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2026-08-06

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Simon Willison's Weblog Aug 6 Score 0.8874662620370369

An AI model from Meta also hacked another company during testing

An AI model from Meta also hacked another company during testing Stop me if you've heard this one before : An AI model from the parent company of Facebook and Instagram hacked into another company’s systems during cybersecurity testing, a spokesperson confirme

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Aug 5 Score 0.8867199657407406

Introducing Muse Code and Muse Spark 1.2

Introducing Muse Code and Muse Spark 1.2 Yet more evidence that the most important characteristic of any model these days is long-sequence agentic tool calling. Meta shipped their own coding agent as part of getting that to work! Muse Spark 1.2 is a coding-foc

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Aug 5 Score 0.8863574657407407

Third-party cyber evaluations involving OpenAI models

Third-party cyber evaluations involving OpenAI models And another one . I had to create a accidental-cyberattacks tag to keep track of them all! This post from OpenAI covers both the UK AI Safety Institute attack (see my previous post ) and another attack enab

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Aug 5 Score 0.8859843175925926

Incident Report: unsanctioned agent behaviour during cyber testing

Incident Report: unsanctioned agent behaviour during cyber testing It happened again . This time it was the UK government's AI Security Institute who accidentally attacked other companies while running an evaluation with models with the safety filters turned o

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Foreign Policy Aug 5 Score 0.8809409537037036

Ukraine’s Deadly Missile Defense Shortage

Kyiv has run out of Patriot interceptors, but allies remain reluctant to supply more.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Foreign Policy Aug 5 Score 0.8798201203703703

South Africa’s Global Image Loses Its Luster

Pretoria’s influence across Africa may be waning following widespread xenophobic attacks.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Aug 5 Score 0.8796102435185185

One-shotting a Raccoon Heist game using Claude Fable 5

Back in 2024 I tweeted screenshots of a game concept generated by GPT-3 and some concept "art" created using DALL-E. Today, on the fourth anniversary of that tweet, I decided to see if Claude Fable 5 (running in Claude Code for web ) could build the entire gam

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Quanta Magazine Aug 5 Score 0.8728895634259258

Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot

New research is helping biologists understand how an overlooked aspect of coral physiology may affect their fate under climate change. The post Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Science sciencemathematicsphysicsbiology
Foreign Policy Aug 5 Score 0.8724654907407406

Why the United States Keeps Losing Wars

Washington has a long record of fighting the wrong war for the wrong objective.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Schneier on Security Aug 5 Score 0.8629461449074073

Vulnerabilities in Car Anti-Theft Device

This is disturbing: …a team of security researchers at UC San Diego, who found that a model of aftermarket car alarm known as the KARR Security System, installed in more than 2 million vehicles across the US by their estimate, can let any hacker within B

Security securitycryptographypolicy
War on the Rocks Aug 6 Score 0.824278875925926

The Blood Price: In Israel, Military Sacrifice Is Becoming Political Power

In late June, cadets at the Israeli military's officer training school sat through a lecture by Ofer Winter, a retired brigadier general and a polarizing figure in the Israel Defense Forces. According to Haaretz, Winter told the future officers that "there are

Geopolitics geopoliticsmilitarystrategy
Foreign Affairs Aug 6 Score 0.8184260569444445

Why We Should Fight

And where Trump went wrong.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysisjournals
The Verge Aug 6 Score 0.8124582680555557

Elon Musk's attempt at an AI Wikipedia hasn't been updated in months

xAI's Grokipedia, an online encyclopedia with AI-generated articles that Elon Musk once promised would be a "massive improvement" over Wikipedia, apparently hasn't been updated since April 24th, according to a report from Lawfare. "As far as we can tell, no en

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
BleepingComputer Aug 5 Score 0.8101160592592593

Ransom Cartel ransomware creator sentenced to 16 years in prison

Maksim Silnikau, the creator and administrator of the Ransom Cartel ransomware operation, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in ransomware attacks against at least 18 companies worldwide. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
The Verge Aug 5 Score 0.808979101388889

