Category: 4. Technology

Tap the small “i” icon on the left of the toolbar if you need more prompts about the voice commands you can use. If you want to keep on using voice typing in other input boxes and across other apps until you turn it off, double-tap the mic icon.

If voice typing doesn’t work, check that it’s enabled (it should be, by default): From Settings on Android, pick System > Keyboard > On-screen keyboard > Gboard > Voice typing. The same screen lets you enable offline access for the feature, and enable or disable automatic punctuation breaks as you talk.

The voice typing process is similar on other types of Android handset, though it might not be identical. On Galaxy phones, the Samsung Keyboard is the default, and with this keyboard the mic icon you need to tap is down in the lower left corner. To make sure voice typing is an option, from Settings choose General management > Samsung keyboard > Voice input.

iOS

Over on the iPhone, you’ve also got access to voice typing wherever you need it. The default keyboard is the one supplied by Apple, though you can also use alternatives such as Gboard if you wish. The keyboard shows up whenever text needs to be entered, and you can tap the mic button (bottom right) to start talking instead of typing.

You can use a variety of commands while you’re talking. Just name an emoji (like “heart emoji”) or say the name of a punctuation symbol (such as “exclamation mark”) to insert the character at the current cursor position.

It’s possible to split text into blocks using the “new line” and “new paragraph” commands, which is handy if you’re composing a long message. You can also say “undo” or “redo” to go backwards or forwards in terms of the words you’ve dictated.

Your iPhone also lets you use commands like “select sentence” and “delete paragraph” to give you more control over the blocks of text you’re working with. Sometimes the precision isn’t as good as it could be, but you should be able to compose a large part of most of your messages through this method.

However, the iPhone doesn’t give you an easy way to submit the text you’ve entered, like Android does with the “send” or “search” commands—though in some cases searches will be automatically triggered once you stop talking. Generally, you need to stop voice dictation (by tapping the mic button or saying “stop dictation”), and then tap on the button for sending or submitting your text.

This should be set up by default with iOS, but if it’s not working, open up General > Keyboard from iOS Settings, and make sure the Enable Dictation toggle switch is turned on. The other options here, such as automatic punctuation, are applied whether you’re speaking out or typing your text.

On any given track day, you’re sure to see some high-dollar sports cars and overconfident drivers lining up in the pits like kings of the tarmac. But all it takes is one humble Honda to show up and quiet everyone’s bravado, not with a raspy exhaust note, but with quick lap times.

This old Honda doesn’t have a turbocharger or even a rear-wheel-drive configuration, nor does it cost three times your monthly rent like most new BMWs. But it can turn laps faster than an E46 M3 (depending on the track). We’re talking about the 2006 Honda Civic Si, the $12,000 track assassin.

The 8th-Generation Honda Civic Si Is Quicker Than You Think

Before you scoff at the thought of a Honda turning quicker lap times than a BMW, hear us out. The eighth-generation Honda Civic Si was built with track driving in mind, thanks to its high-revving VTEC engine, close-ratio six-speed manual transmission, and taut suspension. But since it was based on the commuter-friendly base Civic, it’s still very practical for the daily commute. As an added plus, it comes in coupe or sedan form to fit a variety of lifestyles.

Legendary VTEC Power Stretches Its Legs

Since the Honda Civic Si is mainly a high-performance version of the basic Civic, it’s important to point out what makes it go fast. Of course, the main culprit is its naturally aspirated 2.0-liter K20Z3 engine that utilizes VTEC technology to make its power. In case you are not aware of what VTEC is, it stands for “variable valve timing and lift electronic control,” which is a technical way of saying that the engine can breathe better at higher rpm due to higher-lift cam lobes that help with the top-end power.

Performance Specifications

However, when the car is driven normally, it retains its drivability and good fuel economy, 23 MPG combined to be exact, by using the lower-lift cam lobe to give the car a normal driving feel. What results is having two cars in one: a sedate daily driver when the driver shifts below 6,000 rpm and a track terror when it’s shifted at its 8,000 rpm redline. Additionally, the Civic Si is fitted with a stiffer suspension, a limited-slip differential, 17-inch wheels and tires, and larger front and rear disc brakes for better all-around performance.

As a result, the 2006 Honda Civic Si was able to get down the quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds, and it pulled 0.91g on the skidpad, according to Car and Driver‘s testing. It may not be able to beat an E46 M3 in a drag race, but it sure can keep up in the corners.

Related

Hot Take: Driving The Honda Civic Si Reminded Me Why EVs Kind Of Suck

On paper, the 2025 Honda Civic Si’s technical specifications are a bit depressing. Driving it reveals something else.

If You Need More Power, This Civic Si Responds Well to Modifications

Yes, the eighth-generation Honda Civic Si only makes 197 horsepower, which isn’t much compared to your average M3, but the good news is that it can be modified to make more power. Looking at the aftermarket, there are plenty of modifications to be found for this platform, from cold-air intake systems to full-on supercharger kits, which can easily double the horsepower of the car.

