If you owned a Windows computer in the late '90s or early '00s, you probably remember 3D Pinball for Windows - Space Cadet , a surprisingly competent virtual table included for free with multiple Microsoft OS releases through Windows XP. Despite the game's authenticity to real pinball, Space Cadet wasn't based on an extant physical table, but was merely one part of the Full Tilt! Pinball software collection sold by Maxis starting in 1995.

In the intervening years, hobbyists and enthusiasts have discussed the possibility of crafting a homebrew physical table based on Space Cadet many times, without much tangible progress to show for it. A company called Deeproot Pinball went so far as to develop a reskinned prototype of Space Cadet 's layout for a planned 2021 release before the whole company went under amid fraud allegations .

Where Deeproot failed, though, hobbyist CNCDan hopes to succeed in creating a physical Space Cadet table. In a video , he documents the start of his build process, which already includes 3D-printed mechanical flippers, pop bumpers (complete with embedded LEDs), slingshots, and even a raised playfield, all designed to mimic the look and feel of the original Windows table.

Read full article

Comments

The Duffer brothers wrapped up their blockbuster series Stranger Things earlier this year and also departed Netflix for a lucrative new production deal with Paramount. But a couple of their production projects remain with Netflix: the animated series Stranger Things: Tales from '85 , which dropped in April to mixed reviews; and the newly released The Boroughs , a supernatural thriller set in a retirement community in the New Mexico desert. I'm happy to report that The Boroughs is a creative home run, with a smart, witty script, terrific ensemble cast, and engrossing central mystery.

(Some spoilers below but no major reveals.)

Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) is a recently widowed, retired aeronautical engineer who (very) reluctantly moves into The Boroughs retirement community. It was his late wife's choice to move there, and the company refuses to let him out of the contract he co-signed when Lilly (Jane Kaczmarek) was still alive. So he's grumpy about the whole arrangement, snapping at his long-suffering daughter, Claire (Jena Malone) and pretty much anyone else who crosses his path.

Read full article

Comments

Audi provided flights from Washington, DC, to Munich, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could see its new Q, as well as drive its new RS5, which you can read about later this week. While we were there, we spoke with the CEO. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

MUNICH—One of the defining car industry trends of the early 21st century was the global, or world, car . Spread the development costs out across multiple markets, the thinking went, and efficiency takes care of the rest. At least that was the idea; post-COVID, post- Evergreen , and in a world now erupting into trade wars and actual shooting wars , plans need to change.

"With Audi we have to be flexible on a global perspective," said Audi AG CEO Gernot Döllner, and the new Q9 is an example of that. "It's really the car where US requirements were at the center of the product development process. It's dedicated to the US for the first time. Global launch, not Europe and then US. And for the Q9, it's the US first and then it's also dominated the volume we expect by the US American market. And then after the US, we will have the global launch of that car," he said.

Yes, that means bigger and better cup holders that can handle the insulated mugs that everyone had to have, as we saw from the Q9's interior . But it also means paying more attention to things like the JD Power surveys and so on. For example, for the Q9, "we rearranged the smart door panels we have in our A5, A6, and Q5 cars and came back to dedicated switches, optimized the interior cooling, and of course seating, the roof concept, all that with a key customer focus," Döllner said.

Read full article

Comments

Up until a decade ago, China had never launched as many as 20 orbital rockets a year. But beginning in 2022, the Asian country launched 64 rockets and last year reached a record total of 93, marking it as the second-most productive space power in the world.

Further growth is anticipated from both the company's state-owned enterprises as well as a rapidly expanding number of private launch companies. There is nothing wrong with this, as China's rapid growth in launch has been mirrored by the United States and, in particular, SpaceX.

However there is an issue with these launches, as China appears to be ignoring long-established norms about disposing of the upper stages of rockets. These are the parts of the vehicle that separate from the first stage of a rocket and push a satellite or spacecraft into orbit.

