Brian Kelly used to buy coverage with people. Seven or eight employees sat in New York, Hong Kong, and California so his cryptocurrency fund could watch markets through every time zone. Salaries, health coverage, office space, bonuses, and compute pushed labor-related costs to about $5 million a year. He closed that shop in early 2025 and took a pause.

By November, once Claude Opus 4.6 was released, he was copying price charts into a chat window and asking for a technical analysis. That habit evolved into Bracket22, a trading firm that invests exclusively his own money in cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities. Instead of recruiting the same roles over, he reconstructed the existing organizational hierarchy under the term software. Agents are now watching the book around the clock. Each has its own memory so that one opinion does not influence the next.

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Houston serves as mission control at the highest levels. It communicates with other agents, coordinates their efforts, and can manage research or the firm itself. Desmond owns quantitative strategies and will do tests over the weekend. Steffi Graf marks up charts and is given the task of being the finest technical analyst in the room. Doocey joins the red team. After the others finish their argument, Kelly instructs them to attack the entire concept and attempt to break it. He created them as specialists on purpose. Isolated viewpoints provide him with arguments rather than a single polished memo.

Kelly still makes every trade. He calls himself the meat in the chair. Agents can read, test, and argue without sleeping. They cannot risk money or build a theory in the same manner that people cab after comparing messy facts. He routes the most difficult jobs through frontier models and the cheapest open-source ones using OpenRouter. Compute is hosted on AWS. Token spending can total several hundred dollars per day. All of it, agents and machines, costing him $30,000 to $40,000 per year. According to his calculations, this is the total cost of copying a hedge fund desk.

He believes he is at least five times as productive. A hundred-person shop, he claims, could work like a thousand if the identical tools were placed next to people rather than instead of them. Crypto never closes, therefore the old fund required someone awake at 3 a.m. Agents do not hand off shifts. Desmond can continue testing while Kelly sleeps. Houston can top the charts in the morning. The most easily quantifiable aspect is cost. If his figures are correct, a $5 million salary was reduced to a four-figure cloud billing, representing a savings of more than 99 percent.

Wall Street is already headed in the same path. JPMorgan has spoken of agents who can work for hours on their own. Morgan Stanley sends tasks in the same way. A Goldman associate has warned that delegating too much reasoning to machines may tire the minds of those who must still make decisions. Bracket22 is a cleaner test because no outside clients are present behind the book.

Change can be challenging in a relationship, even when you know it’s for the best. Samsung’s new Switchers ad campaign acknowledges that challenge, particularly when it comes to switching from iPhone to Android.

Playing on classic therapy talking points, Samsung recruited celebrity clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik to help couples overcome fear, discomfort and anxiety about exploring something new — in this case, purchasing a device outside Apple’s ecosystem.

Guralnik helms the documentary TV series Couples Therapy, which follows real-life couples as they attend regular therapy sessions. The show is in its fifth season on Showtime and Paramount Plus.

Launched on Monday, days after Apple announced its own foldable, the iPhone Duo, the Switchers campaign particularly plugs Samsung’s new Galaxy Z foldables. It features celebrity pairs with real relationships, including Ciara Miller and Dylan Efron from The Traitors; Carl Schmidt and Aniya Harvey from Love Island; and football icons Nick Foles and Clay Matthews.

What Switchers gets right

Rather than demoing Samsung’s latest foldable phones in a spec-heavy pitch, the six ads cleverly frame the purchase decision as an emotional one. In each 30-second commercial, the Galaxy phone appears as the centerpiece of a common relationship issue, masked as a worry that arises when switching smartphones. By the end, the concern is resolved when Guralnik presents one of Samsung’s attractive features that makes the transition, well, less painful.

Samsung’s ad campaign does more than just entertain — it effectively taps into a very relatable psychological attachment we often have to our phones. It’s common to stick with a device because it’s familiar and predictable in a rapidly changing world, much like we lean on established patterns in long-term romantic relationships. Guralnik, known for tackling such issues with deep insight and compassion on the show, lends these ads credibility.

