SOFTWARE

More Rust, but more trouble with AI slop, too

bcachefs boss Kent Overstreet has announced version 1.38.6 of the Linux filesystem, dubbing it “the performance release” and declaring the project is no longer experimental.

The new code is ostensibly a relatively modest point release, but is noteworthy as it’s only the second release this year that project leader Kent Overstreet has described on his Patreon blog.

His latest post reveals he no longer considers the filesystem experimental. “Consider this the belated official announcement :)” he wrote, noting that he dropped the experimental tag some unspecified time ago.

Overstreet’s last blog post was a very brief mention of the release of version 1.37 back in mid-March, and this was rather overshadowed by his announcement soon afterwards that his AI coding assistant PoC was conscious – and female.

Although the bcachefs Git repo is sufficiently busy that it’s hard to track progress, the repo for the accompanying bcachfs-tools is much more readable. Starting with January’s 1.35.0 it shows 18 releases so far this year. So, strictly speaking, the version number applies to the accompanying utilities rather than the filesystem module itself. However, a peek into the Debian APT repository shows that kernel DKMS module has a matching version number, and neither the blog post about the release nor the changelog distinguishes between them.

According to said changelog, this version bumps the number of devices in a filesystem to 255, and contains fixes for half a dozen bugs.

More significantly, it also identifies another six performance optimizations.

The Reconcile operation – previously called “rebalance” – is now faster and more parallel. Erasure coding (which Register sister site Blocks & Files explains) is “in use and seems to be working quite well”. The post refers to the handbook, bcachefs Principles of Operation [PDF], which has been updated since we last looked – the current revision is from April. There’s also a handy Getting Started guide.

Overstreet notes that all the major distributions he’s checked now enable kernel Rust support, and he says that work has already started at converting the filesystem and tools into Rust:

“The bcachefs userspace code has already been converted to Rust, and that work has included safe Rust interfaces for the core btree iterator API and quite a bit of utility code. The next release will pull these bindings into the DKMS module, and we’ll start to convert core code.”

That’s a long-term project, though. In the Phoronix forums, Overstreet explains a little more about the task. In one comment, he says:

I don’t know how long it’ll take for it to be fully Rust – e.g. converting the journal to safe Rust will be… interesting.

But it should be ~50% Rust this year, maybe in the next few months depending on how it goes with deploying a mixed C/Rust DKMS module.

We were also pleasantly surprised to see him expressing considerable skepticism towards AI-authored code contributions in the discussion:

I’m definitely not against AIs, but I am starting to see the lazy patch submissions/bug reports where someone clearly is just asking an LLM to do all the work, and that’s not ok.

We find the performance comparisons in the Patreon post interesting because in places they’re slower than XFS…

On the Epyc 9454 I’ve been testing on, 48 Zen4 cores, 1.38.6 is pushing 16.5 GB/sec through dbench 48 clients – vs. 16 GB/sec for XFS.

And later:

Testing 4k random writes with fio, bcachefs is now hitting 700k iops on this hardware, vs. 1 million for XFS.

Overstreet explains that bcachefs is doing much more work here than XFS, but for us, these values feel more plausible simply because he’s not claiming vastly superior results.

As an interesting side-note, in the course of researching this article, we also discovered an experimental Linux NAS OS based around bcachefs, which rejoices in the name of NASty. If you want to experiment with bcachefs without getting down and dirty and building the OS by hand, this could be a good way to do it.

We are still sad that the personality clash between Overstreet and Torvalds resulted in bcachefs being booted out of the Linux kernel. However big its main developer’s ego may be, bcachefs is a very promising project, and we hope that one day it may get merged again… Perhaps as the kernel’s first filesystem implemented in Rust. ®

from the giving-up-rights-for-vengeance dept

Here it is: the dumbest defense of automatic license plate readers I’ve ever read. While we can subtract some points because the person writing it has no power to install/un-install/cover in garbage bags surveillance tech, he’s a regular contributor to a long-running newspaper in a major city. And since this paper is still willing to give him a byline and inches (or digital equivalent), he’s not going to get a pass.

