This is a video of Youtubers Evan Edinger, Tom Scott, and Matt Gray racing from Chiswick in West London to The Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields, East London by e-bike, the Tube, and car to see which is fastest. Google Maps estimates they should all take right around one hour. Do they though? You’ll have to watch and find out! Or just keep reading: Tom finishes first riding the Tube with a time of 57:46 despite a couple train mistakes, Evan finishes second on e-bike with a time of 1:03:21, and Matt arrives via car in a road-raging 1:26:31 after taking over six minutes to find parking. So there you have it. That said, I could strap on my jetpack now even days after the video was posted and still beat them all by a British mile. “Kilometer.” Whatever!
Monthly Archives: March 2026
Once again, ULA can’t deliver when the US military needs a satellite in orbit
For the fourth time in a little more than a year, the US Space Force needs to send up a new satellite to replenish the military’s GPS navigation network. And once again, the company the Pentagon is paying to launch it can’t answer the call.
United Launch Alliance, a 50-50 joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, was supposed to launch the final satellite for the Space Force’s GPS Block III program this month. Space Systems Command, responsible for buying spacecraft and rockets for the military, announced Friday it has transferred the launch to a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, ULA’s chief rival in the market for launching US government satellites.
This is only the latest example of the Space Force moving a GPS launch from ULA to SpaceX. The three most recent GPS satellites were also supposed to launch on ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Beginning in 2024, the Space Force shifted them over to SpaceX. In exchange, military officials moved three future launches from SpaceX to ULA, including the launch of the GPS III SV10 satellite.
Microsoft keeps insisting that it’s deeply committed to the quality of Windows 11
If you were eating in a restaurant and the head chef came out from the back multiple times to loudly proclaim that the kitchen was deeply committed to the quality of the food, would you find that reassuring? Or would you start wondering why the chef felt the need to keep saying it?
That’s the conundrum facing the Windows team at Microsoft right now. Windows VP Pavan Davuluri has gone on the record several times since the start of the year to insist that Microsoft is committed to Windows 11’s quality, most recently in a post today titled “our commitment to Windows quality.” Windows 11 is an operating system that many people use but that few enthusiasts seem to love, either because of recent high-profile bugs or the steadily increasing flow of annoying add-ons, notifications, “helpful” “reminders,” and ads for other Microsoft products and services that coat most of the operating system’s virtual surfaces.
“Every day, we hear from the community about how you experience Windows,” Davuluri wrote. “And over the past several months, the team and I have spent a great deal of time analyzing your feedback. What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better.”
Warframe Players Fear The Game Has Been Hacked After Receiving ‘Nefarious Invites’ [Update]
Digital Extremes is telling players not to accept these invites
Wine 11.5 Release Is Big: Syscall User Dispatch Feature Supported On Linux
Wine 11.5 is out today as the latest bi-weekly development release for this software to run Windows games and applications on Linux and other platforms. Most exciting with Wine 11.5 is the introduction of the Syscall User Dispatch feature on Linux…
Pinterest CEO says teens under 16 should be banned from social media (but not Pinterest)
Pinterest’s CEO has thrown his support behind an Australia measure banning social media for younger teens and is calling for governments around the world to implement similar bans. “Social media, as it’s configured today, is not safe for young people under 16,” Ready writes in a piece published by Time. “We need a clear standard: no social media for teens under 16, backed by real enforcement, and accountability for mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them.”
Ready is one of the highest-profile tech CEOs to come out in favor of a broad ban on social media for teens. That may also seem like a bold stance for someone who runs a platform with a user base that’s more than 50 percent Gen Z, but Ready doesn’t think that ban should apply to Pinterest. Pinterest, as he notes, already bars teens under 16 from accessing messaging features and other social features. It also makes teen accounts private by default.
A spokesperson for Pinterest confirmed the company has no plans to change its own policies regarding users under 16, and said Pinterest considers itself a “visual search platform” not social media. Pinterest, like most social media and social media-adjacent companies, doesn’t allow users under 13 to sign up.
Social media or not, Pinterest has encountered child safety-related issues in the past. In 2023, NBC News reported that Pinterest’s recommendation algorithm was surfacing photos and videos of young girls to adults who were “seeking” such content. Some of those users had created Pinterest boards featuring images of young girls with titles like “sexy little girls,” their investigation found. The company made profiles for teens under 16 private and “not discoverable” six months later.
According to Ready, Pinterest’s popularity with younger users is proof its policies are also good for the company’s business. “Our experience shows that prioritizing safety and well-being doesn’t push young people away; it builds trust,” he writes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-ceo-says-teens-under-16-should-be-banned-from-social-media-but-not-pinterest-211630443.html?src=rss
Feds Are Downplaying Methane Leaks in America’s Biggest Oil Field, Satellite Data Suggests
A report found methane emissions in the Permian Basin to be nearly four times higher than EPA estimates. A senator wants an explanation.
