TRANSCRIPT · It: Welcome to Derry Drops Surprise Halloween Episode ## It: Welcome to Derry Drops Surprise Halloween Episode (IGN) https://www.ign.com/articles/it-welcome-to-derry-drops-surprise-halloween-episode GRANT BRICKMAN: HBO jump-scares subscribers with a surprise Halloween episode of It: Welcome to Derry. ODETTE: Give it background: where it came from, who else covered it. DIRECTOR MARGE: Out of time, so THE BACKGROUND. Go. GRANT BRICKMAN: Good evening. For viewers just joining us: HBO has dropped a surprise Halloween episode of It: Welcome to Derry. Time for the big picture. GRANT BRICKMAN: Vera, how did we get here? I assume it was announced on a teletext page and nobody checked it. DR. VERA VECTOR: Per the article, it is called A Story of Derry and runs about thirty minutes, roughly half the usual hour. GRETA FOOTNOTE: And nobody saw it coming? DR. VERA VECTOR: The article says there was no prior announcement. Season 1 came a year ago; season two is greenlit, but late 2027 at the earliest. GRANT BRICKMAN: And what are the other outlets saying? Besides gasping. DR. VERA VECTOR: io9 at Gizmodo reports it treats you to a surprise Halloween episode, for anyone wanting something new and scary. GRETA FOOTNOTE: Vera, what is still open? DR. VERA VECTOR: The report doesn't say why now, or whether more specials follow. Fans only guessed a Halloween drop beforehand. GRANT BRICKMAN: Thank you, Vera. A surprise at this hour. Sleep with the lights on, folks. ## Sylphide OS Brings Desktop Computing to Microcontrollers (Hackster.io) https://www.hackster.io/news/sylphide-os-brings-desktop-computing-to-microcontrollers-446441a706b1 GRETA FOOTNOTE: A cheap microcontroller gets a 1980s desktop, mouse included. GRANT BRICKMAN: Welcome to the Pixel Panel. We first told you about Sylphide OS Saturday at 00:35. Tonight: should a cheap chip play desktop? LYLE HOTCHKISS: By March 2028 every toaster has a desktop, a mouse and a login screen. Mark the date. PRUDENCE NUANCE: Charming, but the article says no MMU and little RAM. So Linux no, desktop yes? GRANT BRICKMAN: Capricelli says a computer needs more than a processor and a few GPIO pins. I assumed pins were for lapels. LYLE HOTCHKISS: A chip with limited RAM draws a desktop, and my laptop sulks every morning. I take that as a personal insult from the laptop. PRUDENCE NUANCE: Both true: it feels like a real desktop, and it copies no particular machine. The article says so. GRANT BRICKMAN: It is open source and uses inexpensive chips. Is that a bargain or a hobby? LYLE HOTCHKISS: Open source on a cheap chip? That's the Gutenberg Bible printed on a postage stamp, with the Moon landing in the margin. PRUDENCE NUANCE: The stated goal is the feel of the era, not speed. Nobody asked the keyboard. GRANT BRICKMAN: Thank you both. Vote at home: could a microcontroller be your desktop? ## Pixels in Brief (PXL) GRANT BRICKMAN: Four headlines in half a minute, with Greta. GRETA FOOTNOTE: Quick round. A judge let the NAACP's xAI pollution suit go on. xAI's motion was the thing dismissed. GRETA FOOTNOTE: AO3, the fanfiction library, is down for up to a month after a hack. The cliffhanger is the uptime. GRETA FOOTNOTE: Eight anime counted: in Frieren, 500 words cover 85.9% of words but only 38.4% of lines. Study harder. GRETA FOOTNOTE: An Xbox manager said AI is already used in game development, then deleted the comments. Undo is a feature. ## [AD · fictional product] Wanderloo KAI: Pack your bags and charge your phone, KAI: USB-C, you're not alone! KAI: Wanderloo, the trip app true, KAI: Book it, hop it, see it through! AI-written satire. The text of the news items comes from the linked articles.