News gathered 2024-04-23
(date: 2024-04-23 09:44:26)
23 Apr 2024
date: 2024-04-24, from: Miguel de Icaza’s blog
Embeddable Game Engine
Many years ago, when working at Xamarin, where
we were building cross-platform libraries for mobile developers, we
wanted to offer both 2D and 3D gaming capabilities for our users in the
form of adding 2D or 3D content to their mobile applications.
For 2D, we contributed and developed assorted Cocos2D-inspired libraries.
For 3D, the situation was more complex. We funded a few over the years, and we contributed to others over the years, but nothing panned out (the history of this is worth a dedicated post).
Around 2013, we looked around, and there were two contenders at the time, one was an embeddable engine with many cute features but not great UI support called Urho, and the other one was a Godot, which had a great IDE, but did not support being embedded.
I reached out to Juan at the time to discuss whether Godot could be turned into such engine. While I tend to take copious notes of all my meetings, those notes sadly were gone as part of the Microsoft acquisition, but from what I can remember Juan told me, "Godot is not what you are looking for" in two dimensions, there were no immediate plans to turn it into an embeddable library, and it was not as advanced as Urho, so he recommended that I go with Urho.
We invested heavily in binding Urho and created UrhoSharp that would go into becoming a great 3D library for our C# users and worked not only on every desktop and mobile platform, but we did a ton of work to make it great for AR and VR headsets. Sadly, Microsoft’s management left UrhoSharp to die.
Then, the maintainer of Urho stepped down, and Godot became one of the most popular open-source projects in the world.
Last year, @Faolan-Rad contributed a patch to Godot to turn it into a library that could be embedded into applications. I used this library to build SwiftGodotKit and have been very happy with it ever since - allowing people to embed Godot content into their application.
However, the patch had severe limitations; it could only ever run one Godot game as an embedded system and could not do much more. The folks at Smirk Software wanted to take this further. They wanted to host independent Godot scenes in their app and have more control over those so they could sprinkle Godot content at their heart’s content on their mobile app (demo)
They funded some initial work to do this and hired Gergely Kis’s company to do this work.
Gergely demoed this work at GodotCon last year. I came back very excited from GodotCon and I decided to turn my prototype Godot on iPad into a complete product.
One of the features that I needed was the ability to embed chunks of Godot in discrete components in my iPad UI, so we worked with Gergely to productize and polish this patch for general consumption.
Now, there is a
complete patch
under review to allow people to embed arbitrary Godot scenes into
their apps. For SwiftUI users, this means that you can embed a Godot
scene into a View and display and control it at will.
Hopefully, the team will accept this change into Godot, and once this is done, I will update SwiftGodotKit to get these new capabilities to Swift users (bindings for other platforms and languages are left as an exercise to the reader).
It only took a decade after talking to Juan, but I am back firmly in Godot land.
https://tirania.org/blog/archive/2024/Apr-23.html
A Tesla Driver Using Autopilot Killed a Motorcyclist
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Autopilot still needs you to have your eyes on the road.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717171/tesla-autopilot-kill-motorcyclist/
Tesla officially unveils new Model 3 Performance with 0-60 mph in 2.9 sec
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has officially unveiled and opened orders for the new Model 3 Performance and confirmed a new 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 2.9 seconds.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/tesla-officially-unveils-new-model-3-performance/
May 18: NextGen MediaMakers Festival Invites Creatives, Students, Experts to Celebrate Media
date: 2024-04-23, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Valley Media Collaborative invites local creatives, media industry professionals, students, parents, teachers, and more to celebrate the next generation of media makers participating in the inaugural NextGen MediaMakers Festival on Saturday, May 18 from 2-5 p.m. at the Canyon Country Community Center.
Alec Baldwin’s coffee shop tormenter, who harassed him about ‘Rust’ killing and Palestine, is known social media provocateur
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
In a new viral video, Baldwin snatches the phone away from a self-described ‘clown’ and ‘ambush interviewer’ who harangues him at his local cafe over Israel-Hamas war and his upcoming manslaughter trial.
NFL Draft preview: Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian assess the trio of Pac-12 quarterbacks
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
The six-time NFL Executive of the Year shared his thoughts on Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix.
Replacing “iperf3” with “ntttcp” to measure networking throughput in reviews
date: 2024-04-23, from: Liliputing
One of the things I test when reviewing mini PCs for Liliputing is WiFi performance or network throughput. And up until recently I’ve used the popular iperf3 tool to do that, since it allows me to see how real-world performance compares with the speeds you’d expect from the specifications provided by WiFi chip makers. For […]
The post Replacing “iperf3” with “ntttcp” to measure networking throughput in reviews appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/replacing-iperf3-with-ntttcp-to-measure-networking-throughput-in-reviews/
Nissan LEAF and Ariya top most affordable EVs in Q1 as Hyundai, Tesla, Toyota close in
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
Electric vehicle prices have come down significantly, with the top five most affordable EVs in Q1 all selling for under $41,000. Two Nissan EVs topped the list, while Hyundai, Tesla, and Toyota electric models rounded out the top five.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/most-affordable-evs-q1-include-nissan-hyundai-tesla-toyota/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-23, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Will GenAI Kill The Web?
https://battellemedia.com/archives/2024/04/will-genai-kill-the-web
Microsoft Deleted Its LLM Because It Didn’t Get a Safety Test, But Now It’s Everywhere
date: 2024-04-23, from: 404 Media Group
Microsoft deleted its WizardLM 2 LLM because it didn’t go through “toxicity testing,” but it’s already all over the internet.
New York City’s Electric Rideshare Cars Surpass Two Million Trips In March
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
In the first quarter of 2024, NYC saved some 731,000 gallons of gas thanks to electric rideshare cars.
https://insideevs.com/news/717112/nyc-rideshare-evs-two-million-trips-march/
5 spring cookbooks to freshen up your cooking in 2024
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
This year’s flurry of glossy springtime-release cookbooks includes volumes by LA’s Kismet chefs and co-owners, New York Times food writers and more.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/23/5-spring-cookbooks-to-freshen-up-your-cooking/
GM shared our driving data with insurers without consent, lawsuit claims
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Motorists file class action alleging breach of contract and more after their premiums went up
Two New Jersey drivers claim they now pay more for their car insurance because General Motors (GM) and its OnStar app snooped on their driving behavior without their consent and sent metrics to “various insurance carriers.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/gm_insurance_class_action/
Tesla layoffs draw suit claiming not enough warning for California workers
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
Tesla “acted intentionally and with deliberate indifference and conscious disregard to the rights of its employees” by not giving a warning 60 days ahead as mandated by California law, according to the complaint filed in state court in San Jose.
SV Chat: Meet the man who programs those wild movies at Alamo Drafthouse
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
“It’s a strange thing to turn a passion into a full-time job …” says Jake Isgar, film programmer for Alamo Drafthouse theaters in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other locations.
Why Americans are losing their religion
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/why-americans-are-losing-their-religion-/7576935.html
African beats entice China and US investors
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
Africa’s entertainment industry is another stage where global competition between China and the U.S. is playing out. African artists see it as an opportunity. Kate Bartlett has the details from Johannesburg. Camera and video editing by Zaheer Cassim.
https://www.voanews.com/a/african-beats-entice-china-and-us-investors/7581616.html
Tesla Faces Its Most Important Earnings Call In Years. Here’s What Investors And Fans Want To Know
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
After a chaotic month, Tesla investors and analysts are looking to CEO Elon Musk for answers about robotaxis, plummeting sales and more.
https://insideevs.com/news/717032/tesla-q1-2024-preview/
iPhone sales dive 19.1% in China as Huawei comeback hits Apple in the high end
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
From first place to third as local brands grow
iPhone sales in China - the world’s largest smartphone market - slipped by 19.1 percent in Q1 year-over-year while many domestic brands rose, pushing Apple from first to third place.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/iphone_sales_decline_china/
This Is the Best Demonstration of Why Half Helmets Suck and It’s In Japanese
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
No translation needed.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717160/half-helmet-lacking-safety-japanese-video/
Alumnus of Peninsula high school killed by fall from beachside bluff
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
Jake Parker was reportedly attending a reunion party near UC Santa Barbara.
Can You Believe It?
date: 2024-04-23, from: John August blog
John welcomes writer and comedian Alex Edelman to look at how he wrote his solo show Just For Us, and dig into the meaning of “write what you know.” They discuss finding your voice as a writer, developing your story with an audience, why Alex doesn’t write his shows down, and the sample that first […] The post Can You Believe It? first appeared on John August.
https://johnaugust.com/2024/can-you-believe-it
Velocity Micro NoteMagix M15 Meteor Lake laptop is available with Windows or Linux
date: 2024-04-23, from: Liliputing
The Velocity Micro NoteMagix M15 is a 16 inch laptop with an Intel Meteor Lake processor, support for up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and two M.2 2280 slots with support for PCIe Gen 4×4 storage. It’s also Velocity Micro’s first laptop to be available with a choice of Windows or Linux operating systems pre-installed. […]
The post Velocity Micro NoteMagix M15 Meteor Lake laptop is available with Windows or Linux appeared first on Liliputing.
Stakes are high for Tesla’s quarterly results
date: 2024-04-23, from: Marketplace Morning Report
EV maker Tesla will release quarterly results after markets close on Tuesday, but the company has been struggling so far this year. Beset by stiff global competition, Tesla has been cutting prices and laying off workers. We’ll set the stage for the big financial release. Plus, high mortgage rates bring about a real estate quandary. And as part of this month’s Econ Extra Credit, we examine how baseball’s Negro Leagues navigated the Great Depression.
Bill allowing California kids to pull animals from fair auctions (and slaughter) faces opposition
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
Yes, future farmers know it’s living meat, not a pet. But sometimes they change their minds
Microsoft shrinks AI down to pocket size with Phi-3 Mini
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Language model focused on reasoning fits on a smartphone and runs offline
Microsoft claims the latest incarnation of its lightweight Phi-3 Mini AI model rivals competitors such as GPT-3.5 while being small enough to be deployed on a phone.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/microsoft_phi_3_mini/
49ers’ stars Warner, Purdy discuss life-changing events two days apart this offseason
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
From the valley to a peak – Fred Warner and Brock Purdy have both had massive, blissful life events in the aftermath of their Super Bowl loss.
Rivian R1 Gets Up To $5,000 Off When You Trade In A Toyota 4Runner
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
That’s not all. The trade-in vehicles are eligible for the discount include SUVs from Ford, Jeep, Audi and BMW too.
https://insideevs.com/news/717047/rivian-r1s-r1t-trade-in-discount/
Tesla Q1 2024 earnings preview: here’s what to expect
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla (TSLA) is about to release Q1 2024 financial results on Tuesday, April 23, after the markets close. As usual, a conference call and Q&A with Tesla’s management are scheduled after the results.
Here, we’ll take a look at what both the street and retail investors are expecting for the quarterly results.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/tesla-q1-2024-earnings-preview-what-to-expect/
Arres Prevent robot uses advanced AI to fight potholes [video]
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
A UK-based startup called Robotiz3d claims it’s invented a world’s first: an autonomous electric vehicle that can detect and seal cracks in a road’s surface to prevent potholes from forming.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/arres-prevent-robot-uses-advanced-ai-to-fight-potholes-video/
Berkeley Rep’s new season: From Mexican underground railroad to a Holocaust mystery
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
The company’s season offers new works by Jocelyn Bioh and Mary Zimmerman and a new take on ‘Uncle Vanya’ starring ‘Downton Abbey’s’ Hugh Bonneville.
Your page can’t change media features
date: 2024-04-23, from: Kilian Valkhof’s blog
Yesterday on Mastodon we had a short discussion about the (terribly named) overflow media feature. Because it has the same name as a CSS property it’s easy to think it has more power than it really does. Underlying that is the issue that your page can’t change the value of a media feature: media features […]
The post Your page can’t change media features first appeared on Kilian Valkhof.
https://kilianvalkhof.com/2024/css-html/your-page-cant-change-media-features/
Saratoga Dry Cleaners to close April 30 after 40 years
date: 2024-04-23, from: San Jose Mercury News
Owners cite pandemic’s financial impact.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/23/saratoga-dry-cleaners-to-close-april-30-after-40-years/
Digital Realty wants to turn Irish datacenters into grid-stabilizing power jugglers
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Electricity goes both ways as bit barns in Dublin aim to cut emissions and boost the bank
Datacenter biz Digital Realty is to let facilities in Ireland feed energy back to the electricity grid when needed, helping to smooth out variability in supply, cut CO2 emissions and provide an additional revenue stream.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/digital_realty_irish_grid/
KTM’s Updated XC And XC-F Dirt Bikes Give You Pro-Level Race Tech
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Will an improved chassis and upgraded tech make these bikes the ultimate cross country racers?
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717041/2025-ktm-xc-xcf-unveiled-dirt-bike/
Range Rover’s first 100% electric vehicle finally shows its face, a stunning modernist SUV
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
The first images of Range Rover’s fully electric SUV have been revealed, showing a modern take on the iconic SUV. Range Rover’s first electric SUV is being put through the paces ahead of its upcoming debut. Can Range Rover’s new EV compete with Porsche and other luxury automakers?
https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/range-rover-reveals-first-images-sleek-new-electric-suv/
Judgment Day Arrives For Elon Musk And Tesla
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
Plus, Subaru gets an AI-upgrade to EyeSight and American youth’s familiarity with Chinese EV makers spells trouble for U.S. brands.
https://insideevs.com/news/717121/tesla-elon-musk-warpath-earnings/
Explore the Universe with the First E-Book from NASA’s Fermi
date: 2024-04-23, from: NASA breaking news
To commemorate a milestone anniversary for NASA’s Fermi spacecraft, the mission team has published an e-book called “Our High-Energy Universe: 15 Years with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.” Readers can download the e-book in PDF and EPUB formats. The e-book is aimed at general audiences with an interest in space. Launched on June 11, 2008, […]
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/fermi/explore-the-universe-with-the-first-e-book-from-nasas-fermi/
Dollars Gone
date: 2024-04-23, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
If the City of Santa Barbara is in the red, who is paying for the construction/re design of the underpass at 101 and State Street?
The post Dollars Gone appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/23/dollars-gone/
AI Starts to Sift Through String Theory’s Near-Endless Possibilities
date: 2024-04-23, from: Quanta Magazine
Using machine learning, string theorists are finally showing how microscopic configurations of extra dimensions translate into sets of elementary particles — though not yet those of our universe.The post AI Starts to Sift Through String Theory’s Near-Endless Possibilities first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Hubble Celebrates 34th Anniversary with a Look at the Little Dumbbell Nebula
date: 2024-04-23, from: NASA breaking news
In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s legendary Hubble Space Telescope on April 24, astronomers took a snapshot of the Little Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Messier 76, M76, or NGC 650/651) located 3,400 light-years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Perseus. The photogenic nebula is a favorite target of amateur astronomers. M76 […]
Microsoft really does not want Windows 11 running on ancient PCs
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Even tighter requirements, so it’s time to put old hardware out to pasture… or find an alternative OS
Microsoft’s war on old PCs appears to have intensified as the latest builds of Windows 11 will not boot if your CPU does not support the SSE4.2 instruction set.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/windows_11_cpu_requirements/
Allye Energy wants to power your job site with used Land Rover batteries
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
A new startup is partnering with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on a new portable battery energy storage system designed to power your job site with used Range Rover and Range Rover Sport PHEV batteries.
Pushing the Limits of Sub-Kilowatt Electric Propulsion Technology to Enable Planetary Exploration and Commercial Mission Concepts
date: 2024-04-23, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has developed an advanced propulsion technology to facilitate future planetary exploration missions using small spacecraft. Not only will this technology enable new types of planetary science missions, one of NASA’s commercial partners is already preparing to use it for another purpose—to extend the lifetimes of spacecraft that are already in orbit. Identifying the opportunity […]
This Polaris Build Says “#Vanlife But Make It Off-Road”
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
A different kind of overlanding for a different kind of adventurer.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717034/polaris-xpedition-vanlife-custom-build/
AI Is Poisoning Reddit to Promote Products and Game Google With ‘Parasite SEO’
date: 2024-04-23, from: 404 Media Group
A market for manipulating Reddit using AI have emerged.
