The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Apple must allow app sideloading in Brazil within 90 days, judge orders

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Brazil has ordered Apple to allow users to bypass the App Store and sideload apps within 90 days, according a report in Valor Econômico seen by 9to5Mac. The new ruling follows similar orders issued in Europe and elsewhere that were referenced by the Brazilian court. “[Apple] has already complied with similar obligations in other countries, Read more about Apple must allow app sideloading in Brazil within 90 days, judge orders[…]

A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news’ network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propaganda

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A Moscow-based disinformation network named “Pravda” — the Russian word for “truth” — is pursuing an ambitious strategy by deliberately infiltrating the retrieved data of artificial intelligence chatbots, publishing false claims and propaganda for the purpose of affecting the responses of AI models on topics in the news rather than by targeting human readers, NewsGuard Read more about A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news’ network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propaganda[…]

Undocumented commands (backdoor) found in ESP32 Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Update 3/9/25: After receiving concerns about the use of the term ‘backdoor’ to refer to these undocumented commands, we have updated our title and story. Our original story can be found here. The ubiquitous ESP32 microchip made by Chinese manufacturer Espressif and used by over 1 billion units as of 2023 contains undocumented commands that could Read more about Undocumented commands (backdoor) found in ESP32 Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices[…]

In no-brainer, Volkswagen to Bring Back Physical Buttons to All Vehicles – but still misses some important ones

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Volkswagen is bringing back physical buttons to all its vehicles after pivoting to touch screens in recent years. In an interview with Autocar, Andreas Mindt, design chief at the German auto giant, called the decision to remove these buttons “a mistake.” “From the ID 2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most Read more about In no-brainer, Volkswagen to Bring Back Physical Buttons to All Vehicles – but still misses some important ones[…]

Robinhood settles for only $29.75m to end host of US regulator’s probes, including Gamestop trading stop

Posted on by Robin Edgar

ROBINHOOD Markets, the online trading platform, agreed to pay US$29.75 million to resolve several Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) probes into its supervision and compliance practices, including failure to respond to “red flags” of potential misconduct. The brokerage regulator said on Friday (Mar 7) that Robinhood will pay a US$26 million civil fine and US$3.75 Read more about Robinhood settles for only $29.75m to end host of US regulator’s probes, including Gamestop trading stop[…]

Paralyzed man moves robotic arm with his thoughts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] He was able to grasp, move and drop objects just by imagining himself performing the actions. The device, known as a brain-computer interface (BCI), worked for a record 7 months without needing to be adjusted. Until now, such devices have only worked for a day or two. The BCI relies on an AI model Read more about Paralyzed man moves robotic arm with his thoughts[…]

Still can’t access your Outlook mailbox? You aren’t alone

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Problems with Outlook.com are continuing, with users reporting being unable to access their emails or authenticate themselves. Part of the issue appears to be related to the initial wobble over the weekend. Some of the users affected by that outage were locked out of their accounts after repeated login failures, and Microsoft’s status center for Read more about Still can’t access your Outlook mailbox? You aren’t alone[…]

Mistral adds a new API that turns any PDF document into an AI-ready Markdown file with pictures

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Unlike most OCR APIs, Mistral OCR is a multimodal API, meaning that it can detect when there are illustrations and photos intertwined with blocks of text. The OCR API creates bounding boxes around these graphical elements and includes them in the output. Mistral OCR also doesn’t just output a big wall of text; the output Read more about Mistral adds a new API that turns any PDF document into an AI-ready Markdown file with pictures[…]

Scientists discover how aspirin could prevent some cancers from spreading

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In the study, published in Nature, the scientists say that discovering the mechanism will support ongoing clinical trials, and could lead to the targeted use of aspirin to prevent the spread of susceptible types of cancer, and to the development of more effective drugs to prevent cancer metastasis. The scientists caution that, in some Read more about Scientists discover how aspirin could prevent some cancers from spreading[…]

Special type of fat tissue could promote healthful longevity and help maintain exercise capacity in aging (a bit like taking ice baths)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Rutgers Health researchers have made discoveries about brown fat that may open a new path to helping people stay physically fit as they age. A team from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School found that mice lacking a specific gene developed an unusually potent form of brown fat tissue that expanded lifespan and increased exercise capacity Read more about Special type of fat tissue could promote healthful longevity and help maintain exercise capacity in aging (a bit like taking ice baths)[…]

World’s first “Synthetic Biological Intelligence” computer runs on living human cells

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The world’s first “biological computer” that fuses human brain cells with silicon hardware to form fluid neural networks has been commercially launched, ushering in a new age of AI technology. The CL1, from Australian company Cortical Labs, offers a whole new kind of computing intelligence – one that’s more dynamic, sustainable and energy efficient than any Read more about World’s first “Synthetic Biological Intelligence” computer runs on living human cells[…]

NASA, ASI Blue Ghost Successfully Acquires GPS Signals on Moon lander Blue Ghost

Posted on by Robin Edgar

NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history on March 3, when the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) became the first technology demonstration to acquire and track Earth-based navigation signals on the Moon’s surface. The LuGRE payload’s success in lunar orbit and on the surface indicates that signals from the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Read more about NASA, ASI Blue Ghost Successfully Acquires GPS Signals on Moon lander Blue Ghost[…]

Brother locking down third-party printer ink cartridges via forced firmware updates, removing older firmware versions from support portals

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Fabled RepairTuber and right to repair crusader Louis Rossmann has shared a new video encapsulating his surprise, and disappointment, that Brother has morphed into an “anti-consumer printer company.” More information about Brother’s embrace of the dark side are shared on Rossmann’s wiki, with the major two issues being new firmware disabling third party toner, and Read more about Brother locking down third-party printer ink cartridges via forced firmware updates, removing older firmware versions from support portals[…]

