179885946
submission
schwit1 writes:
Gmail users have been urged to check their accounts after it was revealed that more than 183 million passwords were stolen in a data breach.
Australian cyber expert Troy Hunt, who revealed the incident, called it a 'vast corpus' of breached data, which totals 3.5 terrabytes.
179841846
submission
jrepin writes:
Plasma is a popular desktop (and mobile) environment for GNU/Linux and other UNIX-like operating systems. Among other things it also powers the desktop mode of Steam Deck gaming handheld. The KDE community today announced the latest release: Plasma 6.5. This fresh new release is all about fine-tuning, fresh features, and a making everything smooth and sleek for everyone.
The new version brings automatic light-to-dark theme switching based on the time of day. You can configure which global themes it switches between. You can also configure whether you want the wallpaper to switch between its light and dark versions based on the color scheme, the time of day, or be always light or dark. Next up is a “Pinned clipboard items” feature, which lets you save text you use regularly into the clipboard. Breeze-themed windows will now have the same level of roundness in all four corners, even the bottom one. Flatpak Permissions page has been transformed into a general Application Permissions page, where you can configure applications’ ability to do things like take screenshots and accept remote control requests. The utility that reads the level of ink or toner from your printer now informs you when it’s running low or empty. For the gamers out there, you can now see more relevant info about game controllers on System Settings’ Game Controller page. Artists among you can now configure any rotary dials and touch rings on your drawing tablet. Users sensitive to color can now make use of a grayscale color filter, which desaturates or removes color systemwide. Plasma 6.5 implements support for an experimental version of the Wayland picture-in-picture protocol that promises to allow apps like Firefox to eventually display proper PiP windows that stay above others automatically. Support for “overlay planes” was added, which can reduce CPU usage and power draw when displaying full-screen content using a compatible GPU.
You can read more about these and many other other new features in the Plasma 6.5 release anounncement and complete changelog.
179830308
submission
theodp writes:
Writing for the Communications of the ACM, Corey Doctorow makes the case for unionization in Tech Workers Versus Enshittification:
"Now that tech workers are as disposable as Amazon warehouse workers and drivers, as disposable as the factory workers in iPhone City, it’s only a matter of time until the job conditions are harmonized downward. Jeff Bezos doesn’t force his delivery drivers to relieve themselves in bottles because he hates delivery drivers. Jeff Bezos doesn’t allow his coders to use a restroom whenever they need to because he loves hackers. The factor that determines how Jeff Bezos treats workers is 'What is the worst treatment those workers can be forced to accept?'"
"Throughout the entire history of human civilization, there has only ever been one way to guarantee fair wages and decent conditions for workers: unions. Even non-union workers benefit from unions, because strong unions are the force that causes labor protection laws to be passed, which protect all workers. [...] Now is the time to get organized. Your boss has made it clear how you’d be treated if they had their way. They’re about to get it. Walking a picket line is a slog, to be sure, but picket lines beat piss bottles, hands down."
179763732
submission
joshuark writes:
According to Monster’s newly released 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey of 1,100 workers, 80% of respondents described their workplace environment as toxic. Toxic work environments are playing a large role in an epidemic of worsening mental health.
The alarming statistic is an increase from 67% just a year ago. Mental health is incredibly important to employees. The majority (63%) care more about it than having a “brag-worthy” job. According to the survey, more than half of workers (57%) say they’d rather quit their job than continue working in an environment they feel is toxic and overall, causing major strains to their mental well-being.
Regardless of the fact that workers seem to be feeling strained, most of them don’t feel their employer is responding to workers’ mental health needs. The vast majority (93%) say their employer isn’t focused on supporting employee mental health—a statistic that rose drastically since just a year ago, with 78% claiming the same.
179695294
submission
BrianFagioli writes:
Surfshark has rolled out the worldâ(TM)s first 100Gbps VPN servers, starting in Amsterdam. The company says the move is designed to prevent VPN services from becoming a bottleneck as internet speeds continue to rise and more devices demand higher capacity for streaming, gaming, and software updates. Surfshark CTO Donatas Budvytis noted that âoewith 10 times the headroom of 10Gbps, we can reduce congestion and maintain consistent speeds, even during high traffic spikes,â adding that the upgrade is also about preparing for future tech like AR glasses and VR headsets.
By choosing Amsterdam, Surfshark is tapping into AMS-IX, one of the worldâ(TM)s largest internet exchanges, handling more than 14 trillion bits per second. The company says the new servers enable faster encryption on modern CPUs, better load distribution, and reduced need for throttling, which should give customers more consistent performance closer to their ISPâ(TM)s maximum speeds. Surfshark users wonâ(TM)t need to pay extra for the upgrade, with the new infrastructure coming online as part of the standard subscription.
179348600
submission
fjo3 writes:
Tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg was humiliated onstage not once, but twice, as his attempts to showcase the brilliance of Meta’s new AI-powered glasses were met with dismal failure.
Speaking at the company’s annual Meta Connect conference, Zuckerberg introduced the company’s second-generation smart Ray-Bans and a new neural wristband, as part of his vision for an AI that serves people in real-time.
Business Insider reported the vision unraveled when the AI glitched moments after the request, ignoring basic instructions and insisting that the employee had “already combined these ingredients.”
179097148
submission
schwit1 writes:
Self-described ethical hacker "BobDaHacker" posted Saturday a blog post disclosing authentication bypass and other vulnerabilities in the "Assistant" system used by Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International, parent company to the hamburger chain as well as Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs.
