High pressure in the UK is going to cause problems with TV reception. If you watch via an aerial, that is. CC-licensed photo by hedera.baltica on Flickr.
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A selection of 10 links for you. Well received. I’m @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: https://newsie.social/@charlesarthur. On Bluesky: @charlesarthur.bsky.social. Observations and links welcome.
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold explodes during JerryRigEverything’s durability test • Dexerto
Dylan Horetski:
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In his October 14 video, tech YouTuber JerryRigEverything put the Pixel 10 Pro Fold through his standard series of stress tests, which include scratch, dust, and bend resistance trials. During the test, the foldable snapped along the same antenna line that caused breakages in previous Pixel Fold models, leading to a catastrophic failure.
Google’s foldable was also unable to withstand dust exposure, despite the company’s claim of an IP68 dust resistance rating. The hinge was reportedly filled with debris and made “crunching” noises, proving the internal mechanism wasn’t sealed against particles.
The break caused the device’s internal battery to short-circuit, resulting in the phone igniting and smoking mid-test — the first time JerryRigEverything says he’s ever had a smartphone explode in over a decade of testing.
The YouTuber criticized Google for leaving the Pixel Fold’s antenna lines in the same vulnerable location near the hinge for a third generation in a row, the same weak point that caused the Pixel Fold and Pixel 9 Pro Fold to snap in earlier tests.
“This is by far the weakest folding smartphone I’ve ever tested,” he said. “And it gets worse. While straightening it back out for round two, the battery decides it’s had enough. Surprisingly, in the decade that I’ve been durability testing phones, I have never had a smartphone explode before.”
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The video is absolute phone torture – scratching, dust forced into the hinge, flames applied to the screen, bent backwards (with bare hands) to break it – which triggers the battery to say ENOUGH!
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As Microsoft bids farewell to Windows 10, millions of users… won’t • The Verge
Tom Warren:
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Windows 10 is so popular that Windows 11 only overtook it in terms of usage just a few months ago. That’s why I’m surprised that Microsoft is still, kind of, going ahead with its end of support cutoff on Tuesday.
At one point last year, I wasn’t sure if Microsoft was actually going to end support for Windows 10 on time. The software giant randomly reopened Windows 10 beta testing to add new features and improvements to a 10-year-old operating system, giving millions of users hope that the company would change its mind or at least lower the system requirements for Windows 11. Neither of those things is happening, though.
Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 today, after originally releasing the OS on July 29th, 2015. The cutoff means Microsoft will no longer provide software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. It’s a milestone moment for millions of users who can’t upgrade, businesses that don’t want to, and a company that’s increasingly looking at overhauling Windows with AI features.
I say Microsoft is kind of ending Windows 10 support because consumers will be able to enable extended security updates for free (with a catch for most) to get another year’s worth of security fixes. Only businesses have been able to do this in the past, and it’s a clear admission from Microsoft that Windows 10 is simply too popular among consumers to be left without security patches.
Around 40% of Windows users are running Windows 10 right now, according to StatCounter. While a large part of that 40% will be businesses that can pay for up to three years of extra support, Valve says around 30% of all PC gamers are also still using Windows 10.
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This is always the problem – people stick with a version of Windows they’re familiar with until, in time, they’re forced to buy a PC that has the new version. The end of Windows 10 is expected to cause a bump of tens (perhaps hundreds) of millions of extra PCs being sold in the coming year.
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Nearly 40% of kids under two years old interact with smartphones, say their parents • Sherwood News
Millie Giles:
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As parents in 2025 know, they really do grow up so fast. First words today, first Google query tomorrow. Then, before you know it, they’re asking ChatGPT to read them a bedtime story…
Last week, Pew Research Center published a survey assessing how parents in the US with children under 12 manage their kids’ screen time, which revealed that 61% of respondents overall reported their child ever uses or interacts with smartphones — including 38% of those with children under 2 years old.
Much of this smartphone screen time is likely made up by parents streaming kid-friendly cartoons for their little ones to watch on the go: the study also found that YouTube use among children under 2 has risen sharply from 45% to 62% over the last five years. But it appears that most American toddlers only need to wait a few years before they can get devices of their very own.
The same survey showed that almost one in four US parents overall allow their children aged 12 and under to have their own smartphones, and this ballooned to nearly 60% when just looking at kids aged 11-12 years old.
Indeed, even with statewide smartphone bans spurring an old-school iPod revival, most parents — the vast majority of whom (92%) reported being concerned about staying in contact with their children — are allowing their descendants who’ve barely hit double digits to have devices to use in their free time.
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This seems a little.. concerning. (Thanks Ian C for the link.)
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Creating a successful video prompt in Sora 2 • OpenAI
Minhajul Hoque is an AI solutions architect at OpenAI:
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Before you prompt:
Think of prompting like briefing a cinematographer who has never seen your storyboard. If you leave out details, they’ll improvise – and you may not get what you envisioned. By being specific about what the “shot” should achieve, you give the model more control and consistency to work with.
