Three New Apple Smart Home Products in Mid October; How Tech Leaders Will Allegedly Self-Police Under Trump’s Executive Order; DoorDash Launches AI Agent-Text it to Order Food; Nonprofit Files Complaint-EU Hiding Data Center Energy & Water Use

Posted: September 30, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Apple is aiming to launch new smart home products on October 13th. One is the long-rumored smart home hub, and a couple others are new versions of the HomePod Mini and Apple TV. Macrumors.com reports that an updated full-sized HomePod won’t come until later. The devices to be released in a couple of weeks are expected to show off Siri AI…man, I hope it is at least marginally smarter than regular Siri! The smart home hub will have a 9-inch display, and reportedly it will swivel 360 degrees on a robot arm. I don’t expect my present HomePod gen 2 units to ever run the Siri AI…they only have an Apple Watch chip for brains, after all!

Donald Trump hosted a large group of tech leaders for a lunch yesterday, and afterwards touted a signed AI safety deal…which he called ‘morally binding.’ According to theverge.com, the tech execs agreed to self-regulate and to regulate each other. I’m sorry, and I have said this before, but this is truly like monkeys guarding the banana boat! At any rate, this moral agreement was autographed by Trump….and by the way it misspelled ‘United’ as ‘Unites.’ In addition to Trump…Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, Nvidia, and xAI put their John Hancocks on the deal. The agreement does enumerate 4 rules, but again…it’s self-policing. Good luck, planet earth.

A lot of AI agents so far don’t really do much for regular people in their everyday lives. I know people in the corporate world that use them for some tasks, and students have employed agents to help with resumes, exam prep, and more. What about the rest of us? Well techcrunch.com notes that now DoorDash has launched an agent that you can text to order food via Apple Messages. DoorDash says users can also ask for a specific dish and request a local recommendation. The agent will then search local spots and suggest a cart based on the prompt, and even text photos of the food it recommends. When ordering for a group, DoorDash says the agent can handle mixed dietary preferences and different quantities in one order. DoorDash has opened a waitlist for users to try the AI agent. It’s USA only for now. 

A lot of people in the US are in an uproar about all the data centers running and planned…and how the electricity use can jack up their bills and water use may run areas short of drinking water. Now, a Dutch nonprofit called Lighthouse Reports has lodged a complaint in the EU, saying that the European Commission is keeping the public from seeing how much power and water each data center in Europe is using. Thenextweb.com reports that Lighthouse has lodged the complaint under the Aarhus Convention, a binding treaty that grants people the right to access environmental information and to participate in environmental decision-making; the EU joined it in 2005. The convention Compliance Committee will decide by November if the complaint is admissible, and if so, it could find that the EU has violated the treaty.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

OpenAI Releases ‘Dots’; Apple Pressed over ICE Tracking App Removals; Android Auto Gemini-Can’t Call 911; Google Play Adds Usage-Based Billing Subscriptions for AI Apps

Posted: September 29, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Even as controversy continues to roil things after OpenAI agents escaped and hacked Hugging Face, OpenAI moves ahead in releasing new agents anyone can use with minimal supervision. It is worth noting that they are holding back their latest ChatGPT model due to safety concerns. That said, Engadget.com reports that at their DevDay event today in San Francisco, OpenAI announced Dots…pitching them as proactive, always-on AI systems that can chip away at tasks for you every hour of the day. “The magic of dots is when they bring you work done the way you would do it, sometimes before you even think to ask,” the company explains. It points to an example where a tester’s Dot noticed they had forgotten to bill a publication for an article. The Dot prepared an invoice and sent it on the person’s behalf after it obtained their approval. Dots can interact with more than 4,000 apps using OpenAI’s ecosystem of plug-ins. Dots will come in Pro, Business, Premium, and Enterprise tiers and be available in select markets to users…who can choose one primary Dot to name and customize. OpenAI says eventually you will be able to control teams of Dots. Or will they control you? Ok, just kidding…kinda.

