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The first ad was unveiled last week, and describes Meta's AI glasses as "The biggest advance in pervert technology since the trenchcoat." The most head turning of these guerilla marketing stunts cropped up a few days ago: Co-opting an image from Kylie Jenner's recent collaboration with Meta AI, a lenticular design is leveraged to give Jenner a They Live makeover when viewed from certain angles, complete with the words 'Meta: We're always Watching' (via Hyperallergic).

The activism group has pulled similarly pointed stunts on both sides of the Atlantic, though these two ads were unveiled in the UK. Kylie Jenner's They Live transformation was specifically erected "down the road from Meta's London HQ".

I'll spare you a former print professional raving about lenticulars, and instead explain the reference for the young'uns. They Live was written, directed, and scored by John Carpenter back in 1988. It stars late pro-wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as a drifter who, with the help of a pair of sunglasses, uncovers the subliminal messages hidden within advertising and that the world is being controlled by camouflaged aliens (hence Kylie Jenner's sci-fi makeover).

It is, as the kids say, 'a wild ride' that features one of the greatest fight scenes ever committed to film.

EHE's latest stunt was inspired by news that Meta is prototyping ‘super sensing’ AI glasses that record the wearer's every waking moment over video and audio. A little LED light usually denotes when Meta's already released smart glasses are recording, but sources say the prototyped 'super sensing' feature won't trigger this. Criticism centres on the fact that, not unlike a Ring doorbell, folks passing by won't necessarily know they're being recorded.

A report earlier this year revealed that footage captured by Meta's AI smart glasses is reviewed by human contractors who see far more than they bargained for. However, in one proposed system for the 'super sensing' feature, Meta wouldn't hold on to the footage captured and it wouldn't be available to the user either—instead, the metadata of recorded images and audio would be fed to Meta’s AI. It's argued this approach would sidestep a number of privacy concerns.

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However, I still wouldn't be comfortable allowing an AI model to absorb even this personal data, especially since security researchers were able to leverage bad maths to get AI agents to cough up user personal data. Considering AI safety guard rails can also be bypassed with 'adversarial poetry,' I'm not eager to trust Meta's AI with even vaguely sensitive information.

Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending a significant chunk of that time working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not investigating all things hardware here, she's either constructing a passionate defence of a 7/10 game, daydreaming about her debut novel, or feeling wistful about the last time she chased some nerds around a field with an oversized foam sword.  %!s()

New research points to a mechanism that helps plants reprogram their molecular machinery to budget sulfur—a critical nutrient used for both functions.

Michigan State University researchers published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences detailing how this adaptive allocation strategy allows plants to allocate sulfur without dropping their defenses.

A molecular "dimmer switch"—a protein called CDK8—regulates the use of sulfur in plants' defenses, allowing them to turn production of sulfur-containing defense compounds up or down, rather than strictly on or off.

"To stay healthy and resilient, plants deploy these costly chemical defense strategies," said coauthor Hideki Takahashi, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.

This mechanism enables plants to switch to low-sulfur alternatives when possible and conserve sulfur for uses where it's irreplaceable.

"This finding provides new insight into how plants balance immunity with nutrient availability and highlights a broader principle: Biological systems actively allocate limited resources among competing needs," said Gregg Howe, a University Distinguished Professor in the MSU–DOE Plant Research Laboratory and the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.

Stretching sulfur in short supply

CDK8 helps boost the activity of hormone-triggered genes responsible for plant defenses, helping plants produce a robust arsenal of defenses. In plants grown in sulfur-deficient soils, CDK8 shifted plants' assembly line toward lower-sulfur alternatives. Production of defense compounds containing only one sulfur atom increased nearly eightfold, while production of those containing two or three times as much sulfur was reduced. It's a cost-conscious strategy, the authors explain.

"There is no alternative to staples like amino acids—these irreplaceable biological building blocks require sulfur," Takahashi said.

When sulfur is limited, plants may become malnourished, resulting in slower growth and smaller size. But CDK8 can lessen these impacts by switching to defense strategies that free up sulfur for growth.

A subset of plants modified to have inactive CDK8—effectively disconnecting the dimmer switch—were found to have lower levels of sulfur-based defense compounds and diminished resistance to pests and diseases. This demonstrates not only the role of CDK8 in promoting the production of defense compounds but also that mutants without CDK8 are unable to properly reprogram their defense mechanisms when there's a decrease in available sulfur, Howe explained.

