News gathered 2024-08-27
(date: 2024-08-27 07:44:42)
Microsoft security tools questioned for treating employees as threats
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Cracked Labs examines how workplace surveillance turns workers into suspects
Software designed to address legitimate business concerns about cyber security and compliance treats employees as threats, normalizing intrusive surveillance in the workplace, according to a report by Cracked Labs.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/microsoft_workplace_surveillance/
Authors Alliance and SPARC Supporting Legal Pathways to Open Access for Scholarly Works
date: 2024-08-27, from: Authors Union blogs
Authors Alliance and SPARC are excited to announce a new collaboration to address critical legal issues surrounding open access to scholarly publications. One of our goals with this project is to clarify legal pathways to open access in support of federal agencies working to comply with the Memorandum on “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access […]
Washingtonians Love to Hate Brutalist Architecture. But What If We Could Fix It?
date: 2024-08-27, from: Smithsonian Magazine
An exhibition at the National Building Museum investigates the history and future of the much-maligned architectural style
Wizards Behind the Curtain: Johnson’s Administrative Team Makes Missions Possible
date: 2024-08-27, from: NASA breaking news
For every NASA astronaut who serves as a public face of human spaceflight, there are thousands of people working behind the scenes to make the agency’s missions a success. Even the smallest tasks impact NASA’s ability to explore and innovate for the benefit of humanity. The team of administrative assistants and secretaries who work at […]
Hubble Pinpoints a Dim, Starry Mini-galaxy
date: 2024-08-27, from: NASA breaking news
A glittering collection of stars shines against a background of much more distant galaxies in this view from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the Pegasus Dwarf spheroidal galaxy, also known as Andromeda VI. The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31, is the Milky Way’s closest grand spiral galaxy neighbor, and is host to at […]
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-pinpoints-a-dim-starry-mini-galaxy/
1 in 10 Minors Say Their Friends Use AI to Generate Nudes of Other Kids, Survey Finds
date: 2024-08-27, from: 404 Media Group
A new survey attempts to quantify just how common it is for minors to AI-generate nudes of other minors.
VMware reveals how it will deliver Broadcom’s unified hybrid cloud … sometime soon
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Claims just two management consoles will emerge
VMware Explore VMware by Broadcom has opened its annual user conference by teasing version nine of its flagship Cloud Foundation (VCF) suite – a major upgrade touted as delivering on past promises of an easy-to-consume hybrid cloud suite – but hasn’t said when it will arrive.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/vmware_cloud_foundation_nine_preview/
Heat Killed More Than 2,000 People in the U.S. Last Year
date: 2024-08-27, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Typhoon Shanshan is headed toward southwestern Japan with the power of a Category 3 hurricane • Flooding in Bangladesh has killed 23 people and stranded 1.24 million families • Australia just experienced its hottest winter temperature ever recorded.
THE TOP FIVE
- Midwest heat wave intensifies
Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are in place across much of the Midwest as a heat wave intensifies across large swathes of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio. In Chicago, the heat index could climb to 115 degrees Fahrenheit today before temperatures begin to come down Wednesday. But the shifting weather is likely to be accompanied by intense thunderstorms across the Midwest tonight and tomorrow.
- U.S. heat-related deaths on the rise
Extreme heat killed 2,325 people in America last year, the highest number in nearly 25 years, according to a new study published in the journal American Medical Association. The data shows 21,518 heat-related deaths since 1999, with the number of deaths remaining steady until 2016, when they began to rise noticeably. Last year the number surpassed 2,000 for the first time in the recorded time period. The age-adjusted rate of heat deaths per capita has also been rising. It stood at 0.17 deaths per 100,000 people in 2015, and reached 0.63 last year. “As temperatures continue to rise because of climate change, the recent increasing trend is likely to continue,” the researchers wrote. “Local authorities in high-risk areas should consider investing in the expansion of access to hydration centers and public cooling centers or other buildings with air conditioning.”
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heat-related mortality rates over
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American
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- Meta taps geothermal startup to power data centers
Geothermal startup Sage Geosystems will supply Facebook parent Meta with 150 megawatts of geothermal power in a new deal announced yesterday. The zero-carbon electricity will be used to power Meta’s data centers, starting in 2027, according to a press release. The facility will be built somewhere “east of the Rocky Mountains.” Earlier this month Sage Geosystems became the first geothermal energy storage project to connect to the grid, storing excess clean energy to be used by Texas’ grid operator. This deal with Meta, however, marks Sage’s first move into actually generating around-the-clock, zero-emission electricity by pumping water into the hot rocks that sit beneath the Earth’s surface to create steam. Another geothermal startup, Fervo Energy, is working with Google to power the tech giant’s data centers.
- Canada hits Chinese EVs with 100% tariffs
Canada announced yesterday it will impose 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs starting October 1 in an effort to prevent cheap cars from flooding the market and threatening Canadian auto manufacturing. New levies might also be applied to other clean technologies, including batteries and solar panels, after a 30-day consultation period. “Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace, compromising the security of our critical industries and displacing dedicated Canadian autos and metal workers,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Last year Canada imported $1.6 billion worth of Chinese EVs, up from just $74 million in 2022, according to Bloomberg. The jump coincided with Tesla’s move to ship Model Y vehicles from Shanghai to the port of Vancouver. But as Reuters noted, “Ottawa is trying to position Canada as a critical part of the global EV supply chain and had come under pressure from domestic industry to act against China.” Canada’s move puts it in alignment with the U.S. and the European Union, which have both taken steps to hike tariffs on Chinese EVs.
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- Guterres sounds the alarm about sea level rise
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned yesterday at the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga that the “surging seas are coming for us all.” The comments come as two new reports – from the World Meteorological Organization and the U.N. – underscore the growing threat of rising seas for coastal communities and low-lying island nations. Oceans have risen by approximately 9 inches since 1880, and the rate of sea level rise has more than doubled over the past 10 years, driven by melting land ice and the expansion of sea water as it warms.
The Pacific islands are uniquely exposed, the reports say, but the problem is global. Under a scenario in which temperatures rise by 3 degrees Celsius, by 2050 New York City, Boston, New Orleans, and Atlantic City are all expected to see sea levels rise between 9 and 16 inches. “Across the world, around a billion people live in coastal areas threatened by our swelling ocean,” Guterres said. “Yet even though some sea level rise is inevitable, its scale, pace, and impact are not. That depends on our decisions.”
THE KICKER
A typical customer of PG&E will see their electricity bills rise by more than $400 this year to help pay for the California utility’s wildfire risk mitigation efforts.
https://heatmap.news/climate/heat-deaths-america-climate-change
The Windows Control Panel joins the ranks of the undead
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
As users wail, Microsoft tweaks its text to drop the word ‘deprecated’
Microsoft has updated its Windows system configuration tools document and excised all references to deprecating the venerable Control Panel in the wake of an outcry from Reg readers.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/the_windows_control_panel_joins/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-27, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
"Whenever I, or someone else, posts a link to this blog on Mastodon, it DDoS's me and brings the site down for a couple minutes."
https://kevquirk.com/blog/mastodon-is-ddosing-me
It’s back-to-school season … and near triple-digit temps in some places
date: 2024-08-27, from: Marketplace Morning Report
You may have heard the phrase “be cool, stay in school” before. That’s a bit hard when it’s this hot out though. More than 10,000 schools nationwide lack air conditioning, according to the Center for Climate Integrity. Installing ACs is costly — but so is heat’s impact on student learning. Also on the program: We’ll look at the growing push to erase medical debt, a burden impacting millions of Americans.
Wild week of US weather includes heat wave, tropical storm, landslide, flash flood and snow
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — It’s been a wild week of weather in many parts of the United States, from heat waves to snowstorms to flash floods.
Here’s a look at some of the weather events:
Midwest sizzles under heat wave
Millions of people in the Midwest have been enduring dangerous heat and humidity.
An emergency medicine physician treating Minnesota State Fair-goers for heat illnesses saw firefighters cut rings off two people’s swollen fingers Monday in hot weather that combined with humidity made it feel well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius).
Soaring late summer temperatures also prompted some Midwestern schools to let out early or cancel sports practices. The National Weather Service issued heat warnings or advisories across Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Several cities including Chicago opened cooling centers.
Forecasters said Tuesday also will be scorching hot for areas of the Midwest before the heat wave shifts to the south and east.
West Coast mountains get early snowstorm
An unusually cold storm on the mountain peaks along the West Coast late last week brought a hint of winter in August. The system dropped out of the Gulf of Alaska, down through the Pacific Northwest and into California. Mount Rainier, southeast of Seattle, got a high-elevation dusting, as did central Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor resort.
Mount Shasta, the Cascade Range volcano that rises to 14,163 feet (4,317 meters) above far northern California, wore a white blanket after the storm clouds passed. The mountain’s Helen Lake, which sits at 10,400 feet (3,170 meters) received about half a foot of snow (15 centimeters), and there were greater amounts at higher elevations, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Shasta Ranger Station.
Tropical storm dumps heavy rain on Hawaii
Three tropical cyclones swirled over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, including Tropical Storm Hone, which brought heavy rain to Hawaii; Hurricane Gilma, which was weakening; and Tropical Storm Hector, which was churning westward, far off the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico.
The biggest impacts from Tropical Storm Hone (pronounced hoe-NEH) were rainfall and flash floods that resulted in road closures, downed power lines and damaged trees in some areas of the Big Island, said William Ahue, a forecaster at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu. No injuries or major damage had been reported, authorities said.
Deadly Alaska landslide crashes into homes
A landslide that cut a path down a steep, thickly forested hillside crashed into several homes in Ketchikan, Alaska, in the latest such disaster to strike the mountainous region. Sunday’s slide killed one person and injured three others and prompted the mandatory evacuation of nearby homes in the city, a popular cruise ship stop along the famed Inside Passage in the southeastern Alaska panhandle.
The slide area remained unstable Monday, and authorities said that state and local geologists were arriving to assess the area for potential secondary slides. Last November, six people — including a family of five — were killed when a landslide destroyed two homes in Wrangell, north of Ketchikan.
Flash flood hits Grand Canyon National Park
The body of an Arizona woman who disappeared in Grand Canyon National Park after a flash flood was recovered Sunday, park rangers said. The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was discovered by a group rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, the park said in a statement.
