News gathered 2024-03-12
(date: 2024-03-12 08:53:44)
Role of the pea protein aggregation state on their interfacial properties
date: 2024-03-15, from: ETH Zurich, recently added
Grasberger K.F.; Lund F.W.; Simonsen A.C.; Hammershøj M.; Fischer P.; Corredig M.
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/649585 Save to Pocket
Economy-wide impacts of socio-politically driven net-zero energy systems in europe
date: 2024-03-15, from: ETH Zurich, recently added
Mayer, Jakob; Süsser, Diana; Pickering, Bryn; Bachner, Gabriel; Sanvito, Francesco Davide
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/659857 Save to Pocket
Google job ad and Alphabet spin-off point to AI sustainability concerns
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Hyperscalers increasingly looking over shoulders as workloads grow
AI and its effect on datacenter energy consumption are a concern at Google’s parent Alphabet, with the search giant seeking a manager to lead on AI/ML Carbon Reduction and Net Zero efforts.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/google_job_ad_and_alphabet/ Save to Pocket
Pac-12 MBB: Our postseason Hot Seat assessment and look at which coaches could depart on their own
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Welcome to our team-by-team assessment of the head coaches and the likelihood of a vacancy this spring.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/pac-12-mbb-our-postseason-hot-seat-assessment-and-look-at-which-coaches-could-depart-on-their-own/ Save to Pocket
Bosch’s first 28 MPH electric bike with Smart System in US launched in Gazelle Eclipse
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Gazelle Bikes, the largest Dutch bicycle maker with dozens of popular bicycle models, has just announced the launch of its Gazelle Eclipse trekking model for the US market.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/12/boschs-first-28-mph-electric-bike-with-smart-system-in-us-launched-in-gazelle-eclipse/ Save to Pocket
Eric Carmen, known for songs ‘All by Myself’ and ‘Hungry Eyes,’ dies at 74
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
“All by Myself,” “Make Me Lose Control and “Hungry Eyes” peaked in top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 and each spent more than four months on the chart.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/eric-carmen-known-for-songs-all-by-myself-and-hungry-eyes-dies-at-74/ Save to Pocket
Scientists in Alaska Develop Cloud-Based Data to Predict Volcanic Eruptions
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
Scientists in Alaska are developing a cloud-based approach to storing and analyzing data about volcanoes, in hopes of increasing the speed with which they can predict eruptions. Phil Dierking has our story. (Camera and Produced by: Philip Dierking)
https://www.voanews.com/a/scientists-in-alaska-develop-cloud-based-data-to-predict-volcanic-eruptions/7524360.html Save to Pocket
MELE PCG02 Pro fanless pocket-sized PC updated with an Intel N100 processor
date: 2024-03-12, from: Liliputing
The Mele PCG02 Pro is a tiny desktop computer that measures just 146 x 61 x 20mm (5.8″ x 2.4″ x 0.8″). It’s smaller than a typical smartphone, but packs the hardware of a full-fledged Windows (or Linux) PC. Mele first launched the PCG02 Pro a few years ago with Intel Gemini Lake and Jasper […]
The post MELE PCG02 Pro fanless pocket-sized PC updated with an Intel N100 processor appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/mele-pcg02-pro-fanless-pocket-sized-pc-updated-with-an-intel-n100-processor/ Save to Pocket
Porsche ‘Overwhelmed’ By Orders For Electric Macan: CEO
date: 2024-03-12, from: Inside EVs News
Porsche kicks off the biggest year of new product launches in its entire history, and the electric Macan seems off to a good start.
https://insideevs.com/news/712077/porsche-macan-electric-orders-2024/ Save to Pocket
Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in the platform’s listings worldwide
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Airbnb expects the policy update to impact a small number of hosts because the majority of its listings do not report having indoor security cameras.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/airbnb-is-banning-the-use-of-indoor-security-cameras-in-the-platforms-listings-worldwide/ Save to Pocket
The Neo-Luddite Movement
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/the-neo-luddite-movement Save to Pocket
Automakers May Be Sharing Your Driver Data With Insurance Brokers
date: 2024-03-12, from: Inside EVs News
Plus, Tesla is prioritizing Cybertruck deliveries to high-value shareholders and Volvo says its future EV charging times will drop by 30%
https://insideevs.com/news/712079/automakers-insurance-data-brokers-criticalmaterials/ Save to Pocket
NASA’s FY2025 budget request means tough times ahead for Chandra and Hubble
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
But Artemis is still OK, so that’s alright then
NASA has published its budget request for the fiscal year 2025, and it is not good news for the Hubble Space Telescope or the Chandra X-ray Observatory.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/nasas_fy2025_budget_request_means/ Save to Pocket
Petabit Optical Media?
date: 2024-03-12, from: David Rosenthal’s blog
|
| Source |
we increase the capacity of [optical data storage] to the petabit level by extending the planar recording architecture to three dimensions with hundreds of layers, meanwhile breaking the optical diffraction limit barrier of the recorded spots. We develop an optical recording medium based on a photoresist film doped with aggregation-induced emission dye, which can be optically stimulated by femtosecond laser beams. This film is highly transparent and uniform, and the aggregation-induced emission phenomenon provides the storage mechanism. It can also be inhibited by another deactivating beam, resulting in a recording spot with a super-resolution scale. This technology makes it possible to achieve exabit-level storage by stacking nanoscale disks into arrays, which is essential in big data centres with limited space.Below the fold I discuss this technology.
What the authors mean by “petabit level” is:
The ODS has a capacity of up to 1.6 Pb for a DVD-sized disk area through the recording of 100 layers on both sides of our ultrathin single disk.1.6 petabit is 200TB per disk, which is 2,000 times the capacity of triple-level Blu-ray media. So this is a big increase. But weirdly, the caption to their Figure 1 claims that:
The capacity of a single 3D nanoscale disk is approximately equivalent to that of a petabit-level Blu-ray library (15.2 Pb, DA-BH7010, Hualu, China) or an HDD data array (12.64 Pb, EMC PowerVault ME5084, Dell, USA).A decade ago, Facebook’s Blu-ray library put 10,000 100GB disks in a single rack for 1 Petabyte or 8 Petabit capacity. This is 5 times as much as the authors’ claim for a single disk. The caption’s claim of 15.2Pb for the DA-BH7010 is 9.5 times their claim of the capacity of a single disk. Note also that they compare the volume of a single disk to the volume of complete read-write systems, which is comparing apples to oranges. I guess if your meaning of “approximately” is “within an order of magnitude” that makes sense.
|
| Figure 3a |
The transition from the second to the third state is initiated by the 515-nm femtosecond Gaussian-shaped laser beam and deactivated by the 639-nm CW doughnut-shaped laser beam.
|
| Figure 3c |
There are a number of reasons to be less enthusiastic about the potential of this technology than Hossenfelder. It is true that they have demonstrated the ability to read and write petabit-scale data on a CD-sized medium. To do the reading they use two lasers, a 480nm pulsed and a 592nm continuous laser. To do the writing they used two lasers, a 515nm femtosecond laser and a 639nm continuous-wave laser. I haven’t been able to find a price for a 515nm femtosecond laser, but here is a 1550nm femtosecond laser for $48,880. The femtosecond laser they actually (Acculasers ACL-AFS-515-CUS) used is a substantial box with fans and an AC power input.
The authors make claims of the density of the medium but not of the system. Clearly, current femtosecond lasers are too expensive and too large to use in equivalents of the decade-old Facebook Blu-Ray technology. Something like Microsoft Research’s system that uses femtosecond lasers to write in Silica allows the cost of the lasers to be amortized over an entire data-center aisle of media. If you are going to build something like this, there is no reason to use the CD form factor.
The repetition rate of the femtosecond laser was 42MHz. I believe it writes one bit per pulse, so the write bandwidth is limited to around 5MB/sec, meaning that writing an entire disk would take around 10.5 hours. A system using this technology would be write-once, and have a long read latency while the robot fetched the needed disk. It would thus only be suitable for the niche archival market, and in this market the slow write rate would require many drives writing in parallel. This all makes this claim by the authors somewhat hyperbolic:
the development of next-generation industry-oriented nanoscale ODS that is much less expensive than state-of-the-art optical disk libraries and HDD data arrays will fulfil the vast data storage requirements of the big-data era.It would have similar product issues to those I outlined in Microsoft’s Archival Storage Research:
Six years ago I wrote:Hossenfelder makes several mistakes in her report:
time-scales in the storage industry are long. Disk is a 60-year-old technology, tape is at least 65 years old, CDs are 35 years old, flash is 30 years old and has yet to impact bulk data storage.Six years on flash has finally impacted the bulk storage market, but it isn’t predicted to ship as many bits as hard disks for another four years, when it will be a 40-year-old technology. Actual demonstrations of DNA storage are only 12 years old, and similar demonstrations of silica media are 15 years old. History suggests it will be decades before these technologies impact the storage market.
Source
- “new disk memory that could bring disk memory into the Petabyte range” - no, that is the Petabit range.
- Optical disks “were outcompeted by hard disks”. - no, write-once removable media and on-line storage are two completely different markets. Optical disks lost out to the cloud and to a lesser extent by flash.
- “the information density on compact disks or any optical storage is ultimately limited by the frequency of the laser light” - well yes, but she is talking about a paper describing a 2000-times increase in capacity using laser light.
- “in modern flash drives the information is stored in little magnetizable cells that are a few atoms in size” - no, flash isn’t a magnetic technology. She also misses that modern flash is a volumetric not a planar technology, just like the technology in the paper.
- “figured out how to write data in multiple layers” - no, Blu-ray is a multi-layer technology more than a decade old. They figured out how to write a lot more layers of much smaller bits.
- “this could work up to hundreds of layers” - well, they only demonstrated 100 layers, so hundreds plural is speculation. To get to the petabyte range needs at least 500 layers or much smaller bits. Note that modern flash has over 100 layers.
https://blog.dshr.org/2024/03/petabit-optical-media.html Save to Pocket
Gear Up With Touratech’s New Aventuro Pro Carbon ADV Helmet
date: 2024-03-12, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Lightweight, well-ventilated, and safe—what more could you ask for?
https://www.rideapart.com/news/711295/touratech-aventuro-pro-carbon-helmet/ Save to Pocket
Millennials will be worse off than their parents, right? Maybe not.
date: 2024-03-12, from: Marketplace Morning Report
It’s practically accepted as truth at this point: Millennials would be the first generation to be worse off than their parents. But recent research casts some doubt on that assessment. We’ll consider some economic findings that reframe things a bit. Plus, prices were up 3.2% annually in February, and month-over-month price increases seem to be going in the wrong direction. That’s not something the Federal Reserve will be happy about.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/millennials-will-be-worse-off-than-their-parents-right-maybe-not Save to Pocket
Campbell suspect admits to distributing revenge porn
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Charged with distributing intimate images with intent to humiliate.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/campbell-suspect-admits-to-distributing-revenge-porn/ Save to Pocket
Four Astronauts From Four Countries Return to Earth After Six Months in Orbit
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
Cape Canaveral, Florida — Four astronauts from four countries caught a lift back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to end a half-year mission at the International Space Station.
Their capsule streaked across the U.S. in the predawn darkness and splashed into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle.
NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, a Marine helicopter pilot, led the returning crew of Denmark’s Andreas Mogensen, Japan’s Satoshi Furukawa and Russia’s Konstantin Borisov.
They moved into the space station last August. Their replacements arrived last week in their own SpaceX capsule.
“We left you some peanut butter and tortillas,” Moghbeli radioed after departing the orbiting complex on Monday. Replied NASA’s Loral O’Hara: “I miss you guys already and thanks for that very generous gift.”
O’Hara has another few weeks at the space station before leaving aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule.
Before leaving the space station, Mogensen said via X, formerly known as Twitter, that he couldn’t wait to hear “birds singing in the trees” and also craved crunchy food.
NASA prefers multiple travel options in case of rocket trouble. Boeing should start providing astronaut taxi service with a two-pilot test flight in early May.
https://www.voanews.com/a/four-astronauts-from-four-countries-return-to-earth-after-six-months-in-orbit/7524235.html Save to Pocket
Can This Detachable Cable Make Curbside EV Charging Less Annoying?
date: 2024-03-12, from: Inside EVs News
New York startup itselectric hit an important milestone with its detachable Level 2 chargers, coming soon to Detroit and other cities.
https://insideevs.com/news/712002/itselectric-curbside-detachable-cable-exclusive/ Save to Pocket
Oracle revenue growth dips below forecast but investors like the sound of promised Nvidia deal
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Forget the piffle about real world results, lets look at the potential of wundertech
Oracle disappointed Wall Street analysts after its latest quarterly revenue haul missed market estimates, although teasing an AI deal with en vogue Nvidia proved enough to bolster Big Red’s share price.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/oracle_revenue_growth_dips_below/ Save to Pocket
Los Gatos residents report suspicious men claiming to be PG&E employees
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Suspects ask to see utility bills.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/los-gatos-residents-report-suspicious-men-claiming-to-be-pge-employees/ Save to Pocket
Porsche sticks to EV sales target with new electric Macan already seeing strong orders
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Porsche is launching four new vehicles this year, its most ever. This will include the new all-electric Macan EV, which Porsche says is already seeing strong orders.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/12/porsche-ev-sales-goal-strong-macan-ev-orders/ Save to Pocket
Amazon’s Hidden Chatbot Recommends Nazi Books and Lies About Amazon Working Conditions
date: 2024-03-12, from: 404 Media Group
An AI tool created to let people search reviews actually lets you use it like any other chatbot.
https://www.404media.co/amazons-hidden-chatbot-recommends-nazi-books-and-lies-about-amazon-working-conditions/ Save to Pocket
I grew up near Menomonie, WI in the freezing cold north, but…
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044180-i-grew-up-near-menomonie Save to Pocket
A Northern California city gave a homeless camp a lease as an experiment. Here’s what happened
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Camp Resolution, a completely self-governed, city-sanctioned homeless encampment, was supposed to be a model Sacramento could copy for future sites. That didn’t happen, and now it’s under threat of prosecution.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/sacramento-gave-a-homeless-camp-a-lease-as-an-experiment-heres-what-happened/ Save to Pocket
Los Gatos town manager to step down after nearly 10 years
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Laurel Prevetti: ‘Other aspects of life are important to pursue’
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/los-gatos-town-manager-to-step-down-after-nearly-10-years/ Save to Pocket
Physicists Finally Find a Problem That Only Quantum Computers Can Do
date: 2024-03-12, from: Quanta Magazine
Researchers have shown that a problem relating to the energy of a quantum system is easy for quantum computers but hard for classical ones.The post Physicists Finally Find a Problem That Only Quantum Computers Can Do first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-finally-find-a-problem-only-quantum-computers-can-do-20240312/ Save to Pocket
Heatmap News Named Hottest in Sustainability on Adweek’s 2024 Media Hot List
date: 2024-03-12, from: Heatmap News
New York, NY: Climate news website
Heatmap News was
named
Hottest in Sustainability on Adweek’s 2024 Media Hot List,
released today. Adweek’s Hot List honors the best in media across TV,
media, digital, and tech. Writing about Heatmap, Adweek
wrote:
“Less than a year later, it’s become a critical part of the climate news
landscape – boasting 2.5 million unique online readers, around half a
million monthly readers and over 50,000 newsletter subscribers.”
Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Nico Lauricella said: “On behalf of Heatmap, we are grateful to Adweek for this incredible recognition. Over the past year, Heatmap has carved out a unique and important place in the media landscape with insightful, evidence-based reporting on climate change and decarbonization. I am proud of our team for their hard work and diligence in making Heatmap a trusted resource for so many readers and we’re excited for what’s in store this year.”
Since Heatmap’s founding in early 2023, it has become the go-to source for an influential audience of readers who care about climate, energy and sustainability. Heatmap’s journalists have broken major stories, taken down popular media narratives on climate change and decarbonization, authored explainers on key climate and energy transition issues, and developed practical guides on how to navigate our changing planet. In addition to its reporting, Heatmap has fielded, analyzed, and reported on two national surveys (The Heatmap Climate Poll), and recently launched its first podcast, Shift Key, hosted by Executive Editor Robinson Meyer and regular contributor and Princeton Professor Jesse Jenkins.
Heatmap has 500,000 monthly readers and is regularly cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, NPR, MSNBC, Politico, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Fortune, The Verge, Slate, and Semafor. Heatmap journalists are frequently interviewed on radio and TV, including All In With Chris Hayes, The Ezra Klein Show, 1A, The Brian Lehrer Show, All Things Considered, and more, to discuss their reporting. And Heatmap’s advertisers and sponsors have included some of the most notable brands in climate, clean energy, and sustainability.
About Heatmap News: Heatmap News is climate news for the real world. We tell the inside story of the race to fix the planet, with deep reporting on emerging decarbonization trends, like electric vehicles, clean hydrogen, and carbon capture, in addition to climate change and its impact on our economy, politics, and society.
For press inquiries, please contact Anna Durrett at press@heatmap.news.
For advertising inquiries, please reach out to Mike Munsell at mike@heatmap.news.
https://heatmap.news/heatmap-news-named-hottest-in-sustainability-on-adweeks-2024-media-hot-list Save to Pocket
Zero-Boil-Off Tank Experiments to Enable Long-Duration Space Exploration
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
Do we have enough fuel to get to our destination? This is probably one of the first questions that comes to mind whenever your family gets ready to embark on a road trip. If the trip is long, you will need to visit gas stations along your route to refuel during your travel. NASA is grappling with similar issues as it gets ready to embark on a sustainable mission back to the Moon and plans future missions to Mars.
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/science-enabling-technology/zero-boil-off-tank-experiments-to-enable-long-duration-space-exploration/ Save to Pocket
US Inflation Rises in February in Sign Price Pressures Remain Elevated
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — Consumer prices in the United States picked up last month, a sign that inflation remains a persistent challenge for the Federal Reserve and for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, both of which are counting on a steady easing of price pressures this year.
Prices rose 0.4% from January to February, higher than the previous month’s figure of 0.3%, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Compared with a year earlier, consumer prices rose 3.2% last month, faster than January’s 3.1% annual pace.
Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called “core” prices also climbed 0.4% from January to February, matching the previous month’s increase and a faster pace than is consistent with the Fed’s 2% target. Core inflation is watched especially closely because it typically provides a better read of where inflation is likely headed.
Pricier gas pushed up overall inflation, with pump prices rising 3.8% just from January to February. Grocery prices, though, were unchanged last month and are up just 1% from a year earlier. The cost of clothing, used cars and rent also increased in February, raising the inflation figure.
Despite February’s elevated figures, most economists expect inflation to continue slowly declining this year. At the same time, the uptick last month may underscore the Fed’s cautious approach toward interest rate cuts.
Overall inflation has plummeted from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022, although it’s now easing more slowly than it did last spring and summer. The prices of some goods — from appliances to furniture to used cars — are falling after clogged supply chains during the pandemic sent prices soaring higher. There are more new cars on dealer lots and electronics on store shelves.
By contrast, prices for dental care, car repairs and other services are still rising faster than they did before the pandemic. Car insurance has shot higher, reflecting rising costs for repairs and replacement. And after having sharply raised pay for nurses and other in-demand staff, hospitals are passing their higher wage costs on to patients in the form of higher prices.
Voter perceptions of inflation are sure to occupy a central place in this year’s presidential election. Despite a healthy job market and a record-high stock market, polls show that many Americans blame Biden for the surge in consumer prices that began in 2021. Although inflationary pressures have significantly eased, average prices remain far above where they stood three years ago.
In his State of the Union speech last week, Biden highlighted steps he has taken to reduce costs, like capping the price of insulin for Medicare patients. The president also criticized many large companies for engaging in “price gouging” and so-called “shrinkflation,” in which a company shrinks the amount of product inside a package rather than raising the price.
“Too many corporations raise prices to pad their profits, charging more and more for less and less,” Biden said.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled in congressional testimony last week that the central bank is getting closer to cutting rates. After meeting in January, Fed officials said in a statement that they needed “greater confidence” that inflation was steadily falling to their 2% target level. Since then, several of the Fed’s policymakers have said they believe prices will keep declining. One reason, they suggested, is that consumers are increasingly pushing back against higher prices by seeking out cheaper alternatives.
Most economists expect the Fed’s first rate cut to occur in June, although May is also possible. When the Fed cuts its benchmark rate, over time it reduces borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, credit cards and business loans.
One factor that could keep inflation elevated is the still-healthy economy. Although most economists had expected a recession to occur last year, hiring and growth were strong and remain healthy. The economy expanded 2.5% last year and could grow at about the same pace in the first three months of this year, according to the Federal Reserve’s Atlanta branch.
Last week, the Labor Department said employers added a robust 275,000 jobs in February, the latest in a streak of solid hiring gains, and the unemployment rate stayed below 4% for the 25th straight month. That is the longest such streak since the 1960s.
Still, the unemployment rate rose from 3.7% to 3.9%, and wage growth slowed. Both trends could make the Fed feel more confident that the economy is cooling, which could help keep inflation falling and lead the central bank to begin cutting rates.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-inflation-rises-in-february-in-sign-price-pressures-remain-elevated/7524216.html Save to Pocket
No App Store needed: Apple caves, will allow sideloading in EU
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Think this’ll help you escape the fees? Nope – Apple still wants a cut for letting devs install things on user devices
Apple’s compliance measures with the EU’s Digital Markets Act haven’t exactly been universally well received, so the iMaker is making a few tweaks to appease the software-developing masses. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/apple_update_eu_devs_can_distribute_from_websites/ Save to Pocket
NASA’s Roman Team Selects Survey to Map Our Galaxy’s Far Side
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has announced plans for an unprecedented survey of the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. It will peer deeper into this region than any other survey, mapping more of our galaxy’s stars than all previous observations combined. “There’s a really broad range of science we can explore with […]
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/nasas-roman-team-selects-survey-to-map-our-galaxys-far-side/ Save to Pocket
Why Is 404 Media Included in a Fake Netflix Trailer Made by Russia?
date: 2024-03-12, from: 404 Media Group
A sprawling disinformation campaign is targeting journalists and making 404 Media part of the story.
https://www.404media.co/why-is-404-media-included-in-a-fake-netflix-trailer-made-by-russia/ Save to Pocket
He prosecuted child sex predators. Now, he’s going after Meta for allegedly enabling them
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Investigators in New Mexico’s attorney general’s office created multiple fake Facebook and Instagram profiles posing as young teens, which the suit alleges were served sexually suggestive content and, in some cases, urged to send pornographic content of themselves.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/he-prosecuted-child-sex-predators-now-hes-going-after-meta-for-allegedly-enabling-them-2/ Save to Pocket
Out today from Dr. Lisa Mosconi: The Menopause Brain. It’s a reexamination…
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044178-out-today-from-dr-lisa Save to Pocket
What to do on the nights you are struggling with insomnia, according to experts
date: 2024-03-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Chronic insomnia is when a person takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep or fall back asleep up to three times a week for more than three months.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/what-to-do-on-the-nights-you-are-struggling-with-insomnia-according-to-experts/ Save to Pocket
March 12, 1928: St. Francis Dam bursts
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
By Signal Staff The failure of the St. Francis Dam at midnight, March 12, 1928, killed more than 400 people, leveled farms and homesteads, destroyed property and livestock and changed the way dam safety is addressed across the nation. Today marks the 96th anniversary of the disaster, which a path of devastation from San […]
The post March 12, 1928: St. Francis Dam bursts appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/march-12-1928-st-francis-dam-bursts/ Save to Pocket
Telegram eyes IPO as user numbers close in on 1 billion
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Company might even turn a profit this year
Telegram’s CEO has begun discussing an initial public offering (IPO) as the messaging platform’s user count nears the billion mark.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/telegram_eyes_ipo_as_user/ Save to Pocket
Jonathan Glazer’s ‘The Zone of Interest won’t let us look away —…
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044179-jonathan-glazers-the-zone Save to Pocket
Internal Emails Show Cops Thought ‘Call of Duty’ Recruitment Ad Could Piss Off Activision
date: 2024-03-12, from: 404 Media Group
Internal emails obtained by 404 Media show that police who made a ‘Call of Duty’ themed recruitment poster were more worried about legal issues from Activision than the obviously problematic framing of policing as a video game.
https://www.404media.co/call-of-duty-cops-more-worried-about-activision-than-portraying-city-as-war-zone/ Save to Pocket
Tesla Hack Lets Bad Guys Create A Spare Key For Your Car In Seconds
date: 2024-03-12, from: Inside EVs News
Owners are tricked into entering their account details by emulating Tesla’s free wifi at Superchargers.
https://insideevs.com/news/711999/tesla-hack-phishing-spare-key/ Save to Pocket
American Honda Issues Stop Sale/Recall On Three Motorcycles
date: 2024-03-12, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Certain 2018-2019 CBR1000RR, 2018-2020 CBR600RR, and 2017-2024 Gold Wings are affected.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/711445/honda-stop-sale-recall-fuelpump/ Save to Pocket
A Kind of Male Lingerie
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: One Foot Tsunami
https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/03/12/a-kind-of-male-lingerie/ Save to Pocket
What Biden’s Budget Proposal Says About Climate Projects
date: 2024-03-12, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Tropical storm Filipo will make landfall on Mozambique’s coast today • Morel season has begun in parts of the Midwest • It is cold and cloudy in Stockholm, where police forcibly removed climate activst Greta Thunberg from the entrance to parliament.
THE TOP FIVE
- Climate and energy ‘figure prominently’ in Biden’s budget
President Biden proposed a $7.3 trillion budget yesterday, and his “climate and energy promises figured prominently,” reported E&E News. Biden requested $17.8 billion for the Interior Department to help with climate resilience, national parks, wildfire management, tribal programs, ecosystem restoration, and water infrastructure in the west. He wants $11 billion for the EPA and $51 billion for the Department of Energy to tackle climate change and help fund the energy transition. The proposal calls for funding toward expanding the “Climate Corps.” Biden also asked Congress to put $500 million into the international Green Climate Fund in 2025, and then more in the following years. And he wants to make this spending mandatory. The budget would also “cut wasteful subsidies to Big Oil and other special interests,” Biden said. As Morning Brew noted, the budget proposal has “about as much chance of getting passed by Congress as a bill guaranteeing each American a pet unicorn, so it’s mostly a statement of Biden’s priorities.”
