A Friendly Weekly Roundup: Dune’s Finale, Meta’s AI Photo Use, a Tiny Car, Lab-Made Cells, and Travel Watches

Dune Part Three: The End of Paul’s Journey (But Maybe Not the Franchise)

In the Dune movie series (a story about a desert planet and a hero named Paul Atreides), the third movie will show the end of Paul’s story. Here’s what we know in simple terms:

• Paul’s “holy war” (a war fought for religious reasons) is now happening.
• Political tensions (arguments between groups in power) are always present and threatening.
• As a fun treat, actor Robert Pattinson (playfully called a “little freak” by the author) will appear with bleached hair and eyebrows.
• This film finishes the series directed by Denis Villeneuve, but the movie franchise only covers the first two Dune books.
• That leaves room for other directors to make more movies later.

The author says they are patient but hopes some director will be excited to bring Leto II (Paul’s son who later has a big, disgusting sandworm body) to huge IMAX screens.

Important: Villeneuve’s Dune series ends with Part Three, but the larger story could continue with new filmmakers.

Meta Now Lets Anyone Use Your Instagram Photos in AI Images—Unless You Opt Out

About ten years ago, many older folks (Baby Boomers) posted messages on Facebook and Instagram like:

“I HEREBY DECLARE I DO NOT GIVE FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM PERMISSION TO USE MY PHOTOS OR INFORMATION. SHARE THIS AND POST ON YOUR PAGE IF YOU AGREE AMEN”

At the time, the author thought that was silly but harmless. Now, maybe those people (like the author’s aunt Peggy) were onto something. The author jokes that aunt Peggy’s habit of putting SlimFast (a diet drink) in her coffee might have given her “Paul Atreides-level prescience” – meaning she could sort of see the future like the Dune character.

This week, the news site WIRED reported that Meta (the company that owns Instagram) has a new tool called Muse Image. It lets people make AI-generated pictures using public Instagram accounts as the source material.

• Someone can tag a public profile in a text prompt and use Meta’s AI to create an image of that person’s face/appearance (likeness).
• Public accounts are opted in by default – meaning they are included automatically unless the person says no (opts out).
• This could lead to moral and legal problems because people might use someone else’s face to fulfill their own fantasies.

The author says this is one more reason to consider deleting social media.

Important: If your Instagram account is public, Meta’s AI tools can use your photos unless you manually opt out.

Fiat Topolino EV Brings Micromobility to America for Just $13,995

The author has been dreaming all week about the Fiat Topolino – a tiny electric car. In their fantasy, they wear a little scarf and big gardening hat, drive to an antique store, and eat ice cream in the South.

Now that dream is closer: Fiat has brought the little car to the U.S. with a starting price of $13,995.

Key facts about the two-seat electric car:

• Colors: Verde Vita Mint (a minty green).
• Two model options:
  • Standard Topolino: asymmetrical doors and a glass roof.
  • Topolino Dolce Vita: rope doors and a roll-back soft top (like a convertible).
• Both versions:
  • Drive up to 46 miles on a single charge.
  • Take about 5 hours to charge.
  • Top speed of 19 mph.

Right now, it is not fully street legal. Fiat says a Street Legal Conversion Kit is expected this Fall (autumn). That kit will:

1. Raise top speed to 25 mph.
2. Allow driving on most roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.

Important: Without the Fall conversion kit, the Topolino cannot be driven legally on public streets.

Scientists Build Fully Synthetic Life Form That Can Eat and Reproduce

Scientists at the University of Minnesota have done something amazing but a bit scary: they built cells from synthetic (human-made) non-living chemicals. They nicknamed it SpudCell.

What SpudCell can do:

• Grow
• Copy its genome (the instruction book of a cell)
• Divide into new cells
• Continue for multiple generations

Life is like a sliding scale. For example, viruses are not usually considered fully alive, but they can copy themselves inside a host. SpudCell is in a similar gray area:

• It acts like a cell in important ways.
• But it is not fully alive because it needs outside help.
• Scientists must “feed” it ribosomes (tiny cell parts that build proteins) because SpudCell cannot make them itself.

This could help in synthetic biology (making living-like things in labs) to produce medicines, materials, or industrial chemicals. The author jokes that the scientists need a PR agent to improve the name “SpudCell.”

Important: SpudCell is partially alive but depends on humans to give it essential parts to survive.

Haim Viajero SE: Watches Made for Travel Lovers

The author loves travel and never stops talking about studying abroad 16 years ago. Haim (a watch brand) seems to have made a collection just for them: the Viajero SE (Viajero means “traveler”).

Features of the SE series:

• Enamel dial (colorful watch face) with hand-drawn 17th‑century maps.
• Bezel (the ring around the face) lists three rows of cities and can show half-hour time zones like Mumbai and Tehran.
• A custom Atlas-shaped rotor (spinning weight) visible through the see-through back.

Three styles available:

• Antique Cobalt: dark cobalt bezel, full-color map, based on earlier Viajero Air model.
• Grayscale: black-and-white with tiny blue accents on hands and markers.
• Polyglot (author’s favorite): salmon-colored bezel, cities shown in their native writing. The author feels like an imposter wearing it because they tried and failed to learn many languages.

All watches share:

• 39.5mm stainless steel case (the body)
• “Beads-of-rice” bracelet (a type of metal strap)
• Sellita SW330 automatic movement (self-winding clockwork)

If you’re in Chicago, the author invites you to the Windup Watch Fair happening now to see Haim’s table this weekend.

Important: The Polyglot style displays city names in their local alphabets/scripts.

Summary

This week we learned about:

• Dune Part Three ending Paul’s story but leaving room for more movies.
• Meta’s new AI tool that uses public Instagram photos by default.
• The cute Fiat Topolino EV arriving in the U.S. for under $14k but needing a kit for street use.
• SpudCell, a lab-made cell that grows and divides but isn’t fully alive.
• Haim’s travel-themed Viajero SE watches with map dials and city time zones.

Each story shows how movies, technology, cars, science, and even watches connect to our everyday curiosity.

FAQ

Q1: Will Denis Villeneuve make more Dune movies after Part Three?
A: No, Part Three marks the end of his series, but other directors could adapt later books since the franchise only covered the first two.

Q2: How do I stop Meta from using my Instagram photos in AI images?
A: Public accounts are included automatically; you must opt out (likely through account settings) to exclude your pictures.

Q3: Can I drive the Fiat Topolino on normal roads today?
A: Not yet. It tops at 19 mph and isn’t fully street legal. A conversion kit this Fall will make it legal on roads marked 35 mph or less at 25 mph.

Q4: Is SpudCell a living creature?
A: It behaves like a cell and reproduces, but it relies on outside ribosomes, so scientists consider it not fully alive—a gray area.

Q5: What makes the Haim Viajero SE special for travelers?
A: It shows times for many cities, including half-hour zones, with old map designs and a visible spinning rotor.