In a new update, OpenAI says its AI models also used publicly exposed credentials to compromise accounts on four third-party services during the recent attack on Hugging Face, expanding the scope of the four-day security incident to other organizations.

One account was used as an outbound relay and staging server during the attack, while another was used for data storage. The remaining two accounts were accessed in a read-only manner and were not used to compromise Hugging Face further.

Overall, the agent assembled attack infrastructure similar to what human threat actors commonly use during intrusions to host tools and scripts, relay traffic, and route malicious activity through legitimate online services.

OpenAI did not identify the four services, explain how the models found the exposed credentials, or disclose what was stored in the third-party account.

However, the company says it has not found evidence that the AI agent performed further compromise at any of the four service providers or other accounts hosted on their platforms.

Reuters later reported that one of the four services was AI infrastructure provider Modal Labs. However, Modal says its own platform was not breached and that the agent instead accessed a customer environment through an exposed, unauthenticated endpoint.

Modal CTO Akshat Bubna told Reuters that the customer had published an endpoint that allowed anyone on the internet to use its sandboxes for code execution.

It remains unclear whether the Modal customer account was the platform used as an outbound relay and staging path, for data storage, or one of the two accounts accessed only in a read-only manner.

BleepingComputer contacted OpenAI to learn more about how the models found the exposed credentials, which services were accessed, and how the accounts were used during the attack.

OpenAI also says its models accessed a few additional accounts using publicly exposed credentials during other evaluations, but did not provide further details.

The models also used public pastebin sites for sharing code and text, HTTP request-capture services commonly used during penetration tests and intrusions, screenshot services, and other web utilities.

Escaped through an Artifactory zero-day

The activity occurred after OpenAI models escaped an isolated evaluation environment while being tested against ExploitGym, a benchmark designed to measure advanced cybersecurity capabilities.

The models did not have direct internet access and could only install packages through an internally hosted JFrog Artifactory server acting as a proxy and cache for package registries.

OpenAI confirmed in its July 28 update that the models identified and exploited a previously unknown Artifactory zero-day to gain internet access.

The company separately said the models identified other Artifactory vulnerabilities during its subsequent review and disclosed them to JFrog.

As BleepingComputer reported Tuesday, eight vulnerabilities fixed in Artifactory 7.161.15 are credited to OpenAI in CVE records. However, neither OpenAI nor JFrog would confirm the specific vulnerability that was exploited in the attack.

After gaining internet access, the models inferred that Hugging Face might host the datasets and test solutions they needed to finish the benchmark.

They then breached Hugging Face’s production infrastructure in its attempts to gain access to this information, exploiting vulnerabilities in its dataset-processing pipeline, stealing cloud and cluster credentials, and moving laterally across internal systems.

OpenAI also says that the model used in the attack is a pre-release model that was only intended for internal research and has now restricted it for further research access.

“No models planned for upcoming release were involved in exploiting Hugging Face,” reads OpenAI’s update.

“The pre-release model mentioned in our blog post is an internal-only research prototype and was never intended for public release. Following the incident, we deactivated, encrypted, and restricted it from research access.”

Hugging Face intrusion lasted four days

A draft incident post-mortem prepared by the Cloud Security Alliance’s CISO community says the Hugging Face intrusion lasted approximately four days.

The report is based partly on information Hugging Face shared during a conference call attended by nearly 700 CISOs. The document was later edited by participating CISOs and reviewed by the Hugging Face team before publication.

According to the report, the models spent two days conducting reconnaissance, followed by one largely silent day and a final day of intense activity.

The CSA post-mortem says Hugging Face discovered, contained, and began investigating the intrusion before OpenAI contacted the company.

Reuters also reported that OpenAI had not detected what its models had done by the time Hugging Face contained the threat and alerted the FBI.

The CSA report says Hugging Face initially attempted to use leading commercial AI models to reconstruct the attack, but their security safeguards prevented them from processing the raw malicious activity.

Responders instead ran Z.ai’s GLM 5.2 open-weight model locally and used it to analyze more than 17,000 events related to the breach.

