News gathered 2024-04-17
(date: 2024-04-17 08:19:32)
Facebook’s AI Told Parents Group It Has a Gifted, Disabled Child
date: 2024-04-17, from: 404 Media Group
Facebook’s chatbot eventually apologized and said it doesn’t have “personal experiences or children.”
https://www.404media.co/facebooks-ai-told-parents-group-it-has-a-disabled-child/
Tesla Semi has been pushed ‘well beyond expectations’ by a new customer
date: 2024-04-17, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has delivered its Tesla Semi, an electric semi truck, to a new customer for a pilot program that has reportedly pushed the electric vehicle “well beyond expectations.”
https://electrek.co/2024/04/17/tesla-semi-pushed-well-beyond-expectations-new-customer/
Richmond police pursuit ends with two-car crash on Highway 4, and a suspect arrested
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
A police dog helped officers find a gun that police said the suspect threw from the car.
Crypto conferences liquidated after biblical flooding in Dubai
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
There’s something nice about seeing Web3 fanatics in ankle-deep water
And the Lord looked down upon the crypto bros and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will send down upon thee a flood to wash out thy crypto conference.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/dubai_crypto_conference_flood/
KTM Rolls Out Updated Motocross Machines For 2025
date: 2024-04-17, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The KTM 150 SX makes a comeback for the 2025 model-year.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716038/ktm-updates-2025-sx-sxf-bikes/
How The New Porsche Taycan Became An Efficiency Monster With Crazy, Tiny Tweaks
date: 2024-04-17, from: Inside EVs News
Engineers explain how they managed to get big increases in range for the new Taycan.
https://insideevs.com/news/716351/porsche-taycan-efficiency-range/
NASA Invites Media for Climate Update, New Earth Missions
date: 2024-04-17, from: NASA breaking news
In anticipation of Earth Day, NASA invites media to a briefing at the agency’s headquarters on Friday, April 19, at 11 a.m. EDT. The event will share updates on NASA’s climate science and early data from the agency’s ocean-watching PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission, as well as reveal upcoming Earth airborne missions. The […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-for-climate-update-new-earth-missions/
Samsung introduces the world’s first 10.7 Gbps LPDDR5X memory
date: 2024-04-17, from: Liliputing
Samsung has introduced the fastest LPDDR5X memory chip to date, with support for speeds up to 10.7 gigabits per second. The company says its LPDDR5X-10700 memory also brings storage capacity and power efficiency improvements. Mass production is set to begin in the second half of 2024, which means that we could see the first devices […]
The post Samsung introduces the world’s first 10.7 Gbps LPDDR5X memory appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/samsung-introduces-the-worlds-first-10-7-gbps-lpddr5x-memory/
Invitation-only audio social network is the hot new app in Silicon Valley
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Invitation links have been flying around tech circles the past few days to an exclusive app that’s a combination of voice notes and Twitter, called Airchat.
The Ineffable Importance of Undersea Cable Maintenance
date: 2024-04-17, from: TidBITS blog
This must-read from The Verge weaves background about the undersea fiber optic connections that make the modern Internet possible with the story of what one maintenance ship went through repairing cables in the aftermath of the 2011 undersea earthquake off the coast of Japan.
https://tidbits.com/2024/04/17/the-ineffable-importance-of-undersea-cable-maintenance/
A pivotal moment for the union push in Southern states
date: 2024-04-17, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The United Auto Workers union is trying to organize foreign vehicle factories in the South, and today, workers at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, begin voting on whether to join the UAW. We’ll hear what’s at stake. Then, we’ll take a look at why TGI Friday’s is faltering while Texas Roadhouse thrives. Plus, a look at how a Detroit deconstruction company provides jobs and promotes sustainability.
Hopes of Big Bang Discoveries Ride on a Future Spacecraft
date: 2024-04-17, from: Quanta Magazine
Physicists and cosmologists will have a new probe of primordial processes when Europe launches the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) next decade.The post Hopes of Big Bang Discoveries Ride on a Future Spacecraft first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/hopes-of-big-bang-discoveries-ride-on-a-future-spacecraft-20240417/
Tech Today: Taking Earth’s Pulse with NASA Satellites
date: 2024-04-17, from: NASA breaking news
Natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, floods, and tornados can dramatically change the surface of Earth to the point where alterations are visible in space. Changes driven by human actions and interventions, such as mining and deforestation, are also visible in satellite imagery. For over 50 years, NASA’s Landsat satellites have recorded our planet’s changing surface. […]
Astronauts To Patch Up NASA’s NICER Telescope
date: 2024-04-17, from: NASA breaking news
NASA is planning to repair NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, during a spacewalk later this year. It will be the fourth science observatory in orbit serviced by astronauts. In May 2023, scientists discovered that NICER had developed a “light leak.” Unwanted sunlight was entering the instrument […]
BMW’s ‘Soul-Searching’ After The i3 Led To EV Success Today
date: 2024-04-17, from: Inside EVs News
We look at BMW’s stealth success in the EV realm, as well as the pressure on Tesla and a crucial UAW vote in the American South this week.
https://insideevs.com/news/716429/bmw-i3-critical-materials/
AlmaLinux 9.4 beta prepares to tread where RHEL dares not
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
CIQ also has an alternative approach to compatible kernels with RockyLinux
The bigger RHELatives continue to diverge slightly from Red Hat, with additional drivers and newer kernel versions.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/almalinux_94_ciq_lts_kernels/
The World’s Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Is Underway—and It Could Become the Worst One Yet
date: 2024-04-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The impacted reefs represent 54 percent of the planet’s total, and that figure is currently increasing by 1 percent each week, NOAA scientists say
Have Disneyland Magic Key prices finally outpaced demand?
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Disneyland raised Magic Key prices in October to $1,649 for the Inspire Key, $1,249 for the Believe Key, $849 for the Enchant Key and $499 for the Imagine Key.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/17/have-disneyland-magic-key-prices-finally-outpaced-demand/
OJ Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Malcom LaVergne, who is handling Simpson’s estate, shared details of his final meetings with the former football hero, movie actor, sportscaster, television pitchman and celebrity murder defendant who he has represented since 2009.
Volkswagen to launch new EV platform in China to slash costs and compete with BYD
date: 2024-04-17, from: Electrek Feed
To boost sales in the world’s largest EV market and one of Volkswagen’s most important regions, the company is launching a new digital EV platform with China’s XPeng. VW says the EV platform will slash costs as it looks to recapture market share in China.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/17/vw-launch-new-china-ev-platform-cut-costs-rival-byd/
Whistleblower cries foul over alleged fuselage gaps in Boeing 787 Dreamliner
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Company rejects claims as ‘inaccurate’
A Boeing whistleblower has called for the embattled aircraft manufacturer’s fleet of 787s to be grounded for gap checks.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/boeing_whistleblower_fuselage_gaps/
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope’s ‘Eyes’ Pass First Vision Test
date: 2024-04-17, from: NASA breaking news
Engineers at L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, have combined all 10 mirrors for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Preliminary tests show the newly aligned optics, collectively called the IOA (Imaging Optics Assembly), will direct light into Roman’s science instruments extremely precisely. This will yield crisp images of space once the observatory launches. “This […]
Going Through Changes: Total Eclipse Over NASA Hangar
date: 2024-04-17, from: NASA breaking news
This composite image shows the dazzling phases of the total solar eclipse, seen above the Flight Research Building at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on April 8, 2024. Glenn was the only NASA center in the eclipse path of totality, plunging into darkness for nearly four minutes as the face of the Sun was […]
https://www.nasa.gov/general/going-through-changes-total-eclipse-over-nasa-hangar/
Institute That Pioneered AI ‘Existential Risk’ Research Shuts Down
date: 2024-04-17, from: 404 Media Group
The Future of Humanity Institute, which along with philosopher Nick Bostrom taught the world to fear existential AI risks, is finished.
https://www.404media.co/institute-that-pioneered-ai-existential-risk-research-shuts-down/
NPR suspends editor who criticized employer for what he calls an unquestioned liberal worldview
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — National Public Radio has suspended a veteran editor who wrote an outside essay criticizing his employer for, in his view, journalism that reflects a liberal viewpoint with little tolerance for contrary opinions.
Uri Berliner, a senior editor on NPR’s business desk, was suspended five days without pay, according to an article posted Tuesday by NPR’s media correspondent, David Folkenflik. He wrote that Berliner was told he violated the company’s policy that it must approve work done for outside news organizations.
Berliner told NPR that he was not appealing the suspension. An NPR spokeswoman said the company would not comment on individual personnel matters.
He wrote his essay last week for The Free Press. Berliner wrote that NPR has always had a liberal bent, but for most of his 25-year tenure had an open-minded, curious culture.
“In recent years, however, that has changed,” he wrote. “Today, those who listen to NPR or read its coverage online find something different: the distilled worldview of a very small segment of the U.S. population.”
His commentary became an instant hit with outside conservative activists who have made similar criticisms of NPR. He specifically criticized his employer for its coverage of former President Donald Trump, of accusations against the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following publication, NPR’s top editor, Edith Chapin, said she strongly disagrees with Berliner’s conclusions and is proud to stand behind NPR’s work.
One of his NPR colleagues, “Morning Edition” co-host Steve Inskeep, wrote on Substack Tuesday that Berliner’s essay in The Free Press was filled with errors and assumptions.
“If Uri’s ‘larger point’ is that journalists should seek wider perspectives, and not just write stories that confirm their prior opinions, his article is useful as an example of what to avoid,” Inskeep wrote.
https://www.voanews.com/a/7573628.html
Podcast: The ‘Com World War’
date: 2024-04-17, from: 404 Media Group
This week we cover a ‘world war’ inside nebulous crime culture the Com; Google’s miss on AI science; and a sex box.
https://www.404media.co/the-com-world-war-podcast-404-media/
Weight loss drug Zepbound may help people with obstructive sleep apnea, drugmaker says
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Based on results from trials in people with sleep apnea, the company said it plans to submit the material to the US Food and Drug Administration to potentially expand the use of Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnea.
Take a hidden tour of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco’s Gothic masterpiece
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Secret passageways and ancient artifacts are the stars of new “behind-the-scenes” tours of the famous church.
Top EV Carmakers By Sales In Q1 2024: Tesla Vs. BYD
date: 2024-04-17, from: Inside EVs News
After BYD’s win in Q4, Tesla easily won in Q1, but Q2 might be a close call.
https://insideevs.com/news/716305/top-electric-carmakers-sales-2024q1-tesla-vs-byd/
Taste-Off: The best supermarket prosciutto — and the ones not worth the price
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
How do U.S.-made prosciutto brands compare to Italian imports? We taste-tested 13 prosciuttos, from Principe Prosciutto Di Parma to Trader Joe’s house brand, to find the most delicious prosciutto available locally – and the stringy ones to avoid.
Exploit code for Palo Alto Networks zero-day now public
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Race on to patch as researchers warn of mass exploitation of directory traversal bug
Various infosec researchers have released proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits for the maximum-severity vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks’ PAN-OS used in GlobalProtect gateways.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/researchers_exploit_code_for/
Quick Cook: Banana Coffee Waffles start the weekend with flavorful style
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
These easy, gluten-free, vegan waffles feature all the signature flavors of banana bread – with a hint of coffee, too.
A Pleasanton woman got a restraining order against her ex. He killed her five days before court hearing to make it permanent, police say
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Sean Barry wrote a hate-filled message signed “see you in hell” to Jasmine Del Mar before he allegedly killed her and died by suicide during a subsequent police chase.
A Spy Site Is Scraping Discord and Selling Users’ Messages
date: 2024-04-17, from: 404 Media Group
404 Media tested the service, called Spy Pet, and verified it is collecting information on Discord users, including the messages they post across usually disparate servers.
https://www.404media.co/a-spy-site-is-scraping-discord-and-selling-users-messages/
The 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring Gets Faster Charging, Still 516 EPA Miles Of Range
date: 2024-04-17, from: Inside EVs News
The Lucid Air Grand Touring gets a raft of efficiency improvements for 2024, and it’s still the longest-range EV on sale right now.
https://insideevs.com/news/716352/lucid-air-grand-touring-2024/
ASML profits plunge 40% amid dip in chipmaking tool orders
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Except in China, where customers accounted for almost half of the photolithography giant’s top line
Chipmaking kit maestro ASML generated almost half of its sales from China in calendar Q1, amid a wider downturn in orders and plunging profits.…
These new EV charging features are coming to Google Maps
date: 2024-04-17, from: Electrek Feed
Google’s new Maps features help EV drivers find exact information about EV chargers’ locations, plan charging stops for road trips, and more.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/17/these-new-ev-charging-features-are-coming-to-google-maps/
We’re Drooling All Over Aprilia’s SE-09 SBK RSV4 And Tuono V4 Factory
date: 2024-04-17, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The limited-edition models commemorate Max Biaggi’s success back in 2009.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716037/aprilia-rsv4-tuono-v4-se09-sbk-editions/
News publishers group urges government to investigate Google for blocking some California news outlets
date: 2024-04-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
The move from Google, which drew swift backlash, came over a proposed law that would require tech companies to pay for news content.
Tesla asks shareholders to move to Texas and re-pass Elon Musk’s massive compensation plan
date: 2024-04-17, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has filed a proxy with shareholders to ask them to vote for the company to move its state of incorporation to Texas and re-pass Elon Musk’s 2018 CEO massive compensation plan that was rescinded by a Delaware judge earlier this year.
Official: EU users can swerve App Store and download iOS apps from the web
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Anticompetitive remedies? We’ve heard of them
Apple is turning on Web Distribution for iOS apps, allowing EU users to download applications directly from developer websites.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/apple_eu_ios_web_downloads/
Biden seeks higher tariffs on Chinese steel as he courts union voters
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
SCRANTON, Pa. — President Joe Biden is calling for a tripling of tariffs on steel from China to protect American producers from a flood of cheap imports, an announcement he planned to roll out Wednesday in an address to steelworkers in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
The move reflects the intersection of Biden’s international trade policy with his efforts to court voters in a state that is likely to play a pivotal role in deciding November’s election.
The White House insists, however, that it is more about shielding American manufacturing from unfair trade practices overseas than firing up a union audience.
In addition to boosting steel tariffs, Biden also will seek to triple levies on Chinese aluminum. The current rate is 7.5% for both metals. The administration also promised to pursue anti-dumping investigations against countries and importers that try to saturate existing markets with Chinese steel, and said it was working with Mexico to ensure that Chinese companies can’t circumvent the tariffs by shipping steel there for subsequent export to the U.S.
“The president understands we must invest in American manufacturing. But we also have to protect those investments and those workers from unfair exports associated with China’s industrial overcapacity,” White House National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard said on a call with reporters.
Biden was set to announce that he is asking the U.S. Trade Representative to consider tripling the tariffs during a visit to United Steelworkers union headquarters in Pittsburgh. The president is on a three-day Pennsylvania swing that began in Scranton on Tuesday and will include a visit to Philadelphia on Thursday.
The administration says China is distorting markets and eroding competition by unfairly flooding the market with below-market-cost steel.
“China’s policy-driven overcapacity poses a serious risk to the future of the American steel and aluminum industry,” Brainard said. Referencing China’s economic downturn, she added that Beijing “cannot export its way to recovery.”
“China is simply too big to play by its own rules,” Brainard said.
Higher tariffs can carry major economic risks. Steel and aluminum could become more expensive, possibly increasing the costs of cars, construction materials and other key goods for U.S. consumers.
Inflation has already been a drag on Biden’s political fortunes, and his turn toward protectionism echoes the playbook of his predecessor and opponent in this fall’s election, Donald Trump.
The former president imposed broader tariffs on Chinse goods during his administration, and has threatened to increase levies on Chinese goods unless they trade on his preferred terms as he campaigns for a second term. An outside analysis by the consultancy Oxford Economics has suggested that implementing the tariffs Trump has proposed could hurt the overall U.S. economy.
Senior Biden administration officials said that, unlike the Trump administration, they were seeking a “strategic and balanced” approach to new tariff rates. China produces around half of the world’s steel, and is already making far more than its domestic market needs. It sells steel on the world market for less than half what U.S.-produced steel costs, the officials said.
Biden’s announcement follows his administration’s efforts to provide up to $6.6 billion so that a Taiwanese semiconductor giant can expand facilities that it is already building in Arizona and better ensure that the world’s most-advanced microchips are produced in the U.S. That move could be seen as working to better compete with China chip manufacturers.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, during a recent visit to China, warned against oversaturating the market with cheap goods, and said low-cost steel had “decimated industries across the world and in the United States.” The Chinese, in turn, expressed grave concern over American trade and economic measures that restrict China, according to the China’s official news agency. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also has an upcoming visit to China.
Also potentially shaking up the steel industry is Japanese Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Biden said last month that he opposed the move.
“U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated,” Biden said then.
At a rally last weekend in Pennsylvania, Trump tore into Biden over Nippon Steel’s efforts to buy U.S. Steel, ignoring the president’s objections to the merger.
“I would not let that deal go through,” Trump said.
Mega city council’s Oracle ERP system still not legally safe, compliant… 2 years after rollout
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Fusion software misses another deadline, one external auditors for Birmingham City Council described as ‘absolutely crucial’
Birmingham City Council has failed to enter the new financial year with auditable accounting software after a disastrous implementation of Oracle Fusion, which has seen its expected project costs mushroom from around £20 million ($26 million) to around £131 million ($163 million).…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/birmingham_city_councils_oracle_erp/
Prom Prep Starts Early For These Students Who Grow The Flowers Themselves
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The LAist
Floriculture blends science, sustainability, financial literacy, and creativity. At Sylmar Charter High, the school’s gardens also invite a rare moment of calm in a hectic high school day.
You Can Chat With an A.I. Replica of Salvador Dalí
date: 2024-04-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
At a Florida museum, “Ask Dalí” allows visitors to speak with the Surrealist artist via a lobster telephone
Touring a Rental? A Face Scan May Be Required
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Markup blog
With the rise of self-guided tours, many companies are requiring facial recognition to see a property
https://themarkup.org/privacy/2024/04/17/touring-a-rental-a-face-scan-may-be-required
The Black businesses behind some of baseball’s best players
date: 2024-04-17, from: Marketplace Morning Report
For this month’s Econ Extra Credit, we’re watching “The League,” which chronicles the history of baseball’s Negro Leagues, established several decades before the sport was integrated. The Leagues gave rise to many Black businesses and entrepreneurs. Today, we have a conversation with Larry Lester, co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Also on the program: Aircraft-maker Boeing faces scrutiny over safety practices during two Senate hearings.
Tesla Shareholders Will Vote Again on Musk’s Pay
date: 2024-04-17, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: It was 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit in Mumbai yesterday, the warmest April day recorded in a decade • Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology declared El Niño over • It will be rainy today in Washington, D.C., where negotiators will be pushing for more climate investment at the IMF and World Bank spring meetings.
THE TOP FIVE
- Tesla asks shareholders to re-ratify Musk pay package that judge
voided
Tesla shareholders will get a second chance to approve CEO Elon Musk’s pay package at the company’s upcoming June 13 annual meeting. In January, a Delaware court voided Musk’s 2018 pay deal, which was originally approved by 73% of shareholders and could have seen Musk’s stock award soar to $55 billion based on meeting financial targets (which he subsequently met). The judge said the approval process for that package had been “deeply flawed” and rife with conflicts of interests. “The company’s board is effectively asking shareholders, now armed with all of the information that was revealed about the negotiations in court, to make the court’s ruling moot,” The New York Times explained, adding that the vote will no doubt raise tensions between investors and governance experts. The company also said it will let shareholders vote on the plan to move the incorporation from Delaware to Texas.
- Climeworks to become a carbon trader
Climeworks, the Swiss startup that became the first company to launch a commercial-scale facility that sucks carbon out of the air and buries it deep underground, is getting into carbon trading with the launch of an offshoot called Climeworks Solutions, reported Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo. Under the new banner, Climeworks will purchase carbon removal credits from other providers, package them into portfolios that include its own direct air capture credits, and sell the bundles to buyers looking for “high quality” carbon removal. Adrian Siegrist, the company’s vice president of climate solutions, said the credits will have “the stamp of Climeworks quality.”
There are already more than half a dozen companies promising to source only the highest quality carbon removal credits for buyers, and Climeworks is relying on its name as a trusted brand to set itself apart. Siegrist said Climeworks is already in talks with more than 50 other companies interested in working with them. “But it’s unclear where all of this carbon removal is going to come from,” Pontecorvo wrote. “The company’s direct air capture credits are already sold out through 2027.”
Get Heatmap AM directly in your inbox every morning:
- White House launches task force to tackle global trade emissions
The White House yesterday announced the creation of a new Climate and Trade Task Force aimed at reining in emissions from global trade. Speaking at the Columbia Global Energy Summit in New York, White House climate adviser John Podesta said the lack of widespread standards for tracking embodied emissions from traded goods – aka the emissions that come from their production – has led to a global “race to the bottom” to set up supply chains in countries with low emissions standards. “If the global trade of goods was its own country, it would be the second-largest carbon polluter in the world after [China],” Podesta said. The new task force will focus on developing a policy toolkit on climate and trade, measuring emissions to help inform and enforce climate-smart trade policies, and supporting producers to clean up their manufacturing processes.
- Dubai records 2 years worth of rain in 24 hours
A massive storm this week dropped unprecedented amounts of rain on the United Arab Emirates, turning streets into rivers and causing widespread chaos. The government described the event as the largest amount of rainfall seen in the last 75 years. In Dubai, at least 6 inches fell over 24 hours on Tuesday, which is about two years worth of rain. Flash floods inundated highways and halted flights. In neighboring Oman, flooding has killed at least 18 people. There’s some debate over how big of a role the UAE’s cloud seeding practices (which are an attempt to induce rain by dispersing tiny particles into clouds) played in worsening the storm. Bloomberg reported that the state’s National Center of Meteorology dispatched seeding planes on Monday and Tuesday.
Christopher
Pike/Getty Images
- Team Japan’s Paris Olympics uniforms will display carbon footprint
stamp
Team Japan unveiled its official uniforms for the upcoming Paris Olympics today, and said the clothing items would include a stamp that shows their carbon footprint. “By figuring out the carbon footprint of each item and labeling it on the products, we hope to boost transparency as well as raise awareness among athletes towards the environment,” said Makoto Ohori, manager of Asics’ apparel and equipment development. The company said it had cut the overall emissions needed to produce the uniforms by 34% since the Tokyo Games by switching to renewable energy and working with recycled and lighter material. The Paris Games aim to have half the carbon footprint of the typical Summer Olympics.
THE KICKER
“Finance is the golden thread through all climate action.” –Rachel Kyte, professor in practice of climate policy at Oxford University
https://heatmap.news/tesla-musk-pay-shareholder-vote
The Savvy Senior | Choosing a Senior Community That Offers All Levels of Care
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you help me identify some good senior living communities that offer all levels of housing and care from independent living to nursing home care? I am in my late seventies and know I need to downsize from my current house, but I want my next move to be my last. […]
The post The Savvy Senior | Choosing a Senior Community That Offers All Levels of Care appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
Bike crash 2023 anniversary
date: 2024-04-17, from: Liam Proven blog
(Not really update 22.)
Huh. Missed the anniversary of the
latest bike crash – it was on Monday.