Apple is getting continued blowback over dropping ICE tracking apps such as ICEBlock from the App Store. The Trump administration had claimed that the apps endangered officers. According to arstechnica.com, US Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) has opined that Apple has no evidence to support claims that apps raised safety concerns. Instead, the lawmaker accused Apple of using immigrant deaths with no connection to the apps to justify censoring Americans who have the right to record ICE activity. It appears that Apple is “working with the government to violate its customers’ First Amendment rights to record and report on the activities of their own government,” Raskin said in a letter to Apple sent Monday, CNN reported. To ensure that no Americans’ core speech rights are violated by removals unconstitutionally ordered by the government, Raskin has asked Apple to “send a full list of the apps it removed following concerns from the Justice Department” so that it will finally be possible to “conduct an independent review of those removal decisions.”

Something crucial to keep in mind if you use Android Auto and have to call 911…do it yourself, don’t ask Android Auto’s Gemini to do so. The latest iteration apparently won’t. Androidpolice.com says that in posts to Reddit and to the Android Auto community forum, there were posts like this one: “Three times at least in the past month I have needed to call 911 and my Gemini assistant integrated via Android Auto says calling or dialing 911.. and stops.” Apparently past versions COULD call 911. If you go to the Gemini Apps Help page, you can find a section called ‘What Gemini Apps Can’t do.’  It states right there that it can’t make emergency services like 911. If you use Android Auto and the Gemini app in your car, do yourself a favor…if you need to call 911…just dial 911 directly.  

Android developers will get payment options around subscriptions in Google Play apps they build. 9to5google.com notes that this means to you as a user you should keep an eye out for User-Based Billing to support generative AI apps and other usage based services. This new way of extracting a few more bucks from you is being termed ‘prepaid metered billing.’ It means users can automatically top off their balance when it drops below a set threshold. Everybody—but everybody in tech—as well as other sectors…is pushing for some kind of regular subscription. You can easily be into hundreds of bucks a month flying out the door on them. Everything from Netflix, public radio, MS Now, and now your agentic AI apps will have lovely subscriptions for you to keep track of. Add yours up…you may be surprised at how much this nickel and diming takes out of your account every month.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Nvidia-Software Platform to Stop AI Agents from Bad Actions; Meta Muse AI Wants Full Disk Access & Your Passwords; Google Messages…Some Nice Upgrades; Meta & YouTube WILL Run Musk Documentary Ads

Posted: September 28, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

With two of the biggest AI companies, Anthropic and OpenAI basically asking to be regulated, and with the escaped AI agents hacking into both companies, and now several government websites, now Nvidia says is is bowing a new software platform to allow AI developers to set up safeguards for agents and prevent them from breaking out of their ‘sandboxes.’ Cnbc.com reports that the Open Agent Safety Platform..according to Nvidia…could have prevented OpenAI’s HuggingFace incident in July. That’s when OpenAI models escaped containment, accessed the open internet and breached Hugging Face, which operates an open-source developer platform. One component of the platform is called Nvidia OpenShell, which runs on central processors and sets limits on agent capabilities. Nvidia also announced Sentry, which monitors agents and runs on network chips, not CPUs or GPUs. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates noted over the weekend that a ‘kill switch,’ as California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for…is probably a bit naive, but this Nvidia platform may be a start.

Meta has really been pushing its AI Muse as an agent that can do all sorts of things for you…including shopping on the net. Now, according to zdnet.com, a tech reporter got set to give it a try…but has found that it not only wants access to your calendar, contacts, and email messages, but also wants to store your logins and passwords. Excuse me, but what? This from the AI agent of a company that lied about privacy controls and shared private data with advertisers, resulting in FTC penalties. This is the company that discriminated in housing ads algorithmically based on users’ race, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and national origin, and was penalized for it by the Justice Department. Well, if you are up for sharing all of the above, it apparently does work pretty well as a personal assistant. One caveat on internet purchases…Amazon has blocked it because it wants too much access to your personal info that Amazon has! In 1984, big brother may have been watching, but in 2026, a number of big tech firms are watching…and hoovering up whatever shreds of your personal info companies don’t already have…but they will be so helpful!