Nickerson was hiking along Havasu Creek about a half-mile (800 meters) from where it meets up with the Colorado River when the flash flood struck. Nickerson’s husband was among the more than 100 people safely evacuated.
The flood trapped several hikers in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of a series of usually blue-green waterfalls that draw tourists from around the world to the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation. The area is prone to flooding that turns its iconic waterfalls chocolate brown.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-27, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
I learned that there were hippie programmers, who loved programming the way hippies love acid rock, weed, making love not war, patchouli oil, The Dead, getting back to the land, saying truth to power, sticking it to the man, etc etc.
http://scripting.com/2016/08/27/nerdsAndHippies.html
Meta digs deep to strike geothermal power deal for its US datacenters
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Teaming up with Sage Geosystems, house of Facbook plans to tap into Earth’s fiery underbelly
Meta and Sage Geosystems are striking a deal under which geothermal energy provided by Sage will be used to deliver renewable power for Meta’s US datacenters, intended to help reduce their carbon dioxide footprint.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/meta_geothermal_energy/
Canada to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs
date: 2024-08-27, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Following the lead of the U.S. and the European Union, Canada says it will impose a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum from China. Plus, it’s estimated that there will be 350 million adults over 60 in India by 2050; so it’s no surprise that companies are increasingly looking to cash in on the silver economy’s substantial spending power.
Blue Origin sets October 13 for first New Glenn EscaPADE to Mars
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Must launch to catch the red planet alignment window despite occasional testing ‘anomalies’
Jeff Bezos’s rocket venture, Blue Origin, has set a date of no earlier than October 13 for the inaugural mission of the New Glenn rocket, with a payload set for Mars.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/blue_origin_sets_october_13/
Wavelength
date: 2024-08-27, from: Status-Q blog
I haven’t posted for a while, partly because I’m on a small boat here in the Argolian Gulf, courtesy of my kind friend Philip Sargent. The photo above was taken just a couple of minutes ago. It’s my first trip to Greece, and I’m loving it. The temperatures well into the 30s are hard to Continue Reading
https://statusq.org/archives/2024/08/27/12149/
Zuckerberg says Biden administration officials pressured Meta to censor some COVID-19 content
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
The elusive dream of cloud portability: Why migrating workloads isn’t so simple
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Despite early promises, moving between providers remains a complex and costly endeavor
Analysis One of the promises of the public cloud was that customers would be able to migrate workloads if they wished, taking advantage of market freedom to switch to a different provider if it offered lower costs or some other advantage. What happened to that dream?…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/what_happened_to_cloud_portability/
The future of AI/ML depends on the reality of today – and it’s not pretty
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The return of Windows Recall is more than a bad flashback
Opinion Companies love to use familiar words in unorthodox ways. “We value your privacy” is really the digital equivalent of a mugger admiring your phone. And “partnering”? Usually, it means “The one with more money is bribing the one with more cred.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/opinion_ai_ml/
Emulating the early Macintosh floppy drive
date: 2024-08-27, from: OS News
I have been working on an emulator for early (Motorola 68000-powered) Macintosh computers. While implementing the disk drive, I noticed documentation was scattered and hard to find. Now that I have a working implementation, this post is my attempt to document everything in one place. ↫ Thomas Exactly what it says on the tin – everything you ever wanted to know about the disk drive on early Macintosh computers.
https://www.osnews.com/story/140599/emulating-the-early-macintosh-floppy-drive/
How de-Googled is Lineage OS?
date: 2024-08-27, from: OS News
On the whole, I’m satisfied that Lineage OS, as I use it, is preventing nearly all of Google’s data collection. I don’t install or use any Google services, I don’t enable A-GPS, I don’t use Chromium or the built-in browser. I could eliminate more arcane aspects of data collection – like the Internet connectivity check – if I wanted to take the trouble. I don’t think that taking reasonable precautions to avoid becoming part of Google’s data collection economy makes me a tinfoil-hatter. Nevertheless, I would probably use GrapheneOS instead, if I had devices that supported it. Ironically, if I wanted to use GrapheneOS, I’d have to buy Google-branded mobile devices, which is an irony that really stings. ↫ Kevin Boone The existence of Android versions like LineageOS, GrapheneOS, /e/OS, and similar, other de-Googled mobile operating systems is absolutely vital. The market is dominated by Google Android and iOS, and since full alternatives that aren’t Android or iOS are effectively impossible, de-Googled Android is the best we’re going to get. Regulators must ensure that banks, government ID applications, popular messaging platforms, and similarly crucial applications work 100% reliably on de-Googled Android, and do not require Google Play Services in any way, shape, or form. In The Netherlands, there are basically three banks that control the market, and there’s really just one messaging application that rules the country – WhatsApp – and their use is effectively required to participate in society. Consequently, these applications and platforms should be accessible by as many people as possible, and that definitely includes de-Googled Android devices. Being alive should not be taxed by Apple or Google.
https://www.osnews.com/story/140597/how-de-googled-is-lineage-os/
Dr Helen Fisher, MRI maven who showed just how love works, dies at 79
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It’s all about your chemistry
Noted anthropologist Dr Helen Fisher, who lead groundbreaking research into how the brain deals with love and passion, has died at the age of 79 after suffering endometrial cancer.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/helen_fisher_obituary/
Master Plan Episode 3: The Memo That Changed America
date: 2024-08-27, from: The Lever News
Our third episode introduces the architect behind the master plan’s original blueprint, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell.
https://www.levernews.com/master-plan-episode-3-the-memo-that-changed-america/
Judge acquits web dev accused of spreading fake news that led to UK riots
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
With a warning: Words have power
A Pakistani court on Monday acquitted a man of cyber terrorism charges after he allegedly spread fake news on social media websites that sparked riots across the UK earlier this month.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/pakistan_fake_news_uk_riots/
Infosys CEO promises jobs to 2,000 graduate recruits it’s kept on hold for two years
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
But they have to show for unpaid training, or lose their jobs-in-waiting
Infosys CEO Salil Parekh has promised to honor job offers made over two years ago to graduates yet to be employed by the outsourcing giant.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/infosys_freshers_wait/
Judge pauses program to offer legal status to spouses of US citizens
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
McALLEN, Texas — A federal judge in Texas on Monday paused a Biden administration policy that would give spouses of U.S. citizens legal status without having to first leave the country, dealing at least a temporary setback to one of the biggest presidential actions to ease a path to citizenship in years.
The administrative stay issued by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes just days after 16 states, led by Republican attorneys general, challenged the program that could benefit an estimated 500,000 immigrants in the country, plus about 50,000 of their children.
One of the states leading the challenge is Texas, which in the lawsuit claimed the state has had to pay tens of millions of dollars annually from health care to law enforcement because of immigrants living in the state without legal status.
President Joe Biden announced the program in June. The court order, which lasts for two weeks but could be extended, comes one week after the Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications.
“The claims are substantial and warrant closer consideration than the court has been able to afford to date,” Barker wrote.
Barker was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2019 as a judge in Tyler, Texas, which lies in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a favored venue for advocates pushing conservative arguments.
The judge laid out a timetable that could produce a decision shortly before the presidential election Nov. 5 or before a newly elected president takes office in January. Barker gave both sides until Oct. 10 to file briefs in the case.
The policy offers spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status, who meet certain criteria, a path to citizenship by applying for a green card and staying in the U.S. while undergoing the process. Traditionally, the process could include a yearslong wait outside of the U.S., causing what advocates equate to “family separation.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the order.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cheered the order.
“This is just the first step. We are going to keep fighting for Texas, our country, and the rule of law,” Paxton posted on the social media platform X.
Several families were notified of the receipt of their applications, according to attorneys advocating for eligible families who filed a motion to intervene earlier Monday.
“Texas should not be able to decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens and their immigrant spouses without confronting their reality,” Karen Tumlin, the founder and director of Justice Action Center, said during the press conference before the order was issued.
The coalition of states accused the administration of bypassing Congress for “blatant political purposes.”
The program has been particularly contentious in an election year where immigration is one of the biggest issues, with many Republicans attacking the policy and contending it is essentially a form of amnesty for people who broke the law.
To be eligible for the program, immigrants must have lived continuously in the U.S. for at least 10 years, not pose a security threat or have a disqualifying criminal history and have been married to a citizen by June 17 — the day before the program was announced.
They must pay a $580 fee to apply and fill out a lengthy application, including an explanation of why they deserve humanitarian parole and a long list of supporting documents proving how long they have been in the country.
If approved, applicants have three years to seek permanent residency. During that period, they can get work authorization.
Before this program, it was complicated for people who were in the U.S. illegally to get a green card after marrying an American citizen. They can be required to return to their home country — often for years — and they always face the risk they may not be allowed back in.
Thailand spins up approval for Western Digital to make more spinning rust
date: 2024-08-27, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Kingdom sees growing demand for hard disks and drives to maintain global dominance
The Kingdom of Thailand yesterday approved Western Digital’s plans to expand its hard disk manufacturing facilities in the nation.…
Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — An Army private who fled to North Korea just over a year ago will plead guilty to desertion and four other charges and take responsibility for his conduct, his lawyer said Monday.
Travis King’s attorney, Franklin D. Rosenblatt, told The Associated Press that King intends to admit guilt to a total of five military offenses, including desertion and assaulting an officer. Nine other offenses, including possession of sexual images of a child, will be withdrawn and dismissed under the terms of the deal.
King will be given an opportunity at a Sept. 20 hearing at Fort Bliss, Texas, to discuss his actions and explain what he did.
“He wants to take responsibility for the things that he did,” Rosenblatt said.
In a separate statement, he added, “Travis is grateful to his friends and family who have supported him, and to all outside his circle who did not pre-judge his case based on the initial allegations.”
He declined to comment on a possible sentence that his client might face. Desertion is a serious charge and can result in imprisonment.
The AP reported last month that the two sides were in plea talks.
King bolted across the heavily fortified border from South Korea in July 2023, and became the first American detained in North Korea in nearly five years.
His run into North Korea came soon after he was released from a South Korean prison where he had served nearly two months on assault charges.
