Anthropic's Claude AI escapes tests to hack three organisations

US technology firm Anthropic says its artificial intelligence (AI) models hacked into the systems of three organisations during a cybersecurity test due to an error that gave them access to the internet.

It comes just days after rival OpenAI said that its models had breached the systems of other companies, including AI tools hub Hugging Face.

The announcement prompted Anthropic to check whether its own models had carried out similar attacks. It says it uncovered three cases that have since been reported to the affected companies.

Anthropic, which did not name the organisations, urged other AI labs to perform similar reviews to better understand the risks of their models' capabilities.

Anthropic said in a statement, external that it reviewed more than 140,000 tests to find evidence that Claude - its family of AI models - could access the internet from testing environments that were designed to be sealed off.

www.bbc.co.uk

Microsoft faces claims it tricked people into AI subscriptions

Microsoft is facing an investigation over claims it tricked users into paying for more expensive AI subscriptions.

The competition watchdog is examining whether the US tech giant failed to give clear information when it added new features, including its AI tool Copilot, to existing plans.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation concerns Microsoft 365, a bundle of products that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Copilot. READ MORE...

www.telegraph.co.uk

1.7 million planned satellites to have ‘devastating’ impact on astronomy

In almost 60 years of space activities, more than 5200 launches have placed some 7500 satellites into orbit, of which about 4300 remain in space. This number is set to skyrocket.

For the first time, a European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has quantified the threat to astronomy posed by a large number of highly reflective satellites planned to launch in the coming years.

In the paper, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, ESO astronomer Olivier Hainaut argues that no more than 100,000 faint satellites – invisible to the naked eye – should orbit Earth.

Enforcing that guideline would preserve the darkness of the night sky and allow astronomers to continue cutting-edge science using modern telescopes.

Instead, there are existing proposals for more than 1.7 million satellites. These would have “devastating consequences for astronomy,” Hainaut claims.

The most disruptive of these, he argues, will be Reflect Orbital’s mirror-like satellites, which are designed to beam concentrated sunlight down to Earth at nighttime.

www.newatlas.com

eBay reaches $56M settlement with e-commerce newsletter writers it terrorized in 2019

 

One of the most bizarre episodes in e-commerce history has come to a close. eBay and several former eBay employees have agreed to pay $56 million to a newsletter-writing couple who were targeted by the company’s former executives in a horrific targeted harassment campaign that took place in 2019.

Ina and David Steiner, a married couple and the co-authors of EcommerceBytes, inspired the ire of high-level eBay executives after occasionally criticizing the company in their newsletter. In 2019, a plot was concocted to intimidate the couple into halting their negative coverage.

Executives used sock puppet social media accounts to harass the couple, while also sending them anonymous threatening letters and bizarre items in the mail — including live spiders and cockroaches, pornographic magazines, a bloody pig mask, a funereal wreath, and a book about surviving the death of a spouse.

According to previously released court documents, a plan that was attempted but never successfully carried out involved affixing a GPS tracking device to the couple’s car. Yet another internally broached plan involved sending a “Samoan gang” to the Steiners’ home. READ MORE...

www.techcrunch.com

Need to call your bank? Many can now dial 159 for safety

From MoneySavingExpert.com Consumers wanting to avoid financial fraud now have a secure and easy-to-remember phone number to contact their banks on in order to avoid painful scams. It could prove to be the safest way for many to contact their provider if they have suspicions and concerns about their accounts, or even if they're struggling to find a customer services number. 

Stop Scams UK and Global Cyber Alliance have today launched the UK-wide 159 call service, which is designed to guarantee consumers a safe route to contacting their banks.

The scheme is urging people to "stop, hang up and call 159" to check calls are for real. The idea is to help those who believe they have been contacted by scammers claiming to be their bank, or by fraudsters who encourage them to transfer money.

According to Stop Scams UK, criminal gangs stole over £470 million from individuals and small businesses last year by pretending to be a bank or other service provider, encouraging consumers to falsely make a payment or transfer money.

www.moneysavingexpert.com

Waterlooville Motorcycle Club Fossils 2026 - what a great day!

 

The Waterlooville Motorcycle Club -  Fossils Charity Bike Run is a long-established bike run in the motorcycling calendar the proceeds of which are donated to our nominated club charities. 