SAP cloud swells its topline, but profits slide
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Cloud migration good for margins, CEO says
SAP booked revenue of €8.04 billion ($8.58 billion) in the first calendar quarter of 2024, up eight percent on the same period of 2023.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/sap_reports_steady_revenue_growth/
Kia EV9 Price Cut By $7,500 With New Discount Offer
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
Kia’s new offer means the EV9 costs $48,895 with zero percent interest.
https://insideevs.com/news/717033/kia-ev9-price-incentive/
TeslaCam Catches Bystanders Rescuing Driver From Flaming Car On The Highway
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
The courageous bystanders braved the heat and small explosions from the wrecked gas car to save the driver’s life.
https://insideevs.com/news/717135/video-car-fire-rescue-highway/
Gary Horton | Happiness IS the Goal
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Signal
This is regarding David Hegg’s April 7 column, “Your Happiness Can Hurt You.” I’ve read Mr. Hegg’s columns for years now, with the response usually ranging between agreement and motivation to disillusionment of Hegg’s assumption of moral superiority bestowed on him by his organization. Mr. Hegg believes he speaks for the “almighty” – and thus […]
The post Gary Horton | Happiness IS the Goal appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/gary-horton-happiness-is-the-goal/
This All Electric Jet Ski Can Charge To Full in Just An Hour
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Silent hysterics with an EV jet ski? Sign us up.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717021/all-electric-jet-ski-viva/
What to Expect From Tesla’s Earnings Report
date: 2024-04-23, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: A cold front brought an enduring heat wave in Mexico to an end • Northwest Texas could see large hail this afternoon • It will be 60 degrees Fahrenheit and rainy in Ottawa, where delegates are gathering this week to hammer out a global plastics treaty.
THE TOP FIVE
- Investors wait anxiously for Q1 Tesla earnings
Tesla will report first-quarter earnings today after the markets close, and expectations are pretty low. Analysts think the EV maker will report at least a 4% drop in revenue compared to Q1 last year. In the earnings call, CEO Elon Musk will probably be keen to talk about his big plans for the robotaxi, but investors will want him to elaborate on more pressing issues, like waning demand, steep price cuts, the Cybertruck recall, and whether plans for a $25,000 Tesla have really been scrapped. They’ll be looking for Musk to be “the adult in the room,” said Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities analyst. As well as setting out a clear vision for the company’s future, investors may want Musk to acknowledge his recent missteps as a sign he’s ready to turn things around. But as Nick Winfield wrote at The Information, “expecting the truculent Tesla CEO to admit his mistakes is probably too much to ask for.” Tesla’s stock is down 41% this year. The company frantically cut prices on several models in the last few days and announced a round of big layoffs, which apparently included the entire U.S. marketing team and part of the design team.
- IEA: Global EV demand remains ‘robust’
Tesla might be flailing, but the International Energy Agency (IEA) seems to think the overall EV market is in good shape. In its latest Global EV Outlook report, the agency said it expects global demand for EVs to “remain robust” this year, “despite near-term challenges in some markets.” It anticipates that one in five cars sold worldwide in 2024 will be electric, and points to first-quarter sales, which grew by 25% compared to the same period of 2023. China will see incredible EV growth this year, with EVs accounting for about 45% of car sales. As EV prices continue to fall and supply chains improve, global demand will continue to rise. By 2035, “every other car sold globally is set to be electric” if today’s policies hold, the IEA said. “Rather than tapering off, the global EV revolution appears to be gearing up for a new phase of growth,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “This shift will have major ramifications for both the auto industry and the energy sector.” The report calls for growing charging networks to keep pace with EV sales.
- Asia is hardest-hit region for climate disasters
Asia was the region hit hardest by climate change-related disasters in 2023, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. The most deadly hazard last year was storm flooding.
WMO
The WMO says Asia (including sub-regions like the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Asia) is warming faster than the global average, and has experienced more than 3,600 natural disasters over the last 50 years, with losses soaring above $1 trillion. The new report comes as tens of thousands are being evacuated from Guangdong, China’s most populous southern province, due to extreme rainfall, and the United Arab Emirates works to repair the damage left by unprecedented flooding. This photo of abandoned vehicles in Dubai after last week’s storm is incredibly striking:
Francois Nel/Getty Images
- Study links 2021 fire season with PNW heat dome
A new study connects the dots between the record-breaking 2021 North American wildfire season and the “one-in-a-thousand-year” heat dome that settled over the Pacific Northwest in June of that year. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, found that human-caused climate change increased both the size and longevity of the 27-day heat dome, the former by about 34%, and the latter by 60%. About one-third of the area that burned was covered by the dome. The authors note that the heat wave would have been 150 times less likely to happen without climate change. “Climate change will continue to magnify heat dome events, increase fire danger, and enable extreme synchronous wildfire in forested areas of North America,” they wrote.
- New HeatRisk tool offers forecast for dangerous temperatures
Speaking of heat, the National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday launched an experimental online heat warning system ahead of what is expected to be one of the warmest summers on record. The HeatRisk tool is a seven-day forecast for potentially dangerous heat across the country. Regions are assigned one of five colors based on just how risky the temperature could get: green (little to no risk), yellow (minor risk), orange (moderate risk), red (major risk), magenta (extreme risk). Here’s the forecast for April 27, for example:
NOAA
Heat kills about 1,200 Americans every year, making it the top weather-related cause of death. In 2023, the hottest year on record, emergency rooms saw an uptick in visits from sweltering patients. The Weather Service is already forecasting above-average May – June temperatures for many parts of the country.
THE KICKER
Construction has officially begun on Brightline West, the high-speed rail line that will connect Las Vegas to Southern California.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/tesla-earnings-preview-q1
Mandiant: Orgs are detecting cybercriminals faster than ever
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The ‘big victory for the good guys’ shouldn’t be celebrated too much, though
The average time taken by global organizations to detect cyberattacks has dropped to its lowest-ever level of ten days, Mandiant revealed today.…
Keep The Rain Off You With This Weird Motorcycle Rain Hood
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The worst part about riding in the rain is getting wet. Would you ride with a device like this to stop it?
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717003/rain-riding-sepal-shield-india/
NetBSD 9.4 released
date: 2024-04-23, from: OS News
Hot on the heels of NetBSD 10.0 comes NetBSD 9.4, a minor release in the previous release branch. NetBSD 9.4 is primarily a bug and security fix release, however, there are some new features, such as support for more MegaRAID controllers, ZTE MF112 and D-Link DWM222 USB 3G modems, and improved CPU feature detection for newer AMD/Intel devices. All users of netbsd-9 should upgrade if they are not following the stable branch. ↫ NetBSD 9.4 release announcement A very important note here is that the version of OpenSSL in NetBSD 9.4 is no longer supported unless you have a support contract with OpenSSL. They suggest upgrading to NetBSD 10.0, or to use OpenSSL from pkgsrc.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139403/netbsd-9-4-released/
Tribblix SPARC milestone 30 released
date: 2024-04-23, from: OS News
Tribblix, the unique ilumos distribution – think Solaris – has a new SPARC milestone. It’s one of the few platforms still actively supporting SPARC, so even if the amount of users might be slim, I think it’s an important contribution to the ecosystem. The application software here roughly corresponds to m34 on x86 systems, although the underlying illumos is still closer to m25/m26. Note that there are no functional illumos changes from the m28 sparc release – if that release didn’t work on your system, this one won’t either. ↫ Peter Tribble I’m still looking for my mythical, unobtanium Sun Ultra 45, a goal farther away now than it’s ever been (Patreon maybe? One-time donation? Help me out after I took OSNews full-time?), and the SPARC version of Tribblix would be my first go-to.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139401/tribblix-sparc-milestone-30-released/
UnitedHealth admits breach could ‘cover substantial proportion of people in America’
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
That said, good old US healthcare system so elaborately costly some are forced to avoid altogether
UnitedHealth Group, the parent of ransomware-struck Change Healthcare, delivered some very unwelcome news for customers today as it continues to recover from the massively expensive side and disruptive digital break-in.…
RevZilla Puts Babies on Motorcycles and It Probably Isn’t a Good Idea
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
It probably won’t win you Dad of the Year from the NHTSA.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/717004/revzilla-babies-motorcycles-test-video/
WorldSBK’s Spinelli Subs For an Injured Petrucci At Assen Track
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Petrux continues to give us updates on his recovery.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716879/wsbk-spinelli-substitute-injured-petrucci/
Announcing the Hookdeck SDK on JSR
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: Deno blog
Hookdeck, an event gateway for distributed and async architecture, now has an SDK on JSR.
https://deno.com/blog/hookdeck-on-jsr
Online Censorship in Schools Leaves Teachers in the Lurch, Too
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Markup blog
Educators describe scrapped lesson plans, laborious appeal processes, and digital dysfunction in response to The Markup’s latest investigation
Making a flute controlled mouse
date: 2024-04-23, from: OS News
There is something about surprising interfaces: clapping to switch on lights is more fun than a flipping a switch. Pressing a panic-button to order a pizza is more fun than ordering via an app. Recently I came across this surprising interface: a flute controlled mouse cursor for a first person shooter. I recognize a good idea when I see one, and immediately wanted replicate the idea and make it freely available. So I got to work. ↫ Joren Six I don’t think I have ever seen something quite so unique.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139399/making-a-flute-controlled-mouse/
A venti flat white with an extra shot of labor relations, please
date: 2024-04-23, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments today on whether the National Labor Relations Board has to meet a higher burden of proof when intervening on behalf of workers trying to unionize. Starbucks is challenging some of the agency’s powers. We’ll hear more about the case in question. Plus, El Salvador’s unsafe reputation is transforming, but the country is heavily in debt. What are the economic realities. everyday Salvadorans?
Voyager 1 regains sanity after engineers patch around problematic memory
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
All from billions of miles away
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has begun returning usable engineering data after engineers devised a way to work around a damaged memory chip.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/voyager_1_engineering_updates/
Quad Lock Has New Mounts For Cruiser Motorcycles With Thick Bars
date: 2024-04-23, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
You can have it in either black or chrome to suit your steed’s styling.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716881/quad-lock-chrome-large-mounts/
U.K. approves delayed Rwanda migrant plan
date: 2024-04-23, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: The British government’s policy of sending migrants to the African nation of Rwanda is set to become law, but the United Nations and Europe’s highest court have urged the U.K. to drop the proposals. Then, two years since a state of emergency was introduced in El Salvador to try to reduce crime, the Central American country is safer but its economy is still struggling.
Leicester streetlights take ransomware attack personally, shine on 24/7
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
City council says it lost control after shutting down systems
It’s become somewhat cliché in cybersecurity reporting to speculate whether an organization will have the resources to “keep the lights on” after an attack. But the opposite turns out to be true with Leicester City Council following its March ransomware incident.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/leicester_streetlights_ransomware/
You can lease a Toyota bZ4X for next to nothing right now
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
Toyota is now leasing its one all-electric car, the bZ4X, for just $129/mo and $2k down.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/you-can-lease-a-toyota-bz4x-for-next-to-nothing-right-now/
Silicon Valley roundabout has drivers in a spin
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Accidents at intersection quadruple
The United States are widely free from roundabout tyranny with only one for every 33,330 people. A good thing too because people passing by Hollister, just south of Silicon Valley, can’t seem to grok their new one.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/silicon_valley_roundabout/
Smart Concept #5 Previews Brand’s First Midsize Electric SUV
date: 2024-04-23, from: Inside EVs News
The #5 is huge for a Smart and features a battery pack with over 100 kilowatt-hours of capacity.
https://insideevs.com/news/717095/smart-hashtag5-electric-suv/
Sun sets on Indio’s music-lover mecca
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was a sun-soaked feast for the senses.
The post Sun sets on Indio’s music-lover mecca appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/sun-sets-on-indios-music-lover-mecca/
Don’t rent out that container ship yet: CIOs and biz buyers view AI PCs with some caution
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Risky bet? Premium price with ‘no demonstrable benefits’? It doesn’t sound like an order avalanche
Italic text…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/cios_biz_buyers_on_ai_pcs/
A-BiRD uses Raspberry Pi to identify different species singing at the same time
date: 2024-04-23, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
A-BiRD’s audio data can provide insights into bird behaviour, species preferences, habitats, and migration patterns without human intervention.
The post A-BiRD uses Raspberry Pi to identify different species singing at the same time appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
Over a million Neighbourhood Watch members exposed through web app bug
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Unverified users could scoop up data on high-value individuals without any form of verification process
Neighbourhood Watch (NW) groups across the UK can now rest easy knowing the developers behind a communications platform fixed a web app bug that leaked their data en masse.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/neighbourhood_watch_privacy_bug/
The most important thing I teach my students
date: 2024-04-23, from: Robert Reich on Substack
And why Columbia’s faculty should issue a vote of no confidence in its president, Nemat Shafik
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-most-important-thing-i-teach
Meta comms chief handed six year Russian prison sentence for ‘justifying terrorism’
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Memo to Andy Stone: Don’t go to Russia for your holidays
Meta’s communications director Andy Stone has been sentenced in absentia to six years imprisonment in Russia for “justifying terrorism.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/meta_russian_prison/
The Pentagon’s 30-Year Lobbying Swindle
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Lever News
For decades, corporations have used taxpayer-funded fellowship opportunities to help them secure billion-dollar defense contracts.
https://www.levernews.com/the-pentagons-30-year-lobbying-swindle/
Classifieds – April 23, 2024
date: 2024-04-23, 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 23, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/classifieds-april-23-2024/
Today in SCV History (April 23)
date: 2024-04-23, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1986 – College of the Canyons board votes to allow Argentine cliff swallows to nest forever on sides of buildings. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-april-23/
I’ve become more Indian after moving abroad
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
International students need to make active efforts to embrace their roots at college.
The post I’ve become more Indian after moving abroad appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/ive-become-more-indian-after-moving-abroad/
‘Unbearable Hotness’ brings work and fun together in harmony
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The short yet entertaining student play manages to be hilarious and charismatic.
The post ‘Unbearable Hotness’ brings work and fun together in harmony appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/unbearable-hotness-brings-work-and-fun-together-in-harmony/
B1G spring game officially sends USC to a new conference
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans donned the Pac-12 logo for the last time at the summer-starting matchup.
The post B1G spring game officially sends USC to a new conference appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/b1g-spring-game-officially-sends-usc-to-a-new-conference/
Find solace in the words of women
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Sylvia Plath’s “Fig Tree” reflects the universal beauty of feminist literature.
The post Find solace in the words of women appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/find-solace-in-the-words-of-women/
Turner Classic Movies celebrates 30 years with annual film festival
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
TCM engaged fans with iconic films over four days of screenings in Hollywood.
The post Turner Classic Movies celebrates 30 years with annual film festival appeared first on Daily Trojan.
Get to know Gould’s new dean
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Franita Tolson has been with the Gould School of Law for the last five years.
The post Get to know Gould’s new dean appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/get-to-know-goulds-new-dean/
Women’s tennis pursues Pac-12 title
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
After losing to the Bruins, the Trojans will battle for a shot at the Pac-12 crown.
The post Women’s tennis pursues Pac-12 title appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/womens-tennis-pursues-pac-12-title/
Students discuss end of Khan Academy LSAT prep
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Khan Academy and the Law School Admission Council will end their partnership.
The post Students discuss end of Khan Academy LSAT prep appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/23/students-discuss-end-of-khan-academy-lsat-prep/
European Commission to suspend TikTok’s new rewards program, open second probe
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
For some reason the world’s most notorious app decided not to tick all boxes under the world’s toughest digital law
TikTok has earned itself a second investigation under the European Union’s Digital Services Act – and suspension of its rewards program – after failing to comply with the law in two important regards.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/ec_tiktok_lite_investigation/
Ukraine reports downing Russian drones as White House pledges quick aid delivery
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
Global EV sales are ‘robust’ – more than 1 in 5 cars sold in 2024 will be electric
date: 2024-04-23, from: Electrek Feed
More than 1 in 5 cars sold globally this year is expected to be electric, with surging demand projected over the next decade, says a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report.
Court to consider whether Trump violated gag order as hush money trial moves into second day
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
Misconfigured cloud server leaked clues of North Korean animation scam
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Outsourcers outsourced work for the BBC, Amazon, and HBO Max to the hermit kingdom
A misconfigured cloud server that used a North Korean IP address has led to the discovery that film production studios including the BBC, Amazon, and HBO Max could be inadvertently hiring workers from the hermit kingdom for animation projects.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/north_korea_animators/
Brahmas say goodbye to two sophomore players in final home game
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
The Pierce College softball team took an 8-0 loss against Moorpark College after battling against their pitcher at the start of the game. The Brahmas
The post Brahmas say goodbye to two sophomore players in final home game appeared first on .
Daily EV Recap: Remote excavators and solar EVs
date: 2024-04-23, 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/2024/04/22/daily-ev-recap-remote-excavators-and-solar-evs/
Australia secures takedown order for terror videos, which Elon Musk wants to fight
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Yet X remains a supporter of The Christchurch Call, an international agreement to stop video nasties
+Comment Australia’s government has secured a court order requiring Elon Musk’s social network, X, to remove all videos depicting a terrorist attack.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/australia_x_terror_video_takedown/
April 22, 2024
date: 2024-04-23, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-22-2024-0c5
Blinken returns to China amid ongoing tensions, with no breakthrough expected
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to China this week for talks with senior officials in Shanghai and Beijing to discuss a range of issues, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, the South China Sea, and human rights. State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching has more.
