Largely freed of competition, Golden Dome task orders can go to favored Trump contractors, including high-tech billionaires who are his close allies.

The evidence accumulates that Golden Dome is going to be an enormously costly and extremely wasteful system. And, the contracting for high-tech work seems sure to go to Palantir. Palantir’s board chairman, the extremely well connected billionaire Peter Thiel, longtime Trump-backer and mentor of Vice President J.D. Vance.

In July, a letter by Senator Edward J. Markey and nine other Senators said:

“President Trump has said that Golden Dome would cost $175 billion and be ‘fully operational’ by 2029. But the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that it could cost as much as $542 billion to deploy a constellation of space-based interceptors (SBIs) designed to defeat one or two intercontinental ballistic missiles launched in a limited attack, such as by North Korea. Countering a possible Russian or Chinese attack involving hundreds of warheads would require a much larger, more technologically advanced, and more costly system. . . . Despite what could amount to a trillion dollar investment, Golden Dome would be all-too-easy to defeat.”

Earlier in September, the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI), more cheerleader than critic of Trump’s, issued a report that the cost of Golden Dome could range as high as $3.6 trillion. AEI gave a range of possibilities, from that high figure for a system doing what President Trump asserts he wants Golden Dome to do, down to lower figures that while still far above Trump’s $175 billion, would have much more limited capabilities what he claims.

So now that the Administration is launched on procuring Golden Dome, the natural question is, who benefits? Some of the contracting may go to traditional defense contractors like Lockheed Martin. But, the new hallmark of the Trump administration has been the mutually beneficial cultivating of Silicon Valley billionaires. The beauty of Golden Dome is that it involves not just hardware from traditional contractors, but tech products from the Trump Administration’s closest new friends.

https://archive.li/2025.09.26-115638/https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/technology/article/palantir-founder-peter-thiel-antichrist-lectures-religion-qzmpth35t

America's Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent to Tableau (Salesforce's visual analytics platform) — for a patent covering "Data Processing For Visualizing Hierarchical Data

The cloud company said the token, dubbed NET Dollar, will enable instant, global transactions for autonomous agents online.

Wikimedia Foundation has signed onto the 4 Digital Rights of Memory Institutions, affirming memory institutions' rights to Collect, Preserve, Lend & Cooperate in the digital age.

Wikimedia, one of the world’s leading champions of free knowledge and open access, has signed the Statement on the Four Digital Rights of Memory Institutions, joining a growing number of organizations worldwide that are calling for the legal rights needed to preserve and provide access to knowledge in the digital age.

By signing the Statement, Wikimedia reinforces the growing international movement that calls for legal reform on four essential rights that ensure long-term preservation and access:

1. Right to Collect
2. Right to Preserve
3. Right to Lend
4. Right to Cooperate

These rights are not abstract. They underpin the ability of institutions to continue their public mission: collecting digital materials, preserving them for future generations, lending them fairly, and cooperating across borders to make knowledge accessible to all.

Microsoft will provide free Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10 in the European Economic Area through October 13, 2026, but with specific conditions[^1]. While users won't need to enable Windows Backup or use Microsoft Rewards points, they must sign in with a Microsoft Account at least once every 60 days to maintain access to updates[^2].

"If your Microsoft Account is not used to sign in for a period of up to 60 days, ESU updates will be discontinued, and you'll need to re-enroll by signing in using the same MSA," Microsoft confirmed[^3].

This change came after pressure from Euroconsumers, who argued that linking security updates to Microsoft's cloud services raised concerns under the Digital Markets Act[^4]. The free ESU program applies to Windows 10 version 22H2 devices in the EEA (European Union member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway)[^5].

Outside the EEA, users still must either enable Windows Backup, redeem Microsoft Rewards points, or pay approximately $30 for ESU access[^2].

[^1]: BleepingComputer - Microsoft will offer free Windows 10 extended security updates in Europe

[^2]: Windows Central - Microsoft will revoke free access to Windows 10's extended security updates in the EEA

[^3]: WindowsLatest - No, you'll still need a Microsoft account for Windows 10 ESU in Europe

[^4]: The Verge - Microsoft forced to make Windows 10 extended security updates truly free in Europe

[^5]: gHacks - Microsoft makes Windows 10 Extended Security Updates free, but only for users in one region

For the first time, US residents can now invest in memecoins through traditional brokerages. Trading will only get stranger from here.