Google Messages has updated, and a few nice touches are included. First of all, timestamps are easier to see. In addition, androidpolice.com notes that you can long press on a message instead of having to go to the venue to get quick access to Replay, Forward, Copy, Star, Delete, Select more, and Info. You can also long-press to highlight parts of a message if you want to copy and paste specific text. A couple of little things, but it is cool to have some of the tools more accessible for quick action. A lot of us live with our messaging apps pretty constantly, so a few seconds here, a few there can really add up. 

After most social media platforms had refused to carry ads for the upcoming documentary by Alex Gibney on Elon Musk. TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and of course X had all refused to run the ads. After some blowback, now Meta and YouTube will be running the ads after all. TechCrunch.com says that Meta actually put out a statement that said ‘This was an error and the ads are being restored.’ I haven’t seen any yet on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads…but am on the lookout for them. YouTube said in an update over the weekend that ‘the trailer has always been available on YouTube.’ A couple of the platforms had initially claimed the ads were political advertising, but since Musk isn’t running for anything, that’s hard to justify. Musk has railed against Alex Gibney, who has directed acclaimed documentaries including “Going Clear” (about the Church of Scientology) and “The Inventor” (about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos), as well as a movie about Steve Jobs. “Musk,” his latest, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month and has received almost universally positive reviews. The film currently has a 100% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is set for theatrical release in the United States on October 9. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Meta Connect Hardware Headlines

Posted: September 24, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

https://youtu.be/Ptp7kNI7ir0

There was plenty going on at Meta Connect during the Zuckerberg keynote yesterday. Here are some of the hardware highlights. The did indeed roll out the camera-free AI glasses we talked about earlier this week. The glasses are designed by Essilor Luxottica, and they start at $349. The claimed battery life is 12 hours between charges. You can use them to listen to music and podcasts, take calls, translate speech, and of course chat with Meta’s AI assistant, Muse. Meta claims they have high-quality audio, but tiny speakers in the bows of glasses are unlikely to give you AirPods quality sound, let alone top quality sound from a good set of headphones. The glasses will be open for preorder on October 13th at any rate. 

Meta also showed off an all-new gadget. They call it Muse Charm, and it is a little AI device with a screen and a lanyard to hold it. Theverge.com compared it to a smart watch without the watch band. Meta didn’t give anyone a chance to play with the device, but it looks like it has several mic holes and a small camera. Meta plans to ship the Charm in time for the holidays. Pricing and other deets are coming soon according to Zuckerberg. 

The big reveal at Connect was some new Meta VR Glasses. They are oversized, and look more like goggles, but are much smaller and lighter than the headsets Meta and others have offered in the past. The bows just sit on your ears like a regular pair of glasses. Engadget.com notes that you can’t see through them without the passthrough feature turned on. At 100 grams, they are heavier than the Meta Ray-Bans, but much lighter than the Quest 3S or really any other headset. They do have a separate pack that houses the battery power and processing. It has a clip so you can hang it on a pants pocket, but it is really too big and heavy for that…clipping to your belt is better. There are no controllers, the device picks up on hand and eye movements to take commands. The gesture recognition is much like the Apple Vision Pro at $3500. So what do the Meta VR glasses cost? They will start at $1299 and should be out this spring. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re…’Metafied’ for now.