Columbia’s ongoing protests cause canceled classes and increased tensions
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — Columbia University held virtual classes Monday on the sixth continuous day of student protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
University president Nemat “Minouche” Shafik sent an email to the Columbia community announcing that classes would be held virtually.
“The decibel of our disagreements has only increased in recent days,” Shafik wrote. “These tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas. We need a reset.”
More than 100 students were arrested at the school April 18, after the university’s president authorized police to clear away protesters. Some of the students also received suspension notices from the school.
Columbia’s action prompted an onslaught of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at other universities and responses from faculty and politicians.
The arrests occurred after students calling themselves Columbia University Apartheid Divest erected dozens of tents on a lawn at the center of the campus, establishing it as the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”
Following the arrests and the demolition of the original encampment, another pro-Palestine encampment sprung on an adjacent lawn.
Students aren’t the only demonstrators experiencing tensions on campus and with the university administration.
Monday morning, Business School assistant professor Shai Davidai was denied entry to the university for an attempted pro-Israel counter-protest on the occupied lawn after he refused to comply with the university’s counter-protest policies.
“I am a professor here; I have every right to be everywhere on campus. You cannot let people who support Hamas on campus, and me, a professor, not on campus. Let me in now,” he said after Columbia COO Cass Halloway stopped him and other pro-Israel protesters at the entrance gates.
He has repeatedly called student protesters “violent maniacs” and “pro-Hamas terrorists.” A petition calling for Davidai’s dismissal has amassed nearly 9,000 signatures as of last Thursday night; additional grievances have been shared on social media and with the university.
Some Jewish students at Columbia say that many criticisms of Israel are antisemitic and make them feel unsafe.
Since the arrests, many student groups and Columbia affiliate groups have released statements condemning the university’s decision to arrest students, citing discriminatory enforcement of rules that limit students’ freedom of speech.
Monday, hundreds of faculty members from across Columbia and Barnard staged a rally and walkout to urge the university to reverse the students’ suspensions. Some faculty members wore their graduation regalia and sashes reading “We support students.”
The backlash from the protests has even reached the ear of U.S. President Joe Biden. When asked about the recent events at the university by reporters Monday, Biden said, “I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I have set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
Other campuses, such as Yale, Stanford, and New York University have also rallied around the Palestinian cause, calling for their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel and for a ceasefire in Gaza. Many have put up tent encampments on their campuses. About 50 students were arrested at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, Monday after they refused to leave their encampment.
Student protesters at Columbia have urged organizers of rallies outside the campus to “remember what we are protesting for” and focus on the war in Gaza, rather than just expressing solidarity with protesters.
The university announced Tuesday morning that classes on the Morningside main campus, where the protests are taking place, will be offered in a hybrid format for the remainder of the Spring semester. The last day of classes is April 29.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters and the Associated Press.
April 22, 2024
date: 2024-04-23, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
With the passage of the national security supplemental bill through the House of Representatives on Saturday, Punchbowl News noted today, President Joe Biden became the winner of this Congress. When the Republicans took control of the House in January 2023, they vowed to impeach Biden and members of his Cabinet, overturn the signature legislation the Democrats had passed in 2021 and 2022, and force the Democrats to accept draconian immigration policies.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-22-2024
Schiavo presents million-dollar state investment for river project
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Signal
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D- Chatsworth, presented a check for $1 million to the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency on Sunday morning with the goal of supporting the removal of Arundo, an invasive species of perennial grass, from the Santa Clara River watershed. “We were really excited to be able to secure a million dollars to […]
The post <strong>Schiavo presents million-dollar state investment for river project</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/schiavo-presents-million-dollar-state-investment-for-river-project/
Japan to draw up routes for roads dedicated to robot trucks
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Digital reform conference sees PM repeat calls to get online government services right at last
Usually when a government announces it’s drawing up a digitalization roadmap, it’s being metaphorical. In Japan’s case, it’s quite literal: roadways dedicated to autonomous vehicles handling logistics-related traffic will be mapped out.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/japan_autonomous_logistics_roads/
Supreme Court to hear Trump’s claims of presidential immunity
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/supreme-court-to-hear-trump-s-claims-of-presidential-immunity/7581056.html
Old Windows print spooler bug is latest target of Russia’s Fancy Bear gang
date: 2024-04-23, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Putin’s pals use ‘GooseEgg’ malware to launch attacks you can defeat with patches or deletion
Russian spies are exploiting a years-old Windows print spooler vulnerability and using a custom tool called GooseEgg to elevate privileges and steal credentials across compromised networks, according to Microsoft Threat Intelligence.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/russia_fancy_bear_goose_egg/
Photos: I Found Love book signing
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Signal
Local author Veronica Bornn had a book signing event at Barnes & Noble located in Valencia. She signed copied of her book titled “I Found Love: My Journey of Hope, Perseverance, and Finding True Love.” The autobiographical book, first published in 2020, tells the story of Bornn, “an immigrant whose life was shaped and molded […]
The post Photos: I Found Love book signing appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/photos-i-found-love-book-signing/
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital marks National Volunteer Week
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Signal
News release Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is recognizing its valued volunteers during National Volunteer Week, which runs April 21-27. Over 250 volunteers — adult, teen and canine — give generously of their time every day to assist Henry Mayo’s patients, visitors, staff and physicians, the hospital said in a news release. Since the hospital opened its […]
The post Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital marks National Volunteer Week appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/henry-mayo-newhall-hospital-marks-national-volunteer-week/
The Role of the Buyer’s Agent in the Real Estate Transaction (Part One)
date: 2024-04-23, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
By Michele Allyn2024 PresidentSanta Barbara Association of Realtors As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of real estate we are hearing
The post The Role of the Buyer’s Agent in the Real Estate Transaction (Part One) appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Trump, Biden both cautious, vague on marijuana positions
date: 2024-04-23, from: VOA News USA
Marijuana is a rare consensus issue in politically divided America, with polls showing that 88 percent of Americans support at least partially legalizing the drug. But cannabis advocates say neither of the leading presidential candidates are capitalizing on shifting attitudes. VOA Correspondent Scott Stearns has our story.
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-biden-both-cautious-vague-on-marijuana-positions/7581022.html
Los Alamos Ranch Sold for Record Price
date: 2024-04-23, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Rancho San Juan, 3,000 acres of land located in Los Alamos, sold in April for $15,750,000. The broker describes the ranch as
The post Los Alamos Ranch Sold for Record Price appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/los-alamos-ranch-sold-for-record-price/
City Council to move on speed-cushion talk
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Signal
The Santa Clarita City Council on Tuesday is expected to bring back a discussion on the process behind how new speed humps, or “cushions,” are installed. City officials last talked in February about what it takes for residents requesting a speed cushion to have their street surveyed, the removal process and the financial responsibility for […]
The post City Council to move on speed-cushion talk appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/city-council-to-move-on-speed-cushion-talk/
Detectives seize drugs, arrest 1 in Canyon Country
date: 2024-04-23, from: The Signal
Narcotics Bureau detectives working out of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station arrested a man after seizing bags of methamphetamine in his home about 500 feet from Leona Cox Elementary School in Canyon County, according to court records obtained by The Signal. Investigators were alerted to the activity at a home on the residential cul-de-sac […]
The post Detectives seize drugs, arrest 1 in Canyon Country appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/detectives-seize-drugs-arrest-1-in-canyon-country/
Limits of War
date: 2024-04-23, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The USA is the largest producer of weapons in the world and also the largest exporter.
The post Limits of War appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/limits-of-war/
For Less Than a Dollar
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The 99 Cents Only Store has left the building. Not quite yet but soon.
The post For Less Than a Dollar appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/for-less-than-a-dollar/
Sometimes a camera is not just a camera!
date: 2024-04-22, from: Om Malik blog
Over a year ago, Opal Camera CEO Veeraj Chugh and his co-founder, Stefan Sohlstrom, convinced me to replace my trusted Logitech Streamcam with their new sleek device, Opal C1. The Opal C1 is a beautifully designed (temporarily disabled) 4k webcam that was better than what others had to offer. Opal also sells another cute and well-designed webcam called Tadpole, primarily for Windows Laptop users. Every startup …
https://om.co/2024/04/22/sometimes-a-camera-is-not-just-a-camera/
Rivian is offering discounts up to $5k off a new R1 when you trade in your dusty old gas vehicle
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
In honor of Earth Day, Rivian has introduced a new “Electric Upgrade” offer, where new customers can take advantage of varying discounts on an R1S or R1T EV for trading in certain combustion models. There are other terms to qualify; learn more below.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/rivian-offering-discounts-up-to-5k-off-a-new-r1-trade-in-gas-vehicle/
DACC Pays Recognition to Volunteers
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
As Volunteer Appreciation Week approaches, the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to all its dedicated volunteers who tirelessly contribute to DACC’s mission of advancing the well-being of animals and people in the County
https://scvnews.com/dacc-pays-recognition-to-volunteers/
Super73 Has New Special Editions E-Bikes Built For Every Rider
date: 2024-04-22, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
A perfect beach cruiser or commuter with style.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716972/super73-2024-lineup-special-editions-e-bikes/
The Hyundai Kona Electric Now Starts At $26,550 Thanks To A New Deal
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
With the Chevy Bolt EUV gone, is the Kona EV the next great affordable electric crossover?
https://insideevs.com/news/717036/kona-electric-7500-incentive/
Lancaster man arrested on suspicion of burglary
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Signal
A 47-year-old Lancaster man was arrested last week by Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies on suspicion of burglary following a three-day investigation, according to station officials. The arrest was made on Thursday last week, several days after deputies responded to the 29000 block of Via Diamante on April 15 at approximately 3 a.m. for […]
The post <strong>Lancaster man arrested on suspicion of burglary</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/lancaster-man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-burglary/
Sols 4161-4163: Double Contact Science
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
Earth planning date: Friday, April 19, 2024 Curiosity has a three-sol weekend plan coming up as it makes progress along the edge of upper Gediz Vallis ridge. We have observations planned to investigate multiple bedrock targets with interesting rippled textures, dark-toned float, and the ridge. With two contact science targets, lots of targeted and untargeted […]
Deputies: Transient arrested after reportedly assaulting peace officer
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Signal
An 18-year-old transient woman was arrested by Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies last week on suspicion of assaulting a peace officer and trespassing, according to station officials. At approximately 3:45 p.m. on Thursday last week, deputies observed a woman trespassing near the 23000 block of Newhall Avenue and went up to contact her for […]
The post Deputies: Transient arrested after reportedly assaulting peace officer appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/04/deputies-transient-arrested-after-reportedly-assaulting-peace-officer/
What we learned inside a North Korean internet server
date: 2024-04-22, from: OS News
A misconfigured North Korean Internet cloud server has provided a fascinating glance into the world of North Korean animation outsourcing and how foreign companies might be inadvertently employing North Korean companies on information technology (IT) projects. The incident also underlines how difficult it is for foreign companies to verify their outsourced work is not potentially breaking sanctions and ending up on computers in Pyongyang. ↫ Martyn Williams at 38 North What an absolutely wild story.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139397/what-we-learned-inside-a-north-korean-internet-server/
Maravilla Residents “Pump It for Parkinson’s”
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara Seniors took more than 30,000 steps to build awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
The post Maravilla Residents “Pump It for Parkinson’s” appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/maravilla-residents-pump-it-for-parkinsons/
Protest group says Google has fired more staff over sit-ins opposing work for Israel
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Group of now-ex Googlers say 50 folks have been let go, vow ongoing protests
After firing 28 people for protesting its cloud deal with Israel by occupying its offices, Google reportedly spent the weekend letting go of more staff to bring the number of employees let go over the incident to an even 50.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/google_project_nimbus_firings/
April 24: Canyon Country Farmer’s Market Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Canyon Country Farmers Market will be celebrating their two-year anniversary Wednesday, April
https://scvnews.com/april-24-canyon-country-farmers-market-celebrates-two-year-anniversary/
Henry Mayo Auxiliary Fulfills $600K Patient Tower Pledge
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Auxiliary presented a $35,000 check Monday to the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation for the foundation’s Patient Tower Capital Campaign
https://scvnews.com/henry-mayo-auxiliary-fulfills-600k-patient-tower-pledge/
Isla Vista Cliff Victim Identified
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Jacob Parker, 23, of San Diego was a UC Santa Barbara alum.
The post Isla Vista Cliff Victim Identified appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/isla-vista-cliff-victim-identified/
Jackson Gillies Releases His First Full-Length Album
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
On Friday, April 26, Jackson Gillies is hosting a listening party at Carpinteria’s Alcazar Theatre to celebrate the release of his debut album, ‘High & Low.’
The post Jackson Gillies Releases His First Full-Length Album appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/jackson-gillies-releases-his-first-full-length-album/
US begins talks on withdrawal of troops from Niger
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/7580624.html
LEVER TIME PREMIUM: Democratic Voters Fight The Party Machine
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Lever News
On this week’s bonus episode of Lever Time, Arjun Singh and Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh explore Democrats’ winter and spring of discontent.
https://www.levernews.com/lever-time-premium-democratic-voters-fight-the-party-machine/
Tesla skirts Austin’s environmental rules at Texas gigafactory
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has used a new Texas state law to exempt its Austin gigafactory from Austin’s environmental regulations, as reported by Austin Business Journal.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/tesla-skirts-austins-environmental-rules-at-texas-gigafactory/
White House weighs immigration relief for spouses of US citizens
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
washington — The White House is weighing ways to provide temporary legal status and work permits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are married to American citizens, three sources familiar with the matter said on Monday, a move that could energize some Democrats ahead of the November elections.
Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups have pressured President Joe Biden to take steps to protect immigrants in the country illegally as Biden simultaneously considers executive actions to reduce illegal border crossings.
Immigration has emerged as a top voter concern, especially among Republicans ahead of the Nov. 5 election pitting Biden, a Democrat, against his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. Trump has said Biden’s less restrictive policies have led to a rise in illegal immigration.
The White House in recent months has considered the possibility of executive actions to block migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border if crossings reach a certain threshold, sparking criticism from some Democrats and advocates.
The Biden administration also has examined the possible use of “parole in place” for spouses of U.S. citizens, the sources said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The temporary status would provide access to work permits and potentially a path to citizenship. No actions are imminent or finalized, the sources said.
A White House spokesperson said the administration “is constantly evaluating possible policy options” but declined to confirm discussions around specific actions.
“The administration remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible for relief can receive it quickly and to building an immigration system that is fairer and more humane,” the spokesperson said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the possible moves.
An estimated 1.1 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally are married to U.S. citizens, according to data by advocacy organization FWD.us.
A group of 86 Democrats sent a letter to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last year urging them to protect spouses of U.S. citizens and create a family reunification process for those outside the country.
Speaking at an advocacy press conference in Washington on Monday, Philadelphia resident and U.S. citizen Allyson Batista said her Brazilian-born husband still lacks legal immigration status after 20 years of marriage.
Batista and her husband have three children together and run a construction company, she said, pleading with Biden to act.
“Year after year, we continue to live in trauma and fear of separation,” she said, “especially if an unfriendly administration takes over again.”
Majority of Advisory Committee on Muslim Life at USC resigns
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
President Carol Folt had convened the 19-member committee in Spring 2023. On Friday, 11 of them quit in protest of the University’s decision to cancel Asna Tabassum’s valedictory speech.
The post Majority of Advisory Committee on Muslim Life at USC resigns appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/22/majority-of-advisory-committee-on-muslim-life-at-usc-resigns/
Wind Energy off Morro Bay Faces Fisher Lawsuit and Marine Sanctuary Issues
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Morro Bay and Port San Luis fishers want effects on sea life to be monitored, while Northern Chumash tribe negotiates with feds on cable location in proposed marine sanctuary.
The post Wind Energy off Morro Bay Faces Fisher Lawsuit and Marine Sanctuary Issues appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Entries Needed for ‘Creature Feature’ Art Show
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Acton/Agua Dulce Arts Council has announced a call for entries for “Creature Feature,” a juried art exhibition, with a theme of any living creature
https://scvnews.com/entries-needed-for-creature-feature-art-show/
49ers look to add youth, depth to a stacked roster in NFL Draft
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
49ers general manager addressed his team’s approach to the 2024 NFL Draft with the intention of not revealing too much.
