ICT news

• GitHub Alienates Developers By Force Feeding Them AI Recommendations

  14-09-2023 23:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  A week ago, GitHub fused its home page feed with algorithmic recommendations, infuriating more than a few users of the Microsoft-owned code-hosting giant. The Register reports: On Tuesday, GitHub responded to the hostile feedback by stating that some of the questioned behavior was actually due to bugs that have now been fixed, even as it doubled down on its decision to combine the previously separate "Following" and "For You" feeds. The "Following" feed included "activity by people you follow an
  
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• Why Apple Put a Thread Radio In the iPhone 15 Pro

  14-09-2023 23:10 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  On Tuesday, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max featuring USB-C ports, titanium bodies, and Action Buttons. They're also the first smartphones to support the open-source smart home protocol Thread. The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy explains how Apple might deploy this wireless connectivity protocol in its ecosystem: The obvious use for Thread in the iPhone is as a Thread border router for the slew of new Apple Home and Matter-enabled Thread smart home devices from companies like Eve,
  
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• More Countries Are Concerned About iPhone 12's Radiation Levels

  14-09-2023 22:30 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Belgium said on Thursday it would review potential health risks linked to Apple's iPhone 12, raising the prospect that more European countries might ban the model after France ordered a halt to sales due to breaches of radiation exposure limits. However, there seemed to be no immediate prospect of an EU-wide ban as the European Commission said it would wait for feedback from other EU countries before deciding on any action. European Union member
  
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• Activist Investor To GoDaddy: Cut Costs and Improve Sales, or Sell

  14-09-2023 20:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  GoDaddy needs to cut more jobs, reduce the tech budget, and address why it is falling short of financial targets outlined at its shareholder day in 2022, or the board should consider exploring a sale of the business. From a report: This is the view from activist investor Starboard Blue LLP, GoDaddy's third largest shareholder and one which is agitating for change and a seat on the corporation's board, something it has so far failed to secure. An open letter [PDF] to GoDaddy's top brass starts of
  
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• A Luxury Cruise Ship, Stuck Off Greenland's Coast for 3 Days, Is Pulled Free

  14-09-2023 20:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  A luxury cruise ship that had been stuck for three days after running aground off the coast of Greenland was pulled free on Thursday morning, the authorities said. From a report: The ship, the Ocean Explorer, had been carrying 206 passenger and crew members and was headed toward Alpefjord, in a remote corner of Greenland. The ship's destination was the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's northernmost national park, which is home to icebergs, glaciers and high mountains. The Joint Arct
  
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• California Passes Strongest Right-to-Repair Bill Yet, Requiring 7 Years of Parts

  14-09-2023 19:20 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  California, the home to many of tech's biggest companies and the nation's most populous state, is pushing ahead with a right-to-repair bill for consumer electronics and appliances. From a report: After unanimous votes in the state Assembly and Senate, the bill passed yesterday is expected to move through a concurrence vote and be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. "Since Right to Repair can pass here, expect it to be on its way to a backyard near you," said iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens in a statement. iF
  
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• Video-Game Company Unity Closes Offices Following Death Threat

  14-09-2023 18:28 via slashdot.org
  
  Unity canceled a planned town hall and closed two offices Thursday after receiving what it said was a credible death threat in the wake of a controversial pricing decision earlier this week, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. From the report: Unity, the maker of tools and technology for video games, set off a firestorm on Sept. 12 by announcing it will begin charging developers a new fee for games made using its software, called the Unity Engine. Beginning
  
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• Google Extends Lifespan of Chromebooks With 10-Year Update Policy

  14-09-2023 18:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google is working to push back the expiration date of Chromebooks, addressing concerns held by school administrators that the laptops are too short-lived to be cost effective. From a report: The Alphabet-owned company -- which develops the Chrome operating system running on computers made mostly by others -- said Thursday it plans to provide software updates for Chromebooks for up to a decade. The new policy, which starts next year, ensures that no existing Chromebook will expire within the next
  