While Samsung’s campaign shows off Galaxy Z and S series phones — including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra and S26 Ultra with a privacy display — it doesn’t demand or bully you into switching from iPhone to Android. It just asks that you remain curious about what’s out there.

Problem, meet solution

The Switchers campaign uses a mix of humor, cultural commentary and sympathy. When one partner in the couple is worried about losing existing data, the solution is Samsung’s Smart Switch, a data transfer feature that moves iOS contacts, photos, messages, apps and settings to Android using a simple QR code. No more fear of abandonment.

The sessions also highlight a deeper operational hurdle: cross-platform messaging friction, such as incompatible emoji reactions and the limitations of green text bubbles between Android and iOS. In response, Guralnik says there’s “no need to shame green bubbles anymore” and proposes using rich communication services, also known as RCS, which enable consistent communication across different brand ecosystems. Communication saves the day.

When a partner worries about losing the freedom to easily share files and photos with other Apple users, Samsung’s wireless file-sharing service Quick Share offers a remedy, because it’s now compatible with AirDrop. Everyone needs validation.

Making the switch

Samsung says people are, in fact, making big changes — or one could say, breaking up with their time-honored smartphone.

In its press release, the company reported that 30% of Galaxy Z Flip 8 buyers switched from a competing brand. Samsung’s latest foldables seem to be the draw, as the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra accounted for 23% and 12% of buyers who switched, respectively, outperforming the Z Fold 7.

Foldable or flippable phones aren’t unique to Samsung. Motorola has its 2026 Razr, Google has its Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and now Apple has the iPhone Duo. Each has its own set of features, specs and prices, but their collective presence on the market demonstrates that people are willing to make a shift. Maybe it’s because they also crave the flip phones of years gone by. In times of tumult, nostalgia can offer just as much comfort as familiarity.

Anna Gragert

Senior Editor, Health and Home

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Anna Gragert (she/her/hers) was previously the lifestyle editor at HelloGiggles, the deputy editor at So Yummy and the senior lifestyle editor at Hunker. Over the past 12 years, Anna has also written for the LA Times, Elle, Bust Magazine, Dazed, Apartment Therapy, Well+Good and more. At CNET, she’s a senior editor on the Healthy Home team, and her coverage includes health, wellness tech, meal kits and home and kitchen tech with a focus on the technology that aims to help us live our healthiest, happiest lives.

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Monaghan’s Furrow and Kerry’s RT Sales were the other main prize category finalists in the competition, which also featured nine more finalists across three other categories.

VetPal Technology has won the €10,000 Start-Up of the Year award in Enterprise Ireland’s (EI) Innovation Arena live pitching competition at the 2026 National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly.

The Roscommon-based agritech company digitises veterinary prescription management across the animal health supply chain and connects “farmers, vets, co-ops, merchants and pharmacies in one compliant digital workflow” that is “fully integrated with the Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Prescription System”, according to EI.

Monaghan’s Furrow and Kerry’s RT Sales were the other main prize category finalists in the competition, which also featured nine more finalists across three other categories: Green Impact, open to sustainability-focused solutions; Innovation Arena Champion, for entries from established companies with a focus on scaling and innovation; and Young Innovator of the Year, open to entries from second- and third-level students.

“The Innovation Arena continues to be an incredibly important platform for Irish agri innovation, bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers and businesses who are all focused on developing solutions for the future of this important sector,” said Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD.

“At a time when global agriculture and food face significant opportunities and challenges, the solutions showcased in this year’s Innovation Arena will be critical in driving productivity and competitiveness.”

Kildare’s Terra NutriTech was the Green Impact award winner, ahead of Magnus Monitors and Slurryquip. Terra’s precision-dosing technology for grazing livestock aims to turn methane reduction at pasture “from a major challenge into something practical, measurable and credible”, according to EI.