Threats prompt school closures in Palo Alto, Orinda
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
No injuries were immediately reported at either campus, and authorities did not specify the nature of the threats.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/22/threats-prompt-school-closures-in-palo-alto-orinda/
Acton/Agua Dulce Arts Council Announces Call for Photographers
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Acton/Agua Dulce Arts Council has announced a call for entries for a juried exhibit open to all photographers, both professional and amateur
https://scvnews.com/acton-agua-dulce-arts-council-announces-call-for-photographers/
Federal judge finds ‘strong evidence’ Alameda prosecutors deliberately kept Black and Jewish people off juries
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
The finding has broad and far-reaching implications regarding old convictions in the Alameda County justice system.
Tokyo wags finger at Google for blocking Yahoo Japan! from using ad tech
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Seven years of stonewalling and no consequences for advertising giant
Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has concluded that Google unfairly blocked its local Yahoo! rival from accessing advertising technology, but will not fine the Chocolate Factory.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/google_yahoo_japan/
Pac-12 finances: Cal, Stanford carrying budget shortfalls as they prepare to enter ACC at partial revenue shares
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
The Bay Area schools are heavily reliant on support from campus to fund their athletic operations.
@Chris Coyier blog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Chris Coyier blog)
Most internet travels by wire. Straight through the dang ocean. Josh Dzieza in a feature for The Verge: These fragile wires are constantly breaking — a precarious system on which everything from banks to governments to TikTok depends. But thanks to a secretive global network of ships on standby, every broken cable is quickly fixed. […]
https://chriscoyier.net/2024/04/22/11294/
Lilbits: Farewell to the Zilog Z80, hello to the next Chromecast (maybe)
date: 2024-04-22, from: Liliputing
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor that first hit the market in the 1970s. It was the beating heart of classic computers like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the TRS-80, as well as game consoles like the Sega Master System. And it’s been in production pretty much non-stop for decades. But its time is […]
The post Lilbits: Farewell to the Zilog Z80, hello to the next Chromecast (maybe) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/lilbits-farewell-to-the-zilog-z80-hello-to-the-next-chromecast-maybe/
NASA Astronaut to Inspire Artemis Generation in Boston
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
April 22, 2024 NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, along with representatives from NASA and the International Space Station National Laboratory, will visit Boston on Wednesday, April 24, and Thursday, April 25, as part of the agency’s Destination Station to highlight research opportunities aboard the station. Destination Station was created to educate the public and engage prospective […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-to-inspire-artemis-generation-in-boston/
NASA Invites Media to Learn About New Tech Mission Powered by the Sun
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
A new NASA mission is testing a new way to navigate our solar system by hoisting its sail into space – not to catch the wind, but the propulsive power of sunlight. NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is led by the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The microwave oven-sized CubeSat is scheduled to launch aboard a […]
U.S. Non-Tesla EV Sales Slowed Down In Q1 2024, But There Are Some Clear Winners
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
Ford is the only brand besides Tesla that sold over 20,000 EVs. Kia, BMW and Hyundai exceeded 10,000, while Cadillac’s EV share surged.
https://insideevs.com/news/716996/us-ev-sales-q1-2024/
The top 10 most expensive home sales in Oakland, reported the week of April 15
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
A house that sold for $3 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Oakland in the past week.
Report: Fix child exploitation tipline before AI makes it worse
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
The system is behind technologically and plagued by a constant challenge among government and nonprofit tech platforms: the lack of highly skilled engineers, who can get paid far higher salaries in the tech industry. Sometimes those employees are even poached by the same companies that send in the reports.
Paying for it doesn’t make it a market
date: 2024-04-22, from: OS News
Cory Doctorow, nailing it as usual. If you care about how people are treated by platforms, you can’t just tell them to pay for services instead of using ad-supported media. The most important factor in getting decent treatment out of a tech company isn’t whether you pay with cash instead of attention – it’s whether you’re locked in, and thus a flight risk whom the platform must cater to. ↫ Cory Doctorow I’m sick and tired of the phrase “if you’re not paying for the product, you’re the product”, because it implies that if just you pay for a product or service, you’re not going to be treated like ass. The problem is, as Doctorow points out, that this simply is not supported by the evidence, and that it isn’t whether or not you’re paying that makes you have a good or bad experience – it’s whether or not you’re locked in. If you’ve got nowhere else to go, then corporations can treat you like ass. There are so, so many free services and products I use where I’m anything but a “product”. My Linux distribution of choice, Fedora. My web browser, Firefox. The countless open source applications I use on my desktops, laptops, and smartphone. Those are all cases where even though I’m not paying, I know I’m being treated with respect, and I feel entirely comfortable with all of those. And no, you don’t get to exclude the open source world just because it’s inconvenient for the “you’re the product” argument. There are also countless services and products where the opposite is true; I’m a paying customer, but I still feel like I’m the product. I pay for additional Google Drive storage. I pay for an Office 364 subscription because I needed it as a translator (I’m working on OSNews full-time now, and could use your help keeping the site going), but I can’t cancel it because my wife, my parents, and my parents-in-law use that same subscription. We pay for Netflix and one or two other video services. I don’t know if our ISP or wireless provider do anything malicious, but it wouldn’t surprise me. And so on. Being a paying customer means nothing. It’s how easy it is for you to stop being a customer that matters.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139393/paying-for-it-doesnt-make-it-a-market/
Rivian (RIVN) reaffirms Georgia EV plant commitment as state presses for answers
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Rivian (RIVN) is still planning to build electric vehicles in Georgia, just not as soon as expected. After delaying construction, Rivian reaffirmed its commitment to an EV manufacturing plant in GA.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/rivian-reaffirms-ga-ev-plant-commitment-state-presses-more/
Richmond: Driver accused of two hit-and-run crashes, including one killing 6-year-old Little Leaguer nicknamed ‘Big Bat’
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
The driver admitted to drinking liquor and taking a painkiller before getting behind the wheel, authorities say.
FBI and friends get two more years of warrantless FISA Section 702 snooping
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Senate kills reform amendments, Biden swiftly signs bill into law
US lawmakers on Saturday reauthorized a contentious warrantless surveillance tool for another two years — and added a whole bunch of people and organizations to the list of those who can be compelled to spy for Uncle Sam.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/fisa_section_702_renewed/
These are the best-selling used EVs – and what’s being traded in for them
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Used car retailer CarMax just released its latest used EV sales data, and while the leaders are the same, their prices aren’t.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/best-selling-used-evs-2024/
The Home Page | Cottages, Kitchens, and Carrizo
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on April 21, 2024. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter
The post The Home Page | Cottages, Kitchens, and Carrizo appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/the-home-page-cottages-kitchens-and-carrizo/
Attempted Sexual Assault in the USU
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
An attempted sexual assault in the men’s restrooms near the CSUN University Student Union computer labs was reported on Monday morning. An alert was issued by the Department of Police…
https://sundial.csun.edu/180927/news/attempted-sexual-assault-in-the-usu/
How to talk about Israel and Gaza on a college campus (or anywhere else)
date: 2024-04-22, from: Robert Reich on Substack
Seeking moral clarity
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-talk-about-israel-and-gaza
How to Use Experimental Swift Versions and Features in Xcode
date: 2024-04-22, from: Michael Tsai
Donny Wals: We can click the Universal download link to install the Swift toolchain that you’re interested in. For example, if you’re eager to try out a cutting edge feature like Swift 6’s isolation regions feature you can download the trunk development toolchain. Or if you’re interested in trying out a feature that has made […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/22/how-to-use-experimental-swift-versions-and-features-in-xcode/
Apple Maps in Tokyo
date: 2024-04-22, from: Michael Tsai
Joe Rosensteel: When searching for a business, like your hotel which is part of a very large hotel chain, Google will show the one saved in your list as the first search result when you start typing. Apple Maps will show you the search results in the same order you’d see them otherwise, but it […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/22/apple-maps-in-tokyo/
Hackintosh Is Almost Dead
date: 2024-04-22, from: Michael Tsai
Aleksandar Vacić (via Hacker News, Ric Ford): It’s true that latest macOS 14 (Sonoma) still supports the latest generations of Intel Macs and it’s very likely that at least one or two major versions will still be compatible. But there’s one particular development that is de-facto killing off the Hackintosh scene. In Sonoma, Apple has […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/22/hackintosh-is-almost-dead/
The Apple Jonathan
date: 2024-04-22, from: Michael Tsai
Stephen Hackett (Hacker News): Those four machines are well known, but there was a fifth possibility in the mix, named the Jonathan. In his book Inventing the Future, John Buck writes about the concept, which was led by Apple engineer Jonathan Fitch starting in the fall of 1984.This concept envisioned a computer that would expand […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/04/22/the-apple-jonathan/
Full Belly Files | Southern Charm and Chow, Part Two: Savannah, Georgia
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
This is the second part of our spring break adventure; part one was about Charleston.
The post Full Belly Files | Southern Charm and Chow, Part Two: Savannah, Georgia appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Marcia Mayeda | Current Challenges in Animal Sheltering
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Recently I had the opportunity, along with spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein and Inland Valley Humane Society & SPCA President Nikole Bresciani, to meet with NBC 4 reporter Kathy Vara to discuss the current challenges facing animal sheltering organizations
https://scvnews.com/marcia-mayeda-current-challenges-in-animal-sheltering/
A close look at the new Tesla Model 3 Performance
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
We get a close look at the new Tesla Model 3 Performance for the first time as it is about to be unveiled.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/a-close-look-at-the-new-tesla-model-3-performance/
Scientists Clone Two Black-Footed Ferrets From Frozen Tissues in Conservation Effort
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The aim of cloning the animals is to increase the genetic diversity of the endangered species
Biden commits $7B to low-income solar, expands climate corps on Earth Day
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
President Biden is marking Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in grants for low-income households to go solar, and expanding his administration’s US Climate Corps.
VW Is Launching A New EV Truck Brand. Its Dealers Are Pissed They Might Get Cut Out
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
Honda’s Afeela brand with Sony faces the same problem: dealers who don’t want direct sales, now or ever.
https://insideevs.com/news/716994/vw-scout-honda-afeela-dealers/
PG&E strives to slow pace of increases in electric and gas bills: company CEO
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
PG&E’s top boss held out hope Monday to the utility’s beleaguered ratepayers that they can expect customer monthly bills to reduce.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
The continent generated 43% of its electricity from renewable resources last year, up from 36% the year before, the agencies say in their European State of the Climate report for last year. More energy in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels for the second year running.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/22/europe-is-the-fastest-warming-continent-on-the-planet/
US State Department outlines pressing threats to global human rights
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Are Pollsters Getting Climate Change Wrong?
date: 2024-04-22, from: Heatmap News
Climate change either is or isn’t the biggest issue of our time. It all depends on who you ask — and, especially, how.
In March, as it has since 1939, Gallup asked Americans what they thought was the most important problem facing the country. Just 2% of respondents said “environment/pollution/climate change” — fewer than those who said “poor leadership” or “unifying the country” (although more than those who said “the media.”) Pew, meanwhile, asked Americans in January what the top priority for the president and Congress ought to be for this year, and “dealing with climate change” ranked third-to-last out of 20 issues — well behind “defending against terrorism,” “reducing availability of illegal drugs,” and “improving the way the political system works.”
The Biden administration seems to be taking the apparent message to heart, softening parts of its climate agenda while Democrats in tight elections run interference with their economy-first constituents. Mention of the Inflation Reduction Act, the president’s landmark climate legislation, still mostly elicits blank stares from Americans, and the administration hasn’t done much to help its case. During his State of the Union address, Biden didn’t refer to the IRA by name even once.
And yet Americans clearly, obviously, patently are worried about the climate. More than half of the respondents to a Yale Program on Climate Change opinion poll last winter said “global warming should be a priority for the next president and Congress.” Around the same time, seven in 10 called climate change a “serious issue” and a third reported being “extremely concerned” about it in Heatmap’s own Climate Poll.
“You could also ask, ‘Is the survival of American democracy a defining issue in this campaign or not?,’ and the polls will sometimes mislead you into thinking it’s way down the list,” former Vice President Al Gore said at a recent leadership conference for his nonprofit Climate Reality Project in New York — and indeed the March Gallup poll from March had “elections/election reform/democracy” as the top issue facing the country for just 3% of people. “But when people get into the voting booth,” Gore continued, “and they think about the fact that democracy is at risk — as we saw in the last bye elections — that actually did matter. And I think climate is the same way.”
Gore wasn’t just relying on his own intuition. A widely circulated New York Times/Siena College poll conducted ahead of the 2022 midterms showed 71% of voters believed democracy was at risk, but only 7% identified it as the most important issue facing the country, leading many to start eulogizing American democracy. And yet candidates from the Democratic Party, which has positioned itself as a bulwark against the erosion of representative government, dominated the most contested elections.
When you start to ask more targeted questions, the research tends to concur. “If you say, ‘Is climate change an important priority?,’ you get about two-thirds of people who agree with that,” Matthew Burgess, an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, told me. “If you say, ‘the single most important issue,’ then that’s where it falls off.”
Burgess’s work has examined a particularly odd discrepancy between the limited number of voters who list climate as the most urgent issue facing the country and the fact that climate change, on its own, can seemingly swing elections. In fact, Burgess and his co-authors argued in a paper they published earlier this year that climate voters might have secured Biden’s 2020 victory. Using data from the nonpartisan Voter Study Group, Burgess and his co-authors found that “how important voters considered climate change to be as an issue was one of the strongest predictors of whom they voted for in 2020.” How strong a predictor? Strong enough to shift the national popular vote margin by 3% or more toward Biden, they concluded.
But when I asked Burgess what’s missing from a statistic like Gallup’s, which shows few voters prioritizing climate over other concerns, he admitted, “I don’t know.” He has plenty of theories, though. Recent election margins have been so tight that climate change would not actually have to have a significant effect on voting to swing the outcome, he told me. Or perhaps voters are beginning to connect the dots between climate change and issues they more openly profess to care about, such as the economy and national security. When I asked Justin McCarthy, an analyst at Gallup, about Burgess’ findings, he told me that “our question is not meant to measure issues affecting vote choice.”
It takes a lot of faith to buy any of those arguments, and Democrats in tight down-ballot races might not be willing to bet their limited resources on it. But we risk blowing past important context by writing off polling that shows Americans putting the economy over their concern about climate change, according to Emily Becker, the deputy director of communications on the climate and energy team at Third Way, a center-left think tank.
Becker has no problem advising frontline candidates “not to talk about climate and to talk about clean energy instead,” she told me. In her opinion, the two are separate issues — and the popular habit of using them as euphemisms is helping neither voters nor climate-conscious candidates.
“We tend to talk about clean energy as having one core purpose: emissions abatement. Then there are the positive externalities: job creation, clean air and water, money into your community, etc.,” Becker told me. But when it comes to Americans struggling to pay their bills, or who see minimal opportunities for good, well-paying jobs in their communities, “the positive externalities are no longer side effects,” she said. “They’re the main piece.”
By way of example, Becker said, it’s especially telling that investing in clean energy to address climate change appears to be popular in polls, but follow-up questions that ask how voters would feel about that investment if it raises their household costs see a “big drop.” “It’s kind of a luxury issue,” Becker said of climate change-first voting. Third Way’s own research shows that people who self-identify that way tend to be older, white, and more educated.
But young voters — traditionally thought of as the most climate-friendly demographic — are also facing some of the worst economic odds of any living generation. “The idea that you’re going to make decisions at the ballot box based on a faraway problem and not based on the problems right in front of you is a little bit delusional,” Becker told me.
Heather Hargreaves, the deputy executive director of campaigns at Climate Power, a strategic communications group with a robust research and polling operation, had a slightly different takeaway. “I don’t think any elected official who is seeing a national poll where climate change is getting a lower percentage than the economy should be like, ‘Oh, this means I shouldn’t talk about climate change,’” she told me. “That’s misguided.”
Climate Power’s polling has found that “clean energy and climate messaging” moved every demographic toward Biden, particularly — again — young voters, as well as independents, who were key in Burgess’ research. “If you look at the things people care about the most, gas prices and utility costs are always up there,” Hargreaves said. “And these are both related to how we address climate change.”
As even more evidence that climate is a winning message after all, Hargreaves pointed out that Republicans in red districts are “not shying away” from talking about how the IRA has brought money, improvements, and clean-energy investments to their districts. For example, Senator Tom Cotton bragged last summer that “Senator Boozman and I were able to secure the grants” for highway improvement projects funded by the infrastructure law — which the Arkansas pair had voted against. Likewise, Nancy Mace, a congresswoman from South Carolina, hosted a press conference touting a local transit hub with electric buses despite having once called electric mass transit “socialism.”
“They’re now trying to take credit for it — and that’s proof it’s politically a winner,” Hargreaves told me.