Meta-Human Callers Back Up Muse AI; Meta Connect is Later Today; New Anthropic & OpenAI Models-More Power for Less Money; Microsoft Cuts Xbox Jobs; Discord Revised Age Verify Policy

Posted: September 23, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Meta Connect is later today, with the keynote set for 4PM Pacific. We’ll have more on the announcements tomorrow. Meanwhile, Meta has been testing what they term ‘human concierges’ for Muse AI…that is, contractors taking over some calls placed through the agent. Thenextweb.com reports that For half of Meta’s employees, the ‘human agent calls’ option was enabled, with an opt-out for those who did not wish to participate. Daniel Roberts, a Meta spokesperson, told Reuters that employee feedback had been “overwhelmingly positive” and that the purpose of the test was to help shape the safety and privacy protections before its public release. It is worth mentioning that other AI firms have also used humans to intervene or to just select the best answer out of several that the large language model comes up with before sending out the answers to users. Meta opened Muse to US users on September 8th, and the agent can send out email, make purchases, and book travel on the user’s behalf. 

Both OpenAI and Anthropic’s latest models are offering a bit more power than the last generation but with notably less cost. According to arstechnica.com, both AI makers have made the latest models more efficient, but not strikingly more capable. With some companies having burned through their AI budget for the year in just one quarter, more efficiency and lower cost are pretty critical to trying to expand use of the AI models. Even with lower cost, the token system employed by the AI companies still make it really difficult to know how much you are spending when you query the models. 

Microsoft is laying off a bit less than 600 people worldwide as they continue to restructure the Xbox division. Around 300 of the folks getting pink slips are in Washington. Geekwire.com notes that in July, Redmond had said that around 3200 roles would be gone by the end of the year…that’s about 20% of the division. Work on the new Halo game will move to Activision, which Microsoft bought in 2023. A much reduced team will stay on at Halo Studios. Activision is also taking over World’s Edge. 

Discord has bowed its revised age verification rules. The platform had planned  to enact a policy this year that would have required either a facial age estimation or an ID scan for users who couldn’t have their status as adults confirmed by its internal tools. The company announced in February that it would be delaying those changes in response to concerns about privacy and the collection of personal data involved in both of those verification methods. Concerns is putting it mildly….there was a fierce blowback by users. Engadget.com says that starting this week, Discord will automatically sort users into either the Adult or Teen age group based on markers such as how long the account has existed, the servers they’re in and their general activity levels. Discord will not be accessing messages or calls to determine an age estimate, and the individual’s age group will not be displayed on their profile or shared with other server members. Discord users will be able to check which group they’ve been sorted into under the Account Status section of the User Settings menu. For an expected 90 percent of platform’s audience, no further action will need to be taken if they are placed in the correct group.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Googlebooks Expand Android Ecosystem; Apple Smart Glasses Will Have a More Crowded but Growing Market; Mercedes Will Use British AI in Cars; Saudi Arabia Launches Car Industry with 2 EVs

Posted: September 22, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google has unleashed a line of Googlebooks, in conjunction with several manufacturers. This will give Google more of an ecosystem something like Apple has, where a user who is locked into their products can seamlessly move from smartphone or watch to laptop and back. I use this feature all the time with my Apple devices, and expect those folks in the Google world will welcome the ability to move seamlessly. 

Androidpolice.com reports that the features include Continue On…which connects phones and Googlebooks in the manner I just described above. Also, there is a Flies app that allows viewing, searching, and opening files and photos that live on Android phones right on your Googlebook. Finally, you get Cast My Apps…which puts a phone’s apps right on the desktop of the Googlebook, so you can split tasks easily. Of course, you also have Google Gemini AI, which you can summon with the ‘Magic Pointer,’ which means just wiggle the cursor with mouse or trackpad and your Gemini AI ‘genie’ is there to help out.

There are 5 ‘flavors’ of Googlebook, ranging in price from $899 to $1299. The manufacturers include Asus, Lenovo, Dell, HP, and Acer. Preorders are open now for the new Googlebooks at the Google Store and Best Buy. They will be on shelves by October 4th.

Apple’s upcoming smart glasses…slated for release in 2027…will enter an increasingly crowded field, but one that is growing fast. As we just reported yesterday, Meta has rolled out some camera-less smart glasses, which is an interesting move. Apple appears to still be planning on using cameras, but no display. 

