Anyone who works as a freelancer these days has to be at least a bit familiar with techie things. But it isn’t just that. When I was a kid and those vaguely SF puppet shows were on the television and all the other kids wanted to be Greg Gogetem or Steve Savetheuniverse, I wanted to be the guy in a white coat and glasses called Doc or Brains. Here are some technology-related feeds I find useful and/or entertaining.
Slashdot » Cisco Completes $28 Billion Acquisition of Splunk
Cisco on Monday completed its $28 billion acquisition of Splunk, a powerhouse in data analysis, security and observability tools. The deal was first announced in September 2023. SecurityWeek reports: Cisco plans to leverage Splunk's AI, security and observability capabilities complement Cisco's solution portfolio. Cisco says the transaction is expected to be cash flow positive and non-GAAP gross margin accretive in … [Link]
Slashdot » Sony Reportedly Pauses PSVR 2 Production Due To Low Sales
According to Bloomberg, Sony has paused production of its PlayStation VR 2 virtual reality headset, as sales have "slowed progressively" since its February 2023 launch. Road to VR reports: Citing people familiar with the company's plans, Sony has produced "well over 2 million units" since launch, noting that stocks of the $550 headset are building up. The report alleges the … [Link]
Slashdot » 5-Year Study Finds No Brain Abnormalities In 'Havana Syndrome' Patients
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC News: An array of advanced tests found no brain injuries or degeneration among U.S. diplomats and other government employees who suffer mysterious health problems once dubbed "Havana syndrome," researchers reported Monday. The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) nearly five-year study offers no explanation for symptoms including headaches, balance problems and difficulties with … [Link]
Slashdot » Chinese and Western Scientists Identify 'Red Lines' on AI Risks
Leading western and Chinese AI scientists have issued a stark warning that tackling risks around the powerful technology requires global co-operation similar to the cold war effort to avoid nuclear conflict. From a report: A group of renowned international experts met in Beijing last week, where they identified "red lines" on the development of AI, including around the making of … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Intermittent fasting linked to a higher risk of heart disease death
Only eating within an 8-hour window is associated with a significantly higher risk of heart disease-related death compared with eating over 12 to 16 hours [Link]
Slashdot » US Supreme Court Seems Wary of Curbing US Government Contacts With Social Media Platforms
U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of a challenge on free speech grounds to how President Joe Biden's administration encouraged social media platforms to remove posts that federal officials deemed misinformation, including about elections and COVID-19. From a report: The justices heard oral arguments in the administration's appeal of a lower court's preliminary injunction constraining how White House … [Link]
Slashdot » Games Are Coming To LinkedIn
Soon you might be able to compete in games against friends and colleagues and even the office next door on LinkedIn. From a report: The Microsoft-owned company is reportedly planning to add a new game experience to the platform. According to TechCrunch, the experience is designed to tap into the same popularity of games like Wordle. Players' scores will be … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Blood-clotting drug derived from pigs can now be made synthetically
A common anti-clotting drug called heparin is made from pig intestines, which risks contaminations and infections. A safer, synthetic version has now been developed but its production needs scaling up [Link]
Slashdot » Investment Advisors Pay the Price For Selling What Looked a Lot Like AI Fairy Tales
Two investment advisors have reached settlements with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly exaggerating their use of AI, which in both cases were purported to be cornerstones of their offerings. From a report: Canada-based Delphia and San Francisco-headquartered Global Predictions will cough up $225,000 and $175,000 respectively for telling clients that their products used AI to improve forecasts. … [Link]
Slashdot » Apex Legends Streamers Warned To 'Perform a Clean OS Reinstall as Soon as Possible' After Hacks During NA Finals Match
An anonymous reader shares a report: The Apex Legends Global Series is currently in regional finals mode, but the North America finals have been delayed after two players were hacked mid-match. First, Noyan "Genburten" Ozkose of DarkZero suddenly found himself able to see other players through walls, then Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen of TSM was given an aimbot. Genburten's hack happened … [Link]
Slashdot » AI-Generated Science
Published scientific papers include language that appears to have been generated by AI-tools like ChatGPT, showing how pervasive the technology has become, and highlighting longstanding issues with some peer-reviewed journals. From a report: Searching for the phrase "As of my last knowledge update" on Google Scholar, a free search tool that indexes articles published in academic journals, returns 115 results. … [Link]
Slashdot » Fujitsu Says It Was Hacked, Warns of Data Breach
Multinational technology giant Fujitsu confirmed a cyberattack in a statement Friday, and warned that hackers may have stolen personal data and customer information. From a report: "We confirmed the presence of malware on multiple work computers at our company, and as a result of an internal investigation, we discovered that files containing personal information and customer information could be illegally … [Link]
Slashdot » Google Researchers Unveil 'VLOGGER', an AI That Can Bring Still Photos To Life
