Ponytail: less code for coding agents
Ponytail is a tool and skill for coding agents focused on reducing generated code in real development tasks. Its approach gives agents more precise operational context so they can produce smaller, faster, and cheaper changes; the README publishes comparative measurements against sessions without the skill. It is relevant for teams using agents on existing repositories and wanting to measure cost, speed, and change size. Its results should be validated in the target workflow before treating the reported figures as a general guarantee.
TimesFM - Time Series Foundation Model
TimesFM is a pretrained time-series foundation model by Google Research designed for forecasting both multivariate and univariate series with native covariate support (past-only and past-and-future). It has achieved rank #1 overall on multiple benchmarks including fev-bench, TIME Benchmark, and GIFT-Eval. The latest version (3.0) improves upon previous releases with 200M parameters, extended 16k context length, optional quantile heads for long-range forecasts, and broader ecosystem integrations like BigQuery ML, Google Sheets, and Vertex AI Model Garden. Notably, while the source code is Apache-2.0 licensed, TimesFM 3.0 pretrained weights are under a separate non-commercial license prohibiting commercial or production use.
{fmt}: A fast and safe C++ text formatting library
{fmt} is an open-source formatting library that provides a fast and safe alternative to traditional C formatting functions like printf and C++ iostreams. It implements the C++20 std::format and C++23 std::print standards, using a syntax similar to Python's format strings for ease of use. Its simple API allows formatting strings with positional arguments, which is particularly useful for application localization. The library stands out for its high performance, outperforming common standard library implementations, and its small code size in both source files and compiled output. It is fully type-safe, with automatic memory management preventing buffer overflows and the ability to catch format string errors at compile time. It is ideal for C++ developers seeking efficiency, portability, and ease of use without external dependencies, under a permissive MIT license. The library features extensive testing, continuous integration across Linux, macOS, and Windows, and optional header-only configuration via the FMT_HEADER_ONLY macro.
Google Avoids Breakup of Ad Tech Business in Major Ruling
Google has successfully avoided a forced breakup of its ad tech business, marking a significant legal victory for the tech giant amid increasing regulatory scrutiny. The ruling, issued by a federal court, preserves Google's current structure in digital advertising operations, allowing the company to maintain its dominant position in the online ad market. This outcome reinforces Google's control over a critical segment of the internet economy. The decision comes after prolonged regulatory battles concerning Google's market power and its effects on competition. Critics and regulators have long argued that Google's vertical integration across the advertising supply chain harms competitors and stifles innovation. However, the court determined that proposed remedies were disproportionate and unsupported by sufficient evidence, ultimately siding with Google's defense. This ruling carries far-reaching implications for the future of tech regulation in the U.S. and globally. As authorities worldwide intensify their scrutiny of major tech companies, the favorable outcome for Google may set a precedent affecting similar cases involving other dominant players in their respective markets.
Paint.net 5.2 alpha now runs on Linux
Paint.net 5.2 alpha now runs on Linux
Aging Brains Blend Memories, Not Just Forget Them
A new study reveals that aging doesn't just impair memory—it changes how the brain organizes memories. Researchers found that older adults tend to merge details from similar events, creating hybrid memories rather than simply forgetting information. Experiments showed that when recalling similar experiences, aging brains activate overlapping neural patterns, making it difficult to distinguish between distinct episodes. This mechanism may explain why older adults often confuse details of past events while retaining the general gist of their experiences.
World's Largest Dark Matter Detector Catches a Strange Particle
The world's largest dark matter detector, known as XENONnT, has recorded an unusual particle signal that doesn't match existing particle physics models. Located at Italy's Gran Sasso National Laboratory, the experiment uses more than 8 tons of liquid xenon to capture the faint interactions between dark matter and ordinary matter. The detected signal could potentially be linked to axions, neutrinos, or even an entirely new form of physics that scientists have yet to identify. Researchers emphasize that while the finding is exciting, more data is needed to confirm the exact origin of the particle. The team continues to analyze results and collect new information to rule out possible noise sources or interference. If confirmed, this discovery could transform our understanding of the universe and open new research avenues in the search for elusive dark matter. This breakthrough represents a significant milestone in experimental physics, demonstrating the capability of current detectors to identify extremely weak signals. The international scientific community will closely follow XENONnT's next steps, which could provide crucial clues about the composition of the 85% of matter that makes up the cosmos but remains invisible to our instruments.
Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
Commodore 64 released September 1, 1982
Mistral AI allows opting out of data used for model training
Mistral AI has implemented options allowing users to opt out of having their input and output data used for model training. The company emphasizes that users retain full control over their data processing and can exercise their right to opt out of these programs at any time. For regular Vibe users, the opt-out is not enabled by default, so they must manually disable it in platform settings. Enterprise customers, however, are opted out by default with management handled at the admin level. Mobile users can opt out by navigating to Settings > Data & Account Controls and deselecting the "Enable data sharing" checkbox. For API and Studio services, users must access the Admin panel and disable the toggle in the "Anonymous improvement data" section under the Privacy menu. Importantly, Vibe and API opt-out toggles operate independently, requiring separate configuration for each service.
LWN Announces 20% Subscription Price Increase After Five Years
LWN (Linux Weekly News) has announced a subscription price increase of approximately 20%, effective September 15, marking only the third price adjustment since adopting the subscription model in 2002. The new rates will be $6 for Starving hacker, $11 for Professional hacker, $19 for Project leader, and $55 for Maniacal supporter, with group subscriptions seeing similar increases. The publication cites nearly 20% cumulative inflation and rising costs, particularly health insurance, as the primary reasons for the adjustment.
Google Launches Gemini 3.8 Flash & Flash Cyber for Agentic AI
Google has unveiled two new AI models: Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber. These are engineered to advance agentic workflows, providing enhanced speed and sophisticated reasoning to autonomously handle complex tasks. The Cyber variant features specialized cybersecurity capabilities, enabling real-time threat detection and incident response. This update solidifies Google's commitment to generative AI applied to business automation and digital protection, offering powerful tools for developers and enterprises.