About a week after his release from the prison, military officers took him to the airport so he could return to Fort Bliss to face disciplinary action. He was escorted as far as customs, but instead of getting on the plane, he joined a civilian tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. He then ran across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists.
He was detained by North Korea, but after about two months, Pyongyang abruptly announced that it would expel him. On Sept. 28, he was flown to back to Texas, and has been in custody there.
The U.S. military in October filed a series of charges against King under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion, as well as kicking and punching other officers, unlawfully possessing alcohol, making a false statement and possessing a video of a child engaged in sexual activity. Those allegations date back to July 10, the same day he was released from the prison.
Can Crypto, China cause Dollardrums?
date: 2024-08-27, from: Om Malik blog
Link: The Changing Role of the U.S. Dollar / Brookings TLDR: Whether it’s sanctions overuse, U.S. political dysfunction or crypto-led fintech innovations, the dollar can’t take its preeminence for granted anymore. Key Points: My Thoughts: More than military dominance, the U.S. dollar has been the key instrument for America’s global dominance. It remains so, but it will increasingly come under pressure due to digitization and disaggregation of money. This is very much a continuation of the “routing around …
https://om.co/2024/08/26/dollardrums/
Trump tries to tie rival Harris to chaotic Afghanistan exit
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the third anniversary on Monday of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to try to pin the chaotic pullout on his Democratic rival for the White House, Kamala Harris.
Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the U.S. exit, then later in Detroit blamed Harris, the vice president, and President Joe Biden for what he termed a “catastrophic” withdrawal.
“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all over the world,” Trump said in an address to the National Guard Association of the United States.
It was the latest attempt by Trump and his campaign to raise doubts about Harris’ fitness to serve as commander-in-chief as the Nov. 5 election draws near and comes after Harris last week proclaimed herself ready to lead the nation’s armed forces.
The U.S. troop pullout and evacuation of U.S. and allied officials, citizens and Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution saw crowds of desperate Afghans trying to enter Kabul airport and men clinging to aircraft as they taxied down runways in August 2021.
An Islamic State suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and more than 150 Afghans outside an airport gate.
Harris’ campaign said the fault lay with Trump’s tenure as president.
“The Biden-Harris administration inherited a mess from Donald Trump,” said Ammar Moussa, a Harris spokesperson. “Trump wants America to forget that he had four years to get out of Afghanistan but failed to do it.”
The Biden administration was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020.
A review released by the U.S. State Department in 2023 found fault with both the Trump and Biden administrations in the run-up to the withdrawal.
In recent weeks, Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, also have sought to turn Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s decades of service into a political vulnerability. Former military service is often a key selling point for candidates in U.S. political campaigns.
The Republicans have accused Walz of exaggerating his rank in the Army National Guard, where he served for 24 years. Walz has described himself as a retired command sergeant major, one of the highest noncommissioned officer positions in the Army. While he achieved that rank, he did not meet the requirements to retire with that title.
The Harris campaign deleted a reference this month to Walz’s rank as a “command sergeant major” on its website. The campaign also now says Walz “misspoke” in 2018 during his gubernatorial campaign in Minnesota when he referred to “weapons of war, that I carried in war.” Walz was never deployed to a war zone.
Trump, 78, never served in the military. Though he was of draft age during the Vietnam War, he received four student deferments and a health-related one after he received a diagnosis for bone spurs in his feet.
Vance served in the Marine Corps for four years as a combat correspondent and was deployed to Iraq for roughly seven months. His position mainly involved writing reports of military activity for public dissemination and at times interacting with the media.
Harris has not served in the military.
Harris told CNN in 2021 that she was the last person in the room with Biden when he decided to pull U.S. forces from Afghanistan and end America’s longest war. She also said that she was comfortable with Biden’s decision, but it remains unclear what role she played in the discussion.
Both Biden and Harris released statements marking the anniversary on Monday.
“These 13 devoted patriots represent the best of America, putting our beloved nation and their fellow Americans above themselves and deploying into danger to keep their fellow citizens safe,” Harris said.
Asked Monday why Biden and Harris weren’t marking the anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack as Trump did at Arlington National Cemetery, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Trump had been personally invited by the family members and he called it one way to honor the fallen.
“Another way is to continue to work,” Kirby said. “Maybe not with a lot of fanfare, maybe not with a lot of public attention, maybe not with TV cameras, but to work with might and main every single day to make sure that the families of the fallen and of those who were injured and wounded, not just at Abbey Gate, but over the course of the 20-some odd years that we were in Afghanistan, have the support that they need.”
Also Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Congress will posthumously honor the 13 service members by presenting their families with the Congressional Gold Medal next month. It’s the highest civilian award that Congress can bestow.
Some information for this article came from The Associated Press.
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-tries-to-tie-rival-harris-to-chaotic-afghanistan-exit/7758346.html
Telegram Founder Arrested
date: 2024-08-27, from: Michael Tsai
Nadeem Badshah and Reuters (Hacker News): Pavel Durov, billionaire co-founder and chief executive of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV said, citing an unnamed source. […] Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and users can also set up “channels” to disseminate information quickly to followers. […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/08/26/telegram-founder-arrested/
CarPlay Spinning Its Wheels
date: 2024-08-27, from: Michael Tsai
Dan Moren: But even against this backdrop, CarPlay increasingly found itself squeezed by a variety of factors: automobile manufacturers who didn’t want to cede control to an outside force, internal Apple forces focusing on the nascent car project, and increased competition from Google, which not only debuted its own Android Auto feature a year after […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/08/26/carplay-spinning-its-wheels/
Using Codable and Enums in SwiftData Models
date: 2024-08-27, from: Michael Tsai
Fatbobman (Reddit): In SwiftData’s default storage implementation, the method of persisting the people attribute is not by converting data into binary format through encoders such as JSONEncoder and storing it in a single field (similar to Core Data’s Value Transformer). Instead, SwiftData creates separate fields for each attribute of Codable data within the table corresponding […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/08/26/using-codable-and-enums-in-swiftdata-models/
Chrome’s Manifest V3 and uBlock Origin
date: 2024-08-27, from: Michael Tsai
Michael Crider (Hacker News): A change in Chrome’s extension support — from the Manifest V2 framework to the newer V3 — is being billed as a way to make browser add-ons safer, more efficient, and compliant with modern APIs. But it’s also deprecating features that complex extensions reply upon.One of those extensions is uBlock Origin, […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/08/26/chromes-manifest-v3-and-ublock-origin/
Trial opens for man charged with killing 10 people at Colorado supermarket
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
denver — Jury selection began Monday in the long-delayed trial of a man charged with murdering 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021, a case in which the suspect was ruled mentally unfit to face prosecution before pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.
The outcome hinges on whether the defense can convince jurors that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, was so mentally ill at the time of the mass shooting that he failed to comprehend the difference between right and wrong and thus should not be held legally responsible for the killings.
The basic facts of the case are not in dispute. Alissa stormed a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, about 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Denver, on March 22, 2021, armed with a legally purchased Ruger AR-556 pistol, which resembles an AR-15-style rifle.
Police say he killed two people in the store’s parking lot before shooting eight others to death inside the supermarket. Among those killed was a police officer responding to the scene.
The shooting spree ended when a police officer shot Alissa in the leg, leading the gunman, wearing only his underwear, to surrender. He has remained in custody since the day of the shooting.
Alissa is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, in addition to dozens of counts of attempted murder, assault and weapons offenses stemming from the incident.
A conviction would carry an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. There is no death penalty in Colorado.
The trial officially got under way on Monday morning with the judge and attorneys for both sides beginning the process of choosing jurors to hear the case, a court spokesperson said.
Jury selection is expected to wrap up by week’s end, with opening statements possible as early as Friday, or on Tuesday following the U.S. Labor Day holiday.
The case against Alissa stalled after he underwent a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in late 2021. Boulder District Judge Ingrid Bakke, relying on the conclusions of state psychologists, then deemed him incompetent to stand trial.
In November 2023, Bakke found that the defendant’s mental condition had improved sufficiently under psychiatric treatment to rule him restored to competency, allowing the prosecution to move forward.
Competence is a legal determination that weighs whether criminal defendants understand the charges against them and can meaningfully assist in their own defense. An insanity plea relates instead to the defendant’s mental status at the time of the alleged crime.
Grim details of the killings emerged during his plea hearing last year, when a Boulder homicide detective testified that Alissa shot one man in the back, then pursued the victim as he tried to crawl away and shot him again, killing him. The detective also testified the suspect shot and wounded a woman, then fired multiple additional rounds at her as she curled up in a fetal position, killing her.
All the victims struck by gunfire died of their wounds, authorities said.
A precise motive for the killings has not been suggested by prosecutors, though according to a psychologist who treated the gunman at a state mental hospital, Alissa had said he wanted to “commit suicide by cop.”
Slop is Good
date: 2024-08-27, from: furbo.org
I’ve been thinking about all the generative AI slop that’s appearing, especially with tools like “Reimagine”, and I think it’s going to be a great thing for the open web. Why? Because Google is unwittingly shooting itself in the foot in a way that will change the character of the web. How? The web has […]
https://furbo.org/2024/08/26/slop-is-good/
Social platform X edits AI chatbot after election officials warn that it spreads misinformation
date: 2024-08-27, from: VOA News USA
chicago — The social media platform X has made a change to its AIchatbot after five secretaries of state warned it was spreading election misinformation.
Top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington sent a letter this month to Elon Musk complaining that the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced false information about state ballot deadlines shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
The secretaries of state requested that the chatbot instead direct users who ask election-related questions to CanIVote.org, a voting information website run by the National Association of Secretaries of State.
Before listing responses to election-related questions, the chatbot now says, “For accurate and up-to-date information about the 2024 U.S. Elections, please visit Vote.gov.”
Both websites are “trustworthy resources that can connect voters with their local election officials,” the five secretaries of state said in a shared statement.
“We appreciate X’s action to improve their platform and hope they continue to make improvements that will ensure their users have access to accurate information from trusted sources in this critical election year,” they said.
Grok is available only to subscribers of the premium versions of X. But the five secretaries of state who signed the letter said election misinformation from Grok has been shared across multiple social media platforms, reaching millions of people. Grok continued to repeat the false information for 10 days before it was corrected, the secretaries said. The platform did not respond to a request for comment.
