Most elements of a major NASA event this week that laid out spaceflight plans for the coming decade were well received: a Moon base, a focus on less talk and more action, and working with industry to streamline regulations so increased innovation can propel the United States further into space.
However, one aspect of this event, named Ignition, has begun to run into serious turbulence. It involves NASA’s attempt to navigate a difficult issue with no clear solution: finding a commercial replacement for the aging International Space Station.
During the Ignition event on Tuesday, NASA leaders had blunt words for the future of commercial activity in low-Earth orbit. Essentially, they are not confident in the viability of a commercial marketplace for humans there, and the agency’s plan to work with private companies to develop independent space stations does not appear to be headed toward success. Plenty of people in the industry share these concerns, but NASA officials have not expressed them out loud before.
Brutal thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks have battered much of the nation throughout March, and it looks like this severe weather pattern is here to stay.
Alhamdulillah, I started HyprLTM-Net as a personal project for my Hyprland setup, which by the way I am still quietly improving, and now it has become a real open source project used by hundreds of users.And even better, I keep taking care of it like a little baby (for your curiosity, I am a father). This time, I’m more than happy to announce the availability of HyprLTM-Net v0.3.0, which comes with numerous new features, fixes, and improvements.So let’s see what this new version brings.
Earlier this week I provided benchmarks looking at KDE Plasma 6.6’s performance advantage over GNOME 50 for Linux gaming with AMD Radeon graphics. That raised the question if the same was true when using NVIDIA graphics with their official Linux graphics driver stack. Here are such benchmarks looking at the KDE Plasma 6.6 and GNOME 50 performance on Ubuntu 26.04 beta while using the new NVIDIA 595.58.03 Linux driver.
It’s still early, but the MacBook Neo may be the biggest threat to Windows laptops to date, particularly in the current climate that has seen certain PC component prices soar. A possible challenger could come in the form of Intel’s upcoming Wildcat Lake lineup, and in particular a 5-core model that has just been spotted on Geekbench.
Pro-Lite displayed its new Indoor Training Bike at the Taipei International Cycle Show, offering the adjustability to mimic your real-world setup indoors.
The new trainer features 24 levels of resistance and is said to be designed with input from Rouvy to create a realistic ride feel.
The device features near bike-fitter levels of adjustability, with the saddle height, reach, bar height, bar width and crank length all featuring some level of movement.
On the handlebar, there’s a display and a built-in stand to support your tablet or laptop when using cycling apps.
The saddle was designed with input from Selle San Marco. Nick Clark / Our Media
Pro-Lite says it has spent time creating a non-gendered saddle for the bike, with padding to support any rider’s anatomy.
The shifting/resistance buttons are built into the hoods. Nick Clark / Our Media
This should make sharing the device in a household easier, with no need to switch saddles before each ride.
The cockpit features plenty of adjustability. Nick Clark / Our Media
The crank lengths range from a short 150mm to 175mm, meaning you should be able to test out different options.
The pedals have to be unscrewed to alter the crank length. Nick Clark / Our Media
Pedals are dual-sided, with SPDs on one side and toe straps on the other.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: A federal judge in California has indefinitely blocked the Pentagon’s effort to “punish” Anthropic by labeling it a supply chain risk and attempting to sever government ties with the AI company, ruling that those measures ran roughshod over its constitutional rights. “Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” US District Judge Rita Lin wrote in a stinging 43-page ruling.
Lin, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, said she would delay implementation of her ruling for one week to allow the government to appeal. But in her ruling, she made it clear she disapproved of the government’s actions, which she said violated the company’s First Amendment and due process rights. […] “These broad measures do not appear to be directed at the government’s stated national security interests,” she wrote. “The Department of War’s records show that it designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk because of its ‘hostile manner through the press.'” “Punishing Anthropic for bringing public scrutiny to the government’s contracting position is classic illegal First Amendment retaliation,” she added. “We’re grateful to the court for moving swiftly, and pleased they agree Anthropic is likely to succeed on the merits,” an Anthropic spokesperson said after the ruling. “While this case was necessary to protect Anthropic, our customers, and our partners, our focus remains on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI.”
After more than a decade of flirting with the idea, Apple has finally discontinued the Mac Pro tower. The company confirmed to 9to5Mac that the latest Mac Pro iteration—an M2 Ultra model first released in mid-2023—would be its last, at least for the time being. There are no plans to make another Mac Pro.
The discontinuation of the Mac Pro should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Reporting from late last year suggested that the Mac Pro had been put “on the back burner,” but the desktop has clearly been in danger of falling off the stove since at least the mid-2010s, during the six-year period where the controversial cylindrical “trash can” Mac Pro design languished without updates.
Apple briefly rededicated itself to its pro desktop in 2019 with a new design that hearkened back to more versatile, upgradeable, be-handled versions of the Power Mac and Mac Pro. But by the time it was updated again with M2 Ultra four years later, it was already clear that the idea of a huge and expandable Mac desktop was out of step with the Apple Silicon era. The desktop’s demise confirms that, at least in Apple’s estimation, the Mac Pro was trying to fill a niche that no longer exists.
