28 Dec 2025
Hacker News
Why Reliability Demands Functional Programming
28 Dec 2025 12:05am GMT
27 Dec 2025
Slashdot
Researchers Show Some Robots Can Be Hijacked Just Through Spoken Commands
An anonymous Slashdot reader shared this story from Interesting Engineering: Cybersecurity specialists from the research group DARKNAVY have demonstrated how modern humanoid robots can be compromised and weaponised through weaknesses in their AI-driven control systems. In a controlled test, the team demonstrated that a commercially available humanoid robot could be hijacked with nothing more than spoken commands, exposing how voice-based interaction can serve as an attack vector rather than a safeguard, reports Yicaiglobal... Using short-range wireless communication, the hijacked machine transmitted the exploit to another robot that was not connected to the network. Within minutes, this second robot was also taken over, demonstrating how a single breach could cascade through a group of machines. To underline the real-world implications, the researchers issued a hostile command during the demonstration. The robot advanced toward a mannequin on stage and struck it, illustrating the potential for physical harm.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
27 Dec 2025 11:44pm GMT
Hacker News
Show HN: Waycore – an open-source, offline-first modular field computer
27 Dec 2025 11:16pm GMT
7- and 14-segment fonts "DSEG"
27 Dec 2025 10:49pm GMT
Slashdot
New Runtime Standby ABI Proposed for Linux Like Microsoft Windows' 'Modern Standby'
Phoronix reports on "an exciting post-Christmas patch series out on the Linux kernel mailing list" proposing "a new runtime standby ABI that is similar in nature to the 'Modern Standby' functionality found with Microsoft Windows..." Modern Standby is a low-power mode on Windows 11 for letting systems remain connected to the network and appear "sleeping" but will allow for instant wake-up for notifications, music playback, and other functionality. The display is off, the network remains online, and background tasks can wake-up the system if needed with Microsoft Modern Standby... "This series introduces a new runtime standby ABI to allow firing Modern Standby firmware notifications that modify hardware appearance from userspace without suspending the kernel," [according to the email about the proposed patch series]. "This allows userspace to set the inactivity state of the device so that it looks like it is asleep (e.g., flashing the power button) while still being able to perform basic computations..." Those interested can see the RFC patch series for the work in its current form, in particular the documentation patch outlines the proposed /sys/power/standby interface.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
27 Dec 2025 10:34pm GMT
Is Russia Developing an Anti-Satellite Weapon to Target Starlink?
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Associated Press: Two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Elon Musk's Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel, with the aim of reining in Western space superiority that has helped Ukraine on the battlefield. Intelligence findings seen by The Associated Press say the so-called "zone-effect" weapon would seek to flood Starlink orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets, potentially disabling multiple satellites at once but also risking catastrophic collateral damage to other orbiting systems. Analysts who haven't seen the findings say they doubt such a weapon could work without causing uncontrollable chaos in space for companies and countries, including Russia and its ally China, that rely on thousands of orbiting satellites for communications, defense and other vital needs. Such repercussions, including risks to its own space systems, could steer Moscow away from deploying or using such a weapon, analysts said. "I don't buy it. Like, I really don't," said Victoria Samson, a space-security specialist at the Secure World Foundation who leads the Colorado-based nongovernmental organization's annual study of anti-satellite systems. "I would be very surprised, frankly, if they were to do something like that." [Later they suggested the research might just be experimental.] But the commander of the Canadian military's Space Division, Brig. Gen. Christopher Horner, said such Russian work cannot be ruled out in light of previous U.S. allegations that Russia also has been pursuing an indiscriminate nuclear, space-based weapon. "I can't say I've been briefed on that type of system. But it's not implausible," he said... The French military's Space Command said in a statement to the AP that it could not comment on the findings but said, "We can inform you that Russia has, in recent years, been multiplying irresponsible, dangerous, and even hostile actions in space." The article also points out that this month Russia "said it has fielded a new ground-based missile system, the S-500, which is capable of hitting low-orbit targets..."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
27 Dec 2025 9:34pm GMT
Linuxiac
Debian Officially Welcomes Loong64 as a Supported Architecture

Debian has officially promoted loong64 from Debian Ports, confirming it will ship as a supported architecture in Debian 14 Forky.
27 Dec 2025 7:34pm GMT
Winux Tries to Mimic Windows While Staying Fully Linux

Ubuntu-based Winux joins the Linux ecosystem by mimicking the Windows experience, but is imitation the best path?
27 Dec 2025 4:39pm GMT
GitHub Takes Down Rockchip MPP Repository After FFmpeg Copyright Claim

GitHub disabled the Rockchip Linux MPP repository after a DMCA notice from an FFmpeg developer alleging violations of the LGPL license.
27 Dec 2025 12:42pm GMT
26 Dec 2025
Ars Technica
Embark on a visual voyage of art inspired by black holes
Art and science converge in Lynn Gamwell's book, Conjuring the Void: The Art of Black Holes
26 Dec 2025 4:40pm GMT
In the ’90s, Wing Commander: Privateer made me realize what kind of games I love
Most things Privateer did have been done better, but it's still a classic.
26 Dec 2025 1:35pm GMT
Ars Technica’s Top 20 video games of 2025
A mix of expected sequels and out-of-nowhere indie gems made 2025 a joy.
26 Dec 2025 12:00pm GMT