Today, the
ever-helpful Google showed me a selfie I took from my hospital bed a
year ago. (Thanks so much for the reminder,
Googs.)
So, a year ago today I had more or less got some kind
of alertness back and was hoping to get transferred over to Liverpool
for my arm to be reassembled. Little did I know it would take another 4
days, because they were hoping to put me in an ordinary airline
seat…
comments
https://lproven.dreamwidth.org/309377.html
IMF: Russia to beat other advanced economies
date: 2024-04-17, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Despite extensive sanctions, the International Monetary Fund has forecast Russia’s economy will grow more than any other rich nation this year. Also: The small Pacific Island nation of Palau has warned delays to U.S. funding could open the door to China’s influence in the region.
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Goes Back On Sale After Two-Month Hiatus
date: 2024-04-17, from: Inside EVs News
The automaker had paused sales of the 2024 model year F-150 Lightning due to an undisclosed quality issue.
https://insideevs.com/news/716411/ford-resumes-2024-f-150-lightning-sales/
Logitech intros free tool for ChatGPT prompts… plus a mouse with an AI button
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
For when the AI service cannot grok what it’s being asked
Logitech has launched a free software tool to help existing users of its kit with ChatGPT prompts, but those that splash out on the upcoming Signature AI Edition Mouse, get a… dedicated AI prompt button.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/logitech_introduces_ai_prompt_tool/
Climeworks Is Becoming a Carbon Trader
date: 2024-04-17, from: Heatmap News
Climeworks made a name for itself as the first company to launch a commercial-scale facility that sucks carbon out of the air and buries it deep underground. The Swiss startup is widely recognized as a global leader in direct air capture technology.
But on Wednesday, Climeworks made a surprising move away from hard tech and into carbon trading with the launch of an offshoot called Climeworks Solutions. Under the new banner, it will purchase carbon removal credits from other providers, package them into portfolios that include its own direct air capture credits, and sell the bundles to buyers looking for “high quality” carbon removal.
The credits will have “the stamp of Climeworks quality,” Adrian Siegrist, the company’s vice president of climate solutions, told reporters this week. “It is a very, very selective vetting process.”
Corporate demand for carbon removal is growing. In the past, companies primarily bought a different kind of carbon credit to support their sustainability strategies. These credits came from projects that prevented emissions by protecting forests or distributing cleaner cookstoves, and they were cheap. But they came under fire after countless investigations into the projects turned up flimsy methodologies and inflated claims.
Meanwhile, there’s been a growing consensus in the world of corporate sustainability that even if these credits were based on real emission reductions, they shouldn’t be part of a net-zero strategy. For example, the Science Based Targets Initiative, the leading arbiter of corporate net-zero plans, only allows companies to apply carbon removal credits — and not conventional carbon avoidance credits — toward their goals. The only way to zero-out the climate impact of putting carbon in the atmosphere, SBTI says, is to take out an equal amount.
These two factors, along with a view that supporting the nascent carbon removal industry is the “right thing to do,” have fueled a carbon removal credit market that grew from at least 105,000 tons sold to 50 buyers in 2021 to more than 4 million tons sold to nearly 200 buyers last year.
Siegrist said Climeworks Solutions is responding to a gap in the market. Companies face barriers to purchasing carbon removal, he said. They don’t want to put their reputations at risk and buy dubious credits, but they lack the time and expertise to do careful sourcing. They also want to sign simple one-and-done contracts, but they don’t want to purchase credits from a single supplier — especially not just from Climeworks, which sells top-shelf credits for upwards of $600 per ton.
“Companies asked us, in your opinion, can you tell us what is the best in X and the best in Y?” he said. “That made us realize there’s a real need for clarity and for guidance.”
But Climeworks is entering a crowded field. There are already more than half a dozen companies — Patch, Supercritical, Ceezer, Carbon Direct, Watershed, Cur8, Lune — promising to source only the highest quality carbon removal credits for buyers. Each one has a slightly different model, with some acting more as an open marketplace, others more as a brokerage.
Climeworks is relying on its name as a trusted brand to set itself apart. But part of the reason it is a trusted brand is that it has focused on direct air capture — the form of carbon removal that is the most permanent and easy to measure and verify. Now the company will be venturing into the thornier science of other approaches like tree planting schemes and bioenergy with carbon capture. It also plans to source credits from biochar projects, which involve turning plants into a carbon-rich, durable, form of charcoal, and enhanced rock weathering, which speeds up the natural ability of rocks to absorb carbon from the environment.
“If you’re saying that companies can come to you and use that trusted brand, what are the standards?” Erin Burns, the executive director of the carbon removal advocacy group Carbon 180, told me she wanted to know. “High quality doesn’t mean anything. How transparent are they going to be about what those standards are?”
I asked Siegrist about how Climeworks defines high quality, especially when it comes to nature-based solutions like reforestation, and he said there were “various elements” that signaled quality, such as the use of remote sensing technologies that can more accurately track forest growth. He said they would publish their standards at some point in the future.
But he did share some general principles the company would use to tailor its portfolios for buyers: Fossil fuel emissions should be neutralized with carbon removed and stored for thousands of years, on par with how long carbon stays in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, a company’s emissions from land use could be offset using nature-based approaches that are still effective but inherently less enduring.
Climeworks Solutions’ first customer is Breitling, the Swiss luxury watchmaker, which signed a 12-year contract. It is purchasing a mix of direct air capture credits, to offset emissions from fossil fuel combustion in its factories, and enhanced rock weathering credits, to address emissions in its mineral supply chains. Breitling’s global director of sustainability Aurelia Figueroa said that focusing on high-cost direct air capture credits to compensate for direct emissions created an incentive to prioritize reducing emissions, summing up the strategy as “we do our best and remove the rest.”
Siegrist said Climeworks was already in talks with more than 50 other companies interested in working with them. But it’s unclear where all of this carbon removal is going to come from. The company’s direct air capture credits are already sold out through 2027.
“There’s not a lot of high quality CDR happening, and in general, people are buying carbon removal years out,” said Burns. “Depending on how many tons they’re being asked to put together for other companies to purchase, they’re gonna run up against limits pretty quickly if they’ve got really high standards.”
Siegrist declined to name any companies or projects that Climeworks was sourcing carbon credits from. But in terms of supply, he said it was a chicken and egg scenario — that the only way to increase supply was to bring in more demand, and that the bigger constraint was limited buyer bandwidth.
I reached out to a carbon removal company called Charm Industrial to ask how developers feel about the rise of all of these brokerage services. Like Climeworks, Charm is another startup that scrupulous corporate buyers with big science teams, like Microsoft and Shopify, have deemed “high quality.” Charm’s head of sales, Harris Cohn, said the fees these services charge matter and vary widely. “There’s a risk these services make the market worse if they make transactions harder or feel more expensive to buyers,” he said. But he noted that they have, indeed, already accelerated demand.
Peter Reinhardt, the CEO of Charm, agreed that there was no downside to having more players in the game. “We’ll break the supply constraint fairly soon :)” he added in an email.
https://heatmap.news/technology/climeworks-solutions-carbon-removal
OpenAI’s GPT-4 can exploit real vulnerabilities by reading security advisories
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
While some other LLMs appear to flat-out suck
AI agents, which combine large language models with automation software, can successfully exploit real world security vulnerabilities by reading security advisories, academics have claimed.…
Robot Etch A Sketch
date: 2024-04-17, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
What maker Micah Tilton lacks in drawing skills, he more than makes up for in robotics know-how. So rather than spend years learning how to create a masterpiece of illustration, he automated an Etch A Sketch with Raspberry Pi.
The post Robot Etch A Sketch appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/robot-etch-a-sketch/
NetBSD 10 proves old tech can still kick apps and take names three decades later
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Proper old-school Unix, not like those lazy, decadent Linux types
FOSDEM 2024 NetBSD 10 marks a new level of maturity for this venerable open source Unix system, which somehow manages to be both modern and retro at the same time.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/30yo_netbsd_releases_v10/
The U.S. Has a Tesla Problem
date: 2024-04-17, from: Heatmap News
It isn’t just bad vibes: Electric vehicle sales are slumping in the United States. Fewer than 300,000 EVs were sold nationwide during the first three months of 2024 — although it could be more than 350,000, depending on how you count and whose data you trust. That’s a slight decline from last quarter at a time when EV sales need to be accelerating.
What caused the slump, and what can be done about it? And could hybrids or plug-in hybrids help solve the problem? In this week’s episode, Rob and Jesse chat with Corey Cantor, an EV analyst at BloombergNEF. They talk about Tesla’s spiraling problems, whether Detroit can pull its EV strategy together, and whether plug-in hybrids can co-exist with a climate strategy. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a Princeton professor of energy systems engineering.
Subscribe to “Shift Key” and find this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also add the show’s RSS feed to your podcast app to follow us directly.
Here is an excerpt from our conversation:
Robinson Meyer: The PHEV story is really interesting here, and the hybrid story is interesting here, because three years ago, four years ago, Toyota was talking about how hybrids and plug-in hybrids were going to be the bridge for consumers. And what we have seen is that plug-in hybrid and hybrid sales have increased.
Now, what’s funny is that Toyota has actually not really been selling those plug-in hybrids. It’s like a Stellantis story, right? It’s Jeep. Ford sells a very expensive plug-in hybrid. Toyota actually doesn’t sell plug-in hybrids. In fact, if Toyota made more plug-in hybrids, if they made more Prius Primes, this amazing-looking recent car for them — it’s a plug-in hybrid — then they would sell them. But they don’t make enough. So Toyota has kind of won this discursive cycle, but not actually made the plug-in hybrids that they were advocating for, you know, two or three years ago.
Jesse Jenkins: Yeah. I mean, if you look at the numbers, about half of all the plug-in hybrids sold are Stellantis vehicles, right? Across the Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, and Alfa Romeo brands, they don’t sell hybrids. They only sell plug-in hybrids. And they also don’t sell any, BEVs yet, either. They’re coming, later than the end of this year, probably, their first U.S. battery electric vehicle.
So, you know, Stellantis’ only offerings right now are a set of plug-in hybrids, and they’ve been selling them very effectively, partly because I think the tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act make them very competitively priced relative to the conventional Jeep or, Chrysler Pacifica minivan, or whatever else you’re looking at in the market. Why not get the plug-in hybrid, even if you don’t plug it in?
But if you look at it, so they’ve sold about 46,000 plug-in hybrids in the first quarter of the year. Toyota, who talks about it more than anybody, only sold 11,600. So they sold like a quarter as many as Stellantis did —
Meyer: Which is so crazy because also, the Toyota plug-in hybrids are great. They’re awesome cars. They should be making more of them!
Jenkins: Yes, they should be selling 50,000 of them a quarter.
Meyer: Yeah, exactly. But they treat them — it’s so funny. The Toyota plug-in hybrids are central to the Toyota argument, and then they treat them like compliance cars. They don’t make enough, even though they’re like, this is what consumers want.
And it’s funny: They were right. That is seemingly what consumers want. And it does seem like the availability of BEVs has like defanged plug-in hybrids and hybrids for consumers in a way that maybe we didn’t expect. Toyota’s not making them. It’s like they won the discourse cycle, but they’re not actually selling vehicles.
Jenkins: Yeah. I mean, Toyota Group and Honda are really the undisputed kings or queens of hybrid electric vehicles. They sell far more than anybody else. But on the plug-in side, Stellantis is the No. 1 by far. They’re like half of the market, just themselves.
Corey Cantor: I was just going to say, to Rob’s point on just how much better the Toyota plug-in hybrids are, they’re getting 40-mile electric range between the Prius Prime and the RAV4 Prime — which by the way: RAV4, Model Y, you could have a RAV4 Prime-Model Y-off every quarter if Toyota was selling enough of those.
For those Stellantis PHEVs, the other one that’s big is the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, which, I know how much you guys love your minivans, here. Those are in the low 20-mileage. So what you’ve seen policymakers in California advocate for is really going towards a 50-mile minimum to begin to count PHEVs in what’s called Advanced Clean Cars II. Which, in the kind of conventional popular media is often referred to as California’s ban of gas cars, which actually isn’t a ban of gas cars because even in 2035, you could sell 20% PHEVs if they meet a 50-mile electric range minimum.
My hope, from a climate standpoint, is if PHEVs are going to be a part of the story — and again, data-wise, they’re just not in the U.S. In some European countries … or BYD, for example, you see 50-50 split between BEV and PHEV. Here, it’s remained 80-20.
Just better PHEVs — just automakers delivering better PHEVs with 40[-mile] all-electric range, or 50[-mile]. I do think Hyundai and Kia might move in that direction, where they’re delivering those better PHEVs over time. But not to just take the, kind of, spin on them, and just say, wow, because Toyota or whatever automaker says PHEVs are great, that consumers should buy them. The PHEVs now just aren’t as good as they should be, and they can be better, and automakers can still make a profit off of it.
It’s one of those big myths, where it’s like, you see so many people say, “Have you considered a PHEV?” And it’s like, which PHEV? Because it’s really just the Jeep Wrangler and the Pacifica.
This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…
KORE Power provides the commercial, industrial, and utility markets with functional solutions that advance the clean energy transition worldwide. KORE Power’s technology and manufacturing capabilities provide direct access to next generation battery cells, energy storage systems that scale to grid+, EV power & infrastructure, and intuitive asset management to unlock energy strategies across a myriad of applications. Explore more at korepower.com.
Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.
Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.
https://heatmap.news/podcast/shift-key-episode-12-q1-ev-sales
Calling all Manchester and surrounding – come to / apply for CODE100 on 22nd of May!
date: 2024-04-17, from: Chris Heilmann
The next edition of CODE100 is in Manchester in the UK and I am super excited to come back to the isle! It will be my first time in Manchester and as a huge Joy Division/New Order fan, I really look forward to it. CODE100 is not your typical coding competition; it’s a coding game […]
Jennifer Elkins | Landfill Making School Stink
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
Landfill odors were so horrible at Live Oak Elementary School and throughout Castaic this morning! I typically drop my kids off at the park gate on Quincy Street, but the air was so bad that I drove my kids to the front of the school. I wanted to make sure school staff was reporting to […]
The post Jennifer Elkins | Landfill Making School Stink appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/jennifer-elkins-landfill-making-school-stink/
Joe Messina | Stop the Shakedown Lawsuits
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
California’s court system is in a bad place, hurting our small businesses. Recently, the American Tort Reform Association released a report of the worst judicial hellholes in America. Our home state finished in the top five, marking its 18th appearance on the list. Being from Santa Clarita, I know all too well the threat of […]
The post Joe Messina | Stop the Shakedown Lawsuits appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/joe-messina-stop-the-shakedown-lawsuits/
Hilmar A. Rosenast | A Core Difference
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
“A solution for homelessness?” I am still wondering what the title had to do with the issue in Mr. Arthur Saginian’s letter (April 13). Actually, the letter itself is in response to an earlier letter by Mr. Saginian. He sets aside the factual corrections and generously states, “forgive the stuff he believes in.” I do […]
The post Hilmar A. Rosenast | A Core Difference appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/hilmar-a-rosenast-a-core-difference/
Gerald Staack | A Bifurcated Union
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
The state of the union is in crisis. It’s bifurcated into those of us who want our country back from the clutches of an aristocracy who rule us, and by those who say that a complete revolutionary breakdown of our government is necessary before this can happen. We are also in the midst of a […]
The post Gerald Staack | A Bifurcated Union appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/gerald-staack-a-bifurcated-union/
Bob Graham, ex-US senator and Florida governor, dies at 87
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former U.S. Sen. and two-term Florida Gov. Bob Graham, who gained national prominence as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks and as an early critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 87.
Graham’s family announced the death Tuesday in a statement posted on X by his daughter Gwen Graham.
“We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a visionary leader, dedicated public servant, and even more importantly, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather,” the family said.
Graham, who served three terms in the Senate, made an unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, emphasizing his opposition to the Iraq invasion.
But his bid was delayed by heart surgery in January 2003, and he was never able to gain enough traction with voters to catch up, bowing out that October. He didn’t seek reelection in 2004 and was replaced by Republican Mel Martinez.
Graham was a man of many quirks. He perfected the “workdays” political gimmick of spending a day doing various jobs from horse stall mucker to FBI agent and kept a meticulous diary, noting almost everyone he spoke with, everything he ate, the TV shows he watched and even his golf scores.
Graham said the notebooks were a working tool for him and he was reluctant to describe his emotions or personal feelings in them.
“I review them for calls to be made, memos to be dictated, meetings I want to follow up on and things people promise to do,” he said.
Graham was among the earliest opponents of the Iraq war, saying it diverted America’s focus on the battle against terrorism centered in Afghanistan. He was also critical of President George W. Bush for failing to have an occupation plan in Iraq after the U.S. military threw out Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Graham said Bush took the United States into the war by exaggerating claims of the danger presented by the Iraqi weapons of destruction that were never found. He said Bush distorted intelligence data and argued it was more serious than the sexual misconduct issues that led the House to impeach President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. It led him to launch his short, abortive presidential bid.
“The quagmire in Iraq is a distraction that the Bush administration, and the Bush administration alone, has created,” Graham said in 2003.
During his 18 years in Washington, Graham worked well with colleagues from both parties, particularly Florida Republican Connie Mack during their dozen years together in the Senate.
Florida voters hardly considered Graham the wealthy Harvard-educated attorney that he was.
Graham’s political career spanned five decades, beginning with his election to the Florida House of Representatives in 1966.
He won a state Senate seat in 1970 and then was elected governor in 1978. He was re-elected in 1982. Four years later, he won the first of three terms in the U.S. Senate when he ousted incumbent Republican Paula Hawkins.
https://www.voanews.com/a/bob-graham-ex-us-senator-and-florida-governor-dies-at-87/7573326.html
A better, more compact UI for Firefox
date: 2024-04-17, from: OS News
Proton is Firefox’s new design, starting from Firefox 89. Photon is the old design of Firefox which was used until version 88. Proton’s overall feel is good, but there were a few things I didn’t like and wanted to improve.That’s why this project was born, and Lepton to denote light theme layer. Lepton’s photon styled is preserve Photon’s feeling while keep Original Lepton’s strengths. ↫ Firefox UI Fix GitHub page I do not like the current Firefox user interface, because even with the ‘compact’ layout re-enabled in about:config, I find it just too bulky and wasteful of my screen real estate. I’ve been using the above Firefox user interface mod for ages now, and I can’t imagine using Firefox without it. The GitHub pages and guides are a bit of a mess and difficult to follow due to the project consisting of several overlapping different styles, but I just use the script listed here, selecting the style “2” when running the script. It won’t be for everyone, but for me, it makes Firefox nice and compact, turning it into a mouse-first interface without trying to accommodate touch. This is also by far not the only project with this goal, so if you’re using something else – feel free to list them.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139322/a-better-more-compact-ui-for-firefox/
US Navy flies aircraft through Taiwan Strait a day after US-China defense talks
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The U.S. 7th Fleet said a Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, a day after U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held their first talks since Nov. 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions.
The patrol and reconaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” the release said.
Although the critical 160 kilometer- (100 mile-) wide strait that divides China from the self-governing island democracy is international waters, China considers the passage of foreign military aircraft and ships through it a challenge to its sovereignty. China claims the island of Taiwan, threatening to defend by force if necessary despite U.S. military support for the island.
China had no immediate response to the report, but has in past issued stern protests and activated defenses in response to the passage of ships and military planes through the strait, particularly those from the U.S.
China also regularly sends navy ships and warplanes into the strait and other areas around the island.
“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” the 7th Fleet statement said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart Adm. Dong Jun on Tuesday in the latest U.S. effort to improve communications with the Chinese military and reduce the chances of a clash in the region.
It was the first time Austin has talked to Dong and the first time he has spoken at length with any Chinese counterpart since November 2022. The call, which lasted a bit more than an hour, came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China this month for talks.
Military-to-military contact stalled in August 2022, when Beijing suspended all such communication after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China responded by firing missiles over Taiwan and staging a surge in military maneuvers, including what appeared to be a rehearsal of a naval and aerial blockade of the island.
Devaluing content created by AI is lazy and ignores history
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The answer is not to hide from AI, but to be honest about it
It’s taken less than eighteen months for human- and AI-generated media to become impossibly intermixed. Some find this utterly unconscionable, and refuse to have anything to do with any media that has any generative content within it. That ideological stance betrays a false hope: that this is a passing trend, an obsession with the latest new thing, and will pass.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/devaluing_ai_content_is_lazy/
How Gogoro is making the world’s largest EV battery swapping network greener
date: 2024-04-17, from: Electrek Feed
With Gogoro already surpassing one million swappable EV batteries in circulation, the company’s energy network has become something of a de facto standard in swappable batteries for e-motorcycles and scooters. Now, the company is announcing the next phase of its expansive GoStation network, rolling out over a dozen new 100% renewable energy-powered stations.
Senate addresses state of USG, budget
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Senators discussed and then passed several amendments to the body’s constitution.
The post Senate addresses state of USG, budget appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/usg-addresses-state-of-the-union-budget/
Office Hours: Biden in Pennsylvania, Trump in court — who gets the biggest boost?
date: 2024-04-17, from: Robert Reich on Substack
Friends, Donald Trump is spending most of this week, and much of the coming month or two, in a Manhattan courtroom facing criminal charges. He claims he’s being politically persecuted and is acting the part of a martyr. He wants the public to see a courageous individual versus a corrupt deep state.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-biden-in-pennsylvania
LAMENT FOR THE PLEAT
date: 2024-04-17, from: Howard Jacobson blog
The above is not a photograph of me, even as I was in my hey-day. But those are my trousers. Pleated. Pleated, reader! Pleated as trousers used to be, prior to plebeian flat-fronts which are to trousers what pug noses are to dogs. They are in a museum now, as soon will I be. We both belong to a more elegant, grander, more spacious epoch, before the advent of casual wear. Imagine Sebastian Flyte pacing the terraces of Brideshead pleatless. Or Gatsby - The Not So Great Gatsby - in crowded-crotch chinos.
https://jacobsonh.substack.com/p/lament-for-the-pleat
Global IT spending forecast to reach $5.06 trillion this year
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Comms services and AI contributing to increase, but vendors are taking ‘risks’
Gartner expects global IT spending to grow 8 percent in 2024 to $5.06 trillion in a revised forecast from the 6.8 percent uptick which the analyst predicted in January.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/gartner_global_it_spending/
Universities Are Making Billions Gatekeeping Your Meds
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Lever News
The University of California has raked in a previously undisclosed $1.6 billion from Xtandi sales, and now doesn’t want the government lowering exorbitant drug costs.
https://www.levernews.com/universities-are-making-billions-gatekeeping-your-meds/
Classifieds – April 17, 2024
date: 2024-04-17, 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 17, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/classifieds-april-17-2024/
Today in SCV History (April 17)
date: 2024-04-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1930 – Telephone switchboard operator Louise Gipe, heroine of the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster, tries and fails to kill herself over an unrequited love [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-april-17/
I’m not counting on DEI
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
I’m the director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Daily Trojan.
The post I’m not counting on DEI appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/im-not-counting-on-dei/
Celebrations, goodbyes take center stage at SSO
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Student Symphony Orchestra underlined their seniors and original scores.
The post Celebrations, goodbyes take center stage at SSO appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/celebrations-goodbyes-take-center-stage-at-sso/
Men’s volleyball playoffs to take over campus
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans seek their first conference title since 2009 at the MPSF tournament.