The change promoting a link to an official voting website does not seem to address Grok’s ability to create misleading AI-generated images related to elections. People have been using the tool to flood the platform with fake images of candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Grok debuted last year for X premium and premium plus subscribers and was touted by Musk as a “rebellious” AI chatbot that will answer “spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.”
Social media platforms have faced mounting scrutiny for their role in spreading misinformation, including about elections. The letter also warned that inaccuracies are to be expected for AI products, especially chatbots such as Grok that are based on large language models.
Since Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it to X, watchdog groups have raised concerns over a surge in hate speech and misinformation being amplified on the platform, as well as cuts to the staff that had been moderating content.
Experts say the moves represent a regression from progress made by social media platforms attempting to better combat political disinformation after the 2016 U.S. presidential contest and could precipitate a worsening misinformation landscape ahead of this year’s November elections.
SCImago Lab and The Lens Collaborate to Create New Mission-Aligned Metrics to Improve Societal Impact of Research
date: 2024-08-26, from: Lens.org news
SCImago Lab and The Lens are pleased to announce a research collaboration to advance the use of open data to create new mission-aligned metrics that enable academic and research institutions, businesses, civil society and government to measure and map the influence of scholarly publications on enterprise and improve the relevance of investment, research and partnering …
Japan abandons SLIM hopes its lunar lander will revive, ends Moon mission
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Lasted longer than expected, but hasn’t been heard from since late April
Japan’s Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) has ended operations of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) that it landed on Earth’s sole natural satellite in January.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/jaxa_ends_slim_moon_mission/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Why do we have to keep getting COVID?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-why-do-we-have-to-keep-getting-covid/
China objects to new sanctions on firms aiding Russia
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/china-objects-to-new-sanctions-on-firms-aiding-russia/7757945.html
Samsung will provide seven years of free Tizen OS upgrades for its AI TVs
date: 2024-08-26, from: OS News
If you are looking to upgrade your TV and want a long-lasting option, you may consider getting a Samsung AI TV powered by Tizen OS. The reason is that Samsung announced plans to offer seven years of Tizen OS upgrades for some of its Smart TVs. ↫ Sagar Naresh Bhavsar at Neowin Since buying a dumb TV is no longer possible, you might as well get the one with the longest possible support lifecycle. This new policy covers Samsung TVs from 2024 onward, as well as a few modls from 2023. There’s no word on if the ads that I’m assuming are part of Samsung’s smart TVs will also receive seven years of updates. Or, you know, get a good Android TV box and never plug your actual TV into your network to begin with.
Olivetti Programma 101: at the origins of the personal computer
date: 2024-08-26, from: OS News
Due to its limited RAM of 1,920 bits, the Programma 101 was mostly a machine conceived to make arithmetic calculations – sums, subtractions, divisions, multiplications, square roots -, yet, like modern computers, it could also perform logical operations, conditional and unconditional jumps, and print the data stored in a register, all through a custom-made alphanumeric programming language. This was, in the early ’60s, what set computers apart from calculators, indeed. Overall, in today’s terms, Programma 101 can be considered a sort of “transitional fossil” between desktop calculators and personal computers. ↫ Riccardo Bianchini Olivetti sure is a name that carries an exceptional amount of weight in the retrocomputing world, as classic Olivetti computers, even standard Olivetti PCs, tend to be highly desirable. A Programma 101 in amazing condition is currently for sale on eBay for a massive €20000, and while there’s quite a few relatively cheap ’80s and ’90s Olivetti PCs for sale, a sizable number of them are far more desirable and carry massive premiums for their unique design. It’s sad how many once great and influential computer makers have been relegated to the dustbin of history, outcompeted, acquired, or run into the ground. Some of these once great brands live on as mere badges on electronic junk, and Olivetti, too, was not spared this fate. In fact, what is generally considered the worst PDA ever made, the Olivetti daVinci, was a generic product that just had an Olivetti logo slapped onto it. I have one in-box, and intend to one day write about it, because its awfulness needs to be shared with the world.
https://www.osnews.com/story/140592/olivetti-programma-101-at-the-origins-of-the-personal-computer/
DETAIL OPPORTUNITY: NASA OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seeks applicants interested in six to twelve month reimbursable details with the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Applicants must be current Federal Employees. Applicants should receive the approval of their supervisor before applying. Consisting of a Headquarters Office and nine Center-level legal offices, NASA OGC provides advice and […]
https://www.nasa.gov/general/detail-opportunity-nasa-office-of-the-general-counsel/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
People have been saying that podcasting is dead or Spotify is gonna own it or Google’s gonna own it or who knows and podcasting keeps on going just fine.
https://spyglass.org/pod-is-dead/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Roseanne Roseannadanna on King Tut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k59d-xMvooA
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
I'm going to have to delete all these test posts. First thing tomorrow. :-)
https://feedland.org/?item=14888467
Lilbits: Pixel 9a leak, Indiegogo’s new shipping guarantee (for some campaigns), and a flexible Arduino
date: 2024-08-26, from: Liliputing
Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Crowd Supply started off as platforms for creators to raise money to turn an idea into a real product that’s ready to ship. And that means there’s always some risk involved: even if a project is fully funded, it’s often important to keep in mind that things can go […]
The post Lilbits: Pixel 9a leak, Indiegogo’s new shipping guarantee (for some campaigns), and a flexible Arduino appeared first on Liliputing.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
A fourth test. I hate that you're seeing this.
https://feedland.org/?item=14888369
Special counsel asks court to revive charges against Trump in documents case
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked a federal appeals court to revive the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of retaining classified documents, after a lower court dismissed the indictment in July, according to a court filing.
In their brief, Smith and his team of attorneys urged the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to overturn the July 15 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon in which she concluded that Smith was unlawfully appointed and did not have the legal authority to bring the case.
“Congress has bestowed on the Attorney General, like the heads of many Executive Departments, broad authority to structure the agency he leads to carry out the responsibilities imposed on him by law,” they wrote.
“The district court’s contrary view conflicts with an otherwise unbroken course of decisions, including by the Supreme Court, that the Attorney General has such authority, and it is at odds with widespread and longstanding appointment practices in the Department of Justice and across the government.”
The Justice Department had previously said it planned to appeal the ruling.
In Monday’s brief, Smith’s office also asked the appellate court to schedule oral arguments.
Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, found that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to appoint Smith in 2022 violated the U.S. Constitution. She also found that his budget, which is funded through an indefinite appropriation, was unlawful.
Trump’s lawyers had previously challenged the legal authority for Smith’s appointment, arguing that Smith’s office was not created by Congress and the special counsel was not confirmed by the Senate.
Trump’s campaign said on Monday that the court should reject Smith’s request and that other cases facing the former president should be dismissed.
“Not only should the dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida be affirmed but be immediately joined by a dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Comrade Kamala’s Political Opponent, President Trump. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Cannon’s ruling has faced staunch criticism, with many attorneys saying it flies in the face of prior court decisions which all upheld the legality of the rules that the Justice Department has relied on for years in appointing special counsels.
“The Attorney General validly appointed the Special Counsel, who is also properly funded,” Smith’s office wrote, adding that Cannon had “deviated from binding Supreme Court precedent” and also “misconstrued the statutes that authorized the Special Counsel’s appointment.”
Cannon’s decision to dismiss the case marked a legal victory for Trump and came not long after the Supreme Court ruled that he had broad criminal immunity from prosecution for official actions he took during his time in office.
That Supreme Court decision has led to major delays in Smith’s second criminal case against Trump, in which Trump is facing charges over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Smith faces a Friday deadline to tell the judge overseeing the election subversion case how he wishes to proceed in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Trump, who is running in the 2024 presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris, was convicted in May on New York state charges involving hush money paid to an adult film star to avert a sex scandal before the 2016 election.
His sentencing has been postponed following the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.
In the documents case, Trump was indicted on charges that he willfully retained sensitive national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office in 2021 and obstructed government efforts to retrieve the material.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
A third test post. Another one to ignore.
https://feedland.org/?item=14888234
Apparent cyberattack leaves Seattle airport facing major internet outages
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
seattle — An apparent cyberattack disrupted internet, phones, email and other systems at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a third day on Monday as Port of Seattle officials worked to investigate the outages and restore full service.
“We’re working around the clock to get necessary systems back online and to mitigate impacts to our passengers,” the airport’s aviation managing director Lance Lyttle said in a press conference Sunday.
Lyttle said the airport is investigating with the help of outside experts and is working closely with federal partners, including the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection. Officials have not released details about the full scope of the outage, but Lyttle said it was not affecting TSA’s ability to screen passengers.
Some airlines, including Delta and Alaska, reported no service interruptions from the outage. Both airlines use Sea-Tac as a hub. Still, the outage did affect the Port of Seattle’s baggage sorting system, prompting airlines to warn passengers to avoid checking bags if possible to avoid potential delays.
The airport also warned travelers to allow extra time at the airport and to use airline mobile applications to get boarding passes and bag tags when possible.
Still, many travelers faced security lines that were longer than normal and long waits at baggage claims and checking. Terminal screens were also out throughout the airport, making it difficult for some to determine their assigned gate.
