@gwire

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89 Following
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An affectionate machine-tickling aphid.
LocationEurope
TimezoneUTC +0000
Contentsearchable

> “We’re over here just grinding away on banger memes, dude,” a senior White House official told Politico.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/23/iran-us-trump-video-game-war-ai-memes

Trump’s video game war: AI, memes and a simplistic narrative have flattened the conflict in Iran

What was supposed to be a quick win has become a quagmire, so it now must be reduced to a dopamine hit, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

The Guardian

> I would ask the rhetorical question: “do you really think that twenty years from now everyone is still going to be going around all day staring at little rectangles in their hands?” At the time it seemed obvious to me that the answer was no.
> Reader, I have changed my mind.

https://nealstephenson.substack.com/p/my-prodigal-brainchild

My Prodigal Brainchild

Reflections on the latest and greatest Death of the Metaverse

Graphomane

Classic contemporary detective show plot point right here.

> After the discovery of McNally’s body, police arrested McCullagh, but they released him after learning of the broadcast, which provided an alibi. [...] Police seized McCullagh’s computers and analysis established that the purported livestream had been prerecorded.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/23/stephen-mccullagh-livestream-lies-natalie-mcnally-murder

A live stream lie unravelled: how Stephen McCullagh tried to get away with pregnant girlfriend’s murder

YouTube gamer planned audacious alibi, appeared grief-stricken at wake and apparently spied on victim’s family

The Guardian

ICYMI (from the not-all-cyber-news-is-horrible dept), a cyberattack on a U.S. vehicle breathalyzer company has left drivers across the United States stranded and unable to start their vehicles. This story positively cries out for a headline-writing contest. TechCrunch reports:

"The company, Intoxalock, says on its website that it is “currently experiencing downtime” after a cyberattack on March 14. Intoxalock sells breathalyzer devices that fit into vehicle ignition switches, and is used by people who are required to provide a negative alcohol breath sample to start their car."

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/20/cyberattack-on-vehicle-breathalyzer-company-leaves-drivers-stranded-across-the-us/

Cyberattack on vehicle breathalyzer company leaves drivers stranded across the US | TechCrunch

A cyberattack on a U.S. car breathalyzer company has left drivers across the United States reportedly stranded and unable to start their vehicles.

TechCrunch

EnergyKit is documented here:

https://developer.apple.com/energykit/

EnergyKit - Apple Developer

EnergyKit provides a grid forecast for apps to help people choose when to use electricity by identifying times when there‘s relatively cleaner electricity on the grid.

Apple Developer

One question I have, reading some of the UK "energy digitalisation" plans is: are there plans for a standardised consumer-level APIs for things like energy cost?

Apple, for example, has a bunch of facilities that can change how devices work according to current energy cost (EnergyKit, introduced in 2025) - but nothing works outside the US.

(Their support for OpenBanking shows they can add national-level APIs if they're available.)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-digitalisation-framework-a-vision-for-a-coordinated-and-connected-energy-system

Energy digitalisation framework: a vision for a coordinated and connected energy system

Delivering the digitalisation of the energy system in a coordinated and connected way.

GOV.UK
I'm not really clear on what the difference is. Would blocking the Strait of Hormuz be acceptable if Iran was demanding regime change in the US? Would it be *acceptable* for countries affected by energy shortages to use their collective economic power to force US regime change?
Starving Cuba of energy, in an attempt to trigger regime change, is apparently ok since it hasn't received the kind of international condemnation that blocking the Strait of Hormuz has.

Any government going down the path of de-regulation of utilities really needs to consider the case in which providing service to citizens can be dropped entirely in favour of commercial use.

https://calmatters.org/economy/2026/03/nevada-utility-to-lake-tahoe-find-electricity-elsewhere/

Lake Tahoe isn’t sure where it’s power will come from after the next ski season

The area’s longtime power supplier, NV Energy, will cut off the region next year. It has said data centers are driving “unprecedented” demand.

CalMatters

A Mastertronic Spectrum game selling for £2.99 in 1985, would be the equivalent of a £12 game in 2026.

Just spent six quid fifty on Gotham Knights for PS5.