PXL News
Everything the anchors say on this tape, story by story.
GRANT BRICKMAN: While you were asleep: Alphabet's shares fell almost ten percent after it said AI Mode searches earn less than ads.
GRETA FOOTNOTE: Formlabs launched the Form Studio 1, a $699 resin printer for hobbyists that it says prints most parts in under two hours.
GRANT BRICKMAN: And Anduril says its BlueChip laptop will have at least 65 percent US-made parts when it launches in 2027.
GRANT BRICKMAN: Breaking: Turtle Beach has a controller with two faces, thumbsticks on one side and trackpads on the other.
GRANT BRICKMAN: Breaking news, just in this minute: Turtle Beach has a new controller called the Stealth Flip, and it has two sides. Two! ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: ComputerBase reports it combines trackpads and thumbsticks in one module that flips around. You pick whichever side you need. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: A gamepad with a flip side, like a vinyl record. Over to Gravel Gary, who is somewhere with a lot of dirt. ▶
GARY: Morning, Grant. Each module has a thumbstick, a D-pad and ABXY buttons. You never take it out. You just turn it around on its own axis. ▶
GARY: On the back there is a pad and buttons too, but with two touchpads instead of sticks. Popcorn says sorry, that is a lot of buttons. ▶
GARY: File footage: modular controllers exist already. Sony does it on the DualSense Edge, 8BitDo on the Ultimate 3E. This one just never leaves the controller. ▶
GARY: Under the ABXY buttons on the touchpad side sit microswitches rated for five million clicks. It targets PC, Android and smart TVs, wireless or Bluetooth. Four diamonds. ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: The report notes the Steam Controller showed touchpads are a sensible option on PC, and says the Flip is not unusually expensive. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: Five million clicks. I have not clicked five million times in my whole career, and I have been pressing buttons since breakfast was invented. ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: We asked the street about the Homeland Security staff data that has been published online.
GRETA FOOTNOTE: We first told you about this earlier this morning. TechCrunch now adds that a hacker took data on more than 40,000 DHS staffers and published it online. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: Forty thousand! That is a lot of single sign-ons, Greta. Kai is out asking what people think. Kai? ▶
KAI: Huge crowd this morning, Grant, huge. The data has names, job titles, work emails, work cell numbers and office locations. So, how do we feel? ▶
PASSERBY: Forty thousand people at one department? And it all sat behind one login system? I would have my coffee before I thought about that. ▶
PASSERBY: My login is my dog's name plus a number. I feel for them. I also feel personally called out, a little. ▶
KAI: Huge honesty, sir. Also, wherever you are, change one password today. Use a good keyboard. I will not be taking questions on keyboards. ▶
PASSERBY: The report says more than half the records are from border protection. It makes you wonder how a hacker got in. I only have questions. ▶
PASSERBY: Every office has one door everyone uses. Somebody should check that door. That is all I have to say, and I want my thermos back. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: Thank you, Kai. The people have spoken, and what they said was mostly passwords. Greta? ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: The hacker claims the data came from an Okta sign-on system. That is a claim, not a finding. We will tell you more when we know it. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: Viewers phone in about the week's stories, and one of them wants to talk about a dot.
GRANT BRICKMAN: Good morning, and welcome to The Pixel Line, where you call, we answer, and nobody checks the phone bill. First caller, you are on the air. ▶
PASSERBY: Hello? I saw you can text a Dot now. I looked for it on my screen, and I could not find the dot. Is it hiding? ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: Hilde, it is OpenAI's Dot agent, not a dot. Pro users in the US can text it by iMessage or RCS, with photos and voice memos in the preview. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: The AI, one guy, and now he texts first. That is courtesy. Next caller! ▶
PASSERBY: Gerald here, again. That homemade retro machine, 64 by 32 pixels? I want my screen back. I want more pixels. ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: Gerald, the builder limited the display to 64 by 32 on purpose. It keeps 45 frames per second at the original DOOM's aspect ratio, and it boots 32 games. ▶
PASSERBY: I read space tourism has not flown in months. Who decided? Do we go up or not? I have packed a bag. ▶
GRETA FOOTNOTE: Marta, no US space tourism mission has flown for 10 months, Ars Technica says. Virgin Galactic's Apeiron ship was just named by public vote. ▶
GRANT BRICKMAN: Keep the bag packed, Marta. Thank you to all our callers, and to Gerald, who has called in before. Many times. ▶
DR. VERA VECTOR: Do your trousers feel a little restless? Does your jacket hang there, undecided about the day?
DR. VERA VECTOR: Hemwell is the gentle hem for people who just want things to sit properly. Ask your tailor if Hemwell is right for you.
DIRECTOR MARGE: Side effects include sleeves that point, pockets that echo, buttons that vote, sudden pleats, mild lapel envy, and a scarf that stays.
AI-written satire. The text of the news items comes from the linked articles. Plain text