ICT news

• El Salvador Strikes $1.4 Billion IMF Deal After Scaling Back Bitcoin Policies

  24-12-2024 23:40 via slashdot.org
  
  El Salvador secured a $1.4 billion loan deal with the IMF after agreeing to scale back its bitcoin policies, making cryptocurrency acceptance voluntary for businesses and limiting public sector involvement. The deal aims to stabilize the country's economy, with bitcoin's recent rally boosting the value of El Salvador's holdings. The BBC reports: In 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to make bitcoin legal tender. This week, the cryptocurrency briefly hit a fresh record high o
  
  Read more

• Cloudflare Must Block 'Piracy Shield' Domains and IP Addresses Across Its Service

  24-12-2024 23:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: In a landmark ruling, the Court of Milan has ordered (PDF) Cloudflare to block pirate streaming services that offer Serie A football matches. The court found that Cloudflare's services are instrumental in facilitating access to live pirate streams, undermining Italy's 'Piracy Shield' legislation. The order, which applies in Italy, affects Cloudflare's CDN, DNS resolver, WARP and proxy services. It also includes a broad data disclosure sectio
  
  Read more

• Post Office Creates CTO Role To Support 'Extensive and Complex' Plans

  24-12-2024 22:22 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The UK Post Office has appointed Paul Anastassi as interim CTO amid efforts to replace its controversial Horizon IT system, which led to hundreds of wrongful convictions of subpostmasters due to software errors since 1999.
  The appointment, the news of which an anonymous reader shared, comes as the Post Office grapples with its $1.25 billion over-budget New Branch IT project, which was recently paused after being deemed "unachievable" in a government report. The organization is reportedly conside
  
  Read more

• '2024 Was the Year Gamers Really Started Pushing Back On the Erosion of Game Ownership'

  24-12-2024 21:40 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Mass game shutdowns and service terminations marked 2024 as a pivotal year for digital ownership concerns in the gaming industry. PC Gamer adds: The arguments have been around forever, but they've been made concrete by the simple fact that, over the last decade in particular, we've seen more and more games simply disappear. And we're not talking about obscure hobbyist projects, but seriously big budget titles that companies have spent millions developing, and hundreds of devs have spent years of
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• OpenAI Has Discussed Making a Humanoid Robot, Report Says

  24-12-2024 21:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Over the past year, OpenAI has dropped not-so-subtle hints about its revived interest in robotics: investing in startups developing hardware and software for robots such as Figure and Physical Intelligence and rebooting its internal robotics software team, which it had disbanded four years ago.
  Now, OpenAI could be taking that interest to the next level. The company has recently considered developing a humanoid robot, according to two people with direct knowl
  
  Read more

• '2024 Was the Year the Bottom Fell Out of the Games Industry'

  24-12-2024 20:21 via games.slashdot.org
  
  The video game industry faced unprecedented turmoil in 2024, with layoffs reaching record levels and exceeding 2023's total of 10,000 jobs lost by 40%. Major studios including Microsoft's Arkane Austin and Sony's Firewalk were shuttered, while indie developers struggled to secure funding amid the downturn.
  Industry analyst Matthew Ball attributed the crisis -- in a conversation with Wired -- to multiple factors, including rising development costs, shifting consumer spending, and game pricing cha
  
  Read more

• How Apple Developed an Nvidia Allergy

  24-12-2024 19:42 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple has long avoided directly purchasing Nvidia's chips and is now developing its own AI server chip with Broadcom, aiming for production by 2026, The Information reported Tuesday, shedding broader light on why the two companies don't get along so well.
  The relationship deteriorated after a 2001 meeting where Steve Jobs accused Nvidia of copying technology from Pixar, which he then controlled. Relations worsened in 2008 when Nvidia's faulty graphics chips forced Apple to extend MacBook warrant
  
