ICT news

• Mark Klein, AT&T Whistleblower Who Revealed NSA Mass Spying, Has Died

  12-03-2025 23:50 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the EFF: EFF is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mark Klein, a bona fide hero who risked civil liability and criminal prosecution to help expose a massive spying program that violated the rights of millions of Americans. Mark didn't set out to change the world. For 22 years, he was a telecommunications technician for AT&T, most of that in San Francisco. But he always had a strong sense of right and wrong and a commitment to privacy. When the
  
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• Apple Set To Unveil Boldest Software Redesign In Years Across Entire Ecosystem

  12-03-2025 23:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  New submitter CInder123 shares a report from TechSpot: Apple is undertaking one of the most significant software overhauls in its history, aiming to revamp the user interface across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. This ambitious update, set for release later this year, will fundamentally transform the look and feel of Apple's operating systems, enhancing consistency and the user experience.The updates are part of iOS 19 and iPadOS 19, codenamed "Luck," and macOS 16, dubbed "Cheer," according to B
  
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• Intel Appoints Lip-Bu Tan As CEO

  12-03-2025 22:30 via slashdot.org
  
  Intel has appointed Lip-Bu Tan as its new CEO in an effort to turn around the struggling chipmaker, following the resignation of Pat Gelsinger. CNBC reports: Tan was previously CEO of Cadence Design Systems, which makes software used by all the major chip designers, including Intel. He was an Intel board member but departed last year, citing other commitments. Tan replaces interim co-CEOs David Zinsner and MJ Holthaus, who took over in December when former Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger was ousted.
  
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• Google's New Robot AI Can Fold Delicate Origami, Close Zipper Bags

  12-03-2025 21:50 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Wednesday, Google DeepMind announced two new AI models designed to control robots: Gemini Robotics and Gemini Robotics-ER. The company claims these models will help robots of many shapes and sizes understand and interact with the physical world more effectively and delicately than previous systems, paving the way for applications such as humanoid robot assistants. [...] Google's new models build upon its Gemini 2.0 large language model fo
  
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• The Curious Surge of Productivity in US Restaurants

  12-03-2025 21:10 via slashdot.org
  
  The abstract of a paper published on National Bureau of Economic Research: We document that, after remaining almost constant for almost 30 years, real labor productivity at U.S. restaurants surged over 15% during the COVID pandemic. This surge has persisted even as many conditions have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Using mobile phone data tracking visits and spending at more than 100,000 individual limited service restaurants across the country, we explore the potential sources of the surge.
  
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• D-Wave Claims 'Quantum Supremacy,' Beating Traditional Computers

  12-03-2025 20:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  D-Wave researchers have published findings in Science demonstrating what they call "quantum supremacy" by showing their quantum annealers can solve problems beyond the reach of classical computers. The team, led by Andrew D. King, demonstrated area-law scaling of entanglement in model quench dynamics of two-, three- and infinite-dimensional spin glasses.
  The research shows quantum annealers rapidly generating samples that closely match solutions to the Schrodinger equation, supporting observed s
  
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• Rules for Portable Batteries on Planes Are Changing.

  12-03-2025 19:50 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Several Asian airlines have tightened restrictions on portable battery chargers amid growing concerns about fire risks, following a January blaze that destroyed an Air Busan aircraft in South Korea. South Korean airlines now require passengers to keep portable chargers within arm's reach rather than in overhead bins, a rule implemented March 1 to ease public anxiety, according to the Transportation Ministry. Taiwan's EVA Air and China Airlines have banned using or charging power banks on flights
  
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• Global Smartwatch Sales Fall For First Time

  12-03-2025 19:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Global sales of smartwatches have fallen for the first time, new figures indicate, in large part due to a sharp decline in the popularity of market leader, Apple. From a report: Market research firm Counterpoint says 7% fewer of the devices were shipped in 2024 compared to the year before. Shipments of Apple Watches fell by 19% in that period, Counterpoint says. It blames the slump on a lack of new features in Apple's latest devices, and the fact a rumoured high-end Ultra 3 model never materiali
  
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• FTC Asks To Delay Amazon Prime Deceptive Practices Case, Citing Staffing Shortfalls

  12-03-2025 18:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Federal Trade Commission asked a judge in Seattle to delay the start of its trial accusing Amazon of duping consumers into signing up for its Prime program, citing resource constraints. CNBC: Attorneys for the FTC made the request during a status hearing on Wednesday before Judge John Chun in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Chun had set a Sept. 22 start date for the trial. Jonathan Cohen, an attorney for the FTC, asked Chun for a two-month continuance on the c
  
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• US Schools Deploy AI Surveillance Amid Security Lapses, Privacy Concerns

  12-03-2025 17:54 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Schools across the United States are increasingly using artificial intelligence to monitor students' online activities, raising significant privacy concerns after Vancouver Public Schools inadvertently released nearly 3,500 unredacted, sensitive student documents to reporters.
  The surveillance software, developed by companies like Gaggle Safety Management, scans school-issued devices 24/7 for signs of bullying, self-harm, or violence, alerting staff when potential issues are detected. Approximat
  
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• IBM CEO Doesn't Think AI Will Replace Programmers Anytime Soon

  12-03-2025 17:00 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has publicly disagreed with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's prediction that AI will write 90% of code within 3-6 months, estimating instead that only "20-30% of code could get written by AI."
  "Are there some really simple use cases? Yes, but there's an equally complicated number of ones where it's going to be zero," Krishna said during an onstage interview at SXSW. He argued AI will boost programmer productivity rather than eliminate jobs. "If you can do 30% more code with th
  
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• Roomba-maker iRobot Warns of Possible Shutdown Within 12 Months

