ICT news

• Apple's Hidden AI Prompts Discovered In macOS Beta

  06-08-2024 23:30 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  A Reddit user discovered the backend prompts for Apple Intelligence in the developer beta of macOS 15.1, offering a rare glimpse into the specific guidelines for Apple's AI functionalities. Some of the most notable instructions include: "Do not write a story that is religious, political, harmful, violent, sexual, filthy, or in any way negative, sad, or provocative"; "Do not hallucinate"; and "Do not make up factual information." MacRumors reports: For the Smart Reply feature, the AI is programme
  
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• Figure AI's Humanoid Robot Helped Assemble BMWs At US Factory

  06-08-2024 22:52 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Unlike Tesla, which hopes to develop its own bipedal 'bot to work on its production line sometime next year, BMW has brought in a robot from Figure AI. The Figure 02 robot has hands with sixteen degrees of freedom and human-equivalent strength. "We are excited to unveil Figure 02, our second-generation humanoid robot, which recently completed successful testing at the BMW Group Plant Spartanburg. Figure 02 has significant technical advanceme
  
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• Amazon, Microsoft, Google Remind Public of Their K-12 CS Education Philanthropy

  06-08-2024 21:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  theodp writes: After issuing mea culpas over diversity and compensation equity issues, tech companies began to promote their K-12 CS education philanthropy initiatives as corrective measures as they sought to deflect criticism and defeat shareholder calls for greater transparency into hiring and compensation practices. In 2016, for instance, Amazon argued it was already working with tech-backed nonprofits such as Code.org, the Anita Borg Institute, and Girls Who Code to increase women's and mino
  
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• Apple Thinks Bing is Pretty Bad

  06-08-2024 20:42 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. Judge Amit Mehta released a 286-page ruling Monday in the Google search antitrust case, revealing key details of the tech giant's business practices. The document is packed with factual findings and legal conclusions and some amazing comments. Here's one, for instance: Google pays Apple billions of dollars a year to be the default search engine in Safari. But according to Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of services, there's no other meaningful alternative. During the trial, he said
  
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• Intel Foundry Achieves Major Milestones

  06-08-2024 20:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Intel has announced significant progress on its 18A process technology, with lead products successfully powering on and booting operating systems. The company's Panther Lake client processor and Clearwater Forest server chip, both built on 18A, achieved these milestones less than two quarters after tape-out. The 18A node, featuring RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery, is on track for production in 2025.
  Intel released the 18A Process Design Kit 1.0 in July,
  
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• Google Discontinues the Chromecast Line

  06-08-2024 19:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Speaking of Google launching a new TV streaming device, the company says it's "ending production of Chromecast" after 11 years of selling the streaming dongles. From a report: Even though Chromecast devices will now be available "while supplies last," Google says it will continue to push software and security updates to its newer devices without specifying which ones. The most recent update to the lineup was the Chromecast with Google TV released in 2022.
  But now, Google says "technology has evo
  
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• Need To Move 1.2 Exabytes Across the World Every Day? Just Effingo

  06-08-2024 18:50 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Google has revealed technical details of its in-house data transfer tool, called Effingo, and bragged that it uses the project to move an average of 1.2 exabytes every day. As explained in a paper [PDF] and video to be presented on Thursday at the SIGCOMM 2024 conference in Sydney, bandwidth constraints and the stubbornly steady speed of light mean that not even Google is immune to the need to replicate data so it is located close to where it is processed or
  
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• Microsoft Hits Back at Delta in Clash Over System Breakdown

  06-08-2024 18:15 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft said Delta Air Lines turned down repeated offers for assistance following last month's catastrophic system outage, echoing claims by CrowdStrike in an increasingly contentious conflict between the carrier and its technology partners. From a report: Microsoft employees reached out to Delta to give technical support every day from July 19 through July 23, and "each time Delta turned down Microsoft's offers to help," according to a letter Tuesday from the technology giant's attorneys to D
  
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• Google Unveils $99 TV Streamer To Replace Chromecast

  06-08-2024 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google today unveiled its new Google TV Streamer, a $99.99 set-top box replacing the Chromecast. The device, shipping September 24, boasts improved performance with a 22% faster processor (over its predecessor), doubled RAM, and 32GB storage. It integrates Thread and Matter for smart home control, featuring a side-panel accessible via the remote. The Streamer supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and includes an Ethernet port. Design changes include a low-profile form factor in two colors and a red
  
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• Mainframes Find New Life in AI Era

  06-08-2024 16:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Mainframe computers, stalwarts of high-speed data processing, are finding new relevance in the age of AI. Banks, insurers, and airlines continue to rely on these industrial-strength machines for mission-critical operations, with some now exploring AI applications directly on the hardware, WSJ reported in a feature story. IBM, commanding over 96% of the mainframe market, reported 6% growth in its mainframe business last quarter. The company's latest zSystem can process up to 30,000 transactions p
  
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• The Biggest Loser in Google Search Ruling Could Be Mozilla and Firefox

  06-08-2024 16:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Mozilla, the non-profit behind the Firefox browser, faces an uncertain future following Monday's landmark antitrust ruling against Google. The decision, which found Google illegally maintained its search monopoly, puts Mozilla's primary funding source at risk. In 2021-2022, Mozilla received $510 million from Google out of $593 million total revenue, according to its latest financial report. Fortune adds: You can be sure that critics of the judge's ruling will highlight the potentially devastatin
  
