Alvaro Lopez Ortega / 2026-04-17 Briefing

Created Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:34:38 +0000 Modified Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:36:52 +0000
2526 Words

Silicon Valley leaders are working to redirect federal research funding from public institutions to private industry, threatening the foundations of public science. Meanwhile, Big Tech has lobbied the EU to keep data center environmental impacts confidential, limiting scrutiny of AI’s energy footprint. In gaming, an experimental Steam client has run on Nintendo Switch hardware, as middle-class Hollywood actors face mounting economic pressure.

💻 Software & Systems

A history of teapots and UNIX

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Folk Computer

The Folk Computer project provides software, guides, and long-form notes, such as “Towards a folk computer.” The project also features various media coverage and offers community engagement opportunities via Discord.

SteamOS ARM64 Reaches Nintendo Switch in First Experiment

An experimental setup has successfully run the Steam client on a Nintendo Switch using ARM64 architecture on Ubuntu. While the interface is functional, launching games remains difficult due to hardware limitations and issues with translation layers like Proton. This milestone demonstrates the potential for Valve’s ARM64-compatible stack to operate on hardware beyond the Steam Deck.

Compatibility Is a Feature

Compatibility must be treated as a core architectural feature to ensure system stability during production changes like partial rollouts. A robust design allows various versions, data structures, and consumers to coexist safely, preventing system brittleness and complicated rollbacks.

Ada, Its Design, and the Language That Built the Languages

Created by the US Department of Defense in the late 1970s, the Ada programming language was designed to address fragmentation and interoperability issues among hundreds of existing languages. Although often criticized as verbose, Ada pioneered advanced safety and concurrency features that modern languages like Rust and Go are now independently adopting.

FIM – Linux framebuffer image viewer

FIM, also known as Fbi IMproved, is a universal image viewer for the Linux framebuffer. The program is designed based on GNU/Linux concepts.

Microsoft closes book on rogue Windows Server 2025 upgrades

Microsoft has officially marked the issue of unauthorized Windows Server 2025 upgrades as “resolved” with the release of cumulative update KB5082063. However, this new update has introduced a separate problem that causes certain domain controllers to experience continuous boot loops due to LSASS crashes.

Support tech caught by ‘Technician Aura’: the bug that only hides when you’re watching

A technician investigating recurring payment terminal failures at a gardening shop was unable to identify the issue while actively monitoring the system. The problem was eventually traced to electromagnetic interference caused by a cashier’s mobile phone ringing near the terminal.

Cisco Wi-Fi boxes are filling their disks with 5MB of undeletable data every day

Over 230 Cisco Wi-Fi access point models are accumulating 5MB of undeletable daily log data, which can exhaust onboard flash memory. This buildup prevents critical software updates and risks causing device bootloops, prompting Cisco to issue an advisory with remediation instructions.

🤖 AI & Robotics

Isaac Asimov: The Last Question

In 2061, two technicians tending to the supercomputer Multivac debate whether Earth’s transition to solar energy provides a truly infinite power supply. While humanity has successfully harnessed solar power to replace coal and uranium, the men question if this resource will persist indefinitely or eventually deplete alongside the sun.

Opus 4.7 is horrible at writing

A user has reported a significant decline in writing quality when switching from Opus 4.6 to Opus 4.7. The individual described the newer version as sloppy and imprecise while working on their Master’s thesis.

SPICE simulation → oscilloscope → verification with Claude Code

MCP servers have been developed for oscilloscopes and SPICE simulators to enable Claude Code to bridge the gap between simulation and real hardware. This integration allows for closed-loop verification between simulated models and physical measurements.

Physical Intelligence’s π0.7 shows unexpected robot generalization on untrained tasks

Robotics startup Physical Intelligence has introduced $\pi$0.7, a new model capable of performing unfamiliar tasks by recombining previously learned skills. While the model currently requires step-by-step verbal coaching to execute new instructions, its ability to synthesize fragmented knowledge represents a significant step toward creating a general-purpose robot brain.

Attention data hoarders: Alexa loses its Plex appeal as voice feature gets canned

Plex will discontinue its Alexa skill on June 15, 2026, due to low usage and shifting company priorities. While voice control via Amazon smart speakers will no longer be available, Plex apps and web interfaces will continue to function normally.

Would you like fries with that terminal?

A Jack in the Box drive-through screen in Santa Rosa, California, recently displayed an Ubuntu Linux desktop instead of an order confirmation. The glitch, likely caused by an interrupted software update, occurred amid a period of declining revenue and restaurant count for the fast-food chain.

IOWN Global Forum targets datacenter interconnects to scatter AI infrastructure

The IOWN Global Forum is prioritizing datacenter interconnects using all-photonic network technology to support distributed AI infrastructure and the growth of “neocloud” providers. This initiative aims to enable low-latency applications, such as remote GPU access and sovereign AI, by providing high-speed connections across geographically dispersed facilities.

🛡️ Security & Privacy

Atlassian is changing how we use customer data on August 17, 2026

Atlassian will update its use of metadata and in-app data to enhance AI capabilities starting August 17, 2026. To ensure privacy and security, new data contribution settings will roll out beginning April 16, 2026, allowing administrators to control how their organization’s data is used.

Hackers dodging security tools by dropping secret QEMU virtual machines inside Windows

Hackers are using the QEMU virtualizer to run hidden Linux virtual machines on Windows systems to bypass security tools like Windows Defender. This technique allows threat actors to execute malicious toolkits for activities such as credential theft and ransomware deployment while remaining nearly invisible to host-based monitoring.

Cybercrime goes plug and play with voice fraud-as-a-service platform

The newly discovered ATHR toolkit enables fraudsters to run automated, large-scale phone scams by combining phishing emails with AI-generated voice agents to steal credentials for major services. Because these attacks use phone numbers instead of malicious links, they are uniquely difficult for conventional security tools to detect.

