ICT news

• YouTube Tests a 'Play Something' Button

  06-11-2023 23:42 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Emma Roth reports via The Verge: YouTube appears to be testing a new "play something" button on its mobile app that directs you to a random video when you don't know what to watch. As first spotted by Android Police, the prompt shows up between content as you scroll through the feed on your homepage -- but only some users are seeing it. While Android Police mentions that the button only directs users to YouTube Shorts, one of my colleagues here at The Verge found that the feature also shows them
  
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• Bored Ape Conference Attendees Wake Up With Searing Eye Pain, Vision Loss

  06-11-2023 23:07 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: Attendees at a conference for Bored Ape NFT owners are reporting waking up in the middle of the night following laser and blacklight-heavy performances with extreme eye pain and vision loss. Yuga Labs, the parent company of Bored Ape Yacht Club, hosted ApeFest in Hong Kong from November 3-5. The event was open to holders of Bored Ape NFTs, a crypto project that peaked in 2021 and recently crashed to a two-year low, costing many investors thousa
  
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• Microsoft is Bringing AI Characters To Xbox

  06-11-2023 22:20 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is partnering with Inworld AI to develop Xbox tools that will allow developers to create AI-powered characters, stories, and quests. From a report: The multiyear partnership will include an "AI design copilot" system that Xbox developers can use to create detailed scripts, dialogue trees, quest lines, and more. "At Xbox, we believe that with better tools, creators can make even more extraordinary games," explains Haiyan Zhang, general manager of gaming AI at Xbox. "This partnership wil
  
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• Consumers Paying More Than Ever for Streaming TV Each Month

  06-11-2023 21:40 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  After years of inflation, Americans are used to sticker shock. But nothing compares to the surging price of streaming video. From a report: Last week, Apple TV+ became the latest streaming service to raise its price -- up from $6.99 to $9.99 per month -- following the example of Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Netflix, which all hiked their prices in October. Half of the major streaming platforms in the U.S. now charge a monthly fee that's double the price they charged when they initially came to mark
  
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• Citigroup Considering At Least 10% Job Cuts in Major Businesses

  06-11-2023 21:00 via slashdot.org
  
  Citigroup's managers and consultants working on CEO Jane Fraser's reorganization have discussed job cuts of at least 10% in several major businesses, CNBC reported on Monday, citing people with knowledge of the process. Reuters: The bank has warned of job cuts as part of a sweeping overhaul it unveiled in September, but has said it will estimate the scale of layoffs and cost savings in the current quarter. The reorganization, known internally as "Project Bora Bora" according to CNBC, is intended
  
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• OpenAI is Letting Anyone Create Their Own Version of ChatGPT

  06-11-2023 20:20 via slashdot.org
  
  With the release of ChatGPT one year ago, OpenAI introduced the world to the idea of an AI chatbot that can seemingly do anything. Now, the company is releasing a platform for making custom versions of ChatGPT for specific use cases -- no coding required. From a report: In the coming weeks, these AI agents, which OpenAI is calling GPTs, will be accessible through the GPT Store. Details about how the store will look and work are scarce for now, though OpenAI is promising to eventually pay creator
  
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• OpenAI Says ChatGPT Has 100 Million Weekly Users

  06-11-2023 19:17 via slashdot.org
  
  100 million people are using ChatGPT on a weekly basis, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced at its first-ever developer conference on Monday. From a report: Since releasing its ChatGPT and Whisper models via API in March, the company also now boasts over two million developers, including over 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies. OpenAI announced the figures as it detailed a range of new features, including a platform for building custom versions of ChatGPT to help with specific tasks and GPT-4 Turbo
  
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• 'ChatGPT Detector' Catches AI-Generated Papers With Unprecedented Accuracy

  06-11-2023 19:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  A machine-learning tool can easily spot when chemistry papers are written using the chatbot ChatGPT, according to a study published on 6 November in Cell Reports Physical Science. From a report: The specialized classifier, which outperformed two existing artificial intelligence (AI) detectors, could help academic publishers to identify papers created by AI text generators. "Most of the field of text analysis wants a really general detector that will work on anything," says co-author Heather Desa
  
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• Huawei and Tencent Spearhead China's Hold on Cybersecurity Patents

  06-11-2023 18:20 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  China's presence is growing in cybersecurity technology, with companies such as Huawei and Tencent accounting for six of the top 10 global patent holdings in the sector as of August. From a report: Chinese companies have made headway in technological fields that affect economic security, according to industry insiders, as they focus on fostering their own tech amid the growing standoff between the U.S. and China. The rankings, compiled by Nikkei in cooperation with U.S. information services prov
  
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• Trading in WeWork Halted Amid Bankruptcy Rumors

  06-11-2023 17:28 via slashdot.org
  
  Trading in shares of WeWork were halted Monday as rumors swirl that the office sharing company, once valued as high as $47 billion, will seek bankruptcy protection. From a report: Last week, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported that WeWork was planning to file for Chapter 11 bankrutpcy protection as early as this week -- citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Shares of WeWork, which cost more than $400 two years ago, could be had Monday for less than $1.
  The specter
  
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• EPA To Push Ban of Toxic Chemical Found in Drinking Water

