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 » Phil Spencer Wants Epic Games Store and Others On Xbox Consoles
Chris Plante reports via Polygon: Phil Spencer doesn't just want Xbox games on other consoles. He wants other video game retailers on Xbox, too. In an interview with Microsoft's CEO of Gaming during the annual Game Developers Conference, Spencer told Polygon about the ways he'd like to break down the walled gardens that have historically limited players to making purchases … [Link]
Slashdot » Recent 'MFA Bombing' Attacks Targeting Apple Users
An anonymous reader quotes a report from KrebsOnSecurity: Several Apple customers recently reported being targeted in elaborate phishing attacks that involve what appears to be a bug in Apple's password reset feature. In this scenario, a target's Apple devices are forced to display dozens of system-level prompts that prevent the devices from being used until the recipient responds "Allow" or … [Link]
Slashdot » TikTok Is Under Investigation By the FTC Over Data Practices
TikTok is being investigated by the FTC over its data and security practices, "a probe that could lead to a settlement or a lawsuit against the company," reports the Associated Press. From the report: In its investigation, the FTC has been looking into whether TikTok violated a portion of federal law that prohibits "unfair and deceptive" business practices by denying … [Link]
Slashdot » Texan Bitcoiners Start Mining In Argentina Using Flared Excess Gas
Two Texas-based bitcoin miners have turned to the foothills of the Andes mountains in Argentina to mine bitcoin using flared natural gas. CNBC reports: Brent Whitehead and Matt Lohstroh, both graduates of Texas A&M University, have been mining bitcoin on the oil fields of East Texas since 2019. That's when they founded Giga Energy with the goal of taking flared … [Link]
New Scientist – News » NASA’s Artemis astronauts will try to grow plants on the moon
Three experiments have been selected to fly to the moon alongside NASA’s Artemis III astronauts, all designed to help with future long-term stays on the moon and eventually Mars [Link]
Slashdot » 'Operation 404' Results In First Prison Sentence For Pirate IPTV Operator
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: Brazilian anti-piracy campaign 'Operation 404' has taken down many pirate sites and services over the past five years, but criminal prosecutions have been scarce. This week, anti-piracy group ALIANZA announced a "historic" victory: The operator of pirate IPTV service "Flash IPTV" was sentenced to more than five years in prison, marking the … [Link]
Slashdot » US Offers $10 Million Bounty For Info on 'Blackcat' Hackers Who Hit UnitedHealth
The U.S. State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on the "Blackcat" ransomware gang who hit the UnitedHealth Group's tech unit and snarled insurance payments across America. From a report: "The ALPHV Blackcat ransomware-as-a-service group compromised computer networks of critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and worldwide," the department said in a statement announcing the reward … [Link]
Slashdot » SWIFT Planning Launch of New Central Bank Digital Currency Platform in 12-24 Months
Global bank messaging network SWIFT is planning a new platform in the next one to two years to connect the wave of central bank digital currencies now in development to the existing finance system, it has told Reuters. From the report: The move, which would be one of the most significant yet for the nascent CBDC ecosystem given SWIFT's key … [Link]
Slashdot » Heat and Drought Are Sucking US Hydropower Dry
The amount of hydropower generated in the Western US last year was the lowest it's been in more than two decades — and 2024 isn't looking much better. From a report: Hydropower generation in the region fell by 11 percent during the 2022-2023 water year compared to the year prior, according to preliminary data from the Energy Information Administration's Electricity … [Link]
New Scientist – News » This robot predicts when you're going to smile – and smiles back
An AI-powered robot named Emo watches people’s facial expressions and tries to match them, in an effort to make robots more relatable [Link]
Slashdot » Amazon Spends $2.75 Billion on AI Startup Anthropic in Its Largest Venture Investment Yet
Amazon is making its largest outside investment in its three-decade history as it looks to gain an edge in the AI race. From a report: The tech giant said it will spend another $2.75 billion backing Anthropic, a San Francisco-based startup that's widely viewed as a frontrunner in generative artificial intelligence. Its foundation model and chatbot Claude competes with OpenAI … [Link]
Slashdot » UK Court Denies Bid To Extradite Assange To the US
A British court has ruled that Julian Assange can't be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won't get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site's publication of classified American documents. From a report: Two High Court judges said they would grant Assange … [Link]
Slashdot » Americans' Use of ChatGPT Is Ticking Up
Pew Research: It's been more than a year since ChatGPT's public debut set the tech world abuzz. And Americans' use of the chatbot is ticking up: 23% of U.S. adults say they have ever used it, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in February, up from 18% in July 2023. The February survey also asked Americans about several … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Antibody therapy makes the immune systems of old mice young again
A novel antibody therapy makes the immune system of old mice appear younger, allowing the animals to better fend off infections and reduce inflammation [Link]
New Scientist – News » We've glimpsed something that behaves like a particle of gravity
Gravitons, the particles thought to carry gravity, have never been seen in space – but something very similar has been detected in a semiconductor [Link]
New Scientist – News » Is every species necessary or can we let some die out?
