Linking ideas with the world
Pornhub has disabled its site in Texas to object to a state law that requires the company to verify the age of users to prevent minors from accessing the site. Texas residents who visit the site are met with a message from the company that criticizes the state’s elected officials who are requiring them to Read more about Pornhub disables website in Texas after AG sues for not verifying users’ ages[…]
A shipping vessel left China for Brazil while sporting some new improvements last August—a pair of 123-feet-tall, solid “wings” retrofitted atop its deck to harness wind power for propulsion assistance. But after its six-week maiden voyage testing the green energy tech, the Pyxis Ocean MC Shipping Kamsarmax vessel apparently had many more trips ahead of Read more about Wind Wing sails saved cargo ship up to 12 tons of fuel per day[…]
Microsoft has been pushing Bing pop-up ads in Chrome on Windows 10 and 11. Windows Latest and The Verge reported on Friday that the ad encourages Chrome users (in bold lettering) to use Bing instead of Google search. “Chat with GPT-4 for free on Chrome! Get hundreds of daily chat turns with Bing Al”, the Read more about Microsoft is once again asking Chrome users to try Bing through unblockable pop-ups – wait, you are not using Firefox?[…]
Epic Games has already accused Apple of “malicious compliance” with the EU’s new competition laws, and now it’s making the same allegation stateside. In a new legal filing, it accused Apple of non-compliance with a 2021 ruling that allowed developers to bypass Apple’s 30 percent cut of in-app payments and is asking the court to Read more about Epic accuses Apple of flouting court order by charging for external links on iOS apps[…]
From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19. Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of mental sluggishness or lack of clarity and haziness that makes it difficult to concentrate, remember things and think clearly. Fast-forward four years and Read more about COVID-19 Leaves Its Mark on the Brain. Significant Drops in IQ Scores Are Noted.[…]
Since Apple implemented a browser choice screen for iPhones earlier this month to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Brave Software, Mozilla, and Vivaldi have seen a surge in the number of people installing their web browsers. It’s an early sign the Europe Union’s competition rules may actually … get this … enhance competition Read more about Brave, Mozilla, Vivaldi see browser installs rise on iOS since DMA – forcing competition does indeed give rise to diversity. Now Google.[…]
A French government department – responsible for registering and assisting unemployed people – is the latest victim of a mega data breach that compromised the information of up to 43 million citizens. France Travail announced on Wednesday that it informed the country’s data protection watchdog (CNIL) of an incident that exposed a swathe of personal Read more about Breach in French labor history database impacts up to 43 million people for past 20 years showing what a great idea huge centralised databases are[…]
Intermittenty checks your installed extensions to see if the developer information listed on the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Addons store has changed. If anything is different, the extension icon will display a red badge, alerting you to the change. Why is this needed? Extension developers are constantly getting offers to buy their extensions. In Read more about Under New Management Detects when your extensions have changed owners[…]
Over the last decade, increasing numbers of automated license plate readers (ALPR) have been installed on roads, bringing with them a variety of privacy problems, as Techdirt has reported. It’s easy to see why ALPR is popular with the authorities: license plate readers seem a simple way to monitor driving behavior and to catch people Read more about Vehicle Cloning — Another Reason Not To Use Automated License Plate Readers[…]
Tropic Haze, the popular Yuzu Nintendo Switch emulator developer, appears to have agreed to settle Nintendo’s lawsuit against it. Less than a week after Nintendo filed the legal action, accusing the emulator’s creators of “piracy at a colossal scale,” a joint final judgment and permanent injunction filed Tuesday says Tropic Haze has agreed to pay Read more about Makers of Switch emulator Yuzu crushed quickly by Nintendo[…]
Apple’s compliance measures with the EU’s Digital Markets Act haven’t exactly been universally well received, so the iMaker is making a few tweaks to appease the software-developing masses. In a post to its developer site today, Apple said it is modifying not only how developers can distribute apps, but also changing the structure of alternative Read more about Apple stamps feet but now to let EU developers distribute apps from the web[…]
Kenn Dahl says he has always been a careful driver. The owner of a software company near Seattle, he drives a leased Chevrolet Bolt. He’s never been responsible for an accident. So Mr. Dahl, 65, was surprised in 2022 when the cost of his car insurance jumped by 21 percent. Quotes from other insurance companies Read more about Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies[…]
Developers who want to sideload apps on Android, or offer apps outside the Play Store, will have to pay for this . It has been possible to have so-called apk files installed on Android smartphones and tablets for some time, but now Google is going to charge money for this. The company does this on Read more about Google will charge money for sideloading apps on Android[…]
