TL;DR
SpaceX’s IPO is expected to create over 4,000 new millionaires, from engineers to cafeteria workers. Pricing is set for Wednesday at $135/share, with a $1.8 trillion Nasdaq listing on Thursday.
Tech
The Pandemic Hindered English Learners’ Literacy. This Ohio District Is Turning the Tide.
Elementary school is tough.
There are playground politics, multiplication tables and learning to read.
Imagine dealing with all that in a new language — or even a whole new country.
That’s the added challenge for kids who are learning English at the same time they’re learning everything else as their peers.
It’s an issue that Sarah Walters and her colleagues were determined to tackle in Troy City Schools, a public school district made up of nine campuses roughly an hour north of Cincinnati. The area is home to an automotive manufacturer that brings some employees — and their families — over from Japan.
Roughly 3 percent of 4,000 students have primary languages like Spanish, Ukrainian and Japanese, a relatively small population compared to the most recent national average of 11 percent.
But that small group is making big gains. Looking to close the literacy gaps that have plagued schools since the pandemic, the district took a big swing to increase literacy among its English learners. It trained 116 staff members — including every elementary teacher, intervention specialist, paraprofessional and principal — in the Orton-Gillingham approach.
They say it’s paying off.
Walters, a literacy instructional support specialist, says that helping multilingual students master their grasp on English is vital. Like any other student, the foundation that they lay in reading and math will affect their learning from that point on.
“We want to help the students continue to thrive, and really everything that we’re thinking about with our student services is equitable learning opportunities,” Walters says.
Moving Toward Equity
Federal data shows that English learners’ achievement scores lag far behind their peers on average, and have made little improvement over the past two decades.
Troy City Schools was eager to close widening literacy gaps that surfaced after the onset of the pandemic, Walters says, which was particularly hard on English learners like those at Concord Elementary. A big hurdle was phonics, the letter sounds that make up words.
“We were seeing a lot of student frustration and wanting to give up,” Walters recalls. “Students being very withdrawn, those social-emotional impacts.”
Back in 2020, English-language instruction was inconsistent and fragmented across classrooms.
Yet, even with the desire to boost English learner scores, the program took some time.
Following the pandemic, Troy City Schools mulled over the changes for three years before it had enough funding to deliver on it, according to Danielle Romine, director of Elementary Teaching and Learning for the district. The effort was funded through post-COVID relief grants and budget allocations made by the district’s leaders.
As a literacy specialist, Walters became certified in the Orton-Gillingham method through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. It’s an approach that folds movement and touch into learning reading and spelling. She’s now responsible for supporting and training staff to successfully use the techniques.
Walters says teachers and staff were trained to utilize drills that connect literacy concepts through visuals, sound and movement. Students might use flash cards as a visual element or tap their fingers to each letter as they spell out a word. Students also learn the origin and history of words to strengthen their ability to decode them. For example, a “red word” is one that does not follow phonics rules.
“Our multilingual learners love it because no longer are they being told, ‘That’s just the way it is,” Walters says.
After an initial summer training on the Orton-Gillingham approach, teachers spoke so highly of the method that requests for training grew among staff.
Initial Promise
“In a school district, if you want to get something out, just tell a teacher, because it [will] spread like wildfire,” Romine says.
And the data are showing promising results, Walter says. The district-wide third grade reading proficiency had plummeted to 56 percent in 2021-22 but had risen to 81 percent by 2023-24 — slightly higher than its pre-COVID achievement rate. The most recent state data shows Concord Elementary far surpassed its target goal for English proficiency among multilingual students.
Walters has heard from teachers who say that the approach has helped some English learner students make lightning-fast gains in reading. One educator told her that two students from Japan who joined the elementary school in the fall were conversing in English by December. Another student’s phonics diagnostic score shot up by 38 points in the same timeframe.
Now, the district is working to spread the method beyond its own campuses.
“Eventually, our goal is to support the entire community, or the entire county because Sarah having that training [enables her] to support teachers from other districts, as well,” Romine says.
But for English learners, ensuring they’re on grade level in reading goes beyond measuring their success in the classroom.
Walters says that the district is thinking about long-term learning for children who, for example, may be in the U.S. for a few years before returning to Japan.
Now, the district is working to spread the method beyond its own campuses.
“Eventually, our goal is to support the entire community, or the entire county because Sarah having that training [enables her] to support teachers from other districts, as well,” Romine says.
But for English learners, ensuring they’re on grade level in reading goes beyond measuring their success in the classroom.
Walters says that the district is thinking about long-term learning for children who, for example, may be in the U.S. for a few years before returning to Japan.
“We want students to have success across math, science, everything,” Walters says. “So it’s important that we get them up to speed as quickly as possible, because those long-term impacts could really be harmful for them. That early literacy is key.”
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Other USB-C Cables I’ve Tested
There are so many cables out there, and plenty of solid options did not make the cut as a top choice. Here are a few honorable mentions I’ve tested and liked.
Statik MagStack Pro for $25: I quite like the automatic magnetic coiling this cable features, as it stays neat, and the colors could be handy if you want something that stands out (I tested the bright orange version). But performance is distinctly average at 100W for charging and 480 Mbps for data transfer. It is 6.6 feet and comes with a two-year warranty.
Baseus 2-in-1 Charging Cable for $25: I love the idea of a single cable that splits into two, allowing you to charge both devices from one USB-C port, but I found this cable’s performance to be unpredictable. You can get up to 140 watts for a single device, but when you split it between two devices, the charging rate drops well below that as a combined total. It’ll work fine if you use it for overnight charging a laptop and a phone, or a pair of phones.