“With it, they churned through the full log of more than 17,000 events, rebuilding the timeline, extracting indicators, mapping the credentials touched, and separating real impact from decoy activity, doing in hours what would normally take weeks,” reads the post-mortem.

Hugging Face ultimately rotated all credentials, dismantled compromised systems, and rebuilt about one-third of its infrastructure from clean images.

The report says the models extracted three partial datasets containing CyberGym solutions from a private Hugging Face repository, even though they were attempting to complete ExploitGym.

No customer data was accessed and no data was exfiltrated from Hugging Face, according to the report.

The models also used Hugging Face’s platform and datasets as part of their command-and-control infrastructure and operated multiple workloads at the same time.

However, the agents also had poor OPSEC, leaving behind traces of the attack, including encryption keys, that helped the responders further analyze the security incident.

Security teams log 54% of successful attacks and alert on just 14%. The rest move through your environment unseen.

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a 1998 Nintendo 64 adventure, is now available as a native app for iPhones and iPads. Full screen resolution, sixty frames per second, widescreen perspective, usable touch overlays, Bluetooth controllers that simply work, plus keyboard and mouse capabilities for good measure. There is no blurry 240p image, no stuttering twenty-frame limit from the original hardware, and no remote streaming via PC. The game has been recreated and is now running on the device itself.

Kahris, also known as Chrissotraidis, reused existing parts to make HarkinianPad. The Harbour Masters laid the basis for the entire project with the Ship of Harkinian, a long-term open-source effort. The Harkinian team has successfully turned the fully decompiled C code from Ocarina of Time into clean native code that will run on Windows, Linux, macOS, Switch, Wii U, and Android. That was a massive task in and of itself, and the zeldaret crew and the Harbour Masters completed all of the reverse engineering and engine tweaking long before Kahris got involved. Now, Kahris did not go and re-decompile anything from scratch. No, he took the existing Ship of Harkinian codebase and made it compatible with iOS and iPadOS for the first time.

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That wasn’t a simple recompile task, though, because the game required a completely new platform layer that understood the app lifecycle on iOS, what to do with file access, graphics, and input, and so on. So Kahris performed some research to determine the requirements, and then he created a single prompt for Codex 5.6 Sol. That tool went off and did all the heavy lifting for him, sorting the build system for ARM64, linking everything together, ensuring the app didn’t get killed when iOS suspends and resumes, hooking up Metal for rendering, getting UIKit where it needed to be, adding Files-app support so users can simply drop in their own ROM, setting up native controller paths, and implementing a touch control system that works in landscape.

The end result is now available on GitHub as an open-source project. Now, the repo itself has no game data or ROMs, as those must be added manually by the user. To get the app running, people must first build or install the IPA, sign it for their device, run it once to create a folder in the Files app, copy in a valid Ocarina of Time ROM, then allow the app to do its thing. After that, the game starts up, saves are working, audio is playing via the speakers, controllers are pairing over Bluetooth, and you still have access to all of the touch controls and menu options.

Performance appears to be smooth because we’re dealing with pure C code that is running directly on Apple silicon and drawing using Metal. So, on an iPad, the image fills the screen at its native resolution and maintains a steady sixty frames. The same build works on the iPhone, and to my surprise, widescreen support works quite well without stretching or letterboxing in an odd fashion.

The takeaway: Companies operating in the European Union are now subject to a new requirement: clearly label content created or altered by artificial intelligence. Beginning Sunday, the EU’s latest transparency rules take effect, covering everything from chatbot responses to AI-generated images, audio, and video. The aim is simple: users should be able to tell, without guessing, whether what they are seeing or hearing is real or machine-generated.

The rule is part of the EU’s broader artificial intelligence law, which is being rolled out in phases. This first step focuses on disclosure. If content is generated by AI or significantly manipulated by it, companies must make that clear. That includes adding visible labels as well as technical markers, such as watermarks or embedded metadata, that help identify synthetic material.

