Beyond Tech

Reanimating Ruins With Histoury, Genesis GV60 Magma, AmazonAI, PayPal Honey AI, Sora Social App, Ultrasonic

WHAT’S INSIDE:

👇️ Todays’ Feature: Reanimating Ruins With Histoury

  • Genesis GV60 Magma, AmazonAI, PayPal Honey AI, Sora Social, Apple Glasses

  • Arts and culture news, intersection of tech and entertainment

  • Latest food and dining and food technology news

  • The latest sports news and sports tech

  • Futurism, the latest in future concepts and cutting edge deep tech

  • Latest news in wellness and wellbeing tech, biotech, medtech and more

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Genesis GV60 Magma

TOP CONSUMER TECH NEWS:

Luxury EVsGenesis GV60 Magma ($75K, 600+hp) launches this year after global testing + new Chevy Bolt spotted in wild with larger size and NACS port.

Amazon's AI Ecosystem — Bundles Alexa Plus AI features with new Echo/FireTV devices, launches premium Kindle Scribes ($499-$629) with AI features, + introduces the $20 Blink Arc for 180° security views using AI-powered video stitching.

Google's AI Smart Home Push — The redesigned Google Home app delivers 70% faster performance with enhanced AI capabilities for contextual alerts, & smart home mgmt + teases $99 Gemini-powered speaker with dedicated AI processor.

Apple's Vision ShiftApple has scrapped its lighter Vision Pro plans to develop two new smart glasses models. The display-free model targets a 2027 launch, while a display version is accelerated to meet Meta's market lead.

PayPal's AI Shopping BoostPayPal enhances its Honey extension with AI for product recommendations and pricing alongside ChatGPT. Aims to elevate shopping experiences and merchant sales amid the competitive AI commerce landscape.

OpenAI Enters Social Space OpenAI launches Sora, a social app with the Sora 2 video generation model, taking on TikTok. Featuring a unique "cameos" feature, it’s free and invite-only in the US and Canada, with rapid international plans.

WEEKEND CRYPTOGRAM:

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Amex App’s Curated Experiences

FEATURE ARTICLE

Reanimating Ruins With Histoury

By Sam Elyaszadeh

Dallas Gaming Pedigree Meets Tourism

Histoury’s founders aren’t outsiders to world-building, having cut their teeth in the Dallas video game industry. With Portyl, their new AR tourism platform, they’re shifting the mechanics of immersive play into the streets of ancient cities. The first rollout in Rome quickly validated demand: downloads, revenue, and repeat use all rose as travelers shared the experience.

Turning Stones into Scenes

AR overlays don’t just add labels; they reconstruct entire environments. When a visitor holds up their phone at the Roman Forum, soldiers march again, merchants call out prices, and ceremonies unfold. The technology aligns CGI models precisely with ruins, blending centuries into a single moment of sight.

A Platform, Not a Competitor

Instead of trying to replace guides, Portyl integrates with them. The model shares ticket revenue, allowing local operators to keep ownership of their audiences while layering in richer storytelling. Histoury positions itself as an ally to the tourism ecosystem, not an intruder.

How Tourists Respond

Surveys showed that nearly half of Rome’s travelers struggle to imagine what ruins once looked like. Many said they’d be more willing to visit additional sites if they could experience them interactively. Portyl translates that barrier into opportunity, offering both accessibility for first-timers and depth for history enthusiasts.

Scaling It Globally 

This road doesn’t end in Rome. The company is already preparing for Pompeii, the Acropolis, and its first U.S, based experience at the Alamo. Expansion requires more than art and code, it demands sensitivity to heritage, local regulations, and archaeological accuracy. It will also take strong partnerships, in an increasingly competitive field. If successful, Portyl could become a global standard for cultural and historical storytelling as the required hardware becomes more affordable and gains mass adoption.

Tilly Norwood

TECH IN ARTS & CULTURE:

Trump's Film TariffPresident Trump imposes 100% tariff on foreign films to protect domestic industry, risking international retaliation and reduced global earnings for U.S. studios.

AI Actress Controversy — Creator Eline Van der Velden defends the launch of AI Actress Tilly Norwood amid Hollywood backlash. SAG-AFTRA condemned synthetic performers as "stolen performances".

Disney's AI Legal BattleDisney issues cease and desist to Character.AI over unauthorized character use in relation to Mickey Mouse, highlighting growing intellectual property tensions in the AI characters space.

Wu-Tang Album DisputeFederal judge allows PleasrDAO to sue Martin Shkreli for copying the exclusive Wu-Tang Clan album prior to selling it, potentially setting a precedent for digital asset ownership.

Super Bowl 60 HeadlinerApple Music announces Bad Bunny as Super Bowl 60 halftime performer.

DoorDash Dot Bot

FOOD & DRINK TECH:

Amazon's Grocery StrategyAmazon expands same-day grocery delivery and launches a new private-label grocery brand offering 1,000+ items, most priced under $5. Targets Walmart in e-commerce. Analysts raise price targets.

DoorDash's Delivery RobotDoorDash unveils "Dot," a 20 mph autonomous delivery robot tested in Phoenix, using advanced sensors for small deliveries with planned local service by year-end 2025.

