AI Coding Assistants Are Getting Worse

January 8th, 2026

Great, the hallucinations compile and run without errors.

Via: IEEE Spectrum:

In recent months, I’ve noticed a troubling trend with AI coding assistants. After two years of steady improvements, over the course of 2025, most of the core models reached a quality plateau, and more recently, seem to be in decline. A task that might have taken five hours assisted by AI, and perhaps ten hours without it, is now more commonly taking seven or eight hours, or even longer. It’s reached the point where I am sometimes going back and using older versions of large language models (LLMs).

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Until recently, the most common problem with AI coding assistants was poor syntax, followed closely by flawed logic. AI-created code would often fail with a syntax error or snarl itself up in faulty structure. This could be frustrating: the solution usually involved manually reviewing the code in detail and finding the mistake. But it was ultimately tractable.

However, recently released LLMs, such as GPT-5, have a much more insidious method of failure. They often generate code that fails to perform as intended, but which on the surface seems to run successfully, avoiding syntax errors or obvious crashes. It does this by removing safety checks, or by creating fake output that matches the desired format, or through a variety of other techniques to avoid crashing during execution.

As any developer will tell you, this kind of silent failure is far, far worse than a crash. Flawed outputs will often lurk undetected in code until they surface much later. This creates confusion and is far more difficult to catch and fix.


U.S. Now Disrupting Russia’s Shadow Fleet Operations

January 8th, 2026

Via: Cappy Army:


Dell Admits Customers Aren’t Buying PCs for AI Features

January 8th, 2026

I’m pretty sure that Dell’s customers are NOT confused about their desire to avoid built in, invasive and poorly functioning AI features.

Via: PC Gamer:

“We’re very focused on delivering upon the AI capabilities of a device—in fact everything that we’re announcing has an NPU in it—but what we’ve learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is they’re not buying based on AI,” Terwilliger says bluntly. “In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome.”

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The fact that a huge PC brand such as Dell/Alienware has decided to ditch the AI-first marketing that seems to otherwise permeate everything—and honestly still permeates—is entirely welcome, very refreshing, and hopefully the mark of things to come.


Arson Attack Caused Germany’s Worst Blackout Since World War II

January 8th, 2026

Via: BBC:

Power is being restored to the last homes hit by a five-day blackout in Germany’s snow-covered capital, Berlin.

The outage was caused by a suspected arson attack and came as temperatures dipped below freezing.

It is reportedly the longest blackout in the capital’s post-war history. A far-left militant group has claimed it was behind the outage.


Trying To Figure Out If The Donut Labs Solid State Battery Is Real

January 7th, 2026

In the video below, Ziroth got the Donut Labs representatives to admit that their solid state battery doesn’t contain any lithium.

Does it contain any… Barium? *wink*

Hopefully, a highly qualified independent organization or lab will be able to verify some of the revolutionary claims about the battery when the Verge Motorcycles begin shipping in the next couple of months.

Via: Ziroth:

More:


U.S. Forces Seize Fleeing Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker In North Atlantic

January 7th, 2026

Via: The War Zone:

U.S. forces have secured the runaway Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera, a U.S. official has confirmed to TWZ. Elements of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and other American aviation assets had previously deployed to the United Kingdom ahead of an apparent effort to board the ship.

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Until recently known as the Bella-1 before it was re-registered and the crew painted a Russian flag on it, the Marinera is part of a so-called shadow fleet. These vessels are accused of transporting oil for Russia, Iran, and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. On December 20, the Coast Guard had previously attempted to board the ship, which is not carrying any oil at present, as it headed toward Venezuela. However, the crew refused to allow it, and the ship began sailing back toward Europe. Reports earlier this week said that new U.S. plans to interdict the boat had subsequently been drawn up, tied to the aforementioned deployment of special operations forces and other assets to the United Kingdom.

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War Secretary Pete Hegseth weighed in on the seizure, saying that “the blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world.” The Marinera, however, never arrived in port and was not carrying any fuel.

More: Donroe Doctrine: US Seizes Russian-Flagged Tanker In Atlantic, Intercepts Dark-Fleet Ship In Caribbean


Trump Says Venezuela Will Turn Over Up To 50 Million Barrels Of Oil And He Will Control Money That Goes To U.S. And Venezuela

January 6th, 2026

Visualize the yellow cake scam taking acid and wearing a MAGA cap. Welcome to President Neocon Warpspeed Trump’s kabuki theater production of Drugs from Venezuela.

