News gathered 2024-03-15

(date: 2024-03-15 08:38:58)

Opera San Jose set to perform new ‘Zorro,’ reinvent ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

The Company’s newly announced 2024-2025 season also features iconic ‘La Boheme’ and family-friendly ‘Magic Flute.’

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/opera-san-jose-set-to-perform-new-zorro-reinvent-bluebeards-castle/ Save to Pocket

Plug-In Car Sales In Germany Weakened Again In February 2024

date: 2024-03-15, from: Inside EVs News

Tesla shines in the EV segment as the Model Y strengthens its position as the best-selling all-electric model.

https://insideevs.com/news/712459/plugin-car-sales-germany-february2024/ Save to Pocket

Utah basketball: As a mediocre season ends, pressure mounts on third-year coach Craig Smith

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

The Utes missed the NCAA Tournament once again while BYU and Utah State are going dancing.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/utah-basketball-as-a-mediocre-season-ends-pressure-mounts-on-third-year-coach-craig-smith/ Save to Pocket

We talk to W3C vice chair Robin Berjon about the InterPlanetary File System

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

The decentralized web is alive and well despite Web3 financial scheming

Interview  The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) debuted nine years ago with the hope of changing the way people interact with content online. It remains an ongoing project.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/interview_robin_berjon_and_the_ipfs/ Save to Pocket

A forthcoming book from urbanist Carlos Moreno: The 15-Minute City: A Solution…

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044195-a-forthcoming-book-from-u Save to Pocket

AYANEO AM01 retro mini PC now available with up to a Ryzen 7 5800U processor

date: 2024-03-15, from: Liliputing

The AYANEO AM01 is a tiny desktop computer designed to look like a classic Mac and positioned as a system for entry-level retro gaming. When it first launched in November through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign the little computer was available with a choice of AMD Ryzen 3 3200U or Ryzen 7 5700U processors… neither of […]

The post AYANEO AM01 retro mini PC now available with up to a Ryzen 7 5800U processor appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/ayaneo-am01-retro-mini-pc-now-available-with-up-to-a-ryzen-7-5800u-processor/ Save to Pocket

Realtor settlement on commission-fixing could create seismic changes in how Americans buy homes

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

The 6% commission, a standard in home purchase transactions, is no more.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/realtor-settlement-on-commission-fixing-could-create-seismic-changes-in-how-americans-buy-homes/ Save to Pocket

Father cleared in ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal sues Netflix

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

John Wilson of Massachusetts has filed a civil lawsuit against Netflix for their depiction of him and his family in their documentary on the case, “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal.”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/father-cleared-in-varsity-blues-college-admissions-scandal-sues-netflix/ Save to Pocket

All-Bay Area News Group boys basketball 2023-24: Meet the team

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

Salesian, De La Salle’s Alec Blair, San Ramon Valley’s Seamus Deely and Luke Isaak, Archbishop Riordan’s Zion Sensley lead all-Bay Area News Group team.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/all-bay-area-news-group-boys-basketball-2023-24-meet-the-team/ Save to Pocket

Nature, trails and…tech? How AllTrails CEO aims to make the outdoors more accessible than ever

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

A conversation (and hike) with AllTrails CEO Ron Schneidermann explores the San Francisco-based company, the app and its billion miles of hiking trails.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/nature-trails-and-tech-how-alltrails-ceo-ron-schneidermann-aims-to-make-the-outdoors-more-accessible-than-ever/ Save to Pocket

Alpinestars’ Drops It’s New Tech-Air 3 Canvas And Leather Vests

date: 2024-03-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News

The Italian gear specialist has V-Twin riders in mind with its newest airbag system.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/712006/alpinestars-tech-air3-canvas-leather/ Save to Pocket

Loongson 3A6000: a star among Chinese CPUs

date: 2024-03-15, from: OS News

Computing power has emerged as a vital resource for economies around the world. China is no exception, and the country has invested heavily into domestic CPU capabilities. Loongson is at the forefront of that effort. We previously covered the company’s 3A5000 CPU, a quad core processor that delivered reasonable performance per clock, but clocked too low to be competitive. Now, we’re going to look at Loongson’s newer 3A6000 CPU. The 3A6000 is also a quad core 2.5 GHz part, but uses the newer LA664 core. Compared to the 3A5000’s LA464 cores, LA664 is a major and ambitious evolution. While Loongson has kept the same general architecture, LA664 has a larger and deeper pipeline with more execution units. To sweeten the pie, LA664 gets SMT support. When properly implemented, SMT can increase multithreaded performance with minimal die area overhead. But SMT can be challenging to get right. ↫ Chips and Cheese I’m always fascinated by China’s attempts at catching up to Intel and AMD, but at the same time, there’s no chance in hell I’d ever use any of it.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138839/loongson-3a6000-a-star-among-chinese-cpus/ Save to Pocket

GLOBE Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth

date: 2024-03-15, from: NASA breaking news

Imagine standing outside on a cool spring day when all at once, the clouds shift and sunlight streams down, bathing you with warmth. In moments like this, you might notice – and appreciate – the Sun just a little bit more, but you feel the Sun’s influence every day, even when you don’t feel the […]

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/globe-eclipse-challenge-clouds-and-our-solar-powered-earth/ Save to Pocket

Bernie Sanders clocks in with 4-day workweek bill thanks to AI and productivity tech

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Don’t start planning your long weekend yet – proposal is likely to be a hard sell in work-obsessed America

AI, automation, and other new technologies have made the American worker far more productive than ever before, says US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), which is why he introduced a bill this week to shorten the US workweek to 32 hours without a commensurate drop in worker pay. …

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/sanders_four_day_week/ Save to Pocket

VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, March 9-16

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-immigration-weekly-recap-march-9-16/7529212.html Save to Pocket

Secure by design: Google’s perspective on memory safety

date: 2024-03-15, from: OS News

Google’s Project Zero reports that memory safety vulnerabilities—security defects caused by subtle coding errors related to how a program accesses memory—have been “the standard for attacking software for the last few decades and it’s still how attackers are having success”. Their analysis shows two thirds of 0-day exploits detected in the wild used memory corruption vulnerabilities. Despite substantial investments to improve memory-unsafe languages, those vulnerabilities continue to top the most commonly exploited vulnerability classes. In this post, we share our perspective on memory safety in a comprehensive whitepaper. This paper delves into the data, challenges of tackling memory unsafety, and discusses possible approaches for achieving memory safety and their tradeoffs. We’ll also highlight our commitments towards implementing several of the solutions outlined in the whitepaper, most recently with a $1,000,000 grant to the Rust Foundation, thereby advancing the development of a robust memory-safe ecosystem. ↫ Alex Rebert and Christoph Kern at Google’s blog Even as someone who isn’t a programmer, it’s impossible to escape the rising tide of memory-safe languages, with Rust leading the charge. If this makes the software we all use objectively better, I’ll take the programmers complaining they have to learn something new.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138837/secure-by-design-googles-perspective-on-memory-safety/ Save to Pocket

India opens the doors to Tesla with new scheme to wave EV import duties

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

India is finally opening its doors to Tesla, and other EV automakers, with a new program to wave the country’s high import duties for electric vehicles.

But there are conditions.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/15/india-opens-doors-tesla-scheme-ev-import-duties/ Save to Pocket

From The Pudding, a visual essay about how Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest…

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044194-from-the-pudding-a-visual Save to Pocket

Nanos: a kernel designed to run one application in a virtualized environment

date: 2024-03-15, from: OS News

Nanos is a new kernel designed to run one and only one application in a virtualized environment. It has several constraints on it compared to a general purpose operating system such as Windows or Linux – namely it’s a single process system with no support for running multiple programs nor does it have the concept of users or remote administration via ssh. ↫ Nanos GitHub page The project has a website with more information and instructions, and the code’s on GitHub.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138835/nanos-a-kernel-designed-to-run-one-application-in-a-virtualized-environment/ Save to Pocket

Irish Anger Over Gaza Overshadows White House St. Patrick Celebration

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

White House — U.S. President Joe Biden is hosting Taoiseach of Ireland Leo Varadkar on Friday for the annual St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House, amid calls to boycott the event by many in Ireland who are outraged by staunch U.S. support of Israel in its war against Hamas.

Speaking earlier this week in Boston, where almost a quarter of the city’s population claims Irish descent, Varadkar cited Ireland’s “own painful history,” and renewed calls for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza, a step that goes beyond the six-week halt in fighting that Biden is pushing for. 

The Irish prime minister said he intends to warn Biden and congressional leaders that if the West does not “see and respect the equal value of a child of Israel and a child of Palestine,” the rest of the world, particularly the Global South, will ignore calls to uphold “rules and institutions that are the bedrock of the civilized world.” 

Polls show Ireland, a Catholic-majority European country, is one of the most pro-Palestinian nations in the world. Many Irish cite their own resistance against British rule as the reason for their support of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.

Varadkar’s visit comes amid shifting public sentiment among Biden’s Democratic Party on the war in Gaza. On Thursday, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S. and an avid supporter of Israel, stunned Israelis by condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “obstacle to peace” and calling for new elections in Israel.

Biden and Varadkar also are set to discuss support for Ukraine’s push against Russian aggression amid a deadlock in the U.S. Congress over funding for Kyiv. The Irish leader is expected to add his voice to the chorus of European leaders urging House Republicans to pass the aid package.

Northern Ireland

First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, are also in Washington to take part in St. Patrick celebrations.  

The two aim to deliver the message that Northern Ireland is open for business following the recently restored power-sharing deal in Stormont, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after two years of political infighting between DUP, which favors continued governance with London, and Sinn Fein, which broadly supports reunification with Ireland. 

Biden, who often cites his Irish heritage, has long advocated for the Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 peace deal that helped end 30 years of bloody conflict over whether Northern Ireland should unify with Ireland or remain part of the United Kingdom. 

In his visit to Northern Ireland last year, the president promised that American businesses are ready to invest once power-sharing and stability is returned.

https://www.voanews.com/a/irish-anger-over-gaza-overshadows-white-house-st-patrick-celebration/7529207.html Save to Pocket

The New Tesla Model 3 Is ‘Mind-Numbingly Boring,’ Doug DeMuro Says In Review

date: 2024-03-15, from: Inside EVs News

The car-loving YouTuber described the facelifted EV as being the greatest appliance ever made.

https://insideevs.com/news/712510/tesla-model-3-highland-doug-demuro-review-video/ Save to Pocket

All-Bay Area News Group girls basketball, 2023-24: Meet the team

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

Archbishop Mitty’s McKenna Woliczko and Morgan Cheli, Piedmont’s Natalia Martinez, Branham’s Quinn Godfrey, San Ramon Valley’s Sofia Bowes, Acalanes’ Karyss Lacanlale lead all-Bay Area News Group team

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/all-bay-area-news-group-girls-basketball-2024-meet-the-team/ Save to Pocket

The exponential enshittification of science

date: 2024-03-15, from: Gary Marcus blog

“Certainly, here is a list of” scientific garbage that may have been partially written by a factually-challenged bot

https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/the-exponential-enshittification Save to Pocket

Judge: DA Must Step Aside or Remove Special Prosecutor in Trump Case

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must step aside from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump or remove the special prosecutor with whom she had a romantic relationship before the case can proceed, the judge overseeing it ruled Friday. 

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee did not find that Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade amounted to a conflict of interest that should disqualify her from the case. However, he said, the allegations created an “appearance of impropriety” that infected the prosecution team. 

“As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed,” the judge wrote. 

“Put differently, an outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist.” 

A spokesperson for Willis did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment on the judge’s ruling Friday. 

Willis hired Wade to lead the team to investigate and ultimately prosecute Trump and 18 others accused of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia in 2020. Willis and Wade testified at a hearing last month that they had engaged in a romantic relationship, but they rejected the idea that Willis improperly benefited from it, as lawyers for Trump and some of his co-defendants alleged. 

McAfee wrote that there was insufficient evidence that Willis had a personal stake in the prosecution. But he condemned what he described as a “tremendous” lapse in judgment and the “unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony.” Even so, he said dismissal of the case was not the appropriate remedy to “adequately dissipate the financial cloud of impropriety and potential untruthfulness found here.” 

McAfee found no showing that the due process rights of Trump and the other defendants had been violated or that the issues involved prejudiced them in any way. He also said the disqualification of a constitutional officer, like a district attorney, is not necessary “when a less drastic and sufficiently remedial option is available.” 

The judge said he believes that “Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices — even repeatedly — and it is the trial court’s duty to confine itself to the relevant issues and applicable law properly brought before it.” 

An attorney for co-defendant Michael Roman asked McAfee to dismiss the indictment and prevent Willis and Wade and their offices from continuing to prosecute the case. The attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, alleged that Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then improperly benefited from the prosecution of the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations for the two of them. 

Willis had insisted that the relationship created no financial or personal conflict of interest that justified removing her office from the case. She and Wade both testified that their relationship began in the spring of 2022 and ended in the summer of 2023. They both said that Willis either paid for things herself or used cash to reimburse Wade for travel expenses. 

The sprawling indictment charges Trump and more than a dozen other defendants with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The case uses a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a “criminal enterprise” to keep him in power after he lost the 2020 election to Biden. 

Trump, Republicans’ presumptive presidential nominee for 2024, has denied doing anything wrong and pleaded not guilty. 

Earlier this week, the judge dismissed some of the charges against Trump. 

The six challenged counts charged the defendants with soliciting public officers to violate their oaths. One count stemmed from a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, on Jan. 2, 2021, in which Trump urged Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” for him to win the election in the state. 

Another of the dismissed counts accused Trump of soliciting then-Georgia House of Representatives Speaker David Ralston to violate his oath of office by calling a special session of the legislature to unlawfully appoint presidential electors. 

McAfee said the counts did not allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of the violations.

https://www.voanews.com/a/judge-da-must-step-aside-or-remove-special-prosecutor-in-trump-case/7529187.html Save to Pocket

Police find 13 dogs, 65 cats in large-scale animal rescue in Hollister

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

The residence allegedly served as a local rescue organization called SBC Pet-A-Palooza Rescue, housing dozens of animals in unsanitary living conditions.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/local-animal-shelters-assist-police-in-large-scale-animal-rescue-in-hollister/ Save to Pocket

Microsoft says AI alliances are needed to compete with Google

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Only the Chocolate Factory is ‘vertically integrated’ to win at ‘every AI layer from chips to a thriving mobile app store’

Microsoft has told the European Commission’s competition authorities that it only entered into agreements with generative AI developers because it had no other option, unlike archrival Google which can do it all alone.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/microsoft_says_ai_partnerships_are/ Save to Pocket

Nissan and Honda confirm new EV partnership as they look to play catch up with Tesla, BYD

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

It’s official. Nissan and Honda are forming a new EV partnership after falling behind leaders like Tesla and China’s BYD. Will working together help turn things around?

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/15/nissan-honda-confirm-ev-partnership-play-catch-up-byd/ Save to Pocket

The Metaphysically Science-ish Drawings of Daniel Martin Diaz

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/the-metaphysically-science-ish-drawings-of-daniel-martin-diaz Save to Pocket

San Francisco homicide: Woman stabbed, suspect chased to Oakland

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

Called by a report of a possible burglary around 9 a.m. Wednesday, officers discovered the victim in a residence in the 100 block of Appleton Avenue.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/san-francisco-homicide-woman-stabbed-suspect-chased-to-oakland/ Save to Pocket

SF Giants channel Mookie Betts to get aggressive on the bases

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

New bench coach Ryan Christenson hopes a secondary lead styled after the Dodgers’ do-it-all superstar can juice the Giants’ running game.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/15/sf-giants-channel-mookie-betts-to-get-aggressive-on-the-bases/ Save to Pocket

Did you forget that quickly?

date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News

We’ve noted this before.

Things that are established facts about Trump eventually lose their currency, reporters forget and report it as big news next time they see it happening.

Trump’s fealty to Putin for example. How could a reporter forget that? Yet they seem to.

Two moments to bring you back.

Picture 1.

Picture 2.

There are so many of these pictures.

Remember we tried letting Trump play president, we shouldn’t have survived it, and in a lot of ways we didn’t.

Collectively we’re like the main character in The Sixth Sense (no spoilers, but if you have seen it you know what I mean).

So please, dear reporters and editors, try to factor actual proven facts into the context of your reporting.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/15/135259.html?title=didYouForgetThatQuickly Save to Pocket

Cleaner for SWAT Team Leaks DEA Investigative File on Her Fentanyl Dealing Cousin

date: 2024-03-15, from: 404 Media Group

In an unusual insider threat case, a cleaner working in a SWAT office allegedly snapped photos of a DEA investigative file and leaked them.

https://www.404media.co/cleaner-for-swat-team-leaks-dea-investigative-file-on-her-fentanyl-dealing-cousin/ Save to Pocket

Too Much

date: 2024-03-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

At an informational meeting on February 22, and we were told Los Padres would deforest maybe 600-700 acres? Now we have the District Ranger making the case for 1,000 acres.

The post Too Much appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/15/too-much/ Save to Pocket

Biktrix unveils new 2,300W full-suspension electric mountain bike with two chains

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

If you’ve been wanting to get your off-road e-biking thrills but think all the current eMTBs on the market are too weak with their paltry 750W motors, then Biktrix has just what you’re looking for. The new Biktrix Juggernaut FS XD is the full-suspension electric mountain bike equivalent of the hot-rodder’s hot rod.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/15/biktrix-unveils-new-2300w-full-suspension-electric-mountain-bike-with-two-chains/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

This is a nit, but it bugs me anyway. I’d love to know why Threads, which in every way is a modern JavaScript app running in a web browser, uses urls that begin with www. In 2024. There’s no harm in it, it’s just there was a consensus a long time ago that the www part was not necessary.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/15.html#a134635 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

When I was growing up they taught us that humans were the only animals that were conscious. They wasn’t any scientific evidence of this, we know now, because it obviously isn’t true. And to my own credit, I was sure it was bullshit when I was a kid.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/15.html#a134515 Save to Pocket

Nissan And Honda Confirm They Want To Work Together On EVs

date: 2024-03-15, from: Inside EVs News

The two Japanese automakers signed a memorandum of understanding today.

https://insideevs.com/news/712514/nissan-honda-ev-partnership-official/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

The blogroll is a lot like weblogs.com combined with its successor my.userland.com. All this happened first in 1999. Today’s blogroll is far in advance technically from the blogrolls of 25 years ago.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/15.html#a132141 Save to Pocket

Horrific AI-Generated Breastfeeding Images Bypass Facebook’s Moderation

date: 2024-03-15, from: 404 Media Group

A page called Mom Daily is using AI-generated images of mothers and babies to bypass Facebook’s rules on nudity, with some really terrifying results.

https://www.404media.co/horrific-ai-generated-breastfeeding-images-on-facebook-bypass-moderation/ Save to Pocket

Hybrid Sales Are Booming

date: 2024-03-15, from: Heatmap News

Current conditions: Deadly tornadoes ripped through Ohio and Indiana overnight • Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai is the most polluted city in the world today • The Indian Wells tennis tournament in California was suspended after a swarm of bees descended on the court.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Construction is complete on South Fork Wind farm

The first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the United States is finally up and running. South Fork Wind’s 12th and final turbine was installed last month, and the project is now delivering power to the Long Island grid, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced yesterday. At full capacity, the 130-megawatt farm can generate enough power for about 70,000 homes. Construction on the project took about two years to complete. “This is just the beginning of New York’s offshore wind future,” Hochul said. The offshore wind sector has faced economic setbacks in the last year, with major projects delayed or canceled due to supply chain problems and rising costs. But there’s “every indication that there’s developer confidence in the sector,” Theodore Paradise, an attorney specializing in offshore wind at the law firm K&L Gates, told Canary Media. Two more projects – Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind farm and Rhode Island’s Revolution Wind farm – are expected to be completed in coming months. States in the Northeast are planning to solicit proposals for new projects amounting to 6 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity and are developing cheaper and more efficient regional transmission infrastructure. “Overall, we see the industry is moving forward,” Paradise told Canary.

Orsted

2. U.S. hybrid sales are booming

Hybrid car sales in the U.S. grew five times faster than those of fully-electric vehicles last month, according to Morgan Stanley. The rise in hybrid demand is fueled by customers who may be interested in making the leap to an electric vehicle but still have reservations about things like price, design, and range. Whatever the reason, though, car makers and suppliers are responding accordingly: Reuters reported that Ford plans to double the share of hybrid F-150s to 20% of its sales. Toyota plans to increase its hybrid offerings and overall hybrid sales. German supplier Schaeffler will invest $230 million in an Ohio factory to increase production of hybrid components. Hybrid production in the U.S. could rise to as much as 20% of total light-vehicle production by 2025, compared with 14% for EVs. “The industry shift toward hybrids challenges the Biden administration’s pro-EV climate policies, and environmental groups that want automakers to phase out CO2-emitting internal combustion engines as quickly as possible,” Reuters said.

3. Heatmap poll: Biden’s climate policy remains popular

As President Biden prepares to run for re-election, one fact has eluded much notice: His climate change policies are pretty popular. An exclusive Heatmap poll of 1,000 Americans conducted by Benenson Strategy Group late last year found that most respondents backed the core ideas behind Biden’s climate policies. They expressed the most support of ideas meant to beef up the country’s manufacturing economy and build more renewable electricity. Some key takeaways:

• Nearly 90% of Americans support encouraging domestic manufacturing.
• 85% support using tax incentives to make homes more energy efficient.
• 81% support funding research into carbon dioxide removal.
• 80% support investing in public transit.
• 78% support implementing policies that address environmental injustices.
• A majority support a carbon tax.

“At first I doubted the veracity of these results,” said Heatmap’s Robinson Meyer. And he’s probably not alone. Most Americans underestimate public support for pro-climate policies. But Heatmap’s results largely match other polling. And that is despite the overwhelming public disappointment in Biden, whose approval rating has fallen to 37%, an all-time low of his presidency. “At first glance,” Robinson wrote, “Biden’s climate policy might seem to pose a paradox: It’s really popular (at least facially), but nobody has seemed to notice. That may persist through the November election. But it will not be able to last for too long after that.”

