Developer/data journalist Josh Renaud is also long-time Slashdot reader Kirkman14 — and he's got a story to tell:

How do you get people interested in an obscure Atari ST graphics format used on BBSes in the late 1980s and early 1990s? Recruit some folks to help you make an artpack full of images and animations showing it off! That's the idea behind IGNITE, a new artpack from Mistigris computer arts and Break Into Chat, featuring 18 images and animations created in "Instant Graphics and Sound" format. ... [ Read it >> ]

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Brazil ended daylight saving time in 2019, reports the Washington Post, adding that some Brazilians loved the change, "particularly those who commute long distances and are no longer forced to leave their houses in pitch blackness." But "In the heavily populated southeast, the sky begins to brighten at the unconscionable hour of 4:30 a.m. during the summer, and by 8 a.m., it feels like high noon... Polls showed it ultimately lost majority support..." ... [ Read it >> ]

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TPM is a dedicated chip or firmware enabling hardware-level security, housing encryption keys, certificates, passwords, and sensitive data, "and shielding them from unauthorized access," Microsoft senior product manager Steven Hosking wrote last month, declaring TPM 2.0 to be "a non-negotiable standard for the future of Windows." ... [ Read it >> ]

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"Private space stations have been raising billions of dollars in an effort to build future hubs — and even one day cities — in orbit," according to a recent report from the U.K. newspaper, the Telegraph:

Axiom Space, a US business aiming to build its own station, has raised more than $500m (£400m). Vast, a space business backed by crypto billionaire Jed McCaleb, is plotting two stations before the end of the decade. Gravitics, meanwhile, has raised tens of millions of dollars for its modular space "real estate". Nasa itself, along with other space agencies, is planning a further station, Lunar Gateway, which will orbit the Moon. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has also announced plans to build a space station by 2027, called Orbital Reef, which it has described as an orbital "mixed-use business park". Working with US aerospace business Sierra Space, Orbital Reef will be made up of inflatable pods, which can be launched on a regular rocket before being "blown up" in space. Sierra Space says these modules could house in-space manufacturing or pharmaceutical technology... ... [ Read it >> ]

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Today 34-year-old chess champion Magnus Carlsen married 26-year-old Ella Victoria Malone, "in a ceremony packed with guests on a sunny winter day in Oslo," reports Chess.com.

According to Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, a film crew from Netflix was also present. The streaming giant is shooting a chess-related TV show rumored to air in 2025... Ella Victoria is now expected to have a more central role in her husband's career. According to VG, she played a crucial role in securing Magnus a deal with fashion brand G-Star Raw... ... [ Read it >> ]

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"My feet are already in the crosswalk," says Geoffrey A. Fowler, a San Francisco-based tech columnist for the Washington Post. In a video he takes one step from the curb, then stops to see if Waymo robotaxis will stop for him. And they often didn't.

Waymo's position? Their cars consider "signals of pedestrian intent" including forward motion when deciding whether to stop — as well as other vehicles' speed and proximity. ("Do they seem like they're about to cross or are they just sort of milling around waiting for someone?") And Waymo "also said its car might decide not to stop if adjacent cars don't yield." ... [ Read it >> ]

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"Electric vehicles are expected to outsell cars with internal combustion engines in China for the first time next year," reports the Financial Times, calling it "a historic inflection point that puts the world's biggest car market years ahead of western rivals."

China is set to smash international forecasts and Beijing's official targets with domestic EV sales — including pure battery and plug-in hybrids — growing about 20 per cent year on year to more than 12mn cars in 2025, according to the latest estimates supplied to the Financial Times by four investment banks and research groups. The figure would be more than double the 5.9mn sold in 2022. At the same time, sales of traditionally powered cars are expected to fall by more than 10 per cent next year to less than 11 million, reflecting a near 30 per cent plunge from 14.8 million in 2022... ... [ Read it >> ]

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It's "what some experts consider the most advanced military AI initiative ever to be deployed," reports the Washington Post.