However, if you don’t need that much power and plan to drive the car on the street, then strapping the usual bolt-on parts like an intake, a freer-flowing header, and a larger exhaust could do the trick. There are some current owners posting dyno charts of their cars on Reddit, showing that they made over 200 horsepower at the wheels with those basic bolt-ons and some ECU tuning.

But if you really want to beat some BMWs in any race situation, then a supercharger or turbocharger kit should be in order. Some of these kits can increase the Civic’s horsepower rating to around 380 and pump the torque number up to around 240 pound-feet, making the 2,800-pound commuter car a force to be reckoned with. There are some owners with force-fed Civics running 12 and 13-second quarter-mile times at the drag strip, which can easily keep up with most of the older E36 and E46 BMW M3s. Also, with enough power and suspension modifications, we’re sure a fully modified Civic can keep up with a new M3, while costing a fraction of the price, including the modifications.

Related

The Fastest Honda Sports Cars Ever Made

What names come to mind when you think of the fastest Honda sports cars ever made? Here are ten that stand out and top the list.

The 2006-2011 Honda Civic Si Is Also Very Practical

Performance modification and speed aside, the 2006-2011 Honda Civic Si is also very practical. As stated, this particular platform was produced as a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan (2007 and up) to cater to everyone’s needs. As such, the Civic has a usable backseat, with room for five, in addition to a decent-sized trunk. Specifically, the Civic coupe has 11.5 cubic feet of cargo space, while the sedan has 12.

A Sporty And Practical Interior Supports Daily Fun

Aside from its sportier powertrain, what set the eighth-generation Civic Si apart from its base counterpart was its interior. The Civic Si’s interior was completely blacked out with suede-covered sport seats up front and nicely bolstered seats in the rear. The fabric and extra bolstering support the occupants under heavy cornering. Additionally, the Civic Si came with the following enhancements:

• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Sport pedals
• Premium audio system—a 360-watt AM/FM/CD system with seven speakers
• 60/40 split seatback
• Bluetooth
• USB port
• Satellite radio

Related

The Fastest Sedan Under $30,000 In 2025

If you need an adrenaline rush without breaking the bank, this Japanese hybrid sedan will suit your needs.

This Fun Civic Costs Less Than $12,000

The best part about the eighth-generation Honda Civic Si is its price. Sure, you can easily beat a BMW around a track with its superior handling capabilities and aftermarket modifications, but you have to buy one first. Fortunately, Kelly Blue Book lists the average used price for a 2011 Honda Civic Si sedan at $9,445, which is very affordable.

However, it should be noted that real-world prices can differ due to the Civic Si’s popularity and scarcity. A nationwide search on CarGurus shows 2006-2011 Honda Civic Si models selling for anywhere between $7,000 and $12,000, depending on the car’s location and condition. That said, this little pocket rocket could be what you’re looking for if you want a comfortable and fuel-efficient daily commuter that can do double duty as a weekend track toy, despite what onlookers in the paddock might think or say when you pull in.

Apple and Samsung brought eight new emoji to their devices this year with the releases of iOS 18.4 and One UI 7. The new emoji include a face with bags under its eyes and a splatter, but what do these new emoji, and the thousands of others, mean? 

A “😃” or “❤️” are easy to understand, but how are “😩” and “😭” different, and what does it mean when someone sends you food emoji like “🍆” or “🍑”? Over time, emoji meanings have become subjective, depending on a message’s context and wider cultural trends. 

Which shaking smiley face should you use? Is there a difference between each different colored heart? Does the peach emoji actually mean fruit anymore? Here’s how to figure out what all 3,790 emoji mean and what emoji could be next. 

Read more: We Could Get a Sasquatch Emoji Soon

Emojipedia is here to help

Emojipedia is an online encyclopedia of emoji managed by people who research emoji. The site sorts emoji into nine categories, including Smileys, People, Objects, Activity and more. Each category then breaks down emoji into further subsections. So if you click into Smileys, for example, you’ll see sections like Smiling & Affectionate and Sleepy & Unwell.

If you click an individual emoji, Emojipedia will give you a brief description of that emoji. For example, here’s what Emojipedia writes about the  “✨” sparkles emoji: 

“Commonly used to indicate various positive sentiments, including love, happiness, beauty, gratitude, and excitement, as well as newness or cleanliness. 

May also be used as a form of ✨emphasis✨ or to convey sarcastic or mocking tones.”

Emojipedia will also give you a list of other emoji that this particular emoji works well with. In the case of the “🎁” wrapped gift emoji, for example, Emojipedia’s suggestions include the “🥳” partying face and the “🛒” shopping cart. 

Each Emojipedia entry also shows you the different artwork for each emoji across platforms, as well as how the artwork evolved. The emoji entry will also show you shortcodes and other names for each emoji, if applicable.

What are the most popular emoji?

You may have your own go-to emoji, but according to Emojipedia, these are the most popular emoji as of the beginning of July. The list changes periodically, so what’s popular now might not be popular next month or around a holiday. Note that not all platforms support all the latest emoji, so they may not all appear on your device.

What are the latest emoji?

In September, Google unveiled Emoji 16.0, which includes eight new emoji. Here are the new emoji.