- U.S. EV prices drop 13% year-over-year
EV prices in the U.S. have dropped by about 13% in the last year, according to Kelley Blue Book. The drop “has been led in part by the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, the two most popular EVs in the U.S.,” explained Michelle Lewis at Electrek. However, EVs are still more expensive than “mainstream non-luxury vehicles,” said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive.
- Report: BYD struggles to ramp up overseas EV sales
Chinese EV maker BYD has reportedly hit a speed bump on the road to international expansion. Having dominated the Chinese market and established itself as the top-selling EV maker in the world, BYD set an internal goal of selling 400,000 cars overseas this year. But a global slowdown in EV sales growth has hampered that effort, reported The Wall Street Journal. “As of the end of last year, more than 10,000 BYD passenger cars were waiting in warehouses in Europe,” the Journal added, “and the certificates authorizing them to be sold in the European Union are set to expire soon, meaning it may not be possible to sell them in Europe.” At the same time, quality control issues have been cropping up in some vehicles, and higher prices in Europe are making it more difficult for the company to compete with better-known brands.
- U.K. emissions hit 145-year low
Greenhouse gas emissions in the UK fell last year to their lowest level since 1879, according to analysis from Carbon Brief. The decline is attributed mainly to a drop in gas demand thanks to higher electricity imports and warmer temperatures. As recently as 2014, the power sector was the UK’s largest source of emissions, but now it has been eclipsed by transportation, buildings, industry, and agriculture. “Transport emissions have barely changed over the past several decades as more efficient cars have been offset by increased traffic,” Carbon Brief explained. Remarkably, coal use in the country is at its lowest level since the 1730s, “when George II was on the throne.” The emissions drop is good news but “with only one coal-fired power station remaining and the power sector overall now likely only the fifth-largest contributor to UK emissions, the country will need to start cutting into gas power and looking to other sectors” to meet net zero by 2050. Meanwhile, the British government today announced a plan to build new gas plants.
- Seaside town’s $500K new protective sand dune washes away in 3
days
Residents in Salisbury, Massachusetts, last week finished building a $500,000 sand dune meant to protect their beachside homes from rising tides and repeated storms. Three days later, the barrier, made of 14,000 tons of sand, washed away when a storm brought historic high tides to the seaside town. “We got hit with three storms – two in January, one now – at the highest astronomical tides possible,” said Rick Rigoli, who oversaw the project. The sea level off the Massachusetts coast has risen by 8 inches since 1950, and is now rising by about 1 inch every 8 years.
THE KICKER
On average, installing a heat pump in your home could cut between 2.5 to 4.4 tons of carbon during the equipment’s lifespan, meaning widespread adoption could result in a 5% to 9% drop in national economy-wide emissions.
https://heatmap.news/politics/biden-budget-byd-ev Save to Pocket
European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 infringes data protection law for EU institutions and bodies
date: 2024-03-12, from: OS News
Following its investigation, the EDPS has found that the European Commission (Commission) has infringed several key data protection rules when using Microsoft 365. In its decision, the EDPS imposes corrective measures on the Commission. ↫ European Data Protection Supervisor You often hear people state that EU rules and regulations are designed exclusively to harm non-EU companies. The massive amounts of fines and corrective actions handed out to EU companies in all kinds of sectors already disprove this notion, and here’s a case where even the European Commission itself gets a slap on the wrist for violating its own rules and regulations – rules and regulations, we’re often told by especially American corporatists, are designed specifically to target poor American businesses. Not that corporatists have any use for reality and facts, but still.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138790/european-commissions-use-of-microsoft-365-infringes-data-protection-law-for-eu-institutions-and-bodies/ Save to Pocket
New EV Prices Went Down Over $2,000 On Average In February
date: 2024-03-12, from: Inside EVs News
Electric vehicles were still generally $5,000 more than the industry average, though. But things are getting better.
https://insideevs.com/news/712024/new-ev-prices-down-2000-usd-february-us/ Save to Pocket
Bullitt Group had $256 cash in the bank at the end, PWC reveals
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
IP sold to founders in pre-pack administration, product warranties unaffected
The founders of Bullitt Group and subsidiary Bullitt Satellite Connect bought the IP for £210,000 ($269,000) excluding VAT in a pre-pack administration on the same day that PWC was appointed to liquidate the biz.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/bullitt_group_had_200_cash/ Save to Pocket
Lectric ONE shockingly unveiled as low-cost premium e-bike with auto-shifting gearbox
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
In what is likely to the biggest shock unveiling in the e-bike industry so far this year, leading electric bike maker Lectric Ebikes has just rolled out the new Lectric ONE. Positioned as a premium commuter e-bike in the budget space, the new model marks equally new territory for the low-cost e-bike company turned premium space competitor.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/12/lectric-one-shockingly-unveiled-as-low-cost-premium-e-bike-with-auto-shifting-gearbox/ Save to Pocket
Molly Peters | Alarmed by Board Member Letter
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
I reside in Los Angeles, but I have been a teacher in the William S. Hart Union High School District for 20 years, and I was very alarmed by board member Linda Storli’s Feb. 27 letter in The Signal, specifically her misrepresentation of facts around the state of the current Hart district budget. The following […]
The post Molly Peters | Alarmed by Board Member Letter appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/molly-peters-alarmed-by-board-member-letter/ Save to Pocket
Steve Petzold | Hit ‘Pause’ on Hart Mascot Change
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
The following is a copy of a letter sent to the board of the William S. Hart Union High School District. I am asking you to suspend all pending actions regarding the transitioning of the Hart High School wordmark, namesake, catch phrase, your so-called “mascot,” until an ad hoc committee of trustees including board member […]
The post Steve Petzold | Hit ‘Pause’ on Hart Mascot Change appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/steve-petzold-hit-pause-on-hart-mascot-change/ Save to Pocket
AI and the NYT
date: 2024-03-12, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News
Zach Seward, a friend from my days at Harvard and NYU, got a kickass job, starting up the AI effort at the NYT. He’s just the right guy for it. Young, curious, creative, and very ambitious. And he has a strong startup journalism background. I couldn’t think of anyone I’d want more to be in this position.
Now that he’s published notes for a talk he gave at SXSW, it’s time to share some of the ideas I have for the NYT re AI.
- Current events. This is something ChatGPT doesn’t do. Not sure why. I’d like to be able to connect to ai.nytimes.com and ask it to give me a rundown on the lawyer who’s testifying in Congress today about how our president is “elderly.” I don’t want pointers to stories, though they should be included in the response, I want a custom report, like the ones ChatGPT provides, that answers the questions I have about this dude. Maybe the AI will factor out the BS the NYT adds to their stories and just give me the facts without all the spin.
- More useful NYT archives. When I was a kid I spent so much time at the big library in Jamaica (Queens) going back through microfilm of the NYT from before I was born. So far all we’ve done is replicate the microfilm user experience (which is great and very useful) but the thing that ChatGPT does so well is prepare custom reports. All that source material, used to answer very specific questions.
- Sell a service to your readers where you manage the archive of their blogs, and in doing so you create a much broader archive for historians, journalists and others to study in the future. At some point the NYT and other journalism outlets will harness the energy, knowledge and intelligence of the readers, why not start now?
I criticize the NYT a lot, I know. But that means I care. When I stop criticizing you’ll know that I’ve given up.
Alan Kay said of the Mac, it’s the first personal computer worth criticizing. That’s the spirit.
http://scripting.com/2024/03/12/120111.html?title=aiAndTheNyt Save to Pocket
Pro-Palestinian Activists Damage Balfour Portrait at Cambridge University
date: 2024-03-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The 1917 Balfour Declaration was a pivotal declaration of British support for a “national home for the Jewish people”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pro-palestinian-activists-damage-arthur-james-balfour-portrait-180983932/ Save to Pocket
UK council yanks IT systems and phone lines offline following cyber ambush
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Targeting recovery this week, officials still trying to ‘dentify the nature of the incident’
Leicester City Council says IT systems and a number of its critical service phone lines will remain down until later this week at the earliest following a “cyber incident”.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/leicester_city_council_stays_shtum/ Save to Pocket
Wages have been outpacing inflation — but there’s a catch
date: 2024-03-12, from: Marketplace Morning Report
While the purchasing power of earnings started to catch up to inflation last year, lower- and middle-income workers have been playing catch-up and are trying to dig out of debt. Meanwhile, Americans are working fewer hours on average, and fewer hours can cause total earnings to trail price gains. Also: a closer look at New York Community Bank’s lifeline and an examination of those earmarks in the $460 billion spending package.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/wages-have-been-outpacing-inflation-but-theres-a-catch Save to Pocket
Jailbreaking LLMs with ASCII Art
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Bruce Schneier blog
Researchers have demonstrated that putting words in ASCII art can cause LLMs—GPT-3.5, GPT-4, Gemini, Claude, and Llama2—to ignore their safety instructions.
Research paper.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/03/jailbreaking-llms-with-ascii-art.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Jonathan Glazer on his holocaust film The Zone of Interest: ‘This is not about the past, it’s about now.’
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/10/jonathan-glazer-the-zone-of-interest-auschwitz-under-the-skin-interview Save to Pocket
Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU66 released
date: 2024-03-12, from: OS News
Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU 66 is now available via ‘pkg update’ from the support repository or by downloading the SRU from My Oracle Support Doc ID 2433412.1. Highlights of the changes in this release are given in the release announcement and important information to read before installing it is provided in the Readme linked from the above support document. This blog post provides more details about selected new features and interface changes in this SRU, as well as some preparation work for changes coming in future SRUs. ↫ Alan Coopersmith and Jan Pechanec Oracle is still developing Solaris. I still find it very difficult to care after Oracle’s bullshittery.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138788/oracle-solaris-11-4-sru66-released/ Save to Pocket
Understanding Risk, Artificial Intelligence, and Improving Software Quality
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
The software discipline has broad involvement across each of the NASA Mission Directorates. Some recent discipline focus and development areas are highlighted below, along with a look at the Software Technical Discipline Team’s (TDT) approach to evolving discipline best practices toward the future. Understanding Automation Risk Software creates automation. Reliance on that automation is increasing […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/understanding-risk-artificial-intelligence-and-improving-software-quality/ Save to Pocket
Splashdown! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Finishes Mission, Returns to Earth
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 completed the agency’s seventh commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday after splashing down safely in a Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. The international crew of four spent 199 days in orbit. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/splashdown-nasas-spacex-crew-7-finishes-mission-returns-to-earth/ Save to Pocket
We asked Intel to define ‘AI PC’. Its reply: ‘Anything with our latest CPUs’
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
If it has a GPU and NPU, plus VNNI and DP4a instructions, it qualifies. But it’s not a brand like vPro or Ultrabook
If you’re confused about what makes a PC an “AI PC,” you’re not alone. But finally have something of an answer: if it packs a GPU, a processor that boasts a neural processing unit and can handle VNNI and Dp4a instructions, it qualifies – at least according to Robert Hallock, Intel’s senior director of technical marketing.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/what_is_an_ai_pc/ Save to Pocket
These commercial brands are testing Level 4 autonomous trucks through Plus partnership
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Autonomous driving software specialist Plus has announced a long-term partnership with several commercial fleet developers under the Traton Group, including MAN, Scania, and Navistar, to deploy Level 4 autonomous trucks globally. Public road testing is already underway on two continents.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/12/commercial-brands-testing-level-4-autonomous-trucks-plus-partnership/ Save to Pocket
The Next Accident: How Do We Prevent It?
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
By Andrew Chaikin, Independent Space Historian and member of the NESC Human Factors Technical Discipline Team I recently watched NESC Deputy Director Mike Kirsch stand before a roomful of engineers at the Langley Research Center and tell them that with every passing day, NASA breaks a record: the longest stretch without a major accident in […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/the-next-accident-how-do-we-prevent-it/ Save to Pocket
Operational Modal Analysis of the Artemis I Dynamic Rollout Test
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
Operational modal analysis (OMA) techniques have been used to identify the modal characteristics of the Artemis I launch vehicle during the Dynamic Rollout Test (DRT) and Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) configuration prior to launch. Forces induced during rollout and on the launch pad are not directly measurable, thus necessitating a unique approach. NASA is developing […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/operational-modal-analysis-of-the-artemis-i-dynamic-rollout-test/ Save to Pocket
Haiti’s leader resigns
date: 2024-03-12, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, has resigned after days of fierce fighting in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Heavily armed gangs have been roaming the streets there demanding his resignation. Then, India’s Supreme Court has told the country’s state bank to reveal the details of a scheme that allows political parties to receive anonymous donations. And later, as farmer protests continue across Europe, we look at what’s driving them.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/haitis-leader-resigns Save to Pocket
Looking Back, Moving Forward
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
Interview with NESC Director, Tim Wilson Upon reaching its 20th year of operations at NASA in 2023, the NESC is busier than it has ever been. With a portfolio of more than 160 in-progress requests from Agency programs, NESC Director Tim Wilson spends much of his day prioritizing, allocating funds from the organization’s fixed budget […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/looking-back-moving-forward/ Save to Pocket
NESC Publications – Based on NESC Assessments
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA Technical Memorandums (TM), NASA Technical Publications (TP), and NASA Contractor Reports (CR) Technical Papers, Conference Proceedings, and Technical Presentations Avionics Flight Mechanics Loads and Dynamics Software Space Environments Structures Systems Engineering Thermal Control and Protection
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/nesc-publications-based-on-nesc-assessments/ Save to Pocket
NESC Honor Awards
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
NESC Honor Awards are given each year to NASA employees, industry representatives, and other stakeholders for their efforts and achievements in engineering, leadership, teamwork, and communication. These awards formally recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the NESC mission, demonstrate engineering and technical excellence, and foster an open environment. NESC Director’s Award Honors individuals for […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/nesc-honor-awards/ Save to Pocket
Most Impactful NESC Assessments
date: 2024-03-12, from: NASA breaking news
After reflecting on the more than 1,200 assessments completed by the NESC over the last 20 years, Director Tim Wilson selected these assessments as his top three. They were selected because they would likely have the greatest and most lasting impact on human life and the furtherance of the NESC mission. He shared why their […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nesc/most-impactful-nesc-assessments/ Save to Pocket
This smart disco ball changes colour like a chameleon
date: 2024-03-12, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Tim van de Vathorst loves to party, so he built the world’s smartest disco ball using a Raspberry Pi and roughly a bajillion LEDs.
The post This smart disco ball changes colour like a chameleon appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/this-smart-disco-ball-changes-colour-like-a-chameleon/ Save to Pocket
Home Office’s shiny immigration system glitches causing delays
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Amid reports emerge of technical issues, immigration teams keep 24-year-old legacy system up and running
Technical issues with the Home Office’s new case management system for immigration is causing delays to claims and frustration for staff.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/home_offices_new_immigration_system/ Save to Pocket
Tesla pushes new FSD Beta v12 update, no new note, but Musk says it’s a ‘big release’
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has started to push a new Full Self-Driving Beta v12 software update. It’s still not going wide, there’s no new release note, but CEO Elon Musk says it’s a “big release”.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/12/tesla-pushes-new-fsd-beta-v12-update-no-new-note-but-musk-big-release/ Save to Pocket
US Delegation Leaves Saudi Arabia Early Over Kippah Row
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-delegation-leaves-saudi-arabia-early-over-kippah-row/7523949.html Save to Pocket
2024-02-28 Use of a calendar
date: 2024-03-12, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog
2024-02-28 Use of a calendar
In the last millennium, I used the
Emacs
Diary for my calendar. I mean, why not? The
Emacs
Calendar is great. Better than the cal command-line
utility, in any case. But eventually the world got mobile phones and I
wanted an online calendar.
The example from the Emacs Diary documentation:
12/22/2015 Twentieth wedding anniversary!
10/22 Ruth's birthday.
* 21, *: Payday
Tuesday--weekly meeting with grad students at 10am
Supowit, Shen, Bitner, and Kapoor to attend.
1/13/89 Friday the thirteenth!!
thu 4pm squash game with Lloyd.
mar 16 Dad's birthday
April 15, 2016 Income tax due.
* 15 time cards due.
Back then, Google didn’t want to be evil and I used Google Calendar. When Google changed its mind, so did I. I switched to Radicale.
And yet, I sort of missed those diary file entries.
Today, @tadzik posted a link to caleb.
calebwill do its best to interpret a calendar event description, create a valid iCalendar event for it and optionally upload it to a CalDAV server.
Nice!
Example usage, from the README:
$ caleb friday 5pm beer
My main problem was that it took me a while to figure out what the
correct CalDAV URL
is. I looked into my iPhone accounts (my first mistake) and tried
https://example.org/radicale/alex, then
https://example.org/radicale/alex/, then
https://example.org/radicale/alex/Alex – some of these URLs
failed silently, some of them created new collections with the
iCalendar filename
as the collection name… and I didn’t get an warnings or error messages.
I mean, it makes sense. It’s like a filesystem, you can save whatever
you want. But it’s not what the calendar apps expect.
So, how do I discover the correct URL? Using a command-line
WebDAV explorer like
cadaver. The following example shows how I log into
Radicale and list the contents of the two directory I found. One of them
is full of .vcf files (contacts), the other is full of
.ics files (calendar entries). That’s the one!
~/src/caleb $ cadaver https://example.org/radicale/alex/
Authentication required for Radicale - Password Required on server `example.org':
Username: alex
Password: *secret*
dav:/radicale/alex/> ls
Listing collection `/radicale/alex/': succeeded.
Coll: 6304bd43-5d45-208b-0e44-893e509cf3da 1239216 Feb 7 08:13
Coll: cae8e041-61d9-b51a-57db-294b07e8dc1e 520978 Feb 28 11:43
dav:/radicale/alex/> ls 6304bd43-5d45-208b-0e44-893e509cf3da
Listing collection `/radicale/alex/6304bd43-5d45-208b-0e44-893e509cf3da/': succeeded.
0008345A-1EFB-4FC2-9545-BB1D7B2EE6E0.vcf 295 Jun 19 2020
000ED281-A0C8-46F2-B3EB-1D13E4224281.vcf 241 Feb 25 2023
007A5E7D-8947-4FC1-95B5-BBADEA9E27DC.vcf 267 Jul 14 2023
...
dav:/radicale/alex/> ls cae8e041-61d9-b51a-57db-294b07e8dc1e
Listing collection `/radicale/alex/cae8e041-61d9-b51a-57db-294b07e8dc1e/': succeeded.
00A3A923-47C0-4BE4-B2BF-E365965C3975.ics 1043 May 29 2022
011F4EF6-B431-4531-BB3D-D1E45BD665AB.ics 1266 Sep 10 00:19
02909CE2-D363-436B-858D-3A243A10693E.ics 962 Jun 9 2023
...
Now I’m finally ready to go back to caleb and create the
config file, ~/.config/caleb.conf:
[caldav]
url = "https://example.org/radicale/alex/cae8e041-61d9-b51a-57db-294b07e8dc1e"
username = "alex"
password = "*secret*"
Enjoy!
#Administration #Caleb #CalDAV #WebDAV
2024-03-12. @Preuk suggested Remind.
Remind is a sophisticated calendar and alarm program. – Remind
https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2024-02-28-calendar Save to Pocket
Microsoft calls AI privacy complaint ‘doomsday hyperbole’
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Plaintiffs seek termination of permissionless and unpaid AI data harvesting
In early February, Microsoft accused the plaintiffs suing the software maker and its partner OpenAI over alleged AI privacy violations of evoking “doomsday hyperbole about AI as a threat to civilization.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/microsoft_doomsday_hyperbole_ai_filing/ Save to Pocket
Attacks on UK fiber networks mount: Operators beg govt to step in
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Some simply chop cables in ducts, others pour in petrol and set ‘the whole lot alight’
Alternative network providers are calling on UK government to help protect against a growing number of local physical attacks on fiber infrastructure.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/uk_network_operators_want_government/ Save to Pocket
The global anti-democracy movement, co-chaired by D. Trump and V. Putin
date: 2024-03-12, from: Robert Reich on Substack
The art of the deal
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-global-anti-democracy-movement Save to Pocket
Network Rail steps back from geofencing over safety fears
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Award winning tech turns out to be less than accurate
Network Rail has become the latest company to flag the risks of smart technology implementations despite receiving a safety award for geofencing applications.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/network_rail_pulls_geofencing_over/ Save to Pocket
The Killer-Sunshine State
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Lever News
A state effort to outlaw workplace heat-protection standards is a preview of what will happen as the GOP’s war on workers collides with our climate reality.
https://www.levernews.com/the-killer-sunshine-state/ Save to Pocket
Housekeeping
date: 2024-03-12, from: Manu - I write blog
<p>Spring is almost here! Birds are chirping, days are getting longer. What a lovely time of the year. Housekeeping post to share a bunch of stuff with you all.</p>Jarrod managed to remove an item from my to-do list since he made a site for the One a Month Club. I was planning to set up a page here on the site but I guess I don’t need to do that anymore. If you decide to join send him an email.
Ratika started Kadambari, a book written online, chapter by chapter. Such a lovely idea, one worth supporting.
Chuck created a page for People and Blogs on FeedLand. In there you’ll find:
- the interviews
- posts from the blogs featured in the series
- posts from all the blogs mentioned in the interviews
It is such a useful resource. I have a folder with all the P&B blogs in my RSS reader but having an online page is a lot more convenient.
<hr>
<h2>Get in touch</h2> <p>Have something to share? Want me as your <a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/i-ll-read-it">first reader</a>? Get in touch. My inbox is always open.</p> <a href="mailto:hello@manuelmoreale.com">Connect</a> —
<a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/guestbook">Guestbook</a>
<hr>
<h2>One a month</h2> <p>That's how little it takes to help with my <a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/on-dreams-and-goals">goal</a>. If you feel generous, consider supporting what I do.</p> <a href="https://ko-fi.com/manuelmoreale">Donate</a> —
<a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/supporters">Supporters</a>
<hr>
<h2>People and Blogs</h2> <p>I ask people to talk about themselves and their blogs. <a href="https://peopleandblogs.com/">Learn more</a> or subscribe.</p> <a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/feed/peopleandblogs">RSS</a> —
<a href="https://buttondown.email/peopleandblogs">Email</a>
https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/N45UDozkq5qESbAn Save to Pocket
Today in SCV History (March 12)
date: 2024-03-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1928 – St. Francis Dam collapses at 11:57:30 PM, killing an estimated 411 people from Saugus to the sea.[stories & photos
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-march-12/ Save to Pocket
Mahindra electrifying its three-wheelers across India with the help of IRP
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
It’s hard to imagine India’s roads without picturing the country’s popular three-wheelers weaving around traffic jams. They’re a staple of India’s transportation ecosystem, and now leading three-wheeler manufacturer Mahindra is hoping to turn them all electric with the help of IRP Systems’ cutting-edge electric vehicle technology.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/12/mahindra-electrifying-its-three-wheelers-across-india-with-the-help-of-irp/ Save to Pocket
French government sites disrupted by très grande DDoS
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Russia and Sudan top the list of suspects
Several French government websites have been disrupted by a severe distributed denial of service attack.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/france_ddos/ Save to Pocket
San Marcos Softball Outlasts Rival Dos Pueblos to Claim 4-3 Victory
date: 2024-03-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Kamilah Morales led the charge for San Marcos with three clutch hits.
The post San Marcos Softball Outlasts Rival Dos Pueblos to Claim 4-3 Victory appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/san-marcos-softball-outlasts-rival-dos-pueblos-to-claim-4-3-victory/ Save to Pocket
Singapore startup SiliconBox to open packaging fab in Northern Italy
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Shared cultural values sealed the deal and we’re struggling to figure out what they are
Singapore-based semiconductor packaging company Silicon Box announced on Monday it will invest $3.6 billion to build a manufacturing facility in Northern Italy.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/singapore_italy_fab/ Save to Pocket
March 11, 2024 (Monday)
date: 2024-03-12, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
Authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary visited former president Trump in Florida on Friday, and on Sunday, Orbán assured Hungarian state media that Trump “will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. Therefore, the war will end, because it is obvious that Ukraine can not stand on its own feet.” Russian state media gloated at the news, and that Trump’s MAGA allies in Congress are already helping him end support for Ukraine.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-11-2024-monday Save to Pocket
Fixing nginx Error: Undefined constant PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_USE_BUFFERED_QUERY
date: 2024-03-12, from: Jeff Geerling blog
Fixing nginx Error: Undefined constant PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_USE_BUFFERED_QUERY
<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>I install a <em>lot</em> of Drupal sites day to day, especially when I'm doing dev work.</p>In the course of doing that, sometimes I’ll be working on infrastructure—whether that’s an Ansible playbook to configure a Docker container, or testing something on a fresh server or VM.
In any case, I run into the following error every so often in my Nginx
error.log:
"php-fpm" nginx Error: Undefined constant PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_USE_BUFFERED_QUERY
The funny thing is, I don’t have that error when I’m running
CLI commands, like vendor/bin/drush, and can even install
and manage the Drupal site and database on the CLI.
The problem, in my case, was that I had applied php-fpm
configs using Ansible, but in my playbook I hadn’t restarted
php-fpm (in my case, on Ubuntu 22.04,
php8.3-fpm) after doing so. So FPM was running with
outdated config and didn’t know that the MySQL/MariaDB drivers were even
present on the system.