“Ireland is synonymous with innovation and agriculture globally, and the ingenuity and expertise of our innovators has resulted in our agricultural sector earning a reputation for delivering sustainable and productive solutions that are helping to solve the sector’s biggest challenges,” said EI CEO Jenny Melia.

“These companies are also predominantly regionally based in towns and communities across Ireland, so as well as transforming the agritech sector, they are also driving growth and having an impact in local economies the length and breadth of the country.”

Kilkenny-based Telenostic was chosen as the Innovation Arena Champion – in a category also featuring Alltech and Solnua – for its AI-powered diagnostic tool to improve parasite control in livestock. The technology enables “rapid parasite detection at point of care” and can help eliminate the need for laboratory testing, EI said.

“This year’s finalists and exhibitors are yet again a reflection of a pioneering sector with innovators and businesses who develop solutions that help farmers become more productive and resilient,” said Anna May McHugh, managing director of the National Ploughing Association.

Munster Technological University’s MastiTrak was selected for the Young Innovator of the Year award for its mastitis detection system, which aims to improve animal welfare, reduce milk waste and lower antibiotic use in modern farming. Moore Agri and WireLessCam were also nominated in the category.

According to EI, Irish agritech companies that it supports recorded €844m in exports in 2025 and employ more than 5,000 people in Ireland.

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The best free legal streaming services in 2026 include Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, The Roku Channel, Sling Freestream, Xumo Play, YouTube’s Free Primetime catalog, Kanopy, Hoopla, and PBS. The right choice depends on your country and whether you want on-demand movies, scheduled live channels, library-supported access, or public-service programming.

Best Free Legal Streaming Services at a Glance

Most legal free streaming uses one of three funding models. Ad-supported video on demand, often shortened to AVOD, lets you choose a title and watch it with advertising. Free ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, uses scheduled channels that behave more like traditional television. Library-supported services are funded through participating institutions rather than a personal entertainment subscription.

The comparison below focuses on the core free offering rather than optional paid upgrades. Exact catalogs can change as licensing agreements change.

How These Services Were Selected

Each service in this list had to meet four basic requirements: an official, verifiable service had to exist in September 2026; the core recommendation had to be available without a mandatory recurring entertainment subscription; its free access model had to be supported by the provider’s own documentation; and it needed either a broad catalog or a clearly distinct use case.

That excludes free trials because they become paid subscriptions after a temporary period. It also excludes unofficial streaming mirrors and stale brand names whose current status cannot be verified. Catalog size alone was not used as a ranking method because providers count channels and titles differently and those totals change frequently.

If a free site asks you to install unknown players, bypass security warnings, or download unfamiliar apps, streaming-site safety depends on more than whether the video itself costs money.

How to Find One Specific Movie or Show for Free

A service comparison is less useful when you already know the exact movie or television series you want. Licensing changes frequently, so a title that is free on one provider today can move, become paid, or disappear later.

JustWatch is useful as a discovery tool rather than another streaming-service recommendation. According to JustWatch’s current service description, its free guide shows legal offers across subscription services, free streaming, ad-supported streaming, rentals, and purchases.

Choose the correct country, search for the title, and filter the results for free or ad-supported options. Then verify the offer on the destination service before watching because streaming rights can change.

A fuller workflow for finding where a particular movie or TV show is streaming can also help distinguish free access from rentals, purchases, and subscriptions when several offers appear together.

JustWatch’s own streaming product should not be confused with the guide itself. JustWatch TV was still being presented as a beta product ahead of a planned October 2026 full launch when this article was researched, so it is not treated as one of the established core services above.

The main trade-off in free streaming is not simply ads versus no ads. Geography, library eligibility, live versus on-demand viewing, account requirements, and catalog stability matter just as much. Understanding what free streaming gives up compared with paid streaming can help determine whether a free service is enough for your viewing habits.

Google has released the September 2026 security patches to address 110 vulnerabilities affecting its Pixel devices, including one zero-day flaw actively exploited in targeted attacks.

