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Alvagante

Infrastructure, AI, security, technology, gaming, science, geopolitics, and economy — curated links, practical notes, and a fresh news digest every day.

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2026-10-17

100 ranked items

Simon Willison's Weblog Oct 16 Score 0.8901538416666666

Quoting Addy Osmani, Morgan Westlee Lunt, and Qing Wang

We think "did a human read the code?" is an imprecise proxy for "what could go wrong with this change, and which check—automated or human—is the right one to catch it?" Asking that question also changed when review happens. Before, review was a gate at the end

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Schneier on Security Oct 16 Score 0.8884916708333332

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Before the Chicxulub Meteor Impact

New research shows that squid lived all around the globe even before the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event. As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven't covered. Blog moderation policy.

Security securitycryptographypolicy
Foreign Policy Oct 16 Score 0.8872082175925925

An Underwater Shadow War Is Raging

A new book examines a hugely consequential conflict happening mostly out of sight.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Foreign Policy Oct 16 Score 0.8872049768518517

What in the World?

Test yourself on the week of Oct. 10: The Houthis strike Saudi Arabia, Brazil shortens the workweek, and protests rock India.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Foreign Policy Oct 16 Score 0.8849744212962962

Nostalgia and Tonic

Gin branding offers an unexpected window into the invention of tradition.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Quanta Magazine Oct 16 Score 0.8756679467592592

He Wants AI Benchmarking To Be a Science, Not a Dark Art

Moritz Hardt, author of a new book on benchmarks, believes these “standardized tests” for artificial intelligence are fundamentally broken — but not unfixable. The post He Wants AI Benchmarking To Be a Science, Not a Dark Art first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Science sciencemathematicsphysicsbiology
Schneier on Security Oct 16 Score 0.8717722263888888

Backdooring Open-Weight AI Models

This is a problem: Any open model whose weights have been edited can carry a backdoor, whether it's a task-specific fine-tune, a merged adapter or an abliterated build. We have abliterated models in the title because it's the most popular reason people downloa

Security securitycryptographypolicy
Krebs on Security Oct 13 Score 0.8473278004629631

Microsoft Patches More Than 1,400 Security Flaws

Microsoft today issued updates to fix more than 1,400 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. Today's epic patch batch dwarfs September's record of nearly 1,000 fixes, which was already about ten times the normal monthly p

Security securitycybercrimebreaches
The Verge Oct 16 Score 0.8176487546296297

All the news about the iPhone Duo

Apple has finally announced its long-rumored foldable: the iPhone Duo. The new phone has a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display, a “nano‑texture” finish on the inner screen, and barely any visible crease. Instead of Face ID, it uses Touch ID on

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
Simon Willison's Weblog Oct 15 Score 0.8168441194444443

LaTeX renderer

Tool: LaTeX renderer Inspired by Paul Ford and Aboard Foundary's new web app Tiny Little Office , which provides a suite of web app content editors (a Word Processor, Outliner, Presentation Builder, Spreadsheet, Calculator, Drawing Tool, Diagram Maker, Animato

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
The Verge Oct 16 Score 0.8163969027777779

Apple's updated App Store rules go after 'nudify' AI apps

Apple's App Store rules now more explicitly ban so-called "nudify" apps that generate intimate images of people without their consent using AI tools. The rule changes follow significant criticism toward Apple after X users used Grok earlier this year to make n

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
Wired Oct 16 Score 0.8141806666666668

The Leap Second Is No More

The metric might not mean much to laypeople, but leap seconds have been a source of contention in the timekeeping community for years. Now, they’re dead.

Technology technologyculturesociety
The Verge Oct 16 Score 0.8130381064814816

We can finally hear some of Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon A Time in Shaolin album

Wu-Tang's Once Upon A Time in Shaolin album has, for the most part, been extremely difficult to listen to, but you can now hear two snippets of the album thanks to the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, which just published an episode all about the exclusive recor

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
BleepingComputer Oct 16 Score 0.8116638828703704

Critical BlockStrap flaw lets hackers run code on Magento servers

Researchers warn that hackers could soon exploit a maximum-severity vulnerability (CVE-2026-103849) affecting Magento and Adobe Commerce, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary PHP code on store servers. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
The Guardian — World Oct 16 Score 0.8110220763888889

