ICT news

• Apple Launches Its New Classical Music Streaming App For Preorder

  09-03-2023 23:50 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Apple is launching a new music streaming service focused on classical music. TechCrunch reports: Based on its 2021 acquisition of Amsterdam-based streamer Primephonic, the new Apple Music Classical app will offer Apple Music subscribers access to more than 5 million classical music tracks, including new releases in high-quality audio, as well as hundreds of curated playlists, thousands of exclusive albums and other features like composer bios and deep dives on key works, Apple says.However, whil
  
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• HP Outrages Printer Users With Firmware Update Suddenly Bricking Third-Party Ink

  09-03-2023 23:15 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: HP customers are showing frustration online as the vendor continues to use firmware updates to discourage or, as users report, outright block the use of non-HP-brand ink cartridges in HP printers. HP has already faced class-action lawsuits and bad publicity from "dynamic security," but that hasn't stopped the company from expanding the practice. Dynamic security is a feature used by HP printers to authenticate ink cartridges and prevent use
  
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• Grammarly Expands Beyond Proofreading With AI-Powered Writing

  09-03-2023 22:21 via slashdot.org
  
  Grammarly announced today that it's (unsurprisingly) diving into the generative AI fray. From a report: GrammarlyGo is an upcoming set of auto-composition features to help the AI proofreading software keep up with the many companies adding the ChatGPT API (or different generative AI backends) to their products. GrammarlyGo can use context like voice, style, purpose and where you're writing to determine its approach. So, for example, it can spit out email replies, shorten passages, rewrite them f
  
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• Google's Cloud Gaming Ambitions Died With Stadia, Exec Says

  09-03-2023 21:41 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Two years ago, I wrote a reasonably prescient editorial about how the writing was on the wall for Google's cloud gaming service Stadia -- and how the company was now hoping to sell its white label streaming technology to other companies instead of building out its own Netflix of games. But it seems that, when Google killed off Stadia, it threw away that technology, too. Google executive Jack Buser has now admitted that the company is no longer offering the wh
  
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• Nvidia Driver Bug Might Make Your CPU Work Harder After You Close Your Game

  09-03-2023 21:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Nvidia released a new driver update for its GeForce graphics cards that, among other things, introduced a new Video Super Resolution upscaling technology that could make low-resolution videos look better on high-resolution screens. But the driver (version 531.18) also apparently came with a bug that caused high CPU usage on some PCs after running and then closing a game. Nvidia has released a driver hotfix (version 531.26) that acknowledges and should fix the
  
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• Covid's Effect on Mental Health Not as Great as First Thought, Study Suggests

  09-03-2023 20:20 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Covid-19 may not have taken as great a toll on the mental health of most people as earlier research has indicated, a new study suggests. From a report: The pandemic resulted in "minimal" changes in mental health symptoms among the general population, according to a review of 137 studies from around the world led by researchers at McGill University in Canada, and published in the British Medical Journal. Brett Thombs, a psychiatry professor at McGill University and senior author, said some of the
  
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• ECB To Test Banks for Cyber Resilience

  09-03-2023 19:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  The European Central Bank plans to test the cyber resilience of the euro zone's top banks after a sharp rise in cyberattacks, including after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, ECB supervisory chief Andrea Enria told a Lithuanian newspaper. From a report: "Next year we are launching a thematic stress test on cyber resilience, which will try to test how banks are able to respond to and recover from a successful cyberattack," Enria told Verslo zinios. The ECB has long been warning banks to be alert for
  
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• Raspberry Pi Lets You Have Your Own Global Shutter Camera For $50

  09-03-2023 19:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Global shutter sensors with no skew or distortion have been promised as the future of cameras for years now, but so far only a handful of products with that tech have made it to market. Now, Raspberry Pi is offering a 1.6-megapixel global shutter camera module to hobbyists for $50, providing a platform for machine vision, hobbyist shooting and more. From a report: The Raspberry Pi Global Shutter Camera uses a 6.3mm Sony IMX296 sensor, and requires a Raspberry Pi board with a CSI camera connector
  
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• Microsoft Says Bing Has Crossed 100 Million Daily Active Users