This year it was on 26th July. We started arriving at 9am and set off 11am. There were loads of bikes and riders. How many? Dunno - but the photos speak for themselves! There was about 10mins of rain - but then the sun came out & we had brilliant riding weather. The route comprised of 38 waypoints and was generally: Horndean, Clanfield, Warnford, West Meon, Privett, West Tisted, Winchester Hill, New Cheriton, The Hunters Inn - Swanmore (well worth a visit BTW!), Clanfield, Horndean.

After we got back to Horndean Technology College, we had a raffle & presentations were made. The three Charity partners were called up: Mental Health Motorbike, Serv Wessex - The Blood Runners & HIOWAA - Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance - all very worthy organisations.

What a brilliant day! Photos here - enjoy!

LG monitors are using Windows 11 feature to serve adware

LG has come under fire over its Monitor App Installer, which is automatically and silently installed when plugging in some of the company's monitors.

In this case, the monitor in question is a new LG UltraGear. Upon first connection to a Windows 11 device, the OS can check the associated device metadata and automatically install the manufacturer's UWP device app.

For that to happen, Microsoft says the user must have opted into Recommended Settings during Windows setup, be signed in to the Microsoft Store, and be online.

UPDATE:  LG has agreed to stop its Monitor App Installer pestering users with a McAfee pop-up after Microsoft's Windows boss intervened.

Pavan Davuluri wrote on social media: "We've connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app.

www.theregister.com

"System Administrator Appreciation Day" is the 31st July. Show your love!

Your network is secure, your computer is up and running, and your printer is jam-free. Why? Because you’ve got an awesome System Administrator keeping your business up and running. So say IT loud; say IT proud …

Happy SysAdmin Day! Wait… what exactly is SysAdmin Day? Oh, it’s only the single greatest 24 hours on the planet… and pretty much the most important holiday of the year. It’s also the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to the heroic men and women who, come rain or shine, prevent disasters, keep IT secure and put out tech fires left and right.

At this point, you may be thinking, "Great. I get it. My sysadmin is a rock star 😂. But now what?" Glad you asked! Nice n' easy, & no cost to you at all: give Donline some feedback (please)...

As a valued Donline client, I would like to invite you to go to Trustpilot & offer honest feedback on my services. If you have previously submitted feedback - I thank you 💖.

www.sysadminday.com

What is the Christian definition of religion?

The word religion is extremely rare in the New Testament or the writings of mystics. The reason is simple. Those attitudes and practices to which we give the collective name of religion are themselves concerned with religion hardly at all. To be religious is to have one’s attention fixed on God and on one’s neighbor in relation to God. Therefore, almost by definition, a religious man, or a man when he is being religious, is not thinking about religion; he hasn’t the time. Religion is what we (or he himself at a later moment) call his activity from outside.

By C.S. Lewis
From The World's Last Night

Bear Grylls & the cast of The Chosen - what's not to like!

“The Chosen In The Wild” TV series with adventure superstar Bear Grylls.

Bear took five of the cast members and Dallas Jenkins - into the wild separately and put us to significant tests. But this isn’t just an adventure show; the challenges brought out insights and emotions and change we didn’t expect.

The series follows the cast of the groundbreaking historical drama The Chosen as they take on challenges across forests, deserts, and canyons. Cast members Jonathan Roumie (Jesus), Paras Patel (Matthew), Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene), Noah James (Andrew), and Luke Dimyan (Judas) join series creator and executive producer Dallas Jenkins as Bear leads them through Utah's treacherous Castle Valley, Canyonlands, the Ausable River, the Colorado River, the Great Basin Desert, and the Adirondack Forest.

The series premieres 9th August 2026, on Prime Video, with all six episodes available at launch in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, the UK, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

www.youtube.com

Rogue OpenAI bot escaped lab and hacked rival

A powerful version of ChatGPT went rogue and hacked another technology company during internal testing, OpenAI has admitted.

The Silicon Valley AI giant admitted last night that one of its AI bots escaped from a supposedly secure IT system during a trial-run of its hacking capabilities.

OpenAI, the $850bn (£630bn) AI lab, said the “unprecedented” hack had seen its AI bot infiltrate another AI and coding business called Hugging Face and attempt to steal information.

The hack will raise fears that AI labs could struggle to contain their most advanced creations and revive concerns that new tools could be repurposed for unstoppable cyber attacks.