The push comes as deepfakes and other AI-generated media become more convincing and easier to produce. Regulators are particularly concerned about how quickly this content can spread and how difficult it has become to determine what is real.

The requirements apply mainly to content created in professional contexts. Material designed to inform the public about matters of general interest must carry a label if it is produced by AI without human editorial oversight. At the same time, the EU has carved out exceptions. Individuals using AI for personal purposes are not covered, and exemptions exist for “artistic, creative, satirical, fictional” works.

Meta has added an “AI Info” label to posts on Facebook and Instagram to identify content created with artificial intelligence.

From a technical standpoint, the rules go beyond simple on-screen labels. Companies are expected to implement systems that can identify AI-generated content even after it has been shared or reposted. That means relying on watermarking and tagging tools that can persist across platforms.

Major tech companies have already been moving in this direction. TikTok, for example, has required creators to label AI-generated content for several years and says more than three billion pieces of content have been tagged using its detection tools. Meta has introduced an “AI Info” label on Facebook and Instagram to flag posts created with generative AI technology.

Google has signed on to the EU’s voluntary code of conduct on AI transparency and is working with companies including Nvidia, OpenAI, and Apple on digital tagging standards designed to track content origins.

Still, not everyone is convinced the rollout will be smooth. Some companies argue that the rules add another layer of complexity to already crowded platforms.

Karen Massin of Google said the added regulatory complexity could end up being counterproductive and warned that it may confuse the very users the rules are intended to help.

The concern is that if users are constantly seeing labels and disclosures, those signals may lose their meaning. Too many overlapping indicators could make it harder, not easier, for people to understand what they are looking at.

Even so, others see the situation as familiar territory. Compliance requirements often face pushback early on but eventually become standard practice.

“We have heard that it is going to be very, very difficult to implement. But I think we often hear this with compliance requirements. And yet, the world turns and we figure these things out,” Ashley Casovan of the International Association of Privacy Professionals told AFP.

Companies have until December 2 to bring existing AI systems into compliance. After that, enforcement will tighten, with significant fines for those that fail to meet the requirements.

X has a new argument against sweeping underage social media bans that would limit usage of its platform: They interfere with international law.

The social media platform, which sits within Elon Musk’s SpaceX, issued a submission to the Australian parliament published Tuesday that called for the government to drop efforts to strengthen its underage social media ban. It complained that the proposals to increase pressure on sites to demonstrate efforts to crack down on underage access are unnecessary, ill-suited, unfair, and could violate privacy rights.

X pushed back against the “highly invasive” information gathering powers the proposed amendment would allow, accusing the commissioner of having “seemingly no understanding” of how this would work for the platforms and no safeguards for confidential and commercially sensitive information. Demanding data, documents, and compliance evidence from non-Australians in other countries could cause issues “for the comity of nations,” the firm also warned.

Australia is leading a growing global movement to restrict children’s access to social media, after banning under-16-year-olds from the sites in December. In May, the country ordered X to pay a $463,000 fine for failing to comply with child safety measures. The country’s internet regulator, eSafety, first issued the fine in 2023, claiming X did not respond sufficiently to a request for information on how it was tackling the spread of online child sexual abuse content, submitted one month before Elon Musk took over Twitter, now X.

X has previously criticized the country’s “excessive” penalty regime and complained in the most recent submission that a proposal to increase penalties against individuals is “entirely unjustified and disproportionate.”

Musk has been a particularly vocal critic of Australia’s bill to make 16 the minimum age for social media. “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians,” he wrote on X when the legislation was announced in late 2024. When Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez announced similar measures in February of this year, Musk called him a “tyrant” and “true fascist totalitarian.”

While many digital rights campaigners believe blanket age bans on social media are “problematic,” the information-gathering powers are not the issue, says Stefania Di Stefano, a researcher in international law and technologies.

“For me, the complete ban from social media on children and minors is problematic from an international human rights perspective,” says Di Stefano. “It is disproportionate with respect to the right of children to exercise their right to freedom of expression, their right to access information, their right to association, and so on and so forth.”

