This digest compiles the latest from Tech Spot.
Today’s Tech Spot Roundup
UCLA scientists modernize Edison's nickel-iron battery, use it to store solar power
The new design retains Edison’s choice of metals while incorporating 21st-century nanotechnology and bioengineering. The UCLA-led study, published in Small, describes a battery capable of recharging in seconds rather than hours and withstanding more than 12,000 full charge-discharge cycles – equivalent to over 30 years of daily use.
The Steam Deck is out of stock as the RAM crunch hits gaming hardware
Over the past few days, several gamers trying to buy a new Steam Deck have been unable to purchase the machine. Valve’s increasingly popular handheld is nowhere to be found on the company’s US store, with all three models listed as “out of stock” since Thursday.
AI could wipe out most white-collar jobs within 12 months, Microsoft AI chief warns
Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times, Suleyman talked about “professional-grade AGI” and how Microsoft expects it to capture a large share of the enterprise market.
Wikipedia may remove nearly 700,000 links after Archive.today DDoS fallout
Wikipedia relies heavily on Archive.today because it is more effective than conventional alternatives, such as the Internet Archive. However, the properties that have made Archive.today so useful have also drawn the attention of the FBI, likely because the site circumvents the paywalls of numerous prominent media outlets.
John Carmack proposes fiber-optic loops as high-speed AI cache
The thought experiment began with a number. Single-mode fiber optics can now transmit data at 256 terabits per second over 200 kilometers. Based on that capacity, Carmack estimated that about 32 gigabytes of information are stored in the cable at any given moment.
Samsung announces QD-OLED Penta-Tandem branding for its latest five-layer panel tech
The “Penta” part in the new branding is literal. Samsung Display says the blue OLED light source inside its QD-OLED panels has moved from a four-layer structure to a five-layer, tandem-style stack.
This browser-based tool can fool facial age checks using 3D avatars
After Discord announced plans to require age verification for all users, a free, HTML-based tool emerged that aims to bypass facial scans on the platform and potentially other services. Responses from facial scan developers could launch a cat-and-mouse game between age verification services and users.
Windows Secure Boot certificates are expiring after more than 15 years
Microsoft is reminding users that the Secure Boot ecosystem will soon require a mandatory check-up. The Redmond-backed security protocol, part of the UEFI specification and primarily used on Windows systems, will need new encryption certificates because the older ones are expiring over the next few months.
Ryzen revenue share jumps 14.6% as AMD takes 42.6% of the desktop market
At the desktop level, AMD’s Ryzen family continued to lead on performance and efficiency benchmarks, with revenue share rising to 42.6% – its highest since the first generation of Ryzen debuted. Even as the DIY segment slowed, consumer demand for gaming performance kept chips like the Ryzen 7800X3D, 9800X3D, and…
Russian soldiers criticize Telegram slowdown as Moscow blocks WhatsApp
Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said that Telegram would begin slowing nationwide for the country’s 60 million users as it had not addressed long-running violations. Moscow says foreign apps must follow local laws and store Russian users’ data within the country.
Legends of Tech: Nintendo Entertainment System
Before the NES, home consoles were a burned market in the US. Nintendo reversed that narrative with games that turned consoles into a global industry again.
End of today’s Tech Spot roundup.
