TechCapsules

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science has awarded 12 Phase II projects with $159 million under the Genesis Mission, bringing the total to 297 funded initiatives. Two projects focus on quantum hardware: Harvard’s ASQC uses AI to automate quantum error‑correction code selection and co‑design with physical processors, while Oak Ridge’s AI‑Empowered Design of Functional Quantum Magnets creates a physics‑informed AI pipeline to engineer magnetic materials for quantum sensors and QPU platforms. Fermilab’s AXESS project, in partnership with [...]

Microsoft has announced that a single faulty driver can destabilize Windows 11, prompting the company to enforce its new Driver Quality Initiative (DQI) across the ecosystem. Intel became the first vendor to release GPU drivers fully compatible with the upcoming Windows 11 26H2 update, adding the support in its October 2026 driver version 32.0.101.9034. The same guidelines are already being applied to Intel’s Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth drivers, with broader GPU driver improvements expected soon. At the revived WinHEC conference, Microsoft outlined [...]

SafeWorld, an Oakland‑based startup, emerged from stealth this week after raising $12.2 million in seed financing led by Shine Capital and a16z Speedrun, with participation from Box Group, Carnegie Mellon University Endowment and others. The company offers a cloud‑based simulation platform that lets robotics developers test AI‑powered robots—ranging from arms and humanoids to mobile units—in rare or hazardous human‑interaction scenarios without endangering people. Co‑founders Kyle Wong and Ding Zhao, the latter a Carnegie Mellon Safe AI Lab director, [...]

Extend engineer Bo Lau launched an interactive website that recreates Elizabeth Holmes’ 2016 office, allowing users to navigate her MacBook, iPhone, and the Theranos Edison device using authentic emails, texts, slides and court‑exhibited documents from the United States v. Holmes criminal trial. The simulation mirrors the era’s technology—OS X El Capitan on a MacBook Air and a home‑button iPhone—while letting visitors “run” the Edison blood‑testing machine. Lau built the site to showcase Extend’s document‑parsing capabilities, promoting a watch party for [...]

The FBI and six allied agencies issued a joint advisory on Oct. 8 detailing a campaign by hackers linked to China‑based Integrity Technology Group (ITG), a firm sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. The actors stole email from government bodies, law‑enforcement, healthcare and religious groups across Southeast Asia, Africa and North America, using a custom tool with over 1,300 penetration‑testing scripts to scan for vulnerabilities, guess Microsoft 365 and Exchange passwords, and copy mailboxes. They also operated a web [...]

Four Crew‑12 astronauts returned to Earth after a 237‑day stint aboard the International Space Station, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean 50 miles west of Los Angeles at 11:34 a.m. ET on Thursday. The crew—NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA’s Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos’s Andrey Fedyaev—undocked from the Harmony module on Wednesday at 8:05 a.m. ET, began a 27.5‑hour return, and executed a nine‑minute deorbit burn at 10:46 a.m. ET. Dragon’s parachutes deployed at roughly 18,000 feet, slowing the capsule to about 15 mph before splashdown. [...]

Phantom Blade Zero, developed by In‑house and published by S‑Game, launched on PC and PS5 on October 29, 2026. The action‑RPG blends wuxia aesthetics with a “Soulslike” framework, offering generous parry windows, a forgiving health system, and fast‑travel bells that temper the genre’s typical punishment. Players control Soul, navigating vertical, open environments—ranging from ravine pathways to a village and a castle—while confronting enemies with a diverse arsenal, including the Phantom Edge axe. Combat emphasizes timing and style, allowing dual‑wield [...]

Phantom Blade Zero, S‑GAME’s upcoming sword‑parry action title, impresses previewer with relentless boss fights and a flamboyant visual style. After six hours of early access, the reviewer notes combat fluidity comparable to Sekiro, with tight parry windows, diverse melee weapons and secret‑filled levels that keep encounters fresh. Highlights include a cutscene where a character balances a baby on his blade, a lion‑dance boss, and chaotic wagon‑mounted battles. The game’s polish extends to bespoke weapon designs, such as [...]