<span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/fixing-nginx-error-undefined-constant-pdomysqlattrusebufferedquery Save to Pocket
Tesla starts offering early Cybertruck delivery for long-term TSLA shareholders
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has put up a webpage allowing TSLA shareholders to register for early Cybertruck delivery, as long as they fit certain criteria. It could give us a hint as to how Cybertruck deliveries are going.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/tesla-starts-offering-early-cybertruck-delivery-for-long-term-tsla-shareholders/ Save to Pocket
February 2024 – Volume 64 Issue 7
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Letter from the Editor: Issue 7 Volume 64 Yesterday’s News: Powerful Matadoras through the Ages Power in Numbers: Demographic Rankings Programmed Prejudice: Fighting Racism in AI Media Querencia …
https://sundial.csun.edu/179124/print-editions/february-2024-volume-64-issue-7/ Save to Pocket
Intelligence Community Report Warns Lawmakers About US Disengagement From Ukraine
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
In its annual global threats assessment report Monday, the U.S. intelligence community told lawmakers that the war in Ukraine is at a turning point whose outcome will depend on American assistance. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from the Senate, where lawmakers called on the House to take up the $95 billion foreign aid bill.
https://www.voanews.com/a/intelligence-community-report-warns-lawmakers-about-us-disengagement-from-ukraine/7523830.html Save to Pocket
US Intelligence Chiefs Deliver Grim Warning on Ukraine
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The frozen military conflict between Ukraine and Russia is starting to thaw and will likely tilt in Moscow’s favor if the United States fails to quickly come through with additional military aid, according to top U.S. intelligence officials, in a grim assessment delivered to U.S. lawmakers.
Monday’s warning comes nearly a month after the U.S. Senate voted in favor of a stand-alone foreign aid bill that would send $60 billion in aid to Ukraine as it tries to hold on to territorial gains more than two years after Russian forces invaded.
But the lawmakers in the House of Representatives have refused to bring the bill up for a vote, leaving other Western nations scrambling to provide Ukraine with enough weapons and ammunition to hold off a renewed Russian offensive.
The $60 billion “is absolutely critical to Ukraine’s defense right now,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“Ukraine’s retreat from Avdiivka and their struggle to stave off further territorial losses in the past few weeks have exposed the erosion of Ukraine’s military capabilities with the declining availability of external military aid,” she said. “Without that assistance, it is hard to imagine how Ukraine will be able to maintain the extremely hard-fought advances it has made against the Russians.”
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency told lawmakers the war is at a crossroads, and that what happens next likely hinges on the provision of U.S. aid.
“The Ukrainians are not running out of courage and tenacity. They’re running out of ammunition,” said the CIA’s William Burns. “And we’re running out of time to help them.”
Both Haines and Burns reiterated previous assessments: that up until now, Ukraine’s military has inflicted serious damage on Russia’s forces.
U.S. officials believe at least 315,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded, and that two-thirds of Russia’s prewar tank inventory has been destroyed. The Russian military, which had been undergoing a modernization program, has been set back years.
Russia’s invasion has also served to galvanize the West, with Sweden and Finland joining the NATO military alliance.
But Haines and Burns told lawmakers that none of those strategic defeats have managed to change the calculus of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin continues to judge that time is on his side,” Haines said, cautioning that the Russian leader is as entrenched as ever.
“He continues to see NATO enlargement and Western support for Ukraine as reinforcing his long-held belief that the United States and Europe seek to restrict Russian power and undermine him,” she said, telling lawmakers that Putin’s response has been to push ahead with efforts to grow the Russian military, pouring more money into ammunition production and into the purchase of military supplies from Iran and North Korea.
U.S. intelligence officials also see signs Putin is continuing to move forward with plans to modernize and fortify Russia’s nuclear weapons arsenal, already thought to be the largest and most diverse in the world.
And there are signs that Russia is willing to take chances to gain an advantage.
“We remain concerned that Moscow will put at risk long-standing global norms against the use of asymmetric or strategically destabilizing weapons, including in space and in the cyber domain,” Haines said.
Some lawmakers echoed the concerns, urging colleagues to pass the legislation to get Ukraine the military supplies it needs.
“My fear is the decision thus far by the House of Representatives not to even take up legislation that would support Ukraine in the fight against Putin aggression has been one of the most short-sighted decisions on a national security issue that I can possibly imagine,” said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat.
“The impact and long-term consequences of us abandoning Ukraine … it’s a 50-year mistake that would haunt this country,” added independent Senator Angus King.
And U.S. intelligence officials warned of a cascading global impact if the additional aid for Ukraine fails to materialize.
“The consequence of that will not just be for Ukraine or for European security but across the Indo-Pacific,” said the CIA’s Burns. “If we’re seen to be walking away from Ukraine, not only is that going to feed doubts amongst our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, it’s going to stoke the ambitions of the Chinese leadership in contingencies ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea.”
The intelligence officials said while China remains wary, for now, it has been emboldened by Russia.
In particular, the intelligence officials said Russia was forced to grant China some long-sought concessions in exchange for support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Iran and North Korea have likewise benefited, they said, warning the impact remains to be seen.
The changing dynamics have “the potential to undermine, among other things, long-held nonproliferation norms,” Haines said.
But she added that while Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are growing closer, the prospects for a true alliance are, for now, remote.
“Parochial interests, a desire to avoid entanglements, and weariness of harm and instability from each other’s actions will likely limit their cooperation … absent direct conflict between one of these countries and the United States,” Haines said.
Israel – Gaza
The U.S. intelligence officials also addressed concerns about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where Israeli forces continue to pursue fighters of the Hamas terror group despite warnings from the United Nations and aid groups about the devastating impact on civilians.
“We’re going to continue to work hard at this — I don’t think anybody can guarantee success,” the CIA’s Burns told lawmakers when asked about ongoing efforts to get a temporary cease-fire.
Burn recently traveled to the Middle East to meet with officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar.
He said the deal currently under consideration would provide for the return of about 40 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, most of them wounded or ill women or older men, in exchange for a six-week-long cease-fire that would allow the U.S. and its allies to surge in desperately needed aid.
“I understand Israel’s need, and the president [Joe Biden] has emphasized this, to respond to the brutish attack that Israelis suffered on the 7th of October [by Hamas],” Burns told Republican Senator Tom Cotton.
“But I think we all also have to be mindful of the, you know, enormous toll that this has taken on innocent civilians in Gaza,” he added.
Gaza fallout
Haines further warned lawmakers that the crisis in Gaza has “galvanized violence by a range of actors,” and that it “is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism.”
But Haines said for now, Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, appear reluctant to try to push too hard to manipulate the fighting for their benefit.
“We continue to assess that Hezbollah and Iran do not want to cause an escalation of the conflict that pulls us or them into a full-out war,” she said.
Still, Haines acknowledged other Iranian-linked groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, have become “aggressive actors,” launching dozens of attacks on international shipping.
Katherine Gypson contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-intelligence-chiefs-deliver-grim-warning-for-ukraine/7523825.html Save to Pocket
★ Once More Unto the Apple / Epic / European-Commission Breach, Dear Friends, Once More
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Daring Fireball
Although Apple as an institution granted, revoked, and under public pressure reinstated Epic’s new account, from the perspective of Apple leadership, they only revoked a new account that had been created through an automated system — not for criticism, per se, but for the same reason Epic’s Fortnite developer account remains revoked and Fortnite remains unavailable on Apple platforms worldwide: for the 2020 Fortnite IAP Trojan horse stunt.
https://daringfireball.net/2024/03/once_more_unto_the_apple-epic-european-commission_breach Save to Pocket
US State Department Requests $4 Billion To Outcompete China
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The United States must employ “all the tools at our disposal” to outcompete China, a top U.S. State Department official said on Monday, as the Biden administration unveiled its budget request for the 2025 fiscal year.
The request includes $4 billion over five years in mandatory funding for this purpose, including $2 billion to create a new international infrastructure fund to provide a credible, reliable alternative to Chinese infrastructure funding, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Rich Verma told a news briefing.
The other $2 billion was earmarked for “game-changing investments” to help Indo-Pacific countries push back against “predatory efforts,” he said, adding that those would include efforts to improve governance and the rule of law.
The State Department requested a separate $4 billion in discretionary funding to cover foreign assistance and diplomatic engagement in the region.
U.S. efforts to fund infrastructure in developing countries have long been dwarfed by China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative, a 10-year-old project to build infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe through overland and maritime routes.
According to a report by U.S. researchers last November, Chinese financial institutions lent $1.34 trillion to developing countries from 2000 to 2021.
“We must employ all the tools at our disposal to outcompete China, wherever possible,” Verma said, also referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
He said the request for fiscal 2025 would allow the U.S. “to continue to invest in the foundations of our strength at home, align with like-minded partners to strengthen our shared interests and address the challenges posed by the PRC, and harness those assets to compete with the PRC and defend our interests.”
Verma said the infrastructure fund would support “transformative, quality and sustainable hard infrastructure projects.”
At the 2023 G20 Summit in India, U.S. officials said President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-hosted a group of G20 leaders to accelerate investments in high-quality infrastructure projects and development of economic corridors through a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI).
This came after the Group of Seven rich Western countries’ leaders pledged in 2022 to raise $600 billion in private and public funds over five years to finance needed infrastructure in developing countries and counter the Belt and Road project.
Overseas finance has won Beijing friends across the developing world, while drawing criticism from the West and in some recipient countries, including Sri Lanka and Zambia, that infrastructure projects it funded saddled them with debt they were unable to repay.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-state-department-requests-4-billion-to-outcompete-china/7523822.html Save to Pocket
Cisco is a fashion retailer now, with a spring collection to prove it
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Promises quarterly lookbooks of branded tat, powered by branded kit
Cisco has become a fashion retailer.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/cisco_fashion_retail/ Save to Pocket
Former US Official’s Work for Chinese Client Stirs Concern Over Disclosure Loopholes
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — When a Chinese drone company came under U.S. government scrutiny over its alleged ties to China’s military, the company turned to one of America’s pre-eminent lawyers: Loretta Lynch, a former attorney general in the Obama administration.
Lynch, who ran the U.S. Department of Justice from 2015 to 2017 and is now a partner at the Paul, Weiss law firm, wrote a letter to a senior Defense Department official last July on behalf of SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, asking that her client be removed from a list of Chinese military companies.
Advocating for foreign clients is legal and U.S. law includes a public disclosure exemption for lawyers.
But the letter, seen by Reuters, is an example of what transparency advocates and some members of Congress - dozens of whom have supported bills to change rules - say are gaps in the law that allow lawyers and lobbyists, including former officials, to avoid disclosing their advocacy for companies possibly subject to U.S. sanctions.
The Paul, Weiss law firm declined to comment on the letter, and Lynch did not respond to Reuters emails. DJI also declined to comment, but it has said previously that it is not a military company and that it was prepared to formally challenge its inclusion on the list.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a decades-old law requiring public disclosure of work done on behalf of non-U.S. entities, includes a list of exemptions, including for commercial activities and legal representation.
The work by the onetime top U.S. law enforcement officer on behalf of a company the Department of Defense says poses “threats to national security” comes as U.S. agencies warn about companies with links to China’s Communist Party and as lawmakers push to tighten FARA’s disclosure requirements.
The U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments say DJI supported biometric surveillance and tracking of Muslim Uyghur minorities in China.
The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment on Lynch’s letter. DJI remained on the Pentagon list when it was updated in late January.
The Justice Department also declined comment on the letter and broader FARA enforcement.
Almost a dozen critics of FARA told Reuters the law’s loopholes have allowed less transparency for other companies with alleged ties to China’s military, including surveillance technology firm Hikvision and biotech firm WuXi AppTec.
Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says reforms to the law are needed, given the blurry lines between many Chinese companies and the Chinese government, and to keep former members of the U.S. government from effectively lobbying on their behalf.
“It is appalling that former senior U.S. officials use their connections to serve the interests of U.S. adversaries,” Risch said.
However, the American Civil Liberties Union and others assert that broadening disclosure requirements could act as a barrier to legally protected free speech.
In 2022 the ACLU and 13 other groups wrote to the Justice Department about their concerns, cautioning that problems with the law could “enable selective enforcement for bad faith or malicious reasons.”
Others argue that stricter FARA rules on disclosure could give authoritarian countries like Russia and China cover for their own stifling of free speech.
Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law school professor, said some countries, such as Russia, label citizens and reporters as foreign agents to limit their activities.
“I do have concerns over some past investigations and prosecutions that targeted individuals who appeared to be engaging in First Amendment activities,” Turley told Reuters.
Requesting a meeting
The Pentagon in 2022 placed DJI on its Chinese Military Companies list, a designation that serves as a warning about the risks of conducting business with those entities.
In her letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Taylor-Kale on behalf of DJI, Lynch urged the department to promptly remove the drone maker.
“The wide use and dependence on DJI products by a variety of U.S. stakeholders reinforces the importance and urgency of deleting DJI from the list,” Lynch wrote.
She added that DJI requested “a meeting to discuss this matter.” Reuters could not establish whether that meeting occurred.
Also signing the letter, labeled “confidential treatment requested,” were former Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gertzman and Associate White House Counsel in the Obama administration Roberto Gonzalez – now both partners at Paul, Weiss.
Gertzman and Gonzalez did not respond to requests for comment.
FARA enforcement has intensified in recent years, with the Justice Department prosecuting individuals for their work on behalf of Chinese interests and pushing some law firms to register.
Paul, Weiss attorneys have acknowledged growing enforcement tied to China.
In a 2022 memo to clients about a U.S. court’s dismissal of a FARA case against casino magnate Steve Wynn, Lynch, Gonzalez and other Paul, Weiss attorneys wrote: “The targeting of lobbying on behalf of China by the DOJ is further evidence of the Biden Administration’s intention to use all of the legal tools at its disposal in a multi-faceted strategy to counter the perceived threat posed by China.”
Paul, Weiss did not respond to questions about the memo and a White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the Justice Department’s request, the Sidley Austin law firm in 2022 retroactively registered its lobbying on behalf of Hikvision, a company the U.S. says has been implicated in human rights violations toward Uyghurs.
Sidley Austin declined to comment on its registration. While the firm had not originally filed under FARA it had disclosed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, which has less rigorous disclosure requirements, according to the Justice Department.
The Justice Department has called for the repeal of an LDA exemption from FARA filing.
Hikvision did not respond to a request for comment but has previously denied reports that the company is complicit in human rights abuses.
Congressional pressure again has begun to tick up.
On March 5, the House of Representatives select committee on China asked the Justice Department to review trade association Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s lobbying on behalf of Chinese biotech firm WuXi AppTec for possible FARA requirements.
BIO told Reuters that its advocacy was fulfilling its duty to let Congress and patients know the impact of potential policies and “nothing more.”
WuXi AppTec, when asked by Reuters about the House committee’s request, said it objected to “inaccurate assertions and preemptive actions against our company without due process,” adding it was confident lawmakers would see it as a trusted partner.
Reform is up to Congress
Some experts, including those who have concerns about extending FARA’s reach, agree the law is vague and presents particular challenges for attorneys.
David Laufman, a partner at law firm Wiggin and Dana who previously oversaw the Justice Department’s FARA enforcement, said while lawyers may not need to register under FARA if they avoid policy discussions with government officials, the only way to know for certain is to seek an opinion from the Justice Department.
“In the meantime, life goes on for attorneys. We have to represent our clients,” he said.
Reforms to the law would be up to Congress. Several bipartisan bills to close FARA loopholes have been proposed.
One, proposed last year in the House and Senate, could require retroactive FARA registration by anyone who acts as an “agent for a foreign principal.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/former-us-official-s-work-for-chinese-client-stirs-concern-over-disclosure-loopholes/7523818.html Save to Pocket
Palau’s President Relieved by Security Pact Funding Approval
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
Washington — Critical funds to counter China in the Pacific are finally on their way to three U.S. allies: Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
On Friday, the Senate passed a funding package that provides $7 billion over 20 years for the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) as part of a partial government funding bill. It was signed into law by President Joe Biden over the weekend.
“Extending Compact-related assistance is a critical component of the administration’s Pacific Partnership, Indo-Pacific, and National Security Strategies,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement. “We look forward to working with our partners in the Freely Associated States over the next two decades of COFA-related cooperation.”
The compacts are agreements that give the U.S. strategic access to these regions of the Pacific Ocean. In return, the U.S. provides grants to fund education, health care and infrastructure in these nations, whose citizens are then entitled to study, work and live in the U.S. without a visa.
The United States has had compact agreements in effect with Micronesia and the Marshalls since 1986 and with Palau since 1994.
The compacts’ renewals were signed last year but funding stalled as U.S. lawmakers struggled to reach agreement on full-year spending. Palau has been forced to borrow to pay for basic government services like education and health care while waiting for $890 million — its share of the funds.
“It’s not Oct. 1, but it’s at least within this fiscal year, and really just in time,” Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. told VOA in an interview on Monday.
“[This] allows us to stop borrowing to keep government operations going; it allows us to hire those critical police officers, health care workers and education teachers that we need,” he said.
Palau’s economy tanked after Chinese tourism dropped by more than 50% in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The island nation maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan under repeated pressure from Beijing to switch alliances.
Whipps says he recently met with investors from Singapore and Japan, as well as United Airlines with a request for direct service to Japan. He said now that COFA is funded, he can promise a stable and secure environment to financiers.
“[It’s important that we’re] opening up new markets so that we’re diversified and more resilient, not so dependent on the Chinese tourism, which could be weaponized,” said Whipps.
Coordinated push
The final passage comes after a coordinated pressure campaign, from members of Congress as well as the Pacific region.
“The COFA agreements send a clear message of U.S. commitment to the Pacific region and take a much-needed international strong stand for the ideals of democracy and freedom,” American Samoa Representative Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen said in a statement after the House passed COFA on Wednesday.
“I’ve appreciated the partnership of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and thank the many advocates – in Hawaii and in COFA communities across the country – whose hard work made this victory possible,” Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono said in a statement after the Senate passed COFA, Friday.
The leaders of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands joined Whipps in February in drafting a letter to congressional leaders warning of the consequences of not funding the compacts.
Like Palau, the Marshall Islands maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, while Micronesia has diplomatic relations with Beijing.
“There have been ‘carrot and stick’ efforts from the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to shift our alliances, including discontinuing support of Taiwan,” Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine wrote in the February letter.
At a Nuclear Remembrance Day ceremony in the Marshall Islands on March 1, President Heine said the funding delay had created doubt.
“At some point, our nation needs to seriously consider other options available to us if the U.S. is unable or unwilling to keep its commitments to us. Our nation has been a steadfast ally of the United States, but that should not be taken for granted,” she told the audience.
Delay sends signal
Experts say Washington’s funding delay sent a signal to the rest of the Pacific that undermines U.S. credibility.
“They see our agreements with these three Pacific nations as the bellwether for our entire engagement with the region,” Kathryn Hendel Paik, Center for Strategic and International Studies senior fellow, said Monday in an interview with VOA.
“Our waffling on this has really made them question a relationship that they were already starting to be skeptical on because, historically, we have not always been there for the Pacific and we’ve not always showed up the way we should have,” she said.
Charles Paul, Marshall Islands ambassador to the U.S., told VOA via Zoom on Monday, “We’re looking forward to having the compacts approved.”
He added that the agreement includes about $700 million to address the health impacts of radiation introduced in the 67 American atmospheric nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958.
In a 13-minute video posted Saturday on Facebook, Wesley Sinima, president of the Federated States of Micronesia, said the funding delay stirred up “doubt and uncertainty.” He added, however, that the final agreement will “contribute to greater peace and prosperity” for the Micronesian people and “greater security and stability for the Indo-Pacific region and the world.”
As for Palau, President Whipps said he’s been invited to Washington in the coming weeks for an exchange of diplomatic notes to finalize the compacts. He hopes to attend.
https://www.voanews.com/a/palau-s-president-relieved-by-security-pact-funding-approval/7523806.html Save to Pocket
Business Insider Report Claims Apple Is Testing an AI-Powered Ads Platform
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Daring Fireball
https://9to5mac.com/2024/03/11/report-apple-testing-ai-powered-ads-platform/ Save to Pocket
Quick Charge Podcast: March 11, 2024
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and…
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/quick-charge-podcast-march-11-2024/ Save to Pocket
Steven Spielberg, FineWoven Case Owner, Photographs His Hamburger at an Oscars Party Using an iPhone 15 Pro
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Daring Fireball
https://twitter.com/etnow/status/1767076793696370832 Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
100 Greatest Beatles Songs.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-154008/if-i-fell-180281/ Save to Pocket
US Commits $100 Million More to Multinational Force for Haiti Amid Violence
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
STATE DEPARTMENT — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday the United States would commit an additional $100 million to a United Nations-backed multinational security force intended to assist Haitian police in combating gangs, along with $33 million in humanitarian aid.
This would bring the total of U.S. contribution to the security force to $300 million.
In February, the United States pledged $200 million to support the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, or MSS, in Haiti. The U.S. said that the deployment of the mission will help the Haitian National Police create the security conditions necessary to conduct free and fair elections.
Monday, Blinken joined Caribbean leaders in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss a proposal to “expedite a political transition” to resolve the unfolding crisis in Haiti, including possible deployment of the U.N.-backed multinational security forces.
The proposal, developed in partnership with the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM, and Haitian stakeholders, comes as Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry faces pressure to resign or agree to a transitional council.
According to a statement by U.S. officials, the transition would occur via “the creation of a broad-based, independent presidential college,” a reference to a proposed committee that would oversee Haiti ahead of elections.
In Kingston, Blinken said that the Haitian people are confronting “a political crisis, escalating violence, unrest,” an “untenable situation” that requires urgent action both politically and in terms of security.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told VOA that the United States aims to accelerate the deployment of the U.N.-backed mission U.N. Multinational Security Support, or MSS, mission in Haiti, because escalating gang violence is endangering its government.
“We continue to look to expedite that mission as soon as possible,” Miller said during a Monday briefing, adding the U.S. has been in conversation about the deployment with the government of Kenya and other countries.
“I can assure you that the United States will do its part to fund that important mission,” Miller said.
UN reaction
At the United Nations, all 15 U.N. Security Council members strongly condemned “the increasing violence, criminal activities, mass displacement of civilians and human rights abuses” in a Monday statement.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ chief of staff is representing the U.N. at the CARICOM meeting in Kingston.
“The MSS mission is a critical step toward creating an environment conducive to free and fair elections, as well as alleviating the humanitarian crisis,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The expedient MSS deployment is a top priority for U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, she said.
Canada has committed $91.2 million, and others, including Benin, France, Germany, Jamaica and Spain, have announced financial, personnel and logistical support.
Sunday, the U.S. military airlifted nonessential embassy personnel from Haiti and deployed additional U.S. forces to reinforce embassy security. This operation is in response to escalating gang violence that has prompted hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and threatens to bring down the government.
The State Department said the security situation in Haiti is “unpredictable and dangerous,” and the U.S. Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens is “severely limited.”
The State Department’s travel advisory for Haiti has remained at Level Four — do not travel to Haiti — since July 2023.
“U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince has been on Ordered Departure status since July 27, 2023. Adjustments during this time are not uncommon, nor do they represent a change in our overall posture,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA.
Concerns from critics
Some critics note that while both Democratic and Republican lawmakers support ensuring a more stable Haiti, some are concerned about the Biden administration’s policy toward the nation.
Ana Rosa Quintana-Lovett, a senior policy director for the Vandenberg Coalition think tank in Washington, said Haiti’s political future is not being driven by Haitians but rather by the international donor community.
She told VOA Monday that Haitian Prime Minister Henry’s “leadership is untenable” and that Henry fails to grasp that he does not have the support of the Haitian people.
“The United States needs to understand that whatever diplomatic messages they are publicly releasing, frankly, are falling on (Henry’s) deaf ears,” she added.
She also pointed out congressional concerns over proposed Kenyan-led multinational forces. “Kenyan forces don’t speak Creole, so how are they going to engage and work with the Haitian National Police? I mean, there are just so many loopholes in the approach,” she said.
Dire situation
Haiti declared a state of emergency on March 3, following attacks by gangs on the main prisons in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Prime Minister Henry was in Kenya at the time, finalizing a deal for a U.N.-supported peacekeeping mission aimed at addressing Haiti’s gang violence.
The gangs demanded Henry’s resignation. He is reportedly stranded in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Amid escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian government extended the state of emergency until April 3, and the nighttime curfew until Monday.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s office in Haiti, the violence perpetrated by armed gangs has forced over 360,000 people across Haiti to flee their homes.
UNICEF has warned that critical social services in Haiti are on the verge of collapse, and that the humanitarian response that millions of children and civilians rely on as a last resort has been severely impaired.
Political transition process
Henry was appointed, not elected, after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Henry had initially promised to step down by early February but later said security must be reestablished first to conduct free and fair elections.
On February 29, CARICOM said the Haitian prime minister had committed to organizing general elections by August 31, 2025. CARICOM stated its intention to send an assessment team by March 31 of this year to evaluate electoral needs, aiming to support the planning and establishment of relevant institutions.
Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-commits-100-million-more-to-multinational-force-for-haiti-amid-violence/7523790.html Save to Pocket
Hart school board expected to certify second interim financial report
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
The William S. Hart Union High School District governing board is expected at Wednesday’s meeting to positively certify the district’s second interim financial report, according to the agenda. That’s one of many topics that is up for discussion on Wednesday, along with a demographics report and a project that would see the Valencia High School […]
The post Hart school board expected to certify second interim financial report appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/hart-school-board-expected-to-certify-second-interim-financial-report/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
What U.S. States Have Legal Weed in 2024?
https://lifehacker.com/where-is-weed-legal-in-the-us Save to Pocket
Singapore’s central bank warns AI isn’t ready to handle monetary policy
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
LLMs show promise, but are ‘not yet capable of providing credible explanations for their own predictions’
A senior policymaker at Singapore’s central bank, the Monetary Authority, has suggested that artificial intelligence technology is not yet suitable to inform its policy development work.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/singapore_mas_ai_policy_prediction/ Save to Pocket
Pentagon Needs $10B to Replace Weapons Already Sent to Ukraine, Officials Say
date: 2024-03-12, from: VOA News USA
pentagon — The Pentagon has a funding shortfall of about $10 billion for U.S. military weapons needed to replace those already sent to Ukraine, a shortfall that requires additional money from Congress to fix, top Defense Department officials said Monday.
“We don’t foresee a likely alternative outside of the supplemental funding [bill] or having that money added into an appropriations bill in order to achieve the replenishment that we need,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told reporters.
“We are probably looking at about $10 billion to replace everything, everything that we’ve given in terms of supplies to Ukraine,” one official told VOA.