But the Israeli military's AI-powered intelligence practices are also "under scrutiny. Genocide charges against Israel brought to The Hague by South Africa question whether crucial decisions about bombing targets in Gaza were made by software, an investigation that could hasten a global debate about the role of AI technology in warfare."... [ Read it >> ]

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"Robots and AI models share one crucial characteristic," writes the Washington Post. "Whether to move around, conduct conversations or solve problems, they function by constantly taking in and computing increasingly vast quantities of data. It's a brute-force approach to automation. Processing all that data makes them such energy guzzlers that their planet-warming pollution could outweigh any benefits they offer." ... [ Read it >> ]

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It's weighs less than 15 pounds. It's 17 inches wide. And in June Elon Musk said it was "easily carried in a backpack. This product will change the world."

And now, CNET reports:

Calling all digital nomads and van-lifers: SpaceX's Starlink Mini is now available everywhere in the US. The small antenna costs $599 and requires a monthly subscription of either $50 or $165, depending on which plan you choose. Thanks to thousands of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink has the unique ability to send high-speed internet just about anywhere. Standard service is great for home internet in rural areas, while the provider's Roam service and new portable dish are ideal for staying connected on the go... ... [ Read it >> ]

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Politico asked an "array of thinkers — futurists, scientists, foreign policy analysts and others — to lay out some of the possible 'Black Swan' events that could await us in the new year: What are the unpredictable, unlikely episodes that aren't yet on the radar but would completely upend American life as we know it?" ... [ Read it >> ]

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If we dissolve acid-neutralizing rocks in the ocean, will it absorb more carbon dioxide?

Climate ventures and philanthropic funders have been spending millions of dollars to find out, reports the Washington Post. "Researchers have been exploring this technology for the last five years, but over the last two months, at least a couple of start-ups have begun operation along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts."... [ Read it >> ]

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"The Washington Post's crossword puzzle was recently deemed too offensive for advertisers," reports the Wall Street Journal. "So was an article about thunderstorms. And a ranking of boxed brownie mixes.

"Marketers have long been wary about running ads in the news media, concerned that their brands will land next to pieces about terrorism or plane crashes or polarizing political stories." But "That advertising no-go zone seems to keep widening."... [ Read it >> ]

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Remember that massive botnet run by Chinese government hackers? Flax Typhoon "compromised computer networks in North America, Europe, Africa, and across Asia, with a particular focus on Taiwan," according to the U.S. Treasury Department. (The group's botnet breaching this autumn affected "at least 260,000 internet-connected devices," reports the Washington Post, "roughly half of which were located in the United States.") ... [ Read it >> ]

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As UK workers face a tougher-than-usual January return to offices, many large employers, including Amazon, BT, PwC, and Santander, are enforcing stricter in-person attendance mandates. The Guardian reports: As of 1 January, BT is requiring its 50,000 office-based employees across the UK and several other countries to attend three days a week in what it calls a "three together, two wherever" approach. Workers at the telecoms company have been told that office entry and exit data will be used to monitor attendance. The accountancy firm PwC is also clamping down on remote working; the Spanish-owned bank Santander is formalizing attendance requirements for its 10,000 UK staff; the digital bank Starling has ordered staff back to the office more regularly; and the supermarket chain Asda has made a three-day office week compulsory for thousands of workers at its Leeds and Leicester sites. The international picture is similar. [...]... [ Read it >> ]

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In 2024, Americans spent 23% less on streaming subscriptions compared to 2023, driven by rising costs, streaming fatigue, and increased password-sharing restrictions. The findings have been reported in Review's annual State of Consumer Media Spending Report. TechSpot reports: Of those surveyed, 27.8 percent said they are experiencing streaming fatigue - or the feeling of being overwhelmed by the growing number of streaming apps on the market. And with the cost of goods and services at an all-time high, it's hitting folks in the wallet as well. The report additionally found that the average American has two streaming subscriptions, and watches three hours and 49 minutes of content each day. More than a quarter of subscribers - 26.5 percent - share subscriptions with others to save on cost although with recent crackdowns on password sharing, that might not be an option for much longer.... [ Read it >> ]