Brazilian Amazon deforestation falls to lowest on record as pivotal vote looms

Forest clearance at smallest total since records began in 1988 in success for Lula ahead of presidential run-off Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since records began, new government data shows. But whether this globally impo

Geopolitics geopoliticsworld-newsinvestigative
The Verge Oct 16 Score 0.8091492175925926

Why Apple is finally making its own smart home devices

For more than a decade, Apple has told other companies to build smart home devices for its platform. This week, Apple launched its own. The Apple Home Collection is a lineup of cameras, thermostats, sensors, a smart door lock, and a video doorbell, all codevel

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
Wired — Security Oct 16 Score 0.8089116851851853

Chicago-Area Cops Helped HSI Spy on Minnesota Anti-ICE Activists

Despite Illinois’ sanctuary laws, local police in and around Chicago helped ICE investigative agents track activists engaged in First Amendment–protected activities.

Security securityprivacysurveillance
MIT Technology Review Oct 16 Score 0.8083033472222223

Roundtables: A Conversation With the Creator of AI-Designed Viruses

Listen to the session or watch below Can AI design new life forms? In 2025, Stanford University PhD student Samuel King came up with a preliminary answer when he used a generative AI model to propose genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. It isn’t yet an

Technology technologyresearchsociety
BleepingComputer Oct 16 Score 0.8071935125

Targeted ads installed Candiru spyware in zero-click attacks

Candiru spyware was delivered to devices at Al Jazeera Media Network via targeted online advertisements in a zero-click attack that required only rendering the malicious ads on the victim's device. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
BleepingComputer Oct 16 Score 0.8013861050925927

Employees using personal ChatGPT at work? Here's what IT admins need to do

Employees using personal ChatGPT accounts at work can expose sensitive company data, even when their organization provides an approved Enterprise workspace. NordLayer explains how IT teams can investigate unauthorized AI use and block sensitive information bef

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
MIT Technology Review Oct 16 Score 0.7985811250000001

The Download: failed social media bans, and extending pets' lives

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. Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve. —Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, and Danah Boyd

Technology technologyresearchsociety
BleepingComputer Oct 16 Score 0.798344438425926

Burger King Japan data breach exposes 11 million customer records

Burger King Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of global fast-food giant Burger King, disclosed a major data breach after attackers accessed a server containing 11.18 million customer records. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
CISA Cybersecurity Advisories Oct 16 Score 0.7983031027777778

CISA Adds Two Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog

CISA has added two new vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog , based on evidence of active exploitation. CVE-2025-61624 Fortinet Multiple Products Path Traversal Vulnerability CVE-2026-102764 BeyondTrust Remote Support Authentica

Security securitycisaadvisoriesvulnerabilities
CISA Cybersecurity Advisories Oct 16 Score 0.7983031027777778

Cyber Threat Actors Use a Variety of Techniques to Target Election and Campaign Officials

CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a Public Service Announcement (PSA) warning election and campaign officials about cyber threats during the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. Malicious cyber actors may use phishing and smishing techniques

Security securitycisaadvisoriesvulnerabilities
CISA Cybersecurity Advisories Oct 16 Score 0.7983031027777778

CISA Urges Patching Critical Vulnerability in BeyondTrust Remote Support

CISA is aware of critical authentication bypass vulnerability CVE-2026-102764 , affecting BeyondTrust Remote Support (formerly Bomgar) versions 26.2.3 and earlier. Patches are available for supported versions (24.3.1 and later); organizations using older versi

Security securitycisaadvisoriesvulnerabilities
MIT Technology Review Oct 16 Score 0.7933033472222223

Love is infrastructure

I. Meet cute Barnabas and Mainspring grew up near at hand, about an hour apart with good traffic, but for a long time they weren’t close. They traded glimpses and occasional hellos and then went about their business. Both of them carried on livelier conversati

Technology technologyresearchsociety
MIT Technology Review Oct 16 Score 0.7933033472222223

This implant can restore sight for patients with macular degeneration

More than 5 million people around the world with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) experience atrophy in their retinas. And until now, no treatment could restore their vision. The PRIMA system, which was approved in Europe in July and is awaiting FDA clea

Technology technologyresearchsociety
GamesIndustry.biz Oct 16 Score 0.7663294037037038