Pentagon officials expected to get the funding to replenish those stocks in a supplemental request from the Biden administration, which included billions of additional dollars in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. However, Congress has yet to pass a supplemental aid bill because of arguments on spending and U.S. border security.
The shortfall is tied to the way the Pentagon has accounted for the aid sent to Ukraine. Last June, the Pentagon said it overestimated the value of weapons sent to Ukraine by about $6.2 billion over the past two years.
When calculating its aid package estimates, the Department of Defense was counting the cost incurred to replace the weapons given to Ukraine, while it said it should have been totaling the cost of the systems actually sent, officials told VOA at the time.
The error provided the Pentagon the legal cover needed to send more aid to Ukraine, but the problem remained that more funds would be needed to replenish U.S. military stockpiles with newer, costlier weapons.
Failing to replenish U.S. stockpiles would negatively affect the military’s readiness, another defense official told VOA.
The department still has about $4 billion in authority to send aid to Ukraine, but Pentagon officials have told reporters that sending additional aid without the ability to replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles would be a risk the Defense Department is not willing to take at this time.
But Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a defense analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told VOA there are key weapons the U.S. could send Kyiv without compromising military readiness, “because the Army no longer needs them.”
One weapon would be 155-millimeter cluster munitions, which Montgomery says the U.S. doesn’t use in combat planning.
“That would give 155-mm ammunition to the Ukrainians very quickly,” he said.
Another weapon that could be immediately sent without incurring a cost on U.S. military readiness would be M113 armored vehicles.
“We have thousands of them that we’re getting rid of. We could transfer these to Ukraine,” he told VOA.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pentagon-needs-10b-to-replace-weapons-already-sent-to-ukraine-officials-say/7523377.html Save to Pocket
Election Results: Local Races Updated as of Monday, March 11
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
Ballot counts updated, about 230,000 remain for L.A. County News release The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office announced the fifth post-Election Night ballot count update for the March 5 Presidential Primary Election. The update includes 84,323 ballots processed since the fourth Post-Election Night update. The total election results count is now 1,401,547, which […]
The post Election Results: Local Races Updated as of Monday, March 11 appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/election-results-local-races-updated-as-of-monday-march-11/ Save to Pocket
One person transported after traffic collision involving pedestrian
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
One person was transported to a local hospital due to a traffic collision involving a pedestrian on Monday afternoon in Newhall, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. First responders received reports of a traffic collision on the 24800 block of Railroad Avenue in Newhall at 3:47 p.m. and arrived at the scene of […]
The post One person transported after traffic collision involving pedestrian appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/one-person-transported-after-traffic-collision-involving-pedestrian/ Save to Pocket
Chiquita Canyon Landfill opens applications for relocation assistance
date: 2024-03-12, from: The Signal
L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger shared a website Monday created by Waste Connections for residents seeking financial assistance from Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s Community Relief Program. The website mentions funds available for “temporary relocation,” “home hardening” and “increased utility bills,” for the neighborhoods of Val Verde, Live Oak, Hasley Hills, Hillcrest Parkway, Hasley Canyon […]
The post Chiquita Canyon Landfill opens applications for relocation assistance appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/chiquita-canyon-landfill-opens-applications-for-relocation-assistance/ Save to Pocket
Where Heat Pumps Win — And Where They Lose
date: 2024-03-12, from: Heatmap News
Some Americans install heat pumps because they care about climate change. But most people aren’t going to make the switch until it makes sense economically. Pinpointing where and for whom heat pumps are a good investment is surprisingly tricky because U.S. housing is so diverse, with a wide range of building sizes and ages, situated in different local climates with different utility rates.
But for the first time, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Lab have sorted through much of this complexity to get deeper to the truth about the costs, benefits, and challenges of deploying heat pumps in the U.S.
Ultimately, they found that heat pumps are a cost-effective choice in roughly 65 million U.S. homes, or about 60% of the country — and that’s before taking into account available subsidies. But there are substantial economic barriers to widespread adoption.
It’s hard to overstate how detailed the study is. The authors started with a model of 550,000 statistically representative households — basically housing archetypes that typify different combinations of building size, age, occupancy level, local climate, heating usage patterns, and existing heating systems. Each one represents about 242 real-world households. Then the authors looked at how switching to a heat pump would affect greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills across all of these different homes in a wide range of scenarios. They considered heat pumps with lower and higher efficiency ratings, and whether or not the building owner pursued insulation upgrades. They looked at different scenarios for how quickly the grid would decarbonize, how sensitive the results were to energy prices, and how subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act affect the economics.
The paper has many interesting findings beyond the top-line result. Here are five things that stood out.
- Heat pumps will lower greenhouse gas emissions immediately, period.
Eric Wilson, a senior research engineer at NREL and the study’s lead author, told me one of his motivations was to try to settle the question of whether heat pumps reduce emissions.
“I see a lot of people saying, well, the grid is still dirty in this state, and maybe it makes sense to wait five years to put in a heat pump because it could increase emissions,” he said.
But he found that in each of the 48 contiguous U.S. states, switching to a heat pump reduces emissions today, even if that heat pump is one of the cheaper, less-efficient models. Heat pumps are just so much more efficient than other options that they still reduce emissions despite today’s relatively dirty grid.
On average, each home could cut between 2.5 to 4.4 tons of carbon over the approximately 16 years the equipment lasts, meaning widespread adoption could result in a 5% to 9% drop in national economy-wide emissions. The effect is much more pronounced in some states, like those in the Northeast, where a lot of homes currently use fossil fuels for heating. A household in Maine that installs a high efficiency model, combined with completing insulation upgrades, would reduce emissions by an average of 11 tons per year — or about the equivalent of taking two cars off the road for a year.
- The best heat pumps need to get a lot cheaper.
The study breaks down the costs of switching to a heat pump in a few different ways.
First, there’s the up-front costs of upgrading to a heat pump, which are relatively high. A lower-rated, less efficient heat pump system may be a cheaper option than a new furnace or boiler for about 43% of households. But a higher-performing heat pump is almost always more expensive, costing an extra $8,000 to $13,000 before government subsidies (more on them later). That alone might keep heat pumps out of reach for many households.
Next, there’s the potential for bill savings — which is significant. Using state average electricity and gas rates in the winter of 2021 to 2022, the study found that 86% of households can save money on their utility bills by switching to a medium-efficiency heat pump, and a whopping 95% of households will see their bills go down if they install the highest efficiency system.
So in theory, if homeowners do have the extra cash to put down, there’s a chance they could make up for high up-front costs in bill savings over time. But how good a chance?
Putting this all together, the authors looked at what percentage of households that upgraded to heat pumps would see a positive cash flow, calculated as the “net present value,” from the initial investment. Here, the results were less rosy. In many cases, high up-front costs cancel out potential savings. For example, despite the near-certain bill savings from buying one of the most efficient heat pump models, only 21% of households would see an overall economic benefit from the switch.
Still, more than half of all homes would see a positive cash flow by switching to a cheaper, minimum-efficiency heat pump.
Distribution of energy bill savings, upgrade costs, and unsubsidized net
present value, relative to a reference equipment replacement scenario,
using energy prices from winter 2021 to 2022
Courtesy NREL / Wilson et al., Heat pumps for all? Distributions of the
costs and benefits of residential air-source heat pumps in the United
States, Joule (2024),
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2024.01.022
These findings underscore the importance of bringing down the cost of more efficient heat pump models, which are out of reach for many Americans but can provide significant energy bill savings. The authors suggest that policymakers can help by deploying incentives more strategically and pursuing research on “lower-cost, higher performance, and easier to install equipment.” There also may be opportunities for bulk purchasing and aggregating installations across an apartment building or neighborhood.
- Heat pumps almost always beat propane, fuel oil, or electric
resistance heaters. Natural gas is more complicated.
When it comes to bill savings, the study found that those who have systems that run on propane, fuel oil, or electric resistance heaters will pretty much always lower their bills by switching to a heat pump, no matter how efficient it is. But those who use natural gas are far more likely to lower their bills if they can afford to switch to one of the pricier, better-performing heat pumps — which cuts into the value proposition.
The following maps show the percentage of homes in each state that would see a positive cash flow from switching to a heat pump, looking at those switching from natural gas, electric resistance, or fuel oil and propane, illustrating how the value proposition is most challenging for those using natural gas.
Percentage
of homes that currently have air conditioning that will see a positive
cash flow from switching to a heat pump from natural gas, electricity,
and fuel oil and propane.
Courtesy
NREL / Wilson et al. 2024
The authors also note that fixed charges on natural gas bills can play a significant role in the economics of switching to a heat pump. Most natural gas utilities charge customers a fixed amount each month, regardless of how much gas they use. If a homeowner switches to heat pumps but continues using gas for cooking, they’ll still have to pay the full fee, which can be as high as $34 a month, whereas homes that fully electrify can avoid these fees.
- Heat pumps might increase costs for homes without air conditioners.
The results I described in the previous two sections include homes both with and without existing air conditioning systems of some kind. (With the exception of the maps, which only consider homes that have air conditioning already.)
But since heat pumps provide both heating and cooling, the economics are actually quite different for those households who already have air conditioners versus those who don’t. If a household already has A/C, heat pumps appear more favorable, because a family would be able to replace two systems — an air conditioner and a furnace — with just one. If there is no pre-existing air conditioner, the heat pump will not only have higher up-front costs, but it’s more likely to increase energy bills, since the family might start using the heat pump for cooling in addition to heating.
Here are the same maps included in the previous section, but looking just at homes that do not have air conditioning.
Percentage
of homes that do not have air conditioning that will see a positive cash
flow from switching to a heat pump. The first column is homes that
currently use natural gas, the second column is those that us
electricity, and the third is those that use fuel oil and propane.
Courtesy
NREL / Wilson et al. 2024
There are basically zero cases where a house with natural gas heating, and no A/C, will save by switching to a heat pump. However, that result doesn’t take into account the benefits of getting air conditioning for the first time.
“They didn’t include the new value that someone has, especially in a warming world and a world with more heat waves, of now having an air conditioner in your home,” Kevin Kircher, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, told me. “So if you add that in, I think the economics look better.”
- All signs point to the economics of heat pumps improving.
None of the results in the previous sections take into account the various subsidies that states and the federal government offer for heat pumps. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act included a $2,000 tax credit for heat pumps and an additional $11,500 in rebates for low- and moderate-income households. Both will increase the percentage of households for whom the investment will pencil out.
The study also doesn’t take into account the potential for homes to use smart controls that optimize their systems, or the opportunity for households to participate in demand response programs which will pay them to turn down their thermostats by a few degrees when the grid is taxed. Kircher, the Purdue professor, recently published a study of a real-world house in a cold climate where smart controls reduced heating energy costs by 23-34%.
Finally, one big takeaway from the study was that the results are very sensitive to the price ratio between natural gas rates and electricity rates, and there are reasons to believe that may become more favorable. For example, as more renewable energy is deployed, electricity could become more affordable. Meanwhile, if the U.S. increases exports of liquified natural gas, the cost of domestic natural gas could go up. The study cites a 2022 survey of oil and gas executives which found that 69% expect ’’the age of inexpensive U.S. natural gas to end by year-end 2025.”
“Big modeling like this entails a lot of assumptions about the future that are really hard to pin down with any real precision,” said Kircher. “But I think there’s cause for optimism there.”
https://heatmap.news/economy/heat-pumps-national-renewable-energ-lab Save to Pocket
White House and lawmakers increase pressure on UnitedHealth to ease providers’ pain
date: 2024-03-12, updated: 2024-03-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
US senator calls cyber attack ‘inexcusable,’ calls for mandatory security rules
The Biden administration and US lawmakers are turning up the pressure on UnitedHealth group to ease medical providers’ pain after the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, by expediting payments to hospitals, physicians and pharmacists – among other tactics.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/12/white_house_pressures_unitedhealth/ Save to Pocket
Volvo Cars says its new partner will reduce its EVs’ charging time by 30%
date: 2024-03-12, from: Electrek Feed
Volvo Cars has partnered with Imperial College London spinoff Breathe Battery Technologies to reduce its EVs’ charging time by 30%.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/volvo-cars-reduce-ev-charging-time-30-percent/ Save to Pocket
City of Goleta Welcomes New Community Resource Deputy
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
GOLETA, CA, March 11, 2024 – The City of Goleta is pleased to introduce its new Community Resource Deputy (CRD) Connor Worden.
The post City of Goleta Welcomes New Community Resource Deputy appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/city-of-goleta-welcomes-new-community-resource-deputy-2/ Save to Pocket
US Assessing Expansion of Chip Export Controls Impacting China’s Military
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
MANILA, Philippines — The United States is constantly assessing the need to expand export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and manufacturing equipment that could be used to boost its military, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Monday.
The U.S. export controls were launched in 2022 to counter the use of chips for military applications that include the development of hypersonic missiles and artificial intelligence.
Last year, the U.S. Commerce Department broadened the export controls, sparking protests from China’s Commerce Ministry that the restrictions violated international trade rules and “seriously threaten the stability of industrial supply chains.”
China said it would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its rights and interests and urged Washington to lift the export controls as soon as possible.
‘Are we doing enough?’
Asked if the U.S. was planning to further broaden the chip export controls to China, Raimondo said in a news conference in Manila that it was constantly under consideration.
“We look at this every single day,” Raimondo said. “Technology is changing faster than ever, which means we have to wake up every day and ask ourselves, ‘Are we doing enough?’”
She said her job “is to protect the American people” and to make sure China cannot access sophisticated U.S. technologies - including semiconductor technology and artificial intelligence technology - that could be used to bolster the Chinese military.
The U.S. would continue to sell semiconductors worth billions of dollars to China, Raimondo said.
“I want to be clear. We have no interest to decouple our economies,” she said, but added, “We cannot allow China to have access, for their military advancement, to our more sophisticated technology.”
‘Ironclad’ relationship
Raimondo said she was sent by President Joe Biden to Manila with a delegation of executives from 22 American companies, which she said plan to invest about $1 billion in the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. The U.S. investments would include training large numbers of Filipinos to attain high-tech skills that could help them land high-salary jobs, she said.
“The U.S.-Philippine alliance is ironclad. It is sustained over 72 years, and we remain steadfast friends and increasingly partners in prosperity,” she said.
Raimondo met President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and quoted him as saying “he cannot imagine the Philippines’ future without a close bond with the United States.”
“I want to say here today: The feeling is mutual,” Raimondo said. “But President Biden acknowledges we can do more.”
Marcos invited businesses from the U.S., the third-largest trading partner of the Philippines, to invest in more than 198 planned infrastructure projects worth $148 billion.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-assessing-expansion-of-chip-export-controls-impacting-china-s-military/7523381.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Zach Seward is a friend who got a kickass job, starting up the new AI effort at the NYT. Totally looking forward to what he's coming up with.
https://www.zachseward.com/ai-news-thats-fit-to-print-sxsw-2024/?ref=zach-seward-newsletter Save to Pocket
Florida Teachers Can Discuss Sexual Orientation, Gender ID Under ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Settlement
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
orlando, fla. — Students and teachers will be able to speak freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, provided it’s not part of instruction, under a settlement reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who had challenged a state law which critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”
The settlement clarifies what is allowed in Florida classrooms following passage two years ago of the law prohibiting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. Opponents said the law had created confusion about whether teachers could identity themselves as LGBTQ+ or if they even could have rainbow stickers in classrooms.
Other states used the Florida law as a template to pass prohibitions on classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and North Carolina are among the states with versions of the law.
Under the terms of the settlement, the Florida Board of Education will send instructions to every school district saying the Florida law doesn’t prohibit discussing LGBTQ+ people, nor prevent anti-bullying rules on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or disallow Gay-Straight Alliance groups. The settlement also spells out that the law is neutral — meaning what applies to LGBTQ+ people also applies to heterosexual people — and that it doesn’t apply to library books not being used for instruction in the classroom.
The law also doesn’t apply to books with incidental references to LGBTQ+ characters or same-sex couples, “as they are not instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity any more than a math problem asking students to add bushels of apples is instruction on apple farming,” according to the settlement.
“What this settlement does, is, it re-establishes the fundamental principal, that I hope all Americans agree with, which is every kid in this country is entitled to an education at a public school where they feel safe, their dignity is respected and where their families and parents are welcomed,” Roberta Kaplan, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in an interview. “This shouldn’t be a controversial thing.”
In a statement, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office described the deal as a “major win” with the law formally known as the Parental Rights in Education Act remaining intact.
“We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors,” said Ryan Newman, an attorney for the state of Florida. “We are victorious, and Florida’s classrooms will remain a safe place under the Parental Rights in Education Act.”
The law has been championed by the Republican governor since before its passage in 2022 by the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature. It barred instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade, and it was expanded to all grades last year.
Republican lawmakers had argued that parents should broach these subjects with children and that the law protected children from being taught about inappropriate material.
But opponents of the law said it created a chilling effect in classrooms. Some teachers said they were unsure if they could mention or display a photo of their same-sex partner in the classroom. In some cases, books dealing with LGBTQ+ topics were removed from classrooms and lines mentioning sexual orientation were excised from school musicals. The Miami-Dade County School Board in 2022 decided not to adopt a resolution recognizing LGBTQ History Month, even though it had done so a year earlier.
The law also triggered the ongoing legal battles between DeSantis and Disney over control of the governing district for Walt Disney World in central Florida after DeSantis took control of the government in what the company described as retaliation for its opposition to the legislation. DeSantis touted the fight with Disney during his run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, which he ended earlier this year.
The civil rights attorneys sued Florida education officials on behalf of teachers, students and parents, claiming the law was unconstitutional, but the case was dismissed last year by a federal judge in Tallahassee who said they lacked standing to sue. The case was appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kaplan said they believed the appellate court would have reversed the lower court’s decision, but continuing the lawsuit would have delayed any resolution for several more years.
“The last thing we wanted for the kids in Florida was more delay,” Kaplan said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/7523376.html Save to Pocket
New lDebug release 8
date: 2024-03-11, from: FreeDOS News
The lDebug debugger (spelled with a small L) is a line-oriented DOS debugger based on FreeDOS Debug/X, originating as an MS-DOS Debug clone. Release 8 is a maintenance release with some bugfixes, testing updates, new progress displays for the executable depackers, and a smaller release sources archive achieved by dropping temporary and listing files, and building only ELDs without the XLD variants. The lDOS boot iniload and inicomp stages can be patched using new utilities provided as C programs. For more details, see the email list announcement or find “everything lDebug” at the lDebug website. We’ve also mirrored this release on the FreeDOS Files Archive at Ibiblio, under /dos/debug/ldebug/rel8.
https://sourceforge.net/p/freedos/news/2024/03/new-ldebug-release-8/ Save to Pocket
Airbnb warns hosts who use indoor security cameras they may face eviction
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
No more creepy snooping? Be my guest
Airbnb guests will be delighted to know that their short-term rentals don’t contain indoor security cameras – once a change to the platform’s community policy takes effect at the end of April.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/airbnb_bans_indoor_security_cameras/ Save to Pocket
US, Canada, Indigenous Groups Have Proposal to Address Cross-Border Mining
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
billings, mont. — The U.S., Canada and several Indigenous groups announced a proposal Monday to address pollution from coal mining in British Columbia that officials say has been contaminating waterways and harming fisheries on both sides of the border for years.
The proposal would be executed through a century-old U.S.-Canada boundary waters treaty, establishing independent boards to study the pollution’s extent and make cleanup recommendations.
Details were obtained by The Associated Press in advance of the proposal’s public release. It comes after Indigenous groups in British Columbia, Montana and Idaho lobbied for more than a decade for the federal governments in the U.S. and Canada to intervene and stop the flow of pollution.
Scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency several years ago confirmed high levels of selenium in fish and eggs in Montana’s Kootenai River downstream of Lake Koocanusa, which straddles the U.S. Canada border. The chemical, released when coal is mined and washed during processing, can be toxic to fish, aquatic insects and the birds that feed on them.
Some members of the Ktunaxa Nation — which includes two tribes in the U.S. and four first nations in Canada — depend on those fish populations for sustenance.
“The fish, especially the smaller ones, you see a lot of damage. You’re starting to get abnormalities in their bodies, reproductive issues,” said Tom McDonald, vice chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in northwestern Montana. “It has to stop.”
Selenium concentrations in water entering Lake Koocanusa have been increasing for decades, and studies have shown it’s coming from coal mines in the Elk River valley of British Columbia. The Elk River drains into the Kootenai before it crosses the border into Montana, then flows into Idaho and eventually joins the Columbia River.
Diplomatic groundwork for Monday’s proposal was laid last year, when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in March 2023 that the U.S. and Canada hoped to reach an “agreement in principle” in the following months to reduce the pollution in the Elk-Kootenai watershed in partnership with tribes and first nations.
“All the parties know that time is of the essence,” said Stephenne Harding, senior director for lands at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “The pollution levels in this system are increasing and we need shared solutions to protect people and species. This process helps bring together all the data and the knowledge … so we have it in one place where we can make important decisions.”
Gary Aitken Jr., vice chairman of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, said tribal leaders have been lobbying for federal intervention for at least 12 years.
“It’s been frustrating,” he said. “We hope it’s a turning point and that the governments will work in good faith to finally begin” cleanup work.
The proposal — submitted through a bilateral panel known as the International Joint Commission — calls for no more than two years of study to gauge the extent of pollution.
The goal is to develop a plan to reduce pollution impacts “as quickly as possible,” said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Rachel Poynter.
“This is a first step, and we recognize that, but it is a critical key first step,” Poynter said.
Officials from Montana, Idaho and British Columbia also would be invited to participate.
Senator Jon Tester of Montana issued a statement saying he’s pleased that officials in Canada are involved after previous complaints from tribes that they were not cooperating.
“I’ll continue to put pressure on the State Department to hold the Canadian government accountable,” the Democratic lawmaker added.
A Canadian coal company paid a $60 million fine in 2021 after pleading guilty in a court case involving pollution discharges in British Columbia blamed for harming fish populations. Investigators found Teck Resources Limited discharged hazardous amounts of selenium and calcite from two coal mines.
Teck Resources spokesperson Chris Stannell said in response to Monday’s proposal that the company is making progress in improving water quality. It has built four water treatment plants that are removing at least 95% of the selenium from treated water, he said, with six more treatment plants planned by 2027.
Coal from the region is mined through a highly disruptive method known as mountaintop removal and sold to foundries for steel and metal production.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-canada-indigenous-groups-have-proposal-to-address-cross-border-mining-/7523358.html Save to Pocket
Replacing the Carpet with Rags on Santa Barbara’s East Beach
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
City reaches milestone in East Beach Habitat Restoration Project.
The post Replacing the Carpet with Rags on Santa Barbara’s East Beach appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/replacing-the-carpet-with-rags-on-santa-barbaras-east-beach/ Save to Pocket
Calling Out a Would-Be Bully In Chief
date: 2024-03-11, from: Dan Rather’s Steady
How to combat his cruelty
https://steady.substack.com/p/calling-out-a-would-be-bully-in-chief Save to Pocket
Messy ToS update allegedly locks Roku devices until users give in
date: 2024-03-11, from: OS News
Roku customers are threatening to stop using, or to even dispose of, their low-priced TVs and streaming gadgets after the company appears to be locking devices for people who don’t conform to the recently updated terms of service (ToS). This month, users on Roku’s support forums reported suddenly seeing a message when turning on their Roku TV or streaming device reading: “We’ve made an important update: We’ve updated our Dispute Resolution Terms. Select ‘Agree’ to agree to these updated Terms and to continue enjoying our products and services. Press * to view these updated Terms.” A large button reading “Agree” follows. The pop-up doesn’t offer a way to disagree, and users are unable to use their device unless they hit agree. ↫ Scharon Harding at Ars Technica The best part of this story? And by best I mean worst? You have to send a letter – a paper one, with stamps and everything, like in the before times – to Roku’s lawyer in California containing the names of all the people opting out, the devices and services in question, and a damn purchase receipt. They’re one step away from wanting your passport and your firstborn child.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138783/messy-tos-update-allegedly-locks-roku-devices-until-users-give-in/ Save to Pocket
Santa Barbara Airport Patrol to Update Training Requirements
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Airport officers to join Harbor Patrol and other local agencies in California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) program.
The post Santa Barbara Airport Patrol to Update Training Requirements appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/santa-barbara-airport-patrol-to-update-training-requirements/ Save to Pocket
Cottage Gynecologic Oncology Clinic Expands with Addition ofDr. Sumit Mehta, MD and Heather Merrick, PA-C
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA — March 11, 2024—Cottage Gynecologic Oncology Clinic is pleased to announce the expansion of its practice with the addition
The post Cottage Gynecologic Oncology Clinic Expands with Addition ofDr. Sumit Mehta, MD and Heather Merrick, PA-C appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/cottage-gynecologic-oncology-clinic-expands-with-addition-ofdr-sumit-mehta-md-and-heather-merrick-pa-c/ Save to Pocket
Two Suspects Arrested in Stolen Vehicle for Distribution of Illegal Drugs
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA – March 11, 2024 On March 6, 2024, around 9:00 a.m., Santa Barbara Police Detectives conducted a
The post Two Suspects Arrested in Stolen Vehicle for Distribution of Illegal Drugs appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/two-suspects-arrested-in-stolen-vehicle-for-distribution-of-illegal-drugs/ Save to Pocket
Wild Ice Skating
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/wild-ice-skating Save to Pocket
Trump Asks to Delay Hush Money Trial Until US Supreme Court Reviews Immunity Claim
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
new york — Donald Trump on Monday asked the New York judge overseeing his criminal case on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star to delay the trial until the U.S. Supreme Court finishes reviewing his claim of presidential immunity in a separate case.
The first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president is set to begin on March 25 in a New York state court in Manhattan.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of business records.
Prosecutors say he directed his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says they had a decade earlier, and then falsely recorded his reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses.
Trump denies the encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
The move was the latest by Trump seeking to delay the four upcoming criminal trials he faces until closer to, or even after, his expected Nov. 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments April 25, a month after the scheduled start of jury selection in Trump’s hush money case. It is the first of his four criminal cases slated to go to trial.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all criminal cases, which he has termed “election interference.”