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Cornell Tech researchers have developed a portable device called SoilScanner that uses radio frequency signals and machine learning to detect lead contamination in soil. It offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional methods of testing that "generally involves either sending samples to a lab for analysis, which relies upon harsh chemicals and can be expensive, or using a portable X-ray fluorescence device," notes Phys.org. From the report: "In recent years, especially during COVID, a lot of us got excited about having our own backyard garden, or spending more time at home," said [Rajalakshmi Nandakumar, assistant professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech] who's also a member of the Department of Information Science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. "But if you look at instructions for how to grow tomatoes, no one actually tells you that you have to check your soil for lead," she said. "It's all about pH levels. A lot of us, even though we interact very often with soils, are totally unaware of possible lead contamination."... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: China's commerce ministry has proposed export restrictions on some technology used to make battery components and process critical minerals lithium and gallium, a document, opens new tab issued on Thursday showed. If implemented, they would be the latest in a series of export restrictions and bans targeting critical minerals and the technology used to process them, areas in which Beijing is globally dominant. Their announcement precedes the inauguration later this month of Donald Trump for a second term during which he is expected to use tariffs and various trade restrictions against other countries, in particular China. [...]... [ Read it >> ]

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According to Bloomberg (paywalled), Getty Images is exploring a merger with its rival Shutterstock. Following the news, Getty's shares were up 20.3% in afternoon trading, while shares of Shutterstock were up 7.7%. Reuters reports: The development comes at a time when Getty Images has struggled to retain customers and replace the lost customers. Its creative and editorial products, two of its largest revenue segments, declined year-over-year in 2023, according to its annual report. The decline in the popularity of stock image websites has coincided with the rise of AI tools like Midjourney and DALL-E 2, which can generate unique images quickly and cheaply. Seattle, Washington-based Getty is considering how to structure a deal that would unite two of the biggest U.S. providers of licensed visual content, the report said. [...] Deliberations are ongoing and Getty could choose not to pursue a deal, the report added.... [ Read it >> ]

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Windows 11 24H2 continues to experience issues with multifunction devices using the eSCL scan protocol, despite Microsoft marking the problem as resolved. According to a Register reader, "It works on a Windows 10 machine, but not on Windows 11, unless both the computer and the scanner are on wired Ethernet." From the report: Microsoft issued a compatibility safeguard hold on USB-connected devices using the Scanner Communication Language (eSCL) protocol in November after users who installed the Windows update experienced glitches with device discovery. The issue was reported resolved by Microsoft in December. However, it seems that KB5048667 might not have fixed all the problems for Canon owners. According to our reader: "Canon support tells me that the 24H2 eSCL issue still is not fixed." We asked Microsoft about the situation, but despite telling us it was looking into the problem on Friday, December 20, the company has yet to provide any further details. Canon was more forthcoming. A spokesperson told The Register it was aware of a problem impacting devices using ScanGear MF.... [ Read it >> ]

