1.
Tricking an Air Conditioner Into Cooling
Modern heat pumps, of which air conditioners are a subset, seem like simple machines in theory. They just move heat from one place to another. But in order to operate efficiently, they need specific temperatures and humidities on either side of the pump or they can behave in non-ideal ways. [GreatScott!] noticed this when his air conditioner worked well during a heatwave, but started acting anemic once the outside air temperature cooled down.
2.
Compose Multiplatform 1.12.0 welcomes coding agents with MCP server
JetBrains has rolled out Compose Multiplatform 1.12.0, enhancing the framework for sharing Kotlin UI code across different platforms. A standout feature is the introduction of a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, which connects AI coding agents to live Compose applications. This means these agents can do things like trigger reloads, take screenshots, and even simulate user interactions, making it easier for them to verify changes in real-time.
For web applications, there's now automatic font fallback. If a character isn't covered by the app's fonts, Compose will fetch the appropriate Noto font subset on the fly, ensuring that languages like Japanese and Arabic, as well as emojis, render correctly without any extra effort from developers.
Additionally, there's an experimental update to the window and dialog API, giving developers more control over how their applications' windows are displayed. They can now specify where a window appears on the screen, customize its size, and set minimum and maximum dimensions. This flexibility allows for a more tailored user experience, whether centering a window or letting it expand based on content.
It’s interesting to see how these updates are making it easier for developers to create more dynamic and responsive applications across platforms.
3.
Like Mrs Hinch and Stacey Soloman - I was"befriended" by a woman only interested in exploiting our relationship for her own gain
I had totally missed the story of the intense friendship between, then, apparent falling out of, cleaning influencer Sophie “Mrs Hinch” Hinchcliffe, and the broadcaster Stacey Solomon. I’m not really target demo for either woman, no shade on ‘em; who can say why some celebs captivate us, while others leave us “meh”? Horses for courses, they clearly work magic on a lot of other people, Mrs Hinch has 4.8 million Instagram followers, Soloman has 6.1m and a few prime time BBC shows to her name. No question who, out of the three of us, is the least popular. (It’s me.) ANYWAY.
4.
My next mission? To get an excellent arse by Christmas! With training - and a very promising new Tweak.
First: an extraordinary development in my underarms! I am One Sweaty B*tch, always have been. There’s just something special and pongy about my pits. What can I say? Some of us are lucky that way! Obviously, I wash loads, so it isn’t too much of a problem, not for other people, anyway, but this time of year - when things get cold, and I am required to pile on the layers, but then, I, I dunno, end up on a packed Tube and things suddenly get way too hot and I start to sweat and all those layers are not going to allow the sweat to evaporate, and GODDAMMIT my adored new blazer or coat or whatever…
5.
"Past a certain age, women would be better off losing a stone and a half, than getting a Masters"
A woman I don’t know terribly well, but get just brilliant vibes off, stops me in the street. “You’re interested in this stuff,” she says. “I’m on Mounjaro. It’s changed my life. And not in the way I thought. And no one’s talking about it. And I REALLY want to know if it’s happening to other people, too.” Oh I LOVE it when people do this kind of thing to me! I arrange to take her for lunch, so she can tell me everything. And, she does. And it is extraordinary, as the stories of women’s relationships with food, and with their bodies, almost always are. We sit down. We order.
6.
How Short Video Created the World’s Most Valuable Startup
In 2016, I was in a room with several top creators from Vine, the once popular short video app that Twitter shut down a few months after. These creators were all in the process of signing deals with Instagram. Last month, China’s ByteDance became the world’s most valuable startup ($75B vs. Uber’s $72B). Its short video app, Douyin (also known as TikTok), has over 500 million monthly active users. Below is the story of Vine’s demise and what Douyin did differently. In 2013, Vine was the hottest video app in the world.
7.
My Book, Principles of Product Management, is Now Available!
Through my experience and conversations with others, I’ve learned how tough it is to become a product manager and launch your product career. This is the book that I wish I had when I first got started. The book includes almost 200 pages of best practices from what I learned on the job at Amazon, Facebook, and other companies on: Principles: When your product fails to get traction, when your team falls apart, or when you get tough feedback — these are all opportunities to learn principles to become a better PM.
8.
The Ollama Guide: Top AI Tools Course 2/5
Yesterday I started this five-part course with n8n. The idea behind the series is that some of the most useful AI tools are not frontier models at all. They are the quieter tools sitting underneath the work, moving data, running models, connecting APIs, giving agents tools and keeping workflows alive after the chat window closes. The first guide was about n8n, the wiring layer. It showed how to connect models, apps, APIs, triggers and actions into one working system. Today is the second tool, and it fits almost perfectly beside n8n. Ollama is the engine you can put behind that wiring.
9.
Firefox 155 brings AI-powered Smart Window to more countries
10.
9to5Mac Daily: August 31, 2026 – Apple TV price hikes, more
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Stuff: Stuff helps you get everything out of your head and into a simple, elegant system—closing open loops and reducing mental stress. A simple to-do list for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with powerful tools that make organizing, tracking, and checking off your tasks a whole lot more satisfying. Get Stuff done.