# I am the Watcher. I am your guide through this vast new twtiverse.
#
# Usage:
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/users View list of users and latest twt date.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/twt View all twts.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/mentions?uri=:uri View all mentions for uri.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/conv/:hash View all twts for a conversation subject.
#
# Options:
# uri Filter to show a specific users twts.
# offset Start index for quey.
# limit Count of items to return (going back in time).
#
# twt range = 1 20930
# self = https://watcher.sour.is?uri=https://feeds.twtxt.net/slashdot/twtxt.txt&offset=20230
# next = https://watcher.sour.is?uri=https://feeds.twtxt.net/slashdot/twtxt.txt&offset=20330
# prev = https://watcher.sour.is?uri=https://feeds.twtxt.net/slashdot/twtxt.txt&offset=20130
Apple Watch Leads to Luggage Stolen By an Airport Store Worker
A worker at a retail store in an airport has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars in electronics and clothing, reports the Washington Post. But what's more interesting is what led to his arrest...
A woman showed up at his home looking for the missing luggage that she'd tracked with her Apple Watch. CNN reports:
Paola Garcia told CNN affili ... ⌘ Read more
Lansweeper Finds 26% of Its Users On CentOS, Facing May 1st End-of-life
"Lansweeper's scans of its customers' networks found an awful lot of Linux boxes facing imminent end of life," reports the Register, "with no direct upgrade path."
Belgian corporate network scanner vendor Lansweeper periodically collates some of the statistics collected by its users and publishes the results... This year's report sa ... ⌘ Read more
Artificial Sweetener Xylitol May Also Be Linked To Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds
CNN reports that the low-calorie sweetener xylitol used "may be linked to nearly twice the risk of heart attacks, stroke and death in people who consume the highest levels of the sweetener, a new study found..."
In 2023, the same researchers found similar results for another low-calorie sweetener ... ⌘ Read more
For Video of Helicopter Shooting Fireworks at Lamborghini, YouTube Influencer Faces 10 Years in Prison
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Washington Post:
A YouTuber who posted a Fourth of July video in which passengers on a low-flying helicopter shot fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini is facing a federal charge tied to the stunt.
Suk Min Choi, 24, who runs ... ⌘ Read more
As America's Solar Power Surges, Wind Power is Struggling
America "is now adding less wind capacity each year" than it was before the passage of a climate-protecting bill in 2022, according to the New York Times.
Since then "solar panel installations are indeed soaring to record highs in the U.S., as are batteries that can store energy for later. But wind power has struggled, both on land and in the ocean."
Some ... ⌘ Read more
HP CEO: Printed Pages Are Down 20% Since Pandemic
HP is facing something of a challenge as the number of printed pages has decreased by 20% since the pandemic. "On the office space, clearly, the amount of pages that is being printed is lower than before the pandemic," HP boss Enrique Lores told tech investors at Bernstein's 40th Annual Strategic Decision Conference last week. "And this is really driven by what we call hybri ... ⌘ Read more
Carbon Dioxide Levels In the Atmosphere Are Surging 'Faster Than Ever,' Report Finds
Carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere are accumulating "faster than ever" and have reached unprecedented levels, with a peak of 426.9 ppm recorded at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory in May 2024, said scientists from NOAA, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California San Diego. CB ... ⌘ Read more
Researchers Plan To Retract Landmark Alzheimer's Paper Containing Doctored Images
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Science Magazine: Authors of a landmark Alzheimer's disease research paper published in Nature in 2006 have agreed to retract the study in response to allegations of image manipulation. University of Minnesota (UMN) Twin Cities neuroscientist Karen Ashe, the paper's seni ... ⌘ Read more
World's Largest Solar Farm Goes Online In China
Michelle Lewis reports via Electrek: The world's largest solar farm, in the desert in northwestern Xinjiang, is now connected to China's grid. The 3.5-gigawatt (GW), 33,000-acre solar farm is outside Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital. The state asset regulator's website cited the Power Construction Corp of China and said it came online on Monday. The solar farm will generate about 6. ... ⌘ Read more
Nvidia Takes 88% of the GPU Market Share
As reported by Jon Peddie Research, Nvidia now holds 88% of the GPU market after its market share jumped 8% in its most recent quarter. "This jump shaves 7% off of AMD's share, putting it down to 19% total," reports XDA Developers. "And if you're wondering where that extra 1% went, it came from all of Intel's market share, squashing it down to 0%." From the report: Dr. Jon Peddie, president of ... ⌘ Read more
Boeing Passenger Jet Nearly Crashes Due To Software Glitch
Bruce66423 shares a report from The Independent: A potential disaster was narrowly avoided when a packed passenger plane took off just seconds before it was about to run out of runway because of a software glitch. The Boeing aircraft, operated by TUI, departed from Bristol Airport for Las Palmas, Gran Canaria on 9 March with 163 passengers on board when it s ... ⌘ Read more