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Samsung and Google are introducing Eclipsa Audio, an open-source 3D audio standard set to debut on select YouTube videos and Samsung's 2025 TVs and soundbars. The new format "could eventually serve as a free alternative to Dolby Atmos, the dominant 3D audio format that hardware makers like Samsung pay to license for TVs and other equipment," reports The Verge. "Samsung says that similar to Atmos, this audio format supports adjusting 'audio data such as the location and intensity of sounds, along with spatial reflections' to create a 3D experience." From the report: The two companies first announced a partnership to develop spatial audio technology in 2023, initially calling it Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF). At the time, Samsung spatial audio head WooHyun Nam said the format would provide "a complete open-source framework for 3D audio, from creation to delivery and playback."... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Rolling Stone: Sun pours through the lush foliage of a jungle, bleaching the pale limestone as a rotting man stands in the center of an otherwise empty arena, his yellow eyes leering from beneath a fringe of limp, blonde hair. Positioned around the edge are a hundred bodies, Orcs and Trolls and bipedal oxen shouting, demanding, the death of the dishonorable. Their voices swell into a cacophony of noise before one rings out above the rest, howling, 'Kill the cheater and you'll get 20 gold!' There is silence, and then another frenzy. As I watch, eyes fixed on the dim glow of a laptop screen, I think of the colosseum in Rome -- sweat running down the muscled arms of battle-tested gladiators, the crowd cheering for blood.... [ Read it >> ]

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The Register's Jude Karabus reports: IBM and semiconductor maker GlobalFoundries have settled all of their litigation against each other, including breach of contract, patent, and trade secret suits, the pair say. The details of the settlement are confidential. All that both companies were prepared to say in yesterday's statements was that the deal they'd agreed would resolve "all litigation matters, inclusive of breach of contract, trade secrets, and intellectual property claims between the two companies." They added that the settlement would allow the companies to "explore new opportunities for collaboration in areas of mutual interest." In 2021, IBM sued GlobalFoundries for $2.5 billion, accusing it of failing to deliver on 10nm and 7nm chip production commitments, which disrupted IBM's hardware roadmap. GlobalFoundries poaching engineers countersued in 2023, alleging IBM misused trade secrets and poached engineers to support partnerships with Intel and Rapidus, potentially compromising proprietary technologies.... [ Read it >> ]

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Apple Intelligence now requires 7GB of free storage per device, nearly doubling the original 4GB requirement from iOS 18.1. This is a result of new AI features like Genmoji, ChatGPT in Siri, and Image Playground. With further updates expected, storage demands could rise to 10GB per device. 9to5Mac reports: Per Apple's website, Apple Intelligence now requires 7GB of free storage. The same 7GB number applies whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. But it also, since each product does its own on-device processing, adds up for multi-device use. If you want to use AI features across all three devices (which I'd assume most of us do), that's a grand total of 21GB of free space being used by Apple Intelligence. And unfortunately, if you're tight on storage, there's no way to reduce the requirement by disabling certain features.... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: A U.S. online gift card store has secured an online storage server that was publicly exposing hundreds of thousands of customer government-issued identity documents to the internet. A security researcher, who goes by the online handle JayeLTee, found the publicly exposed storage server late last year containing driving licenses, passports, and other identity documents belonging to MyGiftCardSupply, a company that sells digital gift cards for customers to redeem at popular brands and online services.... [ Read it >> ]

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Microsoft plans to spend $80 billion in fiscal 2025 on the construction of data centers that can handle AI workloads, the company said in a Friday blog post. From a report: Over half of the expected AI infrastructure spending will take place in the U.S., Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith wrote. Microsoft's 2025 fiscal year ends in June.... [ Read it >> ]

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NetEase has reversed 100-year bans imposed on "Marvel Rivals" players using Linux and Mac compatibility tools in December 2024, following intervention from CodeWeavers' CEO and player complaints.

The game's anti-cheat system had banned players until 2124 for using Proton and CrossOver software on Steam Deck and Apple devices. The company stated on Discord it "will not ban players who are playing fairly and without cheating" but has made no broader commitments regarding compatibility tools.... [ Read it >> ]

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Box office returns have started to stabilize. But nine of the top 10 box office hits this year were sequels [non-paywalled link]. And the 10th was "Wicked." From a report: A year ago, Hollywood's creative community was celebrating the apparent decline of corporate, paint-by-numbers sequels and remakes. Blockbuster ticket sales for movies like "Oppenheimer," "Sound of Freedom" and "Barbie" had shown -- or so it seemed -- that audiences were finally hungry for fresh stories. ... [ Read it >> ]

