Paper Cups Are Bad for the Environment Too, Study Finds

[…] A study published last month in the journal Environmental Pollution outlines how paper cups can leach toxic materials into the surrounding environment. This is because paper cups are often coated in a layer of polylactic acid, otherwise known as PLA. It’s a bioplastic and is touted as a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic. However, Read more about Paper Cups Are Bad for the Environment Too, Study Finds[…]

Watch Oscilloscope Kickstarter rewards sent – 10 years after backing

It may have taken ten years to come through on this particular Kickstarter, but a promise is a promise. In late August 2023, backers who had since likely forgotten all about the project started receiving their oscilloscope watches from creator [Gabriel Anzziani]. Whatever the reason(s) for the delay, the watch looks great, and is miles Read more about Watch Oscilloscope Kickstarter rewards sent – 10 years after backing[…]

Some Galaxies Contain Double Supermassive Black Holes

Blazars occupy an intriguing spot in the cosmic zoo. They’re bright active galactic nuclei (AGN) that blast out cosmic rays, are bright in radio emission, and sport huge jets of material traveling in our direction at nearly the speed of light. For some blazars, their jets look curvy and snaky and astronomers have questions. […] Read more about Some Galaxies Contain Double Supermassive Black Holes[…]

antiX 23: Ultralightweight minimal Debian 12 desktop

The latest release of antiX is Linux how it used to be, in the good way. It’s not the friendliest, but it does everything – and, wow, it’s fast. The “proudly antifascist” antiX project has released its latest edition, based on Debian 12. This release is codenamed Arditi del Popolo – “the People’s Daring Ones” Read more about antiX 23: Ultralightweight minimal Debian 12 desktop[…]

Australian Government, Of All Places, Says Age Verification Is A Privacy & Security Nightmare

In the past I’ve sometimes described Australia as the land where internet policy is completely upside down. Rather than having a system that protects intermediaries from liability for third party content, Australia went the opposite direction. Rather than recognizing that a search engine merely links to content and isn’t responsible for the content at those Read more about Australian Government, Of All Places, Says Age Verification Is A Privacy & Security Nightmare[…]

Don’t update Baldur’s Gate 3: Companions Hornyness and sex is being cancelled

Sorry, it turns out it wasn’t that there was just something irresistible about you. Instead it seems that Baldur’s Gate 3 shipped with a bug that meant all the companions were way hornier than intended. I thought something felt odd. Having played enough BioWare games over the years to know that all my companions would Read more about Don’t update Baldur’s Gate 3: Companions Hornyness and sex is being cancelled[…]

Posted in Sex

The AI Act needs a practical definition of ‘subliminal techniques’ (because those used in Advertising aren’t enough)

While the draft EU AI Act prohibits harmful ‘subliminal techniques’, it doesn’t define the term – we suggest a broader definition that captures problematic manipulation cases without overburdening regulators or companies, write Juan Pablo Bermúdez, Rune Nyrup, Sebastian Deterding and Rafael A. Calvo. Juan Pablo Bermúdez is a Research Associate at Imperial College London; Rune Read more about The AI Act needs a practical definition of ‘subliminal techniques’ (because those used in Advertising aren’t enough)[…]

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: a dual-screen laptop

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Every now and then, a device comes along and challenges you to consider the viability of an entirely new product category. That’s precisely what Lenovo is doing with the Yoga Book 9i. By replacing the traditional physical keyboard with Read more about Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: a dual-screen laptop[…]

Sourcegraph published admin token, someone creates API endpoint with free access

An unknown hacker gained administrative control of Sourcegraph, an AI-driven service used by developers at Uber, Reddit, Dropbox, and other companies, and used it to provide free access to resources that normally would have required payment. In the process, the hacker(s) may have accessed personal information belonging to Sourcegraph users, Diego Comas, Sourcegraph’s head of Read more about Sourcegraph published admin token, someone creates API endpoint with free access[…]

Lenovo’s new 27-inch, 4K monitor offers glasses-free 3D

Lenovo’s next 27-inch 4K monitor is unlike any display it has released before. Featuring a lenticular lens and real-time eye-tracking, it’s a 3D monitor that doesn’t require any glasses. Other companies are already pushing stereoscopic products, but Lenovo’s ThinkVision 27 3D Monitor, announced at the IFA conference today, takes the glasses-free experience to a bigger Read more about Lenovo’s new 27-inch, 4K monitor offers glasses-free 3D[…]

Microplastics Tied to Behavioral Changes in Mice, Study Finds

[…] Researchers at the University of Rhode Island exposed mice to different levels of microplastics via their drinking water to research the impacts on behaviors and how the plastics build up in their bodies. Researchers observed that the microplastics accumulated in the tissue of multiple organs, including those outside of the digestive systems of the Read more about Microplastics Tied to Behavioral Changes in Mice, Study Finds[…]

Magic Leap 1 Vaporware Headsets Will Cease To Function After 2024

Magic Leap 1 AR headsets will “cease to function” from 31 December 2024, the company announced. Magic Leap sent an email to all customers containing the following: As such, we are announcing that Magic Leap 1 end of life date will be December 31, 2024.  Magic Leap 1 is no longer available for purchase, but Read more about Magic Leap 1 Vaporware Headsets Will Cease To Function After 2024[…]

Alfa Romeo Releases Gorgeous Concept Car – only makes 33 of them. Apparently doesn’t like sales

