ICT news

• Crypto Miners In Texas' ERCOT Region Required To Register, Report Power Demand

  25-11-2024 23:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  A new rule passed in Texas requiring cryptocurrency miners using the grid maintained by the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to register and report key details about their facilities. CoinTelegraph reports: Under the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) rule (PDF), passed on Nov. 21, Bitcoin miners must share the location, ownership information and demand for electricity of their facilities with the state agency. Miners have only one working day after the date their facility co
  
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• Indonesia Says Apple's $100 Million Investment Proposal Inadequate

  25-11-2024 23:02 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Indonesia rejected Apple's $100 million investment proposal to build an accessory and component plant, stating it was insufficient to lift the current ban on iPhone 16 sales in the country. Indonesia banned sales of Apple's iPhone 16 last month after it failed to meet requirements that smartphones sold domestically should comprise at least 40% locally-made parts. Reuters reports: "We have done an assessment and this (proposal) has not met principles of fairness," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang
  
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• SUSE Unveils Major Rebranding, New Data-Protecting AI Platform

  25-11-2024 22:25 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet, written by Steven Vaughan-Nichols: At KubeCon North America, SUSE announced a significant rebranding effort, several new product offerings, and the launch of SUSE AI, a secure platform for deploying and running generative AI (gen AI) applications. SUSE has renamed its entire portfolio to make product names more descriptive and customer-friendly. Notable changes include:
  - Rancher, SUSE's Kubernetes offering, is now SUSE Rancher. - Liberty Linux, th
  
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• Apple Snubs AI in Its 'iPhone App of the Year' Finalists

  25-11-2024 21:45 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: On Monday, Apple's list of finalists for its coveted "iPhone App of the Year" award once again reveals how the iPhone maker is downplaying the impact of AI technology on the mobile app ecosystem. As it did last year, Apple's 2024 list of top iPhone finalists favors more traditional iOS apps, including those that help iPhone users perform specific tasks like recording professional video (Kino), tailoring their running plans (Runna), or organizing their travels
  
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• US Says Google Is an Ad Tech Monopolist, in Closing Arguments

  25-11-2024 21:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Lawyers for the United States on Monday said that Google had created a monopoly with its services to place ads online, closing out an antitrust trial over the company's dominance in advertising technology that could add to the Silicon Valley giant's mounting woes. From a report: The legal case concerns a system of software that is used by advertisers to place ads on websites around the internet. Aaron Teitelbaum, a lawyer for the Justice Department, told Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. Dist
  
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• Nvidia Claims New AI Audio Generator Makes Sounds Never Heard Before

  25-11-2024 20:21 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Nvidia has introduced Fugatto, an AI music editor that can generate never-head-of audio combinations, including instruments mimicking animal sounds.
  The tool processes both text and audio inputs to create music, sound effects, and modified speech. The system can isolate vocals, swap instruments, and alter voice characteristics.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• QNAP NAS Users Locked Out After Firmware Update Snafu

  25-11-2024 19:41 via it.slashdot.org
  
  A firmware update has left QNAP network-attached storage device owners unable to access their systems, with standard reset procedures failing to resolve the issue.
  The problematic update, QTS 5.2.2.2950 build 20241114, was released last week before being partially withdrawn, according to user reports on QNAP's community forums. QNAP, the Taiwan-based storage manufacturer, has not specified which models are affected by the faulty firmware.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Apple's Upcoming Ultra-Slim iPhone Hits Roadblock Over SIM Tray Rules

  25-11-2024 19:01 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple's upcoming slim iPhone model faces potential sales obstacles in China due to design limitations that prevent fitting a physical SIM card tray, which is mandatory in the Chinese market.
  The new device, planned for release next fall, measures 5-6 millimeters thick compared to the iPhone 16's 7.8mm, The Information reported Monday [non-paywalled source]. The company aims to revitalize iPhone sales in China, where revenue has declined for three consecutive years amid competition from Huawei an
  
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• Raspberry Pi's $7 Pico 2 W Microcontroller Board Adds Wireless Connectivity

  25-11-2024 18:22 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Raspberry Pi has announced the Pico 2 W, a wireless version of its Pico 2 microcontroller board built for hobbyists and industrial applications. From a report: At $7, it's a relatively inexpensive way to control electronic devices like smart home gadgets and robots. With the new version, users will be able to securely link to remote sources to send and receive data, either via Bluetooth 5.2 or Wi-Fi 802.11n.
  As with the Pico 2, the wireless variant is built around the RP2350 microcontroller buil
  
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• Northvolt Files For Bankruptcy as Europe's Battery Champion Loses Spark

  25-11-2024 17:41 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Swedish battery maker Northvolt has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. and announced CEO Peter Carlsson's departure following a year marked by production delays and workforce reductions.
  The company, once viewed as Europe's challenger to Chinese battery dominance, reported $1.2 billion in losses against $128 million revenue for 2023. Despite securing $15 billion in funding and $50 billion in orders by late 2023, with major stakeholders including Volkswagen (21%) and Goldman Sachs (19%),
  