This would be the work of Ted Diadiun, who at least appears to be the MAGA ideal of a centrist. (This means he occasionally criticizes Trump but also gets big mad when people suggest this nation might be better off if Trump was dead.)

I don’t expect everyone — even those with newspaper staff credentials — to get into the weeds when it comes to surveillance tech. On the other hand, I fully expect them to present a better argument in favor of ALPR systems than “Man, I wish the cops were pulling over every driver I think they should be pulling over.”

And, yet, this is Ted Diadiun’s opening argument:

How many of us have witnessed an idiotic driver and muttered, “Why is there never a cop around when you need one?”

That is why – getting to the point – I’m a big fan of surveillance cameras. Speed cameras, red-light cameras, Flock cameras … all of them.

They’re always around, even when a cop isn’t. And they give me some assurance that people who think laws are for others will get what’s coming to them. And those, like me and my friend, who think that scofflaws are increasing exponentially, can cling to the hope that the number will come down if people know or suspect they’re on camera.

Bro, I hear you. I share the road (and see it not equally shared) with assholes. I do wish vengeance upon them. But I also would rather keep my rights than give them up in exchange for traffic enforcement that subjectively pleases me.

I’m on the other side. And that would be the other side that Ted feels is too stupid, too soft on crime, or otherwise misinformed.

Not everyone, unfortunately, thinks that way.

How can you tell you’re the greatest? Well, it’s when you present your side (me and my friend think “idiotic” drivers need more punishment) and follow it up with a statement that says anyone opposed to your subjective views on traffic enforcement are “unfortunately” wrong.

Ted Diadiun is upset because city leaders are trying to do their best to serve their constituents. Many are opposed to the ALPR system imposed on them. This system belongs to Flock, which has become a surveillance tech front runner — one that has often greeted legitimate criticism with “go fuck yourself” vibes.

Immediately after invoking the unholy name of Flock, Diadiun says a number of things very quickly. First, he admits ALPRs won’t do anything to punish the speeders and scofflaws that so incensed him and his neighbor. Then he says something even Flock itself might not want him to say:

These cameras do not identify speeders or people who bust through red lights – there are other devices for that. What they do is capture the license numbers of every vehicle that drives by. Their gaze can also capture other things, such as porch pirates and car thieves and vandals and other dregs of society lurking in our neighborhoods.

Wow, Ted, wow. These ALPRs are great because… they do so much more than collect the plate/location records the public assumed AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS (ALPRs) would be limited to doing.

But you’re fine with surveillance, surveillance creep, and giving the finger to your fellow Cleveland residents because?

There are more than 1,700 of these devices scattered around Cuyahoga County, but at current issue are 100 Flock cameras in Cleveland. Mayor Justin Bibb, who correctly understands their value, has tried to renew the city’s contract with the company, but has been beset by objections from, among others, a raucous group called “Flock No.” As a result, he tossed the decision to Cleveland City Council. Flock No members disrupted a recent council meeting with clapping and chanting, but there’s been no decision as yet.

That organization has also taken on the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, which has 200 Flock cameras outside its buildings in an effort to help police solve cases of car break-ins, vandalism, street takeovers in parking lots and sex offenders illegally visiting school property.

Hmmm. The citizens protested a council meeting. The mayor punted. And while Flock may have installed 200 cameras in the school district, naming the things Flock claims it cameras will prevent isn’t even in the same galaxy as naming the things Flock’s cameras have actually prevented. Why, I could claim my use of the letter “e” in this post has been done to prevent sex offenders from being appointed by the Trump administration. And it would be every bit as credible as claiming a couple hundred cameras are “helping” police do everything from investigating petty theft (they don’t care) or keeping sex offenders off school property (citation PLEASE).

And then Diadiun goes on to both (1) make it clear Flock’s cameras aren’t limited to license plate readings and (2) pretend fighting for rights is just advocacy for criminals.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which can always be counted on to throw roadblocks in front of efforts to stop crime and capture criminals, of course has weighed in on the anti-camera side, charging that it amounts to mass spying that turns its plate-reading into surveillance cameras, and that its recordings of bumper stickers amount to an invasion of privacy.

