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Submission + - Kill Russian soldiers, win points: Is Ukraine's new drone scheme gamifying war? (bbc.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The images come in every day. Thousands of them.

Men and equipment being hunted down along Ukraine's long, contested front lines. Everything filmed, logged and counted.

And now put to use too, as the Ukrainian military tries to extract every advantage it can against its much more powerful opponent.

Under a scheme first trialled last year and dubbed "Army of Drones: Bonus" (also known as "e-points"), units can earn points for each Russian soldier killed or piece of equipment destroyed.

And like a killstreak in Call of Duty, or a 1970s TV game show, points mean prizes.

"The more strategically important and large-scale the target, the more points a unit receives," reads a statement from the team at Brave 1, which brings together experts from government and the military.

"For example, destroying an enemy multiple rocket launch system earns up to 50 points; 40 points are awarded for a destroyed tank and 20 for a damaged one."

Call it the gamification of war.

Submission + - Russia: Commercial satellite providing help to the Ukraine are now targets (behindtheblack.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Russia this week informed regulators at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that it now considers all European and American private satellite constellations "legitimate targets to be destroyed" if they provide any help to the Ukraine.

Russia tells ITU that GPS/Galileo/GNSS nav commercial broadcast sats helping Ukraine militarily should expect interference. Same for EutelsatGroup, OneWeb, Starlink constellations, which Russia has said are 'legitimate targets to be destroyed.

There is more at the full article, but that is behind a subscription paywall.

Russia's announcement here is probably in response to Trump's more bellicose statements recently about Putin and Russia.

I suspect Russia will begin by trying to jam these constellations. Let us hope it does not go farther than that.

Submission + - SPAM: Trump Ends Boondoggle on Rails

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: With an initial budget of $33 billion, the California High-Speed Rail Authority left the train station. Fifteen years down the track, that budget tripled. Two years later, those numbers became abstract. Depending on whom you ask, estimates ranged from $106 billion to $130 billion. There wasn't a concrete endpoint, literally or figuratively.
Link to Original Source

Submission + - Satellite companies SES and Intelsat complete their merger (ses.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The Luxembourg-based satellite company SES has now completed its acquisition of the European-based satellite company Intelsat, giving the combined company 120 active satellites in a variety of low and high Earth orbits.

With a world-class network including approximately 90 geostationary (GEO), nearly 30 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, strategic access to low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and an extensive ground network, SES can now deliver connectivity solutions utilising complementary spectrum bands including C-, Ku-, Ka-, Military Ka-, X-band, and Ultra High Frequency. The expanded capabilities of the combined company will enable it to deliver premium-quality services and tailored solutions to its customers. The company's assets and networks, once fully integrated, will put SES in a strong competitive position to better serve the evolving needs of its customers including governments, aviation, maritime, and media across the globe.

Both companies are long established, with Intelsat initially founded in the mid-1960s as a consortium of 23 nations aimed at launching the first geosynchronous communications satellites over the Atlantic and Pacific serving most of the Old World and linked to the New.

The merger is an attempt by both companies to compete with the new low-orbit constellations of SpaceX, Amazon, and from China.

Submission + - Delta may eliminate set prices. AI will determine how much you're willing to pay (fortune.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Delta moves toward eliminating set prices in favor of AI that determines how much you personally will pay for a ticket

Delta has a long-term strategy to boost its profitability by moving away from set fares and toward individualized pricing using AI. The pilot program, which uses AI for 3% of fares, has so far been “amazingly favorable,” the airline said. Privacy advocates fear this will lead to price-gouging, with one consumer advocate comparing the tactic to “hacking our brains.”

https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FOwenGregorian%2Fst...

Submission + - Biden push for $10B electric mail delivery fleet flops with just 250 trucks (nypost.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Biden push for $10B electric mail delivery fleet flops with just 250 trucks built in two years

It doesn't help that the specs were so bureaucratically convoluted that only a defense contractor would make it and at twice what a repurposed commercial vehicle would cost.

Biden will probably blame the autopen for this boondoggle.