UPDATE 29 July 2026: OpenAI’s Rogue AI Agent Hacked More Than Just Hugging Face. In a new disclosure, OpenAI says its agent used exposed logins to gain access to at least four “publicly available services” in its unhinged quest to solve a test.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Hackers are exploiting recently patched WordPress bugs, putting millions of websites at risk

Hackers are breaking into websites that run vulnerable versions of the popular blogging software WordPress, according to several cybersecurity firms. One estimate puts the number of vulnerable WordPress websites at tens of millions as of Monday.

Last week, WordPress patched two critical security flaws, urging people who run its software on their websites to update it “immediately.” The vulnerabilities are so severe that WordPress enabled forced updates where possible. Since then, cybersecurity companies Patchstack, Hexastrike, and WatchTowr have all warned that hackers are exploiting the vulnerabilities in the wild, meaning they are taking over websites that are still running susceptible versions of WordPress. 

It’s unclear how many WordPress-powered websites on the internet are at risk, but it’s possible to make some educated guesses. The vulnerable versions of WordPress are 6.9.0 through 6.9.4, and 7.0.0 to 7.0.1. According to WordPress’ official stats, there are more than 400 million websites that run those flawed versions, although these statistics likely don’t reflect websites that have recently been patched.

www.techcrunch.com

Metropolitan Police to scrap roads policing division

Scotland Yard is planning to scrap its entire roads policing unit, prompting fears London will become even more dangerous for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) could be axed and the responsibilities spread across other teams as part of reforms across the Metropolitan Police to save money.

While the unit specialises in responding to and investigating road-traffic accidents, it also works alongside other departments to prevent and detect crime on the roads.

The unit is regarded as a first line of defence in the fight against serious and organised criminals who use the roads to transport illicit goods such as drugs and weapons around the capital. READ MORE...

www.telegraph.co.uk

Future of Superbike Factory unknown as used bike retail chain call in administrators

Used motorcycle dealership group Superbike Factory have appointed administrators amid ongoing financial difficulties.

“On 20 July 2026, Michael Lennon, James Saunders and Robert Halliday of KR8 Advisory Ltd were appointed as Joint Administrators of Superbike Factory Group Limited and Superbike Factory Limited,” a statement on the firm’s website read. “The companies have ceased to trade with immediate effect.

“All enquiries regarding the companies or the administration, including those from customers, should be directed by email to SBF@kr8.co.uk,” it continued. “The affairs, business and property of the companies are being managed by the Joint Administrators, who act as agents of the companies and without personal liability.”

Comments have now also been limited on the firm’s social media platforms, and MCN have so far been unable to make direct contact with the management for further information.

www.motorcyclenews.com

Microsoft Patches a Record 570 Security Flaws

 

Microsoft has just released software updates to plug at least 570 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, almost triple the number of vulnerabilities the software giant fixed in its record-smashing Patch Tuesday release last month. Microsoft attributed the burgeoning patch counts to vulnerability discoveries aided by artificial intelligence.

Nearly 60 of the bugs quashed in July’s Patch Tuesday earned a “critical” severity rating, meaning miscreants or malware could use them to seize remote control over a Windows device with little or no help from the user. Microsoft also addressed three zero-day flaws, including two that are already being exploited in the wild.

www.krebsonsecurity.com

England could copy Wales' 20mph default speed limit with MPs hearing evidence this week

A 20mph default speed limit could be heading for England, with MPs set to quiz experts this week on whether to implement the strategy already seen in Wales.

The Transport Committee’s third evidence session takes place on Wednesday, July 15, when members will question a panel of experts on the topic as part of an ongoing inquiry into the Government’s road safety strategy.

Setting local speed limits is currently the job of councils and National Highways, but the strategy commits to updating the guidance on how those limits are decided – and Wednesday’s session will look at whether England should go further and adopt 20mph as a national default in built-up areas.

The uncomfortable part for anyone hoping the numbers would knock the idea on the head is that a 2025 parliamentary briefing found the safety case broadly stacks up.

There is, it says, strong evidence that 20mph limits and zones are associated with reduced casualties and fatalities. In Wales, casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads fell by 24% in April to June 2024, compared with the same period the year before the new limits were introduced.

Motorcyclists have never warmed to blanket 20mph zones: holding a bike steady at such low speeds is awkward, demands constant attention to the speedo rather than the road, and does little for machine control. Many riders also question how much safety benefit the limits actually deliver once the novelty wears off.

