Date: Friday, October 24, 2025
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh may have once been known for its steel, but today, it’s the city’s bright minds that forge the future. On October 24, that innovation will take center stage as Pittsburgh TechFest 2025 gathers developers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts for a day of learning, networking, and discovery.

? What Is Pittsburgh TechFest?

Hosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, TechFest is a one-day conference designed for technologists across all disciplines — from software and AI to cybersecurity and UX design. It’s a space where code meets creativity, where startups meet investors, and where ideas meet execution.

This year’s event promises an even bigger lineup of workshops, panel discussions, and lightning talks covering everything from AI-driven development and data ethics to sustainable tech and cyber resilience.

? Why You Should Attend

• Learn from the experts: Industry leaders from top Pittsburgh companies and global firms will share insights into cutting-edge technologies.
• Connect with peers: Network with hundreds of professionals shaping the region’s tech scene.
• Level up your career: Attend sessions on skill growth, leadership, and the future of work in the digital economy.
• Be inspired: TechFest thrives on collaboration — the kind that sparks new startups, partnerships, and ideas that move the industry forward.

?? Event Details

• When: Friday, October 24, 2025
• Where: Carnegie Mellon University
• Tickets: Available via pghtech.org/events/2025TechFest
• Schedule: pitttechcounciltechfest2025.sched.com

?? Pittsburgh: A City Built for Tech

From robotics and AI research at CMU to booming startups in East Liberty and Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh has become one of the most exciting mid-sized tech hubs in America. TechFest doesn’t just highlight the latest innovations — it celebrates the city’s growing identity as a national technology powerhouse.

So whether you’re a software engineer, a data scientist, or simply a curious mind with a passion for the future, TechFest 2025 is where you’ll want to be this fall.

? Final Thoughts

TechFest is more than a conference — it’s a reflection of how Pittsburgh continues to evolve from its industrial roots into a city of innovation and opportunity. If you’ve ever wanted to see what the future of tech looks like — and maybe be a part of it — this is your front-row ticket.

In the great saga of self-driving ambition, Tesla has now rolled out FSD (Supervised) version 14 — a software leap (or at least a very determined forward shuffle) that the company says substantially upgrades its autonomy stack. According to commentary, v14 brings:

• A more unified architecture: perception, planning and control are more tightly integrated. (TESMAG)
• Smoother behaviour in complex conditions: lane merges, urban intersections, path planning. (TESMAG)
• A “public” rollout rather than an extremely limited beta, signalling Tesla’s confidence (or at least its willingness to test in the wild). (TESMAG)

It is as though Tesla has given its FSD brain a good breakfast, more coffee, and told it “Now go out and behave more like a sensible chauffeur, not a distracted teenager.” One might imagine the car sighing, adjusting its tie, and saying politely to pedestrian and cyclist alike, “After you, please.”

HW3 vs HW4: The hardware cliff and the upgrades

Now, one cannot talk about FSD updates without talking about the hardware beneath it — for the truth is that even the cleverest software may stumble if the tin beneath rattles.

What is HW3 and what is HW4?

• HW3 (also referred to as “FSD Computer 1”, “AI3” in some circles) is the hardware Tesla used for many vehicles starting roughly in 2019. (Wikipedia)
• HW4 (often called “AI4” or “FSD Computer 2”) began shipping in 2023 (and later) and boasts significantly upgraded compute, cameras and sensors. (AutoPilot Review)

Key differences

• Compute power: HW4 is reported to have something like 50 TOPS of neural processing vs around 36 TOPS on HW3 in earlier estimations. (AutoPilot Review)
• Camera resolution: HW3’s cameras are roughly 1.2 MP sensors; HW4 uses ~5 MP sensors (or thereabouts) and provides markedly sharper imagery. (Not A Tesla App)
• Wiring, harness, connectors: HW4 introduced new wiring, new cooling, different camera-modules; retrofit from HW3 to HW4 is effectively non-trivial (or impossible). (Shop4Tesla)

