🔍 Google ties reCAPTCHA to Play Services

The new reCAPTCHA on Android requires Google Play Services version 25.41.30 or higher. Without these, verification fails, blocking users on custom ROMs like GrapheneOS that lack Google software.

Instead of image challenges, users must now scan a QR code. This depends on background Play Services connecting to Google servers. iOS devices running 16.4 or later pass without Google apps.

Google introduced this update as part of its Cloud Fraud Defense platform on April 23. The Play Services dependency was not mentioned then.

By linking web verification to proprietary services, Google forces Android users to run its software and share data to access many websites.

📊 @tech

🤖 Unitree unveiled a $650,000 humanoid mech you can sit inside

The company presented a giant robot controlled by a human operator from inside the cockpit.

The best part is the disclaimer under the launch video: “Please use the robot in a friendly and safe manner.”

The first thing that comes to mind is MechWarrior.

Add rocket launchers on the shoulders and machine guns in the hands, and it is basically the same machine.

And somehow it feels like this is exactly where things are heading.

📊 @tech

👹 MIT Builds Robot from 12 Labubu Heads

Researchers at MIT created a moving spherical dodecahedron robot using twelve detached Labubu figurine heads, naming it Labububot.

The project challenges typical social robot design, which aims to be cute and friendly to avoid the "uncanny valley"-a discomfort zone where robots look almost human but feel unsettling.

Instead, the team leans on monster theory, suggesting a robot that causes slight unease can engage users more deeply by provoking thought rather than comfort.

They shared full assembly instructions and files on GitHub for those interested in building their own version.

📊@tech

🤖 Anthropic updates Claude Code with multi-agent management

Anthropic updated Claude Code to manage multiple agents simultaneously in one window. It sorts tasks into done, in progress, and needing user input.

Claude Code splits tasks automatically and no longer requires external AI managers. The new /goal command lets agents work continuously toward a set goal without repeated prompts.

📊@tech

🤖 Tokyo lab runs entirely on robots

The Robotics Innovation Center at Tokyo's Institute of Science operates with no human staff. Its main robot, Maholo LabDroid, uses two robotic arms to handle precise reagent transfers, control temperature-sensitive equipment, and manage cell cultures.

The lab plans to expand from 10 robots now to 2,000 by 2040, aiming to automate the entire research cycle from hypothesis to experiment. Humanoid robots fit existing human-designed lab equipment, avoiding costly infrastructure changes.

📊 @tech

🤖 Claude AI recovers $400K in lost Bitcoin

A user known as Cprkrn lost access to 5 bitcoins bought for about $250 each after changing his wallet password while drunk. The bitcoins were locked in an old file on a forgotten laptop for 11 years, now worth around $398,000.

He fed the old wallet files to the AI Claude, which did not crack encryption but found an earlier wallet backup predating the password change.

Combined with his saved recovery phrase, this allowed access without breaking any crypto security.

📊@tech

🔍 Googlebook merges Chrome OS and Android

Googlebook is a new laptop line set to replace Chromebook in fall 2026. It runs on a unified OS combining Android’s tech stack with Chrome OS’s browser and extensions.

The OS is codenamed Aluminium OS and includes Gemini Intelligence for AI features.

Key features include Magic Pointer, which activates Gemini AI with cursor gestures to suggest actions like creating meetings or combining images.

Cast My Apps lets users open Android apps from their phone on the laptop screen, while Quick Access shows phone files in the laptop’s file manager.

📊@tech