AlmaLinux Kitten Gets Its Claws Into RISC-V
This week, open met open. In this case, it was open source software, in the form of AlmaLinux Kitten, meeting open source hardware, in the form of the RISC-V instruction set architecture.
The post AlmaLinux Kitten Gets Its Claws Into RISC-V appeared first on FOSS Force.
Writer denies it, but publisher pulls horror novel after multiple allegations of AI use
Shy Girl, a horror novel by Mia Ballard, was one of those buzzy books that leapt from self-published prominence into full-on trade publication. Until yesterday, that is, when publisher Hachette pulled the book from the UK market and canceled plans to bring it to the US.
The move came after a New York Times investigation suggested that AI had been used in significant parts of the work.
“If it isn’t AI, she’s a terrible writer”
Shy Girl was self-published in 2025 and quickly found an audience on social media. The novel follows a depressed, OCD woman named Gia who, down on her luck, encounters a “sugar daddy” who pays off her debts. All she has to do? Live as his literal pet. Eventually, of course, living like an animal makes her into an animal, and things apparently get nasty.
Microsoft Details Flight Simulator 2024’s Upcoming PlayStation VR2 Support
A PlayStation Blog post shares new details and insight into bringing Flight Simulator 2024 to PlayStation VR2.
Announced back in September, a free update will see Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 soaring onto PlayStation VR2 some time in 2026. The VR mode is set to transform the already expansive flight sim into a fully embodied cockpit experience.
In the lead up to the PS VR2 update, the PlayStation Blog recently chatted with Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, who shared insight into what it takes to bring the flight sim experience to PlayStation’s headset.
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Details shared in the blog post include some of the technical challenges and goals of the project. For example, Jorg mentions the challenges of getting foveated rendering with Flexible Scaled Rasterization* right, and developing frame-duplication tech specific to the PS VR2.
*You can read all about Flexible Scale Rasterization on page 28 of this presentation by Kentaro Suzuki, Polyphony Digital’s Lead Graphics Engineer.
Beyond technical aspects of development, Jorg describes dealing with the complexities of the various aircraft’s cockpit controls in VR, as well as challenges ensuring readability and interaction fidelity. “Every interaction model had to be redesigned to fit the PS VR2 Sense controllers to action them in a natural and intuitive manner,” said Jorg.
The full interview with Jorg Neumann can be seen on the PlayStation Blog.
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Initially launched in November 2024 on Xbox Series X|S and PC with optional PC VR support, and then in December 2025 for Sony’s PlayStation 5, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 features up to 125 different aircraft (the total number depends on which edition you buy) ranging from helicopters to airships, business jets and much more.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is already available on PlayStation 5, with the PS VR2 update coming some time this year.
Work From Home and Drive More Slowly To Save Energy, IEA Says
As energy prices soar from the Iran conflict, the International Energy Agency is urging governments to cut energy use by taking up measures like remote work and reduced speed limits. The group warns the energy security crisis could persist for months, even if supply routes stabilize. “I believe the world has not yet well understood the depth of the energy security challenge we are facing,” said IEA’s executive director, Fatih Birol. “It is much bigger than what we had in the 1970s… It is also bigger than the natural gas price shock we experienced after the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” The BBC reports: Thirty-two countries are members of the IEA, including the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and 24 other European nations. Its role is to act as a global watchdog, providing analysis and recommendations on global energy problems, such as energy security and the transition to clean energy. The IEA’s other suggestions for governments, businesses and individuals include:
– Promoting use of public transport
– Giving private cars access to city centres on alternate days
– Encouraging car sharing and efficient driving habits
– Avoiding air travel where possible, especially business flights
– Switching to electric cooking
It also said there should be a focused effort to preserve liquid petroleum gas for cooking and other essential uses, by switching bio-fuel converted vehicles onto gas and introducing other measures to reduce its use. Birol said these proposals were in addition to action taken by IEA member countries earlier this month, when they agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil, 20% of its emergency reserves. Several countries in Asia have implemented emergency four-day workweeks and work-from-home mandates as they have been hit particularly hard from the conflict. Fortune notes: “Asia is particularly dependent on oil exports from the Middle East; Japan and South Korea respectively source 90% and 70% of their oil from the region.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Widely used Trivy scanner compromised in ongoing supply-chain attack
Hackers have compromised virtually all versions of Aqua Security’s widely used Trivy vulnerability scanner in an ongoing supply chain attack that could have wide-ranging consequences for developers and the organizations that use them.
Trivy maintainer Itay Shakury confirmed the compromise on Friday, following rumors and a thread, since deleted by the attackers, discussing the incident. The attack began in the early hours of Thursday. When it was done, the threat actor had used stolen credentials to force-push all but one of the trivy-action tags and seven setup-trivy tags to use malicious dependencies.
