ICT news

• Mozilla Buys Fakespot, a Startup That Identifies Fake Reviews

  02-05-2023 23:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Mozilla announced today that it has acquired Fakespot, a startup that offers a website and browser extension that helps users identify fake or unreliable reviews. From a report: The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fakespot's offerings can be used to spot fake reviews listed on various online marketplaces including Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor and more. Founded in 2016, New York-based Fakespot uses an AI and machine learning system to detect patterns and similarities between reviews
  
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• The Microsoft Surface Duo Is in Trouble

  02-05-2023 22:41 via slashdot.org
  
  Zac Bowden, reporting for WindowsCentral: Microsoft's dual-screen foldable smartphone has seemingly been abandoned. At least, that's how it looks on the outside. The last major software update the Surface Duo received was in October 2022, when the company delivered Android 12L. Since then, movement on new features and bug fixes has pretty much ground to a halt. A major OS update often comes with a couple of months of bug fixing afterward to iron out any new issues that may have popped up with al
  
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• CERN Celebrates 30 Years Since Releasing the Web To the Public Domain

  02-05-2023 22:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on Sunday celebrated the 30th anniversary of releasing the World Wide Web into the public domain. From a report: As the World Wide Web Consortium's brief history of the web explains, in 1989 Tim Berners-Lee - then a fellow at CERN - proposed that the organization adopt "a global hypertext system." His first name for the project was "Mesh." And as the Consortium records, in 1990 Berners-Lee set to work on "a hypertext GUI browser+editor using
  
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• T-Mobile Discloses 2nd Data Breach of 2023, This One Leaking Account PINs and More

  02-05-2023 21:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  T-Mobile on Monday said it experienced a hack that exposed account PINs and other customer data in the company's second network intrusion this year and the ninth since 2018. From a report: The intrusion, which started on February 24 and lasted until March 30, affected 836 customers, according to a notification on the website of Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey. "The information obtained for each customer varied but may have included full name, contact information, account number and associated
  
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• Apple and Google Team Up To Stop Unwanted AirTag Tracking

  02-05-2023 20:40 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple and Google said on Tuesday that they were working together to prevent lost item trackers like Apple's AirTag from being used to track people without their permission. From a report: The companies came together to draft a new industry standard that will add the ability to alert victims to unwanted trackers in Android and iOS, the companies said. Apple's AirTag is intended to help people find lost items such as keys by displaying an item's nearly real-time location inside an iPhone app. But
  
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• Scared of Leaking Data To ChatGPT? Microsoft Tests a Private Alternative

  02-05-2023 20:00 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Not everyone trusts OpenAI's ChatGPT. While the new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot has proved popular with some businesses looking to automate business tasks, other companies, such as banks, have avoided adopting ChatGPT for fear that their employees would inadvertently give the chatbot proprietary information when they use it. Microsoft, which has the rights to resell the startup's technology, has a plan to win over the holdouts.
  Later this quarter
  
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• Scientists in India Protest Move To Drop Darwinian Evolution From Textbooks

  02-05-2023 19:20 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Scientists in India are protesting a decision to remove discussion of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution from textbooks used by millions of students in ninth and 10th grades. More than 4000 researchers and others have so far signed an open letter asking officials to restore the material. From a report: The removal makes "a travesty of the notion of a well-rounded secondary education," says evolutionary biologist Amitabh Joshi of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. Oth
  
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• Fake Books Are a Real Home Decor Trend

  02-05-2023 18:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  If it looks like a book, feels like a book and stacks like a book, then there's still a good chance it may not be a book. From a report: Fake books come in several different forms: once-real books that are hollowed out, fabric backdrops with images of books printed onto them, empty boxlike objects with faux titles and authors or sometimes just a facade of spines along a bookshelf. Already the norm for film sets and commercial spaces, fake books are becoming popular fixtures in homes. While some
  
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• Edtech Chegg Tumbles as ChatGPT Threat Prompts Revenue Warning

  02-05-2023 18:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  What's the cost of students using ChatGPT for homework? For U.S. education services provider Chegg, it could be nearly $1 billion in market valuation. From a report: Chegg signaled the rising popularity of viral chatbot ChatGPT was pressuring its subscriber growth and prompted it to suspend its full-year outlook, sending shares of the company 47% lower in early trading on Tuesday. "Since March, we saw a significant spike in student interest in ChatGPT. We now believe it's having an impact on our
  
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• Pornhub Blocks All of Utah From Its Site

  02-05-2023 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  In response to a new law that requires porn sites to verify users' ages, Pornhub has completely disabled its websites for people located in Utah. From a report: As of today, anyone accessing Pornhub from a Utah-based IP address doesn't see the Pornhub homepage, but instead is met with a video of Cherie DeVille, adult performer and member of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, explaining that they won't be able to visit the site. "As you may know, your elected officials in Utah are requiring
  
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• Coinbase Launches International Perps Exchange

  02-05-2023 16:40 via slashdot.org
  
  Crypto exchange Coinbase is officially entering the crypto perps market. From a report: The firm, which has made headlines in recent weeks for its brouhahas with U.S. regulators and its plans to set up shop overseas, said Tuesday that it would enable international users to trade so-called perpetual futures out of Bermuda through a new platform. Dubbed Coinbase International Exchange, the platform touts a robust trading experience delivered in partnership with a number of external market makers r
  
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• Hollywood Writers Strike Over Pay Disputes with Streaming Giants, AI Concerns

  02-05-2023 16:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Writers Guild of America, the union that bargains on behalf of Hollywood's screenwriters, has called a strike after negotiations with major studios failed to produce a favorable contract this week. From a report: The strike, which is the first involving WGA to occur in 15 years, seeks to bring firms to the table on a host of issues, including higher pay and better working conditions. But some of the issues are quite unique in the annals of modern labor disputes and have to do with technologi
  
