RSS
Pages: 1 ... 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 ... 143
[>] US and China Agree To Temporarily Slash Tariffs
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 13:22:01


The United States and China said Monday they reached an agreement to temporarily reduce the tariffs [non-paywalled source] they have imposed on each other in an attempt to defuse the trade war threatening the world's two largest economies. From a report: In a joint statement, the countries said they would suspend their respective tariffs for 90 days while they negotiate. Under the agreement, the United States would reduce the tariff on Chinese imports to 30 percent from its current 145 percent, while China would lower its import duty on American goods to 10 percent from 125 percent.

"We concluded that we have a shared interest," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a news conference in Geneva where U.S. and Chinese officials met over the weekend. "The consensus from both delegations is that neither side wanted a decoupling," he said. The agreement breaks an impasse that had brought trade between China and the United States to a halt. Many American businesses had suspended orders, holding out hope that the two countries could strike a deal to bring down the tariff rates while raising the spectre of price increases.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/0826256/us-and-china-agree-to-temporarily-slash-tariffs?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Is There Water on Mars?
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 16:22:02


Evidence is mounting for "a vast reservoir of liquid water" on Mars, according to a new article by Australian National University professor Hrvoje TkalÄiÄ and geophysics associate professor Weijia Sun from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, announcing their recently published paper.
"Using seismic data from NASA's InSight mission, we uncovered evidence that the seismic waves slow down in a layer between 5.4 and 8 kilometres below the surface, which could be because of the presence of liquid water at these depths."

Mars is covered in traces of ancient bodies of water. But the puzzle of exactly where it all went when the planet turned cold and dry has long intrigued scientists... Billions of years ago, during the Noachian and Hesperian periods (4.1 billion to 3 billion years ago), rivers carved valleys and lakes shimmered. As Mars' magnetic field faded and its atmosphere thinned, most surface water vanished. Some escaped to space, some froze in polar caps, and some was trapped in minerals, where it remains today. But evaporation, freezing and rocks can't quite account for all the water that must have covered Mars in the distant past.

Calculations suggest the "missing" water is enough to cover the planet in an ocean at least 700 metres deep, and perhaps up to 900 metres deep. One hypothesis has been that the missing water seeped into the crust. Mars was heavily bombarded by meteorites during the Noachian period, which may have formed fractures that channelled water underground. Deep beneath the surface, warmer temperatures would keep the water in a liquid state — unlike the frozen layers nearer the surface.

In 2018, NASA's InSight lander touched down on Mars to listen to the planet's interior with a super-sensitive seismometer. By studying a particular kind of vibration called "shear waves", we found a significant underground anomaly: a layer between 5.4 and 8 kilometres down where these vibrations move more slowly. This "low-velocity layer" is most likely highly porous rock filled with liquid water, like a saturated sponge. Something like Earth's aquifers, where groundwater seeps into rock pores. We calculated the "aquifer layer" on Mars could hold enough water to cover the planet in a global ocean 520-780m deep.

InSight's seismometer captured vibrations between the crust of Mars and its lower layers from two meteorite impacts in 2021 and a Marsquake in 2022. "These signatures let us pinpoint boundaries where rock changes, revealing the water-soaked layer 5.4 to 8 kilometres deep."

It's an exciting possibility. "Purified, it could provide drinking water, oxygen, or fuel for rockets." And since microbes thrives on earth in deep rocks filled with water, "Could similar life, perhaps relics of ancient Martian ecosystems, persist in these reservoirs?"

[ Read more of this story ]( https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/0549234/is-there-water-on-mars?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] lsFusion 6.0 — открытая и бесплатная альтернатива платформе 1С
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 17:44:04


Вышла новая версия lsFusion 6.0 — открытой и бесплатной альтернативы платформе 1С. В ней сделан упор на Web UX и расширение возможностей для создания современных веб-приложений.

( [ читать дальше... ]( https://www.linux.org.ru/news/development/17965791#cut ) )

[>] Apple Considering Raising iPhone Prices
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 19:22:01


Apple is weighing price increases for its fall iPhone lineup, a step it is seeking to couple with new features and design changes, according to WSJ, which cited people familiar with the matter. From the report: The company is determined to avoid any scenario in which it appears to attribute price increases to U.S. tariffs on goods from China, where most Apple devices are assembled, the people said. The U.S. and China agreed Monday to suspend most of the tariffs they had imposed on each other in a tit-for-tat trade war.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1251211/apple-considering-raising-iphone-prices?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Western Digital Invests in Ceramic Storage Firm That Claims 5,000-Year Data Retention
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 20:22:01


Western Digital has made a strategic investment in German startup Cerabyte, a company developing nearly indestructible ceramic-based data storage technology. The partnership aims to accelerate commercialization of Cerabyte's ceramic-on-glass material, which the company claims can preserve data for 5,000 years.

Cerabyte recently demonstrated its technology's resilience by boiling storage devices in salt water and subjecting them to oven-level heat. The company states its ceramic storage withstands fire, moisture, UV light, radiation, corrosion, and EMP bursts. Beyond durability, Cerabyte aims to enable massive capacity increases as the industry moves toward what it calls the "Yottabyte era," while targeting storage costs below $1 per TB by 2030.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1519209/western-digital-invests-in-ceramic-storage-firm-that-claims-5000-year-data-retention?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Climate Crisis Threatens the Banana, the World's Most Popular Fruit
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 20:22:01


The climate crisis is threatening the future of the world's most popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing the fruit by 2080, new research has found. From a report: Rising temperatures, extreme weather and climate-related pests are pummeling banana-growing countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, reducing yields and devastating rural communities across the region, according to Christian Aid's new report, Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World's Favourite Fruit.

Bananas are the world's most consumed fruit -- and the fourth most important food crop globally, after wheat, rice and maize. About 80% of bananas grown globally are for local consumption, and more than 400 million people rely on the fruit for 15% to 27% of their daily calories.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1535204/climate-crisis-threatens-the-banana-the-worlds-most-popular-fruit?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Chegg To Lay Off 22% of Workforce as AI Tools Shake Up Edtech Industry
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 21:22:01


Chegg said on Monday it would lay off about 22% of its workforce, or 248 employees, to cut costs and streamline its operations as students increasingly turn to AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT over traditional edtech platforms. From a report: The company, an online education firm that offers textbook rentals, homework help and tutoring, has been grappling with a decline in web traffic for months and warned that the trend would likely worsen before improving.

