NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft began supersonic test flights today, aiming to replace disruptive sonic booms with quieter “thumps,” potentially revolutionizing overland supersonic travel. Comcast announced a major restructuring, spinning off its media arms including NBCUniversal and Sky, which caused shares to surge over 20%. OpenAI recruited Paul Meade, Apple Vision Pro’s VP, signaling a ramp-up in AI hardware development. Chinese AI developer Zhipu AI’s GLM 5.2 model outperformed Anthropic’s Claude in cybersecurity benchmarks, highlighting China’s advances despite trade restrictions. Meanwhile, HackerRank’s open-source applicant tracking system revealed dramatic inconsistencies in resume scoring, raising concerns about AI-driven hiring fairness.
AI
- GLM 5.2 beats Claude in our benchmarks
Zhipu AI’s open-weight GLM 5.2 scored 39% F1 on vulnerability detection, surpassing Anthropic’s Claude Code in cybersecurity tasks, despite trailing Semgrep’s specialized pipeline. - China’s Z.ai claims it can match Mythos on cybersecurity
China’s GLM-5.2 reportedly rivals Mythos in bug detection, narrowing the gap with US AI developers despite export restrictions. - HackerRank open sourced its ATS. My resume scored 90/100. Oh wait 74. No – 88
HackerRank’s open-source applicant tracking system produces wildly inconsistent resume scores on repeated runs, exposing risks of unfairness in AI-driven hiring. - Apple Vision Pro VP Jumps Ship to OpenAI
Paul Meade, who led hardware at Apple Vision Pro, is moving to OpenAI to help build its upcoming AI hardware products.
Business & Industry
- Comcast is splitting its media and broadband properties
Comcast announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal and Sky into an independent media company within a year, boosting its shares by over 20% amid evolving competition. - Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron Sued in US over Memory Price Fixing
Major memory manufacturers including Micron face a US lawsuit accusing them of colluding to fix prices in the volatile memory market. - Why Wall Street thinks US memory maker Micron is the next Nvidia
Micron’s stock has soared over 236% in the past month due to surging AI data center demand driving memory shortages, briefly surpassing Meta and Tesla in market cap. - Rocket Lab is buying Iridium’s satellite network for $8 billion to take on SpaceX
Rocket Lab will acquire Iridium Communications’ satellite constellation, combining satellite launches with a global communications network targeting SpaceX’s dominance. - Omen AI’s plan to optimize data centers is all wet
Omen AI raised $31M to deploy spectrometers that monitor fluid health in liquid-cooled data centers, aiming to prevent costly bacterial outbreaks before they occur. - Ford rehires ‘gray beard’ engineers after AI falls short
Ford brought back 350 veteran engineers as AI-based quality control underperformed, blending human expertise with automated systems for better results.
Hardware
- NASA's X-59 "frankenjet" tests supersonic flight without the sonic boom
NASA’s X-59 began supersonic test flights designed to reduce sonic booms to quiet “thumps,” aiming to allow future overland supersonic passenger travel. - China claims the world’s fastest supercomputer
China’s LineShine supercomputer overtook the US at the top of the TOP500, crossing the 2,000 exaflop barrier without GPUs but using 45,000 LX2 CPUs. - Sandia National Labs SA3000 8085 CPU
A historical look at Sandia Labs’ radiation-hardened CMOS 8085 processor from the 1980s used in space missions and nuclear weapons systems. - Flipper Device’s new Busy Bar is a customizable display for productivity
Flipper Devices launched the Busy Bar, a LED productivity timer with IoT connectivity and app support, designed to help users signal “do not disturb” status. - The Flipper Zero creators’ Busy Bar productivity display will go on sale next month
Following last year’s announcement, the productivity-focused Busy Bar will be on sale July 14th, offering customizable LED messages and timers to reduce distractions. - Trouble Staying Focused? Try Flipper's Updated 'Do-Not-Disturb' Gadget
Flipper released an updated Busy Bar with improved hardware, software ecosystem and open API to help users block distractions with a physical status display. - Apple Reportedly Lobbies Trump Admin for Permission to Buy Chinese Chips
Apple is lobbying for approval to buy memory chips from Chinese firm CXMT amid a global chip shortage driving pricing up for its products. - This Humanoid Robot Is a Terrifyingly Competent Office Intern
Swiss startup Flexion Robotics demoed a humanoid robot autonomously performing complex office tasks by combining AI skill-learning in simulation with a master control system.