“There are indications that CVE-2026-58704 may be under limited, targeted exploitation,” the company warned on Wednesday.

“All supported Google devices will receive an update to the 2026-09-05 patch level. We encourage all customers to accept these updates to their devices.”

This high-severity security flaw stems from improper authorization and protection mechanism failure weaknesses affecting the Modem subcomponent. Successful exploitation can allow attackers with access to an adjacent network and basic privileges on the targeted device to escalate privileges in low-complexity attacks that don’t require user interaction.

“In Cellular Modem, there is a possible permission bypass due to a logic error in the code,” a security advisory issued today says. “This could lead to remote (proximal/adjacent) escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.”

Google tagged 109 other security issues in this month’s Pixel update bulletin, including 12 remote code execution and 89 privilege escalation vulnerabilities rated critical or high severity.

Although Google Pixel devices also run Android, they receive separate security updates and bug fixes from the standard monthly patches distributed to Android OEMs because of the unique hardware platform Google controls directly and its exclusive features and capabilities.

To apply this month’s security updates, Pixel users must go to Settings > Security & privacy > System & updates > Security update, tap Install, and restart their devices to complete the update process.

You can find more information on the September 2026 updates for Pixel devices in the security bulletin for Google’s smartphone range.

In June, Google also addressed an Android Framework zero-day flaw (CVE-2025-48595) that was actively exploited in targeted attacks and could let attackers gain code execution and escalate privileges on devices running Android 14 or later.

One month earlier, the company announced an overhaul of its Android and Chrome vulnerability rewards programs, scaling back payouts for flaws that are easier to find using artificial intelligence (AI) while offering bounties of up to $1.5 million for some Android exploits.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment is refreshing its PlayStation headset lineup with the PlayStation Pulse Wireless Headset and premium Pulse Edge Wireless Headset, and the company is making one thing rather clear: planar magnetic drivers are no longer being reserved for audiophiles willing to explain planar magnetic drivers to everyone else at dinner.

Both new models use larger custom planar magnetic drivers than the existing Pulse Elite, support lossless ultra-low-latency PlayStation Link, can maintain a simultaneous Bluetooth connection, and incorporate AI-enhanced microphone noise rejection. The regular Pulse arrives in select markets during the 2026 holiday season, while Pulse Edge follows in early 2027. Sony has not announced pricing, preorder dates or exact launch dates yet. 

Related Reading: 

Sony’s Audeze Strategy Is Becoming Much Easier to See

The new headsets continue a path Sony started with the $149.99 Pulse Elite, its first PlayStation wireless headset with planar magnetic drivers and PlayStation Link. Our Pulse Elite review found it delivered an unusually high level of sound quality for the price and worked surprisingly well beyond gaming. 

There is also a much larger story behind that headset.

Sony acquired planar magnetic specialist Audeze in 2023, and we reported last month that Audeze is now deeply involved in the development of future PlayStation audio hardware. That does not mean we can state that Audeze designed the specific drivers inside Pulse or Pulse Edge; Sony has not made that claim. What we can say is that planar magnetic technology is clearly becoming central to Sony’s PlayStation audio strategy rather than remaining an expensive audiophile sideshow. 

That strategy has already expanded beyond headphones. Sony’s upcoming Pulse Elevate wireless speakers also use planar magnetic drivers with PlayStation Link, pushing the technology into desktop gaming audio as well. 

PlayStation Pulse Wireless Headset

The standard PlayStation Pulse gets larger planar magnetic drivers with four magnets per driver. Sony says the increased driver size produces fuller and deeper bass while maintaining the detail and separation associated with the Pulse Elite. No actual driver diameter has been disclosed, so resist the temptation to turn internet speculation into a specification. 

PlayStation Link is supplied through an included USB-C adapter and supports lossless, ultra-low-latency wireless audio. An integrated microphone uses AI-enhanced noise rejection to filter background sound, while rotating earcups allow the headset to lie flat when you are not wearing it.