Google's expansion of AI Overviews is keeping web traffic confined within its search ecosystem while gradually shifting searches to its Gemini AI platform, Chegg said, adding that other AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic were courting academics with free access to subscriptions. As part of the restructuring announced on Monday, Chegg will also shut its U.S. and Canada offices by the end of the year and aim to reduce its marketing, product development efforts and general and administrative expenses.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1649229/chegg-to-lay-off-22-of-workforce-as-ai-tools-shake-up-edtech-industry?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Nvidia Reportedly Raises GPU Prices by 10-15%
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 22:22:01


An anonymous reader shares a report: A new report claims that Nvidia has recently raised the official prices of nearly all of its products to combat the impact of tariffs and surging manufacturing costs on its business, with gaming graphics cards receiving a 5 to 10% hike while AI GPUs see up to a 15% increase.

As reported by Digitimes Taiwan, Nvidia is facing "multiple crises," including a $5.5 billion hit to its quarterly earnings over export restrictions on AI chips, including a ban on sales of its H20 chips to China.

Digitimes reports that CEO Jensen Huang has been "shuttling back and forth" between the US and China to minimize the impact of tariffs, and that "in order to maintain stable profitability," Nvidia has reportedly recently raised official prices for almost all its products, allowing its partners to increase prices accordingly.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1733225/nvidia-reportedly-raises-gpu-prices-by-10-15?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Проект Guix переходит на Git-хостинг Codeberg
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 22:44:03


Проект Guix, развивающий одноимённый пакетный менеджер и дистрибутив GNU/Linux на его основе, объявил о переносе Git-репозиториев с GNU Savannah на Git-хостинг Codeberg, использующий платформу совместной разработки Forgejo (форк Gitea). На Codeberg также будут переведены системы рецензирования патчей и отслеживания сообщений об ошибках, которые до сих пор основывались на отправке email.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=63225

[>] Prime World Classic официально опубликован в Lutris
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 22:44:04


Prime World Classic официально опубликовали в Lutris, под некоторыми дистрибутивами работает. Добро пожаловать тестировать, мы открыты фидбеку, если что не работает, и тем более если вы знаете как улучшить.

[ https://lutris.net/games/prime-world ]( https://lutris.net/games/prime-world )

( [ читать дальше... ]( https://www.linux.org.ru/news/games/17965499#cut ) )

[>] Apple To Lean on AI Tool To Help iPhone Battery Lifespan for Devices in iOS 19
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-12 23:22:01


Apple is planning to use AI technology to address a frequent source of customer frustration: the iPhone's battery life. From a report: The company is planning an AI-powered battery management mode for iOS 19, an iPhone software update due in September, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The enhancement will analyze how a person uses their device and make adjustments to conserve energy, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the service hasn't been announced.

To create the technology -- part of the Apple Intelligence platform -- the company is using battery data it has collected from users' devices to understand trends and make predictions for when it should lower the power draw of certain applications or features. There also will be a lock-screen indicator showing how long it will take to charge up the device, said the people.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1915237/apple-to-lean-on-ai-tool-to-help-iphone-battery-lifespan-for-devices-in-ios-19?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] New Pope Chose His Name Based On AI's Threats To 'Human Dignity'
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 00:22:02


An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Last Thursday, white smoke emerged from a chimney at the Sistine Chapel, signaling that cardinals had elected a new pope. That's a rare event in itself, but one of the many unprecedented aspects of the election of Chicago-born Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV is one of the main reasons he chose his papal name: artificial intelligence. On Saturday, the new pope gave his first address to the College of Cardinals, explaining his name choice as a continuation of Pope Francis' concerns about technological transformation. "Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV," he said during the address. "There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution."

In his address, Leo XIV explicitly described "artificial intelligence" developments as "another industrial revolution," positioning himself to address this technological shift as his namesake had done over a century ago. As the head of an ancient religious organization that spans millennia, the pope's talk about AI creates a somewhat head-spinning juxtaposition, but Leo XIV isn't the first pope to focus on defending human dignity in the age of AI. Pope Francis, who died in April, first established AI as a Vatican priority, as we reported in August 2023 when he warned during his 2023 World Day of Peace message that AI should not allow "violence and discrimination to take root." In January of this year, Francis further elaborated on his warnings about AI with reference to a "shadow of evil" that potentially looms over the field in a document called "Antiqua et Nova" (meaning "the old and the new").

"Like any product of human creativity, AI can be directed toward positive or negative ends," Francis said in January. "When used in ways that respect human dignity and promote the well-being of individuals and communities, it can contribute positively to the human vocation. Yet, as in all areas where humans are called to make decisions, the shadow of evil also looms here. Where human freedom allows for the possibility of choosing what is wrong, the moral evaluation of this technology will need to take into account how it is directed and used." [...] Just as mechanization disrupted traditional labor in the 1890s, artificial intelligence now potentially threatens employment patterns and human dignity in ways that Pope Leo XIV believes demand similar moral leadership from the church. "In our own day," Leo XIV concluded in his formal address on Saturday, "the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/1959202/new-pope-chose-his-name-based-on-ais-threats-to-human-dignity?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Ticketmaster Now Shows Full Price of Tickets Up Front
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 01:22:02


Ticketmaster will now show full ticket prices upfront -- fees included. "The company announced the 'All In Prices' initiative on Monday as part of its efforts to comply with the Federal Trade Commission's ban on junk fees, which goes into effect on May 12th," notes The Verge. From the report: Now, when you're shopping for tickets, Ticketmaster will display a ticket's full price, alongside a dropdown menu that you can select to see how much you're paying for the "Face Value" of a ticket and the service fee. You still won't see local taxes or delivery fees until checkout.

Ticketmaster says it has made some improvements to its queue as well, by offering real-time updates about ticket availability and when wait times are expected to last more than 30 minutes. It also allows customers to see exactly how many people are ahead of them in the queue.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/205228/ticketmaster-now-shows-full-price-of-tickets-up-front?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Уязвимость в GNU screen, позволяющая выполнить код с правами root
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 01:44:03


В консольном оконном менеджере (мультиплексоре терминалов) GNU screen, предоставляющем многооконный интерфейс в консоли, выявлено 5 уязвимостей. Наиболее опасная проблема (CVE-2025-23395) позволяет получить права root в системе. Исправление выключено в состав сегодняшнего выпуска screen 5.0.1.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=63226

[>] Google Updating Its 'G' Icon For the First Time In 10 Years
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 02:22:01


Google is updating its iconic 'G' logo for the first time in 10 years, replacing the four solid color sections with a smooth gradient transition from red to yellow to green to blue. "This modernization feels inline with the Gemini gradient, while AI Mode in Search uses something similar for a shortcut," notes 9to5Google. The update has already rolled out to the Google Search app on iOS and is in beta for Android. From the report: It's a subtle change that you might not immediately notice, especially if the main place you see it is on your homescreen. It will be even less noticeable as a tiny browser favicon. It does not appear that Google is refreshing its main six-letter logo today, while it's unclear whether any other product logos are changing. In theory, some of the company's four-color logos, like Chrome or Maps, could pretty easily start bleeding in their sections.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2012210/google-updating-its-g-icon-for-the-first-time-in-10-years?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Nations Meet At UN For 'Killer Robot' Talks
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 02:22:01


An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Countries are meeting at the United Nations on Monday to revive efforts to regulate the kinds of AI-controlled autonomous weapons increasingly used in modern warfare, as experts warn time is running out to put guardrails on new lethal technology. Autonomous and artificial intelligence-assisted weapons systems are already playing a greater role in conflicts from Ukraine to Gaza. And rising defence spending worldwide promises to provide a further boost for burgeoning AI-assisted military technology.

