Author: alex

Anthropic expands Claude: Claude Code on the Web, Claude Life Sciences, and "Claude Skills" Anthropic rolled out several major updates to its Claude family of models on October 20, 2025: a web launch of Claude Code, a new Claude Life Sciences offering for research workflows, and a modular Claude Skills system that lets users build reusable task packs for agents. These moves signal Anthropic's push into developer tooling and specialized scientific applications. Claude Code aims to make AI-assisted coding accessible via the browser, while Claude Life Sciences targets research workflows in biology and related fields. Claude Skills packages instructions, scripts, and code into reusable modules to speed up complex, repeatable tasks. Claude Code on the Web: Browser access to Claude's code assistance and developer-focused features. (See coverage: mlq.ai.) Claude Life…

AWS US‑EAST‑1 Outage Disrupts Major Apps, Services (Oct 20, 2025) On Oct. 20, 2025, a significant outage in Amazon Web Services' US‑EAST‑1 region caused widespread disruptions across many popular websites, apps and services. Companies and consumers reported slow responses, failed transactions and error pages for services including Venmo, Lyft, Snapchat, Canva, Fortnite and even Amazon's Alexa. According to AWS status updates, the root cause was a DNS resolution issue affecting the DynamoDB API, first noted in the early hours of the morning. AWS applied mitigations, and by mid‑afternoon many services were returning to normal, though some customers still faced elevated error rates and delayed recoveries due to backlogs and EC2 instance launch limitations. Root cause: DNS resolution problems impacting the DynamoDB API in the us‑east‑1 (Northern Virginia) region. Impact: Intermittent…

Google Chelsea Office Briefly Closed for Bed-Bug Treatment Google employees at the Chelsea campus were told to stay home on Sunday after a suspected bed-bug infestation was discovered in the building. Exterminators treated the area overnight and staff were allowed to return Monday morning. The company asked employees to report any signs of bites or evidence of bed bugs and to contact professional exterminators if they accidentally brought bugs home. According to reporting that informed the story, a cluster of large stuffed animals in the office was cited as a possible source, though that detail was not independently confirmed. Key details Incident: Suspected bed-bug infestation at Google’s Chelsea (New York) office. Action taken: Employees told to remain home while professional exterminators treated the building; staff returned Monday. Employee guidance: Report…

AWS US‑EAST‑1 Outage Knocks Popular Apps Offline On October 20, 2025, a major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage in the US‑EAST‑1 (Northern Virginia) region caused widespread interruptions across many popular websites, apps and services. Users reported disruptions to Amazon’s Alexa, payment app Venmo, Snapchat, Fortnite, Canva and more as DNS resolution problems and subsequent EC2 launch errors rippled through the cloud provider’s systems. According to AWS’s service health notices, engineers traced the root cause to a DNS resolution issue affecting the DynamoDB API early Monday. The DNS problem was reported as "fully mitigated" by AWS later, but dependent services continued to see increased error rates because of problems launching new EC2 instances and a backlog of requests. Timeline highlights: DNS/DynamoDB issue detected; mitigated later in the morning; residual problems persisted…

How to Get a Free Year of Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) Microsoft moved Windows 10 to "end of life" on October 14, which means the OS will stop receiving routine security updates by default. If you’re still on Windows 10, you have options: upgrade to Windows 11 if your PC is compatible, buy a new device, or enroll in Extended Security Updates (ESU) to keep receiving critical patches for another year. This post focuses on the ESU path, which can now be obtained for free in many cases. Below are the quick steps, caveats, and useful links so you can choose the safest option for your setup. Quick steps to enroll in ESU Make sure Windows 10 is fully up to date: go to Settings > System >…

Samsung to Unveil Project Moohan — First Android XR Headset Samsung will officially reveal its long-anticipated XR headset, codenamed Project Moohan, during a livestream on October 21 at 10PM ET. The reveal will be streamed on Samsung's YouTube channel and the Samsung Newsroom site. This event is notable because Moohan is expected to be the first device built on Google’s new Android XR operating system. Android XR is Google's platform designed specifically for extended-reality devices (VR, AR, and mixed reality). Samsung says the headset will showcase how the OS can "seamlessly blend everyday utility with immersive new experiences." Early leaks hint at some high-end features, but official specs will be confirmed (or refuted) during the livestream. Event: October 21, 10PM ET — streamed on Samsung's YouTube channel and Newsroom (Samsung…

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Adds Toggle to Reduce 'Liquid Glass' Visuals Apple's fourth developer beta of iOS 26.1 introduces a notable change: a system-wide switch to reduce the "Liquid Glass" visual effects that many users and critics have found disruptive to the overall user experience. The move reads like an admission that the new aesthetic, while striking, can interfere with clarity and usability in daily tasks. The toggle appears aimed at users who prefer a less glossy, more legible interface. While Apple hasn't published detailed notes describing the exact locations of the switch in the public release notes, it is expected to be available in Settings — likely under Accessibility or Display & Brightness — where users can limit motion, transparency, or similar visual treatments. What changed: iOS 26.1 beta…

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE review — Iterative update that struggles to stand out Samsung's Galaxy S25 FE arrives largely as a modest, iterative update rather than a reinvention. The phone brings only small design tweaks, a slightly larger 4,900mAh battery, and a few software perks — but compared with fresh midrange challengers like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro and Google Pixel 10, the S25 FE feels conservative. Hardware & display The S25 FE keeps Samsung's familiar brushed aluminum frame and a 6.7-inch AMOLED 120Hz display with 1080p resolution and up to 1,900 nits peak brightness. Physical differences from the S24 FE are minor: the new model is a bit shorter, wider and thinner, and notably lighter (6.7 oz vs 7.51 oz). Dimensions: 6.35 x 3.02 x 0.29 in Battery: 4,900mAh…

Anthropic brings Claude Code to the web and iOS, expanding developer access Anthropic has launched a web interface for Claude Code, its coding agent, and is rolling out an early preview inside its iOS app. The web version lets developers connect their GitHub repositories and interact with Claude Code through a browser — similar to giving the agent terminal access but with a GUI for progress updates and live steering. Getting started requires linking Claude to your GitHub repos. Once connected, you can describe tasks to the agent and watch it work, send real-time prompts to alter its behavior, and even assign multiple coding tasks to run in parallel for faster workflows. Isolated sandbox environments: each task runs with network and filesystem restrictions. Secure Git proxy: Anthropic handles Git interactions…

Meta to retire Facebook Messenger desktop app for Windows and Mac Meta will discontinue the standalone Facebook Messenger desktop application for both Windows and macOS. Reports indicate the desktop app will remain usable until December, after which users are expected to use the web-based Messenger experience. The move affects the Messenger apps for Windows and Mac. If you rely on the desktop client, now is the time to test the web interface and adjust workflows or notification settings. What changes: standalone desktop app will be discontinued. Deadline: users have until December to transition to the web Messenger. Alternatives: mobile Messenger apps or the web at messenger.com. Tips: Bookmark messenger.com and enable browser notifications, or keep using Messenger on your phone. Enterprises or power users who depended on the desktop client…