(Ironically, it was the photos of bumper stickers on a Chevrolet Camaro captured by Flock cameras that allowed federal agents to capture and arrest an armed robber who had held up ten local stores at gunpoint in 2021, as chronicled in a Thursday story on cleveland.com. Guess the ACLU would have preferred that the guy remain free to continue to terrify and perhaps harm additional clerks and customers.)

If the first paragraph doesn’t make you want to punch the columnist in the face, read it again. This is not what the ACLU does. It’s not there to protect criminals. It’s there to protect rights. Rights apply to everyone, even (alleged) criminals. Ted is here to declare he’d rather see a thousand innocent people jailed than allow a single criminal to go free.

Then he goes on to (unhelpfully — in the case of Flock) note that Flock captures more than plate images and allows law enforcement to run searches on things that aren’t normally considered to be part of day-to-day ALPR business… like bumper stickers.

And, again, Diadiun closes out the paragraph by pretending the ACLU’s intervention in this case was in the interest of increasing crime, rather than forcing the government to respect constitutional rights.

Having already demonstrated he’s a facile dolt, Ted Diadiun wraps things up by ensuring there can be no debate about his (barely) “useful idiot” status:

Unless you have something to hide, why would you object to cameras that record license plates and other information?

Please post your location history data publicly, Ted. You have nothing to hide. Let’s see where you’ve been and who you’ve associated with. Just dump it out in a future column so we can sift through like the cops you love so much. Until you’re willing to that much, please shut the fuck up about location tracking, ALPRs, civil liberties, and drivers who will now feel increasingly justified in their attempts to run you off the road.

[I have reached out to Ted Diadiun to see if he’ll provide readers with location data collected by his phone and/or other services since he’s apparently has nothing to hide. I’ve also asked him to explain why it’s okay for the government to have this information by default, if he’s unwilling to share it with his readers. I will update this post in the unlikely event that Ted chooses to respond to my inquiries.]

Filed Under: 4th amendment, aclu, alpr, location tracking, surveillance, ted diadiun, traffic cameras

Companies: cleveland.com, flock safety

Pool robots have become remarkably capable over the last few years. What started as simple cleaners designed to remove debris from the bottom of a pool has evolved into a new category of intelligent systems capable of navigating entire pools, adapting to changing conditions, and taking on multiple maintenance tasks at once. As expectations around smart home technology continue to rise, pool owners are increasingly looking for the same combination of automation, convenience, and reliability from their pool-care equipment.

Few brands have embraced that shift more aggressively than Beatbot. Available through the Beatbot website and Amazon storefront, the company has established itself as a leader in premium robotic pool care by combining advanced robotics, AI-powered vision systems, and intelligent navigation technologies into products designed to reduce the time and effort required to maintain a clean pool. This Prime Day, Beatbot’s lineup offers a closer look at how far automated pool care has progressed, from flagship systems capable of real-time decision-making to versatile robots designed to handle multiple aspects of maintenance in a single cleaning cycle.

Rather than focusing on a single product category, Beatbot has spent the last several years building a broader pool-care ecosystem powered by advanced robotics, intelligent navigation, and AI-driven automation. From flagship robotic cleaners capable of real-time decision-making to surface skimmers and more accessible cleaning solutions, the goal remains the same: reducing the time, effort, and guesswork traditionally associated with pool maintenance.

Inside Beatbot’s most advanced pool-care system

Beatbot’s vision for AI-powered pool care comes together most clearly in the AquaSense X. Combining an autonomous self-cleaning station with HybridSense™ AI Vision, CleverNav™ AI Path Planning, AI debris detection, intelligent obstacle avoidance, auto-recovery functionality, and night cleaning capabilities, it brings a deeper level of awareness and adaptability to the cleaning process.

The system continuously analyzes its surroundings, identifies obstacles and debris, and adjusts cleaning routes in real time to improve coverage across the entire pool. Instead of relying on fixed cleaning patterns, it adapts as conditions change, helping deliver a more thorough and efficient clean while reducing the need for user intervention.

