New Zealand's first-ever rubber road surface is being planned for a trial early next year in Glentunnel, located in the Selwyn District.



The council is in the early stages of investigating the technology, which uses recycled rubber granules. The company providing the material, Treadlite NZ, is excited to see recycled rubber improve the performance of the country's roads.



This trial is just one of several innovations the council is exploring. They're also using plastic grids to rehabilitate roads and a unique underground system called StormBrixx to manage flooding.



A council representative acknowledged that while Selwyn's roads are statistically some of the smoothest in New Zealand, they are facing challenges due to high growth and aging surfaces.



He noted that the council works to get good value, spending on average 15 percent less on maintenance per kilometre than other networks.







Europe is reconsidering its 2035 ban on new gas cars after initially setting the policy.



In tech, Microsoft is making several moves, forming strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Anthropic, integrating Sysmon directly into Windows 11 and Server 2025, and working to address the novel security risks posed by Windows 11 AI agents. They're also updating Teams to let users report messages that were wrongly flagged as threats.



On the AI front, Gemini 3 is here with major updates, and xAI's Grok 4.1 is rolling out with improved quality and speed for free. A significant security note: a researcher is casting doubt on Coinbase's official breach timeline, suggesting the incident may have unfolded differently. Meanwhile Chinese AI would rather 'talk about something else other than Tianamen Square.



In other news, a Cloudflare outage took down major websites, and Apple has updated its App Review Guidelines. For online privacy, X could soon start indicating if you're using a VPN. A startling report reveals Zoomers are officially worse at passwords than 80-year-olds.



In hardware, a new PIC is reported to be 1,000-times faster than Nvidia GPUs, and STMicro has boosted its STM32 family to 800MHz with the new 18nm STM32V8. A Dutch turbine engineer's unusual attempt to turn wind power into crypto has also made headlines.



A tragic story emerges as an old Samsung handset has been linked to a fatal emergency call failure. On the web, the Internet Archive has hit a massive milestone of one trillion saved web pages.



For makers and hobbyists, there's a lot to explore. Your journey in tech can start with the new Arduino Starter Kit R4, and there's a quick primer on TinkerCAD’s new features.



A tiny RC car is impressing enthusiasts, and people are using 3D printing for giant Christmas decorations. In radio and tracking, a tiny transmitter is being used to track migrating monarch butterflies over thousands of miles, and there's a design for a cheap VHF antenna.



In amateur radio news, an opinion piece argues that futureGEO is the most important initiative of the decade, questioning why more people aren't talking about it. Finally, the ARRL VEC is ready to file over 2,500 ham radio license applications after the FCC extended the renewal filing deadline.



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Source Links




NZ's First Rubber Road Surface To Be Tested In Canterbury



Europe banned new gas cars after 2035 — now it’s reconsidering



Microsoft, NVIDIA and Anthropic announce strategic partnerships



Security researcher calls BS on Coinbase breach timeline



Alibaba's new AI broke when we asked about Tiananmen Square



Zoomers are officially worse at passwords than 80-year-olds



Dutch turbine engineer tried to turn wind into crypto



Old Samsung handset linked to fatal emergency call failure



Apple Updates App Review Guidelines



Cloudflare Outage Hits Major Websites



Microsoft tries to head off the “novel security risks” of Windows 11 AI agents



X could soon show if you're using a VPN − here's all we know



Gemini 3 is here – 3 things to know about the major AI update



Internet Archive Hits One Trillion Web Pages



xAI's Grok 4.1 rolls out with improved quality and speed for free



Microsoft to integrate Sysmon directly into Windows 11, Server 2025



Microsoft Teams to let users report messages wrongly flagged as threats



A Quick Primer On TinkerCAD’s New Features



PIC 1,000-times faster than Nvidia GPUs



STMicro's STM32 Family Hits 800MHz with the High-Performance 18nm STM32V8



Your journey in tech starts here: introducing the Arduino Starter Kit R4



This Tiny RC Car Has Got It All



Using 3d Printing for Christmas Decorations – Giant Christmas Light



A tiny transmitter/sensor tracks migrating monarch butterflies over thousands of miles



Cheap VHF Antenna? Can Do!



Opinion: futureGEO is the Most Important Amateur Radio Initiative of this Decade. Why is no one Talking About it?



ARRL VEC Ready to File 2,500+ Ham Radio License Applications; FCC Extends Renewal Filing Deadline

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