Daily digest · Sunday, November 1, 2026
From OpenAI possibly reframing its data centers as “AI compute campuses” to Meta’s household robot prototype and new Claude video-game restrictions, today’s tech news is dominated by AI on the move. The lineup also covers iPod and Spotify upgrades, vinyl-cleaning basics, and an FBI claim linking North Korea to a $6B-plus Binance crypto heist.
1 · TechCrunch
OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane said the company is considering rebranding its data centers as “AI compute campuses” and is planning a PR blitz after the November 2026 midterm elections.
2 · Engadget
For vinyl, start with a carbon fiber brush for surface dust, then move to wet cleaning (including record-specific fluids or a diluted 2–3 parts distilled water to 1 part isopropyl alcohol mix) before considering higher-end machines like the ~$80–$125 Spin-Clean or ultrasonic/deep-clean options costing several hundred to thousands of dollars.
3 · Engadget
Claude will be blocked from recreating specific existing video games, even if renamed or claimed as “original.”
4 · Engadget
Meta built a humanoid robot prototype, internally codenamed Max, intended to help with household chores, and is already working on a second version called Max 2.
5 · Engadget
Sprout Pi Mainboard is a replacement iPod logic board that adds Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, USB‑C charging, a microSD slot for up to 2TB, and promises Apple Music and Spotify streaming while keeping the original screen and click wheel.
6 · Engadget
Developers including Brandon Thomas say they’ve reverse-engineered Adobe Creative Cloud apps into free, one-to-one open-source clones—starting with Artcraft’s Photocraft Photoshop replacement—but users have reported critical bugs and Photocraft can’t open native PSD files.
7 · Engadget
On 6GB and 8GB GPUs, hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS) can consume VRAM you may need—turning it off on an 8GB RTX 2070 Super freed nearly 950MB and stopped stuttering in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Stellar Blade.
8 · Engadget
Spotify Premium users can improve audio by toggling volume normalization off or choosing between Quiet, Loud, and Normal modes (with Spotify warning that Loud may diminish audio quality).
9 · TechCrunch
Pixel 11 Pro Fold is 5mm thick unfolded (down from 5.2mm) and 10.1mm thick folded (down from 10.8mm), with Google claiming 3× higher durability and a peak 3,600-nit display up from 3,000 nits.
10 · The Verge
The FBI says North Korea was responsible for theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance on or about October 29, 2026, under the label “TraderTraitor.”
