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Articles by Sam Lambert
You Have Had That App Idea for Years – AI Just Ran Out of Excuses for Why You Haven’t Built It Yet
You know the moment. You are standing in line somewhere, or stuck in a process that makes no sense, or trying to solve a small problem that no existing app quite handles — and you think: somebody should build an app for this. For most of human history, that thought went nowhere. Building an app required a developer. A developer required money. Money required a business plan. A business plan required confidence that the idea was worth the investment. Most ideas died somewhere in that chain.
That QR Code Is Also a Painting – AI Just Figured Out How to Make Them the Same Thing
There is a specific moment when you first see one of these codes. It looks like a landscape painting. Mountains, fog, a forest at dusk. Or a coffee cup rendered in warm illustration style. Or a geometric burst of color that resembles modern art more than anything you would expect to find on a restaurant table or a product label. Then someone tells you to point your phone at it. And it scans. The image is a fully functional QR code. The art and the data are the same object.
The Minnesota State Fair Is Adding a 230-Foot Wheel, Dinosaurs, and Augmented Reality — and Most People Will Never Notice the Technology Part
The Minnesota State Fair is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. Over twelve days, roughly 2 million people walk through its gates. That is more than the population of the city of Houston visiting a single event. And every year, when the fair announces what is new, the coverage is mostly about the food. Which is fair — the food deserves coverage. But the 2026 additions to the Great Minnesota Get-Together tell a different story than deep-fried novelties.
Travel Technology Has Never Been More Powerful — Which Is Exactly Why More Travelers Are Turning It Off
In September 2025, Apple introduced real-time translation to its AirPods. You hear someone speaking French. Your phone listens, processes, and reads the translation back to you through your earbuds in seconds — offline, without an internet connection, without a data plan, without anything except a device most people already own. That is a remarkable thing.
The UN Is Putting Refugee Faces Inside QR Codes — Because It Cannot Afford to Hire Enough People to Do It Any Other Way
There are 122 million forcibly displaced people in the world right now. The agency responsible for registering, identifying, and verifying them has lost more than 5,000 staff positions in the past year. Its 2025 budget needed $10.6 billion. It received 23 percent of that. So the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is doing what any organization does when it has to serve more people with less money: it is turning to technology.
An AI Agent Just Ran a Complete Ransomware Attack With No Human at the Keyboard
Every ransomware attack in history had one thing in common: a human somewhere making decisions. Someone chose the target. Someone debugged the broken exploit at 2 a.m. Someone wrote the ransom note. As of late June 2026, that assumption is no longer safe.
Tech Travel News: Your Phone Can Now Replace Your ID at Airport Security — Here’s What Changed This Summer
Picture the moment. You are standing in the TSA line, juggling a boarding pass printout, your phone, your shoes, a jacket, and that little plastic bin that never has enough room. Somewhere in the bottom of your bag is your passport. You are absolutely sure of it. Probably. That specific brand of travel stress has a fix now, and it arrived quietly this summer with barely any fanfare at all.
Your Phone Scanned It – Your Bank Noticed – Gas Pump QR Scams Hit a New High
Gas Station QR Code Scams Are Surging — And the Fake Codes Look Identical to Real Ones You pull up to the pump, tap your card, and notice a QR code sticker inviting you to scan for a receipt or loyalty points. It looks official. It matches the pump’s color scheme. And it may have just handed your financial information to a stranger in another state.
Introducing Database Traffic Control
Sam Lambert [@samlambert] | March 23, 2026 Postgres has a fundamental gap when it comes to managing query traffic. When an unexpected spike of bad queries, or runaway workload hits your database, Postgres has no good way to fight back. It accepts every query thrown at it until performance degrades or, in the worst case, the server goes down.
