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Seagate is now shipping HAMR disk drives holding up to 44TB of data

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Seagate introduced the Mozaic 3+ platform in 2024, turning the heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) dream into a real product for customers in need of massive storage capacities. The HDD maker is now introducing the next-generation Mozaic 4+ drives, which offer capacities up to 44TB.
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GoPro Lit Hero Review: a tiny action cam, with too many compromises

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

GoPro Lit Hero: two-minute review

GoPro is a name that’s synonymous with the action cam market, with the brand having largely been responsible for the explosion in popularity of such cameras over the past two decades. The brand has come a long way since its first Hero camera, a 35mm film-compatible wearable model released in 2004.

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LangChain’s CEO argues that better models alone won’t get your AI agent to production

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As models get smarter and more capable, the “harnesses” around them must also evolve.

This “harness engineering” is an extension of context engineering, says LangChain co-founder and CEO Harrison Chase in a new VentureBeat Beyond the Pilot podcast episode. Whereas traditional AI harnesses have tended to constrain models from running in loops and calling tools, harnesses specifically built for AI agents allow them to interact more independently and effectively perform long-running tasks.

Chase also weighed in on OpenAI’s acquisition of OpenClaw, arguing that its viral success came down to a willingness to “let it rip” in ways that no major lab would — and questioning whether the acquisition actually gets OpenAI closer to a safe enterprise version of the product.

“The trend in harnesses is to actually give the large language model (LLM) itself more control over context engineering, letting it decide what it sees and what it doesn’t see,” Chase says. “Now, this idea of a long-running, more autonomous assistant is viable.”

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Tracking progress and maintaining coherence

While the concept of allowing LLMs to run in a loop and call tools seems relatively simple, it’s difficult to pull off reliably, Chase noted. For a while, models were “below the threshold of usefulness” and simply couldn’t run in a loop, so devs used graphs and wrote chains to get around that. Chase pointed to AutoGPT — once the fastest-growing GitHub project ever — as a cautionary example: same architecture as today’s top agents, but the models weren’t good enough yet to run reliably in a loop, so it faded fast.

But as LLMs keep improving, teams can construct environments where models can run in loops and plan over longer horizons, and they can continually improve these harnesses. Previously, “you couldn’t really make improvements to the harness because you couldn’t actually run the model in a harness,” Chase said.

LangChain’s answer to this is Deep Agents, a customizable general-purpose harness.

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Built on LangChain and LangGraph, it has planning capabilities, a virtual filesystem, context and token management, code execution, and skills and memory functions. Further, it can delegate tasks to subagents; these are specialized with different tools and configurations and can work in parallel. Context is also isolated, meaning subagent work doesn’t clutter the main agent’s context, and large subtask context is compressed into a single result for token efficiency.

All of these agents have access to file systems, Chase explained, and can essentially create to-do lists that they can execute on and track over time.

“When it goes on to the next step, and it goes on to step two or step three or step four out of a 200 step process, it has a way to track its progress and keep that coherence,” Chase said. “It comes down to letting the LLM write its thoughts down as it goes along, essentially.”

He emphasized that harnesses should be designed so that models can maintain coherence over longer tasks, and be “amenable” to models deciding when to compact context at points it determines is “advantageous.”

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Also, giving agents access to code interpreters and BASH tools increases flexibility. And, providing agents with skills as opposed to just tools loaded up front allows them to load information when they need it. “So rather than hard code everything into one big system prompt,” Chase explained, “you could have a smaller system prompt, ‘This is the core foundation, but if I need to do X, let me read the skill for X. If I need to do Y, let me read the skill for Y.’”

Essentially, context engineering is a “really fancy” way of saying: What is the LLM seeing? Because that’s different from what developers see, he noted. When human devs can analyze agent traces, they can put themselves in the AI’s “mindset” and answer questions like: What is the system prompt? How is it created? Is it static or is it populated? What tools does the agent have? When it makes a tool call, and gets a response back, how is that presented?

“When agents mess up, they mess up because they don’t have the right context; when they succeed, they succeed because they have the right context,” Chase said. “I think of context engineering as bringing the right information in the right format to the LLM at the right time.”

Listen to the podcast to hear more about:

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  • How LangChain built its stack: LangGraph as the core pillar, LangChain at the center, Deep Agents on top.

  • Why code sandboxes will be the next big thing.

  • How a different type of UX will evolve as agents run at longer intervals (or continuously).

  • Why traces and observability are core to building an agent that actually works.

