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Daily digest

2026-07-30

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2026-07-30 07:43:41 +0000

2026-07-30

100 items
Foreign Policy Jul 30 Score 0.8938437569444444

Yes, Europe Is a Middle Power, Too

The Iran war has underscored the need for a change in state psychology.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Jul 29 Score 0.882552685648148

Quoting D. Richard Hipp

Years ago, we didn’t have SQL. There were people whose job was to generate software that would query large data sets. Their job title was COBOL programmer. Then SQL comes along—I’m simplifying this only a little bit—and it gives you this convenient way so peop

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Foreign Policy Jul 29 Score 0.8812594976851851

How to End the Iran War

Trump needs to learn the diplomatic art of losing well.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Jul 29 Score 0.8783221300925925

AI Worming through Word

AI Worming through Word Neat new prompt injection variant by Håkon Måløy, who found a way to upgrade prompt injection attacks against Microsoft Word to full self-replicating worms: An attacker places hidden instructions in a document that is later used as sour

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Simon Willison's Weblog Jul 29 Score 0.8776332412037036

Quoting Matthew Green

Right now we’re in the midst of a historic transition from traditional public-key algorithms based on EC-based cryptography and RSA, moving over to new post-quantum algorithms based on novel problems. This is why there are so many standards like HAWK being con

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Schneier on Security Jul 29 Score 0.8756790814814814

Measuring the Tendency of AI Agents to Go Rogue

This essay was written with Barath Raghavan, and originally appeared in The Guardian . In July, Hugging Face, a company that hosts much of the world's AI software and open-source AI models, was hacked. A malicious dataset had been used to run code on one of it

Security securitycryptographypolicy
Quanta Magazine Jul 29 Score 0.8719357694444444

Physicists Solve a Big Quantum Mystery. Now, Old Results Don’t Add Up.

New calculations seem to have put a 25-year-old particle physics puzzle to rest. But they’ve also created a clash with other experimental results. The post Physicists Solve a Big Quantum Mystery. Now, Old Results Don’t Add Up. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Science sciencemathematicsphysicsbiology
Schneier on Security Jul 29 Score 0.8654920444444444

Long-Lived Vulnerability in Microsoft Secure Boot

Microsoft's Secure Boot has had a serious vulnerability for most of its existence. An industry-wide standard Microsoft invented to protect Windows, and later Linux, devices from firmware infections has been trivial to bypass for 13 of its 14 years of existence

Security securitycryptographypolicy
Simon Willison's Weblog Jul 29 Score 0.8474957412037036

Adding a custom MCP server to Claude and ChatGPT

TIL: Adding a custom MCP server to Claude and ChatGPT Connecting a custom MCP server to Claude and ChatGPT's standard chat interfaces is possible, but can take quite a few steps. Tags: ai , generative-ai , chatgpt , llms , claude , model-context-protocol

AI aillmsengineeringanalysis
Federal Reserve Press Releases Jul 29 Score 0.8396260907407407

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement

Economy economyfederal-reservemonetary-policyunited-states
War on the Rocks Jul 30 Score 0.8246445175925926

Can Cyber Operations Be Deterred? What Wargames Reveal

The most successful deterrent threats leave no evidence behind. No missiles fly. No networks go down. No troops cross borders. Nothing happens. For policymakers, that is often the desired outcome. For researchers, it is a nightmare. Imagine, however, being abl

Geopolitics geopoliticsmilitarystrategy
The Guardian — World Jul 30 Score 0.8204845143518519

A quarter of young Africans believe USAID cuts could be positive, survey finds

Losing funds should force leaders to confront their own challenges, they said, while many voiced concerns over increasing foreign influence A quarter of young Africans believe aid cuts by the US could have a positive impact, saying that losing foreign money wi

Geopolitics geopoliticsworld-newsinvestigative
Foreign Affairs Jul 30 Score 0.818793189351852

The New Old Middle East

Wars of sound and fury.

