raspberries

Espressif's latest ESP32 chip can now boot Linux, a milestone for a microcontroller line traditionally limited to bare-metal and RTOS work. Reports note the low-cost chip is approaching entry-level Raspberry Pi capability, sparking debate among makers about whether cheap microcontrollers could soon replace single-board computers for simple projects.

Raspberry AI is helping lifestyle brands shorten the journey from design concept to finished product on store shelves, according to a Forbes report. The startup's generative AI tools let design teams produce and iterate on product visuals quickly, reducing reliance on lengthy sampling cycles. The piece highlights growing adoption of AI across fashion and consumer lifestyle companies.

A new tutorial explains how to build a Raspberry Pi-based AI companion featuring a real-time animated face created with Rive AI. The project combines affordable hardware, AI software, and expressive animation, and is being shared across robotics, coding, and engineering communities. Enthusiasts are discussing it as an accessible entry point into personal AI robotics.

Arduino held a live session today where viewers could chat with the team about its Uno Q and Ventuno Q boards. One participant described the conversation as fun, and the discussion touched on topics including Linux, AI, robotics and single-board computing, with comparisons drawn to the Raspberry Pi ecosystem.

Jussi Pakkanen, creator of the Meson build system, has been invited by Norwegian Unix user group NUUG to speak in Oslo. His talk, "Building a Super 8 Film Scanner at Home", describes how he repaired a 1970s projector and built a scanner using a Raspberry Pi, stepper motors, 3D-printed parts and machine vision to digitise Super 8 film.

An open-source enthusiast has given a 13-year-old router a second life, upgrading its RAM and storage chip, adding I2C and GPIO ports, and building a screen and buttons into the lid. The device runs a custom-compiled OpenWrt system with cross-compiled Raspberry Pi and Arduino code, and reportedly works. The project is drawing attention as an example of how open-source software can extend the life of old hardware well beyond its intended lifespan.

Adam-Troy Castro's short story 'The Raspberry Manifesto of Professor Warana' is being shared via io9, courtesy of Lightspeed Magazine. The surreal tale follows an artist who finds joy in transforming into an orange. Readers of speculative fiction are passing the story along, giving the odd premise fresh circulation online.

Percona University took place in Montevideo, Uruguay, drawing attendees for a day of talks on emerging database technologies, with observability tool Coroot among the featured topics. Organisers and participants shared thanks and enthusiasm afterwards, describing the event as an amazing day. One attendee even showcased a related homelab setup running Kubernetes on Raspberry Pis.