  Read more

• ASUS Christmas Campaign Sparks Malware Panic Among Windows Users

  24-12-2024 19:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  ASUS computer owners have been reporting widespread alarm after a Christmas-themed banner suddenly appeared on their Windows 11 screens, accompanied by a suspicious "Christmas.exe" process in Task Manager.
  The promotional campaign, first reported by WindowsLatest, was delivered through ASUS' pre-installed Armoury Crate software. It displays a large wreath banner that covers one-third of users' screens. The unbranded holiday display, which can interrupt gaming sessions and occasionally crashes ap
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Google is Using Anthropic's Claude To Improve Its Gemini AI

  24-12-2024 18:20 via slashdot.org
  
  Contractors working to improve Google's Gemini AI are comparing its answers against outputs produced by Anthropic's competitor model Claude, TechCrunch reported Tuesday, citing internal correspondence. From the report: Google would not say, when reached by TechCrunch for comment, if it had obtained permission for its use of Claude in testing against Gemini.
  As tech companies race to build better AI models, the performance of these models are often evaluated against competitors, typically by runn
  
  Read more

• Arizona Races To Power Data Center Boom as Maricopa County Set For Number 2 Spot

  24-12-2024 17:48 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Arizona's Maricopa County is set to become the nation's second-largest data center hub by 2028, as the state grapples with surging electricity demands and infrastructure challenges. The county has approved at least 20 new data center projects, trailing only Virginia's Loudoun County in scale.
  Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility provider, projects data centers will account for 55% of its future electricity needs. The utility board recently approved an 8% rate hike to bolster power
  
  Read more

• Shuttered Electric Air Taxi Startup Lilium May Be Saved After All

  24-12-2024 17:14 via slashdot.org
  
  A consortium of investors has resurrected Lilium just days after the electric air taxi startup ceased operations and laid off about 1,000 employees. From a report: Mobile Uplift Corporation, a company set up by investors from Europe and North America, has agreed to acquire the operating assets of the startup's two subsidiaries, Lilium GmbH and Lilium eAircraft GmbH, per an announcement Tuesday.
  The parent company, Lilium N.V, will not receive any funds in accordance with German insolvency law. T
  
  Read more

• Drinking Tea and Coffee Linked To Lower Risk of Head and Neck Cancer in Study

  24-12-2024 16:24 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Research finds people who have more than four coffees a day have 17% lower chance of head and neck cancers. From a report: If the only thing getting you through a mountain of present-wrapping is a mug of tea or coffee, be of good cheer. Researchers have found people who consume those drinks have a slightly lower risk of head and neck cancers. There are about 12,800 new head and neck cancer cases and about 4,100 related deaths in the UK every year, according to Cancer Research UK.
  The new study d
  
  Read more

• Biggest Banks Sue the Federal Reserve Over Annual Stress Tests

  24-12-2024 15:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  A group of banks and business groups are suing the Federal Reserve over the annual bank stress tests. From a report: The Bank Policy Institute, which represents big banks like JPMorgan, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, is joining the American Bankers Association, the Ohio Bankers League, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to file the suit, which they said aims to "resolve longstanding legal violations by subjecting the stress test process to public input as required by fed
  
  Read more

• Netflix Sues Broadcom's VMware Over US Virtual Machine Patents

  24-12-2024 15:01 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Netflix has sued Broadcom in California federal court, accusing the chipmaker's cloud computing subsidiary VMware of violating its patent rights in virtual machines. From a report: The lawsuit said VMware's cloud software infringes five Netflix patents covering aspects of operating virtual machines. Broadcom and Netflix have been embroiled in a separate patent dispute since 2018 over Netflix's alleged infringement of Broadcom patents related to video streaming technology, with cases in Californi
  
  Read more

• Walmart Sued Over Illegally Opening Bank Accounts For Delivery Drivers

  24-12-2024 14:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is suing Walmart and payroll service provider Branch Messenger for alleged illegal payment practices for gig workers. The bureau says Walmart was opening direct deposit accounts using Spark delivery drivers' social security numbers without their consent. The accounts also can come with intense fees that, according to the complaint, would add either 2 percent or $2.99 per transaction, whichever is
  
