Welcome to today’s curated collection of interesting links and insights for 2025/11/17. Our Hand-picked, AI-optimized system has processed and summarized 18 articles from all over the internet to bring you the latest technology news.
As previously aired🔴LIVE on Clubhouse, Chatter Social, and TikTok.
Also available as a #Podcast on Apple 📻, Spotify🛜, Anghami, and Amazon🎧 or anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
1. The OnePlus 15 Is One of the Best Mainstream Phones for Gamers
The OnePlus 15 stands out for mobile gaming thanks to a massive 7,300 mAh battery and premium hardware, making it a strong mainstream option for gamers on the go. Its large capacity promises longer play sessions, but high graphics settings and max frame rates can erode that advantage, reminding players that battery life depends on use. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and up to 16GB of RAM with 512GB of storage, it supports a 6.78-inch OLED display at 2,722 x 1,272 with up to #165Hz, offering a high ceiling for smooth gameplay though most titles run around 120fps. A Backbone controller enhances the experience, with games like Dead Cells, Destiny Rising, and Diablo Immortal benefiting from physical controls and mapped buttons, while touch controls remain serviceable. Overall, the OnePlus 15 is a strong mainstream gaming option, not a dedicated gaming phone like #RedMagic or #ROGPhone, and its US availability and premium specs make it a compelling choice, as highlighted by @Andrew Lanxon.
@PavelDurov says a targeted disinformation campaign may be underway to undermine @Telegram’s reputation as Russia prepares the state-backed platform #Max. He points to a satirical article falsely claiming Telegram would exit the Russian market, to alleged automatic blocking of OSINT channels and their swift reinstatement, and to a ‘technically illiterate’ IP-address investigation repeatedly debunked by independent experts; he notes that for over 12 years Telegram has defended people’s privacy and open access to information and denies any collaboration with the FSB. He suggests these episodes are not mere journalistic mistakes but could be part of an orchestrated effort to discredit the service. The article situates these claims in a broader context of Russia’s push to regulate digital communications and ongoing scrutiny of Telegram’s moderation and relationship with authorities. The takeaway emphasizes the tension over #privacy, #regulation, and the fate of #Telegram in Russia as it contends with a government-backed rival.
3. Google offers ad-tech changes in EU antitrust case but a breakup is not one of them
@Google has offered changes to its #ad-tech practices in the #EU antitrust case, signaling a preference for regulatory concessions over a breakup. The changes are framed as addressing competitive concerns in Google’s ad-tech operations without proposing a structural dissolution of the company. Analysts and regulators will weigh whether targeted adjustments can address the antitrust concerns while preserving the company’s business model, potentially shaping digital #regulation in Europe. If the concessions are accepted, it could set a precedent for how other tech platforms address EU antitrust scrutiny.
4. Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack cost the company over $220 million
Jaguar Land Rover suffered a cyberattack that cost the company more than $220 million, significantly impacting its operations and financial standing. The attack disrupted vehicle production and sales, exposing vulnerabilities in the company’s cybersecurity defenses and causing substantial operational setbacks. This incident highlights the growing risks that #automotive manufacturers face from cyber threats and emphasizes the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect critical infrastructure and data. Jaguar Land Rover’s experience serves as a cautionary example for other companies in the industry about the financial and reputational damages that cyberattacks can inflict. Ensuring stronger cybersecurity protocols is essential for safeguarding business continuity and maintaining customer trust in connected vehicle technologies.
5. Scientists Make Genetic Breakthrough with 39,000-Year-Old Mammoth RNA
The study sequences RNA from a woolly mammoth that lived about 39,000 years ago, making it the oldest ancient RNA on record. The find pushes back the previous oldest RNA by about 25,000 years and hints at new insights about Yuka, the famous mammoth mummy. Led by @Emilio Mármol Sánchez of the Globe Institute in Copenhagen, the team explains that RNA carries tissue identity and gene expression information that DNA alone cannot reveal. They report transcriptional profiles from 10 late Pleistocene mammoths, with the 39,000-year-old sample providing sufficient detail to recover the oldest ancient RNA sequences. This work expands our understanding of #ancientRNA and demonstrates its value for paleogenomics, prompting questions about transcriptional regulation in extinct species and the biology of Yuka.