But Julia Hörnle, a professor of internet law at Queen Mary University of London, is skeptical about X’s submission. “A regulator in Australia ordering X to disclose a document in relation to their business activities in Australia, that’s perfectly fine,” she tells WIRED. “From all the data in the possession of the social media company, they can distinguish between Australian and non-Australian children, and therefore keep regulation to Australia.”

In brief: EU regulations will soon require more devices to feature replaceable batteries, prompting some manufacturers to comply in advance. However, tech companies are adopting new repairability standards only where required by law, with Logitech arguing that limiting repairability is in users’ best interests.

Logitech recently told The Verge that some of its mice will soon feature replaceable lithium-ion batteries, but the new models will only be available in Europe. Like Nintendo, the company appears to be doing the bare minimum to satisfy regulators in certain markets.

The company’s new head of gaming, Robin Piispanen, confirmed the move to the outlet while discussing right-to-repair and Logitech’s future gaming hardware plans. While the company is adding user-replaceable batteries to its mice to comply with an EU law that takes effect next year, Piispanen argues that non-replaceable batteries offer certain advantages.

He confirmed that the new European models will not only be more expensive to manufacture, but also heavier and sturdier to minimize the risk of accidental puncture. Lithium-ion batteries are a well-known fire hazard.

While Logitech’s gaming boss agrees that replaceable batteries make sense for expensive devices such as laptops and smartphones, he expects users to replace $50-$100 mice more often than they replace their batteries. Despite saying he supports the right to repair, Piispanen argues that making longer-lasting mice should be a higher priority than allowing users to replace individual components.

Also Read – The Best Mouse: Our Favorite Mice for Work and Play

From there, he unsurprisingly argued that users are more likely to damage mice irreversibly when attempting to repair switches or grips. However, Piispanen did not discuss the possibility of giving third-party repair shops better access to replacement parts.

Logitech’s decision echoes Nintendo’s plans to ship a new, Europe-only version of the Switch 2 with replaceable batteries for both the console and Joy-Cons. However, rather than produce a new EU-compliant version of the original Switch, the company will simply end production of the 2017 handheld in that market.

Piispanen also briefly discussed Logitech’s short-lived handheld gaming venture with The Verge. The company released the streaming-focused G Cloud in 2022, but Piispanen admitted that only roughly 20% of buyers still use it, and Logitech likely won’t develop a follow-up anytime soon. The gaming executive acknowledged that cloud gaming remains a difficult business, with Microsoft and Nvidia among the only major players still operating in the space.

The EU’s upcoming battery legislation aims to reduce e-waste by allowing users and repair shops to replace dead batteries rather than sending devices to landfills. The law is set to take effect in February 2027.

Every CS2 player has their own trade goals. Some people want to get better skins, while others want a quick and easy swap. There are a lot of trading sites out there, so picking the best one can be hard. It is good to look at how a platform does in the things that matter, like flexibility, user experience, and who it helps the most. This guide talks about four top platforms. It will help you see which fits your way of trading.

Start by Understanding Your Trading Needs

Before you trade CS2 skins, you need to think about what is most important to you. Do you want quick swaps, many different skins to pick from, an easy way to trade, or steady swap values? Knowing what you want makes it easier to choose the right platform. This is better than picking something just because a lot of people use it. SkinsMonkey lets you trade, buy, and sell using an automated trading system for Steam accounts that meet the right rules.

Platform Comparison at a Glance

Which Type of Trader Are You?

Your trading habits can change which platform feels right for you. People who update the stuff they have need sites with easy navigation and smooth trading. Those new to trading may like a site that makes everything simple. Collectors want to use sites that let them check out several skins without trouble. Picking a platform that fits your skill level makes trading feel more good for all.

SkinsMonkey

SkinsMonkey gives you a good way to trade. The workflow is easy to use. You get many exchange choices. It works well for people who need a platform that is reliable. The site does not make things hard for you.

CS.MONEY

CS.MONEY is good for people who like to see many skins before they choose one. It gives a marketplace feel that fits both collectors and people who trade a lot.