The regular Pulse is clearly the simpler model. It does not include ANC, PS5 game/chat balance controls, an analog audio/microphone jack or carrying case. Sony has also not disclosed battery life, Bluetooth codecs, weight or frequency response.

PlayStation Pulse Key Features

• Larger custom planar magnetic drivers
• 4 magnets per driver
• Lossless, ultra-low-latency PlayStation Link
• USB-C PlayStation Link adapter included
• Simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity
• Integrated microphone
• AI-enhanced microphone noise rejection
• Built-in volume control
• Rotating earcups
• White or Midnight Black
• Launching in select markets during Holiday 2026
• Price not yet announced

PlayStation Pulse Edge: Eight Magnets, ANC and a Proper Boom Mic

The Pulse Edge is where Sony starts spending more of the engineering budget.

Each planar magnetic driver uses eight magnets rather than four, which Sony describes as double the magnet volume of the standard Pulse. The objective is greater bass output without sacrificing the speed, separation and spatial precision that make planar drivers attractive for gaming in the first place. 

Edge also adds active noise cancellation, along with a detachable boom microphone for voice chat. Remove the boom and a hidden microphone remains available, so you do not have to wander around looking like you are directing aircraft when listening to music.

There are also dedicated game/chat balance controls for PS5, an analog audio/microphone jack, more premium materials and an included carrying case. Those additions make Pulse Edge considerably more than a Pulse with ANC bolted onto the side.

PlayStation Pulse Edge Key Features

• Larger custom planar magnetic drivers
• 8 magnets per driver
• Double the magnet volume of PlayStation Pulse
• Active noise cancellation
• Lossless, ultra-low-latency PlayStation Link
• USB-C PlayStation Link adapter included
• Simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity
• Detachable boom microphone
• Hidden microphone when boom is removed
• AI-enhanced microphone noise rejection
• PS5 game/chat balance controls
• Built-in volume control
• Analog audio/microphone jack
• Rotating earcups
• Carrying case
• White or Midnight Black
• Launching in early 2027
• Price not yet announced

What Can You Use Them With?

Sony has officially confirmed PlayStation Link support with PS5, PlayStation Portal, Windows PC and Mac. Both headsets can also connect simultaneously to a supported Bluetooth device, meaning you can maintain the low-latency PlayStation Link connection while handling audio from something such as a smartphone. 

That last part is important. Sony has not announced Xbox support, and PlayStation Link is not an Xbox wireless standard. Pulse Edge’s analog jack may broaden wired possibilities, but Sony has not yet published enough compatibility information for us to start declaring support for platforms it has not named.

What Makes These Different?

Planar magnetic gaming headsets are no longer unheard of, but having Sony make the technology standard across an expanding first-party PlayStation ecosystem is significant.

The advantage is not merely the word “planar” on the box. Gaming depends heavily on transient response, separation and spatial placement; hearing precisely where a footstep, reload or approaching opponent is located can matter rather more than whether the cymbal on track seven has sufficient air around it.

Sony is pairing those drivers with its own lossless low-latency wireless system, first-party PS5 integration and simultaneous Bluetooth. Pulse Edge adds ANC and a more serious microphone implementation without abandoning that architecture.

In other words, Sony is starting to treat gaming headsets like actual audio products. What a radical concept but it had to happen eventually.

The Competition

The obvious reference point is the $329 Audeze Maxwell 2, which uses 90mm planar magnetic drivers, supports low-latency wireless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz and offers more than 80 hours of claimed battery life. It remains one of the strongest examples of what happens when an audiophile headphone company decides gamers deserve something better than booming bass and flashing lights; which is why Sony purchased Audeze to begin with.  

The $199.99 SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 takes a different approach with broader platform options, simultaneous 2.4GHz/Bluetooth audio, more than 200 game-specific presets and up to 54 hours of battery life. It does not use planar magnetic drivers, but its flexibility makes it an obvious alternative for gamers who do not live entirely inside Sony’s ecosystem. 

