ICT news

• Microsoft To Offer Some Free Security Products After Criticism

  19-07-2023 23:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is expanding its suite of free security tools for customers, the software company said on Wednesday, following criticism that it was charging clients to protect themselves against Microsoft's mistakes. From a report: The move follows a high-level hack that allowed allegedly
  Chinese spies to steal emails from senior U.S. officials - and complaints from security specialists and lawmakers against paying for tools In a blog post published on Wednesday, Microsoft said the advanced features
  
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• Blizzard's Bringing Its PC Games To Steam, Starting With Overwatch 2

  19-07-2023 23:00 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Blizzard Entertainment is bringing its PC games to Steam, starting with the release of Overwatch 2 on Valve's digital storefront on Aug. 10, Blizzard announced Wednesday. Polygon reports: The Windows PC version of Overwatch 2, like many of Blizzard's PC games, is currently only available through Battle.net. But with Microsoft's impending acquisition of Activision Blizzard and declining player engagement in the game, the maker of Diablo, Warcraft, and Overwatch appears to be changing its strategy
  
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• Researchers Discover That ChatGPT Prefers Repeating 25 Jokes Over and Over

  19-07-2023 22:20 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a ArsTechnica report: On Wednesday, two German researchers, Sophie Jentzsch and Kristian Kersting, released a paper that examines the ability of OpenAI's ChatGPT-3.5 to understand and generate humor. In particular, they discovered that ChatGPT's knowledge of jokes is fairly limited: During a test run, 90 percent of 1,008 generations were the same 25 jokes, leading them to conclude that the responses were likely learned and memorized during the AI model's training rathe
  
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• Meta Scales Back Ambitions for AR Glasses

  19-07-2023 21:35 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: In March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to transform the world, the company then known as Facebook struck a deal to buy all the augmented reality displays made by British firm Plessey. At the time, the deal appeared to be a savvy way of squeezing out Apple in the competition to develop AR glasses, as Plessey was one of the few makers of AR displays. Three years on, however, the deal has turned into a bust for Meta. Development of Plessey's technology ha
  
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• Google: AI Content Is Not By Default Well Received By Its Algorithms

  19-07-2023 20:42 via search.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, responded to Vox Media's claim that AI content is currently "well-received by search engines." Sullivan said, "It's still not correct that AI content will be "well-received by search engines," at least for us." Sullivan went on to explain on Twitter that "There's lots of AI content on the web that doesn't rank well and hence isn't well received" by Google Search. "AI content has no magic ranking powers," Sullivan said.
  
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• Stanford President Will Resign After Report Found Flaws in His Research

  19-07-2023 20:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Following months of intense scrutiny of his scientific work, Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced Wednesday that he would resign as president of Stanford University after an independent review of his research found significant flaws in studies he supervised going back decades. From a report: The review, conducted by an outside panel of scientists, refuted the most serious claim involving Dr. Tessier-Lavigne's work -- that an important 2009 Alzheimer's study was the subject of an investigation that fou
  
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• Google Restricting Internet Access To Some Employees To Reduce Cyberattack Risk

  19-07-2023 19:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google is starting a new pilot program where some employees will be restricted to internet-free desktop PCs. From a report: The company originally selected more than 2,500 employees to participate, but after receiving feedback, the company revised the pilot to allow employees to opt out, as well as opening it up to volunteers. The company will disable internet access on the select desktops, with the exception of internal web-based tools and Google-owned websites like Google Drive and Gmail. Some
  
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• Apple Tests 'Apple GPT,' Develops Generative AI Tools To Catch OpenAI

  19-07-2023 18:19 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple is quietly working on artificial intelligence tools that could challenge those of OpenAI, Alphabet's Google and others, but the company has yet to devise a clear strategy for releasing the technology to consumers. From a report: The iPhone maker has built its own framework to create large language models -- the AI-based systems at the heart of new offerings like ChatGPT and Google's Bard -- according to people with knowledge of the efforts. With that foundation, known as "Ajax," Apple also
  
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• Nasdaq Halts Plan To Launch Crypto-Custodian Business in US