Tokyo's Government Is Building Its Own Dating App To Combat Falling Birthrates
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Time Magazine: Called "Tokyo Futari Story," the city hall's new initiative is just that: An effort to create couples, "futari," in a country where it is increasingly common to be "hitori," or alone. While a site offering counsel and general information for potential lovebirds is onlin ... ⌘ Read more
Samsung Electronics Workers Strike For the First Time Ever
Victoria Song reports via The Verge: Samsung Electronics workers went on a strike on Friday for the very first time in the company's history. The move comes at a time when the Korean corporation faces increased competition from other chipmakers, particularly as demand for AI chips grows. The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the largest of the company's ... ⌘ Read more
United Airlines Starts Serving Passengers Personalized Ads On Seat-Back Screens
United Airlines on Friday launched a media platform to serve travelers personalized ads on seat-back screens and in its app, among other platforms, as it seeks to leverage customer data. CNBC reports: United said its new platform, Kinective Media, is already working with Norwegian Cruise Line, Macy's, IHG Hotels & Resorts, ... ⌘ Read more
VMware Customers May Stay, But Broadcom Could Face Backlash 'For Years To Come'
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: After acquiring VMware, Broadcom swiftly enacted widespread changes that resulted in strong public backlash. A new survey of 300 director-level IT workers at companies that are customers of North American VMware provides insight into the customer reaction to Broadco ... ⌘ Read more
Ashton Kutcher: Entire Movies Can Be Made on OpenAI's Sora Someday
Hollywood actor and venture capitalist Ashton Kutcher believes that one day, entire movies will be made on AI tools like OpenAI's Sora. From a report: The actor was speaking at an event last week organized by the Los Angeles-based think tank Berggruen Institute, where he revealed that he'd been playing around with the ChatGPT maker's n ... ⌘ Read more
Some Cheap Wired Headphones Are Actually Using Bluetooth
An anonymous reader shares a report: Buy a pair of wired headphones, and you'd be forgiven for thinking they're just plug and play. Stick them into your phone, and out goes the audio up copper cables into your earholes. Simple as that. Trouble is, that straightforward mechanism has gotten more complicated, and in recent years there has been an influx of budget wir ... ⌘ Read more
Yelp Can Sue Reputation Company For Promising To Suppress Bad Reviews
Yelp can pursue a lawsuit accusing a reputation management company of fraudulently advertising its ability to remove "bad" reviews from the business review website. From a report: In a decision late Thursday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco said Yelp can pursue trademark infringement and unfair competition claims ... ⌘ Read more
Canonical Launches Ubuntu Core 24
Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has released Ubuntu Core 24, a version of its operating system designed for edge devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). The new release comes with a 12-year Long Term Support commitment and features that enable secure, reliable, and efficient deployment of intelligent devices.
Ubuntu Core 24 introduces validation sets for custom image creation, offline remodelling f ... ⌘ Read more
A 27-Year Old Tamagotchi Mystery Has Been Solved
A 27-year old Tamagotchi mystery was solved this week when a collector figured out how to unlock secret characters on the Mothra Tamagotchi, released in Japan in 1997. From a report: A Discord user named rhubarb\\_pie found out how to unlock the "Moll & Lora" twins as playable characters, which were previously seen in the handheld pet-raising-simulator as medical nurses who heal ... ⌘ Read more_
Retailers Can't Keep Scammers Away From Their Favorite Payment Form: Gift Cards
Retailers are struggling to rein in the proliferation of scammers tricking Americans into buying thousands of dollars' worth of gift cards. From a report: The Federal Trade Commission estimates that Americans lost at least $217 million to gift card scams last year. That number is likely higher, given many victims are to ... ⌘ Read more
Windows Won't Take Screenshots of Everything You Do After All
Microsoft says it's making its new Recall feature in Windows 11 that screenshots everything you do on your PC an opt-in feature and addressing various security concerns. From a report: The software giant first unveiled the Recall feature as part of its upcoming Copilot Plus PCs last month, but since then, privacy advocates and security experts have been ... ⌘ Read more
It's Not AI, It's 'Apple Intelligence'
An anonymous reader shares a report: Apple is expected to announce major artificial intelligence updates to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac next week during its Worldwide Developers Conference. Except Apple won't call its system artificial intelligence, like everyone else, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on Friday. The system will reportedly be called "Apple Intelligence," and allegedly will be made av ... ⌘ Read more
California AI Bill Sparks Backlash from Silicon Valley Giants
