News gathered 2024-04-15
(date: 2024-04-15 17:38:14)
Opponents of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price say they collected enough valid signatures to force recall election
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
The recall group submitted 74,757 valid signatures, just barely more than the 73,195 required to get the question on a ballot, according to Alameda County’s registrar of voters.
Planners to discuss mall plan, Farmer Bros.
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
City planners are expected Tuesday the Town Center Specific Plan to the Planning Commission and discuss their efforts to turn the mall into a “place-making space.” The commission is also scheduled to review a possible Farmer Bros. drive-thru on Copper Hill Drive. Centennial, a Dallas-based real estate developer, said it plans to work with the […]
The post Planners to discuss mall plan, Farmer Bros. appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/planners-to-discuss-mall-plan-farmer-bros/
Lancaster sues LASD over contract costs
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
The city of Santa Clarita had little to say Monday in response to a class-action lawsuit over allegations the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has been overbilling contract cities for its services. Mayor Cameron Smyth acknowledged the suit, which was filed April 3, in a text Monday. “The city is certainly aware of the lawsuit filed […]
The post <strong>Lancaster sues LASD over contract costs</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/lancaster-sues-lasd-over-contract-costs/
Community heroes sweat it out for a cause
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
Dozens of people made their way to the Centre on Saturday morning to participate in a three-and-a-half-hour-long “Superheroes Unite Zumbathon” fundraiser held by the Sister Cities organization to support the “Dollars for Desks” campaign meant to provide desks to students in Sariaya, Philippines. People of all ages and from various parts of Los Angeles County […]
The post <strong>Community heroes sweat it out for a cause </strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/community-heroes-sweat-it-out-for-a-cause/
What the ‘Fallout’ show gets right about the post-apocalyptic video game series
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
With superhero movies losing pop culture steam, the next big thing emerging on the horizon are video game flicks. Over the past few years, films and TV shows based on interactive entertainment have steadily gained traction with the likes of “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “The Last of Us.” Hollywood’s relationship […]
SCV Sanitation District to consider rate increase
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District officials Monday approved a schedule of discussion as part of the required public notice for rate increases on two different potential schedules for county sewer fee ratepayers. After a May 20 public hearing, the board is expected to give staff instruction on which rate schedule to go with, and then […]
The post SCV Sanitation District to consider rate increase appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/scv-sanitation-district-to-consider-rate-increase/
CSUN gets caked at Big Show
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Over 4,000 CSUN students and guests gathered for the annual Big Show on Saturday, April 6th to see the one and only Steve Aoki. “I am here to see Steve…
https://sundial.csun.edu/180624/arts-entertainment/csun-gets-caked-at-big-show/
Federal Appeals Court Upholds SCV Water Judgment Against Whittaker
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed a $68.5 million judgment Monday for SCV Water for the cleanup of local groundwater contamination in its case against the Whittaker Corporation
https://scvnews.com/federal-appeals-court-upholds-scv-water-judgment-against-whittaker/
Valedictorian will not speak at Class of 2024 commencement
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The decision came less than a week after prominent pro-Israel groups accused valedictorian Asna Tabassum of being antisemitic.
The post Valedictorian will not speak at Class of 2024 commencement appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/valedictorian-will-not-speak-at-class-of-2024-commencement/
Staying in Cali: Los Angeles Sparks select Stanford star Cameron Brink second overall in WNBA Draft
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Stanford center Cameron Brink drafted second overall to Los Angeles Sparks.
Trump blasts judge who warns he may miss Barron’s graduation
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Judge Juan M. Merchan told an angry Trump it’s too soon to say whether he can adjourn court on May 17 so that he can attend his youngest son’s graduation in Florida.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/trump-blasts-judge-who-warns-he-may-miss-barrons-graduation/
Review | ‘The Outsider’
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
See the good, clean, fun side of politics in SBCC Theatre Group’s latest production.
The post Review | ‘The Outsider’ appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/15/review-the-outsider/
Higher Tesla Model 3 prices bumped up EV prices overall in March
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
After Tesla’s price cuts pulled a quarter of overall EV prices down in February, higher Model 3 prices increased EV prices in March.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/higher-tesla-model-3-prices-bumped-ev-prices-up-overall-march/
Letters: Don’t confuse | Accurate names | East Bay backyard | Water policy | Republican hypocrisy
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for April 16, 2024
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/letters-1684/
Daily EV Recap: Layoffs and leadership changes at Tesla
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and…
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/daily-ev-recap-layoffs-and-leadership-changes-at-tesla/
Cougars Defeat Antelope Valley College 10-5
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Angelo Aleman smacked a pair of home runs as College of the Canyons concluded its three-game series vs. Antelope Valley College with a 10-5 home victory at Mike Gillespie Field on Friday.
https://scvnews.com/cougars-defeat-antelope-valley-college-10-5/
Biden hosts Czech leader to promote Ukraine aid amid delay in Congress
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
washington — President Joe Biden urged the U.S. House to immediately take up Senate-passed supplemental funding for Ukraine and Israel on Monday as he hosted Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the Oval Office.
The visit came as Biden aimed to highlight the efforts other nations are making to support Ukraine. It followed the Czech government’s announcement that it is sending 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, which Kyiv says is badly needed on the battlefield against Russia’s invasion.
“As the Czech Republic remembers, Russia won’t stop at Ukraine,” Biden said. He appealed to Congress to pass the supplemental funding so the U.S. could do its part to help Ukraine. “They have to do it now,” he said.
Fiala praised the U.S. president for his leadership in support of Ukraine, adding, “We are also doing our best.”
He said, “In 1968 I saw Russian tanks in the streets of my town, and I don’t want to see this again.”
Biden called the Czech Republic a “great ally” in NATO, as Fiala said his country’s decision to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. will “make our cooperation and security much stronger.”
Fiala told reporters following his meeting with Biden that he would meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to further discuss Ukraine aid.
“The support from U.S., the help from U.S., is very important,” Fiala said.
Documentary ‘Eva Haller: A Work in Progress’ Leaves the Audience in Awe at the Santa Barbara Debut of the Illuminate Film Festival
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Premiering for the first time in Santa Barbara, Illuminate Film Festival kicked off the weekend with the documentary ‘Eva Haller: A Work in Progress,’ an inspiring story of a Holocaust survivor and philanthropist.
The post Documentary ‘Eva Haller: A Work in Progress’ Leaves the Audience in Awe at the Santa Barbara Debut of the Illuminate Film Festival appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Ken Striplin | Kick Up Your Heels at Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Cowboy Festival weekend is upon us!
https://scvnews.com/ken-striplin-kick-up-your-heels-at-santa-clarita-cowboy-festival/
Trump’s hush-money trial begins: No jurors picked as Day 1 concludes
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Only about a third of the 96 people in the first panel of potential jurors remained after the judge excused some members.
Letters: Congressional recount | Failed leadership | Free housing | Ignorant of past | Debt relief
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Mercury News Letters to the Editor for April 16, 2024
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/letters-1683/
Soul Majestic Opens the 4/20 Weekend Celebrations at Santa Barbara’s SOhO Restaurant and Music Club
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Reggae fusion band Soul Majestic brings good vibes and their unique sound to SOhO this Friday.
The post Soul Majestic Opens the 4/20 Weekend Celebrations at Santa Barbara’s SOhO Restaurant and Music Club appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
A Beginner’s Guide to Teensy (2019)
date: 2024-04-15, from: Tilde.news
https://www.circuito.io/blog/teensy-guide/
Zelenskyy calls for same defense from allies as for Israel
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-calls-for-same-defense-from-allies-as-for-israel-/7571223.html
Remembering OJ Simpson
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
No cheering from the press box: veteran sports reporter reflects on the dangers of “godding up those ball players.”
The post Remembering OJ Simpson appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/15/remembering-o-j-simpson/
CISA in a flap as Chirp smart door locks can be trivially unlocked remotely
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Hard-coded credentials last thing you want in home security app
Some smart locks controlled by Chirp Systems’ software can be remotely unlocked by strangers thanks to a critical security vulnerability.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/critical_vulnerability_chirp_lock/
Castaic Educator Selected for Smithsonian’s Teacher Innovator Institute
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Castaic Union School District is thrilled to announce that Lara Frandzel has been selected to participate in the Teacher Innovator Institute at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
https://scvnews.com/castaic-educator-selected-for-smithsonians-teacher-innovator-institute/
City Releases 2024 Concerts in the Park Lineup
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The city of Santa Clarita’s exciting Concerts in the Park series, presented by Logix Federal Credit Union, makes its highly anticipated return this summer for friends, families and neighbors to gather under the evening sky and enjoy free, live musical performances on Saturdays from July 6 to Aug. 24, at Central Park, located at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road.
https://scvnews.com/city-releases-2024-concerts-in-the-park-lineup/
Camilo Doval hasn’t pitched for SF Giants in over a week. What’s going on?
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
The Giants closer hasn’t appeared in a game since last Sunday.
Mustangs Capture First GSAC Season Title
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Master’s University men’s volleyball team left no doubt about it as they swept the OUAZ Spirit 25-22, 25-14, 25-22 in the season finale Saturday in The MacArthur Center
https://scvnews.com/mustangs-capture-first-gsac-season-title266775-2/
Tesla Might Pivot To Robotaxis. Does It Have A Death Wish?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
Much of Tesla’s stock price was seemingly hinged on sales growth. Without an entry-level $25,000 car, where will the brand’s growth come from?
https://insideevs.com/news/716189/tesla-model-pivot-robotaxi-cancelled/
Lithium battery explosion, fire damages Oakland residence
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Investigators believe a lithium battery used to power a go-cart caused a fire Sunday at an Oakland home.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/lithium-battery-explosion-fire-damages-oakland-residence/
Supreme Court: Idaho can enforce ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Under a 2023 law, physicians in the state can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if they provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to those younger than 18.
Register Now for Greater L.A. County Vector Control Fireside Chat
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Join the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District online for an engaging conversation with experts in the field as they discuss the latest advancements and future trends in vector control Monday, April 15, from 6 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Learn about innovative strategies, technologies, and research shaping how to combat vector-borne diseases. Don’t miss…
2025 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter Gets New Smaller Battery Option At A Lower Price
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The new model year will arrive at U.S. dealerships in the second half of 2024.
https://insideevs.com/news/716053/2025-mercedes-esprinter-smaller-battery-price/
Concerts in the Park is Back with a Fresh, New Lineup
date: 2024-04-15, from: City of Santa Clarita
Central Park to Become Vibrant Stage for Outdoor Concerts in July and August The City of Santa Clarita’s exciting Concerts in the Park series, presented by Logix Federal Credit Union, makes its highly anticipated return this summer for friends, families and neighbors to gather under the evening sky and enjoy free, live musical performances on […]
The post Concerts in the Park is Back with a Fresh, New Lineup appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.
https://santaclarita.gov/blog/2024/04/15/concerts-in-the-park-is-back-with-a-fresh-new-lineup/
Lilbits: Apple allows game console emulators in the App Store now… but not this one
date: 2024-04-15, from: Liliputing
Earlier this month Apple updated its App Store guidelines to allow developers to distribute “retro game console emulators” for iOS and iPadOS for the first time. But it was unclear at first whether that meant all emulators were welcome, or if this was just a way to let game publishers offer emulators that would allow you to […]
The post Lilbits: Apple allows game console emulators in the App Store now… but not this one appeared first on Liliputing.
Is abortion about personal freedoms or states’ rights?
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
Abortion is one of the central issues of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. President Joe Biden says access to abortion is an issue of personal freedom, while Republican candidate Donald Trump says states should continue to decide their own abortion laws. VOA Correspondent Scott Stearns reports.
https://www.voanews.com/a/is-abortion-about-personal-freedoms-or-states-rights-/7571164.html
Castaic volleyball earns first league home win, sweeps Hart
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Signal
Castaic Coyotes boys’ volleyball earned the program’s first home Foothill League win on Thursday after beating the visiting Hart Indians. The Coyotes won in straight sets, 25-16, 25-20, 25-20. Castaic served well and clicked right away to start the match. The team is hot off a tournament win in Las Vegas and seems to be […]
The post <strong>Castaic volleyball earns first league home win, sweeps Hart</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/castaic-volleyball-earns-first-league-home-win-sweeps-hart/
Tesla heads are rolling over critical projects at Gigafactory Texas
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
While Tesla is conducting broader layoffs, Electrek is learning that heads are rolling at Tesla over specific critical projects at Gigafactory Texas.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/tesla-heads-rolling-critical-projects-gigafactory-texas/
The Affordable Kia EV3 Will Be Released This Year
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The Kia EV3 will be the first step to grow volume and meet the demand for reasonably priced EVs.
https://insideevs.com/news/716188/kia-ev3-release-2024-cheap/
Child & Family Center Offering Mental Health Seminar Series
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Child & Family Center is presenting a series of four seminars for parents and caregivers of children and teens. Each will be held at the Center’s Education Building on their campus at 21545 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita. The first is Preventing Teen Suicide, discussing how…
The next full Moon is the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, the Pesach or Passover Moon
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
The next full Moon will be Tuesday evening, April 23, 2024, The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from Monday morning to Thursday morning.
Celebrate series: Brazil cultural extravaganza
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Signal
Despite the cold overcast weather on Friday, numerous people made their way to the Canyon Country Community Center for the first 2024 city of Santa Clarita “Celebrate” series installment: Brazil. Brazil is known for its vibrant cultural costumes during Carnaval, an annual celebration with intricate and infectious rhythms such as Samba and high-energy dancing, which […]
The post Celebrate series: Brazil cultural extravaganza appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/celebrate-series-brazil-cultural-extravaganza/
Community members gather for Hart Park cleanup
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Signal
In preparation for the upcoming Cowboy Festival, members of the Santa Clarita Valley community gathered at William S. Hart Park on Saturday to spruce it up. With this being the first year that the festival is being held at Hart Park since 2019, Shaunasey Lane, director of Just Serve Valencia, organized a cleanup effort that […]
The post <strong>Community members gather for Hart Park cleanup</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/community-members-gather-for-hart-park-cleanup/
Matadors Gearing Up for Finals at CSUN’s ‘Crunch Time’
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The University Student Union at California State University, Northridge is helping Matadors keep their peace during finals season with “Crunch Time,” from Monday, May 6 to Thursday, May 16. Students will have the opportunity to grab breakfast and participate in fun activities like aroma blending and puppy petting. Free resources such as scantrons, green books,…
Fedora intends to fully embrace “AI”, but doesn’t address sourcing or its environmental impact
date: 2024-04-15, from: OS News
All weekend, I’ve been mulling over a recent blog post by Fedora Project Leader Matthew Miller, which he wrote and published on behalf of the Fedora Council. Fedora (the KDE version) is my distribution of choice, I love using it, and I consider it the best distribution for desktop use, and not by a close margin either. As such, reading a blog post in which Fedora is announcing plans to make extensive use of “AI” was bound to make me a feel a little uneasy. Miller states – correctly – that the “AI” space as it stands right now is dominated so much by hyperbole and over-the-top nonsense that it’s hard to judge the various technologies underpinning “AI” on merit alone. He continues that he believes that stripped of all the hyperbole and techbro bullshit, there’s “something significant, powerful”, and he wants to make “Fedora Linux the best community platform for AI”. So, what exactly does that look like? In addition to the big showy LLM-based tools for chat and code generation, these advances have brought big jumps for more tailored tasks: for translation, file search, home automation, and especially for accessibility (already a key part of our strategy). For example, open source speech synthesis has long lagged behind proprietary options. Now, what we have in Fedora is not even close to the realism, nuance, and flexibility of AI-generated speech. ↫ Matthew Miller Some of these are things we can all agree are important and worthwhile, but lacking on the Linux desktop. If we can make use of technologies labelled as “AI” to improve, say, text-to-speech on Linux for those who require it for accessibility reasons, that’s universally a great thing. Translation, too, is, at its core, a form of accessibility, and if we can improve machine translations so that people who, for instance, don’t speak English gain more access to English content, or if we can make the vast libraries of knowledge locked into foreign languages accessible to more people, that’s all good news. However, Fedora aims to take its use of “AI” even further, and wants to start using it in the process of developing, making, and distributing Fedora. This is where more and more red flags are starting to pop up for me, because I don’t feel like the processes and tasks they want to inject “AI” into are the kinds of processes and tasks where you want humans taken out of the equation. We can use AI/ML as part of making the Fedora Linux OS. New tools could help with package automation and bug triage. They could note anomalies in test results and logs, maybe even help identify potential security issues. We can also create infrastructure-level features for our users. For example, package update descriptions aren’t usually very meaningful. We could automatically generate concise summaries of what’s new in each system update — not just for each package, but highlighting what’s important in the whole set, including upstream change information as well. ↫ Matthew Miller Even the tools built atop billions and billions of euros of investments by Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Facebook, and similar juggernauts are not exactly good at what they’re supposed to do, and suck at even the most basic of tasks of providing answers to simple questions. They lie, they make stuff up, they bug out and produce nonsense, they’re racist, and so on. I don’t want any of that garbage near the process of making and updating the operating system I rely on every day. Miller laments how “AI” is currently a closed-source, black box affair, which obviously doesn’t align with Fedora’s values and goals. He doesn’t actually explain how Fedora’s use of “AI” is going to address this. They’re going to have to find ethical, open source models that are also of high quality, and that’s a lot easier said than done. Sourcing doesn’t even get a single mention in this blog post, even though I’m fairly sure that’s one of the two major issues many of us have with the current crop of “AI” tools. The blog post also completely neglects to mention the environmental cost of training these “AI” tools. It costs an insane amount of electricity to train these new tools, and with climate change ever accelerating and the destruction of our environment visible all around us, not mentioning this problem when you’re leading a project like Fedora seems disingenuous at best, and malicious at worst. While using “AI” to improve accessibility tools in Fedora and the wider Linux world is laudable, some of the other intended targets seem more worrisome, especially when you take into account that the blog post makes no mention of the two single biggest problems with “AI”: sourcing, and its environmental impact. If Fedora truly intends to fully embrace “AI”, it’s going to have to address these two problems first, because otherwise they’re just trying to latch onto the hype without really understanding the cost. And that’s not something I want to hear from the leaders of my Linux distribution.
