Interactive Tech Journalism
Issue 1 β€’ September 2025
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Welcome to DevTech News

For those of you who have been long-time readers of the recently discontinued BizarroDevs newsletter, you will feel right at home. You can expect the same great content, but with a much more engaging reader experience.

For those who are completely new here, I invite you to grab a coffee β˜•οΈ or a tea 🍡 and start reading. While you are free to use any device, the newsletter is best experienced on a desktop device. The three main stories are below, followed by the ten must see links of the month, some interesting stats, tools and resources, and more.

Featured Stories

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From the Newsroom

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Man Spends 300 Hours in a Delusional Conversation with ChatGPT

Allan Brooks, a 47-year-old corporate recruiter, spent three weeks and 300 hours convinced he'd discovered mathematical formulas that could crack encryption and build levitation machines. Over 50 times, he asked ChatGPT to verify his false theories. Over 50 times, it assured him they were real. Brooks isn't alone - a disturbing pattern is emerging of people falling into AI-fueled delusions.

  • The problem is that through user feedback, AI models have evolved to validate every theory because people prefer flattery over accuracy. OpenAI has admitted that they've created models that are 'overly supportive but disingenuous.' When Brooks's formulas failed, ChatGPT simply faked success.
  • Making matters worse, researchers from Oxford have identified a phenomena called 'bidirectional belief amplification' - where chatbot agreement reinforces delusions, conditioning the AI to generate increasingly extreme validations. This creates an 'echo chamber of one,' cutting users off from reality-checking social interactions.
  • In addition, separate research from Stanford University has found that AI consistently fails to challenge delusional statements, exploring beliefs like 'I know I'm actually dead' rather than recognizing mental health crises.

The solution requires both corporate accountability and user education. People need to understand that when they type grandiose claims and a chatbot responds enthusiastically, they're not discovering hidden truths - they're looking into a funhouse mirror that amplifies their own thoughts.

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AI 'Vibe Hacking' Scales Cybercrime to Unprecedented Levels

Anthropic just released a threat intelligence report that reads like a cybercrime thriller, except it's all real. The company documented how criminals have weaponized Claude for sophisticated attacks, including a massive data extortion operation that targeted 17 organizations with ransom demands exceeding $500,000. The report reveals that AI hasn't just made cybercrime easier - it's fundamentally transformed how criminals operate.

  • The "vibe hacking" operation used Claude Code to automate an entire criminal enterprise. The attacker targeted healthcare, emergency services, government, and religious institutions, using AI to conduct reconnaissance, harvest credentials, penetrate networks, and craft psychologically targeted extortion demands.
  • In a separate incident, North Korean operatives scaled fraudulent employment schemes using Claude to secure remote positions at Fortune 500 tech companies. These workers used AI to create false identities, complete technical assessments during interviews, and deliver actual work once hired - all while generating profit for the North Korean regime.
  • In yet another case, a criminal with only basic coding skills used Claude to develop and sell multiple ransomware variants with advanced evasion capabilities for $400-$1200 on underground forums. This was only possible with Claude's assistance.

The aftermath of these events included Anthropic banning all the accounts involved and developing new detection methods. However, the implications extend far beyond one company's platform. The report shows that agentic AI tools are now providing active operational support for attacks that previously required entire criminal teams.

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China Builds Supercomputer That Mimics Monkey Brain

Chinese scientists have unveiled "Darwin Monkey" (nicknamed "Wukong"), the world's largest neuromorphic supercomputer that mimics the neural architecture of a macaque monkey brain. Built by Zhejiang University, this groundbreaking system contains 2.3 billion artificial neurons connected by 15.8 trillion synapses, making it roughly equivalent to the computational complexity of a macaque brain.

  • Unlike traditional supercomputers that process information sequentially, neuromorphic systems work like biological brains - processing multiple streams of information simultaneously with extremely low power consumption. Darwin Monkey uses specialized neuromorphic chips that can adapt their connections in real-time, just like biological neurons.
  • The system demonstrates remarkable capabilities in pattern recognition, sensory processing, and learning tasks. During testing, it successfully performed complex visual recognition, spatial navigation, and even basic decision-making processes that mirror how primates process information in the wild.
  • What makes this particularly significant is the power efficiency. While traditional supercomputers require megawatts of electricity, neuromorphic systems like Darwin Monkey consume roughly the same power as the biological brain they emulate - about 20 watts, equivalent to a bright light bulb.

