Follow Up 

Pebble is officially Pebble again

https://www.theverge.com/news/713931/pebble-smartwatch-name-trademark-recovered 

Microsoft admits it 'cannot guarantee' data sovereignty

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/microsoft_admits_it_cannot_guarantee/ 

Copilot Vision on Windows 11 sends data to Microsoft servers

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/23/microsoft_copilot_vision/

Intel is laying off 24,000 employees and retreating from some countries

https://www.theverge.com/news/713388/intel-q2-2025-leave-germany-poland-costa-rica 

Two major AI coding tools wiped out user data after making cascading mistakes 

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/07/ai-coding-assistants-chase-phantoms-destroy-real-user-data/ 

FDA employees say the agency's Elsa generative AI hallucinates entire studies

https://www.engadget.com/ai/fda-employees-say-the-agencys-elsa-generative-ai-hallucinates-entire-studies-203547157.html?src=rss 

Five years after launch, Apple News+ audio stories expand beyond the U.S.

https://9to5mac.com/2025/07/23/five-years-after-launch-apple-news-audio-stories-expand-beyond-the-u-s/ 

News 

Women Dating Safety App 'Tea' Breached, Users' IDs Posted to 4chan

https://www.404media.co/women-dating-safety-app-tea-breached-users-ids-posted-to-4chan/ 

OnePlus Nord 5 review: selfie-centric midranger

https://www.theverge.com/phones/712142/oneplus-nord-5-review 

Inventor claims bleach injections will destroy cancer tumors 

https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/07/inventor-claims-bleach-injections-will-destroy-cancer-tumors/ 

Apple solves its social media fragmentation problem with ‘In the Loop’

https://9to5mac.com/2025/07/24/apple-in-the-loop-newsroom/ 

Anti-reflective iPhone 17 Pro display could make up for loss of ProMotion exclusivity

https://9to5mac.com/2025/07/23/iphone-17-pro-display-rumor-could-be-a-great-differentiator-in-lineup/ 

Apple announces AppleCare One multi-device bundle with simplified pricing

https://9to5mac.com/2025/07/23/applecare-one-warranty-bundle/ 

Proton is launching a privacy-focused AI chatbot

https://www.theverge.com/news/711860/proton-privacy-focused-ai-chatbot 

Media 

iPlayer apple TV and subtitles 

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/07/22/apple-tv-captions/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/questions/accessibility/apple-tv-subtitles 

Aardman’s Pokémon show is a delightful-looking romp that follows Sirfetch'd and Pichu

https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/aardmans-pokemon-show-is-a-delightful-looking-romp-that-follows-sirfetchd-and-pichu-165907651.html?src=rss 

TAG (2018)

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tag_2018#reviews

Stick Series on Apple TV

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/stick

Games

Grim and joyful deckbuilder The Royal Writ is coming for genre king Balatro next month 

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/grim-and-joyful-deckbuilder-the-royal-writ-is-coming-for-genre-king-balatro-next-month 

Kingdom Rush 5 Alliance

https://www.kingdomrushalliance.com/ 

Donkey Kong Bananza is a worthy successor to Super Mario Odyssey’s legacy 

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/07/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-worthy-successor-to-super-mario-odysseys-legacy/ 

Main Show

VPN in the UK

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/722903  

UK VPN demand soars after debut of Online Safety Act

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/uk_vpn_demand_soars/ 

Reddit and Discord’s UK age verification can be defeated by Death Stranding’s photo mode

https://www.theverge.com/report/714402/uk-age-verification-bypass-death-stranding-reddit-discord 

App of the Week 

Octopus Electoverse

https://electroverse.com/?source=ga-community&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22231672990&gclid=CjwKCAjwv5zEBhBwEiwAOg2YKAZoWuU0iQe8Dv4eQ0L_p65v6EAaHZqPDxsoI6LMoiJPrF9GTMU4RxoCmnYQAvD_BwE

Thing of the Week 

Back in Action

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/back_in_action_2025#reviews

Contact

@g5maniac@mastodon.scot

@g5maniac.bsky.social

@_cjp@mastodon.social