Progress towards establishing global rules governing their development and use, however, has not kept pace. And internationally binding standards remain virtually non-existent. Since 2014, countries that are part of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) have been meeting in Geneva to discuss a potential ban fully autonomous systems that operate without meaningful human control and regulate others. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has set a 2026 deadline for states to establish clear rules on AI weapon use. But human rights groups warn that consensus among governments is lacking. Alexander Kmentt, head of arms control at Austria's foreign ministry, said that must quickly change.

"Time is really running out to put in some guardrails so that the nightmare scenarios that some of the most noted experts are warning of don't come to pass," he told Reuters. Monday's gathering of the U.N. General Assembly in New York will be the body's first meeting dedicated to autonomous weapons. Though not legally binding, diplomatic officials want the consultations to ramp up pressure on military powers that are resisting regulation due to concerns the rules could dull the technology's battlefield advantages. Campaign groups hope the meeting, which will also address critical issues not covered by the CCW, including ethical and human rights concerns and the use of autonomous weapons by non-state actors, will push states to agree on a legal instrument.
They view it as a crucial litmus test on whether countries are able to bridge divisions ahead of the next round of CCW talks in September. "This issue needs clarification through a legally binding treaty. The technology is moving so fast," said Patrick Wilcken, Amnesty International's Researcher on Military, Security and Policing. "The idea that you wouldn't want to rule out the delegation of life or death decisions ... to a machine seems extraordinary."

In 2023, 164 states signed a 2023 U.N. General Assembly resolution calling for the international community to urgently address the risks posed by autonomous weapons.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2023237/nations-meet-at-un-for-killer-robot-talks?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] VPN Firm Says It Didn't Know Customers Had Lifetime Subscriptions, Cancels Them
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 03:22:01


The new owners of VPN provider VPNSecure have drawn ire after canceling lifetime subscriptions. From a report: The owners told customers that they didn't know about the lifetime subscriptions when they bought VPNSecure, and they cannot honor the purchases.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2156258/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Philips Debuts 3D Printable Components To Repair Products
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 04:22:01


Philips has launched a new initiative called "Philips Fixables," offering free, officially drafted 3D-printable replacement parts to encourage self-repair and sustainability. The program is initially available in the Czech Republic but aims to expand over time. Tom's Hardware reports: This is a new idea, so only one component is available right now for download. The piece happens to be a 3mm comb for one of their shavers, but Philips assures there will be more components made available for more of their devices over time. This isn't the release of a grand library of parts by any means, but it does showcase a shift in supporting communities in search of businesses that support repairable hardware. [...]

The official Philips Fixables web page has a link for anyone in the general public to submit a request to add a specific component. Philips will notify customers with a download link if the component they suggested is able to be shared to Philips Fixables. It's not clear what sort of turnaround time to expect for these requests and whether there are limitations on what components will be made available.

According to Philips, consumers must adhere to the recommended print settings for their components to get the best results. This is the only way to ensure the replacement part is sturdy enough to stand in for a repair. Compromising on fill space for time could make or break your user experience, for example, but if done correctly, a replacement 3D print can be a useful long term solution.
You can check out the files over at Printables.com.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2041206/philips-debuts-3d-printable-components-to-repair-products?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Google Launches New Initiative To Back Startups Building AI
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 04:22:01


Google has launched the AI Futures Fund, a new initiative to invest in AI startups that are building with the latest tools from Google DeepMind. TechCrunch reports: The fund will back startups from seed to late stage and will offer varying degrees of support, including allowing founders to have early access to Google AI models from DeepMind, the ability to work with Google experts from DeepMind and Google Labs, and Google Cloud credits. Some startups will also have the opportunity to receive direct investment from Google.

"The AI Futures Fund doesn't follow a batch or cohort model," a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch. "Instead, we consider opportunities on a rolling basis -- there's no fixed application window or deadline. When we come across companies that align with the fund's thesis, we may choose to invest. We're not announcing a specific fund size at this time, and check sizes vary based on the company's stage and needs -- typically early to mid-stage, with flexibility for later-stage opportunities as well." Startups can apply here.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2059257/google-launches-new-initiative-to-back-startups-building-ai?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Asking Chatbots For Short Answers Can Increase Hallucinations, Study Finds
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 05:22:01


Requesting concise answers from AI chatbots significantly increases their tendency to hallucinate, according to new research from Paris-based AI testing company Giskard. The study found that leading models -- including OpenAI's GPT-4o, Mistral Large, and Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet -- sacrifice factual accuracy when instructed to keep responses short.

"When forced to keep it short, models consistently choose brevity over accuracy," Giskard researchers noted, explaining that models lack sufficient "space" to acknowledge false premises and offer proper rebuttals. Even seemingly innocuous prompts like "be concise" can undermine a model's ability to debunk misinformation.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2114214/asking-chatbots-for-short-answers-can-increase-hallucinations-study-finds?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Google Developing Software AI Agent
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 06:22:01


An anonymous reader shares a report: After weeks of news about Google's antitrust travails, the tech giant will try to reset the narrative next week by highlighting advances it is making in artificial intelligence, cloud and Android technology at its annual I/O developer conference.

Ahead of I/O, Google has been demonstrating to employees and outside developers an array of different products, including an AI agent for software development. Known internally as a "software development lifecycle agent," it is intended to help software engineers navigate every stage of the software process, from responding to tasks to documenting code, according to three people who have seen demonstrations of the product or been told about it by Google employees. Google employees have described it as an always-on coworker that can help identify bugs to fix or flag security vulnerabilities, one of the people said, although it's not clear how close it is to being released.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/225206/google-developing-software-ai-agent?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Reddit Turns 20
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 08:22:01


ZDNet's Steven Vaughan-Nichols marks Reddit's 20 years of being "the front page of the internet," recalling its evolution from a scrappy startup into a cultural powerhouse that shaped online discourse, meme culture, and the way millions consume news and entertainment. Slashdot is also given a subtle nod in the opening line of the article. An anonymous reader shares an excerpt: In 2005, if you were into social networks focused on links, you probably used Digg or Slashdot. However, two guys, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, recent graduates from the University of Virginia, wanted to create a hub where users could find, share, and discuss the internet's most interesting content. Little did they know where this idea would take them. After all, their concept was nothing new. Still, after Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, the startup accelerator and seed capital firm, had shot down their first idea -- a mobile food-ordering app -- they pitched what would become Reddit to Graham, and he gave it his blessing. Drawing inspiration from sites like Delicious, a now-defunct social bookmarking service, and Slashdot, Huffman and Ohanian envisioned Reddit as a platform that would combine the best aspects of both: a place for sharing timely, ephemeral news and fostering vibrant community discussions of not just technology, but any topic users cared about. Their guiding mission was to build "the front page of the internet," a simple, user-driven site where anyone could submit content, and the community, not algorithms or editors, would decide what was most important through voting and discussion. They deliberately prioritized user participation and conversation over flashy features or heavy editorial control.

