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Submission + - Meta AI tool calls Trump assassination attempt âfictionalâ(TM) (nypost.com) 2

sinij writes:

Meta's AI assistant claimed the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump was a “fictional” event — but had plenty to say about Democratic rival Kamala Harris’ run for the White House.
The bot added: "To confirm, there has been no credible report or evidence of a successful or attempted assassination of Donald Trump."

This could only be the result of intentional manipulation of the model to disfavor and suppress coverage favorable to Trump.

Comment List of Kamala Harris lies (Score 5, Interesting) 333

Here you go
https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politifact.com%2Ffac...

This is who you people really think should be the leader of the free world?
https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2023%2F04%2F26%2F...
“So, I think it’s very important, as you have heard from so many incredible leaders, for us at every moment in time — and certainly this one — to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past but the future,”
W.T.F.

Comment Time to discuss Democrat gun control (Score 1) 17

Is this perhaps the time to discuss gun control?

In Pennsylvania, you must register as a Republican to be able able to vote in the primary against a Republican candidate. Its the only reason this Democrat liberal progressive shooter was registered as a Republican. Im all for gun control legislation baring any registered democrat from being able to purchase a weapon. They are all the ones that are committing the atrocities.

Comment My recommendation on first lawsuit... (Score 1) 220

My recommendation to every fossil fuel vendor (Gasoline, Natural gas, propane) on the date of the first filed lawsuit is to close the doors, stop sales and tell the state of Oregon the sales will resume the moment the lawsuit is dropped. Until then, anyone wishing to complain should contact the State of Oregon legal team that filed the lawsuit. Id have it posted on the front door of every gas station, propane vendor, on the home page for every natural gas company and on the paper and electronic bills for natural gas service.

In the words of Bugs Bunny "What a maroon."

Submission + - Vehicle electrification, 115% more copper must be mined in the next 30 years (ief.org)

schwit1 writes: Just to meet business-as-usual trends, 115% more copper must be mined in the next 30 years than has been mined historically until now. To electrify the global vehicle fleet requires bringing into production 55% more new mines than would otherwise be needed. On the other hand, hybrid electric vehicle manufacture would require negligible extra copper mining. The figure summarizes projections of both demand and supply in a fashion that has not been done before and we discuss aspects of copper exploration that have not seen much discussion. Our main purpose, however, is to communicate the magnitude of the copper mining challenge to the broader public that is less familiar with upstream resource issues.

Comment Was the plan fire a 777 or a 737? (Score 1) 132

In the post:
"The incident follows the mid-air loss of a tire from a United Boeing 777-200 Thursday, just after the plane took off from San Francisco on a flight to Osaka, Japan, and an engine fire on a United flight from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida, earlier this week. The plane in the Houston-to-Florida flight had to make an emergency landing after one of its engines burst into flames 10 minutes after takeoff. The 21-year-old aircraft was also a 737 -- but an earlier version than the Max, according to FlightRadar24."
Was it a "777-200" or was it a "21 year-old... 737"?

The 777 is like the 737's big brother. It's substantially larger, boasting a typical seating arrangement that can accommodate upwards of 300 to 400 passengers, depending on the variant. The 737, on the other hand, is more of a middleweight, seating around 85 to 215 passengers, also dependent on the model.

The 777 is an endurance athlete. It's built for those long-haul international flights, capable of flying distances north of 8,000 miles—with the 777-200LR variant hitting upwards of a staggering 15,000 miles. The 737, though, prefers a sprint; it's a short to medium-range jet, ideal for hopping from one domestic spot to another, with its legs stretching anywhere from about 2,935 to 6,510 miles.

Both models sport two engines, but their power differs as starkly as a Prius and a Tesla. 777 engines are muscular, designed to handle the additional weight and range, while the 737's engines are more modest, aligned with the aircraft's size and flight scope.

Boeing filled the 777 with the latest and greatest in aviation technology. It has fly-by-wire controls—a sophisticated system that replaces manual controls with an electronic interface—and massive twin jet engines that could just about swallow a 737's fuselage. The 737, particularly the Next Generation (NG) models, isn't exactly flying a typewriter across the sky, but it’s more of a classic feel when it comes to operation.