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• The Biggest Loser Google Search Ruling Could Be Mozilla and Firefox

  06-08-2024 16:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Mozilla, the non-profit behind the Firefox browser, faces an uncertain future following Monday's landmark antitrust ruling against Google. The decision, which found Google illegally maintained its search monopoly, puts Mozilla's primary funding source at risk. In 2021-2022, Mozilla received $510 million from Google out of $593 million total revenue, according to its latest financial report. Fortune adds: You can be sure that critics of the judge's ruling will highlight the potentially devastatin
  
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• Mac and Windows Users Infected By Software Updates Delivered Over Hacked ISP

  06-08-2024 15:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Hackers delivered malware to Windows and Mac users by compromising their Internet service provider and then tampering with software updates delivered over unsecure connections, researchers said. The attack, researchers from security firm Volexity said, worked by hacking routers or similar types of device infrastructure of an unnamed ISP. The attackers then used their control of the devices to poison domain name system responses for legitimat
  
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• CISA Releases Secure by Demand Guidance

  06-08-2024 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Today, CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have released Secure by Demand Guide: How Software Customers Can Drive a Secure Technology Ecosystem to help organizations drive a secure technology ecosystem by ensuring their software manufacturers prioritize secure technology from the start.
  An organization’s acquisition staff often has a general understanding of the core cybersecurity requirements for a particular technology acquisition. However, they frequently don’t asse
  
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• OpenAI Co-Founder John Schulman Is Joining Anthropic

  06-08-2024 12:00 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI co-founder John Schulman announced Monday that he is leaving to join rival AI startup Anthropic. CNBC reports: The move comes less than three months after OpenAI disbanded a superalignment team that focused on trying to ensure that people can control AI systems that exceed human capability at many tasks. Schulman had been a co-leader of OpenAI's post-training team that refined AI models for the ChatGPT chatbot and a programming interface for third-party developers, according to a biograph
  
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• Meteorite Impacts Produce Most of Moon's Thin Atmosphere, Study Reveals

  06-08-2024 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Scientists studying lunar samples brought back by the Apollo missions have determined that the moon's thin atmosphere is produced largely by meteorite impacts. "Our findings provide a clearer picture of how the moon's surface and atmosphere interact over long timescales, [and] enhance our understanding of space weathering processes," said Dr Nicole Nie, the co-author of the new study based at MIT's department of Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences. The Guardian reports: Writing in the jou
  
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• Gamification Gets Drivers To Put Down Their Phones, Study Finds

  06-08-2024 07:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Distracted driving isn't only a result of drivers using their phones when they should be paying attention. But it is a significant cause of the problem, accounting for at least 13 percent of distracted driving deaths and rising to 1 in 5 for young drivers. Now, a study conducted with customers of the Progressive insurance company has tested different strategies to get those drivers to put their phones down in the car, and it found two that s
  
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• Netflix To Hike Price Again By December, Jefferies Says

  06-08-2024 04:41 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  In a note to clients, seen by Slashdot, brokerage house Jefferies writes: Netflix's last price hike on the standard plan was in Jan 2022, its ad- supported plan remains the cheapest (among major players) in the industry, and its move into live sports increases pricing power - for these 3 reasons we suspect a price hike in Q4 or December of this year could be coming on the standard plan.
  As stated in the Q4 2023 letter (following the announcement of WWE Raw coming in 2025): "As we invest in and i
  
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• iPhone Driver's License Support Coming Soon To California

  06-08-2024 02:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  iPhone and Apple Watch users in California will soon be able to add their digital ID and driver's license to the Wallet app, as revealed by new landing pages on the state DMV website. This feature follows a slow rollout since its announcement, with only five states currently supporting it. MacRumors reports: "Now you can add your California driver's license or state ID to Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch so you can present it easily and securely in person and in app," reads the landing pag
  
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• Windows 11 Hits 30% Market Share For the First Time

  06-08-2024 01:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  With Windows 10's end-of-life update coming next October, it appears that users are finally making the jump to its successor. As spotted by Neowin, Windows 11 crossed the 30% market share mark for the first time since its release. From the report: According to Statcounter's latest findings, last month, Windows 11 reached a new all-time high of 30.83%, gaining 1.08 points in just one month or 7.17 points year-over-year (it was at 23.66% in July 2023). Just as Windows 11 climbs, Windows 10 loses i
  
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• Silicon Valley Parents Are Sending Kindergarten Kids To AI-Focused Summer Camps

  06-08-2024 01:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Silicon Valley's fascination with AI has led to parents enrolling children as young as five in AI-focused summer camps. "It's common for kids on summer break to attend space, science or soccer camp, or even go to coding school," writes Priya Anand via the San Francisco Standard. "But the growing effort to teach kindergarteners who can barely spell their names lessons in 'Advanced AI Robot Design & AR Coding' shows how far the frenzy has extended." From the report: Parents who previously woul
  
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• Yelp's Lack of Transparency Around API Charges Angers Developers

  06-08-2024 00:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: On July 19, Yelp informed select indie developers that they would have to switch to paid accounts, due to high API usage. Developers were given four days to make the change, in a move that echoes recent communication bungles by Reddit and Twitter. When the developers replied to the July 19 email, Yelp sent a deck of pricing tiers with base pricing starting from $229 per month for a limit of 1,000 API calls per day. Developers were concerned th
  
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