Author: Frank Salvato

SpaceX’s Starlink division announced plans to reconfigure about 4,400 satellites in its low-Earth orbit constellation by moving them from roughly 550 kilometers altitude down to about 480 kilometers over the course of 2026, a safety-focused effort aimed at reducing collision risk, speeding deorbiting of defunct units, and easing congestion in a rapidly busier orbital environment. According to Reuters, the move follows a recent satellite anomaly that generated debris and underlines broader concerns about orbital traffic management, as thousands of satellites from different operators fill low-Earth orbit and the likelihood of close approaches rises. Space.com reports that Starlink’s vice president of…

Some experts are warning that we’ve officially entered an era of “AI washing,” where companies slap the words artificial intelligence on products, services, and investment pitches—often with very little real AI behind them—to chase hype, attract funding, and gain competitive advantage. A recent Epoch Times article highlights the growing scrutiny and calls for transparency to distinguish genuine AI innovation from mere buzzword branding. This phenomenon isn’t just anecdotal: regulators like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are cracking down on misleading claims, emphasizing accurate disclosures and enforcement actions in cases where AI is overstated to investors. Beyond legal scrutiny, industry…

A recent wave of low-quality, AI-generated content—often labeled “brainrot” or “AI slop”—is increasingly dominating social media feeds and reshaping what users see and engage with online, raising concerns about cognitive effects, quality of discourse, and the future of content creation. According to reporting on this trend, generative tools like advanced text-to-video models have made it extremely easy for creators—or even automated scripts—to produce massive volumes of absurd or meaningless videos, memes, and clips that flood platforms such as YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram, potentially accounting for a sizable portion of short-form feeds and displacing more substantive material. Critics argue this…

Cybersecurity researchers have identified a cyberespionage campaign linked to a China-associated hacking group that used Venezuela-themed phishing emails to target U.S. government and policy-related officials shortly after the U.S. operation against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to multiple reports, the group—attributed by analysts to the Chinese-linked Mustang Panda actor—sent emails containing a ZIP archive titled “US now deciding what’s next for Venezuela,” which contained malware capable of data theft and enabling persistent access if deployed on victim systems. The campaign appears timed to exploit geopolitical developments and lure recipients with a high-interest topic, though it is not yet clear whether…

The British Royal Navy has unveiled and flown its first full-size autonomous helicopter, Proteus, marking a significant milestone in autonomous military aviation as it completed its maiden flight at Predannack airfield in Cornwall, England. Designed and built by Leonardo Helicopters as a technology demonstrator under a £60 million UK-funded programme, the Proteus is intended to patrol seas, enhance anti-submarine warfare, and support future maritime missions without onboard crew, operating as part of the Royal Navy’s Strategic Defence Review “New Hybrid Navy” concept. Proteus is capable of independent navigation and complex task execution using advanced sensors and onboard computing, allowing it…

Micron Technology has officially begun construction on what is slated to be the largest semiconductor manufacturing facility in the United States, breaking ground on January 16, 2026 in Onondaga County, New York, near the town of Clay. The $100 billion project — backed by both federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act and state support — is expected to include up to four fabrication plants focused on advanced memory chip production and will be the largest private investment in New York state history, projected to create tens of thousands of permanent jobs and boost domestic microchip manufacturing capacity. Company…

YouTube has updated its advertiser-friendly monetization guidelines to allow creators to earn full ad revenue on videos covering “controversial” but non-graphic and sensitively presented topics such as abortion, domestic violence, self-harm, suicide, adult sexual abuse, and sexual harassment, expanding eligibility for ad earnings while still restricting monetization for content involving child abuse, child trafficking, and eating disorders; the changes, announced via a Creator Insider video and effective immediately, stem from creator feedback that previous policies were too restrictive and demonetized dramatized or personal narrative content that advertisers are now comfortable supporting in a non-graphic format. Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/youtube-relaxes-monetization-guidelines-for-some-controversial-topics/https://www.newsday.com/business/youtube-monetization-update-policy-controversial-issues-h53571https://apnews.com/article/youtube-monetization-update-policy-controversial-issues-545e27e27e26e0baefb937c86620b676 Key Takeaways YouTube…

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged mounting political pressure and growing public concern about youth safety online by stating that “no options are off the table” when considering potential restrictions on social media use for children under the age of 16. The UK government has launched a formal consultation on whether to impose an Australian-style ban for younger teens, including exploring measures such as raising the digital age of consent, limiting addictive app features, and even outright prohibitions. Ministers will review a range of proposals and gather views from parents, educators, and young people, and plan to visit Australia,…

A groundbreaking milestone in ocean and storm science has been achieved with the first successful collection of in-situ data from inside a Category 5 hurricane by autonomous ocean robots developed by the UK-based company Oshen. These four-foot long, wind- and solar-powered unmanned surface vehicles (called C-Stars) were deployed in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Southern Mississippi during Hurricane Humberto. Multiple C-Stars penetrated the eyewall of the storm, transmitting high-resolution, real-time measurements of wind speed, air pressure, sea surface temperature, and humidity back to forecasters. One of the units recorded a minimum sea-level…

A 24-year-old man from Springfield, Tennessee named Nicholas Moore admitted in federal court that he repeatedly hacked into the U.S. Supreme Court’s electronic filing system and other federal government networks, stole victims’ personal information using stolen login credentials, and publicly shared screenshots of that data on his Instagram account. Court filings show Moore accessed the Supreme Court system at least 25 times, as well as AmeriCorps and the Department of Veterans Affairs health portal, between 2023 and 2024, exposing names, addresses, security details, health information, and other sensitive material before pleading guilty to a misdemeanor computer fraud charge that carries…