Comment Listen closely (Score 4, Informative) 99
That flushing noise you just heard is the sound of decades and billions of dollars of branding swirling down the money commode.
Comment Sucks (Score 1) 45
Just a reminder! It's "blog post," not "blog!"
To address the contents of the post: yeah, this sucks, a textbook example of enshittification.
Comment urg (Score 5, Insightful) 65
Tech companies: Security is such a huge priority that we'll load our software with power and memory wasting countermeasures that annoy the hell out of you. You may hate being that using two-factor authentication requires you to grab your phone for a text message before you log into anything, but it's all in the name of security! You should learn with it, it's all for the best!
Also tech companies: It's so important to lard our work with generative AI features that a little security compromise is fine!
Submission + - Secret cellular radios discovered in Chinese-Made Solar Inverters (reuters.com)
Kobun writes: In what is suspected to be a prelude to further cyberattacks, Chinese solar panel power inverter manufacturing companies have been secretly installing cellular communication chips.
Submission + - Rogue Communication Devices Found In Chinese Produced Solar Panel Inverters (reuters.com) 1
Gilmoure writes: Looks like one more vector for Chinese influence on western utilities.
Reuters: "Using the rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, could destabilise power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts, experts said."
Reuters: "Using the rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, could destabilise power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts, experts said."
Submission + - Inventwood is about to mass produce wood thats stronger than Steel. (techcrunch.com)
ndsurvivor writes: It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but it actually comes from a lab in Maryland.
In 2018, Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the University of Maryland, devised a way to turn ordinary wood into a material stronger than steel. It seemed like yet another headline-grabbing discovery that wouldn’t make it out of the lab.
“All these people came to him,” said Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood, “He’s like, OK, this is amazing, but I’m a university professor. I don’t know quite what to do about it.”
Rather than give up, Hu spent the next few years refining the technology, reducing the time it took to make the material from more than a week to a few hours. Soon, it was ready to commercialize, and he licensed the technology to InventWood.
Now, the startup’s first batches of Superwood will be produced starting this summer.
“Right now, coming out of this first-of-a-kind commercial plant — so it’s a smaller plant — we’re focused on skin applications,” Lau said. “Eventually we want to get to the bones of the building. Ninety percent of the carbon impact from buildings is concrete and steel in the construction of the building.”
To build the factory, InventWood has raised $15 million in the first close of a Series A round. The round was led by the Grantham Foundation with participation from Baruch Future Ventures, Builders Vision, and Muus Climate Partners, the company exclusively told TechCrunch.
In 2018, Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the University of Maryland, devised a way to turn ordinary wood into a material stronger than steel. It seemed like yet another headline-grabbing discovery that wouldn’t make it out of the lab.
“All these people came to him,” said Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood, “He’s like, OK, this is amazing, but I’m a university professor. I don’t know quite what to do about it.”
Rather than give up, Hu spent the next few years refining the technology, reducing the time it took to make the material from more than a week to a few hours. Soon, it was ready to commercialize, and he licensed the technology to InventWood.
Now, the startup’s first batches of Superwood will be produced starting this summer.
“Right now, coming out of this first-of-a-kind commercial plant — so it’s a smaller plant — we’re focused on skin applications,” Lau said. “Eventually we want to get to the bones of the building. Ninety percent of the carbon impact from buildings is concrete and steel in the construction of the building.”
To build the factory, InventWood has raised $15 million in the first close of a Series A round. The round was led by the Grantham Foundation with participation from Baruch Future Ventures, Builders Vision, and Muus Climate Partners, the company exclusively told TechCrunch.
Submission + - Republicans Try To Cram Decade-Long AI Regulation Ban Into Spending Bill (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Late last night, House Republicans introduced new language to the Budget Reconciliation bill that will immiserate the lives of millions of Americans by cutting their access to Medicaid, and making life much more difficult for millions more by making them pay higher fees when they seek medical care. While a lot of attention will be justifiably given to these cuts, the bill has also crammed in new language that attempts to entirely stop states from enacting any regulation against artificial intelligence. “...no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the 10 year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act,” says the text of the bill introduced Sunday night by Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The text of the bill will be considered by the House at the budget reconciliation markup on May 13.
