🎮 Steam Machine Price Starts at $1,049

After months of waiting, Valve has finally announced that its new living room PC, the Steam Machine, will start at $1,049. It goes on sale on June 29th.

Valve is offering four different versions:

✅ 512GB model: $1,049 (or $1,128 with a Steam Controller).
✅ 2TB model: $1,349 (or $1,428 with a Steam Controller).

The Steam Machine is much more expensive than its main console competitors. For comparison, a digital PS5 costs $599.99, an Xbox Series X is $649.99, and a PS5 Pro is $899.99.

Would you buy a Steam Machine?

❤️ — Yes, it's a great thing!
🔥 — No, it's too much...

💡 1700 Free Courses

Open Culture has gathered courses and lectures on all kinds of subjects: ancient history, film studies, language learning, astrophysics, AI, and even scientific cooking.

➡️ You can check out the full list here.

Do you take online courses?

❤️ — Yes, always learning something new
🔥 — Not enough time...

🧑‍💻 How to Easily Get a Day Off

Reddit shares a lifehack for software engineers on how to tell your boss you need a day off.

⏫ Apple Hikes Tech Prices

Apple products are getting 15–25% more expensive due to a memory shortage, the company has announced.

New prices:

MacBook Neo $599 → $699 (+17%)
MacBook Air 512GB $1,099 → $1,299 (+18%)
MacBook Pro 1TB $1,699 → $1,999 (+18%)
iPad Air 128GB $599 → $749 (+25%)
iPad Pro Wi-Fi 256GB $999 → $1,199 (+20%)

Did you upgrade your gadgets in time?

❤️ — Yes, it was predictable
🎃 — No, and now I won't be upgrading!

🔄 Now Plants Can Talk to ChatGPT

Plant Talk, an open source connector on GitHub, lets you hook your plant up to ChatGPT. With just a laptop and an OpenAI API key, the AI keeps an eye on your plant through the camera. You can also connect Arduino sensors to monitor soil moisture and light levels.

➡️ Code and setup guide — here.

💡 Telepathy Could Become Reality Soon, Says Musk

The first attempts to connect people's brains via the Neuralink neural implant could happen as early as this year, Elon Musk wrote on X.

He said this while commenting on the idea that a direct connection between people without "mediator-encoders" should become the next evolutionary leap.

Will this kind of "telepathy" become reality?

❤️ — Yes, this is our future!
🔥 — No, this is impossible

♊ Google Releases Nano Banana 2 Lite

Google has launched Nano Banana 2 Lite, the new Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image model. It is a lighter version of Nano Banana 2, but costs half as much.

It works very fast at 1K resolution. Quality-wise, it sits between the first and second Nano Banana.

➡ You can try it for free via Google AI Studio.

🎥 For developers, access to the Gemini Omni Flash AI video editor is now open. The model will also be available in AI Studio soon.

🪭 How China Deals with the Heat

In the city of Yuncheng (Shanxi Province, China), water mist spray systems have been installed on the rooftops of residential high-rises — they create a finely dispersed cloud in the space between buildings, cooling the courtyard through evaporative cooling.

The idea is that the mist should automatically turn on during peak heat to lower temperatures in residential neighborhoods. According to some reports, the system cools the air by 5–8 degrees in just a few minutes of operation.

Would you want something like this in your courtyard?

🔥 — Yes, absolutely!
🤔 — But is it actually safe?

📸 Parents Warned Not to Post Children's Photos Online

This can lead to AI fakes and extortion, the UK's National Crime Agency warned.

Experts recommend:

✅ Close social media accounts or share photos only with close friends;
✅ Delete old photos;
✅ Check agreements with sports clubs about posting photos.

Do you post photos online?

❤️ — Yes
🔥 — No, I don't trust social media

💰 GTA VI Could Make $4 billion On Launch Day

Analysts believe the next entry in the legendary series could sell up to 40 million copies on its release date, November 19, generating around $3–4 billion for publisher Take-Two Interactive.

If that forecast comes true, it would be one of the biggest launches in entertainment history. For comparison, GTA V made $815.7 million on its first day of sales back in 2013.

GTA VI's success could become a prime example of Take-Two's blockbuster strategy: the company spends years investing in one massive release and turns the wait itself into a cultural phenomenon.

Will you be playing GTA VI?

❤️ — Yes, I'm buying it at launch
🔥 — I'll wait for a discount
😎 — I'll just watch other people play

🦖 A T. rex Skeleton Is Up for Auction for $19M

It's been named "Gas"—after rancher Gary "Gas" Licking, who spent several years finding small fragments of teeth and bones on his property and suspected they might be part of something bigger.

Eventually, one of the largest and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found was unearthed in South Dakota. The skeleton was assembled from 63% of its original 183 bones, measuring 11.6 meters long and 3.8 meters tall.

Is it worth the money?

❤️ — Yes, this is a great purchase!
🤔 — But where would you even put it?

🔍 Meta Launches Muse Image, Its New AI Photo Editor

On the arena, the model trails only GPT Image 2.

The main draw is its agentic design. Before generating anything, the model analyzes the prompt, can search the web for data, facts, or references, and can even write code to accurately render diagrams or QR codes.

You can already try the model in Meta AI, and it's coming soon straight to Instagram and WhatsApp.

🛤️ Guy Turns a Camper Into a Railcar, Rides Abandoned Rail Lines

Matt Pierce from the U.S. mounted an electric micro-camper on custom wheels, and now the vehicle rides straight along the rails. The living quarters sit on the roof: a tent, a sleeping spot, and a stove.

Pierce picks his routes along abandoned rail branches. Wherever he likes the spot, he sets up camp for the night or grabs a fishing rod.

Would you go on a trip like this?

❤️ — Yes, sounds amazing!
🔥 — Looks pretty risky...