4. EU expected to back track on green agriculture policies

After months of disruptive protests by angry farmers, the European Union looks poised to weaken its climate proposals aimed at the agriculture sector, Bloomberg reported. The new rules, expected as early as today, would reportedly let farmers off the hook for things like promoting biodiversity, preventing soil erosion, improving soil health, and reducing reliance on chemical pesticides. “Taken together, they would enable farmers to get EU subsidies even if they don’t meet the most basic environmental standards,” Politico explained. Farmers have argued the bloc’s environmental policies are too burdensome at a time when their own operational costs are on the rise and food prices have fallen. Last week the European Environment Agency released a report warning that the EU is unprepared for climate change, singling out agriculture as a sector where urgent action is needed “if the Continent is to avoid catastrophic floods, years-long droughts and scorching heatwaves,” Politico said.

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5. Brazil uses bacteria-infected mosquitoes to fight dengue crisis

Six cities in Brazil are releasing bacteria-infected mosquitoes in an effort to control the nation’s dengue emergency. The mosquito-borne virus is on the rise in South America; already more than a million Brazilians have been infected in 2024. While it is often asymptomatic, in some cases the disease can cause extreme joint pain, and more than 35,000 people die from infections each year. Climate change is making the dengue crisis worse by raising temperatures and increasing rainfall in some areas, expanding mosquitoes’ breeding grounds.

The new program in Brazil involves breeding mosquitoes infected with a bacteria called Wolbachia. “Wild females that mate with Wolbachia-infected males produce eggs that don’t hatch,” explained MIT Technology Review. “Wolbachia-infected females produce offspring that are also infected. Over time, the bacteria spread throughout the population.” As one official put it: “We’re essentially vaccinating mosquitoes against giving humans disease.”

THE KICKER

“At the risk of repeating a cliché, it tastes a lot like chicken.” –Daniel Natusch of Macquarie University in Sydney, co-author of a new study published in Scientific Reports that suggests “python farming may offer a flexible and efficient response to global food insecurity.”

https://heatmap.news/climate/hybrid-sales-south-fork-wind Save to Pocket

How a Foul Ball From 2014 Became Part of a Russian Disinformation Campaign

date: 2024-03-15, from: 404 Media Group

Using OSINT and Baseball Reference to determine the exact pitch that was used in a Russian disinformation video.

https://www.404media.co/how-a-foul-ball-from-2014-became-part-of-a-russian-disinformation-campaign/ Save to Pocket

IBM CEO pay jumps 23% in 2023, average employee gets 7%

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

And the party extends to shareholders with an overall $6B payout

IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna bagged a double digit pay bump in 2023 as he met the major financial objectives outlined by the board. The average compensation of employees that helped Big Blue achieve those targets? Up by single digits.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/ibm_ceo_pay_jumps_23/ Save to Pocket

QuietKat’s New Ranger AWD Will Have You Yearning For Hunting Season

date: 2024-03-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News

Who needs a buddy to help pack out an elk anymore?

https://www.rideapart.com/news/712447/quietkat-ranger-awd-e-bike-hunting/ Save to Pocket

Watch the earth move with Raspberry Shake

date: 2024-03-15, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)

Raspberry Shake was created on the slopes of Volcán Barú in Panama, and connects a network of citizen scientists and professional researchers who want to watch the earth move.

The post Watch the earth move with Raspberry Shake appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/watch-the-earth-move-with-raspberry-shake/ Save to Pocket

Increasing Numbers Of Migrants Arriving In Ciudad Juarez

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

Increasing numbers of migrants are arriving in Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican city directly across the U.S. border from Texas, according to immigration officials. They say warm spring weather and the temporary halt to a controversial Texas law are driving the increasing numbers. VOA’s César Contreras reports the story, narrated by Veronica Villafañe.

https://www.voanews.com/a/increasing-numbers-of-migrants-arriving-in-ciudad-juarez-/7529093.html Save to Pocket

McDonald’s ordering system suffers McFlurry of tech troubles

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Global meltdown turns fast food slow

Technology certainly helped McDonald’s process orders faster, but as soon as a computer fault hit, the burger behemoth was shuttled right back to the 90s.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/mcdonalds_ordering_system_outage/ Save to Pocket

John Boston | Some See Dead People? I See Liberals.

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

I’ve been blessed with many dear friends who also carry the job description of “HERO.” I marvel at the challenges many have not only met, but also conquered. A few of my pals have dwelt, lost, hopeless and in a fetal position on the sulfurous factory basement floor of Hell. On a road littered with […]

The post John Boston | Some See Dead People? I See Liberals. appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/john-boston-some-see-dead-people-i-see-liberals/ Save to Pocket

Tesla Model Y Shines In 2023 U.S. Vehicle Registrations, But Gas Trucks Still Dominate

date: 2024-03-15, from: Inside EVs News

The world’s best-selling car of 2023 performed well on the home turf, but Ford sold far more trucks.

https://insideevs.com/news/712493/tesla-model-y-falls-behind-ford-trucks-registrations/ Save to Pocket

P&B: Sara Joy

date: 2024-03-15, from: Manu - I write blog

            <p>This is the 29th edition of <em>People and Blogs</em>, the series where I ask interesting people to talk about themselves and their blogs. Today we have Sara Joy and her blog, <a href="https://sarajoy.dev">sarajoy.dev</a></p>

As I wrote in a recent post, she’s almost entirely responsible for the existence of my guestbook. I also love her positive energy.

To follow this series subscribe to the newsletter. A new interview will land in your inbox every Friday. Not a fan of newsletters? No problem! You can read the interviews here on the blog or you can subscribe to the RSS feed.

This was the 29th edition of People and Blogs. Hope you enjoyed this interview with Sara. Make sure to follow her blog (RSS) and get in touch with her if you have any questions.

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          <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> — 
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https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/1G4HkXJgmrsSrQjA Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Saying the web misses Google Reader is like saying that the United States misses President Trump.

https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social Save to Pocket

2024-03-15 A linkblog for IRC and Discord channels

date: 2024-03-15, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog

2024-03-15 A linkblog for IRC and Discord channels

A while ago I wrote a bot called Norn that optionally connects to an IRC server and one or more Discord “servers”. It keeps notes for events, for specific dates and for date ranges. It remembers answers to questions or prompts. Yesterday I added the ability to remember links. The links are exported to HTML and RSS files for all to see, so it serves as a way to keep up for those who are not as strongly invested into those online communities.

In all these these cases, the bot treats all the channels that have the same name as “the same”. This can get weird. My hope, of course, is that this is cool. We’ll see.

The first two links are specific for my use of Norn:

• Norn help
• Linkblog files
• Source code

#Norn

https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2024-03-15-linkblog-for-channels Save to Pocket

Where did all of D.C.’s federal workers go?

date: 2024-03-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report

The campaign to shrink the federal government is working — in Washington, D.C., at least. Data released by the Labor Department shows that D.C. ranked dead last when it comes to growth in federal government jobs last year. Most federal workers have always been based outside the nation’s capital, but the pandemic turbocharged that, hitting the city’s bottom line. Plus, why is it getting more expensive to do your taxes?

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/where-did-all-of-d-c-s-federal-workers-go Save to Pocket

Cop shop rapped for ‘completely avoidable’ web form blunder

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Made public highly sensitive data on complaints about Metropolitan Police Service

The London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime is being rapped by regulators for untidy tech practices that made public the personal data of hundreds of people who filed complaints against the Metropolitan Police Service.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/cop_shop_rapped_for_web/ Save to Pocket

SIROTA’S SIGNALS: What Is Microsoft Hiding About AI?

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Lever News

Plus, conservatives declare war on “recreational sex,” lawmakers may hide their NFL handouts, and Larry Summers mimics the hot dog guy.

https://www.levernews.com/sirotas-signals-what-is-microsoft-hiding-about-ai/ Save to Pocket

Hubble Views a Galaxy Under Pressure

date: 2024-03-15, from: NASA breaking news

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows LEDA 42160, a galaxy about 52 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. The dwarf galaxy is one of many forcing its way through the comparatively dense gas in the massive Virgo cluster of galaxies. The pressure exerted by this intergalactic gas, known as ram pressure, has […]

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-views-a-galaxy-under-pressure/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

People and Blogs interviews bloggers about their blogs.

https://peopleandblogs.com/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Seeking share URLs for every platform.

https://werd.io/2024/seeking-share-urls-for-every-platform Save to Pocket

Improving C++

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Bruce Schneier blog

C++ guru Herb Sutter writes about how we can improve the programming language for better security.

The immediate problem “is” that it’s Too Easy By Default™ to write security and safety vulnerabilities in C++ that would have been caught by stricter enforcement of known rules for type, bounds, initialization, and lifetime language safety.

His conclusion:

We need to improve software security and software safety across the industry, especially by improving programming language safety in C and C++, and in C++ a 98% improvement in the four most common problem areas is achievable in the medium term. But if we focus on programming language safety alone, we may find ourselves fighting yesterday’s war and missing larger past and future security dangers that affect software written in any language…

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/03/improving-c.html Save to Pocket

Tesla wants to hire someone to eliminate need for its EVs to get service

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

Tesla is in search of a new senior manager who will focus on eliminating the need for the automaker’s service. They will be in charge of a new program called ‘Zero Service’.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/15/tesla-hire-eliminate-service/ Save to Pocket

Rick Barker | A Patriot

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

I would point out to Mr. Thomas Oatway in regards to his ridiculous “opinion” (letters, March 14) stating that Rep. Mike Garcia is unpatriotic — his words — that opinions are like a certain body orifice in that we all have one and most of them stink!  I would also point out that Rep. Garcia […]

The post Rick Barker | A Patriot appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/rick-barker-a-patriot/ Save to Pocket

Russia goes to the polls

date: 2024-03-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: With no credible challengers, Vladimir Putin is set to win Russia’s presidential election, and he’s taking credit for what appears to be a reasonably robust economy. But what’s behind those seemingly good numbers? And 500,000 people are expected to line the streets of Dublin to watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade Sunday; 28% of them will be overseas visitors. So how important is the holiday boost for the Irish economy?

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/russia-goes-to-the-polls Save to Pocket

Rob Kerchner | The Greatest Hits of TDS

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

What is Trump Derangement Syndrome?  It’s when the Democratic National Committee makes you eat crow and pretend it tastes like chicken. One of my favorite examples is Tara Reade. After wailing ad nauseum over Donald Trump’s “grab brag” (willing groupies 10 years before running for office), and after wailing even louder about Brett Kavanaugh’s uncorroborated […]

The post Rob Kerchner | The Greatest Hits of TDS appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/rob-kerchner-the-greatest-hits-of-tds/ Save to Pocket

Dr. Gene Dorio | Aging: Experience in Decision-Making

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

As a geriatric doctor caring for older adults, the recent concern about presidential age should be a part of the critical assessment to ensure the leadership of our country is not compromised. Yet generalizing subjective observations like tripping on sandbags, slipping down rainy walk ramps, or incorrectly naming people or countries does not allow one […]

The post Dr. Gene Dorio | Aging: Experience in Decision-Making appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/dr-gene-dorio-aging-experience-in-decision-making/ Save to Pocket

Arthur Saginian | The Bible and Same-Sex Unions

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

There are Christians who are stunned, shocked, saddened, and even angered, by Pope Francis’ approval of allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex marriages, but there are several points of note in the New Testament itself that support his decision to do that. I speak from what I have read, and take liberty to interpret it […]

The post Arthur Saginian | The Bible and Same-Sex Unions appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/arthur-saginian-the-bible-and-same-sex-unions/ Save to Pocket

RISE with SAP plan fails to hit go-live date in West of England council

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Delays raise questions about £0.5 million legacy support bill, plans for new financial year

Gloucestershire County Council has missed the go live date for its RISE with SAP move to the cloud, potentially incurring an additional £500k ($639,000) costs to keep its legacy application up and running.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/rise_sap_delay_england/ Save to Pocket

Tesla starts using Cybertruck as a mobile billboard – literally

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

Tesla has started using the Cybertruck as a literal mobile billboard as part of its advertising effort for the Model Y.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/15/tesla-cybertruck-mobile-billboard-literally/ Save to Pocket

Fresh version of Windows user-friendly Zorin OS arrives to tempt the Linux-wary

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Adding extra shine to Ubuntu Jammy… with the lightweight edition to follow

One of the more widely used Ubuntu spinoffs, non-techie friendly Zorin has put out three editions of its latest version – Zorin OS 17.1 – and there are still more to come.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/zorin_os_17_1/ Save to Pocket

Carbon Removal Is Getting Gamified

date: 2024-03-15, from: Heatmap News

The Department of Energy wants YOU to purchase carbon removal. Well, maybe not you, personally, but your city, state, or employer. And as an incentive, it’s turning the buying process into the equivalent of an arcade game, inviting companies to try to make it to the top of a new carbon removal buyers leaderboard.

The agency soft-launched the concept on Thursday under the banner of the “Voluntary Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Challenge.” There’s no prize money associated with the challenge — it’s not even clear whether there will be any winners. The goal is to encourage companies to make “bigger and bolder” public commitments to purchase carbon removal. At least one company, Google, has already said it would commit $35 million this year.

As the world has delayed climate action, developing the capacity to remove carbon from the atmosphere has become an imperative. Scientists now suggest it is “unavoidable” if we want to limit warming to internationally agreed-upon levels. Carbon removal offers both a way to cancel out emissions from activities like flying and growing food that could take decades to figure out how to eliminate, and an antidote for some of the legacy carbon that’s already been emitted.

But today, existing carbon removal methods and technologies are too small-scale and expensive to make a meaningful difference. Many also lack adequate techniques to measure and verify how effective they are. That’s why last year the Department of Energy announced that it would spend $35 million to purchase carbon removal from promising companies. The initial winners are expected to be announced later this year.

With that program, the DOE was following in the footsteps of companies like Stripe and Microsoft, both of which have put significant resources toward vetting carbon removal startups and making early purchases of credits to help get the industry off the ground. With this new challenge, the agency said it aims to address non-financial barriers that are preventing companies from buying carbon removal as part of their climate strategies, such as a lack of transparency and a “lack of recognition that carbon removal credit purchases are essential and valuable today.”

To join the challenge, a company or organization will be required to purchase carbon removal credits “annually” and disclose the details to the DOE. The agency will build a public inventory of carbon removal credit buyers, suppliers, projects, standards and methodologies used, and volume of carbon removal delivered.

Companies have no apparent incentive to participate other than to see their names on the list, and possibly try and get to the top. In the words of DOE, it offers a “a unique opportunity to enter the carbon removal market with a splash!” (Exclamation point added by me.)

There is already a voluntary leaderboard tracking carbon removal purchases and deliveries called CDR.FYI. But not just anyone will be able to get on the DOE’s list. To qualify, the purchases must also be “aligned with the requirements and assessment criteria of DOE’s purchases.” The agency also said it would evaluate additional carbon removal projects beyond those it has assessed for its purchase pilot, and publish a list of available credits that have garnered a government stamp of approval.

Sasha Stashwick, the policy director at Carbon180, a carbon removal advocacy nonprofit, told me this is a promising step to building a carbon removal market that doesn’t suffer from the integrity issues that have plagued the voluntary carbon offsets markets.

“I think one of the key non market barriers is, how do you even define what is a reputable ton of carbon removal? Alleviating that burden is potentially huge,” she said. “The federal government is basically saying, we’ll de-risk these projects for you. We’ll determine what is a good project, and you can buy alongside us.”

The rules are preliminary, and the agency is accepting comments on the program until May 15. It expects to launch the challenge later this year.

https://heatmap.news/sparks/carbon-removal-leaderboard-energy Save to Pocket

Carl Kanowsky | Tasting: The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

Photo ID’s: 1) Hugo Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier; 2) Stephan von Neipperg of Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere; and 3) Marie-Helene Faurie of Chateau Brane-Cantenac. Photos courtesy of Carl Kanowsky  As a seminarian (yes, I flirted for a few years with the concept of being an ordained cleric, but giving up women was a bridge […]

The post Carl Kanowsky | Tasting: The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/carl-kanowsky-tasting-the-union-des-grands-crus-de-bordeaux/ Save to Pocket

UK minister tells telcos to share telegraph poles if they can’t lay cable underground

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

The NIMBYs are fed up, and it’s an election year

The UK’s Data and Digital Infrastructure Minister wants telcos to stop installing new telegraph poles.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/uk_gov_telegraph_poles/ Save to Pocket

Who do you trust more with TikTok — China, or American billionaires?

date: 2024-03-15, from: Robert Reich on Substack

I don’t trust either. Congress needs a totally different approach to giant social media platforms.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/who-do-you-trust-more-with-tiktok Save to Pocket

Ad agency boss owned two Ferraris but wouldn’t buy a real server

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Resulting cycle of rushed repairs and recriminations did wonders for the IT/user relationship

On Call  Thirsty folk will tell you it’s always twelve o’clock somewhere, but Friday comes but once a week and The Register marks it by offering another instalment of On Call, our weekly reader-contributed column that shares your stories of the weird and woeful world of work.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/on_call/ Save to Pocket

Today in SCV History (March 15)

date: 2024-03-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)

1942 – Emery Whilton’s Florafaunium opens in Lebec. [story

https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-march-15/ Save to Pocket

March 14, 2024

date: 2024-03-15, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog

This morning, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), one of the highest-ranking Jewish officials in the U.S. government, said Israelis need to call new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, Schumer said, “has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.” Schumer, who is a strong ally of Israel and who also blamed Hamas for the crisis in the Middle East, warned that the deadly toll on civilians in Gaza under the policies of Netanyahu’s government is “pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-14-2024 Save to Pocket

Claims emerge that Citrix has doubled price of month-to-month partner licenses

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Reaction from channel was ‘stunned silence followed by anger and disbelief’

Citrix has allegedly made major changes to its partner program, and one of the consultancies briefed on the new arrangements told The Register that the when the news was delivered to a gathering of the Citrix faithful the result was “stunned silence followed by anger and disbelief.”…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/citrix_channel_changes/ Save to Pocket

Webcurios 15/03/24

date: 2024-03-15, from: Web Curios blog

Continue reading →

https://webcurios.co.uk/webcurios-15-03-24/ Save to Pocket

Alibaba pits people against AI in its annual mathematics competition

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Thankfully the prizes for human winners are far higher than those for machines

Alibaba has added a twist to its annual Global Math Competition by opening a separate challenge to AI.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/alibaba_ai_math_challenge/ Save to Pocket

OpenAI’s Lies and Half-Truths

date: 2024-03-15, from: Gary Marcus blog

Not every thing the company says is completely candid.

https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/openais-lies-and-half-truths Save to Pocket

That’s the end…

date: 2024-03-15, from: Jirka’s blog

No, I’m not quitting the gopher (yet). But I have noticed than a few things changed. The Google finally killed their plain HTML Gmail interface. I used it a lot not only because if was WAY faster but also easier for me. It’s not a big problem, anyway. I wasn’t able to use the Gmail on my old machines for years because of: a) IMAP does now work, b) SSL+Firefox issues. So my SGI O2 was without the Gmail even when I used it for all other tasks.

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20240315-0440_Thats_the_end Save to Pocket

Ohio Police Confirm 2 Dead in Fierce Storm that Damaged Homes, Businesses in Ohio and Kentucky

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

WINCHESTER, Ind. — Police in Ohio confirmed two deaths resulting from a fierce storm system that unleashed suspected twisters and damaged homes and businesses in parts of Ohio and Kentucky on Thursday.

Chief Deputy Joe Kopus of the Logan County Sheriff’s Department in Logan County in Bellefontaine, Ohio, confirmed the fatalities in an email early Friday to The Associated Press. He said there likely would be more fatalities discovered, noting there was heavy damage in Lakeview, Midway, Orchard Island and Russel’s Point.

The Indiana State Police said there are “many significant injuries” after a tornado tore through the community of Winchester.

“There have been many, many significant injuries, but I don’t know the number. I don’t know where they are. I don’t know what those injuries are,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter told reporters just before midnight Thursday. “There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.”

Earlier in the night state police said they were investigating reports of deaths but at the news conference Carter said there were “no known fatalities.”

State officials called on Indiana Task Force One to help with search efforts in Winchester, a town of 4,700 people located nearly 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis, according to a post by the rescue team on X. The team is one of 28 Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency-sponsored Urban Search and Rescue teams in the United States.

“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy said. “I heard what sounded like a train and then I started hearing sirens.”

He and his wife were hunkered in a closet during the twister, which hit about 8 p.m.

“I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” McCoy said.

The suspected tornado damaged a Walmart store and a Taco Bell in Winchester, Randolph County Sheriff Art Moystner told FOX59/CBS4. Travel throughout the county is restricted to emergency management workers only, he said.

At about the same time as the tornado hit Winchester, another suspected twister touched down about 75 miles (120 miles) to the east in Ohio. The tornado hit near the southern end of Indian Lake, impacting the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, said Sheri Timmers, a spokesperson for Logan County, home to the villages.

“As far as we know, we have lots of injuries. We don’t know the extent of the injuries,” Timmers said. “An RV park was impacted.”

Multiple buildings in the Indian Lake area were damaged, Timmers said, but the full extent of the destruction was still being assessed. 

Whether anyone was missing in the aftermath, was not immediately known.

“They’re right now doing some searching,” she said.

Amber Fagan, president and chief executive of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, called the village of Lakeview “completely demolished,” saying homes, campgrounds and a laundromat were hard-hit by the tornado.

“There’s places burning,” she said. “There’s power lines through people’s windows.”

A shelter has been opened for anyone displaced.

In Ohio’s Huron County, emergency management officials posted on Facebook that there was a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Plymouth – some 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Indian Lake.

To the west of Winchester, Indiana, in Delaware County, emergency management officials said initial assessments suggested that up to half of the structures in the small town of Selma were damaged by a possible tornado.

“We are relieved to report that only minor injuries have been reported thus far, with one individual transported to the hospital for treatment,” the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release. About 750 people live in Selma.

Earlier, storms damaged homes and trailers in the Ohio River communities of Hanover and Lamb in Indiana.

The Ohio governor’s office said they did not have any information about fatalities in the state.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ben Flint said storms destroyed three or four single-family homes and four or five other structures and demolished several uninhabited campers along the river.

“We were fortunate that no one was injured,” Flint told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Sgt. Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police earlier said another suspected tornado struck Jefferson County, damaging several homes and downing trees and power lines.

He posted photos on X showing one home with its roof torn off and another missing roof shingles as well as an image of a baseball-sized hailstone.

Around 2,000 Duke Energy customers in Hanover lost power at one point during the storms, the company reported.

In Kentucky, Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark said the storms damaged at least 50 structures, including homes.

“We have a whole bunch of damage,” Stark told the Courier Journal of Louisville.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued a statement saying a tornado touched down along the Indiana state border in Gallatin and Trimble counties and there were reports of a couple of minor injuries. He urged Kentuckians to stay aware of the weather as more storms were expected across the state Thursday evening and overnight.

