Author: Frank Salvato

ven after the catastrophic 1986 reactor explosion, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant continued operating several remaining RBMK reactors throughout the 1990s, forcing engineers to confront an uncomfortable reality: the plant’s control systems were built around aging Soviet-era computing technology that dated back to the 1960s and 1970s. Rather than scrapping everything and installing entirely new Western hardware—which would have been expensive, politically difficult, and risky—the engineers took a pragmatic path that reflected both technical ingenuity and fiscal restraint. They modernized the plant by layering a new information and measurement system known as DIIS on top of the existing SKALA control…

Many Americans have had the unsettling experience of mentioning a product in conversation—dog food, vacation plans, a new gadget—only to see an advertisement for that exact item pop up on their phone shortly afterward. While the instinctive reaction is to assume smartphones are secretly recording conversations through their microphones, the reality is arguably more disturbing: companies often don’t need to listen to your conversations at all. Instead, modern advertising systems rely on massive data collection, predictive algorithms, location data, browsing histories, app usage, and social connections to build remarkably detailed profiles of users. These systems analyze behavioral patterns across countless…

A growing military reality is emerging from the battlefields of Ukraine: the inexpensive drone-interceptor tactics developed to counter Russian and Iranian-designed Shahed drones may soon become a cornerstone of Western defense strategy in the Middle East. Reports indicate the United States and several Gulf allies are exploring the purchase of Ukrainian interceptor drones and associated expertise after waves of Iranian drone attacks exposed the limits and cost burdens of traditional air-defense systems. Ukrainian forces have refined low-cost solutions—including first-person-view interceptor drones that physically collide with incoming unmanned aircraft—allowing them to neutralize hostile drones for a fraction of the cost of…

Sony is quietly testing a dynamic pricing system in its PlayStation digital store that could result in different players paying different prices for the exact same game, a move that underscores the growing shift toward data-driven pricing models in the digital economy. According to reports based on pricing data tracked by independent monitoring services, the company has been running controlled A/B tests since late 2025 in which certain users are shown discounted prices while others see the standard retail price for the same titles. The test has reportedly expanded from roughly 50 games in 30 regions to more than 150…

Recent military operations targeting Iranian assets have spotlighted advanced Israeli-developed weapons systems that are helping both Israeli and American pilots carry out long-range precision strikes with remarkable accuracy. Among the technologies drawing attention are the SPICE family of guided munitions, the LITENING advanced targeting pod, and the Ice Breaker missile system—tools designed to improve targeting accuracy even in heavily jammed electronic environments. These systems combine electro-optical guidance, advanced sensors, and sophisticated targeting capabilities that allow aircraft to engage targets at extended ranges while minimizing collateral damage. The SPICE munitions, for example, can glide dozens of kilometers to their targets, while…

A new cybersecurity analysis found that Israel became the most frequently targeted nation for geopolitically motivated cyberattacks in 2025, reflecting how modern conflicts are increasingly fought in the digital domain alongside traditional military and diplomatic arenas. The report indicates that Israel accounted for roughly 12.2 percent of all ideologically driven cyberattack claims worldwide last year, placing it ahead of other heavily targeted nations such as the United States and Ukraine. Security researchers attribute the surge largely to the intensification of regional conflicts, particularly involving Iranian-linked groups and pro-Palestinian hacktivists, who have used distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults, website defacements, and disinformation…

Google is rolling out a new “Tap to Draft” feature for its Google Messages app that gives Android users greater control over automated Smart Replies by inserting suggested responses into the message compose field instead of sending them instantly. Previously, tapping a Smart Reply would automatically transmit the response, which sometimes resulted in accidental or poorly considered messages. With the new system, users can review, modify, or expand the suggested reply before hitting send, creating a two-step process that prioritizes intentional communication over instant automation. The feature is currently appearing in beta versions of the app and can be enabled…

A surge of artificial intelligence–generated war footage circulating online during the escalating Iran conflict has forced the social media platform X to take new measures aimed at curbing misinformation, including penalizing users who post AI-generated battlefield videos without labeling them as synthetic content. The move comes after timelines across major platforms filled with fabricated clips purporting to show missile strikes, destroyed military assets, or dramatic combat scenes that never actually occurred. Some viral posts have accumulated tens of millions of views before being debunked, highlighting how rapidly modern AI tools can manufacture convincing images and videos that mislead the public…

A striking experiment has demonstrated that living human neurons grown on a microchip can learn to play the classic video game Doom, highlighting both the promise and the unsettling implications of “biological computing.” Researchers cultured roughly 200,000 human brain cells on a multi-electrode chip and linked them to software that translated the game’s visual environment into electrical signals, allowing the neurons to respond with patterns interpreted as in-game actions such as moving or firing. The neurons do not consciously understand the game, but they can adapt to stimuli and improve performance through feedback loops, showing evidence of learning within a…

The push to replace traditional passwords with passkeys—a newer authentication method built on cryptographic keys and biometrics—has run into a predictable barrier: people and organizations resist changing established habits. Passkeys promise stronger security by eliminating reusable passwords and relying instead on device-stored private keys and biometric verification. However, adoption has slowed because many websites still do not support the technology, users remain unfamiliar with the concept, and businesses face implementation hurdles when transitioning legacy login systems. Researchers and cybersecurity professionals note that while the technology itself works well, real-world deployment requires broad ecosystem participation, user education, and compatible devices. Until…