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is one of only a few cars out there that’ll be available with both a V6 engine and a fully electric drivetrain. While that lets it swing from both sides of the plate, it also highlights just how much heavier EVs are than their combustion counterparts these days. And try Read more about Alfa Romeo Releases Gorgeous Concept Car – only makes 33 of them. Apparently doesn’t like sales[…]

OpenAI disputes authors’ claims that every ChatGPT response is a derivative work, it’s transformative

This week, OpenAI finally responded to a pair of nearly identical class-action lawsuits from book authors […] In OpenAI’s motion to dismiss (filed in both lawsuits), the company asked a US district court in California to toss all but one claim alleging direct copyright infringement, which OpenAI hopes to defeat at “a later stage of Read more about OpenAI disputes authors’ claims that every ChatGPT response is a derivative work, it’s transformative[…]

Europe’s new DSA and DMA rules for Big Tech in force

The Act (DSA) sets rules that the EU designed to make very large online platforms (VLOPs) “tackle the spread of illegal content, online disinformation and other societal risks” presented by online service providers.” The DSA and the Digital Market Act (DMA) are a double act. Both were introduced in 2022 and will be implemented in Read more about Europe’s new DSA and DMA rules for Big Tech in force[…]

Zoom CEO Says It’s Hard to Build Trust Over Zoom

In the wake of the onslaught of the covid-19, employees across the world grew chummy with a perfectly appropriate remote work schedule that allows them to work from home. However, one of the companies that carried pandemic digital infrastructure on its back, Zoom, isn’t too keen on keeping remote workers away from the office since Read more about Zoom CEO Says It’s Hard to Build Trust Over Zoom[…]

DEA Falls for Crypto Airdrop Scam, Hands Fraudster $55,000 in Stolen Funds

The same federal agency that once helped bring down the biggest crypto-based dark web drug marketplace Silk Road got swindled by one of the oldest tricks in the crypto scammer playbook. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reportedly handed a fraudster a little more than $55,000 in confiscated crypto funds after it was duped by a Read more about DEA Falls for Crypto Airdrop Scam, Hands Fraudster $55,000 in Stolen Funds[…]

Companies are recording your conversations whilst you are on hold with them

Is Achmea or Bol.com customer service putting you on hold? Then everything you say can still be heard by some of their employees. This is evident from research by Radar. When you call customer service, you often hear: “Please note: this conversation may be recorded for training purposes.” Nothing special. But if you call the Read more about Companies are recording your conversations whilst you are on hold with them[…]

Crypto Infra Startup Bankrupt After Losing Password to $38.9 Million Physical Crypto Wallet

A buzzy startup offering financial infrastructure to crypto companies has found itself bankrupt primarily because it can’t gain access to a physical crypto wallet with $38.9 million in it. The company also did not write down recovery phrases, locking itself out of the wallet forever in something it has called “The Wallet Event” to a Read more about Crypto Infra Startup Bankrupt After Losing Password to $38.9 Million Physical Crypto Wallet[…]

The predictive power of social media data in fashion forecasting

Fashion and social media are both ever evolving. So why not put the two together? New research in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management says utilizing social media to predict sales of apparel and footwear items based on social media posts and interactions about color is possible and successful. “We partner with three multinational retailers—two apparel Read more about The predictive power of social media data in fashion forecasting[…]

Paralysed woman able to ‘speak’ through digital avatar

  A severely paralysed woman has been able to speak through an avatar using technology that translated her brain signals into speech and facial expressions. […] The latest technology uses tiny electrodes implanted on the surface of the brain to detect electrical activity in the part of the brain that controls speech and face movements. Read more about Paralysed woman able to ‘speak’ through digital avatar[…]

Tornado Cash ‘laundered over $1B’ in criminal cryptocurrency

Two founders of Tornado Cash were formally accused by US prosecutors today of laundering more than $1 billion in criminal proceeds through their cryptocurrency mixer. As well as unsealing an indictment against the pair on Wednesday, the Feds also arrested one of them, 34-year-old Roman Storm, in his home state of Washington, and hauled him Read more about Tornado Cash ‘laundered over $1B’ in criminal cryptocurrency[…]

Hookworms Successfully Prevent Type 2 Diabetes In Human Trial

A two-year human trial conducted by James Cook University (JCU) has concluded, demonstrating positive results using low-dose human hookworm therapy to treat chronic conditions, particularly in relation to type 2 diabetes. New Atlas reports: [O]f the 24 participants who received worms, when offered a dewormer at the end of the second year of the trial, Read more about Hookworms Successfully Prevent Type 2 Diabetes In Human Trial[…]

Scientists Want To Fix Tooth Decay With Stem Cells

Once tooth decay has set in, all a dentist can do is fill the gap with an artificial plug — a filling. But in a paper published in Cell, Hannele Ruohola-Baker, a stem-cell biologist at the University of Washington, and her colleagues offer a possible alternative. Economist: Stem cells are those that have the capacity Read more about Scientists Want To Fix Tooth Decay With Stem Cells[…]

Simulations suggest some black holes could be moving at nearly one-tenth the speed of light

A pair of astrophysicists at the Rochester Institute of Technology has found via simulations that some black holes might be traveling through space at nearly one-tenth the speed of light. In their study, reported in Physical Review Letters, James Healy and Carlos Lousto used supercomputer simulations to determine how fast black holes might be moving Read more about Simulations suggest some black holes could be moving at nearly one-tenth the speed of light[…]