The "Assistant" system is deployed across RBI brands, BobDaHacker said in the now-deleted report, which remains archived online.
The blog post, titled "We Hacked Burger King," was up for less than 48 hours, until the researcher said they received a copyright infringement notice transmitted by threat intel firm Cyble. "Their complaint specifically states that our use of the 'Burger King' trademark was unauthorized and creates 'a high degree of confusion among the public that the website is in some way endorsed by/or linked with our client,'" BobDaHacker said in a statement posted to the URL where their research previously was live.
Here it is on the wayback machine
178402498
submission
alternative_right writes:
Around a Sun-like star just 1,300 light-years away, a family of planets has been seen in its earliest moments of conception.
Astronomers analyzed the infrared flow of dust and detritus left over from the formation of a baby star called HOPS-315, finding tiny concentrations of hot minerals that will eventually form planetesimals – the 'seeds' around which new planets will grow.
178402294
submission
alternative_right writes:
Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique that uses DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing devastating rare diseases to their children, researchers reported Wednesday.
178065399
submission
theodp writes:
If you believe Coding, Creativity and the New Digital Fluency — "sponsored content from Minecraft Education" published by EdSurge and penned by Laylah Bulman, a senior program manager at Minecraft Education — the way to a child's creative coding heart is through Microsoft Minecraft. "One example of creative coding comes from a curriculum that introduces computer science through game design and storytelling in Minecraft, a game-based learning platform used by millions of students worldwide," writes EdSurge. "Developed by Urban Arts in collaboration with Minecraft Education, the program offers middle school teachers professional development, ongoing coaching and a 72-session curriculum built around game-based instruction. Designed for grades 6-8, the project-based program is beginner-friendly; no prior programming experience is required for teachers or students. It blends storytelling, collaborative design and foundational programming skills with a focus on creativity and equity."
The Urban Arts and Microsoft Creative Coders program touted by EdSurge in its advertorial was funded by a $4 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant that was awarded to Urban Arts in 2023 by the U.S. Dept. of Education "to create an engaging, game-based, middle school CS course using Minecraft tools" for 3,450 middle schoolers (6th-8th grades)" in New York and California (Urban Arts credited Minecraft for helping craft the winning proposal). A year prior, at the 2022 grand opening of the Microsoft Garage in New York City, Urban Arts alums pitched NYC Mayor Eric Adams on the idea that game development education can prepare public school students for the modern workplace as Microsoft President Brad Smith looked on. New York City is a Minecraft Education believer — the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment recently kicked off summer with the inaugural NYC Video Game Festival, which included the annual citywide Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Competition in partnership with NYC Public Schools.
Interestingly, the $4M in federal funding for Creative Coders — as well as $8M in earlier EIR grants awarded to Urban Arts for STEM education — may have been unlocked thanks to the efforts of Microsoft and Smith. In his 2019 book Tools and Weapons, Microsoft President Brad Smith indicated Microsoft made a $50 million K-12 CS education spending pledge to secure Ivanka Trump's assistance in persuading Donald Trump to sign a 2017 presidential order "to ensure that federal funding [$1 billion] from the Department of Education helps advance [K-12] computer science," including via EIR STEM+CS grants.
177990377
submission
skam240 writes:
Well known vaccine skeptic and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Fken... ,
Kennedy has an extensive history of vaccine skepticism https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F... , frequently furnishing false or misleading data dressed up to look scientific to the public.
177901597
submission
schwit1 writes:
The brazen Ukrainian blitz of Russian warplanes Sunday was 18 months in the making and the Pentagon was kept in the dark until it was over, sources told Fox News.
"Operation Spider's Web," a series of coordinated drone strikes penetrating deep into Russian territory, is believed to have taken out dozens of Russia's most powerful bomber jets and surveillance planes as they sat idle on five military airfields.
The stunning operation was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s security service (SBU) said.
Ukraine used small FPV drones hidden inside wooden cabins mounted on trucks. When the trucks reached their targets, the roofs opened by remote control, and the drones launched.
177872193
submission
schwit1 writes:
A federal judge has decided that First Amendment protections don’t shield an artificial intelligence company from a lawsuit accusing the firm and its founders of creating chatbots that figured prominently in an Orlando teen’s suicide.
Judge Anne C. Conway of the Middle District of Florida denied several motions by defendants Character Technologies and founders Daniel De Freitas and Noam Shazeer to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III. Setzer killed himself with a gun in February of last year after interacting for months with Character.AI chatbots imitating fictitious characters from the Game of Thrones franchise, according to the lawsuit filed by Sewell’s mother, Megan Garcia.
“ Defendants fail to articulate why words strung together by (Large Language Models, or LLMs, trained in engaging in open dialog with online users) are speech,” Conway said in her May 21 opinion. “ The court is not prepared to hold that Character.AI’s output is speech.”
177678035
submission
doconnor writes:
The list, published as part of a “summer guide” insert in the Chicago Sun-Times on May 18 and the Philadelphia Inquirer on May 15, included 15 recommended novels, “new and old,” that promised to “deliver the perfect summer escape.” People on social media were quick to point out that 10 of the entries were novels that do not exist. In an interview with 404media, Buscaglia said that he was “completely embarrassed” by the errors and takes full responsibility. “I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious,” he said. “No excuses.” Buscaglia said that he uses AI “for background at times,” but always double checks the material.
177414659
submission
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.”
