Month: October 2023

Uncle Sam paid to develop a cancer drug and now one guy will get to charge whatever he wants for it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The argument for pharma patents: making new medicines is expensive, and medicines are how we save ourselves from cancer and other diseases. Therefore, we will award government-backed monopolies – patents – to pharma companies so they will have an incentive to invest their shareholders’ capital in research. There’s plenty wrong with this argument. For one Read more about Uncle Sam paid to develop a cancer drug and now one guy will get to charge whatever he wants for it[…]

Universal Music sues AI start-up Anthropic for scraping song lyrics – will they come after you for having read the lyrics or memorised the song next?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Universal Music has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic, as the world’s largest music group battles against chatbots that churn out its artists’ lyrics. Universal and two other music companies allege that Anthropic scrapes their songs without permission and uses them to generate “identical or nearly identical copies of those lyrics” Read more about Universal Music sues AI start-up Anthropic for scraping song lyrics – will they come after you for having read the lyrics or memorised the song next?[…]

Faster-Than-Light ‘Quasiparticles’ Touted as Futuristic Light Source

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]But these light sources [needed to experiment in the quantum realm] are not common. They’re expensive to build, require large amounts of land, and can be booked up by scientists months in advance. Now, a team of physicists posit that quasiparticles—groups of electrons that behave as if they were one particle—can be used as light Read more about Faster-Than-Light ‘Quasiparticles’ Touted as Futuristic Light Source[…]

Code.org Presses Washington To Make Computer Science a High School Graduation Requirement – this should be everywhere globally

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In July, Seattle-based and tech-backed nonprofit Code.org announced its 10th policy recommendation for all states “to require all students to take computer science (CS) to earn a high school diploma.” In August, Washington State Senator Lisa Wellman phoned-in her plans to introduce a bill to make computer science a Washington high school graduation requirement to Read more about Code.org Presses Washington To Make Computer Science a High School Graduation Requirement – this should be everywhere globally[…]

IBM chip speeds up AI by combining processing and memory in the core

Posted on by Robin Edgar

  Their massive NorthPole processor chip eliminates the need to frequently access external memory, and so performs tasks such as image recognition faster than existing architectures do — while consuming vastly less power. “Its energy efficiency is just mind-blowing,” says Damien Querlioz, a nanoelectronics researcher at the University of Paris-Saclay in Palaiseau. The work, published Read more about IBM chip speeds up AI by combining processing and memory in the core[…]

Equifax poked with paltry $13.4 million following 147m customer data breach in 2017

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Credit bureau company, Equifax, has been fined US$13.4 million by The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a UK financial watchdog, following its involvement in “one of the largest” data breaches ever. This cyber security incident took place in 2017 and saw Equifax’s US-based parent company, Equifax Inc., suffer a data breach that saw the personal data Read more about Equifax poked with paltry $13.4 million following 147m customer data breach in 2017[…]

Cisco Can’t Stop Using Hard-Coded Passwords

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There’s a new Cisco vulnerability in its Emergency Responder product: This vulnerability is due to the presence of static user credentials for the root account that are typically reserved for use during development. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the account to log in to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow Read more about Cisco Can’t Stop Using Hard-Coded Passwords[…]

Google’s AI stoplight program leads to less stops, less emissions

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s been two years since Google first debuted Project Green Light, a novel means of addressing the street-level pollution caused by vehicles idling at stop lights. […] Green Light uses machine learning systems to comb through Maps data to calculate the amount of traffic congestion present at a given light, as well as the average Read more about Google’s AI stoplight program leads to less stops, less emissions[…]

Adobe previews AI upscaling to make blurry videos and GIFs look fresh

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Adobe has developed an experimental AI-powered upscaling tool that greatly improves the quality of low-resolution GIFs and video footage. This isn’t a fully-fledged app or feature yet, and it’s not yet available for beta testing, but if the demonstrations seen by The Verge are anything to go by then it has some serious potential. Adobe’s Read more about Adobe previews AI upscaling to make blurry videos and GIFs look fresh[…]

Climate crisis will make Europe’s beer cost more and taste worse

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Climate breakdown is already changing the taste and quality of beer, scientists have warned. The quantity and quality of hops, a key ingredient in most beers, is being affected by global heating, according to a study. As a result, beer may become more expensive and manufacturers will have to adapt their brewing methods. Researchers forecast Read more about Climate crisis will make Europe’s beer cost more and taste worse[…]

Microplastics detected in clouds hanging atop two Japanese mountains

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The clouds around Japan’s Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama contain concerning levels of the tiny plastic bits, and highlight how the pollution can be spread long distances, contaminating the planet’s crops and water via “plastic rainfall”. The plastic was so concentrated in the samples researchers collected that it is thought to be causing clouds Read more about Microplastics detected in clouds hanging atop two Japanese mountains[…]

New Fairy Circles Identified at Hundreds of Sites Worldwide

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Round discs of dirt known as “fairy circles” mysteriously appear like polka dots on the ground that can spread out for miles. The origins of this phenomenon has intrigued scientists for decades, with recent research indicating that they may be more widespread than previously thought. Fairy circles in NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia; Photo: N. Read more about New Fairy Circles Identified at Hundreds of Sites Worldwide[…]