You can also listen and subscribe to Beyond the Pilot on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Iceland Foods Finally Surrenders In Trademark Fight With Iceland, The Country

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from the who’s-the-moron-in-a-hurry-here dept

The ten year war over Iceland is over and Iceland has come out the victor.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, be prepared to listen to a whole bunch of stupid. In 2016, we wrote about Iceland Foods, a UK grocer, which had somehow convinced the EU to give it a trademark for “Iceland” and which then went about bullying other companies and opposing trademarks for any that included the name of that country. One of the entities that Iceland Foods found itself in a trademark opposition with was Iceland, as in the country, when it attempted to trademark “Inspired by Iceland.” The Icelandic government didn’t take too kindly to that appropriation of its own name and petitioned to cancel the Iceland Foods trademark, which is exactly what happened. Rather than put an end to this absurdity, Iceland Foods appealed that decision, lost, then appealed it again, lost again, appealed a third time, only to lose there as well.

From there, Iceland Foods had but one final option for appealing all of these perfectly sane rulings, which would be to take this before the Court of Justice of the EU. And, while that would obviously be crazy, everything I’d seen to date led me to believe the grocer would do just that.

But sanity seems to finally be on the menu, I guess. Iceland Foods has publicly announced that it is ending the fight and surrendering.

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Executive chairman Richard Walker revealed the supermarket would drop the legal dispute, which centres on the right to use the phrase Iceland in the EU, following its third legal loss in July 2025.

Iceland had one fourth and final route of appeal, via the Court of Justice of the European Union, but Walker told the Financial Times it would instead use the “couple of hundred grand” it would save in legal fees to give a “rapprochement discount” to Icelandic shoppers.

Yeah, that’s how this should have been approached from the jump, folks. And this actually goes back even further, where this broad, geographic trademark by a private entity consisting of the name of a sovereign nation never should have been granted a trademark to begin with.

But that’s all over now. Iceland Foods’ trademark is invalidated. Iceland once more is free from being bullied over its own name, as would be other companies from the island nation. Iceland Foods can keep on operating as it always has, sans the ability to bully others with this ridiculous mark. Walker himself said as much, in a very frustrating manner.

“We lost for a third time. We’re going to throw in the towel,” Walker told the FT. “It’s actually fine — we don’t have to change our name.”

Exactly. You never had to. That was never in question. The only question is whether you got to keep your laughable trademark and bully others over it.

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Instead, the grocer wasted everyone’s time, and who knows how much of its own money, trying to wage this silly war.

Filed Under: cjeu, iceland, iceland iceland iceland, trademark, uk

Companies: iceland foods

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Reverse Engineering The PROM For The SGI O2

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The SGI O2 was SGI’s last-ditch attempt at a low-end MIPS-based workstation back in 1996, and correspondingly didn’t use the hottest parts of the time, nor did it offer much of an upgrade path. None of which is a concern to hobbyists who are more than happy to work around any hardware- and software limitations to e.g. install much faster CPUs. While quite a few CPU upgrades were possible with just some BGA chip reworking skills, installing the 900 MHz RM7900 would require some PROM hacking, which [mattst88] recently took a shake at.

The initial work on upgrading SGI O2 systems was done in the early 2000s, with [Joe Page] and [Ian Mapleson] running into the issue that these higher frequency MIPS CPUs required a custom IP32 PROM image, for which they figured that they’d need either SGI’s help or do some tricky reverse-engineering. Since SGI is no longer around, [mattst88] decided to take up the torch.

After downloading a 512 kB binary dump of the last version of the O2’s PROM, he set to work reverse-engineering it, starting by dissembling the file. A big part of understanding MIPS PROM code is understanding how the MIPS architecture works, including its boot process, so much of what followed was a crash-course on the subject.

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With that knowledge it was much easier to properly direct the Capstone disassembler and begin the arduous process of making sense of the blob of data and code. The resulting source files now reassemble into bit-identical ROM files, which makes it likely that modifying it to support different CPUs is now possible with just a bit more work.

For those who want to play along, [mattst88] has made his ip32prom-decompiler project available on GitHub.

Thanks to [adistuder] for the tip.


Top image: Silicon Graphics 1600SW LCD display and O2 workstation. (Source: Wikimedia)

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Apple is adding a warning against AI music content

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Apple Music is introducing a new way to flag AI-generated music. However, it’s relying on the music industry itself to disclose it.

As reported by Music Business Worldwide, the streaming service has launched Transparency Tags, a new metadata system that allows record labels and distributors to mark when artificial intelligence has been used in different parts of a release.

The tags can be applied immediately. Eventually, they will become a requirement when partners deliver new content to the platform.

Rather than analysing songs itself, Apple is placing the responsibility on the supply chain. Labels and distributors will decide whether a track or release qualifies as AI-generated. They will apply the tags during the delivery process – this is similar to how genres or credits are currently submitted.