Meanwhile, in other news: EU satellite speed limiter plans could see vehicles automatically slowed in 20mph zones. The technology already exists to warn drivers about speeding – now the EU is examining whether vehicles should actively prevent it. So much for the freedom of the open road...

www.motorcyclenews.com

The US government warns that Russia state hackers are coming after your router

The US federal government is warning users of home and small office routers to secure their devices as Russia state hackers continue to mass-compromise them for use in obscuring nefarious actions against sensitive organizations in the public and private sectors.

Both the Russian and Chinese governments have been compromising routers for years, sometimes in prolonged tugs-of-war to wrest control of devices the other has already commandeered. The US government has occasionally issued covert commands and taken other steps to disinfect routers. Google and other companies have also worked to disrupt the massive botnets that control compromised routers in lockstep. The actions to date are little more than whack-a-mole exercises as the operators simply replace their botnets with new ones.

When was the last time you checked your router settings, or to see if it's running up to date firmware? Need a hand: contact Donline.

www.arstechnica.com

AI-driven datacenter builds - drive Microsoft's emissions up a quarter in one year

Microsoft says it matched its entire electricity consumption with renewable energy last year. The bad news is it also increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent due to datacenter construction.

The cloud and software biz has released a 2026 Environmental Sustainability Report, claiming its environmental sustainability work is entering a new phase due to rapid technological change.

A global shift towards Artificial Intelligence is reshaping economies, the report claims, which is becoming “foundational” to how technology is built and used.

Producing the infrastructure to support AI, however, is also upping demand for energy, water, land, and materials required to support it, Microsoft admits.

www.theregister.com

SK Hynix CEO warns 2027 will be memory’s “worst year” ever, with shortages set to outlast the decade

Memory shortages have gripped all aspects of the tech industry, and it seems to have become the norm these days. As the supply crunch continues, the CEO of SK Hynix, one of the three largest DRAM producers, has said that things are about to get much worse for the memory market.

Talking to Reuters at the commemoration of SK Hynix's Nasdaq Trading Debut of its ADR, CEO Kwak Noh-jung stated that the memory industry will see its "worst-ever" supply shortages in the coming year (2027). SK Hynix has also forecasted that, given the current market demand, they will fall way short of fulfilling the market demand, and that will continue beyond 2030.

...Heightened demand from AI customers and multi-year agreements further put pressure on the market...

Meanwhile, in other news: Microsoft advises users to throw out their perfectly good working PCs - and buy new ones so they can "upgrade" from Windows 10 - to an inferior Windows 11 operating system. That's if you can find a replacement system / at a sensible price! It's a mad world, isn't it?...

www.wccftech.com

Meta’s teen safety case just became a $1.4 trillion existential threat - almost equivalent to its roughly $1.5 trillion market value

Thirty-three states have banded together to sue Meta, alleging that the company was exploiting its young users on Instagram and Facebook for profit, including by collecting data from children without parental consent. Four of those states—California, New Jersey, Colorado and Kentucky—also claim that the company misled consumers about the addictive design features on the platforms, thereby causing mental health problems in children who got hooked from an early age.

The damages requested by those four states add up to a whopping $1.4 trillion, Meta said in a recent court filing, a figure that would allegedly go even higher with the other penalties the attorneys general seek to add. The number is high by many standards but especially when compared to the company’s market capitalization, which is just above $1.5 trillion.

Meta has denied the allegations, and recently attempted yet failed to get the addiction claims dismissed. In the latest court submission, the attorneys for Meta argued that the $1.4 trillion in damages was unsubstantiated and disproportionate.

www.gizmodo.com

Today's Reading: On the present moment, and our plans for the future

Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. 

Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord.” 

It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. 

The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.

I remember being taught (many years ago) to set personal short, medium & long term plans (goals), and keep checking progress, to stay on target. A waste of time, & poor idea.

I love life, and by the Grace of God accept & am grateful for whatever comes my way. 

Take your plans easy, don't overstress yourself. 

Try to discern God's will, base your plans around that. 

Commit your plans to the Lord. 

Pray they are His will: if they are you will succeed! 
Always be flexible!

By: C.S. Lewis

From The Weight of Glory

Reading for today: Glory to God!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!

Read all of Ephesians 3  at Bible Gateway

Meta now lets anyone use your Instagram photos in AI images - unless you opt out

Meta launched its inaugural AI image model from the Meta Superintelligence Labs on Tuesday, its effort to compete with the likes of OpenAI’s GPT Images 2.0 and Google’s Nano Banana 2 in the AI image generation race.