“It does appear that there is some really significant damage, especially to the town of Milton in Trimble County,” Beshear said. “We think there are over 100 structures that are potentially damaged.”

The state’s emergency operations center was activated to coordinate storm response, Beshear said.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb posted on Facebook Thursday night that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the current weather situation.

“Severe weather has impacted Hoosiers all across the state, and we have emergency response personnel in the impacted areas,” he wrote.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security posted on Facebook that their staff are on scene in Randolph County, home to Winchester, working with locals and that the State Emergency Operations Center has been activated to an enhanced staffing level to respond to the storm.

A Facebook post on the Winchester Community High School page said all the schools in that school district would be closed on Friday. Another post said the high school had electricity and was open for emergency use for people who “need somewhere warm and dry.”

Large pieces of hail also was reported in parts of the St. Louis area Thursday afternoon.

There were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois, but no immediate reports of damage.

Severe weather was possible into Thursday night from northeast Texas to Indiana and Ohio, the National Weather Service said on X.

https://www.voanews.com/a/damaging-tornadoes-move-through-midwest-as-officials-in-indiana-try-to-confirm-deaths/7528823.html Save to Pocket

Broadcom boss Hock Tan acknowledges ‘some unease’ among VMware community

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

But rates his first 100 days in charge a ‘strong start’

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan has rated his enterprise’s first hundred days as the owner of VMware “a strong start,” but also acknowledged the rapid changes at the virtualization giant have been hard for some to digest.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/broadcom_100_days_of_vmware/ Save to Pocket

Fisker has reportedly hired bankruptcy consultants [Updated, Fisker responds]

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

Fisker has reportedly hired “restructuring advisers to assist with a possible bankruptcy filing,” according to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Update: Fisker responded with a statement, included below.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/fisker-has-reportedly-hired-bankruptcy-consultants/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

RSS > ActivityPub. I agree. And you can get realtime updates with rssCloud. WordPress supports it and so does FeedLand. It works.

https://danq.me/2024/03/08/rss-is-better-than-activitypub/ Save to Pocket

Hart district, teachers strike tentative agreement 

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

A monthslong negotiation between the Hart District Teachers Association and the William S. Hart Union High School District may finally be over after the two sides reached a tentative agreement on Thursday.  The tentative agreement is now set to be sent to the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the HDTA membership and the Hart […]

The post <strong>Hart district, teachers strike tentative agreement</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/hart-district-teachers-strike-tentative-agreement/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

Lots of cleaning up after yesterday’s party. I love that people are open to new ideas with blogs in 2024. It’s been a while.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a024725 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

This would be a nice place to have Markdown support.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a024428 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

22 of the Funniest Novels.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/books/funny-novels-humor.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c00.ux2y.5Tthfn40S3nn&smid=url-share Save to Pocket

Quick Charge Daily Podcast: March 14, 2024

date: 2024-03-15, from: Electrek Feed

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is now available on Apple…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/quick-charge-daily-podcast-march-14-2024/ Save to Pocket

@Chris Coyier blog (date: 2024-03-15, from: Chris Coyier blog)

Brad follows up on some some of the chatter and happenings since the big Global Design System concept dropped. In addition to many of the positive responses, I heard plenty of skepticism, open questions, and apprehension. So much of it is valid and shared by me! Chris Coyier published a great post that sums up a lot […]

https://chriscoyier.net/2024/03/14/11162/ Save to Pocket

Valencia baseball beats Saugus

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

Valencia Vikings baseball rode a hot start to victory on Wednesday over the visiting Saugus Centurions.  The Centurions struck first but the Vikings were able to rally early and never lost their lead after the bottom of the first inning.   Valencia notched its first Foothill League win of the year, winning the game 5-2, behind […]

The post <strong>Valencia baseball beats Saugus</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/valencia-baseball-beats-saugus/ Save to Pocket

A’s hitters no match for Cubs’ pitching phenom Shota Imanaga

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

Cubs’ 30-year-old rookie from Japan strikes out nine of the 16 A’s batters he faced during a 3-1 spring training victory over Oakland.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/as-hitters-no-match-for-cubs-pitching-phenom-shota-imanaga/ Save to Pocket

Biden Campaigns in Key Swing State Michigan

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

President Joe Biden faces uncertain prospects in the key swing state of Michigan, where more than 100,000 Democratic voters chose “uncommitted” rather than the president in the recent primary. On Thursday, he visited Saginaw. VOA’s Anita Powell, traveling with the president, reports.

https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-campaigns-in-key-swing-state-michigan/7528761.html Save to Pocket

Third period dooms Sharks, again, but veteran forward avoids serious injury

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

San Jose Sharks allow third-period goals to John Ludvig and Rickard Rakell in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/third-period-dooms-sharks-again-but-veteran-forward-avoids-serious-injury/ Save to Pocket

Matadors upset Gauchos in overtime thriller

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

“Basketball is back at Cal State Northridge.” CSUN head coach Andy Newman couldn’t wait to get these words off his chest. It’s been ten years since the last time the…

https://sundial.csun.edu/179619/sports/matadors-upset-gauchos-in-overtime-thriller/ Save to Pocket

Eight injured when SUV runs red light, hits Tri Delta Transit bus in Antioch

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

Police said drugs, alcohol and excessive speed did not play a role in the crash.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/eight-injured-when-suv-runs-red-light-hits-tri-delta-transit-bus-in-antioch/ Save to Pocket

Alameda County could take another month to determine if Pamela Price recall has enough signatures, registrar says

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

The process of a manual count could take up to 30 days, according to Alameda County’s top election official.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/pamela-price-recall-manual-count-alameda-county/ Save to Pocket

NASA missions are being delayed by oversubscribed, overburdened, and out-of-date supercomputers

date: 2024-03-15, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Flagship facility has just 48 GPUs

NASA’s supercomputing capabilities are not keeping pace with the latest technology developments, and are “oversubscribed and overburdened,” causing delays to missions that are sometimes addressed by teams acquiring their own infrastructure.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/nasa_oig_supercomputing_audit/ Save to Pocket

Friday 15 March, 2024

date: 2024-03-15, from: John Naughton’s online diary

And the mural of the story is… Brignoles, France. Quote of the Day “Raw data is an oxymoron.” Lisa Gitelman Simple and profound truth that is rarely understood in contemporary discourses. All data collection is the product of human choices … Continue reading →

https://memex.naughtons.org/friday-15-march-2024/39242/ Save to Pocket

Red Cross holding local blood drives

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

News release  As spring approaches, the American Red Cross is urging 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, according to a […]

The post Red Cross holding local blood drives appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/red-cross-holding-local-blood-drives/ Save to Pocket

US Senate Considers Bill That Could Ban TikTok in United States

date: 2024-03-15, from: VOA News USA

The White House is urging senators to quickly begin considering a bill that would address national security concerns related to the social media app TikTok. The House approved the measure earlier this week. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-senate-considers-bill-that-could-ban-tiktok-in-united-states-/7528735.html Save to Pocket

Residents question landfill relief fund; Garcia sends letter 

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

Castaic and Val Verde residents are questioning whether accepting assistance from a Chiquita Canyon Landfill relief fund may impact their future legal options — and, after residents’ concerns were not allayed by the landfill’s response, county Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement Thursday calling on the landfill to provide the assistance to residents “with no […]

The post <strong>Residents question landfill relief fund; Garcia sends letter</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/residents-question-landfill-relief-fund-garcia-sends-letter/ Save to Pocket

Hart district: Finances back in check 

date: 2024-03-15, from: The Signal

After a period in which William S. Hart Union High School District officials feared that the district’s finances could be in jeopardy, district officials said at Wednesday’s governing board meeting that those issues are no longer.  The governing board approved a second interim financial report on Wednesday that shows the district having more than double […]

The post <strong>Hart district: Finances back in check</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/hart-district-finances-back-in-check/ Save to Pocket

Major storm inundates Colorado with feet of snow

date: 2024-03-15, from: San Jose Mercury News

More than 75,000 customers were without power across Colorado on Thursday — about 2% of electric utility customers statewide and concentrated primarily in metro Denver and along the Front Range, according to poweroutage.us.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/major-storm-inundates-colorado-with-feet-of-snow/ Save to Pocket

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

Credential Checking at Crossref

date: 2024-03-15, from: Crossref Blog

To this end, I wrote a basic application, credcheck, that will allow you to test a Crossref credential against an API.

There are two modes of usage. First, a command-line interface that allows you to run a basic command and get feedback:

          Usage: cli.py [OPTIONS] USERNAME PASSWORD DOI

Second, you can use it as a programmatic library in Python:

          import cred
          credential = cred.Credential(username=username, password=password, doi=doi)

          if not credential.is_authenticated():
          …

          if credential.is_authorised():
          …

The tool splits down authentication (whether the given username and password are valid) and authorisation (whether the valid credentials are usable against a specific DOI/prefix).

For technical information, the way this works is by attempting to run a report on the specific DOI in question and then scraping the response page. We hope, at some future point, that there will be a real API for this, but for now this solves the problem as a bridge.

https://www.crossref.org/blog/credential-checking-at-crossref/ Save to Pocket

CloudNativePG 1.22.2 and 1.21.4 Released!

date: 2024-03-15, from: PostgreSQL News

The CloudNativePG Community is thrilled to unveil the latest update for the CloudNativePG Operator, now available for the supported versions 1.22 and 1.21.

Key enhancements in both supported minor releases are:

• flexibility to configure the wal_level GUC in PostgreSQL and disable WAL archiving via an annotation, granting you finer control over your PostgreSQL environment
• configurable duration of TLS certificates managed by the operator
• introduction of the publication and subscription command groups in the cnpg plugin for kubectl, facilitating seamless management of PostgreSQL native logical replication. This unlocks new possibilities for imperative major online upgrades and online imports, enriching your data management strategies.

Versions 1.22.2 and 1.21.4 are patch releases that include essential bug fixes, addressing issues such as:

• proper synchronization of PVC group labels to match those on the pods
• check that volume snapshots are ready before initiating recovery procedures, ensuring smoother operations and data integrity

In adherence to Kubernetes best practices, we are transitioning from client-side to server-side application of manifests starting from this release. As a result, the –server-side option is now the preferred choice when installing the operator.

We highly recommend updating the operator at your earliest convenience to leverage these enhancements and bug fixes, ensuring a seamless and efficient PostgreSQL experience.

Please refer to the following release notes for comprehensive insights into each version:

• release notes for 1.22.2
• release notes for 1.21.4

We extend our gratitude for your continued support, and we are excited to witness your enhanced experience with the updated CloudNativePG Operator. Thank You.

About CloudNativePg

CloudNativePG stands as a groundbreaking open-source Kubernetes Operator designed explicitly for PostgreSQL workloads. Seamlessly orchestrating the entire life cycle of a PostgreSQL cluster, CloudNativePG takes charge from bootstrapping and configuration to ensuring high availability, connection routing, and comprehensive backup and disaster recovery mechanisms. Leveraging PostgreSQL’s native streaming replication, CloudNativePG efficiently distributes data across pods, nodes, and zones, utilizing standard Kubernetes patterns. This enables seamless scaling of replicas in a Kubernetes-native manner, with the operator autonomously and safely reconfiguring replication as needed. Originally conceived and supported by EDB, CloudNativePG represents a paradigm shift in managing PostgreSQL workloads within Kubernetes environments.

https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/cloudnativepg-1222-and-1214-released-2824/ Save to Pocket

Lawsuit: Emery Unified officials failed to protect student from sexual abuse

date: 2024-03-14, from: San Jose Mercury News

Court filing comes months after an Emery High School security guard’s arrest in sexual assault case.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/lawsuit-emery-unified-officials-failed-to-protect-student-from-sexual-abuse/ Save to Pocket

Trump-backed Senate candidate faces GOP worries that he could be linked to adult website profile

date: 2024-03-14, from: San Jose Mercury News

Bernie Moreno is confronting questions about the existence of a 2008 profile seeking “Men for 1-on-1 sex” on a casual sexual encounters website called Adult Friend Finder.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/trump-backed-senate-candidate-faces-gop-worries-that-he-could-be-linked-to-adult-website-profile/ Save to Pocket

James Crumbley found guilty in his son’s school shooting

date: 2024-03-14, from: San Jose Mercury News

The jury verdict means James Crumbley has joined Jennifer Crumbley as a cause of the killing of four students at Oxford High School in 2021, even without pulling the trigger.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/james-crumbley-found-guilty-in-his-sons-school-shooting/ Save to Pocket

Forget TikTok – Chinese spies want to steal IP by backdooring digital locks

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Uncle Sam can use this snooping tool, too, but that’s beside the point

There’s another Chinese-manufactured product – joining the likes of TikTok, cars and semiconductors – that poses a national security risk to Americans: electronic locks, such as those used in safes.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/chinese_espionage_safe_locks/ Save to Pocket

Letters: Lee’s legacy | Let go of landlines | Support for teachers | Calling out Trump | Firing employees

date: 2024-03-14, from: San Jose Mercury News

East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for March 15, 2024

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/letters-1652/ Save to Pocket

’Objectified’ Turns 15, Streaming Free Through March 17

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.ohyouprettythings.com/free Save to Pocket

Russia reports Ukraine has fired missiles at a border region

date: 2024-03-14, from: San Jose Mercury News

It is not possible to independently verify the Russian claims. Cross-border attacks in the area have occurred sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims, as well as disinformation and propaganda.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/14/russia-reports-ukraine-has-fired-missiles-at-a-border-region/ Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Would love for my Apple Books/audible/kindle collection to be queriable like this.

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112096584121253538 Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

I got access to Gemini million dollar token thing.

Here is what I found it useful for. I dumped the whole text of “Ethnic cleansing of Palestine” a book I read years ago. There are tons of details that I cant recall anymore.

I am using it like a database that you can query with natural language “what were the cities that were targeted by plan Dalet”. It is truly great for this. Or run more complex queries.

Not my idea, I first saw Joe Heitzeberg do this with his personal data archive.

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112096575377779579 Save to Pocket

Matadors Earn First Big West Tourney Game in 10 Years

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The California State University, Northridge men’s basketball team outlasted defending Big West champion University of California, Santa Barbara Wednesday, 87-84 in overtime, to win a game in the Big West Basketball Championship tournament for the first time since

https://scvnews.com/matadors-earn-first-big-west-tourney-game-in-10-years/ Save to Pocket

Lady Cougs Outlast Chaffey 7-5

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

College of the Canyons picked up another non-conference victory, this time outlasting visiting Chaffey College 7-5 at Whitten Field on Tuesday

https://scvnews.com/lady-cougs-outlast-chaffey-7-5/ Save to Pocket

Open Letter | NixOS Users Against MIC Sponsorship

date: 2024-03-14, from: Tilde.news

Comments

https://nixos-users-against-mic-sponsorship.github.io Save to Pocket

Short interview with a seismologist who has debunked a Harvard astrophysicist’s claim…

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044193-short-interview-with-a-se Save to Pocket

Samuel Dixon to Host Hart District’s Patient Care Students

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, Inc. is proud to announce their continued partnership with the William S. Hart Union High School District

https://scvnews.com/samuel-dixon-to-host-hart-districts-patient-care-students/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

How Hollywood fails women on screen.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43197774 Save to Pocket

Here’s another thing AI can do: Spark a boom in edge infrastructure spending

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

IDC forecasts spend to grow 15.4% in 2024 to $232B – then add another $100B in three years

Spending on edge computing is growing fast and because it’s 2024, analyst firm IDC believes AI is a big reason for the boost.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/idc_charts_bright_future_for/ Save to Pocket

US VP Harris Visits Women’s Health Clinic, Stresses Importance of Abortion Rights

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-vp-harris-visits-abortion-clinic-a-first-for-american-leaders/7528344.html Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

I am still recovering from learning that ~Copyable doesn’t mean “not copyable” but “suppresses Copyable”

Send thoughts and prayers my way.

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112096402976111760 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

TWiT's Lesser Known RSS Feeds.

https://twit.tv/posts/inside-twit/twits-lesser-known-rss-feeds Save to Pocket

Raspberry Pi 5 can overclock to 3.14 GHz

date: 2024-03-14, from: Jeff Geerling blog

Raspberry Pi 5 can overclock to 3.14 GHz

        <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>...and it's not just for Pi Day.</p>

After posting my deep-dive into the Pi 5’s new BCM2712 and RP1 silicon this morning, someone linked me to this GitHub issue: Raspberry Pi 5 cannot overclock beyond 3.0GHz due to firmware limit(?).

For the past few weeks, a few blog readers (most notably, tkaiser—thanks!) commented on PLLs, OPP tables, and DVFS and how something seemed a little off with the 3.0 GHz CPU limit—which was apparently recommended by Broadcom, according to that GitHub issue.

But today, @popcornmix generated a test firmware revision without the 3.0 GHz limit, and zealous overclockers can get to pushing the clocks higher.

  <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>

March 14, 2024

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/raspberry-pi-5-can-overclock-314-ghz Save to Pocket

Biden’s Climate Agenda Is Actually Popular

date: 2024-03-14, from: Heatmap News

As President Joe Biden prepares to run for re-election, one fact has eluded much notice: His climate change policies are pretty popular.

In an exclusive Heatmap poll of 1,000 Americans conducted by Benenson Strategy Group late last year, most respondents backed the core ideas behind Biden’s climate policies. They expressed the most support of ideas meant to beef up the country’s manufacturing economy and build more renewable electricity.

Nearly 90% of Americans, for instance, support encouraging domestic manufacturing. They also support using tax incentives to make homes more energy efficient (85%), funding research into carbon dioxide removal (81%), investing in public transit (80%), and implementing policies that address environmental injustices (78%).

That is despite the overwhelming public disappointment in Biden. Biden’s approval rating has fallen to 37%, an all-time low of his presidency, despite his boisterous State of the Union performance. At first glance, Biden’s climate policy might seem to pose a paradox: It’s really popular (at least facially), but nobody has seemed to notice. That may persist through the November election. But it will not be able to last for too long after that.

The least popular policies are those that Biden has pursued only when he has bipartisan support — or that he has not pursued at all. Making it easier to build new fossil fuel pipelines, for instance, is supported by 62% of Americans, less than almost any other policy aimed at increasing the country’s energy supply. A slight majority of Americans support making it easier to build new nuclear power plants.

The public generally supports climate policy

At first I doubted the veracity of these results — some of Biden’s policies are, after all, putting up autocrat-like ratings. A carbon tax is polling 52 points above water.

But these results largely match other polling. Surveys reliably find that about two-thirds of Americans would support some kind of carbon tax. Last year, for instance, 68%of Americans backed “requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax,” according to a Yale poll. These numbers have been remarkably stable over time. As much as 67% of Americans backed a carbon tax in 2019, according to a poll from the University of Chicago and the Associated Press-NORC Center on Public Affairs Research.

If these numbers surprise you, you’re not alone. Most Americans underestimate public support for pro-climate policies. (Or at least, they underestimate what polling finds about Americans’ support for climate policies.)

The rub is that public support descends to more Earthly levels once you start asking about concrete costs. Those who say they support a carbon tax when told it will be imposed on fossil fuel companies, for instance, may change their minds after fossil fuel companies pass that tax along as higher prices. Another University of Chicago poll found that most Americans were okay paying a monthly fee of $1 to fight climate change. When asked if they’d pay $40 a month, support fell to 23%.

Climate policy is hard to pass

One of the more ironic aspects of Biden’s success is how rapidly commentators have forgotten that climate change policy used to be seen as uniquely difficult to legislate in the United States. In 1993, and then again in 2010, the House of Representatives passed bills that would have helped fight climate change. Each time, the Senate blocked the legislation. The Senate also effectively blocked the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, the first international climate treaty, in the 1990s.

Through the decades, Congress passed energy bills meant to expand the energy supply in an all-of-the-above way and changed the tax code to let people and companies save money by building solar or wind energy. But these policies expired every few years, and they failed to amount to a unified climate strategy.

Other countries with other forms of government — China, the United Kingdom, the European Union member states — didn’t have this problem. (Which doesn’t mean that they’ve been perfect on climate change.) America’s failure to pass climate policy became a singular indictment of its bicameral system.

Why was it so hard to pass climate policy? The short answer is that for years, climate advocates focused on one particular policy — carbon pricing — as a cure-all solution to climate change. And while carbon pricing is backed up by economic theory, environmentalists and economists struggled to generate the kind of durable, veto-proof support that legislation needs to pass in today’s environment.

By design, carbon pricing raises the cost of energy — meaning that opponents can paint it as a measure meant to increase the cost of living. That didn’t work for voters in the persistently sluggish economy of the 2010s, and it split Democrats’ coalition — of college-educated liberals and lower-income workers — in half. (It also struggled to deal with the political mise en scene. Washington’s interest in climate policy has usually peaked during moments of high energy prices, but the past decade’s fracking boom kept a lid on oil and natural gas prices.)

But climate advocates also struggled for years against more political-economic obstacles. As the political scientist Matto Mildenberger documented, climate proposals have historically invited pro-business groups and labor unions to team up and fight a common enemy. Because climate policy targeted entire industries at once — and because these industries were, naturally, especially sensitive to wholesale energy prices — environmentalists had to take on labor and management at the same time.

It didn’t help that many of the industries concerned had a special claim to Democrats’ sensibilities. Until recently, many of the sectors most affected by climate policy were unionized at a higher rate than the average. Even today, more than 20% of utility workers belong to a union, for example, as compared to 6% of workers in the private sector. These rates were even higher in the recent past. About 16% of automaking workers are represented by unions today, but union membership stood at 60% within living memory. Even in 2010, about one in 10 American workers in the mining, quarrying, and fossil-fuel extraction industries were represented by a union, which was also above the national rate at the time.

Democrats dealt with these problems by abandoning most broad-scale attempts to tax fossil fuels. During the Trump administration, progressives chose to focus instead on using industrial policy and regulations to rein in carbon-intensive sectors — instead of raising the cost of fossil fuels, perhaps a climate law could lower the cost of clean alternatives. And instead of raising energy prices — thereby annoying voters and discouraging high-profile industries — perhaps policy could lower them. Hence the Inflation Reduction Act.

This approach succeeded! And yet many of the IRA’s policies have struggled to attract public attention. Even though the IRA is Biden’s signature legislative achievement — comparable to President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act — Biden has largely avoided the specific backlash that greeted that law. Obamacare was about 10 points underwater in 2010, even as Obama himself was about as popular as he was unpopular. Biden, by contrast, is incredibly disliked — he is now 17 points underwater, a nadir for his presidency — yet the IRA’s core ideas remain well-liked.

