The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

One Step method turns PVC plastic into fuel with 95% efficiency at room temperature

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]One-step conversion and outputs At the end of the process, the products include the main components of petrol (gasoline), chemical raw materials, and hydrochloric acid. The scientists say that means the output could feed into water treatment, metal processing, pharmaceuticals, food production, and the petroleum industry. As the authors put it, “The method supports a Read more about One Step method turns PVC plastic into fuel with 95% efficiency at room temperature[…]

The Threat Of Extreme Statutory Damages For Copyright Almost Certainly Made Anthropic Settle With Authors: Not the Use of Books for training, but the idiots used pirated books for training

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In what may be the least surprising news in the world of copyright and the internet, Anthropic just agreed to settle the copyright lawsuit that everyone’s been watching, but not for the reasons most people think. This isn’t about AI training being found to infringe copyright—in fact, Anthropic won on that issue. Instead, it’s about Read more about The Threat Of Extreme Statutory Damages For Copyright Almost Certainly Made Anthropic Settle With Authors: Not the Use of Books for training, but the idiots used pirated books for training[…]

Developer Unlocks Suddenly Paywalled Echelon Exercise Bikes But Thinks DMCA says He Can’t Legally Release His Software

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An app developer has jailbroken Echelon exercise bikes to restore functionality that the company put behind a paywall last month, but copyright laws prevent him from being allowed to legally release it. Last month, Peloton competitor Echelon pushed a firmware update to its exercise equipment that forces its machines to connect to the company’s servers Read more about Developer Unlocks Suddenly Paywalled Echelon Exercise Bikes But Thinks DMCA says He Can’t Legally Release His Software[…]

German banks block EUR 10B in ‘unauthorized’ PayPal direct debits

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Shoppers and merchants in Germany found themselves dealing with billions of euros in frozen transactions this week, thanks to an apparent failure in PayPal’s fraud-detection systems. According to the Association of German Banks, the problem hit on Monday when banks noticed a slew of recent unauthorized direct debits from PayPal. The body said the banks Read more about German banks block EUR 10B in ‘unauthorized’ PayPal direct debits[…]

Better than greenwashing, sustainability reporting boosts financials

Posted on by Robin Edgar

As environmental responsibility and social ethics become increasingly important, a question might arise in the boardroom: does the company’s sustainability efforts materially affect the financial information on which investors rely? Research in the International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets sets about answering that question. It does so by examining data from European firms over Read more about Better than greenwashing, sustainability reporting boosts financials[…]

Rats walk again after spinal cord repair with 3D printing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] a groundbreaking process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues for spinal cord injury recovery. […] A major challenge is the death of nerve cells and the inability for nerve fibers to regrow across the injury site. This new research tackles this problem head-on. The method involves creating a unique 3D-printed Read more about Rats walk again after spinal cord repair with 3D printing[…]

Scientists discover a new magnet that bends light

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have uncovered the magnetic properties and underlying mechanisms of a novel magnet using advanced optical techniques. Their study focused on an organic crystal believed to be a promising candidate for an “altermagnet”- a recently proposed third class of magnetic materials. Unlike conventional ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, altermagnets exhibit unique magnetic behavior. Details of their breakthrough Read more about Scientists discover a new magnet that bends light[…]

State Dept. Guts Human Rights Reporting, Removing Anything The Administration Doesn’t Think Violates Human Rights

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] go ahead and read a few of the reports generated by Marco Rubio/Donald Trump’s State Department and compare them to literally any of those published before Trump’s second term began. […] But if you really want to see how this administration is rewriting its world view to serve its own ends, you need to Read more about State Dept. Guts Human Rights Reporting, Removing Anything The Administration Doesn’t Think Violates Human Rights[…]

Google wants to verify all developers’ identities, including those not on the play store in massive data grab

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google will soon verify the identities of developers who distribute Android apps outside the Play Store. Developers must submit their information to a new Android Developer Console, increasing their accountability for their apps. Rolling out in phases from September 2026, these new verification requirements are aimed at protecting users from malware by making it harder Read more about Google wants to verify all developers’ identities, including those not on the play store in massive data grab[…]

Farmers Insurance data breach impacts 1.1M people after Salesforce attack

Posted on by Robin Edgar

U.S. insurance giant Farmers Insurance has disclosed a data breach impacting 1.1 million customers, with BleepingComputer learning that the data was stolen in the widespread Salesforce attacks. Farmers Insurance is a U.S.-based insurer that provides auto, home, life, and business insurance products. It operates through a network of agents and subsidiaries, serving more than 10 Read more about Farmers Insurance data breach impacts 1.1M people after Salesforce attack[…]

Trump admin strips ocean and air pollution monitoring from next-gen weather satellites

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is narrowing the capabilities and reducing the number of next-generation weather and climate satellites it plans to build and launch in the coming decades, two people familiar with the plans told CNN. This move — which comes as hurricane season ramps up with Erin lashing the East Coast — Read more about Trump admin strips ocean and air pollution monitoring from next-gen weather satellites[…]