In their court filing on Monday, Trump’s lawyers said the outcome of the Supreme Court’s review was relevant to the hush money case because prosecutors were seeking to present evidence of statements Trump made while he was president.
Last month, prosecutors said they planned to introduce evidence of a “pressure campaign” by Trump in 2018 to ensure Cohen did not cooperate with a federal investigation into the payment to Daniels. Cohen pleaded guilty that year to violating campaign finance law.
In their court filing on Monday, Trump’s lawyers called prosecutors’ claim of a pressure campaign “fictitious.” They said Trump’s social media posts about Cohen were “official communications” about “matters of public concern” and thus immune from state prosecution.
“Without immunity from criminal prosecution based on official acts, the President’s political opponents will seek to influence and control his or her decisions via de facto extortion,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which brought the charges, declined to comment.
Last year, Trump made a similar argument as part of an unsuccessful push to move the hush money case from state court to federal court. In denying Trump’s request in July 2023, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein wrote that the payment to Daniels “was a purely personal item.”
“Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts,” Hellerstein wrote.
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-asks-to-delay-hush-money-trial-until-us-supreme-court-reviews-immunity-claim-/7523310.html Save to Pocket
Mustangs’ Outdoor Track Season Opens at Oxy
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The track teams at The Master’s University hit seven national qualifying marks and numerous personal bests in their outdoor track opener at the Oxy Distance Carnival Saturday
https://scvnews.com/mustangs-outdoor-track-season-opens-at-oxy/ Save to Pocket
Led by Tesla, US EV prices dropped by 13% year-over-year in February
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
EV prices dropped by nearly 13% year-over-year in February, led in part by Tesla Model 3 and Model Y price drops, reports Kelley Blue Book.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/led-by-tesla-us-ev-prices-dropped-by-13-year-over-year-in-february/ Save to Pocket
Former Trump Aide Navarro Ordered to Report to US Prison This Month
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — Ex-Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro has been ordered to report to prison this month, his lawyers said in a court filing, which could make him the first senior member of the former president’s administration to do so for efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.
Navarro, who served as Trump’s trade adviser, is due on March 19 to begin his four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the U.S. House of Representatives committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, his lawyers revealed in a court filing late Sunday.
They are asking a federal appeals court in Washington to pause the sentence while Navarro appeals his conviction. His defense team indicated they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene if his request is denied.
Navarro, 74, was found guilty of contempt of Congress last September for refusing to turn over documents or sit for an interview with the Democratic-led House committee that investigated the Capitol riot, a failed attempt by Trump supporters to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. He was sentenced in January.
Navarro, a China hawk who also advised Trump on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has claimed Trump invoked the legal doctrine of executive privilege, which shields some presidential records and communications from disclosure.
A federal judge found that Trump had not formerly invoked the privilege.
Steve Bannon, a one-time top strategist to Trump, was also sentenced to four months in prison for defying a subpoena from the January 6 panel, but a judge has allowed him to remain free while he appeals.
https://www.voanews.com/a/former-trump-aide-navarro-ordered-to-report-to-us-prison-this-month/7523321.html Save to Pocket
BYD to slash EV prices even more with new platform as it looks to crush ICE car sales
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
BYD is leading an offensive against ICE vehicles. A new report claims BYD’s new EV platform will slash costs even further as the automaker kicks off a “liberation battle” against gas-powered cars.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/byds-new-lower-cost-ev-platform-crush-gas-powered-car-sales/ Save to Pocket
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and ABC Participate in Statewide Underage Drinking Enforcement Operation
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Isla Vista, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies and agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) cited
The post Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and ABC Participate in Statewide Underage Drinking Enforcement Operation appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/santa-barbara-county-sheriffs-office-and-abc-participate-in-statewide-underage-drinking-enforcement-operation/ Save to Pocket
Step into Spring with Beautify Goleta THIS Saturday, March 16
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
GOLETA, CA, March 11, 2024 – Spring is almost here and we hope you will join us for our Beautify Goleta spring
The post Step into Spring with Beautify Goleta THIS Saturday, March 16 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/step-into-spring-with-beautify-goleta-this-saturday-march-16/ Save to Pocket
La Fundación Santa Bárbara anima a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro del condado de Santa Bárbara a solicitar los programas de subvenciones abiertos, incluidas las nuevas subvenciones para proveedores de servicios de salud mental para jóvenes.
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
(SANTA BARBARA, CA) – La Fundación Santa Bárbara (SBF) anima a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro del condado de Santa Bárbara a
The post La Fundación Santa Bárbara anima a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro del condado de Santa Bárbara a solicitar los programas de subvenciones abiertos, incluidas las nuevas subvenciones para proveedores de servicios de salud mental para jóvenes. appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/la-fundacion-santa-barbara-anima-a-las-organizaciones-sin-animo-de-lucro-del-condado-de-santa-barbara-a-solicitar-los-programas-de-subvenciones-abiertos-incluidas-las-nuevas-subvenciones-para-proveed/ Save to Pocket
Santa Barbara Foundation Encourages Santa Barbara County Nonprofits to Apply for Open Grant Programs, Including New Youth Mental Health Provider Grants
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
(SANTA BARBARA, CA) – The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) encourages nonprofits in Santa Barbara County to apply for community grants, which provide multi-year funding
The post Santa Barbara Foundation Encourages Santa Barbara County Nonprofits to Apply for Open Grant Programs, Including New Youth Mental Health Provider Grants appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/11/santa-barbara-foundation-encourages-santa-barbara-county-nonprofits-to-apply-for-open-grant-programs-including-new-youth-mental-health-provider-grants/ Save to Pocket
Kremlin accuses America of plotting cyberattack on Russian voting systems
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Don’t worry, we have a strong suspicion Putin’s still gonna win
The Kremlin has accused the United States of meddling in Russia’s upcoming presidential election, and even accused Uncle Sam of planning a cyberattack on the country’s online voting system.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/kremlin_accuses_us_election_cyberattack/ Save to Pocket
Span smart panel expands homebuilder/utility footprint with additional form factors
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
It has been a big few weeks for smart electrical panel-maker Span. The company announced major deals with Pulte Homes and utilities with Landis + Gyr. The startup also expanded its lineup to include small home and apartment-sized panels and even subpanels
But firstly, why do we even need $3500 smart electric panels?
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/span-smart-panel-expands-homebuilder-utility-footprint-with-additional-form-factors/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Airbnb bans the use of indoor security cameras.
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/11/1237609591/airbnb-bans-indoor-security-cameras-surveillance-privacy Save to Pocket
Image-scraping Midjourney bans rival “AI” firm for scraping images
date: 2024-03-11, from: OS News
On Wednesday, Midjourney banned all employees from image synthesis rival Stability AI from its service indefinitely after it detected “botnet-like” activity suspected to be a Stability employee attempting to scrape prompt and image pairs in bulk. Midjourney advocate Nick St. Pierre tweeted about the announcement, which came via Midjourney’s official Discord channel. ↫ Benj Edwards So “AI” companies are allowed to ingest whatever data they want, but as soon as someone ingests their data, it’s suddenly a problem? Seems like a sound business model.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138781/image-scraping-midjourney-bans-rival-ai-firm-for-scraping-images/ Save to Pocket
COC Construction Tech Program Awarded $50K DEWALT Grant
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
College of the Canyons has received a $50,000 DEWALT Grow the Trades Grant to continue supporting the college’s construction technology program.
https://scvnews.com/coc-construction-tech-program-awarded-50k-dewalt-grant/ Save to Pocket
Kris Bowers & Ben Proudfoot won the Best Documentary Short Oscar for…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044174-kris-bowers-ben-proudfoot Save to Pocket
GPT-4 won’t run DOOM but will play the game poorly
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
And perhaps we should be worried that this model is happy to grab a gun and start blasting, says Microsoft bod
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack. And you may find yourself working with GPT-4. And you may ask yourself, “Will GPT-4 run DOOM?” And you may ask yourself, “Am I right? Am I wrong?”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/gpt4_wont_run_doom/ Save to Pocket
American Red Cross Announces SCV Spring Blood Drives
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
As spring approaches, the American Red Cross urges donors to give blood or platelets now to continue to strengthen the national blood supply. People of all blood types – especially those with type O blood – are critical to ensuring hospitals can meet the daily demand for lifesaving transfusions. During Red Cross Month in March,… https://scvnews.com/american-red-cross-announces-scv-spring-blood-drives/ Save to Pocket
New Fiat 500e Versions Add Style, Luxury And Equipment
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
The Inspired By Beauty and Inspired by Music add more charm to the EV city car.
https://insideevs.com/news/711969/fiat-500e-drop-fall/ Save to Pocket
Zero’s “Vehicle Control System” Is The Electric Clutch We’ve Been Waiting For
date: 2024-03-11, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
One simply can’t deny the additional grace and finesse provided by a clutch.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/711454/zero-simulated-clutch-system-patented/ Save to Pocket
The Public Art of the NYC Transit System
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/the-public-art-of-the-nyc-transit-system Save to Pocket
PopChar 10
date: 2024-03-11, from: Michael Tsai
Ergonis Software: An improved user interface that balances classic functionality with modern aesthetics Enhanced magnifier providing improved information and shortcuts for characters, making inspection and insertion of special characters more intuitive New insertion modes with a single click, including support for Swift code Spanish language support, broadening the tool’s international usability Full compatibility with Unicode […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/11/popchar-10/ Save to Pocket
How AirPort Changed Everything
date: 2024-03-11, from: Michael Tsai
The Serial Port (via David Kopec): “No wires.” This simple phrase from Steve Jobs during Apple Airport’s debut in 1999 contained more than a decade of history behind it. Follow along as we chart the perilous and unbelievable journey of wireless networking, and hear from the people that were there during it all. Apple got […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/11/how-airport-changed-everything/ Save to Pocket
UN Chief Fears Global Rollback in Women’s Rights
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
United Nations — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that women and girls around the world are suffering a rollback in rights, while millions more are bearing the brunt of wars and conflict.
“Hard-fought progress is being reversed,” Guterres told hundreds of women’s rights advocates, officials and activists at the opening of the annual two-week session of the Commission on the Status of Women at U.N. headquarters in New York.
He said women’s rights are essentially a question of power and he is worried by negative trends.
“First, despite enormous progress that all of you have helped realize – the patriarchy is far from vanquished. It is regaining ground,” said the secretary-general. “Autocrats and populists are attacking women’s freedoms and their sexual and reproductive rights. They promote what they call ‘traditional’ values.”
He said discrimination against women goes back thousands of years and it is not something that should be brought back, it should be turned back.
“We cannot accept a world in which grandmothers fear their granddaughters will enjoy fewer rights than they had,” he said. “We must speak out, loud and clear: Not on our watch.”
Female poverty
Over the next two weeks, delegates will review how to speed up achieving gender equality, with a focus on addressing poverty and investing in women and girls. U.N. Women says more than 100 million women and girls could be lifted out of poverty if governments prioritize education and family planning, fair and equal pay, and expanded social benefits.
The U.N. chief told the meeting that “poverty has a female face,” because women have less access to land, natural resources and other financial assets. They earn just 51 cents for every dollar men earn, and they are more likely to be food insecure. The U.N. says more than 10% of the world’s women are living in extreme poverty – on less than $2.15 a day.
“Today, one in 10 women lives in extreme poverty. And at the current rate of progress, as many as 342 million women will still be living in poverty in or by 2030,” said Sima Bahous, the executive director of U.N. Women. “This makes a mockery of our 2030 [development] agenda.”
Women also suffer more when it comes to conflict. The U.N. chief noted that more than two-thirds of the people killed and injured in Israel’s military operations in Gaza are reportedly women and children.
“Families seeking shelter from Israeli bombardment are struggling to survive, as hunger and malnutrition take hold. This is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable,” he said of the war against Hamas. “Once again, I call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive increase in humanitarian aid.”
He also repeated an appeal for a cease-fire in Sudan, where thousands have been killed in 11 months of fighting between rival generals, and rape has widely been used as weapon of war.
https://www.voanews.com/a/un-chief-fears-global-rollback-in-womens-rights/7523225.html Save to Pocket
Amazon Buy Box May Not Offer the Best Deal
date: 2024-03-11, from: Michael Tsai
Ashley Belanger (via Slashdot): Amazon rigged its platform to “routinely” push an overwhelming majority of customers to pay more for items that could’ve been purchased at lower costs with equal or faster delivery times, a class-action lawsuit has alleged.The lawsuit claims that a biased algorithm drives Amazon’s “Buy Box,” which appears on an item’s page […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/11/amazon-buy-box-may-not-offer-the-best-deal/ Save to Pocket
Mac Dialog in Auto Layout vs. SwiftUI
date: 2024-03-11, from: Michael Tsai
Christian Tietze (Mastodon): On Mastodon, we had a discussion about whether you are more or less productive with SwiftUI or UIKit/AppKit. Der Teilweise (@teilweise@layer8.space) chimed in with an actual, measurable benchmark: a flexible-width window, with reflowing text, and equal-size buttons. Doable in 10 minutes. Can SwiftUI beat this? […] Here’s the reference implementation on GitHub. […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/11/mac-dialog-in-auto-layout-vs-swiftui/ Save to Pocket
Asian Elephants Bury Their Dead, New Research Suggests
date: 2024-03-11, from: Smithsonian Magazine
In India, five dead calves were found buried on their backs in irrigation ditches, with evidence that multiple herd members had participated in the burials
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/asian-elephants-bury-their-dead-new-research-suggests-180983929/ Save to Pocket
Biden Calls for $7.3 Trillion US Budget for Fiscal 2025
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
The White House — U.S. President Joe Biden laid out his 2025 government spending priorities on Monday in a $7.3 trillion plan that has little chance of being enacted by the politically divided Congress.
Biden touted the proposal as he traveled to New Hampshire to sell Americans on his plan to increase taxes on the wealthy and to highlight his values and priorities to woo voters in a key swing state.
During a visit to Goffstown, Biden pulled a line from last week’s State of the Union address to show how he is different from his main rival, former President Donald Trump. Speaking Monday at the YMCA, at a charity-run community center, he kicked a particularly sensitive political football once again — health care and pensions for the elderly.
“Even this morning, Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security and Medicare are on the table again,” he said, adding, “I’m never going to allow that to happen.”
Biden’s budget for the fiscal year starting October 1 calls for a liberal wish list of policies favored by many Democrats — sharply higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals and more assistance for low- and middle-income earners to help them pay for high housing and child care costs.
The president’s plan would raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, impose a rate increase on individuals earning more than $400,000 a year, and force those with more than $100 million in wealth to pay at least a 25% income tax.
“I’m a capitalist, man,” Biden said Monday in New Hampshire. “Make all the money you want — just begin to pay your fair share of taxes.”
At the same time, Biden wants to increase the government’s authority to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of drug prices. In the United States, people who need to fill medical prescriptions often pay more for their pills than patients in other countries for the same medications. He also called for reinstating a child tax credit for low- and middle-income earners that has lapsed.
White House budget officials say the spending proposal would cut the government’s chronic annual deficit spending by $3 trillion over the next decade, slowing but not halting the growth of the burgeoning national debt that has reached $34.5 trillion.
The budget, said Shalanda Young, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, has a stated goal of “lowering costs for families growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up, by investing in all America to make sure the middle class has a fair shot. And we leave no one behind,” she told reporters on a Monday morning call.
The largest item in the national budget is defense. But defense officials say the numbers aren’t as big as they sound, with a senior defense official telling reporters during the budget rollout process that it “is not enough of an increase to cover inflation.”
Consumer advocates disagree with that characterization. Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen, argues that priorities are misplaced.
The Pentagon “is a three-quarters-of-a-trillion-dollar agency that has never once passed an audit. It’s infamous for waste, fraud and bankrolling defense corporations,” Gilbert said.
“It’s impossible not to comment on the $895 billion defense top line,” she said. “War hawks squealing that a 1% increase to defense spending is ‘meager’ or ‘catastrophic’ lack perspective altogether. The true catastrophe is the existing scale of U.S. military spending.”
Biden again called for funding tighter immigration controls at the U.S.-Mexico border and more aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Funding for the border restrictions and foreign assistance is currently stalled in a lengthy congressional debate over how tough the migration restrictions should be and to what extent the U.S. should continue to fund Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s two-year invasion.
Biden’s budget proposal echoed some of the themes he offered at his State of the Union address last week.
“Imagine a future with affordable child care. … Imagine a future with paid leave, because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of a sick family member. Imagine a future of home care and elder care and people living with disabilities so they can stay in their homes, and family caregivers can finally get the pay they deserve.”
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Biden ally, also highlighted the difference between Biden’s vision and Trump’s in a statement about the budget proposal. Lawmakers in this deeply divided Congress are responsible for passing the annual budget.
“The contrast couldn’t be starker, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” said Whitehouse, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. “I look forward to working with the White House and Democrats in Congress to make the President’s vision a reality.”
That contrast has turned off Republicans, who on Monday panned Biden’s budget for its “reckless spending.”
Republicans traditionally favor tax reductions and lower government spending — as House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Republican conference chair Elise Stefanik noted in a joint statement on Monday.
“Biden’s budget doesn’t just miss the mark — it is a road map to accelerate America’s decline,” they said. “While hardworking Americans struggle with crushing inflation and mounting national debt, the President would increase their pain to spend trillions of additional taxpayer dollars to advance his left-wing agenda.”
The political disputes this year have been even more protracted than usual, with spending levels not yet set for more than half the government for the 2024 fiscal year that started October 1. Just last week, Congress approved funding for not quite half the government agencies and is facing a March 22 deadline to set spending levels for the rest.
Last Thursday, Republicans in the House of Representatives issued a plan to balance the federal budget within the next 10 years by cutting $14 trillion in federal spending, including two Biden favorites — green energy subsidies and student loan forgiveness.
The White House called the plan unworkable.
Trump, virtually assured of the Republican presidential nomination to face Biden again after losing to him in 2020, offered some of his economic proposals Monday in an interview on CNBC.
He called for his 2017 tax cuts that greatly benefited wealthy wage earners to be extended beyond their scheduled 2025 expiration date.
“I think taxes could be cut. I think other things could happen to more than adjust that. But I’m a big believer in tariffs,” Trump said.
He said the imposition of new tariffs on imports helps American businesses when they are “being taken advantage of” by China and other nations.
“Beyond the economics, it gives you power in dealing with other countries,” Trump said.
He said he was not concerned about any possible retaliatory tariffs from other countries.
Democrats generally say the higher tariffs that Trump advocates hurt consumers, because companies importing foreign goods often add the tariff costs to the cost of consumer goods sold in the U.S.
On bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, Trump said he has “seen that there has been a lot of use of that. And I’m not sure that I’d want to take it away.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-calls-for-7-3-trillion-us-budget-for-fiscal-2025/7523218.html Save to Pocket
Tesla May Be Cracking Down On Cybertruck Flippers
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
New Tesla Cybertrucks have resold for well over $200,000 lately, despite a restriction on flipping in the first year of ownership.
https://insideevs.com/news/711980/tesla-cybertruck-resale-policy/ Save to Pocket
US Sanctions Money Launderers Connected to Al-Shabab
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-sanctions-money-launderers-connected-to-al-shabab/7523193.html Save to Pocket
A Lost Gershwin Musical Has Been Found Nearly 100 Years After It Was Last Performed
date: 2024-03-11, from: Smithsonian Magazine
A researcher found a box containing 800 pages from the composer’s first musical, “La, La, Lucille”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gershwins-first-ever-musical-is-rediscovered-after-almost-100-years-180983920/ Save to Pocket
Ken Striplin | SENSES Block Party Series Returns
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
If you’re looking for local delicious food and drinks, live music and engaging activities that stimulate all your senses, then look no further
https://scvnews.com/ken-striplin-senses-block-party-series-returns/ Save to Pocket
Google Pixel 8 now supports display output (if you’re running Android 13 QPR3 Beta)
date: 2024-03-11, from: Liliputing
Google’s Pixel 8 smartphone is the company’s first phone that you can plug into an external display since the Nexus 5, which was released more than ten years ago. Or at least, it will be very soon. Before the Pixel 8 launched, Kamila Wojciechowska spotted clues that it would support USB DisplayPort Alt Mode, allowing […]
The post Google Pixel 8 now supports display output (if you’re running Android 13 QPR3 Beta) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/google-pixel-8-now-supports-display-output-if-youre-running-android-13-qpr3-beta/ Save to Pocket
Ukrainians React to Biden’s Pledges of Continued Support
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
U.S. President Joe Biden opened his State of the Union address last week with a pledge to continue to support Ukraine, giving Ukrainians hope that a U.S. aid package will be approved. But a foreign aid bill that includes more assistance to Ukraine faces opposition in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Eugene Shynkar.
https://www.voanews.com/a/ukrainians-react-to-biden-s-state-of-the-union-speech/7523148.html Save to Pocket
Haha, Hank Green discovers the automobile industry’s wet putty paint job and,…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044170-haha-hank-green-discovers Save to Pocket
Hyundai IONIQ 9 looks big and bold after the three-row electric SUV was spotted testing [Video]
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
As the Hyundai IONIQ 9 gets closer to its official debut, we are finally getting a sneak peek of what we can expect. Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV was spotted testing, revealing its large body and sleek design.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/hyundai-ioniq-9-spotted-testing-big-bold-three-row-ev/ Save to Pocket
Text-to-Podcast Service Listen Later Sponsoring TidBITS
date: 2024-03-11, from: TidBITS blog
Please welcome our latest long-term TidBITS sponsor, Listen Later. Email an article URL to this innovative Internet service, and it cleanly converts the article text into a custom podcast episode in your favorite podcast app.
https://tidbits.com/2024/03/11/text-to-podcast-service-listen-later-sponsoring-tidbits/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Manton Reece: Recommendations and Blogrolls. We have been working on this together for the last couple of weeks. Really exciting to see it come to fruition.
http://scripting.com/2024/03/11.html#a195157 Save to Pocket
Roku Locks Devices Until Users Agree to New Terms of Service
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Daring Fireball
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/03/disgraceful-messy-tos-update-allegedly-locks-roku-devices-until-users-give-in/ Save to Pocket
The US Treasury released EV charger tax credit guidance – here’s how to find out if you qualify
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
The US Treasury Department released updated guidance on EV charger tax credit eligibility for individuals and businesses – we’re reposting this story because it’s tax season.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/the-us-treasury-just-released-ev-charger-tax-credit-guidance-heres-how-to-find-out-if-you-qualify/ Save to Pocket
Mimestream 1.3
date: 2024-03-11, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/mimestream-1-3/ Save to Pocket
March 13: COC Board of Trustees Business Meeting
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a closed session meeting Wednesday, March 13, beginning at 4:30 p.m., followed immediately by a business meeting at 5 p.m
https://scvnews.com/march-13-coc-board-of-trustees-business-meeting-2/ Save to Pocket
Stratolaunch’s air-launched test vehicle hits supersonic speed
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
TA-1 test ticks off all the primary objectives, but hypersonic flight will have to wait
Stratolaunch has finally completed the first powered flight of the Talon-A test vehicle – TA-1 – which was dropped from its carrier aircraft – the monstrous Roc – for a planned dunking in the Pacific.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/stratolaunch_goes_supersonic_with_talon_a/ Save to Pocket
As Europe’s Peace Unravels, Czech Republic Ties Its Defence More Tightly to NATO
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: RAND blog
The Czech Republic’s new defence strategy emphasises its commitment to its allies and Ukraine at a time when the cohesion of the Western Alliance is being challenged by both domestic and external factors.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/03/as-europes-peace-unravels-czech-republic-ties-its-defence.html Save to Pocket
I’m pleased that The Zone of Interest won the Oscar for Best…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044168-im-pleased-that-the-zone Save to Pocket
Federico Viticci’s Hacked-Together Mac-iPad Convertible
date: 2024-03-11, from: TidBITS blog
In a stunning feat of hackery, Federico Viticci of MacStories removed the screen from a MacBook Air and replaced it with a detachable iPad for the best of both worlds… and a better Mac Virtual Display for the Vision Pro.
https://tidbits.com/2024/03/11/federico-viticcis-hacked-mac-ipad-convertible/ Save to Pocket
Blink Charging will more than triple EV charger production with a new factory
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
EV charger maker Blink Charging (Nasdaq: BLNK) is turbocharging its manufacturing capacity with a new 30,000-square-foot factory in Maryland.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/blink-charging-will-more-than-triple-ev-charger-production-with-a-new-factory/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Google's newest office has AI designers toiling in a Wi-Fi desert.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/googles-newest-office-has-ai-designers-toiling-wi-fi-desert-2024-03-07/ Save to Pocket
The Audi Q4 E-Tron Just Got More Power And Range
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
The refreshed Q4 e-tron also gets improved chassis dynamics and better DC fast charging.