That is politically inconvenient for Biden and it raises difficult long-term questions for progressives. Biden and Democrats have seemingly given voters what they want — and it’s not clear that the voters care.

This is a long-term policy problem for Donald Trump

But for the would-be Grover Cleveland to Biden’s Benjamin Harrison, it might be more of a problem. If elected, Trump has promised to repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. His rhetoric on climate change hasn’t really changed since the 2016 election, when he argued that it was “job-killing.” Meanwhile, he hates electric vehicles, claiming that “they don’t go far, they cost too much, and they’re all going to be made in China.”

Yet it’s the electric vehicles made in America that are going to get him. If Trump repeals the IRA’s subsidies, then domestic manufacturing will suffer. The EV industry has created roughly 70,000 jobs over the past three years, and many of those roles are in electorally decisive states, including Georgia and Michigan. Trump has promised to act as a “Day One dictator,” but even then, he will still be at least partly constrained by the desires and interests of the local and state-level Republicans who support him — and they will need those jobs and investment to continue.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that these policies will produce political support. In Texas, an explosion of renewable construction has led not to surging public support for clean energy, but to a state-led “war” on wind and solar. (That said, renewables don’t generate local jobs and economic activity in the same long-term way that factories do.) Yet these policies don’t ever have to be popular to be durable — in part because voters won’t organize around them until they’re threatened. Biden’s climate policies — no matter how popular — will probably never win him reelection. But they could very well protect his legacy long after he’s gone.

https://heatmap.news/politics/bidens-climate-agenda-is-actually-popular Save to Pocket

Masimo Proves New Apple Watch Series 9 Units Still Have the Blood Oxygen Sensor

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Daring Fireball

https://ipfray.com/exclusive-if-you-recently-bought-an-apple-watch-in-the-u-s-youll-likely-get-pulse-oximetry-for-free-provided-that-apples-appeal-succeeds/ Save to Pocket

Speedometer 3.0 Browser Benchmark

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Daring Fireball

https://webkit.org/blog/15131/speedometer-3-0-the-best-way-yet-to-measure-browser-performance/ Save to Pocket

Husband of American Journalist Jailed in Russia Brings Campaign to Washington

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

Washington — The husband and two daughters of an American journalist jailed in Russia are in Washington this week to call on the U.S. government to do more to help secure the reporter’s release. 

Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian national, has been jailed in Russia since October 2023 on charges of failing to register as a so-called foreign agent and spreading what Moscow views as false information about the Russian army. 

Kurmasheva is a Prague-based editor at the Tatar-Bashkir service of VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, or RFE/RL. The journalist and her employer reject the charges, which carry a combined maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Since Kurmasheva’s jailing, her husband, Pavel Butorin, has consistently called for her immediate release. He and their daughters traveled from Prague to Washington this week as part of the campaign to secure Kurmasheva’s release.  

“I’m here because I think that the U.S. government can and should do more for her release,” Butorin told VOA.  

Butorin is the director of Current Time TV, a Russian-language TV and digital network led by RFE/RL in partnership with VOA.

While in Washington, Butorin met with State Department officials, but he did not specify to VOA what was discussed during those meetings.  

“We are making — I will say, cautiously — some progress toward the designation of Alsu as a wrongfully detained American journalist,” Butorin said. “I appreciate the support and attention that Alsu’s case has been given by the administration.” 

For months, Butorin, RFE/RL and international press freedom groups have called on the State Department to declare Kurmasheva wrongfully detained, which would open up additional resources to help secure her release.  

Russia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately reply to a VOA email requesting comment.  

Kurmasheva is one of two American journalists jailed in Russia.  

The other — The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich — has been jailed in Russia since March 2023 on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government deny. The 32-year-old is set to mark one year behind bars on March 29.

The State Department has declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained. 

A State Department spokesperson said U.S. officials have pressed the Russian government for access to Kurmasheva, but those requests have not yet been granted.

“We are deeply concerned about Alsu Kurmasheva’s detention,” the spokesperson told VOA in a statement.  

“The Department of State continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. nationals overseas, including those in Russia, for indicators that they are wrongful,” the spokesperson said regarding a potential wrongful detention determination. 

“I’ve been, again, assured that Alsu’s case is a priority. I’ve heard U.S. officials say that they do think that she is a political prisoner, and they’re working hard on her release,” Butorin said.  

Butorin added that the most just resolution would be for Moscow to drop the charges against his wife, who initially traveled to Russia in May 2023 for a family emergency. Her passports were confiscated when she tried to leave the country in June, and she was waiting for them to be returned when she was detained in October.  

“The charges are absurd — spurious. She’s not a criminal. We know her as a devoted mother to her daughters,” Butorin said. He added that the situation has taken a toll on their two children. 

“My daughters have had to grow up very quickly over these past nine months. It’s been an incredibly stressful situation for our family,” he said. “They want their mother back.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/husband-of-american-journalist-jailed-in-russia-brings-campaign-to-washington/7528314.html Save to Pocket

Schiavo introduces bill to promote restroom accessibility for seniors and disabled

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Signal

News release   Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, has introduced Assembly Bill 2233, aimed at updating the California Building Standards Code to improve public restroom facilities for individuals with ambulatory challenges, including seniors and the disabled community.  This bill addresses the current limitations within the California Code of Regulations, which mandates that at least 5% of […]

The post Schiavo introduces bill to promote restroom accessibility for seniors and disabled appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/schiavo-introduces-bill-to-promote-restroom-accessibility-for-seniors-and-disabled/ Save to Pocket

CEQA Is a Scapegoat for California’s Housing Crisis

date: 2024-03-14, from: California Native Plants Society

Is CEQA to blame for the housing crisis? A new report challenges common assumptions with helpful new analysis.

The post CEQA Is a Scapegoat for California’s Housing Crisis appeared first on California Native Plant Society.

https://www.cnps.org/conservation/ceqa-is-a-scapegoat-for-californias-housing-crisis-37813 Save to Pocket

Intel’s $699 Core i9-14900KS turbos to 6.2GHz – assuming you can keep it cool

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

If you can live with a measely 6GHz the standard i9 is a $110 cheaper

If Intel’s 6GHz Core i9-14900K was too pedestrian for your tastes, the x86 giant now has a special-edition processor up for grabs that it says will do 6.2GHz right out of the box.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/intel_i9_62ghz/ Save to Pocket

Carpinteria Cannabis Farms Invite Public on Educational Farm Tours

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

CARP Growers members farms will showcase best practices of responsible farmers during Saturday, April 6, FREE Community Field Day.

The post Carpinteria Cannabis Farms Invite Public on Educational Farm Tours appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/carpinteria-cannabis-farms-invite-public-on-educational-farm-tours/ Save to Pocket

March 21: SCV Water Public Outreach, Legislation Committee Meeting

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency’s Public Outreach and Legislation Committee is holding an in-person meeting Thursday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m

https://scvnews.com/march-21-scv-water-public-outreach-legislation-committee-meeting-3/ Save to Pocket

It’s really become a thing for bands to go on tour to…

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044192-its-really-become-a-thing Save to Pocket

Newspaper Cartoonists Rely on Digital Tools, but Not as You’d Expect

date: 2024-03-14, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/2024/03/14/newspaper-cartoonists-rely-on-digital-tools-but-not-as-youd-expect/ Save to Pocket

Inspiring Women Speak at Women’s Economic Ventures International Women’s Day Celebration Event

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Ventura and Santa Barbara, CA—Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) hosted its first International Women’s Day Celebration at The Hub – Community

The post Inspiring Women Speak at Women’s Economic Ventures International Women’s Day Celebration Event appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/inspiring-women-speak-at-womens-economic-ventures-international-womens-day-celebration-event/ Save to Pocket

CTG Hosts Auditions for Two Comedies

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Auditions for “The Play that Goes Wrong” and “Neil Simon’s Come Blown Your Horn” will be held at the Canyon Theatre Guild in Old Town Newhall

https://scvnews.com/ctg-hosts-auditions-for-two-comedies/ Save to Pocket

March 19: Santa Clarita Tourism Advisory Board Special Meeting

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The city of Santa Clarita Tourism Marketing District Advisory Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday, March 19 at 3 p.m., in the Mural Room of City Hall

https://scvnews.com/march-19-santa-clarita-tourism-advisory-board-special-meeting/ Save to Pocket

Semiannual Recruitment for City Advisory Groups

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Join a City Advisory Group and Shape Your Community’s Future!

The post Semiannual Recruitment for City Advisory Groups  appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/semiannual-recruitment-for-city-advisory-groups/ Save to Pocket

Hart district celebrates 9 National Merit finalists

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Signal

News release  The William S. Hart Union High School District announced that nine outstanding local high school seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.   “These exceptional students have demonstrated remarkable academic achievement and potential, placing them among the top high school seniors in the nation,” said […]

The post Hart district celebrates 9 National Merit finalists appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/hart-district-celebrates-9-national-merit-finalists/ Save to Pocket

Analysts Warn That Tesla’s Next Growth Phase, Boosted By Model 2, Is Years Away

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

Tesla’s $25,000 car is a “2027 story,” Evercore claims.

https://insideevs.com/news/712489/tesla-analyst-model-2-growth/ Save to Pocket

Prosecutors Say They’re Open to Delay in Trump Hush Money Trial

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

new york — New York prosecutors said Thursday that they were open to delaying the start of Donald Trump’s New York hush money criminal trial by up to a month to give the former president’s lawyers time to review evidence that was only recently turned over. 

The Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a court filing that it was not opposed to pushing the start of the trial back for up to 30 days. Jury selection in the trial is scheduled to begin March 25. 

Trump’s lawyers are seeking a 90-day delay or the dismissal of charges against Trump, alleging violations of what’s known as the discovery process, where the sides exchange evidence. The new records came from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which previously investigated the hush money arrangement at the heart of Trump’s New York criminal case. 

The defense has also sought to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claims, which his lawyers say could apply to some of the allegations and evidence in the hush money case. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments April 25. 

The judge in the hush money case, Juan Manuel Merchan, has yet to rule on either request. 

Since March 4, Trump’s lawyers have received at least 84,000 pages of records from the federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan, including a batch of 31,000 pages on Wednesday, according to a court filing. 

The records pertain to a federal investigation that touched on the hush money matter and led to prison time for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. 

Federal prosecutors in 2018 charged Cohen with campaign finance violations related to the hush money payments, with evading taxes related to his investments in the taxi industry and with lying to Congress. 

Cohen, who blamed Trump for his legal problems, pleaded guilty and served about a year in prison before being released to home confinement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He is now a key prosecution witness in the Manhattan district attorney’s case. Trump and his lawyers have portrayed Cohen as completely untrustworthy.

https://www.voanews.com/a/prosecutors-say-they-re-open-to-delay-in-trump-hush-money-trial/7528260.html Save to Pocket

State Route 154 Emergency Repairs Continue Next Week

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY – Caltrans is continuing to perform emergency repairs in various locations on State Route 154 following a

The post State Route 154 Emergency Repairs Continue Next Week appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/state-route-154-emergency-repairs-continue-next-week/ Save to Pocket

One805 Announces Grants for 2024 Supporting Santa Barbara County First Responders Totaling $582,000

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Santa Barbara, CA, March 14, 2024 – During its annual Honorary Board Cocktail reception at the Montecito Club, One805 officially announced

The post One805 Announces Grants for 2024 Supporting Santa Barbara County First Responders Totaling $582,000 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/one805-announces-grants-for-2024-supporting-santa-barbara-county-first-responders-totaling-582000/ Save to Pocket

Chaucer’s In-Store Book Event

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

SANTA BARBARA, CA.- Chaucer’s Books (3321 State Street, Santa Barbara) will host local author Anthony Estrada for an in-store book talk

The post Chaucer’s In-Store Book Event appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/chaucers-in-store-book-event-3/ Save to Pocket

March 26-30: Tejon Outlets Golden Egg Scavenger Hunt

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Experience the exhilaration of Outlets at Tejon’s Golden Egg Scavenger Hunt, returning this spring from March 6 to March

https://scvnews.com/march-26-30-tejon-outlets-golden-egg-scavenger-hunt/ Save to Pocket

NASA Artemis Mission Progresses with SpaceX Starship Test Flight

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign to return humans to the Moon for the benefit of all, the agency is working with SpaceX to develop the company’s Starship human landing system (HLS), which will land astronauts near the Moon’s South Pole during the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions. On March 14, SpaceX launched the […]

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/artemis-campaign-development-division/human-landing-system-program/nasa-artemis-mission-progresses-with-spacex-starship-test-flight/ Save to Pocket

Volkswagen is offering $13,000 off the 2023 ID.4 AWD Pro S Plus with new lease deal

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

In a fire sale, Volkswagen is offering $13,000 off the 2023 ID.4 AWD Pro S Plus with a new lease deal as it gears up to launch new EVs.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/volkswagen-offering-13000-off-2023-id-4-new-lease-deal/ Save to Pocket

COC gets $50,000 construction program grant

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Signal

News release  College of the Canyons has received a $50,000 Dewalt Grow the Trades Grant to continue supporting the college’s construction technology program.   COC was selected as one of 70 organizations that are projected to skill and reskill more than 55,000 people in 2024 with the grant program’s support.   “This funding will allow the college […]

The post COC gets $50,000 construction program grant appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/coc-gets-50000-construction-program-grant/ Save to Pocket

Whales That Go Through Menopause Live Longer and May Help Care for Grandchildren

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Alongside humans, five species of toothed whales are known to experience menopause. A new study suggests they evolved the trait to increase their lifespan

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whales-that-go-through-menopause-live-longer-and-may-help-care-for-grandchildren-180983954/ Save to Pocket

Blinken to Visit Philippines to Reinforce Alliance Amid South China Sea Tensions

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

U.S. State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to the Philippines next week, following a recent trade mission there by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The visit comes amid escalating tensions between the Philippines and China over maritime disputes in the South China Sea. 

“Secretary Blinken will travel to Manila to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our Philippine allies” and “promote peace and stability in the South China Sea,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a Thursday briefing. 

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has announced his meeting with Blinken on March 19, with a focus on issues of cooperation and security.

“The secretary’s visit will also underscore the importance of our strong bilateral ties, which for 75 years, have been critical to advancing our shared vision for a free and open connected, prosperous, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” Miller said. 

During Commerce Secretary Raimondo’s trade and investment mission to Manila this week, she announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in the Philippines’ tech sector and help double the number of semiconductor factories in the country. Washington’s move is seen as boosting Manila’s chip sector amid intense competition with Beijing. 

Blinken will start his trip late Thursday, heading first to Vienna for a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. His trip will include a stop in Seoul where South Korea is hosting a Summit for Democracy.

The meeting between Marcos and Blinken is set against a backdrop of increasing tension over territorial disputes in the South China Sea between Manila and Beijing. Marcos has committed to upholding the Philippines’ maritime claims, following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for military preparedness for potential sea conflicts.  

A recent collision near the waters around Second Thomas Shoal (known as Ren’ai Shoal in China) has further strained the relationship between the two countries. The rich fishing ground is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the nearest Philippines island and 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) from China. 

On March 5, the Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese ships carried out dangerous maneuvers and fired water cannons on Philippine vessels, causing multiple collisions, and damaging at least one Philippine vessel.   

China accused the Philippines of intruding on its territory “without the permission of the Chinese government.” A PRC spokesperson said the Chinese foreign ministry “has lodged solemn representations with the Philippines and expressed strong protest.” 

According to an international tribunal’s legally binding decision issued in July 2016, Second Thomas Shoal is located within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, and China has no lawful maritime claims to the waters around the low-tide feature. 

Beijing has rejected the ruling, claiming “indisputable sovereignty” over most of the South China Sea. 

The United States said it stands with the Philippines. The State Department issued a strong statement on March 5 to condemn “the PRC’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels” and said Beijing’s actions “show disregard for the safety and livelihoods of Filipinos and international law.” 

The White House has announced that it will host Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio for an official visit on April 10. Japanese media outlet The Asahi Shimbun reported that leaders from Japan, the United States and the Philippines are planning a summit in Washington around that time.

https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-to-visit-philippines-to-reinforce-alliance-amid-south-china-sea-tensions-/7528131.html Save to Pocket

Valencia Town Center Macy’s to remain open amid store closures

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Signal

Over the past several weeks Macy’s has made headlines after announcing the closure of 150 of its locations across the country. On Tuesday, the Macy’s communications team confirmed that the Valencia Town Center location will remain open.   “We intend to close approximately 150 Macy’s stores over the next three years. This allows us to focus […]

The post <strong>Valencia Town Center Macy’s to remain open amid store closures </strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/03/valencia-town-center-macys-to-remain-open-amid-store-closures/ Save to Pocket

Goleta Water District Inaugurates New Well

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Department of the Interior grants $2 million for ‘Hope Well’ project

The post Goleta Water District Inaugurates New Well appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/goleta-water-district-inaugurates-new-well/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

BTW, this is the feed list for my blogroll. Feel free to import or subscribe to it into your feed reader.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a203147 Save to Pocket

Daimler’s first two eM2 electric box trucks have officially hit the road

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Daimler Truck North America has delivered its first battery-electric Freightliner eM2 trucks to a New York-based trucking company.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/daimler-em2-electric-box-trucks-have-officially-hit-the-road/ Save to Pocket

FTC goes undercover to probe suspected antivirus scam, scores $26M settlement

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Imagine trying to trick folks into buying $500 of unnecessary repairs – and they turn out to be federal agents

A pair of tech support businesses accused of swindling marks out of their hard-earned cash have agreed to cough up a $26 million settlement following an undercover probe by the FTC.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/ftc_antivirus_probe/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

On the limitations of writing for the fediverse.

https://mitchw.blog/2024/03/14/ben-werdmuller-on.html Save to Pocket

@Tomosino’s Mastodon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Tomosino’s Mastodon feed)

pops a wheelie

https://tilde.zone/@tomasino/112095827142036846 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Death of a father.

https://zeldman.com/2024/03/14/death-of-a-father/ Save to Pocket

La NASA invita a los medios a conocer a astronautas de la estación espacial

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

Read this release in English here. La NASA ofrecerá una rueda de prensa con cuatro astronautas a las 9:30 a.m. EDT (hora del este de EE.UU.) del martes 19 de marzo en la sede de la agencia en Washington. La tripulación, entre la que se encuentra el astronauta de la NASA de origen salvadoreño Frank Rubio, […]

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/la-nasa-invita-a-los-medios-a-conocer-a-astronautas-de-la-estacion-espacial/ Save to Pocket

NASA Invites Media to Meet Space Station Astronauts at Headquarters

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. NASA will host a media availability with four astronauts at 9:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 19, at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. The crew, including record-breaking NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, will discuss their recent mission aboard the International Space Station where they conducted a broad range of science […]

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-meet-space-station-astronauts-at-headquarters/ Save to Pocket

Beeper’s new “Universal Chat” app for Android is here, but iMessage isn’t included

date: 2024-03-14, from: Liliputing

Beeper is a mobile chat app that’s made a name for itself by offering a “universal” approach to chat, allowing you to communicate with people who are using apps other than Beeper. Most notably, the company has tried several different approaches to letting folks with Android phones communicate with iPhone users by tapping into Apple’s […]

The post Beeper’s new “Universal Chat” app for Android is here, but iMessage isn’t included appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/beepers-new-universal-chat-app-for-android-is-here-but-imessage-isnt-included/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Manhattan Prosecutors Seek 30-Day Delay of Trump Trial.

https://politicalwire.com/2024/03/14/manhattan-prosecutors-seek-30-day-delay-of-trump-trial/ Save to Pocket

Big Improvements Coming to The Old Road

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Los Angeles County is gearing up to make big improvements to The Old Road, a major highway and artery that serves the Santa Clarita Valley, that is frequently used by locals and commuters when traffic on the Interstate 5 is snarled due to roadwork or emergency closures

https://scvnews.com/big-improvements-coming-to-the-old-road/ Save to Pocket

No Expansion of Landfill

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

I am writing to express concern and opposition to the proposed Tajiguas Landfill expansion.

The post No Expansion of Landfill appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/no-expansion-of-landfill/ Save to Pocket

A Glimpse of Gay History at UC Santa Barbara

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

University provost Clark George Kuebler was caught in the ‘Lavender Scare’ of the 1950s.

The post A Glimpse of Gay History at UC Santa Barbara appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/a-glimpse-of-gay-history-at-uc-santa-barbara/ Save to Pocket

Survey Deadline for Accessory Dwelling Unit Owners Now March 24

date: 2024-03-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Seeking greater participation of Accessory Dwelling Unit homeowners, particularly in the Santa Maria area, to accurately assess the impact of ADUs on the housing supply in Santa Barbara County.

The post Survey Deadline for Accessory Dwelling Unit Owners Now March 24 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/03/14/survey-deadline-for-accessory-dwelling-unit-owners-now-march-24/ Save to Pocket

Ex-Trump Aide Navarro, Convicted of Contempt of Congress, Must Report to Prison

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

WASHINGTON — An appeals court denied Trump White House official Peter Navarro ’s bid to stave off his jail sentence on contempt of Congress charges Thursday.

Navarro has been ordered to report to a federal prison by March 19. He argued he should stay free as he appeals his conviction for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

But a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Washington disagreed, finding his appeal wasn’t likely to reverse his conviction. His attorneys did not immediately return messages seeking comment but have previously indicated he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Navarro was the second Trump aide convicted of contempt of Congress charges. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon previously received a four-month sentence, but a different judge allowed him to remain free pending appeal.

Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House January 6 committee. He served as a White House trade adviser under then-President Donald Trump and later promoted the Republican’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Navarro has said he couldn’t cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta barred him from making that argument at trial, however, finding that he didn’t show Trump had actually invoked it.

https://www.voanews.com/a/ex-trump-aide-navarro-convicted-of-contempt-of-congress-must-report-to-prison/7528132.html Save to Pocket

This Breakthrough Wireless EV Charger Reaches 100 kW Speeds With Near-Perfect Efficiency

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

Researchers say the new tech is 8-10 times more power-dense than conventional wireless charging coils.

https://insideevs.com/news/712456/oak-ridge-national-lab-wireless-charging-breakthrough/ Save to Pocket

The U.S. Can’t Guarantee Armenia’s Security, Despite Azerbaijan’s Threats, but It Can Help

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: RAND blog

The United States and its European allies cannot be everything Armenia wants and needs from a foreign partner. The West should recognize and accept Armenia’s multi-alignment and focus on areas where it is comparatively able and willing to deepen ties and foster stability.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/03/the-us-cant-guarantee-armenias-security-despite-azerbaijans.html Save to Pocket

A window into Facebook closes as Meta sets a date to shut down CrowdTangle

date: 2024-03-14, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

A widely used window into Facebook is closing for good. Meta had already disbanded the team behind the social monitoring tool CrowdTangle and prevented new users from signing up. On Thursday, users were told CrowdTangle will no longer be available after August 14, 2024. The free tool allowed newsrooms and journalists to follow trends and…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/a-window-into-facebook-closes-as-meta-sets-a-date-to-shut-down-crowdtangle/ Save to Pocket

South Fork Wind just became the US’s first complete utility-scale offshore wind farm

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

The final turbine is up at New York’s South Fork Wind, making it the US’s first complete utility-scale offshore wind farm in federal waters.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/south-fork-us-first-complete-utility-scale-wind-farm/ Save to Pocket

See a Tapestry Commissioned to Celebrate the Paris Summer Olympics

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Designed by artist Marjane Satrapi, the enormous triptych depicts athletes competing around the Eiffel Tower

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-tapestry-commissioned-celebrate-paris-summer-olympics-180983957/ Save to Pocket

Nitro 2024.1

date: 2024-03-14, from: Michael Tsai

Gentlemen Coders: Flexible storage options, camera support, and editing tools unmatched by any app. […] Create smart albums, and organize your Apple Photos library. Nitro reads RAW Power edits. Everything syncs over iCloud! Prefer to manage your files yourself? You can use Nitro with the file system too. Rate and edit non-destructively using XMP sidecars. […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/14/nitro-2024-1/ Save to Pocket

“Sometimes it’s desperate because I can’t touch someone, my hands don’t move,…

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044190-sometimes-its-desperate-b Save to Pocket

DealMachine Subscription Cancellations

date: 2024-03-14, from: Michael Tsai

John Gruber (Mastodon): I downloaded the app and signed up; immediately after confirming your email address, you get sent to a screen in the app where you choose from account tiers to begin a free trial. The lowest tier is $100/month, the highest is $500/month. And after making your selection, you get sent to this […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/14/dealmachine-subscription-cancellations/ Save to Pocket

Digital Services Act Compliance: App Store

date: 2024-03-14, from: Michael Tsai

Apple: You’ll be asked to disclose whether or not you’re a trader under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) in order to stay compliant across regions when distributing on the App Store. If you’re distributing content as a trader, the DSA requires that you provide certain identification information, including address and contact details, to […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/14/digital-services-act-compliance-app-store/ Save to Pocket

DMA Compliance: Google

date: 2024-03-14, from: Michael Tsai

Google: Changes to Search results: We have now implemented more than 20 product changes, including the introduction of dedicated units and chips to help users find comparison sites in areas like flights, hotels and shopping. We have removed some features from the search results page which help consumers find businesses, such as the Google Flights […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/14/dma-compliance-google/ Save to Pocket

DMA Compliance: Custom External Link Designs

date: 2024-03-14, from: Michael Tsai

Apple: Developers who’ve agreed to the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU have new options for their apps in the EU: Alternative app marketplaces. Marketplaces can choose to offer a catalog of apps solely from the developer of the marketplace. Linking out to purchase. When directing users to complete a transaction for digital […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/03/14/dma-compliance-custom-external-link-designs/ Save to Pocket

NIO confirms its new codename ‘Alps’ sub-brand is called ‘Onvo,’ and will target EVs for families

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Days after leaked spy images revealed a new EV nomenclature, NIO has publicly confirmed its upcoming sub-brand will be called “Onvo.” Previously codenamed “Alps,” Onvo EVs will be designed and targeted toward customers with families. We’ve also caught wind of the new brand’s official launch date.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/nio-confirms-new-alps-sub-brand-called-onvo-will-target-evs-for-families/ Save to Pocket

Daily Deals (3-14-2024)

date: 2024-03-14, from: Liliputing

Steam and Epic both kicked off their Spring Sales on PC games today. Meanwhile Epic is giving away two free games this week: Deus Ex Mankind Divided and The Bridge. And if you’re looking for something to play those games on, Best Buy has deals on a few gaming PCs. Here are some of the […]

The post Daily Deals (3-14-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-3-14-2024/ Save to Pocket

For Most Mammal Species, Males Actually Aren’t Larger Than Females, Study Finds

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

New research upends a long-held theory that male mammals tend to be bigger than their female counterparts

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-most-mammal-species-males-actually-arent-larger-than-females-study-finds-180983946/ Save to Pocket

Caffeine makes fuel cells more efficient, cuts cost of energy storage

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Boffins show less platinum may be needed for long-lived power source

Adding caffeine can enhance the efficiency of fuel cells, reducing the need for platinum in electrodes and significantly reducing the cost of making them, according to researchers in Japan.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/caffeine_fuel_cells_paper/ Save to Pocket

Celebrating Pi Day on the International Space Station

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

In this image from March 13, 2023, NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen holds a small pie that is festively decorated in commemoration of Pi Day aboard the International Space Station. March 14 marks the annual celebration of the mathematical constant pi, aka the Greek letter π. Its infinite number of digits is usually […]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/celebrating-pi-day-on-the-international-space-station/ Save to Pocket

Stark Future Challenges FIM Over MXGP’s Electric Segregation

date: 2024-03-14, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News

The bikes may be quiet, but the team definitely isn’t afraid to make some noise.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/712474/stark-future-challenges-fim-mxgp/ Save to Pocket

The Last Man Standing in the Floppy Disk Business

date: 2024-03-14, from: TidBITS blog

Read original article

https://tidbits.com/2024/03/14/the-last-man-standing-in-the-floppy-disk-business/ Save to Pocket

Pornhub Pulls Out of Texas

date: 2024-03-14, from: 404 Media Group

All of the sites in Aylo’s network, including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Brazzers, are blocked in Texas, their homepages replaced with a message about the company’s rejection of age verification laws.

https://www.404media.co/pornhub-blocked-texas/ Save to Pocket

Hyundai unveils new ST1 EV business platform design for the first time

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

For the first time, Hyundai Motor revealed its new “ST1” EV business platform on Thursday. The ST1 is the first of several new electric models based on the platform.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/hyundai-unveils-new-st1-ev-business-platform/ Save to Pocket

A Rugged, XRT-Trimmed Hyundai Ioniq 5 Is Coming Soon

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

A camouflaged Hyundai Ioniq 5 in South Korea is hiding some rugged upgrades consistent with Hyundai’s well-loved XRT trim.

https://insideevs.com/news/712465/ioniq-5-xrt-trim/ Save to Pocket

LockBit ransomware kingpin gets 4 years behind bars

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Canadian-Russian said to have turned to a life of cybercrime during pandemic, now must pay the price – literally

A LockBit ransomware kingpin has been sentenced to almost four years behind bars and ordered to pay more than CA$860,000 ($635,000, £500,000) in restitution to some of his victims by a Canadian court as he awaits extradition to the US.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/lockbit_ransomware_criminal_sentenced/ Save to Pocket

Long Overlooked, This 11th-Century Astronomical Device Documents Scientific Exchange Among Muslims, Jews and Christians

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The astrolabe features Hebrew and Latin inscriptions added by different owners over time

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-overlooked-this-11th-century-astronomical-device-documents-scientific-exchange-among-muslims-jews-christians-180983955/ Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Today I won't be doing any complex Godot/SwiftUI integration work.

Today is a day of SwiftUI leisure, and I am just going to polish some rough edges here and there in the UI.

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112095421444859545 Save to Pocket

US Senate Leader Schumer: Israel’s Netanyahu Has ‘Lost His Way’

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-senate-leader-schumer-israel-s-netanyahu-has-lost-his-way/7527955.html Save to Pocket

Google gooses Safe Browsing with real-time protection that doesn’t leak to ad giant

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Rare occasion when you do want Big Tech to make a hash of it

Google has enhanced its Safe Browsing service to enable real-time protection in Chrome for desktop, iOS, and soon Android against risky websites, without sending browsing history data to the ad biz.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/google_safe_browsing_update/ Save to Pocket

Bigme InkNote X Color is a 10.3 inch E Ink tablet with pen support and a Dimensity 900 processor

date: 2024-03-14, from: Liliputing

The Bigme InkNote X Color is a 10.3 inch Android tablet with an E Ink Kaleido 3 color display that’s designed not just for reading, but also for writing thanks to support for pressure-sensitive pen input. At first glance the Chinese company’s latest eNote looks a lot like the InkNote Color that I reviewed a few years […]

The post Bigme InkNote X Color is a 10.3 inch E Ink tablet with pen support and a Dimensity 900 processor appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/bigme-inknote-x-color-is-a-10-3-inch-e-ink-tablet-with-pen-support-and-a-dimensity-900-processor/ Save to Pocket

You Can See a Rare, Bright Comet This Month. Will It Be Visible During the Solar Eclipse?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a frigid, volcanic ice ball that won’t pass near Earth again until 2095

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-see-a-rare-bright-comet-this-month-will-it-be-visible-during-the-solar-eclipse-180983951/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

Updated the reallySimple package to look for the <source:blogroll> element. This means the data will be available to FeedLand.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a175132 Save to Pocket

Save $440 on Lectric’s new ONE e-bike in today’s best deals, ALLPOWERS spring sale, more

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Headlining today’s green deals is a pre-order discount on the new Lectric ONE e-bike for $1,999, which also comes with $220 in free gear as well. It is joined by ALLPOWERS’ spring sale that is taking up to 45% off a large selection of power stations, bundles, and accessories, as well as the one-day sale on the WORX 20V 5-inch Cordless Pruning Saw at a new $100 low. 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.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/lectric-one-e-bike-allpowers-spring-sale-and-more-deals/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

The Scripting News RSS feed now has a <source:blogroll> element.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a173449 Save to Pocket

Oracle adds GenAI to Fusion with a whopping 50 use cases

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

But is there one that can sort out failing ERP projects? Well Larry, is there?

Oracle has unleashed 50 use cases for gen AI on its Fusion Applications suite, letting vector-based statistical models provide financial report “narratives,” help filter job candidates, and provide product descriptions.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/oralce_adds_genai_to_fusion/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

I’ve started a page on opml.org for notes on blogrolls.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a171156 Save to Pocket

Volkswagen announces production start date for its most affordable $20K ID.1 EV

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

For the first time, Volkswagen announced it aims to start producing its most affordable ID.1 electric car, starting at 20,000 euros ($21,700), in 2027. The $20K Volkswagen ID.1 will offer “affordable electric mobility for everyone,” VW brand leader Thomas Shafer said Thursday.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/volkswagen-announces-production-start-date-20k-id-1-ev/ Save to Pocket

Volkswagen Is Expanding Its EV Lineup, But Not The EV Price War

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

The VW Group’s North American CEO weighs in on the ID. Buzz, the ID.7, and why fire-sale price cuts aren’t in the cards.

https://insideevs.com/news/712429/vw-ceo-prices-id7-buzz/ Save to Pocket

EEO-TIX announces new leader

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)

Second-in-command Linda Hoos will replace Catherine Spear, who oversaw the office’s restructuring after the George Tyndall scandal, effective April 5.

The post EEO-TIX announces new leader appeared first on Daily Trojan.

https://dailytrojan.com/2024/03/14/eeo-tix-announces-new-leader/ Save to Pocket

Recall: 2022-2024 Triumph Speed Triple RS And RR Could Have Engine Overheat

date: 2024-03-14, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News

The good news is, an engine retune should solve the issue according to Triumph.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/712154/triumph-speed-triple-safety-recall/ Save to Pocket

Zoox expands routes, operational hours, and top speed of its bespoke driverless robotaxis

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Autonomous technology developer Zoox shared its latest milestone in a blog post today, expanding its unique driverless robotaxi operations in California and Nevada. The growth includes a broader net of available autonomous routes, longer hours in different weather conditions, and higher top speeds… all without pedals!

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/zoox-expands-routes-hours-top-speed-bespoke-driverless-robotaxi/ Save to Pocket

COC Names Jaclyn Wosk, Hugo Boyer Athletes of the Week

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

College of the Canyons student-athletes Jaclyn Wosk (women’s tennis) and Hugo Boyer (men’s golf) have been named the COC Athletic Department’s Women’s & Men’s Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running March 4-

https://scvnews.com/coc-names-jaclyn-wosk-hugo-boyer-athletes-of-the-week/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

The blogroll sorted in reverse-reverse chronologic order.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a164936 Save to Pocket

Google brains plumb depths of the uncanny valley with latest image-to-video tool

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

VLOGGER needs just a still photo and an audio recording to generate footage, but it’s far from perfect

Google has a new AI trick up its sleeve that can animate a still photo using nothing but a recording of a person’s speech, and boy is it widening the uncanny valley.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/google_vlogger/ Save to Pocket

A moment with a sunset

date: 2024-03-14, from: Manu - I write blog

            <p>A peaceful out for a walk, a lovely a sunset. Sometimes life doesn't have to be complicated to be enjoyable.</p>

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            <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> — 
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https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/6zSi2aJ7XFu108W0 Save to Pocket

The popup menu

date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News

A popup menu with all kinds of background info.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14/163511.html?title=thePopupMenu Save to Pocket

Moscow Targets VOA Reporter in Latest Round of Sanctions Against Americans

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

Washington — A Voice of America reporter was among more than 200 U.S. citizens sanctioned by the Russian government on Thursday.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday that it was sanctioning Jeff Seldin, who covers national security at VOA. Seldin was among several reporters, including some from The Washington Post and The New York Times, to be included in this latest spate of sanctions against U.S. citizens.

In total, 227 American citizens were included in this round of sanctions over what the Russian government said was “anti-Russian activity.”

“Entry to the Russian Federation is closed to 227 Americans involved in the development, implementation and justification of the Russophobic course of the current U.S. administration,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

The announcement came just one day before the beginning of presidential elections in Russia that President Vladimir Putin is almost guaranteed to win.

Other journalists who were sanctioned included The Washington Post’s Joseph Marks, Joseph Menn, Ellen Nakashima and Tim Starks. Robert Worth from The New York Times was also on the list.

Seldin directed VOA to the outlet’s public relations team.

“VOA’s mandate is to provide accurate, objective, and comprehensive news and information to every part of the world,” the outlet said in a statement. “We stand by Jeff’s reporting and will not be deterred from serving our audience in Russia.”

Seldin isn’t the first VOA journalist to be sanctioned by Moscow. VOA’s former acting director, Yolanda Lopez, was sanctioned by the Russian government in May 2023.

Government officials, including U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, were included on the new list.

“We are deeply concerned by the Kremlin’s escalating attempts to restrict freedom of expression and media freedom in Russia,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA in a statement.

“In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish independent journalists and civil society voices, including through the use of censorship laws to punish criticism of Russia’s brutal war,” the statement continued.

Moscow also sanctioned a slew of professors from various universities including Harvard, Yale and Columbia.

For Peter Clement, who teaches courses on Russian security policy at Columbia, being included in this round of sanctions didn’t come as a shock.

“I wasn’t surprised. It’s consistent with past Russian policy to issue what they view as reciprocal sanctions,” Clement told VOA.

The Kremlin has blocked more than 2,000 Americans from entering Russia in what it says is a response to U.S. sanctions against Russian individuals and companies.

The United States and other Western countries have hit Russia with a massive wave of sanctions in response to its war against Ukraine.

Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse.

https://www.voanews.com/a/moscow-targets-voa-reporter-in-latest-round-of-sanctions-against-americans/7527841.html Save to Pocket

CSUN’s VITA Clinic Returns for Tax Season

date: 2024-03-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Tax season often brings stress and anxiety, with concerns about correctly filling out forms, but did you know that California State University, Northridge’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic can help smooth out the process

https://scvnews.com/csuns-vita-clinic-returns-for-tax-season/ Save to Pocket

Tesla starts offering LFP battery retrofits for earlier Model 3 under warranty

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Tesla is starting to offer LFP battery pack retrofits for earlier Model 3 vehicles as it starts running out of the old battery pack.

However, it is still only for people under warranty. Tesla is not big on payable battery pack upgrades – not that it is often needed anyway.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/tesla-offering-lfp-battery-retrofits-earlier-model-3-under-warranty/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Seeking a first-class Fediverse platform.

https://werd.io/2024/seeking-a-first-class-fediverse-platform Save to Pocket

Record breach of French government exposes up to 43 million people’s data

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Zut alors! Department for registering and helping unemployed people broken into

A French government department - responsible for registering and assisting unemployed people - is the latest victim of a mega data breach that compromised the information of up to 43 million citizens.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/mega_data_breach_at_french/ Save to Pocket

Tesla Paid Executives More Than it Paid Taxes for Years: Report

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

Plus, General Motors’ latest VP departure, and more on Volkswagen’s effort for an entry-level EV by 2027.

https://insideevs.com/news/712401/tesla-federal-income-executives-report/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

Written docs about using the blogroll.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a160247 Save to Pocket

Volkswagen confirms larger electric SUV coming to the US, hybrids too?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

A new, larger VW electric SUV will arrive in the US. Despite several automakers pulling back, Volkswagen says it’s sticking to its EV plans. Meanwhile, the automaker may add hybrids as it looks to boost sales in the US.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/vw-larger-electric-suv-coming-us-hybrids/ Save to Pocket

Eclipse Photographers Will Help Study Sun During Its Disappearing Act

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

As the Sun temporarily disappears from midday skies over North America on April 8, 2024, hundreds of volunteers will capture photos of the total solar eclipse to help us better understand the Sun and its relationship with Earth. These photographers will be participating in three NASA-funded citizen science projects to study the Sun’s ghostly outer […]

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/eclipse-photographers-help-study-sun-during-disappearing-act/ Save to Pocket

You Load Sixteen Tons and What Do You Get? – Coal Records in the National Register

date: 2024-03-14, from: National Archives, Text Message blog

Tomorrow, Friday March 16, the exhibit “Power & Light: Russel Lee’s Coal Survey” opens at the National Archives Building in Washington DC.  It features “photographs of coal communities by American documentary photographer Russell Lee. These images tell the story of laborers who helped build the nation, of a moment when the government took stock of … Continue reading You Load Sixteen Tons and What Do You Get? – Coal Records in the National Register

https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2024/03/14/you-load-sixteen-tons-and-what-do-you-get-coal-records-in-the-national-register/ Save to Pocket

I Tried a Bot That Swipes Tinder For Me

date: 2024-03-14, from: 404 Media Group

BaddieFinder is based on one man’s idea of hot women. So I gave it a test run through my own Tinder account.

https://www.404media.co/baddiefinder-tinder-bot/ Save to Pocket

26 Years Ago…

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/26-years-ago Save to Pocket

Former US Treasury Chief Mnuchin Looking to Buy TikTok

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/former-us-treasury-chief-mnuchin-looking-to-buy-tiktok/7527757.html Save to Pocket

Goodbye Pushover, Hello Overpush

date: 2024-03-14, from: mrusme blog

After over 11 years of being a loyal Pushover user, I have decided to give up on the service and run my own minimal, drop-in replacement that works the way I need it to.

https://xn–gckvb8fzb.com/goodbye-pushover-hello-overpush/ Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Sign up for the New England VisionPro meetup next Monday at 6pm at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge.

Will help us estimate how many spatial pizzas to order:

https://partiful.com/e/5toXav8jAEO7DlHi5T3a

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112094817378627912 Save to Pocket

North America’s largest lithium mine is full steam ahead – it just got a $2.26B loan

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Great news for EVs: Lithium Nevada got the green light for a $2.26 billion loan from the US Department of Energy to finance a lithium carbonate processing plant.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/north-americas-largest-lithium-mine-is-full-steam-ahead-it-just-got-a-2-26b-loan/ Save to Pocket

Third time is almost the charm for SpaceX’s Starship

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Booster hit the water hard and monster rocket lost during re-entry, but otherwise a success!

SpaceX has launched its third Starship Super-Heavy rocket on a test flight that went almost entirely to plan.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/spacex_starship_launch/ Save to Pocket

March 13, 2024

date: 2024-03-14, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-13-2024-272 Save to Pocket

The deepest points in each of the Earth’s oceans are called The…

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044176-the-deepest-points-in-eac Save to Pocket

Asus goes big with the Zenfone 11 Ultra

date: 2024-03-14, from: Liliputing

A decade ago smartphones with screen sizes approaching 7 inches were unusual enough that people often called then phablets. These days they’re just… phones. And that means when Asus launched the Zenfone 10 with a 5.9 inch display last year, it was considered fairly small by modern smartphone standards. But now one of the last companies […]

The post Asus goes big with the Zenfone 11 Ultra appeared first on Liliputing.

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@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Save the date: New England VisionPro users group meeting next Monday at 6pm at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge.

Details to follow.

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112094690857525143 Save to Pocket

Americans are opting to stay put

date: 2024-03-14, from: Marketplace Morning Report

Americans have long been known for pulling up stakes and moving for economic opportunity. But rather than chasing higher-paying jobs, more Americans are reluctant to move — and housing costs have something to do with it. Plus, there’s plenty of economic data on the table to discuss: Wholesale inflation came in warm but not hot, retail sales rebounded, and unemployment has stayed under 4% for 25 months now.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/americans-are-opting-to-stay-put Save to Pocket

NIO and CATL sign ‘win-win partnership’ develop longer-life batteries for EVs, swap stations

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

EV automaker NIO has announced an expanded collaboration with battery behemoth and current energy supplier CATL. Together, the two Chinese companies intend to collaborate through the research and development of long-life batteries to support future NIO EVs and battery swap stations.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/nio-catl-sign-partnership-develop-longer-life-batteries-ev-swap-stations/ Save to Pocket

NASA Invites Media to 61st Annual Goddard Space Science Symposium

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

Media are invited to attend the 61st annual Goddard Space Science Symposium (formerly the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium), which will take place March 20-22, 2024, at the Brendan Iribe Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The symposium will also be streamed online. Organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) […]

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-61st-annual-goddard-space-science-symposium/ Save to Pocket

24 Hours In a City Being Invaded By Rhinos

date: 2024-03-14, from: Heatmap News

Ganesh Paudel packs a wad of chewing tobacco as he talks about the rhinoceros attack. “When the rhino charged, we were in a boat,” he tells me. “The rhino was sitting in the water, then it hit me and broke my knee, broke the hand of another guide and gored a tourist” — he points — “through an eye.”