How that plays out in real-world FSD behaviour

Owners and testers report that while HW3 has been remarkably serviceable (and Tesla has kept improving it), HW4 offers noticeable advantages in edge conditions. For example:

• One forum user said: > “It’s night and day. I have a Model S with HW3 … my wife has a M3P with HW4 … I can barely use mine because it’s so wonky … Hers drove us an hour to the airport and back with zero interventions…” (Reddit)
• On the other hand, some other owners argue the difference is more subtle: > “As of right now … they are essentially identical in terms of FSD performance besides some of the new features that HW4 has …” (Reddit)
• There’s also data suggesting Tesla’s software versioning is diverging: newer software builds target HW4 first; HW3 may be getting “smaller” or more constrained models to operate within its hardware limits. (Tesla Motors Club)

In short: if you have HW4, you’re more likely to get the full benefit of FSD’s latest architecture. If you have HW3, you may still get many features — but there’s a hardware ceiling. It is as though HW4 is the new highway, HW3 is still a good road, but some of the newer traffic signs refer to lanes HW3 cannot open.

Rumours & real talk: FSD v14 Lite for HW3?

Now we come to the part of the story that smells faintly of legend, hope, and that slightly uneasy feeling you get when you discover there is a “special edition” for someone else.

What’s being said

• During the Q3 2025 earnings call, Tesla executives (specifically their Head of AI & Autopilot) reportedly said that a version of FSD v14 — v14 Lite — is being developed for HW3 vehicles, targeted for Q2 of next year. (TESLARATI)
• The term “Lite” suggests a version of v14 with some features trimmed or optimized to suit HW3’s hardware limitations (lower compute, older sensors).
• Numerous owners in forums are debating whether this “Lite” version means full parity or merely “we’ll update you, but you’ll never have everything new HW4 has”. For example: > “HW3 is done. Need to buy a new car if you want the latest FSD.” (Reddit)

What this might mean (and caution)

• Tesla seems to be signalling: yes, we haven’t forgotten you HW3 owners — you will get something, but the premium stuff (trained on HW4 data, making full use of its cameras/compute) will be targeted first for HW4.
• The “Lite” version may lack certain features, may run smaller neural networks or simpler models so that it works within HW3’s limits. One article noted that HW3 under FSD v13 required significantly smaller model sizes than HW4. (Not A Tesla App)
• Some HW3 owners feel frustration: you bought early, you pay for FSD, but you might be stuck with “the good but not the best” version.
• There is a risk: if Tesla eventually decides to move compute-heavy features to exclusively HW4 (or later HW5), then HW3’s “Lite” version may become the final stop.

What to keep an eye out for

• When Tesla publishes version 14’s release notes: what features are marked as HW3 compatible vs HW4 only.
• Real-world owner reports: does v14 Lite feel noticeably worse than “full” v14 on HW4?
• Whether Tesla provides trade-in incentives for HW3 owners (some of this is already underway).
• Whether regulatory/insurance frameworks treat HW3 vehicles differently if their hardware is considered capable of fewer “autonomous” features.

The takeaway

Imagine for a moment that your Tesla is a polite, well-mannered but still somewhat adolescent chauffeur. The software is the training, the hardware is the car’s legs, arms, eyes and brain. HW3 gave your car a decent pair of legs and eyes. HW4 gave it a better pair — faster, clearer, steadier.
Now Tesla is saying: “Here’s the new dance routine (v14)!” But the car with the older legs (HW3) may have to do a slightly simpler version of the dance — that’s the “Lite” part. It will still try the pirouettes, but may not go quite as high or spin as many times as the one with HW4’s training.

If you own a HW4 Tesla — congratulations: you’re in the front row of the dance. If you own a HW3 Tesla — you’re still on the dance floor, but you may be learning steps that don’t include the very fancy spin. Tesla, to its credit, is acknowledging your presence — but also subtly pointing you toward upgrading if you want the full routine.

In short: FSD v14 is real and meaningful. HW4 hardware gives you better starting material for it. HW3 will still get attention, but perhaps in a “lite” form. If you’re a HW3 owner, you might ask: “Will my car feel nearly as good as the new one?” The answer is: maybe, but likely not exactly. And if you’re deciding whether to buy a used HW3 car with FSD, or a new HW4 car — well, there’s more than just the showroom price to think about.