The post Men’s volleyball playoffs to take over campus appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/playoff-mens-volleyball-takes-over-campus/
The appreciation and rejection of purely functional fashion
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Fashion and functionality do not always go hand in hand, but they can when considering individuality, growth and the element of surprise.
The post The appreciation and rejection of purely functional fashion appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/the-appreciation-and-rejection-of-purely-functional-fashion/
The opinions that didn’t make it, part three
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Not every opinion I had made it into its own column.
The post The opinions that didn’t make it, part three appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/208300/
Community learns about Armenian genocide
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
A lecture by the Institute of Armenian Studies shed light on its historical context.
The post Community learns about Armenian genocide appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/community-learns-about-armenian-genocide/
LACMA delivers historic Ruscha retrospective
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The exhibit “ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN” features works from the figure of L.A. art. Angeles art.
The post LACMA delivers historic Ruscha retrospective appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/17/lacma-delivers-historic-ruscha-retrospective/
Gallup: Confidence in US institutions continues to decline
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/gallup-confidence-in-us-institutions-continues-to-decline/7573289.html
Google will pump more than $100B into AI, says DeepMind boss
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Not all at once, of course
Google will eventually invest $100 billion in AI, according to DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/google_deepmind_funding/
Japanese government rejects Yahoo! infosec improvement plan
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Just doesn’t believe it will sort out the mess that saw data leak from LINE messaging app
Japan’s government has considered the proposed security improvements developed by Yahoo!, found them wanting, and ordered the onetime web giant to take new measures.…
April 16, 2024
date: 2024-04-17, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
On Sunday, April 14, 2024, Iran fired about 170 drones, more than 120 ballistic missiles, and more than 30 cruise missiles from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and areas controlled by Hezbollah in Lebanon toward Israel. The strike was in retaliation for a strike on Iran’s diplomatic complex in Damascus, Syria, on April 1, which killed two top commanders in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, along with other officials. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the Syrian strike, but officials from other countries believe Israel is responsible. Iran warned its attack was coming, and Israel and the U.S., along with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and France, shot the missiles down. Israel sustained almost no damage. One Arab-Israeli girl was critically injured.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-16-2024
US works on ‘comprehensive response’ on Iran, urges Israel to exercise restraint
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
Washington — The United States said it is working with allies on a coordinated response to Iran’s drone and missile strikes on Israeli soil over the weekend. At the same time, it continues to urge Israel to exercise restraint and avoid igniting a wider regional conflict.
President Joe Biden is “coordinating with allies and partners, including the Group of Seven, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement
The U.S. will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days, Sullivan said, including its missile and drone program and against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry.
The U.S. will bolster the integration of air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East, he added.
Biden aides have repeatedly called for de-escalation. The president “does not want to see a war with Iran. Don’t want to see the conflict widen or deepen,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate, but Israeli officials have not said how or when they might strike.
“We will choose our response accordingly,” said Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, Israel’s military chief.
A direct Israeli strike on Iranian soil would amount to another significant escalation, with Tehran already pledging a much harsher response to such a counterattack.
Tehran launched more than 300 drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, most of them intercepted by the Israeli military with the help of the U.S. and regional allies, causing only minor damage to an Israeli base. That suggests Iran may have calibrated the strikes to limit casualties or telegraphed advanced notice, which the White House denies.
Israel’s counterstrike will likely target Iranian soil without killing civilians, said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the Political Studies Department at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.
“And it would not seek to publicly hit any very obvious public symbolic buildings of the regime,” he told VOA. “That could embarrass the regime and make them feel that they need to escalate it further.”
Rynhold said that the Iranian strikes were “very, very carefully calculated,” and predicted that a potential Israeli counterattack would be similarly calibrated. Still, they could easily lead to dangerous miscalculation, he said.
Israel could opt for covert operations targeting Iranian officials. Or it could launch a cyberattack, said Gregory Hatcher of White Knight Labs, a cybersecurity consultancy firm.
“If I was Israel, I would stick with the normal cyber warfare playbook that they’ve been using for the better part of the last 15 years, starting with Stuxnet in 2010,” he told VOA.
Under a joint operation, Israel and the U.S. created Stuxnet malware and injected it into an Iranian nuclear facility that “made the centrifuges spin uncontrollably and destroyed millions of dollars and slowed down the nuclear capabilities of Iran,” Hatcher said.
Iran said its Saturday strikes were in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike earlier this month on its diplomatic building in Damascus, Syria, that killed seven Iranian military advisers, including two generals.
Pressure on Netanyahu
Netanyahu is facing intense international pressure to bring Israel’s war in Gaza to an end and immense domestic pressure to free the hostages held by Hamas.
Israel’s war with Hamas began when the militant Palestinian group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostage. Israel’s response has killed nearly 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. Many humanitarian organizations have warned of famine.
Some international leaders are accusing Netanyahu of intentionally escalating tensions with Iran. This includes Ayman Safadi, the foreign minister of Jordan, a U.S. ally that helped protect Israel from Tehran’s attacks.
“It’s no secret that Netanyahu’s policy aims to expand the conflict to relieve the growing pressure on him globally as a result of the killing, war and destruction he is doing in Gaza,” Safadi said Tuesday.
Turkey, a NATO member, has also placed blame on Israel.
“The main one responsible for the tension that gripped our hearts on the evening of April 13 is Netanyahu and his bloody administration,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, echoing de-escalation calls by regional and Western leaders.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the Damascus attack and has not responded to the accusations from Jordan and Turkey.
It’s unclear whether Netanyahu will heed calls to de-escalate as he calculates a response that satisfies far-right members of his government and his own political instincts, said Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center.
“He has always wanted to attack Iran, in particular to go after the Iranian nuclear sites. He may see this as his last opportunity to defeat all of Israel’s enemies — Hezbollah, Iran, you name it,” she told VOA. “And who will stop him? I’m very, very worried about that.”
Whatever option Netanyahu decides on, Biden has told him the U.S. will not participate in Israel’s counterattack.
Begum Erzos of VOA’s Turkish Service contributed to this report.
Tencent Cloud to revisit design after circular dependencies slowed emergency API fix
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Almost 2,000 customers experienced outages
Tencent Cloud has apologized for an outage that impacted customers last week – an unusual act by a Chinese cloud – and signalled it will review some aspects of its ops in the hope of avoiding future incidents of this nature.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/tencent_cloud_api_error_outage/
Twitter’s Pivot to x.com Is a Gift to Phishers
date: 2024-04-17, from: Michael Tsai
Brian Krebs (Hacker News): On April 9, Twitter/X began automatically modifying links that mention “twitter.com” to read “x.com” instead. But over the past 48 hours, dozens of new domain names have been registered that demonstrate how this change could be used to craft convincing phishing links — such as fedetwitter[.]com, which until very recently rendered […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/16/twitters-pivot-to-x-com-is-a-gift-to-phishers/
The Apple curl Security Incident
date: 2024-04-17, from: Michael Tsai
Daniel Stenberg (Hacker News, Slashdot): The friendly reporter showed how the curl version bundled with macOS behaves differently than curl binaries built entirely from open source. Even when running the same curl version on the same macOS machine. The curl command line option –cacert provides a way for the user to say to curl that […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/16/the-apple-curl-security-incident/
The Race to Replace Redis
date: 2024-04-17, from: Michael Tsai
Steven Vaughan-Nichols (via Hacker News): For those of you who aren’t open-source licensing experts, this means developers can no longer use Redis’ code. Sure, they can look at it, but they can’t export, borrow from, or touch it.Redis pulled this same kind of trick in 2018 with some of its subsidiary code. Now it’s done […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/16/the-race-to-replace-redis/
Mojo Is Open Source
date: 2024-04-17, from: Michael Tsai
Modular (Hacker News): We firmly believe for Mojo to reach its full potential, it must be open source. We have been progressively open-sourcing more of Mojo and parts of the MAX platform, and today we’re thrilled to announce the release of the core modules from the Mojo standard library under the Apache 2 license! […] […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/16/mojo-is-open-source/
Israel weighs counterattack options on Iran as US urges restraint
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
Israel is considering how to respond to Iran’s weekend missile and drone strikes, as the United States and its allies urge the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to escalate and risk igniting a wider regional conflict. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
Review: Lanthimos’ Oscar-winning “Poor Things” is an unhinged yet impactful masterpiece
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ most recent film, “Poor Things” won four Oscars and was the second most awarded film of the night behind “Oppenheimer.” The film won Best Production Design, Best Hair…
Student organizations say: Let our valedictorian speak at commencement
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Our open letter has been co-signed by 54 University student and local organizations.
The post Student organizations say: Let our valedictorian speak at commencement appeared first on Daily Trojan.
Indian PM’s 25-year roadmap laid out with help from AI
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
AI is so good at drawing pictures and driving cars, why not let it govern a country?
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, used AI to help develop the nation’s 25-year development roadmap, according to comments made during a live-streamed interview with news agency ANI on Monday.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/modi_roadmap_for_india_ai/
One transported following two-vehicle collision on Sierra Highway
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
One person was transported to the hospital following a two-vehicle collision that occurred Tuesday near the 17200 block of west Sierra Highway, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “We were dispatched at 3:54 p.m. and then on scene at 4 p.m,” said Fire Department representative Geovanni Sanchez. “I had one patient transported.” The […]
The post One transported following two-vehicle collision on Sierra Highway appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/one-transported-following-two-vehicle-collision-on-sierra-highway/
Whitey Herzog, Hall of Fame baseball manager in US, dies at 92
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — Whitey Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title in the 1980s, and perfected an intricate, nail-biting strategy known as “Whiteyball,” has died. He was 92.
Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Tuesday that the team, based in the U.S. state of Missouri, was informed of Herzog’s death by his family. Herzog, who had been at Busch Stadium on April 4 for the Cardinals’ home opener, died on Monday, according to Bartow.
“Whitey Herzog devoted his lifetime to the game he loved, excelling as a leader on and off the field,” Jane Forbes Clark, chair of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors, said in a statement. “Whitey always brought the best out of every player he managed with a forthright style that won him respect throughout the game.”
A crew-cut, pot-bellied tobacco chewer who had no patience for the “buddy-buddy” school of management, Herzog joined the Cardinals in 1980 and helped end the team’s decade-plus pennant drought by adapting it to the artificial surface and distant fences of Busch Memorial Stadium. A typical Cardinals victory under Herzog was a low-scoring, 1-run game, sealed in the final innings by a “bullpen by committee,” relievers who might be replaced after a single pitch, or temporarily shifted to the outfield, then brought back to the mound.
The Cardinals had power hitters in George Hendrick and Jack Clark, but they mostly relied on the speed and resourcefulness of switch-hitters Vince Coleman and Willie McGee, the acrobatic fielding of shortstop and future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, and the effective pitching of starters such as John Tudor and Danny Cox and relievers Todd Worrell, Ken Dayley and Jeff Lahti. For the ’82 champions, Herzog didn’t bother rotating relievers, but simply brought in future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter to finish the job.
Under Herzog, the Cards won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987, and the World Series in 1982, when they edged the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. Herzog managed the Kansas City Royals to division titles in 1976-78, but they lost each time in the league championship to the New York Yankees.
Overall, Herzog was a manager for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. He was named Manager of the Year in 1985 and voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 2010, his plaque noting his “stern, yet good-natured style,” and his emphasis on speed, pitching and defense. Just before he formally entered the Hall, the Cardinals retired his uniform number, 24.
Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog was born in New Athens, Illinois, a blue-collar community that would shape him long after he left. He excelled in baseball and basketball and was open to skipping the occasional class to take in a Cardinals game. Signed up by the Yankees, he was a center fielder who discovered that he had competition from a prospect born just weeks before him, Mickey Mantle.
Herzog never played for the Yankees, but he did get to know manager Casey Stengel, another master shuffler of players who became a key influence.
Like so many successful managers, Herzog was a mediocre player, batting just .257 over eight seasons and playing several positions. His best year was with Baltimore in 1961, when he hit .291. He also played for the Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics and Detroit Tigers, with whom he ended his playing career, in 1963.
“Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it,” he liked to say.
Herzog is survived by his wife of 71 years, Mary Lou Herzog; their three children, Debra, David and Jim, and their spouses; nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Masseuse takes plea to battery charge
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
A Santa Clarita masseuse pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge in December, after a client accused him of a sexual assault. As part of the plea deal, one count of touching a person intimately against their will for sexual arousal against Salvador Gonzalez, 30, of Santa Clarita, was dropped. He was sentenced to […]
The post <strong>Masseuse takes plea to battery charge</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/masseuse-takes-plea-to-battery-charge/
Federal appeals court upholds SCV Water judgment
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
A federal appeals court this week upheld a $68.5 million June 2022 judgment in favor of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, according to water officials. The agency also claimed a win in its effort to obtain additional declaratory relief under CERCLA, or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, in a news release […]
The post Federal appeals court upholds SCV Water judgment appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/federal-appeals-court-upholds-scv-water-judgment/
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team Says Goodbye … for Now
date: 2024-04-17, from: NASA breaking news
The final downlink shift by the Ingenuity team was a time to reflect on a highly successful mission — and to prepare the first aircraft on another world for its new role. Engineers working on NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter assembled for one last time in a control room at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in […]
South Korea cautiously optimistic about US-Japan military upgrades
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — South Korea is cautiously optimistic about alliance upgrades that the U.S. and Japan have planned to bolster security in East Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the ministry “noted” that the U.S. and Japan, at their summit in Washington last week, spoke of “the defensive nature of the U.S.-Japan alliance” and emphasized “peace and stability” in the region.
The spokesperson continued via email to VOA’s Korean Service on Friday that “South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are making efforts to institutionalize expanded trilateral cooperation through agreements made at Camp David last year” and “to strengthen rules-based international order.”
The three countries held a trilateral summit at Camp David in August after Seoul and Tokyo mended ties frayed by disputes rooted in Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
At their bilateral summit held in Washington on April 10, Washington and Tokyo announced wide-ranging plans to revamp their military ties.
The plans include preparations for Japan to develop and produce with the U.S. military hardware, including hypersonic missile interceptors.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel toured a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries F-35 fighter jet factory near Nagoya on Tuesday. He underlined the importance of Japan’s role in manufacturing weapons as U.S. supplies run thin amid crises in Europe and the Middle East.
The plans announced at the summit also call for Japan’s possible involvement in the AUKUS Pillar II security pact, enabling it to develop quantum computing, hypersonic, undersea and other advanced technologies.
AUKUS is a defense and security group of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. AUKUS Pillar 2 refers to a suite of cooperative activities conducted by the three nations to develop and field “advanced capabilities.”
Japan will hold trilateral exercises with the U.S. and the U.K. starting in 2025 as the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions become “ever-more linked,” according to the joint statement.
The plans call for Japan to expand its security role and arms buildup in tandem with efforts to implement a national security strategy issued in 2022. That called for an increase in Japan’s defense budget and a shift from a defense-only policy to one that includes counterstrike capabilities amid threats from North Korea and China.
In December, Japan eased its arms export control regime that had allowed it to sell components but not completed weapons.
Cho Han-Bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said “Japan’s arms reinforcement can be viewed as a double-edged sword.”
In an interview Monday with VOA’s Korean Service, he said the arms buildup significantly helps to deter threats from the Chinese military and North Korean nuclear weapons, but that it concerns South Korea.
Due to unresolved historical disputes from Japan’s colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945, “trust” between the militaries of the two countries “is not restored fully,” even as they cooperate together now, he said.
South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. conducted a two-day joint naval exercise in the East China Sea from April 11 to 12. The exercise included anti-submarine warfare drills to counter North Korea’s underwater threats and interdiction drills aimed at blocking the North’s weapons shipments.
South Korea, under President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been pursuing a policy of rapprochement with Tokyo, and has aligned itself closely with Washington in countering Beijing’s economic and military coercion.
Under the previous administration of Moon Jae-in, Seoul relied for its security on the U.S. while bolstering economic relations with China. Ties with Tokyo remained tense.
Much of the anti-Japanese sentiment still runs high in South Korea, despite Yoon’s outreach to Tokyo, especially among progressives who increased their majority in an April 10 parliamentary election.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry lodged a protest on Tuesday against Japan’s claim over a disputed island that sits midway between the two countries, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan.
Won Gon Park, an adjunct professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said South Korea now has to “make a choice” whether to work more closely with Japan to counter threats from North Korea and China.
He said in an interview with VOA’s Korean Service that this might be necessary, as the U.S. builds a regional security structure to bolster defenses against China.
At their summit, the U.S. and Japan also announced a planned revision of the command structure of U.S. forces in Japan. This will complement Japan’s plan to establish a joint operations command to improve coordination of its air, ground, maritime forces by 2025.
Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, said Washington “is increasingly anxious to have global partners” step up their arms manufacturing because the U.S. is not producing enough military hardware to counter all the threats from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
Speaking with VOA by telephone on Friday, Bennett said what was announced at the summit was that “Japan would be a global partner,” enabling the U.S. to share highly sensitive “information, technology and other capabilities in exchange for taking responsibility with security and stability in the regions that go outside Northeast Asia.”
He added, “The U.S. recognizes South Korea can’t afford to send multiple divisions to other areas around the world because of the North Korean threats” but is “anxious” to have South Korea play a deeper global role, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
Kim Hyungjin contributed to the report.
RISC-V AI chip upstart Rivos plans to undercut Nvidia, helped by a quarter-billion in VC lucre
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
With Apple lawsuit behind it, focussed on finalizing its designs
RISC-V chip designer Rivos has raised $250 million in series-A funding to bankroll production of its first accelerator for generative AI and data analytics workloads.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/riscv_ai_startup_rivos_funded/
Schiavo co-authors retail theft legislation
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
News release Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and a bipartisan coalition of Assembly members, has introduced a legislative package aimed at curtailing the surge in retail crimes. This bill package comes as a result of the months-long effort to tackle this growing crisis, including the formation […]
The post Schiavo co-authors retail theft legislation appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/schiavo-co-authors-retail-theft-legislation/
Daily EV Recap: Tesla goes all in on Robotaxi
date: 2024-04-17, 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/2024/04/16/daily-ev-recap-tesla-goes-all-in-on-robotaxi/
China facilitating, subsidizing US fentanyl crisis, says House committee
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
Trinity government students take part in debate with local politicians
date: 2024-04-17, from: The Signal
At Trinity Classical Academy, students are expected to learn about multiple world views. Those views may not always align with what each student actually believes, but Liz Caddow, one of the founders of Trinity and a government teacher at the school, wants them to be challenged. “We can engage in the conversation,” Caddow said. “I […]
The post <strong>Trinity government students take part in debate with local politicians</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
Biden and Trump compete for voters over Israeli crisis
date: 2024-04-17, from: VOA News USA
U.S. presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both supporting Israel in the war in Gaza and in its hostilities with Iran. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns reports on how events in the Middle East are affecting U.S. politics.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-and-trump-compete-for-voters-over-israeli-crisis-/7572761.html
Serial Robbery Crew Arrested during In-Progress Robbery by Major Crimes Bureau
date: 2024-04-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Major Crimes Bureau Detectives worked closely with Century Station Detectives after learning of a serial robbery crew committing crimes throughout Los Angeles County.
https://scvnews.com/serial-robbery-crew-arrested-during-in-progress-robbery-by-major-crimes-bureau/
Fire in the Cisco! Networking giant’s Duo MFA message logs stolen in phish attack
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Also warns of brute force attacks targeting its own VPNs, Check Point, Fortinet, SonicWall and more
Cisco is fighting fires on a couple cybersecurity fronts this week involving its Duo multi-factor authentication (MFA) service and its remote-access VPN services.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/cisco_duo_vpn/
41 new projects awarded
date: 2024-04-17, updated: 2024-04-17, from: nlnet feed
https://nlnet.nl/news/2024/20240417-announcing-projects.html
Gastroenterologist Dr. Mick Meiselman Joins Sansum Clinic
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
April 16, 2024 (Santa Barbara, CA) Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, is pleased to welcome Dr. Mick Meiselman, a board-certified
The post Gastroenterologist Dr. Mick Meiselman Joins Sansum Clinic appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/gastroenterologist-dr-mick-meiselman-joins-sansum-clinic/
May 18: Samuel Dixon Family Health Center’s 2nd Annual Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Join the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center for their second annual Cornhole Tournament fundraiser where all proceeds will support mental health services to anyone in need
Inmate Successfully Resuscitated at Northern Branch Jail
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Maria, Calif. – An inmate found unresponsive at the Northern Branch Jail has been successfully resuscitated after an apparent
The post Inmate Successfully Resuscitated at Northern Branch Jail appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/inmate-successfully-resuscitated-at-northern-branch-jail/
TBCF’s Annual Teddy Bear Picnic Offers an Elegant Day of Family Fun
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA —Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) announces the 4th annual Teddy Bear Picnic at a its new location
The post TBCF’s Annual Teddy Bear Picnic Offers an Elegant Day of Family Fun appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Birthday Breakfast Bash
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Recently, Jeff Shaffer elected to observe his birthday by throwing a delectable breakfast bash for our urban nomads.
The post Birthday Breakfast Bash appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/birthday-breakfast-bash/
Smartmatic, One America News settle election defamation lawsuit
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Farmworkers on the Central Coast Push for Livable Wage
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
A recently released report reveals the realities of low wages and dangerous working conditions for farmworkers in Santa Barbara County.
The post Farmworkers on the Central Coast Push for Livable Wage appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/farmworkers-on-the-central-coast-push-for-livable-wage/
Unity Shoppe Announces Two New Employees to the Unity Shoppe Team
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Unity Shoppe is proud to announce the addition of two new employees to the executive staff. Priscilla Hernandez, Programs and
The post Unity Shoppe Announces Two New Employees to the Unity Shoppe Team appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
A Clinical Decision Support System for Earth-independent Medical Operations
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Deep space exploration requires a paradigm shift in astronaut medical support toward Earth-independent medical operations. Currently, astronauts rely on real-time communication with ground-based medical providers. However, as the distance from Earth increases, so do communication delays and disruptions. Deep space exploration crews will need to autonomously detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent medical conditions. One potential […]
Chumash Foundation’s Technology in Schools Program Grant Application Deadline is April 30
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA YNEZ, CA – April 16, 2024 – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation is still accepting grant
The post Chumash Foundation’s Technology in Schools Program Grant Application Deadline is April 30 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Saturday: Supervisor Laura Capps and Councilmember Kristen Sneddon to Host Community Coffee
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) – On Saturday, April 20th, Supervisor Laura Capps and Councilmember Kristen Sneddon will host a coffee at
The post Saturday: Supervisor Laura Capps and Councilmember Kristen Sneddon to Host Community Coffee appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Aviso a Los Medios
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Bárbara, CA — 16 de abril de 2024 — La Escuela Primaria Roosevelt invita a todos los miembros de
The post Aviso a Los Medios appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/aviso-a-los-medios/
100 Years of Roosevelt Elementary School
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara, CA — April 16, 2024 — Roosevelt Elementary School invites all Roosevelt community members, past and present, to
The post 100 Years of Roosevelt Elementary School appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/100-years-of-roosevelt-elementary-school/
Former Brooklyn And Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher And Special Olympics Advocate Carl Erskine Dies At 97
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The LAist
Erskine had two career no-hitters and won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1955. But many remember his friendship with Jackie Robinson at a time when segregation was legal.
