collecting

BetaBeacon
August 22, 2026
Death Antique is a new mobile stealth-horror game developed by SleepingMuseum. Players take on the role of a grim reaper who has lost her scythe and must collect souls in cemeteries while evading undead creatures. The reaper is accompanied by a dog-like creature named Fluff, who can transform into a protective wall. Players can engage in card mini-games to strengthen Fluff and encounter a narrative involving a fortune teller.
AppWizard
August 21, 2026
A new strain of Android malware has emerged, targeting automotive head units responsible for infotainment, connectivity, and navigation in vehicles. Discovered by Kaspersky in June, this is the first documented instance of malware affecting car head units, specifically within the firmware updaters of Android-based software developed by DoFun, a Hong Kong company. The malware, disguised as an application called JarService, infiltrates devices without user awareness. It is delivered through a legitimate system application called TWCore, which collects analytics and updates software. The malware aims to convert the head unit into a botnet, equipped with commands to download and execute code and display advertisements, potentially for online ad fraud. Kaspersky notified DoFun, which addressed the vulnerabilities, and noted similarities between this malware and a previous threat called BadBox, which affected various Android devices.
AppWizard
August 18, 2026
Warren Spector has announced his intention to retire from the game development industry after nearly 44 years, citing personal reflections on age, health, and a declining enthusiasm for the current gaming landscape. He has contributed to iconic titles such as the Ultima series, Wing Commander, Deus Ex, and Thief. Spector expressed a desire to create three specific games before retiring, with one being ambitious, another modest, and the third uncertain. There is speculation that System Shock 3 may be one of these projects. Despite some recent titles not achieving expected success, Spector's career is marked by significant achievements. He emphasized the importance of continued innovation in gaming and encouraged new developers to bring fresh ideas. Spector plans to focus on writing, reading, and possibly consulting, and hinted at exploring his musical interests. He left open the possibility of returning to the industry in the future.
Winsage
August 13, 2026
Dave W. Plummer, a notable figure in programming, contributed significantly to Microsoft by introducing ZIP file support for Windows, adapting Space Cadet Pinball for Windows NT, and creating the Windows Task Manager, which debuted in 1996. He has shared insights from his time at Microsoft through his platform, Dave's Garage. Recently, he released a mockup of a redesigned Task Manager, named "Task Manager OG" (TMOG), which features a cyberpunk aesthetic and is currently available as a beta version for macOS, with a Windows version planned. TMOG combines elements of macOS's Activity Monitor and Windows Task Manager, providing essential system information and deeper diagnostics. The application is described as being half the size of the Windows Task Manager and is available for free download.
AppWizard
August 9, 2026
Third-party advertising tools embedded in Android applications are automatically collecting location data, often without the app developers' awareness. Software development kits (SDKs) used for advertising come with location data collection enabled by default, unless developers actively disable this feature. Historical location data has been sold to military and intelligence agencies, including the FBI, and used in immigration enforcement actions in the US. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reported that app-level location permissions do not provide meaningful consent for location collection by third-party advertising SDKs. The EFF identified four advertising SDKs—InMobi, BidMachine, Verve's HyBid, and Huawei's Petal Ads—that collect and share location data by default. Two analyzed apps had been downloaded 60 million times without providing a privacy notice or seeking user consent for third-party location sharing. Users can manage location permissions through their device settings, but the EFF emphasizes that developers should ensure user data is not shared by default.
AppWizard
August 8, 2026
Stickers evoke nostalgia for many, especially among Gen Z and Millennials, who often decorate their MacBook covers with them. The free Steam game My Cozy Cube, developed by Potato Sprouts, allows players to decorate a virtual room using sticker-like items and includes a light puzzling element. Players can choose between a guided 'normal mode' and a freeform 'sandbox mode,' with features like auto-snapping for accurate placement. A demo is currently available, but the full release date has not been announced. Another game in this genre is Little Corners, priced at £5.99, which lets players decorate various scenes and offers a simple yet enjoyable experience.
AppWizard
August 7, 2026
A nonprofit organization in Rochester, Walking for Rochester, has launched a mobile application to help residents report and track litter in the city. The app allows users to report litter from their smartphones and document their cleanup efforts, aiming to engage citizens in maintaining a cleaner community. Since its founding in 2020, the organization has collected over 17,000 pounds of litter. The app is available for free on Apple and Android devices.
Winsage
August 6, 2026
Microsoft has introduced a preview of the Event Tracing for Windows Model Context Protocol (ETW MCP) to enhance Windows performance analysis. This server integrates artificial intelligence to streamline the analysis of Windows Event Tracing (ETW) logs. The ETW MCP allows developers to use tools like GitHub Copilot to examine Event Trace Log (ETL) files, answer queries about the logs, and identify performance issues without manual data sifting. The MCP provides structured, read-only access to processed trace information, enabling developers to query insights such as CPU usage and execution paths. Current features of the ETW MCP include trace processing, querying, multi-trace comparison, symbol-aware analysis, critical path analysis, and regions of interest. The ETW MCP is designed for headless environments and automation, while a forthcoming WPA MCP will provide similar AI-assisted analysis within a graphical interface. The ETW MCP preview is available as the Microsoft.Windows.EventTracing.MCP NuGet package, and Microsoft is seeking developer feedback for further enhancements.
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