ICT news

• Linux Mint Dethrones MX Linux As the Most Popular Distro On DistroWatch

  10-12-2024 18:54 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  BrianFagioli writes: Linux Mint has reclaimed its position as the top-ranked Linux distribution on DistroWatch, dethroning MX Linux. The latest page hit rankings, which reflect the popularity of distributions among DistroWatch users, place Linux Mint in first place with 2,412 hits per day. MX Linux, previously the reigning champ, now sits in second with 2,280 hits.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Cable Groups Fight Data Cap Regulation With Restaurant Analogies

  10-12-2024 16:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Cable industry lobbyists have urged the Federal Communications Commission to avoid regulating data caps and overage charges, comparing broadband plans to restaurant menus in a filing last week.
  NCTA - The Internet & Television Association argued that usage-based pricing benefits low-income consumers by providing cheaper options, pushing back against advocacy groups who say data caps disproportionately harm price-sensitive users. The group likened different pricing models to restaurants offer
  
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• Microsoft Unveils Zero-Water Data Centers To Reduce AI Climate Impact

  10-12-2024 15:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft, trying to mitigate the climate impact of its data center building boom, is starting to roll out a new design that uses zero water to cool the facilities' chips and servers. From a report: Launched in August, the new design will eliminate the more than 125 million liters of water each data center typically uses per year, the company said in a statement. The new system use a "closed loop" to recycle water; liquid is added during construction and continually circulated -- obviating the n
  
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• Chinese Scientists Have No Choice But To Leave US, Top Mathematician Says

  10-12-2024 14:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  China should focus on developing original technologies and scientific knowledge and leverage the expertise of scientists returning from the United States, according to a top Chinese-American mathematician. From a report: Yau Shing-Tung retired from Harvard University in 2022 to teach at Tsinghua University and help China become a maths powerhouse.
  He said many ethnic Chinese students had been driven away from the US by discrimination from the government, including accusations of misusing America
  
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• Microsoft Releases December 2024 Security Updates

  10-12-2024 13:00 via cisa.gov
  Microsoft released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple Microsoft products. A cyber threat actor could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.
  CISA encourages users and administrators to review the following and apply necessary updates:Microsoft Security Update Guide for December
  
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• Amazon Pilots 15-Minute Delivery in India

  10-12-2024 12:45 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Amazon on Tuesday said it is piloting a quick commerce service in India that will see the U.S. tech giant delivering grocery and other items in 15 minutes or less.
  [...] The quick-commerce model -- delivering items to customers within 10 to 15 minutes -- hasn't worked in most parts of the world, but it's increasingly finding success in India, where a range of retailers and internet firms, from food delivery giant Swiggy to online cosmetics platform Nykaa, are
  
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• Secret To AI Profitability Is Hiring a Lot More Doctorates

  10-12-2024 11:03 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  As tech giants struggle to profit from AI, a growing industry of specialized AI training firms is emerging by hiring doctors, radiologists and other experts to develop commercially viable applications. The $20 billion data services sector, projected to grow 20% annually, is attracting major investment by focusing on high-value, specialized AI applications.
  Companies like iMerit and Centaur Labs are recruiting specialists worldwide, from radiologists in Kazakhstan to agricultural experts in Bhuta
  
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• China's Trillion-Dollar Bet on High-Speed Rail Transformation

  10-12-2024 07:35 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  China's high-speed rail network, which has tripled to nearly 30,000 miles under President Xi Jinping's leadership, faces mounting financial challenges amid aggressive expansion plans. China State Railway Group, the national operator, has accumulated nearly $1 trillion in debt and liabilities, requiring $25 billion annually for debt service.
  Despite this, plans call for adding 15,000 more miles by 2035. While flagship routes between major cities like Beijing and Shanghai remain profitable, newer
  
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• Drylands Now Make Up 40% of Land on Earth, Excluding Antarctica, Study Says

  10-12-2024 05:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland -- arid areas where agriculture is difficult -- in the past three decades, research has found. From a report: Drylands now make up 40% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. Three-quarters of the world's land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent, according to the study by the UN Science Policy Interface, a body of scientists convened by the United Nations.
  
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• Malaysian Lawmakers Approve Bill To Broaden Internet Control

  10-12-2024 03:55 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Malaysian lawmakers voted in favor of broadening the government's control over the internet, unmoved by criticism that the law risks suppressing dissent and free speech. From a report: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told parliament Monday that the government needed to amend existing laws to tackle online harm including scams, cyber-bullying, and more. "Freedom of speech does exist, but we are also given power through parliament to impose any necessary restrictions for the safety of the pub
  
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• Scientists Advise EU To Halt Solar Geoengineering

  10-12-2024 01:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Scientific advisers to the European Commission are calling for a moratorium across the EU on efforts to artificially cool Earth through solar geoengineering. That includes controversial technologies used to reflect sunlight back into space, primarily by sending reflective particles into the atmosphere or by brightening clouds.
  Proponents argue that this can help in the fight against climate change, especially as planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions continu
  
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• Musicians Rally Behind Internet Archive in $621 Million Music Label Battle

  10-12-2024 00:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Over 300 musicians have signed an open letter defending the Internet Archive against a $621 million copyright infringement lawsuit over its preservation of 78 rpm records. The letter, organized by Fight for the Future, opposes the lawsuit filed by major record labels including Universal Music Group and Sony Music.
  The labels claim the Archive's Great 78 Project, which digitizes shellac discs from the 1890s-1950s, amounts to widespread copyright infringement. Musicians argue the lawsuit prioritiz
  
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