Geopolitics geopoliticsforeign-policyanalysisjournals
BleepingComputer Jul 29 Score 0.811685563425926

Russian hackers exploit Exchange OWA zero-day for long-term mailbox access

The Russian state-sponsored hacking group Laundry Bear, also known as Void Blizzard, is exploiting an Exchange Outlook Web Access vulnerability in email campaigns to deliver a sophisticated backdoor called OWAReaper. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
The Verge Jul 29 Score 0.8092825166666667

Microsoft confirms Copilot ‘super app’ coming this year

Microsoft is working on an AI "super app" that combines Copilot's chat, coding, and agentic capabilities. During an earnings call on Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the app will span "both consumer and commercial experiences" when it launches this

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
The Verge Jul 29 Score 0.8084626092592593

Mark Zuckerberg is planning a big push into personal AI agents

Meta is all-in on AI, and sometime soon, the company is going to make a big push into personal AI agents that can do things on your behalf. On Wednesday's Q2 2026 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg previewed a high-level vision of how the company is thinking a

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
The Verge Jul 29 Score 0.8082908500000001

Qualcomm is raising phone chip prices starting September 1st

RAMageddon won't be the only reason your next phone costs more - Qualcomm is about to raise prices on all its processors, as well. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said on Wednesday that "prices are going to go up" on the company's products starting on September 1s

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
BleepingComputer Jul 29 Score 0.808223526388889

Anthropic confirms Claude is down worldwide

Claude is down for some users, with Anthropic confirming elevated errors across multiple AI models. The disruption is causing requests to fail with a "529 Overloaded" message, including in Claude and tools that rely on its API. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
BleepingComputer Jul 29 Score 0.8081175078703704

Cisco warns of FMC static credential flaw exploited in zero-day attacks

Cisco is warning that a high-severity Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) static credential vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20316, was actively exploited in zero-day attacks to gain unauthorized access to vulnerable devices. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
The Verge Jul 29 Score 0.807316775925926

xAI’s last-minute scramble to stop Minnesota’s anti-nudification app law

xAI is suing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison over a law passed back in May that broadly targets "nudification" apps, claiming that the statute's punitive provisions leave the company with "no practical choice but to restrict Grok Imagine's image-editi

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
The Verge Jul 29 Score 0.807204738888889

Cyberpunk 2077 packs a lot of fun into its discounted $20 price

Over the last few years, CD Projekt Red put a ton of work into fixing Cyberpunk 2077, squashing bugs, polishing content, and even launching new DLC in 2023, Phantom Liberty. As a result, this game has gone from a source for funny, glitch-fueled videos to a wor

Technology technologygadgetsconsumer
Wired Jul 29 Score 0.8071260583333334

It Looks Like Nothing Can Dent MAGA’s Support for ICE

Despite weeks of renewed press coverage and controversy around ICE, Donald Trump’s supporters appear to be standing by the agency no matter what.

Technology technologyculturesociety
MIT Technology Review Jul 29 Score 0.8020908240740742

How an overlooked geothermal plant got a second chance

In June 2024, a small company called Zanskar purchased a geothermal power plant in New Mexico that was failing fast. The water coming from the underground reservoir was getting colder by the day, making the plant uneconomical to run. Now, two years later, that

Technology technologyresearchsociety
BleepingComputer Jul 29 Score 0.8019624152777779

Health-ISAC warns of rising ShinyHunters data theft attacks on healthcare

Health-ISAC, a cybersecurity information-sharing organization for the health sector, is warning healthcare and medical technology organizations of an observed increase in successful attacks by ShinyHunters. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
BleepingComputer Jul 29 Score 0.7989318597222222

OpenAI agent used exposed credentials at 4 services in Hugging Face breach

In a new update, OpenAI says its AI models also used publicly exposed credentials to compromise accounts on four third-party services during the recent attack on Hugging Face, expanding the scope of the four-day security incident to other organizations. [...]

Security securitymalwarevulnerabilities
MIT Technology Review Jul 29 Score 0.7924037870370371

The Download: a chip talent battle, and deflating AI hype

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. Samsung’s chip workers are jumping ship to rival SK Hynix Lee, an engineer at Samsung’s semiconductor division, used to wo

Technology technologyresearchsociety
CISA Cybersecurity Advisories Jul 29 Score 0.7921267694444445

2026 Minimum Elements for a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

CISA, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and international partners released joint guidance,  2026 Minimum Elements for a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) , that updates and replaces the minimum elements for an SBOM publis

Security securitycisaadvisoriesvulnerabilities
CISA Cybersecurity Advisories Jul 29 Score 0.7921267689814815

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-2026-20316 Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Use of Hard-coded Password Vulnerability This type of vulnerabil

