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 » Hackable Intel and Lenovo Hardware That Went Undetected For 5 Years Won't Ever Be Fixed
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Hardware sold for years by the likes of Intel and Lenovo contains a remotely exploitable vulnerability that will never be fixed. The cause: a supply chain snafu involving an open source software package and hardware from multiple manufacturers that directly or indirectly incorporated it into their products. Researchers from security firm … [Link]
Slashdot » Code.org Launches AI Teaching Assistant For Grades 6-10 In Stanford Partnership
theodp writes: From a Wednesday press release: "Code.org, in collaboration with The Piech Lab at Stanford University, launched today its AI Teaching Assistant, ushering in a new era of computer science instruction to support teachers in preparing students with the foundational skills necessary to work, live and thrive in an AI world. […] Launching as a part of Code.org's leading … [Link]
Slashdot » Humane AI Pin Review Roundup
The embargo has lifted for reviews of Humane's AI Pin and the general consensus appears to be that this device isn't ready to usher us into the all-but-inevitable AI future. Starting at $699 with a pricy $24-a-month subscription, the wearable device is designed to incorporate artificial intelligence into everyday scenarios, with the ability to make calls, translate languages, recommend nearby … [Link]
Slashdot » US Lawmaker Proposes a Public Database of All AI Training Material
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Amid a flurry of lawsuits over AI models' training data, US Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has introduced (PDF) a bill that would require AI companies to disclose exactly which copyrighted works are included in datasets training AI systems. The Generative AI Disclosure Act "would require a notice to be submitted to … [Link]
New Scientist – News » We can't get to net zero without tackling inequality
Inequality is a major obstacle to sustainability. The super-rich are an environmental horror story that we can't ignore, says Graham Lawton [Link]
New Scientist – News » A bacterium has evolved into a new cellular structure inside algae
A once-independent bacterium has evolved into an organelle that provides nitrogen to algal cells – an event so rare that there are only three other known cases [Link]
New Scientist – News » AI can spot parasites in stool samples to help diagnose infections
About 1.5 billion people worldwide carry a risk of conditions including malnutrition because of parasitic infection, and AI could help identify those affected [Link]
Slashdot » America's Chip Renaissance Needs Workers
An anonymous reader shares a report: Last week South Korea's SK Hynix announced it would partner with Purdue University on a $3.9 billion semiconductor complex here, the largest single corporate investment in state history. Now comes the hard part. SK Hynix must not only build the fabrication plant, or fab, which will package high-bandwidth memory chips used in artificial intelligence, … [Link]
Slashdot » Android 15's First Beta Release is Out
Android 15's first public beta is available to download now, provided you have a Pixel phone. From a report: It's the first consumer-facing release after two developer previews, and while we have a good idea of what to expect from Google's next mobile OS version, we'll certainly hear more at the company's annual developer conference soon enough. The blog post … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Quantum 'supersolid' matter stirred using magnets
We can’t stir ordinary solids, but one research team now claims to have stirred an extraordinary quantum “supersolid”, generating tiny vortices [Link]
Slashdot » Microsoft Begins Showing Full Screen Windows 11 Ad on Windows 10 PCs as End of Support Date Looms
Microsoft has started showing full screen warnings about the upcoming end of support date on Windows 10 PCs. From a report: Users on Reddit have reported seeing the prompt, which began appearing after this week's Patch Tuesday updates were installed, and encourages the user to learn more about how they can transition to Windows 11. Windows 10's end of support … [Link]
New Scientist – News » How Peter Higgs revealed the forces that hold the universe together
The physicist Peter Higgs quietly revolutionised quantum field theory, then lived long enough to see the discovery of the Higgs boson he theorised. Despite receiving a Nobel prize, he remained in some ways as elusive as the particle that shares his name [Link]
Slashdot » Apple Plans To Overhaul Entire Mac Line With AI-Focused M4 Chips
Apple, aiming to boost sluggish computer sales, is preparing to overhaul its entire Mac line with a new family of in-house processors designed to highlight AI. Bloomberg News: The company, which released its first Macs with M3 chips five months ago, is already nearing production of the next generation — the M4 processor — according to people with knowledge of … [Link]
Slashdot » Computer Scientist Wins Turing Award for Seminal Work on Randomness
Computational scientist and mathematician Avi Wigderson of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton has won the 2023 A.M. Turing Award. From a report: The prize, which is given annually by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) to a computer scientist for their contributions to the field, comes with $1 million thanks to Google. It is named in honor … [Link]
Slashdot » Apple Will Open the iPhone To Repair With Used Parts
Apple is finally making it easier for users to repair their iPhones with used parts. From a report: In an update on Thursday, the company announced that this fall, owners of "select" iPhone models will be able to repair their devices with used, genuine parts while retaining full functionality. When repairing a phone, Apple requires iPhone users to go through … [Link]
Slashdot » Amazon Adds AI Expert Andrew Ng To Board as GenAI Race Heats Up
Amazon on Thursday added Andrew Ng, the computer scientist who led AI projects at Alphabet's Google and China's Baidu, to its board amid rising competition among Big Techs to add users for their GenAI products. From a report: Amazon's cloud unit is facing pressure from Microsoft's early pact with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and integration of its technology into Azure, while Alexa … [Link]