The autonomous self-cleaning station further reinforces that hands-off approach. By minimizing routine maintenance after each cleaning cycle, it allows pool owners to spend less time managing their cleaner and more time enjoying their pool. For those looking for the most advanced option in Beatbot’s ecosystem, the AquaSense X combines intelligent navigation, adaptive cleaning, and automated maintenance in a single platform.

Prime Day price: $3,999 (regularly $4,250).

AquaSense 2 Ultra expands the idea of intelligent pool maintenance

While many robotic pool cleaners focus primarily on debris removal, the AquaSense 2 Ultra takes a broader view of pool maintenance. As the world’s first AI-powered 5-in-1 robotic pool cleaner, it combines floor cleaning, wall cleaning, waterline cleaning, surface skimming, and water clarification within a single system.

HybridSense™ AI Vision and CleverNav™ AI Path Planning help the AquaSense 2 Ultra navigate multiple cleaning zones while adapting to changing pool conditions. Combined with AI debris detection and intelligent obstacle avoidance, the system is built around what Beatbot calls full-pool intelligence, allowing it to tackle different maintenance tasks through a single platform.

Water clarification is what further separates the AquaSense 2 Ultra from traditional robotic cleaners. Beyond collecting debris, it actively contributes to cleaner, clearer water while reducing the need for additional maintenance tools. For pool owners looking for a more comprehensive approach to pool care, it brings cleaning, water care, and intelligent automation together in a single solution.

Prime Day price: $1,999 (regularly $3,150).

AquaSense 2 Pro brings comprehensive care into a single system

The AquaSense 2 Pro focuses on simplifying pool maintenance without sacrificing capability. Combining floor cleaning, wall scrubbing, waterline cleaning, surface skimming, and water clarification within a single platform, it is built for pool owners who want a more complete maintenance solution without juggling multiple tools.

Features such as the ClearWater™ Clarification System, Smart Water Surface Parking, and one-touch app retrieval help streamline day-to-day ownership, while Full Coverage Path Optimization supported by 22 sensors helps ensure efficient navigation and consistent cleaning performance across the pool. By continuously assessing its surroundings and adjusting cleaning routes as needed, the AquaSense 2 Pro is designed to deliver thorough coverage with minimal intervention.

The result is a system that brings together intelligent navigation, water care, and multi-zone cleaning in a way that feels practical rather than complicated. For pool owners looking for a balance between advanced automation and everyday usability, the AquaSense 2 Pro sits comfortably in the middle of Beatbot’s growing pool-care ecosystem.

Prime Day price: $1,699 (regularly $2,299)

The Sora Series brings smarter cleaning to more pools

Not every pool owner needs a flagship-level solution, which is where the Sora Series fits into Beatbot’s broader lineup.

The Sora 70 is the most capable model in the range, delivering 4-in-1 cleaning across the floor, walls, waterline, and surface. By incorporating dedicated surface cleaning alongside traditional robotic cleaning functions, it provides broader coverage than many mid-range alternatives. Features such as Smart Surface Parking, shallow-area accessibility, SonicSense™ AI Ultrasonic Obstacle Avoidance, and intelligent path planning help improve cleaning consistency while making retrieval easier once a cleaning cycle is complete.

SonicSense™ AI Ultrasonic Obstacle Avoidance and intelligent path planning help the Sora 70 navigate more efficiently while improving cleaning consistency across the pool. Together with its 4-in-1 cleaning capabilities, those technologies make it one of the most capable options in Beatbot’s mid-range lineup.

Prime Day price: $999 (regularly $1,499)

The Sora 30 focuses on delivering stronger day-to-day cleaning performance without the premium investment associated with flagship models. Its enhanced 3-in-1 cleaning capability covers floors, walls, and waterlines, providing broader coverage and greater versatility than many entry-level cordless cleaners. For buyers looking to step into Beatbot’s ecosystem, it offers an appealing balance of performance, convenience, and value.

