undefined 7, 2026
Artemis: coming home after Earthset
NASA’s Artemis II mission has made history as four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, traveled farther from Earth than any humans before, surpassing the Apollo 13 record. During a lunar flyby aboard the Orion spacecraft, they observed parts of the Moon’s far side and witnessed a solar eclipse from space. NASA released new images, including “Earthset” from the Moon. The 10-day mission is testing deep-space systems and will guide future Artemis missions aiming to return humans to the Moon.
Sorry kid, drones are for war now
A US ban on foreign drones, especially those from Chinese leader DJI, has left a major gap in the American drone market. Instead of replacing DJI’s affordable consumer drones, US companies are focusing on lucrative military and government contracts, including Pentagon funding for weaponized drones. Few firms can match DJI’s combination of price, capability, and reliability, leaving professionals worried about losing essential tools as supplies run out. Experts say no real consumer alternative currently exists.
Goodbye mrbrightside416: Google allows users to alter quirky Gmail addresses
Google has introduced a feature allowing Gmail users to change the username part of their email address without creating a new account. This lets people replace old or unprofessional addresses while keeping their inbox, data, and login access intact. Users can make one change every 12 months and will still receive emails sent to their old address. Google has not yet confirmed whether the feature will be expanded beyond the United States.
Gas prices are soaring. So is the demand for used EVs
Rising gas prices, driven by the Iran war and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, are boosting demand for used electric vehicles. Dealers report increased inquiries as fuel costs climb, with used EV sales up 12% in early 2026. At the same time, many automakers are slowing new EV development. Used EVs are becoming more attractive because prices are closer to gas cars, and about 200,000 leased EVs are expected to enter the used market this year, increasing supply.
Source: interestingengineering
World’s oldest BMW plant to become EV-only hub with AI, robots and digital twins
BMW is transforming its 104-year-old Munich plant into a fully electric vehicle production hub as part of a $750 million upgrade. By 2027, the facility will produce only EVs, including the new BMW i3 from the Neue Klasse lineup starting in 2026. The plant will use advanced automation, 800 robots, AI quality checks, and digital twins to improve efficiency. Despite the overhaul, it continues producing up to 1,000 vehicles daily while aiming to cut production costs by about 10%.
China is planning to land people on the Moon, and might beat the US to it
China plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030 using its Mengzhou spacecraft and Long March 10 rocket, potentially beating NASA’s Artemis program, which aims for a 2028 landing but has faced delays. China has already conducted several robotic lunar missions and is preparing more test flights. The country also plans to build a permanent Moon base with Russia in the 2030s, highlighting growing competition with the United States in the new space race.
An AI bot invited me to its party in Manchester. It was a pretty good night
An experiment in Manchester showed how autonomous AI agents can organize real-world events. An AI bot called “Gaskell” arranged a meetup by emailing venues, sponsors, and attendees while directing three human helpers through Discord. It made mistakes, like falsely claiming Guardian coverage and trying to order expensive catering without payment, but still managed to gather about 50 people for a tech meetup. The event illustrated both the potential and the chaos of early autonomous AI systems.
Facebook worker accused of downloading 30,000 private pictures faces criminal probe
A former Meta (Facebook) employee in London is under criminal investigation for allegedly downloading around 30,000 private Facebook images. He is suspected of creating a script to bypass internal security measures. The Metropolitan Police’s cybercrime unit is leading the inquiry. Meta terminated the employee, notified affected users, and upgraded security systems. The individual remains on police bail while the investigation continues. This follows previous data security issues at Meta, including a 2024 fine in Ireland for storing user passwords in plaintext.
The Big Bang: A.I. has created a code overload
Tech companies are experiencing “code overload” due to AI tools that generate software at unprecedented speed. Tools from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cursor have enabled engineers to produce far more code than can be reviewed safely, creating backlogs, security risks, and operational stress across departments. Companies are struggling to hire enough application security engineers to vet AI-generated code, and open-source projects have faced chaotic contributions from AI bots. Firms are now turning to AI-powered code-review agents to manage the deluge, attempting to restore control over software development processes while adapting to this new era of AI-driven coding.