Apple included these emoji with iOS 18.4 in March, and Samsung brought these emoji to some devices with One UI 7 in April and more devices since then. WhatsApp introduced these emoji to its app in January. 

How often are new emoji added?

Anyone can submit an idea for a new emoji. The Unicode Standard — a universal character encoding standard — is responsible for creating new emoji. Unicode proposed nine new emoji in November, 2024, including a Sasquatch and an orca. However, those are just proposed emoji. Unicode will decide in September which emoji to add next. 

What about custom emoji, like Apple’s Genmoji?

Apple unveiled its emoji generator, Genmoji, at WWDC 2024, and the tech giant included the feature in iOS 18.2. However, only people with an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max or a device from the iPhone 16 lineup can access Genmoji for now.

If you can’t use Genmoji and want to create your own custom emoji, Emojipedia is home to two custom emoji generators. 

First is Emojipedia’s AI emoji generator. You can use this tool to create anything from a frog wearing a cowboy hat to a heart shaped pizza. You type your description of the emoji into the generator, and the tool will create an emoji based on your description. You can then download or copy your custom emoji to your clipboard and use it as a sticker across messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage. This emoji generator is free, but you can only generate three emoji per day so make sure you describe your emoji as much as possible so you don’t waste one of your tries. 

If you do run out of AI emoji generations for the day, you can also use the Emoji Mashup Bot, which combines two emoji from the Twemoji set. You can use this as many times as you want, but you can only choose up to 113 emoji to combine and they are all smileys. That means you can’t be as creative in your creation as you might be in the AI emoji generator. 

All this just for emoji?

Yeah, but wait there’s more! Emojipedia also hosts the World Emoji Awards on World Emoji Day, July 17. Awards are given for things like Most Popular New Emoji and Most Anticipated Emoji. Winners are determined by popular vote on X, formerly known as Twitter, and any emoji approved the year prior is eligible to win. 

The winner for the Most Popular New Emoji in 2024 was the head shaking horizontally (🙂‍↔️) followed by the head shaking vertically (🙂‍↕️) and the phoenix (🐦‍🔥). The winner of the Most Anticipated Emoji went to the face with bags under its eyes and the Most 2024 Emoji award went to the melting face (🫠) for the second year in a row — it still fits.

The sparkles (✨) emoji was also given the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Emojipedia wrote that this emoji has been among the most popular emoji since 2015, and it’s been adopted as the go-to image for AI.

In 2023, the most popular emoji was the pink heart emoji (🩷) and the runner-up was the shaking face (🫨). The most anticipated emoji award in 2023 went to the head shaking horizontally (🙂‍↔️).

For more, here are the latest approved emoji, how to react to messages with emoji on your iPhone and how to use emoji instead of comments in Google Docs.

I enjoyed the Nothing Phone 2. I wasn’t bothered that it wasn’t as powerful as most flagship devices at the time, and I loved that I didn’t have to pay as much. Nothing stayed within itself, delivering a phone with a clean UI and smooth performance. We waited a bit longer than expected for an encore, but the Nothing Phone 3 is finally on the way.

The Nothing Phone 3 may not be for everyone, but that’s okay. Nothing is in a position to create a niche product with a unique design, as it is not constrained by the same pressures as other Android manufacturers.

Sure, the company wants to sell a ton of phones, but it gets to have fun in the process, taking chances that would sink other companies. The Nothing Phone 3 does what Samsung can’t — and I’m here for it.

I’m sorry to see the Glyph Interface go

But I’m willing to give the Glyph Matrix a chance

The Nothing Phone 3’s Glyph Matrix

I never set up my Glyph Interface with different patterns for each contact, but I loved the visual feedback I got from across the room when I received a call or notification. I mourned the loss of notification LEDs on modern smartphones, so the Glyph Interface appealed to me.

The Glyph Matrix is different, but it’s still a way to get visual information from my phone at a glance. I appreciate a well-done always-on display, but I struggle to differentiate notifications from a few feet away, unlike with an old-school notification LED.

I’m hoping that the Glyph Matrix can be programmed to display recognizable patterns from further away, but I applaud that Nothing has included something different from other Android manufacturers.

The Nothing Phone 3’s Glyph Matrix

The Nothing Phone 3 design is also something you won’t see from Samsung anytime soon. Between its clear back and funky camera placement, the Nothing Phone 3 is an original.

I’ll admit, it’s easier to take bold design chances when you’re not one of the top-selling Android OEMs in the world, but there must be an in-between. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s design was a snoozefest, and we saw hardly any changes from previous models.

Innovation under the hood

A silicon-carbon battery is a must-have

I’m expecting outstanding battery life from the Nothing Phone 3, thanks in part to its 5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery. I’ve heard numerous excuses as to why Samsung hasn’t adopted newer battery technology, but none of them hold water.

I find it hard to believe that a company with Samsung’s resources can’t find a safe way to fit a silicon-carbon battery inside its devices. We’ve heard rumors the Galaxy S26 may contain one, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Nothing doesn’t have to carry the baggage of the Galaxy Note 7, freeing up the company to include the latest and greatest in its phones. Yes, the Galaxy S25 Ultra did see improved battery life from the same 5,000mAh lithium-ion cell as its predecessor, but I’m getting a full two days of use from my OnePlus 13 that features silicon-carbon tech.

