The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Charter airline helping Trump’s deportation campaign pwned

Posted on by Robin Edgar

GlobalX, a charter airline used for deportations by the US government, has admitted someone broke into its network infrastructure. “On May 5, 2025, Global Crossing Airlines Group learned of unauthorized activity within its computer networks and systems supporting portions of its business applications, which the company determined to be the result of a cybersecurity incident,” Read more about Charter airline helping Trump’s deportation campaign pwned[…]

Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] That pod on the roof of Volvo’s new electric SUV is essentially just shooting out a bunch of high-powered infrared beams, determining the distance of the vehicle’s surroundings by measuring the time taken for reflected light to return to the sensor. If you point your phone’s camera directly at those beams, you’ll observe some Read more about Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera[…]

Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.” The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the search giant in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was “unlawfully tracking Read more about Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission[…]

Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]“People definitely noticed that they were able to get out onto the lake less,” said Liu, who’s now a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. “However, they didn’t necessarily connect this trend to climate change.” When the university’s alumni magazine featured her research in the winter of 2021, the comment section was filled with wistful Read more about Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data[…]

US senator introduces bill calling for location-tracking on AI chips to limit China access

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A U.S. senator introduced a bill on Friday that would direct the Commerce Department to require location verification mechanisms for export-controlled AI chips, in an effort to curb China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. Called the “Chip Security Act,” the bill calls for AI chips under export regulations, and products containing those chips, to be Read more about US senator introduces bill calling for location-tracking on AI chips to limit China access[…]

EU prepares to give new rights to live streaming sites, to the detriment of the Internet and its users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

At the heart of Walled Culture the book (free digital versions available) lies the dispiriting saga of how the EU Copyright Directive came into being. It began in early 2013 with the usual “stakeholder dialogue”, in which the European Commission sought the views of the various constituencies affected. It generated an unprecedentedly large response that Read more about EU prepares to give new rights to live streaming sites, to the detriment of the Internet and its users[…]

ispace’s RESILIENCE Enters Lunar Orbit. It’ll Try to Land in Early June

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Headquartered in Japan, the commercial space company ispace is dedicated to creating robotic spacecraft and other technology to support the discovery, mapping, and harvesting of natural resources on the Moon. One of the main tools in their arsenal is the RESILIENCE lander, a small, lightweight uncrewed spacecraft designed for low-cost, high-frequency transportation of instruments and Read more about ispace’s RESILIENCE Enters Lunar Orbit. It’ll Try to Land in Early June[…]

cientists Identify New Mutation That Enables Three-Hour Sleepers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have discovered a mutation in the SIK3 gene that enables some people to function normally on just three to six hours of sleep. The finding, published this week in PNAS, adds to a growing list of genetic variants linked to naturally short sleepers. When University of California, San Francisco scientists introduced the mutation to Read more about cientists Identify New Mutation That Enables Three-Hour Sleepers[…]

VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Broadcom has been sending cease-and-desist letters to owners of VMware perpetual licenses with expired support contracts, Ars Technica has confirmed. Following its November 2023 acquisition of VMware, Broadcom ended VMware perpetual license sales. Users with perpetual licenses can still use the software they bought, but they are unable to renew support services unless they had Read more about VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom[…]

Hackers Manage To Take Control of Nissan Leaf’s Steering Remotely

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Connected cars are great, as they let you communicate with other systems and devices via the internet, but connectivity opens the door to hacking. As it turns out, hacking a Nissan Leaf isn’t nearly as difficult as it might sound if you’ve got the right tools and the right knowledge. Researchers from Budapest-based PCAutomotive traveled Read more about Hackers Manage To Take Control of Nissan Leaf’s Steering Remotely[…]

Contemplating art’s beauty found to boost abstract and ‘big picture’ thinking

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives. Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty Read more about Contemplating art’s beauty found to boost abstract and ‘big picture’ thinking[…]

Apple Hit with Class-Action Lawsuit for App Store Injunction Violation after Judge rules apple execs lied and willfully ignored injunction – join here

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]The new lawsuit was filed May 2, 2025, following news that a federal judge found the tech giant in contempt of court for violating a 2021 antitrust injunction which required Apple to permit its app developers to sell subscriptions and other in-app products directly to their customers using links within their apps. Without the injunction Read more about Apple Hit with Class-Action Lawsuit for App Store Injunction Violation after Judge rules apple execs lied and willfully ignored injunction – join here[…]

Minecraft ended virtual reality support – no reason given why

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Minecraft is no longer (officially) available on virtual and mixed reality platforms. The change was confirmed in today’s patch notes for the game’s Bedrock edition following an announcement from developer Mojang in October. Those fall patch notes suggested that the platforms would be removed in March, so players who favored VR wound up getting a Read more about Minecraft ended virtual reality support – no reason given why[…]