https://insideevs.com/news/711913/2024-audi-q4-etron-55/ Save to Pocket
Mesoamericans May Have Drunk Tobacco During Rituals 1,000 Years Ago
date: 2024-03-11, from: Smithsonian Magazine
New research reveals evidence of nicotine residue on vases unearthed in Guatemala
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-year-old-residues-suggest-ancient-mayans-consumed-liquid-nicotine-180983921/ Save to Pocket
Filing NeMo: Nvidia’s AI framework hit with copyright lawsuit
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Claims allegedly pirated content from Books3 dataset trawled by its models
Nvidia is the latest tech giant to face allegations that it used copyrighted works to train AI models without obtaining the permission of the authors.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/authors_file_lawsuit_to_torpedo/ Save to Pocket
“Struggling in front of my classmates wasn’t something I looked forward to.”…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044136-struggling-in-front-of-my Save to Pocket
A History of Total Solar Eclipses Seen by Astronauts From Outer Space
date: 2024-03-11, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Since the Gemini 12 mission in 1966, a handful of people have seen these stunning celestial events from orbit—or watched the moon’s shadow pass over Earth
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-history-of-total-solar-eclipses-seen-by-astronauts-from-outer-space-180983909/ Save to Pocket
Fossify apps pick up where Simple Mobile Tools left off (free and open source suite of Android apps)
date: 2024-03-11, from: Liliputing
When the lead developer behind Simple Mobile Tools sold the business to ZipApps last year, many long-time users of this suite of simple, free, and open source Android apps were wary. And, as expected, ZipApps soon started inserting ads and locking features that had once been free behind expensive subscriptions. But a developer who had […]
The post Fossify apps pick up where Simple Mobile Tools left off (free and open source suite of Android apps) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/fossify-apps-pick-up-where-simple-mobile-tools-left-off-free-and-open-source-suite-of-android-apps/ Save to Pocket
Cheats and Sneaks: A Conversation with Marina Kittaka
date: 2024-03-11, from: Care
<p>An interview with game developer Marina Kittaka (of Analgesic Studios) on her work and the state of the video games industry.</p>https://logicmag.io/policy/cheats-and-sneaks Save to Pocket
This 408-MW solar farm will be one of the largest in Texas
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Solar developer Primergy Solar has closed commitments for $588 million in debt financing for a 408-megawatt (MW) solar farm south of Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/this-408-mw-solar-farm-will-be-one-of-the-largest-in-texas/ Save to Pocket
Ford is losing millions per day due to a strike in Germany, where it’s retiring the Focus
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Due to a strike in Germany, Ford is losing millions with production at a standstill in Saarlouis, Germany where the Ford Focus is built.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/ford-losing-millions-per-day-strike-halting-focus-production/ Save to Pocket
Trying out Microsoft’s pre-release OS/2 2.0
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It fell through a timewarp from an alternate and very different computing universe
The earliest known release of Microsoft’s 32-bit version of OS/2 is now out there, and intrepid code archeologists have it running. It’s a glimpse into an alternatve computing universe.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/trying_ms_prerelease_os2_2/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The WordPress blog we used to launch bit.ly in 2008. Possibly the most explosive rollout I've done. People loved bit.ly then.
https://switchabit.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/bitly/ Save to Pocket
Princess Catherine on Instagram
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/princess-catherine-on-instagram Save to Pocket
Save $200 on seven Rad Power e-bikes from $1,199, Jackery power station hits $640, more deals
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Leading today’s green deals is the Rad Power RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike for a new $1,199 low, with the brand also taking $200 off its lineup of classic e-bike models. It is joined by the Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station dropping down to $640, as well as the Panasonic eneloop pro Rechargeable Battery Power Pack at $53. Plus, all of the other best new Green Deals landing this week.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/rad-powers-radrunner-2-e-bike-jackery-power-station-and-more-deals/ Save to Pocket
March 14: Castaic Union Regular Board Meeting
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Castaic Union School District Governing Board will hold its regular meeting Thursday, March 14, at 6 p.m.
https://scvnews.com/march-14-castaic-union-regular-board-meeting/ Save to Pocket
Sting is bringing a different kind of concert tour through the Bay Area
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
Here’s how to get tickets to see the STING 3.0 concert tour at the Masonic in San Francisco.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/sting-is-bringing-a-different-kind-of-concert-tour-through-the-bay-area/ Save to Pocket
Hayward teacher arrested for allegedly inviting cop posing as girl to classroom for some ‘naughty fun’
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
Joseph Rudolfo Martinez, 37, allegedly snapped the picture of his penis while still inside his classroom at Tennyson High School.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/hayward-teacher-arrested-for-allegedly-inviting-cop-posing-as-girl-to-classroom-for-some-naughty-fun/ Save to Pocket
Bay FC suffers major blow as former Santa Clara goalkeeper Melissa Lowder endures season-ending injury
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
The 27-year-old was the club’s starting goalie during their most recent preseason match against Angel City.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/bay-fc-suffers-major-blow-as-former-santa-clara-goalkeeper-melissa-lowder-endures-season-ending-injury/ Save to Pocket
A surge of illegal homemade machine guns has helped fuel gun violence in the US
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
Communities around the U.S. have seen shootings carried out with weapons converted to fully automatic in recent years, fueled by a staggering increase in small pieces of metal or plastic made with a 3D printer or ordered online.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/a-surge-of-illegal-homemade-machine-guns-has-helped-fuel-gun-violence-in-the-us/ Save to Pocket
Biden’s budget includes tax breaks for families, hikes for the wealthy
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
Unlikely to pass the House and the Senate to become law, the proposal for fiscal 2025 is an election year blueprint about what the future could hold if Biden and enough of his fellow Democrats win in November. The president and his aides previewed parts of his budget going into last week’s State of the Union address, and they provided the fine print on Monday.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/bidens-budget-includes-tax-breaks-for-families-hikes-for-the-wealthy/ Save to Pocket
Daily Deals (3-11-2024)
date: 2024-03-11, from: Liliputing
The HP Pavilion Plus is a 14 inch laptop that debuted in 2022 as an affordable notebook with premium features including a metal body, thin and light design, and optional support for an OLED display or discrete graphics, among other features. HP has expanded the line since then, offering models with Intel or AMD processor […]
The post Daily Deals (3-11-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-3-11-2024/ Save to Pocket
Lily Gladstone’s upset loss to Emma Stone was expected for this reason
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
The surprise results of Sunday night’s best actress race has sparked debate about the nature of a leading role, the narrative focus on ‘Killer of the Flower Moon’ and Gladstone’s real accomplishments.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/lily-gladstones-upset-loss-to-emma-stone-was-expected-for-this-reason/ Save to Pocket
Tesla goes after Cybertruck owners selling their electric pickup trucks for profit
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla is following through with its threat to go after early Cybertruck owners selling their electric pickup trucks.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/tesla-goes-after-cybertruck-owners-selling-electric-pickup-trucks/ Save to Pocket
Liverpool unveils plans to build the world’s largest tidal power project
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
The City of Liverpool, England, has unveiled advanced proposals to build the world’s largest tidal power generator on the River Mersey.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/liverpool-unveils-plans-to-build-the-worlds-largest-tidal-power-project/ Save to Pocket
Justice Dept reportedly starts criminal probe into Boeing door bolt incident
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Plus: Pilots on Lion Air’s Batik fall asleep and miss Jakarta
Alaska Airlines is reportedly cooperating on a US Department of Justice (DoJ) criminal investigation into Boeing regarding an incident which saw an aircraft plug blow out of a 737 MAX 9 mid-flight in January.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/us_department_of_justice_boeing/ Save to Pocket
Comics from 1983/08 Today Mag
date: 2024-03-11, from: Computer ads from the Past
Time for some levity. The following comics were all found in the August 1983 issue of Today magazine. Enjoy! What computer ads would you like to see in the future? Please comment below. If you enjoyed it, please share it with your friends and relatives. Thank you.
https://computeradsfromthepast.substack.com/p/comics-from-198308-today-mag Save to Pocket
Our Pac-12 MBB tournament picks: The favorites stumble, Colorado rises and WSU stands to win from losing
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
We envision the Buffaloes beating USC in the championship game while Washington State participates against a unique competitive and financial backdrop.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/our-pac-12-mbb-tournament-picks-the-favorites-stumble-colorado-rises-and-wsu-stands-to-win-from-losing/ Save to Pocket
Nine Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of nine productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 11 - Sunday, March
https://scvnews.com/nine-productions-filming-in-santa-clarita-2/ Save to Pocket
This Right-Hand Drive Mail Van Is A Rivian Underneath
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
Canada, meet your next electric mail van.
https://insideevs.com/news/711927/rivian-mail-van-morgan-olson-partnership/ Save to Pocket
Would You Pay Almost $20K For This Rugged Overlanding Camping Trailer?
date: 2024-03-11, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
It’s undoubtedly a clever, useful, and aesthetically pleasing motorcycle/ATV hauler, but…
https://www.rideapart.com/news/711769/sylvansport-goat-20k-overlanding-camper/ Save to Pocket
Driver barricades himself inside car in East Bay parking lot for hours before finally being taken into custody
date: 2024-03-11, from: San Jose Mercury News
The man went by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation, police said.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/11/driver-barricades-himself-inside-car-in-east-bay-parking-lot-for-hours-before-finally-taken-into-custody/ Save to Pocket
President’s NASA FY 2025 Funding Supports US Space, Climate Leadership
date: 2024-03-11, from: NASA breaking news
The Biden-Harris Administration Monday released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes funding to invest in America and the American people and will allow NASA to continue advancing our understanding of Earth and space while inspiring the world through discovery. “As history has proven, as the present has shown, and as the future […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/presidents-nasa-fy-2025-funding-supports-us-space-climate-leadership/ Save to Pocket
With New Holocaust Museum, the Netherlands Reckons With Its Past
date: 2024-03-11, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The venue, which opens this week, memorializes the Dutch Jews who suffered at the hands of the Nazis
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-new-holocaust-museum-the-netherlands-reckons-with-its-past-180983924/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Journalism talks about Trump’s trials, but they are trials for the Constitution too. If Trump is guilty (spoiler: he is) then if he isn’t punished we no longer have the rule of law. So don’t miss that we are on trial too. And – when journalism frames the faceoff as Democrat vs Republican, they ignore us, the people of the United States. Whether people know it or not, they will lose if the Republicans win. We know that, it’s provable. And anything that’s true should be built into the stories journalism writes about.
http://scripting.com/2024/03/11.html#a165249 Save to Pocket
Vision Pro’s Single-User Nature Hampers Apple’s Healthcare Aspirations
date: 2024-03-11, from: TidBITS blog
Apple is making much of the opportunities for the Vision Pro in healthcare, but it’s hard to see them making a significant impact while the Vision Pro remains a single-user device both digitally and physically.
https://tidbits.com/2024/03/11/vision-pros-single-user-nature-hampers-apples-healthcare-aspirations/ Save to Pocket
I love when my friend Matt Haughey does these nerdy product recommendation…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044165-i-love-when-my-friend Save to Pocket
Sen. Bob Menendez Enters Not Guilty Plea to Latest Criminal Indictment
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife pleaded not guilty on Monday to new obstruction of justice charges in a New York court.
The new charges were in a rewritten indictment returned last week against the Democrat in Manhattan federal court.
“Once again, not guilty your honor,” Menendez responded after Judge Sidney H. Stein asked him to enter a plea at a 20-minute hearing. Menendez had previously pleaded not guilty to charges in October.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, entered the pleas to the indictment containing new charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. Afterward, they briefly spoke to one another before leaving the courtroom together.
The couple is charged with conspiring with three businessmen to accept bribes of gold bars, cash and a luxury car in return for the senator’s help in projects pursued by the businessmen.
Two of the three businessmen they allegedly conspired with also entered not guilty pleas on Monday. A third, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty two weeks ago to bribery charges and agreed to testify against the others at a trial set for May 6.
The new allegations — part of what is now an 18-count indictment — are related to gifts prosecutors say the couple received from Uribe.
According to the indictment, Menendez caused his lawyer to falsely tell prosecutors overseeing the investigation that he was unaware that another of his business associates had helped his wife make a $23,000 mortgage payment on her New Jersey home. It said Nadine Menendez caused her lawyer to tell prosecutors last August that the mortgage payment and funds provided by Uribe for a Mercedes-Benz were loans when she knew they were bribes.
Menendez said in a statement last week that prosecutors have “long known that I learned of and helped repay loans — not bribes — that had been provided to my wife.”
After his fall arrest, Menendez, 70, was forced to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but said he would not resign from Congress.
https://www.voanews.com/a/sen-bob-menendez-enters-not-guilty-plea-to-latest-criminal-indictment/7522814.html Save to Pocket
Climate change means beer made from sewer water, says North Carolina brewery
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Water? Like from the toilet?
Fancy a cold one? Would it change your mind if that frothy, frosty beer was brewed using treated wastewater?…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/climate_change_means_beer_made/ Save to Pocket
Porsche’s new 1,092 hp Taycan Turbo GT steals another Tesla record as its fastest vehicle yet
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
The new Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is an all-electric powerhouse. With over 1,000 hp and a 0 to 60 mph in 2.1 seconds, it is the fastest, most powerful road-legal Porsche of all time.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/porsche-taycan-turbo-gt-tesla-record-fastest-vehicle/ Save to Pocket
March 13: Hart District Slated to Address Personnel Changes
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The regular meeting of the William S. Hart Union High School District’s Governing Board will be held Wednesday, March 13, beginning with closed session at 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by open session at 7 p.m
https://scvnews.com/march-13-hart-district-slated-to-address-personnel-changes/ Save to Pocket
ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro handheld gaming PC with Ryzen 7 8840U coming soon
date: 2024-03-11, from: Liliputing
The ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro is a handheld gaming PC with an 8.4 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel display, an AMD Ryzen 7 processor featuring RDNA 3 graphics and a set of detachable controllers that give the little like a Nintendo Switch. One Netbook first launched the ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro in the summer of 2023, and […]
The post ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro handheld gaming PC with Ryzen 7 8840U coming soon appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/onexplayer-2-pro-handheld-gaming-pc-with-ryzen-7-8840u-coming-soon/ Save to Pocket
March 10, 2024
date: 2024-03-11, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-10-2024-33d Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Weeknotes.
https://doingweeknotes.com/ Save to Pocket
The world’s wire services call out British palace PR for a royally doctored photo
date: 2024-03-11, from: Nieman Journalism Lab
The British royals — they’re just like you and me! They get nervous before a big speech, they occasionally fall for quacks, and they’re not great at Photoshop. At least that’s the latest in a series of wouldyabelieveit claims that have pushed conspiracy talk squarely into the online mainstream. Let’s recap — though Ellie Hall’s piece…
https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/the-worlds-wire-services-call-out-british-palace-pr-for-a-royally-doctored-photo/ Save to Pocket
Improving Performance in Firefox and Across the Web with Speedometer 3
date: 2024-03-11, from: Mozilla Developer Network blog
In collaboration with the other major browser engine developers, Mozilla is thrilled to announce Speedometer 3 today. Like previous versions of Speedometer, this benchmark measures what we think matters most for performance online: responsiveness. But today’s release is more open and more challenging than before, and is the best tool for driving browser performance improvements that we’ve ever seen.
The post Improving Performance in Firefox and Across the Web with Speedometer 3 appeared first on Mozilla Hacks - the Web developer blog.
https://hacks.mozilla.org/2024/03/improving-performance-in-firefox-and-across-the-web-with-speedometer-3/ Save to Pocket
Pen Pal Program Offers Unique World View to US, Ukraine Teens
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/pen-pal-program-offers-unique-world-view-to-us-ukraine-teens/7522768.html Save to Pocket
The artist Laurie Anderson built a AI chatbot of her late husband…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044156-the-artist-laurie-anderso Save to Pocket
Pen Pal Program Offers Unique World View to US, Ukraine Teens
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
A teenage girl from Ukraine, which is dealing with the horrors of a Russian invasion, becomes pen pals with a teenage girl from the U.S. Their correspondence gives insight into two teenagers’ perception of the conflict.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pen-pal-program-offers-unique-world-view-to-us-ukraine-teens/7522744.html Save to Pocket
Kobo’s first eReaders with E Ink Color displays could be coming soon
date: 2024-03-11, from: Liliputing
E Ink’s color displays have been showing up in eBook readers for a few years, but most of the devices that have used the company’s color display technology have been niche companies without much presence in the US, like Onyx, Bigme, and PocketBook. Now it looks like Kobo may be planning to enter the space. […]
The post Kobo’s first eReaders with E Ink Color displays could be coming soon appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/kobos-first-ereaders-with-e-ink-color-displays-could-be-coming-soon/ Save to Pocket
PlanetScale ends free tier bid, sheds staff in profitability bid
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
CEO defends decision in difficult tech market
Distributed database vender PlanetScale has made work-force lay-offs and ended its free-tier services in an effort to achieve sustainable profitability.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/planetscale_lays_off_staff_and/ Save to Pocket
US Faces Growing Calls to Abolish the Death Penalty
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
Even as some U.S. states explore new methods to implement the death penalty, there are signs that public opinion is turning against execution. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at the arguments for and against capital punishment as the United States faces growing international calls to abolish the practice.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-faces-growing-calls-to-abolish-the-death-penalty-/7522689.html Save to Pocket
March 12: Saugus Union Scheduled to Discuss Staff Changes
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, March 12, with closed session beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by public session at 6:30 p.m
https://scvnews.com/march-12-saugus-union-scheduled-to-discuss-staff-changes/ Save to Pocket
The Book Collector’s Legacy: Preserving the Personal Library of Rabbi Simon Noveck
date: 2024-03-11, from: Internet Archive Blog
Growing up in New Jersey, Beth Noveck says she was surrounded by so many books in her home that it felt like a library. Her father, Simon Noveck, was a […]
https://blog.archive.org/2024/03/11/the-book-collectors-legacy-preserving-the-personal-library-of-rabbi-simon-noveck/ Save to Pocket
‘Sydney Sweeney Leak’ Malware is All Over Twitter
date: 2024-03-11, from: 404 Media Group
The platform is full of links to celebrity “leaks” that likely lead to malware.
https://www.404media.co/sydney-sweeney-leak-malware-is-all-over-twitter/ Save to Pocket
At the Intersection of Eggs and Omelet
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/at-the-intersection-of-eggs-and-omelet Save to Pocket
Reddit wants to raise $748M with IPO, sets value at $6.4B… and it has yet to turn a profit
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Time to start spamming those reposts: Top users are getting early access to 1.76 million shares
Redditors hoping to get in early on the company’s upcoming IPO had better hope they have a lot of karma in reserve.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/reddit_wants_to_raise_748m/ Save to Pocket
SVB Crisis: A Year Later
date: 2024-03-11, from: Om Malik blog
Let’s file this one under the #TimeFlies category! It is hard to imagine that it was a year ago that Silicon Valley faced an existential crisis. Its premier financial institution, Silicon Valley Bank, was taken over by the federal regulators. It was one of the most difficult weekends of my working life as it threatened …
https://om.co/2024/03/11/svb-bank-collapse-one-year-later/ Save to Pocket
The clock may be ticking for TikTok
date: 2024-03-11, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The House of Representatives is expected to take up a bill this week that could effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. if the Chinese company that owns it, ByteDance, doesn’t sell off the social media platform. That effort has rare bipartisan support. We’ll unpack the latest. Later: what to make of some firmer-than-expected inflation readings and how the marching band at Prairie View A&M is helping students’ career prospects.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/the-clock-may-be-ticking-for-tiktok Save to Pocket
Five of this year’s Pulitzer finalists are AI-powered
date: 2024-03-11, from: Nieman Journalism Lab
Five of the 45 finalists in this year’s Pulitzer Prizes for journalism disclosed using AI in the process of researching, reporting, or telling their submissions, according to Pulitzer Prize administrator Marjorie Miller. It’s the first time the awards, which received around 1,200 submissions this year, required entrants to disclose AI usage. The Pulitzer Board only…
https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/five-of-this-years-pulitzer-finalists-are-ai-powered/ Save to Pocket
The Apple Car Was Basically A Volkswagen ID. Buzz With Autonomous Driving
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
Plus, Tesla veterans still dominate the battery industry, and the vehicle subscription model is on the ropes.
https://insideevs.com/news/711928/vw-buzz-critical-materials/ Save to Pocket
Rivian (RIVN) set to score extra incentives for bringing R2 production to Illinois
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
After announcing that R2 production will kick off in Illinois, Rivian (RIVN) is poised to earn additional incentives with plans to expand its Normal EV plant.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/rivian-extra-incentives-r2-production-il/ Save to Pocket
Real book designer Catherine Casalino designed the real covers for the fake…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044163-real-book-designer-cather Save to Pocket
Feeling the industry-wide pinch, ONA makes programming cuts
date: 2024-03-11, from: Nieman Journalism Lab
The Online News Association will end some programming, including its long-running Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab, for financial reasons. For 20 years, the newsroom was “a signature component of ONA’s annual conference” that brought together hand-picked student journalists and experienced mentors to create coverage and experiment with digital journalism tools. The newsroom had been sponsored by…
https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/feeling-the-industry-wide-pinch-ona-makes-programming-cuts/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
How to Turn Off Comments on Your Facebook Posts.
https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-turn-off-comments-on-facebook-post Save to Pocket
AI models show racial bias based on written dialect, researchers find
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Those using African American vernacular more likely to be sentenced to death, if LLMs were asked to decide
AI models may consume huge amounts of energy, water, computing resources, and venture capital but they give back so much in the way of misinformation and bias.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/ai_models_exhibit_racism_based/ Save to Pocket
Digital Services Governance Framework
date: 2024-03-11, from: NASA breaking news
Summary In responding to Milestone 4.2 of the Digital Government Strategy, NASA heeded the Advisory Group’s encouragement to “build upon existing structures and processes as much as possible.” To locate the gaps in existing governance structures, NASA’s Digital Strategy response team identified all necessary decisions concerning digital services, using the three layers pointed out in […]
https://www.nasa.gov/organizations/ocio/digital-services-governance-framework/ Save to Pocket
EV Drivers Pay More In Taxes And Fees Than ICE Drivers In 36 States: Study
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
Owning an EV may be $368 more expensive per year than driving a gas car. But not in the way you’d expect.
https://insideevs.com/news/711770/ev-registration-charging-taxes/ Save to Pocket
NASA’s Webb, Hubble Telescopes Affirm Universe’s Expansion Rate, Puzzle Persists
date: 2024-03-11, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope have tag-teamed to produce definitive measurements of the universe’s expansion rate.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-hubble-telescopes-affirm-universes-expansion-rate-puzzle-persists/ Save to Pocket
Tiny Tweaks to Neurons Can Rewire Animal Motion
date: 2024-03-11, from: Quanta Magazine
Altering a protein in the neurons that coordinate a rattlesnake’s movement made a slow slither neuron more like a speedy rattle neuron, showing one way evolution can generate new ways of moving.The post Tiny Tweaks to Neurons Can Rewire Animal Motion first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/tiny-tweaks-to-neurons-can-rewire-animal-motion-20240311/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Next tab test: Do the tabs on news.scripting.com work??
http://scripting.com/2024/03/11.html#a135906 Save to Pocket
The 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT With 1,092 HP Is Porsche’s New Performance King
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
It’s also the fastest series production electric car around Laguna Seca and the Nürburgring.
https://insideevs.com/news/711859/2025-porsche-taycan-turbo-gt/ Save to Pocket
Plus Post: Lobo MAX-80
date: 2024-03-11, from: Computer ads from the Past
The Computer Tandy Should Have Built (at least according to the ad).
https://computeradsfromthepast.substack.com/p/plus-post-lobo-max-80 Save to Pocket
British Library pushes the cloud button, says legacy IT estate cause of hefty rebuild
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Five months in and the mammoth post-ransomware recovery has barely begun
The British Library says legacy IT is the overwhelming factor delaying efforts to recover from the Rhysida ransomware attack in late 2023.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/british_library_slaps_the_cloud/ Save to Pocket
‘Young Indian Method’ Teaches TikTok Spammers How to Hire and Control ‘Third World Country Workers’
date: 2024-03-11, from: 404 Media Group
“Do not be scared to get rid of any indians slacking, wasting time, or offering poor quality within the team. Remember, these guys are easily replaceable. They are exactly like soldiers,” it says.
https://www.404media.co/young-indian-method-teaches-tiktok-spammers-how-to-discipline-third-world-country-workers/ Save to Pocket
Linux Kernel 6.8 released
date: 2024-03-11, from: OS News
Highlights of Linux kernel 6.8 include LAM (Linear Address Masking) virtualization and guest-first memory support for KVM, a basic online filesystem check and repair mechanism for the Bcachefs file system introduced in Linux kernel 6.7, support for the Broadcom BCM2712 processor in Raspberry Pi 5, AMD ACPI-based Wi-Fi band RFI mitigation feature (WBRF), zswap writeback disabling, fscrypt support for CephFS, a new Intel Xe DRM driver, and a multi-size THP (Transparent Huge Pages) sysfs interface. ↫ Marius Nestor at 9to5Linux There’s way more going on in this new release, of course, such as further Rust support, for instance in the Loongson architecture, additional support for tons of newer Intel processors , specific support patches for various laptops, and so, so much more.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138777/linux-kernel-6-8-released/ Save to Pocket
Tesla’s $3,000 Cybertruck Rooftop Tent Reminds Us Of The Pontiac Aztek
date: 2024-03-11, from: Inside EVs News
Tesla started shipping its so-called Basecamp tent and it feels like the 2000s again.
https://insideevs.com/news/711881/tesla-rooftop-tent-shipping-pontiac-aztek/ Save to Pocket
European Commission infringed data protection law with Microsoft 365
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Commission has until December 9, 2024, to put its house in order
The European Commission has been reprimanded for infringing data protection regulations when using Microsoft 365.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/european_commission_infringed_data_protection/ Save to Pocket
What We’d Add to Moto Guzzi’s New 2024 North America Experiences
date: 2024-03-11, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The 2024 experiences from America tick all the classic blockbuster routes. But we added some to the list and want to know your favorites.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/711285/moto-guzzi-experiences-2024/ Save to Pocket
MOD BIKES unveils new 2024 e-bikes with torque sensors, helmet turn signals, and more
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
MOD BIKES, the Austin, Texas-based maker of a wide range of electric bikes (including an impressive sidecar electric bike that I tested last year), is announcing today its 2024 lineup full of new models and impressive upgrades. In an unveiling at the South By Southwest Expo, the new e-bike models are taking center stage to show off their new features and tech, including upgraded performance, components, safety equipment, and accessories.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/mod-bikes-unveils-new-2024-e-bikes/ Save to Pocket
Hundreds of Millions of People on the Left Side of the Bell Curve
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: One Foot Tsunami
https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/03/11/hundreds-of-millions-of-people-on-the-left-side-of-the-bell-curve/ Save to Pocket
Better, faster, stronger time zone updates on Android
date: 2024-03-11, from: OS News
From the beginning, time zone rules were a component in Mainline, called Time Zone Data or tzdata module. This integration allowed us to react more quickly to government-mandated time zone changes than before. However until 2023 tzdata updates were still bundled with other Mainline changes, sometimes leading to testing complexities and slower deployment. In 2023, we made further investments in Mainline’s infrastructure and decoupled the tzdata module from the other components. With this isolation, we gained the ability to respond rapidly to time zone legislation changes — often releasing updates to Android users outside of the established release cadence. Additionally, this change means time zone updates can reach a far greater number of Android devices, ensuring you as Android users always see the correct time. ↫ Almaz Mingaleev and Masha Khokhlova This is equal parts boring and equal parts amazing. The amount of work developers have to put into making sure timezones work is astonishing, and the fact that a large chunk of it is done by volunteers is even more impressive.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138774/better-faster-stronger-time-zone-updates-on-android/ Save to Pocket
25 Oscar snubs and unjust losses, including Do The Right Thing losing…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044158-25-oscar-snubs-and-unjust Save to Pocket
Oh servers!
date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News
The other day I wrote proudly that we had better more reliable server software in 2024 than we did the first time we bootstrapped blogging communities.