  19-07-2023 18:05 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Nasdaq became the latest mainstream financial firm to take a step back from digital assets, aborting its launch of a custodian business in the US due to the shifting business and regulatory environment. From a report: The exchange operator is also halting its efforts to pursue a license related to the business but will continue to build out its technology to handle crypto for clients. "We remain committed to supporting the evolution of the digital asset ecosystem in a variety of ways," including
  
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• Why Synthetic Data is Being Used To Train AI Models

  19-07-2023 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Artificial intelligence companies are exploring a new avenue to obtain the massive amounts of data needed to develop powerful generative models: creating the information from scratch. From a report: Microsoft, OpenAI and Cohere are among the groups testing the use of so-called synthetic data -- computer-generated information to train their AI systems known as large language models (LLMs) -- as they reach the limits of human-made data that can further improve the cutting-edge technology. The laun
  
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• The 'Basic' Netflix Subscription Is Now All But Deceased

  19-07-2023 16:40 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  With no formal announcement, Netflix removed its $9.99 "Basic" subscription tier for anybody trying to sign up for a new account or resubscribe in the U.S. and UK. From a report: Now your two options are to pay $5.50 more per month for the "Standard" plan, or otherwise suffer through constant ad interruptions with what's now been dubbed "Standard with ads."
  All the changes are listed on the service's help center page. The company noted that the Basic plan "is no longer available for new or rejoi
  
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• ASUS Will Manufacture and Develop New Intel NUC Mini PCs

  19-07-2023 16:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Intel has announced ASUS as the company's first partner for its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) mini PC business. From a report: The two companies have entered a non-binding agreement that will see ASUS manufacture, sell and support the 10th- to 13th-generation products in Intel's NUC line. ASUS will also develop future NUC designs. Based on the business' current lineup, ASUS could be developing future NUC mini PCs, DIY kits for mini PCs, DIY kits for laptops, customizable boards, chassis and other a
  
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• Program To Attract Tech Workers From the US Hits Capacity On Opening Day

  19-07-2023 15:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC.ca: A government program meant to attract highly skilled tech workers from the U.S. closed for applications the day after it launched when it hit its maximum number of applicants. Last month, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a new work permit for H-1B visa holders in the U.S. -- part of a larger federal government strategy to poach talent from abroad. H-1B visas allow foreign nationals to work temporarily in the U.S. in certain specialized o
  
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• Gem Hunters Found the Lithium America Needs. Maine Won't Let Them Dig It Up

  19-07-2023 12:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Mary and Gary Freeman, founders of a Florida-based lab supplies company, discovered a rich lithium deposit in Maine while searching for tourmaline, a striking, multi-colored gemstone found in the region. The timing of their find is significant as it could provide the United States with a domestic source of lithium for the clean energy transition and potentially be worth $1.5 billion. However, there's strong opposition to developing a mine. "Maine has some of the strictest mining and water qualit
  
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• Researchers Produce 'Green' Hydrogen With Over 90% Efficiency

  19-07-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Bruce66423 shares a report from The Jerusalem Post: A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University has produced 'green' hydrogen -- hydrogen that is produced without polluting carbon dioxide emissions but is still highly efficient, the university said. The TAU team produced hydrogen using a water-based gel to attach the enzyme to the electrode and a biocatalyst. Over 90% of the electrons introduced into the system were deposited in the hydrogen without any secondary processes."Hydrogen is very r
  
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• US Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. Announces Plan to Back Dollar With Bitcoin, End Bitcoin Taxes

  19-07-2023 05:35 via politics.slashdot.org
  
  United States presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a plan to back the dollar with Bitcoin, and end taxes on Bitcoin.
  From a report:
  Speaking at a Heal-the-Divide PAC event, Democratic Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined specific Bitcoin-focused policies that he would enact as president, including gradually backing the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and making bitcoin profits exempt from capital gains taxes."My plan would be to start very, very small, perhaps 1%
  
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• NYPD To Test Public Announcement Drones During Emergencies

