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Submission + - Autism should not be seen as single condition with one cause, say scientists (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: 'Those diagnosed as small children typically have distinct genetic profile from those diagnosed later, study finds'

So there's more than one condition out there that's being diagnosed as 'autism'. This, of course, messes with the debate about causes; one version of autism may be caused by something for which the evidence is very weak overall... ;)

Submission + - Hundreds of celebrities relaunch a McCarthy-era committee to defend free speech (npr.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: On Wednesday, over 550 celebrities relaunched a group first organized during the post-World War II Red Scare: the Committee for the First Amendment. Their intent is to stand up in what they call a "defense of our constitutional rights," adding: "The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry."

Submission + - SWIFT launches a global financial blockchain (reuters.com)

Submitted by Camembert
Camembert writes: In a move that is sure to make Ripple nervous, traditional financial network Swift announced yesterday that it is partnering with Consensys and more than 30 global banks to build a blockchain based network that will run in parallel with its traditional network. Interestingly, unlike XRP, there is no native coin, rather it aims for interoperability (probably using Chainlink with whom the company did case studies for a few years already). There is also a strong focus on regulatory compliance. There are several news articles and opinion pieces on this event, I linked the Reuters article.

Comment Re:I don't believe you (Score 2) 74

by ISayWeOnlyToBePolite (#65678360) Attached to: US Secret Service 'Dismantles Telecommunications Threat'

I believe they found what they stated but they aren't even sure what its for so its hard to believe the supposed threat. It was traced due to supposed text threats made to various congresspeople, again, unstated as to who or what it was. A quote I saw:

"The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated," says US Secret Service Director Sean Curran.

THAT I do not believe, unless by disruption they mean spam, since it was also stated it could send a text message to every american in a very short time. To be fair, if that is also true, sending out a "War of the Worlds" sort of hoax message could indeed cause chaos, since the echo chambers of social media would confirm everyone got it and everyone would then believe the sky was falling.

I don't know how many simultaneous calls the emergency services can handle but 100K seem to me like a lot. Likewise i have no idea if they can apply any sort of sensible filtering akin to regular ddos to incoming calls. Alarms that use mobile network could be ddosed, security cameras. With a bit of imagination I'm sure there's more.

Submission + - EU policymakers finally plan to fix the cookie banner nightmare they created (techspot.com) 1

Submitted by jjslash
jjslash writes: The European Commission is drafting amendments to the ePrivacy Directive to reduce the constant flood of cookie consent banners. Currently, websites must get explicit permission and clearly explain their data practices, leading to widespread banner fatigue. Critics argue that this overuse has backfired, with most users clicking “accept” without reading, undermining privacy protections and awareness.

More than a decade ago, Europe rewrote internet rules which effectively forced the entire internet to adopt stricter rules on cookie consent by amending the ePrivacy Directive. Since 2009, from big tech giants, to small personal blogs, and virtually any internet-based organization had to display a "cookie banner" to first-time visitors. Collectively, European users spend an estimated 575 hours every year clicking through those pesky prompts.

Submission + - Criminals use portable SMS blasters to flood phones with phishing texts (techspot.com)

Submitted by jjslash
jjslash writes:

Cybercriminals are increasingly using portable devices known as SMS blasters to flood phones with fraudulent text messages, marking a shift in how large-scale phishing scams are carried out. Instead of relying on lists of numbers and automated delivery systems routed through mobile networks, criminals have begun installing fake cell towers in cars or backpacks to beam scam texts directly to nearby phones. These devices, often disguised inside vehicles, impersonate cellular base stations and force surrounding phones into insecure connections.

The trend is a turning point, according to Cathal Mc Daid, VP of technology at telecommunications and cybersecurity firm Enea. "This is essentially the first time that we have seen large-scale use of mobile radio-transmitting devices by criminal groups," Mc Daid told Wired.

Submission + - Trump administration to link Tylenol use to risk of autism (politico.com)

Submitted by fjo3
fjo3 writes: President Donald Trump plans to announce Monday that using Tylenol during pregnancy could contribute to autism risk and will advise pregnant women only to use it, or generic acetaminophen, for high fevers, two senior administration officials told POLITICO.

The officials, granted anonymity to share details of the announcement in advance, said Trump would also highlight leucovorin, a cancer and anemia drug, as a potential therapy for people with autism.

Comment Re:I just tried it (Score 2) 43

by ISayWeOnlyToBePolite (#65676116) Attached to: Is Amazon Prime Too Hard To Cancel? A Jury Will Decide.

Well the summary did say that Amazon streamlined the process in April 2023 ahead of the filing. How was the process before that?

The pretrial summary judgment: https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.courthousenews.com... (the description of the cancellation process starts at page 9 and contains flowchart pics so I'm not quoting).

Comment Re:It's easier to ask for forgiveness ... (Score 1) 93

... than for permission.

Why are they asking for permission to use something in the public domain?

From the complaint:

25. For example, on July 16, 2025, the day after Morgan & Morgan sent the
Morgan Letter to Disney, Disney filed a trademark infringement and false
designation of origin lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central
District of California against a third party for selling goods that incorporated
elements from “Steamboat Willie,” even though the underlying copyright had
expired and even though the defendant had disclaimed any connection to Disney.
In paragraph 42 of that complaint, Disney alleged:

The expiration of the U.S. copyright in Steamboat Willie does not give
[Defendant] license to infringe Disney’s continuing rights over its
trademarks that identify Disney as the source of goods and services
and to profit off the goodwill that Disney has built with the public
over decades. As Disney has stated publicly, while copyright expired
in the Steamboat Willie motion picture, Mickey Mouse will continue
to play a leading role as a global ambassador for Disney

So no.

Comment Re:Source of 40% figure? (Score 1) 157

Windows 11 is compatible with CPUs sold in the last 7-8 years (Ryzen 2000 and newer, Core 8000 and newer). Considering business cycles, most businesses should have a Windows 11 compatible PC. For consumers, 7-8 years is also typically longer than the upgrade cycle. I know some people use older PCs, but the 40% figure feels high, and some of the people using older PCs are techies who might already use Linux.

PIRG doesn't cite a source. The only source I can find for the 40% figure is a blogpost by lansweeper from 2022 referenced https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zdnet.com%2Farticle%2F... But if you follow the link to the original source in that article you get an updated 2025 16 September article which is also the date of the PIRG press release announcing the initiative to get win 10 support extended https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpirg.org%2Fmedia-center%2F...

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