Space Life Science Highlights
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Spaceflight Atrophy Studied with Machine Learning Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria Found on ISS Mutating to Become Functionally Distinct On-demand Nutrient Production System for Long-duration Missions A Clinical Decision Support System for Earth-independent Medical Operations in Space
BioNutrients Flight Experiments
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
On-demand nutrient production system for long-duration missions When astronauts embark on long space missions, they’ll need to grow their own food because pre-packaged meals from Earth lose their nutritional value over time. The BioNutrients project at Ames Research Center’s Space Biosciences Division has solved this problem by using genetic engineering to create microbially-based food that can […]
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Ye Olde Blogroll.
US Republicans plan separate Ukraine, Israel aid bills
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
washington — U.S. Democrats said on Tuesday they would wait to respond to a proposal from the Republican-led House of Representatives to consider national security assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan separately, rather than as one bill.
More than two months after the Senate approved a $95 billion package of security assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and other U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday that the House would consider the aid this week but would do so as separate pieces of legislation.
The proposal fueled uncertainty about the long-awaited aid package, particularly for Ukraine, given fierce opposition from some far-right Republicans, who have threatened to oust Johnson if he allows a House vote on assistance for Kyiv.
Democrats in the House and Senate — and the White House — said they would look at Johnson’s proposals, even as they stressed that the best and quickest strategy would be for the House to pass the legislation approved by the Senate in February.
Johnson’s plan was endorsed on Tuesday by the leaders of the House Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, and the chairperson of the defense appropriations subcommittee.
“We don’t have time to spare when it comes to our national security. We need to pass this aid package this week,” representatives Tom Cole, Mike Rogers, Michael McCaul, Mike Turner and Ken Calvert said in a joint statement.
Turner and Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, said separately in a statement after a classified briefing that Ukraine’s situation on the ground was critical and aid must be passed now.
Consideration of separate bills could add weeks to the timeline for the aid to become law, as it must pass the House and then go back for a vote in the Senate, before it can be sent to the White House for Democratic President Joe Biden’s signature.
“I am reserving judgment on what will come out of the House until we see more about the substance of the proposal and the process by which the proposal will proceed,” Senator Chuck Schumer said as the Senate opened.
“Hopefully, we will get details of the speaker’s proposal later today. Again, time is of the essence,” Schumer said.
Representative Pete Aguilar, a member of the House Democratic leadership, told a press conference he would wait for the substance of the bill before drawing any conclusions.
“We don’t want to sink any plan that delivers aid to our allies,” he said.
The text of the bills was not released — it was expected as soon as late Tuesday — but there would be separate measures providing assistance to Ukraine as it fights a Russian invasion, Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and a weekend air assault by Iran, and partners in the Indo-Pacific as they face an increasingly aggressive China.
It also was not clear which country’s assistance the House would consider first. Republicans have tried repeatedly to push through aid for Israel without anything for Ukraine, an approach Democrats have rejected.
The White House has also opposed standalone aid for Israel.
When asked whether the White House would support the four separate bills, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was awaiting more information.
“It does appear at first blush that the speaker’s proposal will, in fact, help us get aid to Ukraine, aid to Israel and needed resources to the Indo-Pacific for a wide range of contingencies there. We just want to get more detail,” he told reporters.
Johnson told Fox News on Tuesday that the fourth bill would include additional sanctions on Russia and Iran as well as the “REPO Act,” a provision regarding the seizure of Russian assets to help Ukraine.
Ukraine backers have been pushing Johnson to allow a vote on supplemental funding since last year. But Johnson had given a variety of reasons to delay, including the need to focus taxpayer dollars on domestic issues.
Many hard-right Republicans, especially those closely allied with former President Donald Trump, who is challenging Biden in the November presidential election, fiercely oppose sending billions more dollars to Ukraine.
At least two far-right Republicans have threatened to seek Johnson’s removal as speaker if he allows a vote on assistance for Ukraine. Johnson said he would not resign.
It was not clear whether he would be removed in case of a hard-right rebellion, as some Democrats have said they would vote to save Johnson’s job to prevent chaos in the House. Last year, conservatives ousted then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and it took three weeks before Johnson was elected.
https://www.voanews.com/a/7572747.html
BMW just applied rebates to all its EVs in April
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
BMW’s 2024 EVs now have rebates ranging from $5,000 to $7,500 through April in the US – here’s how it breaks down.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/bmw-just-applied-rebates-to-all-its-evs-in-april/
Spaceflight Atrophy Studied with Machine Learning
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Background: Even intense exercise by astronauts cannot compensate for muscle atrophy caused by microgravity. Atrophy occurs, in part, by way of an underlying mechanism that regulates calcium uptake. Recent research has shown exposure to spaceflight alters the uptake of calcium in muscles. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive these changes are not well studied. Researchers […]
Lilbits: Limitless AI Pendant, Pixel Buds pro 2 leaked, and Motorola’s Edge 50 smartphone series launches (in Europe and Latin America)
date: 2024-04-16, from: Liliputing
The first major wearable built around AI hit the streets last week… and the Humane AI Pin was widely panned by reviewers as a buggy, overpriced mess that fails miserably to deliver on its promise. But a startup called Limitless is hoping to do better… by doing less. The upcoming Limitless Pendant is a $99 […]
The post Lilbits: Limitless AI Pendant, Pixel Buds pro 2 leaked, and Motorola’s Edge 50 smartphone series launches (in Europe and Latin America) appeared first on Liliputing.
FYI: This site claims to have harvested 4B+ Discord chats, today all yours for a price
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Of course there’s an enterprise plan for the Feds and AI trainers
Updated Internet-scraping outfit Spy.pet claims to have harvested more than four billion public messages made by nearly 620 million users on more than 14,000 Discord chat servers – and is selling access to this trove.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/discord_network_sale/
Is AI Really About to Devour All Our Energy?
date: 2024-04-16, from: Heatmap News
Twenty-five years ago, computers were on the verge of destroying America’s energy system.
Or, at least, that’s what lots of smart people seemed to think.
In a 1999 Forbes article, a pair of conservative lawyers, Peter Huber and Mark Mills, warned that personal computers and the internet were about to overwhelm the fragile U.S. grid.
Information technology already devoured 8% to 13% of total U.S. power demand, Huber and Mills claimed, and that share would only rise over time. “It’s now reasonable to project,” they wrote, “that half of the electric grid will be powering the digital-Internet economy within the next decade.” (Emphasis mine.)
Over the next 18 months, investment banks including JP Morgan and Credit Suisse repeated the Forbes estimate of internet-driven power demand, advising their customers to pile into utilities and other electricity-adjacent stocks. Although it was unrelated, California’s simultaneous blackout crisis deepened the sense of panic. For a moment, experts were convinced: Data centers and computers would drain the country’s energy resources.
They could not have been more wrong. In fact, Huber and Mills had drastically mismeasured the amount of electricity used by PCs and the internet. Computing ate up perhaps 3% of total U.S. electricity in 1999, not the roughly 10% they had claimed. And instead of staring down a period of explosive growth, the U.S. electric grid was in reality facing a long stagnation. Over the next two decades, America’s electricity demand did not grow rapidly — or even, really, at all. Instead, it flatlined for the first time since World War II. The 2000s and 2010s were the first decades without “load growth,” the utility industry’s jargon for rising power demand, since perhaps the discovery of electricity itself.
Now that lull is ending — and a new wave of tech-driven concerns has overtaken the electricity industry. According to its supporters and critics alike, generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT is about to devour huge amounts of electricity, enough to threaten the grid itself. “We still don’t appreciate the energy needs of this technology,” Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has said, arguing that the world needs a clean energy breakthrough to meet AI’s voracious energy needs. (He is investing in nuclear fusion and fission companies to meet this demand.) The Washington Post captured the zeitgeist with a recent story: America, it said, “is running out of power.”
But … is it actually? There is no question that America’s electricity
demand
is
rising once again and that load growth, long in abeyance, has
finally returned to the grid: The
boom
in new factories and the ongoing adoption of electric vehicles
will see to that. And you shouldn’t bet against the continued growth of
data centers, which have increased in size and number since the 1990s.
But there is surprisingly little evidence that AI, specifically, is
driving surging electricity demand. And there are big risks — for
utility customers and for the planet — by treating AI-driven electricity
demand as an emergency.
There is, to be clear, no shortage of predictions that AI will cause electricity demand to rise. According to a recent Reuters report, nine of the country’s 10 largest utilities are now citing the “surge” in power demand from data centers when arguing to regulators that they should build more power. Morgan Stanley projects that power use from data centers “is expected to triple globally this year,” according to the same report. The International Energy Agency more modestly — but still shockingly — suggests that electricity use from data centers, AI, and cryptocurrency could double by 2026.
These concerns have come not only from the business community, but also from environmentalists. A recent report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation Commission, a left-wing alliance of groups including Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, warned that AI will require “massive amounts of energy and water” and called for aggressive regulation.
That report focused on the risks of an AI-addled social media public sphere, which progressives fear will be filled with climate-change-denying propaganda by AI-powered bots. But in an interview, Michael Khoo, an author of the report and a researcher at Friends of the Earth, told me that studying AI made him much more frightened about its energy use.
AI is such an power-suck that it “is causing America to run out of energy,” Khoo said. “I think that’s going to be much more disruptive than the disinformation conversation in the mid-term.” He sketched a scenario where Altman and Mark Zuckerberg can outbid ordinary households for electrons as AI proliferates across the economy. “I can see people going without power,” he said, “and there being massive social unrest.”
These predictions aren’t happening in a vacuum. At the same time that investment bankers and environmentalists have fretted over a potential electricity shortage, utilities across the South have proposed a de facto solution: a massive buildout of new natural-gas power plants.
Citing the return of load growth, utilities across the South are trying to go around normal regulatory channels and build a slew of new natural-gas-burning power plants. Across at least six states, utilities have already won — or are trying to win — permission from local governments to fast-track more than 10,000 megawatts of new gas-fired power plants so that they can meet the surge in demand.
These requests have popped up across the region, pushed by vertically integrated monopoly power companies. Georgia Power won a tentative agreement to build 1,400 new megawatts of gas capacity, Canary reported. In the Carolinas, Duke Energy has asked to build 9,000 megawatts of new gas capacity, triple what it previously requested. The Tennessee Valley Authority has plans to add 6,600 megawatts of new capacity to its grid.
This buildout is big enough to endanger the country’s climate targets. Although these utilities are also building new renewable and battery farms, and shutting down coal plants, the planned surge in carbon emissions from natural gas plants would erase the reductions from those changes, according to a Southern Environmental Law Center analysis. Duke Energy has already said that it will not meet its 2030 climate goal in order to conduct the gas expansion.
In the popular press, AI’s voracious energy demand is sometimes said to be a major driver of this planned gas boom. But evidence for that proposition is slim, and the utilities have said only that data center expansion is one of several reasons for the boom. The Southeast’s population is growing, and the region is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance, due in part to the new car, battery, and solar panel factories subsidized by Biden’s climate law. Utilities in the South also face a particular challenge coping with the coldest winter mornings because so many homes and offices use inefficient and power-hungry space heaters.
Indeed, it’s hard to talk about the drivers of load growth with any specificity — and it’s hard to know whether load growth will actually happen in all corners of the South.
Utilities compete against each other to secure big-name customers — much like local governments compete with sweetheart tax deals — so when a utility asks regulators to build more capacity, it doesn’t reveal where potential power demand is coming from. (In other words, it doesn’t reveal who it believes will eventually buy that power.) A company might float plans to build the same data center or factory in multiple states to shop around for the best rates, which means the same underlying gigawatts of demand may be appearing in several different utilities’ resource plans at the same time. In other words, utilities are unlikely to actually see all of the demand they’re now projecting.
Even if we did know exactly how many gigawatts of new demand each utility would see, it’s almost impossible to say how much of it is coming from AI. Utilities don’t say how much of their future projected power demand will come from planned factories versus data centers. Nor do they say what each data center does and whether it trains AI (or mines Bitcoin, which remains a far bigger energy suck).
The risk of focusing on AI, specifically, as a driver of load growth is that because it’s a hot new technology — one with national security implications, no less — it can rhetorically justify expensive emergency action that is actually not necessary at all. Utilities may very well need to build more power capacity in the years to come. But does that need constitute an emergency? Does it justify seeking special permission from their statehouses or regulators to build more gas, instead of going through the regular planning process? Is it worth accelerating approvals for new gas plants? Probably not. The real danger, in other words, is not that we’ll run out of power. It’s that we’ll build too much of the wrong kind.
At the same time, we might have been led astray by overly dire predictions of AI’s energy use. Jonathan Koomey, a researcher who studies how the internet and data centers use energy (and the namesake of Koomey’s Law) told me that many estimates of Nvidia’s most important AI chips assume that their energy use is the same as their advertised “rated” power. In reality, Nvidia chips probably use half of that amount, he said, because chipmakers engineer their chips to withstand more electricity than is necessary for safety reasons.
And this is just the current generation of chips: Nvidia’s next generation of AI-training chips, called “Blackwell,” use 25 times less energy to do the same amount of computation as the previous generation of chips.
Koomey helped defuse the last panic over energy use by showing that the estimates Huber and Mills relied on were wildly incorrect. Estimates now suggest that the internet used less than 1% of total U.S. electricity by the late 1990s, not 13% as they claimed. Those percentages stayed roughly the same through 2008, he later found, even as data centers grew and computers proliferated across the economy. That’s the same year, remember, that Huber and Mills predicted that the internet would consume half of American energy.
These bad predictions were extremely convenient. Mills was a scientific advisor to the Greening Earth Society, a fossil-fuel-industry-funded group that alleged carbon dioxide pollution would actually improve the global environment. He aimed to show that climate and environmental policy would conflict with the continued growth of the internet.
“Many electricity policy proposals are on a collision course with demand
forces,” Mills said in
a
Greening Earth press release at the time. “While many
environmentalists want to substantially reduce coal use in making
electricity, there is no chance of meeting future economically-driven
and Internet-accelerated electric demand without retaining and expanding
the coal component.” Hence the headline of the Forbes
piece: “The PCs are coming — Dig more coal.”
What makes today’s AI-induced fear frenzy different from 1999 is that the alarmed projections are not just coming from businesses and banks like Morgan Stanley, but from environmentalists like Friends of the Earth. Yet neither their estimates of near-term, AI-driven power shortages — nor the analysis from Morgan Stanley that U.S. data-center use could soon triple within a year — make sense given what we know about data centers, Koomey said. It is not logistically possible to triple data centers’ electricity use in one year. “There just aren’t enough people to build data centers, and it takes longer than a year to build a new data center anyway,” he said. “There aren’t enough generators, there aren’t enough transformers — the backlog for some equipment is 24 months. It’s a supply chain constraint.”
Look around and you might notice that we have many more servers and computers today than we did in 1999 — not to mention smartphones and tablets, which didn’t even exist then — and yet computing doesn’t devour half of American energy. It doesn’t even get close. Today, computers use 1% to 4% of total U.S. power demand, depending on which estimate you trust. That’s about the same share of total U.S. electricity demand that they used in the late 1990s and mid-2000s.
It may well be that AI devours more energy in years to come, but utilities probably do not need to deal with it by building more gas. They could install more batteries, build new power lines, or even pay some customers to reduce their electricity usage during certain peak events, such as cold winter storms.
There are some places where AI-driven energy demand could be a problem — Koomey cited Ireland and Loudon County, Virginia, as two epicenters. But even there, building more natural gas is not the sole way to cope with load growth.
“The problem with this debate is everybody is kind of right,” Daniel Tait, who researches Southern utilities for the Energy and Policy Institute, a consumer watchdog, told me. “Yes, AI will increase load a little bit, but probably not as much as you think. Yes, load is growing, but maybe not as much as you say. Yes, we do need to build stuff, but maybe not the stuff that you want.”
There are real risks if AI’s energy demands get overstated and utilities go on a gas-driven bender. The first is for the planet: Utilities might overbuild gas plants now, run them even though they’re non-economic, and blow through their climate goals.
“Utilities — especially the vertically integrated monopoles in the South — have every incentive to overstate load growth, and they have a pattern of having done that consistently,” Gudrun Thompson, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, told me. In 2017, the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy think tank, found in 2017 that utilities systematically overestimated their peak demand when compiling forecasts. This makes sense: Utilities would rather build too much capacity than wind up with too little, especially when they can pass along the associated costs to rate-payers.
But the second risk is that utilities could burn through the public’s willingness to pay for grid upgrades. Over the next few years, utilities should make dozens of updates to their systems. They have to build new renewables, new batteries, and new clean 24/7 power, such as nuclear or geothermal. They will have to link their grids to their neighbors’ by building new transmission lines. All of that will be expensive, and it could require the kind of investment that raises electricity rates. But the public and politicians can accept only so many rate hikes before they rebel, and there’s a risk that utilities spend through that fuzzy budget on unnecessary and wasteful projects now, not on the projects that they’ll need in the future.
There is no question that AI will use more electricity in the years to come. But so will EVs, new factories, and other sources of demand. America is on track to use more electricity. If that becomes a crisis, it will be one of our own making.
https://heatmap.news/technology/ai-energy-use-panic
Mac Sync-inator VGA Sync Converter
date: 2024-04-16, from: Tilde.news
https://www.bigmessowires.com/mac-sync-inator/
Maui wildfire report details need for more equipment, mutual aid
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
honolulu — Additional equipment such as fire trucks or water tankers would have helped the Maui Fire Department fight the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century last August, the agency said on Tuesday.
Wildfires were burning in several locations in Maui on August 8, 2023, stretching the department’s limited resources. A severe windstorm made battling the flames difficult, and the blaze in Lahaina quickly tore through the historic town, killing 101 people and destroying thousands of homes. Crews used personal vehicles and even a moped to try to rescue residents from the flames, the department said.
The need for additional firefighting equipment is one of 17 recommendations included in an after-action report produced for the department by the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The report details what went well when the department responded in Lahaina, Olinda and Kula on August 8, as well as improvements that can be made, Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Giesa said.
Giesa and Fire Chief Brad Ventura discussed the report during a news conference in Kula on Tuesday morning and said the full document would be released later that day.
“There were firefighters fighting the fires in Lahaina as they well knew their homes were burning down,” Ventura said. “There were firefighters who rescued people and kept them in their apparatus for several hours as they continued to evacuate others.”
One off-duty safety officer repeatedly drove his personal moped into the fire zone to rescue people, according to Ventura, and other firefighters drove their own cars to the perimeter and ran and hiked inside to evacuate people.
“While I’m incredibly proud of our department’s response, I believe we can always improve our efforts,” Ventura said.
One of the recommendations in the report is that the department keep their relief fire equipment fully stocked, he said. Other recommendations include creating a statewide mutual aid program and a statewide evacuation plan for residents who speak different languages.
Many of the factors that contributed to the disaster are already known: A windstorm battering the island had downed power lines and blown off parts of rooftops, and debris blocked roads throughout Lahaina.
Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged that one of its power lines fell and caused a fire in Lahaina the morning of August 8, but the utility company denies the morning fire caused the flames that burned through the town later that day.
The vast majority of the county’s fire crews were already tied up fighting other wildfires on a different part of the island, their efforts sometimes hindered by a critical loss of water pressure after the winds knocked out electricity for the water pumps normally used to load firefighting tanks and reservoirs. County officials have acknowledged that a lack of backup power for critical pumps made it significantly harder for crews to battle the Upcountry fires.
A smaller firefighting team was tasked with handling any outbreaks in Lahaina. That crew brought the morning fire under control and even declared it extinguished, then broke for lunch. By the time they returned, flames had erupted in the same area and were quickly moving into a major subdivision.
“Our firefighters are well-trained, they are well-equipped. They are basically forced to make decisions every single day with the best information available,” Giesa said of the crew leaving. “It’s 20-20 hindsight, but our crews did everything that they normally do on fires.”
Cellphone and internet service were also down in the area at times, so it was difficult for some to call for help or to get information about the spreading fire — including any evacuation announcements. And emergency officials did not use Hawaii’s extensive network of emergency sirens to warn Lahaina residents.
The after-action report also recommends that officials undertake an analysis of the island’s cellular system, Ventura said.
The high winds made it hard at times for first responders to communicate on their radios, and 911 operators and emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed with hundreds of calls.
Police and electricity crews tried to direct people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked by downed power lines. Meanwhile, people trying to flee burning neighborhoods packed the few thoroughfares leading in and out of town.
The traffic jam left some trapped in their cars when the fire overtook them. Others who were close to the ocean jumped into the choppy waters to escape the flames.
The fire department’s after-action report comes one day before the Hawaii Attorney General is expected to release the first phase of a separate comprehensive investigation about the events before, during and after the fires.
The reports could help officials understand exactly what happened when the wind-whipped fire overtook the historic Maui town of Lahaina, destroying roughly 3,000 properties and causing more than $5.5 billion in estimated damage, according to state officials.
A similar after-action report was released by the Maui Police Department in February. It included 32 recommendations to improve the agency’s disaster response, including that the department obtain better equipment and station a high-ranking officer in the island’s communications center during emergencies.
Ubuntu 24.04 supports easy installation of OpenZFS root file-system with encryption
date: 2024-04-16, from: OS News
So with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the ability to continue with a standard EXT4 file-system install, an encrypted file-system using LVM, or using OpenZFS with/without encryption. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS also has the ability to enjoy hardware-backed full-disk encryption with TPM as another new experimental option. Or, of course, the Ubuntu desktop installer continues supporting manual (custom) partitioning as well. ↫ Michael Larabel I just use whatever Btrfs setup Fedora automatically recommends when I let it take over a disk – file systems for desktops seems a bit like a solved problem to me personally – but I’m still curious what benefits, for instance, an OpenZFS setup could bring to a desktop user compared to Btrfs or a basic Ext4 setup. Why should a desktop user use OpenZFS?
CSUN to Confer Honorary Degrees on Business & Education Leaders, All Alumni
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
California State University, Northridge will confer honorary doctorates on four alumni, all respected leaders in their fields, at the university’s commencement ceremonies next month
https://scvnews.com/csun-to-confer-honorary-degrees-on-business-education-leaders-all-alumni/
Single family residence in Los Gatos sells for $5.3 million
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
A spacious house located in the 100 block of Twin Oaks Drive in Los Gatos has new owners. The 3,084-square-foot property, built in 1963, was sold on April 2, 2024, for $5,300,000, or $1,719 per square foot.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/16/single-family-residence-in-los-gatos-sells-for-5-3-million/
Trump goes from court to campaign at a bodega in his heavily Democratic hometown
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Trump will be confined to the courtroom on most days, dramatically limiting his movements and his ability to campaign, fundraise and make calls.
BioNutrients-3 Experiment Completed During Analog Astronaut Mission
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
BioNutrients-3 Kefir Growth Experiment Completed During Analog Astronaut Mission From March 4 to 9 at the Hawaiian Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) located on Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island, NASA Ames Scientist Katie Fisher participated as Mission Commander for the 6-day lunar analog. During the mission, she collaborated with the Synthetic Biology […]
49ers bring back Trent Taylor to reprise his role as punt returner, receiver
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Trent Taylor, a return specialist and slot receiver, returned with the 49ers on Tuesday after spending the past three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears.