Submission + - Chinese-made iPhones could be banned in US over theft of trade secrets (appleinsider.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes:

Back in 2023, both Samsung Display and China's BOE were filing multiple suits against one another, each concerning alleged theft of technologies. As part of this, Samsung Display also filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), and that regulator has now made a preliminary ruling.

According to ET News, the ITC has sided with Samsung over the allegation that BOE has violated trade secrets concerning the manufacture of OLED screens. Specifically, the ruling says that Samsung Display "has proven by a preponderance of evidence" that BOE has been making OLED panels through "misappropriation of trade secrets."

The ruling is preliminary, however reportedly the ITC rarely overturns its initial findings in its final judgement. That final judgement is currently expected to be issued in November 2025, when as US President, Trump will have two months to decide whether the exercise any recommended ban.

If the ITC follows its preliminary recommendations, and those are approved, then the ban would cover the import of products, such as certain iPhones, which use BOE OLED panels.

The lesson is an old one: Don't trust China; China is asshoe.

Submission + - SPAM: White House Touts Huge MAHA Wins on Food Dyes

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The average person in the United States drinks and eats five times as much food dye today compared to what was consumed in 1955. In cereals, frostings, candy and even some packaged salmon, we eat food dyes. And we drink them in some soft drinks and sports drinks.

Researchers have linked food dyes to three genes. One of those genes produces dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical that promotes focus and control over your impulses. The two other genes produce histamine, a chemical made in your body that causes you to feel alert. But too much histamine can bring on allergy symptoms.
Link to Original Source

Comment Most low wage illegals are on public assistance (Score 5, Interesting) 235

According to data from the Center for Immigration Studies (pro-immigrant), many immigrants work for extremely low wages, which are then subsidized by taxpayers through public assistance.

The argument that someone has to pick your lettuce is dead; there is no cheap labor only corporate subsidies at our taxpayer expense. It might even end up being cheaper for businesses holistically when they are forced to pay actual market wages rather than depending on roundabout benefits.

54% of immigrant-headed households use at least one major welfare program, compared to 39% of U.S.-born households.
  Non-citizen households (e.g., green card holders and illegal immigrants) show the highest usage at 59%.
  Compared to U.S.-born households, immigrant households show elevated usage in:
  - Food assistance programs: 36% vs. 25%
  - Medicaid: 37% vs. 25%
  - Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): 16% vs. 12%
  Illegal immigrants can receive benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born children, while children who are illegal immigrants themselves are eligible for school meals and WIC.
  Several states provide Medicaid or SNAP to some illegal immigrants, and millions of undocumented immigrants with work permits (DACA, TPS, asylum applicants) qualify for EITC.
  Removing low-cost programs like school meals and WIC from the analysis still shows 46% of immigrant households vs. 33% of U.S.-born households use at least one remaining major program.
  Workforce participation is high: 83% of immigrant households and 94% of illegal immigrant households have at least one worker.

Workforce participation would be higher among citizens if citizens didnt have to compete with taxpayer-subsidized, below-market labor.

Submission + - China creates remote-controlled cyborg BEES that could be used for spy missions (dailymail.co.uk)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Chinese scientists have successfully turned bees into cyborgs by inserting controllers into their brains.

The device, which weighs less than a pinch of salt, is strapped to the back of a worker bee and connected to the insect’s brain through small needles.

In tests the device worked nine times out of 10 and the bees obeyed the instructions to turn left or right, the researchers said.

The cyborg bees could be used in rescue missions – or in covert operations as military scouts.

The tiny device can be equipped with cameras, listening devices and sensors that allow the insects to collect and record information.

Given their small size they could also be used for discreet military or security operations, such as accessing small spaces without arousing suspicion.

Submission + - Google Bets Big on Nuclear Fusion (oilprice.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Google signed the first direct corporate power purchase agreement for nuclear fusion energy with Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

The global race to achieve commercial nuclear fusion is intensifying, with significant investments from the U.S., China, and the European Union.

Nuclear fusion promises to deliver abundant, clean energy, potentially revolutionizing the global energy landscape and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

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