Tradeit.gg

Tradeit.gg is made for people who want fast and easy skin exchanges. Its simple setup helps you finish trades quickly and without trouble.

Swap.gg

Swap.gg gives users an easy way to trade skins, even if they do it now and then. The site has a clean look, so you can find what you want fast. It is simple to use and does not take much time to get started.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Platform

Instead of picking the first trading site you see, take some time and ask yourself some useful questions. Does the platform make the trading process easy to understand? Is there help from customer support when you need it? Can you compare your trading options without any trouble? If you answer these questions, you will find a platform that fits the way you want to trade in the long run, not just for your next deal.

Why SkinsMonkey Is a Strong All-Round Choice

Every platform comes with its own good points, but SkinsMonkey is different because it does well in many things, not just one. It has an easy-to-use look, many ways to trade, and a fast exchange process. This makes it right for both new and experienced traders. With this balanced style, you can feel good about trading and have a smooth time every step of the way.

Conclusion

The best platform to use will be based on how you like to trade, what you want, and what you hope to get out of it. If you want to trade cs2 skins, you should look at how each site works, how easy it is to use, and what you get from it. This can help you make a good pick. From the choices we talked about, SkinsMonkey gives a good all-around option for people who want a safe and smooth way to trade skins.

Life Science Recruitment’s Sinéad Cullen discusses the evolving life science recruitment space and the opportunities you can create for yourself.

Some people know from a very early age the direction they want their life to take professionally. But for many, possibly even the majority, minds change over time and it may be well into your education or career before you have a firm idea of where you would like to end up.

Sinéad Cullen, the director of Life Science Recruitment, which is a member of the Vertical Markets Group, started out with an undergraduate degree and master’s in neuroscience, obtained from UCC and Trinity College Dublin respectively.

During that time she was actively involved in a range of science outreach programmes, competitions and initiatives, including I’m a Scientist Get me Out of Here, in which she won funding to run her own workshop out of the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute at DCU.

However, while the work was rewarding, particularly the workshops that enabled her to share her expertise with the next generation of scientists via workshops, she soon came to the realisation that she envisioned a different professional future. 

Cullen told SiliconRepublic.com, “I really decided the lab isn’t the place for me. I do enjoy communicating on the science side of things, but then I wanted to find a role where I could do that long-term and I researched what would be available and I came across recruitment.”

For Cullen, it can be beneficial to take a closer look at how a career is progressing and if an opportunity comes calling, even if it is one not previously considered, give it the thought it deserves. 

She said, “It can help you figure out what you like and what you don’t like and you would never view it as wasted time either. If I hadn’t spent those two and a half years in the lab, I wouldn’t have been able to decide what I wanted and what I didn’t want.” 

Science, she finds, is an ideal space in which a student or professional can explore different opportunities and discover career routes that perhaps they were unaware of.  

She said, “Even myself, before I started working in recruitment, I wasn’t aware of all the various different roles that were in life science, so I would have thought a lot of them were lab based, but there’s a number of roles within life science where you’d actually be based in an office.”

Practice makes perfect

And as the landscape changes, so too do the expectations placed upon professionals looking to work in life science recruitment. Cullen has found that the environment has altered significantly since she first began, primarily as a result of technological innovation. 

She explained AI, machine learning and bioinformatics, among other advancements, have propelled life sciences further into the technology and adjacent spheres, resulting in a landscape that requires a more diverse skillset. 

Cullen said, “So I think that the landscape has shifted more towards people being more agile within their role and adapting within their role as well, to those new technologies. It’s about finding the right candidates who can adapt and learn on the job as well as work in those new areas.”

Communication is also key, as often people with a strong background in complex science need to relay information to someone who lacks foundational or industry knowledge of a subject, or who may be on a relevant, albeit non-science based team. 

With life science professionals in particular, Cullen noted employers are currently prioritising applicants who show an attention to detail, skills in problem solving, developed scientific writing skills and good communication skills. This is especially true when dealing with external stakeholders, regulatory bodies and department adjacent team members. 