California's proposed legislation to regulate AI has sparked a backlash from Silicon Valley heavyweights, who claim the bill will stifle innovation and force AI start-ups to leave the state. The Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Systems Act, passed by the state Senate last month, requires AI developers to adhere to strict ... ⌘ Read more
Bangladeshi Police Agents Accused of Selling Citizens' Personal Information on Telegram
An anonymous reader shares a report: Two senior officials working for anti-terror police in Bangladesh allegedly collected and sold classified and personal information of citizens to criminals on Telegram, TechCrunch has learned. The data allegedly sold included national identity details of citizens, ce ... ⌘ Read more
Apple To Launch 'Passwords' App, Intensifying Competition With 1Password, LastPass
Apple will introduce a new app called Passwords next week, aiming to simplify website and software logins for users, according to Bloomberg. The app -- offered as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 -- will be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10. Powered by iCloud Keychain, Passwords ... ⌘ Read more
Earth Broke Heat Records 12 Months Straight
The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that the past year saw record-breaking heat, with global temperatures surpassing all historical measurements. According to Copernicus, May marked the 12th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures, and exceeded a key Paris Agreement temperature target. The Week reports: The stretch is a "stark warning." In a separ ... ⌘ Read more
Radio Signal From Space Repeats Every Hour, Defying Explanation
An anonymous reader quotes a report from New Atlas: The universe is awash with strange radio signals, but astronomers have now detected a really bizarre one that repeats every hour, cycling through three different states. While they have some ideas about its origin it can't be explained by our current understanding of physics. The signal first ap ... ⌘ Read more
Boeing Starliner Docks With ISS
Longtime Slashdot reader destinyland shared a story from Space.com reporting on Boeing's missed opportunity to dock with the International Space Station, after five of the 28 thrusters that help control Starliner's movement in space stopped operating. NASA has since been able to recover four of the thrusters to successfully dock Boeing's Starliner capsule with the ISS. From the report: There are now two U.S. ... ⌘ Read more
Costco Plans To Stop Selling Books Year-Round
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: In a blow to publishers and authors, Costco plans to stop selling books regularly at stores around the United States, four publishing executives who had been informed of the warehouse retailer's plans said on Wednesday. Beginning in January 2025, the company will stop stocking books regularly, and will instead sell them onl ... ⌘ Read more
eBay To Drop American Express Over Fees
Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are "unacceptably high fees." CNBC: It's a notable blow to American Express, whose customers are often the most attractive among merchants and spend the most money per month on their cards. But it's not the first time merchants have voiced opposition to AmEx's business practices by w ... ⌘ Read more
GOG Will Start Deleting Cloud Saves This Summer
GOG, a Poland-based popular gaming platform, has announced plans to enforce a 200MB limit on cloud save files per game. This move may adversely affect players of open-world titles like Cyberpunk 2077, where save folders can reach several gigabytes. A report adds: The company will begin deleting game saves that exceed the limit on Aug 31. When the deadline rolls around, GOG will ... ⌘ Read more
Artists Are Deleting Instagram For New App Cara In Protest of Meta AI Scraping
Some artists are jumping ship for the anti-AI portfolio app Cara after Meta began using Instagram content to train its AI models. Fast Company explains: The portfolio app bills itself as a platform that protects artists' images from being used to train AI, and only allowing AI content to be posted if it's clearly label ... ⌘ Read more
Adobe Responds To Vocal Uproar Over New Terms of Service Language
Adobe is facing backlash over new Terms of Service language amid its embrace of generative AI in products like Photoshop and customer experience software. The ToS, sent to Creative Cloud Suite users, doesn't mention AI explicitly but includes a reference to machine learning and a clause prohibiting AI model training on Adobe software. From a report: ... ⌘ Read more
Google Is Working On a Recall-Like Feature For Chromebooks, Too
In an interview with PCWorld's Mark Hachman, Google's ChromeOS chief said the company is cautiously exploring a Recall-like feature for Chromebooks, dubbed "memory." Microsoft's AI-powered Recall feature for Windows 11 was unveiled at the company's Build 2024 conference last month. The feature aims to improve local searches by making them as efficie ... ⌘ Read more
FBI Recovers 7,000 LockBit Keys, Urges Ransomware Victims To Reach Out
An anonymous reader quotes a report from BleepingComputer: The FBI urges past victims of LockBit ransomware attacks to come forward after revealing that it has obtained over 7,000 LockBit decryption keys that they can use to recover encrypted data for free. FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran announced this on Wednesday a ... ⌘ Read more
Apple Commits To At Least Five Years of iPhone Security Updates