Hubble has captured a phenomenon never before witnessed in the world of astronomy: a comet that slowed and then began spinning in the opposite direction. No alien intervention was involved in this one (as far as we know).
41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák taken on March 22, 2017
The about-turn comes courtesy of comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák,
If you’ve ever wanted to be able to taunt your friend as you drop them and disappear into the distance on a group ride, Rilax’s RU-1 Pro helmet might be for you.
The helmet has an InstaLink Intercom system that enables up to eight riders to talk to each other while out riding.
Rilax says the RU-1 Pro enables you to chat to other users of the system up to 2,000m away, with a microphone and speakers integrated into the shell.
The speakers and microphone sit in the brim of the helmet. Nick Clark / Our Media
The brand says it uses noise-reduction software in order to keep gasping breaths and wind noise from exiting the speakers.
The system also enables you to play music or podcasts, and take calls on the move.
A magnetic quick-release buckle is used to secure the helmet. Nick Clark / Our Media
Battery life looks good, with a claimed 12 hours of playback available, although Rilax doesn’t say how long it lasts in the intercom setting.
The system has IP67 waterproofing, meaning you should be fine if the heavens open.
The touchscreen portion is integrated neatly, with gestures controlling the functions. Nick Clark / Our Media
This top-of-the-range model features a touch-control interface on the side of the helmet for a sleeker design compared to the buttons found on other models.
There is also a built-in light on the rear of the helmet, and it charges via USB-C.
If you have a glass of apple juice handy, pour one out for Apple’s Mac Pro desktop, which is now discontinued. While there was not a public announcement, Apple made quick and quiet work of scrubbing the Mac Pro from its website, having removed both the product page and the option to buy one in its online store, and it’s now as though it never
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If you have some spring chores to tackle in your yard, a good set of cordless outdoor tools can save you time—but cordless outdoor tools can also be expensive. Cordless lawn and gardening tools use high-capacity batteries, which can cause a steep increase in price. Amazon has some Big Spring Deals on landscaping tools that can save you up to 62% off on the equipment you need to tackle your spring to-do list.
This 24-volt chainsaw is 35% off
If you need to trim a tree or clean up fallen branches, a chainsaw can speed up the process. Although most battery-operated chainsaws aren’t quite as powerful as traditional gas-powered ones, a good quality battery can give you enough power for most things you would use a chainsaw for in your yard. The Greenworks 24-volt, 10-inch chainsaw is on sale for $97.99, down from 149.99. The saw comes with a 24-volt, two-amp-hour battery and a charger as well.
These 40-volt tool deals are perfect for most yards
Whacking weeds is a big part of keeping your yard look manicured, especially in springtime. Getting a trimmer that lasts long enough to get some work done can be expensive, so a 40-volt, two-amp-hour battery is a good investment to avoid running back to the charger every few minutes.
The Greenworks 40-volt, 12-inch string trimmer and 390 CFM leaf blower combo is on sale for $124.99, down from 189.99. This combo comes with a 40-volt, two-amp-hour battery and a charger. It’s rated to work at maximum capacity for at least an hour and can be used on about a third of an acre per charge.
The Greenworks 40-volt, eight-inch cordless edger is on sale for $190.95, 36% off its regular price. The edger tool comes with a 40-volt, four-amp-hour battery that you’ll be able to use right out of the box. The edger is rated to tackle about one mile of edging and can run for at least an hour before needing a charge.
A spare Greenworks 40-volt, two-amp-hour battery is on sale for $49, 62% off its regular price. If you already have a Greenworks set of 40-volt tools, this battery is compatible with those sets. Having at least two batteries allows you to charge one battery while you’re using the other so you don’t need to wait for a fresh battery. This is a battery-only deal, so you’ll need a Greenworks 40-volt charger to use it.
If you have a larger yard, check out this 60-volt tool set
If you have a larger yard, it might take more than an hour to trim. A 60-volt battery will give you a little more power and run-time so you can get more done between battery swaps. The Greenworks 60-volt yard tool combo set is on sale for $209, 34% off its regular price. It comes with a 13-inch string trimmer, a 540 CFM leaf blower, a 60-volt, four-amp-hour battery, and a charger. The set can run for 90 minutes and the string trimmer can trim about two miles worth of weeds on a single charge.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now
In yet another cautionary tale for those working in the legal system, a Salem attorney has been hit with a $10,000 fine, the largest of its kind in Oregon, after submitting an appellate brief riddled with made-up citations generated by artificial intelligence.