PuTTY vulnerability vuln-p521-bias
date: 2024-04-15, from: Tilde.news
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/wishlist/vuln-p521-bias.html
Show Us Your Rad and Rowdy Motorcycle Tattoos
date: 2024-04-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Let’s see your ink.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716166/motorcycle-tattoo-comments-cool/
Framework’s software and firmware have been a mess, but it’s working on them
date: 2024-04-15, from: OS News
Framework puts a lot of effort into making its hardware easy to fix and upgrade and into making sure that hardware can stay useful down the line when it’s been replaced by something newer. But supporting that kind of reuse and recycling works best when paired with long-term software and firmware support, and on that front, Framework has been falling short. Framework will need to step up its game, especially if it wants to sell more laptops to businesses—a lucrative slice of the PC industry that Framework is actively courting. By this summer or fall, we’ll have some idea of whether its efforts are succeeding. ↫ Andrew Cunningham at Ars Technica A very painful read, and I’m disappointed to learn that the software support from Framework has been so lacklustre – or non-existent, to be more accurate. Leaving severel security vulnerabilities in firmware unpatched is a disgrace, and puts users at risk, while promising but not delivering updates that will unlock faster Thunderbolt speeds is just shitty. They have to do better, especially since their pitch is all about repairability and longevity. This article has made me more weary of spending any money on Framework – not that I have the money for a new laptop, because reasons – and I feel more people will feel this way after reading this.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
WASHINGTON – FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of California to supplement recovery efforts in
The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Free household hazardous and e-waste collection set for Saturday
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Signal
News release A free household hazardous and e-waste roundup is scheduled 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at College of the Canyons. The free Countywide Household Hazardous and E-Waste Roundup Program is brought to residents by the county of Los Angeles and presented by Los Angeles County Public Works and Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts […]
The post Free household hazardous and e-waste collection set for Saturday appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/free-household-hazardous-and-e-waste-collection-set-for-saturday/
Detectan Caso De Influenza Aviar “Gripe Aviar” en Texas
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Debido a un informe reciente de un caso aislado de influenza aviar altamente patógena (IAAP), o
The post Detectan Caso De Influenza Aviar “Gripe Aviar” en Texas appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/15/detectan-caso-de-influenza-aviar-gripe-aviar-en-texas/
Rivian launches new reliability scoring feature to make public EV charging easier
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
In its latest software update, Rivian added several helpful features to make public charging as easy as possible. A new reliability scoring feature is now available on every R1S and R1T to show the most reliable fast chargers on your trip.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/rivian-launches-new-reliability-scoring-ev-charging-easier/
Radxa ROCK 5 ITX: a first look
date: 2024-04-15, from: OS News
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the ROCK 5 ITX coming soon and since then, samples of the Rockchip RK3588-based Radxa ROCK 5 ITX have been landing on doorsteps (or service points, screw you, UPS) of a lucky group of people and somehow I was one of those, so here’s a first look at Radxa’s latest Single Board Computer in a Mini ITX form-factor! It’s going to be a photo-heavy post and I make no apologies for that, it’s a very nice-looking PCB, with the black and gold colour scheme looking very stylish. I imagine that was a very conscious decision seeing as, as expected, they’re marketing this as a low-power desktop option and you probably don’t want a plain Jane motherboard taking pride of place in your new system, right? ↫ Bret Weber Now this – this, my friends, is exactly what the doctor ordered. I can’t wait for standard, ATX motherboard sporting ARM processors to become more common and readily available, hopefully standardised better than what we’re used to from the ARM world. I want my next (non-gaming) machines to be ARM-powered, and that means we’re going to need more of these ATX ARM boards, spanning wider performance levels.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139295/radxa-rock-5-itx-a-first-look/
L.A. County Sites Identified for Possible Measles Exposure
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has been notified by the California Department of Public Health of one case of measles in a non-Los Angeles County resident who traveled throughout Los Angeles County from Saturday, March 30 to Sunday, April
https://scvnews.com/l-a-county-sites-identified-for-possible-measles-exposure/
Avian Influenza “Bird Flu” Case Detected in Texas
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Due to a recent report of an isolated case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or
The post Avian Influenza “Bird Flu” Case Detected in Texas appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/15/avian-influenza-bird-flu-case-detected-in-texas/
Unite to Light Opens Its Third Annual Call for Light Art
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA (12 April 2024)— Calling all artists, creatives, and innovators! Unite to Light, a non-profit organization based in
The post Unite to Light Opens Its Third Annual Call for Light Art appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/15/unite-to-light-opens-its-third-annual-call-for-light-art/
Male Bonobos, Close Human Relatives Long Thought to Be Peaceful, Are Actually Quite Aggressive, Study Suggests
date: 2024-04-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The new research found bonobos were three times more likely than chimpanzees to commit an act of physical aggression
GMK NucBox K9 is an Intel Meteor Lake mini PC with Thunderbolt 4 and 2.5 GbE LAN
date: 2024-04-15, from: Liliputing
The GMK NucBox K9 is a compact desktop computer with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H Meteor Lake mobile processor with 14 CPU cores, 28 threads, and 7-core Intel Arc integrated graphics. GMK first unveiled the NucBox K9 in China in March, and now it’s available for purchase worldwide from AliExpress or the GMKTec website. Prices […]
The post GMK NucBox K9 is an Intel Meteor Lake mini PC with Thunderbolt 4 and 2.5 GbE LAN appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/gmk-k9-is-an-intel-meteor-lake-mini-pc-with-thunderbolt-4-and-2-5-gbe-lan/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
A directory of completed audio fiction.
What If the Most Widely Used Climate Tool Doesn’t Work?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Heatmap News
About six months ago, a climate scientist from Arizona State University,
Stephanie Arcusa, emailed me a
provocative
new paper she had published that warned against our growing reliance
on life cycle analysis. This practice of measuring all of the emissions
related to a given product or service throughout every phase of its life
— from the time raw materials are extracted to eventual disposal — was
going to hinder our ability to achieve net-zero emissions, she wrote. It
was a busy time, and I let the message drift to the bottom of my inbox.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Life cycle analysis permeates the climate economy. Businesses rely on it to understand their emissions so they can work toward reducing them. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s climate risk disclosure rule, which requires companies to report their emissions to investors, hinges on it. The clean hydrogen tax credit requires hydrogen producers to do a version of life cycle analysis to prove their eligibility. It is central to carbon markets, and carbon removal companies are now developing standards based on life cycle analysis to “certify” their services as carbon offset developers did before them.
At the same time, many of the fiercest debates in climate change are really debates about life cycle analysis. Should companies be held responsible for the emissions that are indirectly related to their businesses, and if so then which ones? Are carbon offsets a sham? Does using corn ethanol as a gasoline substitute reduce emissions or increase them? Scientists have repeatedly reached opposite conclusions on that one depending on how they accounted for the land required to grow corn and what it might have been used for had ethanol not been an option. Though the debate plays out in calculations, it’s really a philosophical brawl.
Everybody, for the most part, knows that life cycle analysis is difficult and thorny and imprecise. But over and over, experts and critics alike assert that it can be improved. Arcusa disagrees. Life cycle analysis, she says, is fundamentally broken. “It’s a problematic and uncomfortable conclusion to arrive at,” Arcusa wrote in her email. “On the one hand, it has been the only tool we have had to make any progress on climate. On the other, carbon accounting is captured by academia and vested interests and will jeopardize global climate goals.”
When I recently revisited the paper, I learned that Arcusa and her co-authors didn’t just critique life cycle analysis, they proposed a bold alternative. Their idea is not economically or politically easy, but it also doesn’t suffer from the problems of trying to track carbon throughout the supply chain. I recently called her up to talk through it. Our conversation has been edited for clarity.
Can you walk me through what the biggest issues with life cycle analysis are?
So, life cycle analysis is a qualitative tool —
It seems kind of counterintuitive or even controversial to call it a qualitative tool because it’s specifically trying to quantify something.
I think the best analogy for LCA is that it’s a back-of-the-envelope tool. If you really could measure everything, then sure, LCA is this wonderful idea. The problem is in the practicality of being able to collect all of that data. We can’t, and that leads us to use emissions factors and average numbers, and we model this and we model that, and we get so far away from reality that we actually can’t tell if something is positive or negative in the end.
The other problem is that it’s almost entirely subjective, which makes one LCA incomparable to another LCA depending on the context, depending on the technology. And yes, there are some standardization efforts that have been going on for decades. But if you have a ruler, no matter how much you try, it’s not going to become a screwdriver. We’re trying to use this tool to quantify things and make them the same for comparison, and we can’t because of that subjectivity.
In this space where there is a lot of money to be made, it’s very easy to manipulate things one way or another to make it look a little bit better because the method is not robust. That’s really the gist of the problems here.
One of the things you talk about in the paper is the way life cycle analysis is subject to different worldviews. Can you explain that?
It’s mostly seen in what to include or exclude in the LCA — it can have enormous impacts on the results. I think corn ethanol is the perfect example of how tedious this can be because we still don’t have an answer, precisely for that reason. The uncertainty range of the results has shrunk and gotten bigger and shrunk and gotten bigger, and it’s like, well, we still don’t know. And now, this exact same worldview debate is playing into what should be included and not included in certification for things [like carbon removal] that are going to be sold under the guise of climate action, and that just can’t be. We’ll be forever debating whether something is true.
Is this one of those things that scientists have been debating for ever, or is this argument that we should stop using life cycle analysis more of a fringe idea?
I guess I would call it a fringe idea today. There’s been plenty of criticism throughout the years, even from the very beginning when it was first created. What I have seen is that there is criticism, and then there is, “But here’s how we can solve it and continue using LCA!” I’ve only come across one other publication that specifically said, “This is not working. This is not the right tool,” and that’s from Michael Gillenwater. He’s at the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute. He was like, “What are we doing?” There might be other folks, I just haven’t come across them.
Okay, so what is the alternative to LCA that you’ve proposed in this paper?
LCA targets the middle of the supply chain, and tries to attribute responsibility there. But if you think about where on the supply chain the carbon is the most well-known, it is actually at the source, at the point of origin, before it becomes an emission. At the point where it is created out of the ground is where we know how much carbon there is. If we focus on that source through a policy that requires mandatory sequestration — for every ton of carbon that is now produced, there is a ton of carbon that’s been put away through carbon removal, and the accounting happens there, before it is sold to anybody — anybody who’s now downstream of that supply chain is already carbon neutral. There is no need to track carbon all the way down to the consumer.
We know this is accurate because that is where governments already collect royalties and taxes — they want to know exactly how much is being sold. So we already do this. The big difference is that the policy would be required there instead of taxing everybody downstream.
You’re saying that fossil fuel producers should be required to remove a ton of carbon from the atmosphere for every ton of carbon in the fuels they sell?
Yeah, and maybe I should be more specific. They should pay for an equal amount of carbon to be removed from the atmosphere. In no way are we implying that a fossil carbon producer needs to also be doing the sequestration themselves.
What would be the biggest challenges of implementing something like this?
The ultimate challenge is convincing people that we need to be managing carbon and that this is a waste management type of system. Nobody really wants to pay for waste management, and so it needs to be regulated and demanded by some authority.
What about the fact that we don’t really have the ability to remove carbon or store carbon at scale today, and may not for some time?
Yes, we need to build capacity so that eventually we can match the carbon production to the carbon removal, which is why we also proposed that the liability needs to start today, not in the future. That liability is as good as a credit card debt — you actually have to pay it. It can be paid little by little every year, but the liability is here now, and not in the future.
The risk in the system that I’m describing, or even the system that is currently being deployed, is that you have counterproductive technologies that are being developed. And by counterproductive, I mean [carbon removal] technologies that are producing more emissions than they are storing, and so they’re net-positive. You can create a technology that has no intention of removing more carbon than its sequesters. The intention is just to earn money.
Do you mean, like, the things that are supposed to be removing carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it, they are using fossil fuels to do that, and end up releasing more carbon in the process?
Yeah, so basically, what we show in the paper is that when we get to full carbon neutrality, the market forces alone will eliminate those kinds of technologies that are counterproductive. The problem is during the transition, these technologies can be economically viable because they are cheaper than they would be if 100% of the fossil fuel they used was carbon neutral through carbon removal. And so in order to prevent those technologies from gaming the system, we need a way to artificially make the price of fossil carbon as expensive as it would be if 100% of that fossil carbon was covered by carbon removal.
That’s where the idea of permits comes in. For every amount that I produce, I now have an instant liability, which is a permit. Each of those permits has to be matched by carbon removal. And since we don’t have enough carbon removal, we have futures and these futures represent the promise of actually doing carbon removal.
What if we burn through the remaining carbon budget and we still don’t have the capacity to sequester enough carbon?
Well, then we’re going into very unchartered territory. Right now we’re just mindlessly going through this thinking that if we just reduce emissions it will be good. It won’t be good.
In the paper, you also argue against mitigating greenhouse gases other than carbon, and that seems pretty controversial to me. Why is that?
We’re not arguing against mitigating, per se. We’re arguing against lumping everything under the same carbon accounting framework because lumping hides the difficulty in actually doing something about it. It’s not that we shouldn’t mitigate other greenhouse gases — we must. It’s just that if we separate the problem of carbon away from the problem of methane, away from the problem of nitrous oxide, or CFCs, we can tackle them more effectively. Because right now, we’re trying to do everything under the same umbrella, and that doesn’t work. We don’t tackle drinking and driving by sponsoring better tires. That’s just silly, right? We wouldn’t do that. We would tackle drinking and driving on its own, and then we would tackle better tires in a different policy.
So the argument is: Most of climate change is caused by carbon; let’s tackle that separately from the others and leave tackling methane and nitrous oxide to purposefully created programs to tackle those things. Let’s not lump the calculations altogether, hiding all the differences and hiding meaningful action.
Is there still a role for life cycle analysis?
You don’t want to be regulating carbon using life cycle analysis. So you can use the life cycle analysis for qualitative purposes, but we’re pretending that it is a tool that can deliver accurate results, and it just doesn’t.
What has the response been like to this paper? What kind of feedback have you gotten?
Stunned silence!
Nobody has said anything?
In private, they have. Not in public. In private, it’s been a little bit like, “I’ve always thought this, but it seemed like there was no other way.” But then in public, think about it. Everything is built on LCA. It’s now in every single climate bill out there. Every single standard. Every single consulting company is doing LCA and doing carbon footprinting for companies. It’s a huge industry, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear nothing publicly.
Yeah, I was gonna ask — I’ve been writing about the SEC rules and this idea that companies should start reporting their emissions to their investors, and that would all be based on LCA. There’s a lot of buy-in for that idea across the climate movement.
Yeah, but there’s definitely a fine line with make-believe. I think in many instances, we kid ourselves thinking that we’re going to have numbers that we can hang our hats on. In many instances we will not, and they will be challenged. And so at that point, what’s the point?
One thing I hear when I talk to people about this is, well, having an estimate is better than not having anything, or, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, or, we can just keep working to make them better and better. Why not?
I mean, I wouldn’t say don’t try. But when it comes to actually enforcing anything, it’s going to be extremely hard to prove a number. You could just be stuck in litigation for a long time and still not have an answer.
I don’t know, to me it just seems like an endless debate while time is ticking and we will just feel good because we’ll have thought we measured everything. But we’re still not doing anything.
https://heatmap.news/climate/life-cycle-analysis-study
What’s up with AI lately? Let’s start with soaring costs, public anger, regulations…
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
‘Obtaining genuine consent for training data collection is especially challenging’ industry sages say
The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) has issued its seventh annual AI Index Report, which reports a thriving industry facing growing costs, regulations, and public concern.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/stanford_report_ai/
Rare 100-Year-Old Train Carriage Found Buried in Belgium
date: 2024-04-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The wooden LNER train wagon was a “removals truck” used to move people’s belongings between residences
The Demise of Email Forwarding Is Getting Closer
date: 2024-04-15, from: Michael Tsai
gastropod: A bunch of universities have just sent out notices that email forwarding is going to increasingly break in the very near future. The big email services, gmail, yahoo, outlook and apple, are going to start tightening the thumbscrews (strict SPF, DMARK and DKIM, but also other stuff) on April 1 (bad timing, that).I’d vaguely […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/15/the-demise-of-email-forwarding-is-getting-closer/
2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore: Finally, A New Convertible EV
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
Weighting only 176 pounds more than the coupe version, the Cabriolet is expected to perform like its hardtop sibling.
https://insideevs.com/news/716180/2025-maserati-grancabrio-folgore-reveal/
Gun supervisor gets 18 months in prison for fatal movie set shooting by Alec Baldwin
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
santa fe, new mexico — A movie weapons supervisor was sentenced to 18 months in prison in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust,” during a hearing Monday in which tearful family members and friends gave testimonials that included calls for justice and a punishment that would instill greater accountability for safety on film sets.
Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March by a jury on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and has been held for more than a month at a county jail on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust” where it was expressly prohibited and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.
Gutierrez-Reed was unsuccessful in her plea for a lesser sentencing, telling the judge she was not the monster that people have made her out to be and that she had tried to do her best on the set despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing.”
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He is scheduled for trial in July at a courthouse in Santa Fe.
The sentence against Gutierrez-Reed was delivered by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Summer, who is overseeing proceedings against Baldwin. The judge said anything less than the maximum sentence would not be appropriate given that Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness amounted to a serious violent offense.
“You were the armorer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone,” the judge told Gutierrez-Reed. “You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner and a little boy would have his mother.”
Gutierrez-Reed teared up as Hutchins’ agent, Craig Mizrahi, spoke about the cinematographer’s creativity and described her as a rising star in Hollywood. He said it was a chain of events that led to Hutchins’ death and that had the armorer been doing her job, that chain would have been broken.
Los Angeles-based attorney Gloria Allred read a statement by Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, who said her life had been split in two and that time didn’t heal, rather it only prolonged her pain and suffering. A video of a tearful Solovey, who lives in Ukraine, also was played for the court.
“It’s the hardest thing to lose a child. There’s no words to describe,” Solovey said in her native language.
Defense attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed requested leniency in sentencing — including a possible conditional discharge that would avoid further jail time and leave an adjudication of guilt off her record if certain conditions are met.
Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted at trial of allegations she tampered with evidence in the “Rust” investigation. She also has pleaded not guilty to a separate felony charge that she allegedly carried a gun into a bar in Santa Fe where firearms are prohibited.
Defense attorneys have highlighted Gutierrez-Reed’s relatively young age “and the devastating effect a felony will have on her life going forward.”
They said the 26-year-old will forever be affected negatively by intense publicity associated with her prosecution in parallel with an A-list actor, and has suffered from anxiety, fear and depression as a result.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey urged the judge to impose the maximum prison sentence and designate Gutierrez-Reed as a “serious violent offender” to limit her eligibility for a sentence reduction later, describing the defendant’s behavior on the set of “Rust” as exceptionally reckless.
Defense attorneys argued Monday that Gutierrez-Reed was remorseful and had breakdowns over Hutchins’ death. They also pointed to systemic problems that led to the shooting.
“Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm and completed a sentence of six months unsupervised probation. “Rust” props master Sarah Zachry, who shared some responsibilities over firearms on the set of “Rust,” signed an agreement with prosecutors to avoid prosecution in return with her cooperation.