While positioned as a more accessible option, the Sora 30 still benefits from the design philosophy that runs throughout Beatbot’s lineup: broader coverage, smarter operation, and less manual effort. For pool owners seeking dependable day-to-day maintenance, it offers a practical entry point into Beatbot’s intelligent pool-care ecosystem.

Prime Day price: $649 (regularly $999)

Prime Day is the perfect time to upgrade

Beatbot’s Prime Day offers extend well beyond the flagship models. Alongside deals on the AquaSense X, AquaSense 2 Ultra, AquaSense 2 Pro, Sora 70, and Sora 30, shoppers can also save across the company’s broader pool-care ecosystem. The Sora 10 drops from $699 to $449, while the AquaSense 2 is available for $799, down from its regular $1,298 price. Surface-cleaning solutions are also seeing significant discounts, with the iSkim available for $299 (normally $499) and the iSkim Ultra reduced from $999 to $549.

Available from July 8 through July 11, these promotions make it one of the best opportunities of the year to upgrade to Beatbot’s AI-powered pool-care ecosystem. Whether you’re looking for a flagship robotic cleaner, a comprehensive maintenance solution, or a dedicated surface-cleaning system, the lineup offers options across a range of pool sizes, maintenance needs, and budgets.

For pool owners ready to spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying their pool, Prime Day may be the ideal time to make the switch.

Pause not a permanent withdrawal from drone delivery operations in Ireland, Manna said.

Drone delivery firm Manna is taking a “strategic pause” in operations in Ireland over what it describes as a lack of a clear national framework surrounding the technology.

The Irish company is instead shifting focus to the US, UK and other international markets where “regulatory, and planning frameworks are advancing and commercial drone delivery is accelerating”, it said in a statement. The company already has operational authorisation in both the US and UK and anticipates full authorisation to operate in the United Arab Emirates.

“The absence of a clear national policy framework for commercial drone delivery means there is currently no defined pathway for the sector to scale in Ireland,” Manna said.

“In the absence of such a framework, decisions are assessed locally, creating uncertainty around the planning and infrastructure requirements needed to support commercial drone delivery at scale.” The pause is not a permanent withdrawal from drone delivery operations in Ireland, the company said.

Manna was refused planning permission for drone aerial delivery hub in Dublin’s Dundrum region this week.

Last year, it was refused permission to retain a drone delivery hub in Blanchardstown, meanwhile, Cork City Council has also sent the company letters raising concerns about its operation there.

Despite the supposed regulatory setbacks, Manna has completed more than 300,000 deliveries and partnered with more than 120 Irish businesses.

It has also teamed up with companies such as food delivery platforms JustEat and Deliveroo – and Uber, more recently, primarily servicing parts of Dublin. And last year, it expanded its focus and announced an entry into Cork’s airspace.

“This is a difficult decision because Ireland is where Manna was founded, built and first proven,” said Bobby Healy, the founder and CEO of Manna.

“However, in the absence of a clear national pathway to scale commercial drone delivery, we have to focus our investment in markets where that pathway is now clear.”

Manna has launched and operated drone delivery services in Ireland in Moneygall, Oranmore, Balbriggan, Blanchardstown and Cork, and has expanded services internationally to Finland and Texas.

It has made nearly 90,000 deliveries in its most mature market in Blanchardstown, where Manna has operated since early 2024.

Manna has been at the receiving end of criticism from residents – especially in Dublin 15 – where it runs four sites. Complaints include the frequency of drones, with one telling the Irish Independent that they saw “at least” 50 drones every day, as well as noise and environmental concerns.

According to Manna’s own account, its three planning permissions drew objections from 255 individuals.

Manna currently employs nearly 200 people across engineering, technology, operations and corporate functions in Dublin. It said that future employment and planned expansion at local delivery hubs will not proceed “at this time”. Earlier this year, the company announced around 300 new jobs in the country, alongside a $50m Series B raise.

“This decision does not affect Manna’s continued investment in Ireland, which will remain the company’s primary base for research and development, engineering, robotics, regulatory affairs, customer operations and corporate functions,” Manna clarified.