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Meta's AI-generated social media profiles, which sparked controversy this week following comments by executive Connor Hayes about plans to expand AI characters across Facebook and Instagram, have largely failed to gain user engagement since their 2023 launch, 404 Media reported Friday. ... [ Read it >> ]

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A federal judge in Connecticut refused to dismiss a long-running lawsuit accusing the former Nestle Waters North America of defrauding consumers by labeling its Poland Spring bottled water as "spring water." From a report: While rejecting some claims in the proposed class action, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven called it an open question whether Poland Spring qualified as spring water under the laws of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Poland Spring is now owned by Tampa, Florida-based Primo Brands, following multiple corporate transactions.... [ Read it >> ]

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The U.S. surgeon general has issued an advisory calling for a warning about the risk of cancer to be included on alcoholic beverages. From a report: "Given the conclusive evidence on the cancer risk from alcohol consumption and the Office of the Surgeon General's responsibility to inform the American public of the best available scientific evidence, the Surgeon General recommends an update to the Surgeon General's warning label for alcohol-containing beverages to include a cancer risk warning," Dr. Vivek Murthy said in the advisory Friday. ... [ Read it >> ]

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Boeing is conducting more surprise inspections at its factories as part of a broader plan to prevent manufacturing snafus like the one that led to a jet-panel blowout on an Alaska Air flight a year ago. From a report: The jet maker outlined on Friday more than a dozen steps it has taken in recent months to tackle a manufacturing quality crisis that has forced Boeing to slow production and has put it under the microscope of federal regulators. Some of the steps have been previously reported. ... [ Read it >> ]

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Researchers from Inria and Microsoft have developed a system to automatically convert specific types of C programming code into memory-safe Rust code, addressing growing cybersecurity concerns about memory vulnerabilities in software systems.

The technique, detailed in a new paper, requires programmers to use a restricted version of C called "Mini-C" that excludes features like pointer arithmetic. The researchers successfully tested their conversion system on two major code libraries, including the 80,000-line HACL* cryptographic library. Parts of the converted code have already been integrated into Mozilla's NSS and OpenSSH security systems, according to the researchers. Memory safety errors account for 76% of Android vulnerabilities in 2019.... [ Read it >> ]

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China will expand consumption subsidies to cover smartphones and other electronics, in a step to promote domestic spending as external headwinds pick up. From a report: A national trade-in program that currently applies to home appliances and cars will broaden this year to include personal devices like phones, tablets and smartwatches, officials from the nation's top economic planning agency said in a briefing Friday. ... [ Read it >> ]

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China's sulfur dioxide emissions have fallen by more than two-thirds over the past 15 years through strict coal plant regulations and desulfurization technology, according to Community Emissions Data System data. Emissions peaked in mid-2000s after steep rises in the 1980s-90s, with the reduction significantly improving air quality in major cities.... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Hollywood Reporter: A trio of major music publishers suing Anthropic over the use of lyrics to train its AI system have reached a deal with the Amazon-backed company to resolve some parts of a pending preliminary injunction. U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee on Thursday signed off on an agreement between the two sides mandating Anthropic to maintain existing guardrails that prevent its Claude AI chatbot from providing lyrics to songs owned by the publishers or create new song lyrics based on the copyrighted material.... [ Read it >> ]

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More than half-a-dozen VPN apps, including Cloudflare's widely-used 1.1.1.1, have been pulled from India's Apple App Store and Google Play Store following intervention from government authorities, TechCrunch reported Friday. From the report: The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued removal orders for the apps, according to a document reviewed by TechCrunch and a disclosure made by Google to Lumen, Harvard University's database that tracks government takedown requests globally.... [ Read it >> ]