A hardware market freeze could transform the industry forever | Opinion

Right about now is the moment when the console business should be getting one hell of a second wind. Six years deep into a hardware generation, with probably the most anticipated video game launch of all time just a few weeks out, this should be when the platf

Gaming gamingindustrybusinessdevelopment
GamesIndustry.biz Oct 16 Score 0.7615358851851852

The Netflix series Drive to Survive inspired Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Matt Webster, the head of Star Wars: Galactic Racer developer Fuse Games, has said that the Netflix series Drive to Survive was an inspiration for the game right from the start. Read more

Gaming gamingindustrybusinessdevelopment
Google DeepMind Blog Oct 13 Score 0.7600246138888889

Gemini 4 Argon for Robotics

Latest item from Google DeepMind Blog.

AI aideepmindresearch
TechCrunch — AI Oct 16 Score 0.7389274509259259

Replit is no longer working with Anthropic, CEO says

Masad said the decision was made for a number of different reasons, including cost. Replit announced a partnership with OpenAI in August, but there was never any indication that it was no longer with Anthropic.

AI aiindustrystartups
NASA News Oct 16 Score 0.7370435912037037

NASA Names Stephen Cash Marshall Space Flight Center Director

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has named Stephen Cash director of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, effective Monday, Oct. 19. Cash, a veteran NASA engineer and aerospace executive, returns to lead the center where he began h

Science sciencenasaspace
InfoQ Oct 16 Score 0.7349691796296296

Google EnvHarness Enables Self-Evolving Agents to Learn in Dynamics Environments

Google researchers open sourced EnvHarness, a framework that dynamically adapts agent-training environments to an agent's weaknesses without modifying the agent, environment, or evaluation system. According to the researchers, this approach can improve both le

IT itengineeringarchitecture
Econbrowser Oct 16 Score 0.7340274125

Business Cycle Indicators: Industrial Production Up, Retail Sales Flattish

and Monthly GDP for August, manufacturing production. First, NBER BCDC indicators: Figure 1: NFP employment (bold blue), civilian employment with smoothed population controls (bold orange), industrial production (red), personal income excluding current transfe

Economy economymacroeconomicsenergyresearch
New Scientist Oct 16 Score 0.7316363708333333

Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon Phobos

The Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, set to launch on 20 October, will bring back samples that should solve a moon mystery that has been vexing scientists for more than a century

Science scienceresearchsociety
TechCrunch — AI Oct 16 Score 0.7308033768518518

An Nvidia insider-turned-VC on why robotics hasn’t hit its ChatGPT moment, yet

Amulya Vishwanath, who spent seven years leading product marketing for NVIDIA’s robotics platforms, says robotics is currently in its “Lego era,” with the basic building blocks like actuators, robotic hands, software, and safety standards still being rebu

AI aiindustrystartups
NASA News Oct 16 Score 0.7307482208333334

Artemis II Heat Shield After Splashdown

Shortly after NASA's Artemis II mission splashed down on April 10, 2026, U.S. Navy divers captured underwater imagery of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. In the months after, the agency measured whether the thermal protection system effectively safeguarded

Science sciencenasaspace
InfoQ Oct 16 Score 0.7289136240740741

Zod Brings In-Process Schema Compilation and a 9x Cut in Memory Footprint

Zod is a TypeScript-focused schema validation library that recently released versions 4.5 and 4.6. Key updates include schema compilation for faster data parsing, significant memory usage reductions, and new validation features. The library supports efficient

IT itengineeringarchitecture
Eurogamer Oct 16 Score 0.7284410027777778

11 games and announcements that got us excited in the latest Galaxies Showcase

You can smell it in the air can't you? The chill in your nostrils and the earthy scent as leaves fall and the sun departs for another year. Yes, autumn is here, meaning we're teetering on the cavernous hole of near-nothingness as the entire games industry give

Gaming gamingvideo-gamesnewsreviews
InfoQ Oct 16 Score 0.7277191796296296

Uber Automates Dependency Analysis Across Its Service Mesh

Uber has developed an automated dependency analysis system that uses RPC middleware and production metrics to correlate caller and downstream failures. The approach classifies dependencies as fail-close, fail-open, or unknown and addresses limitations of sampl