The European Commission has been reprimanded for infringing data protection regulations when using Microsoft 365. The rebuke came from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and is the culmination of an investigation that kicked off in May 2021, following the Schrems II judgement. According to the EDPS, the EC infringed several data protection regulations, including Read more about European Commission broke data protection law with Microsoft Office 365 – duh[…]
India has waded into global AI debate by issuing an advisory that requires “significant” tech firms to get government permission before launching new models. India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT issued the advisory to firms on Friday. The advisory — not published on public domain but a copy of which TechCrunch has reviewed — also Read more about India reverses AI stance, follows EU and starts regulating significant AI models[…]
Donald Trump supporters are creating and sharing AI-generated images of the former president with Black voters. The photos appear to be an attempt to inflate Trump’s popularity with the Black community, which may be irreparably harmed by his ties to white supremacist groups, but the photos are nothing but fakes. In the leadup to the Read more about Black Trump Supporters Are Being AI-Generated – Trumpistas fall for them though[…]
Over the last 48 hours, Roku has slowly been rolling out a mandatory update to its terms of service. In this terms it changes the dispute resolution terms but it is not clear exactly why. When the new terms and conditions message shows up on a Roku Player or TV, your only option is to Read more about You don’t own what you bought: Roku Issues a Mandatory Terms of Service Update That You Must Agree To or You Can’t Use Your Roku[…]
[…] X began rolling out the audio and video calling feature, which was previously restricted to paid users, to everyone last week. However, hawk-eyed sleuths quickly noticed that the feature was automatically turned on, meaning that users had to manually go to their settings to turn it off. Only your mutuals or someone you’ve exchanged Read more about How to Prevent X’s Audio and Video Calls Feature From Revealing Your IP Address – wait it reveals your IP address :O – wait… of course, it’s a Musk thing[…]
Key dashboard touchscreen functions will soon be kicked into touch and physical switches will be required instead for car manufacturers to be granted the highest safety ratings. Euro NCAP, the automotive safety industry body for Europe, is introducing new guidance for 2026 which means that five important tasks in every car will have to be Read more about Carmakers Must Bring Back Buttons for safety, Says Europe[…]
Microsoft is coming out swinging over claims by the New York Times that the Windows giant and OpenAI infringed copyright by using its articles to build ChatGPT and other models. In yesterday’s filing [PDF], Microsoft’s lawyers recall the early 1980s efforts of the Motion Picture Association to stifle the growth of VCR technology, likening it Read more about Microsoft calls NYT copyright claims ‘doomsday futurology’ – also, VCRs are legal too[…]
Rooster Teeth, a Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment subsidiary, is ending operations after 20+ years. The news was announced on March 6 in a company memo and blog post on the digital content creator’s site. Earlier today, the news of Rooster Teeth shutting down was first shared at an all-hands company meeting Read more about Rooster Teeth (Red vs Blue) Shut Down By WB Discovery After Two Decades[…]
iOS 17.4 is the first version of Apple’s operating system to comply with the regulatory framework of the European Digital Markets Act. Apple must also support alternative app stores, where apps can be installed around the App Store. The availability of this functionality is only geographically limited to the EU, and Apple has revealed for Read more about Alternatieve iPhone app stores stop working when you travel outside of the EU[…]
[…] Even after Microsoft patched the vulnerability last month, the company made no mention that the North Korean threat group Lazarus had been using the vulnerability since at least August to install a stealthy rootkit on vulnerable computers. The vulnerability provided an easy and stealthy means for malware that had already gained administrative system rights Read more about Hackers exploited Windows 0-day for 6 months after Microsoft knew of it[…]
More than one-quarter of scholarly articles are not being properly archived and preserved, a study of more than seven million digital publications suggests. The findings, published in the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication on 24 January1, indicate that systems to preserve papers online have failed to keep pace with the growth of research output. Read more about Millions of research papers at risk of disappearing from the Internet[…]
Security researchers report they uncovered a design flaw that let them hijack a Tesla using a Flipper Zero, a controversial $169 hacking tool. Partners Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry of Mysk Inc. said the attack is as simple as swiping a Tesla owner’s login information, opening the Tesla app, and driving away. The victim Read more about Want to Steal a Tesla? set up a guest wifi with a fake site, steal the password and make your own key[…]