AI Frenzy: Billion-Dollar Bets, Self-Learning Breakthroughs & Legal Showdowns – Global AI Roundup (Aug 13–14, 2025)

AI Frenzy: Billion-Dollar Bets, Self-Learning Breakthroughs & Legal Showdowns – Global AI Roundup (Aug 13–14, 2025)

Meta says its latest AI systems are beginning to improve themselves without human intervention, a step Mark Zuckerberg called toward artificial superintelligence, with a policy memo noting “glimpses” of self-improvement. Zhipu (Z AI) open-sourced GLM-4.5, a 355-billion-parameter model built on mixture-of-experts, ranking third globally on reasoning and coding benchmarks, as China reports over 1,500 domestically developed large AI models. Google pledged $9 billion to expand its U.S. AI infrastructure, including a new data center campus in Oklahoma, raising annual capex to $85 billion and committing $1 billion for AI training in more than 100 U.S. colleges. Cisco reported $2 billion
14 August 2025
Internet Access in Serbia 2025: Broadband Booms, 5G on Horizon, and Starlink in Sight

Internet Access in Serbia 2025: Broadband Booms, 5G on Horizon, and Starlink in Sight

As of early 2025, Serbia had about 2.23 million fixed broadband subscribers. The median fixed broadband download speed reached 90.2 Mbps at the start of 2025. Telekom Srbija’s mts Fiber offers up to 1 Gbps speeds, with symmetric options such as 200/200, 400/400, and 600/600 Mbps, while SBB provides up to around 1 Gbps in fiber-connected buildings via FTTH or DOCSIS 3.1. Mobile networks cover ~99% of the population with 3G and over 90% with 4G, and 96.6% of mobile connections are broadband-capable (3G/4G/5G) as of January 2025. As of 2025, Serbia has not launched commercial 5G services yet; a
14 August 2025
Work Smarter, Not Longer: 12 Real AI Automations That Free Up Your Week

Work Smarter, Not Longer: 12 Real AI Automations That Free Up Your Week

In 2023, a McKinsey study estimated that AI could automate up to 45% of repetitive tasks, potentially saving hours for workers. Salesforce data from late 2023 shows marketers using generative AI saved about 5 hours per week on content creation tasks. HubSpot reports that sales reps using AI save 2 hours 15 minutes per day, roughly 11 hours per week overall. JetBlue’s live AI chatbot implementation reportedly saved about 4.7 minutes per chat and about 73,000 agent hours in a single quarter. Unilever’s AI hiring program reportedly saved over 50,000 hours of candidate interview time over 18 months and cut
14 August 2025
Ultimate 2025 Showdown: iOS vs Android vs HarmonyOS — Which Mobile OS Reigns Supreme?

AI at Work: 12 Real Automations That Save 5–10 Hours a Week

AI-Powered Meeting Summaries & Action Items: Otter.ai, Zoom AI Companion, and Microsoft Teams Copilot transcribe meetings and generate summaries, with Microsoft data showing heavy users saving about 8 hours per month and typical users saving 3–5 hours per week. Automated Email Drafting & Responses: Gabrielle, a freelance branding consultant, uses ChatGPT in Gmail to draft client FAQs and replies, saving about 4–5 hours per week. Marketing Content Creation: Notion AI, Jasper, and ChatGPT generate first drafts for blogs and social posts, cutting writing time by roughly 40% and turning a 1,500-word blog from about 4–5 hours into around 2 hours
Is AI in Smartphones Just Hype? We Test Which Features Actually Work

Is AI in Smartphones Just Hype? We Test Which Features Actually Work

Pixel 9’s Add Me and Magic Editor enable inserting the photographer into a group shot and text-prompt–driven image edits, with guardrails and occasional misfires. In iPhone 16 running iOS 18, Apple Intelligence adds object removal and description-based photo search, while the Neural Engine powers Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, and Photonic Engine with most AI processing on-device for privacy. Galaxy S24 Ultra adds Generative Photo Edit that uses Google’s Imagen 2 in the cloud to add or remove elements in photos, and also offers on-device Live Translate for calls, though the edits can occasionally feel distracting when misapplied. On Pixel 9,
Dobsonian Showdown: StellaLyra 8″ f/6 vs Apertura AD8 vs Orion SkyQuest XT8

Dobsonian Showdown: StellaLyra 8″ f/6 vs Apertura AD8 vs Orion SkyQuest XT8

All three models are 8″ f/6 Newtonian Dobsonians with ~1200 mm focal length and a 203 mm parabolic primary. StellaLyra 8″ f/6 and Apertura AD8 use enhanced aluminum coatings with ~93% reflectivity and a quartz overcoat, while the Orion SkyQuest XT8 uses traditional aluminum coatings with ~89–91% reflectivity. The StellaLyra 8″ and Apertura AD8 feature 2″ dual-speed Crayford focusers (10:1 fine focus), while the Orion XT8 Classic uses a 2″ single-speed Crayford (the XT8 Plus adds a dual-speed). All use Dobsonian wooden mounts; StellaLyra/AD8 employ a GSO-style base with Lazy Susan azimuth bearing and large tension knobs, while the XT8
13 August 2025
Astrophotography Showdown: Sony A7 IV vs Canon EOS Ra vs Nikon D810A – Which Captures the Cosmos Best?