NSTableView With SwiftUI
date: 2024-04-15, from: Michael Tsai
Edvinas Byla (via Dave Verwer): The [LazyVGrid] user experience isn’t great, but it’s still probably okayish for a version 1.0.0 release. The performance issues are less noticeable with fewer items unless you’re used to high-quality apps. But then there was this one thing that bugged me: the behavior of the context menu.On macOS, right-clicking an […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/15/nstableview-with-swiftui/
Keeping Your Data From Apple Is Harder Than Expected
date: 2024-04-15, from: Michael Tsai
Minna Tiainen (via Hacker News): The researchers studied eight apps: Safari, Siri, Family Sharing, iMessage, FaceTime, Location Services, Find My and Touch ID. They collected all publicly available privacy-related information on these apps, from technical documentation to privacy policies and user manuals. The fragility of the privacy protections surprised even the researchers. ‘Due to the […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/15/keeping-your-data-from-apple-is-harder-than-expected/
GM Stops Sharing Driver Data With Brokers
date: 2024-04-15, from: Michael Tsai
Jonathan M. Gitlin (Hacker News): After public outcry, General Motors has decided to stop sharing driving data from its connected cars with data brokers. Last week, news broke that customers enrolled in GM’s OnStar Smart Driver app have had their data shared with LexisNexis and Verisk. Those data brokers in turn shared the information with […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/15/gm-stops-sharing-driver-data-with-brokers/
One-Third Of U.S. EV Sales In Q1 2024 Were Tesla Model Ys
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
Sales of Tesla’s ubiquitous Model Y crossover are still going strong, even despite the EV market slowdown.
https://insideevs.com/news/716123/tesla-model-y-one-third/
Maserati launches new tri-motor GranCabrio Folgore convertible that goes 0-100 km/h in 2.8 sec
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
As promised earlier today, Maserati has officially launched its third all-electric model, the GranCabrio Folgore, during its “Folgore Day” event in Rimini, Italy. We were on location for the debut of the new Maserati convertible, which features three all-electric motors and impressive performance specs.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/maserati-new-tri-motor-grancabrio-folgore-convertible-ev-electric/
Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, Kenya’s Hellen Obiri win Boston Marathon
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
BOSTON — Sisay Lemma scorched the first half of the Boston Marathon course on Monday, setting a record pace to build a lead of more than half of a mile.
Then the weather heated up, and the 34-year-old Ethiopian slowed down.
After running alone for most of the morning, Lemma held on down Boylston Street to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds — the 10th fastest time in the race’s 128-year history. Lemma dropped to the pavement and rolled onto his back, smiling, after crossing the finish line.
“Until halfway through I was running very hard and very good. But after that it was getting harder and harder,” said Lemma, who failed to finish twice and came in 30th in three previous Boston attempts. “Several times I’ve dropped out of the race before. But today I won, so I’ve redeemed myself.”
Hellen Obiri defended her title, outkicking Sharon Lokedi on Boylston Street to finish in 2:27:37 and win by eight seconds; two-time Boston champion Edna Kiplagat completed the Kenyan sweep, finishing another 36 seconds back.
Obiri also won New York last fall and is among the favorites for the Paris Olympics. She is the sixth woman to win back-to-back in Boston and the first since Catherine “the Great” Ndereba won four in six years from 2000 to ’05.
“Defending the title was not easy. Since Boston started, it’s only six women. So I said, ‘Can I be one of them? If you want to be one of them, you have to work extra hard,’” she said. “And I’m so happy because I’m now one of them. I’m now in the history books in Boston.”
Lemma, the 2021 London champion, arrived in Boston with the fastest time in the field — just the fourth person ever to break 2:02:00 when he won in Valencia last year. And he showed it on the course Monday, separating himself from the pack in Ashland and opening a lead of more than half of a mile.
Lemma ran the first half in 1:00:19 — 99 seconds faster than Geoffrey Mutai’s course record pace in 2011, when his 2:03:02 was the fastest marathon in history. Fellow Ethiopian Mohamed Esa closed the gap through the last few miles, finishing second by 41 seconds; two-time defending champion Evans Chebet was third.
Each winner collected a gilded olive wreath and $150,000 from a total prize purse that topped $1 million for the first time.
On a day when sunshine and temperatures rising into the mid-60s left the runners reaching for water — to drink, and to dump over their heads — Obiri ran with an unusually large lead pack of 15 through Brookline before breaking away in the final few miles.
Emma Bates of Boulder, Colorado, finished 12th — her second straight year as the top American. Again, she found herself leading the race through the 30-kilometer mark, slapping hands as she ran past the Wellesley College students chanting her name before fading on the way out of Heartbreak Hill.
“I thought last year was crazy loud, but this year surpassed that completely,” Bates said. “It was such a nice day for the spectators. Not so nice for the runners; it was pretty hot.”
CJ Albertson of Fresno, California, was the top American man in seventh, his second top-10 finish.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug righted himself after crashing into a barrier when he took a turn too fast and still coasted to a course record in the men’s wheelchair race. It was his seventh Boston win and his 14th straight major marathon victory.
Hug already had a four-minute lead about 18 miles in when he reached the landmark firehouse turn in Newton, where the course heads onto Commonwealth Avenue on its way to Heartbreak Hill. He spilled into the fence, flipping sideways onto his left wheel, but quickly restored himself.
“It was my fault,” Hug said. “I had too much weight, too much pressure from above to my steering, so I couldn’t steer.”
Hug finished in 1:15:33, winning by 5:04 and breaking his previous course record by 1:33. Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper, 22, won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:35:11 for her first major marathon victory; she is the third-youngest woman to win the Boston wheelchair race.
The otherwise sleepy New England town of Hopkinton celebrated its 100th anniversary as the starting line for the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathon, sending off a field of 17 former champions and nearly 30,000 other runners on its way. Near the finish on Boylston Street 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) away, officials observed the anniversary of the 2013 bombing that killed three and wounded hundreds more.
Sunny skies and minimal wind greeted the runners, with temperatures in the 40s as they gathered in Hopkinton rising to 69 as the stragglers crossed the finish line in the afternoon. As the field went through Natick, the fourth of eight cities and towns on the route, athletes splashed water on themselves to cool off.
“We couldn’t ask for a better day,” former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, the grand marshal, said before climbing into an electric car that would carry him along the course. “The city of Boston always comes out to support, no matter the event. The weather is perfection, the energy is popping.”
The festivities began around 6 a.m., when race director Dave McGillivray sent about 30 Massachusetts National Guard members off. Lt. Col. Paula Reichert Karsten, one of the marchers, said she wanted to be part of a “quintessential Massachusetts event.”
The start line was painted to say “100 years in Hopkinton,” commemorating the 1924 move from Ashland to Hopkinton to conform to the official Olympic Marathon distance. The announcer welcomed the gathering crowds to the “sleepy little town of Hopkinton, 364 days of the year.”
“In Hopkinton, it’s probably the coolest thing about the town,” said Maggie Agosto, a 16-year-old resident who went to the start line with a friend to watch the race.
The annual race on Patriots’ Day, the state holiday that commemorates the start of the Revolutionary War, also fell on One Boston Day, when the city remembers the victims of the 2013 finish line bombings. Before the race, bagpipes accompanied Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and members of the victims’ families as they laid a pair of wreaths at the sites of the explosions.
https://www.voanews.com/a/ethiopia-sisay-lemma-kenya-hellen-obiri-win-boston-marathon/7571079.html
GMK G5 is a 2.8 inch mini PC with Intel N97 for $170 and up
date: 2024-04-15, from: Liliputing
The GMK G5 is a palm-sized computer that measure just 72 x 72 x 45mm (2.8″ x 2.8″ x 1.8″). But it’s a full-fledged desktop computer, albeit a low-power one. Inside the computer’s little case you’ll find a 12-watt Intel N97 quad-core processor with Intel UHD integrated graphics. The computer also has 12GB of RAM soldered […]
The post GMK G5 is a 2.8 inch mini PC with Intel N97 for $170 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/gmk-g5-is-a-2-8-inch-mini-pc-with-intel-n97-for-170-and-up/
The Home Page | Festivities, Flowers, and Downtown Gems
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on April 14, 2024. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate
The post The Home Page | Festivities, Flowers, and Downtown Gems appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/15/the-home-page-festivities-flowers-and-downtown-gems/
Fisker adds new US dealer and several more in Europe as extreme price cuts take effect
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
California-based EV startup Fisker signed a new dealer in Miami and several in Europe as it fights to turn things around. After announcing massive price cuts on its Ocean electric SUV last month, Fisker looks to grow its dealer network.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/fisker-adds-new-dealers-extreme-price-cuts-take-effect/
Santa Barbara illustrator launches long-anticipated art shop Danvillage
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara, CA – Today marks the long awaited official launch of Danvillage Art Lab, an innovative apparel and art
The post Santa Barbara illustrator launches long-anticipated art shop Danvillage appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
I’m AirChatting
date: 2024-04-15, from: Om Malik blog
There have been multiple attempts to create a new social network that tries to mimic Twitter as a short-text-oriented real-time platform ever since Twitter (nee X) started to fray. Mastodon is the choice of the proponents of the Indie web; BlueSky, a network promoted by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, and Warpcast, which has its roots in the decentralized …
https://om.co/2024/04/15/im-airchatting/
SWOT Satellite Helps Gauge the Depth of Death Valley’s Temporary Lake
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
Data from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission helped researchers to calculate the depth of water in this transient freshwater body. California’s Death Valley, the driest place in North America, has hosted an ephemeral lake since late 2023. A NASA-led analysis recently calculated water depths in the temporary lake over several weeks in […]
Tesla puts ‘$25,000 electric car’ codenamed NV9 on back burner despite what Elon Musk said
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Electrek can confirm that Tesla indeed put its upcoming ‘$25,000 electric car, sometimes referred to as ‘Model 2’, on the back burner despite what Elon Musk said.
The project was codenamed NV9.
Here’s Your First Look At The Cadillac Optiq’s Interior
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The Optiq will slot below the Lyriq, making it Cadillac’s most affordable new EV when it goes on sale later this year.
https://insideevs.com/news/716107/cadillac-optiq-interior-photos-china/
Watch a Honda Gold Wing Take On Montana’s BDR Treacherous Off-Road Trails
date: 2024-04-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Matt Spears takes his girlfriend along for an unforgettable two-up adventure aboard Piggy the Enduro Gold Wing.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716036/matt-spears-goldwing-magruder-corridor-montana-bdr/
Senator Warren slams Intuit’s ‘junk fees’ as America’s Tax Day rolls around again
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Says the IRS can do this stuff for free
As Americans go through their annual ceremony of tax day, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has reminded the FTC that tax software biz Intuit is making bank on “junk fees.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/warren_intuit_tax/
GestureX: control your Linux machine with hand gestures
date: 2024-04-15, from: OS News
GestureX enables you to control your Linux PC using hand gestures. You can assign specific commands or functionalities to different hand gestures, allowing for hands-free interaction with your computer. ↫ GestureX GitHub page I personally see no use for any of this, but I’m sure there are some interesting accessibility uses for technology like this, which in and of itself make it a worthwhile endeavour to work on. Do note, though, that this is all beta, so there’s bound to be issues.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139290/gesturex-control-your-linux-machine-with-hand-gestures/
Seeing the Solar Eclipse from 223,000 Miles Away
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse from hundreds of thousands of miles away. The camera suite aboard the LRO usually retrieves high resolution black and white images of the Moon’s surface; these images provide knowledge of polar illumination conditions, identify potential resources, hazards, and enable safe landing site selection. […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/seeing-the-solar-eclipse-from-223000-miles-away/
Maserati Ramps Up Its Electrification Plans, With One Big Caveat
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
Maserati has big plans to move on from screaming Ferrari V8 engines, while keeping sounds and rumbles for future EVs too.
https://insideevs.com/news/716170/maserati-folgore-day-announcement/
Apple’s mysterious fisheye projection
date: 2024-04-15, from: OS News
If you’ve read my first post about Spatial Video, the second about Encoding Spatial Video, or if you’ve used my command-line tool, you may recall a mention of Apple’s mysterious “fisheye” projection format. Mysterious because they’ve documented a CMProjectionType.fisheye enumeration with no elaboration, they stream their immersive Apple TV+ videos in this format, yet they’ve provided no method to produce or playback third-party content using this projection type. Additionally, the format is undocumented, they haven’t responded to an open question on the Apple Discussion Forums asking for more detail, and they didn’t cover it in their WWDC23 sessions. As someone who has experience in this area – and a relentless curiosity – I’ve spent time digging-in to Apple’s fisheye projection format, and this post shares what I’ve learned. ↫ Mike Swanson There is just so much cool technology crammed into the Vision Pro, from the crazy displays down to, apparently, the encoding format for spatial video. Too bad Apple seems to have forgotten that a technology is not a product, as even the most ardent Apple supporterts – like John Gruber, or the hosts of ATP – have stated their Vision Pro devices are lying unused, collecting dust, just months after launch.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139288/apples-mysterious-fisheye-projection/
TED, AI, and the test of time
date: 2024-04-15, from: Gary Marcus blog
How well did last year’s talks hold up?
https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/ted-ai-and-the-test-of-time
NASA Welcomes Switzerland as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
Switzerland became the 37th country to sign the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Monday, April 15, affirming Switzerland’s commitment to the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind. “Today, we marked a giant leap forward in the partnership between the United States and Switzerland,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “As […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-switzerland-as-newest-artemis-accords-signatory/
Bookends 15.0.1
date: 2024-04-15, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/bookends-15-0-1/
Samsung snags $6.4B in CHIPS Act funds for Texas fabs
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Work in Austin, Taylor will include new 2nm facility, packaging plant, and Pentagon partnership
Samsung is the latest chipmaker to benefit from CHIPS and Science Act funds, with the US Commerce Department today announcing the Korean megacorporation is getting $6.4 billion in funding to expand its Texas operations. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/samsung_snags_64b_in_chips/
‘Spectacular’ Frescoes of Helen of Troy, Apollo and Zeus Unearthed Among the Ruins of Pompeii
date: 2024-04-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Found in an ancient dining hall, the artworks depict characters associated with the Trojan War
Yadea Artist launched as impressive $499 full-suspension electric scooter
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Yadea, a global leader in electric mobility including scooters, mopeds, e-bikes, and more, has just launched two new full-suspension electric scooters. The Yadea Artist offers a lightweight, affordable ride, while the Yadea Elite Max adds more power and performance to the package.
Listen Later Adds Features Requested by TidBITS Readers
date: 2024-04-15, from: TidBITS blog
The Listen Later text-to-podcast service now features outro music after each podcast episode and provides a Chrome extension for easier submission. Also, if a paywall is blocking you from converting an article to a podcast, TidBITS readers have developed a workaround.
https://tidbits.com/2024/04/15/listen-later-adds-features-requested-by-tidbits-readers/
U.S. Measles Cases Are Rising in 2024, CDC Warns
date: 2024-04-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Health officials urge vaccination against the highly contagious virus, which has caused 121 infections in the country this year
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-measles-cases-are-rising-in-2024-cdc-warns-180984150/
On AI agents: how are these digital butlers supposed to get paid?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Karpf’s blog
FILE UNDER: the trajectory of any new technology bends toward money.
https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/on-ai-agents-how-are-these-digital
AI Applications – a new article type for PeerJ Computer Science
date: 2024-04-15, from: PeerJ blog
In response to requests from the community, we are pleased to introduce a new article type in PeerJ Computer Science aimed at showcasing innovative applications of artificial intelligence techniques – ‘AI Applications’. AI Application articles present research relating to the study of artificial intelligence techniques – such as machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, natural […]
China Paid Billions In Aid To Local EV Makers, Including Tesla, To Dominate The Market: Study
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
BYD was the biggest beneficiary of China’s support scheme, raking $3.7 billion in direct subsidies.
https://insideevs.com/news/716063/china-ev-subsidies-byd-tesla-billions-study/
Rivian R1S climbs to fourth best-selling EV in the US in Q1, tops Hyundai IONIQ 5, VW ID.4
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Rivian’s electric SUV continues attracting new buyers in the US. In the first three months of the year, the Rivian R1S became the fourth best-selling EV in the US, topping Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 and the Volkswagen ID.4.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/rivian-r1s-tops-hyundai-ioniq-5-vw-id-4-fourth-top-selling-ev/
FBI opens investigation into Baltimore bridge collapse
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/fbi-opens-investigation-into-baltimore-bridge-collapse/7570884.html
Save $525 on Greenworks Venture mountain e-bike for $1,575, Jackery power station hits $849, and more
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Kicking off this week’s green deals are three discounts to all-time lows, both new and returning. Headlining the offers is Greenworks’ new Venture 80V 26-inch Fat Tire Mountain e-bike that returns for its second official discount to the $1,575 low. It is joined by Jackery’s Explorer 1000 Plus Portable Power Station that just hit a new $849 low, as well as another one-day sale on the Greenworks 80V 26-inch Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmer at its $175 low. Plus, you’ll find all of the other day’s other best Green Deals below.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/greenworks-venture-mountain-e-bike-jackery-power-station-and-more/
US lawmakers rage over Intel Meteor Lake-powered Huawei PC
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Special export license granted to Intel by President Trump unlikely to be renewed
Huawei’s launch of its newest MateBook Pro X, which uses Intel’s latest Meteor Lake CPU has invoked the ire of Republican members of Congress in the US.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/american_legislators_in_arms_over/
Forget the Milano EV – Alfa Romeo changes name to something non-Italian-sounding
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
The ongoing tensions between Italy and Alfa Romeo’s parent company Stellantis reached a head last week when the Italian government told the automaker that naming its upcoming Alfa Romeo EV the Milano was against the law because the car will be built in Poland. So now Alfa Romeo has decided to change the name to something that won’t evoke any feelings of la dolce vita or desire for delicious Pepperidge Farm cookies, or any emotions at all for that matter. Besides total blandness.
34 Years of TidBITS and New Mac App Discounts for Members
date: 2024-04-15, from: TidBITS blog
It’s our 34th anniversary today, and Adam Engst marks the occasion by sharing some thoughts and stats about where TidBITS is now, along with new discounts on apps from the Ukrainian companies Belight Software and MacPaw.
https://tidbits.com/2024/04/15/34-years-of-tidbits-and-new-mac-app-discounts-for-members/
Alfa Romeo Milano Now Named ‘Junior’ Because Of Italian Law Protecting Cheese
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The car will be built in Poland, not Italy, which means it’s not allowed to bear an Italian-sounding name.
https://insideevs.com/news/716161/alfa-romeo-junior-rename-milano/
California exceeds 100% of energy demand with renewables over a record 30 days
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California’s main grid for 30 of the past 38 days.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/renewables-met-100-percent-california-energy-demand-30-days/
US citizen arrested in Moscow on drug charges appears in court
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
Moscow — A U.S. citizen arrested on drug charges in Moscow amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions over Ukraine appeared in court on Monday.
Robert Woodland Romanov is facing charges of trafficking large amounts of illegal drugs as part of an organized group — a criminal offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He was remanded into custody in January, and the trial began in the Ostankino District Court in late March. A new court hearing is scheduled for next week.
In January, the U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports of the recent detention of a U.S. citizen and noted that it “has no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” but refrained from further comment, citing privacy considerations. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a similar statement at the time.
Russian media noted that the name of the accused matches that of a U.S. citizen interviewed by the popular daily Komsomolskaya Pravda in 2020.
In the interview, the man said that he was born in the Perm region in the Ural Mountains in 1991 and was adopted by an American couple when he was two. He said that he traveled to Russia to find his Russian mother and eventually met her in a TV show in Moscow.
The man told Komsomolskaya Pravda that he liked living in Russia and decided to move there. The newspaper reported that he settled in the town of Dolgoprudny just outside Moscow and was working as an English teacher at a local school.