X product chief Nikita Bier is leaving after one year

X head of product Nikita Bier is stepping down and says he will move into a role as an advisor, writing that "it's time to pass the torch and demote myself to my natural state: a poster." He shared the update just over a month after celebrating his one-year an

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
BleepingComputer Aug 5 Score 0.8082438370370371

Canadian pleads guilty to Snowflake cloud data-theft attacks

A Canadian man pleaded guilty today to his role in accessing company accounts at cloud storage provider Snowflake and stealing data from at least 165 organizations in a scheme to extort millions of dollars from victims. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
BleepingComputer Aug 5 Score 0.8049655962962964

Hackers run khunt post-exploitation toolkit from Oracle database

Hackers exploited a SQL injection vulnerability to install a post-exploitation toolkit directly inside an Oracle database that was used to breach a corporate network. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
SANS Internet Storm Center Aug 5 Score 0.8016553199074075

Don't Revoke That Token Yet: Inside the keyv/cacheable npm Worm, (Wed, Aug 5th)

When you learn that a compromised package executed on one of your build hosts, muscle memory takes over: revoke the npm token, rotate the GitHub PAT, cycle the cloud keys. That reflex has been correct in almost every supply-chain incident I have worked. In the

Security securitythreatsiocs
The Verge Aug 5 Score 0.8015846569444445

Two of Ring's latest video doorbells are a lot cheaper than usual

Ring's Wired Doorbell Pro and Battery Doorbell Plus are two of the brand's most well-rounded video doorbells, whether you're looking for a hardwired model or one that runs on a battery. Right now, its Wired Doorbell Pro is down to $199 ($50 off) at Amazon and

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
BleepingComputer Aug 5 Score 0.8014730037037038

COLDCARD security audit phishing attack installs remote access tool

A phishing campaign is exploiting fears surrounding the recently disclosed COLDCARD wallet vulnerability and suspected $88.6 million Bitcoin theft to trick users into installing ScreenConnect remote access software. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
The Verge Aug 5 Score 0.8010591939814815

Uber CEO brushes off reports of a Waymo break-up

After Uber and Waymo ended their partnership in Phoenix earlier this year, experts and robotaxi watchers wondered whether the companies' improbable bromance was fraying. Not so, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said today. The two companies are committed to continue

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
The Verge Aug 5 Score 0.8000753976851852

Apple’s selling refurbished MacBook Neos with a $100 discount

Apple’s most affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, is available once again at its pre-price hike price. All four colors are currently discounted and available refurbished through the company, with the base 256GB model listed for $599 (usually $699 new), and the

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
MIT Technology Review Aug 5 Score 0.7966614453703704

Puzzle Corner

Ready for a fresh set of puzzles? Click here for the September/October 2026 Puzzle Corner, brought to you by Michael S. Branicky, ScD ’95, of the Puzzle Corner Puzzle Crew (aka PC2), which also includes Edward Faulkner ’03, MEng ’04, and Abe Kunin ’03. This co

Technology technologyresearchsociety
MIT Technology Review Aug 5 Score 0.7920369083333334

The Download: NASA's new telescope and Chinese tech import curbs

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. NASA’s new dark energy space telescope can also detect killer asteroids At the end of August, NASA is set to launch the Na

Technology technologyresearchsociety
CISA Cybersecurity Advisories Aug 5 Score 0.7917594907407408

CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog

CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog , based on evidence of active exploitation.   CVE-2026-63077 JetBrains TeamCity Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability This type of vulnerability is a frequ

Security securitycisaadvisoriesvulnerabilities
NBER New Working Papers Aug 6 Score 0.7875000000000001

Winners and Losers: Competition, Creative Destruction, and Labor Income Risk -- by Brice C. Green, Leonid Kogan, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Lawrence D.W. Schmidt

Using U.S. administrative data, we find that technology-driven creative destruction in the product market passes through to worker earnings. The passthrough to incumbent worker earnings is both asymmetric and concentrated: profit drops from rival innovations l