What set Reddit apart from its early rivals was its framework. Instead of one large all-in-one interface, the site borrowed the idea from pre-internet online networks, such as CompuServe, of smaller sub-networks devoted to a particular topic. These user-created communities, "subreddits," quickly set it apart from other social platforms. As Laurence Sangarde-Brown, co-founder of TechTree, wrote: "This design allows users to delve into focused discussions, ask questions, and exchange ideas on a scale unmatched by other platforms." That approach was not enough, though, to kick-start Reddit. The founders had to "fake it until they made it." They seeded the site with fake accounts to make it appear more active. Their efforts paid off, as real users soon flocked to the platform. Another crucial early change was when Reddit merged with Aaron Swartz's Infogami and introduced commenting. This move was vital for laying the groundwork for the site's interactive, community-driven experience. [...]

So, where does Reddit go from here? We'll see. Reddit's legacy is one of transformation: from a scrappy startup to a global hub for conversation, collaboration, and sometimes controversy. As it celebrates 20 years, Reddit remains a testament to how important online communities can be in a world increasingly filled with AI slop. Still, Huffman believes Reddit's true value is coming. In a recent Reddit post, he wrote: "Reddit works because it's human. It's one of the few places online where real people share real opinions. That authenticity is what gives Reddit its value. If we lose trust in that, we lose what makes RedditReddit. Our focus is, and always will be, on keeping Reddit a trusted place for human conversation." Huffman concluded: "The last 20 years have proven how powerful online communities can be — and as we look ahead, I'm even more excited for what the next 20 will bring."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2112256/reddit-turns-20?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Creatives Demand AI Comes Clean On What It's Scraping
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 10:22:01


Over 400 prominent UK media and arts figures -- including Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Ian McKellen -- have urged the prime minister to support an amendment to the Data Bill that would require AI companies to disclose which copyrighted works they use for training. The Register reports: The UK government proposes to allow exceptions to copyright rules in the case of text and data mining needed for AI training, with an opt-out option for content producers. "Government amendments requiring an economic impact assessment and reports on the feasibility of an 'opt-out' copyright regime and transparency requirements do not meet the moment, but simply leave creators open to years of copyright theft," the letter says.

The group -- which also includes Kate Bush, Robbie Williams, Tom Stoppard, and Russell T Davies -- said the amendments tabled for the Lords debate would create a requirement for AI firms to tell copyright owners which individual works they have ingested. "Copyright law is not broken, but you can't enforce the law if you can't see the crime taking place. Transparency requirements would make the risk of infringement too great for AI firms to continue to break the law," the letter states.
Baroness Kidron, who proposed the amendment, said: "How AI is developed and who it benefits are two of the most important questions of our time. The UK creative industries reflect our national stories, drive tourism, create wealth for the nation, and provide 2.4 million jobs across our four nations. They must not be sacrificed to the interests of a handful of US tech companies." Baroness Kidron added: "The UK is in a unique position to take its place as a global player in the international AI supply chain, but to grasp that opportunity requires the transparency provided for in my amendments, which are essential to create a vibrant licensing market."

The letter was also signed by a number of media organizations, including the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, and the National Union of Journalists.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2033217/creatives-demand-ai-comes-clean-on-what-its-scraping?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Universe Expected To Decay Much Sooner Than Previously Thought
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 11:22:01


Dutch researchers have recalculated the timeline for cosmic decay via Hawking-like radiation and found that the universe may end much sooner than previously thought -- around 10^78 years, rather than 10^1100. Phys.Org reports: The research by black hole expert Heino Falcke, quantum physicist Michael Wondrak, and mathematician Walter van Suijlekom (all from Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands) is a follow-up to a 2023 paper by the same trio. In that paper, they showed that not only black holes, but also other objects such as neutron stars, can "evaporate" via a process akin to Hawking radiation. After that publication, the researchers received many questions from inside and outside the scientific community about how long the process would take. They have now answered this question in the new article.

The researchers calculated that the end of the universe is about 1078 years away, if only Hawking-like radiation is taken into account. This is the time it takes for white dwarf stars, the most persistent celestial bodies, to decay via Hawking-like radiation. Previous studies, which did not take this effect into account, put the lifetime of white dwarfs at 101100 years. Lead author Heino Falcke said, "So the ultimate end of the universe comes much sooner than expected, but fortunately it still takes a very long time."

The findings have been published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/0057207/universe-expected-to-decay-much-sooner-than-previously-thought?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Ubuntu 25.10 переходит на sudo, написанный на Rust
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 12:44:05


В Ubuntu 25.10 собираются использовать sudo-rs по умолчанию вместо привычного sudo. Это реализация утилиты повышения привилегий sudo, написанная на языке программирования Rust.

sudo-rs разработана [ Trifecta Tech Foundation ]( https://trifectatech.org/ ) (TTF), некоммерческой организацией, которая создает безопасные компоненты с открытым исходным кодом для инфраструктурного программного обеспечения.

В sudo-rs обеспечена совместимость с классическими утилитами sudo и su, что даёт возможность использовать sudo-rs в качестве прозрачной замены sudo в системе. Для пользователей, не желающих переходить на новые утилиты из uutils и sudo-rs, в Ubuntu 25.10 будет предусмотрена возможность обратного перехода на привычные варианты системных утилит coreutils и sudo.

Замена sudo на sudo-rs — часть глобального плана по повышению безопасности и качества Ubuntu путём перехода на компоненты, написанные на языке Rust.

https://www.linux.org.ru/news/ubuntu/17966677

[>] The Stealthy Lab Cooking Up Amazon's Secret Sauce
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 14:22:01


Amazon's decade-old acquisition of Annapurna Labs has emerged as a pivotal element in its AI strategy, with the once-secretive Israeli chip design startup now powering AWS infrastructure. The $350 million deal, struck in 2015 after initial talks between Annapurna co-founder Nafea Bshara and Amazon executive James Hamilton, has equipped the tech giant with custom silicon capabilities critical to its cloud computing dominance.

