Author: Robin Edgar

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

People discussing Assisted Dying (Euthanasia) in the UK – apparently it’s still illegal there

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Dame Esther Rantzen says a free vote on assisted dying would be top of the agenda if she were PM for a day. “I think it’s important that the law catches up with what the country wants,” the veteran broadcaster told Radio 4’s Today podcast. Earlier this year, the 83-year-old announced she had been diagnosed Read more about People discussing Assisted Dying (Euthanasia) in the UK – apparently it’s still illegal there[…]

Research team discovers how to sabotage antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The typical strategy when treating microbial infections is to blast the pathogen with an antibiotic drug, which works by getting inside the harmful cell and killing it. This is not as easy as it sounds, because any new antibiotic needs to be both water soluble, so that it can travel easily through the bloodstream, and Read more about Research team discovers how to sabotage antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’[…]

AI trained on millions of life stories can predict risk of early death

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An artificial intelligence trained on personal data covering the entire population of Denmark can predict people’s chances of dying more accurately than any existing model, even those used in the insurance industry. The researchers behind the technology say it could also have a positive impact in early prediction of social and health problems – but Read more about AI trained on millions of life stories can predict risk of early death[…]

Internet Architecture Board hits out at US, EU, UK client-side scanning (spying on everything on your phone and pc all the time) plans – to save (heard it before?) kids

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Apple brought widespread attention to this so-called client-side scanning in August 2021 when it announced plans to examine photos on iPhones and iPads before they were synced to iCloud, as a safeguard against the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Under that plan, if someone’s files were deemed to be CSAM, the user Read more about Internet Architecture Board hits out at US, EU, UK client-side scanning (spying on everything on your phone and pc all the time) plans – to save (heard it before?) kids[…]

How To Build Your Own Custom ChatGPT Bot

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There’s something new and powerful for ChatGPT users to play around with: Custom GPTs. These bespoke bots are essentially more focused, more specific versions of the main ChatGPT model, enabling you to build something for a particular purpose without using any coding or advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence. The name GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Read more about How To Build Your Own Custom ChatGPT Bot[…]

MS Phi-2 small language model – outperforms many LLMs but fits on your laptop

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We are now releasing Phi-2 (opens in new tab), a 2.7 billion-parameter language model that demonstrates outstanding reasoning and language understanding capabilities, showcasing state-of-the-art performance among base language models with less than 13 billion parameters. On complex benchmarks Phi-2 matches or outperforms models up to 25x larger, thanks to new innovations in model scaling and Read more about MS Phi-2 small language model – outperforms many LLMs but fits on your laptop[…]

Ubisoft Just Delisted The Crew Game Without Warning – will be unplayable

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ubisoft’s The Crew, which was released in 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, has been delisted without warning. Its servers will shut off next year, too. And because the game is an always-online experience, Ubisoft has confirmed that it will become unplayable once that happens. The Crew is a massive open-world Read more about Ubisoft Just Delisted The Crew Game Without Warning – will be unplayable[…]

Twitch Allows ‘Artistic Nudity’, But because US males are scared of seeing skin, rolls back the rules

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Streaming platform Twitch recently announced a change to its sexual content policies that allowed some forms of fictionalized nudity—such as digital characters, sculptures, or drawings—as long as it was properly labeled. But now, just a few days later, it’s rolling back these changes and has apologized to the community. Earlier this month, a new Twitch Read more about Twitch Allows ‘Artistic Nudity’, But because US males are scared of seeing skin, rolls back the rules[…]

Posted in Sex

Google Will Stop Telling Law Enforcement Which Users Were Near a Crime, start saving location data on the mobile device instead of their servers. But not really though. And Why?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

So most of the breathless reporting on Googles “Updates to Location History and new controls coming soon to Maps” is a bit like this below. However Google itself in “Manage your Location History” says that if you have location history on, it will also save it to it’s servers. There is no mention of encryption. Read more about Google Will Stop Telling Law Enforcement Which Users Were Near a Crime, start saving location data on the mobile device instead of their servers. But not really though. And Why?[…]

