Revolut falls for fake government requests, hands over customer data


As any science YouTuber or first-year physics student is quick to point out, the universe is mostly empty space. Not just space itself, but the amount of โemptyโ space between nuclei and their electrons is also huge. Getting rid of this empty space results in all kinds of interesting phenomena like degenerate matter and black holes. But the concept can be extrapolated into our daily lives as well; many things are so filled with air that we can get a lot more usable storage space by compressing them down a little bit. [Super Valid Designs] took this concept to a coat closet, building one that can hold an impressive number of coats.
He started by looking at an existing closet, which could hold around 21 coats but only if someone used two hands to cram the coats into the space. After a trip to a store which sells rugs, he saw a much better design that lets all the rugs pivot like the pages on a book, and took this idea to his closet using a similar mechanism designed for storing large blueprints instead of rugs. The closet he built around this mechanism has two hinged doors which allow a person easy access to the coats, and when opened the blueprint hangers pivot out like a book, allowing the coats to not only be easily accessed without disrupting the other coats, but also allow them to be compressed down by the closet door for storage.
For comparison, the original closet could only hold 10 coats when restricted to single-hand operation and 21 when using both. The new closet design is smaller, and can hold 24 coats with a single hand and over 30 when using both, a dramatic improvement of closet efficiency. To top it off, a set of cupboards on top and bottom allow for storing shoes and hats as well, and thereโs even a garage for a robotic vacuum cleaner. Surprisingly, we donโt see many closet optimization builds around here. The closest we can come is another traditionally small space, a college dorm.
Most Linux distros you'll find are basically a pile of separate programsโa panel, a compositor, a window manager, and so onโall exchanging information and coordinating their behavior to create a cohesive experience.

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As a general rule, don't use the router that comes from your ISP. It's typically overpriced, but that's not all โ it may even be causing issues with your smart home, at least with the default settings.

As someone who is very fond of my smart home setup, Iโll be the first to admit that a lot of it is surplus to requirements. Rarely would I recommend everyone install color-changing bulbs or relinquish control of the HVAC to just a smartphone app or a Home Assistant integration.

We ask our smart home devices to do a lot for us, and rarely spare a moment to think about what life might be like for them. I decided to give some smart home devices personalities and let them loose in their own Discord chat to see what they would say if they could.

Smart bulbs are one of the most common entries into the world of smart home devices, but they're not without their problems. If your internet goes down, you may find that you lose features or simply can't control your bulbs at all. There are several ways to stop this from happening.

Wi-Fi 7 routers and network cards are finally becoming affordable and commonplace, but if you're a homelabber or someone who just enjoys any sort of self-hosting, you probably haven't had a pressing reason to upgrade to this latest standard.


A roster of top Seattle business leaders and regional CEOs is demanding urgent action from City Hall on public safety, calling on Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council to roll out a concrete 100-day action plan backed by measurable goals and transparent progress tracking.
In a letter sent Thursday, executives from major area employers โ including Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco, F5, Alaska Airlines, Zillow, and others โ urged city leaders to protect and expand public safety funding amid growing skepticism that the city currently has an effective strategy to address crime and homelessness.
The push centers on findings from an August joint public-opinion poll of registered Seattle voters, which revealed that while every proposed safety measure drew at least 75% support across all demographics, only 34% of respondents expressed confidence in the cityโs current strategy.
Pointing to severe staffing shortages โ noting Seattle has just 1.31 sworn officers per 1,000 residents, far below peer cities like Denver, San Francisco, and Boston โ the signatories argued that budget decisions must directly align with measurable safety outcomes.
The effort was spearheaded by major regional business leadership organizations, including the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Challenge Seattle, and the Washington Roundtable. Their leaders โ Joe Nguyแป n, former Gov. Chris Gregoire, and Rachel Smith โ jointly signed the appeal alongside dozens of local chief executives spanning technology, retail, healthcare, and sports franchises.
โVoters are asking for action, on a timeline, with results they can measure,โ the coalition wrote in the letter, emphasizing that their recommendations reflect a broad consensus across the city. โThis is not a narrow or partisan agenda, it is a shared baseline that Seattle residents and the business community are asking their elected leaders to deliver both now and as a sustained priority.โ
The letter outlines a series of immediate and short-term actions the group is asking City Hall to enact, backed by overwhelming support in their poll:

CCTV surveillance: Activate CCTV cameras in Pioneer Square, the Stadium District, and other high-event areas to deter crime and assist law enforcement.
Foot and bike patrols: Establish regular police patrols on foot and bicycle in areas facing persistent public safety problems, specifically citing Little Saigon (90% poll support).
911 response accountability: Recommit to a standard 7-minute priority 911 response time, backed by transparent reporting when targets are missed (90% support). The letter noted data from Nordstrom showing only 29% of 911 calls from its flagship downtown store yielded a police response, compared to 100% at its Bellevue and Southcenter locations.
Drug treatment and diversion: Direct CARE Department specialists to offer treatment and shelter first, but require law enforcement to arrest and prosecute repeat offenders who repeatedly refuse help (82% support).
Open-air drug markets: Require SPD and the City Attorney to establish a clear, prioritized pathway for shutting down open-air drug markets (81% support).
Encampment bans and timelines: Institute a policy banning encampments within 250 feet of parks, playgrounds, or schools, and mandate that the city clear encampments in those zones within 72 hours (79% support).
Among those who signed the letter: Brad Smith, Vice Chair & President of Microsoft; Jeremy Wacksman, CEO of Zillow; Franรงois Locoh-Donou, CEO of F5; Matt McIlwain, Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group; Julie Sandler, Co-founder & Venture Partner at PSL Ventures; Matt Oppenheimer, Chairman of Remitly; Erik Nordstrom, CEO & Co-President of Nordstrom; Brian Niccol, Chairman & CEO of Starbucks; Ron Vachris, CEO & President of Costco; Ben Minicucci, CEO & President of Alaska Air Group; Mike Sievert, Vice Chairman of T-Mobile; and Ada Healey, Chief Real Estate Officer at Vulcan Real Estate.
The business communityโs coordinated push arrives during a pivotal moment for public safety policy in City Hall, where political tensions over policing and crime response have flared in recent weeks.
While overall violent crime and homicides in Seattle dropped during the first half of 2026 compared to last year, high-profile violent incidents continue to fuel public and commercial anxiety. Downtown, Belltown, and high-foot-traffic corridors have experienced recent spikes in gun violence and fatal altercations โ including multiple homicides in Belltown and Westlake Park in early September alone.
At the same time, the Seattle Police Department continues to grapple with acute staffing shortages following years of officer departures exceeding hiring goals. The persistent deficit has left response times stretched thin, prompting deep frustration from major employers and pushing retail hubs to demand a more visible police presence.
Policy friction between the Council and Wilsonโs administration has also intensified. Debate has centered on the rollout of public surveillance technologies โ where the mayorโs office recently paused CCTV camera expansions pending a data privacy audit โ as well as ongoing friction surrounding the leadership of the police department.
Responding to the letter, Wilson told GeekWire that her administration shares the business communityโs commitment to public safety, noting that โmany of the specific requests they made are well underway.โ
Wilson highlighted expanded foot and bicycle patrols in neighborhoods like Little Saigon and Belltown, 3,500 police officer applications currently in the queue, and an upcoming gun violence reduction strategy set to roll out next week. While noting that SPD data shows homicides and shootings at 10-year lows, Wilson acknowledged public impatience.
โWe have far too much crime and public disorder and people have a right to be frustrated,โ she said. โI, like everyone in Seattle, want to see that progress happen faster and steadier.โ
The safety campaign comes on the heels of a 127-page independent economic study commissioned by the city, which warned that while Seattle boasts an โalmost peerlessโ tech workforce and key AI assets, its economy is in a fragile position due to heavy corporate concentration and tax policies that penalize senior hiring.
The study noted that Seattleโs tax base remains vulnerable if major employers opt to relocate or grow outside the city limits, reinforcing the business coalitionโs argument that public safety is closely tied to the cityโs long-term economic stability.