Tech News – by Arlin Schaffel

Sony revives the original Walkman headphones, adds USB-C

Originally called the “MDR-3L2,” the first Walkman headphones were known for their sleek, adjustable gray plastic headband, which extended via metal sliders and ended in signature orange, circular ear cushions. The lightweight, on-ear headphones are a contrast to the bulky headsets that are popular these days, which use wide, cushioned headbands for long-term comfort and large earcups that can support big drivers and are often heavily padded for noise isolation.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/11/sony-adds-usb-c-to-its-70s-era-mdr-3-walkman-headphones/

‘Not Sustainable.’ Starlink Users Compare Dynamic Pricing to Being Held Hostage

Starlink’s test of dynamic pricing, which will enable the satellite internet service to raise and lower prices based on demand, has drawn comparisons to Uber. But to Loran Hatfield, the new policy is simply a “dogshit idea" that leaves users at the mercy of SpaceX. “Dynamic pricing does sound better than calling it hostage negotiations,” he told PCMag. Hatfield, a truck driver, is among the Starlink subscribers who will now have to pay up to 20% more after SpaceX introduced dynamic pricing for its Residential plans, a change that has been appearing mainly in Missouri and Kansas in the US market.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/not-sustainable-starlink-users-compare-dynamic-pricing-to-being-held-hostage

Microsoft’s Canada timezone troubles leave admins fixing calendars, pretending they’re in Bogota

Microsoft has discovered once again that few things strike fear into the heart of a software engineer quite like a government deciding to fiddle with the clocks. Parts of Canada stopped observing seasonal clock changes on November 1, leaving affected areas of British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba permanently on UTC-07:00, UTC-06:00 and UTC-05:00 respectively. Unfortunately, Microsoft's sprawling software empire hasn't entirely caught up. Outlook users have been left with the most homework. Switching to the new Canadian time zones won't automatically update existing calendar entries, meaning that meetings scheduled after November 1 are potentially an hour out of whack.
https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/11/02/microsofts-canada-timezone-troubles-leave-admins-fixing-calendars-pretending-theyre-in-bogota/5306934

Instagram Prepares to Take on YouTube With 90-Minute Horizontal Videos

This is Instagram’s second major attempt at long-form videos after IGTV, which launched in 2018 but was phased out in 2022 after failing to gain traction. The latest attempt, called Features, is designed to help users discover and watch long-form videos, including comedy specials and podcasts, directly on the platform. “We’re also seeing so many creators producing longer videos, and they’re using clips of those videos to drive discovery on Reels and help build their audience,” Instagram’s VP of product, Tessa Lyons, said in an announcement video alongside company head Adam Mosseri.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/instagram-prepares-to-take-on-youtube-with-90-minute-horizontal-videos

Web Browser Arc Is Shutting Down Later This Year, Asks You to Switch to Dia

Alternative web browser Arc is reaching the end of its life, and you’ve got a little under two months to make the most of it. The developers plan to shut down the browser on Dec. 22, 2026, around 3.5 years after launch. “Our priority is to deliver best-in-class security for our members," Miller says. "Keeping a browser secure takes constant, dedicated work that is only increasing in the age of AI. Dia, our new browser, was built from the ground up to meet today’s security standards, so that’s where our engineering and security teams will focus moving forward.”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/web-browser-arc-is-shutting-down-later-this-year-asks-you-to-switch-to

PHP Armageddon: OpenAI, Google’s Wiz find ancient holes, panicking the internet

The U.S. National Security Agency’s sent out an alarming warning on Wednesday that two critical holes had been found in PHP, with patches already issued by the PHP Foundation. PHP is a server-side programming language so widely used for web applications that it powers roughly 70% of the websites on the internet; by some accounts, that’s more than 33 million sites. It is also used by popular content management systems like WordPress.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/21/php-armageddon-openai-googles-wiz-find-ancient-holes-panicking-the-internet/

AI game clones are making indie developers afraid to show their work

Since its earliest days, the video game industry has been built on developers creating clones of competing games, with varying levels of originality and varying levels of enforcement from game platforms. Now, though, AI coding tools are making that cloning process so efficient that many developers are getting extremely cautious about sharing their early work too widely.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/ai-game-clones-are-making-indie-developers-afraid-to-show-their-work/