“Port teams continue to make progress on returning systems to normal operations, but there is not an estimated time for return,” the airport wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
This is another test. Ignore this one too.
https://feedland.org/?item=14888030
NASA Seeks Input for Astrobee Free-flying Space Robots
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
NASA is seeking input from American companies for the operation and use of a system of free-flying robots aboard the International Space Station as the agency continues to foster scientific, educational, and technological developments in low Earth orbit for the benefit of all. The colorful, cube-shaped robots – named “Bumble,” “Honey,” and “Queen” – are […]
https://www.nasa.gov/technology/robotics/nasa-seeks-input-for-astrobee-free-flying-space-robots/
Questions and Answers: Comparing init Systems
date: 2024-08-26, from: Tilde.news
https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20240527#qa
WordStar 7, the last ever DOS version, re-released for free
date: 2024-08-26, from: Tilde.news
https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/06/wordstar_7_the_last_ever/
Generating Mazes
date: 2024-08-26, from: Tilde.news
https://healeycodes.com/generating-mazes
NASA Develops Pod to Help Autonomous Aircraft Operators
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
For self-flying aircraft to take to the skies, they need to learn about their environments to avoid hazards. NASA aeronautics researchers recently developed a camera pod with sensors to help with this challenge by advancing computer vision for autonomous aviation. This pod is called the Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE). It […]
How a tiny Montclair radio station came to play a continuous loop of one Boyz II Men song
date: 2024-08-26, from: Tilde.news
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
SpaceX ready to launch historic Polaris Dawn mission.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/08/polaris-dawn/
Microsoft Bing Copilot accuses reporter of crimes he covered
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Hallucinating AI models excel at defamation
Microsoft Bing Copilot has falsely described a German journalist as a child molester, an escapee from a psychiatric institution, and a fraudster who preys on widows.…
Large Landowners Are By Far the Most Likely to Speak Out Against Clean Energy
date: 2024-08-26, from: Heatmap News
Attending a public hearing is the most important civic duty that nobody actually does. (Well, not nobody — we’ll get into that.) But despite attendance at public hearings being one of the most effective ways to directly shape one’s community, the average American probably isn’t going. And heaven forbid you ask them to speak.
Heatmap’s latest poll looked into, among other things, the actions someone would take if they had concerns about a hypothetical clean energy project in their area. What we learned is that Americans are more willing to join a lawsuit (41%) than they are to talk at a public hearing (30%). But there is a demographic that is bolder than the rest of us glossophobes — people who owned 50 or more acres of land were nearly one-and-a-half times as likely (43%) to speak up in such a scenario. Overall, these large landowners were also more likely to say they’d attend a public hearing about a clean energy project (71%) than the general population (60%).
Community opposition is one of the leading causes of delays and cancellations of renewable projects, with about one-third of wind and solar siting applications in the last five years killed by local pushback. It’s also true that Republicans are more likely to live in rural areas with renewable energy development, meaning “conservatives’ opposition could prove more decisive to the future of wind and solar than liberals’ support,” The Washington Post wrote last year. (Heatmap’s polling backs that up: 70% of the large landowners we surveyed said they plan to vote for Donald Trump, compared to 17% who said they intend to vote for Kamala Harris.)
Clean-energy advocates who work with rural partners, including large landowners, told me they weren’t surprised to hear of the group’s high levels of in-person engagement. “Obviously, it takes land to build wind and solar, and a lot of that land is in rural America,” Jane Kleeb, the founder and director of Bold Alliance, an environmental advocacy organization based out of Nebraska that helps landowners navigate new infrastructure projects, told me.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest concern Heatmap encountered among large landowners was that potential clean-energy projects could “take up farmland” (70%), followed by worries that they’d “harm wildlife or local nature/environmental sites” (58%; this is also the highest concern among the general population, cited by 54% of all respondents).
Kleeb said she often encounters these anxieties when working with partners in rural states. “When we’re talking with a community that for decades has supported land being used to grow ethanol, which is also an energy source — solar will take much less land and not use water, which is a depleting resource in the Midwest and all across the country,” she pointed out. (To be clear, Bold Alliance does support ethanol.) As for environmental concerns, “wind and solar have way less impact than fossil fuels on wildlife, period,” Kleeb said. “There’s no comparison. It’s not even a close call.”
Another worry large landowners had that stood out from the general population was that nearby land might be developed “by non-local companies” (57% of large landowners vs. 37% of the general population). “What’s not been happening well is that some clean-energy companies will come into a community, and they won’t disclose where the projects are going,” Kleeb said, adding that “community after community that we’re engaging with wants to know that from the beginning, and they want to be engaged in the discussions about where a project may or may not be better suited to be placed.”
While Heatmap specifically looked at who would be the most likely to speak out at a public hearing if they had concerns about a clean-energy project in their area, Kyle Unruh, the Idaho and Montana policy manager for Renewable Northwest, which works with regional partners to create a cleaner grid, said he’s seen that landowners will also “advocate for development on either their own land — as a means of making feasible the continued ownership of a small farm — or on behalf of a fellow landowner who should be entitled to their own property rights and decisions about what happens on their private land.”
At the same time, Unruh has seen landowners testify that they believe development on a nearby property could hurt their property values — a concern raised by 45% of the large landowners who responded to Heatmap’s survey — though he stressed that the claim that renewable energy development decreases nearby property values “is not borne out by the research.” He cited this worry as another reason large landowners evidently show up and speak out at public hearings more than their suburban and urban neighbors. “Landowners tend to have an elevated personal interest in whether energy development takes place, given this development has the real potential to increase the value of their land or the perceived effect of reducing the value or desirability of their land,” he told me.
On the flip side, when Heatmap presented landowners with reasons why they might allow renewable projects to be developed on their land, people living on six or more acres were more likely to pick “none of the above” (44%) in Heatmap’s polling than tax benefits (29%), diversifying their income (28%), or starting an agrivoltaics venture with solar generation and agriculture co-located on the same property (20%), among other options. Of potential upsides“having a long-term source of income” (35%) had the plurality, and “environmental benefits” (31%) also held high appeal.
Clean-energy developers should be making a concerted effort to reach out to large landowners from the start, but not just because they’re one of the more vocal contingents at the local town hall. More often than not, the energy transition will take place in literal backyards, and many opportunities for collaboration or partnership are lost when misinformation, conspiracies, or sneaky development tactics lead instead.
“The climate movement, in general over the past decade, has missed the boat here,” Kleeb of Bold Alliance told me. “There’s a major opportunity to engage with the rural folks who will be shouldering the responsibility of making sure that wind and solar are being built.”
The Heatmap poll of 5,202 American adults was conducted by Embold Research via online responses from August 3 to 16, 2024. The survey included interviews with Americans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.
https://heatmap.news/climate/poll-large-landowners
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
More than 200 Bush, McCain, Romney alums endorse Harris, hit Trump.
These ‘Lost’ Bird Species Haven’t Been Seen in at Least a Decade—and Scientists Want Help Finding Them
date: 2024-08-26, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Some of the 126 species on their list haven’t been photographed or recorded in more than century
La NASA decide traer de vuelta la nave Starliner a la Tierra sin tripulación
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Read this release in English here. La NASA traerá la nave espacial Starliner de Boeing de vuelta a la Tierra sin los astronautas Butch Wilmore y Suni Williams a bordo, según anunció la agencia el sábado. Este retorno sin tripulación permite a la NASA y a Boeing seguir recopilando datos de pruebas sobre Starliner durante su […]
William Blake’s Cottage Will Be Saved—and Transformed Into a New Museum
date: 2024-08-26, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The 18th-century poet wrote some of his most renowned works in the house in southern England, which has since fallen into disrepair
How Telegram’s Founder Pavel Durov Became a Culture War Martyr
date: 2024-08-26, from: 404 Media Group
Conservatives have spent months championing Telegram as an app that more closely aligns with their values than Signal.
https://www.404media.co/how-telegrams-founder-pavel-durov-became-a-culture-war-martyr/
Microsoft mistake blows up admins’ inboxes with fake malware alerts
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Legitimate emails misclassified in software snafu
Updated Many administrators have had a trying Monday after getting spammed out with false malware reports by Microsoft.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/microsoft_365_email_malware/
Station Science Top News: August 23, 2024
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Researchers successfully produced cellulose from bacteria cultured on the International Space Station for four weeks. The bacteria used in the experiment, K. hansenii, is known to produce the highest amount of cellulose and could be considered for large-scale production in microgravity to support the development of materials used in construction, clothing, and the supply of […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/station-science-top-news-august-23-2024/
Thanks, XOXO
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: Jason Kottke blog
https://kottke.org/24/08/thanks-xoxo
VMware prepping unified SDK for its core hybrid cloud products
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Also working to clean up inconsistent APIs and lack of SSO across vSphere, vSAN, NSX, SDDC Manager, vRealize and more
VMware Explore VMware by Broadcom is working on a unified SDK for its core products and will deliver it before the major release of its flagship Cloud Foundation (VCF) suite that the virtualization giant has previously said will express its strategy of offering a unified hybrid cloud suite.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/vmware_vcf_unified_sdk/
Watchdog warns FBI is sloppy on secure data storage and destruction
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
National security data up for grabs, Office of the Inspector General finds
update The FBI has made serious slip-ups in how it processes and destroys electronic storage media seized as part of investigations, according to an audit by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/fbi_data_security/
Retroid Pocket Mini is a handheld game console with a 3.7 inch HD OLED display
date: 2024-08-26, from: Liliputing
The maker of the Retroid line of handheld game consoles plans to launch a new model with a compact design and an OLED display. The upcoming Retroid Pocket Mini features a 3.7 inch, 1280 x 960 pixel OLED display with a 4:3 aspect ratio between a set of game controllers. Retroid hasn’t announced full specs, a […]
The post Retroid Pocket Mini is a handheld game console with a 3.7 inch HD OLED display appeared first on Liliputing.