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The system covers four areas of a release. Artwork tags flag when AI is used to create album artwork or other visuals. Track tags indicate that AI helped generate the sound recording itself. Composition tags apply when lyrics or other songwriting elements are created using AI. Meanwhile, Music Video tags identify AI-generated visuals tied to releases.

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Apple says the goal is to give the industry better visibility into how generative AI is being used in music production. In a note to industry partners, the company described the tags as a “first step”. This is toward building clearer policies and best practices around AI-created content.

The approach stands in contrast to how some rivals are tackling the issue. Streaming platform Deezer, for example, has built its own AI detection system. It scans uploads automatically rather than relying on labels to self-report.

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That difference matters given how quickly AI-generated music is growing. Deezer said earlier this year that it now receives more than 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day. Synthetic music now accounts for roughly 39% of all uploads to the platform.

The company also claims most of that content is tied to streaming fraud rather than artistic experimentation. According to Deezer, up to 85% of streams on AI-generated tracks were fraudulent in 2025. Those plays were removed from the royalty pool.

Apple’s Transparency Tags don’t currently include a visible enforcement mechanism or verification system. This means the accuracy of the labels will largely depend on the honesty of the distributors supplying the music.

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For now, though, Apple’s move signals that AI disclosure is quickly becoming the next battleground for music streaming platforms.

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UL and IMR to design Ireland’s first 3D-printed liquid rocket engine

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The partnership news comes with official acceptance into the prestigious UK-based Race2Space 2026 International Propulsion competition.

The University of Limerick (UL) Aeronautical Society High-Powered Rocketry Team (ULAS HiPR) has announced a partnership with UL and Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) to design and produce the first additive manufactured (3D-printed) liquid rocket engine in the Republic of Ireland, called the Lúin of Celtchar.

The engine is a high-performance 2 kilonewton, water-cooled, IPA/nitrous oxide bi-propellant system, which has been designed entirely by the ULAS HiPR student team and is now being manufactured at IMR’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab in Mullingar using metal additive manufacturing. It will be returned to UL for precision machining and assembly. 

Established in 2022, ULAS HiPR has more than 100 members and is a combination of students from a range of disciplines, such as aeronautical, mechanical, software and design engineering – all of whom have an interest in designing, manufacturing and launching powerful rockets. 

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The team has enjoyed some success having represented Ireland internationally at prestigious competitions, including Mach-24 and Euroc, the European Rocketry Challenge. Alongside the announcement of the partnership, ULAS HiPR has also officially been accepted into the UK-based Race2Space 2026 International Propulsion competition.

This is, according to ULAS HiPR, “a major milestone in advancing Irish student-led space propulsion capabilities”.

Speaking on the announcement, Jay Looney, the co-head of ULAS HiPR, said: “The acceptance of our project to Race2Space marks a defining moment not only for ULAS HiPR, but for Ireland’s student space community. 

“The selection of the first additively manufactured liquid rocket engine in the Republic of Ireland into the competition validates the technical ambition of our student team, and the strength of collaboration between Irish university students with industry. It demonstrates that world-class propulsion innovation can now be designed, manufactured and tested entirely here in Ireland.”

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Mark Hartnett, a design for manufacturing senior technologist at IMR, added: “At IMR, supporting ambitious student teams like ULAS HiPR reflects our commitment to strengthening Ireland’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem and enabling the next generation of aerospace innovators. 

“These are vital platforms for advancing cutting-edge technologies and building Ireland’s future engineering capability, and this ULAS HiPR propulsion project demonstrates how emerging technologies can move rapidly from concept to high-performance hardware.”

In late February, Silicon Republic attended the official launch of Ireland’s first European Space Agency Phi-Lab, which is headquartered at IMR in Mullingar and run in collaboration with the AMBER Centre at Trinity College Dublin.

One of 10 European Phi-Labs, it is designed to be Ireland’s national platform for space technology development and to anchor the country’s ambitions within Europe and the world’s rapidly-expanding space economy.

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Humanity Heating Planet Faster Than Ever Before, Study Finds

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An anonymous reader The Guardian: Humanity is heating the planet faster than ever before, a study has found. Climate breakdown is occurring more rapidly with the heating rate almost doubling, according to research that excludes the effect of natural factors behind the latest scorching temperatures. It found global heating accelerated from a steady rate of less than 0.2C per decade between 1970 and 2015 to about 0.35C per decade over the past 10 years. The rate is higher than scientists have seen since they started systematically taking the Earth’s temperature in 1880.