Google researchers have developed a new AI system that can generate lifelike videos of people speaking, gesturing and moving — from just a single still photo. From a report: The technology, called VLOGGER, relies on advanced machine learning models to synthesize startlingly realistic footage, opening up a range of potential applications while also raising concerns around deepfakes and misinformation. Described … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Mammoth carcass was scavenged by ancient humans and sabre-toothed cats
A southern mammoth skeleton found in Spain bears cut marks from stone tools and bite marks from carnivore teeth, suggesting that both hominins and felids feasted on its meat [Link]
Slashdot » Grok AI Goes Open Source
xAI has opened sourced its large language model Grok. From a report: The move, which Musk had previously proclaimed would happen this week, now enables any other entrepreneur, programmer, company, or individual to take Grok's weights — the strength of connections between the model's artificial "neurons," or software modules that allow the model to make decisions and accept inputs and … [Link]
Slashdot » YouTube Now Requires Creators To Label AI-Generated Content
Starting Monday, YouTube creators will be required to label when realistic-looking videos were made using artificial intelligence, part of a broader effort by the company to be transparent about content that could otherwise confuse or mislead users. From a report: When a user uploads a video to the site, they will see a checklist asking if their content makes a … [Link]
Slashdot » Microsoft Office 2024 Will Be Available Without Subscription
SofiaWW writes: Microsoft has announced that the next subscription-free version of its Office suite will launch later this year. A commercial preview of Office LTSC 2024 will be available from next month, with a full launch scheduled for later in the year. The Office Long-Term Servicing Channel is supported for five years, and it holds great appeal for the many … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Titan’s sand dunes may be made of smashed up small moons
The sand dunes that splay across the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan may be made of the ground-up remains of ancient irregular moons, rather than atmospheric particles [Link]
Slashdot » Was Nosediving Boeing Plane Caused By a Flight Attendant Hitting a Motorized Seat Switch?
Last week 50 people were injured when a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner experienced a sudden mid-air drop — raising concerns about the possibility of a new safety issue. But the Wall Street Journal offers a follow-up report. "A flight attendant hit a switch on the pilot's seat while serving a meal, leading a motorized feature to push the pilot into the … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Mathematicians plan computer proof of Fermat's last theorem
Fermat's last theorem puzzled mathematicians for centuries until it was finally proven in 1993. Now, researchers want to create a version of the proof that can be formally checked by a computer for any errors in logic [Link]
New Scientist – News » It's time to accept that we are in the Anthropocene once and for all
Humans are drastically changing the planet and the Anthropocene is a useful tool to help us deal with that – so let's stop quibbling over definitions [Link]
Slashdot » 32-Hour Workweek for America Proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders
The Guardian reports that this week "Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, introduced a bill to establish a four-day US working week." "Moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is not a radical idea," Sanders said on Thursday. "Today, American workers are over 400% more productive than they … [Link]
Slashdot » Nvidia in Talks To Acquire AI Infrastructure Platform Run:ai
Israeli outlet Calcalist: Nvidia is in advanced negotiations to acquire AI infrastructure orchestration and management platform Run:ai, Calcalist has learned. The value of the deal is estimated at many hundreds of millions of dollars and could even reach $1 billion. The companies did not respond to Calcalist's request for comment. Run:ai raised $75 million in a Series C round in … [Link]
Slashdot » Apple Is in Talks To Let Google's Gemini Power iPhone Generative AI Features
Apple is in talks to build Google's Gemini AI engine into the iPhone, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing people familiar with the situation, setting the stage for a blockbuster agreement that would shake up the AI industry. From the report: The two companies are in active negotiations to let Apple license Gemini, Google's set of generative AI models, to power … [Link]
The Joy of Tech » The Rating Game
Opinion pressure! [Link]
Slashdot » Database-Based Operating System 'DBOS' Does Things Linux Can't
Databricks CTO Matei Zaharia "said that Databricks had to keep track of scheduling a million things," remembers adjunct MIT professor Michael Stonebraker. " He said that this can't be done with traditional operating system scheduling, and so this was done out of a Postgres database. And then he started to whine that Postgres was too slow, and I told him … [Link]
Slashdot » Why Oregon's Drug Decriminalization Failed
In 2020 Oregon passed Measure 110, decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs. But now "America's most radical experiment with drug decriminalization has ended," writes the Atlantic, "after more than three years of painful results." Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has pledged to sign legislation repealing the principal elements of the ballot initiative… Possessing hard drugs is again a crime in … [Link]
Archive
27 Apr 2024 26 Apr 2024 25 Apr 2024 24 Apr 2024 23 Apr 2024 22 Apr 2024 21 Apr 2024 20 Apr 2024 19 Apr 2024 18 Apr 2024 17 Apr 2024 16 Apr 2024 15 Apr 2024 14 Apr 2024 13 Apr 2024 12 Apr 2024 11 Apr 2024 10 Apr 2024 09 Apr 2024 08 Apr 2024 07 Apr 2024 06 Apr 2024 05 Apr 2024 04 Apr 2024 03 Apr 2024 02 Apr 2024 01 Apr 2024 31 Mar 2024 30 Mar 2024 29 Mar 2024 28 Mar 2024 27 Mar 2024
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
You must log in to post a comment.