Daily Tech News 28 June 2026

• You might not be interested in Langford's basilisk, but Langford's basilisk is interested in you. (Nerds.xyz)
  
  Langford's basilisk is a science fiction concept where images can be crafted specifically to rewire the brain.
  
  This doesn't work well on humans - and a good thing too, because in the original story it was instantly fatal. But guess what can also see and in some sense understand images and has no separation of instructions and data?

• Scientists have deciphered a 2000 year old lump of charcoal. (Smithsonian)
  
  The charcoal was originally a scroll from Herculaneum, destroyed along with the rest of the city in the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79. And much of it was destroyed again in 19th and 20th century attempts to decipher the carbonised chunk.
  
  If you think I'm exaggerating the scroll's condition, the article has pictures.
  
  
  
• Speaking of carbonised scrolls, why were two scientific papers by Max Planck retracted? (Science)
  
  Because computers are dumb.
  
  
  
• A tiny coffee table the size of a scorpion is forcing scientists to rethink carpentry. (Scitech Daily)
  
  Because headline writers are also dumb.
  
  
  
• With DDR3 and even DDR2 RAM prices on the increase, how about DDR1? Is that still safe? (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Maybe. And you can run Windows 11 on it if you can find the rest of the parts in working order. IoT Edition, anyway, which doesn't have the pointless restrictions of the desktop version.
  
  
  
• Analysts expect memory prices to double by the end of the year and increase by another 40% next year, before easing slightly in 2028 maybe. (WCCFTech)
  
  Yay.
  
  
  
• Reservations for Valve's Steam Machine are being resold on eBay for $2700. (WCCFTech)
  
  That's for an entry level computer that is already wildly overpriced at $1349 thanks to the DRAM Apocalypse. Not clear if that includes the cost of the Gabe Cube or if it's just the reservation.
  
  
  
• The PlayStation 6 is expected to cost at least $1000. (Notebook Check)
  
  Sony is not planning to delay its release because things are only going to get worse.
  
  
  
• Speaking of getting worse, Sony will be removing 551 films from the libraries of PlayStation Network customers in the UK and Europe. (Notebook Check)
  
  And no, they won't be getting refunds.
  
  
  
• Casio has reintroduced three models of its classic digital watches in the US, priced at $55. (Notebook Check)
  
  Wait. That's actually not terrible. What's going on here?
  
  
  

posted by Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

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