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upstart writes:

LexisNexis Is Selling Your Personal Data to ICE So It Can Try to Predict Crimes:

The legal research and public records data broker LexisNexis is providing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with tools to target people who may potentially commit a crime — before any actual crime takes place, according to a contract document obtained by The Intercept. LexisNexis data then helps ICE to track the purported pre-criminals' movements.

The unredacted contract overview provides a rare look at the controversial $16.8 million agreement between LexisNexis and ICE, a federal law enforcement agency whose surveillance of and raids against migrant communities are widely criticized as brutal, unconstitutional, and inhumane.

"The purpose of this program is mass surveillance at its core," said Julie Mao, an attorney and co-founder of Just Futures Law, which is suing LexisNexis over allegations it illegally buys and sells personal data. Mao told The Intercept the ICE contract document, which she reviewed for The Intercept, is "an admission and indication that ICE aims to surveil individuals where no crime has been committed and no criminal warrant or evidence of probable cause."

[...] The federal government allows the general Homeland Security apparatus so much legal latitude, [Georgetown Law School's Center on Privacy and Technology Executive Director Emily] Tucker explained, that an agency like ICE is the perfect vehicle for indiscriminate surveillance of the general public, regardless of immigration status.

Original Submission

Booga1 writes:

MIT News reports: MIT engineers have developed a soft, printable, metal-free electrode.

A new Jell-O-like material could replace metals as electrical interfaces for pacemakers, cochlear implants, and other electronic implants.

Implantable electrodes are predominantly made from rigid metals that are electrically conductive by nature. But over time, metals can aggravate tissues, causing scarring and inflammation that in turn can degrade an implant's performance.

Now, MIT engineers have developed a metal-free, Jell-O-like material that is as soft and tough as biological tissue and can conduct electricity similarly to conventional metals. The material can be made into a printable ink, which the researchers patterned into flexible, rubbery electrodes. The new material, which is a type of high-performance conducting polymer hydrogel, may one day replace metals as functional, gel-based electrodes, with the look and feel of biological tissue.

"This material operates like metal electrodes but is made from gels that are similar to our bodies, and with similar water content," says Hyunwoo Yuk SM '16, PhD '21, co-founder of SanaHeal, a medical device startup. "It's like an artificial tissue or nerve."

"We believe that for the first time, we have a tough, robust, Jell-O-like electrode that can potentially replace metal to stimulate nerves and interface with the heart, brain, and other organs in the body," adds Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT.

hubie writes:

Researchers outline steps to keep shelves stocked in crises:

We all remember 2020. At the grocery store, toilet paper shelves were empty. Cleaning supplies and disinfectants were treasured finds. Rattled consumers, concerned that they would run out of essential items, swiftly stockpiled products until they disappeared from shelves. In the media, it was referred to as "panic buying."

[...] "Disaster-related buying behaviors or DRBBs is a more accurate phrase than panic buying," Holguin-Veras said. "Panic refers to extreme fear that causes someone to act irrationally, which negates the possibility to reason with these individuals to change their purchasing behaviors."

Instead, in research recently published, Holguín-Veras and team collected surveys in dozens of countries and found that, in the U.S., the top three themes were: precaution (25.79%), the anticipation of needs (22.63%) to avoid the possibility of regret if they didn't make the purchases (16.39%), and their interpretation of the actions of others, or social cues (13.44%).

They found that the key to altering consumer behavior to maintain adequate supply levels is trusted change agents, or TCAs. TCAs refer to the representatives of groups active in disaster perceived to be knowledgeable and trustworthy such as the Red Cross, national/state/local emergency responders, firefighters, and national/state/local health officials, that can reach large numbers of people, understand the need to influence the individuals that enact "panic buying," and are willing to act. A whopping 89% of people said that they would limit their purchases if asked by a TCA.

[...] Peoples' objectives in DRBBs ran the gamut. First, self-preservation was a primary concern. Second, altruism factored in as consumers wanted to provide for their loved ones and their communities. Third, opportunism reared its head, as people tried to cash in on opportunities to sell hard-to-find items at a premium. With this in mind, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work.

"Managing DRBBs requires effective public-private-humanitarian collaboration," said Holguin-Veras. "The public sector has the legal authority to intervene when needed, the private sector has control over the access and supplies, and the humanitarian sector has the deep community connections."