Arrests of Americans in Russia have become increasingly common as relations between Moscow and Washington sink to Cold War lows. Washington accuses Moscow of targeting its citizens and using them as political bargaining chips, but Russian officials insist they all broke the law.
Some have been exchanged for Russians held in the U.S., while for others, the prospects of being released in a swap are less clear.
@Chris Coyier blog (date: 2024-04-15, from: Chris Coyier blog)
I’ve heard the new cooperative version of Scrabble made fun of a few times. These pansy youths just wanna hold hands, drink warm milk, and avoid any conflict. Whatever. Nobody is threatening the value of competition. Me, I think cooperative games are awesome. There are still challenges. You work together to solve them. Like, I […]
https://chriscoyier.net/2024/04/15/11282/
2024 Cowboy Festival Road Closures, Parking and Public Transportation Details
date: 2024-04-15, from: City of Santa Clarita
The 28th Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival makes its anticipated return to William S. Hart Park (24141 Newhall Avenue) this upcoming weekend! Residents are encouraged to prepare for road closures around the event site and plan transportation accordingly for Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21. The 2024 Cowboy Festival is expected to draw thousands of […]
The post 2024 Cowboy Festival Road Closures, Parking and Public Transportation Details appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.
Tesla’s Top Engineering Exec Departs As 10% Of Workforce Gets Cut
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
Two top Tesla executives resigned on Monday as layoffs rocked the electric automaker.
https://insideevs.com/news/716164/tesla-executive-drew-baglino-resigns/
No injuries in Canyon Country attic fire
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Signal
No injuries were reported after a two-story home in Canyon Country caught fire Monday morning, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. Personnel with the L.A County Fire Department received reports of a house fire on the 18000 block of Utopia Court in Canyon Country at 8:25 a.m. Monday and arrived at the scene […]
The post <strong>No injuries in Canyon Country attic fire</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/no-injuries-in-canyon-country-attic-fire/
The U.S. Paid $580 Million In Point-Of-Sale EV Tax Credits So Far This Year
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The IRS received roughly 100,000 time-of-sale EV reports since January 1.
https://insideevs.com/news/716072/point-of-sale-ev-rebates-580-million-april-2024/
Japan turns up heat on Apple, Google with threat of hefty fines
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Antitrust proposals could stretch to 30% of annual revenues for law-breaking app store monopolies
Apple, Google, and other Big Tech players could be fined 20 or even 30 percent of their sales in Japan if they break newly proposed regulations on abusive app store monopolies.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/japan_app_store_monopolies/
Landslide Causes Road Closures Along California’s Highway 1
date: 2024-04-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
A portion of Highway 1 has been closed off as a chunk of the road collapsed following a recent storm.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/715686/landslide-road-collapse-california-highway1/
NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared on Monday the agency’s path forward on the Mars Sample Return program, including seeking innovative designs to return valuable samples from Mars to Earth. Such samples will not only help us understand the formation and evolution of our solar system but can be used to prepare for future human explorers […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-path-to-return-mars-samples-seeks-innovative-designs/
Tesla’s head of policy and business dev leaves
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla’s head of policy and business development, Rohan Patel, has left the automaker and he is the second executive to do so today.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/teslas-head-policy-business-dev-leaves/
Philippines says it will not grant US access to more bases
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-says-it-will-not-grant-u-s-access-to-more-bases-/7570756.html
A’s relocation: Last Dive Bar, Oakland 68s taking ‘SELL’ movement to Sacramento ballgame
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
The grassroots movement of A’s fans opposing the club’s move to Sacramento and Las Vegas will continue at Sutter Health Park.
How to manage a quantum computing emergency
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Educated Guesswork blog
https://educatedguesswork.org/posts/pq-emergency/
Tesla decimates staff amid ongoing performance woe
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Shares of the worst performing member of the S&P 500 slide some more as news unlikely to please investors
Tesla is starting the week on a low note by laying off “more than” 10 percent of its employees just days after Cybertruck production was reportedly halted to address an issue with the accelerator pedal.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/tesla_lays_off_10_percent/
Jeep says its new Wagoneer S electric SUV can rival Tesla’s Model Y to charge up sales
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Jeep has high hopes for its first 100% electric SUV in the US. The rugged SUV brand is preparing to reverse slumping sales with new EVs that Jeep believes can compete with the best. Jeep’s CEO, Antonio Filosa, believes the Wagoneer S electric SUV can take market share from Tesla’s best-selling Model Y.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/jeep-new-wagoneer-s-electric-suv-rival-tesla-model-y/
Lenovo Chromebox Micro hits retail for $244 and up (phone-sized ChromeOS computer)
date: 2024-04-15, from: Liliputing
The Lenovo Chromebox Micro is a tiny computer that’s about the size of a smartphone, giving it a space-saving design and making it easy to transport from place to place. First announced in December, the Lenovo Chromebox Micro is aimed at business customers. But it’s recently started showing up at online stores including B&H, CDW, […]
The post Lenovo Chromebox Micro hits retail for $244 and up (phone-sized ChromeOS computer) appeared first on Liliputing.
En La Semana De Concientización De Infecciones De Transmisión Sexual Hazte La Prueba
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Plantilla de comunicado de prensa (SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) — El Departamento de Salud Pública del Condado de Santa Bárbara (SBCPHD,
The post En La Semana De Concientización De Infecciones De Transmisión Sexual Hazte La Prueba appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Wine on the Roof Tickets Still Available
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Live jazz music, entertainment by talented William S. Hart Union High School District Students, music by Lance Allyn, be treated to happy hour, plus six seated courses - each one created by a different chef from your favorite local restaurants and paired with fabulous wines, local and statewide
https://scvnews.com/wine-on-the-roof-tickets-still-available/
Get Tested for Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Week
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
press release template (SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) — Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (SBCPHD) is joining the California Department of
The post Get Tested for Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Week appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
End-Stage Poverty Is Killing People in Safety Net-Free America
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/04/end-stage-poverty-is-killing-people-in-safety-net-free-america
The “think of a number” fallacy
date: 2024-04-15, from: Paolo Valdemarin’s blog
Some time a go a colleague commenting on the idea of iterative prompting, suggested to ask GPT to “think about something” and then make a decision on what to write or not to write. The problem with this approach is that a session with an LLM doesn’t really have a memory outside the actual text … Continue reading “The “think of a number” fallacy”
https://val.demar.in/2024/04/the-think-of-a-number-fallacy/
Two-car crash results in fatality on Highway 4
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
The wreck marked the second fatal one on Highway 4 in 2024; there were 15 in 2023.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/two-car-crash-results-in-fatality-on-highway-4/
Why Oil Traders Are Not Freaking Out Today
date: 2024-04-15, from: Heatmap News
Iran and Israel’s proxy conflict escalated into direct strikes over the weekend and oil prices have hardly budged. So far on Monday, the Brent crude oil benchmark is hovering around $89.50 a barrel, a 1-ish% dip for the day.
This has been the story of the conflict so far: While oil prices rose following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Southern Israel and the beginning of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, they’re now back to where they were for much of September, and are down substantially from their summer 2022 highs.
It remains to be seen how, exactly, Israel will respond to the attack by Iranian drones, but oil markets are still largely relaxed. By the end of last week, explained Eurasia Group analyst Greg Brew, the markets had already “priced in” an Iranian attack, pushing prices above $90.
Brew pointed to both the United States and Iran indicating that “further escalation is being actively discouraged” as one cause for the market’s relative relaxation so far today.
“The market is down a bit, though there is still a lot of anxiety regarding whether Israel’s response to the attack creates more escalatory pressure,” he told me. “So we’re still in a wait-and-see pattern.”
Despite the escalation, oil markets apparently still don’t see the conflict spinning out of control. “Crude essentially unchanged to start the week,” oil analyst Rory Johnston tweeted Sunday. “Iran’s reaction perfectly priced in.”
https://heatmap.news/sparks/iran-israel-oil-markets
Woman shot while sitting in car in Oakland
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
The shooting happened about 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Parker Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/woman-shot-while-sitting-in-car-in-oakland/
Backblaze cloud storage buzzes with added Event Notifications
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
If you want open system to automate workflows over platform of your choosing, join the queue
Cloud storage provider Backblaze is adding Event Notifications to its portfolio, sending out an alert whenever data in its Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage changes.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/backblaze_event_notifications/
Alaska is ready for another record-breaking cruise season
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Cruise lines at various pricing tiers will make frequent excursions to the 49th state, a definite ‘bucket list’ destination.
Rivian’s Latest Software Update Actually Rates Public Charging
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
We chat with RIvian’s VP of Software about how the new software will improve the customer experience.
https://insideevs.com/news/716140/rivian-software-better-charging-experience/
San Francisco’s Micah Siva puts a plant-forward spin on Jewish dishes in new cookbook
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
From vegan matzo balls to Passover-friendly cookies, Siva draws inspiration from the global Jewish diaspora.
Passover Recipe: Cast-Iron Potato and Caramelized Onion Kugel
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
When it comes to comfort food, San Francisco cookbook author Micah Siva swears by potato kugel.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/passover-recipe-cast-iron-potato-and-caramelized-onion-kugel/
Passover recipe: Turmeric Vegetable Matzo Ball Soup
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
This golden broth is perfect for any soup, but it’s especially good for matzo ball soup.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/passover-recipe-turmeric-vegetable-matzo-ball-soup/
Recipe: Micah Siva’s Passover Black and White Cookies
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Black and white cookies are a staple of New York delis. These ones are also vegan, gluten-free and Passover-friendly.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/recipe-micah-sivas-passover-black-and-white-cookies/
Passover Recipe: Floater Herbed Matzo Balls
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
It wasn’t until recently that San Francisco cookbook author Micah Siva decided to replace salty matzo ball mix with fresh herbs and spices – fresh chives, dill and parsley or even basil.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/15/passover-recipe-floater-herbed-matzo-balls/
US News and World Report’s top 10 bucket list destinations in Alaska
date: 2024-04-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
From rugged Denali to Glacier Bay National Park, this lineup of Alaska’s top sights reads like a travel bucket list.
NASA’s LRO Observes 2024 Solar Eclipse Shadow
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
As the Moon blotted out the Sun to viewers across the United States during the April 8 solar eclipse, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured an image from some 223,000 miles away of the highly anticipated celestial event. There are three cameras that comprise the LRO camera (LROC) suite: two Narrow Angle Cameras (NAC) and […]
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/lro/nasas-lro-observes-2024-solar-eclipse-shadow/
Meteorites Are Becoming Harder to Find as They Sink Into Antarctica’s Melting Ice
date: 2024-04-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The disappearing space rocks are burying valuable clues into the history and composition of our solar system, according to a new study
Always a good day to read Daniel Radcliffe’s open letter to J.K….
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/04/0044393-always-a-good-day-to
Roku makes 2FA mandatory for all after nearly 600K accounts pwned
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Streamer says access came via credential stuffing
Streaming giant Roku is making 2FA mandatory after attackers accessed around 591,000 customer accounts earlier this year.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/roku_2fa_for_everyone/
CCC trauert um Reinhard Schrutzki
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Chaos Computer Club Updates
Am 22.03.2024 ist nach kurzer, schwerer Krankheit Reinhard Schrutzki aka Goblin – im Alter von 67 Jahren – von uns gegangen.
https://www.ccc.de/de/updates/2024/ccc-trauert-um-reinhard-schrutzki
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-04-15, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Current status
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112275877583444393
NASA tries to jog Voyager 1’s memory from 15 billion miles away
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Since you can’t get a soldering iron out there, the fix will be in software
Engineers at NASA have pinpointed some corrupted memory as the cause of Voyager 1’s troubles and are working on a remote fix to deal with the hardware problem.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/voyager_engineers_prepare_fix/
A Pareto analysis of the best driver/kart build you can drive in…
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/04/0044394-a-pareto-analysis-of-the
A blogroll on a Drummer blog
date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News
How to add a FeedLand blogroll to a Drummer blog.
- You must have a Drummer blog and a FeedLand account.
- You can specify that all the feeds you’re subscribed to are in your blogroll or use a category and only feeds in that category will be in the blogroll.
- The blogroll updates automatically, when one of the feeds has a new post, it goes to the top of the list.
- You can expand a feed to see the five most recent items. Click on the pubdate to go to the full item on the web.
- It supports keyboard navigation. Up and down arrows move through the list, Return to expand/collapse.
- We’re working on WordPress plugin.
Four head-level attributes in your blog.opml file. Only one required.
- blogrollUsername – required
- blogrollServer – optional, if not specified it’s feedland.com
- blogrollCategory – optional
- blogrollTitle – optional, but you really should provide a title, otherwise we invent a silly one for you. 😄
Screen shot of how the head-level attributes are set on Bull Mancuso’s blog.
Screen shot of the blog itself with the blogroll.
A link to Bull’s blogroll category on feedland.com.
A place to ask questions offer kudos, etc. 😄
PS: I’m not trying to sell you on using Drummer to run a blog. Rather I needed a place to figure out how this works, so we know how to set up and document the WordPress plugin.
http://scripting.com/2024/04/15/145315.html?title=aBlogrollOnADrummerBlog
Review Used By UK to Limit Gender Affirming Care Uses Images of AI-Generated Kids
date: 2024-04-15, from: 404 Media Group
One image depicts a non-binary child with short pink hair, consistent with how generative AI tends to represent queer people. In another image, a child’s fingers blend together.
https://www.404media.co/uk-gender-affirming-care-ai-generated-children/
Can NIO’s new ET7 with a 150 kWh semi-solid state EV battery break its 650-mi range record?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
China’s NIO is launching its new ET7 powered by a massive 150 kWh semi-solid state battery pack this month. Pre-orders open tomorrow, April 16, and NIO is holding an endurance challenge to see if the luxury EV can beat its own 650-mile (1044 km) range record.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/nio-shows-off-new-et7-150-kwh-semi-solid-state-ev-battery/
As optical illusions go, this is pretty good….
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/04/0044380-as-optical-illusions-go-t
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-04-15, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
I love that WebAssembly is becoming a bytecode for Swift tooling.
Pure, unadulterated, high-octane fuel for a he swift ecosystem:
https://github.com/apple/swift/pull/73031
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112275714810429725
Ultimate Tesla Drag Race Features Every Performance Version Of Model S And X
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
It’s Tesla versus Tesla in a 6-way drag race between every performance model of the Model S and Model X.
https://insideevs.com/news/716034/tesla-performance-race-model-s-x/
Microsoft lifts years-old compatibility hold for Windows 11
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It probably wasn’t only sound driver problems that kept users away
Microsoft has lifted a 29-month compatibility hold that prevented some Windows 10 systems from upgrading to Windows 11 due to an issue with an Intel Smart Sound Technology driver.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/windows_11_compatibility_hold/
Tesla Cybertruck’s Stuck Accelerator Pedal Problem Creates 6,800-Pound Land Missile
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
A design flaw in the accelerator pedal has reportedly caused deliveries to be halted, potentially ahead of a recall.
https://insideevs.com/news/716031/tesla-cybertruck-stuck-accelerator-pedal/
BP axes jobs and scales back its EV charging business
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Oil and gas giant BP is slashing jobs at its electric vehicle charging business and pulling out of several markets as its big bet on rapid growth in commercial EV fleets “didn’t pay off,” according to company sources.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/bp-axes-jobs-and-scales-back-its-ev-charging-business/
Tesla’s top engineering executive Drew Baglino leaves in massive leadership loss
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla’s top engineering executive, Drew Baglino, has left the automaker in a massive blow to the company’s leadership.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/tesla-top-engineering-executive-drew-baglino-leaves-leadership-loss/
NASA Selects New Crew for Next Simulated Mars Journey
date: 2024-04-15, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has selected a new crew of four volunteers to participate in a simulated mission to Mars within a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara will step into the agency’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, on Friday, May 10. Once inside, […]
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-selects-new-crew-for-next-simulated-mars-journey/
Geometers Engineer New Tools to Wrangle Spacecraft Orbits
date: 2024-04-15, from: Quanta Magazine
Mathematicians think abstract tools from a field called symplectic geometry might help with planning missions to far-off moons and planets.The post Geometers Engineer New Tools to Wrangle Spacecraft Orbits first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/geometers-engineer-new-tools-to-wrangle-spacecraft-orbits-20240415/
@Tomosino’s Mastodon feed (date: 2024-04-15, from: Tomosino’s Mastodon feed)
Are you looking for a talented developer who can do pretty much anything in any language?
Check out https://writing.exchange/@alxd/112258444456719161
#typeScript #python #RustLang #remote #softwareDev #react , #nodejs , #django , #fastAPI , #pandas , #postgresql , #docker , #kubernetes , #AWS and #digitalOcean .
https://tilde.zone/@tomasino/112275604240195196
Genesis U.S. EV Sales Increased Slightly In Q1 2024
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The company offers three models, but its total volume remains under 1,000 units.
https://insideevs.com/news/715985/genesis-us-ev-sales-2024q1/
Delinea Secret Server customers should apply latest patches
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Attackers could nab an org’s most sensitive keys if left unaddressed
Updated Customers of Delinea’s Secret Server are being urged to upgrade their installations “immediately” after a researcher claimed a critical vulnerability could allow attackers to gain admin-level access.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/delinea_secret_server_patch/
Papyrus 2: A Bold New Look for Avatar
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/04/papyrus-2-a-bold-new-look-for-avatar
Why good external SSDs are faster with Apple silicon
date: 2024-04-15, from: OS News
After several days testing the latest Express 1M2 enclosure from OWC, I have changed my recommendations for the best external SSDs. Previously I had chosen the relatively reliable Thunderbolt 3 up to 3 GB/s, even though few drives ever seemed capable of achieving that up to. If you’re still needing good performance with an Intel Mac, that makes sense. But if you need best performance with an Apple silicon Mac, you’re far better off with a high-quality USB 40Gbps enclosure such as OWC’s Express 1M2, which should reliably return over 3 GB/s even through a compatible hub. I much prefer the word over to up to. ↫ Howard Oakley If you have an Apple Silicon Mac, and you’re looking for an external drive – this is some good advice to follow.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139285/why-good-external-ssds-are-faster-with-apple-silicon/
MINISFORUM V3 tablet w/Ryzen 7 8840U launches for $1199
date: 2024-04-15, from: Liliputing
The MINISFORUM V3 is a Windows tablet with a 14 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel, 165 Hz display, an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor, and what MINISFORUM calls a “3-in-1” design. That’s because it comes with a keyboard that allows you to use the tablet like a laptop and because it also has supports video input, […]
The post MINISFORUM V3 tablet w/Ryzen 7 8840U launches for $1199 appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/minisforum-v3-tablet-w-ryzen-7-8840u-launches-for-1199/
Busting the “immigrants as job takers” myth
date: 2024-04-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
On today’s program, we’re taking a closer look at immigration and entrepreneurship. Immigrants are more likely to start a new company than U.S.-born citizens, studies show. And those new businesses need to make hires — turns out, immigrant entrepreneurs are associated with a net gain in jobs. We’ll discuss. Also, a boost in the Internal Revenue Service budget seems to be making a difference, and investors respond to rising tensions in the Middle East.