  Read more

• Commercial Tea Bags Release Millions of Microplastics, Entering Human Intestinal Cells

  24-12-2024 11:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  A new study finds that polymer-based commercial tea bags release billions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused. It also shows for the first time that these particles are capable of being absorbed by human intestinal cells, entering the bloodstream, and potentially affecting human health. The study by the Mutagenesis Group of the UAB Department of Genetics and Microbiology has been published in the journal Chemosphere. Medical Xpress reports: The tea bags used for the research were made
  
  Read more

• Space Station Keeps Dodging Debris From China's 2007 Satellite Weapon Test

  24-12-2024 08:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  fjo3 shares a report from the Washington Post: The International Space Station had to fire thrusters from a docked spacecraft last month to avoid a piece of debris that has been circling the globe for the nearly 18 years since the Chinese government blasted apart one of its own satellites in a weapons test. The evasive maneuver was the second in just six days for the space station, which has four NASA astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts aboard. That is the shortest interval ever between such
  
  Read more

• New Physics Sim Trains Robots 430,000 Times Faster Than Reality

  24-12-2024 04:30 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Thursday, a large group of university and private industry researchers unveiled Genesis, a new open source computer simulation system that lets robots practice tasks in simulated reality 430,000 times faster than in the real world. Researchers also plan to introduce an AI agent to generate 3D physics simulations from text prompts. The accelerated simulation means a neural network for piloting robots can spend the virtual equivalent of dec
  
  Read more

• Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld Editor and Renowned Hardware Journalist, Dies At 58

  24-12-2024 03:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  PCWorld's Jon Phillips pays tribute to Gordon Mah Ung, "our hardware guru, host of The Full Nerd, exemplary tech journalist, and very good friend." He passed away over the weekend after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 58. From the report: With more than 25 years' experience covering computer tech broadly and computer chips specifically, Gordon's dogged reporting, one-of-a-kind personality, and commitment to journalistic standards touched many, many lives. He will be profoundl
  
  Read more

• Engineers Achieve Quantum Teleportation Over Active Internet Cables

  24-12-2024 02:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Researchers at Northwestern University have successfully achieved quantum teleportation over a standard fiber optic cable carrying regular internet traffic, demonstrating that quantum and classical communication can coexist on existing infrastructure. The research has been published in the journal Optica. TechSpot reports: Nobody thought it would be possible to achieve this, according to Professor Prem Kumar, who led the study. "Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical
  
  Read more

• Critics Decry Vietnam's 'Draconian' New Internet Law

  24-12-2024 01:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Vietnam's Decree 147 mandates social media users on platforms like Facebook and TikTok to verify their identities and requires tech companies to store and share user data with authorities upon request, sparking concerns over increased censorship, self-censorship, and threats to free expression. Furthermore, the decree imposes restrictions on gaming time for minors and limits livestreaming to verified accounts. It becomes effective on Christmas Day. The Guardian reports: Decree 147, as it is know
  
  Read more

• Health Care Giant Ascension Says 5.6 Million Patients Affected In Cyberattack

  24-12-2024 01:02 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Health care company Ascension lost sensitive data for nearly 5.6 million individuals in a cyberattack that was attributed to a notorious ransomware gang, according to documents filed with the attorney general of Maine. Ascension owns 140 hospitals and scores of assisted living facilities. In May, the organization was hit with an attack that caused mass disruptions as staff was forced to move to manual processes that caused errors, delayed or
  
  Read more

• Apple Sends Spyware Victims To Nonprofit Security Lab 'Access Now'

  24-12-2024 00:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Since 2021, Apple has been sending threat notifications to certain users, informing them that they may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. When victims of spyware reach out to Apple for help, TechCrunch reports, "Apple doesn't tell the targets to get in touch with its own security engineers." Instead, Apple directs them to the nonprofit security lab Access Now, "which runs a digital helpline for people in civil society who suspect they have been targets of government sp
  
  Read more

Follow @newslocke_ict on Twitter!