It’s official: Kate Paye named successor to Tara VanDerveer as Stanford’s women’s basketball coach
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
“It’s an incredible honor to lead my alma mater and I will stop at nothing to see that the program’s championship pedigree and its legacy of developing strong female leaders continues,” Paye said in a release announcing her as Stanford’s head women’s basketball coach.
NASA to Host a Pair of Briefings for Starliner Crew Flight
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
NASA will host two media opportunities on Thursday, April 25, in preparation for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The mission is targeting launch at 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-host-a-pair-of-briefings-for-starliner-crew-flight/
Jaguar-Land Rover To Sign EV Platform Sharing Deal With China’s Chery
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
JLR is a subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors without an EV platform of its own, so it’s going to get one from China’s Chery.
https://insideevs.com/news/716318/jaguar-land-rover-chery-platform/
This EV Charging Station Stuck Me In An App Loop and Wouldn’t Let Me Charge
date: 2024-04-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
EV charging accessibility is far from perfect in the US in 2024, but it also doesn’t have to be this big of a mess.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716185/volta-shell-recharge-station-problems/
NASA Observations Find What Helps Heat Roots of ‘Moss’ on Sun
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Did you know the Sun has moss? Due to its resemblance to the earthly plants, scientists have named a small-scale, bright, patchy structure made of plasma in the solar atmosphere “moss.” This moss, which was first identified in 1999 by NASA’s TRACE mission, blossoms around the center of a sunspot group, where magnetic conditions are […]
Kia has the ‘secret sauce’ for affordable EVs in the US
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Cheaper electric vehicles are on the way, and Kia believes it has an advantage. With its own “secret sauce,” Kia is moving to launch a series of affordable EVs in the US.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/kia-secret-sauce-affordable-evs-us/
Family Accidentally Ends Up With 50 Baby Octopuses After Their Pet—Thought to Be Male—Laid Dozens of Eggs
date: 2024-04-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Now, the Oklahoma residents are working with aquariums and researchers that might take the babies
Don’t expect Camino Brewing space to be empty for very long
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
The owner of the downtown San Jose building hopes to have a “reinvention” of the location open by this summer.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/16/dont-expect-camino-brewing-space-to-be-empty-for-very-long/
‘I don’t let that seep in at all’: Klay Thompson on uncertain future ahead of Warriors-Kings play-in game
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
At season’s end, Thompson will hit free agency, meaning he might never wear a Warriors uniform again.
Domestic Violence Cases Increase in Santa Barbara County
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Maria sees spike in cases between 2013 and 2022.
The post Domestic Violence Cases Increase in Santa Barbara County appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/domestic-violence-cases-increase-in-santa-barbara-county/
MGM says FTC can’t possibly probe its ransomware downfall – watchdog chief Lina Khan was a guest at the time
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
What a twist!
MGM Resorts wants the FTC to halt a probe into last year’s ransomware infection at the mega casino chain – because the watchdog’s boss Lina Khan was a guest at one of its hotels during the cyberattack, apparently.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/mgm_ftc_lawsuit/
House forces Senate to hold trial on Mayorkas impeachment
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Exactly how Democrats will proceed on Wednesday is still unclear. Impeachment rules generally allow the Senate majority to decide how to manage the trial, and Schumer has not said exactly what he will do.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/16/house-forces-senate-to-hold-trial-on-mayorkas-impeachment/
April 20: 104th DTASC Shakespeare Festival at Valencia High School
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
On Saturday, April 20, 2024 Valencia High School Theatre will host the 104th DTASC (Drama Teachers’ Association of Southern California) Shakespeare Festival
https://scvnews.com/april-20-104th-dtasc-shakespeare-festival-at-valencia-high-school/
The choice between safety and free speech is a false one
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
If USC was able to protect Ben Shapiro in 2018, they can protect Asna Tabassum — not doing so is a choice.
The post The choice between safety and free speech is a false one appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/the-choice-between-safety-and-free-speech-is-a-false-one/
The Short List
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
This is only a short list of ex-Trump officials who have refused to endorse him in 2024:
The post The Short List appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/the-short-list/
Space Biosciences Tri-Valley Innovation Fair 2024
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Space Biosciences Division at the 6th Tri-Valley Innovation Fair For the third consecutive year, six Ames Space Biosciences Division and one member from Space Sciences proudly participated in the 6th Tri-Valley Innovation Fair on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Pleasanton, CA. The fair was a resounding success, providing an excellent platform for showcasing NASA’s contributions to innovation […]
https://www.nasa.gov/general/space-biosciences-tri-valley-innovation-fair-2024/
Harassment and Retaliation Claims Filed Against High-Ranking Santa Barbara County Public Health Officials
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Ex-employee and two former colleagues sue the county, Public Health Officer Henning Ansorg, and Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami.
The post Harassment and Retaliation Claims Filed Against High-Ranking Santa Barbara County Public Health Officials appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
County Launches Commercial Acquisition Fund To Help Non-Profits
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, in partnership with Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, launched the Commercial Acquisition Fund to provide capital to countywide non-profit organizations, helping acquire and revitalize commercial spaces within local communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nepali Army Is Removing Trash and Bodies From Mount Everest
date: 2024-04-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
They expect to haul off ten metric tons of garbage and up to five bodies from the world’s tallest peak
Dirigentes de la NASA visitarán México, se fortalecerá cooperación espacial
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Read this release in English here. Como parte de una serie de reuniones con funcionarios gubernamentales clave alrededor del mundo, el titular de la agencia espacial estadounidense (NASA, por sus siglas en inglés), Bill Nelson, y su segunda al mando, Pam Melroy, visitarán la Ciudad de México, los días 22 y 23 de abril. Nelson se […]
Review | Sublime Schubertian Refractions, à la the Danish
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Renowned Danish String Quartet’s latest Santa Barbara appearance features striking U.S. premiere of new Thomas Adès work, “Wreath for Franz Schubert.”
The post Review | Sublime Schubertian Refractions, à la the Danish appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/review-sublime-schubertian-refractions-ala-the-danish/
YouTube now sabotages ad-blocking apps that stream its vids
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
EFF lambastes latest ‘lazy and deliberately malicious move’
YouTube says it will intentionally cripple the playback of its videos in third-party apps that block its ads.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/youtube_ad_blocking/
How did Gaza protesters stay on Bay Area freeways for so long, and how did CHP remove them?
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
“It was a very lengthy and complex process,” a CHP spokesperson said. “It took a long time with each protester we were trying to get loose.”
Barger Issues Statement on Newly Approved Rental Housing Habitability Program
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Supervisor Barger issued the following statement today, after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to implement the Rental Housing Habitability Program
https://scvnews.com/barger-issues-statement-on-newly-approved-rental-housing-habitability-program/
California Coastal Commission Hesitant to Support Increase on SpaceX Launches
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Commission delayed a motion to approve federal consistency for a 30-launch increase from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The post California Coastal Commission Hesitant to Support Increase on SpaceX Launches appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
April 16: Free Household Hazardous Waste Event At COC
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts will be holding a free Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste Recycling event for Santa Clarita residents.
https://scvnews.com/april-16-free-household-hazardous-waste-event-at-coc/
Apple to Allow Used Parts in Some iPhone Repairs Later This Year
date: 2024-04-16, from: TidBITS blog
Apple has announced that, later this year, it will become possible to repair select iPhones with used parts harvested from other devices. But the changes don’t go far enough for many in the Right to Repair movement.
https://tidbits.com/2024/04/16/apple-to-allow-used-parts-in-some-iphone-repairs-later-this-year/
They’re looting the internet
date: 2024-04-16, from: OS News
This is the state of the modern internet — ultra-profitable platforms outright abdicating any responsibility toward the customer, offering not a “service” or a “portal,” but cramming as many ways to interrupt the user and push them into doing things that make the company money. The greatest lie in tech is that Facebook and Instagram are for “catching up with your friends,” because that’s no longer what they do. These platforms are now pathways for the nebulous concept of “content discovery,” a barely-personalized entertainment network that occasionally drizzles people or things you choose to see on top of sponsored content and groups that a relational database has decided are “good for you.” ↫ Edward Zitron Corporate social media has gotten so bad, they’re basically unusable. The rare times I open Facebook to like a picture my mother posted or whatever, I’m just gobsmacked by how utterly unusable it has become. I’ve never used Instagram, but whenever I accidentally end up there, I have no idea how to navigate that place. YouTube is more ads than video if you don’t pay for Premium (which I do, because I use YouTube a lot so I get enough value out of it). Twitter is barely worth a mention – it’s no surprise that a social network bought and run by a nazi is now even fuller of nazis than it already was. It’s not just social networks, either. The web as a whole feels like it’s been looted and plundered, and turned into a flyover state strip mall. Browsing the web is, for me at least, virtually impossible without autoplay blockers, my Pi-Hole, Consent-O-Matic, and settings to permanently block requests for location and notification access. The rise of “AI” has only made everything even worse, especially now that the big, wealthy content networks that, yes, own all your favourite technology news websites are also looking into it. Luckily, there’s also a countermovement brewing. I’ve focused OSNews’ entire “social” strategy on Mastodon (and the various other ActivityPub tools), as it’s the only social medium that’s usable and enjoyable. With the nazis remaining on Twitter, and all the brands and influencers on Facebook (or Threads or whatever), everyone else interested in technology coalesced around the Fediverse, and it’s been a massive boon for a small website like OSNews trying to steer clear from all the SEO enshittification. There’s no spam, only relatively small, approachable brands, no influencers, no algorithms – just real, ordinary people, who also care about a usable, fair, and equitable web. I hope that OSNews can eventually be run without any ads at all, but that’s going to take a lot more consistent work from me to convince more and more people to support us through Patreon or Ko-Fi, or for companies to become sponsors. However, I am convinced it’s a better route to take than trying to chase the SEO dragon, because we all know where that leads to.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139310/theyre-looting-the-internet/
Girl Scout revitalizes The Gentle Barn garden
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
Spring — the season of warmer weather, flowers blooming and butterflies emerging. In the spirit of spring, through The Gentle Barn, Canyon High School senior Alexis Reeves, 17, is working on her Girl Scouts Gold Award Project by creating a food and butterfly garden. According to the Girl Scouts website, the award is designed to […]
The post <strong>Girl Scout revitalizes The Gentle Barn garden</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/girl-scout-revitalizes-the-gentle-barn-garden/
China scientists talk of powering hypersonic weapon with cheap Nvidia chip
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Jetson module can efficiently process computational fluid dynamics models
Analysis Researchers in China have reportedly demonstrated how a low-cost Nvidia Jetson module could theoretically be used to direct a hypersonic weapon.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/china_nvidia_hypersonic_weapon/
Elon Musk Is Self-Driving Tesla Into the Ground
date: 2024-04-16, from: Heatmap News
Five years ago, the world met the Model Y. Tesla officially unveiled its smaller crossover in March 2019 and, the next year, began to sell the car in staggering numbers. The Model Y helped Tesla tighten its grip on the electric vehicle market. By 2023 it had displaced the Toyota Corolla as the world’s best-selling car of any kind.
It’s not easy to follow up a massive success. What’s worse is having no plan at all — or being chronically unable to stick to one. That’s where Tesla seems to be amid yet another shakeup at the company.
This week, Tesla announced it would lay off 10% of its worldwide staff, while some influential leaders are leaving of their own accord. The news comes as Tesla has just announced a sales dip and prognosticators wonder whether we’re entering an “EV winter” where more buyers choose hybrids instead. Now, this is neither the first time Tesla has run into difficulty nor the first time the EV maker has commenced mass layoffs to cut costs. Somehow, though, this time feels different.
During the Model’s Y’s ascendance over the past half-decade, Tesla’s path forward to the next thing has turned into a mess of distractions and left turns. Musk became obsessed with and then purchased Twitter, a boondoggle of a deal that clearly distracted him from his car company. The oft-touted Roadster supercar has yet to materialize.
More importantly, the long-promised $25,000 car appears to be dead (or at least tabled indefinitely). Musk had initially indicated the affordable Tesla would finally arrive next year, leaving the company to endure a single gap year without a new vehicle. But Reuters reported that Tesla has killed the idea in part because of competition overseas from ultra-cheap Chinese EVs, and while Musk responded to the report by saying Reuters was “lying,” he’s done nothing to indicate the “Model 2” is anything but dead.
Meanwhile, the only new-ish vehicle in the Tesla lineup, the Cybertruck, is stuck. Tesla stopped deliveries of the steel beast for an unknown issue, rumored to be related to sticky accelerator problems, and shortened production shifts at the factory. And while it’s possible to squint and see a case for the Cybertruck, I’ve written here numerous times that Tesla’s big mistake wasn’t putting that eyesore on the road. Instead, it was focusing the company’s attention on something so adolescent and absurd at a moment when it could have tightened its grip on the EV market, and given American EV drivers some interesting new options, by rolling out new cars that look more like something the average American would want to buy.
So what is Tesla up to? In a follow-up tweet after he attacked Reuters, Musk suddenly announced that he would reveal the company’s “robotaxi” on August 8. This would be Tesla’s completely self-driven vehicle. Musk’s favorite claim about the car is that it would earn its owners passive income by driving itself around, picking up and dropping off passengers as a kind of dystopian Uber.
The dream certainly fits in with Musk’s oeuvre. The CEO clearly still sees Tesla as a lean startup that moves fast and breaks things, not an established car company that would do something so expected and bland as building a perfectly acceptable three-row family crossover to compete with the Kia EV9. Compare that to the way other companies born of Silicon Valley began to act once they got big. Apple may have engaged in a long, fruitless dalliance with the self-driving car, but ultimately, it knows its bread is buttered by iterating on everything in the iPhone ecosystem. Facebook may have changed its name to Meta to highlight its mission to create the metaverse, but it still leaned into the revenue engines it built or acquired, like Instagram or Whatsapp.
It’s fine to tell yourself a story about who you want to be. And to give Tesla the benefit of the doubt for a moment: sure, maybe it will be the one to crack full autonomous driving. But in practical terms, that tech is not close to reality, and Tesla’s version of it has encountered its fair share of bugs and been sued over crashes.
(In the spirit of “robotaxi,” the company just offered a month-long free trial of Full Self Driving to Tesla drivers. I will certainly not be using it with a young child in the car. The brand has also mandated that potential drivers be given a demo of FSD during test-drives, seemingly to hammer home the idea that Tesla is just a few steps away from having the car drive you home while you take a nap.)
In the meantime, you have to wonder just what Tesla is going to sell to humans who want a plain old electric car. It recently completed a refresh for the Model 3, and while the new one looks a little like next year’s iPhone — the same product with a facelift and a couple new features — you’d expect to see a similar update coming to the Model Y.
It’s important to remember: Despite the ill wishes from his online haters, Musk isn’t exactly dead in the water. Tesla sold 220,000 Model 3s in America last year and nearly 400,000 Model Ys, a huge lead over competitor EV from legacy car brands. Those companies are hitting the same EV headwinds as Tesla this year, while golden child Rivian is still at least a couple of years away from selling its exciting smaller SUVs. Tesla is the established giant in electric cars, even as it looks in the mirror and sees an upstart.
Yet with Cybertruck landing with a thud, and no obvious follow-up in the works, Tesla is in danger of blowing that huge lead. It may want to transform into a software company, and to earn back some of Musk’s Iron Man sci-fi cred by realizing the self-driving car. But at this moment, it feels a little like an electric car company that forgot it makes cars.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/tesla-elon-musk-self-driving-robotaxi
Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra starts youth program
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
The Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra is encouraging young musicians in the city and surrounding areas to participate in the Youth Concerto Competition, which, according to the Orchestra’s website, “Was developed to inspire young musicians and encourage growth for young musicians in the Santa Clarita Valley.” The application to be a part of the first cohort […]
The post Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra starts youth program appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/santa-clarita-symphony-orchestra-starts-youth-program/
UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell Declares for NBA Draft
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The star point guard is projected to be selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by numerous analysts and publications.
The post UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell Declares for NBA Draft appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/uc-santa-barbaras-ajay-mitchell-declares-for-nba-draft/
Daily Deals (4-16-2024)
date: 2024-04-16, from: Liliputing
The GEEKOM A7 is a mini PC with support for up to an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and strong performance for such a compact PC. Ian recently reviewed a model with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage that has a list price of $849. But GEEKOM is running a sale that lets you […]
The post Daily Deals (4-16-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-4-16-2024/
We took the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N on the track at Laguna Seca and it’s something special [Video]
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
As Hyundai’s N performance arm approaches the launch of its first-ever track-friendly EV, we got the chance to visit the world-famous Laguna Seca raceway in California to test drive the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. Be sure to check out the full video review below.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/hyundai-ioniq-5-n-laguna-seca-its-something-special-video-ev/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
NPR: The public broadcaster’s problems are deeper than “wokeness.”
https://slate.com/business/2024/04/npr-diversity-public-broadcasting-radio.html
House Republicans send Mayorkas impeachment articles to Senate, forcing trial
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Washington — House impeachment managers walked two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas across the Capitol to the Senate on Tuesday, forcing senators to convene a trial on the allegations that he has “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws.
While the Senate is obligated to hold a trial under the rules of impeachment once the charges are walked across the Capitol, the proceedings may not last long. Democrats are expected to try to dismiss or table the charges later this week before the full arguments get underway.
Republicans have argued there should be a full trial. As Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, signed the articles Monday in preparation for sending them across the Capitol, he said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, should convene a trial to “hold those who engineered this crisis to full account.”
Schumer “is the only impediment to delivering accountability for the American people,” Johnson said. “Pursuant to the Constitution, the House demands a trial.”
Majority Democrats have said the Republicans’ case against Mayorkas doesn’t rise to the “high crimes and misdemeanors” laid out as a bar for impeachment in the Constitution, and Schumer likely has enough votes to end the trial immediately if he decides to do so. The proceedings will not begin until Wednesday.
Schumer has said he wants to “address this issue as expeditiously as possible.”
“Impeachment should never be used to settle a policy disagreement,” Schumer said. “That would set a horrible precedent for the Congress.”
Senators will be sworn in Wednesday as jurors, turning the chamber into the court of impeachment. The Senate will then issue a summons to Mayorkas to inform him of the charges and ask for a written answer. He will not have to appear in the Senate at any point.
What happens after that is unclear. Impeachment rules generally allow the Senate to decide how to proceed.
The House narrowly voted in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the border. House Republicans charged in two articles of impeachment that Mayorkas has not only refused to enforce existing law but also breached the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure. It was the first time in nearly 150 years a Cabinet secretary was impeached.
Since then, Johnson has delayed sending the articles to the Senate for weeks while both chambers finished work on government funding legislation and took a two-week recess. Johnson had said he would send them to the Senate last week, but punted again after Senate Republicans said they wanted more time to prepare.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, has said the Senate needs to hold a full trial where it can examine the evidence against Mayorkas and come to a final conclusion.
“This is an absolute debacle at the southern border,” Thune said. “It is a national security crisis. There needs to be accountability.”
House impeachment managers — members who act as prosecutors and are appointed by the speaker — previewed some of their arguments at a hearing with Mayorkas on Tuesday morning on President Joe Biden’s budget request for the department.
House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican who is one of the managers, told the secretary that he has a duty under the law to control and guard U.S. borders, and “during your three years as secretary, you have failed to fulfill this oath. You have refused to comply with the laws passed by Congress and you have breached the public trust.”
Mayorkas defended the department’s efforts but said the nation’s immigration system is “fundamentally broken, and only Congress can fix it.”
Other impeachment managers are Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Laurel Lee of Florida, August Pfluger of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
After the jurors are sworn in, Senate Republicans are likely to try to raise a series of objections if Schumer calls a vote to dismiss or table, an effort to both protest and delay the move. But ultimately they cannot block a dismissal if majority Democrats have the votes.
Some Republicans have said they would like time to debate whether Mayorkas should be impeached, even though debate time is usually not included in impeachment proceedings. Negotiations were underway between the two parties over whether Schumer may allow that time and give senators in both parties a chance to discuss the impeachment before it is dismissed.
While most Republicans oppose quick dismissal, some have hinted they could vote with Democrats
Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican representing Utah, said last week he wasn’t sure what he would do if there were a move to dismiss the trial. “I think it’s virtually certain that there will not be the conviction of someone when the constitutional test has not been met,” he said.
At the same time, Romney said he wants to at least express his view that “Mayorkas has done a terrible job, but he’s following the direction of the president and has not met the constitutional test of a high crime or misdemeanor.”
In any case, Republicans would not be able to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate that is needed to convict and remove Mayorkas from office. Democrats control the Senate, 51-49, and they appear to be united against the impeachment effort. Not a single House Democrat supported it, either.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is facing a tough reelection bid in Ohio, called the impeachment trial a “distraction,” arguing that Republicans should instead support a bipartisan border compromise they scuttled earlier this year.
“Instead of doing this impeachment — the first one in 100 years — why are we not doing a bipartisan border deal?” he said.
If Democrats are not able to dismiss or table the articles, they could follow the precedent of several impeachment trials for federal judges over the last century and hold a vote to create a trial committee that would investigate the charges. While there is sufficient precedent for this approach, Democrats may prefer to end the process completely, especially in a presidential election year when immigration and border security are top issues.
If the Senate were to proceed to an impeachment trial, it would be the third in five years. Democrats impeached former President Donald Trump twice, once over his dealings with Ukraine and a second time in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The Senate acquitted Trump both times.
At a trial, senators would be forced to sit in their seats for the duration, maybe weeks, while the House impeachment managers and lawyers representing Mayorkas make their cases. The Senate is allowed to call witnesses, as well, if it so decides, and can ask questions of both sides after the opening arguments are finished.
‘Indy’ Feature Film
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Here at the Independent, our staff is made up of many creative people who help make our paper great each
The post ‘Indy’ Feature Film appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/indy-feature-film/
U.S. Hydrogen Car Sales Plummet By 70% In Q1 2024
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
It was the worst start of the year for hydrogen car sales since 2016.
https://insideevs.com/news/716100/us-hydrogen-car-sales-2024q1/
Peek Inside a California Condor Egg Just Before It Hatched, With This CT Scan of the Baby Bird
date: 2024-04-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Last month, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance welcomed its 250th California condor chick in its breeding program, and the CT scan helped determine the bird was well-positioned for hatching
Hundreds of affordable homes are proposed near East Bay BART stop
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
An affordable housing project that could produce hundreds of homes is being eyed near an East Bay BART station.
Give Yourself A Gundam Moto Makeover With Kushitani’s New Gear
date: 2024-04-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
If you’re a motorcycle-loving Mobile Suit Gundam fan, this is the collection for you.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/715527/kushitani-gundam-motorcycle-gear-collection/
April 24-27: Valencia High Theatre Presents ‘The Outsiders’
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The award-winning Valencia High School Theatre Arts proudly presents “The Outsiders” directed by Stephen Whelan
https://scvnews.com/april-27-valencia-high-theatre-proudly-presents-the-outsiders/
Kate A. McGinnis: Ready to “Go” with PACE Testing
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
PACE Systems Engineer Kate A. McGinnis spent years planning the vibration, acoustic, and shock tests for the PACE spacecraft before saying “Systems is ‘go’” to start each test. Name: Kate A. McGinnisTitle: Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and Ocean Ecosystem Mission (PACE) Systems EngineerFormal Job Classification: Systems engineerOrganization: Mission Systems Engineering Branch, Engineering and Technology Directorate (Code […]
https://www.nasa.gov/people-of-nasa/goddard-people/kate-a-mcginnis-ready-to-go-with-pace-testing/
Space Biosciences Events
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Upcoming Events and Activities Analysis Working Group Symposium 2024 To explore deeper into space, it is crucial that we learn how our bodies change and adapt to the unique environment of space. The Open Science Data Repository (a combination of GeneLab and Ames Life Sciences Data Archive – ALSDA – datasets) helps scientists understand how […]
A California man allegedly posted threats to shoot up Indiana State University on social media. Police say they seized six guns during raid of his home
date: 2024-04-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Nicholas Wheeler, 27, is in Santa Rita Jail pending extradition to Indiana where he faces federal charges of threatening to kidnap or injure university officials.