6. AI Chatbots Are Becoming Doctor’s Newest Colleagues
AI chatbots are increasingly integrated into healthcare settings, assisting doctors by providing quick diagnoses and medical advice. These tools leverage #artificialintelligence and #machinelearning to analyze symptoms and patient data, enhancing efficiency and access to care. While they offer promising support in reducing workloads and speeding up consultations, concerns about accuracy and ethical implications persist. Experts highlight the importance of maintaining human oversight to ensure safety and trust. As AI evolves, it is expected to become a vital component in routine medical practice, complementing rather than replacing doctors.
7. Parent called police over school’s ban on mobile phones
Head teachers across the UK report escalating tensions with a vocal minority of parents as more schools impose strict bans on smartphones, leading to incidents as extreme as police calls, Ofsted complaints, and accusations that schools are endangering children by restricting device access. Multiple heads describe how enforcing bans consumes “hundreds of hours,” with some parents “going nuclear” when phones are confiscated, despite schools documenting sharp declines in bullying, online harassment, internal truancy, toilet breaks for secret scrolling, and even child sexual exploitation cases after removing devices from daily school life. Schools adopting stronger measures — such as locking phones for six weeks, mandating hand-ins for younger year groups, or requiring “brick” phones with no internet — report major improvements in concentration, behavior, and socialization, with pupils rediscovering offline activities like clubs and outdoor play. Leaders argue they need a national ban because individual enforcement is exhausting, divisive, and undermined by parental anxiety, which they see as a major driver of the broader youth mental health crisis linked to unchecked #smartphone and #socialmedia use.
Definition: Smartphone-free school policies
Smartphone-free school policies prohibit students from bringing or using internet-enabled mobile devices during the school day. These policies aim to reduce #bullying, #screenaddiction, #internaltruancy, and exposure to harmful online content, while improving focus, in-person social interaction, and student wellbeing. They typically work through full bans, locked pouches, or restricted device types, and are increasingly supported by educators but resisted by some parents who view connectivity as a safety tool despite limited evidence supporting that belief.
8. Netflix doubles down on TV gaming and social play bid
Netflix is intensifying its focus on TV-based gaming and social play features as part of its strategy to expand beyond traditional streaming content. The company has increased investments in interactive games that can be played directly on smart TVs, leveraging its vast subscriber base and aiming to compete in the gaming sector dominated by established platforms. This move includes integrating social elements to enhance user engagement, reflecting Netflix’s intention to transform its service into a broader entertainment platform. By tapping into casual and social gaming, Netflix seeks to create new value propositions and retain subscribers amid rising competition in streaming entertainment. This approach signals Netflix’s commitment to innovate its user experience and diversify content offerings beyond video streaming.
9. Switzerland plans surveillance worse than US | Tuta
The article reports that Switzerland is revising the #VÜPF surveillance law to directly target #privacy services such as VPNs and encrypted chat apps and emails based in Switzerland, claiming the update would widen state surveillance beyond current levels and would be worse than U.S. powers. If enacted by 2026, providers with as few as 5,000 users would be forced to log IP addresses and retain them for six months, and registration could require ID, rendering anonymous usage almost impossible (#dataretention, #privacy). The draft would require providers to decrypt user data on their end and deliver it in plain text upon request, with exceptions for end-to-end encrypted messages between users (#encryption, #privacy, #surveillance). The reform would be introduced by the government rather than Parliament, bypassing Switzerland’s tradition of direct democracy, and the piece places the history of surveillance in context from 2016’s BÜPF expansion to 2018’s VÜPF update that created obligations for ISPs and others (#BÜPF, #surveillance). The article notes that exemptions were previously granted to services like @Threema and @ProtonMail, but the current update appears to target smaller providers and anonymous services, raising concerns about privacy and the balance between security and civil liberties.