When buying a new smartphone, it's important to consider the duration of software updates, as it impacts security and longevity. In a rare public commitment on Monday, thanks to the UK's new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulations, Apple said it guarantees a minimum of five years of security updates for the iPhone ... ⌘ Read more
Sony Removes 8K Claim From PlayStation 5 Boxes
Fans have noticed that, over the last few months, Sony quietly removed any mention of 8K on the PlayStation 5 boxes. "I have been endlessly bitching since the PS5 released about that 8k Badge," writes X user @DeathlyPrice. "It is false Advertising and Sony should be sued for it." Others shared their grievances via PlayStation Lifestyle and a Reddit thread. GameSpot reports: A FAQ o ... ⌘ Read more
DuckDuckGo Offers 'Anonymous' Access To AI Chatbots Through New Service
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Thursday, DuckDuckGo unveiled a new "AI Chat" service that allows users to converse with four mid-range large language models (LLMs) from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Mistral in an interface similar to ChatGPT while attempting to preserve privacy and anonymity. While the AI models i ... ⌘ Read more
Google To Start Permanently Deleting Users' Location History
Google will delete everything it knows about users' previously visited locations, the company has said, a year after it committed to reducing the amount of personal data it stores about users. From a report: The company's "timeline" feature -- previously known as Location History -- will still work for those who choose to use it, letting them scroll back ... ⌘ Read more
Humane Said To Be Seeking a $1 Billion Buyout After Only 10,000 Orders of Its AI Pin
An anonymous reader writes: It emerged recently that Humane was trying to sell itself for as much as $1 billion after its confuddling, expensive and ultimately pretty useless AI Pin flopped. A New York Times report that dropped on Thursday shed a little more light on the company's sales figures and, like the weara ... ⌘ Read more
Intel Ditches Hyperthreading For Lunar Lake CPUs
An anonymous reader shares a report: Intel's fastest processors have included hyperthreading, a technique that lets more than one thread run on a single CPU core, for over 20 years -- and it's used by AMD (which calls it "simultaneous multi-threading") as well. But you won't see a little "HT" on the Intel sticker for any Lunar Lake laptops, because none of them use it. Hyperthrea ... ⌘ Read more
'Microsoft Has Lost Trust With Its Users and Windows Recall is the Straw That Broke the Camel's Back'
In a column at Windows Central, a blog that focuses on Microsoft news, senior editor Zac Bowden discusses the backlash against Windows Recall, a new AI feature in Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs. While the feature is impressive, allowing users to search their entire Windows history, ma ... ⌘ Read more
SpaceX Soars Through New Milestones in Test Flight of the Most Powerful Rocket Ever Built
New submitter OwnedByTwoCats writes: SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, launched Thursday and achieved key objectives laid out for its fourth test flight that demonstrated the vehicle's reusability. The highly anticipated event was the company's second uncrewed test ... ⌘ Read more
Japan's Birth Rate Falls To a Record Low
Japan's birth rate fell to a new low for the eighth straight year in 2023, according to Health Ministry data released on Wednesday. A government official described the situation as critical and urged authorities to do everything they can to reverse the trend. From a report: The data underscores Japan's long-standing issues of a rapidly aging and shrinking population, which has serious implicati ... ⌘ Read more
US Regulators To Open Antitrust Inquiries of Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia
The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have reached a deal that allows them to proceed with antitrust investigations into the dominant roles that Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia play in the artificial intelligence industry, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a source familiar with the matter. From the report: Un ... ⌘ Read more
Amazon Acquires MX Player
An anonymous reader shared a report: Amazon has agreed to acquire key assets of Indian video streaming service MX Player from the local media powerhouse Times Internet, the latest step by the e-commerce giant to make its services and brand popular in smaller cities and towns in the key overseas market.
[...] Times Internet acquired MX Player in 2018 for $140 million. The app, which originated in South Korea, gained immens ... ⌘ Read more
Court Rules $17 Billion UK Advertising Lawsuit Against Google Can Go Ahead
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Google parent Alphabet must face a lawsuit worth up to $17.4 billion for allegedly abusing its dominance in the online advertising market, London's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled on Wednesday. The lawsuit, which seeks damages on behalf of publishers of websites and apps ... ⌘ Read more
Amazon Acquires MX Player
An anonymous reader shared a report: Amazon has agreed to acquire key assets of Indian video streaming service MX Player from the local media powerhouse Times Internet, the latest step by the e-commerce giant to make its services and brand popular in smaller cities and towns in the key overseas market.
