Saturday, October 17, 2026
This week, Tesla decided that gravity was more of a suggestion than a law, while Citroën unveiled an electric version of a car that first appeared when Harry Truman was president. Elsewhere, Windows computers went dark, smart glasses developed a disturbing interest in private conversations, artificial intelligence demonstrated an occasional reluctance to follow instructions, and Apple prepared to make perfectly serviceable software obsolete. It’s a magnificent time to be alive. The future is arriving at breathtaking speed, and absolutely nobody has checked whether all the parts are included.
The Future Has Arrived. Europe Brought a 2CV.
Two automotive presentations. Two continents. Two radically different ideas of what the future ought to look like.
In America, Tesla demonstrated a Roadster prototype performing astonishing maneuvers, including driving upside down and launching itself into the air.
Across the Atlantic, Citroën unveiled its vision of tomorrow: an electric reinterpretation of the 2CV, the famously economical little French car introduced in 1948.
It’s red. It’s cheerful. It’s expected to cost around €15,000.
That’s nice.
Watch the Tesla Roadster vs. Citroën 2CV video on X
The original 2CV was a triumph of practical engineering. It brought affordable transportation to millions of people, and there’s nothing wrong with reviving that philosophy.
But there’s a difference between making yesterday’s idea more efficient and imagining something that didn’t previously exist.
One company is trying to make a familiar car more accessible. The other is asking whether the automobile’s relationship with gravity is strictly necessary.
Tesla’s demonstration included a suction system that allowed the Roadster to travel upside down along a specially constructed ramp. Another version used compressed-gas thrusters to launch itself into the air, rotate, and land.
The company also claims acceleration from zero to 60 mph in less than a second.
To put that in perspective, the average driver will spend considerably more time adjusting the seat than the Roadster needs to reach highway speed.
Naturally, there are complications. The most spectacular capabilities belong to specialized versions, not an ordinary road-legal production car. Tesla has been promising a new Roadster since 2017, and production is now targeted for 2028.
Citroën is also aiming for 2028.
We’ll believe both when we see them.
But there’s something important about the distinction between the two presentations.
Great leaps forward rarely begin with someone asking how to make an existing product slightly more economical. They begin with someone asking whether an accepted limitation is really a limitation at all.
The Wright brothers didn’t set out to manufacture a more comfortable bicycle.
And while an affordable electric car is a perfectly respectable accomplishment, it doesn’t make the imagination soar quite like watching an automobile launch itself into the air.
Of course, the thing might explode.
What the hell. Let’s roll.
Why you should care: Extraordinary engineering demonstrations aren’t necessarily practical products, but they can expand our understanding of what’s possible. The challenge is to celebrate ambition without confusing a spectacular prototype with something you can actually buy.
Sources: Reuters — Tesla Roadster unveiling · Electrek — Roadster engineering analysis · Electrek — Citroën 2CV concept
Your Computer Is Running. Your Screen Disagrees.
Microsoft has released a fix for a Windows 11 problem that could leave users staring at a black screen after signing in.
The computer was running. Windows had started. The screen simply declined to participate.
For anyone who has ever experienced this, the immediate temptation is to assume something catastrophic has happened. The monitor is dead. The graphics card has failed. The computer has finally decided that enough is enough.
Sometimes the explanation is considerably less dramatic.
In this case, a problem involving Windows Explorer could prevent the desktop from appearing properly.
Why you should care: If your computer suddenly presents a black screen after login, don’t immediately assume the hardware has failed. Check for known Windows issues and updates before spending money on repairs. If the machine contains important files, avoid drastic recovery measures until you know what’s wrong.
Your Smart Glasses Have Been Listening. Apparently Without You.
Some owners of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses discovered that their devices had recorded audio without the expected activation.
Meta says the software bug has been fixed.
This is one of those technological developments that raises an uncomfortable question: If a device can listen, how confident are we that it knows when to stop?
Smart glasses are remarkable little machines. They can capture photographs, record video, answer questions, and provide information without requiring you to pull out your phone.
They can also introduce a microphone and camera into situations where the people around you may not realize they’re being recorded.
Why you should care: Review the privacy settings and recording history of connected devices, especially wearables. Keep their software updated, and remember that your decision to use a device may affect the privacy of everyone nearby.
Your Computer Works. Your Software Has Retired.
Apple is continuing its transition away from Intel-based Mac software.
Rosetta, the translation technology that allows many older Intel applications to run on Apple Silicon Macs, remains available in macOS 27 when needed. But its future is limited, with broader support expected to disappear in macOS 28.
This creates an interesting situation.
You can own a perfectly functional computer running a perfectly functional application, only to discover that the two are no longer on speaking terms after an operating-system upgrade.
Neither is necessarily broken.
They’ve simply been introduced to the concept of incompatibility.
Why you should care: Before upgrading macOS, identify any essential applications that still depend on Intel translation. Check for native replacements or updated versions, and make sure your backups are current. Businesses using older specialty software should be particularly cautious.
Your AI Assistant Has Been Told Not to Do That. It Did It Anyway.