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• 48% of People Under 42 Spend More Time Socializing Online Than Off

  02-05-2023 15:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: When you think of digital entertainment, your mind might turn first to online video-streaming services, such as Sling TV or YouTube TV, and video-on-demand services, including Netflix or Acorn TV. However, consultant Deloitte's 17th annual "Digital Media Trends" survey suggests traditional television shows and movies are no longer the only forms of entertainment. Younger generations, often called Gen Zs and Millennials, are increasingly turning to
  
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• Intel To Drop the 'i' Moniker In Upcoming CPU Rebrand

  02-05-2023 12:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  When Intel debuts its forthcoming Meteor Lake client processors, the company may drop its iconic "i" CPU branding and add a new moniker. Chipzilla today told The Register "We are making brand changes as we're at an inflection point in our client roadmap in preparation for the upcoming launch of our Meteor Lake processors. We will provide more details regarding these exciting changes in the coming weeks." From the report: The Register asked Intel about branding after semiconductor analyst Dylan P
  
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• New Biocomputing Method Uses Enzymes As Catalysts For DNA-Based Molecular Computing

  02-05-2023 09:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Researchers at the University of Minnesota report via Phys.Org: Biocomputing is typically done either with live cells or with non-living, enzyme-free molecules. Live cells can feed themselves and can heal, but it can be difficult to redirect cells from their ordinary functions toward computation. Non-living molecules solve some of the problems of live cells, but have weak output signals and are difficult to fine-tune and regulate. In new research published in Nature Communications, a team of res
  
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• People In Comas Showed 'Conscious-Like' Brain Activity As They Died, Study Says

  02-05-2023 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Some recall bright lights at the end of a tunnel, feeling the presence of loved ones or floating above their body after a near-death experience. Now, scientists say they have captured "conscious-like" brain activity in dying patients in findings that give new insights into the process of death. The study used data from four patients who had died in hospital while their brains were being monitored using EEG recordings because they had previou
  
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• Ukraine Is Now Using Steam Decks To Control Machine Gun Turrets

  02-05-2023 04:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign dating back to 2014, soldiers in Ukraine are now using Steam Decks to remotely operate a high-caliber machine gun turret. The weapon is called the "Sabre" and is unique to Ukraine. Motherboard reports: Ukrainian news outlet TPO Media recently reported on the deployment of a new model of the Sabre on its Facebook page. Photos and videos of the system show soldiers operating a Steam Deck connected to a large machine gun via a heavy piece of cable. According to the
  
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• OpenAI Threatens Popular GitHub Project With Lawsuit Over API Use

  02-05-2023 03:25 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A GitHub project called GPT4free has received a letter from OpenAI demanding that the repo be shut down within five days or face a lawsuit. Tom's Hardware reports: Anyone can use ChatGPT for free, but if you want to use GPT4, the latest language model, you have to either pay for ChatGPT Plus, pay for access to OpenAI's API, or find another site that has incorporated GPT4 into its own free chatbot. There are sites that use OpenAI such as Forefront and You.com, but what if you want to make your ow
  
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• Spotify Tries To Win Indie Authors By Cutting Audiobook Fees

  02-05-2023 02:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  In an effort to appeal to indie authors, Spotify's Findaway audiobook seller "will no longer take a 20 percent cut of royalties for titles sold on its DIY Voices platform -- so long as the sales are made on Spotify," reports The Verge. From the report: In a company blog post published on Monday, Findaway said that it would "pass on cost-saving efficiencies" from its integration with the streaming service. While it's free for authors to upload their audiobooks onto Findaway's Voices platform, the
  
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• Report: FAA Overruled Engineers, Let Boing Max Keep Flying

  02-05-2023 02:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Some engineers for the Federal Aviation Administration wanted to ground the Boeing 737 Max soon after a second deadly crash, but top officials in the agency overruled them, according to a government watchdog. The inspector general of the Transportation Department said in a new report that FAA officials wanted to sort out raw data about the two crashes, and held off grounding the plane despite growing international pressure. The inspe
  
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• IBM To Pause Hiring In Plan To Replace 7,800 Jobs With AI

  02-05-2023 01:20 via slashdot.org
  
  IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg that it expects to pause hiring for roles as roughly 7,800 jobs could be replaced by AI in the coming years. Reuters reports: Hiring specifically in back-office functions such as human resources will be suspended or slowed, Krishna said, adding that 30% of non-customer-facing roles could be replaced by AI and automations in five years. The reduction could include not replacing roles vacated by attrition, the PC-maker told the publication.Read more of this st
  
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• Microsoft To Take On Apple Silicon With Custom ARM Chips

  02-05-2023 00:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  According to Windows Latest, Microsoft is working on new ARM chips to compete against Apple Silicon. "I have also spotted some job listings that suggest the company is building its own Silicon-based ARM chips for client devices" writes Mayank Parmar. "Additionally, I understand that Microsoft is optimizing Windows 12 for Silicon-ARM architecture." From the report: These developments coincide with the upcoming launch of Windows 12, which has a special version optimized for silicon and designed to
  
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• A Brain Scanner Combined With an AI Language Model Can Provide a Glimpse Into Your Thoughts

  02-05-2023 00:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) captures coarse, colorful snapshots of the brain in action. While this specialized type of magnetic resonance imaging has transformed cognitive neuroscience, it isn't a mind-reading machine: neuroscientists can't look at a brain scan and tell what someone was seeing, hearing or thinking in the scanner. But gradually scientists are pushing against that fundamental barrier to translate intern
  
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