Month: February 2023

Reaserchers propose Organoid intelligence (OI): the new frontier in biocomputing and intelligence-in-a-dish

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Human brains are slower than machines at processing simple information, such as arithmetic, but they far surpass machines in processing complex information as brains deal better with few and/or uncertain data. Brains can perform both sequential and parallel processing (whereas computers can do only the former), and they outperform computers in decision-making on large, Read more about Reaserchers propose Organoid intelligence (OI): the new frontier in biocomputing and intelligence-in-a-dish[…]

ChatGPT allowed in International Baccalaureate essays

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Schoolchildren are allowed to quote from content created by ChatGPT in their essays, the International Baccalaureate has said. The IB, which offers an alternative qualification to A-Levels and Highers, said students can use the chatbot but must be clear when they are quoting its responses. […] Matt Glanville, the IB’s head of assessment principles and Read more about ChatGPT allowed in International Baccalaureate essays[…]

Dow said it was recycling Singaporean shoes. Reuters found them in Indonesia

Posted on by Robin Edgar

At a rundown market on the Indonesian island of Batam, a small location tracker was beeping from the back of a crumbling second-hand shoe store. A Reuters reporter followed the high-pitched ping to a mound of old sneakers and began digging through the pile. There they were: a pair of blue Nike running shoes with Read more about Dow said it was recycling Singaporean shoes. Reuters found them in Indonesia[…]

Does the Earth’s core have an innermost core?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Geology textbooks almost inevitably include a cutaway diagram of the Earth showing four neatly delineated layers: a thin outer shell of rock that we live on known as the crust; the mantle, where rocks flow like an extremely viscous liquid, driving the movement of continents and the lifting of mountains; a liquid outer core of Read more about Does the Earth’s core have an innermost core?[…]

Sneaky Clock Displays Wrong Time If It Catches You Looking at it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We have a soft spot for devices that subvert purpose and expectation, and that definitely sums up [Guy Dupont]’s Clock That Is Wrong. It knows the correct time, but whether or not it displays the correct time is another story. That’s because nestled just above the 7-segment display is a person sensor module, and when Read more about Sneaky Clock Displays Wrong Time If It Catches You Looking at it[…]

Stanford Faculty Say Anonymous Student Bias Reports Threaten Free Speech – who’d have thought that anonymous tipping off leads to abuse?!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“A group of Stanford University professors is pushing to end a system that allows students to anonymously report classmates for exhibiting discrimination or bias, saying it threatens free speech on campus (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source),” reports the Wall Street Journal. The Daily Beast reports: Last month, a screenshot of a student reading Hitler’s manifesto Read more about Stanford Faculty Say Anonymous Student Bias Reports Threaten Free Speech – who’d have thought that anonymous tipping off leads to abuse?![…]

Signal says it will shut down in UK over Online Safety Bill, which wants to install spyware on all your devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The Online Safety Bill contemplates bypassing encryption using device-side scanning to protect children from harmful material, and coincidentally breaking the security of end-to-end encryption at the same time. It’s currently being considered in Parliament and has been the subject of controversy for months. [ something something saving children – that’s always a bad sign Read more about Signal says it will shut down in UK over Online Safety Bill, which wants to install spyware on all your devices[…]

Africa’s internet registry could fail, warns head of ARIN – dodgy fellah scheming involved

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) has no board, no CEO, has sometimes been close to not being able to pay its staff, could fail, and other regional internet registries have therefore expressed interest in funding its ongoing activities, according to John Curran, president and CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN). Curran Read more about Africa’s internet registry could fail, warns head of ARIN – dodgy fellah scheming involved[…]

Microsoft feels free to edit websites you browse: begs people to stick to Edge on Chrome download page

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft Edge has been spotted inserting a banner into the Chrome download page on Google.com begging people to stick with the Windows giant’s browser. As noted this week by Neowin, an attempt to download and install Chrome Canary using Edge Canary – both experimental browser builds – led to the presentation in the Edge browser Read more about Microsoft feels free to edit websites you browse: begs people to stick to Edge on Chrome download page[…]

Google’s Play Store Privacy Labels Are a ‘Total Failure:’ Study

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] “There are two main problems here,” Mozilla’s Caltrider said. “The first problem is Google only requires the information in labels to be self-reported. So, fingers crossed, because it’s the honor system, and it turns out that most labels seem to be misleading.” Google promises to make apps fix problems it finds in the labels, Read more about Google’s Play Store Privacy Labels Are a ‘Total Failure:’ Study[…]

AI-created images lose U.S. copyrights in test for new technology

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Images in a graphic novel that were created using the artificial-intelligence system Midjourney should not have been granted copyright protection, the U.S. Copyright Office said in a letter seen by Reuters. “Zarya of the Dawn” author Kris Kashtanova is entitled to a copyright for the parts of the book Kashtanova wrote and arranged, but not Read more about AI-created images lose U.S. copyrights in test for new technology[…]