The sectors must work together in preparation, response, and assessment. Building trust and relationships, monitoring events and identifying situations that could prompt DRBBs, and examining legal frameworks are priorities during the preparation phase. During response, demand should be managed by working with private- and humanitarian- sector representatives, TCAs should be engaged, opportunistic purchases should be controlled to foster equitable access, and rationing should be instituted if needed. Appeals for the donations of stockpiled supplies are another measure that can be taken. Finally, a comprehensive assessment would facilitate any needed improvements.

Journal Reference:
José Holguín-Veras, Trilce Encarnación, Sofía Pérez-Guzmán, et al., The role and potential of trusted change agents and freight demand management in mitigating "Panic Buying" shortages, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives 19 (2023) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100792

Original Submission

hubie writes:

Could it mean we're judging those who aren't like us too harshly?

Sometimes life's most meaningful relationships grow from the briefest of connections. Like when you go to a party and meet someone wearing your favorite band's T-shirt, or who laughs at the same jokes as you, or who grabs that unpopular snack you alone (or so you thought) love. One small, shared interest sparks a conversation—that's my favorite, too!—and blossoms into lasting affection.

This is called the similarity-attraction effect: we generally like people who are like us. Now, new findings from a Boston University researcher have uncovered one reason why.

In a series of studies, Charles Chu, a BU Questrom School of Business assistant professor of management and organizations, tested the conditions that shape whether we feel attracted to—or turned off by—each other. He found one crucial factor was what psychologists call self-essentialist reasoning, where people imagine they have some deep inner core or essence that shapes who they are. Chu discovered that when someone believes an essence drives their interests, likes, and dislikes, they assume it's the same for others, too; if they find someone with one matching interest, they reason that person will share their broader worldview. [...]

[...] But Chu's research suggests this rush to embrace an indefinable, fundamental similarity with someone because of one or two shared interests may be based on flawed thinking—and that it could restrict who we find a connection with. Working alongside the pull of the similarity-attraction effect is a countering push: we dislike those who we don't think are like us, often because of one small thing—they like that politician, or band, or book, or TV show we loathe.

"We are all so complex," says Chu. "But we only have full insight into our own thoughts and feelings, and the minds of others are often a mystery to us. What this work suggests is that we often fill in the blanks of others' minds with our own sense of self and that can sometimes lead us into some unwarranted assumptions."

[...] "When you hear a single fact or opinion being expressed that you either agree or disagree with, it really warrants taking an additional breath and just slowing down," he says. "Not necessarily taking that single piece of information and extrapolating on it, using this type of thinking to go to the very end, that this person is fundamentally good and like me or fundamentally bad and not like me."

[...] But in a time when political division has invaded just about every sphere of our lives, including workplaces, the applications of Chu's findings go way beyond corporate horse trading. Managing staff, collaborating on projects, team bonding—all are shaped by the judgments we make about each other. Self-essentialist reasoning may even influence society's distribution of resources, says Chu: who we consider worthy of support, who gets funds and who doesn't, could be driven by "this belief that people's outcomes are caused by something deep inside of them." That's why he advocates pushing pause before judging someone who, at first blush, doesn't seem like you.

"There are ways for us to go through life and meet other people, and form impressions of other people, without constantly referencing ourselves," he says. "If we're constantly going around trying to figure out, who's like me, who's not like me?, that's not always the most productive way of trying to form impressions of other people. People are a lot more complex than we give them credit for."

Journal Reference:
Charles Chu and Brian S. Lowery, Self-Essentialist Reasoning Underlies the Similarity-Attraction Effect, PSPI, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000425

Original Submission

JoeMerchant writes:

Orca rams into yacht off Shetland in first such incident in northern waters:

An orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland on Monday, in a concerning development following previous interactions between the cetaceans and vessels in the strait of Gibraltar and Portugal...

Experts believe this could be play among juvenile whales. Dr Alfredo López, of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica in Portugal, said: "We know that many boats use fishing lines from the stern to fish and it is a motivation for orcas, they come to examine them." But the focus on boats' rudders may come from adult whales who have developed an aversion towards boats, perhaps because they "had a bad experience and try to stop the boat so as not to repeat it".

Most surprising is the fact that this learned behaviour should have appeared nearly 3,000 miles (4,800km) from Gibraltar. Dr Conor Ryan, a scientific adviser to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, who has studied orca pods off the Scottish coast, said: "I'd be reluctant to say it cannot be learned from [the southern population]. It's possible that this 'fad' is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities."