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• HP's $5,000 Spectre Foldable PC Has a Lot To Prove

  14-09-2023 17:28 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  HP is the latest company to announce a foldable-screen PC. From a report: The 17-inch Spectre Foldable PC has a keyboard that can be used wirelessly with the device propped up on its kickstand. Or you could magnetically attach the keyboard to the screen's bottom half or even slide the keyboard toward you for a 1.5-screen-like experience. The OLED device addresses concerns around battery life and portability by including two battery packs instead of one. But the bendy, Intel 12th-gen computer wil
  
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• US Alleges Google Got Rich Because People Stick With Search Defaults

  14-09-2023 16:47 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Justice Department will press its argument Thursday that Google sought to strike agreements with mobile carriers to win powerful default positions on smartphones to dominate search in an antitrust trial that could change the future of the internet. From a report: The government will wrap up questioning Thursday of Antonio Rangel, who teaches behavioral biology at the California Institute of Technology. Other witnesses will be James Kolotouros, for Google, and Brian Higgins, from Verizon Comm
  
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• Microsoft Facing Formal EU Complaint Over Teams Video App

  14-09-2023 16:04 via slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft's attempt at avoiding deeper European Union scrutiny of its Teams video-conferencing app fell flat with the bloc's antitrust enforcers readying a formal complaint against the firm's conduct. From a report: Microsoft's recent proposal to split its Teams from a broader business software package and sell it to customers separately with an annual discount wasn't enough to satisfy regulators' concerns, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Eu
  
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• Hackers Claim It Only Took a 10-Minute Phone Call To Shut Down MGM Resorts

  14-09-2023 15:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group claimed responsibility for the MGM Resorts cyber outage on Tuesday, according to a post by malware archive vx-underground. The group claims to have used common social engineering tactics, or gaining trust from employees to get inside information, to try and get a ransom out of MGM Resorts, but the company reportedly refuses to pay. The conversation that granted initial access took just 10 minutes, according to
  
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• Ian Wilmut, Scientist Behind Dolly the Cloned Sheep, Is Dead at 79

  14-09-2023 12:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Ian Wilmut, the British scientist who led the project that cloned a mammal for the first time, Dolly the sheep, died on Sunday at the age of 79. The Roslin Institute, a research center near Edinburgh where Dr. Wilmut had worked for decades, said in a statement that the cause was complications of Parkinson's disease. From the statement: Ian Wilmut was born near Stratford-upon-Avon before the family moved to Yorkshire. It was at school in Scarborough that he first became interested in biology. He
  
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• NASA-Inspired Airless Bicycle Tires Are Now Available

  14-09-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The Ohio-based Smart Tire Company has started a Kickstarter campaign for its shape memory airless bicycle tires that were created in partnership with NASA. New Atlas reports: At the heart of each Metl tire is a Slinky-like spring that runs all the way around the tire. That spring is made of a shape memory nickel-titanium alloy known as NiTinol, which is described as being strong like titanium yet also stretchy like rubber. Importantly, when NiTinol is placed under pressure, it initially deforms
  
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• Conditions On Earth May Be Moving Outside the 'Safe Operating Space' For Humanity

  14-09-2023 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: Human actions have pushed the world into the danger zone on several key indicators of planetary health, threatening to trigger dramatic changes in conditions on Earth, according to a new analysis from 29 scientists in eight countries. The scientists analyzed nine interlinked "planetary boundaries," which they define as thresholds the world needs to stay within to ensure a stable, livable planet. These include climate change, biodiversity, freshwater
  
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• TSMC Arizona Chip Plant Will Be a 'Paperweight', Says Analyst

  14-09-2023 04:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  When it comes to reducing American dependence on Taiwan, the TSMC Arizona chip plant will be little more than a useless paperweight, says an analyst at one chip research firm. "The TSMC Arizona fab is effectively a paperweight in any geopolitical tension or war [with China over Taiwan] due to the fact that it still requires sending the chips back to Taiwan for packaging," said Dylan Patel, chief analyst at SemiAnalysis. 9to5Mac reports: A new report in The Information says while Apple chips may
  