  09-03-2023 18:20 via slashdot.org
  
  Bing has crossed 100 million daily active users a month after the launch of its chatbot AI, according to Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's VP for Modern Life, Search and Devices. Engadget: He said the company is fully aware that it's still just "a small, low, single digit share player," but hey, there was a time when Bing wasn't even a part of the conversation.
  Now, after the tech giant released its next-gen version, even those who haven't used it in the past are relying on it for their searches: Mehdi n
  
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• Middle East Unicorn Swvl's Spectacular Rise and 99% Stock Tumble

  09-03-2023 17:41 via slashdot.org
  
  A SPAC merger brought a global "Uber for bus" startup to the Nasdaq just as tech investment was about to dry up. From a report: In July 2021 the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, was briefly lit up in brilliant red, with animated electronic text scrolling up its height announcing "the Middle East's first $1.5 billion unicorn to list on Nasdaq." The splashy marketing was for Swvl, a company with lofty ambitions to become a hybrid of a ride-hailing app and bus service in cities acr
  
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• US Chamber of Commerce Calls for AI Regulation

  09-03-2023 17:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday called for regulation of artificial intelligence technology to ensure it does not hurt growth or become a national security risk, a departure from the business lobbying group's typical anti-regulatory stance. From a report: While there is little in terms of proposed legislation for AI, the fast-growing artificial intelligence program ChatGPT that has drawn praise for its ability to write answers quickly to a wide range of queries has raised U.S. lawmakers
  
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• Baidu Scrambles To Ready China's First ChatGPT Equivalent Ahead of Launch

  09-03-2023 16:22 via slashdot.org
  
  A week away from the March 16 launch of Baidu's ChatGPT equivalent, employees at China's biggest search-engine operator said they are racing to meet the deadline with the chatbot still struggling to perform some basic functions. From a report: To develop the artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot, dubbed Ernie Bot, hundreds of people have been working around the clock, people familiar with the project said. Other teams have been asked to lend their staff and their powerful computer chips, which
  
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• Chinese AI Groups Use Cloud Services To Evade US Chip Export Controls

  09-03-2023 15:40 via slashdot.org
  
  Chinese artificial intelligence groups are skirting export controls to access high-end US chips through intermediaries, revealing potential loopholes in Washington's blockade of cutting-edge technology to the country. From a report: AI surveillance groups targeted by US sanctions have found ways to obtain restricted technology by using cloud providers and rental arrangements with third parties, as well as purchasing the chips through subsidiary companies in China. iFlytek, a state-backed voice r
  
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• Fortinet Releases March 2023 Vulnerability Advisories

  09-03-2023 15:22 via cisa.gov
  Fortinet has released March 2023 Vulnerability Advisories to address vulnerabilities affecting multiple products. An attacker could exploit one of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.  CISA encourages users and administrators to review the Fortinet March 2023 Vulnerability Advisories page for more information and apply the necessary updates.  
  
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• Cisco Releases Security Advisory for IOS XR Software

  09-03-2023 15:22 via cisa.gov
  Cisco has released a security advisory for a vulnerability affecting IOS XR Software for ASR 9000 Series Routers. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial-of-service condition. For updates addressing lower severity vulnerabilities, see the Cisco Security Advisories page.  CISA encourages users and administrators to review the following advisory and apply the necessary updates. •    Cisco IOS XR Software for ASR 9000 Series Routers Bi
  
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• Biden Budget Plan Would Close Crypto Tax Loss Harvesting Loophole

  09-03-2023 15:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. President Joe Biden's proposed budget, set to be unveiled Thursday, will include a provision to close tax loss harvesting on crypto transactions. From a report: A White House official confirmed that the budget will include a tax provision intended to reduce wash sales trading by crypto investors. At present, investors can sell any cryptocurrencies at a loss, claim the loss on their taxes and then buy the same amount and type of cryptocurrencies again. According to the Wall Street Journal, t
  
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• AllTrails Data Exposes Precise Movements of Former Top Biden Official

  09-03-2023 14:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: A security researcher appears to have tracked the physical location of a former top Biden administration official through his apparent usage of AllTrails, a popular hiking app with more than 30 million registered users. The AllTrails records appear to show the official visiting sensitive locations such as the White House, and also suggests the specific house where he or his family lives. By default, AllTrails users' activity is public for any
  
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• Scientists Create Mice With Two Fathers After Making Eggs From Male Cells