And then this happened…
We’ve been having serious problems on feedland.com since Friday when I made a software version mistake. At first it caused the server to crash when you tried to subscribe to a new feed, so you’d get an awful error message, either from the FeedLand website, or the browser, saying the server had gone away. I quickly fixed that problem and another, and restored the server to some basic functionality. But when I did some work on my account over the weekend, I saw that there were new errors. And then noticed that none of my feeds had updated since March 8, they still haven’t.
We’re going to fix it this morning, by reverting the server software to the version as it was before the update, and the server should return to its previous reliability, Murphy-willing. Then we’re going to upgrade the database, and then install the new software, and try again. That won’t happen today and probably not tomorrow.
Most people probably don’t know that feedland.com is a project I’m doing with Automattic. It’s running in their cloud. This system should be able to scale up in ways that a Digital Ocean droplet can’t, where feedland.org and the new feedland.social are running. So when there are many thousands of users, we should be okay. That’s why I did the work to convert FeedLand so everything is stored in the SQL database, and nothing in the file system, among other changes that had to be made last year, like getting off Twitter for identity. That was not much fun, but it had to be done.
Anyway I am very sorry and embarrassed for the unreliable performance on our main server in the last few days. I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but we learned a lot in this experience, and in some cases re-learned.
It’s even worse than it appears and as they say – still diggin!
http://scripting.com/2024/03/11/124703.html?title=ohServers Save to Pocket
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-11, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
The list of swift challenges on this post align very closely with my own challenges.
One day, when I am not obsessed with Godot I should contribute to fix these:
https://forums.swift.org/t/our-journey-with-swift-thus-far-some-notes-and-reflections/70510
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112077093492170843 Save to Pocket
Volkswagen cancels plans to build ID.3 at main plant because ‘every euro counts’
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Volkswagen has canceled plans to build its all-electric ID.3 at its main factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, due to low demand, adding that “every euro that we do have to spend counts.” It will keep production at its EV-only plant, where it has been shaving off jobs for months.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/volkswagen-cancels-plans-to-build-id-3-at-main-plant/ Save to Pocket
Another fatal Tesla crash on Autopilot goes to trial, but with new evidence this time
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Another fatal crash on Tesla Autopilot is going to trial, and while Tesla has won all of them in the past, this one has new evidence that could help the plaintiffs.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/tesla-crash-autopilot-trial-but-new-evidence/ Save to Pocket
Texas Doesn’t Like the EPA’s New Methane Rules
date: 2024-03-11, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: It will be very blustery across the northeast today • Flooding and landslides killed 26 people in Indonesia • Catholics in drought-stricken Barcelona celebrated the coming of rain by carrying a figure of the Holy Christ through the city’s old town.
THE TOP FIVE
- Texas challenges EPA’s new methane rules
Texas is suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its sweeping methane rules that target oil and gas operations. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide, and oil and gas sites are a key source of man-made methane emissions. The EPA regulations, announced late last year, ban polluting practices like routine flaring of natural gas from new wells, require wells to be regularly monitored for leaks, and phase out some old and leaky infrastructure. As Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo reported, the EPA says the rules will prevent the equivalent of 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted between 2024 and 2038, almost as much as was emitted by all power plants in the country in 2021. Texas is the largest oil-producing state in the U.S. It challenged the rules late on Friday, accusing the EPA of “overreach.”
- Analysis shows Europe is woefully unprepared for climate change
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global rate, but is underprepared for the “catastrophic” risks posed by climate change, according to an assessment from the European Union Environment Agency. The group considered 36 major climate risks, including ecosystem collapse, drought, and extreme heat, and concluded that unless preparations are made, hundreds of thousands of people could die from heat waves, and coastal floods could cost 1 trillion euros per year. The EEA warned that policymakers need to do more to shore up critical infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare systems to prepare for extreme weather before it’s too late. “Our new analysis shows that Europe faces urgent climate risks that are growing faster than our societal preparedness,” said Leena Ylä-Mononen, the EEA’s executive director.
Climate
hazards pose risks to many essential services and
systems.EEA
- Low-voltage batteries failing in some EVs
Some new electric vehicles are experiencing repeated problems with their 12-volt batteries, reported The Wall Street Journal. These are the low-voltage batteries that have been found under the hoods of most cars for years. They power things like interior lights and electronics, and seem to be dying quickly in some brand new EVs, including models from Cadillac, Hyundai, and Rivian. “The 12-volt battery is in many ways a dated technology for cars on the road today, which are becoming more like computers on wheels and have greater power needs,” Ryan Felton reported for the Journal. “But switching to a higher-voltage system is also difficult because it would essentially mean wholesale changes to the supply chain for these parts.” Tesla’s Cybertruck has already moved to a 48-volt system, and the company’s director called it “the future for low voltage design at Tesla and likely the rest of the industry in due course.”
- Musk Foundation is ‘largely self-serving,’ according to NYT
A New York Times investigation calls into question the integrity of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s charity, the Musk Foundation, accusing it of failing to give away the minimum amount of money to justify hefty tax breaks, and being “haphazard and largely self-serving.” The Musk Foundation has a history of donating millions less than is required by tax law, and the Times found that about half of its donations between 2021 and 2022 were linked to Musk in some way, including a food charity run by his brother and a school where Musk’s own children attended. “The really striking thing about Musk is the disjuncture between his outsized public persona, and his very, very minimal philanthropic presence,” said Benjamin Soskis, who studies philanthropy at the Urban Institute.
Get Heatmap AM directly in your inbox every morning:
- Seedlings from famous Sycamore Gap tree begin to sprout
Seedlings from England’s famous Sycamore Gap tree, which was felled by vandals last year, have sprouted. Conservation experts collected seeds and cuttings from the 300-year-old tree before it was removed from its home along Hadrian’s Wall and brought them to the National Trust’s conservation center with hopes of cultivating them and perhaps planting a new tree in the same location. The first seedlings began to sprout at the start of 2024. The conservation center is in a secret location in London. It houses genetic copies of important plants including the apple tree said to have inspired Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, and a tree where Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn, according to The Guardian. “while there’s a way to go before we have true saplings, we’ll be keeping everything crossed that these plants continue to grow stronger and can be planted out and enjoyed by many in the future,” said Andrew Jasper, Director of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust.
National
Trust
THE KICKER
America’s unusually warm winter forced farmers to start collecting maple syrup from trees more than a month early.
https://heatmap.news/climate/texas-epa-methane Save to Pocket
UK and US lack regulation to protect space tourists from cosmic ray dangers
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Damage to DNA, mutations, uncontrolled cell division and malignancy. Is space tourism worth the risk?
International regulations governing space flight lack rules to protect space tourism passengers from the ill-effects of cosmic radiation, according to researchers.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/uk_and_us_lack_regulation/ Save to Pocket
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-11, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Swift is getting more delightful features for concurrency, love it: https://github.com/rjmccall/swift-evolution/blob/isolated-any-functions/proposals/NNNN-isolated-any-functions.md
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112077003086294924 Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Last night’s email was a
repeat of Saturday’s. The reason was the switch to
Daylight
Savings Time. This happens every year. The fix is to edit stats.json
in the mail sender app’s folder, and change whenLastUpdate
to the day before, save it, and restart the sender app. It immediately
sends out the correct email. I put this note here so I might find it
next time it happens and I forget how to fix it. 😄
http://scripting.com/2024/03/11.html#a121116 Save to Pocket
Vital Yet Vulnerable: Undersea Infrastructure Needs Better Protection
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: RAND blog
The seabed hosts a large number of subsea cables and pipelines that provide communications services and oil, gas, and electricity to our societies. But this critical undersea infrastructure is vulnerable, and much of it has no specific defence mechanisms. What steps can be taken to protect it?
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/03/vital-yet-vulnerable-undersea-infrastructure-needs.html Save to Pocket
FREISA the plant-watering robot dog | #MagPiMonday
date: 2024-03-11, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Every dog has its day, and this is FREISA’s time to shine. David Crookes takes a look at an innovative plant-watering system.
The post FREISA the plant-watering robot dog | #MagPiMonday appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/freisa-the-plant-watering-robot-dog-magpimonday/ Save to Pocket
Tesla-battery maker Panasonic may add 4680 battery capacity to Kansas plant
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla battery supplier Panasonic Energy is considering pouring new investments potentially up to $4 billion in its De Soto, Kansas, plant to produce 4680 battery cells for the Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla’s next-gen vehicles.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/tesla-battery-maker-panasonic-may-add-4680-battery-capacity-to-kansas-plant/ Save to Pocket
Will safety issues at Boeing seriously impact air travel?
date: 2024-03-11, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Consumer trust in Boeing is wearing thin since an airplane door ripped off a 737 Max 9 in January, which has been followed by a string of other recent Boeing safety incidents. So how much does faltering trust actually impact the business of air travel? Plus, President Joe Biden will unveil a new budget proposal today, and banks are still grappling with fallout of SVB’s failure one year on.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/will-safety-issues-at-boeing-seriously-impact-air-travel Save to Pocket
Engwe L20 2.0 launched as super affordable folding electric bike
date: 2024-03-11, from: Electrek Feed
Engwe has recently updated its popular 20-inch e-bike, now launching as the Engwe L20 2.0. While it lacks some of the fancier features seen in many of today’s leading e-bikes, it still appears to pack in some solid performance at an incredibly low price.
https://electrek.co/2024/03/11/engwe-l20-2-0-launched-as-super-affordable-folding-electric-bike/ Save to Pocket
How do you lot feel about Pay or say OK to ads model, asks ICO
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
And does it count as consent?
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has opened a consultation on “consent or pay” business models. We’re sure readers of The Register will have a fair few things to say.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/ico_pay_or_ads/ Save to Pocket
China’s National People’s Congress comes to a close
date: 2024-03-11, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: China’s annual policy meeting has drawn to a close at a time when the country has mountains of debt, high youth unemployment and a property sector in crisis. So what is the government’s plan to boost confidence and steady the economy? Also on today’s program: Sweden officially joins NATO and an Australian politician unveils plans for the world’s largest chocolate fountain.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/chinas-national-peoples-congress-comes-to-a-close Save to Pocket
Using LLMs to Unredact Text
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Bruce Schneier blog
Initial results in using LLMs to unredact text based on the size of the individual-word redaction rectangles.
This feels like something that a specialized ML system could be trained on.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/03/using-llms-to-unredact-text.html Save to Pocket
Linux for older phones postmarketOS changes its init system
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Good news, everyone! The world’s favorite daemon, systemd, is coming to phones.
The team behind the leading replacement OS for end-of-life smartphones are to adopt systemd – to make working with GNOME and KDE easier.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/postmarketos_goes_systemd/ Save to Pocket
The Federal Reserve Needs to Get Serious About Climate Change
date: 2024-03-11, from: Heatmap News
People really hate inflation. Fortunately, prices are
no longer rising nearly as rapidly as they were in 2021 and 2022.
However, we may be on the cusp of a longer epoch of periodic inflation
caused by climate change, one of the biggest long-term threats to price
stability. The Federal Reserve should act accordingly.
America’s central bank has a dual mandate: It calibrates monetary policy to maximize employment while minimizing inflation. With unemployment reaching record lows, the Fed has been focused on controlling the spike in inflation we saw from 2021-2022. It quickly raised interest rates over the last two years in order to cool the economy and put downward pressure on prices. And voila, after peaking in the summer of 2022, inflation has steadily fallen to manageable levels.
However, the Fed’s rate hikes may not have been the primary driver behind disinflation. Inflation, it’s often said, occurs when there’s too much money chasing too few goods. The Fed’s higher-interest rate policy primarily hit the too much money side of the ledger, decreasing demand by making it more expensive for people and businesses to borrow. But there’s mounting evidence that the bigger macro-economic problem was too few goods. The Roosevelt Institute did a close analysis of inflation’s decline since 2022, and found that prices of goods have fallen even while demand has increased. That suggests that most of the decline in inflation has been from increased supply — that is, inflation was cured by recovering from pandemic-era supply chain bottlenecks. Supply chains that got snarled by COVID-19 production shutdowns and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine slowly sorted themselves out; as more goods came on to the market, prices eventually stabilized.
Indeed, the Federal Reserve’s own data found that supply chain pressure closely tracked inflation. Researchers at the San Francisco Fed found that supply chain issues account for 60 percent of inflation in 2021 and 2022.
In order to prevent future inflation flare-ups, we must guard against other foreseeable supply chain shocks. The pandemic may have been a once-in-a-lifetime (let’s hope) calamity, but it won’t be the last supply pileup. Climate change is also expected to wreak havoc on the global movement of goods. As the planet warms, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather will become more frequent and more severe. That will lead to a rise in the magnitude and frequency of supply-chain disruptions as factories are evacuated or shipping routes become untraversable.
For example, in August 2022, Chinese factories were closed not due to the pandemic, but because of a brutal drought. These closures in turn froze international supply chains for cars, electronics and other goods. Significant waterways for international trade, like the Panama Canal and the Rhine, have seen their water levels periodically dry up so much that shipping vessels cannot pass through, halting the shipment of goods.
We’ll see more of this as warming worsens. As the White House Council of Economic Advisers said, “As [supply-chain] networks become more connected, and climate change worsens, the frequency and size of supply-chain-related disasters rises.” The CEA found that over the last 40 years, the frequency of natural disasters around the world has tripled, and the number of billion-dollar disasters each year has risen from five to 20.
Food prices are among the most visible — and painful — forms of inflation for consumers. And we’ve seen climate-related weather events drive up food prices in the past. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture recalled in its 2022 supply chain report, a severe years-long drought in the southern plains states in the early 2010s dramatically culled the population of beef cows and caused historically high beef prices. And global heat waves in recent years have sent the cost of staple crops soaring.
While some amount of warming is locked in at this point, doing all we can to cut emissions as quickly as possible will help minimize future supply chain disruptions. That requires building massive amounts of new clean energy infrastructure. In 2022, the federal government passed major climate legislation as part of the Inflation Reduction Act to offer hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to encourage the development of wind farms, solar arrays, and other clean energy sources, as well as financial incentives for consumers to purchase electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other clean-energy home upgrades.
Unfortunately, the passage of the IRA has coincided with the Fed’s generationally-high interest rate policy. High interest rates have made it much more costly to build renewable energy projects in the U.S. and around the world — especially expensive projects like offshore wind farms, which have seen multiple cancellations and delays due to higher-than-anticipated financing costs. High rates are also a heavier drag on renewable energy projects than fossil fuel projects because the bulk of the costs for a wind or solar farm are in upfront construction.
The Fed expects to begin gradually cutting interest rates over the coming year if inflation continues to cool. That would ease borrowing costs throughout the economy, which will help more clean energy projects get built and make EVs more affordable to more buyers. That’s a win-win: A swift pivot to a clean-energy economy will reduce emissions, which will also mitigate future weather-related supply chain shocks. And that will make it easier for the Fed to fulfill its mandate to manage inflation in the future: Lower interest rates now will help support rapid decarbonization, which in turn will reduce climate-induced inflation down the road.
That’s not to say that the central bank needs to morph into a “Green Fed.”
“The Federal Reserve is not and will not be a ‘climate policymaker,’” Chairman Jerome Powell said in October, when the Fed and other agencies unveiled guidance for how banks should manage climate-related financial risk. “Decisions about policies to address climate change must be made by the elected branches of government.”
The Fed takes a thousand-foot view of the economy, and can’t set rates based on the needs of any one industry, no matter how important. But as climate change reshapes the world around us, all institutions will feel its effects, including the Fed. While environmental goals won’t drive Fed policy, managing long-term inflation will mean paying attention to how the bank’s actions affect the climate. Just as the Fed monitors how interest rate policy affects key sectors like the housing market, it should also pay increasing attention to how it affects the clean-energy sector.
When the Inflation Reduction Act passed, the law’s name drew some scorn as a supposed misnomer for what was fundamentally a climate bill. But over the long haul, combating climate change is a big part of what we need to do to ward off inflation. If we fall short, then missed decarbonization opportunities today will increase the threat of extreme-weather supply-chain bottlenecks tomorrow. And that means more inflation. Even if it’s not a “climate policymaker,” the Fed will come to care about climate change.The only question is whether that happens years from now, when climate inflation arrives in earnest, or now, when we still have a chance to do something about it.
https://heatmap.news/economy/federal-reserve-climate-change-inflation Save to Pocket
With AI, Anyone Can Be a Victim of Nonconsensual Porn. Can Laws Keep Up?
date: 2024-03-11, from: The Markup blog
States around the country are scrambling to respond to the dramatic rise in deepfakes, a result of little regulation and easy-to-use apps
https://themarkup.org/news/2024/03/11/with-ai-anyone-can-be-a-victim-of-nonconsensual-porn-can-laws-keep-up Save to Pocket
How to Netflix Oracle’s blockbuster audit model
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Terms and conditions apply. Lawyers need not
Opinion It’s a good rule of nostril that if your litigation department is a source of revenue, your business model stinks. The law is there to discourage delinquent behavior when all else fails, not to amplify power for profit. If there’s a better, fairer way to stop naughtiness, you should try that first.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/how_to_netflix_oracles_blockbuster/ Save to Pocket
2024 BAIR Graduate Directory
date: 2024-03-11, from: Berkley Artificial Intellegence Research Blog
Every year, the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) Lab graduates some of the most talented and innovative minds in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Our Ph.D. graduates have each expanded the frontiers of AI research and are now ready to embark on new adventures in academia, industry, and beyond.
These fantastic individuals bring with them a wealth of knowledge, fresh ideas, and a drive to continue contributing to the advancement of AI. Their work at BAIR, ranging from deep learning, robotics, and natural language processing to computer vision, security, and much more, has contributed significantly to their fields and has had transformative impacts on society.
This website is dedicated to showcasing our colleagues, making it easier for academic institutions, research organizations, and industry leaders to discover and recruit from the newest generation of AI pioneers. Here, you’ll find detailed profiles, research interests, and contact information for each of our graduates. We invite you to explore the potential collaborations and opportunities these graduates present as they seek to apply their expertise and insights in new environments.
Join us in celebrating the achievements of BAIR’s latest PhD graduates. Their journey is just beginning, and the future they will help build is bright!
Thank you to our friends at the Stanford AI Lab for this idea!
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://www.azadsalam.org/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Abdus Salam Azad.jpg" alt="Abdus Salam Azad" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Abdus Salam Azad</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:salam_azad@berkeley.edu"> salam_azad@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.azadsalam.org/">https://www.azadsalam.org/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Ion Stoica<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research interest lies broadly in the field of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. During my PhD I have focused on Environment Generation/ Curriculum Learning methods for training Autonomous Agents with Reinforcement Learning. Specifically, I work on methods that algorithmically generates diverse training environments (i.e., learning scenarios) for autonomous agents to improve generalization and sample efficiency. Currently, I am working on Large Language Model (LLM) based autonomous agents.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist, ML Engineer
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://www.aliciatsai.com/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Alicia Tsai.jpg" alt="Alicia Tsai" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Alicia Tsai</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:aliciatsai@berkeley.edu"> aliciatsai@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.aliciatsai.com/">https://www.aliciatsai.com/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Laurent El Ghaoui<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research delves into the theoretical aspects of deep implicit models, beginning with a unified "state-space" representation that simplifies notation. Additionally, my work explores various training challenges associated with deep learning, including problems amenable to convex and non-convex optimization. In addition to theoretical exploration, my research extends the potential applications to various problem domains, including natural language processing, and natural science.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist, Applied Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://cwj22.github.io"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Catherine Weaver.jpg" alt="Catherine Weaver" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Catherine Weaver</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:catherine22@berkeley.edu"> catherine22@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://cwj22.github.io">https://cwj22.github.io</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Masayoshi Tomizuka, Wei Zhan<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research focuses on machine learning and control algorithms for the challenging task of autonomous racing in Gran Turismo Sport. I leverage my background in Mechanical Engineering to discover how machine learning and model-based optimal control can create safe, high-performance control systems for robotics and autonomous systems. A particular emphasis of mine has been how to leverage offline datasets (e.g. human player's racing trajectories) to inform better, more sample efficient control algorithms.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist and Robotics/Controls Engineer
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://chawins.github.io/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Chawin Sitawarin.jpg" alt="Chawin Sitawarin" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Chawin Sitawarin</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:chawin.sitawarin@gmail.com"> chawin.sitawarin@gmail.com</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://chawins.github.io/">https://chawins.github.io/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> David Wagner<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> I am broadly interested in the security and safety aspects of machine learning systems. Most of my previous works are in the domain of adversarial machine learning, particularly adversarial examples and robustness of machine learning algorithms. More recently, I am excited about emerging security and privacy risks on large language models.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="http://cs.berkeley.edu/~shah/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Dhruv Shah.jpg" alt="Dhruv Shah" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Dhruv Shah</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:shah@cs.berkeley.edu"> shah@cs.berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://cs.berkeley.edu/~shah/">http://cs.berkeley.edu/~shah/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Sergey Levine<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> I train big(-ish) models and make robots smarter.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research scientist, roboticist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://www.elizakosoy.com/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Eliza Kosoy.jpg" alt="Eliza Kosoy" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Eliza Kosoy</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:eko@berkeley.edu"> eko@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.elizakosoy.com/">https://www.elizakosoy.com/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Alison Gopnik<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> Eliza Kosoy works at the intersection of child development and AI with Prof. Alison Gopnik. Her work includes creating evaluative benchmarks for LLMs rooted in child development and studying how children and adults use GenAI models such as ChatGPT/Dalle and form mental models about them. She’s an intern at Google working on the AI/UX team and previously with the Empathy Lab. She has published in Neurips, ICML, ICLR, Cogsci and cognition. Her thesis work created a unified virtual environment for testing children and AI models in one place for the purposes of training RL models. She also has experience building startups and STEM hardware coding toys.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist (child development and AI), AI safety (specializing in children), User Experience (UX) Researcher (specializing in mixed methods, youth, AI, LLMs), Education and AI (STEM toys)
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://fangyuwu.com/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Fangyu Wu.jpg" alt="Fangyu Wu" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Fangyu Wu</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:fangyuwu@berkeley.edu"> fangyuwu@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://fangyuwu.com/">https://fangyuwu.com/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Alexandre Bayen<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> Under the mentorship of Prof. Alexandre Bayen, Fangyu focuses on the application of optimization methods to multi-agent robotic systems, particularly in the planning and control of automated vehicles.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Faculty, or research scientist in control, optimization, and robotics
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://www.francesding.com/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Frances Ding.jpg" alt="Frances Ding" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Frances Ding</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:frances@berkeley.edu"> frances@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.francesding.com/">https://www.francesding.com/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Jacob Steinhardt, Moritz Hardt<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research focus is in machine learning for protein modeling. I work on improving protein property classification and protein design, as well as understanding what different protein models learn. I have previously worked on sequence models for DNA and RNA, and benchmarks for evaluating the interpretability and fairness of ML models across domains.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~jianlanluo/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Jianlan Luo.jpg" alt="Jianlan Luo" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Jianlan Luo</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:jianlanluo@eecs.berkeley.edu"> jianlanluo@eecs.berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~jianlanluo/">https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~jianlanluo/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Sergey Levine<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research interests are broadly in scalable algorithms and practice of machine learning, robotics, and controls; particularly their intersections.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Faculty, Research Scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://kathyjang.com"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Kathy Jang.jpg" alt="Kathy Jang" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Kathy Jang</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:kathyjang@gmail.com"> kathyjang@gmail.com</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://kathyjang.com">https://kathyjang.com</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Alexandre Bayen<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My thesis work has specialized in reinforcement learning for autonomous vehicles, focusing on enhancing decision-making and efficiency in applied settings. In future work, I'm eager to apply these principles to broader challenges across domains like natural language processing. With my background, my aim is to see the direct impact of my efforts by contributing to innovative AI research and solutions.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> ML research scientist/engineer
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~kevinlin/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Kevin Lin.jpg" alt="Kevin Lin" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Kevin Lin</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:k-lin@berkeley.edu"> k-lin@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~kevinlin/">https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~kevinlin/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Dan Klein, Joseph E. Gonzalez<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research focuses on understanding and improving how language models use and provide information.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://nikhil-ghosh-berkeley.github.io/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Nikhil Ghosh.jpg" alt="Nikhil Ghosh" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Nikhil Ghosh</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:nikhil_ghosh@berkeley.edu"> nikhil_ghosh@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://nikhil-ghosh-berkeley.github.io/">https://nikhil-ghosh-berkeley.github.io/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Bin Yu, Song Mei<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> I am interested in developing a better foundational understanding of deep learning and improving practical systems, using both theoretical and empirical methodology. Currently, I am especially interested in improving the efficiency of large models by studying how to properly scale hyperparameters with model size.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://aliengirlliv.github.io/oliviawatkins"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Olivia Watkins.jpg" alt="Olivia Watkins" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Olivia Watkins</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:oliviawatkins@berkeley.edu"> oliviawatkins@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://aliengirlliv.github.io/oliviawatkins">https://aliengirlliv.github.io/oliviawatkins</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Pieter Abbeel and Trevor Darrell<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My work involves RL, BC, learning from humans, and using common-sense foundation model reasoning for agent learning. I’m excited about language agent learning, supervision, alignment & robustness.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://rmcao.net"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Ruiming Cao.jpg" alt="Ruiming Cao" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Ruiming Cao</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:rcao@berkeley.edu"> rcao@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://rmcao.net">https://rmcao.net</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Laura Waller<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research is on computational imaging, particularly the space-time modeling for dynamic scene recovery and motion estimation. I also work on optical microscopy techniques, optimization-based optical design, event camera processing, novel view rendering.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research scientist, postdoc, faculty
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://ryanhoque.github.io"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Ryan Hoque.jpg" alt="Ryan Hoque" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Ryan Hoque</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:ryanhoque@berkeley.edu"> ryanhoque@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://ryanhoque.github.io">https://ryanhoque.github.io</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Ken Goldberg<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> Imitation learning and reinforcement learning algorithms that scale to large robot fleets performing manipulation and other complex tasks.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://www.qxcv.net/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Sam Toyer.jpg" alt="Sam Toyer" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Sam Toyer</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:sdt@berkeley.edu"> sdt@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.qxcv.net/">https://www.qxcv.net/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Stuart Russell<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research focuses on making language models secure, robust and safe. I also have experience in vision, planning, imitation learning, reinforcement learning, and reward learning.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://shishirpatil.github.io/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Shishir G. Patil.jpg" alt="Shishir G. Patil" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Shishir G. Patil</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:shishirpatil2007@gmail.com"> shishirpatil2007@gmail.com</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://shishirpatil.github.io/">https://shishirpatil.github.io/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Joseph Gonzalez<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> Gorilla LLM - Teaching LLMs to use tools (https://gorilla.cs.berkeley.edu/); LLM Execution Engine: Guaranteeing reversibility, robustness, and minimizing blast-radius for LLM-Agents incorporated into user and enterprise workflows; POET: Memory bound, and energy efficient fine-tuning of LLMs on edge devices such as smartphones and laptops (https://poet.cs.berkeley.edu/).<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Research Scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://suziepetryk.com/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Suzie Petryk.jpg" alt="Suzie Petryk" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Suzie Petryk</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:spetryk@berkeley.edu"> spetryk@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://suziepetryk.com/">https://suziepetryk.com/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Trevor Darrell, Joseph Gonzalez<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> I work on improving the reliability and safety of multimodal models. My focus has been on localizing and reducing hallucinations for vision + language models, along with measuring and using uncertainty and mitigating bias. My interests lay in applying solutions to these challenges in actual production scenarios, rather than solely in academic environments.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Applied research scientist in generative AI, safety, and/or accessibility
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://xingyu-lin.github.io/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Xingyu Lin.jpg" alt="Xingyu Lin" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Xingyu Lin</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:xingyu@berkeley.edu"> xingyu@berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://xingyu-lin.github.io/">https://xingyu-lin.github.io/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Pieter Abbeel<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research lies in robotics, machine learning, and computer vision, with the primary goal of learning generalizable robot skills from two angles: (1) Learning structured world models with spatial and temporal abstractions. (2) Pre-training visual representation and skills to enable knowledge transfer from Internet-scale vision datasets and simulators.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Faculty, or research scientist
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="card mb-4 shadow-sm">
<a href="https://yaodongyu.github.io/"><img src="https://bair.berkeley.edu/static/blog/grads2024/Yaodong Yu.jpg" alt="Yaodong Yu" class="bd-placeholder-img card-img-top" width="480" height="auto" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-radius: 25px" /></a>
<div class="card-body">
<p class="card-text">
<h1>Yaodong Yu</h1><br />
<strong>Email:</strong><a href="mailto:yyu@eecs.berkeley.edu"> yyu@eecs.berkeley.edu</a><br />
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://yaodongyu.github.io/">https://yaodongyu.github.io/</a><br />
<strong>Advisor(s):</strong> Michael I. Jordan, Yi Ma<br />
<strong>Research Blurb:</strong> My research interests are broadly in theory and practice of trustworthy machine learning, including interpretability, privacy, and robustness.<br />
<strong>Jobs Interested In:</strong> Faculty
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr />http://bair.berkeley.edu/blog/2024/03/11/grads-2024/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Sam Altman's return to OpenAI's board leaves billionaires in charge of AI's destiny.
