Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

A hydrogen-powered air taxi flew 523 miles emitting only water vapor

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A flying-car-like vertical takeoff aircraft created by Joby Aviation has completed a first-of-its-kind, 523 mile test flight using hydrogen power. The aircraft, which reportedly left only a trail of water vapor in its wake, is being pitched as a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gas powered jets for mid-range, regional travel. Though questions remain Read more about A hydrogen-powered air taxi flew 523 miles emitting only water vapor[…]

Apple settles EU case by opening its iPhone payment system to rivals

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The EU on Thursday accepted Apple’s pledge to open its “tap to pay” iPhone payment system to rivals as a way to resolve an antitrust case and head off a potentially hefty fine. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, said it approved the commitments that Apple offered earlier this year Read more about Apple settles EU case by opening its iPhone payment system to rivals[…]

Why all Chromium browsers tell Google about your CPU, GPU usage? A whitewashing bullshit explanation.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Running a Chromium-based browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge? The chances are good it’s quietly telling Google all about your CPU and GPU usage when you visit one of the search giant’s websites. The feature is, from what we can tell, for performance monitoring and not really for tracking – Google knows who Read more about Why all Chromium browsers tell Google about your CPU, GPU usage? A whitewashing bullshit explanation.[…]

AT&T says criminals stole phone records of ‘nearly all’ customers in another data breach there – also, Snowflake again

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a statement, AT&T said that the stolen data contains phone numbers of both cellular and landline customers, as well as AT&T records of calls and text messages — such as who contacted who by phone or text — during a six-month period between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022. AT&T said some of Read more about AT&T says criminals stole phone records of ‘nearly all’ customers in another data breach there – also, Snowflake again[…]

Data breach exposes millions of mSpy spyware customer support tickets

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Unknown attackers stole millions of customer support tickets, including personal information, emails to support, and attachments, including personal documents, from mSpy in May 2024. While hacks of spyware purveyors are becoming increasingly common, they remain notable because of the highly sensitive personal information often included in the data, in this case about the customers who Read more about Data breach exposes millions of mSpy spyware customer support tickets[…]

India antitrust probe finds Apple abused position in apps market

Posted on by Robin Edgar

NEW DELHI, July 12 (Reuters) – An investigation by India’s antitrust body has found that Apple exploited its dominant position in the market for app stores on its iOS operating system, engaging “in abusive conduct and practices”, a confidential report seen by Reuters showed. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been investigating Apple Inc Read more about India antitrust probe finds Apple abused position in apps market[…]

After a year of no deliveries, F-35 Deliveries Finally Cleared To Resume, New Jets Will Be Limited To Training

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A fix of a kind has been found for problems with the F-35’s vital Tech Refresh 3 software, or TR-3, which had seen production deliveries suspended for around a year. Deliveries of the stealth fighters will resume “in the near future,” clearing a backlog of jets sitting in storage, although the TR-3 is only installed Read more about After a year of no deliveries, F-35 Deliveries Finally Cleared To Resume, New Jets Will Be Limited To Training[…]

Lithium Ion Batteries a Growing Source of PFAS Pollution, Study Finds

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“Nature recently published an open-access article (not paywalled) that studies the lifecycle of lithium-ion batteries once they are manufactured,” writes Slashdot reader NoWayNoShapeNoForm. “The study is a ‘cradle-to-grave’ look at these batteries and certain chemicals that they contain. The University researchers that authored the study found that the electrolytes and polymers inside lithium-ion batteries contain Read more about Lithium Ion Batteries a Growing Source of PFAS Pollution, Study Finds[…]

Inputs, Outputs, and Fair Uses: Unpacking Responses to Journalists’ Copyright Lawsuits

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The complaints against OpenAI and Microsoft in New York Times Company v. Microsoft Corporation and Daily News, LP v. Microsoft Corporation include multiple theories––for instance, vicarious copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement, and improper removal of copyright information. Those theories, however, are ancillary to both complaints’ primary cause of action: direct copyright infringement. While the defendants’ Read more about Inputs, Outputs, and Fair Uses: Unpacking Responses to Journalists’ Copyright Lawsuits[…]

Sharing material used to be the norm for newspapers, and should be for LLMs

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Even though parents insist that it is good and right to share things, the copyright world has succeeded in establishing the contrary as the norm. Now, sharing is deemed a bad, possibly illegal thing. But it was not always thus, as a fascinating speech by Ryan Cordell, Associate Professor in the School of Information Sciences Read more about Sharing material used to be the norm for newspapers, and should be for LLMs[…]

Report finds most subscription services manipulate customers with ‘dark patterns’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Most subscription sites use “dark patterns” to influence customer behavior around subscriptions and personal data, according to a pair of new reports from global consumer protection groups. Dark patterns are “practices commonly found in online user interfaces [that] steer, deceive, coerce or manipulate consumers into making choices that often are not in their best interests.” Read more about Report finds most subscription services manipulate customers with ‘dark patterns’[…]

The US Supreme Court’s Contempt for Facts Is a Betrayal of Justice

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When the Supreme Court’s Ohio v. EPA decision blocked Environmental Protection Agency limits on Midwestern states polluting their downwind neighbors, a sad but telling coda came in Justice Neil Gorsuch’s opinion. In five instances, it confused nitrogen oxide, a pollutant that contributes to ozone formation, with nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas. You can’t Read more about The US Supreme Court’s Contempt for Facts Is a Betrayal of Justice[…]