Mirrorless Showdown: Sony A7 IV vs Nikon Z8 vs Canon R6 Mark II – The Ultimate Full-Frame Face-Off

Nikon Z8 features a 45.7 MP stacked BSI CMOS sensor inherited from the Z9, with base ISO 64 and essentially no rolling shutter in electronic mode. Sony A7 IV uses a 33 MP BSI CMOS sensor (non-stacked) with base ISO 100, balancing resolution and ISO performance. Canon EOS R6 Mark II uses a 24.2 MP CMOS sensor (not BSI or stacked) delivering strong low-light performance and a versatile 24 MP workflow. All three cameras output 14-bit RAW files for maximum editing latitude. The Nikon Z8 uses 493 phase-detect AF points with 3D Tracking, the Sony A7 IV uses 759-point AF
13 August 2025
Celestron 8SE vs Skymax 127 vs Vaonis Vespera II – Which Telescope Outshines the Rest in 2025?

Celestron 8SE vs Skymax 127 vs Vaonis Vespera II – Which Telescope Outshines the Rest in 2025?

Celestron NexStar 8SE is an 8-inch (203.2 mm) Schmidt-Cassegrain with a 2032 mm focal length (f/10) on a computerized alt-azimuth GoTo mount. Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 is a 5-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain with a 127 mm primary (about 120 mm effective) and ~1500 mm focal length (f/12), optimized for high magnification. Vaonis Vespera II is a 50 mm apochromatic quadruplet refractor (f/5) with a 250 mm focal length and an onboard 8.3 MP Sony IMX585 sensor, viewed through a smartphone app rather than a traditional eyepiece. The 8SE uses Celestron’s NexStar+ computerized hand controller with a ~40,000-object database for GoTo targeting. The Skymax
13 August 2025
8-Inch Showdown: NexStar 8SE vs Apertura AD8 vs eVscope 2 – Classic Telescopes Battle Smart Tech in 2025

8-Inch Showdown: NexStar 8SE vs Apertura AD8 vs eVscope 2 – Classic Telescopes Battle Smart Tech in 2025

Celestron NexStar 8SE is an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain with a 203 mm aperture, a 2032 mm focal length (f/10), and a GoTo motorized single-fork alt-azimuth mount. Apertura AD8 is an 8-inch Dobsonian (Newtonian) with about 1200 mm focal length (f/5.9) and a manual, rock-solid wooden alt-az mount. Unistellar eVscope 2 is a 4.5-inch (114 mm) f/3.9 scope with a 450 mm focal length that stacks images in real time via built-in imaging and a Nikon OLED eyepiece. The 8SE and AD8 require occasional collimation to perform optimally, while the eVscope 2 ships pre-aligned with factory alignment. Optical performance places the 8SE
13 August 2025
Triple Threat Showdown: Vivo X100 Pro+ vs Xiaomi 15 Ultra vs Oppo Find X8 Ultra – 200MP Cameras, Monster Batteries & More

Triple Threat Showdown: Vivo X100 Pro+ vs Xiaomi 15 Ultra vs Oppo Find X8 Ultra – 200MP Cameras, Monster Batteries & More

Vivo X100 Pro+ features a 5,400 mAh battery, 100W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB LPDDR5T RAM, up to 1TB UFS 4.0 storage, a V3 imaging chip, and Zeiss co-engineered cameras. Xiaomi 15 Ultra uses a 1-inch-type 50MP main camera (Sony LYT900/IMX989), a 50MP ultra-wide, a 50MP 3× tele, and a 200MP periscope with lossless zoom up to 17.3×, tuned by Leica. Oppo Find X8 Ultra has a 50MP 1-inch main sensor with Hasselblad tuning, plus 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP 3× tele, and a 50MP 6× periscope with a two-stage shutter and XPAN mode. Xiaomi 15 Ultra
13 August 2025
Drone Laws in Copenhagen: Everything You Need to Know Before You Fly