As an election-year message, it’s hard to argue that “climate change” — at least phrased as such — actually resonates with the majority of Americans. But “it must be a big tent issue if we’re going to actually solve it,” Burgess, the University of Colorado Boulder professor, told me. And opinions are still being shaped: Gallup has found that victims of extreme weather events are more likely to worry about climate change and view it as a threat. As Hargreaves stressed to me, polling trends tend to be more revealing than any individual battery questions, and they generally show growing levels of urgency.
Becker also offered a word of advice. “Be willing to be told that your issue does not matter as much as you want it to,” she said. “And figure out how you can make your priorities and the priorities of the electorate overlap.”
https://heatmap.news/politics/climate-change-voting-elections
Ken Striplin | Visit Skyline Ranch Park – Santa Clarita’s Newest Amenity
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
As city manager for 12 years now and a longtime resident of Santa Clarita, I am always proud to see how our community continues to grow
https://scvnews.com/ken-striplin-visit-skyline-ranch-park-santa-claritas-newest-amenity/
Ozempic ‘oops’ babies spark debate about weight-loss shot use as fertility drugs
date: 2024-04-22, from: San Jose Mercury News
A surprising thing is happening to some women on weight-loss drugs who’ve struggled with fertility issues: They’re getting pregnant.
Ex-CEO of ‘unicorn’ app startup HeadSpin heads to jail after BS’ing investors
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Lachwani faked it but didn’t make it
Manish Lachwani, former CEO of app testing firm HeadSpin, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and will pay a fine of $1 million.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/ceo_headspin_prison/
Scriptnotes, Episode 635: Is This Person Going to Ruin Everything?, Transcript
date: 2024-04-22, from: John August blog
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hey, this is John. Heads up that today’s episode has just a little bit of swearing in it. Hello and welcome. My name is John August. Craig Mazin: My name is Craig Mazin. John: And this is Episode 635 of Scriptnotes, a podcast […] The post Scriptnotes, Episode 635: Is This Person Going to Ruin Everything?, Transcript first appeared on John August.
You Can Now Visit Mussolini’s Underground Bunker in Rome
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The dictator constructed the shelters below his family’s residence after Italy entered World War II
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-now-visit-mussolinis-underground-bunker-180984190/
Scriptnotes, Episode 634: What If? Hollywood Edition, Transcript
date: 2024-04-22, from: John August blog
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August. Craig Mazin: My name is Craig Mazin. John: And this is Episode 634 of Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. What if Alexander the Great had died at the […] The post Scriptnotes, Episode 634: What If? Hollywood Edition, Transcript first appeared on John August.
https://johnaugust.com/2024/scriptnotes-episode-634-what-if-hollywood-edition-transcript
Filming in Santa Clarita Includes Six Productions
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, April 22 - Sunday, April
https://scvnews.com/filming-in-santa-clarita-includes-six-productions-4/
Cannabis a rare consensus issue ahead of US election
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
washington — Marijuana use is a rare consensus issue in politically divided America, with polls showing that 88% of Americans support at least partial legalization. But neither of the two main presidential contenders are capitalizing on this, advocates say, with both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump landing far behind where most Americans are on the issue.
VOA spoke to cannabis advocates on the sidelines of a rare, recent policy summit on the issue, held annually in Washington as a preview to a weekend-long music festival.
“One thing [both candidates] have in common is that their track records on cannabis have been inconsistent and incremental,” said Caroline Phillips, organizer of the National Cannabis Policy Summit. “We’ve heard promises from both administrations, neither of which have panned out in full.”
Biden in 2022 directed the Department of Health and Human Services to take a key step toward legalization by ordering a review of its classification of marijuana as a dangerous controlled substance, on par with heroin and LSD.
Nearly a year later, the body recommended moving marijuana to a lighter classification, alongside prescription drugs. That ruling now sits with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which has the power to act.
But, Phillips said, many advocates seek the full removal – or “de-scheduling” – of the substance from the DEA’s Controlled Substances Act.
“They have given us great signals that they’re willing to shift towards de-scheduling, but most likely re-scheduling,” she said of the Biden administration. “However, we haven’t quite seen the action to back up their words.”
Re-scheduling puts marijuana on par with prescription drugs and regulates users’ access to it; de-scheduling removes it from the list of controlled substances entirely.
Neera Tanden, director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, said the administration sees a need to learn more – something that re-scheduling the substance would enable by making it more readily available to scientific researchers.
“There’s been a lot of change on this issue for several years,” she told VOA. “It’s important for us to be able to research it more effectively.”
A small but vocal group of anti-cannabis legislators in Congress have also expressed concerns about changing the status of marijuana. Last year, 14 of them – all Republicans – sent a letter opposing the effort to loosen its classification.
In their letter, the group pointed to the potential for addiction and the increased potency of today’s cannabis, saying “facts indicate that marijuana has a high potential for abuse and that the risk is only increasing.”
Trump’s position on marijuana, advocates say, is hazy. The pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project says he “never brought the issue up proactively” as president. Since leaving office, Phillips said, “we’ve heard him both say that people who sell drugs in the illicit market should be jailed and even put to death.”
On the campaign trail, Trump has largely avoided the issue, said Morgan Fox, political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, known as NORML.
“We haven’t heard too much from the Republican nominee so far,” he said.
The personal becomes political
The candidates’ attitudes, Fox said, are out of step with those of many Americans, and lean on old tropes about marijuana that paint users as prone to mania – like in the 1936 film “Reefer Madness” – or use fear as a tool, like the 1980s-era Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.
“Luckily, with the advent of the internet and the development of a lot more communication around these issues, people have not only been able to see that the policy of prohibiting cannabis and criminalizing cannabis consumers is nonsensical, but they’ve also been able to really see the human impact that it has had,” he said.
For entrepreneur William Davis, this is personal. With his pressed jeans, alligator-skin boots, crisp white cowboy hat and penchant for replying to questions with “yes, ma’am,” he knows he does not cut the figure of a stereotypical cannabis user.
“It’s a lot of people that you would never think,” he said.
For years, the Iraq war veteran struggled with PTSD and opioid addiction. He was reluctant to accept a friend’s recommendation that he try cannabis, he said, because to him it evoked a wildly popular 1980s ad that showed a frying egg, and a stern admonition: “This is your brain on drugs.”
“Like in a hot pan with the egg, I thought, ‘Nah, I don’t wanna try drugs, I’m gonna fry my brains,’” Davis said.
Instead, he said, marijuana produced a revelation. Davis says he uses CBD, the non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana, to soothe his anxiety during the day, and the active component, THC, for relaxation after work.
Six years ago, he founded a company, Euphoria Eats, that sells infused hot sauce and barbecue sauce.
Davis, who is from Houston but now lives in solidly Republican Louisiana, said he supports legalization for business reasons.
“Until this will be decriminalized and legal everywhere, there will always be hesitant individuals who are afraid to put their money into a lucrative business that they see is making money, that they see is making an impact on the community,” he told VOA.
‘My vote influences cannabis laws’
Polls show that the greatest pro-cannabis momentum comes from younger Americans.
Community organizer Scotty Smart spoke to VOA about his position as a young progressive, which was summarized neatly on his moss-green T-shirt that read: “MY VOTE INFLUENCES CANNABIS LAWS.”
“I think cannabis is an issue that ignites and excites young people to pay attention,” said Smart, who works with the nonpartisan New Georgia Project and with a pro-marijuana education and awareness movement called We Want all the Smoke.
A key factor that young voters are watching for, he said, is whether the Biden administration moves forward with the process of downgrading cannabis.
“Hopefully that takes place before the election so we can really see, have something to go off of and not just have election speeches giving us hope,” he said.
Maya Tatum, former chair of the national grassroots group Students for Sensible Drug Policy, agreed that the candidates’ actions matter more than their words. Neither man, she said, is a clear winner here.
“A lot of the young voters that I’m around are wanting to hold Joe Biden accountable for what he said,” in support of cannabis, she said. “I don’t personally feel like there’s a lot that Trump is offering as it relates to cannabis.”
Fox said NORML would like to see political aspirants be more open about cannabis on the campaign trail.
“Any candidate that actually wants to get ahead – whether it’s in the presidential election in Congress or state legislatures or local legislators – if they ignore this issue, it’s going to be at their peril,” he said.
Veronica Balderas Iglesias contributed to this report from Washington.
https://www.voanews.com/a/cannabis-a-rare-consensus-issue-ahead-of-us-election/7580441.html
Scientists Translate Sleeping Birds’ Silent Songs Into Sound—and They May Have Recorded a Nightmare
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Using surgically implanted electrodes and modeling, researchers brought to life the vocal muscle activity of sleeping great kiskadees
Hundreds in Isla Vista Celebrate Earth Day with ‘The Plunge’
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Swimmers flock to the beach to raise awareness for marine conservation and attempt to break a world record.
The post Hundreds in Isla Vista Celebrate Earth Day with ‘The Plunge’ appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/hundreds-in-isla-vista-celebrate-earth-day-with-the-plunge/
Colleagues, friends pay tribute to late American journalist Terry Anderson
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
US promises Ukraine swift munitions delivery as Russia advances on battlefield
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
NASA Announces 30th Human Exploration Rover Challenge Winners
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
NASA announced the winners of the 30th Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) April 22, with Parish Episcopal School, from Dallas, winning first place in the high school division, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, capturing the college/university title. The annual engineering competition – one of NASA’s longest standing challenges – held its concluding event […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-30th-human-exploration-rover-challenge-winners/
BYD Shark Is China’s New Plug-In Hybrid Pickup Truck
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
The BYD Shark is a plug-in hybrid that may also get a fully electric version at some point.
https://insideevs.com/news/716991/byd-shark-plug-in-pickup/
Huawei wants to take homegrown HarmonyOS phone platform worldwide
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Chinese tech juggernaut eyes global expansion despite US tech restrictions
Huawei plans to expand its native HarmonyOS smartphone platform worldwide, despite coming under US-led sanctions that have deprived it of access to key technologies.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/huawei_harmonyos_expansion/
Preparing for Post-Quantum Cryptography
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: RAND blog
A steady stream of advances in quantum computing technology is increasing the urgency to standardize and implement algorithms which are resistant to both present-day computing and on-the-horizon quantum computing. What can we do with post-quantum cryptography now to prepare for the future?
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/04/preparing-for-post-quantum-cryptography.html
High School Spring Musicals 2024
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara, San Marcos, and Dos Pueblos get ready to put on their dancing shoes and sing their hearts out.
The post High School Spring Musicals 2024 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/high-school-spring-musicals-2024/
Kia EV9, Genesis EV prices cut with generous $7,500 discount offer
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
More automakers are offering steep discounts on electric vehicle models. Kia and Genesis are two of the latest to slash EV prices with generous deals. The Kia EV9 and several Genesis EVs are now $7,500 off with new discount offers.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/kia-ev9-genesis-ev-prices-cut-generous-7500-discount/
Tesla fired its entire new ad team in recent layoffs
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has fired its entire 40-person “growth content” ad team as part of its recent massive round of layoffs. The ad team had been part of Tesla’s push to increase traditional advertising.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/tesla-fired-its-entire-new-ad-team-in-recent-layoffs/
Lenovo’s easier-to-repair ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 laptops is now available
date: 2024-04-22, from: Liliputing
Earlier this year Lenovo announced that it had partnered with online repair shop iFixit to design new Lenovo ThinkPad T-series laptops that are easier to repair than most of the company’s other recent notebook computers. Now the new Lenovo Thinkpad T14 Gen 5 is available to purchase, featuring a user-replaceable battery and keyboard as well as […]
The post Lenovo’s easier-to-repair ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 laptops is now available appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/lenovos-easier-to-repair-thinkpad-t14-gen-5-laptops-is-now-available/
Blurring the Lines Between Technology and Old-School Art
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s ‘Made by Hand/Born Digital’ puts tech tools and AI on view with tradition.
The post Blurring the Lines Between Technology and Old-School Art appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/blurring-the-lines-between-technology-and-old-school-art/
Electric Cars Will Soon Outnumber Gasoline Cars In Norway
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
Diesel could be next in 2-3 years.
https://insideevs.com/news/716943/electric-cars-will-outnumber-gasoline-norway/
The Las Vegas–LA electric high-speed rail line just broke ground
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Brightline West, a future electric high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, broke ground today in Nevada.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/las-vegas-la-electric-high-speed-rail-line/
Free Will Astrology
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Week of April 25.
The post Free Will Astrology appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/free-will-astrology-208/
Tesla slashes vehicle and self-driving-ish software prices as shares plummet
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Because nothing reassures investors like discounting some inventory
After a week beset by disaster after disaster, Tesla has decided to reassure investors that it’s still a safe bet … by discounting prices around the world. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/tesla_cuts_prices/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Ten Peter Gabriel songs.
https://chat.openai.com/c/b246f0fc-d74e-4d60-ab21-c0f213e20455
Henry Mayo Celebrating National Volunteer Week
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is recognizing its valued volunteers during National Volunteer Week April 21-
https://scvnews.com/henry-mayo-celebrating-national-volunteer-week/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
76ers' Tyrese Maxey questionable for Game 2 vs. Knicks; series odds shift.
Elon Musk is a pigeon CEO, ’he comes, sh*ts all over us, and goes’, says former Tesla manager
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Elon Musk was described as a “pigeon CEO”: “he comes, shits all over us, and goes”, said a former Tesla employee.
Now, the CEO is signaling a focus on Tesla.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/elon-musk-pigeon-ceo-former-tesla-manager/
Take Control Author Charles Edge Dies
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Charles Edge, a prolific author, blogger, and podcaster who was one of the best-known figures in the Mac admin community.
https://tidbits.com/2024/04/22/take-control-author-charles-edge-dies/
Extensive Desert ‘Lava Tubes’ Sheltered Humans for 7,000 Years, Archaeologists Find
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Formed after volcanic activity, the underground caves periodically hosted early humans and their livestock in Saudi Arabia, facilitating cultural exchange
NASA Nurtures Promising Tech Ideas from Small Businesses
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
New space technology ideas emerge every day from innovators across the country, and NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program on Monday selected more than 100 projects for funding. This program offers small businesses in the United States early-stage funding and support to advance the agency’s goals of exploring the unknown in air and space […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-nurtures-promising-tech-ideas-from-small-businesses/
How Breaking Went From a Street Dance to an Olympic Sport
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
This summer, 32 athletes will compete in what’s commonly known as breakdancing, a dance sport that combines athleticism and artistry
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/breaking-will-debut-at-the-summer-olympics-180984199/
Save $650 on Aventon’s Level.2 e-bike at $1,299 today only, Greenworks Optimow robot lawn mower, and more
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Kicking off this week’s green deals is a one-day sale on the Aventon Level.2 Step-Through Commuter e-bike at a new $1,299 low. It is joined by another one-day deal, the Greenworks Optimow Robotic Lawn Mower which has returned to its $1,000 low, as well as Sun Joe’s 1,450 PSI Electric Pressure Washer at $142. Plus all of the other green deals that have dropped today or are still hanging on from last week.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/aventons-level-2-e-bike-greenworks-optimow-robot-lawn-mower-and-more/
L.A. County Unveils $45.4B Recommended Budget
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Los Angeles County’s 2024-25 Recommended Budget—which doubles down on an accelerated response to homelessness and underscores the role mental health services play in multiple County strategies—will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 23 by Fesia Davenport, chief executive officer. Despite slowing revenue growth from property taxes, the Recommended Budget continues to…
Our Beautiful Water World
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
This Jan. 30, 2012 image of Earth was created from photographs taken by the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite. Many features of North America and the Western Hemisphere are particularly visible. The composite was created from the data collected during four orbits of the robotic satellite taken earlier in […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/our-beautiful-water-world/
Autopark For Tesla Vision Is Very Slow But Parallel Parks Like A Pro
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
The revamped suite of parking features needs some improvements but gets the job done when you need it most.
https://insideevs.com/news/717011/autopilot-tesla-vision-autopark-update/
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman invests in solar power firm Exowatt to fuel AI datacenters
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
$20m to keep the industry from having to rely on fossil fuels
Solar energy company Exowatt has launched with the financial support of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, alongside two other investors.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/openai_ceo_sam_altman_invests/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Columbia in crisis, again.
https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/columbia_arrests_1968_campus_speech_media.php
April 23: Saugus Union to Discuss 2023/24 Personnel Report
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, April 23, with closed session beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by public session at 6:30 p.m
https://scvnews.com/april-23-saugus-union-to-discuss-2023-24-personnel-report/
Facebook opens its Android-based Quest operating system to other VR device makers
date: 2024-04-22, from: OS News
Today we’re taking the next step toward our vision for a more open computing platform for the metaverse. We’re opening up the operating system powering our Meta Quest devices to third-party hardware makers, giving more choice to consumers and a larger ecosystem for developers to build for. We’re working with leading global technology companies to bring this new ecosystem to life and making it even easier for developers to build apps and reach their audiences on the platform. Meta Horizon OS is the result of a decade of work by Meta to build a next-generation computing platform. To pioneer standalone headsets, we developed technologies like inside-out tracking, and for more natural interaction systems and social presence, we developed eye, face, hand, and body tracking. For mixed reality, we built a full stack of technologies for blending the digital and physical worlds, including high-resolution Passthrough, Scene Understanding, and Spatial Anchors. This long-term investment that began on the mobile-first foundations of the Android Open Source Project has produced a full mixed reality operating system used by millions of people. ↫ Facebook’s blog In summary, Facebook wants the operating system of their Quest series of virtual reality devices – an Android Open Source Project fork optimised for this use – to become the default platform for virtual reality devices from all kinds of OEMs. Today, they’re announcing that both Asus and Lenovo will be releasing devices running this Meta Horizon OS, with the former focusing on high-end VR gaming, and the latter on more general use cases of work, entertainment, and so on. Facebook will also be working together with Microsoft to create a Quest “inspired by Xbox”. The Meta Quest Store, the on-device marketplace for applications and games, will be renamed to the Meta Horizon Store, and the App Lab, where developers can more easily get their applications and games on devices and in the hands of consumers as long as they meet basic technical and content guidelines, will be integrated into the Meta Horizon Store for easier access than before. In addition, in a mildly spicy move, Facebook is openly inviting Google to bring the Google Play Store to the VR Android fork, “where it can operate with the same economic model it does on other platforms”. The odds of me buying anything from Facebook are slim, so I really hope this new move won’t corner the market for VR headsets right out of the gate; I don’t want another Android/iOS duopoly. I’m not particularly interested in VR quite yet – but give it a few more years, and I certainly won’t pass up on a capable device that allows me to play Beat Saber and other exercise-focused applications and games. I just don’t want it to be a Facebook device or operating system.
