Overview
Today’s feed is about speed and substance. AI building moves from promise to practice, students turn founders, and learning tools shift towards longer form. Underneath it all sit hard constraints like power and networks. Space agencies end the year with precise milestones, indie makers keep shipping games and tools, and the online attention diet gets a simple nudge. There is also a clear denial in a story where tech brushes against politics.
The big picture
Replit arrives in ChatGPT, app building from a chat
A short demo shows people invoking @Replit inside ChatGPT to generate, run and edit real apps in place, with live code execution and UI updates. Announced on 22 December with a new free Starter Plan, it lowers the barrier for hobbyists while full use needs a linked Replit account.
OpenAI flags the ‘capability overhang’ gap
OpenAI says progress in 2026 will hinge as much on helping people use AI well as on new frontier models. The post argues there are big gaps between what models can do and what people actually do with them.
Aaron Levie on teens dropping out to build
In a podcast clip, Box’s CEO says 19 and 20 year olds are leaving campus within weeks to start companies, crediting AI tools that boost solo output and compress build cycles. Commenters cheer the pace while noting trust and distribution still take time.
NotebookLM tests long-form ‘Lecture’ audio
Google’s NotebookLM is trialling a single-host Lecture mode for Audio Overviews, up to 30 minutes, a change from the two-host style. The demo uses TestingCatalog sources to narrate recent AI features, with British English support slated for 2026.
IsoCity adds smoother rails and a Cmd-K menu
Andrew Milich ships updates to his open-source isometric city sim, with snapping tools for rail placement and a Cmd-K menu for zoning, roads and transit in the browser. Built mostly in TypeScript, the repo is three days old, already past 500 stars, and drawing pull requests under an MIT licence.
Replicube dips under $8 in the Steam Winter Sale
Walaber’s programming puzzle asks players to write tiny bits of code to recreate voxel models, with scores for geometry and colour accuracy. The clip shows clever uses of absolute value to sculpt shapes.
Ubiquiti unveils the UniFi Travel Router
A $79 pocket device, out 29 December, that carries UniFi policies, VPNs and WiFi profiles wherever you work. It supports Ethernet, WiFi or tethered 5G uplinks, and can handle hotel captive portals. Replies ask about Tailscale and praise the size.
Google’s solar move to feed AI hunger
Oguz notes Google’s Intersect Power deal, securing more than 2 GW of solar capacity after Sundar Pichai warned of energy bottlenecks in June. With AI training set to claim a big slice of electricity by 2030, tech giants are locking in their own supply.
NASA closes 2025 with Artemis tests and fresh Earth data
The agency’s recap spans an Artemis II countdown test, a new Crew-12 line-up for February 2026, first sea-level readings from Sentinel-6B, and ultraviolet views of Earth’s geocorona from Carruthers Observatory.
India’s LVM3 lifts a record payload for AST SpaceMobile
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails ISRO’s LVM3-M6 launch, placing the 6,100 kg BlueBird Block-2 into orbit. The satellite aims to bring 4G and 5G broadband from space, and the flight strengthens India’s heavy-lift record.
A small guardrail for doomscrolling
Ankit built a Chrome extension that blocks X until you type why you are opening it. You get a five-minute window per tab, with reasons stored locally. Interest is high, and research suggests time limits can help, even if blockers are no silver bullet.
Marc Andreessen issues a denial on Honduras rumours
Andreessen says he has no role in any Honduras project or pardon scenario, after reporting tied tech investors to the Próspera charter city and recent political moves. The topic mixes venture plans with a charged legal history.
Why it matters
- AI progress now depends on use, not just model size. Replit inside ChatGPT and NotebookLM’s Lecture mode point to tools that help more people build and learn, which supports OpenAI’s focus on closing the capability gap.
- Founder behaviour is changing. Faster prototyping and solo output bring more teenage founders into the arena, but the hard parts - trust, distribution, compliance - still need patience.
- The stack is physical. Google’s solar deal and Ubiquiti’s travel router show the range from data centre power to your hotel WiFi. Energy and networks will decide who can scale and who stalls.
- Space is now an everyday input. Better sea-level data and UV imaging feed climate planning and satellite safety, while India’s heavy-lift progress strengthens the commercial launch map.
- Small nudges can help attention. For many, typing a reason before opening X is enough to break a habit, even if blockers alone rarely fix addiction.
- Makers keep the scene lively. Open-source sims and coding puzzles both teach and entertain, and sales pull new players into the fold.
- Public scrutiny will rise. Clear on-the-record statements matter when tech projects touch policy and global headlines.