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• Three-Quarters of US Adults Are Now Overweight or Obese

  25-11-2024 17:01 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to a sweeping new study. The findings have wide-reaching implications for the nation's health and medical costs as it faces a growing burden of weight-related diseases.
  The study reveals the striking rise of obesity rates nationwide since 1990 -- when just over half of adults were overweight or obese -- and shows how more people are becoming overweight or obese at younger ages than in the
  
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• AI's Future and Nvidia's Fortunes Ride on the Race To Pack More Chips Into One Place

  25-11-2024 16:22 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Leading technology companies are dramatically expanding their AI capabilities by building multibillion-dollar "super clusters" packed with unprecedented numbers of Nvidia's AI processors. Elon Musk's xAI recently constructed Colossus, a supercomputer containing 100,000 Nvidia Hopper chips, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims his company operates an even larger system for training advanced AI models. The push toward massive chip clusters has helped drive Nvidia's quarterly revenue from $7 billi
  
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• Sony Working on Handheld Console for PS5 Games to Rival Switch

  25-11-2024 15:41 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Sony is developing a new portable gaming device capable of playing PlayStation 5 games, Bloomberg News reported Monday. The project follows the 2023 release of PlayStation Portal, a streaming-only handheld, and aims to compete with Nintendo's dominant Switch console and potential Microsoft offerings in the portable gaming space.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Tech Job Slump Hits Coding Bootcamp Graduates as AI Reshapes Industry

  25-11-2024 15:00 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. software developer job listings have plummeted 56% since 2019, according to CompTIA data, as coding bootcamp graduates face mounting challenges from AI tools and widespread tech industry layoffs.
  For entry-level positions, postings have dropped even further at 67%. The downturn has forced several bootcamps to adapt or close. Boston's Launch Academy suspended operations in May after job placement rates fell from 90% to below 60%. Meanwhile, AI coding tools like ChatGPT and GitHub's Copilot a
  
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• Thousands of Palo Alto Networks Firewalls Compromised This Week After Critical Security Hole

  25-11-2024 13:34 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Palo Alto Networks boasts 70,000 customers in 150 countries, including 85% of the Fortune 500.
  But this week "thousands of Palo Alto Networks firewalls were compromised by attackers exploiting two recently patched security bug," reports the Register:
  The intruders were able to deploy web-accessible backdoors to remotely control the equipment as well as cryptocurrency miners and other malware. Roughly 2,000 devices had been hijacked as of Wednesday — a day after Palo Alto Networks pushed a
  
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• Flamewar Leads to Declining of Bcachefs Pull Requests During Linux 6.13 Kernel Development Cycle

  25-11-2024 09:59 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  "Get your head examined. And get the fuck out of here with this shit." That's how Bcachefs developer Kent Overstreet ended a post on the Linux kernel mailing list.This was followed by "insufficient action to restore the community's faith in having otherwise productive technical discussions without the fear of personal attacks," according to an official ruling by committee enforcing the kernel community's code of conduct. After formalizing an updated enforcement process for unacceptable behaviors
  
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• Craigslist Founder Gives $300M to Fund Critical US Infrastructure Cybersecurity

  25-11-2024 06:59 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Craig Newmark "is alarmed about potential cybersecurity risks in the U.S.," according to Yahoo Finance. The 71-year-old Craigslist founder says "our country is under attack now" in a new interview with Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi on his Opening Bid podcast.
  But Newmark also revealed what he's doing about it:[H]e started Craig Newmark Philanthropies to primarily invest in projects to protect critical American infrastructure from cyberattacks. He told Sozzi he is now spending $200 m
  
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• Solar Glut: Half of California's Solar Power Sometimes Goes to Waste, Research Shows

  25-11-2024 04:34 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Some days more than half of California's available solar power goes to waste, according to research from the California Institute for Energy and Environment. "In the last 12 months, California's solar farms have curtailed production of more than 3 million megawatt hours of solar energy," according to a data analysis by the Los Angeles Times — enough to power 518,000 California homes for a year.
  And it was curtailed "either on the orders of the state's grid operator or because prices had pl
  
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• World Agrees on $300B Climate Aid Financial Deal - After COP29 Summit 'Nearly Implodes'

  25-11-2024 02:48 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  "At points there was fear the talks would implode, as groups representing vulnerable small island states and the least-developed countries walked out of negotiations Saturday," according to a new report from CNN.But after weeks of international climate talks at COP29, "the world agreed to a new climate deal... "with wealthy countries pledging to provide $300 billion annually by 2035 to poorer countries to help them cope with the increasingly catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis."The amount
  
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• Microsoft's Controversial 'Recall' Feature is Already Experiencing Some Issues

  25-11-2024 00:28 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft's controversial "Recall" feature (in a public preview of Windows 11) already has some known issues, Microsoft admitted Friday. For example:- Recall can be enabled or disabled from "Turn Windows features on or off". We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.
  - You must have Secure Boot enabled for Recall to save snapshots.
  - Some users experience a delay before snapshots first appear in the timeline whi
  
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