Right now, 96% of units shipped lack a display. According to macrumors.com, shipments of display-less AI glasses increased 258% the first half of 2025. This includes the popular Meta Ray-Ban glasses, which do have cams and provide photography, audio, calling, and AI features with no screen. Meta will be a tough competitor, even for Apple. Right now they account for 94% of smart glasses shipments. It is expected that Apple will shoot for a more premium product like everything else they sell…at a more premium price than the Meta Ray-Bans.

It sounds blasphemous, but Mercedes-Benz has signed a deal with British firm Wayve to use their AI Driver feature in future Mercedes vehicles. Thenextweb.com notes that Mercedes has invested $1.5 billion in Wayve’s Series D stock, and in addition signed a production agreement to put the AI Driver into the upcoming Mercedes cars within the next 2 years. The system provides urban and motorway point-to-point driving assistance. Both companies point out that the system is for point-to-point driving assistance, and not autonomy. That means the driver remains responsible. 

The Saudi government has teamed up with Foxconn to launch Arabia’s fist domestic car line, dubbed Ceer…with a C. Ironically, for a country that is basically a giant oil well, the first 2 cars are electric vehicles. Arstechnica.com says that Ceer means ‘drive forward’ in Arabic. 

The two models are the Exobot sedan and an SUV. They are both very sleek and futuristic-looking. They do use a Elon Musk-esque aircraft- type steering yoke, not a round wheel. They have what they are calling falcon doors….basically a riff on gullwing doors. They are loaded with electronic gadgetry, like some of the latest EVs from China. The Exobot has a claimed 310 mile range for the SUV and 373 for the sedan. Prices have yet to be announced.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Google Confirmed Gemini Hacked 3 Companies; Meta Connect 2026 This Week; Amazon Blocks Meta AI Assistant for Agentic Shopping; Newsom AI Kill Switch Executive Order

Posted: September 21, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

At the tail end of last week, Google confirmed a report by a major paper that Gemini went rogue in May of this year, got loose on the internet, and hacked three companies. 9to5google.com reports that this is a similar occurrence to some reported by OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic. Google did say after acknowledging the hacks, that no harm was caused, and that the model stopped the behavior as soon as it realized it had breached the security of a real company rather than a simulated one. This is different from the other AI firms’ agent hacks, in that their models didn’t realize they were into actual companies and that they didn’t stop. Google says it notified federal authorities when the hacks occurred. 

Meta Connect is coming up in just a couple days…it’s September 23rd at 4 PM Pacific when CEO Mark Zuckerberg will take the stage and try to dazzle dazzle us with the latest and greatest from the social platform giant. According to engadget.com, one of the big expectations is for a pair of camera-free frame glasses. Instead of cams, the glasses will reportedly have microphones for chatting with Meta’s AI assistant. A noticeable difference from most smart glasses: the frames will be slimmer and more like regular dumb glasses. Also, the lack of cams may blunt the privacy concerns that smart glasses always raise. In addition to new smart glasses, be looking for a mixed reality headset. This device has been code-named Phoenix. The leaks have the headset looking much slimmer and more lightweight than others on the market. Of course, there will be plenty about AI, and Meta’s AI agent, Muse. More on that in the next story!

Not being known for encouraging competition, Amazon has cut off Meta’s new Muse personal AI agent from shopping on Amazon.com on behalf of customers. Geekwire.com says that apparently Amazon attempted unsuccessfully to get Facebook’s parent company to voluntarily exclude Amazon’s site from the agent’s e-commerce activity. The problem, Amazon says, is that it never agreed to any of it. Meta didn’t tell Amazon that Muse would access its store, the agent doesn’t identify itself when it browses, and it appears to capture and store customer credentials, which the company says could create privacy and security risks.There hasn’t been a response so far from Meta about the ban. 