If the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is as battery-efficient as last year’s chipset, I’m looking forward to two days of use from a single charge on the Nothing Phone 3.

Doesn’t have to be the most powerful phone

I’ll take a lower cost instead

Nothing understands that you can build a phone that provides a flagship experience without including a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. I’ve made the same argument about the Google Pixel lineup. Raw performance is essential in a flagship phone, but we often grossly overestimate the amount of power we need.

I don’t edit videos or photos on my phone, and I’ve yet to find a mobile game that demands the power a Snapdragon 8 Elite provides. If you’ve found a use for all that extra power, you’re going to look for a device like a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

However, for the rest of us, I’ll take the savings I get from the Nothing Phone 3, only shelling out $800 for well-designed software, a unique piece of hardware, and snappy, high-end performance.

I hope Nothing isn’t the only one

We need more companies like Nothing, not fewer. It’s only when we get devices like the Nothing Phone 3 that we see the sharp contrast to a lackluster device like the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Yes, there are market factors involved that prevent Samsung from taking too many chances, but I refuse to believe there aren’t some avenues for boldness. The Nothing Phone 3 does what Samsung can’t — and I can’t wait to use one.

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

RAM

12/16GB

Storage

256/512GB

Battery

5,150 mAh

Ports

USB-C 2.0

Operating System

Android 15

Nothing Phone (3) is the first “true flagship” from the London-based brand. It comes with a 6.67-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, triple 50MP rear cameras, and a 5,150mAh battery. It retains Nothing’s transparent design language and comes with an upgraded Glyph Matrix.

What if you want to see as much as possible of a mechanical movement, without compromising the practicality of an automatic one? The simplest answer, sort of, is the micro-rotor automatic, of course. This neatly integrates a small winding mass into the movement, without obscuring it from view. It also challenges manufacturers to flex their watchmaking muscles as it requires more and smaller components. It’s far from the easiest solution, though, but the end result is superbly rewarding. So with that in mind, here’s a look at some of the finest micro-rotor automatic watches on the market!

Schwarz Etienne 1902 Petite Seconde

Schwarz Etienne is quite well-known for its impressive in-house movements, and the 1902 Petite Seconde is one of the latest to carry that tradition forward. The elegantly proportioned time-only watch comes in three Sector-like dial variations: Silver, Slate Grey, or Rose Gold (salmon!). But the real star of the show is found around the back, with the Calibre ASE300.00. The micro-rotor sends up to 86 hours of energy to the barrel, and is joined by four elegant finger bridges. The finishing of it all is of the highest level, with hand-polished teeth on the ratchet wheel, for instance. Worn on a leather strap, it retails for CHF 18,000.

For more information, please visit Schwarz-Etienne.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 10.9mm – titanium, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – silver, slate grey or rose gold dial – sector layout – polished indices & hands – recessed small seconds subdial – Calibre ASE300.00 – in-house automatic with micro-rotor – 191 components – 21,600vph – 86h power reserve – hours, minutes, (hacking) seconds – alligator or calfskin leather strap with titanium pin buckle – CHF 18,000

Louis Vuitton Tambour Ceramic

With the revamp of the Tambour two years ago, Louis Vuitton entered the luxury sports watch segment with a bang, and following from the stainless steel versions, came this surprising brown ceramic version! The scratch-proof exterior is combined with 18k rose gold elements for a unique look, a styling cue that also finds its way to the dial. The Calibre LFT023, developed with Le Cercle des Horlogers, is driven by a 22k gold micro-rotor with the famous LV motif as a decoration. The rest shows a rather contemporary style of finishing, and the watch is fitted with a ceramic and gold bracelet. It’s not limited per se, and it retails for EUR 75,000.

For more information, please visit LouisVuitton.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 8.3mm – brown ceramic & 18k rose gold case – ceramic crown – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – stepped brown dial – rose gold markers & hands – Calibre LFT023, proprietary micro-rotor automatic (Les Cercle des Horlogers) – 28,800vph – 50h power reserve – 22k gold micro-rotor – hours, minutes, small seconds – integrated brown ceramic & rose gold bracelet with invisible rose gold triple-folding clasp – EUR 75,000

Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition

The Calibre 96 series by Chopard is a legend in the field of micro-rotors. It has served as the base for plenty of winners in the brand’s wonderful L.U.C line, including this one, the L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition. Under the Qualité Fleurier certification, the yellow gold and brown dress watch surpasses the most stringent quality standards in the Swiss industry. At the heart of the watch beats the Calibre 96.09-L, an in-house micro-rotor automatic with Chopard’s Twin-Barrel system for 65 hours of power reserve. Limited to 20 pieces, one for each year the QF certification has been in use, this one retails for EUR 33,000.

