Author: Robin Edgar

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

The Fear Of AI and Entitled Cancel Culture Just Killed A Very Useful Tool: Prosecraft

Posted on by Robin Edgar

I do understand why so many people, especially creative folks, are worried about AI and how it’s used. The future is quite unknown, and things are changing very rapidly, at a pace that can feel out of control. However, when concern and worry about new technologies and how they may impact things morphs into mob-inspiring Read more about The Fear Of AI and Entitled Cancel Culture Just Killed A Very Useful Tool: Prosecraft[…]

Preservation Fail: Hasbro Wants Old ‘Transformers’ Games Re-Released, Except Activision Might Have Lost Them

Posted on by Robin Edgar

And here we go again. we’ve been talking about how copyright has gotten in the way of cultural preservation generally for a while, and more specifically lately when it comes to the video game industry. The way this problem manifests itself is quite simple: video game publishers support the games they release for some period Read more about Preservation Fail: Hasbro Wants Old ‘Transformers’ Games Re-Released, Except Activision Might Have Lost Them[…]

Gravity Changes how it works at low acceleration shown by observations of widely seperated binary stars

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new study reports conclusive evidence for the breakdown of standard gravity in the low acceleration limit from a verifiable analysis of the orbital motions of long-period, widely separated, binary stars, usually referred to as wide binaries in astronomy and astrophysics. The study carried out by Kyu-Hyun Chae, professor of physics and astronomy at Sejong Read more about Gravity Changes how it works at low acceleration shown by observations of widely seperated binary stars[…]

China floats rules for facial recognition technology – they are good and be great if the govt was bound by them too!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

China has released draft regulations to govern the country’s facial recognition technology that include prohibitions on its use to analyze race or ethnicity. According to the the Cyberspace Administration of China(CAC), the purpose is to “regulate the application of face recognition technology, protect the rights and interests of personal information and other personal and property Read more about China floats rules for facial recognition technology – they are good and be great if the govt was bound by them too![…]

Nuclear Fusion Scientists Successfully Recreate Net Energy Gain

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Reuters reports that scientists with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility in California repeated a fusion ignition reaction. The lab’s first breakthrough was announced by the U.S. Department of Energy in December. While the previous experiment produced net energy gain, a spokesperson from the lab told the outlet that this second experiment, Read more about Nuclear Fusion Scientists Successfully Recreate Net Energy Gain[…]

AI listens to keyboards on video conferences – decodes passwords

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] a new paper from the UK that shows how researchers trained an AI to decode keystrokes from noise on conference calls. The researchers point out that people don’t expect sound-based exploits. The paper reads, “For example, when typing a password, people will regularly hide their screen but will do little to obfuscate their keyboard’s Read more about AI listens to keyboards on video conferences – decodes passwords[…]

North Korean hackers put backdoors in Russian hypersonic missile maker computers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Reuters found cyber-espionage teams linked to the North Korean government, which security researchers call ScarCruft and Lazarus, secretly installed stealthy digital backdoors into systems at NPO Mashinostroyeniya, a rocket design bureau based in Reutov, a small town on the outskirts of Moscow. Reuters could not determine whether any data was taken during the intrusion or Read more about North Korean hackers put backdoors in Russian hypersonic missile maker computers[…]

Scientists observe first evidence of ‘quantum superchemistry’ in the laboratory

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team from the University of Chicago has announced the first evidence for “quantum superchemistry”—a phenomenon where particles in the same quantum state undergo collective accelerated reactions. The effect had been predicted, but never observed in the laboratory. […] Chin’s group is experienced with herding atoms into quantum states, but molecules are larger and much Read more about Scientists observe first evidence of ‘quantum superchemistry’ in the laboratory[…]

What? AI-Generated Art Banned from Future Dungeons & Dragons Books After “Fan Uproar” (Or ~1600 tweets about it)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A Dungeons & Dragons expansion book included AI-generated artwork. Fans on Twitter spotted it before the book was even released (noting, among other things, a wolf with human feet). An embarrassed representative for Wizards of the Coast then tweeted out an announcement about new guidelines stating explicitly that “artists must refrain from using AI art Read more about What? AI-Generated Art Banned from Future Dungeons & Dragons Books After “Fan Uproar” (Or ~1600 tweets about it)[…]

MIT Boffins Build Battery Alternative Out of Cement, Carbon Black, and Water

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Long-time Slashdot reader KindMind shares a report from The Register: Researchers at MIT claim to have found a novel new way to store energy using nothing but cement, a bit of water, and powdered carbon black — a crystalline form of the element. The materials can be cleverly combined to create supercapacitors, which could in Read more about MIT Boffins Build Battery Alternative Out of Cement, Carbon Black, and Water[…]

Will Browsers Be Required By Law To Stop You From Visiting Infringing Sites?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Mozilla’s Open Policy & Advocacy blog has news about a worrying proposal from the French government: In a well-intentioned yet dangerous move to fight online fraud, France is on the verge of forcing browsers to create a dystopian technical capability. Article 6 (para II and III) of the SREN Bill would force browser providers to create Read more about Will Browsers Be Required By Law To Stop You From Visiting Infringing Sites?[…]

Academic Book About Emojis Can’t Include The Emojis It Talks About Because Of Copyright

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Jieun Kiaer, an Oxford professor of Korean linguistics, recently published an academic book called Emoji Speak: Communications and Behaviours on Social Media. As you can tell from the name, it’s a book about emoji, and about how people communicate with them: Exploring why and how emojis are born, and the different ways in which people Read more about Academic Book About Emojis Can’t Include The Emojis It Talks About Because Of Copyright[…]