Challenge or chance?

One person’s challenge is often another person’s opportunity and certainly, within the life sciences ecosystem challenge and opportunity can be one and the same for an individual with the right mindset. While some recruiters may view the competitive jobs market as a difficulty to be overcome, it also creates chance.  

Cullen explained, “One of the biggest challenges within life science recruitment is that it is a very competitive market, so there is a war on talent as such. I suppose, that’s been around now for a long time within this space that there are more jobs than there are qualified people.”

On a positive note however, she finds that hiring has remained strong in specialist areas that require nichely skilled people, such as quality validation, regulatory affairs, clinical operations, supply chain and technical engineering.

She said, “We do see recruitment processes taking longer and employers becoming more selective, so the demand for experienced professionals across those areas remains particularly high. It is a good sign for the rest of 2026, the outlook looks good.”

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Walter Stutz spent more than a decade assembling what Revox describes as the world’s largest collection of Studer and Revox equipment. A new charitable foundation will make sure it remains intact and accessible to the public.

There are worse ways to spend retirement than collecting 800 pieces of Studer and Revox equipment.

Golf is one of them.

After 46 years with Swiss Post, Walter Stutz began assembling a private collection of Studer and Revox components that started inside his apartment and eventually grew large enough to require dedicated premises. More than a decade later, the collection has become an unusually complete physical record of two companies that helped define professional recording, broadcasting, and home audio during the second half of the 20th century.

Revox has now established the Revox World Foundation, a charitable organization created to preserve, expand, and publicly exhibit that collection rather than allowing it to be divided among private buyers, storage facilities, and eBay listings featuring the phrase “powers on, unable to test.”

The foundation was formally established through a notarized deed in June 2026 and announced by Revox on July 23. Its stated purpose is to acquire, collect, maintain, and exhibit mechanical music playback equipment, with a particular focus on Revox products, inside a publicly accessible museum in the Zurich area.

From One Apartment to 800 Components

Stutz’s former private Studer Revox Museum collection has now been transferred in its entirety to the Revox World Foundation.

The archive includes approximately 800 Studer and Revox components, along with company documents, files, photographs, measuring instruments, prototypes, and other historical material. Revox describes it as the largest existing collection of products from the two brands.

That distinction matters because this is not simply a wall of attractive reel to reel decks with wooden side panels and illuminated VU meters.

The collection traces the development of Willi Studer’s work from early radios through professional tape machines, consumer audio components, test equipment, prototypes, and modern Revox systems. It includes machines used in recording studios and broadcasting facilities, along with the domestic models that allowed consumers to bring some of the same engineering into their homes.

Studer equipment became part of the infrastructure of professional recording. Its machines were used by broadcasters and recording studios around the world, while products including the Studer C37 and J37 became closely associated with Abbey Road Studios and some of the most important recordings of the 1960s. Revox offered related technology to home users through components including the A77, B77, PR99, and its broader range of amplifiers, tuners, cassette decks, CD players, and loudspeakers.

These were not decorative lifestyle products designed to look convincing beside a bowl of wooden beads.

They were durable pieces of audio engineering built when a manufacturer expected trained technicians to repair a component rather than recommend downloading the latest firmware and hoping everyone forgot about the problem.

Revox World

The collection is exhibited at Revox World in Dietikon, near Zurich, where more than 1,000 square meters are dedicated to over 75 years of Studer and Revox history.

The exhibition covers products from 1948 through the present, including early tape recorders, professional studio and broadcast equipment, turntables, speakers, and current Revox systems. Most importantly, many of the classic components remain operational and are demonstrated for visitors rather than being left behind glass like evidence from a particularly expensive crime scene.

That functional aspect separates Revox World from many corporate archives.

A reel to reel deck makes considerably more sense when the reels are moving, the meters are dancing, and music is coming through a pair of loudspeakers. Looking at one with the power disconnected is like visiting a Ferrari museum where every car has been placed on concrete blocks.