10. Taiwan-US tariff talks yield ‘advancements’: US official — Taipei Times
A senior U.S. administration official told @CNA that recent trade negotiations with #Taiwan have made “a lot of advancements,” especially around tariff frameworks. According to the official briefing, the Trump administration has successfully reached new trade framework agreements with Latin American nations like Argentina, Ecuador, and El Salvador, while seeing “positive progress” in ongoing talks with India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. As part of its broader trade strategy, the U.S. is signaling intent to deepen tariff cooperation with Taiwan, though no final deal has been announced yet and the official did not disclose specific terms, saying the outcome still depends on Washington’s ultimate decisions.
11. At a top AI conference, 300 attendees were asked which startup they would short.
At the Cerebral Valley AI Conference in San Francisco, more than 300 founders and investors were asked which billion-dollar AI startup they would short, signaling a rare public skepticism about the sector’s biggest players. Perplexity topped the list as the startup most likely to flop, followed by @OpenAI, in an informal survey conducted by organizer Eric Newcomer. The results reflect a sense of an AI bubble, given that @Perplexity has been raising back-to-back funding rounds and has valuations reported from $14 billion to as high as $50 billion, alongside @OpenAI’s ballooning spending and valuation. The event featured panels with @Anthropic and @xAI, underscoring a cautious mood among investors about the leading players. Because the poll was informal and private investors do not short companies publicly, the findings should be read as a sentiment snapshot rather than a definitive ranking.
12. Behind the complaints: Our investigation into the suspicious pressure on Archive.today
Archive.today has come under pressure from a French group demanding blocking by @AdGuardDNS, arguing the site’s admin failed to remove illegal content since 2023, while the piece notes the site enables snapshots of web pages that can bypass paywalls and irritates media outlets. The FBI is reportedly investigating @Archive.is (Archive.today) and has issued a subpoena to its domain registrar seeking information about the operator under a “federal criminal investigation”; Archive.is is said to have been launched in 2012 by a person using the name Denis Petrov, though the true identity is unclear. The article points to @Archive.today being targeted by a campaign of ‘serial’ complaints from French organizations, and discusses a French law #LCEN (Article 6-I-7) that could require blocking for French users, though it criticizes private companies for deciding what counts as illegal content instead of courts. When approached, Archive.today replied that the illegal content would be removed and that there had been no prior notifications about those URLs, while implying a campaign of serial complaints targeting the site. The piece raises questions about the role of intermediaries in balancing access with protection against illegal content and the dependencies of enforcement on infrastructure providers like @AdGuardDNS.
13. Valve engineer says Steam Machine performance beats 70% of PCs, and can play all games
Valve’s engineer @Yazan Aldehayyat claims the Steam Machine outperforms 70% of PC configurations and will run all Steam games, a view he shared on @Adam Savage’s Tested podcast, supported by Valve’s hardware surveys. The device relies on an 8GB #VRAM semi-custom #RDNA3 GPU and an AMD #Zen4 CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, with #FSR3 upscaling cited as a potential edge over lower-end PCs; survey data show 53% of players run at 1920×1080 and only 4.65% at 4K, while 33.46% of rigs also have 8GB VRAM, which Valve says aligns with common configurations. Valve emphasizes balancing performance with affordability, presenting the Steam Machine as an entry-level device even if 4K/60fps promises exist. Hands-on demos indicate some demanding titles like #Cyberpunk2077 may require lower resolutions due to VRAM limits. Although Valve argues the hardware and #FSR3 could keep the platform competitive within Steam, comparisons to consoles like Xbox Series X or PS5 remain contested.