Priming and Placebo effects shape how humans interact with AI

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The preconceived notions people have about AI — and what they’re told before they use it — mold their experiences with these tools in ways researchers are beginning to unpack. Why it matters: As AI seeps into medicine, news, politics, business and a host of other industries and services, human psychology gives the technology’s creators Read more about Priming and Placebo effects shape how humans interact with AI[…]

News organizations blocking OpenAI

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ben Welsh has a running list of the news organizations blocking OpenAI crawlers: In total, 532 of 1,147 news publishers surveyed by the homepages.news archive have instructed OpenAI, Google AI or the non-profit Common Crawl to stop scanning their sites, which amounts to 46.4% of the sample. The three organizations systematically crawl web sites to Read more about News organizations blocking OpenAI[…]

Museum Collection Of Historical TV Culture At Risk Due To Copyright Takedowns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] the informal nature of their collections means that they are exposed to serious threats from copyright, as the recent experience of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television makes clear. The Museum explains why it exists: The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is constantly searching out vintage material on old videotapes saved in basements or Read more about Museum Collection Of Historical TV Culture At Risk Due To Copyright Takedowns[…]

MGM Resorts cyberattack to cost $100 million

Posted on by Robin Edgar

MGM Resorts has admitted that the cyberattack it suffered in September will likely cost the company at least $100 million. The effects of the attack are expected to make a substantial dent in the entertainment giant’s third-quarter earnings and still have a noticeable impact in its Q4 too, although this is predicted to be “minimal.” Read more about MGM Resorts cyberattack to cost $100 million[…]

23andMe DNA site scraping incident leaked data on 1.3 million users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Genetic testing giant 23andMe confirmed that a data scraping incident resulted in hackers gaining access to sensitive user information and selling it on the dark web. The information of nearly 7 million 23andMe users was offered for sale on a cybercriminal forum this week. The information included origin estimation, phenotype, health information, photos, identification data Read more about 23andMe DNA site scraping incident leaked data on 1.3 million users[…]

ICE, CBP, Secret Service All Illegally Used Smartphone Location Data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a bombshell report, an oversight body for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Enforcement (CBP), and the Secret Service all broke the law while using location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on smartphones. In one instance, a CBP official also inappropriately used the Read more about ICE, CBP, Secret Service All Illegally Used Smartphone Location Data[…]

EPIC urges FTC to investigate Grindr’s data practices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On Wednesday, EPIC filed a complaint with the US government watchdog over Grindr’s “apparent failure to safeguard users’ sensitive personal data.” This includes both present and past users who have since deleted their accounts, according to the complaint. Despite promising in its privacy policy to delete personal info if customers remove their account, Grindr allegedly retained Read more about EPIC urges FTC to investigate Grindr’s data practices[…]

Publishing A Book Means No Longer Having Control Over How Others Feel About It, Or How They’re Inspired By It. And That Includes AI.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] I completely understand why some authors are extremely upset about finding out that their works were used to train AI. It feels wrong. It feels exploitive. (I do not understand their lawsuits, because I think they’re very much confused about how copyright law works. ) But, to me, many of the complaints about this Read more about Publishing A Book Means No Longer Having Control Over How Others Feel About It, Or How They’re Inspired By It. And That Includes AI.[…]

JuMBOs Planets – but without stars to orbit. So not planets according to definition

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of astronomers have detected over 500 planet-like objects in the inner Orion Nebula and the Trapezium Cluster that they believe could shake up the very definition of a planet. The 4-light-year-wide Trapezium Cluster sits at the heart of the Orion Nebula, or Messier 42, about 1,400 light-years from Earth. The cluster is filled Read more about JuMBOs Planets – but without stars to orbit. So not planets according to definition[…]

Arm patches Mali GPU driver bug exploited by spyware

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Commercial spyware has exploited a security hole in Arm’s Mali GPU drivers to compromise some people’s devices, according to Google today. These graphics processors are used in a ton of gear, from phones and tablets to laptops and cars, so the kernel-level vulnerability may be present in countless equipment. This includes Android handsets made by Read more about Arm patches Mali GPU driver bug exploited by spyware[…]

Amazon Used Secret ‘Project Nessie’ Algorithm To Raise Price

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon used an algorithm code-named “Project Nessie” to test how much it could raise prices in a way that competitors would follow, according to redacted portions of the Federal Trade Commission’s monopoly lawsuit against the company. From a report: The algorithm helped Amazon improve its profit on items across shopping categories, and because of the Read more about Amazon Used Secret ‘Project Nessie’ Algorithm To Raise Price[…]

radio-browser.info – a huge list of online radio streams + apps that use the list

Posted on by Robin Edgar

What can radio-browser do for you? I want to listen to radio Please have a look at the list of apps that use this service by clicking on “Apps” in the header bar. You can also just use the search field on this webpage to find streams you want to listen to. Maybe you want Read more about radio-browser.info – a huge list of online radio streams + apps that use the list[…]