Twelve South PowerCord for $30: While I don’t think we want to go back to a landscape of devices with permanently attached cables and power adapters, they do offer a simplicity that could be useful for some folks or situations. The PowerCord from Twelve South is thick and durable-feeling, with a tangle-resistant woven (4- or 10-foot) USB-C cable attached to a compact 30-watt (power delivery) wall plug.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Smartish Crown Joule 3-in-1 Cable for $20: This clever offering from Smartish packs three connection types into one. It is technically USB-A to MicroUSB, but there’s an adapter at the tip that converts it to USB-C or Lightning. It has a durable fabric finish in a choice of four colors and can charge most of your gadgets at top speed (up to 100 watts). WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu has used it to juice up a range of devices, including wireless keyboards and a Fire tablet. It’s also MFi-certified for Apple devices.
EcoFlow Rapid Pro for $25: This durable charging cable from EcoFlow is a solid choice for fast charging, thanks to its 240-W capability. It also has tough metal ends, a lovely woven finish, and comes with a cable tie.
Nomad Chargekey for $29 and USB-C Cable for $25: The Chargekey is a handy wee addition to your key ring with 12 cm of braided cable capable of delivering 240 watts and up to 10 Gbps data transfer, though it can be a little awkward to use. I also tried Nomad’s new Kevlar-reinforced USB-C cable, which is also 240 W but only has 480 Mbps data transfer. It feels durable with metal ends and braided cable, but you can get more capable cables for less money.
QDOS PowerMotion Ultra for £40: This USB 4.0 cable is a solid alternative to our top picks for folks in the UK, combining up to 240-watt charging with data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps. It is relatively thick, feels durable, and comes with a lifetime warranty. I like the braided nylon finish and color-matched cable tie. I also tried the QDOS Powerloop (£20), a handy wearable charging cable that doubles as a lanyard strap. It’s thick, woven, and durable, with screw-off ends that reveal a USB-C cable capable of supplying 60 watts of power and 480 Mbps of data.
Chargeasap Connect Pro for $40: Magnetic-tip cables can be handy for kids and folks with dexterity issues. The idea is you stick the relevant tip in your device and then attach the cable magnetically when you need to charge. This one also has an LED display to show real-time power usage. It works best if you leave the tips in your devices, but that means they can’t be charged by regular cables, and the tips are very easy to lose if you remove them. Performance-wise, it’s a standard 100-watt charging cable.
Krafted Connex for £30: I like the idea of a Swiss Army Knife–style charging cable key ring, but the execution here is flawed. It does offer USB-A, USB-C, Lightning, and MicroUSB, but the flip-out plugs don’t have any cable attached, so they are not very adjustable, making it tough to plug into some ports. The Rolling Square InCharge X 6-in-1 Cable above is about the same price and works far better.
Scosche Strikeline Premium USB-C Cable for $25: This braided cable comes in various lengths, all the way up to the 10-foot cable I tested. It’s a good alternative to my pick for the best long cable above if data transfer is more important to you than charging speed because it offers 5 Gbps data speeds, but only 60 watts for charging.
Ugreen Uno USB-C Cable for $10: I love the smiley-faced Uno line from UGreen, but I assumed the display on this cable would show the charging rate. It does not. It just displays smiley eyes when charging and changes when fully charged. I tested the 6.6-foot cable, but it also comes in 1.6-, 3.3-, and 10-foot lengths. It feels durable and is reasonably priced, but it is rated at a very ordinary 100 watts and 480 Mbps.
Native Union Pocket Cable for $30: This wee braided USB-C to USB-C cable is perfect for slipping on a key ring to ensure you are never caught without a cable. It’s a nice design with braided cables, but you only get around 7 inches, and it maxes out at 60 watts. It’s built to last, constructed from recycled materials, is USB-IF certified, and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Caudabe ChargeFlex for $25: This is a good option for a Lightning cable, but it’s a little more expensive than I’d like. It is a thick braided cable reinforced with Kevlar for durability. There is a leather clip you can use for cable management, and the ridged finish on the connectors makes them easy to grip when unplugging.
Cable Matters Gen 2 USB-A to USB-C cable for $10: This is a good alternative to my top pick for best USB-A to USB-C if you want faster data transfer speeds (it maxes out at 10 Gbps). The trade-off is that it’s limited to 15 watts for charging.
Bluebonnet Eco-Friendly Charging Cable for $25: Bluebonnet (an Austin-based studio named after the Texas state flower) made this cable from naturally biodegradable wheat straw. It promises the ability to survive 50,000-plus bends and uses plastic-free packaging. I love the dappled blue finish and the cream ends, which both look good and are easy to pick out of a tangle of cords. It’s nothing special performance-wise, offering up to 60-watt charging and 480 Mbps data transfer.
RUGD Rhino Power USB-C to USB-C for £11: This is a solid option for folks in the UK seeking a tough cable. It has a braided nylon finish and has been tested to withstand at least 100 kilograms of tension and 100,000 bends. It can also deliver up to 60 watts.
Casetify Powerthru USB-C to Lightning Cable for $22: This tough, braided cable comes in some fun colors (most notably cotton candy).
Iniu Braided USB-C Cable for $10: This is a cheap, 6.6-foot USB-C to USB-C charging cable that tops out at 100 watts. Data transfer is only 480 Mbps. One end lights up green when it’s charging.
Lindy USB 3.2 Type C to C Cable for $22: These active cables are suitable for hooking up monitors to your computer, and they support up to 8K at 60 Hz and 4K at 120 Hz. They also support DisplayPort 1.4. I tested the longer 3- and 5-meter variants that max out at 60 watts for power delivery and 10 Gbps for data (but they’re out of stock). The shorter cable linked here can go up to 20 Gbps. They work well and feel durable, but they’re a bit pricey.