$5 PlanetScale is live — PlanetScale
By Sam Lambert | November 14, 2025 Two weeks ago we announced we'd soon be shipping $5 single node Postgres databases across our global fleet. Today we are announcing that this process is now complete. You can now spin up single node PlanetScale Postgres databases starting at just $5/month. These non-HA databases are production-ready and a cost-effective option for startups, side projects, proof of concepts, or development.
$5 PlanetScale - PlanetScale
By Sam Lambert | October 30, 2025 PlanetScale is synonymous with quality, performance, and reliability. Up until now, the entry level PlanetScale cluster configuration was 3 node, multi-AZ, and highly available. At $30 a month this is incredible value, however, not everyone wants or needs HA. Every day we get requests for an entry level tier that is more accessible to builders on day 1.
PlanetScale for Postgres is now GA — PlanetScale
By Sam Lambert | September 22, 2025 PlanetScale for Postgres is now generally available and out of private preview. To create a Postgres database, sign up or log in to your PlanetScale account, create a new database, and select Postgres. If you are looking to migrate from another Postgres provider to PlanetScale, you can use our migration guides to get started. Finally, if you have a large or complex migration, we can help you via our sales team at postgres@planetscale.com.
Announcing PlanetScale for Postgres — PlanetScale
By Sam Lambert | July 1, 2025 Today we are announcing the private preview of PlanetScale for Postgres: the world’s fastest Postgres hosting platform. You can request access to PlanetScale for Postgres by visiting this link. We are already hosting customers' production workloads with incredible results. Convex, the complete backend solution for app developers, is migrating their reactive database infrastructure to PlanetScale for Postgres. Read more about their migration here.
3 Industries Thriving Thanks to Mobile Growth and Affiliate Marketing
Industries Booming Thanks to Mobile Growth It’s impossible to deny the influence of mobile technology. Think about it. When’s the last time you went a day without your smartphone? Hard to remember, right? This isn’t just a personal habit; businesses everywhere feel the ripple effects. Industries tied to the surge in mobile use are exploding, with affiliate marketing leading the charge. But it’s not all as simple as posting a link and waiting for the money to roll in.
Send Your Parcel to Canada Fast & Securely Today
When it comes to sending parcels internationally, reliability and speed are key. Whether you're sending a gift, important documents, or an online order, you want your parcel to arrive safely and on time. If you're planning to send a parcel to Canada, it's essential to choose the right service that ensures quick delivery and security throughout the journey. Here’s a guide to help you get your parcel to Canada with ease. Why Send a Parcel to Canada?
iPhone prices see deep discounts in China in Apple’s attempt to rival Huawei
The US smartphone giant has launched an aggressive campaign to draw Chinese consumers Apple is determined to grab back many of the Chinese consumers it has lost to Huawei in recent years, and part of that involves slashing iPhone prices for massive savings on select models. At the beginning of the campaign, the iPhone prices were discounted by as much as 2,300 yuan ($318) on certain models of the smartphone.
Mobile security remains a leading barrier to digital bill payments
As much as consumers are more confident in their devices, they still have serious concerns Mobile security was a substantial barrier to the widespread adoption of digital payments and wallet apps, despite the convenience they had to offer their users. Still, as much as this technology has increased considerably in popularity in recent years, mobile security is still a leading barrier to its use or to the use of some of its features such as bill payments.
Apple is working on artificial intelligence to enhance Siri
Though the iPhone maker has been tight lipped about its AI, everyone expects it As is typically the case when it comes to projects it hasn’t officially announced, Apple hasn’t said much about its progress with artificial intelligence, though few have any doubt that it is up to its eyeballs in AI research. Apple hasn’t simply absented itself from the artificial intelligence race that its competitors have been scrambling to keep up with.
Last QR code from the Taylor Swift mystery challenge was in Montreal
After fans searched around the world for a number of barcodes, the last one was located in Canada Entertainer, musician, entrepreneur, and performer Taylor Swift is well known for her love of dropping hints for mystery challenges around her music, and a recent challenge had fans looking for QR code displays around the world.