For more information, please visit Chopard.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 8.92mm – yellow gold case, brushed & polished – individually welded lugs – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – two-tone sector dial – gilded hour markers & hands – Calibre L.U.C 96.09-L, in-house automatic – Qualité Fleurier certified – 28,800vph – 65h power reserve – 22k golf micro-rotor – brown calfskin leather strap with yellow gold pin buckle – limited to 20 pieces – EUR 33,000

Laurent Ferrier Classic Auto Horizon Blue

If a dress watch has to incorporate a date display, the way Laurent Ferrier has integrated it into the design of its Classic Auto is perhaps one of the best ways to do it. The latest, finished in fresh Horizon Blue, continues the brand’s legacy in superb watchmaking, both in design and in mechanics. The pebble-shaped steel case, 40mm in width and fully polished, wears beautifully on the wrist and houses the brand’s Calibre LF270.01. This proprietary automatic has a platinum micro-rotor and is finished to the highest standards. It’s worn on a taupe goat-leather strap with a steel pin buckle, and is part of the permanent collection. The price is CHF 45,000.

For more information, please visit LaurentFerrier.ch.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 11.94mm – stainless steel case, polished – ball-shaped crown – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – light blue galvanic lacquered dial – dark blue transfers – drop-shaped indices, Assegai-shaped hands – recessed date ‘frame’ – Calibre LF270.01, proprietary automatic – platinum micro-rotor – 28,800vph – 72h power reserve – taupe goat-leather strap with steel pin buckle – permanent collection – CHF 45,000

Piaget Polo 79 White Gold

Probably the most outspoken design of the watches on this list, the Piaget Polo 79 in White Gold is a true stunner front to back. It rekindles Yves Piaget’s iconic 1979 design, with horizontal gadroons across the bracelet, case and dial. First presented in yellow gold, this white gold edition tones things down a touch without compromising its character. Inside ticks the Piaget Calibre 1200P1, an ultra-thin in-house micro-rotor automatic. A neat touch is the circular Côtes de Genève on the mainplate, which continues on the top of the rotor. The white gold bracelet is seamlessly integrated into the case. It will set you back EUR 85,500 incl. VAT.

For more information, please visit Piaget.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 7.45mm – white gold case, brushed & polished – horizontal gadroons – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – striped gold dial with gadroons – 18k gold hands – Piaget Calibre 1200P1, in-house automatic – micro-rotor automatic – 21,600vph – 44h power reserve – hours, minutes – circular Côtes de Genève – 18k white gold bracelet with gadroons – triple-folding clasp – permanent collection – EUR 85,500 incl. VAT

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Yellow Gold

It goes without saying that the Bulgari Octo Finissimo is a modern-day icon of watchmaking. The ultra-thin collection has genuinely challenged the status quo, breaking records left and right. The Octo Finissimo Automatic is at the core of it all, perhaps, coming in at just 6.40mm in height. Over the years, we’ve seen it in all sorts of materials and finishes. This matte sand-blasted yellow gold edition is one of the latest and greatest in the series, relying on the ultra-thin calibre BVL 138, driven by a platinum micro-rotor. The equally edgy integrated bracelet matches the case in terms of finishing. Part of the permanent collection, it retails for EUR 51,500.

For more information, please visit Bulgari.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 6.40mm – 18k yellow gold case, matte sand-blasted – flat sapphire crystal front & back – screw-down crown with black ceramic cap – 100m water-resistant – sandblasted yellow gold dial – black markers & hands – Calibre BVL 138 – manufacture ultra-thin automatic – platinum micro-rotor – 21,600vph –  60h power reserve – integrated matte-sandblasted yellow gold bracelet – hidden folding clasp – permanent collection – EUR 51,500

Chinese scientists have developed a faster and more energy-efficient method to sort data, which could be used to overcome limitations in scientific computing, artificial intelligence, and hardware design.

Their new sorting system relies on memristors, an electronic circuit component with memory-like abilities, along with a sorting algorithm to enable more efficient data processing.

The team built a memristor-based hardware sorting prototype to demonstrate tasks such as route finding and neural network inference, achieving both speed and energy efficiency improvements over traditional sorting methods.

“Sorting is a performance bottleneck in numerous applications, including artificial intelligence, databases, web search and scientific computing,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Electronics on June 25.

Computing systems are typically based on Von Neumann architecture, which separates data storage – or memory – and processing, such as through the use of a central processing unit (CPU).

This has led to the Von Neumann bottleneck, a limit on the speed of data transfer between the main memory and processing unit.

“Sort-in-memory using memristors could help overcome these limitations, but current systems still rely on comparison operations so that sorting performance remains limited,” said the researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Institute for Brain Research.

Files are a funny thing; they’re essentially just a collection of data all inside of one container, and that data is organized into a single-dimensional array of bytes. Many modern operating systems will use a file extension to determine what the file is, and this, in turn, specifies rules of how the data is organized so that it can be interpreted in a meaningful way. However, when it comes to a “file” being a collection of data, it isn’t anything too special. You don’t need a file type on any file. You can save a JPG as a .zip file if you want, and if you force your photo editor to open it, chances are it will just… open anyway.