Satechi USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable for $20: Gear from Satechi always has a classy look, and its braided nylon cables are no exception. This one is 6.5 feet and has a Velcro strap. It’s also capable of 100-watt charging with support for PD and QC. Sadly, data transfer is limited to 480 Mbps.
Plugable Thunderbolt 4 Transfer Cable for $70: This active Thunderbolt 4 USB-C to USB-C cable matches my top pick with support for 100-watt charging and data transfers up to 40 Gbps. It is 6.6 feet long and comes with a two-year warranty.
Belkin Boost Charge USB-C for $10: This cable maxes out at 12 watts and 480 Mbps. The basic PVC finish is the cheapest, but you can opt for braided nylon ($16). Both come in black or white at 3.3 or 6.6 feet. These cables are USB-IF certified and work as advertised (I’ve been using one in the car for the last few months).
More Cable Management
Photograph: Simon Hill
TwelveSouth CableStay for $30: A round textured weight finished in silicone, the CableStay will keep your cable handy. It comes with a 5-foot braided cable (in a matching color) that’s capable of delivering up to 60 watts. You can just about fit two cables under it if you need to do so.
Smartish Cable Wrangler for $30: I used this on my desktop for a long time to stop cable ends from disappearing off the back of my desk. It works great with metal connectors, but for some cables, you must attach a special cable collar that sticks magnetically (you get three in the box).
What to Know Before You Buy
Cables are usually included in the box for whatever device you purchase. These are generally capable of charging the device at the maximum rate. Keep it safe, keep it simple, and if it is unmarked, consider labeling it.
Check your device’s standards. Look for a cable that matches your needs. For example, if your device supports Power Delivery, then get a PD cable. Remember: The charging adapter also must support the same standards. We have more details about standards below.
You can use USB-C for displays. Manufacturers will state the data transfer speed or list support for 4K or 8K video on select cables. That means you can use a USB-C to USB-C cable to transmit video from your laptop to your monitor. You should consider DisplayPort Alt Mode (DP Alt Mode) support, as this enables you to hook up displays and video sources that support DisplayPort.
It is safe to use your phone while it is charging, but it will charge at a slower rate. Heat is also bad for battery health, so it is best to take a break when your phone feels warm.
Poorly made cables can overheat and start fires. To boost your chances of buying a dependable cable, look for an option with a USB-IF certification (learn more about this below), or stick to trustworthy brands like those in this guide, including Anker, Cable Matters, or Baseus.
Charging Standards and Certification
With various standards and charging technologies at work, it is much harder than it should be to work out what a cable can do. There are a few key points worth knowing when shopping:
USB Standards: The Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard dates back to 1996 but has seen many new standards, revisions, and connector types in the years since. Instead of running through all of them here, I’ll highlight what matters most right now:
Connectors: While USB-C is mercifully becoming a standard connection type, you want cables with connectors that fit your existing devices. Today, that still might mean USB-A, Lightning, or even MicroUSB. Remember that the capabilities of any cable are limited to its oldest connection type.
Data: The data transfer speed is always in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps). The top speed capability of a given cable depends on the standard:
- USB 2.0 supports 480 Mvps
- USB 3.0 supports 5 Gbps
- USB 3.1 supports 10 Gbps
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports 5 Gbps
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports 10 Gbps
- USB 3.2 Gen 3 supports 20 Gbps
- USB 4.0 supports 40 Gbps
Power: While cable manufacturers always list the maximum charging rate, your device determines how much power to draw, so it’s important to know what standards it supports and then combine your cable with the correct power adapter. The charging rate of a cable is measured in watts (W). Sometimes manufacturers will list specifications on the cable in tiny print. If there’s no listed watt rate, you can calculate it by multiplying the voltage (V) and the current (A), assuming those are listed.
Basic USB-C cables are passive and can only carry up to 60 watts. Cables that can carry 100 watts or more—sometimes described as “active” cables—must contain an e-marker chip that identifies the cable and its capabilities.
The Power Delivery (PD) standard is as close as we have to a common standard. A few manufacturers, like OnePlus, Oppo, and Xiaomi, still have proprietary charging standards. Then there’s Qualcomm’s Quick Charge (QC), which was the most popular for phones for many years, although Quick Charge 4+ supports PD. Even PD has a variant called programmable power supply (PPS), which is part of the USB PD 3.0 standard. PPS allows for real-time adjustments to maximize efficiency and charge phones, like Samsung’s Galaxy S22 range, at up to 45 watts instead of the usual 18. The latest addition to PD is an extended power range (EPR), which allows USB-C cables to carry up to 240 watts (they used to be limited to 100 watts).
Thunderbolt was a proprietary interface developed by Intel and Apple, but it’s now open for royalty-free use (still certified by Intel). With Thunderbolt 3, the standard adopted the USB-C connector and is capable of data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps and can deliver 100 watts of power using the PD standard. Thunderbolt 4 brings various improvements, mostly related to the video signal (support for two 4K displays or an 8K display). It also supports the USB 4 standard and is backward compatible with previous standards. Thunderbolt 5 can double the transfer speed of Thunderbolt 4 and can support three 4K displays or two 8K displays.
Cable Certification: There are a few types of cable certification. When a cable is certified, that usually means it was independently tested and conforms to specific standards. It gives you, as a buyer, peace of mind that your cable performs as the manufacturer claims. Certification can be expensive, so many cable manufacturers shun it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their cables are poor quality. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing USB technology. Run by members like Apple, Google, HP, Microsoft, and Intel, it sets specifications and offers certification. If a cable is certified by the USB-IF, it has been tested to ensure it complies with its standards. Apple has its own Made for iPhone (MFi) certification for Lightning cables. Intel certifies Thunderbolt cables. Certified cables usually have the relevant logo on the connector. (For example, Thunderbolt cables have a lightning bolt.)