Annapurna's chips, particularly the Trainium processor for AI model training and Graviton for general-purpose computing, now form the foundation of Amazon's AI infrastructure. The company is deploying hundreds of thousands of Trainium chips in its Project Rainier supercomputer being delivered to AI startup Anthropic this year. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who led AWS when the acquisition occurred, described it as "one of the most important moments" in AWS history.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/05/12/2124207/the-stealthy-lab-cooking-up-amazons-secret-sauce?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Training Solo - новые варианты атаки Spectre-v2, затрагивающие CPU Intel
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 14:44:03


Группа исследователей из Амстердамского свободного университета выявила несколько новых уязвимостей класса Spectre-v2, опубликованных под кодовым именем Training Solo и позволяющих обойти механизмы изоляции памяти. В контексте систем виртуализации, уязвимости дают возможность определить содержимое памяти хост-окружения или других гостевых систем, а в контексте серверов - определить содержимое памяти ядра при выполнении эксплоита в пространстве пользователя. Примеры эксплоитов для совершения подобных атак опубликованы на GitHub. Представленные эксплоиты позволяют извлекать произвольные данные из памяти ядра со скоростью 17 KB/сек, а из памяти гипервизора - 8.5 KB/сек.

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=63227

[>] Apple Wants People To Control Devices With Their Thoughts
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 16:22:02


Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with their devices. From a report: The company is taking early steps to enable people to control their iPhones with neural signals captured by a new generation of brain implants. It could make Apple devices more accessible to tens of thousands of people who can't use their hands because of severe spinal cord injuries or diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

[...] Historically, humans interacted with their computers mechanically, using keyboards and mice. Smartphones introduced touch, a behavioral input, but still an observable physical movement. The new capability means Apple devices won't need to see the user make specific movements, the devices can detect user intentions from decoded brain signals. Apple has worked on the new standard with Synchron, which makes a stent-like device that is implanted in a vein atop the brain's motor cortex. The device called the Stentrode has electrodes that read brain signals. It translates the signals into selecting icons on a screen.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1216217/apple-wants-people-to-control-devices-with-their-thoughts?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Carmack: World Could Run on Older Hardware if Software Optimization Was Priority
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 18:22:01


Gaming pioneer John Carmack believes we're not nearly as dependent on cutting-edge silicon as most assume -- we just lack the economic incentive to prove it. Responding to a "CPU apocalypse" thought experiment on X, the id Software founder and former Oculus CTO suggested that software inefficiency, not hardware limitations, is our greatest vulnerability. "More of the world than many might imagine could run on outdated hardware if software optimization was truly a priority," Carmack wrote, arguing that market pressures would drive dramatic efficiency improvements if new chips stopped arriving.

His solution? "Rebuild all the interpreted microservice based products into monolithic native codebases!" -- essentially abandoning modern development patterns for the more efficient approaches of earlier computing eras. The veteran programmer noted that such changes would come with significant tradeoffs: "Innovative new products would get much rarer without super cheap and scalable compute."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1321259/carmack-world-could-run-on-older-hardware-if-software-optimization-was-priority?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Microsoft is Cutting 3% of All Workers
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 19:22:02


Microsoft is laying off 3% of employees across all levels and geographies, the company said Tuesday. "We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace," a spokesperson told CNBC. Microsoft had 228,000 employees worldwide at the end of June, meaning that the move will affect thousands of employees.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1432232/microsoft-is-cutting-3-of-all-workers?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Linus Torvalds Returns To Mechanical Keyboard After Making Too Many Typos
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 19:22:02


Linux creator Linus Torvalds has abandoned his six-month experiment with a quieter low-profile keyboard in favor of his old mechanical one with Cherry MX Blue switches. In a post about Linux 6.15-rc6 on LKML.org, Torvalds explained that his typing accuracy suffered without the tactile feedback.

"It seems I need the audible (or perhaps tactile) feedback to avoid the typing mistakes that I just kept doing," Torvalds wrote. The famously outspoken developer couldn't recall why he initially switched to the quieter keyboard, as he doesn't work in a shared office where the noise would disturb others. After the failed experiment with the unnamed quiet keyboard, Torvalds has now returned to what he describes as a "noisy clackety-clack" input device. He joked that since he can no longer blame his keyboard for typos, "going forward, I will now conveniently blame autocorrect."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1442229/linus-torvalds-returns-to-mechanical-keyboard-after-making-too-many-typos?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Intel Certifies Shell Lubricant for Cooling AI Data Centers
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 20:22:01


Intel has certified Shell's lubricant-based method for cooling servers more efficiently within data centers used for AI. From a report: The announcement on Tuesday, which follows the chipmaker's two-year trial of the technology, offers a way to use less energy at AI facilities, which are booming and are expected to double their electricity demand globally by 2030, consuming as much power then as all of Japan today, according to the International Energy Agency.

So far, companies have largely used giant fans to reduce temperatures inside AI data centers, which generate more heat in order to run at a higher power. Increasingly, these fans consume electricity at a rate that rivals the computers themselves, something the facilities' operators would prefer to avoid, Intel Principal Engineer Samantha Yates said in an interview.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/165215/intel-certifies-shell-lubricant-for-cooling-ai-data-centers?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Trump Administration Scraps Biden's AI Chip Export Controls
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 21:22:01


The Department of Commerce officially rescinded the Biden administration's Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule on Tuesday, just days before its May 15 implementation date. The rule would have imposed first-ever export restrictions on U.S.-made AI chips to dozens of countries while tightening existing controls on China and Russia.

Instead of implementing blanket restrictions, the DOC signaled a shift toward direct country-by-country negotiations. The department released interim guidance reminding companies that using Huawei's Ascend AI chips anywhere violates U.S. export rules and warned about consequences of allowing U.S. chips to train AI models in China. Commerce Secretary for Industry and Security Jeffery Kessler criticized the previous administration's approach, calling it "ill-conceived and counterproductive."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1641252/trump-administration-scraps-bidens-ai-chip-export-controls?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Office Apps on Windows 10 No Longer Tied To October 2025 End-of-Support Date
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 22:22:01


Microsoft has quietly extended support for Office applications running on Windows 10 well beyond the operating system's October 14, 2025 end-of-support deadline. Microsoft 365 subscribers will now receive updates through October 2028, while perpetual license versions will follow their standard lifecycle policies -- Office 2021 until October 2026 and Office 2024 until October 2029.

Windows Defender malware definitions will also continue "through at least October 2028" despite Windows 10's imminent retirement. This reverses Microsoft's previous stance that all Office applications would become unsupported when Windows 10 reaches end-of-life.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/177238/office-apps-on-windows-10-no-longer-tied-to-october-2025-end-of-support-date?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Google Says Over 1 Billion RCS Messages Sent in the US Daily
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 23:22:01


An anonymous reader shares a report: During the Android Show leading up to Google I/O, Google on Tuesday offered a brief update on the adoption of the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol, an upgrade to SMS that offers high-resolution photos and videos, typing indicators, read receipts, improved group chat, and more. The company shared that the messaging standard now supports over a billion messages per day in the U.S.