Economy economyresearchworking-papersnber
NBER New Working Papers Aug 6 Score 0.7875000000000001

Financial Interdependence and Currency Internationalization -- by Zhengyang Jiang

Does financial opening necessarily lead to currency internationalization? To study the competition between incumbent and rising powers under financial interdependence, we develop a model of asset demand with microfounded network effects. Search frictions with

Economy economyresearchworking-papersnber
NBER New Working Papers Aug 6 Score 0.7875000000000001

Predictive Risk Scores in the Public Sector: Experimental Evidence from Child-Protection Investigations -- by E. Jason Baron, Arkadev Ghosh, Richard Lombardo

Many public-sector decisions require allocating scarce attention under uncertainty. We examine whether algorithmic risk assessments improve child-protection decisions, where supervisors decide which cases need closer scrutiny. In a randomized evaluation of 4,7

Economy economyresearchworking-papersnber
NBER New Working Papers Aug 6 Score 0.7875000000000001

Cognitive Limitations and Long-Term Care Use in the Netherlands: Evidence from the Lifelines Cohort Study -- by Gaia Bagnasco, Pieter Bakx, Stijn Coremans, Bram Wouterse

We analyze the association between cognitive impairments and long-term care use in the 65+ population in the Netherlands. For this, we use data from the Lifelines Cohort Study that are linked to administrative records available through Statistics Netherlands.

Economy economyresearchworking-papersnber
MIT Technology Review Aug 5 Score 0.7852776490740742

NASA’s new dark-energy space telescope can also detect killer asteroids

At the end of August, NASA is set to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Its goal is to help us better understand how the universe works, from the glue-like dark matter that keeps galaxies together to the elusive

Technology technologyresearchsociety
Liberty Street Economics Aug 5 Score 0.7525924953703704

AI’s Impact on Labor and Hiring

Welcome to Street Level , my new series on Liberty Street Economics . As research director, I try to keep track of the wide range of work that the economists at the New York Fed produce. My goal for this series is to periodically offer some thematic discussion

Economy economymonetary-policybankingresearch
GamesIndustry.biz Aug 5 Score 0.7525138467592594

Jobs roundup: August 2026 | Three new hires at Yogscast Games

It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups. Read more

Gaming gamingindustrybusinessdevelopment
The Hacker News Aug 6 Score 0.7468845518518519

Snowflake Hacker Pleads Guilty Over Breaches Affecting at Least 100 Million People

Connor Riley Moucka pleaded guilty in Seattle federal court on Wednesday to computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and a related conspiracy over the 2024 breaches of Snowflake customer accounts. The intrusions reached at least 165 organizations

Security securityhackingvulnerabilities
InfoQ Aug 6 Score 0.7465087347222222

Vercel Labs Ships Zero: A Graph-First Language Built So Agents Write the Code

Vercel Labs has introduced Zero, an experimental systems programming language aimed at AI rather than human users. It employs unique features like a specific toolchain contract and structured error messages. Reaching version 0.3.4, it compiles to native binari

IT itengineeringarchitecture
Risky Bulletin Aug 6 Score 0.7441508717592593

Srsly Risky Biz: Being a North Korean hacker is about to be less fun

Tom Uren and James Wilson talk about North Korea losing control over some of its hacker workforce. Expect some tightening of controls and oversight, and perhaps even a reduction in the country’s ransomware operations. They also discuss escalating attacks on Am

Security securitynewspodcastintelligence
NASA News Aug 6 Score 0.7435651462962963

APOD: 2026 August 6 – New Sharpest Image of the Sun Uncovers Instability

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 6 – New… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featu

Science sciencenasaspace
ScienceDaily — Top Science Aug 6 Score 0.7401710625

Claude Fable 5 AI finds a tiny formula that topples an 87-year-old math conjecture

A mathematician working at Anthropic says he used the AI model Claude Fable 5 to uncover a remarkably simple counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture, a famous problem that has resisted mathematicians for more than a century. The result shows that the conject

Science scienceresearchdiscoveries
ScienceDaily — Top Science Aug 6 Score 0.7376923587962962

567-million-year-old fossils rewrite the dawn of animal life

A spectacular fossil site in Canada contains 567-million-year-old creatures that may represent some of the earliest animals to move, reproduce sexually, and develop recognizable body plans. The discovery pushes key evolutionary milestones back by up to 10 mill

Science scienceresearchdiscoveries
Platformer Aug 6 Score 0.7367617902777778

How much of my boss's job can AI do?