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More than 4,000 current and former SpaceX employees are expected to become millionaires when the company begins trading on Nasdaq this week, according to an analysis by Hill.com. Of those, approximately 400 are projected to hold stakes worth $100 million or more.
The wealth creation will not be limited to engineers and executives. SpaceX has historically compensated workers at every level, including cooks, welders, and cafeteria staff, with stock options rather than higher cash salaries, a bet on the company’s long-term value that is now about to pay out at a $1.8 trillion valuation.
The IPO numbers
SpaceX is offering 555.6 million shares at a fixed price of $135 each, raising approximately $75 billion in the largest IPO in history. Goldman Sachs is the lead underwriter, followed by Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase.
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Pricing is expected after market close on Wednesday, with shares set to begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX on Thursday. The offering is massively oversubscribed, with investors bidding for multiples of the available shares.
How the equity was distributed
SpaceX’s compensation philosophy has long favoured ownership over cash. Options granted in 2025 carried exercise prices of $37 and $42.40 per share, meaning employees who hold those grants will see their paper gains multiply several times at the $135 listing price.
The approach extended across the organisation. Non-technical staff received equity packages alongside engineers and mission-critical personnel, a practice unusual for a company of SpaceX’s scale and one that explains the breadth of the projected wealth creation.
Concentration risk
For some employees, the windfall comes with a problem. One former employee holds a $21.4 million stake that represents 93% of his household’s investable net worth, highlighting the concentration risk that comes from years of equity-heavy compensation.
A group of more than 100 current and former employees created a low-fee wealth management arrangement with advisory firm Choreo, representing combined potential wealth of between $1 billion and $5 billion. The group was formed specifically to prepare for the post-IPO liquidity event.
The South Texas effect
The IPO is also expected to accelerate a housing boom in South Texas, where SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility is located near Brownsville. The average home price in Cameron County has more than doubled since SpaceX arrived, rising from approximately $131,000 in 2014 to over $281,000 in April 2026.
Longtime residents are already facing affordability pressure as incoming SpaceX professionals bid up prices. If thousands of newly liquid millionaires reinvest in local real estate, the displacement risk will grow further.
The flags
The 4,000 millionaire figure is an estimate by Hill.com, not a confirmed SpaceX disclosure. Actual outcomes depend on the final listing price, employee vesting schedules, lockup periods, and individual tax situations.
Lockup restrictions typically prevent employees from selling shares for 90 to 180 days after listing. The wealth is real on paper but will remain illiquid for months, and a post-IPO share price decline during the lockup period would reduce the actual value employees can realise.
Musk will retain over 82% voting control after the offering through super-voting shares, meaning the 4,000 new millionaires will have negligible influence over corporate decisions. The governance structure concentrates economic upside broadly but decision-making power narrowly.
Tech
Founders on the frontiers of space and robotics show off their gadgets and tell the stories behind them
Four founders of companies on the tech frontier got together this week at a Seattle conference for a show-and-tell about the hardware at the heart of their businesses. And like any good show-and-tell, their talks touched on strategy as well as gadgetry.
For example, consider the laser-powered weed zapper pioneered by Seattle-based Carbon Robotics. The LaserWeeder system takes advantage of optical sensors and artificial intelligence to identify and target the weeds among the crops as the robotic rig is pulled through a field.
Carbon Robotics’ founder and CEO, Paul Mikesell, held up one of the LaserWeeder’s scanners during Monday’s DeepTech session at the downtown office of K&L Gates.
“We have it set up so this camera can see exactly what the laser shooting this way is going to hit, and every time we turn on that laser, the same pixel area in the camera is going to explode and blow up,” he said. “This device reminds me of a lot of science and technology that we had to tackle, but also, there’s a lot of pain that went into this thing.”
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The company’s engineers had to figure out how to target weeds precisely based on imagery that was distorted by the camera’s viewing angle. “It’s a pretty incredible feat to get that right, and once we got it right, we’re just banging off them all the time,” Mikesell said.
Mikesell said he’s often asked about his strategy for selling LaserWeeders through farm-implement dealerships. “We decided to go direct every time, all the time,” he said. “And so we have a global team of sales reps and service support people. What that means is, we maintain the customer relationship. We know what things are being used for, how well it’s working, what are their challenges. And the customers know how to get a hold of us directly instead of going through a dealership.”
He’s looking forward to the day when artificial intelligence can speed up the process of hardware design. “I’m surprised by the lack of an AI tool in there, but I think it’s also because, you know, software engineers wrote the software that made the AI, so they’re much more comfortable with it,” Mikesell said.
“We actually did hook Claude up to an oscilloscope and got it to produce firmware that was proving out what we needed,” he said. “So I think that’s just going to continue to come.”
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Starfish Space co-founder Austin Link’s gadget for the show-and-tell was too big to lift off the display table. It was an engineering model of Starfish’s Otter Pup spacecraft, one of which is currently in the midst of an orbital satellite docking test.
“We actually ran a pretty exciting test over the weekend, which I can’t tell you about yet,” Link said.
Otter Pup is designed to prove out technologies that will be used on Starfish’s full-scale Otter spacecraft for inspecting or maneuvering other satellites in orbit. “Humans have done this before, but every time we’ve done it before, it’s really expensive,” Link said. “You look at a Northrop Grumman satellite that did a similar mission. They made $65 million by extending the life of a satellite. It cost $400 million to do it.”
Starfish aims to use innovations in computer vision and robotics to make satellite docking more affordable. That means the Tukwila, Wash.-based startup has to do more with less.
