The Download: AI agents for science, and the “censorship-industrial complex”
The Download: AI agents for science, and the “censorship-industrial complex”

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. AI for science needs reasoning, not just data —Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and the cofounder of Schmidt Sciences, and Suhas Mahesh, who leads the AI for science work…

What Recent Cloud Outages Teach About Reliability

When an outage occurs, it’s easy to blame the provider. The real issue is whether an application has been built to survive it.

Hyperscalers commit nearly $2 trillion to secure AI hardware and memory — Google leads $811 billion spending surge while Apple trails at $57 billion

As hyperscalers increase their long-term purchase commitments, the high-tech industry faces a tectonic shift as CSPs overwhelm consumer electronics companies.

GeForce NOW exploit lets you access the full Windows desktop through a simple file swap — Modder runs local AI models on Ultimate tier with 48GB of VRAM and no restrictions
GeForce NOW exploit lets you access the full Windows desktop through a simple file swap — Modder runs local AI models on Ultimate tier with 48GB of VRAM and no restrictions

Swapping the executable of a game with a modified file will fool Steam into thinking it’s opening that game when it’s really just giving you unrestricted desktop access. This is against GeForce NOW’s terms of service, though, so you run the risk of getting banned.

Pluto’s atmosphere is collapsing as it drifts away from the sun into a deep freeze
Pluto’s atmosphere is collapsing as it drifts away from the sun into a deep freeze

As Pluto edges further away from the sun, the chilly temperatures are causing its atmosphere to condense onto its barren surface as frost.

Your agent didn’t hallucinate; it exceeded its authority

Content filters can block unsafe output. They cannot tell you whether an agent was authorized to issue that refund, touch that production system, or commit the company to an external action. Those are different problems, and most enterprises are only s…

This great retro-inspired keyboard now comes preassembled
This great retro-inspired keyboard now comes preassembled

You probably know just by looking at it if the Classic-TKL Underscore Edition is for you. Do you want a retro-looking wired keyboard without a number pad? Great. Do you care that it doesn’t have wireless? Perfect. Do you want it preassembled? Buddy, you’re in the right place. But Nathan, you might say, preassembled is […]

The Outlaw Chemist Teaching People How to Make Drugs From Scratch

Willy Myco has made over 120 videos showing people his exact process for making everything from LSD to DMT vapes. Not everyone’s a fan of his methods.

The Best Portable Solar Panels: My Take After Years of Testing

Clean, free power from the sun is easier and more affordable to capture than ever with the best portable solar panels.

Discovered Materials is playing AI whack-a-mole to hunt cooler chips

Discovered Materials raised $9 million to fund the hunt for more novel materials to build more efficient chips.