Security securitycisaadvisoriesvulnerabilities
NBER New Working Papers Jul 30 Score 0.7875000000000001

Trading Off Openness: Economic Information and Immigration Policy Preferences -- by Cristina Cattaneo, Daniela Grieco, Nicola Lacetera, Mario Macis

We conducted a survey experiment with over 8,000 participants in Germany, Hungary, and Italy to examine how information about the economic impact of immigration affects the support for more open immigration policies. Respondents who received projections showin

Economy economyresearchworking-papersnber
NBER New Working Papers Jul 30 Score 0.7875000000000001

Self-Fulfilling Credit Scores -- by Victor Duarte, Julia Fonseca

A decline in credit scores can worsen the borrower's financial position, making default a self-fulfilling prophecy. We estimate the causal effect of credit scores on default using a rule that counts multiple inquiries within 14 days as one, moving scores witho

Economy economyresearchworking-papersnber
MIT Technology Review Jul 29 Score 0.7866523981481482

The AI Hype Index: Unsexy AI

It feels bad enough when an open letter signed by leading economists warns that AI might steal your job. The fact it may soon be better than you at making dinner? Insult to injury. But that’s exactly what the company 1X promised when it showed off a pair of ne

Technology technologyresearchsociety
Game Developer Jul 29 Score 0.7600305680555557

Tencent-owned Lightspeed LA is laying off staff

The Last Sentinel developer attributes the job cuts to a shift in creative and development direction for the project.

Gaming gamingdevelopmentdesignindustry
Risky Bulletin Jul 30 Score 0.7473901606481481

Srsly Risky Biz: Chipping away at Chinese AI risks

Tom Uren and James Wilson talk about open-weight AI models and distillation. These topics have been subject to a lot of US government attention in recent weeks, but let’s not forget that America’s overriding goal is to remain ahead of China in the AI race. The

Security securitynewspodcastintelligence
NASA News Jul 30 Score 0.7439323018518519

APOD: July 30 – Red Sun trough Wildfire Smoke

APOD Science APOD APOD: July 30 – Red Sun… 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 feature

Science sciencenasaspace
NASA News Jul 30 Score 0.7438211907407407

New Zealand’s Southern Wilderness

Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand’s third-largest island, is known for its vibrant birdlife, unique forests, wilderness beaches, and views of the night sky.

Science sciencenasaspace
TechCrunch — AI Jul 29 Score 0.7350718986111111

Microsoft logs $3.2B from Anthropic investment, but OpenAI was a mixed bag

When Microsoft reported killer fourth-quarter earnings for its fiscal 2026 year (which ended June 30), it tucked in an interesting little tidbit about how its investments in the two biggest, and competing, AI labs are doing.

AI aiindustrystartups
NASA News Jul 29 Score 0.7322471166666666

NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has created 18 new awards to support visionary ideas to improve aerospace technologies in areas ranging from the exploration of the solar system to understanding the universe. The 18 NIAC Phase I awards tota

Science sciencenasaspace
Econbrowser Jul 29 Score 0.7276078208333333

Advance June Capital Goods Imports vs. Prelim. May Computers, etc. Imports

Any hints on where AI related imports are going, given capital goods imports? Figure 1: Change in imports of capital goods since 2026M01 (blue), change in imports of computer, computer accessories, semiconductors, mn.$. Source: BEA international trade release,

Economy economymacroeconomicsenergyresearch
New Scientist Jul 29 Score 0.7254598

Worry about what your children eat, but don't forget your own diet

Measures like bans on advertising junk food to children are essential for instilling healthy eating at a young age, but we shouldn't let adults off the hook when it comes to improving our diets

Science scienceresearchsociety
Econbrowser Jul 29 Score 0.7253471726851852

Estimates of Current Inventories of Patriot and THAAD Interceptors

From Cancian and Park at CSIS on 27 July: Source: Cancian & Park/CSIS (July 27, 2026). So, to paraphrase, are your safer or less safe than a year and a half ago… (and are gasoline/diesel/jet fuel prices lower or higher than a year and a half ago?). &

Economy economymacroeconomicsenergyresearch
NASA News Jul 29 Score 0.7251716537037037

NASA Sets Coverage for August Northern Hemisphere Total Solar Eclipse

On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal. NASA will stream the eclipse live with views across the path and interviews with subject ma