McDonald's Monopoly ReturnMcDonald's revives its popular Monopoly game after ten years, now with digital integration via app starting October 6.

Pitless Cherry DevelopmentSun World International partners with Pairwise to develop pitless cherries using Pairwise's Fulcrum® platform.

DoorDash Creator ProgramDoorDash launches creator program rewarding users for food videos with AI-powered menu recommendations and "Going Out" feature, challenging Uber Eats' video capabilities.

Porch Decorating Professional porch decorating services boom, delivering pumpkins and fall decor with options like hay bales and post-holiday removal.

PepsiCo's Sustainability PushPepsiCo advances clean energy and sustainable farming initiatives, targeting regenerative agriculture on 10M acres by 2030.

Prime NBA AI

SPORTS & TECH DESK:

Amazon's AI Slam DunkAmazon is launching AI-powered features on Prime Video for NBA games, including personalized bet tracking and multiview options using AWS for enhanced viewer experience.

Red Bull's New VentureRed Bull Ventures becomes a cornerstone limited partner in Apex Capital's athlete-backed venture fund, focusing on early-stage sports companies while broadening Red Bull's sports investment portfolio.

MLB Playoffs — The 2025 MLB playoffs feature the Brewers and Phillies leading the National League and Blue Jays topping the American League, with wild-card matchups starting October 3.

Europe's Ryder Cup TriumphEurope defeated the U.S. 15-13 in the Ryder Cup, with standout performances from McIlroy, Lowry, and Hatton, marking Luke Donald's second consecutive victory as captain.

Ultimate Athletics UnveiledWorld Athletics announces the 2026 Ultimate Championship in Budapest featuring a $10M prize and finals-only format, while facing criticism over potential impact on traditional events.

Sports Booze Boom — Teams like the Florida Panthers and New York Jets are driving growth in sports-branded alcoholic beverages, expanding into custom wines and ready-to-drink cocktails to enhance market appeal.

NBC-YouTube TV StandoffNBCUniversal warns YouTube TV subscribers may lose access to NFL and NBA games without a new deal by Tuesday, as YouTube TV approaches 10 million subscribers amid distribution battles.

Aetherflux

FUTURISM:

Atomic ConversationUNSW researchers enable silicon chip nuclear spins to communicate over 20 nanometers, creating a breakthrough for scalable quantum processors that's compatible with existing manufacturing processes.

Nvidia's Quantum AccelerationNvidia's CUDA-Q platform delivers a 4,000x speedup in quantum simulations and 50x boost in error correction, plus a 600x improvement in circuit compilation through university partnerships.

Space-to-Earth Power BeamingAetherflux secures a $60 million DoD contract to develop satellites that beam solar energy to Earth via infrared lasers, promising continuous power delivery while competing with China's solar initiatives.

Spider-Bot Home BuilderCharlotte, a spider-like robot from Crest Robotics, 3D prints a 200-square-metre house in just 24 hours using low-carbon materials, addressing Australia's housing crisis while showing potential for lunar construction.

NVIDIA's AI Robot ToolsNVIDIA launches the Newton Physics Engine and Isaac GR00T N1.6 model to standardize humanoid robot development, integrating sophisticated physics simulation and AI for practical robotic applications.

Underwater Robot FundingNeptune Robotics raises $52 million to expand AI-driven underwater robot services to 30 countries, aiming to clean 150 ships monthly in Singapore by 2025, improving vessels' fuel efficiency.

AI Scientists StartupPeriodic Labs, founded by ex-OpenAI and Google DeepMind researchers, raises a record $300M seed round to build AI-run laboratories focused on developing next-generation superconductors.

Light-Based Glass PrintingHebrew University researchers develop a binder-free method to 3D print glass using light at lower temperatures, enabling precise silica structures for applications in optics, medicine, and microfluidics.

Skin Cells to Embryos

WELLBEING AND HEALTH TECH:

TrumpRx — President Trump revealed a new government portal launching in 2026 to direct Americans to discounted medications through a deal with Pfizer, which includes tariff relief and price cuts up to 50% on Medicaid drugs.

Skin Cells to EmbryosUS scientists have created early-stage human embryos using skin cell DNA and sperm through mitomeiosis, offering potential solutions for infertility and genetic parenting options for same-sex couples.

Whoop Wellness RevolutionWhoop launches Advanced Labs blood testing service starting at $199, integrating health screening results with fitness band data through Quest Diagnostics partnership, with 350,000 people already waitlisted.

Sharper Gamma-Ray ImagingNorthwestern and Soochow University researchers developed a perovskite gamma-ray detector that provides clearer, faster, and more affordable nuclear medicine scans with reduced radiation exposure.

AI Psychedelic Breakthrough — A startup developed an AI-designed psychedelic that offers therapeutic benefits for severe mental health conditions without the traditional hallucinogenic effects, potentially transforming treatment.

Sleep Sync Strategy — Improving sleep quality requires bright light exposure during the day, minimal light at night, and aligned meal and sleep schedules to stabilize circadian rhythms and enhance overall well-being.

Brain-Reading HeadphonesNeurable's new MW75 Neuro LT headphones feature EEG sensors that monitor brain activity, providing Cognitive Strain Detection and Anxiety Resilience scoring for $499, improving comfort and accessibility.