The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Should Lyft and Uber Charge More if Your Battery Is Low? California May Soon Ban That

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s late at night, and you badly need a ride. Your cellphone’s battery is dangerously low. Should a ridehailing company such as Uber or Lyft be able to charge you more because its artificial intelligence programming thinks you’re desperate since it knows your phone is about to die? Not if Hayward Democratic Sen. Aisha Wahab Read more about Should Lyft and Uber Charge More if Your Battery Is Low? California May Soon Ban That[…]

Meta eavesdropped on period-tracker app’s users, SF jury rules

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Meta lost a major privacy trial on Friday, with a jury in San Francisco ruling that the Menlo Park giant had eavesdropped on the users of the popular period-tracking app Flo. The plaintiff’s lawyers who sued Meta are calling this a “landmark” victory — the tech company contends that the jury got it all wrong. The case Read more about Meta eavesdropped on period-tracker app’s users, SF jury rules[…]

Meet Meschers, MIT’s Tool for Building Paradoxical Digital Objects

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Meet “impossibagel,” a physically impossible bagel that mathematicians use to resolve intricate geometry problems. But impossibagel—and other “impossible objects” in mathematics—is notoriously difficult to replicate, and researchers haven’t been able to fully tap into their mathematical potential. That may no longer be a problem, thanks to a new tool. On Monday, researchers at MIT’s Computer Read more about Meet Meschers, MIT’s Tool for Building Paradoxical Digital Objects[…]

KLM, Air France latest major orgs to have data looted

Posted on by Robin Edgar

European airline giants Air France and KLM say they are the latest in a string of major organizations to have their customers’ data stolen by way of a break-in at a third party org. The airlines, which share a parent company, Air France-KLM Group, said in a joint statement that they “detected unusual activity on Read more about KLM, Air France latest major orgs to have data looted[…]

This vaccine uses dental floss instead of needles

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have demonstrated a novel vaccine delivery method in an animal model, using dental floss to introduce vaccine via the tissue between the teeth and gums. The testing found that the new technique stimulates the production of antibodies in mucosal surfaces, such as the lining of the nose and lungs. “Mucosal surfaces are important, because Read more about This vaccine uses dental floss instead of needles[…]

Didn’t Take Long To Reveal The UK’s Online Safety Act Is Exactly The Privacy-Crushing Failure Everyone Warned About

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]the real kicker is what content is now being gatekept behind invasive age verification systems. Users in the UK now need to submit a selfie or government ID to access: Reddit communities about stopping drinking and smoking, periods, craft beers, and sexual assault support, not to mention documentation of war Spotify for music videos tagged Read more about Didn’t Take Long To Reveal The UK’s Online Safety Act Is Exactly The Privacy-Crushing Failure Everyone Warned About[…]

Project Hyperion | interstellar generation ship design competition winners

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Project Hyperion explores the feasibility of crewed interstellar travel via generation ships, using current and near-future technologies. A generation ship is a hypothetical spacecraft designed for long-duration interstellar travel, where the journey may take centuries to complete. The idea behind a generation ship is that the initial crew would live, reproduce, and die on the Read more about Project Hyperion | interstellar generation ship design competition winners[…]

Microsoft Recall can still nab credit cards, passwords, info and share them remotely

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft Recall, the AI app that takes screenshots of what you do on your PC so you can search for it later, has a filter that’s supposed to prevent it from screenshotting sensitive info like credit card numbers. But a The Register test shows that it still fails in many cases, creating a potential treasure Read more about Microsoft Recall can still nab credit cards, passwords, info and share them remotely[…]

Belgium Targets Internet Archive’s ‘Open Library’ in Sweeping Site Blocking Order

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Business Court in Brussels, Belgium, has issued a broad site-blocking order that aims to restrict access to shadow libraries including Anna’s Archive, Libgen, OceanofPDF, Z-Library, and the Internet Archive’s Open Library. In addition to ISP blocks, the order also directs search engines, DNS resolvers, advertisers, domain name services, CDNs and hosting companies to take Read more about Belgium Targets Internet Archive’s ‘Open Library’ in Sweeping Site Blocking Order[…]

Google had just two weeks to begin cracking open Android Play Store, it admits in emergency filing, manages to stay to three weeks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Yesterday, when Epic won its Google antitrust lawsuit for a second time, it wasn’t quite clear how soon Google would need to start dismantling its affirmed illegal monopoly. Today, Google admitted the answer was: 14 days. Google had just 14 days to enact major changes to its Google Play app store, and the way it Read more about Google had just two weeks to begin cracking open Android Play Store, it admits in emergency filing, manages to stay to three weeks[…]

A Premium Luggage Service’s Web Bugs Exposed the Travel Plans of Every User—Including Diplomats

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Airportr, a UK-based luggage service that partners with airlines to let its largely UK- and Europe-based users pay to have their bags picked up, checked, and delivered to their destination. Researchers at the firm CyberX9 found that simple bugs in Airportr’s website allowed them to access virtually all of those users’ personal information, including Read more about A Premium Luggage Service’s Web Bugs Exposed the Travel Plans of Every User—Including Diplomats[…]