“This satellite has just a single thruster on board, and the force that that thruster creates is the equivalent of a house fly sitting on your hand,” Link said. “It’s a tiny amount of force, so you have to apply it very thoughtfully over time. You have to predict what’s going to unfold with the physics and ultimately come together and dock. And that’s our big challenge as a company, not just with a demonstration satellite, but eventually with our full-size Otter.”
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Overland AI builds autonomous off-road vehicles, including a 3,000-pound tactical vehicle that can transport supplies, drones or even anti-drone weapon systems for warfighting units.
“It’s not super-easy to get one in this room, but I wish I could have brought it,” said Byron Boots, co-founder and CEO of the Seattle-based startup. “Instead, what I did was rip the sensor pod off one of these vehicles.”
The sensor pod is equipped with stereo cameras and a lidar ranging system, all of which are hooked into an onboard computer. “This is from something called our SPARK Kit, which allows you to take any vehicle and make it autonomous,” Boots said. “It actually hangs up over the head of where someone would sit on a vehicle like this.”
Even though “AI” is part of the company’s name, Overland AI’s focus has widened from just writing the software to building the hardware as well.
“In order to move fast, we decided we just needed to do that ourselves and own that full vertically integrated stack,” said Boots, who is a professor of machine learning and robotics at the University of Washington as well as a startup CEO. “If you do that, you can then literally hand this robotic system with an autonomous stack on it to a user, and they can just start using it. You don’t have to wait for someone else to integrate with you.”
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Redmond, Wash.-based Starcloud made its mark at the intersection of AI and space operations last year when it became the first company to train a large language model in Earth orbit. For this week’s show-and-tell, the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Ezra Feilden, brought an Nvidia H100 GPU — the same type of AI chip that was used for last year’s in-space demonstration.
“It’s very high power density. These GPUs were designed to sit and have a nice easy life inside a data center. They were not designed to be strapped to a rocket and launched into the vacuum of space, and then be run for five years without any maintenance or any TLC,” Feilden said. “So, that’s part of what we do at Starcloud. We ruggedize GPUs and other IT hardware such that they survive the launch, and then they can operate continuously in space without any mechanical intervention.”
Orbital data centers are attracting a rising tide of buzz because they could get around some of the big problems created by the rapidly growing hunger for AI data processing capacity: for example, limits on available electrical power, and concerns about land and water use.
Data processing in space brings its own challenges, however. How many solar-powered satellites will be required to handle the load? How will they be connected? And how will they be able to get rid of the waste heat produced by all those high-powered AI chips? Feilden and his colleagues at Starcloud are working to address those challenges.
Feilden said his company is scaling up operations at a new facility in Woodinville. “We’ll be deploying dozens of satellites that we build from that facility in the next couple of years, scaling up to thousands of satellites per year, which is the number that we need to hit to have a meaningful impact on the terrestrial data center industry with what we’re doing,” he said.
Starcloud isn’t the only company with big ambitions for orbital data centers. SpaceX, which is just days away from the world’s biggest initial public offering, envisions putting a million data center satellites in orbit. But SpaceX could be as much of a partner as a competitor. Last month, Starcloud struck a deal to use SpaceX’s Starlink mini laser terminals on its own satellites. And Starcloud is counting on new launch vehicles, including SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket, to drive down the cost of putting satellites in orbit.
“We strongly believe that’s happening very soon,” Feilden said. “This decade, certainly.”
Starfish Space’s Austin Link was intrigued by that perspective. He noted that Feilden and his colleagues are working with a business model that assumes launch costs will decline significantly. “We assume that launch cost is what it is today, and we don’t make any changes in our models when we’re designing products,” Link said. “It’s a really interesting contrast.”
The schedule of events for Deep Tech Week Seattle continues through Friday.
Sidecar in macOS 27 finally allows you to use your finger to navigate macOS apps from your iPad’s screen, without needing an Apple Pencil. Here’s how it works, with one key limitation.
Sidecar is a feature of macOS that lets you extend your Mac’s display onto an iPad’s screen. For road warriors with a MacBook Pro, it was an invaluable way to get a multi-screen desktop while on the go.
While Sidecar has been around for quite a while, it hasn’t really undergone that much of a change. For macOS 27 and iPadOS 27, that seemed to be the case at first glance.
However, Apple has implemented a function that it surprisingly hasn’t included before. You can now directly interact with apps on your Mac desktop.
A touching change
In earlier versions of Sidecar, you could use your finger with your iPad-extended Mac desktop. This sounds obvious, but the implementation wasn’t as intuitive as you’d think.
Sure, you could use multi-touch gestures for various functions, treating the iPad display like a Magic Trackpad. You could do things like copying and pasting by using three-finger gestures, and you could also pinch to zoom if you wanted.
However, you couldn’t really interact with apps directly. You could not tap a button on your Mac desktop, go through menus, or do anything with an app interface at all using your fingers.
All of the UI elements of macOS apps can now be interacted with using your finger on an iPad screen with Sidecar.
You could interact with the apps, but only if you used a trackpad on a connected Magic Keyboard, a mouse, or an Apple Pencil. While the Apple Pencil would be a natural choice for imaging apps, users would be more inclined to use their Mac’s peripherals instead.
With macOS 27 and iPadOS 27, that has changed. Surprisingly with no fanfare from Apple.
If you have Sidecar running, you can now tap bits of the interface, and it will work as if you have clicked a mouse. You can now select items in the macOS interface and in apps without resorting to some form of peripheral.
Yes, you can finger-paint in Mac’s Pixelmator Pro using Sidecar. And you can change the tools too, without reaching for the Apple Pencil.
This makes things more intuitive from a productivity standpoint, since precious seconds aren’t spent reaching for an implement.
It’s not just mouse clicks, as dragging works too. You can now drag a selection box with a finger, much like clicking and dragging with a mouse.