Few pop songs have ever dissected social class with such flair and ferocity as Pulp’s “Common People.” Released in 1995 at the height of the Britpop movement, the song is a rare hybrid — part anthem, part sociology paper, and part weary sigh from someone who’s seen how society really works. It manages to be both catchy and caustic, fun to dance to and uncomfortable to think about — the perfect contradiction for a country that hides its class anxieties behind irony and a good tune.

The story begins with a deceptively simple introduction: “She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge.” Already, there’s an air of detachment — the woman isn’t grounded in place or need; she’s defined by her education and her curiosity, the hallmarks of privilege. She “studied sculpture at Saint Martin’s College,” a line so specific it almost feels like gossip. The narrator’s interest in her is human at first, even romantic, but the moment she says she “wants to live like common people,” the tone shifts. This isn’t love anymore; it’s anthropology.

When she insists, “I want to do whatever common people do,” the narrator plays along, suggesting they “rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job.” These lines are scathing precisely because they sound like clichés. For the working class, this isn’t rebellion — it’s survival. But for her, it’s performance. She wants to “sleep with common people like you,” but the narrator reminds her, “What else could I do? I said, I’ll see what I can do.” It’s an uneasy transaction — not romance, but social tourism disguised as intimacy.

The next verse deepens the critique. He tells her to “smoke some fags and play some pool,” to “pretend you never went to school.” There’s bitterness in the irony. These are gestures — hollow, aesthetic symbols of ordinariness. They cost nothing to perform, yet they mean everything to those who live them daily. When he adds, “still you’ll never get it right,” the meaning cuts deep: no matter how hard she tries, she can’t replicate the feeling of having no choice. That is the real difference between the privileged and the “common people.”

Then comes one of the song’s most powerful lines — “Because when you’re laid in bed at night watching roaches climb the wall, if you call your dad he could stop it all.” It’s funny, but not really. The humor is just a mask for despair. Poverty here isn’t an idea or aesthetic; it’s infestation, frustration, and the quiet, grinding knowledge that help isn’t coming. The “common people” can’t escape it with a phone call. Their suffering is real, mundane, and permanent — not an experience to try on, but a condition to endure.

The chorus — “You’ll never live like common people, you’ll never do what common people do, you’ll never fail like common people, you’ll never watch your life slide out of view” — is both accusation and anthem. The repetition gives it a ritualistic quality, like a chant or curse. It’s as though the narrator is trying to make her understand by sheer force of repetition that empathy has limits when lived experience is missing. For the “common people,” life’s slide isn’t a metaphor — it’s a reality: unpaid bills, dead-end jobs, and an inherited cycle of limitations.

Later, the lyrics turn openly mocking: “Rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job, smoke some fags and play some pool, pretend you never went to school.” Each repetition becomes more venomous, as though the narrator grows angrier with every verse. His tone evolves from amused to disgusted; he’s seen her type before. Those who “never fail like common people” are the ones who turn struggle into fashion, who sip authenticity the way others sip imported beer.

The bridge — “Laugh along with the common people, laugh along even though they’re laughing at you” — is where the song reaches its emotional peak. It’s a warning disguised as a taunt. Her attempt to blend in will only ever make her a spectacle. The poor might mock her imitation of their lives, but the real tragedy is that she’ll never truly understand why they’re laughing. The laughter of the “common people” is not cruelty — it’s survival, a way to make the unbearable slightly more bearable.

The closing verses of the song pull no punches. The narrator’s frustration transforms into near fury as he declares, “You’ll never live like common people, you’ll never watch your life slide out of view, and dance, and drink, and screw, because there’s nothing else to do.” That final phrase — “because there’s nothing else to do” — is devastating. It captures the bleakness of a class trapped by circumstance, for whom pleasure isn’t a luxury but a small act of rebellion against meaninglessness. For them, dancing and drinking aren’t indulgences — they’re resistance.

