ICT news

• Scientists Explore Longevity Drugs For Dogs That Could Also 'Extend Human Life'

  26-12-2024 19:24 via science.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. biotech startup Loyal plans to launch a lifespan-extending drug for dogs in early 2024, potentially offering insights into human longevity. The San Francisco-based company has secured $125 million in funding for LOY-002, a beef-flavored daily pill designed to extend canine lifespans by at least one year. The drug works by targeting age-related metabolic changes and insulin regulation, according to Loyal CEO Celine Halioua.
  Simultaneously, the Dog Aging Project is studying rapamycin, an immu
  
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• Even Apple Wasn't Able To Make VR Headsets Mainstream in 2024

  26-12-2024 18:22 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro headset has failed to gain widespread adoption despite advanced technology, with consumers preferring discreet wearables like smartwatches. The Verge: Nearly a year from launch, though, Apple hasn't done enough to demonstrate why the Vision Pro should be a potential showcase of the future of computing. It's taking a long time to put together its immersive content library, and while those are great demonstrations of what's possible, the videos have been short and isolati
  
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• Microsoft-OpenAI Deal Defines AGI as $100 Billion Profit Milestone

  26-12-2024 17:12 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is negotiating major changes to the company's $14 billion partnership with Microsoft. The companies have defined artificial general intelligence (AGI) as systems generating $100 billion in profits [non-paywalled source] -- the point at which OpenAI could end certain Microsoft agreements, The Information reports.
  According to their contract, AGI means AI that surpasses humans at "most economically valuable work." The talks focus on Microsoft's equity stake, cloud exclusivity
  
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• US Data Center Boom Creates Windfall For Electricians

  26-12-2024 16:13 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Data center construction is driving an unprecedented influx of electricians to central Washington state, where abundant hydropower and tax incentives have attracted major tech companies building AI infrastructure, New York Times is reporting.
  Microsoft alone projects needing 2,300 electricians in coming years for facilities across three counties along the Columbia River. Union electricians earning up to $2,800 weekly after taxes are transforming agricultural communities like Quincy, where data c
  
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• Microsoft Is Forcing Its AI Assistant on People - And Making Them Pay

  26-12-2024 15:01 via slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has integrated its AI assistant Copilot into Microsoft 365 subscriptions in Australia and Southeast Asia, simultaneously raising prices for all users. The move forces customers to pay for AI features regardless of interest, prompting complaints about intrusive pop-ups and price hikes, WSJ reports. From the report: Some users said on social media that Copilot pop-ups reminded them of Clippy, Microsoft's widely derided Office helper from the late 1990s, that would frequently offer unsoli
  
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• James Bond Battles a New Foe: Amazon

  26-12-2024 14:01 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader writes: James Bond has dodged more than 4,000 bullets. He has jumped from an airplane, skied off a cliff and escaped castration by laser beam.
  Now, 007 is in a new kind of peril. Nearly three years after Amazon acquired the right to release Bond movies through its $6.5 billion purchase of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio, the relationship between the family that oversees the franchise and the ecommerce giant has all but collapsed, WSJ reports.Read more of this story at Slashdot
  
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• Flying Was Already the Worst. Then America Stopped Using Headphones.

  26-12-2024 12:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Airports are facing a growing nuisance as travelers increasingly watch videos and take calls on speakerphone without headphones, creating tension among passengers at gates and lounges.
  Flight attendants at American Airlines, Alaska Air, and Delta have begun addressing the issue through announcements and website notices, though enforcement remains challenging, WSJ reports. Passengers report confrontations rarely end well, with offenders often dismissive or hostile when asked to use headphones. Th
  
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• Bald Eagle Officially Declared US National Bird After 250 Years

  26-12-2024 10:01 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The bald eagle is now officially the national bird of the US, after President Joe Biden signed a law on Christmas Eve bestowing the honour upon the white-headed and yellow-beaked bird of prey. BBC News: The bird has been a national emblem in the US for years, appearing on the Great Seal of the US -- used on US documents -- since 1782. But it had not been officially designated to be the national bird until Congress passed the bill last week, sending it to Biden's desk to be signed.
  "For nearly 25
  
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• Japan Airlines Hit By Cyberattack, Delaying Flights During Year-End Holiday Season

  26-12-2024 06:45 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Japan Airlines said it was hit by a cyberattack Thursday, causing delays to more than 20 domestic flights but the carrier said there was no impact on flight safety. From a report: JAL said the problem started Thursday morning when the company's network connecting internal and external systems began malfunctioning. The airline said the cyberattack had delayed 24 domestic flights for more than 30 minutes, and the impact could expand later in the day.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Germany Joins EU's 'Ultra-Low' Fertility Club

  26-12-2024 06:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Three more EU member states -- including the most populous, Germany -- have joined the list of countries with "ultra-low" fertility rates [non-paywalled source], highlighting the extent of the region's demographic challenges. Financial Times: Official statistics show Germany's birth rate fell to 1.35 children per woman in 2023, below the UN's "ultra-low" threshold of 1.4 -- characterising a scenario where falling birth rates become tough to reverse.
  Estonia and Austria also passed under the 1.4
  
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• Apple Explains Why It Doesn't Plan To Build a Search Engine

  26-12-2024 03:56 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple has no plans to develop its own search engine despite potential restrictions on its lucrative revenue-sharing deal with Google, citing billions in required investment and rapidly evolving AI technology as key deterrents, according to a court filing [PDF].
  In a declaration filed with the U.S. District Court in Washington, Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue said creating a search engine would require diverting significant capital and employees, while recent AI developments make such an inv
  
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• Russia Bans Crypto Mining in Multiple Regions, Citing Energy Concerns

  26-12-2024 01:30 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  The Russian government has banned crypto mining in ten regions for a period of six years, according to reporting by the state-owned news agency Tass. Engadget adds: Russia has cited the industry's high power consumption rates as the primary reason behind the ban. Crypto is particularly power-hungry, as mining operations already account for nearly 2.5 percent of US energy use.
  This ban takes effect on January 1 and lasts until March 15, 2031. The country's Council of Ministers has also stated tha
  
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• Porch Pirates Are Now Raising the Price You Pay at Checkout

  26-12-2024 00:01 via slashdot.org
  
  Lost deliveries, shipping delays and theft on the front porch have become such growing problems that companies are making consumers pay for package protection. From a report: Tens of thousands of online retailers now offer the service for a few dollars per order. The fees go to young companies -- Route and Corso, to name two -- that promise to make customers whole without charging the merchant if a delivery doesn't arrive. Consumers are finding that retailers either ask them to pay for package p
  
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