This also extends to resizing windows with a drag of the finger, and even scrolling through lengthy sidebar items.
Everything else is (almost) still the same
While this is a major change to the way Sidecar works, it is pretty much the only one this time around.
Enabling Sidecar in the Display section of Settings works just like it did before. You tap the plus, select the iPad from the list, and it appears to the side of any existing monitors.
Setting up Sidecar hasn’t changed in macOS 27.
Then, you select the iPad and under Use as, select either Extend display or Mirror, and you’re off to the races.
Also unchanged is the ability to do so via the Screen Mirroring functions, though you will want to use the Settings method to enable the sidebar and Touch Bar functionality.
On the iPad itself, the Sidecar interface hasn’t changed. There’s still the sidebar handling essential functions like mimicking the function, Command, and Control keys, the on-screen keyboard, and other elements.
At the bottom, the virtual Touch Bar is available as usual.
What is a little frustrating is that, under testing, it can’t be put into portrait mode, only landscape.
You can still see the rotating iPad representation in the Arrange Displays part of Display settings, but only when you’re just sharing the keyboard and mouse. It does not rotate to portrait from landscape as an extended display.
This is a little annoyance, but like many other first-beta issues, it’s something to be adjusted in future updates.
Finally!
As a productivity aid, Sidecar has always been useful. But, it always had the issue of neutering touch inputs with your fingers.
It always seemed odd that, for a company that prided itself on perfecting touch interfaces, it minimized their usage in Sidecar.
Of course, most people will use the keyboard and mouse or trackpad on their Mac or MacBook, with the Apple Pencil being a secondary interaction tool in this case. Yet finger-to-screen interactions were severely limited, aside from gestures.
With the change made to Sidecar, it’s an update that rights a major wrong about the feature that should’ve been rectified much, much sooner.
I cannot in all honesty advise anyone to buy an 8GB RAM laptop in 2026. Between resource-heavy browser tabs, background updates, and new AI features, 8GB is a recipe for constant freezing and elevated blood pressure.
Fortunately, you don’t need a massive budget to save your sanity. After scouring Amazon, Dell, Lenovo, and Newegg, I found that new, name-brand 16GB Windows laptops with actual decent processors under $500 are nearly extinct.
However, these three incredible exceptions are live right now — but you’ll have to act fast, as one is a major clearance deal.
Best 16GB laptops under $500
Why buy it: This machine sports the fastest CPU of the three. Because of its smartphone-style architecture roots, it can easily squeeze out 20 hours of battery life — enough to let you leave the charger at home. It features a spacious screen and a dedicated numeric keypad, making it perfect for students, freelancers, and spreadsheet warriors. At just over $500, it’s a total steal when you consider HP sells the lesser 256GB version for $750.
Why buy it: This is a remarkably capable workstation masquerading as a budget notebook. Originally priced at $750, Best Buy is actively clearing these out for just $501 (compared to $659 at Newegg). The Ryzen AI processor is an absolute beast for multi-tasking and light content creation, though it won’t quite match HP’s legendary all-day battery life. Snag this one quickly before clearance stock dries up.
Why buy it: If you want the absolute lowest price tag, this is it. While it has a smaller 256GB SSD and shorter battery life than its rivals, it still holds its own in raw performance thanks to fast DDR5 RAM and a reliable Intel i5 chip. Even better? Unlike most modern budget laptops, you can upgrade its internal components down the road. Walmart has this marked down to $480, easily beating Amazon’s $540 price tag.
The verdict
Please don’t buy a cheap 8GB machine just to regret it the moment you power it on. Whether you choose the ultra-efficient HP Snapdragon, the powerhouse Asus on clearance, or the wallet-friendly Acer, upgrading to 16GB of RAM is the single smartest tech move you can make today.
I couldn’t find any new, branded Windows laptop with 16GB RAM and a decent CPU (no N-series, no Core i3, no older tech) from Amazon, Dell, HP, Lenovo or Newegg. I have focused only on Windows 11 laptops rather than Chromebook ones.
I’m not the first to say this, but it’s a strange and heartbreaking time to be a teacher and parent of young children.
As a recent transplant to New Mexico, I admire the ways the state invests in children, regardless of their identities. Seeing these state policies in action has changed my perspective and made me think differently about what students deserve and how much better things would be if we chose to care for students and families more consistently.
There are days when my own children are crawling into my lap with a book while I continue to process footage of children suffering in conflicts on the other side of the world. My high school students are writing the kind of poetry that leaves me speechless, even as I privately wonder about their career options as artificial intelligence receives more investment than the arts. Yet, my experience in New Mexico has shown me that another approach is possible.
I have a unique vantage point, both as a parent and an educator who sees these challenges reflected in the lives of my students and their families. My local school district in New Mexico has yet to pivot to hybrid learning in response to the palpable fear parents felt, while the actions of federal agents created widespread fear in their community. My state is not banning books and restricting curricula. Instead, as a recent transplant to the state, I’m in awe of the ways New Mexico invests in children and our more vulnerable residents.
After the 2024 election, a shockwave swept through my school as students grappled with what another Trump presidency would mean for their futures. At the performing arts school where I teach, we have a high percentage of queer and trans students, a stark contrast to my previous school in California, where most LGBTQ+ students often chose to remain closeted until well after graduation. I grieve for what my previous students lost when they did not acknowledge or affirm their queer and trans classmates. In English class, they missed robust discussions; the depth their queer and trans peers bring to literary discussions, while leveraging queer theory, translates into highly analytical and more engaging coursework. In the scope of a school day, there were countless other ways all students missed a more complete experience, while their queer and trans peers chose safety in an environment hostile to their identities.