The new model, called Muse Image, rolled out with deep integrations woven into the Instagram app. As part of this update, public Instagram profiles are now automatically opted into being fodder for generative AI remixes. All someone has to do is tag your account’s profile in a prompt - if it’s public - and they can use Meta AI to generate an image using your likeness.

Meta positions this feature as a cheeky way to personalize generations with images of real people. "Whether you want to design a custom event invitation, mock up a collaborative creative concept, or generate a personalized graphic, tagging a username lets Meta AI use public photos to build a visual that’s ready to post,” reads one of Meta’s announcement blogs about the new AI tool.

UPDATE 10 July 2026: Meta removes controversial AI feature on Instagram after backlash.

www.wired.com

Service time for my motorbike. What is SYNTHETIC motor oil?

 

MOTUL 300V 4T Factory Line Road Racing is a unique high-end lubricant based on ESTER Core® Technology and premium raw materials developed through racing activities.

Made for 4-stroke road racing engines from private track motorcycles to professional race bikes in Endurance, Supersport, Suberbike and GP motorcycle racing.

WIKIPEDIA: Synthetic oil lubricant comprises chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials. The base material, however, is still overwhelmingly crude oil that is distilled and then modified physically and chemically. The actual synthesis process and composition of additives is generally a commercial trade secret and will vary among producers.

www.motul.com

CAMRA: you're being lied to about British beer

Four foreign-owned corporations make 80% of it. The 'imported' lager in your hand was probably brewed in Burton-on-Trent. That craft IPA on the bar is owned by Heineken. Here's how we lost our pint — and how to win it back.

Britain used to brew twice as much beer as it does today. In 1979 the UK produced 12 billion pints of beer a year. British-owned breweries made 96% of it. Today we brew half that, and four foreign-owned corporations make 80% of what's left.

Your 'continental' lager was probably made just off the M1. Most of the big-name 'foreign' lagers sold in UK pubs and supermarkets aren't imported at all. They're brewed here, often to UK-only recipes with added water, then dressed in the flag of somewhere more glamorous.

READ MORE. Then: support British brewers & our wonderful pubs. 
Do it - before it's too late...

www.camra.org.uk

Seat at the Table – Short Film on the AI Industry

Important note: Nothing in this film is science fiction. It's all based on what's happening now, in 2026, and the capabilities of the technology as it exists today (in fact it's become even more powerful since this film was written).

Seat at the Table is a short fiction film on the dangers of superintelligent AI and the industry that’s racing to build it.

When Eva visits her Dad’s AI company, she meets Liam 6, the company’s flagship AI system. As they talk, she finds herself imagining him as a polite, eager, precociously-smart kid.

But with the imminent launch of their latest model, and the company's co-founder claiming Liam 7 is too dangerous to release, Eva starts to wonder if her Dad can really control what he’s created.

She must turn to Liam himself to figure out what’s really going on…

Learn more about AI: betterpathfor.ai

www.youtube.com

Waterlooville Motorcycle Club - 21st THE FOSSILS charity bike run. 26th July 2026

The Waterlooville Motorcycle Club -  Fossils Charity Bike Run is a long-established bike run in the motorcycling calendar the proceeds of which are donated to our nominated club charities. 

This year it's on 26th July with a 9.30am sign on time.

Start and finish: Horndean Technology College, Barton Cross, Horndean, Hants. PO8 9PQ.

Entry: Advance entries – Riders £18, passengers £5 (bank transfer OR cheque by post). On the day entries – Riders £20, passengers £5 (card/cash accepted). ALL riders must complete an entry form.

Originally an all-classic motorcycle event, the run now caters for every type of motorcycle with entries from 2 and 3 wheels – classic and modern.

The modern event follows the same format of a friendly gathering of bike enthusiasts before the event followed by a ride through the Hampshire / West Sussex countryside with prizes awarded for the various classes voted for by the riders and a panel of expert judges.

The event regularly attracts over 150 riders and over the years, WMCC has helped raise circa £58,000 for nominated charities. For 2025 these are SERV Wessex, The Blood Runners, (Charity number 1156383) and The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, (Charity number 1106234) both of whom are closely connected with motorcycling and motorcyclists. 

www.waterloovillemotorcycle.club

Coming soon: Microsoft 365 pricing and Packaging Updates

Microsoft is introducing price changes for commercial and non-profit Microsoft 365 suites, with and without Teams, from 1st July 2026.