Drone Laws in Copenhagen: Everything You Need to Know Before You Fly

Since December 31, 2020, EU drone regulations governing Open, Specific and Certified categories apply in Denmark, with a 120-meter altitude limit in the Open category. Registration requires most operators to register with Trafikstyrelsen, and drones weighing 250 grams or heavier, or any drone with a camera, must display a visible Operator ID on the drone, with one registration covering all drones. Open category certification requires the EU A1/A3 certificate for drones 250 g or heavier, and an A2 certificate to fly up to 2 kg as close as 30 meters from uninvolved people (5 meters in low-speed mode). Specific category
13 August 2025
Record Stock Rally and a $34 Billion Tech Shock: Inside the Biggest Business News of August 12-13, 2025

Record Stock Rally and a $34 Billion Tech Shock: Inside the Biggest Business News of August 12-13, 2025

From Wall Street hitting new highs to an AI upstart targeting a piece of Google’s empire, the past two days brought a flurry of major developments across global business. Below is a structured roundup of the top news from August 12 and 13, 2025, spanning finance, technology, energy, retail, automotive, and healthcare. Finance & Markets Technology Energy & Commodities Retail & Consumer Automotive & Transportation Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Sources: Reuters business news and market reports from August 12-13, 2025 reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com, and others as cited above.
13 August 2025
AI Stocks Roar to Record Highs Amid Bold Deals and China Backlash (Aug 12–13, 2025 Roundup)

AI Stocks Roar to Record Highs Amid Bold Deals and China Backlash (Aug 12–13, 2025 Roundup)

On August 12, 2025, Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 closed at record highs as AI stocks drove gains and cooling inflation boosted expectations for a Fed rate cut. Nvidia (NVDA) surged to an intraday high of about $184.50 on August 12 and closed near $183, pushing its market cap toward $4.5 trillion. The U.S.–China export deal allowed Nvidia and AMD to resume selling advanced AI chips to China with a 15% revenue share to the U.S. government in exchange for export licenses. Perplexity AI offered $34.5 billion in cash to buy Google’s Chrome browser, sending Alphabet (GOOGL) shares up roughly
13 August 2025
Memory Loss Reversed, ‘Coral’ on Mars, and a Tiny Killer Whale: Science News Roundup (Aug 12–13, 2025)

Memory Loss Reversed, ‘Coral’ on Mars, and a Tiny Killer Whale: Science News Roundup (Aug 12–13, 2025)

On its 4,608th Martian sol, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a 5-cm coral-shaped rock nicknamed Paposo in Gale Crater, suggesting ancient liquid water in Mars’ history. A global river study radiocarbon-dating CO2 from over 700 rivers found that about 60% of river-emitted carbon comes from ancient carbon stores. The same study estimates plants and soils may be absorbing roughly 1 gigaton of CO2 per year to offset these ancient carbon releases. By 2080, rising seas could inundate Easter Island’s Moai at Ahu Tongariki and up to 51 other cultural sites, risking UNESCO World Heritage status. Janjucetus dullardi, a 2-meter-long, sharp-toothed Oligocene
13 August 2025
Don’t Miss the Cosmic Show: Perseid Meteors, Planetary Duet & Auroras (Aug 13–14, 2025)

Don’t Miss the Cosmic Show: Perseid Meteors, Planetary Duet & Auroras (Aug 13–14, 2025)

The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12–13, 2025, with a bright Moon at about 84% full that reduces typical rates from 50–75 meteors per hour to about 10–20 per hour or fewer. The best Perseid viewing is after dark, especially between midnight and dawn around 2:00–4:00 a.m. local time when the Perseus radiant is highest, per NASA. The Perseids are debris from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, whose last near-Earth approach was in 1992. On August 13–14 the Moon is waning gibbous at about 75–80% illumination, rises in mid-evening, and its brightness washes out fainter stars and meteors. On August 8–9 a
13 August 2025
Space Race Heats Up: Epic Launches, Lunar Showdowns & Breakthrough Tech (Aug 12–13, 2025 Roundup)

Space Race Heats Up: Epic Launches, Lunar Showdowns & Breakthrough Tech (Aug 12–13, 2025 Roundup)

Rocket Launch Triumphs: New Heavy-Lifters and Constellation Boosts Lunar Missions & Spaceflight Milestones: Moon Race Intensifies Next-Gen Satellite Tech & Services: Innovation in Orbit Space Policy & International Developments: Safety, Funding, and Collaboration Sources: Spaceflight Now spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com; Space.com space.com space.com; Space & Defense spaceanddefense.io; Reuters reuters.com reuters.com; Space.com (B. Tingley) space.com space.com; Space.com (M. Wall) advanced-television.com advanced-television.com; Spaceflight Now spaceflightnow.com; Reuters (Kyivstar/Starlink) reuters.com reuters.com; Aerospace Corp. aerospace.org aerospace.org; Via Satellite satellitetoday.com; Keeptrack Brief keeptrack.space keeptrack.space; Slashdot/Reuters (Crew-10) science.slashdot.org science.slashdot.org.
13 August 2025
Tech Shockers: Space Force Rocket Triumph, Massive Data Leaks & Gadget Surprises (Aug 12–13, 2025)