April 14, 2024
date: 2024-04-15, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-14-2024-129
Review says 2021 deadly Kabul bombing wasn’t preventable
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/review-says-2021-deadly-kabul-bombing-wasn-t-preventable-/7570520.html
All Bad Bosses at Amazon Are Now Named ‘Wayne’
date: 2024-04-15, from: 404 Media Group
The newly-fabricated dispatcher, named Wayne, represents every manager who assigns incompletable routes and package loads. But he’s based in reality.
https://www.404media.co/bad-amazon-bosses-wayne/
‘Charges Faster Than Any EV We’ve Tested’: Chevy Silverado EV Impresses In Test
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
The Silverado EV with the large 200+ kWh battery pack is the quickest-charging EV and it stays quick throughout its charging curve.
https://insideevs.com/news/716074/chevrolet-silverado-ev-fast-charging/
World is finally buying more phones and prices are rising
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Someone forgot to tell Apple and Samsung as Chinese brands rebound
The world is collectively buying more factory-fresh smartphones again, with Chinese homegrown brands propelling shipments. Meanwhile, Apple reported a near double-digit slump, and Samsung also saw declines, albeit at a slower rate.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/idc_global_smartphone_sales/
US Commerce Dept. grants Samsung $6.4 billion for Texas chip plants
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-04-15, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Magnificent guide by @dgregor79
Swift for C++ Practitioners:
https://www.douggregor.net/posts/swift-for-cxx-practitioners-value-types/
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112275455714265523
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-04-15, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Ok friends how are we gaming duolingo? Do I need to wait until tonight at 11pm to join?
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112275443761103236
So kottke[dot]org had some significant downtime this weekend but it seems to…
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/04/0044390-so-kottkedotorg-had-some-
US senator wants to put the brakes on Chinese EVs
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Fears of low-cost invasion and data spies spark call for ban
Electric vehicles may become a new front in America’s tech war with China after a US senator called for Washington DC to block Chinese-made EVs to protect domestic industries and national security.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/china_ev_ban/
The Huge Screen In BMW’s Future Electric SUV Is Surprisingly Cool
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
We got hands-on with the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X, a preview of the brand’s next-generation electric SUV.
https://insideevs.com/news/715952/bmw-neue-klasse-x-screen/
Tesla Is Reportedly Making Big Layoffs This Week
date: 2024-04-15, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Temperatures in Sapporo, Japan, surpassed 77 degrees Fahrenheit today, earlier than ever before • Gale-force winds are blasting Britain • The weather is looking great for the Boston Marathon.
THE TOP FIVE
- Tesla reportedly lays off 10% of global workforce
Tesla has reportedly laid off “more than 10%” of its global workforce, according to Jameson Dow at Electrek. In an internal company-wide email, CEO Elon Musk said “this will enable us to be lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle.” The exact headcount isn’t clear but Dow calculates a 10% cut would bring the number of workers newly out of a job to about 14,000. The news wasn’t unexpected – employees had been whispering about potential layoffs for a few weeks, and their angst was fueled by the announcement last Thursday that Cybertruck production shifts at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas would be shortened, starting today. Dow notes the layoffs will hurt morale, “which is a shame, because we do need Tesla to keep pushing things forward, and to keep attracting the best and brightest.”
- House Republicans pivot from appliances to Iran crisis
House Republicans canceled a plan to put forward six new bills related to household appliances and energy standards this week and will focus instead on responding to rising tensions between Iran and Israel. The bills were going to be a “coordinated legislative offensive on the Department of Energy’s efficiency standards,” reported E&E News. It’s not clear if or when the bills will be heard.
- Biden administration increases fees for oil and gas drilling on
public lands
In case you missed it: The Biden administration late last week moved to hike fees for drilling for oil and gas on public lands. The New York Times explained it nicely: “The nation’s largest property owner, the federal government, effectively charges rent to oil and gas companies that exploit public land for private profit.” Now it is hiking its rates. The new rules, which could take effect in 60 days, raise royalty rates, lease rents, minimum auction bids, as well as “bonding rates,” which are upfront payments “to cover the cost of plugging abandoned oil and gas wells,” Reuters reported. The new minimum lease bonds will be $150,000 per lease, up from $10,000. Royalty rates will rise from 12.5% to 16.67%. The government estimates the rules would increase costs for fossil fuel companies by about $1.5 billion through 2031. Some of the money will go toward cleaning up old abandoned oil and gas wells.
Get Heatmap AM directly in your inbox every morning:
- Intense flooding prompts more evacuations in Russia, Kazakhstan
Flooding continues along the Russia-Kazakhstan border, where huge amounts of snowmelt from the Ural Mountains, coupled with heavy rain, overwhelmed the Ob-Irtysh river system, the world’s seventh largest. The Tobol River, which is usually frozen this time of year, rose by 9 inches in just four hours this morning. More than 125,000 people have been evacuated since the flooding began earlier this month. Flooding is common for the region in the spring, but this year has been particularly bad. Experts say the soil was already saturated before winter, and higher-than usual snowfall followed by a burst of warm weather made for ideal flood conditions. Maria Shahgedanova, a professor of climatic science at Reading University, said extreme flooding is likely to become more common because climate change is causing heavier snowfall in the area. “We’re looking at a 7% increase in (snow) precipitation where there is one degree temperature change,” she said.
- New pilot project to test highway that charges EVs on the go
Indiana has broken ground on a pilot project that will allow electric vehicles to charge wirelessly as they drive down the highway. The technology was developed by Purdue University and is being put to the test on a quarter-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 52 in West Lafayette, Indiana, Inside Climate News reported. It will charge cars as they travel up to speeds of 65 miles per hour. “If you have a cellphone and you place it on a charger, there is what’s called magnetic fields that are coming up from the charger into that phone,” said Steve Pekarek, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue. “We’re doing something similar.” Cars would have to be equipped with special receivers to be compatible with the wireless charging, so even when the system is up and running next summer it won’t yet benefit existing EV drivers. “This is a simple solution,” Pekarek said. “There are complicated parts of it, and that we leave to the vehicle manufacturers.” The state’s Department of Transportation hopes the project will help in the quest to ease range anxiety for would-be EV buyers, and electrify long-haul trucking.
THE KICKER
Researchers say they’ve found a way to make the common pain-reliever acetaminophen (aka Tylenol) from compounds found in wood, instead of from chemicals derived from crude oil.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/tesla-layoffs-appliance-week
A Massive Halo of Golden Retrievers
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: One Foot Tsunami
https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/04/15/a-massive-halo-of-golden-retrievers/
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-04-15, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Performance improvements in Safari.
1% here, 0.3% there and six months later you have a 30% boost on a mature codebase.
https://webkit.org/blog/15249/optimizing-webkit-safari-for-speedometer-3-0/
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112275295970308025
North American S/4HANA migrations ramping among SAP users
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Skills access still an issue for organizations hoping to beat the 2027 ECC support deadline
Nearly two-thirds of SAP users in North America are set to migrate to its latest S/4HANA ERP platform, or have already started the process, according to a recent survey.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/american_s4hana_migrations_ramp_up/
Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assist under investigation after two fatal crashes
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two fatal crashes involving two separate Ford Mustang Mach-Es crashing into stationary vehicles, where three people have died. In at least one of the crashes, Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver-assist system was activated at the time of the crash, while the second one is under preliminary investigation. Here’s what happened.
Tesla May Be Headed For Massive Layoffs As Woes Mount: Reports (Updated)
date: 2024-04-15, from: Inside EVs News
Plus, the EV world needs more technicians and both Volkswagen and Mercedes face a battle with a renewed UAW.
https://insideevs.com/news/716095/tesla-layoffs-critical-materials/
Tech Time Capsule: Early 1990s Clip Art Captured an Era
date: 2024-04-15, from: Vintage Computing
Clip art collections from the early 1990s are today’s forgotten cultural time capsules, freezing life three decades ago as digital illustrations full of obsolete tech, vintage fashions, and more. Just for fun, let’s explore computer art from a time just before the Internet hit it big. [Benj’s note—I wrote this piece years ago, and it […]
Microsoft to use Windows 11 Start menu as a billboard with app ads for Insiders
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
This wasn’t what most had in mind when Redmond promised to make the feature ‘great again’
Microsoft is to try out “recommendations” – ads for apps in the Microsoft Store – in the Windows 11 Start Menu, but only for a small set of US Beta Channel Windows Insiders at first.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/microsoft_recommendations_windows_11/
Did Ancient South Americans Keep Foxes as Pets?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
At a cemetery in Argentina, a 1,500-year-old fox buried alongside humans suggests a “close relationship” between the species, researchers say
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-ancient-south-americans-keep-foxes-as-pets-180984134/
Maserati’s Folgore Day event showcases its commitment to electrification, just not 100%
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
To celebrate over 100 years in business while looking ahead to another century filled with electrification, Maserati held a “Folgore Day” event in Italy. At this event, it showcased its lineup of BEVs, including the GranTurismo Folgore and Grecale Folgore SUV, ahead of the official launch of its GranCabrio Folgore convertible this evening.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Unlocking the Potential of Fiction Podcasts: A Call to Podcast App Developers.
Happy Tax Day from your friendly neighborhood chatbot
date: 2024-04-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Today is Tax Day. While payers in 12 states have the opportunity to use a pilot IRS system to directly file their taxes online, tax software companies like Intuit and H&R Block have introduced generative artificial intelligence assistants to be more competitive. But do they work? Then, Samsung beats out Apple for title of the world’s biggest smartphone maker, and we examine how residents of “news deserts” access their local news.
Feline firewall woke developer to declaw DDoS disaster
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
System alerts were pinging but cat had no way of knowing what was happening
A developer named Danny Guo has shared a story of the time his cat alerted him to a DDoS attack.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/cat_warns_owner_of_ddos/
What could a wider Middle East conflict mean for Iranians?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Tensions continue to run high in the Middle East after Iran’s recent drone and missile attacks against Israel. We’ll delve into how this weekend’s events could make a bad situation worse for Iran’s heavily sanctioned economy and the people living there. Plus, we’ll hear how the ongoing war in Ukraine could provide another big hit to energy prices, and we’ll preview the outlook for Zimbabwe’s new gold-backed currency.
New Lattice Cryptanalytic Technique
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-14, from: Bruce Schneier blog
A new paper presents a polynomial-time quantum algorithm for solving certain hard lattice problems. This could be a big deal for post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, since many of them base their security on hard lattice problems.
A few things to note. One, this paper has not yet been peer reviewed. As this comment points out: “We had already some cases where efficient quantum algorithms for lattice problems were discovered, but they turned out not being correct or only worked for simple special cases.”
Two, this is a quantum algorithm, which means that it has not been tested. There is a wide gulf between quantum algorithms in theory and in practice. And until we can actually code and test these algorithms, we should be suspicious of their speed and complexity claims…
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/04/new-lattice-cryptanalytic-technique.html
Helmets Might Not Be the Scam We’re Led To Believe
date: 2024-04-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
If you were one of the many who thought helmets were a scam, you could be wrong.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/715942/missouri-helmet-law-repeal/
Open source versus Microsoft: The new rebellion begins
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Neither side can afford to lose, but one surely must
Opinion Twice it was tried, twice it failed. In Germany, Munich and Lower Saxony both decided to switch to open source for official IT. Both projects, to some extent or another*, returned to Microsoft. Now the state of Schleswig-Holstein is hoping for third time lucky. It’s been planning the same thing for three years, and now it’s pressing the button.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/opinion_microsoft_sovereignty/
New York Will Soon Get Congestion Pricing — After a 150,000-Year Wait
date: 2024-04-15, from: Heatmap News
In late March, the board that oversees New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority cast a final vote to implement congestion pricing. If the plan survives some last-ditch lawsuits, drivers will soon have to cough up $15 to travel into Lower Manhattan during rush hours. The MTA will get billions every year to make capital improvements, the air will be markedly cleaner, the streets notably less congested, and a proposal that was first pitched by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg 17 years ago will have finally been realized.
“I often wonder what our system would have been like if we passed it back in 2008,” MTA board member Haeda Mihaltses, a veteran of the Bloomberg administration, mused just before she cast her vote in favor.
The price of nearly two decades of procrastination over doing something to alleviate the most densely-populated, traffic-snarled place in North America is, indeed, unfathomably high. There’s the billions of dollars of mass transit infrastructure we missed out on, the billions spent on health care from breathing in dirty air.
And then there’s the most precious resource of all. According to one calculation from transport economist and congestion pricing advocate Charles Komanoff, the plan the MTA adopted last month will save drivers, bus passengers, and subway riders a combined 225,000 hours every single day. Here’s a fun thought experiment: If New York had adopted this plan back in 2008, we could have saved ourselves a combined 1,314,000,000 hours, or 150,000 years.
How could implementing something so obviously necessary and routine — anyone who has paid to camp in a National Park or drive on the New Jersey Turnpike understands the concept — take so long? What does it say about how we govern? And what can we learn from it?
“I think it is fair to say that whatever roadblock congestion pricing could have hit, it hit,” Rachael Fauss, a policy director and MTA researcher for the good government group Reinvent Albany, told me. “It was the worst case scenario of timelines if you were to project out: What are the things that could delay this?”
Some of the delays were deliberate: It’s hard enough for lawmakers to summon the courage to raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires, so charging drivers money for something that used to be “free,” to fund a transit agency that often conjures delayed trains and decades-long boondoggles in the public’s imagination, was always going to require a fortitude that is in chronically short supply in Albany. When then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pushed to pass congestion pricing in 2019, he and his fellow lawmakers wrote into the actual bill that the tolling scheme couldn’t be announced for a year and a half — until after the 2020 election. The same politicians who were supposedly brave enough to vote congestion pricing into law didn’t want anything to do with putting that law into practice.
Then there were the bureaucratic delays. The COVID pandemic, of course, redirected much of the government and forced the MTA into survival mode as subway ridership dropped 90%; suddenly the agency’s most important work was to coordinate lifesaving bailouts from the federal and state governments. Then the Trump administration slow-walked the answer to a key question: Because the congestion pricing plan involved placing tolls on roads built with federal funding, the state needed a sign-off from the federal Department of Transportation. But was congestion pricing the kind of massive infrastructure project that, under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, required an exhaustive Environmental Impact Statement? Could it pass NEPA review with a less thorough Environmental Assessment? Or, given that nothing was actually being built up or torn down, could it be exempt from these reviews altogether?
Two years after the congestion pricing law passed, and months after the plan was supposed to go into effect in early 2021, the newly installed Biden administration finally asked for the middle option, an Environmental Assessment, which the MTA initially said could be done in a matter of months. In actuality, that timeline stretched to 16 months and produced a 4,000-page behemoth that some experts noted was more comprehensive than the average EIS.
Seemingly nothing escaped the MTA’s scrutiny — it even looked at how congestion pricing would affect traffic in the Philadelphia suburbs (not all that much). The results were not exactly shocking: Tolling vehicles entering Lower Manhattan below 60th Street would result in up to 20% fewer vehicles in the Central Business District, improving air quality while also generating $1 billion in revenue for public transit, which could then be used to secure up to $15 billion in bonds. After more than 50 public meetings and 25,000 written comments (60% in favor of the plan), the Biden administration produced a “finding of no significant impact,” meaning that congestion pricing wouldn’t negatively affect the economy, the environment, or the roads.
There was at least one notable benefit that came from doing such a comprehensive, time-intensive review: The MTA found that congestion pricing could cause an increase in truck traffic to the South Bronx for drivers looking to toll shop, which in turn prompted the agency to allocate $200 million to alleviate pollution in some of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods, which have shamefully high asthma rates that mostly affect Black and Latine New Yorkers. “Is it congestion pricing’s job to remedy those problems? Maybe not,” Fauss, of Reinvent Albany, said. “But is it a really important way to correct some past wrongs? Yeah, absolutely.”
The MTA’s thoroughness may help protect it from the bad faith lawsuits that have been filed to try and shut down the license plate readers before they go live on June 15. But we’re in the midst of a climate crisis. Why should a 54-year-old law designed to prevent overeager developers from doing things like demolishing neighborhoods to build highways discourage cities and states from enacting dynamic, flexible solutions to cut pollution created by those highways — and fund public transit at the same time? And why should a review of a plan that requires no concrete, no demolition — no actual infrastructure — take three years?
The biggest hurdle congestion pricing had to overcome might have been psychological. Let’s call it “car brain”: Even though 85% of commuters who travel into the Central Business District take mass transit, for years, lawmakers and congestion pricing opponents have argued (and in the case of the current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, still argue) that charging people to drive into Lower Manhattan was a kind of attack on the middle class. In a city where valuable street real estate has been converted into free parking, congestion pricing was portrayed as profaning the sacred rights of “regular” New Yorkers — never mind the fact that just 2% of New York’s working poor will end up paying the tolls. Driving your car wherever you please, it turns out, is quite expensive.
“Elected officials are facing the world from the front seat of a car, whether they’re driving or being driven,” Danny Pearlstein, the policy and communications director at Riders Alliance, one of the most forceful proponents of congestion pricing, told me. Pearlstein added that “bureaucrats who drive to work” probably contributed to the Biden administration’s slow-walking of the approval process, or so he suspects. “They were very cautious about doing something that alters not just, you know, air patterns, or patterns of inequity, but actual commutes,” Pearlstein said.
As a reporter who has covered congestion pricing for nearly a decade, I have learned never to underestimate the power of “car brain” on public policy. As a New Yorker who lives steps from the entrance of the Williamsburg Bridge on the Lower East Side, who watches mothers push strollers through oceans of hot, heavy steel boxes belching poisonous gasses driven by people on a hair trigger, and who has seen our leaders pretend that this is New York, that we are too exceptional to change, I cannot help but go about my day, doing my best to tune out the incessant honking, feeling like the dog engulfed in flames: “This is fine.”
That it took transportation advocates, regional planners, and forward-looking politicians nearly 20 years to enact congestion pricing in New York City — the U.S. municipality perhaps most amenable to it because of its housing density and excellent mass transit system — reveals the daunting task of weaning Americans off the automobile. More than three-quarters of us drive our own personal cars to our jobs.
“The only thing that’s going to change the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans drive to work is not permitting reforms to programs like congestion pricing. It’s permitting reforms to allow dense housing development in metropolitan areas across the country,” Pearlstein said.
“It’s a little bit like a Marxian analysis,” he mused. The crisis must come to a head in order to overthrow the status quo. “In order to adopt congestion pricing, you first have to exacerbate congestion significantly by condensing your built environment.”
https://heatmap.news/climate/new-york-congestion-pricing
After delay due to xz, Ubuntu 24.04 ‘Noble Numbat’ belatedly hits beta
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Kernel 6.8, GNOME 46, and more apps in Snap packages
The beta version of this year’s Ubuntu LTS release is out, complete with a new, and automatable, installation program.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/ubuntu_24_04_belated_beta/
Tesla lays off ‘more than 10%’ of its global workforce
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has announced layoffs of “more than 10%” of its global workforce in an internal company-wide email. We exclusively reported yesterday that Tesla was prepping a massive layoff.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/tesla-lays-off-more-than-10-of-its-global-workforce/
MIT breakthrough means there’s no material too weird for 3D printing
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Thanks to sensors and math, machines can ‘learn’ to adapt to new mediums
Eggheads at MIT say they have developed a method for 3D printing, which they claim greatly reduces the time taken to adapt machines to using different materials.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/3d_printers_mit/
Happy Tax Day, and the coming fight over extending Trump’s tax cut
date: 2024-04-15, from: Robert Reich on Substack
It’s behind the big money financing Trump’s 2024 campaign
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/happy-tax-day
Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
Washington — Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.