IT itengineeringarchitecture
NASA News Oct 16 Score 0.7273167393518518

I Am Artemis: Allison Mjoen

As the supercooled propellant flowed into the core stage, and NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket roared to life, Allison Mjoen and her family watched with awe and pride. Mjoen, NASA’s operations manager for the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program,

Science sciencenasaspace
New Scientist Oct 16 Score 0.7266169263888889

Scientists have just voted to abolish leap seconds

Since 1972, officials have added 27 leap seconds to the universal clock, but in a meeting this week in France they have decided to abandon the practice

Science scienceresearchsociety
ScienceDaily — Top Science Oct 16 Score 0.7246041842592592

USC scientists discover how to create a never-ending supply of cancer-fighting cells

USC scientists have discovered a way to create a potentially renewable supply of genetically engineered immune cells that can attack cancer and strengthen the body's natural defenses. By growing and modifying immature immune cells rather than mature ones,

Science scienceresearchdiscoveries
NASA News Oct 16 Score 0.7244736837962963

NASA’s Hubble Spies Spiral’s Edge

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the edge-on, intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 1827, located roughly 37 million light-years away in the constellation Columba, the Dove.

Science sciencenasaspace
ScienceDaily — Top Science Oct 16 Score 0.7242162212962963

The uranium cubes that exposed Nazi Germany’s nuclear failure

Scientists investigating Nazi Germany's secret nuclear program have uncovered evidence that its final experimental reactor was nowhere near as close to working as previously claimed. Analysis of surviving uranium cubes and wartime documents reveals that G

Science scienceresearchdiscoveries
The Economist — Finance & Economics Oct 13 Score 0.7241699449074074

How to lose money betting against Europe

In a sovereign-debt crisis, even understanding politics may not be enough

Economy economyfinancemacroeconomicsanalysis
InfoQ Oct 16 Score 0.723302512962963

Grafana Applies SLOs and Error Budgets to AI Agent Behaviour

Grafana Labs is proposing a familiar reliability engineering approach for one of the less familiar problems in modern software: how to measure whether an AI agent is actually behaving well. By Craig Risi

IT itengineeringarchitecture
New Scientist Oct 16 Score 0.7166363708333333

Can a positive mindset protect us from the sniffles?

If you’re trying to avoid the worst of cold and flu season, looking after your mind can help shape your immune system, finds columnist David Robson

Science scienceresearchsociety
MarketWatch Top Stories Oct 16 Score 0.7024416194444444

Nowhere to hide: Tech selloff hits software and chip stocks alike

The software and semiconductor sectors haven’t been trading in tandem much this year, but they collectively fell Friday as AI and interest-rate fears hit the market.

Economy economymarketsfinancenews
Lobsters Oct 16 Score 0.6973100726851851

Getting Canceled

Comments

IT itprogrammingsystemscommunity
Marginal Revolution Oct 16 Score 0.6936441050925926

Friday assorted links

1. Can Dybantsa (and others) turn around the Wizards? (NYT) 2. Claims about interpretability. I have to say I do not quite "get it"…? Here is some exposition. 3. "90% of Americans’ working hours are spent on tasks not covered well by AI benchmarks. That’

Economy economyeconomicscommentaryblog
CNCF Blog Oct 16 Score 0.6935547324074073

Deploying, maintaining, and migrating production n8n on EKS

n8n is easy to try and harder to run under production traffic. A single container with SQLite works great for a quick demo. Production is a different story entirely. You need workers, webhook processors, PostgreSQL, Redis,...

IT itkubernetescloud-native
Google Cloud Blog Oct 16 Score 0.6924687921296295

What’s new with Google Cloud

Want to know the latest from Google Cloud? Find it here in one handy location. Check back regularly for our newest updates, announcements, resources, events, learning opportunities, and more. Tip : Not sure where to find what you’re looking for on the Google C

IT itgcpcloud
Marginal Revolution Oct 16 Score 0.6847056791666666

India has more Restrictive Labor Law than Germany

In Premature Imitation and India’s Flailing State, Shruti Rajagopalan and I discuss how India has essentially all of the laws of a developed country but at much lower state capacity–this mismatch creates what we call premature imitation, with a host of n

Economy economyeconomicscommentaryblog