The 777 and 737 were born for different reasons. The 777, a wide-body aircraft, is a marathon runner designed for long distances, carrying more passengers, and overall bigger payloads. In contrast, the 737 is that reliable car that everybody in town has had at some point—it's the workhorse of short-range aviation and among the best-selling jet commercial airliners.

Submission + - Samsung TV Plus App removed from Samsung TV's (cordcuttersnews.com)

ekimminau writes: On the morning of December 20, 2023, thousands of users turned on their Samsung TV to find that the Samsung TV Plus application (https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsung.com%2Fus%2Ftelevisions-home-theater%2Ftvs%2Ftvplus%2F) was missing. Available for free on 2016 – 2023 Samsung Smart TVs, Galaxy devices, Smart Monitors, Family Hub refrigerators, and the web, For many it is their primary method of TV viewing. The masses began flocking to the Samsung community forums asking wtf. https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus.community.samsung.c... . From Cord Cutters https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcordcuttersnews.com%2Fsa... At this time, Samsung has not posted any updates about the outage. Customer service has been telling customers they are aware of the outage and are working on fixing it.
This news comes as Samsung recently added seven local FOX news channels for community stories, sports updates, weather forecasts and more. The new markets are Austin, Detroit, Milwaukee, Orlando, Phoenix, Seattle and Tampa Bay. Right now, this outage seems to only be affecting the app on Smart TVs as the website is still working letting anyone stream Samsung TV Plus for free streaming online through the website https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsungtvplus.com%2F.

Security

Comcast Discloses Data Breach of Close To 36 Million Xfinity Customers [UPDATE] (techcrunch.com) 40

In a notice on Monday, Xfinity notified customers of a "data security incident" that resulted in the theft of customer information, including usernames, passwords, contact information, and more. The Verge reports: Xfinity traces the breach to a security vulnerability disclosed by cloud computing company Citrix, which began alerting customers of a flaw in software Xfinity and other companies use on October 10th. While Xfinity says it patched the security hole, it later uncovered suspicious activity on its internal systems "that was concluded to be a result of this vulnerability."

The hack resulted in the theft of customer usernames and hashed passwords, according to Xfinity's notice. Meanwhile, "some customers" may have had their names, contact information, last four digits of their social security numbers, dates of birth, and / or secret questions and answers exposed. Xfinity has notified federal law enforcement about the incident and says "data analysis is continuing."

We still don't know how many users were affected by the breach. Xfinity will automatically ask customers to change their passwords the next time they log in to their accounts, and it's also encouraging users to turn on two-factor authentication. You can find the full notice, including contact information for the company's incident response team, on Xfinity's website (PDF).
UPDATE 12/19/23: According to TechCrunch, almost 36 million Xfinity customers had their sensitive information accessed by hackers via a vulnerability known as "CitrixBleed." The vulnerability is "found in Citrix networking devices often used by big corporations and has been under mass-exploitation by hackers since late August," the report says. "Citrix made patches available in early October, but many organizations did not patch in time. Hackers have used the CitrixBleed vulnerability to hack into big-name victims, including aerospace giant Boeing, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and international law firm Allen & Overy."

"In a filing with Maine's attorney general, Comcast confirmed that almost 35.8 million customers are affected by the breach. Comcast's latest earnings report shows the company has more than 32 million broadband customers, suggesting this breach has impacted most, if not all Xfinity customers."
Earth

Volcano Erupts in Iceland Near Power Plant, in 'Worst-Case Scenario' 111

A volcano in southwestern Iceland began erupting Monday, posing a risk to the nearby Svartsengi Power Plant and the town of Grindavik. "We are looking at a worst-case scenario," said Thorvaldur Thordarson, a volcanologist in Iceland. "The eruption appears big, and only about two kilometers from major infrastructure." The New York Times reports: Thousands of earthquakes had been detected in Iceland since late October, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. In November, with homes and roads being damaged, the authorities declared a state of emergency and evacuated Grindavik, a town of more than 3,000 people near the volcano. More recently, the Meteorological Office warned of a "significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption in coming days."