“If the warming rate of the past 10 years continues, it would lead to a long-term exceedance of the 1.5C (2.7F) limit of the Paris agreement before 2030,” said Stefan Rahmstorf, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and co-author of the study. […] The researchers applied a noise-reduction method to filter out the estimated effect of nonhuman factors in five major datasets that scientists have compiled to gauge the Earth’s temperature. In each of them, they found an acceleration in global heating emerged in 2013 or 2014. The findings have been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

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X is testing a new ad format that connects posts with products

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X is testing a new ad format that inserts a recommendation directly underneath a post that references the company or its products. The initial test, spotted by an X user in Europe, displayed a suggestion to “Get Starlink” beneath a post from a user that said Starlink’s satellite service works great in Portugal. The link, when clicked, directed users to Starlink’s website.

X head of product Nikita Bier confirmed the test, responding, “Trying to make an ad product that isn’t an ad.”

The Starlink ad is not visible to all users at this time, but the placeholder where the ad sits is.

If you visit X user @levelsio’s post from March 6 (screenshotted below in case of deletion), you’ll see an outlined box beneath the text of his post. This box currently showcases a random X post, unless you’re in the market where the ad test is live.

In places where the ad displays, several commenters noticed the new addition, with one asking, “lmao, did you add this Starlink button?”

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In the thread, Bier also responded to a suggestion that X should allow affiliate links in this ad slot by saying, “No, then people will lie. I want to trust recommendations on here.”

Image Credits:Screenshot from X

X could not be immediately reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the article if the company responds.

The test follows news earlier this week that the company is rolling out “Paid Partnership” labels for creators. The labels can be applied to posts to comply with regulations around social media advertising, instead of requiring creators to use a hashtag like “ad” or “paid partnership.”

If creators’ sponsored posts were to be combined with an embedded link to an advertiser like the one being tested, X could potentially attract more marketers to the platform. That could boost creators’ use of the app, allowing it to better compete against larger social networks favored by creators, like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

X has been chasing creator content for some time — even before it was called “X” and before it was owned by Elon Musk. Yet the app has never quite found its footing in this space. So far, the company has rolled out a number of creator products, including payouts for viral content, ad-revenue sharingcreator subscriptions, and more. 

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The company this week also revamped its Creator Subscriptions offering with a number of new features, including the ability to monetize individual threads.

In addition, X announced Friday that the integrated chatbot Grok is now capable of reading X’s long-form content, known as Articles. This feature, too, is underutilized, as creators who publish lengthy written text tend to prefer doing so through their own websites or newsletters.

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Haier’s new Couture Care Collection will stop you from going to the dry cleaners

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Haier has introduced the Couture Care Collection, a two-product premium fabric care range comprising a stacked Laundry Centre and a wardrobe-style Clothes Drying Closet.

It’s a little boujee, but the collection is focused on offering complete fabric care for your clothes, rather than just traditional wash and dry functionality.

That’s because the Couture Care Collection 11 Laundry Centre combines washing and drying in a space-saving stacked format, with AI-powered Smart Link technology automatically syncing wash and dry cycles based on load type and fabric composition. The I-Refresh Pro steam function handles lightly worn garments without running a full wash cycle, while an Ultra Fresh Air system keeps laundry fresh for up to 12 hours after the cycle ends.

The Ultra Reverse Drum and Flexy Air technology apparently reduce tangling and creasing during the drying phase, which honestly sounds like a lifesaver given how crinkled my clothes look when I remove them from dryer at home – although that serves me right for not looking at the best tumble dryers before buying.

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Most interestingly of all though, is the Clothes Drying Closet, which looks like a wardrobe, but can dry delicate fabrics shoes, and accessories. If you’re used to running back and forth to the dry cleaners every week, this might be the home gadget you’ve been looking for.

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Quick refresh cycles run from around ten minutes for lightly worn clothing, while a combination of steam, UV, and plasma technology sanitises up to 99.99% of bacteria.

Both products connect to Haier’s hOn app for remote control, cycle customisation, and notifications, with pricing and availability for the Couture Care Collection expected to be confirmed closer to the product’s retail launch.

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MacBook Neo proves Apple can build a $599 laptop without cheapening the Mac

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Apple’s industrial design chief says the MacBook Neo was created to bring the Mac into a much lower price tier without sacrificing the materials and design language associated with Apple laptops.

Open laptop on a table displaying colorful app windows, with a light keyboard and trackpad, and another closed laptop in the background on a softly lit surface
MacBook Neo

Apple vice president of industrial design Molly Anderson said in a rare March 6 solo interview that the MacBook Neo retains its MacBook identity despite its $599 starting price. Apple introduced the MacBook Neo on March 4 as its most affordable Mac laptop.
The MacBook Neo uses the A18 Pro processor instead of the Apple Silicon M-series chips found in other Macs. Apple is targeting students and first-time Mac buyers who might otherwise choose inexpensive Windows laptops or Chromebooks.
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