The case (initially reported by Oregon Live) centers around attorney Bill Ghiorso,
Following the Intel Xe kernel graphics driver pull request landing transparent hugepages for device pages as an SVM win, another round of Intel Xe driver updates were sent out this week ahead of next month’s Linux 7.1 merge window. This latest pull request lands a new user-space API for helping the Intel Xe driver better cope with situations of video memory pressure / out-of-memory behavior for vRAM…
RV Tech, a joint venture between Volkswagen Group and Rivian, has completed a successful winter test program, it said this morning. The partnership was created in 2024 when VW Group announced it would invest $5.8 billion in the American electric vehicle maker to gain access to Rivian’s expertise in vehicle software and electronic architecture. VW Group initially paid Rivian $1 billion in cash, with further payments over time: the completion of the winter testing milestone should unlock a further $1 billion payment.
VW’s decision to turn to Rivian followed a tortuous history of its own internal software development. It created a new division in 2019 just to develop software for cars, then immediately bit off more than it could chew by trying to simultaneously develop three different vehicle operating systems. Things went the opposite of smoothly, with software-related delays to the two new platforms used by cars like the VW ID.4 and Porsche Macan that led to chairman Herbert Diess’ firing and the third platform delayed until late in this decade.
Rivian, meanwhile, had no such problems developing its own vehicle electronic architecture and software, starting from a clean sheet unencumbered by generations of legacy cruft. As a startup automaker, Rivian needs money, and since Volkswagen needs better tech, the joint venture makes a lot of sense.
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If you want a high-quality OLED TV for gaming and movies but the options you’ve been seeing online are out of your price range (they often easily surpass the $1,000 mark), the 55-inch Samsung S85F OLED TV checks most of the necessary boxes and is currently down to $897.99 (originally $1,397.99) thanks to a 36% discount during the Amazon Big Spring Sale.
Despite being labeled an entry-level OLED TV, the picture quality is still impressive, with not just strong HDR performance, color accuracy, and near-infinite contrast, but also perfect blacks and refined shadow detail. That means you’ll get better bang for your buck during dark scenes than you will with LED/QLED displays. The S85F has a very wide viewing angle, allowing for a consistent image from all sides. It uses an AI Gen2 processor and has AI-based enhancements, including 4K AI Upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer, and runs on the Tizen 9.0 smart TV platform.
It’s also an underrated choice for gamers that rivals the best gaming TVs, with a highly responsive 9.4ms input lag. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync, ALLM, and HDR10+ gaming, as well as Motion Xcelerator tech to reduce blur in fast scenes and an AI Auto Game Mode to optimize settings. Plus, the Samsung Gaming Hub offers extra perks, including access to a wide range of cloud gaming apps. The two 2-channel, 20W speakers give users decent bass and clear dialogue, but they’re not home theater-level.
While it may not be the absolute brightest OLED on the market or have top-of-the-line built-in audio, the 55-inch Samsung S85F OLED TV still offers great value and makes a strong choice for gaming and movies, especially at a sub-$900 price point, which is more than fair for an OLED from a top brand. If you want the best of the best, you can upgrade to a model like the S95, but it’ll come with a hefty price bump. For most people, a middle-ground OLED like the S85F is a solid choice.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now
Meta and EssilorLuxottica appear to be preparing two new Ray-Ban smart glasses for launch, according to US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) filings from earlier this month.
As first reported by Janko Roettgers in his Lowpass newsletter, Meta hardware partner EssilorLuxottica has filed with the FCC two new devices which appear to be the next generation of their Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The FCC filing in question contains the names ‘Ray-Ban Meta Scriber’ and ‘Ray-Ban Meta Blazer’, describing them as “production units”, which could mean launch is fairly close.
Array of Meta smart glasses | Image courtesy Brad Lynch
Typically, FCC filings are one of the last stops before launch, as we saw with the last three hardware generations of Ray-Ban smart glasses, all three of which released less than a month after their respective FCC filings.
The company’s second-gen smart glasses released in 2025 include hardware refreshes of its popular Ray-Ban glasses, as well as Oakley Meta HSTN, Oakley Meta Vanguard, and the $800 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses—the company’s first smart glasses to include a heads-up display.
As Roettgers points out, the new FCC filings are largely devoid of details or images of the devices, however a charging case was mentioned in testing—an accessory provided with all generations of the companies’ smart glasses.
Model numbers for Blazer and Scriber, respectively RW7001 and RW7002, are also new, which suggests we’re dealing with a new hardware generation.
Additionally, the devices were tested using the Wi-Fi 6 U-NII-4 band (5.9 GHz). Notably, the company’s latest smart glasses use Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz), which does not operate in the 5.9 GHz U-NII-4 band.
This comes amid a significant shift in priorities at Reality Labs, Meta’s XR division. In January, the company laid off at least 10 percent of staff at Reality Labs, as the company has doubled down on AI and smart glasses, and reduced spending on first-party VR content.
Meanwhile, the smart glasses segment has been very successful for the Meta-EssilorLuxottica partnership, with the French-Italian eyewear maker revealing earlier this year that it had sold over seven million smart glasses last year, effectively tripling sales from all prior years in 2025 alone.
Greg Kroah-Hartman has announced the release of the 6.12.79 stable kernel. This release
only reverts a patch
that caused a regression on the LoongArch platform; users who
could not build 6.12.78 on LoongArch need to upgrade.
