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Submission + - First-ever Star Trek Lego U.S.S. Enterprise (the-independent.com)

Submitted by semper_statisticum
semper_statisticum writes: Made from 3,600 pieces, the [first-ever] Star Trek inspired Lego set is of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, the spaceship that serves as the main setting of Star Trek: The Next Generation series, which ran for seven seasons, as well as the 1994 film, Star Trek Generations.

“[It] allows builders to craft a detailed replica of the iconic starship, complete with a detachable command saucer, secondary hull, and warp nacelles with distinctive red and blue detailing,” according to a press release from Lego. “The model also features an opening shuttlebay and two mini shuttlepods, perfect for recreating classic scenes.”

The set comes with nine mini-figures of Star Trek: The Next Generation characters, including Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Riker, Lieutenant Worf, Lieutenant Commander Data, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, Counsellor Deanna Troi, bartender Guinan, and Wesley Crusher.

Comment Does this mean....Boost is the winner? (Score 1) 23

by invisik (#65618884) Attached to: Dish Gives Up On Becoming the Fourth Major Wireless Carrier

It reads to me that Boost Mobile will have the best coverage of all, combining T-Mobile, AT&T and some of their own towers? And they are a "budget" carrier so should be less expensive then any of the others alone?

And here (MN) Verizon coverage seems no better the any others, esp in slightly fringe areas, imho.

-m

Submission + - Elon Musk to take on Microsoft with "Macrohard" (msn.com) 1

Submitted by invisik
invisik writes: from the article:

Elon Musk is creating a direct rival to Microsoft through a new company called “Macrohard.”

“It’s a tongue-in-cheek name, but the project is very real!” Musk tweeted on Friday.

The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla plans to take on Microsoft by harnessing AI. Musk describes Macrohard as a “purely AI software company” that’ll be tied to his other startup, xAI.

Comment Isn't it still "aaS" ? (Score 1) 123

by invisik (#65599904) Attached to: AI 'Business Agents' Will Kill SaaS by 2030, Says Microsoft

Isn't the AI system still provided "as a Service" ? Or are they saying we're going to host the AI system in-house? SaaS isn't going away, just changing from the forms-based model to the AI agent model.. whatever that really means.

How are you going to get rids of forms in a business? I mean, data needs to be collected, organized and stored/retrieved. I guess I don't get how the magical AI Agent is going to work.

-m

Submission + - Stroke Patients Have High Levels of Microplastics Clogging Their Arteries (businessinsider.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: "There is some microplastics in normal, healthy arteries," Dr. Ross Clark, a University of New Mexico medical researcher who led the study, told Business Insider before he presented his findings at the meeting of the American Heart Association in Baltimore on Tuesday. "But the amount that's there when they become diseased — and become diseased with symptoms — is really, really different," Clark said. Clark and his team measured microplastics and nanoplastics in the dangerous, fatty plaque that can build up in arteries, block blood flow, and cause strokes or heart attacks. Compared to the walls of healthy plaque-free arteries, plaque buildup had 16 times more plastic — just in the people who didn't have symptoms. In people who had experienced stroke, mini-stroke, or vision loss, the plaque had 51 times more plastic. [...]

To investigate why, Clark studied samples from 48 people's carotid arteries — the pair of superhighways in your neck that channel blood to your brain. The difference in plastic quantities surprised him, but his team found another concerning trend, too. Cells in the plaque with lots of plastic showed different gene activity than those with low plastic. In the high-plastic environment, one group of immune cells had switched off a gene that's associated with turning off inflammation. Clark's team also found genetic differences in a group of stem cells thought to help prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing inflammation and stabilizing plaque. "Could it be that microplastics are somehow altering their gene expression?" Clark said. He added that there's "lots more research needed to fully establish that, but at least it gives us a hint as to where to look."

Ross, who specializes in the genetic mechanisms behind disease, agreed that more research is needed, but added that she thinks "these plastics are doing something with these plaques." Tracking microplastics in the human body is a new scientific endeavor as of the last couple years. It's not perfect. Clark's team heated the plaque samples to more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to vaporize plastic polymers and break them down into smaller organic molecules, which can be identified and measured by their mass and other properties. Unfortunately, the lipids in plaque can break down into chemicals that look very similar to polyethylene, the most common plastic found in everything from plastic bags to car parts. "Because we know about this problem, we've taken a lot of steps to remove those lipids and confirm their removal, so that we're sure we're measuring polyethylene," Clark said. Still, he added, "it's a big limitation, and it should be acknowledged that these types of methodologies are continuously improving."

Submission + - Tesla Sued for Algorithmic Odometer Manipulation (jalopnik.com)

Submitted by Mr_Blank
Mr_Blank writes: A multiple-Tesla owner in Northern California is suing the automaker, claiming the odometers incorrectly measures mileage using a faulty algorithm which ups the supposed miles driven from 15% to 117%. The lawsuit alleges Tesla does this to close out warranties early on their products. The lawsuit, however, stands on a filed patent which may or may not be in use in Tesla vehicles.In the instance of their Model Y,Hinton says they drove 6,086 miles but the Tesla recorded 13,228 miles. The lawsuit is based on a patent that Tesla filed for a seemingly tricky form of recording mileage. The patent calls for a "miles-to-electrical energy conversion factor" that would take in factors like charging behavior and road conditions into the calculation of miles traveled instead of a direct recording of miles traveled.The lawsuit alleges Tesla is using this technology instead of mechanical or electrical systems that faithfully record miles traveled, in order to shorten warranties based on miles-driven in the cars.

Submission + - What If We Made All Advertising Illegal? 8

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: "What if we made all advertising illegal?" Kodo Simone provocatively asks. "It makes perfect sense. The financial incentives to create addictive digital content would instantly disappear, and so would the mechanisms that allow both commercial and political actors to create personalized, reality-distorting bubbles. [...] I know, it sounds surreal. Yet, many things once thought impossible are now considered basic standards of a decent society. I think there's a world where we'll look back on our advertising-saturated era with the same bewilderment with which we now regard cigarette smoke, child labor, or public executions: a barbaric practice that we allowed to continue far too long because we couldn't imagine an alternative."

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