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Star Fox 64, a game I loved in my childhood, is returning – but I have mixed feelings

The Guardian

Why are Nintendo releasing a straight-up remake of the space-flight shooter - with many of its original limitations - rather than a fresh new take? T he Nintendo 64 was not my first video game console, but it was my formative one. Getting to grips with 3D movement in Super Mario 64 with that weird three-pronged controller is one of my most visceral childhood memories; the long, wait for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the background noise to a huge chunk of my youth. But back in the 1990s (in the UK at least), it felt as if had an N64. When everybody had a PlayStation instead, I felt I was the only kid in my whole city who cared more about Banjo-Kazooie than Crash Bandicoot. If even Zelda seemed comparatively niche in Europe in the 90s, Lylat Wars (known elsewhere as Star Fox 64) was a real deep cut.


New rules confirm public has a right to see how UK government uses AI

New Scientist

Government departments and other public bodies in the UK must consider requests to release information about AI-produced content, regulators have confirmed. The move follows a successful request by New Scientist for the release of a minister's ChatGPT logs The use of AI chatbots is subject to the UK's Freedom of Information laws Text, images and other content produced by UK government departments and other public bodies using artificial intelligence are subject to freedom of information (FOI) laws, regulators have confirmed - potentially opening the door for the public to gain access to ministers' ChatGPT or other chatbot records. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data-protection agency, has released new guidance confirming that "If staff at a public authority use AI for work purposes, the information generated will be subject to FOIA [the Freedom of Information Act] along with the prompts used". Last year, successfully requested the then-UK tech secretary Peter Kyle's ChatGPT logs under FOI legislation, in what is believed to be a world first. That triggered subsequent requests from other news outlets to obtain other information, but many have either been rejected on cost grounds or labelled as "vexatious", an umbrella term that allows authorities to reject a request.


Russian drone attacks kill nine in Ukraine after ceasefire expires

BBC News

Nine people have been killed and at least 28 injured in the latest Russian drone attacks across Ukraine, local officials have said. They said the worst-hit was the central Dnipropetrovsk region, where eight people were killed and 11 injured throughout Tuesday. One casualty was reported in the eastern Donetsk region. Overall, 14 regions were attacked. On Wednesday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 100 Russian drones were currently over Ukraine, warning of more waves of attacks throughout the day.


Beware what you tell your AI chatbot. It's not a shrink – it's a snitch Arwa Mahdawi

The Guardian

Beware what you tell your AI chatbot. It's not a shrink - it's a snitch In a case of'oh dear diary', the OpenAI president Greg Brockman is having to read extracts from his musings about Elon Musk in court. T he hottest new read of 2026 may well be The Secret Diary of Greg Brockman, Aged 38 . It's got everything: feuding billionaires, scheming CEOs and a perhaps somewhat unreliable narrator. You won't find it in the library, but you can watch Brockman, a co-founder and president of OpenAI, being forced to read the juiciest bits out loud in court. Before you ask ChatGPT to explain, here's the backstory: Elon Musk is in a legal battle with Brockman and the OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman .


Ikea's New Designer Collection Is Home-Office Heaven

WIRED

Ikea's New Designer Collection Is Home-Office Heaven From a twisty lamp to a bendy clock, the Swedish company's full 2026 PS Collection has dropped. It's a boon for those looking to refine their homes and workstations. Now that the hubbub of the cat-tested blow-up chair has calmed down, Ikea has taken the wraps off the rest of its latest PS Collection (which stands for Post Scriptum). Consisting of 44 pieces, including the viral inflatable PS 2026 Easy Chair, the furniture brand says the theme of the 2026 PS Collection is playful functionality. The new PS Collection (available in stores from May 14, then online from May 22) has not one but two options for accommodating impromptu sleepovers.

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Developing active and flexible microrobots

Robohub

Leiden researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have created microscopic robots that move without sensors, software, or external control. Instead, their behaviour emerges entirely from their shape and the way they interact with their environment. This class of robots opens up entirely new possibilities for biomedical applications. Inspiration to build these robots came from nature. Kraft: "Animals like worms and snakes constantly adapt their shape as they move, which helps them to navigate their environments. Macroscopic robots similarly use flexibility for their function. However, until now, microrobots were either small and rigid, or large and flexible. We wondered if we could realize small and flexible microrobots in our lab."


Chris Mason: Why a quick meeting is overshadowing the King's Speech

BBC News

Chris Mason: Why a coffee is overshadowing the King's Speech It is quite something when two blokes having a cup of coffee can generate more headlines and conversation than the King coming to parliament for the main ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar. Both these things are happening this morning. The prime minister has met the Health Secretary Wes Streeting in private - a meeting offered by Sir Keir Starmer to cabinet ministers after Tuesday's cabinet meeting and an offer Streeting took up. It was a very short meeting - under 20 minutes - and we may not know what happened in Number 10 immediately. And then, not long afterwards, the King will arrive in Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament, in which the sovereign reads out the government's planned new laws for the year and a bit ahead. This ceremonial occasion was scheduled for this week precisely because government figures anticipated a rough set of election results and a splash of political tumult afterwards.


Smart glasses are 'an invasion of privacy' - Meta's are selling better than ever

BBC News

Smart glasses are'an invasion of privacy' - Meta's are selling better than ever Issues with a new wave of smart glasses seem to be piling up. Yet some of the biggest technology companies in the world are poised to sell many millions of pairs in the coming years. Women leaving the beach, going into a shop, or simply standing outside are now being approached by men usually wearing Meta's Ray-Bans, the company's smart or AI glasses, often in order to film the women's responses to casual questions or pick-up lines without their knowledge or consent. The women only find out about the videos of them after they gain traction, and often abuse, online. They have little legal recourse as photography in public is broadly considered legal.


Chelsea flower show garden designers clash over use of AI

The Guardian

Matt Keightley in his 2015 Chelsea garden, designed for Prince Harry. This year he is launching an AI app that has'designed' three full-size gardens for the show. Matt Keightley in his 2015 Chelsea garden, designed for Prince Harry. This year he is launching an AI app that has'designed' three full-size gardens for the show. Wed 13 May 2026 01.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 13 May 2026 01.01 EDT With glasses of champagne sipped among the peonies, Chelsea flower show is generally a friendly and genteel occasion.


Is Big Brother watching you shop? – podcast

The Guardian

Is Big Brother watching you shop? - podcast From supermarkets to corner shops, live facial recognition could be coming to retailers near you. Live facial recognition is being hailed as a powerful new frontier in the fight against crime, not only by police but by private companies too. Retailers from supermarkets to corner shops hope it will help them fight back against shoplifting. And the technology doesn't always get it right. With more police forces wanting to take up the technology, what could the consequences be?