As we chat, another rhino wades in a stream just a short way away. Paudel works as a nature guide, but we’re not in nature today — we’re standing under a bridge that connects to a busy highway in Chitwan, a district of about a million people situated on the outskirts of Nepal’s Chitwan National Park. A school bus passes and a few locals stop their scooters to whip out phones and film. But most keep moving without looking twice.

Rhinos once roamed from Pakistan to Bangladesh, but their numbers plummeted in the 20th century. Many cultures throughout Asia believe rhino horns have medicinal properties, making the creatures they’re attached to vulnerable to poaching. Rajas and royals prized rhinos as trophy kills. Farmers, also, retaliated with violence against rhinos that pillaged their crops. By 1970 there were just 95 rhinos in the national park, a wilderness bigger than New York City.

Eventually, however, the government realized that wildlife protection attracts dollars. For decades now, the United States Agency for International Development and non-governmental organizations like the World Wildlife Fund have supported Nepal’s efforts to boost conservation and lessen human wildlife conflict. Between 2011 and 2020 alone, $57 million of USAID funding went to programs aimed at protecting biodiversity here. Soldiers now patrol the park to stifle poaching.

But while the rhino population has rebounded to nearly 700 in Chitwan, the animals themselves are hardly thriving. As temperatures rise, there’s been less rain during monsoon season. Warming temperatures have fueled invasive species like American creeper vines that have taken over rhino habitat and grow three inches daily. Climate change has also dried up staple rhino foods like elephant grass and aquatic plants. Now, there are too many rhinos and not enough forest, which forces the animals out of the park and into the city. (The same goes for tigers.)

The particular rhino wading near us is named Meghauli. Each morning, like clockwork, he comes out of the forest and into town. Meghauli is a bona fide social media star. When he thuds down the road traffic stops and a parade of hypnotized Nepalis and foreigners snap selfies and touch his leathery hide.

Meghauli was hand-raised by park staff after he was found alone, wounded from a tiger attack. Fed on 18 liters of buffalo milk a day, he grew big and strong — and also lost his fear of humans. Four years later he was released, but he kept returning because it’s easier to find food in town than in the increasingly dry and crowded jungle.

Rhinos are everywhere in the populated regions around the park — wading in streams, but also painted in murals, memorialized in hotel names, and depicted in statues. The uncomfortable truth is that the rhinos’ plight has also created a lucrative tourist opportunity. Rajendra Dhami, who runs a tea shop in front of Meghauli’s main crossing point, a shallow river with basking crocodiles and waiting tourists, tells me the rhinos have become a big attraction. “People come to see rhinos since we have them,” he says. “That means more money for us.”

A pair of young Brits and an Indian family of nine are currently gathered, waiting for Meghauli, but Dhami insists that for the most part, it doesn’t matter which rhino shows up. “We have lots of problems in Nepal,” he tells me, “but we share with wildlife.”

It’s true visitors often choose hotels and shops near wildlife. But a recent 20-year study found that nature-based tourism rarely impacts locals, in part because hotel bookings are often made online with fancy tour operators who act as middlemen and skim off revenue much the same way food delivery sites take from restaurants. Meanwhile, just six of the 93 hotels here are owned or managed by indigenous people, according to the Regional Hotel Association Chitwan. For most Nepalis, especially in poor indigenous communities who rely on farming here, rhinos running around is bad for bottom lines — and bellies.

“Cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, rhinos like it all very much” says Narayan Rijal, who has worked as a park guide for 15 years. ”That’s the problem.”

But people, also, are hungry. Many here are in such need of food that they’re invading rhino habitat to find fruits, honey, and meat. Impoverished communities illegally enter the park to gather firewood, a cycle that increases deforestation, shrinks habitat, and risks deadly rhino, elephant, and tiger attacks.

Tulsi Magar, a guide at the local Sanctuary hotel, says many attacks are because farmers are so desperate to protect their own food that they stand their ground and light fires to try and scare off hungry rhinos. When Magar was 12, he also fought this way, sleeping in a shed and narrowly avoiding losing his life to protect the family’s radish harvest.

“It didn’t work,’ he remembers. “The rhinos won.”

Soldiers try their best to manage the rhinos, trailing them as they leave the park to forage in farmers’ fields. Once they reach town, soldiers often have to hit them with sticks or their rifle butts to get them to return to the forest.

“They‘re not small animals,” an assistant warden says as a rooster crows outside his office. “We try to push rhinos back into the core area. With Meghauli no need for stick, we just push. We do our best.”

Meghauli has a lookalike named Madi, another rescue. Unlike Meghauli, Madi is angry, park staff say, asking me to avoid using their names for fear of speaking openly. “Madi even charged a few taxis by the airport,” they admit. “He’s very aggressive.”

Rhinos have killed 55 people since 1998, including a 2019 attack on safari-going tourists. Last year alone, rhinos killed five. “They’re more dangerous than tigers,” notes Isswari Chapagain who has climbed trees to avoid charges.

Rhinos aren’t just a threat to locals, he says. They’re also a threat to each other. Wild rhinos go nuts and attack orphans like Meghauli and Madi if they smell people on them — another reason they keep coming back to town.

As the park has become famous and rhinos have rebounded, human activities like road expansion have been linked to a string of strange deaths: 165 rhinos killed from falling into roadside ditches and septic tanks, shocks from electric fences, disease (likely from proximity to livestock), and at least six killed by poachers. In 2022 alone, 36 rhinos died from territorial fights, which are also connected to warming temperatures and habitat loss. Construction on Chitwan’s three main rivers changes their flow, shrinks space, increases food competition and pushes rhinos into fields.

Rhinos are protected even if they attack or leave the park boundaries, but people aren’t. If they’re attacked in the park, Nepalis can claim government compensation (although guides cannot). If they’re at home protecting their farms and a rhino mauls them, they get nothing, another reason researchers accuse the government of continuing to prioritize wildlife over people.

Back under the bridge, I watch Meghauli blow bubbles under the water, just like a kid.

When he rises, I see his massive body in full for the first time. He seems gentle but it wouldn’t take much — a jerk of his head or a kick from a leg — for him to kill someone. He exits the water and trudges up the riverbank, then pauses to scan the highway. He faces me and sniffs the air, then turns toward a potato field. It’s lunchtime.

https://heatmap.news/climate/nepal-rhinos-meghauli-chitwan Save to Pocket

Tesla to bring electric semi truck production to Gigafactory Berlin

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Elon Musk says that Tesla will bring Tesla Semi, its electric semi truck, to production at Gigafactory Berlin.

However, it will be important to start volume production in the US first.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/tesla-electric-semi-truck-production-gigafactory-berlin/ Save to Pocket

The Rivian R2 Will Come With A Heat Pump And Optional Tow Hitch

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

R1 vehicles don’t have a heat pump, so adding one to the R2 is a step in the right direction.

https://insideevs.com/news/712343/rivian-r2-heat-pump-tow-hitch/ Save to Pocket

International effort to disrupt cybercrime moves into operational phase

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Will the WEF experiment work?

The Cybercrime Atlas, a massive undertaking that aims to disrupt cybercriminals across the globe, enters its operational phase in 2024, two years after organizers laid the groundwork at the RSA Conference.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/wef_cybercrime_atlas/ Save to Pocket

Is There Anything He Can’t Do? Brabec Does The Double At 2024 Mint 400

date: 2024-03-14, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News

You’d think two Dakar Rally wins would be enough for anyone, but then you’d be wrong.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/712281/ricky-brabec-mint-400-2024/ Save to Pocket

NASA Lights ‘Beacon’ on Moon With Autonomous Navigation System Test

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

For 30 total minutes in February, NASA lit a beacon on the Moon – successfully testing a sophisticated positioning system that will make it safer for Artemis-era explorers to visit and establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface. The Lunar Node 1 demonstrator, or LN-1, is an autonomous navigation system intended to provide […]

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/marshall/nasa-lights-beacon-on-moon-with-autonomous-navigation-system-test/ Save to Pocket

Trump Arrives at Hearing on Whether to Dismiss Classified Documents Case

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA — Donald Trump arrived Thursday at a federal courthouse in Florida, where a judge will hear arguments on whether to dismiss the criminal case accusing the former president of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House. 

The motorcade carrying the 2024 Republican presumptive presidential nominee arrived shortly before the hearing was set to begin before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump. 

The dispute centers on the Trump team’s interpretation of the Presidential Records Act, which they say gave him the authority to designate the documents as personal and maintain possession of them after his presidency. 

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team, by contrast, says the files Trump is charged with possessing are presidential records, not personal ones, and that the statute does not apply to classified and top-secret documents such as those kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. 

The Presidential Records Act “does not exempt Trump from the criminal law, entitle him to unilaterally declare highly classified presidential records to be personal records, or shield him from criminal investigations — let alone allow him to obstruct a federal investigation with impunity,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing last week. 

It was not clear when Cannon might rule, but the outcome will determine whether the case proceeds or whether, as Trump’s lawyers hope, it is thrown out before ever reaching a jury — a rare action for a judge to take. 

Cannon is also expected to hear arguments Thursday on a separate but related Trump team motion that says the statute that forms the bulk of the criminal charges — making it a crime to willfully retain national defense information — is unconstitutionally vague as it applies to a former president. 

It is not surprising that defense lawyers are seeking dismissal of the case based on the Presidential Records Act given that the legal team has repeatedly invoked the statute since the FBI’s August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. 

The law, enacted in 1978, requires presidents upon leaving office to transfer their presidential records to the U.S. government for management — specifically, the National Archives and Records Administration — although they are permitted to retain personal records, including diaries and notes that are purely private and not prepared for government business. 

Trump’s lawyers have said that he designated as personal property the records he took with him to Mar-a-Lago, which prosecutors say included top-secret information and documents related to nuclear programs and the military capabilities of the U.S. and foreign adversaries. 

Cannon has suggested in the past that she sees Trump’s status as a former president as distinguishing him from others who have held onto classified records. 

After the Trump team sued the Justice Department in 2022 to get his records back, Cannon appointed a special master to conduct an independent review of the documents taken during the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search. That appointment was later overturned by a federal appeals court. 

More recently, even while ruling in favor of Smith’s team on a procedural question, Cannon pointedly described the case as the “first-ever criminal prosecution of a former United States President — once the country’s chief classification authority over many of the documents the Special Counsel now seeks to withhold from him (and his cleared counsel) — in a case without charges of transmission or delivery of national defense information.” 

Trump faces 40 felony counts in Florida that accuse him of willfully retaining dozens of classified documents and rebuffing government demands to give them back after he left the White House. Prosecutors in recent court filings have stressed the scope of criminal conduct that they say they expect to prove at trial, saying in one that “there has never been a case in American history in which a former official has engaged in conduct remotely similar to Trump’s.” 

They allege, for instance, that Trump intentionally held onto some of the nation’s most sensitive documents — only returning a fraction of them upon demand by the National Archives — and then urged his lawyer to hide records and to lie to the FBI by saying he no longer was in possession of them. He’s also charged with enlisting staff to delete surveillance footage that would show boxes of documents being moved around the property. 

The hearing is the second this month in the case in Florida, one of four prosecutions Trump confronts as he seeks to reclaim the White House this year. Cannon heard arguments on March 1 on when to set a trial date but has not ruled yet. Both sides have proposed summertime dates for the trial to begin.

https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-arrives-at-hearing-on-whether-to-dismiss-classified-documents-case/7527642.html Save to Pocket

Newesy Piaggio EV isn’t a Vespa – it’s an adorable robot work cart

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Vespa parent company Piaggio just launched a new electric vehicle that’s loaded with advanced electronics, efficient drive systems, and the latest in autonomous technology. But don’t worry, it’s not coming for your jobs (yet).

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/newesy-piaggio-ev-isnt-a-vespa-its-an-adorable-robot-work-cart/ Save to Pocket

On TV: ‘Free to Be… You and Me’

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/on-tv-free-to-be-you-and-me Save to Pocket

FTC Goes Undercover Against Fake Antivirus Companies

date: 2024-03-14, from: 404 Media Group

Companies called Restoro and Reimage are allegedly behind pop-ups that trick people into downloading a piece of fake antivirus software and paying sizable fees.

https://www.404media.co/ftc-goes-undercover-against-fake-antivirus-companies/ Save to Pocket

Developers beware, Microsoft’s domain shakeup is coming soon

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

If you don’t pay attention, your lovely little Teams app will stop working

Time is running out for developers and administrators to prepare themselves for Microsoft’s one domain to rule them all – cloud.microsoft.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/microsoft_domain_shakeup/ Save to Pocket

Engwe E26 review: Testing out a budget-level 1,000W electric bike

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

I’ve tested several Engwe electric bikes by now, and each time I’ve come away with a solid feeling. The Engwe E26 continues that trend with a fairly priced ($1,199) electric bike that comes with a surprising amount of nice features for the price.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/engwe-e26-review-testing-out-a-budget-level-1000w-electric-bike/ Save to Pocket

Icing Cloud Characterization Engineer Emily Timko

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

“If I knew that I was going to get to where I’m at [today], I would have gone through it all over again. I would have went through changing my major. I would have gone through the divorce. I would have went through the heartbreak of thinking, ’I’m not going to be what I wanted to be when I […]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/icing-cloud-characterization-engineer-emily-timko/ Save to Pocket

Dew Point I is a mesmerizing water sculpture piece by Lily Clark…

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/03/0044153-dew-point-i-is-a Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

A place to report problems with the new blogroll.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a140957 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

What a day. I have a feeling there’s going to be more of these as we go forward. It will have been worth the effort to make FeedLand.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/14.html#a140920 Save to Pocket

Swirling Forces, Crushing Pressures Measured in the Proton

date: 2024-03-14, from: Quanta Magazine

The post Swirling Forces, Crushing Pressures Measured in the Proton first appeared on Quanta Magazine

https://www.quantamagazine.org/swirling-forces-crushing-pressures-measured-in-the-proton-20240314/ Save to Pocket

US to probe Change Healthcare’s data protection standards as lawsuits mount

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Services slowly coming back online but providers still struggling

Change Healthcare is being investigated over the alleged 6 TB data theft by the ALPHV ransomware group as it continues recovery efforts.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/change_healthcare_ransomware_investigation/ Save to Pocket

Die shots and transistor-level debugging on Raspberry Pi 5

date: 2024-03-14, from: Jeff Geerling blog

Die shots and transistor-level debugging on Raspberry Pi 5

        <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ever since I <a href="https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2023/raspberry-pi-5-and-rp1-x-ray-scans">X-rayed the Raspberry Pi 5</a> to see inside the BCM2712 and RP1 chip packages, I've wanted <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_shot">die shots</a> of both chips. Why? Mostly out of curiosity, since I'm not a silicon expert by any means.</p>

I also ran into some weird overclocking issues after writing about my experience overclocking and underclocking the Raspberry Pi 5, and probably spent an unhealthy amount of time (and money) to learn about the clocks, PLLs, and chips on the latest version of everyone’s favorite Single Board Computer.

(Some Raspberry Pi 5s were harmed in the making of this blog post.)

  <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>

March 14, 2024

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/die-shots-and-transistor-level-debugging-on-raspberry-pi-5 Save to Pocket

Watch The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Set A New EV Record At The Nurburgring

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

This is what 7 minutes and 7.55 seconds look like on the Green Hell from the driver’s seat of Porsche’s new 1,000+ HP EV.

https://insideevs.com/news/712409/porsche-taycan-turbo-gt-nurburgring-record-run-video/ Save to Pocket

Hubble Tracks Jupiter’s Stormy Weather

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

The giant planet Jupiter, in all its banded glory, is revisited by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in these latest images, taken on January 5-6, 2024, capturing both sides of the planet. Hubble monitors Jupiter and the other outer solar system planets every year under the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program (OPAL). This is because these large […]

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-tracks-jupiters-stormy-weather/ Save to Pocket

Hyundai and Kia recall 170,000 EVs in Korea over software glitch, is the US next?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Hyundai and Kia will recall around 170,000 EVs in Korea, the largest since they launched. The recall is over a software issue impacting Hyundai’s IONIQ, Genesis, and Kia EVs. Meanwhile, there’s an open NHTSA investigation in the US.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/hyundai-kia-recall-170000-evs-korea-is-us-next/ Save to Pocket

A company linked to a large “pink slime” network is being hired by big publishers like Gannett

date: 2024-03-14, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

The largest newspaper chain in the United States has an ongoing business relationship with a company linked to a sprawling network of over a thousand “pink slime” publications — sites that profess to be local but have no local staff and do not disclose funding they’ve received from political sources. A Gannett spokesperson confirmed the…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/a-company-linked-to-a-large-pink-slime-network-is-being-hired-by-big-publishers-like-gannett/ Save to Pocket

US Interior Department to Give Tribal Nations $120 Million to Fight Climate-Related Threats

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-interior-department-to-give-tribal-nations-120-million-to-fight-climate-related-threats/7527547.html Save to Pocket

The Year of the Big-Balled Rat

date: 2024-03-14, from: Gary Marcus blog

Science is in for a rough ride

https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/the-year-of-the-big-balled-rat Save to Pocket

Observers: US Investments in Philippines Seen Easing Reliance on China

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

Taipei, Taiwan — During a trade mission visit to Manila this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in the Philippines’ tech sector and help double the number of semiconductor factories in the country.

Observers say the pledge and visit highlight the Southeast Asian nation’s growing importance to Washington and will also help reduce the Philippine economy’s reliance on China.

“U.S. companies have realized that our chip supply chain is way too concentrated in just a few countries in the world,” Raimondo said in remarks at a business forum on Tuesday.

“Forget about geopolitics. Just at that level of concentration, you know the old adage, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ Why do we allow ourselves to be buying so many of our chips from one or two countries? That’s why we need to diversify,” Raimondo said.

American business executives from 22 businesses, including Alphabet’s Google, Visa and Microsoft, joined Raimondo on the trip.

Possible expansion of chip industry

JC Punongbayan, resident economist and columnist of the online news website Rappler.com, said that while the Philippines is one of the key centers in the global electronics industry chain, it does not yet have the ability to manufacture smartphone or computer chips. The Philippines currently has 13 semiconductor factories that focus on assembly, packaging and testing.

“This commitment by the U.S. government to boost the local semiconductor industry is a welcome development because right now, even if semiconductors have figured prominently in trade statistics, these are not high value-added. So basically, we import a lot of components and then export them after assembly and packaging,” Punongbayan told VOA’s Mandarin Service.

“Hopefully, these investments by the U.S. government and private sector partners will enable the Philippines to export higher value-added goods in the future,” he said.

Punongbayan believes that at a time when the Philippines is working hard to amend its regulations and hoping to attract more foreign direct investment, the promised investment from U.S. companies could provide a strong boost to the capital-starved country.

“We have had some difficulties when it comes to attracting foreign investments. And in fact, from 2020 to 2023, foreign direct investments dropped by more than 6% on an annual basis. So, we really need these investments in order to boost the economy,” Punongbayan said.

“And the billion-dollar investment pledge of the U.S. is several times the actual foreign direct investments that have come in recent years — in fact, almost nine times the foreign direct investment from the U.S. in 2023. These are very crucial to Philippine development,” he said.

During Raimondo’s two-day visit, U.S. companies committed to invest in the digital and energy sectors, areas that are in line with Manila’s overall development plans and will help the Philippines’ industrial upgrading and transformation, Punongbayan said.

Defense and economy

Dindo Manhit, president of the Stratbase ADR Institute for Strategic and International Studies, a policy think tank in the Philippines, said that over the years, the Philippines’ economic growth has been mainly driven by strong consumption.

These investment commitments by U.S. companies will accelerate local economic growth, Manhit said, benefiting both the public and private sectors and positively affecting areas such as the Philippines’ manufacturing supply chain and business process outsourcing.

He said these investments could also allow Manila to fully understand that strengthening its alliance with Washington will not only bring it defense assistance but also economic security.

“Because we all share values, democratic values. We value jobs for people. In the case of the Philippines, imagine if we can create jobs that could provide better income for Filipinos,” Manhit said. “Then we will see the strong partnership with the U.S. not limited to national security only, but also economic security.”

Washington’s pledges of economic support for the Philippines comes at a time of rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo warned that Manila is facing severe “economic coercion” from China. He also said the Philippines relies heavily on trade relations with China and hopes to expand economic and trade connections with other countries, including establishing formal free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union as soon as possible.

Punongbayan said that despite the disputes in the South China Sea, Manila continues to import a large amount of goods from China, which is the largest source of the country’s trade deficit. That shows how difficult it is for the country to decouple its economy from China, and why it is imperative for Manila to lessen its dependence on Beijing.

Greater interest from the United States to invest in the Philippines is a step in the right direction, he said.

“If we import a lot from China, then indirectly we are boosting China’s economy at the same time. And of course, part of the revenues coming from these payments to China will go to the Chinese government,” Punongbayan said. “So indirectly, in a way, the Philippines is funding China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea.”

Manhit, however, said compared with other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippine economy is not very dependent on China.

According to recent poll by Stratbase ADR Institute for Strategic and International Studies, the country Filipinos most want to maintain good economic relations with is the U.S., followed by Japan, while China ranks at the bottom.

He said the poll not only shows that China does not have as strong an economic influence on the Philippines as Beijing claims, but also that Filipinos are unanimously willing to expand economic cooperation with countries that share common democratic values, or values of human rights and the rule of law.

https://www.voanews.com/a/observers-us-investments-in-philippines-seen-easing-reliance-on-china/7527518.html Save to Pocket

World’s Largest Drone Maker Expands in US Amid Rights Abuse Allegations

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

washington — Chinese drone maker DJI is expanding in the U.S. with its first flagship store in New York City amid allegations of links to human rights abuses and ties to China’s military.

DJI’s “first concept” North American store on New York’s Fifth Avenue welcomes customers into a futuristic, minimalist space to shop. The company describes itself on its website as “the world’s leader in civil drones and creative camera technology.”

“We continue to see growing consumer demand throughout North America as we expand our consumer product portfolio,” said Christina Zhang, senior director of corporate strategy at DJI.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, the company was founded in 2006. DJI, also known as Da Jiang Innovations, has become the world’s largest drone maker, having achieved global dominance in less than 20 years. The company now supplies 70% of the world’s consumer drones and nearly 80% of U.S. consumer drones.

Abuse allegations

On March 5, the day of DJI’s official store opening in New York, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), a Washington research and advocacy group, released a report titled Surveillance Tech Series: DJI’s Links to Human Rights Abuses in East Turkistan.

The report accuses DJI of being involved in mass surveillance and rights violations against Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and other Muslim communities in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which the group calls East Turkistan.