Slashdot » DuckDuckGo Launches Privacy Pro: A 3-in-1 Service That Includes a VPN
DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused web search and browser company, announced on today the launch of its first subscription service, Privacy Pro. The service, priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, includes a browser-based tool that automatically scans data broker websites for users' personal information and requests its removal. The service also includes DuckDuckGo's first VPN and an identity-theft-restoration service. … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Why nutrition needs to be on the educational agenda
Nutrition must be as essential as maths or science at our educational institutions to solve the US obesity crisis, says Aman Majmudar [Link]
New Scientist – News » Planets that look alike might be a sign of spacefaring aliens
We don’t know what alien life might look like, but if other civilisations can colonise multiple worlds, we might see planets that look unusually similar [Link]
Slashdot » Apple Alerts Users in 92 Nations To Mercenary Spyware Attacks
Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them that may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. From a report: The company said it sent the alerts to individuals in 92 nations at 12pm Pacific Time Wednesday. The notification, which TechCrunch has seen, did not disclose the attackers' identities or the countries where users … [Link]
Slashdot » UK Considers Banning Smartphone Sales To Children Under 16
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Ministers are considering banning the sale of smartphones to children under the age of 16 after a number of polls have shown significant public support for such a curb. The government issued guidance on the use of mobile phones in English schools two months ago, but other curbs are said to … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Testing drugs on mini-cancers in the lab may reveal best treatment
A small early-stage trial of the approach, which involves testing dozens of drug combinations on thousands of dishes of cells, may help people with cancer live for longer [Link]
New Scientist – News » Air pollution can make insects mate with the wrong species
Ground-level ozone, a product of pollution from cars, degrades insect pheromones, and this can result in mismatched mating and sterile offspring [Link]
The Joy of Tech » That's what friends are for!
Share and share alike! [Link]
Slashdot » Chechnya Is Banning Music That's Too Fast Or Slow
Rachel Treisman reports via NPR: Authorities in the Russian republic of Chechnya are banning music they consider either too fast or too slow, effectively criminalizing many genres. The Chechen Ministry of Culture announced the ban on its website last week, by the order of Culture Minister Musa Dadayev and with the agreement of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. "Musical, vocal and … [Link]
Slashdot » Sierra Space, Valued At $5.3 Billion, Eyes IPO To 'Accelerate the New Space Economy'
Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice told Yahoo Finance it plans to go public within the next 18 months at a valuation of $5.3 billion. Since being spun out of defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2021, the company has "placed its bets on building out the growing space economy, from developing rocket propulsion technology to a commercial space station with … [Link]
Slashdot » Saudi Arabia 'Forced To Scale Back' Plans For Desert Megacity
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: It was billed as a glass-walled city of the future, an ambitious centerpiece of the economic plan backed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to transition Saudi Arabia away from oil dependency. Now, however, plans for the mirror-clad desert metropolis called the Line have been scaled down and the project, which … [Link]
Slashdot » Microsoft Employees Exposed Internal Passwords In Security Lapse
Zack Whittaker and Carly Page report via TechCrunch: Microsoft has resolved a security lapse that exposed internal company files and credentials to the open internet. Security researchers Can Yoleri, Murat Ozfidan and Egemen Kochisarli with SOCRadar, a cybersecurity company that helps organizations find security weaknesses, discovered an open and public storage server hosted on Microsoft's Azure cloud service that was … [Link]
Slashdot » VMS Software Prunes OpenVMS Hobbyist Program
Liam Proven reports via The Register: Bad news for those who want to play with OpenVMS in non-production use. Older versions are disappearing, and the terms are getting much more restrictive. The corporation behind the continued development of OpenVMS, VMS Software, Inc. — or VSI to its friends, if it has any left after this — has announced the latest … [Link]
Slashdot » UK To Deploy Facial Recognition For Shoplifting Crackdown
Bruce66423 shares a report from The Guardian, with the caption: "The UK is hyperventilating about stories of shoplifting; though standing outside a shop and watching as a guy calmly gets off his bike, parks it, walks in and walks out with a pack of beer and cycles off — and then seeing staff members rushing out — was striking. So … [Link]
Slashdot » Starting Today, ISPs Must Display Labels With Price, Speeds, and Data Caps
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Starting today, home Internet and mobile broadband providers in the US are required to display consumer labels with information on prices, speeds, and data allowances. "Today's nationwide launch of the Broadband Consumer Labels means internet service providers are now required to display consumer-friendly labels at the point of sale," the Federal … [Link]
Slashdot » Google's AI Photo Editing Tools Are Expanding To a Lot More Phones
Starting May 15th, almost all Google Photos users will be able to access the AI photo editing features previously limited to Pixel owners and Google One subscribers. All you'll need is a device with at least a 64-bit chip, 4GB of RAM, and either iOS 15 or Android 8.0. The Verge reports: Magic Editor is Google's generative AI photo editing … [Link]
Archive
30 Apr 2024 29 Apr 2024 28 Apr 2024 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
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.