Biden, the sitting Democratic president, plans to release his income tax returns on Monday, the IRS filing deadline. And on Tuesday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech in Scranton, Pennsylvania, about why the wealthy should pay more in taxes to reduce the federal deficit and help fund programs for the poor and middle class.
Biden is proud to say that he was largely without money for much of his decades-long career in public service, unlike Trump, who inherited hundreds of millions of dollars from his father and used his billionaire status to launch a TV show and later a presidential campaign.
“For 36 years, I was listed as the poorest man in Congress,” Biden told donors in California in February. “Not a joke.”
In 2015, Trump declared as part of his candidacy, “I’m really rich.”
The Republican former president has argued that voters have no need to see his tax data and that past financial disclosures are more than sufficient. He maintains that keeping taxes low for the wealthy will supercharge investment and lead to more jobs, while tax hikes would crush an economy still recovering from inflation that hit a four-decade peak in 2022.
“Biden wants to give the IRS even more cash by proposing the largest tax hike on the American people in history when they are already being robbed by his record-high inflation crisis,” said Karoline Leavitt, press secretary for the Trump campaign.
The split goes beyond an ideological difference to a very real challenge for whoever triumphs in the November election. At the end of 2025, many of the tax cuts that Trump signed into law in 2017 will expire — setting up an avalanche of choices about how much people across the income spectrum should pay as the national debt is expected to climb to unprecedented levels.
Including interest costs, extending all the tax breaks could add another $3.8 trillion to the national debt through 2033, according to an analysis last year by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Biden would like to keep the majority of the tax breaks, based on his pledge that no one earning less than $400,000 will have to pay more. But he released a budget proposal this year with tax increases on the wealthy and corporations that would raise $4.9 trillion in revenues and trim forecasted deficits by $3.2 trillion over 10 years.
Still, he’s telling voters that he’s all for letting the Trump-era tax cuts lapse.
“Does anyone here think the tax code is fair? Raise your hand,” Biden said Tuesday at a speech in Washington’s Union Station to a crowd predisposed to dislike Trump’s broad tax cuts that helped many in the middle class but disproportionately favored wealthier households.
“It added more to the national debt than any presidential term in history,” Biden continued. “And it’s due to expire next year. And guess what? I hope to be president because it expires — it’s going to stay expired.”
Trump has called for higher tariffs on foreign-made goods, which are taxes that could hit consumers in the form of higher prices. But his campaign is committed to tax cuts while promising that a Trump presidency would reduce a national debt that has risen for decades, including during his Oval Office tenure.
“When President Trump is back in the White House, he will advocate for more tax cuts for all Americans and reinvigorate America’s energy industry to bring down inflation, lower the cost of living, and pay down our debt,” Leavitt said.
Most economists say Trump’s tax cuts could not generate enough growth to pay down the national debt. An analysis released Friday by Oxford Economics found that a “full-blown Trump” policy with tax cuts, higher tariffs and blocking immigration would slow growth and increase inflation.
Among Biden’s proposals is a “billionaire minimum income tax” that would apply a minimum rate of 25% on households with a net worth of at least $100 million.
The tax would directly target billionaires such as Trump, who refused to release his personal taxes as presidents have traditionally done. But six years of his tax returns were released in 2022 by Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee.
In 2018, Trump earned more than $24 million and paid about 4% of that in federal income taxes. The congressional panel also found that the IRS delayed legally mandated audits of Trump during his presidency, with the panel concluding the audit process was “dormant, at best.”
Biden has publicly released more than two decades of his tax returns. In 2022, he and his wife, Jill, made $579,514 and paid nearly 24% of that in federal income taxes, more than double the rate paid by Trump.
Trump has maintained that his tax records are complicated because of his use of various tax credits and past business losses, which in some cases have allowed him to avoid taxes. He also previously declined to release his tax returns under the claim that the IRS was auditing him for pre-presidential filings.
His finances recently received a boost from the stock market debut of Trump Media, which controls Trump’s preferred social media outlet, Truth Social. Share prices initially surged, adding billions of dollars to Trump’s net worth, but investors have since soured on the company and shares by Friday were down more than 50% from their peak.
The former president is also on the hook for $542 million due to legal judgments in a civil fraud case and penalties owed to the writer E. Jean Carroll because of statements made by Trump that damaged her reputation after she accused him of sexual assault.
In the civil fraud case, New York Judge Arthur Engoron looked at the financial records of the Trump Organization and concluded after looking at the inflated assets that “the frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience.”
The Defense Industry’s Inside Man In The Pacific Arms Race
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Lever News
A Biden envoy shaped defense policy in the Pacific islands while consulting for a private firm with major interests in the region.
https://www.levernews.com/the-defense-industrys-inside-man-in-the-pacific-arms-race/
Classifieds – April 15, 2024
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition. Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.
The post Classifieds – April 15, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/classifieds-april-15-2024/
Tired techie ‘fixed’ a server, blamed Microsoft, and got away with it
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
If you’re too exhausted to think, maybe you shouldn’t be doing tech support
who, me? Welcome once again, gentle reader folk, to the comfy corner of The Register safe space we call Who, Me? wherein readers share their stories of times when they were not perhaps at the very peak of their technical brilliance.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/who_me/
Learn Python: Make a To-Do List | #MagPiMonday
date: 2024-04-15, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Keep track of your tasks with a simple to-do list. Lucy Hattersley explains how the basics of Python programming work.
The post Learn Python: Make a To-Do List | #MagPiMonday appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/learn-python-make-a-to-do-list-magpimonday/
Today in SCV History (April 15)
date: 2024-04-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1954 – Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden on streets of Newhall for filming of “Suddenly.” [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-april-15/
First Look Awards celebrate robust cinematic arts program at USC
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
SCA displayed students’ diverse cinematic talents and artistic styles Thursday.
The post First Look Awards celebrate robust cinematic arts program at USC appeared first on Daily Trojan.
Viterbi group photographs eclipse from space
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Eleven students used a balloon to capture high-resolution images of the eclipse.
The post Viterbi group photographs eclipse from space appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/viterbi-group-photographs-eclipse-from-space/
Avery Howell is ready for Los Angeles
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Incoming freshman women’s basketball player Avery Howell is ready to be the best.
The post Avery Howell is ready for Los Angeles appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/avery-howell-is-ready-for-los-angeles/
Sometimes, it’s not wrong to be a hater
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Voicing unpopular opinions can sometimes be mischaracterized as hate, preventing the acknowledgment of offensive content.
The post Sometimes, it’s not wrong to be a hater appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/sometimes-its-not-wrong-to-be-a-hater/
Beach volleyball finishes second to UCLA in SLO
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans went 3-1 at the Center of Effort Challenge and swept two top-10 teams.
The post Beach volleyball finishes second to UCLA in SLO appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/beach-volleyball-finishes-second-to-ucla-in-slo/
A24’s ‘Civil War’ is an inferno of dystopian chaos
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Writer-director Alex Garland peeks through the lens of journalism to send a grim message to the divided states of America.
The post A24’s ‘Civil War’ is an inferno of dystopian chaos appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/a24s-civil-war-is-an-inferno-of-dystopian-chaos/
Social media aesthetics are crossing a line
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Gen Z’s obsession with various new aesthetics and “#cores” reveals desperation.
The post Social media aesthetics are crossing a line appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/social-media-aesthetics-are-crossing-a-line/
Microsoft hikes Dynamics 365 prices by around ten percent or more
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
First rise in five years varies between 9.26 and 16.67 percent for different products – for no apparent reason
Microsoft has foreshadowed significant price rises for its Dynamics 365 cloudy business applications.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/dynamics_365_price_rises/
UCSB Baseball Completes Sweep of Hawaii with 6-2 Victory
date: 2024-04-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Gauchos remain undefeated at home this season.
The post UCSB Baseball Completes Sweep of Hawaii with 6-2 Victory appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/14/ucsb-baseball-completes-sweep-of-hawaii-with-6-2-victory/
Who counts?
date: 2024-04-15, from: Enlightenment Economics
I had been looking forward to reading The Ordinal Society by Marion Fourcade and Kieran Healy, and it hasn’t disappointed. My copy is covered in sticky notes marking interesting points. What do they mean by the term? It is the … Continue reading
http://www.enlightenmenteconomics.com/blog/index.php/2024/04/who-counts/
Hyundai picks Palantir to help it build automated navy ships
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Reconaissance vessels first, then set a course for armed drones
South Korean industrial giant HD Hyundai’s maritime arm announced on Sunday it will collaborate with controversial software developer Palantir Technologies to develop an unmanned surface vessel (USV) that can conduct reconnaissance for the world’s navies.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/hyundai_palantir_autonomous_ships/
April 14, 2024
date: 2024-04-15, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
Today, on ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos asked New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu about his recent switch from supporting former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential nomination to supporting former president Trump.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-14-2024
Salesforce apparently poised to slurp data management outfit Informatica
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Investors get excited about using AI to make AI easier
Supercolossal SaaS seller Salesforce is reportedly poised to acquire cloud data management outfit Informatica.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/salesforce_informatica/
Lintek Computer Accessories’ Paper Tamer
date: 2024-04-15, from: Computer ads from the Past
Restore Order (to your printer)
https://computeradsfromthepast.substack.com/p/lintek-computer-accessories-paper
US, Israel say coalition achieved ‘spectacular defeat’ of Iran’s attack
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
The United States and Israel say they achieved a “spectacular defeat” over an Iranian aerial attack that sent 300 munitions – more than 100 of them ballistic missiles – to Israel on Saturday. But as Sunday dawned in both places, a bigger question rose on the horizon: What happens next in this six-month conflict that threatens to envelop the Middle East? VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington.
US House approves FISA renewal – warrantless surveillance and all
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PLUS: Chinese chipmaker Nexperia attacked; A Microsoft-signed backdoor; CISA starts scanning your malware; and more
Infosec in brief US Congress nearly killed a reauthorization of FISA Section 702 last week over concerns that it would continue to allow warrantless surveillance of Americans, but an amendment to require a warrant failed to pass.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/security_in_brief/
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Next up, let’s connect Drummer blogging to FeedLand blogrolls. 😄
http://scripting.com/2024/04/14.html#a012517
Daily EV Recap: US falls behind with EVs
date: 2024-04-15, from: Electrek Feed
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and…
https://electrek.co/2024/04/14/daily-ev-recap-us-falls-behind-with-evs/
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
I
want to work with the best developers, I don’t care where they work. It
occurred to me watching a Martin Scorcese
documentary
about the life of George Harrison, how much people in music seek out
opportunities to create with other musicians. In technology, it doesn’t
happen, we don’t even look at each others software. After waiting a
whole lifetime for a culture of collaboration, we have had it for short
periods, but it’s most of the time it’s been people trying to
deconstruct and reinvent other people’s work, not build on it. I’m still
open to this changing. I hope to be a catalyst for it, one more
time.
http://scripting.com/2024/04/14.html#a011848
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
I
don’t like how betting has invaded sports broadcasting. I don’t like
that it breaks the bond among people who root for one team their whole
lives, as I have with the Knicks and the Mets. I think of people who
love the same teams as I do as family. I like that there are Knicks fans
who also like the Yankees even though I totally despise the Yankees and
everything they (don’t) stand for, but we all love the freaking Knicks
(and ignore the Nets, btw). Before long there won’t be any of us left,
everyone will see sports as a business, an obsession, or their downfall,
because you can’t win at gambling, we all know that. The whole tribal
thing about sports is broken by integrated gambling, it suggests many of
us, maybe eventually most of us, are here not for love of team, rather
they’re feeding an addiction.
http://scripting.com/2024/04/14.html#a011808
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Axios CEO Believes AI Will 'Eviscerate the Unprepared' Among Media Companies.
https://m.slashdot.org/story/427226
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
There are a lot of things that Mastodon & ActivityPub can’t do.
US suggests Israel need not retaliate against Iran
date: 2024-04-15, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — Top officials in Washington are attempting to avoid a widening war in the Middle East after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel with explosive drones and missiles.
“There need to be some consequences here,” said a senior U.S. official briefing reporters Sunday afternoon on the condition of not being named.
But U.S. President Joe Biden, in his latest conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “made very clear to the prime minister last night that we do have to think carefully and strategically about risks of escalation,” especially in view of the attack causing only light damage and no significant casualties, the official said.
Israeli officials insist there will be a response, but the country’s war Cabinet appears divided on how and when.
If Israel retaliates, it would be doing it alone.
“We would not envision ourselves participating in such a thing,” replied the senior administration official when asked whether the United States would participate in any military response to the Iranian attack.
It was an “incredible military achievement” by Israel, the United States and other partners in repelling “more than 300 drones and missiles” launched by Iran, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.
US Central Command says its forces, supported by US European Command destroyers, on Saturday and on Sunday morning “successfully engaged and destroyed more than 80 one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen. This includes a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven UAVs destroyed on the ground in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen prior to their launch.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a statement late Saturday, said the explosive aircraft and missiles were launched from the territories of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
“We call on Iran to immediately halt any further attacks, including from its proxy forces, and to deescalate tensions,” Austin said. “We do not seek conflict with Iran, but we will not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defense of Israel.”
He spoke by phone Sunday for the third time during the weekend with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Biden convened a hastily arranged video conference Sunday of leaders of the Group of Seven nations to coordinate a united diplomatic response to the Iranian attack.
“With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided,” the G7 leaders said in a group statement issued after their meeting. “We will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation. In this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives.”
Biden spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Saturday evening to “reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”
Biden told Netanyahu, according to media reports, that since the Iranian attack caused only minimal casualties and damage, Israel should not retaliate against Iran.
Both Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been calling leaders in the region to make it clear that while Washington does not seek a direct military confrontation with Tehran, the United States will not hesitate to continue to defend Israel.
Biden had rushed back to Washington from a visit to Delaware earlier Saturday and convened a meeting in the White House Situation Room with key officials of his Cabinet as Iran launched the unprecedented attack after vowing to retaliate over an April 1 suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the strike.
The U.S. military began moving extra troops and equipment to sites in the Middle East, defense officials confirmed Friday. It has about 40,000 troops in the region.
The U.S. Navy moved two guided-missile destroyers capable of intercepting drones and incoming missiles closer to Israel in anticipation of the Iranian attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.
U.S. Navy Red Sea forces have previously intercepted long-range missiles launched toward Israel from Yemen by the Iranian-allied Houthi forces.
The Biden administration’s response to the Iranian attack will be closely watched by his political opponents, coming less than seven months before a general election rematch between the Democratic Party incumbent and his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.
Trump, speaking Saturday at a rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, claimed the attack “would not have happened if we were in office.” He did not elaborate on how.
“God bless the people of Israel,” he said. “They are under attack right now. That’s because we show great weakness.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has failed to permit a floor vote on bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate providing security aid to Israel and Ukraine, is accusing Biden’s administration of undermining Israel and appeasing Iran and that “contributed to these terrible developments.”
A Republican congressman, Mike Turner of the state of Ohio, is calling for a more robust response from Biden.
“I think the administration needs to take seriously that this attack has happened. It’s unprecedented and certainly it needs to be viewed as an escalation. This is an escalating conflict,” Turner, who chairs the intelligence committee in the House, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program Sunday.
Democrat Chris Coons, of Biden’s home state of Delaware, is urging lawmakers to pass Biden’s request for military aid to Israel.
“The House should promptly pass this coming week the long-delayed national security supplemental to ensure that our Israeli allies have everything they need to defend themselves from attacks by Iran and its proxies,” he said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-suggests-israel-need-not-retaliate-against-iran/7570166.html
Australian operation of web host BlueVPS laid low by storage failure
date: 2024-04-15, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PLUS: AWS expands India payment options; Alibaba co-founders unite in criticism; Korea invests in AI; and more
Asia In Brief The Australian operations of Estonian cloud and web hosting outfit BlueVPS have been struck by a multi-day outage that commenced on or about April 9 and is ongoing at the time of writing.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/asia_tech_news_roundup/
Matadors defeat Beach in emotional match
date: 2024-04-15, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Entering the match, Yuliia Zhytelna never wanted to be in the position to clinch. But she was. The Matadors (11-5, 5-1 Big West Conference) entered the match against Long Beach…
https://sundial.csun.edu/180584/sports/matadors-defeat-beach-in-emotional-match/
Physical modelling of unreinforced masonry walls using a sand-based 3D printer
date: 2024-04-15, from: ETH Zurich, recently added
Del Giudice, Lorenzo; Katsamakas, Antonios; Liu, Bowen; Sarhosis, Vasilis; Vassiliou, Michalis F.
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/661336
Announcing Version 2 of the ROR Schema and API!
date: 2024-04-15, from: ROR Research ID Blog
Today, we are delighted to announce the launch of version 2 of the ROR schema and API! This new version of our schema and API will serve as a rock-solid foundation for everything ROR users want to accomplish now and in the future.
https://ror.org/blog/2024-04-15-announcing-ror-v2/
On Openings Essays, Conferences Talks, and Jam Jars
date: 2024-04-15, from: Maggie Appleton blog
https://maggieappleton.com/openings
GHC 9.10.1-alpha3 is now available
date: 2024-04-15, from: Glasgow Haskell Compiler
GHC 9.10.1-alpha3 is now available
bgamari - 2024-04-15
The GHC developers are very pleased to announce the availability of the third alpha release of GHC 9.10.1. Binary distributions, source distributions, and documentation are available at downloads.haskell.org.
We hope to have this release available via ghcup shortly.
GHC 9.10 will bring a number of new features and improvements, including:
-
The introduction of the
GHC2024language edition, building uponGHC2021with the addition of a number of widely-used extensions. -
Partial implementation of the GHC Proposal #281, allowing visible quantification to be used in the types of terms.
-
Extension of LinearTypes to allow linear
letandwherebindings -
The implementation of the exception backtrace proposal, allowing the annotation of exceptions with backtraces, as well as other user-defined context
-
Further improvements in the info table provenance mechanism, reducing code size to allow IPE information to be enabled more widely
-
Javascript FFI support in the WebAssembly backend
-
Improvements in the fragmentation characteristics of the low-latency non-moving garbage collector.
-
… and many more
A full accounting of changes can be found in the release notes. As always, GHC’s release status, including planned future releases, can be found on the GHC Wiki status.
This alpha is the penultimate prerelease leading to 9.10.1. In two weeks we plan to publish a release candidate, followed, if all things go well, by the final release a week later.
We would like to thank GitHub, IOG, the Zw3rk stake pool, Well-Typed, Tweag I/O, Serokell, Equinix, SimSpace, the Haskell Foundation, and other anonymous contributors whose on-going financial and in-kind support has facilitated GHC maintenance and release management over the years. Finally, this release would not have been possible without the hundreds of open-source contributors whose work comprise this release.