This metric is based on an average of the last 28 days, Google noted. The stat is notable because Google fought for years to get Apple to adopt support for RCS on iOS, allowing for better communication between Android and Apple devices. Previously, iPhone users who received texts from friends on Android had to deal with blurry videos and images, and couldn't as easily manage group chats when their green-bubbled friends joined. Unlike with iMessage, group chats with Android users couldn't be renamed, nor could people be added or removed, and you couldn't exit when you wanted. Emoji reactions also didn't work properly, leading to annoying texts to let you know how an Android user reacted, instead of just displaying their emoji reaction directly.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1835253/google-says-over-1-billion-rcs-messages-sent-in-the-us-daily?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] USENIX Sunsets Annual Technical Conference After 30 Years
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-13 23:22:01


New submitter Synonymous Homonym writes: This year's USENIX ATC will be the last, but other USENIX conferences will keep happening.Since USENIX's inception in 1975, it has been a key gathering place for innovators in the advanced computing systems community. The early days of meetings evolved into the two annual conferences, the USENIX Summer and Winter Conferences, which in 1995 merged into the single Annual Technical Conference that has continued to evolve and serve thousands of our constituents for 30 years.USENIX recognizes the pivotal role that USENIX ATC has played in the shaping of the Association itself as well as the lives and careers of its many attendees and members. We also realize that change is inevitable, and all good things must come to an end:
The last ATC will include both a celebration of USENIX's 50th anniversary on the evening of Monday, July 7, and a tribute to USENIX ATC on the evening of Tuesday, July 8.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/1839205/usenix-sunsets-annual-technical-conference-after-30-years?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Republicans Try To Cram Decade-Long AI Regulation Ban Into Budget Reconciliation Bill
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 01:22:02


An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: Late last night, House Republicans introduced new language to the Budget Reconciliation bill that will immiserate the lives of millions of Americans by cutting their access to Medicaid, and making life much more difficult for millions more by making them pay higher fees when they seek medical care. While a lot of attention will be justifiably given to these cuts, the bill has also crammed in new language that attempts to entirely stop states from enacting any regulation against artificial intelligence.

"...no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the 10 year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act," says the text of the bill introduced Sunday night by Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The text of the bill will be considered by the House at the budget reconciliation markup on May 13.

That language of the bill, how it goes on to define AI and other "automated systems," and what it considers "regulation," is broad enough to cover relatively new generative AI tools and technology that has existed for much longer. In theory, that language will make it impossible to enforce many existing and proposed state laws that aim to protect people from and inform them about AI systems. [...] In theory none of these states will be able to enforce these laws if Republicans manage to pass the Budget Reconciliation bill with this current language.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://politics.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2033237/republicans-try-to-cram-decade-long-ai-regulation-ban-into-budget-reconciliation-bill?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Вышел Lazarus 4.0
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 01:44:04


5 мая 2025 года состоялся релиз интегрированной среды разработки Lazarus 4.0, предназначенной для разработки софта на языке Pascal с использованием компилятора FreePascal 3.2.2. Lazarus предоставляет возможности, схожие с Borland Delphi.

Основные изменения:

• реализованы встраеваемые панели интерфейса и встраеваемый редактор GUI (ранее окна была отдельными);

• улучшены подсветка кода и его отображение в редакторе;

• улучшена работа отладчика;

• реализована поддержка свежей версии пакета [ Pas2js ]( https://wiki.freepascal.org/pas2js/ru ) , предназначенного для разработки веб-приложения в Lazarus;

• добавлена поиск пиктограмм по ключевым словам с помощью плагина Icon Finder;

• улучшено отображение некоторых компонентов в Cocoa, также добавлен инструмент CocoaConfig для настройки;

• доработаны компоненты TCalendarDialog, TOpenDialog, TShape, TLabeledEdit, TTimeEdit, TColorDialog, TFilenameEdit, TMenu и TMenuItem.

>>> [ Скачать ]( https://download.lazarus-ide.org/ )

https://www.linux.org.ru/news/development/17966709

[>] Nextcloud Cries Foul Over Google Play Store App Rejection
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 02:22:01


Nextcloud has accused Google of sabotaging its Android Files app by revoking the "All files access" permission, which the company says
cripples functionality for its 824,000 users and forces reliance on limited alternatives like SAF and MediaStore. The Register reports: Nextcloud's Android Files app is a file synchronization tool that, according to the company, has long had permission to read and write all file types. "Nextcloud has had this feature since its inception in 2016," it said, "and we never heard about any security concerns from Google about it." That changed in 2024, when someone or something at Google's Play Store decided to revoke the permission, effectively crippling the application. Nextcloud was instructed to use "a more privacy-aware replacement." According to Nextcloud, "SAF cannot be used, as it is for sharing/exposing our files to other apps ... MediaStore API cannot be used as it does not allow access to other files, but only media files."

Attempts to raise the issue with Google resulted in little more than copy-and-pasted sections of the developer guide. "Despite multiple appeals from our side and sharing additional background, Google is not considering reinstating upload for all files," Nextcloud said. The issue seems to stem from the Play Store. While a fully functional version is available on F-Droid, the Play Store edition is subject to Google's imposed limitations. Regarding the All files access permission, Google's developer documentation states: "If you target Android 11 and declare All files access, it can affect your ability to publish and update your app on Google Play."

Nextcloud is clearly aggrieved by the change, as are its users. "This might look like a small technical detail but it is clearly part of a pattern of actions to fight the competition," it said. "What we are experiencing is a piece of the script from the big tech playbook." [...] Are there nefarious actors at play here, an automated process that auto-rejects apps with elevated access requirements, or is it just simple incompetence? "Either way," Nextcloud said, "it results in companies like ours just giving up, reducing functionality just to avoid getting kicked out of their app store."

"The issue is that small companies -- like ours -- have pretty much no recourse," it added. Nextcloud went on to criticize oversight processes as slow-moving, with fines that sound hefty but amount to little more than a slap on the wrist. "Big Tech is scared that small players like Nextcloud will disrupt them, like they once disrupted other companies. So they try to shut the door."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2045258/nextcloud-cries-foul-over-google-play-store-app-rejection?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Google Wants To Make Stolen Android Phones Basically Unsellable
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 02:22:01


Google is enhancing Android's Factory Reset Protection (FRP) to make stolen phones virtually unusable by detecting setup wizard bypasses and requiring a second factory reset until ownership is verified. Android Authority reports: You can factory reset an Android phone in several ways. However, triggering a reset through the Android recovery menu or Google's Find My Device service activates Factory Reset Protection (FRP). During setup after such a reset, the wizard requires you to verify ownership by either signing into the previously associated Google account or entering the device's former lock screen PIN, password, or pattern. Failing this verification step blocks setup completion, rendering the device unusable. [...]

Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a valuable feature that discourages theft by rendering stolen Android phones useless to potential buyers if wiped improperly. However, FRP isn't foolproof; thieves have discovered numerous methods over the years to circumvent it. These bypasses typically involve skipping the setup wizard, allowing someone to use the phone without entering the previous owner's Google account details or screen lock.

During The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google announced plans to "further harden Factory Reset protections, which will restrict all functionalities on devices that are reset without the owner's authorization." While the company didn't elaborate much, a screenshot it shared suggests that Android will likely detect if someone bypasses the setup wizard and then force another factory reset, preventing unauthorized use until the user proves ownership. [...] Google stated this FRP improvement is coming "later this year." Since the stable Android 16 release is coming soon, this timeline suggests the feature won't be part of the initial launch. It might arrive later in one of Android 16's Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), but that remains to be seen.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2056206/google-wants-to-make-stolen-android-phones-basically-unsellable?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Student's Robot Obliterates 4x4 Rubik's Cube World Record
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 03:22:01


An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: A student's robot has beaten the world record for solving a four-by-four Rubik's cube -- by 33 seconds. Matthew Pidden, a 22-year-old University of Bristol student, built and trained the "Revenger" over 15 weeks for his computer science bachelor's degree. The robot solved the cube in 45.305 seconds, obliterating the world record of 1 minute 18 seconds. However, the human record for solving the cube is 15.71 seconds.

Mr Pidden's robot uses dual webcams to scan the cube, a custom mechanism to manipulate the faces, and a fully self-built solving algorithm to generate efficient solutions. The student now plans to study for a master's degree in robotics at Imperial College London.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/213239/students-robot-obliterates-4x4-rubiks-cube-world-record?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Audible Is Giving Publishers AI Tools To Quickly Make More Audiobooks
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 04:22:01


Amazon's Audible is expanding its audiobook offerings by giving select publishers access to its AI-powered production tools that will let them more easily convert books into audiobooks with over 100 customizable AI voices to choose from. It will also launch an AI translation tool in beta later this year to help publishers translate and localize audiobooks into multiple languages, with both automated and human-assisted options. The Verge reports: Audible says its new AI narration technology leverages Amazon's advanced AI capabilities and will be made available to interested publishing partners in the coming months in one of two ways. For publishers wanting to be hands-off, an end-to-end service managed by Audible handles the "entire audiobook production process" right up to publication, while a self-service option will give publishers access to the same tools so they can independently direct the entire production process.

With both options, publishers are able to "choose from a quickly growing and improving selection of more than 100 AI-generated voices across English, Spanish, French, and Italian with multiple accent and dialect options, and will be able to access voice upgrades for their titles as our technology evolves," according to Amazon. [...] Publishers will also be able to review translations themselves or opt for a human review through Audible with a professional linguist.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/228206/audible-is-giving-publishers-ai-tools-to-quickly-make-more-audiobooks?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Meta Threatens To Pull Facebook And Instagram Out Of Nigeria Over $290 Million Fine
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 04:22:01


According to Rest of the World, a major confrontation between Meta and the local authorities in Nigeria is currently taking place: "Local authorities have fined Meta $290 million for regulatory breaches, prompting the social media giant to threaten pulling Facebook and Instagram from the country." Techdirt reports: As with earlier EU fines imposed on the company, the sticking point is Meta's refusal to comply with local privacy laws [...]. The fine itself is small change for Meta, which had a net income of $62 billion on a turnover of $165 billion in 2024, and a market capitalization of $1.5 trillion. Meta's current revenues in Nigeria are relatively small, but its market shares are high: "According to social media performance tracker Napoleoncat, Meta has a massive presence in the country, with Facebook alone reaching about 51.2 million users as of May 2024, more than a fifth of the population. Instagram had 12.6 million Nigerian users as of November 2023, while WhatsApp had about 51 million users, making Nigeria the 10th largest market globally for the messaging app."

Since many Nigerians depend on Meta's platforms, the company might be hoping that there will be public pressure on the government not to impose the fine in order to avoid a shutdown of its services there. But it is hard to see Meta carrying out its threat to walk away from a country expected to be the third most populous nation in the world by 2050. In 2100, the population of Nigeria could reach 541 million according to current projections.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2226214/meta-threatens-to-pull-facebook-and-instagram-out-of-nigeria-over-290-million-fine?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] 'Qatar's $400 Million Jet For Trump Is a Gold-Plated Security Nightmare'
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 05:22:01


Qatar is gifting Trump a $400 million luxury 747 to serve as a temporary Air Force One, but experts warn that retrofitting it to meet presidential security standards could take years, cost hundreds of millions more, and risk national security due to potential embedded surveillance. The Register's Iain Thomson reports: The current VC-25s aren't just repainted 747s. They're a pair of flying fortresses that must be capable of allowing the president to run the country, survive wartime conditions (even nuclear), and be totally secure from outside influence or intrusion. While the precise details of the current airframe are a tightly guarded secret, some details are included on government fact sheets or have been revealed in various media reports. For a start, it must have an in-flight refueling capability so the president can go anywhere in the world and stay up as long as needed. Retrofitting this to an existing 747 would be very expensive, as the feds would need to strengthen portions of the hull to handle the refueling system and reconfigure the fuel tanks to handle trim issues.

Then there's the hull, which is known to be armored, and the windows are also thicker than you'd find on a normal flight. The government would also need to build in weapons systems like the chaff rockets used against radar-guided missiles, flares against heat seekers, and AN/ALQ-204 Matador Infrared Countermeasure systems, or similar to try and confuse incoming missiles. Next up, the engines and electrical systems would have to be replaced. The electronics in the current VC-25s are hardened as much as possible against an electromagnetic pulse that would be generated by a nuclear detonation. There are also claims that the aircraft have extra shielding in the engines to help against missile fragments should a physical attack happen.

Next up are communications. Air Force One has air-to-ground, air-to-air, and satellite comms systems that are thought to be the equal of what's in the White House. There are at least two separate internal phone systems - one open and the other highly secure - that would need to be installed and checked as well. Then there are incidentals. Contrary to what films will tell you, there is no escape capsule on the current Air Force One, nor a rear parachute ramp, but there is a medical suite with emergency equipment and space for a physician which would already need to be installed, as well as a secured cargo area designed to prevent tampering or unauthorized access. As for the threat of embedded surveillance devices, Richard Aboulafia, managing director of aircraft consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, said: "You'd have to take it apart piece by piece to stop a professional operator putting in lots of equipment to confuse things, like spare sensors and wiring."

"It wouldn't be in the air before 2030 at the earliest, long after he's left office and probably later than the existing planned replacements," said Aboulafia. "It makes no sense on any level, except that he wants a free 747 for himself. Nothing else makes any sense."