Ore Energy makes history with first grid-connected iron-air battery system

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“Rust battery” now operational in the Netherlands; first multi-day long-term energy storage system, designed to be implemented using exclusively European production and materials Ore Energy , the Dutch iron-air long-term energy storage startup, today announced that it has successfully connected its flagship iron-air battery to the Delft electricity grid – the world’s first known fully Read more about Ore Energy makes history with first grid-connected iron-air battery system[…]

Lying increases trust in science – because people are taught that science is infallible, instead of that it can (and is) improved with time and knowledge

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This study begins by outlining the transparency paradox: that trust in science requires transparency, but being transparent about science, medicine and government reduces trust in science. A solution to the paradox is then advanced here: it is argued that, rather than just thinking in terms of transparency and opacity, it is important to think about Read more about Lying increases trust in science – because people are taught that science is infallible, instead of that it can (and is) improved with time and knowledge[…]

Public ChatGPT Queries Are Getting Indexed By Google and Other Search Engines (update: fixed!)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: It’s a strange glimpse into the human mind: If you filter search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines to only include URLs from the domain “https://chatgpt.com/share,” you can find strangers’ conversations with ChatGPT. Sometimes, these shared conversation links are pretty dull — people ask for Read more about Public ChatGPT Queries Are Getting Indexed By Google and Other Search Engines (update: fixed!)[…]

Mastercard Denies Pressuring Steam To Censor ‘NSFW’ Games… except it does.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Mastercard has broken its silence after being thrust into the middle of a gaming culture war between anti-porn advocates and anti-censorship activists. While Valve previously laid blame for a recent purge of adult sex games from Steam at the feet of “payment processors and their related card networks and banks,” Mastercard released a statement on Read more about Mastercard Denies Pressuring Steam To Censor ‘NSFW’ Games… except it does.[…]

Posted in Sex

UK’s most tattooed man blocked from accessing porn online by new rules

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Britain’s most tattooed man has a lot more time on his hands and not a lot else thanks to new porn laws. The King of Ink says facial recognition tech has made it harder to chat to webcam girls, after sites started mistaking his tattooed face for a mask. The new rules came into force Read more about UK’s most tattooed man blocked from accessing porn online by new rules[…]

Tiny, fast spectrometer

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]”Spectrometers are critical tools for helping us understand the chemical and physical properties of various materials based on how light changes when it interacts with those materials,” says Brendan O’Connor, corresponding author of a paper on the work and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University. “They are used in Read more about Tiny, fast spectrometer[…]

Scientists finally solve the mystery of what triggers lightning

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In the study published on July 28 in the Journal of Geophysical Research, the authors described how they determined strong electric fields in thunderclouds accelerate electrons that crash into molecules like nitrogen and oxygen, producing X-rays and initiating a deluge of additional electrons and high-energy photons — the perfect storm from which lightning bolts are Read more about Scientists finally solve the mystery of what triggers lightning[…]

Futurehome Breaks IoT Devices Unless A New Subscription Is Paid For

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]It’s bad enough when a company goes fully kablooey, has to shut down all their backend servers and gear, and renders their products useless. That sucks, there are ways around it, and it shouldn’t be allowed, but it’s quite different than perfectly healthy companies selling a product that has features and capabilities out of the Read more about Futurehome Breaks IoT Devices Unless A New Subscription Is Paid For[…]

French city of Lyon ditching Microsoft for FOSS

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The République’s third-largest city and second-largest economic hub on Tuesday cited a desire to reduce dependence on American software, extend the lifespan of its hardware and therefore reduce its environmental impact, and strengthen the technological sovereignty of its public service. Achieving those goals will see Lyon’s government, which serves over a million people, replace Office Read more about French city of Lyon ditching Microsoft for FOSS[…]

NewPipe – a free YouTube client

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Do you like watching videos on YouTube but want an intuitive, feature-rich and privacy friendly app for that?NewPipe has been created with the purpose of getting the original YouTube experience on your smartphone without annoying ads and questionable permissions. Source: NewPipe – a free YouTube client

Google AI is watching — how to turn off Gemini on Android

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]Why you shouldn’t trust Gemini with your data Gemini promises to simplify how you interact with your Android — fetching emails, summarizing meetings, pulling up files. But behind that helpful facade is an unprecedented level of centralized data collection, powered by a company known for privacy washing, (new window)misleadin(new window)g users(new window) about how their Read more about Google AI is watching — how to turn off Gemini on Android[…]

Sodium fuel cell could enable electric aviation, 3x more energy density than battery, sucks up CO2

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Instead of a battery, the new concept is a kind of fuel cell — which is similar to a battery but can be quickly refueled rather than recharged. In this case, the fuel is liquid sodium metal, an inexpensive and widely available commodity. The other side of the cell is just ordinary air, which serves Read more about Sodium fuel cell could enable electric aviation, 3x more energy density than battery, sucks up CO2[…]

Orthokeratology – contacts you wear at night that reshape your cornea so you don’t have to wear glasses or contacts by day

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Orthokeratology, also referred to as ortho-k, is a noninvasive and nonsurgical process, during which specially designed contacts are fitted to a patient. This process temporarily reshapes the cornea to improve vision. It is often compared to dental braces, which are used to reshape teeth much as ortho-k is used to reshape the cornea. While these Read more about Orthokeratology – contacts you wear at night that reshape your cornea so you don’t have to wear glasses or contacts by day[…]