Work starts on bullet train rail line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
las vegas — A $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area has started construction, officials said Monday, amid predictions that millions of ticket-buyers will be boarding trains by 2028.
“People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement released to coincide with a ceremony at the future site of a terminal to be built just south of the Las Vegas Strip.
Buttigieg predicted the project will bring “thousands of union jobs, new connections to better economic opportunity, less congestion on the roads, and less pollution in the air.”
Brightline West, whose sister company already operates a fast train between Miami and Orlando in Florida, aims to lay 351 kilometers of new track between Las Vegas and another new facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Almost the full distance is to be built in the median of Interstate 15, with a station stop in San Bernardino County’s Victorville area.
Brightline Holdings founder and Chairperson Wes Edens dubbed the moment “the foundation for a new industry.”
“This is a historic project and a proud moment,” Edens said in the statement. “Today is long overdue.”
Brightline aims to link other U.S. cities that are too near to each other for air travel to make sense and too far for people to drive the distance.
Company CEO Mike Reininger has said the goal is to have trains operating in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Brightline received $6.5 billion in backing from the Biden administration, including a $3 billion grant from federal infrastructure funds and approval to sell another $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds. The company won federal authorization in 2020 to sell $1 billion in similar bonds.
The project is touted as the first true high-speed passenger rail line in the nation, designed to reach speeds of 186 mph (300 kph), comparable to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains.
The route between Vegas and L.A. is largely open space, with no convenient alternate to I-15. Brightline’s Southern California terminal will be at a commuter rail connection to downtown Los Angeles.
The project outline says electric-powered trains will cut the four-hour trip across the Mojave Desert to a little more than two hours. Forecasts are for 11 million one-way passengers per year, or some 30,000 per day, with fares well below airline travel costs. The trains will offer restrooms, Wi-Fi, food and beverage sales and the option to check luggage.
Las Vegas is a popular driving destination for Southern Californians. Officials hope the train line will relieve congestion on I-15, where drivers often sit in miles of crawling traffic while returning home from a Las Vegas weekend.
The Las Vegas area, now approaching 3 million residents, draws more than 40 million visitors per year. Passenger traffic at the city’s Harry Reid International Airport set a record of 57.6 million people in 2023. An average of more than 44,000 automobiles per day crossed the California-Nevada state line on I-15 in 2023, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data.
Florida-based Brightline Holdings launched the Miami-to-Orlando line in 2018 with trains reaching speeds up to 125 mph (200 kph). It expanded service to Orlando International Airport last September. It offers 16 roundtrips per day, with one-way tickets for the 235-mile (378-kilometer) distance costing about $80.
Other fast trains in the U.S. include Amtrak’s Acela, which can top 241 kph while sharing tracks with freight and commuter service between Boston and Washington, D.C.
Passenger trains to Las Vegas ended in 1997, when Amtrak ended service.
Ideas for connecting other U.S. cities with high-speed passenger trains have been floated in recent years, including Dallas to Houston; Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina; and Chicago to St. Louis. Most have faced delays.
In California, voters in 2008 approved a proposed 805-kilometer rail line linking Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the plan has been beset by rising costs and routing disputes. A 2022 business plan by the California High-Speed Rail Authority projected the cost had more than tripled to $105 billion.
Japan’s Remarkable Call for American Leadership
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: RAND blog
In early April, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appeared before the U.S. Congress and told the United States to act like a global power. But Kishida’s speech contained no censure or accusations. Just a plea from one of America’s closest allies to members of Congress to come back and be the champion of the international order that it knows America can be.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/04/japans-remarkable-call-for-american-leadership.html
Aptera to sell its solar EVs in the UAE, beginning with 53 exclusive ‘Union Editions’ with ‘Solar Chill’
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Just weeks after announcing plans to showcase its solar EV technology to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), startup Aptera Motors is taking things a step further. The company recently shared intentions to begin selling its nascent vehicles in the UAE, kicking off the new market entry with 53 production builds of an exclusive “Union Edition” model for early adopters in the Middle East.
Meta Quest operating system to power third-party headsets from Asus, Lenovo, and others
date: 2024-04-22, from: Liliputing
Facebook’s parent company Meta has announced that the operating system that powers its Meta Quest virtual reality headsets is now available to third-party device makers. And two of the first companies planning to launch products powered by Meta Horizon OS are Asus and Lenovo. Microsoft and Meta are also “working together to create a limited-edition […]
The post Meta Quest operating system to power third-party headsets from Asus, Lenovo, and others appeared first on Liliputing.
BYD unveils luxurious Sea Lion 07 mid-size electric SUV interior poised to rival Tesla’s Model Y
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
BYD is coming for Tesla’s sweet spot in the mid-size electric SUV market with its new Sea Lion 07. Ahead of its official launch, BYD unveiled the Sea Lion 07’s luxurious interior. Check out the first images below.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/byd-unveils-luxurious-sea-lion-07-interior-rival-tesla-model-y/
Typewriter Community Braces for Influx of Taylor Swift Fans Inspired by Tortured Poets Department
date: 2024-04-22, from: 404 Media Group
“I, for one, welcome our new Taylor Swift overlords.”
https://www.404media.co/taylor-swift-typewriter-tortured-poets-department/
Tiny11 Builder trims Windows 11 fat with PowerShell script
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The Reg accepts no responsibility for borked installations
Worried about Windows 11 bloat and want a bit more control over what goes into its ISOs? Over the weekend, a new version of Tiny11 Builder in PowerShell guise arrived.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/tiny11_builder_update/
April 24: COC Board of Trustees’ Self-Evaluation Workshop
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a self-evaluation workshop Wednesday, April 24, beginning at 2 p.m
https://scvnews.com/april-24-coc-board-of-trustees-self-evaluation-workshop/
There’s Now One EV Fast Charging Station For Every 15 Gas Stations
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
Favorable policy is sparking a charging infrastructure boom in the U.S.
https://insideevs.com/news/716967/one-charger-for-every-15-gas-stations/
Professor with Strong Santa Barbara Ties Receives Prestigious Translation Award Celebrating Career Achievement Across Five Decades
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Prolific translator and Professor Emerita Suzanne Jill Levine to receive the prestigious PEN Award for career achievement.
The post Professor with Strong Santa Barbara Ties Receives Prestigious Translation Award Celebrating Career Achievement Across Five Decades appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
‘Come from Away’ Comes to Santa Barbara
date: 2024-04-22, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Uplifting Broadway musical about the true story of planes rerouted on 9/11 comes to the Granada April 30 through May 1.
The post ‘Come from Away’ Comes to Santa Barbara appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/04/22/come-from-away-comes-to-santa-barbara/
April 21, 2024
date: 2024-04-22, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-21-2024-733
LASD Deputy Dies Months After Pitchess Shooting Range Explosion
date: 2024-04-22, from: SCV New (TV Station)
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, who was severely injured in October after an explosion and fire at a Pitchess Detention Center mobile shooting range, died Saturday, LASD announced Sunday.
https://scvnews.com/lasd-deputy-dies-months-after-pitchess-shooting-range-explosion/
Europol now latest cops to beg Big Tech to ditch E2EE
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Don’t bore us, get to the chorus: You need less privacy so we can protect the children
Yet another international cop shop has come out swinging against end-to-end encryption - this time it’s Europol which is urging an end to implementation of the tech for fear police investigations will be hampered by protected DMs.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/europol_becomes_latest_cop_shop/
Oregon Senate faces shake-up after Republican walkout last year
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Ten months after most of Oregon’s Republican state senators ended a six-week boycott of the legislature, they are facing steep consequences for their protest. Deborah Bloom has the story from Salem, Oregon’s capital.
MOONDROP MIAD01 will be a HiFi smartphone with 3.5mm and 4.4mm audio jacks
date: 2024-04-22, from: Liliputing
At a time when most smartphone makers are dropping headphone jacks altogether, HiFi audio company MOONDROP has announced that its upcoming smartphone will not only support headphones designed to plug into 3.5mm jacks, but also supports 4.4mm audio connectors. The phone will be called the MOONDROP MIAD01, and the company describes it as a “5G […]
The post MOONDROP MIAD01 will be a HiFi smartphone with 3.5mm and 4.4mm audio jacks appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/moondrop-miad01-is-a-hifi-smartphone-with-3-5mm-and-4-4mm-audio-jacks/
Analysis of 34 Hours of Orgasm Recordings Finds People Cum Quietly
date: 2024-04-22, from: 404 Media Group
A researcher claiming to have published the first study of its kind painstakingly, manually analyzed a dataset of 3,528 recordings and then asked volunteers to rate them from “Relaxed” to “Orgasm.”
https://www.404media.co/orgasm-sounds-study/
Fedora 40 is just around the corner with more spins and flavors than ever
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
KDE edition has the most conspicuous changes, and could become future flagship
Fedora 40 is in the final stretch before launch tomorrow, with release candidate 1.14 in testing.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/fedora_40_at_rc_stage/
Tesla Sales Declines Put U.S. EV Registrations Into The Red For First Time Since 2020
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
Without Tesla, which is the biggest player by far in the EV game, the numbers actually went up compared to last year.
https://insideevs.com/news/716952/new-us-ev-registrations-negative-february-2024-tesla/
This Bonkers 48-Cylinder Kawasaki Just Sold For Over $114,400
date: 2024-04-22, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
In case you’re keeping count, the selling price including premium was approximately $2,363.06 per cylinder.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716992/48-cylinder-kawasaki-custom-sold/
US charity trains medics to improve health care in rural Kenya
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Experts say one of the health care challenges in Africa is a shortage of training and education for workers. To help, a U.S. charity called Mission to Heal is training local workers who serve patients in remote locations. Juma Majanga reports from Ngurunit village in northern Kenya. Videographer: Jimmy Makhulo
Tritium DCFC Limited (DCFC) enters insolvency, is seeking buyers
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Australian EV charging company Tritium is facing financial collapse, with its directors declaring insolvency and putting the company into receivership.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/tritium-dcfc-limited-dcfc-enters-insolvency-is-seeking-buyers/
Call Oregon’s Poetry Hotline to Hear a New Poem Every Day This Month
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The hotline, created by the state’s poet laureate, has already received thousands of callers
BIGTREETECH launches BIGTREETECH Pi 2 single-board PC and CB2 compute module with RK3566 processor
date: 2024-04-22, from: Liliputing
The BIGTREETECH Pi 2 is a single-board computer with a 1.8 GHz Rockchip RK3566 quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor. While it looks a bit like a Raspberry Pi Model B, this little has a few things that Raspberry Pi’s computers lack including support for up to three storage devices (eMMC, SD card, and M.2 2242 PCIe […]
The post BIGTREETECH launches BIGTREETECH Pi 2 single-board PC and CB2 compute module with RK3566 processor appeared first on Liliputing.
Germany arrests trio accused of trying to smuggle naval military tech to China
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Prosecutors believe one frikkin’ laser did make its way to Beijing
Germany has arrested three citizens who allegedly tried to transfer military technology to China, a violation of the country’s export rules.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/germany_arrests_espionage_suspects/
Zoom Workplace 6.0.1
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/zoom-6-0-1/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Ghost announces it will support ActivityPub and "become part of the largest open publishing network in the world." I don't think that's true. Just sayin. And size isn't the only thing that matters, btw. 😀
https://mastodon.xyz/@johnonolan/112315231711519319
Prosecutor, Trump defense lawyer spar over charges facing former president
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-could-be-asked-about-past-verdicts-judge-/7580022.html
Mathematicians Marvel at ‘Crazy’ Cuts Through Four Dimensions
date: 2024-04-22, from: Quanta Magazine
Topologists prove two new results that bring some order to the confoundingly difficult study of four-dimensional shapes.The post Mathematicians Marvel at ‘Crazy’ Cuts Through Four Dimensions first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-marvel-at-crazy-cuts-through-four-dimensions-20240422/
GraphicConverter 12.1.1
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/graphicconverter-12-1-1/
Ford drops its cheapest 2024 F-150 Lightning trim for customer orders
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
The cheapest 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning trim is no longer available for orders, at least for retail customers.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/ford-drops-cheapest-2024-f-150-lightning-trim-customer-orders/
‘Vast and Rich:’ Studying the Ocean With NASA Computer Simulations
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
“Every time I help with visualizing [ocean] simulation data, I learn about an entirely new area of ocean or climate research, and I’m reminded of how vast and rich this area of research is. And…the real magic happens at the intersection and interaction of simulated and observed data. It is a great honor – and […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/vast-and-rich-studying-the-ocean-with-nasa-computer-simulations/
1Password 8.10.30
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/1password-8-10-30/
Default Folder X 6.0.6
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/default-folder-x-6-0-6/
Microsoft Office for Mac 16.84
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/microsoft-office-for-mac-16-84/
Why is Methane Seeping on Mars? NASA Scientists Have New Ideas
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
The most surprising revelation from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover — that methane is seeping from the surface of Gale Crater — has scientists scratching their heads. Living creatures produce most of the methane on Earth. But scientists haven’t found convincing signs of current or ancient life on Mars, and thus didn’t expect to find methane […]
Helper Helper Streamlines Volunteer Management
date: 2024-04-22, from: TidBITS blog
If you organize events that require significant numbers of volunteers, you know how much work it is to track everything manually in a spreadsheet. A better option is a volunteer management system like Helper Helper, which Adam Engst has used for over a year.
https://tidbits.com/2024/04/22/helper-helper-streamlines-volunteer-management/
Tesla Drops Full Self-Driving Price From $12,000 To $8,000
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
The price of the monthly FSD subscription has also been halved and is now $99 per month.
https://insideevs.com/news/716963/tesla-fsd-price-drop/
Lawsuit accuses Grindr of illegally sharing users’ HIV status
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
LGBTQ+ dating app’s maker previously denied selling sensitive user data
Hundreds have joined a UK class action lawsuit against LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr, seeking damages over a historical case of the company allegedly forwarding users’ HIV status as well as other sensitive data to third-party advertisers.…
Scientists Uncover Bones of Massive Extinct Snake, Comparable in Size to the 43-Foot Titanoboa
date: 2024-04-22, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The 27 vertebrae discovered in India suggest the enormous creature, dubbed Vasuki indicus, was between 36 and 50 feet long
Post(news) Script
date: 2024-04-22, from: Om Malik blog
Post.News, a Twitter-like news-first social network, is shutting down. It is not surprising. It lacked dynamism and excitement, even as an early adopter and a former media professional. Given the overwhelming emphasis they put on establishment media, I am not surprised. The last time I visited Post.News was to read founder Noah Bardin’s post. “Our service is not growing fast enough to become a real business or a …
https://om.co/2024/04/22/postnews-script/
Walmart is putting AI-powered electric forklifts to work [video]
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
American retail giant Walmart has announced plans to put 19 autonomous electric forklifts to work at at four of its distribution centers as its experiments with a robotic workforce continue.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/walmart-is-putting-ai-powered-electric-forklifts-to-work-video/
US mulls sending more military advisers to Ukraine
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Pentagon — The United States may send additional military advisers to its embassy in Kyiv to advise and support the Ukrainian government and military, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told VOA Monday.