Volcanic eruptions are not uncommon in Iceland, which has fewer than 400,000 residents and about 130 volcanoes. Since the 19th century, not a decade has gone by without one, Iceland's tourist website tells interested visitors. The occurrence of eruptions remains "entirely random." The country straddles two tectonic plates, which are themselves divided by an undersea mountain chain that oozes molten hot rock, or magma.

The current seismic activity has not affected one of Iceland's best-known volcanoes, Katla, which some scientists worry is due for an eruption. Katla has erupted five times since 1721, at intervals ranging from 34 to 78 years. The last major one was in 1918.
Last month, Icelandic authorities started building defense walls around the geothermal power plant to protect it from lava flows. "Authorities said they were preparing to construct a large dyke designed to divert lava flows around the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located just over 6 kilometers (4 miles) from Grindavik," reported Reuters in mid November.

"A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, said it supplies power to the entire country, although a disruption would not affect power supply to Reykjavik."
Firefox

Firefox 121 Now Available With Wayland Enabled By Default (phoronix.com) 47

Firefox 121 has arrived with Wayland support to be used by default on modern Linux desktops. Phoronix's Michael Larabel writes: Some Linux distributions and package builds have been using the native Wayland path for a while but now it's great to see the upstream builds make this default change as we get ready to embark on the 2024 Linux desktop. With my testing of Firefox 121 on Wayland, it's been working out well. X.Org/X11 support remains in place for those not using a Wayland-based desktop environment.

Firefox 121 also adds Voice Control command support on macOS, adds an option to always force-underline links within websites, Firefox now includes a floating button to help in creation within PDFs, various CSS feature additions, and other developer enhancements. Firefox 121 also now supports tail call elimination in WebAssembly for enhancing support for functional languages.
You can download Firefox 121 via archive.mozilla.org.
Books

Internet Archive: Digital Lending Is Fair Use, Not Copyright Infringement 50

Ernesto Van der Sar reports via TorrentFreak: Internet Archive has filed its opening brief in its appeal of a court ruling which found its digital lending program copyright-infringing. The Archive believes the decision should be reversed on the grounds that its lending activities amount to fair use. Founder Brewster Kahle believes the legal battle is vital for the future of all libraries in the United States and around the world. [ "This lawsuit is about more than the Internet Archive; it is about the role of all libraries in our digital age," says IA founder Brewster Kahle. "This lawsuit is an attack on a well-established practice used by hundreds of libraries to provide public access to their collections. The disastrous lower court decision in this case holds implications far beyond our organization, shaping the future of all libraries in the United States and unfortunately, around the world."]

Whether IA has a fair use defense depends on how the four relevant factors are weighed. According to the lower court, these favor the publishers but the library vehemently disagrees. On the contrary, it believes that its service promotes the creation and sharing of knowledge, which is a core purpose of copyright. "This Court should reverse and hold that IA's controlled digital lending is fair use. This practice, like traditional library lending, furthers copyright's goal of promoting public availability of knowledge without harming authors or publishers," the brief reads. A fair use analysis has to weigh the interests of both sides. The lower court did so, but IA argues that it reached the wrong conclusions, failing to properly account for the "tremendous public benefits" controlled digital lending offers.

One of the key fair use factors at stake is whether IA's lending program affects (i.e., threatens) the traditional ebook lending market. IA uses expert witnesses to argue that there's no financial harm and further argues that its service is substantially different from the ebook licensing market. IA offers access to digital copies of books, which is similar to licensed libraries. However, the non-profit organization argues that its lending program is not a substitute as it offers a fundamentally different service. "For example, libraries cannot use ebook licenses to build permanent collections. But they can use licensing to easily change the selection of ebooks they offer to adapt to changing interests," IA writes.

