Koeberg’s Unit 1 returns
Rejoice, for the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 was successfully reconnected to the national grid this past weekend, further relieving stress from Eskom’s shoulders as it continues to combat load shedding. Eskom confirmed the milestone, which returned to service at 01h36 on 29 October, returning 936MW to the grid.
Eskom said that Unit 1 was “in the process of ramping up,” and that Unit 2 was successfully generating 941MW. The electricity provider didn’t say how long this process would take, but that once it reaches ‘full output’, the two at Koeberg provide more than 1,860MW of capacity — making up around 5% of Eskom’s total output in SA.
“Our teams have demonstrated exceptional technical expertise and commitment. Koeberg remains a cornerstone of South Africa’s energy mix, and this achievement underscores Eskom’s continued focus on nuclear safety and operational excellence,” said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom’s group executive for generation.
Eskom last implemented load shedding back in May of this year, before restoring electricity and keeping it on throughout winter. Whether Eskom can keep it up once the rainy season really kicks in remains to be seen, but the return of Unit 1 will certainly help.
Netflix wants Warner Bros
If you hadn’t heard the news, Warner Bros Discovery is up for sale. At first, it was reported that Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Paramount were all interested in the deal, before the latter’s $24-a-share bid was rejected. That still leaves some big names in the running, and now a report from Reuters reckons Netflix is “actively exploring a bid for… [Warner Bros Discovery’s] studio and streaming business.”
According to three sources familiar with the matter, Netflix has hired Moelis & Co., an investment bank that has led similar acquisition deals in the industry. It seems that Netflix has also wormed its way into the data room, “which contains the financial details needed to make a bid.”
While it seems that Netflix is currently closest to pulling a deal out of the bag, the ramifications are huge, regardless of whichever entity bids the most arbitrary figure. Warner Bros Discovery controls some of the biggest names in the business, including Harry Potter, DC, and others. Should Netflix put in a bid, CEO Ted Sarandos has made it clear it’s not interested in the company’s cable television networks.
“We’ve been very clear in the past that we have no interest in owning legacy media networks,” said Sarandos in the company’s third-quarter investor video. “There is no change there.”
Ayaneo’s first smartphone is expectedly gamified
Ayaneo has long been known as the maker of tiny handheld gaming PCs, but now the company is trying its hand at developing a smartphone. While still technically under wraps, a vague teaser confirms that Ayaneo is sticking to what it knows best. “When mobile phone meets the soul of gaming handheld,” reads the video’s description.
The Ayaneo Phone is still a phone at heart. It’s got two sensors fixed to the back, anyway. But where Ayaneo’s technical expertise comes in is with the physical shoulder buttons stuck to the device’s right-hand side. As for the specs powering the device, Ayaneo hasn’t said, but we can guess it’ll at least take on Asus’ gaming phone.
Ayaneo may well take the idea further with a slide-out screen, ala the PSP Go or even Sony’s Xperia Play smartphone. The company hinted at such a feature during its ‘2025-2026 strategy sharing session’, and with the device falling under Ayaneo’s ‘Remake’ brand, this might be what the company is shooting for. Only time will tell.
Is ChatGPT a better coach than humans?
Of the many, many jobs that artificial intelligence (AI) might be good at, coaching a football team likely isn’t one of them. That hasn’t stopped the coach of Seattle Reign — a women’s football team playing in the NWSL in the States — from taking tactical advice from OpenAI’s mouthy creation. Take notes, Ted Lasso.
Laura Harvey, who coaches Seattle Reign, admitted to using ChatGPT on the Soccerish Podcast, where the chatbot informed her that using a five-back formation would be the best tactical move. And she did it, apparently without any qualms about what the change could mean for her team, or any shame.
“One day in the off-season, I was writing things into ChatGPT like, ‘What is Seattle Reign’s identity?’ And it would spurt it out. And I was like ‘I don’t know if that’s true or not’, she said. “And then I put in, ‘What formation should you play to beat NWSL teams?’ and it spurted out every team in the league and what formation you should play. And for two teams, it went, ‘You should play a back five.’ So I did. No joke, that’s why I did it.”
Harvey didn’t actually mention which teams she employed the advice against, although according to TechRadar, Seattle Reign used the five-at-the-back formation against Orlando Pride earlier this year and… lost. The team is currently in fourth place in the NWSL, hoping to enter the playoffs later this year.