As always, do give this release a try and open a ticket if you see anything amiss.
http://haskell.org/ghc/blog/20240415-ghc-9.10.1-alpha3-released.html
American Scottie Scheffler wins 2024 Masters golf tournament
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
Augusta, Georgia — American Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters title with an ice-cool four stroke victory at Augusta National on Sunday.
Scheffler, the world number one and 2022 Masters winner, shot a final round four-under par 68 to end on 11-under for the tournament with Masters first-timer Ludvig Aberg of Sweden finishing as the runner-up.
It was a classic display of calmness and precision from Scheffler, who kept his focus after making bogies on the fourth and seventh holes to run away with the contest on the back nine.
Scheffler began the round with a one-shot lead over fellow American Collin Morikawa but the contest took a decisive turn on the ninth hole.
Morikawa double-bogeyed and Scheffler made birdie and the three-stroke swing left the 24-year-old Aberg his closest challenger after the turn.
But after Aberg double-bogeyed the 11th, the outcome was in Scheffler’s safe hands and the 27-year-old Texan made sure of victory with birdies on 13, 14 and 16.
The win is Scheffler’s third victory of the season coming after his wins at Bay Hill and the Players Championship last month.
https://www.voanews.com/a/american-scottie-scheffler-wins-2024-masters-golf-tournament/7569834.html
Election Countdown, 205 Days to Go: Reality Closes In.
date: 2024-04-14, from: James Fallows, Substack
Keeping track of the people who are serious, and those who are still playing make-believe. Also, why we don’t want presidential ‘debates.’
https://fallows.substack.com/p/election-countdown-205-days-to-go
Monday 15 April, 2024
date: 2024-04-14, from: John Naughton’s online diary
Waiting for Hockney The queue for his 2012 Exhibition at the Royal Academy. Quote of the Day “Genius creates, and taste preserves” Alexander Pope Musical alternative to the morning’s radio news Van Morrison | This Loving Light Of Mine Link … Continue reading
https://memex.naughtons.org/monday-15-april-2024/39356/
Private California school sponsoring students from Ukraine, Afghanistan
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
A private high school in California has provided scholarships to three refugee students — one from Ukraine and two from Afghanistan. VOA’s Genia Dulot has the story of an American educator who has even opened her home to the two Afghans teens as they complete their studies.
Stormy SCV weather to clear up in coming days
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
Santa Clarita Valley residents can expect brighter days ahead following yet another rainy weekend, according to the National Weather Service. “We have an ongoing chance of showers this afternoon and small potential for thunderstorms,” said NWS meteorologist Lisa Phillips. “And then (Sunday night), partly cloudy, and then it’s looking like it’ll be mostly clear through […]
The post Stormy SCV weather to clear up in coming days appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/stormy-scv-weather-to-clear-up-in-coming-days/
AI-generated fashion models could bring more diversity to industry — or leave it with less
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
Chicago, Illinois — London-based model Alexsandrah has a twin, but not in the way you’d expect: Her counterpart is made of pixels instead of flesh and blood.
The virtual twin was generated by artificial intelligence and has already appeared as a stand-in for the real-life Alexsandrah in a photo shoot. Alexsandrah, who goes by her first name professionally, in turn receives credit and compensation whenever the AI version of herself gets used — just like a human model.
Alexsandrah says she and her alter-ego mirror each other “even down to the baby hairs.” And it is yet another example of how AI is transforming creative industries — and the way humans may or may not be compensated.
Proponents say the growing use of AI in fashion modeling showcases diversity in all shapes and sizes, allowing consumers to make more tailored purchase decisions that in turn reduces fashion waste from product returns. And digital modeling saves money for companies and creates opportunities for people who want to work with the technology.
But critics raise concerns that digital models may push human models — and other professionals like makeup artists and photographers — out of a job. Unsuspecting consumers could also be fooled into thinking AI models are real, and companies could claim credit for fulfilling diversity commitments without employing actual humans.
“Fashion is exclusive, with limited opportunities for people of color to break in,” said Sara Ziff, a former fashion model and founder of the Model Alliance, a nonprofit aiming to advance workers’ rights in the fashion industry. “I think the use of AI to distort racial representation and marginalize actual models of color reveals this troubling gap between the industry’s declared intentions and their real actions.”
Women of color in particular have long faced higher barriers to entry in modeling and AI could upend some of the gains they’ve made. Data suggests that women are more likely to work in occupations in which the technology could be applied and are more at risk of displacement than men.
In March 2023, iconic denim brand Levi Strauss & Co. announced that it would be testing AI-generated models produced by Amsterdam-based company Lalaland.ai to add a wider range of body types and underrepresented demographics on its website. But after receiving widespread backlash, Levi clarified that it was not pulling back on its plans for live photo shoots, the use of live models or its commitment to working with diverse models.
“We do not see this (AI) pilot as a means to advance diversity or as a substitute for the real action that must be taken to deliver on our diversity, equity and inclusion goals and it should not have been portrayed as such,” Levi said in its statement at the time.
The company last month said that it has no plans to scale the AI program.
The Associated Press reached out to several other retailers to ask whether they use AI fashion models. Target, Kohl’s and fast-fashion giant Shein declined to comment; Temu did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, spokespeople for Nieman Marcus, H&M, Walmart and Macy’s said their respective companies do not use AI models, although Walmart clarified that “suppliers may have a different approach to photography they provide for their products, but we don’t have that information.”
Nonetheless, companies that generate AI models are finding a demand for the technology, including Lalaland.ai, which was co-founded by Michael Musandu after he was feeling frustrated by the absence of clothing models who looked like him.
“One model does not represent everyone that’s actually shopping and buying a product,” he said. “As a person of color, I felt this painfully myself.”
Musandu says his product is meant to supplement traditional photo shoots, not replace them. Instead of seeing one model, shoppers could see nine to 12 models using different size filters, which would enrich their shopping experience and help reduce product returns and fashion waste.
The technology is actually creating new jobs, since Lalaland.ai pays humans to train its algorithms, Musandu said.
And if brands “are serious about inclusion efforts, they will continue to hire these models of color,” he added.
London-based model Alexsandrah, who is Black, says her digital counterpart has helped her distinguish herself in the fashion industry. In fact, the real-life Alexsandrah has even stood in for a Black computer-generated model named Shudu, created by Cameron Wilson, a former fashion photographer turned CEO of The Diigitals, a U.K.-based digital modeling agency.
Wilson, who is white and uses they/them pronouns, designed Shudu in 2017, described on Instagram as the “The World’s First Digital Supermodel.” But critics at the time accused Wilson of cultural appropriation and digital Blackface.
Wilson took the experience as a lesson and transformed The Diigitals to make sure Shudu — who has been booked by Louis Vuitton and BMW — didn’t take away opportunities but instead opened possibilities for women of color. Alexsandrah, for instance, has modeled in-person as Shudu for Vogue Australia, and writer Ama Badu came up with Shudu’s backstory and portrays her voice for interviews.
Alexsandrah said she is “extremely proud” of her work with The Diigitals, which created her own AI twin: “It’s something that even when we are no longer here, the future generations can look back at and be like, ‘These are the pioneers.’”
But for Yve Edmond, a New York City area-based model who works with major retailers to check the fit of clothing before it’s sold to consumers, the rise of AI in fashion modeling feels more insidious.
Edmond worries modeling agencies and companies are taking advantage of models, who are generally independent contractors afforded few labor protections in the U.S., by using their photos to train AI systems without their consent or compensation.
She described one incident in which a client asked to photograph Edmond moving her arms, squatting and walking for “research” purposes. Edmond refused and later felt swindled — her modeling agency had told her she was being booked for a fitting, not to build an avatar.
“This is a complete violation,” she said. “It was really disappointing for me.”
But absent AI regulations, it’s up to companies to be transparent and ethical about deploying AI technology. And Ziff, the founder of the Model Alliance, likens the current lack of legal protections for fashion workers to “the Wild West.”
That’s why the Model Alliance is pushing for legislation like the one being considered in New York state, in which a provision of the Fashion Workers Act would require management companies and brands to obtain models’ clear written consent to create or use a model’s digital replica; specify the amount and duration of compensation, and prohibit altering or manipulating models’ digital replica without consent.
Alexsandrah says that with ethical use and the right legal regulations, AI might open up doors for more models of color like herself. She has let her clients know that she has an AI replica, and she funnels any inquires for its use through Wilson, who she describes as “somebody that I know, love, trust and is my friend.” Wilson says they make sure any compensation for Alexsandrah’s AI is comparable to what she would make in-person.
Edmond, however, is more of a purist: “We have this amazing Earth that we’re living on. And you have a person of every shade, every height, every size. Why not find that person and compensate that person?”
Dance the Weekend Away at the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival
date: 2024-04-14, from: City of Santa Clarita
Dance the Weekend Away at the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival By City Manager Ken Striplin Cowboy Festival weekend is upon us! Prepare to kick up your heels, sip on the finest local brews and immerse yourself in everything cowboy culture. This coming weekend, William S. Hart Park (24151 Newhall Avenue) has been transformed into the […]
The post Dance the Weekend Away at the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.
Tesla (TSLA) is rumored to be preparing a massive round of layoffs
date: 2024-04-14, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla announced to Gigafactory Texas employees that it will shorten Cybertruck production shift amid rumors that it is preparing a round of layoffs.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/14/tesla-rumor-massive-round-layoffs/
As landmark United Methodist gathering approaches, African churches weigh their future
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
Do Something About the Border
date: 2024-04-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
I was at the California border last week, at Jacumba Hot Springs, with a film crew, and we saw firsthand what and who comes across this open border.
The post Do Something About the Border appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/14/do-something-about-the-border/
US judge tosses out lawsuits against Libyan commander accused of war crimes
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
Alexandria, Virginia — A U.S. judge has tossed out a series of civil lawsuits against a Libyan military commander who used to live in Virginia and was accused of killing innocent civilians in that country’s civil war.
At a court hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said she had no jurisdiction to preside over a case alleging war crimes committed in Libya, even though the defendant, Khalifa Haftar, has U.S. citizenship and lived for more than 20 years in the northern Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital as an exile from the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.
The ruling was a significant reversal of fortune for Haftar. In 2022, Brinkema entered a default judgment against Haftar after he refused to sit for scheduled depositions about his role in the fighting that has plagued the country over the last decade.
But Haftar retained new lawyers who persuaded the judge to reopen the case and made Haftar available to be deposed. He sat for two separate depositions in 2022 and 2023 and denied orchestrating attacks against civilians.
Once a lieutenant to Gadhafi, Haftar defected to the U.S. during the 1980s. He is widely believed to have worked with the CIA during his time in exile.
He returned to Libya in 2011 to support anti-Gadhafi forces that revolted against the dictator and killed him. During the country’s civil war, he led the self-styled Libyan National Army, which controlled much of the eastern half of Libya, with support from countries including Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. He continues to hold sway in the eastern half of the country.
In the lawsuits, first filed in 2019, the plaintiffs say family members were killed by military bombardments conducted by Haftar’s army in civilian areas.
The lawsuits also alleged that Haftar and his family owned a significant amount of property in Virginia, which could have been used to pay off any judgment that would have been entered against him.
While the lawsuits were tossed out on technical issues over jurisdiction, one of Haftar’s lawyers, Paul Kamenar, said Haftar denied any role in the deaths of civilians.
“He’s not this ruthless figure that everyone wants to portray him as,” Kamenar said in a phone interview Sunday.
Faisal Gill, a lawyer for plaintiffs in one of the three lawsuits that Brinkema tossed out Friday, said he plans to appeal the dismissal.
Mark Zaid, lawyer for another set of plaintiffs, called Brinkema’s ruling perplexing and said he believes that the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case had already been established at an earlier phase of the case.
“A U.S. citizen committed war crimes abroad and thus far has escaped civil accountability,” Zaid said Sunday in an emailed statement.
In court papers, Haftar tried to claim immunity from the suits as a head of state. At one point, the judge put the cases on pause because she worried that the lawsuits were being used to influence scheduled presidential elections in Libya, in which Haftar was a candidate. Those elections were later postponed.
@Tomosino’s Mastodon feed (date: 2024-04-14, from: Tomosino’s Mastodon feed)
Hitting “that moment” at the end of a Sanderson book. chef-kiss
https://tilde.zone/@tomasino/112271792844866732
Newhall S&S Donuts suffers break-in
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
An S&S Donuts location in Newhall experienced a break-in with an employee present early Saturday morning amid a string of similar crimes that occurred around the same time in the surrounding area. “I was not here. Only my husband,” said employee Lisa Chau. “He was making doughnuts in the back.” The crime occurred at approximately […]
The post Newhall S&S Donuts suffers break-in appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/newhall-ss-donuts-suffers-break-in/
Tesla’s NACS To CCS1 Adapter Works Great, But Has One Flaw
date: 2024-04-14, from: Inside EVs News
Lectron’s unofficial NACS to CCS1 adapter has one design feature that outshines Tesla’s offering.
https://insideevs.com/news/715983/tesla-nacs-ccs1-supercharger-adapter/
It’s just a blog
date: 2024-04-14, from: Tracy Durnell Blog
Star Struck: Lauren Oyler’s meditations on Goodreads, anxiety, and gossip by Ann Manov 😬 This book review is a brutal takedown* in which both author and critic come off as braggadocios about their highbrow bona fides, the first coming right out and saying it, the second name-dropping like Hansel. Despite the quotes betraying the author’s […]
https://tracydurnell.com/2024/04/14/its-just-a-blog/
Gene Herrick, AP photographer who covered Korean war and civil rights, dies at 97
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
The Weekly Frame: Spring
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Life on campus blooms anew.
The post The Weekly Frame: Spring appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/14/the-weekly-frame-spring/
The Masters VisionOS App
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-14, from: Daring Fireball
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-masters-tournament/id309025938
News organizations urge Biden, Trump to commit to presidential debates
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
New York — Twelve news organizations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debates, saying they were a “rich tradition” that have been part of every general election campaign since 1976.
While Trump, who did not participate in debates for the Republican nomination, has indicated a willingness to take on his 2020 rival, the Democratic president has not committed to debating him again.
Although invitations have not been formally issued, the news organizations said it was not too early for each campaign to say publicly that it will participate in the three presidential and one vice presidential forums set by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
“If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.”
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and The Associated Press all signed on to the letter.
Biden and Trump debated twice in 2020. A third debate was canceled after Trump, then president, tested positive for COVID-19 and would not debate remotely.
Asked on March 8 whether he would commit to a debate with Trump, Biden said, “it depends on his behavior.” The president was visibly miffed by his opponent in the freewheeling first 2020 debate, at one point saying, “will you shut up?”
Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a letter this past week that “we have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, any place and anywhere — and the time to start these debates is now.”
They cited the seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, saying “certainly today’s America deserves as much.”
The Republican National Committee voted in 2022 to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Trump campaign has not indicated it would adhere to that but did have some conditions. The campaign managers said the commission selected a “demonstrably anti-Trump moderator” in then-Fox News host Chris Wallace in 2020 and wants assurances the commission debates are fair and impartial.
The Trump campaign also wants the timetable moved up, saying that many Americans will have already voted by Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9, the dates of the three debates set by the commission.
The Biden campaign declined comment on the news organizations’ letter, pointing to the president’s earlier statement. There was no immediate response from the Trump campaign.
But on Saturday, Trump held a rally in northeast Pennsylvania with two lecterns set up on the stage: one for him to give a speech, the other to symbolize what he said was Biden’s refusal to debate him. The second lectern had a placard that read, “Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace.”
Midway through his campaign speech, Trump turned to his right and pointed to the second lectern.
“We have a little, look at this, it’s for him,” he said. “See the podium? I’m calling on Crooked Joe Biden to debate anytime, anywhere, any place. Right there. And we have to debate because our country is going in the wrong direction so badly and while it’s a little bit typically early we have to debate. We have to explain to the American people what the hell is going on,” Trump said.
C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. Only one newspaper, USA Today, added its voice. The Washington Post declined a request to join.
Certainly the broadcasters could use the juice that debates may bring. Television news ratings are down significantly compared with the 2020 campaign, although there are other factors involved, such as cord-cutting and the pandemic, that increased interest in news four years ago.
There were no Democratic debates this presidential cycle, and Trump’s refusal to participate in the Republican forums depressed interest in them.
Underpromise and Overdeliver
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-14, from: Daring Fireball
https://twitter.com/ericmigi/status/1778819403016265869
Linux 6.10 to merge NTSYNC driver for emulating Windows NT synchronization primitives
date: 2024-04-14, from: OS News
Going through my usual scanning of all the “-next” Git subsystem branches of new code set to be introduced for the next Linux kernel merge window, a very notable addition was just queued up… Linux 6.10 is set to merge the NTSYNC driver for emulating the Microsoft Windows NT synchronization primitives within the kernel for allowing better performance with Valve’s Steam Play (Proton) and Wine of Windows games and other apps on Linux. ↫ Michael Larabel The improvements to performance of games running under Proton this new driver will bring are legitimately insane. We’re looking at a game-changing addition to the Linux kernel here, and it’s no surprise, then, to see this effort being spearheaded by companies like Valve and CodeWeavers.
Disparity of Male Dominance
date: 2024-04-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
After the November election, men will take up both U.S. Senate positions from California.