AI-assisted mammogram cancer screening could cut radiologist workloads in half

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A newly published study in the the Lancet Oncology journal has found that the use of AI in mammogram cancer screening can safely cut radiologist workloads nearly in half without risk of increasing false-positive results. In effect, the study found that the AI’s recommendations were on par with those of two radiologists working together. “AI-supported Read more about AI-assisted mammogram cancer screening could cut radiologist workloads in half[…]

Microsoft Comes Under Blistering Criticism For ‘Grossly Irresponsible’ Azure Security

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Microsoft has once again come under blistering criticism for the security practices of Azure and its other cloud offerings, with the CEO of security firm Tenable saying Microsoft is “grossly irresponsible” and mired in a “culture of toxic obfuscation.” The comments from Amit Yoran, chairman and Read more about Microsoft Comes Under Blistering Criticism For ‘Grossly Irresponsible’ Azure Security[…]

IBM and NASA open source satellite-image-labeling AI model

Posted on by Robin Edgar

IBM and NASA have put together and released Prithvi: an open source foundation AI model that may help scientists and other folks analyze satellite imagery. The vision transformer model, released under an Apache 2 license, is relatively small at 100 million parameters, and was trained on a year’s worth of images collected by the US Read more about IBM and NASA open source satellite-image-labeling AI model[…]

Couple admit laundering $4B of stolen Bitfinex Bitcoins

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan on Thursday pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges related to the 2016 theft of some 120,000 Bitcoins from Hong Kong-based Bitfinex. The Feds arrested Lichtenstein, 35, and Morgan, 33, in February 2022 following the US government’s tracing of about 95,000 of the stolen BTC – worth about $3.6 billion at the Read more about Couple admit laundering $4B of stolen Bitfinex Bitcoins[…]

Special License For Supercars Will Be Required In South Australia by 2024

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The state of South Australia, home to 1.8 million people, is treading that well-worn path with new laws regulating the use of “ultra high-powered vehicles” on the road. The issue stems from a fatal crash in 2019 when 15-year-old Sophia Naismith was tragically struck and killed by an out-of-control Lamborghini Huracan driven by Alexander Campbell. Read more about Special License For Supercars Will Be Required In South Australia by 2024[…]

Tesla Hackers Find ‘Unpatchable’ Jailbreak to Unlock Paid Features for Free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A security researcher along with three PhD students from Germany have reportedly found a way to exploit Tesla’s current AMD-based cars to develop what could be the world’s first persistent “Tesla Jailbreak.” The team published a briefing ahead of their presentation at next week’s Blackhat 2023. There, they will present a working version of an Read more about Tesla Hackers Find ‘Unpatchable’ Jailbreak to Unlock Paid Features for Free[…]

Water-soluble circuit boards could cut carbon footprints by 60 percent

Posted on by Robin Edgar

German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies AG announced that it’s producing a printed circuit board (PCB) that dissolves in water. Sourced from UK startup Jiva Materials, the plant-based Soluboard could provide a new avenue for the tech industry to reduce e-waste as companies scramble to meet climate goals by 2030. Jiva’s biodegradable PCB is made from Read more about Water-soluble circuit boards could cut carbon footprints by 60 percent[…]

AI-enabled brain implant helps spine damaged patient regain feeling and movement

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Keith Thomas from New York was involved in a driving accident back in 2020 that injured his spine’s C4 and C5 vertebrae, leading to a total loss in feeling and movement from the chest down. Recently, though, Thomas had been able to move his arm at will and feel his sister hold his hand, thanks Read more about AI-enabled brain implant helps spine damaged patient regain feeling and movement[…]

Reddit Wins, Doesn’t Have to NARC on Users Who Discussed Torrenting

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This weekend, a federal court tossed a subpoena in a case against the internet service provider Grande that would require Reddit to reveal the identities of anonymous users that torrent movies. The case was originally filed in 2021 by 20 movie producers against Grande Communications in the Western District of Texas federal court. The lawsuit Read more about Reddit Wins, Doesn’t Have to NARC on Users Who Discussed Torrenting[…]

Cult of Dead Cow hacktivists design distributed encryption system for mobile apps

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Once known for distributing hacking tools and shaming software companies into improving their security, a famed group of technology activists is now working to develop a system that will allow the creation of messaging and social networking apps that won’t keep hold of users’ personal data. The group, Cult of the Dead Cow, has developed Read more about Cult of Dead Cow hacktivists design distributed encryption system for mobile apps[…]

Judge Seems (Correctly) Skeptical Of AI Copyright Lawsui

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Over the last few months there have been a flurry of lawsuits against AI companies, with most of them being focused on copyright claims. The site ChatGPTIsEatingTheWorld has been tracking all the lawsuits, which currently lists 11 lawsuits, seven of which are copyright claims. Five of those are from the same lawyers: Joseph Saveri and Read more about Judge Seems (Correctly) Skeptical Of AI Copyright Lawsui[…]

Italians turn telco regulator into internet spy, judge and jury, puts 25% of population as criminals

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Italy’s brand new anti-piracy law has just received full approval from telecoms regulator AGCOM. In a statement issued Thursday, AGCOM noted its position “at the forefront of the European scene in combating online piracy.” The new law comes into force on August 8 and authorizes nationwide ISP blocking of live events and enables the state Read more about Italians turn telco regulator into internet spy, judge and jury, puts 25% of population as criminals[…]

That Which Copyright Destroys, ‘Pirates’ Can Save

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There’s an interesting post on TorrentFreak that concerns so-called “pirate” subtitles for films. It’s absurd that anyone could consider subtitles to be piracy in any way. They are a good example of how ordinary people can add value by generously helping others enjoy films and TV programs in languages they don’t understand. In no sense do “pirate” Read more about That Which Copyright Destroys, ‘Pirates’ Can Save[…]