The licensing models make these libraries more flexible. However, they have to rely on the books offered by commercial aggregators and can't add these digital copies to their archives. "Controlled digital lending, by contrast, allows libraries to lend only books from their own permanent collections. They can preserve and lend older editions, maintaining an accurate historical record of books as they were printed. "They can also provide access that does not depend on what Publishers choose to make available. But libraries must own a copy of each book they lend, so they cannot easily swap one book for another when interest or trends change," IA adds.
A copy of the Internet Archive's opening brief, filed at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, is available here (pdf)
Crime

Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Sentenced To 4 Years For Securities Fraud (techcrunch.com) 34

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Trevor Milton, the disgraced founder and former CEO of electric truck startup Nikola, was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for securities fraud. The sentence, by Judge Edgardo Ramos in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, caps a multi-year saga that at one point sent Nikola stock soaring 83% only to come crashing down months later over accusations of fraud and canceled contracts. The sentencing hearing comes after four separate delays, during which Milton has remained free under a $100 million bond.

In his ruling, Ramos said he would impose a sentence of 48 months on each count, served concurrently, and a fine of $1 million. Milton is expected to appeal the sentence, which Ramos acknowledged. Milton sobbed as he pled with Judge Ramos for leniency in a long and often confusing statement ahead of the sentencing. At one point, Milton said he stepped down from the CEO post at Nikola not because of fraud allegations, but to support his wife. "I stepped down because my wife was suffering live threatening sickness," he said in his statement, which reporter Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press shared on social media post X. She suffered medical malpractice, someone else's plasma. So I stepped down for that -- not because I was a fraud. The truth matters. I chose my wife over money or power."

During the sentencing hearing, defense attorneys said that Milton wasn't trying to defraud investors or intending to harm anyone. Instead, they argued he simply wanted to be loved and praised like Elon Musk. Prosecutors pushed back and said he lied repeatedly and targeted retail investors. Federal prosecutors recommended an 11-year sentence, but Milton faced a maximum term of 60 years in prison. The government also sought a $5 million fine, forfeiture of a ranch in Utah and an undetermined amount of restitution to investors. Restitution will be determined after Monday's sentencing hearing.
Timeline of events:

June, 2016: Nikola Motor Receives Over 7,000 Preorders Worth Over $2.3 Billion For Its Electric Truck
December, 2016: Nikola Motor Company Reveals Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck With Range of 1,200 Miles
February, 2020: Nikola Motors Unveils Hybrid Fuel-Cell Concept Truck With 600-Mile Range
June, 2020: Nikola Founder Exaggerated the Capability of His Debut Truck
September, 2020: Nikola Motors Accused of Massive Fraud, Ocean of Lies
September, 2020: Nikola Admits Prototype Was Rolling Downhill In Promo Video
September, 2020: Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Steps Down as Chairman in Battle With Short Seller
October, 2020: Nikola Stock Falls 14 Percent After CEO Downplays Badger Truck Plans
November, 2020: Nikola Stock Plunges As Company Cancels Badger Pickup Truck
July, 2021: Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Indicted on Three Counts of Fraud
December, 2021: EV Startup Nikola Agrees To $125 Million Settlement
September, 2022: Nikola Founder Lied To Investors About Tech, Prosecutor Says in Fraud Trial

Comment OpenAI’s recent discovery before firing Sam (Score 1) 30

Thanks to the AI Rundown
The Rundown: According to a report by Reuters, OpenAI had a secret breakthrough called Q* (pronounced Q-Star) that precipitated the firing of Sam Altman.
The details:
Before Sam's firing, researchers sent the board a letter warning of a new AI discovery that could "threaten humanity."
The new model dubbed Q* demonstrated internal capabilities of doing simple math (something no model has achieved).
While simple math might not seem impressive to most, it could be a huge step toward creating artificial general intelligence (AGI).
A day before Sam was fired, he gave a chilling speech, quoting: "Is this a tool we've built or a creature we have built?"
Why it matters: While Q* is not fully confirmed yet, if true, the entire firing of Sam Altman could have been AGI-related all along, and the board’s drastic (and unexplained) actions would make more sense.

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