https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-wants-recurring-revenue-discontinues-autopilot-in-favor-of-fsd/

French ban on 'forever chemicals' in cosmetics and clothes to enter into force - France 24

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20251230-french-ban-on-forever-chemicals-in-cosmetics-clothing-to-enter-force

2016:

Team of hackers take remote control of Tesla Model S from 12 miles away
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/20/tesla-model-s-chinese-hack-remote-control-brakes

IIRC, there were a couple of other tsla hacks. Musk said they didn't happen.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-exploit-29-zero-day-vulnerabilities-on-second-day-of-pwn2own-automotive/

xkcd: Aurora Coolness
https://xkcd.com/3196/

I had this week's lights amped up so you could see them...

Biggest Solar Radiation Storm in 23 Years Sparks Northern Lights Worldwide
https://www.vice.com/en/article/biggest-solar-radiation-storm-in-23-years-sparks-northern-lights-worldwide/

worth a read

https://blog.kagi.com/waiting-dawn-search

A poker bot farm where multiple bots sit at the same table and share their cards to collude against humans

https://old.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1qi69fr/a_poker_bot_farm_where_multiple_bots_sit_at_the/

"If it CAN be corrupted, it WILL be corrupted."  --Designer-Mirror-7995

There are some pretty sophisticated bots cruising bsky.  One type that really caught my eye was what I call a 'suck-up bot.' It picks a point or two out of a user's post, uses ai to make an in-context reply, and makes a sycophantic comment about the OP.  Someone happened to catch one with a %variable% exposed and posted it. 

There was a roughly similar case posted on bsky yesterday.  The LLM was dead wrong and the user posted an easily found recorded document to correct it.

$5

Amazon.com: [Upgraded] Bluetooth 5.0 Remote Shutter for iPhone & Android Camera Wireless Remote Control Selfie Button for iPad iPod Tablet, HD Selfie Clicker for Photos & Videos (Black) : Electronics
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VTFS4X

> interesting solution

It works well enough for my casual use. No matter what drive type, finding a small flock of buffleheads 800m out & surrounded by miles of water isn't going to be fast.  The digital eyepiece does help with that, though.

>Buffleheads

AND they are very active dippers. About the time I zero in on them the whole flock goes under.

I also conjured up a button trigger for the eyepiece.

I'm on a scope fix-it-like-RC-wants-it binge.  I bought 2 tall, sturdier tripods along with a couple of $10 ball-heads to try.  The ball-heads were nice, but an 18mm ball just ain't going to give you any sort of granular control.  So...  Break out the 3d printer and go find something bigger to modify;

Heavy Duty Tripod Ball Head by Empiricus
https://www.printables.com/model/80243-heavy-duty-tripod-ball-head/files

NOW we're talking. 60mm ball!

I mounted the Celestron scope directly to the ball, no quick release.

But for the monocular I modified a thin -18mm overall assembled height- camlock quick release to fit very close to the top of the ball.  I'm trying to keep the center of gravity as low as possible to minimize wobbles & shifting.  Seems to work pretty well.

>Nothing confirms a recession like the public bracing for it

That's in part because the bracing reinforces & amplifies the contributing factors.

After a bad experience with an emailed CC receipt after a hotel checkout, I've always opted for a paper receipt. But with all the lack-of-security concerns floating about, I started checking receipts from restaurants, convenience stores, grocery chains, etc to see what they divulged.

Some, but not all, receipts list the last 4 digits of your CC account #. The 1st four are for the card vendor (Visa, MCard, ...). So, the 16-digit number really just 8.  If you've ever watched a password cracker perform, 8 digits ain't all that secure. 

I couldn't find this particular vid outside bsky.

Note the long run with -supposedly- no downtime.  The dexterity is expected, I guess, but still impressive.  At this beta speed, humans are still cheaper but that won't last for long.

https://bsky.app/profile/cpaxton.bsky.social/post/3mcf7heh6ls2t