ICT news

• Linus Torvalds Muses About Maintainer Gray Hairs, Next 'King of Linux'

  16-09-2024 23:25 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet, written by Steven Vaughan-Nichols: In a candid keynote chat at the Linux Foundation's Open Source Summit Europe, Linux creator Linus Torvalds shared his thoughts on kernel development, the integration of Rust, and the future of open source. Dirk Hohndel, Verizon's Open Source Program Office head and Torvalds friend, moderated their conversation about the Linux ecosystem. Torvalds emphasized that kernel releases, like the recent 6.11 version, are in
  
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• US Government Expands Sanctions Against Spyware Maker Intellexa

  16-09-2024 22:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The U.S. government said Monday that it has issued fresh financial sanctions against five individuals and a corporate entity associated with spyware-making consortium Intellexa, months after the government sanctioned its founder. From a report: In its latest statement, the U.S. Treasury said it sanctioned the five people, including senior Intellexa executives and associates, who are alleged to be involved in the sale of Intellexa's phone spyware, dubbed Predator, to authoritarian governments. Pr
  
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• AI Pioneers Call for Protections Against 'Catastrophic Risks'

  16-09-2024 22:04 via slashdot.org
  
  AI pioneers have issued a stark warning about the technology's potential risks, calling for urgent global oversight. At a recent meeting in Venice, scientists from around the world discussed the need for a coordinated international response to AI safety concerns. The group proposed establishing national AI safety authorities to monitor and register AI systems, which would collaborate to define red flags such as self-replication or intentional deception capabilities. The report adds: Scientists f
  
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• Linux Kernel 6.11 is Out

  16-09-2024 21:28 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  Linux creator Linus Torvalds has released version 6.11 of the open-source operating system kernel. The new release, while not considered major by Torvalds, introduces several notable improvements for AMD hardware users and Arch Linux developers. ZDNet: This latest version introduces several enhancements, particularly for AMD hardware users, while offering broader system improvements and new capabilities. These include:
  RDNA4 Graphics Support: The kernel now includes baseline support for AMD's up
  
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• Amazon CEO Tells Employees To Return To Office Five Days a Week

  16-09-2024 20:45 via slashdot.org
  
  Amazon is instructing corporate staffers to spend five days a week in the office, CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a memo on Monday. From a report: The decision marks a significant shift from Amazon's earlier return-to-work stance, which required corporate workers to be in the office at least three days a week. Now, the company is giving employees until Jan. 2 to start adhering to the new policy. Corporate employees will be expected to be in the office five days a week "outside of extenuating circumstanc
  
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• How Intel Lost the Sony PlayStation Business

  16-09-2024 20:00 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Intel lost a bid to design and manufacture Sony's PlayStation 6 chip in 2022, dealing a blow to its contract manufacturing business. The contract, worth potentially billions in revenue, went to rival AMD after Intel failed to agree on pricing with Sony, Reuters reported Monday.
  Discussions between the companies spanned months and involved top executives. Intel's loss has hampered CEO Pat Gelsinger's turnaround strategy, which hinges on expanding the company's foundry operations. The PlayStation
  
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• Nobel Prize-Winner Tallies Two More Retractions, Bringing Total To 13

  16-09-2024 19:20 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Retraction Watch: A Nobel prize-winning genetics researcher has retracted two more papers, bringing his total to 13. Gregg Semenza, a professor of genetic medicine and director of the vascular program at Johns Hopkins' Institute for Cell Engineering in Baltimore, shared the 2019 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for "discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability." Since pseudonymous sleuth Claire Francis and others began using PubPeer to point out potential duplicated or ma
  
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• Apple Charging 20% More To Replace Batteries in iPhone 16 Pro Models

  16-09-2024 18:40 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple has increased its out-of-warranty battery replacement fee for iPhone 16 Pro models. From a report: Apple Stores can replace the battery inside an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max for $119 in the U.S., which is up from $99 for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is a 20% increase to the fee, which includes the cost of a new battery and service by an Apple Store. The fee may vary at third-party Apple Authorized Service Providers. The fee remains $99 for the standard iPhone 16 and
  
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• Microsoft Has Scrapped Edge's Big UI Refresh With Rounded Tabs

  16-09-2024 18:01 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has abandoned plans to overhaul its Edge browser interface, scrapping the design choice unveiled in February 2023. The redesign -- featuring a sleeker look with rounded tab buttons and increased blur effects -- aimed to give Edge a distinct identity as the company pushed into AI services. The new design never officially launched and the company has no intention to launch it later, according to Microsoft-focused news outlet Windows Central.
  A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to Windows
  
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• iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

  16-09-2024 17:20 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  Ming-Chi Kuo, a high-profile and reliable Apple analyst, says the demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. From a report: Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached about 37 million units in the first weekend after Apple began acc
  