And while New Mexico is much less hostile to trans residents, I still can’t imagine what it would be like to be growing up in a world that constantly demands you to defend and fight for your humanity. Guaranteed care by the state means nothing if authority figures are consistently exposed to negative messaging about transgender people or if your lack of insurance prevents you from getting the life-saving care you need.
And yet, trans students in New Mexico are able to attend school in an environment with teachers who are largely committed to affirming a variety of gender identities, select curriculum that allows LGBTQ students to see themselves, bond with accepting and encouraging peers from across the gender spectrum, and learn from LGBTQ teachers who embody a hopeful future of what it means to be your full self in your career. This is all possible when a school doesn’t just accommodate gender and sexual diversity, but embraces it. Extensive research confirms the ways in which affirming environments like ours can be life-saving for LGBTQ teens, especially trans students.
Earlier in my career, I felt optimistic about my queer and trans students’ futures. Today, seeing my trans students grapple with the new political realities has renewed my commitment to making an optimistic future visible for them. In a past article, I reflected on my role as a teacher in presenting a hopeful future for my students during unhopeful times. There is no one for whom this is more crucial than our queer and trans students.
Ultimately, I wonder what it would look like for our world to care about children as much as the state of New Mexico does. What will happen when all children can attend high-quality early childhood education without adding to the financial burden of a growing family? What does it look like when gender affirming care is protected by law? Or when our lawmakers prohibit book and curriculum censorship? Or when we finally decide that school shootings do not have to be a certainty of American life?
I know these questions will remain abstract while we watch students as young as Liam Ramos fear for their lives. But we cannot have a different future if we are not imagining a better one in the present. I’m thankful for my students, past and present, who encourage my imagination.
This story is part of an EdSurge series chronicling diverse educator experiences. These stories are made publicly available with support from the Learning Commons. EdSurge maintains editorial control over all content. (Read our ethics statement here.) This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
President Donald Trump is enthralled with the Ultimate Fighting Championship staging an event at the White House on his birthday this weekend—in effect his present to himself, since he came up with the idea. We have the details on both the fighting and the anticipated lobbying.
Lobbying by the Octagon
While the White House does not yet know exactly which celebrities might show up for the UFC on Sunday because they have not accepted their Ticketmaster email invitations, Trump’s aides tell Inner Loop they are expecting a parade of donors to attend.
The tickets have been free—and there is no resale—because the UFC is footing the approximately $60 million cost to stage the event, but the UFC has also offered sponsor packages for upwards of $1 million that come with ringside seats.
With limited avenues for executives and companies to get close to Trump these days, political consulting firms in Washington have been advising clients to buy the packages, and Trump’s aides say they have been inundated with requests.
The sponsorship requests have come on top of a stream of queries by administration officials and members of Congress trying to get into the UFC White House event, which is oversubscribed because Trump has personal control over the majority of seats and is deciding who he wants and he doesn’t, the aides say.
The most sought-after seats are under the Claw, a giant 92-foot-tall arch structure that holds lights and sound equipment above the Octagon. The structure is actually called a “beta tent” by its supplier Stageco, but it was renamed by the White House, ESPN reported.
UFC president Dana White has said that he and Ari Emanuel, the chair of the UFC’s parent company, will control 700 seats between them, while Trump will control about 1,200.
The most well known method to get direct face time with Trump during his second term in office has been to buy a $1 million seat at the so-called candlelight dinners hosted by Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. Trump would go from person to person and talk with them directly, according to one political consultant with close ties to Trump’s fundraising operation.
But the candlelight dinners don’t happen with regular frequency—sometimes months go by without a dinner, the consultant said—and so, companies that missed out on donating to fund Trump’s ballroom have been advised to consider sponsoring.
A White House official tells Inner Loop that they have not been involved in any sponsorship discussions and any cost information could be found with UFC. At least some of the UFC’s regular Octagon sponsors, including Meta, have ongoing business interests before the federal government.
In a statement, White House spokesperson David Ingle disputed the notion of lobbying at the event. “The Fake News’ continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read,” he said. “There are no conflicts of interest.”
Fight Night
Meanwhile, Trump’s team acknowledges that the UFC White House event won’t be featuring the biggest names; they were unable to get the likes of former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
There were conversations behind the scenes by White and his contract negotiator Hunter Campbell to book them both, but those talks fell through, people familiar with the matter tell Inner Loop.
It would have been a big deal for the White House to have landed McGregor, the biggest box office attraction in the sport’s history, for his comeback fight, after his last appearance in the Octagon in 2021 against Dustin Poirier ended with a broken leg.
What Happens to Kids When Schools Take Away Recess and Add More Screens?
Schools have been quietly chipping away at recess for nearly a decade, and a sweeping new update from the American Academy of Pediatrics says the consequences are real, measurable, and showing up well beyond elementary school. At the same time, the federal government has issued a formal advisory on children and screen time, calling on schools, parents, and tech companies to act. Both stories point in the same direction, but the path forward is far less obvious than the headlines suggest.
The Fight to Bring Recess Back
For the first time since 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its recess guidelines, and the expansion is significant: the new recommendations extend to middle and high school students, not just younger children. EdSurge reporter Lauren Coffey has been reporting on what that guidance actually means for administrators under pressure to protect instructional time, whether the evidence on attendance and attention is strong enough to move policy, and why advocates say the answer may be simpler than schools are willing to admit.
A Federal Advisory With Unfinished Business
A formal screen time advisory from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy calls for bell-to-bell phone bans, warning labels on apps, and the elimination of recommendation algorithms for children. But researchers are being careful: the evidence linking screen time to negative outcomes is correlation, not proven cause and effect, and the line between harmful social media and beneficial education technology is one that schools and families are still figuring out how to draw. EdSurge reporter Nadia Tamez-Robledo breaks down what the advisory actually asks of schools, why the tech industry response will be the real test, and what the carve-outs for students with IEPs reveal about the limits of a one-size-fits-all approach.