Dr. Irene Duhart Long
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Dr. Irene Duhart Long was the first female and the first minority to hold the position of chief medical officer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as well as the first African American female to serve in the Senior Executive Service at the center. These distinctions were only two of many firsts in her […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/dr-irene-duhart-long/
US voices ‘deep concern’ after reports Iranian police shot woman for breaking hijab law
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
Cassiopeia A, Then the Cosmos: 25 Years of Chandra X-ray Science
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
By Rick Smith On Aug. 26, 1999, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory opened its powerful telescopic eye in orbit and captured its awe-inspiring “first light” images of Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant roughly 11,000 light-years from Earth. That first observation was far more detailed than anything seen by previous X-ray telescopes, even revealing – for the first […]
NASA’s Starliner Astronauts Will Return on SpaceX Craft in February, Turning an Eight-Day Mission Into Eight Months on the ISS
date: 2024-08-26, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft no longer meets safety standards after experiencing technical issues in June, and it will return to Earth uncrewed, the space agency announced
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-08-26, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Saw this fish with the Ukrainian flag colors at the aquarium
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/113029765147627795
Seattle airport ‘possible cyberattack’ snarls travel yet again
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
No word yet on if ransomware is to blame
The Port of Seattle, which operates the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is investigating a “possible cyberattack” after computer outages disrupted the airport’s operations and delayed flights.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/seattle_airport_cyberattack/
A New Exhibition in Amsterdam Explores the Holocaust Through Looted Objects
date: 2024-08-26, from: Smithsonian Magazine
“Looted” examines how the Nazis systematically plundered Jewish cultural items during World War II
NASA, Blue Origin Invite Media to New Glenn Launch of Mars Mission
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
NASA and Blue Origin are preparing for the agency’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission, which begins on the inaugural launch of the company’s New Glenn rocket. The mission will study the solar wind’s interaction with the magnetosphere on Mars. Blue Origin is targeting no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 13, for the […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-blue-origin-invite-media-to-new-glenn-launch-of-mars-mission/
Daily Deals (8-26-2024)
date: 2024-08-26, from: Liliputing
The annual Intel Gamer Days sale is here, which means that you can score savings on select Intel-powered gaming laptops, desktops, handhelds, and accessories from supporting retailers. But there are also some noteworthy deals on AMD-powered handheld gaming PCs at the moment, not to mention a bunch of ways to score free or cheap PC […]
The post Daily Deals (8-26-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-8-26-2024/
How to Enhance Your University Club’s Branding
date: 2024-08-26, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Source:Flickr Strong branding helps attract new members, build credibility, and create a lasting impression within the university community. Yet, many clubs underestimate the power of effective branding or aren’t sure…
Innovative Ways Students Can Stay Informed About Consumer Laws
date: 2024-08-26, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
(Image created by Copilot) You’ve bought your first car, only to find out it’s a lemon. You feel swindled, right? Knowledge is power. Staying informed about consumer laws can save…
Topic: 3 Innovative Career Paths Blockchain and NFTs Might Revolutionize by 2025
date: 2024-08-26, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
(Image created by Copilot) The career landscape is shifting faster than a crypto bull run, and blockchain and NFTs are the catalysts. In 2025, these technologies could flip traditional roles…
Intel enlists Morgan Stanley to defend against activist investors
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Multiple lawsuits doesn’t mean investors are coming for the board yet, but better safe than sorry, right?
Worried shareholders may drag it kicking and screaming into directions unknown, Intel has reportedly been meeting with advisors to hash out an anti-activist game plan. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/intel_activist_investors/
The limited edition 2024 XOXO Field Notes are available to the public…
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: Jason Kottke blog
https://kottke.org/24/08/0045181-the-limited-edition-2024-
Kroger and Albertsons’ Dirty Tricks To Preserve Greedflation
date: 2024-08-26, from: The Lever News
As Harris vows to tackle grocery store prices, the grocery chains are doing everything they can to bypass regulators and merge into a price-gouging behemoth.
https://www.levernews.com/kroger-and-albertsons-dirty-tricks-to-preserve-greedflation/
Rare Endangered Lynx Spotted in Vermont for the First Time Since 2018
date: 2024-08-26, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has only confirmed seven sightings of the wildcats since 2016
NASA Invites Public Input on Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
As NASA and its partners continue to conduct groundbreaking research aboard the International Space Station, the agency announced Monday it is seeking U.S. industry, academia, international partners, and other stakeholders’ feedback on newly developed goals and objectives that will help guide the next generation of human presence in low Earth orbit. “From the very beginning, […]
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Madison Wisconsin Cap Times endorses Kamala Harris.
🚨 New Every Frame a Painting!! 🚨
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: Jason Kottke blog
https://kottke.org/24/08/-new-every-frame-a-painting
AMD internal data reportedly offered for sale
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Second sensitive info theft claimed by the same crims since June
Digital data thieves have reportedly breached AMD’s internal communications and are offering the allegedly stolen goods for sale. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/amd_internal_data_intelbroker/
Positron - an upside-down and portable 3D printer
date: 2024-08-26, from: Jeff Geerling blog
Positron - an upside-down and portable 3D printer
<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>I've been getting into 3D printing lately. I have an older Ender 3 V2 at home I bought during COVID. And in the past year I've acquired an Ender 3 S1, Bambu Labs P1S, and Prusa MK4.</p>I also dove head-first into 3D CAD, and designed a number of small SBC cases or parts to help with things around the house.
But I’d never built my own 3D printer from a kit—all the printers I’ve had were pre-built and at most, required assembling the prebuilt gantry or toolhead. That finally changed with the Positron V3.2:
<span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/positron-upside-down-and-portable-3d-printer
Danny Jansen, Double Threat
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: One Foot Tsunami
https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/08/26/danny-jansen-double-threat/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
This is a test. Please ignore.
https://feedland.org/?item=14879346
Vandals Spray-Painted Graffiti on Historic Structures at Gettysburg National Military Park
date: 2024-08-26, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Police have identified a suspect, and preservationists have removed “all traces” of paint
Big Tech’s LLM Bets is Trillion-Dollar Poker
date: 2024-08-26, from: Om Malik blog
Link: The Big Stack Game of LLM Poker / Sarah Tavel TLDR: The AI race is a high-stakes poker game where tech giants are all in. With more than $600 billion invested and trillions at stake, it’s a battle of deep pockets and nerves. The winner takes all, but the real jackpot? Unprecedented innovation will …
https://om.co/2024/08/26/big-techs-llm-bets-is-trillion-dollar-poker/
Netherlands fines Uber €290M for improper EU-US driver data transfers
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The ride-sharing provider insists it broke no rules during the three-year legal gap
Privacy authorities in the Netherlands have imposed a €290 million ($324 million) fine on ride-share giant Uber for sending driver data to servers in the United States - “a serious violation” of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/uber_fined_eu_us_data/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
A lot of new in-car tech is “not necessary,” survey finds.
School Is Back in Session, But Summer’s Not Over Yet
date: 2024-08-26, from: Heatmap News
This week’s weather forecast is like the Uno reverse card: Texas might finally get a break from triple-digit temperatures, but the summer heat is making its way back into the Northeast.
After some taste of fall, summer returns to the north
Those west of the Appalachians might have already started to feel a shift in the air this weekend. After a week of below-average temperatures and fall-like weather, heat maps for the Northeast have gone back to looking very red. Temperatures could run 5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit above average this week, Paul Pastelok, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, told me. “Highs will be the low to mid 80s, nights in the upper 50s to lower 60s,” he said.
Philadelphia, which has already started to get warmer, might see even higher temperatures, with some days later in the week hitting the low 90s. But for those in the state hoping to make the most of the heat by turning it into a beach vacation, I am sorry to say this week will likely be cloudy from beginning to end.
New England will also see the return of some warmth this week, but it’ll be “slower and less impressive” than other nearby states, according to Pastelok. Temperatures there will be closer to average, and will very soon cool back down.
A cold front is finally in store for Texas
This summer hasn’t been fun for Texas. The unrelenting heat — more intense there than in any other state — has shattered multiple temperature records, increased wildfire activity, and contributed to severe drought. Just last week, when most of the country got a taste of cooler days ahead, the Texas energy grid broke its demand record. While it’s still too soon to call off the season of scorching temperatures, the new week brings some good news.
A strong cold front will bring temperatures down below average across northern Texas later this week. Some precipitation in South Texas could pull readings a few degrees lower still, Pastelok told me, even though humidity is expected to remain high. Central Texas has already started to get some relief, finally dropping out of the triple digits this past weekend.
Heat to intensify in the West
Those in the Midwest will have to bear through an increase in temperatures this week. The Great Plains, the Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes can all expect temperatures in the high 80s and mid 90s, Pastelok told me. The heat won’t last long, though. Starting Thursday, a cold front will start moving through the region, and temperatures are expected to drop well below average across the Plains and the Midwest for at least a few days.
- Back to School: This quick but intense heat wave is making its way across the Midwest right in time for back to school season. Chicago Public Schools went back into session today with a series of heat adaptations in place — athletic games have been canceled until Wednesday and outdoor practices were moved indoors. While in Chicago all classrooms are equipped with air conditioning, that is not true across all of the region. According to The Washington Post, as heat waves become more constant in the North, almost 14,000 public schools that did not need AC back in 1970 need it today.
In California, the week will be hot and wet. After a series of storms pass through the state earlier this week, temperatures will go back to rising. “The Central Valleys of California by late next week will be well above average, along with the Desert Southwest,” Pastelok told me. Cities such as Sacramento, Modesto, and Fresno, can see temperatures above 100 degrees.
Fall will be toasty
According to the National Weather Service’s forecast, the entire country will experience above average fall temperatures this year. Seriously, I mean the entire country. The hardest hit states will be New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and then over on the top of the Northeast, from Maine to New York.
According to AccuWeather forecasts, for many, fall will feel more like a “second summer” than a new season. In fact, only two states — Washington and Oregon — will see a quick transition into fall. The rest of the country is, well, doomed.
Not only will fall be hotter, it will also be dryer, raising concerns over increased wildfire risk across California, parts of the Great Lakes and the Northeast. Severe weather, such as tropical storms and hurricanes, will also define the season. AccuWeather has predicted six to 10 storms to hit the country from this week through the end of September alone.
For snow lovers such as myself, it seems like flakes might not make an appearance until November, and only in some of the coldest spots in the northern Plains, Rockies, and Upper Midwest.
https://heatmap.news/climate/summer-heat-midwest-schools
A quick guide to tool-calling in large language models
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
A few lines of Python is all it takes to get a model to use a calculator or even automate your hypervisor
Hands on Let’s say you’re tasked with solving a math problem like 4,242 x 1,977. Some of you might be able to do this in your head, but most of us would probably be reaching for a calculator right about now, not only because it’s faster, but also to minimize the potential for error.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/ai_llm_tool_calling/
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-08-26, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Schedule our flu and Covid shots for this Thursday!
Psyched!
