (The Verge) (archive site)

This is the ultimate demarcation dispute for journalists as they see that precise niche being carved out from under them by Chinese clankers.
Here's a button that frees up 12GB of space on your Mac. (MacRumors)

Which doesn't sound like much - and honestly isn't much - but given that Macs still ship with as little as 256GB of storage and Apple just added local AI that some people neither use nor want and removed the option to remove it, it is welcome.
The ~~error~~ era of software quality, or the era of ostriches. (Gnome)

We have every quality, so long as it's bad.
Currently building an emulator for yet another nonexistent system, this time based on real hardware: The Zilog Z800 (which did exist, renamed as the Z280, though it had no major design wins), the WDC 65C816, which you can still buy today, two Yamaha V9938 video controllers as seen in MSX2 systems, and a Yamaha OPNA YM2608 sound chip.

I also have the emulators set up so you can use them via a web browser.

I plan to release the whole project before the end of the year. The suite of fantasy emulators is just one small component.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: No, I won't take you to Funky Town.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 w00t

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:02 AM (odBC9)

2 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at October 06, 2026 04:03 AM (sAmhv)

3 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at October 06, 2026 04:04 AM (Ia/+0)

4
The occultation of Jupiter by the Moon is coming up in roughly 10 minutes. Timing will vary somewhat, but because of the angle the US is at rotating into the moving shadow, the timing will be fairly consistent.

Here it will start at 4:14AM.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:05 AM (w6EFb)

5 Hey.

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:05 AM (rdVOm)

6 What did they think was going to happen?

Nothing.
Criminals often think that until one day they hear some banging on the door followed by "POLICE! We have a warrant!!".

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 06, 2026 04:06 AM (6ydKt)

7 Disclaimer: No, I won't take you to Funky Town.

Bad Pixy!

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:06 AM (odBC9)

8 AI is junk food for the mind: Easy, tempting, and ultimately very bad for you. (The Verge) (archive site)

Oh c'mon, it's not that bad.

youtu.be/hQanCfyKFGI

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at October 06, 2026 04:07 AM (sAmhv)

9 4 The occultation of Jupiter by the Moon is coming up in roughly 10 minutes. Timing will vary somewhat, but because of the angle the US is at rotating into the moving shadow, the timing will be fairly consistent.

Here it will start at 4:14AM.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:05 AM (w6EFb)

https://t.ly/9NaU4

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:07 AM (odBC9)

10 Currently building an emulator

Funny coinkydink: I'm emulating a builder.

I'm doing it naked.

Posted by: guy who is doing it naked at October 06, 2026 04:09 AM (E575y)

11
Here's an In-the-sky.org page that shows the map.
https://t.ly/L96u6

Those flat path projections can be sort of confusing, but scroll down and see the animation of the shadow path across the rotating globe. That projection makes it much easier to see how it works.

You'll see the US just rotating into the moving red shadow circle, which is the area where Jupiter appears to be behind the Moon. That moves from west to east across the earth as it rotates underneath. And finally that shadow just moves off the earth's surface.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:11 AM (w6EFb)

12 I'm doing it naked.
Posted by: guy who is doing it naked

Well... lah dee dah... I've been naked all night! Doing all kinds of commenting & stuff! Big whoop! LOL.

/s

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:11 AM (rdVOm)

13
Tree line is blocking it here pretty good. But I'll be able to easily see Jupiter reappear in about an hour.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:12 AM (w6EFb)

14
The error of software quality, or the era of ostriches. (Gnome)

We have every quality, so long as it's bad.

I can see how AI can definitely help with security.
The problem I can see in the future is that eventually these AI security/bug hunters are eventually going to have such a large database that eventually there will be no software they can't hack into.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 06, 2026 04:12 AM (6ydKt)

15 9 4 The occultation of Jupiter by the Moon is coming up in roughly 10 minutes. Timing will vary somewhat, but because of the angle the US is at rotating into the moving shadow, the timing will be fairly consistent.

Here it will start at 4:14AM.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:05 AM (w6EFb)

https://t.ly/9NaU4
Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:07 AM (odBC9)

The arrow pointer on the screen: I think that should go away.

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:14 AM (odBC9)

16 15 9 4 The occultation of Jupiter by the Moon is coming up in roughly 10 minutes. Timing will vary somewhat, but because of the angle the US is at rotating into the moving shadow, the timing will be fairly consistent.