“DJI is directly involved in mass surveillance schemes in East Turkistan and has supplied public security agencies with tools to surveil and target Uyghurs, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz people,” the UHRP report said. “Xinjiang public security departments entered into seven procurement orders with DJI that were worth nearly US$300,000 between 2019 and 2022.”

The report stated that DJI sells drones to Xinjiang’s paramilitary organization, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which the U.S. government sanctioned because of its “connection with serious rights abuses against ethnic minorities” in Xinjiang.

“Other documents show tenders worth US$47,000 for DJI drones for the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps,” the UHRP report stated.

The report also said that a DJI drone captured footage of dozens of individuals, seemingly Uyghur prisoners, blindfolded and shackled at a train station in southern Xinjiang. The video, first released on YouTube in 2019, garnered widespread media attention.

“It’s unethical to support a company that knowingly engages in egregious rights violations,” Nuzigum Setiwaldi, the report’s author, told Voice of America.

The U.S. and several Western parliaments have accused China of genocide in Xinjiang, targeting Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim populations. The U.N. human rights office released a report saying the human rights violations in Xinjiang may amount to crimes against humanity. China criticized Western nations for spreading “lies” about human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet.

A spokesperson from DJI told VOA the company has not engaged in any activities, including sales distribution and product development, that violate or abuse human rights.

“Like other manufacturers, we do not have control over how our products are used as they are available off the shelf,” wrote a DJI spokesperson in an email response. “However, we have demonstrated – through years of investments in product safety and security initiatives – that our products are developed for peaceful and civilian use only.”

Chinese military company or not?

In 2022, The Washington Post reported that DJI obscured ties to Chinese government funding.

In the same year, the U.S. Department of Defense classified DJI as a “Chinese military company.” As of January, DJI remains on the list of such companies operating in the United States. The department said it maintains companies on the list to counter China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy, which supports the modernization of the Chinese army.

Reuters reported that former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who ran the U.S. Justice Department from 2015 to 2017 and is now with the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison law firm, wrote a letter to the Defense Department last July on behalf of DJI, urging the removal of her client from the Pentagon’s Chinese military companies list.

In her letter, Lynch cited the importance and urgency of such a move because of the wide use of and dependence on DJI products by a variety of U.S. stakeholders.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned in January that Chinese-made drones posed “significant risk” to U.S. national security and critical infrastructure.

“[T]he PRC’s 2017 National Intelligence Law compels Chinese companies to cooperate with state intelligence services, including providing access to data collected within China and around the world,” CISA said in its cybersecurity guidance on Chinese manufactured drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

However, DJI’s spokesperson told VOA that DJI “is not a Chinese military company.”

According to DJI, the company remains one of the few drone companies that clearly “denounce and actively discourage” the use of drones in combat.

“We do not pursue business opportunities for combat use or operations. Our distributors, resellers and other business partners globally have also committed to following this policy when they sell and use our products,” DJI spokesperson said.

https://www.voanews.com/a/world-s-largest-drone-maker-expands-in-us-amid-rights-abuse-allegations-/7526613.html Save to Pocket

Tesla (TSLA) delivery estimates are plunging as growth story dissipates

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

Analysts are releasing a wave of delivery estimate downgrades for Tesla as the automaker’s growth story is dissipating – at least for the next few years.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/tesla-delivery-estimates-plunging-growth-story-dissipates/ Save to Pocket

The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Pornhub

date: 2024-03-14, from: 404 Media Group

In a new series by CBC Podcasts, hosted by 404 Media’s Sam Cole, former employees, performers, and the new owners themselves speak out about Pornhub’s influence on the industry and beyond.

https://www.404media.co/the-pornhub-empire-cbc-podcast/ Save to Pocket

Voyager 1 starts making sense again after months of babble

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Veteran spacecraft shows signs of sanity with poke from engineers

Engineers are hopeful that the veteran spacecraft Voyager 1 might have turned a corner after spending the last three months spouting gibberish at controllers.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/voyager_1_not_dead/ Save to Pocket

Global Passenger EV, Hybrid Battery Market Expanded 40% In 2023

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

The combined battery deployment reached roughly 690 gigawatt-hours.

https://insideevs.com/news/712261/global-passenger-xev-battery-market-2023/ Save to Pocket

What Is Quantum Teleportation?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Quanta Magazine

The post What Is Quantum Teleportation? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-quantum-teleportation-20240314/ Save to Pocket

Compact Robot Takes Flight to Support CERISS Initiative

date: 2024-03-14, from: NASA breaking news

NASA’s TechFlights 2023 Selections Advance Space Science in Collaboration with Industry A new robot will be taking flight soon to test its ability to support biological and physical science experiments in microgravity.  As one of NASA’s 2023 TechFlights selections, this compact robot will have a chance to fly on a commercial suborbital flight to see […]

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/biological-physical-sciences/compact-robot-takes-flight-to-support-ceriss-initiative/ Save to Pocket

Who Will Design London’s First Permanent HIV/AIDS Memorial?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Five artists have been shortlisted for the project, which will be located near the site of the U.K.’s first dedicated AIDS ward

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-will-design-londons-first-permanent-hivaids-memorial-180983950/ Save to Pocket

$18,101 Worth of Lego Head

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: One Foot Tsunami

https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/03/14/18101-worth-of-lego-head/ Save to Pocket

The DOE Is Putting More Money into Clean Hydrogen

date: 2024-03-14, from: Heatmap News

Current conditions: New wildfires are spreading along Chile’s Pacific Coast • Flooding has killed more than 60 people in Afghanistan over the last three weeks • It will be 70 degrees Fahrenheit today in Indianapolis, Indiana, where signs of spring have emerged 14 days early.

THE TOP FIVE

1. DOE announces $750 million for clean hydrogen R&D

The Department of Energy announced yesterday a $750 million injection into 52 hydrogen research and development projects aimed at bringing down the price of clean hydrogen and making it a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Most of the money will go toward electrolyzers, the devices that use electricity to split hydrogen from oxygen. Being able to produce more of these devices for less money – by improving the supply chains and automating manufacturing, for example – will help bring down the overall cost of clean hydrogen. The funding will also help support fuel cell production, as well as research into “recovery, recycling, and reuse of clean hydrogen materials and components.” This is the first distribution of the $1.5 billion that’s been carved out from the bipartisan infrastructure law for clean hydrogen. The Biden administration has also allotted $7 billion in federal funds to build seven hydrogen hubs across the country, and these new R&D projects will “support the long-term viability” of these hubs, the DOE said.

2. Shell walks back some emissions pledges

Oil giant Shell is watering down its commitment to scale back carbon emissions in the next few years. The company pledged in 2021 to reduce its “net carbon intensity” by 20% by 2030, but has adjusted that to between 15% and 20%, according to its latest energy transition strategy update. The goal of a 45% reduction by 2035 has been scrapped entirely. Net carbon intensity is a bit of a confusing term. Shell defines it as “emissions associated with each unit of energy we sell.” The Financial Times calls it “an accounting treatment that allows Shell to offset the carbon produced by its oil and gas business against its growing sales of lower-carbon products.”

“The change reflects Shell’s move away from supplying renewable power to homes,” wrote Laura Hurst at Bloomberg. Shell also said it aims to “reduce customer emissions” – or Scope 3 emissions – from its oil products by 15% to 20% by 2030. How? By “reducing sales of oil products, such as petrol and diesel, as we support customers as they move to electric mobility and lower-carbon fuels, including natural gas, LNG and biofuels.” The company claims it can still get to net-zero emissions by 2050.

3. EU sues Greece over flood risk mismanagement

The European Commission is suing Greece for failing to manage flood risk. Under the European Green Deal, all EU member states are required to comply with water rules that help ensure, among other things, good management of river basins to help prepare for floods. The commission said that “Greece has so far not reviewed, adopted nor reported its river basin management plans,” and it is therefore referring the country to the EU’s high court. Greece isn’t the only country under pressure: The commission has also sued Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, and Slovakia for their own reporting failures. But the lawsuit against Greece comes five months after the country experienced historic floods in its Thessaly plain, “devastating crops and livestock and raising questions about the Mediterranean country’s ability to deal with an increasingly erratic climate,” explained Reuters.

4. Study: Methane leaks from U.S. oil and gas operations are vastly underestimated

As the race to cut planet-warming methane emissions ramps up, new data is revealing the true scope of the problem. A new study published yesterday in the journal Nature suggests fossil fuel operations in the U.S. may be emitting three times as much methane as previously thought. Energy production is the third largest source of methane emissions because the gas often leaks from oil wells and gas processing plants. But this new study – which examined 1 million measurements from aerial surveys over six major oil- and gas-producing regions in the U.S. – suggests we’ve been underestimating the size of these leaks, making projects like the MethaneSAT even more important. Yesterday the International Energy Agency said methane emissions from the energy sector were still at record highs last year.

5. The U.K. has more giant redwoods than California

Most people associate giant sequoias with the forests of California, but new research finds the trees are far more plentiful in Britain. The giant redwood was introduced to the UK in 1853 and has since thrived. There are an estimated 500,000 sequoias in the UK, compared with 80,000 in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, according to a report by Britain’s academy of sciences, the Royal Society. While wildfire and drought threaten California’s redwoods, “in the UK our climate is more temperate, wetter, and so it is actually likely better suited to these trees in the long run,” said Dr Mathias Disney from University College London, one of the authors of the study.

To estimate the UK trees’ biomass, the researchers used laser scanning to measure the height of 97 trees from three locations. Here they are, ranked by size:

Royal Society

THE KICKER

The job board for the Biden administration’s American Climate Corps will officially open next month. As Grist reported, most of the positions are not expected to require experience.

https://heatmap.news/economy/clean-hydrogen-shell-emissions Save to Pocket

Former US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin thinking about buying TikTok

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

SteveTok? TikMnuch?

On the heels of the US House of Representatives passing a TikTok ban law, former US Treasury secretary and private equity mogul Steve Mnuchin is apparently thinking about buying the platform.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/tiktok_mnuchin/ Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

The French call their parents in law beautiful parents/mother/father.

I can’t help wondering if this improves their relationships. The Mexican term is outright ugly sounding “suegro/suegra”

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112094048854511064 Save to Pocket

Honda Might Team Up With Nissan For Cheap EV After Ditching Plans With GM

date: 2024-03-14, from: Inside EVs News

Nissan is looking for a partner to make a new modular electric axle and EV platform, and Honda might fit the bill, Nikkei reported.

https://insideevs.com/news/712353/nissan-honda-cheap-ev-plans-report/ Save to Pocket

PeerJ Expert Curations: Molecular Ecology (Prof. Ana I. F. Ribeiro-Barros)

date: 2024-03-14, from: PeerJ blog

Ana I. F. Ribeiro-Barros, is a research professor at the School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, and visiting professor at Madeira University (Portugal), Eduardo Mondlane University and Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique). Her scientific activity is focused on the characterization, conservation, monitoring and management of agro-forestry resources: molecular ecology; landscape genomics; biodiversity; environmental stress; plant microbiome; […]

https://peerj.com/blog/post/115284888922/peerj-expert-curations-molecular-ecology-prof-ana-i-f-ribeiro-barros/ Save to Pocket

PeerJ Expert Curations: Molecular Ecology (Prof. Ana I. F. Ribeiro-Barros)

date: 2024-03-14, from: PeerJ blog

Ana I. F. Ribeiro-Barros, is a research professor at the School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, and visiting professor at Madeira University (Portugal), Eduardo Mondlane University and Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique). Her scientific activity is focused on the characterization, conservation, monitoring and management of agro-forestry resources: molecular ecology; landscape genomics; biodiversity; environmental stress; plant microbiome; […]

https://peerj.com/blog/post/115284888922/molecular-ecology/ Save to Pocket

What Students Learn From Their Big Bear Bald Eagle (And Real Life) Teachers

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The LAist

Tens of thousands of people have tuned in to watch Jackie and Shadow’s Big Bear nest, including students from around the country.

https://laist.com/news/education/big-bear-bald-eagles-lessons-for-students-2024-pio-watch-nesting-season Save to Pocket

See the Messages NASA Will Send to Space on Its Upcoming Mission to Europa

date: 2024-03-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine

A metal plate affixed to the Europa Clipper is engraved with a poem, tributes to scientists and waveforms representing the word “water” in 103 languages, among other drawings

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-messages-nasa-will-send-to-space-on-its-upcoming-mission-to-europa-180983949/ Save to Pocket

AI and wearables are scaring the wellbeing out of workers

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

We thought everyone was thrilled about being spied on and having their jobs taken by bots

A survey of UK workers suggests that quality of life declines as exposure to newer technology including wearables, robotics, and AI rises in the workplace.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/advanced_workplace_tech_study/ Save to Pocket

Where does TikTok go from here?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Marketplace Morning Report

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives’ passed a bill with bipartisan support that would force parent company ByteDance to either divest — to sell off — TikTok or see the app banned from U.S. app stores. But could such a divestiture happen? And would TikTok still be TikTok? Also on the program: The stock market is on a tear. Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor of The Economist, calls it “rational exuberance.”

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/where-does-tiktok-go-from-here Save to Pocket

TikTok responds to ban bill

date: 2024-03-14, from: Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: TikTok’s chief executive responds to the decision to potentially ban the app in the United States following allegations of links to the Chinese Community Party. We’ll hear some responses from China. Plus, Bitcoin is breaking records, and this time it’s in the right direction — it’s hitting all time highs. So what’s behind the surge?

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/tiktok-responds-to-ban-bill Save to Pocket

MIT students recreate Oppenheimer with a beaver for Pi Day (yes, really)

date: 2024-03-14, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)

An excellent student group from MIT has been creating suitably kooky videos every Pi Day since 2014. This year’s is a take on Oppenheimer.

The post MIT students recreate Oppenheimer with a beaver for Pi Day (yes, really) appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/mit-students-recreate-oppenheimer-with-a-beaver-for-pi-day-yes-really/ Save to Pocket

Automakers Are Sharing Driver Data with Insurers without Consent

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-12, from: Bruce Schneier blog

Kasmir Hill has the story:

Modern cars are internet-enabled, allowing access to services like navigation, roadside assistance and car apps that drivers can connect to their vehicles to locate them or unlock them remotely. In recent years, automakers, including G.M., Honda, Kia and Hyundai, have started offering optional features in their connected-car apps that rate people’s driving. Some drivers may not realize that, if they turn on these features, the car companies then give information about how they drive to data brokers like LexisNexis [who then sell it to insurance companies]…

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/03/automakers-are-sharing-driver-data-with-insurers-without-consent.html Save to Pocket

Exchange Online blocked from sending email to AOL and Yahoo

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Microsoft IP addresses on the spam naughty step

If you’re an Exchange Online user wondering why emails to Yahoo and AOL users haven’t been getting through, don’t worry – it isn’t just you. Stricter security rules have tripped up Microsoft’s email service.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/exchange_online_blocked_from_sending/ Save to Pocket

Watch This Mustang Sketchily Ratchet-Strap Tow a Motorcycle

date: 2024-03-14, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News

Yeah, this OSHA might have a few complaints…

https://www.rideapart.com/news/712314/mustang-towing-motorcycle-ratchet-strap/ Save to Pocket

Git by example: interactive guide

date: 2024-03-14, from: Anton Zhiyanov blog

Interactive introduction to Git with real-world use cases.

https://antonz.org/git-by-example/ Save to Pocket

Rancher faces prison for trying to breed absolute unit of a sheep

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Ewe-nique endeavor aimed to create Jurassic Baaa-rk experience for hunters

In a case that could have been lifted from a bad movie about a “mad scientist,” a Montana rancher has pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking charges in his quest to genetically engineer an ubersheep for hunting.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/rancher_hybrid_sheep/ Save to Pocket

2024-03-13 Marking the Web’s 35th Birthday: A Shorter Letter

date: 2024-03-14, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog

2024-03-13 Marking the Web’s 35th Birthday: A Shorter Letter

I think there are people with more interesting ideas than what Tim Berners-Lee has to say, given what I just read. His post is on Medium so I had to read in eww, the browser built into Emacs. 😂 The most interesting fragment was this:

collectivise their solutions, and … overturn the online world being dictated by profit to one that is dictated by the needs of humanity

It’s pretty much out of context because it follows something like this:

there is a need, an urgent need, for others to do the same, to back the morally courageous leadership that is rising

How weird is that? I started thinking. Where is that morally courageous leadership that is rising? Are they morally courageous but not in other ways? Is their morality courageous because their morals aren’t recognized as morals or their morals might seem amoral to others? Or is amorality considered moral in the mainstream? Or isn’t it rather that the mainstream knows full well what is moral but can’t help the systemic pressures of having to earn money? Why isn’t he advocating for system change? Is that what collectivisation is about? What exactly are we collectivising? The solutions? The products? The capital? Or is he just saying that the morally ambiguous but courageous leaders have ideas that we, collectively, ought to support? And the “fundamental change” he has in mind are “Contract for the Web” and “Solid Protocol”? I… I don’t know… We must “champion the efforts of those visionary individuals who are actively working to build a new, improved system”? It just feels so weird. How about this alternative:

1. We need a web that is built for the people, by the people.
2. We need free ourselves from the shackles and fetters of corporations.
3. Remove corporations and their representatives from all governing bodies and committees.
4. All positions to be paid positions. Don’t let those on the corporate payrolls take over.
5. One human, one vote. No strings attached. Don’t tie votes to membership fees. This is for all of humanity.

It took me two minutes to write something that seemed a bit more visionary than what Tim Berners-Lee had in mind and if you like it, please don’t champion me but talk to some friends and do a little thing, no matter how small, to support a few more people on the web. Run a forum, a wiki, provide email services, run a fediverse instance, run a HTML course at the library, collect money for a mutual aid fund, something, anything. The only conditions are:

1. it must be a concrete thing that you are actually doing
2. it must benefit more people than are involved in doing it

It’s OK to cap it. But it’s important to start it. Just make it a point to enable somebody else. And just like that, we’re taking back the web.

#Web

@ohyran commented on fedi:

“Its hardware all the way down”. The internet created this fantasy of a secondary realm outside of the physical confines of our reality - that allowed us to think that the person who controlled the narrative in that alternative universe had some control. In fact the people in control of hardware, if that’s servers or cables or switches, are in control. There is no second reality.

2024-03-14. Brian Kardell writes:

I’ve argued that while the web ecosystem has become the infrastructure for nearly everything, our models for funding and prioritization of the last 20 years have proven not only inadequate, and problematic, but ultimately fragile and cannot last. The only questions, I’ve argued, are how soon and what happens next. Are we ready for it? (hint: no). – How We Fund the Web Ecosystem

https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2024-03-13-open-web Save to Pocket

I, Cyborg: Using Co-Intelligence

date: 2024-03-14, from: One Useful Thing

How I used AI in my book about AI

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/i-cyborg-using-co-intelligence Save to Pocket

SAP accused of age discrimination, retaliation by US whistleblower

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Complainant moved to ‘retire in place’ role after Sarbanes Oxley Act report, filing alleges

SAP is being sued for age discrimination and retaliation by an employee who alleges he was moved to a meaningless role after he asked for an investigation of potentially anti-competitive practices.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/sap_in_age_discrimination_case/ Save to Pocket

China Says US TikTok Vote Follows ‘Logic of a Bandit’

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

BEIJING — China on Thursday said the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of a bill that would force TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company or be banned in the United States follows “entirely the logic of a bandit.”

The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance — and alleged subservience to Beijing’s ruling Communist Party — has fueled concern in Western capitals.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its parent company or face a nationwide ban.

The bill is yet to pass the Senate, where it is expected to face a tougher test to become law.

“The bill passed by the United States House of Representatives puts the United States on the opposite side of the principles of fair competition and international economic and trade rules,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference.

“If so-called reasons of national security can be used to arbitrarily suppress excellent companies from other countries, then there is no fairness and justice at all,” he said.

“When someone sees a good thing another person has and tries to take it for themself, this is entirely the logic of a bandit.

“The United States’ handling of the TikTok incident will allow the world to see more clearly whether the United States’ so-called rules and order are beneficial to the world, or whether they only serve the United States itself.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/china-says-us-tiktok-vote-follows-logic-of-a-bandit-/7527139.html Save to Pocket

Oh look, cracking down on Big Tech works. Brave, Firefox, Vivaldi surge on iOS

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Thanks to Europe forcing Apple to offer a browser choice screen. Now, about ditching WebKit …

Since Apple implemented a browser choice screen for iPhones earlier this month to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Brave Software, Mozilla, and Vivaldi have seen a surge in the number of people installing their web browsers.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/brave_mozilla_europe_ios/ Save to Pocket

Biden Keeps Israel Close, but Netanyahu Away

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

Washington — With increasingly frequent and vocal expressions of frustration, U.S. President Joe Biden appears to be distancing himself from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed that international pressure will not prevent Israel from achieving “total victory” in its war against Hamas.

The rift is fueling speculation that the U.S. might restrict the supply of American weapons, particularly if Netanyahu moves to “finish the job” against Hamas in Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltered.

Placing conditions on military aid would be Washington’s strongest leverage to affect Israel’s conduct of the war, which has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry.

While U.S. media have quoted anonymous administration sources saying they are considering that option, officially the White House has declined to “entertain hypotheticals.”

“The president has been very clear about our position on Rafah,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during Tuesday’s White House briefing. “A military operation in Rafah that does not protect civilians, that cuts off the main arteries of humanitarian assistance, and that places enormous pressure on the Israel-Egypt border, is not something that he can support.”

Biden himself was ambiguous about whether invading Rafah would cross a red line, saying he would never abandon Israel. At the same time, he rebuked the Netanyahu government for the way it has gone after Hamas following the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 240 hostage.

“The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line [where] I’m going to cut off all weapons, so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them,” he said in a recent interview with MSNBC, even as he underscored that Israel “cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead.”

However, the president is telegraphing his rebukes. Caught on a hot mic while speaking to a Democratic senator last week, Biden said that he has told Netanyahu they are heading for a “come to Jesus” meeting, an expression for having a blunt conversation.

Told by an aide that he could be heard, Biden said, “Good. That’s good.”

Electoral goals

Biden’s increasingly public criticism of Netanyahu comes as he ramps up his campaign for reelection in November. The president faces competing constituencies within his Democratic base.

He cannot afford to give Republicans an opportunity to capture pro-Israel votes. But he also needs to stop progressive Democrats, young voters, Muslim and Arab Americans from abandoning him, as threatened by the significant portion of voters in some Democratic primaries who marked their ballots “uncommitted” to signal their outrage at the president’s support for Israel.

