Ars Technica·Thursday, January 1, 2026

Ars Technica - Thursday, January 1, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Hear all 10 stories summarized and read aloud.

Streaming may get a little worse before it gets better.

Streamers made a strong showing this year, as did horror. Big tentpoles, superhero sagas mostly fell flat.

This time, a Colorado plant scheduled to shut down will be kept on standby.

The past year has seen plenty of hacks and outages. Here are the ones topping the list.

In a year where lofty promises collided with inconvenient research, would-be oracles became software tools.

The study's main takeaway: "Be bold. It is the thing that slows down authoritarian creep."

Settlement forces NIH to review grants previously rejected on ideological grounds.

Musk allies spin DOGE as having a "higher purpose" beyond federal budget cuts.

The state deals with flooding and sea level rise by buying homes in flood prone areas.

Netflix's finale will also have a two-day theatrical release to more than 600 locations.