Why are scientists studying sulfur?

How plants allocate sulfur is a time-sensitive question, as stores of plant-available sulfur—and the deposition that has historically replenished reserves—are in steep decline worldwide. In the United States, plant-available sulfur in soil has declined by up to 86% in the past two decades.

These findings provide scientists with clues about how more efficient, "budget-conscious" crops might be designed. Such plants could be engineered to be more resistant to disease and less vulnerable when nutrient levels dip.

The next step, Takahashi suggests, is to study how plants sense the nutrients around them. This is another steppingstone to understanding how plants use environmental cues to make decisions.

Publication details

Qiang Guo et al, CDK8 coordinates jasmonate-induced immunity with sulfur-responsive defense in Arabidopsis, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2609022123

Who's behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Researchers identify 'dimmer switch' for plants' immune system (2026, July 17) retrieved 17 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-dimmer-immune.html

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Luckily, the last one now has an answer: it's the SGI Granite Keyboard (Indigo Style), of course! This fossilised piece of tech is listed on the website of Fabien Sanglard, someone who's taken it upon themselves to go through the original film and describe all the computers and related components in "excruciating detail."

God bless you, that's all I can say. Where else can I find the information that everyone's favourite super nerd, Dennis Nedry, primarily uses two Macs and one SGI Iris Crimson at his control room desk, alongside a Motorola Envoy personal digital assistant?

In fact, Sanglard has even brought some official reference material into the equation. Quoting from the book "The Making of Jurassic Park":

"Everything in the set was real. We couldn't fake any of it, because audiences are so sophisticated now in their knowledge of computers. All told, $875,000 worth of computer hardware loaned by Silicon Graphics, $350,000 worth from Apple and some $500,000 in additional hardware and software went into equipping both the set and off-stage control room."

Now try this one on for size. The hurricane graphic seemingly operating in real-time on one of the computer screens was in fact created by Earthwatch, a piece of software developed for TV meteorologists. This trivia tidbit was revealed by an email from Gregory Gosson, who states:

"It was fantastic-looking stuff for the day, but the render times were very slow. The meteorologists would start the render sequence and then go to lunch. It could play the resulting animations in real-time, but could not render in real-time."

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Next you'll be telling me the dinosaurs weren't real either.

Sanglard's dedication to the bit is impressive, as is the realisation that so much of the tech on screen appears to be authentic. I assumed at least one of the under-desk PCs was a spray-painted cardboard box, but apparently not.

One last fact before you go? The main control room screen has five machines underneath it, each with thousands of blinking red LEDs on the front. As Sanglard points out, given the massive loans of expensive computing hardware, these are quite possibly five genuine Thinking Machines CM-5 computers [PDF], priced at the time at $46,000 per unit.

Pretty rawr-some, no? Sorry, I had to. Please don't fire me, Dave [you're lucky, if it wasn't late on a Friday and I didn't mind dealing with the paperwork... -Ed.]

Andy built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 12, when IDE cables were a thing and high resolution wasn't. 26 years later (yes he's getting old), he now spends his days writing about and reviewing graphics cards, CPUs, keyboards, mice, gaming headsets and much, much more. You name it, if it's PC gaming hardware he'll write words about it, with opinions and everything. %!s()

Kane Parsons' The Backrooms film was a huge success, which wasn't surprising given his history with self-made backrooms projects released on YouTube. But even so, it was fantastic to see a story which was born on the internet and celebrated by so many indie games get its moment in the limelight. Unfortunately, A24 is taking a hammer to all that good grace.

First reported by Reddit user GnarlyNet, A24 has apparently been going around and requesting takedowns of backrooms-inspired artwork, in this case a wallpaper pattern. A24 did release a special edition wallpaper for fans to buy which matched that inside the backrooms to celebrate the film release, but the problem is that much of the artwork being taken down is inspired by the original backrooms image that appeared on the internet years ago, before the film.

"It is a recreation of the pattern from the well-known 2019 image who started the whole backrooms lore," GnarlyNet explains. "I find it disappointing to see a company attempt to claim such a broad connection to a concept that has been developed, shared, and loved by an online community for years. I would have hoped that A24 would celebrate that creative history rather than take action against independent artists who were, just like them, inspired by it.

