ICT news

• Atari Releasing New Cartridge For Its 46-Year-Old 2600 Console

  06-10-2023 23:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Atari just announced preorders for a physical cartridge for the company's once-ubiquitous 2600 console. From a report: A gaming console that counts 1982 as its most successful year is releasing another new cartridge in the year 2023. The game-in-question is called Save Mary and was actually developed during the console's golden years, before being shelved when the 2600 went the way of the dodo. Save Mary was in development for two whole years, which is a lifetime in the generation of gaming that
  
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• US Science Agencies on Track To Hit 25-Year Funding Low

  06-10-2023 22:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Lawmakers in the United States last year passed bipartisan legislation intended to maintain US competitiveness with countries such as China by boosting funding for science and innovation. But concerns are mounting that the US Congress will fail to deliver on its promises. From a report: The money allotted to a handful of major US science agencies that had been targeted for a budget boost is likely to fall short of the legislation's goals by more than US$7 billion in 2024, according to a report.
  
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• Amazon Launches First Satellites for Kuiper Space Internet System

  06-10-2023 21:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Amazon has launched its first two satellites for its Project Kuiper, the tech giant's initiative to build a massive constellation of satellites that can provide internet coverage to Earth. From a report: An Atlas V rocket, operated by United Launch Alliance, lofted the pair of satellites en route to orbit from Florida at 2:06 p.m. local time Friday. The mission is still ongoing, and it's unclear when the satellites will be deployed from the rocket.
  Project Kuiper's goal is to eventually put 3,32
  
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• PayPal Faces New Antitrust Lawsuit Claiming It Unfairly Stifles Competition With Stripe, Shopify

  06-10-2023 20:40 via slashdot.org
  
  PayPal has been hit with a class action lawsuit by consumers represented by law firm Hagens Berman alleging that the fintech giant's anti-steering rules stifle competition against lower-cost payment platforms such as Stripe and Shopify. From a report: Specifically, according to an investigation conducted by the firm's consumer rights attorneys, PayPal has subjected consumers to excess charges when purchasing from online merchants that accept PayPal or Venmo. The suit states that PayPal's merchan
  
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• Microsoft Launches New Web App Store for Windows

  06-10-2023 20:05 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has launched a new web version of its app store for Windows. From a report: It's designed as a replacement for the existing way to find Windows apps on the web, with links from the site opening in the Microsoft Store client on Windows 10 or Windows 11. The software giant has ditched its old React codebase from its previous web version of the Microsoft Store and replaced it with a modern web version that uses Shoelace, Lit, Vite, and a C# ASPNET backend. "The old site was a React codeba
  
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• Shell Called Out For Promoting Fossil Fuels To Youth Via Fortnite Game

  06-10-2023 19:34 via slashdot.org
  
  Climate activists are calling out Shell for partnering with popular video gamers and online youth influencers to promote fossil fuels to a younger generation. From a report: The oil giant, which in July reported quarterly profits of more than $5bn, worked with Fortnite creators and paid popular gamers on multiple platforms to showcase its "ultimate road trips" promotion, part of a marketing campaign for a new gasoline it calls V-Power Nitro+.
  According to the group Media Matters for America, the
  
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• EV Buyers Will Get an Instant Rebate of as Much as $7,500 Starting in 2024

  06-10-2023 18:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Treasury Department released new guidance Friday outlining how car dealers can give customers instant access to the electric vehicle rebate starting in January 2024. It's the latest move by the Biden administration to bring down the cost of EVs in the hopes that more people will buy them. From a report: The new guidance lays out how dealers can effectively reduce the price of an EV by as much as $7,500 at the point of purchase rather than the customer having to wait until they file their tax
  
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• South Korea Warns Google, Apple of Possible Fines Over Apps Marketing

  06-10-2023 18:06 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  South Korea's telecommunications regulator said on Friday that Alphabet's Google and Apple have abused their dominant app market position and warned of possible fines totalling up to $50.5 million. From a report: The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said in a statement that the two tech giants forced app developers into specific payment methods and caused unfair delay in app review. The KCC is notifying the companies for corrective action, and will deliberate on the fines, the statement sai
  
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• Google Open-Sourced a Hat Shaped Like a Giant Keycap - and It Actually Types

  06-10-2023 17:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Google Japan's latest DIY project is for people who can't get keyboards off their heads. From a report: Google isn't making this product. Instead, the Gboard CAPS project is another of Google Japan's joke keyboard ideas, like the 5.25-foot-long, single-row Gboard Stick Version keyboard shown off last year, used to promote Google's Gboard app. However, Google Japan seemingly prototyped the keyboard in real life. Everything you need to make this typing topper, including the firmware and hardware,
  
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• OpenAI is Exploring Making Its Own AI Chips

  06-10-2023 16:40 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is exploring making its own AI chips and has gone as far as evaluating a potential acquisition target, Reuters reported Friday, citing people familiar with the company's plans. From the report: The company has not yet decided to move ahead, according to recent internal discussions described to Reuters. However, since at least last year it discussed various options to solve the shortage of expensive AI chips that OpenAI relies on, according to people familiar w
  
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• Biden Administration Backs Strong Rules To Close Digital Divide

  06-10-2023 16:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Biden administration has urged the FCC to adopt strong rules to redress historic shortfalls that have left some communities lacking adequate broadband service. From a report: The position sets up a possible clash with large broadband providers that have warned the FCC, which is set to produce rules by next month, against unnecessary regulations. Clear rules are needed to close the digital divide that leaves millions without adequate broadband, the National Telecommunications and Information
  