How long before "whale watching" tour boats have to harden their propulsion / steering systems to survive Orca attacks?

Original Submission

upstart writes:

The AI Act vote passed with an overwhelming majority, but the final version is likely to look a bit different:

The AI Act vote passed with an overwhelming majority, and has been heralded as one of the world's most important developments in AI regulation. The European Parliament's president, Roberta Metsola, described it as "legislation that will no doubt be setting the global standard for years to come."

Don't hold your breath for any immediate clarity, though. The European system is a bit complicated. Next, members of the European Parliament will have to thrash out details with the Council of the European Union and the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, before the draft rules become legislation. The final legislation will be a compromise between three different drafts from the three institutions, which vary a lot. It will likely take around two years before the laws are actually implemented.

[...] Here are some of the major implications:

upstart writes:

The 12-qubit device will go out to a few academic research labs:

Intel does a lot of things, but it's mostly noted for making and shipping a lot of processors, many of which have been named after bodies of water. So, saying that the company is set to start sending out a processor called Tunnel Falls would seem unsurprising if it weren't for some key details. Among them: The processor's functional units are qubits, and you shouldn't expect to be able to pick one up on New Egg. Ever.

Tunnel Falls appears to be named after a waterfall near Intel's Oregon facility, where the company's quantum research team does much of its work. It's a 12-qubit chip, which places it well behind the qubit count of many of Intel's competitors—all of which are making processors available via cloud services. But Jim Clarke, who heads Intel's quantum efforts, said these differences were due to the company's distinct approach to developing quantum computers.

[...] Intel, in contrast, is attempting to build silicon-based qubits that can benefit from the developments that most of the rest of the company is working on. The company hopes to "ride the coattails of what the CMOS industry has been doing for years," Clarke said in a call with the press and analysts. The goal, according to Clarke, is to make sure the answer to "what do we have to change from our silicon chip in order to make it?" is "as little as possible."

The qubits are based on quantum dots, structures that are smaller than the wavelength of an electron in the material. Quantum dots can be used to trap individual electrons, and the properties of the electron can then be addressed to store quantum information. Intel uses its fabrication expertise to craft the quantum dot and create all the neighboring features needed to set and read its state and perform manipulations.

upstart writes:

ASUS urges customers to patch critical router vulnerabilities:

ASUS has released new firmware with cumulative security updates that address vulnerabilities in multiple router models, warning customers to immediately update their devices or restrict WAN access until they're secured.

As the company explains, the newly released firmware contains fixes for nine security flaws, including high and critical ones.

The most severe of them are tracked as CVE-2022-26376 and CVE-2018-1160. The first is a critical memory corruption weakness in the Asuswrt firmware for Asus routers that could let attackers trigger denial-of-services states or gain code execution.

The other critical patch is for an almost five-year-old CVE-2018-1160 bug caused by an out-of-bounds write Netatalk weakness that can also be exploited to gain arbitrary code execution on unpatched devices.

"Please note, if you choose not to install this new firmware version, we strongly recommend disabling services accessible from the WAN side to avoid potential unwanted intrusions. These services include remote access from WAN, port forwarding, DDNS, VPN server, DMZ, port trigger," ASUS warned in a security advisory published today.

"We strongly encourage you to periodically audit both your equipment and your security procedures, as this will ensure that you will be better protected."

The list of impacted devices includes the following models: GT6, GT-AXE16000, GT-AX11000 PRO, GT-AX6000, GT-AX11000, GS-AX5400, GS-AX3000, XT9, XT8, XT8 V2, RT-AX86U PRO, RT-AX86U, RT-AX86S, RT-AX82U, RT-AX58U, RT-AX3000, TUF-AX6000, and TUF-AX5400.

ASUS warned users of impacted routers to update them to the latest firmware as soon as possible, available via the support website, each product's page, or via links provided in today's advisory.

The company also recommends creating distinct passwords for the wireless network and router administration pages of at least eight characters (combining uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols) and avoiding using the same password for multiple devices or services.

Original Submission

mcgrew writes:

Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13
(published in paperback as Apollo 13)
Hardcover, 378 pages

Houghton Mifflin, October 1994)
ISBN 0-395-67029-2

Apollo 13 lifted off a week or so after my eighteenth birthday. Of course, it had my attention, although not as much as when Apollo 11 landed. Nobody else was much interested by then. At least, until everybody thought all the astronauts onboard were on their way to death.

