ICT news

• ArcaOS 5.1.0 (OEM OS/2 Warp Operating System) Now Available

  02-09-2023 23:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Slashdot reader martiniturbide writes: ArcaOS 5.1.0 is an OEM distribution of IBM's discontinued OS/2 Warp operating system. This new version of ArcaOS offers UEFI compatibility allowing it to run in modern x86 hardware and also includes the ability to install to GPT-based disk layouts.
  At OS2World the OS/2 community has been called upon to report supported hardware, open source any OS/2 software, make public as much OS/2 documentation as possible and post the important platform links. OS2World
  
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• America's IRS Can't Find Millions of Sensitive Tax Records: Watchdog

  02-09-2023 22:34 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares The Hill's report from earlier this month. Apparently America's tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service "cannot locate thousands of microfilm cartridges containing millions of sensitive individual and business tax account records, according to a watchdog report."The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said in a report released August 8 that the IRS cannot account for microfilm cartridges — which contain backups of tax records as required under feder
  
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• Apple's IPads-for-Concealed-Firearms-Licenses Bribery Case Moves Forward

  02-09-2023 21:34 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  "Generally you may not carry a concealed firearm on your person in public," warns a California government web site, "unless you have a valid Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) license." And a California appellate court associated justice writes that in the county where Apple is located, "the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office rarely issued CCW licenses."
  This has led to Thomas Moyer, Apple's head of global security, facing bribery charges, reports Reason's legal blog, the Volokh Conspiracy. According
  
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• French Error Blamed for UK's Air Control Meltdown Which Left 300,000 Passengers With Cancellations

  02-09-2023 20:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  What caused Monday's glitch in the UK's air traffic control system that left thousands of passengers stranded?
  Wednesday the Independent reported that it may have been triggered by "an incorrectly filed flight plan by a French airline."Several sources say the issue may have been caused when a French airline filed a dodgy flight plan that made no digital sense. Instead of the error being rejected, it prompted a shutdown of the entire National Air Traffic Services (Nats) system — raising que
  
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• Does Nuclear Get In the Way of Renewable? France and Germany Disagree.

  02-09-2023 19:34 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  "France and Germany lead the camps in disagreeing on the future of nuclear in Europe," write two climate policy journalists. On the Energy Post blog they explore why — citing energy experts and politicians.
  Germany "ultimately completed its nuclear exit in April 2023," while France "has the highest share of nuclear in the energy mix of any country in the world."
  [A] major concern is that more nuclear means less renewables, at a time when wind and solar need all the scale they can get... In
  
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• Why Are GoDaddy's .US Domains Being Used For So Much Phishing?

  02-09-2023 18:34 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shared this report from cybersecurity blogger Brian Krebs:Domain names ending in ".US" — the top-level domain for the United States — are among the most prevalent in phishing scams, new research shows. This is noteworthy because .US is overseen by the U.S. government, which is frequently the target of phishing domains ending in .US. Also, .US domains are only supposed to be available to U.S. citizens and to those who can demonstrate that they have a physical prese
  
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• Are We Seeing the End of the Googleverse?

  02-09-2023 17:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Verge argues we're seeing "the end of the Googleverse. For two decades, Google Search was the invisible force that determined the ebb and flow of online content.
  "Now, for the first time, its cultural relevance is in question... all around us are signs that the era of 'peak Google' is ending or, possibly, already over."There is a growing chorus of complaints that Google is not as accurate, as competent, as dedicated to search as it once was. The rise of massive closed algorithmic social netw
  
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• 'Starfield' Fan Banned From Subreddit For Narcing On Leaker To Cops

  02-09-2023 16:34 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Kotaku reports that last week 29-year old Darin Harris "allegedly stole dozens of copies of the game from a warehouse and started selling them online," prompting lots of pre-release leaks for the game.
  "One Reddit user immediately reported the leaks to Bethesda and Memphis police," adds Kotaku. "And he's now been banned from the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit after posting about it."I know this because the commenter in question, Jasper Adkins, emailed Kotaku to inform us it had happened. "It
  
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• A Biotech Company Says It Put Dopamine-Making Cells Into People's Brains

  02-09-2023 12:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  A biotech company has conducted a small-scale trial involving the implantation of lab-made neurons into the brains of 12 people with Parkinson's disease. The implanted neurons are designed to produce dopamine, which is deficient in Parkinson's patients, and early data suggests they may have survived and improved symptoms in some cases. MIT Technology Review reports: The study is one of the largest and most costly tests yet of embryonic-stem-cell technology, the controversial and much-hyped appro
  