DNA Diagnostics Center DCC Forgot About 2.1m Clients’ Data, Leaked It

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A prominent DNA testing firm has settled a pair of lawsuits with the attorney generals of Pennsylvania and Ohio after a 2021 episode that saw cybercriminals steal data on 2.1 million people, including the social security numbers of 45,000 customers from both states. As a result of the lawsuits, the company in question, DNA Diagnostics Center Read more about DNA Diagnostics Center DCC Forgot About 2.1m Clients’ Data, Leaked It[…]

Bruce Campbell Announces “Bruce-O-Rama” 22-City Tour – US only :'(

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Bruce Campbell may not be appearing in Evil Dead Rise (though the once and forever Ash Williams is producing the movie, which hits theaters in April), but the much-loved horror icon is still finding a way to interact with the masses this spring: “Bruce-O-Rama,” an evening of entertainment hitting up 22 cities nationwide. A favorite Read more about Bruce Campbell Announces “Bruce-O-Rama” 22-City Tour – US only :'([…]

Four-day week: ‘major breakthrough’ as most UK firms in trial extend changes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The vast majority of companies taking part in the world’s largest trial of a four-day week have opted to continue with the new working pattern, in a result hailed as evidence that it could work across the UK economy. Of the 61 companies that entered the six-month trial, 56 have extended the four-day week, including Read more about Four-day week: ‘major breakthrough’ as most UK firms in trial extend changes[…]

3 motion points allow you to be identified within seconds in VR

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[..] In a paper provided to The Register in advance of its publication on ArXiv, academics Vivek Nair, Wenbo Guo, Justus Mattern, Rui Wang, James O’Brien, Louis Rosenberg, and Dawn Song set out to test the extent to which individuals in VR environments can be identified by body movement data. The boffins gathered telemetry data Read more about 3 motion points allow you to be identified within seconds in VR[…]

Google’s wants Go reporting telemetry data by default

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Russ Cox, a Google software engineer steering the development of the open source Go programming language, has presented a possible plan to implement telemetry in the Go toolchain. However many in the Go community object because the plan calls for telemetry by default. These alarmed developers would prefer an opt-in rather than an opt-out regime, Read more about Google’s wants Go reporting telemetry data by default[…]

Windows 11 Sends Tremendous Amount of User Data to Third Parties – pretty much spyware for loads of people!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Many programs collect user data and send it back to their developers to improve software or provide more targeted services. But according to the PC Security Channel (via Neowin (opens in new tab)) Microsoft’s Windows 11 sends data not only to the Redmond, Washington-based software giant, but also to multiple third parties. To analyze DNS traffic generated by Read more about Windows 11 Sends Tremendous Amount of User Data to Third Parties – pretty much spyware for loads of people![…]

Amazon Is Pocketing Half of Retailers’ Sales

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Merchants on Amazon Marketplace are paying the company a commission fee of more than 50% of each sale. A new report by Marketplace Pulse revealed Amazon raised the total cost sellers are required to pay out toward storage fees at company warehouses, packaging and delivery, and advertising on the site. The commission fee has gradually Read more about Amazon Is Pocketing Half of Retailers’ Sales[…]

Core-js maintainer complains open source is broken

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Denis Pushkarev, maintainer of the core-js library used by millions of websites, says he’s ready to give up open source development because so few people pay for the software upon which they depend. “Free open source software is fundamentally broken,” he wrote in a note on the core-js repository. “I could stop working on this Read more about Core-js maintainer complains open source is broken[…]

Jeremy Clarkson Meghan Markle Column to be Investigated by Regulator after tweeting self righteous idiots decide to cancel him

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The U.K. press watchdog has launched an investigation into a British tabloid column by former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson that attracted around 25,100 complaints. On Thursday, the Independent Press Standards Organization confirmed it will probe the Dec. 17, 2022 article in The Sun where Clarkson wrote that Prince Harry was being “controlled” by Meghan Markle, and Read more about Jeremy Clarkson Meghan Markle Column to be Investigated by Regulator after tweeting self righteous idiots decide to cancel him[…]

Wind Turbine Giant Develops Solution To Keep Blades Out of Landfills

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Vestas, the world’s largest producer of wind turbines, says it has developed a chemical solution that allows the blades — made with durable epoxy resin — to be broken down and recycled. Bloomberg reports: “This signals a new era for the wind industry,” Vestas said in a statement. If it’s implemented at scale, the technology Read more about Wind Turbine Giant Develops Solution To Keep Blades Out of Landfills[…]

It Took Months For Anker To Finally Admit Its Eufy Cameras Weren’t Really Secure

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last November, The Verge discovered that Anker, the maker of popular USB chargers and the Eufy line of “smart” cameras, had a bit of a security issue. Despite the fact the company advertised its Eufy cameras as having “end-to-end” military-grade encryption, security researcher Paul Moore and a hacker named Wasabi found it was pretty easy to intercept Read more about It Took Months For Anker To Finally Admit Its Eufy Cameras Weren’t Really Secure[…]

Chinese balloon part of worldwide fleet, US officials say

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US believes a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down over its territory is part of a wider fleet that has spanned five continents. “The United States was not the only target of this broader programme,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. […] Citing unnamed officials, the Washington Post reported that the US Read more about Chinese balloon part of worldwide fleet, US officials say[…]