Artificial intelligence teams at Google to consolidate, says CEO
Sundar Pichai has announced that the AI model development teams will be added to the DeepMind unit Google has announced that it will be consolidating internal artificial intelligence teams and bringing them into the DeepMind unit. The post was made on the company’s official website by the Alphabet and Google chief executive officer. There, he explained the company’s decision for consolidating the artificial intelligence model building teams into DeepMind, including the Research division teams.
YouTube says no to training OpenAI Sora artificial intelligence on its videos
According to the video sharing platform, training AI with the videos breaks its terms of service Using YouTube videos to train Sora, OpenAI’s artificial intelligence text-to-video generator, would break the terms of service of the platform, according to Neal Mohan, YouTube’s CEO.
North American internet traffic took a dive during the eclipse
Data collected during the period in which the eclipse was taking place showed a notable drop Throughout this week’s solar eclipse, there was a noticeable decease in the amount of internet traffic in the United States, Canada, and Mexico – all countries that were a part of the eclipse’s path of totality. Data shared by Cloudflare showed that “The Great North American Eclipse” led to a decrease in internet traffic within affected countries.
4 Canadian school boards sue social media companies for $2.96B
The school boards have included several giants such as Meta Platforms and Snap in the suit Four school boards in Canada have filed a lawsuit against social media giants such as Meta Platforms and Snap for over $2.96 billion (CAD$4 billion. According to a statement released jointly by the four participating school boards, the products released and maintained by the social media companies have been “negligently designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way children think, behave, and learn”.
New Microsoft artificial intelligence unit hire is a co-founder of DeepMind
The technology giant has named Mustafa Suleiman director of the newly created consumer AI unit. Microsoft has taken a substantial step in strengthening its artificial intelligence side by naming one of Google’s DeepMind co-founders Mustafa Suleiman the director of the company’s new consumer AI unit. British entrepreneur Suleiman was a core participant in DeepMind’s founding in London in 2010 when it was first created.
Gmail boarding passes and movie tickets can now be stored in Google Wallet
In the mobile app’s latest update, support was added to draw these documents from Gmail Recent Google Wallet updates have given the mobile app the ability to support drawing travel boarding passes and movie tickets right out of a Gmail email account. Once Google Wallet has been updated, users will be able to automatically use the confirmation emails they receive for their boarding passes and movie tickets to import those documents into the app.
Next step for artificial intelligence could be a DNA-embedded computer chip
The technology has arrived at the proof-of-concept stage and is meant to boost processing levels A proof-of-concept computer chip with embedded DNA could end up being the next step in artificial intelligence technology. The DNA-infused chip is able to perform calculations and is also capable of managing the processing of big data. The idea of using devices based on DNA isn’t anything new, but the proof-of-concept is. The purpose is to be able to encode data on an extremely small scale.
Meta to launch “world’s most advanced” augmented reality glasses in 2024
Facebook’s parent company has all but confirmed that the AR glasses prototype will be unveiled Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth recently all but confirmed that the company will unveil a pair of augmented reality glasses before the close of 2024. In a recent AMA posted on Instagram, Bosworth was asked about the company’s work on its augmented reality smart glasses with a heads-up display (HUD) and how close the company is to having them ready.
Microsoft and Mistral AI sign new artificial intelligence agreement
This collab comes with its own chatbot that could compete with OpenAI Microsoft recently announced that it has entered into a new artificial intelligence collaboration with the French startup Mistral AI. Through this new agreement between Microsoft and Mistral AI, the software giant has the potential to decrease its dependence on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, as it develops the next iterations of its generative artificial intelligence products such as chatbots.
Apple Vision Pro headsets are being returned by early adopters
Fans of the brand who were the first to buy are returning the devices for a number of reasons. As excited as many people were to purchase the Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset, many have decided that this gadget isn’t for them and are returning it. Though there are certainly people who are keeping their Vision Pro headsets, there are enough people returning them to get the $3,500 back that they spent on their purchase that it is showing up as a trend on social media platforms.