4chan will refuse to pay daily UK fines, its lawyer tells BBC

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A lawyer representing the online message board 4chan says it won’t pay a proposed fine by the UK’s media regulator as it enforces the Online Safety Act. According to Preston Byrne, managing partner of law firm Byrne & Storm, Ofcom has provisionally decided to impose a £20,000 fine “with daily penalties thereafter” for as long Read more about 4chan will refuse to pay daily UK fines, its lawyer tells BBC[…]

YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’ changing your videos without you knowing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Something strange has been happening on YouTube over the past few weeks. After being uploaded, some videos have been subtly augmented, their appearance changing without their creators doing anything. Viewers have noticed “extra punchy shadows,” “weirdly sharp edges,” and a smoothed-out look to footage that makes it look “like plastic.” Many people have come to Read more about YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’ changing your videos without you knowing[…]

Study finds sea-level projections from the 1990s were spot on

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Global sea-level change has now been measured by satellites for more than 30 years, and a comparison with climate projections from the mid-1990s shows that they were remarkably accurate, according to two Tulane University researchers whose findings appear in Earth’s Future, an open-access journal published by the American Geophysical Union. “The ultimate test of climate Read more about Study finds sea-level projections from the 1990s were spot on[…]

A universal rhythm guides how we speak: Global analysis reveals 1.6-second ‘intonation units’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Have you ever noticed that a natural conversation flows like a dance—pauses, emphases, and turns arriving just in time? A new study has discovered that this isn’t just intuition; there is a biological rhythm embedded in our speech. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. According to the Read more about A universal rhythm guides how we speak: Global analysis reveals 1.6-second ‘intonation units’[…]

Uni of Melbourne used Wi-Fi location data to ID protestors

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Australia’s University of Melbourne last year used Wi-Fi location data to identify student protestors. The University used Wi-Fi to identify students who participated in July 2024 sit-in protest. As described in a report [PDF] into the matter by the state of Victoria’s Office of the Information Commissioner, the University directed protestors to leave the building Read more about Uni of Melbourne used Wi-Fi location data to ID protestors[…]

Privacy‑Preserving Age Verification Falls Apart On Contact With Reality

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Identity‑proofing creates a privacy bottleneck. Somewhere, an identity provider must verify you. Even if it later mints an unlinkable token, that provider is the weak link—and in regulated systems it will not be allowed to “just delete” your information. As Bellovin puts it: Regulation implies the ability for governments to audit the regulated entities’ Read more about Privacy‑Preserving Age Verification Falls Apart On Contact With Reality[…]

Proton releases Lumo GPT 1.1:  faster, more advanced, European and actually private

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Today we’re releasing a powerful update to Lumo that gives you a more capable privacy-first AI assistant offering faster, more thorough answers with improved awareness of recent events. Guided by feedback from our community, we’ve been busy upgrading our models and adding GPUs, which we’ll continue to do thanks to the support of our Lumo Read more about Proton releases Lumo GPT 1.1:  faster, more advanced, European and actually private[…]

Physicist simulates turning nuclear waste into fusion fuel

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The American Chemical Society on Monday shared preliminary findings from Los Alamos physicist Terence Tarnowsky, who has uncovered evidence – albeit from simulations – that the waste from traditional nuclear reactors could be further refined into tritium, turning more than 90,000 metric tons of useless and deadly garbage into a valuable resource. And by Read more about Physicist simulates turning nuclear waste into fusion fuel[…]

US spy chief Gabbard says UK agreed to drop ‘backdoor’ mandate for Apple

Posted on by Robin Edgar

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday the UK had agreed to drop its mandate for iPhone maker Apple to provide a “backdoor” that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens. Gabbard issued the statement on X saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with Read more about US spy chief Gabbard says UK agreed to drop ‘backdoor’ mandate for Apple[…]

Forget LASIK: Safer, cheaper vision correction could be coming soon

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In the body, the shapes of many collagen-containing tissues, including corneas, are held in place by attractions of oppositely charged components. These tissues contain a lot of water, so applying an electric potential to them lowers the tissue’s pH, making it more acidic. By altering the pH, the rigid attractions within the tissue are Read more about Forget LASIK: Safer, cheaper vision correction could be coming soon[…]

A new mRNA cancer vaccine just wiped out tumors in mice

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to “wake up” the immune system against cancer. Published recently in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the University of Florida study showed that like a one-two punch, pairing the test vaccine Read more about A new mRNA cancer vaccine just wiped out tumors in mice[…]

Boffins release 5G traffic sniffing tool

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“Sni5Gect [is] a framework that sniffs messages from pre-authentication 5G communication in real-time,” the researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design explained of their work, presented this week at the 34th USENIX security bash, “and injects targeted attack payload in downlink communication towards the UE [User Equipment, i.e. a phone].” Designed to take Read more about Boffins release 5G traffic sniffing tool[…]

Gamblers Now Bet on AI Models Like Racehorses

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Now that AI developers are getting paid like pro athletes, it’s fitting that fans are placing big bets on how well they’re doing their jobs. On Kalshi, Polymarket and other sites where people wager “predictions” on real-world events, gamblers lay down millions each month on their picks for AI’s top model. The AI arms race Read more about Gamblers Now Bet on AI Models Like Racehorses[…]