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Today — 30 October 2026Main stream

Fujifilm to boost tape production 5x as AI fuels archiving demand

30 October 2026 at 17:38

In an announcement released Thursday, Fujifilm said it will invest roughly 10 billion yen (about $63 million) to increase its production capacity fivefold for an unlikely beneficiary of the AI era: magnetic tape.

Fujifilm attributes the surge in archiving demand to the spread of generative AI, which the company remarked is producing "exponential growth" in data needs worldwide. The 5x increase in production capacity will be measured against fiscal year 2025 production levels.

The investment in Fujifilm's Kanagawa Factory, Odawara site will make it "the largest investment Fujifilm has made to date in dedicated LTO tape facilities." The project will run from fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to fund manufacturing expansion and additional personnel, primarily to produce the latest-generation "FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium10" tape.

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© iStock / Getty Images Plus

Starbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru

By: Emma Roth
30 October 2026 at 17:38
A photo of a Starbucks drive-thru

Starbucks could eventually show you a personalized digital menu when you pull up to the drive-thru. During an earnings call on Thursday, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company is going to explore "experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless," as spotted earlier by More Perfect Union.

It sounds similar to the technology that Taco Bell is experimenting with, which could change the layout, content, and visuals on a digital menu board "on a car-by-car basis." McDonald's also recently showed off an AI-powered feature it's piloting at a handful of dri …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The delightfully messy state of Apple gadgets

30 October 2026 at 17:25

The iPhone has more screens! The MacBook has a touchscreen! The HomeView does CarPlay apps! For the first time in a long time, Apple is in a period of unabashed gadget experimentation, and while the final results aren't always perfect, it's fun to watch the most successful product maker try some new things again. Even when, in this case, "trying" amounts to just slapping a touch panel on a lovely new MacBook Pro - just to see if you might use it.

On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay debate the merits of a touchscreen laptop, Nilay explains why he is absolutely positively going to buy the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Rivian’s autonomy gamble faces its first real test

30 October 2026 at 17:16
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe watches Rivian R2s on the assembly line.
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe (left) watches Rivian R2s being built after an event at the Rivian assembly plant on May 19th, 2026, in Normal, Illinois. | Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images

During an hourlong earnings call last night, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe spent less time talking about the production ramp of the all-important R2 SUV than he did hyping the company's still-unproven autonomous vehicle ambitions.

But the company faces a crucial test later this year, when it rolls out its point-to-point hands-free driving feature - first to its own employees for testing and validation in 2026, and later to customers in 2027. Following that, Rivian says it will launch its first robotaxi vehicles in partnership with Uber in 2028. In short, the next two years will determine whether Rivian will succeed or fail in its high-stakes ques …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Thousands of “ghost students” use AI to steal millions in student loans, DOJ says

30 October 2026 at 16:53

The US has charged five individuals as part of the first broad federal crackdown on “ghost students”—fraudsters who steal the identities of hundreds of Americans to pose as fake college students and steal student loans.

In a press release Thursday, the Department of Justice said it had uncovered a large-scale scheme relying partly on AI. The DOJ seized more than $750,000 in cryptocurrency from “a network associated with Kenyan nationals" after data analysis helped flag likely fraudsters. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division credited new fraud-detection measures implemented by the Trump administration for the arrests. He said that “this is the first international seizure of its kind in Kenya,” while warning fraudsters that the crackdown has only just begun.

“If you steal American identities, if you steal taxpayer dollars, if you exploit programs meant to help students build a future—we will find you,” McDonald said. “Whether you are in Nebraska, New Jersey, Virginia, or Nairobi, we will pursue you.”

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© Siro Rodenas Cortes | Moment

Polymarket and Kalshi Face a Major Accuracy Test: The Midterms

30 October 2026 at 16:35
Studies have shown that the betting sites can predict races correctly, but their ability to forecast U.S. midterm elections is an important proving ground.

© Hilary Swift for The New York Times

Prediction platforms like Polymarket are hoping the U.S. midterm elections will be their moment to shine.

Analysts find looming launch crisis is "more severe" than anticipated

30 October 2026 at 16:12

A new report from the analytics firm Quilty Space confirms that, outside of China, the world faces a significant shortage of rockets over the next five years.

The firm estimates that between now and 2030, there will be a shortfall of about 150 launches compared to demand from satellite operators and civil space agencies. If demand from the US military is added in—and SpaceX does not extend the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy program to accommodate increased national security needs—the shortage could be doubled.

"What we wanted to get at is to understand how severe this launch crisis is and when will it be resolved," said Caleb Henry, director of research at Quilty Space. "What we learned is that the launch crisis is more severe than we thought and that it will not go away this decade for sure, and it might not abate until sometime late in the 2030s."

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© SpaceX

As Picard on ‘Star Trek’, Patrick Stewart Influenced Generations of Scientists

30 October 2026 at 15:55
Stewart’s iconic “Star Trek” character inspired astronomers and astronauts in countless ways: “You were the captain of my childhood,” one astrophysicist said.

© CBS, via Getty Images

Patrick Stewart in 1990 as Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
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