[...] Times Internet acquired MX Player in 2018 for $140 million. The app, which originated in South Korea, gained immens ... ⌘ Read more
Nearly All of Apple's Newest Devices Have an Unannounced Thread Radio On Board
Apple has quietly added a Thread radio to nearly all of its newest iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs. The Verge reports: While the company doesn't list Thread on the specs of any of these products, FCC reports indicate that many of Apple's latest devices have had Thread radios tested for compliance. Generally, you don't test ... ⌘ Read more
Study Finds 268% Higher Failure Rates For Agile Software Projects
Richard Speed reports via The Register: A study has found that software projects adopting Agile practices are 268 percent more likely to fail than those that do not. Even though the research commissioned by consultancy Engprax could be seen as a thinly veiled plug for Impact Engineering methodology, it feeds into the suspicion that the Agile Mani ... ⌘ Read more
NewsBreak, Most Downloaded US News App, Caught Sharing 'Entirely False' AI-Generated Stories
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Last Christmas Eve, NewsBreak, a free app with roots in China that is the most downloaded news app in the United States, published an alarming piece about a small town shooting. It was headlined "Christmas Day Tragedy Strikes Bridgeton, New Jerse ... ⌘ Read more
Mike Karels, of 4.4 BSD Fame, Has Died
Michael 'Mike' Karels, one of the authors of "The Design and Implementation of the 4.4Bsd Operating System" and a part of the Computer Systems Research Group at Berkeley, who received the USENIX Association Lifetime Achievement Award, has died. Longtime Slashdot reader bplipschitz shared the news.
The FreeBSD Foundation issued a statement in memory of Karels: "We are deeply saddened about the passing ... ⌘ Read more
Remote Amazon Tribe Connects To Internet, Gets Addicted To Porn and Social Media
The Marubo people, an isolated Indigenous tribe in the Amazon, have gained high-speed internet access through Elon Musk's Starlink service, drastically altering their traditional way of life. While the internet has brought significant benefits like improved communication and emergency response, it has also introduce ... ⌘ Read more
A Billionaire-Backed Texas Stock Exchange Is In The Works
Cailey Gleeson reports via Forbes: A group backed by more than two dozen investors -- including Citadel Securities and BlackRock -- is planning to start its own stock exchange in Texas, it said Wednesday, in an attempt to compete with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. The Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) -- owned by TXSE Group Inc. and founded in 2023, per it ... ⌘ Read more
Israel Reportedly Uses Fake Social Media Accounts To Influence US Lawmakers On Gaza War
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: Israel organized and paid for an influence campaign last year targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel messaging, as it aimed to foster support for its actions in the war with Gaza, according to officials involved in t ... ⌘ Read more
Humane Warns AI Pin Owners To 'Immediately' Stop Using Its Charging Case
Humane is telling AI Pin owners today that they should "immediately" stop using the charging case that came with its AI gadget. From a report: There are issues with a third-party battery cell that "may pose a fire safety risk," the company wrote in an email to customers. Humane says it has "disqualified" that vendor and is moving to ... ⌘ Read more
Nvidia Hits $3 Trillion Market Cap On Back of AI Boom
Nvidia has reached a market cap of $3 trillion, surpassing Apple to become the second-largest public company behind Microsoft. CNBC reports: Nvidia's milestone is the latest stunning mark in a run that has seen the stock soar more than 3,224% over the past five years. The company will split its stock 100-for-1 later this month. Apple was the first U.S. company to reach ... ⌘ Read more
Oral-B Bricking Alexa Toothbrush Is a Cautionary Tale Against Buzzy Tech
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: As we're currently seeing with AI, when a new technology becomes buzzy, companies will do almost anything to cram that tech into their products. Trends fade, however, and corporate priorities shift -- resulting in bricked gadgets and buyer's remorse. That's what's happening to ... ⌘ Read more
Meta Withheld Information on Instagram, WhatsApp Deals, FTC Says
Meta Platforms withheld information from federal regulators during their original reviews of the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, the US Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing as part of a lawsuit seeking to break up the social networking giant. From a report: In its filing Tuesday, however, the FTC said the case involves "information ... ⌘ Read more
Boeing Spacecraft Carrying Two Astronauts Lifts Off On Historic Maiden Voyage
Slashdot readers destinyland and LazarusQLong share a report from CNN: The third attempt was the charm for Boeing's Starliner mission after launching its first crewed flight test Wednesday in a milestone that has been a decade in the making. The new spacecraft's maiden voyage with humans on board lifted off atop an At ... ⌘ Read more
Scientists Find Security Risk in RISC-V Open-Source Chip Architecture That China Hopes Can Help Sidestep US Sanctions
An anonymous reader shares a report: A Chinese research team says it has uncovered a significant security flaw in processor design that could have a wide impact on China's booming domestic chip industry. China was relying on the structure of the ... ⌘ Read more