With that knowledge in mind, data isn’t anything you can’t represent in other forms. We’ve already demonstrated how files can be saved inside Pokémon Emerald, and I decided to take it a step further. What if we could save files inside Minecraft instead? There’s an unlimited world; theoretically, you could save any file you wanted inside the game, just so long as you know how to interpret it afterward. That’s exactly what I did, and while it was painstaking, it’s also a great way to explain how data is saved and referenced.

I’ll have a GitHub link at the bottom of this article, which you can take a look at to run this yourself!

Setting the stage

Understanding data storage

First and foremost, I wanted to find a way to easily represent data in Minecraft in a way that was easily obtainable through legitimate means, and could also still represent a decent amount of data per block. Some of the more complex ideas I had involved stripping wooden logs and using their directions as well, while another idea I had used frames with items inside of them. However, I realized that there are 16 colors in the game, which is perfect. Not only is wool easy to get, but having 16 colors available means that we can store four bits of data inside each wool block, and it also means we get one whole byte every two blocks.

At its core, a file is a sequence of bytes, and when it’s split, this sequence is divided into smaller, manageable segments. This division is done in such a way that each segment is an exact, contiguous subset of the original file’s byte sequence. The process is inherently lossless, meaning it does not alter the content of the bytes themselves. As long as these segments are reassembled in the correct order, the original file can be perfectly recreated. Armed with this knowledge, I created a mapping of hex digits and four-bit sequences to a wool color, which we can use to read and write data. For small files, it’s quite practical to actually build these structures yourself; as I’ll demonstrate later on, a 67-byte file uses 144 blocks of wool, where ten of those blocks are simply padding to ensure an even height and width. I also do not play Bedrock Edition, and this is aimed at the Java edition of Minecraft.

Here’s the table I created with my mappings:

So, for example, if you wanted to write the sequence 1111 0000 1010 0001, it would be:

• Pink wool
• White wool
• Cyan wool
• Light Gray wool

Thankfully, while there’s a lot of manual block placement involved for someone who is doing this by hand, it’s not too difficult overall to encode data this way. I built an encoder that will create an image you can reference to construct your data format as well.

Encoding data

Creating an mcfunction file

Encoding the data is fairly easy, and didn’t take up much time out of the admittedly far too long I spent on storing files in Minecraft in the first place. A hint as to what took far too much time can be seen in the image above, specifically at the number of decoders I tried to implement. We’ll get to that in a bit. However, you can see the encoder ran in the terminal at the bottom of the screen, an image was created, and an “mcfunction” file was generated. An “mcfunction” file is basically a script that can run all of the commands entered into it, so we can instantly place all of the blocks without needing to manually do it ourselves. The image is generated for reference so that you can manually place them, though, if you’d prefer.

To invoke our encoder, we run the following command, which requires the Pillow module installed:

python3 encoder.py hello.txt --cols 12 --y -60

This tells the encoder to only use 12 columns at a time (it defaults to 64), and to use a Y level of -60, as I’m testing this in a superflat world. This is what the above looks like in-game:

I added the blocks around the edge for testing purposes when it came to decoding, so really, what you’ll end up with is just the matrix of wool blocks. Depending on what your “cols” value is, it could be a lot wider. We’re finished with encoding now, so it’s time to try and decode our file.

Decoding files from Minecraft

A failed attempt at OCR, though reading world files works fine

This is where I ran into massive issues, and the solution I settled on is, sadly, not the one I originally wanted. I planned to use image recognition to identify the blocks placed in a screenshot, and this is why I placed those different blocks around the edge to try and identify the edge of the wool matrix. It kind of worked once I used sklearn, but the perspective change and slightly differing lengths in blocks because of this, given their distance to the wool matrix, meant that it wasn’t consistent. It would decode some of it, sometimes, and then other times, not be able to decode it at all. I spent far too much time on various different approaches using an image, but I eventually ended up using Amulet, a Python library that can read directly from a world file.

This worked perfectly, though it has a few downsides. It’s not as simple as just screenshotting what’s in front of you and converting it back to a file, and it requires a lot more manual reconstruction if you want to share a file with a friend via Minecraft using a server, for example. Essentially, you’d need to screenshot it, rebuild it locally in your own world, and then reconstruct it with the decoder. Obviously, nobody would actually like to do that, but I’d also wager nobody is really jumping with joy at the thought of sharing files via Minecraft, even if it were possible to screenshot the wool matrix to pull the file. I just wanted to do it “right”, in an accessible way, and with no requirements to access actual world files.

As you can see below, though, pulling from the world file works perfectly, as you’d expect given the deterministic nature of being able to read individual blocks.

There are a couple of limitations when it comes to reading world files; you’ll need to define the X and Y coordinates of the top left of the wool matrix, choose whether you move typically along the X and Z axis (as in, incrementing X and Z as you move across and down), and define the height and width of the matrix. It’s quite a manual process, but it does work. When you first run the program, you’ll be asked for these details:

• Top left X
• Top left Y
• Top left Z
• Dimension [overworld/nether/end] (default = overworld)
• Width (cols)
• height (rows)
• col step dX dZ [1 0]
• row step dX dZ [0 1]
• Padding (trailing white-wool blocks to ignore, 0 for none)

You also need to run it by defining the –world flag, so you run the script like this:

python3 .decode_from_world.py --world '.New World' 

If it comes across an unexpected block, it will raise an error, displaying what block it came across so that you can get a rough idea of what you need to tweak. As well, you’ll need to rename “decoded.bin” to match the expected file format. As previously mentioned, a file type is an external indicator to applications looking to interact with the file, and nothing more. The data stays the same no matter what the file type is. This is also why “containers”, when it comes to video formats, are so important, as they actually define a data structure, compression, and much more.