The post Disparity of Male Dominance appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/14/disparity-of-male-dominance/
Trump on trial, Biden headed to Pennsylvania
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
The first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is set to begin this coming week in New York City. Donald Trump’s hush money case will start on Monday with jury selection. Separately, President Joe Biden, who is seeking reelection, will hit the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-on-trial-biden-headed-to-pennsylvania/7569779.html
KDE’s Kate on all platforms
date: 2024-04-14, from: OS News
Kate, KDE’s programming-focused text editor, is, of course, a Qt application, and is also available on a variety of other platforms. Christoph Cullmann, one of the developers of Kate, published a short blog post with screenshots of Kate running on the three biggest platforms – Linux/BSD, Windows, and macOS. Sadly, while Haiku gets a mention, there’s no screenshot of the Haiku version of Kate. Still, it’s interesting to see the family resemblance.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139281/kdes-kate-on-all-platforms/
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-04-14, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Final Eastern Division standings. Knicks finish second. Best Knicks team in a long time. Ended the season with a five-game winning streak.
http://scripting.com/2024/04/14.html#a202317
House speaker to push for passage of stalled US aid bill
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/house-speaker-to-push-for-passage-of-stalled-us-aid-bill/7569776.html
Hyundai Motor Global EV Wholesale Sales Continued To Decrease In March 2024
date: 2024-04-14, from: Inside EVs News
It was the fifth consecutive month with a year-over-year decline.
https://insideevs.com/news/715974/hyundai-ev-wholesale-sales-march2024/
‘Civil War’ declares victory at box office
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/civil-war-declares-victory-at-box-office/7569758.html
One Year Depreciation: These 8 EVs Lost 28% Or More Of Their Value
date: 2024-04-14, from: Inside EVs News
Mercedes-Benz EQS and Nissan Leaf top the list.
https://insideevs.com/news/715992/save-used-evs-price-differential/
US helps Israel repel Iranian attack
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
The White House calls it an “incredible military achievement” that Israel, the United States and other partners succeeded in repelling “more than 300 drones and missiles” launched by Iran toward Israel. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-helps-israel-repel-iranian-attack/7569725.html
April 13, 2024
date: 2024-04-14, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-13-2024-3b8
US strongly condemns Iran’s seizure of container ship
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-strongly-condemns-iran-s-seizure-of-container-ship/7569713.html
Why making pretend people with AGI is a waste of energy
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-14, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Industrial revolution didn’t give us human mimics, so why should AI think like us, this computer scientist wonders
Interview While the likes of OpenAI and Google DeepMind chase after some fabled artificial general intelligence, not everyone thinks that’s the best use of our time and energy in developing AI.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/14/agi_development_kognitos/
AOKZOE A2 Ultra is an Intel Meteor Lake-powered handheld gaming PC
date: 2024-04-14, from: Liliputing
Most of the handheld gaming PCs launched over the past few years have been powered by AMD’s Ryzen processors. But with Intel’s new Meteor Lake chips for mobile devices promising big gains in graphics performance, we’re starting to see companies opt for Intel chips in select models. Earlier this year the MSI Claw became the […]
The post AOKZOE A2 Ultra is an Intel Meteor Lake-powered handheld gaming PC appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/aokzoe-a2-ultra-is-an-intel-meteor-lake-powered-handheld-gaming-pc/
Couple Loves Tesla’s Cybertruck, But Not The Basecamp Tent
date: 2024-04-14, from: Inside EVs News
Kate and Nate have some harsh words for Tesla’s Basecamp accessory. “Whoever designed this tent is not actually a camper.”
https://insideevs.com/news/715956/72-hours-tesla-cybertruck-basecamp/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Einstein's Famous "God Letter."
https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/observations/einsteins-famous-god-letter-is-up-for-auction/
The Curious About Everything Newsletter #37
date: 2024-04-14, from: Curious about everything blog
The many interesting things I read in March 2024
https://jodiettenberg.substack.com/p/thirty-seven
More on the Problem With ‘The Problem With Jon Stewart’
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-14, from: Daring Fireball
Unusual Museums You May Have Never Visited
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
You’ve probably visited The Getty, The Broad and The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, but have you seen Walt’s Barn? Los Angeles has hundreds of museums, but you most likely have only visited a few well-known museums. Here’s a few “off the beaten path” museums worth exploring. Museum of Neon Art (MONA) […]
The post Unusual Museums You May Have Never Visited appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/unusual-museums-you-may-have-never-visited/
‘A Tour de Force of International Crisis Management for the Biden White House’
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-14, from: Daring Fireball
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/call-it-what-it-is
Find Your Perfect Spring Escape
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
4 pet-friendly and affordable destinations for a spring getaway Whether you’re a family with kids or a young professional looking for a getaway, it isn’t too late – or out of budget – to plan a memorable spring trip. All you need is a full tank of gas and your furry best friend to make […]
The post Find Your Perfect Spring Escape appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/find-your-perfect-spring-escape/
Tips and Tricks for Spring Travel with Your Pets
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
After years living under the cloud of a pandemic that limited where they could travel, many people have a strong desire to head off for parts unknown. As individuals and families ponder business trips or vacations, they may think about bringing a beloved pet along. According to an AAA/Best Western survey, 85% of dog owners […]
The post Tips and Tricks for Spring Travel with Your Pets appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/tips-and-tricks-for-spring-travel-with-your-pets/
The Cowboy Festival is Back!
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
The grounds of William S. Hart Regional Park in Old Town Newhall will again embrace the yee haws! and yahoos! of the annual Cowboy Festival on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21. Fully immerse yourself in the Old West at this free to attend family friendly event. What you love about Cowboy Festival returns […]
The post The Cowboy Festival is Back! appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/the-cowboy-festival-is-back/
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-14, from: Bruce Schneier blog
This is a current list of where and when I am scheduled to speak:
- I’m speaking twice at RSA Conference 2024 in San Francisco. I’ll be on a panel on software liability on May 6, 2024 at 8:30 AM, and I’m giving a keynote on AI and democracy on May 7, 2024 at 2:25 PM.
The list is maintained on this page.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/04/upcoming-speaking-engagements-35.html
Tesla Slashes FSD Subscription To $99 A Month
date: 2024-04-14, from: Inside EVs News
Tesla has cut Full Self-Driving subscription costs by 50%, making the product offering far more competitively priced.
https://insideevs.com/news/715953/tesla-fsd-price-drop-99/
How to coax ChatGPT into making better predictions: Get it to tell tales from the future
date: 2024-04-14, updated: 2024-04-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
‘Something is stopping it, even though it clearly can do it’
AI models become better at foretelling the future when asked to frame the prediction as a story about the past, boffins at Baylor University in Texas have found.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/14/ai_models_future/
Pioneering Artist Faith Ringgold Stitched Together Stories of Black Life
date: 2024-04-14, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The Harlem-born painter, who died this week at age 93, elevated the everyday lives of Black Americans and fought for representation in major museums
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/faith-ringgold-dies-paintings-quilts-stories-180983798/
First Volvo L25 Electric wheel loader delivered to Australia
date: 2024-04-14, from: Electrek Feed
The electrification of the commercial job site continues with news that the first Volvo L25 Electric wheel loader has been delivered to a customer in Australia!
https://electrek.co/2024/04/14/first-volvo-l25-electric-wheel-loader-delivered-to-australia/
‘Full Self-Driving’ Teslas Keep Slamming Into Curbs
date: 2024-04-14, from: Inside EVs News
Owners trying out FSD for the first time are finding damage after their cars kiss the curb while turning.
https://insideevs.com/news/715913/tesla-fsd-trial-curb-hopping/
Illinois to spend $25.1 million on public EV charging infrastructure
date: 2024-04-14, from: Electrek Feed
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John J. Kim has announced plans to spend more than $25 million on new EV charging infrastructure under the Driving a Cleaner Illinois program.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/14/illinois-to-spend-25-1-million-on-public-ev-charging-infrastructure/
LLMs aren’t very bright. Why are so many people fooled?
date: 2024-04-14, from: Gary Marcus blog
How Generative AI plays on human cognitive vulnerability
https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/llms-arent-very-bright-why-are-so
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The eight best bagels in NYC, according to the city's Bagel Ambassador. (They got the #1 bagel place right, it's in the neighborhood in Queens I grew up in, Utopia Bagels. They are the best in NYC these days imho.)
LEVER WEEKLY: Bad Water
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Lever News
From private equity groups hollowing out nursing homes to Pfizer’s bold tax-free year, here’s all the news from The Lever this week.
https://www.levernews.com/lever-weekly-bad-water/
David Hegg | Shame Matters to Society
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
By David Hegg At the ground level of ethics is the understanding that living ethically is honorable while unethical behavior is shameful. This fundamental recognition of shame and honor can be found in every society. Even the idea of guilt and innocence has ties to what society considers right or wrong, honorable or shameful. When […]
The post David Hegg | Shame Matters to Society appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/david-hegg-shame-matters-to-society/
Larry Moore | Was That Number Right?
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
I have great respect for the editors at The Signal. They are normally very fastidious about their work. However, I’m sure they wrote the wrong number when they said Centennial is planning to build 2,550 housing units in the Valencia Town Center, commonly known as the mall. Your number doesn’t need a comma. Surely it […]
The post Larry Moore | Was That Number Right? appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/larry-moore-was-that-number-right/
Rob Kerchner | Two Peas in a Pod: Biden and Carter
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
The similarities between Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter are remarkable. Carter’s feckless foreign policy led to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Biden’s obvious weakness prompted Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. Carter abandoned Iran to the Islamist theocracy of the Ayatollah Khomeini; Biden abandoned Afghanistan to the tender mercies of the Taliban. Domestically, Carter and Biden […]
The post Rob Kerchner | Two Peas in a Pod: Biden and Carter appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/rob-kerchner-two-peas-in-a-pod-biden-and-carter/
Humble and Kind
date: 2024-04-14, from: Dan Rather’s Steady
A Reason To Smile
https://steady.substack.com/p/humble-and-kind
Jury selection set to start in Trump’s hush money trial, first ever criminal case against a former US president
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
Oregon city asks US Supreme Court: Can homeless people be fined for sleeping outside?
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
GRANTS PASS, Oregon — A pickleball game in this leafy Oregon community was suddenly interrupted one rainy weekend morning by the arrival of an ambulance. Paramedics rushed through the park toward a tent, one of dozens illegally erected by the town’s hundreds of homeless people, then play resumed as though nothing had happened.
Mere feet away, volunteers helped dismantle tents to move an 80-year-old man and a woman blind in one eye, who risked being fined for staying too long. In the distance, a group of boys climbed on a jungle gym.
The scenes were emblematic of the crisis gripping the small, Oregon mountain town of Grants Pass, where a fierce fight over park space has become a battleground for a much larger, national debate on homelessness that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
The town’s case, set to be heard April 22, has broad implications for how not only Grants Pass, but communities nationwide address homelessness, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. It has made the town of 40,000 the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis, and further fueled the debate over how to deal with it.
“I certainly wish this wasn’t what my town was known for,” Mayor Sara Bristol told The Associated Press last month. “It’s not the reason why I became mayor. And yet it has dominated every single thing that I’ve done for the last 3 1/2 years.”
Officials across the political spectrum — from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, which has nearly 30% of the nation’s homeless population, to a group of 22 conservative-led states — have filed briefs in the case, saying lower court rulings have hamstrung their ability to deal with encampments.
Like many Western communities, Grants Pass has struggled for years with a burgeoning homeless population. A decade ago, City Council members discussed how to make it “uncomfortable enough … in our city so they will want to move on down the road.” From 2013 to 2018, the city said it issued 500 citations for camping or sleeping in public, including in vehicles, with fines that could reach hundreds of dollars.
But a 2018 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals changed the calculus. The court, whose jurisdiction includes nine Western states, held that while communities are allowed to prohibit tents in public spaces, it violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment to give people criminal citations for sleeping outside when they had no place else to go.
Four years later, in a case challenging restrictions in Grants Pass, the court expanded that ruling, holding that civil citations also can be unconstitutional.
Civil rights groups and attorneys for the homeless residents who challenged the restrictions in 2018 insist people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing. Officials throughout the West have overstated the impact of the court decisions to distract from their own failings, they argued.
“For years, political leaders have chosen to tolerate encampments as an alternative to meaningfully addressing the western region’s severe housing shortage,” the attorneys wrote. “It is easier to blame the courts than to take responsibility for finding a solution.”
In Grants Pass, the town’s parks, many lining the picturesque Rogue River, are at the heart of the debate. Cherished for their open spaces, picnic tables, playgrounds and sports fields, they host everything from annual boat-racing festivals and vintage car shows to Easter egg hunts and summer concerts.
They’re also the sites of encampments blighted by illegal drug use and crime, including a shooting at a park last year that left one person dead. Tents cluster along riverbanks, next to tennis courts and jungle gyms, with tarps shielding belongings from the rain. When the sun comes out, clothes and blankets are strung across tree branches to dry. Used needles litter the ground.
Grants Pass has just one overnight shelter for adults, the Gospel Rescue Mission. It has 138 beds, but rules including attendance at daily Christian services, no alcohol, drugs or smoking and no pets mean many won’t stay there.
Cassy Leach, a nurse, leads a volunteer group providing food, medical care and other basic goods to the town’s hundreds of homeless people. They help relocate their tents to comply with city rules.
At one park last month, she checked on a man who burned his leg after falling on a torch lighter during a fentanyl overdose and brought him naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication. In another, she distributed cans of beans, peas and Chef Boyardee mini ravioli from a pickup truck.
“Love, hope, community and a safety net is really as important as a shower and water,” Leach said.
Dre Buetow, 48, from northern California, has been living in his car for three years after a bone cancer diagnosis and $450,000 in medical bills. The illness and treatment kept him from returning to his old tree-trimming job, he said.
Laura Gutowski’s husband died from a pulmonary embolism and she suddenly found herself, in her 50s, with no income. They didn’t have life insurance or savings and, within a month, she was sleeping outside in the city she grew up in.
“I used to love camping,” she said through tears. “And now I can’t stand it anymore.”
Volunteers like Leach came to her rescue. “They’re angels,” she said.
But some residents want to limit aid because of the trash left behind after encampment moves or food handouts. The City Council proposed requiring outreach groups to register with the city. The mayor vetoed it, laying bare the discord gripping Grants Pass.
Before the council attempted, unsuccessfully, to override the veto last month, a self-proclaimed “park watch” group rallied outside City Hall with signs reading, “Parks are for kids.” Drivers in passing cars honked their support.
The group regularly posts images of trash, tents and homeless people on social media. On Sundays, they set up camp chairs in what they say is a bid to reclaim park space.
Brock Spurgeon says he used to take his grandkids to parks that were so full it was hard to find an available picnic table. Now, open drug use and discarded needles have scared families away, he said.
“That was taken away from us when the campers started using the parks,” he said.
Still, Spurgeon said his own brother died while homeless in a nearby city, and his son is living in the parks as he struggles with addiction. Once, he said, he realized with shock that the homeless person covered with blankets that he stepped past to enter a grocery store was his son.
“I miss my son every night, and I hold my breath that he won’t OD in the park,” Spurgeon said.
Mayor Bristol and advocates have sought to open a shelter with fewer rules, or a designated area for homeless people to camp. But charged debates emerged over where that would be and who would pay for it.
While support for a designated campground appears to be growing, the problem remains: Many homeless people in Grants Pass have nowhere else to live. And some advocates fear a return of strict anti-camping enforcement will push people to the forest outside town, farther from help.
Even if the Supreme Court overturns the 9th Circuit’s decisions, Bristol said, “we still have 200 people who have to go somewhere.”
“We have to accept that homelessness is a reality in America,” she said.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Librarians fear new penalties, even prison, as activists challenge books.
Barges break loose on Ohio River in Pittsburgh, damaging marina, striking bridge
date: 2024-04-14, from: VOA News USA
PITTSBURGH, USA — More than two dozen river barges broke loose from their moorings and floated down the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, striking one bridge that had already been preemptively closed and damaging a marina, officials said. The boats eventually were pinned to the riverbank or went over a dam downstream, officials said.
Pittsburgh police, fire and emergency medical services responded around 11:25 p.m. Friday to reports of the barges “floating uncontrolled” down the river, Pittsburgh Public Safety said in a statement. The area had been hit by flooding after heavy rains Thursday.
The Sewickley Bridge was struck by a barge a few minutes before 2 p.m. Saturday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said. It “was closed in advance of the strike and will remain closed until our crews complete an inspection,” spokesperson Steve Cowan said.
Officials in Moon Township, which is connected by the bridge to the community of Sewickley, earlier said the span would be temporarily closed “due to unmanned barge passing through.”
Eleven of the 26 barges that broke free were quickly contained to one side by another towing vessel just downstream, said Cmdr. Justin Jolley of the Coast Guard marine safety unit in Pittsburgh. Nine others were collected at the Emsworth lock and dam downstream.
Five or six barges went through the dam. Four ended up just downstream at a lock and dam, while another ended up on the bank of the river and was stabilized. Marine safety units were searching for one barge unaccounted for, Jolley said.
Pittsburgh public safety officials reported damage to Peggy’s Harbor, a marina on the river. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the McKees Rocks Bridge was also closed as a precaution but later reopened following inspection.
Twenty-three of the barges were carrying dry cargo, mostly coal, and at least one was loaded with fertilizer, according to the owner, Jolley said. Three were empty. There were no hazardous materials on any of the vessels, the city said.
The Coast Guard put out a broadcast notice to mariners to inform them about the potential hazard, but high water was preventing traffic on the river, Jolley said.
The barges were owned or operated by Campbell Transportation Co., the city’s statement said. Jolley said Coast Guard officials were working with the owner on a salvage plan. Pennsylvania State Police and other agencies were also alerted.
The vulnerability of bridges to strikes from barges and ships came into stark relief last month when a container ship rammed a support of the major Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing the span and leading to the deaths or presumptive deaths of six road workers.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-14, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Ton Zijlstra‘s Editor Is Between a Tiny Little Textbox and a full-blown CMS.
https://www.zylstra.org/blog/2024/04/my-editor-is-between-a-tiny-textbox-and-a-cms/
Language in the always on world
date: 2024-04-14, from: Enlightenment Economics
The house is full of slightly random books. I picked up one sent to Rory, Because Internet: Understanding how language is changing by Gretchen McCulloch, a few years old now. She’s a linguist and the book is about the way … Continue reading
http://www.enlightenmenteconomics.com/blog/index.php/2024/04/language-in-the-always-on-world/
Sunday caption contest: On the road?
date: 2024-04-14, from: Robert Reich on Substack
And last week’s winner
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-caption-contest-on-the-road
Today in SCV History (April 14)
date: 2024-04-14, from: SCV New (TV Station)
2014 – “Become Ocean” by John Luther Adams (CalArts BFA 1973) named winner of 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Music. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-april-14/
Promoting Global Understanding and Multicultural Communication Through Arts-Based Research in ESL Classrooms
date: 2024-04-14, from: Digital Rhetoric Collaberative
Alexandra Krasova, Ph.D. Candidate in Composition and Applied Linguistics, DRC Fellows 2023-24 This study focused on multilingual ESL students living in different countries and having different proficiency in English. This research describes arts-based practices of multilingual students through digital storytelling and examines their influence on global understanding and multicultural communication. Despite academic popularity of art-based […]April 13, 2024
date: 2024-04-14, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
There are really two major Republican political stories dominating the news these days. The more obvious of the two is the attempt by former president Donald Trump and his followers to destroy American democracy. The other story is older, the one that led to Trump but that stands at least a bit apart from him. It is the story of a national shift away from the supply-side ideology of Reagan Republicans toward an embrace of the idea that the government should hold the playing field among all Americans level.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-13-2024
The Moth Brings Live Storytelling To Santa Barbara
date: 2024-04-14, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Moth At Lobero Theatre featured five stories centered on the theme of “holding on and letting go.”
The post The Moth Brings Live Storytelling To Santa Barbara appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/13/the-moth-brings-live-storytelling-to-santa-barbara/
Rain expected to continue throughout weekend
date: 2024-04-14, from: The Signal
Keep your umbrellas and heavy jackets nearby because the Santa Clarita Valley is facing rain and strong winds throughout the weekend, according to National Weather Service officials. The Saturday rain and the cold front is a bit delayed from what meteorologists were initially predicting in the forecast, said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist with the NWS. “For […]
The post Rain expected to continue throughout weekend appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/rain-expected-to-continue-throughout-weekend/
The Finest Narrative Non-Fiction Essays
date: 2024-04-14, from: Maggie Appleton blog
https://maggieappleton.com/narrative-essays
Full Circle Weekly News 361
date: 2024-04-14, from: Full Circle Magazine
Credits
- Host: @bardictriad, @zaivala
- Bumper: Canonical
- Theme Music: From The Dust - Stardust
- https://soundcloud.com/ftdmusic
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