But leaving some details open can be just as powerful. Giving the model more creative freedom can lead to surprising variations and unexpected, beautiful interpretations. Both approaches are valid: detailed prompts give you control and consistency, while lighter prompts open space for creative outcomes. The right balance depends on your goals and the result you’re aiming for. Treat your prompt as a creative wish list, not a contract. Like with ChatGPT, using the same prompt multiple times will lead to different results – this is a feature, not a bug. Each generation is a fresh take, and sometimes the second or third option is better.
Most importantly, be prepared to iterate. Small changes to camera, lighting, or action can shift the outcome dramatically. Collaborate with the model: you provide direction, and the model delivers creative variations.
This isn’t an exact science—think of the guidance below as helpful suggestions we’ve learned from working with the model.
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US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information • The Guardian
Edward Helmore:
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Several leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally said they will not agree to a new Defense Department policy that requires them to pledge they will not obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.
The policy, presented last month by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been widely criticized by media organizations asked to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5pm or have 24 hours to turn in their press credentials.
The move follows a shake-up in February in which long-credentialed media outlets were required to vacate assigned workspaces which was cast as an “annual media rotation program”. A similar plan was presented at the White House where some briefing room spots were given to podcasters and other representatives of non-traditional media.
On Monday, the Washington Post joined the New York Times, CNN, the Atlantic, the Guardian, Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, HuffPost and trade publication Breaking Defense in saying it would not sign on to the agreement.
…The new policy “constrains how journalists can report on the US military, which is funded by nearly $1tn in taxpayer dollars annually,” a New York Times statement said. “The public has a right to know how the government and military are operating,” wrote the Times Washington bureau chief, Richard Stevenson.
Hegseth responded on social media to statements from the Atlantic, the Post and the Times by posting a single emoji of a hand waving goodbye. Later, the defense secretary, a former Fox weekend anchor, posted a list on X of what he called “press credentialing FOR DUMMIES: Press no longer roams free Press must wear visible badge Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts”. He also reposted a cartoon that depicted the Atlantic as a crying baby.
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Only the far-right cable channel One America News has signed the pledge. (“Pledge”?) Even Newsmax, way to the right of Fox News, has refused. Just documenting the US’s not-so-slow slide into authoritarianism.
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How Brexit drained the Tories’ talent pool • Financial Times
Stephen Bush:
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Given the scale of the damage it has done to the United Kingdom’s reputation, the hurdles it has placed on businesses, tourists and consumers, it can seem a little eccentric to note that Brexit has also been an utterly rotten deal for the Conservative party.
It brought the premiership of David Cameron to an abrupt end and took the frontline career of George Osborne, the Tories’ most brilliant strategist, down with it. The reconfiguration of British politics and voting it helped to accelerate means that the party has lost, probably for ever, the electoral coalition that helped it to win in 2015 — smaller, yes, in terms of votes gained than those of 2017 or 2019, but one largely comprised of voters with a direct self-interest in economic dynamism and an appetite for tax cuts.
And far from sending Nigel Farage into retirement once and for all, as its advocates once claimed would be the case, Brexit has put him in a position from where he could become Britain’s next prime minister — potentially relegating the Conservatives to minor party status in the process.
More damagingly still, Brexit destroyed the party’s relationship with the chunk of the electorate that the Conservatives will always need if they are not only to win elections but to govern effectively: successful people in the middle of their careers.
Not everyone whose journey on the Eurostar used to end with a near-frictionless arrival at St Pancras feels an emotional connection to the European project. Nor does every small business owner who no longer trades with the continent experience a pang of regret when they are reminded that the UK is no longer in the single market. But they do all experience a sense of irritation at barriers to their pleasures or their profits having been erected against their will.
One reason the successive Tory administrations from 2016 to 2024 achieved so little beyond damage control is that they traded middle-aged voters who needed little from the state for older voters who require rather more. The struggling Conservative party is now essentially one that only appeals to wealthy retirees. The animating energy, purpose and drive for a viable centre-right has to come from people who wish to become wealthy retirees, not people who already are
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This is a brilliant exposition of why the Tory party is currently struggling to expand its voter group beyond those wealthy retirees – while Reform, with a fireworks box of mad policies strewn all over the political spectrum, has an appeal to young voters the Tories could only dream of.
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Talking to the stars • Dispatches
Tom Tugendhat is a former UK defence secretary:
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A century and a half ago, Indian maharajas debated gun salutes with the British viceroy while engineers laid telegraph wires, transforming kingdoms into colonies. This month, while His Majesty The King hosted US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle, Elon Musk quietly executed another transformative deal: SpaceX bought EchoStar’s spectrum rights for $17bn.
This wasn’t just a corporate transaction. It could redefine the relationship between citizens and states.
Musk will now be able to link satellites directly to smartphones without terrestrial infrastructure. Unlike older satellite phones requiring bulky terminals, EchoStar’s spectrum operates on frequencies that penetrate buildings and work with standard smartphone antennas. SpaceX now controls enough spectrum to offer global mobile services, bypassing national networks and oversight.