Once we run our decoder, we can see our output, calculated from mapping each wool block to a hex value and then writing that to a file called decoded.bin:

Hi there, this is a test file to show encoding a file in Minecraft!

While we know it decoded, so it worked, we can even see the hex values and compare them to our wool map. Our file starts off as “48 69 20 74” in hex, which corresponds to:

• Brown wool
• Lime wool
• Orange wool
• Green wool
• Gray wool
• White wool
• Yellow wool
• Brown wool

Which matches the blocks that we placed in the game.

Files can be represented by anything

It’s all about knowing how to retrieve it

As we’ve seen previously, files can be represented by anything. If you can define your own structure for reading those files, you can store anything in any format. A string of LEDs can represent 0s and 1s based on their state, or a water bottle could represent two bits of data based on whether it’s empty, a quarter full, half full, or completely full. So long as you know what it means, you can tell others too, and they can interpret the represented data the same way that you can.

This project isn’t meant to be used in its current form. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you should never use a game to send files to people, especially not in such a tedious manner. Instead, this serves to demonstrate how files can be uniquely stored. If you’re interested in checking out the code I wrote for this project, it’s available on GitHub.

Related

I used YouTube as unlimited storage by storing files as videos

You can technically use YouTube as unlimited cloud storage, though we really don’t recommend it.

SAVE $400: The Garmin Fenix 7 fitness tracker is on sale at Amazon for $499.99, down from the list price of $899.99. That’s a 44% discount and a new record-low price at Amazon.

We’re on the heels of an exciting Prime Day. This year we get four full days of shopping to find the best Apple deals, outdoor gear upgrades, and finally replacing those uncomfortable earbuds. If you have summer adventures planned or you’re looking to keep better tabs on your fitness metrics, there’s an especially great deal that’s already live on a fitness tracker.

As of July 6, the Garmin Fenix 7 fitness tracker is just $499.99 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $899.99. That’s a major 44% discount that takes $400 off the smartwatch. It’s also a new record-low price at Amazon by a long shot.

Summer is the perfect time to get into a new fitness routine. With better weather and longer daylight hours, it can be a great way to set a new schedule that involves a focus on health. Whether you’re taking longer walks around the neighborhood or heading into the mountains to set a new trail record, the Garmin Fenix 7 is packed with useful features.

For starters, who couldn’t use a built-in flashlight on their wrist? On the trail, this is incredibly useful for digging into your backpack to find that (probably melted) chocolate bar. At home, it’s a great way to avoid tripping on the dog during the midnight bathroom trip. The strobe function is gonna come in handy during winter runs at 5 p.m. when it’s completely dark out. But of course, the Garmin is packed with fitness tracking features, too.

On your wrist, you’ll have access to heart rate date, pulse Ox levels, and sleep metrics. Each morning, the Garmin will give you a daily report that discusses training readiness for the day. Plus, the the Garmin Fenix 7 is capable of solar recharging. But you shouldn’t need that too often since the watch can get up to 22 days of battery on a single charge when in smartwatch mode.

Since it’s down to a super low price at Amazon, it’s probably wise to jump on this Garmin Fenix 7 deal before Prime Day takes hold. There’s no telling when Amazon will decide to bump up the price while lowering others during the longest Prime Day sale ever.

Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news, articles, interviews and videos:

Sudo local privilege escalation vulnerabilities fixed (CVE-2025-32462, CVE-2025-32463)
If you haven’t recently updated the Sudo utility on your Linux box(es), you should do so now, to patch two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-32462, CVE-2025-32463) that have been disclosed on Monday.

Google patches actively exploited Chrome (CVE‑2025‑6554)
Google has released a security update for Chrome to address a zero‑day vulnerability (CVE-2025-6554) that its Threat Analysis Group (TAG) discovered and reported last week.

Europe’s AI strategy: Smart caution or missed opportunity?
Europe is banking on AI to help solve its economic problems. Productivity is stalling, and tech adoption is slow. Global competitors, especially the U.S., are pulling ahead. A new report from Accenture says AI could help reverse that trend, but only if European companies move faster and invest more boldly.

CitrixBleed 2 might be actively exploited (CVE-2025-5777)
While Citrix has observed some instances where CVE-2025-6543 has been exploited on vulnerable NetScaler networking appliances, the company still says that they don’t have evidence of exploitation for CVE-2025-5349 or CVE-2025-5777, both of which have been patched earlier this month.

Cybersecurity essentials for the future: From hype to what works
Cybersecurity never stands still. One week it’s AI-powered attacks, the next it’s a new data breach, regulation, or budget cut. With all that noise, it’s easy to get distracted. But at the end of the day, the goal stays the same: protect the business.