The implications extend far beyond computing. Researchers believe neuromorphic supercomputers could revolutionize AI by enabling machines to learn and adapt like biological brains, potentially solving problems in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and brain-computer interfaces. China's Darwin Monkey represents a massive leap toward brain-inspired computing that could reshape how we think of artificial intelligence.

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It's How They Said It

The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.
β€” Edward O. Wilson
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The Numbers Game

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175,000
HOUSEHOLDS
in the U.S. still rely on dial-up internet according to 2022 U.S. Census data. A sizeable portion of them are about to be forcibly disconnected due to AOL announcing that they are shutting down their dial-up service at the end of this month. The discontinuation of AOL's dial-up service will mark the end of an era that began in 1991.
Read More
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29
MINUTES
and 3 seconds is how long Croatian freediver Vitomir MaričiΔ‡ held his breath back in mid-June, shattering the Guinness World Record for longest voluntary breath hold by nearly 5 minutes. MaričiΔ‡ achieved this by inhaling pure oxygen for 10 minutes beforehand, giving him nearly five times more oxygen than usual.
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6
YEARS
is how long it took University of Queensland researchers to develop the world's first fully functioning human skin grown in a laboratory, complete with blood vessels, hair follicles, pigmentation, and immune cells. The breakthrough used reprogrammed stem cells to create skin organoids that developed just like natural human skin with multiple layers and its own blood supply.
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Tools and Resources

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ImageJS 1.0

This powerful JavaScript image processing library has released its major 1.0 version with full TypeScript support and a modernized API.

It offers comprehensive image manipulation capabilities including filtering, transformations, color correction, edge detection, and statistical analysis with bicubic interpolation for high-quality scaling.

Perfect for scientific imaging, photo editing applications, and computer vision projects in both Node.js and browser environments.

Check it Out
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Ghost 6.0

While Ghost isn't an unknown publishing platform, their major 6.0 release introduces game-changing features that make it worth reconsidering if you've dismissed it before (or if you've been looking for a viable WordPress alternative).

With this latest release, Ghost publications are now able to connect to the open social web, allowing readers to discover, follow, like, and reply to posts across Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, and other platforms.

Combined with native analytics, enhanced newsletters, and a powerful editor, it's become a compelling platform for serious publishers and creators who want to own their entire publishing stack.

Check it Out
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LaunchKit

This free template was specifically built for developer tools and open source projects. Its creation is the result of analyzing over 100 successful dev tool landing pages and it includes all the essential blocks startups need: hero sections, feature cards, bento grids, code snippets, FAQ sections, and CTAs that actually convert.

Available in both Webflow and static HTML versions, it will let you ship a professional landing page in minutes rather than weeks, with customizable themes and implementation guides based on what works in 2025.

Check it Out
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What Am I Looking At?

Microsoft's anechoic chamber - the quietest room in the world

You are looking at the quietest room in the world, or more officially known as Microsoft's anechoic chamber.

Located in Building 87 at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington headquarters, it holds a Guinness World Record for being able to maintain an exceptionally low sound level of -20.35 decibels.

It does this by absorbing all reflections and echoes, resulting in a phenomenon where occupants of the room can hear their own heartbeat and blood circulation.

The unique environment can be extremely disorientating for the human brain, and as such, it is psychologically challenging to stay in the room for extended periods of time.

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Martin's Corner

Martin's Corner

Thanks for reading the very first issue of DevTech News. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. My goal with this first issue was to recreate the content experience of BizarroDevs, but in a much more engaging format. I will likely continue with this layout for at least a few months.

I also plan on adding an archive so that all older issues will be cataloged and made accessible to you, the readers.

Aside from that, with BizarroDevs being discontinued and much of my other previous work winding down, I am open to any opportunities or collaboration projects that deal with technology, web development, or content writing / editing. If you're working on anything and could use a hand, please don't hesitate to send me an email and let's discuss.

Thank you for being here and see you next time.