Health misinformation is rampant on social media

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This article was originally featured on The Conversation. The global anti-vaccine movement and vaccine hesitancy that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic show no signs of abating. According to a survey of U.S. adults, Americans in October 2023 were less likely to view approved vaccines as safe than they were in April 2021. As vaccine confidence falls, health misinformation continues Read more about Health misinformation is rampant on social media[…]

Orbit Fab wants to create refueling stations in space, standardised fuel ports, refineries

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[…] humans have sent over 15,000 satellites into orbit. Just over half are still functioning; the rest, after running out of fuel and ending their serviceable life, have either burned up in the atmosphere or are still orbiting the planet as useless hunks of metal. […] That has created an aura of space junk around Read more about Orbit Fab wants to create refueling stations in space, standardised fuel ports, refineries[…]

Copyright Troll Porn Company Makes Millions By Shaming Potential Porn Consumers

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In 1999 Los Angeles Times reporter Michael Hiltzik co-authored a Pulitzer Prize-winning story. Now a business columnist for the Times, he writes that a Southern California maker of pornographic films named Strike 3 Holdings is also “a copyright troll,” according to U.S. Judge Royce C. Lamberth: Lamberth cwrote in 2018, “Armed with hundreds of cut-and-pasted Read more about Copyright Troll Porn Company Makes Millions By Shaming Potential Porn Consumers[…]

Nissan 300ZX Owner Turns Ford Digital Dash Into Wicked Retro Display – why don’t all automakers allow digital dash theming?!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

You’ve got to love a project with amazing elements of both art and science. Nissan 300ZX enthusiast and talented tinkerer Kelvin Elsner has been working on this custom vaporwave-aesthetic digital gauge cluster for months. It’s not in a car yet, but it’s an amazing design and computer coding feat for one guy in his home Read more about Nissan 300ZX Owner Turns Ford Digital Dash Into Wicked Retro Display – why don’t all automakers allow digital dash theming?![…]

GE’s Breakthrough In Dual Mode Ramjet with Rotating Detonating Hypersonic Propulsion

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GE Aerospace says it successfully demonstrated an advanced jet propulsion concept that involves a dual-mode ramjet design utilizing rotating detonation combustion. This could offer a pathway to the development of new aircraft and missiles capable of flying efficiently at high supersonic and even hypersonic speeds across long distances. A press release that GE Aerospace put Read more about GE’s Breakthrough In Dual Mode Ramjet with Rotating Detonating Hypersonic Propulsion[…]

Artificial intelligence and copyright – WIPO

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[…] Robotic artists have been involved in various types of creative works for a long time. Since the 1970s computers have been producing crude works of art, and these efforts continue today. Most of these computer-generated works of art relied heavily on the creative input of the programmer; the machine was at most an instrument Read more about Artificial intelligence and copyright – WIPO[…]

AI Doomsayers: Debunking the Despair

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Shortly after ChatGPT’s release, a cadre of critics rose to fame claiming AI would soon kill us. As wondrous as a computer speaking in natural language might be, it could use that intelligence to level the planet. The thinking went mainstream via letters calling for research pauses and “60 Minutes” interviews amplifying existential concerns. Leaders like Read more about AI Doomsayers: Debunking the Despair[…]

EU’s top court rules in favour of Amazon and Luxembourg in €250m tax dispute – Have a mailbox in Lux and a massive corp tax haven!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled on Thursday against the appeal of the EU Commission. The Commission challenged a 2021 decision of the General Court of the European Union, which annulled the Commission’s illegal state aid charges against Amazon. […] In a statement from October 2017, the EU Commission concluded that Luxembourg granted undue Read more about EU’s top court rules in favour of Amazon and Luxembourg in €250m tax dispute – Have a mailbox in Lux and a massive corp tax haven![…]