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• China Raises Retirement Age For First Time Since 1950s

  16-09-2024 16:40 via slashdot.org
  
  China will "gradually raise" its retirement age for the first time since the 1950s, as the country confronts an ageing population and a dwindling pension budget. From a report: The top legislative body on Friday approved proposals to raise the statutory retirement age from 50 to 55 for women in blue-collar jobs, and from 55 to 58 for females in white-collar jobs. Men will see an increase from 60 to 63. China's current retirement ages are among the lowest in the world.
  According to the plan passe
  
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• NASA To Develop Lunar Time Standard for Exploration Initiatives

  16-09-2024 16:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  NASA will coordinate with U.S. government stakeholders, partners, and international standards organizations to establish a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) following a policy directive from the White House in April. From a report: The agency's Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program is leading efforts on creating a coordinated time, which will enable a future lunar ecosystem that could be scalable to other locations in our solar system. The lunar time will be determined by a weighted avera
  
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• New CISA Plan Aligns Federal Agencies in Cyber Defense

  16-09-2024 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) Operational Cybersecurity Alignment (FOCAL) Plan. Developed in collaboration with FCEB agencies, this plan provides standard, essential components of enterprise operational cybersecurity and aligns the collective operational defense capabilities across the federal enterprise.
  Currently, federal agencies maintain their own networks and system architectures—and they indepe
  
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• Multiple Attacks Force CISA to Order US Agencies to Upgrade or Remove End-of-Life Ivanti Appliance

  16-09-2024 13:34 via it.slashdot.org
  
  On Tuesday Ivanti issued a "high severity vulnerability" announcement for version 4.6 of its Cloud Service Appliance (or CSA). "Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to the device running the CSA." And Friday that announcement got an update: Ivanti "has confirmed exploitation of this vulnerability in the wild."
  While Ivanti released a security update, they warned that "with the end-of-life status this is the last fix that Ivanti will backport for this version. Customers must
  
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• EFF Decries 'Brazen Land-Grab' Attempt on 900 MHz 'Commons' Frequency Used By Amateur Radio

  16-09-2024 09:34 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An EFF article calls out a "brazen attempt to privatize" a wireless frequency band (900 MHz) which America's FCC's left " as a commons for all... for use by amateur radio operators, unlicensed consumer devices, and industrial, scientific, and medical equipment." The spectrum has also become "a hotbed for new technologies and community-driven projects. Millions of consumer devices also rely on the range, including baby monitors, cordless phones, IoT devices, garage door openers."But NextNav would
  
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• Original 'Flappy Bird' Creator Disavows New Version - and Its Possible Crypto Ties

  16-09-2024 05:34 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Flappy Bird's original creator hasn't posted anything on social media since 2017. Until today.
  "This morning, the game's creator Dong Nguyen posted a characteristically terse comment stating that he has nothing to do with the revival," report TechCrunch, "and that he 'did not sell anything.' He added, 'I also don't support crypto'... The post makes it clear that Nguyen is not involved with the new project, and that he doesn't seem particularly happy about it."
  As for Nguyen's reference to crypto
  
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• 17,000 ATT Workers End the Southeast's Longest Telecommunications Strike After 30 Days

  16-09-2024 03:34 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  For 30 days, 17,000 AT&T workers in nine different states from the CWA union went on strike. As it began one North Carolina newspaper noted some AT&T customers "report prolonged internet outages." Last week an Emory University economist told NPR that "If it wasn't disruptive or it didn't have any kind of negative element towards customers, then AT&T, I suspect, wouldn't feel any kind of pressure to negotiate."
  The 30-day strike was "the longest telecommunications strike in the region
  
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• Paraguay Loves Its Cartoon Mouse Mickey. Disney Does Not

  16-09-2024 01:46 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  The New York Times looks at "a third-generation family firm" in Paraguay "with 280 workers that packages hot sauce, soy beans...and seven kinds of salt for sale in Paraguayan supermarkets."
  Its mascot — on t-shirts, coffee cups, and "in heavy demand at Paraguayan weddings" — is a mouse named Mickey. 51-year-old Viviana Blasco — one of five siblings who run the business — told the Times that it all began back in 1935:
  Ms. Blasco's grandfather, Pascual, the son of Italian i
  
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• Stephen Hawking Was Wrong - Extremal Black Holes Are Possible

  16-09-2024 00:23 via science.slashdot.org
  
  "Even black holes have edge cases," writes Astronomy magazine contributing editor Steve Nadis, in an article in Quanta magazine (republished today by Wired):
  Black holes rotate in space. As matter falls into them, they start to spin faster; if that matter has charge, they also become electrically charged. In principle, a black hole can reach a point where it has as much charge or spin as it possibly can, given its mass. Such a black hole is called "extremal" — the extreme of the extremes.
  
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