NASA Leadership to Visit Mexico, Strengthen Cooperation
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. Continuing their significant engagement with key government officials around the world to deepen ties and strengthen space collaboration, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy will visit Mexico City on Monday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 23. Nelson and Melroy will meet with senior Mexican government […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-leadership-to-visit-mexico-strengthen-cooperation/
Should Tesla focus on Robotaxi or Model 2?
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
https://electrek.co/poll-post/359043/
Healing Haven for Cancer Patients
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Signal
The bright blue skies, warm sun, and faint sound of birds chirping on a private property that spans 25 acres with a panoramic view looking over the Agua Dulce hills can have almost anyone find tranquility and practice “living in the moment.” “Living in the moment” is Robin Lee’s motto and something she emphasizes to […]
The post Healing Haven for Cancer Patients appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/healing-haven-for-cancer-patients/
BYD unveils new low-cost ‘interstellar chariot’ electric SUV complete with a drone landing
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
If you ever wanted an electric SUV that looked straight out of a Star Wars movie (other than Tesla’s Cybertruck), BYD has just the vehicle for you. BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao brand unveiled its new Super 3 electric SUV concept Tuesday, which has a rugged “interstellar chariot” design. Complete with a landing pad for your drone, the new EV is expected to cost less than $28,000 (200,000 yuan).
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/byd-unveils-new-interstellar-chariot-electric-suv-with-drone-pad/
OJ, a Tragedy
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
I was OJ’s neighbor in Brentwood for many years.
The post OJ, a Tragedy appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/oj-a-tragedy/
Honda’s Ye Series Sub Brand Aims To Take On China, Maybe The World
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
Honda plans to launch six of the Ye series of vehicles by 2027.
https://insideevs.com/news/716315/honda-ye-china-ev-brand/
Gentoo Linux tells AI-generated code contributions to fork off
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
A good PR move opines community member
AI-generated and assisted code contributions are no longer allowed in the Gentoo Linux distribution.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/gentoo_linux_ai_ban/
Some Voters Do the Research
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
What politicians who skew the facts never seem to understand is that there are many a voter who actually do real research.
The post Some Voters Do the Research appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/16/some-voters-do-the-research/
NASA’s VIPER Gets Its Head and Neck
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
In this image from Feb. 12, 2024, engineers lift a mast into place on NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) robotic Moon rover. VIPER’s mast and the suite of instruments affixed to it look a lot like the rover’s “neck” and “head.” The mast instruments are designed to help the team of rover drivers […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-viper-gets-its-head-and-neck/
Latest AMD Ryzen Pro chips are similar silicon, more smarts
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
That other processor company really wants you to use AI at work
AMD has brought its 4 nm Hawk Point and Phoenix APUs to business users in the form of the Ryzen Pro 8040 series for laptops and Ryzen Pro 8000 series for desktops.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/amd_ryzen_pro_8040_8000/
Japan’s Alliance with the U.S. Has Just Gone Global
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: RAND blog
The most profound aspect of the recent U.S.-Japan summit was the underlying message: the U.S.-Japan alliance is now global. This is an alliance now focused on the public goods of global peace, stability, and prosperity, committed to jointly building a free and open international order.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/04/japans-alliance-with-the-us-has-just-gone-global.html
Schwinn’s regularly $1,500 e-bikes now start from $700, deals on portable power stations, and more
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
If spring weather has you thinking it’s time to get an e-bike, then today’s all-time low prices on these Schwinn models should certainly help, too. Right now, the company’s Ingersoll e-bike lands at $700 from its usual $1,500 price tag. It comes joined by tons of other e-bike deals, portable power stations from ALLPOWERS, and all of the other day’s other best Green Deals below.
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/2024/04/16/allpowers-power-stations-schwinn-e-bikes-and-more/
Persistent Gray Zone Aggression in the South China Sea Calls for Increased Coordination in Rule of Law
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: RAND blog
By not providing consistent leadership on priority issues, and by allowing China to assert hegemony, the United States is losing its strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific. Establishing a Combined Maritime Forces focused on law enforcement as a soft power approach would provide a cohesive structure, improved partnerships, and a clear way to push back against Chinese gray-zone tactics and overt aggression.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/04/persistent-gray-zone-aggression-in-the-south-china.html
Yellen warns of new sanctions against Iran following attack on Israel
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Goleta Preservationists ‘Thrilled’ by Plans to Restore Barnsdall-Rio Grande Gas Station as Café
date: 2024-04-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The potential over-popularity of the restored site was about the only downside expressed at a meeting to take the public pulse on the project.
The post Goleta Preservationists ‘Thrilled’ by Plans to Restore Barnsdall-Rio Grande Gas Station as Café appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
NASA Goddard to Build Quake Detector for Artemis III Moon Landing
date: 2024-04-16, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will build a moonquake detector for astronauts to deploy on the Moon in 2026 during the Artemis III mission, which will return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. NASA selected the instrument, the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) […]
‘We Don’t Want A Horsepower War’: Hyundai N Boss On Performance EVs
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
Hyundai’s performance chief knows that many consumers can’t handle a 600-hp EV like the Ioniq 5 N. He wants to build something more accessible.
https://insideevs.com/news/716030/hyundai-ev-horsepower-war/
Torvalds intentionally complicates his use of indentation in Linux Kconfig
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Paramount penguin forces more robust whitespace handling
Linux kernel supremo Linus Torvalds has made the use of indentation in kernel config files more ambiguous – intentionally to weed out inferior parsers.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/torvalds_complicates_his_indents/
Lotus opens Eletre Hyper SUV orders in North America, shares pricing and delivery timelines
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Beginning today, customers in North America can customize and order the Eletre, a new hyper SUV from Lotus long promised as part of the sports car developer’s journey to go 100% electric. We’ve also learned when those initial Eletre customers can expect to take delivery and how much Lotus is charging in pricing the SUV’s two variants.
BYD Yuan UP Is Good And Cheap: Video
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
China-based YouTube channel Wheelsboy is super impressed with the $14,000 EV crossover.
https://insideevs.com/news/716321/byd-yuan-up-video-review/
Handing Taxpayers The Climate Cleanup Bill
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Lever News
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic legislative leaders nix a landmark proposal that would have made Hochul’s fossil fuel donors pay for their pollution.
https://www.levernews.com/handing-taxpayers-the-climate-cleanup-bill/
A Book Bound With Human Skin Spent 90 Years in Harvard’s Library. Now, the Binding Has Been Removed
date: 2024-04-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
In the late 19th century, a French physician took the skin, without consent, from a female psychiatric patient who had died
Chechnya Bans Music That Isn’t Between 80 and 116 Beats Per Minute
date: 2024-04-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Officials have given artists until June 1 to rewrite material that does not fall within the accepted range
Facing Republican revolt, House Speaker Johnson pushes ahead on US aid for Ukraine, Israel
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Washington — Defiant and determined, House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed back Tuesday against mounting Republican anger over his proposed U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, and rejected a call to step aside or risk a vote to oust him from office.
“I am not resigning,” Johnson said after a testy morning meeting of fellow House Republicans at the Capitol
Johnson referred to himself as a “wartime speaker” of the House and indicated in his strongest self-defense yet he would press forward with a U.S. national security aid package, a situation that would force him to rely on Democrats to help pass it, over objections from his weakened majority.
“We are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson said, calling the motion to oust him “absurd … not helpful.”
Tuesday brought a definitive shift in tone from both the House Republicans and the speaker himself at a pivotal moment as the embattled leader tries, against the wishes of his majority, to marshal the votes needed to send the stalled national security aid for Israel, Ukraine and other overseas allies to passage.
Johnson appeared emboldened by his meeting late last week with Donald Trump when the Republican former president threw him a political lifeline with a nod of support after their private talk at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. At his own press conference Tuesday, Johnson spoke of the importance of ensuring Trump, who is now at his criminal trial in New York, is re-elected to the White House.
Johnson also spoke over the weekend with President Joe Biden as well as other congressional leaders about the emerging U.S. aid package, which the speaker plans to move in separate votes for each section — with bills for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific region. He spoke about it with Biden again late Monday.
It’s a complicated approach that breaks apart the Senate’s $95 billion aid package for separate votes, and then stitches it back together for the president’s signature.
The approach will require the speaker to cobble together bipartisan majorities with different factions of House Republicans and Democrats on each measure. Additionally, Johnson is preparing a fourth measure that would include various Republican-preferred national security priorities, such as a plan to seize some Russian assets in U.S. banks to help fund Ukraine and another to turn the economic aid for Ukraine into loans.
The plan is not an automatic deal-braker for Democrats in the House and Senate, with leaders refraining from comment until they see the actual text of the measure, due out later Tuesday.
House Republicans, however, were livid that Johnson will be leaving their top priority — efforts to impose more security at the U.S.-Mexico border — on the sidelines. Some predicted Johnson will not be able to push ahead with voting on the package this week, as planned..
Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican representing Arizona, called the morning meeting an “argument fest.”
She said Johnson was “most definitely’’ losing support for the plan, but he seemed undeterred in trying to move forward despite”what the majority of the Conference” of Republicans wanted.
When the speaker said the House Republicans’ priority border security bill H.R. 2 would not be considered germane to the package, Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican representing Texas and a chief sponsor, said it’s for the House to determine which provisions and amendments are relevant.
“Things are very unresolved,” Roy said.
Roy said said Republicans want “to be united. They just have to be able to figure out how to do it.”
The speaker faces a threat of ouster from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican representing Georgia and the top Trump ally who has filed a motion to vacate the speaker from office in a snap vote — much the way Republicans ousted their former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, last fall.
While Greene has not said if or when she will force the issue, and has not found much support for her plan after last year’s turmoil over McCarthy’s exit, she drew at least one key supporter Tuesday.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican representing Kentucky, rose in the meeting and suggested Johnson should step aside, pointing to the example of John Boehner, an even earlier House speaker who announced an early resignation in 2015 rather than risk a vote to oust him, according to Republicans in the room.
Johnson did not respond, according to Republicans in the room, but told the lawmakers they have a “binary” choice” before them.
The speaker explained they either try to pass the package as he is proposing or risk facing a discharge petition from Democrats that would force a vote on their preferred package — the Senate approved measure. But that would leave behind the extra Republican priorities.
Judge refuses to Ctrl-Z divorce order made by a misclick
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Computer says you’re single
A simple misclick at a London law firm led to a surprise divorce for an unsuspecting couple.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/accidental_divorce_computer_error/
Cars With Level 3 Driving Assist Banned In British Columbia
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
Even if you don’t use the automated driving features, you’re looking at a fine of up to $1,500 and six months in prison.
https://insideevs.com/news/716265/level-3-cars-ban-british-columbia-canada/
Tesla reveals big update with new UI, auto shift, Audible, new Spotify, and more
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla reveals an upcoming big new in-car software update with new and updated user interface, ‘Auto Shift Beta’, native Audible, updated Spotify app, and more.
MV Agusta Offers New Service Promo On Previous-Gen Bikes
date: 2024-04-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Bikes from 2018 onwards get free checkups and 20-percent off on certain spare parts.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/715392/mv-agusta-service-promo-2018-onwards/
Ford opens 2024 F-150 Lightning online orders with new tech and lower prices
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
America’s top-selling electric pickup is on its way to dealers. Ford opened online orders for the 2024 F-150 Lightning at lower prices with the electric pickup now shipping from its Rouge EV plant.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/ford-opens-2024-f-150-lightning-orders-lower-prices/
VinFast launches fast new e-bike in the US to combine American and Vietnamese culture
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
VinFast, the Vietnamese automaker known for its portfolio of electric vehicles, has officially introduced its VF DrgnFly electric bike to the U.S. market. It’s a move that the company says further solidifies its presence in the global push toward sustainable mobility.
April 15, 2024
date: 2024-04-16, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-15-2024-286
Elon Musk is putting Tesla all-in on Robotaxi
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Riding the AI wave, Elon Musk is betting Tesla’s business on its self-driving effort, including Robotaxi, at the cost of other programs critical to its core business.
At the same time, the CEO is threatening not to build AI products at Tesla.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/elon-musk-tesla-all-in-self-driving-robotaxi/
Alleged cryptojacker accused of stealing $3.5M from cloud to mine under $1M in crypto
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
No prizes for guessing the victims
A Nebraska man will appear in court today to face charges related to allegations that he defrauded cloud service providers of more than $3.5 million in a long-running cryptojacking scheme.…
Audi’s New High-Tech Lights ‘Talk’ To Other Drivers
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
The company envisions a future where cars have a lot more to say. And that could make roads safer.
https://insideevs.com/news/716190/audi-q6-communication-taillights/
GMC’s 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 is finally here – with a 440-mile range
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
GMC’s premium, limited-edition 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 will launch with a GM-estimated 440-mile range this summer.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/gmc-2024-sierra-ev-denali-edition-1-440-mile-range/
Average EV Prices Up Slightly Last Month But Still 10% Lower Than Last Year
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
Despite a growth slump in Q1, Kelley Blue Book predicts 2024 to be the best year ever for EV sales.
https://insideevs.com/news/716222/average-ev-price-march-2024/
Microsoft to tackle spam by restricting Exchange Online bulk email
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Need to send to more than 2,000 external recipients in 24 hours? Time to start looking for an alternative
For the first time, Microsoft will apply daily restrictions to Exchange Online in an effort to staunch the flow of spam from the service.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/microsoft_external_recipient_limit/
How Not to Make History
date: 2024-04-16, from: National Archives, Text Message blog
The wrong way to make a mark on history
https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2024/04/16/how-not-to-make-history/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
UWS' Absolute Bagels Line Changes Direction.
https://www.westsiderag.com/2024/04/16/uws-absolute-bagels-line-changes-direction
ODROID-H4 is a mini PC board with Intel Alder Lake-N that sells for $99 and up
date: 2024-04-16, from: Liliputing
Most of Hardkernel’s single board computers, development boards, and handhelds are powered by ARM-based processors. But the company has been selling x86 models with Intel processors under the ODROID-H brand since 2018. And now Hardkernel has launched its highest-performance ODROID-H series computers to date. the new ODROID-H4, H4+, and H4 Ultra are 120 x 120mm (4.7″ […]
The post ODROID-H4 is a mini PC board with Intel Alder Lake-N that sells for $99 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
Honda launches next-gen EV brand in China to take on BYD, first two SUVs due out in 2024
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Can Honda turn things around in China? Domestic automakers like BYD are dominating the market. Meanwhile, Honda unveiled its next-gen EV brand “Ye” with the debut of the first set of models, including a pair of electric SUVs and a sporty GT model.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/honda-launches-next-gen-ev-brand-china-take-on-byd/
Day 2: Judge scolds Trump at his New York criminal trial
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Intrinsic Motivation
date: 2024-04-16, from: John August blog
John and Craig can’t help but look at intrinsic motivations — those specific internal drives that guide characters behavior. They discuss how to structure and expose that internal drive, the importance of an innate irritability, how it can stop your characters from becoming flat, and rewarding that intrinsic motivation with choice. But first, we follow […] The post Intrinsic Motivation first appeared on John August.
https://johnaugust.com/2024/intrinsic-motivation
SIM swap crooks solicit T-Mobile US, Verizon staff via text to do their dirty work
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
No breach responsible for employee contact info getting out, says T-Mo
T-Mobile US employees say they are being sent text messages that offer them cash to perform illegal SIM swaps for supposed criminals.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/sim_swap_scam_tmobile/
Tesla Wants To Pivot To Robotaxis. It Still Won’t Answer One Key Question
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
Plus, Nissan’s manufacturing and battery tech gets a big overhaul, and Tesla strikes a deal with Tata.
https://insideevs.com/news/716287/tesla-robotaxi-liability-unknown-criticalmaterials/
Fisker Now Has Six Dealers In The U.S.
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
However, production of the company’s sole EV, the Ocean crossover, is still on pause.
https://insideevs.com/news/716229/fisker-dealerships-us-update/
US Equal Employment agency says Workday AI hiring bias case should continue
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Judge to hear software vendor’s effort to dismiss discrimination case next month
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says a claim against Workday should be allowed to continue, arguing the HR and finance software vendor may qualify as an employment agency because of the way its AI tool screens applicants.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/us_commission_allows_workday_ai/
US, China defense chiefs hold first call since 2022
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Pentagon — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday, the first dialogue between the two countries’ defense chiefs in nearly 17 months.
The Pentagon said Austin and Chinese Admiral Dong Jun discussed “defense relations” and global security issues from Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine to recent provocations from North Korea. A Pentagon press release said Austin stressed the importance of “respect for high seas freedom of navigation as guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea.”
Beijing has asserted its desire to control access to the South China Sea and bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary. President Joe Biden has said U.S. troops would defend the democratically-run island from attack.
A Chinese defense ministry statement said the Taiwan issue is “core of China’s core interests.”
“The U.S. side should recognize China’s firm position, respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take practical actions to safeguard regional peace,” Dong said, according to the statement.
Dong also said the two countries should work to build mutual trust.
Tensions have risen between China and U.S. ally the Philippines in the South China Sea as well, with China’s coast guard using water cannons this month to threaten Filipino fishing ships. China has also used collision and ramming tactics, undersea barriers and a military-grade laser to stop Philippine resupply and patrol missions.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of the talks, said the call between Austin and Dong was an “important step” in keeping lines of communication open between the two military powers.
“These engagements provide us with opportunities to prevent competition from veering into conflict by speaking candidly about our concerns. That includes the PRC’s behavior in the South China Sea, as well as the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said the senior defense official. PRC is the acronym for the People’s Republic of China, the country’s official name.
The call marked the first time Austin has ever spoken to Dong, who has served as China’s minister of national defense since December. It also marked the first time that Austin has spoken at length with a PRC counterpart since November 2022, when he met with then-Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe in Cambodia.
China’s previous defense minister, General Li Shangfu, was subjected to U.S. sanctions that China deemed an obstacle to having him communicate directly with Austin. The only engagement Austin had with General Li was a handshake at the Shangri-la dialogue in Singapore last year.
The senior defense official said conversations between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders “ensure that the PRC has a clear understanding of our positions on all of the regional and global security issues.”
The talks come as the Pentagon said it had indications that a Chinese surge of weapons technology sales to Russia is helping ramp up Moscow’s defense production as it continues to attack its neighbor, Ukraine.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters in response to a question from VOA Monday that China had sold “significant quantities” of machine tools, microelectronics, optics, drones and cruise missile technology to Russia, which Moscow is using to make propellants for weapons.
“So this support is actively enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine and poses a significant threat to security — international security,” Ryder added.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that two senior Biden administration officials said that about 90% of Russia’s microelectronics in 2023 and nearly 70% of Russia’s machine tool imports in the last quarter of 2023 came from China. Russia used that technology to make missiles, tanks and aircraft.
Chinese and Russian entities have jointly produced drones inside Russia, and China-based companies are providing optical components for use in Russian tanks and armored vehicles, the officials also told AP.
The call between Austin and Dong is the latest in a series of recent conversations between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders. The top U.S. general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, spoke with his Chinese military counterpart in December.
Earlier this month, the U.S. and Chinese militaries held working-level Military Maritime Consultative Agreement talks in Hawaii for the first time since 2021.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-china-defense-chiefs-hold-first-call-since-2022-/7572098.html
Why Yes, You Can Fit a Full-Size Dirt Bike Into the Back of a Tesla Cybertruck
date: 2024-04-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
You can actually fit three if you’re good at Tetris.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716163/tesla-cybertruck-dirt-bike-video/
Why do we see the online ads we see? Hard to say.
date: 2024-04-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The European Union’s Digital Services Act requires big internet platforms to create searchable public libraries of their ads, allowing researchers to see who an ad is targeting and reaching and what it’s urging its audience to do. But a new assessment finds that those libraries are lacking. We dig in. Plus, China’s economy grew faster than expected, but Chinese consumers are still struggling. We’ll also hear how to find reasonably high interest rates on savings.
This Man Wants to ‘Save the World’ By Letting You Jerk Off Into a Computer
date: 2024-04-16, from: 404 Media Group
The creator of the gimmicky DIY sex sleeve says any criticism against the Orifice is “gene warfare.”
https://www.404media.co/orifice-ai-sex-toy/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Jon Stewart on Iran, Israel, and Trump’s Hush Money Trial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgeLRtpC2WI
Under Biden, US reimagines Asian alliances as ‘lattice’ fence
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Seoul, South Korea — For decades, U.S. policy in Asia has relied on what was informally known as the “hub and spokes” system of bilateral alliances. But lately, U.S. officials have used another analogy to describe their vision for the region: a lattice fence.
It may sound like only a metaphorical tweak, but officials in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden say it could have big implications, as they try to create a durable plan to respond to China’s growing power.
Under the old framework, the United States, the global military superpower, acted as the hub and its Asian allies, such as Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, served as spokes.
Spokes are not linked to each other. But that dynamic is changing, as several major U.S. allies and partners coalesce around what they have come to call a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
What U.S. officials envision is not a multilateral treaty alliance like NATO. Analysts have long said such a security framework is impossible in Asia, given competing interests and deep historical animosities, even among U.S. allies.
Instead, the goal is to help create an expanding number of mutually reinforcing links between like-minded countries, which together form a barrier – or in other words, a lattice.
Trilateral summit
The lattice strategy was on display last week, when Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for their countries’ first ever trilateral summit.
The meeting had important symbolic value. A joint statement expressed “serious concerns” about China’s behavior in the East and South China Seas, where China is trying to push its territorial claims over those of Japan and the Philippines.
The United States and Japan also pledged further assistance for the Philippines’ military modernization efforts and vowed to continue expanding joint military drills in the region, which have involved a growing number of partners in recent years.
At a separate meeting between Biden and Kishida, the United States and Japan announced dozens of bilateral deals related to defense cooperation, including plans to allow U.S. and Japanese forces to work more closely during a potential conflict.
According to a U.S. administration official who spoke to reporters during a background briefing, the meetings are evidence that Biden’s Asia plan is working.
“(Biden’s) theory of case was that if the United States reinvested in its alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific … those allies and partners would step up alongside in ways that made us much better equipped to accomplish our objectives,” the U.S. official said.
Nowhere is this theory better proven, the official added, than in the U.S. alliance with Japan, where Kishida “has stepped up and stepped out into the world more than anyone really could have imagined.”
Japan a key player
As Japan loosens its self-imposed pacifist restraints, the country has become a major player in regional security. Japan has dramatically increased defense spending, moved to acquire missiles that can hit other countries, and enacted legal changes allowing it to more easily export weapons.
Japan is now heavily involved in many U.S.-led forums, including the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an informal coalition that also includes Australia and India, and the Group of Seven advanced economies, which has increasingly focused on China.
