The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Ed Sheeran, Once Again, Demonstrates How Modern Copyright Is Destroying, Rather Than Helping Musicians

To hear the recording industry tell the story, copyright is the only thing protecting musicians from poverty and despair. Of course, that’s always been a myth. Copyright was designed to benefit the middlemen and gatekeepers, such as the record labels, over the artists themselves. That’s why the labels have a long history of never paying Read more about Ed Sheeran, Once Again, Demonstrates How Modern Copyright Is Destroying, Rather Than Helping Musicians[…]

Microsoft Tests Sticking Ads in Windows 11 Settings Menu as well as start menu

[…] In addition to ads in the Start menu, the latest test build for Windows 11 includes notices for a Microsoft 365 trial and more in the Settings menu. On Friday, Windows beta user and routine leaker Albacore shared several screenshots of the latest Insider Preview build 23451. These shots come from the ultra-early Canary Read more about Microsoft Tests Sticking Ads in Windows 11 Settings Menu as well as start menu[…]

Mercedes Locks Better EV Engine Performance Your Car Has and you paid for Behind Subscription

Last year BMW took ample heat for its plans to turn heated seats into a costly $18 per month subscription in numerous countries. As we noted at the time, BMW is already including the hardware in new cars and adjusting the sale price accordingly. So it’s effectively charging users a new, recurring fee to enable Read more about Mercedes Locks Better EV Engine Performance Your Car Has and you paid for Behind Subscription[…]

Yet another problem with recycling: It spews microplastics

[…] an alarming new study has found that even when plastic makes it to a recycling center, it can still end up splintering into smaller bits that contaminate the air and water. This pilot study focused on a single new facility where plastics are sorted, shredded, and melted down into pellets. Along the way, the Read more about Yet another problem with recycling: It spews microplastics[…]

Finnish newspaper hides Ukraine news reports for Russians in online game

A Finnish newspaper is circumventing Russian media restrictions by hiding news reports about the war in Ukraine in an online game popular among Russian gamers. “While Helsingin Sanomat and other foreign independent media are blocked in Russia, online games have not been banned so far,” said Antero Mukka, the editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat. The newspaper Read more about Finnish newspaper hides Ukraine news reports for Russians in online game[…]

Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, ignore OS default browser settings

Microsoft Edge is a good browser but for some reason Microsoft keeps trying to shove it down everyone’s throat and make it more difficult to use rivals like Chrome or Firefox. Microsoft has now started notifying IT admins that it will force Outlook and Teams to ignore the default web browser on Windows and open Read more about Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, ignore OS default browser settings[…]

Researchers See Through a Mouse’s Eyes by Decoding Brain Signals

[…] a team of researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) successfully developed a machine-learning algorithm that can decode a mouse’s brain signals and reproduce images of what it’s seeing. […] The mice were shown a black and white movie clip from the 1960s of a man running to a car and then Read more about Researchers See Through a Mouse’s Eyes by Decoding Brain Signals[…]

Liquid Neural Networks use Neuron design to compute effectively using smaller models

[Ramin Hasani] and colleague [Mathias Lechner] have been working with a new type of Artificial Neural Network called Liquid Neural Networks, and presented some of the exciting results at a recent TEDxMIT. Liquid neural networks are inspired by biological neurons to implement algorithms that remain adaptable even after training. [Hasani] demonstrates a machine vision system Read more about Liquid Neural Networks use Neuron design to compute effectively using smaller models[…]

How AI Bots Code: Comparing Bing, Claude+, Co-Pilot, GPT-4 and Bard

[…] In this article, we will compare four of the most advanced AI bots: GPT-4, Bing, Claude+, Bard, and GitHub Co-Pilot. We will examine how they work, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they compare to each other. Testing the AI Bots for Coding Before we dive into comparing these four AI bots, it’s essential Read more about How AI Bots Code: Comparing Bing, Claude+, Co-Pilot, GPT-4 and Bard[…]

OpenAI Threatens Popular GitHub Project With Lawsuit Over API Use

Anyone can use ChatGPT for free, but if you want to use GPT4, the latest language model, you have to either pay for ChatGPT Plus, pay for access to OpenAI’s API, or find another site that has incorporated GPT4 into its own free chatbot. There are sites that use OpenAI such as Forefront (opens in Read more about OpenAI Threatens Popular GitHub Project With Lawsuit Over API Use[…]

OpenAI: ChatGPT back in Italy after meeting watchdog demands – well, cosmetically at any rate

ChatGPT’s maker said Friday April 28, 2023 that the artificial intelligence chatbot is available again in Italy after the company met the demands of regulators who temporarily blocked it over privacy concerns. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) ChatGPT’s maker said Friday that the artificial intelligence chatbot is available again in Italy after the company met the Read more about OpenAI: ChatGPT back in Italy after meeting watchdog demands – well, cosmetically at any rate[…]

Bungie Somehow Wins $12 Million In Destiny 2 Anti-Cheat Lawsuit

As Bungie continues on its warpath against Destiny 2 cheaters, the studio has won $12 million in the lawsuit against Romanian cheat seller Mihai Claudiu-Florentin that began back in 2021. Claudiu-Florentin sold cheat software at VeteranCheats, which allowed users to get an edge over other players with software that could do things like tweak their Read more about Bungie Somehow Wins $12 Million In Destiny 2 Anti-Cheat Lawsuit[…]

