Internal files add to evidence of an ExxonMobil climate deception campaign

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Ars Technica •
Nicholas Kusnetz, Inside Climate News
• October 8, 2026

Internal files released in a Massachusetts lawsuit against ExxonMobil add to evidence of a long-term deception campaign regarding climate change. These documents, part of a batch previously undisclosed, include warnings from Frank Sprow in 1988 that a worldwide consensus on greenhouse gas effects could negatively impact the company. They also contain recent statements from Exxon scientists challenging the feasibility of its public claims about biofuels and carbon capture technology. Experts say these records provide new details on internal deliberations from the 1980s to the 2010s, aligning with hundreds of other confidential files already reported by news organizations and legal sources.

An experimental tour-de-force: Entanglement between glass bead and light

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Ars Technica •
Chris Lee
• October 8, 2026

Researchers successfully entangled a beam of light with a glass bead, an achievement that defies everyday experience because such connections usually disappear instantly in larger objects. Quantum entanglement means two linked objects behave in correlated ways, even when separated by vast distances without any time delay. While people often think photons are separate entities, this experiment shows they can be joined so that measuring one instantly sets the state of the other.

Amazon builds 1,000th satellite, will launch space internet service by end of year

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Ars Technica •
Eric Berger
• October 8, 2026

Amazon has completed its 1,000th satellite at its factory in Kirkland, Washington, marking a major step toward launching its space internet service by the end of the year. The company aims to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb by delivering broadband from low-Earth orbit. Rajeev Badyal, who previously led Starlink before being fired by Elon Musk, now heads Amazon’s Leo project alongside Paul Palcisco and Chris Weber.

Amazon’s new Alexa Tablets drop the Fire branding but are more Android than ever

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Ars Technica •
Ryan Whitwam
• October 8, 2026

Amazon has introduced a new line of tablets called Alexa Tablets, marking a significant shift from its long-running Fire brand. For fifteen years, Fire tablets ran a custom version of Android known as Fire OS that lacked Google integration and relied on Amazon’s own app store. That store closed last year, but the new devices are now fully certified by Google to run standard Android with the Play Store and access to all major apps. This represents a stark contrast to Amazon’s Fire Sticks, which use a custom Linux-based operating system called Vega OS.

RFK Jr. unveils sweeping federal initiative to find evidence of vaccine injuries

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Ars Technica •
Beth Mole
• October 8, 2026

Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a federal initiative focused on injuries claimed to be related to vaccines. The plan includes four main components: opening a new clinic at the National Institutes of NIH dedicated to studying and caring for patients with post-vaccination health problems; reimbursing doctors for reporting possible vaccine injuries to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS); overhauling VAERS to make it simpler and more accessible, including mobile reporting tools; and requiring electronic health records to include information about vaccine injuries.

Driver wins $76 after ALPR led to bogus traffic stop, drug searches

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Ars Technica •
Cyrus Farivar
• October 8, 2026

A federal jury in Texas recently ruled in favor of Alek Schott, a Houston resident who sued Bexar County and its sheriff. The plaintiff’s attorneys described the case as an "unconstitutional traffic stop scheme" enabled by AI-powered license plate readers. Late last month, Schott was awarded $76, one dollar for each minute he was detained. He requested this specific amount as symbolic compensation.

RIP Margaret Hamilton, whose code saved the Apollo 11 Moon landing

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Ars Technica •
Jennifer Ouellette
• October 8, 2026

Margaret Hamilton, who coined the term "software engineering" and led flight software development for NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960s, died last week at age 90. Olivier de Weck, interim head of the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, called her a pioneer ahead of her time who developed advanced code to help create one of humanity’s most complex systems. Born in 1936 in Paoli, Indiana, Hamilton graduated from Earlham College in 1958 with a mathematics degree and a minor in philosophy. She later worked for MIT mathematician Edward Lorenz, teaching herself programming when computers were still a novelty.

Let’s Encrypt cuts certificate lifetimes to 64 days starting February 2027

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Ars Technica •
Nick Indge
• October 8, 2026

Let’s Encrypt is reducing the lifetime of free SSL/TLS certificates from 90 days to 64 days, starting on February 10, 2027. The organization plans to begin testing these shorter certificates on October 14, allowing interested users to opt in before the change goes live for everyone. This adjustment aims to push more users toward full ACME automation rather than relying on hardcoded renewal schedules or manual processes that may cause unexpected expirations.

Feds get ready to rewrite car headlight rules

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Ars Technica •
Jonathan M. Gitlin
• October 8, 2026

The current administration plans to rewrite Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) regarding car headlights to modernize regulations by 2026. Jonathan Morrison of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that existing rules prevent automakers from using the latest safety-improving lighting technologies. He explained that this new negotiated rulemaking process aims to address glare and foster innovation while keeping roads safer.

Judge weighs if Trump can charge $100K for early access to Truth Social posts

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Ars Technica •
Ashley Belanger
• October 8, 2026

A federal judge will soon decide if President Donald Trump can legally charge up to $100,000 monthly for early access to his Truth Social posts. Department of Justice attorney Brantley Mayers argued that selling this API access does not violate the law, comparing Trump’s paid feed to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s free "fireside chats." Mayers suggested that just as some Americans in the 1930s and 40s could not afford radios, some news groups today cannot afford Trump’s high fees.