Another week has rolled around, and with it comes yet another notable bricking incident. In a development that many anticipated, Humane has revealed that its expensive AI Pin devices will lose functionality starting at noon on February 28. The company created quite a buzz when it introduced this wearable assistant in April 2024, showcasing an innovative approach to technology. Designed to be worn on the chest, the AI Pin resembled a Star Trek: The Next Generation communicator badge, allowing users to interact with it by tapping the front. It boasted a display that projected data onto the wearer’s hand, along with various sensors and cameras to collect user information. However, despite the initial excitement, Humane appears to have struggled with its business model, resulting in the impending shutdown of its servers. Refunds will only be available to those who purchased their AI Pins within the last 90 days.

It’s puzzling to understand how Humane envisioned a commercial future for a device that resembles a personal badge camera. Did they really believe people would feel comfortable entering meetings where colleagues might be recording conversations? Similarly, using such a gadget in a gym locker room could certainly raise eyebrows. While the AI Pin was somewhat less conspicuous than Google Glass—barring its somewhat awkward aesthetic—most wearable technology faces a common issue: their visibility. The only wearable that comes close to resolving this issue might be the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, though they still contend with noticeable cameras embedded in their bulky design. Plus, who wants to wear Ray-Bans all the time without being perceived as trying too hard?

For those concerned about the rise of large language models (LLMs) and chatbots dominating the future, there’s promising news on the horizon. A recent study indicating that older LLMs are exhibiting cognitive decline might provide some comfort. Researchers administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to various chatbots, aiming to identify early signs of impairment. The test includes straightforward questions, some resembling those from a sobriety assessment, highlighting its intent. Unfortunately for the chatbots, older models consistently performed worse on the test. Critics may argue that the researchers are not comparing models’ current scores with their previous performances, but that’s essentially how the assessment is conducted for humans.

A tough break for astronomers continues as they battle the dual challenges of light pollution and an uptick in radio frequency interference. These issues are why astronomers cherish locations such as dark sky reserves, where light pollution is minimal, and radio quiet zones that help mitigate RF interference. Yet, noise seems to consistently seep into these protected areas. A recent incident highlighted this when astronomers discovered that TV signals disrupting the Murchison Wide-field Array in Western Australia for five years were bouncing off airplanes. Located in a designated radio quiet zone, research efforts to trace the signal back to its origin have proved fruitful, with plans to refine methods for filtering out additional RFI from both ground-based and satellite sources now in progress.

Finally, while it’s much easier to share our victories online than our setbacks, there’s immense value to be found in falling short. Daniel Dakhno, for example, embraces his failures to such an extent that he has dedicated a section of his project portfolio to them. Situated at the bottom of his page, his failures are thoughtfully categorized by project type and nature. Each entry outlines the time invested in these endeavors, a crucial distinction Daniel makes by framing it as “time invested” rather than “time wasted.” After all, when faced with setbacks, it’s essential to learn and grow from the experience.