The troops would serve in a “non-combat” role, Ryder said.
“Throughout this conflict, the DOD (Department of Defense) has reviewed and adjusted our presence in-country, as security conditions have evolved. Currently, we are considering sending several additional advisers to augment the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the embassy,” Ryder said in a statement.
Two U.S. defense officials, speaking to VOA on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that were not finalized, said the number of advisers was “small” and could fluctuate slightly based on embassy requirements. A source familiar with the considerations said the number of troops was “fewer than two dozen.”
The troops could advise on missions ranging from logistics, maintenance, communications and sustainment, the defense officials added.
Per the Pentagon, the ODC performs a variety of advisory and support missions and is embedded within the U.S. Embassy under the chief of the mission.
Politico was first to report the additional troop consideration.
The Pentagon’s latest troop discussion comes after the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday passed a four-part, $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, structured the bills so that they could be combined into one after each bill was approved, to prevent opposition to any one piece from derailing the entire deal. Johnson had declined to bring the aid packages to the floor for a vote for months. The Senate had passed a supplemental aid bill in February, as Ukraine said ammunition shortages were causing its forces to pull back in areas.
The newly-passed House legislation includes $61 billion for Kyiv’s ongoing war against Moscow’s invasion, as well as $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza, and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.
President Joe Biden in a statement Saturday urged the Senate to “quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law, and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs.”
He said the bills advanced U.S. national security interests and sends “a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-mulls-sending-more-military-advisers-to-ukraine/7579949.html
Gone in 35 seconds – the Cybertruck’s misbehaving acceleration pedal
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Riveting conclusion to Tesla recall saga
While the vast majority of recent Tesla recalls have been addressed with over-the-air updates, the fix for Cybertruck’s recalcitrant acceleration pedal necessitates a rare venture into meatspace. And it’s as underwhelming as it is simple.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/tesla_accelerator_fix/
Tesla has lowest maintenance and repair cost of any brand
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has the lowest maintenance and repair cost of any brand, according to a new study by Consumer Reports.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/tesla-lowest-maintenance-repair-cost-any-brand/
New York’s Columbia University cancels in-person classes after pro-Palestinian protests
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Recall: Intimidator And Mahindra UTV U-Joint Failures Could Sever Brake Lines
date: 2024-04-22, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Talk about a double whammy.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716880/intimidator-utv-recall-u-joint-failure/
NASA Sets Coverage of Roscosmos Spacewalk Outside Space Station
date: 2024-04-22, from: NASA breaking news
NASA will provide live coverage, beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 25, as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is expected to begin at 10:55 a.m. and could last up to seven hours. NASA will stream the spacewalk on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-of-roscosmos-spacewalk-outside-space-station-2/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Archives as Commons.
https://doc.searls.com/2024/04/21/archives-as-commons/
BYD confirms Shark electric pickup name as Ford F-150 Lightning rival in latest teaser
date: 2024-04-22, from: Electrek Feed
A new electric pickup is coming to global markets. BYD is launching its first electric pickup soon after confirming it will go by the name “Shark” in its latest teaser, revealing a Ford F-150 Lightning look up front.
https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/byd-confirms-shark-electric-pickup-name-latest-teaser/
PepsiCo Ordered 100 Tesla Semis In 2017. Tesla Delivered 36 So Far
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
Tesla built roughly 140 Semis to date, according to historical data and a new report from Reuters.
https://insideevs.com/news/716902/tesla-semi-deliveries-pepsico-april-2024/
Watchdog tells Dutch govt: ‘Do not use Facebook if there is uncertainty about privacy’
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Meta insists it’s just misunderstood and it’s safe to talk to citizens over FB
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has warned that government organizations should not use Facebook to communicate with the country’s citizens unless they can guarantee the privacy of data.…
Tesla Investors To Musk: ‘At Least Appear To Make Tesla Your Top Priority’
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
This week is set to be a tumultuous one for Tesla as investors seek answers about robotaxis, the stock price and Musk’s compensation.
https://insideevs.com/news/716953/tesla-turmoil-critical-materials/
Find OpenCitations on Infra Finder, a new tool to discover and support Open Infrastructures
date: 2024-04-22, from: Open Citation blog at Hypotheses.org
If you are a leader of a Library or a Research Institution and would like to learn more about the existing open infrastructures that could help your institution to evolve in the research environment, but you don’t know where to look for, you can now use Infra Finder, a brand-new tool aimed at foster discovery, adoption, and investment for open infrastructure services. Infra Finder is launched by Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI), and is designed to be the go-to resource for anyone navigating the … Continue reading Find OpenCitations on Infra Finder, a new tool to discover and support Open Infrastructures
https://opencitations.hypotheses.org/3605
More than a third of enterprise datacenters expect to deploy liquid cooling by 2026
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Which one of you is already running 100-plus kilowatt racks?
Survey As CPUs and GPUs grow ever denser and power-hungry, many, including Register readers, expect liquid cooling to play a larger role in enterprise datacenters over the next few years.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/register_liquid_cooling_survey/
Homelessness by law and by economics
date: 2024-04-22, from: Marketplace Morning Report
On Monday, the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case that could determine whether cities can fine or arrest people in homeless encampments. The case comes at a time when higher interest rates and rising insurance costs are making it more expensive to build low-income housing — especially in California. Also: the macroeconomic vibe for the week ahead and Ireland’s big bet on high-tech media production.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/homelessness-by-law-and-by-economics
Microwave Man Is The Vibe We Need Right Now
date: 2024-04-22, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Skidding into our hearts and pumping us up for what lies ahead.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716946/microwave-man-good-vibes-only/
US House passes fresh TikTok ban proposal to Senate
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Sadly no push to end stupid TikTok dances, but ByteDance would have year to offload app stateside
Fresh US legislation to force the sale of TikTok locally was passed in Washington over the weekend after an earlier version stalled in the Senate.…
Instagram Advertises Nonconsensual AI Nude Apps
date: 2024-04-22, from: 404 Media Group
Some of the most harmful applications of AI tools are not hidden on the dark corners of the internet, but are actively promoted to users by social media companies.
https://www.404media.co/instagram-advertises-nonconsensual-ai-nude-apps/
Ex-Amazon exec claims she was asked to ignore copyright law in race to AI
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
High-flying AI scientist claims unfair dismissal following pregnancy leave
A lawsuit is alleging Amazon was so desperate to keep up with the competition in generative AI it was willing to breach its own copyright rules.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/ghaderi_v_amazon/
Biden’s Big Earth Day Agenda
date: 2024-04-22, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Torrential rains forced Mauritius to shut down its stock exchange • “Once in a century” flooding hit southern China • In the Northern Hemisphere, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight.
THE TOP FIVE
- Biden kicks off Earth Day with $7 billion for expanding solar access
Today is Earth Day, but President Biden and his cabinet are celebrating all week long. Senior members of the administration have scheduled a national tour of events and announcements related to the president’s climate and environmental record. It starts with Biden’s visit to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, today, where he will announce $7 billion is being awarded to 60 state and local governments, tribes, and national and regional nonprofits through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All initiative, which aims to support solar in low- to moderate-income communities. The average grant size will be more than $80 million, and the funding will be used to design new programs and bolster existing ones that subsidize the cost of rooftop solar installations, community solar projects, and battery storage.
There’s a lot more on the schedule for the rest of the week, but here’s an abbreviated version:
Today: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is out West helping break ground on the Brightline West High-Speed Rail Project; Arati Prabhakar, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, is in Maine to announce $123 million in funding for habitat restoration; Energy Secretary Tom Vilsack heads to Pennsylvania to announce funding for clean energy projects.
Later this week: Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will be in New Orleans to unveil new measures to develop an offshore wind economy; Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm heads to New Mexico to talk about new efforts to support domestic solar and wind manufacturing; and Haaland will cut the ribbon at a new visitors’ center at Delaware’s First State National Historical Park.
Get Heatmap AM directly in your inbox every morning:
- American Climate Corps website officially up and running
The Biden administration launched the jobs board for the American Climate Corps (ACC) today. Nearly 2,000 jobs and training opportunities will be listed on ClimateCorps.gov, which is still in beta form but “will be regularly updated” as new positions become available. In addition, three states – Vermont, New Mexico, and Illinois – are launching their own state-based climate corps programs. The administration also said ACC members will have access to an “apprenticeship readiness curriculum” during their terms, which will train them up on skills needed in the green energy economy.
- EPA expected to release final power plant rules
The EPA’s final power plant emissions regulations are expected this week. CNN reported the administration is considering ditching its “cutting edge” proposal for new natural gas plants to use hydrogen as well as natural gas to generate electricity, which would mean future gas-fired and existing coal-fired power plants would rely on carbon capture and storage to cut their emissions. Other rules governing wastewater and solid combustion waste from coal plants are also expected to be finalized, according to E&E News.
- A quick recap of the World Bank and IMF spring meetings
In case you missed it: The World Bank and IMF spring meetings came to a close on Saturday without any firm plans for mobilizing the funds needed to help developing countries fight climate change – certainly nothing close to the $2.4 trillion that is needed per year to help poorer nations in their energy transitions. The week wasn’t a complete bust. France, Kenya, and Barbados launched a taskforce to explore more creative ways to fill the gap in climate finance, including “taxes on wealthy people, plane tickets, financial transactions, shipping fuel, fossil fuel production, and fossil fuel firms’ windfall profits,” Climate Home News reported. Finance ministers from Brazil and France are pushing for a 2% annual wealth tax on billionaires to help alleviate problems like global hunger and climate change. And 11 rich countries (including the U.S.) pledged a total of $11 billion to boost the World Bank’s lending power.
- VW plant in Tennessee votes to join UAW
A majority of Volkswagen workers at a Tennessee plant voted over the weekend to join the United Auto Workers union. The Chattanooga factory is the first auto plant in the South to unionize, but the UAW hopes it won’t be the last. A Mercedes plant in Alabama is set to vote on UAW membership next month, and the union wants to see more plants unionize over the next two years. Anti-union sentiment runs deep in southern auto plants, but non-union workers typically have lower wages and fewer job protections than unionized workers, so a series of UAW victories could change a lot of lives. It could also be a “shot in the arm” for the union’s campaign to unionize Tesla.
THE KICKER
Roughly a third of U.S. adults are interested in cutting back on their meat consumption, according to the nonprofit Food for Climate League.
https://heatmap.news/politics/earth-day-biden-climate-corps
The Volvo EX30 Takes On The Hyundai Kona Electric And The Winner Isn’t Obvious
date: 2024-04-22, from: Inside EVs News
This is not a one-sided comparison by any means.
https://insideevs.com/news/716870/volvo-ex30-hyundai-kona-ev-comparison/
Your Guide To Following California’s ‘Compost’ Law
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-23, from: The LAist
We’re two years into a state law that requires us to keep food waste out of the trash. It’s anything but straightforward, but here is how to do it right.
https://laist.com/news/california-compost-law-guide
Millions Of California Trees Were Lost To Drought. Will Two Wet Winters Help Repair Our Forests?
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The LAist
The drought years were very, very hard on our trees. Conditions have improved a lot.
Earth Day 2024: 8 Ways To Live More Sustainably
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The LAist
These tips might not solve the climate crisis, but they can help garner momentum as we work toward a more sustainable future.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/earth-day-2024-8-ways-to-live-more-sustainably
Cerebral to Pay $7 Million Fine and Limit Health Data Use for Ads Under Federal Order
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Markup blog
Telehealth company Cerebral will pay a $7 million fine and limit the consumer health data it uses for advertising purposes under a new FTC order
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Google is a strangler fig, in the long term its only goal is to kill the World Wide Web.
https://mastodon.social/@secretgeek@mastodon.cloud/112314664970125435
A landmark moment for the labor movement
date: 2024-04-22, from: Marketplace Morning Report
For the first time, autoworkers at a foreign-owned plant in a Southern state have voted to unionize. The United Auto Workers union recently saw a landslide victory at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee — a win that comes years of failed unionization efforts in the South. We’ll discuss what comes next. Then, we’ll hear the role janitors from El Salvador have played in local labor movements in Houston.
Copilot auto-launch bug now takes flight in multiple Windows Insider channels
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Clippy 2024 is something else
Microsoft has acknowledged an error – Copilot is auto-launching for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel as well as the Canary and Dev builds.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/windows_insider_copilot_bug/
New version of Tiny11 Builder lets you debloat any Windows 11 build or version
date: 2024-04-22, from: OS News
The maker of Tiny11, a third-party project that aims to make Windows 11 less bloated with unnecessary parts, released a new version of Tiny11 Builder, a special tool that lets you create a custom Windows 11 image tailored to your needs and preferences. The latest release makes it much easier to create a lightweight Windows 11 ISO without worrying about installing a system modified by unknown third parties. ↫ Taras Buria at Neowin Perhaps you can make Windows 11 slightly more bearable with this. If there’s any interest from y’all, I could build my own debloated Windows 11 install and see if I can make this platform bearable for myself? Let me know in the comments.
Inside the Super Nintendo cartridges
date: 2024-04-22, from: OS News
One of the remarkable characteristics of the Super Nintendo was the ability for game cartridges (cart) to pack more than instructions and assets into ROM chips. If we open and look at the PCBs, we can find inside things like the CIC copy protection chip, SRAM, and even “enhancement processors”. ↫ Fabien Sanglard When I was a child and teenager in the ’90s, the capabilities of the SNES cartridge were a bit of a legend. We’d talk about what certain games would use which additional processors and chips in the cartridge, right or wrong, often boasting about the games we owned, and talking down the games we didn’t. Much of it was probably nonsense, but there’s some good memories there. We’re decades deep into the internet age now, and all the mysteries of the SNES cartridge can just be looked up on Wikipedia and endless numbers of other websites. The mystery’s all gone, but at least now we can accurately marvel at just how versatile the SNES really was.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139387/inside-the-super-nintendo-cartridges/
Read floppy disks and CD-ROMs with Raspberry Pi 5 | #MagPiMonday
date: 2024-04-22, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Play old games from original media, back up your floppies before they die, and image replacement disks.
The post Read floppy disks and CD-ROMs with Raspberry Pi 5 | #MagPiMonday appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/read-floppy-disks-and-cd-roms-with-raspberry-pi-5-magpimonday/
UK data watchdog questions how private Google’s Privacy Sandbox is
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Leaked draft report says stated goals still come up short
Google’s Privacy Sandbox, which aspires to provide privacy-preserving ad targeting and analytics, still isn’t sufficiently private.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/ico_google_privacy_sandbox/
Relief and hope in Ukraine following U.S. aid vote
date: 2024-04-22, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: We hear from Ukrainians after a military aid package gets approval in the U.S. House of Representatives. Then, Ecuadorians vote to tighten security in its fight against gang violence, as the government fears that recent violence could damage the country’s tourism. Plus, the hit TV series “Game of Thrones” was filmed in Northern Ireland. We’ll explore the big bet on film, TV and gaming there.
Innovation through prompting
date: 2024-04-22, from: One Useful Thing
Democratizing educational technology… and more
https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/innovation-through-prompting
Red Bull Stunt Motorcyclist Has Rear Brakes Straight Off a Drift Car
date: 2024-04-22, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
I mean, it’s technically a hydraulic handbrake.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716653/aaron-colton-stunt-motorcycle-rear-brake-calipers/
Zero Motorcycles Launches Tesla Tap Mini NACS Adapter
date: 2024-04-22, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Go further using Tesla’s L2 Destination network.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/716652/zero-motorcycles-ev-tesla-nacs-charging-adapter/
FAA now requires reentry vehicles to get licensed before launch
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Commercial operators must try Varda
The US Federal Aviation Administration is updating its launch license requirements: if you’re launching something designed for reentry, you’ll need a license for that, too. Before you launch.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/faa_now_requires_reentry_vehicles/
Earth Day puts focus on conservation efforts
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/earth-day-puts-focus-on-conservation-efforts/7579637.html
IT consultant-cum-developer in court over hiding COVID-19 loan
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Syzmon Jastrzebski bagged six figures, money written off as he’s left the country
UK government is kissing goodbye to the £100,000 an IT consultant-cum-software developer wrongly secured under the Bounce Back Loans scheme that was created during the pandemic to financially support firms.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/it_consultant_receives_director_ban/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-04-22, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Liz Cheney: The Supreme Court Should Rule Swiftly on Trump’s Immunity Claim.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/opinion/trump-immunity-supreme-court.html
Biden Hands Out $7 Billion to Expand Solar Access
date: 2024-04-22, from: Heatmap News
The great promise of solar panels — in addition to their being carbon-free — is the democratization of energy. Anyone can produce their own power, typically for less than the going utility rate. The problem is that those who stand to benefit the most from this opportunity haven’t been able to access it.