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• Stability AI Brings Text-To-Audio Generation To the Masses

  14-09-2023 03:40 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Stability AI today announced the initial public release of its Stable Audio technology, providing anyone with ability to use simple text prompts to generate short audio clips. VentureBeat reports: StableAudio is a new capability, though it is based on many of the same core AI techniques that enable Stable Diffusion to create images. Namely the Stable Audio technology makes use of a diffusion model, albeit trained on audio rather than images, in order to generate new audio clips. "Stability AI is
  
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• Arm Prices IPO At $51 Per Share, Valuing Company At Over $54 Billion

  14-09-2023 03:20 via slashdot.org
  
  Arm, the British semiconductor and software design company, has priced its initial public offering at $51 a share, valuing its market cap at over $54 billion. It's set to start trading on Thursday under the symbol "ARM." CNBC reports: The U.K.-based company is listing at least 95.5 million American depository shares on the Nasdaq, and SoftBank, its current owner, will control about 90% of the company's outstanding shares. The offering is at the top of Arm's expected price range of $47 to $51. Ar
  
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• Password-Stealing Linux Malware Served For 3 Years and No One Noticed

  14-09-2023 03:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A download site surreptitiously served Linux users malware that stole passwords and other sensitive information for more than three years until it finally went quiet, researchers said on Tuesday. The site, freedownloadmanager[.]org, offered a benign version of a Linux offering known as the Free Download Manager. Starting in 2020, the same domain at times redirected users to the domain deb.fdmpkg[.]org, which served a malicious version of the
  
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• Africa's Internet Registry Placed Under Receivership

  14-09-2023 02:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  "AFRINIC, the regional internet registry for the African continent and Indian Ocean region, has been placed under receivership following an injunction obtained against it in the Supreme Court of Mauritius," writes Slashdot reader Kelerei. "This appears to be a result of poor governance at AFRINIC, and in part a consequence of an IP address assignment debacle in 2021." MyBroadband reports: Industry players on both sides of a conflict involving the registry have welcomed the Mauritian Supreme Cour
  
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• Marvel's VFX Workers Vote to Unionize in Historic Landslide Victory

  14-09-2023 02:01 via slashdot.org
  
  Visual effects workers at Marvel Studios have unanimously voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, marking a historic milestone for the industry. Rolling Stone reports: Following the successful vote with the NLRB, Marvel's VFX union will now enter into collective bargaining negotiations with Marvel. A start date for those negotiations hasn't been announced yet. Underpinning the union drive were the poor working conditions visual effects professionals have
  
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• Sweden Brings More Books and Handwriting Practice Back To Its Tech-Heavy Schools

  14-09-2023 01:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: As young children went back to school across Sweden last month, many of their teachers were putting a new emphasis on printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice and devoting less time to tablets, independent online research and keyboarding skills. The return to more traditional ways of learning is a response to politicians and experts questioning whether the country's hyper-digitalized approach to education, including
  
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• Ex-Google Exec Acknowledges Aggressively Seeking Exclusive Mobile Deals

  14-09-2023 01:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Justice Department sought on Wednesday to show how Google did all it could to get people to use its search engine and build itself into a $1 trillion search and advertising giant on the second day of a once-in-a-generation antitrust trial. From a report: First out of the gate, the government questioned a former Google executive, Chris Barton, about billion-dollar deals with mobile carriers and others that helped make Google the default search engine. Barton, who was at Google from 2004 to 20
  
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• Microsoft's Tweaked Army Goggles Worked Well in New Test, US Says

  14-09-2023 00:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft's improved combat goggles have passed their first round of intensive testing by soldiers, and the tech giant has been awarded an order for another batch to be used for a make-or-break combat evaluation in 2025, according to a US Army spokesman. From a report: The first 20 prototype IVAS 1.2 goggles were delivered in late July and assessed by two squads of solders in late August to check for improvements in reliability, low-light performance and how well they fit without repeats of the
  
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