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• Pentagon's New UFO Website Lets You Explore Declassified Sightings Info

  02-09-2023 09:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  The U.S. Department of Defense has launched a website collecting publicly available, declassified information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). "For now, the general public will be able to read through the posted information," reports CNET. "Soon, US government employees, contractors, and service members with knowledge of US programs can report their own sightings, and later, others will be able to submit reports." From the report: "This website will provide information, including phot
  
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• Population Collapse Almost Wiped Out Human Ancestors, Say Scientists

  02-09-2023 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Early human ancestors came close to eradication in a severe evolutionary bottleneck between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, according to scientists. A genomics analysis of more than 3,000 living people suggested that our ancestors' total population plummeted to about 1,280 breeding individuals for about 117,000 years. Scientists believe that an extreme climate event could have led to the bottleneck that came close to wiping out our ancestral
  
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• NYPD To Deploy Drones To Monitor Backyard Parties This Holiday Weekend

  02-09-2023 04:02 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  "The NYC police department intends to use drones to monitor Labor Day backyard parties, raising privacy concerns," writes Slashdot reader jjslash. "Drone usage by U.S. police departments is increasing, with some operating them beyond visual line of sight. TechSpot reports: "If a caller states there's a large crowd, a large party in a backyard, we're going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party," said assistant NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry at a recent press conference. Na
  
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• Microsoft Patents Sensor-Filled, AI-Assisted Backpack

  02-09-2023 03:25 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has patented an AI-powered backpack design featuring a plethora of sensors that may include cameras, microphones, GPS, and a compass. Tom's Hardware reports: Additionally, Microsoft thinks it may be useful to add in LEDs and speakers, as well as a haptic actuator, into the straps. Some real-time processing is deemed necessary to the smart wearable. Thus, various recognition modules are proposed to provide image, text, speech, facial, and cognitive recognition. As well as real-time moni
  
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• CalTech To Accept Khan Academy Success As Option For Admission

  02-09-2023 02:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  "Given that too many schools don't teach calculus, chemistry and physics, CalTech is allowing potential undergraduates to demonstrate their ability in these fields by using Khan Academy," writes Slashdot reader Bruce66423. Los Angeles Times reports: One of Caltech's alternative paths is taking Khan Academy's free, online classes and scoring 90% or higher on a certification test. Sal Khan, academy founder, said Caltech's action is a "huge deal" for equitable access to college. While Caltech is sm
  
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• Nissan Begins Repurposing Leaf Car Batteries As Portable Power Stations

  02-09-2023 02:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from ExtremeTech: Slowly but surely, sales of electric cars have crept upward as traditional automakers finally embrace EVs. Nissan was early to the electric future with the venerable if modest Leaf. Nissan is now looking to turn old Leafs into something new by harvesting their batteries. The company has begun selling portable power banks built around refurbished automotive batteries, which could give these expensive Leaf cells a new lease on life. The Lithium
  
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• Lenovo's New 27-inch, 4K Monitor Offers Glasses-Free 3D

  02-09-2023 01:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Lenovo's upcoming 27-inch 4K monitor offers a unique experience unlike any other display: glasses-free 3D that can be toggled on and off. According to Ars Technica, the monitor features a lenticular lens and real-time eye-tracking to create the effect. It's being targeted at content creators, like 3D graphic designers and developers. From the report: Like other glasses-less 3D screens, [Lenovo's ThinkVision 27 3D Monitor] works by projecting two different images to each of your eyes, resulting i
  
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• Robinhood Bought Back Sam Bankman-Fried's Stake From US Government For $606 Million

  02-09-2023 00:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Robinhood announced it has purchased more than 55 million shares of the firm previously held by former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, which were seized in January by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the criminal case against FTX and its executives. CoinTelegraph reports: The purchase had been expected. Robinhood's board of directors announced the approval of the deal in the company's Q4 2022 report, and an Aug. 30 SEC filing said the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  
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• Hacker Gains Admin Control of Sourcegraph and Gives Free Access To the Masses

  02-09-2023 00:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: An unknown hacker gained administrative control of Sourcegraph, an AI-driven service used by developers at Uber, Reddit, Dropbox, and other companies, and used it to provide free access to resources that normally would have required payment. In the process, the hacker(s) may have accessed personal information belonging to Sourcegraph users, Diego Comas, Sourcegraph's head of security, said in a post on Wednesday. For paid users, the informat
  
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