The timing is no accident. Apple’s iPhone 14 introduced emergency satellite messaging, but battery limitations restricted its use. The iPhone 17’s improved efficiency could enable routine satellite connectivity. Once phones seamlessly switch between cell towers and satellites, local infrastructure becomes redundant and that changes who can decide what is allowed.
Control over communications infrastructure has long been a cornerstone of governance. It enables censorship and surveillance, of course, but also emergency broadcasts and the prosecution of fraudsters and child abusers. SpaceX’s model breaks free from those earthly bonds. When citizens communicate via orbital networks, traditional regulations fall away.
Take Britain’s Online Safety Act, which mandates content moderation and regulatory cooperation. How can such laws be enforced when platforms route traffic through space-based networks beyond British jurisdiction?
This shift isn’t limited to communications. Companies like Stripe and Coinbase already allow users to bypass national banking systems via stablecoins and cryptocurrencies. People can hold dollar-denominated digital assets and transfer funds internationally without touching central banks. This undermines traditional structures of employment, taxation, and even monetary policy.
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Tugendhat insists that government must “adapt”, but doesn’t specify how. For how does one adapt to transactions and information passing beyond the control of governments? Oh: though there might be another problem…
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Satellites are leaking the world’s secrets: calls, texts, military and corporate data • WIRED
Andy Greenberg and Matt Burgess:
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Satellites beam data down to the Earth all around us, all the time. So you might expect that those space-based radio communications would be encrypted to prevent any snoop with a satellite dish from accessing the torrent of secret information constantly raining from the sky. You would, to a surprising and troubling degree, be wrong.
Roughly half of geostationary satellite signals, many carrying sensitive consumer, corporate, and government communications, have been left entirely vulnerable to eavesdropping, a team of researchers at UC San Diego and the University of Maryland revealed on Monday in a study that will likely resonate across the cybersecurity industry, telecom firms, and inside military and intelligence agencies worldwide.
For three years, the UCSD and UMD researchers developed and used an off-the-shelf, $800 satellite receiver system on the roof of a university building in the La Jolla seaside neighborhood of San Diego to pick up the communications of geosynchronous satellites in the small band of space visible from their Southern California vantage point. By simply pointing their dish at different satellites and spending months interpreting the obscure—but unprotected—signals they received from them, the researchers assembled an alarming collection of private data: They obtained samples of the contents of Americans’ calls and text messages on T-Mobile’s cellular network, data from airline passengers’ in-flight Wi-Fi browsing, communications to and from critical infrastructure such as electric utilities and offshore oil and gas platforms, and even US and Mexican military and law enforcement communications that revealed the locations of personnel, equipment, and facilities.
“It just completely shocked us. There are some really critical pieces of our infrastructure relying on this satellite ecosystem, and our suspicion was that it would all be encrypted,” says Aaron Schulman, a UCSD professor who co-led the research. “And just time and time again, every time we found something new, it wasn’t.”
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The researchers did tell multiple companies about this, and many did move to encrypt the data. Not all, though.
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High pressure may affect TV & Radio services across parts of the UK from 10 October 2025 • BBC
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High-pressure weather conditions over most parts of the UK are predicted to cause disruptions to television and radio services.
These weather conditions can move and change, which makes it difficult to know where it will hit next. If your television picture starts to break up without warning this could be the cause of the problem.
You can check if the problem is impacting your local transmitter using the transmitter checker tool. If there are no faults displayed it is possible the problem is impacting your radio or television system directly.
Note: At these times, there is nothing you can do but wait until the weather changes. You should not re-tune your television or radio when this happens. If you have access to BBC iPlayer or BBC Sounds, you could switch to these while you wait for the weather to change.
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The weather affecting TV reception! Try telling kids today that and they won’t believe you.
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UK home energy scheme has 98% failure rate on outside wall insulation • Financial Times
Rachel Millard:
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The UK government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme has been blighted by “unacceptably poor” work that has damaged people’s homes, according to government findings published on Monday.
Ninety-eight% of all external wall insulations fitted under the Energy Company Obligation scheme since 2022 need corrective work, as does 30% of the internal wall insulation, according to the results of sample audits.
In a written statement to the House of Commons, Martin McCluskey, minister for energy consumers, said the work had created “serious problems with mould and damp” in the worst cases.
McCluskey said the problems were the result of “unacceptably poor standards of work from a number of contractors, enabled by a flawed oversight and protection system established by the previous government”.
“People placed their trust in the system to deliver safe, long-lasting home upgrades that would reduce their energy bills, but they have been severely let down,” he added.
He said 38 installers had been suspended, while the government was also introducing new restrictions aimed at stopping installers “evading accountability”.
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The sampling was done from 24,600 external wall and 36,100 internal wall installations, but the confidence intervals are narrow. That’s a lot of bad work.
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| • Why do social networks drive us a little mad? • Why does angry content seem to dominate what we see? • How much of a role do algorithms play in affecting what we see and do online? • What can we do about it? • Did Facebook have any inkling of what was coming in Myanmar in 2016?Read Social Warming, my latest book, and find answers – and more. |
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