Scientists rewrite 100 year old textbooks on how cells divide

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists from The University of Manchester have changed our understanding of how cells in living organisms divide, which could revise what students are taught at school. In a Wellcome funded study published today (01/05/25) in Science – one of the world’s leading scientific journals – the researchers challenge conventional wisdom taught in schools for over Read more about Scientists rewrite 100 year old textbooks on how cells divide[…]

Judge: Apple Lied In Fortnite Case, chose to not comply with court order, must immediately allow external payments without a cut

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Epic Games v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has ruled that, effective immediately, Apple can no longer take a cut from purchases made outside apps and has blocked the tech giant from restricting how developers can point people to third-party payment options. The judge was also not happy that Apple has seemingly not complied with Read more about Judge: Apple Lied In Fortnite Case, chose to not comply with court order, must immediately allow external payments without a cut[…]

Huge molecular cloud 10x the size of moon detected right next to earth

Posted on by Robin Edgar

 A longstanding prediction in interstellar theory posits that significant quantities of molecular gas, crucial for star formation, may be undetected due to being ’dark’ in commonly used molecular gas tracers, such as carbon monoxide. We report the discovery of Eos, a dark molecular cloud located just 94 pc from the Sun.This cloud is identified using H2 Read more about Huge molecular cloud 10x the size of moon detected right next to earth[…]

Messaging App Used by Mike Waltz, Trump Deportation Airline GlobalX Both Hacked in Separate Breaches

Posted on by Robin Edgar

TeleMessage, a communications app used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz, has suspended services after a reported hack exposed some user messages. The breach follows controversy over Waltz’s use of the app to coordinate military updates, including accidentally adding a journalist to a sensitive Signal group chat. From the report: In an email, Read more about Messaging App Used by Mike Waltz, Trump Deportation Airline GlobalX Both Hacked in Separate Breaches[…]

Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A security lapse at dating app Raw publicly exposed the personal data and private location data of its users, TechCrunch has found. The exposed data included users’ display names, dates of birth, dating and sexual preferences associated with the Raw app, as well as users’ locations. Some of the location data included coordinates that were Read more about Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information[…]

The UN Ditches Google for Form Submissions, Opts for Open Source ‘CryptPad’ Instead

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Did you know there’s an initiative to drive Open Source adoption both within the United Nations — and globally? Launched in March, it’s the work of the Digital Technology Network (under the UN’s chief executive board) which “works to advance open source technologies throughout UN agencies,” promoting “collaboration and scalable solutions to support the UN’s Read more about The UN Ditches Google for Form Submissions, Opts for Open Source ‘CryptPad’ Instead[…]

Army Will Seek Right to Repair Clauses in All Its Contracts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is calling on defense contractors to grant the Army the right-to-repair. The Wednesday memo is a document about “Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform” that is largely vague but highlights the very real problems with IP constraints that have made it harder for the military to repair Read more about Army Will Seek Right to Repair Clauses in All Its Contracts[…]

The Not-Pebble Core Devices Watch is something different in that area

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]The regular slate of smartwatches from the likes of Google, Samsung, and Apple hasn’t left us truly excited. Samsung and Apple are in a race to add as many health sensors to the back of their devices, and still the most we can hope for on the impending Apple Watch Series 11 is a slimmer Read more about The Not-Pebble Core Devices Watch is something different in that area[…]

Iconic Gun-Makers Gave Sensitive Customer Information to Political Operatives in secret for decades

Posted on by Robin Edgar

For years, America’s most iconic gun-makers turned over sensitive personal information on hundreds of thousands of customers to political operatives. Those operatives, in turn, secretly employed the details to rally firearm owners to elect pro-gun politicians running for Congress and the White House, a ProPublica investigation has found. The clandestine sharing of gun buyers’ identities Read more about Iconic Gun-Makers Gave Sensitive Customer Information to Political Operatives in secret for decades[…]

Brain implant does thought to speech

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Marking a breakthrough in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), a team of researchers from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco has unlocked a way to restore naturalistic speech for people with severe paralysis. This work solves the long-standing challenge of latency in speech neuroprostheses, the time lag between when a subject attempts to speak Read more about Brain implant does thought to speech[…]

Neurotech companies are selling your brain data, senators warn

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Three Democratic senators are sounding the alarm over brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies’ ability to collect — and potentially sell — our neural data. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-IN), and Ed Markey (D-MA) called for an investigation into neurotechnology companies’ handling of user data, and Read more about Neurotech companies are selling your brain data, senators warn[…]

AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function. Researchers at the University of California San Diego used artificial intelligence to help both unravel this mystery of Alzheimer’s disease and discover a potential treatment that obstructs Read more about AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate[…]