14. Google Gemini redesign brings a refreshed homescreen and new elements
The Google Gemini Android app is receiving a visual refresh that brings darker, bolder colors and adds new elements to the homescreen. The update, version 16.45.62, introduces bolder color schemes for dark and light themes, making the homepage appear darker in dark mode and grayer in light mode while keeping the prompt box and chatbot conversations in the older color scheme; it also adds a new “My Stuff” section in the navigation drawer that previews the last three Canvas, image, or video generations. The homepage gains a new “Where should we start?” prompt, a resized Gemini heading, and a greeting that now switches between black or white font colors; the suggestion chips are placed vertically and “Write” becomes “Write anything” while “Build” becomes “Build an idea”. In the conversation screen, the account switcher moves to a dedicated new-chat button and tapping the conversation name reveals a bottom dropdown with share, pin, rename, and delete options, marking a usability upgrade despite some perceived homepage inconsistency. These changes illustrate @Google’s ongoing refinements to the Gemini app and reflect reporting from @9to5Google about the rollout. #MyStuff #WhereShouldWeStart #DarkTheme #UIRefresh #GeminiApp
15. Intel Cancels its Mainstream Next-Gen Xeon Server Processors
Intel has removed its mainstream next-generation Xeon platform, the 8-channel ‘Diamond Rapids’, from its roadmap, making it the successor to Granite Rapids-SP and the Xeon 6700P/6500P line but not scheduled for mainstream release. The move occurs as the industry nudges toward 16-channel memory for high-end CPUs, with @Intel’s Diamond Rapids and @AMD’s Venice both expected to offer 16-channel memory by 2026 to support AI workloads #16-channel #PCIeGen6. The article underlines a dual-platform strategy: mainstream servers use 8-channel designs for lower cost and simpler motherboards, while 12- to 16-channel designs aim for higher bandwidth though they introduce complexity such as 2DPC configurations that can curb speed #8-channel #12-channel #2DPC. In MLPerf Training v5.1, the @MLPerf results showed the Xeon 6700P was more popular than the 6900P, underscoring demand for cost-effective mainstream options even as higher-end lines pursue greater memory bandwidth. The roadmap change implies potential shifts in AI-cluster deployment timelines, with 16-channel memory transitions anticipated in the second half of 2026.
@Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s first-light image reveals a long stellar stream extending from the barred spiral galaxy Messier 61 (M61/NGC 4303) about 163,000 light-years in length, suggesting the remnants of a dwarf galaxy torn apart by M61’s gravity. The stream spans roughly 50 kiloparsecs, longer than most known stellar streams, and its detection leverages Rubin’s sensitivity to low surface brightness. The authors propose that this disruption may have triggered a starburst in M61 beginning about 10 million years ago, with the feature reminiscent of the #SagittariusStream around the Milky Way. This finding supports the view that large galaxies grow by accreting smaller ones, implying many substructures around other galaxies await discovery with future Rubin data. The result highlights the potential of Rubin’s 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time to unveil the assembly histories of galaxies across the universe.
17. FCC Chairman Reposts Donald Trump’s Call for NBC to Fire Seth Meyers ‘Immediately’
@BrendanCarrFCC reposted @DonaldTrump’s call for #NBC to fire @SethMeyers immediately, signaling alignment with the former president’s criticism of the NBC late-night host. Trump argued on Truth Social that Meyers has an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome and that Meyers is a ratings disaster for NBC. Meyers has repeatedly joked about Trump in his monologues, and Carr reposted the message on X with no additional comment. Earlier Carr hinted at #FCC remedies against ABC over Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks following the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September, suggesting actions if conduct didn’t change. The piece places this within a broader pattern of regulatory pressure intersecting with media controversy, illustrating how political and regulatory actors interact around late-night programming.
LeCun is reportedly leaving Meta to found a startup focused on #worldmodels, signaling a pivot away from #LLMs toward models that comprehend the physical world. He has argued that LLMs are a dead end, a stance echoed as Meta has installed new AI leadership and restructured, including @AlexandrWang and @ShengjiaZhao, amid layoffs. In a February speech at the AI Action Summit in Paris, he argued that world models can capture causality and action in a way LLMs cannot, contrasting this with his claim that LLMs fail to reproduce animal intelligence. He envisions wearables like Ray‑Ban Meta glasses enabling interactions with the world as if devices are agents, a practical example of embodied intelligence. Taken together, these moves point to a potential reorientation of #Meta’s AI strategy toward embodied, causal models rather than scaling large language models alone, with LeCun pursuing this vision through a startup ecosystem.
That’s all for today’s digest for 2025/11/17! We picked, and processed 18 Articles. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s collection of insights and discoveries.
Thanks, Patricia Zougheib and Dr Badawi, for curating the links
See you in the next one! 🚀