You can’t trust AI chatbots not to serve you phishing pages, malicious downloads, or bad code
Popular AI chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) often fail to provide accurate information on any topic, but researchers expect threat actors to ramp up their efforts to get them to spew out information that may benefit them, such as phishing URLs and fake download pages.

Healthcare CISOs must secure more than what’s regulated
In this Help Net Security interview, Henry Jiang, CISO at Ensora Health, discusses what it really takes to make DevSecOps work in healthcare.

Cisco fixes maximum-severity flaw in enterprise unified comms platform (CVE-2025-20309)
Cisco has found a backdoor account in yet another of its software solutions: CVE-2025-20309, stemming from default credentials for the root account, could allow unauthenticated remote attackers to log into a vulnerable Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME) platforms and use the acquired access to execute arbitrary commands with the highest privileges.

How FinTechs are turning GRC into a strategic enabler
In this Help Net Security interview, Alexander Clemm, Corp GRC Lead, Group CISO, and BCO at Riverty, shares how the GRC landscape for FinTechs has matured in response to tighter regulations and global growth.

Qantas data breach could affect 6 million customers
Qantas has suffered a cyber incident that has lead to a data breach.

Federal Reserve System CISO on aligning cyber risk management with transparency, trust
In this Help Net Security interview, Tammy Hornsby-Fink, CISO at Federal Reserve System, shares how the Fed approaches cyber risk with a scenario-based, intelligence-driven strategy.

Microsoft introduces protection against email bombing
By the end of July 2025, all Microsoft Defender for Office 365 customers should be protected from email bombing attacks by default, Microsoft has announced on Monday.

Are we securing AI like the rest of the cloud?
In this Help Net Security interview, Chris McGranahan, Director of Security Architecture & Engineering at Backblaze, discusses how AI is shaping both offensive and defensive cybersecurity tactics.

How analyzing 700,000 security incidents helped our understanding of Living Off the Land tactics
This article shares initial findings from internal Bitdefender Labs research into Living off the Land (LOTL) techniques.

How exposure-enriched SOC data can cut cyberattacks in half by 2028
Security teams are responsible for defending an organization against looming cyber threats. Needless to say, they’re inundated with data from constantly expanding attack surfaces. But what are teams supposed to do with all? Addressing thousands of vulnerabilities is far from realistic.

New hires, new targets: Why attackers love your onboarding process
In this Help Net Security video, Ozan Ucar, CEO of Keepnet Labs, highlights a critical cybersecurity blind spot: the vulnerability of new hires during onboarding.

NTLM relay attacks are back from the dead
NTLM relay attacks are the easiest way for an attacker to compromise domain-joined hosts. While many security practitioners think NTLM relay is a solved problem, it is not – and, in fact, it may be getting worse.

Why AI agents could be the next insider threat
In this Help Net Security video, Arun Shrestha, CEO of BeyondID, explains how AI agents, now embedded in daily operations, are often over-permissioned, under-monitored, and invisible to identity governance systems.

Users lack control as major AI platforms share personal info with third parties
Some of the most popular generative AI and large language model (LLM) platforms, from companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft, are collecting sensitive data and sharing it with unknown third parties, leaving users with limited transparency and virtually no control over how their information is stored, used, or shared, according to Incogni.

Africa’s cybersecurity crisis and the push to mobilizing communities to safeguard a digital future
While Africa hosts some of the fastest-growing digital economies globally, it also faces persistent challenges in cybersecurity preparedness.

Third-party breaches double, creating ripple effects across industries
Supply chain risks remain top-of-mind for the vast majority of CISOs and cybersecurity leaders, according to SecurityScorecard.

How cybercriminals are weaponizing AI and what CISOs should do about it
In a recent case tracked by Flashpoint, a finance worker at a global firm joined a video call that seemed normal. By the end of it, $25 million was gone.

Secretless Broker: Open-source tool connects apps securely without passwords or keys
Secretless Broker is an open-source connection broker that eliminates the need for client applications to manage secrets when accessing target services like databases, web services, SSH endpoints, or other TCP-based systems.

RIFT: New open-source tool from Microsoft helps analyze Rust malware
Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center has released a new tool called RIFT to help malware analysts identify malicious code hidden in Rust binaries.

Cybersecurity jobs available right now: July 1, 2025
We’ve scoured the market to bring you a selection of roles that span various skill levels within the cybersecurity field. Check out this weekly selection of cybersecurity jobs available right now.

Scammers are trick­ing travelers into booking trips that don’t exist
Not long ago, travelers worried about bad weather. Now, they’re worried the rental they booked doesn’t even exist.

Cyberattacks are draining millions from the hospitality industry
Every day, millions of travelers share sensitive information like passports, credit card numbers, and personal details with hotels, restaurants, and travel services. This puts pressure on the hospitality sector to keep that information safe and private.

New infosec products of the week: July 4, 2025
Here’s a look at the most interesting products from the past week, featuring releases from DigitalOcean, Scamnetic, StealthCores, and Tracer AI.