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OpenAI’s Codex 0.160.1 release fixes remote stdio MCP server launches with explicitly configured environment variables by preserving `SYSTEMROOT`, `TEMP` and `TMP`. The GitHub release notes say the change lets Unix hosts retain the Windows executor’s startup environment and backports the fix to the 0.160 branch.
Schleswig-Holstein Netz (SH Netz) has published model flexible connection agreements for standalone batteries, co-located battery projects with connection overcapacity, and large flexible electricity consumers. It also introduced criteria-based allocation of grid capacity for consumer requests above 1 MW and battery projects above 300 kW, with the next application round running from Oct. 12 to Nov. 23.
Maryland’s Public Service Commission awarded 15-year capacity credits to Flatiron Energy’s 400 MW Chalk Point battery and REV Renewables’ 40 MW Jade Meadow III, totaling 440 MW—360 MW below the first round’s 800 MW target. The four-hour projects still need construction approval; the PSC said a second solicitation must open by Jan. 1, 2027, and may include more than 40 projects emerging from PJM’s first interconnection cycle.
The Technology Innovation Institute has released Falcon-Emirati-7B, a 7-billion-parameter model adapted from Falcon-H1-Arabic to understand and generate Emirati Arabic, using native dialect data, cultural material and guided synthetic examples. TII reports scores of 84.83% on its 1,173-question Alyah benchmark and 85.57% on a UAE cultural-understanding test, ahead of the comparison models it evaluated.
Battery Vault author Srinivas Popuri argues that European battery production costs exceed China’s because of combined disadvantages in materials supply, factory efficiency, yield, utilisation, scale, energy and labour—not just wages or electricity. Citing the European Commission and IEA, he says manufacturing efficiency accounts for more than 40% of the cost difference, and urges Europe to improve yields, ramp up existing plants and build out local supply chains.
The Munich I Regional Court ruled that EWE Go must charge roaming provider Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) the same €0.52/kWh rate it charges its own app customers, rather than its €0.837/kWh wholesale price. The non-final ruling found EWE Go’s price differences unjustified under the EU’s AFIR rules and ordered it to pay DCS damages dating back to April 2024.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle answers reader questions about the Maple Leafs, including their playoff chances, Auston Matthews’ scoring and whether the team could make another blockbuster trade. The mailbag also includes an assessment of Zach Werenski.
The Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 in overtime, with Auston Matthews scoring four points and the winner with 14 seconds left. Rookie Gavin McKenna recorded his first NHL goal and assist; John Tavares, William Nylander and Jack Roslovic also scored for Toronto.
Anthropic released Claude Code v2.1.292 on Oct. 6, adding a `--marketplace` option for plugin installs, effort controls for subagents, prompt autocomplete hooks and prompt caching for mods. The update also fixes numerous security, permission and reliability issues across local and cloud sessions, plugins, scheduled tasks and integrations.
EUPD Research projects annual battery storage installations across Europe, including the EU, UK, Switzerland, Norway and Ukraine, will rise from 34 GWh in 2025 to 65 GWh in 2026. Utility-scale projects are expected to account for about 44 GWh, while residential installations reach roughly 15 GWh, as renewable growth, electricity costs and policy support boost demand; the report also finds competition intensifying among residential suppliers.
Simon Willison compares SVGs generated from the same unusual prompt—an armadillo in fishnet tights jaywalking on Mars—by Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol, Gemini 3.8 Flash and Mistral Large 4. The post presents the comparison in response to a comment that AI benchmarks have become saturated.
BYD’s patent application CN 122868832 A describes an energy-storage battery cabinet with cell modules submerged in dielectric fluid in a lower chamber, while electrical equipment sits in a separate dry upper chamber. Filed in March 2025 and published by China’s patent office on October 5, 2026, it routes electrical connections through the upper part of the liquid compartment to reduce pressure on the seals; the application remains under examination and does not indicate a production plan.
Honda, Taisei and Taisei Rotec say they have developed the core technology for wireless charging of vehicles while driving, with Honda supplying the transmitting and receiving units. They plan to build a test track by the end of 2026 and start demonstrations in Japan’s 2027 fiscal year, including a project on the Tateyama Expressway; tests will assess charging performance up to 150 kW and road-unit safety.
Simon Willison tested whether Claude Opus 5.5 could compose video-game music, asking it to create a simple text-based music format and a playable artifact with example tracks inspired by *The Secret of Monkey Island*. He says the results were surprisingly good and wonders whether competent music composition is a newly emerged capability in text models, though he has not yet compared it with other models.
