Ars Technica Features

1. Project Hail Mary is in theaters—but do the linguistics work?

   Ars speaks with a linguist about the ease with which Grace and Rocky communicate.

2. Users hate it, but age-check tech is coming. Here's how it works.

   On-device face scans and cross-platform age keys decrease privacy risks, but trust issues abound.

3. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Private and performant

   If you want to spend $1,300 on a phone, it might as well be this one.

4. A century after the first rocket launch, Ars staffers pick their favorites

   "I realized that if something went wrong up there, things might go very badly down here."

5. M5 MacBook Air review: Still the best MacBook for almost everybody

   The M5 MacBook Air is a minor upgrade, but minor upgrades add up over time.

6. How I streamed my off-road Miata race using Starlink and StarStream

   This satellite streaming technology transforms off-road racing for fans and teams.

7. Apple MacBook Neo review: Can a Mac get by with an iPhone’s processor inside?

   8GB of RAM is a bummer, but this $599 laptop cuts most of the right corners.

8. “It doesn't feel safe”—Many international game developers plan to skip GDC in US

   Stories of border issues lead to pervasive travel fears across the worldwide industry.

9. Which of these two arcades is the "world largest"—and does it matter?

   While semantics count for some, gamers win either way.

10. Google Pixel 10a review: The sidegrade

    Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

11. With developer verification, Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy

    Questions remain as Google prepares to lock down Android app distribution in the name of security.

12. Trump FCC's equal-time crackdown doesn't apply equally—or at all—to talk radio

    FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's unequal enforcement of the equal-time rule.

13. New AirSnitch attack bypasses Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises

    That guest network you set up for your neighbors may not be as secure as you think.

14. Inside the quixotic team trying to build an entire world in a 20-year-old game

    Stories and lessons learned from an impossibly large community modding project.

15. The first cars bold enough to drive themselves

    Quevedo's telekino of 1904 was the first step on the road to autonomous Waymos.

16. Wikipedia blacklists Archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links

    If DDoSing a blog wasn't bad enough, archive site also tampered with web snapshots.

17. Zero grip, maximum fun: A practical guide to getting into amateur ice racing

    Where we're racing, we don't need roads.

18. Password managers' promise that they can't see your vaults isn't always true

    Contrary to what password managers say, a server compromise can mean game over.

19. Sideways on the ice, in a supercar: Stability control is getting very good

    To test stability control, it helps to have a wide-open space with very low grip.

20. Platforms bend over backward to help DHS censor ICE critics, advocates say

    Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem sued for coercing platforms into censoring ICE posts.