"What's sort of annoying about the whole thing is I'm not sure what's wrong with the current Air Force One," Aboulafia said. "Maybe if they gave it a gold makeover, he'd like it more."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2234225/qatars-400-million-jet-for-trump-is-a-gold-plated-security-nightmare?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Google Tests AI Search on Its Homepage
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 06:22:01


Google's stalwart search button has a new neighbor: AI Mode. From a report: The artificial intelligence feature is being tested directly beneath the Google search bar beside a "Google Search" button, replacing the "I'm Feeling Lucky" widget. The new feature, though not widely available yet, is being tested in a location where Google rarely makes changes.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2342248/google-tests-ai-search-on-its-homepage?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] FCC Threatens EchoStar Licenses For Spectrum That's 'Ripe For Sharing'
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 08:22:01


An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has threatened to revoke EchoStar licenses for radio frequency bands coveted by rival firms including SpaceX, which alleges that EchoStar is underutilizing the spectrum. "I have directed agency staff to begin a review of EchoStar's compliance with its federal obligations to provide 5G service throughout the United States per the terms of its federal spectrum licenses," Carr wrote in a May 9 letter to EchoStar Chairman Charles Ergen. EchoStar and its affiliates "hold a large number of FCC spectrum licenses that cover a significant amount of spectrum," the letter said.

Ergen defended his company's wireless deployment but informed investors that EchoStar "cannot predict with any degree of certainty the outcome" of the FCC proceedings. The letter from Carr and Ergen's statement is included in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing submitted by EchoStar today. EchoStar's stock price was down about 8 percent in trading today. EchoStar bought Dish Network in December 2023 and offers wireless service under the Boost Mobile brand. As The Wall Street Journal notes, the firm "has spent years wiring thousands of cellphone towers to help Boost become a wireless operator that could rival AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, but the project has been slow-going. Boost's subscriber base has shrunk in the five years since Ergen bought the brand from Sprint." [...]

EchoStar will have to prove its case in the two FCC proceedings. The FCC set a May 27 deadline for the first round of comments in both proceedings and a June 6 deadline for reply comments. The proceedings could result in the FCC letting other companies use the spectrum and other remedies. "In particular, we seek information on whether EchoStar is utilizing the 2 GHz band for MSS consistent with the terms of its authorizations and the Commission's rules and policies governing the expectation of robust MSS," the FCC Space Bureau's call for comments said. "We also seek comment on steps the Commission might take to make more intensive use of the 2 GHz band, including but not limited to allowing new MSS entrants in the band." Last month, SpaceX urged the FCC to reallocate the spectrum, saying "the 2 GHz band remains ripe for sharing among next-generation satellite systems that seek to finally make productive use of the spectrum for consumers and first responders."

EchoStar countered that SpaceX's filing is "intended to cloak another land grab for even more free spectrum," and that its "methodology is completely nonsensical, given that EchoStar's terrestrial deployment is subject to population-based milestones that EchoStar has repeatedly demonstrated in status reports."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/25/05/13/2247256/fcc-threatens-echostar-licenses-for-spectrum-thats-ripe-for-sharing?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Oracle опубликовал новую бесплатную редакцию Solaris 11.4 CBE
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 10:44:03


Компания Oracle представила Solaris 11.4.81 CBE (Common Build Environment), вариант операционной системы Solaris 11.4, нацеленный на использование разработчиками открытого ПО и применение в персональных целях. CBE упрощает доступ к актуальным версиям программ и обновлениям для тех, кто желает использовать Solaris бесплатно. Это второй выпуск серии CBE - первый был опубликован в 2022 году. В отличие от основных сборок Solaris 11.4, лицензия на которые допускает бесплатное использование для тестирования, разработки и применения в персональных проектах, редакция CBE отличается задействованием непрерывной модели публикации новых версий и близка к редакции Solaris 11.4 SRU (Support Repository Update).

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=63233

[>] A Ripe Target For Identity Thieves: Prisoners on Death Row
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 10:22:01


Identity thieves have found an insidious target: death row inmates. A SentiLink report published this week reveals scammers are stealing identities of Texas prisoners awaiting execution to orchestrate "bust-out" fraud schemes -- patiently building credit before disappearing with up to $100,000.

Nearly 10% of Texas' 172 death row inmates have fallen victim. The operation, active since March 2023, exploits inmates' isolation from financial communications. "They wouldn't receive text or email alerts from a financial institution," said Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Beyond opening credit accounts, NBC reports, fraudsters have registered fake businesses using inmates' identities, including a landscaping company created under Ronald Haskell's name -- a man imprisoned since 2014 for killing six people. TransUnion estimates bust-out scams now cost banks $1 billion annually.

[ Read more of this story ]( https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/05/14/001249/a-ripe-target-for-identity-thieves-prisoners-on-death-row?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] GM Says New Battery Chemistry Will Enable 400-Mile Range EVs
bot.slashdot
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 11:22:01


General Motors is partnering with LG to develop lithium manganese-rich (LMR) batteries, which are safer, denser, and cheaper than current EV battery tech. The automaker aims to begin U.S. production by 2028 and become the first to deploy LMR cells in electric vehicles. Ford also announced it would start adopting LMR batteries for its EVs, but not until 2030. The Verge reports: GM's current crop of electric Chevys and Cadillacs use high-nickel batteries, which supply enough energy for around 300-320 miles of range. The new LMR batteries are denser, with greater space efficiency due to their prismatic shape, enabling up to 400 miles of range, GM says. Prismatic cells are packed flat in rigid cases and are generally thought to be less complex to manufacture than cylindrical cells. Less complexity and cheaper materials will hopefully lead to lower-cost EVs, which has been a significant challenge for the auto industry's shift to electric vehicles. "The EV growth rate is really dependent on how quickly we can bring the costs down over time," says GM's VP for batteries Kurt Kelty. "And this is the biggest lever we have. Batteries make up roughly 30 to 40 percent of the cost of vehicles. And if you can drop that down significantly like we're doing here, then it ends up being a lower cost to the consumer."

[ Read more of this story ]( https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/05/14/0056248/gm-says-new-battery-chemistry-will-enable-400-mile-range-evs?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.

[>] Выпуск дистрибутива Альт Рабочая станция К 11.0
lor.opennet
robot(spnet, 1) — All
2025-05-14 11:44:03


Доступно обновление дистрибутива Linux «Альт Рабочая станция К 11.0», предлагающего среду рабочего стола KDE и ориентированного для работы в офисе и дома. Сборка подготовлена для архитектуры x86_64 и построена на 11 платформе ALT. Для загрузки сформированы установочный iso-образ (8 ГБ) и отдельная Live-сборка (5 ГБ).

https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=63232

Pages: 1 ... 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 ... 143