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Xiaomi has further restricted bootloader unlocking to just one device per user per year, significantly hindering custom ROM development and reinforcing user dependence on its proprietary HyperOS ecosystem. Android Police reports: Roughly a year ago, Xiaomi introduced a policy limiting users to three unlocked devices per account, providing only a limited time window for unlocking, and demanding waiting periods before doing so. It's now gone even further, limiting users to unlocking the bootloader of just a single device throughout the year. Unlocking the bootloader changes the way a phone works by preventing automated software updates, among other things, and isn't a good idea for most users. Power users love it for complete customization of their devices, and unlocked bootloaders are critical to the creation and installation of privately developed operating systems, or custom ROMs.... [ Read it >> ]

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ZipNada shares a report from Phys.org: In a paper published today in Nature, a team led by Columbia Engineering researchers and collaborators report that they have invented new nanoscale sensors of force. They are luminescent nanocrystals that can change intensity and/or color when you push or pull on them. These "all-optical" nanosensors are probed with light only and therefore allow for fully remote read-outs -- no wires or connections are needed. They have 100 times better force sensitivity than the existing nanoparticles that utilize rare-earth ions for their optical response, and an operational range that spans more than four orders of magnitude in force, a much larger range -- 10-100 times larger -- than any previous optical nanosensor. "We expect our discovery will revolutionize the sensitivities and dynamic range achievable with optical force sensors, and will immediately disrupt technologies in areas from robotics to cellular biophysics and medicine to space travel," said Jim Schuck, associate professor of mechanical engineering.... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Constellation Energy has been awarded a record $1 billion in contracts to supply nuclear power to the U.S. government over the next decade, the company said on Thursday. Constellation, the country's largest operator of nuclear power plants, will deliver electricity to more than 13 federal agencies as part of the agreements with the U.S. General Services Administration. The deal is the biggest energy purchase in the history of the GSA, which constructs and manages federal buildings, and is among the first major climate-focused energy agreement by the U.S. government to include electricity generated from existing nuclear reactors.... [ Read it >> ]

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Despite Microsoft's push for Windows 11, Windows 10 continues to dominate the desktop OS market, rising to 62.7% market share in December 2024. The Register reports: Figures for December 2024 from Statcounter -- used because Microsoft rarely shares usage data unless it has something to boast about -- confirm Windows 10's market share has inched up to 62.7 percent compared to the previous month while Windows 11's share fell back to 34.12 percent (from 34.94 percent in November 2024). Even though Windows 11's percentage of the pie is still bigger than it was this time last year (when Statcounter pegged it at 26.54 percent), the fact the new OS is still nowhere near to overtaking Windows 10 may alarm some Microsoft executives. [...]... [ Read it >> ]

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Samsung is set to debut its new Odyssey 3D monitor at CES 2025, reviving the glasses-free 3D experience that manufacturers pushed on consumers over a decade ago. While details remain limited, the monitor reportedly utilizes a lenticular lens, stereo cameras, and AI to convert 2D content into lifelike 3D visuals, with a focus on appealing to gamers for broader adoption. Ars Technica reports: According to the South Korean company's announcement, the monitor's use of a lenticular lens that is "attached to the front of the panel and its front stereo camera" means that you don't have to wear glasses to access the monitor's "customizable 3D experience." Lenticular lenses direct different images to each eye to make images look three-dimensional. This is a notable advancement from the first 3D monitor that Samsung released in 2009. That display used Nvidia software and Nvidia shutter glasses to allow users to toggle between a 2D view and a 3D view through a few button presses and supported content.... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Record: Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered dozens of attacks that involve malicious updates for Chrome browser extensions, one week after a security firm was compromised in a similar incident. As of Wednesday, a total of 36 Chrome extensions injected with data-stealing code have been detected, mostly related to artificial intelligence (AI) tools and virtual private networks (VPNs), according to a report by ExtensionTotal, a platform that analyzes extensions listed on various marketplaces and public registries. These extensions, collectively used by roughly 2.6 million people, include third-party tools such as ChatGPT for Google Meet, Bard AI Chat, YesCaptcha Assistant, VPNCity and Internxt VPN. Some of the affected companies have already addressed the issue by removing the compromised extensions from the store or updating them, according to ExtensionTotal's analysis. [...]... [ Read it >> ]

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Britain recorded its cleanest electricity generation in 2024, with carbon dioxide emissions falling to 124g per kilowatt hour, down from 419g in 2014, according to analysis by Carbon Brief released Thursday.

