November 2025

The Download: the solar geoengineering race, and future gazing with the The Simpsons

November 5, 2025
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Why the for-profit race into solar geoengineering is bad for science and public trust —David Keith is the professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago and Daniele Visioni is an assistant…

From vibe coding to context engineering: 2025 in software development

November 5, 2025
This year, we’ve seen a real-time experiment playing out across the technology industry, one in which AI’s software engineering capabilities have been put to the test against human technologists. And although 2025 may have started with AI looking strong, the transition from vibe coding to what’s being termed context engineering shows that while the work…

Former Meta employees launch a ring to take voice notes and control music

November 5, 2025
A raft of voice-based hardware devices have emerged, aimed at companionship, productivity, or personal growth. These include card-shaped devices from Plaud and Pocket; pendants from Friend, Limitless, and Taya; and a wristband from Bee, which is now part of Amazon. Now, two former Meta employees who worked on interface design have launched Sandbar, a startup […]