Yoga nidra might be a path to better sleep and improved memory

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Practicing yoga nidra — a kind of mindfulness training — might improve sleep, cognition, learning, and memory, even in novices, according to a pilot study publishing in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on December 13 by Karuna Datta of the Armed Forces Medical College in India, and colleagues. After a two-week intervention with a cohort Read more about Yoga nidra might be a path to better sleep and improved memory[…]

Adaptive wax-motor roof tile can cut both heating and cooling costs

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[…] an adaptive tile, which when deployed in arrays on roofs, can lower heating bills in winter and cooling bills in summer, without the need for electronics. “It switches between a heating state and a cooling state, depending on the temperature of the tile,” said Xiao, the lead author of the study. “The target temperature Read more about Adaptive wax-motor roof tile can cut both heating and cooling costs[…]

Things That Make No Sense: Epic Lost Its Fight Over Apple’s Closed iOS Platform, But Won It Over Google’s More Open Android Platform

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When Epic went after both Apple and Google a few years ago with antitrust claims regarding the need to go through their app stores to get on phones, we noted that it seemed more like negotiation-by-lawsuit. Both Apple and Google have cut some deals with larger companies to lower the 30% cut the companies take Read more about Things That Make No Sense: Epic Lost Its Fight Over Apple’s Closed iOS Platform, But Won It Over Google’s More Open Android Platform[…]

5Ghoul: 14 5G attack Used For easy and cheap Disruptive Attacks On Smartphones

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of researchers from the ASSET Research Group in Singapore have published the details of a collection of vulnerabilities in the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G) used with smartphones and many other devices. These fourteen vulnerabilities are detailed in this paper and a PoC detailing an attack using a software defined radio (SDR) Read more about 5Ghoul: 14 5G attack Used For easy and cheap Disruptive Attacks On Smartphones[…]

New way to charge batteries using indefinite causal order, comes with counterintuitive findings

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Batteries that exploit quantum phenomena to gain, distribute and store power promise to surpass the abilities and usefulness of conventional chemical batteries in certain low-power applications. For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, take advantage of an unintuitive quantum process that disregards the conventional notion of causality to improve the Read more about New way to charge batteries using indefinite causal order, comes with counterintuitive findings[…]

Israel’s F-35I Combat Experience Is Providing Lessons – showing that ALIS, JIT supply chains and not having control over the software running are disasters waiting to happen

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] LaPlante lauded Schmidt’s ability to rapidly field mission data files, packages of information loaded onto F-35s before each flight.”What General Schmidt and his team did, in about a week – week-and-a-half – is turned around these mission data files. That’s the brick that goes into the airplane. And that I think the lessons learned Read more about Israel’s F-35I Combat Experience Is Providing Lessons – showing that ALIS, JIT supply chains and not having control over the software running are disasters waiting to happen[…]

MEPs exclude audiovisual sector in geo-blocking regulation reassessment – Sabine Verheyen shows who’s pocket she is in.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In 2018, the European Parliament voted to ban geo-blocking, meaning blocking access to a network based on someone’s location. Geo-blocking systems block or authorise access to content based on where the user is located. On Wednesday, following a 2020 evaluation by the Commission on the regulation, MEPs advocated for reassessing geo-blocking, taking into account increased Read more about MEPs exclude audiovisual sector in geo-blocking regulation reassessment – Sabine Verheyen shows who’s pocket she is in.[…]

European Commission agrees to new rules that will protect gig workers rights – hopefully in ~2 years they will get the rights they need

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Gig workers in the EU will soon get new benefits and protections, making it easier for them to receive employment status. Right now, over 500 digital labor platforms are actively operating in the EU, employing roughly 28 million platform workers. The new rules follow agreements made between the European Parliament and the EU Member States, Read more about European Commission agrees to new rules that will protect gig workers rights – hopefully in ~2 years they will get the rights they need[…]