Jury Finds Boeing Stole Technology From Electric Airplane Startup Zunum
A federal court jury in Seattle has ruled against Boeing in a lawsuit brought by failed electric airplane startup Zunum and awarded $81 million in damages -- which the judge has the option to triple. From a report: Zunum alleged that Boeing, while ostensibly investing seed money to get the startup off the ground, stole Zunum's techno ... ⌘ Read more
UN Secretary-General Calls For 'Windfall' Tax on Profits of Fossil Fuel Companies
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for a "windfall" tax on profits of fossil fuel companies to help pay for the fight against global warming, decrying them as the "godfathers of climate chaos." From a report: Guterres spoke from the American Museum of Natural History in New York in a bid to re ... ⌘ Read more
Google Acquires Cameyo
Google has acquired software virtualization company Cameyo to enhance ChromeOS's support for virtualized Windows apps. The acquisition follows a partnership between the two companies last year, which aimed to provide businesses with a seamless virtual application experience on ChromeOS devices. With Cameyo's technology, Google seeks to attract more enterprises to adopt ChromeOS by offering enhanced compatibility with legacy Windo ... ⌘ Read more
US Lawmakers Accuse Nigeria of Taking Binance Executive Hostage
US lawmakers accused Nigeria of taking a Binance executive "hostage" and urged President Joe Biden to help secure his release. From a report: Sixteen Republican congressman including Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul wrote to Biden to have the case of Tigran Gambaryan referred to the Office of the Special Presidential E ... ⌘ Read more
Yellen To Warn of 'Significant Risks' From Use of AI in Finance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will warn that the use of AI in finance could lower transaction costs, but carries "significant risks," according to excerpts from a speech to be delivered on Thursday. From a report: In the remarks to a Financial Stability Oversight Council and Brookings Institution AI conference, Yellen says AI-related risks hav ... ⌘ Read more
Popular Mac App Bartender's New Owner Has Burnt Years of Good-Will With a Lack of Transparency
An anonymous reader shares a report: Popular app Bartender was quietly bought, and a shady certificate replacement, insertion of invasive telemetry, and a lack of transparent responses by the new owners has shaken confidence in the Mac community. Menu bar organization tool Bartender has b ... ⌘ Read more
Microsoft Reopens Windows 10 Beta Testing For 'New Features' and Improvements
Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 in October 2025, but the company is now taking the unusual step of reopening its beta program for Windows 10 to test new features and improvements. From a report: Windows 10 already got the AI Copilot feature that was originally exclusive to Windows 11, and it may well get other f ... ⌘ Read more
Hacker Tool Extracts All the Data Collected By Windows' New Recall AI
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed the new Windows AI tool that can answer questions about your web browsing and laptop use, he said one of the"magical" things about it was that the data doesn't leave your laptop; theWindows Recall system takes screenshots of your activity every five ... ⌘ Read more
Google Can Keep Your Phone If You Send It In For Repair With Non-OEM Parts [UPDATE: Changing Policy]**
UPDATE 6/4/2024: Google has changed its repair policy in response to the controversial clause that was brought to light. Google says it will not keep phones sent in for repair and that it's changing the wording of its ToS agreement to reflect this. Here's a statement from a Go ... ⌘ Read more*
Aging Hubble Telescope Moves To 'One-Gyro' Operations
The 34-year-old Hubble Space Telescope is now operating with its final two working gyroscopes, necessitating a switch to a less productive "one-gyro" mode to extend its operational life. This contingency plan will reduce Hubble's productivity by over 12%, limit its ability to track fast-moving objects, and decrease the portion of the sky it can observe. That said, NA ... ⌘ Read more
Internet Addiction Alters Brain Chemistry In Young People, Study Finds
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Young people with internet addiction experience changes in their brain chemistry which could lead to more addictive behaviors, research suggests. The study, published in PLOS Mental Health, reviewed previous research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how ... ⌘ Read more
Solar Passes 100% of Power Demand In California
Solar power in California has reached a new record output, briefly surpassing 100% of power demand. It comes just days after the state exceeded 100% of energy demand with renewables (wind, solar and hydro) over a record 45 days straight, and 69 out of 75. CleanTechnica reports: As you can see [here], at its peak, solar power was providing 102.1% of electricity demand in Califo ... ⌘ Read more
The Raspberry Pi 5 Gets an AI Upgrade
Today, Raspberry Pi introduced a new kit that adds AI functionality to the Raspberry Pi 5. ZDNet reports: The Raspberry Pi AI kit combines an M.2-format Hailo 8L AI accelerator with the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ to create a powerful yet power-efficient solution. The Hailo-8L NPU (Neural Processing Unit) chip, capable of 13 trillion operations per second (TOPS), is built into an M.2 2242 form factor ... ⌘ Read more
A New Google Maps Layer Shows Public Restrooms In NYC