  09-03-2023 11:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Scientists have created mice with two biological fathers by generating eggs from male cells, a development that opens up radical new possibilities for reproduction. The Guardian reports: The advance could ultimately pave the way for treatments for severe forms of infertility, as well as raising the tantalizing prospect of same-sex couples being able to have a biological child together in the future. "This is the first case of making robust mammal oocytes from male cells," said Katsuhiko Hayashi,
  
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• 'Revolutionary' Blue Crystal Sparks Hope of Room Temperature Superconductivity

  09-03-2023 08:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  sciencehabit shares a report from Science Magazine: Has the quest for room temperature superconductivity finally succeeded? Researchers at the University of Rochester (U of R), who previously were forced to retract a controversial claim of room temperature superconductivity at high pressures, are back with an even more spectacular claim. This week in Nature they report a new material that superconducts at room temperature -- and not much more than ambient pressures. "If this is correct, it's com
  
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• Canada's Tax Revenue Agency Tries To ToS Itself Out of Hacking Liability

  09-03-2023 04:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  schwit1 shares an excerpt from a Substack article, written by former cybersecurity reporter Catalin Cimpanu: The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the tax department of Canada, recently updated its terms and conditions to force taxpayers to agree that CRA is not liable if their personal information is stolen while using the My Account online service portal -- which, ironically, all Canadians must use when doing their taxes and/or running their business. The CRA's terms of use assert the agency is not
  
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• Crypto Bank Silvergate Capital To Shut Down

  09-03-2023 02:50 via slashdot.org
  
  Silvergate Capital, the publicly-traded parent of Silvergate Bank, said Wednesday that it would liquidate the bank, just days after saying future operations would be uncertain. Axios reports: "In light of recent industry and regulatory developments, Silvergate believes that an orderly wind down of Bank operations and a voluntary liquidation of the Bank is the best path forward," a press statement reads. While the bank's demise had everything to do with its choice of industry -- FTX's collapse se
  
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• Microsoft Is Testing File Recommendations In Explorer

  09-03-2023 02:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is starting to test a system called File Recommendations in File Explorer, which does exactly what the name suggests -- when you visit the home tab, it shows specific files that you may want to open at the top. The Verge reports: In a blog post, the company says the current version is only available to some Insiders in its Dev Channel who have installed the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23403 update and will only work if you're logged in with an Azure Active Directory account (meani
  
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• VW Says Sorry For Child Carjacking Fiasco, Makes Safety Service Free

  09-03-2023 02:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Last month, Volkswagen garnered plenty of bad publicity when it emerged that the company's connected car service refused to help track a stolen car -- with a 2-year-old child still on board -- until someone paid to reactivate the service. Now, the automaker says it's very sorry this happened, and it's making its connected vehicle emergency service free to most model-year 2020-2023 Volkswagens. Ars Technica reports: "The family was thankfully reunited, but the crime and the process failure are he
  
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• The Netherlands To Block Export of Advanced Chips Printers To China

  09-03-2023 01:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Politico: The Dutch government confirmed for the first time Wednesday it will impose new export controls on microchips manufacturing equipment, bowing to U.S. pressure to block the sale of some of its prized chips printing machines to China. The U.S. and the Netherlands reached an agreement to introduce new export restrictions on advanced chip technology to China at the end of January, but until now, the Dutch government hadn't commented publicly on it. T
  
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• FBI Chief Says TikTok 'Screams' of US National Security Concerns

  09-03-2023 00:50 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  China's government could use TikTok to control data on millions of American users, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, saying the Chinese-owned video app "screams" of security concerns. Reuters reports: Wray told a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats to U.S. security that the Chinese government could also use TikTok to control software on millions of devices and drive narratives to divide Americans over Taiwan or other issues. "Yes, and I
  
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• Brit Newspaper Giant Fills Space With AI-Assisted Articles

  09-03-2023 00:10 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Reach, the owner of the UK's Daily Mirror and Daily Express tabloids among other newspapers, has started publishing articles with the help of AI software on one of its regional websites as it scrambles to cut costs amid slipping advertising revenues. The Register reports: Three stories written with the help of machine-learning tools were published on InYourArea.co.uk, which produces feeds of nearby goings-on in Blighty. One piece, titled Seven Things to do in Newport, is a listicle pulling toget
  
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