On December 4, Microsoft announced a global price and packaging update for select Microsoft 365 commercial suites and standalone components, including Enterprise, Business, Frontline, and Government commercial equivalents. Standalone Microsoft Teams and Copilot SKUs are not included in this update. See timing details below.

Pricing updates take effect July 1, 2026.

Packaging updates begin rolling out in June 2026.

Existing customers remain on current pricing until renewal.

Customers will receive at least 30 days notice in Message Center before packaging changes become available in their tenant.

Answers to common questions about Microsoft 365 commercial pricing and packaging updates can be found here.

Commercial Pricing Update: Details of the new pricing (as of July 1, 2026, in USD) for commercial customers are provided in the tables below. Please note: This pricelist pricing is subject to change and may vary by country and currency. To learn more about these changes, please refer to the official announcement.

www.microsoft.com

New for 2026 - series 6 of free online motorcycle training!

If you’ve ever wondered how to set the correct speed for every corner, or why group rides often seem slightly dicey, MCN has just launched a new series of videos that can help take your riding to the next level.

Made in conjunction with Bikertek and Rapid Training, the videos are a perfect way to kick off your riding season, with each episode containing dozens of tips for experienced and novice riders alike.

“The basics of great riding - superb vision, planning and machine control - are the same no matter how years in the saddle you’ve had,” says Giles Lamb from Rapid Training, an ex-traffic cop who presents the videos. “These videos let experienced riders brush up on skills that might have waned over winter, and give newer riders tips that could transform their riding.” 

EPISODE 1: Assessing Risk

Clearly this is a crucial skill for motorcyclists, but one that a lot of us regularly get wrong - perhaps being surprised by cars pulling out, or corners tightening up.

The video shows the techniques you can apply to both increase your safety margin and - crucially - enjoy your rides more.

EPISODE 2: Left-hand Bends

Mucking up a left hand bends is one of motorcycling’s most terrifying experiences because running wide puts you on a collision course with oncoming traffic. That’s why MCN and Bikertek devoted their latest better riding video entirely to left-handers.

“Choosing the correct line is crucial,” says Rapid Training’s Giles Lamb, the ex-traffic cop who presents the series. “Turn in too early and you could run wide. But staying out wide for maximum vision can mean you ride dangerously close to oncoming traffic. It’s a tricky balance, and this video explains how to get it right, every time.”

EPISODE 3: Perfect your corner speed

Judging how fast to take corners is a skill most motorcyclists learn by trial and error over the years, and yet a lot of us still mess up – either going in too slowly or, far worse, entering too fast. But it needn’t be like that.

There are proven techniques you can use to get it right each time and in the third video of MCN and Bikertek’s better riding series, Rapid Training coach Giles Lamb explains them all. “The crucial technique is to enter a corner at a speed and on a line that can maximise your exit,” he says. “That way you’re not only far safer, but quicker too.”

EPISODE 4: Get right handers right

Right hand corners trip up a lot of experienced motorcyclists, and in MCN and Bikertek’s latest video we’ll explain how to get them right. “One of the key issues is that if you take the best line for vision - ie, staying out left - you’ve probably got trees or walls right beside you,” says Rapid Training coach Giles Lamb. “Our natural instinct is to turn into the corner to get away from all that. But if you turn in too early you come head to head with oncoming traffic in the middle of the corner, or run wide on the way out. In the video I’ll explain the techniques you need to stay on the perfect line.”

EPISODE 5: Stay safe in groups

Riding in groups can be brilliant - the camaraderie, japes and banter afterwards is a life-affirming joy. But there can be huge risks, and in MCN and Bikertek’s latest video, we’ll explain what they are and how to reduce them. “A lot of it is common sense,” says Rapid Training’s Giles Lamb, who presents the videos. “But as a police motorcyclist, I learned some pursuit riding techniques that transfer directly across to group riding that I think even experienced motorcyclists could benefit from.”

EPISODE 6: High speed safety

Statistically, motorways and dual-carriageways are our safest roads, but they present special risks for motorcyclists. In the latest video from MCN and Bikertek, we demonstrate the techniques you need to avoid problems, and reveal how to filter safety and effectively.