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• MGM Says Computer Hack Will Cost It $100 Million In Lost Profit

  06-10-2023 15:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: MGM Resorts International said on Thursday a cyberattack last month that disrupted its operations would cause a $100 million hit to its third-quarter results, as it works to restore its systems. One of the world's largest gambling firms, MGM shut down its systems after detecting the attack to contain damage, it said. It expects to also incur less than $10 million as a related one-time cost in the quarter ended on Sept. 30. After the attack last m
  
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• Rebuilt Microsoft Teams App Promises Twice the Speed, Half the RAM Usage

  06-10-2023 12:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Andrew Cunningham writes via Ars Technica: If you or your employer uses Microsoft Teams for communication, good news: Microsoft is releasing a fully rewritten version today for Windows PCs and Macs that promises to run faster while using fewer system resources. A preview of this app was originally released for Windows in March, but the final release covers all types of Teams instances, re-adds support for features like breakout rooms and third-party app support, and supports macOS. The new Teams
  
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• Prada To Design NASA's New Moon Suit

  06-10-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Jonathan Josephs & Antoinette Radford reporting via the BBC: Nasa astronauts will be flying in style, with luxury fashion designer Prada helping design space suits for the 2025 moon mission. The Italian fashion house will work to design the suits alongside another private company, Axiom Space. In a press release, Axiom said Prada would bring expertise with materials and manufacturing to the project. One astronaut told the BBC he thought Prada was up to the challenge due to their design exper
  
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• Alibaba Accused of 'Possible Espionage' At European Hub

  06-10-2023 05:30 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Financial Times: Belgium's intelligence service has been monitoring Alibaba's main logistics hub in Europe for espionage following suspicions Beijing has been exploiting its growing economic presence in the west. European governments have been increasing scrutiny of the alleged security and economic risks posed by Chinese companies, which has been part of a wider reassessment of the EU's traditional openness to trade with China. In specific reference
  
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• ICE, CBP, Secret Service All Illegally Used Smartphone Location Data

  06-10-2023 04:02 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Slash_Account_Dot shares a report from 404 Media, written by Joseph Cox: In a bombshell report, an oversight body for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Enforcement (CBP), and the Secret Service all broke the law while using location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on smartphones. In one instance, a CBP official also inappropriately used the technology to track the location of coworkers with no investigat
  
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• Displace Came Up With a Landing Gear Safety System For Its Totally Wireless TV

  06-10-2023 03:25 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  At CES 2023, a startup called Displace introduced their "truly wireless" TV with swappable batteries and a vacuum suction system that can keep the display adhered to walls without traditional mounting. To address concerns about what would happen when those batteries become depleted or when the wall/surface the TV is mounted to cracks, Displace says it has designed a built-in landing gear safety system to protect the $3,000 wireless TV. The Verge reports: Here, friends, is where Displace's "self-
  
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• FTX Employees Discovered Alameda's $65 Billion Backdoor Months Before Collapse

  06-10-2023 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  James Hunt reports via The Block: A group of FTX U.S.-based employees stumbled across a backdoor for its affiliated trading firm Alameda Research months before the crypto exchange collapsed in Nov. 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The backdoor allowed Alameda to have a negative balance of up to $65 billion using customer funds, according to previous court filings revealing code buried in FTX's systems. Negative balances were not possible for other F
  
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• Google Agrees To Reform Its Data Terms After German Antitrust Intervention

  06-10-2023 02:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Following preliminary objections over Google's data terms, set out back in January by Germany's antitrust watchdog, the tech giant has agreed to make changes that will give users a better choice over its use of their information, the country's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) said today. The commitments cover situations where Google would like to combine personal data from one Google service with personal data from other Google or non-Google source
  
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• Hyundai, Kia To Adopt Tesla EV-Charging Standard From 2024 In US

  06-10-2023 01:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Hyundai and Kia said on Thursday that they will adopt Tesla's electric vehicle charging technology in the United States. Reuters reports: Joining their global peers, including Ford Motor, General Motors and Nissan in adopting Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS), Hyundai's and Kia's moves take the Elon Musk-led company's superchargers closer to becoming the industry standard at the expense of the rival Combined Charging System (CCS). Hyundai and Kia's new EVs will come with a NACS por
  
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• Lenovo PC Boss: 80% of Our Devices To Be Repairable By 2025

  06-10-2023 00:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Paul Kunert writes via The Register: Talking on stage at the Canalys EMEA Forum 2023, Luca Rossi, senior vice resident at Lenovo and president of its Intelligent Devices Group, said the company has committed to a net zero emission policy by 2050, and analyzing the components used in its hardware is part of the equation. "On repairability, we have a plan that by 2025 more than 80 percent of the repair parts will be repaired again so that they they enter into the circular economy to reduce the imp
  
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• Hundreds of US Schools Hit By Potentially Organized Swatting Hoaxes, Report Says

  06-10-2023 00:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Within the past year, there have been approximately five times more school shooting hoaxes called in to police than actual school shootings reported in 2023. Where data from Everytown showed "at least 103 incidents of gunfire on school grounds" in 2023, The Washington Post recently uncovered what seems to be a coordinated campaign of active shooter hoaxes causing "swattings" -- where police respond with extreme force to fake crimes -- at mor
  
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