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/113029021709028868
Lenovo launches Legion Go accessories including a docking station, controller connector, and keyboard
date: 2024-08-26, from: Liliputing
Nearly a year after introducing the Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming PC with an 8.8 inch, 144 Hz display, an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, and a set of detachable controllers, Lenovo is expanding the ecosystem with a series of new accessories for the Legion Go. Those accessories include an official USB-C dock, carrying case, […]
The post Lenovo launches Legion Go accessories including a docking station, controller connector, and keyboard appeared first on Liliputing.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The NYT isn't trying to make us love Trump, that's impossible. But they are trying to make us not fall in love with Harris.
http://scripting.com/2024/08/26.html#a150923
Sols 4284–4286: Environmental Science Extravaganza
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 23, 2024 One of the many challenges of operating a rover on another planet is that we don’t always know where we’re going to be located before planning starts each day. Although we do plan our drives in advance, Curiosity doesn’t blindly follow the orders that we deliver. If an […]
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-4284-4286-environmental-science-extravaganza/
How Our Longest Nerve Orchestrates the Mind-Body Connection
date: 2024-08-26, from: Quanta Magazine
Like a highway system, the vagus nerve branches profusely from your brain through your organs to marshal bodily functions, including aspects of mind such as mood, pleasure and fear.The post How Our Longest Nerve Orchestrates the Mind-Body Connection first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-our-longest-nerve-orchestrates-the-mind-body-connection-20240826/
Sols 4282-4283: Bumping Away from Kings Canyon
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024 Having stayed in place for quite a few sols during our Kings Canyon drill campaign, we’re looking forward to doing a bump (ie: a short drive) and accomplishing some science in a new region. I’m on the SA-SPaH (ie: robotic arm) downlink team, which assess and reports on […]
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-4282-4283-bumping-away-from-kings-canyon/
Solar Panels for NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Pass Key Tests
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Solar Array Sun Shield has successfully completed recent tests, signaling that the assembly is on track to be completed on schedule. The panels are designed to power and shade the observatory, enabling all the mission’s observations and helping keep the instruments cool. The Roman team has two sets of […]
Telegram, free speech and illegal activities
date: 2024-08-26, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Over the weekend, French authorities arrested the 39-year-old founder of the messaging app Telegram. This reportedly has to do with a wide-ranging investigation into illegal activity on the app. But some are decrying the arrest as a free speech violation – saying it threatens the very essence of what makes Telegram useful. We dig in. Plus, an eco-friendly concert and a look at how bond markets are responding to signals of interest rate cuts.
FBI Uses January 6 Rioter’s Self-Published Amazon Book as Evidence Against Him
date: 2024-08-26, from: 404 Media Group
The Kindle book has been taken down by Amazon but the author’s children’s books remain up.
Microsoft is bringing annoying Windows 11 Start menu ads to Windows 10
date: 2024-08-26, from: OS News
Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced a so-called “Account Manager” for Windows 11 that appears on the screen when you click your profile picture on the Start menu. Instead of just showing you buttons for logging out, locking your device or switching profiles, it displays Microsoft 365 ads. All the actually useful buttons are now hidden behind a three-dot submenu (apparently, my 43-inch display does not have enough space to accommodate them). Now, the “Account Manager” is coming to Windows 10 users. ↫ Taras Buria at Neowin Yes, this is a really small ad int he grand scheme of things, but the mere concept of my operating system showing me all kinds of ads and upsells, as both Windows and macOS have been doing aggressively for years now, is so deeply offensive to me. It shows such utter disrespect to me as a user, and shows that Microsoft and Apple see me not as an end user, but as a ripe plum ready to be bled dry at every turn. It’s revolting. As the latest release, Windows 11 has always been the most ad-ridden of the Windows releases still in use, but it seems Windows users can’t escape the onslaught either. I’m especially expecting ever more aggressive ads and upsells for Windows 11 to appear in Windows 10 now that the 2025 cutoff date for Windows 10 support is nearing, of course appearing at the most inopportune times – because everybody loves a giant fullscreen ad on your operating system when you’re trying to give a presentation or meet that tight deadline you forced yourself yo stress about by playing a bit too much League of Legends. If you want an ad- and upsell-free operating system, your options are legion – there’s countless Linux distributions and the various BSDs to choose from.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Imagine the NYT were narrating this moment. When we win they don't report it.
https://x.com/KnicksMuse/status/1827855492095365254
Disposable vape products creating worldwide pollution
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
The rapid rise in disposable electronic cigarette, or vape, usage is creating a tidal wave of pollution, and it’s raising serious environmental concerns. Aron Ranen reports from New York City about one woman who is trying to make a difference.
https://www.voanews.com/a/disposable-vape-products-creating-worldwide-pollution/7757270.html
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
"We suspect Trump’s team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they don’t think he can handle himself.."
No unmodified files remain from original import of OpenBSD
date: 2024-08-26, from: OS News
The greek quiz is so obscure that it is ridiculous — noone can play this. Replace it with a new quiz about galley (ship) parts. This commit changes the LAST UNMODIFIED ORIGINAL FILE (meaning revision 1.1.1.1) from the original import that created OpenBSD on Oct 18, 1995. With this commit, we have completed an amusing mission of replacing the final parts of the original OpenBSD. We have reached OpenBSD of Theseus. ↫ Theo de Raadt With this change to a quiz game in OpenBSD, every single file of the OpenBSD code base is newer than that first, original import. Now I’m curious to see which other projects have achieved this milestone, and when.
https://www.osnews.com/story/140586/no-unmodified-files-remain-from-original-import-of-openbsd/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The NYT et al aren't even doing a fair job of covering the election as a horserace, because they're making sure it's a virtual tie, so even if our team has overwhelming power…
http://scripting.com/2024/08/26.html#a135108
Webb Finds Early Galaxies Weren’t Too Big for Their Britches After All
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
It got called the crisis in cosmology. But now astronomers can explain some surprising recent discoveries. When astronomers got their first glimpses of galaxies in the early universe from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, they were expecting to find galactic pipsqueaks, but instead they found what appeared to be a bevy of Olympic bodybuilders. Some […]
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The Twitter API still works. It is useful for cross-posting, but not easily incorporated into indie developer's products, but useful for individuals with developer accounts.
http://scripting.com/2024/08/26/133249.html
Technically, California won’t delay an oil well protection law — but Newsom axes funding to enforce it
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
The governor backed off his controversial plan to extend deadlines for oil and gas operators to comply with a new law on wells.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-oil-well-protection-law-newsom-axes-funding
Hubble Captures Unique Ultraviolet View of a Spectacular Star Cluster
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Roughly 210,000 light-years away, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of our Milky Way galaxy’s closest neighbors. In fact, this small galaxy is one of the Milky Way’s “satellite” galaxies, which orbit our home spiral galaxy. Nested within the SMC is this spectacular star cluster, known as NGC 346. Its hot stars unleash a […]
Hubble Captures Unique Ultraviolet View of a Spectacular Star Cluster
date: 2024-08-26, from: NASA breaking news
Roughly 210,000 light-years away, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of our Milky Way galaxy’s closest neighbors. In fact, this small galaxy is one of the Milky Way’s “satellite” galaxies, which orbit our home spiral galaxy. Nested within the SMC is this spectacular star cluster, known as NGC 346. Its hot stars unleash a […]
California memorial run honors US service members killed in 2021 Kabul bombing
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
A memorial run has been held in Simi Valley, California to honor 13 U.S. service members killed three years ago during a suicide bombing as U.S. troops were withdrawing from Afghanistan. VOA’s Genia Dulot attended this year’s run and spoke to two Gold Star families as well as the event organizer, whose son survived the attack at the Kabul airport.
31.5M invoices, contracts, patient consent forms, and more exposed to the internet
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Unprotected database with 12 years of biz records yanked offline
Exclusive Nearly 2.7 TB of sensitive data — 31.5 million invoices, contracts, HIPPA patient consent forms, and other business documents regarding numerous companies across industries — has been exposed to the public internet in a non-password protected database for an unknown amount of time.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/31m_invoices_business_files_exposed/
Here’s the Pitch Deck for ‘Active Listening’ Ad Targeting
date: 2024-08-26, from: 404 Media Group
404 Media previously reported Cox Media Group (CMG) was advertising a service that claimed to target ads based on what potential customers said near device microphones. Now, here is the pitch deck CMG sent to prospective companies. Google has kicked CMG off its Partner Program in response.
https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-listening-ad-targeting/
Your SoCal weather report for Monday, Aug. 26: Warmer weather continues through Tuesday
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
Forecasters say the weekend warming trend continues through Tuesday, followed by a normal weather pattern.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/la-weather-report-august-26-am-warm-weather-continues
How I automate electron-to-chromium updates
date: 2024-08-26, from: Kilian Valkhof’s blog
For the past 6 or so years I’ve been maintaining the electron-to-chromium package and I realise I never wrote a blog post about it. Electron-to-chromium is an NPM package that maps Electron versions to Chromium versions so you can input e.g. Electron 32 and get back Chrome 128. This is useful because a lot of […]
The post How I automate electron-to-chromium updates first appeared on Kilian Valkhof.
https://kilianvalkhof.com/2024/electron/how-i-automate-electron-to-chromium-updates/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Kamala Harris and the strategy of joy.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Pro-Trump "Undecided" Panelist Says CNN Knew He Supported Trump.
https://meidasnews.com/news/pro-trump-undecided-panelist-says-cnn-knew-he-supported-trump-
How to follow the money in local races this election season
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
Campaigns are in full swing ahead of the Nov. 5 election — who’s spending all that money in Southern California to sway your vote?
https://laist.com/news/politics/los-angeles-campaign-finance-follow-money-election-season
California State University students begin the year with budget cuts
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
Officials say a state funding deficit will affect class offerings and student support.
https://laist.com/news/education/california-state-university-students-begins-year-with-budget-cuts
Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: August 26 - 29
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
Free comedy night at NeueHouse, Alison Saar at the Getty, Bayou jams in San Juan Capistrano, and more.