Tech Shockers: Space Force Rocket Triumph, Massive Data Leaks & Gadget Surprises (Aug 12–13, 2025)

ULA launched its first operational Vulcan rocket on the USSF-106 mission from Cape Canaveral, a 198-foot launcher boosted by four solid boosters and BE-4 engines that reached geosynchronous transfer orbit. Google teased the Pixel 10 Pro Fold in a teaser video released a week before its official launch event. Leaks suggest the iPhone 17 Pro will use a redesigned antenna system inspired by the Apple Watch to improve cellular connectivity and reduce dropped calls. Samsung unveiled a 115-inch micro-LED TV, the first to use microscopic LEDs for each color, priced around $32,000 in South Korea. Disney’s ESPN and Fox will
AI’s Wild 48 Hours: Bold $34B Bids, Breakthrough Bots & High-Stakes Showdowns (Aug 12–13, 2025)

AI’s Wild 48 Hours: Bold $34B Bids, Breakthrough Bots & High-Stakes Showdowns (Aug 12–13, 2025)

MolmoAct 7B, unveiled by Seattle’s Allen Institute for AI (Ai2), is a 7‑billion‑parameter open‑source model that lets robots plan 3D trajectories before execution and achieved 72%+ success on simulated benchmarks. Beijing‑based Zhipu AI released GLM‑4.5V, a 106B‑parameter open‑source visual reasoning model (12B active) with 64K context, 41 multimodal benchmarks, and 3D RoPE encoding, alongside a companion desktop assistant that analyzes your screen in real time. AI identified 12,000 archaeal antimicrobial peptides called archaeasins using the APEX tool on 230+ species, with 80 peptides tested showing a 93% inhibition rate against drug‑resistant bacteria. YouTube began a U.S. AI age‑gate pilot that
Foldable Phone Showdown 2025: Galaxy Z Fold6 vs Honor Magic V3 vs Huawei Mate X6 – Which Foldable Reigns Supreme?

Foldable Phone Showdown 2025: Galaxy Z Fold6 vs Honor Magic V3 vs Huawei Mate X6 – Which Foldable Reigns Supreme?

Galaxy Z Fold6 features a 7.6-inch inner Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (≈1856×2160) and a 6.3-inch cover display (2316×904) with 120 Hz refresh and up to 2600 nits peak brightness on the main screen. Fold6 weighs 239 g, is 12.1 mm thick when folded, uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Armor Aluminum, is IPX8 water resistant, and its hinge is rated for around 200,000 folds. Honor Magic V3 is the slimmest book-style foldable at 9.2 mm folded and 4.35 mm unfolded, weighs 226 g, and uses a Special Fiber back with a Super Steel hinge rated for 500,000 folds. Huawei Mate
13 August 2025

Stock Market Today

Tower Semiconductor stock jumps again on Nvidia optics tie-up as earnings near

Tower Semiconductor stock jumps again on Nvidia optics tie-up as earnings near

8 February 2026
Tower Semiconductor shares rose 7.7% to $139.04 Friday after announcing a collaboration with Nvidia on AI data-center networking. The stock touched $141 intraday and gained another 1% after hours. Investors await Tower’s Feb. 11 earnings for details on its silicon photonics work. No financial terms or shipment timeline were disclosed.
Longsys Electronics stock heads into Monday after new guarantees; what 301308 investors watch next

Longsys Electronics stock heads into Monday after new guarantees; what 301308 investors watch next

8 February 2026
Longsys disclosed new guarantees for a 100 million yuan Hong Kong loan and a $9 million Brazil credit line, bringing its total approved guarantee quota to 11 billion yuan and outstanding guarantees to 5.81 billion yuan. The company said all guarantees are for consolidated subsidiaries and within approved limits. Shares closed at 288 yuan Friday, down 1.6%. China inflation and credit data are due this week.
MACOM stock price steadies near highs into Monday after earnings pop and fresh filings

MACOM stock price steadies near highs into Monday after earnings pop and fresh filings

8 February 2026
MACOM shares rose 3.5% to $235.87 Friday after the company reported fiscal Q1 revenue of $271.6 million and raised its full-year data center growth outlook to 35–40%. Fidelity’s FMR LLC disclosed a 10.7% stake, while shareholder Susan Ocampo filed to potentially sell up to 100,000 shares. Stifel raised its price target to $255. MACOM expects to repay $161 million in convertible notes in March.
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