“The biggest multi-lane risk isn’t what you might imagine,” says Giles Lamb from Rapid Training, who presents the videos. “It’s not cars swerving into you - though this does happen and we’ll show how to mitigate it - it’s actually crashing into the roundabout at the end of stretches of dual carriageways. Modern bikes hide speed so well that it’s easy to get things very wrong.”

www.bikertek.co.uk

The era of cheap AI is ending – what comes next?

Organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about the rising cost of AI. With many projects yet to demonstrate a positive return on investment and expenses continuing to climb, IT leaders are looking for ways to optimise their spend.

In recent Computing research among 107 UK IT leaders, 60% said they were either concerned (30%) or very concerned (30%) about rising AI subscription costs, compared with just 8% who said they were not concerned.

Cost increases were also by far respondents’ biggest beef with AI vendors - cited by 43% - with compliance and data handling issues a distant second at 25%.

As you sow - so shall you reap. Go for the cheap option: sack / de-skill your workforce. Then realise the cheap option - is no longer cheap! What are you going to do then?...

www.computing.co.uk

The 10 Commandments: words of wisdom leading to life

This collection walks you through the 10 Commandments as God’s wisdom for true life and flourishing, one commandment at a time. 

We invite you to meditate on each command by watching the video, reflecting on the questions, and listening to the expanded conversation in each podcast episode. You’ll also find group study resources for going deeper in community.

1st Commandment: No Other Gods

2nd Commandment: No Idols

3rd Commandment: Do Not Carry the Name in Vain

4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath

5th Commandment: Honor Your Father and Mother

6th Commandment: Do Not Kill

7th Commandment: Do Not Commit Adultery

8th Commandment: Do Not Steal

9th Commandment: Do Not Bear False Witness

10th Commandment: Do Not Desire Your Neighbor’s Possessions

www.bibleproject.com

Great news: Microsoft adds another year to Windows 10 extended update program!

Microsoft ended official support for Windows 10 in 2025, but the company may have a harder time than expected putting the operating system out to pasture. After promising a year of optional extended update support, Microsoft has changed its policy, tacking on another year to its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. If you are still clinging to Windows 10, you don’t have to do anything but enjoy that extra year.

The last regular updates rolled out to Windows 10 in October of last year, but the Internet can be a dangerous place for unpatched Windows machines. That was a problem for Microsoft, as Windows 11 usage had only barely surpassed Windows 10 when support ended. Microsoft’s solution was to give everyone on the old OS a free year of extended updates.

That program was set to end on October 12, 2026, but Microsoft has updated its policy with hardly a whisper, pushing back the end of extended updates to October 12, 2027. The ESU support page was updated with that date, and Microsoft’s blog post on the program has a new editor’s note confirming the change.

www.arstechnica.com

Apple Just Increased Prices on MacBooks, iPads, and More

 

After temporarily taking it down earlier today, Apple's online store is back up with a series of product price increases.

The average price increase is $246.67. The iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, Studio Display, and accessories such as the Apple Pencil are seemingly the only unaffected product lines.

It is also of note that the 256GB Mac mini is now available again, but for $799. This is a $200 increase over when it was available before temporarily disappearing from the lineup earlier this year.

Last week, Apple announced that it was preparing to raise prices across its product lineup, with CEO Tim Cook confirming that that the move was inevitable. Cook made the announcement in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, citing the soaring cost of memory and storage chips. "Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable," he said. "We're doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable." Cook described the scale of the memory shortage as a "hundred-year flood," adding, "I've never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years."

www.macrumors.com

Windows 11 turns five, leaving some important lessons for Microsoft

On June 24, 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 11, unveiling a new and controversial operating system. Five years on, how has that worked out for you, Redmond?

Windows 11 has always been a problem child for Microsoft. It was announced in June 2021 and became generally available on October 5 that year, while much of its customer base was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, The Register called it pointless rather than a point release of Microsoft's flagship operating system.

Why? Because Windows 10 was more than adequate. Microsoft's apology for the Windows 8.x era was… fine. It mostly worked without difficulty. It lacked the user-experience missteps of its predecessors and was an architectural step up from Windows 7. And, most importantly, the operating system didn't trip up a user's workflow.

There is an old adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but Microsoft set to work fixing Windows 10 regardless, and the result was Windows 11. The user experience has irked users ever since. Did you like being able to move the taskbar around in Windows 10? Tough – in Windows 11, you'll have to learn to love where Microsoft stuck it. How about the Start Menu? Again, Microsoft knew best and redesigned it. READ MORE...

www.theregister.com