Factorial Energy says its quasi-solid-state battery achieved 375 Wh/kg and charged a test Dodge Charger Daytona from 15% to 90% in 18 minutes; Stellantis is evaluating the cells, which have also logged more than 600 cycles in testing. Factorial says its manufacturing process is about 80% compatible with existing lithium-ion production, and it has an agreement with SK On targeting commercialization around 2029. The results are promising but do not establish that Factorial will beat Toyota to mass production.
Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller said rookie Gavin McKenna is handling a scoreless first three NHL games and the spotlight well, describing him as “unflappable” and saying his latest game was his best. Hiller praised McKenna’s talent on the power play and said he’ll need to learn when to protect the puck or put it in behind defenders as he adjusts to the league’s physicality.
Google contracted to buy 3,590 megawatts of power from Constellation Energy in the largest U.S. power grid, the companies said Tuesday. New nuclear energy will account for about a quarter of the supply.
OpenAI released Codex version 0.162.0-alpha.16 as a pre-release on GitHub on October 5. The release page lists commit 6cfcb98 and says 47 commits have landed on the main branch since the release.
Pi creator Armin Ronacher explains Codemode, a new Pi 1.0 feature that lets AI agents use sandboxed JavaScript in the trusted harness to compose tool calls, run workflows, and access model APIs without sending every step through the model’s context. He says it complements CLI tools and enables MCP use, but MCP support remains uneven because servers often lack structured, consistent results and adequate support for binary data and tool discovery.
Anthropic released Claude Code v2.1.291, fixing two regressions: cloud sessions dropping answers to permission prompts and session-ending messages being lost when quitting.
Origin is seeking federal environmental approval for the Eraring BESS North, a 500 MW battery with about 4,942 MWh of storage planned beside its Eraring power station in New South Wales. Construction is slated to begin in 2028, with operations expected in early to mid-2031; combined with existing and planned batteries at the site, the facilities would have about 1,200 MW of power capacity and 8,600 MWh of storage.
Poland’s updated nuclear programme delays the first unit at its planned 3,750 MWe Westinghouse AP1000 plant in Pomerania: commercial operation is now targeted for 2036, with full capacity expected by 2038. The Ministry of Energy also shifted the second plant’s target for its first unit to around 2040 and plans to choose its technology and strategic partner in 2027.
A ceremonial sod-turning marked a ramp-up in construction of the Marinus Link, a planned 345-kilometre undersea power connection between Tasmania and Victoria. The project was scaled back from two cables with 1,500 megawatts of capacity to one 750-megawatt cable; federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen and project chair Sandra Gamble say it will improve power sharing and support renewable energy and industry, while critics have raised concerns about costs and environmental impacts.
SMT Energy’s 160 MW/320 MWh Houston IV battery entered market participation on July 13, six weeks after energization—half the typical 12-week field commissioning period, according to FlexGen, which supplied its HybridOS software and led commissioning. FlexGen SVP Jason Rislov credited lab-based digital-twin testing, automated field checks and early coordination with contractor Irby; ERCOT grid qualification took a few days.
Hithium has launched a 4 MWh sodium-ion storage system and a 785 Ah cell, and senior product manager Leb Lan says the chemistry may suit projects with frequent cycling, long lifetimes or a need for more predictable material costs. Lan said mature LFP systems generally retain an upfront cost advantage, while sodium-ion still needs broader materials supply, further testing and operating data, and stronger warranties and service support to establish bankability and win large-scale orders.
Predators at Leafs, 7 PM ET at Scotiabank Arena: standings and form, a lineup projected from Oct 3 TOI (not confirmed), special teams and goalie questions.
Simon Willison tested Qwen3.8-27B on a DGX Spark, asking it to add large numbers and spell out the results. With reasoning enabled, the model answered correctly in 167 of 169 one-shot attempts; without reasoning, he ran 30 attempts for each number-size combination.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Maryland added chlorine to lithium-sulphur battery chemistry, enabling sulphur to transfer a third electron and increasing its capacity by about 58% while raising average voltage from 2.05 to 2.54 volts. A laboratory pouch cell retained 78% of its capacity after 100 cycles; the researchers estimate the approach could reach 477 Wh/kg at cell level, though the prototype still uses substantial electrolyte and a lithium-metal anode.
