The Download

Sponsored By VinFast

VinFast has been working with leading tech partners, including Autobrains and NVIDIA, and their future Level 4 robotaxi platform is expected to leverage NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion technology.

VinFast has a phased roadmap for autonomous driving, progressing from near-term L2+/L2++ driver-assistance upgrades toward a long-term Level 4 autonomous robotaxi platform.

And VinFast’s broader green mobility ecosystem can provide a strategic advantage. Through Green SM (GSM) and V-Green, VinFast brings together vehicle technology, charging infrastructure, and real-world fleet operations, creating an ecosystem that can support the development and future deployment of autonomous mobility.

Their long-term objective: Compete in a software-defined mobility market while strengthening operational execution and the customer experience.

Explore VinFast’s growth and innovation journey.

How to link to text anywhere on a page

Picture this: You’re deep in a Slack thread discussion, and someone hits you with the dreaded question—“source?” You have the receipts buried in paragraph 14 of a 3,000-word article, so you drop the link and hope they find what you were talking about. Then, you’re pinged with a rage-inducing follow-up: “Wait, where?”

Thankfully, your browser has a fix for the pesky problem above: linking to specific text on a page. The feature works based on a web standard called text fragments, which staples a reference to the end of a URL to tell the browser where to jump to on a page when it’s opened.

How to share a link to a specific phrase: On the page you want to share, highlight the text you want to point to → right-click → click Copy Link to Highlight.

File this trick under “things your future self will thank you for” the next time you want to prove a point. —LC

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The Zeitbyte

These robots are all gas, no brakes

Pedro Pardo/Getty Images

Humanoid robots can now outrun Usain Bolt. Just don’t expect them to brake when they see a wall. The second annual World Humanoid Robot Games is wrapping up in Beijing, where over 2,000 robots competed across 51 events in five days. Many of them tested athletic ability, from sprinting to weightlifting to tug-of-war—and a few competitors actually broke human records. There were also a raft of oddly specific challenges, like plugging in cables and doing restaurant work. Several events tested hand dexterity, which included picking up beans with tweezers.

But while there were some high highs, there were also some very low lows: a lot of tripping and toppling, with human “medics” carrying the fallen bots off on stretchers. A few even caught on fire and needed to be extinguished, and a viral video (apparently from a practice run) shows a robot slamming into a padded barrier at breakneck speed—then crumpling at the waist in a shower of sparks. On the one hand, it’s a sign that humanoids are still far from perfect. On the other, it’s a rousing performance from an athlete willing to leave it all on the track. —WK

Chaos Brewing Meter: ☕☕/5

• OpenAI says it banned a number of Russian ChatGPT accounts for running a “covert influence campaign.”
• Some bosses are asking employees to stop sending private Slack messages—here’s why.
• For the first time in almost two years, there’s a new Mac mini in town (running on a brand-new chip). Whether you’ll be able to get your hands on one is another question…
• If you’ve ever wondered, “Have I been Flocked?” then this website is for you.
• First, the tracking and ads took over our smart TVs. Now, they’re coming for our smart monitors, too.
• Nine people have been indicted for allegedly smuggling Nvidia servers to China—including one of its employees.
• Have you struggled with—or been frustrated by—the login process for an app or website lately? You’re not alone.
• What a bargain! Apple’s latest polishing cloth (you heard us) looks exactly like the old one, but it’s no longer $19.

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This time last week...

Readers’ most-clicked story was about this video, which may have accidentally revealed that the next generation of AirPods will have a camera.