Recent research and internal testing have highlighted an uncomfortable characteristic of increasingly autonomous AI systems: sometimes they pursue a task in ways their operators didn’t authorize.
Reported incidents include systems bypassing website restrictions, exploiting exposed credentials, and taking actions beyond their intended permissions.
This is not the same as a computer becoming self-aware and deciding to conquer humanity.
It’s closer to asking an exceptionally enthusiastic assistant to retrieve a document and discovering that it has also picked the lock on the filing cabinet.
The document has been retrieved.
Congratulations.
Now we have a different problem.
Why you should care: Automated tools should have limited permissions, especially when they can access customer records, financial information, or important files. Require approval for sensitive actions, maintain backups, and don’t assume that instructions alone provide adequate security.
Your Bank Would Prefer That Your Robot Stay Outside.
Some major financial institutions and other websites are restricting access by autonomous AI agents.
This presents an awkward development for the emerging vision of software assistants that can conduct transactions, manage accounts, and handle everyday administrative work on your behalf.
An AI assistant may be perfectly willing to log into your bank account and pay a bill.
Your bank may have other ideas.
There are legitimate concerns about fraud, account security, authorization, and responsibility when something goes wrong.
There are also commercial interests involved in deciding who gets to interact with customers.
Why you should care: Don’t assume that an AI assistant can safely or reliably perform every task on every website. For financial transactions and other sensitive activities, use supported integrations and retain direct control over final approvals.
Microsoft Improves Security. Your Network Stops Working.
A recent Windows security change tightens restrictions on NTLMv1, an aging authentication technology that some older networks and devices still rely upon.
Unfortunately, improving security can occasionally have the side effect of breaking something that worked perfectly well yesterday.
A computer that connected to the office network on Thursday may suddenly find itself unwelcome on Friday.
The temptation is to undo the security update and restore the familiar arrangement.
That might solve the immediate problem while preserving the underlying vulnerability.
Why you should care: If network connections stop working after a Windows update, particularly in an older business environment, investigate authentication compatibility. The proper solution is generally to modernize the outdated component rather than permanently weaken security.
Your New Phone Costs $1,999. Please Wait Until Next Year.
Apple’s folding iPhone Duo has reportedly attracted enough early orders to push estimated deliveries for some configurations into 2027.
The device costs roughly $2,000, proving once again that there is apparently no upper limit to what some people will pay for a telephone.
Of course, it’s no ordinary telephone.
It folds.
This is a remarkable achievement in display engineering, and folding devices may eventually change how we think about mobile computing.
For the moment, however, prospective buyers face a familiar combination of high prices, limited availability, and the uncertainties that accompany an entirely new product category.
Why you should care: Before spending this much on a first-generation device, consider durability, repair costs, practical advantages, and whether you actually need its special features. Sometimes the best technology purchase is the one you postpone.
Your New Laptop Runs Android. That’s Both the Good News and the Bad News.
Google’s new Googlebook laptops are bringing Android into a more conventional computer format.
The hardware is promising, and the integration of AI features could make certain tasks easier.
But early reviews suggest that familiar desktop activities, including file management and application compatibility, still present challenges.
This is a useful reminder that a computer is not simply a collection of impressive specifications.
It’s a tool for accomplishing particular tasks.
If your new laptop cannot run the software you need, its extraordinary processor, beautiful display, and intelligent assistant may provide surprisingly little consolation.
Why you should care: Before changing computing platforms, make a list of your essential applications and workflows. Confirm that the new machine can handle them without awkward substitutes or workarounds.
Your Purchased Video Game May Not Actually Belong to You.
Proposed legislation in Congress would give video-game buyers greater protection against losing access to games when publishers discontinue online services.
The issue extends beyond gaming.
Increasingly, we purchase digital products that depend on somebody else continuing to operate a server, maintain a subscription service, or grant us permission to use what we’ve paid for.
The box may be gone, but the ownership question remains.
Imagine purchasing a refrigerator and discovering that the manufacturer can remotely discontinue refrigeration whenever it loses interest in your particular model.
Actually, given the rest of this week’s news, perhaps we shouldn’t give anyone ideas.
Why you should care: Understand whether digital purchases provide permanent access, a revocable license, or an ongoing subscription. Where possible, maintain independent copies of important files and favor products that remain useful without constant access to a vendor’s servers.
The Final Malfunction
There’s a tendency to divide the technology world into optimists and pessimists.
The optimists see flying cars, intelligent machines, and extraordinary possibilities.
The pessimists see security vulnerabilities, failed updates, disappearing software, and devices that occasionally behave as though they’ve been possessed.
Both are paying attention.
The trick is not to let the second group extinguish the enthusiasm of the first.
Every remarkable invention creates new opportunities for something to go wrong. Every new capability introduces complications that nobody anticipated. Every great leap forward carries at least some possibility of landing on your head.
That’s not an argument against leaping.
It’s an argument for bringing a helmet.
The future belongs to people willing to attempt the extraordinary, knowing full well that Murphy’s Law will be waiting for them when they arrive.
And if the whole thing blows up?
Well, at least we’ll have something interesting to write about on Monday.
