In this week’s roundup: Microsoft rebuilds Quake with AI, Shopify’s CEO drops a bold hiring rule, and China claims a quantum edge in fine-tuning models. We’re diving into ASCII art made by ChatGPT, starfish-inspired wearables, and whether robots get weirdly creative when we watch them.

Plus: uploading your brain, AI therapists, political deepfakes, and why YouTube might not be enough anymore.

Fast-moving tech, curious takes, and just the right amount of “wait… what?”