When I saw the movie Apollo 13, it seemed realistic. Nothing in the movie contradicted anything I remembered seeing in the newspaper or that Walter Cronkite said. I looked for this book in every library I had access to, unsuccessfully. Then I got the movie out again and decided to just buy the book a few weeks ago. I found a used hardcover copy on Amazon only a buck or two more expensive than the e-book.

I didn't have to read far to realize that the movie wasn't nonfiction. It was "based on a true story" and its makers dishonestly advertised it as nonfiction. Much of the movie was made up out of whole cloth.

It was co-written by Jeffrey Kluger, a journalist, and Apollo 13 Mission Commander Jim Lovell. Wikipedia informs me that the book was Kluger's idea, and pitched it to the two surviving Apollo 13 astronauts; Jack Swigert had died of cancer in 1982. "Fredo," as Lovell called Fred Haise, wasn't interested in the idea.

The prologue starts off with the debunking of an urban myth that said that astronauts had poison pills they could take if they were ever stranded in space.

This is a serious book about a serious incident in history. Chapter one starts "Jim Lovell was having dinner at the White House when his friend Ed White burned to death" about the Apollo 8 fire, although later it was found that the smoke poisoned them. It goes on describing how Lovell was a nerd who loved rockets as a teenager, and spoke of test piloting and early space flights before it gets around to the Apollo 13 launch.

It's an excellent book, very well written. I found it enjoyable and informative. Any high school teacher who thinks about showing the class the fictional movie based on this fine book would be wise to read the book first.

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/submarine-deaths-missing-titanic-oceangate-b2362578.html

See Previous Story: Search and Rescue Operation Underway for Submarine Visiting the Titanic Wreck

OceanGate Expeditions have confirmed that all five crew members on board the missing submersible Titan have died.

The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found the tail cone of the Titan on the sea floor about 1,600 feet away from the bow of the Titanic and other debris nearby, according to Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander.

Debris found on the sea floor was "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," the US Coast Guard said in a press briefing on Thursday.

"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost," a spokesperson told The Indepenent on Thursday.

"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans.

"Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time."

Original Submission

hubie writes:

A database of 2,467 languages helps researchers better understand the stakes when languages die off:

Languages, like animal species, can go extinct. More than half of the world's approximately 7,000 signed and spoken languages are currently endangered. And without intervention they are likely to become extinct, meaning nobody will speak or sign them any longer.

While language loss is happening across the world, the costs vary strikingly in different places, according to a new study co-authored by Yale linguist Claire Bowern. Regions where all Indigenous language are endangered — including parts of South America and the United States — face the greatest consequences.

The study, recently published in the journal Science Advances, is the first to use Grambank — the world's largest and most comprehensive database of language structure — to better understand global linguistic diversity and the threat that language loss poses to humanity's collective knowledge of history, culture, and cognition.

[...] The novel database currently covers 2,467 language varieties spanning 215 different language families and 101 isolated languages from all inhabited continents and geographic areas. It captures 195 language properties — including word order, verbal tense, and whether a language features gendered pronouns — allowing researchers to draw comparisons between and across the languages.

The current release version of the Grambank data can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7740139

Journal Reference:
Hedvig Skirgård et al., Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss, Sci. Adv., Vol 9, Issue 16, 2023. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

Original Submission

fliptop writes:

Mercedes says it's going to test ChatGPT with its in-car voice assistant for the next three months:

ChatGPT may be well on its way to remaking the internet, but you know where there isn't enough generative AI? On the roads. Microsoft and Mercedes have announced a partnership to test the integration of ChatGPT with Mercedes vehicles. The feature will launch in beta on more than 900,000 vehicles in the US.

Like most high-end carmakers, Mercedes has spent the last few years developing bespoke vehicle technology. For example, the company has its own Hey Mercedes voice assistant, where ChatGPT will connect. Instead of reaching out to the Mercedes AI model to understand spoken words, the beta software will use ChatGPT to interpret what's said.

Microsoft and Mercedes contend that using ChatGPT with Hey Mercedes will make the system more reliable and expand its capabilities. Most voice assistants, Hey Mercedes included, are limited in what they can do and understand. You might use a phrase that a person would interpret immediately that flummoxes the AI. ChatGPT is much better at understanding commands, and its grasp of context will allow drivers to have multi-part conversations with the AI.