Renewables, including wind, solar and biomass, provided 45% of the country's power, while total low-carbon sources reached 58%. Gas remained the largest single source at 28% of generation, slightly ahead of wind at 26%.... [ Read it >> ]

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Former Microsoft designer Sergey Kisselev has shared previously unseen concepts for Windows 11 dynamic wallpapers, intended for educational devices. The animated backgrounds were designed to complement Windows 11's centered interface but never shipped with the operating system's 23H2 update as initially planned.... [ Read it >> ]

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Nick Clegg, former British Deputy Prime Minister and Meta's President of Global Affairs, is stepping down after seven years, with longtime policy executive Joel Kaplan set to replace him. Engadget reports: Clegg will be replaced by Joel Kaplan, a longtime policy executive and former White House aide to George W. Bush known for his deep ties to Republican circles in Washington. As Chief Global Affairs Officer, Kaplan -- as Semafor notes -- will be well-positioned to run interference for Meta as Donald Trump takes control of the White House. In a post on Threads, Clegg said that "this is the right time for me to move on from my role as President, Global Affairs at Meta."... [ Read it >> ]

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President Vladimir Putin has directed Russia's government and the country's biggest bank, Sberbank, to strengthen AI cooperation with China, aiming to overcome Western sanctions and challenge U.S. dominance in AI innovation. Reuters reports: Putin's instructions were published on the Kremlin's website on Wednesday, three weeks after he announced that Russia would team up with BRICS partners and other countries to develop AI. He told the government and Sberbank, which is spearheading Russia's AI efforts, to "ensure further co-operation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence."... [ Read it >> ]

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Apple has agreed (PDF) to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that its voice assistant Siri routinely recorded private conversations that were then sold to third parties for targeted ads. In the proposed class-action settlement (PDF) -- which comes after five years of litigation -- Apple admitted to no wrongdoing. Instead, the settlement refers to "unintentional" Siri activations that occurred after the "Hey, Siri" feature was introduced in 2014, where recordings were apparently prompted without users ever saying the trigger words, "Hey, Siri." Sometimes Siri would be inadvertently activated, a whistleblower told The Guardian, when an Apple Watch was raised and speech was detected. The only clue that users seemingly had of Siri's alleged spying was eerily accurate targeted ads that appeared after they had just been talking about specific items like Air Jordans or brands like Olive Garden, Reuters noted. It's currently unknown how many customers were affected, but if the settlement is approved, the tech giant has offered up to $20 per Siri-enabled device for any customers who made purchases between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. That includes iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, HomePods, iPod touches, and Apple TVs, the settlement agreement noted. Each customer can submit claims for up to five devices.... [ Read it >> ]

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A U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday the Federal Communications Commission did not have legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules. From a report: The decision is a blow to the outgoing Biden administration that had made restoring the open internet rules a priority. President Joe Biden signed a 2021 executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate the rules. ... [ Read it >> ]

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Morgan Stanley withdrew from the UN-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance on Thursday, becoming the fifth major U.S. bank to abandon the climate coalition in recent weeks. The departure follows similar moves by Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo.

While maintaining its commitment to net-zero goals and 2030 emissions targets, Morgan Stanley joins a broader retreat from environmental initiatives by financial institutions. The bank's exit from the alliance, established in 2021 to reduce lending-related emissions, comes amid mounting Republican scrutiny of Wall Street's climate policies and legal challenges from state attorneys general targeting financial firms' environmental stances.... [ Read it >> ]

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