  06-11-2023 17:03 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Biden administration is proposing a ban on TCE, a highly toxic chemical commonly used in stain removers, adhesives and degreasers, and which had been found to be contaminating drinking water on a wide scale across the US. From a report: The move comes after years of mounting scientific evidence showing TCE is "extremely toxic" at low levels of exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote in a statement. "The science is loud and clear on TCE. It is a dangerous toxic chemical and
  
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• Canon's Advanced Chip Machines To Cost a Fraction of ASML's Best

  06-11-2023 16:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Canon plans to price its new chipmaking gear at a fraction of the cost of ASML Holding NV's best lithography machines, seeking to make inroads in the cutting-edge equipment now playing a central role in the US-China tech rivalry. From a report: The Tokyo-based company's new nanoimprint technology would open up a way for smaller semiconductor makers to produce advanced chips, now almost wholly the domain of the sector's biggest firms, Chief Executive Officer Fujio Mitarai said. "The price will ha
  
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• Apple Has No Plans To Make a 27-inch iMac With Apple Silicon

  06-11-2023 15:42 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple will not be making an Apple Silicon version of the 27-inch iMac to replace the Intel-equipped model that it discontinued in 2022. From a report: The company is instead focusing the iMac line around the 24-inch model that was first released in early 2021 and just updated with the new M3 processor this fall. Apple PR representative Starlayne Meza confirmed the company's plans to The Verge. The company encourages those who have been holding out hope for a larger iMac to consider the Studio Di
  
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• Epic Games Goes To Court To Challenge Google's App Store Practices

  06-11-2023 15:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Epic Games, the maker of the popular game "Fortnite," has launched a battle against Google in federal court in a closely watched antitrust showdown that could reshape how smartphone users get Android apps and pay for in-app content. From a report: Epic's lawsuit in the US District Court in California's Northern District targets the Google Play Store, focusing on Google's fees for in-app subscriptions and one-off transactions, along with other terms that app developers such as Epic say helped Goo
  
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• Elon Musk Says SpaceX's Starlink Achieves Breakeven Cash Flow

  06-11-2023 13:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  There's now two million subscribers to SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, with CEO Elon Musk announcing Thursday that it has "achieved breakeven cash flow..."
  Long-time Slashdot reader SonicSpike shared this report from CNBC:
  Musk did not specify whether that milestone was hit on an operating basis or for a specified time period. Earlier this year, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said Starlink "had a cash flow positive quarter" in 2022, and the overall Spa
  
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• CISA Published When to Issue VEX Information

  06-11-2023 13:00 via cisa.gov
  Today, CISA published When to Issue Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX) Information, developed by a community of industry and government experts with the goal to offer some guidance and structure for the software security world, including the large and growing global SBOM community.
  This guide explains the circumstances and events that could lead an entity to issue VEX information and describes the entities that create or consume VEX information. Whether, and when, to issue VEX informati
  
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• After Suspending Its Self-Driving Cars, Cruise Takes Steps to Win Back Trust

  06-11-2023 09:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Cruise stopped its driverless operations nationwide last week. But the New York Times reports on the company's moves since then...
  - Cruise hired the law firm Quinn Emanuel to investigate its response to a San Francisco incident involving a pedestrian, "including its interactions with regulators, law enforcement and the media."- A separate review of the incident is being doncuted by Exponent, a consulting firm that evaluates complex software systems.- The company's rivals "fear Cruise's issues c
  
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• How Red Hat Divided the Open Source Community

  06-11-2023 05:44 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  In Raleigh, North Carolina — the home of Red Hat — local newspaper the News & Observer takes an in-depth look at the "announcement that split the open source software community." (Alternate URL here.)[M]any saw Red Hat's decision to essentially paywall Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or RHEL, as sacrilegious... Red Hat employees were also conflicted about the new policy, [Red Hat Vice President Mike] McGrath acknowledged. "I think a lot of even internal associates didn't fully understa
  
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• Maine Considers Giving the Boot To Corporate Electric Utilities

  06-11-2023 03:34 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  The state of Maine is "poised to vote on an unprecedented plan to rid themselves of the state's two largest electric utilities and start with a clean slate," reports the Associated Press:The proposed takeover of two investor-owned utilities that distribute 97% of electricity in the state would mark the first time a U.S. state's utilities were forcibly removed at the same time. The referendum calls for dismantling Central Maine Power and Versant Power and replacing them with a nonprofit utility c
  
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• Scientists Think They've Found 'Blobs' From Planet that Collided with Earth to Form the Moon

  06-11-2023 01:53 via science.slashdot.org
  
  "Slabs of material from an ancient extraterrestrial planet are hidden deep within the Earth," argues a new scientific theory (as described by CNN).
  "Scientists widely agree that an ancient planet likely smashed into Earth as it was forming billions of years ago, spewing debris that coalesced into the moon that decorates our night sky today." But then whatever happened to that planet? No leftover fragments from a hypothetical planet "Theia" have ever been found in our solar system.
  But the new th
  
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• Do Programming Certifications Still Matter?

  06-11-2023 00:13 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  With programmers in high demand, InfoWorld asks if it's really worthwhile for software developers to pursue certifications? "Based on input from those in the field, company executives, and recruiters, the answer is a resounding yes,"
  "The primary benefit of certifications is to verify your skill sets," says Archie Payne, president of the recruiting firm CalTek Staffing... Certifications can be used to "reinforce the experience on your resume or demonstrate competencies beyond what you've done in
  
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