[...] Mercedes won't have to make any changes or updates to cars to test ChatGPT. That's good because it's not fully committed. Starting today, Mercedes will test ChatGPT for three months. Drivers will be able to opt into the test from the Mercedes app or from the car itself. Just say, "Hey Mercedes, I want to join the beta program." Mercedes hasn't explained what it plans to do after the test, but the press release speaks vaguely about how beta findings could improve future implementations of voice models and AI in Mercedes vehicles.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Scientists discover lithium replacement that may revolutionize EV batteries: '99.7% efficient after over 400 hours of use':

Maryland is already famous for its crabs — but researchers at the University of Maryland are looking to give that distinction an entirely different meaning.

A team of scientists at the school's Center for Materials Innovation found that crustaceans like crabs and lobsters contain a chemical in their shells called chitin, which can be used to power batteries when combined with zinc.

[...] Lithium-ion batteries, the common kind found in most of our cellphones and laptops, can take hundreds of thousands of years to break down after they're used up — not to mention the devastating environmental impact lithium extraction has on our planet.

But these shellfish batteries are biodegradable and can decompose in soil after just five months, leaving behind zinc, which can be recycled.

The University of Maryland's study also found that chitin-zinc batteries were 99.7% efficient after over 400 hours of use, as reported by The Guardian, and that these batteries could likely be produced cheaply at scale.

[...] "When you develop new materials for battery technologies there tends to be a significant gap between promising lab results and a demonstrable and scalable technology," Newton, who is not affiliated with the Maryland study, told the outlet.

Journal Reference:
Meiling Wu, Ye Zhang, Lin Xu, et al., A sustainable chitosan-zinc electrolyte for high-rate zinc-metal batteries, Matter, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2022.07.015

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/micro-center-to-launch-two-stores-2024

While Best Buy, America's largest brick-and-mortar electronics retailer, has been closing stores this year among bleak PC sales, Micro Center has plans to continue expanding its retail footprint. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would be adding three new stores by the end of 2024, with the first opening in Indianapolis this summer.

Today, Micro Center has officially revealed the locations of the final two new locations, which will open in Miami and Charlotte next year. When all three new stores have opened, the company will have 28 outlets in the U.S. across 19 U.S. states, ranging from California in the west to New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts in the east. You can see a complete list of store locations on the company's site.

[...] Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1979, Micro Center is a favorite shopping destination for anyone who builds PCs, tinkers with Raspberry Pis or does any kind of 3D printing. The company stocks more than 400 types of filament, along with 3D printers and accessories from major vendors such as Creality and AnyCubic. It's also one of the few places where you can buy Raspberry Pi boards at MSRP, provided that they are in stock.

Unlike Best Buy, Amazon and Newegg, Micro Center's business model revolves pretty-much exclusively around getting customers to come into the store. Most of the products are not available for purchase online, though you can reserve them for in-store pickup.

Micro Center is also one of the few places you can actually see and touch high-end peripherals and components. The stores stock well over 150 different gaming keyboards from brands such as Razer, Corsair and Asus. They also have about the same number of PC cases, including those from Lian Li, Fractal Design and NZXT. The Fractal Design North, our current pick for best PC case, is available to see and buy with all of its wood-paneled glory.

Can you imagine a world where you can base your purchase decisions on seeing something in person and not having to hope that what you're buying is the same as the picture you are shown on a web page?

Original Submission

upstart writes:

They cite Musk's description of DMCA as a "plague on humanity":

Twitter is no stranger to lawsuits, but the latest filed against the company carries a lot of weight and a high price tag: 17 music publishers are suing Elon Musk's platform for $250 million over claims it "consistently and knowingly" allows and profits from copyright infringement.

The Tennesse lawsuit alleges that Twitter "fuels its business with countless infringing copies of musical compositions, violating Publishers' and others' exclusive rights under copyright law."

Musk's own statements are cited in the lawsuit. The Twitter owner once said copyright "goes absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator." He also complained that the "overzealous" application of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) "is a plague on humanity."

"Twitter knows perfectly well that neither it nor users of the Twitter platform have secured licenses for the rampant use of music being made on its platform as complained of herein," reads the suit. "Nonetheless, in connection with its highly interactive platform, Twitter consistently and knowingly hosts and streams infringing copies of musical compositions [...] Twitter also routinely continues to provide specific known repeat infringers with use of the Twitter platform, which they use for more infringement."