Assume your pipelines are compromised
A forced push is a git command that overrides a default safety mechanism that protects against overwriting existing commits. Trivy is a vulnerability scanner that developers use to detect vulnerabilities and inadvertently hardcoded authentication secrets in pipelines for developing and deploying software updates. The scanner has 33,200 stars on GitHub, a high rating that indicates it’s used widely.
Microsoft will yank Copilot from some Windows apps and let you move the taskbar again
After one too many of you threatened to switch to Linux, Microsoft has published a long list of changes it plans to make to Windows 11. In a lengthy blog titled “Our commitment to Windows quality,” Pavan Davuluri, the executive vice president of Windows and Devices, said the company has spent a “great deal” of time in recent months reading feedback from users. “What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better,” he said. To that end, Windows Insiders can expect to see some of the changes Microsoft plans in response to all criticism begin rolling out starting this month.
Most notably, Microsoft ease up on the AI pedal. “You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well-crafted,” writes Davuluri. As a first step, Microsoft says it will remove “unnecessary Copilot entry points,” starting with apps like the Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad.
Elsewhere, users can look forward to additional taskbar customization, allowing them to position the interface element at the top or sides of the screen; less disruptive updates, with the option to shut down or restart your device without being forced to install a new patch; and a faster, less janky File Explorer. “Our first round of improvements will focus on a quicker launch experience, reduced flicker, smoother navigation and more reliable performance for everyday file tasks,” said Davuluri.
Looking beyond the next two months, Microsoft notes it will work to improve performance across Windows, with “lowering the baseline memory footprint” of the operating system a key area of focus. Presumably, this plan of action is as much a response to the global memory shortage as it is user feedback. PC manufacturers are struggling right now, with a recent estimate warning the market could shrink as much as 8.9 percent year-over-year in 2026 due to the high cost of RAM and SSDs. On the subject of reliability, the company says reducing OS-level crashes and releasing higher quality drivers is a priority, as is making Bluetooth and USB connections less prone to errors and disconnects.
Microsoft’s promise to fix Windows 11 is long overdue. In January, the company released a couple of emergency updates after what should have been a routine security patch caused bugs that left some PCs unable to shut down and broke Outlook. The general state of the operating system has led many to explore Linux alternatives like Bazzite. With Apple also recently releasing the $600 MacBook Neo, a laptop that few Windows manufacturers can match right now, Microsoft’s dominance in the PC market is looking vulnerable for the first time in more than a decade.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-will-yank-copilot-from-some-windows-apps-and-let-you-move-the-taskbar-again-202857203.html?src=rss
How to Fix “No Sound” Issue on MacBook Pro with Linux Kernel 6.17 and Later
This is a follow-up tutorial to my previous guide How to Fix Dummy Output/No Sound Issue on MacBook Computers Running Linux since things have changed significantly with recent Linux kernels.
HBO’s The Last Of Us Casts A Cis Actor To Play Its Trans Lead
Lev is Abby’s companion throughout the game
NASA issues draft request for moving space shuttle Discovery—or Orion capsule
NASA has taken a step forward to moving an undetermined spacecraft of a various size on an indefinite date to a yet-to-be-decided location.
Or to put it another way: NASA is seeking to learn more about what it would take to remove the space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian in Virginia and relocate it to Houston, as compared to transporting a smaller space capsule from anywhere in the country.
The space agency on Thursday (March 19) released a draft request for proposal (DRFP) for the “NASA Flown Space Vehicle Multimodal Transportation Multiple Award Contract,” seeking to learn how contractors would approach transporting both “large aerospace vehicles and smaller spacecraft capsules.”
Pokémon Red And Blue Look Stunning On Switch 2 In This Pokopia Recreation
The game’s free creation area is giving people a lot of freedom to make cool stuff
Apparently The Five Nights At Freddy’s Movie Could Have Had A Stranger Things Vibe
A version of the script from the mid-2010s followed a group of young friends who called themselves ‘the Warlocks’
Physicists Say They’ve Cracked the Mystery of Volcanic Lightning
No divine sign, just science.
Trump FCC lets Nexstar buy Tegna and blow way past 39% TV ownership cap
The Federal Communications Commission yesterday approved Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna, granting a waiver that lets the broadcast giant go way past the national limit on station ownership.
Nexstar said it closed the acquisition late in the day yesterday, immediately after receiving the FCC approval. The deal was also approved by the US Department of Justice, but a group of state attorneys general are challenging the merger in court in an attempt to unwind it.
Opponents say the FCC lacks authority to grant the waiver and that only Congress can change the 39 percent ownership limit. While the FCC says Nexstar will own fewer than 15 percent of TV stations, the cap in the FCC’s National Television Ownership Rule is calculated by the percentage of US households reached by a single entity’s stations. The Nexstar/Tegna combination will reach 80 percent of TV households in the US, or 54.5 percent when applying what’s known as the “UHF discount.”