Responding to Manna’s decision, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD, said: “I regret the announcement and the uncertainty that this creates for workers and their families.

“Government are ensuring that all available supports are put in place for workers that may be impacted, including supports for retraining and job search assistance.”

Last August, the Department of Transport published a national policy framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems that aims to foster “growth and innovation, while ensuring that operations remain safe and secure and environmental and social concerns are managed”.

An action plan, published in March, laid out sixteen goals across planning, compliance, enforcement and innovation.

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.

Updated, 07:40pm, 19 June, 2026: The article has been updated with the Government’s response and background information.

Logitech teamed up with the Genshin Impact team for a special edition of its slim wireless keyboard, and the result feels more thoughtful than most licensed gear. The G515 Kamisato Ayaka special edition model, priced at $69.99 (was $170), takes the standard low-profile TKL hardware and wraps it in a clean white design that nods to the character without turning the whole thing into a billboard. It stays subtle enough for daily use while still giving fans something distinctive to look at every time they sit down.

The keyboard itself measures only 22 millimeters at its tallest point, giving it a very thin profile, thanks mostly to the low-profile GL mechanical switches and a chassis that has been shortened significantly by the lack of a number pad. The end product is a really slimline device, with the white body featuring some really sleek light blue and lavender artwork down the edges, as well as swirling swirls and snowflake accents that pay homage to Ayaka’s cryo theme and her extremely graceful fan design. To accentuate the idea, the spacebar features a fan emblem and her name. The legends on the keycaps are designed in a way that uses a variety of colors that are readable even when the RGB lighting is turned on, since they do not clash with it.

The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT and have lasting legends, as well as a nice matte finish that does not shine with time. The casing provides significant sound dampening, as it is much quieter than many low-profile boards. The stabilisers are adequate for a prebuilt keyboard, though you may notice a slight vibration in the spacebar if you search for it. The feet on the bottom offer two tilt angles, allowing you to modify the slope without using any other equipment.

The 1.3-millimeter actuation point and 3.2-millimeter overall travel are beneficial for both typing and gaming, since the tactile brown switches in this edition are light and provide sharp feedback that registers rapidly without being mushy. The factory lubrication ensures that the keys remain smooth from day one. Going low profile also means less finger travel, which some individuals find less exhausting during extended sessions. The bad news is that there is no wrist rest in the box, so users who like one will have to either get used to the floating feel or create their own.

Wireless performance is based on Logitech’s LIGHTSPEED 2.4 GHz connection, which maintains a 1-millisecond report rate throughout gaming. There’s a Bluetooth option if you merely want to use it for light tasks or multi-device settings, as well as a USB-C wired mode that can be used as a backup or to charge. The provided dongle allows 2:1 pairing, which means that one USB port can handle both this keyboard and a compatible Logitech mouse. The battery should last for at least 36 hours with the RGB turned on, and much longer if you dim or turn off the lights. A USB-C to USB-A cable for charging is included in the box, along with the dongle and basic documentation.

The RGB illumination is fully incorporated into Logitech’s LIGHTSYNC system and looks stunning on the shine-through keycaps. Because this is a special edition, you’ll find some custom Ayaka-themed effects in G HUB, which focus on soothing blues and whites and subtle transitions rather than dramatic rainbow sweeps. The software allows you to build profiles, remap keys, and customize illumination by key or across zones. Onboard memory stores a few profiles, allowing the keyboard to work properly on different computers without the need to reload anything.

• OpenAI’s Sam Altman and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki list future goals for the AI giant
• The world economy is now beginning to shape around AI and are committed to delivering tools that people would use
• The note also reaffirmed OpenAI’s commitment to AGI with a caveat: ensuring it benefits all of humanity

With modern AI solutions moving well beyond simple chatbots to agents and projected to evolve into operators, one could assume that the automation of everything is an eventual goal.

This, however, has been denied by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki, who said the goal of the artificial intelligence research and deployment company is not to automate everything but to allow people to make better decisions as AI improves their lives.