Security & Privacy
- Top Google Security Staff Warn Search Data Could Be Hacked if EU Rules Change
Google’s security leaders warned European proposals to open search data and Android OS access to competitors could lead to increased fraud and cybercrime. - Prosecutors used ChatGPT logs as evidence in the Palisades fire trial
ChatGPT conversation logs were submitted as evidence in an arson trial, but the jury remained unconvinced, leading to a mistrial. - HackerRank open sourced its ATS. My resume scored 90/100. Oh wait 74. No – 88 (also AI category)
Demonstrated that scores from HackerRank’s AI-powered resume screener can vary widely even for the same resume.
Policy & Law
- California law targeting loud streaming ads takes effect on July 1
California’s new law banning streaming ads louder than accompanying content goes into effect tomorrow, with similar legislation coming to Illinois next year. - The war against ‘woke’ could end US science as we know it
Proposed US federal rule changes threatening scientific research funding oversight and international collaboration have alarmed the scientific community, with public comments still open until July 13. - Pollen (CEO Negus-Fancey, CTO Wright) tried to remove article, and Google helped
Former events startup Pollen’s leadership attempted to get a critical article removed from Google search, relating to the company’s 2022 collapse amid unpaid wages and vendor fees.
Culture & Media
- The Cube is Jim Henson’s little-known proto-Black Mirror masterpiece
A rediscovered 1969 experimental teleplay by Jim Henson explores surreal, existential themes in a confined white cube setting—a precursor to modern mind-bending TV like Black Mirror. - Robin Byrd, the Sex Godmother of Millennials, Says the Internet Ruined Porn
An interview with Robin Byrd, NYC public access TV’s iconic adult show host, reflecting on her career, impact, and how the internet changed pornography. - How to end a TV show
Creators of the supernatural mystery series From share insights on balancing fan expectations and narrative closure as the show heads into its final season.
Sports & Events
- Everyone’s Mad at the World Cup’s New ‘Hydration Breaks’—Except Mr. Moneybags Over Here
FIFA’s introduction of scheduled hydration breaks at the World Cup sparked backlash for disrupting game flow, though they generate lucrative new ad slots. - How to Watch Netherlands vs. Morocco FIFA World Cup Game Live for Free
A guide for US viewers to watch today’s key knockout match between Netherlands and Morocco, including streaming and VPN options. - How to Watch Germany vs. Paraguay FIFA World Cup Game Live for Free
Details on streaming coverage for Germany vs Paraguay World Cup knockout match also scheduled for June 29. - How to Watch the Brazil vs. Japan FIFA World Cup Game Live for Free
Streaming options and details for the high-profile Brazil vs Japan World Cup knockout game airing June 29.
Other
- Rebuilding the Computer Room
A nostalgia piece reflecting on fixed-location “computer rooms” from childhood compared to today’s ubiquitous personal computing devices. - What happens when you run a CUDA kernel?
A deep dive explaining the complex CPU and GPU operations behind running a simple CUDA vector addition kernel on an RTX 4090. - The Download: metric weaknesses and AI elephant warnings
A newsletter highlights the pitfalls of over-reliance on quantifiable metrics and showcases AI warning systems for reducing lethal human-elephant conflicts in India. - I Found Jesus at a Drone Show
Coverage of a drone show at the Vatican producing religious visual spectacles, organized by Kimbal Musk’s company Nova Sky Stories.