Read full article

Comments

Ferrari provided flights from Washington, DC, to Rome and accommodation so Ars could see the Luce. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

ROME—The arrival of any new Ferrari that isn't a two-seater is usually controversial, but the Luce might be the most divisive yet. It's Ferrari's first four-door sedan and first five-seater, but perhaps most importantly—especially for readers of Ars Technica—it's Ferrari's first-ever battery-electric vehicle.

Each of those individually is probably anathema to some Ferrari fans, never mind all three together. But it's 2026, and the reality is that the manufacturer absolutely needs something emissions-free in its offerings for vitally important markets like China and Silicon Valley. And now, here it is.

Like some legendary Ferraris of the past, the company chose to work with an outside design team for the Luce, in this case LoveFrom, helmed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Many will detect some hints of Apple in the car's design; more than one journalist said they could imagine it wearing that computer company's logo rather than the prancing horse shields that dot its exterior. But the almost cab-forward glasshouse perhaps calls to mind the Lotus Etna concept, with some Ferrari F90 (a one-off for the Sultan of Brunei) here and there, too. And the four round tail lights obviously reference '90s designs like the 360 and 550.

Read full article

Comments

Porsche provided flights from Albany, New York, to Munich, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could drive the electric Cayenne Coupe. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

MUNICH, GERMANY—Think about every fast Porsche you've ever seen on the road—the ones with big wings, bold colors, and wide wheels. Now get ready for an uncomfortable fact: None of them had more horsepower than the SUV you see pictured here. This is the new Cayenne Turbo Coupe, a fastback, dual-motor, upgraded version of Porsche's electric SUV.

It makes a whopping 1,139 hp (850 kW) and 1,106 lb-ft of torque (1,500 Nm), enough to drive this 5,637 lb (2,557 kg) machine and its 113-kilowatt-hour battery pack from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h)  in 2.4 seconds. That makes it not only Porsche's most powerful production car ever but also among its quickest, bested only by the Taycan Turbo GT .

But unlike that pared-down, performance-oriented take on Porsche's sultry electric sedan, the Cayenne Coupe is meant to be an everyday hauler for friends, family, and whatever else you can fit underneath its hatch. Does it succeed? That's what I went to Munich to find out.

Read full article

Comments

With the co-founder of Anthropic at his side today in Rome, Pope Leo XIV released a major new encyclical —his first—called "Magnifica Humanitas” ("Magnificent Humanity"). It calls for AI to be "disarmed" in service of the common good.

"The word is strong," Leo admits, but he chose the language of "disarmament" deliberately "because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity." AI today must be "freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion, and death."

The 40,000-word encyclical contains uncompromising critiques of AI-powered autonomous weapons, neo-colonial attitudes towards data collection, and the hoarding of "new forms of property, such as patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure, and data."

Read full article

Comments

Last week, the US government announced $2 billion in investments in quantum computing companies, allocating $100 million each to a range of startups in exchange for equity in the companies. Those could be make-or-break investments for many companies that are likely years away from a product that could see widespread use. But a member of the US Congress is now arguing that those deals are illegal, as Congress did not allocate the money for this purpose—instead, it was meant to support public research in semiconductors.

But the biggest chunk of money would go to a company that likely wouldn't exist if it weren't for the government's backing. Anderon will be set up with a billion dollars each from IBM and the government and will inherit personnel and IP from IBM. It will serve as a foundry for fabricating quantum processing units and will contract its services out to IBM and any other company that wants access to cutting-edge hardware.

Is any of this legal?

Zoe Lofgren (D–Calif.), the ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, made it clear that she is not happy with how the government is using its money to support this technology.

Read full article

Comments

I don't like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . I'm sorry to disappoint you. I know it's confusing, and I hope you will still respect me.

I had to say that a lot back in 2015. When the game first came out, the community of critics and enthusiasts I was a part of went bananas for it, much in the same way the current crop of journalists and influencers rallied around Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in 2025—another game that didn't really work for me, if I'm being frank.

The Witcher 3 was showered in accolades and awards, and it seemed like every Twitter conversation was about it. There were memes all over Reddit about how no other game could live up to it, plus lengthy essays from games journalists about just why it was so incredible. "Game of the Year" awards rained from the proverbial sky.

Read full article

Comments