Locked-out iPhone user tells The Reg that Apple is scrambling to fix character flaw passcode bug

Apple is working to fix an iOS 26 bug that has locked some users out of their iPhones by removing necessary characters from the Czech keyboard. The issue was identified through a student’s social media post and is expected to be resolved in an upcoming major software update.

⚖️ Law & Regulation

Big Tech Lobbying for Data Center Secrecy

US tech companies have successfully lobbied the EU to include secrecy provisions in regulations that classify the individual environmental impacts of data centers as confidential. This prevents researchers and the public from scrutinizing the energy and pollution footprints of expanding AI-driven infrastructure, potentially violating international transparency obligations.

Hospital Held Woman for Months Against Her Will. SCOTUS to decide if she can sue

The Supreme Court will determine whether a woman can sue a Baltimore hospital in federal court following her months-long involuntary detention and forced medication. The case focuses on whether the Rooker-Feldman doctrine prevents federal courts from reviewing a state court consent order that remains subject to further review within the state court system.

China fines food delivery apps, including Alibaba and Meituan, $528M, largest fine since 2015

Chinese regulators have fined major food delivery platforms, including Alibaba, Meituan, and PDD Holdings, a combined $528 million for failing to filter unqualified merchants. This penalty marks the largest ever issued to the sector since the 2015 amendment to China’s food safety law.

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei to meet WH Chief of Staff Susie Wiles: breakthrough in Pentagon fight

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is scheduled to meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Friday to resolve a legal and political dispute between the company and the Pentagon. The meeting aims to facilitate government access to Anthropic’s new “Mythos” AI model, which the Trump administration views as a critical asset for national security and cybersecurity.

China agencies probe Meta’s $2B Manus deal, sparking tech sector fears

Multiple Chinese agencies are investigating a $2 billion deal between Meta and Manus, examining the agreement’s potentially “conspiratorial” nature. Some officials have expressed concern that these aggressive regulatory measures could send a chilling signal to the broader technology sector.

European Commission turns up the heat on Meta over WhatsApp AI restrictions

The European Commission has ordered Meta to stop charging third-party companies for offering AI chatbot services via WhatsApp, alleging that these fees abuse the company’s dominant market position. The directive aims to ensure fair competition in the emerging AI assistant market by preventing Meta from blocking competitors through subscription fees.

💼 Business & Industry

How Silicon Valley Is Turning Scientists into Exploited Gig Workers

Silicon Valley leaders, including Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, are working to redirect federal research funding from public universities and institutions, such as the National Science Foundation, toward private industry. This movement seeks to dismantle the very public science infrastructure that historically provided the foundational research for the tech sector’s most significant technological breakthroughs.

‘Middle Class’ Actors Are Getting ‘Squeezed Out’ of Hollywood

Actor Kirk Acevedo highlights the increasing economic difficulties facing middle-class Hollywood actors, noting that many are being “squeezed out” of the industry since the pandemic. He attributes this trend to heightened competition from film stars transitioning to television and the struggle to cover living expenses after accounting for taxes and professional fees.

SynMax: 40% of 2026 US data centers face 3+ month delays, including Microsoft/OpenAI (FT)

Approximately 40% of US data centers scheduled for completion in 2026 are facing delays of more than three months. Major sites for companies including Microsoft and OpenAI are among those expected to be set back.

Uber to pay ~€270M for 4.5% more stake in Delivery Hero, bringing total to ~7%

Uber has agreed to pay approximately €270 million to acquire an additional 4.5% stake in Delivery Hero from Prosus. This transaction will increase Uber’s total stake in the German food delivery group to roughly 7%. The move follows Prosus’s decision to reduce its holdings due to EU competition concerns.

Q&A: Ronan Farrow on his Sam Altman profile, OpenAI board drama, and enterprise shift

In a recent episode of the Decoder podcast, Nilay Patel interviews investigative reporter Ronan Farrow about his extensive New Yorker profile of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The conversation explores the details of the deep-dive report, including the 2023 OpenAI board controversy and concerns regarding Altman’s trustworthiness.

SpaceX moves employee share sale date from May to April

SpaceX has moved up the scheduled vesting date for employee shares from May to April, with some shares becoming eligible for sale as early as next week. This acceleration aims to address staff concerns regarding stock availability ahead of a potential IPO targeting a valuation of more than $2 trillion.

Capita won disastrous UK pensions gig after acing performance checks

Capita won a £239 million contract to manage the UK’s Civil Service Pension Scheme after successfully passing rigorous technical and commercial assessments. However, the subsequent service rollout has been plagued by portal glitches and a massive case backlog, leading to significant payment delays for thousands of retirees.

🌍 Science & Society

How to make buffet breakfasts less wasteful

All-you-can-eat breakfasts can result in up to twice as much food waste as menu-based ordering. This excess waste presents both environmental concerns and increased financial costs for hotels.

Human Accelerated Region 1

Human Accelerated Region 1 (HAR1) is a segment of chromosome 20 that has undergone significant evolutionary changes in humans. The region contains two overlapping long non-coding RNA genes and is primarily active during human brain development.

Global warming is making the strongest hurricanes stronger

Human-caused global warming is intensifying the world’s most powerful tropical cyclones by providing more heat energy from warming oceans. Recent studies show an increase in the frequency of Category 5 storms and higher wind speeds, which can lead to exponentially greater destruction.

NASA gets the ball rolling on its part in Europe’s jinxed Mars rover mission

NASA has approved the implementation of its contributions to the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover mission, providing critical hardware and launch services. The mission is currently targeted for a launch no earlier than late 2028 to search for evidence of past life on Mars.