What makes “Common People” so timeless is its precision. Every lyric exposes the uneasy tension between fascination and exploitation, between empathy and performance. It reminds us that class isn’t just about money — it’s about distance, about what you can and cannot escape. The woman in the song plays at being poor the way one might play at being brave — briefly, safely, with an exit always available.

In the end, “Common People” isn’t a song about the poor at all. It’s about the rich — their longing for authenticity, their ignorance of struggle, and their quiet fear that money can’t buy meaning. The “common people” of the title are not characters but constants — living reminders of a truth society prefers to dance past. The brilliance of Pulp’s masterpiece lies in how it forces listeners to confront that truth — and to ask themselves which side of the lyric they really stand on.

References:

Cocker, J. (1995). Common People [Song]. On Different Class. Island Records.

New versatile DTG and DTFilm hybrid print solution combines outstanding image quality, easy operation, and great value.Tweet this

Epson will be hosting a live demonstration of the new SureColor F2270 on Thursday, June 22 at 10 a.m. PT. To register, click HERE.

“The SureColor F2270 was purpose-built with an eye toward what’s happening in the industry. Specifically, we wanted to address the needs of print shops transitioning from mass production to producing what’s needed,” said Tim Check, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “With its ability to produce high quality output, with great reliability and consistency, print shops can now create premium quality products, designed to last years. This also results in less waste from the print process to the garment wearability.”

Purpose-built for both DTG and DTFilm printing, the SureColor F2270 hybrid printer features a new PrecisionCore^® MicroTFP printhead with Nozzle Verification Technology, and next-generation UltraChrome^® DG2 ink to deliver vibrant colors and incredible detail at impressive speeds – up to 20% faster when printing on dark garments.¹ The printer’s cartridge-free bulk ink pack system helps reduce ink replacement frequency. Featuring automatic garment thickness adjustment, it measures thickness using multiple sensors during the loading process to create a garment height profile and will automatically adjust the printhead and optimize print quality without user intervention to help increase productivity and ensure high-quality output.

Additional features designed to bring a new level of versatility and efficiency to the garment decorator, promotional product and e-commerce fulfillment industries, include:

• Low maintenance – Dedicated cleaning solution channels and fabric head wiper system help reduce downtime
• Intuitive design – Flattop work surface can hold items; large 4.3-inch touchscreen interface with ergonomically placed control buttons
• Easy-to-use, quick-load platen – Assists with garment alignment and helps reduce loading times
• Intuitive, easy-to-learn workflow – Epson Garment Creator 2 software features improved processing time and high-resolution processing for exceptionally detailed and vibrant prints
• Epson Cloud Solution PORT² – Provides live production monitoring of your printer fleet status, including production rates and printer utilization

“Ultimately, prints done right the first time saves times, money and physical resources, and that’s the goal with the new SureColor F2270,” said Check.

Availability 
The SureColor F2270 will be available in August 2023 through Epson Authorized Professional Imaging Resellers with an estimated MSRP of $18,995. The printer is designed for use exclusively with Epson ink packs³ and includes a one-year limited warranty with on-site service. Extended service plans are available. For more information on Epson’s direct-to-garment solutions, visit www.epson.com/dtg.

About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson’s goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com

Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

¹ Compared to previous generation model with printing 13.6″ x 16.0″ dark garments at default print quality. Computer processing, network transmission, loading and unloading of garments are not included in these times. Actual print times may vary. Testing conducted by Epson America, Inc as of May 2023.
² All features of this system require an active Internet connection and the use of a supported browser.
³ This product uses only genuine Epson-brand ink packs. Other brands of ink packs and ink supplies are not compatible and, even if described as compatible, may not function properly or at all.

ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX^® is a system by which textile chemical suppliers demonstrate that their product can be used in a sustainable textile production. Epson UltraChrome DG2 Ink is certified by the ECO PASSPORT. This is an international safety standard in the textile industry. It is certified to be safe for adults and children, including babies.

EPSON, PrecisionCore, SureColor, TFP, and UltraChrome are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2023 Epson America, Inc.

SOURCE Epson America, Inc.