Last week, Britain, the United States, and Australia announced they are considering cooperation with Japan through their AUKUS security pact. NATO, the European military alliance, has also expanded cooperation with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Today’s Japan is no longer the timid and inward-looking nation that counted on its embrace of pacifism and on American muscle to insulate it from external threats,” said Daniel Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society and a former top Asia official at the State Department.
One of the most crucial regional developments is the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations, which have long been strained because of issues related to Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea. Under South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, the two countries now regularly participate in military drills with the United States. Last year, the three countries unveiled a new system for sharing North Korean missile warning data in real-time.
But will it work?
Few observers deny that big changes are occurring, as countries respond to a more powerful China. But the strategic shift toward the United States is far from unanimous.
“Most governments in the region are hedging, recognizing the reality that China is a permanent and central feature of (the) Asian political economy,” said Van Jackson, who teaches at New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington.
According to a survey released this month by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Southeast Asian perceptions of the United States have worsened over the past year.
The State of Southeast Asia survey asks the same questions every year to a group of experts and government officials.
More than half, 51%, of Southeast Asian respondents said they would side with China over the United States if they were forced to choose. It is the first time that the survey has shown a preference for China.
One of the key complaints, according to the poll, is skepticism about U.S. economic engagement. Following then-President Donald Trump’s 2017 withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, many in Asia have questioned whether the United States is as committed as it once was to free trade.
Biden officials dispute that notion, touting the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework or IPEF, as a counterweight to China’s economic clout. But IPEF differs from traditional free trade deals in that it does not provide greater market access or reduce tariffs — areas no longer seen as safe in a U.S. domestic political context. Regardless, Trump has vowed to kill IPEF if he defeats Biden in November’s presidential election.
In the opinion of Philip Turner, a former New Zealand diplomat, IPEF appears to have largely failed.
“Many Asian countries and regional players like Australia and New Zealand have pointed out that the U.S. failure to commit economically to the region undercuts its claims to regional leadership,” said Turner, who most recently served as New Zealand’s ambassador to South Korea.
While there are increasing regional worries about China’s rise and behavior, few if any Asian countries support efforts to contain China’s growth, Turner added.
“They would prefer the U.S. climb down from its high horse of economic coercion against China and find ways of getting on with each other short of conflict,” he said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/under-biden-us-reimagines-asian-alliances-as-lattice-fence/7572053.html
From Titanic travelers to textile tycoons, Arab Americans have long been part of the American story
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
Dearborn, Michigan — All About America explores American culture, politics, trends, history, ideals and places of interest.
The term slacks, meaning pants worn during relaxation activities, was coined by an Arab American. Joseph Haggar, a Lebanese immigrant, founded the iconic Haggar men’s clothing brand in 1926.
“He settled in Texas, and he started this pant company that was extremely successful in the 20th century,” says Diana Abouali, director of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. “He also revolutionized the way that pants and clothing were mass produced.”
An exhibit at the museum is dedicated to Haggar, whose pants were worn by U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. Stories like Haggar’s are integral to the museum’s mission to demonstrate how Arab Americans have been part of the American fabric since the late 19th century.
“We communicate the American narrative in the voices of Arab Americans. They express their experiences in their own words,” Abouali says. “This provides people with a more authentic and real representation of what it means to be Arab American.”
The museum attempts to share the full range of the Arab American experience, including the journey to America, home and work life, and service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The diverse offerings include an exhibit about the hundreds of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants who owned homesteads in North Dakota between 1890 and World War I. Thousands of descendants of those pioneers still live in North Dakota. Another exhibit includes lists of Arab American passengers on the doomed Titanic, which sank in 1912.
The museum also challenges religious misconceptions.
“Half of the Arab American community is Christian,” Abouali says. “And in fact, the earlier immigrants, who came in the late 19th century, early 20th century, were predominantly Christian.”
A wall of fame highlights prominent Arab Americans like journalist Helen Thomas, actress Kathy Najimy, politicians like former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and Candace Lightner, who founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1980.
Arab immigrant stories aren’t well-known among mainstream America. And what little Americans do know about Arabs is often informed by negative stereotypes.
“The obvious one would be the angry Arab, the terrorist Arab, the being afraid of the Arab that comes from abroad. I think that’s the very obvious one, but it’s a bit overplayed,” says Jasmine Hawamdeh, director of arts and culture at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a civil rights advocacy group. “And I think one of the more harmful stereotypes that currently exists in American media is the oppressed Arab woman.”
The museum tries to correct false narratives about Arab Americans.
“We’re not always responding to misconceptions and narrative, although that’s a major part of our work and a major sort of impetus for creating a museum like this,” Abouali says, “but also we’re sort of presenting ourselves, as we are, unapologetically.”
Arab Americans are a diverse community that come from 22 Arab countries stretching from northern Africa to western Asia. But once they settle in the U.S., the museum director says, they become as American as they are Arab.
From Titanic travelers to textile tycoons: Arab Americans have long been part of US history
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
April is Arab American Heritage Month in the United States. This month highlights a community that often has to battle negative stereotypes. One institution that helps to do that is the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, which VOA’s Dora Mekouar recently visited. Camera: Adam Greenbaum.
Tesla Engineers, Technicians, Sales Staff, Recruiters Hit By Layoffs In U.S. And China
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
Hundreds of job cuts have already taken place in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas.
https://insideevs.com/news/716270/tesla-engineers-sales-staff-laid-off/
NASA confirms Florida house hit by a piece of ISS battery pack
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Who needs aircon when you have NASA to punch holes through your home?
NASA has confirmed that a piece of space junk that crashed through a Florida home in March was a fragment of a discarded ISS battery pallet.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/nasa_debris_florida_house/
Charges against Trump and January 6 rioters at stake as Supreme Court hears debate over obstruction law
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday is taking up the first of two cases that could affect the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020. Hundreds of charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot are also at stake.
The justices are hearing arguments over the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. That charge, stemming from a law passed in the aftermath of the Enron financial scandal more than two decades ago, has been brought against 330 people, according to the Justice Department. The court will consider whether it can be used against those who disrupted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.
The former president and presumptive nominee for the 2024 Republican nomination is facing two charges in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington that could be knocked out with a favorable ruling from the nation’s highest court. Next week, the justices will hear arguments over whether Trump has “absolute immunity” from prosecution in the case, a proposition that has so far been rejected by two lower courts.
The first former U.S. president under indictment, Trump is on trial on hush money charges in New York and also has been charged with election interference in Georgia and with mishandling classified documents in Florida.
In Tuesday’s case, the court is hearing an appeal from Joseph Fischer, a former Pennsylvania police officer who has been indicted on seven counts, including obstruction, for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to keep Biden, a Democrat, from taking the White House. Lawyers for Fischer argue that the charge doesn’t cover his conduct.
The obstruction charge, which carries up to 20 years behind bars, is among the most widely used felony charges brought in the massive federal prosecution following the deadly insurrection.
Roughly 170 January 6 defendants have been convicted of obstructing or conspiring to obstruct the January 6 joint session of Congress, including the leaders of two far-right extremist groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. A number of defendants have had their sentencings delayed until after the justices rule on the matter.
Some rioters have even won early release from prison while the appeal is pending over concerns that they might end up serving longer than they should have if the Supreme Court rules against the Justice Department. That includes Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the Capitol. Seefried was sentenced last year to three years behind bars, but a judge recently ordered that he be released one year into his prison term while awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The high court case focuses on whether the anti-obstruction provision of a law that was enacted in 2002 in response to the financial scandal that brought down Enron Corp. can be used against January 6 defendants.
Fischer’s lawyers argue that the provision was meant to close a loophole in criminal law and discourage the destruction of records in response to an investigation. Until the Capitol riot, they told the court, every criminal case using the provision had involved allegations of destroying or otherwise manipulating records.
But the administration says the other side is reading the law too narrowly, arguing it serves “as a catchall offense designed to ensure complete coverage of all forms of corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding,” including Fischer’s “alleged conduct in joining a violent riot to disrupt the joint session of Congress certifying the presidential election results.”
Smith has argued separately in the immunity case that the obstruction charges against Trump are valid, no matter the outcome of Fischer’s case.
Most lower court judges who have weighed in have allowed the charge to stand. Among them, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, wrote that “statutes often reach beyond the principal evil that animated them.”
But U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, another Trump appointee, dismissed the charge against Fischer and two other defendants, writing that prosecutors went too far. A divided panel of the federal appeals court in Washington reinstated the charge before the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.
While it’s not important to the Supreme Court case, the two sides present starkly differing accounts of Fischer’s actions on January 6. Fischer’s lawyers say he “was not part of the mob” that forced lawmakers to flee the House and Senate chambers, noting that he entered the Capitol after Congress had recessed. The weight of the crowd pushed Fischer into a line of police inside, they said in a court filing.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are among 23 Republican members of Congress who say the administration’s use of the obstruction charge “presents an intolerable risk of politicized prosecutions. Only a clear rebuke from this Court will stop the madness.”
The Justice Department says Fischer can be heard on a video yelling “Charge!” before he pushed through a crowd and “crashed into the police line.” Prosecutors also cite text messages Fischer sent before January 6 saying things might turn violent and social media posts after the riot in which he wrote, “we pushed police back about 25 feet.”
More than 1,350 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 1,000 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury or judge after a trial.
Open sourcerers say suspected xz-style attacks continue to target maintainers
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Social engineering patterns spotted across range of popular projects
Open source groups are warning the community about a wave of ongoing attacks targeting project maintainers similar to those that led to the recent attempted backdooring of a core Linux library.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/xz_style_attacks_continue/
Tesla Model Y electrifies Anaheim Police’s patrol fleet
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla Model Y vehicles upfitted into police patrol cars by Unplugged Performance are electrifying Anaheim Police’s patrol fleet.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/tesla-model-y-electrifies-anaheim-polices-patrol-fleet/
Nissan steps up all-solid-state EV battery plans as pilot line construction kicks off
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
Will all-solid-state batteries be a “game-changer for EVs?” Nissan believes so. The automaker is accelerating all-solid-state EV battery development, hoping to make its electric models more competitive. Nissan kicked off construction on its all-solid-state EV battery pilot line this week with plans to introduce them in a wide range of models, including pickups.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/nissan-steps-up-all-solid-state-ev-battery-plans/
Amazon Installed Over 17,000 Chargers For Its Rivian Electric Van Fleet
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
The retail giant is now the largest operator of private EV charging infrastructure in the U.S.
https://insideevs.com/news/716230/amazon-installed-over-17000-chargers-for-rivian-edvs/
A comment on comments
date: 2024-04-16, from: Manu - I write blog
<p>Someone asked me about my stance on not having comments on my blog. I’m not a fan of comments in general and I think commenting on something should be done in one of two ways:</p>- Privately via email or via direct messaging
- Publicly by posting a reply on your own website
Setting up your server to send a webmention is an extra bonus point but I don’t consider that to be necessary. That’s the ideal commenting setup in my opinion but I’m sure some of you out there disagree.
<hr>
<h2>Get in touch</h2> <p>Have something to share? Want me as your <a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/i-ll-read-it">first reader</a>? Get in touch. My inbox is always open.</p> <a href="mailto:hello@manuelmoreale.com">Connect</a> —
<a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/guestbook">Guestbook</a>
<hr>
<h2>One a month</h2> <p>That's how little it takes to help with my <a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/on-dreams-and-goals">goal</a>. If you feel generous, consider supporting what I do.</p> <a href="https://ko-fi.com/manuelmoreale">Donate</a> —
<a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/supporters">Supporters</a>
<hr>
<h2>People and Blogs</h2> <p>I ask people to talk about themselves and their blogs. <a href="https://peopleandblogs.com/">Learn more</a> or subscribe.</p> <a href="https://manuelmoreale.com/feed/peopleandblogs">RSS</a> —
<a href="https://buttondown.email/peopleandblogs">Email</a>
https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/M8FpFOXmWXyCmMMk
Pleasure or Pain? He Maps the Neural Circuits That Decide.
date: 2024-04-16, from: Quanta Magazine
The work of the neuroscientist Ishmail Abdus-Saboor has opened up a world of insights into precisely how much pleasure and pain animals experience during different forms of touch.The post Pleasure or Pain? He Maps the Neural Circuits That Decide. first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/pleasure-or-pain-he-maps-the-neural-circuits-that-decide-20240416/
AI gold rush continues as Microsoft invests $1.5B in UAE’s G42
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Can regulators keep up?
Microsoft has confirmed a $1.5 billion investment in G42, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) AI biz.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/microsoft_g42_investment/
The Dystopian Future of TV Is AI-Generated ‘FAST’ Garbage
date: 2024-04-16, from: 404 Media Group
TCL’s new AI-generated movie “Next Stop Paris” is the next evolution in the algorithmification of TV.
https://www.404media.co/the-dystopian-future-of-tv-is-ai-generated-fast-garbage/
Micron says it’s first to QLC NAND with over 200 layers
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Enhanced data density and speed upgrades, though challenges in endurance remain
Micron is now mass producing 232-layer QLC NAND, claiming it’s the first memory manufacturer to break the 200-layer mark in QLC chips.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/micron_232_layer_qlc/
AMD launches Ryzen PRO 8040 mobile and Ryzen PRO 8000 desktop chips with Ryzen AI
date: 2024-04-16, from: Liliputing
AMD is bringing its Ryzen PRO chips for laptop and desktop computers into the AI age. The company’s new Ryzen PRO 8040 Series processors are basically business-class versions of the Ryzen 8040 Mobile chips that launched last year, meaning they have the same Zen 4 CPU cores, RDNA 3 integrated graphics, and Ryzen AI NPUs. But […]
The post AMD launches Ryzen PRO 8040 mobile and Ryzen PRO 8000 desktop chips with Ryzen AI appeared first on Liliputing.
2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 Gets 440 Miles Of Range, Higher Towing Capacity, Lower Price
date: 2024-04-16, from: Inside EVs News
The top-spec Sierra EV pickup’s range is now on par with its Chevy Silverado EV RST cousin.
https://insideevs.com/news/716215/2024-gmc-sierra-ev-denali-edition-1-updated-range-towing-price/
The Insta360 X4 Brings 8K 360-Degree Video To The Party
date: 2024-04-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The action camera maker’s latest flagship 360 cam wants to take your shots to the next level.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716198/insta360-x4-360-camera-specs/
How King’s College Added 438 Solar Panels to a 500-Year-Old Chapel
date: 2024-04-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The project sparked debate over how to decrease carbon emissions while preserving the historic structure’s architectural beauty
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Protest shuts down Golden Gate Bridge.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco/protest-golden-gate-bridge/3510362/
Reproducing the printer hack of Windows 95
date: 2024-04-16, from: OS News
During my daily web crawl I encountered a very interesting gif that I haven’t seen in a long time. It was a hack of an unspecified version of Windows 95, which showed how to bypass the login screen with the help of the menu and printing dialog. However, after a brief check, I found a fair amount of people stating that “just hitting the cancel” button would do the same. Sharp-eyed viewers would notice that it was the very first action taken in the picture. In order to find out if the hack is real at all, I decided to reproduce it and document it for the good of the internet. ↫ David Polakovic So this hack is actually a lot more involved than I thought it was going to be, and yet, it still feels utterly insane that operating systems were this easy to get into, passwords were this easy to decrypt, and security settings were this trivial to disable. Anyway, the gif is sort-of real, in that yes, you can ‘hack’ Windows 95’s login security through the printing and help subsystems. Things were different back then, man. I vaguely remember that my high school used to lock us out of the desktop, File Explorer, the Control Panel, and so on, making it impossible for us to access DOS or the games built into Windows 9x. I don’t remember the exact things we used to do, but most of us were aware and used several different methods of bypassing the school lockdowns just to mess around. We never did anything malicious – this is pre-internet, and we just wanted to play some Solitaire or Pinball – but anybody with malicious intent surely could’ve.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139308/reproducing-the-printer-hack-of-windows-95/
Change Healthcare’s ransomware attack costs edge toward $1B so far
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
First glimpse at attack financials reveals huge pain
UnitedHealth, parent company of ransomware-besieged Change Healthcare, says the total costs of tending to the February cyberattack for the first calendar quarter of 2024 currently stands at $872 million.…
Google’s Generic Kernel Image now required on all Android form factors
date: 2024-04-16, from: OS News
New TVs that launch with Android TV 14 or later on Linux kernel 5.15 or higher will be required to meet Google’s Generic Kernel Image (GKI) requirements in order to pass certification! This means that GKI is now enforced on all major Android form factors with AArch64 chipsets: handhelds, watches, automotive, & televisions. ↫ Mishaal Rahman What this means is that all the major Android form factors will be running kernels that adhere to the GKI requirements, which means SoC and board support is not part of the core kernel, but instead achieved through loadable modules. This should, in theory, make it easier to provide long-term support.
What a Vote in Tennessee Would Mean for the UAW
date: 2024-04-16, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are possible from Nebraska to Baltimore • It’s 109 degrees Fahrenheit in Vadodara, India, currently the hottest city in the world • Heavy rain is forecast for Indianapolis, but won’t dampen celebrations of #1 WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark to the Indiana Fever.
THE TOP FIVE
- Tennessee Volkswagen factory poised for historic unionization
The Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will vote this week on whether to join the United Auto Workers, a decision that labor activists say could give the union the momentum it needs for a “legitimate comeback” after its successes last fall — or, if the vote fails, take the wind out of its sails.
If successful, VW would become the only foreign commercial automaker to be unionized in the United States, and it would be the first Southern plant to unionize through an election since the 1940s, Bloomberg and The Washington Post report. While prior efforts to unionize the Tennessee plant in 2014 and 2019 failed, the current organizing committee claims to have a supermajority heading into the vote. Local Republicans have nevertheless painted the unionization effort as “inconsistent with the people of southeast Tennessee” and as a de facto vote for President Biden, especially as former President Donald Trump has continued to bash electric vehicle manufacturing as a job killer and the UAW as a “hopeless case” on the campaign trail.
- Life cycle analysis will ‘jeopardize global climate goals,’
researcher warns
Life cycle analysis — the process of measuring all emissions related to a given product or service throughout every phase of its life — has long been the foundation of the climate economy. But in a new paper, Arizona State University climate scientist Stephanie Arcusa claims we’re “kid[ding] ourselves thinking that we’re going to have numbers that we can hang our hats on.”
Speaking with Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo, Arcusa elaborated that the impossibility of collecting all the data necessary for life cycle analysis leads us to get “so far away from reality that we can’t actually tell if something is positive or negative in the end.” As she explains:
[…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.
- Frontrunner in Mexico’s presidential election plans nearly $14
billion in energy projects
Former Mexico City mayor and leading Mexican presidential nominee Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday outlined a plan to invest $13.57 billion in new energy infrastructure and modernization through 2030, Reuters reports. The proposal focuses largely on increasing wind and solar generation, updating hydroelectric plants, and adding miles of new transmission lines, and notably sets her apart from current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has been criticized for pouring billions into propping up the state oil and gas company, Petroleos Mexicanos.
Sheinbaum’s proposal would not completely abandon fossil fuels, calling for new gas-burning plants as well. But she described it as “the possibility and potential to develop Mexico in a way that generates investment with well-being” and “at the same time … does not have to negatively impact the environment.” Sheinbaum said the proposal would add 13.7 gigawatts of electricity to the grid by 2030.
Mexico’s general election is June 2, and marks one of many national elections this year that put climate front and center on the ballot.
- California hits major renewable benchmark
Monday marked the 31st time in 39 days that wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower topped 100% of demand on California’s grid, an event that Electrek described as a “major clean energy benchmark.”
Stanford University civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson, who first shared the finding on Twitter, described it as “unprecedented in California’s history” to The Independent. Though supply did not exceed demand for the length of a full day — Jacobson looked at instances where it topped 100% from a quarter of an hour to six hours per day — it was the consistency that he described as noteworthy, pointing out that until recently, supply did not exceed demand more than a few days in a row. “This is getting so easy, it’s almost boring,” he added. “Just need offshore wind and more solar and batteries to get to 100% 24/7.”
- Climate change is causing cold water ‘killer events’
You’ve probably already heard about the ocean’s crazy heat. However, cold water “killer events” are causing mass mortality for marine life, too, a new study published Monday in Nature has found.
The researchers report that “climate-change-driven shifts in ocean currents and pressure systems” are increasing and intensifying instances of “upwelling,” when deep, frigid water is pushed to the surface. Such events imperil migratory species like bull sharks, which attempt to avoid colder areas by swimming outside their normal routes or closer to the ocean’s surface. “You’d think they would have swum away but they got squeezed” by the upwellings, Ryan Daly, one of the authors, told The Guardian. “They couldn’t escape.”
iStock
/ Getty Images
THE KICKER
150,000 years. That’s the combined amount of time New York drivers, bus passengers, and subway riders could have saved if the MTA had adopted congestion pricing back in 2008, when it was first proposed.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/what-a-vote-in-tennessee-would-mean-for-the-uaw
Blackstone wants to plug hyperscale datacenter into former Britishvolt battery site
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Plans to plant $12B bitbarn where homegrown renewables hope once lived
US private equity investor Blackstone has plans for a £10 billion ($12.45 billion) hyperscale datacenter in northern England on a site formerly owned by battery startup Britishvolt.…
Is a system telling landlords how much to charge for rent illegal?
date: 2024-04-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Big corporate landlords provide the company RealPage with data you can’t just see on Zillow, like the rent a tenant actually pays versus what’s advertised publicly. In return, the company recommends a rent price to set. Now, lawsuits are alleging that RealPage uses the data for wide scale rent-fixing. Also: the latest news on shares of Trump Media and a frank conversation about the shame that comes with debt.
China show more signs of recovery
date: 2024-04-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Economic growth in China, the world’s second biggest economy, beat expectations in the first quarter. Official data shows it’s being led by the manufacturing sector, but domestic demand is still weak. Plus, the Panama Canal will permit more ships from next month, easing congestion. And Colombia has become a top destination for so-called digital nomad; we take a look at how this is affecting the economy.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/china-show-more-signs-of-recovery
Global Impact: Empowering young people in Kenya and South Africa
date: 2024-04-16, from: Raspberry Pi (.org)
We work with mission-aligned educational organisations all over the world to support young people’s computing education. In 2023 we established four partnerships in Kenya and South Africa with organisations Coder:LevelUp, Blue Roof, Oasis Mathare, and Tech Kidz Africa, which support young people in underserved communities. Our shared goal is to support educators to establish and…
The post Global Impact: Empowering young people in Kenya and South Africa appeared first on Raspberry Pi Foundation.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/global-impact-empowering-young-people-in-kenya-and-south-africa/
Take A Good Look At Dirt Freak’s Custom Honda GB350 S
date: 2024-04-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The Japanese motorcycle accessories specialist trained its sights on the Honda GB350 S, and here’s what happened.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/715513/dirt-freak-honda-gb350-s/
Google location tracking deal could be derailed by politics
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
$62 million settlement plan challenged over payments to progressive nonprofits
Google’s plan to pay $62 million to settle allegations that it tracked people even when their Location History setting was switched off may have to be renegotiated based on several objections.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/google_location_tracking_deal_could/
KPMG bags £8.5M NHS gig as cheerleader for Federated Data Platform rollout
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Consultancy tasked with helping local services get on board
The UK’s health department has awarded global consultancy KPMG an £8.5 million ($10.5 million) contract to help implement the controversial Federated Data Platform (FDP) at a local level.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/nhs_england_kpmg_fdp/
Sexier Heat Pumps Are Hitting the Market
date: 2024-04-16, from: Heatmap News
Quilt, a climate tech startup banking on the appeal of sleeker, smarter
electric heat pumps, announced today that its products will be available
to order in the Bay Area starting May 15.