Here it will start at 4:14AM.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:05 AM (w6EFb)

https://t.ly/9NaU4
Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:07 AM (odBC9)

The arrow pointer on the screen: I think that should go away.
Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:14 AM (odBC9)

haha it's gone, now

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:16 AM (odBC9)

17 Oh c'mon, it's not that bad.

youtu.be/hQanCfyKFGI

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at October 06, 2026 04:07 AM (sAmhv)

lol

Yes, AI is good for people with excellent imaginations and a lot of free time to come up with enough crazy to make me laugh.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 06, 2026 04:16 AM (6ydKt)

18
Jupiter here has just disappeared behind the limb (according to Stellarium). The difference from the feed above in Illinois is parallax, of course. Just a little bit later for them.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:17 AM (w6EFb)

19 It's just a nice, starry night here in Podunk ID...

Me & Cat on the deck. He gets extra rubbys just because, LOL.

Summer is over but hanging on until the last possible moment!

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:18 AM (rdVOm)

20 /s

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:11 AM (rdVOm)

Sure, sure, sarcastic, uh huh.

We all know you do the naked bartender thing.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 06, 2026 04:18 AM (6ydKt)

21 We all know you do the naked bartender thing.
Posted by: SpeakingOf

LOL!

And Bulg is the only one I *shimmied* for! Y'all missed it!

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:21 AM (rdVOm)

22 cool stuff, publius

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:21 AM (odBC9)

23 parallax - noun
the effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions, e.g. through the viewfinder and the lens of a camera

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:23 AM (odBC9)

24 That video was different

Posted by: Skip at October 06, 2026 04:25 AM (Ia/+0)

25 That potential tropical storm forming in the Bay of Campeche might actually happen towards the end of the week.

If it does form, looks like the area it will ultimately aim for is the central Gulf coast, anywhere from New Orleans to Pensacola.

Models are showing it well below 1000 millibars by Saturday so at least a Category 1 hurricane if that holds.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 06, 2026 04:25 AM (6ydKt)

26 And Bulg is the only one I *shimmied* for! Y'all missed it!

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:21 AM (rdVOm)

Somebody here with AI access could make that a video for us.
All we need is a portrait of you to get started.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 06, 2026 04:27 AM (6ydKt)

27
JQ, look to the east, and Mars should be well above the horizon for you now. You'll see the red point. Two others, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran up there as well.

The Moon should be just starting to rise there for you.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:32 AM (w6EFb)

28 All we need is a portrait of you to get started.
Posted by: SpeakingOf

Oh, honey... you don't want that.

Sometimes, one's imagination is better than reality. Such it is, in this case. Don't *blow* the fantasy!

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:33 AM (rdVOm)

29 24 That video was different
Posted by: Skip at October 06, 2026 04:25 AM (Ia/+0)

Piper might like it!

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:33 AM (odBC9)

30
He just mentioned the Moon is so low on the horizon, that's why the "seeing" is so poor for them. Note all the shimmering. That's the thick atmosphere it's having to pass through. If it were just a little bit higher, it would be a much nicer image.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:33 AM (w6EFb)

31 30
He just mentioned the Moon is so low on the horizon, that's why the "seeing" is so poor for them. Note all the shimmering. That's the thick atmosphere it's having to pass through. If it were just a little bit higher, it would be a much nicer image.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:33 AM (w6EFb)

Sounds like he's changing the aperture.

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:35 AM (odBC9)

32 "dark limb of the moon"

limb - noun
1 Astronomy: the edge of the disk of a celestial object, especially the sun or moon: the eastern limb of the moon.

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:37 AM (odBC9)

33 Been wathing a lot of Astrum on YouTube about space things.
Not sure I get all of it but he trys to explain lots of astronomy stuff.

Posted by: Skip at October 06, 2026 04:37 AM (Ia/+0)

34 Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 06, 2026 04:32 AM

Ugh. There's a fking street light. All I recognize out there is Orion's Belt, 3 stars lined up nearly vertically above the Eastern horizon now, and a few other random stars...

I hate my city. There's no need for street lights, this far out of town!

Posted by: JQ at October 06, 2026 04:39 AM (rdVOm)

35 BOING!

Let's sing!

Shiny Hunters hackers,
Handcuffed hands.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at October 06, 2026 04:39 AM (y1wyK)

36 He says it'll be about half an hour before Jupiter comes out the other side. Well, that's not how he put it....

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:40 AM (odBC9)

37 ... the other side of the moon ...

Posted by: m at October 06, 2026 04:41 AM (odBC9)

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