Author: Frank Salvato
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…
A new trend in software development shows a surge in so-called micro-apps — small, specialized applications created by individuals without traditional coding skills, often using AI-powered tools rather than purchasing traditional software. These micro-apps are typically designed for a narrow, personal purpose and may only be used temporarily before being discarded. Driven by advances in generative AI and accessible development platforms, people are rapidly “vibe coding” solutions, from dining-recommendation tools to chore trackers, effectively democratizing app creation and reducing reliance on subscription-based mainstream apps. This shift suggests a broader redistribution of software creation power from professional developers and big tech…
Iran’s government-ordered internet shutdown, now stretching well beyond a week since January 8, 2026, has become one of the longest and most comprehensive national blackouts in the country’s history as authorities seek to suppress widespread protests that began in late December 2025. According to cybersecurity monitor NetBlocks, nearly the entire nation remains cut off from global internet access, a tactic Tehran has used repeatedly during periods of civil unrest. Independent analysts warn that the blackout is designed not only to hinder domestic organization and communication but also to obscure the scale of the government’s violent crackdown on demonstrators, which human…
A California-based aerospace startup called Galactic Resource Utilization Space (GRU Space) has begun accepting reservations for what it bills as the first real hotel on the Moon, offering wealthy travelers the chance to lock in a future lunar stay with deposits ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000, with a target opening date around 2032 that hinges on ambitious construction timelines and the development of novel lunar habitat technologies. The company is backed by Y Combinator and investors tied to SpaceX and Anduril, and it plans to use proprietary modules and in-situ resource utilization to build durable lunar structures, though critics note…
Meta’s social media platform Threads now has more daily mobile users than Elon Musk’s X on iOS and Android devices, according to recent data from market analytics firm Similarweb. Threads reportedly reached roughly 141.5 million daily active mobile users as of early January 2026, compared with about 125 million for X, marking a notable shift in user behavior on mobile platforms. The increase comes after steady growth for Threads, driven in part by heavy cross-promotion via Instagram and Facebook as well as frequent introduction of new features designed to boost engagement, such as interest-based communities, direct messaging enhancements and long-form…