Scientific articles using ‘sneaked references’ to inflate their citation numbers

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[…] A recent Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology article by our team of academic sleuths – which includes information scientists, a computer scientist and a mathematician – has revealed an insidious method to artificially inflate citation counts through metadata manipulations: sneaked references. Hidden manipulation People are becoming more aware of scientific Read more about Scientific articles using ‘sneaked references’ to inflate their citation numbers[…]

Speed limiters arrive for all new cars in the European Union

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It was a big week for road safety campaigners in the European Union as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology became mandatory on all new cars. The rules came into effect on July 7 and follow a 2019 decision by the European Commission to make ISA obligatory on all new models and types of vehicles introduced Read more about Speed limiters arrive for all new cars in the European Union[…]

Paramount Axes Decades Of Comedy Central History In Latest Round Of Brunchlord Dysfunction

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last month we noted how the brunchlords in charge of Paramount (CBS) decided to eliminate decades of MTV News journalism history as part of their ongoing “cost saving” efforts. It was just the latest casualty in an ever-consolidating and very broken U.S. media business routinely run by some of the least competent people imaginable. We’ve Read more about Paramount Axes Decades Of Comedy Central History In Latest Round Of Brunchlord Dysfunction[…]

Hackers reverse-engineer Ticketmaster’s barcode system to unlock resales on other platforms

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scalpers have used a security researcher’s findings to reverse-engineer “nontransferable” digital tickets from Ticketmaster and AXS, allowing transfers outside their apps. The workaround was revealed in a lawsuit AXS filed in May against third-party brokers adopting the practice, according to 404 Media, which first reported the news. The saga began in February when an anonymous Read more about Hackers reverse-engineer Ticketmaster’s barcode system to unlock resales on other platforms[…]

European Commission probes Amazon, Temu, Shein over ad recommendation systems

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The European Commission has sent a request for information to Amazon on measures taken to comply with a landmark EU law on content moderation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), according to a Friday (5 July) press release. It’s the latest in a barrage of similar requests, accusations, and fines from the EU executive against big Read more about European Commission probes Amazon, Temu, Shein over ad recommendation systems[…]

Googles Enshittification hits Fitbit: You Won’t Be Able to Access Your Fitbit Web Dashboard Any More

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Today is the last day you can interact with your Fitbit health data on a big screen. Last month, Fitbit announced in a blog post that consumers will no longer have access to the tracker’s web dashboard after July 8, 2024. Fitbit describes the move as “consolidating the dashboard into the Fitbit app.” However, the Read more about Googles Enshittification hits Fitbit: You Won’t Be Able to Access Your Fitbit Web Dashboard Any More[…]

Why You Should Consider Proton Docs Over Google

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Proton has officially launched Docs in Proton Drive, a new web-based productivity app that gives you access to a fully-featured text editor with shared editing capabilities and full end-to-end encryption. It’s meant to take on Google Docs—one of the leading online word processors in the world, and make it more convenient to use Proton’s storage Read more about Why You Should Consider Proton Docs Over Google[…]

Nike Is Killing the App for Its 5 year old $350 Self-Tying Sneakers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In 2019, Nike got closer than ever to its dream of popularizing self-tying sneakers by releasing the Adapt BB. Using Bluetooth, the sneakers paired to the Adapt app that let users do things like tighten or loosen the shoes’ laces and control its LED lights. However, Nike has announced that it’s “retiring” the app on Read more about Nike Is Killing the App for Its 5 year old $350 Self-Tying Sneakers[…]

The bloat continues: Spellcheck and autocorrect in Notepad begins rolling out. Who wants this stuff?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Notepad (version 11.2402.18.0) With this update, Notepad will now highlight misspelled words and provide suggestions so that you can easily identify and correct mistakes. We are also introducing autocorrect which seamlessly fixes common typing mistakes as you type. Misspelled word highlighted in Notepad with options to correct the spelling. Getting started with spellcheck in Notepad Read more about The bloat continues: Spellcheck and autocorrect in Notepad begins rolling out. Who wants this stuff?[…]

Dior Paid a Contractor $57 to Make a Bag That Sold for Nearly $2,800 under really bad working conditions

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Italian prosecutors in Milan investigated the LVMH subsidiary Dior’s use of third-party suppliers in recent months. Prosecutors said these companies exploited workers to pump out bags for a small fraction of their store price. Citing documents examined by authorities, Reuters reported last month that Dior paid a supplier $57 to produce bags that retailed for Read more about Dior Paid a Contractor $57 to Make a Bag That Sold for Nearly $2,800 under really bad working conditions[…]

A breakthrough in solid state sodium batteries: inexpensive, clean, fast-charging

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] “Although there have been previous sodium, solid-state, and anode-free batteries, no one has been able to successfully combine these three ideas until now,” said UC San Diego PhD candidate Grayson Deysher, first author of a new paper outlining the team’s work. The paper, published today in Nature Energy, demonstrates a new sodium battery architecture Read more about A breakthrough in solid state sodium batteries: inexpensive, clean, fast-charging[…]

384,000 sites still pulling code from sketchy polyfill.io code library recently bought by Chinese firm

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than 384,000 websites are linking to a site that was caught last week performing a supply-chain attack that redirected visitors to malicious sites, researchers said. For years, the JavaScript code, hosted at polyfill[.]com, was a legitimate open source project that allowed older browsers to handle advanced functions that weren’t natively supported. By linking to Read more about 384,000 sites still pulling code from sketchy polyfill.io code library recently bought by Chinese firm[…]