That pattern could change, however, with Solar for All, a $7 billion program under the Environmental Protection Agency to support solar in low- to moderate-income communities. On Monday, the Biden administration announced it was awarding the funds to 60 state and local governments, tribes, and national and regional nonprofits, at an average grant size of more than $80 million.
The funding will be used to design new programs and bolster existing ones that subsidize the cost of rooftop solar installations, community solar projects and battery storage. During a press call on Friday, the administration said the awardees have committed to deliver at least 20% utility bill savings to the households they serve.
To get a sense of how transformative Solar for All could be, it’s helpful to look at the numbers. According to Department of Energy data, low- to moderate-income households spend an average of 6% of their income on energy, with some paying as much as 30%, whereas households at higher income levels spend an average of just 2%. As much as a quarter of the country reports having struggled to pay electric bills, sacrificing basic needs like food and medicine or keeping their homes at unsafe temperatures because of energy concerns.
The number of these households installing rooftop solar has been increasing steadily year over year, but in 2022, they still made up only about 22% of installations, though they represent about 43% of the population.
The disparity is largely due to the high up-front cost of a solar installation, plus the fact that lower-income Americans are less likely to own their homes. While there’s a federal tax incentive to bring down the cost, low-income households may not have the tax liability to take advantage of it. They also are more likely to live in older homes that require roof repairs, the cost of which are often not covered by incentive programs.
Solar for All represents a potential step change. In at least 25 of the states and territories awarded through the program, there are no pre-existing low-income solar programs. The EPA estimates that the funds will help more than 900,000 households see the benefits of solar. It will also increase resilience in low-income communities during power outages by giving more households access to backup batteries.
Biden and his cabinet are taking a victory lap this week in honor of Earth Day, with a national tour of events and announcements related to the president’s climate and environmental record. In addition to Solar For All, the administration also launched a new web portal for the American Climate Corps on Monday, which lists nearly 2,000 training and job opportunities in fields like solar installation and mangrove restoration.
With this $7 billion heading out the door this summer, Biden will soon have distributed the full $27 billion that Congress allocated to a program called the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund two years ago when it passed the Inflation Reduction Act. The initial $20 billion was awarded in early April to launch a national network of green banks that will provide low-cost loans and other affordable finance options for climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives.
https://heatmap.news/sparks/solar-for-all-ira
Google all at sea over rising tide of robo-spam
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
What if it’s not AI but the algorithm to blame?
Opinion It was a bold claim by the richest and most famous tech founder: bold, precise and wrong. Laughably so. Twenty years ago, Bill Gates promised to rid the world of spam by 2006. How’s that worked out for you?…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/opinion_google_spam/
Young people’s Astro Pi code is sent to the International Space Station
date: 2024-04-22, from: Raspberry Pi (.org)
Young people taking part in the European Astro Pi Challenge are about to have their computer programs sent to the International Space Station (ISS). Astro Pi is run annually in collaboration by us and ESA Education, and offers two ways to get involved: Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab. This year, over 25,000 young people…
The post Young people’s Astro Pi code is sent to the International Space Station appeared first on Raspberry Pi Foundation.
The stunning rebirth of the American labor movement
date: 2024-04-22, from: Robert Reich on Substack
The pendulum is swinging toward countervailing power
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-rebirth-of-the-american-labor
curl is just the hobby
date: 2024-04-22, from: Daniel Stenberg Blog
Jan Gampe took things to the next level by actually making this cross-stitch out of the pattern I previously posted online. The flowers really gave it an extra level of charm I think. This quote is from a comment by an upset user on my blog, replying to one of my previous articles about curl. … Continue reading curl is just the hobby
https://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2024/04/22/curl-is-just-the-hobby/
humans.txt
date: 2024-04-22, from: Tilde.news
https://www.datagubbe.se/humans.txt
Climate Change Is Coming For Your Insurance
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Lever News
As financial safety nets collapse, regulators are letting insurers off the hook.
https://www.levernews.com/climate-change-is-coming-for-your-insurance/
Classifieds – April 22, 2024
date: 2024-04-22, 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 22, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/22/classifieds-april-22-2024/
Rarest, strangest, form of Windows saved techie from moment of security madness
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
For once, Redmond’s finest saved the day - by being rubbish in unexpectedly useful ways
Who, Me? It’s Monday once again, dear reader, and you know what that means: another dive into the Who, Me? confessional, to share stories of IT gone wrong that Reg readers managed to pretend had gone right.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/who_me/
Let your roommate control your screen time
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
It’s the easiest way to stay off your phone, and I promise you will be glad you did it.
The post Let your roommate control your screen time appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/22/let-your-roommate-control-your-screen-time/
Architecture can still be beautiful
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
People don’t seem to need architects, and there’s a reason for that.
The post Architecture can still be beautiful appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/22/architecture-can-still-be-beautiful/
Taylor Swift stumbles as chairman of ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’ but re-orients in ‘THE ANTHOLOGY’
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The starlet surprised fans with a double album release Friday.
The post Taylor Swift stumbles as chairman of ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’ but re-orients in ‘THE ANTHOLOGY’ appeared first on Daily Trojan.
Kaufman choreographers showcase spring compositions
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
BFA juniors and seniors performed their original choreography Thursday.
The post Kaufman choreographers showcase spring compositions appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/22/kaufman-choreographers-showcase-spring-compositions/
Spring football game showcases rising stars
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The defense capitalized on the offense’s miscues to take a sound victory.
The post Spring football game showcases rising stars appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/22/spring-football-game-showcases-rising-stars/
Microsoft foresees a new type of AI PC: A Surface designed with help from machines
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
For now, Redmond is dogfooding Azure for product simulations
Microsoft has bragged that its own Azure HPC service was able to reduce the length of its Surface laptop design process – most notably for a hinge, which was reduced to one iteration, and hopes to use AI to do even better in future.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/microsoft_surface_ai_design/
Zilog to end standalone sales of the legendary Z80 CPU
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The processor that gave the world the ZX Spectrum and so much more is out of wafers
Production of some models of Z80 processor – one of the chips that helped spark the personal computing boom of the 1980s – is set to end after an all-too-brief 48 years.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/z80_cpu_end_of_sales/
Opening statements expected Monday at Trump’s New York criminal trial
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Music lovers unite for Coachella Week 2, Day 2
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Fans flocked to the desert for the festival’s electric second day, many celebrating 4/20.
The post Music lovers unite for Coachella Week 2, Day 2 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/21/music-lovers-unite-for-coachella-week-2-day-2/
Researchers claim Windows Defender can be fooled into deleting databases
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Two rounds of reports and patches may not have completely closed this hole
BLACK HAT ASIA Researchers at US/Israeli infosec outfit SafeBreach last Friday discussed flaws in Microsoft and Kaspersky security products that can potentially allow the remote deletion of files. And, they asserted, the hole could remain exploitable – even after both vendors claim to have patched the problem.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/edr_attack_remote_data_deletion/
April 21, 2024
date: 2024-04-22, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
During her confirmation hearings in 2021, Interior Department secretary Deb Haaland promised “to responsibly manage our natural resources to protect them for future generations—so that we can continue to work, live, hunt, fish, and pray among them.” Noting her Indigenous heritage, Haaland tweeted, “A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior…. I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land.”
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-21-2024
China creates ‘Information Support Force’ to improve networked defence capabilities
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
A day after FBI boss warns Beijing is poised to strike against US infrastructure
China last week reorganized its military to create an Information Support Force aimed at ensuring it can fight and win networked wars.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/china_information_support_force/
What I read this weekend
date: 2024-04-22, from: Om Malik blog
Sad but True: Internet has become cable television. U.S. Internet households watch an average of 43.5 hours of video per week, up from 37.2 hours in 2020. # ** Five Long Reads Why do today’s cars look so similar? Why are today’s cars so boring? Why are today’s cars so much safer? Do you see the connection? [NPlusOneMag] The New Yorker asks, what is …
https://om.co/2024/04/21/what-i-read-this-weekend/
MITRE admits ‘nation state’ attackers touched its NERVE R&D operation
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PLUS: Akira ransomware resurgent; Telehealth outfit fined for data-sharing; This week’s nastiest vulns
Infosec In Brief In a cautionary tale that no one is immune from attack, the security org MITRE has admitted that it got pwned.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/in_brief_security/
Mary J. Blige, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, others picked for Rock Hall of Fame
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
new york — Mary J. Blige,Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang and Ozzy Osbourne have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes folk-rockers Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton.
Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will get the Musical Excellence Award. Pioneering music executive Suzanne de Passe won the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
“Rock ‘n’ roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. “This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”
The induction ceremony will be held October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in the city of Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. It will stream live on Disney+ with an airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.
The music acts nominated this year but didn’t make the cut included Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinead O’Connor, soul-pop singer Sade, Britpoppers Oasis, hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, and alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction.
There had been a starry push to get Foreigner — with the hits “Urgent” and Hot Blooded” — into the hall, with Mark Ronson, Jack Black, Slash, Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney all publicly backing the move. Ronson’s stepfather is Mick Jones, Foreigner’s founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist.
Osbourne, who led many parents in the 1980s to clutch their pearls with his devil imagery and sludgy music, goes in as a solo artist, having already been inducted into the hall with metal masters Black Sabbath.
Four of the eight nominees — Cher, Foreigner, Frampton and Kool & the Gang — were on the ballot for the first time.
Cher — the only artist to have a Number 1 song in each of the past six decades — and Blige, with eight multi-platinum albums and nine Grammy Awards, will help boost the number of women in the hall, which critics say is too low.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction.
Nominees were voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals. Fans voted online or in person at the museum, with the top five artists picked by the public making up a “fans’ ballot” that was tallied with the other professional ballots.
Last year, Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius, Kate Bush, and the late George Michael were some of the artists who got into the hall.
Will there be a ‘superbloom’ in California this year?
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/will-there-be-a-superbloom-in-california-this-year-/7579514.html
Daily EV Recap: Tesla’s biggest retail shareholder votes down CEO package
date: 2024-04-22, 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…
US House approves aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelming passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill on Saturday. The measure now heads to the U.S. Senate, which is expected to take up a vote early this week. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-house-approves-aid-to-ukraine-israel-taiwan/7579503.html
Coachella: Week 2, Day 3 — as it happened
date: 2024-04-22, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Reneé Rapp, J Balvin, Doja Cat and more as we report live from Indio, Calif.
The post Coachella: Week 2, Day 3 — as it happened appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/04/21/coachella-week-2-day-3-live-updates/
Elon Musk’s X to challenge Australian content takedown orders in court
date: 2024-04-22, updated: 2024-04-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PLUS: Samsung in ‘emergency mode’; Tim Cook’s Asian charm tour; APAC AI spend to surge
Asia In Brief Elon Musk’s X, the artist formerly known as Twitter, has vowed to commence court action against Australia’s government over orders to take down content depicting violence and violent extremism.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/asia_tech_news_roundup/
Appeals court stifles US city’s efforts to remove Columbus statue
date: 2024-04-22, from: VOA News USA
PITTSBURGH — An appeals court in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania has kept alive an Italian heritage group’s challenge to efforts by the city of Pittsburgh to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus from a city park.
The Commonwealth Court on Friday sent the dispute over the 13-foot bronze and granite Schenley Park statue back to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court for further consideration of issues raised by opponents of the removal.
The Italian Sons and Daughters of America filed suit in October 2020 after the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to remove the statue and then-Mayor Bill Peduto also recommended its removal. The group argued that the mayor could not override a 1955 city council ordinance that cleared the way for installation of the 800-pound statue. City attorneys argued that the legislation was more akin to a resolution accepting a gift and no council action to rescind it was needed.
Common Pleas Judge John McVay Jr., after urging both sides for two years to work out a solution such as relocation, ruled in 2022 that because the statue is in a city-owned park, it represents government speech. But the Commonwealth Court wrote Friday that McVay erred in concluding that the group’s claims “are barred in their entirety,” rejecting what it called the idea that claims of violations of the city’s charter, code and ordinance were “irrelevant procedural quibbles.”
The appellate court did reject the group’s challenge to McVay’s refusal to remove himself from the case.
Philadelphia attorney George Bochetto, who filed the lawsuit and subsequent appeal on behalf of the group, hailed the ruling and called on the new mayor to “sit down with me to reach a resolution without further costly litigation.” A message seeking comment was sent Sunday to a spokesperson for the Pittsburgh mayor.
The Schenley Park statue, vandalized several times, was wrapped in plastic in 2020, but local news reports indicate that much of the covering has since worn away or perhaps been removed, although the head remains covered.
Disputes over Columbus statues have roiled other cities across the nation, including Philadelphia on the other side of the state, where supporters in a city with a deep Italian heritage say they consider Columbus an emblem of that heritage. Former Mayor Jim Kenney, however, said Columbus, venerated for centuries as an explorer, had a “much more infamous” history, enslaving Indigenous people and imposing harsh punishments.
After 2020 protests about racial injustice and the statue, Kenney ordered the 1876 statue’s removal, calling it a matter of public safety. But a judge reversed that decision, saying the city had failed to provide evidence of a public safety need for removal. In December 2022, a plywood box covering the statue was removed by judicial order. The group that fought for retention of the statue and removal of the covering filed suit last year alleging that officials conspired to abuse the legal process in trying to remove the statue, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Columbus statues have been removed in nearby Camden, New Jersey, and Wilmington, Delaware. In Richmond, Virginia, a statue of Christopher Columbus was torn down, set on fire and thrown into a lake. In Columbia, South Carolina, the first U.S. city named for Columbus, a statue of the explorer was removed after it was vandalized several times. Another vandalized statue in Boston also was removed from its pedestal.
pgdsat v1.1 released
date: 2024-04-22, from: PostgreSQL News
Hanoi, Vietnam - April 19th, 2024
pgdsat - PostgreSQL Database Security Assessment Tool
pgdsat is a security assessment tool that checks around 80 PostgreSQL security controls of your PostgreSQL clusters including all recommendations from the CIS compliance benchmark but not only.
This PostgreSQL Security Assessment Tool allow assessments to be carried out in an automated manner to verify the security policies established inside the company. It also gives understanding of the security issued that your cluster can be faced.
It consists in a single command that must be run on the PostgreSQL server to collect all necessaries system and PostgreSQL information to compute a security assessment report. A report consist in a summary of all tests status and a second part with all detailed information. See a sample report.
This release adds new checks and fixes issues reported by users since the first release published for the event of FOSSASIA 2024 in Hanoi. New features:
-
Add cluster version mismatch check if
–clusteris used. - Add a check to ensure a data anonymization extension is installed (pg_anonymize or anon).
- Add check to ensure tablespace location is not inside the PGDATA.
- Add statistics about checksum failures if any.
- Double check the Unix socket permission on disk.
- Add check to ensure that the public schema is protected in all database.
For the complete list of changes, please checkout the release note on https://github.com/hexacluster/pgdsat/blob/master/ChangeLog
Links & Credits
pgdsat is an open project. Any contribution to build a better tool is welcome. You just have to send your ideas, features requests or patches using the GitHub tools.
Thank to the developers who submitted patches and users who reported bugs and feature requests, they are all cited in the ChangeLog file.
Links:
- Sample report: http://www.darold.net/sample_pgdsat/report.html
- Download: https://github.com/hexacluster/pgdsat/releases
- Development: https://github.com/hexacluster/pgdsat
- Changelog: https://github.com/hexacluster/pgdsat/blob/master/ChangeLog
About pgdsat
The objective of pgdsat is to have an Open Source and free tool to help PostgreSQL users to enforce the security of their PostgreSQL clusters. Not all checks might correspond to your security policies but pgdsat aims to be a reference on which you can rely to check the compliance of security points with your policy.
Tool created at HexaCluster Corp and maintained by Gilles Darold.
pgdsat works on Linux platform and is available under the GPLv3 licence.
https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/pgdsat-v11-released-2845/
Announcing E-Maj 4.4.0.
date: 2024-04-22, from: PostgreSQL News
We are very glad to announce the 4.4.0 version of E-Maj.
E-Maj is a PostgreSQL extension which enables fine-grained write logging and time travel on subsets of the database.
This new 4.4 version mainly improves the visibility of tables groups and extension versions histories. It also fixes a few bugs. The Emaj_web client has been enhanced to take benefit of these new features.
E-Maj 4.4.0 is compatible with Postgres 11 to 16 versions.
The full documentation is available on line. The core extension is available at pgxn.org for installation or github.org for development.
The Emaj_web client is also available at github.org.
Have fun with E-Maj !
https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/announcing-e-maj-440-2846/