"I respect the rights attached to any specific film adaptation, but those rights should not be treated as ownership of the entire Backrooms concept, its broader visual language, or the community lore surrounding it. I am sharing this because I think it raises an important question about what happens when large companies adapt community-created internet culture."

Apparently, the specific complaint was submitted "on behalf of 'A24 Films LLC'" but GnarlyNet cannot "independently confirm who submitted the complaint" beyond what information Redbubble provided them.

Regardless of the reason why the artwork has been taken down, John Backrooms himself, Kane Parsons has stepped in and confirmed that he will be looking into the matter: "I'm looking into this. Should not be happening." He said in reply to the initial Reddit post.

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I very much hope this is an unfortunate misunderstanding. The backrooms has always been a community-led project which has massively benefited from all the numerous and varied contributions from fans. It would be a shame for a big company to step in and tread all over that tradition.

Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path. %!s()

Parents can usually manage these devices through a companion app, allowing them to approve contacts, monitor locations, set screen time limits, select available apps, and, in some cases, receive alerts regarding cyberbullying, explicit content, or online predators.

In addition to these modified devices, some companies offer a more minimalist approach, creating devices that focus solely on calling and texting.

There are also home phones designed specifically for children, like Tin Can and the recently launched Pinwheel Home.

Here’s a look at the major players shaping the kid-phone market.

The Bark Phone

The Bark Phone is probably one of the most popular kid-specific smartphones on the market. 

A big standout feature is that parents can gradually unlock web browsing, apps, and other features as their child matures. The phone also includes GPS tracking and screen-time management.

Current pricing for the standard model is $240, plus a required wireless plan beginning at $29/month. Higher-tier plans add internet access and unlimited texting.

Gabb

Gabb is a well-known name in the kid-friendly phone category. Unlike Bark, however, Gabb focuses less on monitoring content and more on eliminating online risks altogether.

Its phones don’t include social media, a browser, or an app store. Instead, children get calling, texting, and a carefully curated selection of preloaded apps, including a camera, calendar, and calculator. The company also touts its “worry-free” music streaming library with millions of songs. 

Additionally, parents can view location and manage certain device settings, while optional services such as “Gabb Guard” help block spam calls and unwanted texts.

Current phone pricing starts around $159.99, with cellular service starting around $24.99 per month.

Pinwheel

With Pinwheel, parents approve every app, control contacts, schedule screen time, create custom routines, and monitor location history. 

One standout feature is the ability to create different “modes” throughout the day. For example, limiting the phone to calling and navigation during school hours before unlocking additional features after homework.

Pinwheel phones start around $119, while the Caregiver Portal subscription begins at $14.99 per month without cell service. (Cellular service can be purchased separately through participating carriers.)

The company recently launched two landline phones for $68 and $79. It also offers a smartwatch at $160.

Teracube Thrive

Launched in 2022, Teracube offers a tailored version of Android known as Thrive OS. This enables parents to approve every app download, filter web browsing, set app-specific and overall screen-time limits, monitor location, and create customized routines for school or bedtime. However, because it has more traditional smartphone features, it’s often recommended for older children.

Thrive currently sells for $99, with plans starting at $35 per month.

Ooma MyPhone

Unlike the other products in this roundup, Ooma MyPhone isn’t a mobile phone at all. This kid-focused home phone is designed as a modern replacement for the traditional household landline.

The service allows calls only between approved contacts through its Trusted Circle feature, offers scheduled Quiet Hours, provides address-based 911 service, sends emergency alerts when 911 is dialed, and lets parents review call logs through an online portal. There are no apps, internet browsing, texting, or social media.

The phone costs $99.99, while service starts at $7.99 per month.

Tin Can

For $100, Tin Can resembles a landline phone with a distinctive tin can design, which is the inspiration behind its name.

This device does not require a traditional phone jack, but connects via Wi-Fi. Only approved contacts can make calls, effectively preventing spam or unauthorized communications. Parents can easily manage contacts through a user-friendly companion app.

Tin Can offers a free plan for calling other Tin Can users, as well as a $9.99 per month plan that allows calls to all approved contacts.

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