Daily Tech News 21 December 2025

• You know how I said that the Minisforum AI X1-255 mini-PC that I bought cost 60-70% more on Minisforum's US store?
  
  Strike that.
  
  The US store was quoting me prices in AUD, making it just 10% more expensive than from Amazon Australia. (It's also available on Amazon US but they only have one in stock so you'd have to be quick.)
  
  Thanks to Rick C for the correction.
  
  
  
• Is AI useful for programming? Maybe. Sort of. (MIT Technology Review)
  
  I used it last week trying to extract information from a thoroughly-but-incorrectly-documented API, with ultimate success. The API was shit but the AI saved me hours of painful iteration trying different functions looking for one that worked.
  
  On the other hand, if you're carrying out a task where you know what to do you are likely better off doing it yourself, because you will end up with fewer and less severe bugs and a much better understanding of what the code is doing.
  
  And it will in all probability save time doing it yourself.
  
  
  

• In other wonderful AI news Larian, developer of Baldur's Gate III, says the memory drought is already affecting software development. (Notebook Check)
  
  Specifically they need to start optimisation before they even ship an early-access version, because they can no longer just recommend 32GB of RAM when customers can't buy 32GB of RAM.
  
  While Larian themselves have not been guilty of this, I'm not sure being forced to optimise games from the start is a bad thing given the number of titles that have launched recently in a state that left the unplayable on even the fastest available hardware.
  
  
  
• PearOS, a long-expired Linux version designed to look like MacOS, has been revived and updated with the latest kernel and KDE desktop. (The Register)
  
  It's incomplete, but interesting.
  
  
  
• Privacy is marketing. Anonymity is architecture. (Servury)
  
  The value of your service provider not being able to recover your password is that they can't do anything else to your account either because they don't know who you are.
  
  
  
• A newly discovered UEFI flaw allows hackers to break into your system the moment it boots. (Bleeping Computer)
  
  If they can plug directly into your PCIe bus.
  
  Which they can do without opening your system if you have Thunderbolt or OCuLink ports.
  
  The Minisforum AI X1-255, for example, has both.
  
  
  
• The best selling console is not what you think. (The Verge) (archive site)
  
  It's an underpowered overpriced gimmick called the Nex Playground aimed squarely at children. It uses motion tracking to let them interact directly with games without needing a controller, or any particular level of hand-eye co-ordination.
  
  Only problem is it kind of sucks.
  
  
  

posted by Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM

| Access Comments