Category: Human Interest

eBay Sent Critics a Bloody Pig Mask and more. Now It’s Paying a $3 Million Fine

Posted on by Robin Edgar

eBay agreed to pay out a $3 million fine—the maximum criminal penalty—over a twisted scandal that saw top executives and other employees stalking a couple in Massachusetts who published a newsletter that criticized the company. The harassment campaign included online threats, sending employees to surveil the couple’s home, and mailing them disturbing objects—including live spiders Read more about eBay Sent Critics a Bloody Pig Mask and more. Now It’s Paying a $3 Million Fine[…]

23andMe tells victims it’s their fault that their data was breached. DNA data, it turns out, is extremely sensitive!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Facing more than 30 lawsuits from victims of its massive data breach, 23andMe is now deflecting the blame to the victims themselves in an attempt to absolve itself from any responsibility, according to a letter sent to a group of victims seen by TechCrunch. “Rather than acknowledge its role in this data security disaster, 23andMe Read more about 23andMe tells victims it’s their fault that their data was breached. DNA data, it turns out, is extremely sensitive![…]

Twitch Is Being American Strange and Bans Implied Nakedness In Response To ‘Nudity Meta’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

As December 2023 was underway, some streamers cleverly thought to play around with Twitch’s restrictions around nudity, broadcasting in such a fashion that implied they were completely naked on camera. Twitch, in response, began banning folks before shifting gears to allow various forms of “artistic nudity” to proliferate on the platform. However, after immediately rescinding Read more about Twitch Is Being American Strange and Bans Implied Nakedness In Response To ‘Nudity Meta’[…]

Novel helmet liner 30 times better at stopping concussions

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Among sportspeople and military vets, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of permanent disability and death. Injury statistics show that the majority of TBIs, of which concussion is a subtype, are associated with oblique impacts, which subject the brain to a combination of linear and rotational kinetic energy forces and Read more about Novel helmet liner 30 times better at stopping concussions[…]

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[…]

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[…]

Mind-reading AI can translate brainwaves into written text

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Using only a sensor-filled helmet combined with artificial intelligence, a team of scientists has announced they can turn a person’s thoughts into written words. In the study, participants read passages of text while wearing a cap that recorded electrical brain activity through their scalp. These electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were then converted into text using an Read more about Mind-reading AI can translate brainwaves into written text[…]

Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing–Even in the Human Body

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Mechanical engineers Shervin Foroughi and Mohsen Habibi were painstakingly maneuvering a tiny ultrasound wand over a pool of liquid when they first saw an icicle shape emerge and solidify. […] Most commercial forms of 3-D printing involve extruding fluid materials—plastics, ceramics, metals or even biological compounds—through a nozzle and hardening them layer-by-layer to form computer-drafted Read more about Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing–Even in the Human Body[…]

Your Organs Might Be Aging at Different Rates

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The number of birthdays you’ve had—better known as your chronological age—now appears to be less important in assessing your health than ever before. A new study shows that bodily organs get “older” at extraordinarily different rates, and each one’s biological age can be at odds with a person’s age on paper. […] The team sampled Read more about Your Organs Might Be Aging at Different Rates[…]

Brazillian city enacts an ordinance that was written by ChatGPT – might be first law entered by AI

Posted on by Robin Edgar

City lawmakers in Brazil have enacted what appears to be the nation’s first legislation written entirely by artificial intelligence — even if they didn’t know it at the time. The experimental ordinance was passed in October in the southern city of Porto Alegre and city councilman Ramiro Rosário revealed this week that it was written Read more about Brazillian city enacts an ordinance that was written by ChatGPT – might be first law entered by AI[…]

Your Tastebuds Help Tell You When to Stop Eating, New Research Suggests

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Our mouths might help keep our hunger in check. A recent study found evidence in mice that our brains rely on two separate pathways to regulate our sense of fullness and satiety—one originating from the gut and the other from cells in the mouth that let us perceive taste. The findings could help scientists better Read more about Your Tastebuds Help Tell You When to Stop Eating, New Research Suggests[…]

Aging (for men) – what nobody told you: pee slippers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“The 100-year-old man set off in his pee-slippers (so called because men of an advanced age rarely pee farther than their shoes),” ― Jonas Jonasson, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Guys, as you get older your bladder power goes down. This has some consequences – you don’t pee very far Read more about Aging (for men) – what nobody told you: pee slippers[…]