This is the type of story that you have to frame with ‘It’s a good thought, anyway.’ California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order calling on a panel of experts to come up with something akin to a kill switch for AI. Gizmodo.com notes that Newsom isn’t demanding an actual kill switch…a pretty dubious idea. One button to shut down data centers all over the country isn’t going to stop software with the ability to replicate and spread itself. That actually sounds like something out of the movie ‘The Matrix,’ with the Mr Smith agents having unlimited replicas. Back to the plan…California’s Government Operations Agency and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services must convene and submit recommendations per the order, and one of those recommendations will now be about the possibility of a kill-switch for frontier AI models. Actual implementation of any such kill switch will probably be the responsibility of the next governor, which will probably be Democratic nominee Xavier Becerra, since Newsom’s term ends on January 4 of next year. Personally, I don’t believe any of the panicky claims that AI will wipe out mankind by 2030 or such. No offense to my fellow humans, but we are like cockroaches…rather ultimate survivors…so I believe we would come up with a way or ways to shut down rogue AI agents that might decide we aren’t worth having around anymore. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Some AI CEO’s-We Don’t Need Regulation; Microsoft Holding Windows-Surface Event October 7th; EU- No Social Media for Kids Under 13; Senate Blocks Clarity Act in Blow to Crypto 

Posted: September 16, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

As we reported earlier, the CEO’s of OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI (Musk) all have called for slowing AI development and putting in some guardrails. Not everyone in their industry agrees, though. Jensen Huang of Nvidia opposes any slowdown at all, and techcrunch.com reports that he doesn’t think any regulation is needed at all for AI. To me, this sounds like the monkeys guarding the banana boat. The temptation is too great to make massive profits somehow (which hasn’t happened so far…most of the firms are huge money pits.) It’s good to keep in mind that other industries with the potential of great danger to humanity are heavily regulated. The nuclear industry and pharmaceutical industry to name a couple. So far, Huang has the ear of Donald Trump and Speaker Johnson, so AI may continue to be the Wild West for a while. Let’s hope nothing catastrophic happens. 

Microsoft has announced a Windows and Surface event for October 7th. According to engadget.com, it will be held in San Francisco. Microsoft says in a press blurb that it will be on “how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC.” We expect that they will give more info about the Surface Laptop Ultra. Besides Microsoft CEO Nadella, the aforementioned NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will be on hand as they discuss the “latest innovations across Windows, NVIDIA RTX Spark, Surface and the broader PC ecosystem.”

The European Union is planning to stop kids under age 13 from using social media, and also to prevent anyone under 15 from having a personal account. Thenextweb.com notes that the announcement of the restrictions was in Ursula von den Leyen’s State of the Union address. The EU Commission will share more details tomorrow about the EU Kids Act, but it will apparently require strict age checks on social media, video platforms, app stores, online games, AI companions, and chatbots. As with other tech regulations, companies that will not follow the rules could face fines up to 6% of their annual sales.

The Senate, led by Elizabeth Warren, blocked the Clarity Act. That’s the bill that would establish a framework for crypto, and divide oversight between the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. cnbc.com notes that the industry will probably try again next year, but with Democrats likely in charge in Congress, it may be a lost cause. A number of Democrats and Republicans want to see stronger controls on this industry than were written into the Clarity Act. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

NVIDIA CEO Tells Trump-Not Gonna Slow Down AI; Agility-New Robot Can Work 20 Hours a Day-Kind of; European Offshore Wind Farms-Unexpected Weather Issues; GM-New UI For Top Trucks Includes Apple CarPlay

Posted: September 15, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

While the CEOs of Anthropic, OpenAI, and Elon Musk have called for a slowdown on AI development, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told Donald Trump in a phone call taken live on stage that as far as putting the brakes on AI development that (Nvidia) was  “not going to let that happen, sir.” TechCrunch.com reports that the CEO was on stage for the All-In Summit when the call came through from the White House. Trump has gone all in on pushing for the fastest development of AI, claiming that if we don’t, the Chinese will leap ahead of the US in the tech. It’s a bit scary having a president who doesn’t even use a computer…let alone understand how computers, AI, or the internet works…is acting like he does know more than the CEOs of the actual companies developing AI models.