Six months after trying to automate myself, I gave Claude Fable 5 a bigger job: replacing Casey

Technology technologysocial-mediaplatformsnewsletter
TechCrunch Aug 5 Score 0.7349735523148149

Get up to $400 off your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass until Friday

Starting today, you can take an additional $100 off your founder, investor, or attendee TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass, which is a nice bonus on top of our current discounted pricing.

Technology technologystartupsventure-capital
TechCrunch Aug 5 Score 0.7326156819444445

Nikita Bier steps down as X's head of product

The serial entrepreneur is stepping down a little over a year after taking the "24/7 job" of overseeing X.

Technology technologystartupsventure-capital
NASA News Aug 5 Score 0.7281271833333334

NASA’s IXPE May Have Proven 90-Year-Old Theory

A first of its kind measurement of a magnetar may have captured empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years, but never directly observed. The results published Wednesday in Nature. Fast facts Scientists using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray

Science sciencenasaspace
Econbrowser Aug 5 Score 0.7268345351851851

Private NFP from ADP

+44K vs. +68K per Bloomberg consensus. Figure 1: Change since 2025M03 in private nonfarm payroll employment from BLS (blue), from ADP (red), 2023M04-2025M03 Stochastic trend (gray line), all in 000's, s.a. Source: BLS, ADP via FRED.

Economy economymacroeconomicsenergyresearch
NASA News Aug 5 Score 0.7258512569444444

Artemis III Orion Crew and Service Models Joined

Technicians joined the Orion crew and service modules together on July 30, 2026, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew module will carry and sustain NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre D

Science sciencenasaspace
NASA News Aug 5 Score 0.7225387569444445

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Phobos and Earth

Description This composite of seven images from the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover shows Earth, visible as a small bright dot moving from upper left to lower right, passing behind the Martian moon Phobos on July 2, 2026, 1,907th Mar

Science sciencenasaspace
InfoQ Aug 5 Score 0.7150920680555556

Presentation: Automatically Retrofitting JIT Compilers

Laurence Tratt discusses yk, an open-source meta-tracing JIT compiler framework. He shares how to automatically speed up C-based language interpreters like Lua and MicroPython with minimal, non-invasive code changes. He explains the inner workings of tracing l

IT itengineeringarchitecture
InfoQ Aug 5 Score 0.7102309569444445

Ponytail Agent Skill Corrects Its Own Benchmark After Contributor Challenge

A single-author repo of instruction files, not code, Ponytail passed 44,000 GitHub stars in nine days by making coding agents stop over-building. Its headline claim of 80-94% less code came from a flawed baseline; after a contributor said so, the maintainer re

IT itengineeringarchitecture
Marginal Revolution Aug 6 Score 0.7083762541666666

Will U.S. cities face a knock-on fiscal crisis from the feds?

Federal money flows to cities in three flavors: direct transfers, indirect transfers, and what we call fiscal dark matter. Direct transfers are exactly what they sound like — money sent directly from the federal government to various localities. These include

Economy economyeconomicscommentaryblog
Marginal Revolution Aug 6 Score 0.7065183837962962

Who Pays for Unions?

If unions raise worker wages, who pays? We provide a comprehensive assessment of firm responses to increased unionization, using changes in the tax deductibility of union dues in Norway as a quasi-exogenous source of variation in firm-level union density. In t

Economy economyeconomicscommentaryblog
Lobsters Aug 5 Score 0.6938687175925925

A Vision for Cargo

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IT itprogrammingsystemscommunity