  19-07-2023 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: [T]he NYPD announced it's piloting test drones to fly over at-risk neighborhoods and make public announcements during emergencies. On Sunday, at the tail end of a weekend of heavy rainfall and flooding, New York City's emergency notification system tweeted that the NYPD would be "conducting a test of remote-piloted public messaging capabilities" at a location confirmed to AM New York as Hook Creek Park in Queens. The NYPD told AM New York tha
  
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• Federal Ruling Approves Construction of North America's Largest Lithium Mine

  19-07-2023 04:02 via news.slashdot.org
  
  schwit1 shares a report from NPR: In a blow to tribes, a U.S. appeals court has denied a last ditch legal effort to block construction of what's expected to be the largest lithium mine in North America on federal land in Nevada. In a decision Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the U.S. government did not violate federal environmental laws when it approved Lithium Nevada's Thacker Pass mine in the waning days of the Trump administration. Lithium is a key component of electric v
  
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• Roblox Is Going To Let Developers Offer Subscriptions In Their Experiences

  19-07-2023 03:25 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Roblox is offering developers another way to earn money by allowing them to offer subscriptions within their experiences, according to a blog post published Tuesday. The Verge reports: Roblox already offers developers a lot of ways to monetize their experiences, including the ability to sell virtual items in an experience or on the Roblox marketplace, offering in-experience passes to certain content and gating experiences behind paid access. However, those examples are all one-time fees, and Rob
  
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• Most Outsourced Coders In India Will Be Gone In 2 Years Due To AI, Stability AI Boss Predicts

  19-07-2023 02:45 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  Most outsourced programmers in India will see their jobs wiped out in the next year or two, Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque said. CNBC reports: Mostaque, on a call with UBS analysts, said that most of the country's outsourced coders will lose their jobs as the effects of AI mean that it is now possible for software to be developed with far fewer people. "I think that it affects different types of jobs in different ways," Mostaque said on a call with analysts at the Swiss investment bank last week
  
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• Automakers Say They Resolved the Right-To-Repair Fight

  19-07-2023 02:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Who owns thedata generated by your car? And who controls access to it? For almost a decade, right-to-repair activists, automakers, parts manufacturers, auto repair shop owners, technicians, and regular people who own cars have fought over those questions. How they are answered could radically change the cost and convenience of owning a modern camera-studded and cloud-enabled car -- and, some say, the future of the increasingly tech-heavy auto indus
  
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• Apple Pay Launches In Morocco

  19-07-2023 01:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Apple Pay is launching in Morocco today -- almost nine years after the service was first announced. MacRumors reports: CIH Bank is launching Apple Pay in the country as of Tuesday, according to the bank's Twitter account. It's not clear if other banks in Morocco will be coming on board with support for Apple's digital payment method, but it's likely. The support means that CIH Bank's customers will be able to add their Mastercard credit cards and bank cards to the Wallet app by tapping the plus
  
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• Virtual Pet Website Neopets Plans $4 Million Comeback

  19-07-2023 01:20 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Virtual pet website Neopets, which was popular in the 2000s but declined in recent years, is planning a comeback with $4 million in funding and a promise to bring back 50 classic games on July 25th. The BBC reports: Launched in 1999 by British developers, the site let users care for cartoon pets, chat and play games. But after Viacom bought it, for $160 million in 2005, the site failed to keep up with the times and many elements stopped working. At its peak, in the mid-2000s, Neopets had 25 mill
  
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• US Government Launches Its Long-Awaited IoT Security Labeling Program

  19-07-2023 00:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The Biden administration has launched its long-awaited Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity labeling program that aims to protect Americans against the myriad of security risks associated with internet-connected devices. The program, officially named the "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark," aims to help Americans ensure they are buying internet-connected devices that include strong cybersecurity protections against cyberattacks. The Internet of Things,
  
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• EU's AI Lobbying Blitz Gets Lukewarm Response in Asia

  19-07-2023 00:00 via slashdot.org
  
  The European Union is lobbying Asian countries to follow its lead on artificial intelligence in adopting new rules for tech firms that include disclosure of copyrighted and AI-generated content, according to senior officials from the EU and Asia. From a report: The EU and its member states have dispatched officials for talks on governing the use of AI with at least 10 Asian countries including India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines, they said. The bloc aims for its proposed AI
  
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