Researchers printed a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons for the first time

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers at the Zurich-based ETH public university, along with a US-based startup called Inkbit, have done the impossible. They’ve printed a robot hand complete with bones, ligaments and tendons for the very first time, representing a major leap forward in 3D printing technology. It’s worth noting that the various parts of the hand were printed Read more about Researchers printed a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons for the first time[…]

‘Super Melanin’ Speeds Healing, Stops Sunburn, and More

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of scientists at Northwestern University has developed a synthetic version of melanin that could have a million and one uses. In new research, they showed that their melanin can prevent blistering and accelerate the healing process in tissue samples of freshly injured human skin. The team now plans to further develop their “super Read more about ‘Super Melanin’ Speeds Healing, Stops Sunburn, and More[…]

AI Risks – doomsayers, warriors, reformers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There is no shortage of researchers and industry titans willing to warn us about the potential destructive power of artificial intelligence. Reading the headlines, one would hope that the rapid gains in AI technology have also brought forth a unifying realization of the risks—and the steps we need to take to mitigate them. The reality, Read more about AI Risks – doomsayers, warriors, reformers[…]

AI and smart mouthguards: the new frontline in fight against brain injuries

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There was a hidden spectator of the NFL match between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans in London on Sunday: artificial intelligence. As crazy as it may sound, computers have now been taught to identify on-field head impacts in the NFL automatically, using multiple video angles and machine learning. So a process that would take Read more about AI and smart mouthguards: the new frontline in fight against brain injuries[…]

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[…]

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

Posted on by Robin Edgar

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)[…]

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

Posted on by Robin Edgar

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[…]

CNET Deletes Thousands of Old Articles to Game Google Search

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Tech news website CNET has deleted thousands of old articles over the past few months in a bid to improve its performance in Google Search results, Gizmodo has learned. Archived copies of CNET’s author pages show the company deleted small batches of articles prior to the second half of July, but then the pace increased. Read more about CNET Deletes Thousands of Old Articles to Game Google Search[…]

AI shows classroom conversations predict academic success

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Who would have thought in-class, off-topic dialog can be a significant predictor of a student’s success in school? Scientists at Tsinghua University had a hunch and decided to deep-dive into how machine learning and AI may help an under-studied segment of the education pool: K-6th grade students learning in live, online classes. By analyzing the Read more about AI shows classroom conversations predict academic success[…]

Big Business Isn’t Happy With FTC’s ‘Click to Cancel’ Proposal – says people enjoy tortuous cancellations

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Federal Trade Commission’s recent proposal to require that companies offer customers easy one-click options to cancel subscriptions might seem like a no-brainer, something unequivocally good for consumers. Not according to the companies it would affect, though. In their view, the introduction of simple unsubscribe buttons could lead to a wave of accidental cancellations by Read more about Big Business Isn’t Happy With FTC’s ‘Click to Cancel’ Proposal – says people enjoy tortuous cancellations[…]

AI Tool Decodes Brain Cancer’s Genome During Surgery

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists have designed an AI tool that can rapidly decode a brain tumor’s DNA to determine its molecular identity during surgery — critical information that under the current approach can take a few days and up to a few weeks. Knowing a tumor’s molecular type enables neurosurgeons to make decisions such as how much brain Read more about AI Tool Decodes Brain Cancer’s Genome During Surgery[…]

Mom pleads guilty to abortion after Meta gives DMs to cops – 2023 and these are the witch hunts we see in the land of the free, USA

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A Nebraska mother pleaded guilty on Friday to giving her 17-year-old daughter pills for an abortion last year and to helping her dispose of the 29-week-old fetus. Jessica Burgess, 42, in a plea agreement admitted providing an abortion to her daughter Celeste after 20 weeks of pregnancy, false reporting, and tampering with human remains, according Read more about Mom pleads guilty to abortion after Meta gives DMs to cops – 2023 and these are the witch hunts we see in the land of the free, USA[…]

Gas stoves emit benzene, linked to cancer, a new Stanford study shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When the blue flame fires up on a gas stove, there’s more than heat coming off the burner. Researchers at Stanford University found that among the pollutants emitted from stoves is benzene, which is linked to cancer. Levels of benzene can reach higher than those found in secondhand tobacco smoke and the benzene pollution can Read more about Gas stoves emit benzene, linked to cancer, a new Stanford study shows[…]