The PineTime is a $27 open smartwatch, better understood as a programmable Casio than an Apple Watch: its 64 MHz processor and 64 KB of RAM leave only about 12 KB for apps after the operating system and Bluetooth stack. Its modest resources make it a useful challenge for MicroPython. The watch originally shipped with InfiniTime, but its creator preferred wasp-os, a Python-based operating system that had become difficult to build and was still based on a 2019 MicroPython fork. Returning to the project, he set out to make it usable and bring it up to date.
The revived wasp-os now builds with a single setup command, flashes over Bluetooth in roughly half the former time, and has 12.4 KB of free RAM at boot instead of 7.1 KB. It also gains a watchdog, fixes for vibration and touch controls, and better recovery from hardware errors. Porting it to current MicroPython required three changes that were accepted upstream, removing the need for a separate fork. New examples include a Dutch-language clock, a blocky pixel clock, and an optional app that cycles through portraits and Python-related logos. A compact image format keeps the four images under 12 KB, essential on a watch with limited firmware space. A more capable PineTime Pro is in development, but has no release date.
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The Epstein Files Transparency Act II would let state attorneys general, victims, and members of Congress sue the Justice Department for failing to release files as required by law. Representatives Thomas Massie, Ro Khanna, and Teresa Leger Fernández introduced the bill, with senators Jeff Merkley and Ben Ray Luján leading its Senate version. (massie.house.gov)
Pidgin 3.0 Alpha 4, numbered 2.98.0, adds interface tweaks, default avatars, improved preference search, and IRC connection commands. It is an unfinished developer preview with many bugs and is not intended for end users. (discourse.imfreedom.org)
Two high-speed trains collided near Wenzhou, China, on July 23, 2011, after a railway signal failure. The crash killed 40 people and injured more than 192, and four cars fell from a bridge into the Ou River. (en.wikipedia.org)
A study of 1,584 data centers found that openings were associated with an average of 1,000 to 1,300 new jobs in their counties. Although each facility employs only a few dozen people directly, local job growth was modest overall. (theconversation.com)
Several universities in Jiangsu are gradually shifting permanent staff salaries to digital yuan wallets, following pilots in other Chinese cities. Staff can transfer funds instantly and without fees to bank accounts, while eligible wallet balances earn interest and receive deposit insurance protection. (chinascope.org)
California High-Speed Rail Authority chief Ian Choudri resigned after a state report found the agency misused nearly $600,000 for consultant travel. The project remains years behind schedule, with only 119 miles of its planned 500-mile route under construction and costs far above estimates. (nytimes.com)
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