Google Maps has introduced a new layer to help individuals find public restrooms in New York City. The Verge reports: As part of a new program called "Ur in Luck," the city has introduced a Maps view dotted with 1,000 public restrooms across the five boroughs. Users can view the map on their phones and locate the closest restroom that's accessible to the public. "Ever ... ⌘ Read more
Nintendo Hits 127 Switch Piracy Tutorial Repos After 'Cracking' URL Encryption
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: A popular GitHub repo and over 120 forks containing Switch emulation tutorials have been targeted by Nintendo. While most forks are now disabled, the main repository has managed to survive after being given the opportunity to put things right. Whether Nintendo appreci ... ⌘ Read more
Apollo To Provide $11 Billion To Intel For Ireland Facility
Apollo Global announced today that it will acquire a 49% equity interest in Intel's manufacturing facility in Ireland for $11 billion, in a deal expected to close in the second quarter. The deal "would allow Intel to redeploy parts of its investment in the project to other parts of its business," reports Reuters. "Intel has invested $18.4 billion in the facility ... ⌘ Read more
Google Contractor Used Admin Access To Leak Info From Private Nintendo YouTube Video
A Google contractor used admin privileges to access private information from Nintendo's YouTube account about an upcoming Yoshi game in 2017, which later made its way to Reddit before Nintendo announced the game, according to a copy of an internal Google database detailing potential privacy and security inc ... ⌘ Read more
Online Streaming Services In Canada Must Hand Over 5% of Domestic Revenues
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC News: Online streaming services operating in Canada will be required to contribute five percent of their Canadian revenues to support the domestic broadcasting system, the country's telecoms regulator said on Tuesday. The money will be used to boost funding for local and Indigenous b ... ⌘ Read more
ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity All Went Down At the Same Time
Sarah Perez reports via TechCrunch: After a multi-hour outage that took place in the early hours of the morning, OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot went down again -- but this time, it wasn't the only AI provider affected. On Tuesday morning, both Anthropic's Claude and Perplexity began seeing issues, too, but these were more quickly resolved. Google's Gemini appears ... ⌘ Read more
Ex-Google CEO Funds AI Research at Europe's Top Physics Hub CERN
A donation by former Google chief Eric Schmidt to Europe's top particle physics lab heralds a new way to fund frontier research just as the West's technological race with China quickens. From a report: The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, will use the previously unreported gift of $48 million [non-paywalled link] from the Eric & Wen ... ⌘ Read more
FCC Sued by Broadband Industry Groups Over Net Neutrality Rules
Several broadband industry lobby groups have filed lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an attempt to overturn the recently approved net neutrality rules. The regulations, which prohibit blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization, are scheduled to take effect on July 22. The lawsuits were filed in various US appeals co ... ⌘ Read more
Services Disrupted as London Hospitals Hit By Cyber-attack
jd writes: There aren't many details yet, but a private company used by the National Health Service in London was hit by a ransomware attack today, leading to cancelled operations and cancelled tests. The provider has been hit multiple times this year and is obviously not bothering with making any improvements in cybersecurity. There really should be legal requ ... ⌘ Read more
Intel CEO Takes Aim at Nvidia in Fight for AI Chip Dominance
Intel Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger took the stage at the Computex show in Taiwan to talk about new products he expects will help turn back the tide of share losses to peers, including AI leader Nvidia. From a report: Intel showed its new Xeon 6 data center processors with more efficient cores that will allow operators to cut down the space required fo ... ⌘ Read more
The Chinese Internet Is Shrinking
An anonymous reader shares a report: Chinese people know their country's internet is different. There is no Google, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. They use euphemisms online to communicate the things they are not supposed to mention. When their posts and accounts are censored, they accept it with resignation. They live in a parallel online universe. They know it and even joke about it. Now they are discoveri ... ⌘ Read more
OpenAI Employees Want Protections To Speak Out on 'Serious Risks' of AI
A group of current and former employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind are calling for protection from retaliation for sharing concerns about the "serious risks" of the technologies these and other companies are building. From a report: "So long as there is no effective government oversight of these corporations, current and former employ ... ⌘ Read more
World Will Miss Target of Tripling Renewable Electricity Generation By 2030, IEA Says
AmiMoJo shares a report: The world is off track to meet the goal of tripling renewable electricity generation by 2030, a target viewed as vital to enable a swift global transition away from fossil fuels, but there are promising signs that the pace of progress may be picking up.