Pricing will ultimately determine where Pulse and Pulse Edge fit between those two approaches.

The Bottom Line

Sony’s acquisition of Audeze in 2023 made sense when it happened, but the larger strategy is becoming much easier to see three years later. Audeze was allowed to continue developing its own multi-platform products, while Sony gained access to a company with deep planar magnetic engineering expertise and a gaming business that had already become a major part of its success. 

The Pulse Elite was an early indication of where this was going. Pulse Elevate pushed planar magnetic technology into desktop speakers. The new PlayStation Pulse and Pulse Edge now make larger planar drivers the foundation of Sony’s next generation of first-party gaming headsets. This is starting to look less like technology trickling down from Audeze and more like a deliberate attempt to raise the audio standard across the entire PlayStation ecosystem. 

Which creates a rather entertaining problem for Sony.

The Audeze Maxwell 2 is already sitting there at $329 for PlayStation and $349 for Xbox, with 90mm planar magnetic drivers, more than 80 hours of claimed battery life, USB-C low-latency wireless, Bluetooth 5.3 and support across Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch. We have also spent enough time using the Maxwell 2 across multiple platforms to know that this is not some gaming headset wearing an audiophile costume. It is a seriously capable headphone. 

Will Pulse Edge compete directly with it? Very likely in terms of target customer and technology, although Sony’s refusal to disclose pricing makes a proper value comparison premature. Pulse Edge counters with deeper PlayStation integration, PlayStation Link, ANC, simultaneous Bluetooth and dedicated PS5 game/chat controls. Maxwell 2 answers with broader platform compatibility, extraordinary battery life and Audeze’s already proven planar magnetic implementation.

Having used the Maxwell 2 on more than a few platforms, I would not assume that is a fight the Pulse Edge automatically wins.

Then again, Sony may have constructed the rare competitive battle where the parent company has reasons to smile whichever headset you take home. Buy Pulse Edge and you are buying Sony’s increasingly ambitious first-party PlayStation audio platform. Buy Maxwell 2 and you are buying from Audeze, which Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired three years ago.

Heads Sony wins. Tails Sony checks the receipt.

That is the bigger story here and potentially a much more important one than whether Pulse Edge has eight magnets instead of four.

For more information, visit the product pages for PlayStation Pulse Wireless headset and Pulse Edge.

Related Reading:

Mike Lake wanted a Porsche 992 GT3 RS and refused to wait for a lottery allocation or a secondhand bill north of $750,000 Australian ($535,000). He bought a tired 986 Boxster for about $13,000, drove two thousand kilometers to collect it, and set out to wrap that mid-engine roadster in a full-size printed replica. He calls the result GT3D. Consumer printers, PETG filament, and a garage in Melbourne did the rest.

After taking a huge gamble with a Facebook purchase, files for the corpse appeared. Lake disassembled each panel into tiny components small enough to fit in a couple of machines costing only a few hundred dollars each. When they were counting them previously, they estimated that the entire kit contained 477 parts, 62 kg of plastic, and approximately 2,000 hours of print time. When you come to the end of the build, the data was updated to nearly 1,500 hours and 80 kg of PETG, and that doesn’t include any failure prints or revisions they made later on. One front bumper alone required sixty-one parts, 381 hours of printing time, and more than 10 kg of plastic. Only one fender took 55 hours to complete. The roof was the most difficult single piece of assembly because it came from a convertible donor. It required 41 or 42 printed parts and another 120 hours before it even saw a drop of resin.

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So the printed sections were assembled using plastic welding and strengthened slightly. They used pool noodles cut up as interior formers for their early roof work. Lake eventually figured out how add some fiberglass fabric and resin across full panels after confirming the concept with a single quarter panel test, which demonstrated that adding the extra skin provided a lot of extra rigidity for a tiny bit more thickness. The B pillars were strengthened just in case, and the chassis points were braced so the wide printed arches wouldn’t flex all over the place, and moving the radiators out of the way to fit in the larger wheels proved to be a sensible decision once the car left the garage.