Revox World is temporarily closed because of building renovations that began on May 25, 2026. Revox expects the exhibition to remain closed until approximately the end of November.

Reel to Reel Is Relevant Again

The timing of the foundation is also significant because reel to reel recording and playback are experiencing renewed interest within the high-end audio market.

Nobody is suggesting that prerecorded tape will displace vinyl, CDs, or streaming. New machines and master tape copies are expensive, the software catalog remains small, and threading tape at 1 a.m. requires more coordination than asking Spotify to play something depressing.

But the category is active again.

Revox introduced the newly manufactured B77 MK III in October 2024 alongside its own Analog Master Tapes collection. The current machine is built at the Revox factory in Villingen, Germany, with revised electronics, new tape heads, a digital counter, support for common tape standards, and the company’s traditional three motor transport design. It currently sells in Europe for €16,995.

Ballfinger currently offers multiple newly manufactured open reel machines, while other specialist manufacturers and tape labels continue to support the format with new hardware and premium recordings. This remains a very small and very expensive corner of the audio market, but it is no longer populated exclusively by people rebuilding machines manufactured when Gerald Ford was president.

The resurgence also makes collections like Stutz’s more valuable.

Modern reel to reel machines did not emerge from nowhere. Their transports, tape paths, motors, heads, equalization standards, and recording electronics were developed over decades by companies including Studer and Revox. Preserving that history provides context for the new machines and ensures that future engineers, collectors, and listeners can examine the original equipment rather than learning everything from scanned service manuals and grainy YouTube videos.

The Bottom Line

The creation of the Revox World Foundation is important because significant audio collections have a habit of disappearing when their original owners can no longer maintain them.

Walter Stutz spent more than a decade gathering approximately 800 pieces of Studer and Revox history, along with the documents, prototypes, photographs, and measuring equipment that explain how those products were developed and used.

Keeping that collection together, operational, and accessible to the public is far more valuable than allowing it to be scattered across private listening rooms where someone will eventually place a succulent on top of a Studer tape machine.

With interest in reel to reel growing again, Revox World is not merely preserving the past.

It is showing the current analog revival where much of its engineering came from

For more information: revox.com

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SCIENCE

Two reaction wheels are out and comms sporadic as controllers work to stabilize LINK

Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft is having some attitude problems on its way to rescue NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, resulting in a multi-axis spin and loss of communications.

LINK has three reaction wheels for attitude control, pointing, and stability, but the company said two are currently not operable. NASA reported some loss of functionality in its cold-gas thruster system as well.

LINK remains in contact with its controllers despite the sporadic communications, and its other major subsystems are operating as expected.

The problems began over the weekend, and the team is using LINK’s electric propulsion thrusters to halt the spin. If it can restore a stable attitude, Katalyst will update the guidance, navigation, and control system for the spacecraft’s new configuration before considering revised plans to approach and capture Swift.

LINK was built to rescue Swift before the observatory re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. Less than a year passed between the contract award and its launch earlier this month aboard the final Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. Katalyst then began commissioning, deploying the solar arrays, generating power, and checking the vehicle’s systems.

The commissioning hasn’t gone entirely smoothly. On July 15, the company reported: “Early in commissioning, Mission Operations identified attitude control and communications anomalies during flight operations.

“The team implemented flight software patches and operational updates that restored reliable communications and enabled three-axis stabilized attitude control, allowing LINK to accurately point and orient itself in space.”

Shortly before acknowledging the latest issue, Katalyst stated in a LinkedIn post that “LINK has been gradually increasing the duration of its thruster burns to prepare for the longer, multi-hour burns it will execute in the rendezvous phase.”

Katalyst Space did not explain why two of LINK’s three reaction wheels are not operable. The team is instead using electric propulsion thrusters intended for the rendezvous phase to stabilize the tumbling spacecraft.

With Swift expected to deorbit later this year, LINK has only a few months in which to reach it. Katalyst said it was “seeing the intended effect” from the thrusters, adding: “The mission remains active and we continue to believe that with these changes, LINK has a viable path to rendezvous with Swift.” ®