Countries agreed last Decemb ... ⌘ Read more
More Than Half of US Adults Will Have Cardiovascular Disease By 2050, Research Finds
By 2050, 61% of U.S. adults will have cardiovascular disease, driven mainly by high blood pressure, according to new American Heart Association research. High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other dangerous cardiovascular problems. The findings also point to ... ⌘ Read more
Snowflake Says There's No Evidence Attackers Breached Its Platform To Hack Ticketmaster
An anonymous reader shares a report: A Ticketmaster data breach that allegedly includes details for 560 million accounts and another one affecting Santander have been linked to their accounts at Snowflake, a cloud storage provider. However, Snowflake says there's no evidence its platform is at fault. A j ... ⌘ Read more
Palmer Luckey Unveils ModRetro Chromatic Handheld Console
Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR and Anduril, has launched the ModRetro Chromatic, a retro gaming handheld that plays original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. The device boasts a magnesium alloy case, sapphire crystal screen, and a pixel-perfect IPS display. It comes bundled with a licensed copy of Tetris and supports Link Cable multiplayer. Luckey ... ⌘ Read more
Qualcomm Spoofs 'I'm a Mac' Ads To Promote Windows On ARM PCs
An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCMag: Justin Long, the actor known for playing the Mac guy in Apple's mid-2000s ad campaign is once again switching sides -- this time to promote new Windows laptops from Qualcomm. Long appeared in a video that Qualcomm showed during its Computex keynote. To introduce the segment, CEO Cristiano Amon said Qualcomm ... ⌘ Read more
Sony's PSVR 2 PC Adapter Launches In August
The PlayStation VR2's PC adapter is arriving on August 7th, allowing PC support for the PS5-exclusive headset. It'll cost $59.99. The Verge reports: Sony says the device will support all Steam VR games, including big-name titles like Half-Life: Alyx. In addition to the new adapter, Sony says players will need a DisplayPort cable to work with Steam titles on PC. (As well as a Steam accoun ... ⌘ Read more
Woman Who Received Pig Kidney Transplant Has It Removed
Due to complications with a mechanical heart pump, surgeons in New York removed a pig kidney from Lisa Pisano less than two months after transplanting it. The genetically engineered pig kidney did not show signs of rejection but suffered from inadequate blood flow. Wired reports: Pisano was facing heart and kidney failure and required routine dialysis. She wasn ... ⌘ Read more
Crooks Threaten To Leak 3 Billion Personal Records 'Stolen From Background Firm'
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: Billions of records detailing people's personal information may soon be dumped online after being allegedly obtained from a Florida firm that handles background checks and other requests for folks' private info. A criminal gang that goes by the handle USDoD put the ... ⌘ Read more
AMD Blows Up Its Laptop CPU Numbering System
AMD is reverting to a simpler, more traditional numbering scheme for its laptop processors, abandoning its recent complex "decoder ring" system. The new system for Ryzen AI laptop processors will use a three-digit model number to denote generation and SKU, aligning more closely with industry norms. Ars Technica reports: For its new Ryzen AI laptop processors, codenamed "Strix Point ... ⌘ Read more
New York Set to Restrict Social-Media Algorithms for Teens
Lawmakers in New York have reached a tentative agreement to "prohibit social-media companies from using algorithms to steer content to children without parental consent (source paywalled; alternative source)," according to the Wall Street Journal. "The legislation is aimed at preventing social-media companies from serving automated feeds to minors. The bill, ... ⌘ Read more
Adobe Scolded For Selling 'Ansel Adams-Style' Images Generated By AI
The Ansel Adams estate said it was "officially on our last nerve" after Adobe was caught selling AI-generated images imitating the late photographer's work. The Verge reports: While Adobe permits AI-generated images to be hosted and sold on its stock image platform, users are required to hold the appropriate rights or ownership over the content ... ⌘ Read more