I first wrote about Quilt a year ago after the company raised a $9 million seed round. Its founders told me they wanted to create the Tesla of heat pumps — a climate-friendly product that prevails because of its superior design and performance, with sustainability as a bonus.
“That’s the only way you win, right?” Paul Lambert, Quilt’s CEO said when I visited the company’s office in Redwood City, California, last summer. “You almost need, like, this Trojan horse. You need to be able to convince people who are skeptical. It needs to be better on its own merits.”
Conventional heaters generate warmth by burning fuel, whereas heat pumps transfer it using electricity. They come in two main form factors: a central system, which conditions the air throughout a building via ducts and vents, with machinery that can be hidden away in the attic or basement; and a mini-split, a room-by-room solution that typically looks like a white, oblong, plastic box mounted on the wall. Quilt is redesigning the latter.
The company won’t release full product images until the launch in May, but a new teaser released today shows a mini-split peeking from the edge of the frame with blonde wood paneling to match the wood of other furniture in the room.
Courtesy
of Quilt
The company also revamped the outdoor component of the mini-split, which typically looks like an industrial metal fan.
Courtesy
of Quilt
Quilt just closed a $33 million series A funding round led by climate
venture heavyweights Energy Impact Partners and Galvanize Climate
Solutions, which will help get it through its launch and initial
expansion.
The company is promising a lot — not just a more customizable and aesthetically pleasing product, but also improvements on efficiency and comfort, smarter software, and a better customer experience beginning with the point of purchase. Quilt is limiting its launch to the Bay Area because that’s “where the bulk of our team is on the ground to support homeowners through the purchase, install, and rebate process,” Lambert told me in an email this week. “Los Angeles will follow soon after and then we’ll use our waitlist to guide our expansion.” He said there were already thousands of interested homeowners on the waitlist.
Though there’s certainly evidence that homeowners want a nicer looking product and an easier installation experience, the biggest hurdle to heat pump adoption is that they are far more expensive than natural gas heating systems. Lambert wasn’t ready to share how much the system would cost, but promised it would be “priced competitively and transparently.”
At such a small scale, it’s likely that Quilt will join the ranks of other luxury decarb products, like the Impulse Labs induction stove — at least to start. But the company has high hopes. “Our goal is to get Quilt into as many homes as possible to supercharge the clean energy transition and to meet rising demand for a smart, intuitive, design-forward heat pump,” Lambert said.
https://heatmap.news/sparks/quilt-heat-pump-on-sale-date
AI cloud startup TensorWave bets AMD can beat Nvidia
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Starts racking MI300X systems - because you can actually buy them and they beat the H100 on many specs
Specialist cloud operators skilled at running hot and power-hungry GPUs and other AI infrastructure are emerging, and while some of these players like CoreWeave, Lambda, or Voltage Park — have built their clusters using tens of thousands of Nvidia GPUs, others are turning to AMD instead.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/amd_tensorwave_mi300x/
RP2040 controls 60 LEDs to tell the time on this wristwatch
date: 2024-04-16, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Redditor littlespleen made their own RP2040-powered wristwatch. It features tons of LEDs to tell the time in three different colours.
The post RP2040 controls 60 LEDs to tell the time on this wristwatch appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/rp2040-controls-60-leds-to-tell-the-time-on-this-wristwatch/
OpenCitations supports the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information for a fundamental transformation in the research information landscape
date: 2024-04-16, from: Open Citation blog at Hypotheses.org
Research Information can be defined as an information (sometimes referred to as metadata) relating to the conduct and communication of research. This includes, but is not limited to, (1) bibliographic metadata such as titles, abstracts, references, author data, affiliation data, and data on publication venues, (2) metadata on research software, research data, samples, and instruments, (3) information on funding and grants, and (4) information on organizations and research contributors. Research information is located in systems such as bibliographic databases, software archives, data repositories, and … Continue reading OpenCitations supports the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information for a fundamental transformation in the research information landscape
https://opencitations.hypotheses.org/3557
Intel’s effort to build a foundry biz is costing far more – and taking longer – than expected
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
If you wanna make money you’ve gotta spend money. And against Samsung it’s gonna cost a lot
Analysis Three years after CEO Pat Gelsinger announced Intel would create a foundry business that took on contract manufacturing gigs, Chipzilla has committed to more than $185 billion in spending across new and existing fab, packaging, and test sites.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/intel_foundry_vision/
The Big Picture: Trump’s ongoing attempted coup
date: 2024-04-16, from: Robert Reich on Substack
His presidential campaign is treasonous
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-attempted-coup-is-ongoing
Classifieds – April 16, 2024
date: 2024-04-16, 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 16, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/classifieds-april-16-2024/
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down highways and bridges in major US cities
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
CHICAGO — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation’s most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway.
In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 leading into O’Hare International Airport around 7 a.m. in a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers.
Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was snarled for hours as demonstrators shut down all vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement across Interstate 880 in Oakland. Protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic on the major highway for about 45 minutes.
Protesters say they chose O’Hare in part because it is one of the largest airports. Among other things, they’ve called for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Anti- war protesters have demonstrated in Chicago near daily since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Israeli warplanes and ground troops have since conducted a scorched-earth campaign on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 33,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
O’Hare warned travelers on the social platform X to take alternative forms of transportation with car travel “substantially delayed this morning due to protest activity.”
Some travelers stuck in standstill traffic left their cars and walked the final leg to the airport along the freeway, trailing their luggage behind them.
Among them was Madeline Hannan from suburban Chicago. She was headed to O’Hare for a work trip to Florida when her and her husband’s car ended up stalled for 20 minutes. She got out and “both ran and speed walked” more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile). She said she made it to the gate on time, but barely.
“This was an inconvenience,” she said in a telephone interview from Florida. “But in the grand scheme of things going on overseas, it’s a minor inconvenience.”
While individual travelers may have been affected, operations at the airport appeared near normal with delays of under 15 minutes, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Inbound traffic toward O’Hare resumed around 9 a.m.
Near Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation said a demonstration closed the main road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags while standing on the highway, which reopened about three hours later.
About 20 protesters were arrested at the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and traffic resumed shortly after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol. The agency said officers were making arrests at two points on the interstate, including one spot where roughly 300 protesters refused orders to disperse,
“Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their destinations,” the agency said in a statement.
Oregon State Police said 52 protestors were were arrested for disorderly conduct following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 177 kilometers (110 miles) south of Portland. Six vehicles were towed from the scene.
New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially involved in the march around 3:15 p.m., but that number quickly grew. The bridge was fully reopened by 5 p.m.
In Chicago, dozens of protesters were arrested, according to Falaneh. Chicago police said Monday that “multiple people” were taken into custody after a protest where people obstructed traffic, but they did not have a detailed count.
Lectric XPress e-bike launched as $999 torque sensor commuter electric bike
date: 2024-04-16, from: Electrek Feed
In what should no longer come as a surprise to anyone, Phoenix-based Lectric Ebikes has done it again. With today’s launch of the Lectric XPress, the maker of North America’s #1 best-selling electric bike just entered yet another e-bike category with a new model designed to crush the competition.
Today in SCV History (April 16)
date: 2024-04-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1962 – Walt Disney donates bison herd to Hart Park. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-april-16/
‘Born this way’ falls short of the LGBTQIA+ experience
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
You might have gotten this one wrong, Lady Gaga: A lot of queer people don’t realize their identity until later in life.
The post ‘Born this way’ falls short of the LGBTQIA+ experience appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/born-this-way-falls-short-of-the-lgbtqia-experience/
How sports movies shape our identities
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Athletic films are more than just entertainment: They inspire us and mold our understanding of sports.
The post How sports movies shape our identities appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/how-sports-movies-shape-our-identities/
Fear the digital rapture
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
As more game companies and retailers transition to entirely digital sales models, our ownership of the games we play is called into question.
The post Fear the digital rapture appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/fear-the-digital-rapture/
Banning legacy admissions is only the first step
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Removing this preferential treatment won’t solve a broken admissions system.
The post Banning legacy admissions is only the first step appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/a-legacy-admissions-ban-is-only-a-first-step/
USC football had a worrisome week
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans lost two defensive players to the transfer portal, raising concerns about next season.
The post USC football had a worrisome week appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/usc-football-had-a-worrisome-week/
Designers unveil original pieces at spring show
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Fashion Industry Association presented “Sonder,” its latest entry into the canon of modern fashion.
The post Designers unveil original pieces at spring show appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/16/designers-unveil-original-pieces-at-spring-show/
Maui Fire Department to release after-action report on deadly Hawaii wildfires
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
HONOLULU — The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August — including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
The release comes one day before the Hawaii Attorney General is expected to release the first phase of a separate comprehensive investigation about the events before, during and after the Aug. 8 fires.
The reports could help officials understand exactly what happened when the wind-whipped fire overtook the historic Maui town of Lahaina, destroying roughly 3,000 properties and causing more than $5.5 billion in estimated damage, according to state officials.
The Western Fire Chiefs Association produced the after-action report for the Maui Fire Department. After-action reports are frequently used by military organizations, emergency response agencies, government entities and even companies to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s response to an emergency.
A similar after-action report was released by the Maui Police Department in February. It included 32 recommendations to improve the law enforcement agency’s response to future tragedies, including that the department obtain better equipment and that it station a high-ranking officer in the island’s communications center during emergencies.
Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged that one of its power lines fell and caused a fire in Lahaina the morning of Aug. 8, but the utility company denies that the morning fire caused the flames that burned through the town later that day. But dozens of lawsuits filed by survivors and victims’ families claim otherwise, saying entities like Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, large property owners or others should be held responsible for the damage caused by the inferno.
Many of the factors that contributed to the disaster are already known: Strong winds from a hurricane passing far offshore had downed power lines and blown off parts of rooftops, and debris blocked roads throughout Lahaina. Later those same winds rained embers and whipped flames through the heart of the town.
The vast majority of the county’s fire crews were already tied up fighting other wildfires on a different part of the island, their efforts sometimes hindered by a critical loss of water pressure after the winds knocked out electricity for the water pumps normally used to load firefighting tanks and reservoirs. County officials have acknowledged that a lack of backup power for critical pumps made it significantly harder for crews to battle the Upcountry fires.
A small firefighting team was tasked with handling any outbreaks in Lahaina. That crew brought the morning fire under control and even declared it extinguished, then broke for lunch. By the time they returned, flames had erupted in the same area and were quickly moving into a major subdivision. The fire in Lahaina burned so hot that thousands of water pipes melted, making it unlikely that backup power for pumps would have made a significant impact.
Cellphone and internet service was also down in the area, so it was difficult for some to call for help or to get information about the spreading fire — including any evacuation announcements. And emergency officials did not use Hawaii’s extensive network of emergency sirens to warn Lahaina residents.
The high winds made it hard at times for first responders to communicate on their radios, and 911 operators and emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed with hundreds of calls.
Police and electricity crews tried to direct people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked by downed power lines. Meanwhile, people trying to flee burning neighborhoods packed the few thoroughfares leading in and out of town.
The traffic jam left some trapped in their cars when the fire overtook them. Others who were close to the ocean jumped into the choppy waters to escape the flames.
NASA needs new ideas and tech to get Mars Sample Return mission off the ground
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Current plans are too expensive and slow, meaning China could win race to score red rocks
NASA still wants to proceed with its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission but needs its cost to drop – so it’s seeking help from the commercial space sector.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/nasa_msr_mission_update/
Org-mode Tutorial / Cheat Sheet (2012)
date: 2024-04-16, from: Tilde.news
http://emacsclub.github.io/html/org_tutorial.html
Broadcom throws VMware customers on perpetual licenses a lifeline
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Meanwhile, Gartner predicts massive market share loss and European regulators start asking questions
Broadcom has blinked, and made a couple of changes to support VMware customers who don’t want to move to its new software bundle subscriptions.…
On Tax Day, students protest US, USC’s role in Israel’s war in Gaza
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The demonstration, part of a nationwide effort, came as Middle East tensions are ramping up.
The post On Tax Day, students protest US, USC’s role in Israel’s war in Gaza appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/on-tax-day-students-protest-us-uscs-role-in-israels-war-in-gaza/
April 15, 2024
date: 2024-04-16, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
April 15 is a curiously fraught day in American history. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down a rebellion in the southern states. In 1865, Lincoln breathed his last at 7:22 a.m., and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who adored the president, said, “Now he belongs to the ages.”
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-15-2024
McKenzie Forbes, Kaitlyn Davis selected in 2024 WNBA draft
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Both Trojans were picked in the third round following the team’s Elite Eight season.
The post McKenzie Forbes, Kaitlyn Davis selected in 2024 WNBA draft appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/15/mckenzie-forbes-kaitlyn-davis-wnba-draft/
Alibaba Cloud reveals network telemetry tool that helped cut number of engineers needed by 86%
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Zoonet employs ‘elegant generalization of ping and traceroute’ among other tricks
Exclusive Alibaba Cloud has detailed the telemetry tool it uses to look out for glitches in customers’ virtual networks, and revealed it’s reduced the number of personnel dedicated to troubleshooting by 86 percent since developing the system.…
Biden meets Iraqi PM amid escalating Mideast tensions
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
As President Joe Biden hosted Iraq’s prime minister on Monday, all eyes were on Iran, which over the weekend made a historic first strike on Israel. That attack has inflamed concerns of a wider regional war, something the two leaders focused on during their Oval Office meeting. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-meets-iraqi-pm-amid-escalating-mideast-tensions/7571667.html
OpenAI launches Asian operations in Tokyo to avoid being lost in translation
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Local customers get early access to Japanese-language GPT-4
On Sunday, OpenAI announced the launch of its operations in Asia, beginning with a office in Tokyo, Japan. It’s OpenAI’s third outpost beyond the United States, following offices in London and Dublin.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/openai_tokyo_office/
‘WE DON’T TRUST YOU’ and ‘WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU’ light a spark in hip-hop
date: 2024-04-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Metro Boomin and Future’s two-part project reinvigorates excitement in the hip-hop scene and delivers hits, but drags on longer than it needs to.
The post ‘WE DON’T TRUST YOU’ and ‘WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU’ light a spark in hip-hop appeared first on Daily Trojan.
How to manage a quantum computing emergency
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: Educated Guesswork blog
https://educatedguesswork.org/posts/pq-emergency/
Konica Minolta and Fujifilm ponder JV to cut costs of printer businesses
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Japanese giants have big brands, but tiny shares of a shrinking market
Japanese imaging manufacturers Konica Minolta and Fujifilm have revealed talks aimed at creating a joint venture to handle printer manufacturing and R&D for both brands.…
NASA looking for faster, cheaper way to collect mars rocks
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/nasa-looking-for-faster-cheaper-way-to-collect-mars-rocks/7571642.html
Ukraine, Israel aid to hit US House floor as separate bills soon
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives will consider aid to Israel and Ukraine as separate legislation this week, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday, more than two months after the Senate passed a bill combining the two.
Leaving a meeting of House Republicans on Monday evening, Johnson said the narrowly divided chamber would consider four bills altogether that would also include aid to Taiwan, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific and U.S. national security priorities.
“We know that the world is watching us to see how we react,” Johnson told reporters. “They’re watching to see if America will stand up for its allies and in our own interest around the globe. And we will.”
U.S. aid has been delayed by Johnson’s unwillingness to consider a $95 billion bipartisan bill the Senate passed in February, including $14 billion for Israel as well as $60 billion for Ukraine.
Also included were billions to strengthen allies in the Indo-Pacific, where China is becoming more assertive, and for international humanitarian aid.
Johnson said the new House bills provide roughly the same amount of foreign aid as the Senate bill but would include differences including some aid in the form of a loan.
Republicans aim to release legislative text as early as Tuesday morning but will observe a 72-hour review period before voting. Johnson said votes on passage could come late on Friday.
The push to pass the aid gained urgency after Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack on Israel despite fierce opposition in the deeply divided Congress.
Three of the four bills Johnson suggested would cover Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. The makeup of the fourth was not immediately clear.
Backers had insisted the broad foreign aid measure passed with 70% support in the Senate would have received similar support in the House. However, Johnson had given a variety of reasons to delay, among them the need to focus taxpayer dollars on domestic issues and reluctance to take up a Senate measure without more information.
Johnson also faces a threat from a hard-right Republicans to oust him as speaker if he allows the Ukraine aid to move ahead. Many on the right, especially those closely allied with former President Donald Trump, who has been skeptical of assisting Kyiv in its fight against Russia, fiercely oppose sending billions more dollars to Ukraine.
The House Freedom Caucus - a group of Republican hardliners with about three dozen members - released a statement on Monday calling for aid to Israel, but not to Ukraine, and rejecting as “bogus” any suggestion that the attack on Israel should help ease the path toward more funds for Kyiv.
Representative Andy Biggs, a Freedom Caucus member, told reporters he liked the idea of separate bills, but had to see them before committing to voting for them.
Defense industry watching
The issue is closely watched by industry. U.S. defense contractors could be in line for huge contracts to supply equipment for Ukraine and other U.S. partners if the additional funding passes. Aid supporters stress that approving the Ukraine bill would create many American jobs.
The White House has been pushing Johnson to allow a vote, as have Senate Republicans and Democrats. “If House Republicans put the Senate supplemental (spending bill) on the floor, I believe it would pass today, reach the president’s desk tonight and Israel would get the aid it needs by tomorrow,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in the Senate on Monday.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told his fellow lawmakers: “It’s also time for Congress to deliver the urgent investments that our industrial base, our forces, and our partners will need to meet and out-compete the growing and linked threats we face.”
The top House Democrat, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, sent a letter to his caucus on Monday spelling out the need to support Ukraine as well as Israel.
“The gravely serious events of this past weekend in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress to act immediately. We must take up the bipartisan and comprehensive national security bill passed by the Senate forthwith,” Jeffries wrote.
Ukraine appealed again to allies on Monday for “extraordinary and bold steps” to supply air defenses to help defend against waves of Russian airstrikes that have targeted its energy system in recent weeks.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Ripley Ending Explained, What Happens to Tom Ripley?
Biden meets Iraqi PM amid escalating Mideast tensions
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
White House — As U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Iraq’s prime minister Monday, all eyes were on Iran, which over the weekend made a historic first strike on Israel.
That attack has inflamed concerns of a wider regional war — a situation that effectively eclipsed the leaders’ already-planned Oval Office meeting, where they wanted to discuss their mutual fight against Islamic State, economic issues and Iraq’s progress toward energy independence and modernization.
“The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the enduring strategic partnership between Iraq and the United States, and discussed their visions for comprehensive bilateral cooperation under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement,” the two leaders said in a joint statement after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met with Biden.
Meanwhile, White House officials disputed reports that Iran delivered a clear warning before the strike. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby called such reports “nonsense.”
“Can you imagine a world in which Iran would pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, we’re about to try to schwack Israel with 300 cruise missiles and drones. We just wanted to let you know it’s coming. And oh, by the way, here’s what we’re going to hit.’”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It just didn’t happen.”
He stressed that Israel’s response is “an Israeli decision to make,” and “we’re going to leave it squarely with them.”
Even though the United States is describing Iran’s aerial assault as a failure, Iraq’s leader acknowledged that the conflict between Israel and Hamas is of major concern in the region.
“We are actually very eager about stopping this war, which claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, women and children,” Sudani said, sitting beside Biden in the Oval Office. “And we encourage all the efforts about stopping the expansion of the area of conflict.”
The two nations have a delicate relationship after decades of U.S. military involvement in Iraq. U.S. anti-aircraft assets in northern Iraq were used to shoot down some of the Iranian missiles.
Biden said Iraq has a role to play in maintaining peace.
“Simply put, our partnership is pivotal for our nations, for the Middle East, and I believe, for the world,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Sudani’s deputy met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where both men hailed the regional cooperation that thwarted the attack and urged de-escalation.
“I think what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression, the victim of an attack,” Blinken said.
“In the 36 hours since, we have been coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation.”
“We call on all parties for self-restraint and respect the rules and also international norms that we set,” said Muhammad Ali Tamim, Iraq’s deputy prime minister.
The two leaders announced a raft of bilateral measures Monday, but none directly referenced Iran.
“The President and Prime Minister agreed on the importance of working together to advance regional stability and reinforce and respect Iraqi sovereignty, stability, and security,” their joint statement said.
The other agreements centered on the priorities the Biden administration outlined in March ahead of the visit: energy independence, regional security and the “lasting defeat of ISIS.”
But analysts say Baghdad should seize every diplomatic opportunity to seek peace.
“Iraq needs to make its preference for reduced escalation clear,” Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA on Zoom. “And that’s both talking to the Iranians, but also talking to other Arab states and talking to the United States, that this is negative from Iraq’s point of view, and that it wants all the powers to take responsible action to try to reduce escalation.”
As Israel mulls its response, regional actors are not sitting still. On Monday, Iraq’s president met with King Abdullah II of Jordan. According to Jordan’s royal court, they spoke about the dangers of this conflict escalating further.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-meets-iraqi-pm-amid-escalating-mideast-tensions/7571622.html
Los Alamos Lab powers up Nvidia-laden Venado supercomputer
date: 2024-04-16, updated: 2024-04-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Promises up to ten AI exaFLOPs of grunt – if you turn down the resolution a bit
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has flipped the switch on its Venado supercomputer – a machine capable of bringing ten exaFLOPS of performance to bear on AI workloads for the Department of Energy.…
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 […]
Supreme Court upholds Idaho ban on treatments for transgender minors
date: 2024-04-16, from: VOA News USA
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/
GHC 9.6.5 is now available
date: 2024-04-16, from: Glasgow Haskell Compiler
GHC 9.6.5 is now available
Zubin Duggal - 2024-04-16
The GHC developers are happy to announce the availability of GHC 9.6.5. Binary distributions, source distributions, and documentation are available on the release page.
This release is primarily a bugfix release addressing some issues found in the 9.6 series. These include:
-
Bumping the bundled
processlibrary to 1.6.19.0 to avoid a potential command injection vulnerability on Windows for clients of this library. This isn’t known to affect GHC itself, but allows users who depend on the installed version of theprocessto avoid the issue. -
Fixing a bug resulting in the distributed
hsc2hswrapper using flags from the compiler build environment (#24050). -
Disabling the
-fasm-shortcuttingoptimisation with-O2as it is known to result in unsoundess and incorrect runtime results in some cases (#24507). -
Ensuring we take
LDFLAGSinto account when configuring a linker (#24565). - Fixing a bug arising from incorrect parsing of paths containing spaces in the settings file (#24265).
- And many more fixes
A full accounting of changes can be found in the release notes. As some of the fixed issues do affect correctness users are encouraged to upgrade promptly.
We would like to thank Microsoft Azure, GitHub, IOG, the Zw3rk stake pool, Well-Typed, Tweag I/O, Serokell, Equinix, SimSpace, 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.
Enjoy!
-Zubin
http://haskell.org/ghc/blog/20240416-ghc-9.6.5-released.html