Stories Mentioned in This Episode
Recess Took a Break in Some Schools. A Push Is On to Bring It Back by Lauren Coffey
Surgeon General Advisory Wants Kids to Live Beyond the Confines of Screens by Nadia Tamez-Robledo
Join us on This Week with EdSurge where we ask whether the research is pointing toward a simpler solution than most schools are willing to try. Listen to the episode.
This Week with EdSurge is produced by the EdSurge newsroom. Subscribe to the EdSurge newsletter for the latest in education news delivered straight to your inbox.
Smartphones deliver more power and polish than ever, yet most follow the same safe template. AYANEO decided to break the mold with its first smartphone. The Pocket Play takes the sliding concept from Sony’s long-gone Xperia Play and updates it for today’s games and apps. Slide the 6.8-inch display upward in landscape mode and the magic happens. A full set of physical controls appears underneath. You get a proper D-pad on the left, ABXY face buttons on the right, two round capacitive touchpads that stand in for analog sticks, plus shoulder bumpers and triggers, while dedicated shortcut buttons sit within easy reach.
The layout is similar to the 2011 Xperia Play, but with a more modern flair. Those spherical touchpads replace traditional analog sticks, yet they still provide a remarkably natural input experience, especially with the limited time you have to check them out. Keeping your thumbs off the screen allows you to have a continuous view even during the most intense gaming sessions. The entire control deck is pushed to the bottom, leaving the huge display completely unobstructed for whatever you’re doing, whether gaming or watching media.
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The 6.8-inch display boasts a 2400 by 1080 resolution and a refresh rate of 165Hz. An OLED panel delivers stunning colors and silky smooth action, whether you’re playing high-frame-rate Android games or streaming from the cloud. When the device is closed, it acts like a phone for calls, messages, and app use; however, when you open it, it morphs into a dedicated gaming setup.
The MediaTek Dimensity 9300, along with its Immortalis-G720 graphics engine, provides excellent performance. AYANEO backs it up with lots of high-speed LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. You also get a microSD card slot, which is a nice touch given how useful they are for adding new games or emulator roms to your library. The active cooling mechanism keeps everything operating smoothly, even during extended gaming sessions, which is unfortunately uncommon on most smartphones.
A 5,000 mAh battery keeps the lights on, and a quick recharge means you won’t have to wait long before your next gaming session. You also get stereo speakers and a strong vibration motor, which work together to create a really immersive gaming experience with excellent audio and haptic feedback. A USB-C port with speeds of up to 3.1 Gen 2 and a DisplayPort 1.4 output enable you to connect the device to a TV or monitor and enjoy games on the big screen. You also have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to suit your wireless requirements.
The device’s cameras are mounted on the back and include a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens. There is a 5-megapixel selfie camera on the front. To be fair, these cameras exist merely to handle the basics and are unlikely to impress anyone; early reports show they do the job, but don’t expect high-end photography from them. It’s clear that AYANEO emphasized gaming gear over taking beautiful photos.
You get Android 15 out of the box, and a fingerprint scanner is buried inside the power button for quick unlock. The software offers a full smartphone experience in addition to the typical gaming capabilities. There are also some useful shortcut buttons and a slide mechanism that allow you to quickly access game controls without having to deal with on-screen overlays.Pricing is unknown until the Kickstarter campaign opens. Rumors suggest that early backers will pay around $500, with future tiers perhaps providing extra RAM, storage, or higher-end finishes. AYANEO also intends to offer additional grips and cases to improve comfort for both gaming and non-gaming applications.
You can spend a whole lotta money on a good office chair these days – but however feature-rich and overly engineered they are, in my experience, you can’t beat a comfortable, solid office chair that won’t break the bank.
Of all the office chairs I’ve tested and reviewed, I still think the $210 Boulies EP200 on Amazon is the best value chair you can get right now. For me, the EP200, which is also on sale in the UK for £190 at Amazon delivers all the core features I expect, and more. Amazon has matched the sale price of this chair, which is discounted at both Boulies.com and Boulies.co.uk. It amounts to around a 30% discount, whichever site you choose.
I’ve been sitting on this chair day in, day out for 18 months straight now and it’s as good today as it was when I first assembled it. The mesh is still firm, supportive, and comfortable. There’s no creaks, no squeaks. If I were buying a new office chair today, I’d just get another EP200. It’s worth every penny. It scored 4.5 stars in my review, with a Highly Recommended award.
Why I like this office chair (spoiler alert: it’s great value)
I absolutely love the EP200. I love the breathable mesh design, the lockable recline, the adjustable seat depth, even the 3D armrests with their satisfying click on every twist. I use this at work every day, but also after-hours when I’m gaming. I never feel discomfort or fatigue that some cheap chairs induce (and some expensive ones, for that matter).
Now, Boulies’ value-driven chair isn’t as rich with features as the Herman Miller and Steelcase office chairs my team and I have tested. But it’s well-built for the money, highly adjustable, and doesn’t require taking out a bank loan to afford it.
Having spent many hours in an office sitting on the iconic Herman Miller Aeron, I can tell you that while that pricey mesh chair was very comfortable, for most people working in an office or home office, the EP200 delivers everything you’d want from a seat at a fraction of the price.
In summarizing my time with the EP200 in my review update, I said “Overall, a year on, I still find the Boulies EP200 to be the archetypal office chair for most people. It’s relatively cheap, not overly engineered or designed (in a good way), and suitable for long hours in the office and home office.”
For more top-performing options, check out my in-depth guide to the best office chairs we’ve tested (and yep, the EP200 is on that list).
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