That language of the bill, how it goes on to define AI and other “automated systems,” and what it considers “regulation,” is broad enough to cover relatively new generative AI tools and technology that has existed for much longer. In theory, that language will make it impossible to enforce many existing and proposed state laws that aim to protect people from and inform them about AI systems. [...] In theory none of these states will be able to enforce these laws if Republicans manage to pass the Budget Reconciliation bill with this current language.
That language of the bill, how it goes on to define AI and other “automated systems,” and what it considers “regulation,” is broad enough to cover relatively new generative AI tools and technology that has existed for much longer. In theory, that language will make it impossible to enforce many existing and proposed state laws that aim to protect people from and inform them about AI systems. [...] In theory none of these states will be able to enforce these laws if Republicans manage to pass the Budget Reconciliation bill with this current language.
Submission + - A Blast From The Past: The UCSD p-System and Apple Pascal
mbessey writes: As we're coming up on the 50th anniversary of the first release of UCSD Pascal, I thought it would be interesting to poke around in it a bit, and work on some tools to bring this "portable operating system" back to life on modern hardware, in a modern language (Rust).
The series is ongoing, but it starts here:
https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarkbessey.blog%2F2025%2F0...
The series is ongoing, but it starts here:
https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarkbessey.blog%2F2025%2F0...
Submission + - Nintendo says your Switch 2 isn't really yours even if you paid for it (betanews.com) 1
BrianFagioli writes: The new Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here. Next month, eager fans will finally be able to get their hands on the highly anticipated follow-up to the wildly popular hybrid console. But before you line up (or frantically refresh your browser for a preorder), you might want to read the fine print, because Nintendo might be able to kill your console.
Yes, really. That’s not just speculation, folks. According to its newly updated user agreement, Nintendo has granted itself the right to make your Switch 2 “permanently unusable” if you break certain rules. Yes, the company might literally brick your device.
Buried in the legalese is a clause that says if you try to bypass system protections, modify software, or mess with the console in a way that’s not approved, Nintendo can take action. And that action could include completely disabling your system. The exact wording makes it crystal clear: Nintendo may “render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part.”
Yes, really. That’s not just speculation, folks. According to its newly updated user agreement, Nintendo has granted itself the right to make your Switch 2 “permanently unusable” if you break certain rules. Yes, the company might literally brick your device.
Buried in the legalese is a clause that says if you try to bypass system protections, modify software, or mess with the console in a way that’s not approved, Nintendo can take action. And that action could include completely disabling your system. The exact wording makes it crystal clear: Nintendo may “render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part.”
Comment And child molestors are also on⦠(Score 1) 82
The telephone. And at grocery stores. And obtained car and home loans. All freely.
Comment If you are the type to ask this⦠(Score 1) 302
Please donâ(TM)t have children. You will sux as a parent.
Comment Less a privacy, and more a security issue (Score 1) 124
Government is after these companies for encryption, which the companies claim it is about privacy. But this really should be about security. By using these services, you are nearly guaranteed that end user is who they say. What is needed is for governments to hand out a packet of vetted digital certificates and then use these in various services/applications.
Comment Google needs to split into 2 groups (Score 1) 143
China is pushing massive amounts of effort on AI for industry and military. Doing this should not be an issue. However, these ppl are likely to be a detriment to this. So best thing would be to do a NASA/USAF kind of thing. Split the group into 2 with those that fighting military involvement and put them in a group devoted to industry, pure development while other group continues to do pure development but in all areas including military. For this 2nd group, put in ppl with security clearance.
Comment We will see (Score -1, Troll) 91
This has been claimed multiple times over the last 15 years, but their goal is 1.75 TW of coal plants. It will return to adding 40-50 GW new coal plants / year next year, if not this year.
Comment NASA is too blame (Score 1) 155
NASA should be creating standards for private space. Not just space suits but even docking, sat capture, etc is a mess.
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