Biologists are puzzled over the brown pelican die-off. Here’s how you can help
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
Earlier this year, hundreds of the seabirds were starving to death in California.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/biologists-brown-pelican-die-off
The American West’s megafires are silencing birds
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The LAist
One sound index used to monitor biodiversity fell by as much as 15% following particularly smoky days, according to a new study.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/american-west-megafires-silencing-birds
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Must-read thread, expands on theme of podcast I linked to earlier.
https://x.com/GregTSargent/status/1827322219644539343
More jobseekers are being haunted by “ghost jobs”
date: 2024-08-26, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Last week’s jobless numbers revealed that more than 1.8 million people were drawing unemployment. Among the irks for would-be workers? A frustrating uptick in the number of “ghost jobs,” or postings that stay up on jobs sites for months on end without a hire. Also on the show: a moment of clarity on the future of interest rates and the sunsetting of a free COVID-19 vaccine program for uninsured adults.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-08-26, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
How Kamala Wins: Inside the Clever Strategy Causing Trump to Unravel. I listen to this podcast every day.
https://newrepublic.com/article/185200/kamala-wins-inside-clever-strategy-causing-trump-unravel
The Rising Popularity of Plug-In Hybrids
date: 2024-08-26, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: The Midwest is bracing for a brutal heat wave • California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range received a dusting of snow over the weekend • It will be 85 degrees and cloudy today in Flushing Meadows for the start of the U.S. Open tennis championship.
THE TOP FIVE
- Fire in Rivian factory parking lot damages dozens of vehicles
A fire broke out in the parking lot at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, plant on Saturday, damaging dozens of cars before being extinguished. The plant itself was not affected, according to the Normal Fire Department, and no one was injured. The source of the blaze is under investigation. Rivian’s Normal factory produces all of the EV company’s current models. Last week Rivian got the city’s approval to expand the plant by about 1.3 million square feet to manufacture the upcoming mass-market R2 SUV. EVs catch fire less often than gas-powered cars, but they burn hotter and are harder to put out once alight.
- Fauci recovering from West Nile infection
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering from West Nile Virus, a spokeswoman said. Fauci was hospitalized with fever, chills, and fatigue but is now at home and is expected to make a full recovery. According to Dr. Jonathan LaPook, the chief medical correspondent for CBS News, Fauci thinks he was infected after being bitten by a mosquito in his backyard. West Nile is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far this year 216 cases have been confirmed. About one in five infected people develop symptoms. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, climate change is one of many factors that increase the risk of human exposure to West Nile by accelerating mosquito development, biting rates, and disease incubation.
- Unpacking the rising popularity of plug-in hybrids
The Wall Street Journal explores what’s going on with plug-in hybrid cars, which have been on the market for more than a decade but are experiencing a bit of a revival as of late. The number of models on sale in the U.S. has nearly doubled over the last five years, to 47, and sales were up 60% in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2024. While conventional hybrids come with a small battery and motor that helps power the car’s engine to reduce fuel use, plug-in hybrids have a bigger battery that’s strong enough to run the vehicle exclusively on electricity for a little while before the gas engine takes over. The recent rise in sales is attributed in part to automakers being forced to comply with new tailpipe emissions rules, and drivers being EV curious but not quite ready to abandon gas entirely. “Plug-in hybrids balance the need to reduce vehicle emissions and offer consumers an entry point to electrified vehicles,” a Stellantis spokesperson told the Journal. GM is bringing back plug-in hybrids in 2027 after axing the Chevrolet Volt. Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford are all either considering rolling out a plug-in hybrid in the U.S. or expanding existing lineups.
- Aramco invests in CO2-absorbing nanoparticles
A U.K.-based startup called Promethean Particles recently closed an £8 million ($10.5 million) Series A funding round to make tiny, super absorbent particles that the company says can soak up greenhouse gases. Promethean Particles produces metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are “composed of metal ions interconnected by organic molecules to form a porous, lattice-like structure.” These nanoparticles have huge surface area, and the size of their pores can be customized to trap different gases and liquids. So the technology is being eyed as an option for capturing carbon at source for storage and transport, but like many CCS technologies, it is very expensive. The company’s MOFs are already being used in a prototype project in the U.K. Promethean Particles will use the new funding round (which was led in part by Aramco Ventures) to create a bigger manufacturing facility and work to improve affordability.
- First of 4,500 defunct EV charging ports gets govt. upgrade
In case you missed it last week: The U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation recently got to work on its mission to repair roughly 4,500 EV charging ports across the country. It’s starting with an out-of-service charging station in Washington, D.C., that will get new infrastructure and added charging capacity at faster speeds. The upgrades are made possible by a $150 million grant program through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
THE KICKER
Almost all (97%) of the new electricity generation capacity the U.S. added in the first half of 2024 came from carbon-free sources including wind, solar, battery storage, and nuclear.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/rivian-fire-factory-normal
Telegram founder arrested in Paris
date: 2024-08-26, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of messaging platform Telegram, was arrested in France for allowing a wide range of crimes to take place on the platform due to insufficient moderation. Then, a “right to disconnect” law comes into force in Australia. We’ll hear how employees are feeling about the change. Plus, English band Massive Attack performed in Bristol — without the use of diesel generators.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/telegram-founder-arrested-in-paris
Cognizant alleges Infosys swiped its trade secrets
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Sueball suggests outsourcer went out of bounds by developing competing product
A subsidiary of IT outsourcer Cognizant filed a lawsuit on Friday in Texas federal court alleging that rival Infosys was involved in stealing trade secrets and engaging in anticompetitive behavior.…
Illuminating the National Archives Building
date: 2024-08-26, from: National Archives, Pieces of History blog
Seventy years ago, the National Archives Building’s exterior was illuminated for the very first time. While several other Washington, DC, landmarks were illuminated, the National Archives Building stood dark every night for the first 19 years it was open. Although John Russell Pope, the building’s architect, had made plans for exterior lighting, a lack of funds … Continue reading Illuminating the National Archives Building
https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2024/08/26/illuminating-the-national-archives-building/
Bargain-hunting boss saw his bonus go up in a puff of self-inflicted smoke
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Buying PCs off the gray market can (literally) blow up in your face
Who, Me? Welcome, gentle reader, to another Monday morning. We here at The Reg hope your working week is starting well – or at least better than it went for the protagonist of this week’s instalment of Who, Me?…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/who_me/
Alaska landslide kills 1,injures 3 in Ketchikan, authorities say
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — One person was killed and three were injured by a landslide that prompted a mandatory evacuation in the Alaska city of Ketchikan, authorities said.
Three people were transported to Ketchikan Medical Center following the landslide, which struck around 4 p.m. Sunday and damaged homes and infrastructure, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough and City of Ketchikan said in a joint statement Sunday.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared an emergency for Ketchikan, while Borough Mayor Rodney Dial and city Mayor Dave Kiffer issued a separate emergency declaration.
“Friends, is with a heavy heart we relay that a landslide in the city has taken a life, caused several injuries, damaged homes and impacted our community,” Dial said in the statement.
Kiffer said the loss of life was “heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes.”
“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude. With the slides we have seen across the region, there is clearly a region-wide issue that we need to try to understand with the support of our State geologist,” Kiffer said.
Two of the victims were admitted to the hospital and one was treated and released. All other individuals have been accounted for, the statement said.
Multiple homes were impacted by the landslide and a mandatory evacuation was ordered for residents of Third Avenue and nearby streets, while a shelter was set up at Ketchikan High School, the borough and city said.
A potential secondary landslide area was identified to the south of the original slide location and crews were standing by, the statement said.
How progressive, Christian women of color are keeping the faith
date: 2024-08-26, from: VOA News USA
Today in SCV History (Aug. 26)
date: 2024-08-26, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1873 – Vasquez gang raids Tres Pinos (San Benito Co.); hotelier is killed, for which Vasquez later hangs [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-aug-26/
Ones to Watch: Fall Sports
date: 2024-08-26, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
It’s a new year for CSUN athletics and that means some fresh faces and familiar names are back for another season. Men’s and women’s soccer as well as women’s volleyball…
https://sundial.csun.edu/183738/sports/ones-to-watch-fall-sports/
Cantando
date: 2024-08-26, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Once you have found your ideal study spot either on or off campus, you will likely want some music to help boost your productivity. From LoFi to alternative, here are…
https://sundial.csun.edu/183746/arts-entertainment/cantando-2/
“This Whole Other Monster”: Resisting ICE’s “Alternatives to Detention” Program with Mario Perez
date: 2024-08-26, from: Logic Magazine
<p>“Let’s call it for what it is: they’re not there to support you, they’re there to deport you.”</p>Who Gets to Live Forever? with Tamara Kneese and Santiago Sanchez
date: 2024-08-26, from: Logic Magazine
<p>“The entire fantasy of living for much longer only makes sense if you have that kind of extreme wealth or if you believe that you have the capacity to achieve it.”</p>https://logicmag.io/issue-21-medicine-and-the-body/who-gets-to-live-forever
Broadcom promised to reform VMware so it enables better hybrid clouds. Will it deliver?
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It needs to – Virtzilla’s customers, allies, and enemies are all pondering off-ramps and trying to lure unhappy users
VMware Explore Adopting – or increasing the use of – a proprietary computing architecture like IBM’s POWER is a very niche thing to do in 2024. Yet in June, Big Blue suggested doing just that: employing its single-supplier stack as a replacement for the VMware stack.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/vmware_explore_preview/
Telegram founder and CEO arrested in France
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Rumors swirl that lack of content moderation has angered authorities
The founder and CEO of made-in-Russia messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on Saturday – and subjected to further detention the next day – apparently over his company’s alleged failure to follow content moderation laws and assist with several criminal investigations.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/telegram_ceo_pavel_durov_detained/
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-08-26, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Looks like everyone was at xoxofest, need to book tickets for next year and see what the excitement is all about.
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/113025869028226300
Alleged Karakut ransomware scumbag charged in US
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-27, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Plus: Microsoft issues workaround for dual-boot crashes; ARRL cops to ransom payment, and more
Infosec in brief Deniss Zolotarjovs, a suspected member of the Russian Karakurt ransomware gang, has been charged in a US court with allegedly conspiring to commit money laundering, wire fraud and Hobbs Act extortion.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/karakut_ransomware_scum_charged/
India misses ten million public WiFi hotspot goal, catchup not looking likely
date: 2024-08-26, updated: 2024-08-26, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Plus: Glowing reports for Fukushima wastewater; New datacenters in Fiji, Malaysia & South Korea; and more
ASIA IN BRIEF India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority last Friday admitted the nation has fallen “much below” its target to deploy ten million public Wi-Fi hotspots by 2022, and a further goal of 50 million hotspots by 2030 is in peril.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/26/asia_tech_news_in_brief/