Commission sets out to harmonise EU patent rules

The European Commission today proposed new rules to improve the protection of intellectual property (IP) in Europe, covering patents relating to industry standards, compulsory licensing of patents in crisis situations, and the revision of the legislation on supplementary protection certificates. These will work hand-in-hand with the unitary patent system that 17 EU countries are to Read more about Commission sets out to harmonise EU patent rules[…]

Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill

Senator Brian Schatz is one of the more thoughtful Senators we have, and he and his staff have actually spent time talking to lots of experts in trying to craft bills regarding the internet. Unfortunately, it still seems like he still falls under the seductive sway of this or that moral panic, so when the Read more about Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill[…]

This OLED screen can fill with liquid to form tactile buttons | Engadget

Swiping and tapping on flat screens is something we’ve learned to deal with in smartphones, tablets and other touchscreen gizmos, but it doesn’t come close to the ease of typing on a hardware keyboard or playing a game with a physical controller. To that end, researchers Craig Shultz and Chris Harrison with the Future Interfaces Read more about This OLED screen can fill with liquid to form tactile buttons | Engadget[…]

Apple App Store Policies Upheld by Court in Epic Games Antitrust Challenge – Apple can continue monopoly and massive 30% charges in app store USA (but not in EU)

Apple Inc. won an appeals court ruling upholding its App Store’s policies in an antitrust challenge brought by Epic Games Inc. Monday’s ruling by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower-court judge’s 2021 decision largely rejecting claims by Epic, the maker of Fortnite, that Apple’s online marketplace policies violated federal law because Read more about Apple App Store Policies Upheld by Court in Epic Games Antitrust Challenge – Apple can continue monopoly and massive 30% charges in app store USA (but not in EU)[…]

WebLLM runs an AI in your browser, talks to your GPU

This project brings language model chats directly onto web browsers. Everything runs inside the browser with no server support and accelerated with WebGPU. We can bring a lot of fun opportunities to build AI assistants for everyone and enable privacy while enjoying GPU acceleration. […] These models are usually big and compute-heavy. To build a Read more about WebLLM runs an AI in your browser, talks to your GPU[…]

Grimes invites AI artists to use her voice, promising 50 percent royalty split

Canadian synth-pop artist Grimes says AI artists can use her voice without worrying about copyright or legal enforcement. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with,” she tweeted on Sunday. “Feel free to use my voice without penalty. Read more about Grimes invites AI artists to use her voice, promising 50 percent royalty split[…]

Samsung to pay out $303M for memory patent infringement to Netlist.

Samsung Electronics has been stung for more than $303 million in a patent infringement case brought by US memory company Netlist. Netlist, headquartered in Irvine, California, styles itself as a provider of high-performance modular memory subsystems. The company initially filed a complaint that Samsung had infringed on three of its patents, later amended to six Read more about Samsung to pay out $303M for memory patent infringement to Netlist.[…]

ICANN and Verisign Proposal Would Allow Any Government In The World To Seize Domain Names with no redress

ICANN, the organization that regulates global domain name policy, and Verisign, the abusive monopolist that operates the .COM and .NET top-level domains, have quietly proposed enormous changes to global domain name policy in their recently published “Proposed Renewal of the Registry Agreement for .NET”, which is now open for public comment. Either by design, or Read more about ICANN and Verisign Proposal Would Allow Any Government In The World To Seize Domain Names with no redress[…]

Microsoft 365 and Teams hit in global partial outage – again

[…] The problem kicked off this morning with Redmond saying it was looking into errors within its caching infrastructure. In an advisory, the Windows goliath wrote “some users may be intermittently unable to view or access web apps in Microsoft 365.” A range of Microsoft 365 online services are affected, such as Excel, the company Read more about Microsoft 365 and Teams hit in global partial outage – again[…]

AIs are too worried about answering stuff you can just google because… doomsayers?

The article below is about how you can trick ChatGPT toj give you a napalm recipe. It’s pretty circumspect and clever that you need to say “my grandmother worked at a factory and told me how to make it” but why would you need to? Why are we somehow stricter about the output of an Read more about AIs are too worried about answering stuff you can just google because… doomsayers?[…]

Europe spins up AI research hub to apply Digital Services Act rules on Big Tech

[…] The European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT), which was officially inaugurated in Seville, Spain, today (April 18), is expected to play a major role in interrogating the algorithms of mainstream digital services — such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. ECAT is embedded within the EU’s existing Joint Research Centre (JRC), a long-established science facility Read more about Europe spins up AI research hub to apply Digital Services Act rules on Big Tech[…]

Chips Act: Council and European Parliament strike provisional deal

The Council and the European Parliament have reached today a provisional political agreement on the regulation to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, better known as the ‘Chips Act’. The deal is expected to create the conditions for the development of an industrial base that can double the EU’s global market share in semiconductors from 10% to Read more about Chips Act: Council and European Parliament strike provisional deal[…]

3D bioprinting inside the human body could be possible thanks to new soft robot

Engineers from UNSW Sydney have developed a miniature and flexible soft robotic arm which could be used to 3D print biomaterial directly onto organs inside a person’s body. 3D bioprinting is a process whereby biomedical parts are fabricated from so-called bioink to construct natural tissue-like structures. […] Their work has resulted in a tiny flexible Read more about 3D bioprinting inside the human body could be possible thanks to new soft robot[…]