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/11/openai-sam-altman-billionaires-ai-risk Save to Pocket
Intern with superuser access ‘promoted’ himself to CEO
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Older and wiser colleagues couldn’t see the funny side
Who, Me? Aaah … Monday! That wonderful week-opening day that brings with it so many possibilities. Including, as Register readers know all too well, the chance to make errors that must then be discreetly buried – the subject of our Who, Me?, our weekly reader-contributed tale of career-threatening bullets you’ve managed to dodge.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/who_me/ Save to Pocket
The Case for Nauseous Optimism
date: 2024-03-11, from: Robert Reich on Substack
Be concerned, but don’t despair
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/dont-despair-were-winning Save to Pocket
VMware by Broadcom promises more, cheaper, training, starting around May
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
But for now, smaller customers have been cut off from on-demand training content
Exclusive VMware by Broadcom will soon launch a new training experience that will offer “more training at a fraction of the cost they used to pay.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/vmware_new_training/ Save to Pocket
Today in SCV History (March 11)
date: 2024-03-11, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1890 – Castaic Range War: Landowner William Chormicle brought to L.A. to stand trial for double murder. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-march-11/ Save to Pocket
March 10, 2024
date: 2024-03-11, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
As predicted, last week was an important one for the Republican Party. The Republicans’ rebuttal to the State of the Union on Thursday stayed in the news throughout the weekend. On Friday, independent journalist Jonathan Katz figured out that a key story in it was false. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) described a twelve-year-old child sex trafficked by Mexican cartel members, implying that the young girl was trafficked because of President Joe Biden’s border policies.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-10-2024 Save to Pocket
2024-03-07 Why do we even blog?
date: 2024-03-11, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog
2024-03-07 Why do we even blog?
The urge to blog lives in a strange place. One speaks to an imagined audience. It is not enough to imagine an audience, though. It’s more than writing into a booklet, “Dear Diary, …” – and yet we do it even if there are no comments. Sure, I never had a lot of comments. But I think I’m just as happy getting the occasional email or reply on the fediverse. The thought of somebody reading the words is terrifying. And once I got that first comment, once I started linking the blog from my profiles, putting it out there for others to find, inviting people to read and implicitly, to judge… I started discovered that the blog was something I feared. The blog is a thrill. It makes me nervous. The heart beats. The heart bleeds.
Back when the blog had comments, I used to be anxious about comments. First, there’s a comment. Is it good or bad? Do I read it now? Do I risk a look? But then the imagined audience is still there and now it’s worse. How will I react as I am being watched? Blogging turns into a performance where I feel like I’m demonstrating my moral character. I am not a racist! I am not a white supremacist! I am not a homophobe! Or am I? All the discourse online has made me self-conscious. I really don’t want to be what I fear I might be without knowing it. I keep thinking of the idea that people who aren’t very observant being unable to perceive their own faults. The requirements go up when I learn more.
The effect of all that anxiety, for me, is that I take things seriously. Words are serious. I try to put my word where my heart is. I try to weight them carefully. I weigh my heart. Writing is morally intense. It doesn’t matter how long or how short the page, how trivial or how controversial the topic.
And above all of it hangs the grey sky of unspoken words, of thoughts unexamined and all that maladjustment, all the failures, all the judgements. How often have I found myself falling short of my own measure.
To blog is to wrestle with that. I imagine an audience that is strangely interested in all the things I am interested in. I write for them, for me, for my future self that looks back, the heart full of regret. I struggle for virtue and I put it into words for you and me, the imagined reader and myself. As proof. “I struggled!” I struggle. I keep on struggling to discover what is right and to do what is right.
Blogging is like writing secret confessions. I write about the things that I think I did well because I did them wrong and then I changed my mind. I write about the things I know because I did not know them before. And who cares about those laborious system administration blog posts where I struggle with this or that ephemeral problem. All these issues are lost pages. Nobody cares. People find their answers on Stack Overflow or Reddit or some other centralized platform where middlemen gamify the experience so that we can help each other while on the thread-mill for their pockets. And who cares about those blog posts about growing old or playing games? People read them and move on. Like I do, when I’m reading online. Even if I am moved, I will move on. And there are so many posts to read, the folders on my disk with saved articles and snippets are more like compost heaps, where layer upon layer of good stuff gets dropped, never to see the light of day again.
Perhaps it sparked a thought somewhere, and perhaps that spark starts a fire, somewhere, much later. There is practically no connection and that is fine. The world moves and humanity is moved like a dreamer, one thought knows not the next, and we all partake in that eternal digestion of the sleepless mind. Our books, our journals, our blogs, our posts, they all participate. Perhaps we fall for those waves of outrage and the galaxy brain has a seizure as we all throw our weight around in unison, crushing innocent lives, leaving those we hurt behind, forgetting them as quickly as we forget about the outrage.
Or perhaps blogging is leaving a trail of blazing sparks, each one sparking a fire in the next generation. Spending time reading blogs and posts on social media has certainly changed me.
Perhaps I would have grown older differently without reading blogs and blogging. And this is why I cannot stop blogging. To blog in that half-shadow where perhaps our thoughts are read and perhaps they are not, where every text lights up and shines and drops and sinks onto that great pile where thousands of text are rotting, that is to participate in the galaxy brain that is our world. Some of us can vote and some of us can talk. Some of us can fight and some of us will weep. I try to blog.
I try to blog to prove to myself that it was a struggle, that I tried to think long and hard about things and that I tried to do the right thing. I keep failing and so I must keep blogging.
p1k3 wrote back in 2022:
Writing about writing. Programming about programming. Meetings about meetings. The mind reflecting on its own function. … Writing about writing might not have quite the same potential for nested, generative dysfunction, but it often produces artifacts just as unintelligible. – meta meta
That quote seemed very appropriate for one of the two threads in my posts. The other thread is about the audience and I got a comment on that, too, by the same author:
Not that I have much to add here, but I do relate to this one. The ongoing tension of these feelings contrasted with the sense that (as I’m sure I’ve said many times before) existing in public seems almost entirely unsupportable to me now. And yet: Nothing else has quite the same power as writing for this audience you can never be sure of. The one that might not even exist, but if it does might be all kinds of things.
The pain of existing in public is a great way to put it.
2024-03-08. How to overcome that impostor feeling where you reread that text you wrote and you want to throw it away. Not worth the electrons it was written with! But who’s doing the judging: you, or that imagined audience I was talking about?
I think the point of blogging is for there to be a tiny, non-threatening audience. And really, who is going to read my blog? Internet stranger-friends, mutuals on fedi, those kinds of people. Maybe my parents. (Hi mom!) I can always anonymoblog somewhere else if I’m feeling anxious. Because writing in a paper notebook I don’t feel judged. Surely there’s a similar place, online. The key is to find that happy state where the imagined audience adds a little zest but not the Twitter wolves or Hacker News, or whatever the particular blogging nightmare might be.
For me, this imagined audience is more important than getting it right. Which is why I write my blog posts with the wiki spirit. All these sites are pretty similar, in essence. Blog, wiki, digital garden, Zettelkasten, there’s not enough difference to draw lines. It’s all a question of intent, of culture, of belonging. The blog spirit is to write pages over time, and they disappear into the archive. The digital garden spirit is to write unfinished articles and papers, to be refined or not. The Zettelkasten spirit is to follow the trail of thoughts you thought and add new branches, small notes with new thoughts leading to more thoughts on new notes. And the wiki spirit is to write and edit online, to hit the Save button and then it’s live. There is no editor, there is no draft. Wiki is like brutalism in content management. I can see the page sources and the end result is obvious and full of that old web power. It’s not an app. The software has no idea of process. The wiki spirit is to open that window, write the text and hit save. And then I read it again, and edit it. And tomorrow, I read it again, and edit it. And next week, perhaps, I read it again, and edit it.
I no longer live in the Wiki Now. The pages are intended for future readers but they are not timeless. I add timestamps all over the place. The blog spirit is strong. The pages do disappear into the great compost of thoughts. The archive gobbles them up. I do go back but I don’t rewrite the pages completely. I’m more likely to simply add a timestamp and some thoughts like I did on this page.
I do remove stuff I stumble across that I don’t like at all. I do leave some bad things in there to remind me of bad decisions made, of bad opinions held.
What I want to say, most of all, is that blog posts aren’t gems. They are not precious books. They are not newspaper articles. They are not job applications. And if I don’t like it tomorrow, I edit it. I revise it. Or I write a new page saying how I learned something, or regret something, or I add something. I add stuff to the bottom of pages or I add new pages. What I don’t do is polish the old posts. There will be more great posts in the future. The important part is the writing.
2024-03-09. I’m reading The work of creation in the age of AI by Andrew Perfors and thinking about the part where meaning is discussed.
Meaning without an audience:
If I am writing an essay or diary entry to myself, the goal is … generally to clarify my own thoughts, to identify flaws in my thinking, or to distil the logic and motivations behind my ideas. I might have a more emotional goal - I might want to vent to myself or to express a feeling. I might want to improve my emotional regulation, feel better about life, or change those feelings somehow.
And then with an audience:
… once I decided I might actually want to post it, I changed it in important ways. I included a lot more explanation of things that were clear in my head but I thought would be non-obvious to others (and, in so doing, often I clarified them for myself too!). I fiddled with the structure and the argument flow, took some things out, put others in.
I got an email from @bouncepaw with a link to a reply. Thanks!
This is how it starts:
This article gets better every time I open it because Alex adds something to it.
I wrote about my propensity to “add” to pages up above (I’m doing it again!) and perhaps this would be a good place to talk about the two “views” for this site: blog & wiki.
A blog is organized by the timeline. The Home page lists all the pages in the order of their creation.
A wiki is organized by Recent Changes. The Changes page lists all the pages recently edited (unless I unset a checkbox).
So this site has both natures. And both views have a feed: blog feed & wiki feed.
I think you need quite some wiki-affinity to subscribe to the wiki feed. But it’s there for you.
2024-03-10. Got another reply by email, by fab – who hosts their site on Gopher, Gemini, and the web. Reminds me of the time I had a working Gopher setup. And now I’m remembering the endless bot spiders. Yikes. I still think there should be a way to better control the bots.
2024-03-11. Dozens also wrote a blog about blogging!
You may be wondering where blogs come from and why you would do a blog. If so, keep reading! – doing a blog
https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2024-03-07-why-blog Save to Pocket
China pushes its payment platforms towards an international presence
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Bejing allows easier access to AliPay and Tencent’s Weixin, and higher spending limits too
China’s main payment systems, Alipay and WeChat Pay, eased access for foreign users on Friday, a day after Beijing issued new guidelines for its payment industry.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/china_payment_platforms/ Save to Pocket
Is AI an Existential Risk? Q&A with RAND Experts
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: RAND blog
What are the potential risks associated with AI? Might any of these be catastrophic or even existential? And as momentum builds toward boundless applications of this technology, how might humanity reduce AI risk and navigate an uncertain future?
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/03/is-ai-an-existential-risk-qa-with-rand-experts.html Save to Pocket
UC Santa Barbara Baseball Completes Sweep of UConn With 12-1 Victory
date: 2024-03-11, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Gauchos will host UNLV on Tuesday beginning at 4:35 p.m.
The post UC Santa Barbara Baseball Completes Sweep of UConn With 12-1 Victory appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/03/10/uc-santa-barbara-baseball-completes-sweep-of-uconn-with-12-1-victory/ Save to Pocket
Microsoft waited 6 months to patch actively exploited admin-to-kernel vulnerability
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PLUS: NSA shares cloud security tips; Infosec training for Jordanian women; Critical vulnerabilities
Infosec in brief Cybersecurity researchers informed Microsoft that Notorious North Korean hackers Lazarus Group discovered the “holy grail” of rootkit vulnerabilities in Windows last year, but Redmond still took six months to patch the problem.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/infosec_news_in_brief/ Save to Pocket
“Trials by Fire” metal casting show highlights students’ sculptures
date: 2024-03-11, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Students from the California State University, Northridge bronze casting class curated a metal casting show last week to show their artwork to students, friends and family. The event titled “Trials…
https://sundial.csun.edu/179061/arts-entertainment/trials-by-fire-metal-casting-show-highlights-students-sculptures/ Save to Pocket
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is back on the company’s board, along with three new members
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PLUS: Microsoft bars prompts to make Copilot less violent and NSFW
AI in brief OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has returned to the company’s board and will serve alongside three new members.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/ai_news_roundup/ Save to Pocket
‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture at Academy Awards, Emma Stone Takes Best Actress
date: 2024-03-11, from: VOA News USA
Los Angeles — “Oppenheimer,” a solemn three-hour biopic that became an unlikely billion-dollar box-office sensation, was crowned best picture at a 96th Academy Awards that doubled as a coronation for Christopher Nolan.
After passing over arguably Hollywood’s foremost big-screen auteur for years, the Oscars made up for lost time by heaping seven awards on Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, including best actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. and best director for Nolan.
In anointing “Oppenheimer,” the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences did something it hasn’t done for more than a decade: hand its top prize to a widely seen, big-budget studio film. In a film industry where a cape, dinosaur or Tom Cruise has often been a requirement for such box office, “Oppenheimer” brought droves of moviegoers to theaters with a complex, fission-filled drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb.
“For better or worse, we’re all living in Robert Oppenheimer’s world,” said Murphy in his acceptance speech. “I’d like to dedicate this to the peacemakers.”
As a film heavy with unease for human capacity for mass destruction, “Oppenheimer” also emerged – even over its partner in cultural phenomenon, “Barbie” – as a fittingly foreboding film for times rife with cataclysm, man-made or not. Sunday’s Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles unfolded against the backdrop of wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and with a potentially momentous U.S. election on the horizon.
The most closely watched contest of the Academy Awards went to Emma Stone, who won best best actress for her performance as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things.”
In what was seen as the night’s most nail-biting category, Stone won over Lily Gladstone of “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Gladstone would have become the first Native American to win an Academy Award.
Instead, Oscar voters couldn’t resist the full-bodied extremes of Stone’s “Poor Things” performance. The win for Stone, her second best actress Oscar following her 2019 win for “La La Land,” confirmed the 35-year-old as arguably the preeminent big-screen actress of her generation. The list of women to win best actress two or more times is illustrious, including Katherine Hepburn, Frances McDormand, Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis.
“Oh, boy, this is really overwhelming,” said Stone.
Nolan has had many movies in the Oscar mix before, including “Inception,” “Dunkirk” and “The Dark Knight.” But his win Sunday for direction is the first Academy Award for the 53-year-old filmmaker.
In his acceptance speech, Nolan noted cinema is just over a hundred years old.
“We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here,” said Nolan. “But to think that I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”
Protest and politics intruded on an election-year Academy Awards on Sunday, where demonstrations for Gaza raged outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and awards went to “Oppenheimer,” “The Zone of Interest” and “20 Days in Mariupol.”
Sunday’s broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, had plenty of razzle dazzle, including a sprawling song-and-dance rendition of the “Barbie” hit “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling, with an assist on guitar by Slash. A sea of Kens swarmed the stage.
The lead winner, as expected was “Oppenheimer,” the blockbuster biopic. Though not quite the clean sweep that some expected, “Oppenheimer” was overpowering all competition — including its release-date companion, “Barbie” — winning awards for its cinematography, editing, score and Robert Downey Jr.’s supporting performance.
Downey, nominated twice before (for “Chaplin” and “Tropic Thunder”), notched his first Oscar, crowning the illustrious second act of his up-and-down career.
“I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the academy, in that order,” said Downey, the son of filmmaker Robert Downey Sr.
“Barbie,” last year’s biggest box-office hit with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, didn’t win an award until almost three hours into the ceremony. It won best song (sorry, Ken) for Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “What Was I Made For?” It’s their second Oscar, two years after winning for their James Bond theme, “No Time to Die.”
But after an awards season that stayed largely inside a Hollywood bubble, geopolitics played a prominent role. Protests over Israel’s war in Gaza snarled traffic around the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, slowing stars’ arrival on the red carpet and turning the Oscar spotlight toward the ongoing conflict. Some protesters shouted “Shame!” at those trying to reach the awards.
Jonathan Glazer, the British filmmaker whose chilling Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest” won best international film, drew connections between the dehumanization depicted in his film and today.
“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel, or the the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this dehumanization, how do we resist?”
The war in Gaza was on the minds of many attendees, as was the war in Ukraine. A year after “Navalny” won the same award, Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” a harrowing chronicle of the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, won best documentary. The win, a first for The Associated Press and PBS’ “Frontline,” came as the war in Ukraine passed the two-year mark with no signs of abating.
Mstyslav Chernov, the Ukrainian filmmaker and AP journalist whose hometown was bombed the day he learned of his Oscar nomination, spoke forcefully about Russia’s invasion.
“This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history,” said Chernov. “And I’m honored. Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I’d never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this (for) Russia never attacking Ukraine.”
In the early going, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein-riff “Poor Things” ran away with three prizes for its sumptuous craft, including awards for production design, makeup and hairstyling and costume design.
Kimmel, hosting the ABC telecast for the fourth time, opened the awards with a monologue that drew a few cold looks (from Downey, Sandra Hüller and Messi, the dog from best-picture nominee “Anatomy of a Fall”). But Kimmel, emphasizing Hollywood as “a union town” following 2023’s actor and writer strikes, drew a standing ovation for bringing out teamsters and behind-the-scenes workers — who are now entering their own labor negotiations.
The night’s first award was one of its most predictable: Da’Vine Joy Randolph for best supporting actress, for her performance in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” An emotional Randolph was accompanied to the stage by her “Holdovers” co-star Paul Giamatti.
“For so long I’ve always wanted to be different,” said Randolph. “And now I realize I just need to be myself.”
Though Randolph’s win was widely expected, an upset quickly followed. Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” won for best animated feature, a surprise over the slightly favored “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” Miyazaki, the 83-year-old Japanese anime master who came out of retirement to make “The Boy and the Heron,” didn’t attend the ceremony. He also didn’t attend the 2003 Oscars when his “Spirited Away” won the same award.
Best original screenplay went to “Anatomy of a Fall,” which, like “Barbie,” was penned by a couple: director Justine Triet and Arthur Harari. “This will help me through my midlife crisis, I think,” said Triet.
In adapted screenplay, where “Barbie” was nominated — and where some suspected Greta Gerwig would win after being overlooked for director — the Oscar went to Cord Jefferson, who wrote and directed his feature film debut “American Fiction.” He pleaded for executives to take risks on young filmmakers like himself.
“Instead of making a $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies,” said Jefferson, previously an award-winning TV writer.
The Oscars belonged largely to theatrical-first films. Though it came into the awards with 19 nominations, Netflix was a bit player. Its lone win came for live action short: Wes Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” based on the story by Roald Dahl.
While “Barbie” bested (and helped lift) “Oppenheimer” at the box office, it took a back seat to Nolan’s film at the Oscars. Gerwig was notably overlooked for best director, sparking an outcry that some, even Hillary Clinton, said mimicked the patriarchy parodied in the film.
https://www.voanews.com/a/christopher-nolan-wins-at-oscars-where-oppenheimer-is-dominating/7522193.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Journalism is missing the story of the century. Does the American experiment end here? That’s the horse race worth covering.
http://scripting.com/2024/03/10.html#a015710 Save to Pocket
Wes Anderson has finally won an Oscar. Not Best Director though… Best…
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/03/0044157-wes-anderson-has-finally- Save to Pocket
Crow Funeral
date: 2024-03-11, from: Margaret Atwood’s substack
An update on the Pelee Island Bird Observatory, where your money is going, Dear Paid Subscribers…
https://margaretatwood.substack.com/p/crow-funeral Save to Pocket
Election Countdown, 240 Days to Go: The General Election Campaign Has Begun.
date: 2024-03-11, from: James Fallows, Substack
A speech that was even harder-edged than it sounded. Plus, what Joe Biden has learned from Elmore Leonard. (A speech annotation.)
https://fallows.substack.com/p/election-countdown-240-days-to-go Save to Pocket
Monday 11 March, 2024
date: 2024-03-11, from: John Naughton’s online diary
Guess which way the wind blows North Norfolk Quote of the Day “ Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking is naïvete.” Maria Popova Reminds me of Gramsci’s adage — that what we need is “pessimism … Continue reading
https://memex.naughtons.org/monday-11-march-2024/39228/ Save to Pocket
Linux 6.9 will be the first to top ten million Git objects
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
For now, have Linux 6.8, which Linus Torvalds could find no reason to delay
Linus Torvalds has released version 6.8 of the Linux Kernel.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/11/linux_6_8_arrives/ Save to Pocket
Episode 127 - Nim
date: 2024-03-11, from: Advent of Computing
https://adventofcomputing.libsyn.com/episode-127-nim Save to Pocket
Film festival seeks to inspire environmental action
date: 2024-03-11, from: The Signal
The Santa Clarita Valley Eco Alliance held its first-ever Eco Film Festival at College of the Canyons on Saturday, aimed to generate awareness, open discussion and solutions for the future on current environmental issues. The festival was a joint project created by the local Eco Alliance chapter in collaboration with a dozen local nonprofit organizations. […]
The post <strong>Film festival seeks to inspire environmental action </strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/film-festival-seeks-to-inspire-environmental-action/ Save to Pocket
SCV Chinese Dance shares culture through movement
date: 2024-03-11, from: The Signal
On SCV Chinese Dance’s official website, the group’s mission statement is “preserving, sharing, enjoying, and teaching traditional and modern Chinese dance.” When talking to group leader and founder Christine Chen, it becomes clear just how important sharing her culture to others is to her. “I don’t care if I get paid or not,” she said. […]
The post SCV Chinese Dance shares culture through movement appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/03/scv-chinese-dance-shares-culture-through-movement/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-11, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Democrats are angry over media coverage of Biden.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/democrats-joe-biden-media-coverage-donald-trump?CMP=share_btn_url Save to Pocket
Digital David versus Tech Giant Goliath: Interview with Michiel Leenaars on Radio 1
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: nlnet feed
https://nlnet.nl/news/2024/20240311-radio1-interview.html Save to Pocket
Prince, Letterman and Insufferability
date: 2024-03-11, updated: 2024-03-11, from: Anil Dash blog
https://anildash.com/2024/03/11/prince-and-letterman/ Save to Pocket