AI Agents are among OpenAI’s next big developments
What will it mean when artificial intelligence is available to start performing tasks on our behalf? OpenAI is now reportedly working on the development of AI Agents, which will be capable of performing certain basic tasks on a user’s device when asked to do so. If OpenAI successfully creates AI Agents able to do things like send an email or book a vacation on behalf of a user, it will entirely change the nature of the relationship users have with artificial intelligence.
This common mobile marketing technique gets 75 percent of consumers to buy
A new survey has found that this simple form of advertising is driving shoppers to purchase. According to the newly released results of an annual Consumer Insights survey conducted by Vibes, 75 percent of consumers say that receiving text mobile marketing message advertisements regularly drives shoppers to make a purchase from brands. The survey involved the participation of more than 1,000 consumers who regularly use their smartphones and other mobile devices to complete day-to-day activities.
Ericsson wants to hold half of the mobile wallet market in Africa
The company from Sweden considers the continent to be a massively important market moving forward. Ericsson’s mobile wallet software already powers over 400 accounts worldwide, and the head of the company’s mobile financial services unit, Michael Wallis-Brown, is now pointing to Africa as a vital market in broadening its reach. “We’re touching 10% of the market in Africa today, and we can get to 50%,” said Wallis-Brown in a media interview.
Will Apple allow sideloading from another App Store in Europe?
Reports are indicating that the iPhone maker intends to open a separate application hub in the EU. According to widely publicized reports, Apple is getting ready to divide its App Store into two distinct marketplaces, though only in the European Union’s market. The DMA contains a requirement for Apple to allow alternative payment methods and app sideloading within the EU.
Osaka University unveils its third superconducting quantum computer
The achievement was accomplished as a result of a groundbreaking collaboration in Japan. Osaka University’s Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology in Japan is leading a collaboration that has now unveiled the third successful superconducting quantum computer in the country.
Apple Vision Pro 2 virtual reality goggles to be brighter and more efficient
Rumors are pointing to displays that will feature better brightness and a boost in efficiency. The Vision Pro 2, the second generation of Apple’s virtual reality headset is expected to have a more advanced micro-OLED display, which will provide the user with higher brightness and enhanced efficiency, according to the Omdia market research firm. According to the publication, Apple’s intention for upgrading the Vision Pro virtual reality goggles will be to an RGB OLEDoS display.
Bing artificial intelligence provided false European elections information
Researchers at AlgorithmWatch say that Bing didn’t often apply safety guidelines. Researchers from the AlgorithmWatch human rights organization have accused Microsoft’s artificial intelligence chatbot on Copilot of providing users with misleading and false information about European elections. The researchers asked the artificial intelligence chatbot Copilot about the recent elections that took place in Germany’s Bavaria and Hesse states and in Switzerland.
Telegram messaging app now offers free voice message transcription
The application is opening the feature that was previously available only to premium subscribers. The telegram messaging app just underwent a substantial upgrade on both Android and iOS, providing non-paying users with new services previously available only to premium users, while adding new features for everyone. The new features to the messaging app were announced in Telegram’s latest blog post.
AR software head is leaving his position at Meta
Don Box is stepping down from his position within the company. Don Box, the head of AR software at Meta, is stepping down from that position within the social media company, according to recent media reports. Meta has been working on the development of AR software and hardware alike, specifically in the form of glasses.
Wonder Togs unveils kids’ clothes with built-in NFC technology
Just in time for the holiday season this year, near field communication is installed in kids wear. On the cusp of the holiday shopping season in 2023, Wonder Togs is launching their debut product, which is children’s clothing with NFC technology. The US-based company has made their NFC technology clothes for kids out of US-sourced organic cotton. They’re meant to be a new form of wearable technology that provides educational opportunities for kids between the ages of two and six years old.