Via: Daily Mail:

Donald Trump announced a deal with the Venezuelan regime to give the United States 30 to 50 million barrels of oil which could be worth up to $2billion.

The president has openly stated that the military operation to depose leader Nicolas Maduro this past weekend was, in part, an attempt to extract some of oil-rich Venezuela’s stock.

‘I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,’ he posted to Truth Social.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez previously served as Maduro’s Minister of Petroleum and Hydrocarbons.

Trump also announced that he will be in control of the money made off sales – which at market price, could be worth up to $2billion according to Reuters – of the oil.

‘This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!’

Trump has placed Energy Secretary Chris Wright in charge of executing the plan which is scheduled to begin immediately.

‘It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,’ he wrote.

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Separately, the White House is organizing an Oval Office meeting Friday with oil company executives regarding Venezuela, with representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Secretary Wright for comment.

Trump said Monday it will cost ‘a lot of money’ to rebuild the South American country’s energy infrastructure but thinks the US can do it ahead of that 18 month timeline.

However, he added that the American taxpayers may be on the hook for it, as the oil companies may receive assistance to do so.

‘I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,’ he told NBC News.

‘A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.’

When asked if Trump’s ‘America First’ base would stand for nation-building overseas, the president backed himself to maintain the support of his voters.

‘MAGA loves it. MAGA loves what I’m doing. MAGA loves everything I do. MAGA is me. MAGA loves everything I do, and I love everything I do, too,’ he said.

Research Credit: OF


CDC Recommends Fewer Vaccines for Children

January 6th, 2026

Via: Epoch Times:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is moving forward with only broad recommendations for eight vaccines for children, down from 14.

Trump, in December 2025, directed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill to review vaccine schedules in the United States and peer countries and determine if the U.S. schedule should be updated.

He named three countries, including Denmark, that recommend fewer vaccines and fewer vaccine doses.

“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

Moving forward, the CDC will stop broadly recommending vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, and meningococcal disease. The CDC in 2025 already narrowed recommendations for hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccination based on advice from advisers selected by Kennedy. The agency is maintaining its recommendation that children whose mothers did not receive a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine receive an antibody, or passive immunization, against the virus.


Venezuela: Pro-Maduro Militias Patrol Caracas, Search for Anyone Who Supports Attack by U.S.

January 6th, 2026

Via: Telegraph:

A Caracas highway is choked with cars.

But far from typical rush hour traffic, Avenida Boyacá, a highway running alongside El Avila National Park in Venezuela’s capital, has ground to a halt because masked men holding Kalashnikovs are stopping drivers and demanding to search their phones and cars.

The gangs of armed men, part of pro-Maduro militias known as Colectivos, scoured vehicles at hastily erected checkpoints following a government directive to root out Venezuelans in support of the US’s brazen capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Days after the sudden decapitation of the Maduro regime, Venezuelans have been left fearing what could come next as mobs of men dressed in civilian clothes with assault rifles slung over their shoulders roam the streets.

“The future is uncertain, the Colectivos have weapons, the Colombian guerrilla is already here in Venezuela, so we don’t know what’s going to happen, time will tell,” Oswaldo, a 69-year-old Venezuelan shop owner, told The Telegraph.

A state of emergency decree published on Monday has sought to crack down on any public celebration of the US operation. It ordered police to “immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States”.


Verge Electric Motorcycles With Solid State Batteries? “Sounds Too Good to Be True”

January 5th, 2026

Very interesting—if it’s real.

Via: Electrek:

Verge Motorcycles, the Finnish electric motorcycle manufacturer known for its futuristic hubless rear wheel design, is claiming another massive first for the industry. The company announced today that it is launching the “world’s first” production motorcycle equipped with solid-state batteries, promising a massive leap in range and charging speed.

The new technology, developed in partnership with Donut Lab, a company founded by the same people behind Verge Motorcycles, is being deployed in the updated Verge TS Pro, which the company says will be available to customers in the “coming months.”

Solid-state batteries have long been considered the “holy grail” of the EV industry. By replacing the liquid or gel electrolyte found in traditional lithium-ion batteries with a solid material, they promise significantly higher energy density, faster charging, and improved safety (specifically, a near-zero risk of thermal runaway).

While major automakers from Toyota to Volkswagen have been teasing solid-state tech for years with timelines that seem to perpetually slip, Verge claims it is skipping the “concept” phase and going straight to production.


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