Columbia University Applicant Personal Data Stolen by Hacker

If you're stuck on today's bite-sized NYT Mini Crossword, here’s a quick cheat sheet with all the answers for July 5—no judgment, just solutions.

Editor’s Note: Crosswords are a daily ritual for millions, and the Mini is a favorite for its quick, satisfying solve. This isn’t breaking news, but it’s a handy lifeline for puzzlers who hate leaving boxes blank—or just want to breeze through their morning coffee break.

A teardown analysis of the ADXL345 accelerometer chip reveals its inner workings, likely appealing to hardware enthusiasts and engineers curious about its design and components. The discussion on Hacker News suggests it's a deep dive into the technical nitty-gritty rather than a consumer-facing review.

Editor’s Note: If you're into electronics or sensor design, this kind of analysis can be gold—it helps engineers understand how the chip is built, which could influence future projects or troubleshooting. For everyone else? Probably just an interesting peek under the hood of a common component.

A Chinese robotics company, Shenzhen Dobot, just pulled off something straight out of sci-fi: their humanoid robot cooked a steak—complete with delicately sprinkling salt—while being controlled remotely by an operator wearing a VR headset over 1,800km away. The demo, shared in a video, highlights how this tech could eventually revolutionize tasks from household chores to high-stakes jobs like surgery or space exploration.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just a flashy stunt—it’s a glimpse into a future where distance and physical limitations might not matter as much. Imagine surgeons operating on patients from across the globe or robots handling dangerous inspections in nuclear plants without risking human lives. While we’re not there yet, Dobot’s demo shows how quickly robotics and VR are converging to make these ideas plausible. For now, though, we’ll settle for a perfectly seasoned remote-controlled steak.

The folks behind Clorox—yes, the cleaning product giant—got curious about ChatGPT and started tinkering with it in unexpected ways. Turns out, it helped them brainstorm quirky product ideas (some hits, like sharper R&D concepts, and some misses, like "bleachless bleach") and even improved how they understand customers. It’s a peek into how even traditional companies are dipping their toes into AI, with mixed but mostly promising results.

Editor’s Note: Big, old-school companies aren’t just watching the AI revolution—they’re jumping in, even if it’s messy. Clorox’s experiments show how generative AI can spark innovation (and a few laughs) in unlikely places, proving that you don’t need to be a tech firm to play with the big boys. For consumers, this could mean smarter products down the line—just maybe not that bleachless bleach.

The U.S. government just passed a bill (dubbed "OBBB") that brings back immediate tax deductions for research and development (R&D) expenses—a big win for American companies investing in innovation. This reverses a recent rule that forced businesses to spread out R&D costs over years, which many argued stifled growth.

Editor’s Note: For startups and tech firms, this is huge. The old rule made R&D pricier upfront, discouraging bold bets on new ideas. Now, companies can write off those costs right away, freeing up cash to hire, experiment, or scale. It’s a policy shift that could fuel more homegrown breakthroughs—or at least ease the financial squeeze on innovators.