Mobile payments in supermarkets shockingly most common from this generation
Though it would be easy to assume Millennials would be the heaviest users, they’re surprisingly not. It’s easy to think of the most common users of digital commerce and transaction tools as being from the Millennial generation, but when it comes to grocery shopping, Generation X has taken the lead in using mobile payments. In the United States, over 9 percent of Gen Xers are using mobile payments and commerce to purchase their groceries on a regular basis.
Google rolls out augmented reality advertising for eye and lip products
The search giant has announced the launch of its AR Beauty ads targeting smartphone users. Google recently announced that it has launched a new form of augmented reality advertising option for eye and lip products in the beauty industry. Though the augmented reality marketing campaigns are initially meant exclusively for eye and lip products, the intention is to expand the availability of AR Beauty ads to include other products of this nature, the next of which will be foundation.
Are internet outages covering up civil unrest in India?
A recent report has spotted a trend linking political turmoil and civil unrest with a struggle to get online. India could be among the large number of countries in the world that will cause deliberate internet outages in areas where there is civil unrest or political turmoil, according to a recent Washington Post report. The militaries of Sudan and Myanmar both caused internet outages in their countries when they held armed coups two years ago.
QR codes linked with 22 percent of phishing attacks
New Hoxhunt data suggests that quick response barcodes are increasingly used in these attacks. QR codes are increasingly finding their way into use in phishing attacks, says data from the human risk management platform Hoxhunt, which spotted the barcodes in 22 percent of attacks of this nature on its client network during the first part of this month. Hoxhunt conducted a study on attacks made against almost 600,000 employees of varying seniority during the first part of October.
Apple Wallet can now add PayPal and Venmo Cards
PayPal has announced that it is allowing its customers to add its cards to the mobile wallet app. In what is likely a strong reflection of how popular mobile payments have become, PayPal has now announced that it will let its customers add their PayPal or Venmo credit and debit cards to their Apple Wallet. Using Apple Wallet, PayPal and Venmo card users will be able to accumulate cashback and rewards when they make purchases.
Apple’s Vision Pro augmented and virtual reality headset is heavy
The gadget is also facing some notable challenges when it comes to using prescription lenses. Apple has been focusing on overcoming two primary challenges when it comes to its augmented and virtual reality headset, the Vision Pro. As a result, Apple has been focusing its attention on overcoming these augmented and virtual reality headset challenges.
Social media influencer is a growing career among young adults in China
As the economy slows down, many are turning to this new type of work on several platforms. Becoming a full-time social media influencer is becoming an increasingly popular career choice for young Chinese adults, who are quitting their more traditional jobs in the current economic slowdown and choosing this lifestyle instead.
Augmented and virtual reality technologies provide new teaching opportunities
Teachers are using the metaverse to discover new ways to reach and inspire their students. Teachers have been using everything from calculators to computers to help enhance the education experience for their students, and now augmented and virtual reality tools are entering the classroom as well.
QR code on water jugs help to ensure the contents are safe to drink
Two brothers from Chennai, India have developed a system to ensure the bottles contain clean water. A new QR code system developed by two brothers from Chennai, India can help people to know whether the jugs of water they purchase contain clean water, helping to avoid arriving home to discover that their water is dirty or cloudy. The tap water in the area is not clean enough to drink. Therefore, they purchase the filled jugs from local suppliers.
Visa and FNBO offer customers a better mobile wallet via new partnership
First National Bank of Omaha and Visa have teamed up to create a digital payment experience customers will like. First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) and Visa have announced a new collaboration for the purpose of offering customers an improved mobile wallet experience. What makes this mobile wallet experience different is that it doesn’t require users to have to download an app. They will receive instant account credential delivery without needing to add anything to their devices.
Doctors in Jerusalem use augmented reality for robotic spinal surgery
Surgeons from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center used extensive tech for the complex procedure. Doctors from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center (SZMC) in Jerusalem used a combination of augmented reality and robotics to complete a complex spinal surgery on a 25-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department following a serious injury during a workplace fall.
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