Author: alex

Microsoft restores Azure after Red Sea undersea cable cuts Microsoft said its Azure cloud platform returned to normal service after "undersea fiber cuts" in the Red Sea on Saturday, which disrupted Azure services across the Middle East and caused increased latency for some users. Microsoft rerouted traffic through alternate paths and reported that latency issues were resolved by the same evening. What happened Incident: multiple undersea fiber cable cuts in the Red Sea that affected Azure routing and increased latency. Impact: disruptions across the Middle East; Microsoft rerouted traffic to restore service the same day. Cause: Microsoft did not provide a confirmed cause. Undersea cables sit on the ocean floor and can be damaged accidentally (e.g., ship anchors) or intentionally; past incidents have included claims of deliberate cuts. Timeline Reported:…

Apple 'Awe Dropping' Event — What to Expect (Sep 9, 2025) Apple's September event is set for September 9, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET, streaming live from Apple Park in Cupertino on Apple.com and YouTube. Official livestream: https://www.apple.com/apple-events/ Quick summary Expect the iPhone 17 lineup (including a rumored super-thin model widely called the "iPhone Air"), updates to the Apple Watch family (including a new Ultra model), and possibly AirPods Pro 3. Apple will ship the new iPhones with iOS 26, which brings a major visual refresh. iPhone highlights (rumors) iPhone Air (rumored): Extremely thin (~5.55 mm), may use a high-density silicon-anode battery to offset a smaller battery capacity. Likely a single 48MP camera and some trade-offs on battery/camera versus Pro models. iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max: Possible material change…

Nintendo wins $2 million judgment against Modded Hardware operator Earlier this summer a U.S. federal court ruled in favor of Nintendo in a lawsuit against Ryan Daly, operator of the Modded Hardware website. The court ordered Daly to pay $2 million in damages, shut down the website, forfeit the site domain to Nintendo and be subject to a permanent injunction barring any future involvement with devices that circumvent Nintendo's protections (including creating, selling, contributing to, hosting or investing in related businesses). Key points Judgment: $2,000,000 awarded to Nintendo. Permanent injunction: shutdown of Modded Hardware, domain forfeiture, ban on creating/selling/modifying devices that bypass Switch protections. Devices involved: MiG Switch flashcarts and similar flashcarts/modchips commonly used to run pirated Switch games. Legal basis: violations of the DMCA and federal copyright law. Nintendo’s…

Apple’s Sept 9 “Awe dropping” event — iPhone 17 roundup Apple will reveal the iPhone 17 lineup on Tuesday, September 9. Expect four main models: the new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, the base iPhone 17, and the higher-end iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. New phones will ship with iOS 26 and likely include a host of small and large improvements. Key rumors iPhone 17 Air: An ultra-thin model reportedly with an A19 chip, a 6.6" display, a single rear camera, a thin ~2,800 mAh battery, and Dynamic Island. Early reports say it may lag behind Pro models in camera and battery life but aims to bring flagship features to a lighter form factor. iPhone 17 / 17 Pro / Pro Max: Pro models could switch to an…

Paramount+ Offers 50% Off Annual Plans — Here's What You Need to Know Paramount+ is currently running a limited-time promotion: annual subscriptions are half off. The discounted pricing applies to both the Essential and Premium plans for new and returning subscribers who pay for a full year up front. The Deal Essential (ad-supported): $30/year (usually $60) Premium (mostly ad-free + Showtime): $60/year (usually $120) The offer requires you to pay for the whole year in advance — monthly subscriptions remain at the regular price. You must sign up by September 18, 2025 to get the discount. Why It’s Worth Considering Paramount+ has strong offerings for both fans of scripted series and live sports. Highlights include Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks, several other Star Trek series,…

AI Search Newsletter — Weekly HighlightsWelcome to the AI Search newsletterHere are the top highlights in AI this week. Subscribe for concise briefs, deep dives, and product finds. This newsletter aims to save you time by summarizing the most important AI news and linking to further reading and product pages where relevant.What we coverResearch breakthroughs and papersProduct launches and updatesTools, SDKs, and APIsIndustry moves and policyPractical how-tos and tutorialsHow to engageTell us which AI story you want covered next by replying to our tweet or leaving a comment below. We’ll prioritize the most requested topics.SubscribeFollow us on X and subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly summaries and deep dives.Posted automatically from the AI Search newsletter workflow.

Human blood stem cells show signs of accelerated aging after a month in space A University of California San Diego–led study found that human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) exposed to 32–45 days aboard the International Space Station displayed signs of accelerated molecular aging. Changes included reduced self-renewal capacity, increased DNA damage, mitochondrial inflammation, shortened telomeres, and activation of normally silent genomic elements. Importantly, many of these effects were at least partially reversible after the cells returned to Earth. “Space is the ultimate stress test for the human body,” said Catriona Jamieson, director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute. “These findings ... show that the stressors of space — like microgravity and cosmic galactic radiation — can accelerate the molecular aging of blood stem cells.” How…

iOS 26 & iPadOS 26 — What to expect Apple will hold its iPhone event on Tuesday, Sept 9, 2025. The public release of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 is expected about a week later (around Sept 15–16), shortly before new iPhones hit stores. Quick summary Major visual refresh called “Liquid Glass” with new app icons, floating buttons and more cohesive UI across devices. Other headline features: Live Translate (real-time call/text translation), Polls in Messages, redesigned Phone app, new lock screen options, longer/shorter alarm snooze choices, screenshot tools (Google search & ChatGPT integration), and Camera app refinements. Public beta available via the Apple Beta Software Program; developer betas (e.g., beta 9) include more features but are less stable. Beta installs carry typical risks. Dropped iPhone models Three iPhones first released…

iPhone 17 event — Sept 9: iOS 26 & what’s new Apple’s iPhone 17 event is set for Tuesday, September 9. Expect the new iPhone 17 lineup and the public release of iOS 26 shortly after (historically within a week). Quick highlights Liquid Glass UI: A new translucent, adaptive design across apps, lock and home screens. Live Translation: Real-time translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages. Hold Assist: Put calls on hold and get notified when an agent answers. Visual Intelligence: Search for objects from screenshots or images on your device. Phone & Messages improvements: Spam filtering, polls in group chats, and better contact/voicemail navigation. Camera & Photos: Cleaner Camera UI, lens-clean reminder, and restored Photos tabs. AirPods: Studio-quality audio recording, camera remote, and possible live translation & heart-rate monitoring (rumored).…

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles — Rebuilding the Game from Scratch According to interviews with director Kazutoyo Maehiro (reported by Bloomberg and covered broadly), the team behind The Ivalice Chronicles had to reconstruct the original Final Fantasy Tactics codebase from the ground up. The original 1997 source was lost after multiple overwrites during localization and later releases, so developers relied on retail copies, the 2011 War of the Lions edition, smartphone versions, and fan-maintained databases to piece together the game. Key points Original 1997 source code was lost; devs rebuilt the game by reverse-engineering retail/master discs and using fan resources. Kazutoyo Maehiro said they leaned on fan databases and their own institutional knowledge (discussed publicly at PAX West 2025). Controversial balance choice: Count Cidolfus Orlandeau (Thunder God Cid) remains…