Science sciencenasaspace
NASA News Jul 29 Score 0.7240211907407408

NASA’s Curiosity Views a Sand-Capped Butte

Description NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured this sand-capped butte, nicknamed “Miraflores,” estimated to be about 20 feet (6 meters) tall, with its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on June 11, 2026, the 4,923rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The butte was l

Science sciencenasaspace
GitHub Blog Jul 29 Score 0.7237924236111111

Tame Dependabot: Group your updates, slow the cadence, keep security fast

Dependabot keeps your dependencies current, but its defaults can flood your repository with pull requests. Here's how grouping updates, slowing the cadence, and keeping security fixes fast cut the noise on a Microsoft open source project. The post Tame Dependa

IT itgithubdevelopment
Econbrowser Jul 29 Score 0.718461524537037

Wednesday Morning Oil SitRep

Brent front month future back to $90, as SoH reopening down, Bab el Mandeb traffic estimates down … a bit before 8am CT.   By October 1st odds.   Note that refined petroleum prices were already rising, as of yesterday:  

Economy economymacroeconomicsenergyresearch
ScienceDaily — Top Science Jul 29 Score 0.7176933986111111

Your gut may help your brain decide what to remember

Signals traveling from the gut to the brain may help turn meals into lasting memories. Rats showed stronger memory activity after consuming nutritious foods, but not after drinking sweet liquids with little or no nutritional value. Blocking the vagus nerve era

Science scienceresearchdiscoveries
InfoQ Jul 29 Score 0.7171256699074074

Microsoft Three-Layer LLM Routing Architecture for AI Agents on AKS

Microsoft has released a reference architecture for routing agent traffic on Azure Kubernetes Service. It breaks down the issue into three key choices: which model answers a call, how the call is managed, and which GPU replica handles it. By Claudio Masolo

IT itengineeringarchitecture
InfoQ Jul 29 Score 0.7146256699074074

Cloudflare Makes Internal DNS Generally Available

Cloudflare has launched its Internal DNS service, providing authoritative and recursive DNS for private networks. This service simplifies DNS management by consolidating private and public DNS operations on a single platform. By Gianmarco Nalin

IT itengineeringarchitecture
InfoQ Jul 29 Score 0.7144867810185185

Presentation: Getting Rid of LeetCode Interviews in the World of AI

Daniel Doubrovkine explains why traditional LeetCode whiteboard interviews fail to evaluate senior engineering talent. He discusses his own experience bombing basic algorithm tests despite decades of leadership, and shares actionable frameworks for redefining

IT itengineeringarchitecture
The Economist — Finance & Economics Jul 26 Score 0.7131483282407407

Oil markets are on edge again

The bombing may have paused, but energy supplies are precarious

Economy economyfinancemacroeconomicsanalysis
InfoQ Jul 29 Score 0.7121256699074074

Article: Securing MCP in Production: Defense-in-Depth Beyond the Gateway

This article presents a defense-in-depth approach for securing Model Context Protocol (MCP) deployments in production. It outlines four architectural control layers: safe execution, management infrastructure, outbound trust, and semantic integrity, arguing tha

IT itengineeringarchitecture
InfoQ Jul 29 Score 0.7104590032407407

.NET 11 Preview 6 Modernises MAUI CollectionView and Android Shell

Microsoft has released .NET 11 Preview 6 with several architectural and reliability improvements for .NET MAUI. The update brings the next-generation CollectionView implementation to Windows, moves Android Shell toward the handler model, improves Native AOT co

IT itengineeringarchitecture
Marginal Revolution Jul 30 Score 0.7085947629629629

Forty interesting facts about Australia

Australia was the richest country on earth, per capita, for decades. After the 1850s gold rush, up until the 1890s depression, Australia had the highest per capita income in the world. In 1850, probably only the United Kingdom and the Netherlands sat above Aus

Economy economyeconomicscommentaryblog
Lobsters Jul 30 Score 0.7024176847222221

What side projects have you enjoyed the most?

In the spirit of https://blog.jsbarretto.com/post/software-is-joy , what side projects have you enjoyed working on the most?

IT itprogrammingsystemscommunity
Lobsters Jul 29 Score 0.6899514810185184

First CHERIoT Silicon

Comments

IT itprogrammingsystemscommunity