Plus: AI has made RAM too expensive. Could toilets be next? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

February 18, 2026 | Read online
# AI making us into drained Jeff Bezos, new Marketplace scam and is your next laptop a foldable phone? Plus: AI has made RAM too expensive. Could toilets be next?
Edition 2504
"Broken NEC CRT computer monitor 20080509c" by youngthousands from usa is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Mentioned in today’s edition: Jeff Bezos, Apple, Claude Code, Mac mini, Meta, Toto, Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Pixel 9s. Plus, deals on Dreame robot vacuums, TP-Link security systems and DJI drones.
# The News
### Is AI draining its users’ brains by making them feel like Jeff Bezos?
A new Harvard study (HBR) says AI isn't making work easier but it is making people work at all hours. Steve Yegge — whose recent claim to fame was inventing a deranged multi-Claude agentic interface called 'Gas Town' — said working with the "AI vampire" is exhausting him so much that he sleeps all the time (Medium). A VC guy working at an Amazon-owned fund posted on social media that Silicon Valley parties are being ruined because people are staying sober and leaving early because they want to check in on their constantly working AI agents (Bluesky).
The Sizzle: Allow me to peer through the ridiculous bluster from the AI guys: for all the talk about jobs being taken with AI, the actual impact of AI so far is how work is changing for those early adopters. Whether you're vibecoding for a company or producing AI slop to put on Facebook — what's the difference, am I right folks? I'll be here all week, try the veal — it does seem like using AI changes your job to be more like a manager: reviewing output, coming up with plans, problem solving etc.
What does this mean for the way we all work if this really is the future (still a big if)? One of the big handbrakes on work has been friction of organisations and others' schedules, e.g. no point working after 5pm because there's no one else around to discuss or approve etc. But using AI might make you feel like Jeff Bezos. You've got this computer worker that will tirelessly churn on tasks around the clock, but it needs your approval for its next task (as long as you keep paying for more tokens). Except, you're not Jeff Bezos. You're not compensated like Jeff Bezos. You're just some guy. Instead of AI making our lives easier, its use could lure us into working all the time.
Related reading: Are We Becoming Architects or Butlers to LLMs? (Metadata)
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
### Forget AI devices, is your next laptop a foldable phone?
Apple is reportedly pushing ahead with the very un-Steve Jobs-like idea of releasing three AI-first products: glasses, AirPods with cameras and a pendant (Bloomberg, $). It's also set to release a foldable iPhone. I think there's a good case that, done right, the iFold could be a laptop killer for some. The Verge has a good piece living the #foldlife with a Galaxy Z Fold 7. Equipped with a folding keyboard, the reviewer Allison Johnson found that using the Purse Computer as her main device was doable.
side note: apparently this foldable keyboard is INCREDIBLE
Could you see yourself giving up the laptop for a good foldable phone? Would you want to? Let me know!
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
### New Facebook Marketplace grift/scam just dropped...
I was looking around Facebook Marketplace for a second-hand Mac mini. I saw a nice little deal (in a listing that used lots of emojis etc, should have been a red flag). So, I sent the standard message "Is this still available?" I immediately got the red notification saying the advertiser had responded:
doesn’t anyone want to actually do the hard work of selling random shit online any more? Kids these days
It looks like this store is doing some kind of affiliate marketing or just advertising scheme to get people to post its products on Marketplace (and at intentionally low prices). And this guy has clearly just automated it all. Yet another kind of slop making these platforms less and less useful.
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
# Leftovers
Australia:
Not-for-profit OpenAustralia does a lot of great work and they're looking for a volunteer to help lead their fundraising Following the #libspill, we've got some new shadow ministers: Andrew Hastie is shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability, Aaron Violi is shadow minister for the digital economy, shadow minister for cyber security and science, technology and innovation, and Sarah Henderson is shadow communications and digital safety minister (InnovationAus, $) Aussie Fintech Platform YouX Confirms Data Breach as Hacker Shares Massive Dataset Online (Cyber Daily) MYOB will start using the Open Banking standard (SmartCompany) This Voiceover Actor Was Dumped From His Contract. His Voice Was Cloned. (The Sydney Morning Herald, $) Why Australia's Data Centre Rush is Fool's Gold (The Australian Financial Review, $) I don't agree with a lot of this but food for thought
Rest of World:
Meta's Own Research Found Parental Supervision Doesn't Really Help Curb Teens' Compulsive Social Media Use (TechCrunch) xAI faces ANOTHER probe over sexualised images (Ars Technica) Some more info on India's ‘Delhi Declaration’ that it wants everyone at the summit to sign (Financial Times, $) Tesla Robotaxis Reportedly Crashing at a Rate That's 4x Higher Than Humans (Gizmodo) On Google, Pixel 10A leaked and Google is now bringing AirDrop to the Pixel 9s (9to5Google) It was only a matter of time: OpenClaw AI Agents Targeted by Infostealer Malware for the First Time (TechRadar) The OLED Stream deck is no longer in stock and Samsung's Galaxy S26 will be more expensive because, you guessed it, AI. Kalshi and Polymarket Are Eating Sports Gambling (Intelligencer, $) Mazda Finally Admits Its Infotainment System Is the Worst (The Drive) Terminals Should Generate the 256-Color Palette (GitHub Gist)
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
# Oh, Also
### AI has made RAM too expensive. Could toilets be next?
The new hottest company for investors looking for exposure to the AI hype? Japan's biggest toilet maker, according to the Financial Times. It reports that an activist investor group has written to the company Toto — best known for its heated toilet seats and bidets — to demand that it pours more resources into its advanced semiconductor manufacturing arm. Toto's porcelain tech is apparently important to etching computer chips (really). I swear to god, if this makes TOILETS more expensive...
The article also notes that another Japanese company had also become part of the AI boom: soup stock producer Ajinomoto "uses resin derived from its expertise in umami flavourings to make insulation material between chips and motherboards". Ha!
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
# Bargains
Electronics
Final E2000 in Ear Isolating Earphones - $46 at Amazon (Down from $79 - 41% off) EFM Austin Bluetooth 25W Speaker - with LED Colour Glow - $49.95 at MobileSkin (Down from $149 - 66% off) Prime Dreame D10s Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Mop - $169 at Amazon (Down from $499 - 66% off & $330 saved) FIIO K15 DAC/Headphone amp - $548 at Addicted to Audio (Down from $899 - 39% off & $351 saved) TP-Link Tapo C420S4 2K Wire-Free 4-Camera Security System + 4x Free Solar Panels - $599 at Tapo AU (Down from $699 - $100 saved) DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo with RC Motion 3 & Goggles N3 - $845 at FPVFaster (Down from $988 - $143 saved)
Computing
Logitech 980-000862 Z150 Multimedia Speakers Midnight Black - $41 at Impact Office Systems (Down from $59 - 30% off) Lian Li SUP01 White 45L Case - $99 at Scorptec (Down from $180 - 45% off) Asrock Motherboards at Centre Com Asrock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide for $347 Asrock X870E Taichi Lite Motherboard for $526 Gaming PC : BYO GPU mATX 29L, 7800X3D, 32G 2x16 6000/C32, B850M, 1TB G4, 850W 80+ Plat PSU - $1299 at Evatech
Mobile
Prime Anker 735 Nano II 65W 3-Port GaN Charger - $33.24 at Amazon (Down from $65 - 48% off) Apple Airtag 2021 4-Pack - $109 at digiDirect (Down from $180 - 39% off)
# The End
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