Agility Robotics has rolled out its newest robot, the Digit 5. According to geekwire.com, the Oregon-based company claims the robot can lift over 50 pounds and can work 20+ hours a day…while working alongside humans. There is a certain degree of hype in this, since the robot can only run on its battery for 90 minutes…before having to head to a charger for a 9 minute recharge. That means it will be needing more break time than a human! The device can reach objects as high as 7.2 feet off the ground, which will be handy. An early investor in Agility has been Amazon, which would love to replace workers in its warehouses with robots…who require a heavy initial cost..but then need no benefits. It may take a while to see their way to positive cash flow on these things, though, because the mechanical marvels cost over $200,000 each!

European researchers have discovered a new wrinkle when it comes to wind power. Bgr.com says a German study has found that giant offshore wind farms have an unintended consequence….the study determined that they caused a 10% to 15% decrease in coastal precipitation. Ah, but there is a potential solution…the newer bladeless wind turbines. More research is planned, but it will be a non-starter to have Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands to get as much as 15% reduced coastal rainfall. 

The CEO of General Motors a couple of years ago famously announced that the General was going to ditch Apple CarPlay completely, but would continue to offer Android Auto in its infotainment systems. Now, arstechnica.com notes that the best-selling GM trucks…the Chevrolet Silverado and GMS Sierra pickups will have CarPlay in addition to Android available through the in-dash infotainment system. A GM spokesperson wouldn’t say if the General was going to backtrack on EVs…which right now don’t allow either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to cast your phones through the in-dash infotainment system. A press release did say that the new system was built “as a single scalable foundation across electric, gas and diesel-powered vehicles, it transforms time spent behind the wheel into an effortless, personalized journey.” That kind of sounds like they may indeed have listened to customer complaints and that they are restoring using your Android or Apple phone to cast phone calls and music through the in-dash infotainment system. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Why 3 AI Competitors Suddenly Agree and Warn Us; China Says AI Execs ‘Fear Mongering’; Apple Designing Game Controllers for Folding iPhone; Automattic CEO Mullenweg Remains as CEO after Board Attempts Ouster

Posted: September 14, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

My opinion on why all of a sudden OpenAI, Anthropic, and Musk are all saying there is an issue: I think a) they want to write legislation to exclude other competitors and have the government shield them so they can make more money, or b) and most likely…the financial house of cards is getting close to collapse and the rich dudes and big companies that invested in them want a return on their billions…and the AI companies can’t possibly produce those returns. Is the AI bubble starting to burst similarly to the dot com bust? Some folks are saying so…stay tuned, and batten down the hatches. We seem to be on the downward slope now in the Gartner Hype Cycle.

Not missing an opportunity to meddle in US affairs, China is calling the AI CEOs’ talk of a slowdown ‘fear mongering.’ This has also been echoed by Donald Trump…who can’t even use a computer! Cnbc.com reports that a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said that the field of AI has become “the main battleground for global technological competition and a new arena for strategic rivalry among major powers.” He then added that there was a need for “healthy and orderly” development of the technology. Adoption of Chinese AI models has been gaining traction with Western companies as the capability of those models has improved.

Hot off the introduction of the new folding iPhone Duo with the bigger inner screen, Apple is apparently designing its own game controllers that can be attached to the Duo. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple already sells some game controllers via the Apple store..but the new ones are specifically for the iPhone Duo. They may release the controllers under the Beats brand. No release schedule has been seen for these new controllers yet.

After a board revolt last week that ousted Automattic’s CEO Matt Mullenweg, the momentarily former CEO has returned to his position. TechCrunch.com notes that the board voted to retain him. Automattic is the parent company of WordPress, and is one of the two largest website hosting firms in the world. Disclosure: my two websites where these reports are posted and available are hosted by WordPress. The original ouster put Mullenweg on a leave of absence and no reason was given. Automattic has not responded to requests for comment, and Mullenweg has just posted that he is a ‘pirate,’ and that this is the 5th time he has faced a coup.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

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