There are thousands of species at risk of extinction, and we can’t save them all – how do conservationists think about which ones to focus on? [Link]
Slashdot » The Air Force Bought a Surveillance-Focused AI Chatbot
The U.S. Air Force paid for a test version of an AI-powered chatbot to assist in intelligence and surveillance tasks as part of a $1.2 million deal, according to internal Air Force documents obtained by 404 Media. From the report: The news provides more insight into what military agencies are currently exploring using AI for, and comes as more AI … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Implantable battery is charged up by the body's oxygen supply
Many medical implants run on batteries that need to be recharged, but what if you could do so just by breathing? [Link]
Slashdot » Microsoft's New Era of AI PCs Will Need a Copilot Key, Says Intel
An anonymous reader shares a report:Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and AMD have all been pushing the idea of an "AI PC" for months now as we head toward more AI-powered features in Windows. While we're still waiting to hear the finer details from Microsoft on its big plans for AI in Windows, Intel has started sharing Microsoft's requirements for OEMs to … [Link]
Slashdot » Two Nights of Broken Sleep Can Make People Feel Years Older, Finds Study
Two nights of broken sleep are enough to make people feel years older, according to researchers, who said consistent, restful slumber was a key factor in helping to stave off feeling one's true age. From a report: Psychologists in Sweden found that, on average, volunteers felt more than four years older when they were restricted to only four hours of … [Link]
Slashdot » The AI Boom is Sending Silicon Valley's Talent Wars To New Extremes
Tech companies are serving up million-dollar-a-year compensation packages, accelerated stock-vesting schedules and offers to poach entire engineering teams to draw people with expertise and experience in the kind of generative AI that is powering ChatGPT and other humanlike bots. They are competing against each other and against startups vying to be the next big thing to unseat the giants. From … [Link]
New Scientist – News » New view of our galaxy's black hole reveals a swirling magnetic field
The black hole at the centre of our galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*, has been captured in polarised light to reveal its magnetic field [Link]
New Scientist – News » Most accurate clock ever can tick for 40 billion years without error
The record for the most accurate clock has been broken in an experiment with strontium atoms almost as cold as absolute zero, and it is twice as accurate as any predecessor [Link]
Slashdot » Visa and Mastercard Agree To $30 Billion Settlement Over Credit Card Fees
Two of the world's largest credit card networks, Visa and Mastercard, as well as the banks that issue cards with them, have agreed to settle a decadeslong antitrust case brought upon by merchants. From a report: The settlement is set to lower swipe fees merchants pay when customers make purchases using their Visa or Mastercard by $30 billion over five … [Link]
New Scientist – News » AI chatbots are improving at an even faster rate than computer chips
The large language models behind AI chatbots are developing so rapidly that after eight months, a model only needs half the computing power to hit the same benchmark score – which is much faster than the rate at which computer chips improve [Link]
Slashdot » Software Industry Calls for More UK Government Support
Britain's government has been urged to provide more support for the software industry with measures including tax incentives and talent visas. From a report: More than 120 industry leaders have called for government intervention to improve conditions for European software companies. Europe has long struggled to scale up homegrown tech companies as successfully as the U.S., with many startups forced … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Horses used in therapy often avoid people if they are given a choice
Horses show signs of stress if people touch them while they are tethered, but they appear much less anxious if they are able to walk away [Link]
Slashdot » Crypto Miner, Pennsylvania Hit With Lawsuit Over Pollution From Bitcoin Mine
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: An environmental community group on Tuesday sued Stronghold Digital Mining claiming the company's bitcoin mine in northeastern Pennsylvania that burns waste coal and old tires for energy is polluting nearby communities with dangerous chemicals. The lawsuit by Save Carbon County filed in state court in Philadelphia, also names Pennsylvania as a defendant. … [Link]
Slashdot » Scientists Turn To AI To Make Beer Taste Even Better
Researchers say they have used AI to make brews even better. From a report: Prof Kevin Verstrepen, of KU Leuven university, who led the research, said AI could help tease apart the complex relationships involved in human aroma perception. "Beer — like most food products — contains hundreds of different aroma molecules that get picked up by our tongue and … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Some bamboo toilet paper contains only tiny amounts of bamboo
Toilet paper made from bamboo is supposed to be more eco-friendly than traditional paper made from virgin wood pulp. But new tests suggest some products contain as little as 3 per cent bamboo [Link]
New Scientist – News » Not getting enough sleep may make you feel years older
Insufficient sleep seems to result in people feeling older than they are, with a higher "subjective age" previously being linked to depression [Link]
New Scientist – News » Unexploded bombs from the second world war are getting more dangerous
An explosive found inside many bombs and shells used during the first and second world wars is becoming more likely to explode in response to impacts [Link]
Slashdot » Boeing Chief Must Have Engineering Background, Emirates Boss Says
The chief of Emirates, one of Boeing's largest clients, has said the crisis-stricken US aircraft maker should ensure its new chief executive has engineering experience to restore safety standards (non-paywalled link). From a report: A day after Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun announced he would step down, Sir Tim Clark also said he backed efforts by the US group's largest … [Link]
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