To address his domestic politics and foreign policy goals, Biden is “performing a political amputation of Bibi,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, using a nickname for Netanyahu.

The goal, Blumenfeld told VOA, is to separate what Biden considers Netanyahu’s “toxic war policies” from the state of Israel so that the president can follow his political instincts: to protect Israel from further attacks and facilitate the release of hostages “without sacrificing his moral core.”

Biden’s souring on Netanyahu may not be enough to appease pro-Palestinian Americans, particularly if a cease-fire isn’t secured soon. “Uncommitted” voters say they would abandon the president even when Biden surrogates point out that the Republican presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies, is likely to give Israel freer rein over its war conduct.

“I’ve lived through four years of Trump,” said Samraa Luqman, co-chair of the Abandon Biden campaign in Michigan. Palestinians, she told VOA, “cannot live through another Joe Biden presidency.”

Trump has avoided stating an explicit position on the war other than saying in a Fox News interview that Israel must “finish the problem” and that the “horrible invasion” by Hamas “would have never happened” if he were president.

Netanyahu hits back

In response to Biden’s criticism that Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” the prime minister hit back, saying in an interview with Politico that he has the support of the Israeli people.

If Biden meant “that I’m pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he’s wrong on both counts,” Netanyahu said.

Only 15% of Israelis want Netanyahu to stay in office after the war ends, according to a poll by Israel Democracy Institute. But 56% believe that continuing the military offensive is the best way to recover the hostages.

In general, Israelis are focused on toppling Hamas, said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the Department of Political Studies at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. To them, protecting civilians and providing humanitarian aid are “details,” he told VOA. “They don’t understand the significance in America.”

Distrust in Netanyahu

Earlier this week, an annual threat assessment released by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) cited deepening “distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule” since the war broke. The prime minister’s “viability as leader” may be in jeopardy, the report said.

“It’s clear that the U.S. administration is going after Netanyahu,” said Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute.

As the process toward a political transition in Israel begins, Goren told VOA, the U.S. “is an actor in it.”

The ODNI report noted that “a different, more moderate government is a possibility,” drawing ire from Israeli officials who felt snubbed earlier this month when Israeli war Cabinet member Benny Gantz was received by Vice President Kamala Harris, Sullivan and Democratic congressional leaders.

Many see Gantz’s invitation to Washington as a sign of the administration’s support, should the popular centrist politician become Israel’s next prime minister.

Asked by VOA if Gantz’s visit is a signal that the administration is looking forward to an Israeli government without Netanyahu, national security communications adviser John Kirby flatly said, “No.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-keeps-israel-close-but-netanyahu-away/7527036.html Save to Pocket

Biden Keeps Israel Close but Netanyahu Away

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

While U.S. President Joe Biden has continued to support Israel’s war against Hamas, he appears to be distancing himself from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The apparent rift between the leaders has fueled speculation that the U.S. might restrict military aid in a bid to influence Israel’s conduct in Gaza. VOA’s White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this story.

https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-keeps-israel-close-but-netanyahu-away/7527009.html Save to Pocket

Seriously, again, how dumb is Trump?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Robert Reich on Substack

And why has his extraordinary stupidity fallen off the radar during his third run for the presidency?

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/seriously-how-dumb-is-trump Save to Pocket

Microsoft forges One Teams App To Rule Them All

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Windows preview delivers one app to handle multiple accounts, boosts Copilot’s capabilities

Microsoft is on the cusp of addressing a major frustration caused by its Teams app by introducing a version capable of simultaneously logging in to multiple personae.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/unified_teams_debuts/ Save to Pocket

March 13, 2024

date: 2024-03-14, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog

After yesterday’s primary contests, we appear headed toward a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024. But this year’s election is an entirely different kettle of fish than that of 2020. In 2020 there were plenty of red flags around Trump’s plans for a second term, but it was not until after it was clear he had lost the election that he gave up all pretense of normal presidential behavior. Beginning the night of the election, he tried to overturn that election and to install himself as president, ignoring the will of the voters, who had chosen Joe Biden. His attack on the fundamental principle of democracy ended the tradition of the peaceful transfer of power established in 1797 when our first president, George Washington, deliberately walked behind his successor, John Adams, after Adams was sworn into office.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-13-2024 Save to Pocket

Third Test Flight of SpaceX’s Mega Rocket Ends With Loss of Spacecraft

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/spacex-hoping-to-launch-starship-farther-in-3rd-test-flight/7527089.html Save to Pocket

Ten nations tell social media, banks, and telcos to get better at stopping scams

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Australian minister singles out Meta – where Zuck has 600,000 Nvidia GPUs ready to roll

The governments of ten nations have called on social media operators to improve their ability to detect and prevent fraud from flourishing on their platforms.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/global_fraud_summit_communique_meta/ Save to Pocket

USC community rallies for Rolling Loud

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)

The R&B and hip-hop music festival will feature a four-day lineup for the first time ever.

The post USC community rallies for Rolling Loud appeared first on Daily Trojan.

https://dailytrojan.com/2024/03/13/usc-community-rallies-for-rolling-loud/ Save to Pocket

Korea’s SK Innovation liquidates Chinese battery subsidiary

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

The Chaebol that also runs chipmaker SK hynix lacks energy to run multiple middle kingdom entities

SK Innovation, part of the same Chaebol as chipmaker SK hynix, has liquidated its Chinese battery subsidiary, Blue Dragon Energy.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/sk_liquidates_chinese_battery/ Save to Pocket

Biden to Raise Concern Over Nippon Steel’s Deal for US Steel

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden plans to express concern over Nippon Steel’s proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, pushing the U.S. company’s stock nearly 13% lower on bets the deal could face greater political opposition.

The issue has the potential to overshadow an April 10 summit between Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida aimed at boosting the long-standing security alliance between their countries in the face of growing Chinese strength.

In December, Nippon Steel clinched a deal to buy the 122-year-old iconic U.S. steelmaker for a hefty premium, betting that U.S. Steel would benefit from the spending and tax incentives in Biden’s infrastructure bill.

However, several Democratic and Republican U.S. senators have criticized the deal, citing national security concerns or raising questions about why the two companies did not consult U.S. Steel’s main union ahead of the announcement.

Donald Trump, Biden’s rival in the November U.S. presidential election, has said he would block the acquisition of U.S. Steel if elected. The White House said in December the deal needed to be carefully scrutinized given U.S. Steel’s core role in producing a material that is critical to national security. 

The White House declined to comment on Wednesday, but a person familiar with the matter said Biden would issue a statement about the planned acquisition before Kishida arrives for his state visit.

U.S. officials and lawyers have drafted the statement, and the White House has privately informed the Japanese government of Biden’s decision, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the news.

Japan’s top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on the report. “The Japan-U.S. alliance is stronger than ever, and the two countries will continue to work together … in the field of economic security,” Hayashi, chief cabinet secretary, told reporters on Thursday, echoing recent remarks by Japanese officials.

Matthew Goodman, a trade and economics expert at Washington’s Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said the issue could overshadow the summit and be damaging for Kishida, who is already struggling politically at home.

“A prime minister of Japan has to demonstrate that he has the U.S. relationship not only under control, but that he’s enhancing it,” Goodman said. “So, to the extent this runs counter to that narrative politically at home, it’s problematic.”

Goodman said he thought the case of the acquisition being a risk to U.S. national security was “dubious” and questioning investments from a supposedly trusted security partner could be very damaging to the relationship.

“It’s much more to do with politics in an election year when both nominees are appealing to support from steel workers and unions,” he said of Biden and Trump.

In a joint statement, Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel said they welcomed the Biden administration’s scrutiny of the transaction, as “an objective and comprehensive review of this transaction will demonstrate that it strengthens U.S. jobs, competition, and economic and national security.”

Goodman said there have been long-standing concerns in the United States about Japanese labor practices and “non-support for unionization of workers in Japanese-owned factories in the U.S. well beyond steel.”

The companies said they have had “active, dedicated discussions with the United Steelworkers, which are ongoing.” 

 U.S. Steel, founded in 1901 by some of the biggest U.S. magnates, including Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Charles Schwab, became intertwined with the industrial recovery following the Great Depression and World War II.

Last year, the Pittsburgh-based company launched a formal review of its strategic options after rebuffing a takeover offer from steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs.

Its shares had come under pressure following several quarters of falling revenue and profit, making it an attractive takeover target for rivals looking to add a maker of steel used by the automobile industry.

U.S. Steel shares closed 12.8% lower at $40.86 on Wednesday, well below Nippon’s offer of $55 per share.

https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-to-raise-concern-over-nippon-steel-s-deal-for-u-s-steel/7527074.html Save to Pocket

★ Apple Adjusts DMA Plan to Offer Direct Downloading of Apps From the Web (With a Big Asterisk), Custom Link-Out Screens, and Marketplaces Solely for the Distribution of a Developer’s Own Apps

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-15, from: Daring Fireball

I suspect Apple was ready to go from the start with web downloads — they knew the EC might demand it — and so they opened their hand January 25 with the compliance plan they hoped would fly, and are ratcheting out, piecemeal, with additional changes in the direction of more openness, as they obtain feedback — both from developers, and whatever EC back channels they may have.

https://daringfireball.net/2024/03/apple_adjusts_dma_plan Save to Pocket

Two Matadors receive all-conference honors as CSUN prepares for tournament

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

For the first time since the 2020-21 season, multiple Matadors were honored when the Big West dropped their men’s basketball all-conference teams. CSUN men’s basketball star De’Sean Allen-Eikens has been…

https://sundial.csun.edu/179483/sports/two-matadors-receive-all-conference-honors-as-csun-prepares-for-tournament/ Save to Pocket

CSU students successful in push to unionize

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

In the absence of a union to advocate for the rights and interests of students, California State University students organized themselves under the banner of the California State University Employees…

https://sundial.csun.edu/179476/news/csu-students-successful-in-push-to-unionize/ Save to Pocket

South Korea goes out on a limb to manage forests with AI, satellites

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Plans to digitally transform trees

South Korea’s Forest Service announced on Wednesday it plans to establish a real-time forest resource management system and an AI-based forest fire monitoring platform.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/korea_digitize_forest/ Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-03-14, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Now I understand that earlier toot about requiring a PhD to figure out the "word salad", here it is:

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112091819139233752 Save to Pocket

Traffic accident by Brahma Drive entrance

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)

A two-car traffic accident occurred on Tuesday, March 12, at the intersection of Winnetka Ave. and Calvert St., at the Pierce College sign at the

The post Traffic accident by Brahma Drive entrance appeared first on The Roundup.

https://theroundupnews.com/2024/03/13/traffic-accident-by-brahma-drive-entrance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=traffic-accident-by-brahma-drive-entrance Save to Pocket

Biden Talks About Roads, Bridges, While Protesters Shout About Death in Gaza

date: 2024-03-14, from: VOA News USA

Milwaukee, Wisconsin — U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday visited Wisconsin, a key swing state that he narrowly won in 2020, meeting with community members at a once shuttered but now thriving children’s community center to sell them on how he believes his economic policies are making their lives better.

Biden’s approval ratings in the Badger State have recently slumped, and on Wednesday afternoon, as Biden chatted privately with campaign volunteers at his new campaign headquarters in Milwaukee, less than a block away, several dozen protesters took aim at one reason why.

“Free, free, free Palestine!” the group members yelled as they waved Palestinian flags.

“Hey, Joe, what do you say, how many kids did you kill today,” they also shouted.

Inside the White House’s carefully managed events on Wednesday, the scene was different. Biden announced $3.3 billion in initiatives aimed at fixing transportation and infrastructure. He did not, during his public remarks, mention Gaza or any foreign policy issues.

“Everything we’re doing is connecting people with opportunity, not disconnecting people from opportunity,” Biden said, speaking at a community sports center that was shuttered during the pandemic but has since reopened.

“These projects will increase access to health care, schools, jobs, and will strengthen communities by covering highways with public spaces, creating new transit routes, adding sidewalks, bridges, bike lanes and more,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said to reporters aboard Air Force One.

The White House referred questions to the campaign when asked if Biden would meet with any Arab Americans in Wisconsin or Michigan, where he heads Thursday.

VOA asked Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, whether Biden had met — or would meet — with any concerned parties about the situation in Gaza.

“President Biden believes that every person’s life is profoundly valuable,” he replied. “From Palestine, Israel and around the world. He’s working to move forward towards a just and peaceful enduring solution, as he said in the State of the Union address. And that is the thing that will make the biggest difference for the profound feelings that people have about this crisis.”

The two main political contenders are taking a very different approach in this Midwestern state.

Biden said success in a closely contested state like Wisconsin “comes down to knocking on doors.”

On Wednesday, he lingered inside his new Wisconsin campaign headquarters — in the largest city, Milwaukee — where he met with Democratic volunteers behind closed doors for more than an hour.

Meanwhile, supporters of Biden rival Donald Trump this week submitted petitions in Wisconsin to force a recall election against the state’s top Republican, who refused calls to decertify Biden’s legitimate, narrow win in 2020.

When asked if the Biden campaign had faith in the state’s election process, Wikler was emphatic.

“Wisconsin has consistently been rated as among the best states in the country when it comes to administering elections,” he said. “That system allows us to have elections up and down the ballot where voters can trust the outcome.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-talks-roads-and-bridges-while-protesters-shout-about-gaza-/7527000.html Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Putin Recalls Trump Acting Like Jealous GF in Private.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/putin-recalls-trump-being-jealous-of-sleepy-joe-biden-in-private Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Scripting News: Blogrolls are for watchers.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/13/010313.html Save to Pocket

US Congress goes bang, bang, on TikTok sale-or-ban plan

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Bill proposes to do to China what China already does to the US – make life hard for foreign social networks

The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act – a law aimed at forcing TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the app’s US operations or face the prospect of a ban.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/us_congress_passes_tiktok_ban/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

10-minute podcast about today’s Blogroll-out.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/13.html#a014324 Save to Pocket

House Passes Bill That Requires ByteDance to Sell TikTok or Face Ban in the U.S.

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/tiktok-ban-passes-house-vote/ Save to Pocket

Happy Birthday, Mom

date: 2024-03-14, from: Doc Searls (at Harvard), New Old Blog

Mom would have been 111 today. She passed in ’03 at 90, but that’s not what matters. What matters is that she was a completely wonderful human being: as good a mother, sister, daughter, cousin, friend, and teacher as you’ll find. There is a thread in Facebook (which seems to be down now) on the […]

https://doc.searls.com/2024/03/13/happy-birthday-mom/ Save to Pocket

Blogrolls are for watchers

date: 2024-03-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News

Here’s a screen shot of the new software that came out today, the blogroll feature on Scripting News.

It’s a post on Manton’s blog, viewed in the blogroll on my site, talking about stuff on my site.

As we used to say in the Old School Blogosphere: “Watching them watch us, watch them watching us, etc, etc.”

Manton’s blog is expanded, revealing the five most recent posts. The cursor points at one, showing the full text in a tool tip. Click the link to visit the post on his blog.

Shortly after posting this item, Scripting News showed as the top item in the blogroll.

Then Doc Searls posted on his blog, and I had to snap a screen shot.

Did you know that Doc coined the term blogroll?

Then Gruber showed up from Daring Fireball. It’s a bit like a party. 😄

Today was a very exciting day here, I think tomorrow will be too.

http://scripting.com/2024/03/13/010313.html?title=blogrollsAreForWatchers Save to Pocket

The DMA Has Crippled Google Search in the EU

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Daring Fireball

https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/an-update-on-our-preparations-for-the-dma/ Save to Pocket

Is TSLA worth more with or without Elon Musk as CEO?

date: 2024-03-14, from: Electrek Feed

https://electrek.co/poll-post/is-tsla-worth-more-with-or-without-elon-musk-as-ceo/ Save to Pocket

Quick Charge Daily Pod: Polestar 3 variants, new EV Caddy, more

date: 2024-03-14, 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 our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

more…

https://electrek.co/2024/03/13/quick-charge-daily-pod-polestar-3-variants-new-ev-caddy-more/ Save to Pocket

Nissan to let 100,000 Aussies and Kiwis know their data was stolen in cyberattack

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Akira ransomware crooks brag of swiping thousands of ID documents during break-in

Over the next few weeks, Nissan Oceania will make contact with around 100,000 people in Australia and New Zealand whose data was pilfered in a December 2023 attack on its systems – perhaps by the Akira ransomware gang.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/14/nissan_oceania_100k_affected/ Save to Pocket

Pharma’s Dems Are Doing Trump’s Dirty Work On Drug Prices

date: 2024-03-14, from: The Lever News

As the first-ever Medicare drug-price negotiations take shape, Big Pharma-backed Democrats want to limit the number of costly medicines regulators can target.

https://www.levernews.com/pharmas-dems-are-doing-trumps-dirty-work-on-drug-prices/ Save to Pocket

Google’s EU Choice Screens for Android, for Default Browser and Default Search Within Chrome, Only Show Up on New Devices

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.android.com/choicescreen/dma/ Save to Pocket

More powerful Go execution traces

date: 2024-03-14, updated: 2024-03-14, from: Go language blog

New features and improvements to execution traces from the last year.

https://go.dev/blog/execution-traces-2024 Save to Pocket

LLVM Google Summer of Code 2024 & 2023

date: 2024-03-14, from: LLVM Blog

The LLVM organization was accepted to participate in Google Summer of Code in 2024. Soon, prospective participants will begin submitting their project proposals, and mentors will review them to select those who will spend a significant amount of time this year contributing to various parts of LLVM.

But first, let’s look back and see what we had in 2023. The Google Summer of Code 2023 was very successful for the LLVM project. Overall, we received 54 proposals for 24 open projects. Out of this set of proposals, 20 projects were successfully completed and covered many different aspects of LLVM and its subprojects.

• ExtractAPI while building by Ankur Saini, mentored by Daniel Grumberg
• WebAssembly Support for clang-repl by Anubhab Ghosh, mentored by Vassil Vassilev and Alexander Penev
• Modules Build Daemon: Build System Agnostic Support for Explicitly Built Modules by Connor Sughrue, mentored by Jan Svoboda, Michael Spencer
• [Interactive MLIR query tool to make exploring the IR easier] (https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/archive/2023/projects/bdePp9VD) by Devajith Valaparambil Sreeramaswamy, mentored by Jacques Pienaar
• Improving Compile Times by Dhruv Chawla, mentored by Nikita Popov
• Adding C++ Support to Clang’s ExtractAPI by Erick Velez, mentored by Daniel Grumberg
• Optimizing MLIR’s Presburger library by gilsaia, mentored by Kunwar Grover
• Adapting IR Load Semantics to Freeze All or Freeze Only Uninitialized Data by John McIver, mentored by Nuno Lopes
• Addressing Rust optimization failures in LLVM by Kohei Asano, mentored by Nikita Popov
• Tutorial development with clang-repl by Krishna Narayanan, mentored by Vassil Vassilev
• Fix Handling of Undefined Behavior in NewGVN by Manuel Brito, mentored by Nuno Lopes
• Map LLVM values to corresponding source-level expressions by phyBrackets, mentored by Satish Guggilla and Karthik Senthil
• Machine Learning Guided Ordering of Compiler Optimization Passes by Puneeth A R, mentored by Tarindu Jayatilaka, Johannes Doerfert, and Mircea Trofin
• Patch based test coverage for quick test feedback by ShivamGupta123, mentored by Henrik Olsson
• Re-optimization using JITLink by Sunho Kim, mentored by Vassil Vassilev, Stefan Gränitz, and Lang Hames
• Improvements in Clang Diagnostics by Takuya Shimizu, mentored by Timm Bäder
• Build & Run SingleSource Benchmarks with ClangIR by Vinicius Espindola, mentored by Bruno Cardoso Lopes and Nathan Lanza
• Better Performance Models for MLGO Training by Viraj Shah, mentored by Mircea Trofin, Aiden Grossman, and Ondrej Sykora
• Enhancing llvm-cov to Generate Hierarchical Coverage Reports by Yuhao Gu, mentored by Petr Hosek and Gulfem Savrun Yeniceri
• Autocompletion in Clang-REPL by Yuquan Fu, mentored by Vassil Vassilev

Some projects also provided detailed end-of-project reports or project diaries that are outstanding on their own:

• Tutorial Development with Clang-Repl
• Diagnostic Improvements in Clang 17
• Improving Compile Times
• Addressing Rust optimization failures in LLVM
• Map LLVM Values to corresponding source level expression
• Another step forward towards interactive programming - covers Autocompletion in Clang-REPL, WebAssembly Support for Clang-Repl, Re-optimization using JITLink and Tutorial development with clang-repl projects.

GSoC 2024

With a successful end to 2023, the LLVM Project is excited to participate in GSOC 2024. If you are interested in participating, here are some guidelines:

1. Project ideas

Please take a look on list of projects at Open Projects page. Projects also have topics below on LLVM Discourse having #gsoc24 tag, so you can ask mentors about details of the project, skills required, etc.

2. Way to submitting a proposal

We encourage you to discuss your proposal before submitting to GSoC system. Having your proposal discussed ensures that your proposal will be well aligned with the project. Please do not hijack other threads (e.g. with mentor Q&A) and create a separate new thread to discuss your proposal. The ideal proposal will contain:

• A descriptive title
• Information about you, including contact information. Please do not forget to include:
  • Your prior compiler and compiler-related experience, if any (e.g. studies at the University, prior contributions)
  • Whether you have any prior contributions to LLVM. If yes, please provide links to these contributions.
  • Your past open source participation and contributions, if any
  • Your knowledge of programming languages (e.g. C, C++, Python, Rust, etc.) and your estimate of your level of experience
• Information about your proposed project. This should be fairly detailed and include a timeline.
• Information about other commitments that might affect your ability to work during the GSoC period (exams, classes, holidays, other jobs, weddings, etc.). Also, if the project allows both medium- and large-size participation, indicate the intended size of the project and the timeframe of your participation.

3. Useful links

LLVM Contribution GuidelinesLLVM Developer PolicyGSoC channel on LLVM DiscordOther documentsLLVM Community Code of ConductGSoC Contributor GuideAdvice for People Applying for GSoCGSoC Program WebsiteLLVM Office Hours

4. Deadlines

• Submission to GSoC system opens on March 18th at 18:00 UTC.
• Submission to GSoC system ends on April 2nd at 18:00 UTC.
• Results to be announced on May 1st at 18:00 UTC.

Welcome to the 20th Google Summer of Code!

https://blog.llvm.org/posts/2024-02-26-gsoc/ Save to Pocket