UK Online Safety Act Killing games: Cult text-based zombie MMO Urban Dead is shutting down after “a full 19 years, 8 months and 11 days”

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The UK Online Safety Act passed into law in 2023, and it properly comes into effect in 2025 with the threats of millions of pounds in fines. For Kevan Davis, the solo British dev behind the text-based zombie MMO Urban Dead, the risks presented by this legislation are too great, and his browser game is Read more about UK Online Safety Act Killing games: Cult text-based zombie MMO Urban Dead is shutting down after “a full 19 years, 8 months and 11 days”[…]

US Tariffs for the EU? Then let’s get rid of the anti competitive rules the US rammed down the throat of the EU for tariff free trade

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Those were wild times, when engineers pitted their wits against one another in the spirit of Steve Wozniack and SSAFE. That era came to a close – but not because someone finally figured out how to make data that you couldn’t copy. Rather, it ended because an unholy coalition of entertainment and tech industry lobbyists Read more about US Tariffs for the EU? Then let’s get rid of the anti competitive rules the US rammed down the throat of the EU for tariff free trade[…]

Cloudflare blocking Pale Moon and other alternative browser engines

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Aside from reporting it on Cloudflare’s forum, there appears to be little users can do, and the company doesn’t seem to be paying attention. Cloudflare is one of the giants of content distribution network. As well as providing fast local caches of busy websites, it also attempts to block bot networks and DDoS attacks by Read more about Cloudflare blocking Pale Moon and other alternative browser engines[…]

Microsoft Exchange Admin Center goes down for EU users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft’s Exchange Administration Center (EAC) has fallen over and appears to be struggling to get up. The issue affects users trying to access EAC to administer Exchange Online for their users. Users began expressing frustration about the service being down just before lunchtime in the UK. The issue appears widespread in Europe, with users from Read more about Microsoft Exchange Admin Center goes down for EU users[…]

How to stop Android from scanning your phone pictures for content and interpreting them

Posted on by Robin Edgar

process called Android System SafetyCore – which arrived in a recent update for devices running Android 9 and later. It scans a user’s photo library for explicit images and displays content warnings before viewing them. Google says “the classification of content runs exclusively on your device and the results aren’t shared with Google.” Naturally, it will Read more about How to stop Android from scanning your phone pictures for content and interpreting them[…]

Android tracks you before you start an app – no consent required. Also, it scans your photos.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Research from a leading academic shows Android users have advertising cookies and other gizmos working to build profiles on them even before they open their first app. Doug Leith, professor and chair of computer systems at Trinity College Dublin, who carried out the research, claims in his write up that no consent is sought for Read more about Android tracks you before you start an app – no consent required. Also, it scans your photos.[…]

Turning car exhausts into power: New method transforms carbon nanoparticles from emissions into renewable energy catalysts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We have developed a breakthrough method to convert carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from vehicular emissions into high-performance electrocatalysts. This innovation provides a sustainable approach to pollution management and energy production by repurposing harmful particulate matter into valuable materials for renewable energy applications. Our work, published in Carbon Neutralization, addresses both environmental challenges and the growing demand Read more about Turning car exhausts into power: New method transforms carbon nanoparticles from emissions into renewable energy catalysts[…]

Why Can’t We Screenshot Frames From DRM-Protected Video on Apple Devices? – or on Android in some apps?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple users noticed a change in 2023, “when streaming platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and the Criterion Channel imposed a quiet embargo on the screenshot,” noted the film blog Screen Slate: At first, there were workarounds: users could continue to screenshot by using the browser Brave or by downloading extensions or third-party tools Read more about Why Can’t We Screenshot Frames From DRM-Protected Video on Apple Devices? – or on Android in some apps?[…]

These buildings use batteries made of ice to stay cool and save money

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Thousands of buildings across the United States are staying cool with the help of cutting-edge batteries made from one of the world’s simplest materials: ice. When electricity is cheap, the batteries freeze water. When energy costs go up, building managers turn off their pricey chillers and use the ice to keep things cool. A typical Read more about These buildings use batteries made of ice to stay cool and save money[…]

Trump’s Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders Cyber Command to ‘Stand Down’ on All Russia Operations

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The cybersecurity outlet The Record originally reported that under Trump’s new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Cyber Command has been ordered to “stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.” The outlet cites three anonymous sources who are familiar with the matter. The order reportedly does not apply to the National Security Read more about Trump’s Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders Cyber Command to ‘Stand Down’ on All Russia Operations[…]

“Cool” years are now hotter than the “warm” years of the past: tracking global temperatures through El Niño and La Niña

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Temperatures, as defined by “climate”, are based on temperatures over longer periods of time — typically 20-to-30-year averages — rather than single-year data points. But even when based on longer-term averages, the world has still warmed by around 1.3°C.3 But you’ll also notice, in the chart, that temperatures haven’t increased linearly. There are spikes and Read more about “Cool” years are now hotter than the “warm” years of the past: tracking global temperatures through El Niño and La Niña[…]

Lenovo has a convertable T series laptop – with mouse dot

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The ThinkPad T14s 2-in-1 is by far the most interesting of the bunch, with a new convertible body that’s similar to Lenovo’s Yoga laptops, and supports the magnetic Yoga Pen stylus. The laptop comes with up to a 14-inch, 400-nit WUXGA touch display, and inside, you can get up to a Intel Core Ultra Read more about Lenovo has a convertable T series laptop – with mouse dot[…]