  12-03-2025 16:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Roomba maker iRobot has warned it may cease operations within 12 months unless it can refinance debt or find a buyer, just one day after launching a new vacuum cleaner line. In its March 12 quarterly report, the company disclosed it had spent $3.6 million to amend terms on a $200 million Carlyle Group loan from 2023, as U.S. revenue plunged 47% in the fourth quarter.
  "Given these uncertainties and the implication they may have on the Company's financials, there is substantial doubt about the Com
  
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• Morgan Stanley Cuts iPhone Shipment Forecast on Siri Upgrade Delay, China Tariffs

  12-03-2025 15:40 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Morgan Stanley has reduced its iPhone shipment forecasts after Apple confirmed the delay of a more advanced Siri personal assistant, dampening prospects for accelerating phone upgrades. The investment bank now predicts 230 million iPhone shipments in 2025 (flat year-over-year) and 243 million in 2026 (up 6%), down from previous estimates.
  An upgraded Siri was the most sought-after Apple Intelligence feature among prospective buyers, according to the bank's survey data. "Access to Advanced AI Fea
  
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• Amazon, Google and Meta Support Tripling Nuclear Power By 2050

  12-03-2025 15:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Amazon, Alphabet's Google and Meta Platforms on Wednesday said they support efforts to at least triple nuclear energy worldwide by 2050. From a report: The tech companies signed a pledge first adopted in December 2023 by more than 20 countries, including the U.S., at the U.N. Climate Change Conference. Financial institutions including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley backed the pledge last year.
  The pledge is nonbinding, but highlights the growing support for expanding nuclear p
  
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• Allstate Insurance Sued For Delivering Personal Info In Plaintext

  12-03-2025 14:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: New York State has sued Allstate Insurance for operating websites so badly designed they would deliver personal information in plain-text to anyone that went looking for it. The data was lifted from Allstate's National General business unit, which ran a website for consumers who wanted to get a quote for a policy. That task required users to input a name and address, and once that info was entered, the site searched a LexisNexis Risk Solutio
  
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• CISA and Partners Release Cybersecurity Advisory on Medusa Ransomware

  12-03-2025 13:00 via cisa.gov
  Today, CISA—in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC)—released joint Cybersecurity Advisory, #StopRansomware: Medusa Ransomware. This advisory provides tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), indicators of compromise (IOCs), and detection methods associated with known Medusa ransomware activity.
  Medusa is a ransomware-as-a-service variant used to conduct ransomware attacks; as of December 2024,
  
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• Solar Adds More New Capacity To the US Grid In 2024 Than Any Energy Source In 20 Years

  12-03-2025 11:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  AmiMoJo shares a report from Electrek: The U.S. installed 50 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity in 2024, the largest single year of new capacity added to the grid by any energy technology in over two decades. That's enough to power 8.5 million households. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight 2024 Year in Review report (PDF) released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, solar and storage account for 84% of all new electric generating capacity added t
  
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• Anonymous Sources: Starship Needs a Major Rebuild After Two Consecutive Failures

  12-03-2025 08:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares a report from Behind The Black: According to information at this tweet from anonymous sources, parts of Starship will likely require a major redesign due to the spacecraft's break-up shortly after stage separation on its last two test flights. These are the key take-aways, most of which focus on the redesign of the first version of Starship (V1) to create the V2 that flew unsuccessfully on those flights:- Hot separation also aggravates the situation in the
  
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• OpenAI Pushes AI Agent Capabilities With New Developer API

  12-03-2025 04:30 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Tuesday, OpenAI unveiled a new "Responses API" designed to help software developers create AI agents that can perform tasks independently using the company's AI models. The Responses API will eventually replace the current Assistants API, which OpenAI plans to retire in the first half of 2026. With the new offering, users can develop custom AI agents that scan company files with a file search utility that rapidly checks company databases
  
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• Geothermal Could Power Nearly All New Data Centers Through 2030

  12-03-2025 02:25 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: There's a power crunch looming as AI and cloud providers ramp up data center construction. But a new report suggests that a solution lies beneath their foundations. Advanced geothermal power could supply nearly two-thirds of new data center demand by 2030, according to an analysis by the Rhodium Group. The additions would quadruple the amount of geothermal power capacity in the U.S. -- from 4 gigawatts to about 16 gigawatts -- while costing th
  
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• Team Behind Las Vegas Sphere Plans 5,000-Capacity 'Mini-Spheres'

  12-03-2025 01:45 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Sphere Entertainment Co, the company behind the Las Vegas Sphere, said they are considering opening scaled-down versions of the immersive venue in other cities. AV Magazine reports: While this has been been feasible for its high-profile residencies such as U2, the Eagles, Dead & Company and Anyma, smaller venues could attract a broader range of artists who might not have the budget or demand to fill the flagship Las Vegas location. By scaling down the size while retaining the signature techn
  
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• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D With 3D V-Cache Impresses In Launch Day Testing

  12-03-2025 01:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  MojoKid writes: AMD just launched its latest flagship desktop processors, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core/32-thread, dual-CCD part with a base clock of 4.3GHz and a max boost clock of 5.7GHz. There's also 96MB of second-gen 3D V-Cache on board. Standard Ryzen 9000 series processors feature 32MB of L3 cache per compute die, but with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, one compute die is outfitted with an additional 96MB of 3D V-Cache, bringing the total L3 up to 128MB (144MB total cache). The
  
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• Microsoft is Replacing Remote Desktop With Its New Windows App

  12-03-2025 00:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is ending support of its Remote Desktop app for Windows on May 27th. From a report: If you use the Remote Desktop app to connect to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, or Microsoft Dev Box machines then you'll have to transition to the Windows app instead.
  The new Windows app, which launched in September, includes multimonitor support, dynamic display resolutions, and easy access to cloud PCs and virtual desktops. Microsoft says "connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and M
  
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