Among all the printed parts, there were a few genuine pieces of hardware. There’s a true 992 light bar out back, and the headlights are from a 991.1 because the newer 992 units required a camber system that Lake didn’t have lying around, and then there’s the carbon fiber 992 mirror covers that simply snap onto the printed hybrid housing. The door handles, fuel filling, and the rest of it all remained Boxster parts, inserted into printed surrounds, so the car still opens and closes like the donor. Artka’s custom two-piece forged wheels fill the arches at GT3 RS widths without the need for spacers, and Plastics for Performance windows are 50% lighter than factory glass. The first time they tinted them, the plastic went a little crazy in the sunlight and became all bubbly, but a second film fixed that right away.

Aero received the same treatment, with Ryan from the Fat Lip Collective designing the active DRS wing from scratch. Aluminum rods pass directly through the printed blades, while the electric actuators sit on the stands, seemingly unconcerned, communicating with a Haltech ECU. The first time they hooked it all up, it just worked without any fuss. The profile is completed by the Project Eero front lip and the printed ducktail, and because a proper car has some flare, they added some Sequoia Media stickers and a 3D printed badge that says GT3D rather than GT3 RS.

Under the hood, the Boxster flat-six retains all of its power, albeit with a Turbosmart 5862 turbo, some Legacy Fab piping, a top-mounted Phoenix intercooler, and a set of titanium exhaust tips held on by V-band clamps. There are already videos of the first start-ups, but they need to put it on the dyno to get a real look at the figures. The paint work is a peach Hammer Coatings job over some primed and textured surfaces, followed by some satin black on the doors and under the bonnet, then a lovely clear coat to bring out the color. Six crazy days of assembly got it all done just in time for World Time Attack at Sydney Motorsport Park in September, and when the crowds saw it, they thought it was a proper factory GT3 RS until they got close enough to see all the layer lines they’d managed to hide so well in the bodywork.

A hot potato: Warrantless database searches are a central part of the growing controversy around Flock’s AI-powered camera surveillance network. As police officers keep getting caught abusing the company’s license plate readers, a new analysis of its search records suggests the problem runs deeper than isolated incidents and hint at the true scale of the issue.

Search logs from Flock’s Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) database show that, over the past few years, officers across the US have routinely searched the system without offering any legitimate justification. And the company’s own fix for the problem may have made it worse.

The records, obtained by the EFF through a public records request, show officers repeatedly typing flippant or nonsensical answers into the mandatory “reason for search” field. Common entries included “LMAO,” “lol,” “idk,” and outright strings of random keyboard mashing.

Flock’s ALPRs, now deployed across thousands of US communities, use AI to log passing vehicles’ plates into a searchable cloud database that officers can use to reconstruct people’s movements. Unlike a search of someone’s cell phone location history, pulling data from Flock’s database does not require a warrant.

Officers are supposed to document a reason for every search, but plenty have simply ignored that requirement. It’s one of the core complaints about Flock’s system, alongside the dozens of officers who’ve been caught using it to stalk women.

The throwaway search justifications span roughly 2023 into 2026, even after Flock began pushing officers toward a drop-down menu of pre-set reasons in late 2025 instead of a free-text field. However, instead of fixing the issue, the change might have pushed officers to obscure random searches behind seemingly legitimate causes. Many simply select “other.”

Concerns about mass surveillance and false positives have pushed numerous towns to cancel their Flock contracts. People are also regularly caught destroying the company’s cameras outright, and rival ALPR vendors are trying to distance themselves from Flock’s reputation while marketing hardware that does essentially the same thing.

Flock, for its part, says new contracts far outnumber cancellations – and in at least one case, the company reinstalled its cameras without permission after a city had already removed them. Flock and its competitors are also expanding beyond stationary plate readers: the company’s fastest-growing business is now drones that read license plates from the sky, and police departments nationwide are increasingly using them for live surveillance, often for calls that aren’t emergencies at all.